I don't get in to the "better" comparisons... I've posted a handful of lists on guys that I think would be successful at Indiana.
Beard, obviously, has proven he's capable of making deep NCAA runs...which is very important. But he's also jumped around a lot, hasn't really shown much that he can maintain a high level program for long stretches...why is it a given that he'd stay at IU? Maybe he'd jump at the Kentucky job in a few years if it opened up, or Kansas as you mentioned? His history shows he's pretty open to jumping ship. Doesn't look like a guy that has turned down many offers before. We can't bash the IU job, saying we aren't gonna attract anyone better, and then just assume a guy that's had 6-7 head coaching jobs in 13 years would stay at IU for 8-10 years. Might as well hire Jim Crutchfield, and hope he has the energy, at age 69, to coach for 4-5 more years, if you're willing to overlook Beard's history, and take that risk on.
Long winded way of providing examples on why he isn't an obviously perfect fit...and none of that mentions his DV issue.
I'd take McCollum over Beard. And I'm much less sure I like McCollum's style than I was even a few weeks ago.