Indiana looks to be a step closer to hiring a new head coach, and one of the top mid-major coaches in the country appears to be one of the leading candidates.

Ben McCollum, who has led Drake to a 30-3 record and an MVC regular-season and tournament title in his first season, “has really impressed Indiana AD Scott Dolson,” according to college basketball insider Jeff Goodman.

Prior to being hired at Drake as the replacement for now-West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries, McCollum spent 15 successful seasons at Division II Northwest Missouri State — his alma mater — winning 4 national championships there and going 395-91 overall. Prior to that, he was an assistant at D-II Emporia State.

He made the move to the D-I ranks after DeVries departed for Morgantown and has made an immediate impact, leading the Bulldogs to a fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and a first-ever 30-win season.

Whoever lands the Indiana job, whether McCollum or someone else, will face massive expectations immediately: Mike Woodson guided the program to NCAA appearances in his first 2 seasons in Bloomington, but the Hoosiers have failed to make the 68-team field two seasons in a row.

In February, Indiana announced that Woodson would step down. On Thursday, the Hoosiers fell to Oregon 72-59 in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.