Minnesota fired men's basketball coach Ben Johnson on Thursday after four years of repeatedly rebuilding rosters at his alma mater without coming close to an NCAA tournament appearance as the program fell behind in the rugged and expanded Big Ten.
Johnson had two seasons remaining on his contract, which calls for a $2.92 million buyout. His annual salary was $1.95 million, the lowest in the 18-team league.
The Gophers finished 15-17 after losing 72-64 to Northwestern on Wednesday in the first round of the conference tournament. Minnesota dropped five of its final six games of the season.