INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL SEMI-STATE
NORTH
CLASS 4A
AT ELKHART
CROWN POINT (20-5) VS. FISHERS (26-1), 10 A.M.
FORT WAYNE WAYNE (22-3) VS. MISHAWAKA (20-7), 11:45 A.M.
CHAMPIONSHIP, 7:30 P.M.
CLASS 3A
AT LOGANSPORT
PERU (16-10) VS. SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH (18-9), 10 A.M.
DELTA (22-6) VS. FAIRFIELD (20-6), NOON
CHAMPIONSHIP, 8 P.M.
CLASS 2A
AT LAFAYETTE JEFF
NORTH JUDSON (16-9) VS. WAPAHANI (24-2), 10:30 A.M.
WABASH (21-5) VS. FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN (21-6), 12:30 P.M.
CHAMPIONSHIP, 7:30 P.M.
CLASS A
AT MICHIGAN CITY
LIBERTY CHRISTIAN (17-9) VS. MARQUETTE CATHOLIC (12-15), 10 A.M.
ELKHART CHRISTIAN (17-9) VS. FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY (16-9), NOON
CHAMPIONSHIP, 7:30 P.M.
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL PRE-SEASON POLLS
4A
- PENN
- NOBLESVILLE
- FISHERS
- CENTER GROVE
- LAKE CENTAL
- MOORESVILLE
- CARMEL
- FLOYD CENTRAL
- EVANSVILLE NORTH
- CATHEDRAL
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: HOMESTEAD, ZIONSVILLE, SEYMOUR, CASTLE, MOUNT VERNON, RONCALLI, MCCUTCHEON, BLOOMINGTON NORTH, NORTH CENTRAL, NEW PALESTINE, SOUTH BEND ADAMS, WESTFIELD
3A
- ANDREAN
- GUERIN CATHOLIC
- TRI-WEST
- SILVER CREEK
- EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL
- CRAWFORDSVILLE
- BREBEUF
- SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH
- BATESVILLE
- HANOVER CENTRAL
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: FAIRFIELD, GLENN, MISHAWAKA MARIAN, JASPER, NORTHWESTERN, SOUTHRIDGE, NEW PRAIRIE, PRINCETON, FW DWENGER, GREENSBURG, MISSISSINEWA, NORTHWOOD, NORWELL, NORTH MONTGOMERY.
2A
- ILLIANA CHRSITIAN
- FOREST PARK
- CASCADE
- PARK TUDOR
- HAGERSTOWN
- BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL
- SHENANDOAH
- MITCHELL
- ADAMS CENTRAL
- WESTVIEW
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: DELPHI, NORTH POSEY, TRITON CENTRAL, COVENANT CHRISTIAN, UNIVERSITY, PAOLI, PROVIDENCE, BLUFFTON, MADISON GRANT, SOUTHWESTERN, LAPEL
1A
- BARR REEVE
- LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC
3 TECUMSEH
4 WES DEL
5 BETHESDA CHRISTIAN
6 INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN
7 NORTH DAVIESS
7 SOUTH DECATUR
9 BLOOMFIELD
10 BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: SOUTH-CENTRAL, TRITON, EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN, SHAKAMAK, CASTON, TRINITY LUTHERAN, CLAY CITY, NORTHEAST DUBOIS, ROSSVILLE, TRI-COUNTY, BORDEN, UNION CITY
MEN’S TOP 25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES
#23 ST. MARY’S 79 SANTA CLARA 65
#19 GONZAGA 89 SAN FRANCISCO 77
AP MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL POLL
1. HOUSTON, 28-3 (52)
2. UCONN, 28-3 (6)
3. PURDUE, 28-3 (4)
4. NORTH CAROLINA, 25-6
5. TENNESSEE, 24-7
6. ARIZONA, 24-7
7. IOWA STATE, 24-7
8. CREIGHTON, 23-8
9. KENTUCKY, 23-8
10. MARQUETTE, 23-8
11. DUKE, 24-7
12. AUBURN, 24-7
13. ILLINOIS, 23-8
14. BAYLOR, 22-9
15. SOUTH CAROLINA, 25-6
16. KANSAS, 22-9
17. GONZAGA, 24-6
18. UTAH STATE, 26-5
19. ALABAMA, 21-10
20. BYU, 22-9
21. SAINT MARY’S, 24-7
22. WASHINGTON STATE, 23-8
23. NEVADA, 26-6
24. DAYTON, 24-6
25. TEXAS TECH, 22-9
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: BOISE STATE 46; SOUTH FLORIDA 27; SAN DIEGO STATE 21; DRAKE 16; TEXAS 14; JAMES MADISON 14; FAU 11; FLORIDA 8; PRINCETON 7; NEBRASKA 6; NEW MEXICO 4; COLORADO 2; MCNEESE STATE 2; COLORADO STATE 1; WAKE FOREST 1 AND INDIANA STATE 1
MEN’S BASKETBALL COACHES POLL
1. HOUSTON, 28-3 (29)
2. UCONN, 28-3
3. PURDUE, 28-3 (2)
4. NORTH CAROLINA, 25-6
5. TENNESSEE, 24-7
6. CREIGHTON, 23-8
7. ARIZONA, 24-7
8. IOWA STATE, 24-7
9. KENTUCKY, 23-8
10. MARQUETTE, 23-8
11. DUKE, 24-7
12. AUBURN, 24-7
13. BAYLOR, 22-9
14. ILLINOIS, 23-8
15. GONZAGA, 24-6
16. SOUTH CAROLINA, 25-6
17. KANSAS, 22-9
18. UTAH STATE, 26-5
19. ALABAMA, 21-10
20. SAINT MARY’S, 24-7
21. BYU, 22-9
22. NEVADA, 26-6
23. TEXAS TECH, 22-9
24. DAYTON, 24-6
25. WASHINGTON STATE, 23-8
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: BOISE STATE 30; SAN DIEGO STATE 19; JAMES MADISON 19; FLORIDA 17; DRAKE 15; SOUTH FLORIDA 11; NEBRASKA 7; OKLAHOMA 6; FLORIDA ATLANTIC 6; COLORADO 3; PRINCETON 1; NORTHWESTERN 1 AND INDIANA STATE 1
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL TOP 25 SCORES
IOWA STATE 85 #19 OKLAHOMA 68
#15 GONZAGA 72 PACIFIC 61
#23 UNLV 83 FRESNO STATE 35
#6 TEXAS 71 #16 KANSAS STATE 64
#9 CONNECTICUT 78 GEORGETOWN 42
WOMEN’S AP BASKETBALL POLL
- SOUTH CAROLINA
- IOWA
- USC
- STANFORD
- TEXAS
- UCLA
- OHIO STATE
- LSU
- NOTRE DAME
- UCONN
- NC STATE
- OREGON STATE
- VIRGINIA TECH
- GONZAGA
- INDIANA
- KANSAS STATE
- OKLAHOMA
- COLORADO
- BAYLOR
- UTAH
- UNLV
- SYRACUSE
- CREIGHTON
- LOUISVILLE
- FAIRFIELD
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:
PRINCETON 36, NEBRASKA 21, MISSISSIPPI 20, WEST VIRGINIA 16, IOWA ST. 10, COLUMBIA 6, TENNESSEE 4, TOLEDO 4, FLORIDA ST. 3, DUKE 2, RICHMOND 2, KANSAS 2, JACKSON ST 1.
NBA SCOREBOARD
DETROIT 114 CHARLOTTE 97
PHOENIX 117 CLEVELAND 111
GOLDEN STATE 112 SAN ANTONIO 102
DALLAS 127 CHICAGO 92
DENVER 125 TORONTO 119
BOSTON 121 PORTLAND 99
NHL SCOREBOARD
ST. LOUIS 5 BOSTON 1
NY RANGERS 3 NEW JERSEY 1
WINNIPEG 3 WASHINGTON 0
LOS ANGELES 3 NY ISLANDERS 0
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
ATLANTA 3 MINNESOTA 0
NY YANKEES 2 PHILADELPHIA 1
DETROIT 5 HOUSTON 3
NY YANKEES 5 BALTIMORE 3
WASHINGTON 11 ST. LOUIS 4
BOSTON 1 PITTSBURGH 0
TORONTO 9 TAMPA BAY 2
COLORADO 7 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 2
SAN FRANCISCO 12 KANSAS CITY 9
CLEVELAND 5 LA DODGERS 1
SAN DIEGO 13 SEATTLE 3
OAKLAND 6 ARIZONA 5
TEXAS 15 LA ANGELS 5
MIAMI 1 NY METS 0
COLLEGE BASEBALL POLL (BASEBALL AMERICA)
1. ARKANSAS
Previous ranking: No. 3
Last week: 4-0
Overall: 13-2, 0-0 in SEC (1-0 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 4-0
Results
March 5: Central Arkansas: W 9-7
March 9-10: McNeese State: W 3-1, W 11-1 (8), W 18-5 (7)
Upcoming
March 12: Oral Roberts
March 15-17: Missouri
2. LSU
Previous ranking: No. 2
Last week: 3-1
Overall: 14-2, 0-0 in SEC (1-0 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 4-0
Results
March 6: @ Southeastern Louisiana: W 4-3
March 8-10: Xavier: W 4-0, W 8-2, L 2-1
Upcoming
March 12-13: North Dakota State
March 15-17: @ Mississippi State
3. DUKE
Previous ranking: No. 12
Last week: 3-1
Overall: 13-2, 2-1 in ACC (3-1 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 4-0
Results
March 5: Appalachian State: W 28-2
March 8-10: @ (1) Wake Forest: W 8-5, L 6-3, W 10-8
Upcoming
March 12-13: Rider
March 15-17: (9) Clemson
4. OREGON STATE
Previous ranking: No. 4
Last week: 4-0
Overall: 15-1, 0-0 in Pac-12 (1-1 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 4-0
Results
March 7-10: Cal State Northridge: W 9-2, W 8-6, W 7-6, W 9-7
Upcoming
March 15-17: @ Utah
5. TEXAS A&M
Previous ranking: No. 11
Last week: 5-0
Overall: 16-0, 0-0 in SEC (0-0 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 4-0
Results
March 5: @ (23) Texas: W 9-2
March 6: Texas Southern: W 7-4
March 8-10: Rhode Island: W 11-0, W 6-0, W 12-11 (10)
Upcoming
March 12: Sam Houston State
March 15-17: @ (10) Florida
6. TENNESSEE
Previous ranking: No. 7
Last week: 5-0
Overall: 16-1, 0-0 in SEC (1-0 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 4-0
Results
March 5: Kansas State: W 15-5
March 6: Southern Indiana: W 2-1
March 8-10: Illinois: W 6-3, W 24-1, W 8-3
Upcoming
March 12: Eastern Kentucky
March 15-17: @ (18) Alabama
7. WAKE FOREST
Previous ranking: No. 1
Last week: 2-2
Overall: 12-3, 1-2 in ACC (1-2 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 3-1
Results
March 5: Georgetown: W 11-9
March 8-10: (12) Duke: L 8-5, W 6-3, L 10-8
Upcoming
March 12: @ (22) Coastal Carolina
March 15-17: @ (15) Virginia
8. VANDERBILT
Previous ranking: No. 9
Last week: 4-0
Overall: 14-3, 0-0 in SEC (1-0 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 4-0
Results
March 5: Eastern Michigan: W 6-2
March 8-10: Illinois State: W 14-9, W 7-2, W 4-0
Upcoming
March 12: Indiana
March 15-17: (17) Auburn
9. CLEMSON
Previous ranking: No. 10
Last week: 4-0
Overall: 13-1, 0-0 in ACC (2-0 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 4-0
Results
March 6: Kansas State: W 8-3
March 8-10: UNC Greensboro: W 12-5, W 9-5, W 6-3
Upcoming
March 12-13: Manhattan
March 15-17: (3) Duke
10. FLORIDA
Previous ranking: No. 6
Last week: 2-2
Overall: 10-5, 0-0 in SEC (0-0 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 3-1
Results
March 6: UCF: L 9-6
March 8-10: Saint Mary’s: W 12-11 (10), L 9-7, W 10-0 (8)
Upcoming
March 12: (21) Florida State
March 15-17: (5) Texas A&M
11. TCU
Previous ranking: No. 5
Last week: 2-2
Overall: 14-2, 1-2 in Big 12 (3-0 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 3-1
Results
March 5: Abilene Christian: W 4-0
March 8-10: @ Kansas: L 3-1, L 8-4, W 13-4
Upcoming
March 12: @ (20) Dallas Baptist
March 15-17: Oklahoma
12. SOUTH CAROLINA
Previous ranking: No. 13
Last week: 5-0
Overall: 13-3, 0-0 in SEC (0-2 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 3-1
Results
March 5: The Citadel: W 7-1
March 6: Davidson: W 4-1 (6)
March 8-10: Longwood: W 10-0 (8), W 10-2, W 22-6 (7)
Upcoming
March 12: vs. Georgia State (North Augusta, S.C.)
March 15-17: @ Mississippi
13. ECU
Previous ranking: No. 15
Last week: 3-0
Overall: 10-4, 0-0 in American (2-1 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 4-0
Results
March 8-10: @ Liberty: W 9-5, W 5-3, W 8-4
Upcoming
March 12: @ UNC Wilmington
March 15-17: Columbia
14. NORTH CAROLINA
Previous ranking: No. 16
Last week: 4-0
Overall: 14-2, 3-0 in ACC (2-2 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 3-1
Results
March 5: @ (25) Campbell: W 7-3
March 8-10: Pittsburgh: W 2-1, W 7-4, W 6-5 (10)
Upcoming
March 12-13: Rutgers
March 15-17: @ Miami
15. VIRGINIA
Previous ranking: No. 8
Last week: 2-2
Overall: 12-3, 1-2 in ACC (2-0 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 3-1
Results
March 5: Penn State: W 6-3
March 6: @ George Washington: W 26-12
March 8-10: @ Miami: L 6-5, L 16-12, W 14-11
Upcoming
March 12: William & Mary
March 15-17: (7) Wake Forest
16. NC STATE
Previous ranking: No. 17
Last week: 3-0
Overall: 12-2, 3-0 in ACC (0-0 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 4-0
Results
March 8-10: Boston College: W 5-4 (11), W 9-1, W 18-16
Upcoming
March 12: UNC Greensboro
March 15-17: @ Georgia Tech
17. AUBURN
Previous ranking: No. 18
Last week: 3-1
Overall: 12-3, 0-0 in SEC (1-1 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 4-0
Results
March 6: Air Force: W 8-4
March 8-10: Austin Peay State: W 7-6, L 16-5, W 24-5 (7)
Upcoming
March 12: vs. Troy (Madison, Ala.)
March 15-17: @ (8) Vanderbilt
18. ALABAMA
Previous ranking: No. 21
Last week: 4-0
Overall: 15-1, 0-0 in SEC (1-1 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 4-0
Results
March 6: Troy: W 8-7
March 9-10: Lipscomb: W 20-13, W 10-1, W 10-5
Upcoming
March 12: @ Southern Miss
March 15-17: (6) Tennessee
19. UC IRVINE
Previous ranking: No. 19
Last week: 4-1
Overall: 13-1, 0-0 in Big West (0-0 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 4-0
Results
March 5: California Baptist: W 5-4
March 7-8: @ Fresno State: W 13-4, L 13-1
March 8-9: vs. Columbia (Fresno, Calif.): W 32-2, W 25-7
Upcoming
March 13: UConn
March 15-17: UC Davis
20. DALLAS BAPTIST
Previous ranking: No. 20
Last week: 3-1
Overall: 13-2, 0-0 in C-USA (1-1 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 4-0
Results
March 5: @ Baylor: W 8-5
March 8-10: San Diego: W 9-2, L 8-4, W 16-4
Upcoming
March 12: (11) TCU
March 15-17: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
21. FLORIDA STATE
Previous ranking: No. 24
Last week: 4-0
Overall: 14-0, 0-0 in ACC (0-0 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 4-0
Results
March 5-6: Florida Gulf Coast: W 19-3
March 8-10: New Orleans: W 13-0, W 15-7, W 8-0
Upcoming
March 12: @ (10) Florida
March 15-17: Notre Dame
22. COASTAL CAROLINA
Previous ranking: No. 22
Last week: 5-0
Overall: 14-2, 0-0 in Sun Belt (1-1 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 3-1
Results
March 5-6: S.C. Upstate: W 14-8, W 9-2
March 8-10: Michigan: W 8-7 (12), W 19-6, W 11-6
Upcoming
March 12: (7) Wake Forest
March 15-17: James Madison
23. TEXAS
Previous ranking: No. 24
Last week: 2-2
Overall: 9-6, 2-1 in Big 12 (2-4 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 3-1
Results
March 5: (11) Texas A&M: L 9-2
March 8-10: @ (14) Texas Tech: W 22-8, L 7-2, W 9-7
Upcoming
March 12: Incarnate Word
March 15-17: Washington
24. TEXAS TECH
Previous ranking: 14
Last week: 2-2
Overall: 11-4, 1-2 in Big 12 (1-4 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 3-1
Results
March 5: @ New Mexico: W 11-8
March 8-10: (23) Texas: L 22-8, W 7-2, L 9-7
Upcoming
March 12-13: New Mexico State
March 15-17: @ Baylor
25. CAMPBELL
Previous ranking: No. 25
Last week: 3-1
Overall: 11-4, 0-0 in CAA (1-1 vs. Top 25)
Weekend record: 4-0
Results
March 5: (16) North Carolina: L 7-3
March 8-10: Bucknell: W 17-7, W 9-8, W 20-5
Upcoming
March 12: Lafayette
March 15-17: Valparaiso
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES
SOUTHERN INDIANA 8 BELLARMINE 1
SOUTHERN INDIANA 8 BELLARMINE 4
CAL POLY 3 OHIO STATE 1
COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES
INDIANA 9 OAKLAND 0
INDIANA 8 DAYTON 1
MICHIGAN 13 ILLINOIS STATE 2
NEVADA 7 RUTGERS 3
UC DAVIS 3 IOWA 2
RUTGERS 10 FRESNO STATE 1
NATIONAL SPORTS RELEASES/HEADLINES
NFL NEWS
RUSSELL WILSON HAS AGREED TO SIGN A 1-YEAR DEAL WITH THE STEELERS, AP SOURCE SAYS
Russell Wilson is heading to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback has agreed to sign a one-year deal with the Steelers, a person familiar with the details told The Associated Press on Sunday night.
The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the contract hasn’t been finalized, said Wilson will receive the veteran’s minimum of $1.21 million while the Denver Broncos pay the remainder of his $39 million salary.
Wilson posted his intentions on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, saying: “Year 13. Grateful. (at)Steelers.”
The 35-year-old Wilson was 11-19 in two seasons with the Broncos after being acquired in a trade from Seattle. He bounced back from a dreadful 2022 season and threw 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and only eight interceptions, but still lost his job to Jarrett Stidham after going 7-8 in coach Sean Payton’s first season last year.
Wilson led Seattle to eight playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title in 10 seasons with the Seahawks.
The Steelers lost a wild-card playoff game with Mason Rudolph as their starting quarterback. Rudolph went 3-0 after replacing Kenny Pickett, who was 7-5 before going down with an injury. Mitch Trubisky started the other two games and went 0-2.
Pittsburgh is scheduled to play the Broncos in Denver this upcoming season — and the game could feature a return by Wilson. The NFL is expected to release its league schedule in May.
Last week, the Broncos informed Wilson they’d release him when the new league year begins Wednesday — but gave him permission to speak to other teams.
“We thank Russell for his contributions and dedications to our team and community while wishing him the best as he continues his career,” the team posted on its social media channels last week, adding, “We are excited to improve this offseason and will have the flexibility to get better through the draft and free agency.”
After signing a nearly quarter-billion dollar extension before playing a down in Denver, Wilson contended the Broncos had threatened to bench him for the final nine games last season if he didn’t push back his $37 million injury guarantee in his contract.
Wilson declined to adjust his deal and started seven more games before getting benched in what Payton insisted was a football move, not a financial one.
The move also comes less than two weeks after Steelers general manager Omar Khan said the team had “full faith” in Pickett, a former star next door at the University of Pittsburgh who has struggled to be a difference maker at the most important position on the field.
Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin has defended Pickett at every turn since the Steelers selected him with the 20th overall pick in the 2022 draft. Tomlin admitted in the days after Pittsburgh’s loss to Buffalo in the playoffs that 2024 would be a “huge” year for Pickett and the plan was to bring in competition during training camp.
That competition now likely won’t be on the well-liked Rudolph — who will become a free agent on Wednesday — but instead a player with a potentially Hall of Fame caliber resume who has just one playoff win since 2016 and struggled to fit in in Denver.
Wilson joins a team that has plenty of youth on offense in running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren and wide receivers George Pickens and Diontae Johnson, and stars on defense in perennial All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
With Watt and Fitzpatrick both in their primes, Pittsburgh appears to be in a hurry to close the gap between itself and the AFC’s elite, a club the Steelers haven’t been a part of for at least a half-decade. Team president Art Rooney II said in January it was “time to get some wins” in the playoffs, something Pittsburgh hasn’t done since beating Kansas City in the divisional round in 2016.
Enter Wilson and first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, hired last month to revive a unit that has finished 21st or worse in points per game four times in the last five years.
Getting Wilson on the cheap gives Pittsburgh plenty of flexibility in free agency as it looks to address positions along the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and inside linebacker. The team cut several players — namely veteran defensive back Patrick Peterson and center Mason Cole — in recent weeks to create more flexibility and Wilson’s arrival signals an “all-in” approach with the team in its longest drought between postseason victories since Franco Harris made the “Immaculate Reception” more than five decades ago.
REPORTS: JETS ADD TYROD TAYLOR AS BACKUP QB
The New York Jets, set to move on from Zach Wilson as their backup quarterback, agreed to a contract with free agent QB Tyrod Taylor, multiple media outlets reported late Monday night.
According to NFL.com, Taylor’s deal is for two years and up to $18 million.
Taylor, 34, began his NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens, and he subsequently has started games for the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and New York Giants. He has a career 28-28-1 record as a starter, and he was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 2015 season.
In 92 career games, Taylor has thrown for 12,135 yards and 65 touchdowns with 29 interceptions. He has a 61.7 percent completion rate.
Last season for the Giants, he appeared in 11 games and went 2-3 as a starter. Taylor connected on 64.4 percent of his passes for 1,341 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions.
Aaron Rodgers is expected to return as the Jets’ starting quarterback after his first season with the team ended with a torn left Achilles tendon in the opener.
Wilson wound up leading the Jets to an upset win over the Buffalo Bills on the night when Rodgers got hurt, and he went 4-7 as a starter last season before losing the job. The team used two other quarterbacks late in the campaign, with Trevor Siemian going 2-1 as a starter and Tim Boyle going 0-2.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas announced last month that the team gave Wilson permission to seek a trade.
According to ESPN, the Jets also agreed to free-agent deals with ex-Baltimore Ravens guard John Simpson and ex-San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.
Simpson, 26, started all 17 games last season, his lone campaign with Baltimore. He spent the previous three seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, making 35 appearances and 21 starts.
Kinlaw, 26, appeared in every game for the 49ers last season — including the postseason and the Super Bowl — and started six times. He had a career-high 3.5 sacks and added 25 tackles and three passes defensed.
REPORTS: BENGALS RELEASE RB JOE MIXON, TO SIGN ZACK MOSS
The Cincinnati Bengals released running back Joe Mixon and will replace him with Zack Moss, ESPN and NFL Network reported Monday night.
Moss, who spent parts of the past two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, agreed to a two-year, $8 million contract, per the reports. ESPN reported that Moss will get $4.525 million in the first year of the deal.
In seven seasons with Cincinnati, the 27-year-old Mixon amassed 6,412 yards and 49 touchdowns on the ground. He ran for 1,034 yards and nine TDs in 2023, his fourth season with at least 1,000 rushing yards. He added 52 catches for 376 yards and three scores last season.
Mixon appeared in 97 games (88 starts) for the Bengals after being selected by them in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Moss, 26, took advantage of Jonathan Taylor’s limited availability last season and shined, rushing for 794 yards and five scores in 14 games (eight starts), all career highs. He has totaled 2,076 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground in 53 career games (11 starts) with the Buffalo Bills (2020-22) and Colts.
He also has 75 career receptions for 523 yards and four scores. Buffalo took Moss in the third round of the 2020 draft.
BILLS LOCK UP LEFT TACKLE DAWKINS TO A 3-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION AND RE-SIGN DB LEWIS TO 2-YEAR DEAL
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills reached an agreement on Monday to sign left tackle Dion Dawkins to a three-year contract extension that locks up the starter through 2027, with the deal also expected to provide the team salary cap relief this season.
Also, the Bills re-signed backup defensive back Cam Lewis to a two-year, $4 million contract, the player’s agent Sean Stellato said. Lewis was a pending unrestricted free agent, who returns after spending his first four NFL seasons with the Bills. ESPN.com first reported Lewis’ signing.
Dawkins was entering the final season of a four-year contract, and due to count more than $16.6 million against the salary cap. Buffalo has spent the past few weeks slashing payroll after entering the offseason projected to being a league-high $44 million over the cap.
Re-signing Dawkins solidifies the long-term future of quarterback Josh Allen’s primary protector on a line undergoing changes after veteran starting center Mitch Morse was cut last week.
The agreement with Dawkins comes two days before the NFL’s free agency signing period officially opens.
JAGUARS AND FORMER BILLS WR GABE DAVIS AGREE TO A 3-YEAR, $39M DEAL TO REPLACE CALVIN RIDLEY
The Jacksonville Jaguars found a replacement for receiver Calvin Ridley in free agency.
The Jaguars and former Buffalo receiver Gabe Davis agreed to a three-year, $39 million contract during the NFL’s legal tampering period Monday, according to a person familiar with negotiations. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal can’t be announced until the new league year begins Wednesday.
Davis could earn up to $50 million with incentives, the person said.
Adding Davis means Jacksonville is moving on from Ridley, who is expected to be one of the top receivers on the market and likely not affordable for a team with little salary cap flexibility right now.
Davis caught 163 passes for 2,730 yards and 27 touchdowns in four years with Buffalo. He had six more TD receptions in the playoffs.
Ridley caught 76 passes for 1,016 yards and eight TDs in his lone season in Jacksonville. But re-signing him before free agency would have cost the Jags a second-round draft pick they didn’t want to give up.
Instead, they will give Atlanta a third-rounder to essentially rent Ridley for 17 games.
The 6-foot-2 Davis, who grew up in nearby Orlando, gives quarterback Trevor Lawrence a bigger option who should be able to bring down 50-50 balls and help the offense be more effective in the end zone.
Davis is the latest — and most notable — addition to Jacksonville’s offense. The team re-signed left guard Ezra Cleveland to a three-year, $28.5 million contract, agreed to sign former Bills center Mitch Morse to a two-year, $10.5 million deal and renegotiated a lower cap number for right guard Brandon Scherff.
They also traded a sixth-round pick in next month’s draft to New England for quarterback Mac Jones, who will compete for the backup job behind Lawrence.
FALCONS SIGNING COUSINS TO REPORTED 4-YEAR, $180M DEAL
The Atlanta Falcons agreed to a four-year deal with free-agent quarterback Kirk Cousins, his agent, Mike McCartney, confirmed.
The deal is worth $180 million, including a $50 million signing bonus and $100 million guaranteed, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Cousins has spent the last six years with the Minnesota Vikings. Previously, he played six seasons with the Washington Commanders.
The 35-year-old was on pace to have the best season of his career in 2023 before tearing his Achilles in Week 8. He had 2,331 passing yards with 18 touchdowns, which was the most in the NFL at the time.
Atlanta has struggled to produce competent quarterback play since Matt Ryan left in 2021. Starters Desmond Ridder and Marcus Mariota combined for just 5,055 passing yards with only 27 touchdowns to 21 interceptions over the last two campaigns. Atlanta has gone 7-10 in back-to-back seasons.
REPORT: EAGLES SNAG BARKLEY ON 3-YEAR, $37.75M CONTRACT
The Philadelphia Eagles and star running back Saquon Barkley have agreed to a three-year, $37.75-million contract, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The deal for Barkley has a maximum value of $46.75 million and contains $26 million fully guaranteed, adds Schefter.
The Eagles are signing Barkley away from the divisional rival New York Giants, who opted against tagging the Pro Bowler for a second season but were reportedly interested in bringing him back on a long-term deal. Barkley signed a revised one-year contract last offseason to replace the tag.
The 27-year-old spent the first six seasons in New York after going No. 2 overall during the 2018 NFL Draft. He burst onto the scene with a 1,307-yard, 11-touchdown campaign to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Barkley struggled to replicate that form over the next three seasons while dealing with injuries. But he bounced back in 2023 with a career-high 1,312 yards to earn his second career Pro Bowl nomination.
RAIDERS, WILKINS AGREE TO 4-YEAR, $110M DEAL
The Las Vegas Raiders and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins have agreed to a four-year contract worth $110 million with $84.75 million in guaranteed money, his agent told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Wilkins’ average salary of $27.5 million and total practical guarantee both rank third among defensive tackles behind only Chris Jones – who signed a reported position-record five-year, $158.75-million deal on Sunday – and Aaron Donald, according to Spotrac.
The 28-year-old Wilkins was widely viewed as a potential franchise-tag candidate for the Dolphins, but the club ultimately allowed him to hit the open market.
The Raiders have had a long-standing need at defensive tackle and will now pair Wilkins with All-Pro pass-rusher Maxx Crosby.
Wilkins spent five years in Miami after being drafted 13th overall in 2019.
The defensive tackle had a career-high nine sacks and 23 quarterback hits in 17 appearances in 2023. He’s produced 20.5 sacks, 355 tackles, and four forced fumbles in 81 games across five seasons.
REPORT: TITANS LANDING POLLARD ON 3-YEAR, $24M DEAL
The Tennessee Titans are expected to sign running back Tony Pollard, sources told KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson.
Pollard’s deal is for three years and $24 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings were also in contention for Pollard’s services, but he opted for a larger payday with the Titans, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports.
Pollard posted consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, making the Pro Bowl in 2022. The Memphis product finished the 2023 campaign with 1,005 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns, and 311 receiving yards.
He totaled 4,940 scrimmage yards and 28 scrimmage touchdowns in 79 games with Dallas. The 26-year-old also contributed in the return game with 1,500 yards and one score.
Longtime Titans running back Derrick Henry is a free agent and is expected to sign elsewhere.
REPORT: HIGGINS REQUESTS TRADE FROM BENGALS
Franchise-tagged wide receiver Tee Higgins has requested a trade from the Cincinnati Bengals, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Higgins wanted to remain in Cincinnati but is disappointed that the Bengals haven’t engaged in extension talks since March 2023, adds Schefter.
The 25-year-old received the one-year, $21.8-million tag in late February to keep him from hitting free agency.
Likely complicating Higgins’ contract situation is the Bengals’ need to pay three-time Pro Bowl wideout Ja’Marr Chase, who has two years left on his rookie deal and will likely require an extension next offseason.
Cincinnati also rewarded star quarterback Joe Burrow with a five-year, $275-million extension last year.
Higgins has excelled as the No. 2 wideout behind Chase. He produced 1,000-yard campaigns in 2021 and 2022 but was limited to 12 appearances last year and finished with 656 yards.
The 2020 second-round pick could be in high demand after the free-agent receiver market was weakened by Mike Evans and Michael Pittman Jr. re-signing with their respective teams.
BEARS AGREE TO 3-YEAR CONTRACT WITH PRO BOWL RUNNING BACK D’ANDRE SWIFT
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears and Pro Bowl running back D’Andre Swift have agreed to a three-year contract, a person familiar with the deal said on Monday.
The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because free agents can’t officially sign with new teams until Wednesday. The deal is reportedly worth $24 million, with $15.3 million guaranteed.
Acquired from Detroit in a draft day trade last year, the 25-year-old Swift had his best season. He ran for a career-high 1,049 yards and five touchdowns, and made his first Pro Bowl.
Swift spent his first three seasons in Detroit and has carried 593 times for 2,729 yards and 23 touchdown runs in his career. He has also caught 195 passes for 1,412 yards and eight scores. Swift joins Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson in Chicago’s backfield.
The Bears have been busy the past week. They agreed to a four-year, $76 million contract extension with Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson that guarantees him $54.4 million and signed veteran safety Kevin Byard to a two-year contract.
Chicago finished 7-10 last season. The Bears have the No. 1 and No. 9 overall picks in the draft next month.
REPORTS: PANTHERS RELEASE S VONN BELL
Panthers safety Vonn Bell was released on Monday before he was due a $3 million roster bonus, according to multiple reports.
Releasing Bell creates $1.05 million under the salary cap for Carolina in 2024.
Bell spent just one season with the Panthers, who signed the former Bengals safety on the opening day of free agency last March.
Carolina confirmed another move Monday, re-signing long-snapper JJ Jansen to a one-year deal. Jansen, 38, owns the franchise record with 243 games played.
Bell, 29, missed four games last season after starting 48 the previous three seasons with the Bengals. He had never missed more than three games in a season due to injury before 2023.
Bell spent the first four seasons of his career with the Saints and has 705 tackles, 9.5 sacks and seven interceptions in 122 career games.
REPORTS: RB JOSH JACOBS EXPECTED TO SIGN WITH PACKERS
The Green Bay Packers are expected to sign running back Josh Jacobs, NFL Network reported Monday.
Terms of the deal were not reported.
Jacobs, 26, took a slight step back last season for the Las Vegas Raiders from a productive year in 2022, when he rushed for 805 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games, all starts, as he worked his way through a quadriceps injury.
One season earlier, Jacobs rushed for an NFL-best 1,653 yards and 12 TDs in 17 games. In five seasons with the Raiders, he rushed for 5,545 yards and 46 TDs in 73 games (72 starts) after he was a first-round draft pick in 2019 out of Alabama.
The Raiders did not place a franchise tag on Jacobs last month, although it was believed that Las Vegas had prioritized re-signing the 2022 NFL rushing champion.
The Raiders are expected to turn to Zamir White to lead their rushing attack next season. White rushed for 451 yards and one touchdown last season in 17 games, while starting the four games when Jacobs was out.
REPORTS: RAMS LAND G JONAH JACKSON, TE COLBY PARKINSON
The Los Angeles Rams reached agreement on three-year deals for interior offensive lineman Jonah Jackson and tight end Colby Parkinson, ESPN and NFL Network reported Monday.
The Rams lured Jackson away from Detroit on a deal worth $51 million, including $34 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network.
Parkinson comes over from Seattle on a deal worth $22.5 million, including $15.5 million guaranteed, per ESPN.
Jackson, 27, started all 57 games he played in with the Lions since they selected him in the third round of the 2020 draft.
The Rams also re-signed guard Kevin Dotson last week on a reported three-year deal worth $48 million.
Parkinson, 25, caught 25 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games (one start) for Seattle last season, playing behind Noah Fant and Will Dissly.
The Rams add Parkinson less than two months after Tyler Higbee tore multiple ligaments in his right knee in the divisional playoff loss at Detroit.
Higbee signed a two-year extension worth $27 million — $17 million guaranteed — last September but head coach Sean McVay said he is likely a candidate for the physically unable to perform list to start next season.
Parkinson has 57 career catches and four TDs in 54 games (four starts).
REPORTS: COMMANDERS TO SIGN DE DORANCE ARMSTRONG, C TYLER BIADASZ
Center Tyler Biadasz and defensive end Dorance Armstrong agreed to join the Washington Commanders, following new head coach Dan Quinn from Dallas, according to reports.
Biadasz, 26, started 53 games in four seasons with the Cowboys since entering the NFL in 2020 as a fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin.
Armstrong, 26, had a breakout season in 2023, finishing second to Micah Parsons with 7.5 sacks in the regular season, with Quinn running the Cowboys’ defense.
Armstrong has 23.5 sacks and 14 starts in 93 career games.
The Cowboys are expecting to shuffle their offensive line with left tackle Tyron Smith and Biadasz hitting free agency.
A fourth-round draft pick in 2018 out of Kansas, Armstrong had 21 sacks in the past three seasons.
Rejoining Quinn as part of a rebuilt defense in Washington gives Armstrong a chance to help the Commanders move on from losing former first-round draft picks Montez Sweat and Chase Young, who were traded during the 2023 season.
REPORTS: VIKINGS LAND PASS RUSHER JONATHAN GREENARD
Pass rusher Jonathan Greenard parlayed a career year in Houston into a $76 million payday with the Minnesota Vikings, according to multiple reports.
Greenard’s contract includes $42 million guaranteed, according to his agents, Robert Bailey and Drew Rosenhaus.
Greenard had a career-best 12.5 sacks, 52 tackles and 22 quarterback hits during the 2023 season but general manager Nick Caserio opted to allow Greenard to test free agency.
The Vikings are expected to lose their own top pass rusher, Danielle Hunter, in a revamped defense under Brian Flores.
Greenard, 26, was drafted in the third round in 2020 and posted 23 sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception in 49 regular-season games.
Caserio said at the NFL Scouting Combine “availability” was the biggest question with Greenard through four seasons as a pro. He missed 15 games in his first four years in the league.
REPORT: BURNS TRADED TO GIANTS, GETS 5-YEAR, $150M DEAL
The Carolina Panthers are trading pass-rusher Brian Burns to the New York Giants for second- and fifth-round picks, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
The second-rounder is the No. 39 pick in this year’s draft, while the fifth-round selection will be a 2025 pick, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones.
Burns will receive a five-year extension worth up to $150 million with $87.5 million guaranteed as part of the deal, Burns’ agents told Rapoport.
The maximum value of the contract makes Burns the second-highest-paid edge defender in both total and average annual value, per Over the Cap. San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa is tops with $170 million and $34 million, respectively.
Burns had 50 total tackles, eight sacks, 16 tackles for loss, and 18 quarterback hits in 2023 despite Carolina frequently playing from behind. He also forced a fumble and defended two passes.
The two-time Pro Bowler has 46 sacks, 59 tackles for loss, and 95 quarterback hits in 80 career games since he was selected No. 16 overall in the 2019 draft.
The Panthers placed the franchise tag on Burns and reportedly cut off extension negotiations earlier this month.
Kayvon Thibodeaux led the Giants’ pass-rushing unit in 2023 with 11.5 sacks and three forced fumbles.
NFL FREE AGENCY NOTEBOOK: RUSSELL WILSON HEADED TO PITTSBURGH
After two underwhelming seasons with the Denver Broncos, quarterback Russell Wilson will get a fresh start with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a one-year deal, multiple media outlets reported late Sunday night.
The contract is worth $1.2 million, the veteran’s minimum, per the reports.
Wilson, 35, is still under contract until the new league year begins on Wednesday, but Denver granted him permission to meet with other teams after telling him last week that it planned on releasing him.
In 30 games (all starts) with the Broncos, Wilson compiled an 11-19 record while completing 63.3 percent of his passes for 6,594 yards. The nine-time Pro Bowl selection threw for 42 touchdowns against 19 interceptions. Denver will be paying $37.8 million of Wilson’s salary while he plays for the Steelers.
–The buzz that Wilson generated carried into Monday, when a frenzy of moves were made, including the Atlanta Falcons’ decision to sign quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year deal.
“Excited for (Cousins) agreeing to a 4 year deal with the (Falcons),” Cousins’ agent, Mike McCartney, wrote in a post on X. ESPN then reported that the contract was worth $180 million, with $100 million guaranteed.
Cousins, 35, heads to his third NFL team. He has thrown for 39,471 yards with 270 TDs and 110 interceptions in 150 career games (145 starts) over 12 seasons with the Washington Commanders (2012-17) and the Minnesota Vikings (2018-23).
–Star running back Saquon Barkley is switching allegiances in the NFC East, agreeing to a three-year, $37.75 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to multiple media reports.
Barkley’s contract could be valued as high as $46.75 million and features $26 million fully guaranteed at signing, per ESPN.
In six seasons with the New York Giants, the 27-year-old Barkley amassed 5,211 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns in 74 games (all starts). He added 2,100 yards and 12 TDs on 288 catches.
As a countermove, the Giants reportedly agreed to a three-year, $16.5 million deal with Devin Singletary. They also reportedly added to their offensive line, bringing in guard Jon Runyan on a three-year deal worth $30 million.
On the defensive side, multiple reports indicated that the Giants acquired edge rusher Brian Burns in a trade with the Carolina Panthers. Burns, a two-time Pro Bowler, will be signing a five-year deal with the Giants worth up to $150 million, per the reports. He will get $87.5 million guaranteed.
–Free agent running back Austin Ekeler agreed to a two-year contract with the Commanders, according to multiple media reports.
NFL Network and The Athletic reported the deal to be worth up to $11.43 million.
Ekeler, 28, will be reuniting with Washington running backs coach and run game coordinator Anthony Lynn, who was head coach of the Chargers from 2017-20. Ekeler has spent all seven seasons of his NFL career with Los Angeles (2017-23), rushing for 628 yards and five touchdowns across 14 games (all starts) in 2023.
–The Green Bay Packers also bolstered their backfield, bringing in running back Josh Jacobs on a four-year deal, according to multiple media reports.
NFL Network reported Jacobs’ deal to be worth $48 million. The 26-year-old led the NFL in rushing in 2022 with 1,653 yards before settling for 805 last season.
Jacobs’ arrival reportedly led to the release of fellow running back Aaron Jones. Jones, 29, had 656 yards and found the end zone twice on the ground a season ago. He also had 30 receptions for 233 yards and a score. All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari was also released after 11 seasons with the Packers.
ESPN reported that Green Bay also agreed to a four-year deal worth up to $68 million with safety Xavier McKinney. Jacobs and McKinney were teammates at Alabama.
–Wideout Michael Pittman Jr. is staying with the Indianapolis Colts, with Bleacher Report and NFL Network reporting that he agreed to a three-year, $71.5 million contract.
Pittman, 26, hauled in 109 catches for 1,152 yards — both career highs — in 2023. He had four TDs despite having little time to build rapport with rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson, who was limited to just four games due to a shoulder injury.
–The Bengals could be heading into the 2024 campaign with a new-look offense, as multiple reports indicated that wide receiver Tee Higgins requested a trade before it was later reported that Cincinnati had released running back Joe Mixon.
Higgins had been hit with the franchise tag, but he was growing frustrated with the team because of a lack of effort to sign him to a contract extension, per the reports.
–With Ekeler on his way to Washington, the Chargers reportedly agreed to terms with running back Gus Edwards. Financial details of the two-year contract were not released.
–Running back D’Andre Swift is also on the move, agreeing to a three-year deal, $24 million with the Chicago Bears, according to multiple media reports.
–Kicker Greg Zuerlein reportedly will be returning to the New York Jets for a third season, agreeing to a two-year, $8.4 million deal.
–Just one day after trading former first-round pick Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the New England Patriots are reportedly adding to their depth under center by way of a reunion with quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
Brissett agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal, but NFL Network reported that incentives could bump the contract up to $12 million.
–In addition to the splash it made by agreeing to a deal with Barkley, Philadelphia also went out and reportedly signed left guard Landon Dickerson to a four-year extension worth $84 million. The deal includes $50 million guaranteed.
–Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins will get a four-year, $110 million contract from the Las Vegas Raiders, according to NFL Network. Wilkins spent the first five seasons of his career in Miami, but the Dolphins opted not to use the franchise tag on him.
Miami did, however, reportedly bring back left tackle Terron Armstead, and former Seattle Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks agreed to a three-year deal with the Dolphins worth $30 million, per reports.
–With the end of the Derrick Henry era likely on the horizon, the Tennessee Titans agreed to a three-year, $24 million deal with running back Tony Pollard, according to multiple media reports.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
HOUSTON, UCONN, PURDUE REMAIN TOP AP TOP 25 WHILE BLUEBLOODS NORTH CAROLINA, KENTUCKY ON THE RISE
Houston remained atop the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for the third consecutive week Monday while a couple of the game’s traditional bluebloods made big jumps as they peak just in time for postseason play.
The Cougars received 52 of 62 first-place votes from a national media panel after a week in which they beat UCF and routed then-No. 14 Kansas to clinch the Big 12 regular-season title in their first year in the league. The three straight weeks Houston has spent at No. 1 matches the school’s longest run since the 1967-68 season.
“It’s gratifying. I’m happy for everybody,” said Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson, whose team will be the top seed in the Big 12 tourney and open play on Thursday. “There’s so many people that have an inferiority complex about, ‘We’re the University of Houston.’ This is a damn good school. We live in a damn good city, and we’re a damn good basketball program.”
Defending national champion UConn, the top seed in the Big East tourney, was second in the poll after picking up six first-place votes, and Purdue — the top seed in the Big Ten tourney — remained at No. 3 after getting four first-place votes.
The big movement came in the rest of the top 10, where North Carolina jumped three spots to No. 4 after beating then-No. 9 Duke and Kentucky vaulted six spots to No. 9 after its win over then-No. 4 Tennessee.
The Tar Heels revamped their roster after last season’s flop from preseason No. 1 to missing the NCAA Tournament, and the changes were evident against the Blue Devils. Stanford transfer Harrison Ingram dominated the teams’ first meeting and Notre Dame transfer Cormac Ryan went for 31 points in the Tar Heels’ 84-79 victory on Saturday.
The win secured UNC’s first outright Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title since 2017.
“I think all year, you look at certain games where different guys step up in different situations,” North Carolina big man Armando Bacot said. “We’ve got so many good guys that it’s a luxury.”
The Wildcats, the No. 2 seed behind the Vols in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, showcased their depth in a pair of wins last week. Reed Sheppard came off the bench to hit seven 3s and score 27 points in the 85-81 win at Tennessee.
“I’ve said it before, they’re the most explosive offensive team in the country,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said.
Arizona, the top seed in the Pac-12 tourney, fell one spot to sixth this week and was followed by Iowa State and Creighton, which moved up two spots. Marquette dropped two spots and rounded out the top 10.
Duke fell to No. 11 and was followed by Auburn, Illinois, Baylor and South Carolina. Kansas continued its late-season slide, falling two spots after a week in which it blew out Kansas State but lost by 30 on the road to Houston.
The Jayhawks also lost big man Hunter Dickinson to a dislocated shoulder and fellow All-America candidate Kevin McCullar Jr. to more knee problems. It’s unclear whether either player will be available when Kansas, which plummeted to the No. 6 seed for the Big 12 tourney, plays its second-round game Wednesday.
Gonzaga continued its late-season climb to No. 17 in the poll and was followed by Utah State, Alabama and BYU. The final five consisted of Saint Mary’s, Washington State, Nevada, Dayton and Texas Tech.
RISING AND FALLING
Kentucky made the biggest move, climbing six positions, while Utah State climbed four spots after wins over San Jose State and New Mexico. Washington State took the biggest fall, dropping four spots after its loss to Washington.
IN AND OUT
Nevada is ranked for the first time since the final poll of the 2018-19 season, checking in at No. 23 after wins over Boise State and UNLV, while Texas Tech returned to the poll after wins over Oklahoma State and then-No. 11 Baylor. Nevada and Texas Tech entered the Top 25 at the expense of San Diego State and South Florida.
CONFERENCE WATCH
The Big 12 leads the way with six teams in the Top 25 and the SEC follows closely with five. The Big East has three in the poll and all of them — UConn, Creighton and Marquette — are in the top 10. The Big Ten, ACC, Pac-12, West Coast and Mountain West conferences have two ranked teams apiece.
NO. 17 ZAGS, NO. 21 SAINT MARY’S MEET IN ANOTHER WCC TITLE TILT
Two familiar foes will compete for the West Coast Conference tournament title when No. 17 Gonzaga and No. 21 Saint Mary’s take the court in Las Vegas on Tuesday night.
It will be the third straight season and 12th of the last 16 that the Bulldogs and Gaels meet in the championship game. Gonzaga owns an 8-3 edge in the previous 11 title-game matchups.
The Gaels (25-7) are the No. 1 seed this time around by finishing one game ahead of the second-seeded Bulldogs (25-6) in the regular season. The teams split their two regular-season meetings and both teams are shoo-ins for the NCAA Tournament, regardless of what transpires Tuesday.
Saint Mary’s advanced to the title game with a 79-65 victory over fourth-seeded Santa Clara in Monday night’s semifinals. Gonzaga followed with an 89-77 triumph over third-seeded San Francisco.
Gaels coach Randy Bennett is expecting another highly competitive game between the rivals.
“We have a big challenge ahead of us (Tuesday), but I was really proud of the way our guys played,” Bennett said after the win over Santa Clara. “There’s a lot of pressure in that game. It’s a tough game to play. These guys came ready to play.”
The Bulldogs have won their past nine games. They are playing in the WCC title game for the 27th straight season and will be looking for their 21st title during that span.
Saint Mary’s won this season’s first meeting, 64-62 on Feb. 3 in Spokane, Wash. Aidan Mahaney had a game-high 20 points for the Gaels.
Gonzaga evened the season series with a 70-57 victory on March 2 in Moraga, Calif. Graham Ike had game highs of 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few expects a bruising contest on Tuesday.
“It will be a low-possession game,” Few said. “The last time we played them, we were able to get some turnovers and were able to get out and run. The one in Spokane was a little slower. We led that one for quite a while, we just didn’t finish it off.
“They’re a great team, (Bennett’s) an awesome coach. I know this, it will be extremely, extremely physical.”
Fifth-year senior Alex Ducas had a stellar game for Saint Mary’s against Santa Clara, matching his career best of seven 3-pointers and scoring 21 points. It was just his second 20-point outing of the season.
“Every time I shoot the ball, I feel like it’s going in,” Ducas said. “It’s what I bring to the team, to space the floor and shoot the ball. My teammates and my coaches give me all the confidence in the world to keep doing it even if I miss a couple.”
Mason Forbes also was a standout with 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting.
Ben Gregg helped fuel Gonzaga with four 3-pointers over the first 6 1/2 minutes of the second half against Dons. The Bulldogs led by one at halftime, but Gregg’s final trey during his hot stretch made it 63-47.
The explosive run came after Gregg missed all four of his first-half shots.
“I got to come out and keep shooting my shot. I work so hard on it,” Gregg said afterward. “These guys gave me all the confidence in the world to keep on shooting it. I kept letting it fly and finally made a couple. It was a good feeling.”
Nolan Hickman scored a team-high 20 points and Anton Watson also had 17 points for the Bulldogs.
Saint Mary’s last won the tournament championship in 2019. Gonzaga has won the tourney each of the four seasons since.
PURDUE, WISCONSIN SCORE MEN’S BASKETBALL WEEKLY ACCOLADES
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference has announced its Men’s Basketball Players of the Week presented by Air National Guard for the week of March 4-10, 2024.
Player of the Week
Zach Edey, Purdue
C – Sr. – 7-4 – Toronto, Canada – IMG Academy (Fla.) – Major: Organizational Leadership and Supervision
- Averaged 26.5 points, 11 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.5 blocks as No. 3 Purdue scored wins over then-No. 12 Illinois and Wisconsin
- Scored 28 points with eight rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots in a 77-71 win at Illinois
- Closed the regular season with a 25-point, 14-rebound performance in a 78-70 victory over the Badgers
- Garners his 12th career Player of the Week award and seventh of the season
- Last Purdue Player of the Week: Zach Edey (Feb. 26, 2024)
Freshman of the Week
John Blackwell, Wisconsin
G – 6-4 – Bloomfield Hills, Mich. – Brother Rice – Major: Undeclared
- Averaged 17.5 points on 62.5 percent shooting with six rebounds as the Badgers split a pair of contests
- Paired 17 points and eight rebounds off the bench in a 78-66 win over Rutgers
- Matched a career-high with 18 points, a team-high, in the loss at No. 3 Purdue
- Earns his fourth Freshman of the Week award
- Last Wisconsin Freshman of the Week: John Blackwell (Jan. 22, 2024)
OHIO’S MITCHELL GARNERS FINAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
MAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
Shereef Mitchell, Grad Student, Guard, Ohio
Omaha, Neb. (Omaha Burke)
Graduate student guard Shereef Mitchell led the Ohio men’s basketball team during the final week of the regular season. Overall on the week, Mitchell averaged 20.5 points a game, while shooting 54.2 percent from the field, 50 percent from three and 62.5 percent from the line. He also averaged 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals a game in 31.5 minutes on the court. Mitchell’s efforts helped the Bobcats to two wins, extending their win streak to six games and helping them capture the third seed in this year’s MAC tournament.
On Tuesday at Buffalo, Mitchell scored 21 points, going 6-of-8 from the field and going 3-of-5 from three and 6-of-9 from the line. He also grabbed five rebounds, dished out three assists and had three steals in the win. Mitchell scored another 20 points on Friday at Miami, going 7-of-16 from the field, 2-of-5 from three and 4-of-7 from the line, while also grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out two assists in the win.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
SOUTH CAROLINA, IOWA ARE 1-2 IN WOMEN’S AP TOP 25; NO. 3 SOUTHERN CAL HAS BEST RANKING IN 38 YEARS
Southern California rode a Pac-12 Tournament championship to its best ranking in 38 years.
The Trojans moved up to No. 3 in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll Monday after topping Stanford to win the conference tournament for the first time since 2014, their only other time in the title game. It’s the highest ranking for USC since the final poll of the 1986 season, when the team was also third.
South Carolina remained a unanimous No. 1, receiving all 35 first-place votes from the AP national media panel. The Gamecocks head into the NCAA Tournament undefeated for the second consecutive season after surviving the SEC Tournament semifinals on a last-second 3-pointer by Kamilla Cardoso. The Gamecocks then beat LSU for the title in a game marred by late ejections.
Iowa moved back up to No. 2 after winning the Big Ten Tournament, rallying to beat Nebraska in overtime behind Caitlin Clark. It was the third straight conference tournament title for the Hawkeyes.
Stanford fell two spots to fourth and Texas was fifth. UCLA, Ohio State and LSU followed the Longhorns. ACC Tournament champion Notre Dame climbed five spots to ninth and UConn was 10th.
KEEP WINNING
No. 25 Fairfield, which entered the poll last week for the first time in school history, has the second-longest winning streak in the country at 26 in a row. The Stags capped off a 20-0 regular season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, becoming only the eighth school to do that in league history. The Stags play in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament on Wednesday.
Jackson State received a vote in the Top 25 for the second straight week. The Tigers have won 18 straight games and finished off a 18-0 record in the regular season in the SWAC with a win over Mississippi Valley State on Saturday. They open up their league tournament against Prairie View A&M on Wednesday.
MAKING AN IMPRESSION
Nebraska is just outside the Top 25 after its close loss to Iowa, a team it beat during the regular season. The Cornhuskers, who had no votes the previous week, were last ranked in 2022. Nebraska received a few votes a couple of times over the course of this season.
CONFERENCE WATCH
The Pac-12 capped off its run as a conference with three of the top six teams in the poll and six ranked in the Top 25 overall. The ACC is next with five teams. The Big 12 has four and the Big Ten three. The SEC and Big East each have two. The West Coast and Mountain West join the MAAC with one each.
KENTUCKY FIRES WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACH KYRA ELZY
Kentucky fired women’s basketball coach Kyra Elzy on Monday, two years removed from a Southeastern Conference tournament championship.
The Wildcats posted 12-win campaigns in the two years since, including 12-20 this season, 4-12 in the conference. Kentucky fell to Tennessee 76-62 in the second round of the SEC tourney last Thursday.
Elzy posted a 61-60 record in four seasons, 23-40 in the SEC.
“I appreciate Kyra for her efforts at Kentucky, on and off the court, and wish her and her family the best in the future,” athletics director Mitch Barnhart said in a news release.
Elzy had been on the Kentucky staff for two stints totaling eight years when head coach Matthew Mitchell retired just before the start of the 2020-21 season. Elzy, then the associate head coach, was made interim head coach, and the interim tag was removed that December.
Her first team went 18-9 (9-6 SEC) and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The next season, the Wildcats went 19-12 (8-8 SEC) and knocked off top-ranked and eventual national champion South Carolina for Kentucky’s first SEC tournament crown since 1982.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
HCAC 2024 SOFTBALL NOTEBOOK, WEEK 4
Athletes of the Week:
Hitting Athlete of the Week:
Sophie Markowizc (Greenwood, Ind.) Hanover College | Infield | First Year – Markowizc led the Panthers to a split at Spalding as the freshman turned in a great series at the plate. She finished the week going 3-for-5 with three RBI. She scored three runs and posted a .600 batting average.
Pitching Athlete of the Week:
Anika Craft (Radnor, Ohio) Defiance College | Pitcher | Junior – Picked up two wins this week, struck out 16 and finished the week with an ERA of 0.76. Worked out of a bases loaded one out jam in the seventh in the 2-1 win over Simmons to keep the game tied which led to the Yellow Jackets walking it off in the bottom of the inning. Pitched 18.1 innings during the week while only allowing two earned runs. Struck out 10 in the win against Simmons. Pitched all 9 innings in the extra innings win over Benedictine.
Notable Performances:
- Jules Tegeder (Hamilton, Ohio) Bluffton University | Outfield | Sophomore – Tegeder went of 11-of-29 for a .379 batting average with 3 doubles. She scored 6 runs and drove in 5 with a .419 on-base percentage.
- Laney Grimwood (Ontario, Ohio) Defiance College | Infield | Senior – Led the team in hits during the week with 11. Finished the week with a batting average of .407 and two doubles while drawing 7 walks. Reached base safely in all nine games. Two multi-hit games including a 4-for-4 performance against Carthage.
- Lauren Beaman (Seymour, Ind.) Hanover College | Pitcher | Sophomore – Beaman led the Panthers to split at Spalding as the junior pitched a complete game one win before starting game two. The junior finished the week with two strikeouts and 4.42 ERA.
NEBRASKA, MARYLAND AND OHIO STATE CLAIM BIG TEN SOFTBALL WEEKLY AWARDS
Player of the Week
Sydney Gray, Nebraska
Sr. – 3B – Tucson, Ariz. – Sabino – Major: Finance
- Recorded a home run three times in four games last week, helping Nebraska to a 3-1 record
- Averaged more than 1.0 hit, 1.0 run and 1.0 RBI per game, while also averaging 1.0 extra-base hit per game
- Scored a run in all four games and had an RBI in three of four games
- Went 3-for-4 with a double and two home runs against South Alabama, setting a career-high with three extra-base hits and trying her career-highs in hits and home runs
- Last Nebraska Player of the Week: Billie Andrews (Feb. 26, 2024)
Pitcher of the Week
Courtney Wyche, Maryland
Gr. – RHP – Silver Spring, Md. – Montgomery Blair– Master’s: Management
- Pitched nine innings in a 3-2 win over Boston College
- Struck out a season-high 11 batters, pitching her 38th complete game of her career
- 11 strikeouts is the second most in a single game this season in the Big Ten
- Last Maryland Pitcher of the Week: Courtney Wyche (April 3, 2023)
Freshman of the Week
Jasmyn Burns, Ohio State
C/UTL – Menifee, Calif. – Murrieta Mesa – Major: Psychology
- Hit .500 with a .857 slugging percentage and a .533 on base percentage in five games for Ohio State at the Tennessee Invitational
- In the weekend finale vs. South Dakota, Burns went 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBI
- Recorded a hit in each of the Buckeyes’ five games
- Defensively, threw out three base runners on the weekend, including Tennessee’s Kiki Milloy, who had 40 stolen bases last season and 16 this season
- Last Ohio State Freshman of the Week: Jasmyn Burns (Feb. 12, 2024)
COLLEGE BASEBALL
HCAC 2024 BASEBALL NOTEBOOK, WEEK 4
Athletes of the Week:
Hitter of the Week:
Sean Sullivan (Schererville, Ind.) Franklin College | Outfield | Senior – Went 8-for-13 with three home runs, 10 RBI and six runs scored over a three-game weekend series with Albion…had his biggest game of the weekend in game two on Saturday, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored, a grand slam and a career-high 7 RBI.
Pitching Athlete of the Week:
Connor Arnold (Lexington, Ky.) Transylvania University | Pitcher | Junior – Arnold picked up his first win of the season in game one against Westminster, going seven innings with 5 K’s and allowing just one hit.
Notable Performances:
- Evan Houseman (Springfield, Ohio) Bluffton University | Outfield | Junior – Houseman went 7-of-13 for a blistering .538 batting average. He smacked 3 doubles and drove in 2 runs while slugging it at a .769 clip. Houseman also scored 3 runs and went 2-of-2 on SB attempts.
- Jaden Jaques (New Palestine, Ind.) Bluffton University | Pitcher | Graduate – Jaques tossed 5 scoreless frames over two relief appearance, earning 2 saves on the week in Florida. He fanned 4 and walked just one while allowing only 3 hits.
- Connor Gephart (Lima, Ohio) Defiance College | Infield | Sophomore – Connor Gephart impressed over his first four games with the Yellow Jackets and led the program in multiple categories. His five hits, two homers, four RBIs, three walks and three extra-base hits are all either first or tied for the most on the team through the first week of the campaign. Hitting a team-high .417 (5-for-12), Gephart slugged an even 1.000 and reached base at a .563 clip. He also stole two bases to lead the team. Both of his home runs occurred in the same game of a doubleheader at Toccoa Falls on Friday.
- Blake Bowman (Toledo, Ohio) Defiance College | Pitcher | Sophomore – Blake Bowman recorded DC’s longest scoreless outing from the first week of the season by tossing 5.2 clean innings in the season opener against Alvernia. He also struck out five hitters in the contest. He took over in relief in the fourth inning with Defiance trailing 4-2 and exited in the ninth with the game tied 4-4. The Jackets eventually fell 5-4 in 11 innings.
- Jackson Young (Greenwood, Ind.) Franklin College | Pitcher | Graduate – Picked up his first win of the season in game two against Albion on Saturday, going seven innings wtih six strikeouts and no walks in a complete game effort.
- Reid Douglas (Rossville, Ind.) Hanover College | Catcher | Sophomore – Douglas led the Panthers to a series win at Belhaven as the junior catcher went 4-for 11 at the dish with two runs and a RBI. He added a double and a triple as well as a perfect 1-for-1 on stolen bases. The junior posted a .364 hitting percentage.
- Marcus Goodpaster (Indianapolis, Ind.) Hanover College | Pitcher | Senior – Goodpaster helped lead the Panthers to a series win at Belhaven as Hanover finished 2-1 overall. The senior got the game one victory as he threw eight complete innings with six strikeouts. He allowed just three runs on six hits.
- Joel Kennedy (Mooreland, Ind.) Manchester University | First Base | Sophomore – Joel Kennedy hit .400 against DePauw in a three-game non-conference series over the weekend. Kennedy drove in two RBI with two doubles and a homerun.
- Ty Layson (Fort Wayne, Ind.) Manchester University | Pitcher/3rd Base | Sophomore – Ty Layson threw 6.1 innings in game two of a three-game series against DePauw over the weekend. Layson gave up four hits, two earned runs, and had three strikeouts.
- Trent Youngblood (Louisville, Ky.) Transylvania University | Centerfield/Short Stop | Senior – Youngblood reached 200 career hits this weekend, finishing 8-14 (.571) with 2 doubles, a triple, a home run, and five RBI’s.
IOWA, MINNESOTA, NEBRASKA AND PURDUE TAKE HOME BASEBALL HONORS
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference has announced its baseball weekly awards for games played March 4-10.
Player of the Week
Rhett Stokes, Nebraska
Jr. – IF — Roswell, N.M. — New Mexico Military Institute
- Batted .750 (9-for-12) as Nebraska took two of three games from South Alabama in Lincoln, Neb.
- Compiled a 1.833 OPS with a 1.083 slugging percentage and .750 on-base percentage
- Fielding at third base and at second, produced three hits in three straight games
- The junior college transfer receives his first Big Ten Player award
- Last Nebraska Player of the Week: Max Anderson (April 10, 2023)
Pitcher of the Week
Cade Obermueller, Iowa
So. – S-LHP — Iowa City, Iowa — City High
- Took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against Jacksonville State on March 9
- Earned the win, striking out nine batters over a career-high 5.2 innings
- Allowed just two hits, holding the Jaguars to a .118 batting average
- The second-year Hawkeye earns his first Big Ten weekly honor
- Last Iowa Pitcher of the Week: Brody Brecht (May 22, 2023)
Co-Freshman of the Week
Kyle Remington, Minnesota
Fr. – R-RHP — Grand Rapids, Mich. — Grand Rapids Christian
- Made two relief appearances in Minnesota’s road games at Pacific and Gonzaga
- Fanned half the batters he faced, striking out six in 3.1 innings of shutout ball
- Gave up two hits, holding opponents to a .167 batting average
- Collects his first Big Ten Freshman weekly honor
- Last Minnesota Freshman of the Week: Weber Neels (May 22, 2023)
Co-Freshman of the Week
Luke Gaffney, Purdue
Fr. – 1B — Danville, Ky. — Boyle County
- Amassed a slash line of .471/.550/.765 as Purdue went 4-1 on the week and completed its first four-game sweep at Alexander Field
- Reach base in 11 of his 16 plate appearances against visiting Albany
- Finished the week with 10 RBI, three multiple-hit games and 31 putouts at first base
- Has earned three Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards a month into the season
- Last Purdue Freshman of the Week: Luke Gaffney (Feb. 26, 2024)
BOWLING GREEN SWEEPS PLAYER & PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONORS
MAC Baseball Player of the Week
Tyler Ross, Bowling Green, Second Base
Senior, Lewis Center, Ohio (Olentangy Orange)
Tyler Ross was a tough out at the plate for BGSU as the Falcons swept Miami in Oxford for the first time since 1995. In 14 at-bats, Ross posted a batting average of .571. He began the weekend on Friday (March 8), going a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate with two doubles, six RBI and three runs scored in Bowling Green’s 17-16 win. He followed it up on Saturday (March 9) with another double and a triple while logging three RBI and two runs scored on two hits in the 12-1 win. Ross closed out his weekend stat line on Sunday (March 10) with another RBI and run scored while adding two walks and a stolen base. In total, Ross slashed an impressive .571/.556/.929 in the weekend sweep for the Orange and Brown while leading the team in RBI, doubles and total bases, tying for the team lead in hits and triples and tying for second in runs scored.
MAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Nic Good, Bowling Green, Pitcher
Junior, Grosse Pointe, Mich. (Grosse Pointe North)
Nic Good gave up just one hit over seven innings in his Saturday start against Miami. Good allowed an infield single to the first batter and he faced and then proceeded to not allow a hit for the next seven innings. Good tallied seven strikeouts in the start and picked up the victory of the second and three BGSU wins this weekend, giving the Falcons a sweep in Oxford for the first time since 1995. Over the course of his seven innings, Good allowed just one run and walked only two while holding RedHawk batters to a .043 batting average.
NBA NEWS
NBA ROUNDUP: SUNS’ STARS SHOOT PAST CAVS
The Phoenix big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal combined to score 88 points, led by Durant’s 37, and the visiting Suns beat the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 117-111 on Monday.
Phoenix, opening a four-game road trip, overcame a sluggish start in which it fell behind by as many as 19 points in the second quarter. Beal scored 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the floor, part of the Suns’ 54.8 percent overall performance. In his return from a four-game absence caused by a right ankle sprain, Booker scored 27 points.
Behind Durant, who grabbed eight rebounds and dished out six assists to go with his game-high scoring total, the Suns chipped away at the deficit before taking a lead they never relinquished shortly before the midpoint of the third quarter.
The Phoenix advantage never grew to more than nine points, however, as Darius Garland and Caris LeVert each contributed to keep Cleveland within striking distance. Garland scored 30 points and accounted for almost half of the Cavaliers’ 15 made 3-pointers, going 7-for-10 from deep.
Pistons 114, Hornets 97
Cade Cunningham had 22 points and eight assists and host Detroit completed a season-series sweep of Charlotte.
Jalen Duren supplied 20 points and 10 rebounds and Simone Fontecchio supplied 17 points and eight rebounds for the Pistons. Detroit has won 11 games this season, with three coming at the Hornets’ expense.
Miles Bridges led Charlotte with 24 points and Grant Williams contributed 22. Brandon Miller had 19 points and seven assists.
Nuggets 125, Raptors 119
Nikola Jokic had 35 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists, Jamal Murray added 26 points and 12 assists, and host Denver rallied from a 22-point deficit to beat short-handed Toronto.
Jokic has 21 triple-doubles this season and 126 in his career. Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. scored 19 points each for Denver, which has won nine of 10.
RJ Barrett finished with 26 points, Kelly Olynyk added 24 points and Gradey Dick scored 17 points for Toronto, which has lost six of its past seven.
Mavericks 127, Bulls 92
Luka Doncic had 27 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds for his seventh straight triple-double and Dereck Lively II scored 22 points to lift Dallas to a rout of host Chicago.
Daniel Gafford (20 points), Kyrie Irving (14) and Jaden Hardy (11) also finished in double figures as the Mavericks won their third straight on the heels of a season-high-tying, three-game losing streak.
Rookie Onuralp Bitim sparked the Bulls with a career-best 17 points. DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic followed with 13 points each.
Celtics 121, Trail Blazers 99
Jaylen Brown recorded 27 points, six rebounds and five assists and Boston became the first NBA team to reach the 50-win mark this season with a victory over host Portland.
Jayson Tatum added 26 points and eight assists and Sam Hauser scored a season-best 22 points off the bench for the Celtics, who logged their 13th victory in 15 games.
Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who lost for the 10th time in their past 11 home games.
Warriors 112, Spurs 102
Jonathan Kuminga scored 22 points and Klay Thompson added 21 in his return to the starting lineup as visiting Golden State defeated San Antonio to gain a split of a home-and-home series between the teams.
The Warriors were without Stephen Curry because of an ankle injury but didn’t need him. Chris Paul contributed 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Golden State, which snapped a two-game skid.
Victor Wembanyama returned to action for the Spurs after missing two games with a right ankle injury and led all scorers with 27 points while adding 14 rebounds.
NHL NEWS
NHL ROUNDUP: KINGS’ SHUTOUT SNAPS ISLES’ WIN STREAK
David Rittich, making his first appearance since Feb. 26, stopped all 26 shots he faced Monday night for the host Los Angeles Kings, who cooled off the New York Islanders 3-0.
Rittich, who sat the previous six games behind Cam Talbot, notched his second shutout of the season. He also made 26 saves in a 4-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 10.
Adrian Kempe, Philip Danault and Trevor Moore scored for the Kings, who took over sole possession of third place in the Pacific Division, two points ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights.
Ilya Sorokin recorded 22 saves for the Islanders, whose six-game winning streak was snapped.
Rangers 3, Devils 1
Jonathan Quick made 19 saves and New York scored twice in the final eight minutes of the second period en route to a victory over visiting New Jersey.
The Rangers won their second straight after following up their 10-game winning streak with three losses in four games and pushed their lead in the Metropolitan Division to four points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes, whom they visit Tuesday.
Quick picked up his 389th career win to tie Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek for 15th on the all-time list. He also moved within two of tying Ryan Miller for the most wins by an American-born goalie. The Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad reached 20 goals for the seventh straight season.
Blues 5, Bruins 1
Kasperi Kapanen matched his career high with three points, collecting a goal and two assists while leading St. Louis past host Boston.
St. Louis, which is 26-3-1 when scoring first, snapped a three-game skid and broke the three-goal mark for the first time in nine games. St. Louis goalie Joel Hofer made 36 saves.
Boston had a four-game point streak (3-0-1) ended despite David Pastrnak’s 41st goal of the season and 17 saves by Jeremy Swayman.
Jets 3, Capitals 0
Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves for his fourth shutout of the season as Winnipeg beat visiting Washington in the opener of a three-game homestand.
Neal Pionk, Alex Iafallo and Kyle Connor scored for the Jets, who had lost two of three. Hellebuyck logged his 36th career shutout.
Charlie Lindgren made 26 saves for the Capitals, who had scored 10 total goals while winning their previous two games. Washington was opening a five-games-in-eight-days road trip. Washington forward T.J. Oshie played 16:06 and had a minus-2 rating in his return after missing seven games with an upper-body injury.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL NEWS
GIANTS PART WAYS WITH INF J.D. DAVIS
The San Francisco Giants released infielder J.D. Davis just over a week after third baseman Matt Chapman was added via free agency.
Davis, 30, batted .248 with a career-best 18 home runs and 69 RBIs in 144 games last season, while playing 116 games at third. He was the likely third baseman for San Francisco to start the season until Chapman was added.
Davis had been placed on outright waivers but was not claimed by any team, who would have owed him his full salary for the upcoming season.
Davis was awarded a $6.9 million salary for 2024 in arbitration but will only get around $1.1 million of that sum from the Giants since he was released more than 16 days before the start of the regular season. He is now free to sign a free-agent deal with any club.
In seven major league seasons, Davis is a career .261 hitter with 68 home runs and 215 RBIs in 594 games for the Houston Astros (2017-18), New York Mets (2019-22) and Giants.
SPRING TRAINING ROUNDUP: SPENCER STRIDER SHINES, BRAVES BLANK TWINS
Ozzie Albies homered, Spencer Strider struck out nine batters over five innings and the host Atlanta Braves three-hit the Minnesota Twins 3-0 in spring training action Monday in North Port, Fla.
Strider (3-0) punched out nearly half the 19 batters he faced and yielded just two hits, one walk and one hit batter. The Braves’ ace struck out the side in the second inning.
Albies’ shot to right as the second batter of the bottom of the first provided all the run support necessary. Two more runs scored on Luis Liberato’s single to center in the eighth.
Twins starter Chris Paddack (0-2) gave up one run on six hits and two walks with two strikeouts in four innings. Brooks Lee had a double.
Yankees 5, Orioles 3
Austin Wells’ three-run double capped a four-run first inning as host New York took down Baltimore in Tampa, Fla.
Yankees minor league prospect Will Warren (2-0) got the start and allowed one run on three hits and three walks, striking out two in three innings. Wells’ double was the Yankees’ only extra-base hit of the game, while Alex Verdugo and Caleb Durbin each finished with two hits.
Orioles starter Julio Teheran (0-1) was tagged for four runs on three hits and three walks in 2 1/3 innings. Donta’ Williams and Connor Norby drove in runs in the ninth but Baltimore failed to make up a four-run deficit.
Yankees 2, Phillies 1
Oscar Gonzalez hit a two-run home run and New York’s split squad beat host Philadelphia in Clearwater, Fla.
Gonzalez, whom the Yankees claimed off waivers from Cleveland this offseason, scored Josh VanMeter with his shot to left center in the top of the eighth. Reliever Luis Gil (2-0) struck out eight batters over 3 2/3 scoreless innings and yielded one hit and one walk.
David Dahl brought in the Phillies’ only run on a ninth-inning sacrifice fly. Luis Ortiz (0-2) gave up Gonzalez’s homer.
Tigers 5, Astros 3
Eddys Leonard and Trei Cruz hit consecutive two-run singles in the eighth inning to guide visiting Detroit past Houston in Palm Beach, Fla.
Tigers pitcher Andrew Vasquez (2-0) struck out two in a perfect inning of relief. Justyn-Henry Malloy piled up three of Detroit’s 10 hits and scored two runs.
Jose Altuve had a pair of RBI singles for the Astros. Reliever Misael Tamarez (1-2) blew the save with four earned runs on four hits and two walks over two innings.
Red Sox 1, Pirates 0
Nick Sogard’s groundout in the seventh inning plated the only run as host Boston squeaked by Pittsburgh in Fort Myers, Fla.
Both teams finished with just five hits. Cam Booser (1-0) pitched a scoreless, hitless seventh after starter Cooper Criswell yielded two hits over 3 2/3 innings with four strikeouts.
Bailey Falter started for the Pirates and went 3 2/3 frames with one hit, one walk and four strikeouts. Ryder Ryan (0-2) gave up the lone run.
Blue Jays 9, Rays 2
Ernie Clement hit a two-run home run and an RBI single as visiting Toronto trounced Tampa Bay in Port Charlotte, Fla.
The Blue Jays, who finished with 11 hits, rang up a 6-0 lead through 2 1/2 innings. Danny Jansen and Davis Schneider added home runs later on. Starter Mitch White (1-0) gave up two runs on five hits and a walk, fanning two over three innings.
Harold Ramirez’s double in the bottom of the third provided the Rays their only two runs. Starter Zach Eflin (0-2) gave up eight runs (four earned) on eight hits in four innings and saw his spring ERA go up to 12.71.
Nationals 11, Cardinals 4
Juan Yepez tallied four RBIs as Washington scored 10 unanswered runs to race past host St. Louis in Jupiter, Fla.
Yepez hit two-run singles during a four-run seventh and a five-run eighth for the Nationals. Jesse Winker, Drew Millas and Alex Call each drove in two runs. Thaddeus Ward (1-0) pitched a perfect sixth inning.
Paul Goldschmidt’s run-scoring double gave the Cardinals a 4-1 lead in the fourth before JoJo Romero (0-3) was dinged for four runs on five hits in one inning of work.
INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES
INDIANA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
2024 INDYSTAR GIRLS’ INDIANA ALL-STARS NAMED
Thirtteen players have been selected for the 2024 IndyStar Indiana Girls’ All-Stars, All-Stars game director Mike Broughton announced Monday (March 11).
Those chosen to the team will play three games in June — one exhibition game against the Indiana Junior All-Stars as well as home-and-home contests against the Kentucky All-Stars.
The players comprising 2024 Indiana Girls’ All-Stars, listed alphabetically, are Audrey Annee of Center Grove, Emma Haan of Zionsville, Alli Harness of Carroll (Flora), Talia Harris of Fishers, Ellery Minch of Mt. Vernon (Fortville), Jordyn Poole of Fort Wayne Snider, Camryn Runner of Hamilton Heights, Chloe Spreen of Bedford North Lawrence, Lauren Walsh of Penn, Reagan Wilson of Noblesville, Faith Wiseman of Indian Creek, Rachel Wirts of Center Grove and Juliann Woodard of Jennings County.
The 2024 IndyStar Indiana Miss Basketball will come from among the above players and be announced later.
The ’24 girls’ All-Stars have two players who have been a part of state championship teams (Spreen, 2023 4A, and Wilson, 2022 4A), two players who were named IBCA first-team Academic All-State (Minch and Runner) and three players who were named IBCA honorable mention Academic All-State (Annee, Haan and Wilson).
Andy Maguire of Zionsville has been named head coach of the 2024 All-Stars. He will be assisted by Jason Simpson of Greensburg and Lauren Votaw of Fishers. Maguire is 330-240 in 26 seasons as a varsity coach, including 256-209 in 21 years at Zionsville. Simpson is 180-65 in 10 seasons at Greensburg. Votaw is 131-44 in seven seasons at Fishers.
The Junior-Senior exhibition game is set for June 5 at Kokomo. The first game against Kentucky will be June 7 at a site to be announced. The final game against Kentucky will be June 8 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
All three dates will be doubleheaders with the IndyStar Indiana Boys’ All-Stars, whose roster will be announced later. The roster for the Indiana girls’ Junior All-Stars were announced March 4. The roster for the Indiana boys’ Junior All-Stars will be announced later.
The Indiana Junior All-Stars will play two girl-boy doubleheaders this year — June 2 against the Kentucky Junior All-Stars at Scottsburg and June 7 against the Indiana seniors at Kokomo.
The Indiana All-Stars program was founded in 1939 when the Indiana Boys All-Stars played the state champion Frankfort Hot Dogs. The series with Kentucky began in 1940, and the girls’ portion of the All-Stars was added in 1976. The Junior All-Stars, boys and girls, were added in 1996. The All-Star senior girls have played Kentucky every year since 1976, except 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The All-Star senior boys have played Kentucky in all but three years since 1940 — 1943 (World War II), 1944 (World War II) and 2020 (COVID-19 pandemic).
The Indiana Senior girls lead 53-41 in their series with Kentucky. The Indiana Senior girls lead 41-11 in games against the Indiana Junior girls. The Indiana Junior girls lead 11-1 in their series with Kentucky. The Indiana Senior boys lead 104-45 in their series with Kentucky. The Indiana Senior boys lead 41-11 in games against the Indiana Junior boys. The Indiana Junior boys lead 7-5 in their series with Kentucky.
The second IndyStar Indiana All-Star “Futures Games” doubleheader will be June 3 at Hamilton Southeastern. The Futures Games will be a girls-boys doubleheader with Indiana-only squads of sophomores and freshmen in a North vs. South format. The Futures Games’ lineups will be announced later. In the inaugural Futures Games, the North girls prevailed 73-63 and the South boys won 100-96.
The Indiana portion of the All-Star Games is organized and produced by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. The Indianapolis Star, with its IndyStar brand, is a title sponsor. Hoosier Shooting Academy is a presenting partner of All-Star Week, and Energy Systems Group is a presented partner of the June 8 All-Star doubleheader at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The IndyStar Indiana All-Star Team is selected through a balloting process of coaches and media overseen by game organizers from the IBCA. The top vote getter will be named Miss Basketball, and the remainder of the team is finalized by Broughton after observing numerous games and events throughout the season, conferring with coaches, school officials and media across the state. Broughton also reviews votes submitted by coaches and media who each could recommend up to 10 players.
Those chosen as 2024 IndyStar Indiana Girls’ All-Stars are listed below alphabetically. Jersey numbers will be assigned later.
2024 IndyStar Indiana Girls All-Stars
Name, School, Height, PPG, College Choice
Audrey Annee, Center Grove, 5-9,13.2, Army
Emma Haan, Zionsville, 5-7, 15.6, Vermont
Alli Harness, Carroll (Flora), 5-8, 20.8, Western Michigan
Talia Harris, Fishers, 5-8, 14.8, Mercer
Ellery Minch, Mt. Vernon (Fortville), 6-2, 14.2, DePaul
Jordyn Poole, Fort Wayne Snider, 5-7, 16.9, Purdue
Camryn Runner, Hamilton Heights, 5-9, 26.9, Evansville
Chloe Spreen, Bedford North Lawrence, 5-10, 20.4, Alabama
Lauren Walsh, Penn, 5-7, 12.5, undecided
Reagan Wilson, Noblesville, 5-8, 16.1, Iowa State
Faith Wiseman, Indian Creek, 6-4, 18.2, Indiana
Rachel Wirts, Center Grove, 6-3, 12.1, Villanova
Juliann Woodard, Jennings County, 6-0, 17.3, Michigan State
Head coach: Andy Maguire, Zionsville
Assistant coaches: Jason Simpson, Greensburg; Lauren Votaw, Fishers
COLTS AGREE TO 3-YEAR, $70 MILLION DEAL WITH MICHAEL PITTMAN JR., AP SOURCE SAYS
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Two weeks ago, Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard promised that Michael Pittman Jr. would be on the team’s roster next fall.
On Monday, he made sure of it.
The Indianapolis Colts are closing in on a three-year, $70 million deal with $46 million in guarantees to keep receiver Michael Pittman Jr, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal is being finalized.
The move comes one week after the Colts placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Pittman, which would have allowed Pittman to negotiate with other teams this week when free agency opens. Had he accepted an offer, the Colts could have matched it — or would have received two first-round picks.
Pittman had the best season of his four-year career last season, becoming the fourth Colts player to catch 100 passes in a single season. He also had his second 1,000-yard season.
Incentives could push the total value of the deal to $71.5 million.
ALSO:
For the third consecutive offseason, the Colts have locked up Tyquan Lewis at the start of free agency, giving Lewis a two-year deal worth $7.7 million guaranteed and $12 million.
The Colts signed middle linebacker Zaire Franklin to a three-year extension worth up to $31.3 million.
RB Zach Moss signed with Cincinnati.
QB Gardner Misnshew signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.
INDIANA PACERS
GAME PREVIEW: PACERS AT THUNDER
Next up, the Indiana Pacers take on one of the best in the West.
The Pacers (36-29) will wrap up a two-game road trip on Tuesday when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder (45-19) at Paycom Center. Two elite offensive teams playing with late-season urgency will face off in the Sooner State.
The Pacers are the second-highest scoring team in the NBA and have the No. 2-ranked offense, while the Thunder are third in scoring and have the third-best offensive rating.
Indiana and OKC teams are also jockeying for positioning in their respective conferences, with just about a month left in the regular season.
As of Sunday night, just two games separated the four and eight seeds in the East, with the Pacers sitting in seventh after beating the Orlando Magic 111-97. In the West, the Thunder are in a three-way battle for the top seed with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets, with just a half-game separating first and third.
PLAYOFF PICTURE: Track the Latest Standings, Potential Matchups, and More >>
The Pacers are 6-4 in their last 10 games, while the Thunder are 8-2 in that time frame.
While the Pacers are known for their offense, they’re coming off one of their top defensive performances of the season. The Pacers gave up a season-low 97 points in their win against the Magic, using a second-half push to help snap a two-game skid.
Sunday’s game was the Pacers’ first without second-year guard Bennedict Mathurin, who leads the league’s highest-scoring bench at 14.5 points per game. It was announced over the weekend that he will miss the rest of the season with a labral tear in his right shoulder.
Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam each scored 20 points for the Blue & Gold in the win in Orlando, while T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin chipped in 17 points each off the bench. McConnell has scored in double digits in three of the last four games.
The Thunder have won three straight coming into Tuesday’s matchup, including a 124-93 victory against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
Part of the Thunder’s rise this season can be attributed to the play of guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has emerged as an MVP candidate. The 25-year-old Canadian is averaging 31.1 points per game—second to just Dallas’ Luka Doncic—to go along with 6.4 assists and 5.5 rebounds.
While SGA has gotten plenty of headlines, second-year forward Jalen Williams has also turned heads this season, averaging 19 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.0 rebounds, and 7-foot-1 rookie center Chet Holmgren is scoring 16.9 points, pulling down 7.8 rebounds, and swatting 2.5 shots nightly.
This is the first matchup between the Pacers and Thunder this season, and the two teams will meet again in Indianapolis on April 5.
The Pacers will have a quick turnaround after playing the Thunder, as they return home to host the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday before welcoming the Brooklyn Nets to town on Saturday.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Aaron Nesmith, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Myles Turner
Thunder: G – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G – Josh Giddey, F – Luguentz Dort, F – Jalen Williams, C – Chet Holmgren
Injury Report
Pacers: Jalen Smith – questionable (illness), Bennedict Mathurin – out (right shoulder labral tear), Doug McDermott – out (right calf strain)
Thunder: TBA
Last Meeting
March 31, 2023: In their final meeting of the 2022-2023 season, a shorthanded Pacers squad posted a 121-117 win over the Thunder at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
After a tight 36 minutes, the Pacers used a 31-point fourth-quarter performance, which included some clutch shooting from the charity stripe, to secure a victory to end March.
The Pacers, leading by three points, intentionally fouled the Thunder with 10 seconds left in the game. After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made both attempts, Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin was fouled and drained his attempts to put the game out of reach.
T.J. McConnell led the Pacers with 21 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard each scored 18, and Jalen Smith supplied 12 points and 15 rebounds. Indiana was without starting point guard Tyrese Haliburton and center Myles Turner in the game.
Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 39 points, going 17-for-17 from the free-throw line, to go with nine rebounds, and Josh Giddey scored 21 points.
Oklahoma City outshot Indiana 47.7 to 45.9 percent, but the Pacers made 12 3-pointers to the Thunder’s four threes. The Pacers won the rebounding margin 56-45.
Noteworthy
Indiana and Oklahoma City have split a pair of games each of the last two seasons.
Pacers forward Doug McDermott has missed six straight games due to a calf strain.
Pacers center Myles Turner is 11 blocks away from passing Jermaine O’Neal (1,245 blocks) as the all-time franchise block leader.
The Thunder are 13-16 versus the Pacers during the Oklahoma City era. OKC is 7-6 at home against the Pacers in this span and 6-10 at Indianapolis.
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana – 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), Pat Boylan (studio host)
Tickets
The Pacers will be back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to tip off a three-game homestand against DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, March 13 at 7:00 PM ET.
INDIANA SOFTBALL
INDIANA FINISHES INDIANA INVITE WITH 4-0 WEEKEND
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– Indiana kept the momentum going on Monday afternoon with the Hoosiers picking up two more wins for a 4-0 showing to close out the Indiana Invite at Andy Mohr Field.
Indiana defeated Oakland, 9-0, in five innings in the Hoosiers’ first game of the day and followed that up with an 8-1 victory over Dayton in the second game.
With the wins, Indiana improved its season record to 19-4. The Hoosiers have also won nine games in a row.
GAME 1: INDIANA 9, OAKLAND 0 (F/5)
GAME 2: INDIANA 8, DAYTON 1
KEY MOMENTS (vs. Oakland)
• Indiana scored all of its runs in the second and third inning, logging five in the second inning and four in the third.
• Freshman Alex Cooper got Indiana’s offense started in the bottom of the second, with an RBI double to right center, which scored three runs to put Indiana up 3-0.
• In the third inning senior Brooke Benson tripled to center field and scored Cooper in the process to make it an 8-0 game.
• A double from redshirt senior Cora Bassett scored Benson and solidified Indiana’s 9-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning.
• Senior Macy Montgomery pitched in relief, throwing two innings and not allowing a run or a hit and threw four strikeouts in six batters faced.
KEY MOMENTS (vs. Dayton)
• When tied 1-1 in the bottom of the third inning, junior Sarah Stone broke the game open with a double to left center field that scored two runs and put IU up 3-1.
• A few at-bats later, freshman Aly VanBrandt hit for an RBI single to add on another run and extend the lead to 4-1.
• The scoring continued in the bottom of the third inning when sophomore Avery Parker hit one over the fence in left field for a two-run home run.
• Junior Brianna Copeland homered to left center, scoring two runs and extending the lead to 8-1.
• In the top of the seventh inning, the game ended on a lineout and impressive catch from senior Brooke Benson.
NOTABLES
• Indiana outhit Oakland and Dayton by a combined 20-7 on Monday.
• In Indiana’s opening homestand of the 2024 season, the Hoosiers went 8-0 in games at Andy Mohr Field.
• Across both games, ten different Hoosiers recorded a hit.
• Against Oakland, Aly VanBrandt, Sarah Stone, Kinsey Mitchell, Alex Cooper and Brooke Benson all went 2-for-2 at the plate.
• With Indiana heading to play at Florida Atlantic and Florida this week, it’ll mark Indiana’s second trip out to the sunshine state this season.
UP NEXT
Indiana will be back in action on Wednesday at FAU with a 5 p.m. first pitch.
PURDUE WOMEN’S GOLF
GU PACES PURDUE WITH BIG DAY AT BRIAR’S CREEK
JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. – Making just her second appearance in the Purdue Women’s Golf lineup this season, Jade Gu recorded nine birdies and an eagle as part of a big day for the junior at the Briar’s Creek Invitational. With rounds of 70 (-2) and 71 (-1), Gu (-3) led the Boilermakers in both rounds to sit in sixth place on the individual leaderboard.
Purdue made three eagles throughout the first two rounds Monday, while the rest of the 16 teams in the field combined for four. The Boilermakers also found success on the par 3s, playing the short holes 1-over to rank second in the field. With team rounds of 294 (+6) and 293 (+5), Purdue is in eighth (+11) with 18 holes remaining.
On her best day as a Boilermaker, Gu started with a roller coaster round in the morning that consisted of only six pars. Starting on No. 5, her first four holes featured back-to-back birdies sandwiched in between bogeys to make the turn at even par. She proceeded to par three of the next four holes before catching fire. Gu recorded four birdies in a five-hole stretch, including a pair of deuces on the back nine par 3s. Turning back to the front side, she holed out for eagle at the 343-yard par-4 first to move to 3-under and near the top of the leaderboard. With three pars and one bogey down the stretch, Gu secured her round of 70 and Purdue’s best round of the day.
Gu’s afternoon featured three birdies, all on par 4s. While only making two bogeys throughout the round, she carded her second under-par round of the day with a 71, moving to 3-under for the tournament and just outside the Top 5 in the 104-player field.
Ashley Kozlowski and Momo Sugiyama are tied for 15th at 1-over through two rounds. Kozlowski got off to a hot start, going 3-under through her first four holes that included an eagle on the par-5 seventh. A 39 (+3) on the back nine pushed Kozlowski back to even par before a bogey on her final hole completed her opening round of 73 (+1). She began her afternoon round with a birdie on the par-3 fourth, one of three birdies in round two to counter a trio of bogeys for a 72 (E). Kozlowski played the par 3s 2-under for the day, ranking second in par-3 scoring.
Sugiyama opened with a 74 (+2), taking advantage of the par 5s by going 2-under on the lengthy holes. She birdied two more par 5s in the second round, and despite a bogey, she ranked third in the field in par-5 scoring (-3). Sugiyama made five birdies during the afternoon, helping her fire a 1-under 71.
The Boilermakers have 18 holes to finish strong and move up the leaderboard. Tuesday’s final round begins with a shotgun start at 8:45 a.m. ET. Purdue (+11) is paired with No. 10 Florida (+7), NC State (+8) and Boston College (+10).
For updates throughout tomorrow’s final round, follow Purdue Women’s Golf on Twitter @PurdueWGolf.
BOILERMAKERS
6. Jade Gu: 70-71—141 (-3)
T15. Ashley Kozlowski: 73-72—145 (+1)
T15. Momo Sugiyama: 74-71—145 (+1)
T81. Jocelyn Bruch: 77-79—156 (+12)
T93. Natasha Kiel: 79-80—159 (+15)
*T10. Jasmine Kahler: 72-71—143 (-1)
*Competing as an individual
TEAM LEADERBOARD
1. Michigan State: 284-282—566 (-10)
2. Illinois: 284-288—572 (-4)
3. Rutgers: 291-290—581 (+5)
4. #17 UCF: 301-281—582 (+6)
5. #10 Florida: 290-293—583 (+7)
6. NC State: 291-293—584 (+8)
7. Boston College: 294-292—586 (+10)
8. Purdue: 294-293—587 (+11)
9. Campbell: 285-306—591 (+15)
10. Miami (FL): 294-298—592 (+16)
11. Nebraska: 296-298—594 (+18)
12. Georgetown: 293-302—595 (+19)
13. College of Charleston: 305-293—598 (+22)
14. Maryland: 299-300—599 (+23)
15. Penn State: 305-296—601 (+25)
16. Wisconsin: 299-304—603 (+27)
17. Old Dominion: 297-309—606 (+30)
NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL
IRISH HOST BOWLING GREEN IN 2024 HOME OPENER
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team is set to open its home schedule Tuesday afternoon as the Fighting Irish will host the Bowling Green Falcons in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
The Irish are coming off of a 4-1 weekend at the Marshall March Madness tournament. Notre Dame picked up wins over Indiana State, Ball State and Marshall over the weekend, scoring 36 runs in five games. This will be the first midweek games of the season for the Irish and the earliest home game played in program history. Notre Dame enters at 12-9 on the season.
Bowling Green will come to South Bend for the first time since the 2018 season. The Falcons bring a 1-11 record to town Tuesday. The Irish have won 11-consecutive games over the Falcons, and are 16-6 overall in the series.
Fans can follow the action with live stats via statbroadcast.com or follow along on X, as well as Instagram.
BUTLER MEN’S GOLF
BULLDOGS IN RED NUMBERS AND IN FOURTH AT THE SURF CLUB INVITATIONAL
The Bulldogs posted a strong 36 holes Monday, finishing the day in fourth place at The Surf Club Invitational.
The event, hosted by App State, features a total of 54 holes over the course of Monday and Tuesday.
Butler’s Will Horne and Damon Dickey are tied for 17th at even-par 142. Horne’s morning scorecard Monday included seven birdies on the 6,996-yard Surf Golf and Beach Club course in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on his way to a three-under 68. Derek Tabor matched his morning 68 behind six birdies.
It was Leo Zurovac, playing as an individual, who had the best afternoon 18, utilizing five birdies to shoot a 68. Dickey was steady over his 36 holes, but his afternoon round included an eagle three on the 493-yard first hole.
Tabor and Henry Quinn are one shot behind their teammates, part of a group tied for 23rd at 143 (+1).
Connecticut’s Ray Dennehy holds a one-shot lead after the first two rounds. His seven-under 64 in the afternoon round Monday has him at 134 (-8).
Butler’s BIG EAST rival Connecticut holds the team lead at 552 (-16). Radford (560), host App State (565), and Butler (566) follow. The Bulldogs total of two-over came after rounds of 280 and 286 Monday. There are a total of 18 teams in the field.
THE BULLDOGS:
T17) Will Horne, 68-74—142 (E)
T17) Damon Dickey, 72-70—142 (E)
T23) Henry Quinn, 72-71—143 (+1)
T23) Derek Tabor, 68-75—143 (+1)
T50) Daniel Tanaka, 75-71—146 (+4)
T60) Leo Zurovac (playing as an individual), 80-68—148 (+6)
A final 18 holes is slated for Tuesday morning. Live scoring will be available via GolfStat.
BUTLER SOFTBALL
BUTLER SOFTBALL OPENS BIG EAST PLAY WITH PAIR OF WINS OVER PROVIDENCE
INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler softball team started BIG EAST competition with a winning streak, taking a pair of games from visiting Providence, as both teams began conference action in games delayed from this past weekend. The Friars (6-9, 0-2 BIG EAST) were in control of game one in the early innings, but the Bulldogs (12-10, 2-0 BIG EAST) used strong fifth and sixth innings to come from behind and secure the win. In game two, Butler scored in the second, third, and fourth innings and never trailed.
Game 1: Butler 6, Providence 5 (7 innings)
Providence scored three runs in the second inning and two more in the fourth to build a 5-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth, with the bases loaded, Ella White hit a two-RBI single to get Butler on the board. Later in the inning, Cate Lehner advanced home from third on a passed ball, cutting the lead to two runs.
In the sixth, a two-out rally would produce three more. With runners on second and third, Lehner singled, sending Olivia Moxley across. Then, White, with her second two-RBI single of the game, sent Hailey Conger and Lehner home, giving the Dawgs a 6-5 lead.
The Friars did not threaten in the seventh.
Katie Petran started in the circle for Butler and pitched the first two innings. Sydney Cammon (5-6) entered in the top of the third, trailing 3-0, but ultimately earned the win. In 4.0 innings, she allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out three. Petran (3.0 IP, 3R, 3H, BB, K) re-entered in the top of the seventh, with the Dawgs up, 6-5, and notched the save.
Game 2: Butler 5, Providence 1 (7 innings)
In the second inning, Butler jumped into an early lead when Sydney Carter hit an RBI double to left field. In the third, another double, this time from Teagan O’Rilley, push two more Bulldogs across.
In the fourth, Monique Hoosen got things started with lead-off home run. After the Dawgs loaded the bases, Ella White then hit a line drive to left field that allowed Olivia Moxley to score. Butler held a 5-0 lead after four complete.
In the fifth, Providence got on the board, scoring from third on a wild pitch. In the final two innings, the Friars managed only one base runner, on a seventh inning single, and were unable to score.
Katie Petran (7-0) pitched a complete game for the Dawgs to earn the victory. In 7.0 innings, she held the Friars to one unearned run on six hits with two strikeouts.
Bulldog Bits
Monique Hoosen’s home run was her sixth of the season and the 33rd of her career.
Sydney Carter’s double was her second of the season and ninth of her career.
Teagan O’Rilley’s double was her sixth of the season and 13th of her career.
Sydney Cammon’s victory in game one was her fifth win of the season and her ninth at Butler.
Katie Petran earned her seventh win in her seventh complete game of the season in game two. She also picked up her second save of the season in game one.
Up Next
Butler will remain in Indianapolis for game three of the BIG EAST series with Providence tomorrow, Tuesday, Mar. 12, at 12 pm. On Wednesday, the Bulldogs will travel to Bellarmine for games against the Knights as well as Dartmouth.
IUPUI MEN’S TENNIS
MEN’S TENNIS EARNS SPRING BREAK VICTORY OVER LEHIGH
ORLANDO, Fla. – The IUPUI men’s tennis team kicked off their spring break trip to Orlando with a victory over Lehigh, 4-3. The Jags secured the doubles point and three singles points to earn the win.
Steven Paz and Luka Rodic took the number two doubles match with a score of 6-4 while Blessing Benibo and Noah Viste secured the doubles point with a victory in the number three spot, 6-4. Kamil Kozerski and Emil Jankowski fell in the number one spot, 6-2.
After earning the doubles point, the Jags took three out of the six singles points to secure the win. Paz earned a dominate singles win in the number four spot, 6-2, 6-1 while Rodic took the number five singles match, 6-4, 6-1. Sophomore Eli Mercer sealed the victory in the number six spot, 7-6, 6-2.
Kozerski dropped the number one singles match in a hard fought three sets, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4. Viste fell in the number two spot, 6-3, 7-5 while Nate Day lost in the number three spot, 6-1, 7-6.
IUPUI will continue their Orlando trip when they face Lafayette College on Wednesday at 1:00 PM.
IUPUI WOMEN’S GOLF
JAGS CARD OPENING ROUND 318 AT BUTLER DON BENBOW INVITATIONAL
OLDSMAR, Fla. – The IUPUI women’s golf team carded an opening round 318 on day one of the Butler Don Benbow Spring Invitational on Monday (Mar. 11) and sits seventh among the 16-team field. Teams will resume play on Tuesday (Mar. 12) with a final round at Ardea Country Club.
Senior Annaliese Fox paced the Jaguars with an opening round, 6-over 78 and classmate Shelby Busker turned in a 7-over 79.
“It was a rough start out there today. The wind picked up right when we teed off,” Fox said. “I was trying to keep my game together. It was the first time in awhile I wasn’t hitting my irons the best. I stayed focused and kept pushing through it.
“I finished strong at the end of it all. The golf course is in great shape. I just need to pick out better targets and landing spots to play better.”
Scoring was at a premium on day one as no Jaguar made birdie until well past the midpoint of their rounds. Both Busker and Fox made birdie on the par-5 No. 18, marking their 12th and 13th holes of their rounds, respectively. Busker made a second birdie later in her round and Madeleine Pape made birdie on her final hole of the day.
Behind Fox and Busker, junior Nerea Lancho shot 8-over 80 and both Pape and Yanah Rolston closed at 81 apiece. Freshman Nina Wojtczak led IUPUI’s ‘B’ entry with a 9-over 81 and senior Keisha Bennett shot 83.
Fox, Pape and Rolston tied with a team-high 10 pars each on Monday and Lancho made nine.
Western Michigan leads the field at 302 while Belmont is second at 307. Quinnipiac’s Leeyen Peralta is atop the leaderboard at 72 and was the lone player to shoot par or better on Monday. She holds a two-shot lead over WMU’s Megha Vallabhaneni and Jenna Hayes.
Tuesday’s round is slated for a 9:00 a.m. shotgun start.
BALL STATE BASEBALL
BASEBALL HOSTING PURDUE FORT WAYNE TUESDAY AFTERNOON
The Ball State baseball team continues its seven-game homestand to begin the 19-game home slate with a 3 p.m. battle on Tuesday against Purdue Fort Wayne at the First Merchants Ballpark Complex.
The Cardinals (10-6) took down Eastern Michigan 11-8 on Sunday in the finale of the first Mid-American Conference series of the year. Juniors Merritt Beeker (5.2 innings pitched, 1 run, 10 strikeouts) and Michael Hallquist (4-for-5, home run, two runs scored) powered the way to the first home win this season for Ball State.
The Mastodons (6-11) most recently split a four-game set at Missouri, winning the first two games of the weekend 9-7 against the Southeastern Conference opponent. Purdue Fort Wayne started the year 1-6 before a 9-6 midweek win at No. 20 Indiana on Feb. 27. The Mastodons also won 12-10 last Tuesday at Butler, who Ball State will play twice this year.
Ball State pitchers combine to pace the MAC in ERA (4.80), hits allowed per nine innings (8.53) and strikeouts per nine (10.5), while the Cardinal bats lead the league in doubles (31) and home runs (18) this year.
After Sunday’s 10-strikout performance, Beeker leads the MAC in total strikeouts (30, No. 38 in NCAA Division I) and strikeouts per nine innings (15.9, No. 12). Hallquist is tied for second in the league and No. 45 nationally with his six homers.
Purdue Fort Wayne is in its fifth year under the direction of head coach Doug Schreiber, who was the head man at Purdue for 18 seasons previously and has accumulated 538 career wins.
Mastodon junior infielder Nick Sutherlin ranks second in the Horizon League and No. 39 nationally in doubles (seven), while freshman Justin Osterhouse leads the team in batting average (.350), home runs (six) and RBI (19) so far.
Up Next
Ball State is scheduled to host a three-game series with Bowling Green beginning at 3 p.m. on Friday to continue conference play.
BALL STATE MEN’S GOLF
PLAY SUSPENDED DURING SECOND ROUND OF AUBURN’S TIGER INVITATIONAL
AUBURN, Ala. – The Ball State men’s golf team sits in 15th place Monday evening after second-round play at the Tiger Invitational was suspended due to darkness. Hosted at the par-72, 7,519-yard Auburn University Club, the Cardinals started slow on the tough course that kept all 17 participating teams at least 10-over par in the opening round.
Ball State (312) shot +24 as a team in its first 18 holes, tied in 13th place with Toledo (312) and Lipscomb (312), 14 strokes behind Elon (298) and tournament host and No. 2-ranked Auburn (298) who tied for the early lead. The remaining 16 schools all shot 300 or above.
When play was suspended, Ball State golfers had completed between 14-15 holes in the second round. Play resumes Tuesday morning with a shotgun start at 9:15 a.m. Central Time.
Evidence of the difficult track was 18-hole scoring that flipped the Ball State lineup with No. 4 golfer Braxton Kuntz (76, +4) and No. 5 Alec Cesare (78, +6) topping the Cardinals’ scoring. Playing in the No. 2 and No. 3 positions, Carter Smith and Ali Khan were one stroke behind at 79 (+7), with Ball State’s No. 1 golfer, Kash Bellar, firing 81 (+9).
“Today was a struggle from the start,” said veteran Ball State coach Mike Fleck. “I saw several unforced mistakes and between the difficulty of the course and firmness of the greens, we could never really get anything going. Tomorrow is a new day with the goal of finishing round 2 strong and getting after it in the final round to chase up that leaderboard.”
Ball State Individual Results, First Round
No. 4 Braxton Kuntz: 38-38—76 (+4, 26th)
No. 5 Alec Cesare: 38-40—78 (+6, 43rd)
No. 2 Carter Smith: 36-43—79 (+7, 54th)
No. 3 Ali Khan: 39-40—79 (+7, 54th)
No. 1 Kash Bellar: 39-42—81 (+9, 68th)
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
SYCAMORES MAKE 2024 HOME DEBUT TUESDAY AGAINST ILLINOIS
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State baseball makes its long-awaited home debut on Tuesday afternoon as the Sycamores welcome the University of Illinois to Bob Warn Field for a midweek nonconference matchup. First pitch at The Bob is set for 4 p.m. ET with the game to be carried live on ESPN+.
Game Day Promotion Schedule
It’s Fan Appreciation Day at the ballpark with free general admission to all fans, while autographed MVC/Regional Championship posters will be handed out to the first 100 fans. It’s also Two for Tuesdays with fans able to purchase two hot dogs for $5 at the concession stand.
On the Call
Greg Rakestraw and Jeremy Lucas will be on the ESPN+ call for the Sycamores on Tuesday, while John Sherman is back to reprise his role as the baseball radio play-by-play on 105.5 The Legend as Indiana State brings an 11-3 overall record back to Terre Haute for their first home game following the opening week of the season.
Game Preview
The Sycamores enter the week coming off their first weekend sweep of 2024 after taking all three games from Florida A&M down at Moore-Kittles Field in Tallahassee, Fla. Indiana State took the opener on Friday, 8-4, before sweeping Sunday’s doubleheader by scores of 7-2 and 15-0.
Luis Hernandez (.462) and Adam Pottinger (.429) highlighted the Indiana State offense over the weekend with the duo pacing an attack that connected at a .302 clip from the plate. Mike Sears added three home runs, including his first multi-home run game of 2024, as well as nine RBIs as the Sycamores pressed the FAMU pitchers overall.
On the mound, the starting rotation of Cameron Holycross, Luke Hayden, and Brennyn Cutts combined for a 3-0 record and 1.69 ERA over 16.0 innings. The Sycamore trio posted a 19:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio allowing the FAMU lineup to hit just .217 from the plate.
Sears homered twice and Hernandez also went deep in the opening 8-4 win over FAMU. ISU set the tone early in the game scoring two runs in both the first and second innings to take the early 4-0 advantage over FAMU and providing Holycross all the run support he’d need in the win. The redshirt senior pitcher went 5.0 innings in his first start of the season allowing four hits and one run while striking out six in the game.
Indiana State rallied back from an early deficit in the first game in Sunday’s doubleheader with Hernandez and Grant Magill both driving in two runs apiece as the Sycamores secured the series win over the Rattlers with the 7-2 win. Hayden went five strong innings in the win allowing five hits and two runs while striking out six.
Indiana State’s offense exploded for 13 hits and 15 runs in the series finale to complete the weekend sweep with the 15-0 win over Florida A&M. Sears connected on his first grand slam of the season and drove in a season-high six RBIs in the contest, while Hernandez went 4-for-4 with four runs scored to pace an ISU offense that had nine different players record hits. Cutts went six scoreless innings allowing four hits and striking out seven in the win.
For their efforts, Hernandez (Mark Clinkenbeard Construction) and Cutts (MVC Pitcher) earned weekly recognition from both Indiana State and the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Sycamores have won four in a row following a three-game skid at Vanderbilt and Southern Miss with ISU taking the series finale against the Golden Eagles and all three against the Rattlers. Prior to the losing streak, ISU had won seven in a row to start the 2024 season tying for the fourth-longest winning streak to open a year in program history.
The ISU offense has started to balance out with Hernandez (.333) and Dominic Listi (.333) leading four hitters connecting at a .300 clip from the plate. Hernandez paces the team with 19 hits and 13 runs while adding 13 RBIs. Parker Stinson (.311) and Randal Diaz (.308) are also among the team’s hitting leaders on the year, while Sears (5) and Stinson (4) have connected on nine of ISU’s 14 home runs.
The Sycamores remain adept at getting on base this season drawing 60 walks and an MVC-high 36 hit-by-pitches over the first 14 games. Overall, 14 different players have been hit by a pitch in 2024 led by Listi (9), Pottinger (5), and Diaz (4).
Indiana State continues to boast one of the best pitching staffs in the NCAA and sits first or second in the Valley in multiple pitching categories through the first month of the season. The Sycamores lead the Valley in ERA (4.01), shutouts (2), runs allowed (67), earned runs (53), and strikeouts (147). ISU is also second in the Valley in walks (46) and opponent batting average (.242).
The Sycamores have allowed two or fewer earned runs seven times in the 2024 season, while posting double-digit strikeout numbers in 10 contests this season. Overall, six Sycamore pitchers have gone double-digit innings on the season, while seven have posted double-digit strikeouts paced by Jacob Pruitt (31).
Scouting Illinois
Illinois enters the midweek matchup with a 5-9 overall record in the 2024 season including an 0-5 record away from Illinois Field. The Fighting Illini have dropped each of their last three contests falling at No. 8 Tennessee in a weekend series in Knoxville by scores of 6-3, 24-1, and 8-3.
Illinois has lined up against additional top-25 opponents falling to No. 1 Wake Forest (5-2) on the opening weekend, while dropping a 17-9 decision at Coastal Carolina on February 23. Common opponents remaining on the Illinois schedule include Bradley (Mar. 19), Indiana (Mar. 22-24), Illinois State (Apr. 2 & 9), and Purdue (May 16-18). The Sycamores return the trip to Illinois on April 30.
Camden Janik is back to pace the Illinois lineup as the junior catcher has posted a team-high .345 batting average with highs in hits (19), and doubles (5). Drake Westcott has been the power threat from the plate with four home runs, while Coltin Quagliano is the team leader with 16 RBIs. Overall, Illinois is hitting .247 from the plate as a team through the first 14 games.
Cooper Omans is likely to get the start on the mound for Illinois on Tuesday night with the grad student posting a 2-0 mark with a 2.31 ERA over 11.2 innings. He boasts an 11:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio going 2.2 innings in his last appearance against Michigan State on March 3.
Overall, Illinois has utilized 14 different pitchers on the mound in the 2024 season posting a 7.43 staff ERA over 122.1 innings. The Fighting Illini are allowing opponents to hit .271 from the plate with a 118:74 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Series History
Indiana State took both games in the 2023 season over Illinois topping the Fighting Illini in Urbana-Champaign for the first time since 2007 with a 7-3 10-inning win on March 15. The Sycamores picked up the second win in extra innings on May 2 at Bob Warn Field with Miguel Rivera connecting on the walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the 13th inning in ISU’s 5-4 win.
Illinois leads the all-time series 45-39-2 dating back to the inaugural matchup in 1906. The Sycamores have the 23-16-1 edge in Terre Haute including winning the last six games at home dating back to the 2006 season.
Up Next
Indiana State is back on the road this weekend traveling to Xavier University for a three-game series in Cincinnati, Ohio running from March 15-17. First pitch at Hayden Field in Friday’s opener is set for 3 p.m. ET.
EVANSVILLE SOFTBALL
ACES OPEN MVC SCHEDULE ON TUESDAY
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Missouri Valley Conference action begins on Tuesday and Wednesday for the University of Evansville softball team, who welcomes Indiana State to Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at James & Dorothy Cooper Stadium. First pitch for both games will be 5 p.m.
Evansville enters its MVC slate having won four of its last five games. In its 4-1 finish to the last week, UE hit .357 as a team while outscoring the opposition by a 49-31 margin. UE also slugged .593 as a team with its runners reaching base 43.1% of the time.
Marah Wood put together a big week at the plate for the Purple Aces, batting .429 with two home runs, seven RBI and six runs scored while slugging .857. After going 1-3 in Wednesday’s opener against Lindenwood, Wood picked up the biggest hit of the year for the Aces in game two. With her team trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the 6th, Wood launched a 2-run home run that would prove to be the game winner while giving Evansville its first win of the season.
UE pitcher Megan Brenton won three games over the last week while striking out 12 batters and posted a 3.59 ERA. On Wednesday against Lindenwood, Brenton tossed a complete game gem to help the Purple Aces to their first win of the season.
Batting .357 and scoring eight runs on the week, freshman Brooke Voss played a large role in the Aces’ 4-1 finish to the week. Voss accumulated five hits in 14 at-bats while slugging .786 and reaching base 47.1% of the time. All five hits came in her final eight at-bats of the weekend. Voss put together her top day of collegiate softball on Sunday. In the opener against St. Bonaventure, she was a perfect 3-3 with a home run, two RBI and four runs scored. She followed that up with a 2-for-5 performance in the weekend finale versus Bellarmine. Voss added her second home run of the day while picking up two RBI and two more runs.
Indiana State comes into Tuesday’s contest with a record of 11-12. Kennedy Shade leads the Sycamores with a .413 batting average. She has recorded two home runs, 20 RBI and 10 runs scored through the opening month of the season.
EVANSVILLE MEN’S BASKETBALL
PURPLE ACES ACCEPT INVITE TO 2024 COLLEGE BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Purple Aces are headed to the postseason! On Monday, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team officially accepted an invitation to the 2024 College Basketball Invitational to mark its first postseason appearance since 2015.
“This year’s group has been committed to working extremely hard to be a better version of themselves on a daily basis,” UE head coach David Ragland said. “Through the continuous hard work, we have been able to generate a very competitive product on the court resulting in more wins than our program has had in a long time.”
“Our staff and player goals since we set foot on campus have been to revive a storied program. There are certain progressive steps to take in order to reach those goals. Receiving an invitation to play in a post-season tournament is a great honor and one that this group truly deserves.”
Running from March 23-27, the CBI will take place at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. Brackets and opponent information will be released on Selection Sunday. Opening round games will take place on the 23rd and 24th.
Ticket information will be available following the release of the bracket on Selection Sunday. If you are interested in attending, please reach out to Logan Belz at 812-488-2623 to be added to a distribution list for the most up-to-date information as soon as it becomes available.
Evansville earned 16 victories in 2023-24, more than tripling its win total from a season ago. UE picked up six Missouri Valley Conference victories, doubling its conference win total from the previous two seasons combined. In its trip to Arch Madness, the Aces defeated Illinois State in the opening round, picking up its first win in St. Louis since 2017.
The CBI is a single-elimination, fully-bracketed men’s basketball postseason tournament featuring 16 teams from across the country competing for a championship in Florida. The field consists of teams not selected for the NCAA Tournament.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
MASTODON WOMEN’S BASKETBALL’S HORIZON LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP RUN COMES TO AN END
INDIANAPOLIS – Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball’s run in the Barbasol Horizon League Championship came to an end on Monday (March 11) with a 64-55 loss to Green Bay.
The ‘Dons and Phoenix went blow for blow throughout this contest, with Green Bay eventually pulling away late. Purdue Fort Wayne’s 12 made 3-pointers kept them in close reach for most of the matchup. However, a late surge for the Phoenix allowed them to pull away.
The first five minutes of the first quarter only produced five total points, with Green Bay up 5-0. Audra Emmerson finally took the lid off the hoop for the ‘Dons, hitting a much needed 3-pointer. The quarter ended with three total made 3-pointers for the Mastodons, up 11-9.
Purdue Fort Wayne continued to hit from deep in the first half, with seven shots from deep finding the bottom of the net. The game remained close through the second quarter, ending 30-27 with Green Bay in the lead.
The third quarter followed the pattern of the first half, becoming a back-and-forth fight. Following a Sydney Graber and-one, the ‘Dons trailed 48-45.
Green Bay began the fourth quarter on a 13-3 run, extending their lead to nine, which ultimately stood as the difference in the contest.
Destinee Marshall ended with a career-high nine assists, setting the record for most assists by a Mastodon in a tournament game in the Division I era.
Purdue Fort Wayne made 12 3-pointers during the semifinal game, coming from four different ‘Dons: Shayla Sellers (4), Amellia Bromenschenkel (4), Destinee Marshall (3) and Audra Emmerson (1). Bromenschenkel and Sellers finished with team-highs of 14 points. Marshall joined them in double-figures with 11. Sydney Graber had seven points off the bench.
Phoenix’s Callie Genke led all players in scoring, with 16 points on three made 3-pointers.
Purdue Fort Wayne moves to 21-12 and awaits more postseason play possibilities. Green Bay improves to 25-6 and heads to the Barbasol Horizon League Basketball Championship final against Cleveland State.
SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL
USI COMPLETES DH, SERIES SWEEP OF BELLARMINE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball completed a series sweep of Bellarmine University by taking both ends of a doubleheader, 8-1 and 8-4, Monday in Louisville, Kentucky. USI is 7-8 in the non-conference season, while Bellarmine goes 1-14.
The series sweep is the first for the Screaming Eagles since end of 2022 when USI took all four games from the University of Indianapolis. The sweep also is USI’s first series sweep since moving to Division I.
Game 1:
USI built an 8-0 lead in cruising to an 8-1 victory in the opening game Monday morning at Knights Field. The Screaming Eagles scored one in the third, fifth and eighth while sealing the victory with five in the sixth.
Senior first baseman Tuck Ebest (Austin, Texas) led the Eagles with four RBIs, including a two-run single in the five-run sixth. Sophomore second baseman Caleb Niehaus (Newburgh, Indiana) had a team-best three hits in the victory.
On the mound, junior right-hander Gavin Seebold (Jeffersonville, Indiana) earned his second victory in relief. Seebold (2-1) allowed one run on four hits, striking out four in five innings of work.
USI junior right-hander Peyton Brown (Clemmons, North Carolina) started and got a no-decision. Brown allowed three hits and two walks over four innings, while striking out three.
Game 2:
The Eagles spotted the Knights a 4-0 first inning lead before rallying with three runs in the second and two in the third to take the lead and rolled to an 8-4 win in the nightcap.
USI senior rightfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan) led the USI offensive attack in the nightcap, pounding out four hits and driving in three RBI. Junior catcher Logan Mock (Livermore, Kentucky) hit his first home run as an Eagle, a two-run blast, that he drove over the left center wall in the ninth.
On the bump, USI junior right-hander Gavin Morris (Brazil, Indiana) picked up his first win of the season in his fourth start of the year. Morris (1-1) went 5.1 innings, allowing four runs, one earned, on six hits and two walks, while striking out four.
Up Next for the Eagles:
USI continues its nine-game road swing Tuesday when it visits Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. First pitch for the first ever match-up between the two programs is scheduled for 4 p.m.
MTSU is 8-7 overall this year and has five of its last six contests.
SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL
USI DOWNS TENNESSEE TECH IN MONDAY SERIES FINALE
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – University of Southern Indiana Softball displayed its extra-base power on Monday when the Screaming Eagles notched five extra-base hits toward a 6-3 series finale road win at Tennessee Tech University.
Southern Indiana (7-11, 1-2) came out swinging right in the first inning Monday. Following a double by sophomore outfielder Caroline Stapleton (Shirley, Indiana), senior first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) brought Stapleton home on a double to centerfield. Three batters later, junior infielder Hailey Gotshall (Lucerne, Indiana) drove in two more runs with a double down the left field line, giving USI a 3-0 advantage through the first inning.
Tennessee Tech (9-7) chipped away with a run in the third and another in the fourth inning to draw within one run of the Screaming Eagles, 3-2. Southern Indiana responded in the top of the fifth inning, grabbing a 5-2 lead with a pair of runs. Senior catcher Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) led off the fifth with a solo home run, her second of the season.
USI added an insurance run in the top of the sixth inning when Gotshall recorded her second double and third RBI of the contest. With the Screaming Eagles ahead 6-2, Tennessee Tech threatened with the potential tying run at the plate in the bottom of the sixth, but USI junior pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) pitched out of the jam. The Golden Eagles scored their last run in the bottom of the seventh.
Southern Indiana scored its six runs off 10 hits, five of which went for extra bases. Gotshall finished with three RBIs on a pair of doubles. Kihega went 2-2 with a home run, and Stapleton also registered a two-hit game. Newman earned the pitching win, going to 6-5 this season. Newman struck out three and allowed three runs – two earned – in the complete game.
Tennessee Tech’s three runs came off six hits. Freshman pitcher Faith Rush dropped 1-3 after surrendering three runs in two innings of work.
Next, USI Softball will make its home debut at USI Softball Field Saturday and Sunday against Morehead State University in an OVC showdown. Saturday is a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m., and Sunday’s series finale is scheduled for Noon. There will also be a 2024 USI Softball magnet schedule giveaway throughout the weekend series.
All three games against Morehead State can be seen with an ESPN+ subscription and heard on 95.7 The Spin. Live stats and coverage links can be found on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.
VALPO WOMEN’S TENNIS
TENNIS FALLS TO SAM HOUSTON STATE TO START SPRING TRIP
The Valparaiso University tennis team dropped the opening match of its annual spring break trip on Monday, falling 7-0 at Sam Houston State.
How It Happened
Two of the three doubles matches were tightly contested. Sam Houston State had already secured the No. 1 doubles win, and clinched the point when its No. 3 tandem edged Elizabeth Sobieski (Muskego, Wis. / Muskego) and Mia Bertino (Lockport, Ill. / Joliet Catholic) 6-4. The No. 2 doubles match involving Sydney Stone (Brisbane, Australia / Tyler JC]) and Jolene Fernandes (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) was deadlocked 5-5 when play was halted.
Bertino took a set from Sahithi Vutukuru at No. 3 singles, winning the set 7-5 after dropping a close first 6-4. She fell in a match tiebreak 10-6.
The other matches all finished in straight sets in favor of the hosts. Stone nearly forced a third set at No. 5, but she was edged 7-6(5) by Roberta Sechi in a tight second set.
Up Next
The Beacons (7-6) will remain in Huntsville, Texas to clash with UTEP at noon CT on Tuesday.
VALPO WOMEN’S GOLF
SKIBINSKI LEADS TEAM AS BEACONS OPEN DON BENBOW SPRING INVITATIONAL
The Valparaiso University women’s golf team teed off the Don Benbow Spring Invitational on Monday, beginning a two-day, 36-hole event hosted by Butler at the par-72, 6297-yard Ardea Country Club course in Oldsmar, Fla. Taylor Skibinski (Michigan City, Ind. / Michigan City) posted the top score by a Beacon on the first day of the event.
How It Happened
Skibinski’s 82 accounted for the team’s best Round-1 score. She is tied for 48th in a 98-golfer field.
Roslyn Leitner (Dundee, Ill. / Harry Jacobs) posted the squad’s second-best score with an 84. She was followed by Katie Schreiner (Fenton, Mo. / Summit) with an 87.
The team score of 341 is five shots out of 15th and nine out of 14th with 18 holes remaining. Western Michigan (302) leads the tournament, while Quinnipiac’s Leeyen Peralta owns the top spot on the player leaderboard.
Leitner, Madison Keil (LaGrange, Ind. / Lakeland) and Katelyn McCoy (Chesterton, Ind. / Chesterton) all drained birdies for the Beacons.
Up Next
Valpo will close out the Don Benbow Spring Invitational hosted by Butler in Oldsmar, Fla. on Tuesday with tee times slated to begin at 8 a.m. CT / 9 a.m. ET in the Sunshine State. A link to live scoring via GolfStat is available on ValpoAthletics.com.
VALPO BASEBALL
GARDNER-WEBB ON DECK AS SPRING TRIP ROLLS ON
Valparaiso (6-8, 0-0 MVC)
at Gardner-Webb (6-9, 0-0 Big South)
Bill Masters Field at John Henry Moss Stadium (550) | Boiling Springs, N.C.
Tuesday, March 12, 3 p.m. CT – RHP Kaleb Krier
Next Up in Valpo Baseball: The Valparaiso University baseball team will make its next stop on an 18-day, 11-game journey as the Beacons trek just over the South Carolina/North Carolina state line to clash with Gardner-Webb in a midweek matchup. Valpo holds a solid 4-3 record over the first seven games of the spring break trip, which comes all on the road and all against warm-weather competition.
Last Time Out: Valpo picked up a doubleheader sweep on Friday, beating The Citadel 3-2 and 10-5 in 10 innings in a pair of thrilling games in Charleston, S.C. before dropping Sunday’s series finale 10-6. Carson Husmann homered in each game of Friday’s doubleheader and reached base at a .666 clip over four games this past week. In the doubleheader alone, Husmann reached base nine times with three hits, five walks, two home runs, three runs scored and a hit by pitch. Valpo got stellar pitching performances in both games as Connor Lockwood threw five shutout innings to get the win in the opener before Adam Guazzo carried a perfect game into the sixth and eventually received no decision in the nightcap.
Following the Beacons: Tuesday’s game will air on ESPN+. Links to live coverage will be available on ValpoAthletics.com, and in-game updates on X (formerly known as Twitter) are available if you follow @ValpoBaseball.
Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack (194-303) is in his 10th season in charge of the program. He ranks third in program history in seasons coached and games coached as he enters 2024 having skippered 482 Valpo games. He enters the season with 188 victories, the third most in program history. Schmack, a member of the 2003 Detroit Tigers, served as pitching coach/associate head coach at Valpo for seven seasons prior to his promotion.
Series Notes: Valpo is 2-5 all-time against Gardner-Webb after most recently battling the Bulldogs in 2015, when the Beacons dropped all three, 5-1, 5-1 and 8-7. Valpo has lost the last four meetings but took two of three including a 10-4 win in the series finale during a 2010 set.
In The Other Dugout: Gardner-Webb
Picked second of nine behind only USC Upstate in the Big South preseason poll.
Infielder Alec Burns was a member of the preseason all-conference squad.
Coming off a four-game sweep of Manhattan this past weekend.
Racked up 31 wins last season.
UINDY SOFTBALL
BATS STAY HOT AS HOUNDS CRUISE TO TWO MORE SPRING BREAK WINS
JAN PHYL VILLAGE, Fla.—The No. 8-ranked UIndy softball team continued to roll on its Spring Break trip, dismantling Pitt.-Johnstown and Lake Erie Monday by scores of 17-1 and 10-0, respectively. UIndy is a perfect 4-0 in Florida thus far, combining for an impressive 46 runs in the four wins.
GAME 1 | UIndy 17, Pitt.-Johnstown 1 (5 innings)
UIndy jumped on the Mountain Cats with three runs in the top of the first and didn’t look back. When it was all said and done, the Greyhounds scored in all five innings on the way to a new season-high run total.
Fifth-year senior Emily O’Connor is on an historic tear at the plate. After smacking four home runs yesterday—including a modern-day single-game UIndy record three versus Saint Anselm, the New Palestine, Ind., native went yard again on Monday, this time with a three-run shot in the second inning.
Shelby Cook and Jocelyn Calvin joined the power surge with solo home runs later in the contest, while Calvin tacked on a three-run double in the fifth to cap the scoring.
Braxton Downs finished 2-for-2 with a walk, while Dominique Proctor and Hailey Pogue chipped in a pair of RBIs apiece. Thirteen Hounds scored at least one run.
Reigning GLVC Pitcher of the Week Jayden Casebolt and fifth-year senior Kaitlyn Brown shared duties in the circle. Casebolt (7-1) pitched 3 1/3 innings to earn the win, while Brown fanned three over 1 2/3 scoreless frames.
GAME 2 | UIndy 10, Lake Erie 0 (5 innings)
With ace Kenzee Smith dealing, UIndy steamrolled in-region Lake Erie in game two, 10-0. O’Connor homered yet again, as did classmate Lexy Rees. The veteran sluggers combined for eight of the team’s nine RBIs in the game, with four of Rees’ coming on a fourth-inning grand slam—her fourth career salami.
Smith moved to 8-0 after spinning her eighth shutout in nine starts this season. She struck out seven and walked zero in an efficient five innings of work.
Sydnee Perry had a pair of doubles, Downs coaxed three walks, Megan Nichols scored three times and Grace Mosele finished 2-for-2 with a base on balls.
UP NEXT
UIndy gets a day off tomorrow before facing in-region Purdue Northwest and New Haven on Wednesday. The former game, which starts at 2:15 p.m. ET
MARIAN WOMEN’S LAX
MARIAN WOMEN’S LACROSSE START OFF CONFERENCE PLAY WITH A 17-6 WIN OVER CONCORDIA
INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian women’s lacrosse finished off their conference opener with a 17-6 win over the Concordia University Cardinals. The Knights are now 3-3 overall and 1-0 in conference.
The Knights took action early in the game scoring three unanswered goals in the first three minutes of play, as they took a quick 3-0 lead forcing a Concordia time-out. Katie Murphy scored the first, as Lizzy Piercy took action and scored the second, to leave Ella Grace Giedd to score the third. Marian quickly came out of the Cardinals time-out with Ashlynn Gray and Murphy scoring back-to-back free position shots. Concordia attempted to decrease the lead with a goal at the 4:08 mark. Murphy quickly fired back with another goal to end off the quarter to allow the Knights to take the 6-1 lead at the end of the quarter.
Concordia got their hand at the first goal of the second quarter with a goal scored in the first 15 seconds of play. The Knights were quick to fire back with Ruby Mason scoring her first goal of the afternoon to bring the lead back to five. A.Gray was able to score her second goal of the day within a minute of Mason’s to bring the Knights to a 7-2 lead over the Cardinals. Marian scored four more goals within the next three minutes to force Concordia to call another time out at the 8:06 mark. Giedd and Katelynn Gray scored two of the goals while Mason scored the other two for the Knights to end the first half with a score of 12-2.
Claudine Umumporeze and Tori Farkas opened up the second half with two consecutive free position shots to bring the Knights lead up to 12 goals. Concordia had a goal soon after to cut the difference down by one. K. Gray quickly answered with her second goal of the night to bring the score 15-3 by the end of the third quarter.
Concordia pushed at Marian’s lead by two back-to-back goals to open the fourth quarter. Mason and Taleah Nool fired back with two more goals to bring the game back to a 12 goal lead for the Knights. In their final attempts to decrease Marian’s lead the Cardinals scored the last goal of the evening to end the game at 17-6 to secure the win for the Knights.
Offensively Mason and Murphy lead the team in goals with four each. K. Gray lead the Knights in assists with three while also having one goal for the evening.
Madeline Dumke, Mason, and both Gray’s lead the team defensively in the win. With Dumke having five draw controls, three caused turnovers, and four ground ball recoveries. K. Gray had five draw controls, two caused turnovers, and three ground ball recoveries. A. Gray had 5 draw controls while, Mason had two caused turnovers and four ground ball recoveries. In goal, Katherine Hirsch took the win with only allowing two goals. Grace Coyne took her place in goal for the second half having two saves.
The Knights are back in action on Wednesday, March 20th at home against Madona University (Mich.) with the first draw set at 3:00 p.m.
MARIAN BASEBALL
KNIGHTS FALL TWICE IN COMPETITIVE MATCHUPS AGAINST NO. 14 INDIANA WESLEYAN
Marion, Ind. – The Marian baseball team suffered two close losses on Monday afternoon in their series finale against No. 14 Indiana Wesleyan, falling 11-9 in game one and 7-5 in game two. The Knights drop to 8-11 overall on the season and 3-5 in Crossroads League play after getting swept.
Game 1 | Marian 9-11 Indiana Wesleyan
Marian didn’t wait long to strike in the opening game of the day as a lead-off double from Kameron Salazar touched the plate on an RBI groundout from Rylan Huntley. The Wildcats would match the Knights in the bottom of the first as Aden Burnside yielded a run on an RBI single after hitting the first two batters by a wild pitch. Burnside would end the inning with a groundout, and in the top of the second saw his team go back on top as Pierson Barnes delivered a two-run homerun to provide a 3-1 lead. The Wildcats would get one run back in the bottom of the second, but the southpaw shutdown the inning with a flyout to right.
The Knights were held scoreless in the third inning, and in the bottom of the frame saw the game reach another tie as the starter Burnside allowed a pair of hits with an RBI single leveling the field. Garrett West came on in relief to pitch the final two outs, and after retiring the side, the freshman had a brief lead at his back with a solo shot from Bryce Davenport in the top of the fourth. The good fortune would halt in the bottom of the fourth as West was hit three times for four runs, as a home run and three walks in the inning helped Indiana Wesleyan push ahead 7-4.
In the top of the fifth inning, Marian made a statement response as a lead-off triple from Kameron Salazar woke up the dugout. Huntley doubled in his teammate and Caden Mason to make it a 6-7 game, and Johnny Roeder leveled the score with an RBI double. Davenport took the biggest swing in the inning one batter later, crushing a two-run home run to give Marian a 9-7 advantage.
With a lead at hand the Knights called on the bullpen once again, with Jayson Cottrell taking the mound. Cottrell made quick work in a perfect home half of the fifth inning, and stranded a walk in a scoreless sixth inning. Cottrell kept his run going as he pitched a hitless seventh inning to protect the 9-7 lead, but in the bottom of the eighth his command slipped, hitting the first batter before allowing a single. Jace Stoops came on in relief to try and preserve the lead, but after a walk a one-out single would score two and tie the game. Stoops would remain in trouble as he allowed two more men on base, seeing an RBI groundout give Indiana Wesleyan the lead.
The Wildcats would add one more to take an 11-9 lead going into the ninth, and despite getting two men on in their final chance to tie or take the lead, a groundout would end the inning, with Marian on the losing end. The Knights finished the game with 13 hits, getting three from Davenport and Huntley each. Barnes and Salazar each finished with two hits in the defeat, as marian totaled seven extra base hits in the contest.
On the mound, Stoops would take the loss as he fell to 0-1 on the season, pitching one inning of relief. Cottrell threw three innings and allowed one hit in 13 batters faced.
Game 2 | Marian 5-7 Indiana Wesleyan
The Knights looked to wash the taste of defeat out of their mouth in the second act, mirroring their start in the first inning as Kameron Salazar scored the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly sent to left field by Bryce Davenport. Seth Hogg got the start on the mound in the second game, and pitched a scoreless first inning after stranding a pair of runners the freshman put on. Indiana Wesleyan would take advantage of three consecutive singles in the second inning as two runs would score off Hogg to put the home team on top 2-1, but the game soon saw a tie as Dawson Estep ripped a solo home run in the top of the third.
Indiana Wesleyan broke the 2-2 draw in the bottom half of the third inning, as a lead-off triple would be the first of four hits in the inning for the Wildcats, as they scored four runs to take a 6-2 lead. The Knights got two of the four runs back in the fourth inning as a Salazar double scored Max Steffen and a wild pitch allowed Estep to touch the plate. The game would remain a 6-4 score after the fourth inning, as Hogg was able to pitch out of a jam in the home half with a strikeout stranding two men in scoring position.
Hogg allowed a seventh run to score in the bottom of the fifth after Marian was held scoreless in the top half, pushing their deficit to three runs. The score remained 7-4 entering the seventh inning following Deacon Spencer’s collegiate debut in which the second-year Knight retired the side in order. Rylan Huntley attempted to spark a rally as he singled and stole second to kick off the inning, and Pierson Barnes delivered an RBI single for the fifth run for the Knights. Johnny Roeder would touch first after getting hit by a pitch, but with two men on Marian was unable to get any additional runs, as two strikeouts would end the game in a 7-5 defeat.
Hogg suffered the loss pitching five innings, allowing nine hits and seven runs. Spencer faced three batters in his lone inning, picking up his first career strikeout. At the plate, Huntley and Salazar led the way with two hits each, and Davenport and Donavan Shpeherd each had a sacrifice attempt.
Marian is scheduled to host Spring Arbor on Friday, March 15 at 1:00 p.m. from MU Ballpark.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETICS
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
FOOTBALL HISTORY
Football History Headlines
Bobby Marshall may well be one of the most significant college and professional stars of the gridiron that most people have no recollection of. It all started in March 12, 1880 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin – The stalwart end of the Minnesota Golden Gophers from 1904 to 1906 Robert Wells Marshall was born. The National Football Foundation reports that in the three seasons that Bobby played on the gridiron at Minnesota the Gophers team went 13-0, 10-1, 4-1 in those years. They out-scored their opponents by a whopping margin of 1238-63. Marshall was a Walter Camp All-America selection in 1905 and in the next season he helped Minnesota overcome the powerful University of Chicago team coached by Amos Alonzo Stagg with Bobby kicking a field goal to lift the Gophers to a 4-2 victory over the Maroons. Marshall was a brave racial pioneer too as it is noted that he was the first African American to play football in the Big Ten which at the time was called the Big Nine. The College Football Hall of Fame gathered the gridiron resume of Bobby Marshall and inducted this great player in their hallowed halls in 1971. According to an article on the StarTribune.com Bobby made a significant milestone in the NFL’s very first game. Marshall was 40 years old, and had become a Minneapolis lawyer as well as the state’s grain commissioner when one of his part-time gigs as a three-sport legend in football, baseball and hockey led him to becoming the first person of color to play a game in the American Professional Football Association, which was later renamed the National Football League.
On Sept. 26, 1920, two weeks before Pro Football Hall of Famer and celebrated Black pioneer Fritz Pollard made his debut with the Akron Pros, the 6-2, 195-pound Marshall hopped a southbound train and played both ways at end as his Rock Island Independents blanked the visiting St. Paul Ideals, an independent pro team, 48-0 in the first game played in league history. On Oct. 3, Marshall’s Independents beat the Muncie Flyers 45-0 in one of the first two games between APFA teams. The article continues with a final statement. Marshall and Pollard were the league’s only Black players that year. Eleven more would play between 1921 and 1933 before an unwritten rule among owners — veiled as a “gentleman’s agreement” — kept Black players out of the league until 1946.
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
9 – 33 – 50
March 12, 1903 – The predecessor of the New York Yankees, a team known as the NY Highlanders, is officially accepted into the American League of baseball.
March 12, 1966 – Bobby Hull, Number 9 of the Chicago Blackhawks at the time, scored his 51st goal of the season, and that set an NHL record.
March 12, 1985 – Boston Celtics legendary player Larry Bird wearing his famous Number 33 uniform, registers 60 points in a game setting a franchise record. Bostpn derfeated the Atlanta Hawks in the game 126-115.
March 12, 1987 – The Admiral, star NavalAcademy center, David Robinson, Number 50 puts up 50 points for the Midshipmen in an NCAA East Regional contest but his team still fell in the tourney to Michigan 97-82.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1903 After the club ceases operations in the Charm City, Frank Farrell and Bill Devery purchase the original American League team in Baltimore, receiving approval from 15 of 16 major league owners to move the team to New York to play as the Highlanders. Giants’ owner John T. Brush cast the dissenting vote, believing the new club, known as the Yankees starting in 1913, will compete for fans in the Big Apple.
1971 The Cubs catcher Randy Hundley suffers a badly sprained knee and will play only nine games this season. In 1968, the venerable backstop caught 160 games for Chicago, starting 156 of those contests and playing every inning in 146 of those games.
1980 The BBWAA elects National League outfielder Chuck Klein, who compiled a .320 batting average during his 17-year career, and former Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey to the Hall of Fame. Yawkey becomes the first person selected who was not a player, manager, or general manager.
1982 Ballantine Books publishes the first of seven annual Bill James Abstracts, bringing the author into the national spotlight for his statistical insight into the game. The sabermetrician’s initial self-published efforts, written on the night shift as a security guard at the Stokely-Van Camp’s pork and beans cannery, introduce baseball fans to new ways of measuring a player’s ability with stats such as Runs Created.
1991 At the age of 45, Jim Palmer’s attempted comeback ends when the newly elected Hall of Famer tears his hamstring warming up before an exhibition appearance against Boston. The Orioles right-hander, who hadn’t thrown a major league pitch in seven seasons, keeps his 268-152 and 2.86 ERA intact, which he accomplished during a 19-year career on the mound.
2001 Richard Hidalgo signs the third-richest contract in Astro history with a four-year $32-million deal with the club. The outfielder’s pact is less than teammates Jeff Bagwell’s $85 million (5 years) and Craig Biggio’s $33 million (4 years).
2003 This week’s second exhibition season bench-clearing brawl occurs when a raging Mike Piazza charges the mound after being hit by a pitch thrown by Guillermo Mota, who makes it to the dugout without being caught. The incident may be a follow-up to a similar event last spring when a shoving match between the two players resulted when the Mets’ All-Star catcher waited for Mota and grabbed the Dodger reliever’s jersey coming off the field in the eighth inning of the game.
2006 Over 15,000 Twins fans attend a memorial service at the Metrodome to pay their final respects to Kirby Puckett, who died unexpectedly, at 45, after suffering a stroke last week. During the emotional ceremony, former teammates and fellow Hall of Famer Cal Ripken lighten the mood by sharing humorous anecdotes about the beloved Minnesota outfielder with the crowd.
2008 The benches clear in a rare spring training brawl when Shelley Duncan slides into second base, with his spikes aimed at Rays infielder Akinori Iwamura after being thrown out by a wide margin. Tampa Bay’s aggressive play four days ago, which resulted in a home-plate collision that injured Yankee catcher Francisco Cervelli, may have precipitated the incident.
2010 In the opener of a scheduled three-game exhibition series in Taiwan, the Dodgers are defeated by an All-Star squad from the Chinese Professional League (CPBL) at Taipei’s Tienmu Baseball Stadium, 5-3. The road trip is the team’s second journey to the Chinese island, having finished with one win and two losses during a trio of spring training games in 1993.
2015 Will Ferrell, hoping to raise awareness of organizations trying to cure cancer, plays nine positions while appearing for ten teams in five Cactus League exhibition games. The comedian’s effort in Arizona, detailed in an upcoming HBO documentary, is severely criticized by former NFL coach and broadcasting legend John Madden, who calls the stunt disrespectful and insulting to the game of baseball.
BASEBALL YEAR IN REVIEW: 1938 (BASEBALL ALMANAC)
Off the field…
On October 30th, actor Orson Wells broadcasted his own adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic “War of the Worlds”. His original “news-style” format proved more than a little convincing and created a nationwide panic as many listeners actually believed that alien invaders had landed in New Jersey. After the controversial program established him as a creative genius, Wells was signed by RKO pictures where he co-wrote, produced, directed, and starred in his first film, “Citizen Kane” (1941) which is still considered by many to be the greatest movie ever made.
The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 was passed to establish minimum living standards for workers engaged directly or indirectly in interstate commerce. A major provision of the act was the establishment of a Minimum Wage, initially $0.25 an hour, along with a maximum workweek of forty-four hours. These went on to become $0.40 an hour and forty hours after seven years.
In the American League…
New York Yankee icon Lou Gehrig hit his twenty-third (and final) grand slam during an 11-3 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics on August 20th for a Major League record that still stands today.
Indian catchers Frank Pytlak and Hank Helf broke the “all-time altitude mark” by catching baseballs dropped from the 706-foot Cleveland Terminal Tower on August 20th. Over the next few years, several players were seriously injured attempting to break this unusual record.
Cleveland ace Bob Feller set a Major League strikeout record after fanning eighteen Detroit Tigers on October 2nd (including six straight), yet still lost 4-1 on rival Harry Eisenstat’s four-hitter.
In the National League…
The St. Louis Cardinals signed Texas Christian University All-American football star and Washington Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh as an infielder. Although he started off with the team in spring training, he was eventually assigned to the “Redbirds” farm system in both Columbus and Rochester.
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Hal Kelleher set two unwanted Major League records on May 5th after surrendering twelve runs off of sixteen Chicago Cub batters in the eighth inning of a 21-2 massacre. Joe Marty led the attack with four hits for four runs and four runs batted in.
In December, the National League granted the Cincinnati Reds their season opener one-day before the rest of the league in recognition of the 100th anniversary of baseball and the 1869 Red Stockings who were baseball’s first professional team.
Around the League…
A special committee from the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Alexander Cartwright for originating baseball’s original concepts and sports writer Henry Chadwick for the invention of the box score.
On June 18th, Babe Ruth signed on as a Brooklyn Dodgers coach for the remainder of the season. Desperately seeking a management position, “The Sultan of Swat” agreed to participate in many exploitive “non-coaching related” publicity stunts including appearing before games in uniform for batting demonstrations.
The founder of the Elias Sports Bureau and official statistician of the National League, Al Munro Elias, died in New York City on August 1st at the age of sixty-seven.
The New York Yankees became the first team to win three successive World Championships after defeating the Chicago Cubs by a score of 8-3. On a somber note, the ailing Lou Gehrig, went four for fourteen (all singles) for his last Series appearance.
TODAY IN NBA HISTORY
March 12, 1956
Dick Farley of Syracuse fouled out after playing just five minutes, the fastest disqualification in NBA history, in a game against St. Louis. Farley’s record stood for more than 41 years until Bubba Wells of the Dallas Mavericks fouled out in three minutes against the Chicago Bulls December 29, 1997.
March 12, 1972
It was Bill Russell Day at Boston Garden, and uniform No. 6 was retired in afternoon ceremonies.
March 12, 1985
Larry Bird scored a Celtics-record 60 points as Boston beat Atlanta 126-115 in New Orleans.
March 12, 1992
Golden State coach Don Nelson became the first man in NBA history to participate in 2,500 NBA games as a player and coach (regular season and Playoffs), as he led the Warriors against Detroit at the Oakland Coliseum Arena. The Pistons ended up ruining the occasion by posting a 119-112 win over the Warriors.
March 12, 1992
Milwaukee’s Moses Malone scored 17 points in the Bucks’ 106-100 setback against visiting Phoenix, moving him into fourth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list at the time — behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Elvin Hayes — with 26,715 points.
March 12, 1998
Hakeem Olajuwon joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history with at least 24,000 points, 12,000 rebounds and 2,500 assists.
March 12, 1998
Basketball Hall of Famer and former NBA player Buddy Jeannette passed away after suffering a stroke at age 80.
March 12, 2015
Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers score 57 points in a 128-125 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
March 12, 2020
The 2019-20 season is suspended by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after a player on the Utah Jazz has preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19. The NBA used this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. That same day, the NBA G League suspends its 2019-20 season as well.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1937 — The first National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) men’s basketball tournament is won by Central Missouri State. Central Missouri wins the eight-team, single-elimination tournament by defeating Morningside College (Iowa) 35-24.
1966 — In the last race of his 40-year career, John Longden wins the San Juan Capistrano Handicap at Santa Anita, aboard George Royal. He retires with a then-record number of victories, 6,032.
1984 — Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean of Britain become the first ice dancing team to record nine perfect marks of 6.0 during the world championships.
1985 — Larry Bird scores 60 points, including Boston’s last 16, to set a Celtics record and lead them to a 126-115 victory over Atlanta.
1994 — The Arkansas men’s track and field team wins its 11th straight NCAA Indoor Championship with a meet-record 94 points. The 54-point victory margin is the biggest in the meet’s 30-year history.
2002 — Siena (17-18), with an 81-77 victory over Alcorn State in the play-in game, becomes first team in 47 years to win an NCAA men’s basketball tournament game with a losing record.
2003 — Damian Costantino’s NCAA-record hitting streak ends at 60 games, one day after he broke Robin Ventura’s 16-year-old mark. Costantino, an outfielder for Division III Salve Regina of Newport, R.I., fails to get a hit in the first game of a doubleheader against Baldwin-Wallace. It’s the first time he finishes a game hitless since March 25, 2001.
2005 — Bode Miller becomes the first American in 22 years to win skiing’s overall World Cup title. He finishes ahead of his only remaining challenger, Benjamin Raich of Austria, in the season’s final giant slalom to capture the crown.
2008 — The Houston Rockets are the third team in NBA history to win 20 straight games and ties for the second-longest winning streak with an 83-75 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
2009 — Syracuse outlasts Connecticut in the second-longest Division I game ever played, capping a Big East tournament quarterfinal doubleheader in which the second- and third-ranked teams in the nation both lose. Andy Rautins hits a 3-pointer 10 seconds into the sixth overtime, to give the Orange their first lead since regulation and they go on to a 127-117 victory over the third-ranked Huskies. Much earlier in the evening, West Virginia beats No. 2 Pittsburgh 74-60.
2011 — The No. 21 Connecticut Huskies win their seventh Big East championship by winning five games in as many days. Kemba Walker shatters the tournament scoring record, getting 19 points in the ninth-seeded Huskies’ 69-66 victory over No. 14 Louisville.
2017 — Joakim Jensen finally ends what is believed to be the longest game in hockey history, scoring in the eighth overtime in the Norwegian League playoffs. More than 8 1/2 hours after the game started — and after 217 minutes, 14 seconds of play — Jensen breaks through to give the Storhamar Dragons a 2-1 victory over the Sparta Warriors. Storhamar leads the best-of-seven quarterfinal series 3-2.
2018 — Alex Ovechkin scores twice to reach 600 goals as the Washington Capitals beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 in overtime. The Russian winger is the 20th player and fourth-fastest in NHL history to reach 600 goals.
2018 — Marc-Andre Fleury makes 38 saves to become the 13th goalie in NHL history with 400 career wins, and Ryan Carpenter scores the winning goal with 2:40 left to lead the Vegas Golden Knights over the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2.
2020 – 2020 NCAA men’s basketball tournament is cancelled over concerns of the spread of COVID-19; first time ‘March Madness’ not held since it began in 1939; women’s tournament also cancelled.
2020 — NHL announces the pausing of the 2019-20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
TV SPORTS TUESDAY
BASKETBALL AFRICA LEAGUE
10 a.m.
NBATV — Petro de Luanda vs. Dynamo Basketball Club, Pretoria, South Africa
1 p.m.
NBATV — FUS de Rabat vs. Cape Town Tigers, Pretoria, South Africa
COLLEGE BASEBALL
6 p.m.
SECN — Florida St. at Florida
8 p.m.
PAC-12N — BYU at Utah
COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S)
2 p.m.
ACCN — Atlantic Coast Tournament: Georgia Tech vs. Notre Dame, First Round, Washington
4:30 p.m.
ACCN — Atlantic Coast Tournament: Louisville vs. NC State, First Round, Washington
5 p.m.
ESPN2 — America East Tournament: New Hampshire vs. Vermont, Semifinal
6:30 p.m.
ESPNU — Southland Tournament: TBD vs. McNeese St., Semifinal, Lake Charles, La.
7 p.m.
ACCN — Atlantic Coast Tournament: Miami vs. Boston College, First Round, Washington
CBSSN — Coastal Athletic Tournament: TBD, Championship, Washington
ESPN — Horizon League Tournament: TBD, Championship, Indianapolis
ESPN2 — Northeast Tournament: TBD, Championship
8:30 p.m.
ESPNU — Big Sky Tournament: TBD bs. Sacramento St., Semifinal, Boise, Idaho
9 p.m.
ESPN — West Coast Tournament: TBD, Championship, Las Vegas
9:30 p.m.
CBSSN — Summit League Tournament: TBD, Championship, Sioux Falls, S.D.
11 p.m.
ESPN2 — Big Sky Tournament: TBD vs. Idaho St., Semifinal, Boise, Idaho
COLLEGE BASKETBALL (WOMEN’S)
4 p.m.
ESPNU — West Coast Tournament: TBD, Championship, Las Vegas
4:30 p.m.
CBSSN — Summit League Tournament: TBD, Championship, Sioux Falls, S.D.
9 p.m.
ESPN2 — Big 12 Tournament: TBD, Championship, Kansas City, Mo.
MLB BASEBALL
MLBN — Spring Training: NY Yankees vs. Toronto, Dunedin, Fla.
4 p.m.
MLBN — Spring Training: Arizona vs. San Diego, Peoria, Ariz.
9 p.m.
MLBN — Spring Training: Milwaukee vs. Chicago Cubs, Mesa, Ariz.
NBA BASKETBALL
7:30 p.m.
TNT — Philadelphia at New York
10 p.m.
TNT — Minnesota at LA Clippers
SOCCER (MEN’S)
6 p.m.
FS1 — CONCACAF Champions Cup: Houston Dynamo at Columbus Crew, Round of 16 – Leg 2
8 p.m.
FS1 — CONCACAF Champions Cup: Philadelphia Union at CF Pachuca, Round of 16 – Leg 2
10:20 p.m.
FS1 — CONCACAF Champions Cup: Orlando City SC at Tigres UANL, Round of 16 – Leg 2
TENNIS
2 p.m. TENNIS — Indian Wells-ATP/WTA Round of 16, Doubles Quarterfinals