Gophers hope six-game winning streak helps bring fans back to Williams Arena

About 30 minutes after the Gophers men's basketball team pulled out its 73-71 victory at Michigan on Thursday night, a social media post popped on the team's X page, announcing a deal for $15 tickets for the next home game.

Not long after that came the repost from Gophers coach Ben Johnson with his own message to "pack the place" on Sunday when his team plays Maryland at 14,625-seat Williams Arena.

"I'm begging people to come out," Johnson told the Star Tribune after his team's sixth consecutive victory Thursday. "This is a fun group."

In his first two seasons during an exhaustive rebuild, Johnson never had a product to sell like he has now. His Gophers are playing a fun and exciting style — and winning, too.

"I trusted Ben and the vision he had," Mike Mitchell Jr. said. "We had all the pieces going into [this season]. I have full confidence running with it in the Big Ten."

And the U hopes to capitalize on it, especially after last season's historic struggles tanked ticket sales to the program's lowest in decades.

"Our staff had things ready to go," Gophers associate athletic director Mike Wierzbicki said of how the marketing team planned to roll out a promotion once the Gophers delivered a big win.

The Gophers (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten) are making notable strides after finishing 9-22 overall and 2-17 in conference play last season.

The team's announced average home attendance last season was 9,451, the U's lowest since 1970-71. And that total has dropped again. Through 11 home games this season, the Gophers' announced attendance average is just 7,230, on pace to be the lowest since 1968-69.

"If our fans get back behind us like I know they will," Johnson said, "it's going to be a fire environment this weekend. We need it. We're playing well."

The only other Big Ten team to reel off a six-game winning streak this season is No. 1 Purdue. This is the Gophers' longest win streak since they had eight straight victories during an NCAA tournament season in 2016-17.

While the announced attendance totals have been sagging, the actual number of tickets scanned has been much lower. According to data obtained by the Star Tribune, the Gophers' average number of tickets scanned this season is 3,420.

That's comparable to last season at this time, when it was 3,313 through the team's first eight home games before Big Ten play resumed.

Ticket numbers across the country in college sports have been slow to recover since no fans were allowed to attend games early in the COVID-19 pandemic. But the Gophers marketing team has been eagerly waiting with ideas to bring fans back once Johnson's program gained traction.

Sunday's game against Maryland was already slated to be a fan appreciation day. The Gophers sweetened the deal, discounting tickets after winning at Michigan for only the second time since 2011.

"Perfect opportunity to add in a ticket discount to further encourage people to come out and support the team," Wierzbicki said. "Credit is to our marketing, communications/social [media] staff. They are doing great work. And Ben and our team, too."

Viewers watching on TV might not realize how loud the Barn can get even when it's barely half full with an enthusiastic crowd.

When the Gophers defeated Nebraska on Dec. 6, Huskers coach Fred Hoiberg blamed some of his team's 18 turnovers on how loud Williams Arena got. The announced attendance was 6,899. The actual number of tickets scanned was 3,680.

Gophers point guard Elijah Hawkins has noticed a big difference in players' energy when the fans are behind them during rallies at home this season.

"I feel like at home we play our best," Hawkins said. "When we have our crowd into it, we're a great team."

The Gophers won only six home games last season, their fewest since 1967-68. This season, they are 10-1 at home and could be undefeated there, but they let a 20-point lead slip away in a 70-68 loss to Missouri on Nov. 16.

Still, there's a much different Gophers team playing at Williams Arena compared to last season, if some haven't noticed yet.