Indiana Hoosiers Basketball

West Virginia men's basketball head coach Darian DeVries could be the top choice for Indiana's vacant gig, per Jeff Goodman of Field of 68.

Pete Thamel of ESPN also reported Indiana is "targeting" DeVries.

DeVries, 49, was Drake's head coach for six years before leading West Virginia this season. He led Drake to six straight seasons of 20 or more wins (150-55 overall) and three NCAA tournament appearances.

This year's West Virginia team went 19-13 and 10-10 in Big 12 play. Bracketologists unanimously had them in the NCAA tournament field, per Bracket Matrix, but the Mountaineers missed out.

Indiana is looking for a new head coach after Mike Woodson, who starred for the program as a player, previously announced he would step down at the end of the season. The Hoosiers haven't made the NCAA tournament in either of the past two seasons.

If DeVries ends up being the answer, it could be a great hire for Indiana. DeVries quickly turned around West Virginia, which went 9-23 overall (4-14 Big 12) the year before his arrival.

Of course, DeVries could also stay in town. ESPN's Pete Thamel provided an update on the Pat McAfee Show and noted how West Virginia has been "aggressive" in trying to keep him.

At the moment, DeVries remains West Virginia's coach, but there's certainly big questions about his future destination at this point.

Indiana and men's basketball head coach Mike Woodson will part ways after the 2024-25 season, according to Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68.

The news comes after Goodman reported that Woodson was contemplating stepping down and retiring. He noted in that report that if Woodson chooses to retire, he would finish out the season before doing so at the end of the Hoosiers' 2024-25 campaign.

ESPN's Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello reported that Indiana and Woodson are "in discussions" surrounding his future at the school and the coach is "unlikely" to return for the 2025-26 season.

Woodson has been with the Hoosiers since 2021.

Indiana currently sits at 14-9 and has struggled as of late, losing six of its past seven games.

The Hoosiers are coming off a 76-64 defeat against Wisconsin that wasn't as close as the final score indicated, as the Hoosiers instantly faced a 22-point deficit just over seven minutes into the first half.

"We're just not a tough team right now," Woodson said after the loss, per Steve Megargee of the Associated Press. "We're not. Mentally we're not tough."

"Right now our backs are against the wall," he added. "We're not playing great basketball. We're playing in spurts."

Woodson owns an overall record of 77-49 with Indiana, making NCAA Tournament appearances in both of his first two years at the school. The Hoosiers couldn't secure a March Madness spot after finishing with a 19-14 record during the 2023-24 season, and their recent losing stretch has put a 2025 tournament appearance in serious doubt.

Indiana has struggled against Big Ten opponents, owning a 15-17 record against conference foes since the start of its 2023-24 campaign.

Before joining the Hoosiers, Woodson was an assistant coach for six different NBA teams and also had head-coaching stints with the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks.

Now, his tenure with Indiana may be coming to a close at the end of the season.

5-star forward Bryson Tucker announced his commitment to Indiana on Thursday, a move that may help turn around a struggling Indiana men's basketball program.

Tucker is the nation's No. 20 overall player and is the top-ranked player in the state of Virginia, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. He chose the Hoosiers over offers from Michigan State and Kansas.

As it currently stands, Tucker is the only commitment in Indiana's 2024 class. The Hoosiers are considered contenders for 5-star forward Liam McNeeley, the nation's top remaining uncommitted player, but otherwise may have to be active in the transfer portal to revamp their roster.

Mike Woodson's team is coming off a disappointing 19-14 campaign and failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in his tenure. He's just 63-40 in his three years with the program.

Indiana has not reached the Sweet 16 since 2016 and has not reached the Final Four since 2002.

Tucker won't turn things around overnight, but he could be a foundational piece of an improved roster. The Hoosiers will bring back forward Mackenzie Mgbako, a 5-star recruit from a year ago, and Malik Reneau should be in line for another breakout following his stellar 2023-24 season.

Tucker is a good athlete and explosive scorer, combining with Mgbako and Reneau to give the Hoosiers a strong frontcourt. The backcourt may be an issue, and it's something Woodson should work quickly on improving in the transfer portal as his seat begins to warm.

Five-star small forward prospect Liam McNeeley has decommitted from Indiana, per 247Sports' Travis Branham.

McNeeley, a product of Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, is considered to be the No. 15 overall prospect in the Class of 2024, the No. 4 small forward and the No. 3 player in the state of Florida, per 247Sports composite rankings.

His decision comes a day after it was reported that head coach Mike Woodson would remain in Indiana for the 2024-25 season. There has been speculation regarding Woodson's future amid a 17-13 season, but Wednesday's report confirmed he would return.

McNeeley, who was named a Naismith Trophy Boys' High School All-American earlier this week, holds offers from Kansas, Texas, Alabama, Arkansas and others, according to 247Sports. Per ESPN's Jeff Borzello, McNeeley picked Indiana over Kansas, but he also considered Texas in the weeks ahead of his commitment.

With McNeeley's decommitment, Indiana now has no recruits for the Class of 2024. The Hoosiers are also set to lose a pair of seniors and could lose more players to the transfer portal or NBA draft. Indiana center Kel'el Ware is currently a first-round draft pick in Bleacher Report's 2024 NBA Mock Draft.

Since Woodson took over as Indiana's head coach in 2021, the Hoosiers have reached the NCAA Tournament twice, failing to make it past the second round in both years. Indiana is not projected to make the Tournament in ESPN's Joe Lunardi's latest NCAA Bracketology.

After losing what would have been one of its top recruits of all time according to 247Sports, Indiana now faces plenty of uncertainty heading into next season.

Despite the men's basketball team's struggles, Indiana University will retain head coach Mike Woodson for the 2024-25 season, a Hoosier athletic department source told Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star.

Woodson, a former IU basketball standout, has coached the Hoosiers to a 16-13 overall record (8-10 in Big Ten) in his third season.

Indiana snuck into the tournament in his first season, making the First Four after going 20-13 (9-11 in Big Ten). The Hoosiers won in that round against Wyoming but fell 82-53 to Saint Mary's in the first round.

Last year was Indiana's best under Woodson, as the Hoosiers finished second in the Big Ten standings and earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. However, their season ended with another early tournament loss, this time to Miami (85-69) in the second round.

This year has been tough for the Hoosiers, who have gone 4-8 in their last 12 games to fall to ninth in the Big Ten standings. At this point, it appears the Hoosiers will need to win the Big Ten tournament just to make March Madness again.

As Osterman noted on March 5, firing Woodson would trigger a $12.6 million buyout.

"Under the terms of his original contract, Woodson would have been owed 100% of remaining compensation through March 31, 2025, and then 50% thereafter. In addition to his raise last summer, Woodson also gained an extra year of full buyout protection. Indiana would now owe all remaining guaranteed compensation — roughly $12.6 million on April 1 and reducing monthly — through March 30, 2026."

Woodson signed a six-year deal with IU in 2021 for just over $3 million, per Osterman. A agreed-upon contract restructure in August led to a $1 million raise per year for the rest of his deal. The contract re-do also included extra buyout protections.

It's easy to see why Woodson was hired in the first place. He was a second-team All-American at IU before enjoying a successful 11-year NBA career, averaging 14.0 PPG. Woodson then coached in the NBA for most seasons from 1996-2021, most notably as the head coach for the Atlanta Hawks (2004-2010) and the New York Knicks (2012-2014).

Woodson led five of his eight teams to the conference semifinals, including the 2012-13 Knicks, whose 54-win season marks the team's highest victory total since 1996-97.

Woodson served as the Knicks' assistant head coach under Tom Thibodeau before IU added him into the mix.

Last season certainly brought great hope for the future, but this year has been a tough one, especially given the recent slide.

It's certainly possible Woodson can turn this around in year four, though. He's proven capable of shepherding successful teams, and he has a wealth of knowledge and experience spanning five decades in college and pro hoops.

For now, though, IU is hoping to close strong. The Hoosiers have won their last two and will look to keep it rolling Wednesday at Minnesota.

Fans who lined up around the block Bloomington's Assembly Hall Thursday night expected to see a Hawkeyes win on what has officially been designated Caitlin Clark Day in the state of Iowa.

They didn't get one.

No. 14 Indiana upset Clark and No. 4 Iowa in an 86-69 win as Clark made just eight of 26 shots from the field, including 3-of-16 on threes.

Clark finished the night with 24 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, but led the Hawkeyes with five turnovers.

The upset led to criticism of Clark, who was the main reason the game sold out as one of Indiana's best-selling contests this season.

Despite last week breaking the NCAA women's basketball career scoring record by passing Kelsey Plum's college career total of 3,527, Clark was held to just four points in the second half of Thursday's loss.

Others defended Clark, who is 75 points away from passing Pete Maravich for the all-time NCAA scoring record of 3,667 career points.

Iowa has three regular-season games left, and Clark, who is averaging 32.8 points per game despite Thursday night's loss, remains on pace to set a new standard for college basketball.

Iowa is back in action Sunday at home against Illinois. The game is already sold out as fans vie to see Clark in what could be one of her final regular-season NCAA games if she decides to declare for the 2024 WNBA Draft.

Indiana men's basketball player Mackenzie Mgbako was arrested and booked Sunday morning on charges of criminal trespass and resisting law enforcement, per Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star.

Both charges are considered Class A misdemeanors, and police in Bloomington, Indiana, said he was booked at 3:16 a.m. and released after he posted bond more than two hours later.

Mgbako is an incoming freshman on the team and was a 5-star prospect, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

"IU Athletics is aware of the situation," an athletic department spokesperson said, per Osterman. "We will continue to gather facts, cooperate with and monitor the legal process, and take further action as the evolving situation warrants."

Mgbako initially committed to Duke but reopened his recruitment in April before choosing the Hoosiers.

He is expected to be one of Indiana's go-to options on the floor this season, and Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected him as a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA draft.

Indiana's first game of the 2023-24 campaign is Nov. 7 against Florida Gulf Coast.

Five-star recruit Liam McNeely officially announced on Sunday that he has committed to Indiana.

McNeely is currently ranked as the sixth-best small forward in the 2024 recruiting class, according to 247sports.com. The former Monteverde Academy standout chose Indiana over Arkansas, Florida, Georgia Tech, and Florida State.

He'll be joining a Hoosiers team that finished with a record of 23-12 last season, ranking No. 21 in the Final AP Poll of the year. They lost in the Midwest Second Round of the NCAA Tournament, falling by the score of 85-69 against Miami.

The 6'7" forward announced his decision on an ESPN broadcast while in Las Vegas, Nevada and discussed the Hoosiers' pursuit of him prior to the announcement.

"Coach Woodson has been recruiting me for a really long time," McNeeley said. "Their interest in me has never wavered. They've been the most consistent in recruiting me and I feel really comfortable with them."

The 18-year-old is a shooting specialist, hitting 45 percent of his threes during Monteverde's 2022-23 season (via MaxPreps.com). He also averaged 12.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game.

He made strides as a playmaker, helping initiate the team's offense after coming off screens instead of solely relying on his jumper. His average of 2.2 assists per game was even more impressive considering he turned the ball over just 0.8 times each contest.

McNeeley was excited about the prospect of joining head coach Mike Woodson's roster as Indiana looks to secure their first Big Ten title under the former New York Knicks assistant.

"Without God, I'd be nothing. I give all my glory to him," he said via ESPN. "With that being said, I'll be committing to Indiana University. Go Hoosiers."