The NCAA Tournament game between the UCLA Bruins and the Minnesota Gophers featured two dead men walking, as Ben Howland was fired after the game and Tubby Smith was dismissed a bit later following Sunday's loss to Florida.
According to ESPN.com, Smith was fired after six seasons with the school after the loss to Florida in the tournament and the Gophers will now look for a new head coach. During his time in Minnesota, Smith went 124-81 and helped bring the team back from a few very disappointing seasons.
Smith led the team to the NCAA tournament three different times and won 20 games five of his six years, but after going just 46-62 in the conference and never finishing higher than sixth in the Big Ten, the school felt it was time to move on. Athletics director Norwood Teague made the announcement on Monday, one day after the loss to the Gators.
"Tubby has had a long and distinguished career and we feel it's time for a fresh set of eyes for our student-athletes and our program in general," Teague said. "We are grateful to Tubby and his entire staff for their hard work and dedication to this university, our students and the entire Minnesota community."
Smith came to the job after years with Kentucky and he helped bring the team back from past sanctions that took away their last Final Four appearance. Smith won a national championship with Kentucky, but he never could bring that to the Gophers. He took the team to the NCAA Tournament his first season and started 15-1 this season and was ranked eighth before dropping seven of 10 conference games late in the season.
"I want to thank the University of Minnesota and the people of Minnesota for giving me the opportunity to lead the Golden Gopher basketball program for six years," Smith said in a statement provided by the school. "Our staff did things the right way and will leave knowing that the program is in far better shape than when we arrived."
