March Madness started last week, and despite missing out on the big dance, Minnesota men’s basketball is facing its own madness this March.
Upon firing head coach Ben Johnson on March 13 after the Gophers lost to Northwestern University in the Big Ten Tournament, names of potential coaching replacements ran rampant on the web.
In a short Zoom press conference with the media, Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle said coaches are already calling him wishing to be a coach on the team.
“They understand the value of the Big Ten,” Coyle said. “They understand the value of Minnesota. We feel like we are in a very good spot.”
Niko Medved
The rumor mill’s current favorite for the vacant Gophers head coaching spot is Colorado State head coach Niko Medved, who has many ties to Minnesota.
Born and raised in Minnesota, Medved went to Roseville High School, graduated from the University of Minnesota and even served as an assistant coach for the Golden Gophers basketball team.
Should Minnesota hire Medved, Minnesota would owe $3.7 million for a contract buyout, since Medved’s contract with Colorado State runs through 2031.
Colorado State is showing signs they may want to keep him, with athletic director John Weber saying he looks forward to keeping him in Fort Collins.
At the time of this writing, Colorado State is in round 32 of the NCAA tournament after an upset victory over fifth-seeded Memphis Tigers.
Since beginning Division I coaching with Furman University, Medved’s career coaching record is 222-171, with a 143-84 record at Colorado State through seven seasons.
In those seven seasons, Medved led the Rams to three NCAA tournament appearances, all within the last four seasons.
Drew Valentine
Loyola Chicago head coach Drew Valentine, whose history in the Big Ten includes a graduate assistant gig at Michigan State under Tom Izzo, could also fill the vacancy.
After four years as an assistant coach for Loyola, Valentine was promoted to head coach after Porter Moser left the program for Oklahoma in 2021.
Valentine’s head coaching record at Loyola is 63-39, including three seasons with at least 21 wins.
Loyola is currently a fifth seed in the National Invitational Tournament and in the second round of play after defeating fourth-seed San Jose State 73-70.
It appears Valentine is already looking for a change of scenery, with the Chicago Tribune reporting the coach’s listing of his Glenview, Illinois home for $1.1 million.
At 33 years old, a job at Minnesota would be Valentine’s first Power Four Conference head coaching position.
Brian Dutcher
Acquiring Brian Dutcher could be a smart but expensive move.
The current San Diego State head coach’s contract runs through the 2027-28 season, meaning Minnesota may need to pay a $10.2 million buyout for him to leave.
Dutcher’s career coaching highlights include five Mountain West championships, five NCAA tournament appearances and a National Championship appearance in 2023.
With a career coaching record of 198-68 through eight seasons as the Aztecs head coach, Dutcher is the winningest coach in program history.
Loyalty to the Aztec basketball program could prevent Dutcher from switching teams since he has been with SDSU since 1999 in various coaching capacities.
Dutcher’s father, Jim Dutcher, coached the Gophers men’s basketball from 1975 to 1986, but the Gopher ties do not end there. Dutcher graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1982, so the opportunity to coach for his alma mater may outweigh his deep roots with SDSU.
