2020–21 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gophers were led by eighth-year head coach Richard Pitino and played their home games at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota as members of the Big Ten Conference. The Gophers finished the season 14–15, 6–14 in Big Ten play to finish in 13th place. They defeated Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten tournament before losing to Ohio State in the second round.

2020–21 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	14–15 (6–14 Big Ten)
Head coach	Richard Pitino (8th season)
Assistant coaches	Ed Conroy (5th season) Kyle Lindsted (3rd season) Jeff Mailhot (1st season)
Home arena	Williams Arena
Seasons ← 2019–20 2021–22 →

2020–21 Big Ten Conference
men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 4 Michigan	14	–	3		.824			23	–	5		.821
No. 2 Illinois †	16	–	4		.800			24	–	7		.774
No. 8 Iowa	14	–	6		.700			22	–	9		.710
No. 20 Purdue	13	–	6		.684			18	–	10		.643
No. 7 Ohio State	12	–	8		.600			21	–	10		.677
Wisconsin	10	–	10		.500			18	–	13		.581
Rutgers	10	–	10		.500			16	–	12		.571
Maryland	9	–	11		.450			17	–	14		.548
Michigan State	9	–	11		.450			15	–	13		.536
Indiana	7	–	12		.368			12	–	15		.444
Penn State	7	–	12		.368			11	–	14		.440
Northwestern	6	–	13		.316			9	–	15		.375
Minnesota	6	–	14		.300			14	–	15		.483
Nebraska	3	–	16		.158			7	–	20		.259
† Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Following the season, the school fired Richard Pitino after eight years at the school.^[1] On March 23, 2021, the school named Minnesota alum and former Minnesota assistant coach Ben Johnson the new head coach.^[2]

Previous season

The Gophers finished the 2019–20 season 15–16, 8–12 in Big Ten play to finish in 12th place. The Gophers defeated Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten tournament^[3] before the tournament was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.^[4] All other postseason tournaments including the NCAA tournament were later canceled effectively ending the season.^[5][6]

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Payton Willis	0	G	6'4"	200	RS Junior	Fayetteville, AR	Transferred to College of Charleston
Bryan Greenlee	3	G	6'0"	175	Freshman	Gainesville, FL	Transferred to Florida Atlantic
Brady Rudrud	10	G	6'2"	190	Senior	Eden Prairie, MN	Graduated, walk-on
Daniel Oturu	25	C	6'10"	225	Sophomore	Woodbury, MN	Declared for NBA Draft^[7]
Alihan Demir	30	F	6'9"	235	Senior	Ankara, Turkey	Graduated
Michael Hurt	42	F	6'7"	220	Senior	Rochester, MN	Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Brandon Johnson	F	6'8"	200	Senior	Chicago, IL	Western Michigan
Liam Robbins	C	7'0"	235	Junior	Davenport, IA	Drake
Both Gach^[8]	G	6'6"	183	Junior	Austin, MN	Utah

Recruiting classes

2020 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Martice Mitchell PF	Chicago Heights, Illinois	Bloom High School	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Oct 7, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 79
Jamal Mashburn Jr. CG	Miami, Florida	Brewster Academy	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Oct 14, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 80
David Mutaf CG	Istanbul, Turkey	Fenerbahce Basketball Subesi	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	May 24, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:    247Sports:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Treyton Thompson PF	Alexandria, Minnesota	La Lumiere School	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Nov 30, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:    247Sports:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2020–21 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown C 0 Liam Robbins 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Assumption Drake Davenport, IA G 1 Tre' Williams 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Wasatch Academy Dallas, TX F 2 Martice Mitchell 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Bloom Chicago, IL G 4 Jamal Mashburn Jr. 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Brewster Academy Miami, FL G 5 Marcus Carr (C) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Montverde Academy Pittsburgh Toronto, ON G 11 Both Gach 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Arizona Compass Prep Utah Austin, MN G 13 Hunt Conroy (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Sr Jesuit New Orleans, LA F 21 Jarvis Omersa 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Orono Orono, MN G 22 Gabe Kalscheur (C) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr DeLaSalle Edina, MN F 23 Brandon Johnson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Sr Thea Bowman Leadership Academy Western Michigan Chicago, IL F 24 Eric Curry (C) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Sr Southwest Christian Academy Memphis, TN C 32 Sam Freeman 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So Northwest Dallas, TX F 35 Isaiah Ihnen 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So IBA Munich Böblingen, Germany	Head coach Richard Pitino (Providence) Assistant coach(es) Ed Conroy (The Citadel) Kyle Lindsted (Central Christian (KS)) Jeff Mailhot (Cal Baptist) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
November 25, 2020* 6:00 p.m., BTN Plus		Green Bay	W 99–69	1–0	35 – Carr	9 – Robbins	4 – Tied	Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN
November 28, 2020* 5:00 p.m., BTN		Loyola Marymount	W 88–73	2–0	28 – Carr	8 – Robbins	8 – Carr	Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN
November 30, 2020* 7:00 p.m., BTN		Loyola Marymount	W 67–64	3–0	26 – Carr	7 – Carr	4 – Gach	Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN
December 4, 2020* 8:00 p.m., BTN		North Dakota	W 76–67	4–0	21 – Gach	9 – Gach	9 – Carr	Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN
December 8, 2020* 6:00 p.m., ESPNU		Boston College ACC–Big Ten Challenge	W 85–80 ^OT	5–0	22 – Carr	9 – Gach	6 – Carr	Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN
December 10, 2020* 7:00 p.m., FS1		Kansas City	W 90–61	6–0	27 – Robbins	11 – Ihnen	7 – Carr	Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN
December 15, 2020 6:00 p.m., ESPN2		at No. 13 Illinois	L 65–92	6–1 (0–1)	16 – Carr	8 – Johnson	4 – Carr	State Farm Center (173) Champaign, IL
December 20, 2020* 7:30 p.m., FS1		Saint Louis	W 90–82	7–1	32 – Carr	10 – Ihnen	7 – Carr	Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN
December 25, 2020 7:00 p.m., BTN		No. 4 Iowa	W 102–95 ^OT	8–1 (1–1)	30 – Carr	9 – Johnson	8 – Carr	Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN
December 28, 2020 7:00 p.m., BTN	No. 21	No. 17 Michigan State	W 81–56	9–1 (2–1)	19 – Carr	9 – Tied	5 – Carr	Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN
December 31, 2020 3:30 p.m., BTN	No. 21	at No. 6 Wisconsin	L 59–71	9–2 (2–2)	15 – Kalscheur	9 – Tied	7 – Carr	Kohl Center (0) Madison, WI
January 3, 2021 4:30 p.m., BTN	No. 21	No. 25 Ohio State	W 77–60	10–2 (3–2)	27 – Robbins	14 – Robbins	4 – Robbins	Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN
January 6, 2021 7:30 p.m., BTN	No. 16	at No. 10 Michigan	L 57–82	10–3 (3–3)	14 – Carr	6 – Johnson	2 – Tied	Crisler Center (64) Ann Arbor, MI
January 10, 2021 1:30 p.m., BTN	No. 16	at No. 5 Iowa	L 71–86	10–4 (3–4)	13 – Tied	8 – Johnson	4 – Carr	Carver–Hawkeye Arena (569) Iowa City, IA
January 16, 2021 1:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 23	No. 7 Michigan	W 75–57	11–4 (4–4)	22 – Robbins	8 – Robbins	6 – Carr	Williams Arena (38) Minneapolis, MN
January 23, 2021 1:00 p.m., BTN	No. 17	Maryland	L 49–63	11–5 (4–5)	25 – Carr	10 – Johnson	3 – Tied	Williams Arena (44) Minneapolis, MN
January 30, 2021 6:30 p.m., BTN	No. 21	at Purdue	L 62–81	11–6 (4–6)	15 – Robbins	7 – Robbins	5 – Carr	Mackey Arena (250) West Lafayette, IN
February 4, 2021 8:00 p.m., FS1		at Rutgers	L 72–76	11–7 (4–7)	18 – Carr	10 – Robbins	7 – Carr	Louis Brown Athletic Center (0) Piscataway, NJ
February 8, 2021 7:00 p.m., BTN		Nebraska	W 79–61	12–7 (5–7)	21 – Carr	10 – Johnson	8 – Carr	Williams Arena (29) Minneapolis, MN
February 11, 2021 4:00 p.m., ESPN2		No. 24 Purdue	W 71–68	13–7 (6–7)	19 – Carr	10 – Robbins	5 – Carr	Williams Arena (44) Minneapolis, MN
February 14, 2021 6:00 p.m., FS1		at Maryland	L 59–72	13–8 (6–8)	14 – Mashburn Jr.	7 – Ihnen	3 – Mashburn Jr.	Xfinity Center (0) College Park, MD
February 17, 2021 8:00 p.m., BTN		at Indiana	L 72–82	13–9 (6–9)	19 – Tied	7 – Johnson	4 – Carr	Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (0) Bloomington, IN
February 20, 2021 2:30 p.m., FOX		No. 5 Illinois	L 63-94	13–10 (6–10)	16 – Mashburn Jr.	6 – Mashburn Jr.	4 – Robbins	Williams Arena (56) Minneapolis, MN
February 25, 2021 8:00 p.m., BTN		Northwestern	L 59–67	13–11 (6–11)	21 – Carr	8 – Curry	7 – Carr	Williams Arena (23) Minneapolis, MN
February 27, 2021 6:00 p.m., BTN		at Nebraska	L 74-78	13-12 (6-12)	41 – Carr	8 – Curry	3 – Carr	Pinnacle Bank Arena (0) Lincoln, NE
March 3, 2021 6:00 p.m., BTN		at Penn State	L 65–84	13–13 (6–13)	22 – Carr	10 – Ihnen	4 – Carr	Bryce Jordan Center (258) University Park, PA
March 6, 2021 11:00 a.m., FOX		Rutgers	L 70–77 ^OT	13–14 (6–14)	19 – Johnson	11 – Johnson	3 – Gach	Williams Arena (52) Minneapolis, MN
Big Ten tournament
March 10, 2021 5:30 p.m., BTN	(13)	vs. (12) Northwestern First round	W 51–46	14–14	14 – Williams	12 – Curry	6 – Carr	Lucas Oil Stadium (5,909) Indianapolis, IN
March 11, 2021 1:00 p.m., BTN	(13)	vs. (5) No. 9 Ohio State Second round	L 75–79	14–15	24 – Carr	8 – Tied	4 – Tied	Lucas Oil Stadium (6,206) Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

Rankings

See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
— = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final
AP	—	—	—	RV	RV	21т	16	23	17	21	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	—	Not released
Coaches	—	—	—	—	RV	24т	17	19	17	20	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.

References

1. "Minnesota fires coach Richard Pitino after eight seasons leading Gophers basketball program". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
2. "Ben Johnson named Gophers men's basketball coach". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
3. "Northwestern vs. Minnesota - Game Recap - March 11, 2020 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
4. Solari, Chris. "March Madness cancellation inevitable, unavoidable: 'Bigger than basketball'". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
5. Almasy, Steve. "The NCAA is canceling March Madness". CNN. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
6. "2020 NCAA Tournament canceled due to growing threat of coronavirus pandemic". CBSSports.com. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
7. "Gophers sophomore Daniel Oturu declares for NBA draft". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
8. "Utah's Gach headed home, transfers to Minnesota". ESPN.com. June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.