Last night the Fighting Illini went into Bloomington and gave the Hoosiers a beat down. Illinois went on a 15-2 run early and never looked back. They wound up winning by 25 points.
Indiana got off to a 4-1 start in the Big Ten, but they were honestly never a legitimate threat to compete for the conference title. In my analysis the Hoosiers' title odds maxed out at just 2% in early December. Now they are down to one-in-4,500.
That may seem crazy, as Indiana is "only" 4-3, but the Hoosiers have, by far, the toughest remaining Big Ten schedule. Check out their next seven games:
Good luck with that...
Indiana will likely finish around 8-12 or 7-13 in the Big Ten after being picked to finish second in the preseason. I doubt that they will make the NCAA Tournament at all.
During last night's rout, the Indiana fans were apparently chanting "Fire Woodson," and I would guess that they will get their wish by the end of the season, if not before. If this happens, the speculation would then turn to Woodson's replacement.
If this does come to pass, Dusty May's name will obviously come up. Many suspected that May was waiting for the Indiana job to open when he took the Michigan job. With the Wolverines off to a surprisingly strong start, his stock is an high as ever, and the chance to return to Bloomington might be too strong. At this point I would be surprised if not shocked if May were NOT offered the Indiana job before April. But would he take it? I am not 100% convinced that he would, but I would lean that those odds are over 50%
If May were to turn Indiana down, where does Indiana turn? I cannot claim to be an expert in this area, but one name that I would be curious about is Micah Shrewsberry from Notre Dame. He has had a rough time so far in South Bend, but I thought that he was excellent at Penn State. He is from Indianapolis and has coached at both Butler (under Brad Stevens) and Purdue. Despite the last 1.5 years, I think that Shrewberry is the real deal and would be a great pick up.
Either way, expect some Big Ten coaching drama in the coming weeks. It should be fun.
Indiana got off to a 4-1 start in the Big Ten, but they were honestly never a legitimate threat to compete for the conference title. In my analysis the Hoosiers' title odds maxed out at just 2% in early December. Now they are down to one-in-4,500.
That may seem crazy, as Indiana is "only" 4-3, but the Hoosiers have, by far, the toughest remaining Big Ten schedule. Check out their next seven games:
Good luck with that...
Indiana will likely finish around 8-12 or 7-13 in the Big Ten after being picked to finish second in the preseason. I doubt that they will make the NCAA Tournament at all.
During last night's rout, the Indiana fans were apparently chanting "Fire Woodson," and I would guess that they will get their wish by the end of the season, if not before. If this happens, the speculation would then turn to Woodson's replacement.
If this does come to pass, Dusty May's name will obviously come up. Many suspected that May was waiting for the Indiana job to open when he took the Michigan job. With the Wolverines off to a surprisingly strong start, his stock is an high as ever, and the chance to return to Bloomington might be too strong. At this point I would be surprised if not shocked if May were NOT offered the Indiana job before April. But would he take it? I am not 100% convinced that he would, but I would lean that those odds are over 50%
If May were to turn Indiana down, where does Indiana turn? I cannot claim to be an expert in this area, but one name that I would be curious about is Micah Shrewsberry from Notre Dame. He has had a rough time so far in South Bend, but I thought that he was excellent at Penn State. He is from Indianapolis and has coached at both Butler (under Brad Stevens) and Purdue. Despite the last 1.5 years, I think that Shrewberry is the real deal and would be a great pick up.
Either way, expect some Big Ten coaching drama in the coming weeks. It should be fun.
