AMHERST, Mass. — Less than one week after agreeing to remain at the University of Massachusetts, Travis Ford is set to become the men’s basketball coach at Oklahoma State, UMass officials confirmed at a Wednesday night news conference.

UMass athletics director John McCutcheon and players Luke Bonner and Tony Gaffney attended the news conference. Ford wasn’t there, but he released the following statement:

“I have greatly enjoyed my three years here at UMass. It was a very difficult decision to leave UMass, one which my family and I struggled with mightily. I wish nothing but the best for the staff and players at UMass.

“They have been and will always be family to me. I feel the team at UMass has a great nucleus in place and I wish them the best in the future.”

This comes just six days after Ford agreed in principle to a contract extension. Since that deal was never officially signed, Oklahoma State will only have to pay the original $200,000 buyout from Ford’s existing UMass contract.

Since the end of the Minutemen’s season two weeks ago, Ford had been a candidate for openings at LSU and Providence. He released a statement denying interest in the LSU position last week.

"There has been a lot [of] misinformation circulating about me and the job at LSU," Ford said in a statement released on April 8. "I feel that it is necessary to state that I do not want to be considered for the job."

Before the Minutemen completed their season, there was rampant speculation that LSU would hire Ford to replace John Brady, who was fired in February. Multiple sources, including ESPN’s Pat Forde, estimated the possibility of LSU hiring Ford to be around 90 percent.

One day later, Ford interviewed with Providence but decided to remain with UMass and signed a contract extension.

UMass completed its season with a loss to Ohio State in the finals of the National Invitation Tournament at Madison Square Garden. The Minutemen finished with a 25-11 record and will lose three senior starters to graduation. Ford coached three seasons at UMass after spending five seasons at Eastern Kentucky.

Sean Sutton resigned as Oklahoma State coach after two seasons with a 39-29 record and no NCAA tournament appearances. He took over the program from his father, Eddie Sutton, in 2006.

– Eli Rosenswaike contributed to this report