As March begins, the most significant story surrounding the Gophers men’s basketball team isn’t about what’s happening on the court. After consecutive disappointing home losses to Penn State and Northwestern, the energy around the season has deflated, and any hope of a postseason run appears uncertain, raising serious questions about the future of the program.
Ben Johnson is concluding his fourth season as head coach at Minnesota. While there’s been considerable discussion about the financial challenges the program faces in the era of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal, the team’s on-court performance has often fallen short, regardless of who’s on the roster.
With no chance of receiving an NCAA Tournament at-large bid for the fourth year in a row, talk is growing about the possibility of another coaching change. During Saturday’s ESPN College GameDay, National Reporter Pete Thamel discussed the coaching carousel and raised a thought-provoking question about Minnesota’s future.
“The final conundrum hanging over this carousel is what schools like Arizona State, Oklahoma, and Minnesota do,” Thamel said. “Do they pay a buyout to fire their coach or reinvest that money into their roster for 2025? That will also determine how busy we are this March.”
If Minnesota decides to part ways with Johnson, his contract buyout is $2.92 million. This hefty price comes roughly 12 months after the team lost Elijah Hawkins and Pharrel Payne to the transfer portal, primarily due to financial factors.
On the other hand, Johnson had an NCAA Tournament-caliber roster in the 2023-24 season, with Hawkins, Payne, Cam Christie, and Dawson Garcia, but their campaign ended in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). The key question Minnesota’s administration will need to answer this offseason is whether they believe Johnson can succeed with a stronger roster. Should they invest that $2.92 million into the team, or cut their losses and start fresh with a new head coach?
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