INDIANAPOLIS — In a cruel twist of fate for Indiana basketball fans, the state’s most talented products are now competing for a national championship—just not in Bloomington. Dusty May, the former Indiana guard turned Michigan head coach, is leading a Wolverines team on the cusp of a title after a dominant season. Meanwhile, Braylon Mullins, the 2025 Indiana Mr. Basketball, is dazzling for UConn, hitting clutch shots at Lucas Oil Stadium to carry his team to the championship game. Their paths to Indianapolis were paved by Indiana’s own misfortune: a pair of coaching decisions in 2023–2024 that left the Hoosiers’ program in tatters, ensuring that two of the state’s brightest stars would wear other colors when it mattered most.
How Indiana’s 2023–2024 Coaching Chaos Set the Stage for This Heartbreak
The collapse of Indiana’s men’s basketball program over the past two seasons traces back to a four-month span in late 2023 and early 2024, when university officials made two of the most consequential—and divergent—hiring and retention decisions in program history. In December 2023, Indiana hired Curt Cignetti from James Madison, a move that delivered immediate dividends: the Hoosiers went 28–2 in 2023–24, won the Big Ten regular-season title, and reached the Sweet 16. Yet just weeks later, in a decision that now looks like an organizational misfire, athletic director Courtney Love opted to retain Mike Woodson for a fourth season, despite a 19–14 record and a humiliating 27-point loss to Nebraska in the Big Ten tournament.
The Woodson Retention: A Decision That Haunts Indiana Basketball
Woodson, a former Indiana standout during the Bob Knight era, was a sentimental favorite among alumni and former players, including Quinn Buckner of the 1976 undefeated team. His first two seasons under Love saw incremental progress: the Hoosiers won 20 games and made the NCAA tournament, though they were eliminated in the first round both years. The 2023–24 campaign, however, was a disaster. The team finished 19–14, struggled to sustain momentum, and was forced to sweat out NCAA Tournament selection before losing its conference tournament opener to Nebraska. The decision to retain Woodson wasn’t just a gamble on a coach whose best days were behind him; it was a rejection of momentum built by Cignetti’s unexpected success.
Sources close to the program say Love faced immense internal pressure to retain Woodson, given his ties to the program’s storied past. But the calculus ignored a glaring opportunity cost: Dusty May, the hot coaching commodity who had just led Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023, was available. May, a Knightstown native who played under Knight and served as a coach during the 2002 national title run, had built a reputation as a program-builder. By March 2024, he was regarded as the top free agent in college basketball. Indiana, however, never seriously pursued him, instead choosing to gamble on Woodson’s return.
If Only Indiana Had Made Different Moves: The May and Mullins Alternate Timeline
Had Indiana acted decisively in spring 2024, the program—and the state’s basketball landscape—might look entirely different today. May was not only available; he was eager to return to his alma mater. ‘Dusty grew up 20 minutes from Bloomington,’ said a former IU assistant who spoke on condition of anonymity. ‘He wanted to come home. But by the time the search opened up, Michigan and Louisville had already circled him.’ Instead of coaching the Wolverines, May might have been leading the Hoosiers, with Mullins as his star freshman.
“If Indiana had hired Dusty May, Braylon Mullins would be playing at home right now,” said college basketball analyst Seth Davis. “Instead, we’re watching the two of them try to win a title for Michigan and UConn. That’s the harsh reality of what happened in 2023–24.”
Braylon Mullins: From Greenfield to UConn’s Championship Run
Mullins’ journey to Lucas Oil Stadium is a cautionary tale for Indiana recruiters. The 6-foot-7 sharpshooter from Greenfield-Central High School was the state’s top prospect in the Class of 2025, and his recruitment became a barometer for Indiana’s basketball ambitions. By summer 2024, Mullins had offers from nearly every blue-blood program: Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, North Carolina, Michigan, and Indiana. Yet the Hoosiers, saddled with Woodson’s lame-duck tenure, were late to the table.
Why UConn Became the Obvious Choice for Mullins
UConn’s recruitment of Mullins began with a strategic pitch: a program on the rise, fresh off back-to-back national titles (2023 and 2024) and led by coach Dan Hurley, who had established himself as one of the game’s most innovative offensive minds. ‘My first official visit was to UConn,’ Mullins said. ‘It set the standard. I wanted the freedom to play my game.’
Luke Murray, a UConn assistant and Hurley’s son-in-law, spearheaded the pitch. ‘I’d seen Braylon’s film in his junior year and thought he was a perfect fit for how we play—high volume, high efficiency,’ Murray said. ‘Coach Hurley saw him live at an AAU tournament in Texas and fell in love. By the time he made his decision, schools like Indiana and Michigan were fighting for scraps.’
Mullins signed with UConn in October 2024, choosing the Huskies over North Carolina and Indiana. The decision reflected both the allure of a program on the rise and the reality that Indiana’s basketball fortunes were at a low ebb. ‘Indiana was heading into a Woodson lame-duck season,’ said a recruiting analyst familiar with the process. ‘Coaches change, and prospects notice.’
The Broader Exodus: Indiana’s Talent Drain and the Rise of In-State Expatriates
Indiana’s inability to retain its best players is not new, but the scale of the exodus in recent years has reached historic levels. In the 2025 Final Four alone, players with Indiana ties were central to every team’s success: May’s Michigan squad, Mullins’ UConn team, Illinois’ Jake Davis and Ben Humrichous, and even Arizona’s Jason Gardner Jr., son of the 1999 Indiana Mr. Basketball. This follows a pattern that has defined the state’s basketball landscape for nearly a decade.
A Decade of Disappointment: Indiana’s Recruiting Failures
Since 2015, Indiana has failed to land a top-10 prospect in the Rivals or 247Sports rankings. The last five Indiana Mr. Basketball winners have gone to UConn, Kansas, Notre Dame, and Purdue (twice), while the last nine state Mr. Basketball winners to play in the Final Four chose programs outside Indiana. The most glaring examples include Kyle Guy (Virginia, 2019), who hit three clutch free throws to beat Auburn in the Final Four, and Trey Lyles (Kentucky, 2014), who was a McDonald’s All-American but chose to leave the state.
Purdue, often the Hoosiers’ closest rival, has capitalized on Indiana’s struggles. In 2024, the Boilermakers reached the national championship game with four Indiana products in their rotation: Braden Smith (Westfield), Fletcher Loyer (Fort Wayne), Trey Kaufman-Renn (Sellersburg), and Mason Gillis (New Castle). Meanwhile, UConn’s 2023 title was secured in part by Indiana native Jordan Hawkins, and May’s Florida Atlantic Final Four run in 2023 was led by Gary’s Johnell Davis.
The Aftermath: Where Indiana Stands Now—and What Comes Next
With Woodson fired in March 2025, Indiana turned to West Virginia’s Darian DeVries, a respected coach with a track record of developing players. DeVries inherits a roster with NIL resources but a roster depleted by transfers, including All-Big Ten guard Race Thompson, who left for Kentucky. The 2024–25 season was another disappointment: the Hoosiers finished 16–18 overall, missed the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year, and suffered a 25-point loss to Michigan in February—a game that served as a microcosm of the program’s decline.
‘The Woodson era was a bridge too far,’ said a longtime Indiana athletics insider. ‘We had a chance to reset with Cignetti, but we chose nostalgia over progress. Now we’re playing catch-up, and it’s going to take more than one hire to fix this.’
Key Takeaways: What This Means for Indiana Basketball
- Indiana’s decision to retain Mike Woodson for a fourth season in 2024 derailed a potential resurgence and led to a historic collapse, culminating in a fourth straight NCAA Tournament miss.
- The hiring of Dusty May by Michigan and the recruitment of Braylon Mullins by UConn—both Indiana natives—highlight the state’s inability to retain top talent and rebuild its program.
- Indiana’s recent recruiting struggles have contributed to a decade-long exodus of Hoosier talent to other programs, with eight of the last nine Mr. Basketball winners playing in the Final Four for schools outside Indiana.
- The program’s reliance on nostalgia over analytics and program-building has left Indiana trailing rivals like Purdue and programs like UConn and Michigan in the race for elite talent.
- With a new coaching regime under Darian DeVries, the Hoosiers face a long road to relevance, requiring a cultural reset and a commitment to modern player development.
Frequently Asked Questions About Indiana Basketball’s Collapse and Its Fallout
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why did Indiana retain Mike Woodson in 2024 despite his poor performance?
- Athletic director Courtney Love faced immense internal pressure to retain Woodson due to his ties to Indiana’s storied past, including his role during the Bob Knight era. The decision was seen as a nod to tradition over recent performance and program-building potential.
- Could Indiana have won the 2025 national title with Dusty May as coach?
- While no one can say for certain, May’s track record—culminating in leading Michigan to a potential title—suggests Indiana would have been significantly more competitive. May’s hiring would have also positioned the Hoosiers to recruit Mullins and other top prospects.
- How has Indiana’s recruiting declined compared to Purdue and other rivals?
- Indiana has failed to land a top-10 prospect in the Rivals or 247Sports rankings since 2015, a stretch that coincides with the Hoosiers’ four-year NCAA Tournament drought. Purdue, in contrast, has built a contender by retaining in-state talent like Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer.
