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Big Ten Basketball: Ranking all 14 head coaches for 2019-20 season

By Joey Loose

EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 20: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans looks on during a game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Breslin Center on February 20, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 20: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans looks on during a game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Breslin Center on February 20, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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BLOOMINGTON, IN – JANUARY 14: Archie Miller the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers gives instructions to his team against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Assembly Hall on January 14, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN – JANUARY 14: Archie Miller the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers gives instructions to his team against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Assembly Hall on January 14, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

5. Archie Miller (Indiana)

One thing widely known in the college basketball landscape is that the Hoosiers have been somewhat of a disappointment since the turn of the century. Ever since Bob Knight left the program, the Hoosiers have failed to become a consistent power on the college basketball landscape. The hiring of Miller back in 2017 was a highly revered move, but is it paying off in Bloomington?

Archie played his college ball at NC State where brother Sean spent time as an assistant coach. After his playing career ended, his coaching career began, taking him all across the country. He spent time under Darrin Horn, Herb Sendek, Thad Matta and his brother before he finally got his shot to run a program in 2011. Miller would spend six years making Dayton one of the best teams in the A-10. The team finished in 5th place in 2014 but made a run to the Elite Eight. In all, this was an NCAA Tournament team each of his last four seasons.

In 2017, Tom Crean was cast aside by the Hoosiers and Archie was brought in to lead the program. He’s only two years in, but there haven’t exactly been the results that many were expecting. A season with Romeo Langford turned into a 9th place Big Ten finish and an NIT bid. After two seasons, he’s barely above .500 and has struggled in conference play. He’s off to a better start than Crean, though he inherited a program hit by heavy sanctions.

How in the world can Miller be considered a top 5 coach in the Big Ten? The fact of the matter is that it’s far too early to label his time at Indiana as a failure. His Elite Eight at Dayton (in his third season as a head coach) shows that he knows how to build a program and coach young men. It’s possible that the pressure and bright lights of Indiana are too much for him (much like Shaka Smart at Texas), but let’s just give Miller another few years to show us what he’s made of.

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