3 Things that Have to Happen for IUBB to Make the 2024 NCAA Tournament

There is a very, very small chance that the IU men's basketball team will earn an NCAA tournament appearance this season, but if the stars align just correctly they could sway the attention of voters. Heading into their (revenge) matchup with Nebraska this evening, Indiana is currently slotted at 97th in the Ken Pom rankings. It has been a rocky road throughout the current campaign for Mike Woodson and his team, but a late season push could catch the eyes of the electors. This is a team with a solid nucleus of talent, and despite some fans calling for Mike Woodson's replacement there is no denying the strong connection between the shot-caller and this program. Things may not be going according to plan thus far, but patience is always a virtue.

At this moment, the team is 14-11 overall for the regular season and 6-8 in Big Ten conference play (tied with Rutgers for 9th place), so they have a very slim margin for error in the final frame of the campaign. They also do not have an overly impressive resume, with some of their most impressive non-conference victories being over the likes of Harvard (meh) and Louisville (currently 8-18 overall on the season). With those things in mind, the microscopic likelihood of the Hoosiers earning a spot in the 2024 NCAA tournament depends on a few simple/complicated criteria which must be met with no ifs, ands, or buts.

Are the odds of these things coming to fruition great? No.

But is the possibility of these things coming to fruition impossible? Never.