STrib: Can Gophers men’s basketball build a true home-court advantage?

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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Per Marcus:

Gophers men’s coach Ben Johnson looked around at his peers at Big Ten basketball media days Thursday, hard pressed to find a program that didn’t have a home-court advantage.

Even the new Big Ten programs UCLA, Southern California, Oregon and Washington seemed to him like they would probably be tough to beat on their respective home floors.

“As we continued to expand this league — you have to win at home now,” Johnson said.

With the Gophers picked to finish last in the conference by the media for the second year in a row, the perception is they might put up the least resistance of anyone at home.

The success the Gophers had at home last season proved otherwise.

The Gophers picked up 16 of their 19 victories at Williams Arena, the most for the program since 2016-17. That tied with Purdue for the second-most home victories in the Big Ten, behind only Nebraska’s 18.

Don’t forget that the Gophers won only six times at home in Johnson’s second season in 2022-23.

“Whatever we can do to help keep that momentum is huge,” Johnson said. “The goal is for our fans to realize it’s fun to feel like you’re a part of winning and to go watch a team that can win.”

Average attendance at Williams Arena for Gophers men’s games declined from 9,451 two seasons ago to 8,139 last season, but the atmosphere at games clearly improved.

“We were talking to a couple Penn State players who were saying how crazy our fan base is,” senior guard Mike Mitchell Jr. said at media day. “It makes our environment that much better. It helps a lot.”

www.startribune.com

Can the Gophers men’s basketball team build a true home-court advantage?

Gophers coach Ben Johnson and players spoke at Big Ten media day about building on the atmosphere at Williams Arena last season that helped them get 16 home wins.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!
 


Winning is the only way to build a home court advantage.

Especially when going up against the Wolves, the Wild, the Vikings and everything else Mpls/St. Paul has to offer.

Johnson hasn’t done it yet.
 


BleedGopher said:
Per Marcus:

Gophers men’s coach Ben Johnson looked around at his peers at Big Ten basketball media days Thursday, hard pressed to find a program that didn’t have a home-court advantage.

Even the new Big Ten programs UCLA, Southern California, Oregon and Washington seemed to him like they would probably be tough to beat on their respective home floors.

“As we continued to expand this league — you have to win at home now,” Johnson said.

With the Gophers picked to finish last in the conference by the media for the second year in a row, the perception is they might put up the least resistance of anyone at home.

The success the Gophers had at home last season proved otherwise.

The Gophers picked up 16 of their 19 victories at Williams Arena, the most for the program since 2016-17. That tied with Purdue for the second-most home victories in the Big Ten, behind only Nebraska’s 18.

Don’t forget that the Gophers won only six times at home in Johnson’s second season in 2022-23.

“Whatever we can do to help keep that momentum is huge,” Johnson said. “The goal is for our fans to realize it’s fun to feel like you’re a part of winning and to go watch a team that can win.”

Average attendance at Williams Arena for Gophers men’s games declined from 9,451 two seasons ago to 8,139 last season, but the atmosphere at games clearly improved.

“We were talking to a couple Penn State players who were saying how crazy our fan base is,” senior guard Mike Mitchell Jr. said at media day. “It makes our environment that much better. It helps a lot.”

www.startribune.com

Can the Gophers men’s basketball team build a true home-court advantage?

Gophers coach Ben Johnson and players spoke at Big Ten media day about building on the atmosphere at Williams Arena last season that helped them get 16 home wins.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...
“As we continue to expand this league - you have to win at home now”. Wow what a concept. I’ve been a supporter of Ben, but if he doesn’t make it to the big dance this year, I will personally help him pack.
 


Gophers1992 said:
The best way to have a home court advantage is to have better players than the other team. Fans can only do so much to impact a game, if at all.
Click to expand...
Amen. The difference between Williams Arena and another old gym, Cameron Indoor, is the quality of the product on the court. Get better players and win and suddenly there is a fun atmosphere and a tough place to play.
 


Rocksoldier said:
“As we continue to expand this league - you have to win at home now”. Wow what a concept. I’ve been a supporter of Ben, but if he doesn’t make it to the big dance this year, I will personally help him pack.
Click to expand...
Are you going through a 2nd childhood or something? This is 2024.

And even if it wasn't, we'd still have a lot going against us. Only 2 NCAA wins in the last 27 years doesn't happen by accident.

Ben defied the odds and put together a team that should have been Payne, Hawkins, Christie, Garcia, Mitchell Jr., plus additions this year.

No coach in the country could win at Minnesota.
 






howeda7 said:
Ben would have a roster of 18, but Gavin Newsome screwed all that up.
Click to expand...
I said plus additions...not all of our current additions.

It was Newsome's bill and lawsuit that made this all happen. Yeah I don't put the blame all on 1 person...his whole party is in favor of this.
 






EasyThere Pilgrim said:
Are you going through a 2nd childhood or something? This is 2024.

And even if it wasn't, we'd still have a lot going against us. Only 2 NCAA wins in the last 27 years doesn't happen by accident.

Ben defied the odds and put together a team that should have been Payne, Hawkins, Christie, Garcia, Mitchell Jr., plus additions this year.

No coach in the country could win at Minnesota.
Click to expand...
An annoying person makes a good point over and over. An idiot makes a stupid point over and over. Which one do you think you are? Which one do you think other people think you are?
 

EasyThere Pilgrim said:
I said plus additions...not all of our current additions.

It was Newsome's bill and lawsuit that made this all happen. Yeah I don't put the blame all on 1 person...his whole party is in favor of this.
Click to expand...
I know you are proud of Ben and you should be, but as his Mom you really should stop posting on here
 

Zeppelin Gopher said:
He's an unhinged idiot. It's amusing watching the repetitive meltdown tho
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To me, it's idiotic to look at 2 NCAA wins in 27 years...and then look at another huge disadvantage appearing in the form of our best players now getting bought by other teams........and then just be like HO HUM, NO BIG DEAL.
 

WoodburyTim said:
An annoying person makes a good point over and over. An idiot makes a stupid point over and over. Which one do you think you are? Which one do you think other people think you are?
Click to expand...
kix4kix said:
I know you are proud of Ben and you should be, but as his Mom you really should stop posting on here
Click to expand...
You really think a new coach can keep our best players from being bought by other teams and going pro?

You really think coaching is why we've only won 2 NCAA games in 27 years? You think this is just normal bad luck?
 

I admit I'm melting down this off-season. 3 years invested in developing what would have been a very good team turned out to be a total waste of time.

I think it stinks.

Our only chance now is to try this senior average-age-23 strategy. I'm willing to give it a try. But to just act like everything is the same and normal...and to follow things like recruiting and to blame the coach...no.
 

EasyThere Pilgrim said:
I admit I'm melting down this off-season. 3 years invested in developing what would have been a very good team turned out to be a total waste of time.

I think it stinks.

Our only chance now is to try this senior average-age-23 strategy. I'm willing to give it a try. But to just act like everything is the same and normal...and to follow things like recruiting and to blame the coach...no.
Click to expand...
You may be melting down but at least you’ve still managed to carry yourself with a certain quiet dignity.
 

EasyThere Pilgrim said:
Are you going through a 2nd childhood or something? This is 2024.

And even if it wasn't, we'd still have a lot going against us. Only 2 NCAA wins in the last 27 years doesn't happen by accident.

Ben defied the odds and put together a team that should have been Payne, Hawkins, Christie, Garcia, Mitchell Jr., plus additions this year.

No coach in the country could win at Minnesota.
Click to expand...
Totally untrue. I’ll agree that most could not, but there are some that could
 


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