Indiana fired men's basketball coach Archie Miller on Monday, bringing an end to a tenure that saw Miller go 67-56 without an NCAA tournament bid, including 33-43 in Big Ten play in four seasons at the school. With one of the storied jobs in college basketball history now open, we size up where Indiana is nationally and the most realistic candidates who could find their way to Bloomington.
Why did Archie Miller fail at Indiana?
There are a few reasons it didn't work out for Miller in Bloomington.
Landing Romeo Langford in the 2018 class was supposed to be a program-changer for Indiana under Miller, reestablishing the Hoosiers as a major factor on the recruiting trail. But Langford had injury issues and his one season in Bloomington didn't have the desired impact. He was also the only five-star prospect Miller landed, and the team swung and missed on a few other top targets.
Two recurring on-floor issues under Miller were Indiana's lack of consistent shooting -- a problem the fan base constantly harped on when lamenting the team's recruiting and roster construction -- and its affinity for "letdown" games. The Hoosiers never ranked in the top 200 nationally in 3-point shooting performance during Miller's four seasons, and they were 2-10 in games immediately following a win over a top-25 team.
Miller deservedly got a pass for a slow start -- IU went 16-15 in his first season -- as the Hoosiers had struggled during their final season under Tom Crean and then lost multiple players to the NBA. But things never really got off the ground after that. They would have made the NCAA tournament last season, but it would have been as a 10- or 11-seed after losing eight of their last 12 games to end the regular season. This season came with further NCAA tournament aspirations, but there was zero consistency. Indiana never won more than two games in a row, and lost six in a row to end the season and miss the NCAA tournament by some margin.
Ultimately, the fan base became frustrated in a way that turned the atmosphere around the program toxic, and it became impossible for Miller to weather.
Does the level of expectation at IU match reality? Is this a program that can realistically be an annual Final Four contender again?
Right now, definitely not on both counts. Indiana isn't a destination program for recruits. The Hoosiers aren't consistently recruiting the same types of players that Duke and Kentucky are recruiting. They're losing ground to Michigan and Ohio State and Illinois within the league. That wasn't just the case under Miller, either; Crean had trouble keeping top players from leaving the state. The facilities are decent, not great, especially compared with the Nebraskas and Michigan States of the league.
The fan base wants the Hoosiers to be competing for Final Fours and national championships every single season, like they were under Bob Knight. Whomever the school hires to replace Miller will be saddled with those same expectations from day one, which makes it a job that not every coach in America wants -- despite its tradition.
That said, it's still arguably the best job in the league alongside MSU. The history is unparalleled within the league, and Indiana basketball is still the big show inside the state.
Who are the pipe-dream names for IU fans?
Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics: This is the ultimate dream for Indiana fans, the candidate they've been dreaming about since he led Butler to back-to-back national championship games. Stevens then left to become the head coach of the Celtics and has been every blue blood's pipe-dream candidate since. Even though he's an Indiana native and spent his entire college coaching career in the state, I just don't see Stevens coming back to college right now, even though things aren't going well for him in Boston.
Chris Beard, Texas Tech: If Indiana wants to return to the success of Bob Knight, why not hire someone from the Knight coaching tree? Beard has established himself as one of the best coaches in college basketball over the past few years, leading Tech to the title game in 2019. And he'll undoubtedly be linked to Texas, Kansas and whatever other big jobs might open in the future. But he makes around $5 million per year; is Indiana willing to go above and beyond that to lure him to Bloomington?
Scott Drew, Baylor: What Drew has done in Waco is nothing short of remarkable. He took over a program that was on its last legs, mired in controversy, and now has them among the nation's elite for two straight years. Does Drew have any interest in leaving the Bears, though? He grew up in Valparaiso and attended Butler. Indiana could be hoping Drew thinks he's taken Baylor as far as it can go and it's time for a change -- but convincing him won't be easy. Would a national championship change anything? Would Indiana wait three weeks to find out?
Who are the more realistic candidates?
John Beilein: Beilein has been out of college coaching since 2019, when he left Michigan for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He resigned from the Cavaliers midway through his first season at the helm, has been the elephant in the room for nearly every big job that's opened since then, and he would make some sense at Indiana. There would be no buyout to pay and he's familiar with the Big Ten.
Eric Musselman, Arkansas: The Indiana fan base wants someone who will connect with the fan base, promote the program, and bring energy and excitement back to Bloomington. In that sense, Musselman would be the guy. He's also had plenty of success over the past few years at both Nevada and Arkansas. He makes around $2.5 million in Fayetteville, and Arkansas has the resources to match Indiana's offer, but I think he would certainly listen.
Nate Oats, Alabama: This one makes some sense, given the attractive style of basketball Oats-coached teams play and the regular-season and conference tournament titles Alabama won this season. But he signed a new deal recently, and his buyout is now more than $12 million. Unlikely.
Thad Matta: Matta was fired by Ohio State in 2017 and he's been out of coaching since. He's still only 53 years old, though, and he's been linked to a number of different jobs in recent years. He led the Buckeyes to two Final Four appearances, knows the Big Ten landscape and coached in the state at Butler.
Porter Moser, Loyola Chicago: Moser is going to be linked to jobs every spring until he takes a bigger one. He led Loyola Chicago to a historic Final Four run in 2018 and has backed that up with three more 20-win seasons -- including this season's Missouri Valley regular-season and conference tournament titles.
Mark Pope, BYU: Pope ticks a few boxes for Indiana. He has some local ties from his two seasons with the Indiana Pacers early in his NBA career; he plays an attractive style of basketball; and he has high-major experience as an assistant at both Georgia and Wake Forest. But he's also never coached an NCAA tournament game until this week; it feels like a big step.
If Indiana goes the Michigan route and hires an alum, what candidates would fit?
Calbert Cheaney, Indiana Pacers assistant: The 1993 national player of the year, Cheaney is one of the greatest players in Indiana history. After 13 seasons in the NBA, Cheaney moved into coaching. He has college experience from his time as an assistant coach at Saint Louis, and joined the Indiana Pacers coaching staff back in November.
Dane Fife, Michigan State assistant: Fife played for the Hoosiers under Bob Knight, and then returned to Bloomington as an assistant coach under Mike Davis. He has head-coaching experience from six seasons at Fort Wayne, and has spent the past decade as an assistant coach under Tom Izzo at Michigan State.
Who's your first choice if you're Indiana's decision-makers, who's your Plan B, and who's your "if all else fails" candidate?
The first choice has to be Brad Stevens. Stevens would be a universally acclaimed hire, he would appease every segment of the Indiana fan base, and he would immediately launch the Hoosiers back into the national conversation as one of the best programs in the sport.
Plan B should be Chris Beard or Scott Drew. I don't know if Beard is feasible financially, so making a run at Drew could be a more viable option. I'm not sure Drew would leave Waco for Bloomington, but Indiana has to give it a shot.
If all else fails, I'd throw $4 million or so at Eric Musselman and bring him to Indiana. He turns programs around very quickly, they play up-tempo basketball and he will do everything he can to promote the program and bring energy and excitement back to Assembly Hall. Gas up the Muss Bus from Fayetteville to Bloomington.