Minnesota And Tubby Smith Agree To Contract Extension

Minnesota basketball coach Tubby Smith has agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension that will keep him with the Golden Gophers through the 2016-17 season.

Terms of the deal weren't immediately available. Smith had two years remaining on his original contract, which was for seven years and approximately $1.8 million annually.

"Tubby took over our program at a difficult time and quickly got it headed back in the right direction, both athletically and academically," Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague said in a statement. "Since then, Gopher basketball has continued to make strides under his leadership with four postseason appearances, including last year's exciting run to the NIT title game. I look forward to working with Coach Smith into the future to help lift Gopher basketball to even greater heights."

Expectations were high when Smith took over the program - still recovering from probation after a 1999 academic fraud scandal - in 2007. Since then he has led Minnesota to just two NCAA Tournament appearances, zero NCAA Tournament victories and a disappointing 38-52 mark in Big Ten play.

"I believe that we can get the job done here," Smith said in a statement. "The commitment from the university is there to continue to grow the program, and I am looking forward to being a part of that."

Minnesota finished 6-12 in Big Ten play last season and missed the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive year. They did, however, make a run to the NIT championship game and finished the season with 23 wins, the most of any Gopher team in 22 years.

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