Mike Woodson and his Indiana Hoosiers have hit rock bottom. It was a night for the Hoosiers fans wish to forget as they saw their team lose back-to-back games by 25 points; this time against the no. 19 Illinois Fighting Illini. A stunned crowd at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall watched in disbelief as their team lost 69-94 marking the second-biggest loss in program history. 

With a 4-3 record in the Big 10 conference, the pressure is mounting on coach Mike Woodson. Indiana fans look to have finally run out of patience, too. Chants of “Fire Woodson” echoed throughout the court, potentially signaling, what could be the beginning of the end for Woodson’s tenure in Bloomington.

But, it’s not just the fans who are beginning to criticize the 2004 NBA champion. The analysts have similar feelings as evidenced in The Field Of 68: After Dark podcast, where Analyst Rob Dauster described Indiana’s performance against Illinois as ‘unacceptable and embarrassing.’

The latest episode, which was hosted by Rob Dauster, Randolph Childress, and CJ Moore talked in deep about the issues at hand for Indiana. Rob said,” To me, unacceptable, the level of effort that they had (Indiana), but I think there is a larger conversation to be had here. This is the record Indiana has against top 50 opponents, they beat Penn State last week, other than that, their other five games against top 50 opponents, 28 point loss to Louisville, 16 point loss to Nebraska, 17 point loss to Gonzaga, 25 point loss to Iowa and this 25 point loss tonight.” This highlights the abysmal record of coach Woodson against the Quad 1 teams. He has a 1-5 record against the big teams and while there’s plenty of time left, there is a genuine chance of Indiana not making it to the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row.

On the same podcast, CJ Moore pointed to a glaring issue in Indiana’s humiliating loss to Illinois, the players’ lack of effort and abysmal body language. According to Moore, it seemed as though the Hoosiers had already thrown in the towel long before the final buzzer.

When asked by Dauster regarding the major factors contributing to this loss, he said,” I think they just give up.” He continues, ‘‘So there is a possession with 5:30 left and I encourage you to go and watch it because it’s a 3 on 1 for Illinois.” He continues, ”They try to throw a one-handed pass, Omar Balo actually deflects it, and so it’s a loose ball, and it ping pongs over to I think Casparis, he throws it out, dude tries to dunk it but gets stripped and all the while this is happening, Omar Balo is kinda watching and like slow walking back towards the paint and Illinois get a layup.” ”What does coach Woodson do? He just lets it keep going”. 

This shows how everyone in the team is just playing for themselves and not as a whole unit. Coach Woodson looks to have lost the plot at Indiana and unless he does something about it, the future of Indiana looks dark.

Is coach Woodson’s job really on the line?

There is still time for coach Woodson to turn things around, of course! It is still mid-January, and lots of basketball is still to be played. Despite having a 13-5 record this season, it’s the big games that have been hurting Indiana dearly this season. A 1-5 record against the Quad 1 teams doesn’t give the fans and the critics anything to like about the Hoosiers.

The only thing, that has probably saved Woodson’s job up until now is the absence of leading scorer Malik Reneau, who has played only in one game this month. Reneau, who is averaging 14.1 points per game this season is currently nursing a right knee injury and is a huge miss for the Hoosiers.

Indiana’s upcoming road games against Ohio State and Northwestern could be the perfect chance to get back on track. These games offer a lifeline for Woodson and his team to rebuild their confidence and momentum. But if things go south, the season could soon end in a disaster. The challenge intensifies when the Hoosiers enter a brutal stretch of four straight games against ranked teams, starting with No. 17 Purdue, on January 31.

It’s hammer time for the Indiana Hoosiers and Mike Woodson. You would think the bare minimum expectation for a program like Indiana would be to make it to the NCAA tournament. If Woodson fails to deliver that, his job at the Hoosiers might very well be at risk!