2017–18 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team

2017–18 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record15–17 (4–14 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Ed Conroy (2nd season)
  • Ben Johnson (5th season)
  • Kimani Young (5th season)
Home arenaWilliams Arena
Seasons
2017–18 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 5 Michigan State 16 – 2   .889 30 – 5   .857
No. 11 Purdue 15 – 3   .833 30 – 7   .811
No. 17 Ohio State 15 – 3   .833 25 – 9   .735
No. 7 Michigan † 13 – 5   .722 33 – 8   .805
Nebraska 13 – 5   .722 22 – 11   .667
Penn State 9 – 9   .500 26 – 13   .667
Indiana 9 – 9   .500 16 – 15   .516
Maryland 8 – 10   .444 19 – 13   .594
Wisconsin 7 – 11   .389 15 – 18   .455
Northwestern 6 – 12   .333 15 – 17   .469
Minnesota 4 – 14   .222 15 – 17   .469
Illinois 4 – 14   .222 14 – 18   .438
Iowa 4 – 14   .222 14 – 19   .424
Rutgers 3 – 15   .167 15 – 19   .441
† 2018 Big Ten tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2017–18 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gophers were led by fifth-year head coach Richard Pitino and played their home games at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 15–17, 4–14 in Big Ten play to finish in a three-way tie for 11th place. As the No. 11 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they lost in the first round to Rutgers.

Previous season

The Golden Gophers finished the 2016–17 season 24–10, 11–7 in Big Ten play to finish in fourth place. In the Big Ten tournament, they beat Michigan State in the quarterfinals before losing to Michigan in the semifinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 5 seed. The bid marked their first trip to the Tournament since 2013.[1] In the first round, they were upset by No. 12-seeded Middle Tennessee.

Head coach Richard Pitino was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.[2] Reggie Lynch was named defensive player of the year.[3] Nate Mason was named to the All-Big Ten First Team.[4]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Akeem Springs 0 G 6'4" 210 RS Senior Waukegan, IL Graduated
Darin Haugh 10 G 5'10" 170 RS Senior Prior Lake, MN Graduated, walk-on
Stephon Sharp 15 G 6'3" 195 Sophomore Bloomington, MN Retired from basketball, walk-on
Ahmad Gilbert 32 F 6'6" 210 Sophomore Philadelphia, PA Transferred to Rider

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Matz Stockman 35 C 7'0" 240 Senior Oslo, Norway Transferred from Louisville. Under NCAA transfer rules, Stockman will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have one year of remaining eligibility.

Recruiting classes

2017 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Isaiah Washington
PG 		Bronx, NY St. Raymond School For Boys 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 162 lb (73 kg) Sep 11, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Jamir Harris
CG 		Elizabeth, NJ The Patrick School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sep 21, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
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:

  • "2017 Minnesota Commits". Rivals.com.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2018 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2018)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Daniel Oturu
C 		St. Paul, MN Cretin-Derham Hall 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 216 lb (98 kg) Jan 19, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Gabe Kalscheur
SG 		Minneapolis, MN DeLaSalle High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 182 lb (83 kg) Jul 25, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Jarvis Thomas
PF 		Orono, MN Orono High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jul 18, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars
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:

Preseason

In its annual preseason preview, the Blue Ribbon Yearbook ranked Minnesota No. 18 in the country.[5]

Roster

2017–18 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 5 Amir Coffey 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Hopkins Hopkins, MN
G 13 Hunt Conroy (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Fr Jesuit New Orleans, LA
F 24 Eric Curry Injured Current redshirt 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So Southwest Christian Academy Memphis, TN
F 41 Gaston Diedhiou 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr Canarias Academy Dakar, Senegal
F 20 Davonte Fitzgerald 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Sr Tucker
Texas A&M 		Atlanta, GA
G 4 Jamir Harris 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr The Patrick School North Brunswick, NJ
F 42 Michael Hurt 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So John Marshall Rochester, MN
C 21 Bakary Konaté 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Sr Sunrise Christian Academy Bamako, Mali
C 22 Reggie Lynch (S) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 265 lb (120 kg) RS Sr Edina
Illinois State 		Edina, MN
G 2 Nate Mason (C) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Arlington Country Day Decatur, GA
G 1 Dupree McBrayer 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Sunrise Christian Academy Queens, NY
F 3 Jordan Murphy (C) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Jr Brennan San Antonio, TX
G 10 Brady Rudrud (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Eden Prairie Eden Prairie, MN
C 35 Matz Stockman (I) Current redshirt 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Sr Canarias Academy
Louisville 		Oslo, Norway
G 11 Isaiah Washington 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr St. Raymond Harlem, NY
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Regular season

Alabama game - playing five on three

One of their most notable games of the season came on November 25, 2017 against No. 25 Alabama. During that game, Alabama's bench players left the bench to scuffle with Minnesota players midway through the second half.[6] Because the players left the bench, every one of the players was ejected leaving Alabama with only five eligible players. Not long after the scuffle, Alabama's Dazon Ingram fouled out with 11:37 left in the game, which left Alabama with only four players.[7] Shortly thereafter, Alabama's John Petty turned his ankle and was unable return for the rest of the game, leaving Alabama with only three players with 10:41 left in the match. While Minnesota was up by as many as 15 points under three-on-five competition, their lead diminished to as little as three points at one point due, in part, to Collin Sexton's 40-point game.[8] However, the Golden Gophers would ultimately win 89–84 over the short-handed Crimson Tide. The game would be considered one of the strangest games in college basketball history.[9]

Reggie Lynch suspension

On January 5, 2018, Reggie Lynch was suspended from the University of Minnesota due to multiple sexual assault allegations that had occurred in 2016.[10] The school's Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Office suspended Lynch from the University until 2020.[11] Lynch appealed the finding and cannot play in any games, but was allowed to practice with the team.[12]

Schedule and results

The 2018 Big Ten tournament will be held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.[13] Due to the Big East's use of that venue for their conference tournament, the Big Ten tournament will take place one week earlier than usual, ending the week before Selection Sunday.[14] The Gophers were initially slated to hold only one public exhibition game against Concordia-St. Paul, in addition to a closed scrimmage against Creighton. However, in response to the devastation from hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, the NCAA announced that it would allow Division I basketball teams to apply for a waiver to play a third exhibition game if the proceeds were donated to charity.[15] The Gophers took advantage of the opportunity, scheduling an additional exhibition game against Wisconsin-Green Bay. The game was scheduled to be played at Maturi Pavilion, with all proceeds being donated to the American Red Cross hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico.[16]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov 2, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN Plus 		No. 15 Concordia-St. Paul W 106–58 
 22 – Murphy   11 – Murphy   6 – Coffey  Williams Arena (9,838)
Minneapolis, MN
Nov 5, 2017*
12:00 pm, BTN Plus 		No. 15 Green Bay
ARC hurricane relief benefit 		W 115–86 
 26 – Coffey   11 – Murphy   6 – Washington  Maturi Pavilion (2,381)
Minneapolis, MN
Regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN Plus 		No. 15 USC Upstate W 92–77  1–0
  35 – Murphy   15 – Murphy   5 – Washington  Williams Arena (10,836)
Minneapolis, MN
Nov 13, 2017*
5:30 pm, FS1 		No. 14 at Providence
Gavitt Tipoff Games 		W 86–74  2–0
  23 – Murphy   14 – Murphy   2 – Tied  Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,214)
Providence, RI
Nov 15, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN Plus 		No. 14 Niagara W 107–81  3–0
  18 – Tied   12 – Lynch   11 – Mason  Williams Arena (10,093)
Minneapolis, MN
Nov 19, 2017*
3:30 pm, FS1 		No. 14 Western Carolina
Barclays Center Classic 		W 92–64  4–0
  23 – Murphy   11 – Murphy   4 – Tied  Williams Arena (11,107)
Minneapolis, MN
Nov 21, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN 		No. 14 Alabama A&M
Barclays Center Classic 		W 100–57  5–0
  20 – Murphy   10 – Murphy   8 – Tied  Williams Arena (10,704)
Minneapolis, MN
Nov 24, 2017*
11:00 am, Stadium 		No. 14 vs. Massachusetts
Barclays Center Classic 		W 69–51  6–0
  16 – Murphy   11 – Murphy   6 – Mason  Steinberg Wellness Center (1,350)
Brooklyn, NY
Nov 25, 2017*
4:00 pm, Stadium 		No. 14 vs. No. 25 Alabama
Barclays Center Classic 		W 89–84  7–0
  20 – Mason   14 – Murphy   8 – McBrayer  Barclays Center (3,469)
Brooklyn, NY
Nov 29, 2017*
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 12 No. 10 Miami (FL)
ACC–Big Ten Challenge 		L 81–86  7–1
  23 – Coffey   14 – Murphy   5 – Mason  Williams Arena (14,625)
Minneapolis, MN
Dec 3, 2017
5:00 pm, BTN 		No. 12 Rutgers W 89–67  8–1
(1–0) 		 26 – Mason   16 – Murphy   7 – Tied  Williams Arena (11,097)
Minneapolis, MN
Dec 5, 2017
8:00 pm, BTN 		No. 14 at Nebraska L 68–78  8–2
(1–1) 		 20 – Mason   12 – Murphy   3 – Mason  Pinnacle Bank Arena (13,847)
Lincoln, NE
Dec 9, 2017*
4:45 pm, SECN 		No. 14 at Arkansas L 79–95  8–3
  20 – Murphy   10 – Murphy   6 – Mason  Bud Walton Arena (17,583)
Fayetteville, AR
Dec 11, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN 		Drake W 68–67  9–3
  24 – Murphy   18 – Murphy   5 – Mason  Williams Arena (11,319)
Minneapolis, MN
Dec 21, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN Plus 		Oral Roberts W 77–63  10–3
  17 – Murphy   10 – Murphy   7 – Coffey  Williams Arena (11,234)
Minneapolis, MN
Dec 23, 2017*
2:30 pm, BTN 		Florida Atlantic W 95–60  11–3
  17 – Mason   11 – Murphy   8 – Coffey  Williams Arena (12,357)
Minneapolis, MN
Dec 30, 2017*
1:00 pm, BTN 		Harvard W 65–55  12–3
  15 – McBrayer   13 – Washington   5 – Coffey  Williams Arena (14,625)
Minneapolis, MN
Jan 3, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN 		Illinois W 77–67  13–3
(2–1) 		 17 – Tied   17 – Murphy   6 – Mason  Williams Arena (11,597)
Minneapolis, MN
Jan 6, 2018
4:15 pm, ESPN2 		Indiana L 71–75  13–4
(2–2) 		 22 – Mason   10 – Murphy   9 – Mason  Williams Arena (12,956)
Minneapolis, MN
Jan 10, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN 		at Northwestern L 60–83  13–5
(2–3) 		 14 – McBrayer   5 – Washington   5 – Tied  Allstate Arena (5,514)
Rosemont, IL
Jan 13, 2018
11:00 am, ESPN2 		No. 5 Purdue L 47–81  13–6
(2–4) 		 11 – Washington   7 – Konate   3 – Tied  Williams Arena (12,459)
Minneapolis, MN
Jan 15, 2018
6:00 pm, BTN 		at Penn State W 95–84 OT 14–6
(3–4) 		 25 – Mason   19 – Murphy   3 – Mason  Bryce Jordan Center (6,361)
University Park, PA
Jan 18, 2018
7:30 pm, FS1 		at Maryland L 66–77  14–7
(3–5) 		 19 – Murphy   14 – Murphy   5 – Tied  Xfinity Center (13,736)
College Park, MD
Jan 20, 2018
11:00 am, BTN 		vs. No. 22 Ohio State
B1G Super Saturday 		L 49–67  14–8
(3–6) 		 13 – Murphy   9 – Mason   2 – 3 tied  Madison Square Garden (4,136)
New York City, NY
Jan 23, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN 		Northwestern L 69–77  14–9
(3–7) 		 25 – Mason   9 – Murphy   9 – Mason  Williams Arena (14,625)
Minneapolis, MN
Jan 30, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN 		at Iowa L 80–94  14–10
(3–8) 		 21 – Murphy   17 – Murphy   7 – Washington  Carver–Hawkeye Arena (10,371)
Iowa City, IA
Feb 3, 2018
1:30 pm, FOX 		at No. 24 Michigan L 73–76 OT 14–11
(3–9) 		 26 – Washington   9 – Fitzgerald   3 – Washington  Crisler Center (12,707)
Ann Arbor, MI
Feb 6, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN 		Nebraska L 85–91  14–12
(3–10) 		 34 – Mason   12 – Murphy   8 – Washington  Williams Arena (11,193)
Minneapolis, MN
Feb 9, 2018
6:30 pm, FS1 		at Indiana L 56–80  14–13
(3–11) 		 18 – Mason   9 – Murphy   2 – Murphy  Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222)
Bloomington, IN
Feb 13, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 2 Michigan State L 57–87  14–14
(3–12) 		 18 – Washington   7 – Murphy   4 – Mason  Williams Arena (12,218)
Minneapolis, MN
Feb 19, 2018
8:00 pm, FS1 		at Wisconsin L 63–73 OT 14–15
(3–13) 		 16 – Murphy   11 – Murphy   5 – Mason  Kohl Center (17,287)
Madison, WI
Feb 21, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN 		Iowa W 86–82  15–15
(4–13) 		 33 – Mason   10 – Tied   6 – Mason  Williams Arena (11,732)
Minneapolis, MN
Feb 25, 2018
3:00 pm, FS1 		at No. 9 Purdue L 60–84  15–16
(4–14) 		 18 – Mason   10 – Murphy   3 – Mason  Mackey Arena (14,804)
West Lafayette, IN
Big Ten tournament
Feb 28, 2018
7:00 pm, BTN 		(11) vs. (14) Rutgers
First round 		L 54–65  15–17
  18 – Washington   9 – Murphy   7 – Mason  Madison Square Garden (14,681)
New York City, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Rankings

Main article: 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP1514141214RVNot released
Coaches15151215RV

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

Awards and honors

In-season awards

Jordan Murphy

  • Big Ten Player of the Week, November 13, 2017
  • Big Ten Player of the Week, November 20, 2017
  • Big Ten Player of the Week, November 27, 2017

Isaiah Washington

  • Big Ten Freshman of the Week, February 5, 2018

Postseason awards

Nate Mason

  • All-Big Ten Honorable Mention

Jordan Murphy

  • All-Big Ten Second Team (media)
  • All-Big Ten Third Team (coaches)

References

  1. ^ "Minnesota Gophers receive 5-seed at NCAA tournament". Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  2. ^ "Richard Pitino is Big Ten coach of the year as Gophers haul in awards". Twin Cities. March 7, 2017. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  3. ^ "Reggie Lynch named Defensive Player of the Year!". The Daily Gopher. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  4. ^ "Gophers' Nate Mason named All-Big Ten, Reggie Lynch is Defensive Player of the Year". Star Tribune. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  5. ^ "Arizona Tops Blue Ribbon's 37th Annual Preseason Rankings". Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  6. ^ "WATCH: Alabama finishes game with three players after brawl with Minnesota". CBSSports.com. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  7. ^ "Alabama played 3-on-5 for 10 minutes and nearly came back". SI.com. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  8. ^ "Alabama Played Minnesota Three on Five—and Almost Won". The Ringer. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  9. ^ "Minnesota vs. Alabama – Game Recap – November 25, 2017 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  10. ^ "Minnesota's Reggie Lynch Suspended in Alleged Assault". The New York Times. Associated Press. 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  11. ^ "Gophers' Lynch gets indefinite ban, still on team". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  12. ^ Cox, Peter. "Gophers' Lynch appeals dates set in sexual misconduct cases". Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  13. ^ "Big Ten tournament at MSG in 2018". USA TODAY. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  14. ^ "Izzo concerned about '18 Big Ten tournament in New York". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  15. ^ "NCAA will allow college basketball teams extra exhibition game for Hurricane Relief". Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  16. ^ "Gophers to Host Green Bay in Hurricane Relief Exhibition". Archived from the original on October 27, 2017. Retrieved October 29, 2017.