MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota fired basketball coach Richard Pitino on Monday after he compiled a 54-96 regular-season record over eight years in the Big Ten and had only three conference finishes higher than 10th place.
The Gophers went 14-15 this season, dropping 11 of their last 14 games. They were 0-10 on the road, one of only three major-conference teams in the country without a road win.
Athletic director Mark Coyle was scheduled to address reporters Tuesday morning. He called Pitino “a tremendous person and coach” in a statement the university distributed.
“Decisions like this are never easy, but after evaluating this season and the previous eight years of our program under Richard, it is clear to me that new leadership is needed,” Coyle said.