Gophers men’s basketball team flops against Northwestern in Big Ten tournament

INDIANAPOLIS - Gophers seniors Dawson Garcia and Parker Fox tapped coach Ben Johnson on the shoulder as they walked off the podium after Wednesday’s 72-64 Big Ten tournament loss against Northwestern.

It was likely their last time wearing maroon and gold.

The Gophers (15-17) are longshots for the NIT and the new College Basketball Crown tournament and have no chance at the NCAA tournament. Officially, Johnson’s future is also cloudy, but speculation in Indianapolis was that he will get another year.

“All you can do is keep working,” Johnson told the Star Tribune after the loss. “Keep grinding.”

The fourth-year Gophers coach was already planning for next season before the Big Ten tournament’s early exit. So, he’ll soon be recruiting to keep key non-seniors and build a better roster.

“Hopefully, there’s a chance if we can make something postseason-wise to get these seniors the opportunity to end on a better note,” Johnson said. “The second piece is we have to attack the portal — and to be able to take a step.”

Johnson, who is 56-61 in four years coaching the Gophers, wasn’t envisioning such an abrupt ending after highs like wins vs. Michigan and Oregon and at USC, UCLA and Nebraska. Garcia, Fox and Mike Mitchell Jr. aimed high after not following teammates from last year’s 19-win team into the transfer portal for bigger NIL paydays.

“There were a lot of high moments and low moments,” said Garcia, who finished with 22 points Wednesday. “I think guys who have more years on the team all have bright futures. Hopefully this year, me and other guys were able to teach them something about being there every single day.”

The 12th-seeded Gophers overachieved after being picked to finish last in the Big Ten in the preseason and starting 0-6 in conference play. Northwestern (17-15) was behind them in the Big Ten standings based on tiebreakers, but the Wildcats beat them twice in two weeks, including 75-63 in Minneapolis on Feb. 25.

Johnson couldn’t figure out how to defend Northwestern’s pick-and-roll offense. Big Ten scoring champ Nick Martinelli had 57 combined points in two games against the Gophers, including 28 points on 12-for-22 shooting Wednesday.

The Wildcats, who advanced to play Wisconsin in Thursday’s second round in Indianapolis, shot 48% but also took control with 32 points in the paint and a 36-32 rebounding edge.

After trailing 32-29 at halftime, the Gophers were outscored 22-10 to start the second half and fell behind 54-39 on a three-pointer from Ty Berry with 9:49 to play. Berry finished with 14 points.

“Tough way to go out,” said Mitchell, who had 11 points on 3-for-7 three-point shooting. “We went through a dry spell when they went on a run, but I’m glad we were able to fight back.”

Last month’s loss to Northwestern was part of the Gophers’ most deflating home stretch of the season, which also included falling to Penn State at Williams Arena. They went 5-5 on the road in the Big Ten but only 2-8 at home.

It’s too early to know player decisions, but the Gophers will work hard to retain freshman Isaac Asuma and junior Frank Mitchell, who had bright moments this season. Senior Brennan Rigsby also has eligibility thanks to new rules with junior college transfers.

“Some other guys have options to think about,” Johnson said. “But we’ve got to do a better job in the portal with just identifying guys who are going to be able to be really impactful. Thankful to have the resources now to do it.”

Of the three key Gophers seniors who returned from last year’s NIT team, Garcia was most prominent. He led the team in scoring and rebounding for the third consecutive year to earn All-Big Ten second-team honors.

Fox and Mike Mitchell Jr. dealt with nagging ankle and foot injuries that kept them from having a significant impact to end the season. Mitchell had 11 points Wednesday, Fox six, all in the first half.

“I’m grateful that this [his eighth year of college basketball] was even an opportunity for an old guy like me,” Fox joked. “I just told all the guys I was grateful for them. Just appreciated every moment. Just tried to soak it in. You knew it was going to come to an end at some point.”