Indiana men’s basketball coach Mike Woodson was not a popular man Tuesday during his team’s loss to Illinois.
The Hoosiers were embarrassed by the Illini in a 94-69 blowout in front of a home crowd at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. Illinois scored a stunning 60 points in the first half to take a 28-point lead into halftime.
As Indiana’s deficit grew larger and larger, so did the chants from the home fans. The building echoed with a 2-word chant calling for Woodson’s dismissal.
“Fire Woodson! Fire Woodson!” fans chanted.
Indiana entered the game with a respectable 13-4 record. But the team looked completely outmatched against No. 19 Illinois, the Hoosiers’ first ranked opponent of the season.
Woodson is in his fourth year as Indiana’s head coach. He led the Hoosiers to the NCAA Tournament in his first season with the team and built on that with a second-round appearance in Year 2.
Last season, Indiana fell short of expectations and missed out on March Madness after a 19-14 campaign. There were questions about Woodson’s job security at the time, but the the team ultimately decided to bring him back.