While Johnson was head coach, Minnesota failed to make any NCAA Tournaments, settling for one NIT appearance in 2023-24, the only season his Gophers finished with a winning record (19-15).

But you know what would’ve made Ben Johnson’s four years at the U of M even worse? If he wouldn’t have been able to convince Prior Lake’s Dawson Garcia to come home back in 2022, and stay for the rest of his collegiate career, despite continuous large NIL offers elsewhere.

Dawson Garcia signing with Detroit Pistons

Three years later, Dawson Garcia ranks near the top of most career University of Minnesota men’s basketball statistical categories (see below). And on Friday, according to Darren Wolfson (KSTP), the an undrafted Garcia found his next basketball home, agreeing to terms on a contract with the Detroit Pistons, where he will play NBA summer league ball next month.

Told Garcia agreed to a deal with Detroit. He had a good pre-draft workout and visit with the Pistons. All he needs is a chance and he’ll have that. #Gophers https://t.co/4S8fLxAqeN

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) June 27, 2025

Related: Total Minnesota Gophers MBB RevShare + NIL Budget Revealed for 2025-26

The University of Minnesota men’s basketball program has a relatively star-studded history, some of which has been deleted, due to the late-90s cheating scandal that the Gophers have yet to recover from, 25 years later.

But no matter how messy the Gopher MBB record books are, there’s no doubt Dawson Garcia will go down as one of the all-time greats to play in Dinkytown, even if the team results were never there.

Dawson stayed home for the next three seasons, despite NIL offers each offseason worth double what he was making in Minnesota. As a Golden Gopher, the 6’11” stretch big racked up 1557 points (17.5 PPG), 621 rebounds (7.0 RPG), 171 assists (1.9 APG), 65 steals and 32 blocks.

💥 31 PTS
💥 13-19 FG
💥 6 REB
💥 3 BLK

Dawson Garcia recorded his 5th straight 20+ point game in @GopherMBB's upset over No. 15 Oregon 😤#B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/UrspRhvAkt

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 26, 2025

Where does Garcia belong in Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball history

Garcia ended his U of M career as one of the most decorated Gophers of all-time, finishing just outside the top 10 in points, behind guys like Quincy Lewis (1614), Kevin McHale (1704), Sam Jacobson (1709) and Nate Mason (1731).

He finished his career with the highest usage percentage of any Gopher, ever (though that stat leader category at sports-reference is incomplete prior to 2011), higher than Marcus Carr (26.5), Daniel Oturu (26.4) and Rick Rickert (25.5). Garcia also ranks second all time in U of M history in defensive rebounds, behind only Jordan Murphy (890).

After arriving on campus before the 2022-23 season, Garcia became the only constant on Ben Johnson’s roster for the next three years, until he was ultimately fired. He stayed, while everyone else left, taking multiple smaller NIL deals, to do so. For that alone, Dawson Garcia deserves a place in Gopher basketball fan hearts forever.

Now, we will find out if he has what it takes to make it in the league, something few Minnesota Gophers in modern history have done.

This is a critical offseason for the Wolves. The team sale is expected to be finalized this month, and multiple key free agency decisions are on the docket. There is also the upcoming NBA Draft in which Minnesota holds the 17th and 31st overall pick.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have a few different ways they could use the picks. One player expected to be on the board for both picks is hometown hero, Dawson Garcia, who grew up in Prior Lake and played three seasons for the Minnesota Gophers.

Dawson Garcia showcases talent for Minnesota Timberwolves

While it is unlikely Garcia hears his name called in a couple weeks, when the NBA Draft takes place, it’s worth noting that, according to Darren Wolfson (KSTP) on a recent episode of the Mackey & Judd Show on SKOR North, the Timberwolves hosted Garcia for a private workout recently.

Should the future stars align, it’s very plausible the Wolves give him a shot on their 2025 Summer League team, at the least.

“The Wolves draft workout on Monday, here’s a name this hasn’t been out there, Dawson Garcia. The former Gophers worked out for the Timberwolves on Monday…I’m told all focus, at least right now, is starting his pro career. Whether that ends up the Amir Coffey route, G-League…I’m just told, right now, all focus is on a pro career. The Wolves had that draft workout on Monday.”

Darren Wolfson – SKOR North

When Dawson Garcia first left Prior Lake High School, he landed at Marquette. He lasted one season over the eastern border, before transferring to North Carolina, before eventually coming home and playing for the Minnesota Gophers.

In between the note that Garcia did work out for the Timberwolves, Wolfson mentioned that, even if he doesn’t catch on with the NBA or G-League, Dawson will have plenty of lucrative overseas options to pursue. Over the course of his 5-year college career, Dawson Garcia has played 132 games.

Garcia could still try for another year with Minnesota Gophers… or other college program

During his final season with Minnesota the forward averaged 19.2 points per game and shot 4.74% from the field. He’s not a great three-point threat, shooting just 35.3% for his career, but has plenty of athleticism for his 6’1″ frame.

Still, it’s not impossible that Garcia tries for one more year of eligibility. Garcia reportedly made $500k in NIL last season with Minnesota. The Gophers should have substantially more to spend with new head coach Niko Medved,. No doubt, Garcia would have plenty of other collegiate suitors as well.

DAWSON GARCIA!

AT THE BUZZER. FROM THE LOGO. FOR THE WIN.@GopherMBB x #B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/4DAwJ1u1ch

— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) January 17, 2025

Minnesota’s drafted Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. last summer. The former failed to carve out a significant role but remains a substantial upside play. The latter earned key minutes down the stretch and provided a points infusion off the bench during the playoffs.

It was Ben’s third losing season in four years as men’s basketball coach at the University of Minnesota. The moment they returned from Indianapolis, where they lost to Northwestern in their first game of the Big Ten Tournament, Johnson was fired by athletic director Mark Coyle.

While Johnson was head coach at the U of M, the basketball program struggled to keep up with its peers, mostly due to a lack of NIL (name, image, and likeness) funding. As head coach, a lot of that blame should fall on Ben Johnson. He failed to adapt in the new wild west-style NIL landscape, and paid the price with his job.

Minnesota Gophers NIL fund laughably low

Roughly a year ago it was reported that the Minnesota Gophers were working with roughly $1 million in NIL funds last season, a number dramatically lower than most power five programs.

But if you believe Pioneer Press columnist and plugged-in Gophers MBB insider, Charley Walters, that $1M number was quite generously rounded up from what he is now reporting to be just $700,000. Of that $700K, Dawson Garcia reportedly took up $500K all by himself.

“A little birdie said the Gophers men’s basketball name, image and likeness (NIL) budget this season —lowest in the Big Ten — was in the $700,000 range, of which Dawson Garcia got $500,000.”

Charley Walters – Pioneer Press

Of course, the homegrown kid from Prior Lake Dawson Garcia was far and away the best player on Minnesota’s roster since Ben Johnson arrived. The homegrown kid from Prior Lake, reportedly turned down offers of $1 million or more, to enter the portal, something he did twice (Marquette –> UNC –> Minnesota) before finding his way back home in 2022.

So this is not an article about Garcia taking up too much of the Gophers’ 2024-25 NIL money. This is about Johnson’s program being dirt poor, from an NIL standpoint. Ben was just lucky Dawson was willing to give him a 50% discount.

Garcia averaged a career-best 19.2 points per game this past season, which ranked 6th in the Big Ten. Across 32 games, he shot 47.4% from the field (37.3% 3PT) and grabbed 7.5 boards per game. He’s legitimately one of the better players to ever dawn maroon and gold… and nobody will remember it, because of four sunk years under his head coach.

💥 31 PTS
💥 13-19 FG
💥 6 REB
💥 3 BLK

Dawson Garcia recorded his 5th straight 20+ point game in @GopherMBB's upset over No. 15 Oregon 😤#B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/UrspRhvAkt

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 26, 2025

Where does Gophers NIL budget grow from here?

With Johnson out and Niko Medved taking over the program, following a first round win in the 2024-25 NCAA tournament as head coach of Colorado State, the Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball program has vowed to become a more serious program under their new head coach, and that starts with NIL funding.

Chatter behind the scenes has the University of Minnesota NIL budget set to increase by over a million dollars, in his first year alone. On top of that, the Gophers are expected to dedicate $3-5 million of their expected NCAA revenue share settlement money ($20+ million total) on men’s basketball.

Related: Colorado State Forward Commits to MN Gophers

That is expected to be more than what other schools in the Big Ten will commit to MBB, at least from a revenue sharing standpoint. If everything falls into place, between new NIL and revenue sharing money, Medved could have quite the vehicle help land and keep college basketball talent we haven’t seen in this town in years… possibly decades.

As was the case with Ben Johnson, it’s up to Niko Medved to generate fan excitement and financial support for his new Minnesota Gophers MBB program. But unlike the head coach he’s replacing, Niko seems much more up for all of the tasks and responsibilities included with being a head basketball coach of a major D1 program, both now and moving forward.

But a victory on the road against Nebraska got the underdog Gophers moving in the correct direction again, before returning to The Barn one final time this season vs the No.12 ranked rival Wisconsin Badgers.

This had all of the makings for Ben Johnson’s Golden Gophers to climb back into the Big Ten Tournament race and hopefully convince decision makers at the University of Minnesota to retain him as head coach for a fifth season in 2026. Of course, that’s not how it went.

No mental blocks for Minnesota Gophers early

Last time the Gophers played at The Barn, Ben Johnson’s team came out flat and didn’t look like they were ready for the contest. That wasn’t the case on Wednesday night. Dawson Garcia nailed his first three-point attempt to record his 2,000th career point.

The senior gets us started!

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/g5qZS98FmE

— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) March 6, 2025

After a quick five-second turnover, The Barnyard rang out a loud “F*** Wisconsin chant.” Then the runs started, but Johnson has his team ready to counter punch. The Badgers went on a 12-0 stretch before the Gophers responded with a 9-0 run of their own.

Related: What We Learned About Gophers in Crushing Loss vs Northwestern

The Badgers may have been the better team on Wednesday night, but Minnesota wasn’t going to let them run away, something that is tough to do against a team that’s best known for its lockdown defense. And we saw that at Williams Arena tonight, when the Gophers forced the Badgers into nine first half turnovers.

Wisconsin led 33-27 at halftime, a lead that felt like it should have been substantially wider, after Minnesota shot just 38% from the field. If there was a halftime speech to be shared, it should have been about just how close Johnson’s team was despite failing to make shots.

Roster construction shows Minnesota Gophers weakness

As was the case last week against Northwestern, Ben Johnson’s desired rotations often have matchups out of sorts. Garcia locked down Nick Martinelli in the first half, but a need for offense gave the Wildcats scorer free reign in the second half.

Wisconsin brought a pair of big men (both from Minnesota) in Steven Crowl and Nolan Winter. That duo stands at a combined 14 feet of height with both being exactly 7’0.” Winter started the game guarding Garcia, but it was just how talented the Badgers were in the post that created a gap.

Three Inbounds plays 🟰 7 points for UW

Nolan Winter collects five points off two baseline out-of-bounds plays, while Carter Gilmore gets two of his own

WIS 40, MIN 33 | 15:33 1H pic.twitter.com/XvccT32Pyo

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) March 6, 2025

Related: Ben Johnson’s Gophers Basketball Program Still Way Behind in NIL

Five minutes into the second half the Gophers were being outrebounded 23-18. Frank Mitchell, who put together a nice game as the first Minnesota player with double-digits, helped to secure his part alongside Garcia. Mitchell grabbed ten boards to Garcia’s seven, but Wisconsin finished with a plus-nine differential.

At 6’11,” Garcia is the only Gophers player with height to his advantage. He often plays on the perimeter, and Mitchell’s 6’8″ frame is aided largely by girth. Minnesota didn’t have the big men to keep up, and screen switches often has players like Brennan Rigbsy (6’3″) and Femi Odukale (6’6″) banging for their lives in the post.

Six rotation seniors are on their way out for the Gophers, and finding some height and post play is a must. Although he is just 6’5″ White Bear Lake native Jack Janicki put up some big minutes for the Badgers down the stretch as well. Minnesota keeping kids like that home would be huge.

Seniors show out for the MN Gophers late

Midway through the second half the Gophers found themselves still trailing, but a pair of seniors clearly weren’t wanting their final home game to be a loss. Dawson Garcia poured in a bucket to reach double-digits on the evening.

AND 1

Brennan Rigsby is FIRED UP @GopherMBB pic.twitter.com/cxmZywQC2N

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 6, 2025

Brennan Rigbsy, the Oregon transfer who scored a career-high 20 points against Nebraska last time out, had a second act. He nailed a pair of big three point field goals, and his hard work all night started to show up in the box score. Rigsby finished with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

Related: Alumni & Boosters Again Trying to Influence Minnesota Gophers MBB Coaching Hire

PATTERSON. BOTTOM. THE BARN IS ROCKING.

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/7OTrGuiBCY

— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) March 6, 2025

With around eight minutes left in the game Lu’Cye Patterson, Minneapolis’ own, sank his second three-pointer of the night. It gave the Gophers a 53-51 lead. That was just the second lead they held all night, and first since Garcia made it 3-0.

Rigsby threw down another slam late and did his best to keep the Gophers crowd in it. It seems a bit shocking he drew just 10 starts this season, and the senior probably could have helped to run Minnesota’s point a bit better. Asked postgame about a lack of starting, he noted a desire to just continue showing up for his teammates.

Brennan Rigsby on sporadic playing time through the season: I think a little bit of it was the team was playing pretty good, they were going on a little stretch. I trust the coaches, and they’re trying to win just like I’m trying to win. https://t.co/GMrTzIDPtT#Gophers pic.twitter.com/ovFklaSlAc

— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) March 6, 2025

“I mean, we have just talked about going out there and being confident. Doing what I do. Just trying to bring energy to the team, crowd. I think a little of it was, the team was playing pretty good, you know? They were going on a little stretch. I trust the coaches. They’re trying to win just like I’m trying to win. That’s the biggest thing.”

Brennan Rigsby on playing time (Gopher Hole)

Prior to the Nebraska win, Rigsby had played just a total of 11 minutes combined in the three previous contests. After starting the first ten games, Johnson had Rigsby on the court for 15 minutes or less in 13 of the final 17 games. His early 31.6% shooting and nine turnovers in those starts didn’t earn him enough leash it seems.

Minnesota Gophers just didn’t have enough

It was fun to see The Barn rocking. Despite being a lackluster facility overall, and largely filled with Badgers fans for this sellout, the atmosphere was electric. Unfortunately the Gophers threw all of their haymakers and Johnson had no final answers to pull from his bag.

Wisconsin fans dominated the cheering in the final minute as home fans poured out of the exits. Parker Fox finished with four fouls and wasn’t going to get his fifth before walking off the court for the last time. Garcia and Rigbsy did everything they could, but it wasn’t going to match up with a legit National Championship contender.

Now Mark Coyle and the Gophers athletic department have to decide if Ben Johnson is enough. The team won plenty more games than anyone expected them to within the Big Ten. They also routinely got in their own way and couldn’t make in-game adjustments.

It hasn’t been a great experiment, and we’ve reached a decision making point. Minnesota is back in action on Sunday against Rutgers. They remain positioned to make the Big Ten tournament as one of the final teams in.

Minnesota is at a critical juncture in their regular season. 14th in the Big Ten standings, only the top 15 teams make it to the year-end tournament. The Gophers are tied with USC at 6-10 in conference, but hold the tiebreaker after their recent road victory.

Northwestern had a chance to draw closer and push Minnesota towards elimination. Johnson had to have his guys ready to go, and couldn’t afford another misstep after an ugly loss to Penn State. That message didn’t reach the hardwood though.

Minnesota Gophers lack fire out of the gate

With just three games left, two of which are on the road, this was as must-win as it gets. Johnson’s team came out flat and Northwestern scored the first ten points of the game. After a slight run to close the gap, they were again down 18-11, and trailed 36-31 at the half.

At no point did it seem like the offense flowed, had real direction, or a fire to close the gap. Johnson remained relatively stoic on the sideline and his rotation continued to be tight. Minnesota had the rebounding advantage at the half but there wasn’t much to show for it.

Ben Johnson: We tried everything. Tried to go back to California as much as possible, I even treated this as a pre-game road game with how I did stuff, how we set up the locker rom. We set up the locker room like it was a visiting locker room at UCLA just to mentally take them to… pic.twitter.com/gB71D7xOa1

— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) February 26, 2025

Johnson’s postgame had a very key theme as he called his team mentally stuck. “We’re mentally stuck right now. I can’t necessarily pinpoint what it is just when we’re not on the road. We’re a totally different team last week…We talked about playing relaxed, and not playing stuck…We’ve got to get out of that stuck feeling.”

Asked about what changes he specifically has made, Johnson alluded to going as far as making the locker room feel like a road game. His preparation was the same, and the locker room was set up as though Minnesota was again at UCLA.

Guard Femi Odukale knows that this team is now 2-7 at The Barn, but the changes don’t matter much. Asked whether a feel of playing on the road resonates he said, “No, we are back at home and ready to play. He [Johnson] wants to do that so we come out with the same urgency.”

Related: Gophers Basketball NET Ranking and Postseason Outlook After SoCal Sweep

The Wildcats were well aware that a win could change their Big Ten tournament hopes and they were the only team on the floor that was interested in that result.

Northwestern scoring leader took it to Gophers Dawson Garcia

Minnesota’s greatest chance at a draft-worthy talent this season is Dawson Garcia. The well-traveled senior has spent the past three years at home with the Gophers after trips to Marquette and North Carolina. He has put together a solid season and is averaging a career-best 19.4 points per game.

For the first half it was almost entirely the Garcia and Nick Martinelli show. Northwestern’s 6’7″ forward brought his conference-leading 19.7 points per game to The Barn. Minnesota’s top talent matched up with him all half and the tandem traded buckets to put on a show.

A 29-point performance from Nick Martinelli ‼️ @NUMensBball #B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/WgtMnJuDp1

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 26, 2025

As the game went on though, the Minnesota Gophers had no answer for Martinelli, and Garcia couldn’t keep up. The Gophers forward went just 3-of-7 from deep, and 9-of-20 from the field scoring 26 points.

Johnson switched guard Femi Odukale onto Martinelli in the second half and the Northwestern star feasted. Asked after the game about the matchup, Johnson talked of the need to sacrifice defense for points. “We had to change it up defensively a little bit so we went to switch-five. You can’t control the matchups as much. Our ball screen coverage [in the first half] wasn’t where it needed to be.” The lineup couldn’t handle two big men needing to score and that’s the spot it left Minnesota in.

Martinelli picked up multiple and-one opportunities on drives to the basket down the stretch. He hit a couple of lightly contested three-point shots. Ultimately it led to a 29 point performance on 11-of-20 shooting. He fell just shy of the career-high 32 points he posted earlier this season, but was clearly the best player on the floor.

Garcia is certainly a fringe NBA talent, but it will be interesting to see how his game works. At 6’11” he has the height, but not necessarily the bulk to bang down low. He isn’t a good three-point shooter, and his drives are often empty when contested. It was certainly a workout against Martinelli on Tuesday.

MN Gophers roster construction doesn’t work

Ben Johnson has largely ignored NIL fundraising and has watched his roster implode during recent seasons because of it. This team was never expected to be good, but wins against teams like Michigan and the California swing made some believe.

Tuesday it was again apparent just how out of sorts the group is. Femi Odukale is miscast as a point guard and doesn’t possess the ball-handling or playmaking ability you’d like to see from the position. Frank Mitchell plays in the post because he’s 260 pounds, but is just 6’8″.

Senior guard Mike Mitchell was again in the starting lineup on Tuesday. Despite shooting just 35% on the season, he has been in that spot for 20 games. The Wildcats held him to an 0-for-6 night (0-for-4 from three) and he grabbed just a single rebound.

Related: Ben Johnson’s Gophers Basketball Program Still Way Behind in NIL

Ideally Dawson Garcia would be able to stretch the floor more, but he doesn’t have the shot making ability on the outside to constantly force defenders to worry about him. Unfortunately it all boils down to an offense that gets quickly stagnant once a rotation of a play breaks down.

Johnson wasn’t able to work through that again, and the defense couldn’t slow the Wildcats down. The Gophers allowed Northwestern to shoot 49% from the field and 47% from deep. They also turned the ball over 13 times (-5 differential) and were outscored off of them by eight.

Minnesota Gophers remain as expected with season closing

Short of a miracle including multiple wins against Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Rutgers, the Gophers season will end on March 9th. Johnson certainly earned himself more leash throughout points of the season, but the final result could seal his fate.

It remains to be seen whether or not Mark Coyle can make the decision to fire his head basketball coach, but this hasn’t been a good experiment. Across four seasons leading the Gophers, Johnson now owns a 55-68 record. A dejected coach at the podium tonight, it was tough to hear that the Minnesota leader is still searching for answers that generate consistency and readiness.

Ben Johnson: They want it, It’s not for lack of want or will or desire. I put it on me to just get them through it. The mental part is so big. We gotta find even more creative ways to just relax, to get them just to play free and just keep taking swings. I want it more because I… pic.twitter.com/WSNMkJsLTw

— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) February 26, 2025

Regardless of what happens with the Gophers NIL budget for the 2025-26 season, there’s just not enough reason to think that this is going to fix itself. A new coach may not immediately see a heightened level of success, but Johnson himself talked about the lack of sustainability year-over-year.

Related: Minnesota Gophers Fans and Media Need to Stop Making Excuses for Ben Johnson

That’s something he credited Northwestern coach Chris Collins with having, and he has done that through his own volition. Given the seniors leaving, an opportunity to start over and rebuild may be the most logical path forward.

The Gophers have rattled off three straight wins after their 0-6 start. They have beaten 20th-ranked Michigan, Iowa and 15th-ranked Oregon. That moves them out of last place in the conference and into the last spot for the Big Ten Tournament in March.

Minnesota’s Dawson Garcia named Player of the Week

A big reason for the turnaround the past few games has been the play of Senior Dawson Garcia. The senior forward averaged 26 points, eight rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in the Gophers’ last three wins. Those number have earned him Big Ten Player of the Week honors on Monday. It’s the second time he’s won the award in his career.

The best in the B1G 🗣@Dawson23lee

📰: https://t.co/zq3i1TenE9 pic.twitter.com/WbtKmp9Hmz

— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) January 27, 2025

On the season, Garcia is averaging 19.7 points per game, good for third in the Big Ten and 21st in the NCAA. He’s shooting an efficient 49.8%, including a 37.3% mark from three. He’s had five straight games of 20 or more points, tying him with Amir Coffey for the longest streak in Minnesota Gopher program history.

Related: What We’ve Learned About Gophers Men’s Basketball During Impossible 3-Game Win Streak

In all, Garcia has 13 games with 20-plus points, the most in the Big Ten, with two of those being 30-point performances. He’s also added double-digit performances in four more contests, making him the Gophers’ one-man wrecking crew.

Garcia’s journey home to MN

The Big Ten Player of the Week honor is a testament to Dawson Garcia’s perseverance. Coming out of Prior Lake High School in Savage, MN, Garcia was a four-star prospect according to 247Sports. He initially committed to play at Marquette before the 2020-21 season. He started all 27 games and averaged a team-high 13 points, but a ninth-place finish in the Big East caused a coaching change and led Garcia into the transfer portal.

Garcia made his way to North Carolina for the next season, and was part of a Tar Heel team that made it to the national championship game. This came with a decrease in playing time, and the reduced minutes. In addition, a family illness ultimately forced Garcia to step away from the team midway through the year.

That led him back home to Minnesota and into a Gopher uniform. In three years donning the maroon and gold, Garcia has steadily improved both his scoring and his shooting, raising both marks by over four points. In the best season of his career, he’s playing like a Player of the Year candidate. The Gophers have been reaping the rewards, especially the past week.

DAWSON GARCIA!

AT THE BUZZER. FROM THE LOGO. FOR THE WIN.@GopherMBB x #B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/4DAwJ1u1ch

— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) January 17, 2025

The Minnesota Gophers’ rest of season outlook

There’s still a lot of season left before the Big Ten Tournament, so the recent stretch of play does not guarantee Minnesota gets in. The good news is the hardest part of their schedule is behind them, but challenges still await.

It starts with a big test on Tuesday, where the Gophers head to Michigan State to take on the seventh-ranked Spartans. The Spartans are undefeated in Big Ten play at 8-0. When the two teams met earlier this year, the Gophers fell 72-90, where Garcia had a team-high 18 points. Minnesota will need more of that from him if they want to compete with one of the best teams in the country.

Related: Dawson Garcia Gave Minnesota Gophers a Massive 50% Off NIL Discount to Stay Home

Eleven days after, they get Illinois at home who is a team that has had a rough patch as of late. However they still sit tied for fifth in the Big Ten with nice wins over Arkansas, Wisconsin and Oregon. They also have close losses to Alabama, Tennessee and Michigan State.

If the Gophers can string a few more wins together, they’ll be a shoo-in to make it to Indianapolis, but they’d need to win the whole thing in order to make the NCAA Tournament. If they keep playing like they have the last three games, they’ve got a shot at least.

After starting conference play with a rough 0-6 record, they’ve turned things around and now sit at 3-6. With plenty of basketball still ahead, the rest of the season is anyone’s guess. But during this three-game win streak, here are three key takeaways we’ve learned.

Dawson Garcia is one of the best players in the country

Now in his third season with the Gophers and fifth overall after stints at Marquette and North Carolina, Dawson Garcia is living up to the hype that came with being a four-star recruit out of Prior Lake high school. He’s proving to everyone why he’s one of the top players in college basketball right now.

Over the last three games, Garcia has been on fire, dropping 31, 20, and 27 points, leading the Gophers in scoring each time. But this isn’t just a recent hot streak, he’s been playing at a high level all season. He’s averaging 19.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and shooting an impressive 48.4 percent from the field.

He’s making an impact on the defensive end, too, racking up three blocks in today’s win over Oregon. He’s really showcasing his all-around game and has been the key piece for this Gophers team. If they want to keep winning, he’ll need to keep up this level of play.

Maybe Ben Johnson can save his job?

Just when it seemed like Ben Johnson’s seat couldn’t get any hotter, he pulled off his first win over a ranked team as a head coach, and then followed it up with another one just nine days later. Now he’s turning heads and has his team playing some impressive basketball over the past three games. It makes you wonder: could he actually save his job?

Now in his fourth season as the Gophers’ head coach, with a 52-63 overall record and an ugly 18-50 mark in Big Ten play, Johnson seemed to be coaching himself out of a job. But if the Gophers can keep stringing together wins, especially in conference play, he might just hang on to his role heading into next season. The pressure’s on, though, and there’s no room to take his foot off the gas now.

With the Big Ten now expanded, only 15 of the 18 teams qualify for the conference tournament in March. If the Gophers don’t make the cut, I’d bet Johnson’s time is up. But after today’s win, the Gophers are sitting in a much more manageable spot in the standings.

Big Ten Standings

Maybe this roster is NCAA tournament caliber?

The Gophers’ roster is mostly made up of transfers, though there are some homegrown players like Isaac Asuma, who Coach Johnson recruited and has been a key part of the team this year. But the real standouts, like Dawson Garcia, Mike Mitchell, Parker Fox, Femi Odukale, and Lu’Cye Patterson, all came through the transfer portal. Over the last three games, they’ve really started to find their rhythm, showing they can compete with the best.

Mitchell played a huge role in the Gophers’ wins over Oregon and Michigan, dishing out 10 assists against the Ducks and scoring 20 points against Michigan. Parker Fox also had a standout performance, recording a double-double against the Ducks, which was key to the Gophers’ victory. Femi Odukale has been finding his rhythm, scoring double digits in back-to-back games with 18 against Michigan and 10 against Oregon.

Related: Alumni & Boosters Again Trying to Influence Minnesota Gophers MBB Coaching Hire

Lu’Cye Patterson is also coming into his own, posting 22 points against Michigan and 11 against Oregon. And, of course, let’s not forget about Dawson Garcia, the Gophers’ best player, who we mentioned earlier. All of this points to the Gophers finally looking like a complete team that could maybe compete in March.

The Gophers have 11 games left this season, and it’ll be interesting to see how things unfold if they keep winning. Their next game is a big one against Michigan State, who is currently undefeated in the Big Ten at 8-0. If the Gophers can pull off the upset, March Madness could definitely be within reach.

Most fans and pundits (myself included) thought it would be a Gophers slaughter, much like Vegas did. But… as the saying goes… ‘that’s why they play the game’. Dawson Garcia, Mike Mitchell Jr and a ragtag group of Golden Gophers that was 0-5 in the Big Ten, had other plans.

When the overtime dust settled in Dinkytown, it was Minnesota celebrating an impossible 84-81 upset victory over the No. 20 ranked team in the country, ending their 5-game losing streak, to begin conference play.

Dawson Garcia’s miracle OT heave clinches Gophers upset over No. 20 Michigan

And better yet, it came on an overtime heave from near half court by the aforementioned Garcia, a hometown kid who turned down hundreds of thousands of dollars to stay home for his senior season. Lu’Cye Patterson took the inbound pass up the court, seconds after the Wolverines tied the game 81-81, dribbled all the way to the top of the key, where he flipped it back to Garcia for a long-distance miracle.

BALLGAME pic.twitter.com/LnZG2D3JoU

— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) January 17, 2025

The Gophers’ hard-fought victory earned Ben Johnson — who is over half way through his fourth season as head coach — his first ever win over a ranked opponent… It took overtime but it is only the 3rd time all season that Minnesota has scored over 80 points in a game.

Senior transfer Lu’Cye Patterson had a big day for Minnesota Gophers too

Lu’Cye Patterson was probably the Minnesota Gophers co-MVP, next to Garcia. The senior transfer scored 22 points on 8-of-13 from the field, and grabbed 6 rebounds. But it was his play late in the game that continually took over late in the game. The senior guard also grabbed 6 rebounds in his 37 minutes of playing time.

Patterson with the CLUTCH triple! 🪣 @GopherMBB pic.twitter.com/gnIazcZi0y

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 17, 2025

Dawson Garcia, who hit the game-winner, scored 27 points, the most he has scored since opening night vs Oral Roberts, when he put up 30. The 5th year senior also added 12 rebounds, a season high, making for his 5th double-double of 2024-25. Mike Mitchell Jr, also score 20 points, shooting 4-of-12 from deep, and adding 4 assists.

Related: Minnesota Gophers Fans and Media Need to Stop Making Excuses for Ben Johnson

Will Ben Johnson be head coach of the Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball team beyond 2024-25? Probably not, but tonight at the historic Williams Arena, none of that matters. This was a great win for Johnson’s program, and a night that all of these kids will remember forever.

Minnesota fans celebrate on the court after Dawson Garcia's insane buzzer beater 🎉🚨 pic.twitter.com/2KiGPWu3S1

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 17, 2025

The 5th-year senior was hot right from the tip and never cooled off — going 7-of-8 from the field in the 1st half (3-of-3 from 3PT) and finishing 11-of-14 (4-of-5 from 3PT). Oral Roberts doesn’t have any way to slow down a guy like Garcia when he’s on.

Minnesota point forward Dawson Garcia had 30 points 8 rebs vs Oral Roberts

11/14 FG and 4/5 from long range pic.twitter.com/Si6ZadxPGh

— ᗩᑎT ᗯᖇIGᕼT (@itsAntWright) November 7, 2024

When the dust settled, the Golden Gophers won 80-57 on the back of Dawson’s 30 points on 79% shooting (80% from 3PT) and 8 rebounds. If there were any questions surrounding how dominant the 6-11, 230 lb kid from Prior Lake can be in his final collegiate season, they were answered earlier this week.

Dawson Garcia turned down huge NIL offers to play for Minnesota Gophers

But don’t get it twisted, other programs in the Big Ten and around the country knew the season Dawson Garcia was sitting on, this summer. And much like they did with his 2023-24 teammates, big money NIL programs tried their best to lure the hometown hero away from the University of Minnesota.

Unlike Elijah Hawkins and Pharrel Payne, though, Garcia has already been around the national block a time or two. He started his college career at Marquette, before transferring to the University of North Carolina. And Dawson saw early success at both stops, but decided to come home before his first season as a Tar Heel really got going.

According to Pioneer Press Andy Greder’s sources, Garcia is getting $500,000 this season in NIL deals, from his hometown Minnesota Gophers and Dinkytown Athletes. That may seem like a lot, until you find out he was offered double ($1 million) from other schools.

Sources told the Pioneer Press that Garcia turned down a couple of NIL paydays from other schools worth roughly $1 million — including from some traditional powerhouse programs — to remain at Minnesota for approximately $500,000.

Andy Greder – Pioneer Press

Related: Minnesota Gophers HC Ben Johnson Makes Dreaded MBB Hot Seat List

First, I’d like to note that it doesn’t really matter all the reasoning behind Dawson’s decision to remain a Gopher. Ben Johnson, myself and the rest of Gopher nation are all eternally grateful that he did. Without him, Minnesota would not stand a chance in the Big Ten this year.

NIL should not be this big of a problem for Ben Johnson

What frustrates me, and what should bother Dawson Garcia deep down, is that he should not have to take a 50% discount to stay at the University of Minnesota. The basketball program, combined with the efforts of Dinkytown Athletes, should have been able to provide him, and others who decided to take the money and leave, near equal NIL deals to stay.

Entering his fifth collegiate season, Garcia, an all-Big Ten performer, had other suitors for this year but remained loyal to Minnesota. He wasn’t swayed by big dollar signs.

Andy Greder – Pioneer Press

Unfortunately, while other programs were building up their NIL bank accounts the past couple of years, Ben Johnson mostly ignored NIL for far too long, which set the Gopher men’s basketball team way back. Now, Minnesota is a feeder program for those that have money.

Don’t blame the kids. We are talking hundreds of thousands of dollars. Money most of us would up and leave Minnesota for, in an instant. Hometown heroes like Dawson Garcia and Pharrel Payne shouldn’t have to choose money over the Gophers.

Related: Minnesota Gophers MBB Lands 3-Star Prospect Out of California

We’ve seen PJ Fleck build up the football program’s NIL funds to the point that they can keep pretty much any player they want. In reality, there’s no reason why basketball should be any different.

If I’m Dawson Garcia, I consider my bank account half as full as it should be, because my head coach wasn’t quick enough to change with the times. If that makes him mad… hopefully he shows it on the basketball court.

Last year, Garcia was impressive, starting in 31 games for the Gophers and leading the team with 17.6 points per game. He also grabbed 6.7 rebounds, earning a spot on the All-Big Ten Second Team as selected by the media.

Dawson Garcia 2024-25 B1G Player of the year?

Dawson Garcia isn’t satisfied, though, and he shouldn’t be. During their summer practice media availability on Monday, Garcia revealed his ambitions for the upcoming season, which clearly include an All-American team and the Big Ten Player of the Year award.

I’ve got All-American aspirations, Big Ten player of the year aspirations, i’m not coming back to just play around. I’m excited about pushing the ball up the floor and becoming more of a playmaker. [Rebounding] more aggressively. That’s what I want to do.

Dawson Garcia

Garcia, the former McDonald’s All-American out of high school, knows his potential and is setting high expectations for himself in his final season of college basketball. Despite numerous opportunities to leave, he’s chosen to stay and prove himself in his home state of Minnesota.

Garcia began his college basketball career at Marquette University, then transferred to the University of North Carolina for a season. Afterward, he returned home to Minnesota, where he is gonna play his final three years of college hoops.

Dawson Garcia Chooses to Stay Home Despite Larger NIL Offers

After last season, the Gophers saw several key players leave via the transfer portal—Braeden Carrington, Pharrell Payne, Josh Ola-Joseph, and Elijah Hawkins—and Cam Christie declared for the NBA draft. Despite this, Dawson Garcia chose to stay loyal to his hometown Gophers, opting to take less money to remain with the team.

It’s definitely hard when there’s temptations all around, you get into a thing mentally with comparisons that I’m way better than a kid who is getting way more money than me. That’s just natural and human nature.

Dawson Garcia

Garcia acknowledges that it’s tough to see other players make more money than him, but he understands that’s just how life goes sometimes. Accepting this reality, he decided to stay with the Gophers for his final season, determined to do everything he can to chase the Big Ten Player of the Year trophy.