Gophers prove Williams Arena can still be electrifying for big, underdog moments

A couple weeks ago, Ben Johnson saw his Gophers men’s basketball team play to its potential while dominating 15th-ranked Oregon right out of the gate at home.

The announced Williams Arena crowd of 11,062 that Saturday afternoon was the largest at home this season.

Gophers players and coaches had no doubt the energy and atmosphere in the building had something to do with how well they played, especially in two wins against ranked opponents Michigan and Oregon last month.

“If we can create that Oregon environment that helps move the needle,” Johnson said. “If you don’t have a ticket now, go grab one.”

The Gophers (12-11, 4-8 Big Ten) suffered a disappointing loss against Washington in their last home game a week ago, but they’re hoping Saturday’s environment at the Barn can help them get another marquee win — this time against No. 23 Illinois.

“Having the student section like they are, creating the energy for the building and kind of being those tone setters has been huge,” Johnson said. “It truly does matter and makes a difference — the energy. And we’re going to need everything against a really good Illinois team.”

Johnson, who was hired as Gophers coach in 2021, begged fans from the beginning to help his basketball program establish a consistent homecourt advantage during his tenure.

Court storming in college basketball usually happens when underdogs upset top 10 teams at home, but Gophers fans seemed starved for a big win under Johnson, who started 0-16 vs. ranked opponents.

Students rushed the court after Dawson Garcia’s buzzer-beater from the logo beat No. 20 Michigan 84-81 in overtime Jan. 16. Even more fans celebrated with players after the 77-69 victory Jan. 25 vs. Oregon.

“The biggest thing about the court storm is you get to reward the students for showing up,” Johnson said. “Hopefully they understand they had a major impact in that. They get to enjoy the win and hopefully feel part of the team.”

Last season, the Gophers played only one ranked opponent at home when they fell 61-59 to then-No. 11 Wisconsin. But they were starting to generate more of a homecourt advantage.

The Gophers had 16 of their 19 wins come at Williams Arena in 2023-24, the most for the program in seven years. They were tied with Purdue for the second-most home victories in the Big Ten, behind Nebraska’s 18.

Average announced home attendance for Gophers men’s games this season is up only slightly from 8,140 last season (lowest since 1969-70) to 8,309 through 15 home games this season.

A 10-5 home record this season included falling to North Texas on Nov. 13, the first loss to a non-power conference opponent at the Barn since 2014.

But the Gophers could sense a different vibe even for last Saturday’s game that started at 11 a.m. CT. There was an announced 9,202 fans in attendance that cheered on the U’s late comeback just before losing 71-68 against Washington.

“It was amazing hearing the crowd react to every basket,” senior guard Femi Odukale said. “When the opposing team was coming down, they’re hearing the crowd yelling and chanting, messing up their plays.”

A third win against a ranked opponent at home Saturday would be the most for the Gophers since they defeated four such teams in 2020-21. But there was no atmosphere at the Barn back then, with COVID-19 restrictions keeping fans from attending games.

Johnson said Friday that ticket sales for Illinois were only 600-800 seats away from the 11,000-plus at the Oregon game.

The Gophers watched a three-game winning streak end briefly with two straight losses last week. But they regrouped to pull off a 69-61 comeback win Tuesday at Penn State.

Much like in the victories against Michigan and Oregon at home, the Gophers didn’t rely solely on leading scorer Dawson Garcia, who was named to the top-10 list Friday for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award given to the nation’s top center.

Senior guards Brennan Rigsby and Lu’Cye Patterson combined for 28 points at Penn State, including 20 points in the second half.

A former starter who averaged just 1.4 points in 8.8 minutes in Big Ten play before his breakout game, Rigsby could be a reason why fans are standing up and cheering on a big Gopher rally Saturday.

Rigsby threw down a highlight-reel dunk Tuesday that sparked a Minnesota run at Penn State. Imagine if he took flight again in front of the home crowd against Illinois.

The Oregon transfer didn’t get on the court much when the Gophers beat his former team last month, but Rigsby was impressed by the Williams Arena crowd.

“I feel like we have a great atmosphere,” Rigsby said. “It’s definitely a big difference. Kind of having that sixth man with the fans behind you, just having that energy around the building, it’s easy to get up for those types of games.”

5 p.m., Saturday at Williams Arena

TV; radio: BTN; 1130-AM

The No. 21 Illini (15-8, 7-6 Big Ten) got off to a 4-1 start to Big Ten play in early January, but they’ve lost five of their last eight games since. On Wednesday, Illinois fell 82-73 at home against Rutgers after leading scorers Kasparas Jakucionis and Tomislav Ivisic were held to 16 points on 6-for-17 shooting. The Gophers have a seven-game losing streak in the series since last defeating Illinois at home on Jan. 30, 2019.