As the 2024/25 season starts to wind down, many teams across the country are starting to look forward to the postseason. For the Indiana Hoosiers, however, things are pointing in a different direction. Sitting at 5-7 in Big Ten conference play and 14-9 overall, Indiana is on pace to miss the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season and the seventh time in nine years. Many of the Hoosier faithful in Bloomington and across the country have been looking for someone to blame for the team’s recent struggles, and many have settled on one culprit: head coach Mike Woodson.
Indiana Hoosiers Under Mike Woodson
Woodson, who spent his college days playing for the Hoosiers under Bobby Knight, was hired as head coach of the Hoosiers on March 28, 2021. With current Golden State Warriors forward Trayce Jackson-Davis leading his roster, Woodson guided his alma mater to the NCAA Tournament in his first two seasons at the helm. Fortunes changed once Jackson-Davis departed for the NBA, however.
In Woodson’s first season without the star forward, Indiana limped to a 19-14 record and failed to reach the NCAA Tournament after losing in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. This season, the trajectory looks the same for the Hoosiers. At 14-9, ESPN’s BPI has Indiana’s chances at qualifying for the NCAA Tournament at 29%. In four years with as coach, Woodson has amassed a 77-49 record but is only 36-36 in conference play.
It is indeed 12 now.
For wider context, Indiana has lost 31 regular-season games in league play under Mike Woodson. Of those:
>> 16 have come by double digits.
>> 12 have come by 15+.
>> Five have come by 20+. #iubb https://t.co/sWomo9Aoec— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) January 12, 2025
Woodson’s poor record in Big Ten games, coupled with his proclivity for losing games by more than ten points, has Indiana Hoosier fans thinking the grass may be greener with a new coach. Here are five potential replacements that may be in play for the Hoosiers this offseason should they walk away from Mike Woodson.
Richard Pitino, New Mexico Lobos
Pitino, the son of Hall Of Fame coach Rick Pitino, has been making a name for himself across college basketball. As head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers from 2013 to 2021, Pitino guided the Gophers to their highest NCAA Tournament seed since 1997 and won the National Invitational Tournament in 2014.
Currently serving as head coach of the New Mexico Lobos, Pitino has the team in the driver’s seat in the Mountain West Conference. The Lobos reached the Round of 64 under Pitino in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Ben McCollum, Drake Bulldogs
A newcomer to the Division I coaching ranks, McCollum is in his first season running the show for the Drake Bulldogs, but that doesn’t mean he’s new to coaching. McCollum spent fifteen seasons as head coach of Division II Northwest Missouri State. Under McCollum’s tutelage, the Bearcats became an absolute powerhouse in Division II, winning four national championships and eight MIAA conference tournaments.
In their first season under McCollum, the Bulldogs sit at the top of the Missouri Valley Conference standings at 11-2 and are 21-2 overall. Drake is second in the country in points allowed per game and rank 60th nationally in KenPom net ratings.
Steve Alford, Nevada Wolf Pack
If there’s one thing Indiana Hoosier fans love, it’s their former players. Alford, who scored over 2,000 career points during his time in Bloomington, is still beloved by Indiana fans nearly 40 years after his time with the team came to an end.
Since graduating as the then-leading scorer in program history, Alford has embarked on an extensive coaching career across college basketball. Amassing a 691-361 career record with stops at Iowa, New Mexico, and UCLA, Alford is currently in his sixth season with the Nevada Wolf Pack. He can bring experience, hardware (five conference titles across his career), and the name-recognition that could potentially light a fire under the Hoosiers.
John Groce, Akron Zips
John Groce has turned the Akron Zips into a powerhouse in the Mid-American Conference. The Zips have won two of the last three MAC tournaments and have gone 157-86 under Groce. Prior to coaching at Akron, he spent five years in the Big Ten with Illinois, where he went 95-75 and reached the NCAA Tournament once. He also won two MAC tournament titles as head coach of the Ohio Bobcats from 2008 to 2012. His tenure with the Bobcats was highlighted by a trip to the Sweet Sixteen in 2012.
Groce’s ties to the state of Indiana could make him an enticing candidate. A native of Muncie, Indiana, he started his coaching career at Taylor University in the NAIA before serving as an assistant for the Butler Bulldogs.
Mick Cronin, UCLA Bruins
Mick Cronin, currently leading the UCLA Bruins, has something Hoosier fans are desperate for: passion. Cronin’s teams play hard-nosed, physical basketball, and he isn’t afraid to publicly get on his players when he thinks they aren’t giving it their all. Under Cronin, the Bruins have gone 132-59 and reached the Final Four in 2021.
Cronin’s pedigree could be enticing for Indiana. Cronin has appeared in twelve of the last thirteen NCAA Tournaments as a head coach.
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