The program’s next head coach will likely be playing in the NCAA Tournament.
With Sunday’s news of Indiana missing out on the 2025 NCAA Tournament the focus now turns to the timing of when Indiana’s head coaching hire could become finalized and promptly announced.
It’s worth keeping in mind that a report could drop at just about anytime naming a frontrunner for the position or a name that Indiana is closing in on. If so and said reporting proves valid, the following time constraints would only apply for the official announcement from the athletic department.
Here are times and considerations to keep in mind for the timing of a coaching hire:
If Indiana’s next head coach isn’t in the NCAA Tournament…
There aren’t too many candidates this would apply for.
The only options who have received some level of conversation, such as appearing on candidate lists or hot boards, are Northwestern’s Chris Collins, someone from an NBA staff, a high major assistant (think when Arizona hired Tommy Lloyd, Kansas State hired Jerome Tang and Miami hiring Jai Lucas) or someone who isn’t actively coaching.
With these circumstances, there are significantly fewer barriers when it comes to an announcement and a report or something official could come within the next few days.
If Indiana’s next head coach is in the NCAA Tournament…
This route would mean a few more layers would have to go into the timing of the announcement, namely said coach’s team losing and getting knocked out of tournament play.
We already put together a list of potential coaching targets who are set to participate in March Madness, so make sure to take a peek over there for the group that this would apply to.
The first round of NCAA Tournament play runs from March 20-21st. Should Indiana target a coach whose team bows out in the round of 64, look for reports and/or an announcement within 48 hours or so of that loss, meaning something would emerge between Saturday the 22nd and Monday the 24th.
The second round of tournament play runs from March 22-23rd. Again, if a coaching target bows out here, the same 48-hour principle applies. Keep an eye on the window of Monday the 24th to Wednesday the 26th.
Should Indiana’s target advance to and fall out of the Sweet Sixteen, which runs from March 27-28, look for something on Saturday the 29th through Monday the 31st. For the Elite Eight, running from March 29-30th, look at Monday the 31st through Wednesday, April 2nd.
However unlikely it may feel, for the Final Four running from April 5-7th, look for something between April 8-10th.