Report: Indiana wants Bennett

Mar 29, 2008 - 6:02 PM LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Indiana reportedly is interested in Washington State coach Tony Bennett.

The Hoosiers have made an offer to Bennett, who has guided Washington State to two straight NCAA Tournament appearances, according to a report on FoxSports.com.

Citing two unnamed sources, FoxSports.com said Bennett was offered the job on Friday, one day after the Cougars lost to top seed North Carolina, 68-47, in the "Sweet 16".

Indiana endured a turbulent season that included the firing in February of former coach Kelvin Sampson, who was dismissed following an investigation into illegal phone calls.

Sampson was replaced on an interim basis by Dan Dakich, who posted a 3-3 record. Dakich was on the bench for the Hoosiers' 86-72 loss to Arkansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Xavier's Sean Miller, Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon and Vanderbilt's Kevin Stallings were other coaches that surfaced in the FoxSports.com report as possible candidates for the Indiana job.

The 38-year-old Bennett, who took over for his father, Dick, at Washington State two years ago, is considered one of the game's rising young coaches.

Bennett is 52-17 in his two years at Washington State, guiding the Cougars to back-to-back 25-win seasons. This year, they made their first "Sweet 16" appearance since 1941.