By Sam Federman
Minnesota has fired head basketball coach Ben Johnson, the school announced in a press release early Thursday morning.
The Gophers finished 15-17 this season, losing in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament to Northwestern on Wednesday afternoon. Johnson's four year tenure in the Twin Cities ends with a 56-71 record, and 22-57 in conference play.
Johnson never had a team finish higher than 78th in KenPom - which is 16 spots lower than the 2020-21 team that got Richard Pitino fired. Pitino made the NCAA Tournament twice in his eight seasons, with the first appearance coming in year four. Johnson never really even sniffed March Madness, although he did make the NIT in 2024.
Minnesota lost four of its last five regular season games this year before bowing out in the Big Ten Tournament. While the Gophers had peaks such as defeating Michigan, Oregon, and UCLA, the consistency wasn't there. Neither however, was the talent. The Gophers arguably overperformed this season based on the roster, to win even seven games in the Big Ten.
Many have speculated that Colorado State head coach Niko Medved, a Minneapolis native and Gopher alum, could be a candidate for the job should it open. Now that it is open, we will see if that comes to fruition.