Indiana coach Mike Woodson after his final home game: ‘Maybe I’m leaving too soon’

Head coach Mike Woodson and the Indiana Hoosiers are parting ways after the 2024-25 college basketball season, but the veteran coach got caught up in the moment after the school’s Senior Day victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday.

“Maybe I’m leaving too soon. I don’t know,” Woodson said when asked about his feelings postgame. “This brings back old memories. My last game on this floor [as a player] was against Ohio State for the Big Ten title back in 1980. For these seniors, this is what it’s all about because they don’t get another shot at it. 

“I couldn’t be more proud of a group of guys that have hung in there with me. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs this year, but they are competitors. They keep competing, and we still got to go try to win the Big Ten Tournament. That’s what’s next.” 

Both the Hoosiers and Buckeyes needed a win Saturday to help their NCAA Tournament résumés. In Mike Decourcy’s latest bracket projections, they were two of his last four teams in the tournament. 

Ohio State led most of the first half and built a 10-point lead with just over 12 minutes left in the second half. But Indiana came roaring back. Senior guard Trey Galloway pitched in with two 3-pointers during a 12-0 run to give the Hoosiers a five-point lead in the final minute.  

With the 66-60 victory, Indiana earned a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament and its fifth Quad 1 win, likely securing its spot in the NCAA Tournament. 

When the news came out that the 67-year-old Woodson would not return to Bloomington next year, the Hoosiers were 14-9 overall and 5-7 in Big Ten play. Since then, they’ve gone 5-3 to finish 19-12 overall and 10-10 in the Big Ten, jumping from 12th to ninth in the conference standings.

 [Related: Who should replace Mike Woodson at Indiana?]

Woodson’s tenure as a coach isn’t over yet. The Hoosiers will face the No. 8 seed Thursday in the Big Ten Tournament and should make the Big Dance for the third time under Woodson. But the former Indiana player has coached his last game at Assembly Hall, even if he’s perhaps not quite ready to say goodbye.

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