Mike Woodson resigning at Indiana? Hoosiers coach in talks with alma mater to step down from post

Amid a disappointing campaign that’s tracking toward missing the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year, Indiana coach Mike Woodson is in discussions with his alma mater to eventually resign, sources confirmed to CBS Sports. The timeline and specific details of Woodson’s exodus remain to be determined as of Thursday evening.

Woodson’s job security has come into question with increasing scrutiny over the past month. Indiana (14-9) has lost four in a row (and six of its last seven), falling out of NCAA Tournament picture in the process.

Woodson’s program is nowhere near the expectations attached to it last fall. IU was No. 17 in the preseason AP Top 25 but hasn’t been ranked since early December. The Hoosiers have sunk to the bottom half of an 18-team Big Ten and need a huge surge against a tough Big Ten schedule in the final weeks of the regular season to have any at-large hopes for March Madness.

After Indiana fell behind 19-2 to start its game at Wisconsin on Tuesday night, Woodson owned it afterward: “Again, that’s on me, man. 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 Hoosiers lost 76-64 to fall to 5-7 in the conference.

“We’re just not a tough team right now,” Woodson added. “We’re not. Mentally we’re not tough.”

If fired, Woodson would be owed more than $8 million. If he comes to a formal resignation arrangement with the school, the financials of his exodus could be reduced.

The 66-year-old Woodson was hired in March 2021 following the $10 million-plus firing of Archie Miller after his four-year tenure in Bloomington. Woodson was brought in because of his Indiana ties. He famously played for Bob Knight (1976-80) but notably never coached in college. Woodson worked in the NBA for 25 years, including as head coach of the Hawks and Knicks. Prominent IU alumnus Quinn Buckner, and others, stumped for him to replace Miller.

The Hoosiers made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 12 seed in 2022, going 21-14 in Woodson’s debut. In Year 2, with All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis and lottery pick Jalen Hood-Schifino, Indiana went 23-12 and earned a 4-seed but lost in the second round of the NCAA tourney. That team finished tied for second in the Big Ten.

These past two years have been considerable disappointments. Indiana went 19-14 a season ago, then was one of the biggest spenders in the portal last spring, clearing $5 million, according to sources. The investment hasn’t paid off. Indiana is 2-9 in Quad 1 games, and its tournament prospects were worsened by scheduling a soft November/December nonconference slate.

Indiana’s next game is at home Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on CBS. The Hoosiers welcome in 17-5 Michigan, coached by Dusty May, a former manager at Indiana who was a hot name on the coaching carousel last season. May turned down overtures from Louisville and Vanderbilt when he opted to take a five-year contract to coach the Wolverines.