Gophers men's basketball coach Richard Pitino addressed his new contract and raise for the first time publicly Monday in a radio interview, saying he agreed with criticism that he didn't deserve that yet.
The University of Minnesota announced last week a $400,000 raise and two-year extension through the 2020-21 season for Pitino, whose team went 18-14 last season and didn't reach the postseason.
"I certainly understand it -- 100 percent," Pitino said on KFXN-FM. "Where (former Minnesota athletics director) Norwood (Teague) and I spoke was after my first year. I said, 'Norwood, we need to ride this momentum,' because I understood that we were a long ways away from where we want to get to.