Indiana has seemingly zeroed in on their preferred Mike Woodson replacement

The Indiana Hoosiers missed out on the NCAA Tournament this year, with North Carolina notably grabbing one of the final spots despite going 1-12 on the year. With the season over, the Hoosiers will now begin their coaching search, as Mike Woodson is retiring.

Woodson spent just four years coaching college basketball, all with Indiana, and now steps aside with an 82-53 record and two trips to the NCAA Tournament. While there have been rumors about Indiana in recent months linking Michigan head coach Dustin May, but that ended after he received a contract extension from the Wolverines. But, Indiana seems to have targeted their preferred head coach.

According to basketball analyst Jeff Goodman, West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries has emerged as "one of — if not the top candidate" for the Indiana job. Goodman says that "nothing is done yet" but DeVries "could wind up being the guy."

Drake's Ben McCollum and a "mystery candidate" are also in the mix for the head coaching vacancy.

West Virginia's Darian DeVries emerges as top candidate for Indiana opening

Losing DeVries after missing out on an NCAA Tournament bid would be quite the gut punch for the Mountaineers. To make matters worse, DeVries just arrived at Morgantown a year ago.

DeVries spent most of his collegiate coaching career at Creighton as an assistant coach from 2001 until 2018. From there, DeVries earned the head coachiing gig at Drake. From 2018 until 2024, DeVries led the team to Bulldogs to two Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Tournament Championships and a regular-season MVC Championship. DeVries had a 150-55 record at Drake, including a 1-3 NCAA Tournament record in three trips.

Before this season, DeVries and West Virginia agreed to terms on a five-year deal. This season, DeVries helped lead the Mountaineers to a 19-13 record and a 10-10 record in Big 12 play. Despite having six Quad 1 wins, West Virginia missed out on an NCAA Tournament berth.

UPDATE: Jeff Goodman reported later on Tuesday that Indiana has officially hired DeVries to be their new head coach. Indiana announced the signing through their social media accounts.

The DeVries era ends after one season at West Virginia. Now, he will look to lead Indiana to their first NCAA Tournament title since 1987.