At its peak, “The Barn” held a max-capacity of 18,025, which from 1950-1971 was the most of any college basketball arena in the nation. In its nearly 100 years on campus, Williams Arena has undergone a few different large-scale renovations, some of them quite recent.

In just the decade-plus, The Barn has gotten (among other things) a new scoreboard (2013-14), new floor (plus a new raised platform) and brand new seats throughout the entire building (2021). Yet, many of the biggest problems facing the barn have gone unaddressed, including the archaic bathrooms (something 30-year-old me did not care about) and difficult to navigate walkways.

Minnesota Gophers history: How U of M Fieldhouse became Williams Arena

The most expensive Barn makeover, by far, came before the Minnesota Gophers 1992-93 basketball season. That “full reno”, which cost $15 million, included new locker rooms and the “Williams Arena Club” level.

It’s unlikely any Williams Arena renovation project ever tops the first — which began in 1948 (with a new roof) and finally completed prior to the 1950-51 season, as seen below. Not only did The Barn look beautiful after that initial renovation, but it’s where it got its new formal name, too.

Williams Arena, aka “The Barn,” in 1951. pic.twitter.com/0o5w7etIKk

— Peter Robert Casey (@call_me_PRC) January 2, 2017

Williams Arena was named after famed University of Minnesota football coach Henry L. Williams, who roamed the sideline at Northrop Field and (later) Memorial Stadium from 1900-1928, going 136-33-11 in his 21 seasons as Golden Gophers head coach, including the school’s first ever National Championship, in 1904.

Sidebar worth researching on your own time — Minnesota’s official 1904 National Championship remains among the most hotly contested among college football historians, to this day, especially those with ties to Michigan.

University of Minnesota shopping Williams Arena naming rights

But soon, it appears Williams Arena will no longer be the standalone formal name of the Minnesota Gophers basketball home arena. According to a release by the University, the Gophers have hired “Independent Sports & Entertainment (ISE) to find it a new naming rights sponsor for The Barn.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for a company to align themselves with the University of Minnesota and with Gopher Athletics,” said Director of Athletics Mark Coyle. “We look forward to working with ISE to find a naming rights partner that will help us continue to provide world-class experiences for our student-athletes.”

U of M Press Release

This shouldn’t surprise or concern Minnesota Gophers basketball fans. In fact, it should do the opposite. It appears, at least for now, that tearing down The Barn and building a new arena is off the table. Personally, I think that is a good thing (see below).

Related: Never Tear Down The Barn… Ever.

That’s because money has become a bit of a concern for the University of Minnesota athletic department. They want to provide more resources to the basketball program, and plan to do so with extra revenue sharing money that is expected to hit this summer.

That money is not new. It will have to be reallocated out of the already existing budget. Thus, any new sources of revenue the athletic department can find will help alleviate the programs and people set to be affected most by those reallocation of funds.

A naming rights sponsor won’t take ghosts out of The Barn

In other words, this is just another step in the University of Minnesota getting serious about one of its few revenue-generating sports with deep-pocketed donors. Much like we saw with Mariucci Arena, now officially named “3M Arena at Mariucci”, the Williams name will remain associated with the new formal title.

That’s good, because when you think about Minnesota Gophers basketball, you think of Williams Arena. That’s why tearing it down would be a grave mistake. Sure, you could try to build a replica and give it a raised floor, but it wouldn’t be the same.

As Niko Medved highlighted in his introductory press conference, The Barn has ghosts. You can feel and even hear them when you walk in that building. It’s hands-down one of the most unique experiences in the country, and one that cannot be replicated.

Now, it’s Niko’s job to bring those Williams Arena ghosts alive with better basketball. And as long as they still play home games in The Barn, it won’t matter if the official name is a bit different than what we are used to.

Related: Gophers Keep March Madness Hopes Alive at the Barn vs Northwestern

Arguments are still being made and opinions still being heard, on whether or not there will be a new multi-sport arena built in Dinkytown or if the University will opt for a renovation of the nearly 100-year-old Barn. Steam most recently has been behind the latter.

Williams Arena raised floor in danger of being lowered

But it seems that no matter where future Gophers basketball home games are played, whether it be at renewed Williams Arena or a brand new state of the art building, one iconic element in Minnesota basketball history and a very key component of what makes the Barn so unique, may be eliminated. The raised floor (which wasn’t completed yet when the Gophers played on it for the first time (see above).

According to what sources in the U of M athletic department are telling Marcus Fuller (Star Tribune), the only raised floor in the entire country is in danger of being lowered, even if the Barn remains standing. Why?

Safety is always a concern with the raised floor, but in reality, it’s seems to be a problem when the University wants to host non-basketball arena events, specifically naming the NCAA volleyball tournament as one even they’ve apparently lost due to the raised hardwood at Williams Arena.

The Barn’s raised floor has been one important talking point. It has a unique place in college basketball but creates challenges when it comes to bidding to host such events as the NCAA volleyball tournament.

Marcus Fuller – Star Tribune

Renovate the Barn but don’t eliminate the raised floor

As a 34-year-old Gophers fan, that’s fine by me. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, there’s no reason to tear down the one thing that makes the University of Minnesota basketball program unique, and that’s the Barn. She’s never had a full-scale renovation.

Related: Adrian Peterson’s Daughter; 8th-Grader Ari Peterson Offered by Minnesota Gophers WBB

So invest a bunch of money into her (still half as much as what you’d spend on something new) and show her renewed beauty to the nation for another 50 years. I love a lot of things about Williams Arena, not just the raised floor, but there’s no doubt that is a large chunk of the old building’s charm and seeing it go would be a massive disappointment.

Gophers head basketball coach, Ben Johnson agrees. He points to recruiting, because he needs to come up with a tangible reason why keeping the floor makes sense, but it’s way bigger than recruiting. Much like the Barn is a staple of Minnesota basketball history, so is the raised floor.

“I think [the raised floor is] something that we talk about,” Johnson said. “I’m not the decision-maker. But I would say that it gives us something unique. In recruiting, you’re always looking for something to sell. What can separate you? What makes a visit memorable? That’s something that’s different than any other program in the country.”

Ben Johnson (via Star Tribune)

Renovation is most fiscally responsible option for University of Minnesota

Mark Coyle tells the Star Tribune that a big part of the basketball arena conversation is cost. A new arena would cost the most money and it probably brings, at least, volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics into one building, which could save down the road.

But no doubt, the cheapest option for the University would be a renovation project for Williams Arena. And this seems like a very rare opportunity for a public institution to pick the cheapest option on the table and still appease most of the masses.

It’s important to remember that Maturi Pavillion, where the Gophers volleyball team plays, is inside Williams Arena. A renovation project of the right size and magnitude could make multiple sports happier. As long as they invested enough money and focused on the right things, everyone can win.

Related: U of M Athletic Director Mark Coyle Receives Raise + Contract Extension, Pending Board Approval

But if they are going to keep the Barn, and even if you don’t, the raised floor should stay. It’s 2024, you can’t tell me we can’t have some sort of customized temporary floor that builds around the raised floor that already exists. Alumni agree. Keep the raised floor, no matter what.

“The building itself is almost 100 years old. You could still have a raised court. Many of the people I’ve talked to, the older booster club members and fans, say if they saved the raised court that’s great.”

Gophers boosters president, Jim Cormier, at recent Golden Dunkers event (via Star Tribune)

Hey people, it’s 2024… right?

Look, this isn’t rocket science. It’s floor science; literally the opposite of rocket science. If all the PhD engineering degrees put together at the University of Minnesota can’t figure out how to hide a raised floor when events want to come into Dinkytown, then what kind of degrees are we giving out at the ‘prestigious’ College of Science and Engineering, which proudly states on its website that its engineering program ranks top-25 in the country…

“All University of Minnesota Twin Cities science and engineering graduate programs were recently ranked among the top 25 public university programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.”

U of M College of Science and Engineering – Website Front Page

I can’t believe this is even a discussion. I know the Barn was built in 1928 but that’s not the year we live in anymore. At the least, we should be able to build temporary raised sections that can be installed around the permanently raised platform in the middle of Williams Arena. When needed, you roll them out and lock them into place safely?

Again, I’m not the one with an advanced engineering degree, like many employed by the University of Minnesota. So let’s get someone on this apparently huge obstacle? So we don’t have to eliminate college basketball history from campus and a main element of what makes U of M basketball unique to other programs around the country, just because we can’t think outside the raised floor.

Related: Minnesota Gophers Basketball Game Today (M); TV Schedule, Channel and more

U of M Planning to Renovate Williams Arena

But in Thursday morning’s newspaper, Marcus Fuller (Star Tribune) got Mark Coyle on record to bring some light to the conversation. And according to the University of Minnesota Athletic Director, the likely decision will be renovations for Williams arena, rather than a new build.

“I get to travel to all these different arenas in the Big Ten,” Coyle said. “There’s no doubt there’s things we can do at Williams Arena to help enhance it, for not only our student-athletes but our spectators who come to the games.”

Coyle gave no timetable for the process but said talks have increased since last year within the athletic department about changes to the Barn…

Star Tribune

Related: Never Tear Down The Barn… Ever.

What’s the plan for the renovation project? Downsize and update. The U of M has been keeping a very close eye on some of the college basketball arena projects across the country. The Barn currently seats 14,625 people during basketball games but their average attendance is half that.

Did someone say downsizing???

As technology advances and with less and less fans show up to sporting events in-person, it only makes sense to downsize Williams Arena’s seating capacity. The Gophers men’s basketball team is averaging just 7,422 fans per game, which ranks ahead of only Northwestern (5,151) who built a new arena (Welsch-Ryan) in 2018 with a seating capacity of 7,000 people

Reducing seating at the venue is being considered along with other potential modifications that could improve the venue for fans and players.

Building a basketball arena at another location on campus is open for discussion, but Coyle isn’t sure how strongly that would be considered.

Star Tribune

For Williams Arena, a full-scale renovation can be whatever the Athletic Department dreams up, especially if you are downsizing the seating capacity. Remember, The Barn was originally designed as a fieldhouse with two sides.

It housed the hockey rink, multiple basketball courts and an indoor track. It also served as the indoor practice facility for the U’s baseball team for a long time. It’s time for the University of Minnesota to PROPERLY invest in a Williams Arena renovation project, something that’s NEVER been done in the course of its nearly 100-year history.

Related: Buy the Right Brand of Bacon in January and 100% Goes to Gophers NIL Fund

Time for University of Minnesota to properly invest in The Barn

While researching that piece about saving The Barn (written in 2018) I found that from 1927 to 2018, there was a grand total of under $30 million in construction costs spent on The Barn. That’s from it’s completion as the U of M Field House ($650,000) all the way until new floors and seats were installed.

They got another new floor in 2022, so stack a couple more million on top, just to tip the scales over $30 million. That’s nearly 100 years and $30 million spent. For comparison purposes, Huntington Bank Stadium cost over 10X that ($300,000,000) before one football games was played on its turf.

Gophers basketball only has one home.

Years ago, I made my feelings on The Barn very clear. There are a lot of people who disagree with me but I would keep Williams Arena forever, if I were running the University of Minnesota. It is one of the only things we have with Gophers sports that is unique, compared to the rest of the country.

So I am 100% on board with a renovation project and I think reducing seating capacity is a great idea. Put $100,000,000 into a real renovation and perk Williams Arena up a little bit. Make it a venue that makes sense in 2023 and going forward. Keep the history, but make the building a viable basketball complex going forward.

Last night was an embarrassment for Richard Pitino and the Minnesota Gopher basketball team. Needing at least 5 of their last 6 to finish the regular season with dance shoes on, Indiana at The Barn was on the easier side of that upcoming stretch; which still has #9 Maryland at home, Wisconsin at the Kohl Center, and the Hoosiers back at their place on the docket.

But winning wasn’t part of last night’s Gopher game plan. The shooting was terrible (surprise, surprise) and the effort and defense faded to close out the 2nd half. The Gophers looked like a defeated team; not just in last night’s must-win game, but for the season.

There’s a lot wrong with this basketball team right now and it’s clear they have lost all confidence in their shooting, which eventually impacts the psyche that surrounds the rest of the game.

They also lack depth everywhere, especially in the post and at PG. Marcus Carr and Daniel Oturu might as well have invisible shock collars that deliver 1000 volts if they breach the painted boundary where it’s rumored breaks and water exist…

That leads to (a lot) more minutes for somebody who should never be allowed to touch, let alone dribble or shoot a basketball, during 40 minutes of a live major-college basketball contest… Alihan Demir.

If you aren’t sure where Alihan Demir came from, it’s Drexel University, where he played for his second two years of college eligibility. He played his Freshman season at somewhere called Central Wyoming College, where he supposedly dominated.

While at Drexel, his numbers were good too, averaging nearly 15 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Watching his film from then, he can shoot, rebound, and looks like an incredible passer too… He is clearly one of the better players on the floor… which leads to a conclusion we already knew was obvious…

It’s more crystal clear than ever, and take notes NDSU football fans, how massive the gap is between high-major college sports, and what is played at lower D-1 levels.

Sure, you can show up with your best game of the season, when given ONE opportunity, like smaller basketball teams who make it into March Madness OR NDSU football going in for their Daytona 500 to start the season vs a sleepy Iowa Hawkeyes team…

…but if you mix low-tier D-1 talent amongst the best in the world of that age group, the cream always rises to the top and the sticky residue that nobody wants falls to the bottom.

And that’s exactly what has happened for much of the season, while Alihan Demir has been on the floor. It’s easy to see when you watch…. He isn’t as fast, tall, or athletic as everyone else and he doesn’t overshadow those deficiencies with additional skill or basketball smarts.

He’s dropped from splits of | 15 / 6.4 / 2.5 | at Drexel, down to | 7.2 / 4.8 / 1.5 | in his only season here in Minnesota. I guess that will happen when you go from a “strength of schedule rating” (according to sports-reference.cbb.com) of -2.5 at Drexel to 11.85 (toughest in the country) here.

When someone sticks out this badly with his poor play, you don’t even need the numbers. Check my TL from last night, because it was obvious. He had turnovers, was missing assignments and (like always — and like everyone else) missing shots.

Can we cut Alihan Demir?

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) February 20, 2020

Richard Pitino should be fired just for playing Alihan Demir this entire game.

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) February 20, 2020

His missed shots are so much uglier that others, though. I’ve seen more of his 3-pointers go in via the bank, than shots that hit nylon, or even rim, first. Alihan Demir just isn’t very good. It’s not even his fault. I’m sure he works very hard…. facts are just facts.

The blame for this blog about how bad Alihan Demir is, belongs on the shoulders of Richard Pitino. Last night, he just continued to take Jarvis Omersa and Isaiah Ihnen off the floor, to be replaced with Demir.

Omersa brings energy, toughness and effort that is unmatched by anyone on the floor, including Alihan. He can’t shoot worth a shit and he’s not a very good dribbler… but neither is Demir, and Jarvis isn’t awkward and unathletic, to boot.

Ihnen might not play the PF naturally, but the basketball world is changing. The kid is 6-9, with a 7-4 wingspan and will knock down outside shots when left open. He needs help with offensive aggressiveness and I’m sure he’s raw on defense but what Freshman coming over from Germany wouldn’t struggle with those things?

Again, Ihnen isn’t the perfect option… but he’s better than Alihan Demir.

I’m sure Richard Pitino promised certain things to the Grad-Transfer when he was combing the market last offseason, and Pitino seems like a man of his word… but we had certain expectations for Alihan when he was brought in to start next to Dan Oturu, too.

Richard gives him 26 minutes per game, easily living up to whatever playing time promises he made… and in return has been provided with absolute garbage for that time.

Put him on the bench, see what you have in the youngsters, and let’s move on from this Drexel experiment.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

So, 95% of the time, my twitter notifications annoy the fuck out of me. Not the likes or the retweets on our Twitter account (@RealMNSportsFan if you’re looking). No. Those notifications cause emotions that more closely mimic those I used to feel in my younger days when hearing the magic words at the end of a long night out… “let’s go back to my place”.

As someone who tries to keep up with the news around Minnesota sports, I set notifications for some of the bigger reporters, players, coaches, and teams around the Twin Cities. But, because of that, my phone is blowing up all day from the Twitter machine. My wife and boss would both probably appreciate the idea of throwing all of my devices out the window while driving over one of the many local overpasses or bridges.

But sometimes, like late this afternoon while I was getting ready to leave my day job, I’m reminded why those notifications are there:

The Barn got a fresh new look for the season.

A post shared by Gopher Men’s Basketball (@gophermbb) on Aug 6, 2018 at 2:10pm PDT

I don’t open too many tweets that leave me wide-eyed… but this one did. I originally saw this on the team’s Twitter account but threw the instagram pictures up because I figured they might look a little better from a platform that was built for pictures. This new court is unbelievably done. The bright wood makes it pop off of the maroon chairs. It has that throwback feel though, with the cursive “The Barn” logo outside of the perimeters. It’s absolutely perfect.

This isn’t the first time in recent history that this court has been redone. And before that, it had been A LONG TIME with the original floor. The original building was built in 1928, when it held a different name: “The University of Minnesota Field House”. That floor remained installed until late summer 2009, when it was finally replaced for the first time.

Nope, you read that correctly. The Minnesota Men’s basketball team played on the same wood floor for 81 fucking years. That blows my mind…. For the second remodel, we could only wait 9 years (2009-now).. Replacing the original floor in 2009 cost just as much as it did to build the entire building back in 1928 with a price tag just over $600K. The numbers are yet to come out on this one.

The University of Minnesota Athletic Department and boosters continue to give the coaches everything they need to go out and get the best kids to come to this school and play basketball and football. There are less and less excuses for losing. And “it’s too cold” doesn’t fly anymore. The talent has gotten better but with all of the money pouring into these facilities, it needs to continue on the upward trend. 2018 fall and winter sports could dictate the tone of that conversation going forward.

Eric Strack
Minnesota Sports Fan (@RealMNSportsFan)