Unfortunately for Niko and his 12-seeded Rams, Maryland guard Derik Queen took that inbounds pass at the top of the key, took two dribbles to his left (and arguably too many steps), before rising up with a right-footed fadeaway… and banking in a 15-foot buzzer beater that ended Colorado State’s 2025 Cinderella hopes.

DERIK QUEEN FTW 😱

OH MY GOODNESS 🤯#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/06QRH6eK3R

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2025

2024-25 will go down as one of the best college basketball seasons in Colorado State school history. Medved’s squad ended 26-10, won the Mountain West Conference Tournament and won one NCAA Tournament game.

Advancing one more round, however, would have put this year’s team up there with the best Rams basketball teams of modern-day tournament history. That trophy is currently held by the 2012-13 team, which did make it all the way to the Sweet 16, before finally losing.

Who knows, maybe Niko and his Rams could have taken their place up next to the GOAT Colorado State basketball teams of the 50s and 60s, where they twice made the 25-team NCAA Tournament and, both times, advanced to the Elite 8.

Minnesota Gophers hiring Niko Medved as next men’s basketball coach

Instead, Niko Medved is done preparing for Colorado State basketball games. Not just for this season, but for good. Following the Rams’ heartbreaking last-second loss on Sunday, the inevitable became reality.

According to multiple reports, the Minnesota Gophers are hiring Medved — a Minneapolis native and U of M alum — as their next men’s head basketball coach. CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander is even reporting that the press conference is scheduled for tomorrow — Tuesday March 25.

Sources: Minnesota is expected to hire Colorado State’s Niko Medved as its next head coach.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 24, 2025

Medved is leaving Colorado State to be the next coach of the Golden Gophers, sources told CBS Sports. The deal will be announced soon, and a press conference is scheduled for Tuesday, according to a source.

Matt Norlander – CBS Sports

Of course, this shouldn’t be shocking news to anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock. Niko Medved was reportedly being hired by Minnesota before the Rams played their first tournament game. In fact, Darren Wolfson (KSTP) reported on SKOR North the day after Ben Johnson was fired that the Medved hire was pretty much a done deal.

Details have continued to trickle out throughout the day. As the hiring was made official, we have heard from Mark Coyle, and Niko Medved. We now also have the contract details for Coach Medved (pending confirmation by regents).

Official + details: #Gophers announce Niko Medved as its next men's basketball coach. The Roseville native will be on a six-year contract, pending approval from the Board of Regents.

— Andy Greder (@andygreder) March 24, 2025

Niko Medved graduated from Roseville high school in 1992. He started his coaching career at Macalester college from 1997-1999. From there, he joined the coaching staff at Furman University, before being hired by then University of Minnesota head coach Dan Monson, as a member of the 2006 Gophers staff.

Related: Ben Johnson’s Gophers Basketball Program Still Way Behind in NIL

Monson was fired midseason, which wound up being a blessing in disguise for Medved, who quickly found a new job on the Colorado State staff for the 2007 season. He remained an assistant for the Rams until 2013, when he was promoted to head coach.

What’s next for a down bad Gophers men’s basketball program?

Now, the question turns to how Medved will build the roster. Already, there have been reports that he may be bringing some of the best players over from this year’s Colorado State roster.

Minnesota Gophers assistant coach Dave Thorson, a former colleague and still very good friend of Medved’s, was retained to try and help retain some of the team’s best talent, like Freshman Isaac Asuma (Cherry, MN), among others. One thing is for sure, this roster will have a lot of fluidity to it over the next 6 months, no matter.

The Vikings did lose one prominent coach, however. Assistant offensive coordinator and QBs coach Grant Udinski took the Jaguars’ OC job, leaving a decent sized hole in the staff. That hole was just filled on Monday night by a guy many thought wasn’t leaving his previous spot.

Minnesota Vikings hire Jordan Traylor to coaching staff

After Udinski took the Jaguars job on Feb. 5, the Vikings have now found his replacement. Jordan Traylor is coming over from the Saints to be the Vikings’ assistant OC and assistant QBs coach. He’s spent the last two years as an offensive assistant in New Orleans.

The #Vikings are hiring #Saints offensive assistant Jordan Traylor as their new assistant OC and assistant QBs coach, sources say, taking the place of Grant Udinski. Traylor, just 31, fills a key void, as Udinski left to be the #Jaguars OC.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 4, 2025

The 31-year-old Traylor has been with the Saints since 2019. He started as a scouting assistant before becoming a defensive assistant in 2021. He spent two seasons on that side of the ball before moving to offensive assistant. With Kellen Moore being hired as the Saints’ new head coach, there was likely to be a lot of turnover in the coaching ranks in New Orleans.

Just a week ago, though, it was assumed that Traylor would be retained by Moore after he was seen at the NFL Combine with the Saints brass. He was highly regarded by the team and is expected to be a future OC. But, after Moore hired Doug Nussmeier as his OC, Traylor’s services will now be welcomed by the Minnesota Vikings.

Related: Vikings Will be Involved in Bidding War for Top Free Agent Guard

The Saints have also hired former NFL head coach Scott Linehan to the offensive staff, as well as Tobijah Hughley to be an offensive assistant. If either were to get an expanded role with the team, it would hurt Traylor’s chance at a promotion. Moore would’ve been his third head coach he’s worked under in seven years, so maybe he wanted some more stability above him, when deciding to take the job with the Vikings.

Jordan Traylor brings experience to Vikings despite young age

Before joining the Saints, Traylor was an offensive analyst at Arkansas in 2018, primarily working with quarterbacks. He also worked as an offensive graduate assistant at Texas in 2016 and 2017. While there, he worked with quarterbacks and wide receivers. He also worked with quarterbacks at this year’s Senior Bowl, serving as the coach for the National Team.

Traylor is the son of UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor, so he’s been around coaching his entire life. He briefly played in college as a quarterback, transferring to Texas A&M for the 2014-15 season. While the job with the Minnesota Vikings is a promotion, he has the background that makes him a reasonable choice for the position.

Fun Fact: Jordan's dad Jeff Traylor, current head coach at UTSA, was the high school coach of Vikings legends Kris Boyd and Blake Lynch at Gilmer HS (TX). https://t.co/UTZa6Yeqgm

— Purple FTW! Podcast (@PurpleForTheWin) March 4, 2025

His experience with quarterbacks will be especially valued. While the Vikings aren’t sure what they’re doing with the position just yet, the expectation is that J.J. McCarthy will start when he’s ready. A guy like Traylor with a background in QB coaching could be a big piece in getting McCarthy prepared for the season.

This week, many of the Vikings’ top decision makers are in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine, where they hope to find an interior offensive lineman of the future in the upcoming NFL Draft, which will kick off on April 24. Within two weeks of the combine ending, free agency will begin (March 12). There, we can expect Minnesota to be active in the guard and center market.

Minnesota Vikings hire Keith Carter as assistant OL coach

But even before they’re able to load up on new talent to help in the offensive trenches for next season, the MN Vikings made their first move to improve in that department by hiring 2024 New York Jets OL coach, Keith Carter, as their assistant OL coach and running game coordinator.

The Vikings are hiring Keith Carter as assistant OL coach. Was OL coach and run game coordinator with Jets, and OL coach with Titans before that. Great knowledge of run game. Major part of shifting focus this offseason.

— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) February 25, 2025

Carter comes as a highly decorated OL coach in the NFL. He was part of the Seattle Seahawks staff in 2012 and 2013, when prime Marshawn Lynch was 1st team All-Pro and running all over opposing defenses. Great running back play has followed Carter pretty much everywhere he has been.

Where Keith Carter goes, great running backs follow…

After helping raise Lynch to greatness early on in his NFL coaching career, Keith Carter was hired as the Tennessee Titans offensive line coach in 2018, which also happens to be the first season Derrick Henry eclipsed 1,000 yards on the ground as an NFL back.

Carter went on to coach the Titans OL from 2018 to 2023. Prior to Carter arriving in Nashville, Henry had played 31 games in two seasons, maxing out at a total of 744 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns in 2017.

Related: Top Heisman Candidate Meeting with Vikings at NFL Combine

Outside of the 2021 season, when he played just 8 games due to injury, Henry never went for less than 1,100 yards and 12 TDs in a season, while Keith Carter coached Tennessee’s offensive line. Derrick Henry also led the NFL in rushing attempts, yards and touchdowns in both 2019 and 2020.

Derrick Henry is still King Henry.

Titans really need to figure out how to get him on the field more. Can't just have him playing 35% of the snapspic.twitter.com/Q1wCnJgifk

— Sam Monson (@SamMonsonNFL) October 1, 2023

But Carter’s hire as Minnesota Vikings assistant OL coach doesn’t come without controversy. There is a reason why an offensive line coach with such an incredible track record is settling for a demotion to assistant.

Keith Carter comes with skeletons in his NFL coaching closet…

When Keith Carter left the Titans, he landed with the New York Jets, as their OL coach. There, he helped Breece Hall rush for over 1,850 yards and ten touchdowns between the 2023 and 2024 seasons. But while in New York, rumors swirled surrounding Carter’s demeanor with Jets players.

Then, there is this January 9 Instagram post — from former NFL offensive lineman turned “Bussin with the Boys” host, Taylor Lewan, who played under Carter with the Titans — which gives quite a bit of negative insight into how some of the OL coach’s former players feel about him…

Still blown away Vrabes was fired this afternoon. Guy is a dudes dude who got players ready every week with a clear game plan. Loved him as a coach (except 2018) loved his coaching staff (besides Keith Carter) it was hard work but it was always worth it.

Taylor Lewan Instagram caption from post above (dated January 9, 2025)

How concerned are the MN Vikings about backlash regarding the hire of Keith Carter? Head coach Kevin O’Connell felt strongly enough about the situation that he felt obliged to address the hire on Tuesday, when he met with media at the NFL Combine.

Related: Newly Available DT Interested in Playing for Vikings…

“He’s a tough, kind of gritty guy. You’ll find some things about him in regards to being tough on his players. But I think in the No. 2 role, he’s gonna be really good for us, and he’s in a great spot in his career to really help us.”

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell talking at NFL Combine about new OL asst coach, Keith Carter

After a one year stint as the OL coach and run game coordinator at Michigan State in 2014, Carter returned to the NFL as the Atlanta Falcons’ assistant OL coach in 2015 and 2016, before being named their running backs coach in 2017.

If KOC is right, and the Minnesota Vikings can make a soft landing/learning spot for Keith Carter to grow as a football coach, then this could prove to be one of the most impactful transactions of what promises to be a crucial offseason for the purple.