The University of Minnesota fired Gopher’s men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson on Thursday, according to a press release from the University.

Johnson, a former Gopher, coached the men’s basketball team for four years. He had two seasons remaining on his contract, with a $2.92 million buyout. Johnson’s annual salary was the lowest in the league at $1.95 million, ESPN reported.

“These decisions are difficult and are made after careful consideration and evaluation,” Mark Coyle, University’s director of athletics, said in a statement. “The expectation for our program is to compete for championships, and unfortunately, we have not done that in the last four years.”

The Gophers finished their season 15-17 after losing to Northwestern University on Wednesday in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, their fifth loss of the last six games.

“This is an extremely desirable job in one of the best conferences and cities in the nation, and we fully expect to compete at the highest level on and off the court,” Coyle said in the statement. “Ben is a terrific person and we wish him well.”

Coyle said the University will immediately begin a nationwide search for the next men’s basketball coach.