Indiana head coach Mike Woodson has decided to resign from his position at the end of the season, according to an announcement made by the school. At 66 years old, Woodson has been scrutinized over the past two years due to disappointing performances from the team. His departure comes after a season in which the Hoosiers missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since he took over in 2021-22, raising concerns that they may again be excluded from the 68-team field.
In a statement, athletic director Scott Dolson shared that Woodson had been contemplating his resignation for some time, and described it as a challenging and emotional decision for the coach. Dolson indicated that Woodson conveyed his intent during a meeting earlier this week. “We have had subsequent thoughtful conversations about his decision and his desire to ensure that the program is in the best position it can be moving forward,” he stated. Woodson did not comment following the announcement.
Heading into a crucial match against Michigan, Indiana’s record stands at 14-9 with a conference record of 5-7, having suffered four consecutive losses and six in their last seven games. Preseason predictions had placed the Hoosiers as the anticipated second-place finishers in the Big Ten.
This announcement follows closely on the heels of Indiana’s recent loss to Wisconsin, where the team started the game with a significant 26-4 deficit, prompting Woodson to question his players’ mental resilience. In an interesting development, he will face the Wolverines’ first-year coach Dusty May, who is not only a former student manager at Indiana but also a protégé of coaching legend Bob Knight—a figure tied to Indiana’s storied basketball history who many believed could take over from Woodson. Moreover, May completed his high school education in southern Indiana.
Frustration has been palpable for both Woodson and Hoosier fans alike. He expressed disappointment after a performance that lacked competitive spirit, stating, “You spot teams on the road 20 points; it’s going to get tough to get back in those games. Again, that’s on me. We’re pushing and pulling and scraping and just trying to get what we can get. Guys just didn’t step up again tonight.”
The recent struggles of the Indiana program are even more troubling considering the significant investments made by the athletic department in name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals earlier this year to bolster Woodson’s chances of success. Indiana had achieved a ranking as high as No. 14 in the AP Top 25 in late November but found themselves languishing at 65th in the NET rankings prior to Tuesday’s game.
The season has been marred by critical misplays, including a late lead squandered at home against Maryland and another collapse at rival Purdue that left Woodson unable to call a timeout effectively. The fans have reacted to these missteps, vocally expressing their desire for a coaching change at home games.
In light of this, Dolson hopes that an early announcement about Woodson’s resignation will help quell the tensions among the fanbase. “It’s clear to me from our discussions in the last several days that his No. 1 priority is for the attention to be off him and instead focused on uniting Hoosier Nation in support of our student-athletes, coaches, and, most importantly, the program,” Dolson noted. He stressed the need for fans to rally behind the program as they did during Woodson’s time as a standout player.
Woodson was brought in to heal a program that had struggled and to restore the connections with a fanbase still divided over the firing of Knight in 2000, a figure who only made his return to Assembly Hall in 2020. Woodson enjoyed initial success, leading the Hoosiers to consecutive 20-win seasons, highlighted by a play-in tournament victory in March 2022—marking Indiana’s first NCAA tournament win since 2015. However, his overall record reflects 77 wins and 49 losses with no Big Ten championships or Sweet 16 appearances.
Dolson acknowledged Woodson’s contributions, stating, “During the last four years, he has led the program during a transformational time in college athletics and helped us become a national leader in evolving areas including NIL and the transfer portal… I want to thank him for coming back to Bloomington and accepting the challenge of rebuilding our program and re-connecting it with its past and its foundation.”
Prior to his tenure at Indiana, Woodson’s coaching experience was rooted in the NBA, where he held a coaching record of 315-365 over nine seasons, spending six with the Atlanta Hawks and three with the New York Knicks.
