As Selection Sunday approaches, another major-conference men’s basketball program is in need of a head coach.
Minnesota fired coach Ben Johnson after four seasons at the school, with the university taking the highly unusual step of announcing the move at 2:19 a.m. ET on Thursday.
Johnson went 56-71 at his alma mater, including 15-17 during the 2024-25 season. The Golden Gophers finished over .500 just once under Johnson — a 19-15 mark during the 2023-24 season that ended with an NIT appearance — and went just 22-57 in Big Ten play.
Johnson’s firing is notable not just because it happened, but how it happened.
Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle is a member of the NCAA Tournament selection committee and was in Indiana yesterday, with the committee beginning its work to build the 68-team tournament bracket. After the Golden Gophers lost to Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament Wednesday in Indianapolis, Coyle reportedly flew back to Minneapolis late in the day to fire Johnson.
A source described the move to CBS Sports as “ruthless.”
‘These decisions are difficult and are made after careful consideration and evaluation,” Coyle said in a statement. “The expectation for our program is to compete for championships, and unfortunately, we have not done that in the last four years.”
Though it has had success historically, making a Final Four as recently as 1997, Minnesota has consistently struggled to be a relevant force both in the Big Ten and nationally.
This season will be the sixth in a row that the Golden Gophers have failed to make the NCAA Tournament and they’ve finished with a winning record in conference play only once since the 2005-06 season. They haven’t ended a season ranked in the top 25 since 1997.
Minnesota’s men’s basketball budget of $8.62 million during the 2022-23 season was the lowest of any of the Big Ten’s current 18 members, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Education. It lags behind in name, image and likeness funds, too, with CBS Sports reporting that it had an NIL budget of about $2 million this season, nearly all of which was raised by Johnson and his staff.
The job, however, does have perks, namely its location in a major city, Minneapolis, that has produced stars like Chet Holmgren and Jalen Suggs in recent years.
‘This is an extremely desirable job in one of the best conferences and cities in the nation, and we fully expect to compete at the highest level on and off the court,” Coyle said in a statement. “We provide a world-class experience for our student-athletes, have one of the best practice facilities in the nation and play games in a historic venue. We offer everything that is needed to be successful.”
The Golden Gophers could have several enticing options for its next coach.
Colorado State coach Niko Medved, who has won at least 20 games in five of the past six seasons, is a Minneapolis native and Minnesota graduate. San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher, who guided the Aztecs to the national championship game two years ago, is a Minnesota alum whose father, Jim, was the Golden Gophers’ coach from 1975-86. Drake coach Ben McCollum led the Bulldogs to a 30-3 record and a Missouri Valley Conference championship in his first season. He spent the previous 15 seasons at Northwest Missouri State, where the Iowa native won four Division II national championships.