The Indiana Hoosiers will not be participating in any further postseason games following Coach Mike Woodson’s decision to retire after this season. Despite ending with a 19-13 record, Indiana was named one of the first four teams excluded from the 68-team NCAA Tournament bracket, alongside teams such as Boise State, West Virginia, and Ohio State from the Big Ten.
Indicating their intent to opt out of pursuing opportunities elsewhere, the Hoosiers experienced a disappointing conclusion to their season. They had improved by winning five of their last seven regular season contests, positioning themselves as tournament contenders. However, their chances were dashed following a loss to Oregon in the Big Ten Tournament.
Mike Woodson, aged 66, has faced criticism over the last two years, and in February, he announced he would conclude his tenure at the university after this season. Under his guidance, the team missed the NCAA Tournament last year after making it in his first two years. This achievement had initially ended a stretch of four consecutive missed tournaments from 1968 to 1972.
Boise State, with a commendable 24-10 record, made it to the championship round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament but was not among the four teams from the conference selected for the NCAA Tournament. Colorado State clinched the league’s automatic bid by defeating Boise in the championship game, 69-56.
Boise State has participated in the NCAA Tournament for the previous three seasons, and Coach Leon Rice, now in his 15th season, highlighted their strong scheduling this year. He mentioned notable victories over teams like Clemson and Saint Mary’s. Rice expressed frustration with the selection process, focusing on a singular loss to Boston College in November that might have impacted their NCAA chances.
West Virginia, compiling a 19-13 record, registered six Quad I victories over the season. However, their early exit in the Big 12 tournament at the hands of Colorado cost them a potential slot in the NCAA tournament, preventing them from becoming the conference’s eighth selection.
Coach Darian DeVries of West Virginia voiced disappointment at missing the NCAA Tournament, believing their team had a deserving resume. Throughout the season, the team struggled with the absence of Tucker DeVries, a key player and two-time Missouri Valley Conference player of the year who was sidelined due to surgery.
Bubba Cunningham, chairman of the NCAA Tournament selection committee, noted DeVries’ absence as a factor when discussing the close calls faced by teams that were narrowly left out of the tournament. Evaluating player availability is an integral part of the selection process.
Ohio State, like West Virginia, possessed six Quad I wins. However, a poor finish, losing five out of their last seven games, contributed to missing the NCAA Tournament for the third year consecutively, echoing a similar stint from 2003-05.
Wake Forest chose not to participate in the 32-team National Invitation Tournament, despite recalling their 2000 NIT championship on its 25th anniversary. The team last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2017. Athletic Director John Currie highlighted their fourth-place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference, which marked their best performance since 2009, along with accumulating 86 wins over the past four seasons.
Currie expressed skepticism concerning the principles guiding the NCAA Tournament’s selection of at-large spots, questioning how six teams with below .500 conference records managed to secure 16% of those positions.