Minnesota dismisses Tubby Smith

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune and other media outlets are reporting that Minnesota and men's basketball coach Tubby Smith have parted ways

Tubby Smith has reportedly been fired as Gophers men’s basketball coach, CBSsports.com’s Jeff Goodman is reporting. The Star Tribune is working to confirm the report. A team source said Smith and his staff are meeting with U of M administrators this afternoon. The same source said Smith has not been told yet that he is fired.

Smith led the Gophers to three NCAA tournament appearances in his six seasons on the job as well as the team’s first official NCAA tourney victory since 1990 on Friday against UCLA, but it apparently wasn’t enough to save his job. He had a 124-81 career record at Minnesota, including 46-62 in the Big Ten.

Smith’s contract comes with a $2.5 million buyout — a number that jumped from $1.5 million after he signed an extension last summer shortly after Norwood Teague took over as Minnesota’s athletic director.

If the report is true, coaches at the top of the search list would include Shaka Smart and Anthony Grant — both of whom worked for Teague at VCU. Smart is still the coach at VCU, while Grant is the head coach now at Alabama. Brad Stevens, who took Butler to back-to-back NCAA title games, also has a good relationship with Teague. Former Wolves coach Flip Saunders, a U of M alum, would also be a candidate. Minnesota could also look at a top assistant at another school.

While at VCU, Teague and administrator Mike Ellis — who followed Teague to Minnesota — formed Villa 7, a two-day conference designed to put college basketball assistants in contact with athletic directors to help advance their careers