Gophers AD Mark Coyle named to D-I Men’s Basketball Committee
University of Minnesota Athletic Director Mark Coyle was appointed on Thursday to the NCAA’s Division I Men’s Basketball Committee.
MINNEAPOLIS - University of Minnesota Athletic Director Mark Coyle on Thursday was appointed to the NCAA’s Division I Men’s Basketball Committee.
Coyle, who has led the Minnesota athletic department for nearly five years, will represent the Big Ten as the committee was increased from 10 to 12 members starting in the 2021-22 season. The committee is responsible for selecting and seeding the 68-team field for the NCAA Tournament, and putting together the bracket.
Coyle will be on the committee for five years. Before coming to Minnesota, Coyle was the athletic director at Syracuse and Boise State, and served as the deputy athletics director at Kentucky.
He’ll be joined by UCLA AD Martin Jarmond, who will represent the Pac-12, and Alabama AD Greg Byrne, who will represent the SEC. Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill and Butler AD Barry Collier, who will represent the Big East, are the other first-year members of the committee.
Coyle made the decision last month to part ways with men’s basketball coach Richard Pitino, after the Gophers finished the season 14-15. In eight seasons under Pitino, Minnesota got to two NCAA Tournaments and got one victory over Louisville in 2019.
Coyle has since hired Ben Johnson to take over the Gophers’ program. Johnson was an assistant for five seasons under Pitino, and played for the Gophers for three seasons in the early 2000s.