# 2021–22 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gophers were led by first-year head coach Ben Johnson and played their home games at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 13–17, 4–16 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for last place. As the No. 14 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they lost to Penn State in the first round.

## Previous season

In a season that was restricted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Gophers concluded the 2020–21 season with a record of 14-15, including a 6-14 performance in Big Ten play that landed them in 13th place. They managed to secure a victory against Northwestern in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament, but unfortunately suffered a defeat at the hands of Ohio State in the subsequent round.
After the conclusion of the season, the school made the decision to terminate the employment of head coach Richard Pitino following his tenure of eight years at the institution. On March 23, 2021, the school officially announced the appointment of Minnesota alumni and former assistant coach Ben Johnson as the new head coach. On March 23, 2021, the school named Minnesota alum and former Minnesota assistant coach Ben Johnson the new head coach.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Liam Robbins | 0 | C | 7'0" | 235 | Junior | Davenport, IA | Transferred to Vanderbilt |
| Tre' Williams | 1 | G | 6'5" | 195 | Sophomore | Dallas, TX | Transferred to Oregon State |
| Martice Mitchell | 2 | F | 6'10" | 190 | Freshman | Chicago, IL | Transferred to Northern Illinois |
| Jamal Mashburn Jr. | 4 | G | 6'2" | 175 | Freshman | Miami, FL | Transferred to New Mexico |
| Marcus Carr | 5 | G | 6'2" | 195 | RS Junior | Toronto, ON | Graduate transferred to Texas |
| Both Gach | 11 | G | 6'6" | 185 | Junior | Austin, MN | Transferred to Utah |
| Hunt Conroy | 13 | G | 5'10" | 165 | Senior | New Orleans, LA | Walk-on; graduated |
| Jarvis Omersa | 21 | F | 6'6" | 235 | Junior | Orono, MN | Transferred to St. Thomas |
| Gabe Kalscheur | 22 | G | 6'4" | 200 | Junior | Edina, MN | Transferred to Iowa State |
| Brandon Johnson | 23 | F | 6'8" | 220 | RS Senior | Chicago, IL | Graduate transferred to DePaul |
| Sam Freeman | 32 | C | 6'10" | 240 | Sophomore | Dallas, TX | Transferred to Pacific |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Payton Willis | 0 | G | 6'4" | 200 | Graduate Student | Fayetteville, AR | College of Charleston |
| Abdoulaye Thiam | 2 | G | 6'3" | 180 | Sophomore | Orlando, FL | Indian River State College |
| Joey Kern | 3 | G | 6'1" | 170 | Graduate Student | Norwalk, IA | Johns Hopkins |
| Jamison Battle | 10 | F | 6'7" | 225 | Junior | Robbinsdale, MN | George Washington |
| Luke Loewe | 12 | G | 6'4' | 185 | Graduate Student | Fond du Lac, WI | William & Mary |
| Charlie Daniels | 15 | F | 6'9" | 230 | Graduate Student | Jacksonville, FL | Stephen F. Austin |
| Eylijah Stephens | 20 | G | 6'3" | 175 | Graduate Student | Plantation, FL | Lafayette |
| Danny Ogele | 22 | F | 6'7" | 220 | Graduate Student | Chicago, IL | Mercyhurst |
| Parker Fox | 23 | F | 6'8" | 210 | RS Senior | Mahtomedi, MN | Northern State |
| Sean Sutherlin | 24 | G | 6'5" | 200 | RS Senior | New Brighton, MN | New Hampshire |
| Will Ramberg | 25 | G | 6'5" | 195 | Junior | Grand Marais, MN | McGill |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| 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 |
| Star ratings: 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. ||||||

#### 2022 Recruiting class

College recruiting information (2022) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Braeden Carrington SG | Brooklyn Park, MN | Park Center High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Aug 4, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Pharrel Payne PF | Cottage Grove, MN | Park Senior High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Aug 22, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Joshua Ola-Joseph SF | Osseo, MN | Osseo Senior High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Aug 30, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| 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: "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Concordia–St. Paul | W 80–67 | | 24 – Battle | 8 – Battle | 5 – Willis | Williams Arena (9,470) Minneapolis, MN |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Kansas City | W 71–56 | 1–0 | 18 – Battle | 7 – Curry | 6 – Willis | Williams Arena (8,975) Minneapolis, MN |
| November 12, 2021* 5:30 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. Western Kentucky Asheville Championship semifinals | W 73–69 | 2–0 | 20 – Battle | 7 – Curry | 5 – Loewe | Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville, NC |
| November 14, 2021* 6:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Princeton Asheville Championship final | W 87–80 $^{2OT}$ | 3–0 | 29 – Willis | 11 – Battle | 2 – Tied | Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville, NC |
| November 19, 2021* 6:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Purdue Fort Wayne | W 78–49 | 4–0 | 19 – Sutherlin | 7 – Sutherlin | 5 – Tied | Williams Arena (9,451) Minneapolis, MN |
| November 24, 2021* 8:00 p.m., BTN | | Jacksonville | W 55–44 | 5–0 | 17 – Willis | 8 – Curry | 3 – Tied | Williams Arena (9,250) Minneapolis, MN |
| November 30, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Pittsburgh ACC–Big Ten Challenge | W 54–53 | 6–0 | 16 – Battle | 7 – Battle | 3 – Tied | Petersen Events Center (7,736) Pittsburgh, PA |
| December 5, 2021* 1:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Mississippi State | W 81–76 | 7–0 | 24 – Willis | 5 – Tied | 7 – Willis | Humphrey Coliseum (6,965) Starkville, MS |
| December 8, 2021 8:00 p.m., BTN | | No. 19 Michigan State | L 67–75 | 7–1 (0–1) | 18 – Curry | 8 – Battle | 5 – Willis | Williams Arena (11,178) Minneapolis, MN |
| December 11, 2021 5:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Michigan | W 75–65 | 8–1 (1–1) | 27 – Battle | 7 – Battle | 1 – Tied | Crisler Center (12,461) Ann Arbor, MI |
| December 14, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN | | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | W 79–71 | 9–1 | 17 – Willis | 12 – Curry | 5 – Loewe | Williams Arena (9,001) Minneapolis, MN |
| December 22, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN | | Green Bay | W 72–56 | 10–1 | 23 – Battle | 10 – Curry | 10 – Willis | Williams Arena (10,302) Minneapolis, MN |
| December 29, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Alcorn State | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Alcorn State | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Alcorn State | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Alcorn State | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Alcorn State | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Alcorn State | Williams Arena Minneapolis, MN |
| January 4, 2022 6:00 p.m., FS1 | | Illinois | L 53–76 | 10–2 (1–2) | 10 – Tied | 5 – Tied | 4 – Stephens | Williams Arena (10,112) Minneapolis, MN |
| January 9, 2022 11:00 a.m., BTN | | at Indiana | L 60–73 | 10–3 (1–3) | 19 – Battle | 8 – Curry | 4 – Loewe | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) Bloomington, IN |
| January 12, 2022 6:00 p.m., BTN | | at No. 10 Michigan State | L 69–71 | 10–4 (1–4) | 19 – Curry | 7 – Tied | 4 – Stephens | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| January 16, 2022 1:00 p.m., BTN | | Iowa | L 71–81 | 10–5 (1–5) | 22 – Stephens | 8 – Battle | 4 – Willis | Williams Arena (10,925) Minneapolis, MN |
| January 22, 2022 11:00 a.m., BTN | | Rutgers | W 68–65 | 11–5 (2–5) | 32 – Willis | 6 – Tied | 7 – Willis | Williams Arena (10,794) Minneapolis, MN |
| January 27, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 16 Ohio State | L 64–75 | 11–6 (2–6) | 15 – Battle | 6 – Battle | 7 – Willis | Williams Arena (10,179) Minneapolis, MN |
| January 30, 2022 12:00 p.m., BTN | | at No. 11 Wisconsin | L 60–66 | 11–7 (2–7) | 17 – Willis | 10 – Battle | 2 – Willis | Kohl Center (17,287) Madison, WI |
| February 2, 2022 6:00 p.m., BTN | | No. 4 Purdue | L 73–88 | 11–8 (2–8) | 24 – Willis | 5 – Willis | 10 – Willis | Williams Arena (9,975) Minneapolis, MN |
| February 6, 2022 3:30 p.m., BTN | | at Iowa | L 59–71 | 11–9 (2–9) | 19 – Loewe | 8 – Willis | 3 – Tied | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (14,558) Iowa City, IA |
| February 9, 2022 8:00 p.m., BTN | | at Nebraska | L 65–78 | 11–10 (2–10) | 21 – Battle | 10 – Battle | 6 – Willis | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,303) Lincoln, NE |
| February 12, 2022 7:30 p.m., BTN | | Penn State | W 76–70 | 12–10 (3–10) | 22 – Curry | 6 – Willis | 10 – Willis | Williams Arena (9,948) Minneapolis, MN |
| February 15, 2022 7:30 p.m., BTN | | at No. 18 Ohio State | L 45–70 | 12–11 (3–11) | 12 – Loewe | 7 – Willis | 3 – Curry | Value City Arena (12,360) Columbus, OH |
| February 17, 2022 7:30 p.m., BTN | | at Penn State Rescheduled from January 19 | L 46–67 | 12–12 (3–12) | 16 – Battle | 7 – Sutherlin | 2 – Tied | Bryce Jordan Center (7,726) University Park, PA |
| February 19, 2022 3:00 p.m., BTN | | Northwestern | W 77–60 | 13–12 (4–12) | 24 – Loewe | 14 – Battle | 7 – Loewe | Williams Arena (10,570) Minneapolis, MN |
| February 23, 2022 8:00 p.m., BTN | | No. 13 Wisconsin | L 67–68 | 13–13 (4–13) | 17 – Battle | 5 – Curry | 6 – Willis | Williams Arena (11,761) Minneapolis, MN |
| February 27, 2022 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Indiana | L 79–84 | 13–14 (4–14) | 28 – Willis | 7 – Tied | 7 – Willis | Williams Arena (11,585) Minneapolis, MN |
| March 2, 2022 8:00 p.m., BTN | | at Maryland | L 73–84 | 13–15 (4–15) | 39 – Battle | 8 – Stephens | 2 – Tied | Xfinity Center (13,015) College Park, MD |
| March 6, 2022 6:30 p.m., BTN | | at Northwestern | L 62–75 | 13–16 (4–16) | 20 – Battle | 8 – Willis | 7 – Willis | Welsh–Ryan Arena (4,551) Evanston, IL |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2022 7:30 p.m., BTN | (14) | vs. (11) Penn State First round | L 51–60 | 13–17 | 19 – Battle | 6 – Tied | 6 – Curry | Gainbridge Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN |
| *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 | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Not released |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings ^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.