At the end of the 2024-25 college basketball season, the Indiana Hoosiers will be searching for a new head coach as current hed coach Mike Woodson will step down as the end of the Hoosiers season.
As Indiana fights for the right to make the NCAA Tournament as a bubble team (17-11) they will have to have the perfect hire as they have had three different coaches in ten years.
Fox Sports reporter John Fanta has suggested that Iowa State head coach TJ Otzelberger would be a top-tier candidate for the Hoosiers to consider.
“If I had to make a prediction right now, I would say TJ Otzelberger, I think it makes a lot of sense,”Fanta said on Pardon My Take.“He’s done a phenomenal job at Iowa State, and I think he’s been outstanding at Iowa State, but I think that this guy is one of the best coaches in the sport who can take on the Indiana fan base and will be strong.
"It should be the guy that Indiana pursues the most. And I’m just thinking, if I’m Scott Dolson, who’s running this search, you got to bow down to whoever you’re hiring and say, ‘look, we need you.’ Everyone’s like, ‘oh, it’s Indiana, the aura,’ come on man. Kids don’t know about that. They’ve seen the candy cane pants, but the days of coach Knight, god bless him, and may he rest in peace. But like, the fact is, that was a long time ago.”"John Fanta of Fox Sports
Currently in his fourth season at Iowa State, Otzelberger is 91-41 with the Iowa State Cyclones, making the NCAA Tournament the last three years. He has led the program to the Sweet 16 twice and is currently an AP Top 25 team sitting at an overall record of 21-6.
Otzelberger began his head coaching career in 2016-17 with South Dakota State and his coaching career began in 2001. With South Dakota State, Otzelberger went 70-33 and led the Jack Rabbits to the NCAA Tournament twice in three years. He also spent two years at UNLV, he went 29-30 at his time in Las Vegas.
His ability to build programs and win games is undeniable.
T.J. Otzelbeger just signed an extension at Iowa State through 2032 and is making 2.5 million a year in Ames
In the latest release of his latest Bracketology, Lunardi's prediction of who is in and just out of the tournament, the Hoosiers are sitting as the second team in the "First Four Out" category just after UNC
ICYMI: @GoodmanHoops on why he's all-in on TJ Otzelberger for Indiana 👀
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 22, 2025
"He's young, he's got culture, he's got enough of a track record... and his buyout is now significantly lower. The big question is, would TJ want Indiana?"
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