*******************THE SCOREBOARD*******************
INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL THURSDAY
| CENTERVILLE | 55 | UNION COUNTY | 45 | |
| CULVER ACADEMY | 37 | LALUMIERE BLUE | 21 | |
| EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL | 65 | GARY WEST | 41 | |
| ELKHART CHRISTIAN | 44 | BETHANY CHRISTIAN | 41 | |
| GRIFFITH | 64 | ANDREAN | 52 | |
| HAMMOND CENTRAL | 64 | HAMMOND NOLL | 53 | |
| INDIANAPOLIS HERRON | 68 | INDIANA DEAF | 32 | |
| INDIANAPOLIS TECH | 80 | KIPP INDY LEGACY | 44 | |
| NORTHEASTERN | 70 | CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN | 36 | |
| PARK TUDOR | 60 | INDIANAPOLIS RITTER | 58 | |
| TRADERS POINT CHRISTIAN | 73 | THRIVAL INDY ACADEMY | 59 |
INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL FRIDAY
ALEXANDRIA (7-8) AT MISSISSINEWA (3-11)
ANDERSON PREP ACADEMY (0-13) AT UNIVERSITY (11-1)
BARR-REEVE (9-7) AT SHOALS (8-5)
BATESVILLE (9-5) AT NORTH DECATUR (11-4)
BEECH GROVE (7-5) AT INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN (9-3)
BEN DAVIS (20-0) AT CARMEL (11-5)
BENTON CENTRAL (11-5) AT SEEGER (10-4)
BETHANY CHRISTIAN (11-4) AT OREGON-DAVIS (2-12)
BLACKFORD (5-11) AT EASTBROOK (4-10)
BLOOMFIELD (14-3) AT NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG) (8-6)
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH (11-5) AT TERRE HAUTE SOUTH (9-7)
BLUE RIVER (11-5) AT MONROE CENTRAL (6-10)
BLUFFTON (2-11) AT JAY COUNTY (4-7)
BORDEN (11-5) AT ORLEANS (13-1)
BREBEUF JESUIT (9-5) AT INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD (10-3)
BREMEN (0-13) AT SOUTH BEND CLAY (6-7)
CALUMET CHRISTIAN AT DEMOTTE CHRISTIAN (7-6)
CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) (8-5) AT FORT WAYNE SNIDER (1-14)
CASTON (4-9) AT PIONEER (2-13)
CHARLESTOWN (8-8) AT BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (11-4)
CHRISTEL HOUSE MANUAL (7-6) AT INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS (10-5)
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (9-3) AT PROVIDENCE (11-3)
CHURUBUSCO (2-10) AT CENTRAL NOBLE (10-5)
CLINTON PRAIRIE (6-8) AT CLINTON CENTRAL (2-13)
CLOVERDALE (1-14) AT NORTHVIEW (4-10)
CONNERSVILLE (11-3) AT MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE) (10-5)
CRAWFORDSVILLE (6-7) AT FRANKFORT (8-6)
DALEVILLE (4-9) AT UNION (MODOC) (2-8)
DANVILLE (10-6) AT TRI-WEST (7-8)
DELPHI (8-8) AT TRI-CENTRAL (5-10)
DELTA (10-5) AT WAPAHANI (14-1)
EAST CENTRAL (4-10) AT COLUMBUS EAST (1-12)
EASTSIDE (5-9) AT WESTVIEW (10-4)
ELKHART (4-10) AT JIMTOWN (2-12)
EMINENCE (2-10) AT GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN (7-6)
EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN (9-7) AT GIBSON SOUTHERN (5-10)
EVANSVILLE DAY (5-12) AT WOOD MEMORIAL (4-9)
EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL (10-3) AT PRINCETON (7-7)
EVANSVILLE NORTH (4-11) AT NEW ALBANY (8-6)
EVANSVILLE REITZ (9-3) AT EVANSVILLE CENTRAL (7-7)
FAITH CHRISTIAN (5-9) AT FOUNTAIN CENTRAL (12-3)
FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA (9-4) AT FORT WAYNE NORTH (11-5)
FORT WAYNE DWENGER (4-10) AT FORT WAYNE SOUTH (2-11)
FORT WAYNE LUERS (5-11) AT FORT WAYNE WAYNE (11-4)
FRANKLIN CENTRAL (1-12) AT FISHERS (9-8)
FRANKTON (6-9) AT ELWOOD (4-10)
FREMONT (9-6) AT PRAIRIE HEIGHTS (11-4)
GARY 21ST CENTURY (13-4) AT SOUTH BEND CAREER (6-7)
GREENSBURG (11-4) AT LAWRENCEBURG (12-3)
GUERIN CATHOLIC (10-6) AT LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (7-8)
HAGERSTOWN (4-12) AT UNION CITY (2-10)
HAMILTON HEIGHTS (5-10) AT TIPTON (10-4)
HAMMOND MORTON (5-10) AT HOBART (5-8)
HAMMOND NOLL (9-7) AT WHEELER (3-10)
HENRYVILLE (10-4) AT SOUTH CENTRAL (ELIZABETH) (10-5)
HERITAGE (9-5) AT ADAMS CENTRAL (10-4)
HERITAGE HILLS (11-4) AT EVANSVILLE MATER DEI (6-7)
HIGHLAND (3-12) AT KANKAKEE VALLEY (5-9)
HOMESTEAD (14-4) AT FORT WAYNE NORTHROP (4-11)
ILLIANA CHRISTIAN (11-2) AT VICTORY CHRISTIAN
INDIANAPOLIS RIVERSIDE (3-6) AT INDIANA MATH & SCIENCE (8-7)
INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI (5-9) AT COVENANT CHRISTIAN (11-5)
INDIANAPOLIS TINDLEY (9-8) AT INDIANAPOLIS METROPOLITAN (3-7)
JAC-CEN-DEL (8-8) AT OLDENBURG ACADEMY (5-9)
JASPER (8-6) AT NORTHEAST DUBOIS (8-6)
JEFFERSONVILLE (8-6) AT BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE (8-5)
KNOX (6-7) AT WASHINGTON TWP. (3-8)
KOKOMO (12-4) AT LAFAYETTE JEFF (10-6)
KOUTS (8-6) AT BOONE GROVE (3-8)
LAKE CENTRAL (11-4) AT CHESTERTON (10-4)
LAKELAND (9-5) AT GARRETT (4-11)
LAKELAND CHRISTIAN (11-2) AT ARGOS (9-4)
LAPEL (7-8) AT EASTERN HANCOCK (11-5)
LAPORTE (10-5) AT CROWN POINT (8-6)
LAVILLE (9-7) AT CULVER (6-7)
LINTON-STOCKTON (15-1) AT EASTERN GREENE (4-11)
LOGANSPORT (6-9) AT MARION (8-6)
LOWELL (2-12) AT MUNSTER (13-2)
MACONAQUAH (9-5) AT LEWIS CASS (10-4)
MADISON-GRANT (10-3) AT OAK HILL (13-1)
MARTINSVILLE (5-9) AT FRANKLIN (7-8)
MCCUTCHEON (5-10) AT ANDERSON (12-3)
MERRILLVILLE (6-7) AT VALPARAISO (8-9)
MICHIGAN CITY (11-4) AT PORTAGE (10-5)
MILAN (4-9) AT SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER) (15-2)
MISHAWAKA (14-2) AT GOSHEN (7-6)
MORGAN TWP. (13-3) AT HANOVER CENTRAL (8-5)
MORRISTOWN (1-14) AT EDINBURGH (9-5)
NOBLESVILLE (11-4) AT HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (4-12)
NORTH DAVIESS (14-3) AT CLAY CITY (12-5)
NORTH KNOX (3-13) AT WASHINGTON CATHOLIC (3-11)
NORTH MIAMI (1-14) AT SOUTHWOOD (4-9)
NORTH MONTGOMERY (4-11) AT WESTERN BOONE (3-11)
NORTH NEWTON (8-7) AT RENSSELAER CENTRAL (10-5)
NORTH PUTNAM (9-8) AT OWEN VALLEY (6-8)
NORTH VERMILLION (2-12) AT COVINGTON (10-8)
NORTH WHITE (3-10) AT CARROLL (FLORA) (11-3)
NORTHWESTERN (6-6) AT TWIN LAKES (8-7)
NORTHWOOD (13-2) AT WARSAW (9-6)
PAOLI (9-4) AT CORYDON CENTRAL (14-2)
PARKE HERITAGE (10-7) AT RIVERTON PARKE (6-8)
PENDLETON HEIGHTS (4-11) AT GREENFIELD-CENTRAL (12-1)
PENN (14-1) AT SOUTH BEND RILEY (9-8)
PERRY CENTRAL (4-11) AT MITCHELL (3-13)
PERRY MERIDIAN (3-11) AT GREENWOOD (5-9)
PHALEN ACADEMY AT TRADERS POINT CHRISTIAN (10-3)
PIKE CENTRAL (9-5) AT SOUTH SPENCER (14-1)
PLAINFIELD (12-3) AT DECATUR CENTRAL (7-5)
PLYMOUTH (5-9) AT NORTHRIDGE (7-8)
PROVIDENCE CRISTO REY (1-12) AT SOUTH PUTNAM (8-5)
RANDOLPH SOUTHERN (6-7) AT WES-DEL (6-8)
RED HILL (ILL.) AT VINCENNES RIVET (3-8)
RICHMOND (12-3) AT HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) (13-2)
RISING SUN (6-9) AT SHAWE MEMORIAL (6-8)
ROCHESTER (7-5) AT NORTHFIELD (5-9)
ROCK CREEK ACADEMY (2-11) AT CANNELTON (1-11)
ROSSVILLE (9-7) AT EASTERN (GREENTOWN) (9-4)
RUSHVILLE (4-12) AT SOUTH DEARBORN (10-6)
SALEM (1-13) AT AUSTIN (2-12)
SETON CATHOLIC (8-9) AT MUNCIE BURRIS (3-8)
SEYMOUR (4-10) AT FLOYD CENTRAL (3-10)
SHELBYVILLE (7-9) AT INDIAN CREEK (9-4)
SHENANDOAH (5-9) AT HERITAGE CHRISTIAN (7-6)
SHERIDAN (8-7) AT TAYLOR (12-2)
SILVER CREEK (7-6) AT MADISON (2-11)
SOUTH ADAMS (1-13) AT SOUTHERN WELLS (3-9)
SOUTH BEND ADAMS (5-7) AT JOHN GLENN (9-7)
SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH (7-9) AT NEW PRAIRIE (5-8)
SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON (13-2) AT MISHAWAKA MARIAN (15-2)
SOUTH DECATUR (8-7) AT SWITZERLAND COUNTY (7-9)
SOUTH KNOX (9-5) AT EVANSVILLE BOSSE (10-6)
SOUTH NEWTON (0-13) AT TRI-COUNTY (6-10)
SOUTH VERMILLION (6-9) AT SHAKAMAK (7-7)
SOUTHMONT (10-4) AT LEBANON (13-3)
SOUTHPORT (11-5) AT COLUMBUS NORTH (11-5)
SOUTHRIDGE (8-8) AT FOREST PARK (4-11)
SPRINGS VALLEY (5-10) AT EASTERN (PEKIN) (12-3)
SULLIVAN (13-3) AT BROWN COUNTY (0-15)
TECUMSEH (5-8) AT WASHINGTON (8-5)
TELL CITY (0-15) AT MOUNT VERNON (POSEY) (7-9)
TIPPECANOE VALLEY (12-3) AT MANCHESTER (12-3)
TRINITY GREENLAWN (1-14) AT CLINTON CHRISTIAN
TRINITY LUTHERAN (4-10) AT CROTHERSVILLE (5-7)
TRITON CENTRAL (11-4) AT INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA (9-5)
VINCENNES LINCOLN (2-12) AT EVANSVILLE HARRISON (9-6)
WALDRON (7-8) AT SOUTHWESTERN (SHELBYVILLE) (1-13)
WARREN CENTRAL (9-8) AT NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) (7-7)
WAWASEE (5-10) AT CONCORD (8-6)
WEST CENTRAL (7-9) AT WINAMAC (5-12)
WEST NOBLE (13-1) AT FAIRFIELD (3-10)
WEST VIGO (7-9) AT EDGEWOOD (6-10)
WESTFIELD (10-3) AT AVON (6-8)
WHITELAND (6-11) AT MOORESVILLE (9-8)
WHITKO (2-10) AT PERU (11-4)
WINCHESTER (9-8) AT TRI (9-3)
YORKTOWN (11-4) AT NEW PALESTINE (14-0)
ZIONSVILLE (9-5) AT BROWNSBURG (15-2)
INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL THURSDAY
| ALEXANDRIA | 67 | MADISON-GRANT | 18 | |
| AVON | 85 | LAWRENCE CENTRAL | 61 | |
| BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE | 62 | MARTINSVILLE | 19 | |
| BLOOMFIELD | 42 | NORTH DAVIESS | 26 | |
| BLOOMINGTON NORTH | 58 | TERRE HAUTE NORTH | 28 | |
| BLUFFTON | 58 | WHITKO | 43 | |
| BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL | 47 | NORTH HARRISON | 43 | |
| CANNELTON | 41 | CLOVERPORT (KY.) | 16 | |
| CARROLL (FLORA) | 62 | LAFAYETTE JEFF | 28 | |
| CASCADE | 69 | SPEEDWAY | 39 | |
| CASTLE | 63 | BOONVILLE | 33 | |
| CHRISTIAN ACADEMY | 52 | INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON | 26 | |
| CORYDON CENTRAL | 67 | CRAWFORD COUNTY | 40 | |
| CULVER | 47 | WEST CENTRAL | 39 | |
| DANVILLE | 53 | EDGEWOOD | 18 | |
| EAST CENTRAL | 59 | CONNERSVILLE | 16 | |
| EASTERN (PEKIN) | 53 | HENRYVILLE | 34 | |
| EASTERN GREENE | 61 | CLAY CITY | 33 | |
| EASTERN HANCOCK | 57 | TRI | 47 | |
| EASTSIDE | 51 | WESTVIEW | 24 | |
| EVANSVILLE MATER DEI | 62 | EVANSVILLE BOSSE | 14 | |
| EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL | 55 | EVANSVILLE REITZ | 46 | |
| FLOYD CENTRAL | 57 | PROVIDENCE | 44 | |
| FOREST PARK | 45 | NORTH POSEY | 23 | |
| FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK | 66 | ADAMS CENTRAL | 62 | |
| GOSHEN | 51 | MISHAWAKA | 38 | |
| GREENCASTLE | 53 | SOUTH VERMILLION | 12 | |
| GREENFIELD-CENTRAL | 37 | SOUTHPORT | 34 | |
| GREENSBURG | 61 | LAWRENCEBURG | 38 | |
| HAMILTON HEIGHTS | 50 | HERITAGE CHRISTIAN | 30 | |
| HAMMOND NOLL | 73 | GRIFFITH | 31 | |
| HAMMOND SCIENCE & TECH | 47 | LIGHTHOUSE CPA | 4 | |
| HANOVER CENTRAL | 59 | CALUMET | 20 | |
| HERITAGE HILLS | 50 | PRINCETON | 40 | |
| INDIAN CREEK | 60 | SOUTH PUTNAM | 24 | |
| INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL | 62 | COLUMBUS EAST | 47 | |
| INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI | 63 | COLUMBUS NORTH | 41 | |
| JAC-CEN-DEL | 55 | SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER) | 34 | |
| JASPER | 47 | EVANSVILLE HARRISON | 22 | |
| KOUTS | 56 | BOONE GROVE | 30 | |
| LAVILLE | 38 | ARGOS | 33 | |
| LAKELAND | 55 | FREMONT | 28 | |
| LINTON-STOCKTON | 71 | WHITE RIVER VALLEY | 38 | |
| MARQUETTE CATHOLIC | 44 | CULVER ACADEMY | 28 | |
| MERRILLVILLE | 47 | HIGHLAND | 38 | |
| MICHIGAN CITY | 75 | BOWMAN ACADEMY | 37 | |
| MILAN | 57 | WALDRON | 46 | |
| MONROE CENTRAL | 50 | BLUE RIVER | 46 | |
| MONROVIA | 65 | INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA | 50 | |
| MOORESVILLE CHRISTIAN | 39 | CHRISTEL HOUSE MANUAL | 36 | |
| MORGAN TWP. | 49 | LOWELL | 44 | |
| MORRISTOWN | 33 | INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN | 24 | |
| NORTH DECATUR | 62 | EDINBURGH | 18 | |
| NORTH KNOX | 36 | BARR-REEVE | 31 | |
| NORTH WHITE | 49 | FRONTIER | 36 | |
| NORTHEAST DUBOIS | 49 | VINCENNES RIVET | 33 | |
| NORTHRIDGE | 61 | PLYMOUTH | 29 | |
| OLDENBURG ACADEMY | 54 | SWITZERLAND COUNTY | 52 | |
| OREGON-DAVIS | 53 | HERITAGE CHRISTIAN (DYER) | 45 | |
| ORLEANS | 46 | MITCHELL | 44 | |
| PARK TUDOR | 45 | INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS | 34 | |
| PARKE HERITAGE | 46 | NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG) | 37 | |
| PERRY MERIDIAN | 54 | INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE | 22 | |
| PERU | 64 | EASTERN (GREENTOWN) | 30 | |
| RIVERTON PARKE | 49 | FOUNTAIN CENTRAL | 28 | |
| SALEM | 27 | AUSTIN | 22 | |
| SEEGER | 52 | ATTICA | 25 | |
| SEYMOUR | 51 | NEW ALBANY | 31 | |
| SHAKAMAK | 60 | OBLONG-PALESTINE-HUTSONVILLE (ILL.) | 23 | |
| SHAWE MEMORIAL | 51 | RISING SUN | 25 | |
| SHELBYVILLE | 51 | HAUSER | 24 | |
| SOUTH KNOX | 50 | LOOGOOTEE | 25 | |
| SOUTHWESTERN (SHELBYVILLE) | 54 | GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN | 31 | |
| SPRINGS VALLEY | 43 | BORDEN | 41 | |
| TECUMSEH | 38 | SOUTHRIDGE | 21 | |
| TRINITY LUTHERAN | 65 | MADISON | 58 | |
| TRITON CENTRAL | 56 | BEECH GROVE | 20 | |
| UNIVERSITY | 71 | TRI-WEST | 43 | |
| VALPARAISO | 62 | MUNSTER | 38 | |
| WAPAHANI | 55 | SHENANDOAH | 43 | |
| WASHINGTON | 53 | SOUTH SPENCER | 50 | |
| WEST LAFAYETTE | 59 | HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) | 51 | |
| WEST VIGO | 43 | NORTH VERMILLION | 36 | |
| WOODLAN | 59 | PRAIRIE HEIGHTS | 33 | |
| YORKTOWN | 55 | NEW PALESTINE | 44 |
INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL FRIDAY
BLACKFORD (18-3) AT EASTBROOK (16-4)
BREBEUF JESUIT (12-7) AT INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD (8-12)
CALUMET CHRISTIAN AT DEMOTTE CHRISTIAN (17-5)
CARMEL (4-17) AT BEN DAVIS (13-9)
CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) (14-6) AT FORT WAYNE SNIDER (17-4)
CHESTERTON (15-7) AT ANDREAN (20-3)
CHURUBUSCO (5-16) AT CENTRAL NOBLE (20-2)
COVENANT CHRISTIAN (7-14) AT BETHESDA CHRISTIAN (9-13)
CRAWFORDSVILLE (6-15) AT FRANKFORT (2-19)
DALEVILLE (2-18) AT UNION (MODOC) (8-10)
DELPHI (10-12) AT TRI-CENTRAL (8-13)
FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA (8-13) AT FORT WAYNE NORTH (6-14)
FORT WAYNE DWENGER (8-15) AT FORT WAYNE SOUTH (2-16)
FORT WAYNE LUERS (9-12) AT FORT WAYNE WAYNE (14-7)
FRANKLIN CENTRAL (6-15) AT FISHERS (19-2)
FRANKTON (16-6) AT ELWOOD (2-19)
GARY WEST (2-19) AT MICHIGAN CITY (7-12)
GUERIN CATHOLIC (8-13) AT LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (16-6)
HAGERSTOWN (8-14) AT UNION CITY (8-14)
HAMMOND SCIENCE & TECH (3-11) AT MARQUETTE CATHOLIC (12-8)
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN (14-6) AT PARK TUDOR (13-5)
HOBART (12-10) AT HAMMOND CENTRAL (8-13)
HOMESTEAD (16-4) AT FORT WAYNE NORTHROP (18-3)
HORIZON CHRISTIAN AT INDIANA DEAF (10-8)
HUNTINGTON NORTH (16-4) AT DEKALB (11-10)
INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS (12-10) AT INDIANAPOLIS HERRON (7-12)
LAKELAND (11-9) AT GARRETT (10-11)
LAKEWOOD PARK (8-12) AT LAKELAND CHRISTIAN (12-6)
LAWRENCE NORTH (13-9) AT PIKE (5-16)
LEO (11-10) AT BELLMONT (16-4)
LIGHTHOUSE CPA (0-12) AT SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH (3-20)
MACONAQUAH (4-17) AT LEWIS CASS (7-15)
MEDORA (3-12) AT DUGGER UNION (7-13)
NEW HAVEN (2-17) AT COLUMBIA CITY (19-2)
NORTH JUDSON (14-7) AT TRITON (14-7)
NORTH MONTGOMERY (3-19) AT WESTERN BOONE (15-6)
NORTHEASTERN (14-7) AT CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN (5-14)
NORTHFIELD (5-13) AT ROCHESTER (11-11)
NORWELL (18-3) AT EAST NOBLE (5-16)
PERRY MERIDIAN (3-16) AT GREENWOOD (8-13)
PHALEN ACADEMY AT TRADERS POINT CHRISTIAN (4-10)
PLAINFIELD (6-15) AT DECATUR CENTRAL (13-7)
RIVER FOREST (10-11) AT LAKE STATION (16-4)
SCOTTSBURG (18-4) AT LANESVILLE (21-2)
SHERIDAN (12-8) AT TAYLOR (0-20)
SOUTH BEND CAREER (6-14) AT FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY (1-16)
SOUTH BEND CLAY (6-15) AT HAMILTON (2-10)
SOUTHMONT (11-9) AT LEBANON (9-12)
TRINITY GREENLAWN (2-16) AT CLINTON CHRISTIAN
TRI-TWP. (16-5) AT SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) (19-3)
TWIN LAKES (22-0) AT WINAMAC (4-18)
UNION COUNTY (13-9) AT CENTERVILLE (5-12)
WABASH (13-7) AT WHITKO (9-11)
WARREN CENTRAL (15-5) AT NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) (7-14)
WEST NOBLE (3-18) AT FAIRFIELD (21-2)
WESTVILLE (8-10) AT LAPORTE (0-21)
WHITELAND (12-9) AT MOORESVILLE (16-6)
ZIONSVILLE (18-2) AT BROWNSBURG (14-8)
INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL SECTIONAL BRACKETS
INDIANA WRESTLING SECTIONAL BRACKETS: HTTPS://WWW.TRACKWRESTLING.COM/LOGIN.JSP?TIM=1672955797754&TWSESSIONID=WAENAMISOK&TOURNAMENTINDEX=0&TNAME=IHSAA%20SECTIONAL
*******************TOP 25 MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL************************
#1 PURDUE 75 MICHIGAN 70
#6 ARIZONA 63 WASHINGTON STATE 58
USC 77 #8 UCLA 64
#21 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 85 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 67
ELSEWHERE:
SOUTHERN INDIANA 78 EASTERN ILLINOIS 74
MICHIGAN STATE 63 IOWA 61
WRIGHT STATE 93 MILWAUKEE 86
NORTHERN KENTUCKY 68 GREEN BAY 50
MEMPHIS 99 SMU 84
OREGON 75 COLORADO 69
UTAH 63 OREGON STATE 44
WASHINGTON 69 ARIZONA STATE 66 OT
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/CBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20230126
*******************TOP 25 WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL*******************
#6 INDIANA 78 #2 OHIO STATE 65
#5 UCONN 84 TENNESSEE 67
#7 NOTRE DAME 70 #24 FLORIDA STATE 47
#10 MARYLAND 72 #13 MICHIGAN 64
#16 DUKE 66 #12 VIRGINIA TECH 55
#15 NORTH CAROLINA 72 PITTSBURGH 57
#17 GONZAGA 66 LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 55
PURDUE 62 #22 ILLINOIS 52
#23 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 63 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 48
ELSEWHERE:
PURDUE FORT WAYNE 73 OAKLAND 64
RUTGERS 86 PENN STATE 82 OT
MIAMI FLORIDA 86 BOSTON COLLEGE 65
WAKE FOREST 68 LOUISVILLE 57
ALABAMA 69 ARKANSAS 66
CLEVELAND STATE 107 DETROIT 65
GEORGIA 62 MISSOURI 51
GEORGIA TECH 85 CLEMSON 74
AUBURN 71 KENTUCKY 68
NORTHERN KENTUCKY 62 ROBERT MORRIS 47
YOUNGSTOWN STATE 76 WRIGHT STATE 60
WYOMING 64 UTAH STATE 52
GREEN BAY 58 MILWAUKEE 40
BOISE STATE 60 AIR FORCE 55
OLE MISS 78 MISSISSIPPI STATE 63
NEW MEXICO 64 COLORADO STATE 59
SAN DIEGO STATE 75 FRESNO STATE 56
NEVADA 74 SAN JOSE STATE 67
BYU 74 ST. MARY’S 59
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/WCBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20230126
*********************NFL PLAYOFFS*******************
SUNDAY, JANUARY 29
NFC: 3:00 PM (ET) NFC CHAMPIONSHIP (FOX, FOX DEPORTES)
AFC: 6:30 PM (ET) AFC CHAMPIONSHIP (CBS, PARAMOUNT+)
***************************NBA*******************************
NEW YORK 120 BOSTON 117 OT
DETROIT 130 BROOKLYN 122
CHARLOTTE 111 CHICAGO 96
CLEVELAND 113 HOUSTON 95
DALLAS 99 PHOENIX 95
LA CLIPPERS 138 SAN ANTONIO 100
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DETROIT 4 MONTRÉAL 3
TAMPA BAY 3 BOSTON 2
WASHINGTON 3 PITTSBURGH 2
NASHVILLE 6 NEW JERSEY 4
BUFFALO 3 WINNIPEG 2
MINNESOTA 3 PHILADELPHIA 2
ANAHEIM 5 COLORADO 3
CHICAGO 5 CALGARY 1
ARIZONA 5 ST. LOUIS 0
BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NHL/SCOREBOARD.ASP
***********************TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES************************
NFL PLAYOFFS: WHAT TO LOOK FOR – CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
FANTASTIC FINAL FOUR: For the first time in NFL history, each of the four teams playing in the Conference Championships, presented by Intuit TurboTax, enter the weekend with 14-or-more wins, including postseason – the SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (15-4) and PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (15-3) in the NFC and the CINCINNATI BENGALS (14-4) and KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (15-3) in the AFC.
San Francisco led the league in both total defense (300.6 yards allowed per game) and scoring defense (16.3 points allowed per game) this season. The 49ers are looking to become the fourth team in the past 10 seasons to lead the NFL in total defense and make the Super Bowl in the same year, joining Denver in 2015 and Seattle in both 2013 and 2014.
Philadelphia ranked second in the NFL in defense this season, allowing 301.5 yards per game. The Eagles also led the league with 70 sacks, tied for the third-most ever by a team in a single season. They can become the fifth team since 2000 to lead the league in sacks and make the Super Bowl in the same year, joining Denver in 2015, Pittsburgh in 2010, the New York Giants in 2007 and Seattle in 2005.
Kansas City led the league in both total offense (413.6 yards per game) and scoring offense (29.2 points per game) in 2022. The Chiefs can become the fourth team in the past 10 seasons to lead the NFL in total offense and make the Super Bowl in the same year, joining the Chiefs in 2020, the Patriots in 2017 and the Broncos in 2013.
Both Philadelphia and Kansas City earned the No. 1 seed in their respective conferences and with victories by each team on Sunday, it would mark the 14th time since the NFL began seeding teams in 1975 that both top seeds faced off in the Super Bowl, and the first time in five years.
Cincinnati is looking to return to the Super Bowl in consecutive seasons after its victory at Buffalo last week in the Divisional Round. Last year, the Bengals captured road victories at No. 1 seed Tennessee and No. 2 seed Kansas City to earn a trip to Super Bowl LVI.
With a win on Sunday at Kansas City (6:30 PM ET, CBS/Paramount+), Cincinnati can become the first team since the NFL began seeding teams in 1975 to defeat the No. 1 seed in its conference in consecutive postseasons. The Bengals would also become the second team ever to win two road playoff games in consecutive seasons, joining the 2009-10 New York Jets.
— CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS —
CHAMPIONSHIP COACHES: Kansas City head coach ANDY REID is set to make his 10th Conference Championship appearance, tied for the second-most ever by a head coach. After leading Philadelphia to Super Bowl XXXIX and Kansas City to Super Bowls LIV and LV, Reid can become the ninth head coach in NFL history to appear in at least four Super Bowls.
Reid enters Sunday with 20 career postseason victories and can surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer TOM LANDRY (20 postseason wins) for the second-most playoff wins by a head coach in NFL history. Only BILL BELICHICK (31 wins) has more.
The head coaches with the most career postseason wins in NFL history:
| HEAD COACH | TEAM(S) | POSTSEASON WINS |
| Bill Belichick | Cleveland, New England | 31 |
| Tom LandryHOF | Dallas | 20 |
| Andy Reid | Philadelphia, Kansas City | 20 |
On the opposite sideline in the AFC Championship game will be Cincinnati’s ZAC TAYLOR, looking to become the third head coach in NFL history to appear in two Super Bowls within his first four seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer JOE GIBBS and MIKE TOMLIN.
Taylor can also tie Gibbs (six postseason wins) for the most playoff wins by a head coach within his first four seasons in NFL history.
— CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS —
MINING FOR GOLD: The SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS are aiming for their second Super Bowl appearance in four years and eighth overall in franchise history.
The 49ers have 36 total playoff wins and with a victory at Philadelphia on Sunday (3:00 PM ET, FOX/FOX Deportes), will tie the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (37 wins) for the most postseason wins by a franchise in NFL history.
The franchises with the most postseason victories in NFL history:
| TEAM | WINS | SUPER BOWL TITLES |
| New England | 37 | 6 |
| Dallas | 36 | 5 |
| Green Bay | 36 | 4 |
| Pittsburgh | 36 | 6 |
| San Francisco | 36 | 5 |
Rookie quarterback BROCK PURDY has won each of his first seven career starts, including playoffs, and last week became the fifth rookie quarterback ever to start and win in the Divisional round. With a win on Sunday, Purdy will become the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to start and win a Conference Championship game and the first rookie quarterback ever to start and win three postseason games.
Running back CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY has 310 scrimmage yards (103.3 per game) and three touchdowns (two receiving, one rushing) in three career postseason games, with at least 50 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in each contest.
If he reaches those marks again on Sunday, McCaffrey will become the sixth running back in NFL history with at least 50 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in each of his first four career postseason games.
The running backs with at least 50 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in the most consecutive postseason games to begin a career in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | GAMES |
| Marcus AllenHOF | L.A. Raiders, Kansas City | 7 |
| Terrell DavisHOF | Denver | 7 |
| Curtis MartinHOF | New England, N.Y. Jets | 5 |
| Arian Foster | Houston Texans | 4 |
| Devonta Freeman | Atlanta | 4 |
| Christian McCaffrey | Carolina, San Francisco | 3* |
| *Active streak |
Defensive lineman NICK BOSA led the NFL with a career-high 18.5 sacks this season. With a 49ers victory on Sunday, Bosa will become the sixth player to lead the league in sacks and advance to the Super Bowl in the same season since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic.
The players to lead the league in sacks and advance to the Super Bowl in the same season since 1982:
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEASON | SACKS |
| Aaron Donald | L.A. Rams | 2018 | 20.5 |
| Vic Beasley | Atlanta | 2016 | 15.5 |
| Kevin Carter | St. Louis Rams | 1999 | 17 |
| Lawrence TaylorHOF | N.Y. Giants | 1986 | 20.5 |
| Richard DentHOF | Chicago | 1985 | 17 |
— CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS —
FLY, EAGLES, FLY: The PHILADELPHIA EAGLES are aiming for their fourth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history and second in six seasons.
Quarterback JALEN HURTS totaled three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in last week’s Divisional tound victory, after leading all quarterbacks with 13 rushing touchdowns in the regular season. With another rushing touchdown against San Francisco on Sunday (3:00 PM ET, FOX/FOX Deportes), Hurts will become the first quarterback in NFL history with 15 rushing touchdowns in a single season, including playoffs.
As a team, Philadelphia led the league with 32 rushing touchdowns in the regular season, tied for the second-most by a team in a season in the Super Bowl era. Last week, the Eagles totaled 268 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.
With two rushing touchdowns on Sunday, the Eagles will tie the 1962 GREEN BAY PACKERS (37 rushing touchdowns) for the most rushing touchdowns ever by a team in a single season, including playoffs.
After leading the league with 70 sacks this season, Philadelphia totaled five sacks in the Divisional playoffs. With five sacks in the Conference Championship, the Eagles will tie the 1985 CHICAGO BEARS (80 sacks) for the second-most sacks ever by a team in a single season, including playoffs.
The teams with the most sacks in a season in NFL history, including playoffs:
| TEAM | SEASON | SACKS |
| Chicago Bears | 1984 | 82 |
| Chicago Bears | 1985 | 80 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2022 | 75 |
Philadelphia can also become the first team in NFL history to record at least five sacks in nine games within a single season, including playoffs.
— CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS —
JOE & JA’MARR: The CINCINNATI BENGALS are aiming for their fourth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history and can become the fourth different franchise since 2000 to appear in consecutive Super Bowls, joining Kansas City (2019-20), New England (2003-04 and 2016-18) and Seattle (2013-14).
Quarterback JOE BURROW is 5-1 in six career postseason starts and with a win at Kansas City on Sunday (6:30 PM ET, CBS/Paramount+) would tie RUSSELL WILSON (six wins) for the most postseason wins by a starting quarterback in his first three seasons in NFL history.
The starting quarterbacks with the most postseason wins in their first three seasons in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM | WINS |
| Russell Wilson | Seattle | 6 |
| Joe Burrow | Cincinnati | 5* |
| Ben Roethlisberger | Pittsburgh | 5 |
| *In third season |
Burrow, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, can also become the fourth quarterback selected No. 1 overall to win consecutive Conference Championships, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers TROY AIKMAN (1992-93), TERRY BRADSHAW (1974-75 and 1978-79) and JOHN ELWAY (1986-87 and 1997-98).
Wide receiver JA’MARR CHASE has 513 receiving yards in six career postseason games (85.5 per game), the second-most ever by a player in his first two seasons. Only CHARLIE BROWN (643 receiving yards) has more. In each of his first six playoff games, Chase has recorded at least five receptions and 50 receiving yards.
With five catches on Sunday, Chase will become the second player in NFL history with at least five receptions in each of his first seven career playoff games, joining WES WELKER.
Additionally, Chase can become the fifth player ever with at least 50 receiving yards in each of his first seven career playoff games, joining Brown, ERNIE MILLS, JULIO JONES and Welker.
— CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS —
KANSAS CITY OF CHAMPIONS: The KANSAS CITY CHIEFS will be making their fifth consecutive AFC Championship game appearance and are aiming for their third Super Bowl appearance in four years and fifth in franchise history.
Quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES led the NFL with 5,520 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes this season and with a win against Cincinnati on Sunday (6:30 PM ET, CBS/Paramount+) can become the fifth player ever to lead the league in passing yards and touchdown passes and make the Super Bowl in the same season, joining TOM BRADY in 2007 and Pro Football Hall of Famers PEYTON MANNING in 2013, DAN MARINO in 1984 and KURT WARNER in 2001.
The players to lead the league in passing yards and touchdown passes and advance to the Super Bowl in the same season in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEASON | PASSING YARDS | TD PASSES |
| Peyton ManningHOF | Denver | 2013 | 5,477 | 55 |
| Tom Brady | New England | 2007 | 4,806 | 50 |
| Kurt WarnerHOF | St. Louis Rams | 2001 | 4,830 | 36 |
| Dan MarinoHOF | Miami | 1984 | 5,084 | 48 |
Tight end TRAVIS KELCE totaled 14 catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s Divisional round victory, his seventh consecutive postseason game with at least 95 receiving yards, the longest streak in NFL history. He enters Sunday with 1,389 career postseason receiving yards, tied with ROB GRONKOWSKI for the third-most in NFL history.
The players with the most postseason receiving yards in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | RECEIVING YARDS |
| Jerry RiceHOF | San Francisco, Oakland Raiders | 2,245 |
| Julian Edelman | New England | 1,442 |
| Rob Gronkowski | New England, Tampa Bay | 1,389 |
| Travis Kelce | Kansas City | 1,389 |
Last week also marked Kelce’s fourth consecutive playoff game with a touchdown reception and he can join Gronkowski (six consecutive games from 2014-17) as the only tight ends ever with a touchdown reception in at least five straight playoff games. He can also tie Gronkowski (15 touchdown receptions) for the second-most career postseason touchdown receptions in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer JERRY RICE (22) has more.
The players with the most postseason touchdown receptions in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | TOUCHDOWN RECEPTIONS |
| Jerry RiceHOF | San Francisco, Oakland Raiders | 22 |
| Rob Gronkowski | New England, Tampa Bay | 15 |
| Travis Kelce | Kansas City | 14 |
Defensive end FRANK CLARK recorded his 12th-career postseason sack last week, tied for the fourth-most since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic. With a sack on Sunday, Clark will surpass TERRELL SUGGS (12.5 sacks) for the third-most NFL postseason sacks since 1982. Only WILLIE MCGINEST (16) and Pro Football Hall of Famer BRUCE SMITH (14.5) have more.
The players with the most NFL postseason sacks since 1982:
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | SACKS |
| Willie McGinest | New England | 16 |
| Bruce SmithHOF | Buffalo | 14.5 |
| Terrell Suggs | Baltimore Ravens | 12.5 |
| Frank Clark | Seattle, Kansas City | 12 |
| Reggie WhiteHOF | Philadelphia, Green Bay | 12 |
NFL PLAYOFFS: THE STARTING ELEVEN
Sunday features the AFC and NFC Championship Games presented by Intuit TurboTax. Will someone unexpectedly rise to the occasion with a clutch performance that sends his team to Super Bowl LVII? Will a savvy superstar write another chapter in playoff lore? Or, how about Choice C: All of the above?
Regardless, no one is questioning the quality of the league’s championship-game field. There are no lightning-in-a-bottle teams this season. In fact, this marks the first time ever that all four finalists have had at least 14 wins, including playoffs.
And in the decade ahead, NFL fans can look forward to an exciting future. The four individuals expected to start under center this week – Cincinnati’s JOE BURROW, Philadelphia’s JALEN HURTS, Kansas City’s PATRICK MAHOMES and San Francisco’s BROCK PURDY – represent the youngest group of conference championship quarterbacks since conference championship play began in 1970, averaging 25 years and 98 days old on Sunday. Previously, the youngest quartet was the 1996 conference championships, when the four starters averaged 25 years and 231 days.
The NFL’s Championship Game schedule:
| Sunday, January 29 | |||
| NFC | San Francisco 49ers (15-4) at Philadelphia Eagles (15-3) | 3:00 PM ET | FOX, FOX Deportes |
| AFC | Cincinnati Bengals (14-4) at Kansas City Chiefs (15-3) | 6:30 PM ET | CBS, Paramount+ |
The Starting 11 entering the 2022 Championship Games…
1. BURROW-MAHOMES, EPISODE IV: This week, JOE BURROW and PATRICK MAHOMES are expected to meet for the fourth time when the CINCINNATI BENGALS (14-4) visit the KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (15-3) on Sunday night (6:30 PM ET, CBS, Paramount+). The last time two quarterbacks started consecutive championship games against each other before either reached his 28th birthday? It was 1986-87, when Pro Football Hall of Famer JOHN ELWAY guided the Broncos over BERNIE KOSAR and the Cleveland Browns to back-to-back Super Bowl berths.
- Mahomes has led the Chiefs to five consecutive conference championship games. Since the 1970 merger, the only other quarterbacks to start five straight conference title games are TOM BRADY (five from 2003-07 and eight from 2011-18) and Pro Football Hall of Famer KEN STABLER (five from 1973-77). Mahomes is the first to accomplish the feat prior to his 28th birthday.
- Prior to Burrow’s arrival, Mahomes and the Chiefs registered a 45-10 win over Cincinnati in 2018. But Burrow has had the Chiefs’ number since he entered the league. Mahomes has made 92 NFL starts, including postseason. He’s 1-3 (.250) against the Bengals and 72-16 (.818) against the rest of the league. Mahomes has never lost to any other franchise more than two consecutive times.
- Burrow in three career starts against Kansas City, including playoffs, is 3-0 with 982 passing yards, eight touchdown passes, one interception and a 121.0 passer rating. Burrow is also 3-0 overall in road playoff games.
- Burrow is expected to become the first quarterback selected No. 1 overall to start two championship games in his first three NFL seasons. He also can join RUSSELL WILSON as one of two quarterbacks ever to win six postseason games in his first three NFL seasons.
- Last week, Burrow improved to 5-1 as a starting quarterback in the postseason. Prior to drafting him first overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Bengals had five total postseason victories as a franchise.
2. NUMBERS OF THE WEEK – DEFENSE STILL WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS:
- 0 – The number of 100-yard rushers allowed by SAN FRANCISCO this season. The 49ers haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher since JUSTIN FIELDS (103), Oct. 31, 2021. And since DEMECO RYANS replaced ROBERT SALEH as defensive coordinator in 2021, his unit has allowed just two 100-yard rushers in 39 games, including playoffs.
- 1 – The number of combined 100-yard rushers (zero), 300-yard passers (zero) and 100-yard receivers (one) allowed by the four victorious defenses during the Divisional Round.
- 3 – The number of final-four teams that ranked among the league’s leaders in points allowed per game during the regular season: SAN FRANCISCO (16.3, first), CINCINNATI (20.1, tied for fifth) and PHILADELPHIA (20.2, tied for seventh).
- 3 – The number of final-four teams that ranked among the league’s leaders in total yards allowed per game during the regular season: SAN FRANCISCO (300.6, first), PHILADELPHIA (301.5, second) and KANSAS CITY (328.2, 11th).
- 10 – CINCINNATI’s points allowed in last week’s win, the Bills’ fewest points scored since Dec. 6, 2021.
- 20 – The number of SAN FRANCISCO interceptions during the regular season, tied for the league lead. PHILADELPHIA had 17, tied for fourth.
- 30 – The number of takeaways recorded by SAN FRANCISCO during the regular season, tied for second in the NFL. PHILADELPHIA had 27, tied for fourth. The 49ers’ plus-13 takeaway ratio led the league while the Eagles (plus-eight) ranked third.
- 70 – The franchise-record number of sacks by PHILADELPHIA during the regular season, first in the league and tied for third in NFL history. KANSAS CITY (55) ranked second in the NFL this year.
3. CHAMPIONSHIP CITIES: PHILADELPHIA and KANSAS CITY are no stranger to hosting conference championship games. This week marks the sixth time the Eagles have hosted a championship game, tied with Miami for fifth in the league since the 1970 merger. Only Pittsburgh (11), San Francisco (10), New England (eight) and Denver (seven) have more. Kansas City, meanwhile, is tied for seventh with five, including this week.
4. SPOTLIGHT – INDIVIDUAL MATCHUP: When SAN FRANCISCO (15-4) and PHILADELPHIA (15-3) decide the NFC champion at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday (3:00 PM ET, FOX, FOX Deportes), the starting quarterbacks are expected to make history. The 49ers’ BROCK PURDY (23) and the Eagles’ JALEN HURTS (24) will become the first pair of starting quarterbacks in a conference championship game under age 25.
- The poised young passers actually squared off in a Big 12 thriller in Norman, Okla., during the 2019 season. A true sophomore, Purdy led Iowa State to 20 fourth-quarter points before Hurts and Oklahoma held off the Cyclones, 42-41. Hurts totaled 341 yards (273 passing, 68 rushing) and five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) while Purdy threw for 282 yards and five touchdowns, and added 55 rushing yards and a touchdown.
5. SPOTLIGHT – TEAM MATCHUP: Don’t expect a lot of yards in Sunday’s NFC Championship. That’s because during the regular season the 49ers (300.6 yards allowed per game) and Eagles (301.5) finished first and second, respectively, among NFL defenses. Sunday marks just the third time the NFL’s top two defenses in yards allowed have clashed in a conference championship game, the first since Pittsburgh beat Baltimore, 23-14, in the 2008 AFC title game. The only other instance since the 1970 merger was Dallas’ 28-0 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the 1978 NFC Championship Game.
- San Francisco defensive coordinator DEMECO RYANS finished his playing career with the Eagles. Philadelphia acquired Ryans in a 2012 trade that involved three draft choices, one of which the Eagles used to select quarterback NICK FOLES.
- Philadelphia’s 32 rushing touchdowns in 2022 tied for the second-most ever in a single season, trailing only Pittsburgh’s 33 in 1976. On five occasions this season, including last week’s playoff win, an Eagles player has reached 100 rushing yards. San Francisco hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 32 straight games, including playoffs.
- The NFC West has represented the conference in three of the past four Super Bowls, and six of the last 10 dating to San Francisco’s berth in Super Bowl XLVII against Baltimore.
- San Francisco started TREY LANCE, JIMMY GAROPPOLO and BROCK PURDY this year. With a win on Sunday, the 49ers would be the first team to start three quarterbacks during a regular season and advance to a Super Bowl since the 2016 New England Patriots (TOM BRADY, JACOBY BRISSETT and Garoppolo).
6. STREAK SPEAK: Including SAN FRANCISCO (12 straight wins) and CINCINNATI (10) this week, 14 teams since the 1970 merger have entered a conference championship game on winning streaks of at least 10 games. However, this is only the second time two teams entered conference championship week on winning streaks of at least 10 games. It last happened in 1976, when both the Oakland Raiders (11) and Pittsburgh Steelers (10) did it.
- Including postseason games, the 49ers (12) are bringing the NFL’s longest winning streak into a conference championship game since New England entered the 2007 AFC title contest with 17 straight wins.
- KANSAS CITY (2018-22) will become just the third team to play in five consecutive conference championships since 1970. The New England Patriots (eight straight from 2011-18) and the Oakland Raiders (five from 1973-77) also accomplished the feat.
7. DID YOU KNOW?: All-Pro brothers JASON and TRAVIS KELCE aren’t taking anything for granted this week, but should they each win their respective championship games, they’ll accomplish something no other family has done. They’ll become the first set of brothers to play on opposite teams in the same Super Bowl.
8. UNDER-THE-RADAR STORYLINE: Bengals head coach ZAC TAYLOR has a lot of ANDY REID in his coaching DNA. Taylor’s father-in-law, MIKE SHERMAN, coached with Reid in Green Bay from 1997-98 under MIKE HOLMGREN. Holmgren, Reid and Sherman, as well as MIKE SHANAHAN, point to Pro Football Hall of Famer BILL WALSH as a mentor. Walsh learned much of his coaching prowess from the founder of the Cincinnati Bengals, Pro Football Hall of Famer PAUL BROWN.
- Taylor is 5-1 as a head coach in the postseason. His .833 postseason winning percentage ranks second in NFL history behind Pro Football Hall of Famer VINCE LOMBARDI (.900, 9-1) among coaches with a minimum of six games coached.
- Taylor is only the 13th head coach in NFL history to win at least five of his first six postseason games, the first since MIKE TOMLIN. Should he win Sunday, he would join BILL BELICHICK and MIKE SHANAHAN as well as Pro Football Hall of Famers TOM FLORES, JOE GIBBS, JIMMY JOHNSON, VINCE LOMBARDI and BILL WALSH as the only head coaches in NFL history to win at least six of their first seven postseason games.
- Taylor is only the third coach ever – joining Pro Football Hall of Famers TOM LANDRY and CHUCK NOLL – to guide a team to multiple conference championship games after winning six-or-fewer games over his first two seasons with the same team. Taylor was 6-25-1 from 2019-20 with the Bengals.
- Four coaches in NFL history have reached two Super Bowls after winning no more than two games in their first season with the same team: Pro Football Hall of Famers JIMMY JOHNSON, TOM LANDRY, CHUCK NOLL and BILL WALSH. Taylor was 2-14 in his first season with Cincinnati (2019) before leading the Bengals to Super Bowl LVI.
9. TREND TIME: Over the last nine postseasons (2013-21), home teams are 14-4 in conference championship games. The Bengals (last season at Kansas City) have one of those four victories.
10. THIS WEEK IN NFL HISTORY: Jan. 25, 1998 (25 years ago) – In Super Bowl XXXII, TERRELL DAVIS overcomes debilitating migraines to rush for 157 yards and a Super Bowl-record three touchdowns to lead the Broncos to their first NFL crown, snapping the NFC’s streak of Super Bowl victories at 13. Late in the third quarter, with the Broncos and defending champion Packers tied, 17-17, Denver faces a third-and-6 from the Packers’ 12-yard line. Without a better option, a 37-year-old JOHN ELWAY leaves the pocket and dives for a first down, turned by three Green Bay defenders into a spinning helicopter. Inspired by Elway’s desire at a pivotal moment, Davis finds the end zone two plays later. After Green Bay knots the game at 24 early in the fourth quarter, Elway connects with fullback HOWARD GRIFFITH on a key 23-yard pass that sets up Davis’ go-ahead touchdown with 1:45 remaining. BRETT FAVRE guides the Packers into Broncos territory but linebacker JOHN MOBLEY bats away Favre’s fourth-down pass in the waning seconds to secure a 31-24 victory. Afterward, owner PAT BOWLEN, one of six future Pro Football Hall of Famers from that Broncos team, hands Elway the Vince Lombardi Trophy and declares, “This one’s for John!”
11. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST: The Bengals and Chiefs are playing in a conference championship for the second straight year, something rare in NFL history. Since the 1970 merger, the same two teams have met in consecutive conference championships on only six occasions. Dallas defeated San Francisco in both 1970 and ‘71, the Steelers took two of three from the Raiders (1974-76), the Steelers captured two straight over the Houston Oilers from 1978-79, the Broncos edged the Cleveland Browns in consecutive thrillers (1986-87), Dallas took two of three from San Francisco (1992-94) and the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots split two straight AFC title games from 2011-12.
NFL PLAYOFF PREVIEW: SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (15-4 – NFC WEST – NO. 2 SEED) @ PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (15-3 – NFC EAST – NO. 1 SEED)
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP DATE/TIME Sunday, January 29, 2023 @ 3:00 PM ET STADIUM Lincoln Financial Field REFEREE John Hussey
REGULAR-SEASON SERIES HISTORY
LEADER 49ers lead all-time series, 19-14-1
STREAKS Eagles have won 2 of past 3
LAST GAME 9/19/21: 49ers 17 at Eagles 11
LAST GAME AT SITE 9/19/21
PLAYOFF SERIES HISTORY
LEADER 49ers lead all-time series, 1-0
STREAKS 49ers won only meeting
LAST GAME 12/29/96: Eagles 0 at 49ers 14
LAST GAME AT SITE First meeting in Philadelphia
49ERS TEAM NOTES
PLAYOFF RECORD 36-22
CHAMPIONSHIPS 5: 1981 (SB XVI), 1984 (SB XIX), 1988 (SB XXIII),
1989 (SB XXIV), 1994 (SB XXIX)
LAST POSTSEASON
GAME W 19-12 vs. Dallas (1/22/23 – NFC-D)
VS. COMMON
OPPONENTS
5-1: AZ (2-0), CHI (0-1), DAL (1-0), NO (1-0),
WAS (1-0)
PTS. FOR 26.5
OFFENSE 365.6
PASSING Brock Purdy (R): 114-170-1,374-13-4-107.3
RUSHING Christian McCaffrey (2022): 244-1,139-4.7-8
RECEIVING Brandon Aiyuk: 78-1,015-13.0-8
PTS. AGAINST 16.3
DEFENSE 300.6
SACKS Nick Bosa: 18.5
INTs Tashaun Gipson: 5
TAKE/GIVE +13 (30/17)
PR Ray-Ray McCloud: 10.8
KR Ray-Ray McCloud: 23.0
PUNTING (NET) Mitch Wishnowsky: 43.9 (39.7)
KICKING Robbie Gould: 131 (50/51 PAT; 27/32 FG)
49ERS OFFENSIVE NOTES
QB BROCK PURDY became 3rd rookie since 1970 (Joe Flacco & Mark Sanchez) to win 2 playoff games. Can became 5th rookie QB ever (Flacco, Shaun King, Ben Roethlisberger & Sanchez) to start Champ. game. • RB CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY aims for his 4th postseasn game in row with TD & 9th in row overall in 2022 with TD, incl. playoffs. Ranked 3rd in NFL with 1,880 scrimmage yards (1,139 rush, 741 rec. – most among RBs), ranked 2nd among RBs with 85 catches & was 1 of 2 (Austin Ekeler) with 5+ rush TDs (8) & 5+ rec. TDs (5) in 2022. • RB ELIJAH MITCHELL has 50+ scrimmage yards in 4 of his 5 playoff games. • TE GEORGE KITTLE had 5 catches for 95 yards in NFC-D vs. Dal. Had 60 catches for 765 yards (5th-most among TEs) & career-high 11 rec. TDs (2nd-most among TEs) in 2022. Had 4 games with 2 rec. TDs in 2022, most by TE in season since 2015. • WR BRANDON AIYUK has 65+ rec. yards in 2 of his past 3 playoff games. Set career highs with 78 receptions, 1,015 rec. yards & 8 rec. TDs in 2022. • WR DEEBO SAMUEL has 741 scrimmage yards (459 rec., 282 rush – 92.6 per game) & 3 TDs (2 rec., 1 rush) in 8 career playoff games. Had 101 scrimmage yards (93 rec., 8 rush) in last reg. season meeting.
49ERS DEFENSIVE NOTES
DL NICK BOSA Aims for his 4th playoff game in row with TFL. Had 2 sacks & FF in last reg. season meeting. Became 1st SF player since 1982 to lead NFL in sacks (career-high 18.5) & ranked tied-2nd with 19 TFL in 2022. Became 4th player since 1982 with sack in 13+ games (13) within single season. • DL SAMSON EBUKAM had sack in NFC-D vs. Dal. & has 0.5+ sacks in 4 of his past 5 playoff games. • DL ARIK ARMSTEAD has 6 sacks in 8 career playoff games. • LB FRED WARNER had 9 tackles & 2nd-career playoff INT in NFC-D vs. Dal. & has 5+ tackles in each of 1st 8 career playoff games. Led team with 130 tackles, his 5th-straight 100+ tackle season & had career-high 10 PD in 2022. • LB DRE GREENLAW had career highs in tackles (127) & PD (6) in 2022. Aims for his 3rd in row in playoffs with 6+ tackles. • DB JIMMIE WARD had 2 PD & TFL in NFC-D vs. Dal. • CB CHARVARIUS WARD had career-high 87 tackles & 11 PD in 2022. • S TALANOA HUFANGA set career highs in tackles (95), PD (9), TFL (5) & INTs (4) in 2022.
EAGLES TEAM NOTES
PLAYOFF RECORD 24-24
CHAMPIONSHIPS 5: 1948, 1949, 1960, 2017 (SB LII)
LAST POSTSEASON
GAME W 38-7 vs. N.Y. Giants (1/21/23 – NFC-D)
VS. COMMON
OPPONENTS
4-3: AZ (1-0), CHI (1-0), DAL (1-1), NO (0-1),
WAS (1-1)
PTS. FOR 28.1
OFFENSE 389.1
PASSING Jalen Hurts: 306-460-3,701-22-6-101.6
RUSHING Miles Sanders: 259-1,269-4.9-11
RECEIVING A.J. Brown: 88-1,496-17.0-11
PTS. AGAINST 20.2
DEFENSE 310.5
SACKS Haason Reddick: 16
INTs C.J. Gardner-Johnson: 6
TAKE/GIVE +8 (27/19)
PR Britain Covey: 9.3
KR Boston Scott: 27.1
PUNTING (NET) Brett Kern: 40.8 (36.6)
KICKING Jake Elliott: 111 (51/53 PAT; 20/23 FG)
PHILADELPHIA advanced to NFC-C for 1st time since 2017. • NICK SIRIANNI has led Phi. to postseason in each of 1st 2 seasons. • EAGLES have 35 rush TDs in 2022 (incl. postseason) & can tie 1962 Packers (37) for most rush TDs ever in single season, incl. playoffs. • PHILADELPHIA has 75 sacks in 2022 (incl. postseason), 3rd-most ever by team in single season, incl. playoffs.
EAGLES OFFENSIVE NOTES
QB JALEN HURTS had 3 TDs (2 pass, 1 rush) vs. 0 INTs for 112.2 rating in NFC-D vs. NYG. Became 3rd QB ever with 3,500+ pass yards (3,701), 20+ TD passes (22) & 10+ rush TDs (13) in single season, 2nd-most rush TDs by QB in single season in NFL history. Became 1st QB all-time with 10+ rush TDs in consecutive seasons. Ranked 4th among QBs with 760 rush yards. Had 272 yards (190 pass, 82 rush) & rush TD in last reg. season meeting. • RB MILES SANDERS rushed for 90 yards in NFC-D vs. NYG. Had career highs in rush yards (1,269) & rush TDs (11) in 2022. • WR A.J. BROWN had 88 catches for franchise-record 1,496 yards (4thmost in NFL) & 11 rec. TDs in 2022. Has 5+ catches, 80+ rec. yards & TD catch in 2 of his past 3 postseason games. Had 11 catches for 145 yards & rec. TD in his only career game vs. SF (12/23/21 w/ Ten.). • WR DEVONTA SMITH led team with 6 catches for 61 yards & had rec. TD in NFC-D vs. NYG. Had career highs in catches (95), rec. yards (1,196) & rec. TDs (7) in 2022. Brown & Smith were only pair of teammates each with 85+ catches & 1,100+ rec. yards this season. • TE DALLAS GOEDERT had 5 catches for 58 yards & rec. TD in NFC-D vs. NYG. Aims for his 4th in row in playoffs with 5+ catches & 50+ rec. yards.
EAGLES DEFENSIVE NOTES
LB HAASON REDDICK had 1.5 sacks in NFC-D vs. NYG. Ranked tied-2nd in NFL with career-high 16 sacks & ranked tied-1st with 5 FFs. Became 1st player since 1982 with 10+ sacks in 3 straight seasons with 3 different teams. • DE BRANDON GRAHAM had sack last week. Had career-high 11 sacks in 2022. Has sack in 3 of his 5 career games vs. SF. • DT JAVON HARGRAVE had career highs in sacks (11) & TFL (10) this season. Had 2 TFL in last reg. season meeting. • DE JOSH SWEAT had career highs in sacks (11) & TFL (15) in 2022. Has sack in 6 of his past 7 games, incl. playoffs. • DT FLETCHER COX had sack last week. Has 7 TFL in 9 career playoff games. • LB T.J. EDWARDS was 1 of 4 with 150+ tackles (159 – tied-6th in NFL) & 10+ TFL (10) in 2022. • CB DARIUS SLAY (14 PD, 3 INTs) & CB JAMES BRADBERY (17 PD, 3 INTs) were only pair of teammates each with 14+ PD & 3+ INTs in 2022. Bradberry had INT in NFC-D vs. NYG. • S C.J. GARDNER-JOHNSON ranked tied-1st in NFL with career-high 6 INTs.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TIME 3:00 PM ET
TV FOX, FOX Deportes: Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews & Tom Rinaldi (field reporters)
NATIONAL RADIO Westwood One: Kevin Harlan, Kurt Warner, Ross Tucker (field reporter)
San Francisco SiriusXM 82 or 225 and the SXM App
Philadelphia SiriusXM 83 or 226 and the SXM App
National SiriusXM 88 and the SXM App
NFL PLAYOFF PREVIEW: CINCINNATI BENGALS (14-4 – AFC NORTH – NO. 3 SEED) @ KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (15-3 – AFC WEST – NO. 1 SEED)
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP
DATE/TIME Sunday, January 29, 2023 @ 6:30 PM ET
STADIUM GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
REFEREE Ron Torbert
REGULAR-SEASON SERIES HISTORY
LEADER Bengals lead all-time series, 17-14
STREAKS Bengals have won past 2
LAST GAME 12/4/22: Chiefs 24 at Bengals 27
LAST GAME AT SITE 10/21/18: Chiefs 45, Bengals 10
PLAYOFF SERIES HISTORY
LEADER Bengals lead all-time series, 1-0
STREAKS Bengals won only meeting
LAST GAME 1/30/22: Bengals 27 at Chiefs 24 (OT)
LAST GAME AT SITE 1/30/22
BENGALS TEAM NOTES
PLAYOFF
RECORD 10-15
CHAMPIONSHIPS 0
LAST POSTSEASON
GAME W 27-10 at Buffalo (1/22/23 – AFC-D)
VS. COMMON
OPPONENTS 3-0: Buf (1-0), TB (1-0), Ten (1-0)
PTS. FOR 26.1
OFFENSE 378.0
PASSING Joe Burrow: 414-606-4,475-35-12-100.8
RUSHING Joe Mixon: 210-814-3.9-7
RECEIVING Ja’Marr Chase: 87-1,046-12.0-9
PTS. AGAINST 20.1
DEFENSE 335.7
SACKS Trey Hendrickson: 8
INTs Jessie Bates, Vonn Bell: 4
TAKE/GIVE +6 (24/18)
PR Trent Taylor: 10.3
KR Trayveon Williams: 22.3
PUNTING (NET) Drue Chrisman: 47.8 (42.6)
KICKING Evan McPherson: 112 (40/44 PAT; 24/29 FG)
CINCINNATI advanced to AFC Champ. Game in consecutive seasons for 1st time in franchise history & 4th time overall. Aims for 4th SB appearance. • ZAC TAYLOR can become 1st Cin. HC ever to win 2 AFC Championships & 3rd HC in NFL history to appear in 2 SBs within 1st 4 seasons. • BENGALS had 3 players selected to 2023 Pro Bowl Games: QB JOE BURROW, WR JA’MARR CHASE & DE TREY HENDRICKSON. • CINCINNATI ranked 4th in NFL in total offense (378 yards per game).
BENGALS OFFENSIVE NOTES
QB JOE BURROW has 3 TDs vs. 0 INTs with 100.8 rating in 2022 postseason & aims for his 4th in row overall in playoffs with 0 INTs. Is 3-0 with 9 TDs (8 pass, 1 rush) vs. INT & 121 rating in 3 career starts vs. KC, incl. 2021 AFC-C. Can tie Russell Wilson (6 wins) for most playoff wins by QB in 1st 3 seasons in SB era. Ranked 5th in NFL with 4,475 pass yards & tied-2nd with career-high 35 TD passes in 2022. • RB JOE MIXON had playoff career-high 123 scrimmage yards (105 rush, 18 rec.) & rush TD last week. Has 50+ scrimmage yards in each of 6 career playoff games, incl. 115 scrimmage yards (88 rush, 27 rec.) in 2021 AFC-C vs. KC. Had 1,255 scrimmage yards (814 rush, career-high 441 rec.) in 2022, his 4th-career season with 1,250+ scrimmage yards. • WR JA’MARR CHASE had 5 catches for 61 yards & TD last week & has rec. TD in 3 of his past 4 in playoffs. Has 513 career postseason rec. yards, 2nd-most ever by player in 1st 2 seasons. Has 4 rec. TDs in 3 career games vs. KC, incl. playoffs. • WR TEE HIGGINS had 103 rec. yards in 2021 AFC-C vs. KC. • WR TYLER BOYD had 5th-straight season with 750+ rec. yards (762). • TE HAYDEN HURST had TD catch last week & has rec. TD in 2 of his past 3 in playoffs. Had rec. TD in his last game at KC (12/27/20 w/ Atl.).
BENGALS DEFENSIVE NOTES
DE TREY HENDRICKSON led team with 8 sacks in 2022 & is 1 of 6 in NFL with 8+ sacks in each of past 3 seasons. Had 1.5 sacks in 2021 AFC-C vs. KC. • LB LOGAN WILSON led team with career-high 123 tackles this season. Has 7+ tackles in each of 6 career postseason games. • DE SAM HUBBARD had 2 sacks & FF in 2021 AFC-C vs. KC & aims for his 3rd in row vs. KC with sack, incl. playoffs. • LB GERMAINE PRATT set career highs in tackles (99) & PD (10) this season. Has 3 PD in 2022 postseason. Had FF & FR in Week 13 meeting. • S JESSIE BATES had career-best 4 INTs in 2022. Has 6 PD in 6 career playoff games & has PD in 2 of his past 3 vs. KC, including postseason. • S VONN BELL had sack last week. Aims for 4th in row vs. KC with PD, incl. playoffs.
CHIEFS TEAM NOTES
PLAYOFF
RECORD 18-21
CHAMPIONSHIPS 3: 1960, 1969 (SB IV), 2019 (SB LIV)
LAST POSTSEASON
GAME W 27-20 vs. Jacksonville (1/21/23 – AFC-D)
VS. COMMON
OPPONENTS 2-1: Buf (0-1), TB (1-0), Ten (1-0)
PTS. FOR 29.2
OFFENSE 413.6
PASSING Patrick Mahomes: 435-648-5,250-41-12-105.1
RUSHING Isiah Pacheco (R): 170-830-4.9-5
RECEIVING Travis Kelce (TE): 110-1,338-12.2-12
PTS. AGAINST 21.7
DEFENSE 328.2
SACKS Chris Jones: 15.5
INTs Juan Thornhill, L’Jarius Sneed: 3
TAKE/GIVE -3 (20/23)
PR Kadarius Toney: 6.1
KR Isiah Pacheco (R): 20.6
PUNTING (NET) Tommy Townsend: 50.4 (45.6)
KICKING Harrison Butker: 92 (38/41 PAT; 18/24 FG)
KANSAS CITY became 3rd team ever to appear in 5 consecutive Champ. games. Aims for 3rd SB appearance in 4 years & 5th in franchise history. • ANDY REID makes 10th Champ. game appearance, tied-2nd most ever by HC, & has 20 career postseason wins, tied 2nd-most ever by HC. • CHIEFS led NFL in total offense (413.6 yards per game) for 3rd consecutive season & led in scoring offense (29.2 points per game). • KANSAS CITY had 7 players selected to 2023 Pro Bowl Games.
CHIEFS OFFENSIVE NOTES
QB PATRICK MAHOMES has 32 TDs (28 pass, 4 rush) vs. 3 INTs with 116.7 rating in 10 career home playoff starts, with 2+ TD passes in each of past 5. Has 90+ rating in each of 4 career starts vs. Cin., incl. playoffs. Led NFL with 5,250 pass yards & 41 TD passes in 2022, joining Drew Brees as only players ever with 2 career seasons of 5,000+ pass yards & 40+ TD passes. Aims for 6th in row overall with 105+ rating. • RB JERICK MCKINNON led RBs with 9 rec. TDs in 2022, tied-most by RB in single season in SB era. Finished reg. season with TD catch in 6 straight games, incl. Week 13 vs. Cin., longest streak ever by RB. • RB ISIAH PACHECO (rookie) rushed for 95 yards in playoff debut last week. Ranked 4th among rookie RBs with 830 rush yards & 2nd with 5 rush TDs, both 3rd-most ever by KC rookie. Had rush TD in Week 13 meeting. • TE TRAVIS KELCE had 14 catches for 98 yards & 2 TDs last week, his 7th straight playoff game with 95+ rec. yards, longest streak in NFL history. Has 1,389 career postseason rec. yards, tied 3rd-most ever. Aims for 5th in row in playoffs with rec. TD. Had 10 catches for 95 yards & TD in 2021 AFC-C vs. Cin. Led TEs with 110 catches (tied 2nd-most ever by TE in single season) & 1,338 rec. yards (4th-most ever by TE in single season) in 2022. • WR MARQUES VALDES-SCANTLING had rec. TD last week & aims for his 3rd in row in playoffs with TD catch. Had 71 rec. yards in Week 13 meeting.
CHIEFS DEFENSIVE NOTES
DT CHRIS JONES ranked tied-4th in NFL with 15.5 sacks in 2022 & is 1 of 5 players with 7+ sacks in each of past 5 seasons. • DE FRANK CLARK had 12th-career postseason sack last week, tied 4thmost since 1982. Had 6th-career season with 5+ sacks (5). • DE GEORGE KARLAFTIS ranked 3rd among rookies with 6 sacks in 2022. Had sack in Week 13 meeting. • LB NICK BOLTON led team with 10 tackles & had FR last week. Had 16 tackles in Week 13 meeting. Ranked 2nd in NFL with career-high 180 tackles in 2022, most by KC player in single season since at least 2000. • CB L’JARIUS SNEED was 1 of 2 players in 2022 with 100+ tackles (108), 3+ sacks (3.5) & 3+ INTs (3). Aims for his 4th in row in playoffs with 9+ tackles.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TIME 6:30 PM ET
TV CBS, Paramount+: Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson (field reporter)
NATIONAL RADIO Westwood One: Ian Eagle, Tony Boselli, Laura Okmin (field reporter)
Cincinnati SiriusXM 82 or 225 and the SXM App
Kansas City SiriusXM 81 or 227 and the SXM App
National SiriusXM 88 and the SXM App
JOE BURROW, BENGALS GO FOR 4-0 VS. KC IN AFC TITLE REMATCH
The Bengals and Chiefs have become familiar foes.
When the teams face off Sunday in Kansas City to determine the AFC champion, it’ll be their fourth meeting in 393 days and a rematch of last year’s conference title game.
The No. 1 seed Chiefs (15-3) dropped all three games, including a 27-24 loss in Cincinnati on Dec. 4. That was the same score for the Bengals’ overtime victory in Kansas City in this game last season.
The Bengals (14-4) are riding a 10-game winning streak after eliminating the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round.
Both teams are here because of their quarterbacks.
Sure, they have plenty of talented players on both sides of the ball. But these are two pass-happy squads who rely on their QBs to carry the offensive load with their arms.
All-Pro Patrick Mahomes led the NFL with 5,250 yards passing and 41 TDs, helping the Chiefs reach the AFC championship game for the fifth straight season.
Joe Burrow threw for 4,475 yards and 35 TDs and has led the Bengals to a 5-1 record in the playoffs over the past two seasons.
The Chiefs are seeking their third trip to the Super Bowl in four seasons and fifth overall.
The Bengals are aiming for their fourth appearance in the Super Bowl.
WHEN THE BENGALS HAVE THE BALL:
It’s the Joe “Cool” show. With Burrow leading the way, the Bengals had the fifth-ranked passing offense in the league. Burrow has two talented wide receivers in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Chase had 87 catches for 1,046 yards and nine TDs. Higgins had 74 for 1,029 and seven scores. Tyler Boyd (58-762-5) and tight end Hayden Hurst (52-414-2) also are integral parts of the passing attack. So are running backs Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine, who combined for 98 receptions for 728 yards and six TDs.
The Bengals had the fourth-fewest yards rushing in the NFL, but Mixon and Perine can do their damage. Perine had 106 yards rushing against the Chiefs last month. Mixon ran for 105 in last week’s win over Buffalo.
Cincinnati’s depleted offensive line has a tough task trying to stop All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones and end Frank Clark. Jones had 15 1/2 of Kansas City’s 55 sacks. Clark had six and added another in a win over the Jaguars last week.
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is aggressive and isn’t afraid to blitz to bring more pressure. Rookie cornerback Jaylen Watson, who had a pick against Jacksonville, L’Jarius Sneed and Trent McDuffie have a difficult challenge against Cincy’s wideouts.
Linebackers Nick Bolton, Willie Gay and safety Justin Reid are always around the ball.
The Chiefs had the 11th-ranked defense, eighth against the run and 18th against the pass.
WHEN THE CHIEFS HAVE THE BALL:
A high ankle sprain may slow Mahomes down, but the superstar has proven to be superhuman on the football field. Whether it’s off-balance throws, no-look or sidearm passes, or using his legs to escape the pocket, Mahomes is the king of improvising. He lost All-Pro wideout Tyreek Hill to an offseason trade but didn’t miss a beat. All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce had 110 catches in the regular season and 14 more vs. the Jaguars. He’s the go-to guy for Mahomes anytime he needs a first down or big play.
JuJu Smith-Schuster stepped into the No. 1 wide receiver role and caught 78 balls for 933 yards. Marquez Valdes-Scantling had 42 for 687. Running back Jerick McKinnon had 56 catches.
Rookie seventh-round pick Isiah Pacheco led the Chiefs with 830 yards and he had 95 against Jacksonville. Kansas City was 20th in rushing, averaging 115.9 yards per game.
Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo came up with an excellent game plan to shut down Josh Allen and the Bills in the divisional round. He only blitzed seven times, but used it creatively and disguised it to confuse Allen.
The Bengals only had 30 sacks, 14 1/2 of those coming from Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard. Linebackers Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt and safeties Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates are Cincinnati’s top tacklers.
Cornerbacks Mike Hilton, Eli Apple and Cam Taylor-Britt should expect plenty of action with Mahomes throwing their way.
Nobody can stop Kelce but the Bengals have to figure out a way to limit his production.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
Bengals kicker Evan McPherson was clutch in the playoffs as a rookie last season. He missed four extra points this season, including two in the last four games. He’s made 16 of his past 17 field goals. McPherson has a strong leg. He’s 14 for 16 from beyond 50 yards in his career, including all five in 2022.
Cincinnati is bottom third in punting but has improved since Drue Chrisman replaced Kevin Huber. Chrisman has dropped three of his five punts in the playoffs inside the 20.
The Bengals’ return teams are middle of the pack.
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker battled injuries and had his least accurate season, converting only 75% of his field goals. But he made both tries from 50 yards last week.
Punter Tommy Townsend had an All-Pro season with a net of 45.6 yards.
The Chiefs’ return teams were both in the top seven.
COACHING:
Chiefs coach Andy Reid is a future Hall of Famer. He’s tied with Tom Landry for second place with 20 career playoff wins. Only Bill Belichick (31) has more. This is Reid’s 10th conference championship game, five with the Eagles and five with the Chiefs. He’s 3-6.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor is one of the league’s bright, young minds. Only 39, Taylor has rebounded from winning six games combined his first two seasons to guide the Bengals to consecutive AFC championship games.
INTANGIBLES:
It’s revenge time for Mahomes and the Chiefs, who only measure success by winning the Super Bowl. They’ve got the home-field advantage at raucous Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bengals felt disrespected because the league sold 50,000 tickets for a potential neutral-site Bills-Chiefs game this week that isn’t happening. They’ll play that card for as long as they’re playing this season.
49ERS-EAGLES NFC CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHUP HAS OLD-SCHOOL FEEL
Nasty defenses. Strong rushing offenses. Physical in the trenches.
This 49ers-Eagles matchup in the NFC championship game Sunday has all the elements of old-school football.
But don’t overlook all the playmakers at the skill positions on both teams.
Philadelphia has running back Miles Sanders, wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert to go with quarterback Jalen Hurts, a finalist for both the AP NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year.
San Francisco has running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk and tight end George Kittle to take pressure off rookie QB Brock Purdy, the last player selected in the draft.
The defenses are ranked 1-2 in the NFL. The coaching staffs feature some of the game’s most brilliant minds.
Home-field advantage is the clear edge. Philadelphia’s rabid fans are programmed to make life miserable for opponents.
Both teams are quite familiar playing for a trip to the Super Bowl.
The Eagles (15-3) are in the NFC title game for the seventh time in 22 seasons and are seeking their third Super Bowl appearance in that span. They won it all after the 2017 season.
The Niners (15-4) are making a record 18th appearance in this game, second in a row and third in four years. They’re 7-10 overall.
WHEN THE 49ERS HAVE THE BALL:
Purdy is 7-0 since replacing the injured Jimmy Garoppolo, who took over after Trey Lance got hurt in Week 2.
He has thrown 16 touchdown passes, four interceptions and posted a 107.3 passer rating in the regular season, earning a spot as a finalist for the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Purdy has plenty of help. McCaffrey had 746 yards rushing, 464 yards receiving and 10 TDs combined after the 49ers acquired him in a trade with Carolina.
Samuel had 864 yards combined receiving and rushing in 13 games, Aiyuk had 1,015 yards receiving and Kittle caught 11 TDs.
Coach Kyle Shanahan is known for his creative offensive system and game plans.
The Eagles led the NFL with 70 sacks and can generate pressure without needing to blitz. Haason Reddick had 16 sacks. Javon Hargrave, Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat each had 11. Cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry are among the best duos in the game and the Eagles had the No. 1 pass defense in the NFL. But they’re 16th against the run.
Shanahan knows his best option will be to attack Philadelphia on the ground.
WHEN THE EAGLES HAVE THE BALL:
Philadelphia’s rise this season is due to Hurts developing into one of the best all-around players in the game. The addition of wide receiver Brown has been a major boost to the passing game. The Eagles can beat teams in the air with Hurts throwing to Brown, Smith and Goedert or on the ground with Sanders, Kenny Gainwell and Boston Scott. Brown and Smith both had more than 1,000 yards receiving, Sanders ran for 1,268 yards and Hurts also ran for 760 yards and 13 scores.
It all starts for Philadelphia behind a dominant offensive line featuring All-Pros Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson.
Coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Shane Steichen have implemented a system that allowed Hurts to thrive and the Eagles have looked unstoppable at times. But the 49ers have the No. 1 defense featuring three All-Pros: edge rusher Nick Bosa, linebacker Fred Warner and safety Talanoa Hufanga. Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, a hot coaching candidate, will present Philly its toughest test.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
Niners kicker Robbie Gould is perfect in the playoffs. Not just this season, but over his entire career. He’s made all 38 extra points and 29 field goals.
Eagles kicker Jake Elliott, who was part of the Super Bowl championship team five years ago, is 16 of 18 on extra points and 12 of 12 on field goals.
Niners punter Mitch Wishnowsky had a 39.7 net average while Eagles veteran Brett Kern has a 36.6 net in four games since joining the team.
Ray-Ray McLoud is a solid returner for the Niners. Scott and Britain Covey handle return duties for the Eagles.
COACHING:
Shanahan is 6-2 in the playoffs and aiming for his second trip to the Super Bowl in four seasons. He was offensive coordinator for Atlanta when the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead against Tom Brady and the Patriots in Super Bowl 51.
Sirianni is 23-11 in two seasons as a head coach, including 1-1 in the playoffs. He never coached in a conference title game as an assistant.
INTANGIBLES:
Fans. Fly Eagles Fly. Opponents hate going to the Linc to face the rowdy, obnoxious Philly faithful. It’s a rabid crowd that would turn on their own team if they fall behind early.
CAROLINA PANTHERS HIRE FRANK REICH AS NEW HEAD COACH
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) The Carolina Panthers agreed to terms with Frank Reich to become their new head coach on Thursday.
The 61-year-old Reich joins the Panthers after spending the past four-plus seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, where he went 40-33-1 as head coach before being fired on Nov. 7 after a 3-5-1 start. The Colts went to the playoffs twice as a wild-card team under Reich, going 1-2 in the postseason.
For Reich, the hire represents a return to Carolina where he spent one season as the team’s quarterback and started the franchise’s inaugural game in 1995.
Reich inherits a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2017 – and hasn’t won a postseason game since winning the NFC championship in 2015 with league MVP Cam Newton at quarterback.
The Panthers have been searching for stability at quarterback ever since Newton began struggling with injuries shortly after the team’s 24-10 loss to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50. The Panthers cut Baker Mayfield earlier this offseason and Sam Darnold is an unrestricted free agent, so Reich will have a key say in the future of the team’s quarterback situation.
As of now, Scott Fitterer remains the team’s general manager.
Reich becomes the first Panthers head coach to come from an offensive background.
Prior to joining the Colts, Reich worked two years as the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles helping them win the Super Bowl in his second season under head coach Doug Pederson.
Reich spent 14 seasons as an NFL quarterback and has been in coaching since 2006 when he initially joined the Colts as an intern.
Panthers owner David Tepper has been eager to establish a winning program since purchasing the team for a then-record $2.3 billion in 2018 from Jerry Richardson, who sold the team amid allegations of sexual and racial misconduct in the workplace.
The Panthers are 29-53 since Tepper purchased the team and have never won more than seven games in a season.
Reich becomes the sixth full-time head coach of the Panthers, following Dom Capers, George Seifert, John Fox, Ron Rivera and Matt Rhule.
Rivera is a minority, but the Panthers have never hired a full-time Black coach. They’ve had two Black coaches who’ve worked on an interim basis – Perry Fewell and Steve Wilks.
The Panthers interviewed nine candidates for the job, including Wilks, who went 6-6 last season. Wilks took over for Rhule, who was fired by Tepper less than three seasons after giving him a seven-year, $72 million contract.
Rhule was 11-27 overall, and the Panthers were 1-4 when he was fired.
Among the others who interviewed included former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, former Detroit Lions and Colts head coach Jim Caldwell, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and four NFL offensive coordinators – Kellen Moore (Cowboys), Shane Steichen (Eagles), Mike Kafka (Giants) and Ken Dorsey (Bills).
The Panthers are now expected to turn their attention to hiring a defensive coordinator.
Among the candidates the Panthers have already interviewed for that position is Vic Fangio, the former head coach of the Denver Broncos. Fangio was the Panthers defensive coordinator in 1995 when Reich was the quarterback.
Wilks served as the team’s defensive coordinator before being promoted to interim coach and it’s unclear if he might consider staying on at a reduced role.
JETS HIRE FORMER BRONCOS COACH HACKETT TO RUN OFFENSE
(AP) — The New York Jets have their new offensive play caller. Next up: finding their quarterback.
Former Denver Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett was hired Thursday as the Jets’ offensive coordinator to replace Mike LaFleur after coach Robert Saleh interviewed more than 15 candidates for the vacancy during the last two weeks.
“When it came back to a certain checklist that I was trying to go through,” Saleh said during a video call, “just checking boxes with regard to what we were looking for from this next offensive coordinator, we just kept circling back to him.
“He checks every box that we’re looking for.”
The hiring of the 43-year-old Hackett fuels speculation about whether the Jets could pursue Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, whose playing future is uncertain. Hackett and Rodgers have a connection: Hackett served as the Packers’ offensive coordinator from 2019-21 with Rodgers as the quarterback.
Rodgers said recently during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on SiriusXM and YouTube he believes he can still play at an MVP-type level in the right situation. But the four-time MVP hasn’t decided whether to return to the Packers, retire or request a trade.
Saleh said during the interview process that he and Hackett didn’t discuss specific quarterbacks. The Jets coach had said he was looking for an experienced play caller to replace LaFleur, who was a first-time offensive coordinator.
“Everybody’s got a connection to everybody in this league,” Saleh said. “The most important thing was finding a guy who could continue developing our young guys at a very high level, a guy who has done it before and a guy who’s had success in this league with a variety of different quarterbacks.”
Hackett went 4-11 in less than one season as head coach of the Broncos, who fired him a day after Denver’s 51-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Christmas. Hackett, who has helped lead three top-10 scoring offenses as a coordinator, replaced Vic Fangio last January. But he wasn’t able to build an offense that suited veteran Russell Wilson with the Broncos.
“You’ve got to have the discipline to look past recency bias,” Saleh said. “The fact of the matter is he got to Denver and he had that opportunity because of his life’s work as an offensive coordinator and all the different things he’s done in this league and how much respect he has garnered throughout the league.”
Saleh highlighted Hackett’s work in a West Coast scheme, which the Jets ran under LaFleur, along with a proven track record of developing a strong run game and the success he has had with various quarterbacks.
With the Jets, Hackett comes to a team that struggled mightily on offense in LaFleur’s two seasons and is facing a major question at quarterback. Zach Wilson has not lived up to expectations after being selected second overall in the 2021 draft. Mike White and Joe Flacco, who both started at times in Wilson’s place, are set to become free agents.
Jets owner Woody Johnson said after the season, during which New York finished 7-10 and on a six-game losing streak, that he would “absolutely” be on board with acquiring a veteran quarterback in the offseason. Saleh confirmed the Jets are “committed” to finding a veteran this offseason – but also want to continue to develop Wilson.
Hackett and Saleh first worked together in Jacksonville from 2015-16 when Hackett was the Jaguars’ quarterbacks coach and Saleh the linebackers coach. Hackett took over as Jacksonville’s interim offensive coordinator in 2016 before being hired for the position the following season, and he helped lead Blake Bortles and the Jaguars to the AFC title game that season.
He was fired in the middle of the next season after Jacksonville struggled, but Hackett was hired by Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur – Mike’s older brother – in 2019. With Hackett in place and LaFleur calling plays, Rodgers and the Packers were the NFL’s top-scoring offense during the 2020 season, when Green Bay went to the NFC championship game.
“He’s got a laundry list of stuff that we’re all really, really excited about,” Saleh said of Hackett, who also served as Buffalo’s offensive coordinator from 2013-14.
Saleh added the Jets still want to add a senior offensive assistant/adviser because he liked the structure the team had when the late Greg Knapp was on staff before the 2021 season.
The Jets also announced that Keith Carter was hired as the team’s offensive line coach/run game coordinator, replacing the fired John Benton.
Carter was Tennessee’s O-line coach the last five seasons. The Derrick Henry-led Titans had three top-five rushing finishes in Carter’s last four seasons with the team. Saleh said he was “shocked” Carter was fired by the Titans two weeks ago.
“Feels like we hit a home run,” Saleh said of Carter’s hiring.
COWBOYS MOVE ON FROM 6 MCCARTHY ASSISTANTS ON EXPIRING DEALS
FRISCO, Texas (AP) The Dallas Cowboys are not renewing the contracts of six members of coach Mike McCarthy’s staff, including senior assistants Rob Davis and George Edwards.
The club announced the moves Thursday, four days after a 19-12 loss to San Francisco that extended Dallas’ losing streak in the divisional round to seven games, the longest since the 1970 merger.
The other assistants on expiring contracts who won’t return are offensive line coach and former Miami head coach Joe Philbin, running backs coach Skip Peete, assistant defensive line coach Leon Lett and quality control analyst Kyle Valero.
McCarthy was scheduled to address reporters for the final time this season later Thursday.
The Cowboys, who finished 13-6, could also end up losing defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Both have been interviewing for head coaching jobs.
Davis, the assistant head coach, had the longest relationship with McCarthy. He served as McCarthy’s director of player engagement in Green Bay from 2008-17. Davis was the long snapper for the Packers when McCarthy was hired as coach in 2006.
Edwards was a senior defensive assistant who took a leading role with the linebackers and was praised on Twitter by two-time All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons.
Edwards joined the Cowboys when McCarthy was hired in 2020, as did Philbin and Peete. It was Peete’s second stint as Dallas’ running backs coach.
Lett, a two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman who played on all three Super Bowl-winning Dallas teams in the 1990s, just finished his 12th season on the staff. Valero had been with the Cowboys since 2014.
AP SOURCE: BUFFALO BILLS FIRE SAFETIES COACH JIM SALGADO
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) The Buffalo Bills have fired safeties coach Jim Salgado, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the Bills have not announced the move. ESPN.com first reported the firing.
Salgado just completed his sixth season with Buffalo, and his first coaching safeties. He broke in with the team as a defensive assistant in 2017 before being promoted to overseeing the nickel cornerback position in 2020.
Salgado’s firing comes days after the Bills’ season ended Sunday with a 27-10 loss to Cincinnati in the divisional round of the playoffs. And it follows a year in which injuries depleted Buffalo’s depth at safety, with the most notable to Damar Hamlin, who went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field in Cincinnati on Jan. 2.
Hamlin continues to recover and was healthy enough to attend Buffalo’s last game.
Hamlin was starting in place of veteran starter Micah Hyde, who had surgery to repair a herniated disk after being injured in Week 2. Starter Jordan Poyer, meanwhile, spent a majority of the season playing through an assortment of injuries.
Coach Sean McDermott declined to discuss any potential changes to his staff during his end-of-season news conference on Monday, saying he needed more time for evaluation. McDermott didn’t mention his secondary but did specify he was disappointed with the inconsistent play of Buffalo’s defensive line, especially after pass rusher Von Miller sustained a season-ending knee injury in November.
Buffalo’s season ended with a thud following a 13-3 regular-season finish in which it matched a single-season record for victories and won its third consecutive AFC East title.
Overall, the Bills’ secondary, which was previously the team’s strength, featured a revolving door of players. Starting cornerback Tre’Davious White missed the first three months of the season recovering from a knee injury. Injuries and inconsistent play led to Buffalo splitting the other starting cornerback position among three players, including rookie first-round draft pick Kaiir Elam.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
COLLEGE BASKETBALL BROADCASTER BILLY PACKER DIES AT 82
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Billy Packer, an Emmy award-winning college basketball broadcaster who covered 34 Final Fours for NBC and CBS, died Thursday. He was 82.
Packer’s son, Mark, told The Associated Press that his father had been hospitalized in Charlotte for the past three weeks and had several medical issues, and ultimately succumbed to kidney failure.
Packer’s broadcasting career coincided with the growth of college basketball. He worked as analyst or color commentator on every Final Four from 1975 to 2008. He received a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio and Sports Analyst in 1993.
“He really enjoyed doing the Final Fours,” Mark Packer said. “He timed it right. Everything in life is about timing. The ability to get involved in something that, frankly, he was going to watch anyway, was a joy to him. And then college basketball just sort of took off with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and that became, I think, the catalyst for college basketball fans to just go crazy with March Madness.”
Packer played three seasons at Wake Forest, and helped lead the Demon Deacons to the Final Four in 1962, but it was his work as an analyst that brought him the most acclaim.
He joined NBC in 1974 and called his first Final Four in 1975. UCLA beat Kentucky in the title game that year in what was John Wooden’s final game as coach.
Packer was also part of the broadcast in 1979 with Dick Enberg and Al McGuire when Magic Johnson’s Michigan State team beat Larry Bird’s Indiana State squad in the title game. That remains highest-rated game in basketball history with a 21.1 Nielsen rating, which is an estimated 35.1 million viewers.
Packer went to CBS in the fall of 1981, when the network acquired the rights to the NCAA Tournament. He remained the network’s main analyst until the 2008 Final Four.
In 1996 at CBS, Packer was involved in controversy when he used the term “tough monkey? to describe then-Georgetown star Allen Iverson during a game. Packer later said he “was not apologizing for what I said, because what I said has no implications in my mind whatsoever to do with Allen Iverson’s race.?
Sean McManus, the chairman of CBS Sports, said Packer was “synonymous with college basketball for more than three decades and set the standard of excellence as the voice of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.”
“He had a tremendous impact on the growth and popularity of the sport.” McManus said. “In true Billy fashion, he analyzed the game with his own unique style, perspective and opinions, yet always kept the focus on the game. As passionate as he was about basketball, at his heart Billy was a family man. He leaves part of his legacy at CBS Sports, across college basketball and, most importantly, as a beloved husband, father and grandfather. He will be deeply missed by all.”
Packer was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale took to Twitter as word of Packer’s death spread. “So sad to learn of the passing of Billy Packer who had such a passion for college basketball,” Vitale tweeted. “My (prayers) go out to Billy’s son Mark & the entire Packer family. Always had great RESPECT for Billy & his partners Dick Enberg & Al McGuire-they were super. May Billy RIP.”
College basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla tweeted: “We fell in love (with) college basketball because of you. Your voice will remain in my head forever.”
Packer was viewed as a controversial figure during his broadcasting days, often drawing the ire of college basketball fans, particularly on North Carolina’s “Tobacco Road.”
“As a kid, I was a big NC State fan growing up, and I would watch a game and the next day I’d be like, `Boy you sure have it out for NC State, don’t you?’ And he would just laugh,” Mark Packer said.
The younger Packer, who is the host of ACC PM on the ACC Network, said it didn’t matter what school – most fans felt the same way about his father.
“He would cover North Carolina game and Tar Heels fans would be like, `you hate North Carolina,'” Mark Packer said. “Wake (Forest) fans would be like, `you hate us.’ And Billy just sort of got a kick out of that. I mean, people would be all over him. But he honestly did not give a crap.”
Mark Packer said that while most fans will remember his father as a broadcaster, he’ll remember him even more for his business acumen. He said his father was a big real estate investor, and also owned a vape company, among other ventures.
“Billy was always a bit of a hustler – he was always looking for that next business deal,” Packer said.
BOOGIE ELLIS SCORES 31, LEADS USC OVER NO. 8 UCLA 77-64
LOS ANGELES (AP) This time, Southern California finished the job.
Boogie Ellis scored 27 of his career-high 31 points in the second half, leading a 27-6 run that put the Trojans ahead for good, and USC defeated No. 8 UCLA 77-64 on Thursday night.
Three weeks ago, the Bruins eked out a 60-58 win over their crosstown rival after blowing an 18-point lead in front of their home fans.
Ellis and Drew Peterson, who finished with 16 points, reminded their teammates at halftime of how close they came on Jan. 5.
“We can’t panic,” Ellis told them. “We’re going to come out and hit them in the mouth in the second half.”
The Trojans surely did. Ellis put on a show after he scored four points and went 0-for-5 from 3-point range in the first half when USC trailed by 12.
The Trojans (15-6, 7-3 Pac-12) improved to 10-1 at home this season, having won 10 straight at Galen Center since dropping their season opener to Florida Gulf Coast.
“It’s a good win, but we still got work to handle,” Ellis said.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 15 points and David Singleton and Tyger Campbell added 14 points each for the Bruins (17-4, 8-2). The loss was just the second time this season they’ve dropped two in a row.
USC roared out of halftime, overcoming a 12-point deficit and surging to take a 52-43 lead. Ellis stole the ball and fed Reese Dixon-Waters for the go-ahead layup. Ellis followed with a 3-pointer and Kobe Johnson also made a 3, getting raucous fans on their feet. Peterson capped the spurt with a dunk.
“Rivalry games are performance. Their guys stepped up and were raining in shots and we didn’t,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “Give them credit.”
The Trojans’ defense harassed the Bruins into 13 turnovers that led to 20 points for USC. UCLA was limited to two baskets and a free throw over the first 10 minutes. It was the first time this season the Bruins had more turnovers than the other team.
“It’s all about toughness and taking care of the ball. That’s what we’re all about,” Jaquez said. “We’re a team that usually takes care of the ball. When we don’t, bad things happen.”
Ellis kept pouring it on. He sidestepped a flying Campbell to hit an open jumper and later made his third 3-pointer in the half. Ellis made all 10 of his free throws, and the Trojans were 17 of 18 from the line.
UCLA got within two twice in the final five minutes but couldn’t stop Ellis.
“We were giving him open looks,” Jaquez said. “He got comfortable.”
BIG PICTURE
UCLA: The pressure of their 14-game winning streak ended in the Arizona desert last week with a 58-52 loss to the Wildcats. Now at the halfway point of the Pac-12 schedule, the Bruins play six of their remaining 10 games at home. Their toughest opponent left is No. 6 Arizona to close out the regular season.
USC: Things continue looking up for 7-foot-1 freshman Vincent Iwuchukwu. He played in his fifth game of the season after returning to limited practice in December. Last July, Iwuchukwu suffered cardiac arrest during a team workout. He had a career-high 12 points and five rebounds at Arizona State last weekend. Against the Bruins he had six points in 17 minutes.
HEISMAN IN THE HOUSE
Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams took center court during a timeout, flashing the Trojans’ V for victory salute and earning a standing ovation. He then tossed T-shirts before re-taking his seat in the student section.
SEAT YOURSELF
Former UCLA great Bill Walton, working as an analyst for ESPN2, stood up and joined in to spell out “Y.M.C.A.” during a timeout. Walton was spotted walking outside Galen Center carrying his own chair to sit in on the sideline. He has previously undergone spine surgery after battling myriad injuries during his NBA career.
UP NEXT
UCLA: Hosts Washington on Feb. 2.
USC: Hosts Washington State on Feb. 2.
NBA NEWS
RANDLE SCORES 37, KNICKS RALLY TO BEAT CELTICS 120-117 IN OT
BOSTON (AP) The Knicks are a young team that’s still learning how to string together victories.
They’re hoping to bottle several lessons from their latest outing.
Julius Randle had 37 points and nine rebounds, and hit the free throws that gave New York the lead for good in a 120-117 overtime win over the East-leading Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
Jalen Brunson added 29 points, seven assists and a game-ending blocked shot for the Knicks, who have won two straight. RJ Barrett had 19 points and Immanuel Quickley finished with 17 points and five rebounds.
“We held our own,” Barrett said. “We played together and we played hard. We got the good result.”
Boston’s Jaylen Brown had a chance to put the Celtics ahead with 7.6 seconds remaining, but misfired on two free throws, forcing the Celtics to foul.
“Just got to be better,” Brown said. “Tonight was just a rough game and I’m a better basketball player than I played today. Those two free throws embodied the whole game for me.”
Jayson Tatum, who was voted an All-Star game starter for the third consecutive season prior to tip-off, finished with 35 points and 14 rebounds. Brown added 22 points and nine rebounds for Boston, which has lost three straight for just the second time this season.
New York led by 13 in the fourth quarter but scored just four points in the final 5:26 of regulation to help the Celtics send the game to OT.
Randle said he never saw panic in his teammates’ eyes during the Celtics’ comeback.
“Just poise,” he said. “We’ve been in those type of situations all year. So I feel like we’re getting more and more comfortable in those situations.”
Boston scored the first five points of the extra frame. New York responded by scoring the next six, taking a 116-115 lead on Barrett’s 3-pointer from the wing.
“I didn’t have a good shooting night, but I was ready to take that shot,” Barrett said. “I feel like we’re getting more comfortable in those situations.”
Brown nudged the Celtics back in front with a driving layup out of a timeout with 24 seconds remaining. Randle’s two free throws then put New York back in front for good at 118-117.
Boston had a final chance to tie but Brunson blocked Malcolm Brogdon’s 3-point try.
Tatum hit his first five shots of the night. He struggled in the second and third quarters but had 11 in the fourth quarter to lead Boston’s rally.
The Celtics struggled to find an offensive flow throughout, shooting 41% with 13 turnovers.
FRANTIC FINISH
The Knicks outscored the Celtics 33-25 in the third quarter and took a six-point edge into the fourth.
The lead grew to 102-89 on a pair of free throws by Miles McBride with just over seven minutes to play. The Celtics charged back and had a chance to win it regulation, but Tatum missed a 19-footer and Robert Williams had his follow shot blocked as time expired.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Randle had a driving, one-handed dunk over Tatum late in the third that was part of a 14-5 run to put New York in front 87-78. . . Outscored the Celtics 48-42 in the paint. . Evan Fournier missed his second straight game (personal reasons).
Celtics: Dropped to 18-6 at home, with three of those defeats coming in overtime. … Marcus Smart sat for the third straight game with a sprained right ankle. Interim coach Joe Mazzulla said he is wearing a special sock to help reduce swelling. He remains day-to-day. . Boston hit 7 of their first 9 attempts from the field and led by as many as 15 points in the first quarter. They finished the period by hitting 5 of their final 18 shots and held a 60-58 halftime lead. . Tuesday marked the Celtics’ 6,000th regular-season game.
UP NEXT
Knicks: Visit Nets on Saturday.
Celtics: Host Lakers on Saturday.
PISTONS BEAT NETS, FIRST WIN IN BROOKLYN IN ALMOST 5 YEARS
NEW YORK (AP) Saddiq Bey scored 25 points and the Detroit Pistons won in Brooklyn for the first time in nearly five years, beating the Nets 130-122 on Thursday night.
Alec Burks added 20 for the Pistons, who snapped a four-game losing streak. They were playing for the first time since giving up 150 points in a loss to Milwaukee on Monday, when they were down 49-24 after one quarter.
“We just knew we had to start off better than that and just play better throughout the four quarters,” said Bey, who added nine rebounds. “So I think we were very eager just to nip that one in the bud and just keep going.”
The Pistons took advantage of a short-handed Nets team playing the second night of a back-to-back to win at Barclays Center for the first time since April 1, 2018, ending a six-game skid. They had lost seven in a row overall to the Nets.
Kyrie Irving scored 40 points for the Nets, tying his career high and the Nets NBA record with five straight games of 30 or more. Nic Claxton added a career-best 27 and Edmond Sumner had 24.
But the Nets, who lost 137-133 in Philadelphia on Wednesday, ran out of gas in the second half, falling into a hole by allowing the Pistons to score 43 points on 65% shooting in the third quarter.
“They have a tendency to come out in the third quarter and try to win that. We came out and we were flat,” Irving said. “When you do that and you are reacting to everything, every possession, it makes it difficult.”
The Nets lost Ben Simmons to left knee soreness in the period after he played 20 scoreless minutes.
The Pistons closed well in the third, pushing a five-point lead with 2 1/2 minutes to play into a 101-90 advantage headed to the fourth. Bey scored 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting in the period.
“We had a big third quarter,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. “The third quarter was at one time our nemesis coming out of the locker room. I think we’re graduating, we’re growing into being a competitive team out of the locker room.”
Irving tried to rally the Nets but the Pistons never let them get too close. He also scored 30 or more points in five straight games in March 2019 with the Celtics, and joined Kevin Durant, Stephon Marbury and John Williamson as the only Nets players to do it since the franchise joined the NBA.
Jalen Duren scored 17 points and Jaden Ivey and Killian Hayes each had 16 for the Pistons, who led 30-27 after one. The Nets inched ahead 59-58 at the half.
TIP-INS
Pistons: Isaiah Stewart returned after missing Monday’s game with a sore left shoulder and had 11 points. … Bojan Bogdanovic was held to 11 points on 4-for-15 shooting after scoring 20 or more in a career-best 10 straight games.
Nets: Seth Curry sat out with right knee soreness after scoring 32 points Wednesday, his best as a Net. … The Nets returned home from a five-game trip and began a stretch where they play eight of nine at home. The Nets, who entered with a league-low 20 home games, leave New York just one more time in their 11 remaining games before the All-Star break, with one of their two road games at the Knicks.
ALL-STARS
With Durant and Irving selected, the Nets were the only team with two All-Star starters. They are the only Nets to be selected to start multiple NBA All-Star games, and Durant joined Jason Kidd (2002-04) and Vince Carter (2005-07) as the only ones to be selected to three in a row.
UP NEXT
Pistons: Host Houston on Saturday.
Nets: Host New York on Saturday.
ROZIER, PLUMLEE LEAD HORNETS PAST BULLS 111-96
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Terry Rozier scored 28 points, Mason Plumlee added yet another strong performance with 21 points and 12 rebounds and the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Chicago Bulls 111-96 on Thursday night.
Gordon Hayward scored 17 points, and LaMelo Ball returned from a three-game absence due to a sprained ankle and wrist injury and chipped in with 15 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists to overcome a horrible 2-for-15 shooting night.
Plumlee, meanwhile, was 9 of 9 from the field, continuing a remarkable run in which he is averaging 17.5 points and 11.2 rebounds over the last 14 games while shooting a 75.8% (94 of 124) from the field.
Hornets coach Steve Clifford said the biggest difference is Plumlee’s game this season is he’s more confident in his free throw shooting and is attacking the basket more aggressively, trying to draw contact instead of avoiding it.
Plumlee shot 39.2% from the free throw line last year and eventually changed from shooting right-handed to left-handed.
He’s shooting 66.6% from the line this year with his left hand.
“He has such good instincts, he’s faking and creating contact versus the film I watched last year, he wasn’t going into contact as much,” Clifford said. “… He’s taking the ball hard to the basket, and he feels good about his free throw shooting. To be able to do what he’s done (switching shooting hands), I’m not sure many people can do that. He was in here all summer doing it, so he’s got confidence.”
Plumlee is even shooting his jump shots left-handed, although he doesn’t attempt many.
But he buried a 14-footer with 1:30 left in the game to put Charlotte up by 12, screaming excitedly at the Hornets’ bench prompting his teammates to jump out of their seats and wave towels.
“He works on it every day, so it’s about time he took one,” joked Rozier.
Said Plumlee: “Just felt good. Low clock, stepping into it. It felt good.”
DeMar DeRozan had 28 points for the Bulls, while Zach LaVine finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, but was quiet in the second half. Patrick Williams had 15 points, but Chicago’s three-game win streak came to an end.
The Bulls built a 55-47 lead at halftime behind a balanced attack while holding the Hornets to 39.5% shooting the first half.
But the Hornets battled back to tie the game at 71 late in the third quarter behind Rozier, who tied a franchise record with five third quarter steals while turning the momentum with six straight points.
Charlotte began to pull away in the fourth quarter, building a 97-88 lead behind a 3-pointer from Ball and a driving layup by Plumlee. Ball and Plumlee combined for 18 points in the fourth.
The Hornets had lost seven of their last nine games, but played an inspired second half, particularly on defense. They limited to the Bulls to 5-of-24 shooting from the field and outscored Chicago 34-17.
“There are going to be those nights where we didn’t shoot the ball well at all from the 3, we just didn’t,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “We have got to find just more desperation. We have got to become more desperate, and I think there are times where we are just not desperate enough and that is what it is going to take.”
VROOM VROOM
NASCAR drivers Bubba Wallace, Kurt Busch and Tyler Reddick took in the game from courtside as the part of “crossover night.” All three drive for the 23XI NASCAR team co-owned by Hornets owner Michael Jordan and driver Denny Hamlin.
TIP INS
Bulls: Only received 11 points from their bench.
Hornets: Outrebounded the Bulls 52-43.
UP NEXT
Bulls: At Orlando on Saturday.
Hornets: Host Miami on Sunday.
GARLAND SCORES 26 AS CAVALIERS RACE PAST ROCKETS 113-95
HOUSTON (AP) Darius Garland scored 26 points and Evan Mobley added 21 as the Cleveland Cavaliers routed the short-handed Houston Rockets 113-95 Thursday night despite missing Donovan Mitchell.
Garland, the fifth overall pick in the 2019 draft who turned 23 on Thursday, also had nine assists and four rebounds for the Cavs.
“Darius has continued to grow,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “This is a place where we’ve seen him grow the most is understanding the moment, understanding each game and how it’s different and what it takes from him to be a tone-setter.”
The Cavaliers led by 26 at halftime after scoring 74 points in the first two periods. The Rockets cut it to 22 on a basket by rookie Jabari Smith Jr. with 9 1/2 minutes left in the third. But Cleveland scored the next 10 points, with 3s by Garland and Dean Wade, to extend the lead to 89-57 midway through the quarter.
“Everything has been that hunt for consistency,” Bickerstaff said. “We’ve had leads before and we get a little lax and loose with the ball and things like that. But I thought they had the right approach for the majority of the game tonight.”
The Rockets ended the quarter with an 11-3 run, with five points from rookie TyTy Washington, but they still trailed 97-74 entering the fourth.
Tari Eason opened the fourth with a tip-in shot for the Rockets before Garland and Cedi Osman made consecutive 3-pointers to push Cleveland’s advantage to 103-76.
The Cavaliers scored five straight points, capped by a 3 from Wade, to make it 111-89 with about 3 1/2 minutes left, and Cleveland’s starters sat down after that.
Mitchell sat out for the fourth time in five games with a groin strain. He returned Tuesday night after missing three games, but aggravated it near the end of that game to keep him out Thursday. Mitchell, who ranks ninth in the NBA by averaging 28.3 points a game, was named a starter for the Eastern Conference in next month’s NBA All-Star Game.
Eason had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead Houston. The Rockets were without Eric Gordon, Jae’Sean Tate and Kevin Porter Jr. as they lost their second straight since snapping a 13-game skid Monday night.
The Rockets, who have the NBA’s worst record at 11-38, committed 22 turnovers and made just five of 21 3-pointers. Jalen Green, the second overall pick in the 2021 draft, was 2 of 9 for six points after scoring a career-high 42 points in Houston’s win over Minnesota on Monday.
“They’re one of the best defensive teams in the league, so the fact that they forced 22 turnovers wasn’t super surprising since going in knowing we didn’t have three of our main guys who handle the basketball,” Silas said.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Kevin Love sat out with back spasms. . Wade scored 15 off the bench. … Jarrett Allen had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Rockets: Gordon missed the game with right knee soreness. . Tate was out as part of injury management after returning from an ankle sprain. . Porter missed his eighth straight game with a bruised left foot.
ALL-STAR MITCHELL
In the wake of Mitchell’s selection as an All-Star game starter, Bickerstaff raved about how he’s approached his job in his first season in Cleveland after an off-season trade from Utah.
“I think it’s the respect piece and just a compliment to the job that he’s done,” Bickerstaff said. “To be able to come into a completely new environment and quite possibly have the best year so far in his career says a lot about him.”
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Visit Oklahoma City on Friday night.
Rockets: Visit Detroit on Saturday night.
DINWIDDIE SCORES 36, MAVS TOP SUNS 99-95 AFTER DONCIC HURT
PHOENIX (AP) Luka Doncic’s early injury on Thursday night gave the Dallas Mavericks a very valid reason to lose on the road.
Instead, Spencer Dinwiddie responded to the adversity with a season-high 36 points, Dorian Finney-Smith added 18 points and 12 rebounds, and the Mavs held on for a 99-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
“It’s just an all-around great team effort,” Finney-Smith said. “Once we found out (Luka) was out, we just stepped up.”
Dinwiddie’s hot shooting helped the Mavs thrive without Doncic, who limped to the locker room early in the first quarter with a sprained left ankle and didn’t return. The veteran guard shot 10 of 18 from the field, including 5 of 6 on 3-pointers. He also made 11 free throws.
The 29-year-old didn’t shy from taking the lead scoring role after Doncic went down. It was the first game the Mavs won this season when Doncic was injured.
“It’s just a shift in mindset in understanding the volume’s going to come and I’ve got to be more aggressive,” Dinwiddie said.
The Mavs led the entire second half but Suns guard Chris Paul made a layup with 19.7 seconds left to cut the deficit to 96-95. The Mavs were able to close it out when Dwight Powell got fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound and sank his two free throws.
“It was the whole group defensively,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “To hold a team like Phoenix under 100 points is a big deal. The guys in that locker room should be proud.”
Dinwiddie made tough shots all night, including a long 3-pointer with a few seconds left in the third quarter to give the Mavs a 76-69 lead going into the fourth. He banked in another 3 with 3:32 left that put them up 95-86.
Cam Johnson and Paul led the Suns with 22 points apiece. Deandre Ayton scored 19 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, but made just 6 of 20 shots. Paul added 10 assists.
“I thought we were a bit happy on the farm to be honest with you,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “We did not bring the same juice, energy and focus we had been bringing.”
The Mavs pushed to a 54-48 halftime lead. Dinwiddie led all scorers with 20 points before the break while Johnson had 13 for the Suns.
The Mavericks snapped a six-game losing streak against the Suns in the regular season, though they beat Phoenix in the Western Conference semifinals in seven games in last year’s playoffs.
Phoenix had its four-game winning streak snapped.
“Tonight was a battle even though Luka went out,” Ayton said. “I hope he is OK, but those dudes put up a fight man. We were supposed to take advantage of this.”
DONCIC HURT
Doncic played just three minutes before limping to the locker room during a timeout. The 23-year-old, who was voted an All-Star for the fourth straight season earlier Thursday, came into the game averaging 33.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists.
He was trying to make a move close to the basket against Johnson, but stepped on Mikal Bridges’ foot before passing the ball and limping away. Kidd called for a timeout and the 6-foot-7 guard slowly made his way to the locker room.
Kidd said Doncic was in “good spirits” after the game.
“He looked good, he looked fine,” Kidd said. “But we’ll see how he feels as we go forward.”
TIP-INS
Mavericks: F Maxi Kleber (hamstring) and F Christian Wood (thumb) were out.
Suns: Guards Devin Booker (groin), Cameron Payne (foot) and Landry Shamet (foot) were out. … Hosted their 52nd straight sellout. … Williams used 13 players.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: Travel to Utah on Saturday.
Suns: Travel to San Antonio on Saturday.
CLIPPERS EXTEND WIN STREAK TO 4 WITH 138-100 ROUT OF SPURS
LOS ANGELES (AP) Paul George scored 35 points, Kawhi Leonard added 27 and the Los Angeles Clippers extended their winning streak to a season-high four games with a 138-100 rout of the reeling San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.
It was the fifth time this season George has had at least 35 points. He is averaging 22.4 points after he missed five games earlier this month due to right hamstring soreness.
George was 14 of 19 from the field, including 5 of 8 from beyond the arc as the Clippers posted their largest winning margin since 2021. It was the 11th time since 2013 they have won a game by at least 38 points.
Leonard was 10 of 16 from the field.
Keldon Johnson scored 19 points for San Antonio, while Isaiah Roby scored 14 and Keita Bates-Diop 13. The Spurs have dropped nine of their last 10 and 12 of their 14.
The Clippers have won seven of their past nine against the Spurs and swept the four-game season series for the first time since 1996-97.
Los Angeles, which shot 58.4% from the field and made 18 3-pointers, led the entire game. It had a double-digit lead for the final 38 minutes and was up 41-25 at the end of the first quarter.
ROAD WOES
San Antonio lost for the 18th time in 23 road games and has dropped 10 straight away from home. It is the fifth time in franchise history the Spurs have dropped at least 10 straight road games in a season. Their in-season longest road losing streak is 12 set during the 1985-86 season.
The Spurs’ overall away losing mark is 22 games, which started in the 1988-89 season and extended to the following campaign.
TIP-INS
Spurs: Fell to 1-7 in the second game of a back-to-back. … Rookie Jeremy Sochan did not play after sustaining a quad injury during the fourth quarter Wednesday.
Clippers: Luke Kennard returned to the lineup and had five points in 17 minutes. Kennard has missed 20 games this season due to a right calf injury. … Marcus Morris Sr. did not play due to a rib contusion. … Norman Powell had 15 points off the bench and Robert Covington added 13. … Leonard made two 3-pointers to reach 900 for his career.
UP NEXT
Spurs: Return home to face the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.
Clippers: Begin a six-game road trip on Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks.
NHL NEWS
STAUBER WINS AGAIN, BLACKHAWKS BEAT FLAMES 5-1
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) Two games into his NHL career, Blackhawks rookie goaltender Jaxson Stauber is playing like a poised veteran.
Stauber stopped 34 shots for his second consecutive win and 13 players contributed a point as Chicago beat the Calgary Flames 5-1 Thursday night.
“Looks really solid and calm in there,” Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said. “They’re a big team and they get to the net and they’re trying to get secondary chances. He just makes a save and even if there’s some scrambling going on, he doesn’t look scrambly.”
Taylor Raddysh, Boris Katchouk, Jason Dickinson, Sam Lafferty and Connor Murphy scored for the Blackhawks (15-28-4), who entered last in the NHL standings. Max Domi had an assist, extending his point streak to four games.
Jonathan Huberdeau scored for the Flames (23-17-9), sitting outside a playoff spot in the Western Conference after winning the Pacific Division last year.
Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves for Calgary. Winless in his last four decisions (0-3-1), he fell to 13-13-5 overall. It was the 10th time this season Markstrom received no more than one goal of support.
“Obviously, it’s unacceptable,” Huberdeau said. “The way we came out and the way we played, too many odd-man rushes. They had so many chances. I feel bad for (Markstrom) because he’s been playing (well) lately and we’re not playing good in front of him.”
With goalie Alex Stalock sidelined by a concussion, Stauber and veteran Petr Mrazek are left to tend the net for Chicago. Stauber made his NHL debut Saturday in a 5-3 win at St. Louis.
“He’s had two really good showings here. Hopefully he just gets more comfortable as he goes,” Richardson said.
Stauber is in his first professional season after signing as a free agent last March. The undrafted 23-year-old played the previous two years at Providence College and began this season with Rockford of the AHL.
Stauber is the son of former NHL goalie Robb Stauber, the 1988 Hobey Baker Award winner with Minnesota as college hockey’s top player.
“He was calm, cool, collected. He’s been like that ever since he got called up,” Chicago forward Colin Blackwell said. “You can tell he’s just locked in all the time. His routine from right when he gets on the bus, he’s pretty dialed in.”
The game was tied 1-all after 20 minutes, but the Blackhawks seized control in the second period with three unanswered goals.
Katchouk one-timed a pass from Luke Philp at 9:39 past Markstrom, who was screened.
Chicago made it a two-goal lead at 15:37 when Flames defensemen Nikita Zadorov and MacKenzie Weeger both went to Patrick Kane, leaving the middle of the ice open. Kane’s pass sent Dickenson in alone and he beat Markstrom over his shoulder.
Just 30 seconds later, another defensive miscue by the Flames resulted in a 2-on-1 rush, with Blackwell setting up Lafferty for his eighth goal of the season.
The Flames outshot Chicago 18-6 in the third, but couldn’t beat Stauber. Murphy scored for the Blackhawks into an empty net.
The scattered booing from disgruntled fans throughout the period was at its loudest at the final buzzer as Calgary players left the ice.
“We made some glaring errors on the back end that cost us goals against,” Flames coach Darryl Sutter said. “You’ve got some defensemen that even though they’re younger guys, they also have to take some leadership in it, too, in terms of direction and poise.”
TOEWS AND TANEV OUT
Both teams were without key players. Calgary defenseman Chris Tanev (upper body) was out. His spot was taken by Connor Mackey, a healthy scratch the last 16 games.
Chicago was minus captain Jonathan Toews (non-COVID-19 illness). Philp was inserted into the lineup and got his first NHL point.
MILESTONE
Tyler Toffoli played in the 700th game of his career. He has played 86 games for the Flames. Toffoli has also played for Los Angeles (515 games), Vancouver (10) and Montreal (89).
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: Complete a three-game road trip Saturday night in Edmonton.
Flames: At Seattle on Friday night in their final game before the All-Star break.
SCHMALTZ HAS HAT TRICK TO BACK VEJMELKA IN COYOTES’ 5-0 WIN
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) Nick Schmaltz had his first NHL hat trick, Karel Vejmelka made 33 saves for his third shutout of the season and the Arizona Coyotes beat the St. Louis Blues 5-0 on Thursday night.
Schmaltz scored twice in a three-minute span midway through the second period, and scored again 13 seconds into the third period when his shot slid past the red line as one of the Blues knocked the goal off its moorings in a scramble in front of the net. The goal was confirmed after a review.
“Pretty cool,” Schmaltz said. “I feel like our game as a line and the team has been trending in the right direction and got rewarded tonight. It’s always fun when you can score and contribute in a big win like that. Lot of fun out there. Happy to get the first `hatty.'”
Travis Boyd and Barrett Hayton also scored in for the Coyotes in their third victory 15 games. Hayton has five goals in his last 11 games.
“It was kind of a weird play,” Schmaltz said anout his third goal. “I thought their guy pushed it (cage) off initially but I didn’t really know, so I just tried to whack it. Lucky enough they buzzed it right before they were ready to drop the puck for a faceoff. Fortunate to get that bounce.”
Vejmelka stopped a point-blank shot by Jordan Kyrou just before Schmaltz’s first goal, in what turned out to be the Blues’ best scoring chance.
“He was rested. He was ready. He was confident,” Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said about Vejmelka, who had alternated with Connor Ingram for the last eight games. “It was rare that they had a shot tonight that I was worried. There were not many situations where I was, `Oh, what is going to happen here.’ He was in control.”
Schmaltz scored his first goal 11 minutes into the second period when he tipped in cross-ice pass from Lawson Crouse for a 1-0 lead. Schmaltz picked up a loose puck along the boards three minutes later and skated in alone on Thomas Greiss, beating him high on the glove side. Greiss had 22 saves.
The Coyotes killed three power plays. St Louis had scored 14 power-play goals in its last 18 games, eighth in the league in that span. The Blues have lost three in a row and five of seven to fall back to .500 at 23-23-3.
“Those are three teams where you look at the schedule, and all due respect to to any team in this league, but those are the games you have to play better and grab points,” said Blues forward Brayden Schenn, whose team lost to Chicago and Buffalo in the previous two. “To come away with zero points, it’s obviously tough, and now you find yourself digging out of a hole again. Obviously not playing our best hockey right now.”
Defenseman Justin Faulk appeared to give the Blues a 1-0 lead five minutes into the game with a goal from the right circle, but the goal was disallowed when Robert Thomas was called for goaltender interference. Thomas skated through the crease moments before the shot went in, although the contact appeared negligible. Vejmelka said he was struck over the shoulder.
“Nothing crazy,” Vejmelka said of the contact, “but it’s no goal. They (Blues) played a really good game the first two periods. We need more wins right now. We have to be strong in the last game before the break.”
NOTES
Coyotes D Shayne Gostisbehere (upper body) is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks after being injured in the third period against Anaheim on Tuesday night. He has nine goals and 20 assists, second on the team in points to F Clayton Keller (42). . Thomas was removed from the game midway through the second period after taking a stick in the midsection and did not return. . Coyotes F Matias Maccelli returned after missing 16 games with a lower-body injury. Crouse returned after missing four games with an upper-body injury.
UP NEXT
Blues: At Colorado on Saturday night.
Coyotes: At Anaheim on Saturday night.
ROBBY FABBRI SCORES IN OT, RED WINGS BEAT CANADIENS 4-3
MONTREAL (AP) Robby Fabbri scored at 2:36 of overtime to give the Detroit Red Wings a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.
Michael Rasmussen set up Fabbri with a pass through the crease.
Rasmussen, Jonatan Berggren and Oskar Sunqvist also scored to help the Red Wings improve to 21-18-8. Moritz Seider had three assists, and Ville Husso made 20 saves.
“That was a goalie win,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “I’d have to look back on all three goals, I don’t think he loved all three of those goals, but it was us as a team. A ton of offense we’re giving up, easy offense.”
Rafael Harvey-Pinard scored twice and had an assist for Montreal. Michael Pezzetta added a goal and an assist, and Jake Allen made 38 saves. The Canadiens dropped to 20-25-4.
Harvey-Pinard tied it at 3 at with 1:21 left in the second period. He took a centering pass and beat Husso with a high backhander.
“When I was young, I dreamed of scoring goals at the Bell Centre,” Harvey-Pinard said. “So right now hearing my name, it’s special for me and I have to enjoy it and keep going.”
UP NEXT
Red Wings: At New York Islanders on Friday night.
Canadiens: At Ottawa on Saturday night in opener of home-and-home set.
HEDMAN LIFTS LIGHTNING OVER BRUINS FOR 11TH STRAIGHT AT HOME
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Victor Hedman scored the go-ahead goal with 6:31 remaining and the Tampa Bay Lightning tied a team record with their 11th straight home victory by defeating the NHL-best Boston Bruins 3-2 on Thursday night.
Brayden Point’s pass for Steven Stamkos on a 2-on-1 misfired, but the puck came right to Hedman. His shot from the left circle beat Linus Ullmark after the Boston goalie was run over by teammate Brandon Carlo, breaking a 2-all tie.
“I saw Linus went flying,” Hedman said, “I didn’t know if it was our guy or their guy (who ran over Ullmark), so I took a chance to shoot for the net.”
The Lightning matched the franchise mark for consecutive home wins, set in 2019-20. They ended Boston’s six-game winning streak and the Bruins’ run of seven road victories in a row.
“First and foremost, we had to avoid beating ourselves – manage the puck well,” Hedman said. “We had to play to our structure, and I think we did that for the better part of the game. We played pretty good hockey for most of the night, and we got rewarded with a win.”
Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov also scored for Tampa Bay, which defeated the Bruins for the first time in three tries this season. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 37 saves.
“It was two good teams that played hard,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper, whose team defeated Minnesota 4-2 on Tuesday. “This whole week has been a test for us against playoff-caliber teams – heavy, skilled teams – and so far we’ve been doing very well on the test.”
Brad Marchand and Pavel Zacha had the goals for the Bruins, who fell to 38-6-4. Ullmark stopped 32 shots.
“It was back and forth all night,” Boston defenseman Connor Clifton said. “I thought we started a little slow, but I thought we were great in the second and third. Linus played great and kept us in it. Their goalie did the same thing.”
The Lightning needed just 30 seconds to capitalize on their first power play and take a 1-0 lead. Hagel was left alone in front, took a pass from Kucherov and beat Ullmark over the blocker at 10:42.
Vasilevskiy preserved the lead late in the period by robbing Zacha and David Pastrnak less than a minute apart.
The goalies continued to excel in the second. Vasilevskiy denied Hampus Lindholm, who was alone between the hashmarks, five minutes into the period. Eight minutes later, Ullmark stopped Point on a breakaway and Stamkos on a wide-open 15-footer from the slot.
“I thought he did great,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said of Ullmark, who fell to 25-3-1. “I thought he made a lot of saves look easy; he was in such good position. Vasilevskiy played great, too. He made a lot of high-quality saves. It was a playoff-type game.”
However, Marchand got the Bruins even at 1 when he beat Vasilevskiy with a low wrist shot from the left circle at 16:58.
The Lightning took a 2-1 lead 58 seconds into the third period when Stamkos won a faceoff to Kucherov, who whipped a shot past Ullmark. But the Bruins tied it at 2:24 on a goal by Zacha, who finished off a three-way passing play.
STAT STUFF
The Lightning are 19-4-1 at Amalie Arena, and 19-0-0 when they score first. The Bruins dropped to 9-2-0 when tied entering the third period.
RIVALRY BLUES
The win was the 251st of Vasilevskiy’s career, but he’s 7-9-2 against Boston. Ullmark fell to 3-6-0 against Tampa Bay, but he’s 51-13-3 overall since joining the Bruins last season.
UP NEXT
Bruins: Continue a five-game trip at Florida on Saturday night.
Lightning: Complete a three-game homestand against Los Angeles on Saturday night.
MEN’S GOLF
REED FARES BETTER THAN MCILROY AFTER DELAYED START IN DUBAI
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Patrick Reed fared better than Rory McIlroy after some pre-tournament friction as the Dubai Desert Classic got off to a wet start Thursday with only 11 players managing to finish their weather-affected first rounds.
Play only began at the European tour event after a delay of six hours caused by heavy overnight rain that left the course unplayable at Emirates Golf Club.
By the time the siren sounded to suspend play because of fading light, Reed was 4 under par after 16 holes and top-ranked McIlroy was 2 under having played 15 holes.
Thomas Pieters was leading on 5 under, though he also had three holes to play. Three English players – Matthew Jordan, Daniel Gavins and Oliver Wilson – held the clubhouse lead after shooting rounds of 4-under 68.
“It’s certainly strange around here,” Jordan said of the wet conditions, “to see water hazards and stuff in places that you don’t expect it to be.”
Reed and McIlroy traded verbal blows Wednesday after an interaction – of sorts – at the practice range on Tuesday that saw McIlroy snub Reed, who had gone over to wish the Northern Irishman a happy new year. Reed walked away before tossing a tee – featuring a logo of his 4 Aces team in the LIV Golf league – in the direction of McIlroy, one of the most vocal critics of the Saudi-run breakaway series.
Reed said it was “unfortunate” that McIlroy didn’t shake his hand and was quoted as describing McIlroy as “an immature little child.”
It has set the scene for a potential on-course head-to-head in Dubai between two of golf’s most high-profile players. It didn’t come Thursday, with McIlroy starting at No. 10 in his first event of 2023 and Reed opening at the first hole.
McIlroy bogeyed two of his first six holes after leaving chips from the fringe short. He got up and down from a greenside bunker for birdie at No. 18, picked up more shots at No. 2 and 3, and was lining up a birdie putt from inside 4 feet on No. 7 when the siren went off.
Reed birdied three of his first five holes and rebounded from a bogey at No. 10 by holing short birdie putts at Nos. 12 and 14.
Tommy Fleetwood (15 holes) and Victor Perez (16 holes), who won the Abu Dhabi Championship last week, were also on 4 under when they had to leave the course.
Half the field had yet to get on the course and will start their first rounds on Friday. Players were informed in the early hours of Thursday morning that Emirates Golf Club was “inaccessible” and told not to travel to the course due to several roads being flooded following heavy rain.
Play finally got underway following a few hours of dry weather and a massive clean-up operation by ground staff.
“It’s tough,” Jordan said. “I mean, it was nice to see that at 5.20 a.m. I could roll back over in bed and have a lie-in. So that was nice.”
RYDER EXTENDS FARMERS LEAD TO 3, RAHM GETS HOT ON WINDY DAY
SAN DIEGO (AP) Sam Ryder extended his lead to three shots in the Farmers Insurance Open with a 4-under 68 in challenging wind in the second round Thursday on Torrey Pines’ South Course while Jon Rahm had an eagle and three straight birdies late in his 5-under 67 on the easier North Course to get under the cut line.
Ryder survived both the Santa Ana wind and the tougher South Course with just one bogey to reach 12-under 132 and take a three-stroke lead over Brendan Steele, who shot a 70 on the South Course. Tano Goya was two more shots back after a 67 on the North Course.
The Santa Ana wind blowing out of the desert and down the mountains raked the course most of the day, with gusts up to 30 mph. It sent leaves, branches and even a tumbleweed onto greens, and cardboard trash cans tumbling down hillsides.
“Yesterday was very easy, today was very hard,” said Rahm, who took his first tour win here in 2017 and then won the 2021 U.S. Open on the blufftop municipal course overlooking the Pacific Ocean. “It’s never easy out here on either one of the courses, especially the South, and when you get poa annua bumpy greens with this wind, it can be a bit of a nightmare, so glad I made a few.”
Rahm, ranked No. 3 in the world and looking to win for the third time three starts this year, rebounded from an opening 73 on the South Course by getting hot on his back nine. He eagled the par-5 fifth and then had three straight birdies. He had another eagle chance on the par-4 seventh but his long putt caught the left edge and skidded about a foot away.
After his frustrating opening round, “anything in the 60s would have been amazing,” Rahm said. “What I shot today, man, I’m going to be skipping out of the golf course today because it’s a great round of golf.”
Rahm, who won The American Express last weekend, started on the back nine and opened with consecutive birdies but bogeyed his third and ninth holes. He was even going into the par-5 fifth, when he started his run with an eagle.
“Holes five through nine, with or without wind is where you can take advantage of the course,” the Spanish star said. “Luckily, I’ve been hitting it really good. There’s no difference between those holes or any other five, four holes you can pick throughout the round, it’s just kind of guessed with the wind right in all of them. I think maybe I was a little more aggressive after that second shot on 6 and got in the mentality of making birdies instead of being a little tentative, which is easy to do when it’s blowing as hard as it was blowing today.”
Rahm, who went from tied for 116th on Wednesday to tied for 14th, said the cut line never came to mind.
“I was playing with the mindset of catching up to the leaders as much as possible, that’s it.”
Ryder, a 33-year-old who has never won on the PGA Tour, opened some distance after sharing the first-round lead with Aaron Rai and Brent Grant. Grant was in a group of six at 6 under.
“Yeah, it feels great. The thing I’ve been kind of telling myself is to just try and embrace it,” Ryder said. “It’s not a position that I’ve been in a lot, you know, so just trying to enjoy it. It’s kind of why we play, so just trying to look around and enjoy the moment.
“And I’m just doing everything pretty solid. It starts off the tee for me, I’m driving it well. My iron play is really good, so I feel like if I put it in the fairway, I can attack. And I don’t think I really missed many shots today. I missed a couple fairways, but the irons have been really good.”
Will Zalatoris, ranked No. 7 in the world, missed the cut after shooting 5-over 77 on the South Course.
The final two rounds will be on the South Course.
MLB NEWS
BROWN HIRED AS GENERAL MANAGER OF HOUSTON ASTROS
HOUSTON (AP) Dana Brown was hired Thursday as the general manager of the Houston Astros.
Brown replaces James Click, who was not given a new contract and parted ways with the Astros just days after they won the World Series.
Brown spent the last four seasons as the vice president of scouting for the Atlanta Braves.
“We are excited to have Dana join our organization,” Astros’ owner Jim Crane said. “He brings championship caliber experience to our team and is the right fit for us to continue to deliver a winning franchise on and off the field.”
Brown worked for the Blue Jays from 2010-18 as a special assistant to the general manager. From 2001-09 he worked as director of scouting for the Nationals/Expos. He began his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he spent eight years as their area scouting supervisor and East coast cross checker.
Click had served as Houston’s general manager since joining the team before the 2020 season from the Tampa Bay Rays.
VOTH, ORIOLES AVOID ARBITRATION, AGREE AT $1.85 MILLION
BALTIMORE (AP) — Right-hander Austin Voth avoided a salary arbitration hearing with the Baltimore Orioles, agreeing Thursday to a $1.85 million, one-year contract.
Voth’s deal includes a $2.45 million team option for 2024 that can escalate by up to $500,000 based on starts this year: $100,000 for 12 and each additional three through 24.
His 2023 salary is at the midpoint between the $2 million he had asked for and the $1.7 million offered by the Orioles when proposed arbitration salaries were exchanged on Jan. 13.
The 30-year-old Voth was 5-4 with a 3.04 ERA in 17 starts and five relief appearances for the Orioles last season, striking out 72 and walking 25 in 83 innings.
Selected by Washington in the fifth round of the 2013 amateur draft, he made his major league debut with the Nationals in 2018. Baltimore claimed Voth off waivers last June 7 after he started with a 10.13 ERA over 19 relief appearances.
Voth earned $875,000 last year, when he was eligible for arbitration for the first time.
He was the last player to reach a deal among six Orioles eligible to arbitration, following outfielders Anthony Santander ($7.4 million), Cedric Mullins ($4.1 million) and Austin Hays ($3.2 million), shortstop Jorge Mateo ($2 million) and right-hander Dillon Tate ($1.5 million).
Thirty-one players remain scheduled for hearings, which start Monday.
A’S RUNNING OUT OF TIME TO FIND HOME IN OAKLAND, LAS VEGAS
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Oakland Athletics have spent years trying to get a new stadium while watching Bay Area neighbors the Giants, Warriors, 49ers and Raiders successfully move into state-of-the-art venues, and now time is running short on their efforts.
The A’s lease at RingCentral Coliseum expires after the 2024 season, and though they might be forced to extend the terms, the club and Major League Baseball have deemed the stadium unsuitable for a professional franchise.
They are searching for a new stadium in Oakland or Las Vegas, but they have experienced difficulties in both areas. The A’s missed a major deadline in October to get a deal done in Oakland, and there has been little indication they will receive the kind of funding they want from Las Vegas.
“I think the A’s have to look at it in a couple of ways,” said Brendan Bussmann, director of government affairs for Las Vegas-based Global Market Advisors. “Obviously, they have struggled in Oakland to get a deal across the line. It isn’t for a lack of effort. … You have an owner that’s willing to pony up money, you have a club that wants to sit there and figure out a way to make it work, and you keep running into obstacles along the way.
“It’s time to fish or cut bait. Oakland, do you want them or not? And if not, where are the A’s going to get the best deal? Is it Vegas? Is it somewhere else? They’ll have to figure that out.”
What the A’s are thinking is a little bit of a mystery. Team President Dave Kaval was talkative earlier in the process, saying the A’s are pursuing two different tracks with Oakland and Las Vegas. But he went silent on the subject several months ago. A’s spokeswoman Catherine Aker said mostly recently that the club would withhold comment for now.
The A’s have been negotiating with Oakland to build a $1 billion stadium as part of a $12 billion redevelopment deal.
Newly elected Mayor Sheng Thao said reaching a deal is important as long as it makes economic sense to the city. Her predecessor, Libby Schaaf, led prior efforts to reach an agreement, but after the city and the A’s missed that October deadline, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred expressed reservations a deal will ever get done.
“The pace in Oakland has not been rapid, number one,” Manfred said at the time. “We’re in a stadium situation that’s really not tenable. I mean, we need to do something to alter the situation. So I’m concerned about the lack of pace.”
Recent California history justifies his concerns. SoFi Stadium in Southern California and Chase Center in San Francisco were built with private money, and Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara was 90% privately financed.
“And then I think there was some contagion where around the country people realized these deals could be done well privately and could generate a return on investment to those investors,” said David Carter, a sports business professor at the University of Southern California. “Why are we throwing public money at it at all?”
That’s also a question being asked in Las Vegas, even though the Raiders in 2016 received $750 million from the Nevada Legislature for a stadium. That then was the largest amount of public money for a sports venue, but it was surpassed last March by the $850 million pledged to construct a new stadium for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.
Another deal like the one for Allegiant Stadium, where the Raiders play, appears unlikely in Nevada. T-Mobile Arena, which opened in 2017, was privately financed. An arena planned for south of the Las Vegas Strip also wouldn’t rely on public funds.
Las Vegas, however, has shown financing creativity. Its Triple-A baseball stadium received $80 million in 2017 for naming rights from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Room taxes fund the authority, so it was public money in a backdoor sort of way.
Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft, who is on the board of the convention authority, has spoken with A’s representatives about their interest in Las Vegas and said he is aware of the club’s talks with other Nevada officials. He said the A’s are taking a much different approach than the Raiders, who identified Las Vegas early as their choice landing spot after many years of failing to get a new stadium in Oakland.
“When the Raiders decided to come to Las Vegas, they had a clear plan,” Naft said. “You had a clear body that was tasked with assessing the worth and the value, and they committed to the destination. I have not seen that from the Oakland A’s at any level, and it’s not really our job to go out and beg them to come here because we have earned the reputation of the greatest arena on Earth. We have put in both the dollars and the labor to make that the case.
“I think I’ve made myself clear, but from conversations with others, I don’t think I’m alone on that.”
New Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo hasn’t stated his position on public financing, but no Nevada politician has publicly pushed to provide funding.
Manfred said in December, however, that the A’s relocation fee would be waived if they move to Las Vegas, a savings to the club reportedly of up to $1 billion.
“We’re past any reasonable timeline for the situation in Oakland to be resolved,” Manfred said then.
Naft said Allegiant Stadium filled a hole that went beyond landing an NFL team. It allowed Las Vegas to attract major sporting events such as the Super Bowl and Final Four and major concerts such as Garth Brooks and Elton John that “in many cases we would not otherwise have.”
He said he doesn’t believe a baseball stadium would accomplish that, and sports economist Victor Matheson agreed.
“I think there’s a real question about how much people are willing to watch baseball in Las Vegas,” said Matheson, a professor at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. “It’s not like locals don’t have a huge number of entertainment options right now, and it’s not clear exactly how much people might travel to watch baseball in Vegas, either.”
If the A’s truly want to be in Las Vegas, Naft said they need to make that clear.
“I just believe you can’t play destinations against each other,” Naft said. “If you want to come here and you want to be met with open arms, you’ve got to commit.”
Should the A’s fail to reach an agreement in Oakland or Las Vegas, they could consider other destinations such as Charlotte, North Carolina; Nashville; and Portland, Oregon. Whether they would have the time to explore such options is another question.
Oakland has already shown it will watch the Raiders move to Nevada and the Warriors go across the Bay Bridge to San Francisco.
Las Vegas, Matheson noted, is hardly in a desperate situation. He also expressed caution that Las Vegas could go from being among the largest metropolitan areas without a major professional sports team to among the smallest with three franchises.
“So you’ve gone from kind of being under-sported to being over-sported in a short period of time if the A’s were to go there,” Matheson said.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
RYBAKINA, SABALENKA TO MEET IN AUSTRALIAN OPEN WOMEN’S FINAL
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) What all seemed so different, so daunting, even, about trying to win a Grand Slam title to Elena Rybakina a little more than six months ago is now coming rather naturally.
And if she can win one more match, she will add a championship at the Australian Open to the one she collected at Wimbledon.
Rybakina, a 23-year-old who represents Kazakhstan, reached her second final in a span of three major tournaments by beating Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (4), 6-3 at Melbourne Park on Thursday, signaling a rapid rise toward the top of tennis.
“Everything was new at Wimbledon,” Rybakina said after hitting nine aces in the semifinals to raise her tournament-leading total to 44. “Now I more or less understand what to expect.”
That could come in handy Saturday, when she will face No. 5 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. Sabalenka reached her first Grand Slam title match at age 24 by beating unseeded Magda Linette 7-6 (1), 6-2 in Thursday’s second semifinal.
Sabalenka improved to 10-0 in 2023, winning all 20 sets she has contested this season.
More importantly, the victory over Linette gave Sabalenka her first taste of success in a Slam semi after going 0-3 at that stage until now, losing each previous attempt by a 6-4 score in the third set.
Rybakina and Sabalenka employ a somewhat similar brand of tennis, relying on big serves and big hitting at the baseline. Sabalenka is far less cautious, though, and her penchant for high-risk, high-reward play was evident against Linette, who had never before been past the third round in 29 appearances at majors.
Sabalenka finished with a whopping 33-9 edge in winners, but also compiled more unforced errors – including a trio that led to a break at love by Linette in the opening game.
The key to both semifinals turned out to be a first-set tiebreaker. Azarenka lost the mark on her strokes, for the most part, making things smoother for Rybakina, while Sabalenka raced to a 6-0 lead in hers. It wasn’t the case that each and every shot Sabalenka hit landed right on a line, but it must have seemed that way to Linette.
“In the tiebreaker, I really found my rhythm,” Sabalenka said. “Started trusting myself. Started going for my shots.”
Rybakina’s win over Azarenka, the champion at Melbourne Park in 2012 and 2013, added to what already was an impressive run through a string of top opponents. She also beat No. 1 Iga Swiatek and No. 17 Jelena Ostapenko – both owners of major titles – and 2022 Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins.
“For sure, they’re very experienced players,” said Rybakina, whose parents and sister have been in town throughout the Australian Open. “I knew that I have to focus on every point.”
She delivered serves at up to 117 mph (189 kph) and stinging groundstrokes that she used to close points seemingly at will on Thursday. Her performance was particularly noteworthy against a returner and defender as established on hard courts as Azarenka, a former No. 1 and a three-time runner-up at the U.S. Open.
“Kind of hard to digest,” Azarenka said. “Obviously, I had quite a few chances that I gave myself.”
Rybakina is just 23, 10 years younger than Azarenka, and the future sure looks bright at the moment.
Rybakina might be seeded just 22nd in Melbourne, and ranked just 25th, but those numbers are rather misleading and not indicative at all of her talent and form. She did not get the usual bump from her title last July at Wimbledon, where zero rankings points were awarded after the All England Club banned players from Russia and Belarus because of the invasion of Ukraine.
Rybakina was born in Moscow; she switched to Kazakhstan in 2018, when that country offered to fund her tennis career.
It was breezy and chilly at Rod Laver Arena from the start of Rybakina vs. Azarenka, with the temperature dipping below 70 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius).
That had a role in the way the first set was as much of a seesaw as can be, with each player seeming to gain the upper hand – and then ceding it just as quickly. Both found the conditions slowed down the tennis balls.
“Kind of misjudged a lot of balls,” Azarenka said.
Rybakina encountered similar issues and her occasional inconsistency was encapsulated by the very first game. She began, inauspiciously enough, with a double-fault, before holding with the help of three aces.
Azarenka nosed ahead by breaking for a 3-2 lead on a leaping, full-extension volley winner with both women at the net. Rybakina, though, broke right back, and then once more to go up 5-3.
Azarenka saved a set point at 5-3 with a terrific down-the-line forehand passing shot, wound up taking the game with a backhand she accented with a shout of “Let’s go!”
A mistake-filled tiebreaker ended with Azarenka pushing a forehand wide to cap an 11-shot exchange, and the set belonged to Rybakina. She broke at love for a 2-1 lead in the second, and while they competed for another 25 minutes, the outcome was never really much in doubt.
Sure, Rybakina again faltered for a bit while trying to serve out the victory at 5-2. No one expected Azarenka to go quietly. But one last break, aided by a double-fault from Azarenka, allowed Rybakina to take another step toward another trophy.
“Ready,” she said, “to give everything I have left.”
AUTO RACING
HELIO CASTRONEVES RULES OUT DAYTONA 500 RIDE NEXT MONTH
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves has ruled out running next month’s NASCAR season-opening Daytona 500.
Castroneves has been chasing a seat since winning one of Tony Stewart’s summer all-star races last season to win a bet with the SRX head that promised Castroneves help finding a NASCAR ride. He’d tried to put a deal together with Trackhouse Racing, which said last week that it ultimately decided it did not want to run three cars.
Castroneves then tried to talk to Floyd Mayweather’s team, but said Thursday he couldn’t get a deal done with The Money Team Racing in time for next month’s Daytona 500. TMT last year raced itself into the Daytona 500 with driver Kaz Grala in the first NASCAR race for Mayweather’s team.
“Unfortunately, for me, lack of experience, no testing, a lot of things. I believe it will be a little bit tough throwing myself in on such short notice,” Castroneves said. “To go to a place where you’ve got to race yourself into (the race), as of right now, it’s not going to happen. We need to have an opportunity, and we’ve just got to … give me a little more experience.”
Castroneves, who on Saturday will attempt to win the Rolex 24 at Daytona for a third consecutive year, said he’s considering attending the Daytona 500 as a spectator.
**********************TOP INDIANA RELEASES***********************
PACERS BASKETBALL: PREVIEW VS. MILWAUKEE
The Pacers (24-26) are back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday for a marquee matchup with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks (31-17).
The Pacers have dropped eight of nine games with star point guard Tyrese Haliburton sidelined, but they’ve played better over the last week. Indiana picked up a come-from-behind win over Chicago on Tuesday and was competitive until the final minutes in losses on Saturday in Phoenix and Wednesday in Orlando.
One clear reason for the Pacers being more competitive over the past week has been the play of rookie guard Bennedict Mathurin. Head coach Rick Carlisle moved Mathurin back to the bench role he’s played most of the season and he’s responded with arguably the best three-game stretch of his young career.
Mathurin has topped 20 points in each of the last three contests, scoring 23 in Phoenix and then 26 against both the Bulls and the Magic. The 20-year-old continues to show an uncanny ability to get to the free throw line, going 26-for-30 from the charity stripe over that span.
Though Indiana and Milwaukee played recently, Friday’s matchup will have a different feel. The Bucks didn’t have Giannis Antetokounmpo or All-Star forward Khris Middleton when the two teams met in Milwaukee on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but both players have recently returned.
Antetokounmpo returned to action on Monday after missing five games with sore knee and has been his usual dominant self, averaging 31 points and 13 rebounds in a pair of wins over Detroit and Denver and attempting an astounding 39 free throws over those two contests. The Greek Freak is earning serious consideration for a third MVP award, as he currently ranks fourth in the league in scoring (31 points per game) and second in rebounding (12 per contest).
Middleton, meanwhile, is easing his way back into the rotation. The 31-year-old swingman didn’t make his season debut until Dec. 2 after undergoing offseason wrist surgery, then only appeared in seven games before being shut down after Dec. 15 with knee soreness. Middleton also returned on Monday and has played 15 minutes off the bench in each of the Bucks’ last two contests, going 2-for-4 from 3-point range in each game.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – T.J. McConnell, G – Chris Duarte, F – Buddy Hield, F – Aaron Nesmith, C – Myles Turner
Bucks: G – Jrue Holiday, G – Grayson Allen, F – Pat Connaughton, F – Giannis Antetokounmpo, C – Brook Lopez
Injury Report
Pacers: Andrew Nembhard – questionable (non-COVID illness), Aaron Nesmith – questionable (sore right wrist), Myles Turner – questionable (right ankle sprain), Tyrese Haliburton – out (left knee/elbow sprains), Daniel Theis – out (right knee surgery)
Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo – probable (sore right knee), MarJon Beauchamp – questionable (right patella tendinitis), AJ Green – questionable (sore left ankle), Serge Ibaka – not with team, Bobby Portis Jr. – out (right knee sprain)
Last Meeting
Jan. 16, 2022: T.J. McConnell put on a show in the first half in Milwaukee, scoring a career-best 25 points before halftime, going 9-for-9 from the field and 4-for-4 from 3-point range to propel Indiana to a 76-65 lead at the intermission.
Unfortunately, McConnell and the Pacers ran out of gas in the second half, as the Bucks made 23 3-pointers and picked up a 132-119 win.
Myles Turner had 30 points for Indiana on 11-of-17 shooting (5-of-9 from 3-point range), eight rebounds, and four blocks in his first game back after missing the last three contests with back spasms.
McConnell added 29 points, five rebounds, nine assists, and three steals off the bench, setting career highs for points and 3-pointers made.
But with Antetokounmpo and Middleton both sidelined, Bucks guard Jrue Holiday stepped up to lead Milwaukee to victory. The veteran point guard had a game-high 35 points, going 13-for-19 from the field and 5-for-8 from 3-point range, and also dished out 11 assists.
Noteworthy
The Pacers have lost nine straight games against Milwaukee. Their last win over the Bucks was at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Feb. 12, 2020.
After Friday, the two Central Division rivals will meet twice more this season: on March 16 in Milwaukee and on March 29 in Indianapolis.
Friday’s matchup will feature two of the six most prolific 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. The Bucks rank fifth in both 3-point attempts (39.5) and makes (14.2) per game, while the Pacers are sixth (13.9 makes on 38.4 attempts per contest).
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)
Tickets
The Pacers return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to take on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, Jan. 27 at 7:00 PM ET.
INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: HOLMES, GARZON PUSH NO. 6/6 INDIANA OVER NO. 2/5 OHIO STATE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Senior forward Mackenzie Holmes and freshman guard Yarden Garzon combined for 46 points as No. 6/6 Indiana knocked off No. 2/5 Ohio State in its highest ranked win since 1994 on Thursday night.
KEY MOMENTS
After a scrappy start to the game, the Hoosiers (19-1, 9-1 B1G) were able to string together some stops, allowing them to control the paint on offense, with Senior forward Mackenzie Holmes scoring 11 of the Hoosiers 17 points. IU ended the quarter on a 9-0 run over the last 3:38 to take a 1-point lead into the second.
The Hoosiers came out slow to start the second quarter, committing multiple turnovers, allowing the Buckeyes to extend their lead to seven. However, on the offensive end, the Hoosiers continued to control the paint scoring 12 of their 15 second quarter points. Going into halftime, the Hoosiers were able to cut the Buckeyes lead to four-points, trailing 32-36 at the half.
After an Ohio State timeout early, the Hoosiers came out on fire, scoring four of their six 3-point field goals in the third. The Hoosiers went on to finish the quarter on a 27-4 run over the last 8 minutes. Freshman guard Yarden Garzon made three of the Hoosiers four 3-point field goals in the quarter. The Hoosiers took a 17-point lead into the fourth, leading the Buckeyes, 59-42.
After a slow start to the fourth on the offensive end, the Hoosiers allowed the Buckeyes to come within 8-points, before reclaiming the momentum. The Hoosiers held OSU to one of their last 11 field goals, going on to win by 13-points, 78-65. Junior guard Sydney Parrish and Garzon each turned in a double-double, Holmes leading the games’ scoring department with 26 points. Hoosiers finish the game shooting 45% from the field, 29% from the 3, and 70% from the charity stripe.
NOTABLE
Senior forward Mackenzie Holmes scored a game-high 26 points to lead the Hoosiers offensively. She has scored in double figures every game this season and 84 times in her career.
Holmes now has hit the 25-point plateau in four-straight contests and eight times total on the campaign.
18 of her points came in the first half where she shot 8-of-10 from the field. She finished the game 11-of-13 from the floor.
Freshman guard Yarden Garzon poured in 20 points, the fifth-straight game she’s reached double-digit scoring.
She grabbed her 10th rebound of the contest late in the fourth quarter to secure her first-career double-double. The freshman also dished out three assists and recorded three steals.
The Hoosiers had a pair of athletes each score 20 points (Holmes, 26; Garzon, 20) for the first time since the win over #6 North Carolina on Dec. 1, 2022.
Junior guard Sydney Parrish grabbed 11 rebounds, matching a career high and setting a career high during her time with the Hoosiers.
She paired those 11 boards with 12 points to tally her third double-double of the season.
Grace Berger tallied 12 points of her own, the 88th time in her five-year career she’s scored in double figures.
IU has now beaten four top-10 teams (No. 11/4 Tennessee, 6/6 North Carolina, 9/11 Maryland and 2/5 Ohio State) in the same season for the first time in program history.
Its six ranked wins in total on the season marks the most in a single season in program history.
The Hoosiers outscored Ohio State 27-6 in the third quarter. The Buckeyes shot just 2-of-12 from the floor in the period.
The Buckeyes scored just 65 points on the evening, the lowest number of points they’ve scored this year.
IU’s victory marks the highest ranked win over an AP Top-25 opponent since beating No. 2/2 Iowa on Jan. 21, 1994.
Ohio State came into the evening forcing opponents into 22.8 turnovers-per-game. IU turned the ball over just 12 times and scored 20 points on the fastbreak.
The Hoosiers are the only team in the nation currently ranked with three AP Top-25 wins on the season.
QUOTABLE
Indiana head coach Teri Moren
“First of all, just a big thank you to our crowd tonight. I didn’t have to get those buses. They ended up showing up. Hoosier nation showed up for us in a big kind of way tonight. We’re so grateful that the energy that was in the building was incredible. I think these guys could speak to it as well. A great night for us, for women’s basketball, for our program. I thought the Mariachi band was terrific. They got us started in the right kind of way for the night. Great win for us. It was a battle of two really good basketball teams, and we knew it was going to be a 40-minute fight. It was just that we had an incredible third quarter. We went into half time, we made some adjustments defensively putting Yardon (Garzon) on Cotie McMahon, who was so terrific in the first half, and I thought Yardon came in and did a great job. We were pretty special there in the third, 21 assists on 28 made makes. That’s a good night for us. Balanced scoring with Mack (Holmes) and Yardon, and then Syd (Parrish) getting a double double. Grace is Grace Berger. I thought we handled ourselves in the press very well. We we’re ready for that. We wanted to be aggressive, yet poised, and I thought we did both of those things really well. Great matchup between two really good teams and I’m really proud of our guys for how they handled themselves and got us to the finish line.”
UP NEXT
Indiana hosts Rutgers on Sunday afternoon for National Girls and Women In Sports Day. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET.
INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
INDIANA BASKETBALL GAME NOTES – GAME 21 VS. OHIO STATE
Opening Tip
• Indiana University continues its 123rd season of competition in men’s basketball with a home test against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday night. Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Jan. 28 from Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The game will mark the second primetime FOX game of the season for IU.
• The Buckeyes, led by sixth-year head coach Chris Holtman, enter the primetime matchup with an 11-9 record and a 3-6 mark in B1G play. OSU has lost six of seven games.
Game Information
Jan. 28, 2023 • 8 p.m. ET
Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) • Bloomington, Ind.
TV: FOX (Gus Johnson and Jim Jackson)
Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)
Series History: Indiana leads, 109-88
Last Meeting: OSU 80, IU 69 (OT) on Feb. 21, 2022 in Columbus
Series History
• The Hoosiers hold a 109-88 edge over the Buckeyes in a series that dates back to 1905. The 197-game series marks the second-most games played between IU and a single opponent, trailing only Purdue (215 games).
• The two programs met twice a season ago with each team holding serve on its home court. Indiana, behind 27 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks from forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, cruised to a 67-51 victory on Jan. 6, 2022.
• Ohio State exacted revenge in an 80-69 overtime victory in Columbus on Feb. 21, 2022. Jackson-Davis finished the game with 13 points, nine rebounds, and one blocked shot.
• Head coach Mike Woodson averaged 20.3 points in his eight career games against the Buckeyes. He scored in double figures in all 60 games played against Big Ten Conference opponents in his storied Hoosier career.
Last Time Out
• Indiana grinded out a fourth-straight conference win for the first time since the 2018-19 Big Ten season with a 61-57 triumph over Minnesota on Jan. 25. IU has won the last six meetings over the Gophers.
• Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis registered 25 points, 21 rebounds, and six blocks to become the first Hoosier to with a 20-20 game since D.J. White on Jan. 8, 2008. He also became the first high-major player to post a 25-20-5 game since UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet on Feb. 14, 2009.
• Fifth-year senior forward Miller Kopp scored 11 points on 3-of-7 from the 3-point line while playing the full 40 minutes. The game marked the first time since Elon (Dec. 20) in which Kopp hit multiple 3-pointers in a game. The Houston native also added three rebounds and two assists in the game.
• For the first time in two months, freshman forward Malik Reneau hit the double figure mark in the scoring column with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor. Reneau posted four double-digit scoring games in his first five career appearances but failed to hit 10 points since Nov. 23 against Little Rock.
Jackson-Davis Heating Up
• During Indiana’s current four-game winning streak, senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis is averaging 27.3 points, 14.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 4.8 blocks per game.
• Jackson-Davis has made 45-of-71 (63.4%) of his shots from the floor and 19-of-25 (76.0%) of his free throw attempts during that stretch.
• For the second time in his career, TJD posted back-to-back 30-point games with 35 points at Illinois (Jan. 19) and 31 points against Michigan State (Jan. 22).
• He has posted nine or more rebounds in seven-straight games, the longest streak of his career. During that stretch, Jackson-Davis is averaging 14.4 boards per game.
Winners of Four Straight
• After dropping the first three contests of the new year, Indiana has ripped off four-straight Big Ten Conference wins for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
• During the four-game hot streak, IU has held opponents to 59.0 points per contest. Teams are shooting 37.0% (87-of-235) from the floor, 26.8% (22-of-82) from the 3-point line, and 52.6% (40-of-76) from the charity stripe.
• IU, behind 14.3 rebounds per game from senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, is outrebounding its opponent by 7.5 boards per game in the last two weeks. The Hoosiers have grabbed more rebounds than its opponent in all 14 wins this season.
The Trey Gallo-Way
• In his last three starts, junior guard Trey Galloway has averaged 11.0 points per game on 10-of-18 (55.6%) shooting from the floor and 5-of-7 (71.4%) shooting from the 3-point line.
• Galloway scored a career-high 20 points on 4-of-6 shooting from deep in IU’s first Big Ten win of the season over Nebraska on Dec. 7.
• The Culver Academies graduate scored 17 points on 4-of-4 shooting from behind the arc against Michigan State on Jan. 22.
He Did What?
• Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis compiled 25 points, 21 rebounds, and six blocked shots at Minnesota on Jan. 25. The game marked the first 20-20 game from a Hoosier since D.J. White on Jan. 8, 2008. He also became the first high-major player to post a 25-20-5 game since UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet on Feb. 14, 2009.
• Jackson-Davis went off for 31 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, and five blocked shots against Michigan State on Jan. 22. He is the second player (Jake Stephens, Chattanooga) to post a line with at least 30 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, and five blocks in a game this season. Michael Sweetney (Georgetown, 2003) is the last player to accomplish that statistical line in a men’s college basketball game.
• The All-American candidate joined former No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons (LSU, 2015) as the only players in the last 25 seasons to record at least 35 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three blocks on 75.0% shooting from the floor in a single game after the Center Grove product went for 35-9-5-3 on 15-of-19 shooting from the floor at Illinois on Jan. 19.
• Jackson-Davis pulled down a career-best 24 rebounds against Northwestern on Jan. 8. The tally marked the most by a Hoosier in a single game since Steve Downing had 25 against Kentucky on Dec. 11, 1971 and the most rebounds by a Big Ten player since Aaron Johnson had 24 for Penn State on Nov. 15, 2004.
TJD and The Big Fundamental
• In the last 30 seasons of Division I men’s college basketball, only senior forward Trayce Jackson Davis and NBA Hall of Famer Tim Duncan have averaged at least 19.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game.
Chasing History
• Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis currently sits eighth all-time at IU in scoring (1,923), fourth in rebounds (980), and holds the school record for blocked shots (233). He joins Alan Henderson as the only Hoosiers to be top-10 all-time in career scoring, rebounding, and blocks.
• The Center Grove product is the only active men’s Division I player to tally at least 1,900 career points, 950 career rebounds, and 225 career blocks. In the last 25 seasons, only 12 players have achieved those numbers in college basketball. Only Kyle Hines (UNCG) produced those numbers on a higher career scoring average.
• Jackson-Davis is one of two high-major players (Zach Edey; Purdue) to average at least 19.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game this season.
Passing out of the Double
• Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis ranks sixth in Division I basketball in assists per game among players list at 6’9 or taller.
• With defenses collapsing on post touches, Jackson-Davis has flourished this season with his passing, averaging 3.4 dimes per game. He has produced seven games with four assists or more this season. He dished out at least four helpers in five-straight games from Jan. 8-22.
ALSO:
NAISMITH TABS JACKSON-DAVIS TO DPOY WATCH LIST
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis has been added to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List, the publication announced on Thursday.
The preseason All-American joins Tim Duncan (Wake Forest) as the only players over the last 30 seasons of Division I men’s college basketball to average 19.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game in a season.
His 3.2 blocks per contest rank third in the NCAA and first among high-major players. TJD is the only player under 6’10 to rank in the top 15. The Greenwood native is seventh nationally with 55 total blocked shots this season.
On Dec. 17, Jackson-Davis blocked a career-best nine shots at Kansas, the most ever by a Jayhawk opponent and the highest single-game block total by any player in college basketball this season. He has blocked at least four shots in seven games this season and has recorded 12-straight multi-block games this season.
Jackson-Davis is averaging 10.8 rebounds per contest, with 7.7 coming on the defensive end of the floor. He is eighth nationally (second in the Big Ten) in total rebounds per game and 10th (second) in defensive rebounds per outing. His career-high 24 rebounds against Northwestern (Jan. 8) tied Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky) for the most rebounds in a game this year. He has produced two of the 12 20-rebound games across the country this season. Over his last six games, TJD is averaging 15.3 rebounds per game.
The reigning Big Ten Player of the Week has secured nine double-doubles this season, good for 19th in the country. Jackson-Davis has produced three 20-10 games and four 15-15 games this season.
Jackson-Davis and the Hoosiers will be back on the floor against Ohio State at 8 p.m. ET on Jan. 28 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
INDIANA WRESTLING
INDIANA WRESTLING TO RIVAL PURDUE IN WEST LAFAYETTE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– Indiana Wrestling has one of its biggest weekends of the year coming up as the Hoosiers face rival Purdue on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 4 p.m. in West Lafyette for the 100th meeting in the series’ history.
RIVALRY SHOWDOWN:
-The wrestling rivalry dates back to Feb. 10, 1923 when Indiana won, 17-10, in West Lafayette.
-As of late, the Boilermakers have done very well in the series, winning the last 12 matchups.
-Indiana’s last win against Purdue came on Feb. 14, 2010 when IU won 22-17 in Indianapolis.
-Indiana leads the all-time series, 53-43-3.
-This season, Indiana is 6-2 while Purdue is 4-7.
-The Boilermakers are currently 0-4 in the Big Ten, losing to four ranked teams in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
-While Purdue has struggled a bit, they do not lack star power as they have three grapplers who are highly ranked.
-At 125, Purdue’s Matt Ramos is No. 3 in the country, Parker Filius (141) is ranked No. 14 and Kendall Coleman is No. 6 at 157.
-Based on rankings alone, the premier match of the day looks to be No. 6 Coleman vs. No. 19 Gilcher at 157.
-This will be Gilcher’s ninth match against a ranked opponent this season. He is currently 4-4 against them.
LOOKING BACK ON MINNESOTA:
-It was a tough match for the Hoosiers against No. 11 Minnesota last Friday.
-Minnesota got the best of Indiana, winning 28-6 at Wilkinson Hall.
-Indiana’s Henry Porter and Jacob Bullock both picked up wins by decision at 133 and 285, respectively.
-While the team score doesn’t look close, there were a number of close bouts.
-Indiana lost three bouts by a combined three points. Gilcher, Washington and Willham all lost their bout by just one point.
LINEUP STRENGTH:
-The Hoosiers have showcased their lineup’s strength of depth throughout the team’s eight duals this year.
-Six of Indiana’s routine starters have a record of 5-3 or better in dual appearances.
-Henry Porter, Graham Rooks, Derek Gilcher and DJ Washington are all 6-2 in their dual matches.
-Jacob Bullock with one less appearance, is 5-2 in dual matches.
-That group of five has a combined record of 90-21 on the season.
BULLOCK TRAIN:
-Indiana’s Jacob Bullock continues to ascend to new heights in his wrestling career, as evident by his rising ranking from week to week.
-Bullock is currently 15-2 on the season and has won three of his four bouts in conference duals thus far. The only loss he has taken in the Big Ten was by one point in a 3-2 decision to No. 32 Jaron Smith of Maryland.
-Two of his last three wins have come against ranked opponents, as well.
-He most recently defeated No. 27 Garrett Joles of Minnesota in a 5-3 decision. In his first Big Ten match, he defeated No. 15 Tate Orndorff of Ohio State in a 7-2 decision.
RANKINGS CHECK-IN:
-The first NCAA Coaches rankings were released last Thursday, Jan. 19 and Indiana had seven wrestlers named to it.
-Jacob Moran, Henry Porter, Graham Rooks, Derek Gilcher, DJ Washington, Nick Willham and Jacob Bullock were all selected in the top-33 at their weight class.
-In this week’s most recent rankings across national outlets of InterMat and FloWrestling, Indiana had their usual five guys ranked.
-Porter is No. 28 at 133, Graham Rooks is No. 30 at 149, Gilcher is at No. 19 at 157, Washington is No. 18 at 174 and Bullock is No. 24 at 285.
DOWN THE ROAD:
-Indiana is nearing the homestretch of the season.
-The Hoosiers have four more Big Ten duals, and five duals total remaining, prior to the postseason.
-The remaining opponents for the Hoosiers are at Purdue, Penn State, at Michigan State, at Michigan and at Chattanooga.
-In a little under two months, the NCAA Wrestling Championships will be happening in Tulsa, Okla. from March 16-18.
INDIANA SWIMMING
NO. 7/9 IUSD READY FOR CHALLENGE AT NO. 17/6 LOUISVILLE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – No. 7/9 Indiana swimming and diving will compete in its final dual meet of the season when it visits No. 17/6 Louisville on Friday (Jan. 27) inside Ralph Wright Natatorium. The meet is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET and can be streamed on the ACC Network+ digital platform.
In last year’s meet, the Hoosiers and Cardinals split in Bloomington, with IU’s men earning the victory. The No. 9-ranked IU women will hope to change their script in their rematch with the No. 6 Louisville ladies.
Indiana is set for its third meet in as many weeks this spring after defeating Big Ten opponents Michigan and Purdue over the last two weeks. The Cardinals split their meet with Kentucky last weekend, with the men winning, 200-96, and the women falling, 168-132.
MEET INFO
Friday, January 27 • 2 p.m. ET
Ralph Wright Natatorium • Louisville, Ky.
Opponent: No. 17/6 Louisville
Live Results (Swimming): Meet Mobile App
Live Results (Diving): http://bit.ly/3hMY9jM
Live Stream: https://www.espn.com/watch/ (ACC Network+)
SCHEDULED EVENTS
Diving: 1-meter, 3-meter
Swimming: 200 Medley Relay, 1,000 Freestyle, 200 Freestyle, 100 Backstroke, 100 Breaststroke, 200 Butterfly, 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle, 200 Backstroke, 200 Breaststroke, 500 Freestyle, 100 Butterfly, 200 IM, 400 Freestyle Relay
OF NOTE…
Tyler Named Big Ten Diver of the Week
IU sophomore Carson Tyler earned his first Big Ten Diver of the Week award this season after his showing in IU’s win over Purdue. The honor marks Tyler’s fourth-career weekly honor as he was named diver of the week twice and freshman of the week once during his debut season in 2021-22. Tyler is the third different IU men’s diver to earn the award this season, following redshirt senior Andrew Capobianco last week and fellow sophomore Quinn Henninger twice previously. Between swimming and diving, the Hoosiers have totaled 12 Big Ten weekly awards over four different cycles.
Tyler won the men’s platform diving competition on Saturday as IU divers won three of four events contested in men’s and women’s team dual meet victories at Purdue. The sophomore showed consistency in his performance with all six dives earning at least 60 points, including four dives worth at least 70 points. His six-dive total score of 423.80 sits as the best mark in the country this season. His teammate, Henninger, holds the second-best mark at 416.55, scored at the Ohio State Invitational.
HOOSIERS NAMED TO USA SWIMMING NATIONAL TEAM
Six athletes with ties to the Indiana swimming and diving program were named to USA Swimming’s 2022-23 national team rosters in September. Of the six Hoosiers, five are breaststroke specialists, and, on the women’s side, IU makes up three of the nine breaststroke selections. The selections include current Hoosiers Mariah Denigan, Mackenzie Looze and Josh Matheny as well as Indiana Swim Club athlete Tommy Cope, Lilly King and Annie Lazor.
PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL
#1 PURDUE WINS AT MICHIGAN FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2018
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Zach Edey had 15 of his 19 points in the first half and Fletcher Loyer finished with 17 points to help No. 1 Purdue hold off Michigan 75-70 on Thursday night.
The Boilermakers (20-1, 9-1 Big Ten) had a 15-0 run to go ahead 41-28 lead in the first half after there were 10 lead changes and four ties, but they couldn’t pull away.
The Wolverines (11-9, 5-4) were without standout freshman Jett Howard, who missed the game with an ankle injury, and still hung around until the final seconds.
Joey Baker made a 3-pointer — off the glass — with 5.9 seconds left to pull Michigan within three points, but Purdue’s Brandon Newman sealed the victory with two free throws.
Purdue coach Matt Painter said Michigan slowed down Edey in the second half by pushing him away from the basket.
“They got him out a little more, and got him bottled up,” Painter said.
The 7-foot-4 Edey, though, was too tough to stop early in the game.
“He’s one of the best in the country for a reason,” Michigan coach Juwan Howard said. “He’s very effective, especially if he’s 8 feet and in.”
With size and skills such as a hook shot, the junior center from Toronto scored Purdue’s first seven points and finished the first half 7 of 12 from the field and 1 of 2 at the line.
“He did a great job in the first half, going to his right shoulder and using his left hand,” Painter said. “He made four baskets with his left hand which is huge.”
Freshman Braden Smith had 10 points for the Boilermakers.
Purdue’s defense ultimately denied Michigan’s comeback hopes, holding a 22nd straight opponent to 70 or fewer points.
Hunter Dickinson scored 21, Kobe Bufkin had 16 points and Baker added 11 points for the Wolverines, who have lost four of their last six games.
Dickinson, a 7-1 center, matched up with Edey defensively and pulled him out of the lane offensively by making 3 of 7 3-pointers.
“Half his shots were from the 3, and that’s a little different,” Painter said. “His meat and potatoes are on that block. He’s the real deal.”
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Boilermakers got the top spot in the AP Top 25 this week after winning six games, a stretch that followed a loss to Rutgers on Jan. 3 that dropped them from No. 1 in the poll. Purdue improved to 7-2 as the top-ranked team.
BIG PICTURE
Purdue: Edey can’t beat teams by himself and he’s surrounded by a lot of role players and a potential standout in Loyer. The 6-4 guard was the Big Ten player of the week earlier this month, become the first Boilermaker freshman to win the award since Robbie Hummel in 2008.
“Fletcher is somebody who has played better in the second half, and on the road,” Painter said.
Michigan: Jett Howard’s health is a critical factor for the Wolverines, who will have some work to do over the second half of the Big Ten season to avoid missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. Howard averages 14.6 points and is the most dynamic player on his father’s team.
ROAD WARRIORS
The Boilermakers were away from home for 12 of 23 days, winning all five of their road games. They won at Ohio State, Michigan State and Michigan for the first time since the 1997-98 season and beat the Spartans and Wolverines on their home court in the same season for the first time in 12 years.
(Postgame Notes)
Purdue improved to 20-1 overall and 9-1 at the halfway point of Big Ten play with a 75-70 win over Michigan at the Crisler Center. The win was Purdue’s first at the Crisler Center since 2018.
The win gave Purdue victories at Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State for the first time since the 1997-98 season.
Purdue is the first Big Team to start the season 20-1 in four years and a win over Michigan State on Sunday will enable Purdue to become the first Big Ten team to start 21-1 since the 2010-11 Ohio State team started 24-0.
Purdue is now 6-0 on the road in Big Ten play and 7-0 on the road overall. Purdue’s 6-0 road start is the Big Ten’s best road start since the 2017-18 Boilermakers started league play 7-0 on the road.
Purdue has been 9-1 in league play seven times in school history (2023, 2018, 2008, 1990, 1988, 1984, 1969).
The seven road victories are the most by a power-conference team in the country.
Purdue became the first power-conference team to win 20 games this season (third overall). It marks the second time in the last six years that Purdue became the first power-conference team with 20 victories (2017-18 season; Jan. 25 at Michigan).
Purdue won its 40th straight game when scoring at least 70 points. Purdue and Saint Mary’s are the only teams in the country to hold every opponent to 70 or fewer points.
Purdue went 16-of-20 from the free throw line and over the last seven games, Purdue is shooting 80-of-96 (.833) from the free throw line.
Purdue freshmen accounted for 35 of Purdue’s 75 points, going 12-of-21 from the field and 10-of-11 from the free throw line.
Zach Edey scored in double-figures for the 37th straight time, tallying 19 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 assist. Edey moved into the Purdue top 15 for career rebounds (668) and top 20 for single-season rebounds (259).
Fletcher Loyer scored 17 points with two rebounds and a steal.
Braden Smith tallied 10 points with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. He surpassed the 200-point plateau and now needs just one rebound for 100 this season.
Trey Kaufman-Renn scored eight points on 4-of-4 shooting in just nine minutes of action.
Purdue’s bench outscored Michigan’s bench by a 23-9 advantage.
PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PURDUE KNOCKS OFF #22 ILLINOIS ON THE ROAD
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Dominating on the glass and the defensive end, the Purdue women’s basketball team stormed into State Farm Center and came away with a 62-52 win over No. 22 Illinois on Thursday night. The ranked win was the second of the Katie Gearlds era and the first road victory for Purdue since Feb. 15, 2018, against No. 10 Maryland.
The Boilermakers (14-6, 5-5) held the hottest 3-point shooting team in the Big Ten to just 15.4% (4-26) from behind the arc. Illinois (16-5, 6-4) came into the night shooting 40.3% from distance.
On the glass, the Illini topped the league with a rebounding margin of 8.8. Purdue won the battle on the boards 40-31.
Outscoring the hosts in each of the first three quarters, Purdue held Illinois to a 32.2% clip from the field.
Jeanae Terry tallied her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 14 rebounds, a game high on the glass. The senior dished out four assists and recorded four steals to go with one block in the win.
Abbey Ellis paced the Boilermakers with 16 points on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting. The Australian hauled down six rebounds and finished with a plus-minus of 11.
Purdue worked the ball inside to score 32 points in the paint with much of that production coming from Caitlyn Harper. The redshirt senior went for 10 points, four rebounds one steal and one block in 28 minutes of work.
The Boilermakers shot 48.2% from the field but went 3-of-18 from behind the arc. Purdue finished 5-of-6 at the line with all free throw attempts coming in the final minute of the game.
Ellis and Lasha Petree spurred Purdue to an early 10-5 lead, going a combined 4-of-4 to start the game with Ellis’ two makes coming from behind the arc. The Boilermakers went 7-of-14 from the field to take a 16-11 lead after the first. Rickie Woltman added the final points of the quarter on a tip in at the buzzer.
Following a quick 3-pointer from Petree to start the second, Harper and Ellis combined for six straight points to put Purdue ahead by 12. The Boilermakers’ defense held Illinois to just 28.6% shooting and 1-of-12 from behind the arc over the first 20 minutes. A tough finish by Ellis at the rim for her 10th point in the first half gave the Boilermakers a 35-25 lead at the break.
Illinois opened the third quarter on a five-point run, before Ellis silenced the crowd with a step-back triple. That proved to be the closest the Illinois would get for the remainder of the game. Terry took over to score six points of Purdue’s 10 points over the final five minutes, including a fadeaway jumper to end the period with Purdue ahead 49-37.
Jayla Smith and Terry extended Purdue’s lead to 14 early in the fourth on back-to-back layups. Illinois rolled off six straight points as it kept Purdue off the board until an Ellis jumper to beat the shot clock with 3:54 to go. Harper’s layup with 2:15 on the clock was the Boilermakers’ final field goal, as Madison Layden went 3-of-4 and Ellis went 2-of-2 at the line to seal the win.
NOTES
• Purdue leads the all-time series with Illinois 65-18, the most wins the Boilermakers against a single opponent.
• Purdue is now 4-2 when Illinois is ranked. The last ranked win came on Jan. 20, 2000, when the Illini were ranked 13th.
• The Boilermakers held an opponent to 19 made field goals for the second straight game and third time this season.
• Cassidy Hardin finished with two points on just her 32nd career 2-pointer.
• Layden finished the game with nine points and five rebounds.
• Hardin matched her season high with a trio of assists.
• Despite allowing 11 offensive rebounds, Purdue kept the Illini to just 10 second-chance points.
• Purdue’s last ranked win came against No. 17 Florida State on No. 21, 2021, at the St. Pete Showcase.
UP NEXT
The road trip continues against the Boilermakers’ second straight ranked opponent as they head to No. 2 Ohio State on Sunday for a 2 p.m. tip at Value City Arena. The game will be streamed on B1G+.
BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL
CARDINALS FLOCK TO DEKALB FOR MATCHUP WITH HUSKIES
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men’s basketball team is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 28, for a road contest with Northern Illinois. The Cardinals (13-7, 4-3 MAC) look to bounce back against the Huskies (8-12, 4-3 MAC) at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Last Time Out
The Cardinals are coming off a 91-65 loss to the Buffalo Bulls. Jarron Coleman tied a career high with seven made 3-pointers on his way to a 27-point effort, the fourth time of the season and second in the last three contests. He added a game-high three steals to go along with four rebounds and two assists. Jaylin Sellers was the only other player in double figures for the Cardinals with 10 points. He brought down three rebounds, had two assists, and tied a team-high two blocks.
Boogie on Down
Coleman is averaging a team-high 14.8 points per game. He leads the team with 47 made 3-pointers and is shooting 37.9 percent from behind the arc. He leads the team with 67 assists and in steals with 30. Coleman has added nine blocks, which is tied for fourth on the squad. He has compiled four games of 20 or more points.
Sensational Sellers
Sellers is second on the team with 13.3 points per game. He is shooting 47.0 percent from 3-point range, which leads the team. He is fourth on the team with 4.0 rebounds per game. He has produced a field-goal percentage of 48.3 on the season. Sellers has collected 16 assists, 15 steals and 10 blocks. He has notched four games with 20 or more points for the season.
Spark Plug
Payton Sparks leads the team with 7.7 rebounds per game, which is tied for 111th in the country and fourth in the conference. His 3.00 offensive rebounds per contest have him tied for 48th in the nation and third in the MAC. He is third on the team averaging 12.6 points per game. He is shooting 60.4 percent from the field, which leads the team. He has five double-doubles on the season, which is tied for 77th in the country and tied for third in the MAC. He is third on the team with 38 assists, second on the team with 18 blocks, and has added eight steals.
Spreading the Love
The Cardinals have four players averaging double-digit points. Demarius Jacobs rounds out the double-digit scorers with 12.0 points a contest. He has a team-high 31 blocks, which is tied for 68th in the NCAA and most in the MAC. His 1.55 blocks per contest is 71st in the nation and first in the conference. He second on the team in assists with 65 and is second on the team in steals with 27. He is averaging 3.8 boards per contest. Mickey Pearson Jr. is second on the squad with 5.2 rebounds per contest and is averaging 6.8 points a game. Pearson is shooting 50.0 from the field.
Taking Advantage at the Free-Throw Line
As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 24.8 free throws per game, which is tied for fifth in the NCAA and leads the MAC. Ball State is averaging 16.9 free-throws made per contest, which is tied for 16th in the nation and leads the conference. Sparks is sixth in the nation with 149 free-throw attempts, which leads in the MAC. The Cardinals are one of 15 teams in the NCAA that have made more free throws than their opponents have attempted.
Effective Shooting
The Cardinals are currently shooting 46.8 percent from the field, which is tied for 60th in the NCAA and is third in the MAC. Ball State has been effective from behind the arc with a combined 37.1 percent from 3-point range, which is 45th in the country and second in the MAC.
Series History with the Huskies
Saturday will be the 100th meeting between the Cardinals and Huskies. Ball State holds a 59-40 advantage in the series. NIU won the last meeting, 64-58, in Muncie, but BSU won the meeting in DeKalb, 74-67. The Cardinals are 22-25 against NIU on the road. Ball State has won five of the last six meetings.
Scouting NIU
Keshawn Williams leads NIU with 17.9 points per game and is second on the team with 4.7 rebounds a game. He has tallied 36 assists, 11 steals, and three blocks. David Coit is second on the team averaging 15.7 points a game. He is second on the squad with 51 assists and is tied for the team lead with 31 steals. Zarique Nutter paces the team with 5.1 rebounds per game and is averaging 11.2 points a contest. He has added 13 assists, 13 steals, and four blocks. Kaleb Thornton leads the Huskies with 74 assists and is tied for the team lead with 31 steals. Anthony Crump paces the team with 11 blocks.
BALL STATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
WELCOMES QUEENS UNIVERSITY AND SACRED HEART TO WORTHEN ARENA THIS WEEKEND
No. 8 Ball State (2-2) hosts Queens University of Charlotte (1-3) Friday, Jan. 27 at 7 pm ET
No. 8 Ball State (2-2) hosts Sacred Heart (1-2) Saturday, Jan. 28 at 5 pm ET
Series History: Ball State leads the all-time series with Queens by a margin of 1-0
Series History: Ball State leads the all-time series with Sacred Heart by a margin of 12-0
Last meeting: Ball State 3, Queens of Charlotte 0 in Muncie (Jan. 11, 2020)
Last meeting: Ball State 3, Sacred Heart 0 in Muncie, Ind. (March 7, 2020)
CRUZ’S FIRST MEMORABLE SEASON: The Cardinals are looking to build off a historic 2022 season which saw Donan Cruz, in his first year at the helm, lead Ball State to a 23-4 overall record and the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship. BSU was also ranked third in the final NVA/AVCA Men’s Division I-II Coaches Poll: the highest ranking in program history. Ball State was also the 2022 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association regular season and tournament champions. Cruz was named the 2022 AVCA Coach of the Year last season and MIVA Coach of the Year.
SCOUTING QUEENS UNIVERSITY OF CHARLOTTE: This will be only the second meeting between the Cardinals and the Royals. Both Kaleb Jenness and Felix Eghervba were on the team when Ball State hosted Queens in their last meeting in 2020. The Cardinals defeated the Royals that contest by a score of 3-0, Jan. 11, 2020 in Worthen Arena. Queens recently suffered a 3-0 loss to No. 1 Hawai’i Wednesday in Charlotte. The Royals lone win this season came against Lees-McRae College which was a 3-0 victory for Queens on Jan. 18, 2023.
SCOUTING SACRED HEART: This marks the 13th meeting all-time between Ball State and Sacred Heart. The Cardinals won their last meeting against the Pioneers in Worthen Arena by earning a 3-0 sweep on March 7, 2020. It was the last match the Cardinals played that season due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Sacred Heart is looking for its second win of the season after defeating Stevens in five sets (3-3) Wednesday, Jan. 18 in Fairfield, Conn. Prior to the match against the Cardinals, the Pioneers will play at Ball State’s rival Purdue Fort Wayne Friday, Jan. 27 at 7 pm ET.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: Ball State went 2-0 last week at home with wins over Harvard and Tusculum. The Cardinals opened last weekend with a 3-0 sweep over the Crimson and then finished with a 3-2 victory against the Pioneers. For the week, Trevor Phillips led Ball State with 20 kills while Bryce Behrendt had 18.
MIVA/AVCA PREASEASON PREDICTION: The reigning 2022 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association regular season and tournament champions, the Ball State men’s volleyball team was picked first in the preseason MIVA poll. In addition, two Cardinals were named to the 12-member preseason all-conference team — outside attacker Kaleb Jenness and middle blocker Felix Egharevba. Jenness was also tabbed as the preseason MIVA Player of the Year. The Cardinals were recently selected No. 6 in the preseason AVCA Coaches Poll.
CARDINAL STANDOUTS RETURN: The Cardinals return veterans outside attacker Kaleb Jenness and middle blocker Felix Egharevba. Jenness has been tabbed preseason All-MIVA three straight seasons. Last year, Jenness was tabbed the MIVA Player of the Year and the MIVA Tournament MVP while also tallying First Team All-MIVA honors. Jenness was also tabbed as First Team NVA/AVCA All-American. Egharevba, a force to be reckoned with on defense, Egharevba was tabbed to the All-MIVA Second Team for the second time in his career. Last year Egharevba also earned NVA/ AVCA All-American Honorable Mention. He ended last season as the 2021-22 NCAA Division NC statistical champion for blocks per set (1.41).
USA VOLLEYBALL WINS BRONZE: Ball State men’s volleyball senior Kaleb Jenness along with his former teammate and alumnus Quinn Isaacson helped the USA Men’s Volleyball team earn the bronze medal at the Pan Am Cup this past summer in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. The U.S. led in kills (56-42) and had a .463 hitting efficiency behind Isaacson who dished out 86 assists in four sets (25-16, 25-15, 22-25, 25-21) against Chile.
NEXT GAME: After this weekend, Ball State continues its eight-match homestand when it hosts No. 12 BYU for two matches with the first being played Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7 pm ET and the second match-up Saturday, Feb. 4 at 3 pm ET in Worthen Arena.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
IRISH USE MASTERFUL DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE TO BOUNCE SEMINOLES
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — No. 24 Florida State (18-5, 7-3) arrived to face No. 7 Notre Dame (17-2, 8-1) having not posted fewer than 71 points in any game this season. That is no longer.
On Thursday night, the two ranked foes faced off at Purcell Pavilion, and Notre Dame walked away with a 70-47 win. It was the team’s fifth-straight victory and keeps the group tied for first in the ACC.
“I thought that was a statement win today,” said Niele Ivey, Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach. “That’s a really great Florida State team. I’ve been so impressed watching them all season. To hold that type of team to 47 points is a testament to our defensive identity.”
Florida State’s freshman phenom Ta’Niya Latson led all Division I rookies with 23.6 points per game as of Wednesday, and Notre Dame held her to just 9. She had posted double-figures in her first 22 collegiate games.
While the offense struggled early, it was firing on all cylinders in the second half. After the break, Notre Dame outscored Florida State 48-24. Sonia Citron led the way with 19 points and 8 rebounds. Freshman KK Bransford tied her career-high with six buckets for 15 points.
After getting her first start in an Irish uniform in place of an injured Dara Mabrey, Lauren Ebo posted her third double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
“I really loved the toughness and resilience that we showed in the second half,” Ivey said. “We started getting stops defensively and got out and ran.”
Notre Dame shot 55 percent in the third quarter, going 11-20 from the floor. They totaled 55 rebounds, the fifth time this year eclipsing that mark. Seven players had 5+ boards.
“I think we really just played for each other and Dara tonight,” forward Kylee Watson said after the game. “Coming into that second half, we knew that we needed to get our stuff together. We were talking so much. We really had each other’s backs, and I think that was the biggest reason why we were able to pull away like that.”
The Irish won’t get a break in their next contest. Notre Dame heads to No. 20 NC State on Sunday for a sold out battle, and they’ll be seeking revenge after the Wolfpack ended their season in the Sweet 16 last March. Sunday’s game will air on ESPN at 3 p.m. Notre Dame is 8-2 all-time against NC State with a 3-1 clip in Raleigh.
NOTRE DAME MEN’S BASKETBALL
GAME 22 PREVIEW: IRISH VS CARDS
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Less than two weeks away from the 10-year anniversary of the Notre Dame-Louisville 5-OT game, the two sides will reunite this weekend for a Saturday matinee. The Fighting Irish and Cardinals will tip at Noon ET on ESPN2, with each side hungry for a coveted ACC win. Saturday also marks the annual coaches vs cancer / suits and sneakers game. The Notre Dame coaches will be participating and wearing special UA sneakers for the game.
ND vs LOUISVILLE
The said famous 5-overtime game between Notre Dame and Louisville saw the Irish emerge victorious via the score of 104-101. With that said, Notre Dame trails the overall series 17-27, but are up at home at 10-8. The two sides last met in South Bend on Feb. 9 of last year, with the Irish taking 63-57. Dane Goodwin recorded a 16-point outing.
THREAT FROM THREE
You can’t argue with Notre Dame’s three-point shooting ability. The Irish rank 1st in the ACC in made three-pointers per game and 2nd in three-point shooting percentage. They are averaging 9.2 threes per game, which would rank 4th all-time in program history – the program record is 9.7 set by the 19-20 squad. That number ranks 25th in the country. They are converting 37.5 percent from beyond the arc, which checks in 37th nationally.
Over the last 15 games in particular, Notre Dame has knocked down 148 three-pointers (9.9 per game) which leads all Power-Five schools since Nov. 30 and ranks ninth overall.
23 IN ‘23
Goodwin has found his offensive rhythm and is Notre Dame’s best player right now with 9 straight games in double figures. He’s amassed 121 points in the last 9 games, averaging 13.4 ppg. He is 49-of-101 (.485) from the field in that stretch.
In 2023 (7 games), Goodwin is averaging 13.6 ppg. Plus, he’s also been more active on the glass in 2023 grabbing 45 boards over the last 7 games aka 6.4 rpg.
He had a season high 6 assists to go with his 15 points at Syracuse on Jan. 14. A game prior vs Georgia Tech, he produced a team high 19 points and a career best 12 rebounds. Goodwin connected on a big three in the overtime period to help seal the win.
“THAT WAS MARCUS HAMMOND”
Marcus Hammond is starting to get in a groove as of late and be that guy that Coach Brey thought he could be for the Irish.
Three double-digit scoring performances in the last 4 games. He led the team in scoring in two of them (Syracuse + BC, Jan. 14-17) –> had back-to-back games with a season high in made threes (4+5). Hammond is averaging 13.8 ppg over said 4-game span.
Hammond is also coming off his first double-double of the season, and 5th of his career, with 11 points and 10 rebounds at NC State.
GAMES GETTING AWAY
The Irish have now had three ACC games in which they’ve garnered double-digit leads, only to succumb to the opponent’s rally. Coach Brey has emphasized that this group has to learn, and quickly, how to close out games, especially on the road.
Largest Leads Given Out in Loss This Season
12 at Syracuse (12:54 in 2H), 1/14/23
11 at Florida State (10:41 in 1H), 12/21/22
10 at Boston College (17:53 in 2H), 1/3/23
And what’s tough specifically about the Syracuse and Boston College losses was that Notre Dame led for almost the entire game in both. Take this stat – in those two games, Notre Dame led for a combined 63:38 out of the 80 minutes. More on that below
THE ABILITY TO RALLY NOW JUST CLOSE
The game at NC State on Jan. 24 was a rollercoaster and intriguing one. The Irish went down 11 points in the first half, then rallied to go up 7 and take a halftime lead. They then went down 9 points in the 2nd half to rally to cut it to one before falling 85-82. It marked their highest points total on the road this season.
Much in the same in the losses to Florida State and Boston College the week prior. Against FSU, the Irish twice found themselves down 24 and twice rallied to cut it to a two-possession game, but just couldn’t get over that final hump. Against BC, the Irish rallied down 14 points to take a lead in the 2nd half, but ultimately ran into an Eagles team that shot 71.4 percent in the 2nd half to close out the 84-72 win.
A DIFFERENCE OF A FEW POSSESSIONS
A difference in a few possessions – one in each of the following games – Syracuse x2, Florida State, Boston College, NC State.
1st game vs. Syracuse – Down five, with under 1:20 to play, Cormac Ryan and Marcus Hammond recorded back-to-back three-point plays to go up 61-60, but the Orange answered with 14 seconds on the clock. Notre Dame couldn’t connect on the buzzer-beater, falling 62-61.
Florida State – With six seconds remaining on the clock down one, Notre Dame ran a great in-bounds play to Wertz but his next pass to an open and sprinting Cormac Ryan was thrown just a tad too high/long as the Seminoles tracked it down and escaped with a 73-72 win. The Irish were on a 6-0 run with two big defensive stands in the final minute before the final play of the game.
Boston College – The Irish led for the first 37:19 of the game but Boston College closed on a 17-4 run to take it 70-63. Notre Dame led 59-53 with 4 minutes remaining. When BC took its first lead at 1:43, 62-61, Notre Dame went 0-3 on its next three possessions.
2nd game at Syracuse – Irish led for a majority, 26:19 in fact, leading as much as 12 points with 12:54 to play. However, the Orange ultimately closed the game on a 24-10 scoring run, stealing the victory from the Irish in the closing minutes. The Irish, who made a season high 15 three-pointers in the contest, suddenly went cold, missing 8 of their last 9 three-pointer attempts.
At NC State – trailing just 73-76 with 1:51 remaining, the Irish recorded an 0-for-4 stretch from the field to see the gap grow to 7 points before falling 82-85.
NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL
IRISH PICKED FIFTH; GASKINS AND HANKS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-ACC
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The 2023 preseason Atlantic Coast Conference announced the Preseason All-ACC team as well as the preseason poll Thursday afternoon. The University of Notre Dame was picked to finish fifth in the poll, conducted by the league’s head coaches. Junior Karina Gaskins and senior Leea Hanks each earned a spot on the Preseason All-ACC team of 15 student-athletes.
The team was picked to finish fifth in the 13-team league. Florida State, Virginia Tech, Clemson and Duke were picked ahead of the Irish. Notre Dame will play host to the Seminoles and Hokies, while heading to Durham to take on the Blue Devils during the 2023 season.
Notre Dame is coming off a 40-12 2022 season, a 16-5 ACC mark, and a season that saw the program reach the NCAA Tournament for the 23rd-consecutive season. It was the 19th time in program history that the Irish have won 40 or more games in a season. Notre Dame led the ACC in team batting average and doubles and had four of the top 12 hitters for average in the league.
Gaskins, a constant sight in the 2023 preseason softball top 100 player lists this winter, is coming off a highly successful 2022 season. The junior infielder earned All-American honors by three softball publications last spring after hitting for an ACC-leading .428 average with 61 RBI. She led the Irish with 13 home runs and connected on 12 doubles while setting a school record with a .555 on-base percentage. Gaskins was also the recipient of the 2022 ACC Player of the Year award, the third Irish player to earn the conference’s player of the year, and the 10th conference player of the year in program history.
Hanks was a second team All-ACC selection last year, and National Fastpitch Coaches Association Second Team All-Region. She finished the 2022 season with a .370 average, leading the team with 14 doubles and five triples. She scored 53 runs, the most of any returning player for the Irish. She was also second on the team with six home runs and swiped 13 bases on 14 attempts. Hanks also led the team with seven outfield assists, while constantly stealing hits and runs from opponents playing left field.
Gaskins, Hanks and the rest of the Irish open the 2023 season in two weeks as they head to San Diego for a five-game weekend event. Notre Dame will take on Arizona State, San Diego State, CSUN, Northern Illinois and Memphis during opening weekend. The season’s first matchup with ASU is set for February 9th, with a 10 p.m. first pitch.
Predicted Order of Finish
Florida State
Virginia Tech
Clemson
Duke
Notre Dame
Georgia Tech
Louisville
Virginia
Syracuse
NC State
North Carolina
Boston College
Pittsburgh
2023 Preseason All-ACC Team
Infielders
Karina Gaskins, Notre Dame, Jr.
Cameron Fagan, Virginia Tech, Jr.
Mack Leonard, Florida State, Gr.
Alla Logoleo, Clemson, R-Jr.
Devin Flaherty, Florida State, Sr.
Outfielders
Kaley Mudge, Florida State, Sr.
Emma Ritter, Virginia Tech, Jr.
McKenzie Clark, Clemson, Jr.
Leea Hanks, Notre Dame, Sr.
Catcher
Emma Kauf, Georgia Tech, Sr.
Pitchers
Katheryn Sanderock, Florida State, R-Sr.
Valerie Cagle, Clemson, R-Jr.
Emma Lemley, Virginia Tech, So.
Designated Player
Kalei Harding, Florida State, Jr.
Meredith Slaw, Virginia Tech, Sr.
INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
THREE-GAME HOMESTAND KICKS OFF FRIDAY FOR SYCAMORES
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State begins a three-game homestand, its longest during MVC play, Friday evening when it welcomes Belmont to Hulman Center for a 6 p.m. tip. The game will be carried on ESPN3 and 105.5 The Legend.
Gameday Sponsor
Ford will be the game day sponsor for Saturday’s contest. For more information on Ford, click HERE.
Gameday Promotions
Friday’s game is the first of two games during Alumni Weekend for the Sycamores. The Sycamores will honor former players at Sunday’s game against Murray State, with the team also hosting a function with current players and staff and women’s basketball alumni who previously registered that morning.
In conjunction with the Indiana State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, the Sycamores will be hosting a food drive at Friday’s game. Non-perishable items will be accepted, with a full list of acceptable items in the following graphic.
Last Time Out
Mya Glanton scored a season-high 21 points Sunday afternoon and Del’Janae Williams nearly recorded a triple-double, propelling Indiana State to a 71-60 win over Bradley inside Renaissance Coliseum.
Williams finished with eight points, nine rebounds and nine assists, setting career-highs in both rebounds and assists. Anna McKendree finished with 14 points, while Chelsea Cain had a double-double for the second straight game with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Indiana State used a 13-2 run spanning the end of the first quarter and start of the second to take the lead for good. The Sycamores led for the final 30:50, pushing their advantage to double-digits in the third and fourth quarters behind 15 second-half points from Glanton. Bradley made it a one-possession game late in the fourth, but three-point plays by Caitlin Anderson and Glanton inside the last two minutes and lights-out free throw shooting led the Sycamores to their third MVC win of the season, all of which have come on the road.
Nearly Making History
Indiana State guard Del’Janae Williams came close to becoming the second Sycamore in program history to record a triple-double when the Trees defeated Bradley.
Williams had eight points, nine rebounds and nine assists against the Braves. The nine rebounds and nine assists were both career-highs.
Amy Walker has the lone triple-double in program history with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Illinois State on Feb. 18, 1995.
Nearly Making History
Indiana State guard Del’Janae Williams has picked things up in recent weeks, scoring in double-figures in each of the Sycamores’ last five games. Williams is averaging 17.6 points per game during that stretch and is scoring 14.0 points per game against MVC foes.
Included in Williams’ scoring total is a season-best 25-point output in a come-from-behind win over Valparaiso.
Indiana State has seen success when multiple players have hit double-figures this season. The Sycamores are 4-1 in games where three or more players have scored 10-plus points.
Double Trouble
After going the first 14 games of the season without a double-double, Indiana State has seen two different players notch a double-double over the last three games.
Anna McKendree recorded the Sycamores’ first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 assists against Drake, becoming the first Sycamore since Melanie Boeglin in 2006 to record a points-assist double-double.
Chelsea Cain has posted a double-double in each of the last two games for the Blue and White, averaging 13.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in that span. Cain had 16 points and 11 rebounds at Illinois State, and 11 points and 10 rebounds at Bradley.
Milestone Watch
Two members of the Indiana State women’s basketball programs are nearing career milestones, with one also occurring earlier this month.
Chelsea Cain hit 1,000 points for her collegiate career with a layup in the first quarter at Evansville. Cain scored 857 points in three seasons at Nicholls State and has 201 points for the Sycamores this year, giving her 1,058 career points.
Del’Janae Williams is also closing in on 1,000 career points, as she is currently 82 points away from reaching the milestone with at least 13 games left on the schedule.
Head coach Chad Killinger is also nearing a career milestone on the sidelines, as the Sycamore leader needs just two wins to reach 300 for his head coaching career.
Thieves Avenue
Indiana State has continued its trend from last season of being among the best in the Missouri Valley Conference when it comes to generating turnovers.
The Trees lead the conference in turnovers forced (18.0) and rank third in steals per game (8.1), trailing only Southern Illinois and Drake.
Indiana State often capitalizes on opposition turnovers, as the Sycamores average 17.1 points per game off turnovers. The Sycamores have scored 20-plus points off turnovers on seven occasions this season, including twice against Missouri Valley Conference foes.
Magic Numbers
Indiana State hit multiple benchmarks in its win over Bradley that have usually translated to wins in head coach Chad Killinger’s tenure. With three double-figure scorers against the Braves, the Sycamores improved to 4-1 this season when having three or more in double-figures. ISU is 13-7 in Killinger’s tenure when three or more players score 10-plus points.
With its 71 points, the most by the Sycamores in an MVC game this season, Indiana State improved to 3-0 this season when scoring 70-plus points. In Killinger’s tenure, the Trees are 11-1 when scoring at least 70.
Belmont at a Glance
Belmont enters the weekend at 9-10 overall and 5-3 in MVC play. The Bruins are coming off their most lopsided win of the season, a 101-45 drubbing of Southern Illinois at home.
MVC Preseason Player of the Year Destinee Wells leads the Bruins in scoring at 16.4 points per game and also has a team-high 88 assists. Madison Bartley (12.5) and Tuti Jones (11.0) are also averaging double-figure scoring for Belmont, while Tessa Miller averages a team-high 5.7 rebounds per game.
Now in his sixth season at the helm, head coach Bart Brooks has orchestrated one of the best mid-major programs over the last five years. Belmont has reached each of the four NCAA Tournaments contested during Brooks’ tenure, making it to the second round in each of the last two seasons.
Series History Against Belmont
Belmont owns a slim 3-2 lead in the all-time series, though Indiana State won the last meeting between the teams during the 2012-13 season. The Sycamores and Bruins have split the two previous meetings in Terre Haute.
Last Game Against Belmont (Feb. 4, 2022)
Del’Janae Williams scored a career-high 27 points and hit double-figures in both halves, leading Indiana State to a wire-to-wire 83-63 win over Bradley inside Renaissance Coliseum.
Mya Glanton continued her strong form with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Anna McKendree added 12 off the bench for the Sycamores, all of which came in the second half. Nine different players scored for Indiana State, with six scoring at least five points in the win.
Glanton opened the scoring on a jumper after grabbing a pair of offensive rebounds to set the tone for the game. A Lalic 3-pointer midway through the opening quarter broke a 6-all tie and gave Indiana State a lead it would hold for the rest of the game. The Sycamores led by double-digits for most of that stretch, including nearly all of the second half, and closed the game on an 8-0 run.
Up Next
Indiana State’s three-game homestand continues Sunday afternoon against Murray State with tipoff set for 1 p.m. As part of Alumni Weekend, the Sycamore will honor former players at Sunday’s game.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
AMELLIA BROMENSCHENKEL AND MASTODON WBB BEAT OAKLAND 73-64
ROCHESTER, Mich. – Amellia Bromenschenkel was the star of yet another Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball game on Thursday night (Jan. 26). She led the Mastodons to a 73-64 win over the Oakland Golden Grizzlies on the road.
Bromenschenkel had one of the best all-around performances of the season, finishing with 24 points, nine rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block with just two turnovers. She shot 9-of-15 from the floor for 60 percent.
The junior guard set the tone immediately. She turned Oakland over, then grabbed an offensive rebound off a Mastodon miss, then scored a layup on her own.
The 3-ball was working for the Mastodons throughout the contest, getting three in each of the first three quarters. Shayla Sellers hit one in the first quarter, then later on, Audra Emmerson nailed two on back-to-back trips.
In the second quarter, Ryin Ott joined in on the fun, knocking in one of her own. On the next possession, Sellers buried a tirple off an Ott assist. With 3:21 left in the half, Emmerson hit her third and final 3-pointer of the contest to put the ‘Dons up 11.
After the break, the ‘Dons rattled off a 7-0 run capped off by an Ott 3-pointer to go up 15. This forced Oakland to burn a timeout.
It took until the 5:28 mark of the fourth quarter for Oakland to scrape back within 10 points. The Golden Grizzlies brought it all the way back to a four-point deficit, but the ‘Dons were good enough from the free throw line in the final 2:30 to come away with the win. They were 6-of-8 from the stripe in that time, with Bromenschenkel hitting four and Sellers a pair.
Sellers joined her teammate in double-figures with 16 points of her own on 4-of-9 shooting. Emmerson was also 4-for-9, but netted 11. Jazzlyn Linbo had nine points and four blocks. Sylare Starks netted a pair of free throws, continuing her perfect streak. She has made her last 24, dating back to last season, with 18 made on 18 attempts this year.
The Mastodons finished 11-of-26 from the 3-point line for 42.3 percent. Over the last four games, they are shooting 43.3 percent (39-of-90) from beyond the arc. They are also 3-1 in that four-game stretch.
Purdue Fort Wayne forced Oakland into 20 turnovers. Horizon League Freshman of the Year front-runner Brooke Quarles-Daniels finished with 18 points, six rebounds and six assists for Oakland, but the ‘Dons forced her to cough it up six times.
Purdue Fort Wayne led for 38:11 of the game. Oakland led for just 19 seconds.
Thursday’s win was the Mastodons’ first over the Golden Grizzlies since 2013, snapping an eight-game losing streak. It was also the largest margin of victory in the series by either side since the 2020-21 season.
Purdue Fort Wayne improves to 8-13 and 5-6 in the Horizon League. It is the fastest the Mastodons have reached eight wins since the 2013-14 season. Oakland falls to 10-10 and 5-6 in league play.
The Mastodons have a chance to move to .500 in league play on Saturday (Jan. 28) when they play at Detroit Mercy. The ‘Dons beat the Titans 58-49 in the league opener on December 2.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S BASKETBALL
MASTODONS SET FOR A VOYAGE TO CLEVELAND TO FACE THE VIKINGS
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Mastodons return to the road to play the Vikings of Cleveland State on Friday (Jan. 27) in a 7 p.m. tip.
Game Day Information
Who: Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons (14-8, 6-5 Horizon League) at Cleveland State Vikings (12-9, 7-3 Horizon League)
When: Friday, January 27 | 7 p.m. ET
Where: Cleveland, Ohio | Wolstein Center
Live Stats: Link
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: 1380 AM The Fan online only | Listen
Talent: Brett Rump
Game Notes (PDF): Purdue Fort Wayne | Cleveland State
Series Record: Cleveland State leads 9-3
ABOUT CLEVELAND STATE:
// The Vikings are tied for second in the Horizon League with a 7-3 mark. They defeated the ‘Dons earlier this season and have won four of their last five games.
// This will be the 10th meeting between the Mastodons and Vikings since December 2020.
‘DONS AND ENDS:
// Deonte Billups enters the game needing nine points for 1,000 in his career.
// Deonte Billups set career highs in points (26), 3-pointers (7), field goal attempts (16) and 3-point field goal attempts (12) in the win over IUPUI on Thursday (Jan. 25). He also had a season-high seven rebounds and no turnovers in the game.
// The Mastodon coaching staff wore sneakers for the game against IUPUI as part of the American Cancer Society and NABC’s Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Week. During Suits And Sneakers Week, coaches from all levels of the sport wore specially designed Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers apparel along with their favorite sneakers on the sidelines to raise awareness about the American Cancer Society’s fight against cancer.
// Jarred Godfrey is the all-time leader in games played in program history. He played in his 142nd career game on Jan. 25th at Northern Kentucky to pass Cameron Benford (2017-22) who had 141 games for the mark. Godfrey now owns 143 career games played.
// Jarred Godfrey has eight games of 20 or more points this season. He has 33 career games of 20 or more points.
// Ra Kpedi on the season has six double-digit rebound games, including double-doubles at Northwestern (Nov. 18), vs. Oakland (Dec. 3) and vs. Cleveland State (Jan. 16).
// The ‘Dons have had 12 or fewer turnovers in six of the last eight games.
// The ‘Dons are 12-0 this season when scoring 71 or more points in a game.
// The ‘Dons have held a lead in every game this season.
// Per sports-reference.com, Ra Kpedi leads the Horizon League in offensive rebounding percentage at 15.6 percent. He has a league-best 81 offensive boards.
// Jarred Godfrey owns 1,958 career points, second place in program history. The only Mastodon ahead of Godfrey is his former teammate John Konchar. Konchar sits in first place in program history with 2,065 points.
// Jarred Godfrey owns 599 rebounds, sixth in program history. When he reaches 603 rebounds he’ll enter the top five in program history. He is already in the top five in points, assists, steals, field goals, free throws and 3-pointers.
// Jarred Godfrey is shooting 91.7 percent (88-of-96) from the free throw line this season, 8th in the nation. Only once in program history has a player made 50 or more free throws in a season and finished at 90 percent or better. That was Ben Botts in 2009-09, making 65-of-71 (91.5 percent).
// Ra Kpedi has won the opening tip in 19-of-23 games this season. He also won the tip in overtime against Oakland (Dec. 3).
// The ‘Dons are 14th in the nation in 3-pointers per game (10.0).
// The ‘Dons are 9th in the nation in 3-point defense with teams shooting just 28.3 percent against them from three.
// Jarred Godfrey (1,958), Damian Chong Qui (1,474), Anthony Roberts (1,484), and Bobby Planutis (1,116) have each scored 1,000 career NCAA points. Deonte Billups (991) is knocking on the door.
// The ‘Dons have 14 games of double-digit offensive rebounds this season.
// Jarred Godfrey is the only active player in NCAA Division I men’s basketball with 1,900 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists and 200 3-pointers. Since 1992-93 only 24 student-athletes have finished with such a career stat line. The list includes Shabazz Napier, Jameer Nelson, Eddie House and Kerry Kittles. (per sports-reference.com)
… when Godfrey gets one more rebound (to get to 600), the group will then be 12 players including Godfrey.
EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
ACES AIM TO BREAK ATTENDANCE RECORD FRIDAY AGAINST MURRAY STATE
EVANSVILLE – Continuing to build momentum both on the court and in the stands, the University of Evansville women’s basketball team plays host to Murray State at 6 PM on Friday evening inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse in Evansville.
Friday night’s game shapes up to be one of the highest attended in Meeks Family Fieldhouse history. The women’s basketball record inside Meeks is 712 and the Aces are looking to Max Out Meeks the first 100 students inside the fieldhouse receiving Aces crossbody bags and free hot dogs.
The meeting between Evansville and Murray State on Friday marks the 38th all-time contest between the two, but the first as conference foes. The Racers own a 23-14 advantage in the all-time series and have won four-straight in the series, including a narrow 85-77 win a season ago inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse in non-conference action. In fact, all three contests between the two inside Meeks have been close with Murray State narrowly edging the Aces, 227-225, over the last three contests in Evansville.
Murray State comes into Friday’s contest with an 11-6 overall record and a 4-4 mark in Valley play, sitting in a tie for sixth in the MVC standings, just one game up on Evansville. The Racers are led by the MVC’s top scorer in junior forward Katelyn Young, who’s averaging over 20 points per game and adding nearly eight boards per contest.
The Aces enter the weekend with plenty of momentum following last Friday’s road win over Bradley. In Peoria, the Aces earned an 73-56 win over Bradley in a road MVC matchup. Evansville’s 17-point margin in the win over Bradley is its largest against an MVC foe since an 81-50 victory at Loyola Chicago on March 2, 2017. With the win over the Braves, the Aces earned their third MVC win of the season, the most since 2016-17 for the program.
SOUTHERN INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
SIMMONS, POLAKOVICH LEAD EAGLES OVER PANTHERS
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball senior guard Jelani Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) and senior forward Jacob Polakovich (Grand Rapids, Michigan) combined for 41 points and led the Screaming Eagles to a 78-74 win over Eastern Illinois University Thursday evening in Screaming Eagles Arena. The Eagles go to 13-9 overall and 6-3 in the OVC, while the Panthers are 7-15, 3-6 OVC.
With the victory, USI has won five-straight games and remains in a five-way tie for first in the OVC. USI is tied with the University of Tennessee at Martin, Morehead State University, Tennessee Tech University, and Southeast Missouri State University for the first place slot at 6-3 in league play. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville fell to sixth after falling to Tennessee Tech this evening.
USI got off to a great start with an 8-1 run and that seven-point lead methodically grew to as many as 20 points, 44-24, before the end of the half. The Eagles would leave the court with an 18-point halftime margin, 47-31.
The USI first half surge was led by Simmons, who dominated with 20 first half points on six three-point field goals in eight attempts and pair of free throws.
Polakovich was nearly as dominating in the first 20 minutes with a double-double before the intermission. He had 11 points on five field goals and a free throw in addition to grabbing 13 rebounds on seven offensive and six defensive boards.
The second half saw the Eagles and the Panthers trade buckets for the first 13 minutes until EIU used a 22-7 run to climb back into the game and cut USI’s margin to three points, 70-67, with 2:18 to play. USI would regain control down the stretch, helped by a big three-point field goal by sophomore guard Isaiah Swope (Newburgh, Indiana) to make the score 75-69 with 34 seconds to play
USI would seal the 78-74 victory with three free throws in the final seconds, one each by Swope, Simmons, and junior guard Gary Solomon (Detroit, Michigan)
The Eagles finished the game with four players in double-digits, led by Simmons, who finished with 21 points after adding one more in the second half. Simmons was six-of-12 overall, six-of-10 from long distance, and three-of-six from the line
Polakovich, who posted his second 20-20 game of the season, concluded the evening with 20 points, adding nine in the second half, and 24 rebounds, adding another 11 in the final 20 minutes. The senior forward had four 20 rebound games this season (most in NCAA Division I) and nine double-doubles this season
Swope and graduate forward Trevor Lakes (Lebanon, Indiana) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points and 10 points, respectively
USI junior guard Tyler Henry (Brooklyn, New York) highlighted the evening by reach 1,000 career points with his five points in the first half. Henry has scored 578 at USI (2020-Present) and 422 points with Lane College (2019-20).
Next Up For USI:
USI go back to the road Saturday to finish OVC action this week, visiting the University of Tennessee at Martin. The game, which is slated for a 3:30 p.m. tip, will be streamed on ESPN+ in addition to being heard on ESPN 97.7FM and 95.7FM The Spin.
UTM (14-8, 6-3 OVC) defeated Lindenwood University this evening at home, 66-59, to remain in the OVC logjam for first. The Skyhawks were led by sophomore guard Jordan Sears and senior guard KJ Simon with 16 points each.
USI took the first meeting in the 2022-23 series, 80-66, at Screaming Eagles Arena earlier this month and closed the gap in the all-time series, 5-4. The Eagles also will be trying to snap a three-game losing streak at UTM Saturday.
SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
USI TAKES FIRST-PLACE EASTERN ILLINOIS TO OVERTIME WITH HEARTY PERFORMANCE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball displayed a hearty performance on Thursday evening when the Screaming Eagles battled first-place Eastern Illinois University into overtime, but the Ohio Valley Conference-leading Panthers came away with the 67-62 win.
Southern Indiana sophomore guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) paced the Screaming Eagles in the contest with a career-high 24 points and a career-best six triples. The nation’s top three-point shooter came through in big moments for the Screaming Eagles on Thursday while playing 42 minutes in the game.
Shafford jumpstarted Southern Indiana with a corner three-pointer and a mid-range jumper to give USI an early 5-0 lead in the first quarter. Meanwhile, USI’s defense also started strong, forcing Eastern Illinois into a 0-for-5 start from the field. Around the halfway point of the first period, and USI ahead 7-2, Eastern Illinois went on an 11-0 run to take a 13-7 lead. USI senior forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio), who also had a big game with 21 points for USI, snapped the scoring run for the Panthers with a layup inside. Eastern Illinois led 17-11 after the opening 10 minutes.
Both defenses buckled down to begin the second quarter, as each side went scoreless past the first two minutes of the second. After Eastern Illinois pushed its lead to 29-20 with under two minutes left in the first half, USI went on a 7-0 run to finish the quarter and the half to cut EIU’s lead down to two, 29-27, at the intermission. Southern Indiana’s late second-quarter run was driven by a pair of makes from Shafford and one by Haithcock, as both players crossed over into double figures during the stretch.
In the opening minutes of the third period, Haithcock picked up right where she left off from the end of the first half. The senior tied the game on a pair of occasions. USI’s defense continued its stout performance in the third, challenging shots from the Panthers. With 3:17 left in the third, Eastern Illinois went up by five, but USI junior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) answered on the next two makes from the field for the Screaming Eagles to bring USI within one, 38-37. USI tied the contest 39-39 before entering the fourth quarter.
In USI’s first possession of the fourth quarter, Haithcock cashed in to give USI its first lead since midway in the first quarter. Her bucket put USI up 41-39. The Screaming Eagles’ momentum continued, as Shafford buried two triples to push USI in front, 47-41, with 8:28 remaining in the fourth. Midway into the fourth quarter, Eastern Illinois went on an 11-0 run to go up by five, 52-47. Then Shafford and USI responded, as the sophomore drilled two threes to make it a one-point game, 54-53, with EIU ahead and 1:57 left in the quarter. Raley put USI back in front on the next possession with a three-point play, 56-54. Eastern Illinois tied the game at 56 with 28 seconds left. The teams remained tied at 56 to force overtime.
In the extra frame, EIU scored first before Shafford tied the contest back up at 58. The Panthers went back ahead with under three minutes left in overtime, but again, USI answered on a layup by Haithcock and tied the game at 60. With just over a minute remaining, Eastern Illinois went ahead 62-60 on a pair of free throws. Even though USI was able to make it a one-possession game with 15 seconds left, Eastern Illinois closed out the game in the final seconds.
Shafford’s 24 points and Haithcock’s 21 tallies marked the third time this season that USI had two players score 20 or more in the game. The other two instances came in the non-conference season. Shafford was 9-16 from the field with five rebounds, while Haithcock went 8-13 from the floor with seven boards. Raley finished with 11 points in the contest. Southern Indiana was 21-for-50 for 42 percent overall on the evening with six triples. The Screaming Eagles went 14-for-16 at the stripe.
Eastern Illinois was led in the game by the OVC’s scoring leader in senior guard Lariah Washington. Washington recorded 14 points, but USI’s defense held the senior to 4-19 shooting and 1-6 from three. The Panthers had three other players finish in double figures. Southern Indiana’s defense almost held EIU to a season-low shooting from the floor, but the Panthers managed to go 22-for-66 overall for 33 percent. EIU was limited to 3-for-23 night from three for 13 percent, but Eastern Illinois was 20-for-24 for 83 percent at the foul line. Eastern Illinois claimed 46 rebounds compared to USI’s 31.
With Thursday’s result, USI’s record moved to 9-11 overall and 3-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Eastern Illinois improved its record to 17-3 on the season and 9-0 in the OVC to remain in first place in the standings.
Next up, USI will travel Saturday at 1 p.m. for the second conference meeting against the University of Tennessee at Martin. The game can be seen live with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on 95.7 FM The Spin
VALPO MEN’S BASKETBALL
MEN’S BASKETBALL RETURNS HOME TO HOST EVANSVILLE
Evansville (4-18, 0-11 MVC)
at Valparaiso (9-13, 3-8 MVC)
Game No. 23 – Saturday, Jan. 28, 6 p.m. CT
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) – Valparaiso, Ind.
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team will look to capture its fourth win in the last five games on Saturday night as Evansville comes to the Athletics-Recreation Center for the second matchup between the two teams in a two-week span. The first 500 patrons through the turnstiles will receive a free Valpo koozie. In addition, the Valpo coaching staff will participate in Suits and Sneakers Week as part of the American Cancer Society’s Coaches vs. Cancer initiative. This will also be a Mental Health Awareness Game presented by Valpo’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Dam Worth It Company.
Last Time Out: It was a game of runs on Wednesday in Cedar Falls. After the two teams played even early, host UNI went on a 13-0 burst to turn a 17-all deadlock into a 30-17 lead with 7:35 left in the first half. Valpo closed to within seven, but UNI again reeled off 10 straight points to end the half to take a 17-point lead into the locker room. After trailing by as many as 19 early in the second half, the Beacons battled to within five with 9:04 to go, but the gap mounted back up to 14 in an eventual 77-66 win for the hosts. Ben Krikke led all scorers with 22 points, while Kobe King had a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Following the Beacons: Streaming – ESPN3 – Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and Brian Jennings (analyst)
Radio – 95.1 FM, WVUR, ValpoAthletics.com, TuneIn Radio App – Zach Collins (play-by-play)
Twitter updates – @ValpoBasketball
Links for video, audio and live stats will be available at ValpoAthletics.com.
Head Coach Matt Lottich: Matt Lottich (106-109) is in his seventh season as the head coach of the men’s basketball program in 2022-2023. Twice during his tenure, Valpo has upset Top-25 opponents, defeating Drake and Rhode Island at the ARC. Valpo has four wins over AP Top 25 teams in program history, and two have come under Lottich. In 2019-2020, Valpo became the first team in the history of Arch Madness, the annual Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Louis, to reach the title game after playing in the opening round by winning three games in three days. Lottich, hired as the 22nd head coach of the Valpo men’s basketball program in April 2016, graduated from Stanford University in 2004 and New Trier High School (Illinois) in 2000.
Series Notes: Valpo owns a 24-72 all-time record as the two teams get set to compete in their 97th matchup. The Beacons own a four-game head-to-head winning streak over the Aces. Valpo is 14-28 at home in the head-to-head series. Evansville is the second most common opponent in program history as Valpo has played only Butler (103) more frequently. The Brown & Gold have gotten the better of the play in recent years as Valpo owns a 7-2 mark in the last nine showdowns, including the 76-69 win at the Ford Center two weeks ago. That win helped Valpo gain a 7-6 edge over the Aces since joining the Missouri Valley Conference. The Beacons earned a three-game sweep of Evansville in two of the last three years, bouncing the Purple Aces from the State Farm MVC Tournament in both 2020 and 2022.
Remembering Redmon: Prior to the game, a moment of silence will be held to honor David Redmon ‘95, a hometown product who helped lay the foundation for the legacy of success of the Valpo men’s basketball program. Redmon, a 2004 Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, passed away on Jan. 15 at the age of 50 in Columbus, Ohio. In Redmon’s three years with the program, Valpo won 52 games after winning just 14 total the previous three seasons. He helped the program to its first 20-win season in nearly three decades, followed by another 20-win campaign and the program’s first Mid-Continent Conference regular season and tournament championships in 1994-95.
Last Matchup – Valpo 76, Evansville 69: Valpo went on the road and garnered its first Missouri Valley Conference victory on Jan. 14, fending off Evansville 76-69. Kobe King made big plays in the second half, finishing a rebound shy of a double-double while registering 15 of his game-high 20 points after halftime. He drilled clutch free throws late and went 8-of-9 at the foul line to lead four Beacons in double figures. The Valpo advantage peaked at 18 in a game where the Purple Aces rallied to make it interesting, thanks in part to 36 free-throw attempts (although they misfired on half of those tries).
New Places, Same Faces
Saturday’s game vs. Evansville continues a season-long trend of former members of the Valpo basketball program returning to the ARC as part of the opposing coaching staff. The Purple Aces are under the direction of first-year head coach David Ragland, who spent two seasons on head coach Matt Lottich’s coaching staff in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
On Dec. 21, Stonehill assistant coach Jason Karys made a return visit to Northwest Indiana. Karys is a former Valpo student manager, walk-on player, graduate assistant and Director of Basketball Operations.
The Dec. 6 game featured another familiar face as Trinity Christian is guided by head coach Jason Hawkins, who played at Valpo from 2000-2003 and was part of the 2002 NCAA Tournament team. He also spent two seasons coaching at his alma mater.
The first reunion game of the year was on Nov. 19, when Chris Artis returned to the building as an Incarnate Word assistant coach. He played at Valpo in the mid-1990s and helped the program to its first Mid-Continent Conference regular season and tournament championships en route to an NCAA Tournament berth in 1995-96. The next year, he again led the team to regular season and tournament titles as well as an NCAA Tournament return.
Rebounding Resilience
During the Jan. 25 game at UNI, Valpo pulled down 12 offensive rebounds, tied for the team’s second-highest single-game total this season.
This marked a significant uptick on the offensive glass as the Beacons had five total offensive rebounds over the previous two games (two vs. UIC, three at Illinois State).
The last time Valpo had a double-figure offensive rebound effort was 12 on Dec. 6 vs. Trinity Christian. The only game this season with more than a dozen was Dec. 4 vs. Murray State (15).
Meanwhile, UNI had just three offensive rebounds, the fewest permitted by the Beacons this season. The three offensive caroms tied a season low for the Panthers.
Double-Double Details
Kobe King scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds on Jan. 25 at UNI, notching the third double-double by a Valpo player this season.
King joins Nick Edwards on Dec. 21 vs. Stonehill (20 points, 12 assists) and Ben Krikke on Nov. 7 at Toledo (18 points, 13 rebounds) as the three Beacons with double-doubles in 2022-2023.
This marked Valpo’s first double-double in conference play since Feb. 21 of last season, when both King and Edwards turned the trick against Evansville.
This was King’s third career double-double, joining Feb. 5, 2022 vs. Indiana State (24 points, 11 rebounds) and Feb. 21, 2022 vs. Evansville (12 points, 10 rebounds).
The dozen rebounds against the Panthers represented a career high for King. He outdid his previous career high of 11 on Feb. 5, 2022 vs. Indiana State and his previous season high of nine on Jan. 14, 2023 at Evansville.
Krikke Still Sharing & Scoring
The performance of Ben Krikke was a major bright spot in the Jan. 25 loss at UNI. He poured in a game-high 22 points to go along with eight rebounds and five assists.
Krikke became the first Valpo player with 20+ points, 8+ rebounds and 5+ assists in a game since Javon Freeman-Liberty on March 7, 2020, a win over Missouri State that sent Valpo to the championship game of the State Farm MVC Tournament.
Krikke becomes just the sixth different Valpo player since 2010-11 to record that stat line, joining a star-studded list that includes Brandon Wood, Ryan Broekhoff, Alec Peters (twice), Tevonn Walker and Javon Freeman-Liberty (twice).
Krikke also had two steals against the Panthers. He became just the third Valpo player since 2010 with 20+ points, 8+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 2+ steals in a game, joining Walker and Freeman-Liberty (twice).
The 22 points marked Krikke’s highest scoring output in his last 13 games since he went off for 31 on Dec. 4. vs. Murray State.
Krikke now has five assists in three of his last four games.
Krikke’s Jan. 25 game against the Panthers also saw him grab eight boards for the second straight game. He pulled down five offensive caroms, tying a season high set on Nov. 23 at Samford.
The 6-foot-9 senior had nine total assists in 15 games this season (0.6 apg) prior to Jan. 4 vs. UNI. He now has multiple assists in each of his last seven contests and 30 total assists in that span (4.3 apg), over seven times his assist per game average from the season’s first 15 games.
In the Jan. 4 game vs. UNI, he gave out a team-high six assists, shattering his previous career high of five set on Jan. 26, 2021 vs. Bradley. He again tallied five helpers on Jan. 14 at Evansville and Jan. 17 vs. UIC, making it 10 assists in a two-game span.
Krikke Keeps Climbing
Ben Krikke moved up another spot on Valpo’s all-time scoring list in the Jan. 25 game at UNI. He made his way past Milo Stovall (1998-2002; 1,345) for 17th all-time.
Entering Jan. 28 vs. Evansville, Krikke has 1,361 career points, just 17 points away from tying and 18 from passing Mike Jones (1986-90; 1,378) for 16th. The threshold to get into the top 15 is Jeff Simmons (1978-82) at 1,395.
Krikke cracked the top 20 on Valpo’s all-time scoring list when he scored the first basket of the game on Dec. 18 vs. Elon, and moved up to 19th on Jan. 4 vs. UNI.
Streak Snapped
The 77-66 loss at UNI on Jan. 25 dashed a three-game winning streak for the Beacons.
Thanks to victories over Evansville, UIC and Illinois State, Valpo owned its first three-game winning streak of the season. Its last such streak occurred last season – a stretch that featured wins over Eastern Michigan, William & Mary and Illinois State in late December and early January.
This was Valpo’s first three-game league-only winning streak since late January 2021 (at Illinois State twice, vs. Bradley).
The Beacons won back-to-back MVC road games (at Evansville, at Illinois State) for the first time since sweeping two at Illinois State on Jan. 23-24, 2020.
Valpo won back-to-back league games by double figures (vs. UIC, at Illinois State) for the first time since downing Bradley and Missouri State late in the 2020 regular season.
Double Figure Streak
The only player in the Missouri Valley Conference who has scored in double figures in each of his team’s games this season is Kobe King, who has scored 10+ in 22 straight.
King has entered the list of longest double-figure scoring streaks in recent Valpo memory. Javon Freeman-Liberty scored in double figures in all 29 regular season games that he played during the 2019-20 season before seeing his streak snapped in the first MVC Tournament game. Alec Peters scored in double figures in all 29 games he played in 2016-17 before seeing his season cut short by an injury.
King has scored in double figures in 41 of his 45 games in a Valpo uniform.
The former Wisconsin Mr. Basketball has scored 15 points or more in 15 of his 21 games this season. He has seven 20-point outputs this year and has scored 15 or more points in 25 of his 44 games with the Beacons.
King is up to 46 career double-figure scoring efforts including his tenure at Wisconsin.
At the end of last season, King became Valpo’s second All-Newcomer Team choice since joining the league and first since Bakari Evelyn in 2017-18.
He appeared on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays after a three-quarter court buzzer-beater on Dec. 11 vs. Charlotte, a play that ranked No. 9 on the popular countdown that evening.
Other Notes Wrapping Up Jan. 25: UNI 77, Valpo 66
Nick Edwards tallied 12 points, joining Ben Krikke (22) and Kobe King (14) in double figures.
Krikke led the team in scoring for the 10th time this season. This marked the 18th time in 22 games that either Krikke or King has served as the team’s leading scorer.
Edwards enjoyed his fourth consecutive double-figure scoring output. He also had five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
All five UNI starters scored in double figures, led by Bowen Born’s 18 points and Tytan Anderson’s double-double of 17 and 10.
The 3-point arc was the biggest Achilles’ heel for the Beacons, who went just 8-of-31 (26 percent) from long range. This was Valpo’s lowest 3-point percentage in a game with 30 or more attempts since Jan. 29, 2020 at Bradley.
UNI outscored Valpo 23-8 at the free-throw line and shot 82 percent from the stripe on 28 attempts.
U OF I MEN’S BASKETBALL
MEN’S HOOPS SNAGS COMEBACK ROAD WIN ON THURSDAY
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Josiah Tynes 3-pointer with 90 seconds left put the 10th-ranked Greyhounds solidified their lead for good on Thursday, as UIndy (17-2, 9-2 GLVC) rattled off its 11th consecutive victory with a 63-58 triumph at Illinois Springfield (12-8, 6-6 GLVC).
Jesse Bingham led the Hounds with 18 points, while Kendrick Tchoua finished with 14 tallies and six rebounds.
The road win was the first in 10 tries against the Prairie Stars this winter, who was previously 9-0 on their home floor.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In what looked like the Greyhounds could earn yet another double-digit victory in the first 15 minutes of the evening, including a 31-19 advantage with under two left in the opening half, the Prairie Stars stormed back after the break on the heels of Max Kunnert’s red-hot touch from deep.
UIS led by as many as six at the under-8 media timeout in the second half before UIndy forged its own comeback story. The Hounds kept fighting, with buckets coming from the likes of Bingham, Tchoua, and Tynes down the stretch.
The Greyhounds held the Prairie Stars to just two points the final 3:56, as the visitors were finally able to capitalize on stops. Trailing 56-51, Tynes started the offensive run with a jumper at the free-throw line before the proving dagger from the junior as 1:30 buzzed on the scoreboard. UIS snapped the UIndy 9-0 run with the final field goal of the contest, inching back within a pair before Robinson and Tynes sank free throws as time waned.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Tchoua has now played 100 contests in a Greyhound uniform, just five short from joining the program’s top 20.
– UIndy has now attempted 20+ free throws in six of its last seven games, with Robinson leading the team with 10.
– Bruno Williams joined Robinson and Tynes with a game-best three steals, accounting for nine of the 15 turnovers the Greyhound defense forced.
– In 14+ minutes, center Julian Steinfeld accounted for five rebounds, two points, and one block.
– Robinson led the team with seven boards, all on the defensive end.
MORE NOTES
UIndy has now won each of its past five meetings with UIS, with three during the stretch coming in Springfield … allowing just 58 points, the Greyhounds allowed under 60 for the 10th time this winter … the Hounds held the Prairie Stars to 37.3 percent shooting – which already ranked sixth in NCAA DII – lowering their season mark to 38.4 … the Greyhounds led for 29:30 on Thursday.
HOUND BYTES
Tynes on his clutch shooting…
“My coaches and my teammates have so much faith in me. They tell me to step in and knock it down when I get an open one so that’s what I did. I got all the confidence in the world; we work too hard not to make those shots.”
On earning a close road win…
“We were itching for a close one. That just goes to show the character we have to go out there and fight and get the win.”
On the team’s top-10 ranking…
“It’s great, but we don’t look at that type of stuff. Our goal is to win a national championship so until that happens, we won’t celebrate.”
UP NEXT
UIndy caps its quick two-game road trip at Lewis on Saturday. Tip is scheduled for approximately 4 p.m. ET from Romeoville, Ill.
U OF I WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
HOUNDS OUTSHINE PRAIRIE STARS IN CONFERENCE ROAD VICTORY
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The University of Indianapolis women’s basketball team hit the road on Thursday night and picked up an 81-65 win over Illinois Springfield in some GLVC action. With the win, the Hounds have now won their last four games and improve to 11-8 overall (7-4 GLVC) on the season while UIS drops to 2-18 (2-10 GLVC).
In total, four different Hounds scored in double figures. Sadie Hill and Liv Becker each contributed a team-high 17 points while Lauren With and Jodi Mullins had 13 and 12 points, respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED
A layup in the paint over two defenders by Hill at the 3:36 mark in the second quarter put the Hounds out in front of the Prairie Stars by 11 for the team’s first double-digit lead of the contest. UIndy was able to build off this and take an advantage of 16 points into the intermission at The Recreation & Athletic Center.
UIS came out of the locker room and was able to trim its deficit down to single-digits with a little over six minutes left in the third after hitting a pair of back-to-back 3-pointers. However, UIndy never saw its lead dip below eight points the remainder of the game which eventually played a role in the convincing victory for the Hounds.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-UIndy finished at 51.9 percent shooting from the field while UIS ended at just 30 percent.
-The Hounds coughed up 24 turnovers which was a season-high total for the squad.
-The battle of the boards was won by the Greyhounds, who out-rebounded the Prairie Stars by 17.
-UIndy ended with 50 points in the paint while UIS had 22.
UP NEXT
The Hounds will now have their sights set on Lewis this Saturday with a battle beginning at 2 p.m. ET in Romeoville, Ill.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETIC SITES:
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: *
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
SPORTS EXTRA
NBA STANDINGS
| EASTERN CONFERENCE | ||||||||||||
| W | L | PCT | CONF GB | HOME | ROAD | DIV | CONF | LAST 10 | STREAK | |||
| 1 BOSTON | 35 | 15 | .700 | — | 18-6 | 17-9 | 6-1 | 20-11 | 7-3 | 3 L | ||
| 2 PHILADELPHIA | 31 | 16 | .660 | 2.5 | 18-7 | 13-9 | 5-3 | 18-10 | 8-2 | 6 W | ||
| 3 MILWAUKEE | 31 | 17 | .646 | 3.0 | 19-5 | 12-12 | 6-4 | 18-13 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 4 BROOKLYN | 29 | 19 | .604 | 5.0 | 13-8 | 16-11 | 5-4 | 20-10 | 4-6 | 2 L | ||
| 5 CLEVELAND | 30 | 20 | .600 | 5.0 | 20-5 | 10-15 | 8-3 | 18-9 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 6 MIAMI | 27 | 22 | .551 | 7.5 | 16-9 | 10-13 | 5-2 | 11-13 | 7-3 | 2 W | ||
| 7 NEW YORK | 27 | 23 | .540 | 8.0 | 12-13 | 15-10 | 3-6 | 18-14 | 5-5 | 2 W | ||
| 8 ATLANTA | 25 | 24 | .510 | 9.5 | 13-10 | 12-14 | 5-4 | 17-17 | 7-3 | 1 W | ||
| 9 INDIANA | 24 | 26 | .480 | 11.0 | 16-9 | 8-17 | 3-3 | 17-13 | 2-8 | 1 L | ||
| 10 WASHINGTON | 22 | 26 | .458 | 12.0 | 12-10 | 10-16 | 5-3 | 13-15 | 5-5 | 4 W | ||
| 11 CHICAGO | 22 | 26 | .458 | 12.0 | 13-10 | 9-16 | 5-4 | 18-15 | 5-5 | 2 L | ||
| 12 TORONTO | 22 | 27 | .449 | 12.5 | 15-12 | 7-15 | 4-9 | 15-19 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 13 ORLANDO | 19 | 29 | .396 | 15.0 | 13-12 | 6-17 | 2-6 | 9-19 | 5-5 | 2 W | ||
| 14 CHARLOTTE | 14 | 36 | .280 | 21.0 | 6-16 | 8-20 | 4-6 | 7-23 | 3-7 | 1 W | ||
| 15 DETROIT | 13 | 37 | .260 | 22.0 | 6-18 | 7-19 | 0-8 | 5-23 | 3-7 | 1 W | ||
| WESTERN CONFERENCE | ||||||||||||
| W | L | PCT | CONF GB | HOME | ROAD | DIV | CONF | LAST 10 | STREAK | |||
| 1 DENVER | 34 | 15 | .694 | — | 22-4 | 12-11 | 9-4 | 25-10 | 8-2 | 1 L | ||
| 2 MEMPHIS | 31 | 17 | .646 | 2.5 | 20-3 | 11-14 | 6-2 | 15-14 | 6-4 | 4 L | ||
| 3 SACRAMENTO | 27 | 20 | .574 | 6.0 | 16-11 | 11-9 | 5-5 | 15-9 | 7-3 | 1 L | ||
| 4 NEW ORLEANS | 26 | 23 | .531 | 8.0 | 17-8 | 9-15 | 7-3 | 16-12 | 2-8 | 6 L | ||
| 5 LA CLIPPERS | 27 | 24 | .529 | 8.0 | 14-11 | 13-13 | 4-4 | 17-15 | 6-4 | 4 W | ||
| 6 DALLAS | 26 | 24 | .520 | 8.5 | 17-9 | 9-15 | 6-2 | 19-11 | 3-7 | 1 W | ||
| 7 PHOENIX | 25 | 25 | .500 | 9.5 | 18-8 | 7-17 | 8-0 | 19-14 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 8 GOLDEN STATE | 24 | 24 | .500 | 9.5 | 18-6 | 6-18 | 4-4 | 14-9 | 4-6 | 1 W | ||
| 9 MINNESOTA | 25 | 25 | .500 | 9.5 | 16-10 | 9-15 | 6-6 | 16-16 | 6-4 | 1 W | ||
| 10 UTAH | 25 | 26 | .490 | 10.0 | 16-9 | 9-17 | 4-5 | 18-15 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 11 OKLAHOMA CITY | 23 | 25 | .479 | 10.5 | 14-10 | 9-15 | 4-6 | 11-13 | 7-3 | 1 L | ||
| 12 PORTLAND | 23 | 25 | .479 | 10.5 | 13-10 | 10-15 | 5-7 | 17-15 | 4-6 | 2 W | ||
| 13 LA LAKERS | 23 | 26 | .469 | 11.0 | 13-12 | 10-14 | 1-9 | 12-17 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 14 SAN ANTONIO | 14 | 35 | .286 | 20.0 | 9-17 | 5-18 | 2-7 | 5-28 | 1-9 | 4 L | ||
| 15 HOUSTON | 11 | 38 | .224 | 23.0 | 7-17 | 4-21 | 1-8 | 6-27 | 1-9 | 2 L |
NHL STANDINGS
| EASTERN CONFERENCE | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | ROW | GF | GA | HOME | ROAD | L10 | ||
| 1 BOSTON BRUINS | 48 | 38 | 6 | 4 | 80 | 36 | 183 | 101 | 22-1-3 | 16-5-1 | 8-2-0 | |
| 2 CAROLINA HURRICANES | 47 | 30 | 9 | 8 | 68 | 27 | 154 | 126 | 14-5-2 | 16-4-6 | 5-3-2 | |
| 3 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS | 49 | 30 | 11 | 8 | 68 | 30 | 166 | 129 | 19-3-4 | 11-8-4 | 7-2-1 | |
| 4 NEW JERSEY DEVILS | 48 | 31 | 13 | 4 | 66 | 30 | 168 | 129 | 13-10-2 | 18-3-2 | 7-2-1 | |
| 5 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING | 47 | 31 | 15 | 1 | 63 | 30 | 170 | 139 | 19-4-1 | 12-11-0 | 7-3-0 | |
| 6 NEW YORK RANGERS | 48 | 26 | 14 | 8 | 60 | 24 | 153 | 128 | 12-9-4 | 14-5-4 | 6-2-2 | |
| 7 WASHINGTON CAPITALS | 51 | 26 | 19 | 6 | 58 | 25 | 161 | 144 | 14-8-3 | 12-11-3 | 4-6-0 | |
| 8 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS | 48 | 24 | 15 | 9 | 57 | 23 | 157 | 147 | 14-5-4 | 10-10-5 | 5-2-3 | |
| 9 BUFFALO SABRES | 48 | 26 | 19 | 3 | 55 | 25 | 183 | 162 | 11-12-2 | 15-7-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 10 FLORIDA PANTHERS | 50 | 23 | 21 | 6 | 52 | 22 | 171 | 176 | 12-6-3 | 11-15-3 | 5-3-2 | |
| 11 NEW YORK ISLANDERS | 50 | 23 | 22 | 5 | 51 | 23 | 144 | 143 | 13-9-2 | 10-13-3 | 1-6-3 | |
| 12 DETROIT RED WINGS | 47 | 21 | 18 | 8 | 50 | 20 | 145 | 158 | 12-10-3 | 9-8-5 | 5-4-1 | |
| 13 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS | 50 | 20 | 21 | 9 | 49 | 20 | 138 | 162 | 10-12-2 | 10-9-7 | 5-3-2 | |
| 14 OTTAWA SENATORS | 47 | 21 | 23 | 3 | 45 | 20 | 135 | 153 | 13-11-1 | 8-12-2 | 4-6-0 | |
| 15 MONTREAL CANADIENS | 49 | 20 | 25 | 4 | 44 | 16 | 130 | 179 | 11-13-1 | 9-12-3 | 5-4-1 | |
| 16 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS | 48 | 15 | 30 | 3 | 33 | 14 | 125 | 186 | 11-15-1 | 4-15-2 | 3-6-1 | |
| WESTERN CONFERENCE | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | ROW | GF | GA | HOME | ROAD | L10 | ||
| 1 DALLAS STARS | 50 | 28 | 13 | 9 | 65 | 27 | 171 | 130 | 13-5-5 | 15-8-4 | 5-2-3 | |
| 2 SEATTLE KRAKEN | 47 | 28 | 14 | 5 | 61 | 28 | 172 | 145 | 12-9-3 | 16-5-2 | 7-2-1 | |
| 3 WINNIPEG JETS | 50 | 31 | 18 | 1 | 63 | 31 | 162 | 131 | 17-7-0 | 14-11-1 | 5-5-0 | |
| 4 VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS | 49 | 29 | 17 | 3 | 61 | 26 | 158 | 142 | 14-13-0 | 15-4-3 | 4-5-1 | |
| 5 LOS ANGELES KINGS | 50 | 27 | 17 | 6 | 60 | 23 | 163 | 170 | 14-9-2 | 13-8-4 | 6-4-0 | |
| 6 MINNESOTA WILD | 47 | 26 | 17 | 4 | 56 | 23 | 148 | 136 | 14-8-1 | 12-9-3 | 4-4-2 | |
| 7 EDMONTON OILERS | 49 | 27 | 18 | 4 | 58 | 27 | 180 | 159 | 12-11-3 | 15-7-1 | 7-1-2 | |
| 8 COLORADO AVALANCHE | 47 | 26 | 18 | 3 | 55 | 22 | 147 | 131 | 12-9-3 | 14-9-0 | 7-3-0 | |
| 9 CALGARY FLAMES | 49 | 23 | 17 | 9 | 55 | 22 | 152 | 150 | 14-9-2 | 9-8-7 | 5-3-2 | |
| 10 NASHVILLE PREDATORS | 48 | 24 | 18 | 6 | 54 | 22 | 137 | 141 | 14-7-3 | 10-11-3 | 6-4-0 | |
| 11 ST. LOUIS BLUES | 49 | 23 | 23 | 3 | 49 | 20 | 152 | 177 | 10-12-2 | 13-11-1 | 4-6-0 | |
| 12 VANCOUVER CANUCKS | 48 | 19 | 26 | 3 | 41 | 16 | 160 | 191 | 9-13-1 | 10-13-2 | 2-8-0 | |
| 13 SAN JOSE SHARKS | 49 | 14 | 25 | 10 | 38 | 13 | 147 | 187 | 5-12-7 | 9-13-3 | 2-5-3 | |
| 14 ARIZONA COYOTES | 49 | 16 | 28 | 5 | 37 | 14 | 130 | 175 | 10-8-2 | 6-20-3 | 3-7-0 | |
| 15 ANAHEIM DUCKS | 49 | 15 | 29 | 5 | 35 | 12 | 123 | 204 | 8-13-1 | 7-16-4 | 4-5-1 | |
| 16 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS | 47 | 15 | 28 | 4 | 34 | 15 | 115 | 169 | 9-16-2 | 6-12-2 | 7-3-0 |
FOOTBALL HISTORY
JANUARY 27, 1894 – 1ST COLLEGE BASKETBALL GAME, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO BEATS CHICAGO YMCA 19-11. BASKETBALL WAS INVENTED IN DECEMBER 1891 BY JAMES NAISMITH AT THE YMCA’S SCHOOL FOR CHRISTIAN WORKERS (NOW SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE) IN SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS. ACCORDING TO CHICAGO HISTORY COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL ALSO CAME TO CHICAGO FROM SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE IN THE PERSON OF AMOS ALONZO STAGG, THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO’S NEW FACULTY COACH, WHO HAD PLAYED ON THE SPRINGFIELD TEACHERS’ TEAM IN THE FIRST PUBLIC BASKETBALL CONTEST. ACCORDING TO JENNIFER TAYLOR HALL’S BOOK AMOS ALONZO STAGG: FOOTBALL’S MAN IN MOTION, STAGG BEGAN HIS COACHING CAREER THE NEXT YEAR AT THE SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, YMCA, NOW SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE. STAGG ORGANIZED THE SCHOOL’S FIRST FOOTBALL TEAM, AND AMONG HIS PLAYERS WAS JAMES NAISMITH, THE INVENTOR OF BASKETBALL. THE TWO MEN USED BASKETBALL WITH ITS FIVE MEN PER SIDE AS AN EXERCISE REGIMEN TO KEEP THEIR ELEVEN FOOTBALL PLAYERS IN TIP TOP SHAPE. STAGG ENJOYED THE GAME SO MUCH THAT NAISMITH HAD DEVELOPED THAT HE TOOK IT WITH HIM WHEN HE MOVED ON TO THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO.
JANUARY 27, 1924 – KANSAS CITY BLUES WHICH A YEAR LATER WOULD BE CALLED THE KANSAS CITY COWBOYS FRANCHISE FORMED. ACCORDING TO A POST ON SPORTSECYCLOPEDIA.COM THE NFL IN JUST ITS FIFTH SEASON WAS LOOKING TO EXPAND WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI AND THE FIRST MOST LOGICAL PLACE GEOGRAPHICALLY WAS KANSAS CITY. THEY ADOPTED THE NAME BLUES DUE TO THE LOCAL MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM AND PLAYED THEIR HOME GAMES AT MUEHLEBACH FIELD. THE BLUES FIRST GAME WOULD COME ON OCTOBER 5TH A 3-0 LOSS TO THE MILWAUKEE BADGERS. IN 1925 THEY WOULD BE CALLED THE COWBOYS AND THEY PLAYED THAT ENTIRE SEASON WITH ROAD GAMES. THE BIGGEST GAME OF 1925 WAS A 17-0 ROAD UPSET OF THE CLEVELAND BULLDOGS. THERE WOULD NOT BE ANOTHER SEASON IN KANSAS CITY AFTER 1926 AS THE COST OF TRAVELING TO AND FROM KANSAS CITY WAS TOO COST PROHIBITIVE IN THE NFL’S FLEDGLING FORMATIVE YEARS. THE COWBOYS FINAL GAME WOULD COME ON DECEMBER 12, 1926 WITH A 12-7 WIN OVER THE DULUTH ESKIMOS AT MUEHLEBACH FIELD.
JANUARY 27, 1955 – THE TOP PICK IN THE 1955 NFL DRAFT WAS GEORGE SHAW FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON WHO WAS THE FIRST PICK BY THE BALTIMORE COLTS. REMARKABLY THERE WAS ONLY ONE PLAYER FROM THIS ENTIRE DRAFT THAT MADE IT INTO THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME THUS FAR AND THAT WAS 9TH ROUND PICK AND THAT WAS THE 102ND OVERALL, THE QUARTERBACK FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE NAMED JOHNNY UNITAS BY THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS. THE STEELERS NOT REALIZING THE GREAT TALENT THEY HAD LANDED PROMPTLY CUT HIM BEFORE TRAINING CAMP WAS OVER PER THE PRO FOOTBALL REFERENCE.
JANUARY 27, 1956 – NFL’S NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS FRANCHISE ENDED HAVING THEIR HOME GAMES PLAYED AT THE POLO GROUNDS AND NOW CALLED YANKEE STADIUM THEIR HOME FIELD PER LARRY SCMITT OF THE BIG BLUE INTERACTIVE. THE STORY GOES THAT COMMISSIONER BERT BELL NOTIFIED GIANTS OWNER TIM MARA THAT AN OFFER FROM A TEXAS BASED OIL COMPANY WANTED TO PAY MARA $1 MILLION BUCKS FOR THE TEAM AS LONG AS THEY PLAYED AT A LARGER VENUE LIKE YANKEE STADIUM. MARA DECLINED THE OFFER BUT FIGURED IT TO BE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA TO GET MORE BUTTS IN THE STANDS WITH A LARGER SEATING CAPACITY, SO HE DID!
JANUARY 27, 1960 – FIRST 14-GAME HOME-AND-AWAY SCHEDULE ADOPTED IN THE AFL. THE RAIDERS.COM.
JANUARY 27, 1967 – NEW ORLEANS SAINTS SIGNED THEIR 1ST PLAYER KICKER, PAIGE COTHREN PER THE CANALSTREETCHRONICLES.COM. COTHREN WAS A FORMER OLE MISS FULLBACK THAT PLAYED IN THE NFL FOR THE LA RAMS AND THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES BEFORE BECOMING A SAINT.
JANUARY 27, 1969 – CHUCK NOLL IS NAMED HEAD COACH OF THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS PER THE SLICETHELIFE.COM WEBSITE ARTICLE. NOLL WAS THE YOUNGEST COACH IN NFL HISTORY AT THE TIME AT THE RIPE AGE OF 37. CHUCK NOLL HAD BEEN THE DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR AND ONCE THE DB COACH OF THE BALTIMORE COLTS UNDER DON SHULA WHO HIGHLY RECOMMENDED NOLL. NOLL SPENT 23 SEASONS ON THE SIDELINES OF THE STEELERS UNTIL HE STEPPED AWAY IN 1992. UNDER CHUCK NOLL THE STEELERS WON 4 SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 6 SEASONS DURING THE 1970’S.
JANUARY 27, 1970 – 1970 NFL DRAFT THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS CHOSE FUTURE HALL OF FAMER TERRY BRADSHAW FROM LOUISIANA TECH WITH THE FIRST PICK OF THE ENTIRE DRAFT. BRADSHAW WOULD BE THE SIGNAL CALLER THAT WOULD WIN THOSE 4 SUPER BOWLS FOR CHUCK NOLL THAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT, AND TERRY WAS THE MVP OF TWO OF THEM!
JANUARY 27, 1980 – ALOHA STADIUM, HONOLULU – AT THE NFL PRO BOWL THE NFC TEAM DEFEATED THE AFC, 37-27. THE GAME’S MVP WAS NEW ORLEANS SAINTS RUNNING BACK CHUCK MUNCIE.
JANUARY 27, 1985 – ALOHA STADIUM, HONOLULU – THEN CAME THE NFL PRO BOWL FOR THE 1984 SEASON AND THIS TIME THE AFC KNOCKED OFF THE NFC, 22-14. MARK GASTINEAU, THE ANIMATED DEFENSIVE END OF THE NEW YORK JETS WON THE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD PER THE NFL.COM.
JANUARY 27, 1991 – TAMPA STADIUM, TAMPA, FLORIDA – SUPER BOWL XXV WAS ONE OF THE MOST REMEMBERED SUPER BOWLS OF ALL TIME. PEOPLE STILL TALK ABOUT IT TO THIS DAY. THE STATEMENT THAT TAKES AN AVID NFL FAN TO THE GAME IS “WIDE RIGHT.” YOU SEE THE NEW YORK GIANTS DEFEATED THE BUFFALO BILLS 20-19 IN THE GAME, BUT IT ALMOST HAD A VERY DIFFERENT RESULT. WITH JUST 4 SECONDS REMAINING JIM KELLY ORCHESTRATED AN IMPRESSIVE DESPERATION DRIVE THAT SET UP A 47 YARD FIELD GOAL ATTEMPT BY THE BILLS VERY ACCURATE KICKER SCOTT NORWOOD. ANS AS YOU HAVE ALREADY HEARD THE BALL WENT SLIGHTLY OUTSIDE OF THE UPRIGHT TO THE RIGHT. THE GIANTS WIN WAS PRESERVED, AND TORTURE SET IN FOR THE BILLS. THE WASHINGTON POST CALLS THE GAME THE CLOSEST AND MOST EVEN EVER PLAYED. THE GAME’S MVP WAS GIANTS RUNNING BACK OTTIS ANDERSON WHO RAN FOR 102 YARDS AND A SCORE.
JANUARY 27, 2002 – HEINZ FIELD, PITTSBURGH – AT THE 2001 SEASON’S AFC CHAMPIONSHIP NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS OUTLASTED THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS, 24-17. THE PRO FOOTBALL REFERENCE WEBSITE TELLS US THAT THE DIFFERENCE MAKER IN THE GAME WAS PATRIOT ANTWAAN HARRIS’ RETURN 49 YARDS OF A BLOCKED FIELD GOAL ATTEMPT! THE NEW ENGLAND VICTORY PLACED THEM INTO SUPER BOWL XXXVI.
JANUARY 27, 2002 – THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THAT SEASON WAS PLAYED AT EDWARD JONES DOME, ST. LOUIS TO SEE WHO WOULD FACE TOM BRADY AND THE PATRIOTS IN SUPER BOWL XXXVI. THE GREATEST TEAM ON TURF, THE ST. LOUIS RAMS SCORED IN EVERY QUARTER TO HELP THEM GET PAST THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, 29-24. RAM MARSHALL FAULK SHOULDERED THE LOAD AS HE RUSHED 31 TIMES FOR 159 YARDS AND 2 TDS TO LEAD ST. LOUIS TO THE WIN PER THE PFR.
JANUARY 27, 2013 – ALOHA STADIUM, HONOLULU – THE RESULTS OF THE 2012 SEASON’S NFL PRO BOWL WERE THAT THE NFC SMOKED THE AFC, 62-35 WITH TIGHT END KYLE RUDOLPH OF THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS EARNING THE MVP HONORS PER THE ONTHISDAY.COM WEBSITE.
JANUARY 27, 2019 – CAMPING WORLD STADIUM, ORLANDO, FLORIDA – THE NFL PRO BOWL FOR THE 2018 HAD THE NEW GUYS PATRICK MAHOMES OF KANSAS CITY AND SAFETY JAMAL ADAMS OF THE NEW YORK JETS BEING VOTED AS THE CO-MVPS AS THE AFC SURGED PAST THE NFC, 26-7 PER THE ONTHISDAY.COM WEBSITE.
HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAYS
JANUARY 27, 1894 – CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – FREDERICK DOUGLAS “FRITZ” POLLARD THE COLLEGE AND PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME HALFBACK FROM BROWN UNIVERSITY CELEBRATED HIS BIRTH.
JANUARY 27, 1901 – COULTERVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA – ART ROONEY THE FOUNDER AND ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS WAS BORN. ACCORDING TO THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME, ROONEY PURCHASED THE PITTSBURGH FRANCHISE (ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS THE PIRATES) IN 1933. EVEN THOUGH HE WAS A FIRST TIME NFL OWNER, ART HAD DABBLED IN SOME SEMI-PRO SPORTS IN THE PITTSBURGH AREA PRIOR TO THIS VENTURE IN PRO FOOTBALL AT ITS HIGHEST LEVEL. HIS BELOVED STEELERS TEAMS WERE NOT VERY GOOD FOR MOST OF THEIR FIRST FOUR DECADES OF EXISTENCE AND EVEN LOST MONEY AT THE START, BUT ROONEY KEPT THE FAITH AND USED HIS FAILURES AS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE TO BUILD A WINNING FORMULA. FINALLY IN 1975 THE STEELERS HAD PUT ALL OF THE PIECES TOGETHER AND THEY WON THE FRANCHISE’S FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP IN SUPER BOWL IX OVER THE VIKINGS. ART ROONEY WAS ENSHRINED INTO THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME IN 1964.
JANUARY 27, 1907 – THE GEORGIA TECH CENTER PETER PUND WAS BORN.. THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION SELECTED PETER PUND TO THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME IN 1963.
JANUARY 27, 1920 – THE QUARTERBACK FROM STANFORD UNIVERSITY FRANKIE ALBERT ARRIVED INTO LIFE. THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION SHARES AN EXCELLENT STORY ON FRANKIE. IN 1939, ALBERT HAD A MEDIOCRE SOPHOMORE SEASON PLAYING TAILBACK IN STANFORD’S SINGLE-WING OFFENSE. HIS PLAY WAS SO POOR THAT HE CONSIDERED QUITTING THE STANFORD SQUAD. THE FOLLOWING YEAR, STANFORD HIRED CLARK SHAUGHNESSY AS THE HEAD COACH. KNOWN AS THE “FATHER OF THE T FORMATION,” SHAUGHNESSY SAW THAT ALBERT WAS AN EXCELLENT BALL HANDLER AND PASSER WHOSE SKILLS WERE WELL SUITED TO PLAYING QUARTERBACK IN HIS REVOLUTIONARY “T” FORMATION. STANFORD SET AN NCAA RECORD FOR IMPROVEMENT IN 1940 GOING FROM A 1-7-1 RECORD IN 1939 TO A PERFECT 10-0 MARK IN 1940. ALBERT RECEIVED ALL-AMERICA RECOGNITION IN BOTH HIS SENIOR AND JUNIOR SEASONS.THE NFF VOTERS INDUCTED FRANKIE ALBERT IN 1956 INTO THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME. AFTER COLLEGE HE PLAYED WITH THE SANFRANCISCO 49ERS FOR 6 SEASONS.
JANUARY 27, 1952 – BOOTHWYN, PENNSYLVANIA – FORMER WIDENER HALFBACK BILLY WHITE SHOES JOHNSON WAS BORN. THE NFF SAYS THAT BILLY WAS A TERRIFIC PERFORMER, HE WORE WHITE SHOES, AND HE DID AN END ZONE DANCE. WHEN HIS THREE WIDENER SEASONS WERE ADDED UP, HE HAD 3,737 YARDS RUSHING. HIS AVERAGE WAS 9.1 YARDS PER CARRY. HE HAD 5,404 YARDS IN ALL-PURPOSE RUNNING (RUSHING, RECEIVING, KICK RETURNS). SCORED 62 TOUCHDOWNS IN 1971-1973. HIS LONGEST RUNS FROM SCRIMMAGE WERE 93, 87, AND 85 YARDS. HE SCORED ON PUNT RETURNS OF 94, 91, AND 80 AND A KICKOFF RETURN OF 85. THE NFF VOTERS INDUCTED BILL JOHNSON INTO THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME IN 1996. BILLY WHITE SHOES HAD A TERRIFIC NFL CAREER WITH THE HOUSTON OILERS, THE FALCON AS WELL AS WASHINGTON AND REALLY MADE THE GAME FUN AS HE ELECTRIFIED THE PLAY EVERY TIME HE TOUCHED THE BALL!
BASEBALL HISTORY
SPORTS IN NUMBERS
37 – 14 – 12 – 19 – 99 – 82 – 15
JANUARY 27, 1894 – 1ST COLLEGE BASKETBALL GAME, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO BEATS CHICAGO YMCA 19-11
JANUARY 27, 1944 – MANAGER CASEY STENGEL, WHO’S NUMBER 37 HAS BEEN RETIRED BY BOTH THE NEW YORK YANKEES AND THE NEW YORK METS, ON THIS DAY RESIGNED HIS POSITION AS THE SKIPPER OF THE BOSTON BRAVES, A POST HE HELD SINCE THE 1938 SEASON. IT MAY BE DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO THE FACT THAT LOU PERINI, GUIDO RUGO, & JOSEPH MANEY BOUGHT THE CONTROLLING INTEREST OF THE BOSTON CLUB.
JANUARY 27, 1955 – GEORGE SHAW FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON BECAME THE TOP PICK IN THE 1955 NFL DRAFT. THE BALTIMORE COLTS SELECTED THE QUARTERBACK AS THE NUMBER ONE PICK IN THE DRAFT. SHAW PLAYED FOR THE COLTS FOR FOUR SEASONS, AND WORE THE NUMBER 14 JERSEY PROUDLY. HE WOULD LATER WEAR 14 WITH THE VIKINGS, 15 WITH THE NY GIANTS AND NUMBER 17 AS A MEMBER OF THE DENVER BRONCOS IN THE AFL.
JANUARY 27, 1956 – NFL’S NEW YORK GIANTS MOVE THEIR HOME FROM THE POLO GROUNDS IN UPPER MANHATTAN TO YANKEE STADIUM IN THE BRONX
JANUARY 27, 1970 – TERRY BRADSHAW, OF LOUISIANNA TECH WAS SELECTED AS THE NUMBER ONE PICK IN THE 1970 NFL DRAFT BY THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS. THE QB WOULD FAMOUSLY WEAR NUMBER 12 FOR THE STEELERS AS HE GUIDED THEM TO FOUR SUPER BOWL TITLES IN 6 YEARS DURING THE 1970S.
JANUARY 27, 1989 – DETROIT RED WINGS CENTER STEVE YZERMAN BECAME THE 4TH NHL PLAYER TO RECORD 100 POINTS IN 50 GAMES OR LESS. NUMBER 19 LED DETROIT WITH A GOAL AND 2 ASSISTS AS RED WINGS BEAT TORONTO, 8-1
JANUARY 27, 1980 – NFL PRO BOWL, ALOHA STADIUM, HONOLULU, HI: NFC BEATS AFC, 37-27; MVP: NUMBER 42, CHUCK MUNCIE, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS, RB
JANUARY 27, 1985 – NFL PRO BOWL, ALOHA STADIUM, HONOLULU, HI: AFC BEATS NFC, 22-14; MVP: NUMBER 99, MARK GASTINEAU, NY JETS, DE
JANUARY 27, 1991 – SUPER BOWL XXV, TAMPA STADIUM, TAMPA, FL: NEW YORK GIANTS BEAT BUFFALO BILLS, 20-19; MVP: NUMBER 24, OTTIS ANDERSON, NY GIANTS, RB
JANUARY 27, 2008 – 56TH NHL ALL-STAR GAME, PHILLIPS ARENA, ATLANTA, GA: EASTERN CONFERENCE BEATS WESTERN CONFERENCE, 8-7; MVP: NUMBER 12, ERIC STAAL, CAROLINA, C
JANUARY 27, 2013 – NFL PRO BOWL, ALOHA STADIUM, HONOLULU, HI: NFC BEATS AFC, 62-35; MVP: NUMBER 82, KYLE RUDOLPH, MINNESOTA VIKINGS, TE
JANUARY 27, 2019 – NFL PRO BOWL, CAMPING WORLD STADIUM, ORLANDO, FL: AFC BEATS NFC, 26-7; MVPS: NUMBER 15, PATRICK MAHOMES, KC CHIEFS, QB; JAMAL ADAMS, NY JETS
TV FRIDAY
| NCAA BASKETBALL GAMES – MEN’S | TIME ET | TV |
| SAINT LOUIS AT DAVIDSON | 7:00PM | ESPN2 |
| IONA AT SIENA | 7:00PM | ESPNU |
| RIDER AT MARIST | 7:00PM | ESPN3 |
| MANHATTAN AT NIAGARA | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| PURDUE FORT WAYNE AT CLEVELAND STATE | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| DETROIT MERCY AT ROBERT MORRIS | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| NORTH DAKOTA AT NORTH DAKOTA STATE | 8:00PM | ESPNU |
| OAKLAND AT YOUNGSTOWN STATE | 9:00PM | ESPN2 |
| BUFFALO AT KENT STATE | 9:00PM | ESPNU |
| AIR FORCE AT NEW MEXICO | 10:00PM | CBSSN |
| FIGURE SKATING | TIME ET | TV |
| US CHAMPIONSHIPS | 5:00PM | USA |
| US CHAMPIONSHIPS | 8:00PM | NBC |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| PGA: FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN | 3:00PM | GOLF |
| PGA: FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN | 5:00PM | CBS |
| NBA REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| MILWAUKEE AT INDIANA | 7:00PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| MEMPHIS AT MINNESOTA | 7:30PM | NBATV BALLY SPORTS |
| ORLANDO AT MIAMI | 8:00PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| CLEVELAND AT OKLAHOMA CITY | 8:00PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| TORONTO AT GOLDEN STATE | 10:00PM | NBATV SPORTSNET NBCS-BAY |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| DETROIT AT NY ISLANDERS | 7:00PM | ESPN |
| LOS ANGELES AT FLORIDA | 7:00PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| OTTAWA AT TORONTO | 7:00PM | SPORTSNET |
| VEGAS AT NY RANGERS | 7:00PM | ATTSN-RM MSG |
| SAN JOSE AT CAROLINA | 7:00PM | NBCS-CA BALLY SPORTS |
| NEW JERSEY AT DALLAS | 8:30PM | MSGSN BALLY SPORTS |
| CALGARY AT SEATTLE | 10:00PM | SPORTSNET ROOT SPORTS |
| COLUMBUS AT VANCOUVER | 10:00PM | SPORTSNET BALLY SPORTS |
| SOCCER MATCHES | TIME ET | TV |
| SERIE A: BOLOGNA VS SPEZIA | 12:30PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| BUNDESLIGA: RB LEIPZIG VS STUTTGART | 2:30PM | ESPN+ |
| FIRST DIVISION A: STANDARD LIÈGE VS AS EUPEN | 2:45PM | ESPN+ |
| SERIE A: LECCE VS SALERNITANA | 2:45PM | CBSSN |
| ENGLAND FA CUP: MANCHESTER CITY VS ARSENAL | 3:00PM | ESPN+ |
| LA LIGA: ALMERÍA VS ESPANYOL | 3:00PM | ESPN+ |
| LIGUE 1: LORIENT VS RENNES | 3:00PM | BEIN SPORTS |
| ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: ROSARIO CENTRAL VS ARGENTINOS JUNIORS | 5:15PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: DEFENSA Y JUSTICIA VS HURACÁN | 7:30PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| LIGA MX: TIJUANA VS PUMAS UNAM | 10:10PM | FS1 |
| TENNIS | TIME ET | TV |
| AUSTRALIAN OPEN | 10:30PM | ESPN2 |
TV SATURDAY
| NCAA BASKETBALL GAMES – MEN’S | TIME ET | TV |
| AUBURN AT WEST VIRGINIA | 12:00PM | ESPN |
| LOUISVILLE AT NOTRE DAME | 12:00PM | ESPN2 |
| MINNESOTA AT NORTHWESTERN | 12:00PM | BTN |
| TEMPLE AT UCF | 12:00PM | ESPNU |
| NORTHEASTERN AT DELAWARE | 12:00PM | CBSSN |
| BOSTON COLLEGE AT VIRGINIA | 12:00PM | ACCN |
| XAVIER AT CREIGHTON | 12:15PM | CBS |
| UMASS LOWELL AT NEW HAMPSHIRE | 1:00PM | ESPN3 |
| NC STATE AT WAKE FOREST | 1:00PM | ACCN |
| UMBC AT VERMONT | 1:00PM | ESPN+ |
| UNI AT INDIANA STATE | 1:00PM | ESPN3 |
| SAINT FRANCIS U AT CENTRAL CONNECTICUT | 1:00PM | NEC |
| LIU AT ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN | 1:00PM | NEC |
| WESTERN CAROLINA AT VMI | 1:00PM | ESPN+ |
| HOLY CROSS AT ARMY WEST POINT | 1:00PM | ESPN+ |
| BUCKNELL AT LOYOLA MARYLAND | 1:00PM | ESPN+ |
| STETSON AT QUEENS | 1:00PM | ESPN+ |
| MERCER AT THE CITADEL | 1:00PM | ESPN+ |
| ALABAMA AT OKLAHOMA | 2:00PM | ESPN |
| IOWA STATE AT MISSOURI | 2:00PM | ESPN2 |
| MARQUETTE AT DEPAUL | 2:00PM | FS1 |
| TEXAS TECH AT LSU | 2:00PM | ESPNU |
| SAMFORD AT WOFFORD | 2:00PM | CBSSN |
| MISSOURI STATE AT MURRAY STATE | 2:00PM | – |
| LA SALLE AT RHODE ISLAND | 2:00PM | – |
| BRYANT AT BINGHAMTON | 2:00PM | ESPN3 |
| WINTHROP AT PRESBYTERIAN | 2:00PM | ESPN3 |
| BOWLING GREEN AT TOLEDO | 2:00PM | ESPN3 |
| OHIO AT AKRON | 2:00PM | ESPN3 |
| SACRED HEART AT STONEHILL | 2:00PM | NEC |
| BROWN AT CORNELL | 2:00PM | ESPN+ |
| COLUMBIA AT DARTMOUTH | 2:00PM | ESPN+ |
| HARVARD AT PENN | 2:00PM | ESPN+ |
| OLD DOMINION AT COASTAL CAROLINA | 2:00PM | ESPN+ |
| LAFAYETTE AT COLGATE | 2:00PM | ESPN+ |
| AMERICAN AT NAVY | 2:00PM | ESPN+ |
| UNC ASHEVILLE AT CAMPBELL | 2:00PM | ESPN+ |
| HIGH POINT AT GARDNER-WEBB | 2:00PM | ESPN+ |
| GEORGE WASHINGTON AT FORDHAM | 2:00PM | ESPN+ |
| MONMOUTH AT NORTH CAROLINA A&T | 2:00PM | FLOSPORTS |
| CINCINNATI AT HOUSTON | 2:15PM | CBS |
| ILLINOIS AT WISCONSIN | 3:00PM | FOX |
| DUKE AT GEORGIA TECH | 3:00PM | ACCN |
| FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON AT MERRIMACK | 3:00PM | ESPN3 |
| TEXAS STATE AT SOUTHERN MISS | 3:00PM | ESPN+ |
| RADFORD AT USC UPSTATE | 3:00PM | ESPN+ |
| CHARLESTON SOUTHERN AT LONGWOOD | 3:00PM | ESPN+ |
| UAB AT RICE | 3:00PM | ESPN+ |
| AURORA AT CHICAGO STATE | 3:00PM | FLOSPORTS |
| EASTERN MICHIGAN AT MIAMI (OH) | 3:30PM | ESPN3 |
| ARKANSAS AT BAYLOR | 4:00PM | ESPN |
| TCU AT MISSISSIPPI STATE | 4:00PM | ESPN2 |
| SETON HALL AT BUTLER | 4:00PM | FS1 |
| MIAMI (FL) AT PITT | 4:00PM | ESPNU |
| RICHMOND AT DAYTON | 4:00PM | CBSSN |
| WKU AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC | 4:00PM | STADIUM |
| UC SAN DIEGO AT UC RIVERSIDE | 4:00PM | SPECTRUM |
| WILLIAM & MARY AT TOWSON | 4:00PM | – |
| DUQUESNE AT UMASS | 4:00PM | NESN+ |
| MILWAUKEE AT NORTHERN KENTUCKY | 4:00PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| CHATTANOOGA AT ETSU | 4:00PM | – |
| LITTLE ROCK AT TENNESSEE TECH | 4:00PM | ESPN+ |
| SIUE AT MOREHEAD STATE | 4:00PM | ESPN+ |
| JACKSONVILLE AT CENTRAL ARKANSAS | 4:00PM | ESPN+ |
| UC DAVIS AT LONG BEACH STATE | 4:00PM | ESPN+ |
| LOUISIANA TECH AT UTSA | 4:00PM | ESPN+ |
| NORTHERN COLORADO AT NORTHERN ARIZONA | 4:00PM | ESPN+ |
| NM STATE AT UTAH VALLEY | 4:00PM | ESPN+ |
| TROY AT SOUTH ALABAMA | 4:00PM | ESPN+ |
| ULM AT JAMES MADISON | 4:00PM | ESPN+ |
| STONY BROOK AT HAMPTON | 4:00PM | FLOSPORTS |
| DREXEL AT ELON | 4:00PM | FLOSPORTS |
| HOFSTRA AT CHARLESTON | 4:00PM | FLOSPORTS |
| ALABAMA A&M AT FLORIDA A&M | 4:00PM | |
| ALABAMA STATE AT BETHUNE-COOKMAN | 4:00PM | YOUTUBE |
| NEBRASKA AT MARYLAND | 4:30PM | BTN |
| JACKSON STATE AT GRAMBLING STATE | 4:30PM | – |
| BALL STATE AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS | 4:30PM | ESPN3 |
| SOUTHERN INDIANA AT UT MARTIN | 4:30PM | ESPN+ |
| SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AT EASTERN ILLINOIS | 4:30PM | ESPN+ |
| ARKANSAS STATE AT APP STATE | 4:30PM | ESPN+ |
| LAMAR AT NORTHWESTERN STATE | 4:30PM | ESPN+ |
| MCNEESE AT A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI | 4:30PM | ESPN+ |
| CLEMSON AT FLORIDA STATE | 5:00PM | ACCN |
| SAINT PETER’S AT MOUNT ST. MARY’S | 5:00PM | ESPN3 |
| PACIFIC AT SANTA CLARA | 5:00PM | WCCN |
| SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA AT NEW ORLEANS | 5:00PM | ESPN+ |
| NICHOLLS AT UIW | 5:00PM | ESPN+ |
| LIPSCOMB AT KENNESAW STATE | 5:00PM | ESPN+ |
| AUSTIN PEAY AT JACKSONVILLE STATE | 5:00PM | ESPN+ |
| WEBER STATE AT EASTERN WASHINGTON | 5:00PM | ESPN+ |
| IDAHO STATE AT IDAHO | 5:00PM | ESPN+ |
| ARIZONA AT WASHINGTON | 5:30PM | FOX |
| HOUSTON CHRISTIAN AT A&M-COMMERCE | 5:30PM | ESPN+ |
| SEATTLE U AT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN | 5:30PM | ESPN+ |
| TEXAS AT TENNESSEE | 6:00PM | ESPN |
| FLORIDA AT KANSAS STATE | 6:00PM | ESPN2 |
| NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL AT HOWARD | 6:00PM | ESPNU |
| SOUTH CAROLINA AT GEORGIA | 6:00PM | SECN |
| ST. BONAVENTURE AT VCU | 6:00PM | CBSSN |
| NORTH FLORIDA AT NORTH ALABAMA | 6:00PM | ESPN+ |
| UTEP AT NORTH TEXAS | 6:00PM | ESPN+ |
| MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT FIU | 6:00PM | CUSATV |
| PRAIRIE VIEW A&M AT TEXAS SOUTHERN | 6:00PM | YOUTUBE |
| MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE AT UAPB | 6:30PM | – |
| ALCORN STATE AT SOUTHERN | 6:30PM | – |
| SYRACUSE AT VIRGINIA TECH | 7:00PM | ACCN |
| UTAH STATE AT FRESNO STATE | 7:00PM | STADIUM |
| GREEN BAY AT WRIGHT STATE | 7:00PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| GONZAGA AT PORTLAND | 7:00PM | – |
| MAINE AT UALBANY | 7:00PM | ESPN3 |
| EVANSVILLE AT VALPARAISO | 7:00PM | ESPN3 |
| WESTERN MICHIGAN AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN | 7:00PM | ESPN3 |
| PRINCETON AT YALE | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| GEORGIA STATE AT MARSHALL | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| BELLARMINE AT EASTERN KENTUCKY | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| FGCU AT LIBERTY | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| UTAH TECH AT ABILENE CHRISTIAN | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| SOUTH CAROLINA STATE AT NORFOLK STATE | 7:00PM | – |
| CALIFORNIA BAPTIST AT UTRGV | 7:30PM | ESPN+ |
| OHIO STATE AT INDIANA | 8:00PM | FOX |
| KANSAS AT KENTUCKY | 8:00PM | ESPN |
| OLE MISS AT OKLAHOMA STATE | 8:00PM | ESPN2 |
| ARIZONA STATE AT WASHINGTON STATE | 8:00PM | ESPNU |
| COLORADO STATE AT BOISE STATE | 8:00PM | CBSSN |
| UTAH AT OREGON | 8:00PM | PAC12N |
| GEORGIA SOUTHERN AT LOUISIANA | 8:00PM | ESPN+ |
| LINDENWOOD AT TENNESSEE STATE | 8:00PM | ESPN+ |
| GRAND CANYON AT TARLETON | 8:00PM | ESPN+ |
| OMAHA AT ORAL ROBERTS | 8:00PM | – |
| SOUTH DAKOTA AT ST. THOMAS | 8:00PM | – |
| DENVER AT KANSAS CITY | 8:00PM | – |
| VANDERBILT AT TEXAS A&M | 8:30PM | SECN |
| SAN JOSE STATE AT SAN DIEGO STATE | 9:00PM | FS1 |
| CSUN AT UC IRVINE | 9:00PM | ESPN+ |
| SAINT MARY’S AT BYU | 10:00PM | ESPN2 |
| CALIFORNIA AT STANFORD | 10:00PM | ESPNU |
| NEVADA AT UNLV | 10:00PM | CBSSN |
| SAN FRANCISCO AT SAN DIEGO | 10:00PM | STADIUM |
| CAL STATE FULLERTON AT CAL POLY | 10:00PM | ESPN+ |
| MONTANA AT PORTLAND STATE | 10:00PM | ESPN+ |
| MONTANA STATE AT SACRAMENTO STATE | 10:00PM | ESPN+ |
| COLORADO AT OREGON STATE | 10:30PM | PAC12N |
| PEPPERDINE AT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT | 11:00PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| CSU BAKERSFIELD AT HAWAI’I | 11:59PM | SPECTRUM |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| PGA: FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN | 3:00PM | GOLF |
| PGA: FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN | 5:00PM | CBS |
| NBA REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| DENVER AT PHILADELPHIA | 3:00PM | ABC |
| NEW YORK AT BROOKLYN | 5:30PM | ABC |
| HOUSTON AT DETROIT | 7:00PM | ATTSN-SW BALLY SPORTS |
| CHICAGO AT ORLANDO | 7:00PM | NBCS-CHI BALLY SPORTS |
| LA CLIPPERS AT ATLANTA | 7:30PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| PHOENIX AT SAN ANTONIO | 8:00PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| SACRAMENTO AT MINNESOTA | 8:00PM | NBCS-CA BALLY SPORTS |
| WASHINGTON AT NEW ORLEANS | 8:00PM | NBCS-WSH BALLY SPORTS |
| LA LAKERS AT BOSTON | 8:30PM | ABC |
| DALLAS AT UTAH | 9:00PM | BALLY SPORTS ATTSN-RM |
| TORONTO AT PORTLAND | 10:00PM | SPORTSNET ROOT SPORTS |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| ST. LOUIS AT COLORADO | 3:00PM | ESPN+ HULU |
| BOSTON AT FLORIDA | 6:00PM | NHLN BALLY SPORTS NESN |
| PHILADELPHIA AT WINNIPEG | 7:00PM | NBCS-PHI SPORTSNET |
| LOS ANGELES AT TAMPA BAY | 7:00PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| MONTRÉAL AT OTTAWA | 7:00PM | SPORTSNET |
| SAN JOSE AT PITTSBURGH | 7:00PM | NBCS-CA ATTSN-PIT |
| VEGAS AT NY ISLANDERS | 7:30PM | ATTSN-RM MSGSN |
| BUFFALO AT MINNESOTA | 9:00PM | MSG-BUF BALLY SPORTS |
| COLUMBUS AT SEATTLE | 10:00PM | BALLY SPORTS ROOT SPORTS |
| CHICAGO AT EDMONTON | 10:00PM | NBCS-CHI SPORTSNET |
| ARIZONA AT ANAHEIM | 10:30PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| SOCCER MATCHES | TIME ET | TV |
| ENGLAND FA CUP: WALSALL VS LEICESTER CITY | 7:30AM | ESPN+ |
| LA LIGA: CÁDIZ VS MALLORCA | 8:00AM | ESPN+ |
| SERIE A: EMPOLI VS TORINO | 9:00AM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| BUNDESLIGA: WERDER BREMEN VS WOLFSBURG | 9:30AM | ESPN+ |
| BUNDESLIGA: HERTHA BSC VS UNION BERLIN | 9:30AM | ESPN+ |
| BUNDESLIGA: HOFFENHEIM VS BORUSSIA M’GLADBACH | 9:30AM | ESPN+ |
| BUNDESLIGA: MAINZ 05 VS BOCHUM | 9:30AM | ESPN+ |
| ENGLAND FA CUP: BRISTOL CITY VS WEST BROMWICH ALBION | 10:00AM | ESPN+ |
| ENGLAND FA CUP: LUTON TOWN VS GRIMSBY TOWN | 10:00AM | ESPN+ |
| ENGLAND FA CUP: FULHAM VS SUNDERLAND | 10:00AM | ESPN+ |
| ENGLAND FA CUP: SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY VS FLEETWOOD TOWN | 10:00AM | ESPN+ |
| ENGLAND FA CUP: IPSWICH TOWN VS BURNLEY | 10:00AM | ESPN+ |
| ENGLAND FA CUP: SOUTHAMPTON VS BLACKPOOL | 10:00AM | ESPN+ |
| LA LIGA: GIRONA VS BARCELONA | 10:15AM | ESPN+ |
| LIGUE 1: TROYES VS LENS | 11:00AM | BEIN SPORTS |
| SERIE A: CREMONESE VS INTERNAZIONALE | 12:00PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| LA LIGA: SEVILLA VS ELCHE | 12:30PM | ESPN+ |
| BUNDESLIGA: BAYERN MÜNCHEN VS EINTRACHT FRANKFURT | 12:30PM | ESPN+ |
| ENGLAND FA CUP: PRESTON NORTH END VS TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR | 1:00PM | ESPN+ |
| FIRST DIVISION A: SPORTING CHARLEROI VS UNION SAINT-GILLOISE | 2:45PM | ESPN+ |
| SERIE A: ATALANTA VS SAMPDORIA | 2:45PM | CBSSN |
| ENGLAND FA CUP: MANCHESTER UNITED VS READING | 3:00PM | ESPN+ |
| LA LIGA: GETAFE VS REAL BETIS | 3:00PM | ESPN+ |
| LIGUE 1: OLYMPIQUE MARSEILLE VS MONACO | 3:00PM | BEIN SPORTS |
| ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: SAN LORENZO VS ARSENAL | 3:00PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: TALLERES CÓRDOBA VS INDEPENDIENTE | 5:15PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: ESTUDIANTES VS TIGRE | 5:15PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: CENTRAL CÓRDOBA SDE VS RIVER PLATE | 7:30PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| LIGA MX: TIGRES UANL VS ATLÉTICO SAN LUIS | 8:00PM | UNIVISION |
| LIGA MX: JUÁREZ VS GUADALAJARA | 10:10PM | FS2 |
| LIGA MX: AMÉRICA VS MAZATLÁN | 10:10PM | UNIVISION |
| TENNIS | TIME ET | TV |
| 2023 AUSTRALIAN OPEN: WOMEN’S FINAL | 3:30AM | ESPN |