Author: Mike Schumann

Sunday’s news Indiana was left out of the NCAA Tournament was a heartbreaking end to several college basketball careers. And for others it marked the beginning of a new phase in their journey. Where do things stand with the 13 scholarship players on Indiana’s 2024-25 roster? Let’s quickly touch on each of them. OUT OF ELIGIBILITY Anthony Leal – The Bloomington native posted a broken heart on social media when he learned IU had been left out of the Big Dance.  This marks the end for Leal, but he finished his playing career living out a childhood dream as a…

On Sunday IU basketball learned it was not in the NCAA Tournament for the 12th time in the last 21 years the event was held. Yes, nearly 60% of the time over now more than two decades, the Hoosiers have been on the outside looking in during March Madness, an event that is a favorite for many IU sports fans.  More recently, they’ve missed out on six of the last eight NCAA Tournaments. Now former coach Mike Woodson liked to say his goals were to win Big Ten titles and NCAA Championships. And the fan base has a reputation for…

The Mike Woodson era is over. The NCAA Tournament bracket was announced on Sunday evening, and Indiana was left out of the field. The Hoosiers (19-13) were the second highest graded team left out of the field, the CBS broadcast crew revealed. The Hoosiers had been projected by the majority of bracketologists to make the field.  But North Carolina, Texas and Xavier all got the nod over IU.  And West Virginia was the first team out, one spot ahead of the Indiana. The news came as a surprise to many. “I gotta say Indiana is the one (team left out)…

Selection Sunday is here, and it’s time for one last check of the bracketology projections and potential bid thieves Since losing to Oregon, IU has had a pretty good couple of days.  For the most part there haven’t been significant upsets in the conference tournaments that would seem to harm their chances to make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team. But tonight is still going to be stressful for IU fans as the field is unveiled. Indiana is still a near consensus team in either the First Four In the field of First Four Out across more than 100…

With IU basketball as on the bubble as it gets, we’ll check each day where the Hoosiers stand in the land of bracketology ahead of Selection Sunday. How bubbly are the Hoosiers?  Indiana is a near consensus team in either the First Four In the field of First Four Out across more than 100 projections.  So Sunday evening will be nerve-wracking for Hoosier fans as the field is unveiled. A Saturday morning look at Bracket Matrix shows the Hoosiers in 97 of 113 projected brackets.  That’s trending unfavorably from yesterday’s 102 of 107. And it isn’t clear how many brackets…

Indiana has been fortunate to be in the position of having the top job opening in college basketball since the retirement of Mike Woodson was announced in early February. Nothing changed in that regard this week with the news that Minnesota’s Ben Johnson and Iowa’s Fran McCaffery have both been fired, creating three openings in the Big Ten so far. But nothing happens in a vacuum, and there are connections to the Iowa job opening and Indiana’s search process. In fact, two of the five coaches we included on Tier 1 of our latest hot board released on Wednesday are…

With IU basketball as on the bubble as it gets, we’ll check each day where the Hoosiers stand in the land of bracketology ahead of Selection Sunday. How bubbly are the Hoosiers?  Indiana is a near consensus team in either the First Four In the field of First Four Out across more than 100 projections. A Friday look at Bracket Matrix shows the Hoosiers in 102 of 107 projections, including 77 of 81 updated on Thursday following their loss to Oregon. If the Hoosiers make it in to the field of 68, they appear almost certain to be a First…

Whether IU basketball’s final game was played on Thursday or at some point in the NCAA Tournament, things are about to dramatically change within the program sooner than later. Senior forward Luke Goode wants to be the constant from this season to the next. As we’ve reported here multiple times, Goode has a fact pattern in his college career that at least creates the possibility of obtaining a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA and earning a fifth season of eligibility. The wheels are already in motion to file the petition to seek that extra year. Goode’s fact pattern is…

National college basketball reporter Jeff Goodman is reporting Drake head coach Ben McCollum has emerged as a top candidate for the IU basketball head coaching position. “Drake coach Ben McCollum has emerged as one of the top candidates for the Indiana opening and has really impressed Indiana AD Scott Dolson, source told The Field of 68,” Goodman said on X. In his first season at Drake, McCollum led the program to the Missouri Valley regular season and tournament titles. McCollum has been frequently mentioned as a strong candidate to secure the IU job by various national outlets. Drake (30-3) is…

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indiana lost to Oregon Thursday afternoon at Gainbridge Fieldhouse by a final score of 72-59. Oregon led 37-29 at halftime.  The Hoosiers were led in the game by Malik Reneau with 19 points.  Trey Galloway added 15. The three keys to the game, highlights and final stats are below. For Mike Woodson, Malik Reneau and Trey Galloway postgame, GO HERE.  For Anthony Leal, Luke Goode and Myles Rice from the locker room, GO HERE. Indiana (19-13) will await their NCAA Tournament fate when the field is announced this Sunday. THREE KEYS TO THE GAME 1. It was…