Gophers men’s basketball loss to Wisconsin caps frustrating season at Williams Arena

The loudest Gophers men’s basketball game at Williams Arena this season and the best atmosphere was arguably the upset against Oregon on Jan. 25.

Court storming aside, the energy was different that day.

Wednesday night’s announced sellout of 14,625 was the largest Gophers crowd in five years, but it also sounded like a Wisconsin home game at times. Chants of “Let’s Go Badgers!” echoed at the Barn.

The Gophers saw the No. 12 Badgers take over in the stands and on the court late in a 74-67 loss. It was Minnesota’s fifth consecutive home loss since beating the Ducks more than a month ago.

“It’s good for our guys to play in that environment,” Gophers coach Ben Johnson said. “I told the guys there were a lot of positives. For whatever reason we had a handful of plays, we just couldn’t get out of our own way.”

Alongside the fans donning red, the Gophers faithful came out in force. Players felt their energy, especially the seniors. But it was tough not to go out with a home victory.

“It felt good to have everybody out, to see my family and the Barn packed,” senior guard Lu’Cye Patterson said. “It was a good experience. I’m a kid from Minnesota, so that was all good. But we came up short.”

The Gophers (15-15, 7-12 Big Ten) could be seen as overachievers in Johnson’s fourth season. They were picked last in the preseason but are expected to finish in the top 15 despite the outcome Sunday at Rutgers, which qualifies them for the Big Ten tournament.

“There’s a lot of people who didn’t think [the Gophers] were going to be in the Big Ten tournament,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot of people who didn’t think we would win seven [league] games with a chance to win eight. Last year we won nine. If I would’ve told people we would have a chance to win eight, they would’ve laughed at me and called me crazy.”

But the Gophers also didn’t expect to win only two Big Ten home games this season. They ended on a five-game losing streak at Williams Arena.

Johnson didn’t come close to matching the success from a season ago at the Barn. The Gophers went 16-4 overall and 7-3 at home in the Big Ten last year, which helped them win 19 games and get into the NIT.

The Gophers are not likely to play beyond the Big Ten tournament this year because they finished 10-9 at home this season, including 2-8 in the Big Ten.

That was the U’s worst record at home since going 6-11 overall and 1-9 in the Big Ten in Johnson’s second year, 2022-23.

But average Gophers men’s basketball home attendance (8,923) was up from last season (8,140). In conference games, the Gophers averaged 9,983 fans this season compared to 9,016 last season.

The fact that the Gophers had so much success on the road (5-4 Big Ten record) probably contributed to the turnout for home games such as Oregon (11,062), Penn State (11,292) and Wisconsin (14,625).

“People are going to come out and support guys who give you a chance and that put you in a position to win,” Johnson said.

Of the 10 seniors honored on senior night, starters Dawson Garcia, Mike Mitchell Jr., Femi Odukale, Parker Fox and Patterson probably played their last game at the Barn (barring some NCAA rule changes).

Of the main rotation for the Gophers, there’s a chance that fans might see freshman Isaac Asuma and junior Frank Mitchell again on the home floor. And even senior Brennan Rigsby has an option to return because of the rule allowing former junior college players to not have that count against their Division I eligibility.

Frank Mitchell, a 6-8, 260-pound bruiser, and Rigsby, a bouncy 6-3 guard, put on a show for the home crowd when the Gophers rallied to briefly take a two-point lead in the second half.

Mitchell had 11 points on 5-for-5 shooting from the field and 11 rebounds Wednesday. Rigsby, coming off his 20-point performance last Saturday at Nebraska, had his best home game of the season with 18 points.

“Those guys just work,” Johnson said. “Never complained. Never lose focus. It’s never about them, ever. It’s funny. When you just play and do the right thing, the basketball gods reward you.”

But whatever happens to finish the season, the Gophers still might look back and wonder what the reward would’ve been if they had played better at home.