Archie Miller Out at IU

Indiana University announced Monday that it had fired head men’s basketball coach Archie Miller after just four seasons with the school.

The Hoosiers lost six straight games to wrap up the 2020-21 season, finishing with a 12-15 record.

Miller came to Indiana in 2017 after spending the previous six seasons at the University of Dayton. Indiana hoped that Miller could turn the program back around after things started to head in the wrong direction under Tom Crean.

Miller failed to guide the Hoosiers to the NCAA Tournament during his four seasons in Indiana, although the team would have been in the field last season if the tournament would have been played. There was plenty of optimism heading into the 2020-21 season, but the Hoosiers struggled to win close games during the conference portion of the schedule.

Athletic Director Scott Dolson decided to relieve Miller of his duties after conducting a thorough review of the basketball program. Dolson then made his recommendation to President Michael McRobbie, who confirmed the decision.

The school did not want to increase the athletic department’s budget to get rid of Miller, but Dolson secured the $10 million buyout from a generous donor. The school is also expected to hire the new head coach with a salary donated by alumni.

An immediate search for a new head men’s basketball coach will occur, and Indiana will receive many applicants with some great resumes. Despite the recent struggles, Indiana University is still one of the country’s top college basketball programs.

Indiana went just 67-58 during Miller’s tenure in Bloomington, including a 33-44 in Big Ten Conference action. The Big Ten Conference put 9 of the 14 league teams in the NCAA Tournament, but Indiana was not even considered a bubble team.

Six Referees Sent Home From Indy

The NCAA announced on Monday night that six men’s basketball referees were sent home from Indianapolis after one official tested positive for COVID-19. Referees are staying in a controlled environment in Indianapolis, and there are strict protocols in place to ensure safety.

After one referee tested positive on Monday afternoon, contact tracing was done, and the results found that he had interacted with five other officials. According to sources, the group of referees went out to dinner together after their hotel rooms were not ready when checking into the hotel.

Of the six referees, Roger Ayers, John Higgins, and Ted Valentine are three of the most notable referees sent home. The NCAA brought just 60 officials to Indiana for the entire NCAA Tournament, and four of the six officials have been replaced by a group of reserves.

The NCAA is hoping that no teams are forced to leave Indianapolis due to COVID-19, but there are four reserve teams waiting if that were to occur. All of the teams in the field have until Tuesday night to remove themselves from the field if they do not have at least five healthy players ready and available to take the court.

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