Honestly, when I think of Crean, I think of Kevin O'Neill. Crean has come under a ton of fire despite having cleaned up the program, taken them to a #1 ranking, and made the Sweet 16 twice. IU fans that think they are still a national power are delusional. They've been to one Final Four in the past 23 years. They've won only two conference titles in that span, one under Crean. They haven't won a national title in 28 years. The name may be Indiana, but the program is a shadow of its former self. Indiana is not a blue blood. It is not a national brand. It is not on par with Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, or any of the other true powers. They aren't even on par with Michigan State, Michigan, or Ohio State any more.

Their fans are stuck in the 1980s. I wonder if Crean sometimes thinks it was a mistake to leave Marquette. He could have stayed here forever, he would have been given a pass when he missed the tourney on occasion as long as he had more successes than failures. If he could negotiate a smaller buyout, get DePaul to pay a portion of it, going to a smaller, Midwestern Catholic school might actually appeal to him. Like a second chance at the greener grass he walked away from because "It's Indiana, It's Indiana." He would again have time to build the program, the fanbase would never have the same unrealistic dreams that IU fans still harbor, he would be in a recruiting hotbed and still have access to all the areas he has successfully recruited over the years.

In addition, it would let IU get out from under his buyout and move on. Crean certainly has made the job more attractive than it was when he took it. IU gets a new coach, Crean gets a new job with less pressure and that would allow him the time needed for a rebuild (which he has shown an aptitude for), and DePaul would get a coach that knows how to motivate a fanbase and create excitement in a program while also knowing how to win.

Honestly, I hope Crean goes nowhere near there. I don't really want a good DePaul, and while Crean wouldn't necessarily make them a perennial contender, I do believe he would make them a team that was regularly a top-6 team in the league.