THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” TUESDAY DECEMBER 31, 2024

“THE SCOREBOARD”

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL

HOMESTEAD.COM

PROVIDENCE CRISTO REY	64	CENTRAL CHRISTIAN	31
DELPHI TOURNAMENT
WINAMAC	61	FRANKFORT	59	R1
ROSSVILLE	63	NORTH NEWTON	33	R1
TAYLOR	42	PIONEER	27	R1
DELPHI	57	NORTH MONTGOMERY	51	R1
WABASH VALLEY TOURNAMENT
PARKE HERITAGE	69	SULLIVAN	31	CON
LINTON	35	WEST VIGO	29	5TH
BLOOMFIELD	46	TERRE HAUTE SOUTH	43	3RD
NORTHVIEW	49	TERRE HAUTE NORTH	37	1ST

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL

HOMSTEAD.COM

EASTSIDE	77	EDON (OHIO)	23
LAWRENCE CENTRAL	63	ANTHONY WAYNE (OHIO)	57
PARKWAY (OHIO)	63	SOUTH ADAMS	13
PERRY CENTRAL	58	SOUTH CENTRAL (ELIZABETH)	51
SOUTH SPENCER	53	OWENSBORO APOLLO (KY.)	21
WOODLAN	52	WAYNE TRACE (OHIO)	44
DELPHI TOURNAMENT
WINAMAC	66	FRANKFORT	15
ROSSVILLE	54	NORTH NEWTON	22
PIONEER	57	TAYLOR	35
DELPHI	49	NORTH MONTGOMERY	45

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING

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

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

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

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

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

AP POLL

1. TENNESSEE
2. AUBURN
3. IOWA STATE
4. DUKE
5. ALABAMA
6. FLORIDA
7. KANSAS
8. MARQUETTE
9. OREGON
10. KENTUCKY
11. UCONN
12. OKLAHOMA
13. TEXAS A&M
14. HOUSTON
15. UCLA
16. CINCINNATI
17. MISSISSIPPI STATE
18. MICHIGAN STATE
19. GONZAGA
20. PURDUE
21. MEMPHIS
22. ILLINOIS
23. ARKANSAS
24. OLE MISS
25. BAYLOR

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:

MARYLAND 133, DRAKE 100, ST. JOHN’S 98, DAYTON 90, MICHIGAN 65, UTAH ST. 59, GEORGIA 48, PITTSBURGH 35, WEST VIRGINIA 30, SAN DIEGO ST. 28, OHIO ST. 19, MISSOURI 19, NORTH CAROLINA 19, ARIZONA ST 13, INDIANA 11, TEXAS TECH 8, CLEMSON 8, WISCONSIN 7, PENN ST. 5, ST. BONAVENTURE 2, NEBRASKA 1.

USA TODAY MEN’S TOP 25 POLL

RANK	SCHOOL (RECORD)	POINTS	LAST WEEK’S RANK	FIRST-PLACE VOTES
1	TENNESSEE (12-0)	764	1	20
2	AUBURN (11-1)	747	2	11
3	IOWA STATE (10-1)	707	3	0
4	DUKE (10-2)	664	4	0
5	FLORIDA (13-0)	651	5	0
6	ALABAMA (11-2)	626	6	0
7	KANSAS (9-2)	552	7	0
8	MARQUETTE (11-2)	539	8	0
9	OREGON (12-1)	491	9	0
10	OKLAHOMA (13-0)	437	11	0
11	KENTUCKY (10-2)	428	10	0
12	TEXAS A&M (11-2)	424	13	0
13	CONNECTICUT (10-3)	416	14	0
14	HOUSTON (8-3)	386	12	0
15	MICHIGAN STATE (10-2)	270	18	0
16	MISSISSIPPI STATE (11-1)	267	19	0
17	CINCINNATI (10-1)	259	17	0
18	UCLA (11-2)	255	21	0
19	GONZAGA (9-4)	170	15	0
20	ILLINOIS (9-3)	129	22	0
21	BAYLOR (8-3)	113	23	0
22	PURDUE (9-4)	108	25	0
23	MISSISSIPPI (11-2)	92	16	0
24	MARYLAND (11-2)	90	NR	0
25	MEMPHIS (10-3)	87	NR	0

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TOP 25 SCORES

#18 MICHIGAN STATE 80 WESTERN MICHIGAN 62

#2 AUBURN 87 MONMOUTH 58

KANSAS STATE 70 #17 CINCINNATI 67

#15 HOUSTON 60 OKLAHOMA STATE 47

#23 ARKANSAS 92 OAKLAND 62

#19 MISSISSISSPI STATE 87 BETHUNE-COOKMAN 73

#3 IOWA STATE 79 COLORADO 69

#14 GONZAGA 89 PEPPERDINE 82

ELSEWHERE:

RUTGERS 91 COLUMBIA 64

IOWA 112 NEW HAMPSHIRE 70

NEBRASKA 77 SOUTHERN 43

WOMEN’S TOP 25 BASKETBALL

AP POLL

1. UCLA
2. SOUTH CAROLINA
3. NOTRE DAME
4. USC
5. TEXAS
6. LSU
7. UCONN
8. MARYLAND
9. OKLAHOMA
10. OHIO STATE
11. TCU
12. KANSAS STATE
13. GEORGIA TECH
14. DUKE
15. TENNESSEE
16. KENTUCKY
17. NORTH CAROLINA
18. WEST VIRGINIA
19. ALABAMA
20. CALIFORNIA
21. MICHIGAN STATE
22. NC STATE
23. IOWA
24. MICHIGAN
25. OLE MISS

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:

VANDERBILT 26, UTAH 24, ILLINOIS 11, OKLAHOMA ST. 7, BAYLOR 5, NEBRASKA 4, MISSISSIPPI ST. 3, HARVARD 3, PORTLAND 1.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES

TOP 25 SCORES

#25 OLE MISS 93 ALCORN STATE 41

ELSEWHERE:

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

NFL SCOREBOARD

MONDAY DECEMBER 30

DETROIT 40  SAN FRANCISCO 34

THE FINAL WEEK 18 SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES ET):

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

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

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

MONDAY, DEC. 30

MISSOURI 27 IOWA 24

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. 4 PENN STATE VS. NO. 9 BOISE STATE (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF QUARTERFINALS — FIESTA BOWL) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 1

NO. 3 TEXAS VS. NO. 12 ARIZONA STATE (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF QUARTERFINALS — PEACH BOWL) | 1 P.M. | ESPN

NO. 1 OREGON VS. OHIO STATE (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF QUARTERFINALS — ROSE BOWL) | 5 P.M. | ESPN

NO. 2 GEORGIA VS. NO. 5 NOTRE DAME (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

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

MONDAY, JAN. 6

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

THURSDAY, JAN. 9

TBD VS. TBD (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL GAME — ORANGE BOWL) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN

FRIDAY, JAN. 10

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

MONDAY, JAN. 20

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

NBA SCORES

CHICAGO 115 CHARLOTTE 108 OT

NEW YORK 126 WASHINGTON 106

LA CLIPPERS 116 NEW ORLEANS 113

DENVER 132 UTAH 121

SACRAMENTO 110 DALLAS 100

CLEVELAND 113 GOLDEN STATE 95

PHILADELPHIA 125 PORTLAND 103

NHL SCORES

FLORIDA 5 NY RANGERS 3

WINNIPEG 3 NASHVILLE 0

SEATTLE 5 UTAH 2

TOP NATIONAL RELEASES/HEADLINES

NFL NEWS

LIONS BEAT 49ERS AS SHOWDOWN WITH VIKINGS AWAITS

Jared Goff threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns and the Detroit Lions defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 40-34, at Santa Clara, Calif., on Monday night.

Jameson Williams scored two touchdowns for Detroit (14-2) but the game had no bearing on the playoff picture. The Lions’ home game against Minnesota on Sunday night in the final game of the regular season will determine the top seed in the NFC playoffs.

Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries and also gained 46 yards on four receptions.

Brock Purdy passed for a career-high 377 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another score, but was intercepted twice in the second half by Kerby Joseph. Ricky Pearsall caught eight passes for 141 yards and a touchdown in the loss.

San Francisco (6-10) led 21-13 at halftime.

The Niners scored on their first possession on Purdy’s 3-yard pass to Pearsall. The Lions answered with a 65-yard drive that Williams finished off with a 3-yard run. The extra point try was blocked, leaving the score at 7-6.

San Francisco scored again on the first play of the second quarter, a 9-yard pass from Purdy to Kyle Juszczyk.

Detroit used some razzle dazzle for its next score. On third and 12, Goff connected with Amon-Ra St. Brown on a short pass. St. Brown then pitched the ball to Williams, who raced down the sideline on the 42-yard hook-and-ladder play.

The Niners got those points back less than four minutes later on Purdy’s 9-yard scramble for the touchdown.

The Lions tied it at 21-apiece on their first possession of the second half when Goff completed a 6-yard pass to Sam LaPorta for the touchdown 5:02 into the third quarter, then hooked up with Tim Patrick on the 2-point conversion.

Purdy passed for 79 yards on the Niners’ ensuing possession, including a 5-yarder to Deebo Samuel for the touchdown that made it 28-21 in favor of San Francisco.

The Lions took the lead before the quarter ended. First, Jake Bates blasted a 57-yard field goal with 4:25 remaining in the third quarter, then Joseph’s first interception set up Goff’s fourth-down, 4-yard touchdown pass to St. Brown with 19 seconds to go in the quarter.

Bates extended the advantage to six at 34-28 on his 42-yard field goal with 10:29 left in the game.

Joseph’s second interception halted the Niners’ next possession and Gibbs’ 30-yard touchdown run with 2:58 remaining put the game away.

San Francisco backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs — who came in when Purdy was injured late — scored on a 7-yard run with 43 seconds left to make it a one-score game, but Jake Moody’s onside kick went out of bounds and the Lions kneeled out the clock.

GIANTS BEAT THE COLTS BUT LOST THE COVETED NO. 1 DRAFT PICK

The New York Giants lost by winning.

A rare victory — 45-33 over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday — knocked the Giants out of control for the coveted No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

So much for Shedeur Sanders’ Giants-themed cleats unless New York trades up to get the Colorado quarterback.

The Giants (3-13) dropped from first to fourth in the draft order, with the Patriots (3-13) moving up to No. 1. New England doesn’t need a quarterback because rookie Drake Maye has been one of the team’s few bright spots this season. But the Titans (3-13) currently sit at No. 2 and they will be seeking a franchise QB at No. 2. The Browns (3-13) should do the same if they stay at No. 3. Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward won’t be around if New York has to settle for the fourth pick.

That’s why Giants fans were angry after witnessing the team’s first win at MetLife Stadium this season.

“The playoff is out of contention, you understand what they’re saying,” quarterback Drew Lock said after throwing for 309 yards and four touchdowns. “But at the same time, it’s nice to say we’re going to go work, we’re going to keep doing this, we’re going to keep pushing, the season’s not over, we’ve got two games left to be able to come out and win this one — that’s the goal every single week, come out and win and work as hard as we can to do it.”

Players aren’t going to tank football games. It’s a violent, physical sport and it would be dangerous to play to lose. Plus, there’s too much pride involved and other factors. Guys are playing for contracts and there are few job guarantees in the NFL.

“We’re obviously not tanking,” said wide receiver Darius Slayton, who screamed an expletive about tanking after catching a 32-yard TD pass. “At the end of the day, we have a job to do. This isn’t basketball, it’s not golf, it’s not tennis. Football, you get hit, so I’m not (going to) go out there and just let people tee off on me just to tank.”

Getting coaches on board to play not to win would be a tough task, too. Brian Daboll has no incentive to care about draft positioning if his job status is uncertain. General manager Joe Schoen also could be fired, so this decision should have come from the top. Start a third-string quarterback and bench key starters. That’s how teams give themselves a better opportunity to lose.

The Giants didn’t do that. The repercussions of this victory could set the organization back a few years if New York doesn’t end up with a franchise quarterback.

That’s not Daboll’s concern. He breathed a sigh of relief after the Giants avoided becoming the first team to go 0-9 at home.

“I see these coaches every day come in and are consistent. It’s hard to be consistent in an inconsistent league when things go … It’s not great,” Daboll said. “We haven’t had a good record. I firmly acknowledge that and I accept responsibility for that. But their commitment to doing things the right way, day in and day out, staying late and putting together plans much like the players when we’re down and we got two wins. We have the right kind of people. It was good to get a win at home, I’ll say that. It was good to get a win at home. But it means more to me for the players and the coaches.”

Las Vegas, another team that needs a franchise quarterback, was in contention for the top pick before winning consecutive games. Now, the Raiders (4-12) are sitting at No. 8.

“We don’t do this to lose,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said last week. “We don’t do this for anybody’s fantasy football team. Don’t do this for anybody’s draft projections. None of that (stuff) matters to us. What matters is winning, and that’s all we want to do.”

Even if winning ends up hurting the franchise.

NFC’S NO. 1 SEED COMES DOWN TO VIKINGS-LIONS SHOWDOWN AT DETROIT IN WEEK 18

The NFC’s No. 1 seed will come down to the final game of the regular season when the Detroit Lions host the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday night.

The winner takes the NFC North and gets a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl. The loser becomes the No. 5 seed and must play on the road in the wild-card round. The Lions hold the tiebreaker if the teams enter with identical records and play to a tie.

The Vikings (14-2) held on for a 27-25 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday to set up the high-stakes showdown in Week 18. The Lions (14-2) visit the San Francisco 49ers (6-9) on Monday night in a rematch of the NFC title game. If they win, they have to beat the Vikings again or tie. Detroit beat Minnesota 31-29 in Week 7. If they lose or tie, they must defeat the Vikings.

The Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) clinched the NFC East and locked up the No. 2 seed with a 41-7 rout of the Dallas Cowboys. However, coach Nick Sirianni has a tough decision to make this week. Saquon Barkley is 101 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season record for yards rushing in a season.

Sirianni has to decide whether to rest Barkley and most of his starters to prepare for the playoffs or let his star try for the 40-year-old record.

The Los Angeles Rams (10-6) clinched the NFC West and the Seattle Seahawks (9-7) were eliminated when the Commanders beat the Falcons 30-24 in overtime Sunday night. Washington (11-5) secured a wild-card berth with the win. The Commanders and the Packers (11-5) hold the final two NFC playoff spots.

Atlanta’s loss gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7) control of the NFC South and dropped the Falcons (8-8) into second place. The Buccaneers would clinch the division with a victory or tie against Carolina next Sunday.

Three teams in the AFC have already secured their seeds. The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs (15-1) won the AFC West weeks ago and clinched the No. 1 seed.

The AFC East champion Buffalo Bills (13-3) are the No. 2 seed. The AFC South champion Houston Texans (9-7) are the No. 4 seed.

The Baltimore Ravens (11-5) would win the AFC North and get the No. 3 seed with a win or tie against Cleveland on Saturday or a loss or tie by Pittsburgh, which hosts Cincinnati on Saturday night.

If they don’t win the division, the Steelers have already clinched a wild-card berth. The Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) also secured a wild-card spot. They’ll be no lower than the sixth seed.

The final AFC playoff spot comes down to the Broncos (9-7), Dolphins (8-8) or Bengals (8-8).

Denver clinches with a win or tie against the Chiefs. The Dolphins need the Broncos to lose and they must beat the Jets on the road to get in. The Bengals must win and the Broncos and Dolphins have to lose for them to get in.

REPORT: JETS TO INTERVIEW RIVERA FOR HEAD COACH OPENING

The New York Jets are slated to interview Ron Rivera for their head coaching vacancy this week, sources told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Rivera is expected to be the first of many interviews for the Jets, Pelissero reports.

The 62-year-old comes with 13 years of head coaching experience with the Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders. Rivera recently spent four seasons with the Commanders from 2020-2023, going 26-40-1 with one playoff appearance. He was fired after a 4-13 campaign in 2023.

However, Rivera’s time with the Panthers was successful, as he posted a 76-63-1 record with four postseason berths. His best year came in 2015 as the Panthers went 15-1 in the regular season and made Super Bowl 50, where they were defeated by the Denver Broncos.

Former Jets head coach Rex Ryan said Monday he expects to speak with the franchise about the job.

The Jets are on the hunt for both a new head coach and general manager after firing Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas midseason. They are in the midst of a disappointing 4-12 campaign despite entering the year with Super Bowl expectations due to a talented roster that features the likes of Aaron Rodgers.

PATS’ JEROD MAYO NOT FOCUSED ON NO. 1 PICK: ‘WE NEED TO PLAY FOOTBALL’

The New England Patriots face an interesting dilemma as they prepare for Sunday’s season finale.

Lose at home to the Buffalo Bills, and the Patriots (3-13) secure the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft.

On paper, that would seem almost a certainty. New England is riding a six-game losing streak, with last Saturday’s 40-7 rout at the hands of the Los Angeles Chargers the new low-water mark in coach Jerod Mayo’s first season.

The issue is that Buffalo (13-3) is locked into the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs and may rest many of its stars with nothing to gain from winning on Sunday.

Mayo said the Patriots are “100 percent focused on beating the Buffalo Bills,” and that securing the No. 1 draft pick isn’t his priority. So, if rookie quarterback Drake Maye and other key personnel are healthy, he expects his team to take the field with the intent of closing out the season with a victory.

“That’s what we have to do,” Mayo said on Monday. “My expectation is if the guys are healthy, then they’re expected to be ready to go out there and play. Again, we’ll have to see how the week goes. I understand the question. The guys are working hard and we need to play football.”

Mayo said he knew his first season at the helm in New England would be a challenge, but also pointed to the eight one-score games the Patriots have lost.

Pass rusher Keion White is among multiple players who have questioned the team’s direction under the current coaching staff, but Mayo said he believes his team has continued to play hard — it’s just a lack of execution that continues to hold the Patriots back.

“It seems like we’ve been in the storm for a long time. I think the players as a whole, I would say they’ve come into work every day during a difficult season. I think that’s been a huge piece of the puzzle,” Mayo said. “Hopefully we can keep that going forward. We had eight one-score games this year. We just got to, honestly, we have to win those games. That’s what the NFL is. That’s going to be the goal going forward.”

Asked whether he has been assured by owner Robert Kraft that he will return for a second season, Mayo did not address the question directly.

“I’m always in constant communication with ownership, and I feel like we’re still on the same page,” he said.

CHIEFS RB ISIAH PACHECO (RIB) OUT VS. BRONCOS, RESTING UNTIL PLAYOFFS

Kansas City will rest running back Isiah Pacheco at practice this week and has ruled him out for the regular-season finale Sunday at Denver because of a rib injury, with Chiefs coach Andy Reid saying that he will be ready for the postseason.

“He’ll be available playoff-wise. He is tender,” Reid said Monday. “I’ll probably hold him back this week in practice just a bit so he can be fresh and ready to go.”

Pacheco, 25, has played in only seven games (six starts) this season and has 83 carries for 310 yards and one touchdown, along with 12 receptions for 79 yards. The starting running back sustained a broken right fibula in his team’s victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2.

He played in Kansas City’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day and sustained the rib injury.

Kansas City selected Pacheco in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He has rushed for 2,075 yards and 13 TDs on 458 attempts and caught 69 passes for 453 yards and two TDs in 38 games (30 starts).

Reid also said that left tackle D.J. Humphries is making steady progress from his hamstring injury. The Chiefs signed Humphries, a 2021 Pro Bowl selection with Arizona, on Nov. 23, but he has played in only one game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 8.

“He’s doing good,” Reid said. “I can’t make you any promise. I want to get him out to practice and kind of see where we’re at. But he is doing good in his rehab part. That’s different than being on the field. So, I’d like to just see how he does there.”

The Chiefs (15-1) can afford to rest players as they have clinched the No. 1 overall seed and a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs, while the Broncos (9-7) are fighting for the last wild-card berth.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF GAME NOTES: PENN STATE VS. BOISE STATE

PENN STATE NOTES:

NO. 6 SEED PENN STATE BATTLES NO. 3 SEED BOISE STATE IN VRBO FIESTA BOWL • OPENING KICK: No. 6 seed Penn State takes on No. 3 seed Boise State in a College Football Playoff Quarterfinal game in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. on Tuesday, December 31. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. • SERIES HISTORY: Penn State meets Boise State for the first time in program history. The Nittany Lions are 5-0 against current members of the Mountain West. Penn State’s last matchup against a Mountain West member was a 37-21 win over San Diego State in 2015. • FRANKLIN COLLECTS 100TH WIN AT PENN STATE: In the Nittany Lions’ 38-10 win over SMU, head coach James Franklin earned his 100th win at Penn State. Franklin reached 100 wins in 141 games at Penn State. He is one of seven current FBS coaches with 100+ wins at their current school, joining Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz (204), Clemson’s Dabo Swinney (179), Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy (169), Utah’s Kyle Whittingham (167), Air Force’s Troy Calhoun (135) and Georgia’s Kirby Smart (104). Among current FBS coaches with 100+ wins at their current school, Franklin was the third-fastest to 100 wins behind only Smart (117) and Swinney (129). • PICK-SIXES: The Penn State defense tallied three interceptions against SMU, returning two for touchdowns. Dominic DeLuca picked off a pass in the first quarter and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown, his second career pick-six. He added an interception in the second quarter to become the 15th Nittany Lion to record two interceptions in a bowl/CFP game. In the second quarter, Tony Rojas intercepted a pass and took it back 59 yards for a score. Rojas’ 59-yard return is Penn State’s longest interception return for a touchdown in a bowl/CFP game. Penn State returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the same game for the first time since 1998 vs. Michigan State. • THE OPPOSITION: Boise State is the No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff and earned a first round bye into the VRBO Fiesta Bowl. The Broncos are 12-1 overall and won the Mountain West. In the Mountain West Championship Game, Boise State collected a 21-7 win over UNLV. Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty rushed for 209 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown run.

HEAD COACH SPENCER DANIELSON • Spencer Danielson is in his first full season as head coach at Boise State after a three-week stint as interim head coach in 2023. • He is 15-2 as head coach at Boise State and has led the Broncos to two Mountain West Championship Game victories. • In 2023, he led the Broncos to three wins, including a victory over UNLV in the Mountain West title game. • He was elevated to head coach after seven seasons on staff at Boise State. • Starting as a graduate assistant in 2017, Danielson worked his way up to STUD coach in 2018-20 and defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach in 2021-23. • Danielson’s coaching career began at his alma mater, Azusa Pacific. He served as linebackers coach in 2013-15 and added recruiting coordinator to his title in 2016. SCOUTING THE BRONCOS • Boise State is 12-1 overall and went 7-0 in the Mountain West. • The Broncos entered the College Football Playoffs at No. 9 in the CFP rankings and as the No. 3 seed in the bracket. • Boise State defeated UNLV, 21-7, in the Mountain West Championship game. • In the MWC Championship, RB Ashton Jeanty rushed for 209 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown. • On offense, Boise State ranks third in the nation in scoring (39.1), sixth in total offense (470.2) and fifth in rushing offense (250.5). • Jeanty was recognized as a Unanimous Consensus All-American, the first in Boise State history. He was also the winner of the Maxwell Award and finished as the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. • Jeanty’s 2,497 rushing yards this season are fourth in FBS singleseason history. He owns 29 rushing touchdowns, tying first in the country, and leads the nation in all-purpose yards (2,613). • He has tallied 1,889 yards after contact and forced 143 missed tackles. • Boise State’s defense sits 36th in the country in scoring defense (21.9) and 61st in total defense (361.9). • The Broncos rank second in the nation in sacks per game (3.92). • Edge Jayden Virgin-Morgan leads Boise State with 15.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.

PENN STATE EARNS 55TH POSTSEASON APPEARANCE • Penn State is making its 55th postseason appearance, including bowl and CFP appearances, ranking ninth all-time. • Head Coach James Franklin has guided his teams to a postseason appearance 13 times (3 at Vanderbilt; 10 at Penn State). • Penn State’s 32 postseason victories (bowl and CFP) are fourth nationally and lead all Big Ten schools. • The Nittany Lions’ 61.1 winning percentage in postseason games (bowl and CFP, 32-20-2 record) is No. 8 nationally among teams with at least 20 bowl appearances. • Penn State has played in 16 different bowl games and has played in each of the New Year’s Six bowls. • Penn State made its first postseason appearance in 1923 when it traveled across the country to face USC in the Rose Bowl Game to cap off the 1922 season. PENN STATE IN THE FIESTA BOWL • Penn State has a 7-0 record in seven previous appearances in the Fiesta Bowl. • Penn State participated in the seventh (1977; Arizona State), 10th (1980; Ohio State), 11th (1982; USC), 16th (1987; Miami), 21st (1992; Tennessee), 26th (1997; Texas) and 47th (2017; Washington) editions of the game. • Penn State’s seven appearances in the Fiesta Bowl are the most of any bowl in program history. • Only Ohio State (9; 5-4) has appeared in the Fiesta Bowl more than Penn State, while Arizona State (5-1) and Nebraska (2-4) have six appearances. • The 1977 Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State was only bowl game Penn State played against a Big Ten team. Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993. • The 1982 Fiesta Bowl played between Penn State and USC was the first played on New Year’s Day. • The Nittany Lions won their second National Championship against Miami (Fla.) in one of the most memorable National Championship games ever at the 1987 Fiesta Bowl. The No. 2 Nittany Lions intercepted Heisman winner Vinny Testaverde five times to earn their second 12-0 season. • The 2017 Fiesta Bowl against Washington featured a 92-yard touchdown run by Saquon Barkley and 342 passing yards and two touchdowns by Trace McSorley as the Nittany Lions never trailed in the game.

IN THE CFP RANKINGS • Penn State opened the 2024 College Football Playoff rankings at No. 6 and was ranked No. 4 in the December 8 poll. • Penn State is one of six FBS teams who have appeared in each of the last 18 CFP rankings. • With appearances in the last 18 CFP rankings, Penn State is tied for the fifth-longest active streak among FBS teams. • The Nittany Lions have appeared in the CFP rankings 42 times since the College Football Playoff was introduced in 2014. • Penn State has ranked among the CFP Top 10 on 26 occasions. • Penn State has finished in the CFP Top 12 seven times, ranking fourth-most among FBS teams and second among Big Ten teams.

BOISE STATE NOTES:

1 For the first time in program history, the No. 3 seed Boise State Broncos will play in the College Football Playoff as they will take on No. 6 seed Penn State for the first time with the CFP Quarterfinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 5:30 p.m. MT. The game can be watched on ESPN and heard on the Bronco Radio Network. 2 While the Broncos will be making their inaugural appearance in the CFP, they are no stranger to the Fiesta Bowl as they are 3-0 alltime in the bowl game. A perfect record that began with the greatest college football game of this century — a 43-42 overtime victory against No. 7 Oklahoma on Jan. 1, 2007 — Boise State also beat #4 TCU, 17-10, in the Jan. 4, 2010 Fiesta Bowl and #10 Arizona, 38-30, in the Dec. 31, 2014 edition. Penn State, meanwhile, is 7-0 all-time in Fiesta Bowls. 3 Boise State, back-to-back Mountain West champions for the first time in program history, enters the CFP quarterfinal game ranked No. 9 in the final CFP rankings of the 2024 regular season and as the No. 3 seed thanks to being the third-highest ranked conference champion. The Broncos are riding an 11-game winning streak, which is tied for the second-longest active winning streak in FBS (leader: Oregon, 14 games; other: Notre Dame, 11 games). 4Boise State is led by running back Ashton Jeanty, who is 131 yards away from tying Barry Sanders for the single-season rushing record in an FBS season. Jeanty is the first Bronco to be named a unanimous All-American as well as win the Maxwell Award and Doak Walker Award. He was the second Boise State player to become a Heisman finalist as he was runner-up to Travis Hunter in what was the closest Heisman vote since 2009. 5 While Boise State boasts the third-best scoring offense in the country, its defense has steadily improved over the course of the season. The Broncos are averaging 16.0 points allowed in their last five games and have surrendered only five touchdowns in the last 14 quarters.

JEANTY, DANIELSON HEADLINE ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST PICKS The Mountain West announced its all-conference teams and superlative awards on Dec. 3. Ashton Jeanty repeated as Offensive Player of the Year and was a unanimous first team selection while Spencer Danielson was named Coach of the Year. Tight end Matt Lauter, offensive linemen Kage Casey and Ben Dooley, defensive linemen Ahmed Hassanein and Jayden Virgin-Morgan, and linebacker Marco Notarainni were also named first team. Defensive lineman Braxton Fely and defensive back Seyi Oladipo were recognized on the second team. Ty Benefield, Cameron Camper, Jonah Dalmas, Maddux Madsen and Alexander Teubner earned honorable mention. WHAT’S THE RUSH? Boise State, which owns the fifth-best rushing offense in the country (250.5 ypg), has run for 200+ yards in 10 games this season. It marks the third straight season in which the Broncos have at least seven 200-yard rushing games in a single season. This number leads the Mountain West and is the most in the Broncos’ FBS era (since 1996). PUT THE BALL DOWN Boise State’s run game has been one of the best in the country when facing ranked opponents. The Broncos are one of six teams to average over 200 rushing yards per game against AP-ranked opponents (minimum two games). Boise State averages 207.0 rushing yards per game when playing ranked opponents, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. ESTABLISHING THE RUN GAME The current average of 250.5 rushing yards per game is the highest average in the program’s FBS era (since 1996), with the next-closest being 229.8 yards per game, achieved in 2004. The Broncos rank second in the FBS in yards per carry, averaging 6.32. This year, the Broncos have 14 individual 100-yard rushing performances, a single-season program record. The previous record of 11 was set in 2014. GROUND GAME Boise State’s total of 3,257 rushing yards is the highest single-season number of the program’s FBS era (since 1996), passing last year’s total of 3,008. The Blue and Orange have 42 rushing touchdowns this season, the team’s most in a regular season since the 2004 Broncos had 46. IN TOTALITY While the Boise State offense has been churning in the run game, it also ranks among the best in total offense as the Broncos are sixth in the nation with 470.2 yards per game. Boise State has four games of 500+ total yards this season, which already equals its total from the last two seasons combined and are its most in a season since 2013 (4). The program’s FBS record for most 500-yard games of total offense during a season is six set in 1996. OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT Boise State ranks third nationally with 39.1 points per game, the most since 2011, when the Broncos averaged 44.2. Boise State has scored 508 points this season, matching the total of the 2015 squad. In addition to being sixth in the country in total offense, Boise State is sixth in the country in yards per play (6.83) and seventh in total yards (6,112). The Broncos are one of eight FBS teams to eclipse 6,000 total yards this season. UNDER PRESSURE Boise State’s pass rushers have been incredibly effective in reaching the quarterback this season. According to Pro Football Focus Ultimate, the Broncos have 250 total pressures, which combines sacks, hits and hurries. This ranks them fourth in the FBS. There are 17 Broncos with multiple pressures and 23 Broncos with at least one. Ahmed Hassanein has a team-high 60, ranking fourth in the country. He also has 17 quarterback hits, ranking third in the nation. BRONCOS IN THE BACKFIELD Boise State continues to wreak havoc in opponents’ backfields, ranking second in the nation with 51 sacks. The 51 total sacks are the most in the Broncos’ FBS era, which began in 1996. Leading the attack for the Broncos are Jayden Virgin-Morgan (10.0) and Ahmed Hassanein (8.5). Virgin-Morgan is tied for 13th in the country and Hassanein is tied for 20th. The Broncos also have 104 tackles for loss, third-most in the country. Virgin-Morgan also leads the way in TFLs, ranking 14th-nationally with 15.5. LONG DRIVES Boise State turned in a 90+ yard touchdown drive in three straight games, which was its longest such streak since 2016 when it did so in four-straight games (Oct. 7 at New Mexico, Oct. 15 at Colorado State, Oct. 20 vs. BYU, Oct. 29 at Wyoming).

BEND, DON’T BREAK Boise State’s defense has allowed 21 or fewer points in five-straight games, a mark it has not achieved since 2017, when it also had a five-game streak of allowing 21 or fewer points. The 2012 unit limited opponents to 21 or less in eight-straight games. During the current stretch, the Broncos have allowed 10 touchdowns while scoring 19. Boise State has climbed to second in the conference and 36th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 21.9 points per game. FIRST-YEAR SUCCESS Spencer Danielson joined an exclusive list when he led Boise State to the College Football Playoff in his first year as a full-time head coach. The only coaches to achieve this feat previously were Lincoln Riley (Oklahoma, 2017) and Ryan Day (Ohio State, 2019). ANCHORING THE TRENCHES Kage Casey is one of the nation’s top offensive linemen, earning a PFF overall grade of 85.0 that ranks fourth among FBS left tackles who have played over 700 snaps. The redshirt sophomore has not allowed a sack all season and has played a team-high 867 offensive snaps. ALL-AMERICAN ANCHOR Casey earned second team All-America honors from The Athletic and Walter Camp while garnering honorable mention All-America from Sports Illustrated. He joins an elite list of Boise State offensive linemen to be recognized as All-Americans, including consensus picks Ryan Clady (2007) and Nate Potter (2011). MORE EFFICIENCY FROM MADDOG Maddux Madsen currently ranks second in the MW in passing efficiency (143.6) and has thrown 22 touchdowns to only three interceptions, the best ratio among FBS quarterbacks with at least 20 touchdown passes. Since 2000, only 42 quarterbacks have a TD:INT ratio of 7:1 or better. Alex Smith (Utah, 2004) is the lone MW quarterback on the list. The only Boise State player on the list is Kellen Moore, who achieved the feat in 2009. In MW games, Madsen had 12 touchdowns and one interception, making him the only player in the country with 12+ touchdowns and one interception in conference play. His career record as a starting quarterback is 13-1. GET THE BALL OUT Boise State has recovered eight fumbles this season, including two or more in three different games. The Broncos are first in the conference and 14th in the country with 13 fumbles forced. LAUTER CONTINUES TO PRODUCE Matt Lauter had five receptions for 62 yards against UNLV, bringing his season totals to 43 catches for 523 yards. He is the first Boise State tight end since Jeb Putzier (2001) to register 40+ catches and 500+ receiving yards. CONTROLLING THE CLOCK The Broncos have mastered controlling the clock in the fourth quarter as of late. They have totaled possession in the fourth quarter for 105:41 this season, or 54% of the possible time. Since the Oct. 25 win at UNLV, in which the Broncos ended the game with a 14-play, 8:07 drive, Boise State has held the ball for nearly 60% of the possible time in the fourth quarter.

GOING FOR IT – PART I Boise State was 0-for-2 on fourth down attempts in the first three games of the season, but since converting the lone fourth down in the win against Washington State on Sept. 28, the Broncos have converted 15-of-19 fourth downs. Against San Diego State on Nov. 1, Boise State was 2-for2 on fourth down attempts. Boise State, which is 15-for-21 on fourth downs this season, has its most fourth down conversions in a season since 2015 (17-for-27). GOING FOR IT – PART II The Broncos are 11th in the nation in fourth down conversion rate this season (71.4%). The Broncos have scored in 12 of their 15 drives with a fourth-down conversion (11 TDs, 1 FG), with two drives that did not feature a score being drives that ended in kneel-downs to end their respective games (Oct. 25 at UNLV, Oct. 5 vs. Utah State). The other was a drive that resulted in a punt in the third quarter at Hawai’i on Oct. 12.

TEXAS QB ARCH MANNING HAS ‘NO PLANS’ TO ENTER TRANSFER PORTAL

Texas backup quarterback Arch Manning said he intends to return to the Longhorns next season, despite rumors he would enter the NCAA transfer portal.

Speaking Monday in advance of No. 5 seed Texas’ College Football Playoff quarterfinal appearance against No. 4 Arizona State at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Manning said he intends to continue suiting up in burnt orange.

While the portal closed Dec. 28, players on teams still involved in bowl games have an extended window.

“I really have no plans on entering the portal or anything so I don’t really know about it, about the whole windows and everything,” Manning said.

Manning, a redshirt freshman, made the statement without a public declaration from starter Quinn Ewers about his status for 2025. Ewers hasn’t confirmed a mid-December report that he’d enter the 2025 NFL Draft. That is an option for Ewers, as is returning to Texas or transferring.

The No. 1-ranked player in the Class of 2023 coming out of Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, Manning appeared in two games last season. But in 2024, with an abdominal injury to Ewers, Manning started two games and played in seven others.

On the season, he has completed 67.8 percent of his pass attempts (61 of 90) for 939 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed 24 times for 100 yards with four scores.

He went 2-0 as a starter against Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State. He has taken situational snaps since Ewers’ return.

NO. 19 MISSOURI BEATS IOWA IN MUSIC CITY BOWL TO NOTCH 10-WIN SEASON

Brady Cook threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns as No. 19 Missouri rallied past Iowa 27-24 Monday afternoon in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn.

The Tigers (10-3) erased a 24-14 third-quarter deficit. Blake Craig completed the comeback with decisive field goals of 51 and 56 yards in the fourth.

That gave Missouri a double-digit victory total in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2013-14.

Marquis Johnson caught seven passes for 122 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers. Theo Wease Jr. caught five passes for 75 yards and a touchdown in the first half before exiting the game with an upper-body injury.

Cook, who completed 18 of 32 passes, was Missouri’s leading rusher with 54 yards as the Hawkeyes (8-5) contained the Tigers’ running backs.

Kamari Moulton rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown for Iowa and Jaziun Patterson added 74 yards on the ground. Brendan Sullivan completed 14 of 18 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.

Iowa took a 7-0 lead on its first possession. Sullivan capped the 70-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown flip to Terrell Washington Jr.

The Tigers responded with an 85-yard drive and Cook’s 8-yard scoring pass to Wease.

Kaden Wetjen answered with a 100-yard touchdown kickoff return touchdown to put the Hawkeyes up 14-7.

Missouri tied the game with a 75-yard drive that culminated with Cook’s 7-yard TD pass to Johnson.

Moulton’s 38-yard run set up his 1-yard touchdown dive with 49 seconds left in the first half. That put Iowa up 21-14 at halftime.

The Hawkeyes increased their lead to 24-14 with Drew Stevens’ 38-yard field goal with 5:19 left in the third quarter.

Cook’s 44-yard pass to Johnson set up Joshua Manning’s 4-yard touchdown run as Missouri cut its deficit to 24-21.

After Toriano Pride intercepted Sullivan, Craig’s 51-yard field goal tied the game. Craig’s 56-yard kick with 4:36 left put Missouri ahead.

Iowa’s final possession ended with 1:03 left to play when Missouri stopped Sullivan on its 46-yard line on a fourth-and-inches run.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

SIX FORMER FLORIDA STATE PLAYERS SUING COACH LEONARD HAMILTON OVER FAILED NIL PAYMENTS

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Six former Florida State basketball players sued Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton on Monday, alleging he failed to make good on a promise to get each of them $250,000 in name, image and likeness compensation.

The plaintiffs — Darin Green Jr., De’Ante Green, Cam’Ron Fletcher, Josh Nickelberry, Primo Spears and Jalen Warley — filed suit in Leon County circuit court. Their attorney, Fort Lauderdale-based Darren Heitner, shared the 20-page complaint with The Associated Press. Yahoo Sports first reported the case.

The former players allege Hamilton promised them the money from his “business partners.” The lawsuit says they walked out of a practice last season over the missed payments and intended to boycott a Feb. 17 game against Duke. They ended up playing — the Seminoles lost 76-67 — amid a guarantee from Hamilton that they would be paid but never were, according to the suit.

No attorney for Hamilton was listed in the lawsuit. FSU hosts Syracuse on Saturday.

The complaint includes multiple text-message exchanges between players and some between players and Hamilton.

FSU finished 17-16 last season, including 10-10 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The 76-year-old Hamilton is in the final year of his contract. The Seminoles are 9-4, including 0-2 in league play.

None of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit remain with the team. Green and Nickelberry exhausted their college eligibility last spring, and the four others transferred. Spears is now at UTSA, Fletcher is at Xavier, De’Ante Green is at USF and Warley is at Gonzaga.

The lawsuit is the latest in a growing number of NIL legal battles.

Matthew Sluka, a starting quarterback for the UNLV football team, left the program after three games in September because he was never paid a $100,000 NIL deal. Former Florida quarterback signee Jaden Rashada, now playing at Georgia, sued Gators coach Billy Napier last year over an unpaid $13 million NIL deal. And several Tulsa players claim they were never paid thousands in NIL commitments made by former coach Kevin Wilson.

TENNESSEE REMAINS NO. 1 FOLLOWING QUIET WEEK IN AP TOP 25, NO. 15 UCLA CLIMBS 7 SPOTS

Tennessee remains No. 1 after a quiet holiday week in the AP Top 25.

The Volunteers received 41 first-place votes from a 61-person media panel in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll released Monday. No. 2 Auburn had 20 first-place votes, with Iowa State, Duke and Alabama rounding out the top five.

The Tigers gained ground on Tennessee’s No. 1 spot last Monday and did it again this week despite not playing, picking up eight additional first-place votes.

The top 13 teams remained unchanged following a week in which 12 ranked teams didn’t play.

Tennessee won its lone game of Christmas week, beating Middle Tennessee 82-64 last Monday night to retain the No. 1 spot for the third straight week.

Tennessee is among four unbeatens left in men’s Division I basketball, including three from the Southeastern Conference, joining No. 6 Florida (10-0)and No. 12 Oklahoma (10-0). Drake (9-0) also begins this week undefeated.

The Gators beat Stetson 85-45 and the Sooners knocked off Prairie View 89-67.

The SEC continued to dominate the Top 25, with No. 6 Florida giving the league four of the top six.

UCLA’s rise

Most of the AP Top 25 teams in action last week went up against schools from smaller conferences.

Not UCLA and Gonzaga.

The Zags and Bruins played the final marquee game of the nonconference season on Saturday, squaring off in the first college basketball game played at Intuit Dome, the new home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers.

UCLA held off Gonzaga’s late rally to pull out a 65-62 win behind Eric Dailey Jr.’s 18 points and was rewarded in this week’s poll by moving up seven spots to No. 15. Gonzaga dropped five spots to No. 19 with the loss.

Rising and falling

UCLA was the only team to move up more than two spots in this week’s poll.

No. 24 Mississippi barely held on to a ranking, dropping eight places following an 87-70 loss to No. 21 Memphis on Saturday.

In and out

Memphis was the only team to move into this week’s poll after the win over Ole Miss.

San Diego State dropped out from No. 20 after losing 67-66 to Utah State on Tucker Anderson’s 3-pointer with 6.8 seconds left. The Aggies appeared on 14 ballots after the win.

Conference watch

The SEC leads all conferences with 10 ranked teams. The Big Ten and Big 12 each have five and the Big East two. The Atlantic Coast, West Coast and American Athletic conferences each have one.

TOP 25 ROUNDUP: K-STATE TAKES DOWN NO. 16 CINCINNATI

Coleman Hawkins had 20 points and 10 rebounds as Kansas State knocked off No. 16 Cincinnati 70-67 on Monday night in Manhattan, Kan., in the Big 12 opener for both teams.

The Wildcats (7-5, 1-0 Big 12) also got 17 points from Dug McDaniel and 13 from David N’Guessan.

Dan Skillings Jr., who was 3-for-15 from 3-point range entering Monday, was 4-for-8 from deep to lead the Bearcats with 18 points. Dillon Mitchell had 15 points and 11 boards.

After Cincinnati (10-2, 0-1) tied the score at 31 early in the second half, McDaniel scored six straight points for the Wildcats. Kansas State soon extended the lead to nine points before the Bearcats tied it again at 56-56. N’Guessan then scored a three-point play to give Kansas State a 59-56 lead and the Wildcats never trailed again.

No. 2 Auburn 87, Monmouth 58

Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell each recorded double-doubles to lead the host Tigers past the stubborn Hawks in Auburn, Ala.

Broome led all Auburn scorers with 14 points and collected 11 rebounds, while Cardwell finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds as Auburn (12-1) picked up its fifth consecutive win. Monmouth (2-11) lost for the third time in its past four games.

The Hawks remained competitive with one of the nation’s best for more than 13 minutes of the first half before the Tigers, playing for the first time since Dec. 21, broke a 28-28 tie with an 18-0 run to close out the first half.

No. 3 Iowa State 79, Colorado 69

Curtis Jones scored 20 points, Keshon Gilbert added 14 points and the Cyclones held on for a win over the Buffaloes in Boulder, Colo., in the Big 12 opener for both teams.

Joshua Jefferson finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and eight steals for Iowa State (11-1, 1-0 Big 12), which won its eighth game in a row.

Julian Hammond III scored 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting to lead Colorado (9-3, 0-1). RJ Smith finished with 14 points and Javon Ruffin scored nine as the Buffaloes fell to 8-1 at home.

No. 14 Houston 60, Oklahoma State 47

J’Wan Roberts scored a season-high 20 points and recorded his first double-double of the campaign as the Cougars beat the Cowboys in Stillwater, Okla., to open conference play.

Roberts corralled 11 rebounds to lead the Cougars (9-3, 1-0 Big 12) to their fifth consecutive victory. Houston seized control with a 17-1 run that closed the first half and yielded a 28-18 lead at the intermission.

Brandon Newman scored 12 points for Oklahoma State (8-4, 0-1) and Robert Jennings had 10. Marchelus Avery, the Cowboys’ leading scorer on the season, scored just five points on 2-for-8 shooting.

No. 17 Mississippi State 87, Bethune-Cookman 73

Riley Kugel scored 22 points off the bench and the Bulldogs used improved defense in the second half to pull away from the Wildcats in Starkville, Miss.

Josh Hubbard scored 16 and RJ Melendez and Claudell Harris Jr. had 12 each as the Bulldogs (12-1) held the Wildcats (3-10) to 28 points in the second half after allowing 45 in the first half. Mississippi State forced a total of 17 turnovers, leading to 24 points.

Trey Thomas and Brayon Freeman scored 21 each to lead Bethune-Cookman, which received just 15 points from its bench compared to 34 for the Mississippi State reserves.

No. 18 Michigan State 80, Western Michigan 62

Jaden Akins had 18 points as the Spartans extended their winning streak to six games by defeating the Broncos in East Lansing, Mich.

Carson Cooper had 13 points and six rebounds for Michigan State (11-2) in the nonconference game. The Spartans wound up with a 20-7 edge in points scored at the foul line.

Chansey Willis Jr.’s 12 points topped Western Michigan (3-9), which has lost five straight. Max Burton added 10 points.

No. 19 Gonzaga 89, Pepperdine 82

Khalif Battle scored 21 points as the Bulldogs held off a furious second-half rally to win their 29th consecutive West Coast Conference opener, defeating the host Waves in Malibu, Calif.

Gonzaga defeated Pepperdine for the 48th time in a row, a streak dating to 2002. Gonzaga’s Braden Huff scored 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field for the Bulldogs (10-4, 1-0 WCC).

Jaxon Olvera led the Waves (6-9, 0-2) with a game-high 27 points and Moe Odum scored all 24 of his points in the second half. Pepperdine outscored Gonzaga 50-39 in the second half, getting as close as four with little more than two minutes remaining, but could not pull off the comeback.

No. 23 Arkansas 92, Oakland 62

Adou Thiero tallied 16 of his 20 points in the first half, Boogie Fland scored 21 of his 24 in the second half, and the Razorbacks routed the Golden Grizzlies in Fayetteville, Ark.

Thiero added six rebounds, six assists and three steals while Karter Knox had 17 points for Arkansas (11-2). The Razorbacks shot 60.3 percent from the field while holding Oakland to 40 percent.

Tuburu Naivalurua recorded 18 points and nine rebounds while Allen Mukeba had 17 points and six boards as Oakland (4-10) lost for the sixth time in seven games.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

AURIEMMA TIES VANDERVEER FOR MOST APPEARANCES AT ONE SCHOOL IN WOMEN’S AP TOP 25; UCLA REMAINS NO. 1

UConn coach Geno Auriemma moved into a tie with Tara VanDerveer for the most appearances with one school in the women’s basketball AP Top 25 as the Huskies remained seventh in the poll Monday.

Auriemma has now led UConn to 627 appearances in the poll in his 40 years at the school, matching VanDerveer’s mark at Stanford before her retirement. She also had Ohio State ranked 27 times when the Hall of Fame coach was in charge of that school before joining the Cardinal and holds the overall record by a coach for appearances in the poll.

Auriemma passed VanDerveer’s NCAA record career win total earlier in the season and has 1,224 victories now after his team routed Providence on Sunday.

After a week where many schools played only a single game, UCLA, South Carolina and Notre Dame remained the top three teams and the first 18 schools were unchanged. The Bruins, Gamecocks and Irish all had routs in their lone games of the week, winning by an average of nearly 41 points. Every school in the country was off last week until Friday — a chance to recharge for the three-month sprint to the NCAA Tournament.

UCLA received 30 of the 32 first-place votes from a national media panel. South Carolina and Notre Dame each garnered one. USC, Texas and LSU followed Notre Dame. Maryland was eighth, finally putting away Michigan State to remain unbeaten with the 72-66 victory on Sunday.

Oklahoma and Ohio State rounded out the first 10 teams. The Sooners have a busy week ahead with games against rival Texas and No. 15 Tennessee on the road. It’s the first SEC road test for Oklahoma and could prove to be a high-scoring game.

Moving around

Michigan State dropped two spots to No. 21 after falling to Maryland, which moved Alabama and California both up a spot. Michigan’s loss at USC dropped the Wolverines one place to 24th with Iowa moving up to 23rd.

Home sweet home

South Carolina extended its home winning streak to 65 games with a victory over Wofford on Sunday. The Gamecocks are four victories short of making the top five all-time home streaks. Baylor, UConn and Tennessee all won 69 straight games at home to tie for the fourth longest all-time in Division I history. The Huskies hold the top two marks with 99 and 98-game runs. Stanford is third (82).

Conference breakdown

The Southeastern Conference finished off 2024 with eight teams in the poll for the second consecutive week to lead the way. The Big Ten is next with seven. The ACC has six while the Big 12 has three and the Big East one.

NO. 25 OLE MISS SHOOTS 67.3 PERCENT IN ROUT OF ALCORN STATE

Starr Jacobs hit 6 of 7 field-goal attempts, scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds as No. 25 Ole Miss thrashed Alcorn State 93-41 on Monday in Oxford, Miss.

Sira Thienou finished 5 of 6 from the floor and Tameiya Sadler was 5 of 7, each adding 13 points for the Rebels (9-3) while contributing to the teams’ 67.3 percent field-goal shooting.

Madison Scott logged 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, Kharyssa Richardson also had 12 points off the bench and Kennedy Todd-Williams put up 11 points as Ole Miss won its fourth game in a row.

Zy’Nyia White was the lone player to score in double figures for the Lady Braves (2-9), as she wound up with 12 points. Alcorn State took its third consecutive defeat and fell to 0-9 against Division I opposition.

The Rebels never trailed, jumping out to a 22-9 lead after one quarter. The game got out of hand after halftime, when Ole Miss went on an 18-0 run in the third period and a 21-0 surge spanning the end of the third and start of the fourth quarter.

NBA NEWS

NBA ROUNDUP: NUGGETS GET TWO TRIPLE-DOUBLES, DOWN JAZZ

Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook recorded triple-doubles, Jamal Murray had 20 points and 10 assists and the Denver Nuggets beat the Utah Jazz 132-121 in Salt Lake City on Monday.

Jokic finished with 36 points, 22 rebounds and 11 assists for his league-leading 13th triple-double of the season and the 143rd of his career — third all-time behind Oscar Robertson (181) and Westbrook (201).

Westbrook finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Michael Porter Jr. scored 21 points for Denver, which won its second game in a row.

Jordan Clarkson led a balanced Utah attack with 24 points off the bench. Collin Sexton had 22 as the Jazz took their fourth consecutive loss.

Knicks 126, Wizards 106

Josh Hart posted a triple-double for visiting New York, which extended its season-best winning streak to eight games by pulling away from Washington.

Hart finished with 23 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in his third triple-double of the season and the ninth of his career. Karl-Anthony Towns produced 32 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks.

Jonas Valanciunas scored 22 points off the bench for the Wizards, who have lost 23 of 26 since splitting their first four games.

Kings 110, Mavericks 100

De’Aaron Fox recorded 33 points, six rebounds and six assists and Sacramento snapped a season-worst six-game losing streak with a victory over visiting Dallas.

Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists as the Kings recovered from an 18-point first-quarter deficit to give interim coach Doug Christie his first win. It was Christie’s second game as coach after Mike Brown was fired on Friday.

Spencer Dinwiddie scored a season-best 30 points and P.J. Washington had a season-high 28 points for the Mavericks, who lost their second straight game. Dallas played without Kyrie Irving (shoulder), Luka Doncic (calf), Klay Thompson (illness), Dereck Lively II (hip) and Naji Marshall (suspension).

Bulls 115, Hornets 108 (OT)

Coby White scored 23 points and had the first basket of Chicago’s 8-0 burst to begin overtime to help the Bulls defeat host Charlotte.

White, playing in a return to his home state, also had 10 rebounds and nine assists on a night when the Bulls shot 37.5 percent from the field. They launched more than half of their shots from beyond the 3-point arc, making 18 of 60 attempts from deep.

The Hornets trailed the entire fourth quarter until Miles Bridges hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left. Charlotte played without team scoring leaders LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Bridges led the way with 31 points despite going 1-for-10 on 3-point attempts before draining the shot that forced the extra session.

Clippers 116, Pelicans 113

Norman Powell scored 35 points, James Harden added 27 — including four decisive free throws in the final minute — and Los Angeles won at New Orleans.

Ivica Zubac had 20 points and 16 rebounds for the Clippers, who have won three in a row and five of their past six games.

CJ McCollum scored 33 and Dejounte Murray tallied 13 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and six steals as the Pelicans lost despite making a season-high 18 3-pointers. It was New Orleans’ 10th straight loss and 19th loss in 20 games.

76ers 125, Trail Blazers 103

Joel Embiid scored a season-best 37 points to guide Philadelphia to a clinical win at Portland.

Embiid went 12 of 21 from the floor and 12 of 13 from the free-throw line and had nine rebounds as the Sixers won their fourth straight game. Tyrese Maxey added 23 points.

Anfernee Simons scored 25 points for Portland while Deni Avdija’s 17-point haul was offset by 10 turnovers. The Blazers shot 8-for-36 from 3-point range while also coughing up 26 turnovers as their two-game winning run ended.

Cavaliers 113, Warriors 95

Darius Garland finished with game highs of 25 points and eight assists as visiting Cleveland cruised to its seventh straight win, defeating host Golden State in San Francisco.

Donovan Mitchell finished with 23 points, and his 5-of-11 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc led Cleveland to an 18-of-47 night (38.3 percent) from long distance.

Golden State star Stephen Curry went 4-for-14 and scored just 11 points, his third-lowest output of the season. Moses Moody paced the Warriors with 19 points.

NHL NEWS

NHL ROUNDUP: CONNOR HELLEBUYCK, JETS SHUT OUT PREDATORS

Connor Hellebuyck made 22 saves for his league-leading fifth shutout of the season as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the visiting Nashville Predators 3-0 on Monday night.

Gabriel Vilardi had two goals and defenseman Dylan DeMelo also scored for Winnipeg, which tops the NHL with 27 wins and 55 points following its fourth consecutive victory. Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor each added two assists.

Juuse Saros stopped 25 shots for Nashville, which has dropped two in a row following a 3-0-1 stretch.

DeMelo opened the scoring with 2:42 left in the second period, his first goal of the season and first in 42 games dating back to April 11. Vilardi scored twice in a span of 1:02 late in the third, both on the power play.

Panthers 5, Rangers 3

Jesper Boqvist scored two goals to lead Florida past New York in Sunrise, Fla.

Eetu Luostarinen, Mackie Samoskevich and Aleksander Barkov also scored for the Panthers, who had been shut out in each of their previous two games. Sergei Bobrovsky made 33 saves in the win.

Filip Chytil, Ryan Lindgren and Chris Kreider scored while Igor Shesterkin made 21 saves for the Rangers, who have dropped seven of their past eight games but did end an 0-for-25 drought on the power play on Kreider’s goal.

Kraken 5, Utah 2

Jaden Schwartz tallied a goal and two assists as Seattle defeated the visiting Utah Hockey Club.

Yanni Gourde, Andre Burakovsky, Matty Beniers and Jared McCann also scored and Kaapo Kakko had a pair of helpers for the Kraken, who won their second in a row following a five-game skid. Philipp Grubauer made 28 saves.

Logan Cooley and Alexander Kerfoot tallied for Utah, which lost its fourth consecutive game (0-3-1). Karel Vejmelka stopped 28 of 32 shots.

TOP INDIANA RELEASES/HEADLINES

COLTS FOOTBALL

COLTS RELEASE DT TRYSTEN HILL FROM PRACTICE SQUAD INJURED LIST

The Indianapolis Colts today released defensive tackle Trysten Hill from the Practice Squad Injured list.

Hill, 6-3, 310 pounds, was placed on the team’s Practice Squad Injured list on December 10, 2024. He was signed to the practice squad on November 18, 2024. Hill has played in 34 career games (five starts) in his time with the Colts (2024), New England Patriots (2023-24), Cleveland Browns (2023), Arizona Cardinals (2022) and Dallas Cowboys (2019-22). He has compiled 39 tackles (27 solo), 7.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Hill has also appeared in one postseason contest and registered two tackles. He was originally selected by the Cowboys in the second round (58th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft out of UCF.

INDIANA PACERS

GAME PREVIEW: PACERS VS BUCKS

The Pacers (16-17) will look to close out 2024 on a high note, when they host Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks (16-14) on New Year’s Eve at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Indiana enters Tuesday’s matinee with a chance to get back to .500 entering 2025 thanks to an impressive victory on Sunday night in Boston.

The Blue & Gold beat the Celtics 123-114 on Sunday, avenging a 142-105 loss to the defending NBA champs two nights earlier. All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton had one of his best performances of the season in Sunday’s bounce-back win, tallying 31 points on 11-of-19 shooting. While he went just 1-for-6 from 3-point range, Haliburton had success attacking the basket, converting 10-of-13 two-point shots and also going 8-for-9 from the free throw line.

Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam also had a strong all-around performances against Boston, combining for 34 points, 16 rebounds, and 14 assists. The Pacers’ offense is at its best when the ball is moving and that was on full display against the Celtics.

It’s been an up-and-down season for the Bucks. Milwaukee started the year just 2-8 before righting the ship in a major way. The Bucks won 11 of 13 games from Nov. 18 – Dec. 17, culminating in winning the Emirates NBA Cup in Las Vegas. Since then, they’ve gone just 2-3 and are entering Tuesday having dropped two straight contests.

Milwaukee has been shorthanded recently as their star players have missed time due to illness. All-Star point guard Damian Lillard did not play in the first four games after the NBA Cup before returning for Saturday’s loss at Chicago (where he tallied 29 points and 12 assists in 36 minutes). Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, has not played since Dec. 20, missing the past four games.

Antetokounmpo is listed as questionable for Tuesday’s game. If he can go, he has put up big numbers against the Pacers recently. Though he missed the playoff series with Indiana last year, Antetokounmpo averaged 42.2 points, 13 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in five regular season games against the Blue & Gold last season, converting 67.6 percent of his shots and getting to the free throw line an astounding 87 times in five games (it should be noted the Pacers won four of those five games). Antetokounmpo had another big night in Milwaukee’s first game against Indiana this season, recording a triple-double with 37 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in a home win over the Pacers on Nov. 22.

Projected Starters

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

Bucks: G – Damian Lillard, G – Andre Jackson Jr., G – Khris Middleton, F – Giannis Antetokounmpo, C – Brook Lopez

Injury Report

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

Bucks: AJ Green – probable (right calf contusion), Khris Middleton – probable (bilateral ankle surgery), Giannis Antetokounmpo – questionable (non-COVID illness), AJ Johnson – out (G League assignment), Christ Livingston – out (G League assignment), Tyler Smith – out (G League assignment)

Last Meeting

Nov. 22, 2024: Giannis Antetokounmpo had a triple-double as the Bucks handed the Pacers at 129-117 defeat in an Emirates NBA Cup game in Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo finished with 37 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, going 14-for-21 from the field and 9-for-11 from the free throw line.

Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 25 points and eight rebounds in the loss. Bennedict Mathurin scored 18 of his 20 points after halftime and also tallied nine rebounds and three steals.

Tyrese

Haliburton had 18 points and nine assists for Indiana, going 4-for-10 from 3-point range. Myles Turner tallied 15 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks, while T.J. McConnell contributed 12 points, eight assists, and three steals off the bench.

Damian Lillard had a double-double for Milwaukee with 24 points and 12 assists. Gary Trent Jr. scored 18 points on 6-of-10 3-point shooting, while Bobby Portis had 17 points and seven boards.

Noteworthy

The Pacers went 5-0 against the Bucks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse last season, beating them twice in the regular and three times in their first-round playoff series.

The Pacers didn’t play on New Year’s Eve last year, but have hosted a game on Dec. 31 in 11 of the past 14 years. They are 8-3 in those games.

Myles Turner has 1,332 career blocks and needs four blocks on Tuesday to pass Tyson Chandler for 49th place on the NBA’s all-time list.

Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)

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

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

INDY FUEL

INDY FUEL PIT STOP: WEEK 11

INDY FUEL WEEK TEN RESULTS 0-2-1-0

INDY FUEL OVERALL RECORD 11-11-2-2 (4th in Central Division)

GAME 24 – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27 VS FORT WAYNE – 4-2 L

The Fuel hosted the Fort Wayne Komets for the third game in a row. Despite scoring two goals early in the game, the Fuel fell 4-2 to the Komets.

GAME 25 – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28 VS TOLEDO – 4-1 L

The Fuel hosted the Toledo Walleye for the first time this season on Saturday night. After a quick start for the Walleye, they maintained dominance and defeated the Fuel 4-1.

GAME 26 – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29 AT FORT WAYNE – 3-2 SOL

The Fuel wrapped up the weekend on the road in Fort Wayne. In the third game for each team this weekend, the Komets would end the weekend with a victory in a shootout, winning 3-2.

ROSTER MOVES

Defenseman DJ King loaned from Rockford (AHL) on 12/29/24

Goaltender Marco Costantini suspended by team on 12/27/24

Goaltender Ben Gaudreau loaned from Rockford (AHL) on 12/20/24

Forward Cam Hausinger returned on loan from Chicago (AHL) on 12/20/24

Defenseman Ryan Orgel claimed off waivers on 12/20/24

OIL DROPS

Forward Darby Llewellyn scored his second shorthanded goal of the season on Friday night vs. Fort Wayne.

Llewellyn and teammate Jordan Martin have connected on all three of the Fuel’s shorthanded goals so far this season.

Goaltender Ben Gaudreau is ranked ninth overall in the ECHL with a goals against average of 2.29 through 16 games played.

Forward Cam Hausinger recorded the Fuel’s first hat trick this season on December 21 in the Fuel’s 5-2 win over Fort Wayne.

TEAM NOTES

The Fuel hosted back-to-back sellouts on Friday and Saturday, hosting 13,596 fans through both nights.

Indy is ranked second overall on the penalty kill with a 89.9% success rate. They are second only to South Carolina.

The Fuel have scored most of their goals in the third period with 23, however they have also allowed the most goals in the third period with 21.

Despite scoring the most in the third frame, Indy records the least amount of shots in the third period. They have 224 shots in the third period this season, while the first and second have seen 250 shots each.

INDY FUEL WEEK 11 SCHEDULE

GAME 27 – TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31 AT KALAMAZOO

GAME 28 – FRIDAY, JANUARY 3 VS KALAMAZOO

GAME 29 – SATURDAY, JANUARY 4 AT CINCINNATI

INDIANA WRESTLING

INDIANA FINISHES IN FOURTH PLACE, TYLER LILLARD WINS INDIVIDUAL TITLE AT MIDLANDS

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. ––– Indiana Wrestling wrapped up competition at the 60th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Monday.

The Hoosiers finished in fourth place with 95.5 team points, one champion and six placers.

Tyler Lillard (165) won an individual title, and No. 28 Gabe Sollars (197) and No. 23 Jacob Bullock (285) each took second place.

No. 22 Jacob Moran (125) finished in fourth, No. 20 DJ Washington (184) finished in seventh and Nick Pavlechko (285) took eighth place.

KEY MOMENTS

• Tyler Lillard (165) scored on two takedowns and didn’t allow one in a 7-3 decision victory over No. 19 Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern) in the final match.

• No. 23 Jacob Bullock fell just short to No. 11 Josh Heindselman (Michigan) on a last second takedown in a 5-4 decision in the title match.

• No. 28 Gabe Sollars (197) scored a few takedowns but fell short in a close 13-9 decision in the final match to No. 15 Mac Stout (Pittsburgh).

• No. 20 DJ Washington (184) knocked off Adrien Cramer (Central Michigan) by decision, 7-1, to earn seventh place.

• Indiana’s three finalists earned wins over three ranked opponents in the semifinals to secure their spots in the championship bouts, as Hoosiers defeated No. 13 Hunter Garvin (Stanford), No. 14 John Poznanski (Rutgers) and No. 5 Yaraslaou Slavikouski (Rutgers).

NOTABLES

• Indiana’s six placers are the most at a Midlands tournament in program history. The previous high was five in 2006.

• Lillard is the program’s first Midlands individual champion since 2014 when Taylor Walsh also won at 165 lbs.

• Indiana’s three finalists are the most at Midlands tournament in program history.

• Moran, Bullock and Washington all were on the podium at Midlands for the second time in their careers.

• Lillard, Sollars and Pavlechko all reached the podium at Midlands for the first time in their careers.

TEAM STANDINGS

Stanford (157.0 points)

Rutgers (147.0 points)

Penn (131.0 points)

Indiana (95.5 points)

INDIANA FOOTBALL

CIGNETTI TABS WHITMER FOR QUARTERBACKS/CO-OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR POST

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana head football coach Curt Cignetti has announced the addition of Chandler Whitmer as the program’s quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator.

His coaching resume includes work with some of the top names in quarterbacking. He helped Justin Fields (Ohio State) and Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) grow into NFL Draft picks at the collegiate level, tutored Justin Herbert (Los Angeles) to NFL success, and developed Michael Penix Jr. (Atlanta) into an NFL starting quarterback.

“Chandler came very highly recommended and has been involved with the development of a number of top-flight quarterbacks,” Cignetti said. “We’re excited he’s joining the organization, and he will do a terrific job developing our quarterbacks.”

“I am fired up to join Coach Cignetti, Coach Shanahan, and the Hoosiers program,” Whitmer said. “What they did this past season in such a short amount of time was tremendous and the future is incredibly bright. I am excited to learn from everyone, bring some things from my experiences, and develop the quarterback position.”

Whitmer spent the past four seasons in the National Football League with the Los Angeles Chargers (2021-23) as an offensive quality control assistant and the Atlanta Falcons (2024) as the pass game specialist. In both roles, he worked primarily with the quarterback position.

He got his start in coaching at the college level with stops as a graduate assistant at Yale (2018), Ohio State (2019) and Clemson (2020), where he made College Playoff appearances with the Buckeyes and Tigers.

Whitmer worked with top-10 passing offenses in three of his four campaigns at the professional level, including the No. 3 passing offense in 2021 (269.6 ypg) and 2022 (282.4 ypg), and the Chargers made the playoffs in 2022 as an AFC Wild Card. Through 16 weeks of the 2024 season, the Falcons ranked No. 6 in passing (238.9 ypg).

His one season in Atlanta included the development of Penix Jr., who was the team’s first-round draft choice in 2024. Whitmer helped Penix Jr. move into the starting quarterback role in Week 16 with the Falcons in the thick of an NFC South title chase.

While in Los Angeles, Herbert set NFL records as no player has more completions (1,316), passing yards (14,089) or total touchdowns (102) over the first three years of a career. Herbert is also the only quarterback in NFL history to begin a career with three-consecutive seasons of 4,000-plus passing yards and is the second to throw 25 touchdowns in each of his first three years, joining Hall of Famer Peyton Manning.

In 2023, Herbert completed 297-of-456 pass attempts (65.1 percent) for 3,134 yards and 20 touchdowns to seven interceptions, prior to being placed on Reserve/Injured following Week 14.

The 2021 season saw Herbert become the third-youngest player in NFL history to eclipse 5,000 passing yards in a single campaign. Herbert’s 38 passing scores took his career total to 69, setting the record for most by a QB through their first two pro seasons.

Whitmer’s first year in Los Angeles saw Herbert earn his first career Pro Bowl nod after setting single-season franchise records for yards passing (5,014), passing touchdowns (38), and completions (443). The Bolts posted the second-most fourth-quarter points scored by any team in a single campaign in NFL history (181) and the offensive unit posted single-season team records for first downs (401) and passing touchdowns (38).

As an offensive graduate assistant at Clemson, Whitmer helped the offensive coaching staff and assisted with the quarterback and wide receiver groups. He worked closely with Lawrence, the runner-up for the 2020 Heisman Trophy, as Clemson defeated No. 2 Notre Dame in the ACC Championship and earned a bid in the College Football Playoff for the sixth-straight season.

Whitmer contributed to the offensive coaching staff at Ohio State during its 2019 College Football Playoff run. First-year signal-caller Justin Fields led the Buckeyes to a 12-0 regular season record and a defeat of No. 8 Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game.

The Atlanta native started his coaching career with one year as an offensive quality control coach at Yale.

As a player, Whitmer logged 24 starts under center for the University of Connecticut (2012-14) and earned a rookie minicamp invite from the Philadelphia Eagles. He culminated his Huskies career ranked No. 4 in program history in career completions (403) and passing yards (5,082), and No. 6 in UConn annals with 25 career passing scores.

Whitmer started his collegiate career at the University of Illinois (2010), before one season at Butler (Kan.) Community College (2011), where he was named NJCAA All-America honorable mention after leading Butler to a top-five national ranking.

COACHING EXPERIENCE

Ohio State

2019: Graduate Assistant (Offense)

Clemson

2020: Graduate Assistant (Offense)

Los Angeles Chargers

2021-23: Offensive Quality Control (Quarterbacks)

Atlanta Falcons

2024: Pass Game Specialist

Indiana

2025-: Quarterbacks/Co-Offensive Coordinator

PLAYING EXPERIENCE

University of Illinois

2010: Quarterback

Butler (Kan.) Community College

2011: Quarterback

University of Connecticut

2012-14: Quarterback

INDIANA MEN’S SOCCER

FOUR HOOSIERS FEATURE IN TOP DRAWER SOCCER POSTSEASON LISTS

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Top Drawer Soccer honored four members of the Indiana men’s soccer program as the publication announced its postseason “Best XI” and Top 100 player rankings over the last week.

Alongside his United Soccer Coaches second-team All-America selection, sophomore defender Quinton Elliot (3 goals, 3 assists) made the Top Drawer Soccer Best XI third team. The publication also ranked Elliot No. 27 in its Top 100 players list.

A unanimous Big Ten All-Freshman Team performer, Josh Maher (3 assists) reached the Top Drawer Soccer Freshman Best XI second team. Maher ranked No. 14 in the freshman Top 100 list.

The Top Drawer Postseason Top 100 also featured senior forwards Tommy Mihalic (No. 41) and Samuel Sarver (73). The Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Mihalic (10 goals, 5 assists) led Indiana in scoring. Sarver (5 goals, 8 assists) repeated as a third-team All-American, and FC Dallas selected him in the second round of the 2025 MLS SuperDraft last week.

Top Drawer Soccer Postseason Awards

Best XI Third Team:Quinton Elliot

Freshman Best XI Second Team:Josh Maher

Postseason Top 100

27. Quinton Elliot

41. Tommy Mihalic

73. Samuel Sarver

Postseason Top 100 Freshmen

14. Josh Maher

BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL

BUTLER BEGINS 2025 BY HOSTING VILLANOVA FOR NEW YEAR’S DAY TIP AT HINKLE

Butler rings in the New Year Wednesday, hosting Villanova at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler is 6-5 against Villanova in games played at Hinkle Fieldhouse, including winning four of the last five contests.

Butler (7-6, 0-2 BIG EAST) vs. Villanova (8-5, 1-1)

Wednesday, Jan. 1 • 6:30PM

Hinkle Fieldhouse • Indianapolis, Ind.

FOLLOW ALONG:

TV: FS1 • Jeff Levering & LaPhonso Ellis

Audio: Varsity Network App, SiriusXM 387, XM App 977 & TuneIn • @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)

ITEMS OF NOTE:

• In two games against Villanova last season, Jahmyl Telfort averaged 20.5 points and 9.0 rebounds. He shot 56 percent from the field, including 6-for-11 from three-point range.

• The Bulldogs’ current five-game losing streak coincides with a five-game stretch that included four Top 25 opponents (Houston, Wisconsin, Marquette, Connecticut).

• The Bulldogs went 23-for-28 from the free throw line in the team’s most recent outing, a 78-74 loss to UConn Dec. 21.

• The Bulldogs rank 14th nationally in free throws made per game (19.0) and 26th nationally in attempts per game (24.8).

• Butler ranks 42nd nationally in free throw shooting at 76.7 percent.

• Telfort leads the BIG EAST in both free throws made (59) and is second in free throws attempted (73) despite not going to the line in the game against UConn. Telfort is seventh in the BIG EAST in free throw accuracy at 80.8 percent; teammate Pierre Brooks II is sixth at 82.0 percent. 

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

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

• Screen is sixth in the BIG EAST at 1.6 blocks per game, while his 6.2 rebounds per game rank ninth.

• At 39.1 percent, the Bulldogs rank 23rd nationally in three-point percentage.

• Patrick McCaffery’s 46.6-percent accuracy from three-point range is 19th nationally. He has hit multiple three-pointers in 10 of the team’s games, including five twice. 

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

• Kolby King pulled down eight rebounds against UConn; he has six or more rebounds in six of Butler’s last eight games. The 6-2 guard ranks second on the team in rebounding at 5.1 per game.

• Telfort leads the BIG EAST in minutes played at 34:59 per game; McCaffery (fourth) and Brooks (eighth) are also among the conference leaders.

• UConn hit 11 of 24 attempts from three-point range (45.8 percent) in the win over the Bulldogs; entering the game, Butler had allowed opponents to hit only 29 percent of their attempts, which included a combined mark of 12-for-55 over the previous two games (21.8 percent).

• Despite committing only 12.2 turnovers per game, Butler ranks 348th nationally in turnover margin (-4.5 per game) due to forcing opponents into only 7.7 per game (which is 352nd nationally).

• Down 16 against UConn early in the game, Butler clawed all the way back to tie the game before falling. Butler’s Dec. 10 loss to North Dakota State also included the Bulldogs fully overcoming a 23-point deficit.

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

Volumes on Villanova

• Villanova ranks among the Top 10 nationally with a 40.6-percent mark from three-point range, averaging 10.5 makes per game. The Wildcats also shoot 80 percent from the free throw line, which is among the Top 15 nationally.

• Eric Dixon leads the nation in scoring at 25.8 points per game; he is shooting 50 percent from three-point range (eighth nationally), making more than three per game.

• Of Villanova’s eight players averaging 10 or more minutes per game, Dixon and Jordan Longino are the only two who were on the Wildcats’ roster a season ago. Villanova is relying heavily on transfers Jhamir Brickus (La Salle), Wooga Poplar (Miami), Tyler Perkins (Penn), and Enoch Boakye (Fresno State).

• Villanova’s 8-5 record includes a 1-4 mark in games played on the road or on a neutral court.

The Series with Nova

• The Bulldogs and Villanova first met in the 1996 Puerto Rico Shootout; the other 23 meetings in the series have come since Butler joined the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season.

• Butler is 6-5 against Villanova in games played at Hinkle Fieldhouse, which includes two victories over the Wildcats when they were ranked No. 1 in the national polls (Jan. 4, 2017 and Dec. 30, 2017).

Series:  Villanova Leads, 17-7

Streak: Villanova, W1

At Hinkle: Butler Leads, 6-5

First Meeting: Nov. 30, 1996; VU, 62-54 (Puerto Rico Shootout)

Last Meeting: Feb. 20, 2024; VU, 72-62 (at VU)

BALL STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WBB RINGS IN THE NEW YEAR AT MIAMI IN MAC OPENER WEDNESDAY

Ball State (8-4, 0-0 MAC) vs. Miami (7-3, 0-0 MAC)

Jan. 1, 2025 >>Millett Hall>>1 pm ET>>Oxford, Ohio

Opening Tip:

– Wednesday’s game against Miami will mark the 74th time in program history the two schools have met with the RedHawks leading the all-time series 40-33. Ball State has won its last seven meetings against Miami. Under 13th-year head coach Brady Sallee the Cardinals are 14-1 against the RedHawks dating back to Sallee’s first season in 2012-13. The last time Ball State lost to Miami was on Jan. 19, 2019 in Oxford by a score of 60-57.

– The Miami RedHawks are the closest Mid-American Conference opponent distance wise from the Cardinals. It takes approximately just a little over 71 miles from Oxford, Ohio to Muncie, Ind.

– The Cardinals and the RedHawks met only once last season with Ball State winning that lone meeting in Muncie on Jan. 24 by a 91-56 decision.

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

– Miami went 2-0 back on Dec. 20-21 at the Christmas Classic, capturing wins over George Washington (74-49) and Florida International (62-55) to end the 2024 non-conference season with a 7-3 ledger. The last time Miami won seven of its first 10 games was back in 2018-19, when the RedHawks opened the year 8-2.

– The Cardinals are 7-5 in their Mid-American Conference openers under 13th year head coach Brady Sallee and 3-2 when opening league play on the road.

– The last time Ball State opened Mid-American Conference play against Miami was on Jan. 2, 2000 in Oxford, Ohio.

A look back at MAC Play:

Ball State had a highly successful 2023-24 season under the direction of head coach Brady Sallee who is entering his 13th season. The Cardinals tallied 28 overall wins and 16 MAC victories, with both being program records. Ball State earned the No. 2 seed in the MAC Tournament, reaching the semifinals for the third-straight season, and received votes in the USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll for nine straight weeks during the year. Ball State ended the season by hosting the first round of the inaugural NCAA Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament.

Net Rankings:

The NCAA Division I net rankings have the Cardinals being ranked in the top 70 coming in at 67. Ball State has earned the highest net ranking out of all the schools in the Mid-American Conference.

Sallee is Hot in January:

It may be cold outside but the Cardinals tend to get hot in the month of January under 13th-year head coach Brady Sallee. Sallee owns an overall record of 68-29 (.701) in the month of January dating back to his first season in 2012-13.

Scouting Miami University:

– Miami has forced 239 turnovers this season, tops in the conference. The RedHawks are 5-2 on the year when they force their opponent into 20-plus turnovers.

– Coach Box, who is in his second season at Miami, added seven new faces to the 2024-25 season and their impact was felt immediately. Five of Miami’s top six scorers are newcomers this season and five of the top seven rebounders were on a different team a year ago. Freshman Tamar Singer, sophomore Enjulina Gonzalez and senior Maya Chandler, three new additions, have 84 of Miami’s 148 assists this season.

– The RedHawks have three players on their squad from the state of Indiana; Katey Richardson (Zionsville), Maya Chandler (Martinsville) and Amber Tretter (Ferdinand).

BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL HOSTING ANDERSON TUESDAY IN FINAL GAME BEFORE MAC PLAY

The Ball State men’s basketball team wraps up 2024 with a home contest against Anderson at 2 p.m. on Tuesday at Worthen Arena in a game presented by Silver Burch of Muncie.

The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Jack McMullen and David Eha on the call, while Mick Tidrow and Scot Bunnell handle the radio broadcast on WMUN 1340AM – 92.5FM.

Ball State leads the all-time series between the two programs 12-1 and holds a 10-0 record in Muncie against the Ravens. The Cardinals won 75-47 on Dec. 17, 2005 at Worthen in the most recent meeting.

Ball State (5-6) will look for its third straight win to conclude the calendar year after dominating Evansville 80-43 on Dec. 21 in the last game before the Christmas break. Payton Sparks (20 points, five rebounds), Jermahri Hill (13 points, eight rebounds, four steals), Jeremiah Hernandez (12 points) and Ben Hendriks (10 points, four rebounds) each scored in double-figures for the Cardinals in the men’s basketball team’s best defensive performance against an NCAA Division I foe since 2019 at Eastern Michigan.

Anderson (7-3) plays on back-to-back days after hosting North Central (Ill.) at 4 p.m. on Monday. The Ravens have won the last two Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament titles and went 23-5 (16-2 HCAC) in 2023-24 to win the regular season HCAC crown as well last season in the second under head coach Carter Collins.

Senior Tate Ivanyo paces the Ravens averaging 22.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Ivanyo leads the league and ranks No. 12 in NCAA Division III with a 93.9 free throw shooting percentage, while his scoring average is No. 34 in Division III.

The Cardinals begin Mid-American Conference play with a 2 p.m. contest at Kent State on Saturday.

SPLASH FROM SPARKS: Senior center Payton Sparks went for 20 points, five rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal to lead the Cardinals to an 80-43 win over Evansville on Dec. 21 at Worthen Arena.

Sparks notched his 10th career 20-point game and first of the season after previously having five double-digit scoring efforts coming into the game.

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

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

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

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

GORO-THREE-TO: Junior guard Juanse Gorosito was named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week after hitting seven 3-pointers for 21 and adding four assists and three steals on Dec. 14 at Bellarmine. The Argentina native has made multiple 3-pointers in each of the last eight games, going 31-for-58 (53.4 percent) from distance in that time to increase his season shooting percentage to 50 percent (36-72).

Gorosito is second in the conference in 3-pointers made and leads the league while ranking No. 8 in NCAA Division I in shooting percentage from distance.

MILESTONE WATCH: Sparks (982 points), Jeremiah Hernandez (899) and Pearson Jr. (845) are each closing in on scoring 1,000 points in his Division I career.

Ethan Brittain-Watts recently made his 100th career 3-pointer, while Sparks (582 rebounds) needs only three more boards to move into the Top-20 in Ball State program history for a career.

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

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

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

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

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

Darrion Baker (Akron to SIUE)

Legend Geeter (Eastern Michigan to Detroit Mercy)

Markus Harding (Central Michigan to Indiana State)

Orlando Lovejoy (Eastern Michigan to Detroit Mercy)

Cyril Martynov (Eastern Michigan to Eastern Kentucky)

Zarique Nutter (Northern Illinois to Georgia State)

B. Artis White (Western Michigan to Richmond)

GETTING TO THE LINE: The Cardinals paced the Mid-American Conference in both free throw attempts per game (26.6) and free throws made per game (18.5) through the season’s first 11 games.

Ball State ranks No. 6 and No. 23 in those categories in NCAA Division I, respectively. The total tallies outpace the next-closest MAC team (Buffalo) by 41 attempts and 30 makes.

SLAM JAM: Hill’s one-hand slam dunk for an and-one at the end of the first half on Nov. 13 at Dayton was the No. 1 play on SportsCenter’s Top 10 list.

Hill led the Cardinals with 25 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the game.

IN-STATE BATTLES: Ball State is set to host Franklin (Nov. 8), Indiana State (Nov. 16), Evansville (Dec. 21) and Anderson (Dec. 31) for a quartet of in-state rivalries this season.

The men’s basketball program hasn’t hosted at least four teams from the state of Indiana since 2013-14 when that team played Taylor, Butler, Valparaiso and Oakland City at Worthen Arena.

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

The forward also notched 13 boards on Nov. 7, 2022 against Earlham at Worthen Arena. Pearson Jr. ranks sixth in the MAC in both total rebounds (65) and rebounds per game (6.5).

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

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

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

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

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

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

PURDUE FT.WAYNE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WBB PUTS 4-0 LEAGUE RECORD ON THE LINE WITH NEW YEAR’S DAY GAME AGAINST YSU

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball team looks to stay perfect in Horizon League play when Youngstown State visits the Summit City for a New Year’s Day bout.

Game Day Information
Who: Youngstown State Penguins
When: Wednesday, January 1 | 7 PM
Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Gates Sports Center
Live Stats: Link
Watch: Link
Tickets:Link
Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Youngstown State | Horizon League

Know Your Foe

Youngstown State is 7-7 and 2-2 in the Horizon League. After starting 2-0 in the league, the Penguins lost their last two HL games to Detroit Mercy and IU Indy. YSU is coming off that 15-point loss at IU Indy, which saw Malia Magestro and Erica King score 13 points each. Jewell Watkins and Magestro are both averaging between 12 and 14 points per game.

The Series

Youngstown State leads the series 11-4, but Purdue Fort Wayne has won two of the last three, both in Fort Wayne. Last year, the two teams split, both winning by nine points at their home venues. In the game at the Gates Sports Center, Amellia Bromenschenkel scored 19 points.

Ross Has the Sauce

Through 14 games, Lauren Ross is shooting 51.3 percent from the floor, 52.1 percent from 3-point range and 93.1 percent from the line. If these percentages hold, she would be the first women’s player and second player overall to ever shoot 50/50/90 since the 3-point line was added to college basketball. Salim Stoudamire (Arizona, 2004-05) is the only other college player to do hit all three marks for an entire season while meeting minimum requirements.

A Perfect Start to League Play

Purdue Fort Wayne is 4-0 to start Horizon League play this season. That is the best start to a league season since the Mastodons went 4-0 to start Summit League action in 2009-10.

Boards for Millie

Amellia Bromenschenkel has 632 rebounds in her career, which is the most among all Mastodons in the Division I era (2001-present). In the game at Wright State this season, she passed Verea Bibbs for the DI era record. She ranks fourth in the program’s all-time rebound list, needing 31 more to pass Robin Scott for third.

Dynamic Duo

Through four Horizon League games, Lauren Ross and Amellia Bromenschenkel have been a fantastic one-two punch for the Mastodons. Ross is averaging 19.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 53.7 percent from the floor and 58.3 percent from three. Bromenschenkel is averaging 14.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 51.1 percent from the floor and 50 percent from deep.

Scoring Machine

Lauren Ross is averaging 18.6 points per game this season, which is the third-most by any Mastodon since joining Division I in 2001. Amanda Hyde (22.3, 2013-14) and Johnna Lewis-Carlisle (19.5, 2007-08) are the top two.

Free Assists Here!

Sydney Freeman has 495 assists in her career, needing just five to reach 500 for her career. She ranks in the top-20 nationally among active players in that category.

A December to Remember

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

Home Sweet Gates

The Mastodons are 5-0 at home this season. In its five home games this season, Purdue Fort Wayne is scoring 87.4 points per game and has an average margin of victory of 33.4 points per game. The Mastodons are shooting 49.7 percent from the floor and 41.4 percent from 3-point range in Fort Wayne.

Linbo Limbo

Jazzlyn Linbo is shooting a career-best 53.2 percent from the floor this season.

Schweeeeeet

After a 28.9 3-point field goal percentage a year ago, Renna Schwieterman is shooting a much improved 37.8 percent from deep this season.

200 for the Boss

Maria Marchesano is nearing 200 head coaching wins for her career. She owns 195 W’s as a head coach, 55 of which have come as the head coach for the Mastodons.

Last Time Out

Purdue Fort Wayne beat Wright State 76-49 on the road on Saturday thanks to a 28-point advantage in the first half. Amellia Bromenschenkel became the program’s Division I era rebound record holder.

Coming Up

Purdue Fort Wayne will hit the road again for a visit to Oakland on Sunday (Jan. 5). The Mastodons have won their last three against the Golden Grizzlies.

EVANSVILLE VOLLEYBALL

ZACH WEINBERG NAMED UE HEAD VOLLEYBALL COACH

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville Director of Athletics Dr. Kenneth “Ziggy” Siegfried has announced the hiring of Zachary Weinberg as Head Volleyball Coach for the Purple Aces program.

“We are thrilled to welcome Zach, his wife Paige, and their children Ian and Eliana to the Purple Aces family. Coach Weinberg’s values perfectly align with those at UE,” Siegfried said. “He values developing well-rounded student-athletes, lifelong learning, and he understands the importance of the impact that UE has in our community and beyond. He also brings a wealth of experience and a proven ability to build successful teams at the Division I level.”

Weinberg joins the Aces program following a seven-year stint on the staff at Tennessee Tech where he served as the Associate Head Volleyball Coach since June 2021.  He began his role with the TTU program in February of 2018 as an assistant coach.  His staff inherited a team that went 2-14 in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2017 and turned it into a 14-4 squad that finished in second place in the OVC in 2022. In 2024, the Golden Eagles went 24-8, finishing with their highest win total since 1983.

Over a four-year span, Weinberg helped raise the RPI of the Golden Eagles from 313 in 2017 to 154 in 2021, an improvement of 159 positions.  His responsibilities included the training of setters, middle blockers, and pin hitters while overseeing the entire offensive scheme.  Off the floor, he managed the operating and travel budgets of the program while serving as the liaison to housing, marketing, and sports information.  He also coordinated social media for the program.

“I am honored, humbled and excited to be named the head coach at the University of Evansville. I’d like to thank Dr. Ziggy Siegfried and the entirety of the Search Advisory Committee for their time and professionalism in running the search and for gifting me this opportunity to lead the Purple Aces program,” Weinberg exclaimed.  “From the moment I stepped foot in Evansville, I could feel how this community rallies around the volleyball program and how ready they are to support these student-athletes. UE is a special place, and I can’t wait to get to know the student-athletes and aid them in reaching their academic and athletic goals while providing them with the best experience I can. Today is a dream come true, and my family and I can’t wait to embed ourselves into the Evansville community!”

“I would also like to thank everyone who aided me in getting to this huge step in my career, but especially those from my time in Cookeville with Tennessee Tech. Head Coach Jeannette Phillips, Athletic Director Mark Wilson, SWA Mandy Thatcher, and the rest of the TTU admin team provided me with so much autonomy and opportunity for growth that it shaped me into the coach I am today,” Weinberg added.  “It has been a wonderful 7 years in Cookeville, and I’m deeply appreciative of all the love and support they have poured into me. I also want to thank my biggest supporter-my wife, Paige- for her constant love and support and for allowing me to follow my dreams. None of who I am as a coach and person is possible without her endless support.”

Aside from his work with the indoor program, Weinberg was named the first-ever Head Beach Volleyball Coach in TTU history.  In the inaugural season for the program in 2023, Weinberg directed his squad to a 4th-place finish in the OVC along with two wins in the conference tournament.  He oversaw the management of the entire program while managing an assistant coach and student manager.

Weinberg is also an active member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and has served in multiple roles within the organization. He has served on the Board of Directors for the last two years as the Assistant Coaches representative while simultaneously serving on the AVCA’s High School All-American Selection Committee. As the board representative, Weinberg chairs the organization’s Assistant Coaches Committee and in 2021 was recognized as an AVCA 30 Under 30 award winner, which recognizes 30 of the top up-and-coming coaches in the country under the age of 30.

Prior to his time at Tennessee Tech, Weinberg served as an Assistant Volleyball Coach at UNLV. Posting a 24-8 record, UNLV finished 33rd in the RPI on its way to the school’s first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where his team upset #22 Utah in the opening round.  His work with UNLV included the recruiting of student-athletes on a nationwide scale while coordinating and conducting on-campus recruiting

In two seasons as an assistant coach at Northwestern State, Weinberg helped NSU capture its first and only Southland Conference Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 2014.  He worked within all facets of in-gym training at NSU while working extensively in video and Cauldron – a complex statistical document that stores statistics for each member of the team and compares their production to the top players in the conference.

His work in college volleyball began at Ohio University where he was a Student Assistant Coach from December of 2008 through March of 2012.  As a sophomore, he was promoted from student manager to Student Assistant Coach.  In his time with the Bobcats, the program won three Mid-American Conference regular season championships, three MAC Tournament Championships and a berth in the NCAA Tournament in each season.

Between 2015 and 2022, Weinberg was the Head Volleyball Coach for Maccabi USA Volleyball.  He led the Indoor Women’s Youth team and Open Women beach team to gold medals at the 2015 Pan-American Maccabi Games in Santiago, Chile.  In 2022, he directed the Maccabi USA Women’s Open Team to a 4th-place finish in the 2022 Maccabiah in Jerusalem, Israel.

Weinberg’s first head coaching position was at Camden Catholic High School (N.J.) where he led the program in 2013, just its second season in existence.  Following a 1-21 season prior to his arrival, Weinberg won nine games in 2013 while finishing second in its division.

Student-athletes have benefited greatly from Weinberg’s tutelage.  He recruited and mentored 2024 OVC Player of the Year Madolyn Isringhausen while guiding her to four All-OVC selections including three on the first team.  Isringhausen was named the AVCA National Player of the Week on Nov. 12, 2024, as well as being named Tennessee Tech’s first-ever AVCA All-American at the conclusion of the 2024 season.  He led Jordan Karlen to a pair of All-OVC First Team selections along with OVC Freshman and Setter of the Year honors.  Weinberg has led multiple other student-athletes to conference and regional accolades.

Weinberg is married to his wife, Paige. They have two children-Ian (4) and Eliana (1).

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

Mark Wilson-Tennessee Tech Athletic Director

“Zach is a rising star in the volleyball world and has been a huge part of our success on the court along with leading Tennessee Tech’s entry into beach volleyball! Evansville is getting a superb coach but an even better person and family!”

Jeannette Phillips-Tennessee Tech Head Volleyball Coach

“Zach has always prioritized relationships with those he works with and our loss is Evansville’s gain. He has been passionate about continuing his coaching career as a Head Coach; it was always just a matter of him finding the perfect fit, and I am so happy that he found that in Evansville. The Tennessee Tech staff and players all support this move for Zach and we wish him well in the next step in his coaching journey.”

Jaime Gordon-CEO of the American Volleyball Coaches Association

“Evansville made a great choice to bring in Zach as their head volleyball coach. He is a professional who is committed to building a sustainable program of success on a foundation of high character that will make the community proud.”

Jaclynn Wilson-UT Martin Head Volleyball Coach

“Evansville made a great choice in selecting Zach Weinberg as its new head volleyball coach. I’ve coached against him for years, and he has continually demonstrated the qualities that make him a leader, on and off the court. Not only is he passionate about volleyball, but his commitment to his student athletes is unmatched. Evansville has landed a terrific coach and an even better person.”

Maddie Isringhausen-TTU Student Athlete 2020-2024

“Having Zach as a coach for the last five years has been nothing short of amazing. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the countless hours he spent teaching me everything there is to know as an outside hitter. He worked day in and day out to make us better players, but above all better people. He truly treats his players as if they are a part of his family and that is just one of the many reasons he will thrive in this new role. I am incredibly proud to say I was coached by Zach and I can’t wait to see what he accomplishes in the years to come.  Evansville is incredibly lucky to have him as their new head coach!”

Ali Verzani- TTU Student Athlete 2018-2021

“I am so grateful for the years I spent playing for Coach Zach. He made me a better student, volleyball player, and human being. Coach Zach believes in his athletes and gives them the tools they need to reach their full athletic potential. He is a true student of the game and a phenomenal leader. I am so excited to see what he can accomplish with the Aces!”

VALPO MEN’S BASKETBALL

VALPO TO RING IN NEW YEAR ON WEDNESDAY IN SPRINGFIELD

Valparaiso (7-6, 0-2 MVC)

at Missouri State (7-6, 0-2 MVC)

Game No. 13 – Wednesday, Jan. 1, 7 p.m. CT

Great Southern Bank Arena (11,000) – Springfield, Mo.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team will ring in the new year on Wednesday night with a New Year’s Day game at Missouri State to open up 2025. This will mark the second straight road game to open the continuous portion of Missouri Valley Conference play. The Beacons will make their final MVC visit to Springfield, Mo. as this marks the Bears’ last year in the league before joining Conference USA on July 1.

Last Time Out: The Beacons gave MVC preseason favorite Bradley nearly everything it could handle, but the Braves prevailed 81-75 in double overtime as the curtain closed on the calendar year of 2024 on Sunday. Kaspar Sepp posted a double-double of 11 points and 15 rebounds – establishing career highs in both categories – and Cooper Schwieger poured in 21 points, but the Beacons could not complete the upset in an instant classic.

Following the Beacons: Streaming – ESPN+ – Mike McClure (play-by-play) and Jay Spoonhour (analyst)

Radio – WVUR 95.1 FM Valparaiso, TuneIn Radio App, ValpoAthletics.com – Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and Brandon Vickrey (analyst)

X updates – @ValpoBasketball

Links for video, audio and live stats will be available at ValpoAthletics.com.

Head Coach Roger Powell Jr.: Roger Powell Jr. (14-31) is in his second season as the head coach of the Valpo men’s basketball program. After helping guide Gonzaga to a 121-13 record during his four seasons as an assistant coach, Powell returned to Valpo, where he was part of head coach Bryce Drew’s staff from 2011-2016 and led the team to 124 wins in five seasons, including a program-record 30 victories and a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) title game appearance in 2015-16. He was part of head coach Mark Few’s Gonzaga staff as the Bulldogs reached the 2021 national championship game after winning their first 31 games of the season. During Powell’s first season on staff in 2019-20, Gonzaga was 31-2 at the time the NCAA college basketball season was halted due to COVID-19. The Bulldogs reached the Sweet Sixteen in each of his final three seasons on staff, including two Elite Eight appearances and the aforementioned trip to the 2021 national title game. Prior to his arrival at Gonzaga, Powell served as the associate head coach at Vanderbilt University under Bryce Drew from 2016-2019. During his stint as an assistant at Valpo, he was part of four Horizon League regular-season championships in a five-year period while also leading the 2012-13 and 2014-15 squads to Horizon League tournament titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. A product of Joliet West High School and a native of Joliet, Ill., Powell capped a prolific collegiate playing career at Illinois with a national title game appearance in 2005 before going on to a successful professional playing career.

Ringing in the Year: Valpo is hoping to record its first victory on New Year’s Day since 1945, a 56-53 win over Hamline in Buffalo, N.Y. Valpo has played on New Year’s Day just twice since then – a 76-59 loss at Butler in 2011 and a 68-50 setback vs. Indiana State to open 2023.

Series Notes: Valpo is 10-28 all-time against the Bears including 81-70 (Jan. 27 at ARC) and 82-74 (Feb. 17 in Springfield) losses last season. Valpo has dropped nine consecutive head-to-head matchups dating back to March 7, 2020, a memorable 89-82 victory in St. Louis that sent Valpo to the Missouri Valley Conference title game. The Beacons have dropped the last four in Springfield, but did go on the road and beat the Bears 82-66 on Jan. 5, 2019.

Sepp Squeezing Boards

Sophomore Kaspar Sepp turned in perhaps his best game in a Valpo uniform on Dec. 29 at Bradley, delivering a double-double of 11 points and 15 rebounds that helped the Beacons give Missouri Valley Conference preseason favorite Bradley a scare in an 81-75, double-overtime defeat.

His 15 boards outdid his previous career high of 12 set on Dec. 6, 2023 at Central Michigan. This marked Sepp’s first career double-double as he recorded Valpo’s fifth double-double of the season and became the third different Beacon with a double-double this year, joining Cooper Schwieger and All Wright.

Sepp became the first Valpo player with a 15-rebound game since Jaxon Edwards on Nov. 17, 2023 at Illinois and just the fifth different Valpo player with 15 rebounds in a game in the last decade as Sepp and Edwards are joined by program greats Ben Krikke, Javon Freeman-Liberty and Alec Peters.

Sepp became the first Valpo player since Krikke on Jan. 24, 2021 at Illinois State to notch a 15-rebound double-double.

Sepp’s big day came on an efficient 5-of-7 shooting and he knocked down his lone 3-point attempt of the game. Six of his 15 boards came on the offensive glass, and he also dished out three assists, tying a season high.

His 11 points marked his first time with more than seven this season, while he notched his fourth double-figure rebounding game and his second straight.

Valpo 15-Rebound Double-Doubles (Last 20 Seasons)

Player              Date                Opponent                    Pts/Reb

Kaspar Sepp    12-29-24         at Bradley                   11/15

Ben Krikke     1-24-21           at Illinois State            25/15

Freeman-Liberty 1-29-19       vs. Missouri St            12/15

Alec Peters      1-16-17           vs. Green Bay             20/16

Alec Peters      1-12-17           at Youngstown St       17/15

Alec Peters      12-17-16         vs. Indiana State         29/15

Alec Peters      11-12-16         vs. Trinity Christian    36/15

Alec Peters      2-28-16           at Green Bay               25/15

Ryan Broekhoff 3-3-12           vs. Butler                    19/16

Michael Rogers 1-10-09         vs. Wright State          12/15

Dan Oppland   12-17-05         vs. Southern Utah       27/16

Bonus Basketball

Valpo’s double overtime loss at Bradley on Dec. 29 marked the first overtime game of the Roger Powell Jr. head coaching era. It was the team’s first OT contest since a 77-76 loss at Murray State on Feb. 26, 2023.

The Beacons played their first double overtime game since Feb. 4, 2023 vs. Drake (L 85-82).

Valpo has now dropped each of its last five overtime games.

Bradley has played double overtime twice in the last nine seasons and both have come against Valpo.

Schwieger Surging

Cooper Schwieger finished with 21 points on Dec. 29 at Bradley despite being limited to four first-half points in just seven minutes due to foul trouble.

The sophomore has scored at least 16 points in four straight games, has three straight with 19 or more and has scored 20 or more three times this season including each of the last two.

Through nine games this season, Schwieger was averaging 11.1 points per game. He is averaging 19.3 points per game over the last four.

Schwieger also has at least six rebounds in each of his last four games.

Schwieger (7.5) and Sepp (7.4) ranked fourth and fifth in the MVC, respectively, in rebounds per game.

DeAveiro Threatening All-Time Top 10

Senior point guard Darius DeAveiro became the 15th player in program history to reach the 300-assist threshold, doing so on Nov. 21 vs. Lindenwood. The milestone came with 9:48 left in the first half on a basket by Cooper Schwieger.

He became the first Valpo player to surpass 300 assists since Keith Carter in 2016.

DeAveiro is up to 329 for his career, tied for 11th in program history, entering Wednesday at Missouri State. He needs one more to enter the program’s all-time top 10 by tying with Matt Kenney (330, 2009-13).

The Canada native finished last season second in the MVC and 30th nationally with 170 assists and ranked second in the MVC and 36th nationally in assists per game at 5.3.

In addition, the point guard scored in double figures 12 times after not having done so at all over his first two collegiate campaigns. His scoring numbers took a significant junior jump, as outlined below.

DeAveiro is coming off a junior season where he dished out 170 assists, the third-most in a single season in program history behind only John McIlvain (197, 1982-83) and Ali Berdiel (185, 2003-04). 

Valpo Career Assists – No. 9-13

Rank    Player                          Years               Assists

9          Jamie Sykes                1993-98           359

10        Matt Kenney               2009-13           330

11        Rob Cavanaugh          1990-94           329

            Darius DeAveiro         2021-pres.       329

13        Tracy Gipson              1989-93           316

            Brandon McPherson   2005-10           316

DeAveiro’s Junior Jump

2022-23           2023-24           Increase

Overall PPG                1.8                   7.9                   6.1

MVC PPG                   1.4                   9.3                   7.9

Battle on the Boards

Valpo has outrebounded the opposition in each of the last two games, owning a +34-rebounding margin vs. CCSJ – tying a season high set vs. Concordia Ann Arbor – before outdoing Bradley on the glass 47-40 on Dec. 29.

Valpo has hopes of recording a rebounding edge for the third consecutive game on Wednesday. Should that take place, it would mark the team’s first streak of three consecutive games with a rebounding advantage under head coach Roger Powell Jr.

Valpo outrebounded Bradley for the first time since 2019, snapping a stretch of 10 straight matchups where the Braves held the edge on the boards.

On the flip side, Valpo has lost the turnover battle in each of the last two games after winning or tying the turnover battle in each of the previous 10.

Making the Free Ones

Entering Jan. 1 at Missouri State, Valpo is shooting a conference-best 79.9 percent at the free-throw line this season, 13th nationally. The Beacons make an average of 18.6 free throws per game, first in the league and 19th nationally.

Valpo has posted a better free-throw percentage than its opponent in 11 out of 13 games this season.

On Dec. 17 at Ohio State, both teams were stellar at the free-throw line, as Valpo went 20-of-23 (87 percent) and Ohio State went 23-of-27 (85.2 percent).

This was only the seventh game nationally in the NCAA this season where each team shot better than 85 percent from the free-throw line with a minimum of 20 attempts. This was the first such Valpo game since Nov. 29, 2013.

Valpo put together yet another stellar showing at the stripe on Dec. 14 vs. Central Michigan, going 28-of-31 (90.3 percent). That marked the first time Valpo shot 90 percent at the charity stripe with a minimum of 30 attempts since Nov. 29, 2013 vs. Mercer (29-32, 90.6 percent).

Valpo went 23-of-25 at the free-throw line on Nov. 24 vs. Eastern Illinois for a season-best 92 percent at the stripe, then made a season-high 35 free throws on 44 attempts on Nov. 27 vs. Northern Illinois, hitting at a 79.5 percent clip.

There is a lot of season left to be played, but for reference, the modern program record for team single-season free-throw percentage is 77.5 percent in 2016-17 followed by 77.4 percent in 1992-93.

Tyler Schmidt made his first 20 free throws of the season before finally missing with 19 seconds left in the first half on Nov. 27 vs. Northern Illinois.

Valpo’s 35 made free throws on Nov. 27 vs. Northern Illinois were the team’s most in a game since going 36-of-44 on Jan. 15, 2014 at Detroit Mercy. The 44 free-throw attempts were the team’s most since Jan. 10, 2017 vs. North Park (46).

The Beacons and Huskies combined for 57 made free throws and 74 free-throw attempts. This was the first Valpo game where both teams had at least 30 free-throw attempts since Jan. 3, 2018 at Bradley.

Other Notes Wrapping Up Dec. 29: Bradley 81, Valpo 75 (2OT)

This marked Valpo’s best performance ever in Peoria as the Beacons slipped to 0-8 all-time when visiting the Braves. Prior to this game, which was Valpo’s first road game against Bradley under head coach Roger Powell Jr., five of Valpo’s seven all-time losses at Bradley had come by 20+ points, and the seven losses had come by an average of 23.6 points per game.

Bradley extended its overall head-to-head winning streak against Valpo to seven. Coincidently, Valpo’s last victory over Bradley came in double overtime on Jan. 28, 2021 at the ARC with Valpo prevailing 91-85.

In addition to the aforementioned big games from sophomores Cooper Schwieger and Kaspar Sepp, Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro had only two points at halftime but finished with a season-high 17 points despite a tough shooting day. He did a good chunk of his damage at the foul line, where he was 8-of-10. He scored at least 13 points for the fifth straight game and has scored at least nine points in all 13 games this season. De La Cruz Monegro also established a season best on the boards with six against the Braves.

Tyler Schmidt threatened a double-double with nine points and a season-high eight rebounds.

Valpo fell to 0-2 in league play but the losses have come by six points apiece against the league’s top two teams according to both NET and KenPom. For further context, Bradley’s other MVC game was a 23-point road win at Southern Illinois, and Drake improved to 2-0 in the league with a 19-point victory over Belmont on Dec. 29.

Scouting the Bears

Missouri State is coming off a 57-40 loss at Evansville on Sunday and fell to Indiana State (80-77 on Dec. 7) in its league opener. 

The Bears were picked 11th of 12 in the MVC preseason poll, one slot behind the Beacons. They currently rank 203 in KenPom, narrowly ahead of Valpo at 205.

Under the direction of head coach Cuonzo Martin, who is in the first season of his second stint leading the Bears. He originally guided Missouri State from 2008 to 2011.

The Bears are led in scoring by Dez White at 17.8 points per game.

MARIAN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL FINISHES OFF 2024 WITH A WIN OVER CONCORDIA

Indianapolis, Ind.- The Marian women’s basketball finished off 2024 with a 80-48 win over Concordia. The Knights are now 11-3 overall on the season.

Kiley McNally opened the game with a layup in the first 10 seconds of play but fired back with a three-pointer followed by a layup to extend their lead to 5-2. Kenna Kirby answered, taking the lead back with a three-point jumper and a free throw. Kiley and Abbey McNally both tallied up more points for the Knights with Kiley’s pair of free throws and Abbey’s layup in the paint off of a fast break, followed by Madisyn Bailey’s free throw to bring the score 11-8 going into the media timeout. The Knights continued to push at the score out of the media timeout with Taylor Double shooting a three-point jumper, a pair of free throws from Olivia Faust, and a pair of free throws as well as a jumper in the paint by Abbey McNally to bring the score 20-8 with 2:07 remaining in the quarter. In the final two minutes of play the Cardinals and Knights traded jumpers with Abbey McNally tabbing the shot for the Knights. Bailey closed the quarter with a layup off of a fast break in the paint to bring the score 24-10.

Concordia struck first in the second quarter with a layup in the paint but Kirby struck back with a layup to continue the 14-point margin. The Cardinals struck once more with a layup followed by a free throw by Kirby to set the score 27-14. Both sides of the court traded free throws with Abbey McNally claiming the point for the Knights. Out of the media timeout, Kiley McNally extended the lead with a free throw bringing the score 29-15. After a steal from Bailey, Faust threw a layup in the paint, countered by a pair of free throws by the Cardinals and a three-point jumper to draw a Concordia timeout with the score at 31-20. The Knights and Cardinals traded baskets with Kennedy Fuelling shooting the upper hand with a three-point jumper. With 2:15 left in the quarter, Bailey tabbed another steal and Emily Grim benefited off of a Cardinal foul to bring the score 35-22. Concordia benefited from two fouls by the Knights to claim three more points off of free throws to decrease the margin down to 10 with 1:36 remaining in the quarter. The Knights ended the quarter with an eight-point lead with a score of 35-27 going into the half.

Concordia opened up the third quarter with a pair of layups but Marian was able to outscore the Cardinals with a three-pointer from Double and a layup from Kirby. The visitors continued to push, tabbing a pair of layups to decrease the margin down to five. Kiley McNally continued to extend the lead with a layup and a three-pointer off of a steal by Abbey McNally to bring the score to 45-35. Out of a Concordia timeout Abbey McNally took advantage of her free throw opportunity to extend the Knights lead to 11 to draw the media timeout. Double increased the lead once more with a free throw to bring the score 47-35 with 3:45 left in the quarter. Off of a steal from Double, Abbey McNally shot a layup which Fuelling quickly followed up with another layup off of a steal by Abbey McNally. The Cardinals drew a timeout with the score set at 51-35 and 2:39 left on the clock. Abbey, benefiting from a pair of Cardinals fouls, shot three free throws extending the margin to 19 with 1:28 remaining in the quarter. Concordia ended the quarter with a jumper to bring the score to 57-40.

Taylor Double opened up the fourth quarter with a steal and a layup but Concordia countered with a pair of layups to decrease the margin to 15. Abbey McNally tabbed her 17th point off of a steal from Fuelling. Double extended the score 64-44 with a three-point jumper. Concordia followed up the Knights push with a singular free throw. Kirby fired back with a free throw to bring the margin back to 20. Double continued to knock down threes off of a block and steal from Bailey. The Cardinals tabbed a layup out of the media timeout to bring the score 68-47 with 4:25 left in the game. Faust followed up with a three-point jumper to extend Marian’s lead to 24. Bailey extended the Knights lead with a free throw to bring the score 72-42. The Cardinals countered with a free throw, but Kenna Gray got her hand in the mix with a layup to bring the margin to 26. Zoe Wheeler and Esther Sevilla closed out the game with a jumper by Zoe and a jumper and layup by Esther to bring the final score to 80-48.

Taylor Double led the team in points with 18 as well as going 5-5 in three-pointers and claimed five rebounds. Abbey McNally tabbed 17 points and five rebounds as well as three steals and blocks. Madisyn Bailey led the team in assists with 10 as well led the team in steals with six.

The Knights will be back in action on Saturday for their first game in 2025 kicking off the Men’s and Women’s doubleheader against Huntington at the P.E. Center starting at 1:00 P.M.

INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES

INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/

EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/

WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/

FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/

ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/

ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index

TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index

BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/

DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/

HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/

MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/

HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/

OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx

ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index

IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/

IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/

IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/

PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/

INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx

GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/

ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/

GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/

HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php

TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/

VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index

“SPORTS EXTRA”

NUMBERS IN SPORTS

16 – 14 – 5 – 10 – 66 – 39 – 13

December 31, 1967 – AFL Championship, Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland: Oakland Raiders beat Houston Oilers 40-7. Number 16, George Blanda booted 4 field goals for the Raiders in club’s 1st AFL Championship

December 31, 1973 – Number 14, Johan Cruyff was chosen European Football Player of the Year

December 31, 1974 – Ballon d’Or: Ajax forward Number 14, Johan Cruyff wins back-to-back awards, and his 3rd overall, for best European football player ahead of Bayern Munich defender Number 5, Franz Beckenbauer and Legia Warsaw midfielder Number 10, Kazimierz Deyna

December 31, 1988 – Pittsburgh NHL center Number 66, Mario Lemieux accounted for all of his team’s goals in Penguins 8-6 win over the NJ Devils; famously scores 5 goals, each in a different way: even strength, power play, shorthanded, penalty shot and empty net; also 3 assists

December 31, 1997 – Buffalo’s Czech NHL goalie Number 39, Dominik Hasek stopped 36 shots for his 27th career shutout in Sabres’ 3-0 win over Ottawa Senators; his 6th shutout in month of December; first since George Hainsworth in 1928-29 to achieve the feat

December 31, 2018 – Houston Rockets guard Number 13, James Harden scored 43 points in Rockets’ 113-101 win over Memphis Grizzlies; 4th straight NBA game with 40+ points and 8th straight with 35+; joined Number 14, Oscar Robertson as only player with at least 35 points & 5 assists in 8 straight games

FOOTBALL HISTORY

December 31, 1961 – New City Stadium, Green Bay, Wisconsin – The NFL Championship of 1961 pitted the Giants against the Packers. Green Bay Packers won their first of 5 NFL titles in a 7-year span by Packers and head coach, Vince Lombardi. shutdown New York Giants 37-0 per the Pro Football Reference website. Paul Hornung scored a TD, kicked three field goals and three extra points to lead the Packers. As a side note New City Stadium was renamed to Lambeau Field in 1965 after the death and in honor of the legendary Packers coach Curly Lambeau per an interesting story on the stadiumsofprofootball.com website.

December 31, 1967 – Oakland’s Alameda County Coliseum – The AFL Championship game pitted the host Raiders against the Houston Oilers. Quarterback Daryle Lamonica who had been claimed off of waivers from Buffalo earlier in the season led the Silver and Black to a 13-1 record per the American Football Database. Houston on the other hand went from last place in the AFL’s Eastern Conference the previous season to the top position in the 1967 season. Lamonica had two scoring passes and one TD with his legs while George Blanda booted four field goals through the uprights to help Oakland win its first AFL Championship. Final score Oakland Raiders 40, the Houston Oilers 7.

December 31, 1967 – Lambeau Field, Green Bay – The NFL Championship which is often remembered as the “The Ice Bowl.”  With game time temps around -13°F Lambeau Field lived up to its nickname of the frozen tundra.  Some interesting facts about this game. Referee Magazine tells how head ref Norm Schachter said there was only one official whistle blown all game and it was right before the opening kick off. At the time only metal whistles were available right before kick off the Umpire lost some skin off of his lips the crew never tweeted another one the rest of the game and Schachter’s own whistle was found to have the wooden ball frozen in place inside the metal part. As for the players it would have been a great game no matter what the temperature was as there would be 12 future Hall of Famers on the field that day in the arctic conditions plus each head coach would get a bust in Canton too according to a JS Online article. Even when you don’t consider the great people involved or the extreme weather it was an awesome game to boot! Drama at the end as Bart Starr keeps the ball and plunges into the frozen end zone. The Green Bay Packers last second heroics defeated the upstart Dallas Cowboys, 21-17 in the coldest NFL game on record!

December 31, 1972 – Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh – The AFC Championship game was played as Pittsburgh a nere week removed from their thrilling Immaculate Reception win over Oakland faced the undefeated Dolphins. The Miami Dolphins were too much for the Steelers in this one as they kept the loss column clean knocking off Pittsburgh, 21-7. Yes these were the 1972 Dolphins who would go on to win the Super Bowl and become the only Super Bowl era team to go undefeated and win the title.One interesting question arises why were the Steelers the home team if Miami clearly had the better record? Well I found the best answer on Funtrivia.com by Drewh2os; “From 1970 through 1974, after the merger of the AFL and NFL, teams were not seeded by winning percentage. Home playoff games were determined by a preset rotation through each of the three divisions. Select division winners would play all playoff games at home, regardless of the comparative record of their opponent. the AFC Eastern Division Champion Miami Dolphins had gone undefeated yet played the AFC Championship Game in Pittsburgh because the AFC East was not in the “home game” rotation that year and Pittsburgh was.” The current system of the best winning percentage team receiving Home field advantage throughout the playoffs started in 1975.

December 31, 1973 – 40th Sugar Bowl: #3 Notre Dame beats #1 Alabama, 24-23

December 31, 1974 – 41st Sugar Bowl: #8 Nebraska beats #18 Florida, 13-10

December 31, 1991 – J Donald Crump resigned as CFL Commissioner. According to a Wikipedia post Crump was the 7th commissioner of the Canadian Football League and held the position for just shy of two years. Previously he had been an executive with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

December 31, 1997 – Marv Levy retires as coach of the NFL Buffalo Bills after 12 seasons, including 4 consecutive losing Super Bowl appearances. Marv was 72 year-old at the time.

December 31, 2017 – Cleveland Browns with a 28-24  loss to Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field earned the dubious claim of becoming only the 2nd team in NFL history to finish a season with 0-16 record. The other was the 2008 Detroit Lions. Pro Football Reference shows us that a Ju-Ju Smith Schuster 96 yard kickoff return TD in the third quarter was the difference maker in the contest.

Hall of Fame Birthdays for December 31

December 31, 1875 – Uniontown, New Jersey – Lafayette College’s stellar guard Charles “Babe” Rinehart was born. The NFF says that Rinehart was one of the first players outside of the Ivy League to garner All-America recognition from the legend Walter Camp, who picked the teams.  Other experts of the gridiron of the era had high regard for Babe as Parke Davis, an authority of football’s early era, named Rinehart to his All-Time All-America first team, while New York Sun football editor George Trevor hailed Rinehart as, “one of the great guards of the era.”  The College Football Hall of Fame placed the name of Babe Rinehart into their fold in 1964.

December 31, 1928 – Los Angeles, California – The University of Washington’s star halfback from 1949 through 1951, Hugh “the King” McElhenny was born. The website footballfoundation.org informs readers that McElhenny with his speed and open field prowess marked the record book up with new ink at Washington during his career. During his junior season of 1950, Hugh set single-game marks for rushing with 296 yards, touchdowns scoring 5 of them and total points at 30 as the Huskies embarrassed rival Washington State, 52-21, in the season finale. McElhenney followed that up with a spectacular Senior year as he ran back a 100-yard punt return for a touchdown against USC and finished the season with 17 touchdowns and 125 total points which led to him receiving first team All-America honors. The National Football Foundation selected Hugh McElhenny into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981. In 1952 Hugh was picked by the San Francisco 49ers as their top pick and his NFL career spanned over 13 seasons in San Francisco, Minnesota, Green Bay, Detroit and New York. Hugh played in 6 NFL Pro Bowls and was the games MVP in 1958. He finished his career  with 11,375 net yards. In 1970 Hugh McElheny received his much deserved place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

Dec. 31

1961 — Paul Hornung, on leave from the Army, scores 19 points to lead the Green Bay Packers to a 37-0 win over the New York Giants for their seventh NFL championship. Green Bay’s Bart Starr throws three touchdown passes in the first title game ever played in Green Bay.

1962 — The American Basketball League folds. The ABL played one full season, 1961-1962, and part of this season. The ABL is the first basketball league to have a three point shot for baskets scored far away from the goal. The league also had a 30-second shooting clock and a wider free throw lane, 18 feet instead of the standard 12.

1973 — Third-ranked Notre Dame edges top-ranked Alabama 24-23 in the Sugar Bowl. Notre Dame’s Bob Thomas kicks a 19-yard field goal with 4:26 left to give the Irish a one-point lead. With two minutes left, the Irish clinch the victory when on third-and-8 from the their own 3, Tom Clements completes a 35-yard pass from his own end zone to Robin Weber, and Notre Dame runs out the clock.

1982 — Jockey Pat Day edges Angel Cordero Jr. by two races to capture leading rider honors. Day rides Dana’s Woof and Miltons Magic to victory during the evening program at Delta Downs for 399 wins for the year.

1988 — A blinding fog rolls in during the second quarter of the Chicago Bears’ 20-12 NFC semifinal victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field in Chicago. The fog obscures the game from most of the 65,534 fans present and a national television audience that could watch only ground-level shots.

1989 — Jockey Kent Desormeaux sets the world record for most number of wins in a single season. His 598th win is aboard 2-year-old East Royalty in the Inner Harbor Stakes at Laurel Racecourse.

2005 — Harness drivers Catello Manzi and Brian Spears each set single-season records. Manzi, 55, becomes the oldest harness driver to lead North America in victories (727), even without a win on the last day. Sears becomes the first driver to surpass $15 million ($15,085,991) in pursue earnings.

2013 — Johnny Manziel lives up to his nickname “Johnny Football,” leading 20 Texas A&M to another comeback win, 52-48 over No. 22 Duke in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The Aggies are down 38-17 at halftime but with Manziel at the helm they came back in the highest-scoring game in the bowl’s history. The 2012 Heisman trophy winner throws four touchdown passes, completes 30 of 38 passes for 382 yards and runs for 73 yards and a touchdown.

2016 — Top-ranked Alabama relies on a stifling defense and the bruising runs of Bo Scarbrough to wear down Washington for a 24-7 victory in the Peach Bowl semifinal game.

2016 — Deshaun Watson runs for two touchdowns and throws another and No. 3 Clemson crushes No. 2 Ohio State 31-0 on in the Fiesta Bowl to set up a rematch with Alabama for the College Football Playoff national championship.

2017 — The Cleveland Browns complete the second 0-16 season in NFL history with a 28-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

2017 — The Buffalo Bills snap the longest current non-playoff streak in North American pro sports with a 22-16 victory at Miami and Cincinnati’s victory at Baltimore. The Bills hadn’t made the postseason since 1999.

2018 – Houston guard James Harden scores 43 points in Rockets’ 113-101 win over Memphis Grizzlies; 4th straight NBA game with 40+ points and 8th straight with 35+; joins Oscar Robertson as only player with at least 35 points & 5 assists in 8 straight games.

TV SPORTS TUESDAY

NBA REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Philadelphia 76ers vs Charlotte Hornets	7:00pm	NBCS-PHI FanDuel Sports South
Washington Wizards vs Cleveland Cavaliers	7:00pm	MNMT FanDuel Sports Ohio
Milwaukee Bucks vs Detroit Pistons	7:00pm	FanDuel Sports Wisconsin FanDuel Sports Detroit
Orlando Magic vs New York Knicks	7:30pm	TNT MSG
Indiana Pacers vs Toronto Raptors	7:30pm	FanDuel Sports Indiana Sportsnet
Utah Jazz vs Oklahoma City Thunder	8:00pm	KJZZ FanDuel Sports Oklahoma
Memphis Grizzlies vs Dallas Mavericks	8:30pm	FanDuel Sports Southeast KMPX
San Antonio Spurs vs Phoenix Suns	9:00pm	FanDuel Sports Southwest AFSN
Golden State Warriors vs Denver Nuggets	10:00pm	TNT NBCS-BAY
Houston Rockets vs Sacramento Kings	10:00pm	SCHN NBCS-CA
Portland Trail Blazers vs Los Angeles Clippers	10:30pm	KPTV FanDuel Sports SoCal
NHL REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Boston Bruins vs Washington Capitals	12:30pm	ESPN+ NESN MNMT
New York Islanders vs Toronto Maple Leafs	1:00pm	ESPN+ MSGSN Sportsnet
Montreal Canadiens vs Vegas Golden Knights	3:00pm	ESPN+ Sportsnet Scripps
St. Louis Blues vs Chicago Blackhawks	5:00pm	TNT truTV Max
Philadelphia Flyers vs San Jose Sharks	8:00pm	ESPN+ NBCS-PHI NBCS-CA
New Jersey Devils vs Anaheim Ducks	8:00pm	ESPN+ MSGSN Victory+
Winnipeg Jets vs Colorado Avalanche	8:00pm	ESPN+ Sportsnet ALT
Buffalo Sabres vs Dallas Stars	8:00pm	ESPN+ MSG-BUF Victory+
Carolina Hurricanes vs Columbus Blue Jackets	8:00pm	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports South FanDuel Sports Ohio
Nashville Predators vs Minnesota Wild	8:00pm	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports South FanDuel Sports North
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Detroit Red Wings	8:00pm	ESPN+ ATTSN-PIT FanDuel Sports Detroit
Vancouver Canucks vs Calgary Flames	9:00pm	ESPN+ Sportsnet
Utah Hockey Club vs Edmonton Oilers	9:00pm	ESPN+ Utah16 Sportsnet
COLLEGE FOOTBALL	TIME ET	TV
ReliaQuest Bowl: Alabama vs. Michigan	12:00pm	ESPN
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Louisville vs. Washington	2:00pm	CBS Paramount+
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: South Carolina vs. Illinois	3:00pm	ABC ESPN+
Kinder’s Texas Bowl: Baylor vs. LSU	3:30pm	ESPN
CFP Quarterfinal – Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: Penn State vs. Boise State	7:30pm	ESPN
MEN’S NCAA BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
NC State at Virginia	12:00pm	ESPN2
Wake Forest at Syracuse	2:00pm	ESPN2
Brown at Kentucky	2:00pm	ESPNU
La Salle at Dayton	2:00pm	FanDuel Sports Ohio
Saint Louis at Fordham	2:00pm	SNY
Seton Hall at Xavier	2:00pm	Peacock
Rhode Island at Duquesne	2:00pm	ESPN+
Davidson at George Mason	2:00pm	ESPN+
UCF at Texas Tech	2:00pm	ESPN+
Utah at Baylor	2:00pm	ESPN+
West Virginia at Kansas	2:00pm	ESPN+
UMass at Saint Joseph’s	2:00pm	ESPN+
VCU at St. Bonaventure	2:00pm	ESPN+
Tulane at Charlotte	2:00pm	ESPN+
Anderson at Ball State	2:00pm	ESPN+
Notre Dame at Georgia Tech	2:30pm	ACCN
Norfolk State at Tennessee	3:00pm	ESPN+
East Carolina at South Florida	3:00pm	ESPN+
Arizona State at BYU	4:00pm	ESPN2
UAB at North Texas	4:00pm	ESPNU
George Washington at Richmond	4:00pm	MNMT
UNLV at Air Force	4:00pm	MWN
St. John’s at Creighton	4:00pm	Peacock
Stephen F. Austin at Abilene Christian	4:00pm	ESPN+
Virginia Tech at Duke	4:30pm	ACCN
Colorado State at San Jose State	5:00pm	MWN
Walla Walla at Portland State	5:00pm	ESPN+
Marquette at Providence	6:00pm	FS1
New Mexico at Fresno State	8:00pm	MWN
Boise State at Wyoming	8:30pm	MWN
Morehead State at Southern Indiana	8:30pm	ESPN+
Utah State at Nevada	10:00pm	ESPN+
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
Washington at Illinois	1:00pm	BTN
Oregon at Northwestern	3:00pm	BTN
SOCCER	TIME ET	TV
Gulf Cup of Nations: Oman vs Saudi Arabia	9:30am	ESPN+
Gulf Cup of Nations: Bahrain vs Kuwait	12:45pm	ESPN+
TENNIS	TIME ET	TV
United Cup	6:30pm	TENNIS