After a disappointing 2023-24 season that saw Indiana finish 19-14 and miss the NCAA Tournament by a wide margin, IU’s leadership had a decision to make.
Head coach Mike Woodson was 63-40 through three years, including 31-29 in the Big Ten.
Should he get a fourth season to get the program rolling? Or was the writing on the wall?
Ultimately the many tentacles of IU leadership — including AD Scott Dolson, President Pam Whitten, wealthy donors, and influential program alumni including Board of Trustees Chair Quinn Buckner — came to some form of agreement to retain Woodson for a fourth season.
While his winning percentage wasn’t up to anyone’s expectations for the program, Woodson had snapped a six-year NCAA Tournament drought, leading the Hoosiers to back-to-back appearances in 2022 and 2023. That, along with the fact that he’s a beloved former player with key relationships in that leadership circle, helped ensure Woodson was retained for the 2024-25 campaign.
The retention of Woodson seemed to come with financial support. IU signed the nation’s highest-rated transfer portal class, including Oumar Ballo, Myles Rice, Kanaan Carlyle and Luke Goode. There was genuine optimism, at least in some circles.
But the song remained the same — another subpar season (19-13, 10-10), and another NCAA Tournament miss, led to Woodson’s firing — or decision to retire — if you prefer.
But in the intervening extra year, things happened.
After leading his mid-major squad to the Final Four, then Florida Atlantic head coach Dusty May, an IU alumnus and former manager in the basketball program, was the hottest name in the coaching carousel following Woodson’s third season. May was hired by Michigan in 2024 and immediately turned around that program. The Wolverines went from 8-24 to 27-10 year-over-year.
There’s little doubt a full throttle push by IU to hire May in 2024 would have been successful. Especially since he picked Michigan over Louisville at the last second and cited comfort with the Big Ten as a contributing factor in that decision.
And a wave of highly-coveted class of 2025 recruiting targets spurned Indiana following its decision to retain Woodson for that fourth season.
None were more prominent than eventual Indiana Mr. Basketball Braylon Mullins, who would choose UConn over IU. To put it bluntly, Woodson turned out to be the reason why Mullins picked UConn over Indiana. And he went on to have a strong freshman season with the Huskies, including one of the most memorable game-winners in March Madness history to send UConn to the Final Four back in his home state.
Now on Monday night, in Indianapolis of all places, the decision to keep Woodson for a fourth season is back under the spotlight. At least for Indiana fans.
May’s Michigan Wolverines (36-3) will take on Mullins and UConn (34-5) in the national championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The decision to retain Woodson for a fourth season doesn’t mean his eventual successor, Darian DeVries, is somehow precluded from turning around the program and putting IU in the conversation for conference titles and Final Fours again.
But for now, it will be difficult to watch Monday’s championship game in Indianapolis and not think about what if.
Because if May and Mullins were both Hoosiers, one way or another this year’s national title game would almost certainly have a different look and feel.
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