The Indiana Hoosiers have been in a downward spiral ever since their last regular-season Big Ten Title in 2016. Back then, Tom Crean was the Head Coach of the Hoosiers. With star players such as Kevin (Yogi) Ferrel, Troy Williams, and OG Anunoby, the Hoosiers lost to North Carolina in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament that year to end their season. The Hoosiers had a bad year after that and ended up dismissing Crean in March of 2016. The Coaching carousel continued as they hired Archie Miller after that, and he was there until March of 2021. Later that year, Athletic Director Scott Dolson announced the hiring of Hoosier Legend Mike Woodson. Woodson had played at Indiana under Bob Knight from 1976 to 1980. Indiana fans were excited about their future, ready to see what the season would bring. In Woodson’s first year, he led the Hoosiers to the NCAA Tournament. They were in a play-in game where they defeated Wyoming before losing to Saint Mary’s in the first round. While Hoosiers fans were disappointed with the early exit, they were happy that they made it to the tournament after many down years. This success continued to the next year, as they entered the tournament as a 4 seed. They defeated Kent State in the first round before losing to the Miami Hurricanes, who made it to the Final Four. Unfortunately, the next two years led to the Hoosiers missing the NCAA Tournament. This led to skepticism from the fans, leading to Mike Woodson stepping down in February of this past year.
As the college basketball atmosphere changes through NIL and the transfer portal, the coaches all around the country are changing schools. Long-time Kentucky Head Coach, John Calipari made the switch to Arkansas, and Dusty May took over at Michigan before last season. Indiana made headlines as a big-time program looking for a new coach. As their coaching search heated up, rumors swirled with big names such as Bruce Pearl and even Dusty May due to his background at IU. Through all of the coaching searches, a shocking name rose to the top. That name was Darian Devries, who was the head coach at West Virginia. West Virginia was a team, along with Indiana, that was snubbed from the NCAA Tournament. On March 18, Scott Dolson announced the hiring of Devries. With the coaching change, Indiana was left with 0 players on their roster. Everyone had entered the transfer portal.Â
This new season brings a lot of expectations. With the new head coach and a new roster, all of the fans are expecting a good season. As the season approaches and the preparation begins, the intensity rises. Each day, as the team practices and gains chemistry, they look to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. As the name Indiana is thrown around as a Blue Blood program, with 5 national titles, they are trying to get back into the conversation of the best teams in the country. As the 2025-2026 season is nearing its beginning, be prepared to see the Indiana Hoosiers make a run at the NCAA Title.
