Minnesota gets Smith as coach

TUBBY SMITH Final Four drought at Kentucky

With Kentucky fans dogging him after another disappointing finish, Tubby Smith is bolting the bluegrass for Minnesota.

Smith will be introduced as the 16th coach of the Golden Gophers at a noon press conference today, ending a 10-year tenure in Lexington that seemed to be nearing an end 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.

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, and the team lost 10 or more games in a season five times under his watch.

"On behalf of the University of Kentucky, I'd like to express sincere appreciation to Tubby Smith, his family, and his staff," Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart said in a statement. "We wish him the very best at the University of Minnesota. They are getting a solid coach and a great person."

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 fewest in 56 years. Former coach Dan Monson was forced to resign seven games into this season with a 118-106 record in eight seasons.

Barnhart's short list of candidates could include some of college basketball's biggest names, including Michigan State's Tom Izzo and Florida's Billy Donovan. Another possible candidate, Memphis's John Calipari, quieted any talk of moving on. "I'm coaching where I am," he said. "I've been here seven years, and I was [supposed to be] leaving every year. I'm worried about right now coaching this team."

Instead of rebuilding Iowa, coach Steve Alford will try to transform New Mexico. "Things came up, and this is the decision he had to make," senior guard Mike Henderson said after Alford told players of his decision during a team meeting yesterday. New Mexico athletic department spokesman Greg Remington said there will be a news conference this afternoon in Albuquerque. Alford, a former star at Indiana, had a 152-106 record in eight seasons at Iowa . . . Tim Miles was named coach at Colorado State, replacing Dale Layer, who was fired after the Rams finished 17-13 . . . Xavier coach Sean Miller agreed to a contract extension that runs through the 2015-16 season . . . Arkansas will introduce Louisville's Tom Collen as its new women's coach today, a school official said . . . Marquez Haynes, a 6-foot-3-inch, 185-pound sophomore guard from Irving, Texas, announced he will transfer from Boston College in an attempt to seek more playing time elsewhere, said coach Al Skinner . . . Duke forward Josh McRoberts declared himself eligible for the NBA draft.

Kate Lynch scored 7 of her game-high 22 points during a 16-2 run late in the game and Southern Connecticut State pulled away for a 67-53 victory over the University of California-San Diego in the semifinals of the Division 2 women's tournament in Kearney, Neb. In tomorrow's final, the Owls (33-2) play Florida Gulf Coast, which beat Clayton (Ga.) State, 61-57, in the other semifinal . . . Winona State needed overtime to reach the Division 2 men's final and run its division-record winning streak to 57 games, edging Central Missouri, 90-85, in Springfield. Winona (35-0) will meet Barton (30-5) tomorrow for the title after Barton beat Cal State-San Bernardino, 80-79, in the early semifinal.