Indiana University’s basketball head coach, Mike Woodson, will not continue with the team next season, as officially announced by the school on Friday.
At 66 years old, Woodson has faced considerable criticism over the past two seasons for the lackluster performance of his squads. Under his guidance, Indiana failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since his return to the university for the 2021-22 campaign, and the team appears likely to miss the 68-team field once again this year.
“In a discussion with Coach Woodson on Wednesday, he expressed his desire to step down as our head coach after the current season,” stated associate athletic director Jeff Keag. “He disclosed that this decision has been weighing on him for some time, and it was both emotional and challenging for him.”
Heading into a Saturday clash against former No. 24 Michigan and coach Dusty May—who had previously served as a student manager for the Hoosiers—Indiana is struggling, having lost four consecutive games and six out of their last seven. The team was expected to perform well, having been chosen as the second-favorite to finish in the Big Ten.
This announcement follows Indiana’s inability to recover from a significant first-half deficit of 27-4 against No. 21 Wisconsin, which led Woodson to question his players’ mental fortitude.
“We had a game at Purdue where we truly competed for 40 minutes, yet then we come here and don’t show up based on how we began,” Woodson stated on Tuesday. “If we give teams a 20-point lead on the road, it makes it extremely difficult to bounce back. That’s on me. We are working hard and doing our best, but some players just didn’t perform tonight.”
The coaching change comes shortly after the athletic department invested significantly in the program’s name, image, and likeness initiatives to support Woodson’s efforts.
Instead of success, the Hoosiers have encountered various setbacks, such as a home defeat against Maryland where they squandered a late lead, and a situation the previous Friday when Woodson struggled to get his guard Myles Rice’s attention to call a timeout, resulting in a critical turnover near the end of the game. This misplay allowed Purdue to secure victory with game-clinching free throws.
Fans have voiced their displeasure distinctly, regularly chanting for Woodson’s dismissal during home games.
Currently, Indiana holds a record of 14-9 and 5-7 in the Big Ten, having reached as high as No. 14 in the AP Top 25 rankings late in November, but now sits at 65th in the NET rankings as of the last game.
In his initial two years, Woodson achieved back-to-back seasons with over 20 victories and led the Hoosiers to their first NCAA tournament win since 2015 when they beat Wyoming in a play-in game in March 2022. The team also secured a first-round victory against Kent State in March 2023, marking notable milestones for Indiana.
However, as he heads into this weekend’s game, Woodson’s overall coaching record stands at 77 wins against 49 losses over four seasons, without any Big Ten championships or Sweet 16 appearances.
Prior to his tenure at Indiana, Woodson devoted his entire coaching career to the NBA, including two head coaching stints. Over nine seasons as an NBA head coach, he accumulated a record of 315-365, with six seasons leading the Atlanta Hawks and three with the New York Knicks.
