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
2017–18 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 5 Michigan State16–2 .88930–5  .857
No. 11 Purdue15–3 .83330–7  .811
No. 17 Ohio State15–3 .83325–9  .735
No. 7 Michigan †13–5 .72233–8  .805
Nebraska13–5 .72222–11  .667
Penn State9–9 .50026–13  .667
Indiana9–9 .50016–15  .516
Maryland8–10 .44419–13  .594
Wisconsin7–11 .38915–18  .455
Northwestern6–12 .33315–17  .469
Minnesota4–14 .22215–17  .469
Illinois4–14 .22214–18  .438
Iowa4–14 .22214–19  .424
Rutgers3–15 .16715–19  .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

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Akeem Springs0G6'4"210RS SeniorWaukegan, ILGraduated
Darin Haugh10G5'10"170RS SeniorPrior Lake, MNGraduated, walk-on
Stephon Sharp15G6'3"195SophomoreBloomington, MNRetired from basketball, walk-on
Ahmad Gilbert32F6'6"210SophomorePhiladelphia, PATransferred to Rider

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Matz Stockman35C7'0"240SeniorOslo, NorwayTransferred 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

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting 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

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting 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
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 5 Amir Coffey 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)205 lb (93 kg) SoHopkins Hopkins, MN
G 13 Hunt Conroy (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)165 lb (75 kg) FrJesuit New Orleans, LA
F 24 Eric Curry Injured Current redshirt 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)235 lb (107 kg) SoSouthwest Christian Academy Memphis, TN
F 41 Gaston Diedhiou 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)245 lb (111 kg) SrCanarias Academy Dakar, Senegal
F 20 Davonte Fitzgerald 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)220 lb (100 kg) RS SrTucker
Texas A&M		 Atlanta, GA
G 4 Jamir Harris 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrThe Patrick School North Brunswick, NJ
F 42 Michael Hurt 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)220 lb (100 kg) SoJohn Marshall Rochester, MN
C 21 Bakary Konaté 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)240 lb (109 kg) SrSunrise Christian Academy Bamako, Mali
C 22 Reggie Lynch (S) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)265 lb (120 kg) RS SrEdina
Illinois State		 Edina, MN
G 2 Nate Mason (C) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)190 lb (86 kg) SrArlington Country Day Decatur, GA
G 1 Dupree McBrayer 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg) JrSunrise Christian Academy Queens, NY
F 3 Jordan Murphy (C) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)250 lb (113 kg) JrBrennan San Antonio, TX
G 10 Brady Rudrud (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)190 lb (86 kg) SoEden Prairie Eden Prairie, MN
C 35 Matz Stockman (I) Current redshirt 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)240 lb (109 kg) SrCanarias Academy
Louisville		 Oslo, Norway
G 11 Isaiah Washington 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrSt. 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

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.
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