It's Official: Mike Woodson Era At Indiana Will Come To A Close At End Of Season

Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson made the news official via press release Friday afternoon.

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson during the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It’s official. Indiana men’s basketball will part ways with coach Mike Woodson at the end of the season.

Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson sent a press release at 4 p.m. ET Friday confirming that the Woodson era will be coming to an end.

Woodson will coach the final eight games of the regular season and the Big Ten Tournament.

Dolson said Woodson signaled his desire to step down at season’s end on Wednesday, the day after Indiana returned from a 76-64 defeat at Wisconsin, a game in which the Hoosiers fell behind 26-4.

“During a meeting with Coach Woodson on Wednesday, he informed me he wanted to step down as our program’s head coach at the end of the current season. He said it had been weighing on his mind for a while, and that it was an emotional and difficult decision,” Dolson said in his statement.

“We have had subsequent thoughtful conversations about his decision and his desire to ensure that the program is in the best position it can be moving forward,” Dolson continued.

Dolson indicated that Woodson wants the focus taken off of him and placed on uniting the fan base. 

“It’s clear to me from our discussions in the last several days that his No. 1 priority is for the attention to be off him, and instead focused on uniting Hoosier Nation in support of our student-athletes, coaches, and, most importantly, the program,” Dolson said.

“We still have much to play for this season as we prepare for Saturday’s game against Michigan and the remainder of the 2024-25 season, and we want to encourage Hoosier fans to rally around the program and support it in the same positive way that Hoosier fans did during Mike’s All-America and Big Ten MVP playing career,” Dolson added.

Woodson was hired in 2021 to replace Archie Miller. A proud son of the program, Woodson played at Indiana from 1976-80 and helped the Hoosiers win the Big Ten championship in 1980.

His arrival in 2021 came with much fanfare as Woodson expressed his desire to take Indiana back to winning ways as far as Big Ten and Final Four contention was concerned.

Indiana made the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and 2023, finishing second in the Big Ten in 2023, but the Hoosiers were defeated on the first weekend of the tournament in both seasons.

The Hoosiers failed to make the NCAA Tournament in 2024 and are not on-pace to make the field in 2025.

Fan sentiment began to turn against Woodson, especially after consecutive 25-point defeats to Iowa and Illinois in January.

Woodson, in his fourth season, has a 77-49 record, the sixth-winningest coach in Indiana history. His .611 winning percentage places him 11th all-time.

Dolson praised Woodson for confronting the changing world of college athletics during his time as Indiana’s coach.

“Coach Woodson is a class act. During the last four years, he has led the program during a transformational time in college athletics and helped us become a national leader in evolving areas including NIL and the transfer portal,” Dolson said. “No one loves IU Basketball more than he does. I want to thank him for coming back to Bloomington and accepting the challenge of rebuilding our program and re-connecting it with its past and its foundation.”

“With this decision made, Coach Woodson and I share the desire to see Hoosier Nation unite beginning on Saturday afternoon in support of these players, coaches, and program,” Dolson concluded.

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