Minnesota basketball used to be one of the more notable programs in the Big Ten. They made the Sweet 16 in 2013 and the Final Four in 1997. They have had a great history of historic players, and even coaches of notoriety. Think Tubby Smith, or even Richard Pitino, the son of Hall of Famer Rick Pitino.
In 2021, the Gophers decided to go with a former player to lead the program. That was none other than Ben Johnson. Johnson spent his first two years of college ball at Northwestern from 1999-2001, before moving back home to the Gophers to finish his final two years of college basketball.
Minnesota basketball has brought in some talent during the Coach J0hnson era, but they haven’t found enough success even to be considered for an NCAA tournament berth. That talent included Cam Christie just last season, as he was a huge part in helping the Gophers have their best season in the last five years. That 2023-24 team made the NIT.
Is It Time For Minnesota Basketball to Make Leadership Change?
That isn’t enough, though, as the Gophers have started the 2024-25 campaign in not great fashion. They are currently 6-5, and 0-2 in the Big Ten. That’s about the worst start you could think of for a fairly experienced team, especially with the likes of fifth-year seniors Dawson Garcia and Parker Fox.
Despite that experience, the Gophers have stumbled, and Coach Johnson isn’t holding back his criticism of his team. He called his team out after back-to-back blowout losses to Michigan State and Indiana to open Big Ten play. According to Joe Nelson from Minnesota Gophers on SI, Johnson called it inexcusable for Minnesota standards.
” This league is unforgiving, Indiana was projected to be second in the league, Michigan State was projected I think fifth. It’s unforgiving and you have to rise to the level of competition,” Johnson said. ” Those guys need to understand there’s a certain standard. But there’s winning habits that you have to have to do that every single day, and you have to build that every single day, if you want to have a chance to win games.”
https://twitter.com/GopherMBB/status/1866294070005616700
That’s the problem in itself, Minnesota basketball isn’t winning games. Sure they have six victories thus far, but have they beaten anybody of substance to this point?
What Can Be Done to Fix It
The team has had a long break since losing to Indiana, but their issues could easily continue as their next two games are against non-conference opponents of far less value with FDU and Morgan State visiting Williams Arena. The Gophers have to use those games to regain some confidence. If you want opponents to help work things out for your team, you couldn’t have asked for better.
The real question is will Minnesota respond to their coach’s challenge?
Gophers Have to Make Something Happen
To me, Coach Johnson’s time is numbered at this point. If his Gophers team can’t fight enough to make the Big Ten tournament by the season’s end, I don’t foresee him returning next season. Only 15 of the 18 teams that make up the Big Ten Conference will qualify for the Big Ten Tournament. As it sits Minnesota basketball is at the bottom of the league.
Some early #B1GMBBall standings 👀#B1GToday pic.twitter.com/ahvYFiXPX8
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 12, 2024
Like I said before, Johnson has been able to bring talent to the team, but they just haven’t had enough while gelling as a unit. Sure, last season’s run to the NIT was a step in the right direction. That energy appears to be all but gone. The three top pieces from that team are gone. Garcia is a great piece to build around, but thus far in 2024-25 he hasn’t had two other guys that can go out and score 12 points a night, especially against superior Big Ten foes.
Minnesota hasn’t made the NCAA tournament since 2019, and that was with Pitino still at the helm. This group isn’t even close to NCAA tournament material. The fans certainly aren’t showing up for games, and in my opinion, that isn’t helping the future employment for Johnson.
Is this the last year for Johnson? Maybe, but there are a lot of games left to be played, and the Big Ten is as tough as ever. He’s still got a chance to make something happen, but his room for error is even smaller.
