THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” SUNDAY JANUARY 5, 2025

“THE SCOREBOARD”

INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL

HOMESTEAD.COM

ADAMS CENTRAL	47	PARKWAY (OHIO)	37
ANDREAN	54	HAMMOND NOLL	51	OT
BARR-REEVE	57	SPRINGS VALLEY	45
BENTON CENTRAL	54	COVINGTON	51
BLUFFTON	71	LAKEWOOD PARK	40
CASCADE	56	CRAWFORDSVILLE	43
CENTER GROVE	69	PERRY MERIDIAN	48
CHARLESTOWN	79	HERITAGE HILLS	54
CLARKSVILLE	61	RISING SUN	41
CLAY CITY	65	SOUTH PUTNAM	31
CLINTON PRAIRIE	71	FAITH CHRISTIAN	40
COLUMBUS CHRISTIAN	60	CANNELTON	30
COLUMBUS NORTH	57	TERRE HAUTE SOUTH	47
CONCORD	53	FAIRFIELD	47	OT
CORYDON CENTRAL	51	SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER)	30
DUGGER UNION	56	WASHINGTON CATHOLIC	7
EASTERN (PEKIN)	66	NEW WASHINGTON	64
EASTERN HANCOCK	72	RANDOLPH SOUTHERN	35
EDINBURGH	57	KNIGHTSTOWN	52
FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA	54	INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN	46
GARY WEST	64	CHICAGO BLOOM (ILL.)	57
GIBSON SOUTHERN	58	LOOGOOTEE	37
HOMESTEAD	80	LEO	40
INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL	51	CARMEL	48
JAY COUNTY	36	MUNCIE CENTRAL	28
KANKAKEE VALLEY	58	RIVER FOREST	46
LAVILLE	55	NORTH JUDSON	17
LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC	54	RENSSELAER CENTRAL	53
LAKELAND	64	CENTREVILLE (MICH.)	28
LAWRENCE NORTH	70	JEFFERSONVILLE	64
MACONAQUAH	75	WHITKO	50
MANCHESTER	68	FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY	55
MCCUTCHEON	71	TRI-WEST	61
MOORESVILLE	74	MONROVIA	60
MOUNT VERNON (POSEY)	75	PIKE CENTRAL	43
NEW CASTLE	57	MISSISSINEWA	35
NEW PALESTINE	57	WHITELAND	54
NOBLESVILLE	64	INDIANAPOLIS TECH	31
NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS)	76	FLOYD CENTRAL	45
NORTH DAVIESS	44	EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN	19
NORTH KNOX	58	VINCENNES RIVET	38
NORTH WHITE	44	OREGON-DAVIS	38
NORTHEASTERN	77	VICTORY COLLEGE PREP	45
NORTHFIELD	59	SOUTH ADAMS	43
NORTHVIEW	56	MISHAWAKA	47
NORTHWESTERN	44	EASTERN (GREENTOWN)	41
OLDENBURG ACADEMY	43	FRANKLIN COUNTY	40
PARKE HERITAGE	66	SHERIDAN	58
PERRY CENTRAL	51	EVANSVILLE MATER DEI	45
PLAINFIELD	77	ZIONSVILLE	68
PRINCETON	58	JASPER	49
PROVIDENCE	52	SWITZERLAND COUNTY	32
ROCHESTER	52	BREMEN	48
SEYMOUR	55	MARTINSVILLE	30
SHOALS	60	LIGHTHOUSE CHRISTIAN	46
SOUTH DECATUR	57	SHAWE MEMORIAL	52	OT
TERRE HAUTE NORTH	63	EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL	47
TRI-CENTRAL	55	DALEVILLE	53	OT
TRI-TOWNSHIP	60	WHITING	57
TRI	60	WES-DEL	46
TRINITY GREENLAWN	44	GRANGER CHRISTIAN	32
TWIN LAKES	45	FRONTIER	40
UNION COUNTY	44	RUSHVILLE	38
UNIVERSITY	48	BETHESDA CHRISTIAN	36
WATSEKA (ILL.)	61	SOUTH NEWTON	53
WEST LAFAYETTE	47	WESTERN	42
WEST NOBLE	58	EASTSIDE	20
WESTFIELD	74	MARION	49
WOOD MEMORIAL	55	SOUTH SPENCER	53
DELPHI TOURNAMENT
DELPHI	51	WINAMAC	45
TAYLOR	49	ROSSVILLE	46
NORTHEAST DUBOIS TOURNAMENT
NORTHEAST DUBOIS	51	TECUMSEH	48	OT
LANESVILLE	41	HENRYVILLE	38
TECUMSEH	49	HENRYVILLE	32
NORTHEAST DUBOIS	58	LANESVILLE	25

INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL

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ANGOLA	52	FREMONT	43
ATTICA	56	SOUTH VERMILLION	27
BELLMONT	53	BLUFFTON	47
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH	51	NEW ALBANY	36
CASTON	56	TRITON	48
CLARKSVILLE	51	RISING SUN	41
COLUMBUS CHRISTIAN	41	CANNELTON	36
CONNERSVILLE	53	GREENFIELD-CENTRAL	50
CRAWFORD COUNTY	42	FOREST PARK	36
DEKALB	53	LAKEWOOD PARK	39
DUGGER UNION	42	WASHINGTON CATHOLIC	22
EASTERN HANCOCK	73	MONROE CENTRAL	39
ELKHART CHRISTIAN	56	WESTVIEW	38
EVANSVILLE CENTRAL	67	SOUTHRIDGE	33
EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN	40	BOONVILLE	32
EVANSVILLE NORTH	51	BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE	36
FISHERS	51	ARLINGTON HERSEY (ILL.)	41
FLOYD CENTRAL	39	BORDEN	37
GUERIN CATHOLIC	58	PERRY MERIDIAN	32
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN	57	PLAINFIELD	55	OT
HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE)	45	LEBANON	37
HERITAGE HILLS	59	EVANSVILLE REITZ	37
HICKSVILLE (OHIO)	56	HAMILTON	28
HOMESTEAD	68	NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS)	36
INDIAN CREEK	51	SPEEDWAY	37
JASPER	58	PIKE CENTRAL	20
JENNINGS COUNTY	49	RUSHVILLE	36
LAWRENCE CENTRAL	51	MERRILLVILLE	32
LAWRENCE NORTH	71	VALPARAISO	40
LOOGOOTEE	41	CLAY CITY	34
MARION	74	EASTERN (GREENTOWN)	23
MARTINSVILLE	46	SOUTHPORT	44
MONROVIA	76	PURDUE POLY ENGLEWOOD	57
MORRISTOWN	63	INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA	39
MOUNT CARMEL (ILL.)	59	VINCENNES RIVET	31
NILES (MICH.)	57	JIMTOWN	37
NORTH DAVIESS	57	EASTERN GREENE	24
NORTH KNOX	56	PARKE HERITAGE	24
NORTH MIAMI	41	ARGOS	34
NORTHFIELD	50	SOUTH ADAMS	30
OLDENBURG ACADEMY	64	JAC-CEN-DEL	20
PAOLI	58	NEW WASHINGTON	40
PIKE	76	LAFAYETTE JEFF	62
RENSSELAER CENTRAL	54	LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC	39
RIVER FOREST	44	GRIFFITH	40
SHAKAMAK	54	MITCHELL	22
SHENANDOAH	46	UNION (MODOC)	25
SHOALS	49	ROCK CREEK ACADEMY	28
SILVER CREEK	66	LOUISVILLE BALLARD (KY.)	47
SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON	85	NEW PRAIRIE	12
SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS)	38	HOBART	30
SOUTH DECATUR	39	HENRYVILLE	36
SOUTH SPENCER	51	TELL CITY	42
SOUTHERN WELLS	65	RANDOLPH SOUTHERN	50
SPRINGS VALLEY	48	EDGEWOOD	30
TERRE HAUTE NORTH	65	EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL	54
TRI-WEST	56	UNIVERSITY	49
TRINITY LUTHERAN	60	NORTH HARRISON	52
TRITON CENTRAL	62	FRANKLIN COUNTY	55
WABASH	59	SOUTHWOOD	41
WESTERN	56	WEST LAFAYETTE	46
WOODLAN	56	FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA	46
YORKTOWN	54	JAY COUNTY	41
ZIONSVILLE	73	BREBEUF JESUIT	57
COVENANT CHRISTIAN TOURNAMENT
COVENANT CHRISTIAN	66	CHRISTIAN ACADEMY	33
NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG)	51	CASCADE	37
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY	56	CASCADE	52
NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG)	48	COVENANT CHRISTIAN	38
DELPHI TOURNAMENT
WINAMAC	57	DELPHI	51	OT
PIONEER	49	ROSSVILLE	47	OT
ELKHART TOURNAMENT
ELKHART	68	SOUTH BEND RILEY	39
SOUTH BEND ADAMS	58	MISHAWAKA MARIAN	57	OT
SOUTH BEND RILEY	54	MISHAWAKA MARIAN	46
ELKHART	67	SOUTH BEND ADAMS	39
GRANT 4 TOURNAMENT
MISSISSINEWA	56	MADISON-GRANT	28
OAK HILL	47	EASTBROOK	21
EASTBROOK	55	MADISON-GRANT	51
OAK HILL	42	MISSISSINEWA	23
HUNTINGTON NORTH CLASSIC
HUNTINGTON NORTH	52	WHITKO	41
NOBLESVILLE	51	FORT WAYNE NORTHROP	41
WHITKO	69	FORT WAYNE NORTHROP	64
NOBLESVILLE	58	HUNTINGTON NORTH	42
UNION CITY INVITATIONAL
FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK	64	ADAMS CENTRAL	34
CENTERVILLE	37	BLUE RIVER	27
ADAMS CENTRAL	36	UNION CITY	31
CLINTON CENTRAL	48	FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK	47
WARSAW TOURNAMENT
WARSAW	105	NEW HAVEN	21
CHESTERTON	40	WAWASEE	26
WAWASEE	57	NEW HAVEN	40
WARSAW	90	CHESTERTON	29

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING

BOYS DUAL RESULTS: https://indianamat.com/index.php?/dualresults.html/

GIRLS DUAL RESULTS: https://indianamat.com/index.php?/dualresults.html/211_girls-dual-results/

BOYS TOURNAMENT RESULTS: https://indianamat.com/index.php?/curtournamentresults.html/boys-tournament-results/

GIRLS TOURNAMENT RESULTS: https://indianamat.com/index.php?/curtournamentresults.html/212_tournament-results-for-girls-events/

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TOP 25

#10 KENTUCKY 106 #6 FLORIDA 100

#24 OLE MISS 63 GEORGIA 51

#1 TENNESSEE 76 #23 ARKANSAS 52

 #17 MISSISSIPPI STATE 85 SOUTH CAROLINA 50

#14 HOUSTON 86 BYU 55

NEBRASKA 66 #15 UCLA 58

ARIZONA 72 #16 CINCINNATI 67

#2 AUBURN 84 MISSOURI 68

#5 ALABAMA 107 #12 OKLAHOMA 79

#13 TEXAS A&M 80 TEXAS 60

#19 GONZAGA 96 LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 68

ELSEWHERE:

NORTH CAROLINA 74 NOTRE DAME 73

BALL STATE 75 KENT STATE 67

ST. JOHN’S 70 BUTLER 62

INDIANA STATE 66 EVANSVILLE 62

VALPARAISO 80 NORTHERN IOWA 73

PURDUE FORT WAYNE 90 YOUNGSTOWN STATE 81

MICHIGAN 85 USC 74

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TOP 25

#1 UCLA 73 INDIANA 62

#12 KANSAS STATE 77 TEXAS TECH 57

#18 WEST VIRGINIA 66 BYU 53

#11 TCU 81 CINCINNATI 66

ELSEWHERE:

BALL STATE 72 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 61

IU INDY 56 ROBERT MORRIS 46

DRAKE 82 VALPARAISO 64

OREGON 68 WISCONSIN 52

MARQUETTE 57 BUTLER 54

ILLINOIS STATE 79 EVANSVILLE 55

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

SATURDAY, JAN. 4

BUFFALO 26 LIBERTY 7

SUNDAY, JAN. 5

NORTH CENTRAL (IL) VS. MOUNT UNION (STAGG BOWL FOR THE DIII CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN HOUSTON) | TBA | ESPN

MONDAY, JAN. 6

MONTANA STATE VS. NORTH DAKOTA STATE (FCS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN FRISCO, TEXAS) | 7 P.M. | ESPN

THURSDAY, JAN. 9

PENN STATE VS. NOTRE DAME (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL GAME — ORANGE BOWL) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN

FRIDAY, JAN. 10

TEXAS VS. OHIO STATE (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL GAME — COTTON BOWL) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN

MONDAY, JAN. 20

TBD VS. TBD (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME — IN ATLANTA) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN

NFL

THE FINAL WEEK 18 SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES ET):

SATURDAY, JAN. 4, 2025
BALTIMORE 35 CLEVELAND 10
CINCINNATI 19 PITTSBURGH 17

SUNDAY, JAN. 5, 2025
CAROLINA PANTHERS AT ATLANTA FALCONS, 1:00P — CBS
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS AT DALLAS COWBOYS, 1:00P — FOX
CHICAGO BEARS AT GREEN BAY PACKERS, 1:00P — FOX
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS, 1:00P — FOX
BUFFALO BILLS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, 1:00P — CBS
NEW YORK GIANTS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, 1:00P — CBS
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, 1:00P — FOX
HOUSTON TEXANS AT TENNESSEE TITANS, 1:00P — CBS
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT ARIZONA CARDINALS, 4:25P — FOX
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT DENVER BRONCOS, 4:25P — CBS
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS, 4:25P — CBS
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS, 4:25P — FOX
MIAMI DOLPHINS AT NEW YORK JETS, 4:25P — FOX
MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT DETROIT LIONS, 8:20P — NBC

NBA SCORES

PHILADELPHIA 123 BROOKLYN 94

DETROIT 119 MINNESOTA 105

INDIANA 126 PHOENIX 108

UTAH 136 MIAMI 100

PORTLAND 105 MILWAUKEE 102

CHICAGO 139 NEW YORK 126

DENVER 122 SAN ANTONIO 111 OT

GOLDEN STATE 121 MEMPHIS 113

LA CLIPPERS 131 ATLANTA 105

NHL SCORES

WASHINGTON 7 NY RANGERS 4

SAN JOSE 3 NEW JERSEY 2

DETROIT 4 WINNIPEG 2

TORONTO 6 BOSTON 4

COLUMBUS 6 ST. LOUIS 4

MONTRÉAL 2 COLORADO 1

MINNESOTA 4 CAROLINA 0

DALLAS 3 UTAH 2

LOS ANGELES 2 TAMPA BAY 1

NASHVILLE 4 CALGARY 1

EDMONTON 4 SEATTLE 2

VEGAS 3 BUFFALO 1

TOP NATIONAL RELEASES/HEADLINES

NFL NEWS

BENGALS KEEP PLAYOFF HOPES ALIVE WITH VICTORY OVER STEELERS

Joe Burrow passed for 277 yards and one touchdown and the Cincinnati Bengals remained alive in the AFC playoff race by notching a 19-17 victory over the host Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night.

Ja’Marr Chase had 10 receptions for 96 yards and one touchdown and Cade York kicked four field goals as Cincinnati (9-8) won its fifth consecutive contest. The Bengals need the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins to lose their respective games on Sunday to nab a playoff berth.

Russell Wilson was 17-of-31 passing for 148 yards and one touchdown for Pittsburgh (10-7), which had just 193 total yards while losing its fourth straight game. The Steelers were eliminated from the AFC North race earlier Saturday when Baltimore defeated Cleveland.

Najee Harris rushed for a touchdown and Pat Freiermuth had eight receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown for Pittsburgh, which will either be the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the playoffs.

Chase is on his way to becoming the fifth player since 1970 to win the receiving Triple Crown. He finishes the regular season with 127 receptions, 1,708 yards and 17 touchdown catches.

Trey Hendrickson had 3.5 sacks for the Bengals to raise his season output to an NFL-high 17.5.

The Steelers had just 91 offensive yards through three quarters but came alive in the fourth with a nine-play, 65-yard drive. Wilson capped it with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Freiermuth to bring Pittsburgh within 19-14 with 8:07 left.

The hosts later received a break when a punt hit the foot of Cincinnati’s DJ Ivey and was recovered by Connor Heyward at the Bengals’ 38-yard line. But Pittsburgh settled for Chris Boswell’s 54-yard field goal to move within two with 2:39 remaining.

The Steelers got the ball back with 1:51 left, but Wilson’s pass on fourth down from the Pittsburgh 40-yard line went off the hands of Freiermuth.

Burrow was 37-of-46 passing with an interception. He completed his first 12 throws, including all six on Cincinnati’s first drive, ending it with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Chase.

York booted a 48-yard field goal to make it 10-0 with 1:24 left in the first quarter. The Steelers got on the board when Harris scored from the 1-yard line with 9:54 left in the second.

York kicked a 27-yarder with 16 seconds left as Cincinnati held a 13-7 halftime lead. He hit from 35 yards with 6:56 remaining in the third quarter and made a 23-yarder with 11:02 left in the game to make it 19-7.

RAVENS WRAP UP THE AFC NORTH WITH A 35-10 ROUT OF CLEVELAND; JACKSON SURPASSES 4,000 YARDS PASSING

BALTIMORE (AP) — The road to a division title was bumpy for the Baltimore Ravens, who started 0-2, faced a schedule packed with playoff teams and had to rally from a two-game deficit with four to play.

Having overcome all that, Lamar Jackson is looking ahead to the most important challenges of all — in the postseason.

“I’m focused on the wild-card game, I’m not going to lie to you,” Jackson said. “I’m cool with what’s going on today. I’m cool, don’t get me wrong, but my mind’s on something else.”

Jackson threw two touchdown passes, and the Ravens won the AFC North for the second straight season, clinching the division with a 35-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday.

Now the Ravens (12-5) will try to reach the Super Bowl for the first time with Jackson. They open the playoffs at home against either the Los Angeles Chargers or Pittsburgh Steelers. Baltimore was two games behind the Steelers in the division before closing with four consecutive victories.

Cleveland (3-14) ended a dreadful season with six straight losses. Both Bailey Zappe and Dorian Thompson-Robinson took snaps at quarterback in the finale. Neither could move the ball much, and Zappe had an interception returned 26 yards for a touchdown by rookie Nate Wiggins for the game’s first points.

The biggest concern coming out of this game for the Ravens was the health of Pro Bowl receiver Zay Flowers, who left in the second quarter with a right knee injury.

Jackson threw TD passes to Mark Andrews in the second quarter and Rashod Bateman in the third, finishing a spectacular statistical season that might be good enough to earn him a third MVP award. Jackson finished the season with 4,172 yards passing, 41 touchdown passes and four interceptions. He became the first quarterback to reach 4,000 yards passing with 40 TD passes and four or fewer interceptions.

Jackson also finished the season with 915 yards rushing, becoming the first player to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for at least 800. His passer rating of 119.6 wasn’t quite high enough to break the single-season record of 122.5 held by Aaron Rodgers.

Zappe threw for 170 yards with two interceptions. His 16-yard scoring pass to Jordan Akins made it 21-10 in the fourth, but the Ravens answered with 70-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Derrick Henry.

Henry, who turned 31 on Saturday, added a 43-yard scoring run late in the fourth. He finished the season with 1,921 yards rushing and a franchise-record 16 touchdowns on the ground.

Cleveland has now gone 28 consecutive games without allowing a 300-yard passer. Jackson finished 16 of 32 for 217 yards.

“I respect this game, these players do. It’s a privilege to play, it’s a privilege to coach,” said Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, whose team was a 20-point underdog shortly before kickoff according to BetMGM. “If they’re keeping score, we’re going to compete to the end.”

Garrett shut out

Cleveland’s Myles Garrett entered the game tied for the NFL lead with 14 sacks, but although the Browns pressured Jackson at times, nobody could sack him. Garrett did have a tackle for loss.

Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson, who also came into the day with 14, moved ahead of Garrett with an early sack in the Bengals’ game against Pittsburgh on Saturday night.

“Lamar is a very difficult quarterback to sack, but Myles played the run and battled,” Stefanski said.

Hefty highlight

Ravens defensive lineman Michael Pierce, listed at a rotund 355 pounds, picked off a pass late in the fourth — his first interception in nine NFL seasons. He had some room to run but gave himself up with a fairly nimble slide before being mobbed by teammates.

“The most amazing play in NFL history right there,” coach John Harbaugh said.

Tested

Although the Ravens finished against the last-place Browns, Harbaugh said they should be well prepared for the postseason. In fact, unless Miami snags the final wild card, Baltimore will have already faced every other team in the AFC playoff field.

“Same level of competition that we’ve been playing against,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve played all the teams in the playoffs.”

Injuries

Cleveland DT Mike Hall Jr. was carted off with a knee injury in the third quarter. … Browns CB Mike Ford Jr. injured his forearm. … Cleveland CB Martin Emerson Jr. injured an ankle.

Up next

Baltimore’s postseason opener could feature a coaching matchup between Harbaugh and his brother, Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh. Or perhaps a divisional clash between the Ravens and Steelers.

Cleveland can look ahead to the draft after the team’s quarterback situation appeared as unstable as ever this season.

NFL WEEK 18 GAME CAPSULES

CAROLINA PANTHERS (4-12) AT ATLANTA FALCONS (8-8)

Sunday, January 5, 2025 | 1:00 PM ET | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Referee: Land Clark

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: ATL leads series, 37-22 (Home team won 4 of past 5)

Postseason:

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 10/13/24: ATL 38 at CAR 20

Postseason: —

PANTHERS NOTES:

QB BRYCE YOUNG passed for 203 yards & 2 TDs with 100.7 rating last week, his 3rd career game with 100+ rating & 2+ pass TDs. Had TD pass in last game at Atl. in his NFL debut (9/10/23). Aims for his 4th in row on road with TD pass. • RB RAHEEM BLACKSHEAR led team with season-high 20 rush yards last week. • WR ADAM THIELEN led team with season-high 110 rec. yards & 2 rec. TDs last week, his 5th career game with 100+ rec. yards & 2+ rec. TDs. Has 571 rec. yards in 2024, his 5th season in row with 500+ rec. yards. Needs 7 catches for 8th career season with 50+ catches. Has 3 rec. TDs in his past 3 on road & aims for his 3rd in row on road with 5+ catches & 100+ rec. yards. Has 5+ catches & 50+ rec. yards in 4 of his past 5 overall. • WR JALEN COKER (rookie) needs 84 rec. yards for 500 rec. yards this season. • WR XAVIER LEGETTE (rookie) needs 4 catches & 33 rec. yards for 1st career season with 50+ catches & 500+ rec. yards. • LB JACOBY WINDMON (rookie) had career-high 10 tackles, PD & 0.5 sack in Week 17 & aims for his 3rd in row with 8+ tackles, PD & half sack. • LB D.J. WONNUM has sack in 4 of his past 5 on road. Aims for his 5th in row on road with 5+ tackles. • LB JOSEY JEWELL had 6 tackles & PD in Week 16. Has 97 tackles in 2024 & needs 3 tackles for his 4th-career season with 100+ tackles. Aims for his 3rd in row on road with 10+ tackles & TFL. Had 10 tackles & TFL in his only game vs. Atl. (11/8/20 w/ Den.). • LB JADEVEON CLOWNEY had sack last week. Had sack & FF in his last game vs. Atl. (10/27/19 w/ Sea.). • LB CHANDLER WOOTEN led team with career-high 14 tackles last week. • CB JAYCEE HORN had 2 PD in Week 6 meeting. Has career-high 68 tackles, 13 PD, 5 TFL & 2 sacks in 2024. • S XAVIER WOODS had career-high 12 tackles last week, his 13th game in row with 5+ tackles. Has career-high 114 tackles in 2024. Had 9 tackles & PD in Week 6 meeting. Has PD in 4 of his past 5 vs. Atl. & aims for his 3rd in row vs. Atl. with PD. Needs PD for 4th season in row with 6+ PD.

FALCONS NOTES:

QB MICHAEL PENIX JR. (rookie) passed for career-high 223 yards vs. INT & had 1st-career TD pass last week. • RB BIJAN ROBINSON had 90 rush yards & 2 rush TDs last week, his 5th game in row with 90+ rush yards, longest active streak in NFL. Has 1,714 scrimmage yards in 2024, 4th-most in NFL. Aims for his 3rd in row with 95+ scrimmage yards & 2 TDs & 5th in row at home with 100+ scrimmage yards. Has TD in 3 of his past 4 at home. Had 105 scrimmage yards (95 rush, 10 rec.) & 2 rush TDs in Week 6 meeting. Had 83 scrimmage yards (56 rush, 27 rec.) & rec. TD in last home meeting. • WR DRAKE LONDON led team with 7 catches for 106 rec. yards last week & has 1,084 rec. yards in 2024, his 1st-career season with 1,000+ rec. yards. Needs 10 catches for 1st-career 100-catch season. Aims for his 8th in row with 50+ rec. yards. Had 6 catches for 74 rec. yards & TD in Week 6 meeting. • WR DARNELL MOONEY has 5+ catches & 80+ rec. yards in 2 of his past 3 at home. Needs 8 rec. yards for 2nd-career season with 1,000+ rec. yards. • S JESSIE BATES had 12 tackles & 2nd sack of season last week. Has 97 tackles in 2024 & needs 3 tackles for 5th career season with 100+ tackles. Is 1 of 3 DBs (Budda Baker & Kevin Byard) with 700+ career tackles since 2018 (706). • S JUSTIN SIMMONS had 6 tackles last week & aims for his 4th in row vs. Car. with 5+ tackles. Needs 4 tackles for 8th season in row with 60+ tackles. • LB KADEN ELLISS had 9 tackles & 1st-career INT last week. Had PD in Week 6 meeting. Needs 11 tackles for 1st-career season with 150+ tackles. Aims for this 5th in row with 7+ tackles. • LB MATTHEW JUDON had sack last week & has sack in 3 of his past 4. Aims for his 3rd in row with sack. Has TFL in 2 of his past 3 vs. Car.

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (11-5) AT DALLAS COWBOYS (7-9)

Sunday, January 5, 2025 | 1:00 PM ET | AT&T Stadium | Referee: Clete Blakeman

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: DAL leads series, 79-46-2 (won 6 of past 7)

Postseason: WAS leads series, 2-0

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 11/24/24: DAL 34 at WAS 26

Postseason: NFC-C 1/22/83: DAL 17 at WAS 31

COMMANDERS NOTES:

COMMANDERS made postseason for 1st time since 2020 & won 11 games for 1st time since 1991 (14-2). • QB JAYDEN DANIELS (rookie) had 354 yards (227 pass, career-high 127 rush) & 3 TD passes vs. INT for 100.1 rating in Week 17. Has 864 rush yards, most ever by rookie QB. Has 25 TD passes in 2024, tied 5th-most by rookie QB all-time. Aims for his 4th in row with 95+ rating & 6th in row with 2+ TD passes. Had 349 yards (275 pass, 74 rush) & 3 TDs (2 pass, 1 rush) in Week 12 meeting. • RB BRIAN ROBINSON rushed for 60 yards last week. Has 942 scrimmage yards (789 rush, 153 rec.) in 2024. Can reach 1,000-yards for 2nd-straight season & surpass 797 rush yards from 2022. • WR TERRY MCLAURIN is only player with 70+ catches & 1,000+ rec. yards in each of past 5 seasons. Tied-2nd in NFL with career-high 12 rec. TDs in 2024. Has 8 rec. TDs in his past 6 on road, incl. 2 rec. TDs in 3 of his past 4 road games. Had 5 catches for 102 yards & rec. TD in Week 12 meeting. • TE ZACH ERTZ had 6 catches for 72 yards & 2 TDs last week, his 8th-career game with 2 rec. TDs. Became 9th TE ever with 8,000 career reg. season rec. yards (8,044). Had TD catch in Week 12 meeting. • WR OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS tied his career high with 8 catches & had 85 rec. yards & 3rd rec. TD of season last week. Aims for his 3rd in row with TD catch. • LB BOBBY WAGNER has 124 tackles in 2024 & is 1 of 4 with 5+ tackles in 16 games this season. Had FR in Week 12 meeting. • LB FRANKIE LUVU had career-high 3 PD in Week 12 meeting. • LB DANTE FOWLER has 10.5 sacks & 14 TFL in 2024. Aims for his 3rd game in row with sack & 5th in row with TFL. • DT DORANCE ARMSTRONG had 5th sack of season & 4th-career FF last week. Had 23.5 sacks & 22 TFL in 6 seasons (2018-22) with Dal. • DT DARON PAYNE has TFL in 4 of his past 5, incl. sack in Week 12 meeting. Aims for his 4th in row at Dal. with TFL. • DT JONATHAN ALLEN has 11 TFL & 5 sacks in 9 career games vs. Dal. • DB QUAN MARTIN had 2 PD & 1st INT of season last week. • S JEREMY CHINN had 2 PD last week & has 5+ PD in 4 of his 5 career seasons. Needs 5 tackles for 3rd-career 100+ tackle season.

COWBOYS NOTES:

QB COOPER RUSH had 20th-career TD pass last week. Aims for his 8th in row with TD pass. Passed for 247 yards & 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 117.6 rating in Week 12 meeting. Had 2 TD passes vs. 0 INTs for 107.5 rating in his only career home start vs. Was. (10/2/22). • RB RICO DOWDLE had 108 scrimmage yards (104 rush, 4 rec.) in Week 17 & has 100+ scrimmage yards in 4 of his past 5. Has career highs in scrimmage yards (1,244), rush yards (1,007) & rec. yards (237), his 1st-career season with 1,000+ rush yards. Rushed for 86 yards in Week 12 meeting. Had TD catch in last home meeting. • WR BRANDIN COOKS had season-high 52 rec. yards last week. Aims for his 3rd in row with 45+ rec. yards. Has 4 rec. TDs in 4 career games vs. Was. & aims for his 3rd in row vs. Was. with TD catch. • WR JALEN TOLBERT had career-high 7th rec. TD of season last week & aims for his 4th in row with TD catch. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Was. with TD catch. Has career highs in receptions (45) & rec. yards (512) in 2024. • TE JAKE FERGUSON needs 18 rec. yards for 2nd-straight 500-yard season. • LB MICAH PARSONS needs half sack to become 4th player since 1982 with 10+ sacks in each of his 1st 4 seasons. Has 50 career sacks, 6th-most by player in 1st 4 seasons since 1982. Has 62 TFL in 62 career games & aims for his 4th in row with TFL. Has 8 sacks in 7 career games vs. Was., incl. 2 sacks in Week 12 meeting. • LB ERIC KENDRICKS had 10 tackles & FR in Week 12 meeting. Has 133 tackles in 2024, his 9th-straight 100+ tackle season. • CB DARON BLAND aims for his 6th in row with PD. Has INT in 3 of his 5 career games vs. Was. & aims for his 3rd in row at home vs. Was. with INT.

CHICAGO BEARS (4-12) AT GREEN BAY PACKERS (11-5)

Sunday, January 5, 2025 | 1:00 PM ET | Lambeau Field | Referee: Clay Martin

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: GB leads series, 107-94-6 (won 16 of past 17)

Postseason: Series tied, 1-1

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 11/17/24: GB 20 at CHI 19

Postseason: NFC-C 1/23/11: GB 21 at CHI 14

BEARS NOTES:

QB CALEB WILLIAMS had 353 straight pass atts. without INT, longest streak ever by rookie & 4th-longest streak within single season all-time. Has 6 TD passes vs. 0 INTs for 98.9 rating in his past 3 road starts. Passed for 231 yards & had career-high 70 rush yards in Week 11 meeting. Ranks 3rd among rookies in pass yards (3,393) & pass TDs (19). • RB D’ANDRE SWIFT had 81 scrimmage yards (53 rush, 28 rec.) in Week 17 & has career-high 1,280 scrimmage yards in 2024. Has 50+ scrimmage yards in 12 of his past 13, incl. 84 scrimmage yards & rush TD in Week 11 meeting. Aims for his 4th in row at GB with 70+ scrimmage yards. • WR DJ MOORE had 6 catches for 54 yards last week & aims for his 8th in row with 6+ catches. Needs catch for 3rd-career season with 90+ catches. Has 315 rec. yards (105 per game) in 3 career games at GB. • WR KEENAN ALLEN aims for his 4th in row with 5+ catches. Has 5 rec. TDs in his past 6. Is 1 of 3 (Mike Evans & Travis Kelce) with 65+ catches in 11 of past 12 seasons. Has 10+ catches & 115+ rec. yards in both of his career games at GB. • WR ROME ODUNZE (rookie) had 6 catches in Week 11 meeting. • S KEVIN BYARD has 116 tackles in 2024 & can set new career high (122 tackles in 2023). Aims for his 4th in row on road with PD. • LB T.J. EDWARDS had career-high 11th TFL of season last week. Is 1 of 2 (Roquan Smith) with 125+ tackles in each of past 4 seasons. Aims for his 3rd in row on road with sack & 2+ TFL. • LB TREMAINE EDMUNDS is 1 of 6 with 100+ tackles in each of past 7 seasons. • DL MONTEZ SWEAT had sack & 2nd FF of season last week & has 2+ FFs in 5 of his 6 career seasons. Aims for his 3rd in row at GB with TFL. • DL DARRELL TAYLOR had 3rd sack of season & 8th-career FF last week. • DB KYLER GORDON had 2nd-career FF & 4th-career FR last week & ranks tied-1st with 3 FR in 2024.

PACKERS NOTES:

PACKERS clinched playoff berth for 5th time in 6 seasons under HC Matt LaFleur. LaFleur has 67 wins, 2nd-most by HC in 1st 6 seasons (George Seifert – 75). • QB JORDAN LOVE had TD pass vs. 0 INTs for 91.7 rating last week. Has 2ndstraight season with 3,000+ pass yards (3,320) & 25+ pass TDs (25). Aims for his 7th in row with TD pass & 0 INTs. Has 31 TDs (29 pass, 2 rush) in 15 career home starts. Has 822 pass yards (274 per game) & 7 TDs (6 pass, 1 rush) vs. INT for 128.3 rating in 3 career starts vs. Chi. & aims for his 4th in row vs. Chi. with 110+ rating. • RB JOSH JACOBS ranks tied-2nd in NFL with career-high 14 rush TDs & has rush TD in 7 straight games, longest active streak in NFL. Ranks 5th in rush yards (1,285) & 6th in scrimmage yards (1,625) in 2024. Has 75+ scrimmage yards in each of his 8 home games in 2024. Aims for his 4th in row at home with rush TD & 5th in row at home with 100+ scrimmage yards. Has 4 rush TDs in 4 career games vs. Chi. • WR JAYDEN REED had rec. TD in last meeting & 112 rec. yards in last home meeting. Has career-high 809 rec. yards in 2024. • WR ROMEO DOUBS led team with 7 catches & 58 rec. yards last week. • WR CHRISTIAN WATSON had 150 rec. yards in Week 11 meeting. • WR DONTAYVION WICKS had 6 catches for 61 yards & 2 TDs in last home meeting. • TE TUCKER KRAFT aims for his 3rd in row with 50+ rec. yards. • DL RASHAN GARY had 2 TFL last week & has career-high tying 8 TFL this season. Had sack in last meeting. • DL KARL BROOKS had sack & career-high 3rd FR of season last week. • LB EDGERRIN COOPER in Week 17 became 1st rookie since 2021 (Micah Parsons) with 10 tackles & 4 TFL in single game. Leads all rookies with 12 TFL & aims for his 4th in row with TFL. • CB KEISEAN NIXON had career-high 7th PD of season last week. • CB CARRINGTON VALENTINE has INT in 2 of his past 3. • S XAVIER MCKINNEY has PD in 2 of his past 3 at home. Ranks 2nd in NFL with career-high 7 INTs in 2024. • S JAVON BULLARD (rookie) led team with 11 tackles in Week 17.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-12) AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (7-9)

Sunday, January 5, 2025 | 1:00 PM ET | Lucas Oil Stadium | Referee: Alex Kemp

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: IND leads series, 27-20 (JAX won 5 of past 6)

Postseason: —

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 10/6/24: IND 34 at JAX 37

Postseason: —

JAGS NOTES:

QB MAC JONES completed 15 of 22 atts. (68.2 pct.) for 174 yards & 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs with season-high 122.2 rating last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 0 INTs. Has 2 TD passes in 2 of past 3. Passed for 299 yards & 2 TDs in only career game at Ind. (12/18/21 w/ NE). • RB TRAVIS ETIENNE had 75 scrimmage yards (49 rush, 26 rec.) last week. Has 70+ scrimmage yards in 3 of past 4. Had 104 scrimmage yards (77 rush, 27 rec.) & rush TD in last road meeting & has 100+ scrimmage yards in each of 2 career games at Ind. Has 750+ scrimmage yards (752) for 3rd-straight season. • RB TANK BIGSBY aims for 3rd in row on road with 50+ rush yards & rush TD. Had career-high 129 scrimmage yards (101 rush, 28 rec.) & 2 rush TDs in Week 5 meeting. Had rush TD in last road meeting. • WR BRIAN THOMAS JR. had 7 catches for 91 yards & TD last week, 6th-straight game with 75+ rec. yards, 2nd-longest streak by rookie in NFL history. Aims for 4th in row with 90+ rec. yards & rec. TD. Had 5 catches for 122 yards & TD in Week 5 meeting. Is 4th rookie in SB era with 1,100+ rec. yards (1,179) & 10+ rec. TDs (10). • WR PARKER WASHINGTON had 2nd TD catch of season last week. Has 50+ rec. yards in 2 of past 3. Has rec. TD in 2 of past 3 vs. division. • DE JOSH HINES-ALLEN had season-high 6 tackles, 2 TFL & 8th sack of season in Week 17. Has TFL in 3 of past 4 on road. Had sack & FR in Week 5 meeting & has 9 sacks in his past 6 vs. Ind. • DE TRAVON WALKER had sack & FF in Week 17. Has TFL in 2 of past 3. Had career high 3 sacks, FF & PD in Week 5 meeting. Aims for 4th in row vs. Ind. with 0.5+ sacks. • DT MAASON SMITH (rookie) aims for 3rd in row with sack. • LB DEVIN LLOYD had 6 tackles & 1st INT of season in Week 17. • LB FOYESADE OLUOKUN led team with 11 tackles & had PD last week. Aims for 3rd in row with PD. Needs 2 tackles for 5th-straight season with 100+ tackles. • S ANDRE CISCO had season-best 8 tackles & TFL in Week 17.

COLTS NOTES:

QB ANTHONY RICHARDSON aims for his 4th in row with rush TD. Has 5 rush TDs in past 5. Has 0 INTs in 3 of his past 4 home starts. Had 263 yards (223 pass, 40 rush) & 2 TDs (1 pass, 1 rush) in only career start vs. Jax. (9/10/23). Is 3rd QB in NFL history with 10+ TD passes (11) & 10+ rush TDs (10) in 1st 15 career games. • QB JOE FLACCO passed for 330 yards & 2 TDs with 90.9 rating last week. Has 2+ TD passes in 4 of his 5 starts this season. Has 300+ pass yards & 3 TD passes in each of his past 3 starts vs. Jax. • RB JONATHAN TAYLOR rushed for 125 yards & 2 TDs last week, 9th-career game with 100+ rush yards & 2+ rush TDs, 2nd-most in NFL since 2020. Aims for 5th in row with 100+ scrimmage yards & 3rd in row with 2+ rush TDs. Has 380 scrimmage yards (190 per game) & 3 rush TDs in 2 career home games vs. Jax. Has 3rd-career season with 1,350+ scrimmage yards (1,387) & 10+ rush TDs (10). • WR MICHAEL PITTMAN had season-high 9 catches for 109 yards & TD last week, 2nd game this season with 100+ rec. yards. Has 5+ catches in 5 of past 6. Had TD catch in Week 5 meeting. Has 95+ rec. yards in 3 of his past 4 vs. Jax. Is 4th player in franchise history with 500+ rec. yards in each of 1st 5 seasons. • WR ALEC PIERCE had 6 catches for 122 yards & TD last week. Has rec. TD in 2 of his past 3. Had career-high 134 rec. yards & TD catch in Week 5 meeting. • LB ZAIRE FRANKLIN had 14 tackles, career-high 4 TFL & FF in Week 17, 5th game this season with 12+ tackles, tied-most in NFL. Has TFL in 4 of past 5. Had 10 tackles & PD in Week 5 meeting & has 10+ tackles in 4 of his past 5 vs. Jax. Leads NFL with 165 tackles in 2024 & is 6th player since 2000 with 150+ tackles in 3 straight seasons • LB E.J. SPEED has 5+ tackles in each of his 14 games this season. Aims for his 6th in row vs. Jax. with TFL. Has career-high 134 tackles in 2024. • DT DEFOREST BUCKNER has TFL in 5 of past 6. Aims for his 4th in row vs. Jax. with sack. • DE KWITY PAYE aims for 3rd in row with TFL. Has sack in 2 of past 3 at home. • S NICK CROSS had 7 tackles last week. Ranks 2nd among DBs with 137 tackles in 2024.

BUFFALO BILLS (13-3) AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (3-13)

Sunday, January 5, 2025 | 1:00 PM ET | Gillette Stadium | Referee: Alan Eck

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: NE leads series, 77-50-1 (BUF won 5 of past 6)

Postseason: Series tied, 1-1

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 12/22/24: NE 21 at BUF 24

Postseason: AFC-WC 1/15/22: NE 17 at BUF 47

BILLS NOTES:

BILLS clinched AFC East division title for 5th-straight year. Can win 14 reg. season games for 1st time in franchise history. Can join 2013 Broncos as only teams ever with 30+ points in 13 reg. season games. • QB JOSH ALLEN totaled 3 TDs (2 pass, 1 rush) vs. 0 INTs with 104.2 rating last week, 6th game this season with 2+ TD passes & rush TD, most in a season in NFL history. Has 2+ TD passes, 0 INTs & 100+ rating in 4 of past 5. Has 40 combined pass & rush TDs in 2024 (28 pass, 12 rush), joining Aaron Rodgers as only players ever with 40+ combined TDs in 5+ seasons. Has 65 career rush TDs, tied with HOFer Thurman Thomas for most in franchise history. • RB JAMES COOK rushed for 53 yards & TD last week. Has rush TD in 6 of past 7, incl. each of past 3. Had 126 scrimmage yards (100 rush, 26 rec.) & 2 TDs (1 rush, 1 rec.) in Week 16 meeting. Has 100+ scrimmage yards in each of 2 career games at NE. Leads NFL with 15 rush TDs in 2024, 2nd-most in single season ever by Buf. RB. • WR KHALIL SHAKIR aims for 3rd in row on road with TD catch. Has set career highs in catches (76), rec. yards (821) & rec. TDs (4) this season. • WR AMARI COOPER had 4th TD catch of season last week. Needs rec. TD to become 3rd player in NFL history with 5+ rec. TDs in each of 1st 10 seasons. • WRs KEON COLEMAN (rookie) & TYRELL SHAVERS each had TD catch last week. • LB TERREL BERNARD aims for his 11th in row with 6+ tackles. Had season-high 12 tackles in Week 16 meeting. Has 2nd-straight season with 100+ tackles. • LB A.J. EPENESA had 2 TFL & sack last week. Aims for 3rd in row with TFL. • LB MATT MILANO aims for his 3rd in row with FR. • DE GREG ROUSSEAU had half sack & PD last week & has 0.5+ sacks in 2 of past 3. Has TFL in 4 of past 5 on road. Had FF in Week 16 meeting. • DT ED OLIVER had 3 TFL, sack & FF in Week 17. Has sack & FF in 2 of past 3. • DT JORDAN PHILLIPS had 2nd-career INT last week. • CB CHRISTIAN BENFORD had 2nd INT of season last week. Has PD in 5 of past 6.

PATS NOTES:

QB DRAKE MAYE (rookie) had TD pass & 0 INTs last week, 8th-straight game with TD pass. Has 95+ rating in 2 of past 3 at home. Totaled 291 yards (261 pass, 30 rush) & 2 TD passes in Week 16 meeting. Needs 219 pass yards to surpass Drew Bledsoe (2,494 in 1993) for 2nd-most ever by NE rookie. • RB RHAMONDRE STEVENSON has 70+ scrimmage yards in 3 of past 4. Had 73 scrimmage yards (60 rush, 13 rec.) & rush TD in Week 16 meeting & has 70+ scrimmage yards in each of 5 career games vs. Buf. Has rush TD in 3 of his past 4 vs. division. Needs 31 scrimmage yards for 2nd-career 1,000-yard season. • RB ANTONIO GIBSON led team with 63 rush yards last week & has 60+ scrimmage yards in 3 of past 4. • WR DEMARIO DOUGLAS led team with 46 rec. yards & had 3rd TD catch of season in Week 17. Has rec. TD in 2 of past 3. Had 54 rec. yards in last home meeting. • WR KAYSHON BOUTTE aims for 3rd in row with 4+ catches. Set career highs in catches (5) & rec. yards (95) with TD catch in Week 16 meeting. • TE HUNTER HENRY has 4+ catches in 5 of past 6. Had rec. TD in Week 16 meeting. • TE AUSTIN HOOPER had 55 rec. yards in Week 16 meeting. • LB JAHLANI TAVAI led team with 10 tackles last week. Aims for 4th in row with 6+ tackles. Needs 5 tackles for 2nd-straight season with 100+ tackles. • DT DEVON GODCHAUX tied season high with 8 tackles in Week 17. • DT JEREMIAH PHARMS had 6 tackles last week. Had sack in Week 16 meeting. • CB JONATHAN JONES had 6 tackles in Week 17. Had FF & PD in Week 16 meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Buf. with PD. • S KYLE DUGGER had 9 tackles last week, 4th-straight game with 8+ tackles. Has TFL in 4 of past 5. Had 8 tackles & TFL in Week 16 meeting. • S MARTE MAPU had season-high 7 tackles last week. Has 2 PD & FF in 2 of past 3.

NEW YORK GIANTS (3-13) AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (13-3)

Sunday, January 5, 2025 | 1:00 PM ET | Lincoln Financial Field | Referee: Ron Torbert

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: PHI leads series, 91-86-2 (won 5 of past 6)

Postseason: PHI leads series, 3-2 (won past 3)

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 10/20/24: PHI 28 at NYG 3

Postseason: NFC-D 1/21/23: NYG 7 at PHI 38

GIANTS NOTES:

QB DREW LOCK in Week 17 became 5th player ever with 300+ pass yards (309), 4+ TD passes (career-high tying 4), rush TD & 155+ rating (career-high 155.3) in single game, his 4th-career game with 300+ pass yards. Had TD pass vs. 0 INTs & 94 rating in his last start vs. Phi. (12/18/23 w/ Sea.). • RB TYRONE TRACY (rookie) had 73 scrimmage yards (59 rush, 14 rec.) last week. Ranks 3rd among rookies in rush yards (780) & 5th in scrimmage yards (1,057). Aims for his 5th in row on road with TD & 6th in row on road with 60+ scrimmage yards. • WR MALIK NABERS had 7 catches for 171 yards & 2 rec. TDs in Week 17 & became 1st rookie ever with 5+ catches in 13 games. Has 104 receptions in 2024, tied 3rd-most ever by rookie. Ranks 3rd among rookies with 1,140 rec. yards. Nabers (1,142 scrimmage yards) & Tracy are 3rd pair of rookie teammates all-time each with 1,000+ scrimmage yards. • WR WAN’DALE ROBINSON had 5 catches for 71 yards & 3rd rec. TD of season last week, his 5th-career TD catch. Has career highs in catches (83) & rec. yards (656) in 2024, incl. 11 games with 5+ catches. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Phi. with 5+ receptions. • WR DARIUS SLAYTON had 2nd rec. TD of season last week, his 21st-career TD catch. Has TD catch in 2 of his past 3 vs. Phi. • LB BRIAN BURNS tied his career high with 3 TFL last week & has career-high tying 17 TFL in 2024. Is 1 of 3 (Maxx Crosby & Myles Garrett) with 15+ TFL in each of past 3 seasons. Had sack in last meeting. Aims for his 5th in row with TFL. • LB KAYVON THIBODEAUX had 4th sack of season & 6th-career FF last week. • LB DARIUS MUASAU (rookie) aims for his 5th in row with 6+ tackles. • LB TY SUMMERS led team with career-high 11 tackles last week. • CB DEONTE BANKS aims for his 4th in row with PD. • CB DRU PHILLIPS (rookie) had 1st-career INT last week. • S JASON PINNOCK had 10 tackles in Week 17, his 2nd-career game with 10+ tackles. Aims for his 10th in row with 5+ tackles. • S DANE BELTON had 2 PD & 1st INT of season last week, his 5th-career INT.

EAGLES NOTES:

EAGLES clinched NFC East for 2nd time in past 3 seasons (2022). • QB JALEN HURTS needs 97 pass yards for 4th-straight 3,000-yard season. has 2+ TD passes vs. 0 INTs & 110+ rating in 4 of his past 5 home starts. Can become 2nd QB ever (Josh Allen, 11 in 2023) with 10 games with both pass TD & rush TD in single season. Has 14 rush TDs in 2024 & needs rush TD to tie single-season record by QB (15 rush TDs by Hurts & Allen in 2023). • QB KENNY PICKETT had 1st-career game with pass TD & rush TD last week. • QB TANNER MCKEE had 1st 2 career TD passes in Week 17. • RB SAQUON BARKLEY rushed for 167 yards in Week 17 & became 9th player ever with 2,000 rush yards (2,005) in single season. Can surpass HOFer Eric Dickerson (2,105 in 1984 with LAR) for most rush yards in single season alltime. Leads NFL with 2,283 scrimmage yards & can become 3rd player ever with 2400+ scrimmage yards in single season. Rushed for 176 yards & rush TD in Week 7 meeting. • WR A.J. BROWN had 49th-career TD catch last week & aims for his 4th in row with rec. TD. Had rec. TD in Week 7 meeting & has 70+ rec. yards in 4 of his 5 career games vs. NYG. • WR DEVONTA SMITH had 6 catches for 120 yards & 2 TDs last week & has career-high 8 rec. TDs in 2024. Has TD catch in 6 of his past 7 at home. Has TD catch in 2 of his 3 career home games vs. NYG. • LB ZACK BAUN ranks 2nd in NFL with career-high 5 FFs & 3rd with careerhigh 150 tackles in 2024. Has 5+ tackles in 15 of 16 games this season. • LB NAKOBE DEAN has career highs in tackles (128) & TFL (9) in 2024, incl. 10+ tackles in each of his past 4. Had 11 tackles & 2 sacks in last meeting. • LB NOLAN SMITH had 1st-career FF last week. Has career highs in sacks (6.5) & TFL (8) in 2024, incl. sack & 2 TFL in Week 7 meeting. • DT JALEN CARTER had 6th PD of season last week, tied 2nd-most among DL in 2024. Had 2 sacks in last meeting. • DT JORDAN DAVIS had 1st-career FR last week. • CB DARIUS SLAY aims for his 4th in row vs. NYG with PD. • S C.J. GARDNER-JOHNSON had 2 INTs, incl. 1st-career INT, last week & has career=high tying 6 INTs in 2024. Aims for his 3rd in row with INT.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (5-11) AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (9-7)

Sunday, January 5, 2025 | 1:00 PM ET | Raymond James Stadium | Referee: Adrian Hill

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: NO leads series, 40-25 (TB won 4 of past 5)

Postseason: TB leads series, 1-0

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 10/13/24: TB 51 at NO 27

Postseason: NFC-D 1/17/21: TB 30 at NO 20

SAINTS NOTES:

QB SPENCER RATTLER (rookie) had 264 yards (218 pass, career-high 46 rush) & 3rd-career TD pass last week. • RB CLYDE EDWARDS-HELAIRE has 2,640 scrimmage yards (1,865 rush, 775 rec.) in 49 career reg. season games. Rushed for 92 yards & had 2 TDs (1 rush, 1 rec.) in his last game at TB (10/2/22 w/ KC). • RB JAMAAL WILLIAMS had 71 scrimmage yards (58 rush, 13 rec.) in last road meeting. • WR MARQUEZ VALDES-SCANTLING has 50+ rec. yards in 4 of his past 6. • TE FOSTER MOREAU had 5th rec. TD of season last week. Had 54 rec. yards in Week 6 meeting. • TE JUWAN JOHNSON had season highs in catches (6) & rec. yards (66) last week. Needs 32 rec. yards for 2nd-career season with 500+ rec. yards (508 in 2022). Set career highs with 8 catches for 90 yards & rec. TD in last road meeting. • LB DEMARIO DAVIS had 13 tackles & TFL last week & aims for his 4th in row with 10+ tackles & TFL. Is 1 of 2 (Lavonte David) with 100+ tackles & 5+ TFL in 10 of past 12 seasons. Has 93 tackles, 14 PD, 9 TFL, 2 INTs & 2 FR in 15 career games vs. TB, incl. 5+ tackles in 14 of 15 games. • LB PETE WERNER tied his career high with 13 tackles last week, his 8thcareer game with 10+ tackles. Aims for his 4th in row vs. TB with 8+ tackles. Aims for his 13th in row with 5+ tackles. Needs 8 tackles for 1st-career 100+ tackle season. • DE CAMERON JORDAN has 3 sacks & 5 TFL in his past 3 & aims for his 4th in row with TFL. Had INT in Week 6 meeting. Ranks 2nd among active players with 121.5 career sacks. Has 10.5 sacks & 10 TFL in 13 career games at TB. • CB ALONTAE TAYLOR had 2 PD last week & has career-high 16 PD in 2024, 3rd-most PD in NFL this season. Aims for his 5th in row on road with PD. Had INT in last road meeting. • S TYRANN MATHIEU is only player with 60+ tackles & 5+ PD in each of past 8 seasons.

BUCS NOTES:

BUCCANEERS can clinch NFC South with win or ATL loss. • QB BAKER MAYFIELD in Week 17 became 5th player ever with 80+ comp. pct (84.4 pct), 350+ pass yards (359), 5 TD passes & 150+ rating (season-high 153) in single game. Leads NFC in TD passes (career-high 39) & ranks 3rd in pass yards (career-high 4,279) & rating (107.6). Aims for his 5th in row with 275+ pass yards, 2+ TD passes & 95+ rating. Passed for 325 yards & 4 TDs vs. 3 INTs in Week 6 meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. NO with 300+ pass yards & 4th in row vs. NO with 2+ TD passes. • RB BUCKY IRVING had 190 scrimmage yards (113 rush, career-high 77 rec.) in Week 17. Leads all rookies in scrimmage yards (1,430), rush yards (1,033) & rush TDs (7). Had 105 scrimmage yards (81 rush, 24 rec.) & rush TD in Week 6 meeting. • RB RACHAAD WHITE had 1,006 scrimmage yards (613 rush, 393 rec.) in 2024, his 2nd-straight 1,000-yard season. Is 1 of 2 (Alvin Kamara) with 50+ receptions in each of past 3 seasons. • WR MIKE EVANS had 8 catches for 97 yards & 2 rec. TDs last week. Has 11 rec. TDs in 2024 & became 5th player ever with 6+ seasons (6) with 11+ TD catches. Has 65 receptions in 2024 & became 1st WR & 3rd player ever with 65+ catches in 11 straight seasons. Needs 85 rec. yards for 11th-straight 1,000-yard season. • WR JALEN MCMILLAN (rookie) had 2nd-career game with 2 rec. TDs last week & aims for his 5th in row with TD catch. • LB LAVONTE DAVID has 113 tackles in 2024, his 11th-career 100-tackle season. Has 21 TFL in 25 career games vs. NO. Had sack in last meeting. • LB YAYA DIABY had 11th-career sack last week. • NT VITA VEA has career-high 9 TFL in 2024. Has sack in 2 of his past 3 vs. NO. • DL CALIJAH KANCEY had sack last week & has career highs in sacks (7.5) & TFL (11) in 2024. Had sack & 2 TFL in last meeting. • CB ZYON MCCOLLUM has career-high 13 PD in 2024 & aims for his 3rd in row with PD. Had 2 PD & INT in last meeting. • S TYKEE SMITH (rookie) had INT & FF in last meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row with TFL.

HOUSTON TEXANS (9-7) AT TENNESSEE TITANS (3-13)

Sunday, January 5, 2025 | 1:00 PM ET | Nissan Stadium | Referee: Brad Allen

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: TEN leads series, 24-21 (HOU won 3 of past 4)

Postseason: —

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 11/24/24: TEN 32 at HOU 27

Postseason: —

TEXANS NOTES:

TEXANS clinched AFC South division title for 2nd-straight season. • QB C.J. STROUD has 2 TD passes in 2 of past 3. Aims for 4th in row on road with 240+ pass yards. Passed for 247 yards & 2 TDs in Week 12 meeting. Has 0 INTs in 9 of 10 career starts vs. division. Needs 323 pass yards to become 3rd player in NFL history (Justin Herbert & Jameis Winston) with 4,000+ pass yards in each of 1st 2 seasons. • RB JOE MIXON has 55+ scrimmage yards in 3 of past 4. Has 883 scrimmage yards (126.1 per game) & 10 TDs (9 rush, 1 rec.) in his 7 road games this season, with 100+ rush yards & rush TD in 6 of his 7 games. Needs 7 rush yards for 5th-career season with 1,000+ rush yards. • WR NICO COLLINS has 50+ rec. yards in 10 of his 11 games this season, incl. in each of his 5 road games. Had 5 catches for 92 yards & TD in Week 12 meeting. Needs 32 rec. yards for 2nd-straight 1,000-yard season. Ranks 4th in NFL with 88 rec. yards per game in 2024. • WR JOHN METCHIE had 5 catches for 48 yards last week. • TE DALTON SCHULTZ aims for 3rd in row on road with rec. TD. Is 1 of 2 TEs (Travis Kelce) with 50+ catches & 500+ rec. yards in each of past 5 seasons. • DE DANIELLE HUNTER had career-high 5 TFL with 3 sacks in Week 12 meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Ten. with sack. Ranks 3rd in NFL with 12 sacks in 2024, 5th-career season with 12+ sacks, tied 2nd-most among active players. • DE WILL ANDERSON had 2 TFL, half sack & PD last week. Has 2 sacks in each of 2 career games vs. Ten. Anderson (11) & Hunter are 1 of 2 pair of teammates each with 10+ sacks in 2024. • LB HENRY TO’OTO’O aims for 8th in row with 5+ tackles. • CB DEREK STINGLEY aims for 7th in row on road with PD. Has INT in 2 of past 3 on road. Ranks 2nd in NFL with career-high 18 PD in 2024. • CB KAMARI LASSITER (rookie) had 6 tackles & TFL in Week 17.

TITANS NOTES:

QB MASON RUDOLPH completed 19 of 31 atts. (61.3 pct.) for 193 yards & TD last week. Has 2 TD passes in 3 of his past 4 & in each of his 2 home games this season. • QB WILL LEVIS has 0 INTs in 2 of his past 3. Completed 18 of 24 atts. (75 pct.) for 278 yards & 2 TDs with 123.3 rating in Week 12 meeting. • RB TONY POLLARD had 129 scrimmage yards (119 rush, 10 rec.) & rush TD in Week 12 meeting & has rush TD in each of 2 career games vs. Hou. Has 100+ rush yards in 2 of his past 3 vs. division. Is 1 of 3 in NFL (Najee Harris & Derrick Henry) with 1,000+ rush yards & 5+ rush TDs in each of past 3 seasons. • RB TYJAE SPEARS led team with season-high 103 scrimmage yards (career high 95 rush, 8 rec.) last week, 2nd-career 100-yard game. Aims for 4th in row with 65+ scrimmage yards & has 2 TDs in 2 of past 3. • WR CALVIN RIDLEY had 5 catches for 84 yards in Week 17. Aims for 3rd in row with 75+ rec. yards. Has 85+ rec. yards in 3 of 4 career games vs. Hou., incl. 93 rec. yards in Week 12 meeting. Needs 59 rec. yards for 3rd-career 1,000-yard season. • WR NICK WESTBROOK-IKHINE had TD catch in Week 12 meeting. • TE CHIG OKONKWO aims for 4th in row with 5+ catches. Had 70-yard TD catch in Week 12 meeting. Needs 3 catches & 50 rec. yards for new career highs in each category. • WR NICK VANNETT had 3rd TD catch of season last week. • DT JEFFERY SIMMONS aims for 6th in row with 5+ tackles. Has TFL in 3 of past 4. Had sack & PD in Week 12 meeting & has sack in 3 of his past 4 vs. Hou. • LB HAROLD LANDRY aims for 3rd in row at home with sack & for 3rd in row vs. Hou. with sack. Needs 2 TFL for 1st-career season with 15 TFL. • LB LUKE GIFFORD led team with 8 tackles & had PD last week. Aims for his 4th in row with 8+ tackles & his 3rd in row with PD. • LB JEROME BAKER had 6 tackles, sack & PD in Week 17. • CB JARVIS BROWNLEE (rookie) had 3 PD, INT & TFL in Week 12 meeting. • CB CHIDOBE AWUZIE has PD in 3 of past 4.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (6-10) AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (7-9)

Sunday, January 5, 2025 | 4:25 PM ET | State Farm Stadium | Referee: Shawn Smith

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: SF leads series, 36-30 (won 4 of past 5)

Postseason: —

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 10/6/24: ARI 24 at SF 23

Postseason: —

49ERS NOTES:

QB BROCK PURDY passed for career-high 377 yards & had 4 TDs (3 pass, 1 rush) vs. 2 INTs for 116 rating in Week 17. Has 15 career games with 2+ TD passes & 115+ rating, most by QB in 1st 3 seasons in NFL history. • QB JOSH DOBBS had rush TD in season debut last week. Passed for 1,569 yards & 8 TDs & rushed for 258 yards & 3 TDs in 8 starts with Ari. in 2023. • QB BRANDON ALLEN passed for 199 yards & TD in his only start of season (Week 12 at GB). • RB ISAAC GUERENDO (rookie) had 99 scrimmage yards (career-high 65 rec., 34 rush) last week & aims for his 4th in row with 75+ scrimmage yards. • FB KYLE JUSZCZYK had 1st rec. TD of season last week, his 17th-career TD catch. • TE GEORGE KITTLE had 8 catches for 112 yards last week, his 21st-career game with 100+ rec. yards, 4th-most by TE in 1st 8 seasons all-time. Ranks 2nd among TEs in rec. TDs (8), 3rd in rec. yards (1,079) & 5th in catches (76) in 2024 & became 5th TE all-time with 4+ career seasons (4) with 1,000+ rec. yards. Aims for his 3rd in row with 100+ rec. yards. Had 8 catches for 64 yards & TD in Week 5 meeting & has 6 rec. TDs in his past 6 vs. Ari. • WR DEEBO SAMUEL had 3rd rec. TD of season last week & aims for his 3rd in row with TD catch. Had 2 rec. TDs in last road meeting & aims for his 4th in row at Ari. with TD catch. • WR JAUAN JENNINGS had 7 catches for 67 yards last week. Needs 77 rec. yards for 1st-career 1,000-yard season. • WR RICKY PEARSALL set career highs with 8 catches & 141 rec. yards & had his 2nd-career rec. TD in Week 17, 3rd-most rec. yards by SF rookie all-time. • LB FRED WARNER is 1 of 2 (Bobby Wagner) with 115+ tackles in each of past 7 seasons. Had 12 tackles in Week 5 meeting. • DL NICK BOSA tied his career highs in tackles (8) & TFL (4) & had 2 sacks last week. Has 9+ sacks in 5 of his 6 career seasons & is 1 of 2 (Myles Garrett) with 15+ TFL in each of past 4 seasons. • CB DEOMMODORE LENOIR led team with season-high 9 tackles last week. • CB RENARDO GREEN (rookie) had 10th PD of season last week & has PD in 7 of his past 8 games. Aims for his 6th in row on road with 5+ tackles & PD.

CARDS NOTES:

QB KYLER MURRAY passed for 321 yards last week, his 15th-career 300-yard game. Has 3,609 pass yards in 2024, his 4th-career season with 3,500+ pass yards (2019-21). Has 12 TDs (9 pass, 3 rush) & 99 rating in 8 home starts this season. Had 278 yards (195 pass, 83 rush) & 2 TDs (1 pass, 1 rush) in Week 5 meeting. • RB JAMES CONNER has career highs in scrimmage yards (1,508) & rush yards (1,094) in 2024. Aims for his 4th in row at home with TD & 7th in row at home with 100+ scrimmage yards. Had 100 scrimmage yards (86 rush, 14 rec.) in Week 5 meeting. Has 6 TDs (5 rush, 1 rec.) in his psat 6 vs SF. • RB MICHAEL CARTER had career-high 70 rush yards last week. • TE TREY MCBRIDE had 12 catches for 123 yards & 1st rec. TD of season last week, his 5th-career TD catch. Is 1st TE ever with 3 games of 12+ catches in single season. Ranks 2nd among TEs with career-high 104 receptions, 9thmost ever by TE in single season. Had 10 catches for 102 yards in last home meeting. • WR MARVIN HARRISON JR. (rookie) had 6 catches for 96 yards last week. Ranks tied-2nd among rookies with 7 rec. TDs. • S BUDDA BAKER had 7 tackles & 2 PD last week. Ranks 2nd in NFL with career-high 155 tackles in 2024, most tackles by DB in season since 2000. Aims for his 12th in row vs. SF with 5+ tackles. • LB KYZIR WHITE led team with 8 tackles last week & has 127 tackles in 2024, his 3rd-career 100-tackle season. Had INT in Week 5 meeting. • LB MACK WILSON has 5+ tackles in 3 of his past 4. Had FR & INT in Week 5 meeting. • S JALEN THOMPSON aims for his 5th in row with 6+ tackles. Had 2 PD in Week 5 meeting.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (15-1) AT DENVER BRONCOS (9-7)

Sunday, January 5, 2025 | 4:25 PM ET | Empower Field at Mile High | Referee: Shawn Hochuli

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: KC leads series, 73-55 (won 17 of past 18)

Postseason: DEN leads series, 1-0

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 11/10/24: DEN 14 at KC 16

Postseason: AFC-D 1/4/98: DEN 14 at KC 10

CHIEFS NOTES:

CHIEFS clinched AFC West division title for 9th-straight season & AFC’s No. 1 seed. Have franchise-record 15 reg. season wins & can join 2007 Patriots as only teams ever to win 16 reg. season games. • QB PATRICK MAHOMES completed 29 of 38 atts. (76.3 pct.) for 320 yards & 3 TDs vs. 0 INTs with 127.1 rating last week, 27th-career game with 300+ pass yards & 3+ TD passes, surpassing HOFer Dan Marino (26) for most-ever by QB in 1st 8 seasons. • QB CARSON WENTZ can make 1st start of season. Passed for 4 TDs vs. 0 INTs with 118.7 rating in only career start vs. Den. (11/5/17 w/ Phi.). • RB KAREEM HUNT aims for 3rd in row with rush TD. Had 100 scrimmage yards (season-high 65 rec., 35 rush) in Week 10 meeting & has 85+ scrimmage yards in 3 of his past 4 vs. Den. • TE TRAVIS KELCE had 8 catches for 84 yards & TD last week, 10th game this season with 5+ catches, 3rd-most among TEs. Had rec. TD in Week 10 meeting. Ranks 3rd among TEs with 97 catches in 2024 & is 1st player ever with 90+ catches in 7 straight seasons. • WR XAVIER WORTHY (rookie) had career-high 79 rec. yards & had TD catch in Week 17. Aims for 4th in row with TD. Ranks 2nd among rookies with 9 TDs in 2024 & is only WR with 5+ rec. TDs (6) & 3+ rush TDs (3) in 2024. • WR JUSTIN WATSON had season-high 60 rec. yards & TD catch last week. • DT CHRIS JONES is 1 of 4 in NFL with 5+ sacks in each of past 8 seasons. • DE GEORGE KARLAFTIS had sack & PD last week. Aims for 3rd in row with PD & has sack in 2 of past 3. Has 0.5+ sacks in 4 of 5 career games vs. Den. • DE MIKE DANNA had season-high 2 sacks & 2nd FF of season in Week 17. • LB NICK BOLTON had 8 tackles, 2 PD & 2nd FR of season last week. Aims for 3rd in row on road with PD. Had sack in Week 10 meeting. • CB TRENT MCDUFFIE had FF & PD last week, 4th-straight game with PD.

BRONCOS NOTES:

BRONCOS can clinch playoffs for 1st time since 2015 with win. • QB BO NIX completed 24 of 31 atts. (77.4 pct.) for 219 yards & 3 TDs vs. INT with 114.9 rating last week, 9th game with 2+ TD passes, tied with Baker Mayfield (2018) for 2nd-most ever by rookie QB. Has 2+ TD passes in 6 of past 7, incl. each of past 3 & in each of 5 starts vs. division. Had 2 TD passes vs. 0 INTs with 115.3 rating in Week 10 meeting. Needs 2 TD passes to tie Mayfield (27) for 2nd-most TD passes ever by rookie (Justin Herbert – 31 in 2020). • RB JALEEL MCLAUGHLIN had 76 scrimmage yards (69 rush, 7 rec.) & has 75+ scrimmage yards in 2 of past 3. • RB JAVONTE WILLIAMS has rush TD in 2 of past 3 at home. • RB AUDRIC ESTIME (rookie) rushed for career-high 53 yards in Week 10 meeting. • WR COURTLAND SUTTON had TD catch last week. Has 5+ catches & 50+ rec. yards in 8 of past 9. Aims for his 4th in row vs. KC with rec. TD. Needs 17 rec. yards for 2nd-career 1,000-yard season (1,112 in 2019). • WR MARVIN MIMS led team with career-high 8 catches for 103 yards & career-best 2 TDs in Week 17. Has 60+ rec. yards in 3 of past 4. • DE ZACH ALLEN had career-high 3.5 sacks last week, most by Den. player in single game since 2009. Aims for his 4th in row vs. KC with 0.5+ sacks. • LB NIK BONITTO had PD last week. Aims for 7th in row at home with 0.5+ sacks. Had sack in Week 10 meeting & has TFL in 2 of past 3 vs. KC. Ranks tied-4th in NFL with 11.5 sacks in 2024, most by Den. player in single-season since 2018. • LB JONATHON COOPER had 1.5 sacks in Week 17. Has TFL in 3 of past 4. Aims for 4th in row vs. KC with 0.5+ sacks. Needs half sack for 1st-career 10-sack season. • LB DONDREA TILLMAN (rookie) aims for 4th in row with sack. • CB PAT SURTAIN II had 6 tackles, FF & FR last week. Aims for 7th in row at home with PD. Is 1 of 2 in NFL (Denzel Ward) with 10+ PD in each of past 4 seasons. • CB RILEY MOSS led team with career-high 14 tackles in Week 17.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (9-7) AT LOS ANGELES RAMS (10-6)

Sunday, January 5, 2025 | 4:25 PM ET | SoFi Stadium | Referee: Bill Vinovich

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: SEA leads series, 27-25 (LAR won past 3)

Postseason: LAR leads series, 2-0

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 11/3/24: LAR 26 at SEA 20 (OT)

Postseason: NFC-WC 1/9/21: LAR 30 at SEA 20

SEAHAWKS NOTES:

QB GENO SMITH ranks 5th in NFL with 4,097 pass yards this season & can surpass his career-high set in 2022 (4,282). Ranks 4th among qualified passers with 70.2 comp. pct. in 2024. Passed for 363 yards & 3 TDs vs. 3 INTs in Week 9 meeting. Aims for his 7th in row vs. LAR with TD pass. • RB ZACH CHARBONNET had 76 scrimmage yards (57 rush, 19 rec.) last week & has 65+ scrimmage yards in 3 of his past 4. Has rush TD in 2 of his past 3 on road. Had 6 catches & 69 scrimmage yards (47 rush, 22 rec.) in last road meeting. • WR JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA has career highs in receptions (96), rec. yards (1,121) & rec. TDs (6) in 2024. Has 75+ scrimmage yards in 7 of his past 8, incl. 7 catches for career-high 180 yards & career-best 2 rec. TDs in Week 9 meeting. • WR DK METCALF is 1 of 4 (Davante Adams, Mike Evans & Terry McLaurin) with 50+ catches & 900+ rec. yards in each of past 6 seasons. Needs 61 rec. yards for 4thcareer season with 1,000+ rec. yards. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. LAR with TD catch. • DE LEONARD WILLIAMS had 2 sacks & 3 TFL last week & is 1 of 2 (Myles Garrett) with 2+ sacks & 3+ TFL in 3 games in 2024. Has career-high 15 TFL this season, incl. 11 TFL in his past 6. Needs sack for 2nd-career 10-sack season (11.5 sacks in 2020 with NYG). • NT JARRAN REED aims for his 3rd in row with sack. • LB ERNEST JONES has 129 tackles in 2024, his 3rd-straight 100+ tackle season. Had 9 tackles, TFL & PD in Week 9 meeting. Had 316 tackles, 19 TFL, 12 PD, 5.5 sacks & 3 INTs in 47 games (2021-23) with LAR. • LB UCHENNA NWOSU had 1st sack of season last week. • LB DERICK HALL has career-high 8 sacks in 2024 & aims for his 3rd in row with sack. • CB RIQ WOOLEN had 11th-career INT last week. Aims for his 7th in row with PD. Has 8 PD & 3 INTs in 5 career games vs. LAR & aims for his 3rd in row vs. LAR with 2+ PD & INT. • CB DEVON WITHERSPOON had career-high 3 TFL & 1st sack of season last week, his 4th-career sack. Had 2 PD, TFL & FF in Week 9 meeting. Had sack & PD in last road meeting. • S JULIAN LOVE has 100 tackles in 2024 & is 1 of 2 DBs (Kevin Byard) with 100+ tackles in each of past 3 seasons.

RAMS NOTES:

QB MATTHEW STAFFORD has 59,809 career reg. season pass yards & can become 10th QB ever with 60,000 reg. season pass yards. Ranks 10th in NFL history with 377 reg. season pass TDs. Needs 238 pass yards to become 7th player ever with 10 career 4,000-yard seasons. Has 2,499 pass yards (277.7 per game) in 9 career games vs. Sea., incl. 298 yards & 2 TDs in Week 9 meeting. • RB KYREN WILLIAMS had 72 scrimmage yards (56 rush, 16 rec.) & career high 14th rush TD of season last week, his career-best 16th scrimmage TD of season. Has 6 rush TDs in his past 6. Is 1 of 4 with 50+ scrimmage yards in 16 games this season. • WR PUKA NACUA had 10 catches for 129 yards last week, his 12th career game with 100+ rec. yards, 3rd-most by player in 1st 2 seasons in SB era. Has 184 career catches & can become 5th player ever with 190+ catches in 1st 2 career seasons. Has 2,476 career rec. yards & can become 5th player in SB era with 2,500+ rec. yards in 1st 2 career seasons. Aims for his 9th in row with 5+ catches & 50+ rec. yards. • WR COOPER KUPP had 11 receptions for 104 yards in Week 9 meeting. Has TD catch in 2 of his past 3 at home. • DE BRADEN FISKE had 2 sacks last week & leads all rookies with 8 sacks & ranks 3rd among rookies with 10 TFL. Had 2 sacks in last meeting. • DE KOBIE TURNER had 8th sack of season last week & has career-high 10 TFL in 2024. Had sack in last meeting. • LB JARED VERSE ranks 2nd among rookies with 11 TFL in 2024. Had sack, 2 TFL & PD in last meeting. • LB BYRON YOUNG had 7th sack of season last week & has career-high 12 TFL in 2024. Had sack in last meeting. • LB CHRISTIAN ROZEBOOM has career-high 133 tackles & aims for his 8th in row with 5+ tackles. Had 11 tackles & 2 TFL in last meeting. • LB OMAR SPEIGHTS (rookie) had 10 tackles last week & has 5+ tackles in 7 of his past 8. • S KAM CURL had 10 tackles last week & is 1 of 4 DBs with 75+ tackles in each of past 5 seasons. Has career-high 9 PD in 2024 & aims for his 4th in row with PD. • S KAMREN KINCHENS had 4th INT of season last week, tied 2nd-most among rookies.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (10-6) AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (4-12)

Sunday, January 5, 2025 | 4:25 PM ET | Allegiant Stadium | Referee: Carl Cheffers

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: LV leads series, 68-59-2 (Home team won past 7)

Postseason: LV leads series, 1-0

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 9/8/24: LV 10 at LAC 22

Postseason: AFC-C 1/11/81: OAK 34 at SD 27

CHARGERS NOTES:

CHARGERS clinched postseason for 2nd time in past 3 seasons. • QB JUSTIN HERBERT completed 26 of 38 atts. (68.4 pct.) for 281 yards & 3 TDs vs. 0 INTs with 116.2 rating last week, 20th-career game with 3+ TD passes, tied with Josh Allen for 5th-most ever by QB in 1st 5 seasons. Aims for 4th in row with 2+ TD passes. Aims for 8th in row on road with 0 INTs. Has 300+ pass yards in each of 3 career starts at LV. Has 20,747 career pass yards, surpassing HOFer Peyton Manning (20,618) for most-ever in 1st 5 seasons. • RB J.K. DOBBINS rushed for 76 yards & TD last week. Has 50+ scrimmage yards in each of his 12 games this season, with rush TD in 2 of past 3. Had season-high 135 rush yards & rush TD in Week 1 meeting. Needs 17 scrimmage yards for 1st-career 1,000-yard season & TD for 1st-career 10-TD season. • WR LADD MCCONKEY (rookie) had 8 catches for 94 yards & 2 TDs in Week 17, his 9th-straight game with 50+ rec. yards & his 6th-straight game with 5+ catches. Has rec. TD in 2 of past 3. Had TD catch in Week 1 meeting. Ranks 4th among rookies with 1,054 rec. yards, most-ever by Chargers rookie. • WR QUENTIN JOHNSTON has 5 catches in 3 of past 4. Had rec. TD in last road meeting. • WR DERIUS DAVIS aims for 3rd in row with TD catch. • LB JOEY BOSA aims for his 5th in row vs. LV with sack & FF. • LB DAIYAN HENLEY has 8+ tackles in 9 of past 10. • LB KHALIL MACK had 6th sack of season last week & is only player in NFL with 6+ sacks in each of past 10 seasons. Has PD in 4 of past 5. Had 1.5 sacks & FR in Week 1 meeting & has 10.5 sacks in his past 5 vs. LV. • LB TULI TUIPULOTU had 2 TFL & sack in Week 17. • S DERWIN JAMES had career-high 2 sacks & 1st FR of season last week. Has TFL in 4 of past 5. Aims for 3rd in row on road with sack.

RAIDERS NOTES:

RAIDERS seeking 1st 3-game win streak since Weeks 11-13, 2022. • QB AIDAN O’CONNELL passed for 242 yards & 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs with 97.6 rating last week. Has 0 INTs in 4 of his past 5. Has won 3 of his past 4 home starts. Passed for 248 yards & career-high 4 TDs with 120.7 rating in last home meeting. • RB AMEER ABDULLAH led team with career-high 147 scrimmage yards (career-high 115 rush, 32 rec.) last week, 3rd-career 100-yard game & 1st since 2017. Aims for 4th in row with 65+ scrimmage yards. Has TD in 2 of past 3. • RB ALEXANDER MATTISON had 62 scrimmage yards (43 rec. 19 rush) & TD catch in Week 1 meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. LAC with 60+ scrimmage yards. • TE BROCK BOWERS (rookie) aims for 3rd in row with 7+ catches & 75+ rec. yards. Had 6 catches for 58 yards in Week 1 meeting. Ranks 3rd in NFL with 108 catches in 2024, surpassing Puka Nacua (105 in 2023) for most by rookie in NFL history. Needs 9 catches to surpass Zach Ertz (116 in 2018) for most-ever by TE in single season. Leads TEs with 1,114 rec. yards, surpassing HOFer Mike Ditka (1,076 in 1961) for most-ever by rookie TE. • WR JAKOBI MEYERS had 5 catches for 61 yards & TD last week. Has 55+ rec. yards in 5 of past 6. Had TD catch in last home meeting. • WR TRE TUCKER had 3rd rec. TD of season in Week 17. • DT ADAM BUTLER had half sack & 1st FF of season last week. Has 0.5+ sacks in 4 of past 5. Has TFL in 3 of his past 4 vs. LAC. • DE K’LAVON CHAISSON had sack & 1st-career FF in Week 17. Aims for 6th in row with TFL & 3rd in row with sack. • LB ROBERT SPILLANE had 8 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 PD & sack last week. Aims for 6th in row with 7+ tackles & 3rd in row with TFL. Had 10 tackles & TFL in Week 1 meeting. Ranks 6th in NFL with 142 tackles in 2024. • CB JACK JONES had career-high 3 PD & INT last week. Has PD in 5 of past 6.

MIAMI DOLPHINS (8-8) AT NEW YORK JETS (4-12)

Sunday, January 5, 2025 | 4:25 PM ET | MetLife Stadium | Referee: Tra Blake

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: MIA leads series, 60-56-1 (won 8 of past 9)

Postseason: MIA leads series, 1-0

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 12/8/24: NYJ 26 at MIA 32 (OT)

Postseason: AFC-C 1/23/83: NYJ 0 at MIA 14

DOLPHINS NOTES:

QB TUA TAGOVAILOA has 0 INTs & 90+ rating in 5 of past 6. Passed for 331 yards & 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs with 104.1 rating in Week 14 meeting & is 5-0 in 5 career starts vs. NYJ . Leads NFL with 72.9 comp. pct. this season. • QB TYLER HUNTLEY completed 22 of 26 atts. (84.6 – career-high as starter) for 225 yards & TD vs. 0 INTs with 115.5 rating last week. Aims for his 3rd in row with 100+ rating. Is 2-1 in 3 road starts this season. • RB DE’VON ACHANE has 50+ scrimmage yards in 10 of past 11. Had 69 scrimmage yards (45 rec., 24 rush) & rush TD in Week 14 meeting. Aims for 4th in row vs. division with TD. Leads RBs with 78 catches & 592 rec. yards this season & ties for lead with 6 rec. TDs, most catches ever in single season by Mia. RB. • RB RAHEEM MOSTERT has 6 rush TDs in 5 career games vs. NYJ, with 2 rush TDs in each of his past 2. • WR TYREEK HILL led team with 9 catches for 105 yards last week, 3rd 100- yard game this season. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. NYJ with 100+ rec. yards & TD catch. Needs 61 rec. yards for 7th-career 1,000-yard season & 5th-straight. • WR JAYLEN WADDLE aims for 4th in row vs. NYJ with 95+ rec. yards. • TE JONNU SMITH had 7th TD catch of season last week, tied most-ever by Mia. TE. Has most-ever catches (79) & rec. yards (828) in season by Mia. TE. • DE CALAIS CAMPBELL has TFL in 2 of past 3 overall & in 3 of his past 4 vs. NYJ. • DT ZACH SIELER has TFL in 7 of past 8 & sack in 3 of past 4. Had 2 sacks in Week 14 meeting & aims for 4th in row vs. NYJ with sack. • LB JORDYN BROOKS aims for 15th in row with 7+ tackles & 9th in row with TFL. Had sack & PD in Week 14 meeting. Ranks tied-8th in NFL with 137 tackles. • LB EMMANUEL OGBAH had sack & 1st FF of season in Week 17. Has 0.5+ sacks in 2 of his past 3 vs. NYJ. • LB CHOP ROBINSON (rookie) has sack in 2 of past 3. Had PD in Week 14 meeting. • LB TYREL DODSON had career-high 15 tackles & 2nd-career INT last week.

JETS NOTES:

QB AARON RODGERS has 0 INTs in 3 of past 4. Has 12 TD passes vs. 2 INTs in 7 home games this season, with 2+ TD passes in 4 of past 5 at home. Had season-high 339 pass yards & TD pass vs. 0 INTs with 104.5 rating in Week 14 meeting. Needs TD pass to become 5th QB ever with 500 TD passes. • RB BREECE HALL has 50+ scrimmage yards in 13 of his 15 games this season. Has 85+ scrimmage yards in 4 of past 5 at home. Is 1st player in franchise history with 1,250+ scrimmage yards in 2 of 1st 3 seasons. • RB ISAIAH DAVIS (rookie) had career-high 67 scrimmage yards (40 rush 27 rec.) & rush TD in Week 14 meeting. • WR GARRETT WILSON had 7 catches for 66 yards & TD last week. Aims for 5th in row with 50+ rec. yards. Has rec. TD in 2 of past 3. Had 7 catches for 114 yards in Week 14 meeting. Had TD catch in last home meeting. Is 5th player ever with 80+ catches & 1,000+ rec. yards in each of 1st 3 seasons. Needs 3 catches to become 2nd NYJ player ever with 100-catch season (Brandon Marshall – 109 in 2015). • WR DAVANTE ADAMS aims for 9th in row with 5+ catches. Has rec. TD in 4 of past 5 overall & in 3 of 4 home games with NYJ. Had 9 catches for 109 yards & TD in Week 14 meeting & aims for his 4th in row vs. Mia. with rec. TD. • TE TYLER CONKLIN tied career high with 8 catches for 57 yards & TD last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 5+ catches & 55+ rec. yards. • DL QUINNEN WILLIAMS has sack in 3 of his past 4 at home. • DE SOLOMON THOMAS had TFL & PD last week. Has TFL in 3 of past 4. • LB JAMIEN SHERWOOD had 10 tackles, TFL & PD last week, 4th-straight game with 8+ tackles. Had career-high 18 tackles with 2 TFL & PD in Week 14 meeting. Ranks 4th in NFL with 148 tackles & can become 3rd NYJ player with 150-tackle season. • LB QUINCY WILLIAMS had 10 tackles, TFL & PD in Week 17. Has PD in 2 of past 3. • CB SAUCE GARDNER has PD in 3 of his past 4. Had PD in last home meeting. • S CHUCK CLARK had season-best 8 tackles last week, 4th-straight with 7+ tackles.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (14-2) AT DETROIT LIONS (14-2)

Sunday, January 5, 2025 | 8:20 PM ET | Ford Field | Referee: Brad Rogers

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: MIN leads series, 80-44-2 (DET won 5 of past 6)

Postseason: —

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 10/20/24: DET 31 at MIN 29

Postseason: —

VIKINGS NOTES:

VIKINGS can clinch NFC North & No. 1 seed with win & can win 15 games for 2nd time in franchise history (15-1 in 1998). • QB SAM DARNOLD became 1st starting QB ever to win 14 games in 1st season with team. Ranks 4th in NFL in pass yards (career-high 4,153), 5th in TD passes (career-high 35) & 5th in rating (106.4) in 2024 & is 1 of 4 QBs all-time with 35+ TD passes in 1st season with team. Became 4th player ever with 12 games of 2+ TD passes & 100+ rating in single season. Has 2+TD passes & 100+ rating in 6 of his 7 road starts in 2024. • RB AARON JONES has 1,471 scrimmage yards (1,093 rush, 378 rec.) in 2024, his 4th-career season with 1,400 scrimmage yards. Aims for his 5th in row with 75+ scrimmage yards. Had 116 scrimmage yards (93 rush, 23 rec.) & rush TD in Week 7 meeting. • WR JUSTIN JEFFERSON ranks 2nd in NFL in rec. yards (1,479), tied-5th in rec. TDs (10) & 7th in receptions (100) in 2024 & can become 5th player ever with 3 career seasons of 100+ catches & 1,500+ rec. yards. Has most rec. yards (7,378) & 3rd-most receptions (492) by player in 1st 5 seasons ever & can join Michael Thomas (510) as only players all-time with 500 catches in 1st 5 seasons. Has 69 catches (7.7 per game) for 1,154 yards (128.2 per game) & 4 TDs in 9 career games vs. Det. Aims for his 4th in row at Det. with 11+ catches & 180+ rec. yards & 5th in row at Det. with 125+ rec. yards. • WR JORDAN ADDISON had 9th rec. TD of season last week & has 19 career rec. TDs, tied 4th-most by player under age 23 in NFL history. Can become 5th WR in SB era with 10+ rec. TDs in each of his 1st 2 career seasons. • TE T.J. HOCKENSON needs 54 rec. yards for 5th-straight 500-yard season. • LB BLAKE CASHMAN led team with 11 tackles & had career-high 1.5 sacks last week. Needs 2 tackles for new career high (104 in 2023). • LB ANDREW VAN GINKEL has career highs in sacks (11.5) & TFL (17) in 2024. Had 2 sacks, 3 TFL & FF in Week 7 meeting. Aims for his 5th in row on road with sack & 6th in row on road with TFL. • LB JONATHAN GREENARD has career-high 16 TFL in 2024 & aims for his 6th in row on road with TFL. Had sack & FF in Week 7 meeting. • CB BYRON MURPHY has career-high 14 PD in 2024.

LIONS NOTES:

LIONS have won franchise-record 14 games in 2024 & can win consec. div. titles for 1st time since 1970. Lead NFL with 33.3 points per game & have 6 games with 40+ points, tied-most in single season all-time. Became 4th team ever with 3 players each with 12+ TDs in same season • QB JARED GOFF passed for 303 yards & 3 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 132.4 rating last week & has 42 career games with 300+ pass yards, 2nd-most by player in 1st 9 seasons all-time. Has 4th-most pass yards (34,827) & completions (3,020) by player in 1st 9 seasons in NFL history. Ranks 2nd in rating (113.6) & pass yards (4,398) & 4th in TD passes (36) in 2024. Aims for his 4th in row with 300+ pass yards, 5th in row with 3+ TD passes & 6th in row with 100+ rating. Has 2,653 pass yards (294.8 per game) & 17 TDs vs. 3 INTs for 107.3 rating in 9 career starts vs. Min., incl. 280 pass yards, 2 TDs & 140 rating in Week 7 meeting. • RB JAHMYR GIBBS had 163 scrimmage yards (117 rush, 46 rec.) & 13th rush TD of season last week & became 5th player under age 23 with 20 career games with TD. Ranks tied-2nd in scrimmage TDs (16), 3rd in scrimmage yards (1,756) & 6th in rush yards (1,273) in 2024. Can become 1st player ever with 70+ scrimmage yards in 17 games within single season. Aims for his 4th in row with 100+ scrimmage yards & 5th in row with TD. • WR AMON-RA ST. BROWN ranks 2nd in catches (109), tied-2nd in rec. TDs (12) & 4th in rec. yards (1,186) in 2024 & has 424 career receptions, 2nd-most by player in 1st 4 seasons all-time. Aims for his 4th in row vs. Min with 7+ catches, 100+ rec. yards & TD catch. • WR JAMESON WILLIAMS had 7th rec. TD & 1st rush TD of season last week. Needs 33 rec. yards for 1st-career 1,000-yard season. • TE SAM LAPORTA had 17th-career rec. TD last week, tied with HOFer Mike Ditka for 2nd-most by TE in 1st 2 seasons in NFL history. • DB BRIAN BRANCH had 2nd-career sack last week. Is 1st DB with 100+ tackles (103), 15+ PD (15) & 5+ TFL (8) in single season since 2000. • DB KERBY JOSEPH had 3rd-career game with 2 INTs last week & leads NFL with career-high 9 INTs in 2024. • LB JACK CAMPBELL led team with 9 tackles last week & has career-high 119 tackles in 2024.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TOP 25 ROUNDUP: NO. 10 KENTUCKY TOPPLES NO. 6 FLORIDA

Koby Brea came off the bench to tally 23 points and seven 3-pointers, both career highs, as No. 10 Kentucky opened Southeastern Conference play by outlasting No. 6 Florida 106-100 on Saturday in Lexington, Ky.

The fifth-year guard was one of six to score in double figures for the Wildcats (12-2, 1-0 SEC), who shot 48.3 percent (14-for-29) from the 3-point line and 57.8 percent overall. Lamont Butler added 19 points and a career-high eight assists and Otega Oweh finished with 16 points for Kentucky.

Walter Clayton Jr. tied a career high with 33 points to lead the Gators (13-1, 0-1), who also got 26 from Alijah Martin. Saturday marked just the fourth time Florida lost a game despite scoring at least 100 points.

The Gators scored seven straight points to cut their deficit to 89-87 with 4:16 left, with Clayton scoring five of his 23 second-half points during the flurry. Butler followed with the next five points for the Wildcats and Florida never got back within four the rest of the way.

No. 1 Tennessee 76, No. 23 Arkansas 52

Chaz Lanier scored 29 points as the Volunteers equaled the best start in program history with an easy victory over the Razorbacks in the SEC opener for both teams at Knoxville, Tenn.

Zakai Zeigler recorded 12 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals for Tennessee (14-0, 1-0 SEC), which also opened with 14 straight wins in 1922-23. Igor Milicic Jr. had 13 points along with a career-best 18 rebounds for the Volunteers, who held a commanding 51-29 rebounding advantage that included a 24-9 edge in offensive boards.

D.J. Wagner scored 17 points as Arkansas (11-3, 0-1) had a six-game winning streak halted. Boogie Fland added 12 points and three steals for the Razorbacks, who shot just 37.7 percent from the field and went 6-of-29 from behind the arc.

No. 2 Auburn 84, Missouri 68

Johni Broome scored 24 points and blocked four shots as Auburn began SEC play with a convincing home victory over Missouri.

Chad Baker-Mazara and Chaney Johnson each scored 13 points for Auburn (13-1, 1-0 SEC), which opened the second half with a 12-1 run to take a 57-34 lead. Bruce Pearl earned his 213th coaching victory at Auburn, tying him with Joel Eaves for the all-time lead at the school.

Marques Warrick led Missouri (11-3, 0-1) with 19 points. Marcus Allen had nine points and five rebounds as Missouri coach Dennis Gates rotated 14 players through the game, with 11 of them scoring.

No. 3 Iowa State 74, No. 25 Baylor 55

Keshon Gilbert scored 16 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished five assists as the Cyclones pulled away from the Bears in a Big 12 Conference showdown in Ames, Iowa.

Milan Momcilovic added 15 points for Iowa State (12-1, 2-0 Big 12), which won its ninth in a row and improved to 8-0 at home. Curtis Jones finished with 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting in the wire-to-wire victory.

Jeremy Roach scored 16 points to lead Baylor (9-4, 1-1), whose four-game winning streak ended. Josh Ojianwuna scored 13 and Robert Wright III had 10 despite missing 13 of 17 shots. Ojianwuna also supplied 10 rebounds and three steals, and Norchad Omier added nine points and 10 rebounds.

No. 4 Duke 89, SMU 62

Freshman Cooper Flagg pumped in 24 points as the Blue Devils defeated the Mustangs without their coach at Dallas.

Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Proctor both posted 14 points for Duke (12-2, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). Flagg also had 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Coach Jon Scheyer missed the game because of illness, with associate head coach Chris Carrawell filling in.

Boopie Miller, who played against Duke twice last year when he was with Wake Forest, led SMU (11-3, 2-1) with 21 points. Matt Cross had 11 points and Samet Yigitoglu added 10 points and 13 rebounds, but the Mustangs shot just 34.3 percent from the field.

No. 5 Alabama 107, No. 12 Oklahoma 79

Mark Sears scored a game-high 22 points and dished out 10 assists as the Crimson Tide knocked Sooners from the ranks of the unbeaten in the SEC opener for both teams in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Labaron Philon scored 16 points, Grant Nelson added 12 points and 11 rebounds and Clifford Omoruyi and Aden Holloway each chipped in 10 points for Alabama (12-2, 1-0 SEC).

Jalon Moore led Oklahoma with 20 points, Jeremiah Fears added 16 points and Sam Godwin racked up 15 points. Kobe Elvis had 13 points and Duke Miles added 10 points for the Sooners (13-1, 0-1 SEC).

No. 13 Texas A&M 80, Texas 60

Zhuric Phelps scored 18 points and spurred a second-half surge that helped carry the host Aggies past the rival Longhorns in College Station, Texas.

Phelps tallied seven points during Texas A&M’s 15-2 run to start the second half that propelled the hosts ahead for good at 52-39. Pharrel Payne scored 15 points and Wade Taylor IV added 13 for the Aggies (12-2, 1-0 SEC), who ran their winning streak to eight games.

Tramon Mark led Texas (11-3, 0-1) with 14 points. Arthur Kaluma added 13, Jordan Pope had 12 and star freshman Tre Johnson netted 11 despite going 2-of-13 from the floor. The Longhorns made just 6 of 24 shots in the second half and had their four-game win streak end.

No. 14 Houston 86, BYU 55

Emanuel Sharp scored a game-high 18 points and Terrance Arceneaux added 15 points off the bench as Houston rolled past visiting BYU in its Big 12 home opener.

Sharp and Arceneaux combined for 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting in a runaway first half for Houston (10-3, 2-0 Big 12), which extended the nation’s longest active home winning streak to 30 games. L.J. Cryer and Milos Uzan teamed to deliver the knockout blows with back-to-back 3-pointers that extended a 17-point halftime cushion to 57-32 with 12:43 remaining.

Trevin Knell paced BYU (10-3, 1-1) with 12 points while Richie Saunders, fresh off a career-high 30 points against Arizona State, tallied just nine points on 3-of-8 shooting.

Nebraska 66, No. 15 UCLA 58

Brice Williams scored 16 points and Andrew Morgan added 12 as the Cornhuskers continued to get the best of ranked teams at home, this time knocking off the Bruins in Lincoln, Neb.

Rollie Worster scored 11 points and Juwan Gary added 10 as Nebraska (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten) won its 20th consecutive home game to tie a program record. Included in that run are last season’s victories over No. 1 Purdue and No. 6 Wisconsin.

Tyler Bilodeau scored 15 points and Lazar Stefanovic added 10 for UCLA (11-3, 2-1), which suffered its first conference loss as a Big Ten member. The Bruins were just 4 of 28 (14.3 percent) from 3-point range one game after earning a victory over Gonzaga.

Arizona 72, No. 16 Cincinnati 67

Jaden Bradley led the visiting Wildcats with 15 points as they withstood a furious second-half rally to topple the host Bearcats in Cincinnati.

Bradley’s layup with 43 seconds left gave Arizona a 66-64 lead. After Dan Skillings Jr. missed a corner 3-pointer for Cincinnati, Bradley was fouled and drilled two free throws to extend the Wildcats’ lead to 68-64 with 24 seconds remaining.

Freshman Carter Bryant scored a season-high 14 points and Caleb Love tallied 12 points and six rebounds for Arizona (8-5, 2-0 Big 12), which has won four straight games. Skillings scored 18 points and Dillon Mitchell had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Bearcats (10-3, 0-2).

No. 17 Mississippi State 85, South Carolina 50

Josh Hubbard scored 21 points as the Bulldogs smothered the visiting Gamecocks in SEC play in Starkville, Miss.

Hubbard made 7 of 13 shots and drilled five 3-pointers after shooting 31.4 percent (16-of-51) in his previous four games. Claudell Harris added 17 points and nine rebounds while Riley Kugel and Keshawn Murphy chipped in 12 points apiece as Mississippi State (13-1, 1-0 SEC) won its seventh straight game.

Zachary Davis scored 22 for South Carolina (10-4, 0-1), but leading scorer Collin Murray-Boyles was held to five points and committed six of the Gamecocks’ 14 turnovers. The visitors shot just 29.1 percent overall and were 2-of-19 from 3-point range as their seven-game win streak ended.

No. 19 Gonzaga 96, Loyola Marymount 68

Graham Ike recorded 27 points and nine rebounds and Khalif Battle added a season-high 26 points to lead the Bulldogs past the host Lions in West Coast Conference play at Los Angeles.

Ike made 12 of 16 field-goal attempts and Battle was 10-of-12, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Michael Ajayi added 15 points and Ryan Nembhard had 10 points, 11 assists and six rebounds for Gonzaga (12-4, 3-0 WCC).

Will Johnston scored 18 points and Jevon Porter added 17 points and eight rebounds for LMU (9-7, 1-3). The Lions have dropped 13 straight home games against the Zags and 33 of the past 35 overall between the schools.

No. 24 Ole Miss 63, Georgia 51

Jaemyn Brakefield and Matthew Murrell each scored 15 points to lift the Rebels over the Bulldogs in Oxford, Miss.

Dre Davis added nine points for Ole Miss (12-2, 1-0 SEC), which rebounded from its loss at Memphis on Dec. 28.

Asa Newell collected 13 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks and two steals for Georgia (12-2, 0-1), which saw its seven-game winning streak come to a halt. The Bulldogs shot just 29.3 percent (17-for-58) from the field and 11.1 percent from 3-point range.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S TOP 25 ROUNDUP: NO. 1 UCLA GOES WIRE-TO-WIRE PAST INDIANA

Lauren Betts collected a double-double of 25 points and 12 rebounds as No. 1 UCLA remained undefeated and rolled to a 73-62 win over host Indiana in Bloomington on Saturday afternoon.

Betts shot 12 of 16 from the floor and also had three assists and two blocks in the victory for the Bruins (15-0, 4-0 Big Ten). Kiki Rice added 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while Gabriela Jaquez chipped in 11 points for UCLA.

Yarden Garzon paced the Hoosiers (10-4, 2-1) with 19 points, and Chloe Moore-McNeil tossed in 12 points and seven rebounds.

UCLA never trailed and went ahead by as much as 16 points in the second quarter as Indiana endured a scoring drought that lasted more than eight minutes.

The Bruins had 19 assists on 28 made buckets and outscored the Hoosiers 40-28 in the paint.

No. 12 Kansas State 77, Texas Tech 57

Ayoka Lee scored 19 points to help the Wildcats get a home win over the Red Raiders in Manhattan, Kan.

Lee shot an efficient 9 of 11 from the floor in just 17 minutes of play and also grabbed eight rebounds in the 10th straight win for Kansas State (15-1, 3-0 Big 12). With her scoring total, Lee (2,436) passed Nina Davis of Baylor (2,433 from 2013-17) for seventh all-time in scoring in Big 12 history.

Also for Kansas State, Serena Sundell had a double-double of 13 points and 11 assists, while Kennedy Taylor scored 13 points off the bench.

Texas Tech (12-4, 1-2) was powered by Bailey Maupin’s 21 points. Kansas State outscored Texas Tech 44-26 in the paint. The Wildcats, who led by as much as 27 points, turned 24 turnovers by the Red Raiders into 29 points.

NBA NEWS

NBA ROUNDUP: KAWHI LEONARD DEBUTS AS CLIPPERS TACKLE HAWKS

Norman Powell scored 20 points and Ivica Zubac added 18 points to go along with 18 rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers celebrated the season debut of Kawhi Leonard with a 131-105 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday in Inglewood, Calif.

Amir Coffey scored 17 points while Leonard had 12 on 4-of-11 shooting in 19 minutes of court time after missing the first 34 games of the season due to a right knee injury. Terance Mann (finger) also returned to action after missing the past 11 games and scored 12 points in 16 minutes.

Los Angeles took control early, leading by as many as 27 points in the first half before improving to 12-2 at home since Nov. 4.

Trae Young scored 20 points and dished out 14 assists and De’Andre Hunter added 18 points as the Hawks lost for the second consecutive night in the Los Angeles area following a 119-102 setback against the Lakers on Friday.

Leonard made his first shot of the season, a 3-pointer from the left wing just over two minutes into the game.

Pistons 119, Timberwolves 105

Cade Cunningham poured in a season-high 40 points to go along with nine assists to offset Anthony Edwards’ career-high 53 points as host Detroit defeated Minnesota.

Edwards had been limited to 20 points or less in eight of his previous 14 games. His previous career high was 51 points, a mark he reached against the Washington Wizards on April 9, 2024. Cunningham’s previous season high was 35 points.

Malik Beasley supplied 23 points off the bench as Detroit won its third straight game. Tobias Harris had 16 points and 11 rebounds in the win, while Julius Randle had 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Timberwolves.

Nuggets 122, Spurs 111 (OT)

Nikola Jokic scored 46 points, including the first seven in overtime, as visiting Denver rode its superstar to a win over San Antonio in the final game of a back-to-back between the teams.

The Spurs won 113-110 on Friday in Denver in the opener of the home-and-home set. Overall, the Nuggets have won four of their past five games. San Antonio led by 11 points after three quarters on Saturday, but the Nuggets charged back to briefly take the lead in the final minute of regulation before a Devin Vassell tip-in forced overtime.

Harrison Barnes led San Antonio with 22 points while Victor Wembanyama scored 20 and grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds.

76ers 123, Nets 94

Joel Embiid totaled 28 points and 12 rebounds in three quarters as Philadelphia overcame an extremely early 11-point deficit and rolled over Brooklyn in New York.

Embiid made 8 of 16 shots from the field, hit all 10 of his free throws and played 29 minutes en route to his fourth double-double in 13 games this season. Philadelphia outscored Brooklyn 123-83 after allowing the game’s first 11 points and won for the 12th time in 19 games since dropping five straight from Nov. 12-20.

Ziaire Williams led the Nets with 19 points as Brooklyn shot 41.5 percent overall and allowed 32 points off 22 turnovers. The Nets lost for the 12th time in 16 games.

Pacers 126, Suns 108

Tyrese Haliburton scored 27 points to lead six Indiana scorers in double figures and the Pacers bookended the second half with big runs to send Phoenix to a fourth consecutive loss with a victory in Indianapolis.

Indiana opened the second half with a 19-9 burst that lasted just over four minutes and gave it a lead that it held the rest of the way. The Pacers later put the contest to bed with a 13-4 run over the game’s final 4:08.

Phoenix stayed within striking distance behind Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, but the Suns never got closer than six following the Pacers’ run to open the third quarter. Durant finished with 25 points for the game, while Booker collected 20.

Jazz 136, Heat 100

Florida native Brice Sensabaugh scored a career- and game-high 34 points off the bench as Utah snapped a five-game losing streak with a win against host Miami.

John Collins added 24 points and nine rebounds for Utah, which won for just the sixth time in 19 road contests this season. Walker Kessler added 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds as the Jazz outrebounded the Heat 57-32.

The Heat trailed by as many as 43 in the fourth quarter in their first game since suspending star forward Jimmy Butler for seven games for conduct detrimental to the team.

Bulls 139, Knicks 126

Zach LaVine and Coby White scored 33 points apiece and Nikola Vucevic recorded a double-double by racking up 22 points and 12 rebounds to lift Chicago to a win against visiting New York.

Chicago matched a season high in points behind a 20-for-37 effort from beyond the arc. White set a career high for made 3-pointers, going 9-for-11 from deep. Karl-Anthony Towns had 44 points, 16 rebounds and five assists for the Knicks.

The Bulls honored standout guard Derrick Rose during a halftime ceremony. A Chicago native, Rose spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Bulls, winning Rookie of the Year in 2009 and MVP in 2011. Rose played for five other teams and spent parts of four seasons with the Knicks.

Trail Blazers 105, Bucks 102

Anfernee Simons scored 28 points and dished out eight assists to lead visiting Portland to a win over Milwaukee after dropping its past two games.

Deni Avdija added 19 points and 14 rebounds while Deandre Ayton posted his own double-double with 10 points and 13 boards as the Blazers won on the road for just the fourth time this season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 31 points and 11 rebounds. AJ Green added 21 points off the bench, and Damian Lillard scored 16.

Warriors 121, Grizzlies 113

Lindy Waters III scored eight of his 16 points late and Andrew Wiggins put up a game-high 24 points as Golden State outlasted Memphis in San Francisco.

Each team played without its superstar point guard. Memphis was minus Ja Morant for the fourth straight game due to a shoulder injury, while Golden State gave Stephen Curry the night off on the front end of a back-to-back.

Jaren Jackson Jr. had 23 points and nine rebounds and Desmond Bane added 22 points and 10 assists for the Grizzlies, who were playing their second game in two nights after losing 138-133 against the Sacramento Kings on Friday. Memphis completed a 2-3 road trip.

NHL NEWS

NHL ROUNDUP: ALEX OVECHKIN ADDS 872ND GOAL IN CAPITALS’ 7-4 WIN

Dylan Strome had a goal and two assists, Alex Ovechkin added his 872nd career goal and the Washington Capitals earned a 7-4 victory against the visiting New York Rangers on Saturday.

Logan Thompson made 29 saves for the Capitals as Ovechkin inched closer to Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 goals.

With the Capitals leading by a goal, Ovechkin backhanded a loose puck at the front of the net off a faceoff under Jonathan Quick’s right pad to make it 5-3 at 10:50 of the third period and move within 22 goals of Gretzky.

The Rangers twice got within a goal of Washington in the third period but could never get the equalizer in dropping to 5-16-0 dating back to Nov. 21. Quick made 21 saves.

Maple Leafs 6, Bruins 4

Matthew Knies recorded his first career hat trick and added two assists as Toronto handed visiting Boston its third straight loss.

Mitch Marner added an empty-net goal and four assists for the Maple Leafs, who have won three games in a row.

Auston Matthews (upper-body injury) returned after missing six games and had an empty-net goal and two assists. David Pastrnak scored twice for the Bruins.

Predators 4, Flames 1

Ryan O’Reilly posted his sixth career hat trick to lead visiting Nashville past Calgary for its second victory in as many nights and just its fifth road win this season.

Fedor Svechkov netted one goal and one assist while Filip Forsberg collected a pair of assists for the Predators. Justus Annunen stopped 31 shots, sparkling from the drop of the puck with 11 first-period saves when the Flames had a huge edge in play but couldn’t take a lead.

Mikael Backlund scored for the Flames, who have lost three of their last four games. Dustin Wolf made 24 saves.

Red Wings 4, Jets 2

Dylan Larkin scored twice to lead Detroit over host Winnipeg, knocking the Jets from atop the NHL standings.

Lucas Raymond had a goal and two assists and Alex DeBrincat also scored for Detroit, which won its fourth straight and improved to 4-1-0 under new coach Todd McLellan.

Josh Morrissey and Nikolaj Ehlers scored for Winnipeg, which was outshot 29-23. It was the third consecutive loss for the Jets, who came into the game leading the league with 56 points but saw Vegas pass them with their win over Buffalo later Saturday.

Blue Jackets 6, Blues 4

Dmitri Voronkov scored twice to lead Columbus past visiting St. Louis for its fifth win in eight games (5-2-1).

Sean Monahan and Ivan Provorov earned three assists for Columbus, and Elvis Merzlikins made 29 saves.

Jordan Kyrou had a goal and two assists while Brayden Schenn and Cam Fowler had a goal and one assist for the Blues, who lost for just the second time in six games.

Sharks 3, Devils 2

Cody Ceci scored with 25 seconds left to lift San Jose over visiting New Jersey, giving the Sharks a second straight win after losing eight in a row.

Nikolai Kovalenko and Macklin Celebrini also scored and Yaroslav Askarov made 28 saves for San Jose.

Nico Hischier scored on his 26th birthday, Paul Cotter also tallied and Jacob Markstrom made 21 saves for the Devils, who have lost four in a row to match their longest skid of the season.

Wild 4, Hurricanes 0

Mats Zuccarello scored two goals, including an empty netter, and Filip Gustavsson made 21 saves as Minnesota defeated Carolina in Raleigh, N.C.

Matt Boldy had a goal and two assists and Joel Eriksson Ek also scored for the Wild, while Marco Rossi logged a career-high four assists, bringing his season total to 22. Zuccarello added an assist as well.

The shutout was Gustavsson’s third of the season and the ninth of his career. Pyotr Kochetkov made 23 saves for the Hurricanes, who lost for the fourth time in their last six games.

Canadiens 2, Avalanche 1 (SO)

Cole Caufield and Kirby Dach scored shootout goals and Montreal beat Colorado in Denver and complete a six-game road trip with four wins (4-2-0).

Caufield also scored Montreal’s lone goal in regulation, while Jakub Dobes had 22 saves through overtime and two more in the shootout.

Mikko Rantanen scored and Mackenzie Blackwood had 23 saves between regulation and overtime and one in the shootout for Colorado, which had its six-game winning streak snapped.

Golden Knights 3, Sabres 1

Jack Eichel had a goal and an assist and Adin Hill made 23 saves as Vegas moved into the NHL points lead with a victory over visiting Buffalo in Las Vegas.

Mark Stone and Tanner Laczynski also scored goals and Tanner Pearson had two assists for Vegas, which picked up its eighth victory in its last nine games. The Golden Knights, who improved to an NHL best 17-4-0 at home, now lead the Winnipeg Jets by one point for the league lead.

Jason Zucker scored a goal and James Reimer finished with 30 saves for Buffalo, which had a three-game win streak over the Golden Knights snapped.

Kings 2, Lightning 1

Los Angeles continued its mastery of its home ice as Adrian Kempe’s goal with 5:48 left in regulation beat Tampa Bay.

Kempe’s team-leading 19th goal extended his point streak to a season-high five games. Mikey Anderson recorded his fifth goal of the season for Los Angeles, which won its fourth consecutive game and its ninth in a row at home.

Victor Hedman scored for Tampa Bay, which lost its third straight. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 19 saves for the Lightning.

Oilers 4, Kraken 2

Leon Draisaitl had a goal and an assist and Viktor Arvidsson contributed two assists as Edmonton held on for a victory against host Seattle, its seventh straight win against its Pacific Division rival.

Vasily Podkolzin, Jeff Skinner and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored for the Oilers, who won their third consecutive game overall. Goaltender Calvin Pickard made 15 saves.

Chandler Stephenson and Jaden Schwartz scored for Seattle, which had a three-game point streak snapped. Philipp Grubauer, making his fourth consecutive start in place of the injured Joey Daccord (upper-body injury), stopped 28 of 31 shots.

Stars 3, Utah Hockey Club 2 (OT)

Thomas Harley scored the overtime winner as Dallas edged visiting Utah, beating its division rival for the third time in three games this season.

Harley snapped home a Matt Duchene pass past Karel Vejmelka at 3:01 of the extra period to secure Dallas’s fourth straight win. Jamie Benn and Oskar Back also scored for the Stars, while Duchene and Wyatt Johnston each chipped in a pair of assists. Jake Oettinger made 33 saves for the Stars to move to 19-9-1 this season.

Matias Maccelli scored twice for Utah, which has just one win over its last seven games (1-4-2). Vejmelka stopped 26 shots but was saddled with his third loss against the Stars this season.

TOP INDIANA RELEASES/NEWS

COLTS FOOTBALL

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-12) AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (7-9)

Sunday, January 5, 2025 | 1:00 PM ET | Lucas Oil Stadium | Referee: Alex Kemp

All-Time Series History

Regular Season: IND leads series, 27-20 (JAX won 5 of past 6)

Postseason: —

The Last Time…

Regular Season: 10/6/24: IND 34 at JAX 37

Postseason: —

JAGS NOTES:

QB MAC JONES completed 15 of 22 atts. (68.2 pct.) for 174 yards & 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs with season-high 122.2 rating last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 0 INTs. Has 2 TD passes in 2 of past 3. Passed for 299 yards & 2 TDs in only career game at Ind. (12/18/21 w/ NE). • RB TRAVIS ETIENNE had 75 scrimmage yards (49 rush, 26 rec.) last week. Has 70+ scrimmage yards in 3 of past 4. Had 104 scrimmage yards (77 rush, 27 rec.) & rush TD in last road meeting & has 100+ scrimmage yards in each of 2 career games at Ind. Has 750+ scrimmage yards (752) for 3rd-straight season. • RB TANK BIGSBY aims for 3rd in row on road with 50+ rush yards & rush TD. Had career-high 129 scrimmage yards (101 rush, 28 rec.) & 2 rush TDs in Week 5 meeting. Had rush TD in last road meeting. • WR BRIAN THOMAS JR. had 7 catches for 91 yards & TD last week, 6th-straight game with 75+ rec. yards, 2nd-longest streak by rookie in NFL history. Aims for 4th in row with 90+ rec. yards & rec. TD. Had 5 catches for 122 yards & TD in Week 5 meeting. Is 4th rookie in SB era with 1,100+ rec. yards (1,179) & 10+ rec. TDs (10). • WR PARKER WASHINGTON had 2nd TD catch of season last week. Has 50+ rec. yards in 2 of past 3. Has rec. TD in 2 of past 3 vs. division. • DE JOSH HINES-ALLEN had season-high 6 tackles, 2 TFL & 8th sack of season in Week 17. Has TFL in 3 of past 4 on road. Had sack & FR in Week 5 meeting & has 9 sacks in his past 6 vs. Ind. • DE TRAVON WALKER had sack & FF in Week 17. Has TFL in 2 of past 3. Had career high 3 sacks, FF & PD in Week 5 meeting. Aims for 4th in row vs. Ind. with 0.5+ sacks. • DT MAASON SMITH (rookie) aims for 3rd in row with sack. • LB DEVIN LLOYD had 6 tackles & 1st INT of season in Week 17. • LB FOYESADE OLUOKUN led team with 11 tackles & had PD last week. Aims for 3rd in row with PD. Needs 2 tackles for 5th-straight season with 100+ tackles. • S ANDRE CISCO had season-best 8 tackles & TFL in Week 17.

COLTS NOTES:

QB ANTHONY RICHARDSON (OUT) aims for his 4th in row with rush TD. Has 5 rush TDs in past 5. Has 0 INTs in 3 of his past 4 home starts. Had 263 yards (223 pass, 40 rush) & 2 TDs (1 pass, 1 rush) in only career start vs. Jax. (9/10/23). Is 3rd QB in NFL history with 10+ TD passes (11) & 10+ rush TDs (10) in 1st 15 career games. • QB JOE FLACCO passed for 330 yards & 2 TDs with 90.9 rating last week. Has 2+ TD passes in 4 of his 5 starts this season. Has 300+ pass yards & 3 TD passes in each of his past 3 starts vs. Jax. • RB JONATHAN TAYLOR rushed for 125 yards & 2 TDs last week, 9th-career game with 100+ rush yards & 2+ rush TDs, 2nd-most in NFL since 2020. Aims for 5th in row with 100+ scrimmage yards & 3rd in row with 2+ rush TDs. Has 380 scrimmage yards (190 per game) & 3 rush TDs in 2 career home games vs. Jax. Has 3rd-career season with 1,350+ scrimmage yards (1,387) & 10+ rush TDs (10). • WR MICHAEL PITTMAN had season-high 9 catches for 109 yards & TD last week, 2nd game this season with 100+ rec. yards. Has 5+ catches in 5 of past 6. Had TD catch in Week 5 meeting. Has 95+ rec. yards in 3 of his past 4 vs. Jax. Is 4th player in franchise history with 500+ rec. yards in each of 1st 5 seasons. • WR ALEC PIERCE had 6 catches for 122 yards & TD last week. Has rec. TD in 2 of his past 3. Had career-high 134 rec. yards & TD catch in Week 5 meeting. • LB ZAIRE FRANKLIN had 14 tackles, career-high 4 TFL & FF in Week 17, 5th game this season with 12+ tackles, tied-most in NFL. Has TFL in 4 of past 5. Had 10 tackles & PD in Week 5 meeting & has 10+ tackles in 4 of his past 5 vs. Jax. Leads NFL with 165 tackles in 2024 & is 6th player since 2000 with 150+ tackles in 3 straight seasons • LB E.J. SPEED has 5+ tackles in each of his 14 games this season. Aims for his 6th in row vs. Jax. with TFL. Has career-high 134 tackles in 2024. • DT DEFOREST BUCKNER has TFL in 5 of past 6. Aims for his 4th in row vs. Jax. with sack. • DE KWITY PAYE aims for 3rd in row with TFL. Has sack in 2 of past 3 at home. • S NICK CROSS had 7 tackles last week. Ranks 2nd among DBs with 137 tackles in 2024.

INDIANA PACERS

GAME REWIND: PACERS 126, SUNS 108

The Pacers played host to the Phoenix Suns in the Pacers’ first Saturday action of the season as they closed out the season series with Phoenix. It was Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal’s only trip to Indianapolis this season, and the Suns’ big three sought to avenge the Pacers’ victory in the Footprint Center earlier this season. Indiana defeated the Suns by an impressive 18 points, 126-108.

Indiana jumped out to a hot start as Phoenix missed four of its first five shots, and the Pacers led by as many as seven points in the first quarter. The Suns surged back to within four points before Tyrese Haliburton blocked a layup attempt by Ryan Dunn. Phoenix would come as close as one point to the lead, but Haliburton’s made 3-pointer over Durant pushed Indiana’s cushion back to four points.

The Pacers closed the first quarter trading one-point leads with the Suns as Durant and Haliburton traded blows on the offensive end. Haliburton notched nine points, two rebounds, and three assists in the first 12 minutes, leading Indiana to a one-point advantage going into the second quarter, 30-29. Durant recorded 10 points for Phoenix in that same span.

Thomas Bryant set an aggressive tone off Indiana’s bench early in the second quarter as he grabbed a defensive rebound while fending off two Suns players, then knocked down a 3-pointer to take back the lead.

The second quarter took on the complexion of the first – the lead changed hands four times, and 10 times total in the first half. Pascal Siakam and Ben Sheppard gave the Pacers’ offense some lift as they tallied 10 second quarter points combined.

The Pacers were even with the Suns coming out of halftime, each team with 56 points. After recording a field goal percentage under 40 percent for the first half, Indiana’s focus shifted to shot making in the second.

Booker found a stride for Phoenix early in the third quarter, but Turner did the same for Indiana. He notched nine points in the quarter, and injected a bolt of energy into the Fieldhouse crowd with a vicious throwdown over Booker to put Indiana up by 10 points. Turner also recorded two blocked shots and four rebounds during third quarter action.

“We’re getting stops that allow us to play in transition more,” Haliburton said postgame. “Which is where we really excel.”

Indiana doubled Phoenix’s fastbreak points as it recorded 16 to the Suns’ eight.

The Pacers never trailed in the third frame as they tallied a 40-point quarter – the second 40+ point quarter in back-to-back games – and carried a 12 point advantage into the final 12 minutes.

Bryant continued his run of impactful minutes with the Blue and Gold reserves as he found Jarace Walker cutting down the middle of the lane early in the fourth quarter. Walker took Bryant’s pass to the rim, slamming down a ferocious slam to put Indiana back up by 10 points after a streak of made baskets by the Suns.

Phoenix cut the Pacers lead down to as little as six points following a layup by Grayson Allen. Back-to-back plays by Walker on both sides of the ball kept the momentum rolling in Indiana’s direction. Walker knocked down a 3-pointer to push the lead back to nine points, and drew an offensive foul on Booker to regain possession of the ball.

The Pacers never ceded control of the game’s momentum in the remaining seven minutes of action, nor did they cede the lead.

Haliburton’s 27 points and eight assists led Indiana’s offense. He also added five rebounds to the Pacers’ totals, but Bennedict Mathurin’s 10 rebounds led Indiana to a 47-36 advantage on the boards. Andrew Nembhard recorded a perfect 3-for-3 night from the field as he tallied nine points and seven assists in his 30 minutes.

Durant led Phoenix with 25 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists that were bolstered by Booker’s 20 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Indiana’s barrage of shots from the field. The Pacers attempted 18 more shots than the Suns – 10 from long range – and swept the season series with Phoenix, 2-0.

“Guys are gonna make tough shots,” Turner said postgame. “It’s a shot-driven league. There’s some great players out there. But if you can limit, you know, those shots, limit the great attempts they get, it makes all the world of difference.”

The victory lifts Indiana’s record to an even 18-18, and it looks to improve beyond that as the Pacers’ sights shift to a Monday night matchup with the 13-22 Brooklyn Nets.

Inside the Numbers

The Pacers forced 13 turnovers and only committed eight of their own.

Indiana recorded 35 assists on 46 made baskets.

Indiana won the rebounding battle 47-36, and recorded 13 offensive rebounds.

Obi Toppin (12) and Ben Sheppard (10) each recorded double-digit scoring totals off the bench.

Bennedict Mathurin recorded his sixth double-double of the season with his 13 points and 10 rebounds.

You Can Quote Me on That

“Mathurin, in the last couple games, is really playing a high level of efficient basketball. He’s taking the right shots, he’s working at defense. He’s timing up drives, he’s been patient, disciplined…He’s doing some really good things right now.” – Carlisle on Bennedict Mathurin’s recent play

“Myles is playing with a lot of patience and discipline…He’s playing a very efficient game. He’s going to his strengths. He understands when teams put a small on him, he’s going right to the rim and he’s punching them.” – Carlisle on Myles Turner

“Last year we led the league in pick-and-roll scoring between us two. I think we just have a feel for each other…Naturally he’s going to feel it out and understand when it is time to pop, you know. So it’s just constant conversation between us two.” – Tyrese Haliburton on his pick-and-roll chemistry with Myles Turner

“I think we’re starting to care more. I think we went through a stretch last season where we kept on saying the same thing, ‘Oh we’ve got to defend, we’ve got to defend,’ I think now we’re going to put those words into actions.” – Myles Turner on team defense

Stat of the Night

The Pacers held the Suns under 30 points every quarter, recorded four blocked shots, seven steals, and outrebounded Phoenix by 11 boards.

Noteworthy

The Pacers have recorded back-to-back 40+ point third quarters.

Indiana swept the season series with the Suns, 2-0.

Myles Turner passed Tyson Chandler on Saturday to enter the league’s top-50 all-time shot blockers.

Up Next

The Pacers travel to Brooklyn for a matchup with the 13-22 Nets on Monday, Jan. 6, at 7:30 PM ET.

INDY FUEL

FUEL FALL TO CYCLONES 4-2

CINCINNATI – The Fuel traveled to Cincinnati for the second time this season. The Cyclones revamped roster would help them split the season series and give Cincy the victory 4-2.

1ST PERIOD

Early on at 1:16, Ty Farmer was called for a delay of game on a puck out of play, the game’s first penalty. Shortly after, the Cyclones Braeden Kressler scored the game’s first goal at 1:56, his third of the season.

The Fuel would retaliate at 6:32 when Colin Bilek fired one home off the faceoff win from Bryan Lemos. That would be Bilek’s ninth goal of the season.

At 12:28, Dante Sheriff scored his fourth of the season as Joe Vrbetic was screened by a Cyclones forward in front.

The period ended 2-1 in favor of Cincy with the shots also leaning the Cyclones’ favor 10-7.

2ND PERIOD

The pressure continued from both sides, but both goaltenders had clean periods. Indy’s Vrbetic faced 12 shots and Cincy’s Cajan faced six.

It was not a clean period for the Fuel as they committed three minor penalties, including one by Andrew Bellant at 19:38 that carried over into the third period.

3RD PERIOD

The first penalty committed by the Cyclones would come at 7:47 of the third period when Remy Parker would be called for interference.

It would only take the Fuel six seconds to capitalize when William Provost fired one past Paval Cajan to tie the game up at two.

Another Cyclones penalty at 12:22 set up the Fuel to take a lead but Cincinnati played with pressure in Indy’s defensive zone and Lincoln Griffin was able to convert a short-handed goal with 14 seconds remaining on the Fuel power play. This would put Cincy up 3-2 with just under six minutes remaining.

Nothing would roll the Fuel’s way and, with just under two minutes left, Ty Voit would seal the deal for the Cyclones with an empty net goal, making the final score 4-2.

The Fuel would be outshot by the Cyclones 29 to 16.

INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

HOOSIERS FALL IN BATTLE WITH NO. 1 UCLA

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.  – Junior guard Yarden Garzon scored 19 points as Indiana pushed No. 1 UCLA to the end as it fell 73-62 on Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

KEY MOMENTS

Indiana (10-4, 2-1 B1G) opened play on four points from junior guard Yarden Garzon before UCLA (15-0, 4-0 B1G) went on a 14-3 run to limit the team from the floor. Despite an early deficit, a 9-0 run sparked by a layup from junior forward Lilly Meister propelled the Hoosiers to finish the first frame trailing by just two, 18-16, and 6-for-12 shooting.

The home team remained scoreless until 2:56 remaining in the second period when Garzon took advantage of her opportunity from the charity stripe to score a lone point. Senior forward Karoline Striplin hit a pair of buckets as the only field goals in the frame including one at the buzzer to help the Hoosiers gain momentum to carry into the second half.

The Hoosier offense found their pace in the third quarter, with junior guard Shay Ciezki and graduate guard Chloe Moore-McNeil both going a perfect 3-for-3 from the field.  A 7-0 run highlighted by a step back triple from Moore-McNeil would help Indiana close the gap to eight points before the Bruins found another push.

Indiana continued to challenge UCLA until the end, narrowly winning the offensive battled, 18-17.  It came within single digits with 2:29 to go on a Ciezki and-1 opportunity but would get no closer.

NOTABLE

Garzon scored in double figures for the 12th time this season, with a team-high 19 points.

Moore-McNeil also added double digits with 12 points and had a team-high seven rebounds. Meister added five boards as well.

Parrish picked up a team-high three steals while Ciezki and Moore-McNeil had a pair of assists each.

Saturday’s game was the closest margin of victory for UCLA this season, who was averaging a scoring margin of +31.4 points headed into Saturday’s game.

UP NEXT

The Hoosiers are on the road for the next two, starting at Northwestern on Wednesday in an 8 p.m. ET tip at Welsh Ryan Arena.

INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL

INDIANA BASKETBALL GAME NOTES – GAME 15 AT PENN STATE

Opening Tip

• Indiana University continues Big Ten Conference play in its 125th season of competition in men’s basketball against Penn State at noon ET on Sunday, Jan. 5, at the Cathedral of College Basketball, the Palestra. The game will carry a BTN broadcast with Brandon Gaudin (pxp) and Robbie Hummel (analyst) on the call.

• The Nittany Lions enter the game with a record of 12-2 (2-1 Big Ten) under second-year head coach Mike Rhoades. Penn State has won 12-straight homes games and are off to the program’s best start since the 2019-20 season. PSU has six players averaging at least 9.9 points per game, led by 15.0 points, 8.5 assists, and 2.3 steals per game from fifth-year senior guard Ace Baldwin Jr., the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Junior forward Yanic Konan Niederhauser leads the team in rebounding at 6.8 per contest to go along with 13.1 points.

Game Information

Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025 • Noon ET

The Palestra (8,725) • Philadelphia, Pa.

TV: BTN (Brandon Gaudin, Robbie Hummel)

Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)

Series History: Indiana leads, 43-17

Last Meeting: IU 61, PSU 59 on March 14, 2024, in Minneapolis

Series History

• The Hoosiers have prevailed in 43-of-60 matchups played between the two programs, including a 61-59 result in the second round of the 2024 Big Ten Championships.

• Miami Heat first-round pick Kel’el Ware provided game highs in points (18), rebounds (14), and blocked shots (3) in the second-round win. Anthony Leal putback the game-winning basket with 5.0 seconds to play. He finished the game with eight points and four rebounds.

Last Time Out

• Redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice paced the Hoosier attack with 21 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals in an 84-74 win over Rutgers on Thursday, Jan. 2, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

• Sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo returned from a brief, one-game absence to compile a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double to go along with three blocks in 32 minutes off the bench.

• The Hoosiers made 12-of-27 (44.4%) shots from behind the 3-points line. The 12-made triples marked a season high and the most for an IU offense in a conference regular season contest since connecting on 14 at Iowa on Feb. 17, 2018.

Big Fella Ballo

• Sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo is averaging 12.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.8 blocks per contest and is shooting 67.8% (61-of-90) from the floor. He is one of two players in college basketball (Johni Broome, Auburn) to average at least 12.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 blocked shots per night, and the only player to post those numbers on 60.0% shooting or better.

• The 7-footer ranks second among Big Ten players (Danny Wolf, Michigan) and 23rd nationally in boards per game. Ballo has strung together six games with double-digit boards, including a season-high 18 against Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 6.

• Ballo scored a season-best 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting from the floor against No. 3/4 Gonzaga on day two of the Battle 4 Atlantis. He is the first IU player to finish the game shooting at least 80% from the floor on 10-or-more made field goals since Kel’el Ware vs. Wisconsin on Feb. 27, 2024 (91.7%, 11-12).

• He became the third IU player in the last 30 years (Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jared Jeffries) to record 10+ points, 15+ rebounds, and 5+ assists in a game after producing 14 points, 18 boards, and six assists against Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 6.

• The former Gonzaga Bulldog and Arizona Wildcat holds a career winning percentage of 84.1% in 145 career games.

Following the Gallo-Way

• Fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway posted nine assists in 17 minutes off the bench in Indiana’s 80-61 season-opening win over SIUE in Bloomington.

• In the last 25 seasons of major conference basketball, Gallo is the 10th player to have at least nine assists in 17 minutes or less. He is the first player to achieve the feat since Vanderbilt guard Carter Josephs on Feb. 22, 2014.

• The Culver Academies graduate has handed out at least five helpers in 26 career games, including five contests this season.

• Galloway has made 15-of-35 shots (42.9%) from behind the 3-point line this season. He has made at least three triples in four of Indiana’s last eight games.

Going the Extra Myles

• Over his last four games, redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice is averaging 15.8 points on 46.9% (23-of-49) shooting from the floor to pair with 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest. He has scored 20-plus points in two of the four games.

• The Washington State transfer was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma on Sept. 12, 2022. After undergoing chemotherapy for five hours a session twice a month for six months, Rice learned his cancer was in remission on June 1, 2023.

Mack on the Attack

• Sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako is averaging 13.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 48.6% (69-of-142) from the field, 41.4% (24-of-58) from behind the arc, and 85.3% (29-of-34) from the line.

• The Gladstone, N.J., native is one of six Big Ten players (Brice Williams, Nebraska; Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois; Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Maryland; Fletcher Loyer, Purdue; Braden Smith, Purdue) to average at least 12.5 points per game while shooting above 40.0% from the 3-point line and 85.0% from the free throw line this season.

Hatton Powers Victory Against Winthrop

• Senior center Langdon Hatton enjoyed his breakout moment of the season with seven points, 11 rebounds, and three blocked shots in 26 minutes off the Hoosier bench in a 77-68 victory over Winthrop on Sunday, Dec. 29, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in the program’s final non-conference tilt of the season.

• The Hoosier defense held the Eagles to 20 free throw attempts, 12 fewer than the program’s average over the first 14 games of the season. Indiana also forced Winthrop into a cold shooting night from the floor (37.5%) and from the 3-point line (26.1%).

INDIANA SWIMMING

NO. 2/6 HOOSIERS SPLIT WITH NO. 4/4 GATORS

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – No. 2-ranked Indiana men’s swimming and diving took care of No. 4 Florida, 163-137, Friday (Jan. 3) in dual meet action inside the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida.

The meet finished in a split decision, as the No. 6-ranked IU women fell to the No. 4 Gators, 164-136.

Junior Owen McDonald led the men, winning all three of his individual events – sweeping the backstroke events before completing the triple in the 200-yard IM. He was one of four Hoosier men to win an individual event Friday, while the IU quartet of Rafael Miroslaw, Matt King, Mikkel Lee and Tomer Frankel also won the 400-yard freestyle relay.

Friday marked King’s Hoosier debut after joining the program as a transfer in the fall. The Hoosiers picked up the win despite absences of recent World Champion Zalán Sárkány and mid-year transfer Caspar Corbeau.

Indiana’s senior diving duo of Quinn Henninger and Carson Tyler dominated the springboards Friday, sharing the top two spots in each event. On the 1-meter board, Tyler blew away the field with a 425.33, earning scores of 65.00 or better on each attempt, followed by Henninger in second with a 384.98 after a final-round 74.40 leapfrogged Florida’s Peyton Donald. Henninger came away the victory on 3-meter after a great battle between teammates, earning a score of 385.88 to Tyler’s 385.43.

Senior Anna Peplowski swept her events, taking the 100 and 200-yard freestyle events as well as the 200 IM. Peplowski out-touched Olympic teammate Emma Weyant in the 200 free by 2.37 seconds in a time of 1:44.78 before defeating the Florida senior again in the IM by 27 hundredths with a 1:59.10. In the 100 free, Peplowski dueled junior Kristina Paegle for the top two spots, winning in a time of 48.90 to Paegle’s 49.22.

Paegle would get her victory in her signature event, the 50 free, posting an NCAA B cut time of 22.49. Sophomore Ella Roselli was also a winner on the women’s side, finishing first on the 1-meter board with a 297.53.

TEAM SCORES

Women

No. 4 Florida 164, No. 6 Indiana 136

Men

No. 2 Indiana 163, No. 4 Florida 137

HOOSIER WINNERS

Women

Kristina Paegle – 50 freestyle (22.49)

Anna Peplowski – 200 freestyle (1:44.78), 100 freestyle (48.90), 200 IM (1:59.10)

Ella Roselli – 1-meter (297.53)

Men

Tomer Frankel – 400 freestyle relay (2:53.46)

Quinn Henninger – 3-meter (385.88)

Matt King – 400 freestyle relay (2:53.46)

Mikkel Lee – 400 freestyle relay (2:53.46)

Owen McDonald – 100 backstroke (46.99), 200 backstroke (1:43.48), 200 IM (1:46.20)

Rafael Miroslaw – 200 freestyle (1:34.33), 400 freestyle relay (2:53.46)

Carson Tyler – 1-meter (425.33)

Jassen Yep – 200 breaststroke (1:54.93)

NCAA CUTS

A: N/A

B: Brian Benzing – 100 breast (53.33); Miranda Grana – 100 back (53.50); Owen McDonald – 100 back (46.99), 200 back (1:43.48); Rafael Miroslaw – 200 free (1:34.33); Kristina Paegle – 50 free (22.34); Anna Peplowski – 200 free (1:44.78), 100 free (48.90), 200 IM (1:59.10); Jassen Yep – 100 breast (53.35), 200 breast (1:54.93).

NCAA ZONE QUALIFYING SCORES

1-meter: Quinn Henninger (384.98), Ella Roselli (297.53), Joshua Sollenberger (362.25), Carson Tyler (425.33), Maxwell Weinrich (373.43), Lily Witte (269.78)

3-meter: Mary Kate Cavanaugh (282.60), Quinn Henninger (385.88), Skyler Liu (325.50), Ella Roselli (324.53), Joshua Sollenberger (344.63), Carson Tyler (385.43), Maxwell Weinrich (355.50), Lily Witte (314.25)

UP NEXT

Indiana will host No. 13/7 Michigan in a dual meet that may preview the 2025 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. The meet is scheduled to begin at noon ET.

PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL

#20 PURDUE HOSTS NORTHWESTERN IN KEY EARLY BIG TEN BATTLE

GAMEDAY INFORMATION — GAME 15

[20] Purdue (10-4, 2-1) vs. Northwestern (10-4, 1-2)

Sunday, January 5, 2025

2 p.m. ET | West Lafayette, Indiana

Mackey Arena (14,876 – SOLD OUT)

TELEVISION: BTN (Dave Revsine, Stephen Bardo)

RADIO: Purdue Global Radio Network (Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell)

THE NOTES TO KNOW

• Purdue resumes its home portion of Big Ten play on Sunday when a strong Northwestern squad visits Mackey Arena for a 2 p.m. ET, tipoff. The Boilermakers are looking to start Big Ten play with a 3-1 record for the third straight year, while shooting for their 25th straight win in Mackey Arena, currently the third-longest streak in school history.

• Since the 2012-13 season (12 seasons), Purdue has started 3-1 or better in Big Ten play just four times (2017, 2018, 2023, 2024). The Boilermakers have started 2-2 in 11 of Matt Painter’s 19 previous years at Purdue.

• Purdue has won 12 straight games against Big Ten opponents in Mackey Arena. None of the games were decided by a single possession.

• Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Purdue owns a 17-2 record in the month of January.

• Purdue ended the 2024 calendar year with a 31-8 overall record, and an 18-4 record against Big Ten opposition.

• In 10 wins, Purdue averages 9.2 turnovers per game, while forcing 10.9. In the four losses, it averages 16.8 turnovers, while forcing 12.2.

• Purdue has just 11 turnovers over the last two games. Purdue averaged 12.3 turnovers per game in the first 12 games of the season. In the last two games, Purdue has 43 assists against just 11 turnovers. It has also forced 22 turnovers in that span.

• Matt Painter won his 228th Big Ten game on Thursday against Minnesota, moving into a fourth-place tie with Ward “Piggy” Lambert on the league’s wins list in conference games. Bob Knight (355), Tom Izzo (345) and Gene Keady (265) are the only coaches ahead of Painter.

• In the last four years, Purdue has defeated teams ranked No. 1 (Arizona), No. 2 (Alabama), No. 4 (Marquette), No. 5 (Villanova), No. 6 (Wisconsin, Tennessee, Gonzaga), No. 7 (Tennessee), No. 8 (Duke) and No. 9 (Illinois). All but Alabama and Illinois came away from Mackey Arena.

• Purdue is now 102-23 since the start of the 2021-22 season, recording the second-most wins in the country (Houston – 106; Connecticut – 102) during that span. The senior class of Caleb Furst (only senior) became the seventh class in school history with 100 career victories.

• Purdue’s trio of Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith have combined for 135 of Purdue’s 164 points in the last two games. The trio has gone 51-of-98 (.520) from the field and 19-38 (.500) from 3-point range.

• The starting backcourt of Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer are 73-15 since their arrival at Purdue, starting every game of their tenure. The duo has combined for 2,004 points, 609 rebounds and 756 assists during their careers, shooting 284-of-703 from deep (.404).

• Braden Smith is averaging 27.0 points and 11.0 assists per game over the last two games, accounting for 22 assists against just two turnovers. He has also made at least five 3-pointers in four of the last five games, going 23-of-49 (.469) from deep in the last five games.

• Braden Smith is the only player in America to have at least 200 points, 100 assists and 50 rebounds. He is on pace to become the first player nationally since 2015-16 (and second Big Ten player ever — Magic Johnson) to average 13 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in a season.

• Trey Kaufman-Renn is one of two players nationally (Auburn’s Johni Broome) to average 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and shoot at least 55 percent from the field. He has scored in double-figures in all 14 games this season and ranks seventh in the Big Ten in scoring.

• Fletcher Loyer leads the Big Ten in 3-point percentage (min. 2 3PM / game) at 49.2 percent (29-of-59). Over his last 25 games dating to last season, Loyer is 48-of-92 (.522) from 3-point range, including 8-of-13 (.615) over the last two games.

• Purdue now has the nation’s second-best home winning percentage since the start of the 2021-22 season (53-3; .946). Houston is 56-3.

• Purdue, Duke, Gonzaga and Houston are the only programs in America to have made at least a Sweet 16, Elite 8 and Final Four during their last five NCAA Tournament appearances. Purdue reached the Sweet 16 in 2022, the Elite 8 in 2019 and the Final Four in 2024.

PURDUE WRESTLING

BOILERS BEAT KENT STATE IN FINAL ROAD DUAL BEFORE B1G ACTION

KENT, Ohio – The Purdue wrestling team defeated Kent State, 31-10, thanks to seven match wins at Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center on Friday night.

The Boilermakers (6-1) took care of business in their final road trip before beginning Big Ten action next week with a home dual against Northwestern.

No. 1 Matt Ramos, who has held the top ranking in the nation since winning the Cliff Keen Invite title on December 7, got the new year started on the right foot with a 17-4 major decision over Nico Calello.

He notched five takedowns and ultimately needed one more to earn his 11th technical fall, but ran out of time just before bringing his opponent down at the end of the third period. Ramos’ 10 tech falls still lead the nation this season.

The win marked Ramos’ 100th of his career. He is just the 18th wrestler in program history to eclipse the century mark with 100 career wins.

Redshirt junior Dustin Norris came out strong in one of his most impressive showings of the season, earning a 15-0 technical fall over 133-pounder Adan Benavidez in just 4:26. It was Purdue’s fastest tech of the evening and the third shutout of Norris’ season.

Purdue kept the bonus points rolling in the 141-pound match when No. 33 Greyson Clark beat Jordan Decatur in an 11-2 major decision. It was the Wrightstown, Wis., native’s fifth bonus point win of the year.

After Kent State’s Billy Meiszner won a 9-5 decision over Isaac Ruble, redshirt sophomore Kade Law responded by putting the Old Gold & Black back in the win column.

Looking for his first win of 2024-25, Law submitted the best offensive output of his career in a 17-2 tech fall (6:59) over Dominic Paterra. It was his first victory since taking third place in last February’s Greyhound Open.

No. 26 Brody Baumann later joined in on the bonus point party with a 21-5 tech fall over Hunter Andel in 6:31. It was the most points scored by any Boilermaker in a match this season, besting his own high mark of 20.

Orlando Cruz picked up his first dual win of the season with a 4-1 sudden victory win over Trent Thomas. Deadlocked at 1-1 entering the first overtime frame, Cruz wasted little time in scoring the winning takedown.

Wrestling in his home state, Brecksville, Ohio, native Ben Vanadia (No. 32) made his first career appearance as a ranked 197-pounder. He did not disappoint as he cruised to a 20-3 tech fall, his highest score of 2024-25.

Purdue improved to 6-1 with its win in the Buckeye State, good for the team’s best dual record since 2021.

UP NEXT

The Boilermakers return home to compete in Holloway Gymnasium for the first time this season. Purdue opens its Big Ten slate with a dual against Northwestern on Friday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m. Gates will open at 6 p.m. and a live stream will be available on B1G+.

RESULTS

125 | #1 Matt Ramos (PUR) def. Nico Calello (KSU) – MD 16-4 | PUR 4-0

133 | Dustin Norris (PUR) def. Adan Benavidez (KSU) – TF 15-0 (4:26) | PUR 9-0

141 | #33 Greyson Clark (PUR) def. Jordan Decatur (KSU) – MD 11-2 | PUR 13-0

149 | Billy Meiszner (KSU) def. Issac Ruble (PUR) – D 9-5 | PUR 13-3

157 | Kade Law (PUR) def. Dominic Paterra (KSU) – TF 17-2 (5:59) | PUR 18-3

165 | Carson Miller (KSU) def. #31 Stoney Buell | MD 12-1 | PUR 18-7

174 | #26 Brody Baumann (PUR) def. Hunter Andel (KSU) – TF 21-5 (6:31) | PUR 23-7

184 | Orlando Cruz (PUR) def. Trent Thomas (KSU) – D 4-1 (SV-1) | PUR 26-7

197 | #32 Ben Vanadia (PUR) def. Corey Boerio (KSU) – TF 20-3 (5:50) | PUR 31-7

285 | Brentan Simmerman (KSU) def. Hayden Filipovich (PUR) – D 4-2 | FINAL: PUR 31-10

NOTRE DAME MEN’S BASKETBALL

HEARTBREAKER IN PURCELL AS IRISH FALL 73-74 TO UNC

SOUTH BEND, Ind. –  Absolute heartbreak inside Purcell Pavilion on Saturday afternoon. The Notre Dame men’s basketball team went toe-to-toe with North Carolina but fell in the final seconds, 73-74. The Fighting Irish (7-7, 1-2) fought back down 12 in the first half and claimed a three-point lead in the final 20 seconds. However, the Tar Heels (9-6, 2-1) converted a four-point play with 4.8 seconds on the clock. A returning Markus Burton drove the paint and got off a contested shot but it didn’t fall.

It was an absolute gritty effort from Burton who returned to the court for the first time since November 26. He scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half. He shot 7-of-14 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line.

Tae Davis and Braeden Shrewsberrry also made big plays down the stretch. Davis scored 11 of his 17 points in the second half. Shrewsberry had eight points each half and finished with four triples and a team high six rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED

A J.R. Konieczny three-pointer at 12:47 tied the game at 12-all. Then North Carolina took control over the next four minutes, sinking 7-of-9 from the field to go up 14-26.

Matt Allocco and Brareden Shrewsberry connected on back-to-back treys to cut into the lead, 20-26; soon after Markus Burton recorded back-to-back buckets to keep the Irish close at 24-29.

Later, Davis and Burton combined for a short 6-0 flurry to stay within range, down 30-35. However, the Tar Heels then took advantage of nine Notre Dame first half fouls, scoring from the free-throw line to garner a 32-39 halftime advantage.

North Carolina’s Ian Jackson was a problem. The freshman guard scored 17 points in the first half on 6-of-10 shooting.

Out of the break, the Tar Heels jumped out to a 36-47 lead at the 16:00 mark. That’s when the Markus Burton difference took effect. The Mishawaka native scored 10 points of what was a 12-0 Irish run to push ahead for a 48-47 lead at 13:09.

The Fighting Irish lived up to their moniker down the stretch in this intense game. Case in point, there were 11 lead changes in the final 13 minutes of this game.

Down 51-52, the three headed monster of Burton, Davis and Shrewsberry combined to score the next 20 points for the Irish. Burton was getting to the free-throw line. Davis was converting tough shots around the rim. Shrewsberry hit two clutch threes.

The above trio supplied the offensive power while others contributed in other areas. Freshman forward Garrett Sundra supplied 18 quality minutes and great defense. Julian Roper II was pesky on defense and collected three steals.

From 13 minutes on, the lead for either team never got above four points. So now let’s fast forward to 22 seconds remaining.

UNC’s Elliott Cadeau converted a layup to cut the Irish lead to one. Eight seconds later, two Allocco free throws put the home squad up three. On the ensuing play, Cadeau drained a three and was fouled on the play. He later converted the free throw. Burton then took the ball up and got a good look near the rim but couldn’t get it to fall as the Irish lost 73-74.

UP NEXT

Irish fans will have to tune in to their TVs to catch the action because six of the next eight are on the road. Next week, the Irish will stay out in North Carolina for a double dip of Triangle basketball. It’ll start with NC State on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Then they’ll play Duke on Saturday, Jan. 11.

BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MARQUETTE EDGES BUTLER IN MILWAUKEE 57-54

Butler led Marquette by one with one minute remaining in the contest, but a Lee Volker layup with 30 seconds paired with some late free throws would give the home team a 57-54 victory. Kilyn McGuff was sensational for Butler with 18 points and a career-high 17 rebounds.

McGuff and Sydney Jaynes scored in double figures for the Bulldogs. Each player hit two 3-pointers and the duo combined to make 11 of Butler’s 20 field goals on the afternoon.

Marquette was led by sophomore forward Skylar Forbes and her game-high 21 points. Forbes added six rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots in 36 minutes of action. The only other Golden Eagle in double figures was fellow sophomore Halle Vice with 10.

Butler pushed aside a slow start and would tie the game at 12-12 early in the second quarter. Marquette put together a 6-0 run to make the game 18-12, but the Bulldogs countered with a 5-0 run to get back within one.

Marquette’s one-point lead held until the half at 23-22. McGuff had six points and 12 rebounds at the break and Forbes had nine second quarter points to lead Marquette.

McGuff and Jaynes went 3-for-4 from 3-point range in the third quarter helping BU grab a 32-31 advantage. They moved forward to lead Marquette by four heading into the fourth quarter on FS1.

Marquette scored first in the fourth to get back within a point of BU, but the Bulldogs continued to feed the hot hand of McGuff and her layup with six to play allowed Butler to lead 47-42. A 5-0 Golden Eagle scoring run followed to tie the game and the two teams would be deadlocked the rest of the way.

Lily Carmody split a pair at the line with just over one minute to play to give BU a slim 54-53 lead, but Volker’s layup pushed Marquette over the top to collect their 10th win of the season. With the loss, BU moves to 10-7.

Inside the Box Score

– Butler outrebounded Marquette 38-32

– There were nine ties and eight lead changes in the game

– Neither team led by more than six the whole way

– Marquette scored 34 of their 57 points in the paint

– Fast break points favored Marquette 16-2

– The two teams combined to shoot 19-for-21 from the free throw line

– Riley Makalusky had five points and five rebounds on Saturday

– Lily Carmody jumped into the starting lineup for the first time at Marquette

– Carmody had seven points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block

Up Next

Butler will host Providence at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Tip is set for 7 p.m.

BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL

ST. JOHN’S PULLS OUT 70-62 WIN OVER BUTLER SATURDAY AT CARNESECCA

St. John’s pulled away in the closing minutes, taking a 70-62 win over Butler Saturday afternoon at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, N.Y.

RJ Luis Jr. led four St. John’s players in double figures with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Pierre Brooks II paced the Bulldogs with 17 points.

With the win, St. John’s improves to 12-3 (3-1 BIG EAST), while Butler falls to 7-8 overall (0-4 in conference play).

FLOW OF THE GAME:

A 13-0 run midway through the first half, featuring scores from five different Bulldogs, gave Butler a 17-11 lead with 5:34 remaining; the run coincided with a six-minute scoring drought for St. John’s and allowed Butler to gain some momentum after starting with 15 misses among their first 16 attempts from the field. St. John’s was unable to run away early, starting the game 5-for-27 from the field.

Butler carried a 29-25 lead into the half.

Five straight points from Patrick McCaffery gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the game at 36-29 with exactly 18 minutes remaining.

St. John’s responded with an immediate 16-2 run, retaking the lead and extending the advantage to 45-38.

It was once again McCaffery with a spark for the Bulldogs, as his back-to-back three-pointers allowed Butler to retake the lead at 49-47.

The game was tied 55-55 with 5:05 to play before St. John’s closed the game by scoring 15 of the final 22 points. That included making nine free throws down the stretch.

POINTS OF EMPHASIS:

St. John’s forced Butler into a season-worst 21 turnovers. St. John’s turned those into 19 points and it was a majority of their 27 fast-break points.

The Bulldogs went only 9-for-20 (45 percent) from the free throw line, including 3-for-11 in the first half.

Butler’s defense held St. John’s to 37-percent shooting, including only 1-for-21 from three-point range.

St. John’s made 17 of their 23 free throw attempts.

McCaffery posted his first double-double of the season (and the second of his career) with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Brooks added eight rebounds as Butler held a slight 47-46 rebounding edge overall.

Kolby King, who played at St. John’s during his freshman season, made the first start of his Butler career Saturday. He had four points, five assists, five rebounds and three steals.

Legendary St. John’s coach Lou Carnesecca, who would have turned 100 Sunday but passed away late in 2024, was honored throughout the game.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs return to the East Coast Wednesday night for a tip at Providence. The 8:30 p.m. game will air on Peacock. Fans can listen to Butler Basketball Live featuring Mark Minner and Nick Gardner via the Varsity Network app and other platforms.

Butler’s next home game is Saturday, Jan. 11 against Creighton. Tickets are still available for the noon tip, which is Butler’s annual IMS Checker Out game.

IU INDY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

IU INDY HOLDS OFF ROBERT MORRIS IN 56-46 VICTORY

INDIANAPOLIS – The IU Indianapolis women’s basketball team earned their second consecutive home Horizon League victory on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Robert Morris Colonials 56-46 in the Jungle. Nevaeh Foster and Katie Davidson each added 13 points while Faith Stinson collected her first double-double of the season.

In her first game back since injury, Davidson made an immediate impact for the Jaguars, scoring 10 of her 13 points in the opening quarter to help IU Indy take an early 17-11 lead. Davidson’s hot shooting gave the Jags a solid cushion as they closed out the first period with a six-point advantage.

After an opening layup from Alexa Hocevar to start the second quarter, Robert Morris answered with a 6-0 run, pulling within two points at 19-17. However, IU Indy responded with an 8-0 run of their own, pushing the lead to double digits at 27-17. The Colonials managed to cut the lead to 30-24 by halftime.

The third quarter saw both teams struggle with scoring. The Jaguars only managed eight points, while Robert Morris netted 11 to narrow the gap. With Stinson hitting a layup at the buzzer, IU Indy still managed to hold a slim 38-35 advantage going into the final period.

Despite a strong push by Robert Morris in the fourth quarter, where they cut the lead to just one point with seven minutes left to play, IU Indy held on. The Jaguars shot 44.4% from the field in the final period, scoring 18 points to secure the win 56-46.

Davidson finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, and four steals, while Foster also added 13 points, including a 3-for-6 performance from beyond the arc. Stinson contributed her first double-double of the season with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks. Azyah Newson-Cole and Hocevar each scored six points, with Hocevar also grabbing seven boards.

As a team, IU Indy shot 34.0 percent from the field and struggled at the free throw line, shooting just 54.8 percent. Despite the shooting woes, the Jags’ earned the victory.

With the win, IU Indy improves to 2-4 in Horizon League play. The Jaguars will look to build on their momentum as they travel to Oakland on Wednesday, January 8, for a 7:00 PM tip-off against the Golden Grizzlies.

IU INDY MEN’S BASKETBALL

IU INDY FALLS LATE IN CLEVELAND IN ANOTHER CLOSE CONTEST

CLEVELAND – The IU Indianapolis men’s basketball team fell in yet another close contest Saturday afternoon (Jan. 4), this time against red-hot Horizon League foe Cleveland State, 67-61. Timaris Brown came off the bench to lead the team in scoring with 19 including four threes while Jarvis Walker added 13.

Three players paced the scoring for the Vikings, led by Tahj Staveskie who scored a game-high 20 points and knocked down four treys. Tevin Smith struggled from the field (4-for-14) but connected on seven free throw attempts to end with 15 points. Dylan Arnett also added 15 for the Vikings while going a perfect 7-for-7 from the field.

Cleveland State (10-6, 4-1 HL) got off to a scorching start, connecting on five of their first eight attempts while holding IU Indy scoreless to jump out to a 10-point lead. Walker got the Jags on the board with a three pointer that started a 7-0 run after five straight tallies from Brown. The hosts, however, went on a run of their own, scoring nine of the next 12 to retake control.

IU Indianapolis (5-12, 1-5 HL) overcame its slow opening 10 minutes, never trailing by more than seven for the remainder of the contest. The visitors ended the opening frame shooting 45 percent from the field and beyond the arc.

Despite cooling down in the second stanza (9-for-31) and losing leading scorer Paul Zilinskas who took an awkward fall on a hard foul, the Jags kept it close, tying the game five times and earning their first lead with five and a half minutes of play remaining on a Brown triple.

The Vikings took back the lead just under a minute later and never looked back. A three from Staveskie with 2:18 left on the clock proved to be the dagger. The attempt was the fourth of the possession and pushed the lead to four, 62-58.  The Vikings would further extend the lead at the free throw line and despite a Walker three with 13 seconds left, the hosts would hold on to win their sixth straight.

The Jaguar loss extends the streak to seven, with all but two coming in single-digit fashion. The team will now return home to host Detroit Mercy on Thursday (Jan. 9) at 6:30 p.m. inside the Jungle.

BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

CARDINALS CLAIM 75-67 WIN AT KENT STATE IN MAC OPENER

KENT, Ohio – The Ball State men’s basketball team played strong defense, controlled the glass and shot north of 50 percent from the field on its way to a 75-67 win over Kent State Saturday afternoon at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.

The Cardinals (7-6, 1-0 Mid-American Conference) trailed 58-57 with 7:39 to play before going on an 11-0 run, highlighted by five points from Jeremiah Hernandez, to claim a 68-58 lead at the 3:11 mark. Mickey Pearson Jr. and Ethan Brittain-Watts made free throws in the closing minutes to help Ball State prevail in the MAC opener.

Jermahri Hill and Hernandez scored six and five points, respectively, in the first four minutes of the game to propel the visitors to an 11-2 advantage. Brittain-Watts drained a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the opening period to cap a 10-0 rally and give the Cardinals a 36-31 lead at the break.

Hill led the visitors with 18 points and six assists while adding five rebounds. Pearson Jr. (14 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks), Hernandez (13 points, two assists) and Brittain-Watts (10 points) also scored in double-figures for the Cardinals, who notched their fourth straight win.

Ben Hendriks (eight points), Payton Sparks (six points, 12 rebounds) and Juanse Gorosito (six points, two assists) rounded out the scoring for Ball State. Gorosito hit a triple from the left corner that put the Cardinals up 66-58 with 4:09 to play and force a timeout.

Kent State (9-4, 0-1 MAC) got 20 points from leading scorer VonCameron Davis, but the Golden Flashes were limited to 35.8 percent (24-67) shooting, including only 26.5 percent (9-34) from distance to suffer the loss.

Ball State shot 52.2 percent (24-46) on field goals, 50 percent (9-18) on 3-pointers and 69.2 percent (18-26) at the foul line while winning the rebounding battle 39-26. The Cardinals controlled the glass to the tune of a 28-22 edge in points in the paint.

The Cardinals will look to keep momentum going when they host Miami (OH) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday for the MAC home opener.

BALL STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL DEFEATS CENTRAL MICHIGAN IN MAC HOME OPENER

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State women’s basketball team (10-4, 2-0 MAC) managed to come up with a 72-61 victory over Central Michigan (4-9, 0-2 MAC) Saturday afternoon at Worthen Arena.

Both squads got off to a slow start in the opening quarter. With the game tied at 4-4 at the 5:32 mark, Ball State was able to force some CMU turnovers which led to a 12-4 scoring spree that was capped off by a layup from Maliyah “MJ” Johnson to make it a 16-4 ball game at conclusion of the first period.

The second quarter ironically was a bit sloppier than the first. Both teams struggled with their ball control and were plagued by turnovers. The Cardinals were able to stay atop of the Chippewas despite their shooting woes by holding onto a slight 21-17 edge with 5:35 on the clock. Alex Richard came to the rescue for BSU with back-to-back baskets and Ally Becki connected on a long jumper to give the Cardinals the 27-22 advantage over the Chippewas at intermission.

After the break, the inconsistency continued as the Chippewas kept the game a four-point (34-30) contest with 5:28 remaining in the third quarter. Becki drained a 3-pointer right when the Cardinals needed it the most to put BSU back up by six (36-30). The Cardinals outpaced the Chippewas 24-15 to build a 13-point (51-37) advantage to end the third.

Ball State used the third quarter momentum to pull away from Central Michigan for good in the final 10 minutes of action as the Cardinals led by as many as 19 (56-37) with 7:54 left on the clock. The Cardinals controlled the tempo the remainder of the contest despite a few hiccups along the way to seal today’s victory.

For the game, Becki led the squad once again with her second-straight 20-point performance. She also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds and dished out five assists. Richard finished the game with 16 points while Lachelle Austin rounded out the double figure scoring with 10.

The Ball State women’s basketball team remains home Wednesday when it hosts Eastern Michigan at 6:30 pm ET in Worthen Arena.

BALL STATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL STARTS SEASON STRONG WITH SWEEP OVER WABASH COLLEGE

MUNCIE, Ind. — The No. 5-ranked Ball State men’s volleyball team started the 2025 season with a 3-0 (25-16,  25-14, 25-21) sweep over Wabash College Friday night in Worthen Arena. 

In his first game with the Cardinals (1-0), Rajé Alleyne led the team with eight kills and one block. Tinaishe Ndavazocheva and Patrick Rogers followed, each recording five kills apiece. Lucas Machado also had an impressive night with 32 assists and three service aces, a new career high. 

Set one saw brief momentum from the Little Giants as they took an early 2-0 lead. However, after a little back and forth, the Cardinals started to pull ahead with the help of Machado’s three consecutive service aces to give Ball State a 13-8 advantage. The Cardinals continued to build from there, securing the set 25-16 on a Wabash service error.

It was all Ball State early in set two as they took a five-point run to make the score 7-1. The Little Giants had no response for the Cardinals’ offense which hit .583 in the frame. In a quick second period, Ball State topped Wabash by a score of 25-14. 

The third set saw some new Cardinals out on the court, including freshmen Wil Basilio and Ryan Louis. Ball State established the lead following kills from Basilio and Ryan Bartz and. did not let up until it was over. At 25-21, the Cardinal squad secured the sweep with a kill from Bartz.

Overall, the Cardinals served up 10 aces and finished the night hitting .485 (40-7-68).

Ball State men’s volleyball will be back in Worthen Arena on Sunday at 1 pm ET as they welcome Trine University. 

INDIANA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

KEY FREE THROWS AND A CAREER HIGH LEAD SYCAMORES TO MVC WIN AT EVANSVILLE

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Indiana State men’s basketball got back into the win column on Saturday afternoon with a road victory against the Evansville Purple Aces. Indiana State improved to 9-6, 3-1 MVC while UE fell to 5-10, 2-2 MVC.

The Sycamores made all six free throws within the final minute to overcome closing out the final 2:48 without a field goal, in combination with holding Evansville to only one field goal in the final 4:40 of the game. Indiana State scored 16 points in the last 9:15 of the game, where eight points came from field goals and eight from the free throw line.

Markus Harding got the scoring started for Indiana State, scoring the first four with a hookshot and dunk. Camp Wagner drained a triple from the top of the key to give the Sycamores a 7-5 lead at the under-16 media timeout.

Evansville had opportunities to score at the rim but the shots weren’t falling, yet they still led 13-11 at the second media timeout at the 11:58 mark. UE assisted on all six of their made field goal attempts.

Jaden Daughtry entered the game at the first media timeout and scored eight points, accounting for eight of the team’s first 15 points in the game. All four field goals for the sophomore came off left-handed layups at the rim.

Indiana State’s defense forced the Evansville offense into a slump. Following a layup at the 13:25 mark, the Purple Aces made just two of the next 11 shots, and the Sycamores capitalized.

Indiana State used the shooting drought to score nine straight, taking an 18-13 advantage, capped by a Bruno Alocen left-wing three-pointer at with just under 10 minutes left until halftime. Evansville battled back to go up one, 21-20, but their lead didn’t last long as Jahni Summers drilled a three-pointer to go up 23-21 with just over five minutes remaining in the half.

Evansville used a 15-6 run to close out the first half, taking a 36-31 lead into halftime.

Neither team could break away early in the second half as Evansville led 43-40 at the under-16 media break. Indiana State was able to bring the game within a point but couldn’t get over the hump.

Aaron Gray came into the game and immediately made his presence known converting an and-one, tying the game at 43 apiece with 15:35 remaining. Indiana State was able to take the lead off a short 5-0 run from a pair of free throws by Samage Teel and Summers’ second three-pointer of the game. The Sycamores led 48-46 with 12:18 to play.

With just over five to play, UE made two free throws to take a one-point, 53-52 lead. Gray knocked down a huge corner three-pointer to take back the lead, but UE followed up and tied the game at 55. Daughtry made two free throws to regain the lead, only for a pair of UE free throws to tie it once again with three minutes left on the clock.

Daughtry scored the next seven points for the Sycamores, with five of those points coming at the free throw line. With 15 seconds to play, UE had the ball on Indiana State’s side of the court. When catching the inbound pass, Teel swiped the ball loose and off the UE player out of bounds to give the Sycamores the ball underneath their basket with a two-point lead.

Indiana State inbounded the ball to Daughtry who was fouled with 12.8 seconds left sending him to the free throw line, where he knocked down both attempts to give the Sycamores a 64-60 lead.

An Evansville jumper was made with three seconds on the clock to cut the lead down to two, 64-62 in favor of the Sycamores. Aaron Gray was fouled after the ball was inbounded and made the two clutch free throws to send Indiana State back to Terre Haute with the 66-62 victory.

Jaden Daughtry came off the bench to lead the Sycamores with a game-high 26 points on 9-for-17 shooting in 24 minutes. The sophomore finished perfect from the line, 8-for-8. He was the only Sycamore in double figures, though Aaron Gray, Jahni Summers, and Samage Teel all scored eight points apiece. Teel finished with team highs in rebounds (five), assists (seven), and steals (three).

News & Notes

Indiana State snapped its eight-game streak of scoring 80+ points in a game.

The Sycamores tied for its second-lowest shooting percentage of the season at 40.7% (ties November 12 game versus SIUE; lowest came on November 4 against FAU, 32.8%).

The Sycamore defense forced Evansville to shoot an equal 40.7% from the field, the lowest percentage by a Division I opponent this season since November 22 against Chicago State.

After allowing 15 points off turnovers in the first half, Indiana State tightened up to allow UE to score only five points from turnovers in the second half.

Indiana State assisted on 16-of-22 made field goals (72.7%).

The Sycamores clutched up from the free throw line, finishing 15-for-17 in the game and 14-for-16 in the second half alone. The Sycamores have made 15+ free throws in four of the last five games.

The Sycamores recorded five blocked shots, tying for second-most this season (six on November 7 against Eureka).

With 42 bench points (credit Daughtry’s 26 off the bench), the Sycamores recorded the second-most bench points of the season.

Jaden Daughtry set a new career high of 26 points, with credit to finishing a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. He accounted for 39.4% of the points for the Sycamores on Saturday. In the last three games, Daughtry is a combined 26-for-33 from the line. He entered Saturday’s game a 66.1% free throw shooter. Daughtry has averaged 23.34 points per game in the last three games.

Samage Teel played in his 100th career game, joining K’mani Doughty and Markus Harding as the only three Sycamores to accomplish the feat.

Teel also recorded three steals in the game, all in the second half. He has at least one steal in all but two games this season. His seven assists in the game increased his last three-game-average to 5.33 per game.

Jahni Summers scored his first points in three games after finishing with a career-high 22 points in the home victory against UHSP. Summers finished 3-for-5 with two triples.

Aaron Gray played all his 14 minutes and scored all eight of his points in the second half.

Up Next

Indiana State travels to Valparaiso on Wednesday, January 8 at 8 p.m. ET to be aired on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S BASKETBALL

‘DONS DEFEAT #HLMBB’S FINAL UNBEATEN

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Youngstown State entered the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum on Saturday (Jan. 4) as the Horizon League’s only undefeated team in league play. They left with their first loss of the season. Purdue Fort Wayne led nearly wire-to-wire in a 90-81 victory over the Penguins.

The Mastodons led by as many as 20 points in the second half, grabbing a 78-58 advantage with 6:33 left on a Jalen Jackson layup. It came on a pretty bounce pass from Quinton Morton-Robertson in transition.

Jackson filled up the box score with 25 points on seven assists, five rebounds and two steals. He was 9-of-14 from the floor. Jackson had help from all over the Mastodon lineup. Chandler Cuthrell contributed a career-high 19 points off the bench. Rasheed Bello totaled 17 points with five boards and four assists. Morton-Robertson finished two points shy of 1,000 for his career by adding 12 points.

The Mastodons led 41-29 at the break with Jackson notching 14 in the opening half. Youngstown State had only 10 field goals in the first half and recorded zero offensive boards in the first 20 minutes.

Youngstown State shot 31-of-65 (47.7 percent) in the contest while committing 14 turnovers. The ‘Dons shot 52.3 percent (34-of-65) with only nine turnovers. Six Mastodons combined to make 11 total 3-pointers.

Youngstown State falls to 10-6 (5-1 Horizon). The ‘Dons are now 11-6 (4-2 Horizon). Another big test awaits on Wednesday (Jan. 8) when Milwaukee comes to town. The Panthers are one of four one-loss teams in the Horizon League and were co-favorites with the ‘Dons in the preseason poll.

EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

KELLEY SETS CAREER SCORING HIGH AT ILLINOIS STATE

NORMAL, Ill. – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team ended its road trip in Illinois with a 79-55 loss to the Illinois State Redbirds.

The Purple Aces struggled to stop Illinois State’s balanced offensive attack in their second game of the 2025 calendar year. UE led the game in free throw percentage making all but one attempt from the charity stripe. No Evansville player scored in double figures, but freshman guard Avery Kelley (Evansville, Ind. / Memorial HS) set a career-high in points with eight.

The Aces fell behind early on Saturday afternoon with only five points in the first eight minutes of the game. The Redbirds grew their lead to 14 before UE cut into the deficit with sophomore forward Maggie Hartwig’s (Sauk City, Wis. / Sauk Prairie HS) first layup. Evansville’s final basket of the first quarter came from freshman forward Elle Snyder (Latrobe, Penn. / Greater Latrobe HS) behind the arc as the Aces faced a 14 point deficit going into the second quarter.

Both teams went back and forth making baskets for the first three minutes of the second. But Illinois State put together a seven-point run over three minutes to grow the lead to 19. Freshman guard Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind. / Hamilton Heights HS) ended the run at the line as Hartwig made a layup a possession later. UE put up three more points in the first half to be down by 19 at halftime.

Evansville struck first in the second half as junior forward Mae Dozier (Louisville, Ky. / Wabash Valley) hit a three in the first 20 seconds. The Redbirds answered with a three of their own before rattling off a 10-5 run in the first four minutes. The Aces were able to put together a brief five point run to bring the deficit back under 20. But another lengthy run for Illinois State to end the quarter had UE down by 32 after 30 minutes of play.

The Evansville offense continued to struggle in the fourth quarter as the Aces took over three minutes to make a field goal. But thanks to strong performance at the line from Runner and freshman guard Logan Leubbers Palmer (Union, Ky. / Randall K. Cooper HS) kept UE in the game. Once Evansville began making field goals in the fourth the Aces had their best run of the game with nine straight points in just over a minute.

For the final five minutes of the game UE went shot-for-shot with the Redbirds before ending on another nine-point run. But it wasn’t enough to get Evansville back in the game, falling on the road to Illinois State 79-55.

Hartwig led the Aces on offense with a nine point performance while Kelley was right behind with her career high eight points. Hartwig also led the team on defense with nine rebounds while Runner had her best MVC game under the glass with seven boards. Senior guard Júlia Palomo (La Seu D’Urgell, Spain) led UE in assists with four while Hartwig had a team-leading three blocks.

Evansville remains on the road for one more game but does get to return to the Hoosier state. The Aces will face their in-state rivals the Indiana State Sycamores on Sunday, January 12th. Tip-off from the Hulman Center is set for 1 p.m. CT in just over a week.

EVANSVILLE MEN’S BASKETBALL

LATE RALLY LIFTS INDIANA STATE PAST EVANSVILLE

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – In a game that featured 11 lead changes, it was Indiana State making the final run as they defeated the University of Evansville men’s basketball team by a final of 66-62 on Saturday afternoon at the Ford Center.

Tayshawn Comer was the top scorer for the Purple Aces, finishing with 24 points and 7 assists.  Tanner Cuff scored 11 while Josh Hughes and Connor Turnbull registered 10 apiece.  Hughes led UE with 9 boards while Turnbull added 8.  Jaden Daughtry registered a game-high 26 points for the Sycamores.

“I thought we did a good job with our energy.  Our defensive game plan was excellent holding ISU under their average,” UE head men’s basketball coach David Ragland said.  “There were a few possessions that changed everything down the stretch and those things are fixable.  Our guys are understanding that mindset, playing physical and executing are what matters, and they have responded the right way since the break.  We needed a chance to regroup and give ourselves a chance to win.”

After scoring a career-high of 26 points just three days ago, Tayshawn Comer was back at it, posting 12 points in the opening half.  His triple set the Purple Aces up with a 5-2 lead in the opening moments while the Sycamores scored the next five to take their first lead at 7-5.  Baskets from Josh Hughes and Kaia Berridge put the lead back in Evansville’s hands with a 13-9 edge at the 13:25 mark.

Just as fast as the Aces made their run, ISU came back to retake an 18-15 edge.  The teams swapped the lead over the later moments of the period, leading to a 26-23 Sycamore lead with 3:28 on the clock.  Evansville erupted to score 13 of the next 15 to take its largest lead of 36-28 inside the final minute.  Cam Haffner, Comer, and Hughes each recorded a triple during the run.  ISU scored the final basket of the period to make it a 36-31 game at the break.

Indiana State came out on fire to open the second half, quickly cutting the deficit to one as they scored six of the first eight points in the first two minutes of the second half.  Evansville fended off the challenge, but with 12:18 remaining, Indiana State took its first lead of the period at 48-46.  Just as they had done all game, the Aces battled back.  A triple by Cuff was followed by a basket from Trent Hundley that gave UE a 51-48 edge with 9:47 left.

Another spurt by the Sycamores saw them score the next four to go back up by a point before a pair of free throws from Comer put UE back in front (53-52) with 5:19 remaining.  It was Cuff and Comer who kept UE in the fight, overcoming a pair of ISU leads to tie the game at 57-57 entering the final three minutes.

In the ensuing possession, ISU retook the lead for what would be the final time.  They led by as many as four, but UE had a chance.  Two more Comer free throws cut the deficit to 62-60 at the 45-second mark.  Following a Sycamore miss, UE corralled the rebound, but a turnover returned possession to ISU and they would hold on for the 66-62 win.

Both teams completed the game shooting 40.7% (22-of-54) while UE wrapped up the game with a 36-33 rebounding lead.  The Aces are back at the Ford Center on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. game against Illinois State.

VALPO MEN’S BASKETBALL

VALPO TOPS UNI FOR NOTABLE MVC VICTORY

If the Valparaiso University men’s basketball team hadn’t already opened eyes, it did so on Saturday afternoon at the Athletics-Recreation Center. Against an always-strong UNI program, the Beacons led for the final 35 minutes of the game, controlling the contest on their way to an 80-73 victory over the Panthers behind a team-high 20 points from Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro (LaSalle / Quebec, Canada / Orangeville Prep [Western Michigan]). UNI was a top-100 KenPom team and a top-80 NET team while boasting a 3-0 league record entering Saturday.

How It Happened

UNI jumped out to a 10-5 lead three minutes into the game and led 13-8 through four minutes, but Valpo scored 10 straight points to flip a five-point deficit into a five-point lead. All Wright (Durango, Mexico / Link Year) drained a 3 to start the run, and a second-chance basket by Devon Ellis (Schaumburg, Ill. / Conant) capped the run and made it 18-13 Valpo.

The lead fluctuated between two and five until Justus McNair (Joliet, Ill. / Joliet West) hit a triple with 5:08 on the first-half clock to widen the gap to six at 34-28. The Beacons scored five straight late in the half to open up their largest lead at 41-32 after a trey by Darius DeAveiro (Kanata, Ottawa, Canada / Oranegville at the 1:27 mark.

Valpo led 43-36 at halftime and had nine points apiece from DeAviero and De La Cruz Monegro. The Beacons shot 47 percent in the opening half.

Sophomore Kaspar Sepp (Tartu, Estonia / Fairmont Academy) swished a 3-pointer early in the second half, giving Valpo its first double-figure lead of the game at 46-36. After UNI cut it to seven, a 7-0 Beacon burst expanded the gap to 14 at 53-39 with 15:41 left in the second half.

UNI made a 7-0 run – its largest of the game – midway through the second half to whittle the lead to five at 55-50. De La Cruz Monegro came up with a needed basket, then eventually a 3 by Tyler Schmidt (Valparaiso, Ind. / Victory Christian Academy [Olivet Nazarene]) pushed the lead back to double figures at 63-52 with under seven minutes to play. Schmidt made another 3 with 4:22 to play to up the lead to 13. The Panthers cut it to within seven in the final minute, but could get no closer.

Inside the Game

De La Cruz Monegro’s 20 points represented his season high, three better than his previous peak on Dec. 29 at Bradley. He came within one point of a career high of 21, reached twice while playing for Western Michigan including most recently on Feb. 3 of last season.

De La Cruz Monegro went 6-of-10 from the floor and grabbed five rebounds while handing out three assists and swiping two steals. He scored in double figures for the seventh straight game and has tallied at least nine points in all 15 games this season. His two highest rebound totals of the season have come in the last two games – Saturday and Dec. 29 at Bradley (a season-best six).

Schmidt scored 15 points, his third time reaching double figures in the last four games. He’s 8-for-8 at the free-throw line over the last two contests. He drilled three triples and was 4-for-4 at the stripe on Saturday.

Schwieger had 13 points, his sixth straight double-figure effort. He was 7-for-7 at the free-throw line and has made 29 of his last 30 charity tosses. 

DeAveiro posted 13 points, tying a season high set on Nov. 29 at DePaul. This marked his second double-figure performance of the season and first in the last nine games.

Sepp secured seven rebounds, pacing the team and recording seven or more for the ninth time this season.

Freshman All Wright (Durango, Mexico / Link Year) added seven points and a team-high four assists.

Valpo turned the ball over just six times, the squad’s second lowest turnover total of the season behind four on Nov. 27 vs. Northern Illinois. This marked the seventh time in 15 games this season that Valpo has had single-digit turnovers including each of the last two. Valpo has won or tied the turnover battle in 12 out of 15 games in 2024-25. 

Valpo shot 87.5 percent at the free-throw line, making 21 of 24 attempts. The Beacons, who are shooting 80.1 percent at the line this year, delivered their seventh performance of 80 percent or better at the stripe this year. Valpo posted a better free-throw percentage than its opponent for the 13th time in 15 games this year.

Valpo was just 5-33 all-time against UNI prior to Saturday’s win. The Beacons snapped UNI’s four-game head-to-head winning streak by picking up their first win over the Panthers since Jan. 19, 2022 (83-80 in overtime). Valpo had dropped six of the previous seven meetings with five of those losses by double figures and the lone win requiring overtime before Saturday.

The victory came over a UNI team that was picked second in the MVC preseason poll.

Valpo owns its best record through 15 games since also starting 9-6 in 2018-19.

Postgame Press Conference

Click here for postgame press conference.

Up Next

Valpo (9-6, 2-2 MVC) will host Indiana State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Athletics-Recreation Center. The game will be a Gold Out with tickets available on tickets.valpoathletics.com.

VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

VALPO FALLS SHORT AT DRAKE SATURDAY

The second quarter proved to be the difference for the Valpo women’s basketball team on Saturday afternoon in Des Moines, Iowa, as despite playing right with host Drake for the other three quarters, a 12-point deficit in the second stanza proved to be too much to overcome in an 82-64 loss. Leah Earnest (Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) moved into fifth place in program history in career scoring in the defeat.

How It Happened

Valpo held Drake without a point for the opening three-plus minutes, jumping out to a 5-0 lead on a 3-pointer from Layla Gold (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) and an Earnest mid-range jumper.

Drake scored the next five to tie the game, but Valpo successfully kept the Bulldogs from taking an outright lead for the vast majority of the opening period. On the other end, the Beacons had three separate opportunities with a three-point lead and the ball with a chance to again make it a two-possession game, but were unable to convert on any of them.

The Bulldogs scored twice in the final 50 seconds of the opening period to lead 20-18 after the first 10 minutes.

A coast-to-coast drive by Lexi Castator (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) less than 90 seconds into the second quarter tied the game at 20-20. That proved to be Valpo’s last point for over five minutes, however, as Drake went on a 12-0 run to push its lead into double figures.

The Bulldogs led by as many as 16 late in the second quarter and took a 41-27 lead into halftime.

3-pointers from Maci Rhoades (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek [Radford]) and Mor Shabtai (Tel Aviv, Israel/Tichonet) within the first 2:30 of the second half brought Valpo back to within 10 points, but the Beacons were not able to get the deficit back to single digits and Drake led 62-46 with 10 minutes to play.

Drake pushed its lead to as many as 27 in the fourth quarter before the Beacons closed the game strong for the final 18-point margin.

Inside the Game

Saturday’s game came against a Drake squad which entered the day #79 in the NCAA NET rankings, just barely outside the top-75 to make it a Quad 1 game on the road for the Beacons.

Earnest paced Valpo with 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting, tying her career high for field goals made. She also surpassed her career best on the defensive end, coming up with four steals.

It was Earnest’s fourth consecutive 20-point game and her sixth of the season.

With her final basket Saturday, Earnest pushed her career total to 1,351 points, passing Meredith Hamlet for fifth-most in program history. Next up for Earnest on that chart is the pursuit of Jeanette Gray in fourth position with 1,460 career points.

Gold knocked down three 3-pointers on her way to 13 points, her fifth game scoring in double digits this season.

Earnest and Gold were the only Beacons to score in double figures, though, as Fiona Connolly (South Burlington, Vt./Brewster Academy [La Salle]) tallied seven points — including 4-of-4 from the foul line — as the next-highest Valpo scorer.

Rhoades connected on both of her 3-point attempts for six points and handed out three assists, while Castator came off the bench to record a team-best four rebounds.

The Beacons posted solid shooting numbers on Saturday, hitting 41.8% from the floor and going 8-of-22 from deep, but were unable to slow down the Bulldogs on their attempts, as Drake finished at a 50.9% clip from the field and 12-of-28 from the 3-point line.

Valpo did force 22 Drake turnovers, 13 of which were steals — the seventh time this year the MVC leaders in turnovers forced per game forced at least 20 miscues. But despite a +4 in the turnover margin department, Valpo was outscored by Drake in points off turnovers, 23-19.

Next Up

Valpo (5-9, 1-2) continues its challenging stretch of games away from home next weekend with the Valley’s southern road swing. The weekend opens Friday evening with a game at Murray State.

UINDY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

HOUNDS FALL TO MCKENDREE IN 2025 OPENER

INDIANAPOLIS – The UIndy women’s basketball team fell to visiting McKendree, 84-75, to start the New Year. The Greyhounds racked up a season-high point total, but an efficient fourth quarter ultimately lifted the Bearcats to the win.

UIndy junior Jaelynne Murray led the team with a season-best 18 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.

INS & OUTS

After earning a halftime lead for the third time in the last four games, the Greyhounds pushed the margin to 12 points in the third quarter and led by a dozen once again with 8:46 left in the fourth.

McKendree refused to go quietly and clawed their way back with a 13-2 spurt. The Bearcats finally took the lead with 2:55 to go, breaking a 67-67 tie with a 3-ball from Baylie Parks.

The ‘Cats kept UIndy at arm’s reach to rest of the way, despite a pair of deep triples from Amyrah Sapenter in the final minute.

INSIDE THE BOX

– Three other Greyhounds joined Murray in double figures; Sapenter finished with 15 points, Elana Wells had 11, and Ruby Garner had 10.

– Patricia Chikamba led the team in rebounds with six.

– The Bearcats grabbed 35 rebounds compared to the Hounds’ 29.

– The Hounds lead the Bearcats, 38-35; this was only the third instance that UIndy held the lead going into halftime.

MORE NOTES

The Greyhounds continue to lead the Bearcats, 10-8, in the all-time series … Parks finished with a double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Bearcats, leading the team in both categories.

UP NEXT

UIndy returns to Nicoson Hall on Sunday, Jan. 5 to play Illinois Springfield. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m.

MARIAN MEN’S BASKETBALL

LOVAN, FRANKS NOTCH CAREER-BESTS AS MARIAN UPSETS NO. 17 HUNTINGTON 78-76

INDIANAPOLIS – Showing fight and resilience all afternoon, the Marian basketball team erased a six-point deficit in the final four minutes on Saturday against No. 17 Huntington, upending the Foresters 78-76 to record their first top-25 win on the season. Marian’s victory to open the second half of their schedule lifts their record to 8-7 overall and 2-3 in the Crossroads League.

Marian came out swinging early against the 17th ranked Foresters, battling back and forth in the first five minutes of the game as Noah Lovan paced the Knight offense. Lovan scored seven early points despite picking up a pair of quick fouls, giving Marian an 11-8 lead at the first media stoppage of the afternoon. Huntington jabbed back after falling behind by three, going on a quick 6-0 run to reclaim a 14-11 advantage. Marian hung in the fight and got offense from Aidan Franks, who scored seven early points to keep the game a one-possession contest.

The Knights went back on top as the clock rolled under 10 minutes to play in the first half, getting a transition three-point make from Lovan to gain a 22-21 lead. The score would rock back and forth over the next handful of minutes, with neither team gaining control until Huntington found momentum via a 6-0 run. The Forester sprint gave them a 31-26 lead with 4:49 to play in the period, entering the media timeout in front by five. Standing tall, Franks and Dylan Moles kept Marian in the game with back to back scores, while strong defense led by blocked shots from Reis Butcher and Josiah Gustin helped energize the roster.

Franks buried a trey with 1:24 to play in the half to give Marian a three-point edge, while a long-range three from Butcher extended the team score to 40. Huntington would capitalize on a late Marian foul and sink a pair at the line, making the score 40-38 at the break.

Neither team gained separation from the other as play resumed in the second half, as both teams went shot for shot to open the half. Marian was able to build a four-point lead after the back and forth run, as Lovan and Franks commanded a quick 4-0 run to cement a lead. The run would keep Marian on the right side of the ledger, as they held their share of the lead until 11:13 remained in the game, when Maximus Gizzi connected from downtown. Huntington would call a timeout after the three from the former Knight, leading by a narrow 61-60 margin.

Second chance efforts kept Marian in the fight throughout the game Saturday, and after a Gavin Foe offensive rebound, Lovan pushed the Knights back in front with a paint jumper. The lead changed hands four times between the ninth minute and fourteenth minute of the half, with the young backcourt of Lovan and Franks keeping Marian in the game. Franks tied the contest at 67-67 with 6:36 to play in the game as he split a pair of free throws, allowing Huntington to take full possession of the lead.

The Foresters embarked on a 7-1 run in a quick two minute window, claiming a two possession edge of 74-68. Marian used a the final media timeout to regroup after the run, and went right at Huntington as Hayden Nahra and Dylan Moles combined for a quick four points to make the game a one score difference. After a missed three by Moles with three minutes remaining, the sophomore and his teammates played tight defense on Huntington, forcing a shot clock violation that led to a made layup on the next possession by the Greenfield product.

Moles’ basket tied the game at 74-74 with 1:58 to play, but Huntington would have an answer on their next possession as Romain Bruwier scored a go-ahead layup. Looking to tie to the score, the offense ran through Lovan, who drew contact on a layup attempt. The freshman drained both shots at the stripe to tie the game at 76-76, and after forcing a contested three-pointer, Lovan again went to the line, this time doing so after getting fouled following an offensive rebound. Lovan calmly sank both shots at the line, and following a timeout, Marian’s defense made their final stand, forcing Huntington to get off a desperation attempt at the buzzer that fell short, sealing a 78-76 victory.

The top-20 win over Huntington is the first of the season for Marian, and the first under head coach Pat Knight. As a team the Knights shot 56 percent from the field in the win, which included a 7-for-12 run from downtown, and also made 15 of 18 free throw attempts. Both Noah Lovan and Aidan Franks scored career-bests, as Lovan tied his career-high with 30 points in the game, while Franks scored a new-high of 26 points. Dylan Moles scored 10 points and dished out eight assists, and Josiah Gustin cleaned up the glass, grabbing eight rebounds with four blocked shots. Reis Butcher would block a pair of shots as he led the bench with five points, while Gavin Foe had two steals to go with three assists and four boards.

Marian will aim to ride the momentum from their win into Wednesday night, as they travel north to Mishawaka to take on No. 10 Bethel University. Tip is slated for 7:30 p.m.

INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES

INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/

EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/

WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/

FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/

ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/

ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index

TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index

BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/

DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/

HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/

MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/

HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/

OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx

ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index

IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/

IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/

IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/

PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/

INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx

GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/

ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/

GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/

HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php

TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/

VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index

SPORTS EXTRA

NUMBERS IN SPORTS

42 – 22 – 24 – 44 – 30 – 6

Jackie Robinson of course is our Number 42 in the historic news as on January 5, 1957 he retired from Major League Baseball rahter than be traded to the New York Giants from the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The Number 22 is significant to January 5 as on this date in 1964, the AFL’s San Diego Chargers had a running back Keith Lincoln, Number 22 rush for 206 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Bolts blew out the Boston Patriots 51-10 to win the AFL Championship.

January 5, 1991 – Kevin Bradshaw, Number 24, of US International Gulls team scored an NCAA Division 1 opponent record of 72 pts. Ironically the Gulls somehow lost the contest 186–140 loss to Loyola Marymount University.

The Number 44 is for legendary baseball slugger Reggie Jackson is elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 5, 1993. Jackson wore a few different numbers including 9 and 31 in addition to 44 that he wore for at least 9 of his 21 seasons.

January 5, 2019 – Golden State and Sacramento combine for 41 3-pointers in Warriors’ 127-123 win; set new NBA record for 3s in a game; Number 30, Stephen Curry hits 10 triples while Number 24, Buddy Hield leads Kings with 8, Number 44, Justin Jackson adds 5

January 5, 2021 –  86th Heisman Trophy Award: Number 6, DeVonta Smith, Alabama (WR)

FOOTBALL HISTORY

January 5, 1964 – Balboa Stadium, San Diego – AFL Championship game for the 1963 season matched the San Diego Chargers against the Boston Patriots. It was all Chargers in this one as they won 51-10. The stat lines on Pro-Football-Reference.com show Chargers RB Keith Lincoln rushed for 206 yards and 2 touchdowns to secure him as the game’s MVP.

January 5, 1990 – Former Hamilton Tiger-Cats executive J Donald Crump was appointed as the 8th Commissioner of Canadian Football League.

January 5, 1996 – Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula announces his retirement. This was the day after the legendary coach’s birthday. We cover the details of Shula’s great coaching career in the Football History Headlines of January 4.

January 5, 2007 – Is the fifth day of the year a day that Hall of Fame Coaches retire? Bill Cowher on this day stepped down as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Cowher who took over the Steelers in 1992 from another HOF legend, Chuck Noll, coached the team for 15 seasons. During his tenure the Steelers enjoyed playing in two Super Bowls including winning it all in SB XL. Cowher holds an incredible regular season record of 149-90-1, .623 and a postseason record of 12-9, .571 for an overall record of 161-99-1. He was voted as the NFL Coach of the Year twice, in 1992 by the AP and in 2004 by the Sporting News.

January 5, 2010 – Mike Shanahan is formally introduced as head coach of the Washington Redskins

January 5, 2021 – Alabama Senior Wide Reciever, Devonta Smith won the Heisman Trophy Award for his outstanding play during the 2020 season! Check out the full story on Devonta on Heisman.com.

Hall of Fame Birthday for January 5

January 5, 1891 – Monaca, Pennsylvania – The fantastic end from the University of Pittsburgh, Hube Wagner was born.  The National Football Foundation selected Hube Wagner to enter into their College Football Hall of Fame in 1973.

January 5, 1892 – Eightmile, Oregon – John Beckett the tackle from Oregon celebrated his birth. Both of Beckett’s teams, Oregon in 1916, and Mare Island in 1917, were undefeated. John Beckett is the only player to captain two different Rose Bowl teams. The College Football Hall of Fame welcomed John Beckett into their museum of collegiate gridiron legends in 1972.

January 5, 1901 -Massena, New York – Cornell tackle Frank Sundstrom arrived into this life. After the 1923 season Frank was named to Walter Camp’s All-America team according to the NFF. Frank Sundstrom was placed into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1978.

January 5, 1910 – Gonvick, Minnesota – Ed Widseth a tackle of the Golden Gophers of the University of Minnesota was born. The National Football Foundation explains how Ed was a disruptive force on defense for the Gophers. In fact in every one of Widseth’s varsity seasons, the Gophers claimed national championships. They lost but once in 24 games, the blemish a 6-0 upset decision to Northwestern in 1936. He was a three- time All-America tackle and the College Football Hall of Fame inducted him in 1954.

January 5, 1919 – Garfield, New Jersey – Al Blozis the Georgetown Hoya tackle was born. The NFF Bio on Al on the NFF’s website says that he was a large powerful man who stood 6’-6” tall and weighed 245 pounds which was extremely large for a man in that era. In 1986 the NFF voters sent Al Blozis and his stats to the College Football Hall of Fame. After college he joined the New York Giants and was an all- pro tackle because he was too tall to join the US military.

January 5, 1921 – Bronx, New York – Paul Governali the halfback from Columbia University found his way into this world. The National Football Foundation calls Paul a “skillful passer” and the accolades he received really prove that to be true. Paul won honors as an All-American from multiple sources including the Associated Press, Colliers and United Press. He also earned the AP Best All- Around Eastern College Athlete, was the 1942 Maxwell Memorial Award Winner and First Runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. The College Football Hall of Fame welcomed Paul Governali to their lodge of legends in 1986. After giving his service to the US Marines, Paul played football for two years for the Boston Yanks and the New York Giants.

January 5, 1924 – Calhoun Falls, South Carolina- The nifty Army and University of Miami Florida Quarterback Arnold Tucker was born. Tucker was the recipient of the 1946 Sullivan Award, won All-American honors that same year and was a member of three Army National Championship teams of 1944 through 1946. In fact Arnold had never experienced a loss while playing for the Cadets. The NFF raises the case that he may have played in the best backfield ever assembled on the gridiron as the other members were Tom McWilliams and Heisman Trophy winners Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis.  In 2008 Arnold Tucker was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

January 5, 1926 – Chicago, Illinois – The terrific Illinois halfback Claude Henry K. “Buddy” Young arrived into this world. Buddy Young was a terrific back at Illinois and in fact he challenged many of Red Grange’s records at the school. The Footballfoundation.org website states that Buddy rushed for an average of 8.9 yards a carry in 1944, finishing second among the nation’s ball carriers.  He was blessed with blinding speed and could ran the 100 yards in 9.5 seconds.  Buddy was an All-America selection in 1944 and was accepted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1968. After college Young embarked on a nine-year professional career, playing for teams in New York, Dallas, and Baltimore. As a pro, Buddy scored 44 touchdowns and gained 9,419 yards, an average of more than 1,000 yards per season. Later after his playing days were over Buddy served on the staff of the National Football League Commissioner. My friend  and fellow partner on the Sports History Network, Warren Rogan has a great episode on his Sports Forgotten Heroes Podcast dedicated to Buddy Young that I invite you to check out that goes into some great detail.

January 5, 1932 – Cleveland, Ohio – Four time Super Bowl winning Coach, Chuck Noll was born. He didn’t get his feet wet coaching in the NFL, in fact he played  guard and linebacker on some great Cleveland Browns teams of the 1950s under the guidance of Paul Brown. After his playing days were complete, Chuck was an assistant coach in San Diego and in Baltimore before landing the Steelers job according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s website bio on him. It wasn’t also rosey for Noll who took over a franchise that had never even won an NFL playoff game before he arrived. In Noll’s first season, the Steelers were a dismal 1-13 on the season. Chuck took all of those lemons of poor finishes of the Steelers and made lemonade as he used the advantageous draft position to fill his sidelines with stars. Noll paced the sidelines of the Pittsburgh Steelers for 23 seasons and unlike most of his peers in that profession walked away from the position on his own accord. He won 4 Super Bowls in a six year period in the 1970’s and coached countless Hall of Fame Players. Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Chuck Noll as a contributor in their class of 1993.

January 5, 1938 – Wausau, Wisconsin – The great center from the University of Miami, Jim Otto was born. Otto anchored the Oakland Raider offensive line for 15 seasons according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s website bio on him. He was a great blocker and was voted as an All-League player in 12 consecutive years in respectively in the AFL and NFL. The Pro Football Hall of Fame fitted Jim Otto for his gold jacket in 1980.

January 5, 1938 – Schulenburg, Texas -Texas Tech’s great center/linebacker E. J. Holub was born.  He entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

January 5, 1964 – Gainesville, Florida – Tracy Ham, Georgia Southern’s fine quarterback celebrates his birth. The NFF tells of how Ham was a dual threat. When his career ended he was the only collegiate player to have ever run for 3,000 yards and passed for 5,000 yards. College Football Hall of Fame in 2007. Georgia Southern had his #8 jersey retired. Tracy then enjoyed a long career in the Canadian Football League. In 1989, he won league MVP honors. In the CFL he played for 13 seasons and appeared in two Grey Cups.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

Jan. 5

1964 — Keith Lincoln of the San Diego Chargers, rushes for 206 yards in 13 carries, catches seven passes for 123 yards, completes one pass for 20 and scores two touchdowns in a 51-10 rout of the Boston Patriots for the AFL title.

1983 — In his 42nd game, Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky scores his 100th point of the season with an assist in the Oilers’ 8-3 triumph over the Winnipeg Jets.

1991 — Kevin Bradshaw of U.S. International scores 72 points to break Pete Maravich’s NCAA Division I single-game scoring record of 69, but Loyola Marymount sets an NCAA team scoring record in defeating the Gulls 186-140.

1993 — Reggie Jackson, who hit 563 homers and played on five championship teams in 21 seasons, is the only player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

1996 — Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula announces his retirement as winningest NFL Head Coach of all-time.

1997 — The second-year Carolina Panthers, behind John Kasay’s four field goals, beat the Dallas Cowboys 26-17 to advance to the NFC Championship game.

1999 — Nolan Ryan, George Brett and Robin Yount are voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the biggest class of first-time candidates since Babe Ruth and four others were chosen in the original election of 1936.

2003 — Jeff Garcia hits Tai Streets with a 13-yard touchdown pass with 1 minute left, and the New York Giants botch the snap on a 41-yard field goal attempt as time expires in San Francisco’s 39-38 victory — the second-biggest comeback in NFL playoff history.

2009 — Pittsburgh makes it to the top of The Associated Press’ men’s college basketball poll for the first time. The Panthers are one of a record nine Big East teams in the poll. The 16-team league had a record eight schools ranked for three weeks earlier in the season.

2013 — Aaron Rodgers connects with an NFL playoff-record 10 receivers as he throws for 274 yards in his first playoff victory at home, leading Green Bay to a 24-10 victory over Minnesota.

2013 — Arian Foster rushes for 140 yards and a touchdown in Houston’s 19-13 win over Cincinnati, and becomes the first NFL player to have 100-yard games in each of his first three playoff games.

2017 — The Columbus Blue Jackets lose 5-0 to the Washington Capitals ending their winning streak at 16 games, one shy of the NHL record. Columbus lose for the first time since Nov. 26, ending a captivating run that fell short of the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins’ record of 17 consecutive wins.

2021 – 86th Heisman Trophy Award: DeVonta Smith, Alabama (WR).

_____

Jan. 6

1951 — The Indianapolis Olympians beat the Rochester Royals 75-73 in six overtimes, the longest game in NBA history.

1976 — Ted Turner, a millionaire communications executive and internationally known yachtsman, buys the Atlanta Braves for a reported $10-to-12 million.

1980 — The Los Angeles Rams, behind three field goals by Frank Corral, beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-0 to win the NFC Championship. This is the first conference championship game in NFL history without a touchdown being scored.

1980 — The Pittsburgh Steelers advance to their fourth Super Bowl appearance since 1974 by eliminating the Houston Oilers for the second consecutive year with a 27-13 triumph in the AFC title game.

1981 — John Tonelli ties a New York Islanders record with five goals in a 6-3 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Nassau Coliseum. Mike Bossy gets an assist on all six goals to set an Islanders record. Tonelli scores once in the first period, once in the second and three times in the third.

1985 — Dan Marino passes for a record 421 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Miami Dolphins to a 45-28 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game.

1985 — The San Francisco 49ers holds the Chicago Bears to 186 yards and sacks quarterback Steve Fuller nine times to win the NFC Championship 23-0.

1994 — Nancy Kerrigan is attacked after practice at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit. Shane Stant clubs Kerrigan on the knee and flees the scene. Later that evening, Scott Davis wins the men’s U.S. Figure Skating title.

1995 — Lenny Wilkens becomes the winningest coach in NBA history as the Atlanta Hawks post a 112-90 victory over the Washington Bullets. Wilkens, with his 939th win, surpasses Red Auerbach’s record. Wilkens reaches the record in his 22nd year as an NBA coach, including four as a player-coach.

2005 — For the first time in NBA history, a player leads his team in scoring without making a field goal. Detroit’s Richard Hamilton scores 14 points despite missing all 10 of his field goal attempts in a 101-79 loss to Memphis.

2011 — Miami of Ohio caps a historic season with a 35-21 win over Middle Tennessee in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. The RedHawks (10-4) are the first team in Football Bowl Subdivision history to win 10 games one season after losing 10. Miami finished a dismal 1-11 in 2009.

2014 — Patrick Maher of Division III Grinnell College breaks the NCAA record with 37 assists in a 164-144 victory over College of Faith.

2014 — Jameis Winston throws a 13-yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds left and No. 1 Florida State beat No. 2 Auburn 34-31 to win the last BCS national championship game.

2015 — Patrik Elias has a goal and two assists to reach 1,000, NHL points, and the New Jersey Devils beat the struggling Buffalo Sabres 4-1. The goal is the 399th for Elias.

2016 — Ken Griffey Jr. is elected to the baseball Hall of Fame with the highest voting percentage ever, and Mike Piazza makes it in his fourth year on the ballot. Griffey is on 437 of 440 votes in his first appearance on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot. His 99.3 percentage tops Tom Seaver’s 98.84 in 1992.

2018 — Jon Gruden returns to the NFL as Oakland Raiders head coach after nearly a decade of broadcasting (ESPN Monday Night Football 2009-17).

Jan. 7

1920 — Joe Malone of Quebec scores two goals to become the NHL’s career leader with 59 and leads the Bulldogs to a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Arenas.

1925 — Harry Broadbent of the Montreal Maroons scores five goals in a 6-2 triumph over Hamilton.

1972 — The Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Atlanta Hawks 134-90 for their 33rd straight victory, an NBA record.

1979 — The Pittsburgh Steelers win their third AFC championship by beating the Houston Oilers 34-5 in a cold, steady rain at Three Rivers Stadium.

1981 — Marcel Dionne of the Los Angeles Kings scores his 1,000th point with a goal in a 5-3 triumph over the Hartford Whalers.

1987 — Gary Bossert of Niagara sets an NCAA record by hitting 12 of 14 three-point shots, including 11 straight, against Siena.

1992 — Pitchers Tom Seaver and Rollie Fingers are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Seaver receives the highest percentage of votes in baseball history.

1997 — Rutgers-Camden ends its NCAA-record 117-game losing streak with a 77-72 victory over Bloomfield College. The Division III Pioneers were winless since beating Ramapo 74-73 on Jan. 18, 1992.

2003 — Kobe Bryant makes an NBA-record 12 shots from 3-point range, including nine straight, and scores 45 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 119-98 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics.

2004 — Brian Boucher becomes the first NHL goalie in almost 55 years to record four consecutive shutouts. His 27 saves carry the Phoenix Coyotes past Washington 3-0.

2006 — The New England Patriots set an NFL mark with 10 straight postseason victories by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 28-3. New England’s milestone surpasses the nine straight playoff victories by Green Bay in the 1960s.

2007 — Coach Phil Jackson gets his 900th NBA victory as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated Dallas 101-98. Jackson is the fastest to reach 900, doing so in 1,264 games.

2008 — Second-ranked LSU turns the BCS national championship game into a horrible replay for No. 1 Ohio State. Matt Flynn throws four touchdown passes in a 38-24 win. LSU (12-2) becomes the first two-loss team to play for the title and wins its second BCS crown in five seasons.

2010 — Alabama knocks Texas quarterback Colt McCoy out of the BCS title game early and goes on to a 37-21 victory for the Crimson Tide’s first national title since 1992.

2011 — Rookie Luke Harangody has career highs with 17 points and 11 rebounds for his first NBA double-double, and the Boston Celtics earn the 3,000th victory in franchise history, beating the Toronto Raptors 122-102.

2012 — Old Dominion routs hapless Towson 75-38 giving the Tigers the NCAA Division I record for consecutive losses at 35. Towson had been tied at 34 with Sacramento State.

2012 — Jarome Iginla scores his 500th career goal, leading the Calgary Flames to a 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild. Iginla is the 42nd player in NHL history to reach the milestone and the 15th to do it with one team.

2013 — Alabama rolls to its second consecutive BCS championship, and third in four seasons, beating No. 1 Notre Dame 42-14 in a BCS championship game. AJ McCarron throws four touchdown passes and Eddie Lacy runs for 140 yards and scores twice for the second-ranked Crimson Tide.

2019 — College Football, National Championship, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara: #2 Clemson beats #1 Alabama, 44-16.

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Jan. 8

1972 — The NCAA announces freshmen will be eligible to play on varsity football and basketball teams starting in the fall.

1973 — David Vaughn of Oral Roberts grabs 34 rebounds in a 123-95 win over Brandeis.

1984 — The Executive Committee of the NCAA votes to expand the championship basketball field to 64 teams starting in 1985.

1984 — Bengt Gustafsson of the Washington Capitals scores five goals in a 7-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.

1993 — Michael Jordan becomes the 18th NBA player to reach the 20,000-point plateau when he scores 35 points in the Chicago Bulls’ game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Jordan reaches 20,000-points in 620 games, faster than anyone except Wilt Chamberlain, who did it in 499 games.

1994 — Dino Ciccarelli becomes the 19th NHL player to score 500 career goals in the Detroit Red Wings’ 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

2000 — Eddie House scores 61 points to tie Lew Alcindor’s Pac-10 record and lead the Sun Devils to 111-108 double-overtime victory over California.

2003 — Utah guard Mark Jackson becomes the third NBA player to reach 10,000 career assists in the Jazz’s 99-93 win over the Phoenix Suns. Jackson joins career assists leader and teammate John Stockton (15,425) and Magic Johnson (10,141).

2007 — Second-ranked Florida dominates Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and No. 1 Ohio State for a 41-14 in the BCS National Championship Bowl. The Gators become the first Division I school to hold football and basketball titles at the same time.

2008 — Goose Gossage becomes the fifth relief pitcher elected to the Hall of Fame.

2009 — Tim Tebow wins the matchup of Heisman winners as No. 1 Florida beats No. 2 Oklahoma and this year’s Heisman winner Sam Bradford, 24-14, in the BCS National Championship Bowl.

2011 — The Seattle Seahawks stun the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints 41-36 to open the NFL playoffs. Seattle, the first division winner with a losing record at 7-9, advances behind four touchdown passes by Matt Hasselbeck and a brilliant 67-yard run by Marshawn Lynch.

2012 — Denver’s Tim Tebow connects with Demaryius Thomas on an electrifying 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime and the Broncos stun the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 in a AFC wild-card game. The play, the longest to end a playoff game in overtime, takes 11 seconds and is the quickest ending to an overtime in NFL history.

2014 — Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas are elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame, while Craig Biggio fell two votes short.

2016 — Oakland’s Khalil Mack makes history earning a selection at two positions on the 2015 Associated Press All-Pro Team, an NFL first. The second-year Raiders defensive end and outside linebacker draws enough support from a panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league to make the squad both spots.

2018 — College Football National Championship, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta: #4 Alabama beats #3 Georgia, 26-23.

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Jan. 9

1942 — Joe Louis knocks out Buddy Baer with four seconds left in the first round at Madison Square Garden in New York to retain the world heavyweight title.

1977 — Oakland wins their first NFL Championship and the Minnesota Vikings drop their fourth Super Bowl as the Raiders post a 32-14 triumph.

1988 — Anthony Carter catches 10 passes for an NFL postseason-record 227 yards to lead the Minnesota Vikings to a 36-24 victory over the San Francisco 49ers and advanced to the NFC title game.

1991 — Dean Smith collects his 700th career coaching victory as North Carolina routs Maryland 105-73. Smith is the sixth Division I basketball coach to reach the 700-win plateau and does so in the shortest time.

1996 — The Toronto Raptors set an NBA record by not making a single free throw in a 92-91 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. The expansion Raptors shoots 0-for-3 from the foul line.

2004 — Brian Boucher of Phoenix posts his fifth consecutive shutout in a 2-0 win over Minnesota. He stops 21 shots and passes Bill Durnan’s NHL mark of 309:21, early in the third period.

2006 — Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers scores 45 points against Indiana, making him the first player since Wilt Chamberlain — in November of 1964 — to score at least that many in four straight games.

2007 — Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mark McGwire, whose 583 home runs ranked seventh on the career list, does not make it on his first ballot.

2008 — Golf Channel suspends anchor Kelly Tilghman for two weeks for saying a week earlier that young players who wanted to challenge Tiger Woods should “lynch him in a back alley.”

2010 — Peyton Manning becomes the first player to win The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player honors four times.

2010 — Detroit’s Ben Gordon scores 20 points, including the 10 millionth point in NBA history, in a 104-04 loss to Philadelphia.

2012 — Jeremy Shelley kicks five field goals and Trent Richardson breaks a 34-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter as No. 2 Alabama beats No. 1 LSU 21-0 — the first shutout in BCS title game history.

2013 — No one is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. For the second time in four decades, baseball writers fail to give any player the 75 percent required for induction to Cooperstown. Craig Biggio, 20th on the career list with 3,060 hits, appears on 68.2 percent of the 569 ballots, the highest total but 39 votes shy.

2016 — Quarterback Carson Wentz, out since mid-October with a broke wrist, returns to lead North Dakota State to an unprecedented fifth straight FCS championship with a 37-10 victory over top seed Jacksonville State.

2016 — Chris Boswell kicks a 35-yard field goal with 14 seconds remaining as the Steelers somehow pull out an 18-16 victory over Cincinnati in the AFC wild-card game. Pittsburgh moves into field goal position after a pair of 15-yard penalties on the Bengals, one on linebacker Vontaze Burfict and another on Adam Jones after Burfict hits defenseless Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.

2017 — College Football National Championship, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa: #2 Clemson beats #1 Alabama, 35-31.

TV SPORTS SUNDAY

NFL REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Carolina at Atlanta	1:00pm	CBS
Washington at Dallas	1:00pm	FOX
Chicago at Green Bay	1:00pm	FOX
Jacksonville at Indianapolis	1:00pm	FOX
Buffalo at New England	1:00pm	CBS
NY Giants at Philadelphia	1:00pm	CBS
New Orleans at Tampa Bay	1:00pm	FOX
Houston at Tennessee	1:00pm	CBS
Miami at NY Jets	4:25pm	FOX
Seattle at LA Rams	4:25pm	FOX
Kansas City at Denver	4:25pm	CBS
LA Chargers at Las Vegas	4:25pm	CBS
San Francisco at Arizona	4:25pm	FOX
Minnesota at Detroit	8:20pm	NBC Peacock
NBA REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Boston Celtics vs Oklahoma City Thunder	3:30pm	NBCS-BOS FanDuel Sports Oklahoma City
Charlotte Hornets vs Cleveland Cavaliers	6:00pm	FanDuel Sports Southeast FanDuel Sports Ohio
New Orleans Pelicans vs Washington Wizards	6:00pm	MNMT FanDuel Sports South
Utah Jazz vs Orlando Magic	6:30pm	KJZZ FanDuel Sports Florida
Los Angeles Lakers vs Houston Rockets	7:00pm	Spectrum SCHN
Sacramento Kings vs Golden State Warriors	8:30pm	NBCS-CA NBCS-BAY
NHL REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
New York Rangers vs Chicago Blackhawks	3:00pm	ABC ESPN+ Sporstnet
New York Islanders vs Boston Bruins	6:00pm	ESPN+ MSGSN NESN Sporstnet
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Carolina Hurricanes	6:00pm	ESPN+ ATTSN-PIT FanDuel South
Philadelphia Flyers vs Toronto Maple Leafs	7:00pm	ESPN+ NBCS-PHI Sporstnet
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Anaheim Ducks	8:00pm	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports Sun Victory+
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
Indiana at Penn State	12:00pm	BTN
Florida Atlantic at East Carolina	1:00pm	ESPN2
Central Connecticut at Mercyhurst	1:00pm	NEC Front Row
Fairleigh Dickinson at Wagner	1:00pm	NEC Front Row
Lehigh at Loyola Maryland	1:00pm	ESPN+
Army West Point at Boston University	1:00pm	ESPN+
Providence at UConn	2:00pm	NBC
Northwestern at Purdue	2:00pm	BTN
Stonehill at Saint Francis U	2:00pm	NEC Front Row
Quinnipiac at Marist	2:00pm	ESPN+
Niagara at Mount St. Mary’s	2:00pm	ESPN+
Canisius at Sacred Heart	2:00pm	ESPN+
Manhattan at Rider	2:00pm	ESPN+
Iona at Siena	2:00pm	ESPN+
Lafayette at Navy	2:00pm	ESPN+
Colgate at Bucknell	2:00pm	ESPN+
Bowdoin at Harvard	2:00pm	ESPN+
Johnson & Wales (RI) at Brown	2:00pm	ESPN+
Penn State-Schuylkill at Cornell	2:00pm	ESPN+
Murray State at Drake	3:00pm	ESPN2
Illinois at Washington	4:00pm	BTN
Maryland at Oregon	4:00pm	Peacock
Kansas at UCF	4:00pm	ESPN+
Southern Illinois at Illinois State	4:00pm	ESPN+
Holy Cross at American	4:00pm	ESPN+
North Texas at Memphis	5:00pm	ESPN
Chicago State at LIU	7:00pm	NEC Front Row
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
Davidson at Saint Louis	12:00pm	CBSSN
Pittsburgh at Duke	12:00pm	ACCN
Notre Dame at North Carolina	1:00pm	ESPN
Buffalo at Kent State	2:00pm	CBSSN
Syracuse at Florida St.	2:00pm	ACCN
Louisville at Wake Forest	4:00pm	ACCN
California at SMU	6:00pm	ACCN
Maryland at Iowa	6:00pm	BTN
USC at Rutgers	8:00pm	BTN
GOLF	TIME ET	TV
PGA Tour: The Sentry	4:00pm	NBC
PGA Tour: The Sentry	6:00pm	GOLF
SOCCER	TIME ET	TV
Copa del Rey: Elche vs Las Palmas	6:00am	ESPN+
Copa del Rey: Ourense CF vs Real Valladolid	6:00am	ESPN+
Serie A: Monza vs Cagliari	6:30am	Paramount+
Scottish Premiership: Hibernian vs Rangers	7:00am	Paramount+
La Liga: Leganés vs Real Sociedad	8:00am	ESPN+
EPL: Leicester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion	9:00am	USA Peacock
EPL: Fulham vs Arsenal	9:00am	USA Peacock
EPL: Ipswich Town vs AFC Bournemouth	9:00am	Peacock
Ligue 1: Lens vs Montpellier	9:00am	Fanatiz beIN Sports
Serie A: Lecce vs Genoa	9:00am	Paramount+
Ligue 1: Strasbourg vs Auxerre	9:00am	Fanatiz beIN Sports
Ligue 1: Lens vs Toulouse	9:00am	Fanatiz beIN Sports
Ligue 1: Angers SCO vs Brest	9:00am	Fanatiz beIN Sports
Copa del Rey: Cartagena vs Leganés	9:30am	ESPN+
Copa del Rey: Ponferradina vs Real Sociedad	9:30am	ESPN+
Copa del Rey: Racing Santander vs Celta de Vigo	9:30am	ESPN+
Scottish Premiership: Motherwell vs Aberdeen	9:30am	Paramount+
EPL: Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea	11:30am	USA Peacock
Super Cup: PSG vs Monaco	11:30am	Fanatiz beIN Sports
Serie A: Torino vs Parma	12:00pm	CBSSN Paramount+
Serie A: Roma vs Lazio	2:45pm	Paramount+
Ligue 1: Olympique Marseille vs Le Havre	2:45pm	Fanatiz beIN Sports
TENNIS	TIME ET	TV
United Cup	6:00am	TENNIS
United Cup	5:30pm	TENNIS