MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – MARCH 14: Head coach Ben Johnson of the Minnesota Golden Gophers reacts … [+] against the Michigan State Spartans in the first half in the Second Round of the Big Ten Tournament at Target Center on March 14, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

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Following Minnesota’s 72-64 loss to Northwestern Wednesday in the Big Ten Tournament, Minnesota has fired coach Ben Johnson.

Johnson, 44, went 56-70 in four seasons at the Big Ten school, never finishing higher than ninth in the league. It was his first head coaching job after assistant coaching stints at Northern Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and Xavier.

Among possible replacements are Niko Medved of Colorado State and Ryan Saunders, a Minnesota native and Denver Nuggets assistant who played at Minnesota.

“I met with Ben in-person early this morning when the team returned to Minneapolis from the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament and informed him that we were making a change in leadership,” Minnesota AD Mark Coyle said in a statement. “I thanked him for his dedication and for guiding the program, one he cares deeply about, for the last four years. Ben is a terrific person, and we wish him well. “These decisions are difficult and are made after careful consideration and evaluation. The expectation for our program is to compete for championships, and unfortunately, we have not done that in the last four years.

“This is an extremely desirable job in one of the best conferences and cities in the nation, and we fully expect to compete at the highest level on and off the court. We provide a world-class experience for our student-athletes, have one of the best practice facilities in the nation and play games in a historic venue. We offer everything that is needed to be successful, and we will immediately begin a nationwide search for our next men’s basketball coach.”