# 2023–24 Minnesota Golden Gophers women's basketball team

The 2023–24 Minnesota Golden Gophers women's basketball team represented the University of Minnesota during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Golden Gophers, led by first-year head coach Dawn Plitzuweit, played their home games at Williams Arena and compete as members of the Big Ten Conference. Plitzuweit was hired in March 2023 after she spent one year at West Virginia.

## Previous season

The Golden Gophers finished the 2022–2023 season with a 11–19 record and 4–14 in Big Ten play to finish in twelfth place. As the twelfth seed in the Big Ten tournament, they were defeated by Penn State in the First Round. They were not invited to the NCAA Tournament or chosen for the WNIT. Alanna Micheaux was named to the Big Ten Conference Honorable Mention Team, while Mara Braun was named to the All-Freshman Team by both the coaches and media.
Following their loss to Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament, the Gophers announced that head coach Lindsay Whalen had resigned and stepped down as head coach. Dawn Plitzuweit was hired 2 weeks later as the new head coach for the Gophers.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Alanna Micheaux | 4 | F | 6'2" | Sophomore | Wayne, Michigan | Transferred to Virginia Tech |
| Alexa Ratzlaff | 12 | G | 5'9" | Freshman | Rosemount, Minnesota | |
| Destinee Oberg | 13 | C | 6'3" | Senior | Burnsville, Minnesota | Transferred to North Dakota |
| Isabelle Gradwell | 14 | G/F | 6'1" | Graduate Senior | Marshalltown, Iowa | Graduated |
| Angelina Hammond | 15 | G/F | 6'1" | Graduate Senior | Hopkins, Minnesota | Transferred to St. Thomas |
| Mi'Cole Cayton | 21 | G | 5'9" | Graduate Senior | Stockton, California | Transferred to Pepperdine |
| Katie Borowicz | 23 | G | 5'7" | Redshirt Freshman | Roseau, Minnesota | Medically Retired |
| Maria Counts | 31 | G/F | 5'11" | Freshman | Plymouth, Minnesota | Transferred to Minnesota-Duluth |

### Arrivals

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous School | Notes |
| Janay Sanders | 30 | G | 5'11" | Graduate Senior | Charlotte, North Carolina | App State | |

### 2023 Recruiting class

On November 16, 2023, the Gophers announced the signing of 4 players Kennedy Klick, MyKynnlie Dalan, Ajok Madol and Dominika Paurová to scholarships, while also Brynn Senden signed an Acceptance of Admission to be a walk-on for the 2023–24 season. Following the resignation of Lindsay Whalen after the 2022–23 season, Paurová asked and granted her release from the Gophers, and then committed to Oregon State.
After the hiring of Plitzuweit, she signed two players that she got to commit to West Virginia when she was there in - Grace Grocholski and Ayianna Johnson.
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Kennedy Klick G | Brooklyn Park, MN | Maple Grove High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | N/A | Nov 16, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| MyKynnlie Dalan F | Montesano, WA | Montesano High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | N/A | Nov 16, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Ajok Madol G/F | Regina, Saskatchewan | Archbishop M.C. O'Neill High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | N/A | Nov 16, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Brynn Senden G | Wayzata, MN | Wayzata High School | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | N/A | Nov 16, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Ayianna Johnson F | Jefferson, WI | Jefferson High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | N/A | May 4, 2023 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Grace Grocholski G/F | North Prairie, WI | Kettle Moraine High School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | N/A | Apr 12, 2023 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 91 ||||||
| 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: ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 8, 2023* 7:00 p.m., Big Ten+ | | Long Island | W 92–57 | 1–0 | 25 – Braun | 8 – Heyer | 6 – Braun | Williams Arena (3,141) Minneapolis, MN |
| November 12, 2023* 1:00 p.m., Big Ten+ | | Chicago State | W 100–42 | 2–0 | 25 – Braun | 7 – Heyer | 7 – Battle | Williams Arena (2,856) Minneapolis, MN |
| November 15, 2023* 7:00 p.m., Big Ten+ | | North Dakota State | W 75–53 | 3–0 | 20 – Battle | 12 – Heyer | 9 – Battle | Williams Arena (2,816) Minneapolis, MN |
| November 19, 2023* 4:00 p.m., FS1 | | No. 8 UConn | L 44–62 | 3–1 | 12 – Braun | 8 – Braun | 5 – Braun | Williams Arena (10,869) Minneapolis, MN |
| November 22, 2023* 7:00 p.m., Big Ten+ | | Cal State Northridge | W 84–31 | 4–1 | 21 – Braun | 6 – Tied | 7 – Grocholski | Williams Arena (2,728) Minneapolis, MN |
| November 26, 2023* 2:00 p.m., Big Ten+ | | Stony Brook | W 67–54 | 5–1 | 17 – Tied | 12 – Battle | 9 – Battle | Williams Arena (3,122) Minneapolis, MN |
| November 29, 2023* 7:00 p.m., Big Ten+ | | Norfolk State | W 74–43 | 6–1 | 26 – Grocholski | 12 – Heyer | 5 – Battle | Williams Arena (2,820) Minneapolis, MN |
| December 2, 2023* 1:00 p.m., Big Ten+ | | Drake | W 94–88 $^{2OT}$ | 7–1 | 33 – Braun | 10 – Heyer | 5 – Grocholski | Williams Arena (4,578) Minneapolis, MN |
| December 6, 2023* 6:00 p.m., SECN+ | | at Kentucky | W 76–57 | 8–1 | 25 – Braun | 10 – Hart | 6 – Battle | Rupp Arena (3,386) Lexington, KY |
| December 10, 2023 1:00 p.m., Big Ten+ | | Purdue | W 60–58 | 9–1 (1–0) | 21 – Braun | 12 – Heyer | 4 – Battle | Williams Arena (3,834) Minneapolis, MN |
| December 13, 2023* 11:00 a.m., Big Ten+ | | Grambling State | W 96–64 | 10–1 | 26 – Braun | 9 – Heyer | 10 – Battle | Williams Arena (5,291) Minneapolis, MN |
| December 21, 2023* 3:00 p.m., Big Ten+ | | Lindenwood | W 100–45 | 11–1 | 21 – Braun | 10 – Czinano | 8 – Battle | Williams Arena (3,069) Minneapolis, MN |
| December 30, 2023 1:00 p.m., BTN | | at No. 4 Iowa | L 71–94 | 11–2 (1–1) | 16 – Battle | 6 – Hart | 5 – Tied | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (14,998) Iowa City, IA |
| January 3, 2024 7:00 p.m., Big Ten+ | | Maryland | L 64–72 | 11–3 (1–2) | 20 – Braun | 10 – Heyer | 5 – Battle | Williams Arena (2,362) Minneapolis, MN |
| January 9, 2024 7:00 p.m., BTN | | at Michigan | W 82–66 | 12–3 (2–2) | 21 – Heyer | 9 – Battle | 4 – Tied | Crisler Center (2,112) Ann Arbor, MI |
| January 14, 2024 2:00 p.m., Big Ten+ | | Nebraska | W 62–58 | 13–3 (3–2) | 16 – Heyer | 7 – Heyer | 5 – Battle | Williams Arena (5,958) Minneapolis, MN |
| January 17, 2024 7:00 p.m., Peacock | | at No. 16 Indiana | L 62–85 | 13–4 (3–3) | 19 – Grocholski | 6 – Heyer | 3 – Battle | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (7,977) Bloomington, IN |
| January 20, 2024 2:00 p.m., Big Ten+ | | Michigan State | W 69–50 | 14–4 (4–3) | 18 – Heyer | 15 – Heyer | 4 – Grocholski | Williams Arena (5,020) Minneapolis, MN |
| January 23, 2024 8:00 p.m., BTN | | at Wisconsin | L 56–59 | 14–5 (4–4) | 13 – Grocholski | 7 – Tied | 4 – Battle | Kohl Center (4,191) Madison, WI |
| January 28, 2024 2:00 p.m., Big Ten+ | | at Illinois | L 68–73 | 14–6 (4–5) | 18 – Tied | 8 – Battle | 7 – Battle | State Farm Center (4,788) Champaign, IL |
| January 31, 2024 7:00 p.m., Big Ten+ | | Penn State | L 64–80 | 14–7 (4–6) | 13 – Tied | 9 – Heyer | 5 – Battle | Williams Arena (3,319) Minneapolis, MN |
| February 5, 2024 5:00 p.m., BTN | | at Michigan State | L 65–76 | 14–8 (4–7) | 23 – Sanders | 11 – Heyer | 10 – Battle | Breslin Student Events Center (3,154) East Lansing, MI |
| February 8, 2024 8:00 p.m., Peacock | | No. 5 Ohio State | L 47–71 | 14–9 (4–8) | 16 – Sanders | 7 – Tied | 6 – Battle | Williams Arena (3,572) Minneapolis, MN |
| February 13, 2024 6:00 p.m., BTN | | at Rutgers | L 73–81 | 14–10 (4–9) | 23 – Grocholski | 8 – Heyer | 10 – Battle | Jersey Mike's Arena (1,511) Piscataway, NJ |
| February 17, 2024 2:00 p.m., Big Ten+ | | Northwestern | W 88–63 | 15–10 (5–9) | 27 – Grocholski | 8 – Heyer | 6 – Sanders | Williams Arena (4,882) Minneapolis, MN |
| February 20, 2024 6:00 p.m., BTN | | Wisconsin | L 56–67 | 15–11 (5–10) | 16 – Battle | 7 – Johnson | 5 – Battle | Williams Arena (4,559) Minneapolis, MN |
| February 24, 2024 4:00 p.m., Big Ten+ | | at Nebraska | L 51–70 | 15–12 (5–11) | 15 – Heyer | 10 – Heyer | 4 – Battle | Pinnacle Bank Arena (7,101) Lincoln, NE |
| February 28, 2024 8:00 p.m., Peacock | | No. 6 Iowa | L 60–108 | 15–13 (5–12) | 18 – Battle | 11 – Heyer | 4 – Battle | Williams Arena (14,625) Minneapolis, MN |
| March 3, 2024 12:00 p.m., Big Ten+ | | at Penn State | L 34–90 | 15–14 (5–13) | 10 – Senden | 7 – Grocholski | 3 – Battle | Bryce Jordan Center (2,830) University Park, PA |
| Big Ten Tournament |||||||||
| March 6, 2024 8:00 p.m., Peacock | (11) | vs. (14) Rutgers First Round | W 77–69 | 16–14 | 32 – Battle | 9 – Holloway | 7 – Battle | Target Center (18,392) Minneapolis, MN |
| March 7, 2024 8:00 p.m., BTN | (11) | vs. (6) Michigan Second Round | L 57–76 | 16–15 | 22 – Battle | 17 – Heyer | 3 – Tied | Target Center (18,392) Minneapolis, MN |
| WNIT |||||||||
| March 26, 2024* 8:00 p.m. | | Pacific Second Round | W 77–62 | 17–15 | 14 – Hart | 6 – Tied | 6 – Battle | Williams Arena (1,140) Minneapolis, MN |
| March 29, 2024* 7:00 p.m. | | North Dakota State Super 16 | W 69–65 | 18–15 | 16 – Grocholski | 12 – Heyer | 5 – Battle | Williams Arena (2,367) Minneapolis, MN |
| April 1, 2024* 7:30 p.m. | | at Wyoming Great 8 | W 65–54 | 19–15 | 29 – Battle | 11 – Grocholski | 4 – Battle | Arena-Auditorium (3,710) Laramie, WY |
| April 3, 2024* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Troy Fab 4 | W 74–69 | 20–15 | 18 – Battle | 11 – Hart | 4 – Battle | Trojan Arena (4,333) Troy, AL |
| April 6, 2024* 2:00 p.m., CBSSN | | vs. Saint Louis Championship | L 50–69 | 20–16 | 13 – Hart | 11 – Heyer | 4 – Battle | First Community Arena (1,545) Edwardsville, IL |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | | | | | | | Not released |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | | | | |