Sources: Mike Woodson Status Announcement at Indiana 'Will Come Before Saturday'

Beleaguered Indiana basketball coach Mike Woodson won't be back next season, sources say, and the university is expected to announce the decision before Saturday's home game against Michigan. It is unclear if Woodson will coach the remainder of the season.

Indiana coach Mike Woodson questions a call during a December 2024 game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Sources close to the Indiana basketball program told Indiana Hoosiers on SI on Thursday that Mike Woodson will not return to his alma mater next season, and an announcement on his status is expected to be made before Saturday's game against Michigan at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Woodson, 66, was hired in March 2021 to replace Archie Miller, who coached four years at Indiana and never made the NCAA Tournament. Woodson is in his fourth year, too, and has a 77-49 record and two NCAA appearances, winning a game in both the 2022 and 2023 tournaments. He is 36-36 in Big Ten games.

He played a dozen years in the NBA and spent three decades as a coach, including six years as the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks and three with the New York Knicks. Woodson has been frustrated with his inability to turn this program around, and a source says Woodson has discussed stepping away after this season.

For several months, it seemed as though Woodson was running out of supporters inside and around the program. An ending seemed inevitable, and now it appears to be playing out.

Woodson played at Indiana from 1976 and 1980 and is in the school's Hall of Fame as one of its all-time greats. He's one of only five players all-time to score more than 2,000 points at IU.

But Woodson has been under fire for two years, and it appears the school is ready to move on. Sources have said the exit plan is ''not done yet,'' but likely will be before Saturday's 1 p.m. ET game against Michigan. The Wolverines are coached by Dusty May, a former Indiana student manager who's one of the hottest — and most popular — young coaches in the country.

What's left to figure out is if this is a retirement or a resignation, and if Woodson will continue to coach the Hoosiers this season. The source said many Indiana higher-ups don't want an ugly scene on Saturday with Woodson and May in the same building. They would like to see the university move on immediately, with Woodson gone and an interim coach named for the final eight regular season games and any postseason opportunities.

Others say that Woodson deserves the right to finish out the season, at the very least, and that an announcement on his status might ease the unruliness of the fan base.

"There is no way Mike is coming back next year, so right now everyone is just trying to figure out the best way to word it,'' the source said. "It’s either a retirement or a resignation, because no one in Indiana wants to ever say that they fired a legend like Mike Woodson. There's a respect factor there for one of the greatest players in IU history.”

Woodson played for Bob Knight and returned to Bloomington in 2021 with much fanfare for a fan base that wanted a return to Knight roots — and, hopefully, similar success. Woodson went 21-14 and 23-12 in his first two years with Trayce Jackson-Davis as his star, but failed to reach the NCAA Tournament last year and suffered through nine double-digit losses, including five by 20 points or more.

The trend has continued this season. The Hoosiers have lost six games by double digits, including five by 16 points or more. Woodson — and his players — were roundly booed in a 25-point home loss to Illinois on Jan. 14, when they gave up a school-record 60 points in the first half.

Things like that have happened far too often.

The Hoosiers trailed 26-4 after seven minutes at Wisconsin on Tuesday before losing 76-64. Indiana has lost six of its last seven games. It might have been the last straw after nearly two years of struggles.

May, who was a student manager for Knight from 1996-2000, also worked on Mike Davis' staff at Indiana. He's risen up the coaching ranks quickly and led Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023. He was hired by Michigan last spring and the No. 24-ranked Wolverines are 17-5 this year, and 9-2 in the Big Ten, just a half-game out of first place.

Many IU fans clamored for the Hoosiers to hire May last spring, and move away from Woodson. It didn't happen, and he wound up in the Big Ten anyway.

Woodson got a raise from $3 million a year to $4.2 million a season after his 23-win campaign in 2023, but no additional years were added to his contract. He has two years remaining, and the balance is all guaranteed. Indiana added a provision in the revised contract to be able to pay out the $8.4 million balance if Woodson was let go in increments of $1 million per year, softening the blow of a coaching change.

Editor's Note: This story will be updated.