By Marcus R. Fuller
mfuller@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 03/08/2010

University of Minnesota basketball coach Tubby Smith said today he has not been contacted by Oregon and is happy with the Gophers, despite reports linking him to the Oregon job.

"If I ever addressed every rumor, then I wouldn't be able to do what I do," Smith said on a Big Ten conference call. "There's always talk about coaches leaving and players leaving. It's part of the business. We're happy here. Even though this year was an up and down year, we feel like we have the right pieces in place. We think we can be a pretty good team in the future."

FoxSports.com columnist Jeff Goodman wrote over the weekend that Smith is a candidate to replace Oregon coach Ernie Kent, who reportedly was told he would be fired after this season. CBSSports.com columnist Gary Parrish wrote that Smith is a likely candidate.

Smith, who left Kentucky for Minnesota in 2007, has four years left on his seven-year contract with the Gophers that pays him $1.7 million a year.

But with a $200 million arena set to open and backing from Nike chairman Phil Knight, the Ducks have the resources to hire a big-name coach. Goodman and Parrish also said Oregon graduate and Gonzaga coach Mark Few and Texas AM coach Mark Turgeon also are possibilities for the Ducks.

Last year, Smith was a top candidate for the Virginia job, but the Cavaliers eventually hired former Washington State coach Tony Bennett.

Minnesota athletics director Joel Maturi, who wasn't contacted by Virginia about Smith after last season, said he probably wouldn't know about another school's interest in Smith until after a decision was made about that job.

Maturi said he didn't think the Gophers were that far away from winning more games. He thought they could have had three more victories this year, even without Trevor Mbakwe and Royce White, who were suspended for legal issues, and starting point guard Al Nolen, who was academically ineligible for the second semester.

"I felt we played as well or better than Michigan State (at home), played as well or better than Purdue (at home) and played as well or better than Northwestern (on the road)," Maturi said. "You take those three games and all of a sudden, you're 12-6. It's not like we're miles away. You take the game that (Smith) sat some kids in Anaheim, Calif. (against Texas AM), then we have 21 or 22 wins. That's not a great year, but it's not a bad one. I truly believe we're that close."

The Gophers (18-12, 9-9) finished the regular season with an 88-53 win over Iowa on Sunday. They earned a sixth seed in the Big Ten tournament and will play 11th-seeded Penn State on Thursday in Indianapolis.

Briefly: Mbakwe's trial for a felony battery charge was rescheduled again for April 8 in Miami, according to Miami Dade state attorney's office spokeswoman Terry Chavez. Mbakwe initially had a trial set for dates in February and March.