Tubby Smith will leave Kentucky for Minnesota

Iowa coach Steve Alford told his players he is leaving for New Mexico
ASSOCIATED PRESS
With Kentucky fans dogging him after another disappointing finish, Tubby Smith is bolting the bluegrass for Minnesota.
Smith will be introduced as the Golden Gophers' 16th coach at a noon press conference Friday, ending a 10-year tenure in Lexington that seemed to be in its final days even before Minnesota contacted him.
The Wildcats went 22-12 this season and made it to the NCAA tournament but lost to top-seeded Kansas in the second round, turning up the heat on the coach of college basketball's winningest program.
Not good enough?
Smith led Kentucky to the national championship in his first season in 1998, but the Wildcats haven't been back to the Final Four since, their longest drought since the NCAA tournament began. The team has lost 10 or more games in a season five times under his watch, prompting the demanding fan base to nickname him "10-loss Tubby."
Smith never was able live up to the standard set by the man he replaced at Kentucky. Rick Pitino became a legend in Lexington, leading the Wildcats to three Final Fours, including the 1996 national title and the 1997 championship game, before leaving to coach the Boston Celtics.
Wildcats fans grew even more restless when Pitino returned to the state of Kentucky, leading rival Louisville to the 2005 Final Four.
Minnesota was 9-22 this season, the most losses in the 111-year history of the program, and averaged just 60.6 points a game, its lowest in 56 years. Former coach Dan Monson was forced to resign seven games into this season.
The Gophers have plummeted from a program that once was annually competitive in the Big Ten to a perennial doormat under Monson, who was handcuffed by severe NCAA sanctions after a massive academic fraud scandal rocked the school.
Clem Haskins presided over that period, which resulted in the Gophers' 1997 Final Four appearance being wiped from the books, and Monson struggled mightily with recruiting and was never able to rehabilitate the team. He finished with a 118-106 record in eight seasons.
Alford leaves Iowa
Steve Alford told his Iowa players Thursday he is leaving for New Mexico.
Alford, a former standout at Indiana, had a 152-106 record in eight seasons at Iowa. He led the Hawkeyes to three NCAA tournament appearances, but Iowa won just one NCAA tournament game under his leadership. Last season, the Hawkeyes were upset by 14th-seeded Northwestern State in the opening round.
Iowa finished 17-14 this season. Alford told his players he's looking forward to the chance to start fresh in Albuquerque.
He has been mentioned as a candidate at New Mexico since coach Ritchie McKay was fired after five seasons. McKay, who had three years remaining on his contract, was 82-65 in five seasons, including a dismal 8-41 road record.
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