Brad Brownell said everything coaches always say before bolting to teams like Indiana

We have seen it before and we will see it again. Every so often when a notable head coach has his name tied to another job, he tends to go ultra-defensive at the podium during a press conference. More often than not, the way to go is to say you have not had any conversations with another team, while letting your agent do all of the talking behind closed doors for you. Yay for plausible deniability!

We seem to have encountered that same sort of situation again regarding Clemson head coach Brad Brownell and the vacancy that is about to open up at Indiana. IU alum Mike Woodson intends to step down after this season. He is in his mid-60s. Brownell grew up in Evansville, played his college ball at DePauw. And guess what? His high school teammate at William Henry Harrison was Calbert Cheaney!

Ahead of the ACC Tournament, Brownell said the following when it came to the Indiana opening.

"I'm not gonna talk about potential jobs. I have a great job. And I'm 100 percent focused on this team... I've been here 15 years. I think this place is a really special place."

Clemson enters the ACC Tournament as the No. 3 seed, one of three teams from the conference ESPN's Joe Lunardi has projected to make it.

Clemson is 26-5 on the season, 18-2 in conference play, and winners of their last eight games...

Brad Brownell does nothing to silence the budding Indiana rumors

Look. For as much fun and relative success as Brownell has had at Clemson over the last 15 years, one would think it is most young Hoosier's dreams to, I don't know, coach the Hoosiers! Brownell may have his best team at Clemson to date, but he is a head coach who has been on and off the hot seat for the better part of his duration leading the team. He has made the tournament just four times there.

While Indiana has not been the same program since Bob Knight stopped coaching the Hoosiers, it is still viewed as a traditional power over in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers have had one high-profile head coach after another in the decades since, but I sincerely doubt Brownell is going to be accepted by the Hoosier faithful as much as some might think he will. They know he is only a so-so head coach.

What this really boils down to is money. Brownell has more leverage than he has had at any point of his coaching career. He has taken what has traditionally been a football school and has the Tigers playing back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time under his watch. It might be the time for him to cash in all of his chips. Regardless of what happens, he is going to be making more money.

Indiana enters the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 9 seed and as last four teams to make the field.