Gophers men's hoops in early NCAA tournament projections after 9-1 start

A year ago, Ben Johnson was an assistant on a Xavier team that started the season 8-0 and ranked No. 22 in the country just before Christmas break.

The Musketeers were in everyone's NCAA tournament projections, but they eventually struggled to stay in the mix after losses piled up following COVID-19 pauses that derailed their season.

Now in charge of his own program, the first-year Gophers coach is encouraged by his team's 9-1 start. Minnesota's in prominent NCAA tournament projections, including as a No. 11 seed by ESPN's Joe Lunardi and No. 8 seed by CBSSSports' Jerry Palm.

Johnson's name has even been mentioned in early national coach of the year conversations, especially after the Gophers won Dec. 11 at Michigan for the first time since 2011.

"You don't not like it, but that's the farthest thing from my mind," Johnson said when asked about the early praise after last week's 79-71 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. "You know how things can change quickly."

"It's great when our guys get mentioned in stuff because they've played well and they've earned that. But I think at the same time we understand there's a lot more work to do."

The Gophers will have had more than a week between games when they return to the court Wednesday against Wisconsin Green Bay at Williams Arena. The game time was switched from 7 p.m. to 4 p.m. to be broadcasted on Big Ten Network.

Their NET ranking remained strong at No. 33 in the nation as of Sunday. The Gophers also picked up three points in the others receiving votes category in Monday's updated Associated Press top 25, which includes Big Ten teams Purdue (No. 3), Michigan State (No. 11), Ohio State (No. 14), and Wisconsin (No. 24).

Minnesota's only loss this season was 75-67 against Michigan State at home on Dec. 8, but coaches and players aren't worried about rankings or projections this early in the season.

Last year, the Gophers under Richard Pitino were also 9-1 and ranked No. 21 in the country following wins vs. Iowa and Michigan State. They were ranked as high as 16th nationally after beating the Wolverines but collapsed at the end of January and in February.

An 11-1 start is very realistic with the Gophers finishing non-league play at home vs. two lower level opponents, including Dec. 29 vs. Alcorn State. But they'll be challenged right away when Big Ten play resumes on Jan. 2 against Illinois at home.

"Like I tell my team, 'You just got to worry about today,' " Johnson said. "My focus is now we've got couple days off how do we find the way to get better and to add to what we're doing offensively and defensively?"