Minnesota fired coach Ben Johnson after four years of repeatedly rebuilding rosters at his alma mater without coming close to an NCAA Tournament appearance. It was a fleeting accomplishment for a program that has fallen behind in the rugged and expanded Big Ten.

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,” Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle said in a statement.