BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The opportunity to coach at Indiana was enough to finally lure Kelvin Sampson from Oklahoma.

Now he faces the pressure of returning one of America’s most prestigious basketball schools Indiana to elite status.

The school scheduled an introductory news conference for Wednesday afternoon. Stephen Backer, a former Indiana trustee, said Sampson was on his way to the campus.

Sampson told his former players about the change Tuesday, the same day Hoosiers players also learned of the pending move – even as the two sides continued working out details on a contract and an NCAA investigation continued into Oklahoma’s recruiting practices.

“It was definitely tough for him to do,” freshman forward Taylor Griffin said. “It would be tough for anybody.”

Last week, Sampson said he spent the previous 12 years dismissing rumors he was leaving for other jobs. Among those interested were North Carolina State and Illinois.

But with an NCAA investigation looming and one of college basketball’s top schools calling, Sampson couldn’t say no.

“I think any time you’ve got an opportunity to coach at a top-five program, you’ve certainly got to take a long, hard look at it,” said Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne coach Dane Fife, a former Hoosiers player who was consulted by Athletic Director Rick Greenspan during the five-week search that began after Mike Davis announced last month he would resign at season’s end.

Oklahoma officials wouldn’t confirm the departure, and phone messages left for Greenspan and athletic department spokesman Pete Rhoda weren’t immediately returned. No news conference was scheduled, either.

Still, the news leaked. ESPN first reported the move Tuesday afternoon. Then a person close to the talks, who requested anonymity because of the continuing negotiations, said an announcement was expected shortly.

Later, the relative of one Indiana player said her nephew called Tuesday afternoon after Indiana’s players were informed.

“He’s looking forward to meeting him and getting to know him,” said Stephanie Gilbert, the aunt of Hoosiers guard A.J. Ratliff who helped raise him in Indianapolis. “He seems pretty happy.”

Ratliff initially declined to comment but later appeared to confirm the move when talking with television crews in Bloomington.

“He’s shown that he can win at Oklahoma, so I think he can come here and do the same,” he said.

The 50-year-old Sampson, AP’s Coach of the Year in 1995, replaces Davis, who went 115-79 in six seasons as head coach. He was the first coach in school history to win 20 games in each of his first three seasons.

Davis also led the Hoosiers to the 2002 national championship game two seasons after Bob Knight was fired. Indiana beat Sampson’s Sooners in the Final Four to reach the title game before losing to Maryland.

The early successes, however, couldn’t overshadow Davis’ failures. Indiana missed the NCAA tournament in 2004 and 2005 before returning this year. The Hoosiers went 19-12 in Davis’ final season and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament before losing to Gonzaga.

Sampson’s new task: winning national titles at Indiana.

“I played against his team in the Final Four and what I noticed was that they played the right way,” Fife said. “They were disciplined, hard-nosed and tough. If Indiana fans want to get back to being tough, I think he’s the right guy.”

Sampson leaves Oklahoma amid an investigation for possible recruiting violations. The NCAA is looking into more than 550 impermissible phone calls to recruits by Sampson and his assistant coaches. Sooners officials are scheduled to appear before an NCAA panel in Utah on April 21.

As part of their self-imposed sanctions, the Sooners froze Sampson’s salary for a two-year period beginning in 2005 and restricted him from receiving any postseason bonuses. His recruiting was also heavily curtailed.

NCAA spokesman Erik Christiansen said the committee on infractions must determine whether any penalties follow Sampson to Indiana.

“It’s all dependent on what the sanctions are, the severity of the bylaw violations and ultimately it’s up to them,” Christiansen said.

Such a thing has happened before: Earlier this month former Ohio State assistant Paul Biancardi was prohibited from recruiting until October 2007 at his new job as coach of Wright State because of recruiting violations under former coach Jim O’Brien. Biancardi later resigned.

Davis said he thought Indiana needed an ex-Hoosier to unify the pro-Knight and anti-Knight factions that split after Knight’s firing. Instead of bringing in Iowa’s Steve Alford, a former All-American who led the Hoosiers to the 1987 national title, or Orlando Magic assistant Randy Wittman, Greenspan got Sampson, who helped re-establish the Sooners as a national contender.

Oklahoma went 20-9 this year, but was upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament by Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Sampson gives the Hoosiers a widely respected coach and proven recruiter. He has been successful in both the Pac-10 and Big 12; once served as president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches; has coached on five national teams; and boasts a career record of 455-257.

Sampson went 279-109 at Oklahoma and made 12 straight postseason appearances, including the 2002 Final Four, Oklahoma’s first trip to the national semifinals in a decade.

He’s one of six coaches with 20 or more wins each of the past nine seasons.

Sampson got his first head coaching job at Montana Tech in 1981 after one season as an assistant there. After back-to-back conference titles, he went to Washington State where he was an assistant for two years before taking over as head coach. He led the Cougars to the 1994 NCAA tournament, then joined Oklahoma.