Minnesota fires Ben Johnson after four seasons at alma mater

Minnesota fired Ben Johnson on Thursday morning after four years as the head coach at his alma mater. The Golden Gophers finished with a 15-17 record (7-13 Big Ten) after dropping a 72-64 setback to Northwestern on Wednesday in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. The loss was Minnesota's fifth in six games. Johnson, 44, went 56-71 (22-57 Big Ten) during his four seasons with the Golden Gophers. "These decisions are difficult and are made after careful consideration and evaluation," Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle said. "The expectation for our program is to compete for championships, and unfortunately, we have not done that in the last four years." Johnson, who had two years left on his contract, was paid an annual salary of $1.95 million -- making him the lowest paid head coach in the Big Ten this season. Thursday's decision will cost the university a $2.93 million buyout of his contract. A graduate in 2005, Johnson returned to the university to serve as an assistant coach from 2013-18. He assumed the same role at Xavier from 2018-21 before returning to Minnesota. --Field Level Media