MINNEAPOLIS -- The University of Minnesota, which has been without a head women's basketball coach for more than seven weeks since Brenda Oldfield left for Maryland, called a news conference to announce its new coach on Friday.

The Star Tribune and WCCO-TV, citing anonymous sources, reported Boston College associate coach Pam Borton will take the job.

Women's athletics director Chris Voelz said she wouldn't comment on the reports. Boston College officials didn't immediately return phone calls seeking comment.

The news came a day after Denver head coach Pam Tanner, who was considered the front-runner for the job, withdrew her name from consideration. Two weeks ago, former Southwest Missouri State coach Cheryl Burnett decided not to accept the Minnesota job.

On the court, the new coach will be taking over a team that went 22-8 last season and made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in eight years.

But off court, the new coach will be stepping into a fragile situation. In April, the university decided to merge its men's and women's athletics departments, despite the protest of several women's teams. Then, it proposed cutting men's gymnastics and men's and women's golf to help curb a projected budget shortfall.

Oldfield took over the program after Cheryl Littlejohn was fired. Littlejohn, who now coaches at Chicago State, was fired last May for a pattern of rule-breaking that included giving money to a player, buying clothing for others and interfering with an earlier investigation by telling players to lie.