March 9, 2013; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers coach Tubby Smith talks to guard Austin Hollins (20) during a game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena. Purdue defeats Minnesota 89-73. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Less than a week after the Gophers fired Tubby Smith, the 61-year-old is in talks with Texas Tech about filing the Red Raiders’ coaching vacancy while the University of Minnesota is still looking for his replacement.
The Big 12 Red Raiders finished the season 11-20 and have been looking for a permanent head coach since Billy Gillispie resigned in September due to health issues.
Texas Tech finished second-to-last in their conference this season, winning only three conference games.
Smith is also drawing interest from New Mexico after their coach, Steve Alford, accepted the head coaching job at UCLA on Saturday.
Despite his age, Smith is still a capable coach whose time unfortunately ran out in Minnesota.
If Smith is hired at Texas Tech, it would certainly be an improvement over interim coach Chris Walker, who has been an assistant on eight teams since 1992.
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