Moments after Bill Carmody was fired as Northwestern coach on March 16, speculation began to swirl about Duke associate head coach Chris Collins being a top target. That speculation became reality today when Collins was named Wildcats coach.

Minnesota fired Tubby Smith on Monday, cutting ties with the veteran coach one day after the Golden Gophers lost to Florida in the NCAA tournament.

Bill Carmody hasn’t gotten Northwestern to the NCAA tournament in 13 seasons on the job. And, he won’t get a 14th try. Today, the school announced Carmody won’t be back. I’m sure it was a difficult decision. But, it was the correct decision.

What had been speculated for days became official with Michigan State announcing the hiring of former Ohio State offensive coordinator Jim Bollman as co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach.

BTN has confirmed that new Purdue coach Darrell Hazell has made the final big hire of his first Boilermakers staff, tabbing John Shoop as offensive coordinator.

Purdue announced the official hirings of six assistants for new coach Darrell Hazell’s staff. Defensive coordinator Greg Hudson; offensive line coach Jim Bollman; linebackers coach Marcus Freeman; cornerbacks coach Jon Heacock; receivers coach Kevin Sherman; running backs coach Jafar Williams. It’s a nice blend of youth and experience, giving Hazell a good base to build from.

BTN and BTN2Go will have live coverage Friday beginning at 11 a.m. ET of the University of Wisconsin press conference announcing Gary Andersen as the new head football coach. BTN2Go is a live 24/7 multi-platform extension of BTN that lets fans watch the TV network live wherever they are via the internet, mobile phone or tablet.

Wisconsin will hire Utah State’s Gary Andersen as its next coach, the Big Ten Network confirmed Tuesday night. The Wisconsin State Journal first reported the news.

You have questions, and I have answers in this week’s mailbag. Many of you remain focused on football—and coaching news—even though hoop season is starting to hit full-stride.

All eyes are on Wisconsin as it continues to search for a replacement for Bret Bielema. Athletic director Barry Alvarez said last week he’d prefer to hire someone with head coaching experience, but some in the  industry have suggested that might be because he doesn’t have the time and/or energy to devote to grooming a young coach like he did with Bielema. Just something to consider.

(AP) Morgan Burke wants Purdue back in the Rose Bowl, and he’s willing to put his money on Darrell Hazell to get there. After a whirlwind week of speculation, Burke ended the chatter by introducing the 48-year-old New Jersey native as the Boilermakers’ head coach Wednesday.

Three days after leading Wisconsin to its third consecutive Rose Bowl, Bret Bielema agreed to become Arkansas’ head coach. Yahoo! Sports and “Big Ten Football & Beyond” correspondent Pat Forde first reported the news.

It’s apparent that Cincinnati’s Butch Jones is the top target for the Purdue job. Colorado also is in hot pursuit of Jones. Jones was reported to be in West Lafayette on Sunday interviewing to replace Danny Hope, who was fired after four seasons with a 22-27 record. Outlets also report that Jones was in Colorado on Monday to interview.

Nebraska has hired Shawn Eichorst as the school’s new athletics director to replace the retiring Tom Osborne, who will step aside on Jan. 1, 2013. Eichorst has been the athletics director the University of Miami since April 2011. Read the full release at Huskers.com and watch the video of Thursday’s announcement in this post. You can also look back at stories and videos on Osborne’s announcement, too.

Dave Brandon announced Wednesday that Maryland’s Erik Bakich has been hired as Michigan’s new baseball coach. Bakich, the 19th head coach in program history, spent the past three seasons at Maryland, where he compiled a 70-90 record.

(AP) Doc Sadler was hired on Wednesday as the director of basketball operations at Kansas, where he will rejoin the Big 12 after spending one season coaching in the Big Ten.

The Indiana men’s basketball team hired Towson’s Kenny Johnson as an assistant coach, replacing Bennie Seltzer who recently took the head coaching position at Samford, it was announced Tuesday.

There’s a new leader at Minnesota. His name is Norwood Teague. And he arrives from VCU with a reputation as an astute handler of people who has business acumen and the all-important ability to raise money. Looks like a home run hire for an athletic department that needs good news, as its football and basketball programs have struggled in recent years.

(AP) Bruce Weber knows that Kansas State fans may not accept him right away. That much became clear when a small rally for another coaching candidate turned into a protest of his hiring. The former Illinois coach doesn’t have a problem with that, though. Weber is up for any challenge.

What has been anticipated for a few days became reality Thursday as Illinois named Ohio’s John Groce as its men’s basketball coach. Will it be a good hire? A bad hire? Who knows? It’s absurd to draw a conclusion on something like that on the day of an introductory press conference. But a few things are without dispute.

Illinois announced the hiring of Matt Bollant as its new head women’s basketball coach Wednesday morning. Bollant comes to Illinois after a successful five-year stint at Green Bay, where he coached the Phoenix to five straight Horizon League titles and four straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. He replaces Jolette Law, who was fired following this month’s Big Ten tournament.

Indiana Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass announced Monday that women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack will not be back and that the school will begin its search for her replacement immediately.

Former Iowa football players LeVar Woods and Brian Ferentz have been named full-time Iowa assistant coaches, head coach Kirk Ferentz announced Saturday. Woods will coach linebackers, while Ferentz, the coach’s son, will direct the offensive line.

It had been speculated, and now it’s true: Everett Withers has been hired as co-defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Ohio State. Withers was the interim head coach at North Carolina this season after Butch Davis was fired in July. Withers, who also was UNC’s defensive coordinator, guided the Tar Heels to a 7-5 mark and spot in the Independence Bowl vs. Missouri on December 26.

Jim Tressel is back in football. The Indianapolis Colts hired the former Ohio State head football coach as a gameday consultant, Colts coach Jim Caldwell announced during a conference call Friday. Tressel’s main role will consist of helping the team determine when it should challenge plays. Read more about the hire here.