LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- With his team tracking toward missing the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season, multiple media outlets are reporting that Indiana University men's basketball coach Mike Woodson will retire at the conclusion of the Hoosiers' season. 

After Indiana was beaten decisively Tuesday night at Wisconsin, there was intense speculation that IU athletic director Scott Dolson and Woodson would meet this week to discuss the coach's future. Late Thursday afternoon, both Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68 and Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that those talks about Woodson's exit have begun. Woodson will turn 67 on March 24.

Two IU sources didn't respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Woodson's future came in doubt during the middle of a tumultuous stretch for IU, which resulted in Woodson being booed at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall as the Hoosiers lost six of their last seven games.

It is likely the discussion and possible announcement are timed to turn down the temperature in Bloomington before Saturday. Former IU student manager and graduate assistant coach Dusty May will coach Michigan against the Hoosiers at 1 p.m. at Assembly Hall in a game that will be televised by CBS.

Although May is only in his first season with the Wolverines, he is expected to be a guy that Dolson will consider as Woodson's replacement. May grew up 20 minutes from campus in Greene County.

Dolson is also a former IU student manager and has a strong relationship with May, whose buyout at Michigan is $5 million. May took Florida Atlantic to the 2023 Final Four and then left for Michigan 11 months ago.

Other names expected to be mentioned for the Indiana job are Ole Miss coach Chris Beard, Mick Cronin of UCLA, Grant McCasland of Texas Tech, Chris Collins of Northwestern, Buzz Williams of Texas A&M and others.

In the three-plus seasons since he replaced Archie Miller, Woodson has an overall record of 77-49 but only 36-36 in the Big Ten. With two seasons remaining on his six-year contract, Woodson is owed around $8.4 million by IU. An amendment to his contract clears the university to complete its obligation with annual $1 million payments.

Woodson took IU to the NCAA Tournament during his first two seasons with All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis, splitting a pair of tournament games both years. But IU missed the 68-team field last season and has been a bigger disappointment this season. Despite an NIL player payroll of reportedly $5 million, Indiana sits in a four-way tie for 10th place in the Big Ten.

Five of IU's losses have been by 15 or more points, and Woodson lost to Northwestern for the fifth consecutive time last month.

If Woodson departs, this will be the third time the IU coaching job has opened in the last eight years as the program has drifted outside of national relevance. IU has not appeared in the Final Four since 2002 and won the last of its five national titles under Bob Knight in 1987.

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