Minnesota Gophers Mens Basketball Tickets
The Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s basketball team is a Division I program for the University of Minnesota. The team is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and plays their home games at the Williams Arena. The Williams Arena has a capacity of 14,625 people and opened in 1928. The team plays in the Big Ten Conference. The team is currently coached by Tubby Smith. In Smith’s five years as coach, he has led the team to postseason play four times, including two NCAA Tournament appearances and a record of 103-64.
The team has played since 1895, and since then, has managed a small measure of success. Early on, the Golden Gophers were one of the top programs in the country, winning three pre-tournament Helms national championships in 1902, 1903, and 1919. It took until 1972 for this team that has been in the Big Ten since its inception in 1905 to make the NCAA Tournament. After making the NCAA Tournament for the second time in 1982, Clem Haskins took over in 1986 as head coach. During his tenure, he led the team to six NCAA Tournaments; however, four of those have later since been revoked as Haskins found himself and the rest of the team mired in an academic fraud scandal. Of the years revoked, that includes the team’s only Final Four appearance. In their history, the team has featured four Big Ten MVPs: Chuck Mencel in 1955, Jim Brewer in 1972, Mychal Thompson in 1978, and Bobby Jackson in 1997, which was later revoked.
The Golden Gophers primary rivals are the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Wisconsin Badgers. Their rivalry with Wisconsin is the preeminent one, as they compete for Paul Bunyan’s Axe in football, as well as both team’s recent wave of success. In addition to that, Wisconsin and Minnesota compete in the Border Battle, given to the points winner between the two schools. The Gophers also have a less-intense rivalry with Ohio State due to the two team’s brawl in the 1970s.
