Williams Arena Basketball Players

Williams Arena hosted a lot of good basketball players this year and Gopher Grounds would like to give props to Minnesota Golden Gophers Men’s Basketball players Spencer Tollackson #50 and Dan Coleman #13.

Spencer Tollackson Gopher Basketball season stats: Tollackson played 20 minutes in the season opener against Army and finished with six points and seven rebounds. He tied a career high with four blocked shots and led the Gophers in scoring against Iowa State with 21 points, shooting 8-12 (.667) from the field. Tollackson made his first career three pointer at the end of the first half vs. Central Michigan. Spencer Tollackson turned an ankle early in the Big Ten Tournament first round contest with Northwestern and sadly missed the quarterfinal match up with Indiana. He played 14 minutes in the season finale against Maryland, scoring six points and grabbed three rebounds.

Dan Coleman Gopher Basketball season stats: Coleman led the Gophers with 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists vs. North Dakota State. He scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against Colorado State, the first 20 point, 10-rebound game for the Gopher since Vincent Grier’s 22 points, 12-rebound effort against Ohio State (1/19/05). Coleman scored a season-high 24 points and grabbed five rebounds against South Dakota State, the first back-to-back 20-point games by a Gopher since Lawrence McKenzie did so on 2/18 & 2/21/07. Dan Coleman sealed the opening round win in the Big Ten Tournament with key free throws down the stretch. He finished with 16 points and six rebounds.

Williams Arena Seating Chart

The Williams Arena seating chart can be tricky. I personally think the seating chart makes the arena look larger than it actually is. Sitting in the 200 sections can make you feel far away from the action, but there are still plenty of good seats to choose from. When you look at a layout of Williams Arena, you may be wondering which one of these sections is the right section to sit in and then what row do you want to sit in. Some people prefer to be on the corner. But if you prefer to be in the best seats in the house, the center court sections are are 106 or 116, but sections 105-107 or 115 -117 also offer superb court views. I personally prefer to sit in section 105, rows 15-20. Best seats in the house!



One of the things you can't tell about Williams Arena from the seating chart is that it has a unique raised floor. The Williams Arena court is raised above the ground about 2 feet so that the players’ benches, officials’ tables, etc. are actually below the court. The fans in the first row, looking at the players, are at about knee-level so take that into consideration when visiting Williams Arena. Also, sections 109-113 are predominately students so take that into consideration when selecting tickets on line.

Williams Arena Parking

Williams Arena parking is usually pretty easy. There is adequate parking located around the arena in the form of parking ramps, surface lots, and street parking. In fact, the University Avenue ramp is located directly across the street from Williams Arena. I have parked there before and it was really easy to get into and getting out wasn't too much of a headache. There was an officer directing traffic after the game so that helped ease congestion around the arena. Parking facilities around the area for the general public include the University Avenue Ramp and the 4th Street Ramp. Both of these ramps are very close to each other and close to Williams Arena so parking isn't a concern for Golden Gopher fans!

Williams Arena Tickets

Williams Arena Tickets can be both easy and hard to come by, it depends on how the Gopher Basketball team is performing. Traditionally, the face value of Williams Arena tickets are going to range from $30 to about $45. However, top Gopher basketball Big Ten games often sell out and if you want to sit at center court, you have to buy from local ticket brokers. When buying from Minnesota ticket brokers, expect to pay between $75 to $199 per gopher basketball ticket. The broker price fluctuates depending on the ticket demand which is influenced by: #1. how well the Gopher team is doing #2. the day of the week the game is on, weekends are pricey and #3. if the opposing team is a rival and/or in close enough proximity to bring in own fans.

Williams Arena is a great place to see a basketball game and even if tickets get expensive, the price of admission is worth the show especially with Tubby Smith as coach of the team. If Williams Arena is "The Barn" does that make Tubby the farmer? Buy tickets and find out!

Williams Arena History

Williams Arena is home to the University of Minnesota Gopher basketball. Williams Arena has a long and interesting history. If you want to read about Williams Arena, there is a good page on www.gopherbastketballtickets.com My favorite Williams Arena facts include: Williams Arena was first known from 1928 to 1950 as the Minnesota Field House. In the 1950’s the arena was renovated and renamed Williams Arena after Dr. Henry L. Williams, Gopher Football coach from 1900 to 1921. Williams Arena also has and still is affectionately referred to as “The Barn.”

Williams Arena Atmosphere is one of a kind

Right across the street from Mariucci Arena, Williams Arena is in a great location on the University of Minnesota Minneapolis campus. Frat boys can walk there, suburbanites can park in one of the many ramps around and bar-goers in Dinkytown might be inebriated enough to walk the half-mile to Williams Arena.

I was recently at Williams Arena for the Colorado State game, which the Gophers men’s basketball team dominated. But it was more than the score of the game and the predictable outcome. It was what the atmosphere of Williams Arena brought me back to, that is, my playing days in high school. Williams Arena is the cavernous Target Center. It is more cozy and friendly. It’s more like, you know, a barn. I scored the Golden Gophers men’s basketball tickets from my boss, and watching Tubby Smith and his old-school pressing tactics really flooded with me memories.

Not to mention the student section at Williams Arena was an absolute hoot. There were five people dressed up in full ape costumes making a spectacle out of themselves. “The Barn” is always filled with a raucous student section consequently titled “The Barnyard” if you didn’t know.

Williams Arena

Williams Arena is home to the Golden Gophers Basketball team! Go Gophers!