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http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2808406

Sources: Smith to leave Kentucky for Minnesota
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com

Tubby Smith is leaving Kentucky to take over the head coaching job at Minnesota, multiple sources told ESPN.com's Andy Katz on Thursday.

Smith had four years remaining on his Kentucky contract.

Smith has met with Kentucky players and athletic director Mitch Barnhart. He is expected to fly to Minnesota later Thursday afternoon.

Smith called former Minnesota coach Dan Monson early Thursday and told him he was accepting the job. Minnesota is expected to pay Smith $1.8 million per year.

In 10 years at Kentucky, where he replaced Rick Pitino, Smith went 263-83 and went to the NCAA Tournament every season, winning the 1998 national championship. But the Wildcats have not been back to the Final Four since. This season's team, which finished 22-12 overall and 9-7 in the SEC, had more Kentucky fans calling for Smith's ouster.

Earlier this month, before the Wildcats played their first-round NCAA Tournament game, Barnhart issued a statement supporting Smith, saying "Tubby's our basketball coach."

But Barnhart also said that he and Smith would sit down after the season to discuss potential changes -- and declined to say whether any of Smith's assistants might be replaced.

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I don't know how many people here follow college basketball, but this came as a complete shock to me. I never thought he'd actually leave Kentucky, even with all of the pressure on him from fans and the athletic director.

I can't believe he went to Minnesota too. The article doesn't address a reason why. Wow, surprising to say the least.

Kentucky is lucky

gibbs4president wrote:I don't know how many people here follow college basketball, but this came as a complete shock to me. I never thought he'd actually leave Kentucky, even with all of the pressure on him from fans and the athletic director.

I can't believe he went to Minnesota too. The article doesn't address a reason why. Wow, surprising to say the least.

Agreed. When I think of Kentucky basketball I think of him. This is surprising to me as well.

Personally, I don't know why everybody hated Tubby Smith at Kentucky.

I mean, Kentucky acts like their so good and all, when was the last time they made they won it all? When was the last time they made the Final Four?

People always say, "Oh, because it's Kentucky basketball". And I say, "So?"

They need to stop living in the past and realize that they aren't a national powerhouse anymore and understand that they won't land any top prospects anymore.