“THE SCOREBOARD”
INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL
THE INDIANA SRN BOYS BASKETBALL POLLS
4A
1FISHERS 14-0
2 CROWN POINT 11-0
3 GREENFIELD CENTRAL 11-2
4 WESTFIED 9-1
5 ANDERSON 13-1
6 WARSAW 12-3
7 LAWRENCE NORTH 10-3
8 BEN DAVIS 12-3
9 EVANSVILLE REITZ 11-0
10 AVON 13-1
3A
1 SB ST. JOSEPH 12-1
2 GUERIN CATHOLIC 13-2
3 NORTHWOOD 13-1
4 CATHEDRAL 9-4
5 BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 11-0
6 NEW PALESTINE
7 SILVER CREEK
8 PRINCETON 12-1
9 EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL 9-1
10 NORTHVIEW 13-1
2A
1 WAPAHANI 13-0
2 LINTON 10-1
3 SOUTH RIPLEY 14-0
4 MANCHESTER 12-1
5 FT. WAYNE LUERS 11-2
6 PARKE HERITAGE 12-2
7 GARY 21ST CENTURY 11-3
8 NORTHEASTERN 15-0
9 MANCHESTER 12-1
10 FOREST PARK 10-2
1A
1 CLAY CITY 11-1
2 ORLEANS 8-2
3 INDY METRO 11-3
4 TRITON 9-1
5 BLOOMFIELD 9-3
6 KOUTS 9-2
7 HAUSER 9-2
8 CARROLL FLORA 8-2
9 WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP 9-1
10 MONROE CENTRAL 9-2
IBCA POLL
1. FISHERS (14-0)
2. CROWN POINT (11-0)
3. GREENFIELD-CENTRAL (11-2)
4. WESTFIELD (9-1)
5. SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH (12-1)
6. BEN DAVIS (12-3)
7. LAWRENCE NORTH (10-3)
8. ANDERSON (13-1)
9. AVON (13-1)
10. INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (9-4)
11. WARSAW (12-3)
12. NEW ALBANY (9-1)
13. NEW PALESTINE (11-2)
14. NORTHWOOD (13-1)
15. NORTHRIDGE (10-2)
16. EVANSVILLE REITZ (11-0)
17. BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (11-0)
18. JEFFERSONVILLE (8-5)
19. FORT WAYNE WAYNE (10-3)
20. GUERIN CATHOLIC (13-2)
INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL
INDIANA SRN GIRLS BASKETBALL POLLS
4A
1 HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 19-0
2 LAWRENCE CENTRAL 17-1
3 WARSAW 18-0
4 SB WASHINGTON 20-1
5 HOMESTEAD 18-2
6 NOBLESVILLE 15-3
7 CENTER GROVE 16-2
8 BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 17-2
9 BROWNSBURG 15-4
10 NORTHRIDGE 17-4
3A
1 GREENSBURG 18-0
2 WASHINGTON 18-2
3 SILVER CREEK 15-2
4 EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 16-3
5 COLUMBIA CITY 16-4
6 BELLMONT 16-2
7 DANVILLE 16-4
8 NORWELL 12-6
9 CORYDON CENTRAL 15-4
10 BISHOP CHATARD 12-7
2A
1 NORTHEASTERN 19-1
2 SOUTH KNOX 17-2
3 ALEXANDRIA 19-1
4 EASTSIDE 20-1
5 RENSSELAER CENTRAL 17-2
6 BLUFFTON 17-2
7 AUSTIN 17-2
8 LANESVILLE 13-3
9 EASTERN HANCOCK 17-2
10 SHERIDAN 16-1
1A
1 MARQUETTE CATHOLIC 15-4
2 BORDEN 13-5
3 WESTVILLE 16-2
4 TRI-COUNTY 15-1
5 ORLEANS 14-3
6 NORTH CENTRAL FARMERSBURG 17-3
7 OLDENBURG ACADEMY 16-2
8 CLINTON CENTRAL 15-4
9 WHITE RIVER VALLEY 13-4
10 FREMONT 14-6
IBCA POLL
1. HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (19-0)
2. LAWRENCE CENTRAL (17-1)-
3. WARSAW (18-0)
4. SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON (20-1)
5. HOMESTEAD (18-2)
6. GREENSBURG (18-0)
7. SOUTH KNOX (17-2)
8. NOBLESVILLE (15-3)
9. CENTER GROVE (16-2)
10. BROWNSBURG (15-4)
11. SILVER CREEK (15-2)
12. NORTHRIDGE (17-4)
13. WASHINGTON (18-2)
14. PIKE (13-3)
15. BLOOMINGTON SOUTH (17-2)
16. PLAINFIELD (14-5)
17. COLUMBIA CITY (16-4)
18. MCCUTCHEON (18-3)
19. LAWRENCE NORTH (10-7)
20. PENN (16-5)
INDIANA BOYS WRESTLING:
DUAL RESULTS: https://indianamat.com/index.php?/dualresults.html/boys-dual-results/
TOURNAMENT RESULTS: https://indianamat.com/index.php?/curtournamentresults.html/boys-tournament-results/
INDIANA MAT HOMEPAGE: https://indianamat.com/
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES
TOP 25
#12 MICHIGAN STATE 80 #19 ILLINOIS 78
#20 MICHIGAN 80 NORTHWESTERN 76 OT
#18 MEMPHIS 77 CHARLOTTE 68
TCU 74 #25 BAYLOR 71
ELSEWHERE:
MARYLAND 69 NEBRASKA 66
YOUNGSTOWN STATE 73 GREEN BAY 69
HAWAII 81 CAL BAKERSFIELD 70
FLORIDA ATLANTIC 75 RICE 73
TEMPLE 80 TULANE 77
CLEVELAND STATE 73 IU INDY 62
ROBERT MORRIS 81 MILWAUKEE 79
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES
TOP 25:
#4 USC 73 INDIANA 66
#5 LSU 80 FLORIDA 63
#16 DUKE 74 STANFORD 49
#20 WEST VIRGINIA 82 IOWA STATE 68
PENN STATE 62#9 OHIO STATE 59
#6 CONNECTICUT 96 SETON HALL 36
#11 KANSAS STATE 81 ARIZONA STATE 69
#18 CALIFORNIA 67 WEIGHT FOREST 55
#17 GEORGIA TECH 89 CLEMSON 65
#12 KENTUCKY 78 GEORGIA 64
#21 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 73 VIRGINIA 68
#14 NORTH CAROLINA 75 PITTSBURGH 58
#24 MINNESOTA 87 NORTHWESTERN 82
VANDERBILT 71 #15 TENNESSEE 70
#22 MICHIGAN STATE 86 ILLINOIS 68
#2 SOUTH CAROLINA 101 #13 OKLAHOMA 60
#19 ALABAMA 94 ARKANSAS 62
#3 NOTRE DAME 88 SMU 64
ELSEWHERE:
BOSTON COLLEGE 92 SYRACUSE 51
MISSOURI STATE 73 INDIANA STATE 57
EVANSVILLE 85 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 70
FLORIDA STATE 88 MIAMI FLORIDA 66
VALPARAISO 59 BRADLEY 52
ARIZONA 74 KANSAS 59
AUBURN 75 MISSOURI 60
VIRGINIA TECH 70 LOUISVILLE 65
UNLV 72 WYOMING 71 OT
OREGON 50 IOWA 49
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
MONDAY, JAN. 20
NOTRE DAME VS. OHIO STATE (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME — IN ATLANTA) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN
NFL PLAYOFFS
DIVISIONAL PLAY-OFFS
PHILADELPHIA 28 LA RAMS 22
BUFFALO 27 BALTIMORE 25
NBA SCORES
MIAMI 128 SAN ANTONIO 107
DENVER 113 ORLANDO 100
OKLAHOMA CITY 127 BROOKLYN 101
MILWAUKEE 123 PHILADELPHIA 109
LA CLIPPERS 116 LA LAKERS 102
PORTLAND 113 CHICAGO 102
SACRAMENTO 123 WASHINGTON 100
NHL SCORES
OTTAWA 2 NEW JERSEY 1
MONTRÉAL 5 NY RANGERS 4
DALLAS 4 DETROIT 1
TOP NATIONAL RELEASES/HEADLINES
NFL PLAYOFFS
BILLS TAKE DOWN RAVENS TO BOOK ANOTHER PLAYOFF CLASH WITH CHIEFS
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen rushed for two touchdowns, Buffalo’s defense forced three turnovers and the Bills advanced to the AFC championship game with a 27-25 win over the Baltimore Ravens in a divisional playoff game on Sunday night.
The Bills hung on when a wide-open Mark Andrews dropped a 2-point conversion pass from Lamar Jackson, allowing the ball to bounce off his chest with 1:33 left. Jackson connected with a sliding Isaiah Likely for a 24-yard touchdown to give the Ravens a chance to tie.
The Bills advanced to the AFC championship game next Sunday against the conference’s top seed, the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Buffalo snapped a three-year run of being eliminated in the divisional round.
It’s a familiar matchup for Buffalo, which has been eliminated by Kansas City in three of the past four postseasons.
Allen scored on runs of 1 and 4 yards while Ray Davis also scored on a 1-yard run. Tyler Bass hit both field goal attempts, including a 21-yarder with 3:29 left after the Bills stalled at Baltimore’s 2. That drive was set up by the Ravens’ third turnover, when linebacker Terrel Bernard stripped the ball from Andrews at the Buffalo 44.
The Bills closed their season a perfect 10-0 at home. That included a 30-21 win over the previously unbeaten Chiefs in Week 11.
The Ravens had one of the NFL’s most productive offenses in the regular season but fell a win short of reaching the conference title game, which they lost to the Chiefs a year ago. Scrutiny of Jackson’s playoff performances will only increase as he fell to 3-5 in the postseason. He had two first-half turnovers in this loss, throwing an interception and losing a fumble.
Baltimore fell to 5-8 in the divisional round, including 1-4 in its last five.
The Bills continued playing complementary football to overcome a patchwork defense and an offense that didn’t have a receiver reach 900 yards this season. Buffalo finished the regular season with a league-best plus-24 turnover differential.
That continued on Sunday with a turnover-free game from Allen and the Bills that was just good enough.
Injuries
Ravens: Leading receiver Zay Flowers missed both playoff games with a knee injury.
Bills: Safety Taylor Rapp did not return after hurting his hip in the second quarter.
Up next
The Bills get a rematch of the 2020 AFC championship game, which Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs won 38-24.
EAGLES BEAT RAMS IN SNOW TO SET UP NFC TITLE GAME VS. COMMANDERS
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley dashed through the snow for touchdown runs of 78 and 62 yards and finished with 205 yards rushing, Jalen Hurts had a 44-yard scoring run and the Philadelphia Eagles held on against the turnover-happy Los Angeles Rams 28-22 on Sunday to advance to the NFC championship game for the second time in three seasons.
Barkley ran for a 62-yard score in the first half and stretched the lead in the fourth when he blew through a hole and ran untouched 78 yards for the touchdown. He smacked his helmet with his hand on his final snowy steps and flapped his arms once he hit the end zone.
Barkley slid into the snow — Slide, Eagles, Slide! — in the late-game celebration.
These Philly Snow Birds had cause for celebration — they will host the NFC championship game Sunday against Washington, after the Commanders upset No. 1 seed Detroit on Saturday.
“The elements was great, but the atmosphere was even better,” Barkley said. “Our fans were amazing. That was a close one, but that’s playoff football. And at the end of the day, we got the job done.”
The Rams kept the upset threat alive — caused in large part by two missed extra points by Philadelphia’s Jake Elliott.
Matthew Stafford, who threw for 324 yards, kept the Rams in it with a 4-yard TD pass to Colby Parkinson that made it 28-22. The Rams got the ball back with two minutes left and Stafford completed consecutive passes of 11 and 37 yards to move the ball into Eagles’ territory.
But Stafford was sacked by Jalen Carter on third down and threw an incomplete pass on fourth down to end the threat.
The Eagles are set to host the NFC championship game for the fifth time since Lincoln Financial Field opened in 2003.
Eagles defenders frolicked in the winter mess and made snow angels in the end zone to celebrate the turnovers. Some brave frigid fans went shirtless — and yes, even Santa Claus was in the house, without a report of any snowball throwing.
Stadium workers used snow blowers to clear yard lines and hash marks, while Eagles scooped and kicked away snow to clear a circle for Elliott’s field goal attempts.
Hurts threw for just 128 yards, his mobility hampered in the second half after he was fitted for a knee brace. He didn’t miss any snaps, but was easily mauled on the safety. He was sacked seven times.
Hurts suffered a concussion that cost him in two games in a loss at Washington in December. It was the Eagles’ only loss after they returned from the bye with a 2-2 record.
“It comes through Philly. That means everything for this city, this team, and we’ve got everything we want in front of us,” Hurts said.
Barkley had 118 total yards at the break, but the Rams’ defense — coming off a nine-sack effort against Minnesota — sacked Hurts three times in the half. Hurts was sacked on consecutive plays to end the first half, a total loss of 16 yards that knocked the Eagles out of field goal range.
The Eagles borrowed from the playbook used in their November win in Los Angeles when big plays — Barkley had touchdown runs of 70 and 72 yards — helped them cruise to a comfortable win.
Hurts rushed for the longest TD of his career, a 44-yarder on the fifth play of the game that sent a cold crowd still buzzing from the pregame theatrics into a frenzy. Elliott missed an extra point for the second straight playoff game.
After converting a fourth down on the drive, Stafford hit Tyler Higbee for a 4-yard TD that made it 7-6. Only six days earlier, Higbee spit up blood in the playoff win over Minnesota and was taken to the hospital with a chest injury.
Barkley scored on a 62-yard run for a 13-7 lead, but not before the 2,105-yard rusher slowed near the end zone and looked back to clown the trailing Jalen Verse. Barkley had has fifth touchdown run of 50-plus yards of the season and was the first player with three TD runs of 60-plus against one team since Baltimore’s Jamal Lewis did it against the Browns in 2003.
Verse got trolled by Barkley after the Rams rookie linebacker and Pennsylvania native said he “hates Eagles fans.” The first-round draft pick attended high school in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, which is about 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
Verse egged on fans during pregame warmups and relished the boos that rained him on in the light snow. Once the game started, the Eagles showed on the big screen Verse on the bench and fans booed again.
Verse winked at the camera, stamping his name on the list of Philly sports villains.
Joshua Karty kicked two field goals in the first half for the Rams.
Elliott atoned for a missed extra point with a 44-yard field goal that floated through the uprights for a 16-13 lead in the third.
Injuries
Rams: DE Braden Fiske had a knee injury.
Eagles: CB Quinyon Mitchell suffered a shoulder injury.
Up next
The Eagles host the Commanders for the right to play in the Super Bowl.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
CFP NOTEBOOK: FREEMAN AND DAY SAY FIERY PREGAME SPEECHES UNNECESSARY WHEN PLAYING FOR CHAMPIONSHIP
ATLANTA (AP) — As far as coaches Marcus Freeman of Notre Dame and Ryan Day of Ohio State are concerned, those dramatic pregame speeches that inspire a football team to victory are the stuff of Hollywood.
Both said Sunday they have nothing special planned for their final words in the locker room before kickoff of the College Football Playoff championship game Monday night.
The message to their players will be to keep doing what they’ve been doing, because that’s what got them here.
“You’ve got to do what we’ve done, and you’ve got to do it better,” Freeman said. “We’re facing a great opponent. You’re in the national championship game. You might say it with a little passion. The natural emotions will come out in that moment.”
Day said there will be no shortage of emotion on the field and that there’s no need for him to try to fire up his players beforehand.
“Being in the locker room is a special moment. It is,” Day said. “But you all of a sudden can’t just like ramp a guy up in the last second to get a guy to go play really, really hard. It’s a buildup that usually starts 48 hours out to get your body, your soul, your mind ready to go play in a game like this.”
Crack care
Notre Dame kicker Mitch Jeter overcame lingering hip and groin injuries in the nick of time. He was just 6 for 12 on field goals in the regular season. He is 7 of 8 in three playoff games, and his 41-yarder with seven seconds left gave the Fighting Irish a 27-24 win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl semifinal.
Jeter went through daily treatment in the Notre Dame training room. He also got help from his chiropractor father, Andrew Jeter, who would travel from the family’s home in Salisbury, North Carolina, a couple of days before every game to give his son care.
“I’m super thankful for him to accelerate that healing process,” Mitch said. “Chiropractic is about aligning the body and he helped myself become aligned again, which allowed the muscles around my body to heal faster. He’s been a big part of my life and everything I’ve done so far this season.”
Buckeyes background
Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman has tamped down questions for a week about his ties to Ohio State.
He grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and played for the Buckeyes from 2004-08. He was a starting linebacker on the Jim Tressel-coached teams that lost to Florida (2006) and LSU (2007) in Bowl Championship Series title games. The BCS was the CFP’s predecessor. He counts his teammate and current OSU linebackers coach James Laurinaitis as one of his best friends.
Freeman has coached against the Buckeyes twice before, losing 21-10 in 2022 and 17-14 in 2023.
“Everybody knows where I went to college,” Freeman said. “But as I’ve continuously said to our program and everybody around our program, this opportunity is about this opportunity. This isn’t about where I went to school. This isn’t about the last two times we played Ohio State.”
Local ties
Nine players from the state of Georgia are on the Buckeyes’ roster, including four starters. Ohio is the only state with more representatives. Notre Dame has four players from the Peach State, but none will be starting.
“Most of our guys who are on the roster from Georgia are from the Atlanta area, and when they saw that the national championship game was in Atlanta from the jump, they were excited about that opportunity if it arose and we reached this game,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “They’re excited. A lot of chatter in the locker room about going back to Atlanta, and they’ll have a lot of friends and family here.”
Extra points
Notre Dame is the No. 7 seed in the first year of the 12-team playoff and Ohio State is No. 8. In the 10 years of the four-team playoff, only once did two bottom-half seeds reach the championship game. That was 2018, when No. 4 Alabama beat No. 3 Georgia 26-23, also in Atlanta. … Ohio State has won six straight meetings with the Irish and leads the series 6-2. … Ohio State is the first two-loss team to play in the championship game. … This is the third CFP championship game between teams from neighboring states. Alabama and Georgia met in 2017 and 2021. The Notre Dame (Indiana) and Ohio State campuses are 251 miles apart.
AT NOTRE DAME, THE FIRST ‘AMERICA’S TEAM,’ THEY WAKE THE ECHOES ON A RUN TO ANOTHER NATIONAL TITLE
ATLANTA (AP) — Between Touchdown Jesus, “Win One for the Gipper,” Rudy, and, yes, even the forward pass, there are those who believe football wouldn’t quite be football without Notre Dame.
With the Fighting Irish waking up the echoes and playing for a title again after a generation-long retreat from the limelight, now might be the perfect time to admit it — maybe they were right.
Ever since 1913, when an end named Knute Rockne helped a small Catholic school based in South Bend, Indiana, pull off a stunner by beating Army, Notre Dame has stood as one of the main shapers of college football.
“They were really the first ‘America’s Team,’” says Jack Nolan, the longtime radio personality for the Fighting Irish. “They were the first team that played on both coasts. I’ve told folks, and even told a couple of recruits, that Notre Dame is Broadway.”
Rockne started as a legend, then grew from there
Rockne didn’t invent the forward pass in that win against Army, but by catching throws in stride — up to then, receivers ran to a spot, stood there and waited — he introduced the pass as a dynamic, game-changing play that now needs no explanation.
Rockne went on to coach at Notre Dame, which featured a backfield famously nicknamed the Four Horsemen. Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley and Elmer Layden were immortalized by Grantland Rice in what is widely recognized as the best lead sentence in the history of sports writing: “Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again.”
And it was Rockne who, after the tragic death of running back George Gipp, (maybe) uttered the words “Win one for the Gipper” to motivate his team. That line became more famous when an actor-turned-politician named Ronald Reagan recited it the 1940 movie, “Knute Rockne, All American,” then used it as a campaign slogan that helped propel him to the presidency in 1980.
When Rockne himself died tragically in a plane crash in 1931, it cemented a legend that already had taken on mythical proportions.
Notre Dame mythology went well beyond sports
Politics. Sports. Religion. The history of Notre Dame football covers all that. Especially religion.
Legend has it that the Big Ten’s rejection of Notre Dame in 1926 — resulting in an outsider status the Irish later embraced — was steeped in anti-Catholic sentiment held by Michigan’s athletic director, Fielding Yost.
Time marched on.
By 1964, with football firmly established as another sort of religion on campus, the school president, the Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, wanted to make a grand statement about Notre Dame’s singular standing in American education. He instructed architects to think big with the construction of a new campus library.
That’s how the “Word of Life” mural came into being. It’s a 134-foot-tall painting of Jesus with his arms upraised to bless a group of teachers and doctors below him.
That you could see the painting of Jesus from anywhere in the south end of the nearby football stadium is how the mural became known as “Touchdown Jesus” — as iconic a college football landmark as there is.
“Sometimes in practice, I’ll kind of look up and see that,” receiver Jordan Faison said. “And it reminds me of how far I’ve come, and how far some of my teammates have come on this journey, and that the place where we’re doing this is Notre Dame.”
Independent streak helped define Notre Dame’s unusual role in football
Ever since the Big Ten turned down Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish have mostly gone it alone. Their status as an independent has always been unusual and, now, makes them virtually one of a kind in a sport dominated by megaconferences with 16 and 18 teams.
Exhibit A is media. Of all Notre Dame’s media deals over the decades, the most famous is the one it cut with NBC that started in 1991 and still exists today. It places financial heft behind a program that doesn’t benefit from multimillion-dollar media rights payouts from any conference.
The independent status also allows Notre Dame flexibility with its own schedule, giving it the ability to play games coast to coast — unheard of in the 1920s and ‘30s, and not as common until the last decade or so ushered in the era of conferences that stretch across three time zones.
In a nod to the realities of the times, Notre Dame does, however, play basketball and other sports in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and has a deal to play four football games a year against opponents from the ACC.
Notre Dame’s independence also gave it a decades-long head start on the now-common art of recruiting across the country instead of just regionally.
“I think there’s long been a feeling of not wanting to just be a Midwest institution,” said John Heisler, a longtime sports information director at the school who has written 10 books on the Fighting Irish.
Lou Holtz: The perfect man for a program you either love … or hate
Any list of the 10 most important figures in Notre Dame football history would have to include Lou Holtz.
The irrepressible coach is now 88 and still needling the opposition. His digs at the Buckeyes before last year’s game — questioning their physicality and throwing shade on coach Ryan Day — are taking on new meaning now that the teams are meeting for the title.
Just last week, Holtz was back on social media predicting a Notre Dame win on Monday night.
“Remember, we’re Notre Dame and they ain’t,” said Holtz, who plans on being in Atlanta for the title game.
Holtz, who spent a career putting chips on his players’ shoulders and making every opponent sound like a world beater, and whose bromides — “When all is said and done, more is said than done” — were so darn true they bordered on corny, is the living embodiment of the reason there isn’t much neutral ground about Notre Dame.
You either love ‘em or you hate ‘em.
Facing irrelevancy: Notre Dame didn’t win a ‘big’ bowl game for 30 years
Maybe worse than loving or hating the Fighting Irish would be if people just didn’t care.
That is the precarious place Notre Dame had been flirting with since Holtz led the Irish to their last national title in 1988, then left after the 1996 season.
Some say the days of “Catholics vs. Convicts,” the 1988 pseudo culture war between Miami and Notre Dame that is the subject of its own book and documentary, simply couldn’t happen anymore in this more professional-looking era.
And maybe neither could the ripped-from-the-headlines underdog tale that led to the 1993 movie “Rudy,” about the undersized Notre Dame walk-on who finally gets his chance to play, then gets carried off the field on his teammates’ shoulders.
Regardless, since Holtz left and college football turned into a battle of once-regional programs taking their acts national, Notre Dame has bordered on becoming “just another program.”
With coach Marcus Freeman in charge, this year marked the first time since 1994 the Fighting Irish got a “W” in a major bowl game. This season’s run, which included a victory over Indiana in college football’s first-ever postseason game on campus, is sparking a frenzy of nostalgia and reigniting all those ancient feelings about the Irish.
“The further Notre Dame pushes into the playoffs, the more crowded our parking lot gets,” said Wren Martin, marketing manager for Notre Dame’s on-campus bookstore.
The cycle of Notre Dame always keeps spinning
This season is reminding us once again that, even as winning comes and goes, Notre Dame finds new spins on a story old as time.
The year was 1964, and the Fighting Irish, after struggling for about a decade in the wake of coach Frank Leahy’s departure, were coming back to life under the direction of an eager outsider — a Protestant of Armenian descent named Ara Parseghian — who had toppled Notre Dame four straight years while he was coaching Northwestern.
Some believe the “Era of Ara” truly kicked off the day the Irish beat Stanford 28-6 to improve to 5-0.
The great sports scribe Dan Jenkins was in town that week writing for Sports Illustrated. He kicked off his tale by noting that the school had recently regilded its iconic golden dome to keep it glowing.
Then, Jenkins wrote: “The dome on the main building seemed to be giving off beams of inspiration as it did in the days of Frank Leahy and Knute Rockne. Notre Dame is winning again.”
It was true back then. It’s true again today.
BUCKEYES, IRISH USED HUMBLING LOSSES AS SPRINGBOARDS TO THEIR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SHOWDOWN
ATLANTA (AP) — Before the first 12-team College Football Playoff even started, there were already plenty of people suggesting changes for determining future national champions.
Ohio State (13-2) and Notre Dame (14-1) aren’t quibbling, at least not this year.
Had it remained a four-team playoff, the Buckeyes’ loss to a middling Michigan team and the Irish’s defeat against Northern Illinois would likely have been deal-breakers.
“Our season would be over,” Notre Dame defensive lineman Howard Cross III said. “Now we have a chance to play in this game.”
Two of the biggest brands in the sport will square off in the CFP championship game Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game will end the longest season in college football history — 150 days since starting Aug. 24.
“I think a lot of teams are starting their offseason program,” Buckeyes offensive lineman Donovan Jackson said with a laugh, “and we’re still playing.”
Ohio State will be playing for its first championship since 2014 and Notre Dame for its first since 1988.
The Buckeyes already had a one-point road loss to Oregon when, as a three-touchdown favorite, they were upset 13-10 at home by Michigan on Nov. 30. The Irish’s season appeared over before it really got started when, as a four-touchdown favorite, they lost 16-14 to Northern Illinois on Sept. 7.
Ohio State survived its crushing defeat on the strength of its four wins over top-five opponents, tied for most ever in a season. The Buckeyes have beaten Tennessee, Oregon and Texas in the playoff.
Players on both teams said they used their humbling losses as a reset.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day said the journey’s twists and turns won’t mean much if his team falls short Monday.
“That’s the sobering reality of this game, that nobody cares about what you go through, and you’ve got to win that final one to finish the mission,” he said. “That’s it for our guys, and as much as some of these wins have been great wins for us, to me, it’s about winning this final game.”
Notre Dame closed the regular season with 10 straight wins, most in lopsided fashion, and its nation-leading streak has reached 13 after playoff wins over Indiana, Georgia and Penn State.
Xavier Watts, the Irish’s two-time All-America safety, said he and his teammates didn’t doubt they could bounce back after getting embarrassed in their second game.
“We went against Purdue the next week and we kind of went out there and let all our anger out,” Watts said. “Each week we just continued to improve. I just think each week we continued to get better and better and seen growth, and here we are now.”
Buckeyes big favorites
Ohio State was listed as an 8.5-point favorite by BetMGM Sportsbook on Sunday. There have been two larger lines for a championship game in the CFP era. Georgia was favored by 13 1/2 over TCU two years ago and easily covered with a 65-7 victory. Four years ago, Alabama was favored by nine over Ohio State and won 52-24.
The Buckeyes had opened as a 9.5-point favorite.
Memories of Mercedes-Benz
Notre Dame will be making its second appearance of the season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Irish beat Georgia Tech 31-13 on Oct. 19, with quarterback Riley Leonard running for two touchdowns, Jeremiyah Love for one and Adon Shuler scoring on a 36-yard interception return.
The Buckeyes have bad memories of the place. The 2022 team squandered two double-digit leads and lost 42-41 to Georgia in the Peach Bowl CFP semifinal.
Point, counter point
Ohio State has outscored its first three playoff opponents 42-0 in the first quarter. Notre Dame has gone scoreless over the first 15 minutes in its past two games.
Notre Dame has been at its best in the last four minutes of the second quarter and first four minutes of the third. The Irish have a 148-17 scoring advantage in the so-called “middle eight,” including 23-10 in their three CFP games. Ohio State has been outscored 14-10 in the middle eight.
Freeman and the Bears
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman was awarded a new long-term contract last month, but that hasn’t stopped his name from being mentioned for the Chicago Bears job. The 39-year-old is 33-9 with the Irish.
“Here’s the reality: with team success comes individual recognition. To hear that the Bears have interest, it’s humbling. It’s the NFL,” he said. “But it’s also a reminder of with team success comes individual success. I have put zero thought into coaching in the NFL. All my attention has just been on getting this team prepared for every opportunity we have in front of us.”
TOP 25 ROUNDUP: NO. 12 MICHIGAN ST. WINS 11TH IN A ROW
Tre Holloman scored 17 points to lead No. 12 Michigan State to an 80-78 win over No. 19 Illinois on Sunday in East Lansing, Mich.
Frankie Fidler and Coen Carr each added 11 points for the Spartans (16-2, 7-0 Big Ten), who have won 11 straight games.
Will Riley scored 19 points off the bench for Illinois (13-5, 5-3), which spent most of the game without leading scorer Kasparas Jakucionis, who played only nine minutes due to foul trouble.
Holloman gave Michigan State an 80-77 lead via two free throws with 5.4 seconds left. Michigan State then decided to foul Kylan Boswell intentionally with 3.9 seconds left, and he made the first free throw he took to make it 80-78 Spartans.
Boswell intentionally missed the second free throw and got his own rebound near the baseline to the left of the basket, but officials ruled that his potential game-tying shot attempt while falling out of bounds went over the back of the basket. Michigan State then inbounded the ball to kill the remaining 0.9 seconds on the clock.
No. 18 Memphis 77, Charlotte 68
PJ Haggerty scored 18 points to help the Tigers churn out a victory over the host 49ers.
Tyrese Hunter chipped in 15 points and distributed five assists and reserve Dain Dainja contributed 14 points for Memphis (14-4, 4-1 American Athletic Conference), which recovered after falling 88-81 on Thursday night at Temple.
Jaehshon Thomas racked up 18 points and Kylan Blackmon and Giancarlo Rosado each had 12 points for Charlotte (7-12, 0-6), which is the only team in the AAC without a league victory.
No. 20 Michigan 80, Northwestern 76 (OT)
Vladislav Goldin had 31 points and eight rebounds and the Wolverines edged the Wildcats in overtime in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Nimari Burnett contributed 13 points while Roddy Gayle Jr. and Tre Donaldson added 10 apiece for Michigan (14-4, 6-1 Big Ten).
Brooks Barnhizer led Northwestern (11-7, 2-5) with 21 points and eight rebounds. Nick Martinelli had 20 points, and Jalen Leach tossed in 19. The Wildcats’ Matthew Nicholson made two free throws with 14 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime.
TCU 74, No. 25 Baylor 71
Brendan Wenzel’s 3-pointer with 6 seconds left lifted the visiting Horned Frogs to a comeback win against the Bears in Waco, Texas. A 3-point attempt from Baylor’s Jayden Nunn was blocked by Ernest Udeh Jr. as time expired.
Wenzel led TCU with 17 points off the bench, while Udeh scored a career-high 16 points and had a game-high 15 rebounds and four blocks. Noah Reynolds and Vasean Allette each added 13 points for the Horned Frogs (10-7, 3-3 Big 12).
Norchad Omier scored a game-high 20 points, V.J. Edgecombe tallied 18 points and Jeremy Roach chipped in 11 points for Baylor (11-6, 3-3), which has dropped two straight games.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S TOP 25 ROUNDUP: JUJU WATKINS, NO. 4 USC WIN 13TH STRAIGHT
JuJu Watkins scored 22 points as No. 4 Southern California held off a late-game surge from host Indiana to win 73-66 Sunday afternoon in Bloomington, Ind.
Watkins made 8 of 10 free throws and also had six rebounds, two steals and a block in the 13th consecutive win for the Trojans (17-1, 7-0 Big Ten). USC also got 13 points and 10 rebounds from Rayah Marshall, 14 points and seven rebounds apiece from both Kiki Iriafen and Kennedy Smith, and 10 points from Talia von Oelhoffen. USC won despite receiving zero points from its bench.
Sydney Parrish powered Indiana (12-6, 4-3) with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Yarden Garzon added 10 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
The Hoosiers led by as many as 11 points when they started the second quarter with a 6-0 run, but USC roared back to take a six-point lead at the break. Indiana then pushed back to lead by four points with 8:13 to play, but USC closed the game on a 22-11 run.
Watkins now has 16 consecutive games of scoring at least 20 points.
No. 5 LSU 80, Florida 63
Mikaylah Williams scored 22 points to help the Tigers remain undefeated with a road win over the Gators in Gainesville, Fla.
Williams also grabbed eight rebounds, while Aneesah Morrow contributed 20 points, 10 rebounds and three steals in the victory for LSU (20-0, 5-0 SEC). Flau’Jae Johnson added 19 points. Florida (11-9, 2-4) was led by Liv McGill’s 21 points, while Laila Reynolds had 16.
The Gators led by six points after the first quarter, and then LSU never trailed again after starting the second frame with a 13-1 run, kickstarted by back-to-back mid-range jumpers from Johnson. LSU went on to lead by as many as 28 points as it shot 43.1 percent from the floor and forced the Gators into 24 turnovers.
No. 6 UConn 96, Seton Hall 36
Sarah Strong collected 23 points and 11 rebounds as the Huskies rolled past the visiting Pirates in Storrs, Conn.
Paige Bueckers added 18 points and seven assists for UConn (17-2, 8-0 Big East) while Azzi Fudd also scored 18 points in just 19 minutes of action. Bueckers joined the 2,000-point club at UConn, becoming the fastest player to do so, pulling the feat off in six fewer games than Maya Moore did.
Jada Eads scored 14 points for Seton Hall (13-5, 5-2) while veteran Faith Masonius had eight points, six rebounds and three assists.
Penn State 62, No. 9 Ohio State 59
Gracie Merkle had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Nittany Lions handed the visiting Buckeyes their first loss of the season in University Park, Pa.
Gabby Elliott scored 14 points for Penn State (10-9, 1-7 Big Ten) as it snapped a seven-game losing streak. Jayla Oden added 13 points and Moriah Murray scored 12. The game was tied with 2:32 to play, but the Nittany Lions closed it on a 6-3 run, with Elliott providing five of those points. Penn State outscored the Buckeyes 34-22 in the paint.
Cotie McMahon paced Ohio State (17-1, 6-1) with 19 points and six assists, while Chance Gray scored 18 points. The Buckeyes played without star freshman forward Jaloni Cambridge, who was sidelined with an undisclosed injury.
No. 16 Duke 74, Stanford 49
Ashlon Jackson scored 16 points to help the Blue Devils notch their third straight win and beat the visiting Cardinal in Durham, N.C.
Delaney Thomas added a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds for Duke (15-4, 6-1 ACC), while Taina Mair contributed 13 points and six assists. Nunu Agara paced Stanford (10-8, 2-5) with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Duke trailed briefly by a single point early in the first frame but led by a comfortable margin of 22 points at halftime. The Blue Devils forced the Cardinal into 20 turnovers and scored 25 points off those miscues. Duke also outscored Stanford 20-3 on fast breaks.
No. 20 West Virginia 82, Iowa State 68
Jordan Harrison and JJ Quinerly scored 20 points apiece to help the Mountaineers beat the visiting Cyclones in Morgantown, W. Va.
Harrison also had seven steals and six assists, while Quinerly added four rebounds. Kyah Watson chipped in 12 points and 11 rebounds in the victory for West Virginia (15-3, 5-2 Big 12). West Virginia never trailed after closing the first quarter on a dominant 20-3 run. Iowa State turned the ball over 25 times, which the Mountaineers flipped into 26 points.
Addy Brown put up a stat line of 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for Iowa State (13-7, 4-3) while Audi Crooks added 13 points.
NBA NEWS
NBA ROUNDUP: CLIPPERS BEAT LAKERS, EXTEND SUCCESS IN NEW HOME
James Harden scored 21 points to go along with 12 assists, Ivica Zubac added 21 points and 19 rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers earned a 116-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night in the first game between the teams at Inglewood, Calif., since March 1999.
Norman Powell scored 22 points and Kawhi Leonard had 19 in his fifth game of the season as the Clippers won their fourth consecutive game overall and improved to 15-6 in their new $2 billion arena. Zubac added three blocks against his former team.
LeBron James scored 25 points and dished out 11 assists and Anthony Davis had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who lost their third consecutive road game and fell for the fourth time in their past six games overall.
Rui Hachimura scored 19 points and Austin Reaves added 14 before leaving late in the game due to a knee injury for the Lakers, who previously played at Great Western Forum in Inglewood from 1967-99.
Bucks 123, 76ers 109
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points and grabbed 15 boards to lead host Milwaukee to a win over short-handed Philadelphia.
It marked the fourth win in a row for Milwaukee. Damian Lillard added 25 points thanks to a 16-point fourth quarter, while Khris Middleton chipped in 13 points to go along with eight assists off the bench.
Tyrese Maxey had 37 points on 14-of-28 shooting to lead Philadelphia, which was without Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) and Paul George (groin), among others. Four other Sixers scored in double figures, including Kelly Oubre Jr., who finished with 19 points. The 76ers have dropped six straight games.
Nuggets 113, Magic 100
Nikola Jokic notched his 18th triple-double of the season by posting 20 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, Christian Braun added 20 points and 11 boards and Denver beat host Orlando.
Jokic, who leads the NBA in triple-doubles, went 7-for-9 from the field and didn’t play in the fourth quarter. Peyton Watson had three blocks but left the game in the second quarter after taking a hit to the head. Denver has won six straight road games.
Wendell Carter Jr. had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Anthony Black scored 14 points for the Magic, who have dropped three straight games. They were playing without Jalen Suggs (back), Gary Harris (hamstring), Franz Wagner (reconditioning) and Goga Bitadze (concussion protocol).
Thunder 127, Nets 101
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander collected 27 points and 10 assists to lead Oklahoma City to a win over visiting Brooklyn.
The Thunder have won 20 of their past 23 games overall and 12 straight at home. Oklahoma City shot 55.2 percent from the floor, its third-best field-goal percentage in a game this season.
Tyrese Martin and Johnson led Brooklyn with 15 points apiece. The Nets lost their third straight game and fell for the 19th time in 24 games.
Kings 123, Wizards 100
Domantas Sabonis had a double-double by halftime, De’Aaron Fox finished with one of his own and host Sacramento rolled over Washington, which has lost 10 games in a row.
Sabonis recorded his league-leading 37th double-double with game highs of 29 points and 18 rebounds as the Kings won for the ninth time in their last 10 games. Fox chipped in with 12 points and a game-high 13 assists in his seventh double-double of the year.
Backup Jonas Valanciunas topped the Wizards in points (23) and rebounds (12), hitting nine of his 11 shots off the bench. Coming off a 38-point explosion Saturday night at Golden State, Jordan Poole connected on just 4 of 11 shots and 3 of 9 3-point attempts en route to 11 points.
Trail Blazers 113, Bulls 102
Scoot Henderson recorded 25 points, eight assists and seven rebounds to help Portland deliver a victory over visiting Chicago.
Shaedon Sharpe added 23 points as the Trail Blazers snapped a five-game losing streak. Deni Avdija had 20 points, 12 rebounds and three steals, Jerami Grant scored 18 points and Deandre Ayton contributed 15 points and 13 rebounds for Portland.
Zach LaVine scored 27 points and Nikola Vucevic added 17 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Bulls, who dropped their fifth consecutive game.
Heat 128, Spurs 107
Lightly-used reserve Kel’el Ware, a 7-foot rookie, tied his career high with 25 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked two shots as host Miami defeated San Antonio.
Ware played 34 minutes as he was needed to guard 7-foot-3 Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama, who finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and one block.
Duncan Robinson scored 21 points, Terry Rozier had 20 off the bench and Tyler Herro overcame a slow start to post 18 points for the Heat. Devin Vassell topped the Spurs with 23 points.
NHL NEWS
NHL ROUNDUP: PATRIK LAINE, HABS EDGE RANGERS IN OT
Patrik Laine scored in overtime to give the host Montreal Canadiens a thrilling 5-4 victory over the New York Rangers on Sunday.
Brendan Gallagher and Christian Dvorak both collected one goal and one assist, while Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky added singles for the Canadiens, who erased four deficits en route to the victory. Rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes made 23 saves to earn his fifth win in as many career starts.
Amidst the back-and-forth action, Laine drove to the net and redirected a pass from Kaiden Guhle at 3:20 of overtime for his 12th goal in 18 games this season. Montreal is on a 12-3-1 run to pull within one point of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card position.
Alexis Lafreniere, Will Cuylle, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider replied for the Rangers, who received a 33-save performance from goalie Jonathan Quick. Defenseman Adam Fox netted a pair of assists. New York has earned points in eight consecutive games (5-0-3).
Senators 2, Devils 1
Defenseman Artem Zub scored the go-ahead goal 2:50 into the third period, lifting Ottawa to a victory over New Jersey in Newark, N.J.
Zub wristed a Shane Pinto pass high blocker side past a screened Jacob Markstrom for his second goal of the season. Zack Ostapchuk added his first career NHL goal for the Senators, who improved to 19-3-0 this season when scoring first.
Tomas Tatar responded with a goal for the Devils, who are winless in four straight games (0-2-2) and have lost nine of their past 11 games (2-6-3).
Stars 4, Red Wings 1
Jason Robertson had a goal and an assist as Dallas defeated visiting Detroit.
Matej Blumel, Mavrik Bourque and Wyatt Johnston also scored for the Stars, who moved into second place in the Central Division. Matt Duchene had two assists, and Jake Oettinger made 33 saves.
Marco Kasper supplied the goal and Alex Lyon stopped 21 shots for the Red Wings, who have lost three of their last four games.
BASEBALL NEWS
REPORT: DODGERS AGREE TO 4-YEAR, $72M DEAL WITH TANNER SCOTT
The Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to a four-year, $72-million deal with left-hander Tanner Scott, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
Scott’s deal includes $21 million in deferred money and a $20-million signing bonus, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray.
The 30-year-old pitcher was one of the top relievers available in free agency this winter after a tremendous 2024 campaign where he posted a 1.75 ERA, 2.92 FIP, and 10.5 K/9 with the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres.
Scott’s 4.5 fWAR ranks first among MLB relievers since 2023.
Scott is expected to anchor the back end of a Dodgers’ bullpen that should also feature Michael Kopech, Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, Anthony Banda, and Ryan Brasier. Brusdar Graterol is also on the roster, but he underwent shoulder surgery in November.
The defending World Series champion Dodgers have been one of the most active teams of the offseason. They have also signed Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, Michael Conforto and Hyeseong Kim, re-signed Teoscar Hernández and Treinen, and extended Tommy Edman.
The Toronto Blue Jays were among the other teams interested in Scott, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, and the Chicago Cubs were reportedly willing to give Scott a four-year deal, sources told MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian.
Scott also reportedly drew interest from the New York Mets, who added fellow left-hander A.J. Minter on Friday, and the Atlanta Braves, who did background work on the southpaw in preparation for making him a long-term offer, according to The Athletic’s David O’Brien.
GOLF NEWS
SEPP STRAKA RETURNS TO WINNER’S CIRCLE AT THE AMERICAN EXPRESS
Austria’s Sepp Straka shot a final-round 2-under-par 70 and didn’t allow a rare blotch on the scorecard to derail him on the way to winning The American Express on Sunday at the PGA West Pete Dye Stadium Course in La Quinta, Calif.
Straka finished at 25-under 263 for a two-shot victory.
Straka, who didn’t have a bogey in the tournament until Sunday’s 16th hole, won for the third time on the PGA Tour and for the first time since the 2023 John Deere Classic.
The 31-year-old also bogeyed the last hole, but runner-up Justin Thomas (66) had finished at 23 under about an hour earlier.
Justin Lower (69) and Australia’s Jason Day (69) tied for third place at 22 under.
Straka played the first seven holes in 3 under, so that kept him firmly in control.
Thomas became a serious contender by going 6 under through 11 holes before logging pars the rest of the way.
Second-round co-leader Charley Hoffman’s bid to make a charge was dampened by putting two balls into the water on No. 13. The triple-bogey sent him from second place to a tie for fifth after playing the first eight holes in 4 under followed by four pars.
Hoffman (71) tied with Patrick Cantlay (70) for fifth place at 20 under.
Colombia’s Camilo Villegas (66) joined Taylor Moore (68), Ben Griffin (68) and Max Greyserman (69) in seventh place at 19 under.
The best score of the round came from Alex Smalley with a 65. He placed 11th at 18 under.
Norway’s Kris Ventura had a hole-in-one on the 208-yard, par-3 13th, which was his fourth hole of the round. He posted 71, with double-bogeys on two par-3 holes. He tied for 58th place at 10 under.
TOP INDIANA RELEASES/HEADLINES
INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
HOOSIERS FALL TO NO. 4/5 USC
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana gave No. 4/5 USC all they could handle but couldn’t come out on top in the end as it fell 73-66 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Sunday afternoon.
KEY MOMENTS
Despite a 10-6 Trojan (17-1, 7-0 B1G) lead at the top of the first, the Hoosiers (12-6, 4-3 B1G) were sparked offensively by junior guard Yarden Garzon’s first 3-pointer of the day and junior guard Lexus Bargesser stopped and popped to make it an 13-11 lead. They continued on a 12-0 run to highlight the bottom of the frame and pushing its lead to largest lead of the game with 11 points at the end of one, 25-14.
USC clawed back to go on a 14-2 run over 2:25. A three from Garzon helped put IU back on top until a Trojan basket quickly tied before the media timeout. IU’s offense struggled in the final 4:57 of the first half, only scoring two points at the line as it trailed 38-32 at the break.
Indiana fell behind by as many as nine as Garzon and Parrish hit back-to-back threes for the Hoosiers to give it a five-point edge with 4:37 left to play. Junior guard Lilly Meister hit the little floater in the paint and made her first three-pointer of the year to make it a one possession game. Moore-McNeil’s step-back three from the left wing put Indiana up two but USC’s Juju Watkins hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to take the lead, 51-50.
Parrish’s elbow jumper with 8:13 remaining in the fourth put Indiana up four, until a scoreless 5:30 minute stretch helped USC regain a nine-point advantage. Bonus shots late couldn’t help get the Hoosiers back in it.
NOTABLE.
Moore-McNeil recorded her 1,000th career point in Sunday’s game. She becomes the 32nd player in school history to record 1,000 points.
Parrish secured her ninth career double-double and second of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Indiana had four players reach double-digits including Parrish, Moore-McNeil (13), Garzon (10), and Striplin (10).
Garzon put up nine boards and contributed six assists. Moore-McNeil
Indiana outscored the Trojans in the third quarter, putting up 18 total points.
UP NEXT
Indiana travels out to new league members Oregon and Washington in its upcoming two-game road swing. The series begins in Eugene on Friday night in a 9 p.m. ET tip.
INDIANA FOOTBALL
PORTAL TRACKER
IN
| Name | Position | Previous school |
| Lee Beebe Jr. | RB | UAB |
| Kahlil Benson | OL | Colorado |
| Brendan Franke | K | Texas State |
| Ryland Gandy | CB | Pitt |
| Roman Hemby | RB | Maryland |
| Makai Jackson | WR | Appalachian State |
| Amariyun Knighten | CB | Northern Illinois |
| Mitch McCarthy | P | UCF |
| Fernando Mendoza | QB | Cal |
| Zen Michalski | OL | Ohio State |
| Louis Moore | S | Ole Miss |
| Tyler Morris | WR | Michigan |
| Riley Nowakowski | TE | Wisconsin |
| Dominique Ratcliff | DT | Texas State |
| Hosea Wheeler | DT | Western Kentucky |
| Grant Wilson | QB | Old Dominion |
OUT
| Name | Position | New School |
| Noah Bolticoff | OL | |
| Elijah Green | RB | |
| Tayven Jackson | QB | UCF |
| JoJo Johnson | CB | |
| Brody Kosin | TE | |
| Nahji Logan | LB | Nevada |
| Donaven McCulley | WR | Michigan |
| Tyrik McDaniel | S | |
| Joshua Rudolph | LB | |
| Venson Sneed | Edge | |
| D.J. Warnell | S |
PURDUE FOOTBALL
PORTAL TRACKER
IN
| Name | Previous School | Position |
| Chad Brown | CB | Nevada |
| Evans Chuba | QB | Washington State |
| EJ Colson | QB | UCF |
| Carson Dean | LB | Arkansas |
| Sam Dubwig | P | Arkansas |
| Christian Earls | TE | UNLV |
| Tony Grimes | CB | UNLV |
| Breeon Ishmail | Edge | Michigan |
| Nathan Leacock | WR | Tennessee |
| T.J. Lindsey | Edge | Auburn |
| Chauncey Magwood | WR | UCF |
| Christian Moore | TE/FB | UNLV |
| Isaiah Myers | WR | Charlotte |
| CJ Nunnally IV | DE | Akron |
| Mani Powell | LB | UNLV |
| Luca Puccinelli | TE | Wake Forest |
| Hank Purvis | OL | UNLV |
| Tahj Ra-El | S | Memphis |
| Charles Ross | WR | USC |
| Alex Sanford Jr. | LB | Arkansas |
| Malachi Singleton | QB | Arkansas |
| Jalen St. John | OL | UNLV |
| Malachi Thomas | RB | Virginia Tech |
| Richard Toney Jr. | S | TCU |
| Ryan Turner | CB | Boston College |
| Giordano Vaccaro | OL | Manitoba (Can.) |
| Mason Vicari | OL | UNLV |
| Crew Wakley | S | BYU |
OUT
| Name | Position | New school |
| Botros Alisandro | CB | Old Dominion |
| Koy Beasley | CB | Miami of Ohio |
| Drew Biber | TE | Minnesota |
| Anthony Boswell | OL | Toledo |
| Kyndrich Breedlove | CB | Arizona State |
| Cole Brevard | DL | Texas |
| Anthony Brown | S | |
| Ryan Browne | QB | North Carolina |
| Keelan Crimmins | P | Illinois |
| Marcos Davila | QB | Nebraska |
| Jahmal Edrine | WR | Virginia |
| Tayvion Galloway | TE | Middle Tennessee |
| Jalen Grant | OL | NC State |
| Tarrion Grant | CB | Texas Tech |
| Nyland Green | CB | Arizona State |
| Will Heldt | Edge | Clemson |
| Elijah Jackson | RB | Ball State |
| Joseph Jefferson II | CB | Western Michigan |
| Yanni Karlaftis | DL | Northwestern |
| Max Klare | TE | Ohio State |
| Damarjhe Lewis | DL | SMU |
| Jeffrey M’Ba | DL | Auburn |
| Mahamane Moussa | OL | Louisville |
| Shamar Rigby | WR | Oklahoma State |
| Aaron Roberts | OL | |
| Derrick Rogers | CB | Florida Atlantic |
| C.J. Smith | WR | Memphis |
| Leland Smith | WR | San Jose State |
| Antonio Stevens | S | |
| Dillon Thieneman | S | Oregon |
| Jaron Tibbs | WR | Kansas State |
| DJ Wingfield | OL | USC |
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
WINNING WAYS CONTINUE AS THIRD-RANKED IRISH STIFLE SMU, 88-64
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — No. 3 Notre Dame (16-2, 7-0) notched an 11th consecutive win on Sunday evening, as the Irish downed visiting SMU (10-9, 2-5), 88-64. Notre Dame is 7-0 in conference play for the first time since 2015-16.
“This group plays with a ton of grit, edge and a toughness about them,” Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey said postgame. “The way that they defend, their activity on the ball, trying to impose their will.”
Notre Dame scored 50 points in the paint and had 17 offensive rebounds in a game where the group had a major size advantage. The Irish had 12 turnovers after 21 against Georgia Tech on Thursday.
“We focused on taking care of the ball after having more turnovers than we wanted in the last game, and I thought that helped our offense execute a lot better,” Ivey added.
The Irish started slow and surrendered a 6-0 run to SMU, giving them an 8-5 lead at the media timeout. Hannah Hidalgo came out of the timeout with a steal and layup, her first points back after missing two games with an ankle sprain.
Notre Dame was hot for the latter half of the quarter, finishing on a 10-2 run while going 6-8 from the field. Olivia Miles had 7 points and 4 boards before leaving the game with an ankle injury. She returned in Q2 and buried a triple shortly thereafter, becoming the first player in the game to reach 10 points.
The offense to end the first frame carried over to start the second, as Notre Dame went on a 20-3 run from 3:38 in the first quarter to 6:17 in the second. The run in the second alone was 12-1. The Irish went 4-5 from the floor and 4-5 from the charity stripe. Notre Dame led by as many as 19 points in Q2, but SMU closed on an 11-5 run of its own to cut the lead to 13 at the half. They hit three treys during that run.
The Irish had a 41-28 lead at the break. Miles led all players with 13 points, and Hidalgo had 10. Sonia Citron had 3 blocks, and Hidalgo had 3 swipes.
Notre Dame started the second half on an 8-0 run, and Hidalgo had 6 additional points by the media timeout. Miles also notched her 10th rebound of the game, giving her the 25th double-double of her career. Notre Dame closed the third on a 9-0 run helped by 7 offensive boards (4 from Cassandre Prosper), carrying a 23-point advantage into the final frame. SMU did not score for the last 4:38.
“We’re such a great team, and I think getting offensive rebounds is what I can bring to this team,” Prosper said of her work on the boards. “It’s something I can control. You don’t know if shots will go in, but rebounding and defense I can control.”
Both offenses came alive to close the game; Notre Dame went 11-15 and SMU went 10-15 in the fourth quarter. Hidalgo notched a double-double herself and finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals. Miles had 17 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Four finished in double-figures; Citron had 11 despite a slow start, and Liatu King had 10.
On the day, Notre Dame was 20-25 from the free throw line, tied for the most makes at the charity stripe this season. Both Hidalgo and Miles went 5-5.
Notre Dame will be on the road for its next three games — Boston College (Jan. 23), Virginia Tech (Jan. 30) and Louisville (Feb. 2). Thursday’s game in Chestnut Hill will tip off at 7 p.m.
IU INDY MEN’S BASKETBALL
JAGUARS FALL AT HOME TO HORIZON LEAGUE LEADERS ON SUNDAY
INDIANAPOLIS – The IU Indianapolis men’s basketball team’s upset bid of Horizon League leading Cleveland State fell just short inside a raucous Jungle on Sunday (Jan. 19) as the visiting Vikings outlasted the Jaguars, 73-62. Paul Zilinskas led the Jaguars with 13 points and Sean Craig contributed 12 in the loss. Tevin Smith paced Cleveland State with 16 points in just 20 minutes due to foul trouble and both Dylan Arnett and KJ Debrick added 13 apiece.
The Jaguars (6-14, 2-7 HL) led 33-31 at halftime and built a seven-point lead early in the second half, but couldn’t maintain it against the league’s hottest team. CSU (14-6, 8-1 HL) won an eighth straight Horizon League contest and tenth straight game overall, while defeating the Jaguars for a 13th consecutive meeting.
“We didn’t do a good job of handling their pressure down the stretch. We had too many live ball turnovers, which ultimately led to our lead slipping away,” head coach Paul Corsaro said. “I thought we did a good job of coming out strong – started the game great, finished the first half great, started the second half great and kind of had that little lull in the middle of the second half.
“We’re right there in every game and we haven’t been putting a full 40 (minutes) together. When we do, I think we’ve got a special group.”
The Jaguars erased a six-point deficit in the final minutes of the first half to take a two-point lead into intermission, capped by a Zilinskas three as the shot clock expired with 56.5 seconds left. The lead grew to seven as Alec Millender made a corner three on the opening possession of the second half and Zilinskas followed with a tough left-handed finish on the next offensive trip.
However, the game turned as Cleveland State scored 13 straight points, holding the Jags scoreless for more than six minutes. Trailing 47-39, Zilinskas missed a short jumper in front of the Jaguars bench on a play in which Corsaro clearly thought his top scorer was undercut. The animated IU Indy leader voiced his displeasure and was quickly hit with a pair of technical fouls, leading to an automatic ejection. The Vikings cashed in on all four technical free throws and an additional freebie on the ensuing possession to push the lead to 52-39 with 11:50 to play, extending the run to 18 straight points.
IU Indy whittled the lead down to five with 5:50 to play when Craig sank an open three, but got no closer. After CSU Debrick retaliated with a 16-foot jumper, Millender scored two at the free throw line with 5:10 left to get the Jags within five again. Smith repeatedly answered the Jaguars, tallying eight points on a collection of drives in the closing minutes to secure the win.
CSU shot 54 percent from the floor in the second half to finish at 47.3 percent for the game. The Jaguars made just 6-of-22 (27.3 percent) second half attempts and finished the game at 37.8 percent. IU Indy, which came in ranked among the nation’s top-50 in free throw percentage, shot an off kilter 63.3 percent on Sunday, missing 11-of-30 attempts.
The Vikings did the bulk of their offensive work on the inside, outscoring the Jags 40-12 in the paint, while the Jaguars connected on 9-of-25 (36 percent) from three-point range.
Millender closed with nine points, five rebounds and four assists and DeSean Goode, Jarvis Walker and Keenan Garner all contributed seven points apiece. The freshmen fueled the IU Indy attack in the game’s early going as Garner, Goode and Ron Rutland III all had early treys. Garner also finished with three assists and two steals.
The Jaguars will return to action on Wednesday (Jan. 22) when they travel to Green Bay to face the Phoenix at 6:00 p.m. CT (7 Eastern) on ESPN+.
VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL GRINDS OUT WIN OVER BRADLEY SUNDAY
The Valpo women’s basketball team closed out its home weekend at the ARC on a winning note Sunday afternoon, grinding out a 59-52 win over visiting Bradley, the Beacons’ seventh consecutive win over the Braves. Leah Earnest (Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) accounted for nearly half Valpo’s offense, finishing with 27 points, while Nevaeh Jackson (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) recorded her first career double-double.
How It Happened
Valpo held Bradley without a point for a stretch of over five minutes within the first quarter, part of a bigger stretch during which the Beacons went on a 13-2 run — including six points from Earnest — to lead by double figures in the opening period.
The Braves hit a 3-pointer to beat the first-quarter buzzer to cut Valpo’s lead to 17-9 10 minutes in.
Baskets from Lexi Castator (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) and Fiona Connolly (South Burlington, Vt./Brewster Academy [La Salle]) on Valpo’s first two possessions of the second quarter extended the advantage to 21-9.
The Beacons’ offense scored just four points over the final nine minutes of the first half, but on the other end, the defense limited Bradley to 3-of-15 shooting for the period as Valpo went into halftime with a 25-17 lead.
Bradley scored the first three points of the second half to move within five, but Valpo had an immediate answer, as Jackson hit a 3-pointer before Earnest converted a fast-break layup and hit a triple of her own to push the edge back to 33-22 just 90 seconds later.
Valpo’s lead hovered on either side of the 10-point mark for the remainder of the third quarter, and the Beacons led 39-31 with 10 minutes to play.
The story of the fourth quarter was the Beacons making sure small Bradley runs did not become larger runs. Jackson hit a key 3-pointer with 5:57 to play after the Braves had cut their deficit to 43-36.
Just over a minute later, Bradley got back to within five before Valpo answered with eight straight points. Earnest started the spurt with layups on consecutive possessions and hit Katie Beyer (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) for a cutting layup the next time down. When Connolly hit a pair of free throws with 2:54 to play, the Beacons led 54-41.
The Braves had one final push, closing the gap to 57-52 after making three free throws with 24 seconds to go. Valpo ran seven seconds off the clock before Bradley fouled Earnest, however, and the veteran delivered with two clutch free throws. The Beacons forced a miss on the defensive end and were able to secure the rebound to finish things off.
Inside the Game
Sunday’s win was Valpo’s seventh consecutive over Bradley dating back to the start of the 2021-22 campaign, with five of those victories coming by single digits.
The seven-game winning streak is Valpo’s longest active streak against an opponent. It is also the program’s longest winning streak against a conference foe since defeating Centenary in all eight meetings as Mid-Continent Conference opponents in the mid-2000’s.
The Beacons’ defense led the way Sunday, as Valpo limited Bradley to 30.5% shooting from the field — the lowest mark by a Valpo D-I opponent this season. The Beacons also sent the Braves to the foul line just 11 times and forced 19 turnovers.
All six of Valpo’s wins this year have come when holding its opponent under 60 points, as the Beacons are a perfect 6-0 in such games.
On the offensive end, Valpo was limited to just 59 points on 36.0% shooting from the floor and 4-of-15 from 3-point range. It was just the program’s fifth win in the seven-year tenure of head coach Mary Evans when scoring less than 60 points.
The four made triples are tied for second-fewest in a victory in Evans’ tenure as well.
Valpo did strong work from the free throw line Sunday, finishing 19-of-22 at the stripe, including 9-of-10 in the fourth quarter. The 86.4% clip from the charity stripe matched the Beacons’ best of the year, as they hit the same mark at Lehigh as well.
Earnest scored nearly half of the Beacons’ points Sunday, finishing with 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 from the foul line. The 27 points is the third-highest effort of her career, while the 10 made field goals are tied for a career best.
Earnest surpassed 1,400 career points in the fourth quarter of the win and now sits at 1,403 points, 57 points away from fourth place in program history.
Earnest also grabbed eight rebounds Sunday, the seventh of which moved her past Jeanette Gray for third in program history in career boards. She now owns 768 career caroms, just four shy of second position. In addition, she surpassed 500 made field goals for her career and moved past Sarrah Stricklett for fourth all-time at Valpo in that department.
Jackson connected on a trio of 3-pointers on her way to 11 points and finished the afternoon with her first career double-double, as the sophomore set a career best with a team-high 11 rebounds.
One game after scoring a career-best 10 points, Connolly was just one point off that mark Sunday, finishing with nine points and tying her career high with three steals.
Maci Rhoades (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek [Radford]) tied her career best on the glass with seven rebounds.
Valpo held a 40-35 advantage on the glass over Bradley, with the Beacons’ 40 boards marking their most since Jan. 28, 2024 at Evansville. The Beacons also outscored Bradley in the paint, 28-16 — the second consecutive game they have held a double-digit advantage in the paint.
Next Up
The stop home was brief for Valpo (6-12, 2-5 MVC), as the Beacons return to the road for their next three games. Next week is a light week, featuring just a single game next Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. at UIC.
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”
FOOTBALL HISTORY
January 20, 1950 – Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, Philadelphia -The Detroit Lions picked Leon Hart from University of Notre Dame with the first pick of the 1950 NFL Draft. The interesting thing about this Draft class was that not one player in the top ten picks have become Hall of Famers at the time of this writing per the Pro-Football-Reference.com site. San Francisco’s pick of Leo Nomellini at number 11 is where we see the first in this Draft Class to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The only other Hall member from this draft was Ernie Stautner as the 22nd overall pick by Pittsburgh.
January 20, 1974 – Arrowhead Stadium, KC, Missouri: At the 24th NFL Pro Bowl it was a game for the lovers of good defenses to witness as the AFC held on against the NFC, 15-13. The coaches of the teams were John Madden for the AFC against the strategies of the Cowboys Tom Landry. According to the American Football Database, Miami kicker Garo Yepremian was the Most Valuable Player in the contest as he scored all of the AFC’s points on his 5 successful field goals which is still a Pro Bowl record! It is interesting to note that the victors each received $2000 each while each member of the losing team put $1500 in the bank.
January 20, 1975 – Miami Orange Bowl – The coaches at the 25th NFL Pro Bowl were John Madden of the AFC’s Raiders and Chuck Knox of the LA Rams according to the VictoriaAdvocate.com website. The Pro Bowl was still an important game back then as even the Monday Night Football crew was there to carry it live on ABC. This game was Larry Csonka’s fifth and final Pro Bowl game that he played in. The outcome of the contest had the NFC squad of stars edging out their AFC counterparts, 17-10. The game’s MVP was James Harris the quarterback of the Los Angeles Rams.
January 20, 1980 – Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California – Super Bowl XIV was billed as Tinsel Town versus the Steel City as the Los Angeles Rams would face the defending Champs the Pittsburgh Steelers. A Washington Post article from the day after the game provides the details. The Steelers entered the game as 11 point favorites and they covered that spread, but the game was not an easy one for them by any means. A timely interception by Jack Lambert, spectacular catches by Lynn Swann and John Stalworth and a near record passing performance from Terry Bradshaw were all needed to overcome the Rams. The LA Defense put the Blonde Bomber under pressure all game and picked off three of his passes but he shrugged those off and entertained the crowd of over 103,000 packed into the Rose Bowl to watch a fourth quarter surge by the Steelers. Pittsburgh was in fact trailing 19-17 early in the fourth before Stallworth scored by reeling in a 73-yard bomb early in the fourth stanza to erase a 19-17 Ram lead. Then Stalworth somehow gathered in a 45-yarder in the midst of three Ram defenders with three minutes left to set up Franco Harris one yard plunge to ice the game. The Pittsburgh Steelers retained their World Championship with a 31-19 victory over the LA Rams. Terry Bradshaw was named as the game’s MVP.
January 20, 1985 – Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California -At Super Bowl XIX the San Francisco 49ers knocked off the Miami Dolphins, 38-16. According to the 49ersWebzone.com described the game as a one sided affair where a young Dan Marino and the Dolphins found themselves vastly overmatched against a guy named Joe Montana. The 49ers defense played exceptionally well as they all but silenced the hot hand of Marino and made the high powered Dolphin offense look quite pedestrian. Joe Montana threw for 331 yards and 3 scores as he earned the Most Valuable Player award in the victory.
January 20, 1991 – Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, NY – The AFC Championship for the 1990 season culminated in the Buffalo Bills blasting the Los Angeles Raiders, 51-3! Bills QB Jim Kelly threw for 300 yards and 2 TDs, his favorite target was James Lofton who caught five balls for 113 and a score and Thurman Thomas rushed for a touchdown as part of his 138 yards on the ground as told by the Pro-Football-Reference site. The Bills were good but they lost a few weeks later in the Super Bowl, starting a streak of four in a row where starting QB Jim Kelley has the record for losses in the big game as a QB.
January 20, 1991 – Candlestick Park, San Francisco -There was only one TD scored in the NFC Championship game for the 1990 season and it was by the team that ended up on the losing side. It doesn’t sound right to hear that but Joe Montana’s 61 yard scoring strike to wide receiver John Taylor in the 3rd quarter was the only time either team crossed the goal line per the Pro-Football-Reference.com. Matt Bahr of the Giants had an active day as he kicked 5 field goals to supply all of the Giants points as they beat the San Francisco 49ers, 15-13.
January 20, 2008 – Gillette Stadium, Foxborough The New England Patriots defeated the San Diego Chargers, 21-12 in the AFC Championship game. According to Pro-Football-Reference, Tom Brady tossed two touchdown passes and Laurence Maroney rushed in another to power the scoring for the Patriots to advance them to Super Bowl XLII with an unblemished 18-0 record.
January 20, 2008 – Lambeau Field, Green Bay – The NFC Championship was a great quarterback matchup as Eli Manning and his Giants would run their offense and Brett Favre would do likewise for the Packers team according to Pro-Football-Reference. Favre got the better of the quarterback battle as he passed for 236 yards and two touchdowns but his two picks were costly as the New York Giants beat Green Bay 23-20 in Overtime to earn the right to face the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
January 20, 2013 – Gillette Stadium, Foxborough – In the 2012 seasons AFC Championship tilt it was the Baltimore Ravens who more than doubled up the New England Patriots by the score of 28-13. Tom Brady threw for a solid 320 yards against a tough Ravens defense but with just one touchdown and having two passes intercepted, he was upstaged by the three scoring passes by Joe Flacco who kept the ball out of defenders hands per the Pro-Football-Reference.com to advance to Super Bowl XLVII.
January 20, 2013 – Georgia Dome, Atlanta – What a game the NFC Championship was! The Pro-football-Reference website shows that after Atlanta held a 24-14 advantage at the half, the Niners played stingy defense in the second half and Frank Gore pounded the ball across the goal line twice to lift San Francisco to a 28-14 victory over Atlanta to advance to Super Bowl XLVII against the Ravens in the Harbaugh Bowl! We will discuss that game on February 3!
January 20, 2019 – Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans – At the NFC Championship game according to Pro-Football-Reference.com it was the Los Angeles Rams who outlasted the New Orleans Saints, 26-23 in overtime. The infamous “Pass Interference No-Call” stunned the NFL fan base, According the an article on the Ringer.com website, with less than two minutes remaining in the game and the score tied at 20, the Saints were well within field goal range at the Rams’ 13-yard line. Three plays later the Saints faced a third-and-10, and a conversion would’ve meant that they’d be able to work the clock to mere seconds and attempt a chip-shot field goal that would’ve basically punched their tickets to the Super Bowl. Drew Brees dropped back and looked for receiver Tommylee Lewis, but the wideout got basically destroyed by Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman prior to the ball’s getting to him. No yellow laundry was tossed onto the field so that Saints were forced to kick earlier than they should have had to leaving the Rams 1:41 to mount a comeback. And that they did and kicked the tying score in regulation and the game winner in overtime to have the opportunity to go to Super Bowl LIII.
January 20, 2019 – Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City – What a game and what storylines it had. The main one being the greatest Quarterback of all time in Tom Brady leading his team against the new gun slinger in the NFL Patrick Mahomes. They each had their bright spots in the contest but none was any bigger than Mahomes putting the Chiefs on his back and scoring 24 points in the fourth including a game tying field goal with just 8 seconds left in regulation Pro-Football-Reference.com. It was Brady and the Patriots though that had a drive of their own on the extra session that finished the game with a 2 yard Rex Burkhead touchdown. The New England Patriots outlasted the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime 37-31 to face the Rams in Super Bowl LIII.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1871 Ivers Whitney Adams incorporates the Boston Red Stockings with $15,000 and the help of Harry Wright, who had founded and managed the Cincinnati Red Stockings, America’s first professional baseball team. The franchise will compile a 225-60 (.789) record and win four pennants during its five-year existence in the National Association.
1882 Kentucky lawmakers revise a ruling that inadvertently banned playing baseball in the commonwealth. The poorly written legislation would have prevented the Louisville Eclipse from playing their inaugural season in the American Association.
1906 Henry Mathewson signs with the Giants, but the right-hander’s performance will not remind anyone of his more talented older brother, Christy, when the right-hander, in his only start, walks 14 batters to establish a National League record. The 19-year-old will appear in only three major league games over the next two seasons, compiling a 0-1 record and two saves while posting an ERA of 4.91 during his 11 innings of work in the major leagues.
1947 Negro League standout Josh Gibson, sometimes referred to as the ‘black Babe Ruth,’ suffers a stroke at a movie theater, dying a few hours later at his mother’s house at 35. The future Hall of Fame catcher will be put to rest in an unmarked grave for nearly three decades in Pittsburgh’s historic Allegheny Cemetery until the placement of a small plaque in 1975, thanks to the efforts of fellow HOFer Willie Stargell and members of the community.
1966 Ted Williams, who compiled a .344 career batting average playing with the Red Sox for 19 seasons, receives 282 votes out of 302 ballots (93.4%) cast by the writers of the BBWAA for induction into the Hall of Fame. The ‘Splendid Splinter’ becomes the first American League position player selected in his first year of eligibility.
1984 Mets fans are shocked as the franchise loses future Hall of Famer Tom Seaver for the second time. The White Sox draft the unprotected ‘Tom Terrific,’ who rejoined the team last season after being traded away to Cincinnati in 1977, as compensation for losing Dennis Lamp, a Type A free agent, to the Blue Jays.
1997 Former outfielder Curt Flood, who played most notably with the Cardinals, dies of throat cancer at 59. After being traded to the Phillies in 1969, the baseball pioneer refused to play for Philadelphia and challenged the owners’ reserve clause, taking the matter as far as the U.S. Supreme Court, where he lost the case but laid the groundwork that would lead to free agency in professional sports.
2001 George W. Bush becomes the 43rd President of the United States. The former Texas Ranger owner, who had a scant 1.8 percent share of the team at the beginning of the venture, and his partners bought the Texas franchise from Eddie Chiles in 1989 for $86 million.
2006 With the encouragement of President George W. Bush, a former major league owner, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control approves baseball’s second application to allow Cuba to play in the World Baseball Classic games in the United States. With the issues of potential espionage by Cuban spies accompanying the team and money going to the Castro government resolved the Olympic champs will be one of the 16 teams to compete in the WBC.
2006 At the introductory news conference, Bob Castellini, the new Reds’ owner, makes it clear that he plans to be a hands-on CEO on his first day on the job. Promising the fans a championship, the Cincinnati produce proprietor intends to work out at the Great American Ball Park daily until he understands how a baseball front office operates.
2006 “I think it’s the No. 1 accomplishment because you can only become an American citizen once, but you can be a World Series champion a few times.” – OZZIE GUILLEN, White Sox skipper, comparing gaining United States citizenship with winning the Fall Classic. Ozzie Guillen, the first foreign-born manager to win a World Series, spends his 42nd birthday becoming an American citizen. During the ceremony, others sworn in as citizens of the United States include the White Sox skipper’s wife, Ibis, and their 19-year-old son, Oney, a student at Chicago’s North Park University.
2006 Danny Graves, the only major leaguer born in Vietnam, travels to Quang Tri province just south of the DMZ to dedicate the country’s first baseball field. Removing seventeen explosive devices between home base and the outfield, using money donated from Major League Baseball and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, helps transform the former soccer field into a diamond for the Le Loi High School.
2009 Jonathan Papelbon, avoiding arbitration, agrees to a one-year contract with the Red Sox. The 28-year-old All-Star closer has compiled a career 1.84 ERA, the second-best in big league history among pitchers with at least 200.0 innings, trailing only Meriden, Connecticut’s Ed Walsh mark of 1.82.
2009 The Dodgers, avoiding arbitration, sign Russell Martin to a one-year deal. The 25-year-old catcher, a two-time All-Star, will make $3.9 million after making $500,000 last season.
2009 Adam LaRoche signs a $7.05 million, one-year contract with the payroll-poor Pirates. The 25-year-old first baseman’s deal, which avoids the need for arbitration, will likely be the second richest in Pittsburgh this season, slightly less than shortstop Jack Wilson’s $7.25 million.
2009 Avoiding arbitration, Ryan Madson and the Phillies reach a preliminary agreement on a $12 million, three-year contract. The right-handed reliever, who posted a 3.05 ERA in 76 games out of the bullpen last year, finished the season as the setup man for closer Brad Lidge, who was perfect in 48 save opportunities.
2009 The Mariners obtain David Aardsma from the Red Sox in exchange for minor league southpaw Fabian Williamson. Seattle plans to use the 27-year-old right-hander, a first-round draft pick in 2003, out of the bullpen.
2012 The Nationals, avoiding salary arbitration, sign Mike Morse to a reported two-year contract extension. The 29-year-old outfielder/infielder, who had been asking for $5 million, led the team in batting (.303 average), home runs (31), and runs batted in (95) last season.
2014 The Tigers and Justin Upton agree on a reported six-year, $132.75 million deal. The addition of the 28-year-old three-time All-Star outfielder and the free-agent signing of right-hander Jordan Zimmermann in late November make Detroit the second franchise to spend $100 million or more on two free agents in a single offseason.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
Jan. 20
1891 — The International YMCA in Springfield, Mass. is the site of the first official basketball game. Peach baskets were used, but it wasn’t until 1905 that someone removed the baskets’ bottoms.
1937 — Nels Stewart of the New York Americans becomes the NHL’s all-time scorer with his 270th goal in a 4-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
1952 — George Mikan scores 61 points, a career-high, to lead the Minneapolis Lakers to a 91-81 double-overtime victory over the Rochester Royals.
1966 — Ted Williams, longtime star of the Boston Red Sox, is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Williams was a two time triple crown winner, a two time MVP and the last player to hit over .400 — despite losing five prime years to service in the Marine Corps.
1968 — Elvin Hayes scores 39 points to lead Houston to a 71-69 victory and end UCLA’s 47-game winning streak. A regular-season record 52,693 fans attend the game at the Houston Astrodome.
1970 — Cincinnati’s Tom Van Arsdale and Phoenix’s Dick Van Arsdale are the first brothers to play in the same NBA All-Star game. Dick scores eight points for the West team, while Tom scores five for the East, which wins the game 142-135 at Philadelphia.
1980 — President Carter announces the U.S. Olympic team will not participate in the Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan the previous month.
1980 — Terry Bradshaw passes for 309 yards and sets two passing records to help the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Los Angeles Rams 31-19 and become the first team to win four Super Bowls.
1985 — Joe Montana passes for a Super Bowl record 331 yards and three touchdowns to lead the San Francisco 49ers to a 38-16 victory over the Miami Dolphins. Roger Craig scores a record three touchdowns.
1996 — Rudy Galindo, in the biggest upset in decades, wins the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, earning two perfect marks along the way.
2001 — Alan Webb of South Lakes High School in Reston, Va., becomes the first American prep runner to break four minutes for the indoor mile, with a time of 3:59.86 at the New Balance Games in New York.
2002 — Steve Yzerman becomes the ninth player in NHL history to notch 1,000 assists, which he earns on Mathieu Dandenault’s game-winning goal when Detroit beats Ottawa 3-2 in overtime.
2007 — Utah coach Jerry Sloan passes Larry Brown for 4th on the NBA’s all-time win list (1,010) after the Jazz beat the Chicago Bulls, 95-85 at the United Center.
2008 — Despite a shaky Tom Brady, New England Patriots are too much for the banged-up San Diego Chargers in the AFC championship game, pulling out a 21-12 victory that sends them back to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in seven seasons.
2008 — Lawrence Tynes, who missed a 36-yard field goal at the end of regulation following a bad snap, nails a 47-yarder in overtime to give the New York Giants a 23-20 win over Green Bay in the NFC championship at Lambeau Field. The Giants win their 10th straight on the road in the third-coldest championship game ever.
2013 — San Francisco’s Frank Gore runs for a pair of second-half touchdowns and the 49ers rebounds from a 17-0 deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons 28-24 in the NFC championship game.
2013 — Joe Flacco outduels Tom Brady, throwing three touchdown passes in the second half and leading the Baltimore Ravens to their first Super Bowl in 12 years with a 28-13 victory over the New England Patriots for the AFC championship.
2016 — Kathryn Smith is promoted by the Buffalo Bills to take over as special teams quality control coach, making her the first full-time female coach in the NFL.
2017 — Henrik Sedin had a goal for his 1,000th career point before Luca Sbisa scored the winner early in the third period to help Vancouver beat Florida 2-1. Sedin converted a pass from twin brother Daniel on a 2-on-1 rush for his 11th goal of the season. Henrik Sedin became the 85th player in NHL history to reach 1,000 points, and the 38th to accomplish the feat with one franchise.
Jan. 21
1921 — Kenesaw Mountain Landis takes office as baseball’s commissioner.
1947 — Carl Hubbell, Frank Frisch, Mickey Cochrane, and Lefty Grove are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1953 — Dizzy Dean and Al Simmons are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The baseball writers pass over Joe DiMaggio in his first year of eligibility.
1954 — For the first time in NBA All-Star history, an overtime period is needed. Boston’s Bob Cousy scores 10 points in the overtime to give the East a 98-93 victory and Cousy the MVP honors.
1958 — Bob Pettit of St. Louis becomes the first member of the losing team to win the NBA All-Star MVP award, scoring 28 points and grabbing 26 rebounds, even though the East beats the West 130-118.
1969 — Roy Campanella and Stan Musial are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1979 — Terry Bradshaw throws four touchdown passes to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to their third Super Bowl win, a 35-31 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Bradshaw, the game’s MVP, completes 17 of 30 passes for 318 yards.
1990 — John McEnroe becomes the first player thrown out of the Australian Open. McEnroe’s tantrum comes while leading Mike Pernfors 6-1, 4-6, 7-5, 2-4.
1996 — Karrie Webb becomes the second quickest winner in LPGA Tour history winning the HealthSouth Inaugural at Walt Disney World. Webb, in her second LPGA start, beat Jane Geddes and Martha Nause on the fourth hole of a playoff. Webb finished second in her first LPGA start a week earlier in the Chrysler-Plymouth Tournament of Champions.
2005 — Four-time Olympic champion Ole Einar Bjoerndalen wins his 49th career World Cup biathlon, breaking the record for career victories. Bjoerndalen edges fellow Norwegian Frode Andresen in the 10-kilometer sprint event to pass former cross country great Bjorn Daehlie at 48 career wins.
2007 — Lovie Smith becomes the first black head coach to make it to the Super Bowl when his Chicago Bears win the NFC championship. Tony Dungy joins him when his Indianapolis Colts take the AFC title.
2009 — New Jersey Institute of Technology ends its 51-game losing streak, getting 26 points from Jheryl Wilson in a 61-51 victory over Bryant. NJIT had not won since it defeated Longwood on Feb. 19, 2007.
2010 — Los Angeles guard Kobe Bryant becomes the 15th player in NBA history to reach 25,000 career points and the youngest to hit the milestone. Bryant finishes with 31 points in the Lakers’ 93-87 loss at Cleveland.
2012 — Notre Dame upsets No. 1 Syracuse 67-58 and hands the Orange their first loss after 20 straight victories. It’s the eighth time Notre Dame has beaten a No. 1 team — that ties for fourth-most all-time.
2017 — Adam Hadwin shoots a 13-under 59 in the CareerBuilder Challenge for the ninth sub-60 round in PGA Tour history and the second in 10 days. The 29-year-old Canadian reaches 13 under with a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-4 17th and makes a 3-footer from just off the green for par on the 18th at La Quinta Country Club.
2019 – Golden State guard Klay Thompson sets an NBA record by making his first 10 attempts from 3-point range as the Warriors beat the LA Lakers, 130-111; Thompson scores 44 points.
2024 — Tara VanDerveer, Stanford, becomes winningest college basketball coach with 1,203rd victory.
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Jan. 22
1920 — The New York Yankees announce they will be the first team to wear uniform numbers, according to the player’s position in batting order.
1960 — Paul Pender beats Sugar Ray Robinson in a 15-round split decision to capture the world middleweight boxing title.
1962 — Bob Feller and Jackie Robinson are elected into baseball’s Hall of Fame. Robinson, the first black to play in the majors, is also the first to enter the Hall.
1968 — The NBA awards expansion franchises to Milwaukee and Phoenix.
1973 — George Foreman knocks out Joe Frazier in the second round in Kingston, Jamaica, to win the world heavyweight title.
1983 — Houston becomes the first NBA team not to score a point in overtime. The Portland Trail Blazers outscore the Rockets 17-0 for a 113-96 victory.
1988 — Mike Tyson knocks out Larry Holmes in the fourth round at Atlantic City to retain his world heavyweight title.
1998 — New York’s Pat LaFontaine reaches 1,000 career points, scoring his 19th goal in the Rangers’ 4-3 loss to Philadelphia.
2003 — Andy Roddick wins one of the longest matches of the Open era, beating Younes El Aynaoui in a fifth set that ended 21-19 to reach the Australian Open semifinals. The American won 4-6, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4, 21-19 in a match lasting 4 hours, 59 minutes — the longest men’s singles match at the Australian Open since tiebreaker sets were introduced into Grand Slam events in 1971.
2005 — Jockey Russell Baze passes Bill Shoemaker to take second place on the career win list. Russell gets his 8,834th victory aboard Hollow Memoires in the seventh race at Golden Gate Fields.
2006 — The Pittsburgh Steelers are the first team since the 1985 Patriots to win three postseason road games thanks to a 34-17 dismantling of the Denver Broncos in the AFC title game.
2006 — Kobe Bryant scores a staggering 81 points — the second-highest total in NBA history — and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Toronto Raptors 122-104.
2012 — The New England Patriots beat the Ravens 23-20 in the AFC championship game after Baltimore’s Billy Cundiff misses a 32-yard field goal attempt with 11 seconds remaining that would have tied the score.
2012 — New York’s Lawrence Tynes kicks a 31-yard field goal in sudden-death overtime and the Giants beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 in the NFC championship game.
2016 — David Blatt, the second-year coach who guided Cleveland to the NBA Finals in 2015, is fired despite the Cavaliers holding a 30-11 record. Blatt is the first coach since conferences began in 1970-71 to be fired when his team had the best record in its conference.
2018 – New Orleans Pelicans’ DeMarcus Cousins has 44 points, 24 rebounds & 10 assists in 132-128 double-OT win over Chicago Bulls; 1st player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1972) with 40+ points, 20+ rebounds & 10+ assists.
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Jan. 23
1944 — The Detroit Red Wings defeat the New York Rangers 15-0 to set an NHL record for consecutive goals.
1959 — In the NBA All-Star game in Detroit, St. Louis’ Bob Pettit and Elgin Baylor of Minneapolis become the first co-winners of the MVP award, leading the West to a 124-108 victory.
1979 — Willie Mays is named on 409 of 432 ballots and elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
1980 — George Gervin of San Antonio scores 55 points in a 144-130 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
1987 — Hana Mandlikova upsets Martina Navratilova 7-5, 7-6 to win the Australian Open.
1988 — Steffi Graf wins the Australian Open with a 6-1, 7-6 victory over Chris Evert.
1993 — Mike Gartner of the New York Rangers sets an NHL record when he reaches 30 goals for the 14th consecutive season. Gartner, with three goals in the Rangers’ 8-3 victory over Los Angeles, surpasses Phil Esposito, Bobby Hull and Wayne Gretzky.
2001 — Sam Cassell scores 22 points and the Bucks hit a franchise record 14 3-pointers to beat the Knicks 105-91 and snap New York’s NBA-record 33-game streak of holding opponents to under 100 points.
2005 — Jennifer Rodriguez becomes the first American woman in nine years to win the World Sprint Speedskating Championship.
2008 — Baylor, which waited 39 years to get back into the Top 25, plays five overtimes in its first win as a ranked team. Curtis Jerrells scores a career-high 36 points, including 11 in the fifth overtime to lead No. 25 Baylor to a 116-110 win over No. 18 Texas A&M.
2010 — Lindsey Vonn makes it five wins in five downhills this season. Her 30th World Cup victory ties her with Croatia’s Janica Kostelic for eighth place on the career list and nearly halfway to Austrian leader Annemarie Moser-Proell’s 62 wins.
2011 — Francesca Schiavone wins the longest women’s match in Grand Slam history — a 6-4, 1-6, 16-14 victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova that takes 4 hours, 44 minutes at the Australian Open. Schiavone saves six match points, then converts on her third match point in the longest women’s match at a major in terms of time in the Open era.
2011 — Aaron Rodgers runs for a touchdown and makes a saving tackle, B.J. Raji returns an interception for a score and Sam Shields has two interceptions to lead the Green Bay Packers to a 21-14 win over the Chicago Bears in the NFC championship game. The Packers, with road wins in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Chicago, become the first NFC No. 6 seed to advance to the Super Bowl.
2011 — The Pittsburgh Steelers advance to their third Super Bowl in six years with a 24-19 victory over the New York Jets.
2012 — Skylar Diggins matches a season high with 27 points and No. 2 Notre Dame routs No. 7 Tennessee 72-44, holding the Lady Vols to their lowest scoring output in modern school history.
2015 — Klay Thompson sets an NBA record for the most points in a quarter, a 37-point third period that powers the Golden State Warriors to a 126-101 victory over the Sacramento Kings. Thompson makes all 13 shots and finishes with a career-high 52 points.
2022 – Buffalo wide receiver Gabriel Davis scores an NFL playoff record 4 TDs in the Bills’ epic 42-36 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in their divisional-round playoff at Arrowhead Stadium.
TV SPORTS MONDAY
| NBA REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Dallas Mavericks vs Charlotte Hornets | 3:00 pm | KFAA FanDuel Sports SE |
| Detroit Pistons vs Houston Rockets | 6:00 pm | FanDuel Sports DET SCHN |
| Minnesota Timberwolves vs Memphis Grizzlies | 7:00 pm | TNT FanDuel Sports SE |
| Atlanta Hawks vs New York Knicks | 3:00 pm | MSG FanDuel Sports SE |
| Phoenix Suns vs Cleveland Cavaliers | 3:30 pm | AFSN FanDuel Sports OH |
| Boston Celtics vs Golden State Warriors | 5:00 pm | TNT |
| Utah Jazz vs New Orleans Pelicans | 8:00 pm | KJZZ GCSN |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| San Jose Sharks vs Boston Bruins | 1:00 pm | ESPN+ NBCS-CA NESN |
| Minnesota Wild vs Colorado Avalanche | 3:00pm | ESPN+ FanDuel Sports North ALT |
| Buffalo Sabres vs Seattle Kraken | 4:00pm | ESPN+ MSG-BUF KONG |
| St. Louis Blues vs Vegas Golden Knights | 6:00pm | ESPN+ FanDuel Sports MW Scripps |
| Columbus Blue Jackets vs New York Islanders | 7:30pm | ESPN+ FanDuel Sports OH MSGSN |
| Tampa Bay Lightning vs Toronto Maple Leafs | 7:30pm | ESPN+ FanDuel Sports Sun Sportsnet |
| Carolina Hurricanes vs Chicago Blackhawks | 8:30pm | ESPN+ FanDuel Sports South CHSN |
| Winnipeg Jets vs Utah Hockey Club | 9:30pm | ESPN+ Utah16 Sportsnet |
| Pittsburgh Penguins vs Los Angeles Kings | 10:30pm | ESPN+ FanDuel Sports West ATTSN-PIT |
| COLLEGE FOOTBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| CFP Championship: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame | 7:30pm | ESPN |
| MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| William & Mary at UNCW | 1:00pm | CBSSN |
| Saint Francis U at Wagner | 1:00pm | NEC Front Row |
| Brown at Cornell | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Columbia at Princeton | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Dartmouth at Yale | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Penn at Harvard | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Southeastern Louisiana at East Texas A&M | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Hofstra at Drexel | 3:00pm | CBSSN |
| Fresno State at New Mexico | 5:00pm | CBSSN |
| Georgetown at Villanova | 6:00pm | FS1 |
| Rutgers at Penn State | 6:30pm | Peacock |
| Bucknell at Colgate | 7:00pm | CBSSN |
| Fairleigh Dickinson at Chicago State | 7:00pm | NEC Front Row |
| Mercyhurst at LIU | 7:00pm | NEC Front Row |
| UAPB at Bethune-Cookman | 7:00pm | YouTube |
| Stephen F. Austin at McNeese | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Morehouse at Howard | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Mississippi Valley State at Florida A&M | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Stonehill at Le Moyne | 7:30pm | NEC Front Row |
| Lamar at Nicholls | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| New Orleans at Northwestern State | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| UTRGV at UIW | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Jackson State at Texas Southern | 8:00pm | YouTube |
| A&M-Corpus Christi at Houston Christian | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Alcorn State at Prairie View A&M | 8:30pm | YouTube |
| Hampton at North Carolina A&T | 9:00pm | CBSSN |
| Idaho at Montana | 9:00pm | SWX |
| Eastern Washington at Montana State | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| Serie A: Como vs Udinese | 2:45pm | Paramount+ |
| EPL: Real Sociedad vs Villarreal | 3:00pm | USA Peacock fuboTV |
| LA Liga: Villarreal vs Mallorca | 3:00pm | ESPN+ fuboTV |