Matt Painter Chastises Indiana Hoosiers Fans Over Lack Of Support For Their Head Coach

Mike Woodson is set to step down from his role as the Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball coach at the end of the season. Now, Purdue head coach Matt Painter is urging IU fans to show some patience with whoever takes the job next.

The No. 13 Boilermakers lost in an upset, 73-58, to their in-state rivals on Sunday afternoon. After the game, Painter was asked what Indiana should be looking for in a coach after Woodson leaves. That's when the longtime Purdue coach took it upon himself to lambast Indiana fans for not supporting Woodson amid the Hoosiers' struggles.

"They had a lot of turnover obviously," Painter said. "I think you’ve got to look at some of the common denominators here more than anything. That’s an important piece. Don’t beat yourself. Let’s support somebody. Let’s try that out for once every now and then. 

"When sh*t goes wrong… Like do you think Purdue fans are happy about what just happened? See, a fanbase isn’t the people who tweet. A fanbase is the people that support you when you’re bleeding."

Matt Painter criticized Indiana fans for not being supportive of their head coach.

(Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Painter, a Muncie native whose spent most of his life in Indiana, grew up in the era where the Hoosiers were competing for and winning national championships under Bob Knight. 

READ: Indiana Hoosiers Go On Insane Run To Beat Purdue On Anniversary Of Bobby Knight Chair Throw

And some Indiana fans, he believes, refuse to accept anything less than a championship. And that's just not realistic.

"They jump on and off things here way too much. Support your coach, man, support your players," Painter said. "Don’t tweet negative things about them. Like, be supportive. See how that works for you. They build them up and they overdo things. Quit overdoing sh*t. Just accurately talk about what actually happened. 

"Don’t get recruits and say they are like Michael Jordan or Scottie Pippen. They aren’t Michael Jordan or Scottie Pippen. They are good college players. They build it up, and then they go, ‘What’s wrong?’ They are a part of it."

At 16-11 overall, Indiana is on the outside looking in when it comes to an NCAA Tournament bid, but Mike Woodson & Co. have four games left to make their case. At the very least, maybe Painter's pep talk inspired Hoosiers fans to show up and cheer them on.