The Indiana Hoosiers found themselves on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble during the 2025 Selection Show. While the decision sparked debate, ESPN NFL reporter Courtney Cronin, an Indiana alum, voiced her doubts about the program’s performance this season. Cronin, who attended Indiana from 2008 to 2012 and served as the sports director for the Indiana University Student Television program, acknowledged her loyalty to the Hoosiers but criticized their conduct, particularly after announcing a separation from coach Mike Woodson last month. She noted that despite a late-season push and some Quad 1 victories, Indiana’s subsequent lackluster Big Ten Tournament performance diminished their chances for an NCAA bid.
“I have a problem with it for West Virginia,” Cronin stated during an episode of Around the Horn, adding, “I should come in here and get the homer graphic behind me. But you know what, I’m not going to. Tie goes to the blue-blood program. The committee has told us, UNC is a blue-blood program. They don’t view Indiana as that anymore because they decided that they wanted to part ways … with Mike Woodson in the beginning of February. Then, they start going on this run, rack up a couple Quad 1 wins in that stretch, only to lose to Oregon in the Big Ten Tournament. Indiana has no sympathy from someone who loves this program. You’re 4-13 in Quad 1 games, no losses outside of Quad 1. But you are no longer a blue-blood program when you handle business this way.”
Indiana alum Courtney Cronin on UNC in the NCAA Tournament over the Hoosiers:
“I have a problem with it for West Virginia… Indiana has no sympathy from someone who loves this program, loves this team… You are no longer a blueblood program when you handle business this way.” pic.twitter.com/OXlhiepRib
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 17, 2025
As Cronin noted, many media members have expressed more outrage over West Virginia’s exclusion from the tournament, given they had six Quad 1 victories this season, compared to Indiana. Although Indiana’s résumé had some favorable points against North Carolina, they failed to secure a definitive case for an NCAA Tournament spot. A common thread for both Indiana and West Virginia missing out on Selection Sunday was their inability to make a significant impact in their respective conference tournaments—neither team won a game in the Big Ten or Big 12 tournaments.
In contrast, North Carolina managed to defeat Notre Dame and Wake Forest before putting up a fight against Duke in the ACC Tournament Semifinal. The silver lining for Indiana might be that they can now focus entirely on their head coaching search to find Woodson’s replacement. However, Cronin emphasized that whoever takes on this challenge will need to work hard to restore the program’s reputation as a blue blood, a task that is undoubtedly filled with challenges.
