It looks like Indiana isn’t the only Big Ten team making a big decision on their head basketball coach today. Minnesota has made a decision on eighth-year head coach Richard Pitino.
According to Jeff Goodman of Stadium, Minnesota are set to part ways with Pitino after eight years at the helm. The Golden Gophers went 14-15 this past year and were 13th in the Big Ten. It was their third losing season in four years.
Pitino was hired in 2013 despite only having one prior year of head coaching experience. But he quickly made an impact, leading the Golden Gophers to the NIT title in his first year.
But the next two years would be a major struggle as Minnesota went just 26-38, missing the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and 2016. Things finally seemed to turn around in the 2016-17 season though.
BREAKING: Minnesota is expected to part ways with Richard Pitino, sources told @Stadium.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 15, 2021
Richard Pitino enjoyed his best year with the team in the 2016-17 season, going 24-10 and finishing fourth in the Big Ten. For his efforts, Pitino won Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. The Golden Gophers secured a spot as a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament, but were stunned by 12-seed Middle Tennessee.
Another losing season followed before Minnesota returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2019. This time, the Golden Gophers were ready, and they topped Louisville for Pitino’s first NCAA Tournament win. But they were eliminated by Big Ten rival Michigan State in the following round.
Two losing seasons followed, and today Minnesota decided the Pitino era needed to end.
It will be interesting to see where Richard Pitino goes next. He won’t be unemployed for long, that’s for sure.