First-year Indiana Hoosiers head football coach Curt Cignetti is not lacking in confidence.

Cignetti, who was hired away from James Madison after five seasons, was asked how he sells the vision of his culture to recruits during Wednesday’s National Signing Day press conference.

Indiana landed 10 players in the transfer portal, including former Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke, the 2022 MAC Offensive Player of the Year.

“Kurtis Rourke knows how to play quarterback,” Cignetti said. “While he’s got to do it between the white lines at Indiana, I fully expect him to do it. I think he’s going to be a great player for us.

Cignetti emphasized that every player will have to earn their spot at Indiana, regardless of their past accolades.

Anthony Leal has typically received the loudest cheers from the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall crowd during introductions since he joined the starting lineup in mid-January.

That’s in part because he’s a Bloomington native and the 2020 Indiana Mr. Basketball playing for his hometown school. But the crowd’s appreciation for Leal is perhaps more so due to his style of play – winning basketball, the type Hoosier fans have longed for in recent years. The best example of that throughout Leal’s five-year college career came Sunday, when Indiana’s season of ups and downs reached a high point with a 73-58 win over No. 13 Purdue.

took a team effort, with six Hoosiers scoring double figures. Malik Reneau’s 7-for-7 shooting and Trey Galloway’s nine assists highlighted the win. In a broad sense, it kept Indiana’s NCAA Tournament hopes alive. But turn to the minute details required to secure the upset victory, and Leal’s fingerprints were all over it.

“He’s been huge,” Woodson said.  “I mean, you expect that. Anthony has been around me awhile, and he’s gone through a lot with me. We didn’t play him a whole lot early because I just didn’t play him. But he never quit working, and that’s a testament to him in terms of how he approaches the game. Now he’s getting an opportunity to play, and he’s making the most of it. You expect that from seniors. I mean, I wouldn’t expect anything less. So it’s a good showing tonight, based on how we played in the second half. So I’m happy as hell.”

With wins in three of its last four games, IU basketball is firmly back in the NCAA tournament discussion.

The Hoosiers still have work to do with a pivotal road game against Washington tomorrow night in Seattle.

Bracketologist Andy Bottoms included IU in his projected field earlier this week and the Hoosiers are now showing up in several notable projections ahead of this weekend’s game.

Before we get to the projections, here is a brief look at IU’s tournament resume:

According to the NCAA’s NET rankings, the Hoosiers are 4-11 in Quad 1, 4-0 in Quad 2, 5-0 in Quad 3 and 4-0 in Quad 4. As of Friday, Indiana is No. 57 in the NET.

As of Friday afternoon, Indiana sits at 55th in the BPI, 52nd in KenPom and 60th in Bart Torvik in the predictive metrics used by the NCAA tournament selection committee.

According to the results-based metrics used by the NCAA tournament selection committee, Indiana is ranked 46th in wins above bubble (or WAB), 33rd in KPI and 50th in strength of record.

Delphi Bracketology has consistently performed well in the Bracket Matrix and Indiana is in its latest projections released Friday morning as a No. 11 seed and one of the last four teams in the field.

Lunardi’s latest projections released Friday morning have Indiana as a No. 11 seed playing in the First Four in Dayton.

What’s most interesting about this projection is that Indiana is two spots away from the cutline. Lunardi’s current last four in: Oklahoma, Indiana, Ohio State and Texas.

Palm’s latest projections, also released Friday, have the Hoosiers as the top team in the last four in.

Palm’s current last four in: Indiana, Georgia, Boise State and Xavier. The first four out, according to Palm: Texas, North Carolina, Baylor and Ohio State.

The Bracket Matrix, a composite look at projections from across the Web, has Indiana in 73 of 108 projections tracked or 67.5 percent of the published brackets.

As of early Friday afternoon, the Hoosiers were listed as a No. 10 seed in two projections. However, the other 71 brackets that include IU have them as a No. 11 or 12 seed.

You can view the Bracket Matrix here.

In a major recruiting victory, the Indiana Hoosiers have secured a commitment from 2025 basketball star Xaivian Lee, who has been described as one of the top prospects of the class. The 6’9″ forward, known for his impressive skill set, versatility, and athleticism, is seen as a direct replacement for Malik Reneau, who recently declared for the NBA Draft.

Lee’s commitment is a game-changer for Indiana, who has been working hard to strengthen their roster for the upcoming seasons. A 100% recruit, Lee’s decision comes after months of speculation regarding his future. His high-flying dunks, shot-blocking ability, and growing offensive game have caught the attention of college basketball fans and scouts alike.

This addition further cements Indiana’s strong recruiting class, giving head coach Mike Woodson a significant piece to work with as he looks to build a championship-contending team. Lee’s ability to contribute on both ends of the floor, particularly as a rim protector and rebounder, will fill a void left by Reneau’s departure.

Xaivian Lee’s arrival in Bloomington is expected to elevate Indiana’s recruiting profile and set the stage for even more success in the 2025 season. As the Hoosiers continue to build a competitive roster, Lee’s presence provides the program with an exciting future and immediate impact potential.

As Trey Galloway cashed in the second of back-to-back 3-pointers with 5:14 left in the second half against Penn State, he flexed and nodded toward the Indiana bench as he made his way over.

The triple gave the Hoosiers a four-point lead they didn’t relinquish the rest of the way Wednesday night, securing a necessary 83-78 win to keep postseason hopes alive.

It may have taken a while for Indiana to play its best basketball, but it’s happening at the right time.

“These guys are playing for something,” Mike Woodson said postgame. “We’re trying to get in the tournament. We’ve got three games left.”

While finding a true personification of a shared goal or connectedness is difficult, IU did the closest thing to it – 24 assists on 29 made field goals.

Following up an 18-assist performance against Purdue, the Hoosiers notched marks they hadn’t accomplished since a 21-assist outing against Minnesota on Dec. 9. Wednesday night’s assist total was narrowly shy of a season-high 26 assists on Nov. 10 against Eastern Illinois.

With five double-digit scorers against the Nittany Lions despite Malik Reneau’s absence due to illness, everyone on the floor was engaged and contributing. Shots were falling all around and it was in large part because of trust building up.

“We’ve really preached on sharing the ball and making the right play,” Galloway said. “We got great shots out of our offense flowing and being able to move the ball because we knew they were going to hard hedge and put two on the ball.”

While the philosophy was being applied offensively all night, it wasn’t the case on the defensive side of the ball early on.

IU got off to a sluggish start – nearly a trademark this season – and played back and forth the entire first half. Led by Ace Baldwin Jr., the Nittany Lions’ trio of guards got past Indiana’s backcourt with ease possession after possession, earning easy looks at the rim.

Once the inside was established, Penn State also started to connect from the outside. Baldwin made all three of his 3-point attempts in the first half and the team shot 4-for-8.

Both teams played sloppy, though. Penn State committed seven first-half turnovers and the Hoosiers had eight, four at the hands of Galloway.

However, the mistakes didn’t slow down the Hoosiers. With Oumar Ballo shouldering the load with 11 points in the half, Indiana shot 60 percent and went 4-for-7 from deep in the first 20 minutes. The Nittany Lions hit at an even more impressive 64 percent clip and held a 39-37 halftime lead.

When the urgency escalated in the second half, Galloway rose to the occasion. He scored 12 points – all from beyond the arc – and added five assists to total nine on the night. And, of course, the back-to-back threes that swung momentum.

That said, the defensive effort stepped up when needed. As Penn State continued to shoot over 60 percent as the half progressed, the Hoosiers needed to lock in and string stops together before it was too late.

With six minutes left, that’s precisely what happened.

After Nick Kern put in a layup to take a 69-67 lead with 5:59 to go, IU dug deep and stood its ground. The result? Forcing Penn State to finish the game 2-for-10 from the field.

“I told them at halftime, the team that is going to defend and rebound this half is going to win the game,” Woodson said. “I thought coming down the stretch we made the defensive stops we needed.”

It hasn’t just been the results that have changed for Indiana, it’s been how they’ve done so. Whether it be riding emotional highs, firing each other up, or leaving it all out there – like Luke Goode hitting the floor to beat an oversized opponent for a key rebound – the Hoosiers have changed their tune.

Finally finding moments of resilience and toughness after inconsistencies earlier this season, IU’s experience is taking over. With a four-senior starting lineup Wednesday night, the feeling of now or never is kicking in for Woodson’s team and it has played like so as of late.

With an important two-game stretch on the west coast next, the beginning of the end is nearing. For the Hoosier veterans, it’s about embracing it all and doing so together.

“We just have to keep reminding each other to cherish every moment because wins and losses, it’s all special because you’re learning through it all,” Galloway said. “When it’s over we’re all going to miss it and it’s going to be tough to really understand what it meant to put on this uniform and go to war with our brothers every day.”

In a game that featured 10 ties and seven lead changes, Indiana needed every piece to complete the puzzle. From Ballo’s 36-minute double-double to Langdon Hatton’s four minutes on the court, every player who saw the floor contributed to the win.

Moving forward, the Hoosiers need their connection to be more than a bond that comes and goes – it needs to be unbreakable. If that’s the case, Woodson’s motive – the tournament – remains in sight.

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson is set to step down from his role at the program following the 2024-25 college basketball season. But according to Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter, this decision is perhaps more of an indictment on Indiana’s fanbase than it is on Woodson’s tenure with the Hoosiers.

Sunday’s matchup between Indiana and No. 13 ranked Purdue was largely a shock to much of the college basketball world, as Indiana was ableto cruise to a 73-58 victory.

The win doesn’t change the fact that Indiana is a long shot to make the 2025 NCAA Tournament. But it does perhaps show that Mike Woodson may still have something left as a coach if circumstances were different.

After the game, Matt Painter was asked by reporters what Indiana should be looking for when it comes to their next head coach after Woodson’s departure. Painter responded by outlining how the constant criticism of the program from Hoosier fans on social media has ultimately led to the downfall of the program in his eyes.

“They had a lot of turnover obviously,” said Painter via a video shared on X by Indiana beat writer Jared Kelly. “I think you’ve got to look at some of the common denominators here more than anything. That’s an important piece. Don’t beat yourself. Let’s support somebody. Let’s try that out for once every now and then. When shit goes wrong… Like do you think Purdue fans are happy about what just happened? See, a fanbase isn’t the people who tweet. A fanbase is the people that support you when you’re bleeding.

“They jump on and off things here way too much. Support your coach, man, support your players. Don’t tweet negative things about them. Like, be supportive. See how that works for you. They build them up and they overdo things. Quit overdoing sh*t. Just accurately talk about what is actually happened. Don’t get recruits and say they are like Michael Jordan or Scottie Pippen. They aren’t Michael Jordan or Scottie Pippen. They are good college players.

“They build it up and then they go, ‘What’s wrong?’ They are a part of it. But it’s not their total fanbase. Everyone has a bad percentage of their fanbase now because of Twitter. We think that’s their fanbase. It’s not our fanbase, it’s not their real fanbase. That’s an important piece. It’s hard for young people to hear all that and then go out and collectively play. We’re playing for you but then you dog us when we lose and we’re the best when we win. We’re somewhere in between, right? I think they need to learn some of those things. Support the new coach, support the staff. But also, kind of be grounded with everything and I think they will be able to have success.”

Indiana is, of course, a blue-blood college basketball program with a rich tradition of success over the years. So naturally, whoever is the head coach of the program is likely in for a ton of criticism when things don’t go to plan.

One could argue that every coach at every program deals with an influx of angry fans on social media after losses. But for someone like Woodson at Indiana, that fact is only amplified.

Only time will tell who ends up succeeding Woodson at Indiana. But clearly, Painter doesn’t believe all that much will change unless the Indiana fanbase is willing to throw their support behind the new head coach.

Indiana basketball’s head coaching search is likely still weeks away from a resolution, which means IU’s job opening will continue to be among college basketball’s hot topics. That was once again the case Sunday afternoon at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall as Purdue coach Matt Painter offered his thoughts on the Indiana job and all that it entails.

Painter has seen six Indiana head coaches — both interim and full-time — come and go since he took over the Boilermakers program in 2005. If there’s an outsider who is most equipped and familiar with the IU job to speak on it, it’s probably Painter, the former Purdue player and Muncie, Ind., native who has battled the Hoosiers on the court and on the recruiting trail for two decades.

When asked about Mike Woodson’s impending retirement and IU’s head coach opening, Painter delivered a candid, two-minute monologue which later made the rounds on social media. Below is Painter’s full excerpt from his postgame press conference.

“I don’t really have a thought on the job. Obviously, we compete against them and they’re our rivals. The guy that’s the coach here is a peer of mine. Even though you compete and want to beat someone, you want to see other people be successful and keep their job. Just like any of you guys (the media) would think the same thing about the people sitting to your left and right.

“It’s like anything: you gotta get a good person, you gotta get a good coach, and you gotta get a guy to understand. [Indiana has] had a lot of [coaching] turnover, obviously. I think you’ve got to look at the common denominators here more than anything.

“I think that’s an important piece right here, like, don’t beat yourself. Don’t beat yourself. Let’s support somebody. Try that out for once every now and then. When s— goes wrong — like, you think Purdue fans are happy about what just happened [after IU’s 73-58 win]?

“A fanbase isn’t the people who tweet. A fanbase is the people when you’re bleeding, they support you. They jump on and off things here way too much. Support your coach, man. Support your players. Don’t tweet negative things about them. Be supportive. See how that works for you.

“They build them up and they overdo things. Like, quit overdoing s—. Just accurately talk about what’s actually happened. Don’t get recruits and be like, ‘that’s Michael Jordan, that’s Scottie Pippen,’ then they come here and they’re not like Michael Jordan or Scottie Pippen, they’re good college players. They build it up and then go, ‘oh, what’s wrong?’ Well, they’re part of it.

Matt Painter with a very candid answer when asked about Mike Woodson’s impending departure, what IU should be looking for in a new head coach

“But it’s not their total fanbase; it’s just that everyone has a bad percentage of their fanbase now because of Twitter, and then we think that’s their fanbase. It’s not our fanbase, and it’s not their real fanbase either. And so I think that’s an important piece.

“But it’s hard for young people to hear all that and then go out and collectively play. Like, ‘hey, man, we’re playing for you, but you dog us when we lose and then we’re the best when we win.’ Well, we’re somewhere in between, right?

“So I think they need to learn from some of those things, and support [Indiana Athletic Director] Scott Dolson and support the staff. But also, kind of be grounded with everything, and I think they’ll be able to have success.

“It’s just a different world now. We have 18 teams in [in the Big Ten]. We’re go into the name, image and likeness, and some changes are going to be here in April. So it’ll be real interesting to see the landscape here.”

Bob Knight is a former American basketball coach who is most known for his time coaching the Indiana Hoosiers between 1971-2000. At the time of his retirement, he won 902 games which was a record at that time. He won three NCAA championships as a head coach, one NIT championship, and 11 Big Ten Conference championships as a coach for Indiana including going undefeated in the 1975-1976 season. He is one of the most innovative coaches in history, popularizing the motion offense.

Knight went on to play basketball for Ohio State. He was a star in high school, but struggled to get playing time at OSU under future Hall of Fame coach Fred Taylor. He was a reserve forward on the 1960 Ohio State team that ended up winning the NCAA Championship. The team also featured basketball legends John Havlicek and Jerry Lucas. The Buckeyes reached the NCAA Championship games each of the following two years and lost to the Cincinnati Bearcats each of those years.

“Where there’s a great painting, there’s a great painter. Where there’s a great and unique building, there’s a great architect. Where there’s a great team, there’s a great coach. No team ever won a national championship with a better coach than Fred Taylor,” proclaimed Knight.

In 1971, Knight was hired as the head coach for Indiana. In his first season, he defeated No. 14 Kansas, No. 7 Kentucky, No. 8 BYU, No. 16 Michigan, and No. 14 Ohio State and reached No.5 at one point during the season. However, Knight’s team reached the NIT and lost in the first round to Princeton.

Knight’s team improved drastically in his second season, reaching the Final Four and losing to John Wooden’s UCLA team that went 30-0. Knight did secure the third place finish with a victory over Providence in the Third Place Game.

Indiana reached the Elite Eight in 1974-1975 with Indiana’s first loss to Kentucky over the first four seasons Knight was coach over their six meetings (4 in regular season, 2 in post-season). This was a disappointment for the Hoosiers who rarely had any close games throughout the whole season and were No. 1 rank from 1/11/1975 till the end of the season. They swept the entire Big Ten by an average of 22.8 ppg. One of the biggest hurdles faced was losing Scott May to a broken left arm in the 83-82 victory at Purdue. Kentucky lost to eventual national champion UCLA.

In Knight’s fifth season as head coach, he ran the table and reached the perfect 32-0 record and Indiana’s third national championship in school history. They went perfect in Big Ten games this season as well. In the preseason, they defeated the reigning World Champion Soviet National Team by a convincing 94-78 margin. They were No. 1 the entire season and played one of the most dominating performances on 11/29/1975 against No. 2 UCLA where they won 84-64 In Gene Bartow’s first year as head coach of the Bruins.