THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” WEDNESDAY JANAURY 11, 2023

*******************THE SCOREBOARD*******************

AP INDIANABOYS BASKETBALL POLLS

1. BEN DAVIS (17) 14-0 340 1

2. PENN 8-1 276 3

3. BROWNSBURG 13-1 274 4

4. CATHEDRAL 8-2 238 2

5. CENTER GROVE 5-1 178 7

6. HOMESTEAD 11-1 163 5

7. HAMMOND CENTRAL 12-1 126 10

8. CARMEL 8-4 95 8

9. WESTFIELD 8-2 75 6

10. LAFAYETTE HARRISON 11-0 64 NR

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: JENNINGS CO. 54. KOKOMO 48. NEW PALESTINE 38. MUNSTER 28. NOBLESVILLE 20. MISHAWAKA 9. LAWRENCE CENTRAL 7. HAMMOND MORTON 7.

CLASS 3A

1. MISHAWAKA MARIAN (15) 11-1 336 1

2. NORTHWOOD (2) 10-2 308 2

3. N. DAVIESS 11-2 260 3

4. NORWELL 10-2 244 4

5. S. BEND WASHINGTON 10-2 168 9

7. BEECH GROVE 7-3 107 6

8. BISHOP CHATARD 7-2 85 NR

9. SCOTTSBURG 10-2 84 7

10. OAK HILL 10-1 62 NR

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: LAKE STATION 56. PERU 44. LEBANON 39. EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL 25. BREBEUF JESUIT 24. GUERIN CATHOLIC 15. HERITAGE HILLS 13. TIPPECANOE VALLEY 6.

CLASS 2A

1. LINTON-STOCKTON (12) 12-1 330 1

2. FT. WAYNE BLACKHAWK (5) 12-1 314 2

3. S. SPENCER 11-1 243 3

4. WAPAHANI 10-1 218 5

5. TAYLOR 10-0 184 6

6. GARY 21ST CENTURY 10-3 173 7

7. BROWNSTOWN 9-3 171 4

8. UNIVERSITY 8-1 126 10

9. SOUTHWESTERN (JEFFERSON) 12-1 84 8

10. PROVIDENCE 7-3 74 NR

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: CARROLL (FLORA) 46. EASTERN HANCOCK 21. WABASH 20. TIPTON 16. COVENANT CHRISTIAN 14. PARK TUDOR 6.

CLASS A

1. ORLEANS (15) 10-1 336 1

2. BLOOMFIELD 11-2 300 2

3. BETHESDA CHRISTIAN (2) 9-1 256 3

4. LOOGOOTEE 9-4 209 6

5. LUTHERAN 7-2 181 8

6. EV. CHRISTIAN 6-6 151 4

7. FOUNTAIN CENTRAL 8-3 125 5

8. BLUE RIVER 8-3 120 NR

9. BARR-REEVE 7-5 115 9

10. TRI 7-2 100 7

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: TINDLEY 46. EDINBURGH 34. JAC-CEN-DEL 27. BETHANY CHRISTIAN 26. LIBERTY CHRISTIAN 7. GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN 7.

INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL TUESDAY

*ARGOS*	65	*NORTH MIAMI*	36
*BARR-REEVE*	71	*WASHINGTON CATHOLIC*	19
*BETHANY CHRISTIAN*	46	*SOUTH BEND CAREER*	35
*BLUE RIVER*	68	*UNION (MODOC)*	13
*BOONVILLE*	59	*EVANSVILLE REITZ*	56
*BOWMAN ACADEMY*	63	*SOUTH BEND ADAMS*	52
*CARROLL (FORT WAYNE)*	56	*DEKALB*	47
*CHRISTIAN ACADEMY*	83	*SILVER CREEK*	71
*CLAY CITY*	67	*EMINENCE*	47
*CLOVERPORT (KY.)*	70	*CANNELTON*	48
*CONCORD*	52	*NEW PRAIRIE*	38
*DELPHI*	53	*CLINTON CENTRAL*	43
*FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK*	51	*HOMESTEAD*	27
*FORT WAYNE NORTH*	75	*FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY*	71
*HAMMOND CENTRAL*	64	*PORTAGE*	48
*HANCOCK COUNTY (KY.)*	73	*TELL CITY*	32
*JASPER*	44	*SOUTHRIDGE*	23
*LAPORTE*	66	*LOWELL*	36
*LAKE CENTRAL*	67	*HIGHLAND*	21
*LAKEWOOD PARK*	37	*TRINITY GREENLAWN*	34
*MICHIGAN CITY*	65	*SOUTH BEND RILEY*	63
*MORGAN TWP.*	68	*RIVER FOREST*	39
*MOUNT CARMEL (ILL.)*	50	*NORTH POSEY*	49
*NEW ALBANY*	*103*	*SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER)*	74
*NORTHFIELD*	44	*WINAMAC*	36
*NORWELL*	79	*FORT WAYNE WAYNE*	57
*OAK HILL*	62	*SOUTHWOOD*	51
*OWENSBORO CATHOLIC (KY.)*	74	*EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL*	58
*PENN*	50	*WARSAW*	40
*PURDUE POLY ENGLEWOOD*	71	*INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON*	69	OT
*RENSSELAER CENTRAL*	57	*SOUTH NEWTON*	16
*SHELBYVILLE*	50	*COLUMBUS EAST*	49	OT
*SMITH ACADEMY*	68	*WARSAW HOMESCHOOL*	62
*SOUTH BEND CLAY*	73	*OREGON-DAVIS*	25
*SOUTH CENTRAL (ELIZABETH)*	54	*WEST WASHINGTON*	30
*SOUTH RIPLEY*	63	*OLDENBURG ACADEMY*	25
*TAYLOR*	64	*EASTBROOK*	45
*UNIVERSITY*	52	*SHENANDOAH*	24
*VICTORY CHRISTIAN*	64	*GARY WEST*	47
*WEST CENTRAL*	50	*CALUMET*	47
*WESTVILLE*	41	*WASHINGTON TWP.*	38
*ALLEN COUNTY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT*
*WOODLAN*	71	*BLUFFTON*	52	R1
*HERITAGE*	29	*JAY COUNTY*	28	R1
*ADAMS CENTRAL*	82	*SOUTH ADAMS*	30	R1
*JOHNSON COUNTY TOURNAMENT*
*GREENWOOD*	43	*EDINBURGH*	40	R1
*FRANKLIN*	65	*GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN*	47	R1
*WHITELAND*	69	*INDIAN CREEK*	54	R1
*MARION COUNTY TOURNAMENT*
*PIKE*	98	*SPEEDWAY*	68	R1
*INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI*	56	*NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS)*	54	R1
*LAWRENCE NORTH*	65	*INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN*	63	R1
*BREBEUF JESUIT*	60	*DECATUR CENTRAL*	42	R1
*SOUTHPORT*	58	*PERRY MERIDIAN*	38	R1
*LAWRENCE CENTRAL*	60	*FRANKLIN CENTRAL*	48	R1
*WARREN CENTRAL*	73	*PARK TUDOR*	47	R1
*BEN DAVIS*	63	*BEECH GROVE*	44	R1
*NORTHEAST CORNER CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT*
*EASTSIDE*	47	*CHURUBUSCO*	39	R1
*LAKELAND*	83	*HAMILTON*	28	R1
*PRAIRIE HEIGHTS*	43	*FAIRFIELD*	41	*OT \| R1*
*FREMONT*	61	*GARRETT*	54	R1

INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL POLLS

1. SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON (18-0)

2. ZIONSVILLE (17-0)

3. NOBLESVILLE (15-3)

3. FISHERS (15-2)

5. FORT WAYNE NORTHROP (14-1)

6. BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE (16-3)

7. HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (15-2)

8. HOMESTEAD (14-2)

9. COLUMBIA CITY (15-2)

10. WARREN CENTRAL (13-4)

11. CENTER GROVE (14-4)

12. LAWRENCE CENTRAL (14-3)

13. NORTHRIDGE (16-4)

13. VALPARAISO (16-1)

1. TWIN LAKES (18-0)

2. INDIAN CREEK (18-0)

3. EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL (16-0)

4. JAY COUNTY (15-1)

5. CORYDON CENTRAL (16-2)

5. NORWELL (14-3)

7. FAIRFIELD (14-2)

8. WEST LAFAYETTE (13-4)

9. MISHAWAKA MARIAN (13-5)

10. NORTHWESTERN (12-3)

11. HAMILTON HEIGHTS (12-3)

12. BELLMONT (14-2)

13. DANVILLE (15-3)

14. GIBSON SOUTHERN (14-3)

1. CENTRAL NOBLE (17-0)

2. BLACKFORD (16-0)

3. NORTH KNOX (18-1)

4. FOREST PARK (16-2)

5. ANDREAN (14-2)

6. CARROLL (FLORA) (16-2)

7. LINTON-STOCKTON (15-2)

8. PIONEER (14-2)

9. EASTERN HANCOCK (14-3)

10. LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (11-6)

11. BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (13-5)

11. SEEGER (15-2)

13. TRITON CENTRAL (13-3)

13. EASTBROOK (10-4)

15. LAPEL (12-5)

15. UNIVERSITY (12-4)

1. TRI (16-0)

2. LANESVILLE (17-2)

3. CASTON (18-0)

4. TRINITY LUTHERAN (14-4)

5. NORTHEAST DUBOIS (12-3)

6. BLUE RIVER (13-5)

7. WASHINGTON TWP. (13-5)

8. KOUTS (12-4)

9. BETHANY CHRISTIAN (14-2)

10. MORGAN TWP. (11-4)

10. CLINTON CENTRAL (14-3)

12. BORDEN (12-4)

12. DEMOTTE CHRISTIAN (13-3)

14. TRI-TWP. (12-4)

15. VINCENNES RIVET (7-9)

INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL SCORES

*ATTICA*	30	*NORTH VERMILLION*	27
*AUSTIN*	37	*HENRYVILLE*	28
*BARR-REEVE*	54	*WASHINGTON CATHOLIC*	14
*BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE*	81	*COLUMBUS EAST*	60
*BETHANY CHRISTIAN*	53	*SOUTH BEND CAREER*	21
*BETHESDA CHRISTIAN*	32	*PARK TUDOR*	30	OT
*BLOOMINGTON NORTH*	55	*MITCHELL*	40
*BLUE RIVER*	60	*UNION (MODOC)*	28
*BOONE GROVE*	66	*CALUMET*	31
*CANNELTON*	48	*CLOVERPORT (KY.)*	18
*CARMEL*	46	*COLUMBUS NORTH*	31
*CARROLL (FLORA)*	61	*MCCUTCHEON*	36
*CASCADE*	46	*NORTHVIEW*	43
*CHARLESTOWN*	52	*EASTERN (PEKIN)*	38
*CLINTON PRAIRIE*	38	*NORTH WHITE*	32
*COLUMBIA CITY*	73	*WAWASEE*	37
*COLUMBUS CHRISTIAN*	37	*MEDORA*	26
*CONNERSVILLE*	49	*RICHMOND*	28
*CORYDON CENTRAL*	47	*FOREST PARK*	42
*CROWN POINT*	43	*MUNSTER*	39
*DEMOTTE CHRISTIAN*	44	*MARQUETTE CATHOLIC*	43	OT
*EASTERN HANCOCK*	69	*NEW CASTLE*	41
*EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL*	68	*EVANSVILLE MATER DEI*	41
*FLOYD CENTRAL*	46	*BORDEN*	42	OT
*FORT WAYNE LUERS*	61	*NEW HAVEN*	37
*FORT WAYNE NORTHROP*	78	*FORT WAYNE SOUTH*	33
*FORT WAYNE WAYNE*	60	*EAST NOBLE*	30
*FOUNTAIN CENTRAL*	30	*COVINGTON*	22
*FRONTIER*	58	*NORTH NEWTON*	33
*GOSHEN*	61	*SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH*	33
*GREENCASTLE*	81	*NORTH MONTGOMERY*	31
*GREENSBURG*	70	*BROWN COUNTY*	50
*HAMILTON HEIGHTS*	41	*WESTERN*	31
*HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN*	77	*BEN DAVIS*	61
*HAMMOND CENTRAL*	56	*WHITING*	37
*HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE)*	42	*KOKOMO*	35
*HERITAGE HILLS*	55	*NORTH POSEY*	40
*INDIANA DEAF*	45	*INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN*	42
*INDIANA MATH & SCIENCE*	41	*IRVINGTON PREP ACADEMY*	29
*INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI*	57	*GUERIN CATHOLIC*	24
*INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE*	59	*HORIZON CHRISTIAN*	18
*JAC-CEN-DEL*	55	*LAWRENCEBURG*	53
*JENNINGS COUNTY*	61	*LOUISVILLE BALLARD (KY.)*	50
*JIMTOWN*	43	*CONCORD*	33
*LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC*	48	*WEST LAFAYETTE*	39
*LAKEWOOD PARK*	59	*CLINTON CHRISTIAN*	7
*LANESVILLE*	59	*TRINITY LUTHERAN*	30
*LAPEL*	43	*BLACKFORD*	37
*MARSHALL (ILL.)*	52	*TERRE HAUTE NORTH*	47
*MISHAWAKA MARIAN*	59	*SOUTH BEND ADAMS*	50
*MISSISSINEWA*	69	*MARION*	35
*MONROVIA*	54	*EDGEWOOD*	42
*NOBLESVILLE*	62	*MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE)*	37
*NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG)*	57	*SULLIVAN*	52
*NORTH DECATUR*	53	*MORRISTOWN*	25
*NORTH JUDSON*	31	*LAVILLE*	23
*OLDENBURG ACADEMY*	42	*HAUSER*	31
*PARKE HERITAGE*	65	*SOUTH VERMILLION*	6
*PENN*	50	*NORTHWOOD*	33
*PERU*	65	*MANCHESTER*	56
*PIKE CENTRAL*	36	*LOOGOOTEE*	31
*PIONEER*	54	*MACONAQUAH*	50
*PLYMOUTH*	50	*LAPORTE*	36
*PORTAGE*	60	*EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL*	29
*PROVIDENCE*	51	*NEW WASHINGTON*	49
*RIVERTON PARKE*	40	*SOUTH PUTNAM*	25
*ROSSVILLE*	37	*FRANKFORT*	26
*SCOTTSBURG*	51	*PAOLI*	41
*SHAKAMAK*	46	*NORTH DAVIESS*	37
*SHELBYVILLE*	55	*RUSHVILLE*	42
*SILVER CREEK*	51	*MADISON*	49
*SOUTH BEND CLAY*	39	*ELKHART CHRISTIAN*	25
*SOUTH KNOX*	45	*WOOD MEMORIAL*	40
*SOUTH SPENCER*	53	*BOONVILLE*	45
*SOUTHRIDGE*	28	*NORTHEAST DUBOIS*	17
*SPRINGS VALLEY*	56	*CRAWFORD COUNTY*	50
*TECUMSEH*	66	*MOUNT VERNON (POSEY)*	17
*TERRE HAUTE SOUTH*	46	*MARTINSVILLE*	39
*TIPTON*	53	*EASTERN (GREENTOWN)*	32
*TRI-COUNTY*	51	*SEEGER*	42
*TRI-TWP.*	37	*KOUTS*	36
*TRI*	54	*NORTHEASTERN*	48
*TRITON CENTRAL*	56	*NEW PALESTINE*	48
*TRITON*	50	*WINAMAC*	29
*TWIN LAKES*	45	*CULVER ACADEMY*	31
*VALPARAISO*	55	*ELKHART*	43
*WASHINGTON TWP.*	54	*MORGAN TWP.*	48
*WEST VIGO*	38	*CLOVERDALE*	34
*WESTERN BOONE*	61	*CRAWFORDSVILLE*	33
*WHITELAND*	60	*PERRY MERIDIAN*	38
*ZIONSVILLE*	55	*NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS)*	44
*ALLEN COUNTY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT*
*WOODLAN*	44	*BLUFFTON*	29	R1
*JAY COUNTY*	74	*HERITAGE*	20	R1
*SOUTH ADAMS*	50	*ADAMS CENTRAL*	48	R1
*DELAWARE COUNTY TOURNAMENT*
*WAPAHANI*	45	*YORKTOWN*	40	*OT \| R1*
*COWAN*	38	*WES-DEL*	16	R1
*INDIANAPOLIS CITY TOURNAMENT*
*INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL*	73	*INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA*	29	QF
*PURDUE POLY ENGLEWOOD*	43	*COVENANT CHRISTIAN*	32	QF
*HERITAGE CHRISTIAN*	59	*INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS*	46	QF
*INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD*	80	*INDIANAPOLIS TECH*	55	QF
*NORTHEAST CORNER CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT*
*EASTSIDE*	61	*CHURUBUSCO*	23	R1
*LAKELAND*	71	*HAMILTON*	14	R1
*FAIRFIELD*	69	*PRAIRIE HEIGHTS*	19	R1
*GARRETT*	49	*FREMONT*	24	R1

INDIANA WRESTLING SCORES: HTTPS://INDIANAMAT.COM/INDEX.PHP?/DUALRESULTS.HTML/

***********TOP 25 MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL***********

#2 KANSAS 79 OKLAHOMA 75

#5 TENNESSEE 77 VANDERBILT 68

#11 KANSAS STATE 65 OKLAHOMA STATE 57

#13 VIRGINIA 65 NORTH CAROLINA 58

#14 IOWA STATE 84 TEXAS TECH 50

MICHIGAN STATE 69 #18 WISCONSIN 65

#21 AUBURN 82 OLE MISS 73

#23 SAN DIEGO STATE 74 NEVADA 65

ELSEWHERE:

ST. JOHN’S 77 BUTLER 61

NOTRE DAME 73 GEORGIA TECH 72 OT

BELMONT 74 VALPARAISO 59

WESTERN MICHIGAN 85 EASTERN MICHIGAN 79

AKRON 74 BOWLING GREEN 70

DAYTON 82 FORDHAM 58

KENT STATE 75 TOLEDO 63

SOUTH CAROLINA 71 KENTUCKY 68

TCU 78 LOYALA CHICAGO 64

MIAMI 91 BUFFALO 80

DRAKE 76 ILLINOIS CHICAGO 71 OT

NORTHERN ILLINOIS 73 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 54

NORTHERN IOWA 75 MURRAY STATE 67

TEMPLE 76 TULSA 72

AIR FORCE 85 COLORADO STATE 74 OT

DEPAUL 75 VILLANOVA 65

SETON HALL 66 GEORGETOWN 51

ILLINOIS 76 NEBRASKA 50

SAN JOSE STATE 74 FRESNO STATE 64

UTAH STATE 83 WYOMING 63

COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/CBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20230110

************TOP 25 WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL***********

#17 MICHIGAN 80 PURDUE 59

TEXAS 72#23 KANSAS 59

ELSEWHERE:

WEST VIRGINIA 77 TCU 45

SMU 55 CINCINNATI 44

HOUSTON 80 CENTRAL FLORIDA 42

COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/WCBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20230110

***********SUPER WILD CARD WEEKEND SCHEDULE************

SATURDAY, JANUARY 14

NFC: 4:30 PM (ET) 7 SEATTLE AT 2 SAN FRANCISCO (FOX, FOX DEPORTES)

AFC: 8:15 PM (ET) 5 LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT 4 JACKSONVILLE (NBC, PEACOCK, UNIVERSO)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 15

AFC: 1:00 PM (ET) 7 MIAMI AT 2 BUFFALO (CBS, PARAMOUNT+)

NFC: 4:30 PM (ET) 6 NEW YORK GIANTS AT 3 MINNESOTA (FOX, FOX DEPORTES)

AFC: 8:15 PM (ET) 6 BALTIMORE AT 3 CINCINNATI (NBC, PEACOCK, UNIVERSO)

MONDAY, JANUARY 16

NFC: 8:15 PM (ET) 5 DALLAS AT 4 TAMPA BAY (ESPN/ABC, ESPN2-MANNINGCAST, ESPN+, ESPN DEPORTES)

THE DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE WILL BE ANNOUNCED NEXT WEEKEND.

***********NBA***********

PHILADELPHIA 147 DETROIT 116

MIAMI 112 OKLAHOMA CITY 111

TORONTO 132 CHARLOTTE 120

UTAH 116 CLEVELAND 114

PHOENIX 125 GOLDEN STATE 113

ORLANDO 109 PORTLAND 106

LA CLIPPERS 113 DALLAS 101

BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NBA/SCOREBOARD.ASP

***********NHL***********

SEATTLE 4 BUFFALO 3

TAMPA BAY 6 COLUMBUS 3

NY RANGERS 4 MINNESOTA 3

PITTSBURGH 5 VANCOUVER 4

NEW JERSEY 5 CAROLINA 3

DETROIT 7 WINNIPEG 5

DALLAS 2 NY ISLANDERS 1

ST. LOUIS 4 CALGARY 3

SAN JOSE 4 ARIZONA 2

FLORIDA 5 COLORADO 4

BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NHL/SCOREBOARD.ASP

************TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES*************

*********NFL NEWS***********

RAVENS MAKE ROQUAN SMITH HIGHEST-PAID LB WITH 5-YEAR, $100M EXTENSION

The Baltimore Ravens have agreed in principle to a five-year, $100-million contract extension with Roquan Smith, making him the highest-paid off-ball linebacker in NFL history, Saint Omni – a non-NFLPA-certified agent who represents Smith – told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Smith, who represented himself in the negotiations, will make $60 million in total guarantees as part of the new deal, according to Rapoport. Non-NFLPA-certified agents are prohibited from negotiating player contracts.

The 25-year-old was in the fifth year of his rookie contract and joined the Ravens in an October trade from the Chicago Bears in exchange for linebacker A.J. Klein, a 2023 second-round pick, and a 2023 fifth-rounder.

Smith made an immediate impact on the Ravens’ defense since joining and earned the first Pro Bowl nod of his career in 2022. The Georgia product – who was a second-team All-Pro in 2020 and 2021 – finished the season with 169 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and three interceptions across eight starts with Chicago and nine with Baltimore.

The Ravens allowed only 14.7 points per game in those nine contests, the second-best mark in the NFL in that span. Baltimore’s solid defensive play was crucial in its final five games as the team clinched the AFC’s No. 6 seed despite not having quarterback Lamar Jackson, who’s sidelined due to a knee injury.

Smith has averaged 151 tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions per 17 games played since entering the NFL as the eighth overall pick in 2018.

Smith was a franchise-tag candidate for the Ravens along with Jackson, who’s in the last year of his rookie contract. Baltimore negotiated an extension with the superstar quarterback in the offseason, but the two sides were unable to come to an agreement. Jackson is reportedly believed to have rejected a contract extension worth up to $250 million before the regular season. Baltimore apparently offered him a six-year extension that included $133 million fully guaranteed.

BEARS GM BACKS FIELDS, WOULD NEED TO BE ‘BLOWN AWAY’ TO TAKE QB 1ST OVERALL

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles said Tuesday that he’d have to be “absolutely blown away” to take a quarterback with the first overall selection.

Justin Fields, selected 11th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft by former GM Ryan Pace, was Chicago’s starter this year when healthy.

“Yeah, we had good conversations,” Poles said when asked if Fields will continue to be the starter. “I’m excited for the direction he’s going. He knows where he needs to improve.”

The Bears earned the No. 1 pick after they lost to the Minnesota Vikings and the Houston Texans beat the Indianapolis Colts in Week 18, securing Chicago’s league-worst record.

Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Kentucky’s Will Levis, and Florida’s Anthony Richardson are considered the top QB prospects in this year’s draft. If the Bears elect to continue with Fields as their starter, then defenders Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama) and Jalen Carter (Georgia) could be in play for the first overall pick. Chicago could also trade the top selection to a QB-needy team.

In 25 starts, Fields has a 5-20 record, 4,112 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions. The 23-year-old is a major threat with his legs, accumulating 1,563 rushing yards and 10 scores on the ground. His 1,143 rushing yards in 2022 are the second-most all time by a QB in a single season, trailing only Lamar Jackson’s 1,206 from his 2019 MVP campaign.

JERRY JONES: MCCARTHY SAFE REGARDLESS OF WILD-CARD GAME’S OUTCOME

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said head coach Mike McCarthy’s job won’t be in jeopardy, no matter the outcome of Monday’s wild-card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“No. That’s it,” Jones said told 105.3 The Fan when asked Tuesday whether a loss to the Bucs could impact McCarthy’s status. “I don’t need to go into all the pluses or minuses, but I’ve got a lot more to evaluate Mike McCarthy on than this playoff game.”

The Cowboys have seen key starters battling injuries throughout the season, but McCarthy still helped them post a 12-5 record. In doing so, he became the team’s first head coach since 1994-95 to post consecutive 12-win campaigns. The 59-year-old, who’s 30-20 as Cowboys coach, has two years left on his contract.

“I can’t tell you how much confidence I’ve got in Mike and our coaching staff,” Jones said, adding: “They’ve got every nuance. They understand every frailty that we might have or we might have shown Sunday night (in a 26-6 loss to the Washington Commanders). They’ve got everything in their grasp and in their understanding, and I have complete confidence in this coaching staff.”

Dallas heads into the postseason under a lot of pressure due to its recent playoff history. The Cowboys, who lost at home to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild-card round last year, haven’t advanced past the divisional round since the 1995 season.

Tom Brady has never lost to the Cowboys in seven all-time meetings, but Jones doesn’t want to make Monday’s matchup only about the legendary quarterback.

“When you really think about it, we’re not playing Brady. … We’re playing Tampa Bay, the team,” Jones said. “And it’s conceivable that we could make Brady not play well and get our tails beat by the rest of the team. And I’m not trying to be cute. … This Brady thing has got to be sensitive. I know it’s there and I respect that – gives us a challenge to do something we haven’t done before, and that’s beat Tom Brady.”

Tampa Bay topped Dallas 19-3 in the season opener in September. The Cowboys finished that game with Cooper Rush at quarterback after Dak Prescott went down with a thumb injury that sidelined him for five weeks.

NFL 2022 PLAYOFF PREVIEW

The NFL playoffs begin with Super Wild Card Weekend presented by Verizon (January 14-16), which for the second-consecutive year will conclude with a Monday night game.

The NFL Super Wild Card Weekend schedule:

Saturday, January 14
NFC	Seattle at San Francisco	4:30 PM ET	FOX, FOX Deportes
AFC	Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville	8:15 PM ET	NBC, Peacock, Universo

Sunday, January 15
AFC	Miami at Buffalo	1:00 PM ET	CBS, Paramount+
NFC	New York Giants at Minnesota	4:30 PM ET	FOX, FOX Deportes
AFC	Baltimore at Cincinnati	8:15 PM ET	NBC, Peacock, Telemundo

Monday, January 16
NFC	Dallas at Tampa Bay	8:15 PM ET	ESPN/ABC, ESPN2-Manningcast, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes

The NFL expanded the playoffs in 2020 for the first time since 1990, adding a third Wild Card team in each conference and in the process creating “Super Wild Card Weekend.” With the addition of a Monday night game last year, Super Wild Card Weekend will now have two Wild Card games on Saturday (4:30 PM and 8:15 PM ET), three on Sunday (1:00 PM, 4:30 PM, and 8:15 PM ET), and one on Monday (8:15 PM ET).

On Saturday, the Seattle Seahawks play at the San Francisco 49ers (FOX, FOX Deportes, 4:30 PM ET) and the Los Angeles Chargers visit the Jacksonville Jaguars (NBC, Peacock, Universo, 8:15 PM ET).

Super Wild Card Weekend continues Sunday as the Miami Dolphins visit the Buffalo Bills (CBS, Paramount+, 1:00 PM ET), the Minnesota Vikings welcome the New York Giants (FOX, FOX Deportes, 4:30 PM ET) and the Baltimore Ravens travel to face the Cincinnati Bengals (NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, 8:15 PM ET).

Super Wild Card Weekend concludes with the Dallas Cowboys visiting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night(ESPN/ABC, ESPN2-Manningcast, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, 8:15 PM ET).

TURNAROUND TEAMS & CONSISTENT WINNERS HIGHLIGHT PLAYOFF FIELD

There are seven new playoff teams in 2022: BALTIMORE, JACKSONVILLE, the LOS ANGELES CHARGERS, MIAMI, MINNESOTA, the NEW YORK GIANTS and SEATTLE.

Since 1990 – a streak of 33 consecutive seasons – at least four teams have qualified for the playoffs in every season that were not in the postseason the year before.

The teams since 1990 to make the playoffs a season after failing to qualify:

SEASON	PLAYOFF TEAMS NOT IN PREVIOUS SEASON’S PLAYOFFS
1990	7 (Cincinnati, Chicago, Kansas City, Los Angeles Raiders, Miami, New Orleans, Washington)
1991	5 (Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, New York Jets)
1992	6 (Miami, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco)
1993	5 (Denver, Detroit, Green Bay, Los Angeles Raiders, New York Giants)
1994	5 (Chicago, Cleveland, Miami, New England, San Diego Chargers)
1995	4 (Atlanta, Buffalo, Indianapolis, Philadelphia)
1996	5 (Carolina, Denver, Jacksonville, Minnesota, New England)
1997	5 (Detroit, Kansas City, Miami, New York Giants, Tampa Bay)
1998	5 (Arizona, Atlanta, Buffalo, Dallas, New York Jets)
1999	7 (Detroit, Indianapolis, St. Louis Rams, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Washington)
2000	6 (Baltimore, Denver, New Orleans, New York Giants, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia)
2001	6 (Chicago, Green Bay, New England, New York Jets, Pittsburgh, San Francisco)
2002	5 (Atlanta, Cleveland, Indianapolis, New York Giants, Tennessee)
2003	8 (Baltimore, Carolina, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, New England, St. Louis Rams, Seattle)
2004	5 (Atlanta, Minnesota, New York Jets, Pittsburgh, San Diego Chargers)
2005	7 (Carolina, Chicago, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, New York Giants, Tampa Bay, Washington)
2006	7 (Baltimore, Dallas, Kansas City, New Orleans, New York Jets, Philadelphia, San Diego Chargers)
2007	6 (Green Bay, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Washington)
2008	7 (Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Carolina, Miami, Minnesota, Philadelphia)
2009	6 (Cincinnati, Dallas, Green Bay, New England, New Orleans, New York Jets)
2010	5 (Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Seattle)
2011	6 (Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Houston, New York Giants, San Francisco)
2012	4 (Indianapolis, Minnesota, Seattle, Washington)
2013	5 (Carolina, Kansas City, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Diego Chargers)
2014	5 (Arizona, Baltimore, Dallas, Detroit, Pittsburgh)
2015	4 (Houston, Kansas City, Minnesota, Washington)
2016	6 (Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Miami, New York Giants, Oakland Raiders)
2017	8 (Buffalo, Carolina, Jacksonville, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Tennessee)
2018	7 (Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle)
2019	5 (Buffalo, Green Bay, Minnesota, San Francisco, Tennessee)
2020	7 (Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Washington)
2021	7 (Arizona, Cincinnati, Dallas, Las Vegas, New England, Philadelphia, San Francisco)
2022	7 (Baltimore, Jacksonville, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami, Minnesota, New York Giants, Seattle)

Two teams won division titles – Jacksonville (AFC South) and Minnesota (NFC North) – after missing the playoffs last season. At least two teams have won their divisions the season after missing the playoffs in 19 of the past 20 years.

Jacksonville completed the “worst-to-first” turnaround, winning the AFC South the season after finishing in last place. At least one team has won its division the season after finishing in or tied for last place in 18 of the past 20 seasons.

The divisions with new champions in 2022:

	AFC SOUTH	NFC EAST	NFC NORTH	NFC WEST
2022	Jacksonville	Philadelphia	Minnesota	San Francisco
2021	Tennessee	Dallas	Green Bay	Los Angeles Rams

In the 21 seasons since realignment in 2002, 30 of the 32 NFL teams have won a division title at least once.

How the 2022 playoff teams have fared in the 21 seasons since realignment in 2002 (2022 division winners in bold/italics):

TEAM	DIVISION TITLES	PLAYOFF BERTHS
Seattle	9	15
*Philadelphia*	9	13
*Kansas City*	9	12
Baltimore	6	12
*Cincinnati*	6	9
Dallas	6	9
L.A. Chargers	5	8
*Minnesota*	5	8
*San Francisco*	5	7
*Tampa Bay*	5	6
N.Y. Giants	3	8
*Buffalo*	3	5
*Jacksonville*	2	4
Miami	1	3

Six of this season’s 14 playoff teams have won at least one Super Bowl since 2000, capturing nine of the past 21 Vince Lombardi Trophies. Those teams are the Buccaneers (XXXVII, LV), Giants (XLII, XLVI), Ravens (XXXV, XLVII), Chiefs (LIV), Eagles (LII) and Seahawks (XLVIII).

SUPER BOWL	SEASON	WINNER
XXXV	2000	Baltimore Ravens*
XXXVI	2001	New England Patriots
XXXVII	2002	Tampa Bay Buccaneers*
XXXVIII	2003	New England Patriots
XXXIX	2004	New England Patriots
XL	2005	Pittsburgh Steelers
XLI	2006	Indianapolis Colts
XLII	2007	New York Giants*
XLIII	2008	Pittsburgh Steelers
XLIV	2009	New Orleans Saints
XLV	2010	Green Bay Packers
XLVI	2011	New York Giants*
XLVII	2012	Baltimore Ravens*
XLVIII	2013	Seattle Seahawks*
XLIX	2014	New England Patriots
50	2015	Denver Broncos
LI	2016	New England Patriots
LII	2017	Philadelphia Eagles*
LIII	2018	New England Patriots
LIV	2019	Kansas City Chiefs*
LV	2020	Tampa Bay Buccaneers*
LVI	2021	Los Angeles Rams
*In 2022 postseason

The San Francisco 49ers (.607) and Baltimore Ravens (.593) have the second- and third-highest postseason winning percentages in NFL history, while the Cowboys (35 wins) and 49ers (34) are two of the five teams with at least 30 postseason victories all-time.

The 14 playoff teams and their postseason records:

TEAM	WINS	LOSSES	PCT.
San Francisco 49ers	34	22	.607
Baltimore Ravens	16	11	.593
Dallas Cowboys	35	29	.547
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	11	10	.524
Jacksonville Jaguars	7	7	.500
New York Giants	24	25	.490
Philadelphia Eagles	23	24	.489
Miami Dolphins	20	21	.488
Seattle Seahawks	17	18	.486
Buffalo Bills	17	19	.472
Kansas City Chiefs	17	21	.447
Minnesota Vikings	21	30	.412
Los Angeles Chargers	12	18	.400
Cincinnati Bengals	8	15	.348

YOUTH & CONSISTENCY HIGHLIGHT THE PLAYOFF QUARTERBACKS

The 2022 postseason is filled with young stars on the rise and veterans at the top of their game at the quarterback position.

Ten teams can start a quarterback who is under the age of 28 – Baltimore (TYLER HUNTLEY, 24 or LAMAR JACKSON, 26), Buffalo (JOSH ALLEN, 26), Cincinnati (JOE BURROW, 26), Jacksonville (TREVOR LAWRENCE, 23), Kansas City (PATRICK MAHOMES, 27), the Los Angeles Chargers (JUSTIN HERBERT, 24), Miami (TUA TAGOVAILOA, 24 or SKYLAR THOMPSON, 25), the New York Giants (DANIEL JONES, 25), Philadelphia (JALEN HURTS, 24) and San Francisco (BROCK PURDY, 23). The most quarterbacks under the age of 28 to start at least one game in a single postseason is eight (2012 and 2020).

Two quarterbacks have won at least one Super Bowl title and have been named Super Bowl Most Valuable Player:

Tampa Bay quarterback TOM BRADY, who has a league-record seven Super Bowl titles (including leading the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl LV title in 2020), set the NFL single-season record for completions (490) in 2022 and added 4,694 passing yards and 25 touchdown passes as the Buccaneers earned consecutive NFC South division titles for the first time in franchise history. Brady is the postseason’s all-time leader in games played (47), passing yards (13,049) and touchdown passes (86) and has been named Super Bowl MVP five times, more than any player in league history.
Kansas City quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES led the NFL with 5,250 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes this season to help the Chiefs earn their seventh consecutive AFC West division title and fifth since he became the starting quarterback in 2018. In 11 career postseason starts, he has 3,381 passing yards (307.4 per game) with 33 touchdowns (28 passing, five rushing) against seven interceptions for a 105.7 rating and has led the Chiefs to four consecutive AFC Championship games with two Super Bowl appearances in the past four seasons. During the 2019 season, Mahomes became the youngest quarterback to win Super Bowl MVP honors as Kansas City earned the Super Bowl LIV title.

Six quarterbacks can make at least their second career postseason appearance:

Buffalo quarterback JOSH ALLEN, who led Buffalo to its third-consecutive AFC East division title, recorded 4,283 passing yards with 42 touchdowns (35 passing, seven rushing) this season and became the first quarterback in NFL history with three career seasons of at least 35 touchdown passes and five rushing touchdowns. In his first six playoff starts, he has totaled 1,718 passing yards (286.3 per game) with 14 touchdowns against one interception for a 106.6 rating, the highest passer rating in postseason history among quarterbacks who have started at least five games. He also has 371 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, and one receiving touchdown in his playoff career. Allen has 176 career combined passing and rushing touchdowns (138 passing, 38 rushing) in the regular season since entering the NFL in 2018, the most by a player in his first five seasons in NFL history.
Cincinnati quarterback JOE BURROW recorded 4,475 passing yards with 40 touchdowns (35 passing, five rushing) and a 100.8 rating this season and led the Bengals to a second-consecutive AFC North division title. Last season, Cincinnati became the fifth team to appear in a Super Bowl after finishing in last place in its division the season prior and Burrow became the first quarterback selected No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft to start a Super Bowl within his first two seasons. In four career postseason starts, Burrow has 1,105 passing yards (276.3 per game) with five touchdown passes and a 97.3 rating.
Minnesota quarterback KIRK COUSINS is set to appear in his fifth-career playoff game, fourth as a starting quarterback, after leading the Vikings to their first NFC North division title since 2018. In three career postseason starts, he has four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) with a 91.0 rating. This season, Cousins passed for 4,547 yards and 29 touchdowns and became the fifth player ever to record at least 25 touchdown passes in at least eight consecutive seasons.
Philadelphia quarterback JALEN HURTS is slated to make his second postseason start after leading the Eagles to their first division title since 2019. He passed for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns and added 760 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns, becoming the third quarterback ever with at least 3,500 passing yards, 20 touchdown passes and 10 rushing touchdowns in a season. In his first postseason start last season, he totaled 297 yards (258 passing, 39 rushing) with one touchdown pass.
Dallas quarterback DAK PRESCOTT makes his fourth trip to the postseason after leading Dallas to back-to-back playoff berths. In four career postseason starts, he has nine touchdowns (six passing, three rushing), including three consecutive games with both a touchdown pass and a rushing touchdown. Prescott passed for 2,860 yards and 23 touchdowns in 12 starts this season as the Cowboys ranked third in scoring offense (27.5 points per game), including recording 24-or-more points in 10 of Prescott’s 12 starts.
Baltimore quarterback LAMAR JACKSON could make his fifth-career postseason start on Super Wild Card Weekend. In his postseason career, he has registered 1,267 combined passing and rushing yards (316.8 per game) with four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) and is responsible for two of the six 100-yard rushing games by a quarterback in postseason history. Quarterback TYLER HUNTLEY could also make his first-career playoff start.

As many as seven quarterbacks can make their first-career postseason start on Super Wild Card Weekend. The most quarterbacks to make their first career postseason start in a single postseason is seven (1999).

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback JUSTIN HERBERT makes his postseason debut after leading the Chargers to their first postseason berth since 2018. He recorded 4,739 passing yards with 25 touchdown passes this season and became the first player in NFL history with at least 4,500 passing yards in two of his first three career seasons. Herbert also joined Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING as the only players in NFL history with at least 25 touchdown passes in each of their first three seasons.
New York Giants quarterback DANIEL JONES can make his first career postseason start after leading the Giants to their first postseason berth since 2016. He registered career bests in passing yards (3,205), passer rating (92.5), rushing yards (708) and rushing touchdowns (seven) in 2022 and added 15 touchdown passes in 16 starts this season.
Jacksonville quarterback TREVOR LAWRENCE became the sixth quarterback since 2000 to be selected No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft and reach the postseason in one of his first two career seasons after leading the Jaguars to their first AFC South division title since 2017. He set career highs this season in passing yards (4,113), touchdown passes (25) and passer rating (95.2) and over the final 10 weeks of the season (Weeks 9-18), led all AFC quarterbacks in passer rating (104.6).
San Francisco rookie quarterback BROCK PURDY is expected to start after helping the 49ers earn their first NFC West division title since 2019. He became the third rookie quarterback ever to win each of his first five career starts, joining BEN ROETHLISBERGER (won first 13 starts in 2004) and MIKE KRUCZEK (first six in 1968) and is one of two rookies in NFL history (JUSTIN HERBERT) with at least two touchdown passes in six consecutive games. Purdy can become the first rookie quarterback selected in the seventh round or later or that was undrafted to start a postseason game in the common-draft era.
Seattle quarterback GENO SMITH is expected to make his first playoff start and is looking to become the first quarterback since 2000 (RICH GANNON) to win his first postseason start at least 10 years into his NFL career. He recorded a career-high and franchise-record 4,282 passing yards with 30 touchdown passes and a 100.9 rating this season.
Miami quarterback TUA TAGOVAILOA can make his first career postseason start after helping the Dolphins reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016. He recorded career highs in passing yards (3,548) and touchdown passes (25) this season and led the NFL with a 105.5 passer rating, becoming the second-youngest qualified player ever to lead the league in passer rating, behind Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO, who was 23 years old in 1984. TEDDY BRIDGEWATER can also make his second-career postseason start while rookie SKYLAR THOMPSON can make his postseason debut on Super Wild Card Weekend. Thompson can join Purdy as the only rookie quarterbacks selected in the seventh round or later or that was undrafted to start a postseason game in the common-draft era.

BEST NFL PLAYOFF PERFORMANCES

(Single postseason)

PASSING YARDS
PLAYER, TEAM	SEASON	COMP.	ATT.	YARDS	TD	INT
Eli Manning, New York Giants	2011	106	163	1,219	9	1
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams	2021	98	140	1,188	9	3
Kurt Warner^HOF, Arizona	2008	92	135	1,147	11	3
Joe Flacco, Baltimore	2012	73	126	1,140	11	0
Tom Brady, New England	2016	93	142	1,137	7	3

RUSHING YARDS
PLAYER, TEAM	SEASON	ATT.	YARDS	TD
John Riggins^HOF, Washington	1982	136	610	4
Terrell Davis^HOF, Denver	1997	112	581	8
Terrell Davis^HOF, Denver	1998	78	468	3
Marcus Allen^HOF, Los Angeles Raiders	1983	58	466	4
Eddie George, Tennessee	1999	108	449	3

RECEIVING YARDS
PLAYER, TEAM	SEASON	REC.	YARDS	TD
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona	2008	30	546	7
Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams	2021	33	478	6
Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants	2011	28	444	4
Jerry Rice^HOF, San Francisco	1988	21	409	6
Steve Smith, Carolina	2003	18	404	3

RECEPTIONS
PLAYER, TEAM	SEASON	REC.	YARDS	TD
Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams	2021	33	478	6
Travis Kelce, Kansas City	2020	31	360	3
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona	2008	30	546	7
Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants	2011	28	444	4
Demaryius Thomas, Denver	2013	28	306	3

SCRIMMAGE TOUCHDOWNS
PLAYER, TEAM	SEASON	TOTAL TD	RUSH TD	REC. TD
Terrell Davis^HOF, Denver	1997	8	8	0
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona	2008	7	0	7
Larry Csonka^HOF, Miami	1973	6	6	0
Franco Harris^HOF, Pittsburgh	1974	6	6	0
Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams	2021	6	0	6
Sony Michel, New England	2018	6	6	0
Jerry Rice^HOF, San Francisco	1988	6	0	6
John Riggins^HOF, Washington	1983	6	6	0
Gerald Riggs, Washington	1991	6	6	0
Emmitt Smith^HOF, Dallas	1995	6	6	0
Ricky Watters, San Francisco	1993	6	6	0
Damien Williams, Kansas City	2019	6	4	2

THE SPORTING NEWS NFL PLAYOFF PICKS

NFL playoff picks, predictions against the spread

NFC Game of the Week: No. 5 Cowboys (-3, 45 o/u) at No. 4 Buccaneers

Monday 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

The Cowboys have marched sloppily into the playoffs with Dak Prescott continuing his interception streak. They have become dependent on playing on a lead so they can get their running game rolling and tee off with their pass rush. They have the capacity to pour it on and run away, but close games aren’t their strength.

The Buccaneers will work to stay in it early with their run defense and some key third-down stops. They also had great success running on Dallas in the Week 1 meeting and Tom Brady has been sharper with the downfield passing game of late with more help with his receivers. Mike McCarthy’s team is headed for more early playoff disappoint against a sub-.500 team, albeit one with the GOAT at quarterback.

Pick: Buccaneers win 24-20 in the Upset of the Week

AFC Game of the Week: No. 6 Ravens at No. 3 Bengals (-6.5, 43.5 o/u)

Sunday 8:15 p.m. ET, NBC

The Ravens are expecting to have Lamar Jackson play through his knee injury, or at least a healthier Tyler Huntley. They should show better offense based on the running game, but their limitations in the downfield passing game are evident.

The Bengals don’t have any of those issues with Joe Burrow throwing to Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and others. The Ravens will stay in it by stopping the run and going after Burrow well at times vs. a one-dimensional attack, but the visitors just can’t find enough offensive pop to win the Week 18 rematch.

Pick: Bengals win 23-20 but fail to cover the spread.

Lock of the Week: No. 2 49ers (-10, 43.5 o/u) over No. 7 Seahawks

Saturday 4:30 p.m. ET, Fox

The 49ers finished the regular season on a 10-game winning streak. The Seahawks already have overachieved by getting to the playoffs with an offense led by Geno Smith. They also have gotten major contributions from key rookies, led by running back Kenneth Walker III and cornerback Tariq Woolen.

But the 49ers also have a big-time rookie in QB Brock Purdy and their offensive strengths can exploit the Seahawks’ key weaknesses in the middle of their defense. That includes power running with Christian McCaffrey with others and working the middle of field in the passing game with George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and others. Smith hasn’t fared well, like most QBs, when facing consistent pressure from a four-man rush.

Pick: 49ers win 31-14 and cover the spread.

No. 5 Chargers (-1, 47 o/u) at No. 4 Jaguars

Saturday 8:15 p.m. ET, NBC

The Jaguars won the Week 3 meeting at Los Angeles 38-10 with Justin Herbert trying to play through his painful ribs injury. They also have won five consecutive games in their second-half run to the AFC South title. The Chargers were just as hot until they got into more of rest mode late in their Week 18 loss at Denver.

Something needs to give here in a more of an even passing duel between Herbert and Trevor Lawrence. The Jaguars’ defense has been making more big plays to make up for some big weaknesses vs. pass and run. The Chargers’ defense, however, has been steadier overall on every level. This game actually becomes more about Austin Ekeler vs. Travis Etienne, with advantage to L.A.’s more established dynamo.

Pick: Chargers win 27-24 and cover the spread.

No. 7 Dolphins at No. 2 Bills (-11, 44 o/u)

Sunday 1 p.m. ET, CBS

The Dolphins could be starting any one of their three quarterbacks. There’s no commitment to Tua Tagovailoa returning from a concussion. Teddy Bridgewater has a finger injury. Rookie Skylar Thompson compresses the entire passing game. Here’s feeling that Tagovailoa will be cleared to go to make their offense more competitive. The problem, however, will be the defense containing Josh Allen’s passing, along with the Bills’ overall rushing attack.

Pick: Bills win 30-20 but fail to cover the spread.

No. 6 Giants at No. 3 Vikings (-3, 47.5 o/u)

Sunday 4:30 p.m. ET, Fox

The Giants and Vikings just played a Week 16 thriller in Minnesota, won by the hosts 27-24 on a 61-yard field goal. The Giants’ defense has had a lot of issues against better offenses, starting with not being able to stop the run and having trouble with both inside and outside downfield coverage. The Vikings should get Justin Jefferson and all their weapons rolling again without the elements.

Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley will do their best to keep the Giants in the game with plenty of running and a few big plays, but the Vikings will be able to move the ball more consistently all afternoon.

Pick: Vikings win 31-24 and cover the spread.

THE ’72 MIAMI DOLPHINS FEATURED ON NFL NETWORK’S A FOOTBALL LIFE

The 11th season of the Emmy-nominated and highly acclaimed NFL Films-produced series A Football Life continues Friday, January 13 at 9:00 PM ET on NFL Network with a profile of the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins. The one-hour show features sit-down interviews with Pro Football Hall of Famers such as Bob Griese, Larry Csonka, Larry Little and Paul Warfield, former players Mercury Morris, and Vern Den Herder, Miami Dolphins beat reporter Tony Segreto and others.

Among the topics discussed in The ’72 Dolphins: A Perfect Football Life include:

Losing to the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl VI and having to fight adversity to make it back
Discussing Coach Don Shula’s preparation and drive to win during the 1972 season
Veteran Earl Morrall becoming the starting quarterback after Bob Griese’s early season injury
The fantastic play and comradery between the Dolphins’ top running backs, Larry Csonka, Mercury Morris and Jim Kiick
The historic “No Name Defense” anchoring the team throughout the year enroute to being the best defense in the league
Beating Washington to win the team’s first Super Bowl and complete the only undefeated season in NFL history

Emmy-nominated actor Josh Charles narrates.

The ’72 Dolphins: A Perfect Football Life includes interviews with the following people:

Bob Griese – Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback
Mercury Morris – Two-time Super Bowl champion running back
Larry Csonka – Pro Football Hall of Fame fullback
Larry Little – Pro Football Hall of Fame guard
Otto Stowe – Super Bowl VII champion wide receiver
Karl Noonan – Super Bowl VII champion wide receiver
Larry Ball – Two-time Super Bowl champion linebacker
Vern Den Herder – Two-time Super Bowl champion defensive end
Bob Heinz – Super Bowl VII champion defensive tackle
Tony Segreto – 1972 Dolphins beat reporter
Dr. Doug Swift – Two-time Super Bowl champion linebacker
Manny Fernandez – Two-time Super Bowl champion defensive tackle
Doug Crusan – Two-time Super Bowl champion tackle
Howard Kindig – Two-time Super Bowl champion long snapper
Jim Del Gaizo – Super Bowl VII champion quarterback
Paul Warfield – Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver
Dick Anderson – Two-time Super Bowl champion safety
Larry Seiple – Two-time Super Bowl champion punter
Charlie Babb – Two-time Super Bowl champion safety

Provided below are some select quotes from The ’72 Dolphins: A Perfect Football Life:

– “In 100 years of competition in the NFL, all those games, there is one team that made it through the jungle.” – Larry Csonka

– “Undefeated was not a goal. The goal of that season was to get back to the Super Bowl, whatever it took. To do that, we had to concentrate on winning a game every week.” – Manny Fernandez on the team’s mindset entering the 1972 season

– “This was kind of football’s version of Camelot. It was just the coming together of this community and this team. It was absolutely magical.” – Tony Segreto on how the Dolphins united the community of Miami

– “What you have here is a bunch of nobody’s. We weren’t good enough for people to know our names. But in the end, we thought it was a badge of honor.” – Vern Den Herder on the historic “No Name Defense”

– “We’re not celebrating anyone else’s loss, we’re celebrating success and our victory. It means something when the last undefeated team loses.” – Bob Griese on the 1972 Dolphins’ tradition of celebrating each year when the last undefeated team loses

– “Perfection, that pretty well sums it up. But we did it, because of the intensity of a guy named Shula.” – Larry Csonka

All NFL Network programming is available across multiple devices (smartphone, PC, tablet and connected TVs) through the NFL app and NFL Network app for subscribers of participating NFL Network providers, and with NFL+. Visit NFL.com/watch for more information on how to watch and visit NFL.com/plus/learn-more for more information on NFL+.

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GEORGIA’S CARTER DECLARES FOR 2023 NFL DRAFT

Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter declared for the 2023 NFL Draft hours after his team earned a second straight national championship with a blowout win over TCU on Monday.

Carter is widely projected to be a top-five pick in April and is a contender to go first overall to the Chicago Bears. If he does, it will be back-to-back No. 1 picks for Georgia after the Jacksonville Jaguars took pass-rusher Travon Walker in 2022.

Carter’s production isn’t as eye-popping as some other top-tier defensive line prospects, with 32 total tackles and three sacks in 2022.

But the 6-foot-3, 310-pounder has been the key to the Bulldogs’ suffocating defense for the past two seasons, earning unanimous All-American honors as well as being named first-team All-SEC in 2022.

Georgia ranked fifth in points allowed per game (15.3), first in rushing yards allowed per game (81.2), and third in third-down conversion rate (27.96%) this season.

Carter, Alabama pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr., and Clemson defensive end Myles Murphy are expected to be the top defenders available in the draft.

QB RATTLER SAYS HE’S RETURNING TO SOUTH CAROLINA

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Spencer Rattler is coming back to South Carolina.

The Gamecocks quarterback posted his return on social medial Tuesday night. The video showed Rattler’s highlights this season and ended with the words, “He’s Back.”

Rattler’s future had been among the biggest offseason questions for South Carolina, which finished 8-5 this past season and ended the year No. 23 in the final AP Top 25 rankings.

Rattler’s NFL stock rose at the end of the season as he led South Carolina to consecutive wins over No. 5 Tennessee, 63-38, and No. 8 Clemson, 31-30, a week later.

Rattler passed for 3,026 yards, 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions this past year. More than a third of his passing yards came in the final three games.

After a 45-38 loss at the Gator Bowl to Notre Dame, Rattler told media he’d take some time before deciding his future.

Rattler helped the Sooners to a Big 12 Conference title in 2020 and was a Heisman Trophy contender at the start of the following season. However, he lost his starting job to Caleb Williams and transferred to the Gamecocks and coach Shane Beamer after the season.

Rattler’s top target from this past year, Antwane “Juice” Wells, announced Monday that he was passing on the NFL for another season at South Carolina.

Wells caught 68 passes for 929 yards and six touchdowns.

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VANDER PLAS LEADS NO. 13 VIRGINIA PAST UNC; BACOT INJURED

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) Ben Vander Plas might be changing his pregame shooting routine.

The Ohio transfer had 17 points and eight rebounds on Tuesday night as No. 13 Virginia used a 17-2 second-half run to rally for a 65-58 victory over North Carolina, which lost leading scorer and rebounder Armando Bacot to a left ankle injury early in the game.

“Usually I’m doing it in the practice gym but just wanted to change it up a little bit today and get some shots in the main court. So I might have to make that part of the main routine,” said Vander Plas, who had 14 second-half points.

Reece Beekman scored 13 points and Armaan Franklin had 12 points and nine rebounds as the Cavaliers (12-3, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their eighth straight meeting with the Tar Heels at John Paul Jones Arena. Freshman Isaac McKneely scored 11 for Virginia, going 3 of 4 from 3-point range, including a critical one from deep with 2:21 remaining.

Bacot rolled his ankle 1:18 into the game and did not return, but North Carolina went on a 21-5 run in the first half and led by seven points early in the second.

Tar Heels coach Hubert Davis said he didn’t see the play where Bacot was hurt – “I just saw him on the ground,” Davis said – and had no update on his star’s status.

“I know he’s hurt pretty bad. I know he’s in a lot of pain,” Davis said, adding he didn’t find out that Bacot wouldn’t return until halftime. “I just want him to be OK.”

RJ Davis led the Tar Heels (11-6, 3-3) with 16 points and Caleb Love and Jalen Washington added 13 each. Washington, a freshman, played 27 minutes in Bacot’s absence and matched his season total for field goals with five.

“I though he played fantastic,” Davis said.

Franklin started Virginia’s rally with a putback dunk, and Vander Plas also had a putback dunk and a pair of 3s, putting Virginia ahead 52-42 with nine minutes left.

The Tar Heels closed within 58-55 on Love’s 3-pointer with 2:47 to go, but McKneely hit a deep 3 in front of the Virginia bench to restore the lead to six. Love made another 3, but Beekman drove an open lane for a dunk, Vander Plas made a steal and dunked, and Kihei Clark forced a turnover.

Beekman’s drive came off a slip screen set by Vander Plas.

“I think for sure his health is improved and that’s helped a lot,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said of Beekman, who has been slowed by a right hamstring injury. “I mean … to get down the lane and get that finish at that point was significant.”

Trailing 10-3 after a slow start for both teams, the Tar Heels surged to a 24-15 lead with just under four minutes left in the half. Washington scored nine in the flurry. Virginia scored 12 of the last 17 points to get within 29-27 at the half.

BIG PICTURE

North Carolina: Justin McCoy, who played two years at Virginia before transferring to North Carolina before last season, was booed when he entered the game. McCoy had been little-used, making only seven appearances and totaling seven points in those games. He finished with two points and six rebounds in 14 1/2 minutes.

Virginia: With the Cavaliers shooting poorly in the first half (9 of 24, 38%), Beekman highlighted his importance with two steals and fast-break layups, and then another steal that led to a two-on-one break with Clark scoring. Beekman finished with five steals.

UP NEXT

North Carolina: At Louisville on Saturday.

Virginia: At Florida State on Saturday.

NO. 2 KANSAS GOES ON LATE 18-4 RUN TO BEAT OKLAHOMA 79-75

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) KJ Adams scored a career-high 22 points and No. 2 Kansas closed the game on an 18-4 run to beat Oklahoma 79-75 on Tuesday night.

It wasn’t easy, but in what Kansas coach Bill Self calls “a monster league,” a win is a win.

“Give OU credit,” Self said. “They did everything you’re supposed to do to win a game on the road. They controlled tempo. They played smart. For the most part, they took care of the ball. They did a lot of good things. What else could they have done?

“We’re so happy that we won, but that’s about as poor as we’ve played in a long time.”

Kansas (14-1, 3-0 Big 12) got 17 points from Jalen Wilson, 11 from Dajuan Harris and 10 from Zach Clemence. The Jayhawks have won 22 straight games against Oklahoma in Allen Fieldhouse, including 16 straight under Self.

“We’ve been battle tested so much this year, especially with close games, we always find a way to stay composed,” Wilson said. “We just continued to play our ball. There’s no 10-point play, so there’s no point in rushing the shots.

“There wasn’t a time when I thought the game was over, because I know we’re always going to find a way to win.”

Grant Sherfield scored a season-high 25 points for Oklahoma (10-5, 1-2 Big 12). Sam Godwin added 12 points, Milos Uzan had 11 and Tanner Groves had 10.

Kansas led by as many as seven points early in the second half, but Oklahoma used a 6-0 run to take a 50-48 lead with 14:12 left. The Sooners were still ahead 56-53 with 11:20 left in the game when Groves picked up his fourth foul.

Oklahoma hung tough, and led 61-56 with about nine minutes left as Adams was called for his fourth foul. The Sooners’ largest lead of the game – 65-58 – came with 7:06 left.

But Kansas went on a run that’s almost expected when it’s playing at home.

“When something good happens (for Kansas) down the stretch it’s hard to communicate because it’s so loud,” Oklahoma coach Porter Moser said. “There’s a belief in here from the fan base. That snowball starts going downhill.”

Kansas went more than 12 minutes without a field goal in the second half, but Adams ended that streak with a thunderous dunk at the 5:06 mark.

“Juan does that pass all the time so I was waiting for it,” Adams said. “Then Allen Fieldhouse did what they did and got really loud. That gave us a lot of confidence to finish the game.”

A 3-pointer by Wilson cut the deficit to 71-66 and Harris’ layup trimmed it to 3 points.

After the teams traded buckets, Wilson found Adams underneath for a dunk to cut Oklahoma’s lead to one. Following an OU miss, Kevin McCullar was fouled on a successful drive to the hoop and his free throw gave Kansas a 75-73 lead.

“I do think it’s this place, but sometimes when you talk about this place you don’t give enough credit to the players,” Self said. “There were some guys making some plays. Kevin McCullar hadn’t done much at all, then he had that unbelievable drive.”

UP NEXT

Oklahoma: Hosts West Virginia on Saturday.

Kansas: Hosts No. 14 Iowa State on Saturday.

VESCOVI HELPS NO. 5 TENNESSEE RECOVER AGAINST VANDY 77-68

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Santiago Vescovi and Julian Phillips each scored 15 points as No. 5 Tennessee recovered from a halftime deficit to pull out a 77-68 victory over Vanderbilt on Tuesday night.

Vescovi scored 12 of his points in the second half to lead the recovery for the Volunteers (14-2, 4-0 Southeastern Conference), who won their 25th straight game at Thompson-Boling Arena. Uros Plavsic contributed 11 points.

“(Vescovi) helped himself a lot (in the second half),” said Tennessee coach Rick Barnes. “He was a little too casual (on offense) at the start.”

“(Vescovi) plays hard and aggressive,” said Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse. “That’s a talent and a skillset on its own.”

Vandy’s 7-foot Liam Robbins won the battle of the big men with 18 points off the bench. Noah Shelby had 12 points (3 of 4 3-pointers) in the first half, but was silenced in the second. Jordan Wright added 13.

“(Robbins) had a game,” said Barnes. “He got the ball where he wanted it.”

Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee’s sophomore guard, had nine assists, giving him 27 in the last three games.

“(Zeigler’s) getting better,” said Barnes. “He’s learning. He was never a natural point guard. I’m excited to see how good he can get.”

Tennessee scored the first seven points of the first half and the first nine of the second half. The second half spurt allowed the Vols to recover from an intermission deficit.

Tennessee trailed at halftime, 39-37, for only the second time all season (Ole Miss was the other). Vanderbilt (8-8, 1-2) got all but three points in the first half from its starters. Shelby connected on three 3-pointers and had 12 points while Robbins had 11.

“I still think we had opportunities we left on the table,” Stackhouse said of his team’s first-half effort. “We’ve been games for four years now. It’s on me and our staff to raise our level.”

“(The Commodores) got down but still stayed in it,” said Barnes. “They take on (Stackhouse’s) personality. They don’t quit.”

The Commodores attacked the Vols’ suffocating defense. Vandy shot 39 percent (5 of 13) from 3-point range against a team that limits its opponents to 21 percent. Tennessee managed just 25 percent (3 of 12) from beyond the arc.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Tennessee, which has now won 25 straight games at home, took a step in the right direction by moving up three spots this week. The No. 5 Vols have now won five straight games and are keeping pace with Alabama, which is one spot ahead of them.

BIG PICTURE

Vanderbilt: The Commodores are still searching for a signature win this season. An overtime victory over a struggling South Carolina team hardly fit the bill. . Liam Robbins, a 7-foot post player, has been an intimidating force. He has blocked 38 shots this season.

Tennessee: In his last two games, Vols forward Olivier Nkamhoua came into the Vanderbilt game having hit all 15 of his shot attempts. . Tennessee has extended its winning streak over Vanderbilt to 11 games. . Josiah-Jordan James Tuesday played in his third straight game after missing nine games this year with soreness in his knee. He was a preseason All-SEC selection this year.

UP NEXT

Vanderbilt: The Commodores will face their second ranked team of the week when they entertain No. 15 Arkansas Saturday.

Tennessee: The Vols will go from one rival to another when they host Kentucky Saturday.

MICHIGAN STATE RALLIES FOR 69-65 WIN AT NO. 18 WISCONSIN

MADISON, Wis. (AP) Michigan State was trailing No. 18 Wisconsin by five points with less than four minutes to go when Spartans coach Tom Izzo delivered a message to his veteran team.

“Once we all kind of came into the huddle, coach said to us, `We’re winning this game,'” senior forward Malik Hall said. “After that, everyone just kind of said, `Hey, we’ve got to do everything we can to win this game.'”

A.J. Hoggard made a tiebreaking layup with 41 seconds left and Michigan State rallied past the Badgers 69-65 on Tuesday night for its seventh consecutive victory.

Wisconsin (11-4, 3-2 Big Ten) was playing its second straight game without leading scorer Tyler Wahl. The Badgers have gone 0-2 without him, and coach Greg Gard had no update on when Wahl might return.

“He’s doing more and more every day,” Gard said. “But in terms of will he be available Saturday, I don’t know.”

Michigan State (12-4, 4-1) made its last eight field-goal attempts and went 16 of 17 from the foul line to win a nip-and-tuck game that featured 14 lead changes. Neither team led by more than six points.

Izzo credited his Spartans’ experience to come through down the stretch. They were playing away from home for the first time since a Dec. 7 victory at Penn State that started their win streak.

“Experience matters, it really does, especially in this day and age,” Izzo said. “What I’ve got a little different from some is my guys have played together. It’s not a factory of guys running in and running out. Those guys had a feel for one another. The huddles were pretty good that way. They were challenging each other. And that was big for us.”

It helped them respond to Izzo’s challenge.

“We’ve been through some stuff, had some guys down, had to have guys step up, and we’ve been in tight games,” said Joey Houser, who led all scorers with 20 points. “It’s a belief that we’re going to come back, we’re going to get stops and we’re going to make big buckets. Coach can say it as much as he wants, but until the guys start believing it, it’s not going to matter much. But this team believes we’re going to make the winning plays.”

Tyson Walker added 13 points, Jaden Akins 12 and Hoggard 10 for Michigan State.

Steven Crowl led Wisconsin with 19 points, followed by Chucky Hepburn’s 14 and Connor Essegian’s 13 points.

The score was tied at 63 when Hoggard made a move around Crowl in the paint and delivered the basket that put the Spartans ahead for good. After Hepburn missed a 3-pointer, Hoggard made two free throws to move the lead to 67-63 with 28 seconds left.

Wisconsin’s Max Klesmit made both ends of a one-and-one to cut the lead to 67-65 with 13.5 seconds remaining before Walker sank two free throws to complete the scoring with 12.6 seconds left.

It was a rare narrow loss for the Badgers, who are 18-6 over the last two seasons in games decided by five points or fewer. Gard said the difference this time was simple.

“We didn’t execute the last 10 possesions of the game on both ends of the floor like we have in the past,” Gard said.

BIG PICTURE

Michigan State: The Spartans had been winning games with defense., with opponents shooting just 36.4% overall and 23.4% from 3-point range during their last six victories. But they won this one with great shots and offensive execution down the stretch.

Wisconsin: The Badgers proved they could compete with quality teams even without Wahl, who also missed the Badgers’ 79-69 loss at Illinois on Saturday. But a 33-18 rebounding deficit was too much to overcome.

SISSOKO’S STITCHES

Michigan State center Mady Sissoko went to the locker room late in the first half after taking a hit to the face. He received five stitches above his right eye before returning to play the second half. He ended up with six points and 11 rebounds.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Michigan State should enter the AP Top 25 if it wins Friday. Wisconsin probably needs to win Saturday to stay in the poll.

UP NEXT

Michigan State: At Illinois on Friday.

Wisconsin: At Indiana on Saturday.

NOWELL LEADS NO. 11 KANSAS ST PAST OSU FOR 9TH STRAIGHT WIN

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) Markquis Nowell scored 20 points and found Keyontae Johnson for an alley-oop dunk with 38 seconds left as No. 11 Kansas State held off Oklahoma State 65-57 on Tuesday night.

Johnson added 12 points and Desi Sills had 11 for the Wildcats (15-1, 4-0 Big 12), who won their ninth straight and exceeded their victory total from last season. Predicted to finish last in the Big 12, Kansas State went from unranked last week to just outside the top 10 in the AP poll.

“We didn’t play well in the first half, but we were only down two,” Kansas State coach Jerome Tang said. “Up to this point of the season, we’ve been the hunters and now we have the number in front of our name. We challenged the guys to play with a smile and win the second half.”

Kalib Boone scored 23 points and Caleb Asberry had 15 for the Cowboys (9-7, 1-3), who have lost three of four, all by 10 points or fewer.

“We came into a difficult environment, which is expected when you are playing the hottest team in the country,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton said.

Kansas State led by 10 points in the second half before the Cowboys made it close in the closing minutes. Johnson’s slam put Kansas State ahead 62-57 and the Wildcats closed it out at the free-throw line.

“That’s what happens when you have dudes,” Tang said. “I would love to tell you I drew that up, but I didn’t. He caught it with one hand and that was big-time guys making big-time plays at big-time moments.”

Oklahoma State held Kansas State to its worst shooting performance of the year. The Wildcats went 21 of 50 (35.6%). However, the Cowboys were even worse, going 22 of 66 (33.3%). Kansas State scored its fewest points in a Big 12 game thus far but also gave up its fewest.

“I feel like we were switching up our defense so it was tough on them, but they were tough on us too,” Asberry said. “We started playing more through Kalib and he produced for us like he usually does, which got us back in it.”

Nowell made five 3-pointers and had seven assists and five rebounds.

BIG PICTURE

Oklahoma State: Avery Anderson (11.1 points per game) was limited to 13 minutes because of a wrist injury and was held scoreless. Once he’s fully healthy, the Cowboys’ offense should get a nice boast.

Kansas State: The Wildcats’ next two games – at No. 17 TCU and against second-ranked rival Kansas – should give them a better feel for where they stand in the Big 12.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma State: At Baylor on Saturday.

Kansas State: At TCU on Saturday.

GAMECOCKS TOP KENTUCKY AT RUPP FOR 1ST TIME IN 14 YEARS

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) Meechie Johnson hit six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 26 points to lead South Carolina over Kentucky 71-68, winning at Rupp Arena for the first time in 14 years and giving coach Lamont Paris his first SEC victory.

The win was just the third for the Gamecocks (8-8, 1-2) in 31 games at Kentucky (10-6, 1-3) and the first at Rupp Arena since January 2009.

Kentucky had its SEC-leading 28-game home win streak snapped in what has been a decidedly disappointing start to the season with its worst start in SEC play since 1986-87.

Gregory “GG” Jackson II added 16 points for the Gamecocks, who shot 48%, making 11 of 20 3-point attempts, outscoring the Wildcats 21-12 on second-chance points and surviving 15 turnovers.

Oscar Tshiebwe scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, his ninth double this season for Kentucky. CJ Fredrick added 14 points and Antonio Reeves 13, both off the bench. The Wildcats shot 51% but made just 3 of 10 from the arc and 7 of 14 from the line.

Kentucky was missing forward Jacob Toppin with a right shoulder injury and guard Cason Wallace left midway through the first half with a lower back issue. Both are double-figure scorers. Toppin’s status is day-to-day.

South Carolina led throughout and was up by 12 with 13 minutes remaining. Kentucky made a couple of runs at the Gamecocks and got within a point with 51 seconds to go after a 10-0 surge with Reeves and Fredrick hitting 3-pointers. Johnson then lost an inbounds pass out of bounds with 20.2 left, the fourth turnover during the Wildcats’ run. But Kentucky missed a pair of 3-point attempts to end the game.

Both teams were coming off lopsided losses to top-10 teams, Kentucky falling to Alabama 78-52 and South Carolina losing to Tennessee 85-42. But only the Gamecocks responded at the start, taking a 21-6 lead in the first seven minutes and a 42-32 halftime edge after shooting 57% with Johnson scoring 16 points.

UP NEXT

On Saturday, South Carolina is home against Texas A&M while Kentucky plays at Tennessee.

*************WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL NEWS*********

UCONN WOMEN’S TEAM HAS ENOUGH PLAYERS TO FACE ST. JOHN’S

STORRS, Conn. (AP) UConn, which was forced to postpone a women’s basketball game this past weekend because of a lack of healthy players, has announced it will be able to play as scheduled on Wednesday.

The Huskies are traveling to face St. John’s at the UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. The school announced Monday that it now has “at least seven players” available for that game.

UConn’s game against, DePaul, which had been scheduled for Sunday, was postponed when it became clear that injuries would leave the No. 4 Huskies with only six available athletes.

The conference requires schools to suit up seven scholarship players for any game.

UConn (13-2, 6-0 Big East) also was expected to be without head coach Geno Auriemma on Sunday, who announced last week that he is taking some time off to recover from an illness. The school did not say if he would be coaching on Wednesday.

Junior Aaliyah Edwards (foot) and freshman Ayanna Patterson (undisclosed) were injured in UConn’s win at Xavier last Thursday. They joined sophomore Caroline Ducharme (concussion), sophomore Azzi Fudd (knee), junior Paige Bueckers (knee) and freshman Ice Brady (knee) on the inactive list.

UConn did not say which of those players would suit up against St. John’s (14-1, 5-1). Bueckers and Brady are out for the season. Fudd participated in pregame warmups for the past three games. Ducharme sat out two games before this past weekend in concussion protocol.

GONZALES SCORES 26, TEXAS BEATS NO. 23 KANSAS WOMEN 72-59

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Shaylee Gonzales scored 14 of her 26 points in the fourth quarter and Texas cruised to a 72-59 victory over No. 23 Kansas on Tuesday night.

Gonzales was 6 of 7 from the floor with a pair of 3-pointers as Texas outscored Kansas 18-12 in the fourth. Gonzales finished 11-of-16 shooting with four 3s. Sonya Morris added 13 points for the Longhorns (12-5, 3-1 Big 12), who shot 48%. Rori Harmon added eight points and 11 assists.

Holly Kersgieter scored 20 points, and Taiyanna Jackson added 19 points and 12 rebounds for Kansas (12-3, 2-2), which has lost three of its last five games including a 75-62 home loss to 23rd-ranked Baylor.

The game was tied once, 4-4, and the Longhorns never trailed and led 41-29 at the break. The Jayhawks used a 10-0 run early in the third quarter to pull within 43-39 but didn’t get closer.

Texas leads the series 33-12, including a 16-5 advantage at home. But Kansas won in Austin last season, 70-66 in overtime, for its first road win in the series since 2012.

Kansas plays at 19th-ranked Oklahoma on Saturday. Texas faces No. 15 Iowa State at home on Sunday.

***************NBA NEWS********************

BUTLER, HEAT SET NBA FREE THROW RECORD, BEAT OKC 112-111

MIAMI (AP) Jimmy Butler took the last free throw of the night, then bent his knees a bit and almost seemed unsure what would happen as the ball made its way to the rim.

Turns out, it was perfect – and so was Miami on Tuesday night.

The Heat set an NBA record by making all 40 of their free throws, the last of those coming on Butler’s three-point play with 12.9 seconds left, and rallied in the final moments to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-111.

Miami topped the 39-for-39 effort by Utah against Portland on Dec. 7, 1982.

“It’s just a normal Tuesday night for the Miami Heat,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I think this is when we feel most alive, when everything just happens and when all of our competitive juices get out there. That’s the team we all can relate to. That’s the team I like.”

Here’s just some of what happened Tuesday – the Heat played without six injured players, including four starters; backup Heat center Dewayne Dedmon was ejected after arguing with his own team and smacking a massage gun onto the court during play from the sideline; Miami had a six-point possession in the fourth quarter; and Josh Giddey had a triple-double for the Thunder.

Oh, and the record from the line.

“Credit them, first of all, for that,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “That’s impressive.”

Butler scored 35 points and was 23 for 23 from the line, tying the second-most makes without a miss in NBA history. James Harden made 24 without a miss for Houston on Dec. 3, 2019, and Dirk Nowitzki made 24 without a miss for Dallas in a playoff game against the Thunder on May 17, 2011. Dominique Wilkins also went 23 for 23 in a game in 1992.

“We won,” Butler said. “Complete team effort. I’m proud of my guys.”

Max Strus scored 22 points and Victor Oladipo had 19 for Miami. The Heat were without four regular starters – Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin – because of injuries.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26 points for the Thunder. Giddey finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, getting the triple-double on an assist setting up Aaron Wiggins’ dunk for a 111-106 lead with 1:28 left.

Miami scored the final six points.

“Whatever it takes to win,” Butler said.

Miami led 89-88 going into the fourth, and with Butler on the bench – he had played the entire third quarter – the Thunder took advantage. They scored the first six points of the final period, taking their first lead of larger than three points when Tre Mann connected on a jumper with 9:20 left for a 94-89 lead.

But a six-point possession gave Miami the lead back. Oladipo made a steal and Thunder center Eugene Omoruyi was called for a clear-path foul. Oladipo made both free throws, and on the continued Miami possession, Gabe Vincent made a 3-pointer while getting fouled by Mann. Vincent made the free throw, and just like that, a 96-91 deficit was a 97-96 lead.

“We always talk about finding a way to win. … This is a good start to that,” Butler said.

TIP-INS

Thunder: Oklahoma City reached the midway point of this season at 18-23. Even without the injured No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren, it’s progress – the Thunder were 15-21 at the midpoint of the 72-game season two years ago, and 14-27 midway through last season. … Gilgeous-Alexander had 15 of his points in the final 6:26 of the second quarter, after having only two points previously.

Heat: Udonis Haslem was the only available Heat player who didn’t get into the game. … Orlando Robinson started at center for Adebayo, making him the 13th player to start for Miami this season and the 202nd to start a game in team history.

MANY LINEUPS

Oklahoma City used its 20th starting lineup of the season in 41 games. Miami used its 18th in 42 games.

“I think there’s a hidden benefit to kind of some instability in your rotations and in your lineups,” Daigneault said. “It forces your own team to become very adaptive and to really not make excuses … and I think it becomes hard to adjust to.”

UP NEXT

Thunder: At Philadelphia on Thursday night.

Heat: Host Milwaukee on Thursday night.

BRIDGES LEADS UNDERMANNED SUNS PAST CURRY, WARRIORS 125-113

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) When Monty Williams learned Stephen Curry would be back on the floor and Splash Brother Klay Thompson also would be good to go, the Suns coach figured Phoenix would have to do everything right and make some of its own breaks to beat the defending NBA champions.

Somehow, the injury-plagued, short-handed Suns went out and absolutely dominated.

Mikal Bridges had 26 points, nine rebounds and five assists and Phoenix beat the Golden State Warriors for a third time this season, 125-113 on Tuesday night to snap a season-worst six-game skid.

Former Warriors guard Damion Lee received his championship ring in a pregame ceremony from brother-in-law Curry, then scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds against his former team. He converted six free throws over the final 1:13 and went 14 of 14 from the line overall.

“I just thought it was a special night all the way around,” Williams said, noting of the ring ceremony, Lee’s performance and the win, “that’s a trifecta if I ever heard of one.”

Duane Washington Jr. scored 21 points, Dario Saric contributed 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and Torrey Craig had 12 points and 14 rebounds for a deep Phoenix team missing four of five starters and six of eight rotation regulars. The Suns hadn’t scored 100 points in their previous four games.

“It’s obvious a big win for us having whatever you want to call it happen to us the past few weeks but collectively we had a connection and a spirit about us tonight, even when they cut it to six,” Williams said.

Curry came back from an 11-game absence with a partially dislocated left shoulder to score 24 points on 8-for-22 shooting. Thompson had 29 points with six 3-pointers – four 3s and 14 points in the first quarter alone. Jordan Poole’s 3 with 1:28 remaining cut it to 117-111, and he scored 27 points.

While Warriors coach Steve Kerr noted, “to go 6-5 without Steph is an accomplishment,” the reigning NBA Finals MVP couldn’t do it all against a Phoenix team missing injured stars Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton and Cameron Johnson. The first two meetings in the desert were lopsided, with the Suns winning 134-105 and 130-119.

Kerr said Golden State let its “guard down” with the Suns missing so many players.

“We didn’t start competing until it was too late,” he said.

The Warriors have lost three in a row after a season-best five-game winning streak, wrapping up an eight-game homestand that matched the longest in franchise history.

Andre Iguodala was ejected with 4:30 left in his second game played this season. But the defending champions had their starting five back together for the first time in several weeks.

Thompson was a late scratch with soreness in his surgically repaired left knee for a 115-101 loss to the Magic on Saturday night as the Warriors dropped consecutive home games for the first time all season. Now they have to hit the road again trying to best their 3-16 record away from Chase Center.

LEE’S RING

Lee, who spent the past four seasons with Golden State, received a warm ovation when he entered the game for the first time at the 5:09 mark of the first quarter.

“It’s amazing, it’s a special moment that I won’t take for granted,” Lee said.

TIP-INS

Suns: Bridges played his 351st consecutive regular-season game, the longest active streak ahead of Golden State big man Kevon Looney (152). Williams credits Bridges’ toughness to play through anything. “To pinpoint it’s this or that, I think it’s a combination of things. I just know we value it,” Williams said. “He’s just a guy that loves to play.” … The Suns will try for a season sweep when they come back for one more at Chase Center on March 13.

Warriors: Looney had grabbed 10 or more rebounds in five straight games but missed doing so for a career-best sixth in a row. … Poole has scored 20 or more points in eight straight games for the second-longest 20-point streak in his career. … The Warriors wound up 5-3 on the homestand.

UP NEXT

Suns: At Denver on Wednesday night.

Warriors: At San Antonio on Friday night.

MITCHELL SCORES 46 IN UTAH RETURN, BUT JAZZ RALLY PAST CAVS

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Donovan Mitchell had 46 points in his return to Utah, but the Jazz rallied late behind Jordan Clarkson to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 116-114 on Tuesday night.

Clarkson scored 32 points, including five 3-pointers, and poured in nine straight down the stretch to fuel a decisive 13-0 run.

Lauri Markkanen had 25 points and 16 rebounds against his former team. Malik Beasley, Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 13 apiece as Utah won for just the second time in nine games.

“I thought our guys just really dug in, stayed the course, and stayed focused on the little things,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said.

Mitchell, who spent his first five seasons with Utah, also had six assists, five rebounds and three steals. The three-time All-Star was traded to Cleveland in September for a blockbuster package that included Markkanen.

Utah honored Mitchell with a video tribute before tipoff and Jazz fans gave him a huge ovation during the video and player introductions.

“I was really comfortable,” Mitchell said. “It wasn’t weird. It was just like playing as I have here for the last five years. The reception was phenomenal and I’m appreciative of it.”

Mitchell eclipsed 40 points for the second time in five games. He set a Cleveland record with 71 points on Jan. 2, most by an NBA player in 17 years, as the Cavaliers rallied to beat Chicago in overtime.

Darius Garland added 21 points and six assists for Cleveland. Evan Mobley and Caris LeVert chipped in with 12 points apiece.

Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen played only seven minutes – all in the first quarter – before exiting with an illness. Cleveland forward Isaac Okoro was limited to 17 minutes for the same reason. Both players felt nauseous during the game.

That put a greater onus on Mitchell to make big plays for 48 minutes.

“He was Donovan,” Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He was trying to will us through it.”

Cleveland fell behind by 13 in the second half but chipped away at the deficit, finally erasing it midway through the fourth quarter. Mitchell scored three straight baskets to punctuate an 11-0 run and give Cleveland a 101-94 lead. Utah missed 13 of its first 14 shots in the fourth, opening the door for the Cavaliers to go back in front.

But the Jazz surged ahead 115-107 with 23.1 seconds left after Clarkson scored nine consecutive points over three possessions. His outburst helped Utah overcome a quarter in which Cleveland blocked five shots and the Jazz totaled only five baskets.

“I was just being aggressive in those moments,” Clarkson said. “Throughout the game, I saw what they were doing defensively and just started being aggressive in the fourth.”

Mitchell kept the Cavaliers’ offense afloat in the first half while his teammates struggled to find their shot. He scored or assisted on 10 of Cleveland’s 19 baskets before halftime.

When Mitchell cooled off in the third quarter, Utah scored on seven straight possessions to race out to a double-digit lead. Clarkson made three baskets in a row and assisted on another to power a 13-2 spurt that put the Jazz up 78-65.

“He had that look in his eye and I was just like, damn, it’s going to be one of those back-and-forth nights,” Mitchell said.

TIP-INS

Cavaliers: Kevin Love grabbed nine rebounds, passing Anderson Varejao for sixth place on Cleveland’s career list. Love has 4,459 boards with the Cavs. . Mitchell made his 500th career steal.

Jazz: Clarkson scored 15 of Utah’s 28 fourth-quarter points. . The Jazz committed 16 turnovers, leading to 22 points for Cleveland.

UP NEXT

Cavaliers: Visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.

Jazz: Host the Orlando Magic on Friday.

EMBIID SCORES 36 POINTS, HARDEN HAS TRIPLE-DOUBLE FOR 76ERS

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Joel Embiid says if he can walk, he can play.

With an injured left foot feeling better, Embiid got to put the hurt on the Detroit Pistons.

Embiid rocked braids and had 36 points and 11 rebounds, James Harden added a second straight triple-double and the Philadelphia 76ers routed the Pistons 147-116 on Tuesday night.

“We didn’t want to mess around,” Embiid said. “I wanted to make sure that we were all together and on the same page that it was going to be a three-quarter game.”

Harden did his part and finished with 16 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds – in three quarters.

Embiid returned from a three-game absence with a sore left foot with a new look. But it was the same dominant performance out of last season’s NBA scoring champion. Embiid is chasing a second straight scoring crown – his 33.5 average entering the game was just a tick behind Dallas’ Luka Doncic’s 34.0 average – and he’s trying to pass Wilt Chamberlain (33.5; 1965-66) for highest season-scoring average in team history.

Embiid might even set the marks in braids.

“Just wanted to change things up,” he said, laughing.

Two days after Harden also had a triple-double in the 76ers’ victory at Detroit, the Sixers raced to a 24-point lead in the first half. The Pistons have the worst record in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers have done their part in putting Detroit there. The 76ers beat the Pistons 123-111 on Sunday.

This was only seventh time all season their regular lineup of Embiid, Harden, Tyrese Maxey, PJ Tucker and Tobias Harris started the game. The Sixers won for the 13th time in 16 games.

“It’s a lineup that we’re still evaluating defensively,” coach Doc Rivers said. “Clearly, it’s a good offensive lineup. We just haven’t seen it a lot. We’ve had no `in-a-rows’ where they played six, seven, eight, nine in a row.”

Saddiq Bey, Jaden Ivey and Rodney McGruder each scored 17 points for the Pistons.

Harden got his triple-double in only 26 minutes, 2 seconds of playing time, his fastest time at securing that feat.

Maxey hit a 3 for a 38-29 lead in front of the Pistons bench and coach Dwane Casey tossed his hands in the air and called for a timeout.

Whatever was drawn up, it didn’t work: Philadelphia came out of the timeout and scored the next 10 points. The 76ers scored 42 points in the third and sat their starters in the fourth.

Some of the final numbers came straight out of a bad pickup game in the park.

The Sixers needed only 11 3-pointers to reach their fifth-highest total since the 1976-77 NBA-ABA merger. The 76ers scored a whopping 82 points in the paint and shot 61% overall from the floor.

Maxey scored 16 points. Harris had 14 points and was a plus-40 in 27 minutes.

“We know how dominant we are. We know how great we can be,” Harris said.

GROWING PAINS

The Pistons have won just 11 games in yet another difficult season under Casey.

“I can see the growth on a daily, game-to-game basis. but then I have to come in and explain to everybody why we didn’t win. and that’s what’s tough,” Casey said. “The easy part, the fun part is the daily, in the laboratory, coaching, teaching, film sessions, watching guys grow, listen to questions.”

TIP-INS

Pistons: Isaiah Stewart (left shoulder soreness) was a late scratch. Former 76er Nerlens Noel got the start.

76ers: Harden leads the NBA with five games of at least 15 assists. It’s the most for any 76er since Mo Cheeks had five in 1987-88.

UP NEXT

Pistons: Host Minnesota on Wednesday night.

76ers: Host the Thunder on Thursday night.

SIAKAM HAS 28 POINTS, RAPTORS BEAT SLUMPING HORNETS 132-120

TORONTO (AP) Pascal Siakam scored 28 points, Gary Trent Jr. had 24 and the Toronto Raptors beat the Charlotte Hornets 132-120 on Tuesday night.

O.G. Anunoby scored eight of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and matched his career high with six 3-pointers as Toronto won its fourth straight home meeting with the Hornets and reached the midway point of the regular season at 18-23.

The Raptors made a season-high 20 3-points in 44 attempts.

“Let’s have a party,” guard Fred VanVleet joked.

Toronto won consecutive games for the sixth time this season. The Raptors have yet to win three in a row.

Toronto had 18 offensive rebounds to Charlotte’s six and outscored the Hornets 20-4 in second-chance points.

“That was the game,” Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. You can’t pick and choose when you want to do the tough things. That’s what we did tonight.”

Terry Rozier scored 33 points for Charlotte, and LaMelo Ball had 24 points and a season-high 14 assists. The Hornets lost for the fifth time in six games.

“We’ve just got to start holding each other accountable,” Rozier said. “We’re all grown. It’s just what we’ve got to do. Obviously, our way hasn’t been working, so we’ve got to turn it around.”

Mason Plumlee scored 21 points for Charlotte, P.J. Washington Jr. had 13 and Jalen McDaniels 11.

“We’re playing for our season right now,” Plumlee said.

Bell’s 3-pointer with 7:05 left in the fourth quarter cut it to 108-107, but Anunoby replied with back-to-back 3-pointers, his fifth and six.

“They’re super explosive,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “We just did enough there in the last six minutes.”

VanVleet also connected from long range, putting Toronto up 117-107 with 4:32 to play.

“Our individual defense, which had been good lately, was awful,” Clifford said.

SURGERY FOR PORTER

Toronto F Otto Porter Jr. will miss the remainder of the season following left foot surgery, the team announced Tuesday. Porter signed with the Raptors last summer but was limited to eight games because of toe and hamstring injuries.

TIP-INS

Hornets: F Gordon Hayward (left hamstring) missed his fourth straight game while G Kelly Oubre Jr. (left hand surgery) missed his sixth. . Missed their first field goal of the game, then made the next 11 straight. . Matched a season-high with 33 assists.

Raptors: Made 19 3-pointers in a Dec. 23 win at Cleveland. . VanVleet had 11 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. . Precious Achiuwa scored 13 points and Chris Boucher had 12. . Rookie Christian Koloko had six offensive rebounds, one shy of his career-high. . Rapper J. Cole sat courtside.

UP NEXT

Hornets: At Toronto on Thursday night.

Raptors: Host Charlotte on Thursday night.

FRANZ WAGNER HAS 29 POINTS, MAGIC HOLD OFF BLAZERS 109-106

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Franz Wagner scored 29 points, Wendell Carter Jr. added 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Orlando Magic beat the Portland Trail Blazers 109-106 on Tuesday night.

Wagner had 15 points in the fourth quarter alone.

“I think that’s why you play basketball, those important plays, those important moments,” Wagner said.

The Magic led 19 points in the first half, but the Blazers closed the gap in the second quarter to tie it at 50 at halftime.

After trailing 82-73 to start the final quarter, Portland pulled to 89-84 on Anfernee Simons’ layup. Orlando stayed in front, going up 104-94 on Wagner’s 3-pointer with 3:35 left.

Damian Lillard’s layup with 1:32 left got Portland as close as 105-101. Gary Harris fouled Lillard on a 3-point attempt – and Lillard made all three free throws to pull the Blazers closer at 107-106 with 25.1 seconds to go.

Markelle Fultz made free throws for Orlando and Portland missed a flurry of 3-point attempts in the final moments.

Lillard finished with 30 points for the Blazers, who lost their fourth straight. Portland has lost nine of their last 12 games.

“We’re just in a little funk, man. I don’t know what it is. I can’t really pinpoint it,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said.

Paulo Banchero added 19 points for the Magic. They were coming off a 115-101 loss at Sacramento the night before.

“I felt like we did a really good job, even when it got a little chaotic, we made all their shots tough,” Carter said.

Jerami Grant made a pair of layups to cap a 16-1 run that erased Orlando’s first-half lead and got the Blazers within 40-36. Jusuf Nurkic’s layup and free throw tied the game at 47 and the teams went into halftime knotted at 50.

After the Blazers scored a season-low 20 points in the opening quarter, they outscored the Magic 30-17 in the second. Nukic started despite battling a non-COVID illness and led all scorers in the first half with 18 points, along with eight rebounds and a pair of blocks.

The Magic opened the second half with an 15-0 run. Simons ended the scoring drought with a 3-pointer 4:40 into the half. Lillard’s emphatic dunk pulled Portland to 79-70 late in the third quarter.

TIP INS

Magic: Center Bol Bol was available after missing four games because of health and safety protocols but he did not play. … The Magic were 0-7 on the second night of back-to-backs heading into the game. … It was the third of a five-game trip for Orlando.

Trail Blazers: Gary Payton II made his season debut a week ago against Detroit, after rehabbing from an offseason core injury. He missed the next three games because of an ankle sprain but played Tuesday.

PORTER’S RETURN

Former Trail Blazers great Terry Porter, whose number hangs from the rafters at the Moda Center, has returned to the team as an alumni ambassador. He’ll foster relationships with other former players as the Blazers enhance their alumni program, the team announced on Tuesday.

Porter most recently served as basketball coach at the University of Portland for five seasons until 2021. He joins fellow ambassadors Brian Grant and Bob Gross.

ISAAC’S RETURN

Magic forward Jonathan Isaac, who hasn’t played for two seasons, is set to play for the G-League Lakeland Magic as he continues his return from a torn ACL. He has been practicing with Orlando since December.

“I mean, that is such great news,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “You talk about the journey he’s been on since being hurtt. To put it in perspective, it’s 892 days, tomorrow since he’s played in a full game.”

UP NEXT

Magic: At Utah on Friday night.

Trail Blazers: Host Cleveland on Thursday night.

***************NHL NEWS*******************

KRAKEN MAKE IT 6 IN A ROW WITH 4-3 WIN OVER SABRES

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Matt Beniers, Justin Schultz and Jordan Eberle each had a goal and an assist for Seattle, which rallied to beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 on Tuesday night for the Kraken’s sixth consecutive win.

Yanni Gourde also scored, Andre Burakovsky had two assists and Philipp Grubauer made 32 saves in the fifth of a seven-game trip, Seattle’s longest of the season.

“You are going to have games like this, on a back-to-back, where it doesn’t look all that good, it doesn’t look pretty,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “But that’s a great win for our group, to stick together and get it done.”

Alex Tuch scored twice for the Sabres, Rasmus Dahlin had a goal and an assist and Jeff Skinner tallied two assists. Sabres goalie Eric Comrie stopped 18 shots in his first start since sustaining a lower-body injury on Nov. 16.

It was Buffalo’s second home loss in as many nights after winning eight of nine games.

“We had some momentum for the majority of the game and we kind of sat back a little bit,” Tuch said. “Got a little frustration, left some spots open in the D-zone, and that’s when they capitalized.”

Beniers set up Schultz for a one-timer from the high slot at 5:17 of the third after scoring the go-ahead goal at 1:06 into the period.

The Kraken’s 20-year-old All-Star got his 16th goal of the season when he dove at the left edge of the crease to knock in the rebound from Vince Dunn’s shot that hit the post. Beniers’ five-game goal streak is a Kraken record.

“He’s got some dynamic ability in open ice and finding plays,” Hakstol said about Beniers. “But he’s also got that moxie and grit to go to some of those hard areas.”

The Kraken tied it when Schultz fed Gourde in front of the net about nine minutes into the second period, after Dahlin’s power-play goal but Buffalo ahead a few minutes earlier.

Eberle’s equalizer came on a power play late in the first period when he tipped Burakovsky’s shot past Comrie.

“I don’t think we had our best start, but that goal kind of got us back in it and got us feeling good coming into the room,” Schultz said. “And we kind of grinded this one out tonight.”

The Sabres did not have shot on goal before Tuch put them ahead at about 10 minutes into the game. Buffalo’s All-Star center Tage Thompson created the scoring chance when he drove to the left side of the net and slid a backhand pass to Tuch in the slot.

Tuch knocked in a rebound for his 20th goal of the season with 20.8 seconds left in the third after the Sabres pulled Comrie for an extra skater.

SABRES MOVES

Buffalo activated defenseman Henri Jokiharju from injured reserve Tuesday and waived Casey Fitzgerald. Jokiharju replaced Jacob Bryson in the lineup after missing 11 games with a lower-body injury.

Comrie returned to the net a couple days ahead of schedule after Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s illness altered the planned starting rotation. Luukkonen has the NHL’s longest active win streak at six games. The rookie goalie was sent to the minors on Monday, but Buffalo intends to recall.

KRAKEN THE LINEUP

Morgan Geekie centered Seattle’s fourth line in place of Ryan Donato.

UP NEXT

Kraken: At Boston on Thursday.

Sabres: Host Winnipeg on Thursday.

MERCER SCORES 2, DEVILS USE 2ND PERIOD RALLY TO TOP CANES

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Dawson Mercer’s first two-goal game in the NHL came at an ideal time for the New Jersey Devils.

His offense helped the Devils overcome allowing two short-handed goals and gave them a 5-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.

“I’m an offensive player, but I like playing defense and playing that two-way game,” said Mercer, a first-round draft pick in 2020. “To help contribute out there and get this big win is a huge thing for me and I want to make sure I can keep it going.”

Mercer gave New Jersey its first lead of the game at 8:53 of the third period on his 10th goal of the season. Mercer, playing in his 123rd NHL game, also had an assist.

The Devils began a five-game trip by winning for the third time in four games. They also closed the gap on the first-place Hurricanes in a game marking the midway mark of the season for the top two teams in the Metropolitan Division.

“We played one of our best third periods of the year,” New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said.

Jonas Siegenthaler, Jesper Boqvist and Nico Hischier also scored for New Jersey, with Hischier’s empty-netter coming with 55 seconds left. Michael McLeod had two assists.

Goalie Vitek Vanecek made 25 saves for his fourth win in a row.

“We never quit,” Siegenthaler said. “It’s not always easy to make a comeback.”

Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Max Pacioretty and Sebastian Aho scored for the Hurricanes, who lost their fourth straight game (0-3-1) and surrendered a two-goal lead in the last minute of the second period. Pyotr Kochetkov made 17 saves.

“They got the one (in the third) and then they didn’t give us much,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We should have got more out of those first two periods.”

The Devils didn’t flinch when falling behind, even with the shorthanded goals allowed.

“When we had our opportunities, we took advantage of it. . You can’t let that get to your head,” Mercer said. “All we can do is make sure we change that and keep pushing.”

Mercer’s first goal came with 52 seconds left in the second period when he got the puck past Kochetkov despite the presence of three other Carolina players in the area. Boqvist’s fourth goal of the season came 18 seconds later.

“That last minute killed us, there’s no doubt,” Brind’Amour said. “But we didn’t respond in the third.”

Pacioretty’s third goal in three games since joining the lineup came when he pursued the puck behind the net and knocked the puck off Devils center Yegor Sharangovich at 8:50 of the second period.

Aho’s 13th goal later in the period gave Carolina two shorthanded tallies.

Kotkaniemi’s seventh goal of the season began the scoring with the first shorthanded goal of his career. Teammate Martin Necas did a bulk of the work, winning a faceoff and collecting the puck to deliver a pass to Kotkaniemi.

Siegenthaler’s second goal of the season came on a shot from the left side, with the puck slipping between the post and Kochetkov’s pad. Kochetkov was trying to notch his first win since Dec. 20, though it was just his third appearance since then because he missed time with an injury.

ICE MATTERS

New Jersey is 8-1-1 when its opponents have more shots this season. . The Hurricanes had two shorthanded goals in a game for the first time since April 2021. . Pacioretty is the fourth player in franchise history with three goals in his first three games. One of the others is Erik Haula, who played for the Devils on Tuesday night. . The Devils improved to 1-1-1 in three meetings with Carolina. The teams meet for the final time March 12 in New Jersey.

UP NEXT

Devils: At Anaheim on Friday.

Hurricanes: At Columbus on Thursday.

MALKIN’S 4-POINT GAME FUELS RALLY AS PENS TOP CANUCKS 5-4

PITTSBURGH (AP) The Pittsburgh Penguins watched the Vancouver Canucks score three times in the opening minutes on Tuesday night and essentially yawned.

No panic. No timeout to collect themselves. No scathing reminder from head coach Mike Sullivan to get going.

The Penguins didn’t need any of that. Not with Evgeni Malkin firing on all cylinders.

The Russian star scored two goals and added two assists as Pittsburgh roared back from an early deficit to edge the Canucks 5-4.

Malkin’s 28th career four-point game – the fourth-most among all active players – sparked the Penguins after Vancouver needed just 7:05 to grab a 3-0 advantage.

Malkin started the rally with Pittsburgh’s first power-play goal in nearly two weeks and gave the Penguins the lead 7:58 into the second period after executing a pretty give-and-go with Jason Zucker as Pittsburgh earned its second straight victory following a six-game slide.

“It’s like (a) huge win for us for sure,” Malkin said. “They score three goals but on bench we believe we come back. It’s how we believe in (each other).”

Zucker, Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell also scored for Pittsburgh. Dustin Tokarski made 18 saves after starter Casey DeSmith was pulled in the first period. Tokarski’s victory was his first since last April while playing for Buffalo.

“I thought he was really solid. he made some big saves,” Sullivan said of Tokarski. “I thought it had a huge impact on our ability to win the game.”

Conor Garland, Brock Boeser and Quinn Hughes scored during a 2:19 span of the first period for Vancouver, chasing DeSmith. Travis Dermott pulled the Canucks within a goal with 7:08 to play, but Vancouver couldn’t draw even, losing for the fifth time in six games.

Spencer Martin made 31 stops but dropped his fourth straight start when he had trouble withstanding Pittsburgh’s emphatic response.

“We got the lead and anytime you jump out to an early lead like that, you kind of relax a little bit,” Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau said. “Once they caught fire, they were pretty dangerous the rest of the period.”

Pittsburgh erased the deficit by the end of an opening period in which it pumped 20 shots at Martin. Three of them slipped through, a one-timer from Malkin, a pretty redirect off a Brian Dumoulin feed by Crosby and a snapshot by Zucker after a faceoff win by Malkin.

The frenetic pace eased in the second period, but Malkin put the Penguins in front at the end of a slick sequence in which he stole an outlet pass at the Vancouver blue line, fed it to Zucker and then darted to the net. Zucker gave it back to Malkin as he crossed in front of Martin.

“Zucker (was) unbelievable,” Malkin said. “I know he’s going to pass me across and I’m just ready to like score and it’s (a) huge goal for us.”

SUPPORTING LETANG

Penguins D Kris Letang remains in Montreal following the death of his father, Claude Fouquet, earlier this month. Letang’s teammates traveled to Montreal on Monday to attend Fouquet’s wake following a win in Arizona on Sunday night.

“He’s been in this organization for a long time, so I think it was the least we could do to (pay) it back for everything that he did for us and everything that he’s still doing for us,” Pittsburgh defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph said. “It was a no-brainer for us, and we’re all happy to be there for him.”

NOTES: Only Crosby (37), Washington’s Alex Ovechkin (32) and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (30) have more four-point games among active players than Malkin. … Crosby’s goal gave him 1,456 career points, tied with Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne for 17th on the NHL’s all-time list.

UP NEXT

Canucks: Visit Tampa Bay on Thursday.

Penguins: Host Winnipeg on Friday.

PANARIN LIFTS RANGERS OVER WILD 4-3 IN SHOOTOUT

NEW YORK (AP) Artemi Panarin scored the deciding goal in a shootout and the New York Rangers beat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Tuesday night.

K’Andre Miller and Adam Fox each had a goal and an assist, and Filip Chytil also scored for New York. Igor Shesterkin finished with 28 saves as the Rangers improved to 4-0-2 in their last six games.

Kaapo Kakko scored for the Rangers and Mats Zuccarello for the Wild in the first round of the tiebreaker. Panarin then lifted the puck over a sprawled Marc-Andre Fleury on the Rangers’ third attempt, and Shesterkin denied Frederick Gaudreau to preserve the win.

“We played a great game,” Fox said. “They got two (goals) early but we battled hard. We could have had more than the three we put up. … Got a big two points there.”

Kirill Kaprizov, Jon Merrill and Zuccarello scored in regulation and Sam Steel had two assists for Minnesota, which is 9-3-2 in its last 14 games. Fleury had a season-high 41 saves.

“We have to take the point and move forward,” Zuccarello said. “We were right there. … Obviously you’re not happy when you lose.”

Zuccarello put the Wild ahead 3-2 at 4:33 of the third as he skated down the right side and fired a shot from the right circle that went off Shesterkin’s glove and in. It was his 17th.

Chytil tied it with 6:25 left, jamming in the puck while he was down after a scramble in front following a centering pass from Fox. It was Chytil’s 12th of the season and fourth in four games.

Trailing 2-0 after one period, Miller got the Rangers on the board on a breakaway with his fourth of the season at 2:37 of the second.

“Just a step in the right direction, a little momentum in the building, get the crowd going a little bit,” Miller said. “We really liked our game. This is one of our games this season where we can look back and say we played a full 60 minutes.”

With the teams skating 4-on-4, Fox tied it after a turnover by the Wild in the neutral zone for his eighth with 4:10 remaining in the middle period.

Merrill got the Wild on the scoreboard first, sending a shot from the right circle past a screened Shesterkin for his second of the season with 7:24 remaining in the opening period.

Kaprizov made it 2-0 as he beat Shesterkin with a shot from the left circle for his 24th with 2:17 left in the first.

The Rangers hit the post three times in the first 20 minutes and Fleury made a stellar glove save while sliding to his left to snare a shot by Kakko late in the period.

INJURIES

The Rangers finished the game down two forwards after Julien Gauthier left early in the first period and Chris Kreider exited midway through the third after a collision with Minnesota’s Marcus Foligno. The Rangers had no updates on either player after the game.

RYAN RETURNS

The Rangers had a video tribute for Ryan Reaves in his return to Madison Square Garden for the first time since he was traded to Minnesota on Nov. 23. The rugged forward spent a little more than one season in New York after he was acquired from Vegas in July 2021. He had five goals and eight assists in 81 games for the Rangers.

Addressing media after the morning skate, the 35-year-old disputed the notion he had asked for a trade while being a healthy scratch for eight of the Rangers’ 10 games before he was dealt. However, he pushed for it after getting clarity on his role with the team and talks with the Wild were already underway.

“If you’re trying to trade me, you don’t want me, so then I’m going to push it forward and ask for a trade,” Reaves said. “But I’m not the one who put it in motion, we’ll put it that way.”

UP NEXT

Wild: At the New York Islanders on Thursday night to finish a two-game trip.

Rangers: Host the Dallas Stars on Thursday night in the second of a three-game homestand.

************MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL NEWS*********

AP SOURCE: CORREA REACHES $200M, 6-YEAR DEAL WITH TWINS

(AP) — Carlos Correa reversed course for a second time, agreeing Tuesday to a $200 million, six-year contract that keeps him with the Minnesota Twins after failing to complete deals with the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

The agreement for the All-Star shortstop could be worth $270 million over 10 seasons if Correa remains healthy. The contract is subject to a successful physical, the person said, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement was not announced. Correa was in the Minneapolis area on Tuesday for the physical, the person said.

Correa agreed Dec. 13 to a $350 million, 13-year contract with the Giants, who scheduled a news conference a week later to announce the deal, then called off the announcement hours before it was set to begin over concerns with a right ankle injury Correa sustained in 2014.

Correa agreed that night to a $315 million, 12-year deal with the Mets, who also had concerns about the ankle after a Dec. 22 physical and held off finalizing the agreement while attempting to negotiate protections.

His Twins agreement calls for an $8 million signing bonus, half payable next month and half in February 2024, and salaries of $32 million in each of the first two seasons, $36 million in 2025, $31.5 million in 2026, $30.5 million in 2027 and $30 million in 2028.

Minnesota’s deal includes options for $25 million in 2029, $20 million in 2030, $15 million in 2031 and $10 million in 2032, each becoming guaranteed if Correa has 502 or more plate appearances in the previous season. The deal could be worth $225 million over seven seasons, $245 million over eight years and $260 million over nine seasons.

Correa’s options also could be triggered by a top-five finish in MVP voting, a Silver Slugger award or World Series or League Championship Series MVP.

After the physical, the Mets were willing to guarantee $157.5 million over six seasons, the person said.

While the guaranteed money kept decreasing in each successive agreement, the average annual value increased from $26.9 million with San Francisco to $33.3 million with Minnesota. New York’s deal originally would have guaranteed $210 million in the first eight seasons.

Correa left Houston and joined the Twins last offseason for a $105.3 million, three-year deal that included opt-outs after each season. He pulled out of the deal after making $35.1 million in 2022 to chase a longer-term contract.

Correa’s agent, Scott Boras, maintained last month the player’s 2014 surgery to repair a broken right tibia should not have been an issue. Dr. Kevin Varner, chairman of the Department of Orthopedics at Houston Methodist Hospital, operated on Correa.

Boras in prior years had worked out medical issues in contracts for Ivan Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez with Detroit and for J.D. Drew and J.D. Martinez in Boston.

Correa, the first overall pick in the 2012 amateur draft and the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year with Houston, has a .279 batting average with 155 homers and 553 RBIs in eight major league seasons. He also has been a stellar postseason performer, with 18 homers and 59 RBIs in 79 games.

The two-time All-Star and 2021 Gold Glove winner raved about his time with Minnesota and how much he and his family enjoyed the community, maintaining all along the Twins were in the mix even with the bigger spenders pursuing him in a particularly lucrative offseason for shortstops. Xander Boegarts, Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson all struck it rich, too.

Minnesota made no secret of a strong desire to offer a contract like no other in the history of the midmarket franchise, with a $184 million, eight-year deal to extend catcher Joe Mauer in 2010 the previous record for amount and length. Twins players who were close to Correa kept in touch with the native of Puerto Rico, lobbying him to return.

The Twins had their limits, though. They acquired shortstop Kyle Farmer in a trade with the Reds for insurance at the position while top prospect Royce Lewis continues his recovery from a torn ACL expected to keep him out for at least the first half of this season.

Under owner Steve Cohen, the Mets have become baseball’s biggest spender. Correa’s addition would have put New York on track for a luxury tax payroll and tax assessment of more than $500 million this year.

AP SOURCE: MARLINS, CUETO AGREE TO 1-YEAR DEAL WITH OPTION

MIAMI (AP) The Miami Marlins and right-hander Johnny Cueto have agreed on a deal that guarantees him $8.5 million for 2023, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

That includes a $2.5 million buyout if the Marlins do not exercise a club option for 2024, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract won’t be signed until a physical is completed.

If the option is picked up, the total contract would be $16.5 million, the person said. The New York Post first reported the agreement between Cueto and the Marlins.

The move, for now, would appear to create even more of a logjam in the Marlins’ rotation. NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara leads that group, with Pablo Lopez, Trevor Rogers, Edward Cabrera, Braxton Garrett and Jesus Luzardo all coming off a year when they made at least 14 starts.

Cueto, who turns 37 in February, was 8-10 with a 3.35 ERA for the Chicago White Sox in 2022. He logged 158 1/3 innings, his most since throwing 219 2/3 innings for San Francisco in 2016, the second of his two All-Star years.

Cueto also was an All-Star for Cincinnati in 2014, when he won a career-best 20 games.

In 15 seasons, he has gone 143-107 with a 3.44 ERA, having pitched for the Reds, San Francisco Giants, White Sox and Kansas City Royals. He went 1-0 in the World Series with the Royals in 2015, helping them beat the New York Mets in five games.

EX-CATCHER STEPHEN VOGT JOINS MARINERS AS NEW BULLPEN COACH

(AP) — Retired catcher Stephen Vogt is joining the Seattle Mariners as a bullpen and quality control coach, fulfilling his goal to go right into coaching.

The 38-year-old Vogt called it a career after his 10th major league season in 2022. He will join the staff of manager Scott Servais, whose club returned to the playoffs for the first time in 21 years last season.

“I am beyond excited to be joining the Mariners organization and major league coaching staff,” Vogt told The Associated Press. “This next chapter of my career is one I am ready for and thrilled to be beginning in Seattle.”

Coaching has long been his calling. From Bruce Bochy and Craig Counsell to more recently his A’s manager Mark Kotsay, many have vouched for Vogt’s ability to one day become a manager. Now, he’s taking the first step on that path.

Vogt was a career .239 hitter with 82 home runs and 313 RBIs with Tampa Bay, Oakland, Arizona, Milwaukee, San Francisco and Atlanta.

He began his big league career with an 0-for-32 hitless stretch that started with the Rays and ended with the A’s in 2013. A few months later, in October 2013, he produced his first career game-winning hit with a single off Rick Porcello in the playoffs for a 1-0 win against the Tigers that sent the best-of-five AL Division Series back to Detroit tied at 1.

After striking out twice against Justin Verlander, Vogt fouled off seven pitches in a 10-pitch at-bat that ended the seventh with his third K. Vogt’s next time up, he lined a bases-loaded single into left-center that won the game.

A chant of “I believe in Stephen Vogt!” emerged.

For the journeyman Vogt, this is a tremendous opportunity to stay close to home: He and wife Alyssa live in the Washington state capital of Olympia with their three children.

“It’s amazing to have the ability to not move the family for the first time in 16 years,” he said. “That is another perk of an already great opportunity to be coaching with the Mariners.”

Seattle coach Trent Blank will move from bullpen duties to working from the dugout as director of pitching strategy. The remainder of the coaching staff remains the same.

“I’m thrilled that we’re able to return our entire coaching staff for the 2023 season,” Sevais said. “Our coaches did a tremendous job helping our players improve and prepare every day in 2022, and they deserve a lot of credit for the success we had.”

BOSTON’S TREVOR STORY HAS ELBOW SURGERY, 2023 SEASON AT RISK

BOSTON (AP) Trevor Story had surgery on his throwing elbow and is expected to miss most – if not all – of this season, delaying Boston’s plan to shift him across the infield to replace Xander Bogaerts at shortstop.

Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom said Tuesday that Story underwent an internal bracing procedure on his right ulnar collateral ligament. The operation is less drastic than the full ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction known as Tommy John surgery, which usually leads to a year of rehab.

“I certainly would not rule out a return some time during 2023,” Bloom said during a news conference, a day after Texas Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister operated on Story’s right elbow. “But it’s also not something at this stage we want to bank on.”

Bloom said Story experienced pain in the elbow just before Christmas while “ramping up” to get ready for the season. The internal bracing procedure is a more recent innovation than the ligament reconstruction pioneered on John in 1974 and has less of a track record that can be used to estimate a time for Story to return. Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle underwent a similar procedure last July, ending his season.

But even an optimistic four- to six-month timetable further upends the Red Sox infield in an offseason when Bogaerts signed with San Diego as a free agent. Story, a two-time All-Star at shortstop in six seasons with Colorado, had played second for Boston.

“It was still an open question, where we hadn’t set anything in stone,” Bloom said. “He was preparing to play shortstop. His hope was that if Xander left, it would be an opportunity that he would get. And that’s where his head was.”

Story moved to second base when he signed with Boston last offseason, batting .238 with 16 homers and 66 RBIs, appearing in 94 games while fighting injuries to his wrist and heel. The Red Sox finished last in the AL East.

“When Trevor was out there, we were a playoff-caliber team,” Bloom said. “For all the ups and downs he had this season, he showed all of why we brought him here. … We’re still excited for that. It stinks that we’re going to have to wait.”

Another option at shortstop, Minnesota’s Carlos Correa, agreed to a deal with the Twins earlier Tuesday, though he has twice come to terms on deals that fell through after a physical exam.

Bloom said the Red Sox considered Correa but declined to elaborate. “You can bet that when there’s impactful players at positions of need, we’re staying engaged,” he said.

Kike Hernandez also is a possibility at shortstop. He played 173 games in the Boston outfield over the past two seasons, along with 58 at second base and 18 at shortstop.

“I would expect that we’re going to add” players, Bloom said. “We’re a man down, so we’re going to have to fortify ourselves further.”

Bloom also said that left-hander Chris Sale, who has pitched just 48 innings in the past three seasons, should be ready for spring training.

**********TOP INDIANA RELEASES************

COLTS FOOTBALL

General manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday that he’ll lead the Indianapolis Colts’ head coaching search but owner Jim Irsay “will make the final call,” according to team reporter JJ Stankevitz.

Ballard confirmed interim head coach Jeff Saturday is among the candidates for the full-time role.

“He’s smart. He’s a good teammate. And he’s a leader,” said Ballard. “Those things are real.”

Asked about Saturday’s 1-7 record, which included seven straight losses to end the season, Ballard said the former center faced an uphill battle after replacing Frank Reich halfway through the campaign.

“We put him in a tough spot. I’m not judging him by that,” Ballard said. “The things I did like, he stayed positive, he kept working, held the team accountable, wasn’t afraid to hold players accountable.”

Saturday vowed earlier in the week that there would be “significant change” in Indianapolis if he earns the job.

The AFC South club is also reportedly set to interview Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, and Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen.

The Colts also requested to speak to Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Indianapolis was widely expected to challenge for a playoff spot this season after going 9-8 in 2021 and replacing Carson Wentz with Matt Ryan.

But the team limped to a 4-12-1 record and became the victim of the biggest comeback victory in NFL history when the Minnesota Vikings erased a 33-0 deficit Dec. 18.

“Look, I failed. I’m not going to sit up here and make excuses,” Ballard said. “I failed a lot of people. Highly disappointed about where we’re at, how the season went.”

With Ryan seemingly unlikely to return and Sam Ehlinger and Nick Foles failing to impress, the Colts are expected to target a quarterback early in the 2023 draft. They currently own the No. 4 pick.

Ballard said he’s prepared to be aggressive and trade up for a quarterback he’s convinced of while also acknowledging the significance of anointing a player the new face of the franchise.

“We gotta be right,” he said. “We understand the magnitude of where we’re at in the draft, and we understand the importance of the position. To get one that you can win with and be right is the most important thing.”

The Colts have a 45-52-1 record and two playoff appearances in six seasons under Ballard.

ALSO:

The Indianapolis Colts today claimed center Dakoda Shepley off waivers (from Dallas). The award is deferred until Monday, February 13, the first business day after the Super Bowl.

Shepley, 6-5, 290 pounds, has played in 13 career games in his time with the Cowboys (2022), Seattle Seahawks (2021-22), San Francisco 49ers (2020-21) and New York Jets (2018). He spent the 2019 season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League and started 14 games. Collegiately, Shepley saw action in 32 regular season games and six postseason contests at the University of British Columbia (2014-17). He was named a Canada West all-star in 2017. Shepley helped the Thunderbirds win the Vanier Cup in 2015.

ALSO:

Indianapolis – The Indianapolis Colts today signed kicker Lucas Havrisik to a reserve/future contract.

Havrisik, 6-2, 188 pounds, spent time on the team’s practice squad earlier this season. He previously participated in the Colts’ 2022 Rookie Mini-Camp on a tryout basis. Collegiately, Havrisik played in 54 career games at Arizona (2017-21) and converted 34-of-53 field goals and 73 extra points for 175 points. He also handled kickoff duties and compiled 232 touchbacks. Havrisik earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention recognition in 2020 and 2021. His last name is pronounced HAVE-ruh-sick.

INDIANA PACERS BASKETBALL

The Indiana Pacers will open the second half of their 2022-2023 season schedule against one of their biggest rivals on the road.

On Wednesday, the Pacers (23-18), winners of six of their last seven games and eight of 10, will take on the New York Knicks (22-19) at Madison Square Garden.

The matchup will be the second of four between the two teams this season, with the Knicks currently leading the series 1-0 after beating the Pacers 109-106 on Dec. 18 in Indianapolis.

Indiana enters the game riding back-to-back wins over the Portland Trail Blazers and Charlotte Hornets.

Over the last seven games, the Pacers are averaging a league-high 123.9 points while shooting 49.2 percent as a team from the field.

In the 116-111 win over the Hornets on Sunday, Pacers center Myles Turner scored 29 points to go along with nine rebounds and four blocks, shooting guard Buddy Hield added 21 points and rookie Andrew Nembhard chipped in 19. Blue & Gold point guard Tyrese Haliburton also finished with 16 points and 13 assists in the game to achieve his 22nd double-double of the season.

Haliburton, Hield and Turner have consistently put up big numbers over the last 10 games.

During the stretch, Hield is averaging 18.7 points per game and 5.4 rebounds on 53.6 percent shooting from 3-point range; Haliburton is putting up 22.7 points on 50.6 percent shooting (44.6 percent 3-point), with 9.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds; and Turner is scoring 17.3 points on 57.5 percent shooting, while pulling down 8.0 rebounds and swatting 2.5 blocks per game.

Hield continues to lead all players in 3-pointers made with 158 while Haliburton is first in assists per game (10.3) and third in steals per game (1.8). Turner currently ranks third in blocks per game (2.3) among all NBA players.

The Knicks enter the game coming off a 111-107 against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, which snapped a four-game winning streak.

Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson had a career night in the loss, scoring 44 points, while forward Julius Randle had 25 points and 15 rebounds.

On the season, New York ranks third in rebounds per game (47.2) and are leading the league in second-chance points per game at 17.6. Of all teams, the Knicks rank fourth in defensive rating (104.0) as well.

The Knicks may be without a key player against the Pacers, as RJ Barrett, a starting guard who is averaging 19.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists this season, hasn’t played since Dec. 27 due to a finger laceration.

Randle leads the Knicks in scoring (24.4) and rebounds (10.0) this season while Brunson – who signed with New York after playing four seasons with the Dallas Mavericks – is averaging 20.9 points, 6.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals.

Projected Starters

Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Buddy Hield, F – Aaron Nesmith, C – Myles Turner

Knicks: G – Jalen Brunson, G – Immanuel Quickley, G – Quentin Grimes, F – Julius Randle, C – Mitchell Robinson

Injury Report

Pacers: T.J. McConnell – questionable (sore right shoulder), Aaron Nesmith – questionable (non-COVID illness), Kendall Brown – out (right tibia stress reaction), Daniel Theis – out (right knee surgery)

Knicks: RJ Barrett – questionable (lacerated right index finger)

Last Meeting

Dec. 18, 2022: Randle made all six of his free throw attempts in the final 45 seconds as the Knicks edged the Pacers 109-106 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Brunson scored a game-high 30 points as the Knicks won a seventh straight game. Randle finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds and Barrett scored 24 points.

Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith set new career-highs for points (23) and rebounds (10) in the game while Hield scored 23 points and Haliburton had 15 points and 10 assists.

The Knicks led 54-53 at half and 85-84 at the end of the third quarter before coming up clutch down the stretch.

Indiana’s bench had a big game, outsourcing the Knicks’ reserves 35-14.

Overall, the Pacers shot 43.3 percent from the field while the Knicks shot 47.0 percent.

Noteworthy

Indiana enters the game in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and the Knicks are seventh.

The Knicks are 97-92 all-time against the Pacers, including 63-34 at home.

2011 NBA MVP Derrick Rose and guard Evan Fournier both didn’t play in the last game against the Pacers, but will be available on Wednesday.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle coached Brunson in Dallas for three seasons (2018-2021).

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 return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, Jan. 13 at 7:00 PM ET.

INDY FUEL HOCKEY

INDY FUEL WEEK 11 RESULTS: 2-1-0-0,

INDY FUEL OVERALL RECORD: 22-9-1-0 Overall (1st Central)

GAME 30 – WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4 AT IOWA – 3-2 OTW

The Fuel headed to Iowa for the first time this season after beating them both times the Heartlanders visited Indy. Despite giving up the first goal quickly in the first period, the Fuel won the first of four games in a row against Iowa, 3-2 less than two minutes into overtime after the Heartlanders tied it up late in regulation.

GAME 31 – FRIDAY, JANUARY 6 AT IOWA – 5-2 W

The Iowa Heartlanders hosted the Indy Fuel for the second game in a row, this time with goaltender Cam Gray making his Fuel debut as a starter and ultimately getting his first ECHL win as the team took the game 5-2 over Iowa and Spencer Watson scored a record breaking goal for Indy.

GAME 32 – SATURDAY, JANUARY 7 AT IOWA – 3-1 L

It was a fairly mild-mannered series finale between the Indy Fuel and Iowa Heartlanders Saturday night. Only two penalties were given the entire game, both to Indy. Iowa ended up skating away with a 3-1 victory.

OIL DROPS

Alex Wideman is currently on a seven-game point streak and leading the team in points with 37.
With two goals and three assists in the last five games, Andrew Perrott now holds the longest point streak this season for a defenseman.
On Friday night against Iowa, Spencer Watson scored his 81st goal as a member of the Fuel making him the new franchise record holder for goals scored.
Saturday night was also Watson’s 200th game with the Fuel.
Cam Hillis will look to extend his home point streak to seven games on Wednesday. He currently holds the longest home point streak in the league.
Goaltender Cam Gray earned his first ECHL win with his first Fuel start on Friday night against Iowa.

TEAM NOTES

The Fuel still sit in first place in the Central division with 45 points.
Indy’s power play is currently ranked eighth overall with a 23.3% success rate.
The Fuel’s road power play record is significantly better than their home power play record. Their road power play is ranked third in the league, having scored 20 goals on 77 road power play opportunities.
The Fuel still lead the league in shorthanded goals with nine despite their penalty kill being ranked 19th in the league.
Indy has scored the third most goals in the league with 123 through 32 games. They trail only Idaho and Newfoundland who have both also played 32 games.
The Fuel have scored most of their goals in the second period, with a total of 43 goals scored in the second.

INDY FUEL WEEK 12 SCHEDULE

GAME 33 – WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11 VS IOWA
GAME 34 – FRIDAY, JANUARY 13 AT CINCINNATI
GAME 35 – SATURDAY, JANUARY 14 VS KALAMAZOO
GAME 36 – SUNDAY, JANUARY 15 AT FORT WAYNE

INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL

Opening Tip

• Indiana University continues its 123rd season of competition in men’s basketball with a road matchup against Penn State at 7 p.m. ET on Jan. 11 at the Bryce Jordan Center. The game will be broadcast on BTN.

• The Nittany Lions, led by second-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry, enter the game with an 11-5 record and a 2-3 mark in B1G play. PSU is currently riding a two-game losing streak after winning the previous five games.

Game Information

Jan. 11, 2023 • 7 p.m. ET

Bryce Jordan Center (15,261) • University Park, Pa.

TV: BTN (Brandon Gaudin, Stephen Bardo)

Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)

Series History: Indiana leads, 42-13

Last Meeting: IU 74, PSU 57 on Jan. 26, 2022 in Bloomington

Series History

• Indiana holds a 42-13 lead over Penn State in the 55-game series against the conference foe. The Hoosiers hold a mark of 7-2 in the last nine games of the series.

• The Hoosiers split with the Nittany Lions during the 2021-22 campaign with both programs winning on their home floor. PSU won the first game, 61-58, before IU answered back with a 74-57 triumph just 24 days later. Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis averaged 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks on 13-of-26 shooting from the floor in the two tilts.

Last Time Out

• Indiana could not overcome a sluggish start and fell at home against Northwestern by a score of 84-83.

• Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis went the full 40 minutes and racked up 18 points and a career-best 24 rebounds in the loss. He added eight assists and four blocks.

• Freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino carried the scoring burden with a career-best 33 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the floor in the loss. He also contributed three rebounds and three assists.

Fino on the Rise

• After hitting double figures in the scoring column just twice in his first six collegiate games, freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino has scored 10-plus points in six-straight games.

• During the six-game run, Hood-Schifino is averaging 19.0 points on 54.9% shooting from the floor and 60.7% shooting from the 3-point line. The Montverde Academy product has made 3.0 3-pointers since returning to the lineup at Kansas on Dec. 17.

• Hood-Schifino scored a career-best 33 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the floor and 5-of-7 shooting from the 3-point line against Northwestern on Jan. 8.

• JHS ranks third among all freshmen in the Big Ten in scoring (13.4 points per game), first in assists (4.6), fifth in rebounds (4.3), and fifth in made 3-pointers per game (1.8).

Shuffling the Deck

• Indiana has utilized six starting lineup combinations through the first 15 games of the season, compared to just four different starting units a season ago.

• Junior forward Jordan Geronimo made his collegiate starting debut with two rebounds in 10 minutes against Northwestern.

• Sophomore guard Tamar Bates started his first career game at Iowa on Jan. 5 and tallied eight points and four assists.

Notable Statistical Performances

• Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis pulled down a career-best 24 rebounds against Northwestern on Jan. 8. The tally marked the most by a Hoosier in a single game since Steve Downing had 25 against Kentucky on December 11, 1971 and the most rebounds by a Big Ten player since Aaron Johnson had 24 for Penn State on Nov. 15, 2004.

• Jackson-Davis recorded the third triple-double in Indiana basketball history with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and a career-high 10 assists against Nebraska on Dec. 7.

• The Center Grove product blocked a career-high nine shots at No. 8/6 Kansas on Dec. 17, the second most by an IU player. Steve Downing blocked a school-record 10 shots against Michigan on Feb. 23, 1971.

• Freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino netted a career-high 33 points for Indiana on Jan. 8 against Northwestern, the highest point total by a Hoosier freshman since Eric Gordon scored 33 against Chattanooga on Nov. 12, 2007.

• Junior forward Jordan Geronimo blocked a combined 10 shots against Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 20 and Little Rock on Nov. 23. The tally marked the most by a Hoosier off the bench since 1996-97.

Chasing History

• Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis currently sits eighth all-time at IU in scoring (1,800), fifth in rebounds (912), and third in blocked shots (212). He joins Alan Henderson as the only Hoosiers to be top-10 all-time in career scoring, rebounding, and blocks.

• The Center Grove product is the only active player in the country to tally at least 1,800 career points, 900 career rebounds, and 200 career blocks. In the last 25 seasons, only 22 players have achieved those numbers in college basketball. Three (Kyle Hines; UNCG, Shawn Long; ULL, and Nathan Knight; WMU) have produced those numbers on a higher career scoring average.

• Jackson-Davis is one of two Power 5 players (Zach Edey; Purdue) to average at least 17.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game this season.

Double Double, Double Double (CAREER)

Trayce Jackson-Davis: 37; last vs. Northwestern, 1/8/23

Race Thompson: 9; last vs. Elon, 12/20/22

Xavier Johnson: 4; last at Arizona, 12/10/22

Jordan Geronimo: 1; vs. Merrimack, 12/12/21

Twenty Piece (CAREER)

Trayce Jackson-Davis: 36; last vs. Iowa, 1/5/23

Xavier Johnson: 15; last vs. North Carolina, 11/30/22

Miller Kopp: 10; last at Rutgers, 12/3/22

Race Thompson: 2; last vs. Little Rock, 11/23/22

Jalen Hood-Schifino: 2; last vs. Northwestern, 1/8/23

Tamar Bates: 1; vs. Jackson State, 11/25/22

Trey Galloway: 1; vs. Nebraska, 12/7/22

• Freshman guard CJ Gunn scored a career-high 11 points, on 5-of-10 shooting as well as three rebounds, three assists, and two steals versus Elon.

• Sophomore center Logan Duncomb tallied 10 points, five rebounds, and two assists. His 10 points were a career-high against the Phoenix.

• Sophomore guard Tamar Bates led Indiana in scoring against Kennesaw State on Dec. 23 with 19 points.

• Freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino had a career-high 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting against the Owls on Dec. 23.

• Hood-Schifino has scored in double figures in his last four games and has reached that mark in six of his last seven.

• Sixth-year senior forward Race Thompson ripped down 14 rebounds to tie his career-high (Feb. 12, 2022 at Michigan State) in the win over KSU on Dec. 23.

• Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis secured his eighth-career 30-point game in Indiana’s 91-89 loss at Iowa on Jan. 5. He added a team-best nine rebounds and three blocked shots.

• Freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino became the third Hoosier to score at least 20 points in their Big Ten debut in the last 25 years with a career-high 21 points at Iowa on Jan. 5. He canned 5-of-8 shots from behind the 3-point line.

• Hood-Schifino joined NBA Lottery Draft picks Eric Gordon (25 points at Iowa in 2008) and Romeo Langford (20 points against Northwestern in 2018) on the exclusive list.

• Freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino had a career-high 33 points on 12-of-17 from the field and 5-of-7 from the 3-point line against Northwestern on Jan. 8.

• The 33-point outburst were the highest output by an IU freshman since Eric Gordon also scored 33 on Nov. 12, 2007 against Chattanooga.

• Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis had 18 points, a career-high 24 rebounds, eight assists, and four blocks against the Wildcats.

• His 24 rebounds were the most by a Hoosier in a single game since Steve Downing had 25 against Kentucky on December 11, 1971 and the most rebounds by a Big Ten player since Aaron Johnson had 24 for Penn State on Nov. 15, 2004.

• Fifth-year senior forward Miller Kopp converted three-straight double-figure scoring outputs for this first time in his Indiana career with 21 points at Rutgers on Dec. 3, 13 points against Nebraska on Dec. 7, and 14 points against Arizona on Dec. 10.

• Indiana scored at least 80 points in the first six games of the season, the longest such streak since 1969-70 (seven games).

• Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis has swatted at least two shots in 30 of his last 47 games played.

• The Hoosiers was ranked in each of the first 10 (including preseason) Associated Press Top-25 Polls, the longest streak to open a season for IU since the 2016-17 season.

INDIANA SOFTBALL

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Senior utility Cora Bassett was ranked No. 68 in the D100 Preseason Top 100 Player rankings, the D1Softball organization announced today.

Bassett was a force for the Indiana Hoosiers last season. She hit .400 on the season, ranking third in the Big Ten and was one of four players to hit a .400 or better. Bassett held a .774 slugging percentage and now holds the third highest percentage in a season in program history.

Bassett started in 49 games and totaled 62 hits, 57 runs scored, 19 doubles, 13 home runs and tallied 34 RBI’s.

She set Indiana school records in a single season in doubles and runs scored. She also moved up into the top-10 in program history in slugging percentage and batting average.

Bassett led the Big Ten in doubles and ranked second for runs scored. She was also ranked third in her 19 doubles led the Big Ten and set a new Indiana school record for doubles in a season.

INDIANA TRACK AND FIELD

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana Track and Field team added 11 new runners to the program on Tuesday (Jan. 10) afternoon.

Each of the signees in the early signing period will help comprise the distance group and is set to run both Cross Country and Track and Field for the Hoosiers, beginning in the fall of 2023.

Among the additions include three-time Missouri State Champion Grace Tyson and respective members of their all-state teams Owen Forberg, Veronica Hargrave, Lily Myers and Addison Price.

Seven of the 11 hail from Indiana with representatives from Colorado, Missouri and Illinois rounding out the early stages of the class.

Three of the top 10 runners from the 2022 IHSAA Boys Cross Country State Championships will be Hoosiers next year including Nate Killeen (North Central, 7th), Brayden Henkle (Franklin Central, 8th) and Aaron Lord (New Albany, 10th).

The 2023-2024 season will be the first with Ed Beathea as the head coach following the retirement of Ron Helmer at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 campaign.

“I’m very excited about our first class going into the fall of 2023,” Beathea said. “Our first focus was trying to create some quality depth on the women’s distance team. I thought we were able to do that. As we transition the program, I’m really happy with the additions that we’ve been able to bring in. I believe they will continue to move the program in the direction we envision.”

“They have qualities that represent the university and program well and I look forward to having them as part of our team.”

The Indiana Cross Country teams are fresh off 3rd (Men) and 7th (Women) place finishes at the 2022 Big Ten Cross Country Championships and combined to send three runners to the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

IU will continue its 2023 Track and Field season this weekend, which will restart with the Commodore Challenge in Nashville.

The 2023 Signing Class (Early Period)

Clayton Guthrie | Distance | Columbus, Ind./Columbus North

Personal Bests:

1600: 4:20, 5K: 15:04

Accolades:

24th Place at the 2022 IHSAA State XC Championships

84th-ranked 5K runner nationally in the senior class, 5th overall in Indiana

Owen Forberg | Distance | Oak Lawn, Ill./Richards

Personal Bests:

1600: 4:12, 3 Mile XC: 15:02

Accolades:

2-Time Illinois All-State in track

3rd-fastest returner in the state of Illinois at 1600 meters

Veronica Hargrave | Distance | Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield

Personal Bests:

800: 2:15, 1600: 4:57, 5K XC: 18:25

Accolades:

2-time Indiana All-State

15th-fastest 5K runner among seniors in Indiana

4th-fastest returner in Indiana at 1600 meters

Brayden Henkle | Distance | Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central

Personal Bests:

1600: 4:18, 3200: 9:19, 5K XC: 15:16

Accolades:

8th at 2022 IHSAA XC Meet

6th-fastest 5K runner in Indiana in 2022

8th-fastest returner in Indiana at 3200 meters

11th-fastest returner in Indiana at 1600 meters

Nate Killeen | Distance | Indianapolis, Ind./North Central

Personal Bests:

800: 1:53, Mile: 4:17, 5K XC: 15:09

Accolades:

7th at the 2022 IHSAA XC Meet

4th at the 2022 IHSAA State Track Championships at 800m

7th-fastest 5K runner in Indiana in 2022

2nd-fastest returner in Indiana at 800 meters

6th-fastest returner in Indiana at 1600m

Aaron Lord | Distance | New Albany, Ind./New Albany

Personal Bests:

1600: 4:20, 5K XC: 15:30

Accolades:

10th Place at the 2022 IHSAA State XC Championships

Aidan Lord | Distance | New Albany, Ind./New Albany

Personal Bests:

Mile: 4:16, 5K XC: 15:00

Accolades:

2022 Brown County XC Semi State Champion

67th-ranked 5K runner in the senior class, third overall in Indiana

8th-fastest returner in Indiana at 1600m

Catie McCabe | Distance | Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central

Personal Bests:

800: 2:12, 1600m: 4:52, 3 Mile XC: 16:58

Accolades:

2022 Illinois State Runner-up (800m)

4-time Illinois All-State

5th-ranked returner in Illinois at 1600 meters

4th-ranked returner in Illinois at 800m

Lily Myers | Distance | Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington South

Personal Bests:

3200: 10:47, 5K XC: 17:48

Accolades:

12th at Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships

16th at the NXR Midwest Cross Country Championships

2-time Indiana All-State

90th-ranked 5K runner nationally in the senior class, 8th in Indiana

Addison Price | Distance | Centennial, Colo./Cherry Creek

Personal Bests:

800: 2:14, 1600: 4:50, 3200: 10:48, 5K XC: 16:53

Accolades:

2022 Running Lane Mile Champion

3-time Colorado All-State

11th-ranked 5K runner nationally in all classes

Top-ranked returner in Colorado at 1600 meters

7th-ranked returner in Colorado at 3200 meters

Grace Tyson | Distance | Wildwood, Mo.

Personal Bests:

1600: 4:54, 3200: 10:41, 5K XC: 17:42

Accolades:

3-Time Missouri State Champion

Top returner in Missouri at 1600 meters and 3200 meters

PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A run early in the third quarter was too much for the Purdue women’s basketball team to overcome against No. 17/20 Michigan on Tuesday night at Mackey Arena, falling 80-59.

Madison Layden notched a season-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting with four 3-pointers. She was joined in double figures by Jayla Smith’s 14 points and Caitlyn Harper’s 10.

The Boilermakers shot (11-5, 2-4) 44% from the field and 7-of-18 (38.9%) from behind the arc. Jeanae Terry dished out five assists with Abbey Ellis adding four as Purdue provided a helper on 16 of its 22 made field goals.

Michigan (14-3, 4-2) shot 50% overall and finished with a trio of players in double figures, led by Leigha Brown’s 21 points. The Wolverines outrebounded the Boilermakers 33-20 and flipped 11 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points.

The Boilermakers shrugged off a slow start in the first quarter that saw Michigan build up a 13-2 run over the opening 5:17. Purdue rolled off eight straight points at the end of the first quarter to shave the deficit to 21-18.

After starting the game 1-for-5, Purdue connected on nine of its next 14 shots to pull within one at 29-28 in the second. The Boilermakers connected on a trio of 3-pointers in the second to keep the score within one possession. Layden tallied 11 points in the first half, connecting on a trio of Purdue’s five 3-pointers.

Out of the break, Michigan rebuilt its lead to double figures with a 10-2 run with Purdue’s lone bucket coming in the first minute from Caitlyn Harper. Layden halted a 10-point run by Michigan with a triple at 4:49 of the third quarter. Michigan outscored Purdue 21-9 in the third to take a 60-44 lead into the fourth.

The Wolverines added to their lead early in the fourth with an 8-0 run. Smith scored eight of Purdue’s 15 points in the final frame, but the hosts were only able to chip the gap down to 18 over the final minutes.

NOTES

• Purdue leads the all-time series with Michigan 53-24.

• Layden connected on multiple 3-pointers for the fourth time this season.

• Purdue’s nine-point third quarter was its first single-digit quarter since its game against Michigan State earlier this season.

• Layden finished in double figures for the first time since the game against Florida State in November.

• Harper posted her second game in double figures. The redshirt senior turned away four shots to match her season high.

UP NEXT

The Boilermakers will head back out on the road to face Northwestern on Saturday for a 3 p.m. (ET) tip on B1G+.

BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL

St. John’s and their pressure defense gave the host Red Storm a 77-61 win over Butler Tuesday night at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, N.Y.

The result puts the Bulldogs at 10-8 on the season and 2-5 in BIG EAST play. St. John’s improves to 12-6 (2-5 BIG EAST).

KEY STAT: Butler committed 22 turnovers, their second-most of the season. St. John’s had 16 steals.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

Joel Soriano led St. John’s with 20 points and 10 rebounds. He entered the game as the nation’s leader in double-doubles.

Led by Soriano’s 10-for-13 performance from the field, St. John’s shot 53 percent.

Chuck Harris led the Bulldogs with 17 points, including 4-for-7 from three-point range.

Simas Lukosius had 15 points, while Ali Ali scored 10 points, his season-high for the Bulldogs.

Jalen Thomas had eight points and a team-high six rebounds for Butler.

St. John’s committed 18 turnovers of their own, which included 12 Butler steals.

Posh Alexander (six) and Andre Curbelo (four) combined for 10 of the St. John’s steals.

HOW IT TRANSPIRED:

Sparked by 14 points from Soriano, St. John’s held a 39-29 halftime advantage.

A 16-5 run in the first half gave the Red Storm a 26-18 lead that they would not relinquish the rest of the way.

A Harris three-pointer with 14:47 to play cut the Red Storm’s lead to 48-41, but the next six points belonged to St. John’s.

From that point, the lead only reached single digits one more time.

OF NOTE:

Butler is 10-0 when leading at halftime and 0-8 with a deficit after the opening 20 minutes this season.

Harris has led the team in scoring five times this season and 26 times in his Butler career.

The 16 steals by St. John’s were the most by a Butler opponent since St. John’s also had 16 against the Bulldogs Dec. 31, 2019, a game that Butler won in Queens.

UP NEXT: Butler returns to Hinkle Fieldhouse for a Friday night contest with Villanova. A limited number of tickets remain for that match-up, which will be broadcast nationally on FS1. The Villanova match-up begins a two-game homestand that also includes a Tuesday night tip against Creighton.

BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

INDIANAPOLIS – Butler and Georgetown will go head-to-head on Wednesday night at McDonough Arena. Each program will be looking to secure their second conference win of the season. Tip on FloSports.com goes up at 7 PM.

GameDay

Date: Wednesday, Jan. 11

Time: 7:00 PM

Location: Washington, D.C. – McDonough Arena

Live Stats: GUHoyas.com – Statbroadcast

Watch: FloSports.com – BEDN

BIG EAST Standings

UConn 6-0, 13-2

Seton Hall 7-1, 14-4

St. John’s 5-1, 14-1

Villanova 5-1, 14-3

DePaul 3-2, 10-6

Creighton 4-3, 10-5

Marquette 3-4, 10-6

Georgetown 1-5, 8-7

Providence 1-6, 10-8

Butler 1-6, 6-10

Xavier 0-7, 7-9

Bulldog Bits

– Wednesday is the 19th overall meeting between Butler and Georgetown.

– Kendall Wingler scored a season-high 16 points at Villanova, one point shy of her Butler-high and six shy of her career-high (22 vs. Tennessee Tech).

– Wingler led BU in scoring for the third time in her career (14 at Creighton, 17 vs. Ball State)

– Trinity White scored a season-high 10 points vs. the Wildcats. She entered the contest 16 points over her first 14 games.

– Wingler and White each made their first start of the season at Villanova and logged season-high minute totals.

– Rachel McLimore and Sydney Jaynes are the only Bulldogs to start in all 16 games. Strande, Dowell and Taylor join them as players to appear in all 16.

– The Bulldogs have used six different starting lineups this season.

– Butler started four returning players for the first time this season on Sunday.

– BU newcomers account for 67.7 percent of the team’s scoring this season.

– Tenley Dowell has hit at least one 3-pointer in eight-straight games.

– The Bulldogs are 3-1 this year when playing on Wednesday.

– Rachel McLimore needs one more steal to reach 100 in her collegiate career.

– Jordan Meulemans returned to action at Villanova, but Shay Frederick was inactive.

– Sydney Jaynes ranks 10th in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (48.0).

– Jaynes was the team leader in Villanova with five rebounds and three assists.

– Georgetown is 5-2 at home this season and the Bulldogs are 1-5 on the road.

– Each team recorded their first BIG EAST win against Xavier.

Scouting Georgetown

The Hoyas are 8-7 overall with a 1-5 mark in the BIG EAST. Head Coach James Howard has three newcomers in the starting lineup to play alongside Kelsey Ransom and Graceann Bennett. Ransom ranks second on the team with an 11.8 scoring average and is the team leader in steals with 39. The Hoyas lead the BIG EAST in steals per game (9.4), but are near the bottom of the BIG EAST in field goal, 3-point and free throw percentage. Kennedy Fauntleroy took home BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors on Monday after posting 24 points, three rebounds, two steals and two assists against Villanova. She’s the top scoring freshman in the conference at 11.9 points per game. Fauntleroy leads GU with 22 made 3-pointers this season and also averages 2.4 steals per game.

All-Time Series vs. Georgetown

The all-time series between Butler and Georgetown is tied at 9-9. The Hoyas have won the last two meetings to pull even with the Bulldogs. Butler’s last win over Georgetown was an 18-point victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Jan. 13, 2021. Their last win at Georgetown came on Jan. 12, 2020 (47-46).

Butler’s Last Game vs. Georgetown

Butler ended the 2021-22 regular season with a home game against Georgetown. The Hoyas opened up a 17-7 lead after the first quarter and would cruise to a 69-48 victory. Kelsey Ransom paced the offense with a team-high 15 points to go with five assists and three steals. She shot 7-for-12 from the field to help GU shoot 45 percent in the game. Butler got 10 points and four assists from Trinity White. Tenley Dowell also played well with eight points and a career-high 11 rebounds.

Georgetown’s Last Game

Villanova held off an upset-minded Georgetown squad, which narrowed a 14-point deficit down to three with under two minutes to play. Maddy Siegrist tallied game highs of 29 points and 10 rebounds. Rookie Kennedy Fauntleroy led Georgetown (8-7, 1-5 BIG EAST) with 24 points off 9-of-15 shooting. GU used a 13-0 run to get within one, 61-60, with 4:56 left, but neither team scored for the next three minutes as the Wildcats clung to the advantage. Villanova scored the next six points to pull away late.

Key to the Game

Georgetown leads the BIG EAST in steals per game (9.4) and the Bulldogs averaging 17.3 turnovers per contest. Against Villanova, the Bulldogs turned it over 16 times, which led to 17 Wildcat points. This season, Butler is 4-7 when they commit more turnovers than their opponent.

Behind The Arc

Butler ranks 14th in the NCAA and second in the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal percentage (37.4). Six Bulldogs were responsible for seven made 3-pointers at Villanova on Sunday. Kendall Wingler led the way making 2-of-3. The Bulldogs average 7.4 made 3-point field goals per game (3rd in the BIG EAST) and Georgetown ranks 10th in the league in 3-point field goal percentage defense (32.9).

School Record Set at McDonough Arena

Butler made 16 3-pointers at Georgetown on Jan. 11, 2014 to set a new program record. Five Bulldogs made at least one shot from behind the arc that day, but Mandy McDivitt and Blaire Langlois did the heavy lifting by combining for 11 of the 16. The ‘Dawgs shot 45.7 percent from distance making 9-of-18 in the first half and 7-of-17 in the second.

New Look

21 student-athletes saw playing time last year when Butler faced Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Of those 21, only 10 return for Wednesday night’s meeting including three starters. Tenley Dowell started for the Bulldogs and the Hoyas return Brianna Scott and Graceann Bennett. Overall, Butler brought in eight newcomers and Georgetown reloaded with six.

Net Rankings

Six of Butler’s last seven opponents appear in the Top-45 of the latest NCAA NET Rankings (NCAA Evaluation Tool). That stretch of the schedule included games against Villanova (21), UConn (3), Seton Hall (42), Indiana (5), Marquette (41), and Illinois (29). The Illini and Wildcats also just slid back into the AP Top-25 along with UConn and IU. Butler’s next opponent is Creighton and the Bluejays are 28 in the NET Rankings and receiving votes in the AP Poll. The NET Rankings replaced the RPI prior to the 2018-19 season. The RPI was heavily based on winning percentages, but the NET Rankings take into account game results, strength of schedule, game location, scoring margin, quality of wins etc.

Time to Unpack

Seven of Butler’s first 10 games this season were played at Hinkle Fieldhouse, but the schedule recently flipped forcing the ‘Dawgs to play six of their last seven on the road. The Georgetown game marks the end of that stretch and Butler will play four of their next six games in Indianapolis. BU also ends the regular season with three of four at home.

When the Hoyas Host

Butler is 4-5 when playing at Georgetown since joining the BIG EAST Conference. They have never lost three-straight in D.C.

Villanova Recap

The Wildcats stretched their winning streak to five as Maddy Siegrist tallied 36 points and 13 rebounds in the home win. The nation’s leading scorer upped her average to 28.5 points per game following her seventh 30-point game of the season. Siegrist jumped to No. 5 on the BIG EAST’s all-time scoring list with 1,279 points over 55 conference games, passing UConn’s Maya Moore (1,270 over 64). Villanova (14-3, 5-1) led wire-to-wire, with Butler (6-10, 1-6) getting within five late in the third quarter. Kendall Wingler led the Bulldogs with 16 points off 5-of-7 shooting.

Up Next

Butler will return to Hinkle Fieldhouse to host the Creighton Bluejays on Saturday, Jan. 14. The 4 PM tip will air live on FS1.

BALL STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Game 16 | Ball State (12-3, 2-0 MAC) vs. Toledo (10-3, 1-1 MAC)

Jan. 11 | Toledo, Ohio. | Savage Arena | 7 pm ET

Opening Tip:

– Wednesday’s contest marks the 90th time in program history the two schools have met with Toledo leading the all-time series record, 59-30.

– Ball State and Toledo’s first meeting ever was in 1980-81, that year the Cardinals defeated the Rockets by a score of 63-47.

– Ball State has won 12 of the last 19 meetings against the Rockets dating back to the 2013-14 season.

– Last season, Toledo swept the regular season series against Ball State. Prior to that, the

Cardinals had won four-straight dating from 2019-2021.

– The last time these two teams met was in the the semifinals of the 2022 Mid-American Conference Tournament in Cleveland, March 11 where Ball State pulled off the 71-66 upset over the top-seeded Rockets.

– Ball State is one of only two Mid-American Conference schools to have both their men and women’s basketball teams undefeated in league action with a 2-0 ledger.

– Ball State opened Mid-American Conference action with a 2-0 mark for the first time since the 2019-20 season when BSU started MAC play with a 3-0 record. The Cardinals took down Bowling Green Jan 4 by a score of 81-73 in Worthen Arena and then finished the week off with a 76-70 road win at Western Michigan.

– Toledo split its opening week of MACtion, after posting a 71-53 win at home against Western Michigan Jan. 4 before losing on the road Jan. 7 at Northern Illinois by a score of 66-67.

Fast Facts:

– Redshirt senior Anna Clephane has 972 points for her career and only needs 28 points to become the 10th player under Brady Sallee to reach the 1,000 point milestone. Clephane is first on the team in scoring averaging 13.0 points per game.

– Sophomore Marie Kiefer has proven to be a great defender for the Cardinals. She currently sits in 12th place all-time in blocked shots with 70 and so far has 22 total this season. Kiefer averages 1.4 blocks per contest.

– Graduate senior Thelma Dis Agustsdottir has found her rhythm behind the arc again as she currently leads the team with 43 three’s so far this season. Agustsdottir has 261 total 3-pointers for her career and sits in fourth place all-time. She needs five more to move up to third place which is currently being held by former Cardinal Jill Morrison (2013-17) with 266 3-pointers.

Cardinals are Chirping:

Ball State wrapped up non-conference action Friday, Dec. 30 with a 119-53 win over Chicago State to finish with a 10-3 mark. The Cardinals had one of the best offensive performances of the year against a Division I program versus the Cougars. Nationally, Ball State made 46 field goals which ranks first, dished out 33 assists which is good for second, scored 119 points which ranks third, shot 65 percent from the field for the 4th best and made 17 3-pointers which is the sixth most among their peers.

Ball State’s Bench:

The Cardinals bench has stepped up their game this season as they have combined to score 318 points including a season high 59 points against Chicago State.

Scouting Toledo:

– In regular season conference play, Toledo has won 22 of its last 24 MAC contests.

– Toledo had a successful non-conference season with wins against No. 14 Michigan, Missouri State, Cincinnati and UT Arlington.

– Toledo is paced offensively by Quinesha Locket who is averaging 15.0 points per contest.

– Head Coach Tricia Cullop is in her 15th season at the helm of the Rockets. Under her leadership, Toledo has made nine trips to the postseason and has hung five championship banners, including a postseason WNIT title in 2011, a MAC Championship in 2017, and three MAC regular-season championships (2010-11, 2012-13, and 2021-22).

– Toledo ranks as the best free throw shooting team in the league, ranking first in the MAC in free throw percentage (77.3%) and free throws made per game (14.9). Justina King (91.7%) and Sophia Wiard (86.8) are two of the top free throw shooters in MAC.

Next Game:

Ball State returns home Saturday for a double-header with the Cardinals’ men’s basketball team. Both programs will take on their Mid-American Conference rivals the Miami RedHawks. The Ball State women’s basketball game is slated for a 11 am ET tip-off while the men will begin their contest at 2 pm ET.

NOTRE DAME MEN’S BASKETBALL

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s basketball squad (9-8, 1-5) can take a big sigh of relief as they got the ACC monkey off its back with a hard-fought 73-72 overtime win over Georgia Tech (8-8, 1-5) on Tuesday night inside Purcell Pavilion. Down seven points with 2:20 to go in regulation, the Irish stormed back to tie it at 65-all and even had a chance to win it at the buzzer. Then fought punch-for-punch in overtime, as a last-second defensive stand sealed it.

Dane Goodwin was everywhere tonight with a team-high 19 points and a career-best 12 rebounds, marking the first double-double of the season and the fifth of his career. Goodwin connected on a pivotal three in overtime, his lone trey of the game. He shot 6-of-11 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the line.

Freshman JJ Starling shone bright with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting. He had six of the team’s last 11 points in the second half. Nate Laszewski posted a solid stat line of 14 points and seven rebounds. He was also clutch from the free-throw line, knocking down two with 23 seconds left in overtime to give the Irish the go-ahead 73-72 score.

Cormac Ryan also finished in double figures with 11 points. Lastly, Trey Wertz had six points on two threes, but they both came in clutch time at the end of the game.

For the Glenn & Stacey Murphey Head Coach Mike Brey, he improved to 26-13 in overtime games at the helm of the Irish, and he’s now won five of the last six that have gone to overtime.

How It Happened

Georgia Tech used an early 7-0 run to jump out to a 9-2 advantage. Then Marcus Hammond connected on two threes, including a four-point play, in a span of 80 seconds, which tied it at 11-all. The Irish used that momentum to fire off a 14-2 scoring spree over a nearly four-minute span to garner a 16-11 lead.

Now both sides suffered a drought at some point in the half. The Yellow Jackets were kept off the scoreboard from 16:14-9:42; meanwhile, the Irish were held to no field goals from 12:55-4:59, tacking on some free throws along the way.

A Laszewski and-one off a dunk tied the game again at 3:01, this time at 25 apiece. Later, Ryan scored in the paint with 21 seconds left, then the defense came up big with a turnover. With 3.1 seconds left on the clock, Starling dribbled ¾ of the court to nail a buzzer-beating three at the top of the arc which gave the Irish a 30-29 halftime lead.

Five different Irish had points at the half with Hammond and Goodwin leading the way with seven points each. Goodwin was already close to a double-double with eight rebounds.

At 18:40 in the second half, the Irish began what was an 11-1 scoring run – Laszewski, Starling and Goodwin all had layups. Then Ryan nailed a three-pointer, picked up steal and connected on the fastbreak layup – pushing the Irish lead to 41-32.

Yet, Georgia Tech began to chip away and then connected on a barrage of treys, three in fact, in a span of two minutes, as the Yellow Jackets reclaimed the lead at 49-46.

Later down 51-46, Goodwin lifted ND with five straight points. Laszewski followed with a three at 7:44 and it was the home team back on top at 54-51. The see-saw continued as Georgia Tech responded with a 12-2 run which gave them a 63-56 lead at 3:36.

Fast forward to 2:31 on the clock and the Irish found themselves down 65-58. Notre Dame kept fighting as Starling scored five straight. Then Wertz converted a three in the corner and it’s tied at 65-all. Next, the Irish defense stood tall and forced a shot-clock violation, getting the ball back with a chance to win with 20 seconds left. Starling got the rock and drove the baseline but his layup rimmed out as the game went to overtime.

What was impressive with the Irish performance in overtime was that they took each Georgia Tech punch and dished one back. The Yellow Jackets scored first, then Goodwin responded with a three. Georgia Tech counters with a three, but then Wertz hits his second three of the game with 55.2 seconds left. Georgia Tech makes two free throws, but then Laszewski comes up clutch and goes to line and hits two.

With 23 seconds left, the Irish were up 73-72 and after a few scares, the defense prevailed for the overtime victory.

Up Next

The Fighting Irish look to build upon the win with a revenge matchup at Syracuse. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 14, airing live on ACC Network.

INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State seeks to complete a 3-0 road trip Wednesday night when it takes on Evansville at 7 p.m. The game will be carried on ESPN+ and GoSycamores.com.

Last Time Out

Indiana State overturned an early double-digit deficit Saturday afternoon, defeating Valparaiso 66-58 inside the Athletics-Recreation Center to complete its weekend sweep.

Del’Janae Williams led all scorers with a season-high 25 points, while Anna McKendree and Chelsea Cain added nine and eight, respectively. Alona Blackwell and Hattie Westerfeld came off the bench to score seven points apiece for the Sycamores, who trailed by as many as 11.

Indiana State started slow but came alive for 61 points in the last three quarters, including 43 points in the second half. The Trees led for less than 10 minutes but hit timely shots when it mattered most, making 10 of their last 12 shots. McKendree put the Sycamores ahead for good with a 3-pointer from the wing midway through the fourth quarter. Indiana State’s defense held Valpo to just one basket in the last five minutes to seal its second straight road win.

Milestone Watch

Two members of the Indiana State women’s basketball programs are nearing career milestones, with one having a chance of occurring Wednesday.

Chelsea Cain sits two points away from reaching 1,000 for her collegiate career. Cain scored 857 points in three seasons at Nicholls State and has 141 points this season.

Head coach Chad Killinger is also nearing a career milestone, as the Sycamore leader needs just three wins to reach 300 for his head coaching career.

Sweeping the Weekend

Indiana State’s 2-0 road trip at UIC and Valparaiso last week was its first 2-0 weekend in Missouri Valley Conference play since Jan. 26-28, 2018, when the Sycamores took down Loyola Chicago and Valparaiso.

Indiana State’s last three-game road win streak in MVC play also came during that span, as the Sycamores followed that road trip with a win at Evansville. Indiana State has a chance to match that Wednesday.

Lockdown Defense

Indiana State’s defense has hit a new level in recent weeks, as the Sycamores have been among the best in the MVC on that end. Over the first two weekends of conference play, the Sycamores lead The Valley in scoring defense (59.3), opponent field goal percentage (35.6) and opponent 3-point percentage (25.6).

Three of Indiana State’s four MVC opponents have scored 60 points or less. Indiana State also ranks second in the MVC in turnovers forced (17.3) and turnover margin (plus-3.3) in conference play, and has upped its average to four blocks per game through four MVC games.

Turning the Tide

After a slow start in its win over Valparaiso, Indiana State improved steadily over the final three quarters. The Sycamores were 22-for-39 from the field (56.4 percent) in the last three quarters, outscoring Valparaiso 61-44 in the last 30 minutes of the game. ISU’s best quarter from the field was the fourth, where the Sycamores were 9-for-11 (81.8 percent) with a pair of 3-pointers.

Indiana State also got contributions beyond just the starting rotation, which played a big role in Saturday’s win. The Sycamores outscored Valpo 20-3 in bench points, with Alona Blackwell scoring a season-high seven. Indiana State was plus-20 in Hattie Westerfeld’s 22 minutes off the bench.

No Fly Zone

Indiana State has been among the best in the conference when it comes to 3-point defense. The Sycamores lead the MVC in 3-point defense at 27.7 percent overall and 25.6 percent in conference play.

Of Indiana State’s last eight opponents, only Valparaiso shot above 30 percent from distance. Included in that span are three games with opponents shooting below 15 percent from behind the arc.

Thieves Avenue

Indiana State has continued its trend from last season of being among the best in the Missouri Valley Conference when it comes to generating turnovers.

The Trees rank second in the conference in turnovers forced per game (18.8), turnover margin (plus-2.8) and steals per game (8.6), trailing only Southern Illinois in all three categories.

Indiana State often capitalizes on opposition turnovers, as the Sycamores average 18.3 points per game off turnovers. The Sycamores have scored 20-plus points off turnovers on six occasions this season.

Evansville at a Glance

Evansville enters Wednesday’s game at 6-6 overall and 1-3 in MVC play. The Purple Aces’ lone conference win came over Valparaiso.

Preseason All-MVC selection Abby Feit leads the Purple Aces in scoring and rebounding at 14.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Myia Clark (12.3) is also scoring in double-figures, with A’Niah Griffin (9.8) and Barbora Tomancova (9.1) scoring just shy of 10 points per game. Tomancova also chips in with 7.2 rebounds per game. Anna Newman leads Evansville in assists at 4.1 per game.

Robyn Scherr-Wells is in her second season at the helm of the Purple Aces and is 14-28 in her tenure. Similar to Indiana State head coach Chad Killinger, Scherr-Wells previously found success at the lower levels, as she was 85-73 at Roosevelt and 59-10 at Davenport.

Series History Against Evansville

Indiana State has a 42-20 advantage in the all-time series and is 17-12 in games played in Evansville. The Sycamores are 8-3 in their last 11 games against Evansville.

Last Game Against Evansville (Mar. 10, 2022)

Mya Glanton had a career-high 26 points along with a game-high 12 rebounds, leading eighth-seeded Indiana State past ninth-seeded Evansville, 89-75, in the opening round of Hoops in the Heartland at the TaxSlayer Center.

Marie Hunter added a career-high 23 points, while Arianna Smith had 17 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Sycamores, who won their first conference tournament game since 2014.

Indiana State jumped out to an early double-digit lead and never looked back, leading wire-to-wire. The Sycamores pounded the paint inside for 54 points, its most in a game all season, and committed a season-low eight turnovers, while Evansville never got closer than nine points in the final three quarters. Indiana State’s paint presence allowed the Sycamores to shoot 52.2 percent from the field.

Up Next

Indiana State returns home to face Drake Saturday afternoon, with tipoff set for 1 p.m.

INDIANA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Indiana State’s Julian Larry has been named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week after posting back-to-back 18-point outings, helping the Sycamores go 2-0 on the week and remain unbeaten in Valley play.

The sophomore guard from Frisco, Texas shot 12-of-14 on the week including 3-of-3 from distance. He also connected on 9-of-10 from the charity stripe and dished out 10 assists with four steals across the two games.

In Wednesday’s win at Illinois State, Larry shot a perfect 7-of-7 from the field with five assists and not a single turnover.

The Sycamores are riding a four-game win streak, and in those four games, Larry is leading Indiana State with 17.0 points per game on a 25-of-30 shooting clip. He has started all four games and is averaging 5.0 assists per game with seven total steals in that span.

Up Next

The Sycamores are set for a big matchup against Southern Illinois Wednesday, Jan. 11. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. from Hulman Center as Indiana State wraps up its season series with the Salukis. It is Blackout Cancer Night and fans are encouraged to participate in the “black out” by wearing black to the game.

GAME PREVIEW:

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – A lot is at stake Wednesday as the Valley’s top-ranked team Indiana State hosts the league’s current second-ranked team Southern Illinois at Hulman Center for a 7 p.m. tip. The Sycamores will be looking to remain perfect in Valley play by winning their fifth straight game and securing the season series sweep against the Salukis.

Wednesday is Indiana State’s first Blackout Cancer Game of the season. The Sycamores will wear special black jerseys with pink striping and a percentage of the proceeds from the overall ticket sales will be donated toward the Rich and Robin Porter Cancer Research Center. The game has been dubbed a “black out” and fans are encouraged to wear black to support the cause.

With the 80-60 win against UIC Saturday at home, the Sycamores are 6-0 in Valley play for the first time since Larry Bird’s National Championship Runner-Up team in 1978-79. The last time the Sycamores were 6-0, in Valley play, they defeated SIU at Hulman Center to improve to 7-0 in league play.

At 13-4, head coach Josh Schertz has already surpassed last season’s amount of total (11) and Valley (4) wins. Only four ISU coaches have improved win totals from year one to year two.

In Saturday’s win, Courvoisier McCauley posted his second double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds, a high in a Sycamore uniform for the grad transfer. He hit three triples in a game for the fourth consecutive time, and he has posted double digits in nine straight games.

When the Sycamores gave up two straight threes to open the game against UIC, that was the first time Indiana State has trailed in a Valley game since the 6:58 mark of the second half at Southern Illinois Dec. 7. It was also Indiana State’s largest deficit in a Valley game this season. The Sycamores have only trailed by a total of 12:29 in Valley play this season.

SERIES HISTORY

SIU leads the all-time series 90-52 dating back to 1916. Indiana State is 36-32 at home against the Salukis and has won three of the last four meetings on home court. The Sycamores dropped their most recent home meeting against SIU on Feb. 19, 2022 by a score of 76-72, and they will be looking for their first win against SIU at Hulman Center since Jan. 26, 2021.

Indiana State won its first meeting against the Salukis this season, 74-71 on the road back on Dec. 7, 2022. The Sycamores are looking for their first season series sweep against SIU since Jan. 25, 2021-Jan. 26, 2021.

LAST GAME AGAINST THE SALUKIS

The Indiana State Sycamores finished off a Valley thriller by outlasting the Southern Illinois Salukis for a 74-71 road win Dec. 7 of this season. The Sycamores led by 14 in the first half and wound up down by two late in the second half, but held off the late push from the Salukis to take their fifth straight win.

Cameron Henry was two assists shy of a triple-double, tying his career-high of eight assists alongside 15 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. He also swiped three passes in the game. Courvoisier McCauley led the Sycamores with 16 points in the game, and Robbie Avila and Jayson Kent each shot over 66 percent from the field for 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Henry opened the game with back-to-back layups as part of a 6-0 run for the Sycamores who built up to an early 11-2 lead and forced SIU to play its way out of a hole the entire half.

SIU went on a 17-3 second half run spanning over five minutes to take its first lead of the game at 58-56 with 8:54 to play. That lead did not last long as Robbie Avila laid in a basket and then set McCauley up for another triple at 6:22 that gave ISU a 61-58 lead. The Sycamores went on a 12-3 run in the last five minutes to get their lead back up to an eight-point cushion at 72-65 with 25 seconds remaining, which was enough to hold on for the win after two Saluki triples in the last nine seconds.

LAST TIME OUT

Indiana State men’s basketball accomplished something Saturday afternoon that has not been done since the Larry Bird Era. With an 80-60 win against UIC at home, the Sycamores have started off 6-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play for the first time since 1978-79 when Bird’s team made it to the NCAA National Championship game.

Courvoisier McCauley notched a double-double and Julian Larry paced all Sycamore scorers with 18 points to help Indiana State win its fourth straight game and improve to 7-1 at home this season.

UIC (9-8, 1-5 MVC) opened the game with back-to-back triples, and after Indiana State (13-4, 6-0 MVC) caught up with a 10-2 run to take a 10-8 lead at 15:33 in the opening frame, the Flames and Sycamores went back-and-forth with neither team gaining more than a three-point lead until 7:17 when UIC hit three free throws and then a layup to take a 23-19 lead.

After UIC led 23-19 at 7:17, the Sycamores went off on a 20-2 run and never trailed again in the game. That run lasted nearly the last six minutes of the first half, and Indiana State shot 8-of-10 from the field in that span while holding UIC to 1-of-9 including 0-of-3 from three with two turnovers.

Larry launched a shot from the logo at the buzzer that went in to give Indiana State a 42-28 lead at halftime, and he was shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from the field at the break.

McCauley pushed Indiana State’s lead to 51-32 at 16:51 in the second half on back-to-back triples, and a Jayson Kent and-1 extended the lead to 20 at 63-43 with 10:49 left in the game. The Sycamores reached their largest lead of the game at 22 points with a Cooper Neese jumper at 9:20 that made it 67-45.

The lead hit 22 points once again on a 10-0 Sycamore run that was capped by a no-look pass from Robbie Avila to Kent who finished with a layup to get himself in double figures on the scoresheet. The Flames would get one bucket back a few seconds later to close out the scoring in the game.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE TRACK AND FIELD

INDIANAPOLIS – The Purdue Fort Wayne track and field team won all four Horizon League weekly honors this week, the league announced on Tuesday (Jan. 10).

Braxton Trittipo earned the men’s runner of the week honor. The senior from Fortville, Indiana had two top-two finishes at the Illini Classic, with him winning the 400 meter dash with a time of 50.60, and finishing runner-up in the 200 meter dash with a time of 23.57.

The men’s field athlete of the week honor went to Zyler Johnson. The Marietta, Georgia native had a top three and a top five finish at the Illini Classic. He finished in third in the weight throw with a distance of 16.66 meters. He placed fifth in the shot put with a distance of 14.29 meters. His weight throw distance is currently ranked third in the Horizon League, while his shot put sits in sixth across the Horizon League.

Makaila Groves picked up the women’s runner of the week accolade. She placed third in the 800 meters at the Illini Classic with a time of 2:24.22. Her time ranks third in the Horizon League.

Ali Sparks earned the women’s field athlete of the week honor. The freshman from Carroll High School in Fort Wayne finished runner-up in the shot put at the Illini Classic with a toss of 12.84 meters. She also placed seventh in the weight throw with a distance of 13.52 meters. Her shot put mark currently ranks third in the Horizon League.

The ‘Dons now have five total league honors this indoor track season. Cain Hohne received the men’s field honor earlier this season.

The Mastodons are back in action this Saturday at Trine.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – After his first week of collegiate volleyball, Purdue Fort Wayne middle blocker Emmanuel Jurineack was named the MIVA Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday (Jan. 10).

Jurineack led the MIVA in blocks and blocks per set through week one. He finished with 10 blocks in Purdue Fort Wayne’s 1-1 week against King and NJIT. This averaged to 1.67 blocks per set. The freshman had six blocks in the season opener against King. In addition to his blocking, he dug out three attacks.

Purdue Fort Wayne held its opponents to the lowest hitting percentage of any foes the MIVA saw in the opening week of the season.

Jurineack and the Mastodons are back in action on Friday (Jan. 13) when Division III Preseason No. 1 and two-time defending national champion Carthage comes to Fort Wayne. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. in the Gates Sports Center.

EVANSVILLE MEN’S BASKETBALL

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Looking for its first win inside Carver Arena since 2016, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team travels to Bradley on Wednesday evening. Tip is set for 7 p.m. CT with the Purple Aces Radio Network and ESPN+ having the coverage.

Setting the Scene

– UE looks to halt a few different streaks when it takes on the Braves

– Sitting at 0-6 in the MVC for the third time in four years, the Purple Aces look to earn their first league triumph of the season

– Evansville has dropped its last nine contests against the Braves and has lost the last three games by 31 points or more

Last Time Out

– Things came down to the wire on Saturday against Illinois State with the Redbirds using a late run to take a 69-61 win

– With 4:07 remaining, UE held a 60-58 lead before ISU completed the game on an 11-1 rally

– Marvin Coleman II and Kenny Strawbridge Jr. finished the game with 16 points apiece

Keep on Rolling

– Over his last seven games, Marvin Coleman II is averaging 15.1 points per game while raising his season average from 5.4 points to 9.4

– He scored a career-best 22 points at Missouri State on Jan. 4 and followed that with 16 points against Illinois State

– Coleman reached double figures just once in the first 10 games before doing so in six of the last seven games

– His effort at Missouri State bested his old record of 18 points, which came earlier this season against Campbell

– Along with his scoring, Coleman has been depended on for extra minutes and has played at least 35 minutes in each of the last seven contests

The Mark of Consistency

– Kenny Strawbridge Jr. scored 16 points against Illinois State and has chipped in at least 8 points in 16 out of 17 games

– He continues to lead the Aces while sitting 8th in the MVC with his season average of 16.2 points per game

– Finishing with a game-high 22 points at Indiana State, he reached the 20-point mark for the 7th time this season

– In the Dec. 21 game against Bellarmine, Strawbridge was held scoreless in the opening half but rebounded with 22 points in the final 20 minutes

Scouting the Opponent

– Bradley comes into Wednesday’s game with an overall mark of 11-6 while going 4-2 through their opening six MVC games

– The Braves are a perfect 9-0 at home while going 2-6 in road and neutral site contests

– On Saturday, Bradley defeated Valparaiso by a final of 88-66 inside Carver Arena

– Rienk Mast leads four double digit scorers with an average of 12.9 points per game while pacing the squad with 8.3 rebounds

– Malevy Leons is averaging 11.2 points while Duke Deen and Ja’Shon Henry contribute 10.7 and 10.1 PPG, respectively.

EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

EVANSVILLE – Looking to pack Meeks Family Fieldhouse, the University of Evansville women’s basketball team welcomes Indiana State at 6 PM on Wednesday evening for its Orange Out game.

The Aces encourage all fans to wear orange to Wednesday’s game and the first 500 fans will receive orange pom-poms. Wednesday’s contest is also Evansville’s Student Welcome Back Party with free pizza for the first 100 students and an AirPods giveaway.

Wednesday’s matchup between the Aces and Sycamores marks the 64th all-time meeting in series history with Indiana State owning a 43-20 advantage in the all-time series. The two sides met three times in the 2021-22 season with Indiana State capturing two wins, including the most recent matchup in the opening round of Hoops in the Heartland, 89-75, in Moline, Ill.

Indiana State comes into the midweek matchup with a 7-6 overall mark and a .500 mark in conference play coming off of a weekend sweep of Valparaiso and UIC last weekend, the Sycamores’ first weekend sweep in conference play since Feb. 23 and 25, 2017. The visitors are led by guard Del’Janae Williams, who is averaging 12.8 points per game. Williams proved to be difficult for the Aces to contain in the three meetings last year, going for an average of 16 points against UE in 2021-22.

Evansville comes into Wednesday’s contest following a road split this past weekend, earning a 57-45 win over Valpo before falling 57-53 to UIC. Senior guard/forward Abby Feit powered Evansville this past weekend, averaging 18.5 points per game, while leading UE in scoring in both contests and adding an average of seven boards per game.

SOUTHERN INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball aims to reverse course and snap a three-game losing streak this week when it hosts the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Thursday and the University of Tennessee Martin Saturday. Thursday’s game with Little Rock will have special 8 p.m. start time due to the live broadcast on ESPNU, while Saturday’s tip versus UT Martin returns to the normal 7:30 p.m.

The OVC men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader will be a special Whiteout Night at Screaming Eagles Arena Thursday when USI hosts Little Rock. Fans should come out wearing white apparel to whiteout Screaming Eagles Arena and show their #ScreaglePride! The women’s game tips off at 5 p.m. and the men’s game is at 8 p.m.

USI students should come out and pack the Penn Station Student Section inside Screaming Eagles Arena. The first 250 students to enter at the student entrance for the USI Basketball doubleheader will receive a free t-shirt and a rally towel provided by Liberty Federal Credit Union. Plus, USI students can enter a raffle giveaway for a PS5, courtesy of USI Housing and Residence Life.

In addition to the Whiteout Game Thursday, Saturday’s USI-UT Martin contest is Military Appreciation Day, which is sponsored by the USI Student Veteran Association. Veterans and their guests will receive free tickets with proof of service (limit to five per veteran).

Game tickets to both games can be purchased online at usi.universitytickets.com.

USI Men’s Basketball (8-9, 1-3 OVC) is coming off a 0-2 week in conference play after suffering a hard fought 84-80 loss on the road at Morehead State University and the first home loss of the season, 69-62, versus Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Sophomore guard Isaiah Swope (Newburgh, Indiana) led the Eagles in last week’s games, averaging 22.0 points and 4.0 assists per game.

Swope, who has averaged 18.6 points over the last five contests, had a team-high 25 points in the loss at Morehead State and 19 points in the loss to SIUE.

For the season, graduate forward Trevor Lakes (Lebanon, Indiana) took over the team lead in scoring with 13.1 points per game and is followed by senior guard Jelani Simmons and Swope with 12.9 points and 12.8 points per outing, respectively. Senior forward Jacob Polakovich rounds out the double-digit scorers with 11.1 points per outing and is posting a team-best 11.3 rebounds per game.

Little Rock (5-12, 1-3) lost its third-straight in falling to Southeast Missouri State University, 74-68, this afternoon at home. The Trojans, who also have lost four of their last five, were led by sophomore guard D.J. Smith with 14 points.

Senior guard Myron Gardner leads four Trojans in double-figures with 13.9 points per game. He also is grabbing a team-high 9.6 rebounds per game.

The USI-Little Rock match-up Thursday will be the first meeting between the two programs in men’s basketball.

The UT Martin Skyhawks (10-7, 2-2 OVC) are 3-2 in the last five games, despite falling in their last game at Tennessee Tech University, 84-80, in overtime. UT Martin has posted wins over Morehead State University and Southeast Missouri State University and stumbling to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Tennessee Tech.

UT Martin has three players in double-digits for 2022-23, led by graduate guard Parker Stewart with 17.1 points per game.

The Skyhawks won the last meeting with USI in 1992 and hold a 5-3 advantage in the series, but the Eagles have won three of the last five matchups. USI is 3-2 at home, while UT Martin is 3-0 when hosting the Eagles.

Thursday’s USI-Little Rock men’s basketball game will be broadcast live on ESPNU. All 2022-23 games are normally streamed on ESPN+ in addition to being heard on ESPN 97.7FM (http://listentotheref.com) and 95.7FM The Spin.

VALPO BASEBALL

The Valparaiso University baseball program has announced the addition of assistant coaches Jeff Mayes and Trey Matthews, who join head coach Brian Schmack’s staff for the 2023 campaign.

“Both Jeff and Trey came highly recommended, which is always positive,” Schmack said. “Jeff is a young coach with a lot of energy who is looking to take on the challenge of Division-I baseball. Trey’s head coach had good things to say about him and didn’t want to lose him. We feel fortunate to add both Jeff and Trey at this time, and we’re looking forward to having them on staff.”

Mayes spent the last three seasons on the coaching staff at Aurora University, a Division-III institution in Illinois, where the program amassed an 83-21 record during his tenure. At Aurora, Mayes’ duties included recruiting, defense and pitch development. The Spartans were among the Top 15 in Division-III in team fielding percentage and defensive doubles plays in two of the three seasons with Mayes instructing the infielders. He will also serve as the infield coach at Valpo.

“I immediately hit it off with the other coaches from a relationship standpoint,” Mayes said. “A job like this in the Midwest and in the Missouri Valley Conference was certainly appealing. I played for and coached with Adam Stevens for eight great years, and I feel like I’m ready to take on the next challenge. I would like to thank Coach Stevens and everyone at Aurora, which has been my home since I was 18 years old. Coach Schmack has been a great resource, and I’m very excited for the opportunity.”

Prior to joining the Aurora coaching staff in fall 2019, Mayes had a standout playing career as a shortstop for the Spartans. He was tabbed the school’s 2018-2019 Male Athlete of the Year and earned CoSIDA Academic All-American honors as a senior to go along with first team all-conference recognition. He shattered the program record for career hits with 240 and batted .402 as a senior with 40 runs scored and 31 runs batted in.

Mayes also received the Richard Rickey Award given to a senior male student-athlete who exemplifies the characteristics of dedication, determination, sportsmanship and faith. He was a three-year captain and led the program to a 115-61 record and two conference tournament titles during his four-year playing career.

“I’m excited to build relationships with our players here at Valpo,” he said. “I look forward to finding out what they need and what makes them tick. I’m definitely someone who is very calculated. I trust the fundamentals, and I’m a big believer that if you can dominate the fundamentals, you can be a really good baseball player. I want to help guys become the best versions of themselves.”

Matthews grew up in Florida and played at Plant City High School before continuing his playing career at Southern Western University for three seasons. After several surgeries, he transferred to Warner University in Florida, and graduated in 2020. His coaching career began at a local high school in Florida, then he spent a year coaching at Warner before accepting a position on Valpo’s staff, where he will work with the program’s catchers.

“I love baseball and want to continue to grow,” Matthews said. “I want to learn from as many different people as possible and see where the game takes me. I knew this was a good opportunity. My goal is to care for the players – people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. If you show them how much you care, teaching them baseball becomes easy. I’m a younger coach so I hope to be able to relate to the players, and I’m big on communication. The coaching staff has been very welcoming and I’m excited to be a part of the program.”

Mayes and Matthews join a staff that also includes top assistant and hitting coach Kory Winter, who is back for his eighth season on staff and fifth in his current role. Schmack is set to begin his 10th season at the helm and his 17th season on the Valpo coaching staff.

VALPO MEN’S BASKETBALL

Valparaiso University men’s basketball senior Kobe King (La Crosse, Wis. / La Crosse Central) surpassed the 1,000-point milestone for his collegiate career in the second half of Tuesday’s game at the Athletics-Recreation Center. King reached the milestone as part of his game-high 17 points in a 74-59 setback to visiting Belmont.

How It Happened

Belmont jumped out to a 6-2 lead, but Valpo rattled off nine straight points to grab an 11-6 edge following a Nick Edwards (Atlanta, Ga. / Grayson [Glenville State]) basket on a Ben Krikke (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada / Jasper Place) assist.

The Bruins held a 15-14 lead at the second media timeout, but Maximus Nelson (Appleton, Wis. / Appleton North) drilled a 3 with 10:41 left in the half to put the hosts back in front 17-15.

After the Nelson 3, Belmont scored 17 straight points to take a 32-17 lead with 5:12 left in the half. The Beacons battled back with a 7-0 run of their own late in the half, capped by an Ibra Bayu (Flevoland, The Netherlands / Perkiomen) dunk that whittled the lead to six with 13 seconds on the clock. The guests scored the final basket of the half to enter the locker room leading by eight.

At the 13:41 mark of the second half, King made his milestone basket to reach the 1,000-point threshold. He was recognized with a nice ovation during the next media timeout.

The lead fluctuated between seven and 12 early in the second half, but Belmont eventually pushed the gap to 16 with 12:08 on the clock.

The two teams played close to even the rest of the way with Valpo getting no closer than 12 and eventually falling by 15.

Inside the Game

King was joined in double figures by Krikke, who tallied 15 points. Krikke has scored 15 or more in 14 of his 18 appearances this season.

Krikke advanced another place on the program’s all-time scoring list, passing Chuck Kriston (1960-63; 1,287) for 18th.

King was in double figures yet again as he has scored 10 or more points in all 18 games this season.

King became the third person currently involved with Valpo’s program to score his 1,000th collegiate point with the Brown & Gold, joining Krikke and current graduate assistant Tevonn Walker.

Edwards stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, nine assists and four rebounds. That marked his high for assists in a Missouri Valley Conference game.

Sixth-year senior Quinton Green (Columbus, Ohio / Homeschool [Cedarville]) continued his recent thievery, tying a career high with four steals. Green has three or more steals in each of his last three games and has 11 total steals in that span – over doubling his season total after he had 10 total steals over the first 15 games.

VALPO WOMEN’S TENNIS

The Valparaiso University women’s tennis program has announced the addition of Eleanor Chapman (East Sussex, England / Eastbourne College [UT Martin / Lipscomb]), who joins the team effective immediately for the spring 2023 season as a midyear transfer.

Chapman spent the first four years of her collegiate career at Lipscomb and transferred to UT Martin this fall before the Skyhawks announced the discontinuation of their program in September.

“We are truly excited to have Eleanor join our program,” head coach Bob Modesto said. “We’re wanting to compete for a championship, and we feel she can play a pivotal role in that. She brings significant college experience to the table with four years at Lipscomb. We are hopeful that she will help our lineup in both doubles and singles.”

Chapman went 5-2 in singles action during the 2022 campaign. She was a two-time National County Cup Finals runner-up in high school, was ranked No. 1 in Sussex County and had a No. 12 junior ranking in the UK.

“I was initially panicking when the UT Martin program was cut because I needed somewhere to play this spring,” Chapman said. “I spoke to loads of different schools, but Valparaiso had a really nice feel to it. The campus looks very nice and I really enjoyed talking with Coach Modesto and Coach Claire (Czerwonka). My new teammates who I have been in contact with have been very welcoming, and I feel really good about this decision.”

Chapman joins a Valpo team that finished last season with the program’s highest win total – both overall and in conference play – since 2007. She has hopes of contributing to the program’s continued rise.

“My biggest strength is that I compete really well,” she said. “I’m fast and I grind people down. I don’t have a lot of power, but I wear people down and work hard to make myself difficult to compete against. Over the last few years, I’ve learned how important team culture is and how important it is to invest in my teammates to create a good off-court environment. That comes through when you play matches. I’ve learned how to tune into myself and my game to do what’s best for me while at the same time being a good team player.”

In her spare time, Chapman enjoys cooking and traveling. She has completed her undergraduate degree in exercise science and will pursue a Master of Business Administration at Valpo. Her favorite tennis memory growing up was having a professional player come to her school and hit with them every year. Those interactions with standout women’s professional tennis players led her to aspire to be like them one day.

Chapman becomes the first international student-athlete to be listed on the Valpo women’s tennis roster since freshman Jennifer Ehr (London, England) in 2013-14. Ehr did not compete in a match before departing the program. When Chapman makes her Beacon debut, she will become the first Valpo women’s tennis international student-athlete to play in a match since Patricia Arakaki (Campo Grande, Brazil) wrapped up her career following the 2002-2003 season. Arakaki did attend high school in the United States at LaPorte in Northwest Indiana.

“Originally, the adjustment was tough because it’s a slightly different culture,” Chapman said. “Tennis is a very individual sport so being a part of a team within college tennis is a transition. The two college teams I have played on so far have been all international, so I’ve gotten to know different people from different cultures around the world. I’m excited to continue my college tennis journey at Valpo.”

INDIANAPOLIS MEN’S BASKETBALL

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The UIndy men’s basketball team returned to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) top 25 on Tuesday, sliding in at No. 24 ahead of a four-game home stand that starts this coming weekend. The Greyhounds were last ranked No. 20 back on Nov. 22.

UIndy is 12-2 this season with a 4-2 mark inside GLVC play. Jesse Bingham tops the team with 16.1 points per game, while Kendrick Tchoua is averaging 7.6 rebounds per contest and sports a DII-best 72.2 field goal percentage (70-for-97).

The Greyhounds host Missouri S&T and No. 11 Missouri-St. Louis this weekend from Nicoson Hall.

NABC DII poll

SCHOOL (1st-place votes)	REC	PTS	PREV
1. Indiana (Pa) (10)	13-0	393	1
2. Nova Southeastern (3)	14-0	384	2
3. Black Hills State (1)	13-0	369	3
4. Northwest Missouri State (2)	14-1	356	5
5. Lincoln Memorial	15-1	326	6
6. Colorado School of Mines	14-1	311	7
7. Central Oklahoma	15-1	304	8
8. West Liberty	13-1	280	9
9. Augusta	13-1	267	10
10. Hillsdale	14-1	249	11
11. Missouri-St. Louis	13-1	236	4
12. Cal State San Bernardino	10-1	232	12
13. UNC Pembroke	14-1	212	13
14. Bentley	12-1	201	14
15. Fort Lewis	13-1	174	15
16. Dominican	14-1	165	16
17. West Virginia State	13-1	147	17
18. St. Thomas Aquinas	14-2	100	21
19. East Stroudsburg	12-1	96	23
20. MSU Moorhead	13-2	73	25
21. Claflin	12-1	63	24
22. Young Harris	12-1	52	18
23. Embry-Riddle	12-2	45	NR
24. UIndy	12-2	29	NR
25. Point Loma	14-3	26	NR

INDIANAPOLIS WRESTLING

INDIANAPOLIS – Derek Blubaugh has been named the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Wrestler of the Week, it was announced by the league office Tuesday. The award marks the fourth time in Blubaugh’s career he has earned the honor, becoming just the third wrestler in program history to earn four or more wrestler of the weeks awards.

WRESTLER OF THE WEEK

#11 Derek Blubaugh, #12 Indianapolis

R-Jr. | 197 | Bloomington, Ind.

Major: Nursing

Team Result: 7th/16 Teams at NWCA National Duals (1/6-7)

Went undefeated (5-0) over the weekend to improve to 19-1 on the season

Beat No. 1 wrestler, Dalton Abney, from Central Oklahoma

Recorded one fall on the weekend

Earns fourth career Wrestler of the Week Award (1/10/23, 11/15/22, 11/9/22, 2/2/21)

Last Greyhounds’ Wrestler of the Week: Derek Blubaugh (11/15/22)

SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETIC SITES:

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

EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/

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

FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/

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

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

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

BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/

DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/

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

MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SPORTS EXTRA

*******NBA STANDINGS*******

Eastern Conference

Pct

Conf GB

Home

Road

Div

Conf

Last 10

Streak

1 Boston

.707

—

16-5

13-7

4-0

16-8

7-3

3 W

2 Brooklyn

.675

1.5

13-5

14-8

5-2

20-7

9-1

2 W

3 Milwaukee

.650

2.5

16-5

10-9

4-3

14-10

4-6

1 W

4 Philadelphia

.625

3.5

17-6

8-9

4-3

17-10

7-3

2 W

5 Cleveland

.619

3.5

18-4

8-12

7-3

17-8

5-5

1 L

6 Indiana

.561

6.0

15-7

8-11

2-2

16-9

8-2

2 W

7 New York

.537

7.0

10-11

12-8

2-4

13-10

4-6

1 L

8 Miami

.524

7.5

12-9

9-11

5-1

8-12

6-4

1 W

9 Atlanta

.475

9.5

11-8

8-13

4-3

13-14

4-6

1 W

10 Chicago

.463

10.0

11-9

8-13

4-3

16-12

6-4

1 L

11 Toronto

.439

11.0

13-10

5-13

2-8

12-16

5-5

2 W

12 Washington

.415

12.0

10-8

7-16

4-3

10-14

6-4

3 L

13 Orlando

.381

13.5

10-12

6-14

2-5

7-18

5-5

1 W

14 Charlotte

.262

18.5

5-14

6-17

3-6

5-20

3-7

2 L

15 Detroit

.250

19.5

5-14

6-19

0-6

4-20

3-7

3 L

Western Conference

Pct

Conf GB

Home

Road

Div

Conf

Last 10

Streak

1 Denver

.675

—

17-3

10-10

7-3

20-9

8-2

3 W

2 Memphis

.675

—

17-3

10-10

5-2

13-10

8-2

7 W

3 New Orleans

.610

2.5

17-5

8-11

7-3

16-10

6-4

1 W

4 Dallas

.548

5.0

16-6

7-13

6-2

17-8

7-3

2 L

5 Sacramento

.538

5.5

12-9

9-9

4-5

9-9

5-5

1 W

6 LA Clippers

.512

6.5

12-9

10-12

3-4

12-13

3-7

1 W

7 Phoenix

.500

7.0

14-7

7-14

8-0

18-10

2-8

1 W

8 Golden State

.488

7.5

17-5

3-16

4-4

12-9

5-5

3 L

9 Minnesota

.488

7.5

12-9

8-12

6-4

13-13

4-6

4 W

10 Utah

.477

8.0

13-7

8-16

3-4

16-14

3-7

1 W

11 Portland

.475

8.0

9-7

10-14

4-6

13-13

2-8

4 L

12 LA Lakers

.463

8.5

10-8

9-14

1-7

8-14

6-4

1 L

13 Oklahoma City

.439

9.5

13-9

5-14

3-6

10-12

5-5

1 L

14 San Antonio

.317

14.5

8-13

5-14

2-6

5-21

3-7

2 L

15 Houston

.250

17.0

6-14

4-16

1-8

5-22

1-9

7 L

******NHL STANDINGS******

Eastern Conference
	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	ROW	GF	GA	Home	Road	L10
1 Boston Bruins	40	32	4	4	68	30	156	88	19-0-3	13-4-1	8-0-2
2 Carolina Hurricanes	41	25	9	7	57	22	130	113	12-5-1	13-4-6	6-3-1
3 Toronto Maple Leafs	41	25	9	7	57	25	141	108	14-3-4	11-6-3	6-3-1
4 New Jersey Devils	41	26	12	3	55	26	141	109	11-10-2	15-2-1	5-4-1
5 New York Rangers	42	23	12	7	53	21	138	116	10-7-4	13-5-3	6-2-2
6 Tampa Bay Lightning	39	25	13	1	51	24	139	115	16-4-1	9-9-0	6-4-0
7 Washington Capitals	43	23	14	6	52	23	140	118	13-6-3	10-8-3	7-1-2
8 Pittsburgh Penguins	40	21	13	6	48	20	133	121	11-4-4	10-9-2	3-5-2

9 New York Islanders	42	22	17	3	47	22	130	116	12-6-1	10-11-2	4-4-2
10 Buffalo Sabres	39	20	17	2	42	19	152	135	9-10-2	11-7-0	7-3-0
11 Florida Panthers	42	19	19	4	42	18	138	145	10-6-3	9-13-1	4-6-0
12 Detroit Red Wings	39	17	15	7	41	16	121	134	10-8-3	7-7-4	4-5-1
13 Ottawa Senators	40	18	19	3	39	17	120	127	11-10-1	7-9-2	4-5-1
14 Philadelphia Flyers	41	16	18	7	39	16	114	133	8-10-1	8-8-6	6-4-0
15 Montreal Canadiens	41	16	22	3	35	12	109	156	8-11-0	8-11-3	2-7-1
16 Columbus Blue Jackets	40	12	26	2	26	11	103	158	10-12-1	2-14-1	2-8-0

Western Conference
	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	ROW	GF	GA	Home	Road	L10
1 Dallas Stars	42	25	11	6	56	24	146	111	12-4-3	13-7-3	7-3-0
2 Vegas Golden Knights	42	27	13	2	56	24	140	120	12-10-0	15-3-2	5-4-1
3 Los Angeles Kings	44	24	14	6	54	20	148	149	13-7-2	11-7-4	7-2-1
4 Winnipeg Jets	41	26	14	1	53	26	137	110	16-6-0	10-8-1	6-4-0
5 Seattle Kraken	40	24	12	4	52	24	147	125	10-8-2	14-4-2	7-2-1
6 Minnesota Wild	40	22	14	4	48	19	129	116	12-8-1	10-6-3	5-3-2
7 Calgary Flames	42	19	14	9	47	18	129	127	12-7-2	7-7-7	5-2-3
8 Edmonton Oilers	42	21	18	3	45	21	147	143	10-11-2	11-7-1	4-4-2

9 St. Louis Blues	42	21	18	3	45	18	136	151	8-8-2	13-10-1	5-3-2
10 Nashville Predators	39	19	14	6	44	17	111	115	9-6-3	10-8-3	7-1-2
11 Colorado Avalanche	39	20	16	3	43	17	116	115	9-8-3	11-8-0	4-5-1
12 Vancouver Canucks	40	17	20	3	37	15	138	158	8-10-1	9-10-2	4-6-0
13 San Jose Sharks	42	13	21	8	34	12	130	157	4-11-6	9-10-2	3-5-2
14 Arizona Coyotes	40	13	22	5	31	12	110	149	7-5-2	6-17-3	3-7-0
15 Anaheim Ducks	41	12	25	4	28	9	96	169	8-11-1	4-14-3	4-5-1
16 Chicago Blackhawks	39	10	25	4	24	10	86	144	7-14-2	3-11-2	3-7-0

*******FOOTBALL HISTORY*******

January 11, 1946 – The NFL announces that Bert Bell had become the second Commissioner in League history. The Pro Football Researchers Association in their 1996 Volume 18 edition of the Coffin Corner Magazine shared a story from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The long time inaugural commissioner, Elmer Layden’s tenure was over due to an instance where Brooklyn owner Dan Topping withdrew his team from the league to join the new All-America Football Conference (AAFC). The remaining owners agreed not to renew Layden’s League contract because he was soft and not forceful enough to prevent the Brooklyn departure. The AAFC right after World War II was a definite competitor to the NFL as the AAFC had some deep pockets as well as some star power. The NFL franchise owners then unanimously picked one of their own, fellow owner, Bert Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers co-owners to take the position of the League Commissioner. For the first two decades of the NFL’s existence, they had a president of the League. Jim Thorpe served as the President in 1920, followed by Joe Carr who served as the head man for 19 seasons, and then Carl Storck was the final President serving for two years. In 1941 Layden was the first Commissioner as the group moved away from the President title. Bell was one of the best the NFL had ever seen, he dealt immediately with a gambling scandal, wouldn’t back down or sign truces with a rival AAFC and even instituted the two -Minute Warning and signed a TV deal. Bell’s staunch position of not giving into the AAFC eventually paid dividends as he basically made the fledgling league to go belly up and then Bell swept in to grab the AAFC’s three best teams to merge into the NFL. Bell really put the NFL in a better place to compete with the popular college game.

January 11, 1959 – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – The 9th NFL Pro Bowl was played as the Eastern Conference got the better of the Western Conference in a final score of 28-21. According to the American Football Database website, New York Giants halfback, Frank Gifford and Doug Atkins, the Defensive End from the Chicago Bears were the game’s Most Valuable Players.

January 11, 1970 – Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana – Super Bowl IV had the Minnesota Vikings taking on Kansas City for the right to win the Lombardi Trophy according to the Pro-Football-Reference.com. The Chiefs jumped out to a 16-0 half time lead based on three Jan Stenerud field goals and a rushing TD by Running Back Mike Garrett. The teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter on a Vikings Dave Osborn plunge and KC Len Dawson pass connection to Otis Taylor for a 46 yard touchdown. The Chiefs captured the NFL title by knocking off the Minnesota Vikings, 23-7. The game’s Most Valuable Player was Quarterback Len Dawson.

January 11, 1981 – AFC Championship was played at San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium. The AFC West dominated the American Conference of the NFL when the Chargers hosted the Oakland Raiders. The Oakland Raiders defeated the San Diego Chargers, 34-27 per Onthisday.com.

January 11, 1981 – Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia – The NFC Championship Philadelphia Eagles beat Dallas Cowboys, 20-7 per Onthisday.com.

January 11, 1987 – Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey – The Largest crowd which was 76,633 at the Giant Stadium witnessed the G-men blanking Washington 17-0, for the NFC Championship title per Onthisday.com.

January 11, 1987 – Cleveland Municipal Stadium – AFC Championship will forever go down in the annals of sports history as “the Drive.” According to SBNation.com Cleveland fans were on an emotional high as the Browns scored a touchdown with less than 6 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter on a 48 pass from Bernie Kosar to receiver Brian Brennan, who with a spin move escaped would be tacklers to find the endzone. Things looked even better for the Browns as Denver bobbled the ensuing kick-off and found themselves with possession at their own two yard line. The Broncos had not mustered a drive of any length all day against a stingy Cleveland defense and that just added fever pitch to the home crowd. But the cool calm and collected John Elway had other things in mind. Elway and company drove the entire 98 yards of the field including some third and long conversions to tie the game and silence the crowd. The Broncos took the game to Overtime where a Rich Karlis Field Goal defeated the Cleveland Browns Super Bowl plans 23-20.

January 11, 1995 – The Canadian Football League tried some experimental U.S. expansion by announcing Alabama’s Birmingham Barracudas were granted CFL franchise. Birmingham lasted only one season though per Onthisday.com as the States did not support the Canadian style of play.

January 11, 1998 – AFC Championship Game had Bill Cowher’s Steelers up against a Denver Broncos team with wiley veteran John Elway under center. Terrell Davis started the scoring with an 8 yard scamper according to the Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pittsburgh countered with a TD by their big back Jerome Bettis. The Steelers defense shut Elway and company down in the second half and made it interesting down the stretch but could not overcome 3 Kordell Stewart interceptions as the Denver Broncos went on to beat Pittsburgh 24-21 to advance into the big game.

January 11, 1998 – 3Com Park, San Francisco – The NFC Championship game was won by the Green Bay Packers as they outlasted the San Francisco 49ers, 23-10 to advance to the Super Bowl per Onthisday.com.

January 11, 1999 – Marty Schottenheimer resigned as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs after 10 seasons. Schottenheimer had great success as an NFL head coach not only with the Chiefs but also with the Cleveland Browns a decade earlier. CBSNews.com tells how Marty’s teams played well in the regular season but his failures in the playoffs led to many disappointments to Chiefs and Browns fans. It’s a shame that he is remembered for his failures and not for the tremendous success his teams had. His 145 victories had him at the time ranked 10th in NFL history.

January 11, 2004 – The Philadelphia Eagles faced “4th and 26”, as they trailed the Green Bay Packers by 3 in NFC Divisional Playoff Game. An ESPN.com story informs that it was the final drive for the Eagles and the game all came down to this one play with 1:12 remaining. Eagles Quarterback Donovan McNabb launched a remarkable 28 yard strike to Freddie Mitchell to move the sticks and keep Philly’s chances alive. The Eagles would go onto score on a David Akers field goal to tie the game at 17 and send the game to an extra sudden death session. The Packers had their chance in OT as they had the ball but an errant pass by Brett Favre was picked off by ball hawking safety Brian Dawkins to set up the game ending field goal by Akers in a 20-17 Eagles win. McNabb set a post season quarterback rushing record with his 107 yards on the ground.

January 11, 2016 – University of Phoenix Stadium – The second College Football Playoff National Championship game had the top teams in college football face each other as the Crimson Tide of Alabama challenged the Clemson Tigers. The College Football Playoff website covers the game’s storyline well. Clemson’s signal caller the phenomenal Deshaun Watson set a Championship game record of 478 total yards but the Tide countered with offensive production by Derrick Henry who trudged for 158 yards on the ground and O.J. Howard caught 208 yards of passes on just 5 receptions with two scores. It was a game for the ages as #2 Alabama outlasted #1 Clemson, 45-40. The Tide’s O.J. Howard was the Offensive Player of the Game while Bama’s Eddie Jackson was the Defensive Player of the Game.

HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAYS FOR JANUARY 11

January 11, 1895 – Evanston, Illinois -Northwestern Quarterback Paddy Driscoll was born. For his full bio click his name

January 11, 1973 – Great Falls, Montana – Dave Dickenson the great quarterback from the University of Montana arrived into this life. The National Football Foundation states that Dickenson is the Grizzlies’ all-time leading passer and still holds 28 other school records. Dave was a two-time First Team All-American. Dave had won the 1995 Walter Payton Award as the top player in the FCS and Dickenson led Montana to the FCS national title that year. Dave Dickenson was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018. Dave after college played professionally most notably in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders and the BC Lions. In 2015 Dickenson was honored by being inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame. He was the league’s MVP in 2000, and he won three Grey Cups (1998, 2006, 2008). Dickenson had some time in the NFL too as in 2001 and 2002 he had a cup of coffee with the San Diego Chargers, Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions.

SUPER BOWL HISTORY

1966: Super Bowl 1
Site: Los Angeles
Result: Green Bay Packers 35 Kansas City Chiefs 10
MVP: Bart Starr (QB, Green Bay)

Summary: Max McGee, a backup receiver, who spent Saturday night out on the town, was summoned into duty when Boyd Dowler was injured.McGee played through his hangover to catch seven passes for 138 yards. Those catches included the first-ever touchdown in Super Bowl history. The heavily favored Packers only led 14-10 at the half, but opened up in the second half to pull away. Bart Starr’s efficiency, as he went 16/23 for 250 yards, was the difference.

******BASEBALL HISTORY******

1915 Colonel Jacob Ruppert and Colonel Tillinghast L. Huston buy the Yankees from Frank Farrell and Bill Devery for $460,000. After being dissuaded by the press, the brewery owner refrains from naming the team the Knickerbockers to promote his beer business.

1949 Although Milwaukee doesn’t have a major league franchise, the site’s selection for the city’s new County Stadium is the Story Stone Quarry, chosen over the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds because of its proximity to downtown. Construction will begin in October of next year to attract a big league team, which will happen in 1953 when the Braves leave Boston to play in Brew Town.

1960 The Phillies send fan-favorite Richie Ashburn, the National League’s top hitter in 1958, to the Cubs in exchange for infielders Alvin Dark and Jim Woods along with right-hander John Buzhardt. ‘Whitey,’ a future Hall of Famer, will play center field and hit .291 batting leadoff for Chicago this season.

1968 Ewing Kauffman becomes the owner of the new American League franchise in Kansas City, eventually known as the Royals. The pharmaceutical magnate, encouraged by his wife Muriel, becomes an instrumental force in bringing a quality major league baseball experience to the Heart of America after Charlie Finley’s stormy departure to Oakland with the unpopular A’s team.

1971 Twenty-seven-year-old Tiger pitcher John Hiller drives himself to the hospital after suffering a heart attack while relaxing at home. After missing the entire season this year, the Canadian native will make a remarkable comeback with the team in 1973, establishing a new American League record with 38 saves en route to becoming Detroit’s all-time leader in saves with 125, before retiring at the end of the 1980 season.

1973 The designated hitter rule will be used on a trial basis for three years in the American League when their owners vote 8-4 in favor of its implementation. The concept permitting a team to select a player to bat in place of the pitcher will be put in place in some measure by most collegiate and professional circuits, with the National League and Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball’s Central League being the notable exceptions.

1973 At the owners’ meeting in Chicago, Bowie Kuhn, in addition to introducing the designated hitter and pinch-runner concepts, shares with the press his idea of interleague play as a means for the American League to bridge the gap with its more popular NL rivals. The commissioner’s limited plan, if accepted, would only affect cities with multiple teams within one geographic area.

1973 After the American League approves the new rule with a vote of 8-4, and the National League vetoes the idea, all 24 owners support the Junior Circuit’s three-year experiment to use a designated hitter. Although the DH was his idea, A’s owner Charlie Finley votes against the concept because of the lack of enthusiasm for his other brainchild of implementing a designated runner.

1977 The Dodgers swap first baseman/outfielder Bill Buckner and shortstop Ivan DeJesus to the Cubs for Rick Monday in a trade that benefits both teams. In subsequent transactions with the Phillies and Red Sox, respectively, after their many productive seasons in Chicago, the team deals the players for Ryne Sandberg (1982) and Dennis Eckersley (1984), each future Hall of Famers.

1983 Taking over for Clyde King, Billy Martin will make his third appearance as the Yankees manager. The third time will prove not to be a charm when the fiery skipper is moved to the front office, being replaced in the dugout by Yogi Berra before the 1985 season.

2000 The BBWAA elects former Red Sox and White Sox catcher Carlton Fisk and the ‘Big Red Machine’s first baseman Tony Perez to the Hall of Fame. ‘Pudge’ is selected in his second year of eligibility, and the Reds infielder from Ciego De Avila, Cuba makes it on his ninth try.

2001 David Cone agrees to a one-year contract with the Red Sox. The former Cy Young Award winner could make between $4 million and $5 million with Boston, compared to the $500,000 guaranteed offer made by the Yankees, if he makes the roster and pitches regularly during the season.

2002 The Orioles, after a one-year experiment, plan to return Camden Yards to its original dimensions. The team, which hit only 58 homers at home, 44 less than in the previous season, said the fences are returning to their initial distances because the new configuration “adversely affected the viewing angle of the batter’s eye.”

2005 The Diamondbacks trade recently acquired catcher Dioner Navarro and hurlers William Juarez, Danny Muegge, and Beltran Perez to the Dodgers for 32-year-old outfielder Shawn Green (.266, 28, 86). To rebound from last season’s 51-111 record, Arizona has also signed free-agent third baseman Troy Glaus and starting pitcher Russ Ortiz during the offseason.

2006 🇯🇵 The Devil Rays sign their first Japanese player when 31-year-old right-handed relief pitcher Shinji Mori agrees to a $1.4 million, two-year contract to play in Tampa Bay. The former Seibu Lion reliever was 44-44 with 50 saves and a 3.39 ERA, playing in 431 games during his tenure in Japan’s Pacific League.

2008 Jacobs Field, the home of the Indians since 1994, will now be called Progressive Field. The Tribe signs a 16-year naming rights agreement with the Cleveland-based insurance company calling for an average annual payment of $3.6 million until 2023.

2008 The Reds hire Walt Jocketty as a special adviser to the chief executive Bob Castellini. The former Cardinals GM, who spent 13 seasons in the St. Louis front office, left after the Redbirds slumped to a third-place finish (78-84), one year removed from winning a World Championship.

2010 Mark McGwire, who broke Roger Maris’ single-season home run record in 1998, apologizes for his decade-long on-and-off use of performance-enhancing substances that started before the 1990 season. The former St. Louis and Oakland slugger had been in a self-imposed exile since repeatedly telling a congressional committee in 2005, “I’m not here to talk about the past,” a remark which seriously hurt his popularity and irrevocably damaged his reputation.

2010 Former pitching great Greg Maddux, who started his major league career with the Cubs in 1986, returns to the team as an assistant to general manager Jim Hendry. A sure first-ballot Hall of Famer, the 355-game winner’s duties will include assisting the major league and minor league coaching staffs at spring training, evaluating talent, and developing minor league players.

2010 Ryne Sandberg, with aspirations of being the Cubs manager someday, agrees to be the skipper of the team’s Triple-A Iowa farm club, replacing Bobby Dickerson, who left for a position with Baltimore. The 50-year-old Hall of Fame infielder has been managing in the Chicago farm system for the past three seasons, two with the Single-A Peoria Chiefs and one year with the Double-A Tennessee Smokies.

2010 Reds general manager Walt Jocketty announces the struggling organization has signed starting pitcher Aroldis Chapman to a $30.25 million, six-year contract. Cincinnati was the winning bidder for the services of the 21-year-old southpaw fireballer from Cuba, who defected from his country last July while playing in the World Port Tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

2013 Wearing a Cubs jersey and a backward blue baseball cap, Clark, the Cubs’ new mascot, makes his debut at Chicago’s Advocate Illinois Masonic’s Pediatric Developmental Center. Clark the Cub, named after the street located behind Wrigley Field’s home plate, is being touted as the great-grandson of the franchise’s first mascot, Joa, a live bear used as a good luck charm in 1916, nine years after the franchise officially adopted Cubs as the team’s name.

2014 Upon hearing Alex Rodriguez’s doping suspension appeal, Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz reduces baseball’s highest-paid player’s expulsion from 211 games to the 162 games scheduled in the 2014 regular season and any resulting postseason contests. The ruling, which keeps the suspension the longest in baseball history for using performance-enhancing substances, may mark the end of the 38-year-old Yankee third baseman’s career.

THE TOP MOMENTS THAT SHAPED MLB’S HISTORY

1. Jackie Robinson Breaks the Color Barrier (1947)

When looking for the one event that changed the face of Major League Baseball more than any other, look no further than Jackie Robinson.

Integration in baseball was one of the rare instances in which the game not only transcended sports, but had a huge impact on society itself.

Robinson’s debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers came in 1947, a full eight years before the recognized beginning of the Civil Rights Movement.

The class displayed by Robinson while facing horrendous racism by many in and out of the game went a long way in helping to shape public perception of blacks in America.

When Robinson debuted with the Dodgers, 26,623 fans showed up to Ebbets Field, an estimated 14,000 of which were black baseball fans.

Robinson faced some doubts about the situation on his own team at first, but manager Leo Durocher put an end to that. Teammate Pee Wee Reese also stood up for Robinson as he became accepted by his own club.

Other teams around the Major Leagues were a different story.

Some Cardinals players were rumored to be organizing a protest when Robinson’s Dodgers came to town, and members of the Phillies were outspoken about Robinson’s presence.

In fact, it was said that the Phillies were so over-the-top with their racial slurs that it actually united the Dodgers’ roster even more, as every player on the team now accepted Robinson as one of their own.

Not long after Robinson’s debut, other black players like Larry Doby, Satchel Paige, Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe broke into the majors, and racial tensions began to ease.

Robinson was a key cog in the Brooklyn Dodgers’ World Series championship team of 1955, and he went on to have a Hall of Fame career.

Robinson’s impact on the game and on American society as a whole was so profound that it is hard to quantify.

While the other events on this list all shaped the game of baseball, Jackie Robinson’s debut in the Major Leagues helped change society in America.

******SPORTS IN NUMBERS*******

16 – 81 – 13 – 37 – 10 – 7 – 68 – 5 – 84

January 11, 1959 – At the 9th NFL Pro Bowl, played at the LA Memorial Coliseum: Eastern Conference beats Western Conference, 28-21; MVPs were for the offense New York Giants Halfback, Number 16, Frank Gifford and on the otherside of the ball it was Chicago Bears, DE, Number 81, Doug Atkins.

January 11, 1963 – Wilt Chamberlain in his legendary lucky Number 13 uni scored a remarkable 67 points for the San Francisco Warriors in a 116 -124 loss to the LA Lakers.

January 11, 1966 – 16th NBA All-Star Game, Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, OH: East beats West, 137-94; MVP was Cincinnati Royals, PG, Number 10, Adrian Smith.

January 11, 1970 – Len Dawson the Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback sported his Number 16 jersey as he not only led the Chiefs to victory in Super Bowl IV over the Minnesota Vikings 27-3 but also win the game’s Most Valuable Player Award!

January 11, 1983 – Marcel Dionne also wearing Number 16 posted his 24th career hat trick as the LA Kings skated past the Washington Capitals 9-7 to break a streak of 8 straight road game losses for the Kings.

January 11, 1983 – Edmonton Oilers Number 16, Pat Hughes sets NHL record for the fastest 2 shorthanded goals by one player at just 25 seconds apart in a 7-5 win at St. Louis; first player to break a Wayne Gretzky record.

January 11, 1987 – AFC Championship, Cleveland Stadium: Denver Broncos beat Cleveland Browns 23-20 (OT). Broncos Number 7, John Elway

January 11, 1990 – New York Islander Number 16, Pat LaFontaine set a team record of scoring goals in 11 straight games

January 11, 2003 – Washington Capitals right wing Number 68, Jaromir Jagr scores his 10th career hat-trick and adds 4 assists for 7 points and his 1,200th NHL point in a 12-2 win against Florida; Jágr has 20+ goals in each of his 13 NHL seasons

January 11, 2004 – Speaking of the Capitals, veteran goaltender Olaf Kölzig wearing his Number 37 sweater records his 32nd NHL career shutout in a 1-0 win against the visiting Edmonton Oilers.

January 11, 2004 – “4th and 26”, trailing Green Bay Packers by 3 in NFC Divisional Playoff Game, Philadelphia Eagles face 4th and 26 on their final drive, Number 5, Donovan McNabb found an open Number 84, Freddie Mitchell for 29 yards to extend the drive. Eagles tie the game and go on to win in overtime

January 11, 2016 – FIFA Ballon d’Or: Barcelona forward Number 10, Lionel Messi won his record 5th award with 41.33% of the votes; American midfielder Number 10, Carli Lloyd is Women’s World Player of the Year

**********TV WEDNESDAY*********

NCAA BASKETBALL GAMES	TIME ET	TV
AMERICAN AT ARMY WEST POINT	6:00PM	ESPN+
VERMONT AT UMASS LOWELL	6:00PM	ESPN+
MISSISSIPPI STATE AT GEORGIA	6:30PM	SECN
ALABAMA AT ARKANSAS	7:00PM	ESPN2
CREIGHTON AT XAVIER	7:00PM	FS1
BOSTON COLLEGE AT MIAMI (FL)	7:00PM	ESPNU
INDIANA AT PENN STATE	7:00PM	BTN
PITT AT DUKE	7:00PM	ACCN
UCONN AT MARQUETTE	7:00PM	CBSSN
VIRGINIA TECH AT SYRACUSE	7:00PM	ACCN
LA SALLE AT UMASS	7:00PM	NESN
ST. BONAVENTURE AT RHODE ISLAND	7:00PM	–
HAMPTON AT WILLIAM & MARY	7:00PM	–
GARDNER-WEBB AT PRESBYTERIAN	7:00PM	ESPN+
HIGH POINT AT CHARLESTON SOUTHERN	7:00PM	ESPN+
RADFORD AT WINTHROP	7:00PM	ESPN+
CAMPBELL AT USC UPSTATE	7:00PM	ESPN+
RICHMOND AT DAVIDSON	7:00PM	ESPN+
BAYLOR AT WEST VIRGINIA	7:00PM	ESPN+
BINGHAMTON AT NJIT	7:00PM	ESPN+
NEW HAMPSHIRE AT MAINE	7:00PM	ESPN+
UALBANY AT BRYANT	7:00PM	ESPN+
MEMPHIS AT UCF	7:00PM	ESPN+
DUQUESNE AT SAINT JOSEPH’S	7:00PM	ESPN+
HOLY CROSS AT LEHIGH	7:00PM	ESPN+
LAFAYETTE AT NAVY	7:00PM	ESPN+
LOYOLA MARYLAND AT BUCKNELL	7:00PM	ESPN+
BOSTON UNIVERSITY AT COLGATE	7:00PM	ESPN+
ETSU AT THE CITADEL	7:00PM	ESPN+
FURMAN AT MERCER	7:00PM	ESPN+
UNCG AT VMI	7:00PM	ESPN+
WESTERN CAROLINA AT CHATTANOOGA	7:00PM	ESPN+
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AT INDIANA STATE	7:00PM	ESPN+
MONMOUTH AT HOFSTRA	7:00PM	FLOSPORTS
NORTH CAROLINA A&T AT ELON	7:00PM	FLOSPORTS
TOWSON AT DELAWARE	7:00PM	FLOSPORTS
CHARLESTON AT UNCW	7:00PM	FLOSPORTS
FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT FIU	7:30PM	ESPN+
ABILENE CHRISTIAN AT UTRGV	7:30PM	ESPN+
GEORGE MASON AT SAINT LOUIS	8:00PM	BALLY SPORTS
TULANE AT SMU	8:00PM	ESPN+
SOUTH FLORIDA AT HOUSTON	8:00PM	ESPN+
LOUISIANA TECH AT NORTH TEXAS	8:00PM	ESPN+
MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT RICE	8:00PM	ESPN+
MISSOURI STATE AT ILLINOIS STATE	8:00PM	ESPN+
EVANSVILLE AT BRADLEY	8:00PM	ESPN+
WOFFORD AT SAMFORD	8:00PM	ESPN+
CHICAGO STATE AT TARLETON	8:00PM	ESPN+
MISSOURI AT TEXAS A&M	8:30PM	SECN
TCU AT TEXAS	9:00PM	ESPN2
RUTGERS AT NORTHWESTERN	9:00PM	BTN
EAST CAROLINA AT CINCINNATI	9:00PM	ESPNU
FLORIDA STATE AT WAKE FOREST	9:00PM	ACCN
WKU AT UAB	9:00PM	CBSSN
LOUISVILLE AT CLEMSON	9:00PM	ACCN
UTSA AT UTEP	9:00PM	ESPN+
UC SANTA BARBARA AT CSU BAKERSFIELD	10:00PM	ESPN+
CAL POLY AT LONG BEACH STATE	10:00PM	ESPN+
CAL STATE FULLERTON AT UC IRVINE	10:00PM	ESPN+
UC DAVIS AT CSUN	10:00PM	ESPN+
UC RIVERSIDE AT UC SAN DIEGO	10:00PM	ESPN+
UTAH VALLEY AT CALIFORNIA BAPTIST	10:00PM	ESPN+
CALIFORNIA AT WASHINGTON STATE	11:00PM	ESPNU
BOISE STATE AT UNLV	11:00PM	CBSSN
NBA REGULAR SEASON GAMES	TIME ET	TV
MINNESOTA AT DETROIT	7:00PM	BALLY SPORTS
CHICAGO AT WASHINGTON	7:00PM	NBCS-CHI NBCS-WSH
MILWAUKEE AT ATLANTA	7:30PM	ESPN BALLY SPORTS
NEW ORLEANS AT BOSTON	7:30PM	NBCS-BOS BALLY SPORTS
INDIANA AT NEW YORK	7:30PM	MSG BALLY SPORTS
SAN ANTONIO AT MEMPHIS	8:00PM	BALLY SPORTS
PHOENIX AT DENVER	10:00PM	ESPN BALLY SPORTS ALT
HOUSTON AT SACRAMENTO	10:00PM	ATTSN-SW NBCS-CA
NHL REGULAR SEASON GAMES	TIME ET	TV
WASHINGTON AT PHILADELPHIA	7:00PM	NBCS-WSH NBCS-PHI
NASHVILLE AT TORONTO	7:30PM	TNT
EDMONTON AT ANAHEIM	10:00PM	SPORTSNET BALLY SPORTS
SAN JOSE AT LOS ANGELES	10:00PM	TNT
SOCCER MATCHES	TIME ET	TV
LIGUE 1: BREST VS LILLE	1:00PM	BEIN SPORTS
LIGUE 1: NANTES VS OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS	1:00PM	BEIN SPORTS
SUPERCOPA DE ESPAÑA: REAL MADRID VS VALENCIA	2:00PM	ESPN2
ENGLAND LEAGUE CUP: NOTTINGHAM FOREST VS WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS	2:45PM	ESPN+
COPPA ITALIA: MILAN VS TORINO	3:00PM	CBSSN
ENGLAND LEAGUE CUP: SOUTHAMPTON VS MANCHESTER CITY	3:00PM	ESPN+
LIGUE 1: PSG VS ANGERS SCO	3:00PM	BEIN SPORTS
LIGUE 1: LORIENT VS MONACO	3:00PM	BEIN SPORTS