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Stadium:
Williams Arena
Williams Arena is on the Twin Cities main campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota and is the home of the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team. Initially known as the Minnesota Field House (another building has that name today), it was constructed in the 1920s and opened in 1928. The arena was remodeled in the 1950s, and renamed Williams Arena after Dr. Henry L. Williams, the football coach from 1900 to 1921. The building is known affectionately as "The Barn," and its student section is known as The Barnyard. During a 1950s renovation, it was divided into two separate arenas within one building. The larger one for basketball and the smaller one for hockey were called Williams Arena until March 2, 1985, when the hockey section was renamed Mariucci Arena after John Mariucci. The hockey team moved into a new building across the street from Williams in the early 1990s. This building was also named Mariucci Arena. The old Mariucci Arena within Williams was remodeled into the Sports Pavilion and now houses the volleyball, wrestling and gymnastic teams.

Team History:
The Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represents the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have played in the Big Ten since the conference began sponsoring basketball in 1905. The team is currently coached by Tubby Smith. The Gophers had great success in the early years of basketball, but have been largely overshadowed by other programs since World War I. The team has also had several instances of NCAA sanctions on the program that have affected performance and recruiting, the most severe being the mid-1990s scandal under then-coach Clem Haskins that resulted in the forfeiture of a Final Four appearance.

Season Preview:
After months of wondering whether he would be hired as a head coach for next season, Dan Monson has landed on his feet. Monson, who was fired by Minnesota in November seven games into last season, has been named the next head coach at Long Beach State. Monson coached Minnesota beginning with the 1999-2000 season, when he took over a program disgraced by an academic scandal that took shape under Clem Haskins. He was 118-106 (44-68 in the Big Ten) in his seven seasons and won only two of seven games before being ousted. Athletic Director Vic Cegles said he was thrilled to have Monson leading the team. "We've hired a good coach and a good guy," Cegles told The Associated Press. Monson led the Gophers to one NCAA Tournament appearance, that coming in 2005, and four NIT berths. He also was the coach at Gonzaga and was responsible for the Zags getting their first taste of the national spotlight when they reached the Elite Eight in 1999 before losing to eventual national champion Connecticut.

Official Site:
www.gophersports.com