“THE SCOREBOARD”
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL
| NEW ALBANY | 53 | SEYMOUR | 46 |
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING
BOYS DUAL RESULTS: https://indianamat.com/index.php?/dualresults.html/
GIRLS DUAL RESULTS: https://indianamat.com/index.php?/dualresults.html/211_girls-dual-results/
BOYS TOURNAMENT RESULTS: https://indianamat.com/index.php?/curtournamentresults.html/boys-tournament-results/
GIRLS TOURNAMENT RESULTS: https://indianamat.com/index.php?/curtournamentresults.html/212_tournament-results-for-girls-events/
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TOP 25 SCORES
WEST VIRGINIA 62 #7 KANSAS 61
#10 KENTUCKY 88 BROWN 54
#25 BAYLOR 81 UTAH 56
#1 TENNESSEE 67 NORFOLK 52
#4 DUKE 88 VIRGINIA 65
#8 MARQUETTE 78 PROVIDENCE 50
ELSEWHERE:
BALL STATE 89 ANDERSON 76
GEORGIA TECH 86 NOTRE DAME 75
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES
TOP 25 SCORES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
NFL
THE FINAL WEEK 18 SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES ET):
SATURDAY, JAN. 4, 2025
CLEVELAND BROWNS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS, 4:30P — ESPN/ABC
CINCINNATI BENGALS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS, 8:00P — ESPN/ABC
SUNDAY, JAN. 5, 2025
CAROLINA PANTHERS AT ATLANTA FALCONS, 1:00P — CBS
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS AT DALLAS COWBOYS, 1:00P — FOX
CHICAGO BEARS AT GREEN BAY PACKERS, 1:00P — FOX
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS, 1:00P — FOX
BUFFALO BILLS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, 1:00P — CBS
NEW YORK GIANTS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, 1:00P — CBS
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, 1:00P — FOX
HOUSTON TEXANS AT TENNESSEE TITANS, 1:00P — CBS
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT ARIZONA CARDINALS, 4:25P — FOX
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT DENVER BRONCOS, 4:25P — CBS
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS, 4:25P — CBS
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS, 4:25P — FOX
MIAMI DOLPHINS AT NEW YORK JETS, 4:25P — FOX
MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT DETROIT LIONS, 8:20P — NBC
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
TUESDAY, DEC. 31
MICHIGAN 19 #11 ALABAMA 13
#20 ILLINOIS 21 #15 SOUTH CAROLINA 15
#4 PENN STATE 31 #9 BOISE STATE 14
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 1
NO. 3 TEXAS VS. NO. 12 ARIZONA STATE (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF QUARTERFINALS — PEACH BOWL) | 1 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 1 OREGON VS. OHIO STATE (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF QUARTERFINALS — ROSE BOWL) | 5 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 2 GEORGIA VS. NO. 5 NOTRE DAME (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF QUARTERFINALS — SUGAR BOWL) | 8:45 P.M. | ESPN
THURSDAY, JAN. 2
NO. 14 OLE MISS VS. DUKE (GATOR BOWL) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN
FRIDAY, JAN. 3
NORTH TEXAS VS. TEXAS STATE (FIRST RESPONDER BOWL) | 4 P.M. | ESPN
MINNESOTA VS. VIRGINIA TECH (DUKE’S MAYO BOWL) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN
SATURDAY, JAN. 4
LIBERTY VS. BUFFALO (BAHAMAS BOWL) | 11 A.M. | ESPN2
SUNDAY, JAN. 5
NORTH CENTRAL (IL) VS. MOUNT UNION (STAGG BOWL FOR THE DIII CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN HOUSTON) | TBA | ESPN
MONDAY, JAN. 6
MONTANA STATE VS. NORTH DAKOTA STATE (FCS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN FRISCO, TEXAS) | 7 P.M. | ESPN
THURSDAY, JAN. 9
TBD VS. TBD (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL GAME — ORANGE BOWL) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN
FRIDAY, JAN. 10
TBD VS. TBD (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL GAME — COTTON BOWL) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN
MONDAY, JAN. 20
TBD VS. TBD (COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME — IN ATLANTA) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN
NBA SCORES
MILWAUKEE 120 INDIANA 112
BOSTON 125 TORONTO 71
SAN ANTONIO 122 LA CLIPPERS 86
OKLAHOMA CITY 113 MINNESOTA 105
MEMPHIS 117 PHOENIX 112
CLEVELAND 122 LA LAKERS 110
NHL SCORES
WASHINGTON 3 BOSTON 1
TORONTO 3 NY ISLANDERS 1
MONTREAL 3 VEGAS 2
ST. LOUIS 6 CHICAGO 2
PHILADELPHIA 4 SAN JOSE 0
COLORADO 5 WINNIPEG 2
COLUMBUS 4 CAROLINA 3
ANAHEIM 3 NEW JERSEY 2
DALLAS 4 BUFFALO 2
DETROIT 4 PITTSBURGH 2
MINNESOTA 5 NASHVILLE 3
EDMONTON 4 UTAH 1
CALGARY 3 VANCOUVER 1
TOP NATIONAL RELEASES/HEADLINES
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
NO. 6 PENN STATE SILENCES ASHTON JEANTY, NO. 3 BOISE STATE IN FIESTA BOWL
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Tyler Warren caught two touchdowns and No. 6 seed Penn State limited Ashton Jeanty to a season-low 104 yards on 30 carries in a 31-14 win over No. 3 seed Boise State on Tuesday in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game at the Fiesta Bowl.
Jeanty finished the season with 2,601 yards, falling just short of breaking Barry Sanders’ FBS-record 2,628 yards set in 1988 with Oklahoma State. Jeanty fumbled twice on Tuesday, losing one of them.
Penn State (13-2) advances to the semifinal round in the Orange Bowl at Miami Gardens, Fla., on Jan. 9. The Nittany Lions will play either No. 2 seed Georgia or No. 7 seed Notre Dame, who face off in the Sugar Bowl on Wednesday.
Drew Allar completed 13 of 25 passes for 171 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for Penn State. Kaytron Allen rushed for 134 yards on 17 carries, and Nicholas Singleton busted free for a 58-yard touchdown run to seal the Nittany Lions’ win with 4:54 left.
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, did not play in the second half after sustaining an undisclosed injury early in the second quarter.
Boise State scored on its first possession of the second half after trailing 17-7 at halftime.
Maddux Madsen completed all three of his passes, including a 53-yard scoring connection with Matt Lauter with 11:38 left in the third quarter.
Madsen finished 23 of 35 for 304 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions for the Broncos (12-2).
The Nittany Lions then went 75 yards in 11 plays, with Allar completing a 13-yard touchdown pass to Warren for a 24-14 lead with 7:22 left in the third quarter.
Boise State squandered a chance to pull within a possession when Jonah Dalmas missed a 38-yard field-goal attempt wide right with 9:20 to play in the game. Dalmas also missed from 45 yards on the game’s first possession.
Madsen was intercepted on each of the Broncos’ final two drives following Singleton’s dagger run.
Penn State scored on its first two possessions to spring ahead 14-0. Allar found Warren from 11 yards out for the game’s first score before connecting with Omari Evans for 38 yards with 3:35 left in the first quarter.
Tyler Crowe’s 8-yard touchdown run cut the lead to 14-7 with 8:41 left in the second quarter, but Ryan Barker drilled a 40-yard field goal for the Nittany Lions on the half’s final snap.
BOWL ROUNDUP: MICHIGAN UPSETS NO. 11 ALABAMA
Dominic Zvada kicked four goals and Davis Warren threw a touchdown pass before leaving with a knee injury as Michigan notched a 19-13 victory over No. 11 Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Tuesday in Tampa.
The Wolverines (8-5) took advantage of three Crimson Tide first-quarter turnovers to build a 16-point lead en route to winning their third straight contest.
Jalen Milroe completed 16 of 32 passes for 192 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Alabama (9-4). But Milroe had just 7 yards on 16 rushes and he was mistake-prone in the first quarter with an interception and two lost fumbles.
The Crimson Tide rushed for just 68 yards, well below their season average (182.7).
Citrus Bowl: No. 20 Illinois 21, No. 15 South Carolina 17
Josh McCray rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 7:29 left, to lead the Fighting Illini to a victory over the Gamecocks in Orlando.
Luke Altmyer completed 13 of 22 passes for 174 yards with one score and one interception, while Gabe Jacas racked up three tackles for loss as Illinois (10-3) earned its first 10-win season since 2001. It also marked the Illini’s first win over an SEC team.
Redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers hit on 24 of 34 passes for 260 yards and one touchdown for South Carolina (9-4), which had its six-game winning streak snapped. Oscar Adaway rushed for 69 yards and one touchdown and caught seven passes for 37 yards.
Texas Bowl: LSU 44, Baylor 31
Garrett Nussmeier passed for 304 yards and three touchdowns as the Tigers defeated the Bears in Houston.
Nussmeier threw two touchdown passes to Trey’Dez Green, and Chris Hilton Jr. caught the other scoring pass and finished with 113 receiving yards for the Tigers (9-4). LSU’s Zavion Thomas had a 95-yard kickoff return for touchdown.
Sawyer Robertson passed for 445 yards and two touchdowns and Josh Cameron had eight catches for 111 yards and a score to lead Baylor (8-5), which hadn’t lost since Oct. 5. The Bears squandered scoring opportunities by failing on 5 of 6 fourth-down conversion attempts.
Sun Bowl: Louisville 35, Washington 34
Harrison Bailey threw for three touchdowns and the Cardinals held off the Huskies in El Paso, Texas.
Bailey was more efficient than spectacular, completing 16 of 25 passes for 164 yards, but also directed a turnover-free offense that boasted good balance. Louisville (9-4) rushed for 207 yards, getting 99 yards from freshman Isaac Brown and 83 from another freshman, Duke Watson.
Washington (6-7) got a big game from quarterback Demond Williams Jr., who shrugged off an early pick-six to hit 26 of 32 attempts for 374 yards and four scores. Giles Jackson shredded the Louisville secondary for 11 catches, 161 yards and all four touchdowns.
ROSE BOWL TRADITIONS MAY CHANGE, BUT OREGON’S MATCHUP WITH OHIO STATE HAS THE MAKINGS OF A CLASSIC
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Not even the Granddaddy of Them All can remain unchanged by the 12-team College Football Playoff.
No. 1 Oregon and No. 6 Ohio State arrived in Southern California only three days before their showdown Wednesday in the 111th edition of the Rose Bowl Game — and both teams firmly declare they’re on a business trip, since this beloved postseason event is now a CFP quarterfinal hopefully leading to two more games.
The Ducks (13-0, CFP No. 1 seed) and the Buckeyes (11-2, CFP No. 8 seed) had no time to make the Rose Bowl teams’ traditional trip to Disneyland, which means there are no photos of stern-faced football coaches shaking hands with Mickey Mouse. There’s also no Beef Bowl, the annual trip to a famed Beverly Hills restaurant where thousands of pounds of prime rib have been shoveled into the bottomless stomachs of hungry linemen since 1956.
The pregame pageantry may be curtailed, but a few things about the oldest bowl game simply can’t change: New Year’s Day still dawns with the venerable Rose Parade, followed by football played through a famous sunset.
“When you’re at the Rose Bowl, you’re on sensory overload,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Tuesday. “The grass is greener. The sky is bluer. The sun is more yellow. It’s just a beautiful setting. But once the foot hits the ball, it’s time to go play. Anybody who knows playoff football, the intensity just gets ratcheted up. The electricity in that stadium will be special.”
In a fortunate coincidence for Pasadena traditionalists, the game that matched the champions of the Big Ten and the Pac-12 for decades lucked into an optimal geographic matchup once again.
And in this rematch of one of the best games of 2024, Oregon and Ohio State hope to start 2025 by creating a classic in the CFP’s most anticipated quarterfinal matchup.
Many observers think the Ducks and the Buckeyes are the two best teams in the nation, and any frustration from the unbeaten Ducks about drawing such a difficult matchup so early in their quest for their first national title is overridden by excitement.
“It’s certainly a different landscape this year because of how bowl games are set up, but the Rose Bowl has been first-class in every way,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “Growing up as a kid, you (hope to) be part of games like this. This is one we’re really thrilled to compete in.”
Second chance
Before the 12-team playoff, teams rarely got a chance to correct a mistake or avenge a heartbreaking loss later in a season. This postseason format increases the chance for rematches, and that’s exactly what the Buckeyes got.
One Ohio State player in particular still thinks about that 32-31 loss in Eugene. Quarterback Will Howard drove the Buckeyes downfield in the final 1:47 and scrambled into field-goal range, but he didn’t slide down before the clock ran out.
“It’s like, how much do you focus on that, but not let it affect you?” Howard said. “I mean, I still have nightmares about that play. I still run it over in my head. What could I have done better? Now I get a chance to go out there and right the wrong from that game. You don’t get second chances a lot in life. I’m thankful that we even get a chance to go out there and play these guys again. We’ll keep it in the back of our heads. It’s a new game. We’re both very different teams than we were back then, you know. But that hasn’t left my head.”
Oregon went on to win the Big Ten championship in its debut season, while Ohio State didn’t even make the league title game after getting upset by Michigan. That means the Buckeyes had three weeks off before their opening-round CFP rout of Tennessee, while the Ducks have had the past 3 1/2 weeks off with their first-round bye.
Big production
Although both teams boast formidable defenses, nobody would be surprised by an offensive shootout led by experienced quarterbacks Howard and Dillon Gabriel. Ohio State is averaging 36.0 points per game, while Oregon is putting up 35.9.
The Ducks’ offense relies on an improved offensive line to clear paths for leading rusher Jordan James and to provide time for Gabriel to find top receiver Tez Johnson amid the Buckeyes’ inconsistent secondary. Oregon’s line improved sharply in September when it moved Iapani Laloulu to center.
“He’s really the glue up front,” Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein said. “Poncho (Laloulu’s middle name) up front at center, I think, has really solidified us and brought back that physicality at center that Jackson (Powers-Johnson) had last year for us. These guys are ready. They’re prepared.”
Big shoes to fill
Buckeyes freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith is already among the nation’s top playmakers, and he will face Oregon’s formidable defense in his first bowl game. He’ll also do it in the stadium where Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba set Rose Bowl records three years ago with 15 catches for 347 yards — the most in any bowl game in FBS history — and three touchdowns.
Familiar foes
Oregon and Ohio State are meeting for the third time in the Rose Bowl, where Terrelle Pryor quarterbacked the Buckeyes to victory in 2010. Ohio State also beat Oregon in the first CFP championship game in 2014, but the Ducks have since beaten the Buckeyes in 2021 and again this season.
Advancement
The winner moves on to face Peach Bowl participants Texas or Arizona State in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF GAME NOTES: OHIO STATE VS. OREGON
OHIO STATE NOTES:
FIRST AND TEN Ohio State (11-2 overall, 7-2 in the Big Ten and the No. 8 Seed in the College Football Playoffs) and Oregon (13-0, 9-0, Big Ten champions and the No. 1 Seed) meet in the CFP quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl Jan. 1 at 2:10 p.m. PST/5:10 EST. The winner advances to the CFP semifinals at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Friday, Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m. EST against the winner of the Jan. 1 quarterfinal at the Chick fil-A Peach Bowl between No. 5 Seed Texas (12-2) and No. 4 Arizona State (11-2). Ohio State built a 21-0 first quarter lead and defeated Tennessee, 42-17, in a CFP first-round game Dec. 21 at Ohio Stadium. Oregon defeated Penn State, 45-37, in the Big Ten championship game Dec. 7 at Lucas Oil Stadium. This is Game 2 between the teams. Ohio State and Oregon met in an Autzen Stadium thriller Oct. 12 … a 32-31 Ducks victory between Top-3 ranked teams that featured eight lead changes. Each team has a Top 10 defense, as each did Oct. 12 when 43 points were scored in the first half alone and the teams combined for 963 offensive yards (Oregon 496; Ohio State 467). This is Ohio State’s fifth game vs. a Top 10 team this season and fourth vs. a Top 5 team.
SIXTH CFP FOR OHIO STATE Ohio State is playing in the College Football Playoffs for a sixth time since the start of the CFP era in 2014 and is the only school to appear in four of the last six CFPs. Ohio State is No. 3 all-time in CFP appearances, trailing only Alabama (eight appearances) and Clemson (seven). Georgia and Oklahoma round out the Top 5 with four appearances apiece. Ohio State won the inaugural College Football Playoffs in 2014 and is 4-4 all-time in CFP games.
ROSE BOWL OPPONENTS Ohio State has played against eight different Rose Bowl opponents: the team is 1-1 vs. Cal; 3-4 vs. USC; 2-0 vs. Oregon; 0-1 vs. Stanford; 0-1 vs. UCLA; 1-0 vs. Arizona State; 1-0 vs. Washington and 1-0 vs. Utah. THE SERIES: OHIO STATE vs. OREGON Ohio State leads the series, 9-2, with wins in the first nine games, but Oregon has won the last two games between the two teams: 35-28 in 2021 at Ohio Stadium, and 32-31 on Oct. 12 this year in a thriller at Autzen Stadium. The first meeting in the series came in the 1958 Rose Bowl, a 10-7 Ohio State win that capped Woody Hayes’ first national championship. Ohio State’s last victory over Oregon came in the 2015 CFP national championship game in Dallas, 42-20, behind 246 yards rushing by Ezekiel Elliott. The win secured for Ohio State its eighth national championship.
32-30 ALL-TIME IN POST-SEASON PLAY Ohio State’s all-time record in post-season games is 32-30, including a 5-4 record for head coach Ryan Day. The Buckeyes are: 5-1 in Big Ten championship games; 25-26 in bowl games; 0-2 in BCS championship games not played at a bowl game; 1-0 in CFP first-round games; and 1-1 in CFP championship games.
G1: #3 OREGON 32, #2 OHIO STATE 31 Oregon matched every Ohio State score with one of its own in an eight-lead change Duck victory Oct. 12, 32-21, at Autzen. The Ducks had Ohio State opponent season highs in passing yards (341) and total offensive yards (496), and the second most rushing yards (155), and scored four of five times in the red zone. After Oregon took a 32-31 lead with 1:47 left to play, QB Will Howard drove the Buckeyes 49 yards to the Oregon 26 without the benefit of a timeout to call. The game ended on a Howard slide after a 12-yard gain trying to get into better field goal range. Ohio State had allowed just 34 total points coming into the game. Ohio State did not have a sack against the Ducks, something that also reared itself in its only other defeat this season.
BUCKS vs. THE DUCKS Will Howard was terrific against the Ducks, completing a career-high 28 passes (35 attempts) for 326 yards and two touchdowns plus a rushing touchdown. WRs Emeka Egbuka had a career-high 10 receptions, and a 15-yard TD and Jeremiah Smith had 100 receiving yards and a 6-yard TD reception. LB Cody Simon had 10 tackles and a fourth down pass break-up in the end zone. LB Sonny Styles had a career high nine tackles. Caleb Downs had his initial Ohio State high of eight tackles, and he had a TFL for the third consecutive game. JT Tuimoloau had a TFL for the fourth consecutive game.
OHIO STATE IN 2024 – DEFENSE Ohio State’s 11-2 record includes three wins over teams that qualified for the CFP: 20-13 at then-No. 3 Penn State, 38-15 over then No. 5 Indiana in Columbus and 42-17 Dec. 21 over No. 7 Tennessee at Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes have been led by one of the nation’s top defenses as Jim Knowles’ unit ranks No. 1 in total defense (242.2 yards allowed per game), No. 1 in scoring defense (11.4 points allowed per game), No. 1 in passing defense (141.2 yards allowed per game) and No. 8 in rushing defense (101.1 yards allowed per game). Over the second half of the season (seven games since the Oregon game), Ohio State has allowed just seven total touchdowns with none of them coming via the pass. The 16 TDs allowed: fewest in the nation. The unit is also No. 1 in red zone scoring and TD pct. at 59.3 (19-32) and 37.5 (12-32). LBs Cody Simon (86) and Sonny Styles (81) lead the Buckeyes in tackles with SAFs Caleb Downs (69) and Lathan Ransom (62) right behind. DE JT Tuimoloau leads in sacks (8-58) and TFLs (14-78) with Simon (8.5 TFLs), Ransom (7-14), Styles and Downs (6.5 apiece), and Jack Sawyer (6-40) and Tyleik Williams (6- 17) providing support. Sawyer’s TFLs are all sacks to rank second to JT with Simon (5-44) and Styles (4-29) right there, as well.
OHIO STATE IN 2024 – OFFENSE On offense, quarterback Will Howard is tied with Dillan Gabriel for second nationally in completion percentage (73.2 pct.) with Howard tied for fifth with 29 touchdown passes. His top targets have been Emeka Egbuka (65 receptions, 824 yards, nine TDs), Jeremiah Smith (63 receptions, 1,037 yards, 12 TDs) and Carnell Tate (42 receptions, 601 yards, four TDs). On the ground, running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins have combined for 1,670 yards and 18 touchdowns. TreVeyon Henderson (23-189) and Quinshon Judkins (17-118) are dangerous as receivers, as well. The tight ends, led by Gee Scott Jr. (20-189- 2), have combined for 33 catches for 363 yards and four touchdowns. The offensive line has had two senior starters, each with more than 30 starts, lost for the season with injuries – LT Josh Simmons in the Oregon game and All-American center Seth McLaughlin the week of the Indiana game – and has had five different line-up changes and eight different starters. The o-line is 10th nationally in fewest sacks allowed (12.0) and 14th in fewest TFLs (48). MORE ON OHIO STATE’S GROUND GAME TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins rank in the Top 10 of active Power 4 running backs with 3,576 and 3,564 career rushing yards, respectively. The players are also among the Top 5 active scorers in the nation with 45 touchdowns scored apiece. Judkins has 41 rushing and four receiving TDs and Henderson has 40 and 5, respectively. Henderson’s 45 TDs tie him with Eddie George for third-most at Ohio State behind Pete Johnson (58) and Keith Byars (50). Henderson was tied for fifth at 43 TDs with JT Barrett and JK Dobbins before the Tennessee game but then passed Ezekiel Elliott (44) with his two scores.
OREGON NOTES:
THE GRANDDADDY OF THEM ALL After earning a first-round bye to open the College Football Playoff, No. 1 seed Oregon will square off with No. 8 seed Ohio State in the quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential. The Ducks bring a perfect 13-0 record into “The Granddaddy of Them All,” and will look to advance to the CFP semifinals for the second time in program history. Oregon is making its first CFP appearance since reaching the inaugural CFP national championship game in 2014-15. The New Year’s Day showdown will also mark UO’s ninth all-time appearance in the Rose Bowl, and fifth since 2010. The Ducks have won their last three Rose Bowl appearances, including a 59-20 win over Florida State in the CFP semifinals on Jan. 1, 2015, and a 28-7 win over Wisconsin on Jan. 1, 2020. HEAVYWEIGHT REMATCH Oregon and Ohio State will face each other for the second time this season, in a rematch of arguably the best game of the 2024 regular season. The Ducks outlasted the Buckeyes, 32-31, in an instant classic on Oct. 12, in front of an Autzen Stadium record crowd of 60,129 fans. It was the first top-five showdown in stadium history, and the win over No. 2 Ohio State matched the highest-ranked win in program history. Oregon beat Ohio State for the second time ever and second time in a row, after claiming its first win over the Buckeyes in 2021 in Columbus. UO and OSU will face each other in the Rose Bowl for the third time, with the Buckeyes coming away victorious on Jan. 1, 2010, and Jan. 1, 1958. 13-0 AND BIG TEN CHAMPS After completing an undefeated, 12-0 regular season for the second time in program history, Oregon reached 13-0 for the first time with its 45-37 win over Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 7. The Ducks ran the table and won the Big Ten title in their inaugural year in the league, winning a conference championship game for the fifth time in program history and first since 2020. Oregon enters the College Football Playoff as the only undefeated FBS team, and its 14 consecutive wins since last season is the longest active streak in the nation.
INSIDE THE SERIES All-Time: Ohio State leads, 9-2 In Eugene: Tied, 1-1 In Autzen: Tied, 1-1 In Columbus: Ohio State leads, 5-1 Neutral Site: Ohio State leads, 3-0 Current Streak: Oregon won 2 Most points scored by Oregon: 35 (9/11/21) Most points scored by Ohio State: 42 (1/12/15) Largest margin of victory by Oregon: 7 (9/11/21) Largest margin of victory by Ohio State: 30 (10/7/67) Longest winning streak by Oregon: 2 (2021-pres.) Longest winning streak by Ohio State: 9 (1958-2015)
QUICK HITS: QB DILLON GABRIEL BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP GAME VS. PENN STATE » Completed 22-of-32 passes for 283 yards and a season-high four touchdowns. » Fourth game as a Duck with three-plus TD passes, and 26th of his career; 13th career game with four-plus. LAST TIME VS. OHIO STATE (OCT. 12) » Completed 23-of-34 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a key 27-yard TD in the fourth quarter. 2024 SEASON » Heisman Trophy finalist (3rd place) and the 2024 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year (Coaches & AP). » No. 2 in the nation with a 73.2 completion percentage; one of only six QBs above 70.0 percent. » No. 7 nationally in passer rating (166.57) and completions (297), No. 8 in total touchdowns (35), No. 10 in passing yards per game (273.7) and passing touchdowns (28), and No. 13 in total yards per game (288.5). » Has posted four of the top 11 completion-percentage performances in UO single-game history, including an 85.7 percentage (18-of-21) in Week 2 vs. Boise State that is No. 2 in program single-game history. » Multiple touchdown passes in 11 games and two 300-yard performances (380 vs. Idaho, 341 vs. Ohio State). » Career-high 41 completions in opener vs. Idaho, tied for the most ever in a game by a Duck and tied for the most by any FBS quarterback in a game this season (Spencer Petras, Utah State). CAREER » NCAA all-time leader with 187 career total touchdowns, passing Case Keenum (178) on Nov. 9 vs. Maryland. » Currently No. 2 in NCAA history in total yards (19,675), passing touchdowns (153) and passing yards (18,423). » Up to No. 7 all-time in completions (1,347), passing former Oregon QB BO NIX (1,286) earlier this season. » 62 career starts are the most in FBS history by a quarterback, passing Nix (61) in the Big Ten Championship Game.
A WIN WOULD… » Send Oregon to the CFP Semifinals at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas on Friday, Jan. 10. » Make the Ducks 2-1 all-time in the College Football Playoff, with their first CFP win since the 2014-15 semifinals. » Be the program’s fifth all-time win at the Rose Bowl Game, and fourth consecutive. » Make Oregon 18-20 all-time in bowl games, and 5-4 in the Rose Bowl. » Set a new program record for wins in a season with 14, and make Oregon 14-0 for the first time ever. » Be Oregon’s third straight win over Ohio State, all coming since 2021, and second this season. » Make Oregon the first team to beat Ohio State twice in the same season since 1894 (Wittenberg). » Be Oregon’s 15th consecutive win dating back to last season, the longest active streak in the nation. CFP HISTORY Oregon is in the College Football Playoff field for the second time in program history, and first since making the inaugural CFP national championship game in 2014-15. The Ducks are now the No. 1 seed in the first year of the expanded 12-team CFP field, looking to advance to the semifinals for the second time in program history. Oregon and Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota dominated Florida State, 59-20, in the semifinals at the Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 1, 2015, to reach the first national championship game of the four-team CFP era, where the Ducks went on to face Ohio State. UO’s upcoming Rose Bowl appearance vs. the Buckeyes will be its first CFP game since falling to Ohio State in that national championship game. ROSE BOWL HISTORY The Ducks will make their ninth all-time appearance in the Rose Bowl Game, and fifth since 2010, bringing a 4-4 record in “The Granddaddy of Them All” into New Year’s Day. Oregon has won each of its last three trips to the Rose Bowl Game, with wins over Wisconsin in 2011-12 and 2019-20 sandwiched around that dominant CFP semifinal victory over Florida State in 2014-15. UO’s first-ever Rose Bowl victory came over Pennsylvania in 1916-17, followed by four losses before its 45-38 win over the Badgers on Jan. 2, 2012. Oregon and Ohio State have faced off twice before in the Rose Bowl, with the Buckeyes winning both. LAST TIME VS. OHIO STATE: TITANIC TOP-FIVE TILT GOES TO OREGON The Ducks’ win over No. 2 Ohio State on Oct. 12 will go down as arguably the most significant regular-season win in program history. The Ducks secured their highest-ranked victory ever in Autzen Stadium, beating a top-five opponent in Autzen for the fourth time and first since Oct. 31, 2009. The win matched the highest-ranked victory in program history, joining the 2015 Rose Bowl over Florida State as the only times Oregon has defeated a team ranked No. 2 or better, and was the program’s ninth all-time win against a topfive opponent. The Ducks pulled out the victory in front of the largest crowd in Autzen Stadium (60,129), as a day that dawned with thousands of fans crowding on campus for ESPN’s “College GameDay” ended with thousands more rushing the field.
The final seven scoring plays of the night all resulted in lead changes, including a 27-yard rushing touchdown by QB DILLON GABRIEL early in the fourth quarter that put UO up, 29-28. Ohio State retook the lead with a field goal with six minutes remaining, before Gabriel once again took Oregon down the field to set up a go-ahead field goal by ATTICUS SAPPINGTON with 1:47 to play. A critical sack by MATAYO UIAGALELEI helped keep Ohio State out of field goal range on its final drive, and the Autzen Crowd poured onto the field in celebration as OSU QB Will Howard slid just after time expired. Gabriel thrived in his biggest game to date as a Duck, completing 23-of-34 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 32 yards and a score. EVAN STEWART caught seven passes for a career-high 149 yards and a touchdown, TEZ JOHNSON also pulled in a touchdown and JORDAN JAMES rushed for 115 yards and a TD on 23 carries. Uiagalelei finished with two TFLs and the only sack of the game, and DERRICK HARMON came away with a huge forced fumble and recovery early in the game.
HISTORY VS. OHIO STATE The Rose Bowl will mark the 12th all-time meeting between Oregon and Ohio State. The Buckeyes own a 9-2 advantage in the series, but the Ducks have won each of the last two matchups after pulling out an epic 32-31 victory earlier this season. Oregon claimed its first-ever win over Ohio State on Sept. 11, 2021, leaving Columbus with a 35-28 win before 100,482 fans in Ohio Stadium. The Ducks’ win over the No. 3 Buckeyes was their first road win over a top-five team since 2011. It was the first matchup between the two programs since Ohio State won the 2014-15 CFP National Championship Game, 42-20. BIG TEN CHAMPIONS! The Ducks secured the No. 1 overall seed and a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff by winning the Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 7, defeating Penn State 45-37 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Oregon was crowned champions of the Big Ten in its first year in the conference, leading wire-to-wire against the Nittany Lions despite navigating through several tense moments throughout the game. DILLON GABRIEL was 22-of-32 passing for 283 yards and a season-high four touchdowns, and TEZ JOHNSON caught 11 passes for 181 yards and a score en route to MVP honors. KENYON SADIQ scored the first two touchdowns of the game, and JORDAN JAMES also scored twice, including a fourth-quarter score that gave Oregon a two-touchdown lead midway through the final period. TYSHEEM JOHNSON led the UO defense with nine tackles, and BRYCE BOETTCHER had seven tackles with one tackle for loss. DONTAE MANNING’s first-half interception set up James’ first rushing touchdown of the day, and NIKKO REED picked off a pass in the fourth quarter to all but ice the game for Oregon. ELITE RESUME Oregon had to navigate one of the nation’s toughest schedules en route to winning the Big Ten title and earning the top seed in the College Football Playoff. The Ducks are the only team with wins against three teams in the CFP field, with victories over No. 3 seed Boise State, No. 6 seed Penn State and No. 8 seed Ohio State. Oregon also has a fourth win against a team in the final CFP top 25 in No. 20 Illinois. UO is the only undefeated team in the nation and the only team to reach 13 wins so far, and its 14 straight wins since closing last season with a victory in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl is the longest active streak in the country. DUCKS AT THE TOP Oregon took over the No. 1 spot in both the Associated Press and USA Today coaches polls for the first time since 2012 going into its Oct. 26 game vs. Illinois, and the Ducks solidified that ranking with six consecutive wins to remain undefeated entering the College Football Playoff. UO’s top ranking going into the CFP is the 17th all-time in the coaches poll and 16th all-time in the AP poll, and the Ducks remain the unanimous No. 1 team in both polls. Oregon was No. 1 in every release of the College Football Playoff rankings in 2024, claiming the program’s first-ever CFP No. 1 ranking before earning the top seed on Selection Sunday. The Ducks are now 12-1 all-time as the nation’s No. 1 ranked team, with all other instances of being No. 1 coming in the 2012 and 2010 seasons.
ALL THREE PHASES Oregon has established itself as arguably the nation’s most well-rounded team this season. The Ducks are the only FBS team in the top 15 nationally for scoring offense (13th, 35.9 PPG), total offense (13th, 449.8 YPG), scoring defense (12th, 17.8 PPG) and total defense (9th, 301.8 YPG), as well as the only team in the top 15 for both passing offense (14th, 278.0 YPG) and passing defense (8th, 175.7 YPG). Oregon is also one of just four teams (Boise State, Duke, Ohio State) in the top 15 for both sacks (7th, 40) and sacks allowed (15th, 13), and one of 10 in the top 30 for both third-down offense (9th, 49.38%) and third-down defense (28th, 33.53%). UO has also been effective on special teams, ranking fifth nationally in kickoff return average (26.83) and ranking as the only Big Ten team with both a punt return and a kickoff return for a touchdown. Oregon’s overall team grade of 92.7 by Pro Football Focus ranks No. 7 in the nation.
TEXAS RETURNS TO ATLANTA LESS THAN A MONTH AFTER LOSING SEC TITLE GAME TO FACE ARIZONA STATE IN CFP
ATLANTA (AP) — The Texas Longhorns were in Atlanta less than a month ago, playing for a championship.
That one didn’t go as planned.
Now, the Longhorns get an A-T-L do-over when they face Arizona State at the Peach Bowl in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game on New Year’s Day.
Fifth-seeded Texas (12-2) insists it has gotten over the disappointment of losing an overtime thriller to Georgia on Dec. 7, a result that denied the Longhorns a title in their debut season as a member of the SEC.
“Of course we’re going to kind of feel that a little bit, but we kind of want to move on and just get ready for Arizona State,” Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. said. “They’re a good football team and we kind of don’t want to think about that (Georgia) game all over again.”
The Longhorns showed no signs of a hangover when they held off Clemson in the opening round of the expanded 12-team playoff.
If they can knock off Arizona State — Texas is a two-touchdown favorite — it will be back to their home state for a semifinal game against either Oregon or Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
Fourth-seeded Arizona State (11-2) has been one of the nation’s most surprising teams.
The Sun Devils went 3-9 a year ago in Kenny Dillingham’s first season as head coach. Making the move from the disintegrating Pac-12 to the 16-team Big 12, Arizona State was picked to finish dead last this season.
Instead, it was tied with three other teams for the top spot during the regular season and claimed the title all to itself in the Big 12 championship game, rolling past Iowa State.
This is a chance for Arizona State to prove to everyone that its stunning season was no fluke.
“We’re going to face one of the best teams in the country, if not the best team in the country,” Dillingham said Tuesday on the eve of the game. “It’s a really tall task for our guys. But by the same token, if you’re a competitor, you want to compete versus the very best in the best environments.”
Ewers vs. Leavitt
Quinn Ewers has a stellar resume as the Texas quarterback.
Sam Leavitt is out to prove he’s the better man.
The Arizona State QB has been a major reason for his team’s unexpected success. He’s eager for a head-to-head showdown with Ewers, who has passed for 2,867 yards and 26 touchdowns this season.
Leavitt has put up similar numbers, with 2,663 yards and 24 TDs.
“I’m just excited for the opportunity,” he said. “People keep counting me out since Day 1, and I’m going to go prove why I’m the better quarterback.”
Skattebo’s big stage
Cam Skattebo is Arizona State’s biggest star, a bowling ball of a running back who has become one of the rare players in FBS history to put up more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage.
He doesn’t lack for confidence, either, calling himself the best runner in all of college football.
The Peach Bowl provides a prime opportunity to back up his bravado, especially against a defense that has struggled with missed tackles.
“I feel like I’m the best,” Skattebo said. “I’m excited to play those guys because I’m going to present to them something new that they haven’t seen before. I’m excited, and hopefully they’re ready to play some football.”
Exes from Texas
The Longhorns will see plenty of familiar faces when they look across the line.
A half-dozen players on Arizona State’s overhauled roster used to play at Texas. They all ended up in Tempe through the transfer portal.
The list of ex-Longhorns players also includes receivers Jake Smith and Troy Omeire, defensive back Xavion Alford, defensive ends J’Mond Tapp and Prince Dorbah, and defensive tackle Zac Swanson.
“All those guys, obviously, they’ll be extra fired up to play the Longhorns,” Texas defensive back Michael Taaffe said. “Anytime you leave a school and you know some people, it’s always fun to play those guys.”
Dillingham said the Texas transfers have made a huge impact on the Arizona State program.
“We know what we’re getting when we’re getting a guy from that program, and that’s a guy who has worked really hard, competed and been pushed,” the Sun Devils coach said. ”Those are the things that we like to bring in.”
Turning it over
Turnovers usually play a key role in big games. It will be interesting to see how that works out in the Peach Bowl.
Arizona State has coughed up the ball only eight times, tied for the second-fewest turnovers in the FBS. Texas, on the other hand, has forced a nation-leading 29 turnovers.
Dillingham said it will be important to keep the pocket clean around Leavitt.
“It all starts with pass rush,” he said. “They get pass rush, they get tipped balls. Their defensive line gets in throwing windows.”
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian praised Skattebo and the rest of the Sun Devils for losing only three fumbles all year, to go along with five interceptions.
“You just don’t not fumble the ball. You work at not fumbling the ball,” Sarkisian said. “They’ve done a great job of controlling football games by not turning it over.”
Suspended star
Arizona State will have to play the first half without star defensive back Shamari Simmons, who is suspended for the first two quarters after being ejected for targeting in the Big 12 championship game.
“Shamari is a leader on our team,” Alford said. “It’s very unfortunate that he’s not going to be with us in the first half in the game, but he’ll still be there as a leader and as a teammate on the sidelines and things of that nature.”
Redshirt freshman Montana Warren will take Simmons’ spot in the lineup during the first half.
“God always has a plan, and I just feel like his plan right now is just basically showing who Montana Warren is to the world,” Simmons said. “He’s going to be a great defensive back for Arizona State for a long time coming.”
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF GAME NOTES: TEXAS VS. ARIZONA STATE
TEXAS NOTES:
THE CFP QUARTERFIAL AT THE CHICK FIL-A PEACH BOWL • No. 3 and fifth-seed Texas Football advances to the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the 57th annual Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl to take on No. 12 and fourth seed Arizona State at Noon C.T. Wednesday, Jan. 1, inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game will broadcast on ESPN with Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Jesse Palmer (analyst), Katie Georgia (reporter) and Taylor McGregor (reporter) on the call. • Texas is 12-2, marking back-to-back 12+ win seasons for the first time since 2008-09. It’s also the fifth 12-plus win season in program history. • Texas is making its second College Football Playoff appearance in as many years after earning the three seed in the 2023 College Football Playoff, making a semifinal appearance against the No. 2 Washington Huskies at the Allstate Sugar Bowl. • Texas is the only team with back-to-back CFP appearances in 2023 and 2024. • The Horns will be making their first-ever appearance in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl on Jan. 1. • The Longhorns have 11-consecutive top-10 CFP rankings, dating back to Oct. 31, 2023. Texas debuted at No. 5 in the first CFP rankings on Nov. 5 this season – which doubled as the program’s highest-ever spot in the first week of CFP rankings. Texas has been in the top-25 in each of the last 15 rankings and has 27 overall appearances in the rankings with its highest being No. 2. UT checked in at No. 4 in both the Associated Press and Coaches Polls that were updated on Dec. 8. • The Longhorns are 12-1 at home over the last two seasons. • Head coach Steve Sarkisian has now led his programs to eight postseason appearances in his 11 seasons as a head coach. He led Washington to four-straight bowl games following the 2010-13 seasons and guided USC to the Holiday Bowl in 2014. His Washington team played in the 2013 Fight Hunger Bowl, a game he did not coach in after taking over the Trojans’ program. Sarkisian was the head coach for the Huskies’ Alamo Bowl appearance against Baylor in 2011. • Texas finishes the 2024 regular season as the only SEC team with one loss. • Last time out, Texas defeated No. 16 and 12th-seed Clemson, 38-24, inside DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in the CFP First Round on Dec. 21. • Of the six non-original members of the SEC (Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Texas A&M), Texas is the only program to clinch an SEC Championship game berth in its first season as a league member. • Texas is the only team in the nation with nine wins vs. bowl eligible opponents. • Texas is among two teams that have at five wins vs. opponents ranked in the AP Top 25 at the time of game. Notre Dame is the other team. • In its first season as an SEC member, Texas has clinched conference championship game berths in back-to-back seasons after winning the Big 12 Championship in 2023. • Texas’ 11-consecutive true road wins (not including neutral site contests) is the longest streak for the Horns since winning 15-straight road games from 2003-06. It also doubles as the longest active streak in the FBS. • The Longhorns have held 10 of 14 opponents to 17 points or less this season. • UT boasts the fourth-most wins (960) in NCAA history. Texas holds an all-time record of 960-394-33. The Longhorns’ 960 wins are the second most by an SEC program following Alabama’s 974 victories. • Following Texas’ 56-7 win over UTSA on Sept. 14, Texas moved to No. 1 in the AP Poll for the first time since Oct. 26, 2008. The Longhorns spent four weeks this season at No. 1 and have have 49 overall appearances at No. 1 in the AP Poll. BOWL HISTORY • Texas will be making its Texas is making its 60th all-time bowl appearance this season, the third-most in the country behind only Alabama and Georgia. • The Longhorns have an all-time record of 31-26-2 (.542) in bowl games. • This year’s appearance in the Peach Bowl will be UT’s first-ever appearance in the game. • With a win at Peach Bowl, Texas would be the first team to win all six NY6 Bowl Games. • Texas will be making its third trip to the Peach State. Texas first played in Georgia in 1957 when the Horns defeated the Bulldogs, 26-7, in Atlanta. Texas last played in Georgia in the 2024 SEC Championship Game vs. Georgia (22-19 OT loss) on Dec. 7. All three of UT’s games played in Georgia will have been played in Atlanta.
SERIES HISTORY • The Peach Bowl and College Football Playoff Quarterfinal will feature two programs who have one each of the last two Big 12 Championships in Texas and Arizona State. • The matchup will be just the second-ever in history and first since the 2007 season. Texas and Arizona State last squared off with each other on the gridiron in the 2007 Holiday Bowl in San Diego, Calif. The Longhorns won, 52-34. • Steve Sarkisian is familiar with the Arizona State program having played the Sun Devils on five different occasions during his head coaching stints at the University of Washington (2009-13) and USC (2014-15). • Texas and Arizona State have one mutual opponent this season: Mississippi State. The Sun Devils took down the Bulldogs, 30-23, in Starkville, Miss., on Sept. 7. Texas cruised to a 35-13 win against Mississippi State at home on Sept. 28. A TEXAS WIN WOULD … • Send UT to the CFP Semifinals for the second consecutive year. The winner between Texas and Arizona State will move onto the 89th annual Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and face the winner between No. 1 Oregon and No. 6 Ohio State. The Cotton Bowl will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. • Clinch Texas’ first 13-win season since 2009 when the Longhorns finished 13-1 overall with a BCS National Championship appearance. • Claim the program’s third 13-win season (2005, 2009). • Give Texas its first-ever Peach Bowl win in its first appearance. • Grant Steve Sarkisian a single-season career-high 13 wins. • Record Sarkisian’s second CFP victory. • Mark Texas’ second neutral site victory of the season. • Be Texas’ 961st all-time victory, the fourth-winningest program in college football history. • Secure Steve Sarkisian his 85th victory as a head coach and 38th at Texas in his 135th career game as a head coach. • Move Texas to 2-0 all-time against Arizona State.
HORNS STREAKS • Texas has forced at least one turnover in an FBS leading 22-consecutive games. UT has forced multiple turnovers in eight-straight games entering Saturday vs. Clemson. • Texas has won 12+ games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2008-09. The Horns had nine consecutive 10-win seasons from 2001-09. • 2024 marked the second-straight season in which UT played in a conference championship game. • The Texas defense gave up just four passing touchdowns through 12 games this season during the regular season – the fewest in program history since giving up four in 1972 (10 games). It also tied for the fewest by an FBS team during the regular season (tied with Ohio State). Texas held its opponent to under 350 yards in its first 13 games of the season, becoming the first FBS team to do so in 13 consecutive games in a single season since Alabama in 2011. The last team to do so in 14 straight games in a single season was another Alabama squad (2009). • Texas led Texas A&M 17-0 at halftime on Nov. 30 and posted first-half shutouts in three of its last four conference matchups to close out the regular season. • Texas has recorded 11-straight road wins – the most since 2003-2006. Texas’ 11-consecutive true road wins is the longest active streak by an FBS squad. • The Longhorns started the season 6-0 for the first time since 2009. • Texas’ point differential (+221) through six games was its best since 1915 (+288). • Texas’ 259 points through six games were its most since 2005 (274).
ARIZONA STATE NOTES:
THE GAME – The Big 12 Champion Sun Devil Football program returns to action in the postseason, making its debut in the College Football Playoff and squaring of against the Texas Longhorns in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on New Year’s Day at Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Scheduled for a 11 a.m. AZT/1 p.m. local kickoff, the CFP quarterfinal contest between the fourth-seeded Sun Devils and and fifth-seeded Longhorns will be broadcast nationally on ABC (Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, Katie George, Taylor McGregor). The game will also be available over the local airwaves in Arizona on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (Tim Healey, Jeff Van Raaphorst, Kevin Turner, Jeff Munn). The game will also be available on ESPN National Radio (Anish Shroff, Andre Ware, Paul Carcaterra). ON THE CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWL/COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF – This will be Sun Devil Football’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff. It is the team’s second appearance in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, though it hasn’t played in the game since 1970 – a 48-26 victory over North Carolina to cap off an 11-0 season. Texas is making its second consecutive appearance in the CFP, the only team in the 2024 field to do so despite the expansion to 12 teams this year. ON THE LONGHORNS » This will mark just the second matchup in history between the Sun Devils and the Longhorns, with Texas getting the better of ASU in the 2007 Holiday Bowl, 52-34, in the only other contest. » The Longhorns were the runners-up in the SEC Championship and the No. 5 overall seed in the College Football Playoff, entering the game ranked No. 4 in the AP. » Texas and Arizona State were two of just five FBS teams in the regular season with four wins against teams ranked in the AP Top-25 at the time of the game (joining Georgia, South Carolina, Notre Dame). » One of the elite defenses in the country, Texas has held opponents to just 12.5 points per game prior to the CFP and to 17 points or less in 10 of 13 games in that stretch. ASU scored less than 17 points just once this season (14 at Cincinnati). » Texas has forced a turnover in and FBS-leading 22 straight games and is tied for first in the FBS with 29 takeaways this season. Meanwhile, ASU is tied for second in the FBS with just eight turnovers lost. » Texas was first in the FBS pre-bowl season in allowing just 143.1 passing yards per game. The team allowed just four passing touchdowns in the regular season while ASU has thrown for 3 or more in 5 of its last six games. » In its last six games, Texas has allowed just 20 total first half points. ASU is averaging 22.6 points per first half in its last six games. Texas has outscored opponents 108-24 in the first quarter of games while ASU has outscored teams 106-58 in the opening frame. » Texas’ offense is sixth in the FBS with 20 plays of 40+ yards this year. ASU is sixth in the FBS in allowing just five 40+ yard plays this year KICKING OFF » ASU’s 11-2 record marks and 7 1/2 game improvement in the win/loss column from a year ago, tied for the seventh-best single-season turnaround in program history. A win this week would move ASU into a tie for second-best all-time. With a win, ASU’s nine-game improvement in the win column alone from a year ago would mark just the seventh time in FBS history a team has accomplished the feat. » With ASU vacating its wins in the 2021 season, the 11 wins this season easily surpass the team’s combined win tally from 2020-2023 (8 wins). » Sam Leavitt’s 903 grade on overall offense for the season is seventh-best among all FBS freshman quarterbacks in the PFF era since 2015 (min. 500 snaps played). Of the six players tied or ahead of him, five have started an NFL game this season (Trevor Lawrence, Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, C.J. Stroud and Spencer Rattler). He ranks ahead of the freshmen seasons of 2024 NFL starters Brock Purdy (89.4), Sam Darnold (85.0) and Justin Herbert (77.2). » Leavitt has thrown at least three touchdown passes in six games this year, most among FBS freshmen. The last Big 12 freshman to have that many performances in a season was Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford in 2007 (eight). » Cam Skattebo is the first FBS player to record 150+ scrimmage yards and 3+ scrimmage touchdowns in three straight games since Boise State’s Jay Ajayi in 2014 (four straight). » ASU was one of only 13 teams to go undefeated in the month of November (5-0). Of those 13 teams, only 7 were from a Power 4 conference (including Notre Dame). ASU was one of only four teams the FBS to go 5-0 in the month of November. » ASU is 5-0 in games decided by a seven points or less and 6-1 in games decided by one score (8 points or less). The 5-0 record is second behind Arkansas State’s 7-0 mark in games of seven points or less and the six wins are tied for third behind only Syracuse and Arkansas State’s for most wins in one-score games. AN ASU VICTORY WOULD… • Give ASU an 8 1/2 game improvement from a season ago, which would be tied for second most in FBS history (Tulane, +9 in 2022). The team’s current 7 1/2 game improvement is tied for ninth-best in FBS history. • Give the Sun Devils a nine-game improvement in the win column alone, marking ASU as just the seventh program in FBS history to accomplish the feat. • Improve the Sun Devils to 2-0 in the Peach Bowl (victors of the 1970 Peach Bowl) • Give ASU 12 wins in a season for just the second time in program history (1975 team went 12-0). • Improve ASU to 5-0 against AP-ranked opponents this season. It would match ASU’s most wins against Top-25 teams in a single season in program history (5 in 1986). • Give the Sun Devils their first victory over a Top-10 team in a neutral-site game since defeating #4 Michigan in the 1986 Rose Bowl campaign. It would additionally be ASU’s first victory in the month of January since that 22-15 victory. • Be Arizona State’s first victory over a Top-10 team overall since defeating No. 6 Oregon in 2019. • Improve ASU to 2-0 over the SEC this season, notable as the program has not defeated an SEC team in history entering the year MILESTONE WATCH • Currently at 19, Cam Skattebo needs one rushing touchdown to set ASU’s school record in the category (Woody Green, 19, 1972). He needs just one TOTAL touchdown to set ASU’s school record in the category (22, Wilford White, 1950). • Skattebo needs 75 rushing yards to break Eno Benjamin’s school record of 1,642 rushing yards in a single season (currently at 1,568). • Skattebo is one touchdown away from scoring his 50th career touchdown from scrimmage (currently at 49; 41 rushing, 8 receiving). • Skattebo is 251 rushing yards away from reaching 4,500 career rushing yards (currently at 4,249). He is 20 rushing attempts away from the 700-carry mark in his career (currently at 680 carries) and 16 touches away from the 800-touch (receptions + carries) mark in his career (currently at 784 touches). • Sam Leavitt has the second-most passing yards by a freshman in program history. He is now 281 yards away from establishing a new passing yards record for freshman quarterbacks at ASU (record is 2,943 yards currently held by Jayden Daniels in 2019). • Leavitt is tied for 9th in program history with 24 touchdown passes this season. He needs four more to move into the Top-5 all-time among ASU QBs. • Keyshaun Elliott needs 5 tackles to reach 200 for this career (currently at 195). • Shamari Simmons needs 2 tackles to reach 250 for his career (currently at 248). He is one interception away from picking off 10 passes in his career (currently at 9). • Xavier Guillory needs 81 receiving yards to reach 2,000 receiving yards in his career (currently at 1,919). • Chamon Metayer currently has five touchdown receptions, which is tied for the third-most in a season by a tight end in program history. He needs just one receiving touchdown to match Zach Miller (2004) and Joe Petty (1971) for the single-season program record for touchdown receptions by a tight end. MAKING THE GRADE (NOTABLE PFF GRADES) • Cam Skattebo (92.6) is the second-highest graded running back on overall offense this season and the fifth-highest graded offensive player at any position this year in the FBS. • Skattebo’s 94.1 grade on rushing plays this season is second behind only Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty. It is the seventh-best grade by an FBS running back in the category since the 2015 season (min. 100 carries) • Sam Leavitt is the nation’s highest-graded freshman player on offense OR defense with his overall offense grade of 90.3 (min. 500 snaps) – nearly 4 points higher than Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith’s 86.4 mark in second. He is 7.3 points higher than the next closest FBS freshman QB (South Alabama’s Gio Lopez, 83.0) and 12.3 points ahead of Tennessee’s Nico Lama Leava for the highest freshman grade among Power 4 freshmen quarterbacks (78.0). • Leavitt is the 7th-highest graded quarterback in the nation, regardless of eligibility, and 15thhighest graded player in the FBS regardless of position. • Shamari Simmons had the highest rush defense grade of any FBS player in the Conference Championships at 88.5. His 86.0 run defense grade overall this season is eighth among all FBS corners. • Leif Fautanu is the FBS’ sixth-highest graded center as a pass blocker this season with a score of 86.9.
SUGAR BOWL PITS NO. 2 SEED GEORGIA AGAINST FIFTH-SEEDED NOTRE DAME IN THE CFP QUARTERFINALS
No. 2 Georgia (11-2, CFP No. 2 seed) vs. No. 3 Notre Dame (12-1, CFP No. 5 seed), Wednesday, 8:45 p.m. EST (ESPN)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Georgia by 1 1/2.
Series record: Georgia leads 3-0.
What’s at stake?
The winner moves on to a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl in the first year of the expanded 12-team format. Georgia had a bye into the quarterfinals at the Sugar Bowl, the very bowl at which the 1980 Bulldogs won a national title by beating none other than Notre Dame. The Irish hosted a first-round CFP game last weekend, dismantling Indiana in a rare high-stakes football matchup between the two major institutions from the same state.
Key matchup
Notre Dame’s running game against Georgia’s defensive front. The Irish averaged 224.8 yards per game rushing this season, 10th best nationally. Georgia’s defense ranked 36th nationally in yards rushing allowed at 127.8.
Players to watch
Notre Dame: QB Riley Leonard is one of 10 players at the FBS level to have passed for at least 1,900 yards and rushed for at least 700 yards this season.
Georgia: RB Trevor Etienne says he feels as healthy as he’s been “in a long time.” He missed three late season games with a rib injury before returning for the SEC championship game against Texas on Dec. 7. He ran for 94 yards on 16 carries with two TDs against the Longhorns, including the game-winner in overtime.
Facts & figures
Notre Dame has played in four previous Sugar Bowls, going 2-2, with their most notable victory a 24-23 triumph over Alabama in a game between two unbeaten teams that decided the national championship in 1973. … The first of the three encounters between Georgia and Notre Dame occurred at the Sugar Bowl, where the Herschel Walker-led Bulldogs claimed the 1980 national championship. … Leonard and RB Jeremiyah Love have each had a rushing TD in the same game for the Irish 10 times this season. … Notre Dame’s defense ranks first nationally in turnovers gained (29) and defensive touchdowns (6), third in scoring defense (13.8), fourth in yards passing allowed (162.3), fourth in interceptions (18), eighth in total defense (295.3 yards allowed per game) and ninth in fumbles recovered (11). … Georgia has not played since beating Texas for the Bulldogs’ 15th SEC title more than three weeks ago. … Bulldogs QB Gunner Stockton is slated to get his first career start in place of the injured Carson Beck. Stockton has eight previous appearances, all as a reserve. … Georgia’s previous two meetings with Notre Dame have come within the past 10 years and each game was decided by single digits, with the Bulldogs winning 20-19 in South Bend, Indiana, in 2017 and 23-17 in Athens, Georgia, in 2019. … Georgia is 5-6 at the Sugar Bowl, beating Baylor 26-14 in its most recent appearance to close out its 2019 season. … Kirby Smart is 105-18 as Georgia’s head coach, with three appearances in national championship games and two national titles in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Smart is one of just two active coaches, along with Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, to own two national titles.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF GAME NOTES: GEORGIA VS. NOTRE DAME
GEORGIA NOTES:
Bulldogs Return to The CFP, and will face Notre Dame after playing the nation’s toughest schedule per ESPN’s Football Power Index, second-ranked Georgia is battle-tested entering the College Football Playoffs (CFP) on a four-game winning streak. Georgia is 4-0 against the CFP field with wins over Texas (two), Tennessee and Clemson. After claiming its 15th SEC title in school history with a win over then No. 2 Texas for the second time this season, Georgia secured a bye to the CFP quarterfinals. The Bulldogs face No. 5 Notre Dame in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 2025. In the CFP first round, the Irish played host to Indiana on Dec. 20. The Sugar Bowl winner advances to the semifinal at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9 against the winner of No. 9 Boise State versus the No. 4 Penn State winner. The CFP National Championship Game will be on Jan. 20 in Atlanta. In school history, the Bulldogs are 3-0 against Notre Dame including a memorable 17-10 win over the Irish in the 1981 Sugar Bowl for the national championship. Then in 2017, Georgia edged Notre Dame 20-19 in South Bend and posted a 23-17 victory in Athens in 2019. Georgia is 5-6 in the Sugar Bowl, the most recent appearance coming after the 2019 season when it defeated Baylor 26-14. That victory started a bowl/CFP winning streak that stands at seven.
Resilient Bulldogs Respond Six times this season Georgia has not scored in the first quarter, and the Bulldogs are 5-1 in those games. In six games this season, Georgia has trailed at the half, and it is 4-2 in those contests. The biggest comeback in a win so far featured a 17-0 halftime deficit and then later a 14-point deficit with less than six minutes left in the 4th quarter, both against Ga. Tech. The Bulldogs stormed back for a 44-42 win in a school record eight overtimes. In the SEC Championship Game, the Bulldogs trailed #2 Texas 6-3 at halftime and 19-16 in overtime and rallied for a 22-19 win. Earlier this year, Georgia fell behind 28-0 in the first half at No. 4 Alabama, trailed 30-7 at halftime and then took a 34-33 lead with 2:31 left in the contest before falling 41-34. Georgia was the only SEC team to face Texas, Tennessee, Alabama and Ole Miss, the CFP’s highest-rated SEC teams after the Bulldogs. Georgia played six games against teams ranked in the committee’s final top 16, and it went 4-2 with only one of those game at home. Georgia has bounced back twice this season after tough road losses. With their 31-17 home win over No. 7 Tennessee on Nov. 16, the Bulldogs improved to 15-3 after a loss in the Kirby Smart era, and they haven’t lost back-to-back games in the regular season since 2016, his first year at the helm. In fact, the last nine times Georgia has lost a game, it has won its next contest. This year, then No. 2 Georgia lost at No. 4 Alabama and then beat Auburn the next week in Athens. The No. 3 Bulldogs lost at No. 16 Ole Miss on Nov. 9 and then responded against No. 7 Tennessee.
SMART Football *Georgia owns the nation’s longest active bowl streak, extending it this year to 28 seasons. Since 2019, the Bulldogs have won their last seven bowl/CFP matchups. *The Allstate Sugar Bowl will be Georgia’s 63rd appearance in a bowl/CFP game in school history with a record of 38-21-3. The appearances and wins rank second in FBS. *Georgia’s 2024 Senior Class is an FBS-leading and school record 53-4 (46-2 in the regular season) since 2021. The next best mark in this span is 47-8 by Michigan. Georgia’s 2023 Senior Class held the previous school mark at 50-4 with two national titles, an SEC crown plus went 6-0 in bowl/CFP games. *In 2024, the Bulldogs made their fourth straight appearance in the SEC Championship Game (SECCG) and seventh overall trip under Kirby Smart. After a 22-19 overtime win over then No. 2 Texas, the Bulldogs claimed their 15th SEC title in school history and the No. 2 seed in the CFP. *Four Bulldogs were named a finalist for the national award at their position: junior All-America linebacker Jalon Walker (Butkus Award); junior All-America safety Malaki Starks (Jim Thorpe Award); junior second team All-America punter Brett Thorson (Ray Guy Award); and graduate All-SEC snapper Beau Gardner (Patrick Mannelly Award). Walker was the lone winner.
Bulldogs Are 24-3 With Beck at The Controls Fifth-year senior Carson Beck, a 6-4, 220-pound native of Jacksonville, Fla., owns a 24-3 record as a starter. Led Georgia to 13-1 mark in ’23. *9-3 versus top-20 opponents with a 66.3 Completion Percentage (250-377) for 3,174 yards, 20 TDs, 9 INTs in those contests. *Injured on last play of the 1st half of the SEC Championship Game win over #2 Texas, came back for final play in overtime, handed off to Trevor Etienne *Superb in rallying Bulldogs back from 14-point 4th quarter deficit in 44-42 win over Ga. Tech in eight overtimes; In 4th quarter, went 12-for-17 for 124 yards and 2 TDs and then was 3-for-3 for 45 yards and 2 TDs in OT *Tied school record with 36 comp. in win over MSU, career-high 459 yards ranks 3rd in school history, most since Eric Zeier had 485 vs. USC in ’94 * Set then Career Highs in 41-34 road loss at #4 Alabama, 50 att., 439 yards, 3 INTs; Was 8-of-17 for 100 yards, 2 INTs in 1st Half and trailed 30-7; then went 19-33 for 339 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT in the 2nd Half and led briefly 34-33 *439 passing yards @ #4 UA ranked 4th most in school history *Davey O’Brien Great 8 For Week 14 win over Ga. Tech (Nov. 29), Week 12 win over #7 UT (Nov. 18), two-time Manning Star of the Week (Sept. 2, Nov. 18) plus SEC Offensive Player of the Week after 34-3 win over #14 Clemson *Among the 10 candidates for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
Stockton Leads Comeback For 2024 SEC Title Redshirt sophomore Gunner Stockton, a 6-1, 215-pound native of Tiger, Ga., delivered when called on to start the second half of the SEC Championship Game against Texas who had the No. 1 rated pass defense (No. 3 total defense). He led the Bulldogs on scoring drives of 75, 61 and 72 yards in three of the first four possessions and then the game-winning TD in OT. He finished 12-for-16 for 71 yards and one INT plus had a career-high eight rushes for 19 yards. *Before the SECCG win over then No. 2 Texas, Stockton this season was 13-for16 for 135 yards with two rushing yards on nine attempts. He saw action in four games in 2023 and was 12-for-19 for 148 yards and two TDs.
Etienne & Frazier Lead Backfield Georgia’s top running backs are junior Trevor Etienne and freshman Nate Frazier. This tandem has combined for 1,205 yards and 17 touchdowns. *Etienne missed three games down the stretch due to injury and returned to start in the SEC Championship Game victory. Against #2 Texas, he ran for 94 yards on 16 carries with two TDs including the game-winner in overtime. Overall, he has made nine starts and has 571 yards (5.1 avg.) and nine TDs. *At #1 Texas in the regular season, Etienne had a team-best 87 yards and 3 TDs including one on 4th-and-goal from the 1. He tallied 55 rushing yards and one TD on 12 carries plus two catches for 11 yards at #4 UA. He had 124 all-purpose yards in the win over AU (88-rushing and 2 TDs, 36-rec. on six catches). *Frazier, who has appeared 12 games with three starts, leads the team with 634 yards and eight TDs. He made his first start in the win over #7 Tennessee and provided 68 yards on 19 carries (tied career high) and one TD. Frazier became the first Bulldog freshman tailback to start since 2014 when Nick Chubb and Sony Michel both did it. That year, Chubb started eight games while Michel’s first career start came in the Belk Bowl win over #20 Louisville. Frazier ran for a career-high 136 yards and three scores against UMass. He provided the game-winning conversion to beat Ga. Tech 44-42 in eight overtimes. *Frazier had a a career-high 19 carries for 82 yards and a TD in the win over UF and then had 12 carries for 47 yards at #16 Ole Miss. In the season-opening win over #14 CU, he registered 83 yards on 11 carries including a 40-yard scamper and his first TD. Redshirt junior Cash Jones has 12 carries for 31 yards on the year plus 22 catches for 238 yards including a 22-yard TD against UF. He posted career-high 53 yards receiving on four catches including a 25-yard TD in OT against Ga. Tech that made it 40-all. Also, he has four KOR for 58 yards. The longest Bulldog rush belongs to wideout Anthony Evans III (52 vs. MSU). Branson Robinson has missed the past six games with an injury while Roderick Robinson II made his 2024 debut versus Ga. Tech. *Then there’s freshman Dwight Phillips Jr., who had a memorable first carry. It resulted in a four-yard TD versus UF to make it 34-20. Against #7 UT, freshman Chauncey Bowens had five rushes for 7 yards plus had five carrries for 31 yards against UMass. Bulldogs With CFP Experience Five current Bulldogs saw action during the 2021 CFP title run with Dan Jackson (S), Smael Mondon Jr. (LB), and Xavier Truss (OT) appearing in both games while Warren Brinson (DL) and Chaz Chambliss (LB) played in the semifinal win over Michigan. There are 20 current Bulldogs who appeared in either the semifinal and/or final of the 2022 CFP title run. While Jackson was sidelined due to injury, Mondon and Truss started both CFP games in 2022 while Brinson and Chambliss appeared in each game too. Also of note, current Bulldogs Tate Ratledge (OG), Nazir Stackhouse (DT), Malaki Starks (S) and Brett Thorson (P) started both CFP games in 2022.
O-Line Aces Tests In Crucial Wins Over UT & Texas Georgia has been banged up for much of the year on the offensive line while facing the nation’s toughest schedule per ESPN’s FPI. Still, the line helped lead the Bulldogs to another SEC title. Senior All-American Tate Ratledge earned First Team All-SEC honors. Junior guard Dylan Fairchild and junior center Jared Wilson made Second Team All-SEC. Fairchild was the only one to start all 13 games along with RS-senior Xavier Truss (RT). *In the SEC Championship Game win over #2 Texas, Georgia trailed 6-3 at the half with just 54 yards. In the second half, the line paved the way to a 22-19 win in overtime as Georgia finished with 277 yards and a walk-off TD. *Against #7 Tennessee, sophomore Monroe Freeling made his first career start at LT (and now has started the past four games) in place of an injured Earnest Greene III who had made 23 consecutive starts. The starting unit played the entire game against the Vols that ranked fifth nationally in scoring defense and hadn’t allowed more than 19 points in a game. Georgia’s front did not allow sack and helped the Bulldogs tally 453 yards of total offense in a vital 31-17 victory. A week earlier, Georgia went to #16 Ole Miss and gave up five sacks after allowing just 10 total in the first eight games of the season. *Ratledge, who missed a four-game stretch due to an ankle injury, earned SEC OL Player of the Week honors after the win over #7 UT. *Earlier this year, the line was down two starters when Ratledge and Wilson were out. RS-junior Micah Morris filled in for Ratledge during that time and then he missed the Ole Miss and Tennessee games. At #1 Texas, Wilson returned, and the line surrendered just one sack. Morris returned to action against UMass while Freeling started his second straight for Greene. *RS-sophomore Drew Bobo (C) has played in every game with two starts.
Top Targets Senior QB Carson Beck’s top targets have been senior Dominic Lovett (56-for-571 yards, 6 TDs), senior Arian Smith (47-for-750 yards, 4 TDs) and junior Dillon Bell (37-for-433 yards, 4 TDs). Also, Bell has 106 yards rushing on eight attempts including a 3-yarder for a score at #4 UA. Bell missed the UMass game due to injury and returned to play against Ga. Tech. *Smith tallied 110 yards (his fourth career 100+-yard game) on three catches including a 34-yard TD in the win over UMass. *Lovett had a pair of TDs in the win over Tech including the game-tying catch with 1:01 left in regulation. His 10-yard TD was the go-ahead score in the win over UF plus had a team-high 38-yarder on 3rd-and-8 in the win over #7 UT. *Smith came through with a 21-yard catch on 3rd-and-10 from the UGA 11 early in the 4th quarter at #1 Texas. It was part of an 11 play, 89-yard TD drive to make it 30-15. He had a career-high 134 yards on five catches versus MSU.
NOTRE DAME NOTES:
GAME AT A GLANCE • The University of Notre Dame football team (12-1) won their first CFP game with a First Round 27-17 victory over Indiana at Notre Dame Stadium, the inaugural campus matchup of the CFP. The No. 7-seed Irish move on to face No. 2 Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. • The First Round game was the first matchup between teams from the same state in a BCS Championship Game or College Football Playoff game. The last time two 11+ win FBS teams from the same state faced off was on January 2, 1997, when 11-1 Florida defeated 11-0 Florida State in the Sugar Bowl. • Notre Dame and Georgia are meeting for the fourth time, with Georgia owning a 3-0 record over the Irish. Notre Dame and Georgia have met once in the postseason previously, also in the Sugar Bowl. • Notre Dame has a 2-2 record in the Sugar Bowl. • Both teams have been ranked each time the two programs have faced one another, but this season’s installment will be the collective highest ranking from both teams (No. 2 vs. No. 3 in the AP Poll). • Head coach Marcus Freeman has earned 12 wins over teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 over his three seasons at Notre Dame, which is the most of any Notre Dame coach in his first three seasons. • QB Riley Leonard and RB Jeremiyah Love have each had a rushing TD in the same game 10 times this season, tied for the most by any FBS duo in any season in the last 25 years with Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick and Vai Taua in 2010 (10). • Several program records have been broken, tied or approached in the 2024 season.
IRISH ITEMS – BY THE NUMBERS 1 Notre Dame’s 2024 defense is dominant and one of the most complete defenses in the country, ranking among the FBS’ top teams. Through the season and the first round of the CFP, Notre Dame is first in team passing efficiency defense (96.94), first in turnovers gained (29), first in defensive touchdowns (6), third in scoring defense (13.8), fourth in passing yards allowed (162.3), fourth in interceptions (18), seventh in third down defense (0.308), seventh in fourth down defense (0.361), eighth in total defense (295.3), ninth in fumbles recovered (11) and ninth in red zone defense (0.727). 2 Senior quarterback Riley Leonard owns 34 rushing touchdowns for his career, including three in the first half at Purdue, and two vs. Miami (OH) and Georgia Tech. He ranks second among all active FBS quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns. 13 Xavier Watts has made a statement as the best defensive player in college football. Watts has totaled 13 interceptions on his career. His 13 interceptions over the last two seasons are the most by any FBS player during that span; the next closest players have nine. He has averaged 0.5 interceptions per game over that span. He has the most career interceptions by an Irish player since 1996. He is the 19th Notre Dame player to intercept 10 or more passes in a career and is tied for third on the all-time list for career interceptions in program history. Watts is responsible for seven of Notre Dame’s 29 turnovers gained this season (six interceptions, one fumble recovery). 3-24 Notre Dame held two-straight opponents to 3-24 on third down (Miami 2-12, Purdue 1-12), the best back-to-back two-game total since 2021 (Cincinnati 2-12, Wisconsin 1-14). Those are the two best back-to-back two-game stretches since data is available starting in 1996. 4 Notre Dame is one of just four programs in the Power 4 with eight or more wins over each of the last five seasons (2020-24), joined by Alabama, Clemson and Georgia. 5 Riley Leonard is one of 10 FBS quarterbacks (and five Power 4 quarterbacks) this season to have passed for 1,900 yards and rushed for 700 yards. 12 Notre Dame is now 12-1, tying the most wins in a season in program history. Playing in its 14th game this season in the Sugar Bowl, Notre Dame will play the most games it has played in a season ever. 12 The victory over Indiana was the 12th ranked win of the Marcus Freeman era at Notre Dame, more than any other Irish head coach in the first three years of his tenure. In 2023, the 40-8 Sun Bowl victory over No. 21 Oregon State not only earned Freeman his first campaign with 10 victories, it also was his team’s seventh victory over an Associated Press-ranked team in his first two years leading the program – breaking Terry Brennan’s previous program record of six in 1954 and 55. 10 Leonard and Love have each had a rushing TD in the same game 10 times this season, tied for the most by any FBS duo in any season in the last 25 years with Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick and Vai Taua in 2010 (10). 13 Jeremiyah Love has scored a rushing touchdown in each game this season, making 13-straight games with a rushing touchdown. This extends his Notre Dame record for most consecutive games with a rushing TD, and extends his record for most consecutive games with a rushing TD to start a season. He is the only FBS running back to have scored a rushing touchdown in each game this season. 130 Jeremiyah Love’s performance vs. Army was noteworthy, rushing seven times for 130 yards. He is one of just three Power 4 running backs this season to achieve 130 rushing yards on fewer than 10 carries, and one of just seven Irish running backs to achieve 100 or more yards on fewer than 10 carries since 1950. The 49-35 victory at USC was sealed for the Irish on two pick-sixes on back-to-back drives to close the game, as CB Christian Gray took a 99-yard interception for a score, and S Xavier Watts followed it up with a 100-yard pick-six on the very next USC drive. Not only was it the first time this season that a team had two interception returns for 99 or more yards in a single game, but it marked the first time since at least 1996 that such a feat has occurred. Gray tied the Notre Dame record for longest interception return in program history (Luther Bradley, 1975 against Purdue), and Watts broke the record with his 100-yard return. 15 QB Riley Leonard broke the Notre Dame record for most rushing touchdowns in a single season by a quarterback with 15 (14, Brandon Wimbush, 2015). 1000 RB Jeremiyah Love has 1,057 rushing yards so far in 2024, the 21st time an Irish player has broken the 1,000-yard rushing mark in a season. He is averaging 7.4 yards per carry, which would rank second among all single-season 1,000-yard rushers in ND records (Reggie Brooks, 1992, 8.0 – 1,343).
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – OFFENSE • Jayden Thomas entered 2023 season as Notre Dame’s leading returning receiver and served in that role in the first four games of the 2023 season, catching 12 passes for over 180 yards and a touchdown. • Beaux Collins is Notre Dame’s leading receiver in 2024, with 36 receptions for 445 yards. He recorded 91 receptions for 1,290 yards and 11 touchdowns in 1,578 offensive snaps over 32 games (27 starts) at Clemson from 2021-23. He broke out late in his true freshman season with 31 catches for 407 yards and three touchdowns. • Jaden Greathouse was the first Irish true freshman wideout to catch two touchdown passes in his first-career game (against Navy in 2023). His five touchdown catches during a rookie campaign are the most for a Notre Dame true freshman since 2016. • Jayden Harrison was a first-team All-American as a kick returner at Marshall last season, tying for the FBS lead with two kick return touchdowns in 2023. He recorded his first touchdown catch for the Irish in the 35-14 win over Virginia. In 2023, Harrison played in all 13 games for Marshall (started four), totaling 28 receptions for 410 yards (14.6 yards per reception) and a touchdown. • Kris Mitchell, a transfer from FIU, led CUSA and ranked in the Top 20 nationally in receiving yards in 2023 (1,118 – 18th nationally) and receiving yads per game (93.2 – 13th nationally). Mitchell owns 118 career receptions for 1,853 yards and 13 touchdowns. • Jordan Faison joined the Notre Dame football team as a walk on and made his collegiate athletics debut at No. 25 Louisville in 2023, and was put on football scholarship. He would end the season with 19 catches for 322 yards and four touchdowns, capping the year by earning Sun Bowl MVP honors with five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. • Notre Dame’s offensive line presents some new faces in 2024 with the departures of NFL Draftees Joe Alt and Blake Fisher. Pat Coogan, Ashton Craig, Billy Schrauth, Tosh Baker, Rocco Spindler and Charles Jagusah own starting experience. Irish linemen Aamil Wagner, Sam Pendleton and Anthonie Knapp all made their first-career starts at No. 20 Texas A&M. Even with injuries and young talent, the line was named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award. • Mitchell Evans had a breakout season in 2023 before being sidelined with an injury. A 2024 semifinalist for the Mackey Award, he played in eight games as a junior in 2023, starting seven, and ended the season as the team’s top receiving target, averaging 52.8 yards per game. Through those eight games, Evans totaled 29 receptions for 422 yards and a touchdown during the season, averaging 14.6 yards per catch. • With Evans’ injury in 2023, Cooper Flanagan and Eli Raridon saw action in 2023, each scoring a touchdown, and will look to have an increased role in 2024. • Riley Leonard owns 34 rushing touchdowns for his career, ranking second among all active FBS quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns. He entered his senior season and first with Notre Dame coming off a Duke career as one of the ACC’s premier quarterbacks. See page 23 for more on Leonard. • Steve Angeli made the most of his first-career start in the 2023 Sun Bowl completing 15 of 19 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns. Prior to that game, he went 19-for-25 passing with four touchdowns in seven relief appearances. • With the departure of NFL Draft pick Audric Estimé, Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price are poised to lead the Irish running backs in 2024. Love has posted 11-straight games with a rushing touchdown. See page 26 for more on the Irish running backs • Mitch Jeter joins the Irish from South Carolina, and owns a career 80.6 percent field-goal rate (29-36), connecting on 108-111 extra points. James Rendell hails from Melbourne, Australia, and made a mark in Australian football with the Victorian Football League before making the move to the United States this offseason.
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – DEFENSE • Joshua Burnham finished the 2023 season with 18 tackles, four tackles-for-loss and a sack. Junior Tuihalamaka appeared in all 13 games in 2023 while posting 10 tackles. • Howard Cross III established himself as one of the top playmaking interior defensive lineman in the country during the 2023 season, and continued his dominance in 2024. See page 20 for more information on Cross. Donovan Hinish stepped up in relief of Cross when injured, and put together an impressive showing through three starts. He appeared in nine games in 2023 and posting a career-best four stops in the win over Central Michigan. • RJ Oben transferred from Duke in the offseason with 34 career starts and 50 games played. Entering Notre Dame, he had posted 67 tackles on his career, with 14.5 sacks (loss of 91 yards), five forced fumbles, two passes defended and an interception. Bryce Young is now seeing time in the regular defensive line rotation and has made a significant mark on special teams, ranking second in the nation in individual blocked kicks (3). He is four-star true freshman and was an Adidas All-American as a high school senior. See page 22 for more on Young. • Jack Kiser leads a linebacker room with young talent. A team captain and finalist for the 2024 William V. Campbell Trophy and the 2024 Wuerffel Trophy, Kiser holds the Notre Dame record for career games played. See page 20 for more information on Kiser. Jaiden Ausberry appeared in four regular-season games in 2023, preserving his eligibility. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is a highly touted five-star linebacker who was a finalist for the high school Butkus Award in 2023. He posted a career-high seven tackles vs. Northern Illinois. Drayk Bowen has posted 54 tackles this season, second behind Kiser’s 64. He appeared in 12 games in 2023 (missing one contest with an injury) and recorded 14 stops and a forced fumble. See page 22 for more on Bowen. Jaylen Sneed appeared in all 13 games in 2023, totaling 14 tackles, five QB hurries and two PBU. • Jordan Clark joined the Irish from Arizona State with 22 career starts and 39 games played entering 2024. Throughout his college career, he has snagged four interceptions (one for a touchdown) and 164 tackles (118 solo) with 7.5 TFL and 24 passes defended. • Adon Shuler has posted three interceptions this season, one each against Texas A&M, Georgia Tech and Virginia. Starting each game in 2024, he showed his playmaking ability late in the 2023 season, posting all six career tackles in the final three games of the year. See page 21 for more on Shuler. Luke Talich quickly established himself as a special teams mainstay during his freshman season in 2023, and posted his first-career pick six vs. Florida State. • True freshmen Karson Hobbs, Leonard Moore and Kennedy Urlacher have impressed in preseason camp. Moore and Urlacher both garnered one four-star ranking through recruitment. Moore made his college football debut at No. 20 Texas A&M, and his first-career start vs. No. 15 Louisville, leading the team with seven tackles. He also posted seven tackles in his second start, at Georgia Tech. See page 21 for more on Moore. Tae Johnson made his debut on the depth chart for Florida State week, and saw his first game action after coming back from injury. • Christian Gray started his first-career game in the 23-13 win at No. 20 Texas A&M. He saw action in 12 games and made 11 tackles in 2023. He intercepted his first career pass against Pittsburgh and finished the year with a career-best three tackles in the Sun Bowl victory over Oregon State. • Xavier Watts is a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, Bednarik Award, Lott Trophy and Thorpe Award. Watts won the Nagurski Trophy in 2023 and was a unanimous All-American. See page 18 for more on Watts. Rod Heard II spent his prior career at Northwestern, where he amassed 31 starts and 46 games played with 182 tackles, 11 for loss, two sacks and two interceptions, as well as 10 passes defended, five forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
MIAMI FIRES DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR LANCE GUIDRY
The Miami Hurricanes relieved defensive coordinator Lance Guidry of his duties on Tuesday.
Head coach Mario Cristobal made the announcement three days after the No. 13 Hurricanes (10-3) fell 42-41 to No. 18 Iowa State (11-3) in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Fla.
Miami dropped three of its last four games following a 9-0 start, also falling 28-23 at Georgia Tech on Nov. 9 and 42-38 at Syracuse on Nov. 30.
Guidry, 53, just completed his second season as the defensive coordinator for the Hurricanes after serving in the same role at Marshall, Southeastern Louisiana, McNeese State and Western Kentucky.
“I want to first thank Coach Guidry for his contributions to the University of Miami,” Cristobal said in a news release. “In a continuous effort to always improve all aspects of our program, I have decided to make a change on defense. We will move forward and make decisions that provide our players, staff and program the best opportunity to win and develop at the highest level.”
The Hurricanes allowed 25.3 points per game in 2024, ranked 70th out of 134 FBS programs.
NFL NEWS
RESTING OR PLAYING RUNNING BACK SAQUON BARKLEY IS A TOUGHER DECISION THAN IT SEEMS FOR EAGLES
Saquon Barkley’s pursuit of Eric Dickerson’s 40-year-old rushing record could get grounded by his coach.
Nick Sirianni’s decision is more difficult than it seems.
Barkley needs 101 yards rushing against his former team on Sunday to set the NFL’s single-season record. But the Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) are locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC so the outcome of their game won’t affect the standings.
Win, lose or tie against the New York Giants, the Eagles will host the Green Bay Packers or Washington Commanders in a wild-card playoff game.
They don’t have a bye so this game is an opportunity for Sirianni to rest most of his starters ahead of the playoffs and avoid risking injuries to key players.
Winning a Super Bowl is Philadelphia’s priority. The Eagles are built to win it all. They have a dynamic offense and the league’s top-ranked defense.
Putting the team first is a coach’s responsibility. Chasing individual records could jeopardize the organization’s championship hopes if Barkley goes down in a meaningless game.
The Eagles can’t afford to lose quarterback Jalen Hurts, receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith or any of their starting offensive linemen, especially right tackle Lane Johnson.
All those reasons make it a simple choice for Sirianni to rest Barkley.
It’s not that easy, however.
“Everything is taken into account,” Sirianni said Tuesday on WIP radio in Philadelphia. “I’m going to always do what’s best for the team and the individuals going for that. I’m still thinking through a little bit of this, too. … Take a lot into account. What’s the best thing for the team and then also what’s the best things for the individuals going for the record.”
Sirianni said he plans to speak to everyone, including players, coaches, general manager Howie Roseman and owner Jeffrey Lurie before making his decision.
In 2021, Sirianni rested several starters in the final regular-season game with the Eagles locked into the No. 7 seed. But he played wide receiver Smith long enough for him to break the team’s rookie receiving record.
Barkley became the ninth player in NFL history to reach 2,000 yards rushing early in the fourth quarter of a 41-7 victory over Dallas. Sirianni immediately pulled him out with several minutes remaining and Barkley finished the game at 2,005 yards. Dickerson had 2,105 for the Los Angeles Rams in 1984.
When Barkley ran for 176 yards against the Giants in his former home stadium in October, Sirianni asked him if he wanted to stay in the game to chase his career high. He needed 14 more yards at that point. Barkley declined, telling his coach to let the other running backs get their carries.
Barkley eventually surpassed his personal mark when he ran for 255 yards against the Rams on Nov. 14.
As for Dickerson’s record, Barkley isn’t lobbying to play.
“The way I look at it, if it’s in God’s plan, then it is,” Barkley said. “I’m not overly trying to go get it. I’m not scared of it. I would love to, but at the end of the day, also, we’ve got bigger things that we’re focusing on. … Rest, I’m fine with that, too, because I didn’t come here and sign here just to rush for 2,000 or break a record. I want to do something special, meaning special with the team.”
With Barkley on board publicly, that takes pressure off Sirianni.
Still, he’s debating what’s best for the team.
Bill Belichick and Jim Harbaugh presented arguments for playing the starters.
“We’re gonna be playing to win at all times. That never changes,” Harbaugh said Monday night on SiriusXM’s “Let’s Go!” “And I like what Derwin James said, he’s our captain. … he said: ‘Eleven wins sounds better than 10.’ We’re attacking it with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind. You know, the thing that doesn’t resonate right now is ‘play the backups.’ What are we gonna do, dress 25 guys for the game?”
Harbaugh has guided the Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) to an AFC wild-card berth in his first season with the team after leading Michigan to a national championship last year. The Chargers can’t finish lower than the No. 6 seed and have a chance to move up to the fifth spot with a win and a loss by the Steelers.
Belichick, the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach, often faced a late-season decision on whether to rest starters during his time with the New England Patriots.
“That’s what some people, I think, have a hard time with is, ‘Well, don’t play your starters.’ I mean, you can only have seven inactive guys. Who are they?” Belichick said. “And it’s tough to go to your team and say: ‘Well, we’re not gonna play you guys over here, but the rest of you get out there. We don’t really care about you. If you get hurt, that doesn’t matter, but these six or seven guys we’re going to protect.’ You can’t say that to the team. That doesn’t resonate well at all, nor should it. So I always had a hard time with that one.
“Now, if a guy was fighting an injury and everybody understood that the guy was fighting an injury, OK, that’s one thing. But to just say: ‘Well, you guys are important, but you other guys aren’t, we don’t care what happens to you. Get out there and play.’ That’s not a message I could ever send to the team. Even though there were people in the organization that wanted me to send that, I just couldn’t do it.”
Hurts could be a factor in Sirianni’s decision to play or rest Barkley and the starters. Hurts has missed the past seven quarters after sustaining a concussion against Washington.
He could be rusty going into the playoffs after a nearly three-week layoff. So, Sirianni could choose to play Hurts a few series, one quarter or however long enough to get him back on track.
If so, the starting offense would play. But playing Hurts may be too risky for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Ultimately, the same goes for Barkley.
ROOKIE QBS NIX, PENIX DENIED MAJOR MOMENTS BY HEAD COACHES’ CURIOUS CALLS IN WANING MINUTES
DENVER (AP) — Count coach Sean Payton among those second-guessing his decision to go for the tie and not the win at the end of regulation in Cincinnati last weekend.
“Oh, certainly. You go through it all the time relative to what the call would have been,” Payton said Monday. “Based on the outcome, you always second-guess. You always do that as a head coach. I know I kind of felt I trusted my gut at the moment, but yes, I think it’s normal to do that.”
That was an entirely different tone than Payton had in the emotional aftermath of Denver’s 30-24 overtime loss to the Bengals on Saturday when he insisted, “The decision we made was the right one.”
Giving the ball back to Joe Burrow, the NFL’s hottest quarterback, wasn’t the best of moves for the Broncos, who didn’t force a single punt in regulation, something Payton acknowledged he didn’t realize until it was mentioned in his postgame news conference.
After throwing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Mims Jr. on fourth down with 8 seconds remaining in regulation, Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix held up two fingers and pleaded with his coach to go for the win. Payton scanned his play sheet.
“Yes, I definitely want the ball and a chance to win the game,” said Nix, who nonetheless deferred to Payton, saying those calls are the coach’s.
After Mims’ highlight-reel catch between Geno Stone and Mike Hilton was confirmed after a lengthy review, Payton instead sent out kicker Wil Lutz for the extra point to send the game into overtime.
Cincinnati’s clock mismanagement had given the Broncos time to score at the end of regulation. Instead of having Burrow take a knee and forcing Denver to burn its final timeout, Bengals coach Zac Taylor called for a handoff to Chase Brown, who hurt his right ankle on an awkward slide near the end zone. Payton called his final timeout, but the injury timeout was charged to the Bengals instead.
Playing for overtime backfired on the Broncos when the Bengals outgained them 119 yards to 6 yards in overtime and Burrow threw his third touchdown pass to Tee Higgins to keep Cincy’s slim playoff hopes alive and deny Denver a playoff-clinching win for the second straight weekend.
It also injected some intrigue into the final weekend of games before the playoffs begin. The Broncos (9-7), Bengals (8-8) and Dolphins (8-8) all are alive for the seventh and final playoff spot in the AFC race with a trip to second-seeded Buffalo on tap for the team that clinches.
The Broncos host the Kansas City Chiefs (15-1), who have clinched the AFC’s top seed and are expected to rest most of their starters Sunday in Denver, where a loss would eliminate the Bengals, winners of four straight, and keep the Chiefs from having to face Burrow, who is in the midst of the best season of his career.
Payton wasn’t the only head coach who denied his rookie QB a confidence-inspiring, all-or-nothing moment only to lose 30-24 in overtime in Week 18.
It was the same fate for the Atlanta Falcons after coach Raheem Morris’ questionable clock management ahead of a 56-yard field goal try by Riley Patterson that came up short at the end of regulation and sent their game against the Washington Commanders into overtime Sunday.
Washington won the coin toss and Jayden Daniels drove the Commanders on a 12-play, 70-yard march that ended with his 2-yard TD toss to tight end Zach Ertz to clinch a playoff spot. That sent the Falcons (8-8) careening into Week 18 needing both a win over the Panthers and a Saints upset of the Buccaneers (9-7) to make the playoffs.
Morris acknowledged after the loss he “probably could have” called a timeout after Michael Penix Jr. connected with Darnell Mooney on a 25-yard completion with 40 seconds left. Instead, the clock wound down to 17 seconds because he was “trying to save that timeout.”
“In hindsight, it could have been a better decision to take that timeout, but I wanted to have the opportunity to move up there, so you can always second-guess those things,” Morris said. “Can always second-guess those motives. Can always go back and look at it to see if you could have snapped it a little quicker. But I really believe we can get our operation time a little faster and to save that timeout.”
Morris saved five of his six timeouts Sunday.
Like Nix, Penix, the rookie quarterback making his second NFL start, deferred to his head coach on when to use timeouts.
“That’s on Coach Raheem,” Penix said. “He calls the timeouts whenever he feels fit. He trusted in us to get the plays off and make the next play. We all trust Coach’s judgment on that, so that’s what we are going to lean on.”
BROCK PURDY, 49ERS GET GOOD NEWS ABOUT ELBOW INJURY
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy suffered a right elbow contusion with nerve inflammation in Monday night’s loss to the Detroit Lions, head coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday.
Although it is unlikely Purdy will play for the 49ers (6-10) in Sunday’s season finale against the Arizona Cardinals, Shanahan said the news on Purdy’s elbow was positive and that no long-term injury was expected.
Purdy, who tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in the NFC Championship Game two years ago, described the feeling in his elbow after the game.
“I got hit on the backside and basically just my arm was on fire kind of thing,” Purdy, 25, said. “I tried throwing a couple on the sideline and I couldn’t at that point.”
Early indications Monday night were that Purdy had a nerve issue rather than ligament problem.
Joshua Dobbs and Brandon Allen are the backup QBs in San Francisco.
If Purdy sits Sunday against Arizona (7-9), he will finish his third NFL season with a 65.9 completion percentage (300 of 455) for 3,864 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Purdy has gone from “Mr. Irrelevant” — denoting the final pick of the draft — in 2022 to the starting quarterback on a team that made back-to-back appearances in the NFC title game.
He is entering the final season of a four-year, $3.73 million contract he signed in June 2022. San Francisco will need to discuss Purdy’s long-term future with the club in the offseason.
BROWNS UNDECIDED ABOUT QB HEADING INTO FINALE VS. RAVENS
The revolving door at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns could continue Sunday, with coach Kevin Stefanski saying both Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe are preparing to play against the Baltimore Ravens in the season finale.
Stefanski told reporters Tuesday that he was undecided as to who would start.
“There’s certainly a chance that I could play Bailey and Dorian in this game,” Stefanski said. “Jameis [Winston] is still working through that shoulder injury. So, I envision him being the emergency quarterback in this game. And then there’s potential to play both guys.”
The Browns (3-13) started the campaign with Deshaun Watson at quarterback, turning to Winston after Watson’s season-ending Achilles tear in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 20. Winston then started seven games and Thompson-Robinson the past two, both losses.
In six appearances this season, the 25-year-old Thompson-Robinson is 59-of-115 passing (51.3 percent) for 427 yards with no touchdowns and six interceptions. He’s been sacked seven times.
Zappe, 25, was signed off the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad after the Watson injury. He appeared in 14 career games with the New England Patriots over the past two seasons, going 4-4 as a starter. In his career, he is a 63.2 percent passer, throwing for 2,053 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
The Browns have used 39 different starting quarterbacks since 1999.
2018 WEEK 18 NFL PREVIEW
Three division titles (AFC North, NFC North and NFC South) and the final AFC playoff team will be decided in Week 18. The regular season will conclude with #Game272, as the Minnesota Vikings (14-2) visit the Detroit Lions (14-2) on Sunday Night Football (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), with the winner securing the NFC North division title, the No. 1 seed in the NFC and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.
Minnesota and Detroit in Week 18 will be the first regular-season game in NFL history between two teams each with 13-or-more wins and the 28 combined wins between the Vikings and Lions will be the most all-time entering a regular-season game, surpassing 25 combined wins each between the New England Patriots (15 wins) and New York Giants (10) on Dec. 29, 2007, and Indianapolis Colts (13) and Seattle Seahawks (12) on Dec. 24, 2005.
Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley leads the NFL with career highs in rushing yards (2,005) and scrimmage yards (2,283) this season and became the ninth player ever with 2,000 rushing yards in a season. In Week 18:
Barkley can surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson (2,105 rushing yards in 1984 with the Los Angeles Rams) for the most rushing yards in a season in NFL history.
Barkley can become the third player ever with 2,400 scrimmage yards in a season, joining Chris Johnson (2,509 scrimmage yards in 2009 with Tennessee) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk (2,429 in 1999 with the St. Louis Rams).
Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow leads the NFL with career highs in passing yards (4,641) and touchdown passes (42) this season and has at least three touchdown passes in eight consecutive games. In Week 18:
Burrow can become the fifth quarterback in NFL history with 5,000 passing yards and 45 touchdown passes in a season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Peyton Manning (5,477 passing yards and 55 touchdown passes in 2013 with Denver) and Dan Marino (5,084 and 48 in 1984 with Miami) as well as Drew Brees (5,476 and 46 in 2011 with New Orleans) and Patrick Mahomes (5,097 and 50 in 2018 with Kansas City).
Burrow can join Tom Brady (10 consecutive games in 2007) as the only players all-time with at least three touchdown passes in nine consecutive games.
Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase leads the NFL with career highs in receptions (117), receiving yards (1,612) and touchdown receptions (16). Since 1970, only four players have led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown receptions in the same season: Cooper Kupp (2021), Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (1990), Sterling Sharpe (1992) and Steve Smith Sr. (2005).
Here’s a look at a few interesting storylines entering Week 18:
NFC entering Week 18: The Philadelphia Eagles (13-3, NFC East, No. 2 seed), Los Angeles Rams (10-6, NFC West), Detroit Lions (14-2), Green Bay Packers (11-5), Minnesota Vikings (14-2) and Washington Commanders (11-5) have secured their spots in the NFC playoffs.
NFC North #Game272: The winner of the regular-season finale on Sunday Night Football between Minnesota and Detroit will be the NFC North champions, the No. 1 seed in the NFC and have home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. Detroit is looking to secure consecutive division titles for the first time since 1970 (the Lions finished first in their conference in three consecutive seasons from 1952-54). Minnesota can win the NFC North for the second time in three seasons (2022) and tie a franchise record with 15 wins (15-1 in 1998).
NFC South: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7) enter Week 18 with a one game lead over the Atlanta Falcons (8-8) in the race for the NFC South division title and the final NFC playoff spot. Tampa Bay can win the NFC South for the fourth-consecutive season with a victory against New Orleans on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX), while Atlanta needs a win against Carolina (1 p.m. ET CBS) and a Buccaneers loss for their first division title since 2016 and first playoff berth since 2017.
AFC entering Week 18: The Kansas City Chiefs (15-1, AFC West, No. 1 seed), Buffalo Bills (13-3, AFC East, No. 2 seed), Houston Texans (9-7, AFC South, No. 4 seed), Baltimore Ravens (11-5), Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) and Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) have secured their spots in the AFC playoffs.
AFC North: A Saturday doubleheader on ESPN/ABC will decide the AFC North as Baltimore hosts Cleveland (4:30 p.m. ET) and Pittsburgh hosts Cincinnati (8 p.m.). The Ravens, with a win, will clinch consecutive division titles for the third time ever (2011-12 and 2018-19) while the Steelers, with a win and a Baltimore loss, can be division champions for the first time since 2020.
Final AFC playoff spot: Three teams – the Denver Broncos (9-7), Cincinnati Bengals (8-8) and Miami Dolphins (8-8) – are alive for the final AFC playoff spot.
Denver (vs. Kansas City, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS) needs a win or tie, or losses by both Cincinnati and Miami to secure their first 10-win season and playoff berth since 2015.
Miami (at the New York Jets, 4:25 pm. ET, FOX) needs a win and a Denver loss to clinch a third-consecutive playoff berth.
Cincinnati (at Pittsburgh on Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC) needs a win and losses by both Denver and Miami to clinch a playoff spot for the third time in the past four seasons.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TOP 25 ROUNDUP: WVU SINKS NO. 7 KANSAS ON LATE FREE THROW
Javon Small hit a go-ahead free throw with 1.8 seconds left as West Virginia recovered after blowing an 18-point lead to clip No. 7 Kansas 62-61 on Tuesday in Lawrence, Kan.
Small had nine of his 13 points in the second half and finished with 11 rebounds and six assists for the Mountaineers (10-2, 1-0 Big 12), who notched their first win at Allen Fieldhouse in 12 visits. Eduardo Andre scored 15 points and Jonathan Powell chipped in 11 for West Virginia.
Zeke Mayo led the Jayhawks (9-3, 0-1) with a season-high 27 points, his third straight game with at least 25. Hunter Dickinson recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Kansas trailed 38-20 early in the second half before pulling even at 61 on Mayo’s three-point play with 15 seconds left.
On the Mountaineers’ ensuing possession, Small drew a shooting foul on Flory Bidunga and converted the second of two free throws for the win.
No. 1 Tennessee 67, Norfolk State 52
Chaz Lanier scored 24 points and the Volunteers never trailed in a win over the Spartans in Knoxville, Tenn.
Lanier made 8 of 18 attempts from the field and shot 6 of 16 from 3-point range while Zakai Zeigler added 10 points and led Tennessee (13-0) with six assists. Jordan Gainey and Cade Phillips finished with 10 points apiece for the Volunteers.
Christian Ings led Norfolk State (9-7) with 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting, and backcourt mate Brian Moore Jr. added 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting. No other Spartan scored more than seven points as the Volunteers’ defense held the visitors below 30 points in both halves.
No. 4 Duke 88, Virginia Tech 65
Cooper Flagg scored 14 of his 24 points in the first half as the Blue Devils took care of business in a victory against the Hokies in Durham, N.C.
Tyrese Proctor and Kon Knueppel each had 13 points, Isaiah Evans notched 12 points and Sion James and Mason Gillis finished with 10 points apiece as the Blue Devils (11-2, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their seventh game in a row. James also collected 11 rebounds.
Tobi Lawal had 19 points, with 15 in the second half, for Virginia Tech (5-8, 0-2), which has lost two games in a row. Patrick Wessler had 10 points off the bench.
No. 8 Marquette 78, Providence 50
Kam Jones posted an 18-point, 10-assist double-double to lead four double-digit scorers for the visiting Golden Eagles on the way to a blowout win over the Friars.
Jones scored 14 of his points in the first half as Marquette (12-2, 3-0 Big East) used a 21-0 run to build a 27-point halftime lead. Stevie Mitchell (14 points, five steals), David Joplin (11 points, six rebounds) and Zaide Lowery (11 points, three 3-pointers) also played key roles in the Golden Eagles’ rout.
Wesley Cardet Jr. had a team-high 11 points while Jayden Pierre had nine to go along with six assists for Providence (7-7, 1-2), which had won its previous five home games in the head-to-head series.
No. 10 Kentucky 88, Brown 54
Andrew Carr scored 14 points in the first half and finished with three steals to help the Wildcats roll to an easy victory over the Bears in Lexington, Ky.
Otega Oweh had 13 points and four steals, Amari Williams recorded 13 points and three blocked shots and Koby Brea also had 13 points as Kentucky (11-2) bounced back from an 85-65 loss to Ohio State on Dec. 21.
Kino Lilly Jr. scored 16 points and Landon Lewis added 15 points and six rebounds for Brown (7-5), which committed 23 turnovers.
No. 25 Baylor 81, Utah 56
V.J. Edgecombe scored 19 points to lead the Bears to a rout of the Utes in Waco, Texas.
Norchad Omier contributed 15 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and two steals while Jeremy Roach and Robert Wright III each scored 15 points for Baylor (9-3, 1-0 Big 12).
Hunter Erickson led Utah (8-4, 0-1) with 13 points off the bench. Mason Madsen was the only other Utes scorer in double figures, posting 10 points. The rest of the starters combined for just nine points on 3-of-25 shooting from the floor.
NBA ROUNDUP
THUNDER TOP WOLVES, PUSH WIN STREAK TO 12
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to their 12th consecutive victory, a 113-105 decision over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.
The winning streak is the Thunder’s longest since early in the 2012-13 season and ties the longest run since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City. The club’s all-time mark is a 14-game run by the 1995-96 Seattle SuperSonics.
After a slow start, Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder. Jalen Williams and Luguentz Dort each had 14 points, with Williams adding seven boards and seven assists.
Anthony Edwards scored 13 of his 20 points in the second quarter for the Timberwolves, whose three-game winning streak ended. Naz Reid produced 19 points and eight rebounds, Mike Conley scored 16 points and Julius Randle logged 11 points and six assists.
Celtics 125, Raptors 71
Jayson Tatum had 23 points and eight rebounds as Boston throttled visiting Toronto for its 10th straight win in the teams’ all-time series.
Payton Pritchard scored 19 points off the bench for the Celtics, who have not lost to the Raptors since March 2022. Derrick White (16 points), Jrue Holiday (14), Jaylen Brown (12), Sam Hauser (12) and Jordan Walsh (10) also scored in double figures for Boston, which made 22 of 43 3-point attempts (51.2 percent).
Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with 16 points and 13 rebounds but was 1-for-8 from 3-point territory. Toronto committed 21 turnovers and managed the fewest points by a team in a game this season en route to its 11th straight loss.
Cavaliers 122, Lakers 110
Jarrett Allen scored a season-high 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as Cleveland led nearly wire to wire and beat host Los Angeles for its eighth win in a row.
Donovan Mitchell added 26 points for the Cavaliers, who were playing the second game of a back-to-back set. A Cavaliers run of 17-2, beginning late in the third quarter and carrying over into the fourth, blew the game open. Mitchell hit half of his six 3-pointers during the decisive spell as the Cleveland advantage swelled to a game-high 16 points.
Los Angeles’ Austin Reaves matched his career high with 35 points and added 10 assists and nine rebounds. Anthony Davis added 28 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and two blocks as the Lakers fell after winning five of their previous six games.
Bucks 120, Pacers 112
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Milwaukee to a comeback win over Indiana in Indianapolis.
Brook Lopez added 16 points for Milwaukee, which rallied from 19 down in the second half to end a two-game skid. Khris Middleton contributed 15 points.
Bennedict Mathurin led Indiana with 25 points while Pascal Siakam added 20 points and Myles Turner logged 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Pacers have dropped three of their past four games after a five-game winning streak.
Spurs 122, Clippers 86
Victor Wembanyama scored 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 26 minutes of court time and set the tone with an explosive first quarter as San Antonio cruised past visiting Los Angeles.
The second-year French phenom scored 17 points in the first quarter, matching Los Angeles’ total as a team. The Clippers trailed by 25 points late in the first half, by 28 after three quarters and by as many as 41 in the game’s waning moments.
James Harden led the Clippers with 17 points, 13 of them coming in the first quarter. Norman Powell added 15 points, and Amir Coffey scored 14 points.
Grizzlies 117, Suns 112
Jaren Jackson Jr. paired 38 points with 12 rebounds and Desmond Bane added 31 points to lead Memphis to a win over host Phoenix.
Luke Kennard supplied 17 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Memphis. The Grizzlies opened up a 14-point halftime advantage and held on after Phoenix closed within a point in the fourth quarter.
Kevin Durant bundled 29 points, 10 rebounds and six assists to lead the Suns, who lost Bradley Beal after the first quarter due to a hip contusion. Beal was hurt when he landed awkwardly after being fouled by Jackson with 4:40 left in the opening frame. He played the rest of the quarter before being ruled out for the remainder of the contest.
NHL ROUNDUP
BLUES BLITZ BLACKHAWKS IN WINTER CLASSIC
Cam Fowler scored two goals in his 1,000th career game as the visiting St. Louis Blues routed the Blackhawks 6-2 on Tuesday in the NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Justin Faulk had a goal and two assists to boost the Blues, who improved to 3-0-0 in Winter Classic games.
Dylan Holloway and Alexandre Texier both had a goal and assist to help the Blues win for the third time in four games while sending the Blackhawks to their fifth straight defeat. Jordan Binnington stopped 28 shots for St. Louis.
Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi scored for Chicago, while Petr Mrazek made 22 saves. Chicago fell to 0-5-0 in the Winter Classic and 1-6-0 in outdoor games.
Capitals 3, Bruins 1
Washington scored twice in a first-period span of 5:06 and held on for a win over visiting Boston.
Aliaksei Protas scored two bookending goals around Jakob Chychrun’s game-winner for the Capitals. Tom Wilson dished out a pair of assists for Washington, and Logan Thompson made 26 saves en route to his third straight win.
Justin Brazeau opened the scoring with his third goal in four games while Jeremy Swayman stopped 24 shots for the Bruins, who finished 9-4-1 in December despite losing two of their last three.
Maple Leafs 3, Islanders 1
Steven Lorentz scored the go-ahead goal in the second period as Toronto defeated visiting New York.
David Kampf and John Tavares also scored for the Maple Leafs, who had lost three of their previous four games. William Nylander had two assists, and Joseph Woll stopped 30 shots.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored for the Islanders, who have lost three of four entering a home rematch against the Maple Leafs on Thursday. Ilya Sorokin made 22 saves.
Canadiens 3, Golden Knights 2
Kirby Dach scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period and Sam Montembeault made 27 saves as visiting Montreal scored three unanswered goals in its comeback victory at Las Vegas.
Cole Caufield scored his 100th career goal and Emil Heineman also scored for the Canadiens, who won their third straight game with their first multi-goal comeback win of the season.
Zach Whitecloud and Noah Hanifin scored goals for Vegas, which had a season-best six-game win streak snapped. Adin Hill finished with 19 saves for the Golden Knights, who fell to 15-4-0 at home this season.
Stars 4, Sabres 2
Jason Robertson had a goal and two assists for Dallas in a victory against visiting Buffalo.
Roope Hintz and Esa Lindell also scored, Thomas Harley added two assists and Casey DeSmith made 21 saves for the Stars, who are 3-0-1 in their past four games.
Jason Zucker and Beck Malenstyn scored for the Sabres, who had their three-game winning streak snapped. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 29 saves.
Wild 5, Predators 3
Marco Rossi had two goals and one assist as Minnesota pulled away for a win over Nashville in Saint Paul, Minn.
Mats Zuccarello and Jonas Brodin each added one goal and one assist for the Wild, who earned their third win in four games. Minnesota’s Declan Chisholm also scored, Joel Eriksson Ek logged two assists, and Filip Gustavsson stopped 43 of 46 shots.
Colton Sissons, Jonathan Marchessault and Ryan O’Reilly each scored for the Predators, who got two assists from Brady Skjei. Justus Annunen allowed five goals on 38 shots.
Blue Jackets 4, Hurricanes 3 (SO)
Adam Fantilli scored the shootout winner in the fourth round as host Columbus edged Carolina to improve to 4-1-1 in its past six games.
Kirill Marchenko scored twice, Dmitri Voronkov added a goal and an assist, and Sean Monahan had three helpers for the Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins made 32 saves for his third win in his past four starts (3-0-1).
Ty Smith, Jack Roslovic and Jesperi Kotkaniemi tallied for Carolina, which fell to 2-3-1 over its past six. Sebastian Aho had a pair of helpers, and Kochetkov stopped 25 shots.
Avalanche 5, Jets 2
Casey Mittelstadt scored the go-ahead goal in the third period as Colorado beat Winnipeg in Denver.
Artturi Lehkonen, Devon Toews, Mikko Rantanen and Ross Colton also scored, Josh Manson and Jonathan Drouin each had two assists and Mackenzie Blackwood turned away 20 shots for the Avalanche, who have won five in a row.
Gabriel Vilardi and Rasmus Kupari had goals and Eric Comrie made 33 saves for the Jets, who had their four-game winning streak snapped.
Red Wings 4, Penguins 2
J.T. Compher scored the go-ahead goal on a power play with 5:34 remaining as host Detroit topped Pittsburgh.
Detroit coach Todd McLellan, who replaced Derek Lalonde last week, recorded his 600th career victory. He improved to 2-1-0 behind the Red Wings’ bench. Compher and Jonatan Berggren each had a goal and an assist while Patrick Kane and Dylan Larkin also scored for Detroit.
Drew O’Connor notched the second multi-goal game of his career for the Penguins. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 21 shots.
Oilers 4, Utah 1
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Troy Stecher scored 20 seconds apart in the second period as Edmonton beat the visiting Utah Hockey Club.
Mattias Ekholm had a goal and an assist and Leon Draisaitl also scored as the Oilers moved to 9-1-0 in their past 10 home games. Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Connor Brown had two assists apiece, and Stuart Skinner stopped 26 shots.
Jack McBain scored for Utah, which lost its fifth straight game (0-4-1). Jaxson Stauber made 34 saves.
Ducks 3, Devils 2
Ryan Strome scored the tiebreaking goal with 3:24 remaining as Anaheim escaped with its second straight win after blowing a two-goal lead against visiting New Jersey.
Troy Terry and Robby Fabbri scored the first two goals for the Ducks, who lost the lead in a span of nearly eight minutes in the third period. Strome wound up with two points, as did teammate Frank Vatrano (two assists). Lukas Dostal made 32 saves.
Jonas Siegenthaler and Timo Meier tallied for New Jersey, which has dropped back-to-back games. Jacob Markstrom stopped 23 shots but had a personal six-game winning streak end.
Flames 3, Canucks 1
Nazem Kadri scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period and Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and an assist to lead Calgary past visiting Vancouver.
Connor Zary also scored for the Flames, who improved to 13-4-3 at home and 4-1-2 in the past seven games overall. Calgary goalie Dustin Wolf made 23 saves, hiking his home record to 10-1-1.
Brock Boeser scored and Kevin Lankinen finished with 26 saves for the Canucks, who fell to 1-2-3 in the past six games.
Flyers 4, Sharks 0
Samuel Ersson and Aleksei Kolosov combined to stop all 22 shots they faced as Philadelphia sent host San Jose to its eighth straight loss.
Ersson made 15 saves across two periods before being forced out with an undisclosed injury. Kolosov handled all seven shots he faced in the third. Nick Seeler, Ryan Poehling, Travis Konecny and Egor Zamula all scored, with Jamie Drysdale and Bobby Brink each tallying two assists. Zamula added an assist.
Alexandar Georgiev turned aside 30 of the 34 shots he faced as the Sharks slipped to 0-7-1 in the past eight games.
TOP INDIANA RELEASES/HEADLINES
COLTS FOOTBALL
COLTS RELEASE UNOFFICIAL DEPTH CHART FOR WEEK 18 GAME VS. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
OFFENSE
- WR: Michael Pittman Jr., Ashton Dulin
- LT: Bernhard Raimann, Blake Freeland
- LG: Quenton Nelson, Danny Pinter OR Tanor Bortolini
- C: Ryan Kelly, Danny Pinter OR Tanor Bortolini
- RG: Mark Glowinski, Tanor Bortolini OR Dalton Tucker
- RT: Matt Goncalves
- TE: Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree
- TE: Kylen Granson, Will Mallory
- WR: Josh Downs, Anthony Gould
- WR: Alec Pierce OR Adonai Mitchell
- QB: Anthony Richardson, Joe Flacco, Sam Ehlinger
- RB: Jonathan Taylor, Trey Sermon, Tyler Goodson
- In the Colts’ Week 17 loss to the New York Giants, Alec Pierce had six receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown for his fourth 100-yard receiving game of his career. Pierce now leads the Colts with 767 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns, and is averaging 21.9 yards per reception.
- Michael Pittman Jr. tallied a season-high nine receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown against the Giants, for his 10th 100-yard receiving game of his career.
- Jonathan Taylor had 32 carries for 125 yards and two touchdowns against the Giants.
DEFENSE
- DE: Kwity Paye, Laiatu Latu
- DT: DeForest Buckner, Taven Bryan, Adetomiwa Adebawore
- NT: Grover Stewart, Raekwon Davis
- DE: Dayo Odeyingbo, Tyquan Lewis, Isaiah Land
- WLB: E.J. Speed, Grant Stuard
- MLB: Zaire Franklin, Segun Olubi
- SAM: Jaylon Carlies, Cameron McGrone
- CB: Samuel Womack III, David Long Jr.
- FS: Julian Blackmon, Rodney Thomas II
- SS: Nick Cross, Ronnie Harrison Jr.
- N: Kenny Moore II, Chris Lammons
- CB: Jaylon Jones
- Zaire Franklin led the Colts with 14 tackles (7 solo) in the team’s loss to the Giants and set a new single-game career-high in tackles for loss with four.
- Nick Cross recorded seven tackles (two solo) against the Giants.
SPECIALISTS
- P: Rigoberto Sanchez
- PK: Matt Gay
- H: Rigoberto Sanchez
- LS: Luke Rhodes
- KR: Tyler Goodson, Anthony Gould, Ashton Dulin
- PR: Josh Downs, Anthony Gould
INDIANA PACERS
GAME REWIND: PACERS 112, BUCKS 120
For much of Tuesday afternoon’s game, the Pacers looked on their way to one more Gainbridge Fieldhouse victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in 2024. But a Bucks comeback spoiled Indiana’s New Year’s Eve plans, as Milwaukee (17-14) rallied for a 120-112 win, their first road win against Indiana (16-18) in five tries in the calendar year.
The Pacers led by 19 points midway through the third quarter, but the Bucks came charging back to tie the game and eventually take the lead with 5:17 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Bucks led 109-108 with under three minutes to play, when Giannis Antetokounmpo drove into the lane. He was met by Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin, who rose up to block his shot, but the ball deflected out into the arms of Damian Lillard in the right corner. Lillard whipped a cross-court pass to Khris Middleton, who then found Gary Trent Jr. for a three to make it a four-point game with 2:15 to play.
After Mathurin drew a foul and made both free throws on the other end, Trent hit a contested three in front of Indiana’s bench that stretched Milwaukee’s lead to 115-110 with 1:39 remaining. Antetokounmpo then sealed the outcome with a jumper with 51.2 seconds left.
Antetokounmpo, playing for the first time after missing the Bucks’ previous four games due to illness, scored 26 of his game-high 30 points in the second half. The two-time MVP went 11-for-20 from the field and 8-for-13 from the free throw line while also tallying 12 rebounds and five assists.
Six Pacers finished in double figures in the loss. Mathurin had a team-high 25 points and nine rebounds, going 10-for-17 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range. Pascal Siakam added 20 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, while Myles Turner recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards.
Both teams got strong contributions from their bench units in the opening quarter. Ben Sheppard scored five points and Obi Toppin added four during a 14-4 Indiana run that gave the hosts a 26-18 lead with a little over two minutes to play in the first quarter. But the Bucks outscored the Pacers 12-2 over the final 2:06 — with reserve guard Trent accounting for eight of those points — to take a 30-28 lead into the second quarter.
The Pacers’ second unit opened the ensuing frame on a strong note with a 7-0 run that featured a three-point play from Thomas Bryant, a layup from Jarace Walker (after he picked the pocket of Antetokounmpo), and a jumper from T.J. McConnell.
The hosts remained in front for the rest of the half, extending their lead as high as 61-48 thanks to a 13-2 run in the latter half of the quarter during which they forced four Bucks turnovers. Indiana took a 64-53 lead into the intermission.
The Pacers kept rolling after halftime, scoring on nine straight third quarter possessions during an 18-6 run that was capped by back-to-back threes from Mathurin to stretch the lead to 83-64.
But the Blue & Gold’s offense went cold at that point, as the Bucks switched to a zone defense and Indiana went scoreless over the next 4:18 of game time. Milwaukee capitalized by scoring 12 unanswered point to get back within single digits.
The Pacers finally got a few shots to fall, but the Bucks continued their charge, trimming the deficit to 91-88 following Bobby Portis’ putback layup in the closing seconds of the third quarter.
Mathurin provided a little cushion by scoring the first two baskets of the fourth quarter, but Antetokounmpo promptly reeled off six straight points for the Bucks to make it a two-point game.
Antetokounmpo eventually tied the game at 99 with a fall-away baseline jumper with 7:31 to play. The Pacers answered with jumpers on each of the next two possessions, but both times the Bucks matched them on the other end to tie the game once again.
The visitors finally took a 107-104 lead on Lillard’s 3-pointer with 5:17 remaining. They would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the night.
“Games aren’t 30 minutes long,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after the loss. “The last 18 were abysmal. We all own it. We lost our aggression, we lost everything that got us a pretty significant lead, and gave them a great opportunity to not only get back in the game, but win the game. And that’s what happened. We’re going to have to learn some hard lessons from this and get ready to bounce back.”
All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton finished with 12 points, six rebounds, and seven assists for Indiana, but went just 3-for-13 from the field. Walker added 11 points off the bench, while Andrew Nembhard scored 10.
Brook Lopez had 16 points for the Bucks, Middleton had 15 and seven assists, Trent tallied 14 off the bench while going 4-for-5 from 3-point range, and Portis recorded a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds.
The Pacers will travel to Miami to play the Heat on Thursday night in their first game in 2025 before returning to Indianapolis to host Phoenix on Saturday night.
Inside the Numbers
Tuesday’s game was the first time in December that Mathurin surpassed 20 points and his highest scoring game since he had 28 points at Toronto on Nov. 18.
Turner recorded his sixth double-double of the season and his third in his last five games.
Milwaukee’s bench outscored Indiana’s reserves 46-29. The Pacers had just three bench points in the second half.
Indiana scored 12 points off nine Milwaukee turnovers in the first half, but zero points off three Bucks giveaways in the second half.
The Pacers had issues at the free throw line, going 19-for-30 (63.3 percent) from the charity stripe. Milwaukee was 18-for-24 (75 percent) at the line.
You Can Quote Me On That
“We settled for outside shots. We didn’t attack it well. We’ve got some work to do there…We’ve got to do a better job attacking and then we weren’t defending well, either. Poor defense allows teams to score and get into zone. It was the double whammy.” -Carlisle on the Pacers’ struggles against Milwaukee’s zone defense in the second half
“I think we weren’t aggressive enough. They made some shots, maybe slowed us down a little bit, our pace. But I thought we just didn’t attack it, we didn’t get downhill, and we didn’t make open shots.” -Siakam on the struggles against the zone defense
“Us being able to move the ball, playing in transition is our biggest strength, so after free throws I think that’s the best way to take that away from us.” -Mathurin on why teams go to a zone defense against the Pacers
“We’ve been very good against zone at times…We’ve got to defend better. That was a major, major problem in this game. We had held these guys to a pretty good number in the first half and then the first six minutes of the third. It’s not just the element of attacking the zone, it’s a lot of the other parts of the game as well.” -Carlisle on the zone defense
“To me it’s never about the number of points a star player scores, it’s the final score. We did some very good things leading up to the later stages of the third quarter with him. And then he got going. He got going to the basket, he got his midrange stuff going, he was making free throws. When that starts happening, it becomes very difficult.” -Carlisle on the defense against Antetokounmpo
“Getting to the free throw line, that helps a lot. It gets you into a rhythm and everything. It’s hard. It’s a tough coverage. He made some tough shots, some tough middies.” -Siakam on what allowed Antetokounmpo to get going in the second half
“I think I’ve been good defensively. I feel like offensively my game hasn’t been the same, but I feel like I’ve been able to see it from a different way and helping my team win with more than just scoring.” -Mathurin on improving defensively over the last month
Stat of the Night
Milwaukee outscored Indiana 56-29 over the final 18:41 of Tuesday’s game and 32-21 in the fourth quarter.
Noteworthy
Toppin returned to action after missing two games last week in Boston with a sprained left ankle.
The Pacers have hosted a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on New Year’s Eve 12 of the past 15 years. They are now 8-4 in those games.
Indiana is now 7-3 on the season when wearing its 2024-25 Nike City Edition uniforms.
Up Next
The Pacers head to Miami to take on Bam Adebayo and the Heat on Thursday, Jan. 2 at 7:30 PM ET.
INDY FUEL
FUEL RING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH VICTORY
KALAMAZOO- The Fuel headed to Kalamazoo for an evening New Year’s Eve game against the K-Wings. After being tied for two periods, the Fuel closed the game out in the third and took a 3-2 win.
1ST PERIOD
The first half of the first period went quickly as Indy racked up shots but neither team scored.
At 13:20 Joseph Arntsen took a high sticking penalty which resulted in a power play for the Fuel. Colin Bilek, who returned to the lineup tonight, capitalized for Indy and scored with the help of Ryan Gagnier and Bryan Lemos to make it 1-0.
Indy’s Bennett Stockdale took a delay of game penalty at 15:21, giving Kalamazoo their first power play chance of the game.
While the K-Wings did not score on the power play, at 18:21, Zach Okabe scored to tie the game 1-1.
At the end of the first period, the Fuel were outshooting the K-Wings 11-5.
2ND PERIOD
The first half of the second period was a lot like the first, with no goals or penalties. Instead, this time it was Kalamazoo who collected nine shots before the Fuel tallied one in the second frame.
At 11:00, Arntsen scored to give the K-Wings their first lead of the game, 2-1.
Cam Hausinger, who leads the Fuel in scoring, tied the game up at 2-2 with a goal at 14:51. Kevin Lombardi claimed the lone assist on that goal.
At 17:23, Ben Berard took a holding penalty to give the Fuel a power play chance but at 19:46, Darby Llewellyn took a tripping penalty to even it out.
Time expired without another score and the Fuel were outshooting the K-Wings 20-16.
3RD PERIOD
Again, the first half of the period went by quickly without much excitement.
Kevin Lombardi broke the tie with the help of Nathan Burke and Thomas Farrell at 8:24.
With about a minute to go, the K-Wings pulled their goaltender in favor of the extra skater. Despite putting pressure on, they could not score to tie the game again.
In the final game of 2024, the Fuel took a 3-2 win.
INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
INDIANA BASKETBALL GAME NOTES – GAME 14 VS. RUTGERS
Opening Tip
• Indiana University returns to Big Ten Conference play in its 125th season of competition in men’s basketball against Rutgers on Thursday, Jan. 2, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The game will be streamed on Peacock with Noah Eagle (pxp), Robbie Hummel (analyst), and Caroline Pineda (sideline) on the call.
• The Scarlet Knights enter the game with a record of 8-5 (1-1 Big Ten) under ninth-year head coach Steve Pikiell. Rutgers is led by two of the top freshmen in the country in guard Dylan Harper and forward Ace Bailey, both are projected lottery picks in the 2025 NBA Draft. Harper averages 22.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per contest, while Bailey adds 18.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per outing.
Game Information
Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 • 8:30 p.m. ET
Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) • Bloomington, Ind.
TV: Peacock (Noah Eagle, Robbie Hummel, Caroline Pineda)
Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)
Series History: Indiana trails, 9-8
Last Meeting: RUT 66, IU 57 on Jan. 9, 2024, in Piscataway
Series History
• The Scarlet Knights hold a slight 9-8 series lead over the 17 games played on the hardwood. The Hoosiers hold a record of 4-2 in games played at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
• Indiana, behind a dominant effort from All-American forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, took down No. 24 Rutgers by a score of 66-60 on Feb. 7, 2023, the last time the sides met in Bloomington. TJD finished the game with 20 points, 18 rebounds, and six assists.
Last Time Out
• Senior center Langdon Hatton enjoyed his breakout moment of the season with seven points, 11 rebounds, and three blocked shots in 26 minutes off the Hoosier bench in a 77-68 victory over Winthrop on Sunday, Dec. 29, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
• Redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice led all scorers with 18 points. Junior forward Malik Reneau posted 14 points and seven rebounds and fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway contributed 11 points and five assists.
• The Hoosier defense held the Eagles to 20 free throw attempts, 12 fewer than the program’s average over the first 14 games of the season. Indiana also forced Winthrop into a cold shooting night from the floor (37.5%) and from the 3-point line (26.1%).
Reneau for Two
• Junior forward Malik Reneau is averaging a team-best 15.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. The Miami, Fla., native is shooting 60.0% (75-of-125) from the floor and 73.7% (42-of-57) from the free throw line in 26.2 minutes per game.
• He is one of five high-major players (Adou Thiero, Arkansas; Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton; Chance McMillian, Texas Tech; Norchad Omier, Baylor) to average at least 15.0 points per game while shooting 60.0% from the floor and 70.0% from the charity stripe.
• Reneau has tallied 15-plus points 26 times in his career, including seven games this season, and topped the 20-point threshold nine times. IU holds a record of 18-8 in games Reneau scores at least 15 points throughout his career.
The Leal Deal
• Fifth-year senior guard Anthony Leal was a team-best + 39 in Indiana’s 97-71 victory over Sam Houston on Dec. 3 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. He added four points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals in the win.
• Leal, the 2020 Mr. Basketball, is a Kelley School of Business graduate is in the midst of earning his MBA from the school. He has launched MotionSports, a fully-integrated, single platform solution — all in a mobile-native, NIL-native experience.
• The name MotionSports pays homage to legendary Indiana men’s basketball head coach Bob Knight and his successes running the motion offense in Bloomington.
Going the Extra Myles
• Over his last four games, redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice is averaging 14.5 points on 60.0% (24-of-40) shooting from the floor to pair with 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest. He has scored 17-plus points in three of the four games.
• The Washington State transfer was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma on Sept. 12, 2022. After undergoing chemotherapy for five hours a session twice a month for six months, Rice learned his cancer was in remission on June 1, 2023.
Tucker’s Impact Off the Bench
• Freshman wing Bryson Tucker scored a season-best 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor in Indiana’s 82-67 win over Minnesota (Dec. 9). He also collected six rebounds and posted a team-best +15 in 20 minutes of run.
• The 2024 McDonald’s All-American leads the Hoosiers in points (6.7 per game) and rebounds (3.6) off the bench. He has scored 8+ points in six games this season, all resulting in Indiana wins.
• Tucker ranks among the top 10 in Big Ten rookies off the bench in rebounding (3.6 per game, 4th), scoring (6.7 per game, 7th), and total steals (6, 9th).
PURDUE WRESTLING
#25 PURDUE OPENS 2025 WITH ROAD DUAL AT KENT STATE
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – No. 25 Purdue Wrestling will travel east for one more non-conference road dual at Kent State on Friday.
The 10-match dual will start at 6 p.m. ET at Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center in Kent, Ohio. A live stream will be available on a channel to be announced by Kent State in the coming days.
After six non-conference duals and two tournaments, the Kent State bout marks Purdue’s final trip before making its season debut at home in Holloway Gymnasium. The team will open Big Ten Conference season when it hosts Northwestern on Friday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m. ET.
Purdue (5-1, 0-0 B1G) has squared off with the Golden Flashes nine times before, and the Boilers hold a 6-3 advantage in the all-time series.
The series dates back almost 100 years, when Purdue first beat Kent State 22-6 on Feb. 28, 1930. That was also the last time the Boilermakers competed in a dual in Kent.
Kent State edged Purdue in the most recent meeting, 17-15 in Ashland, Ohio, on Jan. 15, 2011.
The Golden Flashes enter the dual with a 1-7 record. They regularly compete in the MAC, in which they went 1-8 last season.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
10 – Matt Ramos leads the nation with an astounding 10 technical falls this season. He earned another one his last time out, beating Cleveland State’s Ben Aranda 17-1 (6:12).
7 – Joey Blaze climbed to the No. 7 spot at 157 pounds in the latest InterMat rankings, the highest ranking of the sophomore’s career.
2:06 – Brody Baumann sprinted to Purdue’s fastest technical fall of the season at Cleveland State, beating Gavin Ricketts 19-3 in just 2:06. The redshirt sophomore from Evansville, Ind., has scored 19 or more points five times in just 14 matches.
5 – Stoney Buell leads the team with five major decisions this season, tied for the fifth-most nationally.
RANKINGS REVIEW
Entering the new year, the Boilermakers have a season-high seven wrestlers listed in the latest InterMat rankings.
Matt Ramos maintained his spot at the top of the 125-pound division. He has owned the consensus No. 1 ranking since winning the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational crown on Dec. 7.
Joey Blaze continued to climb up the 157-pound class with a career-best ranking of No. 7 this week. James Rowley is the next-highest ranked Boilermaker, checking in at No. 21 (184 lbs).
No. 26 Brody Baumann and No. 31 Stoney Buell have each been ranked every week so far through the 2024-25 season.
No. 33 Greyson Clark earned his way back to the rankings after a commanding 18-3 tech fall victory at Cleveland State, beating his opponent in just 3:45.
For the first time since competing at 184 lbs in 2022, Ben Vanadia appeared in the national rankings at No. 32. The 197-pounder has won four of his last five matches, most recently notching a 17-1 tech fall (5:38) at Cleveland State.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
Purdue
125 | #1 Matt Ramos / Isaiah Quintero
133 | Dustin Norris
141 | #33 Greyson Clark
149 | Isaac Ruble / Wyatt Krejsa
157 | #7 Joey Blaze / Kade Law
165 | #31 Stoney Buell
174 | #26 Brody Baumann / Orlando Cruz
184 | #21 James Rowley / Quinn Herbert
197 | #32 Ben Vanadia
285 | Hayden Filipovich
Kent State
125 | Nico Calello
133 | Adan Benavidez
141 | Jordan Decatur
149 | Billy Meiszner
157 | Dominic Paterra
165 | Carson Miller
174 | Hunter Andel
184 | Trent Thomas
197 | Blake Schaffer / Corey Boerio
285 | Brentan Simmerman
PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PURDUE TRAVELS TO #21 MICHIGAN STATE FOR NEW YEAR’S DAY
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women’s basketball team will open 2025 on New Year’s Day with a 2 p.m. tip in East Lansing at No. 21 Michigan State. B1G+ will have the stream of the game.
Tim Newton will be on the call for the Purdue Global Radio Network on 95.3 BOB FM and Purdue Stretch Internet.
GAME INFORMATION
Purdue (7-6, 0-2) vs. No. 21/19 Michigan State (11-2, 1-1)
Wednesday, Jan. 1
Time: 2 PM
TV/Stream: B1G+
Radio: 95.3 BOB FM
Audio: Purdue Stretch Internet
Live Stats: Purduestats.com
LAST TIME OUT
Purdue dropped an 84-63 decision on the road at No. 24 Iowa on Sunday afternoon. Destini Lombard led the way with 12 points and six steals against the Hawkeyes. The Boilermakers shot 41% overall and connected on a season-high nine 3-pointers. Purdue cut Iowa’s lead to five and eight points in the second and third quarters, respectively, but the Hawkeyes used a 54% shooting clip to pull away.
NOTES
• Purdue leads the all-time series with Michigan State 44-39. It will be the second New Year’s Day matchup between the two ball clubs.
• The Boilermakers have the second hardest NET strength of schedule at 19 in the nation, behind USC’s 15.
• Destini Lombard’s six steals against Iowa were the most by a Boilermaker since Jeanae Terry had eight against Penn State during the 2022-23 season.
• Reagan Bass is 44 points shy of reaching the 1,500-point mark for her career.
• The Boilermakers are playing on New Year’s Day for the fifth time and their first time playing away from Mackey Arena on January 1. Purdue is 2-2 in its previous New Year’s Day games.
• The month of January will see the Boilermakers take on seven teams in the top 40 of the NET.
• Purdue will play on the road for the third time in the last four games, after not playing a true road contest for the first 10 games of the year.
• After a career-high six steals against Iowa, Destini Lombard is up to 36 swipes on the season. She leads the Big Ten and ranks 25th nationally. Her 2.77 steals per game also sit atop the league and are 29th in the country.
• Jordyn Poole made an impact off the bench at Iowa on Sunday. In just her third career game, Poole tallied a career-high seven points and three assists. Her plus-minus of 15 in 11 minutes was the team high.
• Purdue has found its touch from behind the arc in its two road games this season, making 17 3-pointers at a 51.5% clip.
• Purdue has recorded 10 or more steals in six games, including each of the last three games and are 7-2 when opponents turn it over 15 or more times.
• Reagan Bass was the lone player from the Big Ten to record two double-doubles in the week prior to the holiday break. Bass finished the week with 12.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 blocks per game in wins over Miami and Indiana State.
• Bass tops the team and ranks 10th in the Big Ten with 18 blocked shots on the year. The senior has rejected a pair of shots in each of her team-high four double-doubles this year.
• Purdue has found its touch from behind the arc in its two road games this season, making 17 3-pointers at a 51.5% clip.
• Rashunda Jones has been the top sub off the bench for Purdue with 10.5 points per game in conference action. The sophomore with 8.4 points and 3.2 assists in 21.1 minutes per game off the bench, while shooting 49.1% from the field.
• Three Boilermakers have made 18 or more 3-pointers this season, tying Michigan and Washington for the most in the Big Ten. Destini Lombard has led the way with 22 makes, while Sophie Swanson and Ella Collier have connected 18 times.
• In her fifth year, Collier has made 267 3-pointers in 120 games. She has made multiple triples 77 times.
• Lana McCarthy is one of 11 freshmen nationally, and the only one from the Big Ten, to average 7.5 points (7.7) and 5.5 rebounds (5.8) per game, while shooting 50% or better (51.1%).
• Purdue is the only team in the nation that will face four teams in the top six of the preseason Top-25.
BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
BULLDOGS TO FACE BLUEJAYS ON NEW YEAR’S DAY
Butler and Creighton will go head-to-head on New Year’s Day with the Bluejays hosting the action at D.J. Sokol Arena. Each team heads into the matchup with 10 overall wins. The Bluejays will look to remain undefeated in conference action while the Bulldogs aim to capture their first BIG EAST win.
Game Day
Date: Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Time: 3:00 PM ET / 2:00 PM CT
Location: Omaha, Neb. – D.J. Sokol Arena
Live Stats: GoCreighton.com
Watch: FloSports.com – BEDN
Bulldog Bits
– Riley Makalusky led Butler in scoring for the first time this season with 11 points against Seton Hall.
– Makalusky has led BU in scoring four times in her BU career.
– Makalusky set new career-high totals at the free throw line making nine of her 10 attempts.
– The Bulldogs lead the league in free throw attempts (20.4) and free throws made (13.7) per game.
– Sydney Jaynes jumped into the starting lineup for Butler against Seton Hall.
– Jaynes was inserted into the starting five for the first time since Jan. 13, 2024 (vs. Villanova).
– Kilyn McGuff leads the BIG EAST and ranks 29th in the nation in double-doubles (5).
– McGuff leads the team and ranks fifth in the conference in rebounds per game (7.4).
– BU is third in the league in rebound margin (+3.1)
– McGuff needs four more steals to reach 100 in her career; she is six free throws shy of 200.
– Lily Carmody ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in steals.
– Ari Wiggins has been great from 3-point range this year making 66% of her attempts (10-15).
– Cristen Carter ranks sixth in the league in blocked shots (16) and is ninth in blocks per game (1.0).
– Karsyn Norman ranks fifth in the conference in assist to turnover ratio.
– Norman tied her career-high 3-point total against Seton Hall, making three against the Pirates.
– Norman also had a three 3-pointer game at St. John’s last year.
– Butler leads the BIG EAST in bench points per game (26.7).
– Butler’s bench was responsible for 30 of the team’s 65 points in the last meeting vs. Creighton.
– CU won by 36 the last time BU played at DJ Sokol.
BIG EAST Standings
UConn 2-0, 11-2
Creighton 2-0, 10-3
Seton Hall 2-0, 10-3
Marquette 1-0, 9-3
Villanova 1-0, 7-6
Georgetown 1-1, 8-5
DePaul 1-1, 6-9
St. John’s 0-2, 10-3
Butler 0-2, 10-5
Providence 0-2, 7-8
Xavier 0-2, 5-8
Scouting Creighton
The Bluejays are 10-3 overall with a 2-0 mark in the BIG EAST. They opened conference play with a convincing 82-54 win at Xavier on Dec. 4 and recently went to Queens to hand St. John’s a 75-56 setback. At the start of the year, CU lost their opener at South Dakota State 76-71 and would fall at #10 Kansas State 86-68. They bounced back with an 80-74 win at home against #21 Nebraska and that victory would spark an eight-game winning streak that ended with a loss against #1 UCLA on Dec. 20. Head Coach Jim Flanery has an experienced roster in 2024-25 and it shows up in the stats. CU leads the league in free throw percentage and 3-point field goal percentage while ranking second to UConn in field goal percentage. They don’t turn the ball over (just 11 turnovers per game) and have two of the top five scorers in the conference (Lauren Jensen and Morgan Maly).
All-Time Series
Creighton holds a 16-8 lead over Butler in the all-time series. The Bluejays have won seven-straight to increase their advantage. Butler’s last win came on Feb. 21, 2020. They won 76-61 at Hinkle. It was a season series sweep in 2019-20 as Butler also won at D.J. Sokol that year 73-67.
Last Game vs. Creighton
Creighton topped Butler by 10 the last time these two teams met at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler led by four at the half, but CU would outscore BU 26-13 in the third to take control of the action. Five Bulldogs scored in double figures that day. Sydney Jaynes led the way with 15 and Riley Makalusky chipped in with 11. Lauren Jensen hit three 3-pointers to end the game with 19 points and Morgan Maly had 10 points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal.
18 3-Pointers
The Bulldogs set a single-game program record against Saint Francis by hitting 18 3-pointers. Eight different players made at least one 3-pointer and no Bulldog made more than four. As a team, BU shot 56.3 percent from behind the arc, making 18 of their 32 attempts. The old record of 16 was reached two times previously. BU hit 16 3-pointers at Georgetown on Jan. 11, 2014 and the 2023-24 team matched that effort with 16 against St. Thomas in game two of the Tiger Turkey Tip-Off.
Happy New Year
This is only the second time in program history for Butler to play on New Year’s Day. The only other time was a win at Providence on Jan, 1, 2014. The Bulldogs edged the Friars 68-65.
NET Rankings
The Bluejays are not receiving votes in the national poll, but are well represented in the NET Rankings landing at 31. The setback to Seton Hall pushed the Bulldogs back to 108.
Balanced Scoring
Six different Bulldogs have led team in scoring this season. Caroline Strande leads the team in this category having led the team in the scoring column six times. Strande is also responsible for three of the team’s six 20+ point scoring performances. She had 26 against UMass Lowell, 23 vs. Boise State and 22 vs. Vanderbilt. The only other ‘Dawgs to top 20 points this year are Kilyn McGuff (22 vs. Boise State) and Lily Carmody (20 at Milwaukee).
Strande Sidelined
Caroline Strande left the Wisconsin game due to injury on Dec. 11 and remained sidelined against Saint Francis and DePaul. She suited up in the BIG EAST home opener vs. Seton Hall, but didn’t play until the start of the second quarter. Strande played just over 10 minutes before leaving the court with another injury. There is no timetable for her return.
Schedule Swap
Three of Butler’s first four BIG EAST games this year were scheduled on the road, but after their FS1 game at Marquette on Jan. 4, the Bulldogs will host four of their next five opponents at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The only road game during that stretch is a short drive over to Cincinnati to play Xavier.
Point Guard Play
Karsyn Norman and Ari Wiggins have been great setting up the Bulldog offense this year. Norman has 47 assists to just 23 turnovers and Wiggins has 32 assists and 17 turnovers. Wiggins has not had multiple turnovers in a game since Nov. 30 and Norman has had more assists than turnovers in 11 games this season.
Fantastic Freshmen
The Bulldogs have received a lift from their freshmen class. Lily Zeinstra averages nearly 20 minutes of playing time per game and has started in three-straight games. She had a career-high 17 points in her first start and has made at least one field goal in every game this year. Lily Carmody also averages 20 minutes of playing time for BU and is shooting 42 percent from the field this year. Carmody has scored in double figures five times this year and led BU in scoring at DePaul with 12 points. Jocelyn Land provides BU with a spark off the bench. She averages 10 minutes per game and showed off her shooting skills with nine points vs. Chicago State, eight vs. Wisconsin and hit a couple 3-pointers in the win vs. Saint Francis.
10 Wins
The Bulldogs reached 10 non-conference wins before the start of BIG EAST play for just the second time since joining conference. Butler went 6-2 in November and highlighted that stretch of action with a 56-46 home win over Indiana. The victory came in front of a record-setting crowd of 4,135 fans.
Up Next
Butler will be in Milwaukee this Saturday to face Marquette at 4 p.m. Eastern, 3 p.m. Central. The game will be televised on FS1.
BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL
BUTLER BEGINS 2025 BY HOSTING VILLANOVA FOR NEW YEAR’S DAY TIP AT HINKLE
Butler rings in the New Year Wednesday, hosting Villanova at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler is 6-5 against Villanova in games played at Hinkle Fieldhouse, including winning four of the last five contests.
Butler (7-6, 0-2 BIG EAST) vs. Villanova (8-5, 1-1)
Wednesday, Jan. 1 • 6:30PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse • Indianapolis, Ind.
FOLLOW ALONG:
TV: FS1 • Jeff Levering & LaPhonso Ellis
Audio: Varsity Network App, SiriusXM 387, XM App 977 & TuneIn • @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
ITEMS OF NOTE:
• In two games against Villanova last season, Jahmyl Telfort averaged 20.5 points and 9.0 rebounds. He shot 56 percent from the field, including 6-for-11 from three-point range.
• The Bulldogs’ current five-game losing streak coincides with a five-game stretch that included four Top 25 opponents (Houston, Wisconsin, Marquette, Connecticut).
• The Bulldogs went 23-for-28 from the free throw line in the team’s most recent outing, a 78-74 loss to UConn Dec. 21.
• The Bulldogs rank 14th nationally in free throws made per game (19.0) and 26th nationally in attempts per game (24.8).
• Butler ranks 42nd nationally in free throw shooting at 76.7 percent.
• Telfort leads the BIG EAST in both free throws made (59) and is second in free throws attempted (73) despite not going to the line in the game against UConn. Telfort is seventh in the BIG EAST in free throw accuracy at 80.8 percent; teammate Pierre Brooks II is sixth at 82.0 percent.
• Andre Screen had the best game of his Butler career in the Dec. 21 loss to UConn. Screen’s 17 points and 10 rebounds were his respective highs in a Butler uniform (his career-highs came while at Bucknell).
• The double-double was his first in a Butler uniform, while Screen also matched his career-high with four blocks and set a new career-best with nine made free throws (going a perfect 9-for-9).
• Screen is sixth in the BIG EAST at 1.6 blocks per game, while his 6.2 rebounds per game rank ninth.
• At 39.1 percent, the Bulldogs rank 23rd nationally in three-point percentage.
• Patrick McCaffery’s 46.6-percent accuracy from three-point range is 19th nationally. He has hit multiple three-pointers in 10 of the team’s games, including five twice.
• Telfort’s seven assists against UConn tied for the most handed out by a Butler player this season.
• Kolby King pulled down eight rebounds against UConn; he has six or more rebounds in six of Butler’s last eight games. The 6-2 guard ranks second on the team in rebounding at 5.1 per game.
• Telfort leads the BIG EAST in minutes played at 34:59 per game; McCaffery (fourth) and Brooks (eighth) are also among the conference leaders.
• UConn hit 11 of 24 attempts from three-point range (45.8 percent) in the win over the Bulldogs; entering the game, Butler had allowed opponents to hit only 29 percent of their attempts, which included a combined mark of 12-for-55 over the previous two games (21.8 percent).
• Despite committing only 12.2 turnovers per game, Butler ranks 348th nationally in turnover margin (-4.5 per game) due to forcing opponents into only 7.7 per game (which is 352nd nationally).
• Down 16 against UConn early in the game, Butler clawed all the way back to tie the game before falling. Butler’s Dec. 10 loss to North Dakota State also included the Bulldogs fully overcoming a 23-point deficit.
• The Bulldogs defeated Northwestern and No. 25 Mississippi State in taking the Arizona Tip-Off title over Thanksgiving.
Volumes on Villanova
• Villanova ranks among the Top 10 nationally with a 40.6-percent mark from three-point range, averaging 10.5 makes per game. The Wildcats also shoot 80 percent from the free throw line, which is among the Top 15 nationally.
• Eric Dixon leads the nation in scoring at 25.8 points per game; he is shooting 50 percent from three-point range (eighth nationally), making more than three per game.
• Of Villanova’s eight players averaging 10 or more minutes per game, Dixon and Jordan Longino are the only two who were on the Wildcats’ roster a season ago. Villanova is relying heavily on transfers Jhamir Brickus (La Salle), Wooga Poplar (Miami), Tyler Perkins (Penn), and Enoch Boakye (Fresno State).
• Villanova’s 8-5 record includes a 1-4 mark in games played on the road or on a neutral court.
The Series with Nova
• The Bulldogs and Villanova first met in the 1996 Puerto Rico Shootout; the other 23 meetings in the series have come since Butler joined the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season.
• Butler is 6-5 against Villanova in games played at Hinkle Fieldhouse, which includes two victories over the Wildcats when they were ranked No. 1 in the national polls (Jan. 4, 2017 and Dec. 30, 2017).
Series: Villanova Leads, 17-7
Streak: Villanova, W1
At Hinkle: Butler Leads, 6-5
First Meeting: Nov. 30, 1996; VU, 62-54 (Puerto Rico Shootout)
Last Meeting: Feb. 20, 2024; VU, 72-62 (at VU)
INDIANA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL
MEN’S HOOPS TIPS OFF 2025 RESUMING MVC PLAY VERSUS BRADLEY
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State men’s basketball tips off the new year resuming Missouri Valley play versus Bradley on January 1. The game tips off on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
This will be the 102nd meeting between Indiana State and Bradley. The Sycamores got the better of the Braves last season, winning aty Bradley on December 2, 85-77, and at home on January 27, 95-86, in double overtime. However, Bradley owns the series leading 57-44 over Indiana State, despite the Sycamores having a winning record in Terre Haute, 30-19.
The last time on the court for the Sycamores snapped a five-game win streak, falling at Ohio State, 103-83. Indiana State trailed only five at the halftime break, but a quick second-half scoring run increased the Buckeyes’ lead and the Sycamores could never close within 10. Jaden Daughtry led the way offensively for Indiana State with 25 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the floor and 11-for-15 from the free throw line in 20:15 minutes on the court. He pulled down five rebounds, three on the offensive glass. Samage Teel scored 19 points, going 5-for-9 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the line, also tying for the game high in assists with five. Camp Wagner recorded 13 points knocking in three three-pointers and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. K’mani Doughty in 15 minutes of play finished perfect with 10 points: 3-for-3 from the floor, 2-for-2 from three, and 2-of-2 from the line. Josiah LeGree finished with a team-high six rebounds.
For Bradley, they hosted Valparaiso on December 29 and won in double overtime, 81-75. The Braves shot only 40.0% from the game despite entering the game shooting better than 50.0% as a team. Darius Hannah scored 21 on 8-for-13 shooting in 25 minutes. Duke Deen finished with 20 on 5-for-14 in 41 minutes. Zek Montgomery scored 19 points going 8-for-19 in 42 minutes. Those three combined for 60 of the teams’s 81 points.
In the last five games for Indiana State, Samage Teel is averaging 20.6 points per game on 69.1% from the floor and 51.9% from deep. Jaden Daughtry is scoring 13.8 points per game on 66.7% shooting in only 19.7 minutes on the court, while Markus Harding is scoring 10.0 points per game on 62.1% from the field. Harding has played in only four of the last five games. Josiah LeGree is leading the team in assists in the span with 4.6 assists per game, while Harding is leading in rebounds per game with 5.2.
Following Wednesday’s game, Indiana State hits the road on Saturday, January 4 to play Evansville at 2 p.m. ET.
Game Promotions
Wear your Royal Blue! Sycamore Basketball is kicking off the new year with a Royal Blue Out on January 1.
Upper Level tickets are BOGO free for walk-up purchases. The Ticket Office opens at 5 p.m. ET on January 1, and the doors for the game open at 6 p.m. ET.
EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
UE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TAKES FIRST MVC ROAD TRIP
PEORIA, Ill. — The University of Evansville women’s basketball team hits the road to begin the new year.
The Purple Aces opened Missouri Valley Conference play on Sunday afternoon with the first day of the game among all 12 teams. UE fell to the reigning MVC Champions Drake in a 76-54 final at the Ford Center in Evansville’s second straight game at the downtown arena. The Aces had their best game forcing turnovers against a Division I opponent on Sunday. UE had 12 steals in 40 minutes during the Valley opener while forcing a total of 20 turnovers from Drake for the Bulldogs second-highest turnover game of the season.
Evansville will have its first road game and series in Valley play at the end of the week. The Aces begin the time away from the River City with a stop in Peoria on Thursday night for a 6 p.m. game with Bradley. UE then heads to Normal for a Saturday afternoon match up with Illinois State at 4 p.m. where they’ll play against former Evansville forward Nevaeh Thomas.
The Bradley Braves enter Thursday’s game after a close loss to Belmont on Sunday afternoon. The Braves made a 17-point comeback in the final 14 minutes but it wouldn’t be quite enough to overcome the Bruins in the 69-61 loss. Bradley is led by senior guard Soleil Barnes who transferred to the Braves after spending three years with the Toledo Rockets. Barnes is the only player on Bradley’s roster averaging double figures with 15.1 points a game.
The Illinois State Redbirds enter the weekend with a 6-6 overall record after dropping their first conference game to Murray State. Despite leading at the end of the first half and most of the third quarter Illinois State couldn’t hang on against the red hot Murray State Racers in the 91-80 defeat. The Redbirds will take on Indiana State before playing the Aces on Saturday afternoon. Illinois State has a quartet of double digit scorers in sophomore guard Shannon Dowell (15.5), graduate guard Elyce Knudsen (13.9), sophomore forward Nevaeh Thomas (13.0), and redshirt junior forward Addison Martin (10.4).
Senior guard Júlia Palomo continued to set career numbers in UE’s return to the court. After having a career-high game behind the arc to close out non-conference play, Palomo set a defensive high to open Valley action. Palomo led Evansville under the glass with seven rebounds against Drake, the MVC leaders on the defensive side of the ball.
EVANSVILLE MEN’S BASKETBALL
UE TRAVELS TO SIU ON NEW YEAR’S DAY
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – On New Year’s Day, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team travels to Carbondale, Ill. to take on Southern Illinois in a 1 p.m. game at the Banterra Center. ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network will have the broadcast.
Last Time Out
– Evansville put together its top defensive performance of the year, holding Missouri State to just 40 points on 25.9% shooting in a 17-point win on Dec. 29
– Four Purple Aces reached double figures with Cam Haffner finishing with 13
– Josh Hughes added 11 points, 9 boards, and 4 steals in the winning effort while Tayshawn Comer and Tanner Cuff added 11 and 10 points, respectively
Back to Form
– In three games leading to the Dec. 29 win over Missouri State, Cam Haffner averaged just 4.3 points per game
– That all changed versus the Bears as he scored a game-high 13 points to improve his season average to 12.8 PPG, which is 2nd on the team and 16th in the MVC
– In four games between Nov. 22 and Dec. 7, Haffner averaged 19 points and 7 rebounds
Clutch Performance
– In the Dec. 29 win over Missouri State, Josh Hughes reached double figures for the first time since Nov. 24 totaling 11 points while tying his career mark with 9 boards and picking up his top tally of 4 steals
– Entering the game, Hughes was mired in a 1-for-19 slump from 3-point range but rebounded to go 3-for-7 from outside
– Averaging 1.08 blocks per game, Hughes is 7th in the league
Top Rebounder
– With eight rebounds in the win over Missouri State, Tanner Cuff improved his season average to 6.5 per game, which paces the team and is 8th in the MVC
– Cuff added 10 points in the win to improve his season mark to 8.7 PPG
– He had the top game of his career against Chattanooga, scoring 18 while adding 5 boards, 4 assists, 2 blocks and a steal
– His scoring mark bested his previous high of 16, which came last season vs. UIC
Scouting the Opponent
– Southern Illinois begins the New Year with a 5-8 overall mark while dropping their first two MVC games
– On Sunday, the Salukis fell at UNI by a score of 78-67 and in their last home game, SIU fell to High Point, 94-81
– Ali Dibba leads the Salukis with his average of 15.4 points per game while shooting 50.7% from the field
– Kennard Davis Jr. holds an average of 13.8 PPG while Jarrett Hensley has averaged 11.1 PPG and a team-best 6.4 rebounds
– Playing five games in November, Elijah Elliott averaged 14.0 points but has not seen the floor since 11/22
VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
BEACONS GO FOR 2-0 MVC START THURSDAY AT UNI
Valparaiso (5-7, 1-0 MVC)
Game #13 – January 2, 2025 – 6 p.m.
at UNI (6-6, 1-0 MVC)
McLeod Center (6,650) – Cedar Falls, Iowa
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: Coming off a conference-opening win last Saturday, the Valpo women’s basketball team takes the court for the first time in 2025 as it begins a stretch of four consecutive road games Thursday evening at UNI. The challenging next two weekends feature four road contests against teams in the top-100 of the NET.
Previously: Valpo put together one of its best defensive performances of the year to open Missouri Valley Conference with a 1-0 record, as the Beacons led for the final 35 minutes of a 69-51 win at the ARC over Southern Illinois. Leah Earnest led three Beacons in double figures offensively with 22 points and added 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the year.
Following Valpo Basketball: Video: ESPN+
Links for live coverage: Available via ValpoAthletics.com
Head Coach Mary Evans: Mary Evans is in her seventh year at the helm of the program in 2024-25 and owns a record of 65-123. Evans’ first six seasons at the helm have seen Valpo’s six of the top-eight single-season 3-pointers made marks, including each of the top five, while defensively, her teams have racked up steals at a high rate, averaging at least 7.7 steals/game in five of her six seasons. Under her guidance, Valpo players have earned an MVC Sixth Player of the Year honor, five All-Conference accolades, three All-Freshman/Newcomer Team awards and three All-Defensive Team honors.
Series Notes: UNI leads the all-time series by a 14-5 margin and is 7-1 all-time against Valpo in Cedar Falls. Last season, the Panthers won 76-52 at the ARC (Saniya Jackson tied for game-high honors with 16 points) and 78-59 in Cedar Falls (Saniya Jackson 14 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals; Leah Earnest 13 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists).
@ValpoWBB…
…and @ValleyHoops
– Valpo was picked to finish in eighth place in the MVC preseason poll, totaling 193 points to edge out Indiana State.
– The eighth-place projection is two spots ahead of the Beacons’ regular-season finish last year.
– Valpo is in its eighth season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
– The Valley was ranked 13th in conference NET last season. In Valpo’s time in the MVC, the conference has been ranked as high as seventh in NET (2020-21).
…looking back at last year
– Valpo finished last season with a 5-25 overall record and finished at 4-16 in MVC play, good for 10th in the Valley standings.
– Leah Earnest was a Second Team All-MVC honoree.
– Valpo won three consecutive road games in Valley play, the second straight year the Beacons have accomplished that – prior to that, the program had last accomplished that feat against three different opponents since 2007.
…versus Southern Illinois
– An 11-0 run midway through the first quarter propelled Valpo to a 21-15 lead at the end of the opening period.
– After SIU cut the Beacons’ lead to 26-25 midway through the second period, Valpo scored the next nine points on its way to a 36-26 halftime lead.
– A quick 7-0 spurt just past the midway point of the third quarter pushed Valpo’s advantage to 18 points, and the Beacons led 58-41 with 10 minutes to play.
– The decisive lead proved quite handy in the fourth quarter, as the Beacons opened the final period with 12 consecutive empty possessions. SIU scored on four of its five trips on the offensive end to close to within 58-49 with 7:44 to play and force a Valpo timeout.
– While the Beacons were still dealing with their drought on the offensive end, their defense stepped up, limiting the Salukis to just two free throws over the next four minutes to maintain some breathing room.
– Layla Gold finally snapped the offensive skid with a driving layup with 3:23 remaining, and Nevaeh Jackson followed with a drive and finish of her own on the next possession to make it 62-51 and force an SIU timeout with 2:45 to go.
– The Beacons did not give up a point the rest of the way, closing out the game on an 11-0 run and holding the Salukis without a field goal over the final 7:44 and without a point over the final 5:05.
– The victory was Valpo’s fifth in 14 all-time meetings against SIU, snapping a three-game winning streak by the Salukis. The 18-point margin of victory was Valpo’s largest in the series.
– The Beacons held the Salukis to 19-of-60 shooting from the field Sunday, the 31.7% field goal percentage the lowest mark by a Valpo D-I opponent this season.
– Meanwhile, on the offensive end, Valpo hit at a 46.5% clip from the field and was 9-of-20 from deep. The Beacons’ 45% mark from 3-point range was their second-best of the season — they have now hit at least 40% from 3-point range in four of the last six games.
– Valpo took advantage of its trips to the foul line as well Sunday, finishing 20-of-24 from the charity stripe — the 83.3% free throw percentage the team’s second-best of the season.
– Leah Earnest finished with 22 points, including a 10-of-12 mark from the foul line, and 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. It was her third 20-point double-double of the year, tied for the most among MVC players.
– Jackson backed Earnest up with an 18-point effort, including a 4-of-7 mark from the 3-point line. The sophomore scored in double figures for the ninth time this year and hit at least four triples for the fourth time.
…versus Detroit Mercy
– Valpo led by as many as five points in the fourth quarter before UDM rallied to tie the game with 3:07 to play.
– The Beacons forced a jump ball on the defensive end to regain possession in a tie game with less than 15 seconds remaining.
– Valpo was able to get a clean look for one of their top threats from downtown, but Maci Rhoades’ shot from the left corner dipped inside the cylinder for a moment before spinning up and out to send the game to overtime.
– A 3-pointer from Layla Gold with 43 seconds to play in the first overtime put Valpo on top, 67-65.
– The Titans got an inside basket nine seconds later to tie the game. UDM had the final shot after forcing a Valpo turnover, but the defense forced a tough, contested deep jumper which was off the mark.
– The first 75 seconds of the second extra period all but decided the game, as Valpo had three consecutive empty possessions and UDM scored on each of its first three trips, forcing a timeout from the Beacons trailing 73-67 with 3:44 to go. Valpo got no closer than four the rest of the way.
– The Beacons never led in the first half, as UDM opened the game on a 13-3 run over the opening seven-plus minutes. Valpo did rally to within four at the end of the first quarter and was down just 27-25 at intermission.
– Valpo took its first lead of the game on a Rhoades triple less than 30 seconds into a tightly contested third quarter, which saw the Beacons ahead 48-47 with 10 minutes to play in regulation.
– The loss came against a Detroit Mercy team which is now 8-2 on the season, with its only losses coming at the hands of Michigan and Michigan State.
– It was Valpo’s first double-overtime game since falling at the ARC to Southern Illinois in 50 minutes on Feb. 26, 2018. These are the program’s only two multiple-overtime games since 2006.
– Leah Earnest and Gold both cracked the 20-point mark on Saturday, the first time Valpo has had two 20-point scorers in the same game since Olivia Brown posted 23 points and Earnest scored 21 last December against Chicago State.
– Earnest paced the Beacons with 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting, matching her career high for field goals made. It was the 13th effort of 20 or more points of her career.
– Meanwhile, Gold finished with 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor for her second effort of at least 20 points this season. The sophomore also blocked a game-high five shots, just one off her career best.
– Coming off their best shooting game of the season from the 3-point line, the Beacons were just 8-of-30 (26.7%) from deep. Valpo shot at a 39.1% clip overall versus the Titans’ 44.6% clip from the floor and 33.3% from the 3-point line.
…looking ahead
– The back half of the Iowa road swing awaits Saturday afternoon when the Beacons take the floor at Drake.
– The journey to Murray State and Belmont awaits next weekend.
…away from home
– Thursday’s game is Valpo’s seventh contest of the year away from home.
– The Beacons are still in search of their first true road win, as they sit at 0-4 in true road games.
– Valpo is also 1-1 in neutral site games.
@UNIwbb
– The Panthers enter Thursday’s game at 6-6 overall this year and 1-0 in Valley play after opening the conference slate with a 75-65 win at Indiana State on Sunday.
– UNI counts a pair of Power Four wins among its six victories, as it earned a signature in-state win over then-#8 Iowa State and a neutral-site victory over Pitt.
– Maya McDermott leads all MVC players and ranks seventh nationally with 22.2 points/game, while Kayba Laube ranks second nationally with a 53.7% 3-point percentage.
Going For 2-0
– Valpo started MVC play with a victory this year for just the second time in eight seasons as a Valley member.
– This year’s Beacon squad joins the 2020-21 team, which opened with a 63-56 victory over UNI, as the only Valpo teams to begin MVC play 1-0.
– Notably, those two seasons were the only two of Valpo’s eight in the conference where it opened at the ARC.
– Should the Beacons get a win on Thursday, they would be 2-0 in league play for the first time since 2007-08, when Valpo opened its first season in the Horizon League with wins over Butler and at UIC.
Quad Talk
– The next two weeks bring a number of challenges for the Beacons, as they face the Valley’s two toughest road swings on back-to-back weekends.
– All four games over the next two weekends are against teams in the top-85 of the NET (UNI-75; Drake-84; Murray State-53; Belmont-50).
– Based on the quadrant system, the UNI, Murray State and Belmont games will be Quad 1 games, while the game at Drake will be a Quad 2 game.
– To date, Valpo has played no Quad 1 games and just one Quad 2 game (at Lehigh-100).
Forcing Miscues
– Through 12 games this year, Valpo is averaging 20.5 turnovers forced/game, easily the most in the MVC.
– The Beacons have forced more turnovers than they’ve committed in eight of 12 games and rank fourth in the Valley with a +1.92 turnover margin.
– Valpo also leads the MVC with 10.3 steals/game and has tallied double-figure steals in seven games this year, including six of the last eight.
– Valpo has forced at least 20 turnovers in six games so far, highlighted by 29 forced turnovers against Detroit Mercy and 26 in back-to-back wins over Goshen and North Dakota.
– Against Goshen, the Beacons racked up 15 steals, a season high and the team’s highest total in exactly one calendar year. The Beacons matched that mark in the win over Western Michigan as well.
– In the win over North Dakota, Valpo turned the Fighting Hawks’ 26 turnovers into 33 points and held a massive 33-9 edge in points off turnovers. It was the program’s greatest number of points off turnovers and the highest edge in the category since a Feb. 22, 2020 win at Loyola, when Valpo forced 31 turnovers and owns a 38-4 advantage in points off turnovers.
A Defensive Win
– While the Beacons forced “only” 17 turnovers last time out in the win over SIU – the third-lowest mark by a Valpo opponent this season – they more than made up for it with their shooting defense.
– Valpo held the Salukis to 31.7% shooting from the field, the lowest mark by a D-I opponent this season.
– Valpo also limited SIU to 1-of-14 shooting from the 3-point line, matching the line the Beacons limited Goshen to from deep earlier this year. It was the best defensive 3-point percentage by Valpo against a D-I opponent since holding Purdue to 0-of-15 from deep in the win over the Boilermakers Dec. 6, 2020.
20/20/20/20 Vision
– 12 games into the season, and Valpo already has four different players with nine combined 20-point games under their belt.
– That is already more players and as many 20-point games as last year’s team, which featured just two different players who combined for nine 20-point efforts.
– Leah Earnest has four such efforts: 22 points last time out in the win over SIU, 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting versus Detroit Mercy, 23 points on 6-of-10 shooting in the win over Western Michigan and 29 points – the second-highest output of her career – at Lehigh.
– Earnest has scored 20 or more points 14 times in her collegiate career.
– Gold joined Earnest in crossing the 20-point mark versus UDM, finishing with 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Earlier this year, Gold more than doubled her previous career best of 11 points with a 23-point night – which included five 3-pointers – at Milwaukee.
– Nevaeh Jackson zoomed past her previous career high with 26 points at Saint Louis; this coming after 20-point performances earlier in the season in the win over Goshen and against Purdue Fort Wayne.
– Against Trinity Christian, Kayla Preston smashed her previous best, going for 20 points on 7-10 FG and 6-8 FT.
Zooming Up the Charts
– Leah Earnest entered the season 14th in program history in career scoring, but has jumped all the way up to sixth all-time at Valpo with 1,308 career points.
– Against Detroit Mercy, Earnest leapfrogged three spots from ninth to sixth, surpassing Shay Frederick, Amber Schober and Betsy Rietema within the same game.
– Next up for Earnest is Meredith Hamlet in fifth position with 1,350 career points.
– Earnest also continued her match up the career rebounding chart against UDM as well, moving past Tabitha Gerardot for fourth on the program’s career rebounding chart. She finished the SIU win with 739 boards – next up there is Jeanette Gray in third position with 766 career boards.
– Earnest is also second all-time at Valpo with 125 games played (16 shy of Caitlin Morrison for the program record), fourth with 285 free throws made (moved up two spots versus SIU, 56 shy of third) and eighth with 470 field goals made (one shy of seventh).
– Earnest impacted the program’s single-game record book as well at the Christmas City Classic as she went 12-for-12 at the foul line against Lehigh. She is one of just 12 players to hit 100% from the foul line in a game (minimum 10 attempts) and one of just four to do so on at least 12 tries.
No Sophomore Slump
– After ranking fourth on the team in scoring (7.2 points/game) as a rookie, sophomore Nevaeh Jackson has cemented herself as a consistent second scorer this season.
– Jackson has more than doubled her scoring average, entering Thursday’s game second on the team with 14.5 points/game.
– Jackson has scored in double figures in nine of 12 games, highlighted by her 26-point effort at Saint Louis.
– Jackson has improved her 2-point percentage by 119 points (.440 as a freshman, .559 to date this season) and her 3-point percentage by 43 points (.317 as a freshman, .360 to date this season) – the latter improvement coming with an increased volume of three more attempts per game from deep.
Career Highs
– Five of Valpo’s seven returnees have set career bests in the scoring column this season – the only returnees who haven’t are Saniya Jackson, who is out for the season, and Earnest.
– Joining the trio who had their first career 20-point efforts are senior Katie Beyer and sophomore Raeven Raye-Redmond.
– Raye-Redmond smashed past her previous best of nine with a 15-point night on 6-of-9 shooting at Milwaukee.
– Beyer hit three 3-pointers on her way to a 14-point game in the season opener versus Liberty, and then against North Dakota, surpassed that again with a 16-point effort.
All-Tournament Honors
– Valpo had a pair of players recognized as All-Tournament Team honorees following the conclusion of the Christmas City Classic.
– Leah Earnest averaged 23.5 points, 10 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game over the Beacons’ two contests.
– Katie Beyer earned her selection by virtue of a strong 16-point performance, surpassing her career high, in the win over North Dakota.
Leah’s Last Ride
– Graduate student Leah Earnest is back for her fifth and final season of eligibility, looking to put a bow on one of the most productive careers in program history.
– Earnest was a Second Team All-MVC selection last season and tabbed a preseason Second Team All-MVC choice this year.
– Earnest became the first Valpo player since 1991-92 to pace the team in scoring, rebounding and assists.
– She ranked sixth in the Valley in scoring and eighth in rebounding, one of only four Valley players to rank in the top-eight of both categories.
– Earnest scored 494 points on the season, fifth-most in a single season in program history and second-most since 1994.
– Should she duplicate her season totals from last year, Earnest would close her career third all-time at Valpo in scoring and second in rebounding.
INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
“SPORTS EXTRA”
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
5 – 7 – 16 – 21 – 15
We have seen some great events happen on New Years Day in Sports History. Generally known as a day where NCAA College Football Bowl Games take center stage.
January 1, 1902 – 1st Rose Bowl, Tournament Park, Pasadena, California: Michigan beats Stanford, 49-0; MVP: Neil Snow, Michigan, FB
January 1, 1919 – 5th Rose Bowl, Tournament Park, Pasadena, California: Great Lakes, US Navy beats Mare Island, USMC, 17-0; MVP: George Halas, US Navy
January 1, 1943 – Chicago Black Hawks field first trio of brothers to play together in an NHL game; Max Bentley (Number 5), Doug Bentley (Number 7), and Reggie Bentley appeared in the lineups for the Hawks in a 6-5 win over the New York Rangers at Chicago Stadium. Max would become a Hockey Hall of Fame member as he was on three Stanley Cup Championship teams and won the Hart Memorial Trophy for the 1945-46 season. Doug is also in the Hall of Fame. He played mostly left wing and was part of the famed “Pony Express” line of the Hawks alongside his brother Max. Doug finished in the Top 4 for the Hart Trophy three times during his 13 year career. His best season was in 1943-44 when he scored 38 goals in 50 games. Reg’s only recorded season was that 1942-43 season.
January 1, 1961 – 1st AFL Championship, Jeppesen Stadium, Houston; Houston Oilers beat Los Angeles Chargers, 24-16; Hall of Fame QB Number 16, George Blanda 3 TD passes, 3 conversions and a field goal
January 1, 1967 – AFL Championship, War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo: Kansas City Chiefs beat Buffalo Bills, 31-7; Pro Football Hall of Fame Quarterback Number 16, Len Dawson threw 2 touchdowns, RB Number 21, Mike Garrett ran for 2 scores
January 1, 1974 – Ernie DiGregorio, Number 15, of the Buffalo Braves franchise dished out 25 assists in the Braves’ 120-119 win over Portland, establishing an NBA single-game record for assists by a rookie
FOOTBALL HISTORY
January 1, 1902 – Tournament Park, Pasadena, California – The first bowl game was played. According to an NCAA.com article, it started as the centerpiece of the “Tournament of Roses,” a yearly festival by the Valley Hunt Club that began in 1890. Before the advent of the football game, the parade staged events like tugs-of-war, polo matches, and even greased-pig catching. The game’s name was changed to the Rose Bowl Game starting with the 1923 Rose Bowl when it moved to the newly constructed Rose Bowl Stadium. In the contest, the Michigan Wolverines blew out the Stanford Cardinal 49-0. Wolverine standout and future Hall of Fame inductee Willie Heston rushed for 170 yards in the contest, setting a record that lasted for 57 years. Michigan only had 12 points scored against it all season long, including this game!
January 1, 1919 – 5th Rose Bowl Great Lakes, US Navy beats Mare Island, USMC, 17-0 per the Onthisday.com website. The game’s Most Valuable Player was a US Naval player named George Halas.
January 1, 1926 – Pasadena, California – The first game was officially called the Rose Bowl when it entered its new stadium venue of the same name. Remember that the Rose Bowl was the only Bowl game back in this era, and it was a big deal for Alabama to get the invite; in fact they were the first southern to play in the Rose Bowl. The University of Washington was a powerhouse as they were led by their star halfback, George Wildcat Wilson. In the game, it was Wilson’s dominant performance for much of the first half of the “Grand Daddy of them All” had opponent Alabama on their heels and down by a couple of scores. The Crimson Tide got a break late in the second quarter when George Wilson left the game due to injury. The Tide rolled, led by Johnny Mack Brown, with 20 unanswered points and were driving down the field to score again when the banged-up Wildcat Wilson re-entered the contest and was significant in shutting down the ‘Bama drive at the Husky 12-yard line. Wilson then guided the Washington offense down the field and capped off the drive with Wilson throwing a 20-yard scoring strike to John Cole. It was not enough as the Tide held on to win the game 20-19. The stat line of the game showed that with Wilson on the field, the Washington Huskies gained 317 yards and put up 19 points. When he was out, they mustered a mere 17 yards and were shut out, while the Crimson Tide scored all 20 of their points in that 22-minute absence of Wilson from the contest. It put Alabama football on the map as a major power in the college football landscape. The game was good as upstart Alabama defeated the favorites, Washington, 20-19. This game is often referred to as the Game that Changed the South. Many gridiron history experts recognize it as the most crucial game in southern football history.
January 1, 1935 – 1st Sugar Bowl: Tulane beats Temple, 20-14
January 1, 1935 – 1st Orange Bowl: Bucknell beats Miami (FL), 26-0
January 1, 1937 – La Tropicale Stadium, Havana, Cuba – Auburn University plays in its first post-season bowl appearance. The Bacardi Bowl in 1937 saw the Tigers lock up with the good Villanova team as the game ended in a 7-7 stalemate. The Bacardi Bowl took place on seven different occasions throughout history. The games were also referred to as the Rhumba Bowl and were the climaxing event of Cuba’s annual National Sports Festival. The first five Rhumba Bowls pitted one of the US teams of the south against a Cuban university squad. This 1937 edition was the only game in the bowl series with two American teams playing each other. The last occurred on December 7, 1946, as Mississippi Southern University played the University of Havana.
January 1, 1942 – Durham, North Carolina – The Rose Bowl was played on the East Coast once. Oregon State College surprised everyone as they won the Pacific Coast Conference championship. The Golden Rankings website details how the Beavers won their final five games to earn their first-ever trip to the Rose Bowl. As was the custom at the time, the PCC champion picked its opponent for the game in Pasadena. The Golden Gophers of Minnesota was the logical choice as they were tops in all the polls, but they were prohibited from playing in a bowl game by the predecessor of the Big 10, the Western Conference rules at the time. So Oregon State chose the next best team, Duke, who was second in most rankings. Many Duke fans booked their travel plans as they got a sweet deal of round-trip train fare, accommodations in California, tickets to the big game, and a free stop at the Grand Canyon for under $182. Sign me up! However, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7 launched the U.S. into World War II. Not even a week later, fearing Japanese attacks on the West Coast, the military leaders shut down all major sporting events, including the Rose Bowl. That was when the teams and the Rose Bowl committee got their heads together and decided the game must go on, and they switched the venue to Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, North Carolina. This contest was the only Rose Bowl Game ever played outside Pasadena (until 2020). It was a pretty good game too, but we will let Golden Rankings fill you in on that part. The Final score was Oregon State in an upset 20-16 over the Blue Devils.
https://goldenrankings.com/interestingfootballgames6.htm
January 1, 1952 – Pasadena, California – This edition of the Rose Bowl Game was the first nationally televised college football game. In the Game Illinois destroyed Stanford by the score of 40-7.
January 1, 1962 – Pasadena, California – There was another first for the “Grand Daddy of them All” it was the first nationally televised college football game broadcast in color. Minnesota outlasted UCLA 21-3 in the milestone broadcast. Wow can you imagine that until this day some pigskin fan on the East Coast may have never seen the Bruin blue before!
January 1, 1963 – Pasadena, California – For the first time in history a game to determine the top team in the nation was scheduled based on the AP and UPI poll, as the top ranked teams would do battle. What a billing! The top ranked Trojans of Southern Cal and #2 Wisconsin Badgers were going to mix it up on the Rose Bowl turf for the top spot. According to the American Football Database it was USC who would end up the victors in a high scoring affair, 42 to 37 over the Badgers. Wisconsin came on strong at the end with 23 unanswered fourth quarter points to make it a nail biter at the end. https://americanfootballdatabase.fandom.com/wiki/1963_Rose_Bowl
January 1, 2005 – Tempe, Arizona – At the Fiesta Bowl Utah became the first non-BCS Conference team to appear in and also win a Bowl Championship Series Bowl game by blowing out Big East champion Pittsburgh 35–7. According to Utahutes.com the performance of Utah’s Quarterback Alex Smith propelled him to becoming the #1 overall draft pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. The Utes would eventually become a member of the Pac-12 Conference in 2011.
Hall of Fame Birthdays for January 1
January 1, 1890 – Wellesley, Massachusetts – Vince “Pat” Pazzetti who played quarterback for both Wesleyan and Lehigh University was born. According to his bio on the NFF website Pat played at Wesleyan University as a standout during the football seasons of 1908 and 1909, before transferring to Lehigh for junior and senior campaigns in 1911 and 1912. After the 1912season Pazzetti earned All-America accolades in the same backfield with the legendary Jim Thorpe. The National Football Foundation selected Vince Pazzetti to enter into the College football Hall of Fame in 1961.
January 1, 1901 – Allegheny, Pennsylvania – The great Wabash College and Yale University standout tackle, Century Milstead entered into this life. The footballfoundation.org website states that generally lineman are the unsung heroes of football most of the time going unnoticed in games. That is not the description they give for our man Century though. As a member of the Wabash Little Giants Milstead helped the team upset much larger teams like Purdue, Georgetown and Butler in convincing fashion. He transferred to Yale in 1922 but had to sit out a season to solidify his eligibility and he was worth the wait. In 1923, Milstead played a key role in a perfect Eli campaign which brought him All-America recognition. After graduation, he coached at Yale, played pro ball for the New York Giants, became a sales executive, served as president of the Touchdown Club of New York as well as on the Lambert Trophy board Century Milstead found his way into the College football Hall of Fame in 1977.
January 1, 1925 – Britton, Oklahoma – The Fullback from William and Mary, Jack Cloud was born. Jack set the scoring record of 102 points in one season at William and Mary in 1947 according to the NFF. The New York Sun named him All-America in 1947, and the Newspaper Enterprise Association picked him in 1948 for the honor. Grantland Rice wrote, “Jack Cloud may be the closest thing to Jim Thorpe. The National Football Foundation selected Jack Cloud to enter into their college football Hall of Fame in 1990.
January 1, 1927 – Dallas, Texas – Doak Walker the highly decorated Southern Methodist University halfback was born. The NFF site says that Doak was a 3-time All-America halfback for SMU. He won the Maxwell Award in 1947, won the Heisman in 1948, and was named Player of the Year by Collier’s Magazine in 1949. Doak Walker found the doors to be open wide to welcome him into the College football Hall of Fame in 1959. Doak after college joined the Detroit Lions and spent 6 productive seasons with the franchise. In fact according to the ProFootballHOF.com site, he did almost everything for the Lions as he passed, ran returned punts and kicks but he also performed the punting and place kicks for the team as well. Walker was selected as All-NFL in 5 of his six seasons played in the League. Doak Walker was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.
January 1, 1932 – Knoxville, Tennessee – Standout Mississippi Quarterback Jackie Parker was born. The NFF states the value of Parker to his team in one game at Rival Auburn. There Quarterback Jackie Parker single-handedly wrenched Auburn. State ran up 49 points in those first three periods, with Parker having a hand in 42 of them on touchdown runs of six, 11 and 34 yards and passes of 11, nine and 27 yards, and he kicked all six extra points. With victory well in hand, Parker watched the final quarter from the sidelines. What a stat line for playing only 75% of the game. During his two seasons at MSU, Parker was All-Conference and All-American. Following his collegiate career. Jackie Parker found his way into the College football Hall of Fame in 1976. After school was over Parker played 14 seasons in the Canadian Football League and was the CFL’s Most Valuable Player three times and an All-Pro nine times. Retiring as an active player, Parker became the general manager of the CFL’s BC Lions.
January 1, 1940 – Cheyenne, Wyoming – Mike McKeever the fine guard from USC came into this world. The Footballfoundation.org website states that Mike earned All-America honors, and he was also chosen to the academic All-America team. Mike and his brother Marlin were the first twins to earn All-America status. McKeever suffered a head injury in his senior year at USC and it ended his collegiate football career. Prior to the injury he was high on the NFL draft list but the head wound prevented him from showing what he could do at the pro level. He was inducted into the College Hall of Fame in 1987.
January 1, 1962 – Marlin, Texas – Pierce Holt the Angelo State defensive end was born. Pierce started all four seasons at Angelo and was a Two-time All-America selection. When it came to scholastic honors, he was a Two-time Academic All-Conference among other awards. Pierce was inducted into the College football Hall of Fame in 1997 by the National Football Foundation voters..
January 1, 1967 – Miami, Florida – The outstanding linebacker from the University of Alabama, Derrick Thomas arrived into the world. The Football Foundation website reveals how Thomas was one of the greatest linebackers in Tide history. Derrick Thomas concluded his career as the NCAA FBS leader in career sacks with 52 en route to winning unanimous All-America honors in 1988. Derrick Thomas was welcomed into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014. At the 1989 NFL Draft Derrick became the fourth overall pick by the Kansas City Chiefs. He had a productive 11 year career with the franchise where he registered 126.5 career sacks, twenty of them coming in one season. He made the All-NFL team three times and played in nine Pro Bowls. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Derrick Thomas in 2009.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
Jan. 1
1902 — Michigan beats Stanford 49-0 in the first Rose Bowl. Neil Snow scores four touchdowns in a game that ends with eight minutes to play. The Wolverines earned the nickname as the “Point a Minute” team, having scored 501 points in their ten games. The next Rose Bowl game does not occur until 1916.
1916 — Washington State beats Brown 14-0 in the return of the Rose Bowl. Brown halfback Fritz Pollard, the first African American to play in the Rose Bowl, gains just 47 yards in the rain-soaked game. After a scoreless first half, Washington State scores on short runs by Ralph Boone and Carl Dietz.
1934 — Columbia upsets Stanford 7-0 in the Rose Bowl when Al Barabas scores in the third quarter on a 17-yard hidden-ball play.
1935 — Bucknell beats Miami 26-0 in the first Orange Bowl.
1935 — Tulane beats Temple 20-14 in the first Sugar Bowl. The Green Wave complete a 14-0 comeback when Temple defender Horace Mowery tips a pass into the direction of Dick Hardy, who takes it in to the end zone.
1961 — The Houston Oilers beat the Los Angeles Chargers 24-16 to win the first AFL Championship.
1961 — Boston Bruins rookie Willie O’Ree, the first black player in NHL history, scores his first goal in a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens at Boston Garden.
1971 — Notre Dame ends Texas’ 30-game winning streak with a 24-11 win in the Cotton Bowl.
1991 — Georgia Tech routs Nebraska 45-21 in the Citrus Bowl to finish as college football’s only unbeaten team (11-0-1).
1992 — Miami beats Nebraska 22-0 in the Orange Bowl, the first shutout of the Cornhuskers since 1973, and finishes with a 12-0 record.
1993 — No. 2 Alabama wins its first national championship in 13 years and deprives Miami of its fifth title as the Crimson Tide defense humbles the No. 1 Hurricanes 34-13 in the Sugar Bowl.
1993 — Florida State beats Nebraska 27-14 in the Orange Bowl to set an NCAA record by winning eight consecutive bowl games.
2000 — Georgia’s Hap Hines kicks a 21-yard field goal in overtime to complete the greatest comeback in bowl history. The Bulldogs pull out a 28-25 victory over Purdue after trailing 25-0 early in the second quarter in the Outback Bowl.
2006 — New England’s Doug Flutie converts the NFL’s first successful drop kick in 64 years during a 28-26 loss to Miami.
2007 — Boise State, after tying the game with seven seconds to go in regulation, stuns No. 7 Oklahoma 43-42 in overtime to win the Fiesta Bowl. The No. 9 Broncos win on Ian Johnson’s 2-point conversion run after receiver Vinny Perretta throws a fourth-down touchdown pass to Derek Schouman.
2008 — Sidney Crosby’s shootout goal gives Pittsburgh a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres in the inaugral outdoor Winter Classic in front of a league-record 71,217 fans. In elements way more suited for football than hockey, Crosby wins the NHL’s second outdoor game — and first in the United States — in the most dramatic of fashion at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home to the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.
2012 — Backup quarterback Matt Flynn throws for a franchise-record six touchdowns to give Green Bay a 45-41 victory over the Detroit Lions.
2014 — Central Florida pulls off one of the biggest upsets of the bowl season by outlasting No. 6 Baylor 52-42 in the Fiesta Bowl. It’s the highest-scoring game in Fiesta Bowl history and second-highest BCS bowl ever.
2015 — Marcus Mariota and Oregon roll past defending national champion Florida State 59-20 to turn the first College Football Playoff semifinal into a Rose Bowl rout.
2015 — Cardale Jones turns in another savvy performance in his second college start and Ezekiel Elliott runs for a Sugar Bowl-record 230 yards, leading Ohio State to a 42-35 upset of top-ranked Alabama in the second semifinal of the College Football Playoff.
2018 — Sony Michel’s 27-yard touchdown run in double overtime gives Georgia a 54-48 win over Oklahoma in a Rose Bowl. It’s the first overtime game in the 104-year history of the Rose Bowl, the highest-scoring Rose Bowl ever and the first College Football Playoff game to go into overtime.
2022 – Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozen becomes first player in NBA history to hit buzzer-beaters on consecutive days; hits 3-pointers to beat Washington Wizards, 120-119 and previous night Indiana Pacers, 108-106.
TV SPORTS WEDNESDAY
| NBA REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Detroit Pistons vs Boston Celtics | 7:30pm | FanDuel Sports Detroit NBCS-BOS |
| Indiana Pacers vs Brooklyn Nets | 7:30pm | FanDuel Sports Indiana YES |
| Los Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat | 7:30pm | NBATV Spectrum FanDuel Sports Sun |
| Orlando Magic vs Philadelphia 76ers | 7:30pm | FanDuel Sports Florida NBCS-PHI |
| Atlanta Hawks vs Milwaukee Bucks | 8:00pm | FanDuel Sports Southeast FanDuel Sports Wisconsin |
| Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Clippers | 10:30pm | NBATV FanDuel Sports North KTLA |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| New Jersey Devils vs Los Angeles Kings | 6:00pm | ESPN+ MSGSN FanDuel Sports West |
| COLLEGE FOOTBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| CFP Quarterfinal – Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: Texas vs. Arizona State | 1:00pm | ESPN |
| CFP Quarterfinal – Rose Bowl Game: Ohio State vs Oregon | 5:00pm | ESPN |
| CFP Quarterfinal – Allstate Sugar Bowl: Notre Dame vs Georgia | 8:45pm | ESPN |
| MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| VMI at ETSU | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UNCG at Wofford | 12:00pm | CBSSN |
| Miami (FL) at Boston College | 12:00pm | ACCN |
| Purdue Fort Wayne at Northern Kentucky | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Youngstown State vs. IU Indianapolis | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Howard at Yale | 1:00pm | NESN |
| Furman at Western Carolina | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UConn at DePaul | 2:00pm | CBSSN |
| California at Pitt | 2:00pm | ACCN |
| Evansville at Southern Illinois | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Drake at UIC | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Rice at Tulsa | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Stanford at Clemson | 4:00pm | ACCN |
| Colby-Sawyer at Dartmouth | 5:00pm | ESPN+ |
| North Carolina at Louisville | 6:00pm | ACCN |
| Villanova at Butler | 6:30pm | FS1 |
| Bradley at Indiana State | 7:00pm | MVC TV |
| Chattanooga at Mercer | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| The Citadel at Samford | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Valparaiso at Missouri State | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Belmont at UNI | 9:00pm | MVC TV |
| WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Nebraska at USC | 3:00pm | BTN |
| Michigan at UCLA | 5:00pm | BTN |
| Seton Hall at Villanova | 8:30pm | FS1 |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| EPL: Brentford vs Arsenal | 12:30pm | USA Peacock |
| TENNIS | TIME ET | TV |
| United Cup | 6:00am | TENNIS |
| United Cup | 7:00pm | TENNIS |