College Basketball Analyst John Fanta Predicts Next Indiana Coach

FOX college basketball broadcaster and reporter John Fanta appeared on the Pardon My Take Podcast presented by Barstool Sports on Monday and predicted that Indiana will hire Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger.

College basketball broadcaster John Fanta (right) and former Indiana basketball coach Tom Crean (left) on the call for Marquette's game against DePaul on Feb. 11. / Photo credit @John_Fanta on X

The college basketball season is heating up with March Madness right around the corner. In addition to Indiana's 73-58 win over No. 13 Purdue on Sunday, the Hoosiers' search for a new coach in 2025-26 has become a major storyline of the season.

Since announcing on Feb. 7 that coach Mike Woodson will step down after the season, Indiana has a 2-2 record with four regular season games remaining. Many names have been thrown around as potential candidates, and FOX college basketball broadcaster John Fanta recently gave his thoughts on the job.

Fanta appeared on Monday's episode of the Pardon My Take podcast presented by Barstool Sports and shared his prediction for the next Indiana coach.

"If I had to make a prediction right now, I would say T.J. Otzelberger," Fanta said. "I think he makes a lot of sense. I think he's done a phenomenal job at Iowa State, and I think he's been outstanding at Iowa State. But I think this guy is one of the best coaches in the sport who can take on the Indiana fan base and will be strong."

"So if I were to – it should be the guy Indiana pursues the most. And I'm just thinking if I'm Scott Dolson, who's running this search, you gotta bow down to whoever you're hiring and say, 'Look, we need you.' Everyone's saying, 'Oh, it's Indiana, the aura.' Come on, man. Kids don't know about that. They don't. They see the candy cane pants, but the days of coach Knight, God bless him and may he rest in peace, but the fact is that was a long time ago."

"You gotta get a guy who coaches with toughness, who gets his teams to play endlessly hard, and a guy who can educate the kids on what it means to play at Indiana. I think Otzelberger is one of the best three coaches in the sport. The building job he's done at Iowa State – think about this, Iowa State hasn't made a Final Four since 1944. He could lead them to only their second Final Four ever this year."

The interview with Fanta begins at the 52-minute mark in the episode below.

Otzelberger is in his fourth season at Iowa State, which currently has a 21-6 overall record and an 11-5 mark in Big 12 play. The Cyclones are ranked No. 9 in the AP Top 25 poll and No. 8 on KenPom, with the nation's No. 9 defensive efficiency and No. 21 offensive efficiency. Iowa State has the seventh-best odds to reach the Final Four, according to FanDuel.

Otzelberger guided Iowa State to the Big 12 conference tournament title last year, going 29-8 and finishing second in the regular season conference standings. He's the only coach in program history to lead the Cyclones to two Sweet 16 appearances, and he did so in just three seasons. Otzelberger, 47, previously coached at UNLV and South Dakota State.

To read our Hoosiers On SI coaching candidate profile on Otzelberger, CLICK HERE.

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