Gophers men’s basketball coaching search continues, as Niko Medved and Colorado State fall on buzzer-beater in NCAA second round

When the Gophers hired Ben Johnson as men’s basketball coach four years ago, Niko Medved was in his third season at Colorado State.

Medved hadn’t reached the NCAA tournament yet in eight years as a head coach, including at Furman and Drake.

The U alum and Minnesota native has made three NCAA tournaments since then. He was close to taking Colorado State to its first Sweet 16 but lost on a buzzer-beater Sunday night.

Medved watched as Derik Queen nailed a shot off the backboard as time expired to ruin the upset bid for the No. 12-seeded Rams in a 72-71 loss to No. 4 seed Maryland in Seattle.

With six seconds left, senior guard Jalen Lake nailed a three-pointer for a one-point lead that seemed to be enough to give the Rams the chance to advance.

“Absolutely gut-wrenching loss for these guys,” Medved said in his postgame news conference. “I thought we did just about everything right. It was an unbelievable college basketball game. Both teams going at it, trying to fight to go to the Sweet 16.”

Sunday’s loss could be the last game Medved coaches at Colorado State. The Gophers and West Virginia targeted Medved as a top candidate for their vacancies.

The Rams (26-10) had a historic year come to an end. They won an NCAA tournament game in back-to-back seasons for the first time. They reached the NCAA second round for the first time since 2013. They won the Mountain West tournament for the first time in 22 years.

On Sunday, Medved’s Princeton-style offense confused Maryland early to take a 37-30 halftime advantage. Guard Nique Clifford, an NBA prospect, had 12 of his 21 points in the first half.

In their first-round victory Friday against fifth-seeded Memphis, the Rams trailed 36-31 at halftime, but they rallied to score 47 points in the second half in the 78-70 victory.

The Terrapins, who finished tied for second in the Big Ten regular season, used a 9-0 run to take a 68-64 lead with 2:30 to play in Sunday’s game, but the Rams responded with a 7-2 run. Things looked bleak for Maryland until Queen’s last shot, which appeared to come after he traveled.

“I thought we defended that last play pretty well,” Medved said. “It’s about all we could ask for. And [Queen] made an … unbelievable shot. That’s what happens in March Madness.”

Medved, a former Rams assistant, has not yet addressed the speculation that he might leave Colorado State for the Gophers or any other job. He has a 143-85 record in seven years in Fort Collins.

“Coach Medved is certainly an elite coach,” Rams athletic director John Weber told a Colorado radio station. “When he’s had that level of success, there’s always going to be people that are knocking on your door.”

Medved signed a contract extension last year with Colorado State through the 2030-31 season. His buyout was reportedly $1.8 million, or 33% of his remaining base salary owed.

The Gophers fired Johnson after he finished 15-17 in his fourth season. He had two years left on his contract through the 2026-27 season, and his buyout was $2.9 million.

Gophers assistant coach Dave Thorson has been in charge of the team as interim coach since Johnson’s dismissal on March 13, following a Big Ten tournament loss to Northwestern.

Thorson coached with Medved at Drake and Colorado State for four seasons from 2017 to ’21.

Medved’s name surfaced quickly as someone the Gophers had heavy interest in with his Minnesota ties, including time as a former Gophers assistant and student manager.

Gophers AD Mark Coyle talked about the priority of hiring his next men’s basketball coach by the time the transfer portal opens Monday.

Coyle also said he would respect head coaches involved with the search who are currently leading their teams in the NCAA tournament. So the Gophers had to play the waiting game until Medved or another candidate reached the end of their season.

“It’s just a season you never want to end,” Medved said. “It’s just been an incredible ride. And it goes by so fast.”