Supposed Gophers MBB Coach Seeded for NCAA Tournament

Ben Johnson has been fired from his post as Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball coach. Now, athletic director Mark Coyle is supposed to be on the prowl for the next leader of a program that has not reached the NCAA Tournament in six seasons.

According to reports, however, the search is already over. Coyle has his guy, in Colorado State head coach Niko Medved, a University of Minnesota alum who was born and raised in the Minneapolis area. On Saturday, the Rams won the Mountain West Conference Tournament by knocking off Boise State, 69-56, locking in their NCAA Tournament reservation.

Despite remaining outside the top 25 all season, Medved’s Rams finished 2024-25 with a 25-9 record. Colorado State’s automatic bid to March Madness also means that any hiring announcement involving Medved and his alma mater will have to wait. This is Niko’s second-straight NCAA tournament appearance with the Rams, and third in the last four years.

Next reported Minnesota Gophers coach Niko Medved is tourney bound

On Selection Sunday, the (reported) future Minnesota Gophers head coach and his Colorado State Rams received the No. 12 seed in the West Region. Their first game is Friday, March 21 vs the 5-seed Memphis Tigers, who went 29-5 this season under former NBA legend Anfernee Hardaway, who’s in his 7th season running the program.

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The 12-5 matchup remains one of the most intriguing among NCAA tournament draws on a yearly basis. 55 times a 12-seed has upset the 5 seed since 1985. The 35.26 winning percentage makes that matchup one of the most intently studied by bettors and prognosticators.

Ben Johnson has been on the hot seat for months. Beyond a desire to ignore NIL initiatives, he compiled a terrible 56-71 record as the Minnesota Gophers head coach. It sounds like Colorado State’s Niko Medved could be the next hire, but first he has to deal with Memphis in the NCAA tournament.

What are Colorado State’s chances in round one?

Anfernee Hardaway has a 161-67 career record at Memphis. This will be his third NCAA tournament appearance with the Tigers, who peaked at No. 14 in the AP poll this season and won the American Athletic Conference regular season title.

You can’t call the Colorado State Rams an upset pick next week, when FanDuel Sportsbook has Niko Medved & Co. listed as 2.5 point favorites over the Memphis Tigers. Should they advance, they could very well play 4-seed Maryland, out of the Big Ten, in the round of 32. Matching up with the terrapins would give Medved an early look at life in his new conference.

Related: Sounds Like Mark Coyle Has Found the Next Gophers Men’s Basketball Coach

The Minnesota Gophers need a serious jolt of excitement for the program. Hiring someone like Medved, who could come in off a tourney run, would certainly accomplish that. The 26-7 overall New Mexico Lobos made the tournament as the regular season winners of the Mountain West Conference. They are led by former Golden Gophers head coach, Richard Pitino.