Although they are decades removed from their heyday. The Hoosier State still holds Indiana basketball in high regard. Mike Woodson's efforts to build the program back into a prominent power is not being ignored. Nor is it going unrewarded.

The head coach is being given a $1 million annual raise and will now earn $4.2 million per year, according to ESPN. The university is clearly pleased by its back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and believes Woodson is the right man to lead Indiana through a revamped Big Ten Conference (will take shape next year).

His penchant for revitalizing struggling teams, which goes back to his NBA tenure with both the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks, makes him one of the most underappreciated coaches in basketball today. The Hoosiers are looking to change that with this latest financial commitment.

Woodson has won 20 or more games in each of his first two seasons in Bloomington. He immediately ended a five-year NCAA Tournament drought (might have made the Big Dance in 2020 had it not been for COVID) and helped star big man Trayce Jackson-Davis reach his full potential and become one of the best players in school history. He also molded Los Angeles Lakers rookie point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino.

Fans hope all of that success is just a precursor of what's to come in the Mike Woodson Era. The next box for Indiana basketball to check on this road back to national relevancy is advancing to the second week of the NCAA Tournament. There is ample reason to believe that this longtime leader is up to the task. The administration certainly thinks so.