Year In Review: My 10 Favorite Indiana Hoosiers Storylines From 2021

A lot of wonderful things happened on the Indiana sports beat in 2021, and narrowing the list of favorite stories to just 10 was a difficult task. But here they are, with links to a lot of great stories that we wrote throughout the year. Cheers to '21, and let's have a wonderful 2022.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — It sure seems like 2021 came and went in the blink of an eye. It was, without question, a bizarre year, one that's been bookended by COVID-19 issues that we thought would go away but didn't. 

There have been a lot of great games and a great stories throughout the year at Indiana. None of them, though, trumped the personnel news, where there was a coaching change at the top of Indiana's most important program, men's basketball. It was out with the old (Archie Miller) and in with the new (Mike Woodson), who's not really new. He's only one of the greatest players in Indiana basketball history, and now he's back coaching his alma mater.

It's been a fun exercise reviewing the year, and picking 10 of the best story lines. So here are the 10 topics, with links to a lot of the stories we published through the year on the storylines. 

Enjoy the look-back, in chronological order:

1. Jan. 2: Going 'home' to Tampa for the Outback Bowl

The reward for one of the greatest seasons in Indiana football history was a trip to Tampa to play Ole Miss in the Outback Bowl. The Hoosiers went 6-1 in the regular season, with the only loss to Ohio State, which wound up playing in national championship game. 

Many fans thought this was a slight, not making a New Year's Six bowl after such a great season. And maybe it was, since the Hoosiers were ranked as high as No. 7 at one point in the season. But this was also a nice reward, because Tampa used to be home for Indiana coach Tom Allen and the Hoosiers had two dozen Florida kids on their roster.

It was home for me too, since I lived and worked there for 26 years. After covering and watching at least a dozen Outback Bowl games, it was nice to see Indiana there for the time ever. The Hoosiers lost the game 26-20, with backup quarterback Jack Tuttle, getting his second-ever start, playing through a separated shoulder. We also learned later that more than 30 Indiana players were in COVID protocols prior to the game, which forced a cancellation of the Purdue game and led to nearly no full practices before the bowl game.

It was a nice end to a great season, and one that seems so long ago now. Here's my column from after the game. CLICK HERE

Indiana Hoosiers bench reacts during the second half against Ole Miss during the Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.. (Douglas DeFelice/USA TODAY Sports)

2. Jan. 21: Hoosiers finally 'smile' after stunning win at No. 4 Iowa

There was very little to get excited about during Indiana's 12-15 season a year ago, but there was one real highlight. The Hoosiers upset then No. 4 ranked Iowa 81-69 on Jan. 21 in Iowa City. They did it with a great rally down the stretch, erasing a nine-point deficit with 12 minutes to go.

Guard Rob Phinisee had a great game for the Hoosiers, scoring 18 points with four three-pointers and holding Iowa sharpshooter Jordan Bohannon scoreless. He missed all nine shots. Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis had 23, and freshman Jordan Geronimo came off the bench with bigs in foul trouble and stymied Iowa All-American Luka Garza.

With no fans allowed at the game, it was easy to see and hear everything from press row in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and after the victory, it was a pleasure to see the Indiana players smiling and happy. That didn't happen very often last season.

I was glad I was there to see it all in person. I covered 25 of Indiana's 27 games in person while a lot of others stayed home during the COVID-infused season. Things like that, a dozen guys smiling for the first time in weeks, you couldn't see on TV.

Here's my column from the game. CLICK HERE

Indiana guard Rob Phinisee (10) shoots the ball against Iowa during the first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Jeffrey Becker/USA TODAY Sports)

3. Feb. 20: It's time to fix Indiana basketball, fire Archie Miller

We were more than three months into a difficult season with Indiana basketball when the Hoosiers blew a lead and lost a home game to Michigan State. There was a lot of sloppy, uninspired play, a lot of snippiness between players and coaches and a coach who, once again, clearly looked like he was in over his head, even during Archie Miller's fourth year at Indiana.

I wrote my game story, talking all about Indiana's collapse in the second half, and lost despite a great 34-point effort from Trayce Jackson-Davis. And when I sat down to write my column, and I finally reached the end of my rope with Archie Miller. Indiana basketball had become a mess on his watch. I had reached the point where I felt sure this just wasn't going to work anymore.

So I decided to write it, that it was time for a change, even though the Hoosiers still had at least five more games to go. I hesitated for a bit, that maybe I was too early to be the first to call for his firing, but I also thought they weren't going to win another game, so I wrote it anyway.

As it turned out, the Hoosiers never did win again, finishing the season on a six-game losing streak. They were booed off the floor in the Big Ten Tournament loss to Rutgers, their one game all year in front of fans. It was a very ugly scene, and athletic director Scott Dolson, saying "we need to fix basketball,'' fired him a few days later, even though Miller was owed a $10.4 million buyout.

Some of my colleagues thought I pulled the trigger too early, but I felt confident then that he had already lost this team. Turned out, I was right, but that's not the point. The Archie Miller era ended after four years, without a single NCAA Tournament appearance.

Here's the full column. CLICK HERE

4. March 15: The Archie Miller era ends

The day after the season ended, Dolson fired Miller despite the big buyout that was owed. He got boosters to take care of it, and they gladly lined up to send Miller packing. That said as much about the disdain for Miller as anything. That's a lot of money.

Miller finished with a 67-58 record with the Hoosiers from 2017 to 2021 and was just 33-45 in the Big Ten. He never once posted a winning record in conference games, and never played in a single NCAA Tournament. 

"Dolson didn't hesitate to include that private support in his statement on Monday morning, because that in itself might be just as important as firing Miller,'' I wrote in my column. "From top to bottom, literally no one is happy with the current status of Indiana's blueblood basketball program, and no one really had faith that it was going to get better any time soon under Miller. So this had to be done. It was the right decision. And more importantly, it is the right time.''

Scott Dolson, a first-year athletic director, did the right thing, buyout be damned. And everyone in Hoosier Nation was glad he did. To read the complete column, CLICK HERE

Indiana head coach Archie Miller reacts after a play during the game against Michigan State at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021. (Bobby Goggin/USA TODAY Sports)

5. March 22: An Indiana guy worth hiring — Keith Smart

After Archie Miller's firing, it became very clear that Scott Dolson's goal moving forward was to return Indiana basketball to one of its own. This 20-year disconnect with the program and its past had just continued to get worse and worse, and and Indiana man needed to take charge.

Many names were mentioned, like Mike Woodson and Dane Fife and others. One name that was overlooked at the start of the search was former Hoosier hero Keith Smart, who hit the game-winning shot to win the national title in 1987 and had been an NBA head coach for years.

I talked to Keith at length about the Indiana job, and his desire to get it. He had just talked with Dolson, and really wanted it. I wrote a lengthy story about how this Hoosier legend checked all the boxes for this job. Many readers hadn't really thought about Keith before the story.

And were there many readers? Yep. In fact, more than 170,000 people read that story. It was the most-read story that I wrote all year. 

Smart didn't get the job, of course, and he was glad at least that Woodson, another former IU hero, got it. But it certainly whetted his appetite to coach college ball, and a few months later he was hired by Eric Musselman at Arkansas. He's loving it there.

He's also doing a hell of a job. He's become a great recruiter already, and was actively involved in the Razorbacks landing two five-star and three four-star recruits in the Class of 2022. They have the No. 2-ranked recruiting class in the country.'

To read my Keith Smart takeout, CLICK HERE

Former Indiana star Keith Smart has been an NBA coach for years, and he really wanted to the Indiana coaching job, too. He's now coaching at Arkansas, and has the No. 2-ranked recruiting class. (USA TODAY Sports)

6. March 29: Scott Dolson gets his man, hires Mike Woodson

Mike Woodson left Indiana in 1980 as a player, and he was No. 2 on the school's all-time scoring list when he left. He played in the NBA for a dozen years and coached in a dozen more. 

But Bloomington has always had a warm spot in his heart, and when this job came open, he and Dolson started talking. One call led to another, and Woodson, who was coaching the New York Knicks at the time, finally told Dolson he needed to jump on a plane to get this done.

They did.

Dolson was thrilled to get his man, because he knew that Woodson could heel every aspect of the Indiana basketball program. He would bring back former players, excite a deflated fans, and add a lot in attracting great coaches and players.

Here's the story on his hiring. CLICK HERE

And here's my column on the home-run hire. CLICK HERE

Mike Woodson spent nearly four decades in the NBA after leaving Indiana in 1980 as a player, and now he's back home coaching his alma mater. (USA TODAY Sports)

7. March Madness: Indiana women reach Elite 8 for first time ever

There was plenty of basketball success in Bloomington last winter, but it all came from the Hoosiers' women's team. Teri Moren's crew made a run to the Elite 8 for the first time in school history, and it was some journey. 

The entire NCAA Tournament was played in San Antonio, Texas, because of COVID-19 precautions. The Hoosiers opened with wins over VCU and Belmont, and then pulled off the shocker of the tournament with a win over No. 1 seed N.C. State.

Arizona denied the Hoosiers a bid to the Final Four however, knocking off Indiana 66-53 in the regional final. The Hoosiers finished 21-6 on the season, and help explode the interest in the women's game around campus. After the season, Indiana signed Moren to a contract extension that runs through 2027, which was a great move.

 Indiana guard Ali Patberg (14) reacts after a play during the first quarter against the NC State Wolfpack in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2021 Women's NCAA Tournament at Alamodome. (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)

8. April-May: Indiana baseball pitchers

Indiana's baseball season didn't end with any postseason success, but it was a nice run through the spring thanks to some dominant starting pitching all year from starters Tommy Sommer, Gabe Bierman and McCade Brown.

All three guys started 12 games in the shortened Big Ten-only schedule, and had five wins. They allowed opposing batters to hit just .193 on the season and struck out a combined 246 hitters in 217 innings of work, an average of 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.

All three were chosen in the 2021 MLB Draft, with Sommer going to the Chicago White Sox, Bierman to the Miami Marlins and Brown to the Colorado Rockies. Infielder Cole Barr (Seattle Mariners), outfielder Grant Richardson (New York Yankees) and relief pitcher Matt Litwicki (Boston Red Sox) were also chosen in the draft.

All three starters were profiled during the season. Here are the stories on Tommy Sommer, Gabe Bierman and McCade Brown

Indiana pitcher Gabe Bierman was dominant through much of the 2021 season, and was later drafted by the Miami Marlins. (USA TODAY Sports)

9. May 17: IU Soccer national title game

Indiana's 2020 soccer season was played in the spring instead of the fall because of COVID, and the Hoosiers made the most of it, making it all the way to the NCAA Tournament's championship game. They were denied a ninth national title though in a 1-0 loss to Marshall in overtime in the title game.

It was the 21st trip to the College Cup for Indiana, and coach Todd Yeagley has been around for all of them, first as a boy when his father, Jerry Yeagley, started chasing national titles for the Hoosiers. Yeagley went as a player as well, and now he's gone several times as the Hoosiers' head coach. It was fun reliving all 21 trips with him. 

Indiana forward Herbert Endeley (17) controls the ball against Marshall in overtime of the 2020 NCAA College Cup in Cary, N.C. (Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports)

10. Nov. 27: Purdue wins Bucket; season ends on 8-game losing streak

The 2021 football season turned out to be a disaster for Indiana, and it was a mighty letdown after 8-5 and 6-2 seasons the following year. Decimated by injuries at key positions, the Hoosiers finished just 2-10 on the year, and lost all nine Big Ten games. They finished the season on an eight-game losing streak.

The final hard pill to swallow was losing the Old Oaken Bucket back to Purdue. 

Indiana played the last half of the season with fourth-string true freshman Donaven McCulley and walk-on Grant Gremel sharing quarterback duties and a slew of walk-on running backs gettin all the work in November. Losing to Purdue is always tough, but at least in was over. Offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan was the scapegoat, getting fired right after the season. 

The only bright spot of the fall was that Indiana put together its best recruiting class ever, adding 21 recruits and seven transfers. Their 2022 recruiting class was ranked between No. 17 and No, 22 in all the major recruiting sites. That was some serious good work by the staff, keeping that great group together. 

Purdue running back King Doerue (22) is tackled by Indiana linebacker Micah McFadden (47) and defensive back Marcelino McCrary-Ball (9) during the second quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium. (Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports)