Why was Mike Woodson ejected? Looking at Indiana HC's dramatic removal against Nebraska

The Indiana Hoosiers took on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal on Friday and lost, 93-66. The Hoosiers wrapped up their lackluster season with a 10-10 (19-14 overall) record.

Although Indiana started strongly, it lost its grip on proceedings in the middle of the first half and never recovered. Adding to their worries was the dismissal of coach Mike Woodson.

Why was Mike Woodson ejected?

With 5:20 left in the second half, Hoosiers coach Mike Woodson was ejected from the game after he was called for his second technical foul. His first technical came in at the 8:34 mark on the clock as Indiana was trailing 69-47. His outburst was because of a turnover against IU that gave Nebraska two free throws.

All this began when Indiana’s Xavier Johnson attempted a layup, during which he came into contact with Nebraska forward Rienk Mast.

No foul was called and Johnson missed the shot. From the courtside, the Hoosiers bench, along with the staff and Mike Woodson, were seated with no clear disagreement.

However, as Nebraska secured the rebound and crossed midcourt, the referee’s whistle blew and Woodson received his second call, after which he was ejected. A shocked Indiana bench watched as their coach slowly made his way to the locker room.

The Hoosiers have trudged through this season and many have called for Woodson's firing. However, it was reported that Woodson would be continuing in his position.

When whispers of his firing got louder, Woodson's players defended him. Following their 65-64 win over Michigan State, Indiana guard Anthony Leal said:

“I’ve got to make something very clear: adversity is part of sports, and for those of you who are so quick to give up and call for quits, there’s a reason you guys aren’t coaches. So, relax. There’s no other coach in the country that I would trust with anything in my life than Coach Woodson.”

Fellow guard Trey Galloway echoed Leal's sentiment:

“To Coach Woodson, I just want to thank you so much for believing in me for all these years. I really love you and I appreciate you so much, and I wouldn’t want to have any other coach other than you. So, I thank you so much.”

Following Friday's loss, Mike Woodson said:

"Bottom line, we got to get better from a talent standpoint...we are going to lose some players for sure...we just got a lot of work to do, I don't want to sit here at this time next year and not be in the tournament."

Woodson guided them to the NCAA Tournament twice in his three seasons with Indiana. However, this year a spot during Selection Sunday seems unlikely. The school has shared that it will not be accepting invitations to other postseason tournaments, but will rather focus on rebuilding the team.