Gregg Marshall’s wife makes headlines, does Indiana proceed with caution?

Should Indiana proceed with caution in pursuing Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall after his wife Lynn made headlines this weekend?

Indiana fans had a few reasons to watch the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament this weekend. Tom Crean was fired on Thursday, minutes after tip-off of the first game in the round of 64. The rumors of who might replace Crean flooded in and many of those names were coaching in the tournament.

Among the names on that list include Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall. Marshall successfully pushed his No. 10 seed Shockers past second round opponent No. 7 seed Dayton. They met No. 2 seed Kentucky in the third round and took the game to the final buzzer. Wichita State fell to Kentucky, 65-62. The Shockers play on the court was not the only headline coming from Wichita State after their loss.

Gregg Marshall’s wife, Lynn Marshall, was heard loud and clear throughout the first weekend of the tournament. More so, her behavior brought some negative attention. Marshall was escorted out by a security team following Wichita State’s loss. The Associated Press reports that a security guard had asked Marshall to leave after loudly cursing and causing a scene.

"A security guard asked the wife of Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall to leave the lower bowl of Bankers Life Fieldhouse after she started loudly cursing shortly after Sunday’s 65-62 loss to Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament."

To make matters worse, the NCAA tried to combat the distraction that Marshall was making by asking a reporter to take down videos posted to Twitter. Drew Franklin of Kentucky Sports Radio was sitting near Lynn Marshall on press row and began to live tweet her behavior. His live tweets include videos showing the Wichita State wife yelling at Kentucky players.

"Someone from the NCAA came and got my name and told me I could no longer tweet about her because “it made her upset.” I guess it didn’t make anyone else upset when she told Malik Monk to get in the weight room or told Isaiah Briscoe to buy some bigger shorts or told Calipari to “shut the f-ck up” or told Roger Ayers he is garbage or any of the other classy things she yelled between F-bombs."

The NCAA apparently did not see the tweets as constructive. Franklin took to Twitter to mention that a member representing the NCAA forced him to take down the video of Greg Marshall’s wife. The situation became news when the NCAA then denied asking Franklin to take down the video.

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So how does the situation that took place in Indianapolis translate to Indiana’s coaching search? Well, Gregg Marshall is presumed to be on the short list of coaches being considered for the opening. Do the headlines this weekend detour Indiana from pursuing Marshall? I doubt it, but it is worth noting.

We reported earlier this week that Yahoo! Sports Brad Evans believes that Marshall would only leave Wichita State for two other schools: Indiana or North Carolina. The question is whether or not Marshall’s wife put his candidacy in jeopardy.

Many will say Athletic Director Fred Glass is not seriously considering Marshall given his lack of ties to Indiana. Marshall was born in South Carolina, grew up and spent most of his early coaching career in Virginia. Glass told the media after Crean’s firing that the right candidate “being a former IU person is a double-check plus. Being from the state of Indiana is a double-check plus. Collegiate head-coaching experience is certainly a double-check plus.”

Given that statement, It’s hard to believe that Gregg Marshall is the favorite to land the job. Glass seems to hold a high standard for the Indiana connection, giving candidates a “double-check plus”, whatever that means. However, Marshall is one of the most qualified candidates in terms of success and proven coaching ability. If he is seriously being considered, Marshall will likely have a few questions to answer about his wife’s conduct at games.

Next: Indiana has the NCAA credibility Gregg Marshall is looking for

On the flip side, Indiana fans could instantly fall in love with her. Her feud with Kentucky could make her an instant favorite with some Indiana fans. Others might see her as a sideshow and rather not partake in bringing it to Assembly Hall.