THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” WEDNESDAY JANUARY 8, 2025

“THE SCOREBOARD”

INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL

USA BOYS BASKETBALL POLLS

1 FISHERS 12-0

2 LAWRENCE NORTH 8-1

3 CROWN POINT 7-0

4 GREENFIELD-CENTRAL 8-2

5 NORTHRIDGE 10-0

6 WESTFIELD 7-1

7 ANDERSON 8-1

8 EVANSVILLE REITZ 8-0

9 BEN DAVIS 8-2

10 SOUTH BEND RILEY 8-1

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: WARSAW 11, JEFFERSONVILLE 9, NOBLESVILLE 8, AVON 7, NEW ALBANY 7, MT. VERNON (FORTVILLE) 5, CARMEL 4, FW WAYNE 2, KOKOMO 1.

1 CATHEDRAL 9-2

2 SB ST. JOSEPH 9-1

3 CRISPUS ATTUCKS 8-4

4 GUERIN CATHOLIC 10-2

5 SILVER CREEK 12-1

6 NORTHWOOD 10-1

7 NEW PALESTINE 9-2

8 SOUTHRIDGE 7-1

9 BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 9-0

10 FW BLACKHAWK 10-2

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: NORTHVIEW 17, SB WASHINGTON 16, PRINCETON 13, EV. MEMORIAL 4.

1 WAPAHANI 10-0

2 FW LUERS 7-1

3 PARKE HERITAGE 10-1

4 LINTON-STOCKTON 8-1

5 SOUTH RIPLEY 10-0

6 GARY 21^ST CENTURY 8-2

7 MANCHESTER 10-1

8 FOREST PARK 7-2

8 PROVIDENCE 8-1

10 TAYLOR 9-0

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: NORTHEASTERN 13, TIPTON 9, IND. RITTER 3.

1 CLAY CITY 8-1

2 ORLEANS 5-2

3 BLOOMFIELD 8-2

4 INDY METRO 10-3

4 KOUTS 7-1

6 CARROLL FLORA 7-1

7 HAUSER 7-1

8 CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 8-3

9 LIBERTY CHRISTIAN 5-4

10 TRITON 6-1

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: BARR-REEVE 17, MONROE CENTRAL 10, WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP 8, CLINTON PRAIRIE 7, ROCK CREEK ACADEMY 3, NORTHEAST DUBOIS 2.

INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD

HOMESTEAD.COM

BETHANY CHRISTIAN	66	ELKHART CHRISTIAN	48
BOWMAN ACADEMY	61	CALUMET	40
DELPHI	50	FAITH CHRISTIAN	49
EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL	64	HAMMOND CENTRAL	49
EAST NOBLE	64	WESTVIEW	53
EDWARDSBURG (MICH.)	62	SOUTH BEND ADAMS	60
FORT WAYNE LUERS	87	CHURUBUSCO	33
FORT WAYNE SNIDER	63	NEW HAVEN	56
GARRETT	67	HAMILTON	16
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN	70	NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS)	64
HAMMOND MORTON	63	LAKE CENTRAL	43
INDIANAPOLIS RITTER	61	GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN	41
LAPORTE	65	ELKHART	47
LAFAYETTE JEFF	76	LOGANSPORT	34
LEO	60	FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY	52
MONTPELIER (OHIO)	61	LAKEWOOD PARK	32
NOBLESVILLE	51	PIKE	44
NORTHWOOD	64	COLUMBIA CITY	51
NORTHFIELD	69	NORTH MIAMI	51
NORTHWESTERN	63	PERU	55
SOUTH BEND RILEY	83	MICHIGAN CITY	53
SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH	77	JIMTOWN	42
SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS)	53	CULVER	15
TRINITY GREENLAWN	56	ARGOS	49
TRITON	49	LAVILLE	48
WASHINGTON TWP.	62	MORGAN TWP.	43
WESTERN	51	LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC	38
WHEELER	77	PORTAGE CHRISTIAN	24
HENDRICKS COUNTY TOURNAMENT
DANVILLE	68	CASCADE	65
AVON	42	BROWNSBURG	40
MADISON COUNTY TOURNAMENT
ANDERSON	100	ALEXANDRIA	42
PENDLETON HEIGHTS	57	LAPEL	49
FRANKTON	58	ANDERSON PREP	47
LIBERTY CHRISTIAN	73	ELWOOD	32

INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL

INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL: ICGSA POLL

CLASS 4A

1. HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (17-0)

2. LAWRENCE CENTRAL (16-1)

3. WARSAW (15-0)

4. HOMESTEAD (14-2)

5. SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON (15-1)

6. NORTHRIDGE (15-2)

7. BLOOMINGTON SOUTH (15-1)

8. BROWNSBURG (12-3)

9. CENTER GROVE (13-2)

10. HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) (5-11)

CLASS 3A

1. GREENSBURG (16-0)

2. WASHINGTON (14-2)

3. SILVER CREEK (12-2)

4. COLUMBIA CITY (13-3)

5. DANVILLE (13-3)

6. EVANSVILLE CENTRAL (13-3)

7. NORWELL (10-5)

8. BELLMONT (14-1)

9. CORYDON CENTRAL (12-3)

10. INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD (9-5)

CLASS 2A

1. SOUTH KNOX (14-2)

2. ALEXANDRIA (16-0)

3. RENSSELAER CENTRAL (14-1)

4. NORTHEASTERN (15-1)

5. AUSTIN (15-1)

6. NORTH KNOX (10-5)

7. EASTSIDE (14-1)

8. BLUFFTON (13-2)

9. EASTERN HANCOCK (13-2)

10. BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (12-4)

CLASS 1A

1. NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG) (15-2)

2. ORLEANS (13-1)

3. MARQUETTE CATHOLIC (12-3)

4. WESTVILLE (11-1)

5. BORDEN (12-5)

6. OLDENBURG ACADEMY (14-1)

7. TRI-COUNTY (13-1)

8. TRI (11-4)

9. FREMONT (11-5)

10. WOOD MEMORIAL (9-7)

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS SCOREBOARD

HOMESTEAD.COM

ANDREAN	61	HAMMOND NOLL	40
BREMEN	62	CENTRAL NOBLE	48
CHICAGO CHRISTIAN (ILL.)	34	ILLIANA CHRISTIAN	32
CLINTON CENTRAL	45	LEBANON	40
CONCORD	50	WEST NOBLE	16
COWAN	36	EASTERN (GREENTOWN)	34
DALEVILLE	46	SOUTHERN WELLS	40
EASTSIDE	62	DEKALB	48
FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA	53	JAY COUNTY	49	OT
FORT WAYNE LUERS	60	ADAMS CENTRAL	34
GREENFIELD-CENTRAL	55	PERRY MERIDIAN	30
GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN	51	INDIANAPOLIS RITTER	43
INDIANA DEAF	46	WES-DEL	25
INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI	51	BREBEUF JESUIT	47
LAFAYETTE JEFF	63	KANKAKEE VALLEY	23
LAKELAND	51	LAKELAND CHRISTIAN	33
LAKEWOOD PARK	51	WOODLAN	41
LEO	51	PRAIRIE HEIGHTS	39
LOWELL	56	HIGHLAND	32
MUNSTER	53	WASHINGTON TWP.	39
NEW PRAIRIE	51	MICHIGAN CITY	34
NORTH MIAMI	43	HAMILTON HEIGHTS	37
NORTHWOOD	41	JOHN GLENN	24
NORWELL	71	CARROLL (FORT WAYNE)	61
OAK HILL	40	LEWIS CASS	38
PENN	63	MISHAWAKA	12
RICHMOND	62	NORTHMONT (OHIO)	46
SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH	38	CASTON	30
SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON	70	MISHAWAKA MARIAN	13
TRI-TOWNSHIP	38	RIVER FOREST	29
TWIN LAKES	56	FRONTIER	17
WAPAHANI	52	EASTBROOK	36
WEST CENTRAL	65	HEBRON	9
WEST LAFAYETTE	54	FRANKFORT	15
WESTERN	64	UNIVERSITY	56
WESTVIEW	62	HERITAGE	19
WESTVILLE	64	WHEELER	43
WINAMAC	47	KNOX	35
YORKTOWN	56	MUNCIE CENTRAL	42
HENDRICKS COUNTY TOURNAMENT
DANVILLE	62	CASCADE	29
BROWNSBURG	80	AVON	44
MADISON COUNTY TOURNAMENT
ALEXANDRIA	72	ANDERSON	38
PENDLETON HEIGHTS	61	LAPEL	41
FRANKTON	65	ANDERSON PREP	24
ELWOOD	47	LIBERTY CHRISTIAN	22

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/

GIRLS REGIONALS:

1. GOSHEN | 10 AM ET | TICKETS | RESULTS
FEEDER SECTIONALS: ILLIANA CHRISTIAN, HOBART, MISHAWAKA, GOSHEN

2. ROCHESTER | 9 AM ET | TICKETS | RESULTS
FEEDER SECTIONALS: COLUMBIA CITY, LAFAYETTE JEFFERSON, CRAWFORDSVILLE, WESTERN

3. ALEXANDRIA MONROE | 9 AM ET | TICKETS | RESULTS
FEEDER SECTIONALS: ALEXANDRIA MONROE, MUNCIE CENTRAL, EASTERN HANCOCK, PERRY MERIDIAN

4. MOORESVILLE | 11 AM ET | TICKETS | RESULTS
FEEDER SECTIONALS: MT. VERNON, BEN DAVIS, WEST WASHINGTON, FLOYD CENTRAL

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TOP 25

GEORGIA 82 #6 KENTUCKY 69

#4 DUKE 76 PITTSBURGH 47

#8 FLORIDA 73 #1 TENNESSEE 43

ARIZONA 75 #21 WEST VIRGINIA 56

#3 IOWA STATE 82 UTAH 59

#7 MARQUETTE 74 GEORGETOWN 66

#2 AUBURN 87 TEXAS 82

#14 MISSISSIPPI STATE 76 VANDERBILT 64

#25 UTAH STATE 85 SAN JOSE STATE 78

#24 MICHIGAN 94 #22 UCLA 75

ELSEWHERE:

AKRON 87 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 71

KENT STATE 68 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 50

OHIO 88 BUFFALO 79

MIAMI OHIO 80 BALL STATE 72

TOLEDO 90 EASTERN MICHIGAN 87

BOWLING GREEN 83 WESTERN MICHIGAN 79

IOWA 97 NEBRASKA 87 OT

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TOP 25

#1 UCLA 83 PURDUE 49

ELSEWHERE:

WASHINGTON 79 WISCONSIN 58

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

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

NFL PLAYOFFS WILD CARD WEEKEND

SATURDAY, JAN. 11
AFC: 3:30 P.M. — 5 LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT 4 HOUSTON (CBS, PARAMOUNT+)
AFC: 7:00 P.M. — 6 PITTSBURGH AT 3 BALTIMORE (PRIME VIDEO)

SUNDAY, JAN. 12
AFC: 12:00 P.M. — 7 DENVER AT 2 BUFFALO (CBS, PARAMOUNT+)
NFC: 3:30 P.M. — 7 GREEN BAY AT 2 PHILADELPHIA (FOX, FOX DEPORTES)
NFC: 7:00 P.M. — 6 WASHINGTON AT 3 TAMPA BAY (NBC, PEACOCK, UNIVERSO)

MONDAY, JAN. 13
NFC: 7:00 P.M. — 5 MINNESOTA/DETROIT AT 4 LOS ANGELES RAMS (ESPN/ABC/ESPN+/ ESPN DEPORTES; MANNINGCAST-ESPN2/ESPN+)

NBA SCORES

HOUSTON 135 WASHINGTON 112

CHARLOTTE 115 PHOENIX 104

DALLAS 118 LA LAKERS 97

MINNESOTA 104 NEW ORLEANS 97

ATLANTA 124 UTAH 121

MIAMI 114 GOLDEN STATE 98

BOSTON 118 DENVER 106

NHL SCORES

COLUMBUS 4 PITTSBURGH 3

EDMONTON 4 BOSTON 0

DALLAS 5 NY RANGERS 40T

DETROIT 3 OTTAWA 2 OT

TAMPA BAY 3 CAROLINA 2

TORONTO 3 PHILADELPHIA 2

MINNESOTA 6 ST. LOUIS 4

WINNIPEG 5 NASHVILLE 2

CALGARY 3 ANAHEIM 2 OT

VEGAS 4 SAN JOSE 2

TOP NATIONAL RELEASES/NEWS HEADLINES

NFL NEWS

JAGUARS REQUEST INTERVIEWS WITH 8 COACHING CANDIDATES, INCLUDING DETROIT’S JOHNSON AND GLENN

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars are conducting their coaching search with transparency for the first time in franchise history.

The Jaguars released a list of eight interview requests Tuesday, a day after owner Shad Khan fired coach Doug Pederson following his third season.

The list includes five current NFL offensive coordinators: Buffalo’s Joe Brady, Tampa Bay’s Liam Coen, Detroit’s Ben Johnson, Baltimore’s Todd Monken and Philadelphia’s Kellen Moore. It also includes two current defensive coordinators — Detroit’s Aaron Glenn and Las Vegas’ Patrick Graham — as well as former New York Jets head coach and current Green Bay assistant Robert Saleh.

Saleh worked as Jacksonville’s linebackers coach from 2014 to 2016. Monken spent four years (2007-10) as Jacksonville’s receivers coach.

Khan fired Pederson after the team’s 18th loss in 23 games, a stunning stretch of futility that had a lot to do with injuries to quarterback Trevor Lawrence and receiver Christian Kirk and a defense that regressed under first-year defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen.

Khan called the Jaguars “the most predictable team on both sides of the ball” in the league and said he wants his sixth head coach to create a level of “being unpredictable.”

He also insisted that keeping general manager Trent Baalke in place would not hinder the coaching search. Three of the five coaches Baalke has worked alongside have been one-and-done tenures.

“I think we have a very compelling case on what we can offer the head coach,” Khan said Monday. “I think the players, where we stand on our draft, our salary cap, the city, the bricks and mortar, the facility and our division, it’s a very compelling case.

“The head coach needs to be comfortable with what we’re doing. Our job is to be able to provide them with all the resources they want.”

The Jaguars (4-13) have a young quarterback (Lawrence) with upside, a budding star at receiver (Brian Thomas Jr.), a few defensive building blocks (cornerback Tyson Campbell and pass rushers Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker), a relatively new practice facility, a $1.4 billion stadium renovation upcoming and a hands-off owner with deep pockets.

They have the fifth overall draft pick in April and roughly $50 million in salary cap space for 2025, play in arguably the NFL’s weakest division (AFC South) and work in a state with plenty of sunshine and no state income tax. They also went 3-10 in one-score games — an indication they could be a quick fix.

But Khan is committed to playing at least one home game annually in London — even though it might put the team at a competitive disadvantage — and will play home games in 2026 in front of a reduced capacity and play all of 2027 away from Jacksonville. More concerning, the roster has several aging veterans — Kirk, defensive end Arik Armstead, tight end Evan Engram, linebacker Foye Oluokun, center Mitch Morse and guard Brandon Scherff — and no identity.

“I think there’s a lot of good young players on this team,” Baalke said. “There’s a lot to look forward to, and the fan base deserves that. They deserve a winner. That’s what you set out to do every day you wake up, come into the building. We’ve got a great group of people in this building that have that mindset. I do think this thing can be flipped and be flipped quick.”

TITANS FIRE GM CARTHON AFTER 2 SEASONS

The Tennessee Titans fired general manager Ran Carthon after two seasons, the team announced Tuesday.

The Titans produced a 9-25 record during Carthon’s tenure. Tennessee hired him in 2023 to help reshape the club’s culture, but the team regressed to a 3-14 mark in 2024 to sit in the AFC South basement for the second straight year.

“I’ve loved the time I’ve spent with Ran. He’s a talented football mind, a great man, and friend to everyone along his path,” Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement. “It’s impossible to ignore that our football team hasn’t improved over the past two years. I am deeply disappointed in our poor win-loss record during this period, of course, but my decision also speaks to my concern about our long-term future should we stay the course.”

Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker will lead the search for a new GM. The team said it’ll continue with Brian Callahan as head coach.

Carthon, who signed an extension with Tennessee last offseason, has four years remaining on his contract, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The Titans made a big splash last offseason by adding a plethora of free-agent talent to the roster.

Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard, and L’Jarius Sneed were among Carthon’s most notable splurges last year. However, the prized free-agent haul didn’t help Tennessee snag more wins.

The Titans will likely explore upgrades across the roster, particularly at quarterback after 2023 second-rounder Will Levis struggled to produce as a starter amid inconsistent play and injuries. Veteran Mason Rudolph started five games this past season.

The Titans’ next GM will have the opportunity to significantly upgrade the roster, with the team owning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

REPORT: BEARS, SAINTS SCHEDULING INTERVIEWS WITH VRABEL

The Chicago Bears will interview former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel on Wednesday, a source told Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald.

The New Orleans Saints are also scheduling an interview with Vrabel for their vacancy, sources told MMQB’s Albert Breer.

Vrabel spent six seasons leading the Titans, posting a 54-45 record from 2018-2023. He was named Coach of the Year in 2021 after leading Tennessee to the AFC’s No. 1 seed despite using an NFL-record 91 different players during the season.

The 49-year-old made three playoff appearances and recorded two postseason wins during his tenure with the Titans. Tennessee made it to the AFC Championship Game in 2019 before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Vrabel is expected to be one of the top candidates to land a head coaching job this offseason after spending the 2024 campaign as a consultant with the Cleveland Browns.

The Bears have also reportedly requested interviews with Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, and Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, among others.

New Orleans reportedly requested interviews with multiple coaches, including Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady. The Saints and Bears apparently have meetings scheduled with Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

EAGLES OC, QB ON SAME PAGE BEFORE WILD-CARD GAME

Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore did not sound like a coach concerned he could be entering the playoffs without his starting quarterback.

Jalen Hurts, in concussion protocol since suffering a head injury Dec. 22 against the Washington Commanders, might be ready to return to practice on Wednesday with a full week of preparation for the postseason rematch with the Green Bay Packers in Philadelphia on Sunday.

Head coach Nick Sirianni was less forthcoming on Monday about the QB depth chart. But Moore said Tuesday that he’s in close communication with Hurts and he has no concern about rust when he gets back on the field.

Because the Eagles had no scheduled practice Monday or Tuesday, the next update on Hurts’ status would come Wednesday with the first practice and injury report of the postseason.

Moore also downplayed any distraction that might arise because of head-coaching interviews with the New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars, who submitted formal requests to talk to the Eagles’ first-year coordinator.

“Really, the focus is on the week,” Moore said. “Those things take care of themselves. Obviously, those things only come to teams that usually tend to have success and are doing things well on the field. That’s where your focus is.”

Hurts was a nonparticipant on the injury and practice report last week, but likely would’ve been held out for the regular-season finale even if healthy. Running back Saquon Barkley, wide receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith and offensive linemen Landon Dickerson, Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata were all inactive last week.

Hurts completed 20 of 34 passes for 278 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the Eagles’ Week 1 win over the Packers in Brazil.

Sirianni would not confirm whether Hurts was at the team facility or able to participate in meetings or film study during the team media session on Monday.

Tanner McKee started the Week 18 win over the New York Giants. Sirianni wouldn’t declare his depth chart at the position or give into questions about whether McKee might’ve moved ahead of Kenny Pickett as the QB2 in Philadelphia.

“We have a lot of confidence in both guys,” he said.

McKee completed 27 of 41 passes for 269 yards with two touchdowns and zero turnovers against the Giants.

REPORT: BEARS TO INTERVIEW PETE CARROLL; MIKE MCCARTHY REQUEST DENIED

The Chicago Bears were denied an interview with Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy for their head coaching vacancy but will sit down with longtime NFL coach Pete Carroll on Thursday, according to pair of ESPN reports on Tuesday.

Carroll, 73, won a Super Bowl during his 14-year tenure with Seattle and has the most wins of any Seahawks coach (137). He also set the record for most playoff appearances (10) and wins (10) in franchise history. Carroll served as an adviser this season after stepping down following the 2023 campaign.

Carroll also guided the New York Jets (1994) and New England Patriots (1997-99) and has a 170-120-1 record as an NFL head coach.

He excelled in the college ranks, winning two national championships at Southern California during his nine-year tenure and finishing with a 97-19 record. Carroll is one of only three coaches to win both a Super Bowl and a college national championship.

As for McCarthy, his deal expires Wednesday with the Cowboys having exclusive negotiating rights through Jan. 14.

McCarthy, 61, completed his fifth season at the helm with Dallas missing the playoffs at 7-10. He is 49-35 in the regular season and 1-3 in the postseason.

McCarthy — who will meet with owner Jerry Jones this week — has said he wants to remain with Dallas after missing the playoffs for the first time since his first season in 2020.

The Bears have made formal requests to interview a number of current NFL assistants.

RAIDERS FIRE HEAD COACH ANTONIO PIERCE

The Las Vegas Raiders fired head coach Antonio Pierce on Tuesday, two days after concluding a 4-13 season.

Pierce, 46, went 9-17 over 1 1/2 seasons as coach. He first became coach on an interim basis after the midseason firing of Josh McDaniels in 2023.

“The Las Vegas Raiders have relieved Antonio Pierce of his duties as head coach,” the team said in its announcement. “We appreciate Antonio’s leadership, first as an interim head coach and this past season as the head coach.

“Antonio grew up a Raiders fan and his Silver and Black roots run deep. We are grateful for his ability to reignite what it means to be a Raider throughout the entire organization. We wish nothing but the best for Antonio and his family in the future.”

The Raiders had a 10-game losing streak during the gloomy 2024 season. Las Vegas lost six games by double digits during the streak and nine overall.

Gardner Minshew was the starting quarterback at the outset of the season and Aidan O’Connell was the other main quarterback used by the club. Tight end Brock Bowers was one of the bright spots with an NFL rookie-record 112 receptions.

Speaking at a press conference Monday, Pierce felt confident he would remain as coach. But an organization that has missed the postseason in 20 of the past 22 seasons felt differently.

Pierce spent nine seasons in the NFL as a linebacker with Washington (2001-04) and the New York Giants (2005-09).

COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS

TASK FOR NO. 5 TEXAS: STOP THE RECEIVERS FOR NO. 8 OHIO STATE

There are plenty of storylines heading into this year’s Cotton Bowl, where two of the winningest programs in college football history will face off for a chance to play for the College Football Playoff national championship.

Still, when No. 5 Texas (13-2) and No. 8 Ohio State (12-2) meet in a semifinal matchup on Friday night in Arlington, Texas, the attention will be focused on the quarterbacks.

Ohio State’s Will Howard played against Texas when he was at Kansas State, but the Wildcats went 0-4 versus the Longhorns in those years. Texas’ Quinn Ewers, meanwhile, started his college career with the Buckeyes before transferring to his home state’s school.

“That was the only team I didn’t beat when I was in the Big 12,” Howard said. “There’s definitely a little extra motivation because I never got the chance to beat these guys, played them for four years. They’re always a good team, but I don’t think — none of those games were unwinnable. Last year we lost in overtime. So, definitely excited to get another chance at these guys.”

Ewers, who went to high school about 20 miles from AT&T Stadium at Southlake Carroll, has never faced his former team and only had positive things to say about his one semester with the Buckeyes.

“I don’t regret any decision I’ve made on going or anything like that, but the main reason I went was I felt like I had a great relationship with the coaching staff,” Ewers said of his time at Ohio State. “And they were winning a lot of games, and I wanted to go be a part of something like that.

“The reason that I came back to Texas was, one, to be closer to where I’m from and just closer to the resources that I have and the relationships that I’ve built over time just being from Texas.”

Despite the neutral site, this is a home game for Texas. Still, the Buckeyes have a 3-1 record at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, including a 42-20 win over Oregon in January 2015 to win the first College Football Playoff national championship.

Ten years later, Texas will need to contain Ohio State’s dynamic receiving corps led by Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka, who combined for 2,120 yards and 24 touchdown receptions. Each made 70 catches.

“Yeah, they’ve got an impressive group out at receiver,” Texas defensive back Michael Taaffe said. “They’ve got four or five guys that are really dangerous. Obviously, Jeremiah is really good. Obviously, Emeka, No. 2, is elite. … They’ve got guys you’ve got to respect out there.”

In Ohio State’s 41-21 shellacking of No. 1 Oregon in the CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day, Howard threw for 319 yards, with Smith hauling in seven catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns.

Another question is whether Texas can get its running game going after averaging just 1.8 yards in its 39-31 double-overtime victory over Arizona State in the quarterfinal at the Peach Bowl. The Longhorns’ season average is 4.5 yards per attempt.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian addressed the running game issues this week.

“We’re at our best when we can run it,” he said. “That gives us balance. So, I’m hard-pressed not to kind of just walk away from it and abandon it. We’ve got to do a great job as a staff of putting together a good game plan and making sure that our players can execute it at a high level.”

Ohio State undoubtedly will be looking to get off to another fast start. The Buckeyes took a 34-8 lead into halftime against Ohio State and were up 21-0 after one quarter in their 42-17 win over No. 9 Tennessee in their first-round playoff game.

Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said the only motivation his team needs is simply staying alive in the championship race.

“One thing that does motivate our team is an opportunity for the team to play for another week together,” he said. “And this is a great group of guys that cares a lot about each other, have fun with each other. They love competing with each other. You can see the passion on the field when they get on the field. The way that this format is and the way the playoffs are set now, it allows us an opportunity to grow as a team and to learn and to get better and to peak late in the season.”

The winner will meet the winner of Thursday night’s Orange Bowl between No. 6 Penn State and No. 7 Notre Dame in the CFP championship on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.

PENN STATE, NOTRE DAME CHARGE INTO SEMIFINALS IN PURSUIT OF ELUSIVE TITLE

Penn State and Notre Dame are vying to end three decade-long national championship droughts and can move a step closer Thursday night when they collide in the Orange Bowl.

One of the two College Football Playoff semifinals, the matchup of seventh-seeded Notre Dame (13-1) and sixth-seeded Penn State (13-2) as part of the debut 12-team bracket, the winner will face either Texas or Ohio State in the CFP national championship on Jan. 20 in Atlanta. The Longhorns and Buckeyes square off Friday night in the other semifinal at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

Penn State is coming off a 31-14 quarterfinal victory over Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve, which followed a 38-10 win at home over SMU in the first round. Penn State is chasing its third national championship and first since 1986.

Notre Dame, in pursuit of its 12th consensus national title and first since 1988, scored a 23-10 quarterfinal victory over No. 2 seed Georgia last Thursday in the Sugar Bowl, snapping a 10-game losing streak in either major bowl games or national championship games.

“I think it’s human nature to enjoy people saying good things about you,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. “It’s human nature but we’ve talked all year about being misfits and that’s what we have to continue to be.”

Notre Dame ranks third nationally in turnover margin (plus-18) and was plus-2 against Georgia, a big reason it prevailed despite amassing only 244 total yards. Penn State isn’t far behind as it is ranked 20th with a plus-10 turnover margin.

Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts has accounted for seven of Notre Dame’s takeaways with six interceptions and one fumble recovery.

“I think in a lot of ways, they are built similar to us,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “You look at their turnover ratio numbers, you look at their explosive play defense in terms of defending and limiting explosive plays. … And they do a great job of not beating themselves, which I think is a really important thing in college football. It starts with that, and then you kind of go from there and play to your strengths and things like that.”

Penn State is 4-1 all-time in the Orange Bowl and will make its first appearance since 2006.

Notre Dame’s last postseason game in Miami was the 2013 BCS National Championship Game, but it hasn’t played in the Orange Bowl since 1996. The Fighting Irish are 2-3 in the Orange Bowl.

The teams have not met since Sept. 8, 2007, when Penn State won 31-10 at home. The all-time series is tied 9-9-1 and the two schools have met only once in a bowl game with Notre Dame winning the 1976 Gator Bowl.

Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton have powered Penn State’s formidable running game, combining for 2,041 yards and 17 touchdowns on the season.

Penn State’s leader on defense is Abdul Carter, who has recorded 21.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks, but his status for the Orange Bowl is unclear due to an arm injury that limited his participation in the Fiesta Bowl.

“He’s doing great. His attitude is great. His mentality has been really good,” Franklin said. “I think he’s taken the right approach and mentality, and really, it’s going to come down to how he feels and how much practice he’s able to get during the week.”

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard has thrown for 2,383 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions while also rushing for 831 yards and 15 touchdowns. Leonard only threw for 90 yards, but ran for 80 against Georgia.

“You play this game with confidence. And that’s where I’ve seen him grow the most is the confidence that he’s playing with,” Freeman said.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TOP 25 ROUNDUP: NO. 8 FLORIDA HANDS NO. 1 TENNESSEE FIRST LOSS OF SEASON

Alijah Martin scored 18 points, Denzel Aberdeen added 16 and No. 8 Florida controlled the game from the outset while steamrolling top-ranked Tennessee 73-43 on Tuesday night in Southeastern Conference play at Gainesville, Fla.

Alex Condon had 12 points and 12 rebounds and Rueben Chinyelu collected a career-high 15 rebounds as the Gators (14-1, 1-1 SEC) delivered full-scale domination of the Volunteers. Florida never trailed and led by as many as 36 points.

Tennessee (14-1, 1-1) is the last team in the nation to lose a game this season. It was vying for the first 15-0 start to a season in program history. The Volunteers will go into the record books tied with the 1922-23 squad for the best start.

Tennessee shot a porous 21.4 percent from the field (12 of 56) and 13.8 percent from 3-point range (4 of 29) as part of a dismal showing. Chaz Lanier had 10 points and seven rebounds but made just 3 of 16 shots from the field while Zakai Zeigler also had 10 points for the Volunteers.

No. 2 Auburn 87, Texas 82

Johni Broome racked up 20 points and 12 rebounds as the Tigers held on for a win over the Longhorns in a Southeastern Conference game in Austin, Texas.

The win was the 214th for Tigers coach Bruce Pearl, propelling him to No. 1 in all-time coaching wins at the school. He had been tied with Joel Eaves (1949-63). Broome’s double-double was the 70th of his career — and his 10th this season. Miles Kelly added 18 points for Auburn (14-1, 2-0 SEC), which won its seventh straight game and first true road contest this season.

Arthur Kaluma scored a career-high 34 points for the Longhorns (11-4, 0-2), who have dropped two straight games. Jordan Pope added 19 and Tre Johnson scored 11.

No. 3 Iowa State 82, Utah 59

Reserve Curtis Jones scored 23 points and the Cyclones pulled away for a win over the Utes in a Big 12 Conference matchup in Ames, Iowa.

Tamin Lipsey added 20 points for Iowa State (13-1, 3-0), which won its 10th in a row. Joshua Jefferson scored 17 and Keshon Gilbert finished with 15. Lipsey and Jefferson each grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.

Gabe Madsen scored 20 points to lead Utah (8-6, 0-3). Miro Little finished with 13 points off the bench and made two of three shots from beyond the 3-point line.

No. 4 Duke 76, Pitt 47

Cooper Flagg collected 19 points and 10 rebounds, Kon Knueppel scored 17 points and Duke’s stout defense carried the Blue Devils past the visiting Panthers in a matchup of two of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s top teams in Durham, N.C.

Duke held Pitt to a miserable night on offense. The Panthers failed to score for the game’s final 7:59, resulting in a game-ending 18-0 run for the Blue Devils. Khaman Maluach added 11 points and eight rebounds for Duke (13-2, 5-0 ACC), which has nine straight wins. Duke’s starting backcourt chimed in with 23 points, 13 from Tyrese Proctor and 10 from Sion James. Proctor scored the game’s final 10 points.

Cameron Corhen scored 11 points and pulled in seven rebounds for Pitt (12-3, 3-1), which shot 31 percent (18 of 58) from the field. That included 6-for-20 on 3-pointers.

Georgia 82, No. 6 Kentucky 69

Asa Newell scored a team-high 17 points, helping the Bulldogs upset the Wildcats in Southeastern Conference play in Athens, Ga.

Blue Cain added 15 points and eight rebounds, while Silas Demary Jr. chipped in 14 points as Georgia (13-2, 1-1 SEC) won its eighth game in its last nine and its first victory over a Top 10 team since beating No. 9 Memphis in January 2020. Dakota Leffew added 11 points off the bench.

Lamont Butler led Kentucky (12-3, 1-1) with 20 points, followed by Brandon Garrison’s 13 and Otega Oweh’s 12 and seven rebounds. The Wildcats had their two-game winning streak snapped and have lost three in a row at Georgia.

No. 7 Marquette 74, Georgetown 66

Chase Ross scored a career-high 27 points to go along with six steals, lifting the Golden Eagles to a victory over the Hoyas in Milwaukee.

Stevie Mitchell scored 13 points, David Joplin had 12 and Kam Jones added 11 for the Golden Eagles (14-2, 5-0 Big East), who rallied from a 14-point, first-half deficit to win their fifth in a row. Marquette has won all 10 home games this season.

Georgetown’s Malik Mack scored 18 points, and Big East Freshman of the Week Thomas Sorber collected 11 points, 13 rebounds and a season-high five blocks. Micah Peavy had 13 points for the Hoyas (12-3, 3-1), who saw their five-game winning streak end.

No. 14 Mississippi State 76, Vanderbilt 64

The Bulldogs won their Southeastern Conference road opener at the Commodores in Nashville, Tenn.

RJ Melendez (19 points), Cameron Matthews (16) and Claudell Harris Jr. (13) led the Bulldogs (14-1, 2-0 SEC) in scoring.

AJ Hoggard (18), Grant Huffman (12) and Tyler Nickel (10) paced the Commodores (13-2, 1-1) in points. The Bulldogs held Jason Edwards, Vanderbilt’s leading scorer (18.3 points per game), scoreless on 0-of-8 shooting in 11 minutes. Edwards played through a thigh contusion suffered on Saturday at LSU.

Arizona 75, No. 21 West Virginia 56

Sophomore KJ Lewis came off the bench to score a career-high 21 points as the visiting Wildcats toppled the Mountaineers in Morgantown, W.Va.

Jaden Bradley provided 15 points and five assists while Anthony Dell’Orso added 10 points for Arizona (9-5, 3-0 Big 12), which won its fifth straight and avenged a loss to West Virginia six weeks ago in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.

The Wildcats took an early lead and held it throughout to snap a seven-game winning streak for the Mountaineers (11-3, 2-1), who were ranked in Monday’s AP Top 25 poll for the first time since December 2022. Big 12 scoring leader Javon Small produced 17 points, six rebounds and five assists for West Virginia.

No. 24 Michigan 94, No. 22 UCLA 75

Tre Donaldson’s hot 3-point shooting helped the Wolverines recover after coughing up an 18-point lead to knock off the Bruins in Los Angeles.

Donaldson went 6 of 10 from long range en route to a career-high 20 points. The Wolverines (12-3, 4-0 Big Ten) also had plenty of interior scoring contributions thanks to Vladislav Goldin, particularly in the first half. Goldin made nine of his first 10 field-goal attempts and scored 21 of his career-high 36 points in the first half.

Sebastian Mack and Tyler Bilodeau each scored 17 points for UCLA, which dropped its second straight Big Ten decision. Eric Dailey Jr. added 13 points and Kobe Johnson finished with 12.

No. 25 Utah State 85, San Jose State 78

Mason Falslev scored 17 points and helped the Aggies stave off a Spartans rally for a road win in the Mountain West Conference matchup.

Tucker Anderson added 15 points, Ian Martinez had 14, Deyton Albury 13 and Karson Templin 10 to help the newly ranked Aggies (15-1, 5-0 MW) win their fifth straight game.

Donavan Yap led all scorers with 22 points and Latrell Davis added 20 off the bench for the Spartans (7-10, 0-5), who lost their fourth game in a row.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

NO. 1 UCLA DOMINATES PURDUE TO IMPROVE TO 16-0

Lauren Betts posted 17 points and seven rebounds to guide No. 1 UCLA to an easy 83-49 win over host Purdue on Tuesday in West Lafayette, Ind.

The win helped the Bruins (16-0, 5-0 Big Ten) match their best start to a season in program history. They began the 2019-20 campaign with 16 straight wins as well.

Betts was her usual self, as she’s scored in double figures in every game this season. Timea Gardiner added 16 points off the UCLA bench, making 6 of 8 shots overall and 4 of 5 from the 3-point arc in her best performance since November.

Kiki Rice and Janiah Barker each added 11 points for the Bruins. Elina Aarnisalo had a team-high seven assists off the bench.

The only double-figure scorer for Purdue (7-8, 0-4) was Destini Lombard, who scored 16. Rashunda Jones added eight points and seven assists.

UCLA raced out to a 29-13 lead after one quarter and a 44-19 advantage at halftime. The Boilermakers could only try to play catch-up the rest of the night, trailing by as many as 37 points.

NBA NEWS

REPORT: GRIZZLIES AMONG TEAMS TOLD NOT TO TRADE FOR BUTLER

Jimmy Butler may be unable to choose where the Miami Heat will trade him, but he can influence where they won’t.

The Memphis Grizzlies are one of multiple teams that have been advised not to make the Heat an offer for the veteran, sources told NBA insider Chris Haynes.

Butler has leverage regarding his future as his contract contains a $52.4-million player option for next season, which he said he intends not to exercise to enter free agency in the summer. That presents a risk for teams interested in meeting Miami’s trade demands but unable to agree on an extension with Butler.

Memphis possesses multiple tradable contracts that could offset Butler’s incoming $48.8-million salary in a swap while bringing in a third All-Star-caliber player alongside core duo Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. The Grizzlies sit third in the Western Conference and seven games behind the No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder.

In exchange for Butler, Miami could request a combination of established names from Memphis, including Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, or Brandon Clarke. That would allow the Heat to flesh out the depth around their other top scorers, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, helping keep them competitive in the East.

RAPTORS WAIVE JOURNEYMAN C BRUNO FERNANDO

The Toronto Raptors waived center Bruno Fernando on Tuesday, bringing their roster to 14, including three two-way players.

Fernando, 26, played in 17 games (two starts) this season after signing as a free agent in the summer. He averaged 3.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 8.6 minutes per game.

A Maryland product, Fernando was a second-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He has appeared in 220 games (21 starts) with four franchises and has career averages of 4.0 points and 3.2 rebounds.

NBA ROUNDUP: TRAE YOUNG, HAWKS STUN JAZZ ON HALF-COURT SHOT

Trae Young hit a half-court 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Atlanta Hawks a 124-121 win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday in Salt Lake City.

The Jazz tied the game with four seconds left on a 24-foot trey by Collin Sexton. Atlanta, which had no timeouts remaining, inbounded the ball to Young, who cashed in on his heave from midcourt. The shot was reviewed and ruled good.

Young finished with 24 points — 10 in the fourth quarter — and 20 assists to help Atlanta end a three-game losing streak. The Hawks also got 18 points, six rebounds and three blocks from Clint Capela and 17 points from De’Andre Hunter.

Utah was led by Lauri Markkanen, who matched his season high with 35 points. Sexton added 24 points, and Walker Kessler had 21 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.

Celtics 118, Nuggets 106

Jayson Tatum had 29 points, Kristaps Porzingis finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds and visiting Boston beat short-handed Denver.

Jrue Holiday scored 19 points and Jaylen Brown contributed 14 for the Celtics, who used a strong fourth quarter to break open a close game.

Russell Westbrook scored 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Denver, which played without reigning MVP Nikola Jokic (illness) and forward Aaron Gordon. Jamal Murray and Julian Strawther each scored 19 points.

Hornets 115, Suns 104

LaMelo Ball pumped in 32 points and Charlotte snapped a 10-game losing streak by beating visiting Phoenix.

Ball added 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals. He had help from Miles Bridges with 21 points, Nick Richards with 15 points and 12 rebounds and Brandon Miller with 13 points.

Devin Booker tried to keep the Suns in the game with 39 points, marking his highest scoring output since November. Kevin Durant had 26 points and Bradley Beal, in his second straight game coming off the bench, finished with 10 for Phoenix, which has lost five of its past six games.

Rockets 135, Wizards 112

Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun combined for 36 points during a runaway third quarter and Houston erased an early double-digit deficit to beat host Washington.

Green scored 22 of his game-high 29 points while Sengun added 14 points in the Rockets’ 40-point third. For the game, Fred VanVleet added 19 points, 12 assists and four steals, and Amen Thompson chipped in 20 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Sengun totaled 26 points, 10 boards and six assists.

Corey Kispert scored 23 points and Jones Valanciunas added 18 for Washington, which got just 45 points from its starters as it fell to 5-15 at home.

Mavericks 118, Lakers 97

Quentin Grimes scored a game-high 23 points off the bench, hitting six 3-pointers, to help Dallas beat visiting Los Angeles.

Grimes also had nine rebounds while P.J. Washington had 22 points and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 19 as the Mavericks snapped a five-game losing streak.

Anthony Davis led Los Angeles with 21 points and 12 boards, while LeBron James collected 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Timberwolves 104, Pelicans 97

Anthony Edwards scored 32 points and visiting Minnesota spoiled Zion Williamson’s return by defeating New Orleans.

Julius Randle scored 16 points and Naz Reid had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves.

Dejounte Murray scored 29 points in his first game with Williamson, who scored 22 points in his return from a 27-game absence due to a strained hamstring. Williamson added six rebounds, four assists and three steals in 28 minutes.

Heat 114, Warriors 98

Nikola Jovic led a balanced attack with 20 points and Miami won a 3-point shooting duel on tired legs for a win over Golden State on Tuesday night in San Francisco.

Duncan Robinson did all of his scoring from beyond the arc, going 4-for-5 from deep, as the Heat, coming off a double-overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings one night earlier, outscored Golden State 48-42 on 3-pointers despite taking 10 fewer attempts.

Stephen Curry knocked down eight 3-pointers in 17 attempts on the way to a game-high 31 points for the Warriors, who completed a 3-3 homestand with a second consecutive loss.

HOCKEY NEWS

NHL ROUNDUP: JETS’ CONNOR HELLEBUYCK EARNS 300TH WIN

Connor Hellebuyck made 26 saves to win his 300th career game as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the visiting Nashville Predators 5-2 on Tuesday.

Morgan Barron, Josh Morrissey, Kyle Connor, Gabriel Vilardi and Nino Niederreiter were the goal scorers for Winnipeg. Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry each added two assists, while Dylan DeMelo, Ville Heinola and Nikolaj Ehlers each had one assist.

Roman Josi recorded a goal and an assist for Nashville, while Filip Forsberg also scored. Jonathan Marchessault and Vinnie Hinostroza contributed assists. Juuse Saros made 26 stops.

Luke Evangelista suffered an apparent leg injury from a hit by the Jets’ Neal Pionk. He left the game late in the first period and did not return. Nashville next saw Steven Stamkos leave the bench with his final shift coming with 12:19 left in the second period due to an undisclosed injury. He also did not return.

Lightning 3, Hurricanes 2

Brayden Point netted a dazzling game-winning goal in the final minute of regulation as Tampa Bay snapped a four-game losing streak against visiting Carolina.

Brandon Hagel hit the net and Nick Paul reached double figures in goals with his first power-play tally of the season. Darren Raddysh recorded two assists as the Lightning recorded their second win over Carolina to win the season series. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 30 saves to break a personal two-game losing streak and won for the fourth time in the past six starts (4-1-1) vs. the Hurricanes.

Carolina’s Jordan Staal notched a goal and an assist and Andrei Svechnikov scored as the team fell to 2-2-1 in its past five matches. Pyotr Kochetkov had 31 saves. Defenseman Brent Burns posted an assist as he played his 884th consecutive game, climbing into a tie with Steve Larmer for sixth place on the NHL’s all-time Iron Man streak.

Oilers 4, Bruins 0

Adam Henrique scored in each of the first two periods and Connor McDavid netted a breakaway goal to lead visiting Edmonton past Boston.

Henrique scored the only goal Edmonton needed at 6:33 of the first period before adding another in the second to ensure the team’s fourth consecutive win and 15th in 19 games (15-3-1). Viktor Arvidsson also scored for the Oilers, while Brett Kulak had two assists.

Stuart Skinner made 26 saves but shared the shutout with Calvin Pickard after taking a hit on Nikita Zadorov’s hard net drive with 5:25 left in the opening frame. Pickard did not have to make a save before Skinner returned to start the second. Jeremy Swayman made 35 saves for Boston, which was shut out for the fifth time and fell to 0-4-1 in its last five games.

Wild 6, Blues 4

Matt Boldy scored the go-ahead goal with 16:03 left in the third period, and Minnesota rallied to beat St. Louis in Saint Paul, Minn.

Jake Middleton and Marcus Johansson each finished with a goal and an assist for Minnesota, which has won four in a row and six of its last seven. Zach Bogosian, Jon Merrill and Joel Eriksson Ek also scored, while Mats Zuccarello and Ryan Hartman each had two assists. Marc-Andre Fleury entered the game in the second period and stopped all 15 shots he faced. He relieved Filip Gustavsson, who allowed four goals on 18 shots.

Jordan Kyrou scored his team-high 18th goal for St. Louis, which has lost two straight games by the same score. Pavel Buchnevich, Jake Neighbours and Robert Thomas added one goal apiece, and Dylan Holloway and Justin Faulk both chipped in a pair of assists. Jordan Binnington gave up five goals on 25 shots.

Blue Jackets 4, Penguins 3 (SO)

Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko each scored in the shootout as Columbus rallied to snap a 15-game winless skid in Pittsburgh.

Johnson beat Tristan Jarry between the pads in the first round of the shootout and Marchenko did the same in the third to end the game. Columbus’ Dmitri Voronkov scored twice and Adam Fantilli converted from the slot to forge a 3-3 tie with 2:36 remaining in the third. Marchenko had two assists and Elvis Merzlikins made 20 saves for the Blue Jackets, who recorded their first win in the Steel City since Nov. 13, 2015.

Pittsburgh’s Rickard Rakell scored twice in the third period to reach the 20-goal plateau for the fifth time in his career. Michael Bunting scored his career-high eighth power-play goal of the season and captain Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson each notched two assists. Jarry turned aside 26 shots for the Penguins, who extended their winless streak to four games (0-1-3).

Red Wings 3, Senators 2 (OT)

Patrick Kane scored an overtime goal with 2:39 left as Detroit won its fifth straight game by defeating road-weary Ottawa.

Dylan Larkin, who scored in the first period, won a faceoff in Detroit’s offensive zone and passed it behind him to Kane, who easily snapped the power-play game-winner past Anton Forsberg. Alex Lyon started in goal but suffered an upper-body injury during the first period. Cam Talbot replaced him, and they combined for 31 saves.

Thomas Chabot and Brady Tkachuk scored in regulation for Ottawa. Forsberg made 30 saves. The Senators have lost five of their last six (1-4-1). Ottawa wrapped up its nine-game road trip, the longest in franchise history.

Stars 5, Rangers 4 (OT)

Jamie Benn scored a power-play goal 2:17 into overtime as Dallas ran its winning streak to five games by rallying from an early three-goal deficit for a victory over host New York.

Thomas Harley scored the game-tying goal with 2:39 remaining in regulation, and Benn kept the winning streak alive when he went to the front of the net and re-directed a pass from Jason Robertson. Robertson scored in the second period for the Stars, while Matt Duchene and Evgenii Dadonov scored in the first to start the comeback.

Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere scored two goals apiece as the Rangers dropped to 6-16-1 over their past 23 games. Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger made 21 saves while Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick allowed five goals on 39 shots.

Flames 3, Ducks 2 (OT)

Jonathan Huberdeau scored the overtime winner and MacKenzie Weegar collected one goal and one assist as visiting Calgary claimed an overtime victory over Anaheim.

Nazem Kadri also scored for the Flames, who had their moms on a road trip to Southern California that also includes a clash with the Los Angeles Kings. Joel Hanley collected a pair of assists and goaltender Dustin Wolf made 26 saves in an excellent goaltending battle.

The Flames have won nine consecutive visits to Anaheim and are on a 12-2-1 run against the Ducks. Alex Killorn and Mason McTavish scored for the Ducks, who were without top scorer Troy Terry due to the pending birth of a child. Goalie John Gibson stopped 30 shots.

Golden Knights 4, Sharks 2

Mark Stone had a goal and an assist as visiting Vegas continued its dominance of San Jose Sharks with a victory.

Zach Whitecloud, Victor Olofsson and Tomas Hertl also scored goals and Shea Theodore added two assists for Vegas, which won its third straight game and for the ninth time in 10 games. The Golden Knights, who lead the NHL with 59 points, improved to 27-2-5 all-time against the Sharks, including 14-0-3 in San Jose.

Ilya Samsonov made 20 saves to win his sixth consecutive start for Vegas. William Eklund had a goal and an assist and Timothy Liljegren also scored for San Jose, which had a two-game win streak snapped. Alexandar Georgiev finished with 38 saves.

Maple Leafs 3, Flyers 2

Matthew Knies scored the go-ahead goal in the third period as Toronto skated to a victory over host Philadelphia.

Auston Matthews added a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs, giving him seven points in three games since returning from an upper-body injury. Joseph Woll made 30 saves, while John Tavares chipped in with a goal and an assist for the visitors.

The Maple Leafs have won five in a row. They swept this week’s home-and-home series with the Flyers after posting a 3-2 overtime victory north of the border on Sunday. Travis Konecny scored twice in this one for Philadelphia, which has lost four of its last five games. Ivan Fedotov finished with 14 saves for the hosts.

BASEBALL NEWS

REPORTS: A’S DH BRENT ROOKER SIGNS 5-YEAR, $60M EXTENSION

Designated hitter Brent Rooker and the Athletics reached a five-year, $60 million contract extension, multiple media outlets reported.

The New York Post reported on Monday night that the deal includes a $10 million signing bonus and can be worth $92 million over six years provided incentives are reached.

Rooker, 30, struggled to find his footing with three different teams before joining the Athletics in 2023. He made the All-Star Game in that season while batting .246 with 30 homers and 69 RBIs in 137 games.

Rooker followed that up by hitting .293 with 39 homers and 112 RBIs in 145 games.

The A’s haven’t been shy about signing sizable contracts this summer, notably a three-year deal for $67 million with right-hander Luis Severino. They also acquired left-hander Jeffrey Springs in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.

REPORTS: GIANTS SIGN RHP JUSTIN VERLANDER TO 1-YEAR DEAL

Three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander is in agreement with the San Francisco Giants on a one-year contract pending a physical, ESPN and other outlets reported Tuesday night.

The deal will be for $15 million, ESPN reported.

Verlander, who will turn 42 before the season, will join his fourth major league club and embark on a 20th season in the majors, while San Francisco fills out its starting rotation with an experienced right-hander.

Verlander won the American League Cy Young in 2011, 2019 and 2022 – the first during his 13-year run with the Detroit Tigers and the latter two while pitching for the Houston Astros.

After starting 2023 with the New York Mets, he was sent back to the Astros at the trade deadline and finished out his contract in 2024. He made just 17 starts due to shoulder and neck injuries and pitched to a 5.48 ERA with a 5-6 record, 74 strikeouts and 27 walks.

Verlander’s option for 2025 did not vest because he did not pitch the requisite number of innings, making him a free agent.

Verlander is the active major league leader in career innings pitched (3,415 2/3), starts (526), wins (262), losses (147) and strikeouts (3,416). The 2011 AL Most Valuable Player and two-time World Series champ has a career 3.30 ERA and 1.125 WHIP.

GOLF NEWS

LIV GOLF FEATURES 6 U.S. STOPS OVER 14-TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

The 2025 LIV Golf schedule, announced Tuesday, will take the circuit to nine countries and six new venues, including a first-time location for the season-ending team championship.

The final four events of the 14-tournament schedule were revealed Tuesday and will be played at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City on April 25-27, Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Va., on June 6-8, and The Cardinal at Saint John’s Resort in Plymouth, Mich., for the team championship on Aug. 22-24.
LIV Golf also will return to the Blue Monster at Trump National Doral in Miami from April 4-6.

“Our global calendar continues to expand with a focus on playing the very best golf courses and delivering a unique and memorable experience for fans,” said Ross Hallett, LIV Golf’s executive vice president and head of events. “The 2025 slate features courses that have hosted multiple Presidents Cups, the Ryder Cup, and the Solheim Cup, where team golf has shined.”

“We have a strong blend of historic venues rich with tradition, and contemporary clubs establishing new traditions of their own, and this season will be another incredible showcase for the LIV Golf League, our teams, and our players,” Hallett added.

The LIV Golf schedule tees off at Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 6-8.

The tour will then play tournaments at The Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia, on Feb. 14-16; Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling, Hong Kong, on March 7-9; and Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore on March 14-16.

LIV Golf will also have international tournaments at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon, South Korea, on May 2-4; Real Club Valderrama in Sotogrande, Spain, on July 11-13; and JCB Golf and Country Club in Uttoxeter, England, on July 25-27.

Other stops in the United States include a return to Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas, on June 27-29; Bolingbrook Golf Club in Illinois on Aug. 8-10 and The Club at Chatham Hills in Westfield, Ind., on Aug. 15-17.

TOP INDIANA RELEASES/NEWS HEADLINES

COLTS NEWS

COLTS SIGN LB JACOB PHILLIPS TO RESERVE/FUTURE CONTRACT

Indianapolis – The Indianapolis Colts today signed linebacker Jacob Phillips to a reserve/future contract.

Phillips, 6-3, 228 pounds, has played in 20 career games (eight starts) in his time with the Houston Texans (2024) and Cleveland Browns (2020-23). He has compiled 87 tackles (57 solo), 5.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, five passes defensed and one special teams stop. Phillips has also played in two postseason contests and has tallied five tackles (four solo). He was originally selected by the Browns in the third round (97th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft out of LSU.

INDIANA PACERS NEWS

GAME PREVIEW: PACERS VS BULLS

The Pacers (19-18) will look to stay unbeaten in 2025 when they host the Chicago Bulls (17-19) on Wednesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Indiana has won three straight games to start the new year and is coming off a 113-99 victory over the Nets on Monday night in Brooklyn. Tyrese Haliburton led the Blue & Gold with 23 points and eight assists.

Haliburton has gotten off to a great start in 2025, making a strong case for a third straight All-Star selection over the Pacers’ three-game win streak. He has led the team scoring in all three victories and is averaging 27.7 points and 10.3 assists while going 15-for-32 (46.9 percent) from 3-point range during the win streak. The Pacers are 12-2 on the year when Haliburton scores 20 or more points.

The Bulls enter Wednesday’s contest having won two straight and four of their last five. Chicago has an up-tempo offense that ranks third in the NBA in pace and second in 3-point attempts, hoisting 43.9 shots per game from beyond the arc. The Bulls are fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 117.8 points per game.

Zach LaVine nearly registered a triple-double in Monday’s 114-110 win over San Antonio, tallying 35 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. LaVine has scored 30 or more points in three straight and seven of his last eight games. On the season, he is averaging 23.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 44.7 percent from 3-point range.

In addition to LaVine, the Pacers will be concerned with Nikola Vucevic and Coby White. Vucevic averages 20.5 points and 10.2 rebounds from the center position, while White is averaging 18.5 points and 4.6 assists and shoots over eight threes a game, knocking them down at a 37.3-percent clip.

Projected Starters

Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Bennedict Mathurin, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Myles Turner

Nets: G – Josh Giddey, G – Coby White, F – Zach LaVine, F – Patrick Williams, C – Nikola Vucevic

Injury Report

Pacers: Isaiah Jackson – out (torn right Achilles tendon), Aaron Nesmith – out (left ankle sprain), James Wiseman – out (torn left Achilles tendon)

Bulls: TBA

Last Meeting

Dec. 6, 2024: The Pacers bested the Bulls 132-123 in a 3-point shootout in Chicago. The win snapped an eight-game road losing streak for Indiana and was the Pacers’ first victory away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse since Nov. 4.

The Blue & Gold got contributions from up and down the lineup on Friday, as all nine players who saw the floor scored at least five points and six players scored 15 or more. The Pacers shot 55.9 percent from the field and 62.1 percent from 3-point range, going 18-for-29 from beyond the arc.

They needed nearly every one of those threes, as the Bulls went 21-for-50 (42 percent) from 3-point range on the other end.

Tyrese Haliburton led Indiana with 23 points and eight assists, going 9-for-17 from the field and 5-for-9 from 3-point range. Pascal Siakam added 21 points and seven boards.

Zach LaVine led all scorers with 32 points, going 12-for-22 from the field and 5-for-9 from 3-point range. Coby White added 19 points and nine assists for Chicago.

Noteworthy

The Bulls won both games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse last season and have won six of their last eight road games against the Pacers.

Myles Turner needs two blocks on Wednesday to pass Terry Tyler (1,342 career blocks) for 48th place in NBA history.

Former Pacers big man Jalen Smith signed with Chicago this summer after two-and-a-half seasons with Indiana. He is one of three former Pacers on the Bulls along with Chris Duarte (who played for Indiana from 2021-2023) and Torrey Craig (2021-22).

Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)

FanDuel Sports Network – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)

INDY IGNITE VOLLEYBALL

INDY IGNITE ANNOUNCE SELLOUT FOR PRO VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION FRANCHISE’S FIRST MATCH

FISHERS, Ind. – It’s official! The Indy Ignite will make their Pro Volleyball Federation debut in front of a sellout crowd at Fishers Event Center.

Ignite officials announced today that all tickets for Saturday’s season opener against Orlando at the 7,500-seat arena have been purchased. It promises to be an electric debut for the PVF’s newest franchise in front of an energetic home fan base.

“That we were able to completely sell out Fishers Event Center four days before our first match is a prime example of the grassroots support behind Indy Ignite and a testament to the fact that Indiana absolutely is a volleyball state,” said Mary Kay Huse, President and General Manager, Indy Ignite. “Anyone who didn’t get tickets to Saturday’s game won’t have long to wait—the Ignite’s next home game is January 16! And for those who did, we’re beyond excited to welcome you to the first Indy Ignite experience!”

There’s still good news for fans unable to procure tickets to the 2025 season opener. The match will air live locally on WRTV beginning at 7 p.m. ET, as well as on the PVF’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@realprovb). Jack Kizer will handle play-by-play duties, with Brea Lassek as the match analyst.

Live match statistics and play-by-play are available for all Ignite matches by going to the PVF website (provolleyball.com), clicking on the “Schedule” tab at the top of the page and then clicking on “Stats” for the desired match. Final match box scores will also be available through the same links.

The opening-night match is the first of 28 for the Ignite in their inaugural PVF season. Saturday’s activities kick off from 5-6 p.m. with the Indy Ignite Homecoming Bonfire Presented by Lilly, an event free to the public at the Forum Credit Union Plaza at Fishers District in front of Fishers Event Center. Fans – even those without game tickets – will be treated to a pre-match fan fest that includes a bonfire, s’mores, hot chocolate, DJ and a heated tent to celebrate this historic night in Indiana volleyball annals.

PVF has also released its national broadcast schedule in partnership with CBS and FOX Sports.

The Ignite will appear at least six times nationally on the two networks:

January 18 at Columbus, CBS Sports Network, 10:30 p.m. ET (tape delay)
February 2 vs. Columbus, FS2, 6 p.m.
February 8 at Orlando, FS2, 7 p.m.
February 16 at Atlanta, CBS Sports Network, 6 p.m.
February 27 vs. Vegas, FS2, 8 p.m.
March 22 at Omaha, FS1, 7 p.m.

In addition, Indy is playing host to the PVF All-Star Match that airs live on the national CBS network at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, February 22. It will be the first all-star match in league history and the first pro volleyball match to air on CBS’ main over-the-air network. Follow the Indy Ignite all season and purchase tickets for future matches at IndyIgniteVB.com.

INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

IU BEGINS ROAD SWING AT NORTHWESTERN

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana hits the road for a pair of games starting at Northwestern on Wednesday evening. Tipoff at Welsh-Ryan Arena is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.

GAME DAY INFO

Indiana (10-4, 2-1 B1G) at Northwestern

Wednesday, January 8, 2025 • 8 p.m. ET

Welsh-Ryan Arena • Evanston, Ill.

Broadcast: B1G+

Radio: B97 (Austin Render)

Live Stats: Statbroadcast

Social Media: Facebook | X | Instagram

ABOUT THE COACHES

Indiana Northwestern

Teri Moren Joe McKeown

Career Record: 435-233 (22nd Season) Career Record: 775-422 (39th Season)

Indiana Record: 236-102 (11th Season) Northwestern Record: 266-248 (17th Season)

ABOUT THE WILDCATS

Northwestern is looking for its first Big Ten win of the season and are coming off a 92-62 loss at No. 10 Ohio State on Sunday. Senior forward Caileigh Walsh is back in action for the Wildcats, who averages a team-high 11.2 points per game. Senior guard Melannie Daley adds 10.8 points per game off the bench while junior forward Grace Sullivan shoots 51.9 percent from the floor for 10.7 points per game.

SERIES HISTORY

Indiana leads 43-39

LAST MEETING

2/17/24 – W, 84-64 (Evanston, Ill.)

NOTES

Indiana has owned the series in recent years with the Wildcats, holding five-straight victories headed into Wednesday night’s contest. The Hoosiers have swept Northwestern in the series in the last two seasons and the win streak dates back to the 2020-21 season.

Junior guard Yarden Garzon paces IU as its leading scorer through 14 games, averaging 14.4 points per game and has scored in double digits 12 times. Early in her junior season, the Ra’anana, Israel native has made a team-high 37 3-pointers and shoots 37.8 percent from long range. The 2025 Cheryl Miller Award preseason honoree is shooting an overall 40.7 percent from the field and is one of IU’s best free throw shooters at 94.3 percent.

IU hosted the nation’s top ranked team for the first time in 30 years in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Saturday when it fell to UCLA, 73-62. Despite going toe-to-toe with the Bruins for much of the game, a second-quarter slump was something the Hoosiers could overcome in the end. They scored just five points in the frame while only being outscored by two in the other three periods. Three scored in double figures behind 19 points from junior guard Yarden Garzon.

The program is now just one win shy of marking the 900th victory in school history.

UP NEXT

The Hoosiers remain on the road and head to Iowa City to battle the Hawkeyes on Saturday. Tipoff at Carver Hawkeye Arena is slated for 3 p.m. ET on Peacock.

INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL

INDIANA BASKETBALL GAME NOTES – GAME 16 VS. USC

Opening Tip

• Indiana University continues Big Ten Conference play in its 125th season of competition in men’s basketball against USC at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The game will carry a BTN broadcast with Kevin Kugler (pxp) and Robbie Hummel (analyst) on the call.

• The Trojans enter the game with a record of 9-5 (1-2 Big Ten) in their debut season in the Big Ten under first-year head coach Eric Musselman. Junior guard Desmond Claude leads USC in scoring at 14.9 points per game. Graduate senior wing Chibuzo Agbo adds 12.8 points per outing and had knocked down a team-best 34 3-pointers this season.

Game Information

Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 • 7 p.m. ET

Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) • Bloomington, Ind.

TV: BTN (Kevin Kugler, Robbie Hummel)

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

Series History: Series tied, 2-2

Last Meeting: IU 85, USC 60 on March 18, 1974, in St. Louis

Series History

• Indiana will host USC for the first time in program history. The first three games of the series were all played in Los Angeles before the two sides met in the 1974 Collegiate Commissioners Association Tournament title game. IU prevailed by a score of 85-60 on March 18, 1974, in St. Louis.

• Two-time All-American Steve Green led the way for the Hoosiers with 24 points in the victory. Tournament MVP and 1977 No. 1 overall pick Kent Benson added 17 points and Indiana ‘super sub’ John Laskowski chipped in 15 points.

Last Time Out

• Sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo compiled his second-straight double-double with game highs in points (25) and rebounds (13) to go along with three assists and two blocks in a 77-71 win against Penn State on Sunday, Jan. 5, at the Palestra in Philadelphia

• Sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako ignited the Indiana offense with a personal 8-0 run to open the second half. He knocked down a pair of 3-point field goals during the stretch. He finished with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor and 4-of-8 from behind the 3-point line.

•The Hoosiers knocked down nine triples in the contest, the third-straight game with at least eight made 3-pointers against Big Ten opponents. The defense held Penn State to 3-of-21 (14.3%) from behind the arc.

Mack on the Attack

• Sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako is averaging 14.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 49.0% (76-of-155) from the field, 42.4% (28-of-66) from behind the arc, and 86.1% (31-of-36) from the line.

• The Gladstone, N.J., native is one of five Big Ten players (Brice Williams, Nebraska; Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois; Fletcher Loyer, Purdue; Braden Smith, Purdue) to average at least 14.0 points per game while shooting above 40.0% from the 3-point line and 85.0% from the free throw line this season.

Big Fella Ballo

• Sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo is averaging 13.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.9 blocks per contest and is shooting 66.7% (70-of-105) from the floor. He is one of two high-major conference players (Johni Broome, Auburn) to average at least 13.0 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.

• Ballo is one of five active players to score 1,400 career points and grab 1,000 career rebounds. He joins Hunter Dickinson (Kansas), Johni Broome (Auburn), Norchad Omier (Baylor), and Nelly Junior Joseph (New Mexico) on the exclusive list.

• The 7-footer ranks second among Big Ten players (Danny Wolf, Michigan) and 21st nationally in boards per game. Ballo has strung together seven games with double-digit boards, including a season-high 18 against Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 6.

• The former Gonzaga Bulldog and Arizona Wildcat holds a career winning percentage of 84.2% in 146 career games.

Going the Extra Myles

• Over his last five games, redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice is averaging 14.4 points on 43.1% (25-of-58) shooting from the floor to pair with 3.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.2 steals per contest. He has scored 20-plus points twice in that span.

• 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.

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 27 career games, including six contests this season.

• Galloway has made 16-of-39 shots (41.0%) from behind the 3-point line this season. He has made at least three triples in four of Indiana’s last nine games.

Myles Rice, Indiana Outlast Ace Bailey, Rutgers

• 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. Rutgers freshman forward Ace Bailey finished the game with 39 points on 16-of-29 shooting.

• 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.

PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

PURDUE FALLS TO NO. 1 UCLA AT MACKEY ARENA

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Facing a ranked Big Ten opponent for the fourth straight game, the Purdue women’s basketball team fell 83-49 to No. 1 UCLA on Tuesday night in Mackey Arena.

Purdue (7-8, 0-4) was led offensively by Destini Lombard’s 13th game in double figures. The fifth year scored 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers.

The Boilermakers picked up 27 points from the bench. McKenna Layden turned in a career high in scoring with eight points in a career-high 27 minutes of action. The sophomore added four rebounds, an assist and a steal. Rashunda Jones tallied eight points and a career-high seven assists on the night.

The Boilermakers finished the night with a 33.3% clip from the field and went 6-of-18 from behind the arc. Layden, Lombard and Sophie Swanson evenly split the 3-pointers.

After a slow start in the first half, Purdue was outscored by nine points over the final two quarters, while shooting 43.5% and connecting on five triples. Purdue dished out nine of their 13 helpers for the game in the second half.

The Bruins (16-0, 5-0) built up a 25-point lead at halftime behind a 61% shooting clip and making five of their first six 3-point attempts. After just four points in the first half with no made field goals, UCLA’s Lauren Betts scored 13 in the second half to hold off any comeback bid. Betts finished with a game-high 17 points, as four Bruins finished in double figures.

NOTES

• UCLA leads the all-time series 3-2.

• Purdue finished with six steals to UCLA’s four.

• The Boilermakers scored 10 points on 10 Bruin miscues, while the visitors recorded 15 points on 15 Purdue turnovers.

• Sophie Swanson connected on her 60th career 3-pointer.

• Freshman Kendall Puryear finished with a career-high two steals.

• The sophomore class scored 24 points, its third highest total of the year.

• Lombard now has 811 points in her career, 189 shy of the 1,000-point club.

UP NEXT

The Boilermakers will close out the two-game homestand against their fifth straight ranked Big Ten opponent when No. 25 Michigan visits Mackey Arena for a 2 p.m. tip on Saturday.

NOTRE DAME MEN’S BASKETBALL

WEDNESDAY WITH THE WOLFPACK

GAME 15: NOTRE DAME (7-7, 1-2)

OPPONENT: NC STATE (8-6, 1-2)

WHERE: RALEIGH, NC | LENOVO CENTER

WHEN: WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8 | 7 PM ET

WATCH: ESPNU

LISTEN: NOTRE DAME RADIO NETWORK

LIVE STATS: STATBROADCAST

SOCIAL: @NDMBB | #GOIRISH

RALEIGH – The Notre Dame men’s basketball squad heads to the state of North Carolina for a double dip of ACC basketball. The first will be NC State on Wednesday night inside the Lenovo Center. Then the Fighting Irish (7-7, 1-2) will make the short bus trip to Durham for #4/4 Duke on Saturday. The Irish will tip against the Wolfpack (8-6, 1-2) at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU on Jan. 8.

For starters, the Irish will look to take the lead in the overall series against the Wolfpack. The series is tied at 10-10, with both sides finding success on the road. ND is 6-3 in Raleigh.

Since Notre Dame joined the ACC in 2013, they are 6-7 against NC State. Out of those 13 matches, eight were decided by single digits. Five of those were decided by five points or less, including the last two matchups. Last year, DJ Burns made a last-second layup to give NC State a 54-52 victory inside Purcell Pavilion. Markus Burton was the lone Irish player in double figures with 18 points.

Next, the Irish in year two of Coach Shrewsberry want to prove they can win ACC road games. Last season, ND went 7-13 in league play with road wins at Georgia Tech and Louisville. Setting the new tone starts with NC State on Wednesday.

TAKING THE POSITIVE WITH THE NEGATIVE

Obviously, the negative last Saturday was that the North Carolina match did not end as planned. The Irish fought hard and erased a 12-point deficit to claim a three-point lead with under 20 seconds to go. That’s when Elliott Cadeau converted a four-point play to give UNC the eventual 74-73 win. The returning Markus Burton drove the length of the court with four seconds left but couldn’t convert a very tough contested driving layup.

But the positive is that the Irish will be back at full strength moving forward, and what a gutsy return it was for Burton. Playing in his first game back since injuring his knee against Rutgers on Nov. 26, the All-ACC guard registered 23 points in 23 minutes. Burton scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half. He shot 7-of-14 overall and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line.

Another positive was that during Burton’s absence, both Tae Davis and Braeden Shrewsberry stepped up their play and that carried over into the UNC game with Burton back on the court. Davis and Shrewsberry each 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.

GETTING OVER THE HUMP

A trend from year one of Shrewsberry that has carried over to year two is that these Irish will always fight. Yes, they have suffered back-to-back ACC losses but they erased double-digit deficits and had a chance for victory late in both – either up one possession or down one possession. At Georgia Tech, the Irish cut a 19-point deficit to three with under six minutes remaining, but a late 10-2 Yellow Jackets surge was the difference maker. And of course, we already covered the UNC game.

Last year, the Irish lost 13 ACC matches and if you throw out the lopsided UNC result, the average margin of defeat was just 8.0 points (with UNC it was 9.9). Now back at full strength, Coach Shrews and company look to turn some of those results in 2025. As Coach said to the media after UNC, “17 games is a lot of season left.”

THE TAE-KOVER

Tae Davis has balled out as of late, emerging as one of the top talents in the ACC. Scoring-wise, Davis had the fourth-best December in the ACC, averaging 20.0 ppg on last month. He’s produced 20+ points in three of the last four games – and even in the one he didn’t he still dropped 17 points against UNC.

Over the last four games, Tae is averaging 22.0 ppg on 56.6 percent shooting (30-53). He’s also averaged 6.5 rpg and 2.0 apg.

Furthermore, he’s ultimately riding a career-best eight straight games in double figures.

With all that said, Tae is now averaging a career-best 16.6 ppg, which ranks 10th in the ACC. More on Tae below.

EVOLVING

Before Vegas, Burton was the only player in the country averaging 20+ points, 5+ assists, and 5+ rebounds. When he went down, the Irish not only had to make up his 20+ points per game but also his ability to create shots for his teammates.

Three players in particular stepped up to fill the void. Both Tae Davis and Braeden Shrewsberry are posting career highs in both points per game and shooting percentage. Then there’s Matt Allocco who is on pace to have the highest assist-to-turnover ratio in program history.

Davis is averaging 16.6 ppg, which is up from last year’s 9.2 ppg. He boasts the third-best shooting percentage in the ACC at 52.7 percent. Diving deeper, he’s 57-of-85 (.671) at the rim.

Tae, who very much like Markus Burton, has this explosiveness and innate ability to attack the rim. He’s been using that to his advantage and getting to the foul line. He’s averaging 6.9 FD/40 which ranks 29th nationally according to KenPom. The Indy native ranks second in the league in FT attempts and fifth in makes. He’s shooting a career-best 75.3 percent from the stripe.

Next is Braeden Shrewsberry, who is averaging 16.1 ppg (11th in the ACC). He’s shooting 43.4 percent, which is up from last year’s 39.8. His 3.0 threes per game rank second in the league, while his .372 clip from three ranks fourth. In particular, Shrewsberry is hot from corner threes this year, knocking down 48.1 percent (13-for-27), which is 13.2 percent above the D1 average.

However, it’s important to point out that he’s added to his overall arsenal. He’s developed a dangerous floater that keeps defenders guessing. He’s shooting 46.9% from the paint and he’s 12-15 around the rim. He’s 52.6 percent overall from two.

Last but not least is grad transfer Matt Allocco. The 6-4 guard is averaging 10.0 ppg on 44.7 percent shooting from the floor and 46.3 percent from beyond the arc. His 3.6 assists per game rank 11th in the ACC.

Allocco owns a 3.6 assist-to-turnover ratio which ranks 10th in the nation and second in the ACC. It’s obviously way too early for comparisons, BUT, the highest A/TO ratio in program history for a season was 3.16 by Martin Inglesby back in 2000-01.

NOTRE NOTABLES

Notre Dame’s three-point percentage defense sits at .301 which ranks 4th in the ACC.

According to Haslam Metrics, Notre Dame’s mid-range percentage vs. the average opponent (.477) ranks 24th nationally – the highest its been since the 2014-15 season.

Freshman guard Sir Mohammed made his return from injury in the Georgia Tech game on Dec. 31. He had been out since the second game of the season back on Nov. 11.

Tae Davis and Braeden Shrewsberry are averaging 19.7 and 17.7 ppg, respectfully, in ACC games.

PRESEASON ACCOLADES FOR BURTON

Point guard Markus Burton looks to continue his ascent in collegiate basketball for his sophomore season. He went from winning Mr. Indiana Basketball as a high school senior to stepping on his home court in Purcell Pavilion and making an immediate impact with the Irish. He won the 2024 ACC Freshman of the Year Award (the first ND player to do so) and also took home Third Team All-ACC honors.

Before the 2024-25 season has officially gotten underway, Burton has collected more awards/recognition. First, the ACC named him a Preseason First Team selection. Burton’s 17.5 ppg is the third highest returning scoring average in the ACC behind North Carolina’s RJ Davis (21.2) and Wake Forest’s Hunter Sallis (18.0 ppg).

Next, it was the Naismith Starting 5 – Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List. This prestigious award honors the best point guards in men’s college basketball and is presented by the Basketball Hall of Fame. Burton is the first Irish point guard to be named to the Bob Cousy Top-20 Preseason Watch List since Matt Farrell (2017-18 Watch List).

Shortly after, ESPN.com announced its top-100 players ahead of the 2024-25 season. Burton landed at No. 40. They stated: “(Burton) averaged 17.5 PPG as a freshman, finishing with 20 points or more in 11 games. If he can become a consistent threat from the 3-point line (30%), the All-ACC third team pick could mature into one of the expanded conference’s best players.”

Last but not least, the Naismith Trophy added Burton to their College Player of the Year Watch List. A total of 50 players were named to the preseason list.

NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

HIDALGO, MILES EARN WOODEN AWARD TOP 25 SPOTS

LOS ANGELES — The nation’s best backcourt is getting its midseason flowers.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced that Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles are on the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List. Selected by a poll of national college basketball experts, the list is composed of 25 student-athletes who are frontrunners for the nation’s most prestigious college basketball honors: the Wooden Award All-American Team and the Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player.

Hidalgo was a finalist for the Wooden Award last season and has picked up right where she left off. The sophomore guard ranks second nationally in both points per game (25.9) and steals per game (4.0). She is shooting 49.4 percent from the floor (11th in the ACC) and 45.7 percent from downtown (leads the ACC). She has made 37 treys this year.

When the lights shine the brightest, Hidalgo has shown out this season. Against five top-20 opponents on Notre Dame’s schedule this year, Hidalgo has averaged 26.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.4 steals per game.

After missing last season rehabbing a torn ACL, Miles is back and better than ever. A graduate student with junior eligibility, Miles is the only player in the nation averaging at least 16 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists per game (16.9/6.8/7.1). She leads the ACC with 7.1 assists per game.

The biggest improvement in Miles’ game since her return has come from beyond the arc. Entering this year, she shot 24.6 percent from deep in her career. She is shooting 47.8 from deep this year, which leads the ACC and ranks seventh nationally. Miles entered the season with one game with four triples under her belt. She has already done it four times this year, including sinking five triples at UNC on Sunday.

Miles was on the Wooden Award National Ballot for the 2022-23 season.

The next phase of the honor will be that National Ballot, which features 15 top players who have met or exceeded the qualifications for the award.

The winners and the All-Americans of the 2025 John R. Wooden Award will be honored at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Friday, April 11.

BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

BUTLER HOMESTAND STARTS WITH PROVIDENCE VISITING HINKLE FIELDHOUSE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT

The Butler women’s basketball team will return to action Wednesday night with a 7 p.m. tip against Providence. The contest starts a homestand for BU with four of their next five games coming at home.

Game Day

Date: Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Time: 7:00 PM ET

Location: Indianapolis, Ind. – Hinkle Fieldhouse

Live Stats: ButlerSports.com

Watch: FloSports.com – BEDN

Bulldog Bits

– Kilyn McGuff had 18 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in the setback to Marquette.

– McGuff leads the BIG EAST and ranks 17th in the nation in double-doubles (7).

– McGuff leads the team and ranks third in the conference in rebounds per game (8.1).

– McGuff has led Butler in rebounding 13 times this year, including in each of Butler’s last three games.

– Sydney Jaynes hit two 3-pointers at Marquette, helping her score 12 points.

– Jaynes is shooting 47 percent from 3-point range this year (8-17).

– Lily Carmody started for the first time this season at Marquette.

– Carmody had seven points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals vs. Marquette.

– There were nine ties and eight lead changes between Butler and Marquette.

– Butler led Marquette by one point with one minute remaining in the game.

– Butler outrebounded Marquette 38-32 last weekend.

– The Bulldogs lead the league in free throw attempts (19.6) and free throws made (13.4) per game.

– Butler shot 85.2 percent from the free throw line last week, making 23 of their 27 attempts.

– BU is third in the league in rebound margin (+3.2).

– Lily Carmody ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in steals, she averages 1.8 per game.

– Butler leads the BIG EAST in bench points per game (26.1).

– Cristen Carter has made more field goals this year (42 – 17 games) than all of last year (41 – 31 games).

– Carter needs eight rebounds to reach 200 in her career. She has 97 offensive and 95 defensive.

– Karsyn Norman will appear in her 50th game at Butler on Wednesday night.

BIG EAST Standings

Creighton 4-0, 12-3

Seton Hall 4-0, 12-3

UConn 3-0, 12-2

Marquette 2-1, 10-4

DePaul 2-1, 7-9

Villanova 1-1, 7-7

Georgetown 1-2, 8-6

Providence 1-3, 8-9

St. John’s 0-3, 10-4

Xavier 0-3, 5-9

Butler 0-4, 10-7

Scouting Providence

The Friars were picked third in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll, but sit at 1-3 in conference action after their first four BIG EAST matchups. They lost 51-40 at Seton Hall in their opener and stayed on the road to fall at #7 UConn on Dec. 29. Their first conference win was an overtime victory at home against St. John’s. They most recently took a 60-46 loss to Creighton on Jan. 4. The Friars are one of the best teams in the BIG EAST at defending the 3-point line. They also rank second in the league in blocks per game (4.5). Olivia Olsen averages 1.4 blocks per game to lead the team. She is also the second-best rebounder in the conference, collecting 8.2 boards per game. Grace Efosa is another Friar to keep an eye one. She averages 15.1 points per game and rarely leaves the court to average 35 minutes of playing time per contest.

All-Time Series

Providence holds a slim edge over Butler in the all-time series 13-12. These two teams met three times last year with the Friars winning two of the three. PC recorded a 10-point win at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Jan. 21, but the Bulldogs would get revenge at Alumni Hall with a 55-48 victory. The third meeting was in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament. The Friars moved on in the postseason tournament with a 75-60 victory at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Last Game vs. Providence

Providence and Butler met in the first round of the conference tournament last year with BU playing as the No. 8 seed and the Friars as the No. 9 seed. Caroline Strande scored a game-high 20 points, but the Friars dominated the action in the third quarter allowing them to record a 75-60 win. PC outscored BU 21-10 in the third and would end the game with four players scoring in double figures. PC shot 53 percent from the field and 66 percent from distance (10-15). Olivia Olsen had 16 points and 12 rebounds, Grace Efosa had 13 points and Brynn Farrell finished with 11. Ari Wiggins and Sydney Jaynes each had seven points for the Bulldogs. Cristen Carter and Riley Makalusky chipped in with six each.

Milestones for McGuff

Kilyn McGuff has made 300 field goals in her career and heads into the Providence game having made exactly 200 free throws. She’s still climbing towards 1,000 career points. After her double-double at Marquette, she sits at 907.

A Look at Last Week

Butler lost by four at Creighton and were edged by three points at Marquette. Kilyn McGuff had a double-double in each game, going for 15 points and 10 rebounds in Omaha before adding 18 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in Milwaukee. Sydney Jaynes and Lily Carmody were also important to Butler’s offense averaging 11.5 points per game.

A First for Butler Women’s Basketball

The Butler women’s basketball game against UConn set for Saturday, Feb. 22 is officially sold out! The final home game of the regular season will set a new program single-game attendance record with more than 9,000 fans expected to be at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Fast Start

Butler is 8-1 this year when leading at halftime and the Friars have held a lead or been tied with their opponent at halftime in 12 of their 17 games this year. Providence is 7-5 in those games.

Strande To Miss Rest of the Season

Caroline Strande left the Wisconsin game due to injury on Dec. 11 (ankle) and remained sidelined for the next two games. She returned to action against Seton Hall in the BIG EAST home opener on Dec. 29 and suffered a season-ending knee injury.

What’s Missing?

Caroline Strande and Jordan Meulemans provided Butler with 710 points last year. Strande led the team with her 15.1 scoring average and was recognized as a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection at the end of the 2023-24 campaign. She became the first Bulldog in program history to lead her team in points, rebounds and assists during the same season. Meulemans also suffered a knee injury before the start of the regular season. She made 61 3-pointers last year, shooting 42 percent from behind the arc.

Starting Lineup Shuffle

Seven different Bulldogs have started for Butler during the start of the conference season. Kilyn McGuff, Karsyn Norman and Lily Zeinstra are the only three to start in all four.

18 3-Pointers

The Bulldogs set a single-game program record against Saint Francis by hitting 18 3-pointers. Eight different players made at least one 3-pointer and no Bulldog made more than four. As a team, BU shot 56.3 percent from behind the arc, making 18 of their 32 attempts. The old record of 16 was reached two times previously. BU hit 16 3-pointers at Georgetown on Jan. 11, 2014 and the 2023-24 team matched that effort with 16 against St. Thomas in game two of the Tiger Turkey Tip-Off.

Schedule Swap

Three of Butler’s first four BIG EAST games were played on the road, but the Bulldogs will now host four of their next five opponents at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The only road game during that stretch is a short drive over to Cincinnati to play Xavier.

10 Wins

The Bulldogs reached 10 non-conference wins before the start of BIG EAST play for just the second time since joining conference. Butler went 6-2 in November and highlighted that stretch of action with a 56-46 home win over Indiana. The victory came in front of a record-setting crowd of 4,135 fans.

Up Next

Butler won’t play this weekend, giving them five days to prepare for Georgetown. The Hoyas visit Hinkle Fieldhouse on Tuesday, Jan. 14. Tip on FloSports.com will go up at 7 p.m.

BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL

BULLDOGS AND PROVIDENCE SET FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT TIP IN RHODE ISLAND

The Bulldogs return to the East Coast Wednesday night, traveling to Providence for a BIG EAST tip with the Friars. Butler enters the contest after dropping a 70-62 decision at St. John’s Saturday afternoon.

Butler (7-8, 0-4 BIG EAST) at Providence (7-8, 1-3)

Wednesday, Jan. 8 • 8:30PM

Amica Mutual Pavilion • Providence, R.I.

TV: Peacock • John Fanta & Tim Welsh

Audio: Varsity Network App, SiriusXM 381, XM App 971 & TuneIn • @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)

Quick Hits

• Patrick McCaffery posted his first double-double of the season (and the second of his career) with 13 points and 11 rebounds against St. John’s.

• Butler has had a player record a double-double in four straight games (McCaffery, Jahmyl Telfort twice, Andre Screen); four different Bulldogs have posted at least one double-double this season (Pierre Brooks II had one against Merrimack Nov. 22).

• Butler has lost seven straight games, which is the program’s longest skid since February, 2014. Butler’s schedule is currently ranked as the 17th-toughest nationally by KenPom.

• Butler held a 47-46 rebounding advantage over St. John’s as all eight Bulldogs who saw action pulled down at least three rebounds.

• The Bulldogs’ defense limited St. John’s to 1-for-21 shooting from three-point range (5 percent); it marked the eighth game this season that a Butler opponent has been held to less than 30-percent shooting from behind the arc.

• On the season, Butler’s opponents are shooting only 29.1 percent from three-point range, a defensive effort that leads the BIG EAST and is Top 40 nationally.

• After shooting better than 70 percent from the free throw line in 12 of the team’s first 13 games, Butler is a combined 21-for-43 (49 percent) from the charity stripe over the last two games. The past two games have dropped Butler’s free throw accuracy from 76.7 percent (43rd nationally at the time) to 73.4 percent (126th nationally currently).

• Butler’s average of 17.9 made free throws per game ranks 27th nationally. The Bulldogs attempt 24.3 free throws per game, which is 24th nationally.

• Butler’s 38.2-percent accuracy from three-point range ranks 30th in the country. Butler’s top three scorers (Telfort, Brooks, McCaffery) are shooting a combined 40.6 percent from three-point range.

• Butler committed a season-worst 21 turnovers at St. John’s; Butler had turned the ball over a total of 38 times over the previous five games (7.6 per game).

• Butler ranks 350th nationally in turnover margin (-4.6 per game) as the team generates only 3.5 steals per game (353rd nationally) and forces opponents into only 7.7 per game (which is 352nd nationally).

• Telfort played all 40 minutes Saturday at St. John’s; he leads the BIG EAST and is Top 30 nationally in minutes played at 35:34 per game; McCaffery (sixth) and Brooks (seventh) are also among the conference leaders.

• Telfort leads the BIG EAST in both free throws made (67) and is second in free throws attempted (86).

• Telfort’s season average of 15.8 points per game ranks ninth in the BIG EAST.

• Brooks is 11th in the BIG EAST in scoring at 14.8 points per game.

• McCaffery’s 41.8-percent accuracy from three-point range is 60th nationally. He has hit multiple three-pointers in 11 of the team’s games, including five twice.

• Screen enters Wednesday’s game just shy of a milestone with 997 career points.

• Screen is fifth in the BIG EAST at 1.7 blocks per game, while his 5.8 rebounds per game rank 13th.

• Kolby King made his first start in a Butler uniform Saturday at St. John’s; he had 4 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.

• The Bulldogs defeated Northwestern and No. 25 Mississippi State in taking the Arizona Tip-Off title over Thanksgiving.

Tough Slate

• KenPom ranks Butler’s schedule as the 17th most difficult nationally (as of Jan. 6).

• The Bulldogs’ 2024-25 schedule includes six games against teams ranked in the Top 15 of this week’s AP poll (Jan. 6) and an additional seven against teams receiving votes in this week’s poll. (Butler has already played four of the six games against those current Top 15 teams.)

Profiling Providence

• Providence is 7-8 on the season, which includes a 6-2 mark at home.

• The Friars are 2-8 since winning their first five games of the season; those two wins came against BYU and at DePaul in their BIG EAST opener.

• Bryce Hopkins is both the leading scorer (17.0) and rebounder (7.7) for the Friars, but he has been limited to three games, a stretch from Dec. 3-10 that included the wins over BYU and DePaul.

• Jayden Pierre (24) and Wesley Cardet Jr. (18) led the Friars in Sunday’s 87-84 loss at No. 11 UConn.

The Series with the Friars

• All 25 meetings in the series has come since Butler joined the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season.

• Butler’s 75-72 win over Providence at Hinkle Fieldhouse Feb. 10, 2024 in the most recent meeting between the two programs halted a seven-game winning streak for the Friars in the series.

• Providence holds a 9-2 advantage in games played in Rhode Island.

Series: Providence Leads, 19-6

Streak: Butler, W1

At PC: Providence Leads, 9-2

First Meeting: Jan. 21, 2014; PC, 65-56 (at PC)

Last Meeting: Feb. 10, 2024; BU, 75-72 (at BU)

Up Next

The Bulldogs return to Hinkle Fieldhouse to host Creighton Saturday. The Noon tip will air on FOX. The game is also the program’s annual IMS Checker Out game, which will include a large Indianapolis Motor Speedway and INDYCAR presence with fans asked to wear blue or white depending on the section they are seated in.

IU INDY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

JAGS CONTINUE #HLWBB PLAY AT OAKLAND

ROCHESTER, Mich. – The IU Indy women’s basketball team recorded their second consecutive home Horizon League victory on Saturday afternoon as they defeated Robert Morris, 56-46. The Jags look to build on their success when they travel to Oakland on Wednesday, Jan. 8. The Golden Grizzlies and Jags are set for a 7:00 PM tip on ESPN+.

In IU Indy’s win over Robert Morris, Nevaeh Foster and Katie Davidson led with 13 points each while Faith Stinson collected her first double-double of the season. Stinson totaled 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Azyah Newson-Cole earned her first career #HLWBB Freshman of the Week award after her performance in the Jags’ victory over Youngstown State on December 28. The redshirt freshman totaled a career-high tying 13 points as well as five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Newson-Cole continues to hold a strong presence on the court averaging 6.6 points per game and 2.1 assists per game making eight starts for the Jaguars.

While the Jags are averaging 60.3 points per game, newcomer Shania Nichols-Vannett leads the team in scoring with 11.2 points per game. The sophomore totaled a career-high 37 points in the loss against Southern Illinois which puts her at the top in the Horizon

League for total points scored by a player in a single game this season. Katie Davidson follows with 10.7 while Faith Stinson adds 10.2.

Katie Davidson is one of the key returners for the Jags and was voted Horizon League Preseason All-League Second Team after finishing the 2023-24 season averaging 16.4 points per game. Davidson was one of three Jaguars who totaled double-digit points in

the season opener over Evansville, opening the 2024-25 season with 19 points, shooting .636 percent (7-for-11) with five assists and four steals. Unfortunately, due to injury, Davidson left the Jags’ second game of the season at Ball State in the first quarter, playing just eight minutes in the loss. She made her long awaited return in IU Indy’s win over Robert Morris after missing the last 12 games. She totaled 13 points with eight rebounds and four steals. The Indianapolis native was named All-League Second Team following the 2023-24 season.

Coach Kate Bruce’s squad was picked to finish tenth in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, just ahead of Robert Morris. The Jags will look to fight their way through the Horizon League in hopes of outdoing their preseason rank. They currently sit in seventh with a 2-4 conference mark. Meanwhile, Oakland is ranked fifth with a 4-1 conference record.

BALL STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

BECKI NAMED MAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Senior guard Ally Becki (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) has been tabbed the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week. This is the eighth time in Becki’s career she has garnered the weekly honor.

Ally Buckets did it again this week for the Cardinals, as the senior guard averaged 21.0 points per game, 8.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.0 steals while shooting 56 percent (13-23) from the field and went a perfect 13-13 from the charity stripe.

Becki opened #MACtion with a 22-point, nine rebound, seven assists and four steals performance in a road victory at Miami on Jan. 1 to ring in the New Year.

On Saturday, Becki pretty much mimicked that performance as she led the Cardinals again with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists in a win versus Central Michigan.

Becki helped the Cardinals to a 2-0 start in the Mid-American Conference play for the second-straight season.

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

BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

CARDINALS FALL TO REDHAWKS TO SNAP WINNING STREAK

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men’s basketball team got 20 points and 16 rebounds from Payton Sparks but couldn’t overcome an efficient Miami (OH) offense in an 80-72 win for the RedHawks on Tuesday night at Worthen Arena.

The Cardinals (7-7, 1-1 Mid-American Conference) used a 7-0 run early in the second half after trailing 38-33 at the halftime break to get within a point of the RedHawks (10-4, 2-0 MAC) at 41-40, but the visitors scored the next six points to claim a 47-40 edge with 16 minutes to play.

Ball State’s Jermahri Hill made a layup at the 6:32 mark of the second half to cut Miami’s advantage to 57-55, but Kam Craft scored four of his game-high 28 points in the next minute, and the RedHawks would lead by at least four points for the remainder of the game.

Sparks tied his career-best in rebounds for the second time in three games and added two assists while going 8-for-9 from the field. Hill joined him with a team-best 20 points while dishing out three assists. Mickey Pearson Jr. (12 points) and Jeremiah Hernandez (11 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals) were the others in double-figures scoring for Ball State, which saw its four-game winning streak snapped with the setback.

Craft led a Miami offensive attack that shot 55.4 percent (31-56) from the field, 30 percent (6-20) on 3-pointers and 75 percent (12-16) on free throws. Ball State went 43.4 percent (23-53) from the field, 23.8 percent (5-21) from distance and 70 percent (21-30) at the foul line.

The hosts outrebounded Miami 37-26 and had a 12-2 edge in second chance points, but the visitors had six fewer turnovers (13-7) to enjoy a 15-6 advantage in points off turnovers. Ball State held a 38-14 spread in bench points led by Sparks and Pearson.

The Cardinals stay home to play Bowling Green at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

INDIANA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

INDIANA STATE VISITS VALPARAISO ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT

VALPARAISO, Ind. – Indiana State heads to northern Indiana on Wednesday night to take on the Valparaiso Beacons at 8 p.m. The game will be aired on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.

Wednesday night’s matchup is set to be the 96th meeting between Indiana State and Valparaiso. Indiana State leads the series 59-37 and holds a 27-21 record when playing in Valparaiso. The Sycamores have won four straight against the Beacons.

In the last time on the court, Indiana State men’s basketball got back into the win column on Saturday afternoon with a road victory against the Evansville Purple Aces. 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). 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.

Valparaiso is coming off an 80-73 home victory against preseason No. 2. Northern Iowa on Saturday. Jefferson Da La Cruz Monegro scored 20 points to lead the team, followed by Tyler Schmidt with 15. Valpo led the final 35 minutes of the game.

Jaden Daughtry leads the Sycamores in scoring through the last five times on the court, scoring 17.2 points per game. He set a career high on December 29 at Ohio State with 25 points, then set another career high two games later at Evansville with 26. The sophomore is shooting 60.9% from the field in the last five games with a 30-for-40 mark from the free throw line.

Samage Teel is scoring 16.8 points per game in the last five games and still leads the team in season scoring with 17.1 per game. Teel is joined by Markus Harding (52.0%), K’mani Doughty (50.0%) and Jahni Summers (50.0%) that rounds out five Sycamores shooting 50% or better from the field in the last five games (min. 20 field goal attempts).

Coach Graves and Co. appear to have found their starting rotation as the Sycamores ran out the same starting five in each of the last five games: Samage Teel, Camp Wagner, K’mani Doughty, Bruno Alocen, and Markus Harding.

After Wednesday’s game, Indiana State returns home on Saturday. January 11 to host Belmont at 1 p.m. ET. Indiana State will honor its Hall of Fame inductees during the game. The 2024 Hall of Fame Class features Dr. Daniel Bradley (President), Mike Eberle (Baseball), John Gartland (Cross Country/Track & Field), Kelsey Luna (Women’s Basketball), and Peter Magnusson (Men’s Tennis).

PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S BASKETBALL

CO-PRESEASON FAVORITES TANGLE ON WEDNESDAY

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The ‘Dons are 7-0 at home and welcome fellow Horizon League preseason favorite Milwaukee to town on Wednesday (Jan. 8). Quinton Morton-Robertson enters the game just two points from 1,000 for his NCAA career.

Game Day Information

Who: Purdue Fort Wayne (11-6, 4-2 Horizon) vs. Youngstown State (11-5, 4-1 Horizon)

When: Wednesday, Jan. 8 | 7 p.m. ET

Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

Live Stats: Link

Listen: 1380 AM

Watch: ESPN+

Tickets:Start at $10

Series History: Mastodons lead 5-4

// The ‘Dons are 3rd in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (8.9) and 4th in turnover margin (+6.9).

– The ‘Dons committed no turnovers in a 103-52 win over Defiance on Dec. 20, tying an NCAA record.

– 11 times this year have the ‘Dons have committed single-digit turnovers in a game.

– This isn’t new. Last year: 10.4 turnovers/game (11th in the nation), +5.7 turnover margin (4th).

– In league games, the ‘Dons are averaging 10.3 turnovers.

– Quinton Morton-Robertson (2.36, 95th) and Jalen Jackson (2.33, 98th) are in the

top 100 in assist/turnover ratio.

// In the nation the Mastodons are:

– 3rd in fewest turnovers per game (8.9)

– 4th in turnover margin (6.9)

– 12th in 3-pointers per game (10.9)

– 17th in assist/turnover ratio (1.67)

– 29th in turnovers forced per game (15.82)

– 30th in 3-point attempts per game (28.6)

– 32nd in effective field goal percentage (56.6 percent)

– 46th in fastbreak points per game (14.41)

– 50th in steals per game (8.8)

// The Mastodons have opened the season 7-0 at home. A win on Wednesday would match the Division I era program record for best undefeated home start to a season. The following are seasons of 7-0 or better home records to start the season:

2012-13 (7-0)

2015-16 (8-0)

2016-17 (7-0)

2017-18 (8-0)

2023-24 (8-0)

// The ‘Dons had a season-high 23 fast break points (against a Division I team) on Saturday vs. Youngstown State (Jan. 4).

// Multiple ‘Dons are shooting better than 40 percent from three this year:

– Maximus Nelson – 41.7 percent (43-of-103)

– Corey Hadnot II – 41.1 percent (23-of-56)

– Rasheed Bello – 40.0 percent (34-of-85)

// In league play, Quinton Morton-Robertson is 17-of-36 (47.2 percent) from three.

// Per Ken Pom, the ‘Dons lead the nation in minutes continuity at 74.5 percent. Ken Pom describes the stat as “determining what percentage of a team’s minutes are played by the same player from last season to this season.” The current national average is 34.2 percent.

// Since the 2018-19 season, the ‘Dons have four total games of 24 or more made free throws and three have come this season. The 26 the ‘Dons made against Bethune-Cookman and Robert Morris are tied for the seventh most in the Division I era of the program for made free throws in a game.

// A few ‘Dons nearing scoring marks:

– Quinton Morton-Robertson has 998 career points, needing 2 to reach 1,000 (Purdue Fort Wayne and Radford combined).

– Eric Mulder has scored 445 career points, needing 55 to reach 500 for his career.

// Rasheed Bello had 12 assists at Green Bay (Dec. 29). He is the first Mastodon with 12 assists since Jarred Godfrey recorded 12 in the Horizon League Tournament at Cleveland State in 2021 in a triple overtime game. The last Mastodon with 12 assists in a 40-minute contest was John Konchar who had 14 at Denver on Feb. 14, 2019. Bello is the first Horizon League player to reach 12 assists in a league game since Jalen Moore had 14 and 13 for Oakland during the 2021-22 season.

// Notes on the Defiance contest:

– The ‘Dons recorded zero turnovers, just the third team to so since 2004 (per sports-reference.com)

– The ‘Dons were +25 in turnover margin.

– Six ‘Dons finished in double-figures.

// This season the ‘Dons have:

– made 10 or more 3-pointers 11 times.

– forced 20 turnovers four times.

– recorded 19 or more assists four times.

– shot 50 percent or better eight times.

– scored 50 points in a half six times. Four times against a Division I opponent.

// The 20 3-pointers the ‘Dons made at Eastern Michigan (Dec. 15) set a new venue record at the George Gervin GameAbove Center on EMU’s campus. It was one short of tying the program record for single 3-pointers for the ‘Dons.

EVANSVILLE MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL WELCOMES ILLINOIS STATE ON WEDNESDAY

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Another home contest is on tap Wednesday evening when the University of Evansville men’s basketball team welcomes Illinois State to the Ford Center at 7 p.m. ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network will have the broadcast.

Last Time Out

– In a competitive game from start to finish, it was Indiana State hanging on for a 66-62 victory on Saturday

– UE led by five points at the break before the Sycamores rallied in the second half

– Tayshawn Comer finished with 24 points while Tanner Cuff completed the day with 11

Player of the Week

– Averaging 25 points against SIU and ISU, Tayshawn Comer was named the MVC Player of the Week on Monday

– Highlighting the week was a career-high 26 points in the win over the Salukis, which bested his previous high of 23 when he was a player at Eastern Kentucky

– In the last three games, Comer has hit 24 of his 30 free throw tries

– Comer has four 20-point games this year

Pacing the Valley

– Connor Turnbull has posted a block in 8 of the last 9 games and has taken the MVC lead with his season average of 1.40 per game

– Turnbull tied his single game mark with six blocks against WKU

– On the offensive side, Turnbull recorded his first double digit scoring game of the season, finishing with 10 against Indiana State

– He made his first UE start on Dec. 18 at UT Arlington and has made five starts in a row

Scouting the Opponent

– Illinois State comes into Wednesday’s contest with a 10-5 overall record while sitting at 2-2 through their first four MVC games

– After dropping their first two league games, the Redbirds opened the New Year with a road win at Murray State before topping Southern Illinois in dominating fashion on Saturday, winning by a 85-54 final

– Johnny Kinziger paces a trio of double digit scorers for ISU with his tally of 14.3 PPG

– Just behind him is Chase Walker with 13.9 PPG and a team-high 6.2 caroms

– Dalton Banks checks in with 10.3 PPG

SOUTHERN INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL

USI VISITS SEMO, LITTLE ROCK THIS WEEK

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball finishes its three-game road swing this week with visits to Southeast Missouri State University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Tipoff Thursday at SEMO in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, is 7:30 p.m., while the start time versus Saturday at Little Rock is 3 p.m.

The USI Screaming Eagles (6-8, 1-3 OVC) are coming off a tough week, losing a pair of league games last week by a combined six points. USI lost at home to Morehead State, 70-68, and on the road to Tennessee Tech University, 68-64.

USI junior guard Damoni Harrison led USI last week in the OVC with 22.0 points per game. Sophomore forward Stephen Olowoniyi posted 16.0 points per outing while grabbing a team-high 9.0 rebounds per contest.

The Eagles has three players in double-digits for the season, led by junior guard Jayland Randall’s 15.5 points per contest. Olowoniyi follows with 15.1 points per game, while Harrison rounds out the double-digit scorers with 13.5 points per outing.

In the four OVC games, Harrison is posting a team-best 16.5 points per game. Olowoniyi also is second in conference games with 14.0 points per appearance, while Randall is posting 12.0 points in the league game.

The Redhawks of SEMO (8-7, 3-1 OVC) enter this week’s action tied for the lead in the OVC with a 3-1 mark in league play. SEMO split last week on the road, defeating Tennessee State University, 67-65, and falling at the University of Tennessee at Martin, 66-63. The loss to UTM snapped SEMO’s five-game winning streak.

SEMO leads the all-time series with USI, 6-3, after taking both meetings last season. The Redhawks won the first match-up in a thrilling 93-91 overtime game that saw the Screaming Eagles’ Jeremiah Hernandez score 35 points in Cape Girardeau. SEMO also took the second game at Liberty Arena.

The Trojans of Little Rock (8-6, 2-1 OVC), who host Morehead State before USI comes to town this week, posted a split on the road last week. Little Rock opened 2025 with a 57-56 win at the University of Tennessee at Martin and a 95-86 loss at Tennessee State University last week. The Trojans have won five of their last seven games.

Series Note: The series is tied 2-2 after Little Rock took both games in the series last season. The Trojans took the opening game of the home-and-home series, 77-75, at Liberty Arena and 80-62 in Little Rock.

All of the USI Basketball action can be seen live on ESPN+. The game can also be heard on ESPN 97.7FM (http://listentotheref.com) and 95.7FM The Spin (http://957thespin.com). Tickets for the homestand and all USI home dates are on sale now at USIScreamingEagles.com.

MARIAN MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL SWEEPS WEEKLY CROSSROADS LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS

Jackson, Mich. – Following the Knights’ biggest win of the season so far, the freshmen tandem of Noah Lovan and Josiah Gustin of Marian men’s basketball have been named as the Crossroads League Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week. Lovan was tabbed as the CL Offensive Player of the Week, while Gustin was named the Defensive Player of the Week.

This is the second consecutive week Marian has swept the Crossroads League Player of the Week honors, as the freshmen duo follows the awards won by Dylan Moles and Gavin Foe last week.

Noah Lovan poured in a career-high 30 points in Marian’s 78-76 upset win over No. 17 Huntington. The freshman guard drilled eight-of-12 shots, including all three from deep and scored the game-winning points from the foul line in the closing moments. Lovan’s second 30-point game of the season moved him to No. 14 in scoring in the Crossroads League, while his late game heroics at the foul line moved him to fourth in free throws made and sixth in free throw percentage.

Josiah Gustin was dominant on the defensive end in MU’s 78-76 upset win over No. 17 Huntington. The freshman forward swatted four blocks in the game and grabbed eight rebounds, challenging the game-winning attempt from Huntington’s Lane Sparks.Gustin’s four blocks moved him to No. 8 in the Crossroads League in blocked shots this season.

Marian resumes their Crossroads League schedule this week, traveling to Bethel University on Wednesday night. 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

15 – 1 – 23 – 44 – 43 – 36 – 31 – 29 – 20 – 88 – 10

The Number 15 in today’s historic lineup in Howie Meeker who as a rookie skater for the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs on January 8, 1947 put 5 pucks between the pipes in a single game against the Chicago Black Hawks to carry the Leafs to a 10-4 win.

The roster Number 1 belongs to Glenn Resch the Goalie of the New York Islanders who on January 8, 1980 kept the Vancouver Canucks scoreless for his 20th career NHL shutout.

January 8, 1986 – San Francisco Giants Number 44, Willie McCovey was 16th elected to MLB Hall of Fame in his 1st year of eligibility

January 8, 1987 – Jack Sikma of the Milwaukee Bucks (Number 43) began an NBA free throw streak of 51 games.

January 8, 1991 – Gaylord Perry (Number 36), Fergie Jenkins (Number 31) & Rod Carew ( Number 29) elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

The uniform Number 23 is no surprise when it belongs to Michael Jordan who on January 8. 1993 he put up 35 points on the Milwaukee Bucks giving him 20,000 career NBA points in just his 620th game. That gave him second place on the speed to that milestone as Number 13, Wilt Chamberlain reached the same heights in just 499 games!

January 8, 1995 – Philadelphia Phillies 12-time All Star third baseman Number 20, Mike Schmidt was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame

January 8, 2000 – “Music City Miracle”, in AFC Wild Card Playoff, Tennessee Titans defeat Buffalo Bills 22-16 in last 16 seconds with Number 87, Kevin Dyson, running length of the field for a game-winning touchdown

January 8, 2012 – “The 3:16 Game” AFC Wild Card Playoff, underdogs Denver Broncos defeat Pittsburgh Steelers 29–23 with Number 15, Tim Tebow connecting with Number 88, Demaryius Thomas on an 80-yard touchdown pass on first scrimmage play of overtime

January 8, 2013 – Steve Nash, wearing Number 10 recorded his 10,000th career assist against Houston

FOOTBALL HISTORY

January 8, 1972 – NCAA announces freshmen can play on teams starting in fall season sports according to the Chicago Tribune.

January 8, 1984 – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – The Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 30-14 to win the AFC Championship and capture the Lamar Hunt Trophy to represent the Conference in the Super Bowl.

January 8, 1984 – RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C. – At the NFC Championship game the Washington Redskins outlasted the San Francisco 49ers, 24-21. According to WashingtonFootball.com the Niners were down by 21 points in the fourth but staged a comeback. Two questionable penalties and a field goal did them in as Washington advanced to their second consecutive Super Bowl.

January 8, 1989 – Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati – AFC Championship had the Boomer Esiason led Cincinnati Bengals knocking off the Buffalo Bills, 21-10 for the right to play in the Super Bowl.

January 8, 1989 – Soldier Field, Chicago – At the NFC Championship it was the San Francisco 49ers taking care of business as they defeated the Chicago Bears, 28-3.

January 8, 1998 – The General Manager of the New York Football Giants, George Young resigned to accept a position with the League.

January 8, 2007 – BCS National Championship once again had the top two teams in the polls squaring off against each other to produce a champion.This year it was Ohio State who held the top spot and their opponents were the Florida Gators. Sports-Reference.com shows how the game was a route as #2 Florida demolished #1 Ohio State, 41-14.

January 8, 2008 – Joe Gibbs retires, for the second time, as head coach of the Washington Redskins. Gibbs held the same position with the club from 1981 through the 1992 season and in that span he led the Redskins to eight playoff appearances, four NFC Championship titles, and three Super Bowl titles. And he did it with three different starting quarterbacks! The second time around were three solid years but not to the heights the franchise had the first time around.

January 8, 2009 – Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens – Number 2 Florida and top ranked Oklahoma met in the 11th BCS National Championship,. The Sooners put up their great Heisman winning quarterback Sam Bradford against Florida’s Heisman winner in 2007 Tim Tebow. Tebow and the Gators got the better of this game as according to ESPN.com Tebow passed for 2 TD as Percy Harvin rushed for a 121 to lead Florida over Oklahoma, 24-14.

January 8, 2012 – Speaking of Tim Tebow…At the AFC Wild Card Playoff, the heavily favored Pittsburgh Steelers fell to the underdog Denver Broncos, 29–23. The game went into overtime and on the first play of the extra session Tim Tebow found receiver Demaryius Thomas on an 80-yard touchdown pass

To give Denver the upset.

January 8, 2018 – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta – The College Football National Championship hosted two strong SEC foes with #4 Alabama taking on #3 Georgia for all of the marbles. The website CollegeFootballPlayoff.com tells about all of the action. The Bulldogs dominated play in the first half and led 13-0 at the break. TIde Coach Nick Saban though had a secret weapon. Saban turned the game over to his backup true freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Tua was remarkable as he steered the offense and led the team to a comeback with 20 points over two quarters to force overtime. The freshman QB ended up becoming the game’s MVP as he tossed three touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver DeVonta Smith. The Tide rolled over Georgia, 26-23 to claim their 5th title in 9 years.

Hall of Fame Birthdays for January 8

January 8, 1922 – Jamesville, New York – The great guard from Penn State University, Steve Suhey was born.

January 8, 1927 – Gates, Tennessee – The University of Indiana’s swift halfback George Taliaferro celebrated his birth. The NFF says that Taliaferro was an instant success as a freshman at Indiana in 1945. George was a scoring machine as that year he put up three touchdowns, including an 82-yard interception return and a 95-yard kickoff return. He finished his incredible freshman season as the Hoosier’s leading rusher with 719 yards. Taliaferro followed that year up with a few more solid ones to eventually become the MVP of the team in 1948.The National Football Foundation selected George Taliaferro to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981.

January 8, 1959 – Cincinnati, Ohio – Mark Hermann the Purdue Boilermaker quarterback was born. When Mark graduated from Purdue he was the top passer in NCAA college football history. Mark was the first in history to break two passing thresholds in a college career the 8000 yard plateau and then the 9000 yard one as well! The Footballfoundation.org web bio shares that Hermann held nine passing records at the time, the foremost being 707 passing completions and being responsible for 9188 yards through the air. Hermann finished as a unanimous All-America in 1980. The NFF voters sent Mark Hermann into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

YESTERDAY IN BASEBALL

Tony Perez played in MLB as a first baseman and third baseman from 1964 through 1986, most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won four National League pennants and two World Series championships between 1970 and 1976. He also played for the Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies.

A seven-time All-Star, Pérez averaged more than 100 runs batted in per season from 1970 to 1976 for the powerful Cincinnati team that became known as the Big Red Machine for their dominance of the National League in the mid-1970s. Variously nicknamed “Big Dog”, “Big Doggie”, and “Doggie” , he was one of the most popular players in Reds history.

After his playing career, Pérez became a coach and later managed the Reds and the Florida Marlins. From 1993 through the 2017 season, he was Special Assistant to the General Manager with the Marlins. In 1998, Pérez was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.

Tony Perez’s career highlights:

7× All-Star (1967–1970, 1974–1976)

3× World Series champion (1975, 1976, 1990)

Cincinnati Reds No. 24 retired

Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame

National Baseball Hall of Fame (inducted in 2000)

TODAY IN SPORTS

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.

_____

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 WEDNESDAY

NBA REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Cleveland Cavaliers	7:00 pm	ESPN FanDuel Sports OH FanDuel Sports OK
Chicago Bulls vs Indiana Pacers	7:00pm	NBCS-BOS FanDuel Sports IND
Washington Wizards vs Philadelphia 76ers	7:00pm	MNMT NBCS-PHI
Toronto Raptors vs New York Knicks	7:30pm	Sportsnet MSG
Detroit Pistons vs Brooklyn Nets	7:30pm	FanDuel Sports DET YES
Portland Trail Blazers vs New Orleans Pelicans	8:00pm	Rip City GCSN
Los Angeles Clippers vs Denver Nuggets	9:00pm	FanDuel Sports SoCal ALT
San Antonio Spurs vs Milwaukee Bucks	9:30pm	ESPN FanDuel Sports WI FanDuel Sports SW
NHL REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Vancouver Canucks vs Washington Capitals	7:30pm	ESPN+ MNMT2 Sportsnet
Colorado Avalanche vs Chicago Blackhawks	7:30pm	TNT truTV MAX
Florida Panthers vs Utah Hockey Club	10:00pm	TNT truTV MAX
Calgary Flames vs Los Angeles Kings	10:30pm	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports West Sportsnet
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
Loyola Maryland at Army West Point	6:00pm	ESPN+
Navy at Holy Cross	6:00pm	ESPN+
UConn at Villanova	6:30pm	FS1
DePaul at Seton Hall	6:30pm	Peacock
Loyola Chicago at La Salle	6:30pm	ESPN+
Northern Kentucky at Youngstown State	6:30pm	ESPN+
Coastal Carolina at App State	6:30pm	ESPN+
Ole Miss at Arkansas	7:00pm	ESPN2/U
Notre Dame at NC State	7:00pm	ESPN2/U
USC at Indiana	7:00pm	BTN
Florida State at Miami (FL)	7:00pm	ACCN
Alabama at South Carolina	7:00pm	SECN
Drake at Bradley	7:00pm	CBSSN
Fordham at VCU	7:00pm	MASN
Saint Joseph’s at Duquesne	7:00pm	ATTSN-PIT
Murray State at UNI	7:00pm	MVC TV
Dayton at UMass	7:00pm	Peacock
George Washington at Rhode Island	7:00pm	ESPN+
Colorado at UCF	7:00pm	ESPN+
Richmond at George Mason	7:00pm	ESPN+
Temple at East Carolina	7:00pm	ESPN+
Florida Atlantic at Charlotte	7:00pm	ESPN+
Winthrop at Gardner-Webb	7:00pm	ESPN+
High Point at Charleston Southern	7:00pm	ESPN+
Presbyterian at USC Upstate	7:00pm	ESPN+
UNC Asheville at Longwood	7:00pm	ESPN+
Cleveland State at Robert Morris	7:00pm	ESPN+
Milwaukee at Purdue Fort Wayne	7:00pm	ESPN+
Lafayette at Bucknell	7:00pm	ESPN+
Lehigh at Colgate	7:00pm	ESPN+
American at Boston University	7:00pm	ESPN+
Western Carolina at Wofford	7:00pm	ESPN+
ETSU at Mercer	7:00pm	ESPN+
Furman at The Citadel	7:00pm	ESPN+
Southern Illinois at Belmont	7:30pm	ESPN+
St. Bonaventure at Saint Louis	8:00pm	Peacock
Illinois State at Evansville	8:00pm	ESPN+
Indiana State at Valparaiso	8:00pm	ESPN+
Butler at Providence	8:30pm	Peacock
Georgia Southern at Georgia State	8:30pm	ESPN+
Arizona State at Kansas	9:00pm	ESPN2
Penn State at Illinois	9:00pm	BTN
Rice at North Texas	9:00pm	ESPNU
Texas A&M at Oklahoma	9:00pm	SECN
Virginia Tech at Stanford	9:00pm	ACCN
Kansas City at Omaha	9:00pm	CBSSN
South Dakota State at St. Thomas	9:00pm	ESPN+
San Diego at Gonzaga	9:00pm	KHQ
Air Force at San Diego State	10:30pm	FS1
Virginia at California	11:00pm	ESPN2/U
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
No. Illinois at Akron	6:00pm	ESPN
USC at Maryland	8:30pm	FS1
SOCCER	TIME ET	TV
Supercopa de España: Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool	2:00pm	ESPN2 ESPN+ FuboTV
Belgian Cup: Antwerp vs Union Saint-Gilloise	2:45pm	ESPN+ FuboTV
League Cup: Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool	3:00pm	Paramount+
TENNIS	TIME ET	TV
Adelaide-ATP/WTA, Auckland-ATP & Hobart-WTA Early Rounds	1:30am	TENNIS