THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” SATURDAY JANUARY 4, 2025

“THE SCOREBOARD”

INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL

HOMESTEAD.COM

ADAMS CENTRAL	65	BELLMONT	49
BARR-REEVE	59	EASTERN GREENE	44
CENTER GROVE	59	FLOYD CENTRAL	49
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY	67	LOUISVILLE CENTRAL (KY.)	37
COLUMBUS EAST	65	MOORESVILLE	62
CONNERSVILLE	43	OLDENBURG ACADEMY	36
COVENANT CHRISTIAN	78	OWEN VALLEY	29
CROWN POINT	72	HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN	55
DUGGER UNION	68	INDIANA DEAF	28
EAST NOBLE	45	CENTRAL NOBLE	41
EMINENCE	60	CENTRAL CHRISTIAN	31
EVANSVILLE CENTRAL	45	JASPER	35
EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL	57	BREBEUF JESUIT	53
EVANSVILLE NORTH	71	EVANSVILLE MATER DEI	41
EVANSVILLE REITZ	56	HERITAGE HILLS	50
FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK	61	COLUMBIA CITY	42
GARY WEST	77	LAKE STATION	36
GIBSON SOUTHERN	48	FOREST PARK	43
GREENFIELD-CENTRAL	67	RUSHVILLE	21
HANOVER CENTRAL	45	ILLIANA CHRISTIAN	35
HENDERSON COUNTY (KY.)	56	EVANSVILLE HARRISON	52
INDIANAPOLIS RITTER	85	SPEEDWAY	55
INDIANAPOLIS RIVERSIDE	63	IRVINGTON PREP	38
INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI	48	TRITON CENTRAL	42
JEFFERSONVILLE	82	LOUISVILLE EASTERN (KY.)	71
JENNINGS COUNTY	61	FRANKLIN COUNTY	53
LAWRENCE NORTH	99	MARION	63
LEBANON	56	GLENBROOK SOUTH (ILL.)	49	OT
LIGHTHOUSE CHRISTIAN	77	COLUMBUS CHRISTIAN	34
LOGANSPORT	56	WABASH	31
MADISON-GRANT	59	COWAN	46
MANCHESTER	72	NORTHWESTERN	33
MONROE CENTRAL	65	CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN	56
NEW ALBANY	94	DUPONT MANUAL (KY.)	75
NORTH MIAMI	60	OREGON-DAVIS	31
NORTH VERMILLION	72	SOUTH NEWTON	46
NORTHEASTERN	57	NEW CASTLE	51
PAOLI	77	SCOTTSBURG	45
PROVIDENCE CRISTO REY	52	ATTICA	39
PROVIDENCE	55	LOUISVILLE SOUTHERN (KY.)	22
SHOALS	32	CRAWFORD COUNTY	28
SILVER CREEK	69	CLARKSVILLE	30
SOUTH BEND RILEY	80	JIMTOWN	48
SOUTH CENTRAL (ELIZABETH)	85	LOUISVILLE BROWN (KY.)	57
SOUTH SPENCER	54	SPRINGS VALLEY	50
SOUTHPORT	61	PLAINFIELD	56
TELL CITY	67	WASHINGTON CATHOLIC	10
TIPPECANOE VALLEY	54	PLYMOUTH	47
TRI-WEST	63	BEECH GROVE	45
TRI	52	MORRISTOWN	49	OT
UNION CITY	45	SOUTHERN WELLS	44
UNION COUNTY	53	WES-DEL	51
WALDRON	59	BROWN COUNTY	49
WAPAHANI	85	BLUE RIVER	41
WARREN CENTRAL	55	NOBLESVILLE	44
WEST LAFAYETTE	64	SEEGER	37
WOODLAN	50	FREMONT	39
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH TOURNAMENT
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH	83	INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD	56
BROWNSBURG	61	MARQUETTE CATHOLIC	42
INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD	59	MARQUETTE CATHOLIC	52
BROWNSBURG	51	BLOOMINGTON SOUTH	38
CLINTON CENTRAL TOURNAMENT
KOKOMO HOMESCHOOL	76	CLINTON CENTRAL	37
TIPTON	49	CARROLL (FLORA)	46
FISHERS TOURNAMENT
FISHERS	74	CHESTERTON	35
FORT WAYNE WAYNE	63	PORTAGE	57	OT
BLOOMINGTON NORTH	63	SOUTH DEARBORN	53
LAWRENCE CENTRAL	77	EVANSVILLE BOSSE	60
PORTAGE	55	CHESTERTON	44
FISHERS	62	FORT WAYNE WAYNE	56
HUNTINGTON NORTH TOURNAMENT
MISHAWAKA MARIAN	75	GARY LIGHTHOUSE	25
HUNTINGTON NORTH	68	FORT WAYNE SNIDER	64
AVON	71	SOUTH BEND ADAMS	38
RICHMOND TOURNAMENT
PURDUE POLY ENGLEWOOD	55	CENTERVILLE	44
INDIANAPOLIS HOMESCHOOL	63	PHALEN ACADEMY	56
WARSAW	76	INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON	30
NORTH DECATUR	58	SETON CATHOLIC	51
NORTHWOOD	52	FORT WAYNE NORTH	42
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN	53	INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE	48
BEN DAVIS	55	FORT WAYNE LUERS	41
SHELBYVILLE	51	RICHMOND	36
CENTERVILLE	63	PHALEN ACADEMY	46
PURDUE POLY ENGLEWOOD	59	INDIANAPOLIS HOMESCHOOL	26
INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON	60	SETON CATHOLIC	52
WARSAW	87	NORTH DECATUR	59
FORT WAYNE NORTH	64	INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE	51
NORTHWOOD	66	HERITAGE CHRISTIAN	25
FORT WAYNE LUERS	60	RICHMOND	49
BEN DAVIS	51	SHELBYVILLE	43
WAWASEE TOURNAMENT
WAWASEE	61	SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS)	47
NORWELL	52	ELKHART CHRISTIAN	32
SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS)	50	ELKHART CHRISTIAN	42
NORWELL	52	WAWASEE	36

INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL

ANDREAN	48	MUNSTER	39
BATESVILLE	58	SWITZERLAND COUNTY	37
BELLMONT	54	EASTSIDE	52
BENTON CENTRAL	67	FAITH CHRISTIAN	47
BREMEN	62	MISHAWAKA	15
BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL	43	LANESVILLE	36
COLUMBUS CHRISTIAN	40	LIGHTHOUSE CHRISTIAN	20
CORYDON CENTRAL	72	MEADE COUNTY (KY.)	69
DALEVILLE	46	TRI-CENTRAL	22
EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL	36	LAPORTE	31
EAST NOBLE	49	CENTRAL NOBLE	37
EASTERN (PEKIN)	65	SOUTH CENTRAL (ELIZABETH)	58
EVANSVILLE NORTH	57	EVANSVILLE MATER DEI	45
FISHERS	62	STEVENSON (ILL.)	42
FORT WAYNE DWENGER	53	GARRETT	30
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN	47	CARMEL	42
INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI	57	HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE)	45
IRVINGTON PREP	30	INDIANAPOLIS RIVERSIDE	13
KOKOMO	57	FRANKTON	35
LAVILLE	39	NEW PRAIRIE	30
LAKELAND	70	HERITAGE	27
LAWRENCE NORTH	77	HAMMOND CENTRAL	25
MADISON	62	SOUTH RIPLEY	41
NEW ALBANY	66	EVANSVILLE HARRISON	58	OT
NORTH MIAMI	59	OREGON-DAVIS	52
NORTHEAST DUBOIS	52	WEST WASHINGTON	35
NORTHWESTERN	47	MANCHESTER	33
PERRY CENTRAL	60	CLARKSVILLE	39
PURDUE POLY ENGLEWOOD	79	PARK TUDOR	60
SHELBYVILLE	70	COLUMBUS EAST	37
TRI-TOWNSHIP	43	NORTH JUDSON	35
VINCENNES RIVET	76	SHOALS	19
BEN DAVIS CLASSIC
BEN DAVIS	41	LINTON	25
WARREN CENTRAL	72	JEFFERSONVILLE	43
WARREN CENTRAL	55	LINTON	31
BEN DAVIS	57	JEFFERSONVILLE	36
DELPHI TOURNAMENT
NORTH NEWTON	40	FRANKFORT	12
NORTH MONTGOMERY	62	TAYLOR	33
TAYLOR	48	FRANKFORT	36
NORTH MONTGOMERY	36	NORTH NEWTON	28
ROSSVILLE	51	WINAMAC	35
PIONEER	58	DELPHI	39
EDINBURGH TOURNAMENT
HAGERSTOWN	38	SOUTHWESTERN (SHELBYVILLE)	33
COLUMBUS HOMESCHOOL	37	INDIANAPOLIS TINDLEY	34
SHAWE MEMORIAL	51	EDINBURGH	29
AUSTIN	69	SOUTH DEARBORN	20
KOUTS TOURNAMENT
KOUTS	43	NORTH WHITE	24
ROCHESTER	36	CLINTON PRAIRIE	30
NORTH WHITE	30	CLINTON PRAIRIE	23
ROCHESTER	49	KOUTS	29
LAWRENCEBURG TOURNAMENT
LAWRENCEBURG	57	BEECH GROVE	42
WESTFIELD	44	EAST CENTRAL	28
EAST CENTRAL	53	BEECH GROVE	22
WESTFIELD	53	LAWRENCEBURG	30
UNION CITY INVITATIONAL
CLINTON CENTRAL	52	BLACKFORD	17
FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK	64	CENTERVILLE	32
ADAMS CENTRAL	49	BLUE RIVER	29
CENTERVILLE	46	BLACKFORD	37
CLINTON CENTRAL	40	UNION CITY	22

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING

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

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

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

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

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TOP 25

#18 MICHIGAN STATE 69 OHIO STATE 62

#8 MARQUETTE 79 CREIGHTON 71

ELSEWHERE:

WISCONSIN 116 IOWA 85

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TOP 25

#16 KENTUCKY 91 MISSISSIPPI STATE 69

#13 GEORGIA TECH 85 SYRACUSE 68

#2 SOUTH CAROLINA 83 MISSOURI 52

#8 MARYLAND 78 RUTGERS 61

#14 DUKE 86 BOSTON COLLEGE 59

CLEMSON 69 #20 CALIFORNIA 58

#25 OLE MISS 85 AUBURN 58

#19 ALABAMA 79 FLORIDA 69

#15 TENNESSEE 91 TEXAS A&M 78

#6 LSU 98 ARKANSAS 64

#5 TEXAS 80 #9 OKLAHOMA 73

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

FRIDAY, JAN. 3

TEXAS STATE 30 N. TEXAS 28

MINNESOTA 24 VIRGINIA TECH 10

SATURDAY, JAN. 4

LIBERTY VS. BUFFALO (BAHAMAS BOWL) | 11 A.M. | ESPN2

SUNDAY, JAN. 5

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

MONDAY, JAN. 6

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

THURSDAY, JAN. 9

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

FRIDAY, JAN. 10

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

MONDAY, JAN. 20

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

NFL

THE FINAL WEEK 18 SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES ET):

SATURDAY, JAN. 4, 2025
CLEVELAND BROWNS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS, 4:30P — ESPN/ABC
CINCINNATI BENGALS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS, 8:00P — ESPN/ABC

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

NBA SCORES

DETROIT 98 CHARLOTTE 94

ORLANDO 106 TORONTO 97

OKLAHOMA CITY 117 NEW YORK 107

NEW ORLEANS 132 WASHINGTON 120

BOSTON 109 HOUSTON 86

CLEVELAND 134 DALLAS 122

SAN ANTONIO 113 DENVER 110

SACRAMENTO 138 MEMPHIS 133

LA LAKERS 119 ATLANTA 102

NHL SCORES

FLORIDA 3 PITTSBURGH 2

CHICAGO 4 MONTRÉAL 2

ST. LOUIS 4 OTTAWA 0

EDMONTON 3 ANAHEIM 2

NASHVILLE 3 VANCOUVER 0

TOP NATIONAL RELEASES/HEADLINES

NFL NEWS

JETS INTERVIEW FORMER TITANS COACH MIKE VRABEL FOR THEIR HEAD COACHING JOB

The New York Jets interviewed former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel on Friday for their head coaching vacancy.

Vrabel is the second known coaching candidate to meet with the Jets, who announced they completed their interview with him. New York also spoke to former Washington and Carolina coach Ron Rivera on Thursday.

Vrabel is expected to be a highly sought candidate during this hiring cycle, and New York got a chance to sit down with him early in the process. New Orleans and Chicago also fired their head coaches during the season and will likely be among the teams joining the Jets in searching for replacements.

The 49-year-old Vrabel served in a consultant role with Cleveland this season, but his contract expired earlier this week — allowing him to interview with other teams.

The one-time All-Pro linebacker who helped New England win three Super Bowl titles was 56-48 in six seasons as coach of the Titans, including 2-3 in the postseason. He was fired by Tennessee after a 6-11 finish last season.

The Jets fired coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 8 when the team was 2-3 and replaced him on an interim basis with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who is 2-9 heading into New York’s season finale Sunday at home against Miami.

General manager Joe Douglas was fired six weeks after Saleh, and the Jets have also begun their search for his replacement. New York has interviewed Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy, former Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff, former Tennessee Titans GM Jon Robinson and ESPN analyst Louis Riddick for the GM job.

Riddick is the most recent GM candidate to meet with the Jets, having sat down with the team Thursday. The 55-year-old former NFL safety joined ESPN in 2013 and serves as an NFL and college football analyst on the network and ABC. He interviewed with Detroit and Houston for their GM openings in 2020.

New York owner Woody Johnson hired The 33rd Team, a football media, analytics and consulting group founded by former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, to assist them in their two searches. Tannenbaum and former Dolphins and Vikings GM Rick Spielman are helping identify and vet GM and coach candidates and coordinate interviews.

Vrabel played 14 seasons in the NFL that included stints with Pittsburgh, New England — where he was part of three Super Bowl championship teams under Bill Belichick — and Kansas City. He had 57 career sacks with 11 interceptions and 19 forced fumbles and was selected as an All-Pro during the 2007 season.

After his playing career, he served as an assistant at Ohio State, his alma mater, for three seasons before joining Bill O’Brien’s staff with the Houston Texans in 2014. Vrabel was the linebackers coach for three seasons before becoming the defensive coordinator in 2017. He was hired by Tennessee as the Titans’ head coach the following season.

Vrabel led the Titans to the 2019 AFC championship game, where Tennessee lost to Kansas City. It was the first of three consecutive playoff appearances for the Titans under Vrabel, who was selected the AP NFL Coach of the Year in 2021. But Tennessee missed the postseason the next two years, going 13-21 during that span, and Vrabel was fired after the 2023 season.

Rivera went 26-40-1 during a four-year stint with the Commanders, leading Washington to the playoffs during his first season with the team in 2020. He was fired last January, like Vrabel, after a 4-13 season.

Rivera, who turns 63 next Tuesday, is the only coach in NFL history to have led teams with losing records to the playoffs more than once, having done so with Carolina (7-8-1) in 2014 and Washington (7-9) in 2020.

He led the Panthers to the postseason four times during his tenure in Carolina from 2011 to 2019, including a Super Bowl appearance in the 2015 season when the team went 15-1 in the regular season and eventually lost to Denver in the title game.

Nicknamed “Riverboat Ron” for his aggressive decisions on the field, Rivera has a career record of 105-108-2, including 3-5 in the playoffs.

Rivera, who served as an assistant for the Chargers and Bears before becoming a head coach, played nine seasons in the NFL as a linebacker for Chicago. He was part of the Bears team that won the Super Bowl during the 1985 season behind its exceptional “46” defense under coach Mike Ditka and coordinator Buddy Ryan.

A BRONCOS LOSS TO THE CHIEFS WOULD CAST A LONG SHADOW OVER DENVER

The Denver Broncos have done a lot of things well this season. They have a top-five defense and, more surprisingly, a top-10 offense, led by rookie quarterback Bo Nix, who’s thrown for more touchdowns and yards than first overall pick Caleb Williams in Chicago.

They have nine wins and blew past their preseason Vegas win total of 5.5 in mid-November. They outplayed the Kansas City Chiefs that month, and were in position to knock off the team that’s dominated their division for years, only to have a game-winning field-goal attempt blocked.

And they did all this while carrying a massive salary-cap charge of $32 million for former quarterback Russell Wilson, released in the offseason so the Broncos could wash themselves of that ill-fated trade and start over. They paid more money to Wilson, who started most of the year for the Pittsburgh Steelers, than anyone on their own roster, by a significant amount.

They’ve overachieved, and defied expectations, and various other cliches.

And yet, they’re now in the unenviable position of going into a game that could undo all that good work.

The Broncos play the Chiefs at home Sunday. Win and they’re in the playoffs. Seems simple enough.

But because Kansas City has already wrapped up the AFC’s best record and first-round playoff bye, they intend to sit most (if not all) of their starters, including QB Patrick Mahomes. This means the Broncos are facing the dreaded scenario of a must-win game against an opponent that isn’t really trying. The kind of game that would be an absolute embarrassment to lose. A loss that, if it were to come to pass, would leave a pall over the entire season. Instead of a feel-good, bounce-back story, the Broncos would have a season with a humiliating flop at the finish line. (Unless all the AFC playoff hopefuls lose on the weekend, in which case: never mind.)

It’s not like there isn’t precedent for this happening. The Indianapolis Colts went into the final weekend of the regular season three years ago at 9-7 and needing a win against the 2-14 Jacksonville Jaguars. They lost, 26-11, in a game that wasn’t that close, and Colts owner Jim Irsay reportedly demanded the release of QB Carson Wentz before the game was even over. The Colts haven’t yet recovered, and while the situation isn’t quite the same, they did manage to kill their playoff hopes this season with a loss to another two-win team, the New York Giants, last weekend.

This weekend is also the 20th anniversary of one of the more infamous examples of Humiliation Via Second Stringers: at end of the 2004 season, the Buffalo Bills needed a win over the Steelers in their final game to get into the playoffs. Pittsburgh rested starters Ben Roethlisberger and Jerome Bettis among many others, so all the Bills needed to do was beat journeyman QB Tommy Maddox and running back Willie Parker, who had 13 rushing attempts in his NFL career to that point. Parker ran for more than 100 yards, James Harrison returned a Drew Bledsoe fumble for a touchdown, the Bills lost, and it would be another 13 seasons before Buffalo finally returned to the playoffs.

Even for a franchise that doesn’t lack for embarrassing losses, the Willie Parker Game is still a haunting one for Bills fans.

Would a loss to the Chiefs on Sunday cast such a long shadow for the Broncos? Probably not. Nix has shown enough promise that they’ve settled their QB question for at least the short term, which is more than much of the NFL can say. Head coach Sean Payton also took over a team that hadn’t reached .500 for six straight seasons and delivered a winning season in his second year, regardless of what happens Sunday. The arrow’s definitely pointing in the right direction.

But the Broncos will only have to look across the field Sunday to be reminded of the damage a late-season collapse will do. Starting at QB for the Chiefs will be Wentz, who had a decent comeback season with the Colts in 2021 (27 touchdowns and seven interceptions) before the face-plant at the finish line against the Jaguars, which caused Irsay to never want him to play for his team again. Wentz went on to have a terrible season in Washington, where he was benched, and has been a backup for the past two years with the Rams and the Chiefs.

And now he has a chance to do to the Broncos what the Jags did to him a few years ago. Denver, with everything to play for on its home field, is heavily favoured against a K.C. team that’s mostly trying to make sure no one important gets hurt.

Just the kind of game, in other words, that you really don’t want to lose.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS

CFP HEAD TELLS ESPN THAT COTTON BOWL AND ORANGE BOWL WON’T SWAP KICKOFF TIMES, DATES

The College Football Playoff won’t swap kickoff dates and times for the Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl to give Notre Dame more time between games.

Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey had asked the CFP if it would be possible to switch up the schedule because Notre Dame will have a shorter turnaround than Penn State heading into next Thursday’s Orange Bowl. The Fighting Irish’s quarterfinal game in New Orleans was postponed by one day because of a deadly terror attack.

“We’re not going to flip the games,” CFP executive director Rich Clark told ESPN on Friday. “The concession we made with the athletic directors was to start the Sugar Bowl earlier — an 18-hour or so delay.

“We slipped the game 18 hours to ensure we could provide safety and security for teams, coaches, staffs, fans and others involved. NOLA and Sugar Bowl officials were amazing.”

Notre Dame advanced with a 23-10 Sugar Bowl win over Georgia on Thursday. Penn State played in the Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday night, beating Boise State 31-14.

Sankey told ESPN on Thursday that he had asked if swapping the schedule would be doable.

“This is not an SEC-related issue; it’s for both teams,” Sankey said. “I also know that the communities have dates, they have plans, there are stadium availability issues that can arise.”

Texas and Ohio State will play in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10. Clark cited the difficult logistics of changing the schedule.

“Logistics are very complicated, disruptive to the other teams involved that have schedules in place, especially Texas and Ohio State,” he said. “Fans have made arrangements already, and this creates issues for them. There’s more, but these are some of the major points.”

NOTRE DAME AND PENN STATE WILL RENEW A LONG-DORMANT RIVALRY IN A CFP SEMIFINAL AT THE ORANGE BOWL

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 5 Penn State are coming off rather divergent College Football Playoff quarterfinal experiences as they prepare to clash as semifinalists in the Orange Bowl next Thursday.

The Fighting Irish (13-1, CFP No. 7) mustered an opportunistic victory over SEC champion Georgia after an unprecedented delay and under emotionally trying circumstances stemming from a deadly terror attack in the Sugar Bowl’s host city.

The Nittany Lions (13-2, CFP No. 6) overwhelmed a non-power conference team that looked overmatched in the Fiesta Bowl, during which social media was alight with football fans — and some analysts — questioning a CFP committee seeding process that had given eighth-ranked Boise State a No. 3 seed and a bye.

Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman isn’t buying the notion that a team’s performance in an upcoming game can be predicted by the path it took to get there.

In the case of the Sugar Bowl, Georgia earned a bye by winning the SEC title game against Texas, which is still playing in the semifinals at the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State. Notre Dame did not get as much rest. They had to play in the first round and looked sharp coming off a convincing victory over Indiana.

“Whatever circumstances you’re given, you make the most of them,” Freeman said. “And if we would have had a first-round bye, I would have been the first one to say, ‘Hey, this is great for us.’

“I don’t believe in my heart that the first game (against Indiana) had anything to do with this one (in the Sugar Bowl),” he added. “It was about the preparation they did after the first game.”

Similar styles

Notre Dame is listed as a 1.5-point favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Neither offense airs it out on regular basis. Their yards-passing averages are outside the top 50 nationally. But both teams have rushed for more than 200 yards per game this season, and both have played some of the best defense in the country, each allowing fewer than 16 points per game.

Penn State ranks fifth nationally in yards allowed per game (288.8), while Notre Dame ranks eighth (295.3).

“Running game and defense travels; that’s going to show up throughout a season,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “That’s going to show up in bad weather. That’s going to show up when you’re trying to (run out the clock) at the end of the game.”

In the Fiesta Bowl, Penn State outgained Boise State on the ground, 216 yards to 108. The Nittany Lions largely contained Broncos star Ashton Jeanty, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, limiting him to 104 yards on 30 carries. Penn State also forced four turnovers, including three interceptions.

“Being able to control the line of scrimmage, whether it’s your offensive line or our defensive line, is critical,” Franklin said. “It showed up (against Boise State). … It’s really kind of shown up all season.”

Notre Dame was outgained on offense by Georgia, 296 yards to 244, but outrushed the Bulldogs 154 yards to 62. Meanwhile, Irish defenders forced and recovered two pivotal fumbles — one inside their own 20-yard line and one inside Georgia’s — and stopped all three of Georgia’s fourth-down attempts.

“The red zone defense, the big fourth down stops. It’s a great group,” Freeman said of his defense. “Got great leadership, great players, and they’re doing a heck of a job.”

Minority representation

The Orange Bowl matchup means either James Franklin or Marcus Freeman will have a chance to become the first Black coach to win a major college football championship.

That’s something Freeman hopes will be less relevant at some point. But he recognizes it holds somewhat historic significance at the moment.

“It’s a reminder that you are a representation for many others, and many of our players that look the same way I do,” Freeman said.

“Your color shouldn’t matter, and the evidence of your work should,” Freeman continued. “So, it’s a great honor. It’s a privilege. But again, as the head coach of this place, I understand we’re not in this position unless everybody in this program gets their job done.”

All tied up

Penn State and Notre Dame have played each other 19 times, starting in 1913, and have split those matchups with nine victories each and one scoreless tie back in 1925. They haven’t played since 2007, a 31-10 Penn State victory.

Older fans will remember when Penn State and Notre Dame took on the air of an annual rivalry from 1981 to 1992.

The 12-year stretch concluded with the classic “Snow Bowl” in South Bend, Indiana, won by Notre Dame, 17-16, on a late TD and 2-point conversion. They’ve played just twice since.

Welcome (back) to Miami

Notre Dame and Penn State each have played in the Orange Bowl five times.

The Irish’s first appearance was on Jan. 1, 1973, when they lost 40-6 to Nebraska. They’ve since beaten Alabama (1975) and Colorado (1990) before losing to Colorado (1991) and Florida State (1995). Notre Dame also lost a BCS national title game to Alabama in Miami, 42-14, in 2013.

Penn State first played in the Orange Bowl in 1969, beating Kansas. The Nittany Lions then beat Missouri (1970) and LSU (1974), lost to Oklahoma (1986) and beat Florida State (2006).

REPORT: ALABAMA CO-DC COLIN HITSCHLER WON’T RETURN

Alabama is parting ways with co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Colin Hitschler, ESPN and other media outlets reported Friday.

Hitschler, 38, had one year left on his initial two-year contract. He worked primarily with the safeties and shared DC duties with linebackers coach Kane Wommack.

The Crimson Tide finished 9-4 in head coach Kalen DeBoer’s first season, ending with a 19-13 loss to Michigan on Tuesday in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Fla.

The Alabama defense allowed 17.4 points per game. The Crimson Tide are ranked ninth nationally.

Hitschler was previously the co-defensive coordinator at Wisconsin (2023) and Cincinnati (2022).

UFL NEWS

UFL RELEASES ’25 SCHEDULE FEATURING FRIDAY NIGHT SLATE

The United Football League will kick off its 2025 season on March 28, marking the debut of Friday night action for the league.

That game will feature the St. Louis Battlehawks against the Houston Roughnecks in the first of 10 Friday games as part of FOX UFL Friday on FOX Sports.

In all, the UFL’s eight teams will play 43 games, with 74 percent of all games televised on either ABC or FOX. The remainder of the games will air on ESPN, ESPN2 or FS1.

The season is scheduled to end on June 14 with the UFL Championship Game. Conference championship games are scheduled to be played on June 8.

All eight teams will be in action on the opening weekend.

The San Antonio Brahmas will visit the Arlington Renegades on March 29. The following day, the Michigan Panthers will visit the Memphis Showboats, and the Birmingham Stallions will begin the defense of their UFL championship against the host D.C. Defenders.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

KAM JONES, NO. 8 MARQUETTE HOLD OFF CREIGHTON

Kam Jones scored 22 points, grabbed nine boards and dished five assists to lead No. 8 Marquette to a 79-71 win over Creighton on Friday in Milwaukee.

Stevie Mitchell added 18 points and three steals for Marquette (13-2, 4-0 Big East). David Joplin also scored 11 points, and he hit a 3-pointer that sealed the win with less than a minute to go.

Creighton (9-6, 2-2) had four double-figure scorers. Ryan Kalkbrenner led the way with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Jamiya Neal added 15 points, Steven Ashworth contributed 13 points and 10 assists, and Jackson McAndrew had 10 points.

Both teams struggled early on offense, with both starting 3-for-10 from the floor, though Creighton established a 7-0 lead.

Jones did not score until there were two minutes left in the half and finished the first half 2-for-9 from the field. Zaide Lowery’s put-back at the buzzer gave the Golden Eagles a 39-35 edge entering halftime.

Marquette took the momentum it found at the end of the half into the second. Across the end of the first and into the second, the Golden Eagles rattled off a 26-6 run. The hosts led 53-38 with 15 minutes to play.

Creighton responded. The Bluejays went on a 12-0 run, capped off by a pair of 3-pointers from Neal on either side of a jumper from Kalkbrenner, to bring their deficit down to three with 11:18 to play.

From there, the margin remained tight. Both teams shot right around 40 percent in the second half.

With one minute to go, Marquette led by five. The Golden Eagles drained off the entire shot clock out of a timeout before Joplin stepped back and hit a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left. A Kalkbrenner layup was offset by two free throws from Jones as the Golden Eagles hung on.

Marquette won its third in a row over Creighton at home and has won four of the past five matchups overall.

NO. 18 MICHIGAN STATE BLOWS LEAD, STILL BEATS OHIO STATE

Szymon Zapala scored a season-high 15 points and Jaden Akins added 14 as No. 18 Michigan State held off Ohio State 69-62 in Columbus on Friday for its seventh straight win.

The Spartans (12-2, 3-0 Big Ten) blew a 14-point lead in the second half, trailed by one then put together an 8-0 run and never trailed again.

Micah Parrish scored 13 and Bruce Thornton 10 for the Buckeyes (9-5, 1-2).

The Spartans closed the first half with six straight points to lead 37-29 at halftime, and Zapala scored six in a row to start the second. Michigan State was ahead 43-29 with 18:19 remaining. That spurt gave Zavala 15 points in a 13-minute stretch spanning the two halves.

Ohio State had no answer for Zavala, a 7-foot center who played at Longwood after three seasons at Utah State. He entered the game averaging 5.5 points, and his previous high this season was 10 points vs. Samford on Nov. 19.

Down by double digits, the Buckeyes responded with a 13-2 stretch to pull to within 49-48 with 10 minutes left on John Mobley Jr.’s 3-pointer.

Thornton soon gave the Buckeyes their first lead, 50-49, since midway through the first half when he hit a jumper in the key to cap a 7-0 run.

Xavier Booker stopped the bleeding with a three-point play to make it 52-50 for the Spartans. Tre Holloman then got his only points of the game with, appropriately, a triple, and Booker followed with a dunk. Suddenly, the Spartans led 57-50, and Ohio State got no closer than two.

It was a rough game for Thornton, who began the day eighth in Big Ten scoring 17.4 points per game and had set career highs in the past two games with 30 and 33 points, respectively.

He had just two points in the first due in large part because he missed four minutes while in the locker room having a leg injury evaluated. During his absence, the Buckeyes were outscored 15-8.

NBA NEWS

NBA ROUNDUP: OKC TIES FRANCHISE MARK WITH 14TH STRAIGHT WIN

Aaron Wiggins scored a season-high 19 points — 15 in the fourth quarter — as the host Oklahoma City Thunder stretched their winning streak to 14 games with a 117-107 win over the New York Knicks on Friday.

The streak ties the longest for the Thunder franchise, including its time as the Seattle Supersonics. The Knicks had a nine-game win string ended.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points to lead the Thunder, but Wiggins took over in the fourth as Oklahoma City outscored New York 37-19. Wiggins hit first 3-pointers in the quarter.

Isaiah Hartenstein had 14 rebounds and seven assists in his first game against the Knicks after leaving New York to sign with Oklahoma City in the offseason. He scored just four points, but he hit a floater in the final minute to all but seal the victory.

Pelicans 132, Wizards 120

CJ McCollum tied a career-high with 50 points and host New Orleans ended an 11-game losing streak by defeating Washington.

McCollum made 18 of 27 field-goal attempts, including 10 3-pointers on 16 attempts, as the Pelicans won for just the second time in 22 games. Trey Murphy III added 17 points among six Pelicans who scored in double figures.

Jordan Poole scored 26 points and Alexandre Sarr had 19 to pace the Wizards.

Spurs 113, Nuggets 110

Victor Wembanyama amassed 35 points, 18 rebounds and four assists, and his steal in the final seconds helped San Antonio edge host Denver.

Devin Vassell scored 18 points and had a dunk in the final seconds to seal San Antonio’s win. Keldon Johnson added 16 points.

San Antonio led 111-110 with 17 seconds left, and Nikola Jokic had the ball near the top. Wembanyama, who had eight turnovers, stole Jokic’s pass and fed Vassell for the dunk. Jokic finished with 41 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists.

Celtics 109, Rockets 86

Derrick White and Jayson Tatum combined for 43 points and visiting Boston rode a brilliant offensive first half to a win over short-handed Houston.

White scored 23 points and drilled six 3-pointers while Tatum scored 10 of his 20 points down the stretch of the first half to help the Celtics — who played without Jaylen Brown (shoulder) — cruise to victory. Boston made 19 of 39 3-point attempts.

Houston could not keep pace while falling to 1-3 on its five-game homestand. Jalen Green put up 27 for the Rockets, who were without Amen Thompson (suspension), Tari Eason (leg), and Jabari Smith Jr., who broke his left (non-shooting) hand during shootaround earlier Friday.

Cavaliers 134, Mavericks 122

Evan Mobley collected 34 points and 10 rebounds as visiting Cleveland beat Dallas for its ninth win in a row.

Caris LeVert scored 17 points off the bench while Darius Garland recorded 16 points and nine assists for the Cavaliers, whose streak consists of all double-digit decisions.

Quentin Grimes scored 26 points for the short-handed Mavericks, who have lost four straight games. Dallas was missing Kyrie Irving (illness), Luka Doncic (calf) and Naji Marshall (suspension).

Magic 106, Raptors 97

Rookie Tristan da Silva scored a career-best 25 points and was 5-for-7 on 3-point attempts as Orlando won in Toronto.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 15 points for the Magic, who made 19 3-pointers and split a two-game road trip. Goga Bitadze had 11 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.

Jakob Poeltl scored 25 points for the Raptors, who have lost 12 of their last 13 games. Scottie Barnes added 20 points and nine rebounds.

Pistons 98, Hornets 94

Tobias Harris had 24 points with 10 rebounds and Detroit sent visiting Charlotte to its ninth straight loss.

Cade Cunningham supplied 18 points for Detroit, which has won five of its last six games. Detroit was playing its first game since starting guard Jaden Ivey suffered a fractured left fibula against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.

Miles Bridges led Charlotte with 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Mark Williams had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Hornets, who have lost 17 of their last 18 games.

NHL NEWS

REPORT: TEAMS EXPRESSING INTEREST IN JONATHAN TOEWS

Multiple teams have expressed interest in Jonathan Toews as the three-time Stanley Cup champion eyes an NHL comeback, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports.

It’s unclear if Toews could return to the league this season or in 2025-26, Seravalli adds. The former Chicago Blackhawks captain would need to be on a team’s reserve list by the NHL’s March 7 trade deadline to suit up in the postseason.

Toews hasn’t played since 2022-23, when he tallied 15 goals and 16 assists in 53 games with the Blackhawks. He stepped away from the game to battle chronic inflammatory response syndrome and symptoms of long COVID, which forced him out of the entire 2020-21 campaign and two months of the 2022-23 season.

The 36-year-old recently spoke with GQ’s Matthew Roberson about his desire to return to the NHL. Toews also shared details of a late 2024 trip to India where he underwent a five-week detox through a holistic form of alternative medicine known as Ayurveda that involved intense massages, induced vomiting, and enemas.

Toews has resumed skating and is back to his regular playing weight, per Seravalli.

The six-time All-Star has recorded 883 points in 1,067 career games, plus 119 points in 137 postseason contests. Toews captained the Blackhawks to Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013, and 2015, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2010. He also won gold with Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, 2014 Sochi Olympics, and 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

NHL ROUNDUP: BRANDON SAAD (HAT TRICK) LEADS BLUES PAST SENS

Brandon Saad netted his third career hat trick to snap a 19-game goal drought and lead the host St. Louis Blues past the Ottawa Senators 4-0 Friday.

Jordan Binnington made 20 saves for his 18th career shutout and third of the season.

Brayden Schenn also scored for the Blues, who have won four of their last five games to move two games over .500 (in terms of point percentage) for the first time since Oct. 24.

Anton Forsberg made 21 saves in defeat for the Senators, who have lost four of their past five games.

Predators 3, Canucks 0

Juuse Saros made 27 saves to post his fourth shutout of the season as visiting Nashville ended a three-game losing streak with a win over Vancouver.

Steven Stamkos broke the scoreless deadlock, and Gustav Nyquist and Colton Sissons both produced one goal and one assist for the Predators, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

Saros earned his 27th career shutout as the struggling Predators finally picked up a victory in their fourth outing of a six-game road trip. Kevin Lankinen took the net with Vancouver’s No. 1 goalie Thatcher Demko sidelined due to back spasms, and he stopped 16 of the 17 shots he faced.

Panthers 3, Penguins 2 (SO)

Sam Reinhart and Anton Lundell scored in the shootout as Florida defeated the visiting Pittsburgh in Sunrise.

Panthers backup goalie Spencer Knight made 29 saves for the win. In the shootout, he stopped Rickard Rakell and Sidney Crosby — the two players who beat him in regulation. In regulation, Florida got goals from Matthew Tkachuk and Gustav Forsling.

The Penguins’ Tristan Jarry made 31 saves through overtime, but he was able to stop just 1 of 3 in the shootout.

Blackhawks 4, Canadiens 2

Nick Foligno scored two goals and Arvid Soderblom stopped 38 shots to lift Chicago past visiting Montreal, ending the Blackhawks’ five-game losing streak.

Tyler Bertuzzi and Patrick Maroon also scored as Chicago ended Montreal’s three-game winning streak.

Emil Heineman scored on a power play with 10:15 left in the game to bring Montreal within a goal, but the Blackhawks held on for their first win since Dec. 19. Their losing streak matched a season high and included three straight defeats by four goals.

Oilers 3, Ducks 2

Leon Draisaitl scored the tiebreaking goal with 1:35 left to give host Edmonton its eighth win in the last nine meetings with Anaheim.

Draisaitl scored from the bottom of the right circle to extend his point streak to 13 games (11 goals, 14 assists). Darnell Nurse had a goal and an assist, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored and Stuart Skinner made 27 saves for the Oilers, who have won two in a row following back-to-back road losses to the Ducks and Los Angeles Kings last weekend.

Brett Leason and Jackson LaCombe scored and Lukas Dostal stopped 23 shots for the Ducks, who failed in a bid to win four in a row for the first time this season.

GOLF NEWS

REPORT: PGA TOUR DISCUSSING BRACKET-STYLE CHAMPIONSHIP

Just call it August Madness.

The Athletic reported Friday that the PGA Tour is in “advanced discussions” that could lead to the season-ending Tour Championship being played bracket-style, like the NCAA Tournament. Per the report, the Tour Championship — the final event of the three-tournament FedEx Cup Playoffs — could feature head-to-head play, with players moving through the bracket with each win.

Both stroke play and match play are under consideration to be implemented for the 30-player field, per the report.

The discussions currently involve the tour, player directors, corporate sponsors and television networks.

Part of the impetus for a change could be to add drama to the event, just like in the NCAA Tournament when a No. 2 seed is upset by a No. 15. Under the current format, the top-ranked players in the FedEx Cup standings enter the Tour Championship with a scoring advantage, making upsets harder to come by.

The changes could begin as early as the 2025 season. The Tour Championship is set for Aug. 21-24 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion.

TOP INDIANA RELEASES/HEADLINES

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Legendary Jasper football coach Jerry Brewer died Friday morning at the age of 87. Brewer finished with a 368-105-2 record over 44 seasons that spanned six decades. He was inducted into the Indiana Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1992 and the National Hall of Fame in 2023.

COLTS RULE OUT QB ANTHONY RICHARDSON FOR WEEK 18 GAME VS. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

The Colts on Friday ruled out quarterback Anthony Richardson (back) for their Week 18 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium, head coach Shane Steichen said.

Richardson has not participated in a practice since Week 16 and did not play in the Colts’ Week 17 game against the New York Giants.

“Just didn’t make enough progress this week with the back,” Steichen said.

Richardson has played in 11 games this season, missing three games due to injury.

Cornerback JuJu Brents (knee) was listed as a full participant in practice Wednesday and Thursday, and he was also a full participant in all three practices of Week 17. The Colts still must activate Brents off injured reserve before he can play in a game; he has not played since Week 1.

Steichen said the hope is Brents will be able to play on Sunday.

Check back later for the Colts’ final practice report of Week 18.

INDIANA PACERS

GAME PREVIEW: PACERS VS SUNS

The Indiana Pacers (17-18) look for a second consecutive win as they play host to the Phoenix Suns (15-17) on Saturday. A victory over the Western Conference’s 11th ranked team would lift Indiana’s record back to .500.

The Suns will travel to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Saturday’s matchup after three days of rest – they haven’t been back on the hardwood since Tuesday, when they fell to the Memphis Grizzlies, 117-112.

Phoenix’s record with an active Kevin Durant was 13-2 when these two teams met in December. Since then, the Suns have fallen to 14-8 with Durant in the lineup, and have won just one game since falling to the Pacers two weeks ago.

The sputtering Suns are 3-7 in their last 10 matchups, and defeated just the Western Conference’s 13th and 14th seeded Trail Blazers and Jazz, respectively, before pulling out an impressive win against the Denver Nuggets on Christmas Day. Phoenix travels to Indianapolis hungry for a win to halt its startling skid in the standings.

The Suns boast a top-10 offensive rating that will challenge the ever-changing identity of Indiana’s defense. The Pacers will need a lift from their fiery offense to hang with a team riddled with strong scorers.

Kevin Durant averages 29 points per game in Phoenix’s last five games, including nine free throw attempts per contest. Durant’s 3-point attempt rate is down to just four per game in that span. He’s focused his scoring efforts on two-point shots, however, which will challenge the Pacers’ ability to protect the paint and defend against the mid-range attack.

Tyrese Haliburton is coming off of a 33-point, 15-assist night against Miami in which he didn’t record a single turnover. Over his last five games, Haliburton averaged less than one turnover per contest (0.8). Indiana needs its offensive engine to continue in stride as they take on the Suns on Saturday.

Projected Starters

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

Suns: G – Tyus Jones, G – Devin Booker, F – Bradley Beal, F – Kevin Durant, C – Mason Plumlee

Injury Report

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

Suns: Grayson Allen – questionable (shoulder), Bradley Beal – questionable (hip), Collin Gillespie – questionable (ankle), Jusuf Nurkic – out (suspended), Royce O’Neale – out (ankle)

Last Meeting

Dec. 19, 2024: The Pacers rode a 37-point third quarter to a victory over the Suns in Phoenix, 120-111.

Pascal Siakam’s 25 points and 18 rebounds led Indiana to its sixth road victory of the season, and raised the Pacers’ record to within one game of .500 basketball as they left Footprint Center 14-15 on the year. The Blue and Gold withstood 37 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists from Phoenix’s Kevin Durant en route to the win.

The Pacers capitalized from the charity stripe as they shot 31 free throws in the matchup. Myles Turner, Andrew Nembhard, and T.J. McConnell all earned six chances from the line. Indiana’s 3-point shooting was also on; Tyrese Haliburton made four of his nine 3-point attempts in his 13-point, 12-assist night.

Devin Booker notched 17 points and six assists for the Suns before exiting the game due to groin tightness in the third quarter. The Pacers would capitalize on his absence and record a 15-4 run to end the third quarter leading by 14 points. Phoenix’s firepower dwindled as the Suns were unable to overcome the deficit, and the Pacers recorded their fourth win in five games.

Noteworthy

Suns center Mason Plumlee is an Indiana native and played one year at Warsaw Community High School before transferring to Christ School in North Carolina.

Tyrese Haliburton recorded 33 points and 15 assists without a single turnover on Thursday. He’s one of just two NBA players to ever record multiple 15+ assist games without a turnover.

The Pacers lead the season series with the Suns, 1-0.

Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)

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

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

INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

INDIANA SET TO TAKE ON NO. 1 UCLA ON SATURDAY IN THE HALL

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Hoosiers meet its first new Big Ten opponent on Saturday when it faces No. 1/1 UCLA inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Game time is set for Noon ET and will be nationally televised on FOX.

GAME DAY INFO

Indiana (10-3, 2-0 B1G) vs. #1/1 UCLA (14-0, 3-0 B1G)

Saturday, January 4, 2025 • 12 p.m. ET

Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall • Bloomington, Ind.

Broadcast: FOX (Brandon Gaudin, Kim Adams)

Radio: B97 (Austin Render)

Live Stats: HoosierStats.com

Social Media: Facebook | X | Instagram

ABOUT THE COACHES

Indiana UCLA

Teri Moren Cori Close

Career Record: 435-232 (22nd Season) Career Record: 301-140 (14th Season)

Indiana Record: 236-102 (11th Season) UCLA Record: Same

ABOUT THE BRUINS

The top ranked Bruins are one of only seven undefeated teams remaining after sweeping Nebraska and Michigan at home over the weekend. They are highlighted by junior center Lauren Betts’ 19.3 points per game and 9.8 boards per outing. Junior guard Kiki Rice chips in 11.3 points per game while junior guard Gabriela Jacquez puts up 10.7 points per game. UCLA is beating opponents by a 31.4 point margin and shooting a Big Ten best 50 percent from the floor.

SERIES HISTORY

UCLA leads 2-1

LAST MEETING

12/22/19 – L, 58-68 (Bloomington, Ind.)

NOTES

The Hoosiers extended its season win streak to six with an 83-52 triumph over Wisconsin on Dec. 28. Junior forward Lilly Meister tied a career-high 20 points while three others scored in double figures. Indiana shot 53.3 percent from the floor and dished out 25 assists on 30 made shots.

Indiana and UCLA have met three times prior to the Bruins joining the Big Ten this season. UCLA has the advantage in the series, 2-1, as the two teams traded wins most recently with the opponent winning on the road in 2018 and 2019.

For the first time in over 30 years, Indiana will host the No. 1 team in the nation on Saturday in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The last No. 1 team to play in Bloomington was in 1993-94 when Indiana faced then No. 1 Penn State in a 70-65 loss. IU is 0-5 all-time in meetings against No. 1 teams through its program’s history, most recently facing a top ranked team in South Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament in 2024.

Junior guard Yarden Garzon paces the Hoosiers through the first 13 games, averaging 14.1 points per outing and a team-high 36 3-pointers. She’s one of four players averaging double figures which also includes junior guard Shay Ciezki (11.9 ppg.), junior forward Lilly Meister (11.8 ppg.) and graduate student guard Sydney Parrish (10.0 ppg.).

The Hoosiers are on the brink of setting some historical marks as it needs one more victory to win its 900th program victory. Individually, Garzon (911) and graduate student guard Chloe Moore-McNeil (943) are also nearing the 1,000-point club at IU, joining 31 former players who have also reached the career milestone.

UP NEXT

Two road contests await the Hoosiers as they first travel to Northwestern on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 8 p.m. ET.

BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL

BULLDOGS LOOK TO END SKID, HEAD TO ST. JOHN’S FOR SATURDAY TIP

The first roadtrip of 2025 takes the Bulldogs to Queens for a Saturday tip against St. John’s.

Butler (7-7, 0-3 BIG EAST) at rv/rv St. John’s (11-3, 2-1)

Saturday, Jan. 4 • 2PM

Carnesecca Arena • Queens, N.Y.

TV: FS1 • Dave Sims & Tarik Turner

Audio: Varsity Network App, SiriusXM 383, XM App 973 & TuneIn • @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)

• Jahmyl Telfort registered a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double in Wednesday’s loss to Villanova. It marked Telfort’s second double-double of the season and the third of his career.

• Telfort’s season average of 16.1 points per game ranks ninth in the BIG EAST.

• Telfort’s six assists against Villanova were a game-high. Telfort has led the Bulldogs in assists in three straight games, in six of the team’s most recent seven games, and eight times this season.

• Villanova closed Wednesday’s game on a 22-1 run in taking the 73-65 decision.

• The Bulldogs are currently on a six-game losing skid.

• Andre Screen enters Saturday’s game just shy of a milestone with 991 career points.

• Butler’s Kolby King, who transferred into the program from Tulane during the most recent offseason, played his freshman season at St. John’s (2022-23).

• Over the last five games, Butler has committed only 38 total turnovers (7.6 per game).

• Butler shot only 52 percent from the free throw line (12-23) in the loss to Villanova; the Bulldogs entered the game shooting 76.7 percent at the line on the season.

• Butler’s average of 18.5 made free throws per game ranks 20th nationally. The Bulldogs attempt 24.6 free throws per game, which is 24th nationally.

• Telfort leads the BIG EAST in both free throws made (66) and is second in free throws attempted (84). Telfort is tenth in the BIG EAST in free throw accuracy at 78.6 percent; teammate Pierre Brooks II is sixth at 82.7 percent.

• Butler had four different players hit multiple three-pointers as the team went 9-for-28 from behind the arc vs. Villanova Wednesday; for the season, Butler’s 38.4-percent accuracy from three-point range ranks 28th in the country.

• Screen had the best game of his Butler career in the Dec. 21 loss to UConn. Screen’s 17 points and 10 rebounds were his respective highs in a Butler uniform (his career-highs came while at Bucknell).

• The double-double was his first in a Butler uniform, while Screen also matched his career-high with four blocks and set a new career-best with nine made free throws (going a perfect 9-for-9).

• Screen is sixth in the BIG EAST at 1.6 blocks per game, while his 6.0 rebounds per game rank tenth.

• Patrick McCaffery’s 42.2-percent accuracy from three-point range is 60th nationally. He has hit multiple three-pointers in 10 of the team’s games, including five twice.

• Telfort’s seven assists against UConn tied for the most handed out by a Butler player this season.

• King pulled down eight rebounds against UConn; he has six or more rebounds in six of Butler’s last nine games.

• Telfort leads the BIG EAST in minutes played at 35:15 per game; McCaffery (fifth) and Brooks (eighth) are also among the conference leaders.

• Despite committing only 11.7 turnovers per game, Butler ranks 347th nationally in turnover margin (-4.1 per game) due to forcing opponents into only 7.6 per game (which is 352nd nationally).

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

• The Bulldogs closed the 2024 portion of the schedule with a five-game stretch that included four Top 25 opponents (Houston, Wisconsin, Marquette, Connecticut).

Read About the Red Storm

• St. John’s is receiving votes in both national polls this week.

• The Red Storm had won six games in a row prior to a New Year’s Eve road loss to Creighton (57-56).

• St. John’s is fourth nationally, averaging 6.1 blocks per game. The Red Storm force 15.9 turnovers per game, which is also among the Top 30 nationally; the team’s 9.6 steals per game rank 24th.

• The Red Storm’s 14.6 offensive rebounds per game rank 16th nationally. Zuby Ejiofor leads the nation at 4.5 offensive rebounds per game.

• Four players average double figures for St. John’s, led by RJ Luis Jr. at 16.3 points per game.

The Series with St. John’s

• All but one meeting in the series has come since Butler joined the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season.

• That first meeting came in the 1958 NIT (a 78-68 St. John’s win). Tony Hinkle coached Butler in that game. Lou Carnesecca would join the St. John’s staff as an assistant coach the next season.

Series: St. John’s Leads, 13-11

Streak: St. John’s, W3

At SJU: St. John’s Leads, 8-3

First Meeting: March 13, 1958; SJU, 78-68 (NIT)

Last Meeting: Feb. 28, 2024; SJU, 82-59 (at BU)

BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MARQUETTE TO HOST BUTLER SATURDAY AFTERNOON ON FS1

Butler and Marquette will go head-to-head on Saturday afternoon at the Al McGuire Center. The 4 p.m. tip (3 p.m. central) will air live on FS1.

Game Day

Date: Saturday, January 4, 2025

Time: 4:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM CT

Location: Milwaukee, Wis. – Al McGuire Center

Live Stats: GoMarquette.com

Watch: FS1

Bulldog Bits

– Butler’s four-point setback at Creighton was their first game decided by five points or less this year.

– BU shot 82 percent from the free throw line at Creighton making 14 of their 17 attempts.

– It was the second time this season BU has made more than 80 percent of their free throw attempts.

– Butler outscored Creighton 40-32 in the second half.

– Butler shot 7-for-11 from the field in the third and fourth quarter (63%) at D.J. Sokol Arena.

– Lily Carmody paced the offense with a team-high 16 points.

– Carmody has scored in double figures three times over her last four games.

– Carmody was BU’s best free throw shooter on Wednesday going 6-7 to set new career-high marks.

– The Bulldogs lead the league in free throw attempts (20.2) and free throws made (13.7) per game.

– Lily Zeinstra set career-high totals at Creighton with six rebounds and four assists.

– Kilyn McGuff leads the BIG EAST and ranks 18th in the nation in double-doubles (6).

– McGuff impacted the Creighton game with 15 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

– McGuff went 3-for-3 from 3-point range in Omaha.

– McGuff leads the team and ranks fifth in the conference in rebounds per game (7.6).

– BU is third in the league in rebound margin (+3.0)

– Jaynes hit her sixth 3-pointer of the year in her last game, helping her score 11 points.

– Cristen Carter made four shots for the fourth time this season to net nine points vs. the Bluejays.

– Lily Carmody ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in steals.

– Butler leads the BIG EAST in bench points per game (26.9).

BIG EAST Standings

UConn 3-0, 12-2

Creighton 3-0, 11-3

Seton Hall 3-0, 11-3

Marquette 1-1, 9-4

Georgetown 1-1, 8-5

Villanova 1-1, 7-7

DePaul 1-1, 6-9

Providence 1-2, 8-8

Xavier 0-2, 5-8

St. John’s 0-3, 10-4

Butler 0-3, 10-6

Scouting Marquette

The Golden Eagles were defeated by #7 UConn on New Year’s Day to move their overall record to 9-4. The setback moves the team to 1-1 in BIG EAST play. Marquette opened the conference slate with a 78-59 victory at DePaul on Dec. 29. Head Coach Cara Consuegra has Marquette leading the league in blocked shots per game (4.8), defensive field goal percentage (34.6), rebound margin (+8.7), rebounds per game (41.8), and defensive 3-point field goal percentage (27.4). Skylar Forbes and Lee Volker are the top scoring options on the roster. Forbes shoots 43.6 percent from the field and averages a team-best 15.6 points per game while grabbing 6.8 rebounds a game. Volker holds the third-highest field goal percentage in the BIG EAST, connecting on 50 percent of her attempts. She averages 13.6 a game and also comes up with two steals per contest.

All-Time Series

Marquette leads Butler in the all-time series 22-9. The first-ever meeting was a Bulldog victory back during the 1985-86 campaign. Marquette however swept the Bulldogs last year and have won nine-straight over BU.

Last Game vs. Marquette

The Golden Eagles spoiled Butler’s Senior Day last year by claiming a 74-52 win at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler only trailed by two at the half, but were outscored 39-19 in the second half to take the loss. Karsyn Norman led Butler with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting. She went 2-for-2 from 3-point range while adding a pair of rebounds in 20 minutes of playing time. Ari Wiggins also played well off the bench with eight points, four rebounds, two assists and a team-high two steals vs. the Eagles. Marquette had four players score in double figures. They shot 45 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range (9-22).

Last Win at Marquette

Butler’s last win at Marquette was one of the most significant victories in program history. The Bulldogs went up against #11 Marquette on Feb. 22, 2019 and left the Al McGuire Center with a 61-57 victory. BU outscored the home team 18-8 in the fourth quarter to pull off the upset. The team dished out 19 assists on 24 made field goals and saw four players score in double figures to find the win column. Tori Schickel led BU with 19 points and seven rebounds.

Bulldogs on FS1

The Bulldogs have lost their last three FS1 games. Their last win on FS1 came on Jan. 20, 2019 when they defeated Creighton at D.J. Sokol Arena by the final score of 75-43. Their last win on national television came just one year ago on FS2. They defeated Xavier 84-46 on Feb. 21.

Strande To Miss Rest of the Season

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

What’s Missing?

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

Upcoming Milestones

Kilyn McGuff needs six field goals on Saturday to reach 300 in her career. The Belmont transfer is also just four free throws shy of 200 and one steal away from 100. Karsyn Norman can reach 200 career points in Milwaukee with five against the Golden Eagles and Lily Zeinstra is just five away from 100.

18 3-Pointers

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

Key to the Game

Marquette is the best rebounding team in the conference. They lead the league in rebound margin, offensive rebounds per game, defensive rebounds per game and total rebounds per game. Butler is just 1-4 this year when they are outrebounded by their opponent. Kilyn McGuff has led BU in rebounding 12 times, including the last two conference matchups. Karsyn Norman had a career-high seven rebounds in the last meeting vs. Marquette on Jan. 27. Riley Makalusky also set a career-high in that game with six boards vs. Marquette.

Schedule Swap

Three of Butler’s first four BIG EAST games this year were scheduled on the road, but after their FS1 game at Marquette on Jan. 4, the Bulldogs will host four of their next five opponents at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The only road game during that stretch is a short drive over to Cincinnati to play Xavier.

10 Wins

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

Up Next

Butler’s first home game of 2025 will land on Wednesday, Jan. 8 when the Bulldogs host the Providence Friars at 7 p.m. The game will stream on FloSports.com.

IU INDY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

IU INDY WELCOMES ROBERT MORRIS ON SATURDAY

INDIANAPOLIS – The IU Indy women’s basketball team returns to the Jungle on Saturday, January 4 after falling on the road to Detroit Mercy. The Jags will look to bounce back as they welcome the Colonials for a 2:00 PM tip on ESPN+.

The Jags’ late comeback fell short as the Detroit Mercy Titans defeated the Jags on Wednesday night, 67-59. Despite a strong fourth-quarter comeback attempt, the Jaguars couldn’t overcome a second-quarter slump that allowed the Titans to pull away.

Azyah Newson-Cole earned her first career #HLWBB Freshman of the Week award after her performance in the Jags’ victory over Youngstown State. The redshirt freshman totaled a career-high tying 13 points as well as five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Newson-Cole continues to hold a strong presence on the court averaging 6.4 points per game and 2.2 assists per game making six starts for the Jaguars.

While the Jags are averaging 60.6 points per game, newcomer Shania Nichols-Vannett leads the team in scoring with 11.9 points per game. The sophomore totaled a career-high 37 points in the loss against Southern Illinois which puts her at the top in the Horizon League for total points scored by a player in a single game this season. Faith Stinson follows with 10.1.

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

mark. Meanwhile, Robert Morris is ranked seventh with a 1-3 conference record.

The Jags lead the all-time series against the Colonials at 8-2, winning the last match up in the Jungle on February 18, 2024 with a 70-50 score.

IU Indy and Robert Morris are set for a 2:00 PM tip.

IU INDY MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL TO HEAD TO CLEVELAND TO FACE VIKINGS

CLEVELAND – The IU Indianapolis men’s basketball team will continue Horizon League play on Saturday (Jan. 4) when the Jaguars face Cleveland State (9-6, 3-1 HL) on ESPN+ at 3:00 p.m. Head coach Paul Corsaro’s team seeks to halt a six-game losing skid and also capture a rare road victory at CSU. The Jaguars are just 1-7 on the road against Cleveland State, having not won in Cleveland since 2002.

Despite the losing streak, the Jaguars have been in the hunt in virtually all six contests, including two Horizon League defeats by two points apiece. The most recent outing was a 77-61 home loss to Youngstown State on New Years Day as Paul Zilinskas pumped in a team-high 19 points in the loss. Jarvis Walker came off the bench to tally 12 points and Alec Millender added nine points and four assists. The Jags trailed by as many as 15 in the opening half, but cut the lead back to two in the early stages of the second half. That said, IU Indy was never able to get fully over the hump as the Penguins pulled away over the latter stages of the contest.

Freshman Keenan Garner had seven points and a team-high seven rebounds and three steals and both DeSean Goode and Timaris Brown had six boards apiece.

QUOTABLE

“I thought our kids played hard and I thought they played together. I think we’re getting better every game, but it’s time that we finish and put a full 40 (minutes) together. That’s the next step,” Corsaro said following the YSU loss.

SCOUTING CLEVELAND STATE

Cleveland State is 9-6 on the season and 3-1 in Horizon League play. The Vikings have won five straight, including Horizon League victories over Wright State, Oakland and Green Bay. Tevin Smith leads CSU in scoring (14.0 ppg) and is shooting 44 percent from the floor. Three other Vikings are also scoring in double-digits in Tahj Staveskie (10.3 ppg, 30 3’s), Dylan Arnett (10.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg) and freshman Je’Shawn Stevenson (10.1 ppg).

SERIES HISTORY

IU Indy is just 4-12 all-time against Cleveland State and 1-7 in eight meetings in Cleveland. The Jaguars have lost 11-in-a-row to Cleveland State entering Saturday’s contest.

UP NEXT

IU Indy will return home to host Detroit Mercy on Thursday (Jan. 9) at 6:30 p.m. inside the Jungle inside the IU Natatorium.

BALL STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL RETURNS TO WORTHEN ARENA SATURDAY IN #MACTION AGAINST CMU

Ball State (9-4, 1-0 MAC) vs. Central Michigan (4-8, 0-1 MAC)

Jan. 4, 2025 >>Worthen Arena>>1 pm ET>>Muncie, Ind.

Opening Tip:

– Saturday’s game against Central Michigan will mark the 90th time the teams have met, with the Chippewas leading the all-time series record 45-44. The Cardinals have won seven of their last eight meetings against the Chippewas including a 78-54 victory in their last meeting at Worthen Arena on Feb. 21, 2024.

– The Cardinals opened MAC play Wednesday as they ran in the New Year with a 68-55 win against the Miami RedHawks in Oxford, Ohio. Ally Becki led the squad with 22 points while true freshman Grace Kingery wasn’t too far behind Becki as she turned in an 18-point performance.

– Ball State rings in the New Year after a successful 2024 campaign. The Cardinals went 24-6 in 2024 while ending the non-conference season with an 8-4 mark. BSU turned in an impressive performance to close out this non-conference season as the Cardinals wrapped up the 2024 year with an awe-inspiring 112-35 victory over Anderson University on Dec 19. The 112 points was also a program record for the largest margin of victory. The old record was 61 points against Taylor with Ball State winning that contest 106-45 on Jan. 28, 1975.

– Central Michigan fell to Buffalo 81-55 in its league opener Wednesday in Buffalo, NY. The Chippewas were led by Demetria Prewitt who scored 15 points while Jess Lawson finished the game with 10 points.

– The Chippewas have not beating the Cardinals in Worthen Arena since the 2018-19 season. That year Central Michigan defeated Ball State 81-64 on Feb. 27, 2019.

– The Cardinals are 17-1 at home in conference play from 2022-23 to present. The last time Ball State lost at home in league action was against Toledo on Feb. 25, 2023 by a 72-70 decision. Ball State is riding a nine game home MAC win streak into Saturday’s contest versus CMU.

– Grace Kingery isn’t playing like a freshman anymore with a current national ranking of 14 in 3-point percentage (45.5).

Sallee is Hot in January:

It may be cold outside but the Cardinals tend to get hot in the month of January under 13th-year head coach Brady Sallee. Sallee owns an overall record of 69-29 (.701) in the month of January dating back to his first season in 2012-13.

9-1 at the Half:

The Cardinals own an 9-1 ledger when Ball State ends the first half with the lead. The lone loss came against Columbia University as the Cardinals had a 31-25 edge against the Jack Rabbits at halftime on Nov. 25, 2024 in the last game of the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Lachelle Austin Nearing 1,000 Career Points:

The Cardinals welcomed transfer Lachelle Austin to its 2024-25 roster this season. Austin, a senior, is familiar with the Mid-American Conference, playing three years at Eastern Michigan. Austin was one of the Eagles top scorers and has scored in double figure in six of the Cardinals’ seven contests thus far this season. Austin for her career has 934 points and needs just 59 to reach 1,000.

Scouting CMU:

– Central Michigan dropped its Mid-American Conference opener, 81-55, at undefeated Buffalo on New Year’s Day, marking the first loss in program history on the first of a new year in four attempts, tying the all-time series with the Bulls.

– Ball State can tie the third-longest winning streak of the series for either team with a win Saturday. BSU’s longest streak, 11 wins, was marked between 2000-06; the longest streak by either program in the series’ history, 12 games, was set by CMU from 1983-1988.

– The series is tied, 40-40, in MAC regular season affairs. CMU leads 21-18 in January meetings, 19-17 on Saturdays while BSU holds a 29-19 record at home.

– Central Michigan welcomes 10 new players to the program this season.

BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL AT KENT STATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON TO BEGIN MAC PLAY

The Ball State men’s basketball team rides a three-game winning streak into 2025 and opens Mid-American Conference play at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Kent State.

The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Dane Richardson and Jana Ashley on the call, while Mick Tidrow and David Eha handle the radio broadcast on WMUN 1340AM – 92.5FM.

Kent State leads the all-time series between the two programs 50-43 and holds a 33-11 record in home games against the Cardinals. Ball State 76-69 last March 5 at Worthen Arena in the most recent meeting.

Jermahri Hill (25 points, eight rebounds) and Payton Sparks (23 points, 16 rebounds) led the Cardinals to an 89-76 win over Anderson on Tuesday afternoon to enter MAC play with a 6-6 record. Sparks scored his 1,000th career point in the New Year’s Eve contest at Worthen Arena.

Kent State (9-3) most recently beat Heidelberg 84-80 on Dec. 29 to end the 2024 part of the season with most wins in the MAC. The Golden Flashes were picked to finish third in the MAC preseason poll after advancing to the 2024 MAC Tournament title game from the No. 8 seed.

Kent State paces the league and ranks No. 26 nationally in scoring defense, allowing 63.6 points per game so far this season. The Golden Flashes are second in the conference in turnover margin (+3.5), 3-pointer defense (30.9 percent) and field goal percentage defense (40.8).

Senior center Cli’Ron Hornbeak is second in the MAC in both total rebounds (86) and rebounds per game (7.2), while redshirt senior forward VonCameron Davis paces Kent State in scoring at 14.9 points per game.

Up next for Ball State is the MAC home opener at 7 p.m. on Tuesday against Miami (OH).

1,000 FOR SPARKS: Senior center Payton Sparks scored his 1,000th career point late in the second half of the New Year’s Eve win against Anderson on his way to a 23-point, 16-rebound double-double.

The 16 boards matched his career-best, while the 23 points were one shy of tying his career-high, as the big man recorded his first double-double of the year.

ONE-TWO PUNCH: Sparks and junior guard Jermahri Hill combined for 48 points, 24 rebounds and three steals against Anderson.

The performances were Ball State’s first game of the season with multiple 20-point scorers.

BEGINNING THE YEAR AT KENT: The Cardinals play their first game of the calendar year at Kent State just like 2024 when the teams faced each other on Jan. 2, 2024 in Northeast Ohio.

The Golden Flashes are also Ball State’s most recent Mid-American Conference visitor to Worthen Arena, as the Cardinals claimed a 76-69 decision last March in Muncie in the home finale.

DOMINANT DEFENSE: Ball State limited Evansville to 43 points and 29.1 percent shooting from the field on Dec. 21. Those were the lowest tallies the Cardinals had allowed an NCAA Division I opponent to get since March 11, 2019 against Eastern Michigan.

The Cardinals limited the Purple Aces to their fewest points in the 58-game series history since 1935, and the 37-point margin of victory was the second-highest for Ball State ever vs Evansville.

MICKEY MONEY FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE: Mickey Pearson Jr. went 12-for-12 at the free throw line in Ball State’s win at Bellarmine on Dec. 14 including sinking two foul shots with six seconds to play to secure the 86-82 decision.

Pearson’s 12 free throws made were the most by a Ball State player since Taylor Persons also sunk a dozen on Nov. 18, 2018 vs App State. Pearson is the only Cardinal with multiple career games making at least 10 free throws without a miss in the last 10 seasons (10-for-10 vs Central Michigan on Jan. 6, 2024).

GORO-THREE-TO: Junior guard Juanse Gorosito was named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week after hitting seven 3-pointers for 21 and adding four assists and three steals on Dec. 14 at Bellarmine.

Gorosito is second in the conference in 3-pointers made (37) and leads the league while ranking No. 11 in NCAA Division I in shooting percentage (47.4) from distance.

MILESTONE WATCH: After Sparks (1,005 points) reached the milestone last Tuesday afternoon, Jeremiah Hernandez (911) and Pearson Jr. (845) are each closing in on scoring 1,000 points in his Division I career.

Ethan Brittain-Watts recently made his 100th career 3-pointer, while Sparks (598 rebounds) is currently No. 18 in Ball State program history for a career.

KEEPING UP WITH KENTUCKY SCHOOLS: The win at Bellarmine moved the Cardinals to 2-0 this year against teams from the Bluegrass State.

The Cardinals defeated Eastern Kentucky 63-61 on Nov. 25 in the first game of the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla.

TOP OF THE HILL: Junior Jermahri Hill was named the Mid-American Conference Co-Player of the Week on Dec. 2 after averaging 21.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in three games at the Gulf Coast Showcase.

Hill had assists on three-point plays to Mickey Pearson Jr. and Payton Sparks in the final minute of the 63-61 win over Eastern Kentucky in the opener on Nov. 25. The guard ranks seventh in the MAC with 15.7 points per game on the year.

I REMEMBER YOU: Ball State has played seven different players this season who were on MAC rosters during the 2023-24 season. SIUE’s Darrion Baker (from Akron) was the seventh. The full list is below.

Darrion Baker (Akron to SIUE)

Legend Geeter (Eastern Michigan to Detroit Mercy)

Markus Harding (Central Michigan to Indiana State)

Orlando Lovejoy (Eastern Michigan to Detroit Mercy)

Cyril Martynov (Eastern Michigan to Eastern Kentucky)

Zarique Nutter (Northern Illinois to Georgia State)

B. Artis White (Western Michigan to Richmond)

GETTING TO THE LINE: The Cardinals pace the Mid-American Conference in both free throw attempts per game (27.7) and free throws made per game (19.3) through the season’s first 12 games.

Ball State ranks No. 5 and No. 9 in those categories in NCAA Division I, respectively. The total tallies (332 attempts and 231 makes) outpace the next-closest MAC team (Buffalo) by 80 attempts and 58 makes.

PEARSON POUNDING THE GLASS: Pearson Jr. tied his career-best with 13 rebounds in the season opener at Georgia State before grabbing 11 against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 20.

The forward also notched 13 boards on Nov. 7, 2022 against Earlham at Worthen Arena. Pearson Jr. ranks sixth in the MAC in total rebounds (71) and seventh in rebounds per game (5.9).

HOME STATE HEROES: Brittain-Watts (2019), Zane Doughty, Joey Hart and Jones (2023) were each named Indiana High School All-Stars, while three more Cardinals also had ties to the state before arriving in Muncie.

Ball State has the second-most players from Indiana high schools among Indiana-based Division I teams behind Purdue.

WORLD FLYERS: The 2024-25 Ball State roster consists of student-athletes from three different countries in addition to the United States of America.

Juanse Gorosito (Argentina), Hendriks (Canada) and Jurica Zagorsak (Croatia) are international Cardinals this season. Interestingly, Juanse, Ben and Jurica were born on different continents, so Ball State has student-athletes from North America, South America and Europe on the team.

TRANSFERS FROM ALL OVER: Each of Ball State’s seven student-athletes who have transferred into the program have come from different college basketball conferences.

The list includes Brittain-Watts (Patriot League, Boston), Gorosito (West Coast Conference, Portland), Hart (SEC, Kentucky), Hernandez (Ohio Valley Conference, USI), Pearson Jr. (Big 12, TCU), Sparks (Big Ten, Indiana) and Hill who played junior college ball at South Plains in Levelland, Texas.

BALL STATE GYMNASTICS

GYMNASTICS PICKED AS FAVORITE TO WIN 2025 MAC REGULAR SEASON TITLE

CLEVELAND – – With the start of the 2025 season upon us, the Mid-American Conference has announced its annual preseason coaches’ poll with Ball State gymnastics selected to earn its third consecutive regular season championship.

The Cardinals, who shared the title with Western Michigan in each of the past two seasons, received 33 points and four of seven first-place votes to capture the league’s regular season title. Kent State was picked second with 29 points and one first-place vote, followed by Central Michigan with 28 points and a pair of first-place tallies.

In addition, Ball State received two of seven votes to win the MAC Championships which will be held Saturday, March 22 at CMU’s McGuirk Arena.

Along with the team prognostications, two Cardinals were selected to the 2025 MAC Gymnasts to Watch list. Representing Ball State on the list were junior Zoe Middleton and graduate student Hannah Ruthberg.

Middleton turned in a dominating performance at the 2024 MAC Championships, turned in a dominating performance at the 2024 MAC Championships, winning titles in the all-around (39.525), beam (9.900) and floor (9.900). Just the second all-around champion in program history, she became the first Ball State gymnast to capture three MAC individual titles in one season.

A 2024 Second Team All-MAC selection, Middleton would go on to compete as an individual in the second round of the Ann Arbor regional, placing 15th among the two sessions in the all-around with a score of 39.025. Over her first two seasons, Middleton has seen 86 of her 91 total routines count in the final team score.

Ruthberg is taking advantage of her COVID year of eligibility and will be competing in her fifth and final season for the Cardinals. A Second Team All-MAC selection last season, Ruthberg has been a staple in the Ball State lineup over her career, including competing in the all-around in each of the last 26 meets. In fact, Ruthberg has competed all-around in 37 of her 48 collegiate meets and owns four of the top 20 all-around scores in program history.

Her best effort was a 39.425 last season at George Washington (Feb. 23), which is the sixth-best score in program history. In addition, Ruthberg turned in career-best scores on all four apparatuses last season, including a 9.925 on floor, a pair of 9.925s on bars, a 9.900 on beam and a 9.875 on vault.

The Cardinals open the 2025 season tonight at Beauty and the Beast night hosted by Missouri. In addition to the Cardinals and host Tigers, Illinois State and Southern Missouri will compete in the quad meet which starts at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT.

The Ball State gymnastics team opens the home portion of its 2025 campaign next Sunday (Jan. 12) when it hosts Illinois, SEMO and Wisconsin-Eau Claire for the Ball State Quad. Fans can purchase season tickets to see the Cardinals in all four home meets during the 2025 season for just $32 for adults and $16 for youth (3-18) at BallStateSports.com/GymTickets

2025 MAC Gymnastics Preseason Coaches’ Poll

(First Place Votes)

1. Ball State – 33 points (4)

2. Kent State – 29 points (1)

3. Central Michigan – 28 points (2)

4. Western Michigan – 24 points

5. Eastern Michigan – 14 points

6. Bowling Green – 12 points

7. Northern Illinois – 7 points

MAC Tournament Champion: Central Michigan (3), Ball State (2), Kent State (2)

2025 MAC Gymnasts to Watch

Zoe Middleton, Junior, Ball State

Hannah Ruthberg, Graduate Student, Ball State

Love Apkan, Sophomore, Bowling Green

Megan Bingham, Junior, Bowling Green

Luciana Alvarado-Reid, Junior, Central Michigan

Hannah Appleget, Senior, Central Michigan

Keeley Kohler, Freshman, Eastern Michigan

Alana Fisher, Senior, Eastern Michigan

Nastia Rudnitskaya, Junior, Kent State

Dani Fuertez, Sophomore, Kent State

Kiera O’Shea, Junior, Northern Illinois

Aliyah Kelly, Freshman, Northern Illinois

Halle Faulkner, Senior, Western Michigan

Reilan Garvey, Freshman, Western Michigan

INDIANA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

SYCAMORES LOOK TO SNAP TWO-GAME SKID ON SATURDAY AT EVANSVILLE

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Indiana State men’s basketball heads to Evansville on Saturday afternoon to take on the 5-9, 2-1 MVC Evansville Purple Aces. The game starts at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.

Saturday’s game is set to be the 188th meeting between the two teams, with Indiana State holding an 104-83 advantage. However, when squaring off in Evansville, UE leads 53-36. Indiana State has won six straight against Evansville and hasn’t lost since Februay 8, 2022 in Terre Haute, 65-56.

Indiana State fell on Wednesday night at home against Bradley in overtime, 90-89. Camp Wagner led the Sycamores in scoring with 20 points on 5-for-10 shooting, all from deep. He also pulled down seven rebounds and finished with no turnovers in 34:16 minutes on the court. Jaden Daughtry finished with 19 points on 6-for-9 shooting and 7-for-10 from the free throw line. Samage Teel also scored 19 points on 6-for-14 shooting with six rebounds and four assists. K’mani Doughty finished with 14 points, making 8-of-8 from the free throw line, and grabbing a game-high eight rebounds. Josiah LeGree led the game with five assists.

In the game, Wagner drilled a three-pointer with just more than 10 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime tied at 82. Each time made only two field goals in overtime, but Bradley converted on one more free throw attempt in the extra five minutes to secure the victory.

For Evansville, the Purple Aces won at SIU, 68-53 on Wednesday. Tayshawn Comer scored a career-high 26 points on 8-for-13 shooting. UE shot 48.0% in the game while SIU finished only 31.1% from the floor. Evansville held SIU to 0.06% shooting (1-for-17) during a stretch in the second half to help secure the 15-point victory.

This season, Bruno Alocen, K’mani Doughty, and Camp Wagner have combined to shoot 74-for-86 from the free throw line (86.05%).

In the last five games, Samage Teel (19.8), Jaden Daughtry (16.0), and Camp Wagner are the three Sycamores averaging double figures. Teel is shooting 62.5% from the floor playing 33.2 minutes per game, Daughtry is connecting on 65.1% of shots in 21.1 minutes, and Wagner is hitting 40.0% from his shots from three in 23.8 minutes per game. K’mani Doughty is leading the team in rebounding in the span ath 5.6 per game, and Josiah LeGree leads in assists with 4.4.

Up Next

Indiana State will head to Valparaiso on Wednesday, January 8 before returning home on Saturday, January 11 to play Belmont. On the 11th, Indiana State will honor its Hall of Fame inductees. The 2024 Hall of Fame Class features Dr. Daniel Bradley (President), Mike Eberle (Baseball), John Gartland (Cross Country/Track & Field), Kelsey Luna (Women’s Basketball), and Peter Magnusson (Men’s Tennis).

PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

FIRST-PLACE MASTODONS VISIT OAKLAND FOR #HLWBB CONTEST

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball takes its seven-game winning streak to Rochester, Michigan on Sunday for a Horizon League game against Oakland at 2 p.m.

Game Day Information
Who: Oakland Golden Grizzlies
When: Sunday, January 5 | 2 PM
Where: Rochester, Mich. | O’Rena
Live Stats: Link
Watch: Link
Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Oakland | Horizon League

Know Your Foe

Oakland is 5-7 and 3-0 in the Horizon League with a matchup against Cleveland State on Friday ahead of the Mastodons’ visit on Sunday. The Golden Grizzlies have beaten Wright State, Robert Morris and Northern Kentucky to open league play, with only a loss to Indiana tarnishing their last four games. Maddy Skorupski is leading the team with 17.2 points per game and was selected as the most recent Horizon League Player of the Week.

The Series

Oakland leads the series 19-13, but Purdue Fort Wayne owns a three-game winning streak. That winning streak for the ‘Dons comes after an eight-game streak for Oakland. The series dates back to 1985.

Ross Has the Sauce

Through 15 games, Lauren Ross is shooting 50.0 percent from the floor, 51.0 percent from 3-point range and 93.1 percent from the line. If these percentages hold, she would be the first women’s player and second player overall to ever shoot 50/50/90 since the 3-point line was added to college basketball. Salim Stoudamire (Arizona, 2004-05) is the only other college player to do hit all three marks for an entire season while meeting minimum requirements.

Streak Tracker

The Mastodons are on a seven-game winning streak, which ties the fifth-best in program history and is the longest of the Division I era (2001-present).

14 wins – 1995-96

11 wins – 1982-83

10 wins – 1990-91, 1993-94

7 wins – 2024-25, 2000-01, 1989-90, 1991-92

A Perfect Start to League Play

Purdue Fort Wayne is 5-0 to start Horizon League play this season. That is the best start to a league season since the Mastodons went 5-0 to start Summit League action in 2009-10. 6-0 would be the best start for the Mastodons in league play as a member of a Division I conference. The Mastodons started 7-0 in the Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference in 1995-96, which stands as the program record.

Boards for Millie

Amellia Bromenschenkel has 634 rebounds in her career, which is the most among all Mastodons in the Division I era (2001-present). In the game at Wright State this season, she passed Verea Bibbs for the DI era record. She ranks fourth in the program’s all-time rebound list, needing 29 more to pass Robin Scott for third.

Dynamic Duo

Through five Horizon League games, Lauren Ross and Amellia Bromenschenkel have been a fantastic one-two punch for the Mastodons. Ross is averaging 16.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 48.9 percent from the floor and 53.8 percent from three. Bromenschenkel is averaging 15.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 50.8 percent from the floor and 44.0 percent from deep.

Free Assists Here!

Sydney Freeman has 498 assists in her career, needing just two to reach 500 for her career. She ranks in the top-25 nationally among active players in that category.

A December to Remember

Purdue Fort Wayne finished December with a 6-0 record. It is the first time the Mastodons have won an entire month’s slate with at least three games since 2000.

Home Sweet Gates

The Mastodons are 6-0 at home this season. In its five home games this season, Purdue Fort Wayne is scoring 85.2 points per game and has an average margin of victory of 30.2 points per game. The Mastodons are shooting 48.4 percent from the floor and 39.6 percent from 3-point range in Fort Wayne.

Linbo Limbo

Jazzlyn Linbo is shooting a career-best 53.6 percent from the floor this season.

Schweeeeeet

After a 28.9 3-point field goal percentage a year ago, Renna Schwieterman is shooting a much improved 38.1 percent from deep this season.

Thief!

Sydney Freeman is second in the Horizon League and top-65 nationally with 32 steals this season.

League Leaders

Through the early portion of the Horizon League slate, Purdue Fort Wayne is the only 5-0 team. There are four teams without a league loss, Detroit Mercy, Cleveland State, Purdue Fort Wayne and Oakland.

Our Ball!

Purdue Fort Wayne’s 7.67 turnover margin ranks first in the Horizon League and is a top-20 mark nationally.

Offensive Threat

Per College Basketball Reference, Lauren Ross has an offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions) of 132.7, the highest on the team among rotation players. She also has an effective field goal percentage of 65.3 percent, a team-best. She is taking 60.0 percent of her shots from 3-point range. She also has the highest plus/minus on the team among rotation players with +7.6 per game.

Fill It Up

Purdue Fort Wayne is averaging 78.9 points per game, which ranks first in the Horizon League and top-40 nationally. The Mastodons’ 37.2 3-point shooting percentage and 9.7 3-point makes per game both rank top-25 nationally.

Chasing 1,000

Audra Emmerson has a chance to reach 1,000 points for her career. She has 819 points, needing 181 to reach the milestone. She scored 343 last season.

Saving the Best for Last

Lauren Ross is shooting 50.0 percent from the floor, 51.0 percent from 3-point range and 93.1 percent from the charity stripe. All of those marks are the best of her career. Ross’ 3.27 triples per game ranks ninth in the country, 51.0 percent from beyond the arc ranks fourth, and 93.1 percent from the line is 11th.

In The Polls…

Purdue Fort Wayne has been receiving votes in the recent CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 since November 12. On December 10, they earned 25 points, their most ever in the 15 years the poll has been done.

Magic Numbers 70 and 80

Under head coach Maria Marchesano, the Mastodons are 34-8 when they score 70 points or more and 16-3 when they hit 80.

200 For the Boss

Maria Marchesano is nearing 200 head coaching wins for her career. She owns 196 W’s as a head coach, 56 of which have come as the head coach for the Mastodons.

Last Time Out

The Mastodons topped Youngstown State on New Year’s Day 74-60, netting their seventh win in a row and moving them to 5-0 in the Horizon League.

Coming Up

Purdue Fort Wayne returns home for a game on January 9 against Milwaukee in the Gates Sports Center. The Mastodons have won three of their last four meetings against Milwaukee.

EVANSVILLE MEN’S BASKETBALL

UE MEN RETURN HOME TO FACE INDIANA STATE

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Following a road win at Southern Illinois, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team looks for its third Missouri Valley Conference win in a row when they welcome Indiana State to the Ford Center on Saturday at 1 p.m. ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network will have the broadcast.

Last Time Out

– Another strong team performance saw the Aces lead by as many as 21 points before defeating SIU by a 68-53 final on Jan. 1

– Tayshawn Comer finished with a career-high 26 points, hitting eight field goals and eight free throws

– Cam Haffner added 20 points and 9 boards

– UE held the Salukis to 31.1% shooting and a 19.4% showing from outside

Another Strong Performance

– Cam Haffner scored 20 points in the win at SIU and has 16.5 PPG in the last two games

– In three games prior to Dec. 29, he averaged just 4.3 points

– Haffner has hit six triples in the last two contests and his average of 2.21 3’s per game is 9th in the league

– Averaging 13.3 PPG, he is second on the team and 15th in the MVC

Career Game

– Converting 8 field goals and 8 free throws, Tayshawn Comer scored a career-high 26 points in the win at SIU eclipsing his previous mark of 23, which he set as a player at Eastern Kentucky

– In the last two games, Comer has hit 17 of his 21 free throw tries

– Comer has three 20-point games this year

– Against Chattanooga, he posted a season-high 8 assists and has posted at least 2 assists in 12 out of 14 games this season

– Over the last nine games, Comer is averaging 3.7 assists per contest while his season average of 3.43 is 10th in the Valley

Top Rebounder

– Tanner Cuff has hauled in 30 boards in the last four games, an average of 7.5

– His season tally of 6.4 per game is 9th in the league and paces the team

– On the offensive side, Cuff has scored 7 or more in each of the last five games and is averaging 8.6 PPG on the season

– He had the top game of his career against Chattanooga, scoring 18 while adding 5 boards, 4 assists, 2 blocks and a steal

Defensive Turnaround

– Evansville’s last two games have seen a full defensive turnaround

– In the first 12 games that saw UE go 3-9, opponents were averaging 74.3 PPG while shooting 44.8% from the field and 34.1% from outside

– The defense has improved greatly in the last two contests, holding the opposition to 46.5 PPG, 28.7% shooting and 19.6% from 3-point range, which has resulted in two victories

Scouting the Opponent

– Indiana State heads to the Ford Center with an 8-6 record while sitting at 2-1 in the MVC

– On New Year’s Day, the Sycamores dropped a close overtime contest to Bradley by a final of 90-89

– ISU won its first two league games at Missouri State and home versus Murray State

– Samage Teel paces the Sycamores with his average of 17.7 points

– Teel is a 56.7% shooter and paces ISU with 61 assists and 21 steals

– Jaden Daughtry holds an average of 12.1 PPG

– Head coach Matthew Graves is in his first season at the helm of the program; he was an assistant at UE during the 2018-19 season

VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CLOSES IOWA ROAD SWING SATURDAY AT DRAKE

Valparaiso (5-8, 1-1 MVC)

Game #14 – January 4, 2025 – 2 p.m.

at Drake (8-5, 2-0 MVC)

Knapp Center (6,424) – Des Moines, Iowa

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valpo women’s basketball team concludes the Iowa road swing in MVC play Saturday afternoon with a 2 p.m. tip at Drake – the second of four consecutive road games for the Beacons against top-100 NET teams.

Previously: Valpo opened up a stretch of four challenging road games in 11 days Thursday evening in Cedar Falls, Iowa, dropping a 93-70 decision to host UNI. Leah Earnest led all players with 21 points and paced the Beacons with six rebounds.

Following Valpo Basketball: Video: ESPN+

Links for live coverage: Available via ValpoAthletics.com

Head Coach Mary Evans: Mary Evans is in her seventh year at the helm of the program in 2024-25 and owns a record of 65-124. Evans’ first six seasons at the helm have seen Valpo’s six of the top-eight single-season 3-pointers made marks, including each of the top five, while defensively, her teams have racked up steals at a high rate, averaging at least 7.7 steals/game in five of her six seasons. Under her guidance, Valpo players have earned an MVC Sixth Player of the Year honor, five All-Conference accolades, three All-Freshman/Newcomer Team awards and three All-Defensive Team honors.

Series Notes: Drake leads the all-time series 17-2, including an 8-1 mark on its home court, and has won the last four meetings in the series. Last season, the Beacons fell to the Bulldogs 83-54 at the ARC (despite Valpo connecting on 11 3-pointers) and 82-62 in Des Moines (again, despite Valpo going 11-of-20 from 3-point range).

@ValpoWBB…

…and @ValleyHoops

– Valpo was picked to finish in eighth place in the MVC preseason poll, totaling 193 points to edge out Indiana State.

– The eighth-place projection is two spots ahead of the Beacons’ regular-season finish last year.

– Valpo is in its eighth season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.

– The Valley was ranked 13th in conference NET last season. In Valpo’s time in the MVC, the conference has been ranked as high as seventh in NET (2020-21).

…looking back at last year

– Valpo finished last season with a 5-25 overall record and finished at 4-16 in MVC play, good for 10th in the Valley standings.

– Leah Earnest was a Second Team All-MVC honoree.

– Valpo won three consecutive road games in Valley play, the second straight year the Beacons have accomplished that – prior to that, the program had last accomplished that feat against three different opponents since 2007.

…at UNI

– Valpo got out to a quick start, as Mor Shabtai, Nevaeh Jackson and Leah Earnest each connected on a 3-pointer within the Beacons’ first four possessions to give them a 9-4 lead just over two minutes in.

– UNI outscored Valpo 19-4 over the remainder of the opening period to lead 23-13 at the end of one.

– A triple by Earnest and a fast-break layup by Jackson gave the Beacons the first five points of the second quarter, forcing a UNI timeout with the deficit cut to 23-18 and 8:33 to play in the half.

– After the teams traded baskets out of the stoppage, the Panthers went on a 14-2 run over the next four minutes to pull out to a 39-22 lead. UNI’s lead reached as many as 21 late in the half and was 50-30 at intermission.

– Valpo cut UNI’s lead to 16 multiple times in the third quarter, but was unable to get any closer, and the Panthers went on a late run to close the quarter with a 75-51 lead.

– UNI’s advantage remained in the 20-point range throughout the fourth quarter.

– Earnest led all players with 21 points, finishing the game 8-of-13 from the field, and also paced the Beacons with six rebounds.

– Jackson backed up Earnest with a 16-point night, connecting on 7-of-12 from the floor.

– The aforementioned duo was the only Valpo players to reach double figures, though, as the Beacons’ next leading scorer was Lexi Castator, who hit 3-of-4 from the field for eight points — just one off her season high.

– Maci Rhoades set a career best with a team-high four assists.

– The Beacons posted a 48.2% field goal percentage Thursday, hitting 27-of-56 for their second-best effort against a D-I opponent this year. But UNI bettered that with a 56.4% clip from the floor and took advantage of 21 more free throw attempts, hitting 25-of-35 from the stripe to Valpo’s 9-of-14.

– Valpo also lost the turnover battle by its highest margin of the year, committing 23 turnovers which the Panthers scored 28 points off. Meanwhile, the Beacons forced just 14 turnovers — their second-lowest total of the season — and scored just 12 points off turnovers.

…versus Southern Illinois

– An 11-0 run midway through the first quarter propelled Valpo to a 21-15 lead at the end of the opening period.

– After SIU cut the Beacons’ lead to 26-25 midway through the second period, Valpo scored the next nine points on its way to a 36-26 halftime lead.

– A quick 7-0 spurt just past the midway point of the third quarter pushed Valpo’s advantage to 18 points, and the Beacons led 58-41 with 10 minutes to play.

– The decisive lead proved quite handy in the fourth quarter, as the Beacons opened the final period with 12 consecutive empty possessions. SIU scored on four of its five trips on the offensive end to close to within 58-49 with 7:44 to play and force a Valpo timeout.

– While the Beacons were still dealing with their drought on the offensive end, their defense stepped up, limiting the Salukis to just two free throws over the next four minutes to maintain some breathing room.

– Layla Gold finally snapped the offensive skid with a driving layup with 3:23 remaining, and Nevaeh Jackson followed with a drive and finish of her own on the next possession to make it 62-51 and force an SIU timeout with 2:45 to go.

– The Beacons did not give up a point the rest of the way, closing out the game on an 11-0 run and holding the Salukis without a field goal over the final 7:44 and without a point over the final 5:05.

– The victory was Valpo’s fifth in 14 all-time meetings against SIU, snapping a three-game winning streak by the Salukis. The 18-point margin of victory was Valpo’s largest in the series.

– The Beacons held the Salukis to 19-of-60 shooting from the field Sunday, the 31.7% field goal percentage the lowest mark by a Valpo D-I opponent this season.

– Meanwhile, on the offensive end, Valpo hit at a 46.5% clip from the field and was 9-of-20 from deep. The Beacons’ 45% mark from 3-point range was their second-best of the season — they have now hit at least 40% from 3-point range in four of the last six games.

– Valpo took advantage of its trips to the foul line as well Sunday, finishing 20-of-24 from the charity stripe — the 83.3% free throw percentage the team’s second-best of the season.

– Leah Earnest finished with 22 points, including a 10-of-12 mark from the foul line, and 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. It was her third 20-point double-double of the year, tied for the most among MVC players.

– Jackson backed Earnest up with an 18-point effort, including a 4-of-7 mark from the 3-point line. The sophomore scored in double figures for the ninth time this year and hit at least four triples for the fourth time.

…looking ahead

– Next weekend brings another challenging road swing, as the Beacons head first to Murray State and then Belmont as they continue MVC play.

…away from home

– Saturday’s game is Valpo’s eighth contest of the year away from home.

– The Beacons are still in search of their first true road win, as they sit at 0-5 in true road games.

– Valpo is also 1-1 in neutral site games.

@DrakeWBB

– The Bulldogs enter Saturday’s game at 8-5 on the season and are 2-0 in MVC play, thanks to a 76-54 win at Evansville and an 86-63 victory last time out over UIC.

– Katie Dinnebier leads the league and ranks third nationally in assists (7.5/game), while also ranking second among MVC players in scoring and third in steals.

– Anna Miller leads the league and ranks sixth nationally in blocked shots (2.7/game), while also ranking second among MVC players in rebounding and 10th in scoring.

Quad Talk

– This two-week stretch brings a number of challenges for the Beacons, as they face the Valley’s two toughest road swings on back-to-back weekends.

– All four games over these two weekends are against teams in the top-85 of the NET (UNI-72; Drake-82; Murray State-61; Belmont-56).

– Based on the quadrant system, the UNI, Murray State and Belmont games are Quad 1 games, while the game at Drake is a Quad 2 game.

– In nonconference play, Valpo played no Quad 1 games and just one Quad 2 game (at Lehigh-94).

The Road Life

– This weekend is the first of a rare back-to-back weekends with two games apiece within MVC play, as Valpo will play four road games in 11 days.

– This is just the second time since joining the Valley Valpo has four consecutive conference road games (outside of the COVID-affected 2020-21 campaign) – but the other time had much closer trips, as the Beacons played at Indiana State and Evansville one weekend, and then at Bradley and Illinois State the next weekend in February 2023.

– Notably, after returning home the weekend of Jan. 17-19, the Beacons play their next three on the road, as seven of their first 10 conference games this year are away from home.

– On the flip side, that means Valpo closes the season with seven of its last 10 games at home.

Forcing Miscues

– While the Beacons suffered their worst turnover margin of the year (-9) last time out at UNI, they still rank as the MVC’s best at forcing miscues.

– Through 13 games this year, Valpo is averaging 20.0 turnovers forced/game, easily the most in the MVC.

– The Beacons have forced more turnovers than they’ve committed in eight of 13 games.

– Valpo also leads the MVC with 10.0 steals/game and has tallied double-figure steals in seven games this year, including six of the last nine.

– Valpo has forced at least 20 turnovers in six games so far, highlighted by 29 forced turnovers against Detroit Mercy and 26 in back-to-back wins over Goshen and North Dakota.

– Against Goshen, the Beacons racked up 15 steals, a season high and the team’s highest total in exactly one calendar year. The Beacons matched that mark in the win over Western Michigan as well.

– In the win over North Dakota, Valpo turned the Fighting Hawks’ 26 turnovers into 33 points and held a massive 33-9 edge in points off turnovers. It was the program’s greatest number of points off turnovers and the highest edge in the category since a Feb. 22, 2020 win at Loyola, when Valpo forced 31 turnovers and owns a 38-4 advantage in points off turnovers.

20/20/20/20 Vision

– 13 games into the season, and Valpo already has four different players with 10 combined 20-point games under their belt.

– That is already more players and more 20-point games as last year’s team, which featured just two different players who combined for nine 20-point efforts.

– Leah Earnest has five such efforts: a game-high 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting last time out at UNI, 22 points in the win over SIU, 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting versus Detroit Mercy, 23 points on 6-of-10 shooting in the win over Western Michigan and 29 points – the second-highest output of her career – at Lehigh.

– Earnest has scored 20 or more points 15 times in her collegiate career.

– Gold joined Earnest in crossing the 20-point mark versus UDM, finishing with 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Earlier this year, Gold more than doubled her previous career best of 11 points with a 23-point night – which included five 3-pointers – at Milwaukee.

– Nevaeh Jackson raced past her previous career high with 26 points at Saint Louis; this coming after 20-point performances earlier in the season in the win over Goshen and against Purdue Fort Wayne.

– Against Trinity Christian, Kayla Preston smashed her previous best, going for 20 points on 7-10 FG and 6-8 FT.

Zooming Up the Charts

– Leah Earnest entered the season 14th in program history in career scoring, but has jumped all the way up to sixth all-time at Valpo with 1,329 career points.

– Against Detroit Mercy, Earnest leapfrogged three spots from ninth to sixth, surpassing Shay Frederick, Amber Schober and Betsy Rietema within the same game.

– Next up for Earnest is Meredith Hamlet in fifth with 1,350 career points.

– Earnest also continued her match up the career rebounding chart against UDM as well, moving past Tabitha Gerardot for fourth on the program’s career rebounding chart. She finished the UNI game with 745 boards – next up there is Jeanette Gray in third position with 766 career boards.

– Earnest is also second all-time at Valpo with 126 games played (15 shy of Caitlin Morrison for the program record), fourth with 288 free throws made (moved up two spots versus SIU, 53 shy of third) and seventh with 478 field goals made (moved past Amber Schober at UNI, 14 shy of sixth).

– Earnest impacted the program’s single-game record book as well at the Christmas City Classic as she went 12-for-12 at the foul line against Lehigh. She is one of just 12 players to hit 100% from the foul line in a game (minimum 10 attempts) and one of just four to do so on at least 12 tries.

No Sophomore Slump

– After ranking fourth on the team in scoring (7.2 points/game) as a rookie, sophomore Nevaeh Jackson has cemented herself as a consistent second scorer this season.

– Jackson has more than doubled her scoring average, entering Saturday’s game second on the team with 14.6 points/game.

– Jackson has scored in double figures in 10 of 13 games, highlighted by her 26-point effort at Saint Louis.

– Jackson has improved her 2-point percentage by 127 points (.440 as a freshman, .567 to date this season) and her 3-point percentage by 50 points (.317 as a freshman, .367 to date this season) – the latter improvement coming with an increased volume of nearly three more attempts per game from deep.

Career Highs

– Five of Valpo’s seven returnees have set career bests in the scoring column this season – the only returnees who haven’t are Saniya Jackson, who is out for the season, and Earnest.

– Joining the trio who had their first career 20-point efforts are senior Katie Beyer and sophomore Raeven Raye-Redmond.

– Raye-Redmond smashed past her previous best of nine with a 15-point night on 6-of-9 shooting at Milwaukee.

– Beyer hit three 3-pointers on her way to a 14-point game in the season opener versus Liberty, and then against North Dakota, surpassed that again with a 16-point effort.

All-Tournament Honors

– Valpo had a pair of players recognized as All-Tournament Team honorees following the conclusion of the Christmas City Classic.

– Leah Earnest averaged 23.5 points, 10 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game over the Beacons’ two contests.

– Katie Beyer earned her selection by virtue of a strong 16-point performance, surpassing her career high, in the win over North Dakota.

Missing Pieces

– Valpo is down two starters for the remainder of the season due to injury.

– Saniya Jackson did not see any game action this year, undergoing successful knee surgery in early November.

– Raeven Raye-Redmond suffered a lower leg injury late in regulation Dec. 21 against Detroit Mercy and will miss the rest of the year as well.

Leah’s Last Ride

– Graduate student Leah Earnest is back for her fifth and final season of eligibility, looking to put a bow on one of the most productive careers in program history.

– Earnest was a Second Team All-MVC selection last season and tabbed a preseason Second Team All-MVC choice this year.

– Earnest became the first Valpo player since 1991-92 to pace the team in scoring, rebounding and assists.

– She ranked sixth in the Valley in scoring and eighth in rebounding, one of only four Valley players to rank in the top-eight of both categories.

– Earnest scored 494 points on the season, fifth-most in a single season in program history and second-most since 1994.

– Should she duplicate her season totals from last year, Earnest would close her career third all-time at Valpo in scoring and second in rebounding.

UINDY FOOTBALL

SCHULTE AMONG D2FOOTBALL.COM ELITE 100

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – UIndy linebacker Clay Schulte continues to rake in national awards, this time garnering “Elite 100” status from D2Football.com. The annual list was compiled with input from coaches, scouts, media and sports information directors from around the country, with Schulte earning one of only three linebacker spots on the first team.

A native of Oak Harbor, Ohio, Schulte is the first Greyhound to garner first-team recognition from the respected website since Toriano Clinton in 2021. Schulte has also received All-American First Team honors from both the AFCA and D2CCA, as well as All-America Honorable Mention designation from the Don Hansen Football Committee.

Dubbed both the Super Region 3 and GLVC Defensive Player of the Year, Schulte finished the season with an even 100 tackles—including 14.5 tackles for loss and four sacks—while adding three interceptions and a forced fumble. The hard-hitting linebacker led UIndy to its fourth-ever 10-win regular season this fall, as well as a third consecutive playoff appearance and GLVC title. Statistically, the Greyhounds ranked sixth in Division II in rushing defense, 19th in scoring defense and 20th in total defense.

SCHULTE NAMED FINALIST FOR CLIFF HARRIS AWARD

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Cliff Harris Award selection committee and Little Rock Touchdown Club recently announced the finalists for the 2024 Cliff Harris Award for NCAA Division II. UIndy student-athlete and standout linebacker Clay Schulte was among 14 names on the exclusive list.

Named for the NFL Hall of Famer, the Cliff Harris Award annually recognizes the top small college defensive player in the country in NCAA DII, NCAA DIII, and also the NAIA. The award highlights exceptional talent and contributions to the game by athletes who have made a significant impact on their teams. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 7.

A native of Oak Harbor, Ohio, Schulte is the third Greyhound in recent years to make the list of finalists for the prestigious honor, joining former-teammate Landry Mavungu (2023) and Rob Dury (2015).

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 4, 1883 – The Ontario Rugby Football Union formed. You may ask Hey isn’t this a place for football history? Yes it is my friends and this Rugby Club from Ontario was the forerunner of the Canadian Football League.

January 4, 1942 – Polo Grounds, New York City – At the 4th NFL All Star Game in a series where the NFL champs would play against the best players from the rest of the League, the Bears faced a group led by Slingin’ Sammy Baugh and Frank Filchok of Washington and Green Bay’s Don Hutson. This game occurred less than a month after the attack on Pearl Harbor and was a distraction for the fans who were focused on the War effort. The Chicago Bears showed why they were so good as they defeated the NFL All-Stars, 35-24 in a game filled with fights on the field and snowball fights in the stands per the story by ESPN.com.

January 4, 1970 – Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland – The Kansas City Chiefs met their rivals the Oakland Raiders in the 1969 AFL Championship game. The Chiefs defense came to play and made it tough sledding for the Raiders all game as they forced 4 interceptions of Oakland passes. KC earned the right to advance onto the Big Game in a 17-7 victory over the home team.

January 4, 1970 – Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota – Meanwhile at the NFL Championship game to see who would face the Chiefs, it was the Minnesota Vikings who outlasted the Cleveland Browns, 27-7.

January 4, 1976 – Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA – The AFC Championship games of the 1970’s had two pretty common teams playing in it. Can you believe there was only one game for the Lamat Hunt Trophy in the decade of the ‘70’s where neither the Steelers nor the Raiders were a participant? Well in the Conference Title game of the 1975 season it was one of three times in the decade that the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders squared off against each other. This time around it was the Steelers who outlasted the Raiders, 16-10. Pro-Football-Reference gives us the data that Franco Harris and John Stalworth scored to help the Steel City advance to the Super Bowl.

January 4, 1986 – Anaheim, California – Los Angeles Rams running back Eric Dickerson scored twice as he pounded the turf for an NFL postseason record of 248 yards in 20-0 Rams win over the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC divisional playoff.

January 4, 1999 – College Football, 1st BCS National Championship, Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ: #1 Tennessee beats #2 Florida State, 23-16, at 28th Fiesta Bowl

January 4, 2000 – A day after accepting the head coaching position with the New York Jets franchise, Bill Belichick resigns the Jets position and then later accepts the New England Patriots head job.

January 4, 2000 – Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans – The 2nd BCS National Championship game held was under the guise of the Allstate Sugar Bowl. It matched up two pretty good offensive teams against each other. #1 Florida State would face the #2 Virginia Tech squad. The Seminoles had their great Wide Receiver Peter Warrick and company while the Hokies placed an interesting red-shirt freshman under center named Michael Vick per the AllstateSugarBowl.org site. There were plenty of offensive fireworks as advertised. Warrick helped the Seminoles jump out early to a 28-7 lead in the first half. But Vick spearheaded the Hokies to a great comeback that actually put Virginia Tech ahead 29-28 at the end of the third quarter. Then Warrick and Florida State gave their final push that handed them the game. FSU outlasted VT 46-29 in an exciting game!

January 4, 2004 – Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans -The 6th BCS National Championship once again took place at the Sugar Bowl as the top two teams in the rankings met once again. The second ranked LSU Tigers were the opponents for the #1 Oklahoma Sooners per the AllstateSugarBowl.org site. Even the coaches in this game were interesting as the schemes of OU’s Bob Stoops would face the strategies of Nick Saban. The Sooners went into the game as a 6 point favorite, Oklahoma’s offense which was tops in the land averaged an astounding 45.2 points coming into the game and that Sooners was the nation’s third-best overall defensive team, giving up an average of a mere 255.7 yards a game. The Tigers fielded two All-America selections in the contest but Oklahoma looked like an All-star team when they rolled out 7 young men that received the All-America honors including Heisman winner Jason White. On paper no wonder the Sooners were favored, but there is a reason why they still play the games. LSU came out and played as a complete cohesive unit in the ultimate team sport. The Tigers defense stifled White and the Sooners offense most of the evening, limiting them to a mere 152 yards and two TDs. Saban’s offense responded when it needed to most, including right after the Sooners scored when they had great field position after a blocked punt. It was LSU in a 21-14 upset of Oklahoma at the 70th Sugar Bowl for the National Title.

January 4, 2005 – Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens -The Sooners would be back as a participant in the 7th BCS National Championship in the Orange Bowl. This time Bob Stoops and company would enter as the second ranked team in the country and would play against a Pete Carroll coached #1 Southern California team. The Orange Bowl site promotes the game as the battle of Award Winners as 2004 Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart faced off against 2003 Heisman Trophy winner Jason White. The posting goes on to say that the Orange Bowl hosted its 18th National Championship, six of which have included Oklahoma. The contest wasn’t even close as the Trojans jumped out to a 28-8 lead at the half and never looked back as they triumphed 55-19 to win the BCS Title. Leinart threw five touchdown passes in the game. But that is not the end of this story… A few years after the game was played in June of 2010, the BCS according to the Conquestchronicles.com website, under the guidance of NCAA findings of USC’s “lack of institutional control” stripped the Title from the Trojans. The investigation of college football’s governing board found that running back Reggie Bush was ineligible for violation of NCAA rules which in essence disqualified Southern Cal in games that Bush played. Bush also had to vacate his 2005 Heisman Trophy. The BCS said in a statement the 2004 national title will remain vacant. One team besides the Sooners that were upset about this matter was the Auburn Tigers who with a perfect 13-0 season in the rugged SEC were not chosen to play in the big game.

January 4, 2006 – the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California – There may have been another national title stripped too because of the NCAA findings with the Trojans. But USC fell in the 8th BCS National Championship to Vince Young and #2 Texas who defeated #1 Southern Cal, 41-38, at 92nd Rose Bowl. Texas won the National Championship but boy was it a classic battle. In fact some folks such as SBNation.com call it the greatest National Championship game ever! And they may be right! This game had all the drama, the star power and great coaching that made it an instant classic! Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, the aforementioned Vince Young highlight a couple of legendary college rosters for the contest. The game was also significant as it was the last one called by broadcaster Keith Jackson, who is probably the greatest college football play-by-play man of all time. Young became a collegiate legend on this big stage as he went 30-of-40 passing for 267 yards, plus 19 runs for 200 yards and three scores. He really took the Longhorns and put them on his shoulder to propel them back into the game from a 38-26 deficit with 6:42 to play. Then one of the greatest plays occurred. With a mere 26 ticks of the clock remaining and down by 5, Texas faced a fourth and 5 from the USC 8 yard line. Young took the shotgun snap and dropped back to pass. All of a sudden he saw daylight and dashed around the right end to trot into the endzone for the go-ahead winning score! The Texas Longhorns of Coach Mack Brown would become the National Champs!

January 4, 2010 – The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – Boise State was facing Texas Christian University in the first BCS Bowl game played between two non-BCS teams, as well as the first BCS bowl game where both teams were undefeated heading into the game. The Broncos squad was led by QB Kellen Moore and Running back Doug Martin while the Horned Frogs had Andy Dalton under center per ESPN.com. Boise State won the game when Doug Martin got a two-yard touchdown with 7:21 left in the fourth quarter to make it 17–10.

Hall Of Fame Birthdays for January 4

January 4, 1925 – Connellsville, Pennsylvania – Notre Dame’s legendary Quarterback Johnny Lujack was born. Lujack was unanimous All- America both seasons and won the Heisman himself in 1947. Lujack played for Chicago Bears and George Halas from 1948 to 1951. The pinnacle of his pro career came 1948 against the Chicago Cardinals he tossed six touchdown passes!

January 4, 1930 – Grand River, Ohio – The winningest coach in NFL history, Don Shula was born. Shula served 33 seasons as a head coach of NFL teams. His coaching career started off in Baltimore with the Colts where he led the Blue Horseshoe to seven straight winning seasons including a trip to Super Bowl III against the Joe Namath-led Jets. Before the 1970 season the great coach moved to take over the reigns of the Miami Dolphins. There he continued to win and even guided the team to consecutive Super Bowl victories in the VII and VIII editions of the game.

OLD TIME BASEBALL

“WHEN THE CHEERING STOPS” – The Story of Roy Sievers

In 1990 Bill Gutman wrote a book called When the Cheering Stops that featured interviews with 21 former big league ballplayers about how they fared after their playing days ended at a time when the ordinary player did not retire as a millionaire. This story, taken from the book, is the eighth in a series Bill’s calling:

“WHEN THE CHEERING STOPS” – The Story of Roy Sievers

“The main thing I tried to do as a hitter was not have too many bad days in a row. Hitting is a matter of split-second timing and it’s not easy, especially when you consider some of the great pitchers I faced in my career.” – Roy Sievers

Roy Sievers was a hitter, all right, one of baseball’s top sluggers from the mid-1950s into the early 1960s. He didn’t reach the heights of a Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays or Henry Aaron, but he did hit 318 home runs and drive home more than 1000 runs in a fine, 17-year career. In his best season of 1957, Sievers led the American League in home runs with 42 and runs batted in with 114. He also hit .301 that season while playing for the old Washington Senators.

Born in St. Louis on November 18, 1926, Roy grew up around old Sportsman’s Park, which was then the home of the old American League St. Louis Browns as well as the National League Cardinals. As a kid he joined the Browns’ Knot Hole Gang with members getting free passes into the ballpark, so he quickly became familiar with players in both leagues. His early favorite was the Cards’ Joe “Ducky” Medwick, and later he always wanted to see Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams.

“That was one of the thrills I had when I made it to the big leagues,” he said, “to be able to play against some of the great players I had seen as a kid.”

By the time Roy was playing at Beaumont High School he began thinking about the majors and was scouted by both the Browns and Cardinals. His father thought he’d have a better shot at the majors with the Browns, so he signed with them. “After I signed I learned the Cards were ready to give me a five-thousand dollar bonus. All the Browns gave me was a pair of shoes. That was it.”

The year was 1945, so Roy then spent two years in the service before joining the Browns organization. He got his shot in 1949 at the age of 22 and promptly won the first ever Rookie of the Year Award. He batted .306 with 16 home runs and 91 RBIs. But what he also remembered was the way rookies were treated in those days.

“[The rookies] had to come out real early just to get batting practice,” he recalled. “We never got to hit with the regulars and half the time the pitchers wouldn’t throw to us so we had to get someone else, maybe the batboy or another guy who wasn’t playing. To this day I don’t know why it was that way. I always figured, hell, we’re teammates, why don’t we all pitch in and do this together. About half the veterans wouldn’t even speak to us. Finally, around the middle of the season I was hitting well and I guess they finally figured that this kid was going to fit in.”

Despite his rookie performance, there were tough times ahead. He slumped his second season, hitting just .238 with 10 home runs, then in 1951 dislocated his right shoulder and played just 31 games. The next year it popped again out in the spring and he had surgery, playing just 11 games, and just 92 the next. He had a remedy you wouldn’t see today. “I did construction work in St. Louis during the off-season for two or three years and worked to build up the shoulder.”

The Browns made him a first baseman due to his difficulty throwing after the injury, but before the 1954 season , when the team moved to Baltimore, they traded Roy to Washington. That’s where he finally blossomed, driving in more than 100 runs in four of the next five seasons and hitting 159 homers during that time, including his high of 42 in 1957, and establishing himself as one of the premier sluggers in the league.

He continued to play at a high level through 1963, though he was dealt to White Sox in 1960, then the Phillies two years later and finally returned to Washington in the middle of 1964, when he was 37 and beginning to slow down. In May of 1965 he was released, Washington manager Gil Hodges giving him the bad news.

Tough, but a baseball reality. Roy then worked out for both the White Sox and Cardinals, but they didn’t take him on. It was time to go and that’s when another harsh reality set in. “I don’t think any ballplayer in my day prepared for retirement until it was time,” Roy said. “I never made the big money but I figured if I could stay in the majors as a coach for another three or four years I’d have twenty years in and it would really help my pension.”

Then another reality, the baseball buddy system. He spent a year coaching for the Reds. “The manager, Dave Bristol, fired me because he wanted to bring his own people in. There were a lot of politics back then,” Roy said. He subsequently managed for two years in the Mets system but was then fired by Whitey Herzog, then farm director. Same reason. From there it was two years in the Oakland organization and he was fired again. “I tried a couple of more teams and was told there were no spots available. It was time to go home and stay there.”

Out of baseball, Roy went home to St. Louis and worked for the Yellow Freight Company until 1986. “Now I’m home,” he told me in 1990, “and living on my pension. It’s not what I’d like it to be, but. . . .”

The “but” probably meant that Roy never fully got baseball out of his blood. He admitted he still thought about getting back into the game, maybe as a hitting coach, but felt teams always wanted younger people. He would go to card shows and old timers games, saying “I still get a thrill pulling on the uniform and trying to perform in the games. I saw Joe DiMaggio at a card show and told him it was an honor to play against him. He said, ‘Don’t give me that honor stuff. You were a good ballplayer and always gave the Yankees fits.’ “That made me feel good.”

Roy Sievers died on April 3, 2017, at the ripe old age of 90. Though he mostly played for bad, second-division teams, he had a fine career. Joe DiMaggio, for one, certainly knew.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

Jan. 4

1970 — The Minnesota Vikings become the first expansion team to win the NFL title by beating the Cleveland Browns 27-7 in 8-degree temperatures in Bloomington, Minn.

1970 — Kansas City’s defense, highlighted by four interceptions, three in the final quarter, carries the Chiefs to a 17-7 victory over Oakland Raiders in the last AFL title game.

1976 — The Dallas Cowboys become the first wild-card team to make it to the Super Bowl with a 37-7 rout of the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC title game.

1986 — Eric Dickerson shatters the NFL playoff record with a 248-yard rushing performance and two touchdowns to lead the Los Angeles Rams to a 20-0 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

1991 — Fu Mingxia, a 12-year-old from China, becomes the youngest world titlist in the history of any aquatic event by winning the women’s platform gold medal at the World Swimming Championships in Perth, Australia.

1992 — Mike Gartner of the New York Rangers scores his 1,000th NHL point with a power-play goal in the third period of a 6-4 loss to the New Jersey Devils.

1997 — The Jacksonville Jaguars, in their second year, beat the Broncos in Denver to advance to the AFC Championship game.

2000 — A day after accepting the head coaching position at the New York Jets, Bill Belichick resigns and moves to the New England Patriots.

2000 — Top-ranked Florida State, the preseason No. 1, holds off Virginia Tech 46-29 in the Sugar Bowl to finish 12-0 and win the national championship. Florida State is the first team to go wire-to-wire in The Associated Press’ poll since preseason rankings began in 1950.

2001 — Washington Wizards forward Michael Jordan becomes 4th player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points; hits a free throw in 2nd quarter of an 89-83 win against his old team, the Chicago Bulls.

2003 — Bode Miller wins his second straight World Cup giant slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia to move into first place in the World Cup overall standings. It’s the first time an American man has held the overall lead since Phil Mahre in 1983.

2005 — Matt Leinart throws five touchdown passes and Southern California overwhelms Oklahoma 55-19 in the Orange Bowl. USC (13-0) is the first team to repeat as AP national champions since Nebraska in 1994-95 and joins Florida State in 1999 as the only teams to go wire-to-wire — from preseason to post bowls — as No. 1.

2006 — Second-ranked Texas ends Southern California’s 34-game winning streak, beating the two-time defending national champion 41-38 in the Rose Bowl. The Longhorns also snap USC’s record string of 33 consecutive weeks as the No. 1 team in The Associated Press Top 25. The Longhorns, a unanimous choice, wins a national championship for the first time since 1969.

2012 — Geno Smith ties a record for any bowl game with six touchdown passes, including four to Tavon Austin, and West Virginia sets a bowl scoring record by beating Clemson 70-33 in the Orange Bowl.

2013 — Mikaela Shiffrin becomes the first American woman to win two World Cup races before turning 18. The 17-year-old captures a slalom in Zagreb, Croatia by a massive 1.19-second margin. Her first victory came last month in Sweden.

2014 — Andrew Luck throws four second-half touchdown passes and scores on a fumble recovery, leading the Indianapolis Colts from a four-TD deficit to an historic 45-44 comeback victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in a wild-card game.

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Jan. 5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Jan. 6

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jan. 7

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Jan. 8

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Jan. 9

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TV SPORTS SATURDAY

NFL REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Cleveland at Baltimore	4:30pm	ABC ESPN ESPN+
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh	8:00pm	ABC ESPN ESPN+
NBA REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Charlotte Hornets	1:00pm	FanDuel Sports Ohio FanDuel Sports South
Denver Nuggets vs Washington Wizards	7:00pm	ALT2 MNMT
Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans	7:00pm	FanDuel Sports Oklahoma GCSN
Detroit Pistons vs New York Knicks	7:30pm	FanDuel Sports Detroit MSG
Dallas Mavericks vs Toronto Raptors	7:30pm	KMPX Sportsnet
Memphis Grizzlies vs Boston Celtics	8:00pm	FanDuel Sports Southeast NBCS-BOS
Phoenix Suns vs Miami Heat	8:00pm	AFSN FanDuel Sports Sun
NHL REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
New York Rangers vs Washington Capitals	12:00pm	ABC ESPN+ Sporstnet
New Jersey Devils vs San Jose Sharks	4:00pm	ESPN+ MSGSN NBCS-CA
Montreal Canadiens vs Colorado Avalanche	7:00pm	ESPN+ ALT Sportsnet
St. Louis Blues vs Columbus Blue Jackets	7:00pm	ESPN+ FanDuel Midwest FanDuel Sports Ohio
Minnesota Wild vs Carolina Hurricanes	7:00pm	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports North FanDuel Sports South
Boston Bruins vs Toronto Maple Leafs	7:00pm	ESPN+ NESN Sporstnet
Detroit Red Wings vs Winnipeg Jets	7:00pm	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports Ddetroit Sporstnet
Utah Hockey Club vs Dallas Stars	8:00pm	ESPN+ Utah16 Victory+
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Los Angeles Kings	9:00pm	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports Sun FanDuel West
Nashville Predators vs Calgary Flames	10:00pm	ESPN+ FanDuel South Sporstnet
Edmonton Oilers vs Seattle Kraken	10:00pm	ESPN+ KONG Sporstnet
Buffalo Sabres vs Vegas Golden Knights	10:00pm	ESPN+ MSG-BUF Scripps
COLLEGE FOOTBALL	TIME ET	TV
Bahamas Bowl: Buffalo vs. Liberty	11:00am	ESPN2
MEN’S NCAA BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
Florida at Kentucky	11:00am	ESPN
Kean at Princeton	11:30am	ESPN+
North Carolina at Notre Dame	12:00pm	CBS
Dayton at George Washington	12:00pm	USA
DePaul at Villanova	12:00pm	FS1
NC State at Wake Forest	12:00pm	CW
Boston College at Georgia Tech	12:00pm	ESPNU
Georgia at Ole Miss	12:00pm	SECN
Oklahoma State at West Virginia	12:00pm	CBSSN
Richmond at UMass	12:00pm	NESN
Hofstra at Northeastern	12:00pm	NESN+
William & Mary at Stony Brook	12:00pm	SNY
Toledo at Western Michigan	12:00pm	ESPN+
Arkansas at Tennessee	1:00pm	ESPN
Chattanooga at The Citadel	1:00pm	ESPN+
Texas State at App State	1:00pm	ESPN+
Ball State at Kent State	1:00pm	ESPN+
Buffalo at Miami (OH)	1:00pm	ESPN+
Green Bay at Northern Kentucky	1:00pm	ESPN+
Milwaukee at Detroit Mercy	1:00pm	ESPN+
FGCU at Queens	1:00pm	ESPN+
Vermont at New Hampshire	1:00pm	ESPN+
Baylor at Iowa State	2:00pm	CBS
UCLA at Nebraska	2:00pm	FOX
George Mason at Rhode Island	2:00pm	USA
Butler at St. John’s	2:00pm	FS1
Tulsa at UAB	2:00pm	ESPNU
South Carolina at Mississippi State	2:00pm	SECN
Miami (FL) at Virginia Tech	2:00pm	ACCN
VCU at Loyola Chicago	2:00pm	CBSSN
Duquesne at Davidson	2:00pm	FanDuel Sports South
UMBC at Binghamton	2:00pm	SNY
St. Thomas at North Dakota	2:00pm	MidCo Sports
Omaha at North Dakota State	2:00pm	ESPN+
Drexel at North Carolina A&T	2:00pm	ESPN+
High Point at UNC Asheville	2:00pm	ESPN+
Presbyterian at Gardner-Webb	2:00pm	ESPN+
Charlotte at Rice	2:00pm	ESPN+
Bellarmine at Central Arkansas	2:00pm	ESPN+
Maine at Bryant	2:00pm	ESPN+
Stetson at West Georgia	2:00pm	ESPN+
Lipscomb at North Florida	2:00pm	ESPN+
St. Bonaventure at Fordham	2:00pm	ESPN+
BYU at Houston	2:00pm	ESPN+
ULM at Coastal Carolina	2:00pm	ESPN+
WKU at FIU	2:00pm	ESPN+
Northern Illinois at Eastern Michigan	2:00pm	ESPN+
Indiana State at Evansville	2:00pm	ESPN+
Medgar Evers at NJIT	2:00pm	ESPN+
Towson at Charleston	2:00pm	FloSports
Duke at SMU	2:15pm	CW
Arizona at Cincinnati	2:30pm	ESPN2
Austin Peay at Jacksonville	3:00pm	ESPN+
IU Indianapolis at Cleveland State	3:00pm	ESPN+
Robert Morris at Oakland	3:00pm	ESPN+
South Alabama at Georgia Southern	3:00pm	ESPN+
Samford at Western Carolina	3:00pm	ESPN+
McNeese at East Texas A&M	3:15pm	ESPN+
Jackson State at Alcorn State	3:30pm	HBCU Go
San Diego State at Boise State	4:00pm	CBS
Missouri at Auburn	4:00pm	SECN
Louisville at Virginia	4:00pm	ACCN
Kansas State at TCU	4:00pm	CBSSN
UMass Lowell at UAlbany	4:00pm	ESPN+
Louisiana Tech at NM State	4:00pm	ESPN+
Portland State at Sacramento State	4:00pm	ESPN+
Weber State at Northern Arizona	4:00pm	ESPN+
Idaho State at Northern Colorado	4:00pm	ESPN+
Furman at UNCG	4:00pm	ESPN+
Wofford at ETSU	4:00pm	ESPN+
Arkansas State at James Madison	4:00pm	ESPN+
Abilene Christian at Utah Valley	4:00pm	ESPN+
Southern Miss at Old Dominion	4:00pm	ESPN+
Troy at Marshall	4:00pm	ESPN+
UNI at Valparaiso	4:00pm	ESPN+
Morehead State at Tennessee Tech	4:00pm	ESPN+
South Carolina State at Morgan State	4:00pm	ESPN+
Monmouth at Delaware	4:00pm	FloSports
Vanderbilt at LSU	4:30pm	ESPN2
Mercer at VMI	4:30pm	ESPN+
A&M-Corpus Christi at Southeastern Louisiana	4:30pm	ESPN+
Nicholls at Northwestern State	4:30pm	ESPN+
North Carolina Central at Coppin State	4:30pm	ESPN+
Little Rock at Tennessee State	4:30pm	ESPN+
Southeast Missouri at UT Martin	4:30pm	ESPN+
Western Illinois at Eastern Illinois	4:30pm	ESPN+
Lindenwood at SIUE	4:30pm	ESPN+
Winthrop at Radford	4:30pm	ESPN+
Wyoming at Air Force	5:00pm	ALT
Montana State at Eastern Washington	5:00pm	ESPN+
Montana at Idaho	5:00pm	ESPN+
Jacksonville State at Kennesaw State	5:00pm	ESPN+
UIC at Belmont	5:00pm	ESPN+
San Diego at Oregon State	5:00pm	ESPN+
UAPB at Alabama A&M	5:00pm	ESPN+
Grambling State at Prairie View A&M	5:30pm	YouTube
Eastern Kentucky at North Alabama	5:30pm	ESPN+
UTSA at Tulane	6:00pm	ESPNU
Oklahoma at Alabama	6:00pm	SECN
Middle Tennessee at Liberty	6:00pm	CBSSN
Syracuse at Florida State	6:00pm	ACCN
San Jose State at UNLV	6:00pm	ESPN+
Southern at Texas Southern	6:00pm	YouTube
UIW at Stephen F. Austin	6:00pm	ESPN+
UTRGV at New Orleans	6:00pm	ESPN+
Colorado at Arizona State	6:00pm	ESPN+
UC Davis at CSUN	6:00pm	ESPN+
Stanford at Pitt	6:30pm	ESPN2
Texas Tech at Utah	7:00pm	ESPN+
Charleston Southern at Longwood	7:00pm	ESPN+
Houston Christian at Lamar	7:00pm	ESPN+
Louisiana at Georgia State	7:00pm	ESPN+
Ohio at Central Michigan	7:00pm	ESPN+
Youngstown State at Purdue Fort Wayne	7:00pm	ESPN+
Pepperdine at Pacific	7:00pm	ESPN+
San Francisco at Washington State	7:00pm	ESPN+
Campbell at UNCW	7:00pm	FloSports
Hampton at Elon	7:00pm	FloSports
Michigan at USC	8:00pm	FOX
Delaware State at Howard	8:00pm	ESPNU
Texas at Texas A&M	8:00pm	SECN
Missouri State at Bradley	8:00pm	CBSSN
Denver at South Dakota	8:00pm	MidCo Sports 2
Southern Utah at Grand Canyon	8:00pm	KUTP
Oral Roberts at Kansas City	8:00pm	KMCI
UTA at Tarleton	8:00pm	ESPN+
Seattle U at California Baptist	8:00pm	ESPN+
California at Clemson	8:30pm	ESPN2
Gonzaga at Loyola Marymount	9:00pm	KZJO
Fresno State at Utah State	9:00pm	KMYU
Sam Houston at UTEP	9:00pm	ESPN+
UC San Diego at Cal State Fullerton	9:00pm	ESPN+
Long Beach State at CSU Bakersfield	9:30pm	ESPN+
UC Riverside at UC Irvine	10:00pm	ESPN+
Saint Mary’s at Portland	10:00pm	ESPN+
Cal Poly at Hawai’i	11:59pm	Spectrum
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
UCLA at Indiana	12:00pm	FOX
Liberty at Middle Tenn.	4:00pm	ESPNU
GOLF	TIME ET	TV
PGA Tour: The Sentry	4:00pm	NBC
PGA Tour: The Sentry	6:00pm	GOLF
SOCCER	TIME ET	TV
EPL: Tottenham Hotspur vs Newcastle United	7:30am	USA Peacock Fubo
Serie A: Venezia vs Empoli	9:00am	CBSSN Paramount+ Fubo
Copa del Rey: Huesca vs Real Betis	9:30am	ESPN+
EPL: AFC Bournemouth vs Everton	10:00am	USA Peacock Fubo
EPL: Manchester City vs West Ham United	10:00am	Peacock Fubo
EPL: Aston Villa vs Leicester City	10:00am	Peacock
EPL: Crystal Palace vs Chelsea	10:00am	Peacock
EPL: Southampton vs Brentford	10:00am	Peacock
Copa del Rey: Tenerife vs Osasuna	10:30am	ESPN+
Ligue 1: Saint-Étienne vs Reims	11:00am	Fanatiz beIN Sports
Copa del Rey: Almería vs Sevilla	11:30am	ESPN+
Serie A: Fiorentina vs Napoli	12:00pm	Paramount+ Fubo
EPL: Brighton & Hove Albion vs Arsenal	12:30pm	NBC Peacock Fubo
Copa del Rey: Barbastro vs Barcelona	1:00pm	ESPN+
Ligue 1: Lille vs Nantes	1:00pm	Fanatiz beIN Sports
Serie A: Hellas Verona vs Udinese	2:45pm	Paramount+ Fubo
Ligue 1: Olympique Lyonnais vs Montpellier	3:00pm	Fanatiz beIN Sports
Copa del Rey: Marbella vs Atlético Madrid	3:30pm	ESPN+
Copa del Rey: UD Logroñés vs Athletic Club	3:30pm	ESPN+
TENNIS	TIME ET	TV
United Cup	6:00am	TENNIS
United Cup	7:00pm	TENNIS

TV SPORTS SUNDAY

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