THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” THURSDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2025

“THE SCOREBOARD”

INDIANA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

AP POLL

CLASS 4A

RANK	SCHOOL	TOTAL POINTS	PREVIOUS
1.	FISHERS (11) (23-0)	220	1
2.	WESTFIELD (17-3)	180	3
3.	GREENFIELD (20-3)	166	4
4.	CROWN POINT (17-2)	133	5
5.	ANDERSON (20-2)	122	6
6.	AVON (18-3)	116	2
7.	JEFFERSONVILLE (16-5)	106	7
8.	WARSAW (21-4)	56	9
(TIE)	NOBLESVILLE (16-5)	56	NR
10.	NORTHRIDGE (18-3)	50	8

CLASS 3A

RANK	SCHOOL	TOTAL POINTS	PREVIOUS
1.	BROWNSTOWN (4) (20-1)	193	1
2.	INDPLS CATHEDRAL (4) (18-4)	188	2
3.	S. BEND ST. JOSEPH’S (3) (18-3)	186	3
4.	NEW PALESTINE (20-3)	123	4
(TIE)	GUERIN CATHOLIC (19-4)	123	5
6.	SILVER CREEK (20-3)	113	T6
7.	PRINCETON (20-2)	92	8
8.	FT. WAYNE BLACKHAWK (19-3)	75	NR
9.	INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS (15-6)	74	9
10.	NORTHVIEW (21-1)	57	10

CLASS 2A

RANK	SCHOOL	TOTAL POINTS	PREVIOUS
1.	WAPAHANI (8) (21-1)	214	2
2.	S. RIPLEY (2) (20-1)	186	1
3.	MANCHESTER (18-2)	137	3
(TIE)	PARKE HERITAGE (1) (18-4)	137	6
5.	NORTHEASTERN (21-1)	130	5
6.	FT. WAYNE LUERS (17-5)	113	8
7.	LINTON-STOCKTON (18-4)	101	4
8.	GARY 21ST CENTURY (15-6)	96	7
9.	LAPEL (17-5)	85	10
10.	PAOLI (18-2)	50	NR

CLASS A

RANK	SCHOOL	TOTAL POINTS	PREVIOUS
1.	CLAY CITY (10) (20-1)	218	1
2.	HAUSER (19-3)	176	3
3.	CLINTON PRAIRIE (1) (19-2)	158	4
4.	ORLEANS (17-3)	155	5
5.	KOUTS (18-3)	145	2
6.	TRITON (18-3)	105	7
7.	INDPLS METRO (17-7)	96	8
8.	BARR-REEVE (16-5)	86	6
9.	BLOOMFIELD (14-7)	62	10
10.	CARROLL (FLORA) (16-4)	60	NR

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL SCORES

HOMESTEAD.COM

BLUFFTON	47	EASTBROOK	33
CASTLE	67	VINCENNES LINCOLN	55
CHURUBUSCO	61	WHITKO	43
CORYDON CENTRAL	46	FLOYD CENTRAL	45
EVANSVILLE MATER DEI	48	MOUNT VERNON (POSEY)	44
GREENFIELD-CENTRAL	72	PERRY MERIDIAN	44
HENRYVILLE	54	CLARKSVILLE	43
HUNTINGTON NORTH	64	FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY	40
INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS	54	BEN DAVIS	46
INDIANAPOLIS METROPOLITAN	75	INDIANAPOLIS TINDLEY	43
INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA	62	INDIANAPOLIS HERRON	12
NORTH KNOX	49	NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG)	48
PAOLI	67	MITCHELL	42
PENDLETON HEIGHTS	62	CENTERVILLE	48
RANDOLPH SOUTHERN	63	KNIGHTSTOWN	56
WEST VIGO	77	RIVERTON PARKE	41

INDIANA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL STATE FINALS

SESSION 1

9:30 AM ET | PUBLIC GATES OPEN

10:30 AM ET | CLASS 1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (25-4) VS. BORDEN (22-5)

APPROX. 12:45 PM ET | CLASS 2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
RENSSELAER CENTRAL (26-2) VS. SOUTH KNOX (27-2)

FIELDHOUSE CLEARED

SESSION 2

5 PM ET | PUBLIC GATES OPEN

6 PM ET | CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
NORWELL (22-6) VS. GREENSBURG (27-0)

APPROX. 8:15 PM ET | CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
WARSAW COMMUNITY (26-1) VS. LAWRENCE NORTH (18-8)

INDIANA BOYS SWIMMING STATE FINALS

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY

FRIDAY, FEB. 28, 2025
GATES OPEN AT 4:30 PM ET / 3:30 PM CT
6 PM ET / 5 PM CT | SWIMMING PRELIMINARIES | HEAT SHEETS | PSYCH SHEET

SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2025
GATES OPEN AT 7:30 AM ET / 6:30 AM CT
9 AM ET / 8 AM CT | DIVING PRELIMINARIES, SEMIFINALS
1 PM ET / 12 PM CT | CHAMPIONSHIP/CONSOLATION FINALS IN ALL SWIMMING EVENTS; DIVING FINALS

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD

#8 MICHIGAN STATE 58 #16 MARYLAND 55

#13 CLEMSON 83 NOTRE DAME 68

VANDERBILT 86 #12 TEXAS A&M 84

#1 AUBURN 106 OLE MISS 76

#18 MEMPHIS 84 RICE 72

#17 KENTUCKY 83 OKLAHOMA 82

#7 ST. JOHN’S 76 BUTLER 70

#22 ARIZONA 83 UTAH 66

#25 BYU 91 ARIZONA STATE 81

CONNECTICUT 93 GEORGETOWN 79

SYRACUSE 74 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 60

CENTRAL FLORIDA 80 KANSAS STATE 76

DRAKE 65 EVANSVILLE 61

VILLANOVA 59 SETON HALL 54

INDIANA 83 PENN STATE 78

VIRGINIA 83 WAKE FOREST 75

STANFORD 78 BOSTON COLLEGE 60

CREIGHTON 75 DEPAUL 65

BRADLEY 76 VALPARAISO 65

ARKANSAS 86 TEXAS 81 OT

BOISE STATE 82 UTAH STATE 65

OHIO STATE 87 USC 82

SAN FRANCISCO 74 OREGON STATE 72

SMU 81 CALIFORNIA 77

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD

#18 WEST VIRGINIA 75 UTAH 46

#12 OHIO STATE 89 #23 MICHIGAN STATE 78

#21 OKLAHOMA STATE 74 CINCINNATI 64

#10 TCU 91 HOUSTON 56

#2 UCLA 91 WISCONSIN 61

IU INDY 80 OAKLAND 65

BALL STATE 60 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 58 OT

VILLANOVA 56 BUTLER 54

KENT STATE 76 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 58

ROBERT MORRIS 76 YOUNGSTOWN STATE 53

MIAMI OHIO 82 EASTERN MICHIGAN 72 OT

ST. JOHN’S 83 GEORGETOWN 49

IOWA 79 MICHIGAN 66

BOWLING GREEN 91 OHIO 61

WESTERN MICHIGAN 77 AKRON 66

TOLEDO 71 BUFFALO 68

WASHINGTON 72 MINNESOTA 62

COLORADO 89 ARIZONA STATE 54

WYOMING 59 NEW MEXICO 40

COLORADO STATE 61 NEVADA 45

UNLV 83 BOISE STATE 53

NBA SCOREBOARD

PORTLAND 129 WASHINGTON 121

DETROIT 117 BOSTON 97

INDIANA 111 TORONTO 91

NEW YORK 110 PHILADELPHIA 105

MIAMI 131 ATLANTA 109

OKLAHOMA CITY 129 BROOKLYN 121

LA CLIPPERS 122 CHICAGO 117

SACRAMENTO 118 UTAH 101

HOUSTON 118 SAN ANTONIO 106

NHL SCOREBOARD

WINNIPEG 4 OTTAWA 1

COLORADO 5 NEW JERSEY 1

VANCOUVER 3 LOS ANGELES 2 OT

MLB SPRING TRAINING

NY YANKEES 7 ST. LOUIS 0

ATLANTA 9 PITTSBURGH 4

MINNESOTA 4 DETROIT 0

HOUSTON 3 WASHINGTON 0

TAMPA BAY 8 BOSTON 2

PITTSBURGH 7 BALTIMORE 3

PHILADELPHIA 9 TORONTO 6

MIAMI 4 NY METS 1

CHICAGO CUBS 4 SAN FRANCISCO 4

TEXAS 7 CLEVELAND 4

COLORADO 7 KANSAS CITY 6

SAN DIEGO 3 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 1

ARIZONA 7 MILWAUKEE 1

LAS VEGAS 8 SEATTLE 5

LA DODGERS 9 MILWAUKEE 3

CINCINNATI 9 LA ANGELS 4

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

COLLEGE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD

#6 GEORGIA 7 GEORGIA STATE 3

LIBERTY 12 #17 DUKE 4

5 NORTH CAROLINA 13 NORTH CAROLINA A&T 4

#16 OKLAHOMA 5 TEXAS SOUTHERN 4

#21 TROY 7 ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM 4

#7 FLORIDA STATE 9 JACKSONVILLE 6

#8 FLORIDA 7 N. FLORIDA 6

#2 LSU 7 #19 DALLAS BAPTIST 3

LOUISVILLE 15 BUTLER 11

XAVIER 8 INDIANA 4

WASHINGTON 6 SAN FRANCISCO 2

ARIZONA STATE 2 UCLA 0

WEST VIRGINIA 8 OHIO 4

ARIZONA STATE 2 UCLA 0

ARIZONA 11 RICE 8

OKLAHOMA STATE 6 ABILENE CHRISTIAN 0

AKRON 11 YOUNGSTOWN STATE 2

WEST VIRGINIA 8 OHIO 4

SOUTHERN INDIANA 11 ST. LOUIS 4

COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCOREBOARD

NORTH TEXAS 6 #15 TEXAS TECH 5

CLEMSON 5 #14 GEORGIA 3

#19 MISSISSIPPI STATE 11 ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM 1

#9 TENNESSEE 10 RADFORD 1

#18 VIRGINIA TECH 9 #24 LIBERTY 0

#3 FLORIDA 8 FLORIDA GULF COAST 0

CENTRAL FLORIDA 3 #22 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 0

#7 ARIZONA 7 LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 6

WASHINGTON 4 JACKSON STATE 1

COLLEGE MEN’S LAX SCORES

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

COLLEGE WOMEN’S LAX SCORES

#20 OHIO STATE 13 AKRON 4

#13 PRINCETON 15 DELAWARE 14

#18 JAMES MADISON 14 RICHMOND 10

#22 NAVY 14 #10 VIRGINIA 12

#16 PENN 14 TEMPLE 3

#24 HARVARD 13 #12 UCONN 12

COLLEGE HOCKEY SCORES

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

NATIONAL NEWS RELEASES

NFL NEWS

TRAVIS HUNTER ALREADY HAS COACHES AND EXECUTIVES CONVINCED HE CAN BE TWO-WAY PLAYER IN NFL

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Travis Hunter arrived at the NFL’s annual scouting combine with a Heisman Trophy resume, an invitation to work out at two positions and ready to answer all doubters.

The former Colorado star already appears to have completed one task this week in Indianapolis — convincing coaches and general managers he can become the league’s first true two-way player in decades, and maybe even play special teams, too.

Hunter is more than a just a curiosity now.

“What do you do with a player like him? And where do you first start him? And where does he help you on all sides of the ball?” Tennessee coach Brian Callahan said. “He can return punts. He’s got a really unique skill set. I don’t think there’s many players you can compare him to.”

Sure, some players have been featured in special packages on both sides of the ball. Some of the most prominent names on that list include Mike Vrabel and Troy Brown of the New England Patriots, William “The Refrigerator” Perry of the Chicago Bears and Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, whose most productive offensive season came as a receiver with the Dallas Cowboys in 1996.

Most consider Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik the last true two-way star. He started at linebacker and along the offensive line for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1949 to 1962.

The closest contender to Bednarik probably would be either Sanders or Roy Green, who was drafted as a safety, caught 33 passes while playing both ways in 1981 and then led the league with 1,555 yards receiving in 1984.

But unlike 1997 Heisman winner Charles Woodson, the only other defensive player to win college football’s most prestigious award, it appears nothing is out of Hunter’s reach.

“He can be whatever he wants to be, he’s that talented,” Denver Broncos general manager George Paton said. “We’re still working through it, you know, but I think he’s going to play on both sides of the ball. I’ll just leave it at that.”

Hunter certainly thrived in both spots in college, first at Jackson State in Mississippi before following his coach, Sanders, to Boulder, Colorado. In his final two college seasons, Hunter had 153 receptions, 1,979 yards, 20 TDs, broke up 11 passes and had four interceptions.

Combine organizers gave Hunter a defensive backs T-shirt, partly because it gives him the option of doing on-field drills with the defense Friday and offense Saturday — if he chooses.

The first indication he’ll do either, or both, could come Thursday when he’s scheduled to speak with reporters.

Sanders is already lobbying publicly for his star player, urging any team that doesn’t intend to use Hunter as a cornerback and as a receiver to pass on drafting him.

Yet most executives who fielded questions Tuesday seem to concur with Sanders’ assessment that Hunter can excel at both, even if they believe he should start at cornerback as a rookie.

“Travis is obviously an exceptional talent. He can do it all, that’s no secret,” Carolina Panthers coach Dan Morgan said. “Yes, he can play both sides of the ball. That’s up to the team to decide that, whatever team that drafts him.”

One lingering question is how many snaps can Hunter be expected to play at the pro level without declining production?

He held up relatively well at Colorado, where he logged roughly 2,500 snaps between 2023 and 2024. But he’ll be facing bigger, stronger, faster opponents in the NFL, plus a more physical style, a 17-game regular season and even more games if his team makes the playoffs.

Few would argue Hunter is the best athlete in this year’s draft or a legitimate top-five talent, but everyone is trying to figure out just how high someone with Hunter’s talent will go in a draft where quarterbacks tend to be the first pick, the second pick and last year the top three picks.

That could the case again with Tennessee, Cleveland and the New York Giants holding the top three selections with each presumably looking for new franchise quarterbacks.

“I think quarterbacks have kind of a lock on that or maybe a great pass rusher,” Cincinnati Bengals general manager Duke Tobin said when asked about a non-quarterback being the top overall selection. “Or maybe a guy that plays six positions like the one from my alma mater (Colorado). We’ll see.”

But with third-year quarterback Will Levis still on the Titans roster, Callahan and general manager Mike Borgonzi aren’t ruling out anything. Even taking Hunter, who could fill two holes in their rebuilding effort.

“He’s a special player,” Borgonzi said. “We were watching him, and I don’t know if there’s anybody that’s actually done what he’s done in modern-day football, playing both offense and defense during the course of a season. He’s definitely a special player.”

DEFENSIVE END ABDUL CARTER SAYS HE’S THE BEST PLAYER IN NFL 2025 DRAFT CLASS

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Former Penn State star Abdul Carter made one thing clear Wednesday: He should be the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft.

Carter was in the first group of players to speak with reporters at the NFL’s annual scouting combine in Indianapolis, and he wasted no time declaring himself the top player in the 2025 draft class.

“I feel like I’m the best player in the country and the best player should be picked first,” he said. “It’s the work I put in with my dad, who trained me, and all the sacrifices I made, I know I’m the best.”

Of course, such pronouncements have come to be expected during combine week.

Still, Carter certainly has a case after finishing last season with 68 tackles, a Football Bowl Subdivision-leading 23 1/2 tackles for loss and 12 sacks to finish seventh nationally.

He was the Big Ten’s top defensive player in 2024 and finished his three-year career with 39 1/2 tackles for loss, 23 sacks and 14 passes defensed.

The question is whether the 6-foot-3, 259-pound Carter is a better fit at defensive end or outside linebacker. Either way, he’s likely to be the first or second defensive player selected April 24 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Going No. 1 overall remains a challenge, though.

Since 2007 only three defensive players have been chosen No. 1 overall — Jadeveon Clowney in 2014, Myles Garrett in 2017 and Travon Walker in 2022. Each was chosen primarily because of their pass-rushing ability.

And leapfrogging the top two quarterbacks, Cam Ward of Miami and Shedeur Sanders of Colorado, or Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter could prove difficult.

“I think quarterbacks have kind of a lock on that or maybe a great pass rusher,” Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said Tuesday when asked about a non-quarterback being the top overall selection. “Or maybe a guy that plays six positions like the one from my alma mater. We’ll see.”

Tobin, who attended Colorado, was referring to Hunter, who is listed as a cornerback but hopes to also play receiver in the NFL as he did in college.

Yet Carter believes he can defy the odds and become the third Penn State player to hear his name called first on draft weekend. Tennessee holds the No. 1 overall pick.

“Defensive players impact the game just as much as the quarterback,” the 21-year-old Carter said. “All the teams that have won Super Bowls, they have that one standout player. I feel like I’m that.”

NFL COMBINE WORKOUTS KICK OFF THURSDAY AND HERE’S HOW TO WATCH TRAVIS HUNTER, ABDUL CARTER AND MORE

The NFL scouting combine has kicked off this week.

The league invited 329 college football standouts to be evaluated, starting on Thursday when defensive linemen and linebackers are on the clock at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Unlike many years, there is no clear-cut top pick for the three-day draft that begins April 24 in Green Bay.

The Tennessee Titans currently have the No. 1 selection, which they could use to take a potential star or trade to acquire additional assets.

How can I watch?

The NFL Network will start live TV and streaming coverage at 3 p.m. EST Thursday before wrapping up on Sunday.

Who are the big names?

Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter is an intriguing prospect because teams are trying to determine if the Colorado star is an NFL cornerback, receiver or both.

Penn State rusher Abdul Carter believes he should be drafted No. 1 overall and will get a chance to make his case.

The top quarterbacks to watch are Cam Ward of Miami and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, son of Buffaloes coach and Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.

Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, a 5-foot-9 dynamo, is expected to be the first running back off the board in two months.

Will Johnson, whose final season at Michigan was cut short by injury, has a shot to improve his chances of being a top-10 pick with a fast 40-yard dash on the turf in Indy.

REPORT: PACKERS WILLING TO TRADE ALEXANDER

The Green Bay Packers have engaged in trade talks around cornerback Jaire Alexander and are willing to deal him for the right price, sources told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Teams involved in the talks for Alexander haven’t been reported.

Alexander has appeared in just 14 games over the last two seasons due to injuries. He’s only played in one full campaign (2019) since being selected 18th overall in the 2018 draft.

The 28-year-old has tallied 12 interceptions, 70 pass deflections, three forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries in 78 career contests. He’s been named a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro twice (2020, 2022).

Alexander is under contract for two more seasons. The Packers would free up $6.8 million in cap space if they dealt Alexander before June 1st, according to Over the Cap.

DAN QUINN PLANS TO EXPAND COMMANDERS’ CONTENDER CULTURE

INDIANAPOLIS — More than half of the 53-man roster in Washington is eligible for free agency, which makes maintaining the team’s identity a top priority for second-year head coach Dan Quinn.

“Culture is how we get down every day: that’s the identity of our team, our behaviors, our habits,” Quinn said. “I wanted to make sure that type of identity and team, we could do that, but it had to be through the team. Because you put something on the wall, doesn’t mean that’s who you are. It’s how you live and how you get down. The play style. The identity.”

Quinn led a 10-win turnaround of the Commanders, who played in the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991. Along with general manager Adam Peters, the charge this offseason is vastly different than it was a year ago. Quinn’s purpose is largely the same this week.

“At the very front of the line, man, are we looking for the competitive spirit in a player,” Quinn said. “Guys who absolutely love ball. They’re willing to show that connection with their teammates. Some of that shows up in meetings like it does here — leadership, tell me some examples.”

No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels and the rookie class helped turn “hope into belief” in the second half of the 2024 season, when Quinn saw his team begin to peak. He credits Daniels with not being a rookie but a leader chasing constant improvement. He said Daniels will have specific areas of improvement the team wants to work on, but Quinn said he knows the quarterback carries a “never arrived” mentality to being a pro.

Washington stepped out of rebuilding mode and into contention in the NFC East, closing as runner-up to the Philadelphia Eagles in the division and conference. Given the noted success in roster-building, Philadelphia isn’t likely to fade in the race in 2025.

Quinn is determined to continue elevating the Commanders by leaning on the same principles that guided the first steps in 2024.

“We had a helluva draft class. We’re looking forward to following up on that this year,” Quinn said. “Especially now that we know who we are even more clearly. Our rookies played real time and had significant roles for us last season. We counted on them as teammates not as rookies.”

ELIOT WOLF: PATRIOTS ‘DOING WHAT’S NECESSARY’ TO IMPROVE

INDIANAPOLIS — Eliot Wolf and the New England Patriots are gearing up to make the roster good enough to use the No. 4 pick on the best player available.

A big part of his recruiting pitch to free agents centers around quarterback Drake Maye, selected third overall in 2024.

“It’s a more attractive destination than it was last year,” Wolf said Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Wolf said “ultimately, it’s my final say” on roster decisions but repeated head coach Mike Vrabel’s position that they’ll work together to make major decisions to fill out the roster.

Maye will be at the center of the attempted turnaround. He went to the Pro Bowl as a rookie with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Wolf listed running back and defensive line as two of the positions he believes are strongest in the upcoming draft, indicating it might be “meatier” in the middle rounds at positions like offensive tackle and wide receiver.

Connecting the dots, considering Vrabel and Wolf stressed getting better on the offensive line, they likely are to be in the mix for top free agent blockers.

The Patriots allowed 52 sacks last season; Maye was sacked 34 times.

“The game is always won on the line, and that was before the Super Bowl,” Wolf said, noting he felt responsible for every hit Jacoby Brissett and Maye took. “We took some swings. Taking swings ultimately isn’t good enough. We went 4-13. We have to have results. We need to continue to improve the roster.”

Vrabel and Wolf said the Patriots are planning to spend responsibly and get more out of their assets. Wolf said he was accountable for decisions that didn’t pan out building the roster in 2024.

“It’s about doing what’s necessary. Just didn’t get enough done,” Wolf said. “The free agency class didn’t live up to expectations. The draft class, it’s too early to tell, but certainly we expected more out of some of those guys.”

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TOP 25 ROUNDUP: NO. 8 MICHIGAN STATE STUNS NO. 16 MARYLAND AT BUZZER

Tre Holloman made a shot at the buzzer from just beyond halfcourt as No. 8 Michigan State stunned No. 16 Maryland 58-55 in College Park, Md., on Wednesday.

Holloman’s Hail Mary came after Maryland’s Ja’Kobi Gillespie missed a 3-pointer with two seconds left. The Spartans’ Jaxon Kohler got the rebound and passed to Holloman, who dribbled once and fired.

Jase Richardson scored 15 points for Michigan State (23-5, 14-3 Big Ten), which won its fourth straight. The last three have come against ranked teams. It also was the Spartans’ seventh straight victory over Maryland and third in a row in College Park.

Rodney Rice scored 20 points to pace Maryland (21-7, 11-6), which had won eight of its previous nine games. Gillespie scored 15 points and Derik Queen contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Terrapins.

No. 1 Auburn 106, Ole Miss 76

Johni Broome scored 24 points in a milestone outing, Auburn set a season high in points, and the Tigers hammered the visiting Rebels.

The shooting was outstanding for the Tigers (26-2, 14-1 SEC), who connected on 34 of 57 shots (59.6 percent) and hit 11 of 21 from long range. Broome, who added nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks, sank a free throw in the first half to become the 86th player in DI history to reach 2,500 career points. Chad Baker-Mazara had 22 points and was 4 of 5 from deep.

For the Rebels (19-9, 8-7), Sean Pedulla totaled 14 points, four assists and four rebounds. Jaemyn Brakefield had 13, while Matthew Murrell and Dre Davis had 12 each. Malik Dia added 11 in the team’s third straight defeat.

No. 7 St. John’s 76, Butler 70

RJ Luis Jr. scored 24 points to lead the Red Storm to a win over the Bulldogs in Indianapolis, clinching at least a share of the Big East regular-season title for the first time since 1992.

Luis shot 9-for-16 from the field for St. John’s (25-4, 16-2 Big East). The Red Storm can claim their first outright Big East crown since 1985 if they can beat visiting Seton Hall on Saturday.

Jahmyl Telfort led Butler (13-15, 6-11) with 13 points and seven rebounds. Pierre Brooks II and Boden Kapke each added 12 points.

Vanderbilt 86, No. 12 Texas A&M 84

Tyler Nickel scored 21 points on a career-high seven 3-pointers and the Commodores held on to upset the Aggies in College Station, Texas.

MJ Collins Jr. added 16 points and Jason Edwards contributed 15 for Vanderbilt (19-9, 7-8 SEC), which had to survive foul trouble.

Pharrel Payne led Texas A&M with 23 points and Wade Taylor IV contributed 21 points and six assists. Zhuric Phelps chipped in 14 and CJ Wilcher had 12 for Texas A&M (20-8, 9-6), which has lost three games in a row.

No. 13 Clemson 83, Notre Dame 68

Ian Schieffelin scored a career-high 24 points and the Tigers defeated the visiting Fighting Irish for their fifth win in a row.

Viktor Lakhin had 18 points, Jake Heidbreder notched 14 off the bench and Jaeden Zackery added 11 for Clemson (23-5, 15-2 ACC), which is one game behind Duke in the conference standings.

Markus Burton fired in 30 points and Tae Davis had 15 for Notre Dame (12-16, 6-11), which had won two of its previous four games.

No. 17 Kentucky 83, Oklahoma 82

Otega Oweh flipped in the game-winning layup with six seconds left to give the Wildcats a hard-fought win over the Sooners in its first-ever game at Norman, Okla.

Oweh, who played the previous two seasons with the Sooners, scored a career-high 28 points and pulled down six rebounds for the Wildcats (19-9, 8-7 Southeastern Conference). Brandon Garrison chipped in 12 points, three steals and three blocks off the Kentucky bench. He blocked Jeremiah Fears’ attempt for a game-winning layup at the buzzer.

Jalon Moore scored 20 points, Fears added 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists and Brycen Goodine chipped in 13 points for Oklahoma (17-11, 4-11).

No. 18 Memphis 84, Rice 72

Dain Dainja had game highs of 25 points and 10 rebounds as the Tigers pulled away in the last two minutes for an American Athletic Conference win over the visiting Owls.

PJ Haggerty added 21 points and five assists for the Tigers (23-5, 13-2 AAC), while Nicholas Jourdain contributed 19 points and nine rebounds. Memphis shot 49.2 percent from the field in securing a season sweep of the Owls.

Caden Powell scored 19 points to lead four players in double figures for Rice (13-16, 4-12). Denver Anglin added 14 points, Andrew Akuchie had 12 and Kellen Amos came off the bench for 11.

No. 22 Arizona 83, Utah 66

Caleb Love hit six 3-pointers and scored 23 points to help the Wildcats cruise to a victory over the Utes in Tucson, Ariz.

Tobe Awaka (10 rebounds and two blocks), Henri Veesaar (seven boards) and Jaden Bradley each scored 12 points as the Wildcats (19-9, 13-4 Big 12) bounced back from a one-point home loss to BYU on Saturday in impressive fashion. Love scored 17 first-half points to help Arizona jump out to an early double-digit lead. He finished 7 of 15 on field-goal attempts, including 6 of 12 from 3-point range, and logged seven assists and four rebounds for the Wildcats, who had lost three of their previous four games.

Keanu Dawes produced 18 points and 10 rebounds off the bench and Ezra Ausar collected 18 points and five boards for the Utes (15-13, 7-10).

No. 25 BYU 91, Arizona State 81

Richie Saunders sank six 3-pointers while scoring 26 points in the Cougars’ win over the Sun Devils at Tempe, Ariz.

BYU hit half of its attempts 34 from beyond the arc. Trevin Knell shot 5-for-6 from long range and finished with 18 points as the Cougars (20-8, 11-6 Big 12) increased their winning streak to five games.

Arizona State (13-15, 4-13) was short-handed in its eighth consecutive Big 12 home loss. BJ Freeman was recently dismissed from the squad, and the Sun Devils also were without Jayden Quaintance (knee) and Alston Mason (illness). Basheer Jihad led Arizona State with 19 points.

HCAC RECOGNIZES 2025 MEN’S BASKETBALL ALL CONFERENCE AND AWARDS

Tate Ivanyo (Valparaiso, Ind.) from Anderson University was named the 2025 HCAC Player of the Year, in a vote of league coaches. The senior was the sole unanimous 2025 All Conference First Team selection and sits in the top 5 of the league in points per game (21), in the top 10 in rebounds per game (7) and in assists per game (2.6). Over the course of the season, Tate led the league in three-pointers with 78 total made throughout the season, where he averages three three-pointers a game. He also sits in the top 2 for free throw percentage with a .885.

On the defensive end, Rob Davidson (Indianapolis, Ind.) of Anderson University was selected for his defensive efforts on the court, earning the title of the 2025 HCAC Defensive Player of the Year. Elijah leads the conference in steals with 76 on the season and also leads his team and falls in the top 10 for the conference in defensive rebounds per game at 5.4.

Rose Hulman Institute of Technology’s Joey Schmitz (Bargersville, Ind.) was named the 2025 HCAC Newcomer of the Year. The first year averaged 13.5 points per game with a total of 352 points on the season. The guard was third in the league in three-point field goals per game (2.9), fifth in steals (46), and top 15 in assists for both total assists (59) and average assists per game (2.3).

After leading Anderson to a 21-5 regular season record in 2025, a 15-3 mark in league play and the conference regular season title for the third season in a row, Carter Collins was voted as the 2025 HCAC Coach of the Year.

Player of the Year – Tate Ivanyo, Anderson University
Defensive Player of the Year – Rob Davidson, Anderson University
Newcomer of the Year – Joey Schmitz, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Coach of the Year – Carter Collins, Anderson University

The HCAC also honors an All-Conference First Team, Second Team, and Honorable Mention Team. The members of those teams are selected by a vote of league coaches.

2025 All Conference First Team (6)

Name	Year	Position	Institution
Tate Ivanyo*	SR	Wing	Anderson
Miles McGowen	SR	Forward	Rose-Hulman
Trey Minter	SR	Guard	Berea
Hunter Penn	SR	Forward	Transylvania
Ken Walker	SO	Point Guard	Earlham
Bryce Williams	SO	Guard	Anderson

*Unanimous First Team Selection

2025 All Conference Second Team (6)

Name	Year	Position	Institution
Luke Collingsworth	SR	Center	Mount St. Joseph
Lynn King	SR	Forward	Franklin
Colby Napier	SR	Guard	Transylvania
Coleman Sater	SR	Forward	Hanover
Joey Schmitz	FY	Guard	Rose-Hulman
Bryant Smith	SR	Guard	Manchester

2025 All Conference Honorable Mention (8)

Name	Year	Position	Institution
Rob Davidson	SO	Wing	Anderson
Cooper Matthews	SO	Guard	Franklin
Luke Miller	SR	Guard	Hanover
Jessie Morgan III	SR	Forward	Franklin
Demetris Phillips	SO	Center	Berea
Nevin Robson	JR	Guard	Bluffton
Cody Samples	SR	Guard	Franklin
Kenney Troutman	JR	Guard	Anderson

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S TOP 25 ROUNDUP: NO. 12 OHIO STATE HANDLES NO. 23 MICHIGAN STATE

Freshman Jaloni Cambridge hit five 3-point shots on the way to a season-high 33 points and No. 12 Ohio State handled No. 23 Michigan State for an 89-78 victory Wednesday night at Columbus, Ohio.

Ajae Petty’s 23 points and 15 rebounds and Cotie McMahon’s 17 points also boosted Ohio State (24-4, 13-4 Big Ten Conference), which shot 54.8 percent from the field.

Theryn Hallock poured in 29 points, making all five of her 3-point attempts, and Grace VanSlooten notched 19 points for Michigan State (20-8, 10-7), which tried to climb back by outscoring the Buckeyes 15-2 across the first six minutes of the fourth quarter to pull within 81-74.

Baskets by McMahon and Cambridge helped Ohio State, which led 54-41 at halftime, get back on track. Cambridge had 29 points through three quarters.

Michigan State was aided by 25-for-27 shooting on free throws but couldn’t take full advantage of Ohio State’s 14 turnovers.

No. 2 UCLA 91, Wisconsin 61

Lauren Betts pumped in 26 points on 11-for-12 shooting from the floor and a 4-for-4 effort on free throws as the Bruins strolled at Madison, Wis.

UCLA (27-1, 16-1 Big Ten) was rolling, particularly with a big third quarter that stretched the margin to 70-40 entering the fourth quarter. Timea Gardiner had 14 points off the bench and Londynn Jones supplied 13 points for the Bruins.

Serah Williams collected 22 points and Ronnie Porter notched 13 points for Wisconsin (13-15, 4-13), which was 4-for-16 on 3s.

No. 18 West Virginia 75, Utah 46

JJ Quinerly pumped in a career-best 38 points on 16-for-21 shooting from the field in the runaway victory at Morgantown, W. Va., where she played for perhaps the last time in the regular-season home finale.

No other player for the Mountaineers (22-6, 12-5 Big 12) reached double figures, but Quinerly was good on four of her five 3-point attempts and went 2-for-2 at the foul line. West Virginia held a 30-18 halftime edge.

Maye Toure scored 12 points for Utah (21-7, 12-5), which went 7-for-32 on 3-pointers as part of 31.5-percent shooting from the field. The Utes made 17 field goals and they were charged with 28 turnovers.

No. 10 TCU 91, Houston 56

Hailey Van Lith drained four 3-point shots as part of a 26-point performance at Fort Worth, Texas.

Madison Conner’s 15 points and Sedona Prince’s 13 points also helped the Horned Frogs (27-3, 15-2 Big 12), who led 52-21 at halftime behind Van Lith’s 20 points. TCU, which shot 54 percent from the field for the game, went 13-for-28 on 3-pointers.

Gigi Cooke racked up 25 points and Laila Blair had 15 points for Houston (5-23, 1-16), which couldn’t overcome a 42-26 rebounding deficit.

No. 21 Oklahoma State 74, Cincinnati 64

Anna Gret Asi’s 15 points paced five Cowgirls in double figures at Stillwater, Okla.

Micah Gray tallied 14 points, Tenin Magassa and Stailee Heard both had 12 points and Alexia Smith notched 10 points for Oklahoma State (23-5, 13-4 Big 12). Heard also had nine rebounds.

Jillian Hayes led the Bearcats (15-12, 7-10) with 15 points, while teammates Reagan Jackson (12), A’riel Jackson (11) and Tineya Hylton (11) also reached double figures.

NORTHWESTERN WOMEN TAKE FORFEITS FOR NOT PLAYING JANUARY GAMES AT UCLA, USC OVER WILDFIRE CONCERNS

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — Northwestern will be assessed two forfeits for not playing January road games at No. 2 UCLA and No. 4 Southern California, the Big Ten announced Wednesday.

Northwestern had announced Jan. 10 it would not to travel to play UCLA on Jan. 12 and USC on Jan. 15 because of concerns over wildfires in the Los Angeles area. UCLA had offered to play at an off-campus location.

The Bruins (26-1, 15-1) and Trojans (25-2, 16-1) each have been credited with a win in the conference standings and Northwestern (9-17, 2-15) was assessed two losses.

The forfeits further imperil Northwestern’s chances of qualifying for the 15-team Big Ten Tournament next month. The Wildcats are tied with Rutgers for 16th place, a half-game behind Purdue.

Northwestern holds the tiebreaker over Rutgers because of its win over the Scarlet Knights on Feb. 17. Purdue holds the tiebreaker over Northwestern because of its win Feb. 12.

Northwestern plays Nebraska at home Sunday in its final regular-season game.

UCLA moved its Jan. 15 game against Penn State to Long Beach State’s arena because of the fires. USC did not move any home games.

HCAC AWARDS 2025 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE AND PLAYER AWARDS

CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) announced the members of the 2025 Women’s Basketball All Conference teams as well as the other special awards following the regular season.

Headlining the awards is the 2025 HCAC Player of the Year, Grace Bezold (Covington, Ky.) from Hanover College. Grace currently leads the conference in scoring (22.1 PPG) and rebounding (9.4 RPG). She currently is second in the league in field goal percentage at .468. The senior forward has gained national recognition this year as well, ranking 12th in scoring in all of NCAA Division III.

Transylvania University Pioneer Sierra Kemelgor (Crestwood, Ky.) was named the 2025 HCAC Defensive Player of the Year, following a vote among league coaches. Her leadership on the defensive end helped leads the Pioneers to their conference regular season title for the fourth year in a row. The junior guard currently leads the Pioneers in steals with 53 total on the year and ranks third in all HCAC. Her defensive abilty has helped lead the Pioneers to have the best scoring defense in HCAC play at 50 PPG allowed and 53.9 PPG allowed overall, which is 49th in all NCAA Division III.

The HCAC also recognizes a Newcomer of the Year, a student athlete in their first year of athletic competition. Erica Buening (Franklin, Ind.) from Franklin College was voted as the 2025 HCAC Newcomer of the Year. The first year starter averaged 10 points a game, amassing 261 points on the season.

Leading Transylvania University to the regular season title in her first year at the helm, Hannah Varel was named the 2025 HCAC Coach of the Year in a vote of the league coaches.

Player of the Year – Grace Bezold, Hanover College
Defensive Player of the Year – Sierra Kemelgor, Transylvania University
Newcomer of the Year – Erica Buening, Franklin College
Coach of the Year – Hannah Varel, Transylvania University

The HCAC also honors an All-Conference First Team, Second Team, and Honorable Mention Team. The women’s coaches also recognize a Newcomer Team. The members of those teams are selected by a vote of league coaches and can be found below.

2025 All Conference First Team (6)

Name	Year	Position	Institution
Jamie Baum	SR	Guard	Rose-Hulman
Grace Bezold	SR	Forward	Hanover
Izzy Davis	JR	Guard	Anderson
LynKaylah James	JR	Forward	Berea
Abigail Rosenkrans	JR	Guard/Forward	Manchester
Sadie Wurth	SR	Point Guard	Transylvania

2025 All Conference Second Team (6)

Name	Year	Position	Institution
Sammy Berman	SO	Guard	Hanover
Jordan Coon	JR	Guard	Franklin
Madison Drummonds	SR	Forward	Mount St. Joseph
Sierra Kemelgor	JR	Guard	Transylvania
Karlee Mills	SR	Guard	Mount St. Joseph
Anyiah Murphy	SR	Guard	Mount St. Joseph

2025 All Conference Honorable Mention (8)

Name	Year	Position	Institution
Katherine Benter	SR	Guard/Forward	Hanover
Jay Bright	SR	Guard	Earlham
Madison Brown	JR	Guard	Bluffton
Taylor Cooney	SR	Guard	Franklin
Victoria Detraz	SO	Center	Anderson
Riley Flinn	SO	Guard	Transylvania
Morgan Jenkins	JR	Guard	Mount St. Joseph
Drea Satori	SR	Point Guard	Berea

2025 HCAC Newcomer Team

Name	Year	Position	Institution
Jalynn Brooks	FY	Point Guard	Hanover
Erica Buening	FY	Forward	Franklin
Hannah Holmes	FY	Center	Manchester
Chloe McKnight	FY	Center	Transylvania
Emma Schipp	FY	Power Forward	Rose-Hulman
Paige Williamson	FY	Guard	Anderson

NBA NEWS

NBA ROUNDUP: PISTONS POUND CELTICS FOR 8TH STRAIGHT WIN

Malik Beasley scored 26 points in 22 minutes off the bench and the host Detroit Pistons extended their winning streak to eight games by cooling off the Boston Celtics 117-97 on Wednesday.

Detroit now has its longest winning streak in 17 years. The last time the Pistons won eight or more consecutive games came in 2008, when they strung together 10 victories from Jan. 23-Feb. 13.

Cade Cunningham had 21 points and 11 assists for Detroit, and Tobias Harris tossed in 16 points while grabbing nine rebounds. Jalen Duren added 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics, who saw their six-game winning streak snapped, with 27 points. Boston played without Jaylen Brown (thigh).

Pacers 111, Raptors 91

Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner hit a combined 12 of 14 from 3-point range and their efforts of 33 and 18 points, respectively, helped Indiana avoid a season sweep against Toronto with a rout in Indianapolis.

Haliburton went 12 of 15 from the field, including his 7-of-9 showing from beyond the arc. Turner shot 6 of 8 and made all five of his attempts from behind the arc. Pascal Siakam had 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Pacers.

RJ Barrett, who gave Indiana fits in two Toronto wins over the Pacers earlier this season, was limited to 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting. Jonathan Mogbo, scored 16 points off the bench.

Knicks 110, 76ers 105

Jalen Brunson scored nine unanswered points late in the fourth quarter for host New York, which squandered all of a 19-point lead before coming back to edge skidding Philadelphia.

Brunson scored 14 of his game-high 34 points in the final 6:33 for the Knicks, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Mikal Bridges had 28 points, including 19 in the first quarter. The Knicks were without Karl-Anthony Towns (knee).

Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points for the 76ers, who have lost nine straight — their longest losing streak since a 12-game skid late in the 2015-16 season, when they finished 10-72. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 27 points while Paul George added 25 points.

Thunder 129, Nets 121

Chet Holmgren scored nine of his 22 points in the fourth quarter for Oklahoma City, which rallied from an 18-point deficit and pulled away to beat Brooklyn in New York.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 27 points but was on the bench for Oklahoma City’s decisive 18-0 run. The rally occurred two nights after the Thunder blew a 25-point lead and allowed the final 16 points of the fourth quarter in an overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Aaron Wiggins added 24 off the bench for the Thunder, who won for the 10th time in 12 games. Holmgren pulled down 17 rebounds. Brooklyn’s Day’Ron Sharpe started for Nic Claxton (suspended) and scored a career-high 25 points while collecting 15 rebounds.

Heat 131, Hawks 109

Tyler Herro produced 24 points and 10 assists as host Miami defeated Atlanta, just the Heat’s second win in eight games.

The Heat also got a season-high 24 points from Duncan Robinson, and Davion Mitchell scored 12 of his 20 points in the third quarter. Bam Adebayo, who was questionable to play due to a calf injury, added 20 points and nine rebounds.

Dyson Daniels put up a team-high 18 points and Trae Young had 17 points and eight assists for the Hawks, who have lost four of their past five games.

Kings 118, Jazz 101

Keegan Murray scored 26 points to lead seven Sacramento players in double figures as the Kings blasted Utah in Salt Lake City.

Zach LaVine added 22 points and eight rebounds, DeMar DeRozan had 19 points and eight assists and Jonas Valanciunas contributed 15 points and seven boards off the bench for Sacramento, which won its second game in a row.

Walker Kessler led Utah with 25 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, but the Jazz stumbled at home again and lost for the seventh time in nine outings overall.

Clippers 122, Bulls 117

James Harden scored 30 points and Amir Coffey added 20 to lead six players in double figures and lift visiting Los Angeles to a victory against Chicago.

Kawhi Leonard scored 17 points for the Clippers and Derrick Jones Jr. had 16 as Los Angeles stopped a three-game skid. Leonard returned to the lineup after missing the previous two games with left foot soreness.

Josh Giddey had 21 points and 12 assists while Zach Collins contributed 21 points and 17 rebounds for the Bulls, who have lost seven of eight.

Trail Blazers 129, Wizards 121

Shaedon Sharpe scored a career-high 36 points off the bench to fuel Portland’s victory over host Washington.

Sharpe made 13 of 26 shots from the floor, including a dunk of the year candidate. He also had eight rebounds and five assists to propel the Trail Blazers to their third straight win.

The Wizards’ Jordan Poole scored 24 points and Corey Kispert sank five 3-pointers to highlight his 20-point performance. Washington lost for the seventh time in eight games.

Rockets 118, Spurs 106

Amen Thompson and Jalen Green combined for 46 points and Houston rode a scorching first quarter to a victory over visiting San Antonio.

Thompson compiled 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Rockets, who were up 34-20 after one period and earned their third win in four games. Green tallied 21 points and seven boards, and Dillon Brooks hit five 3-pointers en route to 19 points.

Keldon Johnson and rookie Stephon Castle scored 22 points each off the bench to lead the Spurs, who dropped their fourth consecutive game. Castle added seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.

NHL NEWS

NHL ROUNDUP: JETS SLAM SENATORS FOR 11TH STRAIGHT WIN

The Winnipeg Jets pushed their franchise-record winning streak to 11 games, scoring a 4-1 road victory over the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night.

Kyle Connor had a goal and an assist and Mark Scheifele, Cole Perfetti and Mason Appleton also scored for the Jets. Connor Hellebuyck made 24 saves.

Defenseman Thomas Chabot scored for the Senators, who lost their fifth game in a row. Linus Ullmark stopped 36 shots.

Senators captain Brady Tkachuk missed his second game with a lower-body injury.

Canucks 3, Kings 2 (OT)

Conor Garland scored his second goal of the game with 34 seconds left in overtime to lift visiting Vancouver past Los Angeles.

Nils Hoglander also scored, Filip Chytil had two assists and Kevin Lankinen made 24 saves for the Canucks, who moved back into the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Adrian Kempe and Warren Foegele scored in the third period and David Rittich made 14 saves for the Kings, who had won five of six.

Avalanche 5, Devils 1

Nathan MacKinnon had two goals and an assist as Colorado beat New Jersey in Denver.

Artturi Lehkonen, Casey Mittelstadt and Logan O’Connor also scored for Colorado, which ended a two-game skid. Martin Necas had three assists, Cale Makar contributed two assists and Mackenzie Blackwood turned away 22 shots.

Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin, who missed 21 games, was back in action for the first time since Dec. 31. He had five shots on goal in 17:46 of ice time. Jack Hughes scored and Jake Allen made 31 saves for the Devils, who have alternated wins and losses over their past 10 games.

INDIANA NEWS RELEASES

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

COLTS MAY TARGET BACKUP RUNNING BACK AS POSITION OF NEED IN 2025 OFFSEASON

During the 2024 season, Colts head Shane Steichen said running back Jonathan Taylor’s skillset was “as unique as it gets.” The fifth-year veteran’s vision, speed and patience were on display throughout the season, as he finished the season with 1,431 rushing yards (good for fourth-best in the league) and 11 rushing touchdowns, earning the second Pro Bowl nod of his career.

It was the first time since 2021 Taylor rushed for over 1,000 yards and 10 or more touchdowns, and in the final four weeks of the season, he led the league in rushing attempts (117), rushing yards (627) and rushing touchdowns (six). The running back was also one of two players in the NFL in 2024 (Philadelphia Eagles’ Saquon Barkley) to have multiple rushing touchdowns of 65 or more yards.

Taylor dominated the Colts’ ground game in 2024 – because he’s one of the top running backs in the league, and because he had to.

The Colts player with the second-most rushing yards in 2024 was quarterback Anthony Richardson, with 499. Richardson also had the second-most rushing touchdowns on the season with six. Running back Trey Sermon had 159 total rushing yards and two touchdowns, and running back Tyler Goodson totaled 153 rushing yards and one touchdown.

Goodson is under contract in 2025, while Sermon is an unrestricted free agent. So, that begs the question: what are the Colts planning to do with their running back room this offseason?

“Definitely a position that we need to make sure we have enough,” general manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. “And that’s nothing against the guys we had last year. But I will say this, Zack Moss, who ended up in Cincinnati, Zack Moss was excellent for us. He was excellent. So we do have to get some more production.”

After joining the Colts as part of the Nyheim Hines trade with the Buffalo Bills in November of 2022, Moss appeared in the final eight games of the season and rushed for a total of 365 yards and one touchdown. In 2023, Moss appeared in 14 games and totaled 794 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns, with two additional receiving touchdowns.

With Goodson and Sermon combining for just 34.6 percent of the team’s offensive snaps, the Colts simply didn’t have that same kind of production behind Taylor – who missed three games due to injury – in 2024.

“Jonathan Taylor, as we know, is a really good, really good player,” head coach Shane Steichen said Tuesday. “He’s our bell cow, and to add pieces behind that, obviously we’ll look into that.

“To add some more pieces behind him would be big.”

COLTS EXPECT DEFENSE TO BE ‘A LITTLE MORE AGGRESSIVE’ UNDER DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR LOU ANARUMO

On a cold, cloudy December afternoon in Cincinnati, the Colts managed just one touchdown on offense against Lou Anarumo’s Bengals defense. This was Week 14 of the 2023 season; the Colts’ eight points on offense (one touchdown and a two-point conversion) were a season-low in Shane Steichen’s first year as head coach.

A little over a year later, when Steichen set out to find his next defensive coordinator, that game – a 34-14 Bengals win – was stuck in his head.

“When I was going through that (hiring) process, I was looking at schematically what teams do, what has given myself – that I’ve been where I’ve been – fits,” Steichen said. “And he’s one of those guys that I got a lot of respect for. He’s multiple in the back end, tight coverage, press man stuff, which will be good for us, a good switch up for us. Excited to have him on our staff.”

The other time a Steichen offense faced an Anarumo defense, the Los Angeles Chargers – with Steichen as offensive coordinator – managed one touchdown and three field goals in a 16-13 Week 1 win over the Bengals in 2020.

Why Steichen hired Anarumo goes beyond two games, of course.

“Just going through the interview process and being with him the last couple weeks, he’s got great energy about him, and I think he’ll be able to really connect with our players and use our players’ strengths,” Steichen said. “I really do, and I think he did a hell of a job with that in Cincinnati. And going through and looking at his game plans, the biggest thing that I’ve seen over the years, he’s always got a plan to take their best player away. And so you go into these big games, or whenever it may be, they’ll have a plan to win the game for that.”

Notably, in that 2020 Chargers-Bengals game, Anarumo’s defense held wide receiver Keenan Allen – who was in the midst of making the Pro Bowl in five consecutive seasons – to four catches for 37 yards. In 2023, the Bengals held running back Zack Moss – who entered Week 14 with 721 rushing yards, 11th in the NFL – to 28 yards on 13 carries (Jonathan Taylor was out with an injury).

“I think he does a good job of disguising things from a coverage standpoint, from a back end standpoint, when and where and how he brings his pressures. If you look at his history in the past six years as the coordinator in Cincinnati, obviously two AFC South championship games, been to a Super Bowl, he’s done a lot of really good things.”

While with the Bengals, Anarumo varied what coverages he played often on a game-to-game basis. He played a healthy mix of man and zone coverages; he’d deploy two-high shells to take away explosive passes downfield or pivot to single-high looks when the situation called for it. How Anarumo coaches those coverages, general manager Chris Ballard said, should fit a secondary that features an established veteran and some young players who showed promise in 2024.

“I thought (Nick) Cross has really come on, I think he’s ascending,” Ballard said. “I think (Jaylon) Jones can be a really good player. Kenny Moore (II) is Kenny Moore (II). We’ve got to add some in the back end, without question. Whether it’s a vet, whether it’s draft, whatever it is. I do have a lot of faith that whoever it is, these guys will get the best out of them.”

How Anarumo plays coverages will be different than what the Colts did under former defensive coordinator Gus Bradley – who Ballard emphasized “is a really freaking good coach.” Anarumo, too, has a history of blitzing more than Bradley, whose Colts defenses blitzed at the lowest rate in the NFL from 2022-2024.

“It’s probably going to be a little more multiple, a little more aggressive, you know, from a pressure standpoint,” Ballard said. “That would probably be the biggest difference you’ll see.”

PLAYERS TO SEE AT THE COMBINE BEGINNING THURSDAY

Quarterbacks

Max Brosmer, Minnesota
Brady Cook, Missouri
Jaxson Dart, Mississippi
Quinn Ewers, Texas
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
Seth Henigan, Memphis
Will Howard, Ohio State
Riley Leonard, Notre Dame
Kyle McCord, Syracuse
Graham Mertz, Florida
Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Kurtis Rourke, Indiana
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Tyler Shough, Louisville
Cam Ward, Miami

Running backs

LeQuint Allen, Syracuse
Ulysses Bentley IV, Mississippi
Jaydon Blue, Texas
Tahj Brooks, Texas Tech
Donovan Edwards, Michigan
Trevor Etienne, Georgia
DJ Giddens, Kansas State
Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State
Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
RJ Harvey, UCF
TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
Jarquez Hunter, Auburn
Ja’Quinden Jackson, Arkansas
Jordan James, Oregon
Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
Montrell Johnson Jr., Florida
Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
Corey Kiner, Cincinnati
Phil Mafah, Clemson
Woody Marks, USC
Damien Martinez, Miami
Kyle Monangai, Rutgers
Kalel Mullings, Michigan
Devin Neal, Kansas
Dylan Sampson, Tennessee
Raheim Sanders, South Carolina
Cam Skattebo, Arizona State
Brashard Smith, SMU
Bhayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech
Marcus Yarns, Delaware
Wide receivers
Andrew Armstrong, Arkansas
Elic Ayomanor, Stanford
Elijhah Badger, Florida
Jack Bech, TCU
Isaiah Bond, Texas
Ja’Corey Brooks, Louisville
Sam Brown Jr., Miami
Pat Bryant, Illinois
Luther Burden III, Missouri
Beaux Collins, Notre Dame
Chimere Dike, Florida
Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
Da’Quan Felton, Virginia Tech
Tai Felton, Maryland
Jacolby George, Miami
Matthew Golden, Texas
Tre Harris, Mississippi
Jayden Higgins, Iowa State
Traeshon Holden, Oregon
Jimmy Horn Jr., Colorado
Tory Horton, Colorado State
Kobe Hudson, UCF
Travis Hunter, Colorado
Daniel Jackson, Minnesota
Tez Johnson, Oregon
Josh Kelly, Texas Tech
KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Auburn
Jaylin Lane, Virginia Tech
Dominic Lovett, Georgia
Bru McCoy, Tennessee
Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
Konata Mumpfield, Pittsburgh
Nick Nash, San Jose State
Isaiah Neyor, Nebraska
Jaylin Noel, Iowa State
Kaden Prather, Maryland
Xavier Restrepo, Miami
Jalen Royals, Utah State
Arian Smith, Georgia
Roc Taylor, Memphis
Isaac TeSlaa, Arkansas
Dont’e Thornton Jr., Tennessee
Jordan Watkins, Mississippi
Theo Wease Jr., Missouri
Antwane Wells Jr., Mississippi
LaJohntay Wester, Colorado
Ricky White III, UNLV
Kyle Williams, Washington State
Savion Williams, TCU
Tight ends
Elijah Arroyo, Miami
Gavin Bartholomew, Pittsburgh
Jake Briningstool, Clemson
Jalin Conyers, Texas Tech
CJ Dippre, Alabama
Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame
Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green
Terrance Ferguson, Oregon
Thomas Fidone II, Nebraska
Oronde Gadsden II, Syracuse
Jackson Hawes, Georgia Tech
Gunnar Helm, Texas
Brant Kuithe, Utah
Luke Lachey, Iowa
Colston Loveland, Michigan
Moliki Matavao, UCLA
Bryson Nesbit, North Carolina
Robbie Ouzts, Alabama
Joshua Simon, South Carolina
Mason Taylor, LSU
Tyler Warren, Penn State
Offensive linemen
Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
Anthony Belton, N.C. State
Tyler Booker, Alabama
Logan Brown, Kansas
Will Campbell, LSU
Connor Colby, Iowa
Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon
Hayden Conner, Texas
Ajani Cornelius, Oregon
Eli Cox, Kentucky
Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, Florida
Garrett Dellinger, LSU
Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota
Dylan Fairchild, Georgia
Miles Frazier, LSU
Charles Grant, William & Mary
Joshua Gray, Oregon State
Myles Hinton, Michigan
Joe Huber, Wisconsin
Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
Emery Jones Jr., LSU
Luke Kandra, Cincinnati
Drew Kendall, Boston College
Chase Lundt, Connecticut
Jake Majors, Texas
Marcus Mbow, Purdue
Seth McLaughlin, Ohio State
Armand Membou, Missouri
Wyatt Milum, West Virginia
Jonah Monheim, USC
Jack Nelson, Wisconsin
Hollin Pierce, Rutgers
Tate Ratledge, Georgia
Jalen Rivers, Miami
Caleb Rogers, Texas Tech
Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona
Josh Simmons, Ohio State
Torricelli Simpkins III, South Carolina
Jackson Slater, Sacramento State
Marcus Tate, Clemson
Branson Taylor, Pittsburgh
Ozzy Trapilo, Boston College
Jalen Travis, Iowa State
Xavier Truss, Georgia
Carson Vinson, Alabama A&M
Clay Webb, Jacksonville State
Cameron Williams, Texas
John Williams, Cincinnati
Jared Wilson, Georgia
Grey Zabel, North Dakota State
Defensive linemen
Tommy Akingbesote, Maryland
Darius Alexander, Toledo
Tyler Baron, Miami
Tyler Batty, BYU
Zeek Biggers, Georgia Tech
Yahya Black, Iowa
Warren Brinson, Georgia
Vernon Broughton, Texas
Jordan Burch, Oregon
Jamaree Caldwell, Oregon
Abdul Carter, Penn State
Alfred Collins, Texas
Howard Cross III, Notre Dame
Fadil Diggs, Syracuse
Ethan Downs, Oklahoma
Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College
Joshua Farmer, Florida State
Ashton Gillotte, Louisville
Mason Graham, Michigan
Kenneth Grant, Michigan
Mike Green, Marshall
Eric Gregory, Arkansas
Ty Hamilton, Ohio State
Derrick Harmon, Oregon
Jared Harrison-Hunte, SMU
Ahmed Hassanein, Boise State
Tonka Hemingway, South Carolina
Cam Horsley, Boston College
Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Georgia
Jared Ivey, Mississippi
Cam Jackson, Florida
Landon Jackson, Arkansas
Sai’vion Jones, LSU
Jah Joyner, Minnesota
DeAndre Jules, South Carolina
Kyle Kennard, South Carolina
Steve Linton, Baylor
Sean Martin, West Virginia
Rylie Mills, Notre Dame
Walter Nolen, Mississippi
Omarr Norman-Lott, Tennessee
Oluwafemi Oladejo, UCLA
Payton Page, Clemson
James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
Aeneas Peebles, Virginia Tech
JJ Pegues, Mississippi
Jordan Phillips, Maryland
Antwaun Powell-Ryland, Virginia Tech
Jahvaree Ritzie, North Carolina
Elijah Roberts, SMU
Que Robinson, Alabama
Ty Robinson, Nebraska
Kaimon Rucker, North Carolina
T.J. Sanders, South Carolina
Jack Sawyer, Ohio State
Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
Elijah Simmons, Tennessee
Tim Smith, Alabama
Barryn Sorrell, Texas
Nazir Stackhouse, Georgia
Josaiah Stewart, Michigan
Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
Bradyn Swinson, LSU
Junior Tafuna, Utah
Jay Toia, UCLA
JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State
Shemar Turner, Texas A&M
Princely Umanmielen, Mississippi
David Walker, Central Arkansas
Deone Walker, Kentucky
CJ West, Indiana
Mykel Williams, Georgia
Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
Linebackers
Eugene Asante, Auburn
Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon
Carson Bruener, Washington
Teddye Buchanan, Cal
Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
Barrett Carter, Clemson
Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Kentucky
Power Echols, North Carolina
Jay Higgins, Iowa
Shemar James, Florida
Kobe King, Penn State
Jack Kiser, Notre Dame
Demetrius Knight Jr., South Carolina
Cody Lindenberg, Minnesota
Nick Martin, Oklahoma State
Bam Martin-Scott, South Carolina
Francisco Mauigoa, Miami
Jalen McLeod, Auburn
Kain Medrano, UCLA
Smael Mondon Jr., Georgia
Collin Oliver, Oklahoma State
Chris Paul Jr., Mississippi
Tyreem Powell, Rutgers
Karene Reid, Utah
Carson Schwesinger, UCLA
Cody Simon, Ohio State
Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
Jalon Walker, Georgia
Jackson Woodard, UNLV
Defensive backs
BJ Adams, UCF
Zy Alexander, LSU
Trey Amos, Mississippi
Jahdae Barron, Texas
Billy Bowman Jr., Oklahoma
Cobee Bryant, Kansas
Denzel Burke, Ohio State
Sebastian Castro, Iowa
Alijah Clark, Syracuse
Kitan Crawford, Nevada
Mello Dotson, Kansas
Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
O’Donnell Fortune, South Carolina
Zah Frazier, UTSA
Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
Jordan Hancock, Ohio State
Jermari Harris, Iowa
Marcus Harris, Cal
Tommi Hill, Nebraska
Maxen Hook, Toledo
Travis Hunter, Colorado
Alijah Huzzie, North Carolina
Will Johnson, Michigan
Bilhal Kone, Western Michigan
Rayuan Lane III, Navy
Robert Longerbeam, Rutgers
Jason Marshall Jr., Florida
Mac McWilliams, UCF
R.J. Mickens, Clemson
Malachi Moore, Alabama
Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
Jabbar Muhammad, Oregon
Andrew Mukuba, Texas
Jacob Parrish, Kansas State
Darien Porter, Iowa State
Caleb Ransaw, Tulane
Lathan Ransom, Ohio State
Jaylen Reed, Penn State
Shavon Revel Jr., East Carolina
Quincy Riley, Louisville
Jonas Sanker, Virginia
Marques Sigle, Kansas State
Jaylin Smith, USC
Malaki Starks, Georgia
Upton Stout, Western Kentucky
Dorian Strong, Virginia Tech
Azareye’h Thomas, Florida State
Dante Trader Jr., Maryland
Malik Verdon, Iowa State
Justin Walley, Minnesota
Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
Isas Waxter, Villanova
Nohl Williams, Cal
Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State
Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin
Craig Woodson, Cal
Kickers
Andres Borregales, K, Miami
Ryan Fitzgerald, K, Florida State
Tyler Loop, K, Arizona
Ben Sauls, K, Pittsburgh
Punters
James Burnip, P, Alabama
Jeremy Crawshaw, P, Florida

Here’s when the NFL combine will be on TV:

3 to 8 p.m. ET, Thursday, Feb. 27: Defensive linemen, linebackers
3 to 9 p.m. ET, Friday, Feb. 28: Defensive backs, tight ends
1 to 9 p.m. ET, Saturday, March 1: Quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs
1 to 5 p.m. ET, Sunday, March 2: Offensive linemen

INDIANA PACERS

GAME REWIND: PACERS 111, RAPTORS 91

The Indiana Pacers took care of business in their midweek matchup with the Toronto Raptors, utilizing a star performance by Tyrese Haliburton and a strong defensive effort to overcome a sloppy start.

Behind 33 points and 11 assists by Haliburton, the Pacers (33-24) logged a 111-91 victory over the Raptors (18-41) on Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The 91 points marked the fewest given up by the Blue & Gold in a game this season.

The Pacers led at the end of each quarter and went on a 20-8 run in the fourth to put the game away.

Haliburton finished 12-for-15 shooting from the field, including 7-of-9 from 3-point range, while Myles Turner logged 18 points and 10 rebounds, Pascal Siakam scored 15 points, Aaron Nesmith added 12 points, and Bennedict Mathurin chipped in 10 points for the Blue & Gold.

“Tyrese was the difference in the game. No question about that,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “He had four threes in the first quarter…That got the building going, it got us juiced up. This is why you need great players on your team.”

Immanuel Quickley topped the Raptors with 18 points while RJ Barrett and Jonathan Mogbo scored 16 points each.

Indiana outshot Toronto 53.1 to 42.5 percent in the game, and made 15 3-pointers to the Raptors’ six threes. The Pacers finished with 19 turnovers in the game, including 11 in the first half.

A strong shooting display by Haliburton helped the Pacers to a 51-41 halftime lead.

Haliburton scored 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting in the first half, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, to help the Blue & Gold overcome 11 first-half turnovers. The Pacers also held the Raptors to 36 percent shooting in the opening 24 minutes.

Indiana had nine turnovers in the first quarter but made six 3-pointers to lead 26-24 by the end of the frame. Haliburton shot 4-for-5 from 3-point range in the opening frame and Turner made a pair of attempts from beyond the arc to start.

The Pacers led 22-14 midway through the first quarter thanks to two threes by Haliburton and free throws by Mathurin, but a 10-4 Raptors run in the final four minutes of the opening period narrowed the score to a possession.

Neither team could get much separation in the second quarter until the Blue & Gold mustered a 15-6 run in the final 4:52 of the half to go ahead by 10 at intermission. During the scoring stretch Haliburton scored five points and Siakam and Mathurin added four each.

Out of the break, Haliburton continued to dominate, making all four of his shots in the third quarter for 11 points, to help the Blue & Gold go ahead 81-64.

The teams largely battled back to start the third quarter until the Pacers outscored the Raptors 12-2 in the final 3:58 of the period to break the game open.

Five different Pacers players scored during scoring spree, sparked by a 3-pointer from Thomas Bryant and capped off by buckets from Obi Toppin and Andrew Nembhard.

In the final frame, the Raptors opened on a 16-4 run, on five points by Barrett, to cut it to 88-80 before two 3-pointers by Turner, and one each by Nesmith and Haliburton, pushed the Pacers lead to 103-86 with 4:12 remaining.

Down the final stretch, the Raptors never cut their deficit to single digits.

The Pacers will play at the Miami Heat on Friday before hosting the Chicago Bulls Sunday to complete a span of five games in seven days.

Inside the Numbers

Tyrese Haliburton now has 18 double-doubles this season and Indiana is 15-3 in those games

Myles Turner has recorded 10 double-doubles this season. The Pacers are 7-3 when he accomplishes the feat.

Indiana shot 57.1 percent in the second half, including 8-for-16 from 3-point range. Toronto was 50 percent of the field and 2-for-11 from three in the second half.

Indiana’s 19 turnovers are the most the team has given up in a win this season.

The Raptors outscored the Pacers 54-48 in the paint.

The Pacers finished 10-for-16 from the free throw line and the Raptors were 11-for-16.

You Can Quote Me On That

“Just playing free, having fun. It always helps to see the first one go in. Just kind of reacted from there. Thought I did a good job staying aggressive all night, doing what was needed.” — Tyrese Haliburton on his big night

“It’s been a little bit since I’ve had some rest…Just kicked my feet up, reflected on the year that it’s been, reflected on where I could get better, watched The Wire…Being able to kick my feet up a little bit, rest, reflect on the year (and) how can I be better, how I can be better for us moving forward – I’ve felt good since the break.” — Haliburton on his All-Star break

“I’m just trying to play the right way, take good shots. My 15 shots, I feel like all of them were good shots… Just trying to take what the defense gives me. And just understanding that we’ve played enough, there’s been enough of a sample size that it’s no secret that when I score the ball, we win games. Just trying to be aggressive, trying to help us win games, that’s all I really care about. We’re trying to lock in a top-four seed so just trying to approach every day the right way.” — Haliburton on his approach during the homestand

“We really rely on him to be one of our great on-ball defenders…He’s doing a great job of that. Ben Sheppard’s just a guy that every team in the NBA wants a guy like that. He just is plug-and-play, he’ll do exactly what’s asked of him. And he always plays hard, has great energy, and is just a good dude. Good things happen to good people and good things happen to guys who work hard, and he fits both of those.” — Haliburton on Ben Sheppard

“We knew this was going to be a grind of a game. They scratch and claw and hold and they’re just very, very physical. We needed to prepare ourselves to do the same thing.” -Carlisle on the game

“To me it’s just been a gradual ascent throughout the season. I do think the rest throughout the break was helpful. He’s played very well in all four of these games.” — Carlisle on Haliburton reaching another level

“I think with a team like this, we knew that they were going to come out aggressive. You know, that’s the way they play. They play a lot of full-court pressure, and we try to use the pressure against them with backdoors and slot drives and whatnot. I think in the third quarter we opened things up.” – Myles Turner on the win

“I’ve been locked in. I’ve watched a lot of film, obviously, but just tendencies. I think I’m starting to figure out not only our system, but just figure out our guys.” – Turner on his recent play on defense

“He’s one of the leaders on this team, he’s one of our go-to guys. When he gets hot, it’s a fun night, especially here home at the crib. I think he’s starting to find his stride, he just has to maintain it.” – Turner on Haliburton

“I think that we do have great synergy. I think that’s something that’s undeniable, really. I think that, when he first got here, I was able to watch him … Just developing, and continuing to develop that synergy and add different levels to our game, and continuing push forward.” – Turner on his game and playing with Haliburton

Stat of the Night

Tyrese Haliburton has recorded at least 30 points and 10 assists 14 times as a Pacer, including five times this season. The Pacers are 5-0 this season when he hits both marks in a game.

Noteworthy

T.J. McConnell has missed two straight games for the Pacers after spraining his ankle on Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers. Scottie Barnes didn’t play for the Raptors on Wednesday as he injured his hip on Tuesday against Boston.

Indiana played in its third game in four days on Wednesday.

Myles Turner is three defensive rebounds away from passing George McGinnis (3,332 defensive rebounds) for sixth place in Pacers franchise history.

The Pacers finished 1-2 against the Raptors during the 2024-2025 regular season.

Up Next

The Pacers head to Miami to take Tyler Herro and the Heat on Friday, Feb. 28 at 8:00 PM ET.

INDY FUEL

INDY FUEL PIT STOP: WEEK 19

INDY FUEL WEEK NINETEEN RESULTS 1-2-1-0
INDY FUEL OVERALL RECORD 21-22-4-3 (5th in Central Division)

GAME 48 – WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19 VS FORT WAYNE – 4-3 OTL

The Fuel hosted the Fort Wayne Komets on Wednesday night. After a high-scoring first period, the teams headed to overtime tied 3-3. Ultimately, Fort Wayne claimed the 4-3 win after an overtime game winner.

GAME 49 – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21 AT BLOOMINGTON – 5-2 L

The Fuel traveled to Bloomington to kick off a four-game set against the Bison as they battle for a fourth place spot in the Central division. After going back and forth early, the Bison pulled away with the 5-2 win.

GAME 50 – SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22 AT BLOOMINGTON – 3-2 OTW

The Fuel took on the Bison for the second of three straight in Bloomington over the weekend. It took extra time but the Fuel would come out on top in overtime 3-2.

GAME 37 (MAKE-UP) – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23 AT BLOOMINGTON – 2-0 L

The Fuel had one last game in Bloomington before heading home to host the Bison on Tuesday morning. After a slow first half to the game, the Bison scored twice in the third period to claim the shutout victory over Indy.

GAME 51 – TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25 VS BLOOMINGTON – POSTPONED

The game against the Bloomington Bison at the Fishers Event Center has been rescheduled to a later date due to a mechanical issue with the Zamboni. The date will be announced at a later time.

ROSTER MOVES

Defenseman Thomas Farrell traded to Kansas City on 2/20
Goaltender Ryan Kenny released on 2/21
Goaltender Logan Neaton traded from Kansas City on 2/21
Goaltender Joe Vrbetic traded to Trois Rivieres on 2/21
Forward Bennett Stockdale traded to Worcester on 2/21
Forward Kevin Lynch activated from reserve on 2/25
Goaltender Ben Gaudreau returned to Rockford (AHL) on 2/26
Forward Kevin Lombardi returned to Rockford (AHL) on 2/26

OIL DROPS

Forward Darby Llewellyn leads the league in shorthanded points with five (3g,2a).
Forward Alex Wideman played his 200th game as a member of the Fuel on Friday, February 21 against the Bloomington Bison.

TEAM NOTES

Indy is ranked tenth in the league in most penalty minutes, averaging 13.54 per game.
The Fuel’s penalty kill is ranked first in the league with a kill percentage of 87.2%.
The team’s road penalty killing is also ranked first in the league, with a kill percentage of 92.2% on the road.
The Fuel still find the most success in the third period, scoring 45 third period goals so far this season as opposed to 35 in the second and 30 in the first.
Indy allows the most goals in the first period, giving up 44 in the first frame as opposed to 36 in the second and 43 in the third.

INDY FUEL WEEK 17 SCHEDULE

GAME 52 – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28 AT FORT WAYNE
GAME 53 – SATURDAY, MARCH 1 VS IOWA
GAME 54 – SUNDAY, MARCH 2 VS IOWA

FUEL FACE FORT WAYNE IN FRIDAY NIGHT MATCHUP

INDIANAPOLIS– The Fuel will start the weekend in Fort Wayne, taking on the Komets as they push for a playoff spot in the Central division. The Fuel currently trail the Bloomington Bison two points in the standings, and the Komets fifteen points.

LAST TIME OUT

The last time these two teams met was Wednesday, February 19 when the Fuel hosted the Komets and ultimately fell to them 4-3 in overtime. Cam Hausinger, Ethan Manderville, and Ty Farmer claimed the Fuel’s three goals while Cam Gray earned Indy a point in overtime.

STANDINGS BREAKDOWN

The Fuel currently sit in fifth place in the Central division behind the Bison who have two more points than Indy, however also have two more games played. The Komets sit in third place with 64 points, fifteen ahead of Indy and just three behind the second place Iowa Heartlanders who the Fuel will face in a two-game set this weekend.

REIGNITED RIVALRY

Going into this game, the Fuel still have five games left against the Fort Wayne Komets this season. That is the most of any opponent remaining. With two meetings in March and two in April, tensions could rise between the two rival teams who want to represent Indiana in the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL

INDIANA EDGES PENN STATE

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Tenacity. Resilience. Toughness. Indiana displayed all of it under must-win conditions Wednesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. NCAA tourney prospects likely depended on it.

The Hoosiers’ 83-78 victory over Penn State followed up their Sunday upset of top-20 Purdue and generated much-needed momentum entering a two-game West Coast trip to Washington (13-15) and Oregon (20-8).

“These seniors don’t get another shot at this,” coach Mike Woodson said. “They know what it’s about. We’ve got to ride them and see where it leads us.”

IU (17-11 overall, 8-9 in the Big Ten) won consecutive games for the first time since late December/early January.

“At the end of the day,” Woodson said, “we’ve lost some games when we were right there. These guys are playing for something. We’re trying to get into the tournament.”

Added guard Trey Galloway: “We’re coming together. We know we’re a better team than what we’ve shown. We’re fighting for a spot in the tournament. We have to keep focusing on the next game. Everyone is buying in and pushing each other to get better.”

Want clutch shooting? How about consecutive Galloway 3-pointers that earned IU its first second-half lead with five minutes left, or guard Myles Rice following with a big 3-pointer of his own.

IU was 6-for-8 on 3-pointers in the second half and finished 10-for-15.

“We have to keep shooting with confidence,” Galloway said. “The shots came out of the offense. Guys are setting screens and moving the ball. We’re doing a great job of sharing it. Guys are being unselfish.”

Added Woodson: “Guys have been getting good looks. Tonight, we made them. It’s nice to see. Hopefully, that’s a good sign moving forward.”

IU shot 56.9% from the field with 24 assists.

“We preached on sharing the ball and making the right play,” Galloway said. “It helps when you’re making shots. We got great shots out of our offense. We were flowing and moving the ball.”

Center Oumar Ballo returned to double-double form with 20 points and 12 rebounds. He added five assists and two steals.

Galloway had 16 points on 4-for-5 3-point shooting and added nine assists for the second straight game. Rice and swingman Mackenzie Mgbako each had 13 points. Forward Luke Goode added 10.

Forward Malik Reneau, so dominant over the previous four games, didn’t play. Woodson said he experienced a medical emergency before the game and went to the hospital.

“I’ve got to get an update. I know we took him to the hospital with an emergency. He was fine in shoot-around. Then he came down with something. I don’t know where we are with Malik. The sooner he can get back, the better. It’s next man up. Everybody’s got to just stay ready.”

IU was coming off its best half of the season with a 48-21 outburst against Purdue. Penn State (15-14, 5-13) had won two straight after losing 11 of its previous 12.

Penn State went inside and out for a 7-1 lead in less than two minutes, aided by IU missing three of four free throws. Goode ignited the crowd with a 3-pointer. A Galloway bank shot followed by his steal and layup pushed the Hoosiers ahead 12-10. A second Goode 3-pointer off guard Anthony Leal’s assist gave IU a 17-12 lead eight minutes into the game.

The Nittany Lions scored 10 straight points before guard Kanaan Carlyle made a reverse layup and then a 3-pointer for a 22-22 tie with seven minutes remaining.

An Mgbako 3-pointer tied it at 29-29. Ballo’s layup off an offensive rebound left IU trailing 39-37 at halftime. Ballo led the Hoosiers with 11 points and six rebounds.

Penn State built a couple of early five-point second-half leads. A Ballo 3-point play, and a Rice 3-pointer and layup pushed IU ahead 52-51.

The Nittany Lions again went ahead by five. The Hoosiers again fought back. A Ballo layup tied it at 67-67 with 6:20 left. Thirty seconds later, Galloway’s 3-pointer gave IU its first second-half lead at 70-69. He followed with another 3-pointer for a four-point Hoosier lead. Leal rebounded, was fouled and hit a pair of free throws for a 75-69 score.

Rice hit a dagger 3-pointer, then added a layup off a Penn State turnover. The Hoosiers had an 80-73 lead they never lost. Goode’s pair of late free throws clinched it.

“At this point in the season,” Ballo said, “every game is important, but this one was special because we know we’re playing for something big.”

INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

SENIOR DAY CELEBRATIONS SET FOR THURSDAY NIGHT AGAINST NO. 19/17 MARYLAND

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Hoosiers will celebrate its senior class on Thursday night when it hosts No. 19/17 Maryland at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in a 7 p.m. ET tip on Peacock.

GAME DAY INFO

Indiana (17-10, 9-7 B1G) vs. No. 19/17 Maryland (21-6, 11-5 B1G)

Thursday, February 27, 2025 • 2 p.m. ET

Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall • Bloomington, Ind.

Broadcast: Peacock (Sloane Martin, Nicole Cardaño-Hillary)

Radio: B97 (Austin Render)

Live Stats: Statbroadcast

Social Media: Facebook | X | Instagram

Senior Day Celebration: IU’s three seniors – Karoline Striplin, Sydney Parrish and Chloe Moore-McNeil – will be honored in a pregame ceremony at approximately 6:45 p.m. ET. The program will also honor its practice players and managers followed by senior videos after the conclusion of the game.

ABOUT THE COACHES

Indiana Maryland

Teri Moren Brenda Frese

Career Record: 442-239 (22nd Season) Career Record: 660-197 (26th Season)

Indiana Record: 243-109 (11th Season) Maryland Record: 603-167 (23rd Season)

ABOUT THE TERPS

Maryland has won four of their last five heading into Thursday’s matchup and are coming off a win over Northwestern on Jan. 20 in Evanston. Four players average double figures led by junior guard Kaylene Smikle’s 17.7 points per outing. Senior guard Shyanne Sellers adds 13.9 points and a team-high 4.32 assists per game. The Terrapins are averaging 80 points per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the floor and 34.9 percent from the 3-point line.

SERIES HISTORY

Maryland leads 12-5

LAST MEETING

3/3/24 – W, 71-54 (Bloomington, Ind.)

NOTES

Indiana will play its final home game in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Thursday night where it will honor its three seniors – Karoline Striplin, Sydney Parrish and Chloe Moore-McNeil.

Moore-McNeil will add her name to the IU record books again on Thursday when she plays in her 148th carer game in Cream and Crimson. She will tie Grace Berger for the most appearances in Indiana women’s basketball history. The Greenfield, Tenn. native also holds a career winning percentage of 79 percent and 88.6 percent at home.

The Hoosiers will have another opportunity to knocked off a ranked team on Thursday night against the Terps. They have four ranked wins to their resume this season, most recently defeating then No. 8/8 Ohio State at home on Feb. 20.

Striplin has started the last 10 games for Indiana and has scored in double figures in eight of her 10 starts. She added 11 points by going 5-for-7 from the floor in IU’s win over No. 8/8 Ohio State. Striplin is averaging 12.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game in her 10 starts while shooting 57.8 percent from the floor. Striplin is having her best collegiate season so far, averaging +3.3 points more than a season ago and double figures for the first time in her career.

UP NEXT

The regular season wraps up on Sunday when Indiana travels to Purdue to finish the season series. Tipoff is at 2 p.m. ET at Mackey Arena.

INDIANA BASEBALL

COSTLY ERRORS SPOIL HOME OPENER

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A trio of errors and timely Xavier hitting cost the Indiana Baseball team (3-5) a chance at a win in its home opener at Bart Kaufman Field. The Hoosiers dropped an 8-4 decision on Wednesday (Feb. 26) afternoon, its second close loss of the season to the Musketeers.

IU got the momentum back in Wednesday’s contest after back-to-back home runs from junior outfielder Devin Taylor (two-run) and sophomore outfielder Korbyn Dickerson (solo). The Hoosiers got two more runners on but a hard-hit double play ball at the shortstop halted IU’s fifth-inning run.

From there, it was all Xavier. The Musketeers scored four runs (three unearned) in the final four frames to take the season series from IU. Junior right-handed pitcher Aydan Decker-Petty (L, 0-1) was tagged with the loss after recording just one out and allowing two runs (zero earned).

Redshirt junior southpaw Grant Holderfield had the most success on the mound, tossing 2.2 innings of work against Xavier. He recorded eight outs and let in just one earned run. IU’s defense unraveled in the eighth inning with an error from sophomore second baseman Jasen Oliver and a missed team bunt defense assignment.

The Hoosiers recorded 11 hits but continued to struggle in hitting with runners in scoring position. IU hit .222 (2-9) in the category. It also hit .222 with two outs in the inning. Outside of Dickerson and redshirt sophomore designated hitter Joey Brenczewski, the rest of IU’s lineup has just 13 hits through eight games with runners in scoring position.

IU will look for a quick turnaround as it prepares to head to Florida for a four-game weekend with Stetson and Mount St. Mary’s. Head coach Jeff Mercer’s team will play two games each against Stetson and Mount St. Mary’s at Conrad Park in DeLand, Florida.

Scoring Recap

Top First

Xavier smashed a couple home runs in the first inning. Aedan Anderson hit a solo home run before Landon Mensik slugged a two-run blast over the scoreboard.

Xavier 3, Indiana 0

Bottom First

Jake Hanley started his afternoon with a RBI double into left-center field. His hit brought home Korbyn Dickerson to score IU’s first run. The Hoosiers had a chance to strike for more but left the bases loaded in the bottom of the first frame.

Xavier 3, Indiana 1

Top Fifth

Xavier scored on a fielder’s choice after a Connor Misch groundout to the third baseman.

Xavier 4, Indiana 1

Bottom Fifth

The Hoosiers crawled back into the game in the fifth inning. Devin Taylor launched a two-run home run to bring IU within one. Korbyn Dickerson followed that up with a solo blast to dead center.

Xavier 4, Indiana 4

Top Sixth

After getting the game tied in the fifth, IU let the lead slip away. An error led to an unearned run on a RBI single from Jason Jelic. Anderson drove in his second run of the game with a sacrifice fly to the left fielder.

Xavier 6, Indiana 4

Top Eighth

Things got away from the Hoosiers in the eighth. Xavier led off the inning with a double that dropped into the corner and a bunt single on a miscommunication from IU’s defense. IU then committed an error that led to another run for Xavier. An additional sacrifice fly allowed an eighth run of the game to score.

Xavier 8, Indiana 4

Top Hoosier Performers

#20 Dickerson, Korbyn

2-5, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI

#5 Taylor, Devin

2-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

#18 Holderfield, Grant

2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 K

Inside the Box Score

• The Hoosiers outhit the Musketeers 11-7.

• Four players had multi-hit days for Indiana.

• IU’s pitching staff allowed just four earned runs.

• The Hoosiers had three errors – the fourth multi-error game of the season.

• There were 10 strikeouts from IU’s pitching staff – the fourth time its reached double digits this year.

Notes to Know

• Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley had the third multi-hit day of his young career and extended his hitting streak to eight games. He’s the first IU true freshman with base knocks in each of his first eight career starts since Paul Toetz (13 starts – 2021).

• Redshirt sophomore outfielder Korbyn Dickerson had his fifth-consecutive multi-hit game. Over his past five games, he is hitting .480 (12-25) with four home runs, 12 runs scored and 14 RBIs. He’s the first IU player with five-straight multi-hit games since Devin Taylor (6 – April 27 – May 10, 2024).

• Junior outfielder Devin Taylor (two-run) and Dickerson (solo) hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning. It was the first time a pair of IU teammates have gone yard back-to-back since Tyler Cerny (two-run) and Taylor (solo) did so against Butler (March 30, 2024) last season.

• IU has had 10+ hits in five-straight games (since Feb. 17). This is the second-straight year the Hoosiers have gone on a stretch of at least five games with 10+ hits in the month of February. IU had double-digit outputs in base hits in six-straight contests (Feb. 17 – Feb. 25, 2024) last season.

• Sophomore outfielder Andrew Wiggins walked two times in Wednesday’s defeat. He’s walked 12 times in the last five games and leads the Big Ten with 13 free passes on the season. His fellow teammate, Taylor, is in a lengthy tie for second in the conference with 10 walks.

Up Next

IU will quickly look to put this one behind it. The Hoosiers are set for a four-game weekend in Florida with two games each against Stetson and Mount St. Mary’s. Ben Haller will carry the broadcast on the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio.

INDIANA SWIMMING

NO. 2 IU OPENS MEET WITH BIG TEN RECORD RELAY

MINNEAPOLIS – No. 2-ranked Indiana swimming and diving grabbed the first-day lead at the 2025 Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championship Wednesday (Feb. 26) night thanks to a Big Ten record-breaking 200-yard medley relay inside the Jane K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota.

IU’s quartet of senior Luke Barr, graduate transfer Brian Benzing, senior Finn Brooks and junior Matt King finished in 1:21.39 to best its own conference record by 13 hundredths of a second. Michigan was the next-best relay in 1:22.08.

“Congratulations to our 200 medley relay on a school record and conference win,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “Swimming fast in prelims will be critical tomorrow.”

Three of the four Hoosiers posted the best split in their leg. Barr led off in 20.64 to give IU the lead through 50 yards before Benzing followed with a 22.93 breaststroke effort. Brooks was just one tenth off the best split in 19.43, and King dropped the hammer with an 18.39 final leg.

Indiana’s previous Big Ten record was also set at this pool during the 2023 NCAA Championships with Brendan Burns (20.60), Van Mathias (22.53) and current seniors Tomer Frankel (19.56) and Gavin Wight (18.83) contributing to that effort.

Indiana’s time also ranks No. 5 in the country this season.

In the second and final event of the night, IU finished fourth in the 800-yard freestyle relay with the quartet of senior Rafael Miroslaw (1:32.81), junior Owen McDonald (1:31.32), graduate transfer Caspar Corbeau (1:34.28) and Frankel (1:32.98). Indiana earned 116 points between the two relays to sit atop the leaderboard after day one.

TEAM SCORES

1. Indiana – 116

2. USC – 112

3. Ohio State – 110

3. Michigan – 110

5. Wisconsin – 110

6. Northwestern – 96

7. Minnesota – 94

8. Penn State – 86

9. Purdue – 84

RESULTS

200 MEDLEY RELAY

1. Luke Barr, Brian Benzing, Finn Brooks, Matt King – 1:21.39 (Big Ten Record, Big Ten Championship Record, Program Record, Big Ten Champion, NCAA A Cut)

800 FREESTYLE RELAY

4. Rafael Miroslaw, Owen McDonald, Caspar Corbeau, Tomer Frankel – 6:11.39 (NCAA A Cut)

UP NEXT

The 2025 Big Ten Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships resume Thursday for day two, the first full day of action. Athletes will compete in the 500 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, 1-meter dive and 200 freestyle relay, with preliminaries beginning at 11 a.m. ET. Finals are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

PURDUE FACES PENN STATE IN ROAD FINALE ON BTN

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women’s basketball team will close out their road slate on Thursday night when it travels to Penn State for a 6 p.m. tip. Jason Ross Jr. and Autumn Johnson will have the call on the Big Ten Network.

Tim Newton will be on the air from the Bryce Jordan Center for the Purdue Global Radio Network on 95.3 BOB FM and Purdue Stretch Internet.

GAME INFORMATION

Purdue (9-18, 2-14) vs. Penn State (10-17, 1-15)

Thursday, Jan. 27

Time: 6 PM

TV/Stream: BTN

Radio: 95.3 BOB FM

Audio: Purdue Stretch Internet

Live Stats: Purduestats.com

NOTES

• Purdue leads the all-time series with Penn State 35-25.

• The Boilermakers have the second hardest NET strength of schedule in the country behind South Carolina.

• Rashunda Jones is five assists away from becoming the 20th underclassmen in Purdue history with 100 assists in a season.

• Purdue’s underclassmen have scored 65.2% of its points in Big Ten play, the highest percentage in the league this season.

• The Boilermakers’ underclassmen group has averaged 38.5 points in Big Ten play this season, the third highest mark in the league. Four of Purdue’s top scorers in league play are freshmen or sophomores.

• Rashunda Jones tops the team charts in scoring in Big Ten action with 10.5 points per game while shooting 51.4% from the floor. She is one of four guards in the Big Ten averaging double figures and a shooting clip above 50%.

• Jones ranks fourth in the Big Ten with a free throw mark of 84.1% (69-82). The sophomore is 30-of-32 over her last seven games.

• Jones is currently 12th on Purdue’s sophomore assists chart with 95 helpers on the year.

• McKenna Layden leads the team in Big Ten play with 5.6 rebounds per night, including a career-high 10 at Indian and sits second on the team with 22 3-pointers in conference. The sophomore missed Sunday’s contest at Ohio State due to injury.

• Sophie Swanson has picked up her scoring rate over the last seven games, scoring 13.1 points per night to go with 14 3-pointers. On the year, Swanson is second on the team with 36 made triples with 21 coming against league foes.

• The Barrington, Ill., native returned to the starting lineup against Minnesota. She is averaging a team-high 10.5 points over her eight starts this season.

• Kendall Puryear has upped her production in Big Ten play. The freshman is second on the team with 9.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per night and shooting 59% from the floor, while playing just under 20 minutes per night.

• Puryear has finished in double figures in seven of her last nine appearances, going for 11.9 points on 60% shooting with 4.8 boards per night during that stretch.

• The Lee’s Summit, Mo., native is one of seven Big Ten freshmen averaging over 9.0 points and 3.5 boards per game in league action.

• Purdue is one of 16 teams nationally and one of three from a major conference with two freshmen averaging better than 5.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in Puryear and fellow post Lana McCarthy (5.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG).

• Senior Reagan Bass achieved a pair of career milestones earlier this month posting her 1,500th point against Rutgers and then grabbing her 800th career rebound against Northwestern.

• For the fourth straight season, a trio of Boilermakers have made 30 or more 3-pointers in a season. Prior to Katie Gearlds’ arrival the Boilermakers reached that mark just four prior times.

PURDUE WOMEN’S TENNIS

PURDUE TRAVELS TO NO. 9 OHIO STATE

MATCH INFORMATION:

Friday, Feb. 28 | 1 p.m. ET

Purdue (7-1) vs #9 Ohio State (6-1)

Ty Tucker Tennis Center | Columbus, Ohio

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women’s tennis team is set for their second road trip of the season, aiming for their first away victory as they take on No. 9 Ohio State on Friday, February 28, at 1 p.m.

THINGS TO KNOW:

The Boilermakers claimed their first Big Ten victory in the conference opener with a 4-2 win over the Indiana Hoosiers on February 23 at the Schwartz Tennis Center.

No. 1 singles Carmen Gallardo Guevara dominated Set 1 against Indiana, 6-0, before clinching Purdue’s first singles point with a 6-4 Set 2 win. The senior is now 6-1 this season and 15-7 overall in 2024-25, closing her collegiate career with three straight wins and a 3-1 record against the Hoosiers.

No. 120 Ece Gencer secured Purdue’s third point with a 6-3, 6-4 victory, improving to 7-1 this spring and 17-4 overall.

Ashlie Wilson and Ida Clement were the first doubles team to finish at the No. 3 spot against the Hoosiers, with a 6-2 victory. The pair has had an up-and-down spring, holding a 3-3 record through eight matches, with the other two remaining unfinished.

The Boilermakers have continued to be dominant at home, winning their first seven home matches which is their best start since the 2023 spring season.

LOOKING AHEAD:

The Boilermakers last faced the Buckeyes on March 24, 2024, in West Lafayette, falling 0-4.

No. 9 Ohio State shutout No. 16 Oklahoma State on February 23 in Columbus, improving to 6-1 on the season as they seek their first Big Ten win this weekend.

No. 9 Luciana Perry of the Buckeyes defeated No. 88 Anastasiya Komar of Oklahoma State 6-2, 6-4, improving her record to 17-6 this season.

The Buckeyes now boast four players in the ITA singles rankings.

Purdue will be looking for its first top-10 win in program history.

PURDUE SWIMMING

SAMUELS, 800 FREE RELAY TEAM SET RECORDS TO OPEN BIG TENS

MINNEAPOLIS – Spearheaded by Brady Samuels’ fastest 200 freestyle time in program history, Purdue Men’s Swimming & Diving set two team records on the 800 free relay on the opening night of the Big Ten Championships.

Samuels teamed with three freshmen – Walker Mattice, Blake Rowe and Evan Mackesy – to post a team-record time of 6:21.94, eclipsing a benchmark that had stood since 2021 by 2.69 seconds.

Samuels claimed his third individual team record with a leadoff leg split of 1:32.52, besting former relay-mate Nick Sherman’s record (1:33.74) that had stood since the 2023 NCAA Championships. Samuels’ time was the third fastest leadoff leg split among the eight-team field Wednesday as well as an NCAA provisional qualifying time (B Cut).

Samuels also owns Purdue records in the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly, lowering his benchmark in the 100 fly while winning gold in the event at the Toyota U.S. Open in December. As a freshman in 2022, he helped Purdue set a team record in the 400 free relay at both the Big Ten and NCAA Championships. That mark still stands.

For the third time in six seasons, the Boilermakers eclipsed their team record in the 800 free relay on the opening night of Big Tens.

Samuels also helped Purdue’s 200 medley relay team post a top-10 time in team history Wednesday in the first event of the championships. He teamed up with Idris Muhammad (back), Raymond Whittaker (breast) and Nathaniel Thomas (free) for a time of 1:25.20.

The Big Ten Championships continue Thursday at Minnesota’s Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center with swimming prelims at 11 a.m. ET, diving prelims at 1 p.m. ET and the finals session at 6 p.m. ET.

OPENING NIGHT AT THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

* – Purdue Season-Best Time

200 Medley Relay

Muhammad, Whittaker, Samuels & Thomas, 1:25.20* – Finished 9th (40 Points); 7th Fastest in Team History

800 Free Relay

Samuels, Mattice, Rowe & Mackesy, 6:21.94* – Finished 8th (44 Points); TEAM RECORD

Samuels’ leadoff leg split of 1:32.52* (B Cut) is a TEAM RECORD in 200 Free

Team Diving (Exhibition)

Welsh, Springfield & Wills, 335.90 – Finished 5th

OPENING NIGHT TEAM SCORES

1.) #2 Indiana 116

2.) #16 USC 112

T-3.) #10 Michigan 110

T-3.) #13 Ohio State 110

5.) Wisconsin 100

6.) Northwestern 96

7.) #24 Minnesota 94

8.) Penn State 86

9.) Purdue 84

NOTRE DAME HOCKEY

BIG WEEKEND AHEAD FOR IRISH IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame hockey program wraps up its 2024-25 regular season slate with a two-game series against the third-ranked Michigan State Spartans. A weekend full of festivities gets underway Friday evening (Feb. 28) as the team is set to honor its seniors prior to puck drop. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to the game for a 6:45 p.m. pre-game ceremony on the ice to recognize the 11 members of the Irish graduating class. As part of tradition on senior night, the team will don their green sweaters as part of the annual Irish Wear Green game.

Saturday marks the end of the 2024-25 regular season as the Irish and Spartans clash once more with a 6:05 p.m. puck drop. The regular season finale will serve as the team’s alumni night as well as a celebration for Catalino Family Head Hockey Coach Jeff Jackson in his final game as head coach inside Compton Family Ice Arena.

SERIES OVERVIEW

Opponent: Michigan State Spartans | Feb. 28-March 1

Location: South Bend, Ind. | Compton Family Ice Arena

Schedule: 7p.m. (Fri.) | 6p.m. (Sat.)

TV: Peacock

Themes: Senior Night & Irish Wear Green (Fri.) | Alumni Night (Sat.)

Live Stats: FightingIrish.com

Radio: fightingirish.com/radioaffiliates/

Game Notes: Notre Dame

QUICK HITS

The Irish are set to face off against the third-ranked Michigan State Spartans this weekend in the regular season finale.

The two teams previously met in East Lansing, Michigan, earlier this season with the Spartans skating away with a one-goal victory in their last tilt.

Prior to Friday night’s puck drop, the team will honor its senior class with an on-ice ceremony set to begin at 6:45 p.m.

Eleven seniors and grad students are set to be recognized Friday as part of senior night.

Friday’s contest will also serve as the annual Irish Wear Green game.

Following Saturday’s contest, fans are encouraged to stick around for a short ceremony honoring Catalino Family Head Hockey Coach Jeff Jackson in his final home game.

The Irish roster currently boasts four individuals with 20+ points, including Knuble who leads the team with 34 points (11-23-34). His 23 assists is the most for an Irish skater since Bobby Nardella in 2018-19, and most by a forward since Jake Evans in 2017-18.

Senior Justin Janicke holds a career-best 31 points on the season thus far off 13 goals and 18 assists. With his totals, the forward has posted career-bests in goals, assists and points this season.

Janicke also leads the team in goals with 13 alongside Danny Nelson. The pair picked up four points last weekend at Wisconsin to sit tied in first on the team for goals. Nelson’s 24 total points (13-11-24) ranks fourth on the team and is one shy of Blake Biondi’s 25 (12-13-25).

Prior to their tilts at Minnesota, Justin Janicke was appointed captain by his teammates, as announced by Catalino Family Head Hockey Coach on Jan. 18.

The Irish team returned 19 student-athletes from the 2023-24 roster, including 11 forwards, six defensemen and two goaltenders. The forwards include graduate senior Grant Silianoff and seniors Justin Janicke, Hunter Strand and Tyler Carpenter. Returning defensemen include four who appeared in the final series of the 2023-24 season in Michael Mastrodomenico, Paul Fischer, Zach Plucinski and Henry Nelson.

Notre Dame returned two 20+ point scorers from a season ago as Danny Nelson (9-14-23) and Cole Knuble (9-11-20) are now in their sophomore seasons with the Irish.

In total, eight returners posted double-digit points last season. In addition to Nelson and Knuble, Hunter Strand (4-15-19), Justin Janicke (4-12-16), Paul Fischer (2-14-16), Brennan Ali (3-10-13), Maddox Fleming (3-9-12) and Grant Silianoff (4-7-11) look to improve upon their double-digit performances a season ago.

At the last line of defense, the Irish return Jack Williams in goal and added two new netminders to the mix in Nicholas Kempf (USNTDP) and Owen Say (Mercyhurst).

The Irish added 10 new faces to the squad in 2024-25, including five freshmen and five transfers. The 10 newcomers consist of five forwards, three defensemen and two goaltenders.

NOTRE DAME vs. MICHIGAN STATE

The Irish close out the regular season with a two-game series against Michigan State.

The two teams met earlier this year in which the Irish dropped a close game two to the Spartans, 4-3.

In their last meeting, Blake Biondi set a career-high in points with the Irish, registering a goal and two assists as the Irish fell to the Spartans in game two of the weekend series.

Three individuals, including Biondi, registered three points on the weekend as Danny Nelson’s two goals in game one was followed up by an assist on Saturday night. Paul Fischer led the team with three assists on the weekend.

With an assist in game one of the series, freshman Jack Larrigan registered his first collegiate point.

The last time these two teams clashed inside Compton Family Ice Arena, the Irish earned a weekend split with the Spartans to open February 2024.

Cole Knuble and Justin Janicke each posted two points in the game one win over the Spartans as the Irish earned the 4-1 victory.

THANK YOU SENIORS

The Irish are set to honor its veteran group Friday evening with senior night. Prior to puck drop, the team will recognize the 11 members of its graduating class with an on-ice ceremony.

Those being recognized include seniors Hunter Weiss, Justin Janicke, Hunter Strand, Ryan Helliwell, Tyler Carpenter and Jimmy Mooney, in addition to its graduate students Grant Silianoff, Ian Murphy, Zach Plucinski, Blake Biondi and Luke Robinson.

The group has combined to play in 856 games for the Gold and Blue, and owns 266 points off 100 goals and 166 assists.

The graduating class has been a part of great success at Notre Dame and left their impact on the program, including two NCAA tournament appearances, numerous conference honors and 83 Irish victories.

A HISTORIC CAREER

After 20 seasons behind the Irish bench, this weekend’s games against Michigan State will be Catalino Family Head Hockey Coach Jeff Jackson’s final regular season games at Notre Dame.

Jackson joined the Irish in 2005 and has elevated the program to new heights during his tenure, including 12 NCAA Tournament appearances and four Frozen Fours.

In just his second year with the Irish, Jackson returned the program to the national stage as he led the team to the 2007 NCAA regional final. The following year, Jackson and his squad returned to the NCAA Tournament, this time earning a berth to the Frozen Four for the first time in program history.

Returning the program to national prominence was just one of many accomplishments for Jackson behind the Irish bench.

In 20 seasons at Notre Dame, Jackson saw 29 alumni go on to play in the National Hockey League, most recently when Nate Clurman (‘21) made his debut for the Pittsburgh Penguins on December 29, 2024.

Last season he reached multiple career milestones, including his 1,000th NCAA Division I game coached and his 400th win at Notre Dame. Already the all-time winningest coach in program history at 417 victories behind the Irish bench, Jackson ranks ninth all-time among all NCAA DI hockey coaches and is the winningest active coach at 599 career wins.

He coached five Academic All-Americans at Notre Dame and saw three student-athletes get drafted in the first round of the NHL Entry Level Draft.

In 26 years coaching at the Division I level, Jackson has twice been named the Spencer Penrose Award winner, presented annually to the top collegiate hockey coach, and is a three-time CCHA Coach of the Year honoree.

He has led his teams to 18 NCAA Tournaments, seven Frozen Fours, five national championship games, and won two National Championships (at Lake Superior State).

In addition to his collegiate coaching career, he was also a founder of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program and served as an assistant coach at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Jackson will lead his Irish in a clash against his alma mater, Michigan State, this weekend in his final regular season series.

NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL

JUDI GARMAN CLASSIC PREVIEW

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Coming off their best performance at the plate against Lipscomb, the Notre Dame Softball team faces its biggest challenge of the young season. The Irish head to Southern California to compete in the Judi Garman Classic, hosted by Cal State Fullerton. Notre Dame will face four ranked teams this weekend, two of them in top-five. The Irish are 1-0 this season against ranked teams (4-3 win over No. 15 Missouri).

Notre Dame opens the weekend tomorrow afternoon at 5:30 pm ET/2:30 pm CT against No. 4/4 UCLA before facing Cal State Fullerton in a prime time matchup at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 pm PT. The game against the Titans will be streamed live on ESPN+. On Friday, the Irish face No. 5/6 LSU at 3:00 pm ET/12:00 pm PT, followed by a clash with No. 23/23 San Diego State right after at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 pm PT. Notre Dame closes the weekend Saturday against No. 12/10 Arizona at 2:30 pm ET/11:30 PT.

For the Irish, 11 players will return to their home state of California – Rachel Allen, Addison Amaral, Paige Cowley, Rebecca Eckart, Caitlyn Early, Micaela Kastor, Alexis Laudenslager, Olivia Levitt, Tenley Sweet, Brianne Weiss and Mickey Winchell. Over half of Notre Dame’s roster is a California native.

Notre Dame is 8-7 on the season so far, coming off a 3-2 record at the Mardi Gras Classic in Mobile last weekend. Shannon Becker tossed the first no-hitter for Notre Dame in nearly three years against Maine, while the bats woke up in a big way in the 15-4 win over Lipscomb, scoring a season-high in runs and hits (19).

Judi Garman Classic Preview

No. 4/4 UCLA – Thursday, Feb. 27 at 5:30 pm ET/2:30 pm PT

UCLA is 14-2 on the season, seven of those wins coming against ranked teams. It’ll be the first matchup between the two schools since 2017.

Cal State Fullerton – Thursday, Feb. 27 at 10:30 pm ET/7:30 pm PT

Invite host Cal State Fullerton is 11-5 this year, coming off a 7-6 win over Utah last Saturday. Thursday night’s matchup will be the 18th all-time appearance between the two schools and the 10th time road matchup for the Irish against the Titans.

No. 5/6 LSU – Friday, Feb. 28 at 3:00 pm ET/12:00 pm PT

LSU is a perfect 14-0 this season, four of those in ranked games. The Irish and Tigers are 1-1 historically at neutral site matchups.

No. 23/23 San Diego State – Friday, Feb. 28 at 5:30 pm ET/2:30 pm PT

The Aztecs are 13-3 in 2025 and on a five-game winning streak entering the weekend. All-time, the series is tied 5-5 all-time between Notre Dame and San Diego State.

No. 12/10 Arizona – Saturday, March 1 at 2:30 pm ET/ 11:30 am PT

The Wildcats are 15-2 this season and are coming off a 10-2 win over No. 20 Stanford. This weekend will be the first games away from Tucson for Arizona. The Irish have never beat the Wildcats in 10 tries.

Live stats will be available for every game of the Judi Garman Classic, while the Cal State Fullerton matchup will be the only one streamed on ESPN+.

NOTRE DAME MEN’S BASKETBALL

BURTON’S 30 POINTS NOT ENOUGH IN 68-83 LOSS

CLEMSON, S.C. – The Notre Dame men’s basketball team drew an incredibly tough assignment on Wednesday night, trying to topple No. 13/14 Clemson on their home court. The Fighting Irish (12-16, 6-11) absorbed some opening blows and stormed back to reclaim a lead in the first half, but the Tigers (23-5, 15-2) recorded a 7-0 run in the final minute to claim a 10-point lead at halftime. From there, Clemson countered any ND runs and settled in to hand Notre Dame a 68-83 defeat.

Markus Burton had 17 points at the half and finished with 30 in the game, two shy of his career high. It marked his second 30-point game of the season and third of his career. The MIshawaka native shot 8-19 from the field and was 12-13 from the free-throw line. He also tallied four rebounds, five assists and zero turnovers.

With tonight’s 30-point performance, Burton became the seventh fastest Notre Dame player to 1,000 career points, accomplishing the feat in 54 games. He became the program’s 68th overall 1,000-point scorer, moving Notre Dame to fourth place for all-time 1,000-point scorers behind North Carolina, Duke and Louisville.

Junior Tae Davis was the lone other Irish player in double figures with 15 points, 10 of which came in the second half. Davis was 6-12 from the field, including 2-3 from beyond the arc.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Burton, Davis and Sir Mohammed combined for the team’s first 14 points but the Tigers countered with five three-point plays by the second media timeout to claim an early 14-21 lead.

Over the next stretch of the game, the Notre Dame defense put its stamp on it, keeping Clemson scoreless for over 6.5 minutes while claiming its first lead of the game after a 10-0 scoring run made it 22-21. Burton had six of the points and reached double figures by 7:38, while J.R. Konieczny supplied the other four points with back-to-back layups.

Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin ended the drought for the Tigers and became a big problem, recording 13 of their next 16 points. The Irish got some production with a Logan Imes three-pointer and six straight points from Burton, but Clemson ultimately recorded a 7-0 run in the final minute to go up 31-41.

Burton had 17 of the team’s 31 points at the half, thus already crossing over the 1,000-career point milestone. Burton was a perfect 8-8 from the free-throw line at this point. Burton was countered by Clemson’s Schieffelin and his 16 points at the half on 6-7 shooting.

After back-to-back Konieczny layups, the Irish pulled within six early, but a Clemson 9-0 run over the next 2:18 put the Blue & Gold down 37-52 at the 14:45 media timeout. The Tigers went on to build a 16-point lead, up 43-59 at 11:29.

It became the Burton and Davis show on Notre Dame’s offensive end of the floor as the duo combined to score 16 straight points over 10 minutes to pull the Irish within single digits at 53-62 with 8:41 remaining.

In the up-and-down flow of the game, the Tigers counter-punched again with a 15-6 scoring spree to extend their lead to 18 points with 4:54 left and rode that to the 68-83 final.

UP NEXT

Notre Dame will remain on the road for another tough challenge in Wake Forest on Saturday, March 1. The Irish and Demon Deacons will tip off at 5:15 p.m. ET on the CW.

NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

NO. 3 IRISH, NO. 24 SEMINOLES SET FOR OFFENSIVE CLASH ON SENIOR DAY

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — No. 3 Notre Dame (24-3, 15-1) returns to Purcell Pavilion on Thursday, as the Irish welcome No. 24 Florida State (22-6, 12-4) for a battle of the ACC’s top offenses. Notre Dame is averaging 86.8 points per game (second in the ACC, fourth nationally), and the Seminoles are posting 89.4 points per contest (first in the ACC, second nationally).

Notre Dame is coming off of its first conference loss of the season, a double overtime clash at No. 13 NC State on Sunday that ended 104-95 in favor of the home team. The Irish were led in scoring by Hannah Hidalgo (26 points), but it was the heroics of Sonia Citron that nearly earned Notre Dame the victory on multiple occasions. Citron had just 2 points in the first half but came out of the locker room on fire with 10 points in the third quarter. She hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of regulation to send the game to overtime, and she finished with 23 points.

Over her last five games, Citron is averaging 19 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.4 steals per game while shooting 63.9 percent from the floor and 47.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Florida State is led by the nation’s leading scorer, Ta’Niya Latson, although the star guard has missed the last three games with an undisclosed injury. Fellow FSU guard O’Mariah Gordon has missed the last two games as well.

In their absence, junior guard and Texas A&M transfer Sydney Bowles has stepped up, scoring 32 points in a win over No. 20 Georgia Tech on Sunday. Forward Makayla Timpson had her 14th double-double of the year in the contest as well.

Thursday’s game is also Senior Day, and Notre Dame will recognize seven seniors and graduate students on the court prior to the game. Notre Dame is 13-1 all-time against the Seminoles and 5-0 at home. Thursday’s game tips off on the ACC Network at 8 p.m. Jenn Hildreth and Debbie Antonelli will be on the call.

BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL

NO. 7 ST. JOHN’S HOLDS OFF BUTLER, 76-70

RJ Luis Jr. and his game-high 24 points led No. 7 St. John’s to a 76-70 win over Butler Wednesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Jahmyl Telfort had 13 points and seven rebounds to lead Butler; he went over 2,000 points for his collegiate career in the game.

With the win, St. John’s improves to 25-4 overall and 16-2 in BIG EAST play to clinch the regular season conference championship. Butler falls to 13-15.

KEY STRETCH: Kolby King’s three-point play with 7:38 remaining in the game gave Butler its first lead since 3-2 as the Bulldogs took a 57-56 advantage. St. John’s responded by scoring eight of the next 10 points to retake control of the contest. The St. John’s led never got to a single possession over the final minute of the game.

OF NOTE:

Luis made nine of his 16 attempts from the field.

St. John’s shot 49 percent from the field, while Butler connected on 39 percent of their attempts.

Butler went 16-for-18 from the free throw line.

Pierre Brooks II and Boden Kapke each had 12 points for Butler; King added 11 points.

Butler held a 39-32 rebounding advantage.

St. John’s had a 38-32 halftime lead.

UP NEXT: Butler travels to Philadelphia for a Saturday Noon tip with Villanova. The game will air on FOX.

BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

BULLDOGS LOSE AT THE BUZZER TO VILLANOVA

The Butler women’s basketball team took a tough 56-54 loss at Villanova on Wednesday night. Lily Zeinstra made a 3-pointer to tie the game with 11 seconds left, but a missed layup followed by an offensive rebound and a Wildcat putback would give the home team a two-point victory. Butler ends the regular season with a 15-16 overall record and the ‘Cats improve to 17-12.

Kilyn McGuff led all players with 21 points on 6-of-9 shooting. She made two 3-pointers Wednesday night and was also 7-for-10 from the charity stripe. Riley Makalusky had nine points and five boards while Cristen Carter helped impact the game with seven points and five rebounds.

Each team experienced scoring woes in the first quarter and the Wildcats would head to the second frame up two at 11-9. Butler battled back and tied the contest at 16-16 on a post move score from Cristen Carter, but two late driving layups from Jasmine Bascoe would give the home team a 25-19 lead at the break.

Carter and Kilyn McGuff each had six at the half for the Bulldogs while Riley Makalusky chipped in with five. On the other end, Bascoe, Maddie Webber, and Ryanne Allen accounted for 23 of Nova’s 25 points.

Villanova scored the first points of the second half to give the Wildcats their largest lead of the game at eight points. Butler made adjustments in the locker room and those changes allowed the Bulldogs to make their first five shots of the third quarter. Sydney Jaynes, Makalusky and McGuff scored Butler’s first 16 points in the third and the two teams would come together at 35-35 with two to play.

BU outscored Villanova 21-10 in the third and ended that quarter on a 5-0 scoring run after getting free throws from McGuff and Karsyn Norman. The five-point cushion wouldn’t last however as Villanova tied the game at 40-40 just one minute into the fourth.

No one at The Finn was surprised to see the two teams separated by just one point at the final media timeout. Nova’s lead grew to three with three to play and would stay there until a huge top of the key 3-pointer went down for McGuff.

The senior’s triple made the game 52-51, but Bascoe would score on an isolation jumper on Villanova’s next trip giving the ‘Cats a 54-51 edge with 14 seconds left in regulation.

Coach Parkinson called a full timeout and drew up a play in the huddle for Lily Zeinstra. The true freshman flushed a 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie the game.

After the made 3-pointer, Bascoe attack the rim on the right side of the floor, but missed the attempt. Butler was unable to come up with the rebound and Ryanne Allen would beat the buzzer with a layup to win the game for her team.

Inside the Box Score

– Kilyn McGuff posted 21 points and seven rebounds in 37 minutes

– Riley Makalusky had nine points, five rebounds and two assists

– Cristen Carter made three shots to net seven points. She added a block and five boards

– Lily Zeinstra scored seven points and grabbed five rebounds

– Sydney Jaynes had six points and a team-best nine rebounds

– Lily Carmody was inactive at Villanova

– Nova outscored Butler 21-14 in the fourth quarter

– Villanova only had two turnovers on Wednesday night

– The Wildcats scored 25 points off 17 BU miscues

– BU won the rebound battle 43-29

– Bench points favored the home team 27-11

Up Next

Butler won’t be in action this weekend giving the Bulldogs a few extra days to prepare for the upcoming conference tournament. First Round action starts on March 7. BIG EAST Tournament seeding will be announced on Sunday, March 2.

IU INDY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

HOCEVAR TALLIES CAREER-HIGH IN JAGUARS’ WIN OVER OAKLAND

INDIANAPOLIS – The IU Indy women’s basketball team overpowered Oakland on Wednesday night, 80-65 in the Jungle. The Jaguars set the tone early with a strong first half to secure their seventh conference win of the season.

IU Indy came out firing, opening up a commanding 20-10 lead in the first quarter. Alexa Hocevar led the way scoring half the Jags points with ten in just the first quarter. The Jaguars continued their dominance in the second, outscoring Oakland 21-9 to take a 41-19 lead into halftime.

Oakland, led by Maddy Skorupski with 28 points, refused to go down quietly. The Golden Grizzlies mounted a fourth-quarter comeback, cutting the deficit to just five points with under a minute remaining. However, Katie Davidson stepped up, sinking two crucial baskets in the final moments to halt Oakland’s momentum and secure the Jaguars’ victory.

IU Indy’s defense stifled Oakland for most of the game, forcing 16 turnovers and holding their opponent to just 25% shooting from three-point range. The Jaguars also dominated in transition, scoring 15 fast-break points compared to Oakland’s four.

Faith Stinson led the charge, finishing with 18 points and 9 rebounds while going 10-for-14 from the free-throw line.

Hocevar knocked down 4-of-5 three-pointers en route to a 19-point career-high performance. Nevaeh Foster added 13 points, while Davidson chipped in 16, helping the Jaguars maintain their comfortable advantage despite a late Oakland surge.

With the win, IU Indy improves to 7-12, jumping to eighth in the Horizon League standings. They will close out the regular season on Saturday as they host Detroit Mercy for Senior Day at the Corteva Coliseum.

BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL HOSTS OHIO STATE, LINDENWOOD THIS WEEK

No. 11 Ball State (10-5, 3-2 MIVA) vs No. 16 Ohio State (6-7, 3-2 MIVA)

Last Meeting: Ohio State 3, Ball State 0 (3/2124)

Series History: Ohio State leads the series 32-22 (From 2002)

No. 11 Ball State (10-5, 3-2 MIVA) vs Lindenwood (3-8, 0-5 MIVA)

Last Meeting: Ball State 3, Lindenwood 0 (2/2025)

Series History: Ball State leads the series 25-5

This Week in Ball State Men’s Volleyball: The Cardinals will welcome Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) rival Ohio State to Worthen Arena Thursday (Feb. 27) evening for a 7 p.m. first serve. In celebration of the first official season of boys volleyball recognized by the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA), Ball State will be offering free tickets to all high school volleyball players (boys and girls) with proof of attendance to their local high school. All fans will be encouraged to wear black to Thursday’s match to black out the Buckeyes. Following Ohio State, the Cardinals will host Lindenwood on Saturday (Mar. 1) for a 5 p.m. serve.

Last Serve:

• The Cardinals split 1-1 on last week’s road trip, beating Lindenwood 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-22) before falling 2-3 (24-26, 25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 10-15) to McKendree

• Patrick Rogers and Wil Basilio led the Cardinals’ efforts against Lindenwood. Rogers hit .444 (10-2-18) from the floor while adding two aces, two block solos and three digs. Basilio hit an impressive .636 (8-1-11) with the addition of an ace and four blocks to help hold the Lions to a .135 hitting percentage.

• Ryan Louis led the team against McKendree, hitting a new career high of 21 kills. Rogers also hit a new career high, recording 15 digs on the night.

First Serve vs Ohio State:

• The Cardinals and the Buckeyes split the series 1-1 last season. Ball State won the first match on the road in Columbus, beating the home team 3-1 (34-32, 15-25, 25-22, 26-24). Ohio State evened the score later in the season at Worthen Arena, beating the Cardinals 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-18).

• Ball State holds a 13-11 record over the Buckeyes at home.

• In the last 10 matches, the Cardinals lead the Buckeyes 6-4.

Scouting Ohio State:

• The Buckeyes are coming off a 3-1 (28-30, 25-22, 25-18, 25-22) road victory over Lindenwood, securing the season sweep over the Lions after winning in another 3-1 (25-12, 26-24, 22-25, 25-19) match earlier in the season.

• Ohio State is 1-8 against ranked opponents so far this season. The team’s only ranked win came against No. 1 UCLA at the First Point Collegiate Challenge in Austin, Texas. The Buckeyes pulled off a 3-1 (25-20, 26-24, 13-25. 25-17) upset, knocking the Bruins out of the top spot on the AVCA National Collegiate Poll.

• In the MIVA, Ohio State is ranked second for service aces on the season, averaging 1.56 aces per set.

• Junior opposite, Shane Wetzel, leads the team in multiple categories, ranking among the MIVA’s top players. He is ranked third in the conference for points, service aces and kills. Currently, Wetzel averages 4.42 points per set and has added a total of 213 points, putting him 20th in the NCAA. For aces, Wetzel has recorded a total of 23, averaging .48 per set. In kills, Wetzel has a total of 181 and averages 3.77 per set. He is also ranked fifth in the conference for hitting percentage with a .336 (181-65-345) clip.

• Outside hitter, Stanislaw Chacinski, is ranked third in the MIVA with a hitting percentage of .361 (138-38-277).

• In the NCAA, Ohio State is the 19th ranked team for service aces, averaging 1.58 aces per set and totaling 76 so far on the season. The Buckeyes are also the 18th top assisting team, averaging 11.56 assists per set with a recorded 555 assists. For hitting percentage and kills, Ohio State is ranked 20th with a clip of .286 and an average of 12.17 kills per set.

First Serve vs Lindenwood:

• In their first matchup of the 2025 season, Ball State swept Lindenwood on the road in St. Charles, Missouri.

• Overall, the Cardinals went 2-1 over the Lions last season. Ball State won the first match 3-2 and swept the second match in a 3-0 fashion before falling 3-2 to Lindenwood in the MIVA semifinals.

• Ball State holds a 16-1 home record against Lindenwood and has won 9 of the last 10 matches overall.

Scouting Lindenwood:

• Lindenwood enters the week 0-5 in conference play. The Lions will head to Fort Wayne on Friday (Feb. 28) looking for their first conference win against Purdue Fort Wayne before heading down to Muncie.

• The Lions are currently ranked second in the MIVA and eighth in the NCAA for kills, averaging 12.78 kills per set with a total of 524. The team is also ranked third (MIVA) and 13th (NCAA) for assists with an average of 11.76 per set and a total of 482.

• With clip of .298 (524-193-1112) , the Lions rank 15th in the NCAA.

• Setter, Zach Solomon, is ranked fifth in the conference and 16th in the NCAA for assists, adding a total of 389 and averaging 9.97 assists per set.

Ball State in the MIVA:

• The Cardinals lead the conference in blocks, averaging 2.69 blocks per set with a total of 142.5.

• The team is also ranked second for points and hitting percentage. Ball State currently averages 16.69 points per set and has earned a total of 884.5. For hitting percentage, the Cardinals currently have a .335 (668-198-1402) clip, second only to Loyola.

Ball State in the NCAA:

• Ball State is among the winningest men’s volleyball teams in the NCAA. Going into the 2025 season, the Cardinals claimed the fifth highest all-time winning percentage at .701 (1283-546). Loyola was fourth at .701 (577-246), Ohio State third at .703 (1189-502), Penn State second at .755 and UCLA led the NCAA with the highest winning percentage of .793 (1482-387). Ball State was also ranked fifth for the most amount of wins from a program in the last five years with 88 wins and a .704 percentage. Rounding out the top five were Lincoln Memorial with 89 wins, UCLA with 104, Penn State with 106 and Hawaii leading the past five years with 111 program wins.

• As a team, Ball State goes into the week ranked second in the NCAA for blocks, averaging 2.625 blocks per set.

• With a .341 (707-205-1471) clip, the Cardinals hold the seventh highest hitting percentage in the NCAA. The team also ranks 12th for kills, averaging 12.62 kills per set.

• The Cardinals are ranked 16th for assists with an average of 11.57 assists per set and a total of 648.

Team Leaders:

• Lucas Machado is among the top of the conference in assists with the third highest average at 10.14 assists per set, totaling 497. His numbers place him 10th in the NCAA.

• Defensively, Vanis Buckholz and Braydon Savitski-Lynde are ranked fourth and fifth in the conference for blocks. Buckholz averages 1.079 blocks per set with a total of 41, placing him 13th in the NCAA. Savitski-Lynde averages 1.048 and has recorded a total of 44 on the season, placing him 20th in the NCAA .

Coach Cruz:

• Ball State head coach Donan Cruz enters his fourth season at the helm of the Cardinals and owns an overall record at BSU of 74-28 (.725) along with a Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) Tournament Championship, three MIVA regular season titles and an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Looking Ahead: The Cardinals will hit the road next Tuesday (Mar. 4) for their first match of the season against Quincy. The team will then return home Friday (Mar. 7) to host Loyola Chicago.

BALL STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL OUTLASTS CENTRAL MICHIGAN IN OVERTIME

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – With 30 seconds left in overtime, senior Ally Becki knocked down a jumper and then later secured the victory with a defensive rebound to lift the Ball State women’s basketball team to a 60-58 overtime victory at Central Michigan Wednesday night at McGuirk Arena.

The extra frame was just as tightly contested as regulation but fortunately the Cardinals (21-7, 13-2 MAC) snapped a two-game losing streak and remained atop of the Mid-American Conference standings with their win over the Chippewas (12-15, 7-8 MAC).

Both teams started the game off slow in the first 10 minutes of action. The best way to describe the first stanza would be scrappy defense as Ball State and Central Michigan were knotted, 4-4 at the five-minute mark. The Cardinals and the Chippewas played toe-to-toe the remainder of the opening frame to make it a tied ball game 10-10 to end the quarter.

The second period mimicked the first as Ball State and Central Michigan continued their up-and-down affair. The first half alone resulted in six ties with the Cardinals only having the lead once. The Chippewas had the upper hand throughout the second frame. Down by four (23-19) with two minutes left, Marie Kiefer would finally score for BSU with 32 seconds on the clock to make the score 23-21 at intermission.

After the break, it was déjà vu throughout the remainder of the third and fourth quarters. Ball State finally got ahead of Central Michigan ever so slightly as Lachelle Austin and Elise Stuck were able to each make a pair of free throws, leading to the Cardinals 39-35 edge versus the Chippewas at end of the third.

The game remained close in the final quarter. Ball State trailed by four (49-45) in the final three minutes, but Austin registered back-to-back layups along with a big rebound from Kiefer that led to Ball State tying the contest 49-49. Those plays eventually sent the game into overtime.

Austin led the Cardinals in scoring with 17 points. Kiefer had a double-double after chipping in 10 points while tying her career-high in rebounds with 16. Becki finished the night with eight points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

The Ball State women’s basketball team will wrap up its road portion of the Mid-American Conference regular season on Saturday at Western Michigan. Tip-off is at 1 pm ET in Read Fieldhouse.

BALL STATE SWIMMING

WOMEN’S S&D SET RELAY RECORD IN OPENING DAY OF MAC CHAMPIONSHIPS

BUFFALO – The Ball State women’s swimming and diving program opened the 2025 Mid-American Conference Championships with a program record in relay action at Buffalo’s Alumni Arena Natatorium & Dorsi Raynolds Pool Wednesday evening.

It was the 200 medley relay team of Lilia Newkirk, Laura Wright, Anna Keen and Payton Kelly that combined for a program-record time of 1:39.56 to place fourth overall.

The women’s record time was a .13 improvement from the former record of 1:39.69, which Wright also was member of at the MAC Championships two years ago.

In the second and final event of opening day, Alexa Von Holtz was joined by the league championship-debuting trio of McKenna Potteiger, Ava Butterfield and Magdalena Lechowska in the 800 freestyle relay, finishing seventh and setting the 10th-fastest time in program history.

After the first day of action, the Cardinals are in fifth place with 54 points. Akron currently holds the lead with 74, followed by Ohio with 70.

Competition in the 2025 MAC Championships continues Thursday with three individual events, 1-meter diving, and the 200 freestyle relay. Prelims start at 10 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m.

Ball State Results on Day 1 of the MAC Championships

200 Medley Relay | Program Record – 1:39.56 by Newkirk, Wright, Keen, Kelly in 2025

4th – Lilia Newkirk, Laura Wright, Anna Keen, Payton Kelly – 1:39.56 – program record

800 Freestyle Relay | Program Record – 7:22.09 by Payne, Ribeiro, Kelly, Stauffer in 2013

7th – Alexa Von Holtz, McKenna Potteiger, Ava Butterfield, Magdalena Lechowska – 7:28.47 – 10th in program history

INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S SOCCER

INDIANA STATE SOCCER ANNOUNCES SPRING 2025 SCHEDULE

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State Soccer is excited to announce its spring 2025 schedule, featuring a mix of home and away matches.

The spring schedule kicks off at home with a matchup against Evansville on March 1st at 3:00 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.

Following the home opener, Indiana State will head out on the road for two away contests, beginning with a game at Marian on March 22nd at 7:00 p.m. The Sycamores will then travel to Southern Illinois for a March 29th match at 1:00 p.m. CT / 2:00 p.m. ET.

Indiana State will return home for a game against IU-Indianapolis on April 5th at 1:00 p.m. before concluding their spring schedule with an away game at UIndy on April 12th at 4:00 p.m.

Spring 2025 Schedule:

March 1: vs. Evansville – 3:00 p.m. (Home)

March 22: at Marian – 7:00 p.m. (Away)

March 29: at SIU – 1:00 p.m. CT / 2:00 p.m. ET (Away)

April 5: vs. IU-INDY – 1:00 p.m. (Home)

April 12: at UIndy – 4:00 p.m. (Away)

INDIANA STATE BASEBALL

SYCAMORES CLOSE OUT SEASON-OPENING ROAD TRIP AT ECU’S LECLAIR CLASSIC

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State baseball closes out the season-opening 19-day road trip this weekend as the Sycamores head to Greenville, N.C. and the LeClair Classic hosted by East Carolina over February 28 – March 2.

The Sycamores (5-3) will open the weekend on Friday afternoon against Virginia Tech with a noon first pitch. Saturday’s contest against host ECU will be carried live on ESPN+ with first pitch at 4:30 p.m. Sunday’s finale against Kent State is set for an 11 a.m. start time.

The Sycamores have won two in a row coming into the weekend following Tuesday night’s win over Bethune-Cookman. Indiana State utilized patience at the plate, timely hits, and strong pitching performances on their way to capturing the 12-4 victory at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

Indiana State utilized a school record 16 walks issued at the plate on their way to putting runners on base in eight of the nine innings in the first matchup in program history against Bethune Cookman. The 16 walks snapped the previous record of 15 walks drawn by Indiana State batters back on May 11, 2013, against Alcorn State.

Indiana State cracked the scoreboard with a five-run fourth inning sparked by Emil Estrella’s one-out triple. Estrella scored on a wild pitch, before Nick Sutherlin, Weston Fulk, and Miguel Cantu connected on RBI singles in the inning to stake the Sycamores to the lead. After BCU rallied to cut the lead back to one run, the Sycamores took control of the game with seven runs over the final three innings highlighted by two runs scoring on Eli Gipson’s bunt, while Fulk, Cantu, and Estrella also drove in runs.

Colby Morse went four shutout innings to keep the Wildcats at bay as the senior right-hander allowed just a triple in the ninth inning and a walk, while striking out three. Morse retired nine BCU batters in a row at one point before closing out the game by retiring Michael Rodriguez on strikes to record his first win at Indiana State.

Ten different Sycamores reached base in the contest highlighted by multi-hit games from Nick Sutherlin, Fulk, and Cantu. Carter Beck and Jeremy Martinez both drew three walks apiece, while Sutherlin and Cantu both reached base four times overall in the contest.

Breyllin Suriel went 3.1 innings allowing two runs and five walks while striking out four in his first start at Indiana State. Aaron Moss allowed three hits and two runs over 1.2 innings, before turning the ball over to Morse to close out the contest.

Freshman catcher Jeremy Martinez leads the team with a .360 batting average over seven starts behind the plate, while adding a team-high nine hits, including three doubles and a home run early in the season. Eli Gipson (.353), Carter Beck (.321), Keegan Garis (.308), and Nick Sutherlin (.308) are also hitting above the .300 mark for the season to pace a Sycamore offense hitting .270 overall as a team.

Additional offensive leaders include Thomas Emerich pacing the way in doubles (4) and runs scored (12), while Carlos Pena and Beck are tied for the team lead with two home runs apiece. Beck leads the team with 10 RBIs, including a two-run triple in Sunday’s win over Northeastern.

Indiana State’s pitching lineup has seen a variety of arms get experience in the early going of the season as the Sycamores have posted a team 4.71 ERA over 70.2 innings. Ryan Karst, Grant Parson, and Ty Brooks have been the early weekend rotation for Indiana State, while six different relievers have made at least three appearances out of the bullpen in 2025 including Max McEwen (1-0, 4.15 ERA), Aaron Moss (0-0, 2.84 ERA), and Gavin Morris (1-1, 4.50 ERA, 1 SV).

McEwen leads the team with 11 strikeouts over the 2025 season with three appearances of 2.0+ innings on the mound. The Sycamores have posted a team 56:33 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .263 opponent batting average on the year.

Scouting East Carolina

Tournament host East Carolina is in action on Wednesday afternoon against Old Dominion prior to this weekend’s contests at Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium. The Pirates have posted a 2-5 record overall and enter the week after getting swept by then-No. 6 North Carolina this past weekend in a series split between Durham, Chapel Hill, and Greenville, N.C.

The Pirates were tabbed first in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll for the seventh consecutive season and eight overall since joining the conference prior to the 2015 campaign. ECU collected 80 points and eight out of 10 first place votes while Wichita State and Tulane were second and third with 72 and 63 points respectively. Wichita State was awarded the other two first-place votes. Senior outfielder Ryley Johnson and sophomore LHP Ethan Norby were also selected to the Preseason All-Conference Team after earning postseason recognition on the circuit last year.

Early offensive leaders for ECU include Alex Peltier (.280, 2 2Bs), and Alex Bouche (.208, 2 HR), with the Pirates hitting a combined .208 from the plate on the season. The pitching staff has utilized 13 different arms on the year with Sean Jenkins, Norby, and Bradley Zayac all earning multiple starts. ECU has posted a combined 4.57 ERA with a 63:41 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Scouting Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech heads into the weekend with a 5-2 overall record after playing all seven opening games in Blacksburg, Va. The Hokies took the opening two series against Bucknell and UNC Greensboro, and added a midweek win against ETSU to their credit heading into the weekend.

The Hokies were selected 12th overall in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s preseason poll receiving 85 total points overall as voted on by the league’s head coaches.

Early offensive leaders for Virginia Tech include David McCann (.480, 6 2B, 2 HR), and Sam Tackett (.455, 4 HR, 11 RBI), while Jared Davis is also hitting .478 from the plate. Overall, the Hokies are hitting .363 as a team with a .450 on-base percentage. Fifteen different VT pitchers have seen time on the mound with Logan Eisenreich, Brett Renfrow, and Grant Manning all posting at least two starts on the season. The Hokies are allowing opponents to hit .195 from the plate with an 89:33 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Scouting Kent State

Kent State enters the weekend with a 1-5 mark overall after picking up their lone win of the 2025 campaign on opening day against Eastern Kentucky. The Golden Flashes are on a five-game losing streak including getting swept this past weekend in a three-game series at Mercer.

The Golden Flashes have been picked second in the Mid-American Conference pre-season coaches’ poll. The Flashes took home 84 points and two first place votes putting them behind Ball State who received 95 points and six first place votes.

Early offensive leaders for Kent State include Jake Casey (.474, 2 2B, 1 HR) and Sawyer Solitaria (.304, 2 HR) in pacing a Flashes offense that is hitting .276 as a team at the plate. Kent State’s pitching has featured 13 different players combining for a team 6.80 ERA over 49.0 innings. Opponents are hitting .337 with a 43:16 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL

INDIANA STATE TRAVELS TO KNOXVILLE FOR WEEKEND TOURNAMENT ACTION

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Sycamores are headed to Knoxville, Tenn., this weekend to compete in the UTenn Tournament, where they will take on UT Martin, tournament host Tennessee, and Delaware State.

Indiana State will open the UTenn Tournament on Friday, facing UT Martin at 12:30 p.m. before a matchup against Tennessee at 5 p.m. The Sycamores will return to action Saturday morning against Delaware State at 10 a.m., with their seeding for the afternoon games to be determined based on results. The 1 vs. 4 seed game is set for 3 p.m., followed by the 2 vs. 3 seed matchup at 5:30 p.m. On Sunday, Indiana State will either compete in the consolation game at 10:30 a.m. or battle for the tournament championship at 1 p.m.

Last Time Out:

Indiana State Softball went 2-2 at the Frost Classic, securing wins over Illinois State (2-0) and IU Indy (8-1) while falling to SEMO (3-2) and Lamar (7-5).

Hailey Griffin shined in the opener, pitching a one-hit shutout in the 2-0 win against Illinois State, backed by strong performances from freshmen Madison Poulson, Abby Widmar, and Brailey Mills.

Against SEMO, Indiana State battled but fell 3-2 despite cutting the deficit late. Lauren Sackett pitched a complete game, allowing three runs.

In a high-scoring game versus Lamar, the Sycamores rallied from a 4-0 deficit to briefly lead 5-4 before ultimately losing 7-5. Abby Widmar led the offense with a three-RBI double.

Indiana State closed the weekend with an 8-1 victory over IU Indy, highlighted by home runs from Widmar and Wischmeier. Cassi Newbanks earned her first win of the season with a complete-game effort.

Sycamore Standouts:

Brailey Mills is off to a strong start leading the Sycamores offensively, hitting .348 through 12 games. She has eight hits, seven runs, two RBIs, and a .516 on-base percentage.

Madison Poulson is hitting .324 through 12 starts, collecting 12 hits, six runs, and two RBIs. She has a .419 on-base percentage with six walks and two stolen bases.

Freshman Abby Widmar leads the Sycamores with two home runs this season—one in the 15-6 loss to UAB and another in the 8-1 win over IU Indy. Whitley Wischmeier has also contributed with a home run in the IU Indy victory.

Hannah Welch leads Indiana State in stolen bases this season, going a perfect 4-4.

Hailey Griffin (2-3) leads the Sycamore pitching staff with a 2.15 ERA through 29.1 innings this season, with 24 strikeouts and a .185 opponent batting average. She has appeared in six games, starting five, and has allowed 20 hits and nine earned runs.

Cassi Newbanks earned her first victory in the circle this season for the Sycamores against IU Indy last weekend in Chattanooga, allowing five hits, one run, two walks, and striking out six.

Scouting Opponents:

UT Martin (5-7) went 1-3 last weekend at the Aces Tournament in Evansville, losing to Evansville twice in five innings (14-2 and 9-0). They also split games with Western Michigan, losing 3-2 before bouncing back with a 10-0 win in five innings.

Kennedy Brown is hitting .303 with 12 starts this season, which includes eight hits, three runs, and three RBIs in 33 at-bats. She has also recorded eight stolen bases in eight attempts.

Ashtyn Green (3-0) has a 2.10 ERA through 26.2 innings this season, with 19 strikeouts. She has allowed 30 hits and 8 earned runs, with 5 walks.

Tennessee enters this weekend with a 13-3 record, having gone 4-2 in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. They lost to Oregon 1-0 in 8 innings and to UCLA 4-3, but secured victories over Oregon State (10-0), Rutgers (10-1), and Minnesota (9-1).

Taylor Pannell is batting .490 through 16 games started, with 25 hits, 15 runs, seven home runs, and 29 RBIs.

Karlyn Pickens (4-2) has a 0.91 ERA through 38.1 innings this season, with 61 strikeouts. She has allowed 22 hits and five earned runs, with 10 walks.

Delaware State has a 3-2 record, with four of their first games of the season postponed. They won 12-0 and 13-3 over Virginia Union University in 5 innings, then secured a 2-1 victory over Bucknell University in 10 innings. They later fell to Bucknell 5-1 and 5-0.

Emma Crowe is leading the team with a .545 batting average through 4 games, totaling six hits, two runs, one home run, and three RBIs in 11 at-bats.

Allyson Fonollosa has a 3.00 ERA through 6.0 innings this season, with three strikeouts. She has allowed five hits, two runs, and one walk in three appearances.

Up Next: The Sycamores will play their first midweek game of the season as they head to Indianapolis to compete against Butler at 4 p.m.

INDIANA STATE SWIMMING

SYCAMORES BREAK THREE SCHOOL RECORDS OVER FIRST TWO EVENTS OF MVC CHAMPIONSHIPS

WAUKEE, Iowa – Indiana State broke three school records over the first two events of the Missouri Valley Conference Swimming and Diving Championships as the Sycamores opened up the conference’s competition on Wednesday evening at the Waukee CSD Natatorium.

The Sycamores (112) sit 16 points back of Southern Illinois (128) for the team lead through the first two events as Indiana State finished second in both the 200-yard Medley Relay and 800-yard Freestyle Relay behind the Salukis. It marked the best relay finishes by Indiana State on the opening day of the conference championship meet.

Indiana State started off the evening with Sahara Visscher breaking the school mark in the 50-yard Backstroke to open the 200-yard Medley Relay. The freshman went out in 25.46 to break the previous mark of 25.90 set by Carmen Alard Vegas back on Dec. 4, 2021.

Ali Pearson, Raine Boles, and Kaleigh Kelley took care of the rest touching the wall in 1:39.49 to place second overall in the field and breaking the school mark set by the quartet in their previous meet against Butler and Ball State on February 7.

The Sycamores’ B team of Alexandria Cotter, Alexa Szadorski, Sophia Diaz, and Kalli Agapios finished in 1:42.19, while the final group of Trista Bullock, Dorotea Bukvic, Raz Harel, and Allie Barasch finished in 1:44.78.

Indiana State and SIU went back and forth in the 800-yard Freestyle Relay with the Salukis holding off the Sycamores to take the event win. The Sycamores group of Erin Cummins, Visscher, Chloe Farro, and Claire Parsons went out in a school-record 7:14.74, with Parsons posting the fastest 200-yard relay split in program history in 1:47.77 on their way to claiming Indiana State’s second second-place result of the night.

The second group of Maria Saldana Riebeling, Gemma Dilks, Rose Parsons, and Haley Halsall wrapped up the night posting a 7:27.27 for the 12th fastest time in school history.

Top Indiana State Finishers in Each Event

200-Yard Medley Relay: 2nd – Sahara Visscher, Alexa Szadorski, Raine Boles, Kaleigh Kelley (1:39.49, School Record)

800-Yard Freestyle Relay: 2nd – Erin Cummins, Sahara Visscher, Chloe Farro, Claire Parsons (7:14.74, School Record)

Up Next

Thursday, February 27 Event Schedule

Morning Prelims (11:30 a.m. ET): 500-yard Freestyle, 200-yard IM, 50-yard Freestyle, 1M Diving Prelims, 1M Diving (9-16)

Evening Finals (7 p.m. ET): 500-yard Freestyle, 200-yard IM, 50-yard Freestyle, 1M Diving, 400-yard Medley Relay

PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S BASKETBALL

‘DONS PREPARE FOR THE ARRIVAL OF THE NORSE

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – On Thursday night (Feb. 27) the Purdue Fort Wayne men’s basketball team will host Northern Kentucky at 7 p.m. in Horizon League action. It is the final regular season home game for the ‘Dons. A win over Northern Kentucky or a loss by Oakland will clinch a first round bye in the Barbasol Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship.

Thursday is Fan Appreciation Night with a free mini basketballs giveaway.

Game Day Information
Who: Purdue Fort Wayne (19-10, 12-6) vs. Northern Kentucky (14-15, 9-9)
When: Thursday, Feb. 27 | 7 p.m. ET
Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
Live Stats: Link
Listen: 1380 AM
Watch: ESPN+
Tickets:Link
Series History: Northern Kentucky leads 31-15.
Game Notes (PDF): Purdue Fort Wayne | Northern Kenutcky

‘DONS & ENDS

// The ‘Dons enter Thursday with 19 wins. A 20th win would be:

– Jon Coffman’s fifth 20-win season as head coach

– The sixth 20-win season in program’s Division I history (2013-13, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2021-22 & 2023-24)

– The first time with back-to-back 20-win seasons since 2015-16 and 2016-17

// The Mastodons’ next win or loss by Oakland would clinch a first round bye for the ‘Dons in the Barbasol Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship. In the quarterfinals on March 6, the top three seeds host the winners from the first round and the No. 4 seed hosts the No. 5 seed.

// The Mastodons’ next game, the March 1st contest at Cleveland State in the regular season finale, has been picked to air live on ESPN2. The tip has been moved back to a 4 PM ET start. It is the final regular season game of the season for the ‘Dons.

//Rasheed Bello scored 19 points against Oakland on Friday (Feb. 21) to go over 1,000 for his Mastodon career. He had already gone over 1,000 in his NCAA career when his Purdue Fort Wayne and UW-Parkside numbers are a combined.

//Rasheed Bello has five consecutive games of 19 or more points. He is averaging 22.5 points, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 52.7 percent from the floor and 41.5 percent from three.

//Jalen Jackson owns 272 made free throws as a Mastodon. His total ranks seventh in program history. He made 133 last season, ninth for a single season in program history. He has 139 this year, seventh in program history for a single season.

// The ‘Dons are 12-1 at home this season, but these next few notes are just on the Mastodons’ 11 home games against Division I teams.

– Jalen Jackson and Rasheed Bello have both scored exactly 224 points for a 20.4 average.

– Scoring margin: +11.5

– The ‘Dons are averaging 8.8 turnovers and forcing 15.1 turnovers with 9.1 steals from the ‘Dons.

// The Mastodons opened the season 9-0 at home, the best undefeated home stretch to start a season in the program’s NCAA Division I history.

// The Mastodons drew a crowd of 2,603 to the home game vs. Cleveland State on Jan. 30 aired live on ESPNU. It was the largest crowd for a non-exhibition home game (excluding the 2016 game vs. Indiana) since Dec. 1, 2012 when 3,033 saw the ‘Dons defeat Miami (Ohio) 57-56.

//Jalen Jackson went over 500 points for the season on Feb. 5 against Wright State. He now has two 500 point seasons. Mastodons who own multiple 500-point seasons in the program’s DI era: Jarred Godfrey (3), Bryson Scott and Frank Gaines. Nick Wise did it in the program’s final year of DII and then the following season in 2001-02, the first in Division I. John Konchar reached 500 points in a season only once.

//Rasheed Bello is closing in on entering the same 500-point season territory as Jackson. Bello had 537 points last season and this year owns 464.

// Head coach Jon Coffman is nearing 200 coaching wins. He owns 198 wins, already a program record.

// The ‘Dons are 7th in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (9.2) and 4th in turnover margin (+5.8).

– The ‘Dons committed no turnovers in a 103-52 win over Defiance on Dec. 20, tying an NCAA record.

– 17 times this year the ‘Dons have committed single-digit turnovers in a game.

– The ‘Dons had only seven turnovers in a double overtime win at Wright State.

– This isn’t new. Last year: 10.4 turnovers/game (11th in the nation), +5.7 turnover margin (4th).

PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WBB VISITS MILWAUKEE FOR PENULTIMATE REGULAR SEASON CONTEST

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball team will visit Milwaukee on Thursday (Feb. 27) with a chance to move to 18-1 in Horizon League play.

Game Day Information

Who: Milwaukee Panthers

When: Thursday, February 27 | 7 PM ET

Where: Milwaukee, Wis. | Klotsche Center

Live Stats: Link

Watch: Link

Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Milwaukee | Horizon League

Know Your Foe

Milwaukee is 8-22 and 5-14 in the Horizon League this season. The Panthers are coming off a 68-45 loss at Green Bay, but prior to that, MKE had won two against Oakland and IU Indy. Kacee Baumhower and Anna Lutz are leading the Panthers, both scoring 11+ points per game.

The Series

Milwaukee leads the all-time series against the Mastodons, but the Mastodons have won four of the last five games in the series. In the game earlier this season, Purdue Fort Wayne had double-digit scoring outings from Lauren Ross, Amellia Bromenschenkel, Jazzlyn Linbo and Sydney Freeman.

Fort Wayne’s Own

Over her last four games played, Sydney Graber is 73.9 percent (17-of-23) from the floor.

She Can Reid The Defense

Over the last seven games, Jordan Reid is averaging 10.0 points per game while shooting 35-of-62 (56.5 percent). In the Cleveland State game on February 15, she scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, and scored or assisted on the final 18 Mastodon points.

Shooters Shoot

Lauren Ross’ 47.6 percent clip from 3-point range is the nation’s in the country. Her 3.18 triples per game rank fifth nationally and 94.0 percent from the free throw line is third-best.

Road Warriors

Purdue Fort Wayne is 10-3 on the road this season and a perfect 8-0 in Horizon League road games. The Mastodons’ 10 road wins matches the most in program history and is the most as a Division I school.

Dubs

Purdue Fort Wayne has 22 wins this season, which is the most wins for the program in a regular season at the Division I level.

The Next Win Would…

• One home win would set the program’s most wins in a season at home at 13

• One road win would set the program’s most road wins in a season at 11

• One more win would match the program record for wins in a season at 23

Literally Free

Lauren Ross has missed just one of her last 41 free throws dating back to the fourth quarter of the IU Indy game on December 11.

In The Polls…

Purdue Fort Wayne was ranked No. 22 in the most recent CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25. The Mastodons have received votes in every poll since November 12, but moved into the rankings for the first time in program history on January 14 at No. 18. They reached as high as No. 15 in the poll.

Ross Has the Sauce

Through 28 games, Lauren Ross is shooting 47.5 percent from the floor, 47.6 percent from 3-point range and 94.0 percent from the line. If those percentages hold, she would be one of 18 players to shoot 45/45/90 since the 3-point line was added to college basketball. Connecticut’s Azzi Fudd and Utah’s Gianna Kneepkens are also hitting those marks this season.

Amellia BromenDubayoo

Amellia Bromenschenkel has 69 wins in her career which is the most of any Mastodon women’s basketball player at the Division I level. Audra Emmerson and Jazzlyn Linbo have 68 each, right behind the graduate student.

Some is Schwiet, More Is Schwieter

Renna Schwieterman is shooting 52.7 percent (39-of-74) from 2-point range this season.

Last Time Out

Purdue Fort Wayne blew out Detroit Mercy 91-62 on Senior Day on February 23. Five Mastodons scored in double-figures: Lauren Ross, Sydney Freeman, Audra Emmerson, Renna Schwieterman and Amellia Bromenschenkel.

Coming Up

The Mastodons will head up to Green Bay with a Horizon League regular season championship on the line. They will play on March 1, with the winner earning the No. 1 seed for the upcoming Barbasol Horizon League Championship.

EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

ACES WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYS FINAL ROAD GAME, RETURNS FOR WEEKEND IN-STATE MATCHUP

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The University of Evansville women’s basketball team takes its final road trip of the 2024-25 season before returning home for a big in-state match up.

Evansville at Northern Iowa | Thursday, February 27 | 6 PM CT

Site | Locations McLeod Center | Cedar Falls, Iowa

Game Coverage Live Stats | ESPN+

Follow the Aces Women’s Basketball Home Page | Twitter

Evansville vs. Indiana State | Saturday, March 1 | 5 PM CT

Site | Locations Meeks Family Fieldhouse | Evansville, Ind.

Game Coverage Live Stats | ESPN+

Follow the Aces Women’s Basketball Home Page | Twitter

The Purple Aces had another tough weekend on the road with double-digit losses at both Valparaiso and UIC. UE still is looking for a road win this season, having won all four of their games either at Meeks Family Fieldhouse or the Ford Center in Evansville. This will be the Aces last chance for a road win as they travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa to take on the Northern Iowa Panthers.

It will be a tall task for UE on Thursday as the program hasn’t won a game in the McLeod Center in 17 years. The last time Evansville was able to say it had a victory in Cedar Falls was February 2, 2008. The Aces won by five points then and only pulled away in the final three minutes of the game. The 2008 win is one of only two for UE in the McLeod Center since it opened in 2006.

Three of the Missouri Valley Conference’s best players at creating turnovers will be on the floor during Thursday night’s game. Evansville senior guard Júlia Palomo currently leads the Aces in steals with 47 on the season and 1.7 per game. Palomo is eighth in the Valley for steals while UNI junior forward Ryley Gobel is fifth with 56 season steals to average 2.1 a game. UNI senior guard Maya McDermott is also Top 10 in the MVC for steals with 39 this season for 1.4 steals a game. The Panthers are 14-13 overall on the season and 9-7 in Valley play. They are led by a trio of players in McDermott, Gobel, and senior Kayba Laube as the three average double figures a game.

UE will then host a big in-state game with Indiana State on Saturday, March 1. Evansville will play a rare Saturday night game in Meeks Family Fieldhouse against the Sycamores as the two teams are in the hunt for better seeding at the 2025 Credit Union 1 MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament. In the team’s first meeting in Terre Haute back in January Indiana State dominated the game in a 90-74 victory. The Aces will hope to do the same on their home court heading into its final three games of the regular season.

Sophomore forward Maggie Hartwig has been dominating on both sides of the ball for UE in Valley play. Over the weekend Hartwig led Evansville on offense and defense during both games, averaging a double-double with 21.5 points and 12 rebounds a game. With back-to-back double-doubles last weekend, Hartwig now has nine on the season and is tied for third most in the Valley with Drake’s Anna Miller and Illinois State’s Nevaeh Thomas. Nine double-doubles is the most by an Aces player since forward Abby Feit had 13 double-doubles during her junior season in 2021-22.

EVANSVILLE MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL FALLS SHORT IN HOME FINALE

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Tayshawn Comer scored 20 points and Tanner Cuff added 14 to lead the University of Evansville men’s basketball team in Wednesday’s home finale which saw the Purple Aces fall to Drake by a final score of 65-61 at the Ford Center.

Comer played all 40 minutes and was 7-for-14 from the field. Cuff was 5-of-8 from the floor on his way to the 14-point game. Both had three assists. Gabriel Pozzato finished with 9 points, 6 boards, and 4 assists.

“I am proud of our guys for how we responded and gave ourselves a chance to win it,” Evansville head coach David Ragland said after the game. “Unfortunately, we did not get the win, but we showed a lot of character and that we can play with anyone in the league.”

Connor Turnbull got UE on the board before Drake scored nine in a row to take the early lead. Tayshawn Comer ended the stretch before Turnbull registered the next five points to tie the game at 9-9 just over eight minutes into the game.

Three minutes later, the Purple Aces retook a 13-12 lead when Josh Hughes drained a pair of free throws. Over the course of the first half, the teams swapped the lead 11 times. Inside the 5-minute mark, Gabriel Pozzato hit a basket that put Evansville on top at 23-22. The Bulldogs countered with an 8-0 rally to go up by seven.

Two more tallies from Comer along with a basket by Hughes cut the deficit to five (32-27) with just under a minute left until the break. Drake had a quick response over the final seconds, scoring the last five points including a 3-pointer at the buzzer to take a 38-27 lead into halftime.

Out of the break, the Aces knocked down their first four shots while scoring the first ten points to get within one. Josh Hughes, Michael Day, Tanner Cuff, and Pozzato each posted baskets during the rally. On the other end, the Bulldogs got on track with a 6-0 spurt that put them back up by seven – 44-37 – with just under 14 minutes left in the contest.

UE had a response once again, tying the game at 46-46 when Cuff hit a layup with 10:22 on the clock. Less than a minute later, his 3-pointer gave UE a 49-48 lead. Drake answered with five in a row to go back up by four. With the Bulldogs up five at the entering the final three minutes, Evansville clawed its way back within a point with 1:21 left as Cuff converted another free throw.

Drake knocked down its late free throws to seal the win. Daniel Abreu paced the Bulldogs with 19 points while Tavion Banks had 15. Evansville finished with the 46.8%-40.7% shooting advantage while edging the Bulldogs on the glass by a 31-30 total.

Sunday’s regular season finale will see the Aces travel to Illinois State for a 2 p.m. game in Normal, Ill.

SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

EAGLES CONCLUDE REGULAR SEASON WITH STOPS AT UT MARTIN AND TENNESSEE STATE

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball makes its final regular season road trip this week when the Screaming Eagles visit the University of Tennessee at Martin on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and Tennessee State University on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Both games can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM.

Southern Indiana (20-9, 12-6 OVC) heads into the final week of the Ohio Valley Conference regular season tied for fourth in the standings alongside the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and one game back of Eastern Illinois University in third place. USI has already clinched its second consecutive OVC tournament berth and is hunting a first-round bye position in a third or fourth seed for the OVC tournament. However, Little Rock does hold the tiebreaker over USI with the Trojans winning both regular-season meetings. USI can finish anywhere between seeds three through five.

Having already solidified its 36th winning season in program history, Southern Indiana also secured its 15th season with at least 20 wins with a victory last time out over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in USI’s home finale on Saturday. USI has won 20-plus games for the second consecutive season.

On Saturday, USI strolled to a 79-42 home win against SIUE on Senior Night. The Screaming Eagles jumped out to a double-digit lead within the first five minutes and never looked back. In a balanced attack, graduate forward Meredith Raley collected her eighth career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Eagles. Senior guard Vanessa Shafford dropped 14 points, graduate forward Madi Webb scored 11, and sophomore guard Triniti Ralston had 10 points.

The win on Saturday saw Southern Indiana play strong team defense for the second straight game, as USI held both of its opponents last week to under 50 points. The Eagles limited Eastern Illinois last Thursday to only 46 points as part of USI’s homestand sweep. USI’s scoring defense averaged 44 points for the week. The Screaming Eagles had a similar stretch earlier in the season, holding both of their opponents at the Puerto Rico Clasico, Youngstown State University and Le Moyne College, to under 50 points for a scoring defense average of 38 points between the two games.

As a team, USI ranks top three in the OVC in scoring defense (61.8), turnover defense (19.0), field-goal percentage defense (38.1), three-point defense (29.7), and defensive rebounding (26.5).

Following a solid week on the court and the double-double against SIUE, Raley moved into the top five on USI’s career scoring list. Raley is now fourth in USI history with 1,577 career points, passing Kaydie Groom (2014-18; 1,567 points) and Kathy Lauck (1990-94; 1,573 points) during last week’s homestand. Raley is 30 points away from Anna Hackert (2011-15; 1,607 points) for third all time.

Raley is Southern Indiana’s leading scorer on the season with 13.6 points per contest. She also leads the OVC in field-goal percentage shooting over 50 percent. Shafford is second on the squad in scoring with 12.6 points per outing, and junior guard Ali Saunders is third at just over 10 points per game. Collectively, USI averages 71.3 points per game.

UT Martin (12-17, 9-9 OVC) is locked in as the no. 6 seed for next week’s OVC tournament, owning a potential tiebreaker over Western Illinois University after a pair of wins against the Leathernecks this season. The Skyhawks are coming off a split slate last week with a 73-52 win over Tennessee State and a 70-55 loss to Tennessee Tech University.

Junior forward Anaya Brown leads UT Martin with 15 points and nearly six rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Kenley McCarn and redshirt junior guard Shae Littleford are second and third in scoring, respectively, with 13.4 and 10.8 points per outing. The Skyhawks average 66.3 points while allowing 67.1 points per game.

Against UT Martin, USI leads the all-time series, 3-2. In the previous meeting against UT Martin on December 21, Southern Indiana won 69-59 at home. Ralston led USI with 18 points. Shafford and sophomore forward Amiyah Buchanan each posted double-doubles. Shafford had 12 points and 10 rebounds while Buchanan tallied 12 points and 12 boards.

Tennessee State (8-20, 4-14 OVC) enters the final week battling for the final no. 8 seed for next week’s OVC tournament. The Tigers are currently tied with Morehead State University, who Tennessee State will host on Thursday before welcoming USI on Saturday. After a struggle to start the OVC regular season, the Tigers have played better of late with three conference wins in February. However, Tennessee State dropped both of its contests, falling to UT Martin and 84-71 to Tennessee Tech.

Freshman guard Somah Kamara has been a strong bright spot for the Tigers this season and is one of the top freshmen in the OVC. Kamara paces Tennessee State with 13.8 points per game. Senior guard Saniah Parker is second on the team averaging 12 points. Junior guard Aaniya Webb and graduate guard Sanaa’ St. Andre are third and fourth, respectively, with 11.4 and 11.2 points per contest. As a team, Tennessee State averages 64.1 points per game and surrenders 72.7 points per game.

USI also leads its series history with Tennessee State, 3-2. In the last meeting, Southern Indiana opened the conference season in December with a 74-56 home win over the Tigers. Saunders scored a team-high 19 points to lead USI in scoring. Buchanan added 15 points while Raley and Ralston scored 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Following this week’s game, USI will prepare for next week’s Ohio Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament at Ford Center in downtown Evansville. More information about the tournament is available at ovcsports.com/feature/evansville2025 and usiscreamingeagles.com.

SOUTHERN INDIANA SWIMMING

USI SWIMMING AND DIVING EARN SEVEN ALL-SUMMIT LEAGUE HONOREES

EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving earned seven All-Summit League Honorees, announced after the Summit League Championships last week. The seven honorees mark the first recipients in program history.

The qualification to receive an All-Summit League accolade includes finishing in the top three in an event category at the past week’s Summit League Championships. The Screaming Eagles individual recipients included sophomore Sam Smith (200 Butterfly, Silver Medal) and freshman Anna Bunnell (Three-Meter Dive, Silver Medal).

Both USI Diving Team Springboard squads earned All-Summit League. The women’s recipients were sophomore Maranda Uttke, freshman Gabbie Meier, and Bunnell. The men’s team included sophomore George Blake, sophomore Nathan Deputy, and junior Lane Pollock.

Smith led the Eagles men’s squad delivering massive points for the Eagles all week. The sophomore snatched the highest place in program history for a swimmer, finishing the 200 butterfly finals in second place and earning silver. His finals time of 1:48.07, eclipsed another school record. Smith also earned A-Finals in his 200 butterfly school record performance (49.05).

Bunnell continued to deliver for the Eagles diving squad as she has all season, shocking the league by nearly winning the three-meter dive event as a freshman. The Evansville North product placed first in the three-meter prelims, recording a school record (277.40 pts). The freshman turned around in the nightcap, delivering another consistent performance (273.55 pts). She finished only 1.80 pts behind the gold medal recipient. However, Bunnell put the league on notice all weekend and will continue to be a force for years to come.

The women’s team springboard diving squad of Uttke, Meier, and Bunnell came in third place, earning bronze. The men’s trio of Blake, Deputy, and Pollock also snatched bronze, as both teams tacked on 32 points to the leaderboard.

SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL

USI OPENS HOME SCHEDULE WITH HUGE WIN OVER SLU

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball opened the 2025 home schedule with a dominating 11-4 win over Saint Louis University Wednesday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. USI ends the day 5-2 overall in 2025, while SLU is 3-5 to begin its season.

The USI offense set the tone for the contest, scoring four in the first, and one in the third to take a 5-2 lead. USI junior first baseman Kannon Coakley started the scoring with a RBI double, while sophomore designated hitter Cameron Boyd highlighted the four-run frame with a RBI triple. Boyd would strike again in the third with a RBI single to produce the fifth run of the contest.

After a scoreless fourth for USI, the Eagles put the game out of reach with three runs in the fifth and three in the sixth to lead 11-2. Junior shortstop Clayton Slack had the big RBI triple in the fifth and junior leftfielder BJ Banyon had a two-run single in the sixth to lead the rallies.

The Billikens would get an unearned run in the seventh and a final tally in the ninth before USI closed the door on the 11-4 victory.

Overall at the plate, Banyon, Coakley, and sophomore third baseman Parker Martin had three hits each, while Boyd had a team-high three RBIs.

On the mound, freshman right-hander Sage Stout picked up his second win of the season in relief. Stout (2-0) threw 1.2 innings of scoreless baseball and allowed a walk in facing five batters.

Senior right-hander Hiroyuki Yamada started for the Eagles and picked up the no-decision. Yamada allowed two runs on two hits and four walks, while striking out four in four innings of work.

USI sent a total of six hurlers to the mound and finished with a combined nine strikeouts.

Up Next for the Eagles:

The Eagles are away from the USI Baseball Field for the next eight games, beginning this weekend when they play two games against Bowling Green State University and Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. USI will play BGSU Friday at noon and Saturday at 4 p.m. while taking on SIU Friday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m.

USI will be playing BGSU, which is 4-2, for the first time in the baseball program’s history. SIU, which was 4-3 to start the year, leads the all-time series with USI, 4-1, after winning last year’s meeting in Carbondale, 7-5.

Due to ever-changing weather in February and March, USI encourages fans to watch for potential schedule changes on USIScreamingEagles.com, X, and Facebook.

VALPO MEN’S BASKETBALL

DEAVEIRO, SCHMIDT CELEBRATED ON SENIOR NIGHT

Two seniors who took very different paths to Senior Night but have equally compelling stories were celebrated by the Valparaiso University men’s basketball team prior to Wednesday’s 76-65 setback to Bradley in the home finale at the Athletics-Recreation Center.

Tyler Schmidt (Valparaiso, Ind. / Victory Christian Academy [Olivet Nazarene]) played in front of his hometown fans one more time. An attendee of the Valpo men’s basketball kids camps growing up, Schmidt transferred into the program this season to play his fifth year of college basketball at the Division-I level in his hometown.

Meanwhile, Darius DeAveiro (Kanata, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada / Orangeville Prep) played in his 116th game donning the brown and gold over four seasons, serving as the longest-tenured member of the program, player or coach. The selfless point guard has over twice as many career assists as made baskets and has helped make a lot of nights over the last four years all about his teammates, but this was your night, Darius. The normally stoic and reserved DeAveiro was emotional when he addressed the crowd following the game, reflecting on his four years as part of the campus community.

How It Happened

DeAveiro started his Senior Night by making the team’s first basket, then assisted on a Cooper Schwieger (Overland Park, Kan. / Blue Valley Southwest [Link Year]) triple that gave Valpo an early 5-2 edge.

Bradley gained the lead but it remained close in the early going. Sophomore Kaspar Sepp (Tartu, Estonia / Fairmont Academy) dialed one in from distance to make it 12-11, cutting the Bradley lead to one with 12:28 on the clock.

Freshman All Wright (Durango, Mexico / Link Year) made back-to-back layups at the midway mark of the half, the second one an impressive finish despite being fouled, putting the Beacons ahead 15-14.

The game continued to seesaw back and forth. Wright swished a 3 with 7:25 on the first-half clock to tie the game at 20, and a moment later Schwieger’s hook put the Brown & Gold back in front.

With 4:09 left in the first half, redshirt sophomore Isaiah Shaw (Phoenix, Ariz. / Davidson Academy [GCU]) nailed a trey to cut the Bradley lead to one, and then Schwieger followed by draining a go-ahead 3, and the Beacons remained in front for the half’s duration, holding a 29-28 lead at the break.

Wright made a 3 early in the second half, increasing the Valpo lead to four. The game fluctuated between a one-possession Valpo lead and a tie until Bradley took the lead at 42-40 with 15:07 on the clock. A 9-0 run made it a six-point Bradley lead at 46-40. A 10-0 run pushed the margin to 13 at 56-43 with 12:02 remaining.

The Beacons battled to within seven when Schwieger put one in from distance at the 8:23 mark, but the lead teetered between eight and 10 the rest of the way up until a 3 in the final minute by Duke Deen pushed the final margin to 11.

Inside the Game

After going 0-for-7 from 3 in the first half, Bradley heated up by making six of its first seven 3s in the second half and finishing the half at 7-of-15.

Schwieger totaled 21 points, his 21st straight game with 12 or more and his seventh game this season with 20+ points. He tallied three blocks to move into sole possession of 10th on the program’ single-season block list with 44. He ranks 10th in program history with 82 career blocks.

Schwieger increased his career point total to 449, moving past Raitis Grafs and Tracy Gipson and into seventh in program history for points by a sophomore.

Wright had 17 points, his fifth straight game with 17 or more.

Schmidt had 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting on his Senior Night, his second straight double-figure scoring output.

DeAveiro dished out three assists, moving into sole possession of sixth in program history.

Sepp squeezed six rebounds, a team high.

Valpo had a rare rough outing at the free-throw line, going just 5-of-12 (41.7 percent) after entering the game ranked eighth nationally.

Valpo won or tied the turnover battle for the 23rd time in 30 games and had its 20th game this season with 10 turnovers or fewer, holding an 11-10 edge in that category.

The Beacons made 10 3-pointers, shooting 41.7 percent from distance.

Bradley’s Duke Deen had 19 points on 7-of-10 from the floor and 5-of-8 from 3. Darius Hannah paced the Braves with 22 points and nine rebounds.

UINDY MEN’S TENNIS

GREYHOUNDS REMAIN 9TH NATIONALLY IN NEWEST ITA RANKINGS

Tempe, Ariz. – The University of Indianapolis men’s tennis team holds their spot as the No. 9 team in the nation, as reported by the newest ITA poll released Wednesday, Feb 25.

The ITA Top 25 Coaches poll is voted on by the ITA National Ranking Committee. The National Ranking Committee is made up of ITA Region Chairs, with each chair casting an individual, secret ballot.

The Greyhounds boast wins over two top-25 ranked opponents, with a 4-3 win over No. 8 Columbus State and a 4-2 win against No. 25 Ferris State. UIndy is currently 5-3 on the season, with all of their losses coming against ranked opponents in tight matches.

The Hounds pick up competition after a week-long hiatus hosting Roosevelt University Monday, March 3, at 12 PM.

UINDY WRESTLING

UINDY RANKED 24TH AHEAD OF SUPER REGIONAL

INDIANAPOLIS – UIndy found themselves at No. 24 in the latest Open Mat rankings, as the team is preparing to compete at the NCAA DII Super Regional after finishing fourth at the GLVC Championships just two weeks ago.

There are familiar faces for UIndy inside the top 20 in this latest edition of the rankings. Brayden Lowery (141), Derek Blubaugh (197) and Cale Gray (285) all find themselves inside the top 15.

Lowery finds himself at No.14 in 141 after an unbeaten weekend at the GLVC Championships, which consisted of an upset win over now No. 4-ranked Ronan Schuelke of McKendree.

In 197, Blubaugh dropped one spot to number three, which is one spot below fellow GLVC wrestler Logan Kvien of McKendree. Blubaugh still has a stellar record this season of 15-2, which includes seven tech falls, and four pin victories. His only two losses this season were in overtime to Logan Kvien, and No. 5-ranked Kyle Homet of Glenville State.

While Cale Gray still continues to climb in the 285 rankings, jumping one spot to No. 10 in the latest edition. Cale Gray has stayed inside the top-20 for every Open Mat rankings release this season.

UIndy will travel to Warrensburg, MO on Saturday March 1, looking to best their fifth place finish at the 2024 NCAA DII Super Regional.

UINDY SWIMMING

GREYHOUNDS PEPPER LIST OF NCAA NATIONAL QUALIFIERS

INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving Committee announced on Wednesday the qualifiers for the upcoming NCAA DII Championships. A total of 27 Greyhound student-athletes will represent the University at the national meet, set for March 11-15 at the IU Natatorium in downtown Indianapolis. The total number derives from 22 invitees (13 women, 9 men), two relay-only swimmers and three divers.

Co-hosting the year’s biggest meet with Indiana Sports Corp, UIndy will send its contingent 10 minutes north to the world-class venue. Diving pre-quals are set for Tuesday, March 11, as are the men’s and women’s 800 free relay finals. The regular schedule starts that Wednesday and runs through Saturday, with a diving event sandwiched each day by morning preliminaries at 10 a.m. ET and evening finals at 5:30 p.m.

Last March at the 2024 Championships, both UIndy teams took home hardware, with the men placing third and the women fourth.

MARIAN WRESTLING

MARIAN WRESTLING SENDS SIX TO NAIA CHAMPIONSHIPS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially announced the qualifiers for the 2025 NAIA Wrestling National Championships hosted by Visit Wichita at Park City Arena in Park City, Kan. The 68th edition of the annual event will take place with six sessions across three days. The action begins on Thursday, March 6, and concludes on Saturday, March 8th.

Marian wrestling earned six qualifications for the 2025 NAIA Championships, with four Knights qualifying for the first time.

Qualifying for Marian on automatic bids were Anthony Hughes, Jeff Dunasky Jr., Elliott Rodgers, and Jordan Fulks. Clay Guenin and Landon Bertsch earned at-large bids to the championship.

After the conference tournaments concluded, a 16-member national selection committee consisting of two representatives from each conference met to select the remaining national at-large qualifiers. In total, 35 student-athletes were selected by at-large classification. The seeding and preliminary brackets will be announced on NAIA.org by 5 p.m. (CST) on Friday, February 28.

MARIAN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

KNIGHTS DOMINATE IN THE CROSSROADS LEAGUE TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINAL

Indianapolis, Ind. – The Marian women’s basketball team dominated in the Crossroads League Tournament Quarterfinal match up on Wednesday earning the 71-55 victory over Mount Vernon. The Knights are now 23-6 overall on the season.

Marian took the early 9-0 lead to draw a Mount Vernon timeout. In the run Taylor Double recorded a jumper, Olivia Faust recorded a jumper and three-pointer, and Kenna Kirby got a layup off of a steal and fast break. The Cougars were able to fire off a jumper, layup, and free throw to bring the margin down to four. The Knights were able to bounce back with Abbey McNally, Double, and Madisyn Bailey each recording a layup in the run to bring the score 15-5. Mount Vernon continued to push with a pair of free throws and a three-pointer to decrease the Knights lead down to five. Bailey and McNally fired off a free throw each to extend the lead but Mount Vernon were able to fire off a jumper to counter the Knights push. Kiley McNally and Kennedy Fuelling ended the quarter with a free throw from McNally and a layup from Fuelling to end the quarter 20-12.

The McNally’s opened up the quarter with a layup from Kiley and a pair of free throws and a jumper from Abbey to extend their lead 26-12. Mount Vernon pushed at the Knights lead with a three-pointer and a jumper but the Knights were able to fire back with a three-pointer from Taylor Double. The Cougars knocked down a jumper to draw a media timeout with Marian leading 29-19. Out of the timeout Abbey McNally fired off a layup but was quickly countered by a layup from the Cougars to bring the difference down to 10. The Knights ended the quarter with a three basket run with Kirby and Abbey recording a jumper and Abbey recording a layup as well to end the quarter 37-21.

Double opened up the third quarter with a pair of baskets followed by a jumper from Kirby and a layup from Faust. The Cougars attempted a push with a layup to bring the score 47-23. The Knights went on a seven basket run with Double recording a layup, Bailey recording a pair of layups, Abbey recording a pair of jumpers, and a free throw, and Kiley recording a layup to increase their lead 58-23. The Cougars were able to bounce back with a pair of layups and a three-pointer to draw the clock down to one minute. Faust recorded the last basket of the quarter for the Knights with a layup but was quickly countered with a pair of free throws from the Cougars to end the quarter 60-35.

The Cougars opened up the four quarter with a pair of layups to decrease the Knights lead down to 21. Both teams traded layups with Faust recording the point for Marian to extend their lead 62-39. The Knights continued to dominate with Double recording a three-pointer and Emily Grimm recording a layup with 5:54 left to play. Mount Vernon made another push at the lead with a pair of layups followed by a pair of free throws but Esther Sevilla was able to decrease the blow with a layup to bring the score 71-49. The Cougars recorded the final points of the night with two pairs of free throws and a jumper to end the game and allow the Knights to move on to the Semifinals with a final score of 71-55.

Abbey McNally led the Knights recording her 18th double-double of the season and eighth in a row with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Madisyn Bailey wasn’t far behind in the rebound category with 10 rebounds as well as led the knights in assists with five and steals with three. Taylor Double tallied off 16 points in the evening with three rebounds and three assists. Olivia Faust also hit double digits in points with 11 while she recorded four rebounds and one assist. Abbey McNally, Kiley McNally, and Kenna Kirby all recorded two steals a piece in the match up.

The Knights are back in action on Saturday as they take on the winner of the Saint Francis and Bethel quarterfinal match up. The Knights will find out their Crossroads League Semifinal opponent later tonight, the game will start at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Stay tuned on MUKnights.com to keep updated with the Knights match up on Saturday.

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”

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

Feb. 27

1918 — The first neutral site game in NHL history is held in Quebec City. Frank Nighbor scores twice in the first period to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens.

1955 — Boston beats Milwaukee 62-57 at Providence, R.I. in a game which set records for fewest points scored by one team, and by both teams, since the introduction of the 24-second clock.

1959 — The Boston Celtics beat the Minneapolis Lakers 173-139 as seven NBA records fall. The Celtics set records for most points (179), most points in a half (90), most points in a quarter (52) and most field goals (72). Boston’s Tom Heinsohn leads all scorers with 43 points and Bob Cousy adds 31 while setting an NBA record with 28 assists.

1966 — Richard Petty wins the rain-shortened Daytona 500 by more than a lap at a speed of 160.927 mph. Petty holds the lead for the last 212 miles of the scheduled 500-mile event, which is called five miles from the finish. Cale Yarborough finishes second.

1977 — Stan Mikita of the Chicago Black Hawks scores his 500th goal in a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.

1982 — Florida apprentice Mary Russ becomes the first female jockey to win a Grade I stakes in North America when she captures the Widener Handicap aboard Lord Darnley at Hialeah (Fla.) Park.

1992 — Prairie View sets an NCAA Division I record for most defeats in a season with a 112-79 loss to Mississippi Valley State in the first round of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament. Prairie View’s 0-28 mark breaks the record of 27 losses shared by four teams.

1994 — Sweden wins its first hockey gold medal, defeating Canada 3-2 in the first shootout for a championship at the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. Canada is 1:49 away from its first championship in 42 years when Magnus Svensson’s power-play goal ties it at 2. Paul Kariya’s shot is stopped by Sweden’s Tommy Salo after Peter Forsberg puts Sweden ahead on his team’s seventh shot.

1998 — Indiana’s 124-59 victory over Portland marks the first time in the NBA’s 51-year history that one team scores more than twice as many points as the other.

2005 — David Toms delivers the most dominant performance in the seven-year history of the Match Play Championship, winning eight out of nine holes to put away Chris DiMarco with the largest margin of victory in the 36-hole final. The score 6 and 5, could have been much worse as Toms was 9 up at one point.

2006 — Effa Manley is the first woman elected to the baseball Hall of Fame. The former Newark Eagles co-owner is among 17 people from the Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues chosen by a special committee.

2010 — Steven Holcomb drives USA-1 to the Olympic gold medal in four-man bobsledding, ending a 62-year drought for the Americans in the event. Holcomb’s four-run time was 3:24.46, with Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler and Curt Tomasevicz pushing for him.

2015 — Travis Kvapil’s NASCAR Sprint Cup car is stolen early in the day from a hotel parking lot, forcing him to withdraw from a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The team didn’t have a backup car in Atlanta, so it’s forced to drop out when the stolen machine couldn’t be located in time for NASCAR’s mandatory inspection.

NUMBERS IN SPORTS

33 – 14 – 7 – 44

February 27, 1874 – The game of baseball made its way across the pond and was played for the first time in Great Britain a the Lord’s Cricket Ground.

February 27, 1959 – Ollie Matson, Number 33, a star running back in the NFL was part of the largest trades in League history when the Ls Angeles Rams sent the Chicago Cardinals 9 players for his services. There is more on this tracde on our Pigskin Dispatch February 27 Football History Headlines with a report from Chicago Cardinals historian Joe Ziemba.

February 27, 1959 – Boston Celtics great Number 14, Bob Cousy, set an NBA record when he recorded 28 assists as he and his Celtics teammates scored 173 points against Minneapolis Lakers

February 27, 1960 – The “First Miracle on Ice” occurred. The United States Olympic hockey team knocked off the USSR squad 3-2 in a historic run to win the gold medal in Squaw Valley. This was the first men’s Olympic Gold that USA Hockey ever won. Canada took silver while the Soviet’s won the bronze medal. Bill Cleary, Number 7 for the US scored 7 goals and added 7 assists in the 7 games the Americans played in. Cleary brothers Win Gold in 1960

February 27, 1963 – The New York Yankees and their star slugger Mickey Mantle, Number 7 agreed to a contract that the baseball super star signed worth $100,000. Pretty big cash at that time for a sports star.

February 27, 1966 – Richard Petty, Number 43 races back from 2 laps down to win the Daytona 500 as rain shortened the event to 198 laps.

February 27, 1982 – Denver Nuggets star player Dan Issel, number 44 connects on an amazing 63rd consecutive free throw in a streak of games in the NBA.

FOOTBALL HISTORY

1933 – Birmingham, Alabama – Dr. Frank L. McVey, the acting president of the Southern Conference held a formal meeting of member school presidents to form what would officially known as the Southeastern Conference per an article on secsports.com. There is more SEC’s formation history on a post we had in December.

1959 – The Chicago Cardinals traded promising running back Ollie Matson to the Los Angeles Rams for a total of 9 players. LA’s General Manager Pete Rozelle gave up seven roster players, a 1959 second round draft pick and a player to be named later in the deal for Matson according to our guest Joe Ziemba. To get more information pick up a copy of Joe’s excellent book “When Football was Football; The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL” as well as listening to his awesome podcast “When Football was Football.”

1932 – West Columbia, Texas – Baylor’s standout Tackle, Jim Ray Smith arrived into the world. For more on this legend, simply click his name.

1972 – East St Louis, Illinois – Dana Howard the great linebacker from the University of Illinois was born. The National Football Foundation describes Dana as a “tackling machine!” The NFF’s Bio on Howard states that Dana Howard became the first player in school history to earn a major national award when he received 1994 Butkus Award as the best linebacker in the nation. Dana was a two-time First Team All-American in both 1994 and had the distinction of unanimous in 1994. When Howard stopped playing collegiate football he was Illinois’ all-time leading tackler with 595 career stops, which was a Big Ten record at the time. Dana Howard was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018. Dana was picked by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1995 NFL Draft in its 5th round. Howard also spent time with the St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears. Dana also played football overseas for the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe.

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1912 The Yankees announce they will begin wearing pinstripes on their uniforms this year, abandoning the new look at the end of the season. After Jacob Ruppert buys the team, the vertical lines will appear permanently, making their return in a 5-1 loss to Washington during the team’s home opener in 1915.

1948 Pirates legendary third baseman Pie Traynor and left-hander Herb Pennock to the Hall of Fame. The Pittsburgh infielder spent his 17-year career in the Steel City, compiling a .320 lifetime batting average, while the ‘Knight of Kennett Square’ posted a .590 win-loss percentage during his 22 seasons in the majors, including a 162-90 stint for the Yankees from 1923-1933.

1984 San Francisco trades pitcher Fred Breining and outfielder Max Venable to the Expos for first baseman Al Oliver. The Giants will trade the veteran infielder and Renie Martin to the Phillies for Kelly Downs and George Riley in August.

1985 The Yankees send second baseman Toby Harrah to Texas for outfielder Billy Sample and a player to be named later (Eric Dersin). The 36-year-old veteran infielder, an original Ranger, will replace Bobby Valentine as the club’s manager, finishing the 1992 season with a 32-44 record.

1988 The Orioles trade third baseman Ray Knight to Detroit for pitcher Mark Thurmond. The 1986 World Series MVP, after he hits only .217, will retire at the end of the season, playing primarily as the Tigers’ first baseman and DH.

1989 John Olerud, the Blue Jay’s pick in the third round of the upcoming June Amateur Draft, undergoes brain surgery to remove an aneurysm. The Washington State University left-handed first baseman had collapsed on January 11 after a workout.

1998 From Chicago’s Holy Name Cathedral, WGN TV airs the funeral of beloved broadcaster Harry Caray, who spent 53 years behind the mike doing play-by-play for the A’s, Cardinals, White Sox, and Cubs. The eulogies reflected the 83-year-old zest for life, with stories bringing joy and laughter from the crowd that included Billy Williams, Mark Grace, Ryne Sandberg, Rick Sutcliffe, Minnie Minoso, and former Bears coach Mike Ditka.

2003 The new Veterans Hall of Fame selection committee, consisting mostly of Hall of Famers, selects none of the 41 players, executives, and umpires under consideration. Gil Hodges is 11 votes shy of 75 percent needed for induction, receiving 50 votes of 81 votes cast (61.7%).

2006 In spring training intra-squad action, Koby Clemens goes deep off a 43-year-old non-roster pitcher given special permission to train with the Astros. In his next at-bat, the 19-year-old minor leaguer gets brushed back with an inside fastball by the 300-game winner, his dad, Roger.

2006 Effa Manley is among the 17 significant historical figures from the Negro Leagues elected by a select committee for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The former Newark Eagles executive, known as the Boss, will become the first woman enshrined in Cooperstown.

2008 The White Sox wear Northern Illinois University baseball caps in their spring training opening game, honoring the victims of a campus shooting rampage earlier this month. After the contest, the players autograph their hats, which will be auctioned off at NIU to benefit a scholarship fund in memory of the five students killed in the attack.

TV SPORTS THURSDAY

MLB SPRING TRAINING	TIME ET	TV
LA Angels vs. Chi. Cubs	3:05pm	MLBN
Atlanta vs. Washington	6:05pm	MLBN
NBA REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Golden State Warriors vs Orlando Magic	7:00pm	NBCS-BAY FanDuel Sports FL
Denver Nuggets vs Milwaukee Bucks	7:30pm	TNT truTV MAX
Charlotte Hornets vs Dallas Mavericks	8:30pm	FanDuel Sports CHA KFAA
New Orleans Pelicans vs Phoenix Suns	10:00pm	TNT truTV MAX
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers	10:30pm	FanDuel Sports North Spectrum
NHL REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Calgary Flames vs Tampa Bay Lightning	7:00pm	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports Sun Sportsnet
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Detroit Red Wings	7:00pm	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports Ohio FanDuel Sports DET
San Jose Sharks vs Montreal Canadiens	7:00pm	ESPN+ NBCS-CA Sportsnet
New York Islanders vs Boston Bruins	7:00pm	ESPN+ MSGSN NESN
Philadelphia Flyers vs Pittsburgh Penguins	7:00pm	ESPN+ NBCS-PHI ATTSN-PIT
St. Louis Blues vs Washington Capitals	7:00pm	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports MW MNMT
Buffalo Sabres vs Carolina Hurricanes	7:00pm	ESPN+ MSG-BUF FanDuel Sports South
Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers	7:30pm	ESPN+ Hulu Sportsnet
Winnipeg Jets vs Nashville Predators	8:00pm	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports South Sportsnet
Minnesota Wild vs Utah Hockey Club	9:00pm	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports North Utah16
Chicago Blackhawks vs Vegas Golden Knights	10:00pm	ESPN+ CHSN Scripps
Vancouver Canucks vs Anaheim Ducks	10:00pm	ESPN+ Vicotry+ Sportsnet
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
Bryant at UMass Lowell	6:00pm	ESPN+
UAlbany at UMBC	6:00pm	ESPN+
Samford at VMI	6:00pm	ESPN+
Robert Morris at IU Indianapolis	6:30pm	ESPN+
North Texas at Florida Atlantic	7:00pm	ESPN2
Presbyterian at UNC Asheville	7:00pm	ESPNU
Hampton at Drexel	7:00pm	NBCS-PHI
Hofstra at Stony Brook	7:00pm	SNY
North Carolina A&T at Northeastern	7:00pm	NESN+
William & Mary at Towson	7:00pm	ESPN+
Le Moyne at Central Connecticut	7:00pm	NEC Front Row
Wagner at LIU	7:00pm	NEC Front Row
Chicago State at Mercyhurst	7:00pm	NEC Front Row
Chattanooga at UNCG	7:00pm	ESPN+
Northern Kentucky at Purdue Fort Wayne	7:00pm	ESPN+
Detroit Mercy at Green Bay	7:00pm	ESPN+
Jacksonville State at Liberty	7:00pm	ESPN+
Kennesaw State at FIU	7:00pm	ESPN+
Vermont at NJIT	7:00pm	ESPN+
Maine at New Hampshire	7:00pm	ESPN+
Delaware at Charleston	7:00pm	FloSports
Elon at Monmouth	7:00pm	FloSports
UNCW at Campbell	7:00pm	FloSports
Denver at Kansas City	8:00pm	KMCI
South Dakota State at Oral Roberts	8:00pm	KGEB
Abilene Christian at Tarleton	8:00pm	ESPN+
Oakland at Milwaukee	8:00pm	ESPN+
North Dakota at St. Thomas	8:00pm	Summit
Morehead State at Tennessee State	8:30pm	ESPN+
Southern Indiana at UT Martin	8:30pm	ESPN+
Southeast Missouri at SIUE	8:30pm	ESPN+
Western Illinois at Tennessee Tech	8:30pm	ESPN+
Stonehill at Fairleigh Dickinson	8:30pm	NEC Front Row
Little Rock at Eastern Illinois	8:30pm	ESPN+
Cleveland State at Wright State	9:00pm	ESPN2
UAB at Wichita State	9:00pm	ESPNU
WKU at UTEP	9:00pm	CBSSN
Idaho State at Idaho	9:00pm	SWX
UTA at Grand Canyon	9:00pm	KUTP
Rutgers at Michigan	9:00pm	Peacock
Middle Tennessee at NM State	9:00pm	ESPN+
Weber State at Eastern Washington	9:00pm	ESPN+
Southern Utah at Utah Tech	9:00pm	ESPN+
San Diego at Washington State	9:30pm	ESPN+
California Baptist at Seattle U	10:00pm	ESPN+
Pepperdine at Portland	10:00pm	ESPN+
Montana at Sacramento State	10:00pm	ESPN+
Montana State at Portland State	10:00pm	ESPN+
UC San Diego at CSUN	10:00pm	ESPN+
Cal Poly at UC Santa Barbara	10:00pm	ESPN+
UC Irvine at Cal State Fullerton	10:00pm	ESPN+
CSU Bakersfield at Long Beach State	10:00pm	ESPN+
Saint Mary’s at Loyola Marymount	11:00pm	CBSSN
UC Riverside at Hawai’i	11:59pm	ESPN+
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
Clemson at Louisville	6:00pm	ACCN
Purdue at Penn State	6:00pm	BTN
North Carolina at Duke	7:00pm	ESPN
Tennessee at Kentucky	7:00pm	SECN
Maryland at Indiana	7:00pm	Peacock
Creighton at UConn	7:00pm	CBSSN
Florida St. at Notre Dame	8:00pm	ACCN
LSU at Alabama	9:00pm	ESPN
GOLF	TIME ET	TV
DP World Tour: SA Open	8:00am	GOLF
PGA Tour: Cognizant Classic	2:00pm	GOLF
LPGA Tour: Women’s World Championship	9:30pm	GOLF
SOCCER	TIME ET	TV
EPL: West Ham United vs Leicester City	3:00pm	USA Peacock fuboTV
CONCACAF Champions Cup: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Deportivo Saprissa	10:00pm	FS1 fuboTV

TV SPORTS FRIDAY

MLB SPRING TRAINING	TIME ET	TV
LA Angels vs. Chi. Cubs	3:10pm	MLBN
LA Angels vs. LA Dodgers	8:05pm	MLBN
NBA	TIME ET	TV
Denver Nuggets vs Detroit Pistons	7:00pm	ALT2 FanDuel Sports DET
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics	7:30pm	ESPN FanDuel Sports OH NBCS-BOS
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Atlanta Hawks	7:30pm	FanDuel Sports OKC FanDuel Sports ATL
Indiana Pacers vs Miami Heat	8:00pm	FanDuel Sports IND FanDuel Sports Sun
New York Knicks vs Memphis Grizzlies	8:00pm	MSG FanDuel Sports MEM
Toronto Raptors vs Chicago Bulls	8:00pm	Sportsnet CHSN
New Orleans Pelicans vs Phoenix Suns	9:00pm	AFSN GCSN
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Utah Jazz	9:30pm	FanDuel Sports North KJZZ
Los Angeles Clippers vs Los Angeles Lakers	10:00pm	FanDuel Sports SoCal Spectrum
NHL REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Toronto Maple Leafs vs New York Rangers	7:00pm	NHLN MSG Sportsnet
Los Angeles Kings vs Dallas Stars	7:00pm	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports West Victory+
Minnesota Wild vs Colorado Avalanche	7:00pm	ESPN+ FanDuel Sports North ALT
MEN’S NCAA BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
Brown at Harvard	5:00pm	ESPN+
Yale at Dartmouth	5:00pm	ESPN+
Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan	6:00pm	CBSSN
Iona at Niagara	6:30pm	ESPN+
Davidson at VCU	7:00pm	ESPN2
Saint Peter’s at Quinnipiac	7:00pm	ESPNU
Penn at Cornell	7:00pm	ESPN+
Princeton at Columbia	7:00pm	ESPN+
Manhattan at Canisius	7:00pm	ESPN+
Rider at Merrimack	7:00pm	ESPN+
Marist at Sacred Heart	7:00pm	ESPN+
Mount St. Mary’s at Fairfield	7:00pm	ESPN+
Old Dominion at Coastal Carolina	7:30pm	ESPN+
Arkansas State at ULM	7:30pm	ESPN+
UCLA at Purdue	8:00pm	FOX
Louisiana at South Alabama	8:00pm	ESPN+
Georgia State at Georgia Southern	8:00pm	ESPN+
James Madison at Texas State	8:00pm	ESPN+
Troy at Southern Miss	8:30pm	ESPN+
Kent State at Akron	9:00pm	ESPN2
App State at Marshall	9:00pm	ESPNU
Iowa at Northwestern	9:00pm	FS1
Nevada at UNLV	11:00pm	FS1
GOLF	TIME ET	TV
DP World Tour: SA Open	6:00am	GOLF
PGA Tour: Cognizant Classic	2:00pm	GOLF
LPGA Tour: Women’s World Championship	9:30pm	GOLF
SOCCER	TIME ET	TV
Bundesliga: Stuttgart vs Bayern München	2:30pm	ESPN+ fuboTV
Belgium Pro League: Sporting Charleroi vs Genk	2:45pm	ESPN+
Ligue 1: Monaco vs Reims	2:45pm	Fanatiz beIN Sports fuboTV
FA Cup: Aston Villa vs Cardiff City	3:00pm	ESPN+
La Liga: Real Valladolid vs Las Palmas	3:00pm	ESPN+ fuboTV
Liga MX: Mazatlán vs Cruz Azul	10:00pm	VIX
WOMEN’S NCAA GYMNASTICS	TIME ET	TV
Missouri at Florida	6:00pm	SECN
Alabama at Arkansas	7:30pm	SECN