“THE SCOREBOARD”
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL
HOMESTEAD.COM
| EAST NOBLE | 60 | WEST NOBLE | 53 | OT |
| HIGHLAND | 62 | ILLIANA CHRISTIAN | 59 | |
| WEST CENTRAL | 71 | FAITH CHRISTIAN | 58 |
USA TODAY BOYS BASKETBALL POLLS
CLASS 4A
1.FISHERS (14)
2.LAWRENCE NORTH
3.GREENFIELD-CENTRAL
4.NOBLESVILLE
5.PIKE
6.WARSAW
7.JEFFERSONVILLE
8.NORTHRIDGE
9.CROWN POINT
10.CARMEL
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: ANDERSON 16, KOKOMO 14, BEN DAVIS 11, WESTFIELD 6, NEW ALBANY 5, FW WAYNE 2, SB RILEY 2.
Class 3A
1. SB ST. JOSEPH (6)
2. IND. ATTUCKS (7)
3. CATHEDRAL (1)
4. GUERIN CATHOLIC
5. SOUTHRIDGE
6. NEW PALESTINE
7. (TIE) FW BLACKHAWK
7. (TIE) NORTHWOOD
9. PRINCETON
10. SB WASHINGTON
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: SILVER CREEK 21, BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 12, BREBEUF 8
CLASS 2A
1.WAPAHANI (11)
2.PARKE HERITAGE (2)
3.FW LUERS (1)
4.GARY 21ST CENTURY
5.PROVIDENCE
6.JIMTOWN
7.FOREST PARK
8.MANCHESTER
9.LINTON-STOCKTON
10.LAPEL
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: TIPTON 13, TAYLOR 11, SHENENDOAH 7, WESTVIEW 4, SOUTHWESTERN (JEFFERSON) 4, SULLIVAN 2, IND. RITTER 1, SOUTH RIPLEY 1.
CLASS A
1.ORLEANS (13)
2.LIBERTY CHRISTIAN
3.IND. LUTHERAN
4.CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
5.BARR-REEVE
6.MARQUETTE CATHOLIC
7.CLAY CITY (1)
8.NORTHEAST DUBOIS
9.BLOOMFIELD
10.FW CANTERBURY
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: CARROLL (FLORA) 19, KOUTS 19, SOUTHWOOD 11, NORTH DAVIESS 11, ROSSVILLE 8, LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 7, TRITON 7, WEST CENTRAL 6, BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 3, WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP 1, IND. TINDLEY 1, IND. METROPOLITAN 1.
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL
HOMESTEAD.COM
| ALEXANDRIA | 90 | WES-DEL | 13 | |
| ATTICA | 49 | SOUTH NEWTON | 19 | |
| CASCADE | 73 | WESTERN BOONE | 38 | |
| CLINTON PRAIRIE | 51 | TAYLOR | 23 | |
| CROWN POINT | 60 | HOBART | 24 | |
| FISHERS | 48 | PENDLETON HEIGHTS | 47 | |
| FOUNTAIN CENTRAL | 34 | SOUTHMONT | 29 | |
| GRIFFITH | 54 | CALUMET | 22 | |
| INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN | 48 | CENTRAL CHRISTIAN | 22 | |
| INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON | 43 | PURDUE POLY NORTH | 13 | |
| MARQUETTE CATHOLIC | 71 | VICTORY CHRISTIAN | 13 | |
| MONROE CENTRAL | 62 | SOUTH ADAMS | 23 | |
| MORGAN TWP. | 38 | HANOVER CENTRAL | 31 | |
| MUNSTER | 57 | ILLIANA CHRISTIAN | 21 | |
| NORTH POSEY | 54 | EVANSVILLE REITZ | 51 | |
| SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH | 57 | KNOX | 35 | |
| TIPPECANOE VALLEY | 58 | WESTERN | 37 | |
| TRI-COUNTY | 40 | DEMOTTE CHRISTIAN | 28 | |
| WARREN CENTRAL | 65 | ANDERSON | 36 | |
| WOOD MEMORIAL | 63 | EVANSVILLE BOSSE | 28 |
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING RESULTS
DUAL RESULTS: HTTPS://INDIANAMAT.COM/INDEX.PHP?/DUALRESULTS.HTML/BOYS-DUAL-RESULTS/
TOURNAMENT RESULTS: HTTPS://INDIANAMAT.COM/INDEX.PHP?/CURTOURNAMENTRESULTS.HTML/
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
TUESDAY, DEC. 17
NO. 25 MEMPHIS VS. WEST VIRGINIA (FRISCO BOWL) | 9 P.M. | ESPN
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 18
JAMES MADISON VS. WESTERN KENTUCKY (BOCA RATON BOWL) | 5:30 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 24 UNLV VS. CAL (LA BOWL) | 9 P.M. | ESPN
THURSDAY, DEC. 19
SAM HOUSTON VS. GEORGIA SOUTHERN (NEW ORLEANS BOWL) | 7 P.M. | ESPN2
FRIDAY, DEC. 20
OHIO VS. JACKSONVILLE STATE (CURE BOWL) | 12 P.M. | ESPN
FLORIDA VS. TULANE (GASPARILLA BOWL) | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 8 INDIANA AT NO. 5 NOTRE DAME (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF FIRST ROUND) | 8 P.M. | ABC/ESPN
SATURDAY, DEC. 21
NO. 10 SMU AT NO. 4 PENN STATE (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF FIRST ROUND) | 12 P.M. | TNT/MAX
NORTH DAKOTA STATE VS. SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (FCS SEMIFINALS) | 12 P.M. | ABC
VALDOSTA STATE VS. FERRIS STATE (DII CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN MCKINNEY, TEXAS) | 2 P.M. | ESPN2
MONTANA STATE VS. SOUTH DAKOTA (FCS SEMIFINALS) | 3:30 P.M. | ABC
NO. 16 CLEMSON AT NO. 3 TEXAS (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF FIRST ROUND) | 4 P.M. | TNT/MAX
NO. 7 TENNESSEE AT NO. 6 OHIO STATE (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF FIRST ROUND) | 8 P.M. | ABC/ESPN
NORTH CENTRAL (IL) VS. SUSQUEHANNA (DIII SEMIFINALS) | TBA | ESPN+
MOUNT UNION VS. JOHNS HOPKINS (DIII SEMIFINALS) | TBA | ESPN+
MONDAY, DEC. 23
COASTAL CAROLINA VS. UTSA (MYRTLE BEACH BOWL) | 11 A.M. | ESPN
NORTHERN ILLINOIS VS. FRESNO STATE (FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL) | 2:30 P.M. | ESPN
TUESDAY, DEC. 24
SOUTH FLORIDA VS. SAN JOSE STATE (HAWAI’I BOWL) | 8 P.M. | ESPN
THURSDAY, DEC. 26
PITT VS. TOLEDO (GAMEABOVE SPORTS BOWL) | 2 P.M. | ESPN
RUTGERS VS. KANSAS STATE (RATE BOWL) | 5:30 P.M. | ESPN
ARKANSAS STATE VS. BOWLING GREEN (68 VENTURES BOWL) | 9 P.M. | ESPN
FRIDAY, DEC. 27
NAVY VS. OKLAHOMA (ARMED FORCES BOWL) | 12 P.M. | ESPN
GEORGIA TECH VS. VANDERBILT (BIRMINGHAM BOWL) | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN
ARKANSAS VS. TEXAS TECH (LIBERTY BOWL) | 7 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 21 SYRACUSE VS. WASHINGTON STATE (HOLIDAY BOWL) | 8 P.M. | FOX
USC VS. TEXAS A&M (LAS VEGAS BOWL) | 10:30 P.M. | ESPN
SATURDAY, DEC. 28
UCONN VS. NORTH CAROLINA (FENWAY BOWL) | 11 A.M. | ESPN
BOSTON COLLEGE VS. NEBRASKA (PINSTRIPE BOWL) | 12 P.M. | ABC
TCU VS. LOUISIANA (NEW MEXICO BOWL) | 2:15 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 13 MIAMI (FLA.) VS. NO. 18 IOWA STATE (POP-TARTS BOWL) | 3:30 P.M. | ABC
COLORADO STATE VS. MIAMI (OHIO) (ARIZONA BOWL) | 4:30 P.M. | CW NETWORK
NC STATE VS. EAST CAROLINA (MILITARY BOWL) | 5:45 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 17 BYU VS. NO. 23 COLORADO (ALAMO BOWL) | 7:30 P.M. | ABC
NO. 22 ARMY VS. LOUISIANA TECH (INDEPENDENCE BOWL) | 9:15 P.M. | ESPN
MONDAY, DEC. 30
NO. 19 MISSOURI VS. IOWA (MUSIC CITY BOWL) | 2:30 P.M. | ESPN
TUESDAY, DEC. 31
NO. 11 ALABAMA VS. MICHIGAN (RELIAQUEST BOWL) | 12 P.M. | ESPN
LOUISVILLE VS. WASHINGTON (SUN BOWL) | 2 P.M. | CBS
NO. 15 SOUTH CAROLINA VS. NO. 20 ILLINOIS (CITRUS BOWL) | 3 P.M. | ABC
LSU VS. BAYLOR (TEXAS BOWL) | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 9 BOISE STATE VS. TBD (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF QUARTERFINALS — FIESTA BOWL) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 1
NO. 12 ARIZONA STATE VS. TBD (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF QUARTERFINALS — PEACH BOWL) | 1 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 1 OREGON VS. TBD (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF QUARTERFINALS — ROSE BOWL) | 5 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 2 GEORGIA VS. TBD (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF QUARTERFINALS — SUGAR BOWL) | 8:45 P.M. | ESPN
THURSDAY, JAN. 2
NO. 14 OLE MISS VS. DUKE (GATOR BOWL) | 7:30 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
TBD VS. TBD (DIII STAGG BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN HOUSTON, TEXAS) | TBA | ESPN
MONDAY, JAN. 6
TBD VS. TBD (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
COLLEGE FOOTBALL ALL-AMERICAN TEAMS
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
WIDE RECEIVERS — NICK NASH, SAN JOSE STATE, SENIOR, 6-3, 195, IRVINE, CALIFORNIA; TETAIROA MCMILLAN, ARIZONA, JUNIOR, 6-5, 212, WAIMANALO, HAWAII; XAVIER RESTREPO, MIAMI, SENIOR, 5-10, 198, COCONUT CREEK, FLORIDA.
TACKLES — KELVIN BANKS, TEXAS, JUNIOR, 6-3, 320, HUMBLE, TEXAS; WILL CAMPBELL, LSU, JUNIOR, 6-6, 323, MONROE, LOUISIANA.
GUARDS — ADDISON WEST, WESTERN MICHIGAN, SENIOR, 6-3, 305, CARY, ILLINOIS; WILLIE LAMPKIN, NORTH CAROLINA, SENIOR, 5-11, 290, LAKELAND, FLORIDA.
CENTER — JAKE SLAUGHTER, FLORIDA, JUNIOR, 6-5, 308, SPARR FLORIDA.
TIGHT END — HAROLD FANNIN JR., BOWLING GREEN, JUNIOR, 6-4, 230, CANTON, OHIO.
QUARTERBACK — CAM WARD, MIAMI, SENIOR, 6-2, 223, WEST COLUMBIA, TEXAS.
RUNNING BACKS — U-ASHTON JEANTY, BOISE STATE, JUNIOR, 5-9, 215, JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA; CAM SKATTEBO, ARIZONA STATE, SENIOR, 5-11, 215, RIO LINDA, CALIFORNIA.
KICKER — KENNETH ALMENDARES, LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE, SENIOR, 6-2, 252, CLUTE, TEXAS.
ALL-PURPOSE — TRAVIS HUNTER, COLORADO, JUNIOR, 6-1, 185, SUWANEE, GEORGIA.
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
EDGE RUSHERS — ABDUL CARTER, PENN STATE, JUNIOR, 6-3, 252, PHILADELPHIA; DONOVAN EZEIRUAKU, BOSTON COLLEGE, SENIOR, 6-2, 247, WILLIAMSTOWN, NEW JERSEY.
INTERIOR LINEMEN — MASON GRAHAM, MICHIGAN, JUNIOR, 6-3, 320, MISSION VIEJO, CALIFORNIA; WALTER NOLEN, MISSISSIPPI, JUNIOR, 6-3, 305, POWELL, TENNESSEE.
LINEBACKERS — JAY HIGGINS, IOWA, SENIOR, 6-2, 232, INDIANAPOLIS; SHAUN DOLAC, BUFFALO, GRADUATE, 6-1, 225, WEST SENECA, NEW YORK; CARSON SCHWESINGER, UCLA, JUNIOR, 6-2, 225, MOORPARK, CALIFORNIA.
CORNERBACKS — JAHDAE BARRON, TEXAS, SENIOR, 5-11, 200, AUSTIN, TEXAS; TRAVIS HUNTER, COLORADO, JUNIOR, 6-1, 185, SUWANEE, GEORGIA.
SAFETIES — XAVIER WATTS, NOTRE DAME, GRADUATE, 6-0, 203, OMAHA, NEBRASKA; CALEB DOWNS, OHIO STATE, SOPHOMORE, 6-0, 205, HOSCHTON, GEORGIA.
DEFENSIVE BACK — NICK EMMANWORI, SOUTH CAROLINA, JUNIOR, 6-3, 227, IRMO, SOUTH CAROLINA.
PUNTER — ALEX MASTROMANNO, FLORIDA STATE, SENIOR, 6-1, 241, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
WIDE RECEIVERS — TRAVIS HUNTER, COLORADO, JUNIOR, 6-1, 185, SUWANEE, GEORGIA; TRE HARRIS, MISSISSIPPI, SENIOR, 6-3, 210, LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA; JEREMIAH SMITH, OHIO STATE, FRESHMAN, 6-3, 215, MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA.
TACKLES — SPENCER FANO, UTAH, SOPHOMORE, 6-5, 304, SPANISH FORK, UTAH; WYATT MILUM, WEST VIRGINIA, SENIOR, 6-6, 317, KENOVA, WEST VIRGINIA.
GUARDS — TYLER BOOKER, ALABAMA, JUNIOR, 6-5, 325, NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT; DONOVAN JACKSON, OHIO STATE, SENIOR, 6-4, 320, CYPRESS, TEXAS, AND DYLAN FAIRCHILD, GEORGIA, JUNIOR, 6-5, 315, CUMMING, GEORGIA.
CENTER — SETH MCLAUGHLIN, OHIO STATE, GRADUATE, 6-4, 305, BUFORD, GEORGIA.
TIGHT END — TYLER WARREN, PENN STATE, SENIOR, 6-6, 261, MECHANICSVILLE, VIRGINIA.
QUARTERBACK — SHEDEUR SANDERS, COLORADO, SENIOR, 6-2, 215, DALLAS.
RUNNING BACKS — OMARION HAMPTON, NORTH CAROLINA, JUNIOR, 6-0, 220, CLAYTON, NORTH CAROLINA; KALEB JOHNSON, IOWA, JUNIOR, 6-0, 225, HAMILTON, OHIO.
KICKER — DOMINIC ZVADA, MICHIGAN, JUNIOR 6-3, 180, CHANDLER, ARIZONA, AND ALEX RAYNOR, KENTUCKY, SENIOR, 6-0, 185, KENNESAW, GEORGIA.
ALL-PURPOSE — DESMOND REID, PITTSBURGH, JUNIOR, 5-8, 175, MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA.
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
EDGE RUSHERS — KYLE KENNARD, SOUTH CAROLINA, SENIOR, 6-5, 254, ATLANTA; MIKE GREEN, MARSHALL, SOPHOMORE, 6-4, 238, WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA.
INTERIOR LINEMEN — DERRICK HARMON, OREGON, JUNIOR, 6-5, 310, DETROIT; ALFRED COLLINS, TEXAS, SENIOR, 6-5, 320, BASTROP, TEXAS.
LINEBACKERS — ANTHONY HILL JR., TEXAS, SOPHOMORE, 6-3, 235, DENTON, TEXAS; DANNY STUTSMAN, OKLAHOMA, SENIOR, 6-4, 243, WINDERMERE, FLORIDA; KYLE LOUIS, PITTSBURGH, SOPHOMORE, 6-0, 225, EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.
CORNERBACKS — NOHL WILLIAMS, CALIFORNIA, SENIOR, 6-1, 200, OXNARD, CALIFORNIA; JERMOD MCCOY, TENNESSEE, SOPHOMORE, 6-0, 193, WHITEHOUSE, TEXAS.
SAFETIES — MALAKI STARKS, GEORGIA, JUNIOR, 6-1, 205, JEFFERSON, GEORGIA; MALACHI MOORE, ALABAMA, GRADUATE, 6-0, 201, TRUSSVILLE, ALABAMA.
DEFENSIVE BACK — MICHAEL TAAFFE, TEXAS, JUNIOR, 6-0, 195, AUSTIN, TEXAS.
PUNTER — BRETT THORSON, GEORGIA, JUNIOR, 6-2, 235, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.
THIRD TEAM OFFENSE
WIDE RECEIVERS — TAI FELTON, MARYLAND, SENIOR, 6-2, 186, ASHBURN, VIRGINIA; JAYDEN HIGGINS, IOWA STATE, SENIOR, 6-4, 215, SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA; JORDYN TYSON, ARIZONA STATE, SOPHOMORE, 6-1, 195, ALLEN, TEXAS AND ERIC RIVERS, FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL, SENIOR, 5-11, 174, CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE.
TACKLES — JOSH CONERLY JR., OREGON, JUNIOR, 6-4, 315, SEATTLE; AIREONTAE ERSERY, MINNESOTA, SENIOR, 6-3, 330, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.
GUARDS — TATE RATLEDGE, GEORGIA, SENIOR, 6-6, 330, ROME, GEORGIA; PAOLO GENNARELLI, ARMY, SOPHOMORE, 6-1, 310, CAMPTON HILLS, ILLINOIS.
CENTER — JACOB GARDNER, COLORADO STATE, GRADUATE, 6-4, 300, RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CALIFORNIA.
TIGHT END — ORONDE GADSDEN II, SYRACUSE, JUNIOR, 6-5, 236, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA.
QUARTERBACK — DILLON GABRIEL, OREGON, GRADUATE, 6-0, 200, MILILANI, HAWAII.
RUNNING BACKS — DYLAN SAMPSON, TENNESSEE; JUNIOR, 5-11, 201, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA; RJ HARVEY, UCF, SENIOR, 5-9, 208, ORLANDO, FLORIDA.
KICKER — RYAN FITZGERALD, FLORIDA STATE., SENIOR, 6-1, 190, COOLIDGE, GEORGIA.
ALL-PURPOSE — BRASHARD SMITH, SMU, 5-10, 196, SENIOR, RICHMOND HEIGHTS, FLORIDA.
THIRD TEAM DEFENSE
EDGE RUSHERS — ANTWAUN POWELL-RYLAND, VIRGINIA TECH, SENIOR, 6-3, 252, PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA; MIKAIL KAMARA, INDIANA, JUNIOR, 6-1, 265, ASHBURN, VIRGINIA.
INTERIOR LINEMEN — AENEAS PEEBLES, VIRGINIA TECH, GRADUATE, 6-1, 290, RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA; KENNETH GRANT, MICHIGAN, JUNIOR, 6-3, 339, GARY, INDIANA.
LINEBACKERS — CHRIS PAUL JR., MISSISSIPPI, JUNIOR, 6-1, 235, CORDELE, GEORGIA; BARRETT CARTER, CLEMSON, SENIOR, 6-1, 230, SUWANEE, GEORGIA; JALON WALKER, GEORGIA, JUNIOR, 6-2, 245, SALISBURY, NORTH CAROLINA.
CORNERBACKS — CHANDLER RIVERS, DUKE, JUNIOR, 5-10, 180, BEAUMONT, TEXAS; WILL JOHNSON, MICHIGAN, JUNIOR, 6-2, 202, DETROIT.
SAFETIES — LATHAN RANSOM, OHIO STATE, GRADUATE, 6-1, 210, TUCSON, ARIZONA; JALEN CATALON, UNLV, SENIOR, 5-11, 205, MANSFIELD, TEXAS.
DEFENSIVE BACK — MELLO DOTSON, KANSAS, SENIOR, 6-1, 190, DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA.
PUNTER — EDDIE CZAPLICKI, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, SENIOR, 6-1, 207, CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA.
NFL SCORES/SCHEDULE
MONDAY, DEC. 16
MINNESOTA 30 CHICAGO 12
ATLANTA 15 LAS VEGAS 9
NFL WEEK 16 SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, DEC. 19
DENVER BRONCOS AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (8:15P PRIME VIDEO)
SATURDAY, DEC. 21
HOUSTON TEXANS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (1:00P NBC)
PITTSBURGH STEELERS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (4:30P FOX)
SUNDAY, DEC. 22
CLEVELAND BROWNS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS 1:00P FOX)
NEW YORK GIANTS AT ATLANTA FALCONS (1:00P FOX)
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT BUFFALO BILLS (1:00P CBS)
ARIZONA CARDINALS AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (1:00P FOX)
DETROIT LIONS AT CHICAGO BEARS (1:00P FOX)
TENNESSEE TITANS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (1:00P CBS)
LOS ANGELES RAMS AT NEW YORK JETS (1:00P CBS)
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (1:00P FOX)
MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (4:05P FOX)
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (4:25P CBS)
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS (4:25P CBS)
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT DALLAS COWBOYS (8:20P NBC)
MONDAY, DEC. 23
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT GREEN BAY PACKERS (8:15P ESPN)
NFL WEEK 17 SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 25 (CHRISTMAS)
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (1:00P NETFLIX)
BALTIMORE RAVENS AT HOUSTON TEXANS (4:30P NETFLIX)
THURSDAY, DEC. 26
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT CHICAGO BEARS (8:15P PRIME VIDEO)
SATURDAY, DEC. 28
TBD TBD (1:00P NFL NETWORK)
TBD TBD (4:30P NFL NETWORK)
TBD TBD (8:00P NFL NETWORK)
SATURDAY GAME POOL:
DENVER BRONCOS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS
ARIZONA CARDINALS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT NEW YORK GIANTS
ATLANTA FALCONS AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
SUNDAY, DEC. 29
NEW YORK JETS AT BUFFALO BILLS (1:00P CBS)
TENNESSEE TITANS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (1:00P CBS)
GREEN BAY PACKERS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (1:00P FOX)
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (1:00P FOX)
CAROLINA PANTHERS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (1:00P CBS)
DALLAS COWBOYS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (4:25P FOX)
MIAMI DOLPHINS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS (8:20P NBC)
MONDAY, DEC. 30
DETROIT LIONS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (8:15P ESPN/ABC)
NFL WEEK 18 SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, JAN. 4 OR SUNDAY, JAN. 5
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT ARIZONA CARDINALS
CAROLINA PANTHERS AT ATLANTA FALCONS
CLEVELAND BROWNS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS AT DALLAS COWBOYS
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT DENVER BRONCOS
MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT DETROIT LIONS
CHICAGO BEARS AT GREEN BAY PACKERS
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
BUFFALO BILLS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
MIAMI DOLPHINS AT NEW YORK JETS
NEW YORK GIANTS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
CINCINNATI BENGALS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
HOUSTON TEXANS AT TENNESSEE TITANS
AP MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TOP 25 POLL
1 TENNESSEE 10 – 0
2 AUBURN 9 – 1
3 IOWA STATE 9 – 1
4 KENTUCKY 10 – 1
5 DUKE 8 – 2
6 ALABAMA 8 – 2
7 FLORIDA 10 – 0
8 KANSAS 8 – 2
9 MARQUETTE 9 – 2
10 OREGON 10 – 1
11 UCONN 8 – 3
12 TEXAS A&M 9 – 2
13 GONZAGA 7 – 3
14 OKLAHOMA 10 – 0
15 HOUSTON 6 – 3
16 PURDUE 8 – 3
17 OLE MISS 9 – 1
18 UCLA 9 – 1
19 CINCINNATI 8 – 1
20 MICHIGAN STATE 8 – 2
21 MEMPHIS 8 – 2
22 DAYTON 9 – 2
23 SAN DIEGO STATE 7 – 2
24 MICHIGAN 8 – 2
25 CLEMSON 9 – 2
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:
MISSISSIPPI ST. 158, ARKANSAS 151, MISSOURI 120, BAYLOR 115, ILLINOIS 70, DRAKE 52, ST. JOHN’S 50, UTAH ST. 48, PITTSBURGH 28, MARYLAND 24, WEST VIRGINIA 19, WISCONSIN 18, GEORGIA 18, OKLAHOMA ST. 16, ARIZONA ST 14, CREIGHTON 12, NORTH CAROLINA 9, PENN ST. 8, INDIANA 7, TEXAS 3, ST. BONAVENTURE 2.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD
TOP 25:
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
AP WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TOP 25 POLL
1 UCLA 10 – 0
2 SOUTH CAROLINA 10 – 1
3 NOTRE DAME 9 – 2
4 UCONN 9 – 1
5 LSU 12 – 0
6 TEXAS 10 – 1
7 USC 10 – 1
8 MARYLAND 10 – 0
9 DUKE 9 – 2
10 OKLAHOMA 9 – 1
11OHIO STATE 10 – 0
12 TCU 10 – 1
13 KANSAS STATE 11 – 1
14 WEST VIRGINIA 10 – 1
15 MICHIGAN STATE 10 – 0
16 KENTUCKY 9 – 1
17 GEORGIA TECH 11 – 0
18 TENNESSEE 8 – 0
19 NORTH CAROLINA 10 – 2
20 MICHIGAN 9 – 1
21 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 8 – 3
22 IOWA 9 – 2
23 NEBRASKA 10 – 1
24 CALIFORNIA 11 – 1
25 OLE MISS 7 – 3
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:
ALABAMA 51, IOWA ST. 33, ILLINOIS 28, UTAH 15, VANDERBILT 14, SOUTH DAKOTA ST. 9, RICHMOND 5, CREIGHTON 4, OKLAHOMA ST. 3, HARVARD 3, MISSISSIPPI ST. 1.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TOP 25:
#1 UCLA 69 CAL POLY 37
ELSEWHERE:
EASTERN KENTUCKY 89 INDIANA STATE 72
NBA SCORES
DETROIT 125 MIAMI 124 OT
PHILADELPHIA 121 CHARLOTTE 108
CHICAGO 122 TORONTO 121
CLEVELAND 130 BROOKLYN 101
DENVER 130 SACRAMENTO 129
LA CLIPPERS 144 UTAH 107
NHL SCORES
DALLAS 3 WASHINGTON 1
FLORIDA 6 EDMONTON 6
VANCOUVER 3 COLORADO 1
COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINALS
DECEMBER 19
PITTSBURGH VS. LOUISVILLE 6:30ET
PENN STATE VS. NEBRASKA 9:00ET
TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES/RELEASES
NFL NEWS
KIRK COUSINS-LED FALCONS DEFEAT RAIDERS TO HALT 4-GAME SKID
Kirk Cousins threw his first touchdown pass since Nov. 3 and Bijan Robinson rushed for 125 yards on 22 carries to help the Atlanta Falcons notch a 15-9 victory over the host Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night.
KhaDarel Hodge got his hand on two Las Vegas punts and Drake London had a scoring reception as the Falcons (7-7) halted a four-game slide. Jessie Bates III made a game-ending interception for Atlanta, which is one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South.
Cousins completed 11 of 17 passes for 112 yards and one interception. He has been picked off nine times over the past five games.
Desmond Ridder, who was Atlanta’s starting quarterback last season, was 23-of-39 passing for 208 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for the Raiders (2-12) while starting in place of injured Aidan O’Connell (knee).
Ridder was the team’s leading rusher with 28 yards on five attempts as the club lost its 10th straight game.
The Raiders were trailing by 12 before Ridder drove them 68 yards on nine plays, hitting Ameer Abdullah on a 5-yard scoring pass to pull Las Vegas within 15-9 with 2:54 left. Atlanta’s Kevin King blocked the extra point.
The Raiders took over for a final chance with 1:50 remaining and reached the Atlanta 35-yard line before the second of two throws into the end zone was intercepted by Bates.
Cousins ended his touchdown pass drought with a 30-yard strike to London with 14 seconds left in the first quarter.
Las Vegas got on the board when Daniel Carlson booted a 52-yard field goal with 11:44 remaining in the first half.
The Falcons increased their lead to 9-3 when Zach Harrison tackled Alexander Mattison in the end zone for a safety with 5:35 left.
Hodge got his hand on a punt in the second quarter that caromed forward for 30 yards. In the third quarter, he blocked AJ Cole’s punt to set up a 40-yard field goal by Younghoe Koo.
Koo added a 48-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to make it a 12-point margin.
VIKINGS EXTEND WINNING STREAK, PILE ON TO BEARS’ SKID
Sam Darnold completed 24 of 40 passes for 231 yards, one touchdown and one interception as the Minnesota Vikings pulled away for a 30-12 win over the Chicago Bears on Monday night in Minneapolis.
Justin Jefferson had seven catches for 73 yards and a touchdown for Minnesota (12-2), which won its seventh game in a row. Aaron Jones finished with 106 yards from scrimmage (86 rushing, 20 receiving) and a touchdown on the ground.
Caleb Williams connected on 18 of 31 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown for Chicago (4-10). Keenan Allen scored the lone touchdown for the Bears, who lost their eighth consecutive game.
Minnesota opened the scoring on a 52-yard field goal by Will Reichard early in the first quarter.
On the next possession, the Bears committed a turnover when Vikings pass rusher Jonathan Greenard sacked Williams from the blind side and popped the ball loose. Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman recovered the fumble and returned it 16 yards to the Chicago 39-yard line.
The Vikings’ offense quickly capitalized on the good field position. Jefferson made it 10-0 when he caught a play-action pass in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown.
Reichard added a 31-yard field goal to put the Vikings on top 13-0 just before halftime.
Chicago got on the scoreboard midway through the third quarter. Cairo Santos connected on a 29-yard field goal to cut the Bears’ deficit to 10 points.
Minnesota answered with a touchdown on its next drive to go ahead 20-3. Jones bounced to the right side and tumbled across the goal line for a 1-yard score, capping a 12-play, 70-yard march. It was Jones’ fifth rushing touchdown of the season and the 50th of his career.
Santos made a 39-yard field goal to bring the Bears within 20-6 with 13 minutes to go.
Cam Akers powered across the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown to increase the Vikings’ lead to 27-6 with 10:14 left. The rushing score was the first for Akers since he rejoined the Vikings in mid-October.
The Bears notched their only touchdown with 5:19 remaining, when Williams found Allen in the end zone from 16 yards out.
Reichard finished the scoring by booting a 46-yard field goal with 1:12 to go.
CHIEFS QB PATRICK MAHOMES HAS HIGH-ANKLE SPRAIN, STATUS FOR HOUSTON REMAINS UNCLEAR, AP SOURCE SAYS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has a high-ankle sprain, additional testing confirmed, and his status for this week’s game against Houston remains in question, a person familiar with the results told The Associated Press on Monday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team did not announce any updates. The Chiefs did not have any usual availability Monday, but are scheduled to practice Tuesday ahead of their Saturday matchup with the Texans.
Mahomes was hurt when his ankle was rolled up on while being tackled by the Browns’ Dalvin Tomlinson on a fourth down play late in the Chiefs’ 21-7 win Sunday. Mahomes limped to the sideline and Carson Wentz played the rest of the way in his place, but the two-time MVP insisted afterward that he would have lobbied to play if the Browns had gotten within one score.
“I feel like I could have finished the game in different circumstances,” Mahomes said afterward, “but I thought the smart decision, I think we talked about, was to put Carson in, and he’s played a lot of football, and he finished the game well.”
Mahomes has a history of ankle injuries, including a similar one against Jacksonville in Week 1 of the 2019 season. But perhaps most memorable was the playoffs in the 2022 season, when Mahomes hurt his ankle in a divisional-round win over the Jaguars, then played through the pain in beating Cincinnati for the AFC title and Philadelphia in the Super Bowl.
“I mean, they’re all different. Every injury is different,” Mahomes said. “You know what you have to do to get back. And I think that is the most important thing. And now we just get back to the rehab part — the treatment part — and try to get ourselves ready on a short week against a good football team.”
Indeed, the schedule is doing the Chiefs no favors. They have one less day of recovery this week because of their Saturday game against Houston, then they have another short week with a trip to Pittsburgh scheduled for Christmas Day.
“We’ll just see how it goes,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said after Sunday’s game. “We are going to go day to day as we go through it. I don’t know how much swelling he has or any of that, so we don’t know what will come.”
The Chiefs (13-1) have a two-game lead over Buffalo for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, though the Bills hold the tiebreaker. The Texans have clinched the AFC South while the Steelers lead the AFC North and have clinched a playoff berth.
Kansas City wraps up the regular season with a trip to the Broncos, who are also closing in on a spot in the postseason.
If the Chiefs play it safe by resting Mahomes on Saturday — and even next week against Pittsburgh — they feel confident in the ability of Wentz to win a game. He was a Pro Bowl pick in 2017 during his first five seasons in Philadelphia, and he is 47-45-1 as a starter, including his year in Indianapolis, another in Washington and a single spot start last season for the Rams.
Wentz, who signed a $3.325 million contract with Kansas City to replace Blaine Gabbert as Mahomes’ backup, completed both of his pass attempts for 20 yards and helped the Chiefs run out the clock against the Browns on Sunday.
“I have a lot of trust with Carson,” Mahomes said. “I mean, he’s played football and he’s won football games and put him out there and they did a great job moving the football running time off the clock, and putting us in position to win the football game.”
REPORT: LIONS’ MONTGOMERY OUT INDEFINITELY, MCNEILL LOST FOR SEASON
Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery is out indefinitely after suffering an MCL sprain in Sunday’s 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Montgomery is undergoing more tests and getting a second opinion, but there’s a possibility he’ll miss the rest of the season. Some in the organization believe he’ll be out for the year, Schefter adds.
The running back was one of several injury blows delivered to the Lions on Sunday: Defensive lineman Alim McNeill will miss the rest of the season due to a torn ACL, and cornerback Carlton Davis is out six weeks after fracturing his jaw, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports.
McNeill and Davis join a long list of injuries Detroit’s defense has had to endure this season.
Montgomery has formed an outstanding duo with running mate Jahmyr Gibbs. The latter has rushed for 1,047 yards and 11 touchdowns while Montgomery has tallied 775 yards and 12 scores.
Davis’ six-week recovery timeline would potentially put him on track to return this campaign if the Lions make a deep playoff run.
McNeill started 14 games this season with 3.5 sacks and one forced fumble. The 2021 third-round pick has been an integral part of Detroit’s defensive front, with the team signing him to a four-year, $97-million extension in October.
Davis, who was traded to the Lions this past offseason, has recorded two interceptions and 13 starts in 2024.
Detroit is 12-2 on the season and holds the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
REPORT: 49ERS SUSPENDING CAMPBELL FOR FINAL 3 GAMES
The San Francisco 49ers are planning to suspend linebacker De’Vondre Campbell for three games for refusing to enter Thursday night’s game, sources told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The 49ers’ decision would effectively end Campbell’s season after he wouldn’t enter the contest in the second half against the Los Angeles Rams and instead headed to the locker room. The club had asked the veteran to replace Dre Greenlaw, who exited with Achilles tightness in his first game since tearing his Achilles in last season’s Super Bowl.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Friday that Campbell would no longer be part of the team, though they had to work through semantics before deciding on the linebacker’s future. Suspending the 31-year-old instead of releasing him keeps him off waivers, negating the possibility he lands on another squad.
Many 49ers players were outspoken about Campbell’s actions, with tight end George Kittle saying: “I don’t like distractions on the sideline. I think that’s ignorant. I think it’s just dumb, it’s just stupid. It’s very immature, and I don’t see how you can do something like that to your team.”
Cornerback Charvarius Ward called Campbell’s move “sucker shit.”
Campbell signed a one-year contract worth $5 million with San Francisco during the offseason. He notched 79 tackles over 13 appearances and 12 starts.
TITANS COACH NONCOMMITTAL ABOUT STARTING QB IN WEEK 16
Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan would not commit to a starting quarterback for their Week 16 game.
Callahan told reporters Monday that he’ll take the next two days to decide if Will Levis or Mason Rudolph will start next week’s game at the Indianapolis Colts (6-8).
Callahan yanked Levis in the third quarter of Sunday’s 37-27 loss to the visiting Cincinnati Bengals, dropping the Titans to 3-11. Levis threw for just 89 yards and three interceptions, including a pick six.
“Today wasn’t his day,” Callahan said of Levis. “He had a couple of bad picks, put us in some tough spots. So, I made the decision to sit him down and try to give us a little bit of a spark.”
Rudolph completed 21 of 26 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns — one on the final play of the game — and an interception.
On the season, Levis has thrown for 1,916 yards with 12 TDs and 12 INTs. He is 5-15 as the starter in his first two seasons in the NFL.
Rudolph is in his first season in Tennessee after spending his first four in Pittsburgh. He is 9-6-1 as the starter in his career, including 1-2 in 2024.
REPORT: BRONCOS CB PATRICK SURTAIN II HAS MILD ANKLE SPRAIN
Denver All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II has a mild ankle sprain sustained in the Broncos’ 31-13 home victory over the Indianapolis Colts, NFL Network reported on Monday morning.
Surtain injured the ankle in the fourth quarter on Sunday after making an interception, according to reports, and exited the game, returning later and making a tackle.
The Broncos (9-5) have a short week with a road game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night.
Denver coach Sean Payton was asked after the game about Surtain continuing to play against the Colts.
“Anything we do relative to a player’s injury is always if the medical staff feels like he can go back in and he’s healthy enough,” Payton said. “There is never any, ‘Well we don’t need him now.’ It is just strictly, is he healthy enough to play? If he’s not, he won’t. If he is, he will play. I think that is the only way you can approach things like that.”
The Broncos played the game without starting cornerback Riley Moss, who was ruled out with a knee issue.
Surtain, 24, made one interception and one tackle with two passes defensed against the Colts. He has 32 tackles, 11 passes defensed and four interceptions for a league-leading 132 return yards in 13 games (all starts) this season.
A Pro Bowl selection in 2022 and 2023, Surtain was first-team All-Pro in 2022. He has 219 career tackles with 11 interceptions — two returned for touchdowns — and 47 passes defensed in 63 games (62 starts).
SEAHAWKS: QB GENO SMITH’S KNEE LOOKS OK AFTER HIT
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith’s knee looks like it’s “structurally” OK after a low hit and awkward landing in Sunday night’s loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Smith’s status for Week 16 is unclear until additional testing takes place.
Smith left in the third quarter of Seattle’s 30-13 loss to the Packers and did not return.
“It was severe enough for him not to come back in the game. We’ll do all the tests tomorrow and kind of figure it out as we go. But right now, structurally it looks like it’s OK, but we’ve got to get it imaged and all that stuff,” Macdonald said after the game.
Smith was hit in the right leg by Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper on a first down throw, knocking Smith back and causing his knee to hyperextend. No penalty was assessed because both of Smith’s feet were in the air at the point of contact, according to a rules analyst.
Smith was able to limp off the field. He was replaced by Sam Howell, who went 5-for-14 for 24 yards and an interception.
Smith was 15 of 19 for 149 yards and an interception before leaving. Smith is completing 69.9 percent of his passes for 3,623 yards and 14 touchdowns against 13 INTs on the season.
The loss dropped Seattle out of a playoff spot at 8-6 with three games remaining, including one against now NFC West division leader Los Angeles Rams in Week 18. The Seahawks host the Minnesota Vikings (11-2) next week.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
NEBRASKA WILL PLAY CINCINNATI IN 2025 SEASON OPENER AT KC’S ARROWHEAD STADIUM
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Nebraska will play its 2025 season opener against Cincinnati at Arrowhead Stadium, the schools and the Kansas City Chiefs announced Monday.
The game is set for Aug. 28, a Thursday. Kickoff time will be announced later. The game originally was scheduled for Nippert Stadium on the Cincinnati campus. A move to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis was set before the most recent change to Kansas City.
Nebraska and Cincinnati also announced they have changed the date of a previously scheduled matchup in Lincoln. The teams will now meet Sept. 10, 2033, after previously being scheduled to play in 2032.
“Opening the 2025 season at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium is an incredible chance to showcase Bearcats football in one of the NFL’s most iconic venues,” Cincinnati athletic director John Cunningham said. “This game is a unique opportunity that not only significantly benefits the program financially but also puts the Bearcats in the national spotlight. This matchup reflects our commitment to thinking big and maximizing possibilities for our program in the ever-changing college athletics landscape.”
This will mark the second meeting between Cincinnati and Nebraska. The Cornhuskers defeated the Bearcats 41-0 in 1906.
“We are pleased to partner with the University of Cincinnati and the Kansas City Chiefs to bring our 2025 season-opening matchup to Arrowhead Stadium,” Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen said. “Since arriving at Nebraska, one constant message I have heard from our fans is they miss having road football games that are within driving distance. This game offers an excellent opportunity for our great fan base to make a short trip to watch the Huskers open the season and enjoy Labor Day weekend in Kansas City.”
LONGTIME AUBURN FOOTBALL TEAM PASTOR DIES IN AN ACCIDENT ON AN ALABAMA LAKE
ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (AP) — The longtime pastor of the Auburn University football team died Sunday after falling into the water on Lake Martin in central Alabama.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said the Rev. Chette L. Williams fell into the water from his pontoon boat Sunday evening. His body was found about 90 minutes later. He was 61. The accident occurred near a dock at Kowaliga’s Restaurant on Lake Martin in Elmore County.
Williams, a former Auburn linebacker, had served as the Auburn football team chaplain since 1999. According to a biography on Auburn’s website, Williams was also the Auburn campus director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the State Director for Urban Ministries for FCA.
He played for the Auburn football team from 1982 to 1984.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who was Auburn’s head football coach from 1999 to 2008, said Williams was a “remarkable man who led hundreds of young people to the Lord through the years.”
“His leadership has been a steady part of Auburn athletics for more than two decades. But more than sports, Brother Chette helped athletes understand that their purpose was much greater than anything they could ever accomplish on the field,” Tuberville wrote in a statement posted on social media.
ALABAMA QB JALEN MILROE DELAYS NFL DRAFT DECISION
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe plans to push back a decision on entering the draft or returning to the Crimson Tide until after the ReliaQuest Bowl against Michigan on Dec. 31.
Milroe told 247 Sports his focus is on beating the Wolverines, who ended Alabama’s 2023 season in the Rose Bowl and College Football Playoff semifinals.
“My thought process right now is finish this game out,” said Milroe, who turned 22 and graduated with a Masters degree last week.
Milroe, who backed up 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young for his first two seasons, is projected as a first-round draft pick if he opts to enter instead of returning to Alabama for his redshirt senior season in 2025.
In 2024, Milroe played for his third different offensive coordinator since landing at Alabama. He racked up 3,371 total yards, 20 rushing touchdowns with 15 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions.
Should first-year coach Kalen DeBoer lose Milroe to the draft, Alabama has Ty Simpson, Austin Mack and Keelon Russell on the QB depth chart.
Milroe edged Simpson for the starting job in 2023 and Mack transferred from Washington to follow DeBoer.
A five-star recruit ranked No. 2 overall in the nation, Russell was named the Gatorade National Football Player of the Year last week.
REPORTS: WAKE FOREST COACH DAVE CLAWSON STEPPING DOWN
Dave Clawson is stepping down as head coach of Wake Forest, ESPN and The Athletic reported Monday.
Clawson, 57, made the decision to step down and plans to continue at the school in an advisory role, according to the reports.
Clawson came to Wake Forest in 2014 and helped the Demon Deacons reach a bowl game in seven straight seasons, winning five of them. They were ranked as highly as No. 10 in the AP poll in both 2021 and 2022, and they went on to win the Gator and Gasparilla Bowls in those seasons.
Clawson had a decorated FCS career before coming to Bowling Green, where he coached for five seasons. He is the only coach on record with a double-digit win season at four different Division I programs — Fordham (2002), Richmond (2007), Bowling Green (2013) and Wake Forest (2021).
In 200 FBS games, Clawson went 99-101 with a 5-5 record in bowl games.
Wake Forest’s season is over after a second consecutive 4-8 record meant no invite to a bowl game.
WASHINGTON STATE QB JOHN MATEER ENTERS PORTAL WITH HIGH INTEREST
Washington State quarterback John Mateer entered the transfer portal on Monday and is widely considered the best player available at the time of his decision.
“John will be the most sought-after player in the portal. I think he’s gonna be the best player in the country next year. He informed us he is in fact going to hit the portal,” Washington State coach Jake Dickert said Monday.
Mateer led the FBS in total touchdowns (44) in his first season as a starter in 2024, compiling 3,139 yards with 29 touchdown passes and seven interceptions and rushing for 826 yards with 15 scores.
Mateer, who transfers with two years eligibility remaining, stepped into the starting spot when Cam Ward opted to transfer to Miami, where he became a Heisman Trophy finalist this season.
Washington State was the only Division I offer Mateer received coming out of Little Elm, Texas, but Ward said his talent was abundantly clear from the time he hit campus.
“I’m excited for him,” Ward said before the Heisman ceremony of Mateer. “He sat behind me for two years and me and John (were) just locked in, locked in for life. And I can just tell the biggest thing he got better at over the course of the season was staying in the pocket and winning from the pocket even more down the stretch. He’s accurate with the football. I think he’ll end up being one of the best quarterbacks in the country next year.”
PENN STATE, INDIANA SIDESWIPED BY CFB REALITIES AMID PLAYOFF PREP
With early Signing Day behind him and the portal open, Penn State coach James Franklin met with his current quarterbacks last week to talk about SMU, the Nittany Lions’ first-round playoff opponent coming to town Saturday.
A rapid reality set in when Franklin realized backup quarterback Beau Pribula was pulled into the transfer portal a week before the team’s first College Football Playoff appearance. That hit was offset by news from starter Drew Allar that he was returning to Penn State, resisting the pull of playing in the NFL for one more year.
“He’s a man’s man. Like, came into my office, had multiple conversations with me about this process. We talked last week, had no intentions of leaving,” Franklin said Monday. “But we’ve got problems in college football. And I can give you my word — Beau Pribula did not want to leave our program and he did not want to leave our program until the end of the season.”
Pribula, who will not participate in bowl practices or preparation this week, told Franklin he felt like he was put in a “no-win situation” because of the timing of the playoff preparation and the potential opportunities awaiting in the transfer portal.
“I agree with him,” Franklin said, “most importantly, for Beau Pribula. I don’t think it’s in the best interests of the student-athlete. I don’t think it’s in the best interests of college football. But I think that’s our challenge right now, right? Who is really running college football and making the best decisions for the student-athletes and for our sport as a whole?”
“Beau should not be put in this position. … To have a transfer portal/free agency going on right in the middle of the playoffs, there’s just a lot of things that don’t really make sense.”
Franklin said he considered making concessions to the blanket portal policy at Penn State that makes entry into the transfer portal a formal goodbye to the team. But he said Pribula realized he wouldn’t be able to prepare for the game “like the starter” as he has all season while also arranging and taking visits elsewhere.
Indiana, the No. 10 seed, is also in the playoff with a visit to Notre Dame on Friday in the first game of the 12-team bracket. But because of the makeup of the college football calendar with early Signing Day and the transfer portal opening hours after bowl announcements and the playoff bracket reveal, the Hoosiers needed a week to realize they were still going.
“I’m glad that week is behind us,” Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti said, outlining his long nights followed by early arrivals — 4:30 a.m. ET — “because you’re dealing with portal evaluations, official visits, and still opponent prep to some degree. Then you’re dealing with your staff and your player retention as well.”
Timing of the recruiting calendar and transfer portal open and close dates are subject to change, but Cignetti admitted he doesn’t have the right answer.
“When you look at it from a player’s perspective, everybody starts school in January, so guys that are switching schools need to have the opportunity to visit prospective schools in December, but yet seasons end at the end of November, championship games the first week of December, and there’s always going to be bowl games, and now there’s the expanded playoff,” Cignetti said. “I don’t really know the answer to that. I don’t think it’s a simple situation, and if it was, it would be remedied by now.”
Franklin said college football could start by electing a commissioner.
“I think it’s pretty obvious we need that. We need somebody running college football,” he said. “We need somebody that is not biased based on a conference and that is out of the financial impacts of it as well.”
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
NO. 2 AUBURN CLOSES THE GAP ON NO. 1 TENNESSEE AS THE SEC HOLDS 5 OF TOP 7 SPOTS IN AP TOP 25
Tennessee held onto No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the second consecutive week, though No. 2 Auburn closed the gap as the top five remained unchanged in the men’s college basketball poll Monday.
The Volunteers received 50 first-place votes from the national media panel after wins over Miami and Illinois pushed coach Rick Barnes’ program to 10-0 for only the fifth time in school history. Auburn picked up nine first-place votes from last week and had 12 total. Iowa State, Duke and Kentucky rounded out the top five.
Tennessee is among five unbeatens left in men’s Division I basketball and one of three from the Southeastern Conference, joining No. 7 Florida (10-0)and No. 14 Oklahoma (10-0). Drake (9-0) and Utah State (10-0) also enter this week undefeated.
“We know watching film there’s a lot of areas we have to get better with, more consistent,” Barnes said Monday. “It’s everybody. Coaches getting better, players getting better. When you’re in December, you have to be real. Look at film and realize we’ve done this or that, but we have a long way to go to be where we want to be.”
Auburn improved to 9-1 with its 91-53 blowout of Ohio State in Atlanta. Johni Broome showed the way with 21 points and 20 rebounds for the Tigers’ first 20-20 game in 35 years, then he raced back to Auburn for his graduation Saturday night.
“They may be the best team in the country right now,” Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said. “They have a lot of experience, and they made us pay when we made a mistake.”
The SEC continued to dominate the Top 25 with the Vols and Tigers joined by Kentucky, No. 6 Alabama and No. 7 Florida in giving the league five of the top seven. Kansas moved up two spots to No. 8 while Marquette and Oregon rounded out the top 10.
Two-time defending national champion UConn jumped seven spots to No. 11 after beating then-No. 8 Gonzaga. The Huskies were followed by Texas A&M, the Bulldogs, the Sooners and Houston, which remained at No. 15.
Purdue dropped five spots to No. 16 after its loss to the Aggies, and was followed by Ole Miss, UCLA, Cincinnati and Michigan State. Dayton entered the poll for the first time this season at No. 22, just behind Memphis, which returned after its win over Clemson. Wisconsin dropped out after its loss to Illinois while Mississippi State fell out after a narrow win over McNeese State.
San Diego State, Michigan and Clemson round out the Top 25.
Mid-major monitoring
Drake appeared on 11 ballots after an easy win over St. Ambrose kept first-year coach Ben McCollum’s club unbeaten. Utah State showed up on 10 ballots after blowing out South Florida to give the Aggies their best start in school history.
“I’ve said all along, this is a place you can win at a high level consistently, and we’ve shown that, right? Year after year,” Utah State coach Jarrod Calhoun said. “We never talk about making history. It was never talked about all week. … It’s about getting better each day. It’s about enjoying the process.”
Rising and falling
UConn made the biggest jump this week, climbing seven spots to No. 11 after beating Gonzaga. UCLA climbed six spots to No. 18 after beating Arizona for its eighth straight win, while Texas A&M moved up five spots to No. 12.
Michigan plummeted 10 places to No. 24 after blowing its halftime lead in an 89-87 loss to Arkansas in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. Clemson fell nine spots to No. 25 while Gonzaga and Purdue each dropped five spots.
In and out
Memphis spent a week at No. 16 earlier this year before a loss to Arkansas State. They returned while Dayton made its season debut at the expense of Wisconsin and Mississippi State, which received the most votes of those outside the Top 25.
Conference watch
The SEC has eight teams in the Top 25 along with the first three outside the poll in Mississippi State, Arkansas and Missouri. The Big Ten has five, the Big 12 has four, and the ACC and Big East two apiece. Nine leagues had a ranked team.
NEBRASKA, ILLINOIS, RUTGERS EARN MEN’S BASKETBALL WEEKLY ACCOLADES
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference has announced its Men’s Basketball Players of the Week for the week of December 9-15, 2024.
Player of the Week
Brice Williams, Nebraska
G – Sr. – 6-7 – Huntersville, N.C. – Hopewell
• Set season highs in points (30), field goals (10) and rebounds (six) along with a team-high five assists in Nebraska’s 85-68 win over Indiana, becoming the only the second Husker in the Big Ten era (2011-12 to present) to have a game with at least 30 points and five assists
• Scored nine of his 30 points in the final 6:30 after Indiana closed to within 68-67
• Marked Williams’ career-high at Nebraska and the first time a Husker scored 30-or-more points against Indiana
• Claims first Player of the Week honor
• Last Nebraska Player of the Week: Alonzo Verge Jr. (March 7, 2022)
Co-Freshmen of the Week
Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois
G – 6-6 – Vilnius, Lithuania – Barcelona FC
• Averaged 23.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists against a pair of top-20 teams.
• Led the Illini to an 86-80 victory over No. 20 Wisconsin, scoring a career- and game-high 24 points.
• Scored a team-high 22 points in a 66-64 loss to No. 1 Tennessee
• Earns his first Freshman of the Week award
• Last Illinois Freshman of the Week: Will Reilly (Nov. 11, 2024)
Dylan Harper, Rutgers
G – 6-6 – Franklin Lakes, N.J. – Don Bosco Prep
• Averaged 24 points. 7.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists as the Scarlet Knights scored a pair of wins
• Posted his first career double-double with 24 points and a career-high 12 rebounds in an 80-76 win over Penn State
• Added 24 points, including the game-winning three pointer at the buzzer, to top Seton Hall 66-63
• Earns his third Freshman of the Week award
• Last Rutgers Freshman of the Week: Dylan Harper (Dec. 2, 2024)
BALL STATE’S GOROSITO NAMED MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
MAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
Juanse Gorosito, Ball State, Guard
Junior, Ceres Santa Fe, Argentina (Denver Prep)
Gorosito tied a career-best with seven 3-pointers on his way to 21 points Saturday afternoon to lead the Cardinals to an 86-82 road win at Bellarmine. The junior guard buried four triples in the first half including one with three seconds before the buzzer to lift Ball State to a 47-42 halftime edge. Gorosito has made at least three 3-pointers in each of the last six games, going 27-for-45 (60 percent) from distance in that time to increase his season shooting percent to 50 percent. Gorosito was one 3-pointer away from tying the Ball State single-game record.
Other Nominees
Tavari Johnson, Akron, Gaurd
Junior, Chicago, Ill. (Lyons HS)
Tavari Johnson led the Zip’s offense at the MKE Tip-Off in Milwaukee on Sunday with 22 points. The junior guard posted his second 20+ scoring performance of the season after shooting .529 (9-of-17) against the Panthers in the Cream City. Tavari also provided three assists, two steals and two rebounds.
Cli’Ron Hornbeak, Kent State, Center
Senior, Toledo, Ohio (St. Francis de Sales)
Cli’Ron Hornbeak scored just three shy of a season high (15) on Sunday evening in Kent State’s win. He led the team in rebounds and was one of Four Flashes to tally double-digits. Through the first 10 games of the season he leads KSU in rebounds per game at 6.7.
Kam Craft, Miami, Wing
Redshirt Sophomore, Chicago, Ill. (Buffalo Grove)
Kam Craft scored a career-best 34 points to lead all players in a 112-70 win over Bethany. In just 22 minutes of play, Craft put himself in the record books by shooting 10-of-16 from the three-point line, tying Jason Stewart (10 vs. Marshall in 2000) for the most made threes in Miami program history. Craft added six rebounds, one assist and one block against the Bison.
AJ Brown, Ohio, Guard
R-Sophomore, Orlando, Fla.
Redshirt sophomore guard AJ Brown helped lead the Ohio men’s basketball team at Marshall on Saturday. Overall, brown scored a season-high 22 points, going 8-of-17 from the field, 3-of-8 from three and went 3-of-3 from the line. Brown also grabbed four rebounds and had one steal in 33 minutes on the floor.
Sam Lewis, Toledo, Guard
Sophomore, Chicago, IL (Simeon Academy)
Sophomore guard Sam Lewis scored a career-high 21 points and tied his career high with a team-best eight rebounds for Toledo against Youngstown State. Lewis shot 50.0% from the field and was 2-of-3 from three-point range to raise his season mark to 50.0% from behind the three-point arc.
Chansey Willis Jr., Western Michigan, Guard
Junior, Detroit, Mich. (Detroit King)
Chansey Willis Jr. made a big mark in his first two games as a Bronco, scoring 17.5 points and adding 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in the team’s two road tilts last week. In his debut on Friday, the junior tallied 13 points, tied for the team lead with eight rebounds, handed out five assists and collected three steals. It was the first 10+ point, 5+ rebound, 5+assist performance by a Bronco so far this season. He followed that up on Sunday at North Dakota State with a game-high 22 points, five assists and a couple more rebounds.
HOYAS’ EPPS, HUSKIES’ MCNEELEY EARN WEEKLY MBB HONORS
NEW YORK – Georgetown guard Jayden Epps has been named BIG EAST Player of the Week and Connecticut forward Liam McNeeley has been tabbed BIG EAST Freshman of the Week. Epps led the Hoyas to a win at Syracuse while McNeeley was the prime reason for UConn’s 77-71 victory against No. 8 Gonzaga. It is McNeeley’s second straight Freshman honor.
BIG EAST Player of the Week
Jayden Epps, Georgetown, G, Jr.
Epps sparked Georgetown’s 75-71 win at Syracuse with a season-high 27 points, on 11-of-15 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from 3-point range. He also dished four assists. Epps’ late basket gave the Hoyas a 70-69 lead they would not relinquish.
BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Liam McNeeley, UConn, F, Fr.
McNeeley takes Freshman honors for the second straight week and third time this season. In a 77-71 win over Gonzaga, he posted a game-high 26 points, eight rebounds and four assists without committing a turnover. He became the fourth Husky since 1996-97 to score 25+ points without a turnover against a ranked foe.
BIG EAST Honor Roll
Jacob Meyer, DePaul, G, So. – Averaged 17.5 points and 4.5 boards in a 1-1 week. In a win over Wichita State (91-72), scored a season-high 23 points.
Bryce Hopkins, Providence, F-G, Sr. – Scored 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had three assists in an OT win at DePaul (70-63) in his only game of the week.
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s, F, Jr. – Had 22 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in a win over Bryant (99-77). Shot 7-of-10 from the floor.
Eric Dixon, Villanova, F, Gr. – Netted 27 points and dished three assists in a win against Fairleigh Dickinson (86-72). Made 9-of-13 from the field.
Zach Freemantle, Xavier, F, Sr. – Averaged 22.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in a 1-1 week. Had 18 points, seven boards, four assists and three steals in a loss at No. 22 Cincinnati (68-65).
HCAC 2024-25 MEN’S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK, WEEK 6
Athlete of the Week:
Joey Schmitz (Bargersville, Ind.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Guard | First Year – Schmitz had the best game of his career in Saturday’s 94-91 victory over Anderson as he led the team with 22 points on five triples. The freshman point guard also added career-highs with 7 assists, 6 steals, and 5 rebounds in Saturday’s win. His six steals rank seventh in school history and mark just the second time in the last 16 years that a Fightin’ Engineer hit that mark in a single game.
Notable Performances:
- Tate Ivanyo (Valparaiso, Ind.) Anderson University | Wing | Senior – Tate Ivanyo notched 24 points, 8 rebounds and 1 block against Rose-Hulman. He converted 10-of-16 (62.5 percent) shots from the field.
- Ian Snelling (Erlanger, Ky.) Bluffton University | Guard | Senior – Snelling bucketed 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting that included 3-for-7 from behind the arc in a loss at Transy on Saturday. He also grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists.
- Ken Walker (Snellville, Ga.) Earlham College | Guard | Sophomore – Ken Walker posted team highs in points and assists on Saturday against Mount St. Joseph with 23 points, six assists and two steals.
- Coleman Sater (Ellettsville, Ind.) Hanover College | Senior – Sater helped lead Hanover past Manchester on Saturday, 83-74. The senior netted a game-high 23 points with six rebounds and four assists. He also tallied a perfect 5-for-5 mark from the free throw line.
- Luke Collinsworth | Mount St. Joseph University | Collinsworth was vital in the Mounts’ victory over Earlham, finishing with 20 points, nine rebounds, and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in 30 minutes of play. His all-around performance helped anchor the team both offensively and defensively, ensuring a crucial win.
- Hunter Penn (Versailles, Ky.) Transylvania University | Forward | Senior – Hunter Penn followed up with another strong performance against conference opponent Bluffton. Penn notched 21 points shooting 75% from the field, while also being one shy of a double double in rebounds. The Pioneers remain undefeated in conference play.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
JANIAH BARKER’S DOUBLE-DOUBLE HELPS NO. 1 UCLA BLITZ CAL POLY
Janiah Barker produced 12 points and a season-high 13 rebounds as No. 1 UCLA powered to a 69-37 blowout of Cal Poly on Monday in Los Angeles.
The Bruins (11-0) scored the game’s first nine points, starting with a Barker layup, and never trailed.
Angela Dugalic and Londynn Jones each added 12 points for UCLA, and Timea Gardiner had 11. The Bruins cruised despite shooting just 44.3 percent from the floor, well below their season mark of 50.4 percent, and committing 17 turnovers.
Mary Carter put up a team-best 11 points for the Mustangs (4-6), who fell for the fourth time in five games. No other player scored in double figures for Cal Poly, which made only 25.9 percent of its shots from the floor and gave the ball away 20 times.
SOUTH CAROLINA, UCLA, DUKE AND TEXAS WOMEN TO PLAY IN ROUND-ROBIN TOURNAMENT IN LAS VEGAS IN 2025
South Carolina, UCLA, Duke and Texas will play in a round-robin tournament in Las Vegas next year during Thanksgiving week.
The Players Era Women’s Championship will allow the opportunity for athletes on each team to engage in at least $1 million of NIL activities with the title group and sponsors.
“Players Era is creating the first-ever tentpole women’s college basketball MTE with an unbelievably loaded field and fascinating storylines, early season matchups that are sure to set the tone for the rest of the season,” said Players ERA CEO Seth Berger. “Our women’s championship includes the same level of guaranteed NIL opportunities for the players as the men’s championship.”
The event will coincide with the the men’s Players Era Festival that debuted at MGM Grand Garden Arena last month. Oregon won the men’s championship by topping Alabama 83-81.
Each of the women’s teams will play the other three teams. South Carolina faced Duke and UCLA already this season and will play Texas in conference as the Longhorns moved to the SEC this year.
“We’re excited to be among the first women’s teams invited to play in the Players Era Women’s Championship,” said South Carolina coach Dawn Staley. “This innovative event brings together everything we’re looking for – quality games early in the season, a great location for fans to come and enjoy, and NIL opportunities for our players.”
The four teams are currently in the top 10 of the poll, with UCLA and South Carolina 1-2. Texas is sixth and Duke is ninth. The Bruins topped the Gamecocks in November to end the defending champions’ 43-game winning streak.
“As a program striving to consistently compete at a championship level, it’s essential to measure ourselves against the best,” said UCLA coach Cori Close. “We’re excited for a rematch with South Carolina and the opportunity to compete against other exceptional programs at the Player’s Era Women’s Championship. This will be the premier out of conference tournament with a national audience to boot. It is a great honor to be included in this elite event.“
NOTRE DAME JUMPS TO 3RD IN AP TOP 25 WOMEN’S POLL AFTER WIN OVER UCONN; UCLA, SOUTH CAROLINA 1-2
Notre Dame jumped to No. 3 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Monday after beating rival UConn last week.
The Irish climbed five spots after the 79-68 victory over the Huskies, who fell two places to fourth. Notre Dame’s victory over UConn gave the Irish three wins over top five teams this season. They also beat USC and Texas.
“This is a major win for us,” Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said. “Obviously, it’s just one win, but I’m really grateful for this group and really proud of our effort and the way that we showed up today with such toughness and discipline.”
UCLA remained the No. 1 team, receiving 30 of the 32 first-place votes from a national media panel. South Carolina was second and received a first-place vote, as did Notre Dame.
LSU was fifth with Texas, USC and Maryland following the Tigers. Duke and Oklahoma rounded out the top 10.
Unbeaten Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech continues to move up the rankings at it remains unbeaten. The Yellow Jackets climbed eight spots to 17th after an 82-76 victory at then-No. 14 North Carolina on Sunday. It was their first win at the Tar Heels since 2012. Georgia Tech at 11-0 is off to the best start in school history.
Rising Bears
Cal entered the poll for the first time since 2019, coming in at No. 24. The Bears are 12-1 with the lone loss coming against No. 15 Michigan State. Cal beat rival Stanford by 20 points last Friday, snapping a 12-game losing streak in the series. The 20-point win was the third largest in the series history and the most since a win during the 1981-82 season.
Moving out
Iowa State fell out of the rankings after losing to rival Iowa last week. Things don’t get easier for the Cyclones (9-3) with a trip to Connecticut to face the Huskies in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase on Tuesday night.
Conference breakdown
The Big Ten has eight teams in the poll again this week. The Southeastern Conference has seven and the ACC six. The Big 12 has three and the Big East one.
Game of the week
No. 7 USC at No. 4 UConn, Saturday. Two of the top stars in college basketball will square off when JuJu Watkins and the Trojans head east to face Paige Bueckers and the Huskies. Watkins is third in the country in scoring at 24.6 points a game.
WISCONSIN AND RUTGERS EARN BIG TEN WEEKLY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL AWARDS
Player of the Week
Serah Williams, Wisconsin
Junior – Forward – Brooklyn, N.Y. – Niagara Prep
• Registered a career-high 36 points in Wisconsin’s double-overtime win over Butler
• Tallied 14 rebounds, three blocks, three assists and a pair of steals
• Her 36 points ranked fifth among the Badgers’ single-game scoring list and were the most points since Jolene Anderson scored 42 during the 2007-08 season
• Earns the second Big Ten Player of the Week award of her career
• Last Wisconsin Player of the Week: Serah Williams (Jan. 29, 2024)
Big Ten Women’s Basketball Weekly Honor Roll
Julia Ayrault, MSU: Had a game-high 19 points in the Spartans’ comeback victory over No. 21 Iowa
Kiyomi McMiller, RU: Recorded consecutive double-doubles in Rutgers’ pair of wins
Kiki Iriafen, USC: Totaled 21.0 points and 9.5 rebounds in two victories for the Trojans while going 12-for-13 from the charity stripe
Freshman of the Week
Kiyomi McMiller, Rutgers
Guard – Silver Spring, Md. – Life Center Academy
• Averaged 27.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.5 steals during Rutgers’ 2-0 week
• Chipped in 30 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals against Fairleigh Dickinson
• Added 24 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two steals versus Wagner
• Collects her first Big Ten Freshman of the Week laurel
• Last Rutgers Freshman of the Week: Jillian Huerter (Feb. 5, 2024)
NOTRE DAME’S HIDALGO, GEORGIA TECH’S CARNEGIE EARN ACC WBB WEEKLY HONORS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Notre Dame sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, and Georgia Tech guard Dani Carnegie earned Rookie of the Week honors for games played between December 9-15.
ACC women’s basketball weekly awards are voted on by the league’s Blue Ribbon Panel.
Hidalgo averaged 28.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 4.5 steals per game, as she led Notre Dame to a pair of non-conference victories last week, headlined by a 29-point effort in Thursday’s 79-68 win over No. 2 UConn. Within her game-high 29 points against the Huskies, the Merchantville, New Jersey, native knocked down six triples, grabbed 10 rebounds, handed out eight assists and tallied three steals for her 17th career game with at least 20 points, five rebounds and five steals. On Sunday, the guard dropped in 27 points and swiped six steals in a 118-49 win over Eastern Michigan.
Carnegie averaged 18.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and shot 13-for-29 (44.8 percent) from the field in Georgia Tech’s wins over ULM and No. 14 North Carolina. After the Mount Vernon, New York, native recorded 14 points and eight boards in a 97-37 victory over the Warhawks on Wednesday, Carnegie posted 22 points and a team-high nine rebounds in Tech’s 82-76 road win over the Tar Heels, sealing the program’s best start to a season at 11-0. With the performance, the guard is now one of only two freshmen in the ACC to own multiple 20-plus point outings.
Six ACC teams are currently ranked in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25, headlined by Notre Dame climbing to No. 3. Duke is No. 9, Georgia Tech is No. 17, North Carolina is No. 19, NC State is No. 21 and California made its debut at No. 24.
#BIGEASTWBB WEEKLY HONORS (12.16.24) UCONN’S BUECKERS, SETON HALL’S EADS EARN WEEKLY AWARDS
NEW YORK – UConn’s Paige Bueckers earned player of the week for the third time this year after averaging 24.5 points in a 1-1 week. Seton Hall’s Jada Eads averaged 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals in a 2-0 week to be named freshman of the week.
DePaul graduate student forward Jorie Allen, Marquette senior guard Lee Volker, Seton Hall sophomore guard Savannah Catalon, St. John’s senior guard Lasha Dwyer and Villanova sophomore guard Maddie Webber were named to this week’s honor roll.
BIG EAST Player of the Week
Paige Bueckers, UConn, R-Sr., G
Bueckers averaged a team-high 24.5 points on .611 shooting last week against #8 Notre Dame and Georgetown. Bueckers led the Huskies with 25 points at Notre Dame and then scored 24 points on 11-for-16 shooting and added three steals and two blocks in the 79-44 victory over Georgetown.
BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Jada Eads, Seton Hall, Fr., G
Eads averaged 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals in a 2-0 week over Sacred Heart and Le Moyne. Eads had 11 points, a career-high seven rebounds and two assists in the 67-46 win over Sacred Heart. She then scored a career-high 19 points, including four 3-pointers, to go with five boards, five assists and two steals in the 68-41 victory versus Le Moyne.
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Jorie Allen, DePaul, Gr., F
Allen averaged 24.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals in a 1-1 week. She scored a career-high 27 points on 11-for-14 shooting (.786) against UIC.
Lee Volker, Marquette, Sr., G
Volker registered a career-high 21 points and a career-high seven steals in the 69-51 win over Milwaukee.
Savannah Catalon, Seton Hall, So., G
Catalon tallied her third-straight 20-point game with 20 against Sacred Heart on Monday. She also added four assists, three rebounds and three steals in a strong performance.
Lashae Dwyer, St. John’s, Sr., G
Dwyer averaged 15.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 assists per game in a 2-0 week as the Red Storm wrap up conference play with a 10-1 record. Dwyer went for 18 points at Hofstra and followed it up with 13 points, four assists and four steals in the victory against Fairfield.
Maddie Webber, Villanova, So., G
Webber averaged 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 blocks in a 1-1 week versus Delaware and James Madison.
HCAC 2024-25 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK, WEEK 6
Athlete of the Week:
Jamie Baum (Los Altos, Calif.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Guard | Senior – Baum led the Fightin’ Engineers to a 2-0 week with wins over Greenville and Anderson. She averaged 23.0 points per game with 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 blocks, and 2.5 steals per game. She also dominated in the lone conference game, an 83-67 win over Anderson, with 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 steals. Baum also played all but five minutes during both wins on the week.
Notable Performances:
- Izzy Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) Anderson University | Guard | Junior – Izzy Davis notched 17 points, 8 assists and 3 steals against Rose-Hulman.
- Tamron Brinkman (Dayton, Ohio) Bluffton University | Forward | Senior – Brinkman went 5-of-10 for a dozen points and she ripped down a career-best 12 boards for her first collegiate double-double at Transylvania on Saturday.
- Berkley Shelton (Anderson, Ind.) Earlham College | Forward | Sophomore – Berkley Shelton scored her second double-double of the season on Saturday against Mount St. Joseph with 15 points and 12 rebounds against the Lions. Shelton also led the Quakers in blocks with three.
- Brooke Grinstead (Bloomington, Ind) Franklin College | Guard | Senior – Played a major role in Franklin’s win at Berea on Saturday, going off for a game-high 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting with six threes as the Grizzlies claimed an 83-80 win…added four rebounds, one assist and one steal to her stat line.
- Sammy Berman (Independence, Ky.) Hanover College | Sophomore – Berman helped lead Hanover past Manchester 62-57. The sophomore netted a team-high 14 points while pulling in six rebounds. She also added three assists.
- Morgan Jenkins Mount St. Joseph University – Jenkins played a vital role in the Lions’ narrow victory over Earlham, contributing 17 points, seven offensive rebounds, and five defensive rebounds in 34 minutes. Her clutch performance down the stretch included scoring the game-tying point in the final two minutes, followed by three key shots to extend the lead and secure the win.
- Sierra Kemelgor (Crestwood, Ky.) Transylvania University | Guard | Junior – Sierra Kemelgor had a stand out performance leading the Pioneers with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in the double digit conference victory against Bluffton. Kemelgor shot 50% from the field including three three point field goals.
NBA NEWS
NBA ROUNDUP: TYRESE MAXEY PUTS UP 40 AS SIXERS TOP HORNETS
Tyrese Maxey pumped in 40 points and Paul George racked up 33 points as both sank six 3-pointers, leading the injury-ravaged Philadelphia 76ers past the host Charlotte Hornets 121-108 on Monday night.
The outcome dampened the excitement around the return to action of Charlotte point guard LaMelo Ball, who racked up 15 points and 11 assists while coming back from a calf injury that had kept him out since Nov. 27.
The 76ers made 16 of 38 attempts from 3-point range in their first game after losing both center Joel Embiid (sinus fracture) and rookie guard Jared McCain (torn meniscus in knee) to injury on Friday.
The Hornets lost for the 10th time in 11 outings despite Miles Bridges’ 24 points.
Bulls 122, Raptors 121
Nikola Vucevic scored 24 points and visiting Chicago, which saw a 16-point lead shrink to one, held on to defeat Toronto. The Raptors cut into the final deficit with a last-second 3-pointer.
Coby White added 19 points for the Bulls, who have won two straight. Josh Giddey had 11 points, nine rebounds and eight assists before leaving with an ankle injury in the third quarter.
RJ Barrett scored 32 points and Gradey Dick had 27 for the Raptors, who have lost five straight. Toronto’s Jakob Poeltl left in the fourth quarter with a groin injury.
Pistons 125, Heat 124 (OT)
Malik Beasley had a season-high 28 points, Cade Cunningham supplied a triple-double and host Detroit topped Miami in overtime.
Cunningham had 20 points, 18 assists and 11 rebounds for Detroit, which squandered a 19-point, fourth-quarter lead. Ausar Thompson contributed 19 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. tossed in 16, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers in overtime to wipe out an eight-point Heat lead.
Jimmy Butler produced 35 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists for the Heat, who had their four-game winning streak end. Tyler Herro scored 23 points.
Cavaliers 130, Nets 101
Evan Mobley scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half, Caris LeVert scored all 19 of his points in the first half and Cleveland seized control early and cruised to a rout of Brooklyn in New York.
Cleveland led by as many as 37, improved to 23-4 for the best start in team history and is 8-4 since winning its first 15 games.
Cameron Johnson led the Nets with 22 points and Day’Ron Sharpe added 15. Brooklyn committed a season-worst 22 turnovers, which resulted in 34 Cleveland points.
NHL NEWS
NHL ROUNDUP: STARS SNAP CAPS’ ROAD WINNING STREAK
Roope Hintz scored two goals and the Dallas Stars beat the visiting Capitals 3-1 on Monday night, ending Washington’s franchise-record 10-game road winning streak.
Lian Bichsel also scored for the Stars, who have won three of four during their six-game homestand and improved to 13-3-0 at home on the season. Jason Robertson had two assists, and Jake Oettinger made 25 saves.
Dylan Strome scored for the Capitals, who had won four straight and earned points in nine consecutive games (8-0-1), the longest point streak in the NHL this season. Charlie Lindgren made 21 saves.
The Capitals fell two wins short of tying the NHL record of 12 consecutive road wins (shared by the 2005-06 Detroit Red Wings and the 2014-15 Minnesota Wild).
Canucks 3, Avalanche 1
Kiefer Sherwood scored a natural hat trick and Thatcher Demko made 30 saves in Vancouver’s win over visiting Colorado. It was Sherwood’s first hat trick in his seven NHL seasons.
Sherwood has 11 goals in 30 games with Vancouver, already surpassing his previous best of 10 goals in 68 games last season with the Nashville Predators. The Canucks finished 3-2-1 during their six-game homestand.
Demko stopped 30 of 31 shots faced, allowing only a Valeri Nichushkin goal with 46 seconds remaining in the third period. Mackenzie Blackwood made 22 saves for the Avalanche, who are 1-2-0 in their past three games.
Panthers 6, Oilers 5
Carter Verhaeghe scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and had an assist for Florida, which recovered for a win in a back-and-forth affair against host Edmonton.
Sam Reinhart and Niko Mikkola also had a goal and an assist for the Panthers, who had been shut out in their past two games. Matthew Tkachuk, Gustav Forsling and Jesper Boqvist added Florida’s other goals, Anton Lundell logged two assists, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves.
Zach Hyman scored twice and Connor McDavid had three assists for the Oilers, whose five-game winning streak ended. Leon Draisaitl registered a goal and an assist, Kasperi Kapanen and Connor Brown also tallied, and Stuart Skinner made 22 saves.
TOP INDIANA HEADLINES/RELEASES
BASKETBALL NEWS
FORMER KNICK DICK VAN ARSDALE, THE ‘ORIGINAL SUN,’ DEAD AT 81
Dick Van Arsdale, a former second-round pick of the Knicks who later became known as the “Original Sun,” has died, the Suns announced Monday on social media.
He was 81 years old.
No cause of death was given.
Van Arsdale played at Manuel High School and was an All-American at Indiana.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Suns legend Dick Van Arsdale, the ‘Original Sun’ and a member of our Ring of Honor,” the Suns wrote in their statement. “The first selection in the expansion draft to build the Suns roster and the scorer of the first points in team history, Van Arsdale was a cornerstone of the Suns organization.”
Before he constructed his legacy in Phoenix, Van Arsdale helped the Knicks make two playoff appearances across three seasons with the franchise.
The Knicks selected Van Arsdale in the 1965 NBA Draft after his collegiate career at Indiana, and he averaged 12.8 points per game in 236 games while adding 5.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game during his tenure in New York.
When The Post’s Mike Vaccaro ranked the top 75 Knicks people in franchise history in 2021, Van Arsdale made the list at No. 64.
After the 1967-68 campaign ended, though, the Suns snagged Van Arsdale as their first pick in the expansion draft, and he went on to earn All-Star honors the next three seasons while spending the final nine years of his NBA career in Phoenix.
Van Arsdale helped spark the Suns’ run to the 1976 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Celtics.
His identical twin brother, Tom, joined the Suns following that deep postseason run, allowing the pair to reunite as teammates for the first time since their college seasons with the Hoosiers in a campaign that marked the final one for both of them.
Van Arsdale ended his career as the Suns’ all-time leading scorer, too.
“We’ll always remember that season,” Van Arsdale said of the 1976-77 season in the Suns’ 25th anniversary book published in 1992. “Because it was our last in the league, and we got to play together. But, as far as the basketball itself went, things could have been a lot better.”
Van Arsdale served as Suns interim coach a decade after his retirement, guiding Phoenix to a 14-12 record and stringing together a stretch of 10 wins in 11 games to close the season.
INDY IGNITE
PRO VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION MAKES HISTORY WITH INAUGURAL ALL-STAR MATCH
Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF), the premiere professional volleyball league in the United States, has announced its inaugural All-Star Match, set to take place on Saturday, February 22, 2025 on Indy Ignite’s home court, Fishers Event Center. The event will showcase the league’s top talent and give fans a unique opportunity to witness the best in professional volleyball.
In a historic first for professional volleyball, CBS Television Network will air the match on its national broadcast. This landmark moment underscores PVF’s commitment to elevating the sport and bringing professional women’s volleyball to a broader audience.
“The All-Star Match will be a defining moment for our league and the sport of volleyball, showcasing the extraordinary talent of the PVF athletes and representing an incredible step forward in increasing visibility for the sport,” said Jen Spicher, CEO of PVF. “Partnering with CBS to bring the All-Star Match to a national audience underscores our commitment to growing visibility for our athletes and providing unparalleled access to volleyball fans everywhere. We are also beyond excited to partner with CBS Sports on this incredible opportunity and thank them for their unwavering support in helping us continue to raise the profile for professional volleyball.”
The All-Star match will take place at 1:30 pm ET on Feb. 22 at Fishers Event Center, home of the league’s newest franchise, the Indy Ignite. Opened in November 2024, the venue is already becoming a go-to destination for sports and entertainment, hosting concerts and events and also serving as the sports hub for the Indy Fuel (ECHL) and Fishers Freight (IFL). The Ignite’s inaugural season begins at Fishers Event Center on Jan. 11. Tickets to Ignite matches, which start at $30 per match, are available at indyignitevb.com.
“The excitement continues to build in Indianapolis for professional women’s volleyball,” said Mary Kay Huse, president and general manager of Indy Ignite. “Hosting the first Pro Volleyball Federation All-Star weekend, just as we’re celebrating Indy Ignite’s inaugural season, is nothing short of epic. “We’re grateful for the support of the Indiana Sports Corp, Hamilton County Sports
Authority, and the City of Fishers in securing this bid. We’re looking forward to putting together our All-Star Host Committee and getting to work on creating an amazing experience for volleyball fans from across the Country.”
The PVF All-Star match is the third such All-Star weekend to be announced for Central Indiana—together the three will take place across a span of 18 months. The NBA All-Star game was held on the Indiana Pacers’ and Fever’s home court, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, on Feb. 18. 2024 and the WNBA All-Star game will be held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 19, 2025.
“Indianapolis and the state of Indiana continue to solidify their support of women’s sports, and this is another great step forward,” said Sarah Myer, Chief of Staff and Strategy for Indiana Sports Corp. “To now host three All-Star events within 18 months and secure this event as a part of the Ignite’s inaugural season shows how this community can quickly come together and elevate ourselves as the place where champions are crowned.”
In partnership with the City of Fishers and Indy Ignite, the Hamilton County Sports Authority is leading the charge with the All-Star Host Committee made up of community leaders in the region that share the common goal of promoting and executing premier events in Central Indiana.
“The All-Star Host Committee is committed to hosting an unprecedented inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) All-Star Game that will showcase the extraordinary talent of the PVF and the sport of volleyball. Thanks to the region’s devoted sports expertise and fandom, the PVF All-Star Game is another example of a world-class event selecting Indiana as its host location,” said Carl Daniels, Director of Hamilton County Sports Authority.
The PVF All-Star Match will include players from all league teams. The selection process, coaches, and format will be announced soon. Ticket information will also be available in the coming weeks.
INDIANA FOOTBALL
MONDAY PRESSER
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti, offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Mike Shanahan and defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Bryant Haines met with the media on Monday (Dec. 16) ahead of its first round matchup in the College Football Playoff at Notre Dame on Friday (Dec. 20).
Below is a full transcript of the press conference, while video of the media session can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Curt Cignetti | Head Coach
Opening Statement
CC: All right. Game week, game week, game prep. Take the preparation, attention to detail, sense of urgency at practice, energy to another level. We’ve got to get it back to game week.
We’ve had good practices, but we weren’t getting ready to play. Everybody’s got to ramp it up a notch, players and coaches.
With that, I’ll open it up to questions.
On the extra time to prep for Notre Dame’s running attack and the option element…
CC: I think at this point in the season you’ve seen about everything, and you put the best scheme together based on who you’re playing and what they do. Notre Dame is an excellent football team. They’re extremely well-coached.
In reference to your point, they run the quarterback quite a bit, and he’s an excellent player. I’ve been watching him for a couple years, studying Duke offense, when he was at Duke. He’s a competitor, and he throws the ball well. He’s got good movement skills, good size.
When you play Notre Dame offensively, it starts with the run game, and the quarterback is a big part of the run game, not only on the designed quarterback runs but when he drops back and he’s in the pocket and escapes the pocket and his ability to create plays with his arm and his legs.
On how the offense has developed an identity this season…
CC: Are you talking about schematically? I think every year you tweak, you add some new things. You’ve got to do that to stay ahead of the game. Whether you’re looking for new pass concepts or RPOs or want to get better in the red area, which I think we’ve done this year, put a lot of time into that in the off-season because it’s three field goals to overcome one touchdown. So touchdowns are important there.
Then you’ve always got to take into account your personnel and put them in the best positions to be successful and come up with the weekly plan to get that done.
I think there’s always tweaks in certain areas or certain game situations.
On watching film and gaining an edge…
CC: As you guys know, I’m a film junkie. In my free time, I’d just as soon be watching tape than be doing anything, other than sitting in my recliner.
That’s a couple years of low red, high red work. Nowadays you can PFF every touchdown pass, from the 1 to the 4, from the 25 to the 5, and then you kind of go through those and seeing what might fit and pull up something, depending on who you’re playing, that scheme-wise might match something.
You’re always trying to gain the edge in this business because all these coaches can coach, all these teams are good despite the records, the margins for error is very slim every game, and you’ve got to always work toward finding the edge.
On last week’s preparations…
CC: It was challenging. I did get home a lot later than I normally do, and I was still in early, 4:30, 5:00 a.m., because you’re dealing with portal evaluations, official visits, and still opponent prep to some degree. Then you’re dealing with your staff and your player retention as well.
I’m glad that week is behind us. The message this morning to the coaches was, okay, guys, no phones in the meeting rooms. If you’ve got your phone, take it to your office. Surprisingly, every guy got up except one. So that was revealing.
Off weeks are different than game weeks in terms of what’s required in terms of your focus and attention to detail. In terms of the recruiting calendar, I don’t know that there’s any easy answers to that. When you look at it from a player’s perspective, everybody starts school in January, so guys that are switching schools need to have the opportunity to visit prospective schools in December, but yet seasons end at the end of November, championship games the first week of December, and there’s always going to be bowl games, and now there’s the expanded playoff.
I don’t really know the answer to that. I don’t think it’s a simple situation, and if it was, it would be remedied by now.
On what stands out from Notre Dame’s defensive front…
CC: Well, they’re good. Their defense is good, and Al Golden does a great job of coordinating their defense. They’re a high pressure, blitz outfit, quite a bit of man coverage. Then they’ve got the zone mixers and fire zones to keep you off ballet little bit.
They get 11 guys doing their job pretty consistently. They play fast. They’re physical. They’re good tacklers, and they get a lot of hats to the ball. They adjust well during the course of the game. They haven’t given up many points because they’ve got good coaches and they’ve got good players.
Up front, they’re quick, a lot of movement. But when you take into account then the blitzes, there’s a lot of moving pieces, and they play coverage extremely well. They do a great job in man coverage.
They’re a really good defense, and that’s why they’ve won a lot of games.
On Mikail Kamara and CJ West’s impact…
CC: Good prospects. Mikail is a real smart player. He’s explosive, dynamic, quick. He’s a good technician. C.J. West, for a big guy, moves extremely well, has really good get-off.
I think it all starts with Derek Owings and our strength and conditioning program. He does a great job of taking body fat off these guys and adding lean muscle mass. They’ll gain weight, but it’s good weight. And still making them more flexible and quicker, faster, explosive.
Then I’ve got to give our defensive coaches a lot credit. I think Coach Haines does a great job as a coordinator finding ways of creating disruptions up front and stop the run and pressure the quarterback. Coach Kuntz, Pat Kuntz, and Buddha Williams do a tremendous job as well. We have two defensive line coaches, Pat coaches the inside guys and Buddha has the outside guys.
It’s a team effort, and these are guys that really want to be good. So, they commit and they work hard every day to improve. You see the end result.
On what has made Kurtis Rourke so consistent this season…
CC: A lot of things go into that. First of all, he had a body of work before he came here, and he’s played a lot of football. So you learn by doing. He’s gotten a lot of reps at playing quarterback, a lot of successful reps.
Coming to a new school is an adjustment. Schematically, some of the concepts may be similar but the language is different and obviously a new way of doing things, new players, what have you, and a lot of new portal guys at receiver.
I think it all starts with protection. We’ve done a pretty good job of protecting him most of the time. We have certainly had our hiccups during a couple games, and we’ve got a group of receivers that have really good ball skills and can make contested catches, and our backs are good out of the backfield as well.
I think schematically a lot of our pass plays, they have answers versus man-zone, one high-two high. He’s a quick thinker, and he processes quickly. He’s extremely accurate, and he’s good in the pocket. He doesn’t panic. He’s a really good quarterback. He has certainly taken his game to another level, there’s no doubt about that.
He was a Player of the Year in the MAC in ’22 but suffered an injury at the end of the season. So he really couldn’t benefit from the off-season strength and conditioning program going into his senior year. Still had a good year.
Since he’s come here on a bigger stage, I think he’s built on every success and developed more confidence and belief and continues to improve. I think you really saw that starting Game 2 and then out on the West Coast against UCLA. Then when you can involve 10, 12 different guys in terms of touches between running backs, tight ends, and receivers, that’s a great thing to have multiple guys that can separate, get open, and make plays.
On handling the stage and the magnitude of the game…
CC: I think to me and our guys, in my mind, it’s just another game. You prepare for this one like you prepare for all of them. I think for our players, they’re going to be excited to play and excited to prove something.
I don’t think anyone was happy with the way we came out of Ohio State. We didn’t give ourselves a chance to be successful, giving up 14 points on the punt team and then having some of the communication breakdowns we had on pass pro. We didn’t give ourselves a chance to play offense.
But I think our guys have learned from that too and we’ll be better in a hostile environment than we were that particular day. At the end of the day, it’s just football. The game is going to be won or lost between the white lines. I want them to go out there, fly around, have a little swag, and play the way we can play.
On the importance of getting the running game going to open up the pass…
CC: I think it’s always important to be balanced. If you can run the ball successfully, then it opens things up in the pass game and vice versa. We have been pretty balanced this season. We’ve run the ball well. Those guys have done a good job up front. Coach (Bob) Bostad did a great job, Coach Miller, the running backs, everybody involved. That will be a big part of it again Friday night.
On what he has seen from the locker room and the players taking charge…
CC: The same guys that really have done it all year long. I’ve said this a few times, we have a lot of guys that could be the leader or one of the two or three leaders on this team. We’ve got a lot of older guys that played a lot of football that have high character, great competitive excellence. They’re consistent day in, day out. They represent the principles and values of the program, and they’re respected by their teammates.
There’s probably at least a dozen guys I could name there. You’ve got to send three captains out for the coin toss, or maybe you’re allowed four, and we send the same three out every game — Carpenter, Katic, and Ellison.
We just have a bunch of guys that love to play football and work hard every day. We’ve had a great locker room from the get-go, and it’s never changed.
On James Carpenter and his journey…
CC: It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him because this is his senior year, and he hasn’t had to do it yet. He’s played in the FCS playoffs before.
But he also understands that the cap lies on the opportunity. He’s got to stack meetings and days and put himself in the best position to be successful on Saturday. It’s no different than if we were getting ready for Game 5. He’s an older guy. He understands that.
I think they’re all excited to be a part of it, but I think they also all understand what it’s going to take to be successful and play their very best football.
On Jamier Johnson and the team’s health…
CC: Yeah, our health is good. Jamier is out there practicing, looks good. We’re in pretty good shape.
On how much film he watched in the week off…
CC: We’ve been watching Notre Dame from the get-go. I also like the sense of urgency during game week in terms of preparation where you’re more detailed and focused and putting that plan together.
We put a few core things in that we’ve been practicing forever that fit the Notre Dame game, and we’ll get a little bit more specific this week.
On Aiden Fisher’s growth each year and his development from James Madison…
CC: He gets better every year, and when he talks, people listen, but he backs it up with his play on the field. I’m glad to see the recognition that he’s received postseason, as well as the other guys that have. And he’s the quarterback of the defense.
On the importance of protecting the ball against Notre Dame…
CC: Critical. I think we’re plus 15 on turnover ratio, and they’re plus 16. They’ve forced 25 fumbles on the season.
That’s a high number. So ball security for us and them is going to be really important, winning the turnover battle.
I’ll tell you, the other area that they’re really dangerous is their punt return team, they’ve blocked three punts and forced a couple bad snaps because of the pressure they put consistently. So they’ve gotten points there.
Then when they punt, they faked three punts, which those kind of plays can be game changers in a game. So they use their punt and punt return as weapons. We’ve got to be right on point.
Our teams have been really consistent this year, other than the Ohio State game, and we’re going to need a good special teams effort this week.
Mike Shanahan | Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers
On his approach to attacking in the red zone…
MS: I think it started in training camp in August. We definitely spent a lot more time in that field zone and practicing different plays. We added a few things that I think have helped us, but we want to be aggressive when we get down there. Sometimes that means throwing the ball into the end zone on first or second down when typically teams might be expecting you to run the football.
We have a variety of plays. We still RPO. Then I feel like we’ve stuck to what we’ve done well with the personnel that we have here and find ways to create matchups down there that are favorable for us.
On his trust in Kurtis Rourke handling RPOs
CC: I would say he earned the trust since he got here in January. He had some experience with it at Ohio as well.
Just the amount of reps that we accumulate on those throughout spring ball and then into training camp and then throughout the season. I feel like he’s become really comfortable with all those things we’re asking him to do.
Then his decision-making has been obviously very on point throughout the whole year. He knows when to hand the ball off. He knows when to give a receiver a chance. He trusts some guys to win versus man-to-man at times. He’s very smart with the football.
Each and every week that we’ve gone through the season, I just feel like he’s felt more comfortable with it and definitely has gained our trust from a very early stage in practice.
On what he has seen from Notre Dame’s defense on film…
MS: They have really good personnel. I would say their personnel is going to be very similar to the Michigan’s and Ohio State’s. We’ve seen countless other good players throughout the year, whether that’s in the secondary or on the D-line, linebackers. They’re going to be up there with the best that we played.
They play really fast. They keep you off balance. They don’t make anything easy for you. They challenge you on the perimeter. They’re physical. They’re always running the football, and they’ve created a ton of turnovers.
We’ve got to do a good job of controlling the line of scrimmage in the run game and in protections. Obviously protecting the football is a key every single week, and then we’ve got to find a way to create some explosive plays.
On what Notre Dame’s Howard Cross presents and how to prepare…
MS: We’ll be very aware of when he’s on the field and making sure that we’re calling in that situation our up front, if we’re able to get some double-teams on him, we’ll take advantage of that if we can.
He’s a proven guy. He’s very active for a bigger guy with his size. He moves very well. He’s quick. He reminds me of some of the D-linemen that we have here on our team, and he’s very disruptive.
We’ll have to do a good job of getting double-teams on him, like I just said, but also we’ll try to stick to what we do well and maybe change some schemes up where we might be able to get the ball on the perimeter or maybe not run it right at him.
On what makes Elijah Sarratt and Myles Price…
MS: They’re both extremely competitive. They work their butts off throughout the week in their preparation. On the field they’re really good. Smart football players as well. They have the ability to adjust what the defense is giving them and find ways to get open.
I would say that with a lot of guys playing on the perimeter, Ke’shawn Williams, Miles Cross, Coop, Coby and those guys, whenever they’re in there. I’ve been very fortunate with that whole group, and Miles and Elijah have had really good years up to this point.
They’re always hungry. They’re hungrier to find ways to continue to get better, and they’ve just been able to make a lot of different plays for us with the ball in their hands or down the field in the pass game, and it’s been good to see their hard work pay off throughout the year.
On the downfield blocking from the receivers…
MS: That starts from day one. That starts with Coach Cignetti and myself demanding it from those guys.
I’ve put it like this to them. There’s about 70 plays in the game roughly. Usually if you get five to ten footballs thrown your way throughout the game in the pass game, you feel pretty good about it, but that still leaves about 60 other plays in the game where you may not be getting the ball, so how are you making an impact without the ball in your hands?
I’m always very — I like to point out whenever we see the running backs pick up a blitz in protection or a tight end make a key block for them on the perimeter after the catch, things like that where their teammates are busting their butts to help them get a catch or make a big play, we should be doing the same thing for the other guys.
On executing the script versus adjusting mid-game…
MS: Definitely equally as important. With this time off, one of the things we’re always trying to get a gauge on in that first series and into the second quarter is what is their plan against us? Is it man coverage? Is it zone coverage? Are they blitzing? Are they just rushing four? How are they trying to affect the passer? Things of that nature, we’re trying to get a gauge on and then make the proper adjustments from there.
Really at the end of the day, it comes down to our execution. In this time off, we’ve been able to prepare for these guys for a couple weeks now and also give our players not only their main couple looks that they like to run on defense, but some of the one-offs as well, just so whenever things come up in the game, we’re able to talk about it and get it adjusted.
On the challenges learned from facing Ohio State and Michigan…
MS: The Ohio State and the Michigan game were a little bit different for us. Really some of it was winning one-on-one matchups, some of it was maybe we dropped a couple passes that we typically don’t drop or missed a throw, missed a read, things of that nature. Sometimes it was mental errors with assignments. So, it was a combination of all those things.
I felt like our guys really learned a lot over those last two weeks, and you saw the response that we were looking for in the Purdue game. So, I’m looking forward to carrying that over from what we put on tape against Purdue and learning from those past experiences against Ohio State and Michigan and being able to go out there and execute at a high level on Friday.
On what was learned playing in the hostile environment at Ohio State…
MS: We learned that mistakes that we made were definitely magnified in a tight ballgame against a really good team. A lot of those things were under our control and things that from an execution standpoint, we just weren’t — we just didn’t get it done.
I think our guys learned from that film. The crowd noise did play a little bit of a factor in that, but at the same time, we’re ready to respond and get another chance to play in a big-time atmosphere like we will be on Friday and prove that that wasn’t us in some instances where we fell short against Ohio State.
On what makes Zach Horton so valuable…
MS: He brings an edge. He brings toughness. He’s a guy that’s very detailed. He wants to do it exactly the way we’re asking him to do it every single play.
He’s in incredible shape. For him to play as hard as he plays and the amount of plays that he’s playing within a game, I’ve always been very impressed with that part of his game.
Just his versatility. He can block the defensive ends in the box. He can block linebackers and DBs out in space and he does a really good job catching the football whenever a pass comes his way. He’s really just an all around, really good player, complete player, and a guy that we have a lot of trust in.
On his conversations with Kurtis Rourke after the Ohio State game…
MS: We just evaluated it the way we did every other game throughout the year. There’s always room for improvement. There’s always things we can do to be better. Not only him, but just everybody on offense, myself, everybody involved.
We just evaluated it really closely, learned from it, and moved on. I think, like I said, just a little bit ago, you saw the result that we had the following week and the response was everything that we wanted it to be.
That’s in the past now. It’s all about us being able to go out there and do it all again this Friday.
On what he needs to have from the run game to set up the pass game…
MS: Definitely controlling the line of scrimmage. It starts up front with those guys. Being efficient whenever we are running the football, keeping us in positive down distance scenarios. We’re going to have our one-on-ones on the outside at some point or the other. They like to play a lot of man coverage.
They challenge you. They make every throw is contested. They make you be accurate with the football. They make you have to be great with releases, top of the routes, things down the field to be able to create separation and get open.
So, relying on that run game because the thing about playing a lot of man to man is sometimes, when you can break through that first and second level, there’s opportunities for explosive passes, explosive runs there as well. Being able to stay ahead of the sticks, I think, will be really big as far as just our whole operation on offense will go.
Bryant Haines | Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
On how he used the extra time to prepare for the option…
BH: Post-snaps nothing really changes too much. Our reads are our reads. Our keys are our keys. It all fits into that bucket. What I can call pre-snap can help with those pictures. Nothing can fully help plus one run game like a quarterback that’s simply going to run the ball with a lead blocking running back. There’s only so many things you can do to account for that. You got to use all 11. They use all 11 of theirs. We’ve got to use all 11 of ours.
I can work through that with what I call, but in terms of pre-snap, this and that, we have our reads, we have our fits, get off blocks, make plays, attack.
On the changes he has made to the defensive line’s movement up front…
BH: To your first question, I think that’s part of it. The reason I’ve added more is because I’ve been with those guys for a long time. They know what a loop game is. How many times are you going to call a loop, Coach? You got anything else? Part of that is them wanting to do some different things, so that’s part of it.
Then too, I’m a big fan of angles. I want to create angles and picks and rolls, like I said, good way of getting home and freeing guys up. If I can find a new one that Coach Kuntz, Coach Buddha like, the defensive linemen like, we’ll try it. That’s the first part of the question.
Secondly, why do I like it? I like to dictate the terms of where the quarterback is going to go. I can call jet and I can come and use a lineman and they just rush and they just run up the field and they’re hitting swims and they’re falling down. But why? Because the quarterback can choose where he wants to go. He can step up into this gap, he can feel a vertical surge, he can step up into the pocket. I don’t want that, I want to tell him where he wants to go. Right-hand quarterbacks, maybe they want to escape to their throwing hand. Whatever the situation, the game-plan is, I can use stunts to dictate the terms of the quarterback instead of vice versa.
On Mikail Kamara and CJ West’s impact…
BH: They’re both really hard workers. They’re both great individuals. They both want to be great. They hold themselves to a really high standard, so that’s the first thing.
In terms of what they bring skill set-wise, two different types of guys, and C.J. is a big powerful guy. His role is so important because as the nose guard of our defense — and any defense for the most part — is at the center point of everything. He’s taking on double-teams. He’s got to win that one-on-one against center. It’s important to win the middle of the defense, and C.J. does that for us.
Then similar but a little bit different, the field then is in a unique position too. It’s like the funnel point to like are you going to spill the ball and the ball has to bubble over the top of you, or are you going to build the wall and build it back inside? Each call has its own purpose behind that. But Mikail kind of dictates the terms. Am I going to let this ball make it to the field? If so, how much can he make it bubble so the rest of the guys can kind of take great pursuit angles?
They’re very important roles, and those guys flourish in their roles.
On his connection with Aiden Fisher and how he has helped carry over the defensive culture…
BH: I get that one frequently. It’s hard to put into words how important he’s been. Yes, the green dot component and my trust in him, but also his ability to convey for other guys. I coach all the linebackers, but sometimes when Fish says, no, no, you’re doing it wrong. It coming from your teammates is different than Coach Haines yelling at me every time I misfit this thing.
He’s helped me develop that room. I’m proud of where that room is at, the linebacker room, we’ve got young guys that are there coming along. That wasn’t just me. Aiden was part of that too. He’s part of the culture change here. He’s part of my voice, my mouth piece to the guys on the field. He’s the green dot. He’s the leader. He’s the unquestioned leader.
He knows what I want, and he’s able to get it done and gets his ten teammates to play the right call. Yeah, I can’t say enough good things about him and what he means to this defense.
On his relationship with all of the James Madison players that came to Indiana…
BRYANT HAINES: Yeah, I’ve known these guys for a long time. I was thinking about it the other day. I’ve known James Carpenter since 2019, and I was thinking, it’s going to be weird being in a defense that doesn’t have James Carpenter in it. Been together so long, so relationships are close, but that’s the case with all the guys now. I’m close with all of the players in my own way. It’s no different to a JMU guy to a guy that wasn’t here before. I love all those guys. I’m hard on all those guys. I want the best for all those guys.
That’s the case in terms. I love them. They’ve been great. They changed the culture. They’re a huge part of what you’re seeing now in terms of the change in IU football is those guys we brought from JMU, no question.
On the decision to make ‘Fast. Physical. Relentless.’ the way the team plays…
BH: I guess I’ve just always, always felt like that’s what I would want my defense to be, whether I was calling it. I’ve been with Coach Cignetti for a long time since I started as a defensive line coach. Defensive line coach, I’m not calling the defense, but what did I want my defensive line to be? I wanted them to be fast, violent physical, northbound, I wanted to play in their backfield. I just took that and become a linebacker field. I wanted that to be part of the linebackers fits too. I wanted to be downhill aggressive, slipping blocks, getting vertical playing in their own backyard.
Now that I’m a defensive coordinator, I’m doing all of it. I want the same thing. That’s never changed on my end. I don’t know where the phrase came from, I don’t know where it generated, but just philosophically, that’s who we both are. That’s who we are from a personality standpoint. We want to attack.
On the challenge of stopping Notre Dame’s run…
BH: It’s a very good rushing attack. I think it’s tenth in the country overall, 224 yards a game, 6.3 a clip. You can’t stop the run if they’re going to run the quarterback. I mean, you’d have to over commit so aggressively to stopping the run that you would put other parts of the defense in peril. It’s not necessarily about stopping the run. It’s making the quarterback pay a toll every time he decides he doesn’t want to run it. If that’s 20 times, then that’s 20 hits for the good guys.
They’re a very good rushing attack. I like our front seven. I think we’re aggressive at all levels. We have different things we can do, whether it’s blitzing, or mixing the looks up. He can run some, and he probably will, and he’ll get a couple yards, but he’ll also get a couple hits from the Hoosiers.
On preparing for Notre Dame’s tight ends…
BH: They use their tight ends in a different capacity than Michigan and even Nebraska and those guys, but you definitely have to account for them.
Again, it’s kind of like the same thing as the run fits, post-snap, the rules are the rules. We account for the tight end in all of our defenses, all of our coverages. Having awareness of where he’s at, what his alignment might tell us, those are some of the pre-snap indicator that can help guide us into a better, cleaner reaction time, getting the ball.
The coverage is what the coverage is. We’re not going to overcompensate for the tight ends, but there’s a healthy respect there for what they do with their tight ends.
On Mikail Kamara reaching a new level of production…
BH: First thing first, as far as Mikail, Mikail is the hardest worker on the defense. He’s the harder worker on the defense, he’s the last guy off the practice field, so he’s always looking for his own improvement.
When did I start to notice, man, he’s really flashing? He’s always flashed ever since I’ve been with him. He seems a little twitchier off the edge. I think part of this is just a mental thing. I think him coming here from group of 5, coming from JMU, can I roll with the big guys, can I roll with the ten offensive linemen? Then recognizing in the spring, second, third practice in, oh, yeah, I can do the same thing that these guys that I was doing to Sunbelt offensive tackles. So, it’s probably a confidence thing that showed up too.
He’s playing confidently. When you’re playing confidently, you’re going to play fast. You’re going to play aggressive. That’s what Mikail has done all year.
On James Carpenter’s journey and reaching the College Football Playoff now…
BH: It’s a delicate balance there. Of course it’s the biggest game for Carp (James Carpenter). Carp played at Roanoke Catholic High School. It’s an all-in-one. I don’t know what the student body is. A small school guy, walked on, walked on to James Madison, and now look at him. He’s playing in the college football playoffs starting at the defensive tackle. I’m happy for him. I’m happy for all these guys, and I’m excited for the moment too.
We’re a process oriented operation. It’s Monday. It’s a rainy Monday. We’ve got a Tuesday practice. We’ve got to clean up normal downs, make sure the run fits are tight, got to figure out quarterback run still. So, it’s just another day.
When the game gets here, I’m sure the moment will be awesome and an electric environment, all those things. But at the end of the day, run, hit, tackle, swarm, the standard is the standard. Another football game.
On when he realized James Carpenter could elevate to the player he has become…
BH: When I recruited him as a walk-on, I just thought this guy could maybe be a pretty good football player at JMU. I didn’t necessarily think this is going to be my starting three technique in the Big Ten.
But credit to him, he’s another one of these guys that doesn’t say a lot, but man, he never stops working. He wants to get better. He wants to get pushed. He wants to get coached. It’s one of the reasons he came from JMU. He liked the scheme. He loves Coach Kuntz, they have a great relationship, and he just wants to constantly push himself.
I’m proud of him and how far along he’s come. I could have never seen this five years ago in 2019 when I recruited him out of Roanoke Catholic High School. I’m proud of his journey. Same for a lot of these guys.
On what Notre Dame does well on offense and how his defensive unit has to prepare…
BH: They’re a really well-coached offense. They’re very balanced. I mentioned like 224 yards running per game. I think it’s right at 200 a passing game. It’s a very balanced offense.
They’re balanced even in their tendencies. Typically, what I do when I game plan somebody is I want to figure out how can I attack? This formation is this, boom, I can bring that pressure, or this personnel grouping and that down and distance, I can hit them with this.
These guys are balanced. I think they do a healthy job of self-scouting. They have a counterpunch to anything they throw at you. Yeah, just a good clean offense.
Then guys, at the end of the day, if you’re willing to run your quarterback down Main Street, that is unique. Some coaches don’t want to do that. You could lose them. You could get hit. So that presents its issues.
On moments that stood out for when the defense took the next step…
BH: I thought we took a big step coming off the first bye week. It was when we played Nebraska here at home. I thought the defense took a step there. We made a couple changes schematically. I changed a couple of things coverage-wise and shell rotation disguise, the staff and I did.
I thought we really did a good job of self-scouting and identifying a couple of flaws in our system and came up with a couple of new ideas that have really paid off. That’s to me when I felt like, okay, we have the complete package now, was the Nebraska game.
Since then, it still hasn’t been perfect, I don’t know if it will ever be what I consider perfect, but it’s what I would deem a legitimate defense.
INDIANA ADDS DL FROM PORTAL
IU added Western Kentucky defensive lineman Hosea Wheeler Monday. Wheeler is a first team All-Conference USA selection after registering 74 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, two sacks, two blocked kicks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery this season. He was a second team player in 2023. Wheeler is listed at 6’3” 300 pounds.
GAME NOTES: AT NOTRE DAME
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A first round College Football Playoff meeting between the Indiana football program and Notre Dame will commence at 8 p.m. on Friday (Dec. 20) from Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.
No. 9/9/8 INDIANA (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) at 3/3/5 NOTRE DAME (11-1)
Notre Dame Stadium (South Bend, Ind.)
Friday, Dec. 16 | 8 p.m. ET
TV: ABC/ESPN | RADIO: Indiana Hoosiers Sports Network
Setting the Scene
• No. 10-seed Indiana will head north to face No. 7-seed Notre Dame on Friday at 8:00 p.m. ET in Notre Dame Stadium on ABC/ESPN in the First Round of the College Football Playoff.
• ESPN’s College GameDay will originate from South Bend for a special Friday night edition of the network’s flagship pregame show.
• It will be the 30th all-time meeting between the two programs and the first since 1991 when Notre Dame won 49-27 in South Bend.
• Notre Dame leads the all-time series, 23-5-1. Indiana is seeking its first win in the series since 1950 and first in South Bend since 1906.
By The Numbers
7 – Indiana set the record for most conference wins in a single season in program history with eight.
68 – Indiana’s 68 offensive touchdowns are its most in program history and lead the FBS entering bowl season. The total passes the 2013 team’s 61 offensive touchdowns.
37 – Indiana’s 37 rushing touchdowns are tied for the most in a single season in program history with the 1988 team.
10 – The 10-game winning streak was the longest streak in program history. The previous record was eight consecutive games in the 1945 and 1967 seasons.
3 – Curt Cignetti has won three different Coach of the Year honors thus far. MORE ON PAGE 6
News & Notes
• Indiana enters the game with a program-best 11-1 record after finishing the regular season with a 66-0 win over Purdue (11/30) in Week 14.
• The 66-point margin of victory is the largest against an FBS opponent in program history and marked its fifth 30-point win, of 2024 to equal the program record set by the 1917 edition.
• The 583 yards of total offense against the Boilermakers mark the most in a Big Ten game since 2016 against Maryland (650).
• Indiana’s defense held Purdue to 67 yards of total offense which marks the fewest yards of total offense allowed since at least 1958.
• The Hoosier defense forced five turnovers in the game to mark the second game this season with five-plus turnovers forced. It is the first time since 1988 that IU forced five-plus turnovers in multiple games in a season. That year, IU forced Ohio State (5) and Purdue (6) into the total.
• With just five first downs allowed, Indiana’s defense tied for the fewest in a game since at least 1958. It also allowed five first downs against Eastern Illinois (2019) and Minnesota (1958).
• Curt Cignetti’s fantastic first season has earned him National Coach of the Year and three Big Ten Coach of the Year honors (Home Depot National Coach of the Year, Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year, Dave McClain Coach of the Year and Associated Press Coach of the Year). MORE ON PAGE 5 & 19
• There were a handful of Hoosiers that earned All-Big Ten Postseason honors. Aiden Fisher, Mikail Kamara and D’Angelo Ponds each earned All-Big Ten first team (coaches, media and AP). Kurtis Rourke was named to the second team (coaches, media and AP) while Elijah Sarratt was named to the third team (coaches, media and AP) and Mike Katic (media) earned third team. MORE ON PAGE 5
• Indiana has had multiple rushing touchdowns in 11 of 12 games and has 37 rushing scores on the season, which is tied for the most in a single season (1988).
• Rourke earned Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors when he tied a program-best six touchdown passes with 349 yards on a 23-of-31 passing day against Purdue. MORE ON PAGE 7
• Senior running backs Ty Son Lawton (11) and Justice Ellison (10) become the first set of Indiana running backs to reach 10-plus rushing touchdowns in the same season. They are the third IU duo to reach the mark, with the previous two including a quarterback (1991, 2000). MORE ON PAGE 9
• Sarratt recorded the highest receiving total in the Bucket Games by a Hoosier with 165 yards, which ranks No. 2 on the rivalry game’s all-time list. He passed James Hardy’s 151 yards in 2006. He also had two receiving touchdowns. MORE ON PAGE 10
• Sarratt moved his consecutive games with a catch streak to 37-straight games with his 165-yard effort against Purdue.
• Senior linebacker Jailin Walker earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors as he notched 4.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, forced a fumble and had an interception in back-to-back weeks. MORE ON PAGE 12
COMPLETE NOTES: https://static.iuhoosiers.com/custompages/pdf/fb/2024/24-12-20-Notes-Notre_Dame.pdf
CIGNETTI NAMED NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR BY AFCA
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana head football coach Curt Cignetti was selected American Football Coaches Association National Coach of the Year on Monday (Dec. 16) as announced by the organization. He is the fourth Indiana head coach to earn the award from the AFCA after orchestrating one of the biggest turnarounds in FBS history.
Curt Cignetti – 2024 Honors
American Football Coaches Association National Coach of the Year
Home Depot National Coach of the Year
Hayes-Schembechler Big Ten Coach of the Year (Big Ten coaches)
Dave McClain Coach of the Year (Big Ten media)
Associated Press Big Ten Coach of the Year
Cignetti joins the likes of Bo McMillin (1945; AFCA), John Pont (1967; AFCA, FWAA, The Sporting News, Walter Camp Foundation) and Tom Allen (2020; AFCA) to win national coach of the year. He is also a finalist for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year and a part of the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award watch list.
He was named the Hayes-Schembechler Big Ten Coach of the Year from the conference coaches and the Dave McClain Coach of the Year from the media that covers the Big Ten earlier this month.
The honors from the Big Ten mark the fourth time in his career that he earned coach of the year accolades from a conference office, doing so once at each of his previous stops. He was the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2012, the Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year in 2017 and Sun Belt Coach of the Year in 2023.
Cignetti has engineered an eight-game improvement from Indiana’s 2023 to 2024 seasons. That number currently sits tied for the second-best improvement by a first-year head coach since at least 1996. He was the first-ever Division I head coach to start 8-0 or better in consecutive seasons at different institutions. He led James Madison to a 10-0 mark to start the 2023 season and pushed Indiana to an identical mark to begin the 2024 slate.
The 11 victories in 2024 are the most in program history and mark the first double-digit win season in Hoosier history. Likewise, the eight wins in Big Ten play are the most by an IU team since joining the conference in 1900. He is the only Indiana head coach to start a season at least 4-0 and joined the select group of Big Ten coaches that started their Big Ten tenures with 10-0 overall records in the AP Poll Era (since 1936): Ryan Day (Ohio State, 2018-19), Urban Meyer (Ohio State, 2012), Earle Bruce (Ohio State, 1979), Bennie Oosterbaan (Michigan, 1948-49) and Carroll Widdoes (Ohio State, 1944-45).
Indiana has reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history and reaches the postseason for the 13th time. The Hoosiers will take on Notre Dame in the CFP First Round on Friday (Dec. 20) night inside Notre Dame Stadium at 8 p.m. ET. The game will air on ABC/ESPN with a special Friday night College GameDay on site in South Bend starting at 3:30 p.m. and leading up to kickoff.
PURDUE VOLLEYBALL
SHONDELL SIGNS MILLER
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Head coach Dave Shondell and the Purdue volleyball program will welcome 6’4″ middle blocker Lindsey Miller to the Boilermaker squad for the upcoming 2025 season. Miller, a graduate student, joins Purdue after spending the last three seasons at USC and her sophomore and freshman seasons at Notre Dame.
Miller will join the team in the spring.
While with the Trojans, Miller racked up 155 blocks while averaging a .356 hitting %. Not only did she lead USC in blocks 13 times last fall, she was second on the team in blocks and third on the team in kills. Meanwhile, Miller began her career at Notre Dame, where she led the team in hitting percentage both years (.305% in 2021 and .442% in 2020), registering 296 kills and 164 blocks along the way. During her freshman campaign, she received 2020 AVCA East Coach Region Freshman of the Year, All-Region Team, ACC All-Conference Second Team honors.
Purdue concluded one of its best seasons in head coach Dave Shondell’s 22 seasons, finishing the year with 27 wins, second-most since 1985.
2024 / AS A FIFTH-YEAR AT USC
Did not play
2023 / AS A SENIOR AT USC
Trojan Invitational All-Tournament Team
Played in and started 31 matches and saw action in 118 sets
Recorded 107 blocks (0.91 b/s) to rank second on the team and 15th in the Pac-12
Led USC in blocks in 13 matches
Hit .335 to rank 11th in the Pac-12 and recorded 188 kills (1.59 k/s) to rank third on the team
Totaled 16 service aces and 47 digs
Reached double-digit kills four times and had a career-high 13 kills at Houston (Aug. 25)
Hit a career-best .786 (11-0-14) at Colorado (Oct. 27) and hit better than .500 in eight contests
Set a new career high and tied it three times with seven digs
2022 / AS A JUNIOR AT USC
Saw action in 23 matches with 19 starts and played in 77 sets
Led the team with 1.01 blocks per set and collected 78 total blocks (four solo)
Totaled 173 points (2.25 p/s) with 128 kills (1.66 k/s) and a .358 hitting percentage
Finished the season with 22 digs, 13 assists, and four service aces
Reached double-digit kills in two matches with a season-high of 10 kills each time and recorded seven matches in double-digit points
Transferred to USC from Notre Dame
2021 / AS A SOPHOMORE AT NOTRE DAME
ACC All-Academic Team
Played in 28 matches with action in 103 sets
Totaled 177 kills (1.72 kps) and hit .305 (51e, 413att)
Finished the season with 105 blocks (1.02 bps) and nine service aces
Reached double-digit points in 11 matches including a career high 15.5 points against Florida State (Sept. 24)
Recorded a career high 10 blocks against Florida State (Sept. 24)
2020 / AS A FRESHMAN AT NOTRE DAME
AVCA East Coast Region Freshman of the Year
AVCA All-East Coast Region Team
ACC All-Conference second team
ACC All-Freshman team
ACC Freshman of the Week (Oct. 6)
ACC All-Academic Team
Started in 16 matches (58 sets) and totaled 119 kills (16e, 233att) and 59 blocks
Set the Notre Dame single-season record (25-point era) with a .442 hitting percentage, which ranked ninth in the NCAA (highest among national freshmen) and third in the ACC
Had eight matches in double-digit points including a season high 13.5 against Syracuse (Oct. 20, 2020)
Set the Notre Dame single-match five-set hitting percentage record with a .647 at Florida State (March 12) with 11 kills, 0 errors, and 17 attacks
Reached double-digit kills in three matches
HIGH SCHOOL AND CLUB
Prepped at Cathedral Catholic High School
2019 PrepVolleyball.com All-America First Team
2019 UnderArmour All-America First Team
Competed in the 2019 UnderArmour All-American Match
Ranked No. 42 on PrepVolleyball.com’s Senior Aces list
Competed for Coast Volleyball Club, and helped her team to bronze and silver medals at the 2019 and 2018 USA Volleyball Junior National Championships
Named to the 2018 Junior Nationals All-Tournament Team
PURDUE TRACK
MILLER NAMED USTFCCCA DIVISION I MEN’S NATIONAL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. –Cameron Miller earned his first honor of the indoor track & field season when U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) named him the Division I Men’s National Athlete of the Week on Dec. 16.
Miller, a graduate student, opened his 2024-25 season with a 32.43 in the 300m on Friday night at the Blue Demon Holiday Invitational in Chicago.
He became the fifth-fastest 300m runner in NCAA history and his time was the sixth-fastest overall. Both top times in the event were run by Jacory Patterson at Florida and Virginia Tech, respectively.
His time was the fastest run by a Big Ten athlete after Tyler Johnson from Ohio State ran 32.55 on Dec. 2, 2022. Miller is one of three athletes already this season to produce a top 15 time in the event, joining Virginia Tech’s Judson Lincoln (32.37 – third) and Texas’ Logan Popelka (32.54 – 11th).
Miller is the first Boilermaker to earn USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week honors since Chukwuebuka Enekwechi on Jan. 13, 2014.
After the holiday break, Purdue looks ahead to the 2025 portion of the schedule with a trip to the Rod McCravy Memorial Invite hosted by Kentucky from Jan. 10-11.
PURDUE WRESTLING
PURDUE TO WRESTLE INDIANA IN “MACKEY MANIA”
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Wrestling will compete on a stage fit for a big showdown when it hosts rival Indiana in Mackey Arena on Friday, Jan. 17.
The Big Ten Conference dual tabbed as “Mackey Mania” is slated for 7 p.m. ET. Gates will open at 6 p.m. ET and admission will be free of charge.
The broadcast for all 10 matches will be available live on B1G+. An intermission will take place after the fifth match.
“We’re very excited to be back in Mackey Arena after a long time away,” head coach Tony Ersland said. “The Indiana dual is always a big one, and that’s especially true this year. The guys are looking forward to competing in a bigger venue with all of our great fans and showing out for them.”
The meet will mark almost three years since the last time Purdue wrestled in Mackey Arena.
On Jan. 23, 2022, the Boilermakers hosted Wisconsin in a first-of-its-kind Hoops & Headlocks event. The wrestling team competed in the back half of a doubleheader following a Purdue men’s basketball game against Northwestern.
The No. 17 Boilermakers picked up four ranked wins that day but ultimately fell to No. 8 Wisconsin.
Matt Ramos is the lone man left on the team who wrestled in the last Mackey match. As a 133-pound sophomore, he pulled a 4-2 upset over No. 25 Kyle Burwick for his 13th win of the season.
Currently undefeated at 14-0 as the consensus No. 1 125-pounder in the nation, Ramos will lead the Boilermakers as the headliner for “Mackey Mania.”
Before transitioning to Big Ten season, Purdue has two more duals beginning with a trip to Cleveland State on Wednesday, Dec. 18.
The Boilermakers will be back on the road Friday, Jan. 3, at Kent State before turning around to host Northwestern in Holloway Gymnasium on Friday, Jan. 10.
One last non-conference trip to Northern Illinois on Sunday, Jan. 12, will serve as the precursor to “Mackey Mania”.
Purdue is off to a 4-1 start, the team’s best dual record since the 2021-22 season. The Boilermakers have won 12 of their last 14 bouts against the Hoosiers.
NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL
WATTS GARNERS ASSOCIATED PRESS FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICAN HONORS
Now his third two-time first-team All-American honor, graduate safety Xavier Watts has been named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press (AP).
This marks the second-straight year in which Notre Dame has had a two-time AP First Team All-American, as Watts joins Irish offensive lineman Joe Alt (2022-23). Watts is one of two repeat first-team selections this season, joining Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.
Watts, a Notre Dame team captain, was also named an AFCA and Walter Camp First-Team All-American, both for the second-consecutive season.
The Associated Press All-America team is one of the five All-America teams that are utilized to determine both consensus and unanimous All-America honors. The Football Writers Association of America and The Sporting News teams are the other three that have yet to announce their teams.
Watts has also been named a First-Team All-American by The Athletic, USA TODAY, Sports Illustrated and Pro Football Focus. Watts was named a First-Team Midseason All-American by Associated Press, The Sporting News, PFF, Athlon Sports, The Athletic and CBS Sports.
Watts earned Notre Dame’s program Defensive Player of the Year award in 2024, and he was named a semifinalist for the 2024 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award and the 2024 Lott IMPACT Trophy.
Watts has totaled 12-career interceptions, the most by a Notre Dame player since 1996. He is the 19th Notre Dame player to intercept 10 or more passes and is tied for eighth on the all-time list for career interceptions in program history.
Watts ranks third in the nation in total interceptions (5), fourth in the nation in interceptions per game (0.4), and 12th in the country in passes defended (1.2 per game).
Notre Dame has gained 28 turnovers this season (tied for first in the nation). Watts is responsible for six of them (five interceptions, one fumble recovery).
The Irish defense is one of the most complete defenses in the country, ranking among the FBS’ top teams. At the end of the regular season, Notre Dame was first in team passing efficiency defense (94.10), first in turnovers gained (28), first in defensive touchdowns (6), third in scoring defense (13.6), fourth in passing yards allowed (157.9), fourth in interceptions (17), seventh in fumbles recovered (11), ninth in red zone defense (0.733), 10th in total defense (296.8) and 10th in first downs defense (197).
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
HIDALGO SETS PROGRAM RECORD WITH SIXTH ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Just six weeks into the 2024-25 season, Hannah Hidalgo is your ACC Player of the Week for the third time this year. On Monday, the conference announced that Hidalgo has earned the honor for the sixth time in her young career, passing Jewell Loyd for the most ACC Player of the Week honors in program history.
The sophomore brings home the accolade after averaging 28 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 4.5 steals over the last week in wins over No. 2 UConn and Eastern Michigan. She also shot 58.1 percent from the floor, 53.3 percent from deep and a perfect 12-12 from the charity stripe on the week.
Hidalgo was the leading scorer in both contests and posted a near triple-double over the Huskies with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. She had a career-high six triples in Notre Dame’s third victory of the season over top-five competition.
Hidalgo and the Irish have the week off for exams before hosting Loyola (MD) on Sunday at 2 p.m.
BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL
GOROSITO NAMED MAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Juanse Gorosito has been named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week, the MAC office announced Monday afternoon.
Gorosito hit seven 3-pointers on his way to 21 points on Saturday afternoon at Bellarmine while adding four assists, three rebounds and three steals to lead the Cardinals to an 86-82 win over the Knights.
The junior guard buried four triples in the first half including one with three seconds before the buzzer to lift Ball State to a 47-42 halftime edge.
Gorosito has made at least three 3-pointers in each of the last six games, going 27-for-45 (60 percent) from distance in that time to increase his season shooting percentage to 50 percent (34-68).
Gorosito is second in the conference in 3-pointers made and leads the league in shooting percentage from distance among those who have made at least two 3-pointers per game.
The seven triples Gorosito drilled were one shy of tying a Ball State single-game record. The Argentina native averages 11.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
This is Ball State’s second weekly honor of the season from the MAC office after Jermahri Hill was named the Co-Player of the Week on Dec. 2.
The Cardinals return home to host Evansville at 2 p.m. on Saturday in what will be the first home game since Nov. 20.
INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
SECOND HALF SCORING OUTBURST NOT ENOUGH FOR TREES AT EKU
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Chloe Williams finished one rebound shy of a double-double Monday afternoon, but a slow start proved costly for Indiana State in an 89-72 loss to Eastern Kentucky in the EKU MTE at the Clive M. Beck Center.
Williams led Indiana State with 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Bella Finnegan added 15 points and six rebounds off the bench. Keslyn Secrist had 12 for her 10th straight double-digit scoring game, while Deja Jones finished with 10.
A sluggish start for Indiana State saw Eastern Kentucky score the first 12 points and never relinquish the lead. The home side maintained a double-digit lead for most of the first half, with a poor shooting performance putting the Sycamores in a 44-26 hole at the half. Indiana State came out of the break firing with a 14-2 run, half of which came from Jones, to get within 46-40 early in the third, but never got closer. The Sycamores matched their season high of 26 points in the fourth quarter, including an 18-4 run in the middle of the final frame, but EKU’s offense was too much to overcome for the Trees.
First Half
Eastern Kentucky opened the game on a 12-0 run, with the Sycamores going nearly five minutes without a basket before Finnegan hit a midrange jumper to get on the board. Finnegan and Saige Stahl added baskets to get the deficit down to single-digits, with Davina Smith and Stahl adding buckets in the later stages. Queen Ruffin and Savannah White each split a pair of free throws inside the last 90 seconds, but a hot-shooting first quarter from the home side saw the Trees down 27-12 after the opening 10 minutes.
Williams got things going in the second quarter with three baskets in the first five minutes of the frame, with Finnegan adding a jumper just before the midway point to cut the Sycamore deficit to 35-21. Two more baskets from Williams, who finished with 10 points in the second quarter, got the Trees closer, but Indiana State faced a 44-26 deficit at the half.
Second Half
Contrary to the start of the game, Indiana State came out on fire to start the third quarter. The Trees opened on a 14-2 run, with Jones contributing eight on a pair of 3-pointers and a layup, as Indiana State pulled within 46-40 less than three minutes into the period. EKU followed with a run of its own, though, as the Colonels went on a 15-2 run to extend their lead back out to double-digits. Finnegan added a late jumper, while Stahl knocked down a pair of free throws, but the Sycamores entered the fourth quarter trailing 63-46.
Eastern Kentucky opened the fourth on a 9-2 run to take its largest lead of the game at 72-48, but the Sycamores battled back. Four free throws from Secrist and a three-ball from Finnegan started an 18-4 run for the Trees, with Secrist and Ruffin tacking on baskets to whittle the deficit down. Baskets from Finnegan, Jones and Secrist, the latter’s being a three, pulled the Sycamores within 10 at 76-66 just past the midway point of the quarter, but that was the closest the Trees got in the fourth. Williams added a pair of late baskets for the Blue and White, but Indiana State’s 26-point fourth quarter wasn’t enough in an 89-72 defeat.
News and Notes
Indiana State finished with 30 points in the paint, marking the fourth time in the last five games that Indiana State had 30-plus paint points.
Indiana State dished out 14 assists in Monday’s game, with four different Sycamores having multiple assists.
Indiana State’s 20 bench points were the Sycamores’ second-most in a game this season, behind only Sunday’s 33 bench points.
Indiana State outscored Eastern Kentucky 46-45 in the second half, with the Sycamores scoring 20-plus points in both the third and fourth quarters.
Chloe Williams’ nine rebounds and five assists both represented career highs, while her 18 points were tied for her second-most in a game in her career.
Bella Finnegan’s 15 points were the most by a Sycamore coming off the bench this season.
All 10 players who saw the floor for Indiana State pulled down at least one rebounds, with nine of the 10 also getting into the scoring column.
Monday’s game was the first win for Eastern Kentucky in the series, with Indiana State now sporting a 4-1 record all-time against the Colonels.
Up Next
Indiana State wraps up its non-conference schedule Saturday at 2 p.m. at Purdue.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL
2025 BASEBALL SCHEDULE FEATURES OPENING SERIES AT LSU
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne baseball head coach Doug Schreiber has announced the 2025 Mastodon baseball schedule.
The Mastodons will play 21 non-league games prior to their Horizon League opener at Northern Kentucky on March 14-16. The ‘Dons kick off their season with a trip to Baton Rouge to play LSU on February 14-16. The Tigers won 43 games last season and advanced to the final game of the NCAA Regional. It will be the Mastodons’ first ever game against LSU.
Afer LSU, the ‘Dons have a single game at Indiana (Feb. 19) followed by four-game weekends at Austin Peay (Feb. 22-23), SEMO (Feb. 28 – March 2) and Tennessee Tech (March 7-9). Before entering league play, the ‘Dons head to Ball State on March 11.
Following the start of the conference season on March 14-16 at Northern Kentucky, the Mastodons will play a total of seven mid-week non-league games. The ‘Dons will see two of these teams twice for game play, with games against Bowling Green on March 18 and April 15, along with Toledo on March 25 for their home opener and a return visit to play the Rockets on April 9 The ‘Dons will see back-to-back action against Michigan State on April 22 and Notre Dame on April 23. Purdue Fort Wayne will play Central Michigan at home on April 1.
The ‘Dons will play each of the five opposing Horizon League squads six times in 2025. They will see each league team for a three-game series twice. The home league slate starts with Oakland (Mar. 28-30), followed by Milwaukee (Apr. 4-6), Northern Kentucky (Apr. 17-19), Youngstown State (Apr. 25-27) and Wright State (May 15-17) to finish their home games of the 2025 season.
The Horizon League Championships is set for May 21-24.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
TAEYA STEINAUER NAMED #HLWBB FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
INDIANAPOLIS – Taeya Steinauer of the Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball team was selected as the Horizon League Freshman of the Week, the league announced on Monday (Dec. 16).
Steinauer helped Purdue Fort Wayne to a 2-0 week, topping IU Indianapolis and Aquinas. The Oakville, Ontario native was 1-for-2 on the Jaguars’ home floor for two points and grabbed two rebounds. Three days later, she popped off for a season-high 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting against Aquinas. She added five steals and three rebounds against the Saints.
For the week, Steinauer averaged 10.5 points, 3.0 steals and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting 69.2 percent from the field and 60 percent from 3-point range.
Steinauer and the 7-5 Mastodons will play host to Western Michigan on Saturday (Dec. 21) for their final non-league game of the year.
EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
ACES WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TO HOST IU COLUMBUS FOR EDUCATION DAY
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — The University of Evansville women’s basketball team hosts its final non-conference opponent of the season for its annual Education Day game.
The Purple Aces struggled to stop the Vanderbilt Commodores explosive offense and get around their stifling defense on Saturday afternoon in their past game. UE fell in its return to Memorial Gymnasium after 30 years 106-40 as the Commodores NET ranking rose to eight. Evansville returns to the River City for it’s first ever meeting with the IU Columbus Crimson Pride. IU Columbus is in its first year with a women’s basketball team as the Indiana regional campus did not have formal athletics until the 2023-24 academic year. The Crimson Pride are under the direction of Head Coach Dana Dunson, the uncle of Aces Associate Head Coach Dodie Dunson.
UE will host its annual Education Day against IU Columbus on Tuesday morning. With the game at 11 a.m. in the Ford Center, the Aces will welcome over 1,400 area students from multiple local school districts during their last week of school before the holidays. The game will feature educational videos on the center scoreboard, a work book students can fill out during the game, and an exciting arena atmosphere.
Evansville’s underclassmen continue to lead through non-conference action. Of the Aces 590 points this season 73.9% have been scored by freshmen or sophomore. All but one of UE’s top five scorers through nine games are underclassmen. Evansville’s leading scorer has been freshman guard Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind. / Hamilton Heights HS) who is averaging 18.7 points a game. Along with leading the Aces in points, Runner is one of the top free throw shooters in the country. As of Monday, Runner is third in the nation in free throw attempts with 99. She is also fourth among Division I players in free throws made with 80 made attempts at the line.
Freshman guard Logan Leubbers Palmer (Union, Ky. / Randall K. Cooper HS) was an important part of UE’s offense in her collegiate debut. In 17 minutes at Vanderbilt, Palmer was second on the team in scoring with nine points while also pulling down two boards. With the nine point performance, Palmer is now one of Evansville’s top five scorers in points per game.
VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL BACK IN ACTION WEDNESDAY AT SAINT LOUIS
Valparaiso (4-5, 0-0 MVC)
Game #10 – December 18, 2024 – 4 p.m.
at Saint Louis (4-7, 0-0 A-10)
Chaifetz Arena (10,600) – St. Louis, Mo.
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: After a stretch of two weeks away from competition which included the fall semester final exam week, the Valpo women’s basketball team returns to the court for its penultimate nonconference matchup of the season Wednesday afternoon at Saint Louis.
Previously: The Beacons entered their December game hiatus on a winning note on Dec. 4, never trailing at the ARC in a 67-54 victory over Western Michigan. Leah Earnest led all players with her second consecutive double-double, finishing the game with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Following Valpo Basketball: TV: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest
Video: ESPN+
Links for live coverage: Available via ValpoAthletics.com
Head Coach Mary Evans: Mary Evans is in her seventh year at the helm of the program in 2024-25 and owns a record of 64-121. Evans’ first six seasons at the helm have seen Valpo’s six of the top-eight single-season 3-pointers made marks, including each of the top five, while defensively, her teams have racked up steals at a high rate, averaging at least 7.7 steals/game in five of her six seasons. Under her guidance, Valpo players have earned an MVC Sixth Player of the Year honor, five All-Conference accolades, three All-Freshman/Newcomer Team awards and three All-Defensive Team honors.
Series Notes: SLU owns a slight 5-4 edge in an all-time series which hasn’t been contested in over a decade and just twice in the last quarter-century. The last matchup came in St. Louis on Nov. 10, 2013, a 78-56 win for the Billikens where they opened the game on a 26-4 run. Charae Richardson led Valpo in that contest wtih 15 points.
@ValpoWBB…
…and @ValleyHoops
– Valpo was picked to finish in eighth place in the MVC preseason poll, totaling 193 points to edge out Indiana State.
– The eighth-place projection is two spots ahead of the Beacons’ regular-season finish last year.
– Valpo is in its eighth season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
– The Valley was ranked 13th in conference NET last season. In Valpo’s time in the MVC, the conference has been ranked as high as seventh in NET (2020-21).
…looking back at last year
– Valpo finished last season with a 5-25 overall record and finished at 4-16 in MVC play, good for 10th in the Valley standings.
– Leah Earnest was a Second Team All-MVC honoree.
– Valpo won three consecutive road games in Valley play, the second straight year the Beacons have accomplished that – prior to that, the program had last accomplished that feat against three different opponents since 2007.
…versus Western Michigan
– Valpo opened the game on a 9-2 run over the first four minutes, and then bookended the first quarter with a 10-2 run to lead 21-8 at the end of the first quarter.
– Leah Earnest hit a 3-pointer on Valpo’s first possession of the second quarter to extend the advantage to 16 points, but WMU scored seven straight to force a Beacon timeout with 6:57 to play in the half and the lead cut to 24-15.
– The Broncos got no closer than nine in the second quarter, however, and a steal and buzzer-beating layup from Nevaeh Jackson heading into halftime gave the Beacons a 34-20 lead.
– A trifecta from Maci Rhoades on the opening trip of the third quarter gave Valpo its largest lead of the game at 17. WMU came back with a 12-3 run over the next four-plus minutes, cutting its deficit to 40-32 halfway through the period.
– 3-pointers on consecutive possessions by Kayla Preston and Earnest staved off that Bronco threat, and the Beacons’ advantage was 51-36 with 10 minutes to play.
– WMU pulled back to within eight as it scored eight points in less than two minutes to open the fourth quarter, making it a 52-44 game.
– Valpo kept the Broncos off the board on their next four possessions and took advantage on the offensive end, as Lexi Castator hit a pair of free throws and Jackson and Rhoades converted layups to push the lead back to 58-44 with five minutes to play. WMU got no closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
-Valpo extended its home winning streak to three straight games with the win.
– The victory was just the second for Valpo in seven meetings with WMU over the last 13 seasons.
– The Beacons enjoyed their second-best shooting game of the season, as they hit 50% (22-of-44) from the field and 40% (8-of-20) from 3-point range — numbers outdone only by their performance in the North Dakota win.
– Earnest paced the Beacons’ offense with 23 points (6-of-10 FG), the 12th game of her career with 20 or more points. Earnest tallied 10 rebounds as well as she registered her second straight double-double and the 18th of her career.
– Jackson continued her consistent year with a 14-point night, going 5-of-9 from the field as she scored in double figures for the seventh time this season. The sophomore added three steals as well to match her season best.
– Rhoades tied her career high with 12 points, going 5-of-9 from the field and hitting a pair of 3-pointers.
– Layla Gold handed out a team-high four assists to set a career high and matched her career best with four steals.
– Raeven Raye-Redmond filled up the stat sheet with four points, four rebounds, three assists and six steals — the latter mark the second-highest single-game total of her career.
…at Lehigh
– Valpo held an 11-10 lead six minutes into the game before Lehigh closed the first quarter on a 13-4 run to lead 23-15 10 minutes in.
– Lehigh scored on its first possession of the second quarter to extend its lead to double figures before the Beacons went on an 11-0 run in a span of just over two minutes, bookended by 3-point plays from Leah Earnest, to edge in front, 26-25.
– 3-pointers from sophomore Layla Gold and Earnest were the only field goals Valpo came up with over the final six minutes of the half, however, as Lehigh regained the lead and took a 42-36 lead into halftime.
– The Beacons’ struggles from the field continued after halftime, as an Earnest drive and finish in the first minute of the third quarter was their only field goal of the period.
– The Mountain Hawks extended their lead to 55-42 with 10 minutes to play and Valpo got no closer than 12 points in the fourth quarter.
– Earnest posted her 17th career double-double with her game highs of 29 points and 12 rebounds. The 29-point output was the second-best effort of her career.
– Gold was the only Beacon to join Earnest in double figures, scoring 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
– Valpo shot just 35.4% for the game to Lehigh’s 43.4% clip. The Mountain Hawks doubled up the Beacons from the 3-point line, connecting on 12 triples to Valpo’s six.
– One day after owning a +24 advantage in points off turnovers, Valpo was a -13 on Sunday (20-7) as it committed 18 turnovers, while Lehigh turned the ball over just 12 times.
– Valpo did finish the game with a 31-29 advantage on the boards, the first D-I opponent the Beacons have outrebounded this season.
…looking ahead
– Valpo’s final game before Christmas is at the ARC on Saturday afternoon versus Detroit Mercy.
– On the other side of the holiday is the start of MVC play, as the Beacons kick off Valley action Sunday, Dec. 29 against Southern Illinois at the ARC.
…away from home
– Wednesday’s game is the last of six games away from home for Valpo in nonconference action.
– The Beacons are 1-1 in neutral-site games and 0-3 in true road games.
@SaintLouisWBB
– Saint Louis comes into Wednesday’s game at 4-7 on the season, most recently stopping a three-game losing streak with a 96-52 victory over Ohio on Sunday.
– The Billikens won the WNIT last season and were A-10 tournament champions in 2023, advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
– Four SLU players are averaging in double figures, led by Peyton Kennedy with 15.6 points/game.
Taking on the Valley
– While SLU is a member of the A-10, its nonconference schedule is chock full of MVC opponents.
– Remarkably, Valpo is the Billikens’ fifth Valley foe in their nonconference slate.
– SLU enters Wednesday’s game 1-3 to date against MVC teams, with a win over Illinois State (78-71) and losses to Drake (95-70), Missouri State (91-68) and Murray State (91-66).
Forcing Miscues
– Through nine games this year, Valpo is averaging 20.1 turnovers forced/game, easily the most in the MVC.
– The Beacons have forced more turnovers than they’ve committed in seven of nine games and rank third in the Valley with a +2.56 turnover margin.
– Valpo has forced at least 20 turnovers in five games so far, highlighted by back-to-back games forcing 26 miscues in wins over Goshen and North Dakota.
– Against Goshen, the Beacons racked up 15 steals, a season high and the team’s highest total in exactly one calendar year. The Beacons matched that mark in the win over Western Michigan as well.
– In the win over North Dakota, Valpo turned the Fighting Hawks’ 26 turnovers into 33 points and held a massive 33-9 edge in points off turnovers. It was the program’s greatest number of points off turnovers and the highest edge in the category since a Feb. 22, 2020 win at Loyola, when Valpo forced 31 turnovers and owns a 38-4 advantage in points off turnovers.
The Paint is Ours
– All good things must come to an end, and while the Beacons defeated North Dakota in their opener at the Christmas City Classic, the points in the paint went slightly to the Fighting Hawks by a 34-32 margin.
– That snapped a streak of five straight games where Valpo held the edge in points in the paint, the last four of those advantages being double-figure margins.
– The 2023-24 team only had four games total where it outscored its opponent in the paint.
– Prior to this five-game streak, the last time the Beacons outscored their opponent in the paint in back-to-back games came in December 2022 against Western Michigan and Western Illinois.
– The last time Valpo outscored its opponent in the paint in five consecutive contests prior to this season? You have to go all the way back to January 2010, when Valpo bettered Youngstown State, Cleveland State, Detroit, Wright State and Milwaukee in consecutive games inside.
– Last time out in the win over Western Michigan, the Beacons were right back to their inside dominance, outscoring the Broncos in the paint by a 26-16 margin.
In Close Is Where It’s At
– It’s no surprise given the offensive philosophy of head coach Mary Evans that nearly every single two-point basket by the Beacons this season is in the paint.
– Through nine games this year, 138 of Valpo’s 139 two-pointers have been recorded as in the paint – including each of the last 77.
– The lone two-point field goal outside the paint for the Beacons to date this season was a one-handed runner by Leah Earnest from the right block early in the second quarter at Loyola.
20/20/20/20 Vision
– Nine games into the season, and Valpo already has four different players with six combined 20-point games under their belt.
– That is already more than last year’s team, which featured just two different players with at least one 20-point effort.
– Most recently, Leah Earnest hit the 20-point mark for the 11th time with the second-highest scoring output of her career, finishing with 29 points at Lehigh, and followed the very next outing with 23 points on 6-of-10 shooting in the win over Western Michigan.
– Nevaeh Jackson went 8-of-13 from the field against Goshen and knocked down four 3-pointers against Purdue Fort Wayne in a pair of 20-point performances.
– Sophomore Layla Gold shattered her previous career high of 11 points with a 23-point night – which included five 3-pointers – at Milwaukee.
– Against Trinity Christian, Kayla Preston smashed her previous best, going for 20 points on 7-10 FG and 6-8 FT.
Spreading the Wealth
– Through just nine games this season, the Beacons have already had three games where they’ve seen four different players reach double figures in the scoring column.
– Most recently, Leah Earnest, Katie Beyer, Nevaeh Jackson and Maci Rhoades all hit the 10-point mark in the win over North Dakota.
– Against Goshen, it was Jackson, Beyer, Earnest and Kayla Preston hitting double digits.
– At Milwaukee, Layla Gold, Earnest, Raeven Raye-Redmond and Jackson all scored at least 13 points.
– The fact this year’s team has already had three such games is notable, as last year’s squad had no more than three players score in double figures in the same game.
All-Tournament Honors
– Valpo had a pair of players recognized as All-Tournament Team honorees following the conclusion of the Christmas City Classic.
– Leah Earnest averaged 23.5 points, 10 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game over the Beacons’ two contests.
– Katie Beyer earned her selection by virtue of a strong 16-point performance, surpassing her career high, in the win over North Dakota.
Zooming Up the Charts
– It took Leah Earnest just 26 hours to leapfrog from 13th to ninth on Valpo’s career scoring chart over the Beacons’ two games at the Christmas City Classic.
– Earnest enters Wednesday’s game with 1,251 career points, 13 shy of eighth, 22 shy of seventh and 25 shy of sixth in program history.
– Last time out, Earnest moved into a tie for fifth place on Valpo’s career chart with Dani Franklin with her 713th career rebound – 10 shy of fourth.
– The grad student is also tied for fifth all-time at Valpo with 122 games played, seventh with 271 free throws made and tied for 10th with 451 field goals made.
– Earnest impacted the program’s single-game record book as well at the Christmas City Classic as she went 12-for-12 at the foul line against Lehigh. She is one of just 12 players to hit 100% from the foul line in a game (minimum 10 attempts) and one of just four to do so on at least 12 tries.
Filling the Box Score
– Both of Earnest’s efforts at Lehigh were notable insomuch as to how many categories she posted notable totals in.
– She scored a game-high 18 points in the win over North Dakota, while also pacing all players with eight rebounds, six assists — tying her career high — and a career-best three blocked shots.
– Earnest is one of just two D-I players to reach all four of those marks in the same game this season and is the first Valpo player to do so in at least 15 years.
– She followed 24 hours later with game highs of 29 points and 12 rebounds against Lehigh, one of just two MVC players this season to reach both marks in the same game.
– There have been just four individual games by a Valpo player with at least 29 points and 12 rebounds in the last 15 seasons, and Earnest owns two of those, doing so last year at Illinois State as well.
Career Highs
– Five of Valpo’s seven returnees have set career bests in the scoring column this season – the only returnees who haven’t are Saniya Jackson, who is out for the season, and Earnest.
– Joining the trio who had their first career 20-point efforts are senior Katie Beyer and sophomore Raeven Raye-Redmond.
– Raye-Redmond smashed past her previous best of nine with a 15-point night on 6-of-9 shooting at Milwaukee.
– Beyer hit three 3-pointers on her way to a 14-point game in the season opener versus Liberty, and then against North Dakota, surpassed that again with a 16-point effort.
Notables From Goshen
– Goshen’s high scorer had nine points – it was the first time a Valpo opponent has failed to have a double-digit scorer since Jan. 20, 2019 against Evansville.
– With 26 turnovers, the Maple Leafs were the first Valpo opponent with 25 or more miscues since March 11, 2021 against Evansville at the MVC Tournament.
– Goshen hit just 1-of-14 from 3-point range, the first time since Jan. 2, 2022 at Missouri State a Valpo opponent has shot under 10% from the 3-point line.
Notables From Trinity Christian
– Valpo surrendered just 40 points to Trinity Christian, the lowest mark by a Valpo team since giving up just 37 in a win over UIC Dec. 15, 2019.
– The 41-point margin of victory (81-40) was the program’s largest since a 95-49 win over Chicago State Dec. 28, 2019.
– The Beacons dished out 25 assists on 29 made field goals, the program’s highest single-game assist total since a 26-assist performance against Purdue Calumet Dec. 9, 1998.
– Valpo’s 43 rebounds was the highest team single-game total since grabbing 44 against UAB Nov. 21, 2022.
Leah’s Last Ride
– Graduate student Leah Earnest is back for her fifth and final season of eligibility, looking to put a bow on one of the most productive careers in program history.
– Earnest was a Second Team All-MVC selection last season and tabbed a preseason Second Team All-MVC choice this year.
– Earnest became the first Valpo player since 1991-92 to pace the team in scoring, rebounding and assists.
– She ranked sixth in the Valley in scoring and eighth in rebounding, one of only four Valley players to rank in the top-eight of both categories.
– Earnest scored 494 points on the season, fifth-most in a single season in program history and second-most since 1994.
– Should she duplicate her season totals from last year, Earnest would close her career third all-time at Valpo in scoring and second in rebounding.
VALPO MEN’S BASKETBALL
WRIGHT NAMED MVC FRESHMAN OF WEEK FOR SECOND TIME THIS SEASON
Valparaiso University men’s basketball guard All Wright (Durango, Mexico / Link Year) was named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday. This marked the second time this season he has earned the honor, the third time a member of the program has won the award this season and the team’s ninth MVC Freshman of the Week Award since head coach Roger Powell Jr. arrived at Valpo prior to the 2023-24 season.
Wright poured in a personal-best 26 points to help Valpo beat Central Michigan 93-77 on Saturday. His point total doubled his previous career high of 13 that occurred on Nov. 27 vs. Northern Illinois. Wright went 8-for-8 at the free-throw line while draining four 3s against the Chippewas.
Over the last 16 seasons, Wright became just the fourth different Valpo freshman to score at least 26 points in a game, joining Cooper Schwieger (twice), Javon Freeman-Liberty, Alec Peters (three times) and Matt Kenney. Freeman-Liberty and Peters both went on to play in the NBA, while Schwieger and Wright are on Valpo’s current roster. Wright’s 26 points were the most scored by a Missouri Valley Conference freshman in a game this season. The last freshman on any Valley team to score at least 26 points in a game was Cooper Schwieger on March 3, 2024 vs. Illinois State (28).
Wright’s performance was just the 13th time nationally that a freshman scored at least 26 points in a game this season and he became just the 10th different freshman in the nation with a 26-point performance this year. The only mid-major rookies in the country who have scored 26 points or more in a game in 2024-25 are Wright and San Francisco’s Tyrone Riley IV (twice).
Valpo will visit Ohio State on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET in Columbus, Ohio. The game will be streamed on Peacock.
VALPO MEN’S GOLF
VANARRAGON TURNS IN STRONG FINISH TO FINAL STAGE OF KORN FERRY TOUR QUALIFYING SCHOOL
Former Valparaiso University men’s golf standout Caleb VanArragon turned in a strong finish to the final stage of the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School this weekend, which took place from Thursday to Sunday at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
VanArragon, a two-time NCAA Regional Qualifier and two-time Academic All-American while at Valpo, turned in a 66 (-4) in the fourth and final round on Sunday, finishing the final stage of Q-School with a 72-hole score of 282 (+2), tied for 36th in an extremely competitive field. He turned in a round-by-round line of 77-70-69-66, improving his score with each passing round.
VanArragon’s performance in qualifying school earned him a minimum of eight starts on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2025.
UINDY MEN’S BASKETBALL
TORNATTA, UINDY DOWNS GVSU FOR INSTANT CLASSIC
INDIANAPOLIS – The UIndy men’s basketball team earned a thrilling victory on Monday evening, defeating in-region Grand Valley in double-overtime, 88-86. The Greyhounds led for more than 41 minutes in the instant classic, as the Lakers fought back to force both extra sessions.
Monday marks the third straight non-conference regional victory for the Hounds, following up a road win last Wednesday at Thomas More. It is also the third consecutive win over the Lakers for the Hounds, who now lead the all-time series, 7-5.
Tucker Tornatta was a stat-sheet stuffer in the win, recording the second double-double of his young career with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
It was the first double-overtime contest at Nicoson Hall since January 2010, a 90-85 UIndy triumph over GLVC-foe Illinois Springfield.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hounds led by 13 with under 10 minutes in regulation after Noah Kon dropped in his second field goal of the evening. UIndy appeared in control at the 7:33 mark following Grant Diksen’s third triple, stretching the Greyhound advantage back to 12. The Lakers responded with a 9-0 run before tying it at 73 apiece to force overtime.
Grand Valley grabbed its first lead of the night in the first extra session and forced the Hounds in a tough situation as time trickled away. Tornatta stepped up with a step-back 3-pointer – his lone triple – to put the Greyhounds back ahead; however, Grand Valley answered once again with a game-tying bucket, requesting just five more minutes of action.
After a couple missed free throws down the stretch, DaShawn Jackson gave UIndy the lead for good with 31 seconds on the clock. The Lakers got their turn at the buzzer this time and, just like the previous two game-winning efforts in regulation and overtime, it flirted with the rim before bouncing out, a scream of jubilance sounding from the Greyhound bench.
INSIDE THE BOX
– Tornatta added a team-high six assists, while the team’s 20 helpers are the most since January 2024 at Truman.
– Zac Szul drew his first start since the season opener, totaling 21+ minutes of action.
– Disken recorded 16 points with three triples, including a nifty and-1 jumper from inside the arc in the second half.
– Dylan Ingram was undeterred after missing his first four 3-pointers, drilling four of his next five in the final 30+ minutes to finish with 14 points.
– Jackson’s 24 points is the most in a game for the junior this season and he has now made at least three 3-pointers on six occasions.
MORE NOTES
UIndy did not turn the ball over in the final 12+ minutes, including either overtime session … Grand Valley’s Kaden Brown dropped a career-high 32 points, including eight 3-pointers … the Greyhounds have now finished with a positive turnover ratio eight times … Ingram posted four of the team’s nine blocks in the win; Lavonte Harris added one in nearly 13 minutes off the bench.
HOUND BYTES
Jackson on the difference in the second overtime…
“Probably our focus. We felt like we should’ve put them away in regulation and the first overtime and we had to lock in together and secure the W.”
Jackson on Tornatta’s performance…
“Big shoutout to Tucker. For a freshman, that’s a huge game.”
UP NEXT
UIndy faces one more tough test before the calendar flips to 2025, as it heads to No. 21 Hillsdale Saturday afternoon. It will be the teams’ first meeting since November 2016.
MARIAN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
KNIGHTS FALL TO FLORIDA MEMORIAL IN A NEUTRAL COURT MATCHUP
Adrian, Mich. – The Marian women’s basketball team fell 69-60 on the road Monday evening. The Knights are now 10-3 overall on the season and 4-0 in the Crossroads League.
Marian struck first with a layup followed by a three from Taylor Double to take the 5-0 lead in the first two minutes of play. Florida Memorial struck back with the same baskets to tie the game 5-5 less than a minute later. The Knights and Tigers continued to swap baskets with Abbey McNally securing two layups and Kenna Kirby and Olivia Faust each shooting one, before Florida Memorial went on a hot streak to take the 16-15 lead with 2:23 remaining in the quarter. McNally tried to chip away at the margin with a layup but was quickly followed up by the Lions to bring the score 18-17 going into the second quarter.
Eva Fisher was first to strike in the second quarter with a layup but was quickly followed up with four free throws from the Lions to extend their lead 22-19. Florida Memorial continued to outscore Marian with Emily Grim only able to put up a pair of free throws on the board compared to the trio of three pointers by the Lions to bring the score 33-21 at the halfway mark of the quarter. Taylor Double’s three and Kenna Gray’s layup were the only marks the Knights were able to put up for the rest of the quarter to extend Florida Memorial’s lead 41-26 going into the half.
Marian pulled it together coming out of halftime outscoring the Lions 19-9 in the third quarter. Double was the first to strike with a jumper that was followed up by a pair of layups from Madisyn Bailey and Kirby to decrease the margin down to single digits with the score 41-32. The Lions fired back with a three pointer but came up short with McNally’s pair of layups and Doubles free throw. Florida Memorial and Marian traded points once more with McNally shooting a layup for the Knights bringing the score 47-39 in favor of the Lions with 3:57 remaining in the quarter. Double and Kirby continued to tack off points with a free throw from Taylor and a layup from Kenna to bring the margin down to five with three minutes remaining in the quarter. Kennedy Fuelling shot a three to cap off the Knights points for the third quarter but was leveled by a trio of free throws from the Lions to bring the score 50-45 going into the last quarter.
Florida Memorial was the first to strike in the final quarter with a layup and a tip-in but Bailey was able to follow it up with a layup. Both sides of the court traded points with Kirby shooting two jumpers and McNally shooting a layup to bring the score 56-53 but the Lions were able to fire back with a pair of layups. Marian continued to push with Fisher shooting a free throw and McNally shooting a layup but were sadly leveled out by a Lions three pointer. Florida Memorial were able to come back with the win with the Knights coming up nine points to short with the ending score carding at 60-69.
Abbey McNally led the team in points and rebounds with 18 points and eight rebounds in the game. Taylor Double was close behind with 14 points and five rebounds while Kenna Kirby has 10 points and three rebounds. From the line Emily Grim went 2-2 on free throws. Madisyn Bailey led the team in assists with five while Eva Fisher, McNally, and Kirby all had two.
The Knights will be back in action after Christmas on Monday, Dec. 30 as they take on Concordia (Mich.) at home at 2:00 p.m.
MARIAN WOMEN’S SOCCER
LAYLA BROWN REPRESENTS MARIAN WOMEN’S SOCCER AS NAIA ALL-AMERICA SECOND TEAM HONOREE
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 2024 NAIA Women’s Soccer All-America Team was announced on Monday, with Marian women’s soccer being represented by Layla Brown, who was named an NAIA All-America Second Team honoree.
The NAIA All-America Committee consists of the NAIA-Women’s Soccer Coaches Association officers and seven additional women’s soccer coaches.
Layla Brown represented Marian as their lone NAIA All-American honoree, as she was named to the NAIA All-America Second Team. Brown’s All-American honor comes a week after she was named to the CSC Academic All-America Second Team. The Marian product was the lone student-athlete from the Crossroads League to earn All-American status in the 2024 season.
In her lone season at Marian, the fifth-year student-athlete thrived on the pitch, scoring 19 goals and assisting on 13. Brown’s 13 assists tied the single-season program record. Brown was named the Crossroads League Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, while earning First Team All-Crossroads League honors. Brown had three multi-goal games on the season which included two hat tricks, and scored or assisted on a goal in 20 of the team’s 23 games. The Fishers, Indiana, native contributed to a Marian goal in each of the team’s final 11 matches.
Marian ended the season with an appearance in the NAIA Tournament Round of 16, holding a record of 17-4-2 on the year.
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IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
“SPORTS EXTRA”
FOOTBALL HISTORY
December 17, 1933 – Wrigley Field, Chicago – The First National Football League Championship Title Game that the League scheduled before the season started is played per ESPN.com. A Title game was played in 1932 but it was thrown together in a week at the end of the season. The Football History Headlines for December 18 will go into detail about the 1932 contest. In the closing minutes, with the ball on the Giants’ 33-yard line, Bronko Nagurski throws a jump pass to end Bill Hewitt, who reaches the 19, when he makes a long lateral to the other end, Billy Karr. Eluding two Giant defenders, Karr races into the end zone for his second touchdown, giving the Bears the lead. The pass play was extremely controversial as to where Nagurski was when he threw the ball. At the time of this contest one rule that constituted a legal forward pass was that the person throwing the ball had to be at least five yards or more behind the line of scrimmage when they released the ball forward. At the League Meetings later in 1933 the “Bronko Nagurski Rule” was created in which a forward pass is legal anywhere from behind the line of scrimmage like it is currently in all levels of football. Anyhow back to the end of the 1933 Championship game. In the final seconds, The Galloping Ghost, Red Grange preserved Chicago’s 23-21 victory with a touchdown-saving tackle. The Chicago Bears defeated the New York Football Giants, 23-21. This game also helped other rules at the 1933 meetings to be instituted. The NFL divided into two divisions and these top two teams in each would meet for the title. The hash marks were moved and so were the goal posts to open the game up a little bit to provide more action, similar to what the ever popular collegiate game was doing at the time. The game set an NFL record of six lead changes in a championship game which still stands at the time of this writing in 2020. The champs reached received $210.34 and the Giants pocketed a cool $170 each for participating in the game.
December 17, 1944 – Polo Grounds, New York City – The NFL Championship game had the Green Bay Packers visiting the New York Football Giants. The website GoldenRankings.com has a superb write up on the game. According to the article World War II stripped many fine players from the rosters of all NFL teams as they went to serve their country. Retired players that were not involved with the military were recruited by all teams just to be able to put enough to field a team. It was the Packers won this tightly contested game 14-7 for 6th and final championship title under their legendary coach Curly Lambeau.
December 17, 1972 – Denver Broncos Quarterback Charley Johnson tosses three touchdown passes to help the Broncos more than double up the New England Patriots 45-21. The story complete with video can be found at denverbroncos.com.
December 17, 2000 – Terrell Owens of the 49ers caught a single game receiving record of 20 receptions for 283 yards against the Chicago Bears per an ESPN.com story. Owens broke the previous record of 18 set by Tom Fears in 1950 with the Rams.
December 17, 2017 – It was the scheduled matchup that most NFL fans were licking their chops for all season long. The 11-3 New England Patriots invaded Heinz Field to take on the 11-3 Pittsburgh Steelers. These two teams had little fondness for each other and the game did not disappoint its billing as it gave a game that came right down to the wire and added to its legacy by having a controversial play being at its pinnacle according to a NY Times article written the day after the game. With 56 seconds remaining in the game the Patriots took the lead on an 8 yard run by Dion Lewis. Tom Brady connected on a pass with Rob Gronkowski to convert the two point attempt and the Pats were up 3. The Steelers started their drive after the kickoff from their own 21 yard line. Ben Roethlisberger connected with Rookie Receiver Ju-Ju Smith Schuster on a crossing route who with some crazy moves took the ball deep into New England territory. New excitement filled the stadium after the 69 yard pass play! On the very next play Big Ben found Tight End Jesse James for an apparent score. However after review the official overturned the touchdown declaring the pass incomplete and an interception of a tipped pass a few plays later gave the Patriots the victory. Tony Corrente, the game’s referee, when asked later why the TD did not stand said a lack of contact by a defender on James was irrelevant. ”As he hit the ground, the ball began to roll and rotate and the ball hit the ground,” Corrente said, “that’s the end at that point.” The NFL rule has since been modified and if the exact play occurred now, it would have been a touchdown.
December 17, 2021 – The new strains of COVID-19, the Delta as well as the Omicron Variants, effected many thing in life around the world and this time it postponed three NFL regular season games.
The Las Vegas Raiders versus Cleveland Browns tilt that had been scheduled for Saturday December 18 in the 4:30 PM EST slot was moved to Monday at 5PM as the Browns had over 20 players in the COVID protocol which prevented them to participate in any in person team activities.
The Washington Football Team and the Philadelphia Eagles NFC East matchup was also rescheduled to be played a few days later than first expected. On Tuesday December 21 the two will face off, also delayed because of a pandemic outbreak with the players and coaching staffs.
The Seattle Seahawks and LA Rams NFC West contest is also a schedule delay casualty of COVID-19 as their game too was postponed until Tuesday December 21, 2021 from its originally scheduled day of December 19.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
Dec. 17
1933 — The Chicago Bears win the first NFL championship with a 23-21 victory over the New York Giants. The Bears score the winning touchdown on a 36-yard play that starts with a short pass from Bronko Nagurski to Bill Hewitt, who then laterals to Bill Kerr for the score.
1944 — National Football League Championship, Polo Grounds, NYC: Green Bay Packers beat New York Giants, 14-7 for 6th and final league title under long-time coach Curly Lambeau.
1983 — In his 352nd NHL game, Wayne Gretzky scores a goal & 5 assists in 8-1 rout of Quebec Nordiques to record his 800th point and 500th assist; averages 2.27 points, 1.42 assists, 0.85 goals per game to start career.
1987 — Chicago’s Michael Jordan scores 52 points to lead the Bulls to a 111-100 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
1991 — The Cleveland Cavaliers turn a 20-point halftime lead over Miami into the most lopsided victory in NBA history, 148-80 over the Heat. The 68-point margin eclipses the mark of 63 set March 19, 1972, when the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 162-99.
1993 — Julio Cesar Chavez secures his place in boxing history, retaining his WBC super lightweight title with a fifth-round victory over Britain’s Andy Holligan. It’s the 27th time Chavez fought for a title without a loss since 1984, breaking Joe Louis’ mark of 26.
1993 — Virgil Hill becomes the most successful light heavyweight in boxing history, winning a record 15th title defense with a unanimous decision over Guy Waters of Australia. Hill, the WBA champion for five of the last six years, had been tied with Bob Foster, who held light heavyweight titles from 1968 to 1974.
2000 — Terrell Owens catches an NFL-record 20 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown in San Francisco’s 17-0 victory over Chicago. Jeff Garcia completes 36 of 44 passes for 402 yards and two touchdowns for the 49ers.
2005 — John Ruiz loses the WBA heavyweight title, dropping a disputed majority decision to 7-foot Nikolay Valuev of Russia in Berlin. Valuev, the first Russian heavyweight champion, also becomes the tallest and heaviest (323 pounds) champion of all-time.
2006 — LaDainian Tomlinson breaks Paul Hornung’s 46-year-old NFL single-season scoring record on a 15-yard run in the first quarter of San Diego’s game against Kansas City. The touchdown run gives him 180 points, breaking Hornung’s record of 176 set with the Green Bay Packers in 1960.
2006 — Gilbert Arenas sets a franchise record with 60 points, 16 of them in overtime, to lead Washington to a 147-141 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
2013 — Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis scores 21 points on a career-high seven 3-pointers and No. 1 Connecticut beat second-ranked Duke 83-61. Breanna Stewart has 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Huskies as coach Geno Auriemma earns his 850th career win.
2016 — Donnel Pumphrey breaks the NCAA career rushing record in his college finale, running for 115 yards and a touchdown in San Diego State’s 34-10 victory over Houston in the Las Vegas Bowl. Pumphrey passes former Wisconsin star Ron Dayne’s mark of 6,397 yards on a 15-yard run early in the fourth quarter and wraps up his sensational career in his Nevada hometown with 6,405 yards. Pumphrey’s senior total of 2,133 yards rushing ranks in the top 10 for a FBS player.
2016 — Malik Monk scores a Kentucky freshman record 47 points and hits the go-ahead 3-pointer with 16.7 seconds left to lead the sixth-ranked Wildcats past No. 7 North Carolina 103-100 in a thrilling showdown of traditional powers.
2022 — Minnesota Vikings recover from 33-0 down at halftime to beat Indianapolis Colts, 39-36 in overtime at US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN; biggest comeback in NFL history.
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Dec. 18
1930 — Adolph Rupp coaches his first game at Kentucky, a 67-19 win over Georgetown College in Kentucky. Rupp retires in 1972 after winning 879 games and four national titles.
1949 — The Philadelphia Eagles win the NFL championship with a 14-0 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
1954 — Montreal’s Maurice Richard becomes the first player in NHL history to score 400 goals during the Canadiens’ 4-2 road victory against the Chicago Black Hawks.
1961 — Olympic track star Wilma Rudolph wins The Associated Press’ female athlete of year award for the second consecutive year.
1962 — Wilt Chamberlain of the San Francisco Warriors scores 61 points in a 130-110 over the St. Louis Hawks.
1964 — Oscar Robertson of the Cincinnati Royals scores 56 points, including 18 in the final quarter, in a 111-107 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
1976 — Oakland quarterback Kenny Stabler scores with 14 seconds left to give the Raiders a 24-21 comeback victory over the New England Patriots in the in the AFC divisional playoffs.
1983 — Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky scores his 100th point of the season the Edmonton Oilers’ 34th game, a 7-5 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. Gretzky scores two goals and has two assists to get to 100 points faster than any player in NHL history. He finishes the season with 205 points.
1995 — Jerry Rice of the San Francisco 49ers records the fifth-highest yardage total by a receiver in NFL history with 289 yards, and catches three touchdown passes in a 37-30 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
1997 — Germany’s Katja Seizinger wins her sixth straight race to tie former French star Jean-Claude Killy’s World Cup record for consecutive victories.
2005 — Indianapolis, which won its first 13 games, the fourth team in NFL history to do so, loses 26-17 at home to San Diego.
2006 — Tenth-ranked Arizona State beats Texas Tech 61-45 when the second outdoor game in women’s college basketball history is called on account of rain with 4:18 to play at Chase Field, home of baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks.
2007 — Edmonton sets an NHL record by competing in its fourth straight shootout, but loses to Dallas 2-1. The Oilers, who had won the first three, lose for the second time in their 12 shootout appearances.
2008 — Steve Asmussen is the first North American trainer to win 600 Thoroughbred races in a single year as Storm Trust captures the fifth race at Delta Downs.
2011 — The Green Bay Packers’ 19-game winning streak, second-longest in NFL history, is snapped with a 19-14 loss at Kansas City.
2011 — Brittney Griner scores 12 of her 25 points in the closing run that pushes the top-ranked Baylor Lady Bears past No. 2 UConn 66-61.
2016 — New England defeats Denver 16-3 to clinch the AFC East and earn a first-round bye. It marks the eighth consecutive division title for the Patriots, the longest streak in NFL history, breaking a tie with the 1973-79 Los Angeles Rams (seven). New England is the only team in NFL history to win 13 division titles in a 14-year span.
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Dec. 19
1913 — Heavyweight champion Jack Johnson fights to a 10-round draw with Battling Jim Johnson in Paris.
1917 — The NHL begins play. Joe Malone of the Montreal Canadiens scores five goals in a 9-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Harry Hyland of the Montreal Wanderers scores five goals in a 10-9 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
1943 — Harry Lumley, at 17 years and 38 days old, becomes the youngest goaltender in NHL history when he plays for the Detroit Red Wings in a 6-2 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
1948 — The Cleveland Browns complete an undefeated season beating the Buffalo Bills 49-7 in AAFC championship game.
1948 — The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Chicago Cardinals 7-0 in a major snowstorm for the NFL title. Philadelphia’s Bucko Kilroy recovers a fumble on the 17-yard line in the fourth period, and Steve Van Buren later scores from the 5.
1976 — The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Baltimore Colts 40-14 in an AFC playoff game. Ten minutes after the game, Donald Kroner, a former charter pilot, crashes a rented, low-wing, Piper Cherokee into the upper deck of Memorial Stadium. No one is seriously hurt as most of the capacity crowd of 60,020 left the one-sided contest early or were heading down the exit ramps.
1987 — Boston and St. Louis combine for the fastest two goals in NHL history. Ken Linseman puts the Bruins ahead 6-5 with 10 seconds left in the third period. Doug Gilmour of Boston wins the faceoff and shoots the puck into an empty net two seconds later to wrap up a 7-5 win over the Blues at Boston Garden.
1990 — Los Angeles Raiders running back Bo Jackson is named to the AFC team, as a reserve, becoming the first athlete chosen for All-Star games in two sports.
2001 — Marshall, led by Byron Leftwich, comes back from a 38-8 halftime deficit to beat East Carolina 64-61 in double-overtime in the GMAC Bowl for the highest scoring bowl game in history.
2007 — New York Islanders forward Chris Simon is banned for 30 games, drawing the longest suspension in NHL history again. Simon’s latest infraction was stepping on Pittsburgh’s Jarkko Ruutu with his skate during a Dec. 15 game. This is the seventh suspension of Simon’s career.
2009 — Michael Phelps helps his American team trounce a group of European all-stars in the Duel in the Pool, anchoring a relay to one of the eight world records the U.S. sets over the two-day meet in Manchester, England.
2010 — Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson returns a punt 65 yards for a touchdown as time expires in the Eagles’ 38-31 comeback win at the New York Giants. It’s the only game-winning punt-return touchdown in NFL history as the Eagles come back from a 31-10 fourth-quarter deficit. It marks the ninth time in NFL history in which a team trailed by at least 21 points in the fourth quarter and wins the game.
2010 — The Detroit Lions stop their record road skid at 26 games with a 23-20 overtime win at Tampa Bay. It’s the first road win since Oct. 28, 2007, when they beat the Bears 16-7 at Chicago.
2017 — Freshman Trae Young has 26 points and ties an NCAA Division I record with 22 assists as No. 17 Oklahoma rolls past Northwestern State 105-68.
2017 — North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell becomes the third women’s Division I coach to register her 1,000th career victory after the Tar Heels beat Grambling State 79-63.
2017 — Geno Auriemma wins his 1000th game as top-ranked UConn beat Oklahoma 88-64 in the Hall of Fame women’s Holiday Showcase. Auriemma becomes the fourth women’s coach to reach the 1,000-win mark, joining Pat Summitt, Tara VanDerveer and Sylvia Hatchell, who earned her milestone victory earlier in the day.2018 – Houston Rockets set NBA single-game record with 26 three-pointers in 136-118 victory over Washington Wizards