As Michigan game looms, Indiana left to wonder, 'what if?'

It appears the NCAA men's basketball tournament will take place without one of the sport's blue bloods. Indiana lost 76-64 at No. 21 Wisconsin Tuesday night, running its losing streak to four and bringing its record to 14-9, 5-7 in the Big Ten.

Things are bleak for the Hoosiers. In the postgame news conference, head coach Mike Woodson called out his team for a lack of toughness. 

"We're just not a tough team right now," Woodson said, via ESPN. "We're not. Mentally we're not tough."

IU has lost six of its last seven games, including a loss to arch-rival Purdue. Following a Jan. 14 loss to Illinois, senior Luke Goode criticized alum and Indianapolis radio host Dan Dakich on X. 

The last thing IU fans need is salt in an open wound, but it's coming Saturday in the form of Michigan head coach Dusty May. With Woodson's seat not just hot, but scorching, things might get awkward in Bloomington.

May, the former Florida Atlantic head coach, was one of the hottest names on the coaching carousel after taking the Owls to the 2023 Final Four. A former Indiana manager under Bob Knight, May then worked for three seasons under former IU head coach Mike Davis. There were rumblings over the offseason that Indiana might eat Woodson's $12 million buyout and turn to May.

Instead, May signed a five-year deal with rival Michigan. Which brings us to Saturday's matchup. While the Hoosiers flounder, May has lifted the Wolverines to a No. 24 national ranking and projected seven seed in the latest Bracketology.

May is what might have been for Indiana. He's immediately turned around an 8-24 team from a season ago and has never experienced a losing season as a Division I head coach. Meanwhile, it appears IU will miss the tournament for the seventh time in the last nine years.

Should Indiana fire Woodson, there will be other prime candidates for the job, but Saturday will be a reminder of the one who got away.