THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 12, 2025

“THE SCOREBOARD”

INDIANA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

USA TODAY POLL

CLASS 4A

W-L PTS. PREV.

FISHERS (12) 20-0 120 1
GREENFIELD-CENTRAL 17-2 107 2
ANDERSON 16-1 79 4
AVON 16-2 78 5
WESTFIELD 13-3 63 5
WARSAW 17-3 62 7
NEW ALBANY 14-2 42 8
LAWRENCE NORTH 14-4 40 9
CROWN POINT 13-2 31 3
JEFFERSONVILLE 12-5 15 10

DROPPED OUT: NONE

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: BEN DAVIS 7, NOBLESVILLE 7, SB RILEY 5, NORTHRIDGE 3, EV. REITZ 1.

CLASS 3A

W-L PTS. PREV.

1. BROWNSTOWN (7) 16-0 107 2

2. CATHEDRAL (2) 14-4 99 3

3. GUERIN CATHOLIC (1) 17-3 93 5

4. SB ST. JOSEPH (2) 16-3 87 1

5. NEW PALESTINE 18-2 85 4

6. IND. ATTUCKS 13-6 43 7

7. SILVER CREEK 16-3 35 8

8. NORTHWOOD 15-3 28 NR

9. (TIE) FW BLACKHAWK 15-3 22 9

9. (TIE) PRINCETON 17-2 22 6

9. (TIE) EV. CENTRAL 15-2 22 NR

DROPPED OUT: NORTHVIEW (10)

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: NORTHVIEW 15, SOUTHRIDGE 3.

CLASS 2A

W-L PTS. PREV.

SOUTH RIPLEY (10) 18-0 118 1
WAPAHANI (1) 16-1 103 2
MANCHESTER (1) 16-1 84 4
FW LUERS 14-3 83 5
LINTON-STOCKTON 16-3 56 3
PARKE HERITAGE 16-4 50 9
PROVIDENCE 14-2 47 7
NORTHEASTERN 18-1 44 8
GARY 21ST CENTURY 13-6 40 6
FOREST PARK 13-4 15 10

DROPPED OUT: NONE

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: LAPEL 10, SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER) 4, PAOLI 2, TAYLOR 2, WESTVIEW 2.

CLASS A

W-L PTS. PREV.

CLAY CITY (11) 16-1 119 1
ORLEANS 13-2 106 2
KOUTS 16-2 82 3
HAUSER 15-3 78 4
CLINTON PRAIRIE (1) 15-2 70 5
BLOOMFIELD 13-5 60 6
IND. METROPOLITAN 14-6 45 7
BARR-REEVE 13-4 42 8
CARROLL (FLORA) 13-3 26 9
WASHINGTON TSHIP 14-3 15 10

DROPPED OUT: NONE

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: TRITON 11, CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 3, WOOD MEMORIAL 1.

INDIANA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL SCOREBOARD

HOMESTEAD.COM

ALEXANDRIA	61	MUNCIE BURRIS	40
ANDERSON PREP	71	KNIGHTSTOWN	52
ANGOLA	64	LEO	62	OT
BARR-REEVE	48	NORTHEAST DUBOIS	44	OT
BENTON CENTRAL	61	NORTH MONTGOMERY	53
BLACKFORD	78	WES-DEL	56
BOONVILLE	66	EVANSVILLE DAY	56
BREBEUF JESUIT	72	COVENANT CHRISTIAN	47
BREMEN	53	NEW PRAIRIE	47
BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL	82	JENNINGS COUNTY	54
CARROLL (FORT WAYNE)	70	FORT WAYNE NORTH	55
CASTLE	55	GIBSON SOUTHERN	48
CASTON	54	ARGOS	44
CHURUBUSCO	33	LAKEWOOD PARK	31
COWAN	79	UNION CITY	56
CROWN POINT	81	ANDREAN	65
CULVER ACADEMY	72	VICTORY CHRISTIAN	63
EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL	53	LAKE CENTRAL	45
EAST NOBLE	68	FORT WAYNE DWENGER	51
EASTERN GREENE	57	OWEN VALLEY	55
EDGEWOOD	59	MARTINSVILLE	55
EDINBURGH	66	CROTHERSVILLE	48
EDON (OHIO)	62	HAMILTON	42
ELKHART CHRISTIAN	46	WAWASEE	39
ELWOOD	46	SOUTHERN WELLS	40
EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL	60	MOUNT VERNON (POSEY)	31
EVANSVILLE NORTH	57	EVANSVILLE BOSSE	36
FAIRFIELD	57	BETHANY CHRISTIAN	45
FOREST PARK	52	PERRY CENTRAL	49
FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK	71	FORT WAYNE SNIDER	62
FORT WAYNE NORTHROP	44	FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA	42
FORT WAYNE SOUTH	72	FORT WAYNE LUERS	64
FORT WAYNE WAYNE	63	HOMESTEAD	60
FOUNTAIN CENTRAL	67	ATTICA	41
FRANKTON	58	WABASH	44
FRONTIER	49	RENSSELAER CENTRAL	33
GARY WEST	64	HANOVER CENTRAL	51
GREENFIELD-CENTRAL	64	FRANKLIN CENTRAL	60
HAGERSTOWN	82	CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN	76
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN	65	INDIANAPOLIS METROPOLITAN	50
HAUSER	80	INDIANA MATH & SCIENCE	41
HIGHLAND	55	BOONE GROVE	52
ILLIANA CHRISTIAN	46	WHEELER	40
INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL	88	LIBERTY CHRISTIAN	62
INDIANAPOLIS HERRON	56	VICTORY COLLEGE PREP	37
INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI	63	SOUTHPORT	54
INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE	63	CHRISTEL HOUSE	60
JASPER	54	EVANSVILLE MATER DEI	47
JOHN GLENN	43	CAREER ACADEMY	41
KNOX	51	PIONEER	47
LAKELAND CHRISTIAN	64	EASTSIDE	50
LAKELAND	40	GOSHEN	38
LAPEL	59	TAYLOR	43
LOGANSPORT	76	WINAMAC	58
MACONAQUAH	77	CARROLL (FLORA)	68
MANCHESTER	66	BLUFFTON	37
MARION	70	WARSAW	64
MARQUETTE CATHOLIC	84	DEMOTTE CHRISTIAN	42
MCCUTCHEON	78	CRAWFORDSVILLE	40
MICHIGAN CITY	75	BOWMAN ACADEMY	31
MISHAWAKA MARIAN	40	JIMTOWN	38
MONROE CENTRAL	67	SOUTH ADAMS	31
MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE)	66	PIKE	58	OT
MUNSTER	66	CALUMET	48
NEW HAVEN	68	HUNTINGTON NORTH	58
NEW PALESTINE	66	GUERIN CATHOLIC	51
NOBLESVILLE	66	ANDERSON	59
NORTH DECATUR	83	MILAN	60
NORTH POSEY	54	MOUNT CARMEL (ILL.)	38
NORTHWOOD	72	WEST NOBLE	42
NORTHEASTERN	45	UNION COUNTY	39
NORWELL	53	HERITAGE	41
OAK HILL	64	WESTERN	51
ORLEANS	66	EASTERN (PEKIN)	27
PAOLI	71	SALEM	44
PENDLETON HEIGHTS	53	MISSISSINEWA	48
PERRY MERIDIAN	52	INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN	47
PORTAGE	88	LAKE STATION	37
PRAIRIE HEIGHTS	49	FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY	46
RIVER FOREST	62	HAMMOND SCIENCE & TECH	28
ROCHESTER	70	PLYMOUTH	57
SEEGER	56	WESTERN BOONE	53
SHAKAMAK	73	CLOVERDALE	64
SHAWE MEMORIAL	71	COLUMBUS CHRISTIAN	50
SHENANDOAH	63	MADISON-GRANT	51
SOUTH BEND RILEY	57	COLUMBIA CITY	47
SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON	80	MISHAWAKA	59
SOUTH CENTRAL (ELIZABETH)	72	LANESVILLE	45
SOUTHMONT	73	SOUTH VERMILLION	60
SOUTHWESTERN (SHELBYVILLE)	70	INDIANA DEAF	28
SULLIVAN	57	NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG)	36
TECUMSEH	74	PIKE CENTRAL	52
TIPPECANOE VALLEY	49	NORTH MIAMI	44
TRI-WEST	61	MONROVIA	52
TRITON	35	TRINITY GREENLAWN	18
VALPARAISO	70	HOBART	34
WAPAHANI	49	EASTERN HANCOCK	43
WASHINGTON TWP.	71	TRI-COUNTY	65
WASHINGTON	59	HERITAGE HILLS	56
WEST VIGO	57	PARIS (ILL.)	30
WESTFIELD	62	HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE)	53
WOOD MEMORIAL	53	EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN	50

INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL-REGIONAL PAIRINGS

CLASS 4A

LAPORTE

HAMMOND CENTRAL (20-3) VS. VALPARAISO (18-7), 2 P.M.

WARSAW (23-1) VS. SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON (24-1), 5 P.M.

MARION

MCCUTCHEON (23-3) VS. FORT WAYNE SNIDER (13-11), 4 P.M.

HOMESTEAD (24-2) VS. HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (25-0), 7 P.M.

DECATUR CENTRAL

LAWRENCE NORTH (15-8) VS. PENDLETON HEIGHTS (19-6), 1 P.M.

PIKE (18-6) VS. FRANKLIN CENTRAL (18-9), 4 P.M.

BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE

BLOOMINGTON SOUTH (22-2) VS. EAST CENTRAL (12-11), 7 P.M.

BOONVILLE

FLOYD CENTRAL (23-4) VS. GIBSON SOUTHERN (20-6)

CLASS 3A

JIMTOWN

COLUMBIA CITY (22-4) VS. LOWELL (16-9), 4 P.M.

WINAMAC COMMUNITY

CULVER ACADEMY (20-5) VS. HIGHLAND (14-10), 4 P.M.

BELLMONT

EAST NOBLE (16-9) VS. NORWELL (19-6), 7 P.M.

WES-DEL

MACONAQUAH (16-8) VS. DELTA (17-7), 7 P.M.

GREENCASTLE

CATHEDRAL (17-9) VS. NORTHVIEW (20-6), 4 P.M.

SOUTHMONT

RONCALLI (16-8) VS. DANVILLE (20-5), 4 P.M.

CHARLESTOWN

GREENSBURG (24-0) VS. WASHINGTON (23-2), 7 P.M.

BOONVILLE

CORYDON CENTRAL (20-5) VS. EVANSVILLE CENTRAL (22-4), 4 P.M.

CLASS 2A

JIMTOWN

EASTSIDE (25-1) VS. ANDREAN (15-11), 1 P.M.

CASTON

WHITKO (20-4) VS. BREMEN (24-2), 1 P.M.

RENSSELAER CENTRAL (23-2) VS. ALEXANDRIA (25-1), 4 P.M.

LAPEL

LEWIS CASS (19-6) VS. SHERIDAN (24-1), 7 P.M.

GREENCASTLE

MONROVIA (19-7) VS. PARKE HERITAGE (22-4), 1 P.M.

SOUTHWESTERN (SHELBYVILLE)

NORTHEASTERN (24-1) VS. HERITAGE CHRISTIAN (13-12), 4 P.M.

CHARLESTOWN

LANESVILLE (20-3) VS. SOUTH KNOX (24-2), 4 P.M.

WEST WASHINGTON

NORTH POSEY (19-6) VS. BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (21-5), 4 P.M.

CLASS A

BELLMONT

ELKHART CHRISTIAN (20-5) VS. FREMONT (20-6), 4 P.M.

WINAMAC COMMUNITY

MARQUETTE CATHOLIC (21-4) VS. TRI-COUNTY (22-2), 1 P.M.

LAPEL

MONROE CENTRAL (20-6) VS. LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (22-4), 4 P.M.

WES-DEL

CARROLL (FLORA) (18-7) VS. NORTH MIAMI (15-10), 4 P.M.

SOUTHMONT

GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN (7-17) VS. ANDERSON PREP (17-9), 1 P.M.

SOUTHWESTERN (SHELBYVILLE)

SOUTH DECATUR (15-11) VS. OLDENBURG ACADEMY (21-4), 1 P.M.

BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE

NORTHEAST DUBOIS (18-6) VS. NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG) (23-3), 4 P.M.

WEST WASHINGTON

VINCENNES RIVET (15-10) VS. BORDEN (19-5), 7 P.M.

INDIANA WRESTLING SEMI-STATE

@ FT. WAYNE: HTTPS://WWW.TRACKWRESTLING.COM/PREDEFINEDTOURNAMENTS/MAINFRAME.JSP?NEWSESSION=FALSE&TIM=1739270585001&PAGENAME=%2FPREDEFINEDTOURNAMENTS%2FTOURNAMENTHUB.JSP&TWSESSIONID=WAENAMISOK

@EAST CHICAGO: HTTPS://WWW.TRACKWRESTLING.COM/PREDEFINEDTOURNAMENTS/MAINFRAME.JSP?NEWSESSION=FALSE&TIM=1739270625787&PAGENAME=%2FPREDEFINEDTOURNAMENTS%2FTOURNAMENTHUB.JSP&TWSESSIONID=WAENAMISOK

@EVANSVILLE: HTTPS://WWW.TRACKWRESTLING.COM/PREDEFINEDTOURNAMENTS/MAINFRAME.JSP?NEWSESSION=FALSE&TIM=1739270667749&PAGENAME=%2FPREDEFINEDTOURNAMENTS%2FTOURNAMENTHUB.JSP&TWSESSIONID=WAENAMISOK

@NEW CASTLE: HTTPS://WWW.TRACKWRESTLING.COM/PREDEFINEDTOURNAMENTS/MAINFRAME.JSP?NEWSESSION=FALSE&TIM=1739270846265&PAGENAME=%2FPREDEFINEDTOURNAMENTS%2FTOURNAMENTHUB.JSP&TWSESSIONID=WAENAMISOK

INDIANA GIRLS DIVING REGIONALS

TODAY

1. JASPER | 6 PM ET | TICKETS | RESULTS
FEEDER SECTIONALS: CENTER GROVE, COLUMBUS NORTH, FLOYD CENTRAL, JASPER, EVANSVILLE NORTH

2. HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN | 6 PM ET | TICKETS | RESULTS
FEEDER SECTIONALS: FORT WAYNE SOUTH SIDE, JAY COUNTY, FISHERS, CARMEL, LAFAYETTE JEFFERSON

3. VALPARAISO | 5 PM CT | TICKETS | RESULTS
FEEDER SECTIONALS: LAKE CENTRAL, HOBART, PENN, WARSAW COMMUNITY, CONCORD

4. BROWNSBURG | 6 PM ET | TICKETS | RESULTS
FEEDER SECTIONALS: CRAWFORDSVILLE, TERRE HAUTE SOUTH, PIKE, NORTH CENTRAL, NEW PALESTINE

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TOP 25:

#15 KENTUCKY 75 #5 TENNESSEE 64

#1 AUBURN 80 VANDERBILT 68

#20 MICHIGAN 75 #7 PURDUE 73

#3 FLORIDA 81 #22 MISSISSIPPI STATE 68

#10 IOWA STATE 77 CENTRAL FLORIDA 65

KANSAS STATE 73 #13 ARIZONA 70

#18 MARQUETTE 68 DEPAUL 58

#17 KANSAS 71 COLORADO 59

#8 TEXAS A&M 69 GEORGIA 53

#2 ALABAMA 103 TEXAS 80

CONNECTICUT 70 #24 CREIGHTON 66

INDIANA 71 #11 MICHIGAN STATE 67

ELSEWHERE:

OHIO 86 BOWLING GREEN 81

AKRON 105 WESTERN MICHIGAN 92

BUFFALO 73 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 67

EAST CAROLINA 82 ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM 75

CINCINNATI 85 UTAH 75

BALL STATE 86 EASTERN MICHIGAN 84 OT

MIAMI FLORIDA 91 SYRACUSE 84

MIAMI OHIO 92 TOLEDO 80

KENT STATE 91 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 83

BYU 73 WEST VIRGINIA 69

ILLINOIS 83 UCLA 78

NORTHERN IOWA 88 INDIANA STATE 73

MURRAY STATE 63 ILLINOIS CHICAGO 53

GEORGE MASON 76 ST. LOUIS 74 OT

USC 92 PENN STATE 67

SMU 83 PITTSBURGH 63

NORTH TEXAS 67 RICE 61

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 69 PEPPERDINE 60

UNLV 77 AIR FORCE 52

SAN DIEGO STATE 69 SAN JOSE STATE 66

UTAH STATE 93 COLORADO STATE 85

ST. MARY’S 73 SANTA CLARA 64

OREGON 81 NORTHWESTERN 75

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TOP 25

#11 TCU 79 BYU 47

#25 BAYLOR 75 #18 WEST VIRGINIA 65

ELSEWHERE:

TEMPLE 63 ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM 53

LITTLE ROCK 60 SE. MISSOURI STATE 52

CANISIUS 48 NIAGARA 46

USA TODAY WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL TOP 25 POLL

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

RANK	SCHOOL (RECORD)	POINTS	LAST WEEK’S RANKING	FIRST-PLACE VOTES
1	UCLA (23-0)	775	1	31
2	NOTRE DAME (21-2)	728	3	0
3	TEXAS (24-2)	693	6	0
4	SOUTH CAROLINA (22-2)	692	2	0
5	LSU (25-1)	671	4	0
6	SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (21-2)	624	7	0
7	CONNECTICUT (22-3)	580	5	0
8	OHIO STATE (20-3)	491	8	0
9	TCU (22-3)	478	9	0
10	DUKE (19-5)	475	12	0
11	NORTH CAROLINA STATE (19-4)	464	14	0
12	NORTH CAROLINA (21-4)	431	13	0
13	KENTUCKY (19-3)	420	11	0
13	KANSAS STATE (22-3)	420	10	0
15	MARYLAND (19-5)	329	15	0
16	TENNESSEE (17-6)	324	17	0
17	OKLAHOMA (18-6)	290	16	0
18	WEST VIRGINIA (19-4)	253	18	0
19	GEORGIA TECH (20-4)	228	19	0
20	ALABAMA (20-5)	174	23	0
21	FLORIDA STATE (19-5)	98	22	0
22	MICHIGAN STATE (18-5)	85	20	0
23	OKLAHOMA STATE (19-4)	72	NR	0
24	SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (21-3)	71	25	0
25	CREIGHTON (20-4)	51	NR	0

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: BAYLOR (20-5) 41; CALIFORNIA (19-6) 36; VANDERBILT (18-6) 20; MISSISSIPPI (16-7) 17; UTAH (18-5) 15; RICHMOND (20-5) 9; LOUISVILLE (17-7) 8; GEORGE MASON (21-3) 5; MICHIGAN (17-7) 5; FLORIDA GULF COAST (21-3) 2.

NBA SCOREBOARD

NEW YORK 128 INDIANA 115

TORONTO 106 PHILADELPHIA 103

DETROIT 132 CHICAGO 92

MEMPHIS 119 PHOENIX 112

NHL SCOREBOARD

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

TOP NATIONAL RELEASES/TOP HEADLINES

NFL NEWS

EAGLES’ SUPER BOWL-WINNING COORDINATOR KELLEN MOORE WILL BECOME THE SAINTS HEAD COACH

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Kellen Moore, who oversaw the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles ‘ offense this season, has agreed to return to the site of his latest triumph as the next coach of the New Orleans Saints.

The 36-year-old Moore will join an organization that has been floundering since the retirement of quarterback Drew Brees and departure of Super Bowl-winning coach Sean Payton. The Saints haven’t made the playoffs since the 2020 season — the last of Brees’ career.

Their interest in Moore became increasingly evident as the club waited longer to fill its vacancy than any other NFL team seeking a new coach this year.

Moore was the only assistant coach on either Super Bowl team to be interviewed by New Orleans and thus the only candidate who, under league rules, could not be hired until after Sunday’s title game was played. The Saints announced their agreement with Moore on Tuesday.

Their decision mirrors that of several teams that have found success after hiring relatively young offensive coaches. They included the Los Angeles Rams with Sean McVay, Green Bay with Matt LaFleur, Miami with Mike McDaniel and Minnesota with 2024 AP Coach of the Year Kevin O’Connell. All four of those coaches were hired while in their 30s.

A standout college quarterback at Boise State, Moore had a six-year career as a practice squad or reserve QB with Detroit (2012-2014) and Dallas (2015-2017). He played in just three regular-season games, all with the Cowboys in 2015.

He moved into coaching in 2018 as a quarterbacks coach and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2019. He left Dallas to join the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023 before moving to Philadelphia in 2024.

While Moore tended to favor pass-heavy schemes in his early years as a coordinator, he adapted when he joined the Eagles.

Recognizing Philadelphia’s strength as a running team — with its big, physical offensive line, star running back Saquon Barkley and mobile quarterback Jalen Hurts — Moore oversaw the NFL’s second-ranked ground game in 2024.

The Eagles rushed for a franchise-record 3,048 yards, with Barkley gaining 2,005 of that before adding an additional 499 yards in four playoff games. And when the Chiefs limited Barkley to 57 yards rushing in the Super Bowl, Moore responded with well-timed passing plays that included touchdowns of 46 yards to DeVonta Smith and 12 yards to A.J. Brown.

Moore takes over an offense featuring versatile running back Alvin Kamara and receiver Chris Olave.

While in New Orleans for the Super Bowl this past week, Moore discussed how he tries feature the strengths of available personnel in his play-calling.

“You have certain things that you have strong feelings about from a coaching perspective — certain philosophies — but I think it’s important to do what your players do best,” Moore said. “Going from Dallas to LA to Philadelphia, we’ve certainly played three different styles, and it’s fun when you team up with people just building it however we want to.”

Saints quarterback Derek Carr has two years left on his contract, but his future with the Saints is cloudy following a pair of non-playoff seasons with the club.

Moore will become the Saints’ second head coach since Payton briefly retired following the 2021 season, during which New Orleans went 9-7 and narrowly missed the playoffs.

That was the first of what is now four straight seasons without a playoff berth.

Payton’s former defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, took over in 2021, only to go 18-25 during 2 1/2 seasons before being fired following a seven-game skid.

Darren Rizzi, who was a special teams coordinator under both Payton and Allen, took over on an interim basis and went 3-5.

He wanted to remain with the Saints and interviewed for the full-time job after this season. New Orleans also interviewed Miami Dolphins coordinator Anthony Weaver, New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Buffalo offensive coordinator Joe Brady.

Former Dallas and Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy also was expected to interview with New Orleans but withdrew his candidacy on Jan. 28, just days after Brady withdrew.

IT’S TIME TO REVALUE RUNNING BACKS AFTER SAQUON BARKLEY CAPS BEST RUSHING YEAR WITH SUPER BOWL WIN

It’s time to revalue the devalued running back position in the NFL after Saquon Barkley’s mere presence, if not his production, helped the Philadelphia Eagles dismantle the Kansas City Chiefs in one of the most lopsided Super Bowls ever.

Barkley capped a great year for free-agent running backs by hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after the Eagles’ 40-22 dismantling of the Chiefs on Sunday that avenged a heartbreaking Super Bowl loss two years earlier and denied Patrick Mahomes & Co. an unprecedented third consecutive title and Pat Riley royalties for all that three-peat merchandise now headed for the dump.

Barkley, who had seven total touchdown runs of 60 yards or more in his first season with the Eagles, gained a modest 57 yards on 25 carries Sunday, and he gave props to Steve Spagnuolo’s defense for slowing him down.

Barkley’s biggest contribution, however, was in forcing the Chiefs to load the box with extra defenders, which freed up the likes of DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown and Jahan Dotson to make crucial catches as Jalen Hurts threw just five incompletions while accounting for nearly 300 yards of offense and three touchdowns.

John Elway was blown out in his first three trips to the Super Bowl before capping his Hall of Fame playing career with back-to-back titles once fellow Hall of Famer Terrell Davis joined him in the Denver Broncos’ backfield.

“A great running back is a quarterback’s best friend,” Elway said more than once when looking back on his Super Bowl successes.

Speaking of Davis, by halftime Barkley surpassed Davis’ all-time rushing yards record in a season of 2,476 while becoming the first player to top 2,500 yards, counting playoffs.

Mahomes, meanwhile, sure could have used a good ground game Sunday.

Behind a spongy offensive line that left him battered, Mahomes handed off just seven times and the Chiefs, who had won 23 of their previous 25 games, trailed 34-0 before they ever crossed midfield.

Kareem Hunt gained 9 yards on three carries, Isiah Pacheco managed 7 yards on three carries and Samaje Perine reeled off an 8-yard gain on his only handoff.

Like Hurts, who led Philly with 72 yards on the ground, Mahomes was KC’s leading rusher, with 25 yards on four runs. The rest of the time, Mahomes was desperately trying to avoid the Eagles’ destructive four-man pass rush that sacked him six times, forced him into three turnovers and was so consistently effective that coordinator Vic Fangio never once had to dial up a blitz to rattle him.

Barkley’s 2,504 total yards rushing and 18 touchdown runs capped a big comeback for NFL running backs in a season that began with so many veterans switching jerseys and helping propel their new teams toward the playoffs.

Derrick Henry left Tennessee for Baltimore and rushed for 1,921 yards and an NFL-best 16 touchdowns, and he added 270 yards and three TDs in the playoffs.

Aaron Jones left Green Bay for rival Minnesota and set career highs with 255 carries for 1,138 yards to go with seven total touchdowns. The Packers replaced him with Josh Jacobs, who left Las Vegas for the green and gold and ran for 1,329 yards and a career-high 15 TDs.

Joe Mixon bolted the Bengals for the Texans and ran for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns, adding 194 yards and two scores in the playoffs.

None did better than Barkley, though, who won AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year and entered Sunday just 30 yards shy of topping Davis’ total set in 1998 when he helped the Broncos win their second straight Super Bowl.

Barkley’s seven touchdowns of 60-plus yards (that includes the postseason) were a record and he joined Davis as one of only two players in NFL history with at least 400 yards rushing and five touchdowns in a single postseason.

“It was a hell of a year,” Barkley said, “but all of the numbers and stats or records are cool, but the best thing is to be able to hold that Lombardi Trophy.”

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TOP 25 ROUNDUP: NO. 20 MICHIGAN WINS BIG TEN TUSSLE VS. NO. 7 PURDUE

Danny Wolf had 15 points and nine rebounds to lead No. 20 Michigan to a 75-73 win over No. 7 Purdue in a battle for first place in the Big Ten on Tuesday in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Roddy Gayle came off the bench to score 14 points and grab seven rebounds, and Vladislav Goldin and Tre Donaldson each scored 12 points for Michigan (19-5, 11-2 Big Ten), which has won five straight.

Braden Smith scored 24 points and Trey Kaufman-Renn added 22 points with seven rebounds for Purdue (19-6, 11-3), which had a four-game winning streak snapped.

The Boilermakers had a chance to win after Smith drilled a 3-pointer before Wolf missed two free throws on the other end with six seconds to go. Purdue got the ball back to Smith, but his deep running 3-point attempt missed badly to end the game.

No. 1 Auburn 80, Vanderbilt 68

Denver Jones scored a game-high 21 points as the Tigers pulled away for a win over the Commodores in Nashville, Tenn.

Chaney Johnson racked up 20 points off the bench on 9-of-10 shooting, and Johni Broome scored 17 points, 15 in the second half, for Auburn (22-2, 10-1 Southeastern Conference). Broome added seven rebounds and three blocks.

Jason Edwards led the Commodores with 13 points. A.J. Hoggard and Devin McGlockton chipped in 10 each for Vanderbilt (17-7, 5-6). McGlockton also had 13 rebounds. The Tigers went 9 of 24 on 3-point attempts, led by Jones at 5 of 7. The Commodores were just 3 of 17 from beyond the arc.

No. 2 Alabama 103, Texas 80

Jarin Stevenson scored a career-high 22 points to help the visiting Crimson Tide cruise past the Longhorns in Austin, Texas.

Aden Holloway and Mark Sears added 18 points apiece for Alabama (21-3, 10-1 SEC), which has won seven straight games and 15 of its last 16. The Crimson Tide have a home showdown with No. 1 Auburn on Saturday.

Tre Johnson scored 24 points and Jayson Kent added a season-best 19 for Texas (15-10, 4-8), which has lost four of its past five games. Julian Larry added 10 points and three steals.

No. 3 Florida 81, No. 22 Mississippi State 68

Denzel Aberdeen scored 20 points to lead five scorers in double figures as the Gators came away with a win over the Bulldogs in Starkville, Miss.

Walter Clayton Jr. stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Gators (21-3, 8-3 SEC), while Thomas Haugh came off the bench for 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

Josh Hubbard scored 19 points and dished out six assists for the Bulldogs (17-7, 5-6), and reserve KeShawn Murphy added 18 points and 13 boards. Mississippi State struggled from the floor, making only 24 of 58 field-goal attempts (41.4 percent).

No. 15 Kentucky 75, No. 5 Tennessee 64

Otega Oweh and Ansley Almonor both scored 13 points for the Wildcats, who held off a second-half push from the Volunteers for a win in Lexington, Ky.

Four players scored in double figures for the Wildcats (17-7, 6-5 SEC), who converted 50 percent of their 3-point attempts against the Volunteers (20-5, 7-5). Tennessee entered Tuesday leading the country in 3-point defense (26.6 percent).

Zakai Zeigler led the Volunteers with 17 points, Igor Milicic Jr. scored 16, and Tennessee began the second half with 8-of-10 shooting to cut the deficit to 50-47. The Volunteers led 60-58 with 4:51 remaining before Kentucky pulled away.

No. 8 Texas A&M 69, Georgia 53

Solomon Washington scored a season-high 17 points off the bench to help the Aggies rally past the visiting Bulldogs in College Station, Texas.

Henry Coleman III added 13 points and Wade Taylor IV chipped in 12 for the Aggies (19-5, 8-3 SEC), who won their fourth straight game. Zhuric Phelps tallied all 10 of his points in the second half as Texas A&M outscored the Bulldogs 46-21 after the break.

Georgia (16-9, 4-8) was led by Silas Demary Jr.’s 19 points and Blue Cain’s 17. The Bulldogs were held without a field goal for the first 12:40 of the second half en route to their seventh loss in nine games.

No. 10 Iowa State 77, UCF 65

Keshon Gilbert scored 15 points, Joshua Jefferson added 13 points and eight rebounds and the Cyclones beat the Knights in Orlando.

Tamin Lipsey had 11 points for Iowa State, which held a 41-32 edge on the boards. Reserve Curtis Jones scored all 10 of his points in the first half and collected six rebounds and five assists for the game.

Keyshawn Hall scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Knights (13-11, 4-9), who lost for the seventh time in eight games — a rut that includes a current five-game skid. Mikey Williams netted a career-high 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Darius Johnson had 11 points and four assists, and Moustapha Thiam grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

Indiana 71, No. 11 Michigan State 67

Malik Reneau had 19 points and 12 rebounds and Indiana snapped a five-game losing streak by knocking off the Spartans in East Lansing, Mich.

Oumar Ballo supplied 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Hoosiers (15-10, 6-8 Big Ten), while Myles Rice and Luke Goode had 10 points apiece.

Jaden Akins led Michigan State (19-5, 10-3) with 14 points, and Jase Richardson added 13.

Kansas State 73, No. 13 Arizona 70

Dug McDaniel had season-high 24 points and five steals, including a pivotal theft in the waning seconds, while leading Kansas State to a victory over Arizona in Manhattan, Kan.

Kansas State (13-11, 7-6 Big 12) has won six straight games, four of them against ranked opponents. Arizona (17-7, 11-2) had its six-game winning streak snapped.

David N’Guessan collected 16 points and seven rebounds for Kansas State. KJ Lewis led Arizona with 15 points and eight rebounds. Arizona’s Caleb Love missed a 60-foot heave at the buzzer, and he wound up with six points after shooting 3 of 15 from the field.

No. 17 Kansas 71, Colorado 59

Hunter Dickinson finished with 19 points and nine rebounds and the Jayhawks beat the Buffaloes in Lawrence, Kan.

Zeke Mayo had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Dajuan Harris and KJ Adams scored 10 points apiece for the Jayhawks (17-7, 8-5 Big 12).

Sebastian Rancik tallied 19 points and nine rebounds, Bangot Dak contributed 11 points and Elijah Malone scored 10 for Colorado (9-15, 0-13), which has lost 13 in a row. It is the Buffaloes’ worst start to a conference season since they went 0-14 in the Big 8 in the 1985-86 season.

No. 18 Marquette 68, DePaul 58

Kam Jones scored 19 points and Stevie Mitchell added 17 as No. 18 Marquette secured a Big East win over DePaul in Milwaukee.

Jones moved into third place on the Golden Eagles’ all-time scoring list (1,870 points), passing Lazar Hayward (1,859) to help Marquette (19-6, 10-4) snap a three-game losing skid. The Golden Eagles had a 43-35 rebounding advantage and outscored the Blue Demons 15-2 in second-chance points.

DePaul (11-14, 2-12) — led by CJ Gunn’s 14 points and Isaiah Rivera’s 13 — have lost 10 of their last 12 games.

UConn 70, No. 24 Creighton 66

Liam McNeeley scored a career-high 38 points to go along with 10 rebounds, fueling the Huskies to a victory over the Bluejays in Omaha, Neb.

McNeeley, a freshman, made 12 of 22 shots from the floor and 5 of 10 from 3-point range. Solo Ball scored 11 points and Alex Karaban added 10 for UConn (17-7, 9-4 Big East), which overcame an early 14-point deficit.

Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner collected 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, and Steven Ashworth added 13 points and seven assists. The Bluejays (18-7, 11-3) had a nine-game winning streak come to a halt.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S TOP 25 ROUNDUP: NO. 25 BAYLOR TAKES DOWN NO. 18 WVU

Aaronette Vonleh scored 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting as the No. 25 Baylor Bears knocked off the visiting No. 18 West Virginia Mountaineers 75-65 in a Big 12 contest on Tuesday night in Waco, Texas.

Vonleh, who was held to 4-of-16 from the field against BYU on Saturday, had 13 points in the third quarter as Baylor (21-5, 11-2 Big 12) won its fifth straight game and remained tied atop the conference with TCU. Bella Fontleroy added 15 points, Jada Walker 13 and Sarah Andrews 12.

Baylor’s Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, the conference’s player of the week, racked up nine points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

Jordan Harrison collected 20 points and four steals for West Virginia (19-5, 9-4), which had a three-game winning streak snapped. JJ Quinerly added 17 points but was only 5 of 19 from the floor.

No. 11 TCU 79, BYU 47

The Horned Frogs put four scorers in double figures and coasted past the visiting Cougars in the Big 12 matchup in Fort Worth, Texas.

Connor Madison led TCU (23-3, 11-2 Big 12) with 14 points. Sedona Prince added 13 points and seven rebounds, Hailey Van Lith scored 11 points and Agnes Emma-Nnopu 10. Deasia Merrill added nine points and seven boards.

Emma Calvert paced BYU (12-12, 3-10) with 16 points and six rebounds, and Delaney Gibb supplied 14 points and three steals. The Cougars were within three points with just over four minutes left in the second quarter, but TCU went on a 9-0 run and led by double digits for most of the duration.

NBA NEWS

NBA ROUNDUP: KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS, KNICKS TROUNCE PACERS

Karl-Anthony Towns notched 40 points and 12 rebounds, Josh Hart scored a season-high 30 points, and the New York Knicks beat the Indiana Pacers 128-115 on Tuesday night in Indianapolis.

Miles McBride added 15 points off the bench for New York and Landry Shamet added 11 as the Knicks secured the season series against the Pacers (2-1), and won for the eighth time in their past 10 games.

Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 24 points, Bennedict Mathurin scored 18 off the bench, and Thomas Bryant added 18 points and nine rebounds.

New York used a 15-3 run late in the first half to move ahead 61-50 before eventually handing Indiana its third loss in four games.

Pistons 132, Bulls 92

Reserve Malik Beasley scored 24 points and Cade Cunningham added 20 points and seven assists as visiting Detroit demolished Chicago.

Tobias Harris (18 points), Ausar Thompson (16), Isaiah Stewart (14) and Marcus Sasser (14) also scored in double figures for the Pistons, who shot 53.1 percent and led by 49 as they won for the third straight game.

Rookie Matas Buzelis led Chicago with 12 points, scoring in double figures for the seventh straight game. The Bulls have lost three games in a row.

Raptors 106, 76ers 103

Scottie Barnes scored 33 points and Immanuel Quickley added 23 as Toronto edged Philadelphia.

Gradey Dick had 17 points and three steals — including one on Joel Embiid in the game’s final seconds — for the Raptors, who snapped a four-game losing streak.

Embiid notched 27 points and 12 rebounds for the 76ers, who have lost their past four games and 13 of 18 overall.

NASCAR NEWS

NASCAR’S NEW ‘WORLD-CLASS DRIVER’ RULE MAKES DAYTONA 500 QUALIFYING MORE COMPLICATED THAN EVER

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The Daytona 500 has NASCAR’s most unique — and complicated — qualifying format.

And it got more convoluted this year with the largest number of entrants in a decade and a new rule that could add a 41st driver to the 40-car field.

There are 36 guys already locked into Sunday’s 500-mile race because their teams own charters, which guarantee them entry into every race on the Cup Series schedule. The remaining four spots are filled by non-chartered cars, often referred to as “open teams.”

There are nine drivers — the most since 2015 — vying for those spots: Anthony Alfredo, Justin Allgaier, Helio Castroneves, Jimmie Johnson, Corey LaJoie, B.J. McLeod, Chandler Smith, Martin Truex Jr. and J.J. Yeley.

“It’s not just seven whatevers,” Johnson said. “When you look through the affiliations and how those cars play out, it’s going to be a very stressful qualifying.”

They can get into “The Great American Race” two ways, with two spots going to the drivers who turn the fastest laps in qualifying Wednesday and two more spots being determined through qualifying races Thursday.

Although Castroneves is driving for an open team, the four-time Indianapolis 500 winner is locked into the field through a new rule that allows NASCAR to invite a “world-class driver” to each event. His Trackhouse Racing team was the only one to apply before the deadline, so he was the only driver NASCAR considered for the provisional spot.

But there’s a catch. If Castroneves uses the provisional, his team gets no prize money. So he will try to qualify his way in, and if he does, the Daytona 500 would be a 40-car field — and five open cars would miss the race. If he doesn’t qualify, he would get in via the provisional — and the 500 would have 41 cars.

Here’s a look at the nine, in alphabetical order:

Anthony Alfredo

Alfredo, 25, returns to Daytona with Beard Motorsports. Alfredo finished 27th with the team last year. He has two top-10s in 41 career Cup starts. Founded by the late Mark Beard Sr., Beard Motorsports is trying to make the field for the seventh time since 2017.

Justin Allgaier

The reigning Xfinity Series champion will be behind the wheel for JR Motorsports’ first attempt at making the Daytona 500. JRM is owned by two-time Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose entry is being sponsored by country music star Chris Stapleton. Allgaier, 38, is winless is 82 Cup starts.

Helio Castroneves

Castroneves will make his NASCAR debut in the No. 91 Chevrolet regardless of how he qualifies. The 49-year-old Brazilian is one of four drivers to have won the Indy 500 four times (2001, ’02, ’09, ’21). He has found success at Daytona, too, having won the 24 Hours at Daytona three times.

Jimmie Johnson

The seven-time Cup champion and two-time Daytona 500 winner, now the majority owner of Legacy Motor Club, is entering two races this year. The 49-year-old Johnson will be attempting to make his 22nd appearance in the 500 but will have to qualify for the third straight year. Johnson’s paint scheme was designed with input from NBA great Shaquille O’Neal.

Corey LaJoie

LaJoie, 33, is running a partial schedule for Rick Ware Racing and trying to make his ninth consecutive Daytona 500. He has three top-10 finishes in the season opener, including a career-best fourth last year.

B.J. McLeod

McLeod, owner and driver at Live Fast Motorsports, sold his charter for a reported $40 million to Spire Motorsports in 2023. It gave McLeod the freedom to pick and choose when and where he races, and Daytona is high on the list. The 41-year-old McLeod has five Daytona 500 starts, with a best finish of 19th.

Chandler Smith

Smith is attempting to make the race with Garage 66, replacing Mike Wallace in the No. 66 Ford. Smith, who is slated to drive a full Truck Series schedule, last tried (and failed) to make the 500 in 2023 with Kaulig Racing. The 22-year-old Smith has started three Cup races, including a 15th-place showing in the 2023 summer race.

Martin Truex Jr.

Truex retired from full-time competition last season, but the 2017 Cup champion entered the race with TRICON Garage. His No. 56 Toyota is getting technical support from Joe Gibbs Racing. Truex, 45, is winless in 20 Daytona 500 starts but came home second in 2016 in one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history.

J.J. Yeley

Yeley is trying to make his sixth Daytona 500 and first since 2015. The 48-year-old driver is winless in 386 Cup starts and is partnering with NY Racing Team to pilot the No. 44 Chevrolet.

NASCAR DRIVERS DIVIDED ON NEW RULE THAT COULD GUARANTEE HELIO CASTRONEVES A SPOT IN THE DAYTONA 500

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A controversial new NASCAR rule designed for “world-class drivers” could give Helio Castroneves an automatic berth into the Daytona 500, and, should the four-time Indianapolis 500 winner use the provisional, it would make for the largest field in a decade.

It’s a complicated rule that was written into the charter agreement that 13 teams signed last September and is similar to a “promoters provisional” in that it gives NASCAR the ability to designate one driver as a guaranteed 41st entry.

Three-time Daytona 500 Denny Hamlin said the rule “reeks of desperation” by NASCAR, calling it nothing but a gimmick to attract big stars to stock car racing. Others wondered why the provisional went to Castroneves, who at 49 will be making his NASCAR debut, instead of seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, a two-time Daytona 500 winner.

The rule is designed for drivers who don’t currently race full time in NASCAR, so Johnson and 2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. would have been eligible for consideration for the provisional.

But their teams never put in the request, which must be done 90 days before the event. Only Trackhouse Racing requested the provisional for Castroneves, who enters Wednesday’s qualifying as the only driver eligible for the 41st spot.

“I think Jimmie Johnson is a world-class driver, but I guess other people don’t,” Alex Bowman said. “It’s an interesting rule for sure. There’s a lot of hype and importance to the sport to have people like (Castroneves) that come in and, if they miss the race, it kind of hurts the whole thing.

“So I get it, but I also wish some of our past champions were respected in the same way in some sense.”

Castroneves will use the provisional only if he fails in traditional qualifying to claim one of the four open spots in what was supposed to be a 40-car field. If he uses it, the 41 cars will be the most in the Daytona 500 since 2015, when 43 cars was still standard.

Trackhouse and Castroneves also won’t receive any points or payouts if he’s the 41st driver, and all drivers who finish behind him will be moved up one position in the standings.

The rule has divided the field, even though it probably will come into play only at Daytona International Speedway, where nine drivers are vying for the four open spots. NASCAR’s charter system guarantees entry to 36 cars every race.

“Aside from the Daytona 500, we don’t get in a spot very often where drivers of that caliber are going home,” Tyler Reddick said. “I don’t know where to fall on this. On one hand, I would hate for a guy like Lewis Hamilton to come over here and attempt to start the 500… (and) something keeps him from running the race. We also don’t just want to let them have a spot in the race — like, they have to earn it.”

What if Johnson and Truex had requested the provisional?

Logically, if multiple drivers had requested the provisional, the most sense would have been for it to go to the highest qualifier.

Nope.

If NASCAR does receive multiple requests, NASCAR will decide who the designated “world-class driver” is ahead of the event. The criteria listed in the charter for the rule states “the “Open Exemption” position is intended for a driver who will significantly impact the promotion of the event and grow the prominence of the sport.

In a competition briefing held for media last month, a hypothetical scenario was posed about what NASCAR would do if seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton, four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen, six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon and Johnson, who is also a NASCAR Hall of Famer, all put in a request for the same race.

“I’d love to have that problem,” said John Probst, NASCAR senior vice president of racing development.

NASCAR could have that problem later this year when it goes to Mexico City, where several teams are exploring deals to enter Juan Pablo Montoya in the race, and who knows who could show up at a road course — Shane van Gisbergen was brought into the inaugural street race at Chicago, won it and by the end of the year had left his Australian V8 Supercars career behind for NASCAR.

At Indianapolis in 2023, former F1 drivers Jenson Button and Kamui Kobayashi were both in the field, while Button was part of the same field as Kimi Raikkonen to make it two F1 world champions in the 2023 race at Circuit of the Americas.

“I can argue both sides of the fence. You’d hate to have a Helio Castroneves, a Max Verstappen, a Lewis Hamilton or someone come in to run a race and then miss the show due to something silly,” Chase Elliott said. “So I can certainly see that aspect of it from a promoter. But I also think that with prestigious races, there should be some sort of integrity in making the show.

“I think that’s part of what makes the race prestigious. You know, it’s a hard event to make. I think you see that with the Indianapolis 500, or you see that at the Chili Bowl, right? It’s a hard race to make. It’s a big deal just to get into the show. I just don’t want to ever degrade or hurt the long-term integrity of the sport and take the prestige out of events that should be some of our biggest days of the year.”

AUTO RACING SEASON OPENS WITH 3 NASCAR RACES AT DAYTONA, THE LAST THE PREMIER 500

NASCAR CUP SERIES

Daytona 500

Site: Daytona Beach, Florida.

Schedule: Wednesday, practice 1, 10:05 a.m., qualifying 8:15 p.m.; Thursday, Duel 1, 7 p.m., Duel 2, 8:45 p.m.; Friday, practice 2, 5:35 p.m.; Saturday, practice 3, 3:05 p.m.; Sunday, race, 2:30 p.m. (FOX).

Track: Daytona International Speedway.

Race distance: 200 laps, 500 miles.

Last year: After an 18th-position start, William Byron secured his first Daytona 500 win, narrowly avoiding a two-car collision on the last lap in a race that ended under caution.

Last race: Joey Logano won the season finale in Phoenix, capturing his third championship title and earning his place as the 10th driver in Cup Series history to claim three or more championships.

Next race: Feb. 23, Hampton, Georgia.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

United Rentals 300

Site: Daytona Beach, Florida.

Schedule: Friday, practice, 4:35 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 10 a.m., and race, 5 p.m. (CW).

Track: Daytona International Speedway.

Race distance: 120 laps, 300 miles.

Last year: With a second-position start, Austin Hill secured his third consecutive title after a race that had been postponed twice due to rain.

Last race: Riley Herbst won his first championship race, while Justin Allgaier earned his first championship title in the series, breaking a four-year streak of race winners also winning the title.

Next race: Feb. 22, Hampton, Georgia.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR TRUCK SERIES

Fresh From Florida 250

Site: Daytona Beach, Florida.

Schedule: Thursday, practice, 5:05 p.m.; Friday, qualifying, 3 p.m., and ace, 7:30 p.m. (FS1).

Track: Daytona International Speedway.

Race distance: 100 laps, 250 miles.

Last year: Nick Sanchez earned his first career win, barely escaping a chaotic 12-truck wreck in overtime.

Last race: Ty Majeski’s dominating performance from the pole position earned him his first series title. Majeski led 132 of 150 laps, finishing 3.9 seconds ahead of second-place Corey Heim.

Next race: Feb. 22, Hampton, Georgia.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

FORMULA ONE

Last race: Lando Norris claimed his first world championship in Abu Dhabi, ending Max Verstappen’s four-year winning streak.

Next race: Mar. 16, Melbourne, Australia.

Online: http://www.formula1.com

INDYCAR

Last race: Colton Herta celebrated his first-place victory at Nashville Superspeedway, securing him a second-place spot in the championship standings. Herta’s win was overshadowed by Alex Palou who finished first for the season, claiming his third series championship in just four years.

Next race: March 2, St. Petersburg, Florida.

Online: http://www.indycar.com

NHRA DRAG RACING

Next event: March 6-9, Gainesville, Florida.

Online: http://www.nhra.com

WORLD OF OUTLAWS

Next events: Feb. 13, 14 and 15, Barberville, Florida.

Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars

GOLF NEWS

GOLF GLANCE: TORREY PINES TAKE 2 FOR PGA; LIV PARTIES DOWN UNDER

PGA TOUR
LAST TOURNAMENT: WM Phoenix Open (Thomas Detry)
THIS WEEK: The Genesis Invitational, San Diego, Calif., Feb. 13-16
Course: Torrey Pines Golf Course, South Course (Par 72, 7,765 Yards)
Purse: $20M (Winner: $4M)
Defending Champion: Hideki Matsuyama
FedEx Cup leader: Sepp Straka
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: 4-8 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-7 p.m. (CBS); Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6:30 p.m. (CBS)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 12:30-8 p.m. ET; Saturday: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday: 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
X: @TheGenesisInv
NOTES: The tournament was moved from Riviera Country Club out of respect to those affected by the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. Torrey Pines played host to the Farmers Insurance Open just two weeks ago. … This is the third of eight signature events this season, featuring an increased prize pool and FedEx Cup points. It’s also one of three signature events to include a 36-hole cut to the low 50 players and ties. … Daniel Berger and Michael Kim earned spots in the field through the Aon Swing 5 with their tie for second at the WM Phoenix Open, bumping out Justin Lower and Lee Hodges. … Tournament host Tiger Woods withdrew on Monday while he continues to mourn the recent death of his mother. The three other eligible players not in the field are Xander Schauffele (injury), Alex Noren and Chris Kirk. … Jordan Spieth is coming off a T4 in Phoenix and is in the field on a sponsor exemption along with Rickie Fowler, Min Woo Lee, and Gary Woodland. Lucas Glover and Justin Rose were added to meet the 72-player minimum field as the first two available players below No. 60 in last year’s FedEx Cup Fall points list.
BEST BETS: Scottie Scheffler (+350 at DraftKings) settled for a T25 in Phoenix following a T9 in his return from hand surgery the previous week. … Rory McIlroy (+750) won his last start at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. His best previous finish at Torrey Pines was a T3 in 2020. … Collin Morikawa (+1400) is seeking his first win since the 2023 Zozo Championship. He did tie for fourth at the 2021 U.S. Open and was solo third at the 2023 Farmers at Torrey Pines. … Justin Thomas (+2000) is up to 11th in the world rankings following his T6 in Phoenix. … Ludvig Aberg finished T42 at the Farmers Insurance Open. He opened with a 63 before becoming ill. Aberg finished the Farmers but withdrew the following week at Pebble Beach. … Rasmus Hojgaard (+3500) has finished T22 and T12 in his first two starts as a full-time PGA Tour member. Last week’s finish would have been better if not for a double bogey on the par-5 15th hole on Saturday.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Mexico Open at VidantaWorld, Vallarta, Mexico

LPGA TOUR
LAST TOURNAMENT: Founders Cup (Yealimi Noh)
THIS WEEK: OFF
Race to the CME Globe leader: Noh
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Honda LPGA Thailand, Chonburi, Feb. 20-23

LIV GOLF LEAGUE
LAST TOURNAMENT: LIV Golf Riyadh (Individual: Adrian Meronk; Team: Legion XII)
THIS WEEK: LIV Golf Adelaide, Australia, Feb. 14-16
Course: The Grange Golf Club (Par 72, 6,946 Yards)
Individual Purse: $20M (Winner: $4M)
Team Purse: $5M (Winners: $3M)
Defending champions: Individual (Brendan Steele); Team (Ripper GC)
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV/Streaming: Friday: 10:15 a.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday: 10:05 a.m. (FOX, LIV Golf Plus)
X: @livgolf_league
NOTES: This is the second of 13 events on the 2025 schedule, which will be followed by the Team Championship. … The field consists of 13 four-player teams competing in daily shotgun starts over 54 holes. … The Grange’s East and West courses will both be utilized as a composite layout for the event.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Hong Kong, March 7-9

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
LAST TOURNAMENT: Trophy Hassan II (Miguel Angel Jimenez)
THIS WEEK: Chubb Classic, Naples, Fla., Feb. 14-16
Course: Tiburon Golf Club, Black Course (Par 72, 6,897 Yards)
Purse: $1.8M ($270,000)
Defending champion: Stephen Ames
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Jimenez
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Friday: Noon-3 p.m. a.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday: 3-5:30 p.m. (GC)
X: @ChubbClassic
NOTES: This is the first full-field tournament of the season. … Five-time event champion Bernhard Langer is in the field after missing last year’s tournament due to a torn Achilles. Hale Irwin at the Turtle Bay Championship is the only Champions player in history to win a single event six times.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Cologuard Classic, Tucson, Ariz., March 7-9

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

MLS ROUNDUP: QUAKES SIGN GK DANIEL TO EXTENSION

The San Jose Earthquakes signed goalkeeper Daniel to a contract extension through 2026 on Tuesday with options for 2027 and 2028.

The 30-year-old Brazilian posted six clean sheets in 34 MLS matches in his first two seasons with the Quakes from 2023-24. Hamstring surgery limited him to 12 appearances last season.

“We’re pleased to re-sign Daniel,” sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena said. “We believe he can be among the top goalkeepers in Major League Soccer and look forward to his playing a critical role in improving our team in the defending end of the field.”

–The Houston Dynamo signed free agent midfielder Junior Urso through 2025 with an option for 2026.

The 35-year-old Brazilian has recorded 13 goals and 10 assists in 117 matches (91 starts) with Orlando City SC (2020-23) and Charlotte FC (2024).

“Junior is a vastly experienced central midfielder with a history of making his teams better,” president of soccer Pat Onstad said. “Junior is a winner, and he has qualified for the playoffs every year that he has played in MLS and lifted trophies inside and outside the league.”

–The Vancouver Whitecaps acquired forward Emmanuel Sabbi from French Ligue 1 side Le Havre AC.

Sabbi, 27, is under contract through 2027 with an option for 2028.

He has recorded 43 goals and 23 assists in 219 professional appearances in Denmark and France.

–FC Dallas acquired Dutch defender Osaze Urhoghide from French second-division side Amiens SC.

Urhoghide, 24, signed a four-year deal through 2028 with a club option for 2029 and will occupy an international roster slot.

Terms were not disclosed, but FC Dallas said his transfer fee was the highest paid for a defender in franchise history.

–D.C. United signed free agent midfielder Brandon Servania through 2026 with an option for 2027.

Servania, 25, has posted five goals and eight assists in 98 MLS matches (65 starts) with FC Dallas (2019-22) and Toronto FC (2023-24).

–Nashville SC acquired 18-year-old midfielder Matthew Corcoran from USL Championship side Birmingham Legion FC. He is under contract through 2027 with options for 2028 and 2029.

–The Philadelphia Union signed 18-year-old homegrown forward Eddy Davis III through 2027 with options for 2028 and 2029. He scored a club-record 13 goals last season with MLS NEXT Pro affiliate Philadelphia Union II.

TOP INDIANA RELEASES/TOP HEADLINES

INDIANA PACERS

GAME REWIND: PACERS 115, KNICKS 128

After a four-game West Coast trip, the Pacers were hoping to get a win on Tuesday back at home for the final time before the All-Star break. But the New York Knicks (35-18) spoiled those plans, surging ahead late in the second quarter and never relinquishing the lead en route to a 128-115 victory over Indiana (29-23).

All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns scored 40 points to go along with 12 rebounds and five assists, going 14-for-23 from the field and 9-for-9 from the free throw line to lead New York to victory. Josh Hart added 30 points on 12-of-16 shooting, 10 boards, and five assists.

All-Star forward Pascal Siakam led five Pacers in double figures with 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting (3-of-6 from 3-point range).

With the win, the Knicks moved to 4.5 games ahead of Indiana for third place in the Eastern Conference standings. New York also now has the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Pacers by winning the season series with the Blue & Gold, 2-1.

The Pacers have dropped three of their past four games after winning 12 of their previous 14.

“We’ve got to play better,” Siakam said. “We’ve just got to continue to fight, continue to stay together. This is the NBA. There’s times when you go through periods when you’re not playing your best, but as long as we recognize the things that we’re not doing well and try to fix them, I think we’ll be okay.”

The Pacers had issues getting off to slow starts during their four-game West Coast road trip last week, falling into significant first quarter deficits in each of their games, but they had a much better start back in the friendly confines of Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Indiana used a 13-4 run to open up a 24-17 lead in the first quarter, behind six points from Bennedict Mathurin (coming off the bench for the first time since Oct. 30) and five apiece from Tyrese Haliburton and Siakam.

The Knicks, however, closed the opening frame with eight unanswered points to take a narrow 27-26 lead into the second quarter.

Mathurin buried a three 10 seconds into the second quarter to put the Pacers back in front, the start of a 6-0 Indiana run. But the Knicks came storming back with an immediate 11-2 response that featured a 3-pointer and three-point play from Towns.

That was the start of a back-and-forth stretch that featured 12 lead changes and two ties over the first 6:16 of the second quarter. New York eventually surged ahead with a 14-3 run to open up a 61-50 lead. Thanks to that stretch, the visitors took a 68-60 advantage into the intermission.

Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson — who had three fouls in the first half — picked up two more quick fouls early in the third quarter and had to head to the bench with 8:42 remaining in the third quarter. But Indiana was unable to take advantage of his absence.

The Knicks led by 12 midway through the third quarter before the Pacers strung together a 12-4 run to get back within four. But New York closed the frame with a 9-3 spurt and took a 98-88 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Pacers struggled to cut into the lead in the final frame. Landry Shamet’s corner three and then Cameron Payne’s steal-and-score on consecutive possessions extended the Knicks’ lead to 110-95 with 7:19 remaining. The Blue & Gold never got back within single digits.

“Tonight was a bad night,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “That’s what I’m going to chalk it up to…We’ve got to focus on tomorrow.”

Mathurin scored 18 points off the bench for Indiana, going 4-for-10 from the field but 9-for-11 from the free throw line. Thomas Bryant — starting at center for the second straight game in place of Myles Turner (out with a neck strain) — added 18 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.

Haliburton tallied 16 points and eight assists, while Ben Sheppard scored 12 points off the bench.

Miles McBride had 15 points off the bench for the Knicks, going a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range. Shamet added 11 points and four assists.

The Pacers have one game remaining before the All-Star break, as they will travel to Washington to face the 9-44 Wizards (owners of the NBA’s worst record) on Wednesday night.

After the break, Indiana returns to action with a four-game homestand that begins on Thursday, Feb. 20 against Memphis. They will also host the Clippers, Nuggets, and Raptors during the homestand.

Inside the Numbers

Siakam surpassed 20 points for the third straight game and the seventh time in his last eight contests. 19 of his 24 points on Tuesday came in the second half.

Bryant’s 18 points and nine rebounds were his second-highest scoring and rebounding total since joining the Pacers in December.

Sheppard scored in double figures off the bench for the third straight game.

The Pacers were 9-for-31 (29 percent) from 3-point range on Tuesday. It was the fifth straight game that they shot 33.3 percent or worse from beyond the arc.

The Knicks scored 41 points in the second quarter, the most the Pacers have allowed in that frame all season. New York went 14-for-21 (66.7 percent) from the field and 9-for-10 from the free throw line in the quarter.

New York outrebounded the Pacers 48-36 overall and 13-9 on the offensive glass while outscoring the Blue & Gold 19-6 in second-chance points.

The Knicks outscored Indiana 68-58 in points in the paint.

Brunson played just 22:44 due to foul trouble, finishing with eight points on 4-of-11 shooting and seven assists. It was the first time in 52 games this season that the All-Star guard failed to reach double figures.

You Can Quote Me On That

“Towns had a great night. He was almost impossible to deal with tonight because he’s making outside shots and causing a lot of damage on the inside. A lot of the plays were so quick, you couldn’t even get to him with double teams. He played great.” -Carlisle on Towns’ performance

“We’re just not rebounding right now. That’s five games where we feel like we’ve gotten dominated on the glass. We’ve got to do a better job of rebounding (at) all five (positions). I think that will allow us to play more in transition, get out and run. But we’re having a lot of possessions right now where we’re playing good defense and getting a stop and then just giving up offensive rebounds and teams are capitalizing.” -Haliburton on Indiana’s struggles defensively

“My recollection is a lot of them were pretty good. It’s a process thing. Shotmaking goes up and down, but we just can’t allow it to impact other parts of our game.” -Carlisle on Indiana’s struggles shooting in recent games

“I loved the way Mathurin played off the bench. There were a lot of indicators that were pointing to the fact that it was the right thing to do…Those guys handled it great. I thought Mathurin had a great energy when he came in the game in the first half and immediately he made things happen. It creates a better balance on our team. Benn’s a scorer and Benn needs to get shots and we have Ty and Pascal out there to start games. It just makes it work better from an offensive standpoint.” -Carlisle on making a change to the starting lineup

“I think it’s a great opportunity for him…He’s been fighting, playing hard. That’s what the NBA’s about. He was in a situation where he didn’t have an opportunity (in Miami). And then you come to a situation where you’re starting in a big game on (national) TV against a really good team. You’ve just got to continue to take advantage of those moments.” -Siakam on Bryant playing a bigger role with Turner sidelined

“He’s showed amazing resolve. I know he had two knee surgeries and he had an Achilles injury. To come back from those and make his way back in the league and be in the condition he’s in, he really has done some amazing things with his body. Just really happy for him. The organization rewarded him for being loyal to the Mad Ants…He’s had a very solid year there and we’re going to need him here with Myles being out.” -Carlisle on Jahlil Okafor making his Pacers debut on Tuesday

Stat of the Night

With Tuesday’s loss, the Pacers have lost consecutive games for the first time in 2025. The last time they lost two games in a row was on Dec. 26 and 27, when they fell to Oklahoma City at home and then again the next night in Boston.

Noteworthy

Mathurin moved to the bench on Tuesday, with Aaron Nesmith moving into the starting lineup. Mathurin came off the bench for the first five games this season, but had started the last 44 contests he played in.

Jahlil Okafor, who the Pacers signed to a 10-day contract earlier on Tuesday, played the final 3:22 on Tuesday, tallying one rebound and one assist. It was the first NBA game for Okafor — the third overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft — since May 16, 2021. Okafor has been playing for the Indiana Mad Ants in the NBA G League this season.

Carlisle said prior to the game that Turner will remain out for Wednesday’s game and will not travel with the team to Washington.

Haliburton received his ring for helping the United States men’s national team win a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics before Tuesday’s game from USA Basketball Managing Director Grant Hill, who also called Tuesday’s game on TNT.

Siakam was also honored pregame in recognition of his All-Star selection by Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations/Assistant General Manager Ted Wu.

It was “Fever Night” at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Indiana Fever stars DeWanna Bonner, Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, and Lexie Hull were all in the attendance at Tuesday’s game.

Up Next

The Pacers travel to Washington to face the Wizards on the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 7:00 PM ET.

INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL

HOOSIERS HAND NO. 11 SPARTANS THEIR FIRST HOME DEFEAT

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Maybe, just maybe, Indiana is ready to win its way to postseason possibilities.

Winning at Michigan State and the raucous Breslin Center Tuesday night, where the Hoosiers had lost seven of their previous eight games, and fighting their way to victory despite a 1-7 stretch that resulted in the announced retirement of head coach Mike Woodson, was a huge boost for a team that needed it.

Dominant zone defense and clutch down-the-stretch free throw shooting from junior forward Malik Reneau, sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako and fifth-year senior guard Anthony Leal clinched the 71-67 victory and prevented Spartans head coach Tom Izzo from passing former Indiana head Bob Knight as the Big Ten’s career victory leader. Both remain tied at 353.

“We’re happy to get off this slide,” assistant coach Yasir Rosemond told “Voice of the Hoosiers”, Don Fischer, during the postgame radio show. “The guys have been working hard. We’re trying to make sure we keep these guys confident. We still have a lot to play for.”

The Hoosiers improved to 15-10 overall, 6-8 in the Big Ten.

“This was a total team effort,” Woodson said. “We needed a win badly. These guys have been down. We’ve been scrapping and scratching trying to find a way.

“There’s a lot of basketball left. I have to get them to believe. That’s what it’s all about. We’re playing to get into the tournament. Anything can happen. We have to continue to work.”

Reneau was the closer as IU handed the No. 11/11 Spartans (19-5, 10-3) their first home loss in 13 games this season. He took charge when it mattered most to finish with 19 points (16 in the second half) and 12 rebounds. It was his second double-double of the season and it occured while coming off the bench.

“I was getting frustrated early on,” Reneau said. “Coach said go straight to the rim. That’s what I did. In the second half, everything was working for me.”

Rosemond told Fischer that having Reneau come off the bench was because, “We wanted to switch some things up and jolt our team. Malik had a big second half. He’s returning to form after his injury. He wants to end this for Coach Woodson in the right way.”

Sixth-year center Oumar Ballo also delivered a double-double, his eighth of the season, with 14 points and 10 rebounds despite playing just 26 minutes before fouling out.

Redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice and senior forward Luke Goode each had 10 points.

IU played Michigan State to a virtual draw in fastbreak points at 17 to 19, huge given the Spartans are one of the nation’s best transition teams.

“We were so afraid of their transition,” Woodson said. “They get the ball out so quickly. We couldn’t combat that.”

Rosemond told Fischer that the coaches were adamant with the players about getting back on defense.

“They are one of the fastest teams in the country,” Rosemond told Fischer. “We knew we had to get our defense set.”

IU’s zone defense thrived against a Michigan State team that had struggled from the perimeter all season. The Spartans were the Big Ten’s worst-shooting 3-point team at 29%.

The strategy worked. Michigan State lost its offense in the last eight minutes of the first half and the first three minutes of the second half after building leads as large as 12. The result was an 18-2 Indiana run that gave it a nine-point, early second-half lead, and set the tone for the cliffhanger finish.

The Spartans went 4-for-23 from beyond the arc.

“The zone saved us,” Woodson said.

Rosemond told Fischer they had been working on it in practice. It had been effective in the previous game against Michigan.

“Coach Knight probably turned over in his grave, but we’ve been trying to change some things up. Do whatever we can to help us defensively. We’ve been primarily a man team. It might have shocked them a little bit. Our guys did a great job.”

Michigan State scored the game’s first seven points and 10 of the first 12, with eight of those points coming via offensive rebounds. Ballo, Reneau and Mgbako shot IU to within 10-8.

The teams were a combined 1-for-10 on 3-pointers in the first eight minutes. The Spartans surged ahead 20-8.

Freshman forward Bryson Tucker ended the 10-0 run with a pair of free throws. Goode followed with a 3-pointer. Rice added a free throw for a 22-14 score. Goode’s second 3-pointer closed the gap to 24-20. A Rice 3-pointer and a Ballo layup got the Hoosiers within 29-28 with three minutes left in the half.

Ballo’s two free throws gave IU its first lead at 30-29. Goode added a pair of free throws for the 32-29 halftime lead. The Hoosiers ended the half on a 12-2 run and held Michigan State scoreless in the final four minutes.

Ballo led IU with 12 points and seven rebounds. Goode added eight.

Ballo and Reneau combined for six-straight points to open the second half as the Hoosiers surged ahead 38-29.

Ballo went to the bench with three and then four fouls and IU didn’t flinch behind Goode, Reneau, Rice and fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway. It went ahead 48-41.

Five-straight Reneau points gave the Hoosiers a cushion at 55-50 they extended to 61-52 with 3:14 left. A couple of IU turnovers and a Michigan State basket made it 61-56 with 80 seconds remaining. Mgbako made a free throw. Goode got a steal.

The Spartans made a layup for a 62-60 score with 32 seconds left. Rice hit two free throws. The Spartans made two free throws for a 64-62 score with 20 seconds remaining. Reneau and Mgbako combined for five free throws. Anthony Leal made two more to clinch the victory.

IU plays again Friday night when it hosts UCLA (18-7, 9-5).

“I have to keep pushing them,” Woodson said.

INDIANA WOMEN’S SOCCER

JOSH RIFE NAMED INDIANA WOMEN’S SOCCER HEAD COACH

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana University Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Dolson has announced the hiring of Josh Rife as the head coach for Indiana women’s soccer program. Rife is the fifth head coach in program history and takes over after a six-year stint as the head coach of Ball State women’s soccer.

“This is an exciting day for Indiana Women’s Soccer,” Dolson said. “Josh’s background as a Final Four player for our men’s program, coupled with his impressive 20-year coaching resume, caught our eye from the start. Then, once we talked to him, we knew he was the person to lead our program into a new, exciting era. He has extensive recruiting connections in the state and around the Midwest that will pay immediate dividends. He also has a burning desire to see IU Women’s Soccer become a force both in the Big Ten and on the national stage. We could not be more excited to welcome Josh back to Bloomington as the new head coach of our women’s soccer program.”

Rife returns to his alma mater as the Honolulu, Hawaii native played two seasons for Indiana men’s soccer from 2000-01. At Indiana, Rife led the Hoosiers to back-to-back Final Four appearances in 2000 and 2001, and a Big Ten title in 2001.

“I’m incredibly excited about the opportunity to come back to Bloomington and coach at my alma mater,” Rife said. “My time as a student-athlete was special and I look forward to providing that experience to other student-athletes. I’m appreciative of Scott and the committee for entrusting me to lead the program and I look forward to getting started.”

Rife owns an overall record of 49-38-21 (33-18-13 MAC) in this six-season tenure at Ball State, highlighted by a program record-tying 15 wins in 2019. His teams have been especially good at home, going 29-12-8 at the Briner Sports Complex.

Rife has coached 19 All-MAC selections, including 2023 MAC Offensive Player of the Year Lexi Fraley and 2022 MAC Freshman of the Year Delaney Caldwell. In 2020-21, BSU set a program record with four United Soccer Coaches All-Region selections.

His teams have also excelled off the field with multiple team academic awards and a total of 73 Academic All-MAC selections. Fraley was voted Second Team Academic All-America by the CSC in 2023. In 2020-21, Mason and Smith became the first players in program history to be named to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America teams.

Rife led the Cardinals to a second-place MAC finish in his debut season in 2019 and followed it with a MAC West Division title and a MAC Championship Game appearance in the COVID-delayed 2020-21 campaign. The championship game appearance was the third in program history.

After Rife introduced a new style of play, Ball State finished 20th in the country in total assists in 2019, and teammates Tatiana Mason and Sam Kambol both set the school record for assists in a single season with seven apiece.

Rife came to Muncie from Starkville, Mississippi, where he spent one season as an assistant coach at Mississippi State. During his lone year in Mississippi, Rife helped lead the Bulldogs to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Rife led a record-breaking defense at MSU, holding opponents to 11.6 shots per game and allowing only 17 goals.

Before Mississippi State, Rife spent two seasons in Virginia as an assistant coach for the women’s soccer team at Liberty University. There, he guided the Flames to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2016 after winning the Big South Conference title. Prior to Liberty, Rife served as an assistant for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the United Soccer League (USL), and was head coach of the team’s U-23 squad. Additionally, he became the youngest head coach in the Major Indoor Soccer League when he was hired by the Rochester Lancers in 2013.

Rife’s coaching career began in 2003 as an assistant with Missouri Baptist University. He also made a stop at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida where he worked as an assistant coach. In 2010, he led the Sailfish to the National Christian College Athletic Association National Championship after compiling a 15-6 record. Rife also served as a volunteer assistant at Gardner Webb University in 2012.

In addition to his several years of coaching experience, Rife played professionally both indoor and outdoor. From 2003-2012 he played in the USL for the Charlotte Eagles and then spent the 2013 season with VSI Tampa Bay FC. From 2005-2013, Rife also spent time in the MISL, playing for the Philadelphia Kixx, Detroit Ignition and Milwaukee Wave.

Rife played collegiately for Texas Christian University for two years before transferring to Indiana University. After graduating from Indiana with a degree in general studies and a business certificate, Rife has gone on to receive his premier diploma and advanced national diploma from the United Soccer Coaches.

Rife and his wife Christy have two daughters, Maddison and Kilee.

INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

ROAD SWING ENDS AT MICHIGAN ON WEDNESDAY

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A midweek matchup is set for Indiana at Michigan on Wednesday night in Crisler Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on B1G+.

GAME DAY INFO

Indiana (15-8, 7-5 B1G) at RV/RV Michigan (17-7, 8-5 B1G)

Wednesday, February 12, 2025 • 7 p.m. ET

Crisler Center • Ann Arbor, Mich.

Broadcast: B1G+

Radio: B97 (Austin Render)

Live Stats: Statbroadcast

Social Media: Facebook | X | Instagram

ABOUT THE COACHES

Indiana Michigan

Teri Moren Kim Barnes Arico

Career Record: 440-237 (22nd Season) Career Record: 548-346 (28th Season)

Indiana Record: 241-107 (11th Season) Michigan Record: 278-140 (13th Season)

ABOUT THE WOLVERINES

Michigan has won three-straight and are coming of a rivalry series win over No. 20 Michigan State on Sunday in East Lansing. The Wolverines are led by guards Olivia Olson (16.2 ppg.) and Syla Swords (15.2 ppg., 6.1 rpg.). They are averaging 79.0 points per game and shooting 45.9 percent from the floor.

SERIES HISTORY

Indiana leads 50-31

LAST MEETING

1/4/24 – W, 80-59 (Bloomington, Ind.)

NOTES

Indiana has won three-straight and five of the last six in the series with Michigan leading into Wednesday night’s contest. The Hoosiers won the only meeting last season in an 80-59 victory in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

IU will look to get back in the win column on Wednesday after suffering a 66-56 loss at Minnesota on Sunday.

Junior guard Shay Ciezki became the third active player on Indiana’s roster to score 1,000 career points on Sunday at Minnesota. Garzon and Moore-McNeil were players 32 and 33 to enter the list of 1,000 point scorers at Indiana.

UP NEXT

Indiana returns to Bloomington to host the first of two meetings between in-state rival Purdue on Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Tipoff for the Barn Burner Trophy game is set for 12 p.m. ET on BTN.

PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL

#7 PURDUE FALLS ON ROAD TO #20 MICHIGAN

[20] Michigan 75, [7] Purdue 73 (Postgame Notes)

No. 20 Michigan edged No. 7 Purdue 75-73 on Tuesday night, ending Purdue’s four-game winning streak and five-game winning streak against the Wolverines.

The loss was Purdue’s first on the road since Dec. 5, 2024, against Penn State, snapping a five-game road winning streak.

Purdue fell to 8-6 when allowing 70 or more points. When foes score 69 or fewer points, Purdue is 11-0.

Purdue saw a 42-game winning straek end when forcing between 10 and 15 turnovers. It also saw a 15-game winning streak end when outrebounding its opponent.

Purdue fell to 4-4 this season against nationally-ranked teams. Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Purdue is 14-5 against nationally-ranked teams, the best winning percentage in the country (.737).

Braden Smith scored 24 points with six rebounds and five assists, going 10-of-21 from the field and 4-of-9 from 3-point range. Smith surpassed 1,200 career points in the loss and now has 1,219 points, 661 assists and 489 rebounds in 99 career games. The Boilermakers lost for the first time in his career (now 13-1) when scoring at least 20 points.

Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 22 points with seven rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes before fouling out. He has scored at least 20 points in four straight games and in six of the last seven contests.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Danny Wolf scored 15 points, including a pair of free throws in the final seconds, to lead No. 20 Michigan to its fifth straight win, 75-73 over No. 7 Purdue on Tuesday night.

Roddy Gayle Jr. scored 14 for the Wolverines (19-5, 11-2 Big Ten) while Tre Donaldson and Vladimir Goldin scored 12 apiece.

The Boilermakers (19-6, 11-3) were led by Braden Smith with a game-high 24 points, Trey Kaufman-Renn with 22 points and Fletcher Loyer with 15.

Michigan trailed most of the night, rallying from a 48-38 deficit with 14:44 remaining with a 19-9 run to tie it on a 3-pointer by Nimari Burnett with 5:51 to go. Neither team led by more than four the rest of the way.

The Boilermakers dominated for most of the game, but Michigan kept coming back and trailed 37-35 at the half.

It was the first time the teams had played each other when both were ranked since 2018. The loss ended a four-game winning streak for Purdue.

Takeaways

The Wolverines assured themselves of at least a tie for first place in the conference with the win.

Key Moment

Smith hit a 3-pointer for Purdue with 16 seconds left, then got the ball in the final seconds but missed on a 3-point attempt at the buzzer that would have won it.

PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

PURDUE RETURNS TO MACKEY ARENA TO FACE NORTHWESTERN ON WEDNESDAY

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women’s basketball team returns to Mackey Arena to start a three-game stretch in the state on Wednesday night when it hosts Northwestern at 7 p.m. on B1G+.

The Purdue Global Radio Network will air the audio broadcast on 95.3 BOB FM and Purdue Stretch Internet with Tim Newton and Jane Schott on the call.

GAME INFORMATION

Purdue (8-15, 1-11) vs. Northwestern (8-14, 1-10)

Wednesday, Feb. 11

Time: 7 PM

TV/Stream: B1G+

Radio: 95.3 BOB FM

Audio: Purdue Stretch Internet

Live Stats: Purduestats.com

PROMOTIONS

• NPHC Night – raising awareness of the Divine Nine Organizations at Purdue, including a halftime performance

• 50th Season Poster Giveaway – grab the second of the limited-edition celebration posters

LAST TIME OUT

With several players battling illness, the Boilermakers nearly rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half at Rutgers on Sunday but could not complete the comeback in a 78-69 loss on the road. Sophie Swanson led Purdue with 17 points, while Rashunda Jones played all but 56 seconds in the game to post 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

NOTES

• Purdue leads the all-time series with Northwestern 54-26 after winning the last four matchups.

• Rashunda Jones posted her third straight game in double figures and her eighth on the year with 13 points at Rutgers.

• The sophomore leads Purdue in scoring with 10.3 points and 3.4 assists per game during Big Ten play. Jones is one of four Big Ten guards averaging double-digits scoring and shooting 50% or better from the field in league action.

• Jones is up to 76 assists on the year, good for 23rd on Purdue’s sophomore assists chart. Her 3.3 assists per game are 11th most by a sophomore in Boilermaker history.

• McKenna Layden is averaging 8.2 points per game with 13 3-pointers since moving to the starting lineup against Oregon. She missed the game at Rutgers due to illness.

• The sophomore leads the team with 5.4 rebounds in Big Ten action, that number has jumped up to 7.6 rebounds per contest since her introduction into the starting lineup.

• Layden has knocked down 20 3-pointers in Big Ten action at a 32.8% clip, which ranks 12th in the league. She is shooting 33.3% from three this season, up from her 28% clip last year.

• Sophie Swanson dropped a season-high 17 points in each of Purdue’s last two games against Rutgers and Wisconsin. The Barrington, Ill., native sits third on the team with 28 made 3-pointers this season.

• The sophomore class has combined for 21.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists per Big Ten game, while knocking down 34 3-pointers.

• The Boilermakers have a pair of fifth-year seniors shooting better than 40% from the outside in Big Ten action. Destini Lombard is clipping at 44.2% from distance on 19 made triples, while Ella Collier is shooting 41.7% on 15 makes.

• With 10 points against Rutgers, Reagan Bass joined the 1,500-point club for her career.

• Purdue has attacked the offensive glass, reaching double figure in offensive rebounds in both of the last two games. Bass and Lana McCarthy have combined for 10 of Purdue’s 24 offensive boards against Rutgers and Wisconsin.

• Kendall Puryear has reached double figures in four of her last five outings, averaging 11 points per game over the stretch at a 59.1% shooting percentage.

• The Boilermakers averaged just 7.6 made free throws per game over their opening 20 contests on the year. Purdue has averaged 12.3 made free throws over its last three games, led by Jones going 19-of-20 at the line.

PURDUE BASEBALL

SCHEDULE UPDATE: BASEBALL TO BEGIN SEASON WITH TWINBILL FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2018

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue Baseball’s season-opening series vs. Stephen F. Austin at the Triple-A stadium in the Houston area will now begin with a 2 p.m. ET doubleheader Friday, marking the first time since 2018 that the Boilermakers will open their campaign with a twinbill.

Due to rain and thunderstorms in the forecast for Saturday, the doubleheader in the four-game series was moved up one day to give the teams the best opportunity of playing all four games. Purdue is opening its season at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas for the fourth year in a row. The Boilermakers are 10-2 at Constellation Field dating back to 2022.

UPDATED SERIES SCHEDULE

• Friday, Feb. 14 — Doubleheader at 2 p.m. ET

• Saturday, Feb. 15 — Single Game at 4 p.m. ET (later start possible due to weather)

• Sunday, Feb. 16 — Single Game at 2 p.m. ET

PURDUE MEN’S GOLF

PURDUE GRABS 36-HOLE LEAD IN PUERTO RICO

RIO GRANDE, P.R. – The Purdue men’s golf team continued its consistent play in the spring opener, shooting a 14-under par 274 for the second straight day to grab the 36-hole lead at the prestigious Puerto Rico Classic held at Grand Reserve Golf Club.

The Boilermakers entered the second round two shots behind Ole Miss, but recorded the second-best round of the day to take a one-shot lead over the Rebels into tomorrow’s final round.

Purdue leads with a 28-under par 548 (274-274), one shot ahead of No. 1 Ole Miss (-27). No. 18 South Carolina is in third, six shots off Purdue’s pace (-22), while No. 32 Georgia and No. 7 LSU are tied fourth at 20-under par. No. 4 Oklahoma is sixth at 19-under par.

The Boilermakers continue to put up low numbers, ranking third in the field with 42 birdies while recording three eagles in the second round. Purdue is 12-under par as a team on the par-4’s and share the lead among the field in par-3 scoring (-4).

Purdue is also sixth in pars made (116) and have recorded just one double-bogey among its counting five in the first two rounds.

Kent Hsiao fired his second straight round of 6-under par 66 to sit atop the individual leaderboard at 12-under par 132, tied with Ole Miss’ Colin Trolio. Hsiao recorded his second straight round without a bogey and started his round 6-under par through the first six holes, featuring two eagles. He then made 12 pars on the last 12 holes.

Sam Easterbrook is tied for third at 8-under par 136, following a 3-under par 69 in round two. Like Hsiao, Easterbrook started on fire, recording five straight birdies on holes five through nine. However, he bogeyed three of the last five holes to fall back off the pace set by Hsiao.

Jenson Forrester also had a solid second round, shooting a 4-under par 68 to move into T-12 at 6-under par 138 (70-68). Forrester was even-par through seven holes, but played his last 11 holes in 4-under par to move up the leaderboard.

Supapon Amornchaichan (71-72=143) and Nels Surtani (72-71=143) are tied for 33rd at 1-under par.

Purdue will be paired with Ole Miss and South Carolina in Wednesday’s final round, teeing off at 7:30 a.m. ET.

PURDUE WRESTLING

RAMOS NAMED A TOP-10 CANDIDATE FOR DAN HODGE TROPHY

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Redshirt senior Matt Ramos was tabbed a top-10 candidate for the prestigious Dan Hodge Trophy in the latest projection released by FloWrestling.

The Hodge Trophy, presented annually to the nation’s most dominant wrestler, is awarded at the end of the season based on four prongs of voting criteria: record, dominance/bonus point percentage, quality of competition, and sportsmanship.

Ramos checks in at No. 9 on the list. He has held the No. 1 ranking in the 125-pound division since winning the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational title on Dec. 7.

The undefeated Lockport, Illinois, native holds a season record of 22-0 with 12 technical falls, the second-most in the nation. He has an 80% bonus rate and is the only 125-pounder among the list of 21 candidates.

Nine of Ramos’ 22 wins have come against ranked opponents. He has earned victories over the current No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. 17, No. 18, No. 19, No. 21, No. 25 and No. 30-ranked wrestlers in the country.

Additionally, he can improve his resume with a top-10 matchup looming against No. 8 Caleb Smith (Nebraska) on Senior Day.

With two regular season matches remaining, Ramos has the chance to lock up the No. 1 seed at the Big Ten Championships beginning on March 8. He will aim to become Purdue’s first conference champion since Ryan Lange in 2004.

Ramos has put together arguably the most complete season of any Purdue wrestler in more than 30 years. If he were to go the distance, he would be the fourth national champion in school history and first since Charles Jones in 1992.

NOTRE DAME MEN’S LAX

GAME 1 PREVIEW: CLEVELAND STATE

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Fresh off back-to-back national titles, No. 1/1 Notre Dame opens up the 2025 season against Cleveland State at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Feb. 12 inside Loftus Sports Center. The game will be broadcast live on ACCNX.

GAME DETAILS
Location: South Bend, Indiana | Loftus Sports Center
Schedule: February 12 — 6 p.m. ET
Live Stream: ACCNX
Live Stats: FightingIrish.com
Twitter Updates: @NDlacrosse
For a more in-depth look at the matchup – Game Notes: Notre Dame

THE CLEVELAND STATE SERIES

• Wednesday will be the fifth meeting all time between Notre Dame and Cleveland State.

• The Irish hold a 4-0 lead in the series.

• Notre Dame won the most recent matchup by a score of 25-3 on Feb. 14, 2024 inside Loftus.

• The starting attack of Jake Taylor (5G), Chris Kavanagh (3G, 2A) and Pat Kavanagh (5A) each posted five points in the victory. Fourteen different Notre Dame players scored at least one goal to complete the dominant performance.

OWNING THE OPENERS

• Notre Dame is 37-7 all-time in season openers, including a 31-5 record in the Kevin Corrigan era.

• The Irish have won a program-record 22 straight season openers.

• Notre Dame opened the 2024 season with a 25-3 win over Cleveland State on Feb. 14.

• The Irish last dropped a season opener in 2002, a 10-9 overtime setback at home against Penn State.

• In home openers, the Irish are 40-4 in program history and 33-3 under Corrigan.

FANTASTIC FEBRUARYS FOR THE FIGHTING IRISH

• Notre Dame is 37-5 in its last 42 games played in February dating back to the 2006 season.

• Fighting Irish head coach Kevin Corrigan is 46-8 in the month of February during his Notre Dame tenure.

KAVANAGH LEADS THE ATTACK

• Chris Kavanagh turned in the greatest statistical offensive season in Notre Dame history last year, setting the program record for points in a season with 81.

• The attackman totaled 44 goals and 37 assists during the 2024 season.

• Chris joined his brothers Matt (42G, 33A – 2015) and Pat (31G, 49A – 2024) as the only players in program history to record 30+ goals and assists in the same season.

• The Rockville Centre native earned NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player honors after a prolific four-game stretch in the tournament in 2024, recording 22 points off 14 goals and 8 assists.

• The attackman put an exclamation mark on his season with a 5-goal performance in the national title win over Maryland, tying the program record for goals in an NCAA tournament game.

• Kavanagh set the program record for points in an NCAA Tournament game against Georgetown in the quarterfinals, totaling eight points off five goals and three assists. The five goals tied the program record for most goals scored in an NCAA Tourney game.

• With four points (1G, 3A) in the ACC semifinal win over No. 5 UVA, Chris broke into the top 10 on Notre Dame’s career scoring list. The junior has 176 points off 112 goals and 64 assists and currently ranks seventh in program history.

•The senior not only paced Notre Dame’s offense in 2023 but his 46 goals ranked third all-time in program history for a single season, just three behind Randy Colley’s record of 49 goals set in 1995.

• Chris finished with 10 hat tricks during the 2023 campaign and has 15 in his career.

• The Rockville Centre, New York, native has 112 career goals, ranking eighth in program history.

LYGHTS OUT

• It didn’t take long for Shawn Lyght to make a name for himself in the college lacrosse world, as he cemented himself as one of the top cover defenseman in the country during his 2024 freshman season.

• Lyght consistently drew the No. 1 option for the opposing attack throughout the season.

• The defenseman held Connor Shellenberger to just one goal between the two matchups, both resulting in wins and he limited Joey Spallina to just one point in their only matchup of the year.

• Lyght was the only sophmore to earn first team All-America status in the Inside Lacrosse preseason honors.

DOMINATING THE DOT

• Will Lynch is coming off his best season in his Fighting Irish career, winning 61.2 percent of his faceoff attempts to lead the ACC and rank fourth in the country.

• The FOGO won 202-of 330 attempts and scooped up a team-high 113 ground balls.

• Over the four NCAA Tournament games Lynch was even better than his season average, winning 63-of-97 (64.9%).

• Lynch added a career-high four goals last season, including one in the ACC Tournament and one in the NCAA Tournament.

• Lynch was named to the All-ACC Team and to the ACC All-Tournament Team.

• The standout won over 50 percent of faceoffs in 12-of-16 games last season.

LOCKDOWN DEFENSE

• The Irish finished 2024 allowing just 8.94 goals per game, leading the country, despite playing six games against opponents that ranked in the top 15 in goals scored per game.

• Notre Dame held opponents to 10 or fewer goals in 12 of 17 games during the 2024 campaign, including seven of the last eight on the way to the title.

• The Irish limited the opposition to 12 or fewer goals in 16 of 17 outings last season.

• Preseason All-Americans Ben Ramsey, Will Donovan and Shawn Lyght each return to the defensive unit.

THE ATTACK IS BACK

• The Irish return a lot of firepower from the 2024 roster that claimed the national title, as seven of the top 10 scorers from last year are back in 2025.

• Notre Dame brings back 71.8 percent of its goals (191/266) from last season’s production.

• Five players who recorded 10+ goals last season are back, which include Chris Kavanagh (44), Jake Taylor (41), Devon McLane (37), Jordan Faison (22) and Max Busenkell (11).

PRESEASON ACCOLADES

• Notre Dame has racked up the recognitions prior to the start of the 2025 season.

• The Fighting Irish have four players on the Tewaaraton Watch List (Kavanagh, Lyght, Ramsey and Taylor), more than any other team in the country.

• Nine ND players earned preseason Inside Lacrosse All-America citations, the most in the nation.

• The Irish spread six players over the two USILA Preseason All-America teams, the most of any team.

• Notre Dame had five players on the Preseason All-ACC Team as voted on by the league’s coaches, the most of the five teams in the conference.

CASHING IN ON THE EMO

• Notre Dame’s extra-man unit was one of the greatest in the history of college lacrosse in 2024, leading the country with a mark of 67.5 percent.

• The unit found the back of the net on 27-of-40 attempts over the course of the season.

• The 67.5 percentage was the highest in a decade, as the last team to have a better percentage was Detroit Mercy’s mark of 70.8 percent during the 2014 season.

• The Irish have finished in the top five in the country for man-up offense in each of the last four seasons.

• Devon McLane and Jeffery Ricciardelli paced the Irish EMO with seven goals apiece during the 2024 campaign.

FROM THE GRIDIRON TO THE LACROSSE FIELD

• Three Notre Dame lacrosse players on the 2025 squad also suited up for the football team in the fall, as Jordan Faison, Tyler Buchner and Matt Jeffery are both dual-sport athletes.

• Faison finished the season with 30 receptions for 356 yards and a TD, including a seven-catch, 89-yard performance in the first round of the College Football Playoff win against IU.

• Buchner was used in trick plays on special teams, picking up a first down on a fake FG against GT and completing a 23-yard pass on a fake punt against USC.

• Jeffery played in three games on special teams during his freshman season, seeing the field against Purdue, Stanford and Navy.

IRISH INDOORS

• Notre Dame has excelled when playing inside the last nine seasons, going 19-1 when playing indoors since the start of the 2015 season.

• Notre Dame is currently riding a 23-game win streak when playing in Loftus Sports Center.

• The Irish haven’t lost in Loftus Sports Center since dropping a 14-11 decision to UNC on March 14, 2004.

• The Irish went 2-0 when playing indoors last season, defeating Cleveland State in the home opener in Loftus and then downing Marquette inside the Marquette Dome.

CORRIGAN ALL-TIME DI PROGRAM WINS LEADER

• With the win over No. 1 Duke on April 10, 2021, Baumer Family Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach Kevin Corrigan broke the NCAA record for most wins at a DI program with 311, passing Bob Shillinglaw (Delaware).

• Corrigan became just the third coach in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse history to reach the 300-win mark at a single school with the win over Marquette on April 10, 2019.

• Corrigan is one of just four active Division I coaches to reach the 300-win mark in his career.

• Corrigan has an overall record of 361-175 in his 39 seasons of coaching.

• The head coach is 351-160 in his 37 seasons at Notre Dame.

• Corrigan is the longest tenured men’s lacrosse coach at the DI level.

NOTRE DAME MEN’S BASKETBALL

LATE NIGHT HOOPS IN BOSTON

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Ring the bell because it’s time for round two between Notre Dame men’s hoops and Boston College. The Fighting Irish (10-13, 4-8) will look to build some confidence when they return to action on Wednesday night at the Conte Forum vs. Boston College (10-13, 2-10). That match will tip off at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The Irish can complete a season sweep after successfully dispatching the Eagles, 78-60, at home on January 13.

Tae Davis was the man of the match with 26 points on 9-14 shooting. Markus Burton supplied 20 points on 5-15 shooting, plus 9-10 from the stripe. Kebba Njie nearly got another double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. Another MVP was Julian Roper II who led the team in +/- today with +26. The Irish tied their season high in offensive boards (17) and recorded a season-best in second-chance points (25). Defensively, the Irish achieved a season-high in steals with 13.

Notre Dame leads the overall series against Boston College, 28-13. The win last month broke a four-game skid against the Eagles in the series. The two are tied 10-all in games played in Chestnut Hill.

The Irish look to complete their first season sweep against BC since 2019.

OVERCOMING 2ND HALF WOES

To get back into the win column, the Irish need to get over their second-half mental hurdle. The recent close loss to Virginia Tech marked Notre Dame’s third consecutive game in which they had built a double-digit lead in the first half only to falter down the stretch for a close loss.

When looking a little further back, the Syracuse and NC State losses followed the same script of first-half scoring flexes of double-digit leads followed by second-half droughts.

Just like last season, the Irish have been in every ACC game. Case in point, their average margin of defeat has been just 5.5.

BURTON AMONGST NATION’S TOP SCORERS

After 39 days away rehabbing his knee injury, Burton returned on Jan. 4 and he’s been playing his best ball since. The sophomore fired off five consecutive games with 20 or more points in January, which hadn’t been done by an Irish player since Ben Hansbrough in February of 2011. In fact, Burton has produced 20+ points in eight of his 10 games since his return.

With that said, he’s averaging 22.1 ppg in ACC play which just surpassed Duke’s Cooper Flagg for tops in the league.

Overall on the year he’s averaging 20.6 ppg which places him 10th nationally. For perspective, the last Irish player to finish a season with a 20.0+ ppg average was Luke Harangody (21.8 ppg) in the 2009-10 season.

Now here’s the kicker. If you take out his two-point Rutgers injury game in which he departed four minutes in, Burton’s average would be 21.9 ppg which would rank him third nationally.

CHASING ACHIEVEMENTS

Burton is quickly approaching 1,000 career points. He enters the BC matchup at 907. He is currently on pace to become the seventh fastest Irish player to reach 1,000 career points. He would become the program’s 68th 1,000-point scorer which would move Notre Dame into fourth place for most 1,000 point scorers behind UNC, Duke and Louisville.

Burton is also seeking to be in rare Irish company. He is currently averaging 20.6 ppg and a team best 2.9 apg. If Burton can get the assist average above three, he’ll join David Rivers as the only Irish players to average 20+ points and 3+ assists in a season.

However, Burton isn’t the only one who can cement his name in the Irish record books this season. Grad transfer Matt Allocco owns a 3.76 assist-to-turnover ratio – the highest in program history for a season was 3.16 by Martin Inglesby back in 2000-01.

Allocco is also converting a career-high 47.3 percent from deep. That number currently ranks second all-time for a season. The top spot belongs to Joe Fredrick who shot 52.1 percent in 1988-89.

BEST TWO GUARDS / BEST BIG THREE

With Burton averaging 20.6 ppg and Shrewsberry checking in at 13.7, we were curious where that stacked up amongst guard combos in the ACC. The answer – first. Their combined 34.3 tops Pitt’s 33.0 (Lowe/Leggett) and Duke’s 33.0 (Flagg/Knueppel).

So then that got us thinking, where do ND’s big three of Burton, Shrewsberry and Davis (15.6 ppg) stack up amongst other ACC big threes – regardless of position. The answer was yet again number one.

The Irish trio are a combined 49.3 ppg, which is tied with Stanford’s trio of Raynaud/Blakes/Sellers 49.3.

THREE BALL HEATING UP

The Irish worked hard in the offseason to improve from beyond the arc and it’s showing. In ACC play, Notre Dame is converting 38.9 percent from deep, which ranks second. For perspective, the Irish converted 33.4 percent in league play last year.

Overall on the year, the Irish have drained 37.1 percent from deep which ranks 41st in the country and fifth in the ACC.

Allocco, Shrewsberry and Burton have been leading the three barrage, but Burton specifically has stepped up his game. He went from 30.0 percent from three-point range last year to 41.6 percent this season. He’s tied his career high of four made triples three times since returning Jan. 4 In fact, he’s converting 45.1% from deep in ACC play.

Furthermore, Burton’s 2.3 threes per game in league play rank eighth while Shrewsberry’s 2.8 rank fifth.

THE TAE-KOVER

Tae Davis should be a candidate for Most Improved. He’s averaging a career best 15.6 ppg, up from last year’s 9.2 ppg. His scoring average ranks 12th amongst ACC players. The Indy native is also shooting a career best 49.4 percent, which ranks fourth in the league in overall games.

The junior has been highly proficient around the rim where he’s 82-of-122 (.672). He’s also improved from the free-throw line where he’s converted a career best 76.2 percent.

In ACC play, Tae is averaging 15.3 ppg on 47.5 percent shooting.

EVOLVING

We’ve already mentioned Tae Davis’ emergence but we’ve also seen Braeden Shrewsberry’s evolution. The sophomore guard is averaging 13.7 ppg, up from last year’s 10.2. He’s shooting 41.4 percent, which is up from last year’s 39.8.

He’s connecting on 2.7 threes per game this season, with a .357 clip from beyond the arc. Shrewsberry’s sweet spot has been the corner three where he’s 14-31 (.452). Shrewsberry is connecting on 38.4 percent from deep in ACC play, which ranks seventh.

However, Braeden is more than just a three-point shot, take his floater for instance. He’s added to his arsenal and is shooting 51.0 percent from two-point range. Specifically, he is shooting 46.2 percent from the midrange.

NOTRE NOTABLES.

Burton has been ramping up his defensive pressure. He now ranks third in the ACC in steals/game at 1.9.

Notre Dame was a perfect 16-16 from the free-throw line against Virginia Tech on Feb. 8. It marked the third best free-throw shooting percentage game in program history.

Allocco boasts a true shooting percentage of 61.0 on the year.

Kebba entered the year with just four double-digit scoring performances to his name. He posted two in the month of January, including his first career double-double at NC State.

Speaking of Kebba, the junior is averaging 2.6 offensive rebounds/game in ACC play, which ranks seventh.

Garrett Sundra has made 4 of his last 6 from the field. He’s shooting 57.9 from the floor and 6-12 from three.

Burton is shooting 47.3 percent from two-point range.

NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

HIDALGO, MILES NAMED TO WOODEN AWARD LATE MIDSEASON TOP 20

LOS ANGELES — Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles added another bullet point to their respective accolade lists on Tuesday, as the Notre Dame guards were named to the John R. Wooden Award Late Midseason Top 20. Both players have been on the list in their careers, and Hidalgo was a finalist last year.

After a record-breaking season, Hidalgo has taken it up a notch in her second year. The sophomore out of South Jersey is averaging 25.9 points (second in the nation) and 4.0 steals (third in the nation) per game. She is pacing the ACC in swipes, ranks eighth in field goal percentage (50.4), fourth in free throw percentage (86.1) and third in 3-point percentage (43.5). She is also sinking 2.4 triples per game, good for sixth in the conference.

This season, Hidalgo reached 1000 career points in 44 games, a program record. After back-to-back 30-point performances last week against Virginia Tech and Louisville, the guard now has nine with 30+ in her career, second in program history and trailing only Irish legend Arike Ogunbowale. On Sunday against Cal, she recorded her 45th career game with at least 20 points, tying Skylar Diggins for fourth in program history.

After suffering a torn ACL in February 2023, Miles has returned and is having the best year of her career. She is averaging 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game and is the only player in the nation posting 16, 6 and 6. Miles leads the ACC in both assists (147) and assists per game (6.4), and the Phillipsburg, N.J., native is the NCAA’s active leader with 6.7 assists per game across her career. She also ranks seventh in the conference this year with a 52.5 field goal percentage. Along with Hidalgo, Miles is the only ACC guard shooting 50 percent from the floor, 40 percent from deep and averaging 15 or more points per game.

The greatest improvement in Miles’ game since her return has come from beyond the arc. Over the first three years of her career, Miles shot 24.6 percent from deep. This season, she’s sitting at 43.1 percent, which is 28th in the country.

Additionally, Miles has three triple-doubles already this season, more than anyone else in the nation, and now has six in her career, tied for the most in ACC women’s basketball history. She also is the only active player with at least 25 double-doubles and at least five triple-doubles.

BUTLER BASEBALL

BUTLER BASEBALL 2025 SEASON PREVIEW: PITCHING

Butler’s depth on the mound this year has the coaching staff excited for the start of the 2025 season. Ben Whiteside, Tate Foxson, and Nate Rosser are all talented returners that will mesh with newcomers Marcus Goodpaster, Andrew Hendrickx and Corbin Snyder.

While the weekend rotation will not be set until later in the week, Goodpaster and Whiteside put themselves into a good position to see those innings after impressing the staff in the fall. Goodpaster is a graduate transfer that earned HCAC Pitcher of the Year honors while at Hanover. He’s a right-hander and Whiteside is a left-handed option for BU on the hill. In 2024, Whiteside appeared in 20 games and made nine starts. He was 2-3 on the mound with a 5.96 ERA. The junior also came out of the bullpen to notch two saves.

Tate Foxson and Nate Rosser are returners who will also push for a weekend role. Foxson made 13 appearances during his freshman campaign in 2024 and Rosser heads into his senior year after transitioning to BU as a junior. In 2024, Rosser made eight starts going 2-5 on the mound. He struck out a season-high six batters at Xavier on May 4 while picking up wins against Alabama A&M and Morehead State.

Andrew Hendrickx will join the Bulldogs this year after spending his rookie season at Kent State. Alex Thomas is in the mix after pitching at Northwestern, Tre Benjamin will look to make his mark after a stint at Harford CC and Alex Kanipe will carve out a role after two years at Patrick and Henry CC.

Two young arms with very promising futures are Corbin Snyder and Jack Griffiths. Snyder is a 6-6 right-hander from Greentown, Ind. He’s a two-time All-State selection that struck out 129 batters as a senior. Griffiths came to campus from Traverse City, Mich. He set school records in career strikeouts (266) and ERA (2.39) while being an All-State, All-District and All-Conference selection.

Some upperclassmen to consider on the mound this year include Justin Hornschemeier, Cade Vota, and Christian Finnigan. Hornschemeier came to Butler in 2024 after beginning his collegiate career at Wright State. Vota moved from catcher to relief pitcher last year finding success with his unique delivery and Finnegan will gear up for his final season after a college career that included stops at Seton Hall and Saddleback College.

The list of arms goes on for the Bulldogs with Colin Dailey, Brett Sherrard, Simon Linde, Aidan Hatcher, Gage Vota, Gabe Pancratz, Adam Galdoni and Espn Simpson working on their roles with the club.

Linde and Sherrard highlight this group after impacting the team in 2024. Linde appeared in 18 games as a freshman going 1-2 over three starts. Sherrard shined in his role, going 2-0 on the year over 17 appearances.

BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

HOYAS TO HOST BULLDOGS IN WASHINGTON D.C.

Butler and Georgetown will go head-to-head on Wednesday afternoon. Impending weather in the D.C. region has adjusted the tip time to 2 p.m. The Bulldogs defeated Marquette recently to improve their overall record to 13-13. The Hoyas are 11-12 on the year.

GameDay

Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Time: 2:00 PM ET

Location: Washington, D.C. – McDonough Arena

Live Stats: GUHoyas.com (Statbroadcast)

Watch: FloSports.com

Bulldog Bits

– Kilyn McGuff was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday.

– McGuff averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds last week leading BU in scoring during each game.

– McGuff has made 14 3-pointers over her last three games, shooting 60 percent during that stretch.

– McGuff ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in made 3-pointers (46).

– Butler as a team, has made 31 3-pointers over their last three games.

– Riley Makalusky returned to the starting lineup for BU on Sunday for the first time since Jan. 1.

– Butler opened the Marquette game on an 8-0 scoring run.

– Lily Zeinstra tied the game at 64-64 with a 3-pointer and Sydney Jaynes would score the game-winner.

– Zeinstra went 3-for-5 from behind the arc to score 15 points against Marquette.

– Jaynes had 10 points and six rebounds vs. the Golden Eagles.

– Lily Carmody had five rebounds, four assists and zero turnovers in the contest.

– Butler beat Marquette for just the 10th time in program history and snapped a 10-game losing streak against the Golden Eagles.

– Sunday was Butler’s first win in a game decided by five points or less.

– Butler scored 20+ points in the first quarter on Sunday for the first time since Nov. 29.

– McGuff leads the BIG EAST and ranks 30th in the nation in double-doubles (10).

– McGuff leads the team and ranks third in the conference in rebounds per game (8.3).

– BU leads the conference in free throw attempts (17.3) and free throws made (12.5) per game.

– BU is third in the league in rebound margin (+3.2).

Scouting Georgetown

The Hoyas are 11-12 this year with a 4-8 record in conference play. They recently took a four-point home loss to DePaul in a game that followed a convincing win at Xavier. Kelsey Ransom’s name will appear at the top of Butler’s scouting report this week. The 5-10 guard leads the BIG EAST in scoring (19.6 ppg), ranks third in steals (2.1 spg) and seventh in assists (3.8 apg). Ariel Jenkins is a double-double threat for Georgetown. She leads the league in rebounds per game (10.0) and is sixth in blocked shots (1.3 bpg). The third Hoya to keep an eye on is Victoria Rivera. She takes, and makes more 3-pointers per game than any other BIG EAST player.

All-Time Series

The all-time series between Butler and Georgetown is deadlocked at 12-12. The Bulldogs are 4-6 against the Hoyas over the last 10 meetings. They won earlier this year to snap a streak of three-straight for Georgetown. Butler’s last win at McDonough Arena came on Jan. 11, 2023 in Austin Parkinson’s first season at the helm. They notched a 72-48 win on the road and would later sweep the regular season series with a 58-56 win at Hinkle.

Last Game vs. The Hoyas

Kilyn McGuff scored a game-high 18 points in Butler’s 63-53 win over Georgetown on Jan. 14. McGuff added five rebounds, four assists and two blocks to her stat line. Sydney Jaynes finished with 11 points which was her fourth-straight game scoring in double figures. Lily Carmody and Lily Zeinstra had eight points each, while Carmody added a team-high seven boards. Georgetown had three players score in double digits: Kelsey Ransom (16), Khadee Hession (15) and Ariel Jenkins (10). Jenkins was one rebound shy of a double-double as she grabbed a game-high nine. The Hoyas didn’t start Kelsey Ransom but the talented guard still logged 36 minutes of playing time. BU took control of the action in the second quarter by outscoring Georgetown 17-11 during that 10-minute stretch.

McGuff Named to BIG EAST Honor Roll

McGuff averaged 20.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in a 1-1 week for BU, shooting 60 percent from the field (14-23) and 64 percent from 3-point range (9-14). She had 19 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and a block vs. Villanova. On Sunday, she led Butler to a 67-65 victory over Marquette with 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Down to the Wire

Butler’s 63-53 win over Georgetown on Jan. 14 was the first double-digit victory in the series by either team since Jan. 11, 2023. It also snapped a Hoya three-game win streak vs. BU. During that stretch, Georgetown won games by seven, five and seven points. Wednesday’s tilt should also be close after looking at the latest NET rankings. Georgetown comes in at 105 and Butler is at 117.

Fun In February

Butler went 5-2 during the month of February last year collecting wins against St. John’s, Providence, Villanova, Xavier and DePaul. Four of those five wins came by seven points or less. Georgetown broke-up Butler’s four-game win streak with a seven-point victory in D.C.

Tournament Talk

The upcoming BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament will be played at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Tournament coverage begins with a first-round tripleheader on Friday, March 7. The title game will be played on Monday, March 10. If the season ended today, Butler would play as the No. 9 seed against No. 8 seed St. John’s. The games this week will certainly impact the conference standings. Georgetown has four conference wins while St. John’s, Butler and Providence are all tied with three.

Kilyn Reaches 1,000 Career Points

Kilyn McGuff reached 1,000 career points in the second half of Butler’s game at #6 UConn. She scored a team-high 17 against the Huskies to move her career total to 1,006. She has scored 323 points as a Bulldog and had 723 over her previous three years at Belmont.

600 Club

Kilyn McGuff grabbed 10 rebounds on Jan. 26 to push her career total over 600. McGuff has 215 rebounds this season, that’s 41 more than she had all of last year at Belmont in 33 starts. She averages 8.3 per game and is now on pace to break into the single-season top ten list in the Butler record book.

Up Next

Butler will play St. John’s at Madison Square Garden this weekend. It will be the first time for the women’s team to play in the “World’s Most Famous Arena”. Tip at MSG will go up at 5:30 p.m.

IU INDY MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL TO HOST OAKLAND UNIVERSITY ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT

INDIANAPOLIS – The IU Indianapolis men’s basketball team will return home to host reigning league champion Oakland University inside The Jungle on Wednesday night (Feb. 12) at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+. Greg Rakestraw (pxp) and Chris Schumerth (analyst) will be on the call from court side.

On the court, the Jaguars (8-18, 4-11 HL) look to avoid a sweep to the Golden Grizzlies, having lost the earlier meeting on the road, 72-59. Jarvis Walker scored a team-high 16 points in that game and Sean Craig added 13 points and eight rebounds. The Jaguars were limited to just six made threes as Walker and Paul Zilinskas had two apiece in the defeat. IU Indy had a hard time containing OU’s interior duo of Allen Mukeba (20 points, nine rebounds) and Buru Naivalurua (14 points), each of whom finished 7-of-8 from the floor.

Most recently, the Jags fell on the road at Wright State, 91-73, despite a career-high 26 points from Craig. In addition, Zilinskas went over 20 points for the third straight game and fifth time in the Jaguars’ last six games. Zilinskas continues to rank among the nation’s elite three-point shooters, having made a league-best 74 treys this season. He also leads the league in threes made per game (3.0/game) and three-point percentage (41.1%).

Freshman DeSean Goode has been impressive over the past month, including having recorded three double-doubles since the calendar flipped to 2025.

#HLMBB STANDINGS

School Conf CPct. Overall Pct. Streak

Cleveland State 12-2 .857 18-7 .720 W1

Purdue Fort Wayne 11-4 .733 18-8 .692 W3

Robert Morris 10-5 .667 18-8 .692 W2

Youngstown State 10-5 .667 16-10 .615 W2

Milwaukee 9-5 .643 16-9 .640 L1

Oakland 7-7 .500 10-15 .400 L2

Wright State 7-8 .467 13-13 .500 W1

Northern Kentucky 6-8 .429 11-14 .440 L1

Detroit Mercy 4-11 .267 8-18 .308 L2

IU Indy 4-11 .267 8-18 .308 L2

Green Bay 0-14 .000 2-23 .080 L20

SCOUTING OAKLAND

Oakland enters play at 10-15 overall and 7-7 in Horizon League play. The Golden Grizzlies are 4-11 away from home, but own league road wins at Northern Kentucky and Detroit Mercy this season. Head coach Greg Kampe’s team has hung its hat on its defense this season, holding foes to 44.1 percent shooting from the floor on the season. The Golden Grizzlies are also winning the glass by more than a rebound per game. Individually, Buru Naivalurua (13.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Allen Mukeba (13.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg) anchor the frontcourt and DQ Cole (10.4 ppg, 52 3’s) and Malcolm Christie (9.6 ppg, 59 3’s) key the backcourt.

SERIES HISTORY

IU Indy is 20-35 all-time against Oakland and 13-11 in home games against the Golden Grizzlies.

UP NEXT

The Jaguars will hit the road to face Detroit Mercy on Wednesday (Feb. 19) at 7:00 p.m. inside UDM’s Calihan Hall. That game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

HILL’S TWO-HAND DUNK IN CLOSING SECONDS LEADS CARDINALS TO OVERTIME WIN OVER EMU

MUNCIE, Ind. – Jermahri Hill went coast-to-coast and slammed a game-winning two-hand dunk in Ball State 86-84 overtime win over Eastern Michigan on Tuesday night at Worthen Arena.

Mickey Pearson Jr., hit two free throws to tie the score at 84-84 with 38 seconds to play, and the Cardinals (12-12, 5-6 Mid-American Conference) forced the Eagles (11-13, 4-7 MAC) into a turnover with 8.8 seconds on the clock. Hill took the inbounds pass and drove down the left side of the lane before elevating for the slam with 2.8 seconds to play. Eastern’s shot from the right wing fell short as the buzzer sounded before the Cardinals rushed the court to celebrate.

Payton Sparks hit a free throw with 12 seconds left in regulation and the Cardinals got a stop to send the game into overtime tied 75-75. Ball State led 40-33 at halftime in a game that featured 16 lead changes and 11 ties. A total of 14 lead changes and nine ties occurred in the second half and overtime.

Hill paced the Cardinals with 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Sparks went for 19 points and three rebounds. Jeremiah Hernandez tallied 18 points, including the 1,000th of his career early in the second half.

Pearson Jr., added 12 points and Ethan Brittain-Watts eight for a Ball State offense that shot 51.9 percent (27-52) from the field and 89.3 percent (25-28) at the foul line. The Cardinals made each of their first 14 free throw attempts.

The game was Ball State’s first contest that went into an extra period since March 2, 2024 against Western Michigan. The most recent overtime win for the Cardinals was also against Eastern Michigan (91-90 on Feb. 3, 2023).

Eastern Michigan got 25 points from Jalen Terry but was limited to 2-for-5 shooting in the extra period. The Eagles shot 55.9 percent (33-59) from the field, 29.4 percent (5-17) on 3-pointers and 76.5 percent (13-17) at the charity stripe.

Hernandez led a Ball State bench that outscored Eastern’s 23-13, while the visitors held slight advantages in rebounding (25-24) and turnovers (15-12).

The Cardinals are set to conclude a three-game homestand against Northern Illinois on Saturday at 2 p.m.

INDIANA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

PANTHERS PROVE TO BE TOO MUCH FOR SYCAMORES ON TUESDAY NIGHT

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Indiana State men’s basketball fell on Tuesday night at Northern Iowa, 88-73. Indiana State fell to 12-14, 6-9 MVC while UNI improved to 17-9, 11-4 MVC.

Indiana State made its first four-of-five shots before the first media timeout to lead 11-10. The Trees made a trio of threes, courtesy of Aaron Gray, Camp Wagner, and a fadeaway triple from K’mani Doughty.

Coming out of that timeout until the next one at 11:53, the Panthers increased their lead by 11 with an 18-4 run. It spanned 4:28 of game time where the only field goal made by the Sycamores came from a corner three-pointer by Bruno Alocen. UNI led 26-15.

At the timeout taken at 6:56, Northern Iowa led 37-23 shooting 63.6% from the field and 85.7% from three (6-for-7). After the Sycamores initial start of four-of-five from the field, Indiana State made only four-of-12.

To close out the half, Indiana State scored 13 points with Samage Teel accounting for the first 11 points of those 13. Camp Wagner made a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left on the clock to make the score 50-38 at the half.

In the first half, the Sycamores shot 41.4% from the field (12-for-29) and 40.0% from three. The Trees made 8-of-9 from the free throw line. Northern Iowa shot 63.3% from the floor and 70.0% from deep while making 5-of-6 from the line. The Panthers made 24-of-50 first-half points from the paint.

After Northern Iowa scored the first five points of the second half through the first 90 seconds, Indiana State went on a 9-0 run in the next 3:20 to cut into the deficit to trail by eight, 55-47. A Doughty corner three-pointer brought the Sycamores within six points, 58-52, but at the 11:54 mark in the game the Panthers led 62-55.

The Sycamores went on to make only one of their next nine field goal attempts, allowing Northern Iowa to go on a 20-6 run over the next eight minutes. Teel made a driving layup, and Derek Vorst drilled a three-pointer right before the final media timeout, but UNI held an 82-66 lead with 3:29 to play.

To close the game, Vorst scored three points, Josiah LeGree scored two, and Jahni Summers scored two before Northern Iowa secured the 88-73 victory.

Samage Teel led Indiana State in scoring with 21 points on 7-for-13 shooting and a 5-for-5 effort at the line, also dishing out a game-high six assists. Aaron Gray and Jaden Daughtry tied for the second-most points with 10. Gray shot 3-for-7 with five rebounds and Daughtry 4-for-8 with three rebounds, four steals, and two blocks. K’mani Doughty added nine points and a game-high eight rebounds.

News & Notes

Indiana State shot 39.3% from the field, the lowest mark in the last five games.

The Sycamores shot 13-of-31 (41.9%) from inside the arc, the lowest out of the last five games.

The Trees shot 36.0% from downtown, making nine three-pointers. The Sycamores have made eight-plus threes in the last six-of-seven games.

Indiana State recorded the season low in turnovers with eight.

Scoring 21 points, Samage Teel recorded his third 20-plus-point game in the last five games.

With eight rebounds, K’mani Doughty has pulled down seven-plus rebounds in three of the last four games.

Derek Vorst scored six points, his most since scoring 10 points against Eureka on November 7.

Jaden Daughtry snagged a career-high four steals. It tied for the second-most recorded by a Sycamore this season (Teel, 5 on 11/25/24).

Up Next

Indiana State returns to Hulman Center for the next two games, first tipping off against Illinois State on Saturday, February 15 at 1 p.m. ET.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S BASKETBALL

‘DONS HEAD TO YOUNGSTOWN STATE ON WEDNESDAY

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The ‘Dons hit the road this week for a pair of matches. First up is a trip to Youngstown, Ohio to face the Youngstown State Penguins. Tip is set for 6:30 p.m. ET between two of the only four teams in the league with double-digit league wins.

Game Day Information
Who: Purdue Fort Wayne (18-8, 11-4) at Youngstown State (16-10, 10-5)
When: Wednesday, Feb. 12 | 6:30 p.m. ET
Where: Youngstown, Ohio | Beeghly Center
Live Stats: Link
Listen: 1380 AM
Watch: ESPN+
Series History: Mastodons lead 7-6
Game Notes (PDF): Purdue Fort Wayne | Youngstown State

// Jalen Jackson has shot 50.0 percent from the field in nine of the last 10 games and 11 of the last 13.

// Rasheed Bello has shot 50.0 percent (30-of-60) from three for the last 10 games.

// Jalen Jackson is averaging 20.2 points per game. Should he finish the season there, it would rank third in the program’s Division I history in single-season scoring average. Bryson Scott (2017-18) averaged 22.6 and Frank Gaines (2011-12) averaged 21.2. All-time program history, including the DII era, only six players have averaged 20 points in a season.

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

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

– Jalen Jackson is averaging 20.9 points and Rasheed Bello is averaging 20.0 points

– Scoring margin: +10.9

– The ‘Dons are averaging 8.9 turnovers and forcing 15.0 turnovers with 9.3 steals from the ‘Dons.

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

// Head coach Jon Coffman is nearing 200 coaching wins. He owns 197 wins, already a program record.

// The Feb. 21 vs. Oakland and Feb. 27 vs. Northern Kentucky home games are possibilities to be flexed to an ESPNU broadcast. The Mastodons’ road game at Cleveland State on March 1 is also a possibility for a broadcast.

// The ‘Dons are receiving votes in the latest College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll.

EVANSVILLE MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL SET FOR WEDNESDAY ROAD GAME AT MISSOURI STATE

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Three of the next four games will be on the road for the University of Evansville men’s basketball team beginning on Wednesday when the Purple Aces travel to Springfield, Mo. to take on Missouri State. ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network will have the broadcast.

Evansville at Missouri State
Game Information	Wednesday, Feb. 12 \| 7 p.m. CT \| JQH Arena \| Springfield, Mo.
Game Coverage	ESPN+ \| Live Stats \| Live Audio \| Game Notes
UE Basketball	Men’s Basketball Home Page \| Twitter

Last Time Out
– Playing the first nationally televised home game since since the 2018-19 season, UE rallied late before falling to Bradley by a final score of 80-74 on Saturday
– UE trailed by as many as 21 points in the second half before getting within four
– Tayshawn Comer scored a game-high 23 points while Connor Turnbull posted the best game of his career with 20 points and 13 boards

Trending Upward
– In the Feb. 8 game against Bradley, Connor Turnbull had the game of his career, setting highs in most statistics
– He set career marks in points (20), rebounds (13), FG (7), FGA (12), FT (6), FTA (9), and minutes (33:48) on the way to his first collegiate double-double
– On top of those numbers, he added three more blocks and continues to lead the Valley with 1.92 per game
– His total of 48 blocks ranks 23rd in the country while his average of 1.92 is 27th
– Turnbull’s game against the Braves bested his prior scoring high of 14, which came in the road win at Belmont

On a Roll
– Over the last 12 games, Tayshawn Comer has played as well as anyone in the MVC
– Comer is averaging 20.3 points, 4.4 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game over that time and leads UE with his season scoring average of 15.6 PPG
– Included in that tally is a career-high 27 points in the win over Murray State, besting his mark of 26 in the road win at SIU
– Against league competition, Comer is averaging 18.8 PPG, which is second

Scouting the Opponent
– Missouri State comes into Wednesday’s match-up with a record of 8-17 while going 1-13 through their first 14 league outings
– The Bears’ MVC win came on Feb. 1 when they defeated Murray State by a final score of 77-56
– Evansville took the first meeting of the season by a final tally of 57-40 on Dec. 29 at the Ford Center
– Dez White is the leading scorer for the Bears, averaging 15.0 points per game on the season
– White is shooting 84.1% from the line and has dished out a team-high 67 assists
– Vincent Brady II is averaging 13.0 PPG while Michael Osei-Bonsu has chipped in 10.8 PPG and a team-high 7.2 rebounds

SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL

USI OPENS 2025 WITH FOUR ON THE ROAD

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — University of Southern Indiana Baseball opens the 2025 campaign with a four-game series at Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama, February 14-16. The Screaming Eagles are scheduled to play Alabama State a single game Friday at 6 p.m., a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m., and a single game Sunday at 1 p.m.

Following the season-opening road trip, USI opens the 2025 home campaign February 18 when the Eagles host Western Kentucky University for a 4 p.m. game at the USI Baseball Field. The Eagles also will be in Evansville all of next week for a split series with the University of Evansville.

The USI-UE series will be played at the Purple Aces’s Charles Braun Stadium February 21 and February 23 and at the USI Baseball Field February 22.

Links to follow the Eagles during the opening weekend of 2025 can be found on USIScreamingEagles.com and the USI Baseball Schedule.

USI Baseball Notes:

USI predicted 8th in 2024 OVC. The USI Screaming Eagles are predicted to place eighth in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2025.

USI advanced in OVC Championship during 2nd Division I season: The Eagles earned a second trip to the OVC Championship during its second season of transitioning to NCAA Division I. The Eagles advanced to the semifinals before bowing out of the tournament in 2024.

USI in 2024. The Eagles were 27-32 a year ago and 14-13 in the OVC last spring. USI, who also was 2-2 in the OVC Baseball Championship, improved by 10 wins overall and six wins in the OVC in 2024.

Remaining hitters from 2024: The Eagles return three hitters in 2025, following graduation or transfer of USI’s top 10 hitters and 18 position players overall. Junior infielder Jacob Winzenread is the top returning hitter, batting .238 in 11 games last spring. Sophomore outfielders Cameron Boyd and Ethan Rothschild follow with .230 and .229 batting averages, respectively.

On the mound: Senior left-hander Mason Sweeney leads three returning hurlers. Sweeney was 1-0 with a 7.04 ERA in 15.1 innings of work. Sophomore right-handers Abdriel Figueroa, who saw action in 2.1 innings, and Brad Watts, who redshirted, are the only other returning hurlers for 2025.

USI starts Ramirez Era: The Eagles start the Head Coach Chris Ramirez era in 2025. Ramirez replaced Tracey Archuleta, who had been at the helm since 2007.

Long road swings on the schedule. The Eagles have a pair of long road swings in 2025. USI has six on the road to end February and start March and an eight-game trip in April.

USI at Alabama State. USI is making its first trip to Alabama State University and will be the first meeting between the two programs in baseball. Alabama State was 29-27 a year ago.

USI to host Western Kentucky. USI will host Western Kentucky in the home opener February 18. The Eagles were 0-2 versus the Hilltoppers in 2024, losing 5-3 on the road and 2-1 at home last season. WKU, which was 36-22 overall last spring. leads the all-time series, 10-2.

SOUTHERN INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL

USI IS ON THE ROAD TO WIU, LINDENWOOD

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball is on the road this week and will be chasing a spot in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship next month. The Screaming Eagles start the final six games of the 2024-25 regular season with a visit to Western Illinois University Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and to Lindenwood University Saturday at 2 p.m.

USI (9-15, 4-10 OVC) enters the week two games back of the final spot for the OVC Championship. The Eagles are trailing the University of Tennessee at Martin and Lindenwood, who are each 6-8 in the league this season and tied seventh, while Tennessee Tech University and Tennessee State University are tied for fifth with identical 8-6 conference records.

USI is coming off a tough homestand that saw the Eagles go 0-3, including a 74-56 loss to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a 79-74 defeat at the hands of Southeast Missouri State University last week. Junior guard Damoni Harrison led USI last week with 19 points per game, including a 25-point game in the loss to SEMO.

Junior guard Jayland Randall followed Harrison with 18.5 points per contest after posting 23 against SEMO, while sophomore forward Stephen Olowoniyi posted 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Olowoniyi posted his team-high fourth double-double of the season, 14 points and 10 rebounds, to close out the homestand Saturday.

For the season, Harrison leads the team with 14.9 points per outing, while Randall was second with 14.8 per game. Olowoniyi rounds out the double-figure scorers with 13.8 points per game and a team-best 6.8 rebounds per contest.

The WIU Leathernecks (8-17 overall, 2-12 OVC) have lost 10-straight after Saturday’s 80-71 loss at the University of Tennessee at Martin. WIU has not won since January 9.

WIU leads the all-time series, 5-2, after USI won at Liberty Arena in January, 78-66. Harrison led four Eagles in double digits with 26 points. Graduate forward Jack Mielke followed with 17 points and a team-high 11 rebounds for his first career double-double. Randall and Olowniyi rounded out the top four with 12 points and 11 points, respectively.

The Lions of Lindenwood (11-13 overall, 6-7 OVC) went 0-2 last week. Lindenwood, who hosts Morehead State University Thursday, is 2-3 in the last five games, but .500 over the last 10 contests.

The Eagles lead the all-time series, 8-1, after taking the first meeting of the year in January, 80-73. Harrison led three players in double-digits with 26 points and 10

Rebounds in the win. He was followed by Randall, who had 17 points, and Mielke, who had 10 points.

All of the USI Basketball action can be seen live on ESPN+. The game can also be heard on ESPN 97.7FM (http://listentotheref.com) and 95.7FM The Spin (http://957thespin.com).

VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CLOSES HOMESTAND THURSDAY VERSUS UIC

Valparaiso (8-15, 4-8 MVC)

Game #24 – February 13, 2025 – 6 p.m.

UIC (9-12, 6-6 MVC)

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

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valpo women’s basketball team closes out a three-game homestand at the ARC Thursday evening when it welcomes travel partner UIC to town. Leah Earnest enters the game nine points away from becoming just the third player in program history to reach 1,500 career points.

Previously: It was a stellar start for Valpo Sunday as the Beacons hosted their Play4Kay game at the ARC against Murray State, as Valpo led 17-3 more than eight minutes into the contest. But once the Racers got going, the Beacons found them hard to slow down, as Murray State scored 69 points over the final three quarters, pulling away for a 77-57 victory. Leah Earnest paced Valpo with 21 points and six rebounds.

Following Valpo Basketball: Video: ESPN+

Links for live coverage: Available via ValpoAthletics.com

Head Coach Mary Evans: Mary Evans is in her seventh year at the helm of the program in 2024-25 and owns a record of 68-131. Evans’ first six seasons at the helm have seen Valpo’s six of the top-eight single-season 3-pointers made marks, including each of the top five, while defensively, her teams have racked up steals at a high rate, averaging at least 7.7 steals/game in five of her six seasons. Under her guidance, Valpo players have earned an MVC Sixth Player of the Year honor, five All-Conference accolades, three All-Freshman/Newcomer Team awards and three All-Defensive Team honors.

Series Notes: Valpo renews acquaintances with the most common opponent in program history on Sunday night, as the Beacons match up with UIC for the 58th time – the Flames hold a 32-25 edge in the series, including a 6-1 lead since UIC joined the Valley. The MVC marks the fourth different conference the two programs have shared affiliation in, as Valpo and UIC were both previously together in the North Star Conference (1988-92), the Mid-Continent Conference (1992-94) and the Horizon League (2007-17). Last month, UIC took the first meeting of the season by a 60-45 final in Chicago – Nevaeh Jackson had 14 points and Leah Earnest 12 in that matchup.

@ValpoWBB…

…and @ValleyHoops

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

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

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

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

…looking back at last year

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

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

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

…versus Murray State

– Valpo kept the nation’s third-highest scoring offense off the board for nearly seven minutes to start the game, as the Racers began 0-for-8 from the field with five turnovers.

– After a 9-0 start, the lead became a double-figure advantage at 13-3 on a Nevaeh Jackson basket with 2:18 to play in the period, and less than a minute later, consecutive buckets by Katie Beyer pushed the lead to 17-3.

– The Racers scored the final five points of the first quarter to make it 17-8 10 minutes in, and continued their run spanning the periods with the first five points of the second quarter.

– MSU came back to tie the game at 24-24 just prior to the midway point of the period.

– Leah Earnest answered with six consecutive points to restore the lead to the Beacons. Valpo led for the remainder of the half and carried a 37-34 lead into the locker room.

– The Beacons went cold to start the second half, as they went just 1-for-12 from the field and committed eight turnovers in a five-point third quarter.

– Murray State took the lead for good 43 seconds into the second half and ended the third quarter with a 52-42 lead.

– Earnest connected on a pair of free throws on the first possession of the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to eight, but the Racers went on a 14-0 run over the next five minutes to pull away.

– Valpo held Murray State, which entered the game third nationally averaging 87.9 points/game, to just 77 points — only UIC has limited the Racers to fewer points within MVC play.

– The Beacons shot 44.4% from the field Sunday, but it was a tale of two halves, as after connecting on 14-of-24 (58.3%) over the opening 20 minutes, they were just 6-of-21 (28.6%) from the floor in the final 20 minutes.

– Valpo ended the game just 2-for-12 from 3-point range. The 12 3-point attempts were the program’s fewest since attempting just 12 triples Dec. 19, 2021 at Morehead State. Meanwhile, MSU went 12-for-35 from deep.

– The Beacons did enjoy the free throw line Sunday, posting a season-best free throw percentage of 88.2% (15-for-17). Valpo has hit 70% or more of its free throws in each of the last eight games, four times eclipsing 80%.

– Turnovers were a bugaboo for the Beacons, as they coughed the ball up 28 times versus 18 miscues from the Racers. MSU held a 33-6 advantage in points off turnovers.

– Earnest finished with a game-high 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 7-of-7 from the charity stripe while also pacing Valpo with six rebounds. She was the only Beacon in double figures in scoring, however, as Beyer checked in next with eight points.

…versus Belmont

– Belmont led 10-6 just past the halfway mark of the opening period before the Beacons held the Bruins scoreless for nearly four minutes. Baskets by Katie Beyer, Leah Earnest and Nevaeh Jackson during that stretch gave Valpo a 12-10 advantage.

– The Bruins hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute of the first quarter to lead 16-12 10 minutes in.

– Belmont’s lead reached double figures for the first time halfway through the second quarter and the Bruins held a 34-25 lead at halftime.

– Belmont scored the first six points of the third quarter to pull out to a 15-point lead. Five points from Fiona Connolly brought Valpo back to within 42-32 with 4:20 to play in the quarter, but the Bruins went on a 12-3 spurt to end the period and lead 54-35 with 10 minutes to play.

– The Beacons were able to connect on just one field goal in the fourth quarter as Belmont pulled away for the final margin.

– Valpo’s 41 points were a season low. The Beacons shot just 26.9% from the field, were just 4-for-25 from 3-point range and committed 21 turnovers which Belmont turned into 23 points.

– Beyer and Earnest tied for team-high honors with eight points. It marks the first time in Beyer’s career she has held or shared the team scoring lead.

– No Beacon reached double figures in the scoring column for the first time since Dec. 19, 2023 against Bethune-Cookman.

– Connolly finished with seven points and five rebounds, one off her career best.

…looking ahead

– Valpo hits the road, making the long journey to Springfield, Mo. for a conference game for the final time as it visits Missouri State on Sunday.

– The Beacons return home to the ARC next weekend to take on Evansville and Indiana State.

…at the ARC

– Sunday’s game is the 11th of 15 home games this season for the Beacons, as Valpo hosted five nonconference games in addition to its 10 MVC home games.

– Valpo is 5-5 at the ARC this season.

@UIC_WBB

– UIC comes into Thursday’s game with a 9-12 overall record and a 6-6 mark in MVC play.

– The Flames had won four in a row, including a victory over Murray State, before falling to Belmont last time out.

– UIC is an extremely balanced team – within MVC play, nine different players are averaging at least 18.6 minutes/game, with no player playing more than 25.3 minutes/game. In the scoring department, Makiyah Williams leads the way in Valley action with 9.3 points/game – one of six Flames averaging at least 6.7 points/game.

Wrapping the Homestand

– For the first and only time this year, Valpo is in the midst of three consecutive games at home, as they played Belmont last Friday and Murray State Sunday before facing UIC on Thursday.

– In all, the Beacons are in the middle of a stretch where they play five out of six games at the ARC, and they close the season with seven of their final 10 games at home.

– This comes after a stretch during which Valpo was on the road for four out of five weekends.

Looking to the Rim

– While the 3-point shot is still a big part of the Beacons’ offensive attack, the numbers show Valpo has been more intentional about getting shots at the basket this season.

– Through their first 12 MVC games, the Beacons have attempted 21.3 3-pointers per game, which accounts for just 40.9% of their field goal attempts.

– Both marks are on pace to be the lowest within MVC play in Mary Evans’ seven seasons at the helm – the 2022-23 team attempted 22.5 3-pointers/game in conference, while the 2019-20 team had 44.6% of its attempts from deep in Valley play.

– Notably, this year’s team is also on pace to be the first under Evans to attempt fewer 3-pointers than its opponents in conference – in fact, Valpo has not attempted more triples than its opponent since the Illinois State game Jan. 17.

– Last time out against Murray State, Valpo took a season-low 12 3-point attempts – the program’s fewest 3-point attempts in a single game since attempting just 12 triples Dec. 19, 2021 at Morehead State.

20 Or More For 22

– Leah Earnest reached the 20-point mark yet again on Sunday, finishing with a game-high 21 points against Murray State (7-12 FG; 7-7 FT).

– It was the 10th time this year Earnest has tallied at least 20 points in a game, and the third time in the last four games.

– Notably, Earnest did not hit the 20-point mark in any of the first seven games this year, meaning she has 10 20-point efforts in the last 16 games.

– Highlights include a 29-point effort at Lehigh – the second-highest scoring game of her career – and a 27-point game on 10-of-16 shooting in the win over Bradley.

– Earnest scored 20+ in four consecutive games Dec. 21-Jan. 4, the first Valpo player to do so in at least 15 years – the last time a Valpo player had scored 20+ in even three straight games was Shay Frederick in the 2020-21 campaign.

– Earnest has the most 20-point games by a Valpo player in a single season since Michelle Russell has at least 12 in the 1993-94 season.

Others With 20/20 Vision

– Earnest is far from the only Beacon to hit the 20-point mark this season, however.

– In all, four Valpo players have combined for 16 games with 20 or more points – compare that to last year, when only two players broke the 20-point barrier in a combined nine games.

– Layla Gold joined Earnest in crossing the 20-point mark versus UDM, finishing with 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Earlier this year, Gold more than doubled her previous career best of 11 points with a 23-point night – which included five 3-pointers – at Milwaukee.

– Nevaeh Jackson raced past her previous career high with 26 points at Saint Louis; this coming after 20-point performances earlier in the season in the win over Goshen and against Purdue Fort Wayne.

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

An Eye on the Record Book

– As Leah Earnest’s career winds down, she is making an impact all over the program’s career records, and with the season she is having, she’ll look for spots on the team’s single-season charts as well.

Career

– Games played – 2nd, 136 (Caitlin Morrison, 1st, 141)

– Points – 4th, 1,491 (Sarrah Stricklett, 3rd, 1,498; Dani Franklin, 2nd, 1,721)

– Rebounds – 2nd, 806 (Tamra Braun, 1st, 870)

– Field goals made – 4th, 534 (Jeanette Gray, 3rd, 595)

– Free throws made – 4th, 329 (Betsy Rietema, 3rd, 341)- Points per game – 11.0 (Jasmyn Walker, 10th, 11.1)

– Rebounds/game – t-8th, 5.9

– Field goal percentage – 9th, .467

Single-Season

– Points – 392 (10th, 456)

– Rebounds – 165 (10th, 244)

– Field goals made – 131 (10th, 165)

– Free throws made – 106 (10th, 109)

– Points/game – 7th, 17.0

– Free throw percentage – 10th, .841

Winning With Defense

– Strong defensive efforts have been a common thread in the Beacons’ victories this season, and their last three wins over Bradley, Indiana State and Evansville have been no different.

– Valpo limited both Bradley and Evansville to 17 first-half points apiece in those victories – the lowest mark by a Valpo D-I opponent at halftime since the Beacons went on the road and limited South Dakota to 17 first-half points on Dec. 10, 2021.

– The Braves scored in single digits in each of the first two quarters, while the Purple Aces hit just one field goal in a three-point second quarter – the lowest-scoring quarter by a Valpo opponent since it held Indiana State scoreless in the second period Feb. 8, 2020.

– Valpo allowed Bradley to shoot just 30.5% from the field – the lowest mark by a Valpo D-I opponent this year and the second lowest by a D-I opponent over the last three seasons.

– Valpo wasn’t too far off either of those marks in the win at Indiana State, as the Beacons held the Sycamores to 21 first-half points and ISU shot just 33.3% for the game.

– It’s actually been quite simple if you look at it: when the Beacons have held their opponent under 60 points this year, they are 8-0; when Valpo’s opponent scores at least 60 points, the Beacons are 0-15.

Forcing Miscues

– The Beacons rank as the MVC’s best at forcing miscues, averaging 19.8 turnovers forced/game.

– The Beacons have forced more turnovers than they’ve committed in 14 of 23 games.

– Valpo also leads the MVC with 9.8 steals/game and has tallied double-figure steals in 12 games this year.

– Valpo has forced at least 20 turnovers in nine games so far, highlighted by 29 forced turnovers against Detroit Mercy and 28 in the win at Evansville.

– The Beacons have racked up a season-best 15 steals in three of their victories, reaching the mark in wins over Goshen, Western Michigan and Evansville.

– In the win over North Dakota, Valpo turned the Fighting Hawks’ 26 turnovers into 33 points and held a massive 33-9 edge in points off turnovers. It was the program’s greatest number of points off turnovers and the highest edge in the category since a Feb. 22, 2020 win at Loyola, when Valpo forced 31 turnovers and owns a 38-4 advantage in points off turnovers.

No Sophomore Slump

– After ranking fourth on the team in scoring (7.2 points/game) as a rookie, sophomore Nevaeh Jackson has cemented herself as a consistent second scorer this season.

– Jackson has nearly doubled her scoring average, entering Thursday’s game second on the team with 12.5 points/game.

– Jackson has scored in double figures in 15 of 23 games, highlighted by her 26-point effort at Saint Louis.

Career Highs

– Five of Valpo’s seven returnees have set career bests in the scoring column this season – the only returnees who haven’t are Saniya Jackson, who is out for the season, and Earnest.

– Joining the trio who had their first career 20-point efforts are senior Katie Beyer and sophomore Raeven Raye-Redmond.

– Raye-Redmond smashed past her previous best of nine with a 15-point night on 6-of-9 shooting at Milwaukee.

– Beyer hit three 3-pointers on her way to a 14-point game in the season opener versus Liberty, and then against North Dakota, surpassed that again with a 16-point effort.

All-Tournament Honors

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

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

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

Missing Pieces

– Valpo is down two starters for the remainder of the season due to injury.

– Saniya Jackson did not see any game action this year, undergoing successful knee surgery in early November.

– Raeven Raye-Redmond suffered a lower leg injury late in regulation Dec. 21 against Detroit Mercy and will miss the rest of the year as well.

VALPO BASEBALL

VALPO BASEBALL TO BEGIN 2025 CAMPAIGN AT SAMFORD

Valparaiso (0-0, 0-0 MVC)

at Samford (0-0, SoCon)

Joe Lee Griffin Field (1,000) | Birmingham, Ala.

Friday, Feb. 14, 4 p.m. CT – Connor Lockwood (R)

Saturday, Feb. 15, 2 p.m. CT – Lucas Foley (L)

Sunday, Feb. 16, 1 p.m. CT – Spencer Boynton (R)

Next Up in Valpo Baseball: Opening Weekend of the 2025 Valparaiso University baseball season is here as a new-look roster prepares to embark on a new journey on Friday at Samford in Birmingham, Ala. After a large and impactful senior class departed via graduation, 18 newcomers have joined the program in advance of the 2025 campaign.

Last Time Out – A Look Back at 2024: Valpo finished 14-38 overall and 6-21 in Missouri Valley Conference play last season and hopes to return to the MVC Tournament field in 2025. Kaleb Hannahs earned Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors last season, while Kyle Schmack finished one home run shy of tying the program’s career and single-season records. The team launched 71 home runs, the second most in program history and most since 2001. Alex Ryan made an incredible leaping catch that was featured at No. 4 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays, robbing a grand slam as part of a 20-0 victory at UIC on April 28. The 2024 campaign also saw Valpo post a fielding percentage of .970 that ranked fourth in program history. The season also saw head coach Brian Schmack reach the 200-win threshold.

Following the Beacons: Friday’s game will be carried on ESPN+, while no streaming will be available for the Saturday or Sunday contests. Live stats can be accessed for all three games. For in-game updates, follow @ValpoBaseball on X.

Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack (202-332) is in his 11th season in charge of the program. He ranks third in program history in seasons coached and games coached as he coached his 500th game on March 17, 2024 at Campbell. On April 19 vs. Missouri State, he became the third head coach in program history to secure his 200th win. Schmack, a member of the 2003 Detroit Tigers, served as pitching coach/associate head coach at Valpo for seven seasons prior to his promotion.

Series Notes: This will mark the second time these two teams have engaged in a season-opening three game series and first since 2014, when Valpo went to Birmingham and took two out of three, prevailing 6-5 on Opening Day and 11-8 on Saturday to clinch the series before falling in the finale 10-7 in a series that featured three competitive games.

Valpo on Opening Day

Valpo has dropped nine of its last 10 Opening Day games with the one win during that span coming 6-2 at UAB to start the 2021 campaign.

The aforementioned victory over the Blazers was the squad’s first Opening Day triumph since beating Samford 6-5 on Feb. 15, 2014.

The Beacons will look to get back in the Opening Day win column this year. Most recently, the Beacons started 2024 on the wrong end of a 16-5 score at Alabama State.

Inside the Schedule

Valpo will once again face a competitive schedule, which starts against a Samford program that won 36 games last season.

Valpo is slated to host the earliest home games in program history from Feb. 28 – March 2 against a Niagara team that went 38-17 overall and 20-4 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference en route to a league title and NCAA Regional appearance last year.

After the early-season home weekend, Valpo will be back on the road for 15 straight, starting with a set at Ohio State (March 7-9), a 29-win Big Ten Conference club in 2024. That trip will continue with a visit to national baseball powerhouse Vanderbilt (March 11) of the Southeastern Conference, a 38-win NCAA Regional team last year against whom Valpo played a competitive, one-run game.

The Beacons head to Illinois (March 14-16) for the final nonconference weekend series. The Illini went 35-21 overall and 18-6 in Big Ten Conference play last season on their way to the NCAA Regional.

Valpo begins MVC play against instate foe Indiana State (March 21-23), the defending Valley regular-season champions and a team that won two NCAA Regional games as part of a 44-win season in 2024.

The league docket features a visit to Evansville, the defending MVC Tournament champion and a team that won 39 games including a regional title and made an NCAA Super Regional appearance last season.

Valpo will play 10 of its first 24 games against NCAA Regional teams from a year ago.

Beacon Blasts

Valpo launched 71 home runs last season, surpassing the 1985 season (64) to climb into second in program history.

Valpo held its highest single-season home run total during the BBCOR bat era that began in 2011.

The 71 bombs marked the program’s most since 2001, a year where the team launched a program-record 81 long balls.

This marked the first time ever that Valpo has hit at least 50 home runs in back-to-back years, as the Beacons hit 50 long balls in 2023, the fifth most in program history.

Valpo Single-Season Top 5 – Team Home Runs

Rank Year HR

1 2001 81

2 2024 71

3 1985 64

4 1999 55

5 2023 50

Other Record Book Updates from 2024

The team had a .970 fielding percentage that ranks fourth in program history, the squad’s second straight season at .970 or better.

Kyle Schmack finished his career with 794 at-bats, third in program history behind Chris Manning (2011-2014, 896) and Michael Arensdorff (2003-2007, 833). He scored 146 runs (sixth in program history), had 223 hits (sixth), 45 doubles (t-sixth), 35 home runs (second), 131 RBIs (fifth) and 98 walks (t-sixth).

Schmack finished 2024 with 17 home runs, one shy of tying the single-season record as well.

Brady Renfro finished eighth in program history in career fielding percentage (.989), eighth in putouts (845) and fourth in walks (103).

Alex Thurston finished fourth in program history in career assists (431).

Kaleb Hannahs finished tied for sixth in program history in career doubles (45).

In the Other Dugout – Samford

Coming off a 36-win season, a 24-10 home record and a 14-7 Southern Conference mark in 2024.

Won the SoCon Tournament and qualified for NCAA Regionals in 2023, winning a game over Southern Miss in the Regional.

Picked second in the SoCon Preseason Poll, two points behind preseason favorite UNC-Greensboro in the polling.

Starting pitcher Miller Riggins, relief pitcher Evan Steckmesser and second baseman Jeffrey Ince were named to the All-SoCon Second Team.

Under the direction of head coach Tony David, who has been at the helm since 2021 and on staff since 2005.

Pitching Profiles – Probable Starters

#11 RHP Connor Lockwood, (R-Jr.), (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville): Named conference co-player of the year as a high school senior in 2021 and received all-state accolades… Interested in a career in elementary education… Favorite food is deep dish pizza… Finished his freshman season with an 0-5 record and 7.30 ERA in 2022, but did his best work late in the year, posting a 1.80 ERA over his last three regular-season starts… Started his 2023 season with a gem, earning the win thanks to a career-long seven innings and a career-high six strikeouts while allowing no runs on two hits and walking none in an 11-3 victory over Big 12 foe Kansas in Corpus Christi, Texas on Feb. 18, 2023… Made his first appearance since April 2, 2023 vs. Murray State on March 1, 2024 at Elon as after that game he underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery. In his return to the rubber, he started and went three innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and one walk while striking out four… Tossed five shutout innings and earned the win in a 3-2 victory in Game 1 of a doubleheader at The Citadel on March 8, 2024… Threw a complete game to earn the win while scattering eight hits, striking out nine and walking none on March 30, 2024 vs. Bradley. He became the first Valpo hurler to toss a nine-inning complete game in five years and was named MVC Pitcher of the Week on April 1, becoming the second Valpo pitcher since the team joined the MVC to become a multi-time winner of that award.

#42 LHP Lucas Foley, Fr. (Deer Park, Ill. / Lake Zurich) – 2023 IHSBCA 4A First Team All-State and PBR Third Team All-State… Conference Pitcher of the Year as a senior in high school in 2023… Enjoys water and snow skiing… Has broken his collarbone four times… Favorite musical group is Cold Play… Went seven innings and allowed just one run on five hits while walking none and striking out 11 on Feb. 17, 2024 at Alabama State, getting the start in the second game of a doubleheader and making his collegiate debut. He was one of two freshmen in the country with 11 or more strikeouts in a game over the opening weekend of the season… Allowed one run on five hits and one walk in four innings of a start on March 3, 2024 vs. Binghamton, receiving no decision… Moved to the bullpen and tossed two scoreless innings on March 22, 2024 at Southern Illinois… Struck out the side in his first inning of work and racked up six strikeouts in just 2 2/3 frames of relief on March 26, 2024 at No. 7 Vanderbilt. He was charged with one unearned run on three hits and one walk… Worked three shutout innings while striking out four, issuing no walks and permitting two hits to help Valpo beat Bradley on March 31, 2024.

#29 RHP Spencer Boynton, R-Jr. (Tampa, Fla. / Seffner Christian) – Was an all-conference honoree at Eastern Nazarene College, where he spent two seasons before joining the Beacons prior to the 2024 campaign, which he missed due to an injury… Hobbies include golf, tennis, ping pong and video games… Favorite movie is The Usual Suspects, food is pizza, pro baseball team is the San Francisco Giants and MLB players are Buster Posey and Kevin Gausman.

Pitching Profiles – Bullpen Bits

#6 LHP Kaden Kiser, So. (Columbus, Ohio / Hamilton Township) – Played at Bryant & Stratton College in 2024, where he made nine appearances including five starts in his lone JUCO season… Is ambidextrous, writing with his right hand and playing sports with his left (except golf, which he does with his right)… Favorite MLB players are Chris Sale and Elly De La Cruz… Favorite MLB team is the Cincinnati Reds.

#20 RHP Hunter Frost, Jr. (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) – Went 4-2 with a 4.50 ERA while appearing in 14 games and making 11 starts for Iowa Central Community College in 2024… 2021 4A Minnesota state champion and 2022 4A Minnesota state runner-up…. Also competed in wrestling in high school… Majoring in elementary education… Favorite pro baseball team is the Minnesota Twins… Favorite food is steak stir fry.

#26 RHP Ryan Kruse, R-So. (Detroit, Mich. / U of D Jesuit) – In his second season in the program after redshirting at Northern Kentucky in 2023… Made two appearances – both against nationally-ranked competition – and was not charged with any earned runs in 2024… Enjoys golfing, swimming, snowboarding, working out and tennis… Favorite movie is The Dark Knight.

#27 RHP Kolt Davis, Gr. (Johnson, Neb. / Johnson-Brock) – Played at Wayne State from 2021-2024, where he was a three-time all-conference honoree… Made 31 career appearances and had a 4-2 record while starting twice and nailing down two saves… Favorite MLB team is the New York Yankees and player is Derek Jeter… Hopes to become a human trafficking investigator.

#31 RHP Joe Seiber, R-Jr. (Homer Glen, Ill. / Lockport) – Third team junior college All-American at Collee of DuPage… Favorite MLB team is the Chicago White Sox… Favorite movie is Billy Madison… Joined the program prior to the 2024 season as a junior college transfer… Earned his first Valpo save with two shutout innings of one-hit ball while allowing no walks to close out a 3-2 win at The Citadel in Game 1 of a doubleheader on March 8, 2024… Tossed three shutout innings while allowing one hit and walking none on March 29, 2024 vs. Bradley… Tossed two scoreless innings of relief on April 9, 2024 at Milwaukee… Earned the victory in relief on April 19, 2024 vs. Missouri State… Flipped two shutout innings on April 30, 2024 at Western Michigan… Pitched two shutout innings on May 14, 2024 at Northwestern… Is the primary returning reliever from 2024 back in 2025.

#35 RHP Bryce Richter, Gr. (Minneapolis, Minn. / Holy Family Catholic) – Has joined Valpo’s program after playing four years at North Alabama, where he graduated magna cum laude and was on the dean’s list all four years… Appeared in 20 games out of the bullpen during his four-year career at North Alabama… Threw a no-hitter as a sophomore in high school… Also played four years of soccer and holds the school record for shutouts by a goalkeeper with 19… Pursuing an MBA at Valpo… Favorite food is ground bison and rice with a little Chick-Fil-A sauce.

#36 RHP Harry Deliyannis, Gr. (Bloomington, Ind. / Bloomington North) – Joined the program after pitching 218 2/3 innings in 43 games during his career at Division-III Pomona-Pitzer that spanned 2020-2024… Had a career ERA of 4.36 with 206 strikeouts against 71 walks… Hobbies include chess, PC, gaming and cello… Favorite musical group is My Chemical Romance.

#37 Alexander Morrison, Jr. (Pasadena, Calif. / Canyon) – Spent two years at Los Angeles Mission College before arriving at Valpo… Hobbies include fishing and going to the beach… Grew up in Bonney Lake, Wash. riding BMX and snowboarding.

Position Player Profiles – Projected Lineup (not in batting order)

#5 Kevin Denty, LF, So. (Tinley Park, Ill. / Marian Catholic) – Played in 29 games and made 27 starts as a freshman in 2024, ranking fourth on the team in batting average at .278… Hit .300 in 10 league games including eight starts in 2024… Had a season-high four hits including two home runs on March 1, 2024 at Elon… Eats Chipotle three times per week… Favorite MLB team is the Chicago White Sox.

#4 Spencer Warfield, CF, R-Jr. (Fullerton, Calif. / Servite) – Played in five games in 2024 before being shut down for the season with an injury… Appeared in 21 games and made 15 starts in 2023 after seeing action in 18 games and making 13 starts as a rookie in 2022… Favorite pro baseball team is the Los Angeles Angels and MLB Player is Mike Trout… Favorite food is cheeseburgers.

#22 Ryan Maka, RF, Sr. (Oak Forest, Ill. / Oak Forest) – Also competed in golf in high school… Other hobbies include investing and going to the gym… Favorite TV Show is Stranger Things… Became the first Valpo player since 2018 and second since 2008 to notch a three-homer game on May 13, 2022 vs. Bradley. Had four home runs in that series and five extra-base hits en route to earning Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Player of the Week recognition… Ranked third on the team in MVC-only batting average at .286 and tied for the team lead with four home runs in Valley play in 2022… 2023 All-MVC First Team and 2024 Preseason All-MVC honors… Posted a .345 batting average in 2023, jumping his average nearly 100 points from the previous season… Hit two grand slams in 2023, becoming the first Valpo player since at least 2006 with two career grand slams… Played in 36 games (all starts) in 2024, hitting .277 with nine doubles, four homers, 20 RBIs and 17 runs scored including a .301 average in 23 league games.

#33 Liam Patton, 1B, Gr. (Barrington, Ill. / Warsaw) – Spent his first three seasons at Wabash College, where he hit .384 with six home runs, 50 RBIs and a .582 slugging percentage in 2023… Had a go-ahead, two-run single with two outs in the ninth inning on March 5, 2024 vs. Jacksonville, a game Valpo eventually dropped 6-5 on a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth… Came up clutch again in the second game of a doubleheader on March 8, 2024 at The Citadel, when his bases-clearing double in the top of the 10th spurred a 10-5 victory… Hit his first Valpo home run on April 19, 2024 vs. Missouri State… Totaled 28 appearances and 26 starts in 2024.

#21 Austin Amburgey, 1B, Jr. (Miamisburg, Ohio / Miamisburg) – Posted a .391 batting average at Marietta College in 2024, ranking third in the league in hitting… Posted a .311 batting average as a freshman in 2023… Has been to three of the top four golf majors and to 14 Major League Baseball stadiums… Favorite TV show is Survivor.

#9 Connor Giusti, 2B, Gr. (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / Fremd) – Played in 117 games over four seasons at Wisconsin Oshkosh before transferring to Valpo for the 2024 campaign… Named to the all-defensive team and all-conference honorable mention at Oshkosh… Big Chicago Bears fan and loves football… Hit his 11th collegiate home run and first at Valpo on Opening Night on Feb. 16, 2024 at Alabama State… Homered in consecutive games – April 28, 2024 at UIC and April 30, 2024 at Western Michigan… Had a dramatic, game-tying, three-run homer with two outs in the top of the ninth on May 10, 2024 at Murray State, completing a six-run rally to force extras… Hit his fifth home run in a nine-game span on May 14, 2024 at Northwestern…. Finished the 2024 season with a .252 average and seven dingers while appearing in 46 games and making 44 starts.

#34 Case Sullivan, SS, R-Fr. (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) – Joined the program after redshirting at Marshall in 2024, where he was a member of the president’s list with a perfect 4.0 GPA… Is a triplet with his two siblings, Colin and Lily… Lily plays softball at the University of Akron and Colin is an engineering student at Purdue… Favorite pro baseball team is the Boston Red Sox and player is Mookie Betts.

#12 Thomas Cooper, 3B, R-So. (Brentwood, Tenn. / Ravenwood) – Appeared in 15 games and made eight starts in 2023 before redshirting in 2024… Was a state runner-up in football in high school… Has a Lego collection… Favorite food is ice cream… Favorite MLB team is the Atlanta Braves.

#19 Kade Reinertson, C, R-Sr. (Huxley, Iowa / Ballard Community) – Played in 18 games before suffering a season-ending injury in 2023 after playing in 22 games and making 17 starts in 2022… Did not see game action as a rookie in 2021… Named second team all-state in high school in 2019… Also played football and basketball in high school… Kicks with his left foot but does everything else right-handed… Enjoys golfing and disc golfing… Played in 30 games and made 25 starts in 2024.

#28 Patrick Ilitch, DH, R-Jr. (Detroit, Mich. / University Liggett) – Did not see game action in 2022… On April 28, 2023 at Missouri State, was inserted into the starting lineup less than an hour before game time due to an injury-related scratch and had just two career at-bats prior to the game. He delivered by smacking his first career home run, leveling the score at three in the bottom of the ninth after his team trailed 3-0 with two outs and nobody on base earlier in the inning… Appeared in four games and made one start in 2024… Part of the Ilitch family that owns the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings and Little Caesars Pizza.

Inside the Assistants: Adam Brian is back for a second season on staff, while Brady Nowicki and Kyle Schmack have joined the coaching staff after playing for the Beacons last season.

Adam Brian is in his second season on Valpo’s staff after graduating from Bradley. He works with the team’s catchers, assists with pitching and leads recruiting efforts. Brian’s father Braden Brian played college baseball at Eastern Kentucky and was selected in the 30th round of the 1986 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Montreal Expos.

Brady Nowicki has joined the coaching staff after playing for the team each of the last three seasons. He will coach the squad’s hitters and infielders.

Kyle Schmack played for Valpo each of the last five seasons. The son of head coach Brian Schmack, Kyle will coach first base and assist Nowicki in coaching the team’s hitters.

UINDY SWIMMING

BRONZE-MEDAL RELAY HIGHLIGHTS OPENING NIGHT OF GLVCS

ELKHART, Ind. – The 2025 GLVC Swimming & Diving Championships got underway Tuesday night at the Elkhart Health and Aquatics in Elkhart, Ind. With only the 800 freestyle relay on the docket, the UIndy women secured the Greyhounds’ first medal of the five-day event, as Andrea Gomez, Celina Schmidt, Lillie Arps and Brynhildur Traustadottir combined for a bronze-medal time of 7:23.76.

The UIndy men secured fourth-place points, with the quartet of Cedric Buessing, Silas Buessing, Jokubas Jankaukas and Jeremias Pock combining for a time of 6:32.02. Both Greyhound teams hit NCAA provisional marks.

The Greyhound B teams also contributed to the cause. The women’s team of Jamie Glover, Sharon Semchiy, Hanna Burke and Mia Krstevska took the runner-up spot in the consolation final; while Elias Noe, Pedro Peixoto, Max Wiedemann and Jackson Vanwanzeele took third.

The marquee meet shifts to a traditional championship meet schedule on Wednesday. Morning preliminaries (10 a.m.) and evening finals (5:30 p.m.) make for the bulk of the schedule, with women’s 1-meter diving sandwiched between (12:30 p.m.).

UINDY SOFTBALL

HOUNDS RANKED 16TH IN DII COACHES POLL

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The UIndy softball team came in at No. 16 in the regular season’s first NFCA/GoRout Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll, released Tuesday. The Greyhounds opened the 2025 campaign two weekends back at the Music City Invitational, highlighted by a run-rule win versus in-region Ohio Dominican.

Tuesday’s release extends the Hounds’ school record for consecutive top-25 poll appearances to 62 weeks, dating back to the 2021 preseason edition.

NFCA DII COACHES POLL

RK	TEAM (1st-place votes)	PTS	REC	PREV
1.	UT Tyler (16)	400	9-0	1
2.	AUM	375	5-2	6
3.	North Georgia	361	5-1	8
4.	Wilmington	337	0-0	5
5.	Tampa	335	7-1	10
6.	Augustana	327	5-3	7
7.	Angelo State	314	9-1	11
8.	Rogers State	280	6-3	9
9.	Trevecca Nazarene	251	9-0	17
10.	Western Washington	236	1-4	2
11.	West Texas A&M	234	10-0	13
12.	Francis Marion	212	6-2	14
13.	Central Oklahoma	183	7-1	25
14.	Cal State San Marcos	177	10-1	23
15.	Mississippi College	175	6-4	12
16.	UIndy	159	1-3	3
17.	Lenoir-Rhyne	146	3-5	4
18.	East Stroudsburg	134	4-2	16
19.	Cal State Dominguez Hills	131	7-2	15
20.	Oklahoma Christian	129	7-1	24
21.	Harding	103	9-1	NR
22.	Nova Southeastern	58	8-3	NR
23.	McKendree	35	7-1	NR
24.	Northwest Nazarene	32	5-4	18
25.	Kutztown	25	5-0	NR

Others receiving votes: Lubbock Christian (24), Saint Leo (13), Lincoln Memorial (9), Pittsburg State (3), Cal State East Bay (2).

INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES

INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/

EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/

WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/

FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/

ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/

ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index

TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index

BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/

DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/

HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/

MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/

HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/

OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx

ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index

IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/

IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/

IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/

PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/

INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx

GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/

ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/

GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/

HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php

TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/

VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index

“SPORTS EXTRA”

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

Feb. 12

1937 — Cleveland is granted an NFL franchise. The Rams play in Cleveland for nine years before moving to Los Angeles. After the 1994 season, the Rams move to St. Louis.

1947 — Boston’s Bill Cowley becomes the NHL all-time scoring leader when he scores a goal and an assist for the Bruins in a 10-1 win over the New York Rangers. Cowley’s 529 points is one more than Syd Howe, who retired one year earlier.

1958 — Boston’s Bill Russell scores 18 points and grabs 41 rebounds to lead the Celtics to a 119-101 victory over the Syracuse Nationals.

1968 — Jean-Claude Killy of France wins the men’s giant slalom in the Winter Olympics at Grenoble, his second gold medal en route to the Alpine triple crown.

1972 — The Soviet Union ice hockey team wins the gold medal with a 5-2 victory over Czechoslovakia at the Winter Olympics. The United States is awarded the silver because it had beaten and tied Czechoslovakia.

1982 — Wayne Gretzky scores 153rd point of season, breaking NHL record.

1985 — Pittsburgh’s Mario Lemieux becomes the first rookie to be named most valuable player at the NHL All-Star game. The 19-year-old center scores two goals, including the game-winner, and has an assist to lead the Wales Conference to a 6-4 win over the Campbell Conference.

1989 — The largest crowd (44,735) in NBA All-Star Game history turns out at the Houston Astrodome to watch the West beat the East 143-134. Utah’s Karl Malone win MVP honors after scoring a team-high 28 points.

1993 — The San Jose Sharks tie an NHL record by losing 17 straight games, the latest a 6-0 defeat by the Edmonton Oilers.

1994 — Loy Allen Jr. becomes the first Winston Cup rookie to win a pole in the Daytona 500. Allen is .031 seconds quicker than six-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt.

1995 — Sacramento’s Mitch Richmond scores a game-high 22 points and wins MVP honors in leading the West to a 139-112 triumph over the East in the NBA All-Star Game at America West Arena in Phoenix.

1997 — Morocco’s Hicham el Guerrouj breaks indoor track’s oldest record, winning the mile in 3 minutes, 48.45 at the Flanders meet held in Ghent, Belgium. Ireland’s Eamonn Coghlan ran 3:49.78 in 1983 in New York.

2005 — Allen Iverson scores 60 points, a career high, to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 112-99 victory over the Orlando Magic.

2007 — Duke, saddled by its first four-game losing skid in 11 years, falls out of The Associated Press men’s poll for the first time since the end of the 1995-96 season. The Blue Devils had been in the media poll for 200 straight weeks — the second longest streak behind UCLA’s record 221 weeks.

2014 — Tina Maze of Slovenia and Dominique Gisin of Switzerland tie for gold in the Olympic women’s downhill. Both speed down the Rosa Khutor course in 1:41.57 seconds for the first gold-medal tie in Olympic alpine skiing history.

2018 — Virginia is ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press men’s basketball poll for first time since 1982, when Terry Holland was the coach and Ralph Sampson was the Cavaliers’ star player.

2018 – Dutch speed skater Ireen Wüst becomes first Winter Olympian to win an individual gold medal in 4 straight Games with victory in the 1,500m at Pyeongchang; first speed skater to win 10 Olympic medals.

2023 — Super Bowl LVII, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona: Kansas City Chiefs beat Philadelphia Eagles, 38-35; MVP: Patrick Mahomes, KC, QB.

_____

Feb. 13

1923 — The New York Renaissance, the first all-black pro basketball team, is organized. Rens become one of the dominant basketball team of the 1920s and 1930s.

1937 — Maribel Vinson wins her ninth and final U.S. figure skating singles championship. Robin Lee wins his third straight men’s title.

1937 — The NFL Redskins move from Boston to Washington.

1948 — Dick Button, the Olympic gold medalist, beats Hans Gerschwiler again to win the men’s World Figure Skating championship in Davos, Switzerland.

1954 — Furman’s Frank Selvey scores 100 points in a 149-95 victory over Newberry. Selvey breaks the record of 73 points, set by Temple’s Bill Mlkvy in 1951, with 41 field goals and 18 free throws.

1973 — Frank Mahovlich of the Montreal Canadiens scores his 1,000th career point with an assist in a 7-6 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.

1975 — Boston’s Bobby Orr gets an assist in the Boston Bruins in a 3-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres to become the first player in NHL history to reach 100 points in six consecutive seasons. It’s the final 100-point season of his career.

1977 — Julius Erving, playing in his first NBA All-Star Game, is voted MVP, despite his East team losing 125-124. Erving scores 30 points and grabs 12 rebounds.

1990 — Bryan Trottier of the New York Islanders becomes the 15th player in NHL history to reach the 500-goal mark, scoring in the second period of a 4-2 loss to the Calgary Flames.

1994 — Tommy Moe wins the men’s downhill over local hero Kjetil Andre Aamodt at the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. Moe won by .04 seconds, the closest Alpine race in Olympic history. Norwegian speed skater Johann Olav Koss has a world record-setting gold medal performance in the 5,000 meters in 6 minutes, 34.96 seconds.

1995 — Connecticut is voted No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 and joins the school’s women’s team at the top. It is the first time teams from one school were ranked No. 1 in the men’s and women’s college basketball polls.

1999 — Steve Jaros rolls the 13th televised 300 game in PBA history en route to winning the Chattanooga Open.

2003 — Teresa Phillips becomes the first woman to coach a men’s Division I team, but her presence couldn’t stop Tennessee State from losing for the 17th straight time, 71-56 at Austin Peay.

2015 — Ted Ligety wins the giant slalom at world championships held at Beaver Creek, Colo. Ligety defeats Austrian rival Marcel Hirscher by 0.45 seconds, to attain his third straight world giant slalom title.

2018 — Chloe Kim saves the best for last in winning women’s halfpipe snowboarding event at the Pyeongchang Games. The 17-year-old from Torrance, California, puts up a leading score of 93.75 on the first of her three finals runs, and then betters it with a near-perfect 98.75 on her final run. Kim, with the gold already well in hand, becomes the first woman to land back-to-back 1080s, confirming her dominance in the sport.

2022 – Super Bowl LVI, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA: Los Angeles Rams beat Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20; MVP: Cooper Kupp, LA Rams, WR.

FOOTBALL HISTORY

February 12, 1937 – Cleveland/Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams franchise is officially approved to join the NFL. According to an article on the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s website the Rams franchise began its football life in Cleveland in 1937. They had a rough first 6 seasons as they never quite made it to the .500 mark and then they abruptly disbanded for a year in 1943 because of the World War II manpower shortages. In 1946 after businessman Dan Reeves purchased the franchise the Cleveland Rams had 15-14 victory over the Washington Redskins in the NFL championship game and the guidance of a sensational rookie quarterback from UCLA, Bob Waterfield, who was the league’s Player of the Year. Just days after the Big win Reeves announced that he was moving the team to Los Angeles,California. In 1972, the Baltimore Colts’ Carroll Rosenbloom traded franchises with Bob Irsay and took control of the Rams. Then in 1995, the Rams moved to St. Louis where they played in the Edward Jones Dome.Two years later, in 1999, the Rams were transformed into Super Bowl champions. Guided by quarterback Kurt Warner and running back Marshall Faulk, the team beat Tennessee 23-16 in a thrilling Super Bowl XXXIV. In 2016, the Rams moved to Los Angeles where they play in the Los Angeles Coliseum.

February 12, 1998 – Dallas Cowboys signed Chan Gailey as their 4th head coach. In an odd twist of fate Gaily was released by Dallas after only two seasons. Chan’s Cowboys team won the NFC East in 1998, and made the playoffs under his two years at the helm, although they did fail to win even a single playoff game. Chan Gailey is the only Cowboys coach to have never missed the playoffs when with the franchise.

February 12, 2006 – Aloha Stadium, Honolulu – At the NFL Pro Bowl the NFC squad outlasted the AFC, 23-17. The game’s MVP was Tampa Bay Buccaneers Linebacker Derrick Brooks.

February 12, 2013 – At a ceremony in Philadelphia, the NFL pays tribute to the life of the late Steve Sabol and his many contributions to the league. An NFL.com article informs us that Steve Sabol won over 40 Emmy awards and oversaw 107 Emmys for NFL Films. He was the Sporting News’ 2002 “Sports Executive of the Year.” He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.

February 12, 1963 – Santa Clara, California – The tough tight end of the 49ers from Santa Clara University, Brent Jones was born.

February 12, 1964 – San Antonio, Texas – Scott Thomas the great Air Force Academy defensive back arrived into life. The NFF bio of Thomas states that he was a consensus All-America honors his senior year of 1985. In that amazing season of ‘85 Scott returned a punt, kickoff and interception for a touchdown. Scott finished his excellent collegiate career with 221 career tackles with four tackles for loss, 10 passes picked and 22 pass breakups while averaging 28.8 yards per kickoff return. Scott Thomas received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

February 12, 1971 – York, Pennsylvania – The stud tackle of the Washington Huskies, Lincoln Kennedy was born. The footballfoundation.org says that Kennedy led the Washington Huskies to a perfect 12-0 national championship season in 1991 with his outstanding blocking. Lincoln was a unanimous First Team All-American in 1992, and he aided Washington into bowl games all four seasons of his career, including three consecutive Rose Bowls. Amazingly Lincoln allowed only two sacks in his four-year career! The National Football Foundation selected Lincoln Kennedy for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015. After school Kennedy was the ninth overall selection by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1993 NFL Draft, and he spent two seasons in Atlanta and nine seasons with the Oakland Raiders. After he retired he has served as an analyst on the NFL Network and on Fox Sports Radio.

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1878 After designing the device last season to protect his team’s promising but skittish catcher, James Tyng, Fredrick Thayer receives a patent for his innovative invention, the catcher’s mask. The Harvard captain, who will never play in a major league game, designed an oblong wireframe modeled after a fencing mask with eye holes that supports a series of strategically placed pads made from animal skins.

1924 The National League announces the circuit will join the AL in awarding a thousand dollars to the player selected by writers as the league’s Most Valuable Player. Dazzy Vance, who posts a 28-6 record and an ERA of 2.16 for the Dodgers, easily outpoints Rogers Hornsby to become the Senior Circuit’s first MVP.

1930 After leading his A’s to a world championship, Connie Mack becomes the first Philadelphian sports figure to receive the prestigious Edward W. Bok Prize. The honor, now known as the Philadelphia Award, recognizes distinguished Philadelphians for their achievements in education, industry, law, politics, science, medicine, philosophy, and the creative arts.

1942 The White Sox and Cubs issue a 150-word joint statement that eliminates the Northside team’s possibility of renting Comiskey Park as a venue for National League night games next season. The Chicago rivals agree it is in the city’s best interest to retain the north-south boundary that demarcates the fans’ loyalty to the two Windy City clubs.

1942 Former Texarkana outfielder Gordon Houston is the first professional ballplayer killed in WW II. The 25-year-old minor league batting champion, who became a full-time fighter pilot following the Pearl Harbor attack, dies when his Republic P-43 Lancer crashes at Washington’s McChord Field after leading a sortie along the West Coast, looking for Japanese submarines.

1944 Bob Coleman, who filled in for Casey Stengel last season when the Boston skipper suffered a broken leg after being hit by a taxi cab trying to cross a street, is named to replace the ‘Old Perfessor’ as the manager of the Braves. The 54-year-old, considered one of the best managers in minor league history, cannot work his magic, finishing sixth followed by a slow start in 1945, the team fires former big-league catcher.

1980 The American League thwarts Marv Davis’ plan to buy the A’s from Charlie Finley when the circuit offers to buy out the Oakland Coliseum lease. The billionaire businessman, who will also make failed bids for the NFL’s Cowboys and Broncos, had hoped to move the franchise from the City by the Bay to Denver.

1981 Arbitrator Raymond Goetz officially declares Carlton Fisk a free agent, citing the Boston Red Sox had violated the CBA by not mailing the catcher’s contract by the December 20th deadline as specified in the agreement. Next month, the 33-year-old future Hall of Fame backstop will sign a $3.5 million deal to catch for the White Sox this upcoming season.

2002 Major League Baseball will own a team after acquiring the Expos from Jeffrey Loria for the first time in history. The former Montreal owner sells the Expos for $120 million, then buys the Florida Marlins for $158.5 million with a loan from major league baseball to cover the shortfall.

2002 Many personnel changes occur with the unanimous approval of the Florida Marlins’ sale to Jeffrey Loria, the former owner of the Montreal Expos, and the MLB’s acquisition of the Montreal franchise. The Expos name Frank Robinson as the manager, Tony Tavares as president, and Omar Minaya as GM, while south of the border, former Expo skipper Jeff Torborg becomes the Marlins’ pilot, with Larry Beinfest as the GM, and David Samson taking over the duties of team president.

2003 Federal Judge James Holderman gives the Cubs and the owners of rooftop bleachers, which provide fans a view of Wrigley Field, a year to settle their dispute. The team believes the seating provided above the field via rooftops directly competes with the club for ticket sales revenue, with the surrounding neighbors, who, in turn, have not been sympathetic to the team’s expansion plans.

2007 The Major League Baseball Players Association asks the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider its 2-1 decision, allowing the names of more than 100 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs to be made available to authorities investigating the use of steroids in baseball. MLB collected the 1993 urine samples to gauge the prevalence of steroid use, with players and owners agreeing the results would be confidential.

2007 An agreement is reached after a year of negotiations on the sale of the Braves from Time Warner to Liberty Media. Seventy percent of the owners must approve the deal, which includes the retention of general manager John Schuerholz and manager Bobby Cox.

2008 To add experience to a young rotation, the Twins sign Livan Hernandez (11-11, 4.93) to a $5 million, one-year deal with an additional $2 million in performance bonuses. The 32-year-old Cuban right-hander will also add innings necessitated by the departures of starters Johan Santana and Carlos Silva.

2009 “While Alex deserves credit for publicly confronting the issue, there is no valid excuse for using such substances, and those who use them have shamed the game.” – COMMISSIONER BUD SELIG, commenting on Alex Rodriguez’s admission of using PEDs. Three days after Alex Rodriguez apologizes for using steroids, commissioner Bud Selig chastises the Yankee superstar and all the other players using such substances for bringing shame to the game. The third baseman’s apology followed an SI.com report that he was one of 104 players who tested positive in tests taken in 2003 to determine the extent of steroid use in the national pastime.

2009 Ervin Santana avoids arbitration, agreeing to a deal with the Angels, which could be worth $42 million over the next five years. The 26-year-old right-hander, who posted a 16-7 record with a 3.49 ERA for the AL West Champions last season, is the youngest active hurler with 50 career victories (51-37).

2009 Dan Uggla (.260, 32, 92), eligible for arbitration for the first time, is awarded $5.35 million by the process. The All-Star second baseman, who has averaged 30 home runs and 90 RBIs in his first three seasons in the majors, rejected the Marlins’ offer of $4.4 million.

2009 Bluefish catcher John Nathans sues Jose Offerman, a former major league All-Star with the Red Sox and Dodgers, for the infielder’s 2007 bat-wielding attack at a minor league game played at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The backstop is seeking $4.8 million in damages against the Long Island Ducks player, claiming the 2007 incident left him with career-ending injuries, including inner ear damage, vertigo, headaches, and post-concussion syndrome.

2010 Corey Hart (.260, 12, 48) is awarded a raise from $3.25 million to $4.8 million in the Brewers’ first salary arbitration hearing in a dozen years. In the first case to use the process this year, a panel of arbitrators rejected Milwaukee’s offer of $4.15 million to their 27-year-old right-fielder, an All-Star in 2008.

2010 Tim Lincecum, the two-time reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, reaches a preliminary agreement on a $23 million, two-year deal with the Giants before starting a scheduled arbitration hearing. The 25-year-old right-hander has compiled a 40-17 record along with an ERA of 2.90 ERA during his first three big-league seasons, and all played for San Francisco.

2011 “Doris From Rego Park” debuts on Jonathan Schwartz’s weekend program on WNYC-FM. The song, written and performed by Don Rosler, is a tribute to Doris Bauer, the Mets fan who became a New York institution as a late-night caller to WFAN sports radio before dying in 2003.

2014 Derek Jeter, who will turn 40 in June, announces the 2014 season will be his final one, informing his fans via a lengthy Facebook post. The 13-time All-Star shortstop acknowledged that his numerous injuries had taken their toll, making the game more of a struggle and less enjoyable.

2016 Jenrry Mejia becomes the first player to receive a lifetime ban for three failed tests for performance-enhancing substances after testing positive for boldenone, a steroid used in horse racing. The 26-year-old Mets former closer claims that he only failed one test, calling the second set of results inaccurate, and believes that MLB fabricated the latest violation to remove him from the sport.

TV SPORTS WEDNESDAY

NBA REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
Indiana Pacers vs Washington Wizards	7:00pm	MNMT FanDuel Sports IND
Charlotte Hornets vs Orlando Magic	7:00pm	FanDuel Sports CHA FanDuel Sports FL
San Antonio Spurs vs Boston Celtics	7:00pm	ESPN NBCS-BOS
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Toronto Raptors	7:30pm	Sportsnet FanDuel Sports Ohio
Atlanta Hawks vs New York Knicks	7:30pm	MSG FanDuel Sports ATL
Philadelphia 76ers vs Brooklyn Nets	7:30pm	NBCS-PHI YES
Miami Heat vs Oklahoma City Thunder	8:00pm	FanDuel Sports OK FanDuel Sports Sun
Sacramento Kings vs New Orleans Pelicans	8:00pm	GCSN NBCS-CA
Milwaukee Bucks vs Minnesota Timberwolves	8:00pm	FanDuel Sports WI FanDuel Sports North
Detroit Pistons vs Chicago Bulls	8:00pm	CHSN FanDuel Sports DET
Phoenix Suns vs Houston Rockets	8:30pm	AFSN SCHN
Los Angeles Lakers vs Utah Jazz	9:00pm	Spectrum KJZZ
Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets	9:00pm	ALT Rip City
Golden State Warriors vs Dallas Mavericks	9:30pm	ESPN NBCS-BAY KFAA
Memphis Grizzlies vs Los Angeles Clippers	10:30pm	KTLA FanDuel Sports MEM
NHL REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
4 Nations Face-Off: Canada vs Sweden	8:00pm	TNT truTV MAX
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
St. John’s at Villanova	6:00pm	FS1
Colgate at Holy Cross	6:00pm	ESPN+
Iowa at Rutgers	6:30pm	BTN
Canisius at Niagara	6:30pm	ESPN+
Purdue Fort Wayne at Youngstown State	6:30pm	ESPN+
Oakland at IU Indianapolis	6:30pm	ESPN+
Louisville at NC State	7:00pm	ESPN2
Florida State at Wake Forest	7:00pm	ESPNU
Louisville at NC State	7:00pm	SECN
Stanford at Georgia Tech	7:00pm	ACCN
Oklahoma State at TCU	7:00pm	CBSSN
La Salle at Saint Joseph’s	7:00pm	NBCS-PHI+
Davidson at UMass	7:00pm	NESN+
ETSU at Western Carolina	7:00pm	Nexstar
Southern Illinois at Bradley	7:00pm	MVC TV
VCU at George Washington	7:00pm	Peacock
St. Bonaventure at Rhode Island	7:00pm	ESPN+
Dayton at Fordham	7:00pm	ESPN+
Tulsa at Temple	7:00pm	ESPN+
Robert Morris at Cleveland State	7:00pm	ESPN+
Mercer at Furman	7:00pm	ESPN+
VMI at UNCG	7:00pm	ESPN+
Wofford at The Citadel	7:00pm	ESPN+
Lehigh at Navy	7:00pm	ESPN+
Boston University at Bucknell	7:00pm	ESPN+
Army West Point at Loyola Maryland	7:00pm	ESPN+
Chattanooga at Samford	7:30pm	ESPN+
UTSA at Wichita State	7:30pm	ESPN+
Xavier at Providence	8:00pm	Peacock
Evansville at Missouri State	8:00pm	ESPN+
Belmont at Valparaiso	8:00pm	ESPN+
Washington at Ohio State	8:30pm	BTN
Southern Miss at Arkansas State	8:30pm	ESPN+
Troy at Louisiana	8:30pm	ESPN+
Notre Dame at Boston College	9:00pm	ESPN2/U
LSU at Arkansas	9:00pm	ESPN2/U
Oklahoma at Missouri	9:00pm	SECN
California at Duke	9:00pm	ACCN
Arizona State at Texas Tech	9:00pm	CBSSN
Drake at Illinois State	9:00pm	MVC TV
Wyoming at New Mexico	10:00pm	FS1
SOCCER	TIME ET	TV
UEFA Champions League: Club Brugge vs Atalanta	12:45pm	Paramount+
EPL: Everton vs Liverpool	2:30pm	USA Peacock
UEFA Champions League: Celtic vs Bayern München	3:00pm	Paramount+
UEFA Champions League: Feyenoord vs Milan	3:00pm	Paramount+
UEFA Champions League: Monaco vs Benfica	3:00pm	Paramount+
CONCACAF Champions Cup: Guadalajara vs Cibao	8:00pm	FS2 fuboTV
CONCACAF Champions Cup: Tigres UANL vs Real Estelí	10:00pm	FS2 fuboTV