Minnesota head basketball coach Ben Johnson has been relieved of his coaching duties.

Athletic director Mark Coyle announced the decision to fire Johnson after four seasons just before 1:30 a.m. on Thursday morning, less than 12 hours after the Golden Gophers' 2024-25 season likely came to an end with a 72-64 loss to Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.

His firing comes with three years left on his coaching contract after receiving a one-year extension to his original contract in 2022.

In his four seasons with Minnesota, Johnson compiled a 56-71 overall record, including 22-57 in conference play. With their loss on Wednesday to the Northwestern Wildcats, Minnesota's final 2024-25 record was 15-17, including 7-14 in conference play.

The Gophers, under Johnson’s tenure, finished the season under .500 in three of four seasons and never finished above .500 in conference play.

"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," Coyle announced in a press release Thursday morning. "I thanked him for his dedication and for guiding the program—one he cares deeply about—for the last four years. Ben is a terrific person, and we wish him well."

Coyle continued:

"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. 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 needed to be successful, and we will immediately begin a nationwide search for our next men's basketball coach."

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