THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” TUESDAY DECEMBER 3, 2024

“THE SCOREBOARD”

INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL

INDIANA SRN BOYS BASKETBALL POLLS

4A

1 FISHERS

2 LAWRENCE NORTH

3 NOBLESVILLE

4 CATHEDRAL

5 WESTFIELD

6 BEN DAVIS

7 JEFFERSONVILLE

8 CARMEL

9 CRISPUS ATTUCKS

10 KOKOMO

3A

1 SCOTTSBURG

2 BREBEUF

3 GUERIN CATHOLIC

4 SB ST. JOSEPH

5 DELTA

6 HERITAGE HILLS

7 EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL

8 HAMMOND NOLL

9 MISHAWAKA MARIAN

10 DANVILLE

2A

1 BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL

2 PARK TUDOR

3 PROVIDENCE

4 WAPAHANI

5 FW BLACKHAWK

6 TIPTON

7 SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER)

8 GARY 21^ST CENTURY

9 FW LUERS

10 PARKE HERITAGE

1A

1 ORLEANS

2 BETHESDA CHRISTIAN

3 CLAY CITY

4 FW CANTERBURY

5 CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

6 BARR REEVE

7 INDIANAPOLIS TINDLEY

8 LIBERTY CHRISTIAN

9 INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN

10 BLOOMFIELD

INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL MONDAY SCOREBOARD

HOMESTEAD.COM

Boone Grove	66	Lake Station	54
Cambridge City Lincoln	77	GEO Next Generation	20
Culver Academy	71	Indianapolis HomeSchool	65
Edgerton (Ohio)	69	Eastside	34
Greenwood Christian	55	Park Tudor	53
Hammond Central	77	Bowman Academy	41
Hancock County (Ky.)	83	Cannelton	12

INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD MONDAY

HOMESTEAD.COM

Bellmont	50	Fort Wayne Blackhawk	23
DeMotte Christian	40	Wheeler	36
Evansville Mater Dei	54	Boonville	47
Frankton	43	Taylor	27
Hammond Morton	87	Bowman Academy	31
Hammond Noll	53	River Forest	47
Hancock County (Ky.)	45	Cannelton	11
Knox	71	Hebron	13
Lebanon	47	Clinton Prairie	31
North Knox	46	Bedford North Lawrence	40
Owensboro Catholic (Ky.)	68	Castle	54
TF South (Ill.)	67	Whiting	19
White River Valley	57	Clay City	39
Zionsville	63	Kokomo	44

INDIANA WRESTLING RESULTS

https://indianamat.com/index.php?/dualresults.html/

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

WEEK 15

FRIDAY, DEC. 6

7 P.M. | WESTERN KENTUCKY VS. JACKSONVILLE STATE | CONFERENCE USA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME | CBSSN

8 P.M. | NO. 17 TULANE AT ARMY | AAC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME | ABC

8 P.M. | NO. 11 BOISE STATE VS. NO. 22 UNLV | MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONSHIP GAME | FOX

SATURDAY, DEC. 7

12 P.M. | NO. 16 ARIZONA STATE VS. NO. 18 IOWA STATE | BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (ARLINGTON, TEXAS) | ABC

12 P.M. | MIAMI (OH) VS. OHIO UNIVERSITY | MAC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (DETROIT, MICHIGAN) | ESPN

2 P.M. | SOUTHERN AT JACKSON STATE (SWAC CHAMPIONSHIP) | ESPN2

2 P.M. | MONTANA AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (FCS PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND) | ESPN+

2 P.M. | RHODE ISLAND AT MERCER (FCS PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND) | ESPN+

2 P.M. | VILLANOVA AT UIW (FCS PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND) | ESPN+

3 P.M. | UT MARTIN AT MONTANA STATE (FCS PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND) | ESPN+

3 P.M. | ABILENE CHRISTIAN AT NORTH DAKOTA STATE (FCS PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND) | ESPN+

3 P.M. | TARLETON STATE AT SOUTH DAKOTA (FCS PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND) | ESPN+

4 P.M. | NO. 3 TEXAS VS. NO. 7 GEORGIA | SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (ATLANTA) | ABC

4 P.M. | ILLINOIS STATE AT UC DAVIS (FCS PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND) | ESPN+

7:30 P.M. | LOUISIANA VS. MARSHALL | SUN BELT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME | ESPN

8 P.M. | NO. 9 SMU VS. NO. 12 CLEMSON| ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA) | ABC

8 P.M. | NO. 1 OREGON VS. NO. 4 PENN STATE | BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (INDIANAPOLIS) | CBS

9 P.M. | LEHIGH AT IDAHO (FCS PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND) | ESPN+

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

AP TOP 25

1. KANSAS 7 – 0
2. AUBURN 7 – 0
3. TENNESSEE 7 – 0
4. KENTUCKY 7 – 0
5. MARQUETTE 8 – 0
6. IOWA STATE 5 – 1
7. GONZAGA 7 – 1
8. PURDUE 7 – 1
9. DUKE 5 – 2
10. ALABAMA 6 – 2
11. WISCONSIN 8 – 0
12. OREGON 8 – 0
13. FLORIDA 8 – 0
14. CINCINNATI 6 – 0
15. BAYLOR 5 – 2
16. MEMPHIS 6 – 1
17. HOUSTON 4 – 3
18. PITTSBURGH 7 – 1
19. ILLINOIS 6 – 1
20. NORTH CAROLINA 4 – 3
21. OKLAHOMA 7 – 0
22. TEXAS A&M 6 – 2
23. OLE MISS 6 – 1
24. SAN DIEGO STATE 4 – 2
25. UCONN 5 – 3

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:

MICHIGAN ST. 108, ARKANSAS 104, TEXAS 97, MICHIGAN 95, ARIZONA ST 89, INDIANA 72, DRAKE 58, XAVIER 33, UTAH ST. 28, LOUISVILLE 27, WEST VIRGINIA 26, CLEMSON 25, BYU 24, DAYTON 24, TEXAS TECH 22, NEBRASKA 22, MISSISSIPPI ST. 20, OHIO ST. 19, MARYLAND 13, UCLA 13, CREIGHTON 12, SAINT MARY’S 11, GEORGIA 10, ST. JOHN’S 7, LOYOLA CHICAGO 4, FLORIDA ST. 3, DEPAUL 3, UC IRVINE 2, COLUMBIA 2.

USA TODAY MEN’S TOP 25 POLL

THE USA TODAY SPORTS TOP 25 MEN’S BASKETBALL POLL, WITH TEAM’S RECORDS THROUGH SUNDAY IN PARENTHESES, TOTAL POINTS BASED ON 25 FOR FIRST PLACE THROUGH ONE POINT FOR 25TH, RANKING IN LAST WEEK’S POLL AND FIRST-PLACE VOTES RECEIVED.

RANK	SCHOOL (RECORD)	POINTS	LAST YEAR’S FINAL RANKING	FIRST-PLACE VOTES
1	KANSAS (7-0)	760	1	19
2	AUBURN (7-0)	755	3	12
3	TENNESSEE (7-0)	694	6	0
4	MARQUETTE (8-0)	646	11	0
5	IOWA STATE (5-1)	629	5	0
6	KENTUCKY (7-0)	628	8	0
7	PURDUE (7-1)	535	12	0
8	GONZAGA (7-1)	517	4	0
9	DUKE (5-2)	472	10	0
10	OREGON (8-0)	457	NR	0
11	WISCONSIN (8-0)	450	17	0
12	ALABAMA (6-2)	441	9	0
13	FLORIDA (8-0)	427	16	0
14	CINCINNATI (6-0)	376	14	0
15	MEMPHIS (6-1)	265	35	0
16	BAYLOR (5-2)	262	18	0
17	ILLINOIS (6-1)	234	NR	0
18	HOUSTON (4-3)	221	7	0
19	PITTSBURGH (7-1)	213	25	0
20	MISSISSIPPI (6-1)	139	24	0
21	OKLAHOMA (7-0)	111	NR	0
22	NORTH CAROLINA (4-3)	96	13	0
23	MICHIGAN (6-1)	90	NR	0
24	TEXAS A&M (6-2)	86	20	0
25	MICHIGAN STATE (6-2)	73	NR	0

DROPPED OUT: NO. 2 CONNECTICUT (5-3); NO. 15 INDIANA (5-2); NO. 19 CREIGHTON (5-3); NO. 21 ARKANSAS (5-2); NO. 22 XAVIER (7-1); NO. 23 ARIZONA (3-4).

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: CONNECTICUT (5-3) 63; SAN DIEGO STATE (4-2) 56; TEXAS (6-1) 54; ARIZONA STATE (7-1) 39; MISSISSIPPI STATE (6-1) 39; DRAKE (7-0) 34; TEXAS TECH (6-1) 32; ARKANSAS (5-2) 28; UCLA (6-1) 17; BRIGHAM YOUNG (6-1) 16; XAVIER (7-1) 16; OHIO STATE (5-2) 15; UTAH STATE (7-0) 13; SAINT MARY’S (7-1) 12; DAYTON (6-2) 10; CREIGHTON (5-3) 8; INDIANA (5-2) 8; NEBRASKA (6-1) 8; ST. JOHN’S (6-2) 8; CLEMSON (7-1) 5; MARYLAND (7-1) 5; WEST VIRGINIA (5-2) 5; GEORGIA (7-1) 3; ARIZONA (3-4) 2; NEVADA (6-1) 1; UC IRVINE (8-0) 1.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD

TOP 25

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

AP TOP 25 POLL

1. UCLA 8 – 0
2. UCONN 6 – 0
3. SOUTH CAROLINA 7 – 1
4. TEXAS 7 – 0
5. LSU 9 – 0
6. USC 6 – 1
7. MARYLAND 8 – 0
8. DUKE 8 – 1
9. TCU 8 – 0
10. NOTRE DAME 5 – 2
11. OKLAHOMA 6 – 1
12. OHIO STATE 7 – 0
13. KANSAS STATE 7 – 1
14. KENTUCKY 7 – 0
15. WEST VIRGINIA 8 – 1
16. NORTH CAROLINA 7 – 1
17. IOWA 8 – 0
18. OLE MISS 5 – 2
19. ALABAMA 8 – 0
20. IOWA STATE 6 – 2
21. ILLINOIS 6 – 1
22. LOUISVILLE 5 – 2
23. MICHIGAN 7 – 1
24. MICHIGAN STATE 8 – 0
25. NEBRASKA 6 – 1

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:

NC STATE 58, GEORGIA TECH 33, STANFORD 28, TENNESSEE 16, OREGON 15, FLORIDA ST. 14, RICHMOND 13, MISSISSIPPI ST. 11, VANDERBILT 8, BAYLOR 6, UTAH 5, HARVARD 4, SOUTH DAKOTA ST. 4, CREIGHTON 3, MINNESOTA 3.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES MONDAY

TOP 25

#23 ALABAMA 98 GEORGIA STATE 49

#19 ILLINOIS 68 CANISIUS 55

ELSEWHERE:

ST. JOHN’S 72 PENN STATE 67

MEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER NCAA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

QUARTERFINALS

SATURDAY DECEMBER 7

WAKE FOREST VS. OHIO STATE 5PM

VERMONT VS. PITTSBURGH 3PM

UMASS VS. DENVER 3PM

MARSHALL VS SMU 7PM

WOMEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

QUARTERFINALS

SEMIFINALS

FRIDAY, DEC. 6

QUARTERFINAL WINNERS, TBA

CHAMPIONSHIP

MONDAY, DEC. 9

SEMIFINAL WINNERS, 7 P.M.

NFL SCORES

DENVER 41 CLEVELAND 32

NFL WEEK 14 SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, DEC. 5

GREEN BAY PACKERS AT DETROIT LIONS (8:15P PRIME VIDEO)

SUNDAY, DEC. 8

NEW YORK JETS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS (1:00P CBS)

ATLANTA FALCONS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (1:00P FOX)

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT NEW YORK GIANTS (1:00P FOX)

CAROLINA PANTHERS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (1:00P FOX)

CLEVELAND BROWNS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (1:00P CBS)

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (1:00P CBS)

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT TENNESSEE TITANS (1:00P CBS)

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (4:05P CBS)

BUFFALO BILLS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS (4:25P FOX)

CHICAGO BEARS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (4:25P FOX)

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (8:20P NBC)

MONDAY, DEC. 9

CINCINNATI BENGALS AT DALLAS COWBOYS (8:15P ESPN/ABC)

NFL WEEK 15 SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, DEC. 12

LOS ANGELES RAMS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (8:15P PRIME VIDEO)

SUNDAY, DEC. 15

DALLAS COWBOYS AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (1:00P FOX)

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS (1:00P CBS)

MIAMI DOLPHINS AT HOUSTON TEXANS (1:00P CBS)

NEW YORK JETS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (1:00P FOX)

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (1:00P FOX)

BALTIMORE RAVENS AT NEW YORK GIANTS (1:00P CBS)

CINCINNATI BENGALS AT TENNESSEE TITANS (1:00P FOX)

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (4:25P CBS)

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT DENVER BRONCOS (4:25P CBS)

BUFFALO BILLS AT DETROIT LIONS (4:25P CBS)

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (4:25P FOX)

PITTSBURGH STEELERS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (4:25P FOX)

GREEN BAY PACKERS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (8:20P NBC)

MONDAY, DEC. 16

CHICAGO BEARS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (8:00P ABC)

ATLANTA FALCONS AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (8:30P ESPN)

NFL WEEK 16 SCHEDULE

 THURSDAY, DEC. 19

DENVER BRONCOS AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (8:15P PRIME VIDEO)

SATURDAY, DEC. 21

HOUSTON TEXANS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (1:00P NBC)

PITTSBURGH STEELERS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (4:30P FOX)

SUNDAY, DEC. 22

CLEVELAND BROWNS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS 1:00P FOX)

NEW YORK GIANTS AT ATLANTA FALCONS (1:00P FOX)

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT BUFFALO BILLS (1:00P CBS)

ARIZONA CARDINALS AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (1:00P FOX)

DETROIT LIONS AT CHICAGO BEARS (1:00P FOX)

TENNESSEE TITANS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (1:00P CBS)

LOS ANGELES RAMS AT NEW YORK JETS (1:00P CBS)

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (1:00P FOX)

MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (4:05P FOX)

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (4:25P CBS)

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS (4:25P CBS)

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT DALLAS COWBOYS (8:20P NBC)

MONDAY, DEC. 23

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT GREEN BAY PACKERS (8:15P ESPN)

NFL WEEK 17 SCHEDULE

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 25 (CHRISTMAS)

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (1:00P NETFLIX)

BALTIMORE RAVENS AT HOUSTON TEXANS (4:30P NETFLIX)

THURSDAY, DEC. 26

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT CHICAGO BEARS (8:15P PRIME VIDEO)

SATURDAY, DEC. 28

TBD TBD (1:00P NFL NETWORK)

TBD TBD (4:30P NFL NETWORK)

TBD TBD (8:00P NFL NETWORK)

SATURDAY GAME POOL:

DENVER BRONCOS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS

ARIZONA CARDINALS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT NEW YORK GIANTS

ATLANTA FALCONS AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

SUNDAY, DEC. 29

NEW YORK JETS AT BUFFALO BILLS (1:00P CBS)

TENNESSEE TITANS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (1:00P CBS)

GREEN BAY PACKERS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (1:00P FOX)

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (1:00P FOX)

CAROLINA PANTHERS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (1:00P CBS)

DALLAS COWBOYS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (4:25P FOX)

MIAMI DOLPHINS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS (8:20P NBC)

MONDAY, DEC. 30

DETROIT LIONS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (8:15P ESPN/ABC)

NFL WEEK 18 SCHEDULE

SATURDAY, JAN. 4 OR SUNDAY, JAN. 5

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT ARIZONA CARDINALS

CAROLINA PANTHERS AT ATLANTA FALCONS

CLEVELAND BROWNS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS AT DALLAS COWBOYS

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT DENVER BRONCOS

MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT DETROIT LIONS

CHICAGO BEARS AT GREEN BAY PACKERS

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

BUFFALO BILLS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

MIAMI DOLPHINS AT NEW YORK JETS

NEW YORK GIANTS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

CINCINNATI BENGALS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

HOUSTON TEXANS AT TENNESSEE TITANS

NBA SCORES

ATLANTA 124 NEW ORLEANS 112

BOSTON 108 MIAMI 89

MINNESOTA 109 LA LAKERS 80

CHICAGO 128 BROOKLYN 102

NHL SCORES

NEW JERSEY 5 NY RANGERS 1

TORONTO 4 CHICAGO 1

DALLAS 2 UTAH 1

MLS PLAYOFFS

CHAMPIONSHIP

SATURDAY, DEC. 7

LA GALAXY VS, NEW YORK, 4 P.M.

TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES

NFL NEWS

TWO INTERCEPTION-RETURN TDS SEND BRONCOS PAST BROWNS

Ja’Quan McMillian intercepted a Jameis Winston pass and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown to help the host Denver Broncos clinch a 41-32 shootout win over the Cleveland Browns on Monday night.

Bo Nix completed 18 of 35 for 294 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions as the Broncos (8-5) won a third straight game entering their bye. Denver’s Marvin Mims Jr. had three catches for 105 yards and a touchdown and Courtland Sutton added six catches for 102.

Winston racked up a career-high 497 passing yards and four touchdowns for Cleveland (3-9), and Jerry Jeudy had nine receptions for a career-best 235 yards against his former team. But Winston threw a pair of killer pick-6s, as earlier in the game Nik Bonitto returned his first career interception 71 yards for a score.

The Browns trailed by two and were beginning to drive upfield, but on the first play after the two-minute warning, McMillian corralled Winston’s pass intended for Elijah Moore and landed on the ground. Untouched, he stood up and rushed down the sideline for the score. Winston tossed a third interception in the game’s final minute.

Early in the second half, Nix found Mims deep over the middle on third-and-11 and Mims sprinted away for a 93-yard touchdown, establishing a 28-17 lead.

The double-digit advantage didn’t last. On the Browns’ ensuing play from scrimmage, Winston hit Jeudy, who raced off for a 70-yard touchdown. Winston completed the two-point conversion pass to Jeudy as well to cut the margin to 28-25.

Down six after Wil Lutz’s 36-yard field goal, the Browns benefited from Denzel Ward’s interception and drove 72 yards to Winston’s 5-yard touchdown toss to Nick Chubb with 8:57 left in the game. The extra point gave the Browns a 32-31 lead until Denver went back in front on Lutz’s 27-yard field goal with 2:54 to go.

The Broncos opened the scoring with Javonte Williams’ 2-yard run. The Browns answered when Winston connected with David Njoku in the end zone for an 8-yard TD with 1:09 remaining in the first quarter.

Denver’s first turnover since Nov. 3 came when Ward batted Nix’s pass up in the air and Greg Newsome II corralled the interception. It led to Dustin Hopkins’ 45-yard field goal and a 10-7 Browns lead.

Broncos fullback Michael Burton scored from a yard out, just the second rushing touchdown of his 10-year career, to put the hosts back in front with 4:03 left in the first half.

Then Bonitto, who later added his 11th sack of the season, jumped in front of a throw and sprinted back the other way for an 11-point Denver lead.

Winston atoned by running a two-minute drill and completing his second TD pass to Njoku with 13 seconds left to secure a 21-17 halftime score.

BEARS ANNOUNCE COACHING ASSIGNMENTS AFTER EBERFLUS FIRING

The Chicago Bears promoted wide receivers coach Chris Beatty to interim offensive coordinator on Monday and announced that defensive coordinator Eric Washington will be the defensive play caller in the wake of last week’s firing of head coach Matt Eberflus.

Interim head coach Thomas Brown will continue to call the offensive plays, albeit from the field. Brown was promoted from passing game coordinator to replace OC Shane Waldron, whom the Bears fired three weeks.

Eberflus, a former DC, was the team’s defensive play caller.

The Bears fired Eberflus on Friday, one day after an excruciating sixth straight defeat and third consecutive loss decided on the final play. Trailing 23-20 on Thanksgiving Day, the Bears were within field-goal range when quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked. With 32 seconds remaining, Eberflus elected not to use his final timeout as Williams heaved an incompletion down the right sideline as time expired.

Eberflus said after the game that everything was handled properly.

Eberflus, 54, went 14-32 in two-plus seasons.

The Bears (4-8) travel to San Francisco (5-7) in Week 1.

FALCONS STICKING WITH QB KIRK COUSINS AS STARTER

The Atlanta Falcons are sticking with Kirk Cousins as their starting quarterback amid a three-game losing streak that has seen the 36-year-old toss six interceptions with no touchdowns.

Cousins tossed four INTs in Sunday’s 17-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, posting the fifth-worst passer rating in his 13-year career.

Still, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said the team will not be making a change to rookie Michael Penix Jr. when the Falcons travel to Minnesota this week.

“That guy has carried us this season,” Morris said. “He has done such a marvelous job that it’s hard to throw that guy under the bus after what he’s done for us. We will bounce back, we will bring him back and we’ll be ready to go.”

Morris added that Cousins has “got us to the point where we are 6-6, still in first place in the division, still got everything in front of us. It’s up to us to bounce back and win football games, and there is no better man than (No.) 18 to do that for us.”

Cousins, who signed a four-year deal worth up to $180 million with the Falcons in the offseason, has thrown for 3,052 yards and 17 touchdowns against 13 interceptions, a league high.

“There’s no entitlement in the NFL,” Cousins said. “If it ever was that, I wouldn’t want it. I need to play at a level that justifies being out there. That’s the way I’ll always view it. I’ve always felt like it should never be about anything except earning the right to be out there.”

Cousins makes his first return to Minnesota, where he starred for six seasons, earning three Pro Bowl nods and going 50-37-1 as the starter in a game with playoff implications for both sides.

When Cousins opted to take the Falcons’ offer in free agency, the Vikings signed Sam Darnold to replace him and drafted JJ McCarthy from Michigan with the 11th overall pick in the 2024 draft. Darnold guided Minnesota to a fifth consecutive win on Sunday, leading a late drive to beat the Arizona Cardinals 23-22.

“I have no doubt in my mind (Cousins) can bounce back, particularly against his former team,” Morris said.

AARON RODGERS STILL STARTING FOR JETS: ‘HE’S OUR QUARTERBACK’

Aaron Rodgers remains the starting signal-caller for the New York Jets, interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said Monday.

“He’s our quarterback,” Ulbrich confirmed to reporters on Rodgers’ 41st birthday.

“We have great belief in Aaron. We think he gives us the best opportunity to win.”

The Jets fell to 3-9 on Sunday after squandering a 21-7 lead in a 26-21 loss to the visiting Seattle Seahawks.

Rodgers completed 21 of 39 passes for 185 yards with two touchdowns and an interception against Seattle.

The four-time league MVP has completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 2,627 yards with 19 TDs and eight picks in 12 starts this season.

Rodgers is in his second season in New York after an 18-year run with the Green Bay Packers that included 10 Pro Bowl selections and a Super Bowl victory.

He tore an Achilles tendon on his first series in his Jets debut in the 2023 season opener and missed the rest of the campaign.

“We believe, as he gets healthier and his mobility starts to improve, you’re going to see a better and better version of him,” Ulbrich said Monday.

The Jets play three of their last five games on the road, starting on Sunday at the Miami Dolphins (5-7).

Rodgers is six touchdown passes away from becoming the fifth player in NFL history with 500, joining Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and his Packers predecessor, Brett Favre.

The other quarterbacks on the Jets’ roster are journeyman Tyrod Taylor and 2024 fifth-round pick Jordan Travis.

REPORTS: SAINTS FEAR SEASON OVER FOR TAYSOM HILL (KNEE)

The New Orleans Saints fear versatile tight end Taysom Hill’s season is over with a knee injury sustained during Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams, per multiple reports Monday.

The team is awaiting MRI results Monday to confirm the initial diagnosis.

Hill was carted off the field with 4:36 remaining in the fourth quarter after injuring his left knee while picking up a first down with a 2-yard run off a direct snap on fourth-and-1. He was tackled by Rams cornerback Cobie Durant.

“It’s the worst,” Saints quarterback Derek Carr said after the game. “Just as a brother, as a friend. It’s bigger than football at that moment.”

Hill, 34, has 39 carries for 278 yards and six touchdowns in eight starts this season, his eighth with the Saints. The fan favorite also has 23 catches for 187 yards and has completed 2 of 4 passes for 21 yards with an interception.

In 105 career games (49 starts), Hill has accumulated 2,437 rushing yards and 943 receiving yards with 44 TDs from scrimmage. He is also 7-2 as a starting quarterback, completing 63.9 percent of his passes for 2,369 yards with 11 scores and nine picks.

Hill joined the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of BYU in 2017. He signed a four-year, $40 million extension in November 2021 and carries a cap hit of $9.2 million this season and $18 million in 2025.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS

REPORTS: APPALACHIAN STATE FIRING COACH SHAWN CLARK

Appalachian State is firing football coach Shawn Clark after a 5-6 season, according to multiple media reports.

Clark, 49, compiled a 40-24 record with the Mountaineers, including a 3-1 record in bowl games.

Clark took over at his alma mater in December 2019 after Eli Drinkwitz departed to become the head coach at Missouri.

The Mountaineers were 9-3 in his first full season in 2020 and finished 10-4 in 2021. This was his first losing season.

Before becoming an assistant coach at Appalachian State in 2016, Clark coached the offensive line for Kent State (2013-15), Purdue (2009-12) and Eastern Kentucky (2003-08).

The Mountaineers’ season ended Saturday with a 29-20 loss at Georgia Southern.

MISSOURI STAR WR LUTHER BURDEN III TO ENTER NFL DRAFT

Missouri junior Luther Burden III, one of the top wide receivers in the country, is declaring for the NFL Draft, he said Monday.

“I feel like this is the best time to enter the draft,” Burden told ESPN. “I’m confident in myself and what I can do at the next level. I’m ready for the next step.”

Listed at 5-feet-11 and 205 pounds, Burden is projected to be one of the top receivers in the 2025 draft along with Colorado junior Travis Hunter and Arizona junior Tetairoa McMillan.

Burden finished the regular season with 61 receptions for 676 yards and six touchdowns and nine rushing attempts for 115 yards and two scores in 12 games. He also returned four punts for 41 yards.

He will skip the bowl game for Missouri (9-3) to focus on preparing for the draft.

“The ultimate goal was to come here and make a difference,” Burden said. “I feel like I met my goal with everything that I set out before I got here. It was a pleasure being here. I will love Mizzou forever.”

Burden played in 38 games at Missouri and has 192 receptions (fourth in program history) for 2,263 yards (sixth) and 21 touchdowns (fifth). He averaged 11.8 yards per catch.

He also rushed 34 times for 234 yards and four scores, and returned 24 punts for 252 yards, a 10.5 average and one TD.

Burden, who turns 21 on Dec. 12, was a second-team All-America and first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection in 2023.

Missouri went 26-12 in his three seasons, including an improvement from 6-7 in 2022 to 11-2 in 2023 with a win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

“I just want to be remembered as a player who can change a program,” he said, “and give other people hope to come to Mizzou. You don’t have to go to the top schools. You can make your way. I wanted to be different.”

TROJANS QB MILLER MOSS ENTERING TRANSFER PORTAL

Southern California quarterback Miller Moss is entering the transfer portal with one season of eligibility remaining, he told ESPN on Monday.

Moss appeared in 21 games (10 starts) for the Trojans from 2021-24, completing 65.9 percent of his passes for 3,469 yards with 27 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

“I really enjoyed my time at USC,” he told ESPN. “It was transformative for my life as a whole and for me growing up for the last few years. I’m thankful. I gave that program everything I had.

“There comes a point where there’s a time to move on to new opportunities, and I’m hoping to better myself as a person and a player.”

Moss made nine starts this season for USC (6-6, 4-5 Big Ten), passing for 2,555 yards with 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions before being replaced by Jayden Maiava.

REPORTS: FSU SET TO HIRE DC TONY WHITE FROM NEBRASKA

Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White is set to join Florida State in the same capacity, ESPN and Rivals reported Monday.

Cornhuskers defensive line coach Terrance Knighton will join White at FSU, according to the Rivals report.

White, who spent the past two seasons at Nebraska, will replace Adam Fuller, fired as DC by head coach Mike Norvell last month. Fuller was one of three assistant coaches fired in the aftermath of a 52-3 loss to Notre Dame, including offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins.

White, 45, was also the DC at Syracuse (2020-22) and Arizona State (2019).

It was reported over the weekend that Gus Malzahn resigned as head coach at UCF to become the new OC at FSU next season.

FSU lost to rival Florida 31-11 on Saturday to complete a 2-10 season.

ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MICHIGAN AND RUTGERS EARN WEEKLY FOOTBALL HONORS 

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Following Week 14 contests, the Big Ten Conference Football Players of the Week Presented by IFS.ai were announced Monday. Below are this week’s honorees:  

Co-Offensive Player of the Week  

Aidan Laughery, Illinois 

RB – So. – Gibson City, Ill. – Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley

• Registered a career-high 172 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a 38-28 win against Northwestern 
• First touchdown was an Illini season-long 64-yard run early in the second half 
• First Illinois player to run for three touchdowns since 2022 
• Marks consecutive Illinois Offensive Player of the Weeks: Pat Bryant (Nov. 24, 2024) 

Kurtis Rourke, Indiana 

QB – Sr. – Oakville, Ontario – Holy Trinity  

• Led Indiana to a dominant 66-0 win vs. Purdue to reach a program-record 11 wins 
• Completed 23-31 passes for 349 yards and a career-high six touchdown passes, tying the most for an IU quarterback 
• Threw a career-long 84-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter  
• Leads the nation in passing efficiency at 181.4 
• Third Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for Rourke: (Sept. 16, 2024; Oct. 7, 2024) 

Defensive Player of the Week 

Jailin Walker, Indiana 

LB – Sr. – Richmond, Va. – Varina

• Recorded an interception, a forced fumble and 1.5 sacks in 66-0 win against Purdue 
• Effort led to Indiana’s first shutout since 2020 against Michigan State 
• Also had five tackles, including a career-high four tackles for loss 
• Last Indiana Defensive Player of the Week: D’Angelo Ponds (Oct. 28, 2024) 

Co-Special Teams Player of the Week  

Drew Stevens, Iowa 

K – Jr. – North Augusta, S.C. –North Augusta

• Delivered 53-yard game-winning field goal in 13-10 win vs. Nebraska 
• Hit a 20-yard field goal in third quarter to up his total to 19
• Is 19-22 on the season marking the most field goals made for an Iowa kicker since 2021 
• Last Iowa Special Teams Players of the Week: Kaden Wetjen (Oct. 28, 2024) 

Dominic Zvada, Michigan 

K – Jr. – Chandler, Ariz. – Valley Christian  

• Connected on two field goals, including the go-ahead field goal with 0:45 in the fourth quarter and a 54-yarder in the second quarter in Michigan’s 13-10 win against Ohio State 
• First Michigan kicker to make five field goals of 50-plus yards in the same season 
• Is a perfect 7-for-7 from beyond 50 yards this season  
• Fourth Michigan Special Teams Players of the Week for Zvada: (Sept. 2, 2024; Sept. 30. 2024; November 11, 2024) 

Freshman of the Week  

Antwan Raymond, Rutgers 

WR – Montreal, Quebec. – Clearwater Academy International 

• Scored two touchdowns to help Rutgers to a 41-14 win vs. Michigan State 
• Rushed for 71 yards on nine carries, averaging 7.9 yards per carry 
• First Rutgers freshman to rush for two touchdowns in a game since 2022 
• Last Rutgers Freshman of the Week: Johnny Langan (Oct. 28, 2019) 

BIG TEN ANNOUNCES INSTITUTIONAL FINES FOR MICHIGAN, OHIO STATE

ROSEMONT, ILL. – The Big Ten Conference has determined that the actions of both teams following the Michigan-Ohio State football game on Saturday, November 30, 2024, violated the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy.  Not only did the actions of both teams violate fundamental elements of sportsmanship such as respect and civility, the nature of the incident also jeopardized the safety of participants and bystanders. 

As a result of these violations, the Big Ten Conference has issued an institutional fine to both the University of Michigan and The Ohio State University in the amount of $100,000 each.  

The Big Ten Conference considers this matter concluded and will have no further comment.

MAC ANNOUNCES FINAL FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

MAC Football Co-Offensive Players of the Week
Brett Gabbert, Miami, QB   
6th Year Senior,  St. Louis, Mo. (Christian Brothers)        
Brett Gabbert threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-12 victory over Bowling Green last Friday. The win sends Miami to its second-straight MAC Championship game. Gabbert completed touchdowns to three different receivers and averaged 14.2 yards per completions against the Falcons.
 
Parker Navarro, Ohio, QB    
Graduate Student , Tempe, Ariz. (Desert Vista)
Navarro led the Bobcats in their dominant 42-21 victory over the Ball State Cardinals Friday (Nov. 29). The graduate student finished the day with 169 passing yards, going 7-for-11 with three touchdowns in the air. Additionally, Navarro was the team’s leading rusher, recording two touchdowns on 11 touches and 110 yards on the ground.
 
MAC Football Defensive Player of the Week
James Djonkam, Eastern Michigan, LB     
Senior, Springfield, Va. (West Springfield)              
For the second week in a row, Djonkam was all over the field as he recorded 17 tackles, including eight solo, with a career-high 3.0 TFLS (1.0 sacks) while forcing one fumbles and breaking up one pass. Djonkam, who recorded 22 tackles one week prior, was back at it as his 17 tackles tie for 17th-highest total in a single game this season, making him one of only four players throughout the FBS that have finished two games with 17+ tackles this year. He finished the season with 98 tackles and a team-best 11.5 TFLs, which ranks fifth in the MAC.
 
MAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week
JaVaughn Byrd, NIU, Cornerback  
Senior, Milwaukee, Wis. (Rufus King HS)
After NIU’s Cade Haberman blocked CMU’s extra-point attempt on the Chippewas first touchdown, JaVaughn Byrd picked up the block and flew 95 yards untouched for two points and a 15-point Huskie lead (21-6). The 2 point PAT was the third in school history and the first by NIU since 2018.

FIFTEEN LITTLE GIANTS NAMED TO 2024 ALL-NCAC FOOTBALL TEAM

Fifteen Wabash College players were named to the 2024 All-North Coast Athletic Conference Football Team, announced on Monday. Three Little Giants earned First Team honors, while eight garnered Second Team honors, and four received Third Team recognition from the conference coaches.

Senior wide receiver Connor Thompson, junior offensive lineman Quinn Sholar, and junior defensive back Mike Holsclaw were named to the All-NCAC First Team. Sophomore quarterback Brand Campbell, junior running back Xavier Tyler, senior center Kanon Kelley, senior offensive lineman Cameron Ford, junior linebackers Samuel Ringer and Gavin Ruppert, sophomore defensive lineman Jordan Cree, and senior defensive back Avery Epstein were Second Team selections. Junior wide receiver TJ Alexander, senior offensive lineman Enrique Ruiz, junior defensive lineman Jerry McBee, and junior kicker Brody Rucker received Third Team selections.

Thompson started all 11 games for Wabash as a senior and led the Little Giant receivers with 59 catches for 658 yards and nine touchdowns. Thompson ranked second among conference players in receptions, tied for fourth in touchdown catches, and was sixth in receiving yards. He caught a season-best eight passes in a win at Wooster and posted a season-high 130 receiving yards in the Little Giants’ win over Denison. Thompson caught two touchdown passes in victories over Oberlin and Hiram. Thompson’s nine TD catches tied for the 11th-most in a single season by a Wabash player.

Sholar earned all-conference honors for the third time in his career after also earning First Team honors in 2023 and 2022. Sholar, Kelley — a 2023 Third Team and 2024 Second Team selection — Ford – a 2023 and 2024 Second Team honoree — and Ruiz, a 2024 Third Team selection, made up a Wabash offensive line that helped the Little Giants rank second in the conference in rushing offense with an average of 166.8 yards per game. Wabash ranked second in scoring offense by averaging 35.9 points a contest and led the NCAC in red-zone scoring with a success rate of 88.9 percent. Wabash averaged 366.7 yards of offense per game and scored 49 total touchdowns for the season, tied for 15th for the most in a single season by a Little Giants team.

Holsclaw earned All-NCAC honors for the first time in his career after recording 33 tackles and a team-best four interceptions. His four picks tied for second among conference players and tied for 51st in Division III for the season. Holsclaw recorded two interceptions against Wisconsin-Platteville and made a season-high seven tackles before matching that effort with seven tackles against Denison. He also picked off a pass against Denison and added his fourth interception in the 130th Monon Bell Classic versus DePauw.

Campbell earned all-conference honors in his first season as the Little Giants’ starting quarterback. Campbell started nine games and appeared in ten contests total after replacing injured season starter Blake White in the second game of the year. Campbell threw for 1,939 yards and 19 touchdowns. He completed 147 of 213 pass attempts with three interceptions for a 70.4 completion percentage, ranking second among NCAC quarterbacks and 12th in the nation. His 181.0 passing efficiency rating was second in the NCAC and 14th among Division III quarterbacks this season. Campbell threw for a single-game-best 345 yards in a win over Denison and tossed three touchdown passes in wins against Wooster, Oberlin, and Hiram. He completed a season-high 21 passes at DePauw and finished with a 75-or-higher completion percentage in five games.

Tyler joined Campbell as a first-time all-conference honoree. The junior running back led the conference with a 99.2 rushing-yards-per-game average and tied for second in rushing touchdowns with nine. He became the 17th player in Wabash history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season, finishing with 1,091 for an average of 5.5 yards per carry. He ran for a season-high 199 yards and two touchdowns on 29 attempts at Wittenberg and topped 100 rushing yards in four separate games. He scored two rushing touchdowns in three games and ran for a season-best 55 yards in a carry against Wooster, where he finished with 185 rushing yards on 15 attempts for the game. Tyler also caught 21 passes for 170 yards in his junior campaign.

Ringer earned all-conference honors for the first time in his career after recording 43 tackles to tie for second among Wabash players this season. He made six tackles for losses totaling 22 yards and recorded one sack for six yards. Ringer racked up a forced fumble, two quarterback hurries, and four pass breakups as an outside linebacker. His 26 solo tackles ranked fourth among Wabash players this season. Ringer made a season-best nine tackles in the Monon Bell Classic against DePauw.

Ruppert earned all-conference honors for the third time in his career after being selected to the 2023 Second Team and 2022 Third Team. He led Wabash with 96 total tackles and ranked seventh in the conference and 90th in the nation with an average of 8.3 tackles per game. His 13-1/2 tackles for losses totaling 55 yards were sixth-best in the conference and ranked 67th among Division III players. He also recorded four quarterback hurries and recovered a fumble during the season. Ruppert made a season-high 18 tackles against Ohio Wesleyan, including 12 solos, and had five tackles for losses of 29 yards with two sacks against the Battling Bishops. Ruppert finished his junior season ranked eighth on the Wabash all-time tackles list with 264 career stops.

Cree earned his first all-conference honors. The sophomore made 43 tackles to tie for second among Wabash players. He recorded 12 tackles for loss totaling 55 yards, and tied with McBee for the team lead with six sacks for 36 yards. Cree also blocked two kicks, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, and had four quarterback hurries during the season. He made a season-best seven tackles against Wisconsin-Platteville and finished with 3-1/2 tackles for losses of 20 yards, including 2-1/2 sacks for 17 yards versus Kenyon. He blocked a kick against St. Norbert in the season’s opening win for Wabash, followed by another against Kenyon.

Epstein closed out his career with his first all-conference accolades. The senior tied for fifth on the team with 33 total tackles, including 27 solo efforts. He had one interception against Ohio Wesleyan and returned a blocked field goal 64 yards for a touchdown against Kenyon for the game’s first score. Epstein made a season-high seven tackles in the win against Denison.

Alexander earned all-conference honors for the first time in his career after making 30 catches for 428 yards and four touchdown receptions in 11 games, finishing second in all three categories among Wabash receivers. He caught a season-best six passes in a win at Wittenberg and finished with a season-high 109 receiving yards in three catches at Wooster, including a season-best 49-yard reception.

McBee joined Alexander as a first-time all-conference selection after making 32 total tackles to rank eighth among Wabash defenders. He finished the season with 15 solo and 17 assisted tackles and recorded 11 tackles for losses of 49 yards with six sacks for 37 yards. He also broke up one pass, had four quarterback hurries, and blocked one kick. McBee made a season-high six tackles against Wittenberg, including 2-1/2 sacks for 12 yards and his blocked kick. He made three solo stops against Ohio Wesleyan and versus Hanover in the ForeverLawn Bowl.

Rucker added 2024 Third Team All-NCAC honors after being named to the 2023 Second Team as a kicker. He finished second in the NCAC in field goal percentage and led the conference in field goals made per game after connecting on 9 of 14 tries for 64.29 percent for an average of 0.8 field goals per contest. He booted a season-long 39-yard field goal against Ohio Wesleyan and finished the season 2-of-3 on tries from 30-39 yards. Rucker made 48 of 49 extra points attempts and averaged 59.2 yards on 64 kickoffs with 16 touchbacks. He also handled the punting duties for most of the season, averaging 37.6 yards on 25 punts with a long of 62. Seven of his punts ended inside the 20-yard line, with five traveling more than 50 yards.

Wabash finished second in the final NCAC standings with a 7-1 conference mark. The Little Giants were 8-3 overall and represented the NCAC in the inaugural ForeverLawn Bowl played at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, as part of the Opendorse Bowl Series.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

KANSAS HOLDS OFF AUBURN FOR NO. 1 IN AP TOP 25 AS SEC GRABS 3 OF TOP 4 SPOTS; UCONN SLIDES TO NO. 25

Kansas held off Auburn for the No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll on Monday as Southeastern Conference teams grabbed three of the top four spots and two-time reigning national champion UConn nearly fell out entirely after an 0-3 week at the Maui Invitational.

The Jayhawks earned 35 of 61 first-place votes in the poll, while the Tigers got the remaining 26 and climbed two spots to No. 2 after wining the Maui title. The Huskies fell all the way to No. 25, barely avoiding becoming only the second team to go from No. 2 to unranked in a week in nearly four decades.

It was part of a turbulent week with holiday-week tournaments, leading to six new teams entering the rankings headlined by No. 12 Oregon and No. 16 Memphis.

Kansas (7-0), which beat Duke last week, had increased its margin on the No. 2-ranked team each week since the preseason poll and had a 107-point margin on the Huskies last week. But with the Tigers — ranked No. 1 in KenPom’s metrics — beating ranked Iowa State and North Carolina teams in the Maui title run, that margin is just nine points this week.

Auburn was joined by fellow SEC schools No. 3 Tennessee and No. 4 Kentucky, with each team climbing four spots. Marquette was next at No. 5, followed by Iowa State, Gonzaga, Purdue, Duke and Alabama to round out the top 10.

UConn’s slide

The Huskies (5-3) had won 17 straight games entering the Maui Invitational, but things quickly went awry with an opening-round overtime loss to Memphis in a game that had coach Dan Hurley fuming about officiating. UConn lost the next day to Colorado, then lost to Dayton in the seventh-place game to finish last in the prestigious tournament.

It was reminiscent of No. 2 Arizona’s 0-3 crash at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas in November 2017. But the Huskies avoided the same poll fate as the Wildcats, who became the first team to go from No. 2 to unranked in a week since Louisville in November 1986 after its tournament flop in the Great Alaska Shootout.

Rising and falling

While Oregon jumped 26 spots to enter the AP Top 25, Marquette, Purdue and No. 13 Florida had the week’s biggest climbs within the poll, each rising five spots. No. 11 Wisconsin joined Tennessee and Kentucky with four-spot jumps as 10 teams rose from their spots in last week’s poll.

In all, seven teams fell from last week’s poll.

While UConn’s tumble stood out, No. 17 Houston fell 11 spots after losses to Alabama and now-No. 24 San Diego State in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.

North Carolina also had a big fall, sliding eight spots to No. 20 after losses to Auburn and Michigan State in Maui. Gonzaga tumbled four spots to seventh after losing its Battle 4 Atlantis opener to West Virginia.

Status quo

No. 23 Mississippi joined Kansas as the only teams to hold their position from last week.

Welcome

Oregon led the week’s six new teams after beating Alabama to win the Players Era Festival championship, followed by Memphis after finishing second to Auburn in Maui.

No. 18 Pittsburgh, No. 19 Illinois, No. 21 Oklahoma – which won the Atlantis title – and San Diego State were the week’s other new additions.

Farewell (for now)

Indiana (No. 14), Arkansas (No. 19), Creighton (No. 21), Xavier (No. 22), Arizona (No. 24) and Mississippi State (No. 25) fell out of the poll.

Conference watch

The SEC led all conferences with eight ranked teams, followed by the Big 12 with five. The Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conference each had three ranked teams, while the West Coast, American Athletic and Mountain West conferences each had one.

LOUISVILLE F KASEAN PRYOR (TORN ACL) OUT FOR SEASON

Louisville forward Kasean Pryor will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, the school confirmed Monday.

The fifth-year senior sustained the injury during Friday’s 69-64 loss to Oklahoma in the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas.

The university’s statement said the 6-foot-10 Pryor is expected to make a full recovery.

Pryor averaged 12.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks in seven games (three starts) this season, his first with the Cardinals (5-2).

The two-time transfer has averaged 10.1 points and 6.0 rebounds in 52 games (24 starts) with Boise State (2020-22), South Florida (2023-24) and Louisville.

BUTLER’S TELFORT, GEORGETOWN’S SORBER EARN MBB WEEKLY HONORS

NEW YORK – Butler forward Jahmyl Telfort and Georgetown forward Thomas Sorber have garnered BIG EAST weekly honors. Telfort is BIG EAST Player of the Week after leading the Bulldogs to a 2-0 mark, which included a 24-point effort in a top 25 win over Mississippi State. Sorber is BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the third time in four weeks after averaging a double-double for the Hoyas.

BIG EAST Player of the Week
Jahmyl Telfort, Butler, F, Sr.
Telfort was named MVP of the Arizona Tip-Off after leading the Bulldogs to the tourney title. He averaged 23.5 points per game and shot 56 percent from the field. He scored 23 points in the 71-69 semifinal win over Northwestern and 24 points in the 87-77 victory against No. 25 Mississippi State.
 
BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Thomas Sorber, Georgetown, F, Fr.
Sorber filled his stat line by averaging 11.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in a pair of victories. He posted his third double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds against UAlbany (100-68).
 
BIG EAST Honor Roll
Isaiah Rivera, DePaul, G, Gr. – Registered 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting and grabbed four rebounds in 21 minutes in a win against Valparaiso (89-70).
 
Micah Peavy, Georgetown, F, Gr. – Averaged 19.5 points, 5.5 assists and 4.5 steals in a 2-0 week. Shot 56.5 percent from the floor and made 6-of-11 from beyond the arc.
 
David Joplin, Marquette, F, Sr. – Averaged 18.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in a 2-0 week. Shot a combined 68.4 percent (13-19) from the floor, including 54.5 percent (6-11) from 3-point range.
 
RJ Luis Jr., St. John’s, G-F, Jr. – Contributed 24 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in a victory against Harvard (77-64). It was his third 20-point double-double of the season.
 
Zach Freemantle, Xavier, F, Gr. – Averaged 15.7 points, 8.7 boards and 1.7 steals in a 2-1 week. Made the All-Tournament Team at the Ft. Myers Tip-Off.

HILL, NELSON GARNER WEEK 4 MEN’S BASKETBALL AWARDS

MAC Men’s Basketball Co-Player of the Week
Jermahri Hill, Junior, Guard, Ball State
Bessemer, Ala. (Berkmar)
Hill led the Cardinals in scoring during each game of the Gulf Coast Showcase including contributing team-bests in points (18), rebounds (seven), assists (four) and blocks (two) during Ball State’s 63-61 triumph over Eastern Kentucky in the opener on Monday. The junior guard orchestrated a 6-0 Ball State run in the final minute with assists on Mickey Pearson Jr.’s 3-pointer and then Payton Sparks’ and-1 with 15 seconds to play to pull off the comeback. For the week, Hill averaged 21.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 3.7 apg while his performance in Florida propelled him to the top of the MAC leaderboard in total points (141) and third in points per game (17.6) heading into the weekend.

MAC Men’s Basketball Co-Player of the Week
Da’Sean Nelson, Senior, Forward, Eastern Michigan
Toledo, Ohio (Robert S. Rogers)
Eastern Michigan’s Da’Sean Nelson produced his three-best showings of the season in a row, helping EMU to a 2-1 week. Nelson, who averaged 21.0 ppg and 5.3 rpg for the week, equaled his career high with 24 points against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 30. He, who has at least four rebounds in every game this season and multiple assists in each of the last four, also tallied a trio of blocks and a pair of steals on the week. Nelson set a career high with nine made field goals at Houston Christian, Nov. 25, before converting a career-high nine free throws against UDM, Nov. 30.

HCAC 2024-25 MEN’S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK, WEEK 4

Athlete of the Week:
Bryce Riley (Bardstown, Ky.) Berea College | Guard | Junior – Bryce Riley, a junior from Bardstown, Kentucky, scored 27 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in a win over Maryville College, which was the Collegiate Conference of the South Championship winner last year.

Notable Performances:

• Nevin Robson (Kenton, Ohio) Bluffton University | Forward | Junior – Robson was a man among boys in Bluffton’s 83-74 win over Kenyon on Tuesday night, carrying the Beavers with 23 points, one off his career high, on a blistering 7-of-8 from the field and 7-of-8 from the foul line. He also snagged six boards and dished out three assists.
• Bryant Smith (West Lafayette, Ind.) Manchester University | Guard | Senior – Smith led the Spartans to a victory of Wheaton College this past Saturday putting up 20 points on an 80% shooting percentage, recording 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and one block. Smith also shot 100% from the stripe in the game and has led Manchester to its best start to a season since 2006.
• Miles McGowen (Indianapolis, Ind.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Forward | Senior – Miles McGowen led the Fightin’ Engineers to a big win over Wabash College with a final score of 68-60. McGowen totaled 14 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. He shot 4-5 from the field and a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line.
• Colby Napier (Hindman, Ky.) Transylvania University | Guard | Senior – Against University St. Joseph, Napier had 21 points, scoring 5 3 point field goals. He shot 7 for 14 from the field. Napier was named to the CNU Holiday Inn Classic All Tournament Team.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL NEWS

TCU, DUKE CLIMB INTO TOP 10, NOTRE DAME DROPS IN WOMEN’S AP TOP 25; UCLA AND UCONN REMAIN 1-2

TCU has grabbed its best ranking ever in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll on Monday after a convincing win over Notre Dame as the rankings got a shakeup following a holiday tournament week marked by key losses.

The Horned Frogs climbed eight spots to No. 9, the first time the school has ever been in the top 10. The team’s best previous ranking was 13th in 2004.

The Fighting Irish, who were third last week, fell seven spots to 10th after losses to TCU and Utah in the Cayman Islands.

UCLA remained No. 1 with UConn right behind them. The Bruins received 25 first-place votes from a national media panel while the Huskies garnered the other seven. The Bruins won three games in three days in Hawaii over the Thanksgiving weekend. The Huskies had two wins in a holiday tournament in the Bahamas.

South Carolina, Texas and LSU follow UConn in the poll. The Tigers leaped past USC to move up to fifth. The Trojans, Maryland, Duke, TCU and Notre Dame round out the top 10.

The Blue Devils moved up five spots to eighth after beating then-No. 9 Kansas State and No. 8 Oklahoma in a tournament in Las Vegas. It’s the highest ranking for Duke in a decade, matching the No. 8 ranking on Nov. 24, 2014. The Wildcats fell to 13th and the Sooners 11th.

Moving in

Both Michigan and Michigan State entered the poll for the first time this season. The last time the two schools both were ranked was Jan. 4, 2021. That was the No. 24 Spartans’ last appearance in the Top 25. The 23rd-ranked Wolverines were in the final poll of the 2023 season.

Moving out

N.C. State dropped out of the poll for the first time in 24 weeks, which had been the 10th longest active streak. The Wolfpack are 4-3 with all of those losses coming to current top 10 opponents (South Carolina, TCU and LSU). Wes Moore’s squad faces No. 18 Ole Miss on Thursday in the SEC/ACC challenge. Oregon also fell out.

Rising Tide

Alabama moved up four spots to No. 19, the school’s best ranking in 25 years. The Crimson Tide were 8-0 ahead of a Monday matinee against Georgia State. They equaled the team’s best start since the 2020-21 season.

Conference breakdown

The Big Ten has nine teams ranked in the poll, most of any conference. The SEC is second with seven. The ACC and Big 12 each have four Top 25 teams and the Big East has one.

Game of the week

No. 4 Texas at No. 10 Notre Dame, Thursday. The SEC/ACC challenge brings a lot of great matchups, including the Longhorns visiting the Irish. The game features two of the best duos in the game with Texas stars Madison Booker and Rori Harmon playing against Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo. The Irish are looking to snap a two-game skid.

HCAC 2024-25 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK, WEEK 4

Athlete of the Week:
Izzy Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) Anderson University | Guard | Junior – Izzy Davis recorded a near triple-double with 16 points, 8 assists, 9 rebounds and 3 steals as Anderson took down St. Mary’s (Ind.) 81-64.
 
Notable Performances:

• Dailyn Spalding (Lebanon, Ky.) Berea College | Guard | Senior – Dailyn Spalding, a senior from Lebanon, Kentucky, scored 17 points and recorded 9 rebounds in a game against Spalding on Sunday. She had a total of 19 points and 11 rebounds for the week.
• Kayla Prigge (Hamler, Ohio) Bluffton University | Guard | Senior – Kayla Prigge led the Beavers to their 4th straight victory, a 78-53 rout of Heidelberg University on Tuesday night. She scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, hitting her only 3-point attempt. Prigge added a rebound, a block, an assist and a steal.
• Abigail Rosenkrans (Pendleton, Ind.) Manchester University | Forward | Junior – Rosenkrans led the Spartans to an eight point comeback that fell just short against an undefeated Elmhurst team. She finished her day with 19 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.

NBA NEWS

NBA ROUNDUP: WOLVES LIMIT LAKERS TO 80 POINTS

Rudy Gobert scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away for a 109-80 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night in Minneapolis.

Julius Randle finished with 18 points for Minnesota, which picked up its second straight win. Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 15 points apiece off the bench, and fellow reserve Donte DiVincenzo had 11 points and nine assists.

D’Angelo Russell scored 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting to lead Los Angeles. Anthony Davis had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and LeBron James contributed 10 points on a difficult night in which he shot 4-for-16 from the field.

The Lakers seemed to run out of energy in their second game in as many nights. They were outscored 30-16 in the fourth quarter and 53-36 in the second half.

Hawks 124, Pelicans 112

De’Andre Hunter celebrated his 27th birthday by scoring 22 points to lead Atlanta past visiting New Orleans, extending the Hawks’ season-best winning streak to four games.

Hunter shot 8-for-14 from the field and made 4 of 7 3-point attempts to help the Hawks reach the .500 mark for the first time since Oct. 28. Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson added 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

New Orleans got 29 points from CJ McCollum, and Yves Missi added 23 points and 12 rebounds. The Pelicans played without Zion Williamson (hamstring), Brandon Ingram (leg), Jose Alvarado (hamstring), Herbert Jones (shoulder) and Jordan Hawkins (back).

Celtics 108, Heat 89

Jaylen Brown led all scorers with 29 points and grabbed seven rebounds as Boston beat Miami to run its home winning streak to five games.

Payton Pritchard added 25 points while hitting five 3-pointers for the Celtics, who received 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds from Derrick White and 18 points and 11 boards from Jayson Tatum.

Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr. each tossed in 19 points for the Heat, who were without Jimmy Butler (knee). Miami took its second loss in two days.

Bulls 128, Nets 102

Josh Giddey amassed 20 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists while leading host Chicago to a win over Brooklyn.

The triple-double was Giddey’s first of the season. Giddey has 12 career triple-doubles. Nikola Vucevic added a team-high 21 points in addition to 10 rebounds, helping the Bulls end a two-game losing streak.

The Nets disappointed again on offense, as their starting lineup failed to yield a 20-point scorer for the second time in three games. Dennis Schroder led the Nets’ starters with 16 points, while Dariq Whitehead paced the team with 18 points off the bench.

NHL NEWS

NHL ROUNDUP: AUSTON MATTHEWS SCORES AS LEAFS TOP BLACKHAWKS

Auston Matthews scored for the first time since returning from an injury and the Toronto Maple Leafs went on to defeat the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Monday night.

John Tavares, Fraser Minten and Matthew Knies also scored for the Maple Leafs, who have won two games in a row. Anthony Stolarz made 27 saves.

Matthews opened the scoring with his sixth goal of the season at 15:35 of the first period. It was his first goal since missing nine games with an upper-body injury. He had two assists upon making his return on Saturday in a 5-3 road win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Lukas Reichel scored for the Blackhawks, who have lost three in a row. Chicago goaltender Arvid Soderblom stopped 18 shots.

Devils 5, Rangers 1

Jack Hughes recorded two goals during a three-goal second period for visiting New Jersey, which never trailed while cruising to an easy win over New York.

Jesper Bratt scored 87 seconds into the contest and tied a career high with three assists, and the Devils scored at least five goals for the 11th time in their first 28 games. Hughes registered his 22nd career multi-goal game and fourth against the Rangers.

Jacob Markstrom made a season-best 38 saves and was aided by a defense that blocked 27 shots as the Devils improved to 12-5-0 in their past 17 games. Chris Kreider scored a power-play goal for the Rangers, who lost for the sixth time in seven games.

Stars 2, Utah Hockey Club 1

Casey DeSmith made 34 saves to help Dallas earn a win against Utah in Salt Lake City.

Evgenii Dadonov and Jamie Benn scored second-period goals for the Stars, who have won three in a row.

Nick Schmaltz scored his third goal in the past two games and Karel Vejmelka made 19 saves for Utah, which was coming off a 6-0 road win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday but is still looking to win two in a row for the first time since starting 3-0-0.

BASEBALL NEWS

REPORTS: CUBS SIGN LHP MATTHEW BOYD TO 2-YEAR, $29M DEAL

The Chicago Cubs are signing free agent left-hander Matthew Boyd to a two-year, $29 million contract, multiple outlets reported Monday.

ESPN reported that the 33-year-old veteran, who has never pitched in the National League, can earn an additional $1 million in performance bonuses. The agreement is pending the results of a physical.

Returning from Tommy John surgery, Boyd went 2-2 with a 2.72 ERA in eight starts for the Cleveland Guardians in 2024. He struck out 46 batters and walked 13 in 39 2/3 innings.

Boyd owns a career record of 46-69 with a 4.85 ERA in 182 games (168 starts) with the Toronto Blue Jays (2015), Detroit Tigers (2015-21, 2023), Seattle Mariners (2022) and Guardians.

TOP INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

ALL-HCC TEAM

First team

Avon

Enoch, Atewogbola, DL, Sr. – 50 total tackles, six sacks, two fumble recoveries

Ashton Carter, RB, Jr. – 769 rushing yards, five TDs; 963 all-purpose yards

Grayson Clutter, DE, Jr. – 73 total tackles, six sacks

T.J. Stewart, WR, Jr. – nine catches, 171 yards; 368 all-purpose yards

Brownsburg

Alex Burke, OLB, Sr. – 97 tackles, 22 ½ tackles for loss, three caused fumbles

Oscar Frye, QB, Soph. – 2,444 passing yards, 23 TDs; 122 rushing yards

Mason Keifer, DT, Sr. – 50 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, six sacks

Avin Robinson, WR, Jr. – 41 catches, 933 yards, 12 TDs

Quentin Russ, DB, Sr. – 48 tackles, six interceptions

Branden Sharpe, WR, Soph. – 66 catches, 1,165 yards, seven TDs

Chance Whitfield, DB, Sr. – 52 tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery

Fishers

Nathan Ash, LB, Sr. – 70 tackles, eight tackles for loss, one interception

JonAnthony Hall, WR, Sr. – 91 receptions, 1,423 yards, 12 TDs; 104 rushing yards, three TDs

Jev Hutton, OLB, Sr. – 63 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks, three interceptions

Jase Ruggles, TE, Sr. – 28 catches, 267 yards, two TDs

Chuck Slain, OL, Sr.

Franklin Central

Jayce Brewer, DE, Soph. – 38 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three sacks, one interception

Isaiah Carpenter, LB, Sr. – 53 tackles, three tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries

Steve Kiarie, LB, Sr. – 64 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks

John Steinhofer, OL, Sr

Nevan Tutterow, QB, Sr. – 1,176 passing yards, nine TDs; 100 rushing yards, one TD

Hamilton Southeastern

Mason Alexander, DB, Sr. – 52 tackles, one interception; 26.1 yards per kickoff return, one TD

Cam Gorin, OL, Sr.

Michael Hoog, LB, Sr. – 50 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception

Cole Schecter, LB, Sr. – 71 tackles, 7 ½ tackles for loss

Chandler Weston, QB, Sr. – 1,506 passing yards, 13 TDs; 485 rushing yards, one TD

Noblesville

Aiden Brewer, TE, Sr. – 13 catches, 298 yards, two TDs

Brody Gump, RB, Sr. – 1,126 rushing yards, six TDs

Indy Wilhelm, DE/TE, Sr. – 30 tackles

Westfield

Gabe Aramboles, WR, Sr. – 38 catches, 548 yards, five TDs in 10 games

Avery Huggins, OL, Sr.

Deacon King, RB, Jr. – 1,440 rushing yards, 18 TDs; eight catches, 116 rushing yards, two TDs; 39 tackles, two interceptions, one fumble recovery

Keegan Krupp, LB, Sr. – 105 tackles, 7 ½ tackles for loss, one interception, one fumble recovery

Drew Law, SS, Sr. – 51 tackles, six interceptions, one caused fumble

Carsen Melvin, QB, Sr. – 1,950 passing yards, 16 TDs; 353 rushing yards, 10 TDs

Mikeah Webster, LB/RB, Sr. – 100 tackles, 12 ½ tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries; 289 rushing yards, four TDs

Zionsville

Darrius Eleazard, DE, Sr. – 36 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack in seven games

Deiter Hartwig, OL, Sr.

Eugene Hilton, WR, Sr. – 60 catches, 719 yards, 14 TDs

Max Phenicie, DB, Sr. – 47 tackles, three fumble recoveries, one interception

Second team

Avon

Jeshua Miller, DB, Sr. – 26 tackles, one interception, one blocked punt

Kaven Tislow, WR, Jr. – 33 catches, 321 yards, two TDs

Brownsburg

Iosua Stephens, QB, Sr. – 585 passing yards, eight TDs; 611 rushing yards, 12 TDs

Nolan Wilson, HB/FB, Sr. – seven catches, 90 yards, two TDs; 43 rushing yards

Fishers

Owen Folta, SS, Sr. – 82 tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery

T.J. Grace, SS, Sr. – 78 tackles, two tackles for loss, one interception

Franklin Central

Nathan Sparks, S, Jr. – 53 tackles, three interceptions

Jose Butler, LB, Jr. – 53 tackles, seven tackles for loss, one caused fumble

Hamilton Southeastern

Callen Okerson, TE, Sr. – 24 catches, 291 yards, one TD

Hugo Belmonte, K, Sr. – 9-for-11 on field goals; 31-for-33 on extra points

Noblesville

Michael Bennett, OL/DL, Sr.

Cam Mullen, DB, Sr. – 89 tackles, two interceptions, one blocked field goal

Westfield

Alex Aramboles, DL, Sr. – 66 tackles, 17 ½ tackles for loss, 10 ½ sacks, two caused fumbles

Malachi Mills, OL, Jr.

Zionsville

Sam Manna, RB, Jr. – 764 rushing yards, nine TDs; 16 catches, 81 yards, two TDs

Hank Phenicie, SS, Jr. – 106 tackles, one interception

COLTS NEWS

COLTS SIGN LB LIAM ANDERSON TO PRACTICE SQUAD

Indianapolis – The Indianapolis Colts today signed linebacker Liam Anderson to the practice squad.

Anderson, 6-3, 226 pounds, has spent time on the team’s active roster and practice squad this season. He has played in three games in 2024. As a rookie in 2023, Anderson appeared in one game for the Colts and spent most of the season on the team’s practice squad. He was originally signed by Indianapolis as an undrafted free agent on May 5, 2023. Collegiately, Anderson played in 53 career games (30 starts) at Holy Cross (2018-22) and compiled 231 tackles (148 solo), 37.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, 11 passes defensed, six interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He was a two-time First Team All-Patriot League choice (2021-22).

INDIANA PACERS NEWS

GAME PREVIEW: PACERS AT RAPTORS

The Indiana Pacers (9-12) seek a win in the first night of a back-to-back on Tuesday as they travel to Toronto to take on the Raptors (6-15). After a loss to the Detroit Pistons on Friday, the Pacers were eliminated from NBA Cup Knockout Round contention. Though the matchup with the Raptors on Tuesday is a designated NBA Cup game, both teams have been eliminated from advancing in the tournament. Each remains winless in NBA Cup play, but hopes to change that in Tuesday’s contest.

It marks the second of three matchups between these two teams this season, and after Toronto claimed the first, Indiana looks to even the season series with a win on the road. The Pacers are on a two game skid after dropping a game in Memphis on Sunday, 136-121.

Andrew Nembhard returned to Indiana’s lineup on Sunday after missing 12 games due to knee soreness. He logged just 15 minutes in his return to action, but scored 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting. Nembhard’s presence in the Pacers’ starting lineup stands to shore up the perimeter defense as they face off against RJ Barrett, who scored 39 points in the initial matchup with Toronto this season.

Toronto’s All-Star forward Scottie Barnes will be in action for Indiana’s second collision with the Raptors after missing the first due to an orbital fracture. Barnes is averaging 20.4 points per game despite participating in just nine of Toronto’s games this season. The 2022 Rookie of the Year grabs 8.6 rebounds and logs 6.8 assists per night. Indiana will look to limit his touches as he seeks to spark the Raptors’ offense with his versatility as a playmaker.

The Raptors are the NBA’s second-best offensive rebounding team as they grab 13.9 per game, and they rank fourth in the league for total rebounds with 46.4 each night. If the Pacers intend to capitalize on fastbreak opportunities, they’ll need to keep Toronto off the boards. Indiana ranks 28th in the NBA in total rebounds with just 40.2 per game.

The Pacers look to win the second game of a four-game road trip this week as they make stops in Toronto, Brooklyn, and Chicago before returning to Indianapolis on Sunday, December 8 to take on the Hornets at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Projected Starters

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

Raptors: G – Ja’Kobe Walter, G – Ochai Agbaji, F – RJ Barrett, F – Scottie Barnes, C – Jakob Poeltl

Injury Report

Pacers: Andrew Nembhard – questionable (left patellofemoral inflammation), Isaiah Jackson – out (torn right Achilles tendon), Aaron Nesmith – out (left ankle sprain), Ben Sheppard – out (left oblique strain), James Wiseman – out (torn left Achilles tendon)

Raptors: Gradey Dick – questionable (left calf contusion), Bruce Brown – out (return to competition reconditioning), Kelly Olynyk – out (back), Immanuel Quickley – out (left elbow partial UCL tear)

Last Meeting

Nov. 18, 2024: Indiana wasn’t able to overcome injuries to key defenders as they fell to the Raptors in Toronto, 130-119.

All of Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard, Ben Sheppard, and Myles Turner were scratched from the game with injuries as Indiana’s night ended in a loss without several starters. The Raptors notched 30+ points in three of the game’s four quarters en route to their third 130-point outing of the season.

Toronto played without the injured Scottie Barnes – their second-leading scorer on the season. RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl each notched 30 points against Indiana to lead the Raptors, and Bennedict Mathurin scored 28 to lead the Pacers. TJ McConnell and Quenton Jackson were the only two Pacers to record a positive plus/minus stat in the contest.

The Pacers fell to 6-8 following the loss as Toronto moved to 3-12.

Noteworthy

Andrew Nembhard returned from a 12-game absence on Sunday. He notched 14 points, two rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 15 minutes against the Grizzlies in his return to action.

The Pacers split the season series with the Raptors last season, 2-2.

Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)

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

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

Tickets

After a four-game road trip, the Pacers will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host Brandon Miller and the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 5:00 PM ET.

INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL

INDIANA BASKETBALL GAME NOTES – GAME 8 VS. SAM HOUSTON

Opening Tip

• Indiana University continues its 125th season of competition in men’s basketball with a non-conference clash against Sam Houston on Tuesday, Dec. 23, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The game will be broadcast on BTN with Jeff Levering (pxp) and Brian Butch (analyst) on the call.

• The Bearkats enter the game with a record of 4-4 under second-year head coach head coach Chris Mudge. Senior guard Lamar Wilkerson leads a trio of double-figure scorers for SHSU at 19.4 points per game. He is shooting 45.3% (29-of-64) from the 3-point line. Junior guard Dorian Finister averages 11.4 points and 7.0 rebounds, while senior forward Cameron Huefner scores 10.4 points a night.

Game Information

Tuesday Dec. 3, 2024 • 7:30 p.m. ET

Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) • Bloomington, Ind.

TV: BTN (Jeff Levering, Brian Butch)

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

Series History: Indiana leads, 1-0

Last Meeting: IU 99, SHSU 45 on Nov. 15, 2012, in Bloomington

Series History

• Indiana topped Sam Houston by a score of 99-45 the lone time the programs met on Nov. 15, 2012, in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

• Five Hoosiers scored in double figures that night. Christian Watford led the way with 23 points off the bench. Current Team & Recruiting Coordinator Jordan Hulls tallied 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the win.

Last Time Out

• No. 14/15 Indiana (5-2) closed the Battle 4 Atlantis with an 89-73 victory over Providence on Friday, Nov. 29, at the Imperial Ballroom in The Bahamas.

• Sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako finished with a team-high 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor and 4-of-7 from the 3-point line. Junior forward Malik Reneau posted 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor.

• The frontcourt duo are the first pair of IU teammates to each score 20-plus points in a game since Kel’el Ware (22 points) and Mgbako (20) against Northwestern on Feb. 18, 2024.

• Fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway posted 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor, five rebounds, five assists, and one block, his first 15-5-5 game of his career.

Big Fella Ballo

• Sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo swatted a career-high-matching six shots against South Carolina (Nov. 16). The Koulikoro, Mali, native has blocked 156 shots in his career.

• Against Eastern Illinois (Nov. 10), Ballo recorded 17 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks in 27 minutes. He shot 8-of-10 from the field in the Indiana victory. He is one of three players (Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton; Danny Wolf, Michigan) this season to post a line of 17-9-3 or better while shooting at least 80.0% from the floor.

• Ballo scored a season-best 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting from the floor against No. 3/4 Gonzaga on day two of the Battle 4 Atlantis. He is the first IU player to finish the game shooting at least 80% from the floor on 10-or-more made field goals since Kel’el Ware vs. Wisconsin on Feb. 27, 2024 (91.7%, 11-12).

Second-Year Leap for Mgbako

• Sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako scored a career-high 31 points on 13-of-17 shooting from the floor and 4-of-5 shots from behind the arc in Indiana’s victory over SIUE on Nov. 6 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

• The 31 points scored marked the most in a season debut for a Hoosier since 17-year NBA veteran Eric Gordon dropped 33 points in his collegiate debut against Chattanooga on Nov. 12, 2007. Former All-American Jimmy Rayl holds the program record for points in a season opener when he scored 35 against Virginia on Dec. 1, 1962.

• His two-game total of 49 points (24.5 points per game) marked the most by an IU player in the first two games of a season since James Blackmon Jr. scored 49 (26 vs. Kansas, 23 vs. UMASS Lowell) at the beginning of 2016-17.

• The Gladstone, N.J., native is the only Big Ten player to average at least 15.0 points per game while shooting above 50.0% from the floor, 50.0% from the 3-point line, and 90.0% from the free throw line this season.  Among major conference players, Eric Dixon (Villanova) is the only player to match those numbers this season.

IU Finishes Seventh at Battle 4 Atlantis

• The Hoosiers (5-2) went 1-2 and finished seventh in the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis. Indiana lost to Louisville (89-61) in the opening round and No. 3/4 Gonzaga (89-73) in the consolation bracket before defeating Providence (89-73) in the seventh-place game.

• Junior forward Malik Reneau averaged 16.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game across the three games in three days. He shot 69.2% (18-of-26) from the floor and 90.9% (10-of-11) from the free throw line.

• Sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako scored 15.3 points per outing while shooting 48.4% (15-of-31) shooting from the floor, 50.0% (8-of-16) from the 3-point line, and 88.9% (8-of-9) from the charity stripe in the Imperial Ballroom.

• Sixth-year senior Oumar Ballo patrolled the paint with 14.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per contest. He shot 65.5% (19-of-29) from the floor.

INDIANA FOOTBALL

ROURKE, WALKER EARN B1G HONORS AFTER BUCKET GAME WIN

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The largest victory over an FBS opponent in program history and the most points surrendered by Purdue in its program history earned quarterback Kurtis Rourke his third Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award in 2024 and linebacker Jailin Walker his first-career Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award.

Rourke is also part of the weekly Dave O’Brien Award’s Dave’s 8, which makes him eligible for the national quarterback of the week honor.

Rourke joins Anthony Thompson (4; 1989) as the only Hoosiers to win three-or-more Big Ten weekly awards in a single season and is one of just four IU football players with three-or-more weekly offensive awards in a career. Thompson (6), Antwaan Randle El (6) and Kellen Lewis (5) join Rourke on the list.

Against the Boilermakers, Rourke completed 23-of-31 passes for 349 yards and a program-record-tying six touchdown passes. He connected with seven different pass catches in the game and five of those hauled in touchdown passes. Rourke found Elijah Sarratt on eight occasions for 165 yards and two scores.

His six touchdown passes equal a mark set by Bob Hoernschmeyer (at Nebraska; 1943) and Tre Roberson (Purdue; 2013) atop the program’s single-game list. His 349 passing yards ranks him at No. 7 in the top passing performances in Bucket Game history and third-best from a Hoosier behind Richard Lagow (373; 2017) and Nate Sudfeld (350; 2015).

The 349 yards passing marked his fourth 300-yard passing game of the season, which ranks No. 3 in program history and pushed his season passing total to 2,827 yards to sit No. 7 on the single season list at IU. His six passing scores give him 27 on the year, which ranks tied for No. 2 in program history with Sudfeld (2015) and is just one shy of Lewis’ record 28 touchdown passes in 2007.

Walker earns his first-career player of the week honor after a five-tackle, two turnovers forced outing against the Boilermakers. All five of his tackles produced lost yardage with 4.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in the game. He added an interception and a forced fumble in the game.

His 4.0 tackles for loss are tied for No. 6 on the single game charts at Indiana and the third-most in a game by a Big Ten defender this season. He is the fourth Hoosier with multiple turnovers forced in a game this season, joining Rolijah Hardy (Western Illinois), D’Angelo Ponds (Washington) and Amare Ferrell (at Michigan State).

Walker’s effort on defense helped IU hold Purdue to a program-record for fewest yards of total offense in a single game at 67 yards. It also marked the first Indiana shutout of Purdue since 1945 and Indiana’s largest margin of victory over an FBS opponent in program history.

PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL

KAUFMAN-RENN EARNS FIRST CAREER BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK ACCOLADE

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue junior Trey Kaufman-Renn was named the Big Ten Player of the Week for his role in leading the Boilermakers to the Rady Children’s Invitational team title this past week in San Diego.

Kaufman-Renn averaged 23.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 16-of-26 (.615) from the field in wins over North Carolina State and No. 23-ranked Ole Miss. In the 71-61 Thanksgiving Day win over North Carolina State, Kaufman-Renn scored 22 points with eight rebounds and two assists, then followed it up with his first career double-double in the Friday win over Ole Miss, tallying 25 points with 13 rebounds and three assists.

For the season, the 6-foot, 9-inch forward from Sellersburg, Indiana, is averaging 19.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 60.4 percent from the field. He is one of five players in the country to average at least 19 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists and is the only one to shoot at least 60.0 percent from the field.

He currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten in scoring.

Kaufman-Renn and the No. 8-ranked Boilermakers will travel to Penn State on Thursday to open Big Ten play. Tip is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and tickets still remain.

BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL

BUTLER RETURNS TO HINKLE, HOSTS EASTERN ILLINOIS TUESDAY NIGHT

Butler enters returns to Hinkle Fieldhouse for a Tuesday tip against Eastern Illinois, fresh off winning the 2024 Arizona Tip-Off. The Bulldogs defeated Northwestern and No. 25 Mississippi State in taking the tournament title. Jahmyl Telfort earned Tournament MVP honors, a two-game performance that also had him selected as the BIG EAST Player of the Week.

THE SPECIFICS:

Butler (6-1) vs. Eastern Illinois (2-5)

Tuesday, Dec. 3 • 6:30PM

Hinkle Fieldhouse • Indianapolis, Ind.

FOLLOW ALONG:

TV: FS2 • Jason Ross Jr. & Jordan Taylor

Audio: Varsity Network App, SiriusXM 381, XM App 971, & TuneIn • @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)

TEXT TO SCROLL THROUGH AT YOUR LEISURE:

• Butler is 3-0 against power conference opponents so far this season (Mississippi State, Northwestern, SMU) with non-conference match-ups with Houston and Wisconsin remaining.

• The Arizona Tip-Off title was Butler’s first in-season, multi-team event championship since the 2019 Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City.

• Jahmyl Telfort earned Tournament MVP honors at the Arizona Tip-Off, averaging 23.5 points per game in the team’s two contests. Telfort scored 23 in the win over Northwestern and then followed that with 24 in the championship game win over Mississippi State.

• For his performance in Arizona, Telfort was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week. He is the first Bulldog to receive the weekly honor since Jayden Taylor Feb. 13, 2023.

• Telfort was extremely efficient in Arizona, making 56 percent of his shots, including a 6-for-10 performance from three-point range and making all 11 of his free throw attempts.

• Pierre Brooks II joined Telfort on the All-Tournament Team after registering 22 points and nine rebounds in the win over Mississippi State.

• In 40 games in a Butler uniform, Brooks has 10 games scoring 20 points or more, while Telfort has eight; Friday’s win over Mississippi State was the first time that Brooks and Telfort each went for 20 points in the same game.

• As part of shooting 53 percent from the field against Mississippi State, Butler made 12 of 22 attempts from three-point range (54.5 percent).

• Led by Landon Moore’s season-high 13 points, Butler had a 31-8 advantage in bench points against Mississippi State.

• Andre Screen registered 15 points in the semifinal win over Northwestern, his high in a Butler uniform (his career-high of 20 was set during his time at Bucknell).

• Screen tied for the team lead with nine rebounds vs. Mississippi State, his fourth consecutive game pulling down nine rebounds. He added four assists, which was also his high in a Butler uniform.

• Butler has made at least 17 free throws and has shot at least 70 percent from the free throw line in each game so far this season.

• Butler’s field goal percentage defense is ranked 13th nationally as opponents have hit only 36.6 percent of their attempts from the field.

• While Butler is making it tough on opponents to make shots, those opponents are getting a shot almost every time down the floor as Butler is forcing only 7.9 turnovers per game; that is 353rd nationally. Butler’s season turnover margin of -6.0 is 352nd nationally.

• Butler out-rebounded Mississippi State, 44-33, Friday night; it marked only the fourth time in 76 games that MSU lost the rebounding battle by double digits under head coach Chris Jans.

• Patrick McCaffery ranks 31st nationally in three-point percentage (47.5 percent). His 2.7 made three-pointers per game are just outside the Top 100 nationally.

• Telfort, Brooks and McCaffery have combined for Butler’s seven 20-point scoring outputs (in addition to a separate 19-point game from Telfort vs. SMU). The trio also ranks 1-3 in the BIG EAST in minutes played per game.

• Telfort’s scoring average of 17.6 points per game is fifth in the BIG EAST.

A Quick Look at Eastern Illinois

• The Panthers are 2-5 on the season, but four of those losses have come on the road against Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern (in overtime), and DePaul.

• Nakyel Shelton leads the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring at 18.4 points per game; Kooper Jacobi nearly averages a double-double at 14.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.

• Marty Simmons enters his fourth season as the head coach at EIU; he has more than 300 wins as a head coach with 184 of those coming in his 11 seasons leading the Evansville program.

The Series with the Panthers

• Butler and Eastern Illinois last met Dec. 11, 2021, which was a 66-54 win by the Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The match-up prior to that was Thad Matta’s first game as head coach at Butler (a 90-73 win Nov. 18, 2000 in Indianapolis). Overall, the teams have met seven times dating back to a debut contest Dec. 23, 1977.

Series:  EIU Leads, 4-3

Streak: Butler, W2

At Hinkle: Butler Leads, 3-1

First Meeting: Dec. 23, 1977; BU, 86-71, at Hinkle

Last Meeting: Dec. 11, 2021; BU, 66-54, at Hinkle

The Line of Demarcation

• The three-point line has been telling for Butler and its opponents this season.

• On the season, Butler is shooting 42.7 percent from behind the arc, which is sixth nationally.

• Conversely, Butler is holding opponents to just a 24.7-percent mark from three-point range, a defensive effort that is fifth nationally.

• Butler makes 9.1 three-pointers per game, while the opposition is averaging only 5.1 makes per game.

• That 12-point difference from three-point range per game matches up almost identically to Butler’s +12.4 points per game scoring margin so far this season.

Head of the Snake

• Butler’s defense has made life difficult on the opposing team’s most electric offensive performer in each of the team’s power conference wins.

• Mississippi State’s Josh Hubbard was able to score 22 points in Butler’s Nov. 29 win, but the Bulldogs held him to 3-for-11 shooting from three-point range.

• Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli entered the Nov. 28 game averaging 23.8 points per game, which was fourth nationally; Butler’s defense limited him to seven points on 3-for-15 shooting.

• SMU’s Boopie Miller needed 19 attempts from the field to score 17 points in Butler’s Nov. 15 win; he entered the contest averaging 20.7 points per game on better than 50-percent shooting.

JAHMYL TELFORT NAMED BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Following his 2024 Arizona Tip-Off tournament Most Valuable Player performance, Butler’s Jahmyl Telfort has been selected as the BIG EAST Player of the Week. The conference office made the announcement Monday, Dec. 2.

Telfort led Butler to the Arizona Tip-Off championship, averag­ing 23.5 points per game in the team’s two contests. Telfort scored 23 in the win over Northwestern and then followed that with 24 in the championship game win over No. 25 Mis­sissippi State. Telfort was extremely efficient in Arizona, making 56 percent of his shots, including a 6-for-10 performance from three-point range and making all 11 of his free throw attempts.

For Telfort, it is his first BIG EAST weekly award. He becomes the first Bulldog to earn BIG EAST Player of the Week honors since Jayden Taylor on Feb. 13, 2023.

Telfort’s 17.6 points per game scoring average on the season leads the Bulldogs and is fifth in the BIG EAST. He has led the Bulldogs in scoring in four of the team’s seven games, going over 20 points three times already this season.

The Bulldogs (6-1) return to action Tuesday night, hosting Eastern Illinois at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

IU INDY MEN’S BASKETBALL

GOODE NAMED #HLMBB FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

INDIANAPOLIS – IU Indianapolis freshman DeSean Goode has been named #HLMBB Freshman of the Week after helping the Jaguars to a perfect 2-0 week. Goode, a 6-foot-8 forward, helped the Jaguars to a road win at Alabama A&M on Monday (Nov. 25) and a rout over Trinity Christian on Saturday (Nov. 30).

For the week, Goode averaged 10.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 83.3 percent from the floor and 90 percent from the free throw line. Goode made his first collegiate start at AAMU on Monday and responded with six points, four rebounds and two steals in the victory. He followed up with a career-high 14 points (4-5 FG, 1-2 3’s, 5-5 FT), nine rebounds and two assists in just 18 minutes against Trinity Christian.

For the season, Goode is averaging 5.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 48.4 percent from the floor and 84.2 percent from the foul line, playing 17.6 minutes per contest.

BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

INDIANAPOLIS – IU Indianapolis freshman DeSean Goode has been named #HLMBB Freshman of the Week after helping the Jaguars to a perfect 2-0 week. Goode, a 6-foot-8 forward, helped the Jaguars to a road win at Alabama A&M on Monday (Nov. 25) and a rout over Trinity Christian on Saturday (Nov. 30). 

For the week, Goode averaged 10.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 83.3 percent from the floor and 90 percent from the free throw line. Goode made his first collegiate start at AAMU on Monday and responded with six points, four rebounds and two steals in the victory. He followed up with a career-high 14 points (4-5 FG, 1-2 3’s, 5-5 FT), nine rebounds and two assists in just 18 minutes against Trinity Christian. 

For the season, Goode is averaging 5.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 48.4 percent from the floor and 84.2 percent from the foul line, playing 17.6 minutes per contest. 

Jermahri Hill has been named the Mid-American Conference Co-Player of the Week, the MAC office announced Monday afternoon.

Hill led the Cardinals in scoring during each game of last week’s Gulf Coast Showcase including contributing team-bests in points (18), rebounds (seven), assists (four) and blocks (two) during Ball State’s 63-61 triumph over Eastern Kentucky in the opener on Monday. The junior guard orchestrated a 6-0 Ball State run in the final minute with assists on Mickey Pearson Jr.’s 3-pointer and then Payton Sparks’ and-1 with 15 seconds to play to pull off the comeback.

Hill averaged 21.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 3.7 apg in three games last week while his performance in Florida propelled him to currently second on the MAC leaderboard in total points (141) and points per game (17.6) through the first month of the season.

The other Co-Player of the Week is Eastern Michigan’s Da’Sean Nelson. This is Ball State’s first weekly recognition of the season and Hill’s initial MAC honor.

The next game for the Cardinals is set for 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT) on Sunday at SIUE.

INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

SYCAMORES HEAD NORTH FOR MIDWEEK MATCHUP AT MARQUETTE

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State’s road trip continues Tuesday night when the Sycamores square off with Marquette inside the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee.

Tipoff is slated for 7:30 and will be carried on FloHoops, with Bob Brainerd (play-by-play) and Chloe Marotta (analyst) on the call.

Last Time Out

Chloe Williams tallied a career-high 22 points Saturday evening, as Indiana State overcame a double-digit deficit on the road to defeat Southeast Missouri State 68-65 inside the Show Me Center.

Keslyn Secrist added 13 points for her sixth straight double-figure scoring output, while Mia Simpson had eight points, including the go-ahead basket, six rebounds and four steals in her return to the Sycamore lineup. Saige Stahl pulled down 11 rebounds for the Trees, while Williams added six boards, four steals and three blocks as part of her career-best night on the road.

Indiana State led after the opening quarter, before a slow second frame saw the Trees down by as many as 11. Williams and Secrist combined for 25 points in the final 20 minutes, while Simpson’s coast-to-coast drive inside the final minute helped Indiana State overcome their early woes to win on the road.

On The Road Again

Indiana State is in the midst of a 45-day span between home games, with the Sycamores not returning home until their Dec. 29 conference opener against Northern Iowa. The 45 days between home games is the second-longest stretch between home games in all of Division I.

Despite the long stretch on the road, the Sycamores have performed better away from Terre Haute in recent years. Indiana State’s lone win this season came on the road, while the Trees have a 18-28 record in away games since the start of the 2021-22 season, compared to a 14-31 mark at home during that stretch.

Pound The Paint

One common theme in Indiana State’s two wins this season has been the Sycamores’ ability to attack the paint. The Trees have scored 30-plus points in the paint in each of their two wins this season, with 36 against Wright State and 32 against Southeast Missouri State.

Sycamore post players have registered career-best outings in each of Indiana State’s road wins this season. Saige Stahl recorded her first career double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds against Wright State, while Chloe Williams tallied a career-high 22 points to go along with six rebounds, four steals and three blocks against Southeast Missouri State.

Thieves Avenue

Indiana State forced Southeast Missouri State into 23 turnovers Saturday night, the most by a Sycamore opponent this season. More than half of those were live-ball turnovers, with the Sycamores recording a season-high 15 steals. Three different players – Deja Jones, Mia Simpson and Chloe Williams – tallied four steals each.

The Sycamores took full advantage of Southeast Missouri State’s miscues, with Indiana State scoring a season-best 32 points off turnovers. It was the Sycamores’ first game with 30-plus points off turnovers since the opening week of the 2023-24 season.

Attack The Line

Indiana State finds itself among the national leaders when it comes to getting to the free throw line this season. The Sycamores are 31st nationally with 21.7 free throw attempts per game, while the Trees’ 15.5 free throws made per game ranks 27th in Division I.

The last two games have been Indiana State’s best when it comes to converting from the charity stripe. The Sycamores were 19-for-24 (79.2 percent) from the line against Butler and went 22-for-28 (78.6 percent) against Southeast Missouri State.

No Fly Zone

Indiana State has continued its trend from previous seasons of being a strong 3-point defending team. The Sycamores rank second in the MVC and just outside the top 100 nationally in 3-point defense, with opponents making just 28.0 percent of their attempts from behind the arc.

Four of the Sycamores’ first six opponents this season have shot below 30 percent from 3-point range, including nationally-ranked Iowa State going just 8-for-36 (22.2 percent) from deep against the Trees. Also included in that mark is a 5-for-28 showing (17.9 percent) from Wright State against the Trees.

Crash The Glass

Indiana State continues to own a positive rebound margin this season at plus-1.2, a mark which ranks in the top half of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Sycamores have won the rebound battle in four of the first six games this season, including both of their wins (plus-nine against Wright State, plus-four against Southeast Missouri State).

Saige Stahl leads the Sycamores with 9.3 rebounds per game, a mark which ranks fourth in the MVC, while Chloe Williams also ranks in the top 15 in the conference with 6.3 rebounds per game. Savannah White also averages just under five boards per game to rank in the top 25 in the MVC, with Keslyn Secrist (3.5), Mia Simpson (3.5) and Deja Jones (3.2) all averaging more than three rebounds per game for the Blue and White.

Marquette At A Glance

Winners of four straight, Marquette enters Tuesday’s game with a 4-2 record and has won both of its home games this season. The Golden Eagles went 2-0 last week at the Battle on the Banks, defeating Rutgers and Maryland-Eastern Shore.

Skylar Forbes leads the Golden Eagles in scoring at 15.2 points per game, with Lee Volker also averaging double-figures at 12.5 points per game. Halle Vice adds eight points and a team-high six rebounds per game, with Volker dishing out a team-leading 2.5 assists per game. Forbes leads the team in blocks at 2.1 per game.

Cara Consuegra is in her first season as head coach at Marquette after spending the last 13 seasons as the head coach at Charlotte. Consuegra owns a 229-171 record as a head coach and made seven postseason appearances in her 13 seasons at Charlotte.

Series History Against Marquette

Indiana State is 1-3 all-time against Marquette, with the Sycamores’ lone win in the series being a 77-47 victory in Terre Haute during the 1981-82 season.

Indiana State hasn’t faced Marquette since the 2014 WNIT, while the Sycamores’ last game against the Golden Eagles in Milwaukee came during the 2007-08 season.

Last Meeting Against Marquette (March 20, 2014)

Indiana State’s historic season ended as it dropped a nailbiter with Marquette, 63-61, in the opening round of the WNIT at Hulman Center. The Sycamores finished the 2013-14 season with a 20-12 (.625) overall record for the first 20-win season since 2005-06.

Junior forward Jasmine Grier knocked down a game-high 21 points while sophomore forward Marina Laramie chipped in 14 points. Senior guards Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir and Anna Munn both scored in double figures as they ended their careers in a Sycamore uniform. Abdul-Qaadir finished with 10 points, five assists, two rebounds and two steals.

It was a back-and-forth battle between the two squads that featured nine ties and 13 lead changes. Neither team led by more than seven points throughout the contest with the game knotted at 28 at the half. A tight second half evened up with 7:54 to play as Abdul-Qaadir made her first field goal of the night, tying the score up at 50-50. She scored her final six points in the last 7:54, as ISU would take a lead on junior forward Racheal Mahan’s free throw with 1:11 to play. Marquette’s Katherine Plouffe would drive to the basket for a layup with 1:02 to play and help the Golden Eagles (22-10) keep a lead they would never relinquish.

Up Next

Indiana State makes the short trek across the state line to face Eastern Illinois Friday at 6 p.m.

INDIANA STATE FOOTBALL

BROWN NAMED MVFC FIRST TEAM; FIVE SYCAMORES NAMED TO MVFC POSTSEASON SQUAD

VALLEY-FOOTBALL.org – Indiana State linebacker Geoffrey Brown was selected to the Missouri Valley Football All-Conference First Team highlighting five Sycamores named to the Valley’s postseason squad as voted on by the league’s head coaches, SIDs, and media members.

Brown was joined by Joey Shew (Second Team), Maddix Blackwell (Honorable Mention), Garret Ollendieck (Honorable Mention), and Rashad Rochelle (Honorable Mention) as the Sycamore representatives on the team.

Brown earns First Team honors for the first time in his collegiate career after finishing the 2024 regular season as the MVFC tackling leader. The Fishers, Ind. native was the only player in the conference to eclipse 100 tackles over the course of the regular season with 112 (10.2 per game) on the year. He averaged 10.5 tackles per game in conference play including double-digit tackles in four of the last five games of the season, including a career-high 19 tackles against North Dakota.

Brown wrapped up the season with 10 tackles, 2.0 tackles-for-loss, and 1.0 sacks in the season finale against Northern Iowa. He finished fourth on the Sycamores with 6.5 TFL and second with 4.0 sacks, while adding one pass breakup and four quarterback hurries. He highlighted his game in the turnover battle with interceptions against both Missouri State and Southern Illinois, the latter of which he returned 21 yards for a touchdown in Indiana State’s come-from-behind win over the Salukis.

Shew takes home Second Team recognition for the first time after leading Indiana State’s defensive efforts along the line of scrimmage. The Clinton, Ind. native led the Sycamores in both tackles-for-loss (9.5) and sacks (4.5), among his 46 tackles on the field. He added four quarterback hurries, a forced fumble, and a blocked kick to his tallies over the years.

Shew highlighted his year with 3.0 tackles-for-loss, 2.0 sacks, and a pick-six 20-yard interception return for a touchdown against North Dakota in the Sycamores’ win over the Fighting Hawks. He posted a three-game stretch against Missouri State, SIU, and North Dakota where he recorded 6.0 TFL and 4.5 sacks, and finished with at least a partial TFL in six consecutive games spanning September 28 through November 2.

Blackwell was named to the Honorable Mention team after finishing the year among the conference leaders in tackles for the second consecutive season. The Bloomington, Ind. native was seventh in the MVFC in tackles per game (7.5) with 90 overall on the season over 12 games. He posted three double-digit tackling games in 2024 coming against Purdue, Dayton, and North Dakota. He added a forced fumble against Purdue and an interception early in the season at Eastern Illinois.

Ollendieck received Honorable Mention honors after a strong 2024 season which saw the senior linebacker come back from injury to play in the final two contests of the year. The Cresco, Iowa native was second in the MVFC in tackles per game (10.0) and was inside the FCS Top 10 in both tackles per game and solo tackles prior to injury. He wrapped up the year second on the Sycamores with 7.0 TFL, while recording a scoop-and-score on a fumble against Dayton in Indiana State’s win over the Flyers. He finished the year with four double-digit tackle games.

Rochelle received Honorable Mention honor for his efforts in the punt and kick return games. The Springfield, Ill. native was third in the MVFC in all-purpose yards per game in conference play (112.63), while finishing second in the Valley in kick return yards (616) and fourth in punt return yards (135). Overall, he finished sixth in the NCAA FCS in combined kick return yards (751) in the regular season.

EVANSVILLE MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL RETURNS TO ACTION AT MURRAY STATE

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Following a 9-day break, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team will be back in action on Tuesday, opening Missouri Valley Conference play at Murray State in a 7 p.m. game.  ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network will have the broadcast.

Last Time Out

– Holding Campbell to just 32.7% shooting, the Purple Aces put together a solid performance in a 66-53 win on Nov. 24

– Tayshawn Comer was the top scorer for UE, totaling 18 points along with 6 boards and 6 assists

– Cam Haffner added 16 points while Gabriel Pozzato and Josh Hughes posted 10 each

What a Start

– Cam Haffner’s impressive start to the season continued as he posted 21.5 PPG in wins over Green Bay and Campbell

– In the win over Green Bay, he set career highs in points (27), field goals (10) and attempts (16); he also tied his top collegiate mark of 9 rebounds

– The effort surpassed his previous high of 23 points set just six days earlier against Radford

– With his season scoring mark of 15.3 PPG, he is second on the team and 5th in the MVC; Haffner also ranks 3rd in the league with 2.7 3-point makes per game and 7th with an average of 32.7 minutes per game

Strong Performance

– Tayshawn Comer had his top all-around effort of the season versus the Camels, finishing with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists

– His 6 assists was a season-high and improved his season average to 3.43 per game, tied for 7th in the Valley

– Comer’s 6 rebounds tied his season mark, which came against Green Bay

– With a season average of 11.3 PPG, he is third on the team

Taking Care of the Ball

– Through seven games, Tanner Cuff has accumulated 24 assists while turning the ball over just four times

– His assist-to-turnover ratio of 6.00 paces the MVC and is 6th nationally

– Cuff’s other MVC stat rankings include steals (T-4 -2.00/gm), assists (T-11-3.43/gm) and rebounding (T-12-6.00/gm)

– Against Green Bay, Cuff tied his season mark of 15 points while adding 7 boards and 6 assists

Scouting the Opponent

– With a 79-66 win over UT Arlington last Tuesday, Murray State improved to 4-2 entering Tuesday’s MVC opener

– The other wins for the Racers have come against Maryland Eastern Shore, Middle Tennessee and Bethel

– Terence Harcum and AJ Ferguson lead MSU with season averages of 13.7 points per game

– Harcum has hit a team-high 17 triples while Ferguson is shooting 67.6%

– Kylen Milton has recorded 11.8 PPG while JaCobi Wood is averaging 11.5 PPG

– KyeRon Lindsay leads the Racers with 6.7 rebounds per contest

SOUTHERN INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL

SCREAMING EAGLES COMPLETE HOMESTAND SWEEP WITH 104-46 VICTORY

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball completed a three-game homestand sweep with a 104-46 victory over East-West University Monday evening at Liberty Arena. The Screaming Eagles reach the .500 mark for the first time this season at 4-4, while the Phantoms go to 1-12 in 2024-25.

USI got off to a slow start offensively, hitting only four of its first 16 shots, and led by two after the first eight minutes, 12-10. Junior center Alex Horiuk buried back-to-back buckets to spark an 18-2 run to give USI control, 30-12, with 7:23 to play in the first half.

The Eagles were a blistering seven-of-10 from the field during the run, including four-of-six from beyond the arc, and was led during the run by junior guard Braxton Jones with six of the points on two of the three-point bombs.

The USI first-half advantage would rise to as many as 28 points when junior guard Sam Kodi put the Eagles up, 53-25, at the intermission. USI outscored East-West in the final 12 minutes of the first half, 41-15, by shooting 66.7 percent from the field (16-24) during the surge.

Junior guard Jayland Randall and sophomore forward Stephen Olowoniyi would reach double-digits by the break with team-best 14 and 11 points, respectively, in the opening 20 minutes.

In the second half, the Eagles continued to dominate. USI expanded the margin to as many as 61 points (104-43) by shooting an astonishing 54.1 percent from the field (20-37) in the final 20 minutes.

For the game, USI won the battle of the glass, 56-36, and shot 51.9 from the field (40-77). The Eagles also reached 100 points for the first time this year and the 104 points were the most since the 107 points scored against East-West last season.

Individually, four Eagles scored in double-digits in the 58-point win. Olowoniyi led the charge with 17 points on a blistering eight-of-10 from the field and one-of-two from the stripe.

Jones and junior guard Jared Washington followed with 15 points each. Jones was a red-hot four-of-seven from the field and four-of-five from long range, while Washington was six-of-10 from the field with a pair of three-pointers and a free throw.

Randall rounded out the double-digit scorers with his 14 first-half points. Also offensively, junior guard Jack Campion had nine assists for the third-straight game. 

Next Up For USI:

USI hits the road for a quick trip to Southern Illinois University Saturday in Carbondale, Illinois. The tipoff at the Banterra Center is slated for 2 p.m.

The Salukis are 3-5 this season after going 1-2 in the Gulf Coast Showcase last week. SIU opens its Missouri Valley Conference schedule at home Wednesday versus Bradley University before hosting USI.   

USI trails the all-time series with SIU, 4-1, after falling to the Salukis last December, 81-50, in Carbondale. A.J. Smith led USI in the loss with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Following the road swing to Carbondale, USI begins a four-game homestand, its longest of the season, by hosting Shawnee State University December 15 at Liberty Arena. The homestand also includes the start of Ohio Valley Conference action with games versus Tennessee State University (December 19); the University of Tennessee at Martin (December 21), and Morehead State University (December 31).

VALPO FOOTBALL

JOHNSON NAMED PFL SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Valparaiso University football redshirt senior punter Sam Johnson (Birmingham, Ala. / Oak Mountain [Jackson State / Alabama]) has been named the Pioneer Football League Special Teams Player of the Year as the league announced its major award winners on Monday.

Johnson finished with a season punting average of 47.13, shattering the previous program and PFL record of 43.68 that had stood for 14 years since it was established by Greg Wood in 2010. Johnson had 24 punts of 50 yards or more and pinned the opposition inside the 20 on 19 occasions. His long of 65 came on Sept. 7 at Youngstown State and his season-best punting average of 51.25 came in the season finale vs. Davidson, one of three times that he averaged better than 50 yards per punt.

Johnson finished the season ranked third nationally in FCS in punting average and second among those with at least 50 attempts. Elon’s Jeff Yurk averaged 47.9 yards per punt on 60 attempts, while The Citadel’s James Platte averaged 47.3 yards per punt on 44 attempts. Johnson was named the PFL Special Teams Player of the Week four times this year – Sept. 15, Oct. 20, Oct. 27 and Nov. 24.

Johnson became the second Valpo player to win the league’s Special Teams Player of the Year Award since the PFL started doling out the honor in 2015. The previous Valpo honoree was Ben Niesner, who shared the award with San Diego return specialist Hunter Nichols following the Spring 2021 campaign. Johnson becomes the first Valpo player to win this award outright and the first to do so following a full-length season.

This kicks off a busy week of recognition as All-PFL honors will be announced on Tuesday and Academic All-PFL recognition is coming on Wednesday. In addition, semifinalists for the FCS Punter of the Year Award will be revealed on Wednesday and the winner of that honor will be named on Monday, Dec. 16.

2024 Pioneer Football League Award Winners

Offensive Player of the Year: Ja’seem Reed, San Diego

Defensive Player of the Year: Eric Haney, San Diego

Special Teams Player of the Year: Sam Johnson, Valparaiso

Freshman Offensive Player of the Year: Collin Hurst, Presbyterian

Freshman Defensive Player of the Year: James Kratochvil, Marist

Coach of the Year: Todd Stepsis, Drake

VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HOSTS WESTERN MICHIGAN WEDNESDAY IN LAST TEST PRE-FINALS

Valparaiso (3-5, 0-0 MVC)

Game #9 – December 4, 2024 – 6 p.m.

Western Michigan (2-4, 0-0 MAC)

Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) – Valparaiso, Ind.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valpo women’s basketball team faces a quick turnaround from its Thanksgiving weekend tournament in Pennsylvania, as the Beacons return home to the ARC to host Western Michigan Wednesday evening. The game against the Broncos will be Valpo’s last before a two-week stretch away from competition.

Previously: Valpo split its pair of games last weekend at the Christmas City Classic, earning an opening win over North Dakota before falling to host Lehigh in the championship game. Leah Earnest and Katie Beyer represented the Beacons on the All-Tournament Team.

Following Valpo Basketball: Video: ESPN+

Radio: WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso)

Streaming Audio: Tunein app

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 63-121. Evans’ first six seasons at the helm have seen Valpo’s six of the top-eight single-season 3-pointers made marks, including each of the top five, while defensively, her teams have racked up steals at a high rate, averaging at least 7.7 steals/game in five of her six seasons. Under her guidance, Valpo players have earned an MVC Sixth Player of the Year honor, five All-Conference accolades, three All-Freshman/Newcomer Team awards and three All-Defensive Team honors.

Series Notes: Valpo and Western Michigan have met up 15 times on the hardwood, with the Broncos holding an 11-4 advantage in the series. WMU has a narrow edge at Valpo, winning four of seven meetings at the ARC. This marks the fifth consecutive years the the Beacons and Broncos have played, with WMU winning each of the last three seasons. In last season’s meeting in Kalamazoo, WMU’s Kaiden Glenn banked in a 3-pointer as time expired in regulation to force overtime, where the Broncos went on to win, 75-71. Leah Earnest went 10-of-16 from the field for 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Olivia Brown tallied 16 points.

@ValpoWBB…

…and @ValleyHoops

– Valpo was picked to finish in eighth place in the MVC preseason poll, totaling 193 points to edge out Indiana State.

– The eighth-place projection is two spots ahead of the Beacons’ regular-season finish last year.

– Valpo is in its eighth season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.

– The Valley was ranked 13th in conference NET last season. In Valpo’s time in the MVC, the conference has been ranked as high as seventh in NET (2020-21).

…looking back at last year

– Valpo finished last season with a 5-25 overall record and finished at 4-16 in MVC play, good for 10th in the Valley standings.

– Leah Earnest was a Second Team All-MVC honoree.

– Valpo won three consecutive road games in Valley play, the second straight year the Beacons have accomplished that – prior to that, the program had last accomplished that feat against three different opponents since 2007.

…at Lehigh

– Valpo held an 11-10 lead six minutes into the game before Lehigh closed the first quarter on a 13-4 run to lead 23-15 10 minutes in.

– Lehigh scored on its first possession of the second quarter to extend its lead to double figures before the Beacons went on an 11-0 run in a span of just over two minutes, bookended by 3-point plays from Leah Earnest, to edge in front, 26-25.

– 3-pointers from sophomore Layla Gold and Earnest were the only field goals Valpo came up with over the final six minutes of the half, however, as Lehigh regained the lead and took a 42-36 lead into halftime.

– The Beacons’ struggles from the field continued after halftime, as an Earnest drive and finish in the first minute of the third quarter was their only field goal of the period.

– The Mountain Hawks extended their lead to 55-42 with 10 minutes to play and Valpo got no closer than 12 points in the fourth quarter.

– Earnest posted her 17th career double-double with her game highs of 29 points and 12 rebounds. The 29-point output was the second-best effort of her career.

– Gold was the only Beacon to join Earnest in double figures, scoring 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.

– Valpo shot just 35.4% for the game to Lehigh’s 43.4% clip. The Mountain Hawks doubled up the Beacons from the 3-point line, connecting on 12 triples to Valpo’s six.

– One day after owning a +24 advantage in points off turnovers, Valpo was a -13 on Sunday (20-7) as it committed 18 turnovers, while Lehigh turned the ball over just 12 times.

– Valpo did finish the game with a 31-29 advantage on the boards, the first D-I opponent the Beacons have outrebounded this season.

…versus North Dakota

– Valpo opened the game on a 9-2 run, but North Dakota closed the opening period on a 10-2 spurt to tie the game at 14-14 after one quarter.

– The Fighting Hawks hit a 3-pointer on their first possession of the second quarter, but Valpo limited UND to just one free throw over the next four minutes, allowing the Beacons to go on a 12-1 run — led by five points by Nevaeh Jackson — to pull out to a 26-18 lead.

– Valpo led 36-28 at halftime after going 7-of-12 from the field and 6-of-7 from the foul line for a 22-point second quarter, scoring 13 of those points off of 11 North Dakota turnovers.

– Valpo scored on each of its first four possessions of the second half to push its lead to 46-30 and force a timeout from the Fighting Hawks. North Dakota dropped the lead to 12 just past the halfway mark of the third quarter, but Valpo outscored UND 11-5 over the remainder of the frame to lead 60-42 with 10 minutes to play. Valpo went 8-of-12 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, in the third quarter and assisted on all eight baskets while committing just two turnovers.

– Katie Beyer continued her strong afternoon by scoring Valpo’s first five points of the fourth quarter, in the process pushing the lead up over the 20-point mark, and North Dakota got no closer than 16 the rest of the way.

– North Dakota committed 26 turnovers, the second straight game Valpo’s opponent has turned it over 26 times.

– Remarkably, Valpo then turned those turnovers into 33 points on the offensive end, finishing the game with a 33-9 advantage in points off turnovers.

– It was a total team effort to force the North Dakota turnovers. 11 of those miscues were Beacon steals, but no single player had more than two steals and seven different players had at least one theft.

– Offensively, the Beacons featured balance as well, with four players finishing in double figures in the scoring column. Leading the way was Leah Earnest with a game-high 18 points. The grad student also paced all players with eight rebounds and six assists — the latter tying her career high — while registering a career-best three blocked shots as well.

– Valpo’s shooting percentages across the board were its highest of the season. The Beacons broke the 50% mark from the field for the first time this year, hitting 52.0% from the floor, and hit at a 43.5% clip from deep, knocking down 10 triples. They were 14-for-17 (82.4%) from the foul line as well.

– After allowing its first four D-I opponents of the year to hit at a 48.9% clip from the 3-point line and average 11 3-pointers/game, Valpo limited North Dakota to 3-of-19 shooting from deep Saturday.

…looking ahead

– After Wednesday, it will be two weeks before the Beacons return to action, as their next game is Wednesday, Dec. 18 at Saint Louis.

– Valpo’s final game before Christmas is at the ARC Saturday, Dec. 21 versus Detroit Mercy.

…at the ARC

– Wednesday’s game is the fourth of 15 home games this season for the Beacons, as Valpo will host five nonconference games and 10 MVC games.

– Valpo is 2-1 at the ARC this season and went 2-10 at home last season.

@WMU_WBB

– Western Michigan enters Wednesday’s game with a 2-4 overall record, snapping a four-game losing streak last time out last Wednesday with a 70-48 win over Cleary.

– The Broncos, who posted a 12-18 overall record and a 7-11 mark in MAC play last season, were picked to finish in 10th place in the MAC preseason poll.

– Marina Asensio leads WMU this season, averaging 11.0 points and 3.8 assists per game.

All-Tournament Honors

– Valpo had a pair of players recognized as All-Tournament Team honorees following the conclusion of the Christmas City Classic.

– Leah Earnest averaged 23.5 points, 10 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game over the Beacons’ two contests.

– Katie Beyer earned her selection by virtue of a strong 16-point performance, surpassing her career high, in Saturday’s win over North Dakota.

Zooming Up the Charts

– Leah Earnest entered last weekend 13th in program history in career scoring, but in the span of 26 hours, leapfrogged four spots to ninth all-time at Valpo.

– Earnest surpassed Aimee Forsman for 12th in the win over North Dakota, moved past Marlous Nieuwveen and Tabitha Gerardot in the first half versus Lehigh and jumped Stephanie Greer in the second half, closing the game with 1,228 career points.

– Earnest also moved into a tie for sixth in program history with Amber Schober on the career rebounding chart, finishing the weekend with 703 boards.

– The grad student is also tied for sixth all-time at Valpo with 121 games played, seventh with 262 free throws made and just six buckets shy from the top-10 in career field goals.

– Earnest impacted the program’s single-game record book as well last weekend as she went 12-for-12 at the foul line against Lehigh. She is one of just 12 players to hit 100% from the foul line in a game (minimum 10 attempts) and one of just four to do so on at least 12 tries.

Filling the Box Score

– Both of Earnest’s efforts last weekend were notable insomuch as to how many categories she posted notable totals in.

– She scored a game-high 18 points in the win over North Dakota, while also pacing all players with eight rebounds, six assists — tying her career high — and a career-best three blocked shots.

– Earnest is one of just two D-I players to reach all four of those marks in the same game this season and is the first Valpo player to do so in at least 15 years.

– She followed 24 hours later with game highs of 29 points and 12 rebounds against Lehigh, one of just two MVC players this season to reach both marks in the same game.

– There have been just four individual games by a Valpo player with at least 29 points and 12 rebounds in the last 15 seasons, and Earnest owns two of those, doing so last year at Illinois State as well.

Spreading the Wealth

– Through just eight games this season, the Beacons have already had three games where they’ve seen four different players reach double figures in the scoring column.

– Most recently, Leah Earnest, Katie Beyer, Nevaeh Jackson and Maci Rhoades all hit the 10-point mark in the win over North Dakota.

– Against Goshen, it was Jackson, Beyer, Earnest and Kayla Preston hitting double digits.

– At Milwaukee, Layla Gold, Earnest, Raeven Raye-Redmond and Jackson all scored at least 13 points.

– The fact this year’s team has already had three such games is notable, as last year’s squad had no more than three players score in double figures in the same game.

Forcing Miscues

– Through eight games this year, Valpo is averaging 19.9 turnovers forced/game, easily the most in the MVC.

– The Beacons have forced more turnovers than they’ve committed in six of eight games and rank second in the Valley with a +2.38 turnover margin.

– Valpo has forced at least 20 turnovers in four games so far, highlighted by back-to-back games forcing 26 miscues in wins over Goshen and North Dakota.

– Against Goshen, the Beacons racked up 15 steals, a season high and the team’s highest total in exactly one calendar year.

– 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.

20/20/20 Vision

– Eight games into the season, and Valpo already has four different players with five combined 20-point games under their belt.

– That is already more than last year’s team, which featured just two different players with at least one 20-point effort.

– Most recently, Leah Earnest hit the 20-point mark for the 11th time with the second-highest scoring output of her career, finishing with 29 points at Lehigh.

– Nevaeh Jackson went 8-of-13 from the field against Goshen and knocked down four 3-pointers against Purdue Fort Wayne in a pair of 20-point performances.

– Sophomore Layla Gold shattered her previous career high of 11 points with a 23-point night – which included five 3-pointers – at Milwaukee.

– Against Trinity Christian, Kayla Preston smashed her previous best, going for 20 points on 7-10 FG and 6-8 FT.

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 above 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.

The Paint is Ours

– All good things must come to an end, and while the Beacons defeated North Dakota on Saturday, the points in the paint went slightly to the Fighting Hawks by a 34-32 margin.

– That snapped a streak of five straight games where Valpo held the edge in points in the paint, the last four of those advantages being double-figure margins.

– The 2023-24 team only had four games total where it outscored its opponent in the paint.

– Prior to this five-game streak, the last time the Beacons outscored their opponent in the paint in back-to-back games came in December 2022 against Western Michigan and Western Illinois.

– The last time Valpo outscored its opponent in the paint in five consecutive contests prior to this season? You have to go all the way back to January 2010, when Valpo bettered Youngstown State, Cleveland State, Detroit, Wright State and Milwaukee in consecutive games inside.

Notables From Goshen

– Goshen’s high scorer had nine points – it was the first time a Valpo opponent has failed to have a double-digit scorer since Jan. 20, 2019 against Evansville.

– With 26 turnovers, the Maple Leafs were the first Valpo opponent with 25 or more miscues since March 11, 2021 against Evansville at the MVC Tournament.

– Goshen hit just 1-of-14 from 3-point range, the first time since Jan. 2, 2022 at Missouri State a Valpo opponent has shot under 10% from the 3-point line.

Notables From Trinity Christian

– Valpo surrendered just 40 points to Trinity Christian, the lowest mark by a Valpo team since giving up just 37 in a win over UIC Dec. 15, 2019.

– The 41-point margin of victory (81-40) was the program’s largest since a 95-49 win over Chicago State Dec. 28, 2019.

– The Beacons dished out 25 assists on 29 made field goals, the program’s highest single-game assist total since a 26-assist performance against Purdue Calumet Dec. 9, 1998.

– Valpo’s 43 rebounds was the highest team single-game total since grabbing 44 against UAB Nov. 21, 2022.

Leah’s Last Ride

– Graduate student Leah Earnest is back for her fifth and final season of eligibility, looking to put a bow on one of the most productive careers in program history.

– Earnest was a Second Team All-MVC selection last season and tabbed a preseason Second Team All-MVC choice this year.

– Earnest became the first Valpo player since 1991-92 to pace the team in scoring, rebounding and assists.

– She ranked sixth in the Valley in scoring and eighth in rebounding, one of only four Valley players to rank in the top-eight of both categories.

– Earnest scored 494 points on the season, fifth-most in a single season in program history and second-most since 1994.

– Should she duplicate her season totals from last year, Earnest would close her career third all-time at Valpo in scoring and second in rebounding.

VALPO MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL TO TIP OFF MVC PLAY ON THURSDAY

Drake (7-0, 0-0 MVC)

at Valparaiso (4-3, 0-0 MVC)

Game No. 8 – Thursday, Dec. 5, 7 p.m. CT

Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) – Valparaiso, Ind.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team will open conference play on Thursday night as Drake comes to town for a 7 p.m. tipoff. In addition, one of the most popular promotions of the season will take place as the Leaping Legends dunk squad will perform at halftime. After playing four games in eight days, Valpo has entered a stretch with just this one game in a 14-day span as after this contest, the Beacons will turn their attention to the books as they have time off for final exams. For the second consecutive game, the Beacons are battling a team with an undefeated record. After this lone early-season conference contest, Valpo will play the final four nonconference games of the year before beginning the continuous portion of league play after the Christmas holiday.

Last Time Out: Valpo saw its first three-game winning streak of the last two seasons come to an end on Friday at DePaul, falling 89-70 to the undefeated Blue Demons. The Beacons, playing their first true road game of the year and doing so against a power-conference opponent, were led by Cooper Schwieger, who tied for game-high honors by carving out 19 points while gobbling up a game-high eight rebounds in the post-Thanksgiving showdown. Senior Darius DeAveiro provided some stuffing of the stat sheet with 13 points, five rebounds and five assists. The Blue Demons started three and played four ex-Missouri Valley Conference players, all of whom made a big impact.

Following the Beacons: Streaming – ESPN+ – Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and Jamie Stangel (analyst)

Radio – WVUR 95.1 FM Valparaiso, TuneIn Radio App, ValpoAthletics.com – Jack Hutter and Eli Conklin

X updates – @ValpoBasketball

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

Head Coach Roger Powell Jr.: Roger Powell Jr. (11-28) is in his second season as the head coach of the Valpo men’s basketball program. After helping guide Gonzaga to a 121-13 record during his four seasons as an assistant coach, Powell returned to Valpo, where he was part of head coach Bryce Drew’s staff from 2011-2016 and led the team to 124 wins in five seasons, including a program-record 30 victories and a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) title game appearance in 2015-16. He was part of head coach Mark Few’s Gonzaga staff as the Bulldogs reached the 2021 national championship game after winning their first 31 games of the season. During Powell’s first season on staff in 2019-20, Gonzaga was 31-2 at the time the NCAA college basketball season was halted due to COVID-19. The Bulldogs reached the Sweet Sixteen in each of his final three seasons on staff, including two Elite Eight appearances and the aforementioned trip to the 2021 national title game. Prior to his arrival at Gonzaga, Powell served as the associate head coach at Vanderbilt University under Bryce Drew from 2016-2019. During his stint as an assistant at Valpo, he was part of four Horizon League regular-season championships in a five-year period while also leading the 2012-13 and 2014-15 squads to Horizon League tournament titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. A product of Joliet West High School and a native of Joliet, Ill., Powell capped a prolific collegiate playing career at Illinois with a national title game appearance in 2005 before going on to a successful professional playing career.

Series Notes: Valpo is 8-12 all-time against Drake and has dropped six straight matchups dating back to the 74-57 upset of the then No. 25 Bulldogs on Feb. 7, 2021 at the ARC. The Bulldogs prevailed 83-65 on Nov. 29 at the ARC and 81-70 on Jan. 31 in Des Moines last season.

Valpo in MVC Openers

This marks the third time in the last four seasons that Valpo has opened MVC play against Drake.

Valpo is 1-6 in league openers since joining The Valley. The Beacons have dropped the last five MVC openers after a half-court buzzer-beater by Markus Golder to help Valpo start the 2018-19 conference campaign with a 58-56 home win over Illinois State.

After Thursday, Valpo will play its final four nonconference games before beginning the continuous portion of the Valley docket on Dec. 29 at Bradley.

Scouting the Bulldogs

Under the direction of first-year head coach Ben McCollum, who spent the last 15 seasons leading NCAA Division-II power Northwest Missouri State University, where he won four national championships (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022).

Picked fifth of 12 in the MVC preseason poll but own the top KenPom rating in the conference at 74th nationally as of Dec. 1 and boast the league’s lone undefeated record.  

Have an incredibly impressive resume including double-digit wins over Miami, Florida Atlantic and Vanderbilt.

Led in scoring by Bennett Stirtz, a Northwest Missouri State transfer who is averaging 17.3 points per game.

As of Dec. 1, Drake is one of 17 undefeated teams nationally.

Went 16-4 in league play last season before winning the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and earning an NCAA Tournament berth.

ALL WRIGHT NAMED MVC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

Valparaiso University men’s basketball freshman All Wright (Durango, Mexico / Link Year) was recognized by the Missouri Valley Conference on Monday as he was named the league’s Freshman of the Week for this play over the last two games.

After scoring in double figures just once in his first five games, Wright tallied double figures in both contests this week. He posted a season-best 13 points in Wednesday’s win over Northern Illinois, draining three of his four 3-point attempts. He followed that by tallying 10 in Friday’s game at undefeated DePaul. Wright went 5-of-10 from the floor in each contest this week.

This marks the second straight week a Beacon was tabbed the league’s Freshman of the Week as Justus McNair earned the honors last week. Valpo has had a proclivity for garnering rookie of the week laurels during Roger Powell Jr.’s time leading the program as this marks Valpo’s eighth such award since the start of the 2023-24 season.

UINDY MEN’S BASKETBALL

FOUR REACH DOUBLE FIGURES IN LOSS TO LEWIS

INDIANAPOLIS – The UIndy men’s basketball team surrendered one too many long runs in the second half on Monday, dropping the GLVC opener to visiting Lewis by a score of 88-82 at Nicoson Hall.

Four Greyhounds finished in double figures, including a season-high from Zac Szul in more than 16 minutes off the bench.

The Flyers rattled off three separate deep runs in the second half, including one final 8-2 stretch in the final minute to pull away from the Hounds. Dylan Ingram scored UIndy’s final five points of the evening, including a game-tying 3-pointer with under 90 seconds left to even the bout at 80 apiece.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Szul was on fire after the break, hitting all three of his triples in the final 10-and-a-half minutes to keep the Greyhounds in it. But it was Dashawn Jackson that put UIndy ahead at the 4:01 mark with a 3-ball, before Lewis tallied five points in its next two possessions to lead, 80-77.

The Ingram triple from the corner forced the Flyers to call a timeout, responding yet again with back-to-back possessions to regain the lead for good. After missing its first four free throws of the evening, Lewis sunk 16 straight – including a perfect 10-for-10 mark in the second half.

UIndy made double-digit 3-pointers for the fourth time this season, going 11 for 30 (36.7 percent) from deep for its best percentage clip since hitting a season-high triples at Lake Superior State.

INSIDE THE BOX

– The last time UIndy attempted 21 free throws in a half was at Rockhurst in January 2024.

– Ten Greyhounds scored in the game, including Grant Disken (5) and Kelvin Amoako (2).

– Brody Whitaker logged a team-high 32+ minutes against the Flyers. finishing with 12 points and three steals.

– Lewis is the first opponent to force more than 10 UIndy turnovers in a game this season.

– Szul reached double digits for the first time since the 2023-24 regular-season finale at McKendree this past March.

MORE NOTES

Flyer forward Rob Stroud finished with a double-double, recording 18 points and 13 rebounds … the league opener featured eight lead changes and six ties … freshman Tucker Tornatta picked up five points with a perfect 3 for 3 from the charity stripe, but early foul trouble limited him to nearly eight minutes of action.

UP NEXT

The Greyhounds continue GLVC play this coming weekend on the road, visiting Missouri-St. Louis on Thursday evening for an 8:30 p.m. ET tip.

UINDY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

FLYERS GROUND GREYHOUNDS IN FIRST LEAGUE GAME

INDIANAPOLIS – The UIndy women’s basketball team opened GLVC play on Monday with a 68-41 defeat at the hands of defending league champion Lewis at Nicoson Hall.

The Flyers held the Greyhounds to 10 or less points in each of the final three quarters, pulling away in the third frame with shooting 54.5 percent from the floor.

Patricia Chikamba led the Hounds in scoring with 12 points.

INS & OUTS

Kylah Lawson opened the scoring with a fastbreak layup as a result of her first of team-high three steals on the evening. Lewis responded with making its first four 3-pointers to build the only lead it would need just 51 seconds into the game.

Amyrah Sapenter scored all nine of her points in the first half on three triples, the first time the senior has drilled multiple 3-pointers this season. Sapenter added one steal and has recorded at least one six times.

Junior transfer Jaelynne Murray secured a season-best nine rebounds in Monday’s opener, scoring eight points and blocking a pair of Flyer shot attempts.

INSIDE THE BOX

– Wells drew her first start since the season opener versus Ashland.

– Queen Baker contributed more than nine minutes off the bench, appearing in her first game since Nov. 14 at Purdue Northwest.

– Lewis dominated in scoring on the fast break and off UIndy turnovers, recording 22 and 28 points, respectively.

– UIndy finished with eight 3-pointers, matching its season-high mark against Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.

– Loria Snowden saw her first action of the winter, pulling down two rebounds.

UP NEXT

UIndy hits the road with a Thursday bout at Missouri-St. Louis for a 6:30 p.m. ET tip.

MARIAN MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL GETS BACK TO THE WIN CATEGORY WITH A 85-77 WIN OVER JUDSON

Elgin, Ill. – The Marian men’s basketball took home the 85-77 win over Judson on Monday evening. The Knights now have a 5-3 record overall on the year.

The Eagles struck first with a layup in the paint at the 19:37 mark of play. Dylan Moles and Noah Lovan fired back with a back-to-back jumper and layup to claim a 4-2 lead. Judson and Marian fired back points at each other with Moles’ layup and Lovan’s three to claim the lead back. Gavin Foe extended Marian’s lead with a three pointer followed up with a layup from Josiah Gustin and a pair of free throws from Moles. Judson fired back with a pair of layups to bring the score 19-15 in favor of the Knights at the halfway point.

Judson fired back at the 9:24 mark with a three pointer. Moles fired back with two jumpers and a three from Reis Butcher to extend their lead to eight points with eight minutes left in the half. The Eagles and Knights traded baskets with Jackson Ames and Gustin each claiming a layup in the paint. Marian continued to extend their lead with a pair of free throws and layup from Aidan Franks and a three from Moles with two minutes remaining in the half. Judson ended the half with a pair of free throws and a layup in the paint to bring the score 39-29 at the end of the first half.

Judson fired first with a jumper bringing the difference down to eight. Moles fired back with a jumper and Foe fired a layup and free throw to extend the lead to 13. Both sides of the court traded points with Foe and Lovan striking for the Knights. With Foe’s free throw and Lovan’s pair of layups to bring the score 48-36 at the 15 minute mark. Butcher and Foe each claimed a three to extend the lead and Moles followed up with a three to claim a 15 point margin. Foe’s dunk and Butcher’s jumper wrapped up the first half of the second quarter with a score of 61-46. With six minutes left both sides traded multiple pairs of free throws with Moles and Lovan each claiming a few pairs for the Knights to claim the 85-77 win over Judson.

Dylan Moles led in points with 31 while Lovan wasn’t far behind with 22. Moles, Aiden Franks, and Hayden Nahra each claimed three assists for the game. Josiah Gustin led the team in rebounds with seven.

The Knights are back in action at home hosting the Taylor Trojans starting at 7:30 PM in the P.E. Center on December 4th.

MARIAN WOMEN’S SOCCER

MARIAN’S SEASON ENDS IN BITTERSWEET DEFEAT AGAINST THE COLLEGE OF IDAHO IN THE NAIA ROUND OF 16

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Marian women’s soccer team saw their 2024 season come to a swift ending on Monday night in the NAIA Tournament Round of 16, as the Knights were upended by No. 5 seed College of Idaho by a 3-2 final score. Marian’s season comes to a close with a final record of 17-4-2.

The Knights took control of the first five minutes of the match Monday night, but quickly saw the Yotes run their offense and gain rhythm on their offensive end of the pitch. In the 11th minute, College of Idaho ripped their third shot of the match, with the blast from Eden Makaafi racing past Mycheala Johnson to net the contests’ first score. The Yotes would continue to run possession as they earned three quick corner kicks in the moments after the goal, but felt the pressure from Marian moments later as Naomi Walters took the team’s second attempt in the 18th minute.

Walters’ would take another shot on goal in the 24th minute, but was unable to find the equalizer, as the score remained in favor of COI. Marian would gain control of possession in the final minutes of the half after a battle in the midfield, and got a pair of corner kicks from Lizzi Chlystun in the final five minutes that set up a pair of shots for Gretchen Mallin. Mallin took two shots from in front of the goal, but saw both attempts get blocked by the backline of the Yotes defense, ending the half in a 1-0 deficit.

Both teams took five shot attempts in the first half, and were near identical in corner kicks, with the Yotes taking one less than the Knights.

Marian came out aggressive in the first minutes of the second half, finding a pair of scores early in the period. Katie Koger led the half with with a shot high of the crossbar, while the Knights drew a penalty kick in the 51st minute. Layla Brown took the close range shot and was denied on her look, but Marian stuck with the ball, getting the ball back in front of the net for Sammie King, who pushed across the tying goal in the 51st minute. No less than 50 seconds later, Marian found the lead, as Layla Brown slammed home a goal after getting fed from midfield by Naomi Walters.

Brown’s goal gave Marian a 2-1 lead, but the goal was quickly matched by the Yotes’ Eden Makaafi, who scored her second goal of the night in the 54th minute to push the game back to a draw. Gretchen Mallin would pick up two yellow cards for hard tackles in the 10 minutes following the second COI goal, putting Marian at a disadvantage as they were forced to play the final 27 minutes down a player. College of Idaho took advantage of the extra-man lead on the pitch, as Eden Makaafi completed a hat trick in the 66th minute to give the Yotes a 3-2 lead.

Marian would battle over the final 24 minutes of the contest, but would manage only one shot attempt in their short-handed rally, eventually falling in the contest 3-2.

Walters and Brown led the Knights in shot attempts with three each in their final collegiate matches, while Brown scored her 19th goal of the season. King scored on her only shot attempt, and Katie Koger and Gretchen Mallin had the other three shots. In goal, Johnson fell to 12-4-1 overall on the season, allowing three goals against three saves in the season finale.

Marian ends their season with a final record of 17-4-2, reaching the NAIA Tournament for the sixth consecutive season, while returning to the NAIA Final Site for the first time in two seasons.

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

19 – 48 – 41 – 13 – 44 – 11 – 12 – 30 – 21 – 10 – 14 – 9

December 3, 1901 – At the MLB meeting, the Milwaukee Brewers franchise is officially dropped from the American League and replaced by the St. Louis Browns

December 3, 1933 – The Midnight Express, Joe Lilliard, Number 19,  the quarterback of the Chicago Cardinals was the last African- American player to play in the NFL until 1946.

December 3, 1943 – 9th Heisman Trophy Award was won by Notre Dame Quarterback Number 48, Angelo Bertelli.

December 3, 1944 – Temporary merger of 2 NFL teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Cardinals, dissolves at finish of season; WWII ends before start of 1945 season, so both teams resume normal operations

December 3, 1946 – 12th Heisman Trophy Award was won by Army (HB), Number 41, Glenn Davis.

December 3, 1956 – Basketball icon Number 13, Wilt Chamberlain made his much anticipated varsity debut; scores 52 points and grabs 31 rebounds, breaking both all-time Kansas records in an 87–69 win against Northwestern

December 3, 1957 – 23rd Heisman Trophy Award was won by Texas A&M (HB), Number 44, John Crow

December 3, 1962 – 1963 NFL Draft: Terry Baker, Number 11, from Oregon State first pick by Los Angeles Rams

December 3, 1979 – 45th Heisman Trophy Award was won by Southern California (RB), Number 12, Charles White

December 3, 1983 – 49th Heisman Trophy Award was won by Nebraska (RB), Number 30, Mike Rozier

December 3, 1988 – 54th Heisman Trophy Award was won by Oklahoma State (RB), Number 21, Barry Sanders

December 3, 1999 – Ottawa Senators’ right wing Number 11, Kevin Dineen becomes 5th player in NHL history to score 300 career goals and record 2,000 penalty minutes; picks up a misconduct penalty in 7-4 loss to NJ Devils

December 3, 2018 – Ballon d’Or: Real Madrid midfielder Number 10, Luka Modrić wins; first time since 2007 that either Number 10, Lionel Messi or Number 9, Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t win award; Norwegian striker Number 14, Ada Hegerberg is inaugural women’s winner

FOOTBALL HISTORY

December 3, 1921 – Varsity Stadium, Toronto – At the 9th Grey Cup played it was the Toronto Argonauts taking home their 2nd Championship title as they beat Edmonton Eskimos, 23-0 per onthisday.com.

December 3, 1932 – AAA Grounds, Hamilton -The Hamilton Tigers took out the Regina Roughriders, 25-6 for their 5th Championship in the 20th played Grey Cup.

December 3, 1933 – Per Vice.com Joe The Midnight Express Lilliard who was the halfback/quarterback for the Chicago Cardinals became the last African-American to play in the NFL until the 1946 season. Lilliard played during the 1932 and 1933 seasons for the Cards and averaged almost 10 yards per rushing attempt for a total of 494 yards and threw for another 372 in his 18 games he appeared in.

December 3, 1943 – The 9th Heisman Trophy Award belonged to Notre Dame’s Quarterback Angelo Bertelli. Per the Heisman.com website Bertelli was the very first player to win the award from the Downtown Athletic Club for the Fighting Irish. Angelo finished high in the voting for the Heisman the two previous years as he ran and passed out of Coach Frank Leahy’s T-Formation offense. As the biography on the awards web page tells us that in 1946, Bertelli inked a deal with the Los Angeles Dons of the All-America Football Conference or AAFC. Later Angelo Bertelli played for the Chicago Rockets during the 1947 and 1948 seasons. After several knee surgeries, he retired prior to the 1949 season.

December 3, 1944 – War time left the NFL player inventory extremely sparse so a couple teams decided to get clever to survive. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Cardinals chose to try a temporary merger of  the two NFL teams, with an agreement that it would dissolve at the end of season. They are forever remembered as the Card-Pitts. WWII ends before start of 1945 season, so both teams resume normal operations. Sports History Network’s resident Chicago Cardinals expert, Joe Ziemba has a great podcast on the event that  you can check out here.

December 3, 1946 – Glenn Davis, the halfback from the Army team wins 12th Heisman Trophy. Heisman..com educates us that in 1946 Davis as a senior, scoried 13 touchdowns on 712 yards rushing, he also caught 20 passes for 348 yards and tossed passes for 396 yards and four TDs. Glenn Davis was awarded the Heisman over Charlie Trippi of Georgia  and the previous season’s winner Doc Blanchard  who finished fifth in the voting.

December 3, 1949 – 14th Iron Bowl was played and Bama entered the game with a 6-2 record while Auburn was struggling with a 1-4-3 record. AuburnTigers.com fills us in on the details. The Tigers were not supposed to be winning but they were late in the fourth quarter. Alabama had scored with less than two minutes though to go to close the Tigers lead to 14-13. Because of the rules on that day there was not a two point conversion so the Tide attempted a routine extra point kick , but it sailed wide and Auburn hung to win it 14-13.

December 3, 1950 – The Cleveland Browns were the last NFL team to play a game in which they did not throw a single pass. The inquirer.com has a great article on the game where they determined that it was a combination of some less than perfect weather, bulletin board material that got the Browns fired up and some disciplined sound football by Cleveland where they all did their job as the Browns defeated the two-time champion Philadelphia Eagles by the score of 13-7.

December 3, 1957 – 23rd Heisman Trophy Award went to  Texas A&M Halfback John Crow. Heisman.com states that Crow was the only player to win the Heisman that was coached by the Legendary Bear Bryant. Yes that’s right Coach Paul Bryant was with the Aggies in the mid 1950’s before he went to Alabama. John Crow earned the award by having a season where he rushed for 562 yards and six touchdowns, caught two receptions and threw five touchdown passes as the Aggies reached the top spot in the polls. After school Crow was the second overall player selected in the 1958 NFL draft by the Chicago Cardinals and his NFL career lasted 11 seasons.

December 3, 1962 – The 1963 NFL Draft saw Terry Baker from Oregon State  became the first pick by Los Angeles Rams

December 3. 1966 – Alabama blanks Auburn 31-0 in the 31st Iron Bowl which was played at Legion Field in Birmingham.

December 3, 1972  – Ivor Wynne Stadium, Hamilton – The hometown crowds got to see their Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeat the Saskatchewan Roughriders, 13-10.

December 3, 1979 – USC’s talented running back Charles White became the 45th Heisman Trophy Award winner.

December 3, 1983 – 49th Heisman Trophy Award was earned by Mike Rozier the powerful runner from Nebraska.

December 3, 1983 – Legion Field, Birmingham – The Auburn Tigers held on tight to get the 23-20 victory over Alabama at the 48th Iron Bowl.

December 3, 1988 – The Oklahoma State Cowboys saw their talented junior back Barry Sanders win the 54th Heisman Trophy Award. Heisman.com tells how the voting was not even close as Barry swept all six voting regions to win the award. Barry ran for 2,628 yards on the ground, carrying an unbelievable average of 238.9 yards per game! Put those gaudy numbers with his 37 rushing touchdowns, a punt return taken back to the house and a kickoff return TD to bring his regular season touchdown total to 39. Barry Sanders in 1988’s season churned out a record 3,250 all-purpose yards and averaged 8.3 yards per play as Oklahoma State finished 9-2 and finished 12th in the polls.

December 3, 1994 – At the 3rd SEC Championship Game it was the #6 Florida Gators edging out #3 Alabama, 24-23.

December 3, 2005 – The very first ACC Championship Game was held and #22 Florida State upset #5 Virginia Tech, 27-22.

HOF Birthdays

December 3, 1887 – Boston, Massachusetts – Harvard’s legendary guard Bob Fisher came to this life.  The NFF has a great bio on Bob Fisher that I encourage you to check out at the link we shared.  Bob was large for his time weighing in a t 206 pounds and was quick and agile to boot. These traits made him dominant on the line of scrimmage so much so that after the 1910 and the 1911 seasons Walter Camp placed Fisher on his All-America teams. The National Football Foundation selected Bob Fisher to enter into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973.

December 3, 1894 – St. Louis Park, Minnesota –  Bert Baston the terrific end from the University of Minnesota was born.  The NFF voters chose Bert Baston to enter into their College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.

December 3, 1922 – Guadalajara, Mexico – Tom Fears was born and went on to be a great end at both Santa Clara and UCLA. According to footballfoundation.org Fears was on Santa Clara’s team when he was a sophomore and then he left there to serve in the U.S. Air Force. After his military stint he followed his brother to UCLA where during his 1946 junior season, the Bruins went through the regular season undefeated as the nation’s fourth ranked team. UCLA  was an exciting team as they ran a “triple pass” play (forward pass, lateral, lateral) Case to Baldwin to Fears to Clements. The National Football Foundation selected Tom Fears to enter into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1976. After graduation Fears joined the Los Angeles Rams as a defensive player but was quickly converted back to the offensive side of the ball. As a professional Tom led the league in receiving in three straight years from 1948 through 1950 per the profootballhof.com website. Fears also had a big game in the 1950 Division Title contest when he caught 3 touchdown passes. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Tom Fears in 1970.

December 3, 1957 – Allentown, Pennsylvania – Penn State offensive tackle, Keith Dorney arrived into life. The footballlfoundation.org states that in 1978 Dorney was a unanimous All-America selection.   The NFF selected Keith Dorney to enter into their College Football Hall of Fame in 2005. Keith was selected by the Detroit Lions with the tenth-overall selection in the 1979 NFL Draft and he played there for 9 seasons.

TODAY IN SPORTS

Dec. 3

1943 — Notre Dame quarterback Angelo Bertelli wins the Heisman Trophy.

1946 — Army halfback Glenn Davis is named the Heisman Trophy winner.

1950 — Tom Fears of the Los Angeles Rams has 18 receptions against Green Bay.

1950 — Cloyce Box of the Detroit Lions has 302 yards receiving and scores four touchdowns against the Baltimore Colts.

1956 — Wilt Chamberlain scores 52 points in his collegiate debut with Kansas.

1957 — Texas A&M halfback John David Crow is named the Heisman Trophy winner.

1972 — Bobby Howfield of the New York Jets kicks six field goals against New Orleans.

1973 — Dick Anderson of the Miami Dolphins intercepts four passes, returning two for touchdowns, against Pittsburgh.

1979 — Southern California halfback Charles White is named the Heisman Trophy winner.

1982 — Tommy Hearns wins the WBC welterweight title with a 15-round decision over Wilfred Benitez in New Orleans.

1994 — Sixth-ranked Florida beats undefeated and third-ranked Alabama 24-23 in the first SEC Championship game played in Atlanta.

1999 — Marshall beats Western Michigan 34-30 on the last play of the MAC Championship game. Down 30-27 with four seconds left in the game, Chad Pennington throws his 100th career touchdown pass to Eric Pinkerton as time expires to give the Thundedring Herd their third consecutive MAC title.

2000 — The 200-yard rushing games by Mike Anderson, Corey Dillon, Warrick Dunn and Curtis Martin mark the first time in NFL history that four runners have 200 yards on the same day. Its never happened three times in a single day. Anderson rushes for an NFL rookie record 251 yards and four touchdowns in Denver’s 38-23 victory over New Orleans.

2004 — Bode Miller wins his fourth race of the season in the downhill at Beaver Creek, Colo., and Daron Rahlves is second to give the United States its first 1-2 finish on the World Cup circuit. The last time U.S. men went 1-2 in any elite international race was 1984, when Phil Mahre won the Olympic slalom in Sarajevo and twin brother Steve took the silver medal.

2005 — Southern California wins its 34th consecutive game and 16th straight against a ranked opponent, beating No. 11 UCLA 66-19. The 16 victories against Associated Press ranked teams is one better than Oklahoma, which won 15 from 1973-76.

2014 — The Philadelphia 76ers avoid tying the record for the worst start to a season in NBA history, ending their 0-17 skid with an 85-77 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

2015 — Aaron Rodgers throws a 61-yard touchdown pass to Richard Rodgers with no time left to give the Green Bay Packers a 27-23 comeback victory over the Detroit Lions. Detroit went ahead 17-0 after its first three drives and capped the opening possession of the third quarter with a field goal to go ahead 20-0.

2017 — Tom Brady continues his career-long dominance of the Buffalo Bills completing 21 of 30 for 258 yards and an interception in New England’s 23-3 victory. He improves to 27-3 against Buffalo and breaks Brett Favre’s record for wins by a quarterback against any one opponent.

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Dec. 4

1945 — “Mr. Inside” Doc Blanchard of Army becomes the first junior to win the Heisman Trophy. Blanchard also becomes the only athlete to win both the Heisman and Sullivan Award.

1951 — Princeton triple-threat tailback Richard Kazmaier wins the Heisman Trophy. Kazmaier led the nation in total offense and the Tigers to an undefeated season.

1956 — Notre Dame quarterback Paul Hornung edges Tennessee’s Johnny Majors to win the Heisman Trophy.

1961 — Floyd Patterson defends his world heavyweight title by knocking out Tom McNeeley in the fourth round in Toronto.

1961 — Syracuse running back Ernie Davis becomes the first black to be taken No. 1 in the NFL draft after being selected by the Washington Redskins.

1977 — Tony Dorsett becomes the third rookie to rush for more than 200 yards in a game with 206 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-14 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

1982 — Georgia’s Hershel Walker wins the Heisman Trophy. The junior running back beats out Stanford quarterback John Elway and Southern Methodist running back Eric Dickerson.

1988 — Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders wins the Heisman Trophy then proves he’s worthy of the award with spectacular performance in a 45-42 win over Texas Tech in Tokyo. Sanders rushes 44 times for 332 yards and four touchdowns, setting the NCAA single-season rushing record with 2,628 yards in 11 games.

2004 — Louisville becomes the first football team in NCAA history to score at least 55 points in five straight games, beating Tulane 55-7.

2005 — Croatia wins its first Davis Cup title when Mario Ancic beats Michal Mertinak of Slovakia 7-6 (1), 6-3, 6-4 in the decisive fifth match.

2009 — The New Jersey Nets win for the first time this season, ending the worst start in NBA history at 18 losses by beating the Charlotte Bobcats 97-91.

2010 — Cam Newton passes for a career-best 335 yards and four touchdowns, and runs for a couple of TDs to lead No. 2 Auburn past 18th-ranked South Carolina 56-17 for the Southeastern Conference title.

2013 — The NFL fines Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin $100,000 for interfering with a play against the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving. In the third quarter of the Ravens’ 22-20 win, Jacoby Jones swerves to avoid colliding with Tomlin and is tackled after a 73-yard return that might have gone for a touchdown if not for the obstruction.

2016 — Tom Brady becomes the NFL’s career leader in victories by a quarterback, earning his 201st by throwing for 269 yards and a touchdown to lead New England past Los Angeles 26-10.

2016 — Detroit becomes the first team in 60 Saints home games to stop Drew Brees from throwing a touchdown pass, as the Lions pull away from New Orleans, 28-13. It’s also the Lions’ first victory in a road game following Thanksgiving since 1974, snapping a streak of 22 losses in such games.

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Dec. 5

1924 — Red Green of the Hamilton Tigers scores five goals in a 10-5 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

1971 — Willie Ellison of the Los Angeles Rams sets an NFL record with 247 yards rushing in a 45-28 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Teammate Travis Williams also returns a kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown.

1972 — Johnny Rodgers of Nebraska wins the Heisman Trophy beating out Oklahoma’s Gregg Pruitt and teammate Rich Glover. The all-purpose back gains 5,586 yards and scored 45 touchdowns in his collegiate career.

1974 — David Thompson scores an ACC-record 57 points to lead North Carolina State to a 144-88 rout of Buffalo State. Thompson surpasses the 56 points scored by South Carolina’s John Roche against Furman on Feb. 5, 1971.

1976 — O.J. Simpson of the Buffalo Bills rushes for 203 yards and a touchdown in a 45-27 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

1981 — Southern California’s Marcus Allen, who set an NCAA record for yards rushing in a season with 2,342, wins the Heisman Trophy.

1987 — Tim Brown, wide receiver and kick returner from Notre Dame, is awarded the Heisman Trophy.

1992 — Second-ranked Alabama beats No. 15 Florida 28-21 in the first SEC championship game. Alabama’s Antonio Langham intercepts a Shane Matthews pass, returning it 27 yards for a touchdown with 3:16 left in the game.

1995 — Dan Marino completes 35 of 50 passes for 343 yards with two touchdowns and in leading Miami to a 21-20 comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons. It was his 52nd 300-yard game of his career, breaking the league record he had shared with Dan Fouts.

2004 — Peyton Manning of Indianapolis is 25-of-33 for 425 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in a 51-24 win over Tennessee. Manning notches his 13th straight multi-TD game, breaking the NFL record held by Dan Marino, Johnny Unitas, Don Meredith and Brett Favre.

2008 — Former NFL star O.J. Simpson is sentenced to 33 years in prison for kidnapping and armed robbery.

2012 — Kobe Bryant scores 29 points, making him the fifth player in NBA history to score 30,000, and the Los Angeles Lakers snap a two-game skid with a 103-87 victory over the New Orleans Hornets. The other players to score more than 30,000 are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.

2016 — Klay Thompson has 60 points, an NBA season high and the most by a Golden State player in more than 42 years, as the Warriors whip the Indiana Pacers 142-106. Thompson scores 40 by halftime in just 18-plus minutes. He had a career-best 60 points through three quarters and called it a night, sitting down with 1:22 left in the period.

2017 — Russia is banned from the next Winter Olympics in South Korea over state-sponsored doping.

Dec. 6

1939 — Iowa’s Nile Kinnick wins the Heisman Trophy. The back passed for 638 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for 374 yards.

1961 — Syracuse running back Ernie Davis becomes the first black player to win the Heisman Trophy.

1984 — Martina Navratilova loses to Helena Sukova, ending the longest winning streak in history of women’s singles tennis — 74 matches dating to Jan. 15, 1984.

1986 — Miami’s Vinny Testaverde wins the Heisman Trophy in a runaway. The quarterback, who led the nation in passing efficiency, won the by 1,541 points over Temple running back Paul Palmer, the country’s top rusher.

1990 — The Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators receive approval to join the NHL in 1992-93.

1992 — Jerry Rice becomes the NFL’s career leader in touchdown receptions with his 101st scoring pass during the fourth quarter of the San Francisco 49ers’ 27-3 victory over Miami. Rice surpassed Steve Largent’s mark of 100.

1992 — Jim Courier rebounds from a slow start to beat Switzerland’s Jakob Hlasek in four sets as the United States recaptures the Davis Cup.

1998 — Denver with a 35-31 comeback win over Kansas City, becomes the third 13-0 team in NFL history. The Broncos join the 1934 Chicago Bears and 1972 Miami Dolphins.

2000 — Golden State’s Antawn Jamison and the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant each scored 51 points, including trading six straight scores in the final two minutes of overtime. It’s Jamison’s second 51-point performance in four days, and Bryant’s career high. But Jamison earns extra satisfaction as the Warriors prevail 125-122 over Los Angeles. It’s the first time in 38 years two players score 50 in the same game.

2003 — Army becomes the first team to finish 0-13 in major college history after a 34-6 loss to Navy.

2005 — Philadelphia wins the first scoreless NHL game that is decided by a shootout, beating Calgary 1-0. Philadelphia’s Antero Niittymaki stops 28 shots in regulation and overtime and all three during the shootout.

2008 — Southern California beats UCLA 28-7 to win its record seventh straight Pac-10 championship. The Trojans (11-1) also have won 11 or more games in seven straight seasons — another record.

2009 — Switzerland’s Carlo Janka wins the giant slalom to become the first man in more than 2 1/2 years with three consecutive World Cup victories. Janka won the super combined event two days earlier and the downhill yesterday.

2009 — Drew Brees is 35 for 49 for 419 yards with two touchdowns and one interception as New Orleans stays undefeated with a 33-30 overtime win at Washington. New Orleans and Indianapolis both improve to 12-0, marking the first time in NFL history that two teams are unbeaten this late in the season.

2009 — Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre sets an NFL record by playing in his 283rd consecutive game, a 30-17 loss to Arizona. The 40-year-old Favre breaks the record of 282 held by longtime Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall.

2013 — Jennifer O’Neill scores a career-high 43 points, including the go-ahead basket in the fourth overtime, and No. 5 Kentucky beats No. 9 Baylor 133-130 in the highest-scoring Division I women’s game in history. The previous high for a Division I women’s game was 252 points in SMU’s 127-125 win over TCU, also in four overtimes, on Jan. 25, 1997.

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Dec. 7

1973 — Jerry West of Los Angeles sets an NBA record with 10 steals in the Lakers’ 115-111 loss to the Seattle Supersonics.

1985 — Auburn tailback Bo Jackson beats Iowa quarterback Chuck Long by 45 points in the balloting for the Heisman Trophy, the closest vote in the 51-year history of the trophy.

1991 — AJ Kitt becomes the first American in seven years to win a men’s World Cup race, taking the first downhill of the season In Val D’Isere, France.

2002 — St. John’s (Minn.) coach John Gagliardi wins his 400th game with a 21-14 victory over Linfield in the Division III quarterfinals. Gagliardi is the second coach to reach the 400 mark, eight victories behind Eddie Robinson.

2003 — The computer rankings have Oklahoma as the country’s top team while the human poll voters pick USC. Despite getting walloped by Kansas State 35-7, No. 3 Oklahoma takes its 12-1 record to the Sugar Bowl against No. 2 LSU, which won the Southeastern Conference championship by beating Georgia 34-13.

2006 — Willie Parker breaks Pittsburgh’s single-game rushing record with 223 yards as the Steelers rough up the Cleveland Browns 27-7. Parker, the first player in Steelers history to have two 200-yard games in a season, betters John “Frenchy” Fuqua’s record of 218 yards against Philadelphia in 1970.

2008 — The Arizona Cardinals clinch their first division title in 33 years by beating the woeful St. Louis Rams 34-10. The Cardinals, long the league’s doormat franchise with just one winning season in the past 24 years, earn their first playoff berth since 1998 and first divisional title since they won the NFC East in 1975.

2013 — Aurelien Collin scores the equalizer in the second half of the MLS Cup, then drives home the deciding penalty kick to give Sporting Kansas City a dramatic victory over Real Salt Lake and its first league title since 2000. With the score 1-1 through regulation and 30 minutes of overtime, the teams engage in the longest penalty-kick shootout in championship history — one that both sides had chances to win before Collin’s shot and Jimmy Nielsen’s save left Sporting KC with the 7-6 victory.

2014 — The first College Football Playoff expands the national championship race and produces a final four with major star power. Nick Saban’s No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Urban Meyer’s No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes at the Sugar Bowl. Marcus Mariota and second-seeded Oregon vs. Jameis Winston, last season’s Heisman Trophy winner, and defending national champion Florida State at the Rose Bowl.

2014 — Robbie Keane scores on a breakaway in the 111th minute, and Landon Donovan wins his record sixth MLS title in the LA Galaxy’s 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution in the MLS Cup.

2016 — Napheesa Collier scores 20 points, Gabby Williams has 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists and No. 1 Connecticut beats No. 2 Notre Dame 72-61 for its 83rd straight victory. UConn’s last loss was 88-86 in overtime to Stanford on Nov. 17, 2014.

2017 — Larry Nassar, a former elite sports doctor whose sexual assault cases that rocked Michigan State University and the group that trains U.S. Olympic gymnasts, is sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for possessing thousands of images of child pornography. Nassar, 54, will also be sentenced for 10 state counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in January. In November, he pled guilty to using his hands to molest girls at his campus office, his home and at a gymnastics club near Lansing, Michigan.

TV SPORTS TUESDAY

NBA REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Philadelphia 76ers vs Charlotte Hornets	7:00pm	NBCS-PHI FanDuel Sports South
Washington Wizards vs Cleveland Cavaliers	7:00pm	MNMT FanDuel Sports Ohio
Milwaukee Bucks vs Detroit Pistons	7:00pm	FanDuel Sports Wisconsin FanDuel Sports Detroit
Orlando Magic vs New York Knicks	7:30pm	TNT MSG
Indiana Pacers vs Toronto Raptors	7:30pm	FanDuel Sports Indiana Sportsnet
Utah Jazz vs Oklahoma City Thunder	8:00pm	KJZZ FanDuel Sports Oklahoma
Memphis Grizzlies vs Dallas Mavericks	8:30pm	FanDuel Sports Southeast KMPX
San Antonio Spurs vs Phoenix Suns	9:00pm	FanDuel Sports Southwest AFSN
Golden State Warriors vs Denver Nuggets	10:00pm	TNT NBCS-BAY
Houston Rockets vs Sacramento Kings	10:00pm	SCHN NBCS-CA
Portland Trail Blazers vs Los Angeles Clippers	10:30pm	KPTV FanDuel Sports SoCal
NHL REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Detroit Red Wings vs Boston Bruins	7:00pm	ESPN+, HULU
Colorado Avalanche vs Buffalo Sabres	7:00 PM	ESPN+ ALT MSG-BUF
Seattle Kraken vs Carolina Hurricanes	7:00 PM	ESPN+ KONG FanDuel Sports South
New York Islanders vs Montreal Canadiens	7:00 PM	ESPN+ MSGSN Sportsnet
Florida Panthers vs Pittsburgh Penguins	7:00 PM	ESPN+ Scripps ATTSN-PIT
San Jose Sharks vs Washington Capitals	7:00 PM	ESPN+ NBCS-CA MNMT
Vancouver Canucks vs Minnesota Wild	8:00 PM	ESPN+ SNP FanDuel Sports North
St. Louis Blues vs Winnipeg Jets	8:00 PM	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports Midwest Sportsnet
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Calgary Flames	9:00 PM	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports Ohio Sportsnet
Edmonton Oilers vs Vegas Golden Knights	10:00 PM	ESPN+, HULU Sportsnet
COLLEGE FOOTBALL	TIME ET	TV
Kent State at Buffalo	7:00pm	ESPN2/+
Toledo at Akron	7:00pm	ESPN2/+
MEN’S NCAA BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
Virginia U. of Lynchburg at VMI	6:00pm	ESPN+
Maine-Augusta at Maine	6:00pm	ESPN+
Cincinnati at Villanova	6:30pm	FS1
Eastern Illinois at Butler	6:30pm	FS2
Mid-Atlantic Christian at App State	6:30pm	ESPN+
Delaware State at Delaware	6:30pm	FloSports
Notre Dame at Georgia	7:00pm	ESPNU
California at Missouri	7:00pm	SECN
South Carolina at Boston College	7:00pm	ACCN
Princeton at Saint Joseph’s	7:00pm	ESPN+
La Salle at Northeastern	7:00pm	NESN
Western Michigan at Dayton	7:00pm	ESPN+
Army West Point at Le Moyne	7:00pm	NEC Front Row
Northwestern at Iowa	7:00pm	Peacock
Brown at Vermont	7:00pm	ESPN+
UNCW at East Carolina	7:00pm	ESPN+
Lipscomb at Chattanooga	7:00pm	ESPN+
Dartmouth at New Hampshire	7:00pm	ESPN+
Stetson at South Florida	7:00pm	ESPN+
Northern Kentucky at Akron	7:00pm	ESPN+
UNC Asheville at George Mason	7:00pm	ESPN+
Winthrop at Queens	7:00pm	ESPN+
Santa Clara at McNeese	7:00pm	ESPN+
Pitt-Bradford at Buffalo	7:00pm	ESPN+
ETSU at James Madison	7:00pm	ESPN+
UT Martin at Charleston Southern	7:00pm	ESPN+
Benedictine at Northern Illinois	7:00pm	ESPN+
Toccoa Falls at The Citadel	7:00pm	ESPN+
Saint Peter’s at Duquesne	7:00pm	ESPN+
High Point at UNCG	7:00pm	ESPN+
Tusculum at Charleston	7:00pm	FloSports
North Carolina A&T at Hampton	7:00pm	FloSports
Sam Houston at Indiana	7:30pm	BTN
Evansville at Murray State	8:00pm	MVC
Alabama State at SMU	8:00pm	ESPN+
Bradley at Southern Illinois	8:00pm	ESPN+
Dallas Christian at Tarleton	8:00pm	ESPN+
BYU at Providence	8:30pm	FS1
Eastern Michigan at Loyola Chicago	8:30pm	MARQ
Park Gilbert at Southern Utah	8:30pm	ESPN+
Wake Forest at Texas A&M	9:00pm	ESPN2
Georgia Tech at Oklahoma	9:00pm	ESPNU
Florida State at LSU	9:00pm	SECN
Ole Miss at Louisville	9:00pm	ACCN
Hawai’i at Grand Canyon	9:00pm	ESPN+
Utah Tech at Boise State	9:00pm	MWN
Michigan at Wisconsin	9:00pm	Peacock
San Diego at Arizona State	9:00pm	ESPN+
Kentucky at Clemson	9:30pm	ESPN
Utah Valley at Stanford	10:00pm	ESPN+
UTSA at Saint Mary’s	10:00pm	ESPN+
Washington at UCLA	10:30pm	FS1
SOCCER	TIME ET	TV
La Liga: Mallorca vs Barcelona	1:00pm	ESPN+
UEFA Women’s Euro Qualifying: Sweden vs Serbia	1:00pm	CBSSN Fubo
EPL: Ipswich Town vs Crystal Palace	2:30pm	Peacock
DFB Pokal: Bayern München vs Bayer Leverkusen	2:45pm	ESPN2 Fubo
Women’s Friendly: Netherlands vs USA	2:45pm	TNT truTV MAX Fubo
Women’s Friendly: France vs Spain	2:45pm	CBSSN Fubo
EPL: Leicester City vs West Ham United	3:15pm	Peacock

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
Nashville Predators vs Toronto Maple Leafs	7:30pm	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports South Sportsnet
Boston Bruins vs Chicago Blackhawks	7:30 PM	TNT, Max
Dallas Stars vs Los Angeles Kings	10:00 PM	TNT, Max
Vegas Golden Knights vs Anaheim Ducks	10:00 PM	ESPN+ Scripps Victory+
MEN’S NCAA BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
West Georgia at Mercer	11:00am	ESPN+
Harvard at Holy Cross	6:00pm	ESPN+
Baylor at UConn	6:30pm	FS1
Ohio State at Maryland	6:30pm	BTN
Florida Atlantic at FIU	6:30pm	CBSSN
Green Bay at IU Indianapolis	6:30pm	ESPN+
Youngstown State at Robert Morris	7:00pm	ATTSN-PIT
Georgia Southern at VCU	7:00pm	MASN
Fairleigh Dickinson at Fordham	7:00pm	SNY
Central Connecticut at UMass	7:00pm	NESN+
Illinois State at Belmont	7:00pm	MVC
Coppin State at Wagner	7:00pm	NEC Front Row
Penn State-Shenango at Saint Francis U	7:00pm	NEC Front Row
York at LIU	7:00pm	NEC Front Row
East-West at Lindenwood	7:00pm	ESPN+
Livingstone at Charlotte	7:00pm	ESPN+
Columbia at UAlbany	7:00pm	ESPN+
Cornell at Colgate	7:00pm	ESPN+
Furman at FGCU	7:00pm	ESPN+
Bellarmine at Western Carolina	7:00pm	ESPN+
Rider at Fairfield	7:00pm	ESPN+
Morehead State at Marshall	7:00pm	ESPN+
Brevard at USC Upstate	7:00pm	ESPN+
Tennessee Tech at North Alabama	7:00pm	ESPN+
Monmouth at Lehigh	7:00pm	ESPN+
Gardner-Webb at Wofford	7:00pm	ESPN+
George Washington at American	7:00pm	ESPN+
St. Bonaventure at Bucknell	7:00pm	ESPN+
Virginia U. of Lynchburg at William & Mary	7:00pm	FloSports
Coastal Carolina at Campbell	7:00pm	FloSports
Alabama at North Carolina	7:15pm	ESPN
Virginia at Florida	7:15pm	ESPN2
Alcorn State at Wichita State	7:30pm	ESPN+
Rhodes at Middle Tennessee	7:30pm	ESPN+
Idaho State at South Dakota	8:00pm	MidCo Sports 2
Northern Arizona at Oral Roberts	8:00pm	KGEB
St. Thomas at Northern Colorado	8:00pm	ESPN+
Central Arkansas at Little Rock	8:00pm	ESPN+
Louisiana Tech at Memphis	8:00pm	ESPN+
UNI at UIC	8:00pm	ESPN+
Oklahoma State at Tulsa	8:00pm	ESPN+
Marquette at Iowa State	8:00pm	ESPN+
Arlington Baptist at Texas State	8:00pm	ESPN+
St. Ambrose at Western Illinois	8:00pm	ESPN+
Idaho at Kansas City	8:00pm	Summit
Montana State at Omaha	8:00pm	Summit
Kansas at Creighton	8:30pm	FS1
Michigan State at Minnesota	8:30pm	BTN
NJIT at Seton Hall	8:30pm	CBSSN
DePaul at Texas Tech	9:00pm	ESPNU
Sacramento State at Denver	9:00pm	ALT
Wyoming at Utah State	9:00pm	ESPN+
San Jose State at New Mexico	9:00pm	MWN
Loyola Marymount at Colorado State	9:00pm	MWN
North Dakota State at Weber State	9:00pm	ESPN+
South Dakota State at Montana	9:00pm	ESPN+
North Dakota at Eastern Washington	9:00pm	ESPN+
Life Pacific at Pepperdine	9:00pm	ESPN+
Auburn at Duke	9:15pm	ESPN
Texas at NC State	9:15pm	ESPN2
Pitt at Mississippi State	9:15pm	SECN
Vanderbilt at Virginia Tech	9:15pm	ACCN
Abilene Christian at NM State	9:30pm	ESPN+
Portland State at Seattle U	10:00pm	ESPN+
San Diego State at Fresno State	10:30pm	FS1
Oregon at USC	10:30pm	BTN
NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
Oklahoma at Louisville	5:00pm	ESPN2
SOCCER	TIME ET	TV
EPL: Everton vs Wolverhampton Wanderers	2:30pm	Peacock
EPL: Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest	2:30pm	Peacock
EPL: Newcastle United vs Liverpool	2:30pm	Peacock
EPL: Southampton vs Chelsea	2:30pm	Peacock
Belgian Cup: Genk vs Standard Liège	2:30pm	ESPN+
La Liga: Athletic Club vs Real Madrid	3:00pm	ESPN+
Coppa Italia: Fiorentina vs Empoli	3:00pm	Paramount+
Scottish Premiership: Aberdeen vs Celtic	3:00pm	CBSSN Fubo
EPL: Aston Villa vs Brentford	3:15pm	USA Peacock
EPL: Arsenal vs Manchester United	3:15pm	Peacock

TV SPORTS THURSDAY

NFL REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Green Bay at Detroit	8:15pm	AMZN
NBA REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Denver Nuggets vs Cleveland Cavaliers	7:00pm	NBATV ALT2 FanDuel Sports Ohio
Dallas Mavericks vs Washington Wizards	7:00pm	KMPX MNMT
Charlotte Hornets vs New York Knicks	7:30pm	FanDuel Sports South MSG
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Toronto Raptors	7:30pm	FanDuel Sports Oklahoma Sportsnet
Sacramento Kings vs Memphis Grizzlies	8:00pm	NBCS-CA FanDuel Sports Southeast
Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans	8:00pm	AFSportsnet GCSN
Chicago Bulls vs San Antonio Spurs	8:00pm	CHSN FanDuel Sports Southwest
Houston Rockets vs Golden State Warriors	10:00pm	NBATV SCHN NBCS-BAY
NHL REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Winnipeg Jets vs Buffalo Sabres	7:00pm	ESPN+ Sportsnet MSG-BUF
Nashville Predators vs Montreal Canadiens	7:00 PM	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports South Sportsnet
San Jose Sharks vs Tampa Bay Lightning	7:00 PM	ESPN+ NBCS-CA FanDuel Sports Sun
Florida Panthers vs Philadelphia Flyers	7:00 PM	ESPN+ Scripps NBCS-PHI Sportsnet
Colorado Avalanche vs Carolina Hurricanes	7:00 PM	ESPN+ ALT FanDuel Sports South
Detroit Red Wings vs Ottawa Senators	7:00 PM	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports Detroit Sportsnet
Seattle Kraken vs New York Islanders	7:30 PM	ESPN+, HULU
St. Louis Blues vs Calgary Flames	9:00 PM	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports Midwest Sportsnet
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Edmonton Oilers	9:00 PM	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports Ohio Sportsnet
MEN’S NCAA BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
Southeast Missouri at Lipscomb	12:00pm	ESPN+
Purdue Fort Wayne at Detroit Mercy	1:00pm	ESPN+
Alabama State at Southern Miss	3:30pm	ESPN+
Purdue at Penn State	6:30pm	FS1
Wright State at Oakland	7:00pm	ESPN+
Maryland Eastern Shore at Longwood	7:00pm	ESPN+
Florida Tech at Jacksonville	7:00pm	ESPN+
Radford at North Carolina Central	7:00pm	ESPN+
Warner at North Florida	7:00pm	ESPN+
Southeastern Louisiana at Nicholls	7:30pm	ESPN+
Stephen F. Austin at UTRGV	7:30pm	ESPN+
Xavier at TCU	8:00pm	ESPN+
Cleveland State at Milwaukee	8:00pm	ESPN+
Drake at Valparaiso	8:00pm	ESPN+
Northwestern State at UIW	8:00pm	ESPN+
East Texas A&M at Houston Christian	8:00pm	ESPN+
Lamar at A&M-Corpus Christi	8:00pm	ESPN+
Jackson State at Arkansas State	8:00pm	ESPN+
Cal Poly at UC Davis	9:00pm	ESPN+
UC Riverside at CSUN	10:00pm	Spectrum
UC San Diego at UC Santa Barbara	10:00pm	ESPN+
Long Beach State at Cal State Fullerton	10:00pm	ESPN+
CSU Bakersfield at UC Irvine	10:00pm	ESPN+
Saint Louis at San Francisco	10:00pm	ESPN+
WOMEN’S NCAA BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
Boston College at Arkansas	7:00pm	SECN
Duke at South Carolina	9:00pm	ESPN
Duke at South Carolina	9:00pm	SECN
GOLF	TIME ET	TV
DP World Tour: Nedbank Golf Challenge	4:00am	GOLF
PGA Tour: Hero World Challenge	1:30pm	GOLF
SOCCER	TIME ET	TV
EPL: Fulham vs Brighton & Hove Albion	2:30pm	Peacock
Belgian Cup: Anderlecht vs Westerlo	2:30pm	ESPN+
La Liga: Athletic Club vs Real Madrid	3:00pm	ESPN+
Coppa Italia: Lazio vs Napoli	3:00pm	Paramount+
Scottish Premiership: Aberdeen vs Celtic	3:00pm	CBSSN Fubo
EPL: AFC Bournemouth vs Tottenham Hotspur	3:15pm	USA Peacock