University of Minnesota fires men's basketball coach Ben Johnson after four seasons

Minnesota was 56-70, 22-57 in Big Ten play, during Johnson's four years

Mar 5, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Ben Johnson looks on during the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The University of Minnesota has fired men's basketball head coach Ben Johnson.

The announcement came early Thursday morning, after the team's 2024-25 season ended with a 72-64 loss to Northwestern in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday.

"I met with Ben in-person early this morning when the team returned to Minneapolis from the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament and informed him that we were making a change in leadership," said University of Minnesota Athletic Director Mark Coyle in a statement. "These decisions are difficult and are made after careful consideration and evaluation. The expectation for our program is to compete for championships, and unfortunately, we have not done that in the last four 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," continued Coyle. "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, and we will immediately begin a nationwide search for our next men's basketball coach."

The Gophers went 56-70 overall and 22-57 in Big Ten play during Johnson's four years in charge of the program. Minnesota never made the NCAA Tournament under Johnson, and appeared in the NIT tournament following the 2023-24 season—the program's only winning season in the Johnson era.

This is a developing story.

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