2015–16 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team

The 2015–16 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by third year head coach Richard Pitino, the Golden Gophers were members of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They finished the season 8–23, 2–16 in Big Ten play to finish in 13th place. They lost in the first round of the Big Ten tournament to Illinois.

2015–16 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record8–23 (2–16 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Ben Johnson
  • Nate Pomeday
  • Kimani Young
Home arenaWilliams Arena
Seasons
2015–16 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 14 Indiana 15 3   .833 27 8   .771
No. 2 Michigan State 13 5   .722 29 6   .829
No. 18 Maryland 12 6   .667 27 9   .750
No. 12 Purdue 12 6   .667 26 9   .743
No. 25 Iowa 12 6   .667 22 11   .667
Wisconsin 12 6   .667 22 13   .629
Ohio State 11 7   .611 21 14   .600
Michigan 10 8   .556 23 13   .639
Northwestern 8 10   .444 20 12   .625
Penn State 7 11   .389 16 16   .500
Nebraska 6 12   .333 16 18   .471
Illinois 5 13   .278 15 19   .441
Minnesota 2 16   .111 11 20   .355
Rutgers 1 17   .056 7 25   .219
2016 Big Ten tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The season was marred by the suspensions of three players, Kevin Dorsey, Nate Mason and Dupree McBrayer, on March 1, 2016 for allegedly posting a sex video online.[1][2] The players were suspended for the rest of the season.[3]

Previous season

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The Golden Gophers finished the 2014–15 Season with a record of 18–15, 6–12 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for 10th place. They won their first round game in the Big Ten tournament against Rutgers, but they lost their second round game to Ohio State.

Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Andre Hollins 1 G 6'2" 195 Senior Memphis, TN Graduated
Deandre Mathieu 4 G 5'9" 170 Senior Knoxville, TN Graduated
Daquein McNeil 5 G 6'3" 195 Sophomore Baltimore, MD Suspended due to an assault[4]
Kendal Shell 12 G 6'0" 185 Senior St. Louis, MO Graduated
Maurice Walker 15 F 6'10" 250 RS Senior Scarborough, ON Graduated
Elliott Eliason 55 C 6'11" 245 RS Senior Chadron, NE Graduated

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Davonte Fitzgerald 20 F 6'7" 209 Junior Tucker, GA Transferred from Texas A&M. Under NCAA transfer rules, Fitzgerald will have to sit out for the 2015–16 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Reggie Lynch 22 C 6'10" 255 Junior Edina, MN Transferred from Illinois State. Under NCAA transfer rules, Lynch will have to sit out for the 2015–16 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.

Incoming recruits

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jarvis Johnson
PG
Brooklyn Park, MN De La Salle High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sep 12, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Kevin Dorsey
PG
Port Tobacco, MD Clinton Christian School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jul 12, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Dupree McBrayer
SG
Jamaica, NY Sunrise Christian Academy 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Aug 23, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Jordan Murphy
SF
San Antonio, TX William J. Brennan High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) May 16, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Ahmad Gilbert
SF
Philadelphia, PA Constitution High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Apr 23, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2015 Minnesota Signees". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  • "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 6, 2015.

2016 Recruiting Class

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US college sports recruiting information for 2016 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Michael Hurt
PF
Rochester, MN John Marshall High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jan 16, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Eric Curry
PF
Little Rock, AR Southwest Christian Academy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sep 23, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

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2015–16 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 1 Dupree McBrayer (S) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Sunrise Christian Academy Queens, NY
G 2 Nate Mason (S) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Arlington Country Day Decatur, GA
F 3 Jordan Murphy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Brennan San Antonio, TX
G 4 Kevin Dorsey (S) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Clinton Christian School Waldorf, MD
G 10 Darin Haugh (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Jr Bethany Lutheran Prior Lake, MN
G 12 Jarvis Johnson   6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr DeLaSalle Minneapolis, MN
G 15 Stephon Sharp (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Hopkins Bloomington, MN
F 20 Davonte Fitzgerald (I)   6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Tucker
Texas A&M
Atlanta, GA
C 21 Bakary Konaté 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Sunrise Christian Academy Bamako, Mali
C 22 Reggie Lynch (I)   6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Jr Edina
Illinois State
Edina, MN
F 23 Charles Buggs 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Jr Hargrave Military Academy Arlington, TX
F 24 Joey King 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr Eastview
Drake
Eagan, MN
G 25 Mike Lukashewich (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Appleton North Appleton, WI
G 32 Ahmad Gilbert 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Constitution Philadelphia, PA
F 41 Gaston Diedhiou 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Canarias Academy Dakar, Senegal
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov 1, 2015*
4:00 pm
Minnesota–Crookston W 74–57 
Williams Arena 
Minneapolis, MN
Nov 6, 2015*
7:00 pm
Southwest Minnesota State W 81–64 
Williams Arena 
Minneapolis, MN
Non-conference regular season
Nov 13, 2015*
8:00 pm
UMKC W 76–58  1–0
Williams Arena (9,744)
Minneapolis, MN
Nov 15, 2015*
2:00 pm, BTN
Louisiana–Monroe W 67–56  2–0
Williams Arena (9,915)
Minneapolis, MN
Nov 19, 2015*
10:30 am, ESPN2
vs. Temple
Puerto Rico Tip-Off quarterfinals
L 70–75  2–1
Roberto Clemente Coliseum (1,601)
San Juan, PR
Nov 20, 2015*
9:30 am, ESPNU
vs. Missouri State
Puerto Rico Tip-Off consolation round
W 74–69  3–1
Roberto Clemente Coliseum (1,814)
San Juan, PR
Nov 22, 2015*
1:30 pm, ESPNU
vs. Texas Tech
Puerto Rico Tip-Off 5th place game
L 68–81  3–2
Roberto Clemente Coliseum (1,492)
San Juan, PR
Nov 27, 2015*
2:00 pm, ESPN3
Nebraska–Omaha W 93–90  4–2
Williams Arena (9,976)
Minneapolis, MN
Nov 30, 2015*
8:00 pm, ESPN2
Clemson
ACC–Big Ten Challenge
W 89–83  5–2
Williams Arena (10,229)
Minneapolis, MN
Dec 5, 2015*
2:00 pm
South Dakota L 81–85 2OT 5–3
Williams Arena (10,754)
Minneapolis, MN
Dec 8, 2015*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
South Dakota State L 70–84  5–4
Williams Arena (10,378)
Minneapolis, MN
Dec 12, 2015*
7:30 pm, BTN
vs. Oklahoma State
Sioux Falls Showcase
L 60–62  5–5
Sanford Pentagon (3,250)
Sioux Falls, SD
Dec 16, 2015*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Chicago State W 70–52  6–5
Williams Arena (10,175)
Minneapolis, MN
Dec 23, 2015*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Milwaukee L 65–74  6–6
Williams Arena (10,364)
Minneapolis, MN
Big Ten regular season
Dec 30, 2015
6:00 pm, BTN
at Ohio State L 63–78  6–7
(0–1)
Value City Arena (13,701)
Columbus, OH
Jan 2, 2016
2:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 1 Michigan State L 61–69  6–8
(0–2)
Williams Arena (12,836)
Minneapolis, MN
Jan 5, 2016
6:00 pm, BTN
at Penn State L 77–86  6–9
(0–3)
Bryce Jordan Center (5,892)
University Park, PA
Jan 9, 2016
1:30 pm, BTN
Northwestern L 52–77  6–10
(0–4)
Williams Arena (10,436)
Minneapolis, MN
Jan 12, 2016
8:00 pm, BTN
at Nebraska L 59–84  6–11
(0–5)
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,628)
Lincoln, NE
Jan 16, 2016
11:30 am, BTN
Indiana L 63–70  6–12
(0–6)
Williams Arena (11,176)
Minneapolis, MN
Jan 20, 2016
7:30 pm, BTN
at Michigan L 69–74  6–13
(0–7)
Crisler Center (11,726)
Ann Arbor, MI
Jan 23, 2016
7:30 pm, BTN
Illinois L 71–76 OT 6–14
(0–8)
Williams Arena (11,026)
Minneapolis, MN
Jan 27, 2016
8:00 pm, BTN
No. 21 Purdue L 64–68  6–15
(0–9)
Williams Arena (10,484)
Minneapolis, MN
Jan 30, 2016
1:15 pm, BTN
at No. 19 Indiana L 68–74  6–16
(0–10)
Assembly Hall (17,472)
Bloomington, IN
Feb 4, 2016
8:00 pm, BTN
at Northwestern L 58–84  6–17
(0–11)
Welsh-Ryan Arena (7,015)
Evanston, IL
Feb 10, 2016
8:00 pm, BTN
Michigan L 74–82  6–18
(0–12)
Williams Arena (11,137)
Minneapolis, MN
Feb 14, 2016
6:30 pm, BTN
at No. 4 Iowa L 71–75  6–19
(0–13)
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (15,400)
Iowa City, IA
Feb 18, 2016
7:00 pm, BTN
No. 6 Maryland W 68–63  7–19
(1–13)
Williams Arena (10,768)
Minneapolis, MN
Feb 23, 2016
6:00 pm, BTN
Rutgers W 83–61  8–19
(2–13)
Williams Arena (10,333)
Minneapolis, MN
Feb 28, 2016
7:00 pm, BTN
at Illinois L 71–84  8–20
(2–14)
State Farm Center (12,008)
Champaign, IL
Mar 2, 2016
8:00 pm, BTN
Wisconsin L 49–62  8–21
(2–15)
Williams Arena (12,275)
Minneapolis, MN
Mar 5, 2016
12:00 pm, BTN
at Rutgers L 52–75  8–22
(2–16)
The RAC (4,473)
Piscataway, NJ
Big Ten tournament
Mar 9, 2016
3:30 pm, ESPN2
(13) vs. (12) Illinois
First Round
L 52–85  8–23
Bankers Life Fieldhouse (16,528)
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "3 Gophers Basketball Players Suspended For Remainder Of Season". Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  2. ^ Petchesky, Barry. "Minnesota Suspends Three Players After One Tweets Sex Tapes". Deadspin. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  3. ^ Mullen, Mike. "Minnesota basketball players suspended through end of season for sex-tape tweet | City Pages". City Pages. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  4. ^ "Gophers basketball: Suspended Daquein McNeil no longer in school". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved July 6, 2015.