“THE SCOREBOARD”
INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
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
#11 UCONN 81 DEPAUL 68
ELSEWHERE:
YOUNGSTOWN STATE 77 IU INDY 61
NORTHERN KENTUCKY 69 PURDUE FT. WAYNE 68 OT
EVANSVILLE 68 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 53
BRADLEY 90 INDIANA STATE 89 OT
VALPARAISO 73 MISSOURI STATE 72
VILLANOVA 73 BUTLER 65
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TOP 25
#23 IOWA 80 PENN STATE 68
#7 UCONN 77 MARQUETTE 45
#21 MICHIGAN STATE 77 PURDUE 59
#18 WEST VIRGINIA 80 CENTRAL FLORIDA 58
#4 USC 75 NEBRASKA 55
#12 KANSAS STATE 74 HOUSTON 55
#1 UCLA 86 #24 MICHIGAN 70
#11 TCU 63 COLORADO 50
ELSEWHERE:
BALL STATE 68 MIAMI OH 55
CREIGHTON 68 BUTLER 64
DETROIT 67 IU INDY 59
PURDUE FT. WAYNE 74 YOUNGSTOWN STATE 60
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 1
NO. 3 TEXAS 39 NO. 12 ARIZONA STATE 31 2OT
NO. 8 OHIO STATE 41 NO. 1 OREGON 21
THURSDAY, JAN. 2
NO. 14 OLE MISS VS. DUKE (GATOR BOWL) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 2 GEORGIA VS. NO. 5 NOTRE DAME (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF QUARTERFINALS — SUGAR BOWL) | 4:00 P.M. | ESPN
FRIDAY, JAN. 3
NORTH TEXAS VS. TEXAS STATE (FIRST RESPONDER BOWL) | 4 P.M. | ESPN
MINNESOTA VS. VIRGINIA TECH (DUKE’S MAYO BOWL) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN
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
TBD VS. TBD (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL GAME — ORANGE BOWL) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN
FRIDAY, JAN. 10
TBD VS. TBD (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
WASHINGTON 125 CHICAGO 107
DETROIT 105 ORLANDO 96
TORONTO 130 BROOKLYN 113
MIAMI 119 NEW ORLEANS 108
NEW YORK 119 UTAH 103
HOUSTON 110 DALLAS 99
DENVER 139 ATLANTA 120
SACRAMENTO 113 PHILADELPHIA 107
NHL SCORES
LOS ANGELES 3 NEW JERSEY 0
TOP NATIONAL RELEASES/TOP NEWS
COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS
SUGAR BOWL CFP QUARTERFINAL BETWEEN GEORGIA AND NOTRE DAME POSTPONED AFTER DEADLY TRUCK ATTACK
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame has been postponed after a truck plowed into a New Year’s crowd about a mile away early Wednesday, killing at least 10 people.
The game, originally scheduled for Wednesday night at the 70,000-seat Superdome, has been pushed back 24 hours to Thursday night.
“For now, that’s the plan,” Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said.
The Superdome was on lockdown for security sweeps on Wednesday morning, when people with offices in the Superdome — including officials with the Sugar Bowl and Sun Belt Conference — were told not to come into work until further notice.
Some credentialed Superdome employees were permitted into offices by Wednesday afternoon.
The casualties occurred when a driver rammed a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day. The driver was killed in a firefight with police following the attack at about 3:15 a.m. along Bourbon Street near Canal Street, the FBI said.
The Georgia and Notre Dame football teams arrived in New Orleans on Sunday and have been staying at downtown hotels just blocks away from where the violence occurred.
A statement from the University of Georgia Athletic Association said that “all team personnel and members of the official team travel party have been accounted for.”
New Orleans City Council President Helena Moreno told WDSU-TV: “What you’ll see today for the Sugar Bowl, which will go on, is that the perimeter for security around the Superdome has been extended to be a larger zone.”
“So expect obviously extra security. There are more police officers who are coming in.”
The Superdome, which is about 20 blocks away, also is scheduled to host the Super Bowl on Feb. 9.
The first Super Bowl after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, also was held in New Orleans, and there was a massive security perimeter for that game including street closures surrounding the Superdome and officers — including snipers — on the tops of surrounding high-rise buildings, as well as on the roof of the dome itself.
“We are deeply saddened by the news of the devastating incident in New Orleans,” the NFL said in a statement. “The NFL and the local host committee have been working collaboratively with local, state and federal agencies the past two years and have developed comprehensive security plans.
“These planning sessions will continue as they do with all major NFL events,” the statement continued. “We are confident attendees will have a safe and enjoyable Super Bowl experience.”
NO. 8 OHIO STATE KNOCKS OUT NO. 1 OREGON IN ROSE BOWL
Will Howard passed for 319 yards and three touchdowns and fast-starting No. 8 seed Ohio State delivered a convincing 41-21 victory over No. 1 Oregon on Wednesday in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
Freshman Jeremiah Smith had two long touchdowns while catching seven passes for a career-high 187 yards, and TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 94 yards and two scores on eight carries as the Buckeyes (12-2) scored the first 34 points while outclassing their fellow Big Ten mates.
Ohio State will play No. 5 seed Texas (13-2) in the CFP semifinals on Jan. 10 at the Cotton Bowl at Arlington, Texas.
Dillon Gabriel completed 29 of 41 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns for Oregon (13-1). Gabriel finished his career with 155 touchdown passes, tying Houston’s Case Keenum (2007-11) for the all-time FBS record. Miami’s Cam Ward set the Division I mark (FBS and FCS) of 158 last week.
Traeshon Holden caught seven passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns for the Ducks. Oregon star Jordan James was injured in the first half and sat out the second. He had 14 yards on seven rushes.
The Buckeyes avenged the 32-31 regular-season loss on Oct. 12 to host Oregon in which Howard made a mental mistake by sliding to the turf after time ran out, preventing a possible game-winning field-goal attempt.
Howard completed 17 of 26 passes in the rematch as the Buckeyes outgained the Ducks 500-276.
Ohio State harassed Gabriel throughout the contest and recorded eight sacks. Cody Simon, Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau had two apiece.
The Buckeyes scored their four first-half touchdowns on drives totaling nine plays.
The opening drive took three plays to go 75 yards, with Smith catching a short pass from Howard and turning it into a 45-yard touchdown just one minute into the game.
Later in the quarter, a three-play drive was completed by Howard’s 42-yard touchdown pass to Emeka Egbuka.
Jayden Fielding kicked a 46-yard field goal to give Ohio State a 17-0 lead just 10 seconds into the second quarter. Four-plus minutes later, the Buckeyes needed just two plays with Howard connecting with Smith on a 43-yard touchdown.
Henderson then ripped off a 66-yard scoring run down the right sideline on the first play of a possession to make it 31-0 with 8:47 left in the half.
Fielding tacked on a 36-yard field goal with 2:59 left in the half to make it a 34-point margin.
Oregon finally got on the board as time expired in the half. Gabriel threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Holden, which was followed by a two-point conversion pass to Justius Lowe.
The Ducks also scored on Noah Whittington’s 2-yard run to start the third quarter to move within 34-15, but Henderson’s 8-yard TD run with 2:19 left in the period restored order.
NO. 5 TEXAS BLOWS BIG LEAD, RECOVERS TO BEAT NO. 4 ARIZONA STATE
ATLANTA — Quinn Ewers threw a go-ahead 25-yard touchdown to Gunnar Helm, helping No. 5 Texas beat No. 4 Arizona State 39-31 in double overtime on Wednesday in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game at the Peach Bowl.
Texas’ Andrew Mukuba intercepted Sam Leavitt on the ensuing possession, clinching the win for Texas (13-2), which squandered a 16-point fourth-quarter lead. Ewers completed 20 of 30 passes for 322 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Matthew Golden caught seven passes for 149 yards and a score.
Up next for Texas is the winner of the Rose Bowl between No. 1 Oregon and No. 8 Ohio State. That contest is slated to be played in the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10.
Cam Skattebo had 242 all-purpose yards, including 143 rushing, to go along with three total touchdowns for Arizona State (11-3).
After Skattebo rushed for a 3-yard touchdown on overtime’s opening possession, Ewers connected with Golden for a game-tying 28-yard touchdown pass on fourth and 13.
Trailing by 14 at halftime, Arizona State took its opening drive of the second half to Texas’ 2-yard line, where it was turned away on third and fourth downs, turning the ball over on downs for the third time.
Arizona State salvaged the opportunity on the ensuing play, as Shamari Simmons forced Quintrevion Wisner’s fumble in the end zone, where it was recovered by Ewers for a safety, cutting Texas’ lead to 17-5 with 6:51 left in the third quarter.
The Sun Devils cut into the deficit on their next possession with Carston Kieffer’s 36-yard field goal with 41 seconds remaining in the third.
Texas then found the end zone for the first time since the first quarter, as its 13-play, 76-yard drive was stamped with Ewers’ 5-yard touchdown rush with 10:17 left in the fourth quarter.
Arizona State pulled within one score on its next drive, as Skattebo’s 42-yard touchdown pass to Malik McClain was followed by Leavitt’s pass to Xavier Guillory on the two-point conversion with 6:31 left.
Ewers was then intercepted by Javan Robinson and Leavitt completed a 62-yard pass to Skattebo, setting up Skattebo’s 2-yard rushing touchdown and game-tying two-point conversion with five minutes remaining.
Texas kicker Bert Auburn then missed field goals on consecutive Texas drives, including a 38-yarder as time expired.
Arizona State took a 3-0 lead on Kieffer’s 39-yard field goal at the 8:59 mark of the first quarter. Ewers answered with a 23-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Moore Jr.45 seconds later.
Texas tacked on with Silas Bolden’s 75-yard punt return touchdown, extending the Longhorns’ lead to 14-3 with 7:08 remaining.
Texas added three points on Auburn’s 22-yard field goal with 8:54 left in the second quarter. Kieffer’s 36-yard field goal was blocked with 11 seconds left, preserving Texas’ 17-3 halftime lead.
EX-PRINCETON WR TIGER BECH, 28, KILLED IN NEW ORLEANS ATTACK
Former Princeton wide receiver Tiger Bech, the older brother of TCU standout Jack Bech, was one of at least 15 people killed in a mass truck attack in New Orleans early Wednesday.
Tiger Bech, 28, died after being transported to a New Orleans hospital with critical injuries suffered during the incident described by officials as a terrorist attack, according to the athletic director, Kim Broussard, of Bech’s high school alma mater, St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette, Louisiana.
A scholarship athlete, Tiger Bech earned All-Ivy League honors twice as a return specialist at Princeton, catching 53 passes for 825 yards and three touchdowns over his career.
A 2021 graduate of Princeton, he was reportedly working as a trader at the New York brokerage firm Seaport Global.
His younger brother, Jack, declared for the 2025 NFL Draft in December after finishing his senior year at TCU with 62 catches for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns. Jack Bech transferred to TCU for his final two years of eligibility after playing for LSU.
Jack Bech posted on X Wednesday, “Love you always brother ! You inspired me everyday now you get to be with me in every moment. I got this family T, don’t worry. This is for us.”
In the wake of the attack, the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame was postponed from Wednesday to Thursday, Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley announced Wednesday afternoon, citing public safety.
NFL NEWS
DOMINANT SEASON FOR THE NFC NORTH WILL LEAVE A 14-WIN TEAM AS A WILD CARD
There’s never quite been a division like this season’s NFC North and there has never been a wild-card team like whoever loses the division title showdown between Detroit and Minnesota.
Led by the Lions and Vikings, both 14-2, the NFC North is set to be the winningest division since the NFL realigned to eight divisions of four teams each in 2002, with 43 wins for the four division teams with two head-to-head games remaining.
The only other divisions to combine for 43 wins since 2002 were the AFC North last season and NFC East in 2022. The NFC North will top that barring two Week 18 ties when Detroit hosts Minnesota and Green Bay (11-5) hosts Chicago (4-12).
The NFC North teams combined to go 33-11 in non-division games, with the .750 win percentage tied for the second best ever behind the .775 for the 1984 AFC West.
The Week 18 showdown between the Lions and Vikings will feature the first matchup ever in the regular season between teams with at least 14 wins. There have been only five postseason games between teams that won at least 14 regular- season games, with Kansas City beating Philadelphia in Super Bowl 57, New England beating Pittsburgh in the 2004 AFC title game, Denver beating Atlanta in Super Bowl 33, Atlanta beating Minnesota in the 1998 NFC title game and San Francisco beating Miami in Super Bowl 19.
The loser of the game in Detroit on Sunday night will drop all the way to the No. 5 seed as a wild-card team and have to open the playoffs on the road against a team that will have at least four more losses.
There has never been a wild-card team with at least 14 wins, with the previous high coming in 1999 when Tennessee went 13-3 and lost the AFC Central to Jacksonville. The Jaguars lost two games in the regular season that year — both to the Titans — and also dropped the AFC title game to Tennessee.
If Detroit has to hit the road to start the playoffs, the Lions at least have comfort in the fact that they went 8-0 away from home this season. They were the 10th team to go 8-0 or better on the road, with three of the previous nine winning the championship: New England in 2016 and San Francisco in 1984 and 1989.
Only two of those teams had to play a road game in the playoffs, with the 2014 Cowboys losing a divisional round game at Green Bay and the 1934 Bears losing the NFL title game to the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds. The Chiefs also lost the Super Bowl to Tampa Bay in the 2020 season in the Buccaneers’ home stadium in what was officially designated as a neutral-site game.
Greener pastures
When Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold were teammates for Carolina in 2022, they combined to throw 13 TD passes for a seven-win team that fired coach Matt Rhule early that season.
The two former first-round picks from the 2018 draft are having far more success this season. Mayfield has thrown 39 touchdown passes in his second season in Tampa Bay and has the Bucs in position to win the NFC South with one more win. Darnold has thrown 35 TD passes for the Vikings.
There was only one other time in NFL history, according to Sportradar, that two players who appeared in at least one game in the same season for one team both went on to throw at least 35 TD passes for another after leaving.
The 1950 Baltimore Colts featured Hall of Famers Y.A. Tittle and George Blanda. That version of the Colts folded after that season, while Tittle went on to throw 36 TD passes for the Giants in 1963 and Blanda had 36 for the Oilers in 1961.
Turnaround coach
Jim Harbaugh’s turnaround skills had another success story in his first year coaching the Los Angeles Chargers.
Harbaugh clinched a playoff spot when Los Angeles beat New England 40-7 on Saturday after going 5-12 last season. This is the second time Harbaugh has taken over a team with a losing record and gone to the playoffs in his first season, having San Francisco go from 6-10 in 2010 before he arrived to 13-3 in 2011.
Harbaugh is the first coach in the Super Bowl era to take over two teams that had losing records the year before he arrived and take them to the playoffs in his first season.
Harbaugh also had an immediate impact in college, helping Stanford improve by three wins in his first season in 2007 and Michigan improve by five wins in 2015.
Harbaugh has gone to the postseason in four out of five seasons as an NFL coach, a rate exceeded only by four coaches with at least four seasons in the Super Bowl era: Nick Sirianni (4 for 4), Sean McDermott (7 for 8), Tony Dungy (11 for 13) and Matt LaFleur (5 for 6).
Under pressure
Caleb Williams hasn’t had nearly as much success as Harbaugh in his transition from college to the pros.
The No. 1 overall pick by the Chicago Bears is enduring a rough rookie season, losing 10 straight starts headed into the season finale. The only other QB picked first overall to lose that many consecutive starts as a rookie was Troy Aikman, who went 0-11 for Dallas in 1989.
Williams has been sacked 67 times thanks to a shaky offensive line and his inability to get rid of the ball quickly. He is nearing the record for most sacks taken in a season, with only three QBs taking more. David Carr was sacked a record 76 times as a rookie in 2002 for the expansion Houston Texans, Randall Cunningham was sacked 72 times in 1986 and Carr took 68 more sacks in 2005.
The Bears have lost 10 straight games in a season for the second time in franchise history, having also dropped the final 10 games in 2022.
CHIEFS TO START CARSON WENTZ AT QB AGAINST DENVER, WHICH WOULD CLINCH A PLAYOFF BERTH WITH A WIN
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs will start backup Carson Wentz at quarterback on Sunday in Denver in a game that means nothing to Kansas City, which has already clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, but could mean everything to the Broncos.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid announced his decision to rest Patrick Mahomes on Wednesday, shortly before they returned to practice from an extended break following their Christmas Day win in Pittsburgh. But Reid declined to say who else might spend the day with Mahomes on the sideline, pointing out that only so many players can be rested given roster limitations.
“If someone wants to start messing with it,” Reid said, “there’s not a whole lot of messing going on. So guys play.”
The Broncos would clinch a playoff berth as the No. 7 seed by beating the Chiefs, earning a trip to Buffalo for their postseason opener. If they lose, they would need the Jets to beat the Dolphins and the Steelers to beat the Bengals.
There is a good chance that Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, who sustained a calf strain a couple of weeks ago, will be one of their veterans getting the week off.
The same could go for running back Isiah Pacheco, who has bruised ribs, right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who has a sore knee, and veteran tight end Travis Kelce, who similarly skipped last year’s Week 18 game.
Reid did say that he takes into consideration whether players have salary bonuses that they could achieve. And that could mean three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins gets plenty of playing time against the Broncos.
Hopkins, who was acquired by the Chiefs in a midseason trade with Tennessee, needs nine catches to reach 65 and trigger a $250,000 bonus. He has 610 yards receiving, which means another 140 would earn him another $250,000. And if one of those catches is a touchdown, Hopkins would earn an additional $500,000 for catching six of them this season.
“We want the guys to be able to reach them if they’re reachable,” Reid said.
It will be up to Wentz to deliver Hopkins the ball on Sunday.
He signed with Kansas City in the offseason as the latest veteran backup to Mahomes, following in the footsteps of Matt Moore, Chad Henne and Blaine Gabbert. And while Wentz has hardly played since the preseason — he was 2 for 2 for 20 yards in closing out a win in Cleveland — the ninth-year pro has earned the respect of just about everyone in the Chiefs locker room.
“I got to train with him in team camp, stuff like that. Carson is an elite QB and a lot of people take that for granted,” said fullback Carson Steele, who could be among those who get extra reps at Denver so that Pacheco and Kareem Hunt can get a break.
“It’s really cool to see how he performs,” Steele said, “especially being a veteran like himself.”
Wentz has started 68 games, mostly with Philadelphia, where he was chosen for a Pro Bowl while going 11-2 during the 2017 season. He never quite played to that same lofty standard the rest of his time with the Eagles, which was derailed by an injury, and Wentz has only started eight games over the past three seasons with the Commanders, Rams and Chiefs.
His decision to sign with Kansas City was made in part with an eye on building his value and starting somewhere next season.
“It’s obviously been different,” Wentz said, “but I’ve stayed locked in, stayed ready, prepared every week. I’ve taken some things from Pat, working with him, but every week I’m staying locked in and ready to go.”
NOTES: WR Mecole Hardman (knee) returned to practice, opening a 21-day window in which the Chiefs must activate him or put him on season-ending injured reserve. Reid said it is unlikely Hardman would play Sunday. … LT D.J. Humphries (hamstring strain) could play against the Broncos. The former Pro Bowl pick, who is coming off a torn ACL, appeared in just one game after signing with Kansas City in late November before getting hurt. The Chiefs have had to patch together their offensive line without him, but the hope is Humphries will be ready for the playoffs. “He’s feeling better. I just want to see how he does here in practice, give me one more go-around with him,” Reid said.
EKELER MAY BE BACK AS THE COMMANDERS ARE PLAYING TO BEAT THE COWBOYS AND GET THE NFC’S 6TH SEED
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — The Washington Commanders opened Austin Ekeler’s practice window Wednesday, and the running back could return for their season finale at Dallas this weekend when they have something to play for even after wrapping up a playoff spot.
Washington would be the NFC’s sixth seed if they beat the Cowboys on Sunday, ensuring a wild-card round game at Tampa Bay if it wins the NFC South or the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams. A loss or tie — unless Green Bay loses to Chicago — would send them to NFC East Division-winning Philadelphia instead.
“We’re going to go after as hard as we can,” coach Dan Quinn said. “I think the seeding portion of this is really important, and that’s what we discussed as a team. … We recognize having the 6 seed and going into the playoffs with that is a good thing, and so we’re going to fight like hell to keep that.”
Ekeler took part in what Quinn called a “jog through” workout Wednesday after missing the past four games because of a concussion that landed him on injured reserve. The 29-year-old was concussed on a kickoff return late in the Commanders’ home loss to the Cowboys on Nov. 24.
“It’s great to have him back,” Quinn said. “There’s a spring in his step, for sure.”
The Commanders beat Atlanta in overtime to move ahead of the Packers, who lost Sunday at Minnesota. The Rams would be the third seed if they beat Seattle or the Buccaneers lose to New Orleans.
DOLPHINS PREPARING QB TYLER HUNTLEY TO START VS. JETS
The Miami Dolphins are preparing quarterback Tyler Huntley to start Sunday’s critical matchup at the New York Jets instead of Tua Tagovailoa, head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters Wednesday.
However, McDaniel said if Tagovailoa is medically cleared and has seen enough improvement in his injured hip, the team is comfortable switching to start him in Sunday’s must-win game.
Tagovailoa will be limited in practice Wednesday. He initially injured his hip against the Houston Texans on Dec. 15 and absorbed another hit versus the San Francisco 49ers a week later. He missed last week’s 20-3 win over the Cleveland Browns, which kept the Dolphins (8-8) in contention for a playoff spot.
Huntley, 26, has started four games this season and completed 61 of 92 passes (66.3 percent) for 602 yards, two TDs and one pick. He also ran 23 times for 119 yards and two scores.
Tagovailoa already has missed five games this season because of a concussion while starting the other 11. He has completed 291 of 399 passes (league-best 72.9 percent) for 2,867 yards, 19 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
BILLS LB TERREL BERNARD (QUAD) OUT VS. PATRIOTS
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said on Wednesday that linebacker Terrel Bernard will not play against the host New England Patriots on Sunday.
Per McDermott, Bernard is considered week-to-week due to a quad injury.
The Bills (13-3) can afford to be patient with Bernard entering their game with the Patriots (3-13) in Foxborough, Mass. Buffalo is locked into the No. 2 seed in the AFC.
Bernard, 25, has 104 tackles, two interceptions, a sack, and a fumble recovery in 13 games (all starts) this season.
He has totaled 269 tackles, 7.5 sacks, five interceptions, and four fumble recoveries in 46 career games (31 starts) since being selected by the Bills in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
CARDINALS RB JAMES CONNER (KNEE) TO SIT OUT FINALE VS. 49ERS
Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner has been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers due to a knee injury, coach Jonathan Gannon said Wednesday.
Conner, 29, initially sustained his injury in Arizona’s 36-30 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers on Dec. 22. He was able to play this past weekend, however he exited the Cardinals’ 13-9 setback to the Los Angeles Rams after just four carries for 4 yards.
Signed to a two-year contract extension in November, Conner recorded career-high totals in carries (236), rushing yards (1,094) and games played (16). He also had eight touchdowns for the Cardinals (7-9), who have lost five of their last six games heading into season finale against the 49ers (6-10) in Glendale, Ariz.
With rookie Trey Benson (ankle) just placed on injured reserve, Michael Carter likely will receive the bulk of the workload in the backfield versus San Francisco.
A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Conner has rushed for 5,970 yards and 59 touchdowns to go along with 281 receptions for 2,217 yards and 11 scores in 107 career games (81 starts) with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2017-20) and Cardinals.
Conner was selected by the Steelers in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
NO. 11 UCONN COASTS TO 81-68 WIN OVER DEPAUL
Solo Ball swished a career-best seven 3-pointers en route to 22 points, and Alex Karaban had 18 points and seven rebounds to boost No. 11 UConn to an 81-68 win against host DePaul on Wednesday in Chicago.
Samson Johnson scored 10 points and Hassan Diarra dished nine assists for the Huskies, who shot 48.4 percent compared to 39.6 percent for the Blue Demons.
Conor Enright contributed 18 points and nine assists for DePaul, while Jacob Meyer (12 points) and N.J. Benson (10) also finished in double figures.
UConn (11-3, 3-0 Big East) maintained a stranglehold in its series against DePaul (9-5, 0-3). The Huskies improved to 20-1 against the Blue Demons, whose lone victory over UConn came on Jan. 31, 2007.
DePaul’s Big East regular season losing streak stretched to 35 games.
DePaul trailed by as many as 22 points and never led but capitalized on a Huskies shooting swoon midway through the second half as UConn adjusted to a right ankle sprain that took starter Liam McNeeley (nine points, six rebounds) out of the game.
A 7-0 Blue Demons run, fueled by attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line, closed the gap to 61-52 with 7:58 to go.
But the Huskies responded with a trio of 3-pointers over a 50-second span. Karaban delivered UConn’s first field goal in more than five minutes when he connected at the 7:04 mark and bookended the spurt with a trey with 6:14 to go.
DePaul surrendered the first five points of the afternoon and eight of the first 10 after the Huskies and Blue Demons traded missed 3-pointers on their opening possessions.
Smooth offensive execution boosted the Huskies over the first 20 minutes, as they shot 48.6 percent from the field, including 53.3 percent from deep, to take a 43-22 lead into intermission.
Ball connected on 4 of 5 attempts from long range in the first half and was 7 of 9 for the game. He drilled a trey just before the buzzer on a feed from Diarra to cap a 6-0 run.
The Blue Demons shot just 26.9 percent in the first half, going 2-for-10 from long range.
Blue Demons forward David Skogman, the team’s top rebounder, missed his second straight game with a lower-leg injury.
Diarra has contributed at least seven assists in six successive games.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S TOP 25 ROUNDUP: NO. 23 IOWA SURGES PAST PENN STATE
Taylor McCabe scored 17 points, Addison O’Grady netted 16 and Hannah Stuelke posted a double-double as No. 23 Iowa used a late 9-0 run to defeat Penn State 80-68 in the Big Ten matchup on Wednesday in University Park, Pa.
Stuelke finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four assists as the Hawkeyes (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten) won their third straight game. They shot 52.5 percent from the floor and dominated in bench points (33-10) and paint points (46-26).
Gabby Elliott led Penn State with career highs of 32 points and seven 3-pointers, including two treys early in the fourth quarter as the Lady Lions (9-5, 0-3) were within 63-61 with 7:04 left. A layup by O’Grady and Teagan Mallegni’s three-point play began Iowa’s burst, which pushed the lead to 11 with 4:12 to play.
Lucy Olsen added 11 points for the Hawkeyes, and Gracie Merkle notched 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Lady Lions. Elliott was 12 of 22 from the field, including 7 of 11 from deep.
No. 7 UConn 77, Marquette 45
Sarah Strong led four scorers in double digits with 15 points, and the Huskies used a strong second quarter to defeat the host Golden Eagles in the Big East game in Milwaukee.
KK Arnold added 13 points and seven assists off the bench for UConn (12-2, 3-0 Big East). Paige Bueckers entered averaging 20.9 points per game but managed just 12 against Marquette on 4-of-12 shooting. Jana EL Alfy chipped in 10 points, and Strong added seven rebounds and four assists.
Skylar Forbes netted 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting for the Golden Eagles (9-4, 1-1). None of her teammates managed more than six points, and they combined to shoot 26.2 percent from the field. UConn’s Kaitlyn Chen tallied all seven of her points in the second quarter, as the Huskies outscored the Golden Eagles 21-8 to take control of the game.
No. 18 West Virginia 80, UCF 58
Ja’Naiya Quinerly scored 17 of her season-high 31 points in the first quarter as the Mountaineers built a big lead and coasted past the Big 12 opponent Knights in Morgantown, W.Va.
Syndey Shaw added 19 points and Jordan Harrison contributed 12 points, six rebounds and six assists for West Virginia (11-2, 1-1 Big 12). The Mountaineers led by six midway through the first quarter, but finished on a 17-1 burst, with Quinerly scoring eight and Harrison four.
Khyala Ngodu paced UCF with 14 points and seven rebounds. Kaitlin Peterson was right behind with 13 points, Nevaeh Brown added 12 and Emely Rodriguez 11. The Knights (7-5, 0-2) lost their third straight game.
No. 21 Michigan State 77, Purdue 59
Jocelyn Tate posted a season-high 19 points and added 11 rebounds and three steals, and she led a big second quarter as the Spartans turned back the Boilermakers in East Lansing, Mich.
Grace VanSlooten finished with 13 points, six rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals for Michigan State (12-2, 2-1 Big 10), which ended a two-game losing streak. Ines Sotelo added 16 points and six boards, and Julia Ayrault supplied 11 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
Tate netted 10 points in the second quarter as Michigan State (12-2, 2-1 Big 10) outscored Purdue 18-3.
Destini Lombard and Lana McCarthy scored 10 points apiece to pace Purdue (7-7, 0-3), which has lost two games in a row and four of six. Lombard also had four steals and two blocks.
NBA NEWS
NBA ROUNDUP: JOSH HART POWERS KNICKS TO 9TH STRAIGHT WIN
Josh Hart posted his second straight triple-double and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds for the third consecutive game Wednesday night as the undermanned New York Knicks pulled away from the visiting Utah Jazz in a 119-103 victory.
The Knicks extended their winning streak to nine games despite the absence of star point guard Jalen Brunson (calf), who missed a game for the first time this season, and backup guard Miles McBride, who was slated to start for Brunson before he was scratched due to a tight left hamstring.
Hart didn’t score until the final seconds of the first half yet still finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists. Towns had 31 points and 21 rebounds as he became just the third Knicks player in team history — joining Hall of Famers Bob McAdoo and Patrick Ewing — to record at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in three consecutive games.
Collin Sexton and reserve Jordan Clarkson scored 25 points apiece for the Jazz, who raced out to an 18-8 lead before taking their fifth straight loss. Lauri Markkanen (16 points, 10 rebounds) posted a double-double, though he shot just 6-for-22 from the field and 1-for-10 from 3-point range.
Kings 113, 76ers 107
Clutch plays by Malik Monk capped a furious finish that allowed host Sacramento to overtake Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia.
Monk was credited with a basket on a goaltended layup to break a tie with 33.8 seconds remaining. He teamed with DeMar DeRozan for four clinching free throws. Sacramento scored the final 15 points of the game to pull out its second consecutive victory.
Hitting 13 of his 16 shots, De’Aaron Fox led the way for the Kings with 35 points, while Domantas Sabonis snatched a game-high 21 rebounds to go with 17 points and a game-high seven assists. Eric Gordon had 14 points, Caleb Martin 12 and Andre Drummond 10 to complement a team-high nine rebounds for the 76ers.
Raptors 130, Nets 113
Scottie Barnes had 33 points and 13 rebounds as Toronto ended an 11-game losing streak with a victory over visiting Brooklyn.
Toronto’s Immanuel Quickley (elbow) returned after missing 22 games and added 21 points and 15 assists. Gradey Dick had 22 points and three steals.
Brooklyn’s D’Angelo Russell, playing his first game since his acquisition in a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers, scored 22 points off the bench. Cameron Johnson scored 24 points and Keon Johnson finished with 17 for the Nets, who have lost three in a row.
Nuggets 139, Hawks 120
Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists for his 14th triple-double of the season and third in four games as Denver downed visiting Atlanta.
Russell Westbrook had 16 points and 11 assists and Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray contributed 21 points each for the Nuggets, who have topped 130 points in four straight games.
Trae Young led the Hawks with 30 points and nine assists. De’Andre Hunter scored 20 points as Atlanta had a four-game winning streak end.
Rockets 110, Mavericks 99
Cam Whitmore scored 18 points off the bench and teamed with Alperen Sengun to lead a decisive second-quarter run that helped Houston beat visiting Dallas.
Sengun tallied 23 points and five steals as Houston rebounded after dropping the first two games of a five-game homestand. Jalen Green scored 22 points while Dillon Brooks added 19 points and six rebounds.
Klay Thompson posted 16 points for the Mavericks, while Kyrie Irving added 16 points and seven rebounds. Already without their leading scorer, Luka Doncic (calf), the Mavericks lost P.J. Washington to a right knee sprain. He did not return for the second half.
Wizards 125, Bulls 107
Jordan Poole, back after missing two games with a hip injury, scored 30 points to lead host Washington past Chicago.
Justin Champagnie added 15 points, while Carlton Carrington scored 11 points and made all three of his 3-point attempts for the Wizards. Rookie Alexandre Sarr logged 11 points, 10 rebounds and a season-high-tying five assists.
The Bulls’ Zach LaVine led all scorers with 32 points on 12-of-20 shooting. Coby White added 17 points and Nikola Vucevic contributed 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Heat 119, Pelicans 108
Tyler Herro scored 32 points to lead five Miami scorers in double figures and the host Heat sent New Orleans to its 11th consecutive loss.
Bam Adebayo added 23 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for the Heat. Jimmy Butler returned from a five-game absence caused by a flu-like illness and finished with nine points in 25 minutes.
Trey Murphy III scored 34 points — one off his season high — and CJ McCollum added 22 for the NBA-worst Pelicans, who fell for the 20th time in 21 games.
Pistons 105, Magic 96
Jaden Ivey scored 22 points before sustaining a potentially serious left leg injury and leaving the court on a stretcher as host Detroit defeated Orlando. Ivey was injured when Orlando’s Cole Anthony dove for a loose ball early in the fourth quarter and crashed into Ivey’s leg.
Cade Cunningham contributed 19 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Jalen Duren had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons, who have won four of their past five games.
Jalen Suggs put up 24 points for the Magic, who have lost three of their past four. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 21 points and Wendell Carter Jr. added 15 points and eight rebounds.
NHL NEWS
DARCY KUEMPER SERVES UP SHUTOUT AS KINGS BEAT DEVILS
Darcy Kuemper made 33 saves for the Los Angeles Kings in a 3-0 win against the visiting New Jersey Devils on Wednesday afternoon.
Kuemper earned his second shutout of the season and 33rd of his NHL career, moving him into sole possession of 12th place among active NHL goalies.
Andre Lee scored his first NHL goal and Quinton Byfield and Adrian Kempe also scored for the Kings, who have won three in a row and eight straight at home.
Jake Allen made 21 saves for the Devils, who have lost three straight in regulation for the first time this season.
New Jersey was coming off a 3-2 loss at the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday evening.
The Kings allowed a season-high 15 shots in the first period while taking nine of their own, but neither team could hit the net.
Playing in his 19th NHL game, Lee received a lofted pass from Jordan Spence and held off Devils defenseman Brett Pesce while driving to the net. Lee lifted the puck as he neared the crease and banked it off the crossbar to give the Kings a 1-0 lead at 6:23 of the second.
Timo Meier appeared to score with a spinning shot from the slot to tie it 1-1 with 7:54 remaining in the second, but the Kings challenged for goalie interference on Devils forward Stefan Noesen and the goal was overturned following a review.
The Kings limited the Devils to six shots in the second period, but managed just three of their own.
Byfield made it 2-0 at 11:01 of the third shortly after he exited the penalty box.
Phillip Danault chipped the puck ahead to Byfield and he lifted the puck over Allen’s left pad and under his glove from the left circle.
The Devils pulled their goalie with about 4 1/2 minutes left and Kempe scored into the empty net to make it 3-0 with 4:25 remaining.
GOLF NEWS
GOLF GLANCE: PGA TOUR TEES OFF 2025 SCHEDULE IN KAPALUA
Field Level Media’s Golf Glance provides weekly news and storylines from each of the major North American golf tours.
PGA TOUR
LAST TOURNAMENT: Hero World Challenge (Scottie Scheffler)
THIS WEEK: The Sentry, Kapalua, Maui, HI
Course: The Plantation Course (Par 73, 7,596 Yards)
Purse: $20M (Winner: $3.6M)
Defending Champion: Chris Kirk
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday: 6-10 p.m. (Golf Channel
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday: 12:30-6 p.m. ET; Friday: 12:45-6 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday: 1-4 p.m.
X: @TheSentry
NOTES: This is the 27th consecutive year the PGA Tour has held an event in Kapalua. … The field is comprised of winners on the PGA Tour last year along with players who finished inside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings and those ranked Nos. 51-60 through the FedEx Cup Fall. It’s also the first of the year’s eight signature events, featuring increased prize pools and FedEx Cup points … Scheffler withdrew from the event after undergoing surgery to repair a cut on his hand. Viktor Hovland has remained in the field despite posting pictures on social media that showed an apparent broken toe. … Kirk is seeking to become the first player to successfully defend at The Sentry since Geoff Ogilvy in 2009-10. … There are three healthy players who qualified for The Sentry but are not teeing it up this week: Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry.
BEST BETS: Xander Schauffele (+550 at DraftKings) is coming off a career year in which he won two majors and posted 15 top-10s in 22 starts. He also won this event in 2019. … Justin Thomas (+900) has won this event twice and has five career top-fives at The Plantation Course. … Collin Morikawa (+1100) is seeking his first victory since the Zozo Championship in 2023, but did finish solo second and T5 here the past two years. … Ludvig Aberg (+1400) did not record a win in 2024 but did have three runner-up finishes and six other top-10s in 22 starts.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Sony Open, Honolulu, Jan. 9-12
TOP INDIANA RELEASES/TOP NEWS
COLTS MID-WEEK REPORT
COACH SHANE STEICHEN: https://www.colts.com/video/shane-steichen-mid-week-update-colts-vs-jaguars-x9599
QB ANTHONY RICHARDSON: https://www.colts.com/video/anthony-richardson-colts-vs-jaguars-week-18
INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
INDIANA BASKETBALL GAME NOTES – GAME 14 VS. RUTGERS
Opening Tip
• Indiana University returns to Big Ten Conference play in its 125th season of competition in men’s basketball against Rutgers on Thursday, Jan. 2, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The game will be streamed on Peacock with Noah Eagle (pxp), Robbie Hummel (analyst), and Caroline Pineda (sideline) on the call.
• The Scarlet Knights enter the game with a record of 8-5 (1-1 Big Ten) under ninth-year head coach Steve Pikiell. Rutgers is led by two of the top freshmen in the country in guard Dylan Harper and forward Ace Bailey, both are projected lottery picks in the 2025 NBA Draft. Harper averages 22.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per contest, while Bailey adds 18.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per outing.
Game Information
Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 • 8:30 p.m. ET
Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) • Bloomington, Ind.
TV: Peacock (Noah Eagle, Robbie Hummel, Caroline Pineda)
Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)
Series History: Indiana trails, 9-8
Last Meeting: RUT 66, IU 57 on Jan. 9, 2024, in Piscataway
Series History
• The Scarlet Knights hold a slight 9-8 series lead over the 17 games played on the hardwood. The Hoosiers hold a record of 4-2 in games played at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
• Indiana, behind a dominant effort from All-American forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, took down No. 24 Rutgers by a score of 66-60 on Feb. 7, 2023, the last time the sides met in Bloomington. TJD finished the game with 20 points, 18 rebounds, and six assists.
Last Time Out
• Senior center Langdon Hatton enjoyed his breakout moment of the season with seven points, 11 rebounds, and three blocked shots in 26 minutes off the Hoosier bench in a 77-68 victory over Winthrop on Sunday, Dec. 29, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
• Redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice led all scorers with 18 points. Junior forward Malik Reneau posted 14 points and seven rebounds and fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway contributed 11 points and five assists.
• The Hoosier defense held the Eagles to 20 free throw attempts, 12 fewer than the program’s average over the first 14 games of the season. Indiana also forced Winthrop into a cold shooting night from the floor (37.5%) and from the 3-point line (26.1%).
Reneau for Two
• Junior forward Malik Reneau is averaging a team-best 15.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. The Miami, Fla., native is shooting 60.0% (75-of-125) from the floor and 73.7% (42-of-57) from the free throw line in 26.2 minutes per game.
• He is one of five high-major players (Adou Thiero, Arkansas; Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton; Chance McMillian, Texas Tech; Norchad Omier, Baylor) to average at least 15.0 points per game while shooting 60.0% from the floor and 70.0% from the charity stripe.
• Reneau has tallied 15-plus points 26 times in his career, including seven games this season, and topped the 20-point threshold nine times. IU holds a record of 18-8 in games Reneau scores at least 15 points throughout his career.
The Leal Deal
• Fifth-year senior guard Anthony Leal was a team-best + 39 in Indiana’s 97-71 victory over Sam Houston on Dec. 3 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. He added four points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals in the win.
• Leal, the 2020 Mr. Basketball, is a Kelley School of Business graduate is in the midst of earning his MBA from the school. He has launched MotionSports, a fully-integrated, single platform solution — all in a mobile-native, NIL-native experience.
• The name MotionSports pays homage to legendary Indiana men’s basketball head coach Bob Knight and his successes running the motion offense in Bloomington.
Going the Extra Myles
• Over his last four games, redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice is averaging 14.5 points on 60.0% (24-of-40) shooting from the floor to pair with 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest. He has scored 17-plus points in three of the four games.
• The Washington State transfer was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma on Sept. 12, 2022. After undergoing chemotherapy for five hours a session twice a month for six months, Rice learned his cancer was in remission on June 1, 2023.
Tucker’s Impact Off the Bench
• Freshman wing Bryson Tucker scored a season-best 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor in Indiana’s 82-67 win over Minnesota (Dec. 9). He also collected six rebounds and posted a team-best +15 in 20 minutes of run.
• The 2024 McDonald’s All-American leads the Hoosiers in points (6.7 per game) and rebounds (3.6) off the bench. He has scored 8+ points in six games this season, all resulting in Indiana wins.
• Tucker ranks among the top 10 in Big Ten rookies off the bench in rebounding (3.6 per game, 4th), scoring (6.7 per game, 7th), and total steals (6, 9th).
PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL
#20 PURDUE OPENS CALENDAR YEAR WITH RESUMPTION OF BIG TEN PLAY AT MINNESOTA
GAMEDAY INFORMATION — GAME 14
[20] Purdue (9-4, 1-1) at Minnesota (8-5, 0-2)
Thursday, January 2, 2025 | 8 p.m. ET
Minneapolis, Minnesota | Williams Arena (14,625)
TELEVISION: FS1 (Cory Provus, Jordan Taylor)
RADIO: Purdue Global Radio Network (Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell)
THE NOTES TO KNOW
• Purdue’s second season begins as the calendar turns to 2025, when it resumes Big Ten play with a trip to Minnesota. Purdue wrapped up non-conference play on Sunday with an 83-64 win over Toledo and looks to win on the road for the first time this season with a journey to Williams Arena. Purdue will alternate road and home games for the next two weeks, facing Northwestern in Mackey Arena on Sunday.
• Purdue owns the Big Ten’s best road record over the last three seasons (since 2022-23) with a 14-7 league road record (Northwestern and Illinois are next at 9-12), but the Boilermakers are 0-2 in road games this season, falling at No. 8-ranked Marquette and Penn State.
• Purdue is looking for a 2-1 start in Big Ten (or better) for the third straight year and for the 10th time in the last 11 years. The lone time since the 2014-15 season that Purdue hasn’t started at least 2-1 in league play was during the 2021-22 season (1-2).
• Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Purdue owns a 16-2 record in the month of January.
• Purdue ended the 2024 calendar year with a 31-8 overall record, and an 18-4 record against Big Ten opposition.
• In nine wins, Purdue averages 9.9 turnovers per game, while forcing 10.9. In the four losses, it averages 16.8 turnovers, while forcing 12.2.
• In the last four years, Purdue has defeated teams ranked No. 1 (Arizona), No. 2 (Alabama), No. 4 (Marquette), No. 5 (Villanova), No. 6 (Wisconsin, Tennessee, Gonzaga), No. 7 (Tennessee), No. 8 (Duke) and No. 9 (Illinois). All but Alabama and Illinois came away from Mackey Arena.
• Purdue is now 101-23 since the start of the 2021-22 season, recording the second-most wins in the country (Houston – 105; Connecticut – 101) during that span. The senior class of Caleb Furst (only senior) became the seventh class in school history with 100 career victories.
• Purdue is being outscored in second-chance points (144 to 163) and points off turnovers (165 to 175) by a combined 29 points (309 to 338). A year ago, Purdue outscored its opponents in those categories by a combined 64 points (927 to 863).
• Camden Heide returns to Minnesota for the second time in his career after a standout high school career at Wayzata High School. Heide led Wayzata to the 2021 Minnesota State Championship. His first trip back came in last season’s Big Ten Tournament at the Target Center.
• Purdue’s trio of Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith combined for 74 of Purdue’s 83 points in the win over Toledo. The 74 points between three players is the most for a trio since last year’s win over No. 1 Arizona (Loyer – 27; Smith – 26; Edey -22).
• The starting backcourt of Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer are 72-15 since their arrival at Purdue, starting every game of their tenure. The duo has combined for 1,960 points, 603 rebounds and 743 assists during their careers, shooting 275-of-686 from deep (.401).
• Braden Smith needs three points to be the first Big Ten player to have 1,000 points, 500 assists and 400 rebounds by the end of his junior year. Should he reach 1,000 points, he will become the second player in school history (Bruce Parkinson) with 1,000 career points, 500 assists and 400 rebounds. Smith has at least 10 assists in 13 of his last 51 games played, dating to the second game of the 2023-24 season.
• Braden Smith is the only player in America to have at least 175 points, 100 assists and 50 rebounds. He is on pace to become the first player nationally since 2015-16 (and second Big Ten player ever — Magic Johnson) to average 13 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in a season.
• Trey Kaufman-Renn is the only player in America to average 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and shoot at least 60 percent from the field. He has scored in double-figures in all 13 games this season and ranks seventh in the Big Ten in scoring.
• Matt Painter needs one Big Ten win to tie Ward “Piggy” Lambert (228) for fourth place on the Big Ten’s wins list for conference games.
• Purdue, Duke, Gonzaga and Houston are the only programs in America to have made at least a Sweet 16, Elite 8 and Final Four during their last five NCAA Tournament appearances. Purdue reached the Sweet 16 in 2022, the Elite 8 in 2019 and the Final Four in 2024.
PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
BOILERS DROP NEW YEAR’S DAY CONTEST AT #21 MICHIGAN STATE
EAST LANSING, Mich. – A first half deficit proved too much for the Purdue women’s basketball team to overcome in a 77-59 loss on the road on New Year’s Day to No. 21 Michigan State. The Boilermakers (7-7, 0-3) outscored the Spartans (12-2, 2-1) 38-29 in the second half but could not rally from a 27-point gap at the break.
A pair of Boilermakers led the way with 10 points. Destini Lombard finished in double figures for the 12th time this season, going 4-of-8 from the field with a pair of 3-pointers. Lana McCarthy was an efficient 5-of-7 from the floor to reach double figures for the sixth time.
For the game, the Boilermakers shot 41.4% from the field and went 7-of-18 from distance. Ella Collier connected twice from the outside, while Rashunda Jones, Mahri Petree and McKenna Layden each added a 3-pointer.
After the Spartans built up their lead in the first half, Purdue found its rhythm over the final 20 minutes. The Boilermakers shot 47% overall and tallied 11 of their 16 assists for the game in the final two quarters. Defensively, Purdue held Michigan State to 24.3% from the field and 1-of-16 from behind the arc.
Michigan State put four players in double figures on the night, led by Jocelyn Tate’s 19 points. The Spartans shot 37% from the field and went 7-of-31 from behind the arc. The hosts jumped out to an early lead with an even 50% clip in the first half with six 3-pointers and converted 18 Purdue turnovers into 18 points.
NOTES
• Purdue leads the all-time series 44-40.
• The Boilermakers grabbed four offensive rebounds in the second half to turn into nine points, while the Spartans finished with seven points on 13 second chance opportunities.
• Kendall Puryear finished the night with eight points and a team-high six rebounds off the bench in 17 minutes of action.
• Purdue trimmed its turnovers down to seven in the final 20 minutes and outscored the Spartans 16-12 in the paint.
• After trailing by as many as 28 points in the third quarter, the Boilermakers cut the deficit down to 15 points in the fourth.
UP NEXT
The Boilermakers will be back in Mackey Arena for the next two outings against No. 1 UCLA on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. on BTN, before a Jan. 11 matchup against No. 24 Michigan at 2 p.m. on B1G+.
BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
FIRST QUARTER HELPS CREIGHTON TOP BUTLER 68-64
Butler outscored Creighton by eight in the second half, but the Bulldogs would come up just short at D.J. Sokol Arena allowing the Bluejays to capture a 68-64 win. Lily Carmody ended the day with a team-high 16 points and Kilyn McGuff drilled all three of her 3-point attempts to add 15.
Creighton used a 9-0 scoring run in the first quarter to collect a 17-9 lead. That advantage turned out to be crucial as the Bulldogs found their footing in the second quarter. McGuff hit two 3-pointers over the first five minutes of the second frame accounting for all of Butler’s offense. Morgan Maly and Lauren Jensen were responsible for 23 of Creighton’s first 25 points and that duo alone would help the Bluejays enjoy a 35-15 lead.
Butler ended the second quarter on a 9-2 scoring run to cut their deficit to just 12 at 36-24. An 8-2 BU scoring run would open up the second half, but Creighton settled up to push the lead back to 10 at the midway point of the third 44-34. Butler outscored Creighton 18-15 in the third and would face a 51-42 deficit with 10 to play.
The game tightened up after three-straight Lily Carmody free throws moved the score to 66-59. Creighton Coach Jim Flanery would go back to Maly in crunch time and it helped the Jays pull out the win. Maly had the final bucket of the game for the home team to push her game total to 17. Jensen led all players with 22 points.
Inside the Box Score
– Kilyn McGuff grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds to end the game with a double double
– McGuff also led BU with three steals
– Sydney Janyes had 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting
– Lily Zeinstra had six rebounds and four assists on Wednesday
– Cristen Carter played well with nine points off the BU bench
– Butler’s bench outscored Creighton’s 29-18
– BU shot 46 percent from the field (23-50)
Up Next
Butler will return to action on Saturday with a road game at Marquette. The 4 p.m. Eastern, 3 p.m. Central tip will air live on FS1
BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL
VILLANOVA’S CLOSING STRETCH LEADS TO 73-65 WIN OVER BUTLER
Villanova closed the game on a 22-1 run to take a 73-65 win over Butler Wednesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Eric Dixon led the victors with 28 points.
With the win, Villanova improves to 9-5 and 2-1 in BIG EAST play, while Butler falls to 7-7 (0-3).
FLOW OF THE GAME:
Neither team led by more than five points over the first 28 minutes of the contest.
Jahmyl Telfort scored the final 11 points of a Butler 13-3 run that gave the Bulldogs a 52-44 advantage with 10:57 remaining in the game.
Butler’s lead would max out at 13 as Patrick McCaffery’s driving layup gave the Bulldogs a 64-51 lead with 6:03 remaining. Unfortunately for Butler, that would be the final made field goal of the night for the home team.
As Butler missed their final nine attempts of the contest, Villanova responded by making six of their final seven attempts to conclude the closing 22-1 run.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS:
Dixon, the nation’s leading scorer at 25.8 points per game entering the new year, scored his 28 points on 10-for-20 shooting. He made five of his 10 attempts from three-point range, matching his season percentage of 50 percent, which entered the night sixth nationally.
Telfort recorded his second double-double of the season and the third of his career with 25 points and 10 rebounds. He handed out a game-high six assists.
Both teams shot 42 percent from the field, but the Bulldogs were over 50 percent for much of the game until the closing stretch.
Butler uncharacteristically shot only 52 percent from the free throw line (12-23) after entering the game at 76.7 percent.
Villanova held a 43-30 rebounding edge, led by Wooga Poplar’s 15 and Enoch Boakye adding 14.
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs travel to Queens, N.Y. for a Saturday afternoon tip against St. John’s, which is receiving votes in both national polls this week. The game at Carnesecca Arena is scheduled for a 2 p.m. tip on FS1. Fans can listen to Butler Basketball Live featuring Mark Minner and Nick Gardner via the Varsity Network app and other platforms.
Butler’s next home game is Saturday, Jan. 11 against Creighton. Tickets are still available for the noon tip, which is Butler’s annual IMS Checker Out game.
IU INDY MEN’S BASKETBALL
JAGUARS DROP NEW YEAR’S DAY AFFAIR TO YOUNGSTOWN STATE, 77-61
INDIANAPOLIS – The IU Indianapolis men’s basketball team came up on the short end of a 77-61 home decision to Youngstown State on New Year’s Day inside Corteva Coliseum on Wednesday (Jan. 1). Paul Zilinskas finished with a team-high 19 points and Jarvis Walker added 12 points off the bench in the loss.
Youngstown State (10-5, 5-0 HL) reeled off an eighth straight win and suffocated the Jaguars defensively, holding IU Indy to under 31 percent shooting and 7-of-26 (26.9 percent) from three-point range. EJ Farmer led YSU with 26 points, including five threes, and Siem Uijtendaal registered 14 points off the bench, including four threes.
YSU shot 43 percent for the game, making 12-of-25 (48 percent) from beyond the arc.
“Basketball is all about rhythm and we’re improving on both sides of the ball everyday,” head coach Paul Corsaro said. “Aside from Iowa State, that’s the best defensive team we’ve played. They’re an elite defensive team. Coach Faulkner is doing a great job with them. They don’t beat themselves and they’ve got a group of really, really tough guys.
“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.”
After trailing by as many as 15 in the first half, the Jaguars (5-11, 1-3 HL) cut YSU’s lead back to two at 47-45 with 15:19 remaining. Zilinskas opened the second half with back-to-back treys and Goode and Zilinskas both scored in close to make it a two-point game.
However, YSU tightened the screws and held the Jaguars without a field goal for more than nine minutes, outscoring the hosts 20-3 before Timaris Brown rattled in a wing three with 6:02 to play.
Despite holding the Penguins to just 33 percent from the floor in the second half, the Jags made just 7-of-29 attempts, shooting just 24 percent after intermission.
“We’ve got to control the controllables and the two biggest controllables are winning the rebounding battle and winning the turnover battle. On the whole, we did a pretty good job of that today,” Corsaro said. “But, we gave up a rebound off a missed free throw and it led to a three. When you give up a rebound on a missed free throw and it leads to a three, that’s critical.”
Nico Galette cashed in on a triple after a Jason Nelson missed foul shot as part of a four-point possession during the run. Galette finished the game with nine points, 11 rebounds and five assists and 7-foot-3 center Gabe Dynes contributed 12 rebounds as YSU won the glass 44-37.
Freshman Keenan Garner had seven points and a team-high seven rebounds and three steals while Alec Millender closed with nine points on three threes and four assists with no turnovers. The Jaguars committed just nine turnovers while forcing 13 YSU miscues.
The Jaguars will hit the road to face Cleveland State on Saturday (Jan. 4) at 3:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
IU INDY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
LATE RALLY FALLS SHORT AS IU INDY DROPS ROAD GAME, 67-59
DETROIT, Mich. – The IU Indianapolis women’s basketball team’s late comeback fell short as the Detroit Mercy Titan defeated the Jags on Saturday 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.
IU Indy came out of the gate fast, building an early 13-9 lead, strong defense limited Detroit Mercy to just 26.7 percent shooting in the opening frame.
However, the Jaguars stumbled in the second quarter. The Titans found their rhythm offensively, outscoring IU Indy 23-7. Detroit Mercy took control, carrying a 32-20 lead into the halftime break. The Jaguars struggled to generate offense, shooting just 23.1 percent from the field in the second period.
Coming out of halftime, the Titans wasted little time adding to their lead, starting the third quarter with five unanswered points. However, IU Indy battled back, keeping the deficit within striking distance with a solid 16-16 showing in the third.
The Jags’ offense sparked in the fourth, fueled by a 12-1 run to open the period, closing the gap to just one point. However, Detroit Mercy stifled the spark with back-to-back-to-back three-pointers, halting IU Indy’s momentum and extending the lead. Despite shooting 64.3 percent from the field in the fourth, the Jaguars couldn’t complete the comeback, as the Titans sealed the victory with a 67-59 final score.
Nevaeh Foster led the Jaguars with 17 points, shooting 6-for-13 from the field, including a 5-for-8 mark from three-point range. Shania Nichols-Vannett added 13 points, while Alexa Hocevar contributed eight rebounds. As a team, IU Indy shot 43.6 percent from the field and was solid from beyond the arc, connecting on 46.2 percent of their three-point attempts.
The loss drops the Jaguars to 1-4 in Horizon League play. They will return home to the Jungle on Saturday, January 4, when they host Robert Morris for a 2:00 PM tip.
BALL STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL OPENS MAC PLAY WITH A NEW YEAR’S DAY WIN AT MIAMI
OXFORD, Ohio – The Ball State women’s basketball team (9-4, 1-0 MAC) opened the New Year on a high note after earning a 68-55 victory over Miami University (7-4, 0-1 MAC) in its Mid-American Conference opener Wednesday afternoon at Millett Hall.
It was a team effort today for the Cardinals, which was led in scoring by Ally Becki who had 22 points. Becki also gathered nine rebounds while also dishing out seven assists. Grace Kingery dropped in 18 points, including five made 3-pointers. Defensively, Elise Stuck pulled down a personal best 10 rebounds.
For the game, the Cardinals’ defense continues to give their respective opponents trouble this season as Ball State scored 31 points off Miami’s 24 miscues.
Ball State struggled offensively to start today’s contest. The RedHawks opened the contest with a 7-0 run. The Cardinals then answered with a late 13-3 run of their own to close out the first quarter to give BSU the 13-10 lead over Miami heading into the second frame.
The Cardinals continued to control the tempo of the game in the second frame of play eventually building a 13-point cushion (32-24) with 5:50 remaining in the first half. Miami made a short-lived comeback that would cut BSU’s lead to five (26-21). Kingery’s 3-pointer at the 3:20 mark stopped Miami’s momentum. The Cardinals were then able to close the half with a 32-26 advantage over the RedHawks at intermission.
Stuck opened the third frame with a layup to keep the Cardinals in the driver’s seat. Ball State went back up by 11 points (44-33) as Kingery drained another one from behind the arc with 5:11 left in the third period. Ball State’s defense would pick up allowing the Cardinals to take a 50-41 cushion over the RedHawks into the final stanza.
Miami tried to knock off the preseason favored Cardinals in the final 10 minutes of play. The RedHawks came to within four to five points on a couple of occasions, but Ball State was able to stay the course to claim today’s victory.
The Ball State women’s basketball team returns home Saturday as the Cardinals host the Central Michigan Chippewas at 1 pm ET in Worthen Arena.
BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL
SPARKS SCORES 1,000TH CAREER POINT IN NEW YEAR’S EVE WIN OVER ANDERSON
MUNCIE, Ind. – Payton Sparks went for 23 points and 16 rebounds, scoring his 1,000th career point in the process, to lead the Ball State men’s basketball team to an 89-76 win over Anderson on Tuesday afternoon at Worthen Arena.
The Cardinals (6-6) got out to an 8-0 lead thanks to a 3-pointer and dunk from Mason Jones and a triple by Jeremiah Hernandez, but the visiting Ravens came back to take a 43-39 advantage into halftime. Sparks hit a 3-pointer at the top of the key at the buzzer for the final tally of the half.
The hosts scored 21 of the first 30 points of the second half to gain a 60-52 edge at the 13:02 mark, but Anderson kept within single digits until the final minute. Sparks scored 14 of his points and grabbed eight of his rebounds in the second period, including a putback with 4:26 left that gave the senior career point No. 1,000.
Jermahri Hill went for a game-high 25 points highlighted by 3-for-5 shooting from distance and 12-for-14 at the free throw line while adding eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. Hernandez (12 points, five assists) also had double figures, and Mason Jones (11 rebounds, five points, four assists, two steals) set a career high in boards while playing 33 minutes.
Juanse Gorosito tallied nine points and five assists, and Ben Hendriks had eight points and four rebounds to contribute to the New Year’s Eve win.
Anderson’s Tate Ivanyo led the Ravens with 21 points, but the visitors were limited to 30.6 percent shooting in the second half and 19 percent on 3-pointers to prevent them from getting a win in nearby Muncie.
The Cardinals won the rebounding battle 48-36 but committed more turnovers (16-13). The hosts still held an edge in points off turnovers (15-8) which related to a 13-4 advantage in fast break points.
For the game, Ball State shot 44.1 percent (26-59) from the field, 34.6 percent (9-26) on 3-pointers and 71.8 percent (28-39) at the foul line. Anderson totaled a 37.1 field goal percentage on 26 of 70 shooting including 28.6 percent (12-42) from distance and 70.6 percent (12-17) on free throws.
Ball State rides a three-game winning streak into Mid-American Conference play which begins at 2 p.m. on Saturday with a game at Kent State.
INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
SYCAMORES START NEW YEAR WITH TRIP TO ILLINOIS STATE
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State begins 2025 on the road, as the Sycamores face Illinois State Thursday evening for a 7:30 p.m. tip inside CEFCU Arena.
Thursday’s game will carried on ESPN+ with R.C. McBride (play-by-play) and Kelly Burke (analyst) on the call. The game will also be carried on WVIG-FM/105.5 The Legend with John Sherman on the call.
Last Time Out
Three of Indiana State’s five starters scored in double-figures Sunday afternoon, but visiting Northern Iowa spoiled the Sycamores’ return to Hulman Center in a 75-65 setback.
Keslyn Secrist led the Trees with 17 points, her most in a MVC game in her career, while Chloe Willams and Bella Finnegan each had 11, with Finnegan drawing her first start of the season. Williams added a team-high seven rebounds and three blocks, while Saige Stahl and Savannah White each pulled down six boards.
The Sycamores shot nearly 50 percent from the field in the first quarter while playing strong defense to take a four-point lead after one. UNI opened the second with a 10-0 run in what became a back-and-forth game, with the visitors taking a 31-28 advantage at the half. Northern Iowa led by as many as 10 in the third, before a strong close including a Secrist three pulled the Sycamores within 49-44 heading to the fourth. Secrist and Finnegan scored early in the fourth to make it a one-point game, but a 9-0 UNI run followed. The Trees got back within two possessions late but ran out of time to complete their comeback.
Fight To The Finish
Indiana State’s 2024-25 conference opener against Northern Iowa didn’t provide the result the Sycamores were looking for, but that didn’t mean there were no bright spots for the Blue and White.
The Sycamores limited Northern Iowa to a 35.8 percent mark from the field, the Panthers’ lowest shooting percentage in a game this season. In addition, UNI’s 29.4 percent mark from 3-point range was the Panthers’ second-worst in a game this season.
Indiana State shot better than Northern Iowa from both the field and 3-point range, which allowed the Sycamores to remain within two possessions for most of the game despite negative rebound and turnover margins.
Sharp-Shooting Sycamores
Indiana State has found its stroke from behind the arc in recent games, with the Sycamores knocking down six or more 3-pointers in four of the last six games.
The last two games have been Indiana State’s most productive from behind the arc this season. Indiana State knocked down 15 3-pointers across the last two games while shooting 48.4 percent from behind the arc in that span. The Trees hit a season-high eight 3-pointers against Purdue and followed that with seven against Northern Iowa.
Bella Finnegan and Keslyn Secrist combined to go 6-for-10 from 3-point range in the conference opener against Northern Iowa, with Finnegan shooting 52.9 percent from behind the arc over the last two games (9-for-17).
Block Party
Indiana State tallied a season-high six blocks in its conference opener against Northern Iowa, all of which came in the second half. Chloe Williams matched her season high of three blocks against the Panthers, with four different Sycamores recording at least one block in the game. Indiana State’s six blocks were the most of any MVC team on the opening day of conference play.
The Sycamores have averaged 4.5 blocks per game over the last four games, and have three games with five or more blocks in the last six games.
Strength In Numbers
Indiana State’s scoring has been a balancing act, with five different Sycamores averaging more than nine points per game and three starters averaging double-figure scoring.
Five different Sycamores are averaging double-digit scoring over the last four games as part of Indiana State’s balanced offense. Bella Finnegan (15.0), Chloe Williams (12.8), Saige Stahl (10.8), Keslyn Secrist (10.5) and Deja Jones (10.0) are all averaging at least 10 points per game since the start of the Eastern Kentucky MTE.
Indiana State’s balanced attack has coincided with the Sycamores’ best offensive stretch this season. The Trees have scored at least 65 points in each of the last four games and are averaging 70.8 points per game in that span.
On The Road Again
Indiana State finds itself in a familiar situation, as the Sycamores have spent the majority of the 2024-25 season on the road. Thursday’s game is the Sycamores’ ninth road game of the season, and Indiana State has also played a neutral-site contest this year.
Sunday’s conference opener against Northern Iowa was the Sycamores’ first home game in more than six weeks. Indiana State’s last home game prior to the conference opener was November 15. The 45-day stretch between home games was the second-longest span between home games among all Division I schools this season.
Both of Indiana State’s wins this season have come on the road, with the Sycamores notching victories over Wright State (68-51) and Southeast Missouri State (68-65).
Illinois State At A Glance
Illinois State enters Thursday’s game at 6-6 overall and 0-1 in conference play. The Redbirds fell 91-80 in their conference opener at Murray State and have lost three of their last four.
2023-24 All-Freshman Team selection Shannon Dowell leads the Rebirds in scoring at 15.5 points per game while four-time Division III All-American Elyce Knudsen adds 13.9 points per game. Nevaeh Thomas leads the team with 7.2 rebounds per game, while preseason all-conference selection Maya Wong has dished out nearly four assists per game.
Kristen Gillespie is in her eighth season as head coach at Illinois State and owns a 138-88 record at the helm of the Redbirds. Illinois State won the 2022-23 MVC Regular Season title and the 2022 MVC Tournament under Gillespie.
Series History Against Illinois State
Indiana State is 45-60 all-time against Illinois State, with the Redbirds having won each of the last 10 meetings.
The Sycamores’ last win in the series came in the 2018-19 season, a 59-44 win in Terre Haute.
Last Meeting Against Illinois State (Feb. 4, 2024)
Mya Glanton led all players with 17 points, but visiting Illinois State survived a gritty effort from Indiana State in a 64-59 setback for the Sycamores inside Hulman Center.
Chelsea Cain added 14 points and a game-high eight rebounds for the Sycamores, who also got 11 points from Kiley Bess and eight from Ella Sawyer. Sawyer dished out four assists for the Trees without a turnover.
Indiana State jumped out to an early 9-2 lead thanks to six quick points from Glanton, but Illinois State responded to lead 13-11 after a quarter. The Redbirds led by as many as eight and took a 33-27 lead into halftime, but early third-quarter baskets from Bella Finnegan and Cain got the Sycamores within a point and it remained a one-possession game into the fourth quarter. The Sycamores took a lead early in the final frame following a basket from Glanton and pair of free throws from Bess, but a 7-0 run for the Redbirds followed and Illinois State never trailed from there.
Up Next
Indiana State remains on the road to face Bradley Sunday at 3 p.m.
INDIANA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL
INDIANA STATE FALLS TO BRADLEY AT HOME ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State men’s basketball fell in the first game of 2025 to the Bradley Braves, 90-89, in overtime. Indiana State fell to 8-6, 2-1 MVC and Bradley improved to 12-2, 3-0 MVC.
Bradley converted four free throws on one-and-one opportunities to take an 80-74 lead with 2:15 to play setting the stage for the final heroics in regulation and overtime.
Indiana State’s defense started the late comeback over the final two minutes sparked by Bruno Alocen’s tipped pass led to Teel getting fouled and knocking in a pair of free throws. Bradley called a timeout with 1:27 remaining with the ball and the lead, 80-77. Bradley made a short jumper in the possession to go up 82-77.
In the Sycamores’ possession, Alocen drove to the lane and got fouled in the process. The freshman made both at the line to trail 82-79 with 46 seconds remaining.
The Sycamore defense forced the Braves to take a tough three-pointer contested by Wagner, and the shot was off the mark.
Down three with the game on the line, Wagner drilled his fifth three-pointer of the game with a Bradley defender in his face with 11 seconds before the buzzer. The triple tied the ballgame at 82 apiece and, and Bradley’s Duke Deen’s last-second effort was off the mark, the game went to overtime.
The Sycamores opened the overtime period with a quick 5-0 run. Daughtry made a layup after an offensive board and made a free throw in the next trip, followed by Teel laying one in off the backboard with 3:18 left in the game. This forced a Bradley timeout.
With just under 80 seconds to play, Bradley made two free throws to cut the deficit 89-86. Two missed field goals by the Sycamores in their possession was followed by another pair of Bradley free throws for the Sycamores to lead by one, 89-88.
A turnover by Indiana State proved costly as Bradley made a layup with three seconds to play. The last second-second shot by Indiana State was no good, giving Bradley the 90-89 win in overtime.
It was a low-scoring start to the game, with Bradley draining a three-pointer right in front of the Sycamore bench. No other points were scored until Bruco Alocen splashed a left-wing three to get Indiana State on the board 3:13 into the ball game.
Two Camp Wagner free throws and a jumper by Bradley knotted the game at five headed into the first media timeout with 14:54 to play. Both teams combined for 3-for-15 shooting in the game (Indiana State 1-for-7, Bradley 2-for-8).
K’mani Doughty made a left-corner three off a kickout pass from Jaden Daughtry to go up 8-5. Daughtry made the next four points for Indiana State with two layups at the rim with a basket and free throw in the middle by Bradley.
Bradley took a 13-12 lead in the next 65 seconds, but Doughty made a pair of free throws to regain the lead. At the media timeout at 7:48, Bradley held an 18-14 advantage increasing their shooting performance up to 40% while Indiana State was shooting 28.6% (4-for-14, 2-for-11 from three).
Following the Doughty free throws, Bradley outscored the Sycamores 11-5 to take a 24-19 lead. Josiah LeGree drove the lane and kicked it to Doughty to the right corner who knocked down the three-pointer to make the game a one-possession game. After a layup by Bradley, Wagner drained a triple just above the left corner to bring the Sycamores down 26-25.
Bradley made a jumper with 3:04 remaining in the first half, but Daughtry secured an offensive rebound and put it back in for the game’s seventh lead change and his seventh and eighth points. Indiana State held a 29-28 lead with 2:09 to play.
Wagner put the Sycamore crowd on their feet by draining a deep three-pointer with 42 seconds left in the half, his third of the game and 12th and 13th points of the game. Bradley committed a turnover and the Sycamores missed the shot at the buzzer, but Indiana State was on top 34-30 headed into the locker room.
Zek Montgomery scored the first seven points for Bradley in the second half with another basket coming from Burch, and Alocen made the only field goal for Indiana State through the first media timeout at 15:52. Doughty knocked down two free throws in the stretch, but the game was tied at 39 apiece.
Indiana State started slow again in the second half going 1-for-8 from the field, 1-for-7 from deep). Samage Teel got into the scoring column with 14:20 remaining in the game with a driving right-handed layup. That basket counted as his first two points of the game, the latest he has scored in a game this season.
Teel went on to score the next four points for the Sycamores, a total of six straight, all off layups. His third layup tied the game at 45-45 with 12:43 to play. Through this point in the game, Bradley converted on eight of its last 10 field goals.
Daughtry made a layup, to bring the game within four points, 51-47, before Jayan Walker made the crowd the loudest the entire night. Daughtry received the ball off a pick-and-roll and kicked it to the opposite corner to Walker, who shot-faked, took a dribble and drained his first field goal attempt of the game – a three pointer from the right wing.
The next trip down the court, Walker knocked down another three-pointer off the wing in front of his bench to send Hulman Center into a frenzy and take the lead, 53-51, with 10:27 to play.
Wagner made sure to keep the crowd on their feet, making a three-pointer while getting fouled right out of the media timeout, converting the free throw attempt to execute the four-point play.
With just under six minutes to play, LeGree broke away gave Indiana State a 65-61 lead on a fastbreak finger roll layup, but a three-pointer by Bradley quickly brought the game back to a one-point, 65-64 lead in favor of the Sycamores. Another triple by Bradley in the next possession gave the Braves a 67-65 lead with five minutes remaining.
Similar to the last media timeout, the Sycamores scored in the first possession with a Daughtry and-one to tie the game at 70-70.
After a Teel layup and a Bradley three-pointer at the 3:15 mark, Indiana State made eight of its previous eight shots, and Bradley nearly matched by making five of their last six. Bradley led 76-72.
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.
News & Notes
Indiana State fell in back-to-back games for only the second time this season.
This was the second-straight matchup between Indiana State and Bradley where the game went into overtime (W, 95-86 on January 27, 2024).
Indiana State has scored 80+ points in eight-straight games.
Indiana State finished 30-for-36 from the free throw line. The 2023-24 Sycamores in the NIT run last season finished 30-for-35 from the line against SMU on March 20, 2024. It was the most free throw attempts since December 19, 2023 against Tennessee State where the Sycamores attempted 40.
Indiana State held the Braves to 32.3% from three in the game. Bradley entered the game leading the country in three-point percentage (44.9%). The stout Sycamore defense held the Braves to 22.2% from three (2-for-9) in the first half and 0-for-5 from deep in overtime.
Indiana State attempted only four shots from inside the arc in the first half: 9-for-26 total, 3-for-4 from two, 6-for-22 from three.
The Sycamores shot 13-for-20 from inside the arc in the game (65.0%), a slight uptick from the 60.3% season average.
In the last two games, Indiana State has made 57-of-68 from the free throw line (83.8%).
Indiana State has finished with more turnovers than the opponent in 10 of the last 11 games (dating back to Ball State) and 11 in the season’s 14 games.
Zek Montgomery and Duke Deen combined for 31 of the team’s 52 points in the second half (combined 12-for-19 and 5-for-10 from three).
The largest lead of the game was seven points, held by Indiana State with 2:46 remaining in overtime.
Camp Wagner’s 20 points set a new career high, and his seven rebounds set a new career high.
K’mani Doughty tied his career high in rebounds with eight.
Jaden Daughtry’s four rebounds all came on the offensive glass.
Up Next
Indiana State travels to the University of Evansville to take on the 5-9, 2-1 MVC Purple Aces on Saturday, January 4 at 2 p.m. ET.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S BASKETBALL
OVERTIME CONTEST GOES TO NORTHERN KENTUCKY 69-68
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Quinton Morton-Robertson scored 19 points on Wednesday (Jan. 1) but it wasn’t enough for the Purdue Fort Wayne men’s basketball team as the Mastodons fell 69-68 at Northern Kentucky in overtime.
The ‘Dons were down 62-59 when Maximus Nelson hit a corner 3-pointer to tie the game with 20 seconds. The two clubs went to overtime for the first time in the long series history of the two schools. The Mastodons found themselves down 66-62 but went up 68-62 on baskets by Rasheed Bello, Morton-Robertson and Jalen Jackson.
It was a 68-67 when Northern Kentucky won the game on a Keeyan Itejere jumper with 11 seconds left.
Morton-Robertson’s 19 points came on four 3-pointers, three of his shots from long range came early in the second half to force a quick NKU timeout. The Norse would rally back, however, to force overtime and win it in the extra five minutes.
Jalen Jackson added 17 points. Nelson finished with 15 points on five 3-pointers.
Trey Robinson had a game-high 26 points. He helped the Norse shoot 39.7 percent (23-of-58). The ‘Dons shot 40.0 percent (24-of-60)
The ‘Dons are now 24-15 in their Division I history in overtime games.
Northern Kentucky improves to 8-7 (3-1 Horizon League). The ‘Dons fall to 10-6 (3-2 Horizon League). Purdue Fort Wayne hosts first-place Youngstown State on Saturday (Jan. 4) in a 7 p.m. tip at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
‘DONS WIN SEVENTH IN A ROW, MOVE TO 5-0 IN LEAGUE PLAY
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – 2025 started the same way 2024 ended, with a Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball victory. The Mastodons beat Youngstown State 74-60 on New Year’s Day, winning their seventh game in a row to move to 5-0 in Horizon League action.
This is the first time since the 2009-10 season that the Mastodons have started league play 5-0 and second time ever as a member of Division I (2001-present). Seven games in a row is the longest winning streak for the Mastodons since their last in Division II (2000-01) and the fourth-longest in program history. The longest win streak was 14 in a row to start the 1995-96 season.
The Mastodons never trailed in Wednesday night’s contest, leading for all but 37 seconds. The 3-ball was not working as it normally does for the ‘Dons, so they pivoted to dominating Youngstown State down low. The Mastodons had a 44-26 advantage in the paint.
Purdue Fort Wayne led 30-22 at halftime in large part to smothering defense and ball control on the offensive end. The Mastodons forced YSU into 17 first-half turnovers while committing just four of their own. They had 19 points off those turnovers. In the second half, it was more of the same, as the Penguins finished with 26 turnovers and the ‘Dons collected 30 points off those TOs.
The game was decided in the third quarter when the Mastodons torched the Penguins 26-12. In an extended 32-13 run into the fourth quarter, the Mastodons built up a lead as large as 25 at 64-39. In this run, the Mastodons only attempted four 3-pointers, well under their average for a 12-minute stretch. The Penguins finished the game on a 7-0 run in the final 80 seconds to make the final line closer than much of the contest.
The Mastodons finished 7-for-24 from the 3-point line for 29.2 percent, but made up for it with a 48.9 percent mark (22-of-45) within the arc.
Amellia Bromenschenkel finished with a team-best 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting while pitching in four assists and two rebounds. Audra Emmerson had 14 points, five rebounds and two assists. Renna Schwieterman joined in with 10 points, three rebounds and three steals off the bench. The ‘Dons had seven turnovers, matching a season-low.
Sophia Gregory was one of YSU’s best, finishing with six points and 15 rebounds. Jewel Watkins had 18 points for the Penguins.
Purdue Fort Wayne moves to 10-5 and becomes the only 5-0 team in the Horizon League. YSU falls to 7-8, 2-3. The Mastodons will hit the road on Sunday (Jan. 5) to renew its rivalry at Oakland.
EVANSVILLE MEN’S BASKETBALL
COMER’S CAREER GAME LEADS ACES TO ROAD WIN AT SIU
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Connecting on eight of his 13 field goal attempts, Tayshawn Comer registered a career-high 26 points to pace the University of Evansville men’s basketball team to a 68-53 road victory over Southern Illinois on Wednesday at the Banterra Center.
It marked Evansville’s first win in Carbondale since December of 202 and saw the Purple Aces improve to 2-1 in Missouri Valley Conference games.
“We talked about being gritty and doing whatever it takes to get better. Since we got back from break, we have had better practices and been playing better as a team,” UE head coach David Ragland said following the victory. “The last two games have shown what we can do as a team and we are excited to be back in front of our fans on Saturday against Indiana State.”
Comer’s effort surpassed his previous high of 23 points, which was set last season playing for Eastern Kentucky. He was 8-of-9 from the line and finished with three steals and a pair of assists. Cam Haffner wrapped up the day with 20 points while tying his career mark with nine boards.
Both teams struggled to find their rhythm in the opening minutes with each squad turning the ball over four times in the opening four minutes of the game. Cam Haffner scored UE’s first five points including three free throws to establish an early 5-2 advantage.
After the Salukis got back within two, Evansville countered with seven in a row to go up 12-4 at the 13:25 mark. Tayshawn Comer’s first triple of the afternoon got things started before Tanner Cuff and Connor Turnbull added field goals. SIU fought back with a 12-4 run to tie the game at 16-16 just past the midway point of the half.
Despite the rally, the Salukis were unable to take the lead as the Purple Aces held strong up 27-24 with 6:37 left in the half. Over the final minutes, UE stretched its lead to double figures as a 15-7 run gave the Aces a 42-31 halftime lead. Comer played a pivotal role in the period, scoring 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting while Haffner had 13 points in the opening period.
SIU opened up the second half with a triple to get back within single digits, but Comer recorded two more free throws on the other end to push the lead back to 10. It would never get closer as UE pulled away to lead by as many as 21 points (61-43) before cruising to the 68-53 triumph.
Evansville’s defense was key to the victory, holding the Salukis to 1-of-17 shooting throughout the middle portion of the second half. Overall, UE’s defense limited SIU to 31.1% shooting overall and 19.4% (6-of-31) from long range. Conversely, the Aces shot 48% from the field.
Kennard Davis Jr. was the leading scorer for SIU, finishing with 19 points and a game-high 10 caroms.
On Saturday, the Aces look to make it three in a row when they welcome Indiana State to the Ford Center for a 1 p.m. game.
VALPO MEN’S GOLF
ANTHONY DELISANTI COMPETES IN PATRIOT ALL-AMERICA INVITATIONAL
Valparaiso University men’s golf senior Anthony Delisanti (Sanborn, N.Y. / Niagara Wheatfield) competed in the Patriot All-American Invitational this week as the prestigious event took place at Wigwam Golf Resort in Litchfield Park, Ariz. over the final three days of the 2024 calendar year.
Delisanti had his best round of the tournament in Tuesday’s third and final round, carding a 67 (-3) to finish at 212 (+2; 73-72-67), tied for 46th of 84 in a field that featured the best of the best. The event featured PING All-Americans from last season, international team members and special invitees. The event offers a holiday bowl-like experience and is a combined effort of Arizona Golf Association, the West Valley Mavericks, the Golf Coaches Association of America and the Wigwam Golf Resort in conjunction with the tournament’s beneficiary, Folds of Honor Foundation.
Each player competed to honor a specific military hero. At the opening ceremony, each golfer received and carried a commemorative PING golf bag with a fallen or wounded hero’s name, rank and branch. Delisanti competed in honor of Richard B. Wolnewitz, whose biographical information is available below.
Fire Captain Richard Wolnewitz, 44, of Palm Beach Gardens, FL passed away on August 16, 2022, following a two-and-a-half-year battle with lung cancer.
Growing up, Brian realized his true passion for helping others and decided to pursue a career as a firefighter and paramedic. He graduated from Florida State Fire College in March 2001 and began his career at Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue. Brian served his community for over 20 years, working tirelessly to achieve the ranks of fire medic, lieutenant, and captain.
Following his cancer diagnosis, Captain Wolnewitz made it his priority to raise awareness about the countless risks firefighters face daily while in the line of duty, including the inhalation and absorption of toxins. He participated in and contributed to several cancer research trials around the country to help others in the future.
Friends remember him as an exceptional leader. His softspoken and gentle tone commanded an audience. He was smart as a whip, loyal, kind, selfless, courageous, and truly one of a kind.
Captain Wolnewitz is survived by his wife, Julie, daughter Emma, twins Presley and Cooper, and son Harper.
VALPO MEN’S BASKETBALL
VALPO PULLS OUT HEART-POUNDING ROAD WIN AT MISSOURI STATE
For the third consecutive road game, the Valparaiso University men’s basketball team played an instant classic, following up the ecstasy of the Western Michigan comeback and the heartbreak of the Bradley double overtime defeat with a 73-72 victory over Missouri State at Great Southern Bank in Springfield, Mo. that was up for grabs until the final horn sounded. The Beacons – who received 22 points from Cooper Schwieger and 14 from freshman All Wright in his return to the state where he spent most of his youth – snapped a nine-game head-to-head losing streak against the Bears.
How It Happened
Missouri State scored the game’s first five points after a pair of early turnovers from the Beacons, but Valpo responded with a 10-0 run, making its first six shots of the game.
Missouri State clawed back with a flurry of offensive rebounds, grabbing six offensive boards to Valpo’s one defensive rebound in the early going. Valpo missed four straight shots, and the Bears took a 15-14 lead.
The game seesawed back and forth with Devon Ellis providing a key lift during a stretch where Schwieger was out with foul trouble. Ellis tallied seven points and five rebounds in the first half.
The Bears built up a six-point lead at 32-26 with 2:33 to play in the half, matching their largest of the game. A second-chance basket by Schwieger cut the lead to four, then Schwieger hit another key shot to whittle the gap to two. A take to the basket by Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro cut it back to two at 34-32, then Tyler Schmidt swished a 3 just before the halftime horn to put Valpo in front 35-34, giving the Beacons their first lead since the 11:25 mark.
A 7-0 run early in the second half helped Valpo expand a one-point edge to eight at 46-38 with 15:54 to play. That stretch saw the Beacons repeatedly take it to the basket, finishing a few looks close to the rim and drawing several fouls.
Schwieger hit a 3 with 12:43 left in the half to give Valpo its first double-figure lead at 57-47. The lead was eight after a bucket by Kaspar Sepp – who was playing despite being under the weather – with 8:20 remaining. Schmidt had another basket at 7:16 that lifted it back to eight, but a 5-0 Bear burst ensued to cut the lead to three at 67-64 with 6:20 on the clock.
The lead shrunk to two when Vincent Brady hit a triple to continue his big second half, cutting it to 73-71 with 2:11 to go. After that basket, neither team made a field goal for the duration of the game.
Missouri State missed a potential go-ahead 3 in the closing seconds, then on a tap out the Bears efforted another 3-point attempt, that spun around the rim and out, but a foul was whistled to send Missouri State’s Zaxton King to the line for three shots as the officials put 0.9 seconds on the clock. King missed the first, made the second and – after being iced by a Roger Powell timeout – missed the final free throw to allow the Beacons to escape.
Inside the Game
Valpo ended a nine-game head-to-head losing streak to Missouri State, beating the Bears for the first time since the 2020 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinal.
Schwieger battled foul trouble throughout the contest, limiting his run to 20 minutes, but still posted 22 points, his third straight game with 20+ points and fourth straight with at least 19 points. He shot 8-of-14 from the field and 4-of-4 at the line in the win over the Bears.
Wright played near the town where he spent the bulk of his youth – Joplin, Mo. – and had 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting. This marked his fifth time in the last six games in double figures.
Schmidt also scored 14 points, his eighth double-figure game of the season and his highest scoring output in the last six contests.
De La Cruz Monegro turned in 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, his sixth straight game in double figures, his 12th double-figure outing of the year and his 14th time in as many games scoring at least nine points this year.
Ellis finished with seven points and a team-high six rebounds.
Valpo shot 52.8 percent from the field, while Missouri State shot 58 percent. Valpo held a 14-8 edge in the turnover battle.
Up Next
Valpo (8-6, 1-2 MVC) will return home to host UNI on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Athletics-Recreation Center. It’s the Carnival Game at the ARC featuring free cotton candy for kids, a pregame stilt walker and balloon artist and a halftime magician. Visit tickets.valpoathletics.com to purchase tickets.
INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
“SPORTS EXTRA”
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
14 – 22 – 3 – 81
January 2, 1943 – University of Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team begins 129 home game winning streak that only ends in 1955. This run also includes NCAA Men’s basketball titles in 1948, 1949 and 1951
January 2, 1983 – In a 35-27 win over the Houston Oilers, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Number 14, Ken Anderson completed 20 consecutive passes and finishes the season winning his second consecutive passing title with an NFL record 70.55% completion percentage
January 2, 1986 – New York Islanders future Hall of Fame right wing Number 22, Mike Bossy scored his 499th and 500th career goals in the final 2:22 to lift the New York to a 7-5 victory over the Boston Bruins. Bossy was the 11th player in NHL history to score 500 career goals.
January 2, 2012 – 41st Fiesta Bowl: The #3 Oklahoma State Cowboys defeated the #4 Stanford Cardinal, 41-38 in Over Time. Cowboys Quarterback Number 3, Brandon Weeden Connected on three touchdown passes with Wide Receiver Number 81, Justin Blackmon to aid OSU to victory. The scoring strikes were from 43-yards, 67-yards and 17-yards out for the duo. With the win Oklahoma State finished 3rd in the BCS polls.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
January 2, 1922 -Tournament Park, Pasadena, California -The 8th Rose Bowl game had a small college from Pennsylvania, Washington and Jefferson against the University of California. The WashJeff.edu internet page shares an interesting tale of the game. The Golden Bears were the top team on the West Coast and W&J were undefeated in 1921 and the best team on the East side of the nation. The Bears though were a heavy favorite, 14 points was the reported spread on the contest as W&J with a mere 450 students was the smallest school to ever participate in a Rose Bowl game. It is an interesting billing right there with the best of the East versus West theme but the story of the Presidents trek to Pasadena is where we want to dive into. During the undefeated season of W&J football their roster of 17 young men showed that only 11 of them participated on game days. Yes it is hard for us to fathom in this era of gridiron platooning and specialists but the Presidents had 11 fellas that just stayed on the field and balled out on every snap. The coach of this western PA group was the legendary Greasy Neale who was both a great player and coach not only on the gridiron but on the baseball diamond too. From a football perspective Greasy would go on to lead the Philadelphia Eagles teams of the 1940’s from the sidelines. The football budget for Washington and Jefferson in 1921 was extremely tight, in fact they only had enough dough to send 11 players to the Rose Bowl. The athletic administrator of the school himself reportedly had to mortgage his home to be able to attend the game. A major issue would occur on the team’s cross country travel, one of the eleven players on the trip C.L. Spillers contracted pneumonia and had to be left in Kansas City. W&J now faced the threat of not having enough players to field a full squad in the Bowl game! Author E. Lee North’s narrative titled, “Battling the Indians, Panthers, and Nittany Lions … The Story of Washington & Jefferson College’s First Century of Football, 1890-1990,” says that one of the reserve players Bucky Buchanan had stowed away on the train and that he was given Spiller’s ticket when it was found that he could not continue on the journey. Another story from the December 28, 1921 New York Tribune says that the team wired home to have another reserve, Al Haddon sent to take Spiller’s place. The evidence of Buchanan being in the Pasadena team photos and not Haddon gives some credence to the stowe away story, plus it makes the whole thing more legendary and nostalgic. Any way the Presidents made it to Pasadena and fielded eleven to play in what would be the final game at Tournament Park. W&J ‘s Quarterback Charles West gave the game another breakthrough moment as he became the first signal caller of African-American descent to play in the Grand Daddy of them All. The game was a defensive battle throughout. Cal’s offense could muster only 49 yards on the ground and did not complete even one pass! The Presidents did not fare much better as their 114 yards rushing was about it for offense stats. In the end Washington & Jefferson and Cal tied, 0-0 in the only scoreless Rose Bowl game ever. W&J’s team captain Russ Stein, was voted as the game’s Most Outstanding Player and he went on to play for the NFL and was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1991.
5 Quick Gridiron Headlines from OnthisDay.com
January 2, 1928 – It was a close one in the 14th Rose Bowl when the Stanford Cardinal outlasted the Pittsburgh Panthers by the score of 7-6.
January 2, 1956 – Sugar Bowl – Pitt’s Bobby Grier was a racial trailblazer as he became the first African American player, to break the color barrier in the segregated Deep South.
January 2, 1956 – The 22nd Orange Bowl was a battle of highly ranked teams. In the contest the #1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners got past the #3 Maryland Terrapins 20-6.
January 2, 1961 – Rose Bowl , Pasadena, California – In a slight upset the #6 Washington Huskies knocked off the top ranked team in the country, the Golden Gophers of Minnesota, 17-7.
January 2, 1965 – The New York Jets signed future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath to a record contract in professional football. It sounds small by today’s standards but Namath and the Jets agreed to a $427,000 contract over three years.
January 2, 1966 – Lambeau Field, Green Bay – The Cleveland Browns made their way to Wisconsin to battle the Packers in the final National Football League Championship Game before the Super Bowls started. This 1965 NFL Championship game was the first League title game broadcast in televised color. The teams exchanged passing TDs in the first quarter according to the boxscore on the Pro-Football-Reference website. The Browns could only muster two Lou Groza field goals the rest of the game while the Pack added a Paul Hornung touchdown run and three Don Chandler 3 pointers to steal the title. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Cleveland Browns 23-12 in this last championship game of the Pre Super Bowl Era of Pro football.
January 2, 1972 – Miami’s Orange Bowl – The 1971 AFC Championship game matched the Baltimore Colts up against the Miami Dolphins per Pro-Football-Reference.com. The Dolphins showed the League a little of what was to come as they beat Baltimore Colts, 21-0 as Paul Warfield and Larry Csonka scored offensive TDs for the Fins while defender Dick Anderson added a 62 yard pick six for good measure.
Some Great Onthisday.com Quick hitter headlines
January 2, 1982 – “The Epic in Miami”, in 85 degree heat (Fahrenheit), the San Diego Chargers defeat the Miami Dolphins 41-38 in overtime in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game, a game that set numerous playoff scoring records
January 2, 1983 – In a 35-27 win over the Houston Oilers, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson completes 20 consecutive passes and finishes the season winning his second consecutive passing title with an NFL record 70.55% completion percentage
January 2, 1984 – 50th Orange Bowl: #5 Miami (FL) beats #1 Nebraska, 31-30
January 2, 1987 – 16th Fiesta Bowl: #2 Penn State beats #1 Miami, 14-10
January 2, 1989 – 18th Fiesta Bowl: #1 Notre Dame beats #3 West Virginia, 34-21 for the national title
January 2, 2012 – A very exciting and high scoring Fiesta Bowl was witnessed. As two top 5 teams squared off with #3 Oklahoma State matched up against #4 Stanford as covered by an ESPN.com article. Ok State signal caller Brandon Weeden threw for 399 yards and 3 touchdowns matched his stats against Cardinal Andrew Luck who tossed for 2 TDs and 347 yards himself. The contest lived up to its billing as the Cowboys prevailed in overtime over the Cardinal 41-38.
HOF Birthdays
January 2, 1912 – Canton, Illinois – Illinois Wesleyan’s great Tackle, Tony Blazine arrived into the world. The NFF tells of how Tony was a four year letterman at his school as they had a winning record in an era when they faced teams like Michigan State,Depaul and Kentucky. Tony Blazine was accepted posthumously into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002. Blazine played 8 seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Cardinals and the New York Giants. He then served as assistant coach at the University of Illinois and the University of Washington.
January 2, 1927 – Smithers, West Virginia – The standout defensive end from the University of San Francisco Gino Marchetti was born. According to the Pro Football HOF site Marchetti was the New York Yanks number 2 pick in the 1952 Draft. The Yanks soon after became the Dallas Texans for a season and then turned into the Baltimore Colts. He was a feared defender as he went to 11 straight Pro Bowls and was an All-NFL selection in an unbelievable nine different seasons of his 14 year NFL career! Gino was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972.
January 2, 1930 -Cumberland, Maryland – Bobby Williams the fine quarterback from the University of Notre Dame was born. Williams as a nineteen year old according to the NFF quarterbacked the 1949 Notre Dame team to ten straight victories with a 56 percent completion rate and the national championship. Bobby’s best performance of the magical 1949 season came against Michigan State when he had a 50 yard punt that went out of bounds at the four, and ran 40 yards for a touchdown on a bootleg and went 13 of 16 on some timely passing! Bob Williams was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame by Football Foundation voters in 1988.
January 2, 1959 – Sacramento, California – Stanford running back Darrin Nelson celebrates his day of birth. Darrin was a trend setter in college football as he became the first player in NCAA history to rush for more than 1,000 yards and catch more than 50 passes in one season per the NFF’s bio on him. Darrin Nelson didn’t just do this one time though, he would accomplish the feat three times during his standout career as a Cardinal! Nelson would finish his collegiate career as the NCAA leader for all-purpose yards, which remains a school record at 6,885. There was little doubt when the National Football Foundation selected Darrin Nelson into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
January 2, 1964 – Boston, Mass. – Plymouth State University’s great halfback Joe Dudek arrived on the scene. Plymouth State may be only a Division III school but in 1985 Dudek gave them national attention according to the footballfoundation.org website story on Joe when his face was smack dab on the cover of the December 2, 1985 Sports Illustrated Magazine! Joe’s impact on college football was pretty big as he received the highest vote ranking for a Division III player in Heisman history when he was ninth in 1985. Dudek in his college career earned the Division III All-America honor three times as he rushed and gained 5570 career yards for an average of 7.1 per play and scored 79 touchdowns. Joe Dudek made his grand entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
Jan. 2
1961 — George Blanda passes for three touchdowns and kicks a field goal and the extra points to give the Houston Oilers a 24-16 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in the first American Football League championship game.
1965 — The New York Jets sign Alabama quarterback Joe Namath for a reported $400,000, the most lucrative rookie contract in football history.
1966 — Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung gain 201 yards on four inches of snow at Lambeau Field to lead the Green Bay Packers to a 23-12 victory over the Cleveland Browns and their third championship in five years.
1977 — Atlanta Braves’ owner Ted Turner is suspended one year by Major League Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn for tampering in the free-agent signing of Gary Matthews.
1982 — Rolf Benirschke’s 29-yard field goal at 13:52 of overtime ends one of the wildest and highest-scoring playoff games as the San Diego Chargers beat the Miami Dolphins 41-38. San Diego’s Dan Fouts completes 33 of 53 passes for 433 yards and three TDs. Miami quarterback Don Strock completes 29 of 43 passes for 403 yards and four TDs.
1984 — Miami defeats Nebraska 31-30 in the Orange Bowl to win the national championship.
1985 — Nevada-Las Vegas beats Utah State 142-140 in triple overtime as both teams set an NCAA record for total points. The Runnin’ Rebels score a record 93 points in the second half, and coach Jerry Tarkanian gets his 600th victory.
1986 — Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders becomes the 11th NHL player to score 500 goals. Bossy scores No. 500 on an empty netter with 17 seconds remaining to clinch a 7-5 victory against the Boston Bruins at Nassau Coliseum. Bossy reaches the milestone in 647 games, fewer than anyone in NHL history at that time.
1987 — No. 2 Penn State beats No. 1 Miami 14-10 in the Fiesta Bowl for the national championship.
1989 — Notre Dame beats West Virginia 34-21 in the Fiesta Bowl to finish the season at 12-0. The Irish are named national champion in the polls.
1996 — No. 1 Nebraska demolishes No. 2 Florida 62-24 in the Fiesta Bowl, making them the first repeat champions in 16 years.
2001 — Jose Theodore becomes the sixth NHL goalie to score a goal in a regular-season game and stops 32 shots as Montreal blanks the New York Islanders 3-0.
2002 — Carolina’s Ron Francis becomes the fifth player in NHL history to record 500 goals and 1,000 assists when he scores in the Hurricanes’ 6-3 loss to Boston.
2009 — Utah finishes 13-0 with a convincing 31-17 win over No. 4 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. The Utes are the first team from a non-BCS conference to win two BCS bowls.2009 — Doug Weight has a pair of assists for the New York Islanders in a 5-4 loss to Phoenix to become the eighth American-born player to reach the 1,000-point mark.
2011 — Seattle becomes the first sub-.500 division champ in league history with a 16-6 win over St. Louis. The Seahawks finish as champs of the NFC West at 7-9, the first playoff team with a losing record — sans the 1982 strike-shortened season — since the merger in 1970.
2018 — Marc-Andre Fleury stops 29 shots in his second shutout of the season, leading Vegas past Nashville 3-0. Vegas wins its eighth straight and earns at least one point in 13 consecutive games, both NHL records for a first-year team.
2019 — United States international Christian Pulisic becomes the most expensive American soccer player when he moves from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea for £57.6M ($73M); remains at Dortmund on loan until the end of the season.
2023 — Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapses in cardiac arrest and is revived by CPR on the field in televised NFL game against the Bengals in Cincinnati.
TV SPORTS THURSDAY
| NBA REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Denver Nuggets vs Cleveland Cavaliers | 7:00pm | NBATV ALT2 FanDuel Sports Ohio |
| Dallas Mavericks vs Washington Wizards | 7:00pm | KMPX MNMT |
| Charlotte Hornets vs New York Knicks | 7:30pm | FanDuel Sports South MSG |
| Oklahoma City Thunder vs Toronto Raptors | 7:30pm | FanDuel Sports Oklahoma Sportsnet |
| Sacramento Kings vs Memphis Grizzlies | 8:00pm | NBCS-CA FanDuel Sports Southeast |
| Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans | 8:00pm | AFSportsnet GCSN |
| Chicago Bulls vs San Antonio Spurs | 8:00pm | CHSN FanDuel Sports Southwest |
| Houston Rockets vs Golden State Warriors | 10:00pm | NBATV SCHN NBCS-BAY |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Detroit Red Wings vs Columbus Blue Jackets | 7:00pm | ESPN+ FanDuel Sports Detroit FanDuel Sports Ohio |
| Minnesota Wild vs Washington Capitals | 7:00pm | ESPN+ FanDuel Sports North MNMT |
| Boston Bruins vs New York Rangers | 7:00pm | ESPN+ NESN MSG Sportsnet |
| Carolina Hurricanes vs Florida Panthers | 7:00pm | ESPN+ FanDuel South Scripps |
| Toronto Maple Leafs vs New York Islanders | 7:30pm | ESPN+ HULU Sportsnet |
| Anaheim Ducks vs Winnipeg Jets | 8:00pm | ESPN+ Victory+ Sportsnet |
| Ottawa Senators vs Dallas Stars | 8:00pm | ESPN+ Sportsnet Victory+ |
| Utah Hockey Club vs Calgary Flames | 9:00pm | ESPN+ Utah16 Sportsnet |
| Buffalo Sabres vs Colorado Avalanche | 9:00pm | ESPN+ MSG-BUF ALT |
| Vancouver Canucks vs Seattle Kraken | 10:00pm | ESPN+ Sportsnet KONG |
| Philadelphia Flyers vs Vegas Golden Knights | 10:00pm | ESPN+ NBCS-PHI+ Scripps Sporstnet |
| Tampa Bay Lightning vs San Jose Sharks | 10:30pm | ESPN+ FanDuel Sports Sun NBCS-CA |
| COLLEGE FOOTBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: Duke vs. Ole Miss | 7:30pm | ESPN |
| MEN’S NCAA BASKETBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Gardner-Webb at Charleston Southern | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Longwood at Presbyterian | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Austin Peay at North Florida | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| USC Upstate at Winthrop | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Loyola Maryland at Holy Cross | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Troy at App State | 6:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Memphis at Florida Atlantic | 7:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Radford at High Point | 7:00pm | ESPNU |
| WKU at Liberty | 7:00pm | CBSSN |
| Stony Brook at Monmouth | 7:00pm | SNY |
| William & Mary at Hofstra | 7:00pm | MSG2 |
| Boston University at Lafayette | 7:00pm | Lafayette Sports |
| Towson at UNCW | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Northwestern at Penn State | 7:00pm | Peacock |
| Middle Tennessee at FIU | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Stetson at Queens | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Bellarmine at North Alabama | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| FGCU at West Georgia | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Lipscomb at Jacksonville | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Green Bay at Wright State | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Milwaukee at Oakland | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Robert Morris at Detroit Mercy | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Bucknell at Lehigh | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| American at Navy | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Army West Point at Colgate | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Arkansas State at Old Dominion | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| ULM at Georgia Southern | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Louisiana at Coastal Carolina | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| South Alabama at Georgia State | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Southern Miss at James Madison | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Texas State at Marshall | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Hampton at Charleston | 7:00pm | FloSports |
| Delaware at Northeastern | 7:00pm | FloSports |
| Drexel at Campbell | 7:00pm | FloSports |
| Elon at North Carolina A&T | 7:00pm | FloSports |
| Purdue at Minnesota | 8:00pm | FS1 |
| Omaha at North Dakota | 8:00pm | MidCo Sports |
| St. Thomas at North Dakota State | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Illinois State at Murray State | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UC Irvine at Cal Poly | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Weber State at Northern Colorado | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Idaho State at Northern Arizona | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| South Dakota at Kansas City | 8:00pm | Summit |
| Rutgers at Indiana | 8:30pm | Peacock |
| Eastern Kentucky at Central Arkansas | 8:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Little Rock at UT Martin | 8:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Southern Indiana at Tennessee Tech | 8:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Southeast Missouri at Tennessee State | 8:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Lindenwood at Eastern Illinois | 8:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Western Illinois at SIUE | 9:00pm | ESPNU |
| Denver at South Dakota State | 9:00pm | CBSSN |
| Portland vs. Gonzaga | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Louisiana Tech at UTEP | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Sam Houston at NM State | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Montana at Eastern Washington | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Montana State at Idaho | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Maryland at Washington | 9:30pm | BTN |
| UC Davis at CSU Bakersfield | 9:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Illinois at Oregon | 10:00pm | FS1 |
| UC Riverside at Long Beach State | 10:00pm | ESPN+ |
| CSUN at Cal State Fullerton | 10:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Oregon State at Loyola Marymount | 10:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Pepperdine at Saint Mary’s | 10:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Santa Clara at San Diego | 10:00pm | ESPN+ |
| San Francisco at Pacific | 10:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UC Santa Barbara at Hawai’i | 11:59pm | Spectrum |
| WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Florida St. at Virginia Tech | 6:00pm | ACCN |
| Stanford at SMU | 8:00pm | ACCN |
| Texas at Oklahoma | 9:00pm | ACCN |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| PGA Tour: The Sentry | 6:00pm | GOLF |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| Scottish Premiership: Rangers vs Celtic | 10:00am | CBSSN Paramount+ |
| Scottish Premiership: Dundee vs Dundee United | 12:30pm | CBSSN Paramount+ |
| TENNIS | TIME ET | TV |
| United Cup | 6:00am | TENNIS |
| United Cup | 5:30pm | TENNIS |