Minnesota Golden Gophers | ||||
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University | University of Minnesota | |||
First season | 1896 | |||
All-time record | 1,533–1,128 (.576) | |||
Head coach | Ben Johnson (3rd season) | |||
Conference | Big Ten | |||
Location | Minneapolis, Minnesota | |||
Arena | Williams Arena (capacity: 14,625) | |||
Nickname | Golden Gophers | |||
Student section | The Barnyard | |||
Colors | Maroon and gold[1] | |||
Uniforms | ||||
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Pre-tournament Premo-Porretta champions | ||||
1902, 1903 | ||||
Pre-tournament Helms champions | ||||
1902, 1919 | ||||
NCAA tournament Final Four | ||||
1997* | ||||
NCAA tournament Elite Eight | ||||
1990, 1997* | ||||
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen | ||||
1972*, 1982, 1989, 1990, 1997* | ||||
NCAA tournament round of 32 | ||||
1982, 1989, 1990, 1997*, 2013, 2019 | ||||
NCAA tournament appearances | ||||
1972*, 1982, 1989, 1990, 1994*, 1995*, 1997*, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2019 | ||||
Conference regular season champions | ||||
1906, 1907, 1911, 1917, 1919, 1937, 1972, 1982, 1997* | ||||
* - vacated by NCAA |
The Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represents the University of Minnesota in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. The Golden Gophers competes in the Big Ten Conference and play their home games at the Williams Arena.
The Gophers had great success in the early years of basketball, but have been largely overshadowed by other programs since the end of World War I. In total, the Gophers have won nine Big Ten championships, but only four since 1919. College basketball research organizations have retroactively awarded Minnesota national championships in 1902, 1903, and 1919.
The team has also had several instances of NCAA sanctions on the program that have affected performance and recruiting. In the 1970s, the Gophers were in a violent brawl with the Ohio State Buckeyes and were barred from post-season appearances for two seasons after an incident involving the illegal resale of tickets. Still more severe was the mid-1990s academic scandal under then-coach Clem Haskins that resulted in the forfeit of a Final Four appearance.[2]