Indiana firing Tom Crean would be almost completely unprecedented in college hoops

Okay, first, stop. This isn’t commentary one way or the other on Tom Crean’s future at Indiana. It’s an issue that’s been well-litigated amongst Indiana fans for months, and one that will likely be resolved one way or another shortly after Indiana’s 2017 season ends.

Still, with speculation flying about his future at Indiana, we wondered: Just how rare would it be for a major college program to part with a coach not mired in scandal just one year removed from an outright conference championship?

The answer: It’s basically never happened.

Since the inception of the NCAA Tournament in 1939, no Big Ten program has fired or asked for the resignation of a basketball coach a year or less removed from an outright conference championship.