Did Indiana make the NCAA Tournament? Exploring potential reasons behind Hoosiers snub

Modified Mar 16, 2025 23:59 GMT

NCAA Basketball: Big Ten Conference Tournament Second Round-Oregon vs Indiana - Source: Imagn

Mike Woodson will bid farewell to his coaching career earlier than he may have expected. Indiana's coach announced in February that he would retire at the end of this season, but there was hope that the Hoosiers would make a March Madness appearance.

ESPN had Indiana in the last four in when analyst Joe Lunardi released his final NCAA Bracketology update, but Selection Sunday revealed that Indiana will not be dancing this season.

Big Ten Tournament second round: Oregon vs. Indiana - Source: Imagn

Many questioned the voting committee's reasoning behind the Hoosiers' snub.

Here's a look into Indiana's season and why they may have missed out on a March Madness bid.

Indiana's 2024-25 season

Mike Woodson's team has had an up-and-down season. The Hoosiers (19-13) opened the season with four straight wins, but Big Ten play wasn't kind. From Jan. 11 to Feb. 14, Indiana lost eight of 10 conference contests, including five straight losses.

Syndication: The Indianapolis Star - Source: Imagn

Things turned around for Woodson's squad after that, winning four of its final five regular-season games. Indiana entered the Big Ten Tournament as the nine seed, but the Hoosiers fell to No. 8 seed Oregon 72-59 in the first round.

That double-digit loss in their first Big Ten Tournament game did nothing for the Hoosiers' NCAA Tournament hopes. However, they were still a somewhat promising bubble team.

Indiana didn't lose any games outside of Quad 1 this season, which is an admirable stat on its own, but the Hoosiers only had four Quad 1 wins. Woodson's squad only beat two teams that made the NCAA Tournament, which could have created doubt within the voting committee as to whether Indiana could compete against March Madness teams.

Members of CBS' Selection Sunday broadcast team discussed the NCAA Tournament bids, and analyst Seth Davis seemed surprised by the Hoosiers' snub.

"Indiana is the one that sticks out to me. They had a win at Michigan State, (win) home against Purdue and 4-13 Quad 1 (record), more (Quad 1 wins) than North Carolina," Davis said. "North Carolina also had a Quad 3 loss at home to Stanford. Indiana did not have any losses outside of Quad 1."

Syndication: The Herald-Times - Source: Imagn

Debate always ensues about which teams make March Madness and which fall short. This season, to the surprise of some, Indiana will not be competing in the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers miss March Madness for a second straight season, and the Woodson era is over, barring accepting any bids to other postseason tournaments.

About the author

Lindsey Ware is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over five years of experience working with publications such as The News & Observer, The Daily Tar Heel, Triangle Tribune and Cardiac Cane. She has also worked for Major League Baseball, The Holly Springs Salamanders, The Tri-City Chili Peppers, Tuffy Talk, Super Meteors Basketball, Just Good Network and Living Sport.

Lindsey has a Bachelor’s Degree in Media and Journalism from UNC Chapel Hill. Her education allowed Lindsey to gain experience in sports communication, which she honed in internships. Other than being a storyteller and sports fanatic, Lindsey is also a social media and marketing specialist.

Her favorite college team is UNC, although she grew up a N.C. State fan as both of her parents are Wolfpack alumni. Michael Jordan was a huge deal in North Carolina when Lindsey was growing up, and after a summer spent at UNC’s Sports Journalism Camp back in high school, Lindsey was set on being a Tar Heel.

Lindsey's favorite college coach of all time is Roy Williams. During her time attending UNC Chapel Hill and writing for The Daily Tar Heel, Lindsey was lucky enough to meet and speak with Williams a few times. He was like a celebrity on UNC’s campus and was beloved for his coaching style and success with the Tar Heels, accumulating three NCAA championship titles in 18 years.

When not watching or writing about sports, Lindsey enjoys reading, trying new restaurants and coffee shops, and spending time with my friends, family and dog. She also likes to journal, watch movies and paint.

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Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein