Steve Alford Says He's '100 Percent Not Going To Indiana'

Steve Alford has finally, directly addressed the speculation connecting him to his alma mater, Indiana University. UCLA’s head coach told ESPN he was not going anywhere after his team’s 86-75 loss to Kentucky in the Sweet 16 Friday night.

Here is what he had to say:

"“I am absolutely 100 percent not going to Indiana. Staying at UCLA. I am happy. Love it here. Have a great class coming in, and brand-new practice facility. Obviously, I love my alma mater. Committed to UCLA. I am not going to talk to Indiana. I am staying a Bruin.”"

There is a huge segment of Indiana fans (including me) who will be breathing a sigh of relief at this news. I have never been convinced Alford is anything more than an average basketball coach, and that showed up again on Friday night.

Truth be told, I’ve been hearing Indiana that Alford wasn’t even really in the running for the job, so this might be a way for him to save face. The national media has connected the dots on his candidacy, while reporters who are actually close to the situation have shot down a lot of those claims.

This puts that all to bed and Indiana can focus on real candidates.