“THE SCOREBOARD” =========== INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL USA POLL CLASS 4A 1. FISHERS (20) 18-0 200 2. PLAINFIELD 17-1 172 3. MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE) 16-2 139 4. CROWN POINT 14-1 131 5. PIKE 15-3 112 6. LAWRENCE NORTH 15-2 106 7. CARMEL 11-3 78 8. NORTHRIDGE 15-1 72 9. PORTAGE 16-0 50 10. FORT WAYNE SOUTH 16-1 22 11. NEW ALBANY 11-4 7 12. TERRE HAUTE NORTH 14-3 5 13. BEN DAVIS 11-4 4 14. PENN 12-3 1 SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH 11-4 1 =========== CLASS 3A 1. SILVER CREEK (19) 18-1 199 2. INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (1) 14-3 180 3. PRINCETON 13-3 118 4. NORTHVIEW 13-4 105 5. COLUMBIA CITY 13-3 98 6. SHELBYVILLE 14-4 90 7. BATESVILLE 14-2 89 8. WEST LAFAYETTE 14-2 69 9. NEW HAVEN 14-4 41 10. INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI 11-4 28 11. FAIRFIELD 10-3 10 12. INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS 10-5 9 FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK 12-5 9 14. GUERIN CATHOLIC 13-5 8 CORYDON CENTRAL 14-4 8 16. HERITAGE HILLS 14-4 7 17. BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 10-4 3 GIBSON SOUTHERN 11-4 3 19. JAY COUNTY 13-2 2 20. MISHAWAKA MARIAN 10-4 1 =========== CLASS 2A 1. OAK HILL (18) 14-0 198 2. PAOLI (1) 15-0 167 3. WESTVIEW 15-1 160 4. CENTERVILLE 15-2 112 5. PARKE HERITAGE (1) 13-4 105 6. TRITON CENTRAL 13-2 101 7. BREMEN 15-0 88 8. GARY 21ST CENTURY 9-5 58 9. LINTON 12-3 53 10. SHENANDOAH 13-2 28 11. UNIVERSITY 11-3 6 BLACKFORD 14-3 6 13. INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA 12-5 5 14. FRANKTON 12-4 4 PARK TUDOR 9-5 4 16. GREENCASTLE 12-4 1 JIMTOWN 11-4 1 WINAMAC 13-2 1 =========== CLASS 1A 1. KOUTS (17) 14-0 197 2. BARR-REEVE (2) 14-1 175 3. HAUSER (1) 13-2 163 4. ORLEANS 14-2 122 5. WEST CENTRAL 11-1 95 6. ROSSVILLE 14-2 79 7. BLOOMFIELD 11-4 78 8. SOUTHWOOD 11-2 61 9. LIBERTY CHRISTIAN 12-4 56 10. TRITON 11-3 54 11. LOOGOOTEE 13-5 7 12. MONROE CENTRAL 11-4 3 13. NORTH DAVIESS 11-7 2 SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) 15-4 2 15. WOOD MEMORIAL 9-5 1 ========== INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD MONDAY BETHANY CHRISTIAN 39 CENTRAL NOBLE 38 CALUMET CHRISTIAN 42 CALUMET 35 EASTSIDE 49 FREMONT 39 EMINENCE 53 CENTRAL CHRISTIAN 45 GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN 79 MOORESVILLE CHRISTIAN 46 GRIFFITH 75 WHITING 36 INDIANA DEAF 46 INTERNATIONAL 38 KIPP INDY LEGACY 58 INDIANAPOLIS HOMESCHOOL 57 LALUMIERE REGIONAL 75 ST. THOMAS MORE 60 LAKEWOOD PARK 75 OAK FARM MONTESSORI 44 MARQUETTE CATHOLIC 68 HAMMOND SCIENCE & TECH 14 MOUNT VERNON (POSEY) 71 TELL CITY 45 NORTHVIEW 64 EDGEWOOD 32 SHELBYVILLE 68 JENNINGS COUNTY 59 SOUTH ADAMS 66 FORT WAYNE HAWKS 47 TECUMSEH 80 CANNELTON 34 UNIVERSITY 70 INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD 68 WASHINGTON TWP. 65 CULVER 43 =========== FINAL ICGSA GIRLS BASKETBALL POLLS CLASS 4A 1. PIKE (6) 22-1 85 2. CENTER GROVE (1) 22-0 84 3. HOMESTEAD (2) 22-2 77 4. WARSAW 23-2 59 5. LAWRENCE CENTRAL 18-4 48 6. NORWELL 20-4 38 7. HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 17-4 28 8. VALPARAISO 20-2 21 9. PLAINFIELD 19-5 16 10. PENDLETON HEIGHTS 19-3 10 FLOYD CENTRAL 19-3 10 12. PENN 21-3 7 13. BROWNSBURG 12-9 6 EVANSVILLE REITZ 18-2 6 ========== CLASS 3A 1. INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI (5) 21-3 72 2. SILVER CREEK (1) 16-5 68 3. GREENSBURG (1) 18-6 66 4. CHARLESTOWN 20-3 56 5. BELLMONT 19-3 50 6. WASHINGTON (1) 18-4 36 7. INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL 17-6 25 8. JENNINGS COUNTY 16-6 24 MADISON 16-5 24 10. EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 14-11 7 11. CONNERSVILLE 16-7 5 12. COLUMBIA CITY 15-7 4 13. SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH 17-4 3 =========== CLASS 2A 1. WHITKO (6) 21-1 78 2. RENSSELAER CENTRAL (2) 19-3 72 3. SOUTH KNOX 17-3 62 4. NORTH KNOX 16-5 43 5. EVANSVILLE MATER DEI 17-4 42 6. LAPEL 18-4 34 7. BREMEN 20-2 23 8. HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 15-8 14 9. EASTSIDE 20-3 13 10. BLUFFTON 18-5 10 11. TRITON CENTRAL 18-4 7 12. PROVIDENCE 11-8 4 BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 17-6 4 OAK HILL 19-3 4 15. MONROVIA 18-5 3 EASTERN HANCOCK 14-8 3 17. AUSTIN 15-9 2 18. ALEXANDRIA 18-4 1 =========== CLASS 1A 1. MARQUETTE CATHOLIC (7) 20-3 70 2. BORDEN 18-4 59 3. FREMONT 22-2 58 4. ELKHART CHRISTIAN 18-4 44 5. ORLEANS 18-3 41 6. OLDENBURG ACADEMY 19-3 37 7. TRINITY LUTHERAN 17-4 31 8. EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN 15-6 14 ROSSVILLE 22-1 14 10. SPRINGS VALLEY 15-6 9 11. FOUNTAIN CENTRAL 19-2 6 12. MORGAN TWP. 18-5 1 KOUTS 18-4 1 =========== INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD BELIEVE CIRCLE CITY 57 KIPP INDY LEGACY 50 BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 39 EMAN 25 EVANSVILLE HARRISON 49 EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL 40 GIBSON SOUTHERN 59 NORTH KNOX 50 INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA 38 INDIANA DEAF 35 MICHIGAN CITY 58 GARY WEST 45 RED HILL (ILL.) 40 WASHINGTON CATHOLIC 5 SOUTHRIDGE 37 TECUMSEH 36 ST. THOMAS MORE 40 LALUMIERE 25 ========== INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS SCHEDULE TUESDAY SECTIONAL FIRST ROUND CLASS 4A MUNSTER HAMMOND MORTON VS. CROWN POINT 8:00 PM VALPARAISO CHESTERTON AT VALPARAISO 7:00 PM PENN MISHAWAKA VS. SOUTH BEND ADAMS 7:00 PM GOSHEN ELKHART AT GOSHEN 7:00 PM FORT WAYNE SOUTH HOMESTEAD AT FORT WAYNE SOUTH 7:00 PM CARMEL ZIONSVILLE VS. FISHERS 6:00 PM WESTFIELD VS. HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 7:30 PM PENDLETON HEIGHTS MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE) AT PENDLETON HEIGHTS 6:00 PM GREENFIELD-CENTRAL VS. MUNCIE CENTRAL 7:30 PM NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) LAWRENCE NORTH VS. WARREN CENTRAL 6:00 PM PLAINFIELD BEN DAVIS AT PLAINFIELD 7:00 PM CENTER GROVE MOORESVILLE VS. DECATUR CENTRAL 6:00 PM PERRY MERIDIAN AT CENTER GROVE 7:30 PM TERRE HAUTE NORTH BLOOMINGTON NORTH AT TERRE HAUTE NORTH 6:00 PM COLUMBUS EAST EAST CENTRAL AT COLUMBUS EAST 7:00 PM NEW ALBANY FLOYD CENTRAL VS. JEFFERSONVILLE 6:00 PM CASTLE EVANSVILLE NORTH AT CASTLE 8:00 PM ============= CLASS 3A CALUMET HIGHLAND AT CALUMET 7:00 PM GRIFFITH VS. GARY WEST 8:30 PM KANKAKEE VALLEY ILLIANA CHRISTIAN VS. LOWELL 7:30 PM MISHAWAKA MARIAN NEW PRAIRIE VS. CULVER ACADEMY 6:00 PM SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH VS. PLYMOUTH 7:30 PM TIPPECANOE VALLEY COLUMBIA CITY VS. WEST NOBLE 6:00 PM WAWASEE VS. FAIRFIELD 7:30 PM EAST NOBLE FORT WAYNE DWENGER VS. DEKALB 6:00 PM MISSISSINEWA NEW HAVEN VS. MARION 7:00 PM WESTERN TWIN LAKES AT WESTERN 7:00 PM YORKTOWN JAY COUNTY VS. NEW CASTLE 6:00 PM HAMILTON HEIGHTS VS. CONNERSVILLE 7:30 PM LEBANON GUERIN CATHOLIC VS. BREBEUF JESUIT 7:00 PM INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL VS. INDIANAPOLIS HERRON 6:00 PM INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD AT INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE 7:30 PM EDGEWOOD CASCADE VS. SPEEDWAY 6:00 PM INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON VS. NORTHVIEW 7:30 PM RUSHVILLE INDIAN CREEK AT RUSHVILLE 7:00 PM FRANKLIN COUNTY LAWRENCEBURG AT FRANKLIN COUNTY 6:00 PM BATESVILLE VS. SOUTH DEARBORN 7:30 PM CHARLESTOWN SCOTTSBURG VS. SILVER CREEK 6:00 PM MADISON VS. CORYDON CENTRAL 7:30 PM VINCENNES LINCOLN JASPER VS. WASHINGTON 7:30 PM EVANSVILLE CENTRAL EVANSVILLE BOSSE VS. MOUNT VERNON (POSEY) 6:30 PM HERITAGE HILLS AT EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 8:00 PM ============ CLASS 2A WHEELER WHITING VS. LAKE STATION 7:00 PM LAVILLE CAREER ACADEMY VS. WINAMAC 6:00 PM KNOX VS. JIMTOWN 7:30 PM LAKELAND PRAIRIE HEIGHTS VS. WESTVIEW 6:00 PM CENTRAL NOBLE VS. CHURUBUSCO 7:30 PM WOODLAN FORT WAYNE LUERS VS. SOUTH ADAMS 6:00 PM WHITKO AT WOODLAN 7:30 PM BENTON CENTRAL NORTH MONTGOMERY VS. SEEGER 6:00 PM WESTERN BOONE VS. DELPHI 7:30 PM WABASH ROCHESTER VS. MANCHESTER 6:00 PM EASTERN (GREENTOWN) AT WABASH 7:30 PM LAPEL ELWOOD VS. FRANKTON 6:00 PM SHERIDAN AT LAPEL 7:30 PM WAPAHANI MUNCIE BURRIS VS. MADISON-GRANT 6:00 PM EASTBROOK AT WAPAHANI 7:30 PM SOUTH PUTNAM GREENCASTLE VS. NORTH PUTNAM 6:00 PM PARKE HERITAGE VS. SOUTHMONT 7:30 PM PARK TUDOR INDIANAPOLIS RIVERSIDE AT PARK TUDOR 6:00 PM COVENANT CHRISTIAN VS. INDIANAPOLIS RITTER 7:30 PM HERITAGE CHRISTIAN KIPP INDY LEGACY AT HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 7:00 PM HAGERSTOWN NORTHEASTERN VS. UNION COUNTY 6:00 PM WINCHESTER VS. SHENANDOAH 7:30 PM AUSTIN SOUTH RIPLEY VS. BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 6:00 PM SWITZERLAND COUNTY VS. BROWN COUNTY 7:30 PM EASTERN (PEKIN) CLARKSVILLE VS. MITCHELL 6:00 PM CRAWFORD COUNTY VS. LANESVILLE 7:30 PM EASTERN GREENE WEST VIGO AT EASTERN GREENE 6:00 PM SOUTH KNOX VS. SULLIVAN 7:30 PM TELL CITY NORTH POSEY AT TELL CITY 7:30 PM ============ CLASS 1A MORGAN TWP. MARQUETTE CATHOLIC VS. KOUTS 7:00 PM WESTVILLE AT MORGAN TWP. 8:30 PM NORTH WHITE CASTON AT NORTH WHITE 6:00 PM PIONEER VS. NORTH NEWTON 7:30 PM OREGON-DAVIS CULVER VS. SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) 6:30 PM TRITON AT OREGON-DAVIS 8:00 PM FREMONT LAKELAND CHRISTIAN AT FREMONT 7:00 PM NORTH VERMILLION COVINGTON VS. ATTICA 7:00 PM BETHESDA CHRISTIAN CLINTON CENTRAL VS. ROSSVILLE 6:00 PM CARROLL (FLORA) VS. CLINTON PRAIRIE 7:30 PM SOUTHERN WELLS TRI-CENTRAL VS. NORTHFIELD 6:00 PM NORTH MIAMI VS. DALEVILLE 7:30 PM UNION CITY CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN AT UNION CITY 6:00 PM PURDUE BROAD RIPPLE INDIANA MATH & SCIENCE AT PURDUE BROAD RIPPLE 7:00 PM GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN AT GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN 6:00 PM CENTRAL CHRISTIAN VS. EMINENCE 7:30 PM WALDRON SOUTHWESTERN (SHELBYVILLE) VS. EDINBURGH 6:00 PM MORRISTOWN VS. KNIGHTSTOWN 7:30 PM JAC-CEN-DEL RISING SUN VS. MILAN 6:00 PM SHAWE MEMORIAL AT JAC-CEN-DEL 7:30 PM CLAY CITY BLOOMFIELD VS. WHITE RIVER VALLEY 6:00 PM DUGGER UNION VS. LIGHTHOUSE CHRISTIAN 7:30 PM NORTH DAVIESS ORLEANS VS. SHOALS 7:00 PM WEST WASHINGTON SOUTH CENTRAL (ELIZABETH) VS. BORDEN 7:00 PM TECUMSEH CANNELTON VS. SPRINGS VALLEY 6:30 PM NORTHEAST DUBOIS VS. EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN 8:00 PM =========== INDIANA WRESTLING INDIANA STATE WRESTLING ASSOCIATION: https://www.iswa.com/ INDIANA MAT: https://indianamat.com/ ============ MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES #14 NORTH CAROLINA 87 SYRACUSE 77 #11 KANSAS 64 #13 TEXAS TECH 61 ========== AP MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL POLLS ARIZONA 22-0 MICHIGAN 20-1 UCONN 21-1 DUKE 20-1 ILLINOIS 19-3 GONZAGA 22-1 IOWA STATE 20-2 HOUSTON 19-2 NEBRASKA 20-2 MICHIGAN STATE 19-3 KANSAS 16-5 PURDUE 18-4 TEXAS TECH 16-5 NORTH CAROLINA 17-4 VANDERBILT 19-3 BYU 17-4 FLORIDA 16-6 VIRGINIA 18-3 ST. LOUIS 21-1 CLEMSON 18-4 ARKANSAS 16-6 ST. JOHN’S 16-5 MIAMI OH 22-0 LOUISVILLE 15-6 TENNESSEE 15-6 OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: TEXAS A&M 83, ALABAMA 48, IOWA 39, UCF 39, KENTUCKY 28, VILLANOVA 15, NC STATE 9, AUBURN 8, UTAH ST. 6, MIAMI 4, GEORGIA 3, SANTA CLARA 1, GEORGE MASON 1, WISCONSIN 1. ========== USA TODAY MEN’S TOP 25 POLL 1 ARIZONA (22-0) 775 1 31 2 MICHIGAN (20-1) 728 2 0 3 CONNECTICUT (21-1) 715 3 0 4 DUKE (20-1) 692 4 0 5 GONZAGA (22-1) 625 6 0 6 ILLINOIS (19-3) 599 10 0 7 IOWA STATE (20-2) 588 9 0 8 HOUSTON (19-2) 586 7 0 9 NEBRASKA (20-2) 502 5 0 10 MICHIGAN STATE (19-3) 486 8 0 11 KANSAS (16-5) 448 14 0 12 PURDUE (18-4) 387 12 0 13 TEXAS TECH (16-5) 365 11 0 14 BRIGHAM YOUNG (17-4) 315 13 0 15 VANDERBILT (19-3) 311 15 0 16 FLORIDA (16-6) 306 21 0 17 VIRGINIA (18-3) 303 17 0 18 NORTH CAROLINA (17-4) 280 18 0 19 CLEMSON (18-4) 217 19 0 20 SAINT LOUIS (21-1) 197 22 0 21 ARKANSAS (16-6) 154 16 0 22 ST. JOHN’S (16-5) 132 24 0 23 LOUISVILLE (15-6) 72 20 0 24 MIAMI (OHIO) (22-0) 68 25 0 25 TEXAS A&M (17-4) 61 NR 0 DROPPED OUT: NO. 23 ALABAMA (14-7); NO. 25 IOWA (16-5). OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: IOWA (16-5) 52; TENNESSEE (15-6) 50; ALABAMA (14-7) 15; CENTRAL FLORIDA (17-4) 15; VILLANOVA (16-5) 13; KENTUCKY (15-7) 9; NORTH CAROLINA STATE (16-6) 4; GEORGIA (16-6) 2; UTAH STATE (18-3) 2; SAINT MARY’S (19-4) 1. ========== WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES #25 NORTH CAROLINA 61 NC STATE 59 #13 OLE MISS 71 AUBURN 45 #3 SOUTH CAROLINA 71 TEXAS A&M 56 ============ AP WOMEN’S BASKETBALL POLL UCONN 23-0 UCLA 21-1 SOUTH CAROLINA 21-2 TEXAS 21-2 LSU 21-2 LOUISVILLE 21-3 VANDERBILT 21-2 MICHIGAN 19-3 OHIO STATE 20-3 IOWA 18-4 OKLAHOMA 17-5 MICHIGAN STATE 19-3 OLE MISS 18-4 TCU 20-3 BAYLOR 19-4 KENTUCKY 18-5 DUKE 16-6 TEXAS TECH 21-3 TENNESSEE 14-5 WEST VIRGINIA 18-5 ALABAMA 19-4 MARYLAND 17-6 PRINCETON 18-2 WASHINGTON 17-5 NORTH CAROLINA 17-5 OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: GEORGIA 66, RHODE ISLAND 26, NC STATE 20, NEBRASKA 10, MINNESOTA 9, ILLINOIS 6, OKLAHOMA ST. 5, SYRACUSE 5, IOWA ST. 4, FAIRFIELD 3, RICHMOND 1, SOUTHERN CAL 1. =========== NFL NFL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE SUPER BOWL 60 FEB. 8 NEW ENGLAND VS. SEATTLE, 6:30 PM NBC ========== NBA HOUSTON 118 INDIANA 114 CHARLOTTE 102 NEW ORLEANS 95 MEMPHIS 137 MINNESOTA 128 PHILADELPHIA 128 LA CLIPPERS 113 =========== NHL WASHINGTON 4 NY ISLANDERS 1 BUFFALO 5 FLORIDA 3 OTTAWA 3 PITTSBURGH 2 MINNESOTA 4 MONTRÉAL 3 OT NASHVILLE 6 ST. LOUIS 5 DALLAS 4 WINNIPEG 3 OT CHICAGO 6 SAN JOSE 3 DETROIT 2 COLORADO 0 UTAH 6 VANCOUVER 2 TORONTO 4 CALGARY 2 =========== WOMEN’S PRO VOLLEYBALL NO GAMES SCHEDULED ============ NATIONAL SPORTS NEWS RELEASES NFL GHOSTS ARE GONE FROM VIEW OF SEAHAWKS’ SAM DARNOLD SAN JOSE, Calif. — It was during a 2019 Monday night game against the New England Patriots that a young Sam Darnold was caught on the telecast telling his coaches on the sideline he was “seeing ghosts.” It was a comment that haunted Darnold for years. Of course, it wasn’t that surprising. The New York Jets, who selected Darnold with the No. 3 overall draft pick a year earlier out of Southern California, were getting pummeled 24-0 en route to losing 33-0. Darnold completed 11 of 32 passes that night for 86 yards and four interceptions and also lost a fumble. Since then, Darnold played for the Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings before signing with the Seattle Seahawks last March. On Sunday, Darnold will lead the NFC champion Seahawks into Super Bowl LX against the Patriots in Santa Clara, Calif. Darnold retraced his unlikely path to the title game Monday at Super Bowl Opening Night. “I take every experience as its own, no matter what happens,” he said. “I was really blessed to get drafted to the Jets and obviously things didn’t work out the way I wanted to there and then went to the Carolina Panthers, where I made a lot of really great friends and learned some great football as well. Just part of my journey. “Then went to San Francisco and was able to be a backup there for a great player in Brock Purdy, learned under a great coach in Kyle Shanahan, Brian Griese, the Kubiaks obviously, then went to Minnesota and was with some really great coaches and really great players as well. Everything I do, I just take one day at a time and I think that’s the mantra for myself and what I’ve been able to do over the past couple of years.” One thing that has helped Darnold win 14-plus games each of the past two seasons — he is the only quarterback in NFL history to do so in consecutive years with different teams — has been a dependable running game. Aaron Jones rushed for more than 1,000 yards for the Vikings last season and Kenneth Walker III did the same for the Seahawks this year. Darnold never had a back accomplish that feat while with the Jets or the Panthers. NFL Network analyst Michael Robinson, who won a Super Bowl as a fullback with the Seahawks, suggested Darnold has his own “Ghostbuster” in Walker. Darnold also praised the Seahawks’ “Dark Side” defense that led the league in fewest points allowed during the regular season. “Having a really good defense helps a lot,” he said. “It makes those decisions down in the red zone or when you’re in field-goal range a lot easier. I never feel like I have to force the ball.” Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in 2024, got to know Darnold at the Pro Bowl last season. Maye admires Darnold’s perseverance. “What a career he’s had,” Maye said on Monday. “… He’s made them pay ever since (other teams moved on).” SEAHAWKS OPENING NIGHT NOTEBOOK: GOAL-LINE NIGHTMARE REVISITED SAN JOSE, Calif. — Not surprisingly, Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald was asked what he would do if his team was at the New England Patriots’ 1-yard line in the final minute of the Super Bowl and needed a touchdown to take the lead. It was 11 years ago that the Seahawks faced that same situation against the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX. Instead of handing off the ball to star running back Marshawn Lynch, quarterback Russell Wilson attempted a pass that was intercepted by Malcolm Butler, clinching the Patriots’ 28-24 victory. Would the Seahawks call for a run or a pass if the situation arose again? “Is Beast Mode in the backfield?” Macdonald replied, using Lynch’s nickname, while meeting the media at Super Bowl Opening Night. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold faced the same question. “I know that’s a sore subject for a lot of people (in Seattle), but, uhh … we’ll say pass,” Darnold said with a laugh. –With their defense drawing comparisons to the “Legion of Boom” that helped the Seahawks to two Super Bowl appearances a decade ago, this year’s unit decided it needed its own identity. The players settled on the Dark Side. “We had a few names come, thrown at the wall, and I think the Dark Side stuck because one of Coach Mike’s messages is a play style and a place that nobody wants to play … and in Seattle it gets dark during the wintertimes and we shut some teams out this year, no points on the board,” defensive lineman Leonard Williams said. “So we have a very suffocating defense, I would say, and that’s why we came up with the Dark Side.” Added safety Julian Love: “We carry ourselves way different than those guys, than those legends. We’re just trying to create an identity for ourselves.” –Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp, the MVP of Super Bowl LVI while with the Los Angeles Rams, was asked about coming from Eastern Washington University in Cheney, a Football Championship Subdivision school. “It was a steppingstone,” Kupp said. “It was one step along this path, along this journey. I don’t think of it as overcoming anything. That was my path to continue playing football in college and gave me an opportunity to be in front of the NFL people and go out there and make my dream a reality. “There’s really good football players across the nation, (Division II), (Division III), all over the place. Any opportunity to play football, I’m all in on.” –It wouldn’t be a Super Bowl opening night without an appearance from Guillermo Rodriguez, the sidekick from “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Rodriguez presented Darnold with a button that read “Ham for Sam” and then a giant ham-shaped foam hat before encouraging media members to chant “Ham for Sam!” Darnold briefly donned the hat before switching back to his baseball cap. Rodriguez also gave Darnold an apron with “Ham for Sam” on the front. PATRIOTS OPENING NIGHT NOTEBOOK: DC TERRELL WILLIAMS HAPPY TO BE BACK SAN JOSE, Calif. — Terrell Williams is back with the New England Patriots in time for the Super Bowl. The defensive coordinator missed most of the season after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in September. He took a leave of absence after being on the sideline for New England’s Week 1 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Williams attended meetings at the Patriots’ facility during his recovery period, but he didn’t travel with the team this season. Inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr filled in as New England’s defensive play-caller. Williams, 51, was declared cancer-free during the playoffs. “Honestly, my thoughts are about the game and not really about me or the Super Bowl or anything,” he said. “This could be a preseason game and I’d be happy to be here with these guys after kind of what I’ve been through, what we’ve been through.” The Patriots have allowed an average of 8.6 points per game in their three playoff contests. They forced eight turnovers in those wins over the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and Denver Broncos. –One of the subplots to the Sunday game will be how the Patriots choose to defend Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who led the NFL this season with 1,793 yards while catching 10 touchdown passes among his 119 receptions. New England could mix coverages, but the Patriots may also assign Christian Gonzalez to Smith-Njigba. Gonzalez, who has become one of the top cornerbacks in the league, intercepted a pass on Denver’s final possession to secure New England’s 10-7 victory in the AFC Championship Game. “He can do everything from every spot on the field,” Gonzalez said of Smith-Njigba. “He’s a smooth route-runner, can run every route, and he’s just an amazing player. I (have) the utmost respect for him, and I’m excited for Sunday.” –New England wide receiver Stefon Diggs has 80 receptions for 982 yards and five touchdowns in 17 career playoff games, and he is looking to become the 19th NFL player to reach 1,000 postseason receiving yards. Diggs, who is in his first season with the Patriots, is currently 20th on the NFL’s all-time postseason list for receiving yards. He enters the Sunday game tied for 12th with 80 postseason receptions and needs six more catches to move into the top 10. Diggs had 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns in the 2025 regular season. “I’ve been in the league a long time,” Diggs said Monday night. “As far as the corners, I’ve seen some of the best corners in the game, Hall of Fame corners, Patrick Peterson, Richard Sherman — all those guys. “I took a lot of lumps earlier in my career, so understanding what I’ve seen, I come with a little bit of experience, I guess, to kind of show out in the game.” Diggs played for the Minnesota Vikings, the Buffalo Bills and Houston before he signed with New England last March. –Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels owns six Super Bowl rings, so he knows a bit about planning for the contest. McDaniels pointed out the oddity of there being a long layoff leading up to the game. “We don’t have any games during the season where we have two weeks to prepare,” he said, “so you’ve got to be careful you don’t overdo it.” New England head coach Mike Vrabel earned three Super Bowl rings as a linebacker, but this is his first trip to the Super Bowl since his playing days. “Josh has been a good resource, obviously,” Vrabel said. “He’s coached in these with the extended break.” –Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane didn’t practice Monday at Stanford, but he is optimistic his ankle injury won’t prevent him from playing on Sunday. He is listed as questionable. “I’m doing what I need to do,” Spillane said. “We have a plan scheduled for me to return to play. I’m just trying to do everything I can to make sure we’re right on it.” Spillane had 97 tackles and two interceptions in 13 regular-season games. He aggravated the nagging ankle injury during the AFC Championship Game. PATRIOTS’ DRAKE MAYE DECLARES THROWING SHOULDER ‘JUST FINE’ SAN JOSE, Calif. — Drake Maye is concern-free as Super Bowl LX approaches. That goes for his throwing arm, too. The New England Patriots’ second-year quarterback said his tender right shoulder feels fine and there’s no reason for worry entering the Sunday clash with the Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara, Calif. “I threw a good bit (today),” Maye said Monday during the Super Bowl Opening Night festivities. “I threw as much as I would in a practice, and it felt great.” In other words, no worries. “I feel good. I’ll be just fine,” Maye said. Maye missed practice on Friday, but not due to the shoulder. Coach Mike Vrabel said Maye was out with an illness. Vrabel said Monday he’s not concerned about Maye’s shoulder. “We’ll work through these things through the week, just like everybody else does,” Vrabel said. “But we’re confident that the preparation that’s required for each position on our football team will be there by the end of the week, and everybody will be available.” Sunday will mark the second time Maye has been inside Levi’s Stadium for a Super Bowl. His dad took him to Super Bowl 50 when Maye’s favorite boyhood team, the Carolina Panthers, lost to the Denver Broncos. And, yes, there’s a little bit of pinching involved to believe it’s truly his turn. “It’s a full-circle moment, that’s the biggest thing,” the 23-year-old Maye said. “So thankful my dad was able to take me to a Super Bowl, I don’t take it for granted. I was watching my favorite team at the time and got a chance to watch Peyton Manning’s last game (for the Broncos). “Now to be here and playing in one myself, I know how special it is.” The No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of North Carolina, Maye completed an NFL-best 72% of his passes this season. He ranked third with 31 passing touchdowns and fourth with 4,394 passing yards. Most important, he guided the Patriots to a 14-3 record that tied the Seahawks and Denver Broncos for most regular-season wins. “There’s so many things that he does at an accelerated rate based on his age,” Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said Monday. “He’s 23 years old, but he’s wise beyond his years. He knows how to prepare well, he’s smart, he’s a great leader and he’s very authentic with his teammates. “And certainly all the physical attributes that we’ve seen all year long: He loves the game, he wants to be good at every aspect of it and that’s a great trait to have as a young player. Playing quarterback in the NFL, there’s really no shortcuts in being good at that position.” Maye is ready to hone in on his preparation for the week. He understands the Super Bowl hype and the possibility of distractions. But he said he won’t be paying attention to anything that isn’t related to the game itself. For example, Maye is considered a co-favorite with Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award that will be announced Thursday. “Anything else outside is nothing I need to worry about,” Maye said. “That’s the biggest thing for me. Just go out there and give our guys a chance to make plays, get them the football. I’ve done that and they’ve made me look good.” MIKE VRABEL, PATS’ COACH AND EX-LB, ON VERGE OF SUPER BOWL HISTORY SAN JOSE, Calif. — Mike Vrabel will be in an exclusive club if he can steer the New England Patriots to a victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX on Sunday. In fact, Vrabel will be the club’s only member. A New England win would make Vrabel the only person to win a Super Bowl as a player and as a head coach for the same franchise. Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls with the Patriots as a linebacker, is in his first season as New England’s head coach. Gary Kubiak is the only other person who reached the Super Bowl with the same team as both a coach and a player; he directed Denver to a 24-10 victory over Carolina in Super Bowl 50, but was winless in three trips to the Super Bowl as a player for the Broncos. Tom Flores, Mike Ditka, Tony Dungy and Doug Pederson each won a Super Bowl as both a player and a head coach, but none did so with the same team. To Vrabel, there are just as many similarities as there are obvious differences between playing and coaching in the Super Bowl. “You have to be focused,” he said. “You have to be locked in and be prepared, and be able to be in a state of mind to do your job and help the football team whether you’re a player or you’re a coach.” Vrabel is the eighth head coach in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl in his first season with a team. That group includes Kubiak, Jim Caldwell, Jon Gruden, Bill Callahan, George Seifert, Red Miller and Don McCafferty. The Patriots went 4-13 in each of the last two seasons, but Vrabel guided them to a 14-3 record and an AFC East title in Year 1. That stellar regular season tied the largest single-season improvement by an NFL team (10 games), matching the feat accomplished by the 1999 Colts and 2008 Dolphins. Adding New England’s three playoff wins to the equation makes it the single greatest turnaround year over year in league history. “(Vrabel’s) just got a great sense of what’s needed,” Patriots center Garrett Bradbury said earlier this week. “He played, obviously, and at a high level, so he knows the players’ perspective, but he’s not just strictly, like, ‘player’s coach’ because there’s never any doubt who’s in charge. I think the way he’s been all year has just prepared us all to meet this moment, because you can see the vision and the belief, and you know he has your back.” Vrabel was the Tennessee Titans’ head coach from 2018 to 2023, but was fired after the 2023 season. He worked as a consultant with the Cleveland Browns last season. “I would tell you that the thing I learned most about last year is that there’s nothing that I want to do more than to coach this football team — that’s what I learned,” Vrabel said. “Being around players is so critical and the connections that you make, and you can’t lose sight of that. No matter how long you’ve been a head coach, finding a way to make connections with players is important.” The Patriots failed to qualify for the playoffs in four of the last five seasons before this Super Bowl run. A victory Sunday would earn New England its seventh Super Bowl title, which would break a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the NFL record. “I’m a little bit more reserved here in this role,” Vrabel said. “A lot more to focus on I think, and think about. Make sure everybody’s moving in the right direction, being where we’re supposed to be. But it’s certainly a unique feeling. I’ve always told our players to play as long as you can. Then you have to get a real job. There’s nothing that beats playing in the National Football League, but this is pretty close.” KLINT KUBIAK WON’T DISCUSS RAIDERS, ‘ALL IN’ WITH SEAHAWKS SAN JOSE, Calif. — Klint Kubiak won’t look ahead to his next job while he is on the verge of achieving his goal in his current role. The Seattle offensive coordinator reportedly will be introduced as the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach next week, after he leads the Seahawks in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots on Sunday. Asked about the reports regarding his impending move, Kubiak said Monday at Super Bowl Opening Night, “I can just tell you I’m all in on the Seahawks, I’m all in on this game, and whatever comes next, we’ll deal with that on Monday. … “I’m just focusing on … coaching this game. I’ve been working my whole life to coach in this game, and that’s where our focus is.” Kubiak, 38, is in first season with the Seahawks, who finished eighth in the NFL in total yards per game (351.4) and third in points per game (28.4). He previously served as offensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings (2021) and the New Orleans Saints (2024). He also has been an assistant coach with the Denver Broncos and the San Francisco 49ers plus Texas A&M and Kansas. Kubiak comes from a coaching family. His father, Gary Kubiak, compiled an 82-75 record as the head coach of the Houston Texans (2006-13) and the Broncos (2015-16), guiding Denver to the Super Bowl title in his first season. Klint Kubiak’s brother Klay is the San Francisco 49ers’ offensive coordinator, and another brother, Klein, works as a scout for the Dallas Cowboys. ROGER GOODELL TALKS CONTROVERSIES SURROUNDING NFL IN STATE OF THE LEAGUE ADDRESS NFL commissioner Roger Goodell tackled a multitude of controversies surrounding the league Monday including New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch’s appearance in the Epstein Files, the league’s ongoing diversity problems in the coaching system and Bill Belichick’s recent Hall of Fame snub during his state of the league address Monday in San Jose, Calif. Super Bowl LX between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks is Sunday in nearby Santa Clara. Goodell was asked multiple times about Tisch reportedly being mentioned more than 400 times in the Jeffrey Epstein files. Tisch often had interactions with Epstein about various women in files released publicly. He was very brief with the comments each time, but Goodell indicated the league would investigate if needed. “Absolutely we are going to look at all the facts,” Goodell said. “We’re going to look at the context and try to understand that. We’ll look at how that falls under the policy. I think we take one step at a time. Let’s get the facts first.” The emails, which were sent in 2013, were released Friday by the Department of Justice among 3.5 million documents related to Epstein’s sex trafficking case and were first reported on by The Athletic. The NFL had 10 head-coaching vacancies this season and nine of them went to white men. The one minority hire was Robert Saleh by the Tennessee Titans. He’s Lebanese and also has previously been a head coach with the New York Jets “Teams are trying to get the coach they think will help them win,” Goodell.The Rooney Rule has been in place since 2003 and it requires teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for head coaching positions and for some executive roles. Goodell was asked about the possibility that some NFL teams might satisfy the Rooney Rule when they have no intention of hiring a minority candidate. “I would dispute the context of the question,” Goodell said. “I think the Rooney Rule has been seen as a positive by our clubs by giving them an opportunity to look at a diverse set of candidates. “They make the choice, ultimately, but I think it has shown them the value of looking at talent where you might not know it or might not see it.” As for recent reports that Belichick won’t be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, Goodell said the former Patriots head coach should be a clear entrant. “He’s the second winningest coach in NFL football and six Super Bowls as a head coach and two as a defensive coordinator, that’s a Hall of Fame career,” Goodell said. “Bill Belichick deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.” Goodell emphasized that the NFL has nothing to do with the voting process. Goodell was asked about the reported sale of the Seahawks and he said the trust of the late Paul Allen requires the team to be sold. Owner Jody Allen is handling that. “Eventually the team will need to be solid in accordance of that (trust). It will be Jody’s decision on when she does that and we will be supportive of that.” Goodell said reports that the Seahawks were fined $5 million for failing to be in compliance with league ownership requirements were “not true.” –Goodell praised the level of officiating and said he’s not sure the league has ever seen higher quality. “I’m so amazed at how good our officials are,” Goodell said. “These guys have to make a split-second decision. They have proven over and over they are very wonderful at what they do … it’s a difficult sport to officiate. It’s fast, it’s quick and we have to use technology to prevent the obvious errors. “I think replay assist has been a terrific advance and we need to expand on it. –The NFL will host nine international games in 2026 across four continents. London will host three games. Landing one game each will be Paris, Madrid, Munich, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro and Melbourne. The New Orleans Saints will play in Paris and the Los Angeles Rams will play in Australia. “We’re hearing from cities all over the world who want to host these games,” Goodell said. “They want to get more American football.” Goodell said his goal is to annually have 16 international games so every NFL team is playing in one. –Goodell said there hasn’t been much dialogue with the NFL Players Association about expanding the season by one game to 18. “We have not had any formal discussion and, frankly, very little informal discussion,” Goodell said. “It’s not a given that we’ll do that. It’s not something we assume will happen.” –Goodell said security for the game is tight but normal for Super Bowls. He also thinks halftime performer Bad Bunny will put on a good show. “This platform is used to unite people and to be able to bring people together with their creativity and their talents and to be able to use this moment to do that,” Goodell said. “I think artists in the past have done that and I think he will have a great performance.” ============ MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL ARIZONA REMAINS NO. 1 IN AP TOP 25, MICHIGAN JUMPS UCONN FOR NO. 2 Arizona remained the unanimous No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll Monday while Michigan jumped over UConn and into second place following wins over previously unbeaten Nebraska and rival Michigan State. The Wildcats, who are off to a school-record 22-0 start, earned all 59 votes from a national media panel to stay atop the poll for the eighth consecutive week. UConn and Michigan were followed by Duke and Illinois in rounding out the top five. “We value steadiness,” said Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, whose team visits Oklahoma State on Saturday before a four-game grinder against Kansas, Texas Tech, BYU and Houston. “A lot of of people talk about momentum, momentum, momentum. I understand what momentum is, but I think there’s way more value in being steady and consistent.” If the Wildcats beat the Cowboys, they would set a school record with their 23rd consecutive win. This bunch is currently tied with Arizona teams from 1914-17 that won 22 in a row under its arena namesake, Pop McKale, over a three-year span. Gonzaga remained at No. 6 while Iowa State and Houston climbed one spot apiece. The Huskers fell four spots to No. 9 after losses to Michigan and the Illini, while the Spartans fell three spots to No. 10 after beating Rutgers and their own loss to the Wolverines. The losses by Nebraska left only Arizona and No. 23 Miami (Ohio) unbeaten in Division I men’s college basketball. “Obviously, back-to-back losses, we just have to look at the film and learn from it,” Huskers forward Pryce Sandfort said. “Keep our heads high and flush it as we get ready for Rutgers this week.” Kansas climbed three spots to No. 11 following its win over BYU on Saturday, while Purdue remained at No. 12 and Texas Tech — which played the Jayhawks on Monday night — was at No. 13. North Carolina and Vanderbilt rounded out the first 15. BYU, Florida, Virginia, Saint Louis and Clemson were next. The Billikens, who have won 15 consecutive games, have reached their best ranking since March 10, 2014, when they were at No. 18 the year they won the Atlantic 10 championship. Arkansas, St. John’s, Miami (Ohio), Louisville and Tennessee held down the final five spots in the Top 25. The RedHawks bumped up one from last week and are at their highest point since they were No. 22 on Nov. 30, 1998. “The further you go,” RedHawks coach Travis Steele said following a win over Northern Illinois on Saturday, “the harder it gets.” Rising and falling Kansas, Vanderbilt and St. John’s made up the most ground this week, climbing three spots apiece, while the Volunteers — who were ranked as high as No. 13 this season — climbed back into the poll at No. 25 after two weeks out of it. Tennessee returned at the expense of Alabama. The Crimson Tide had the fifth-longest active poll streak snapped at 42. Update on the NET The latest NET rankings released Sunday, which the NCAA uses to help select its tournament field, installed Duke at No. 1 with the Wildcats second and Michigan third. The rest of the rankings largely mirrored the AP poll with one notable exception: The RedHawks were at No. 53 in the NET rankings by virtue of a soft schedule that has produced no Quad 1 win. Conference watch The Big 12 led with six teams in the Top 25, while the Big Ten and ACC had five apiece — though the Big Ten had four of its five in the top 10. The SEC had four ranked teams, the Big East had two and the West Coast, A-10 and MAC had one apiece. =========== DARRYN PETERSON’S LATE TREYS LIFT NO. 11 KANSAS PAST NO. 13 TEXAS TECH Darryn Peterson canned a pair of 3-pointers in the final 80 seconds as No. 11 Kansas rallied late for a second straight win over a ranked team, beating No. 13 Texas Tech 64-61 on Monday in Lubbock, Texas. Coming off a 90-82 home win over then-No. 13 BYU on Saturday, the Jayhawks (17-5, 7-2 Big 12) trailed the Red Raiders (16-6, 6-3) by 10 points with 8:25 to go and by three inside the final two minutes. Peterson, who finished with 19 points, drained a corner trey with 1:20 left, then added the go-ahead trey from the left wing with 44 seconds to play. Texas Tech’s Tyeree Bryan missed a 3-point attempt and teammate Donovan Atwell didn’t connect on two deep shots in the final seconds as the Jayhawks escaped with the win. Kansas’ Melvin Council Jr. had 16 points and seven rebounds while Flory Bidunga had 14 points and nine boards. Trey White posted 10 points and six rebounds, and Bryson Tiller collected 10 boards. Texas Tech’s LeJuan Watts had 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, but the team lost its second straight contest. Atwell posted 12 points and seven rebounds, and Jaylen Petty notched 11 points, six rebounds and six assists. Watts’ outing picked up the lack of production from top scorer JT Toppin (10 points on 5-of-18 shooting, six rebounds) and second-leading scorer Christian Anderson (illness, did not play), who combine for 42 points per game on average. The Jayhawks edged ahead on Peterson’s jumper and his two free throws to cap a 7-0 run late in the first half, and they were up 32-29 at halftime. Peterson paced Kansas with 11 first-half points, while Watts topped Texas Tech with 10. Kansas went up 36-31 early in the second, but Atwell and Watts canned long shots for a one-point edge at 15:50. Another Atwell trey soon made it an 11-0 run and a six-point margin. Jazz Henderson’s 26-footer with 10:38 left pushed the home team’s advantage to 53-45. The lead grew to double digits on Watts’ jump hook on the next possession before Kansas mounted the winning comeback. NO. 14 NORTH CAROLINA BUILDS 32-POINT LEAD TO SQUEEZE SYRACUSE Caleb Wilson delivered 22 points and nine rebounds to help No. 14 North Carolina to an 87-77 Atlantic Coast Conference victory over Syracuse, Monday in Chapel Hill, N.C. Henri Veesaar contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds as the Tar Heels (18-4, 6-3) captured their fourth straight and improved to 13-0 at home. Jonathan Powell and Luka Bogavac added 12 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench for North Carolina, which improved to 8-0 at home against Syracuse. Donnie Freeman returned to the starting lineup and scored 18 of his 23 points in the first half for Syracuse (13-10, 4-6). In a win Saturday over Notre Dame, Freeman came off the bench for the first time this season and scored a season-low seven points. Naithan George contributed 15 points, J.J. Starling scored 13 and Kiyan Anthony added 10 for the Orange, who lost for the fifth time in their last six. North Carolina set the tone in the first half with three scoring bursts. Wilson started the first spree, scoring the Tar Heels’ first three baskets in a nine-point run that put North Carolina up 9-2. Midway through the half, Veesaar scored six of the points in a 13-2 spurt that Powell finished with a 3-pointer and a driving slam as the Tar Heels surged to a 25-12 advantage. Late in the half, Seth Trimble (nine points) and Powell drained 3-pointers and Derek Dixon (eight points) added a 3-point play to give North Carolina its biggest lead of the half at 46-29. Freeman banked in a 3-pointer as time expired to give the Orange a small dose of momentum as they headed to the locker room down 46-32. The Tar Heels quickly re-established their dominance in the second half. In a 1:48 span, Bogavac made a 3-pointer and jumper and drove for a 3-point play to expand North Carolina’s lead to 66-40 with 13:39 left. Powell gave the Tar Heels their biggest lead of the game, 72-40, with 9:56 to play when he hit a 3-pointer. Syracuse didn’t surrender easily as it hit 13 of 14 shots from the floor while limiting North Carolina to one field goal in the final 8:57. The Orange’s 35-10 run got them as close as 83-77 on Starling’s jumper with 42 seconds left. Jarin Stevenson and Trimble made two free throws each to sew it up. ============ WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL LOUISVILLE RISES TO 6TH IN AP WOMEN’S TOP 25, ITS BEST RANKING IN FOUR YEARS, UCONN-UCLA 1-2 Louisville moved up to sixth for its best ranking in four years in The Associated Press women’s Top 25 basketball poll released Monday. UConn remained the unanimous No. 1 from the 31-member national media panel. The Huskies are the lone undefeated team in women’s college basketball and kept that streak going Sunday with a 96-66 rout of then-No. 15 Tennessee. UConn has won 39 consecutive games dating to last season. UCLA, South Carolina and Texas remained behind the Huskies in an unchanged top four. The Bruins had an impressive win over then-No. 8 Iowa on Sunday. The Hawkeyes dropped to 10th. The Longhorns topped then-No. 10 Oklahoma on Sunday as well. The Sooners fell to 11th. The rest of the top 10 shuffled. LSU moved back up to fifth, and Louisville climbed to its highest ranking since 2022 after wins at Stanford and Cal. Vanderbilt dropped two spots to seventh after a loss to Ole Miss. Michigan and Ohio State were next. It’s the Buckeyes first appearance in the top 10 in a year. Falling Tigers Princeton fell four spots to No. 23 after ending a 15-game winning streak Friday in a loss to rival Columbia. The Tigers rebounded with a victory over Cornell the next day. Princeton was having its best year since going undefeated during the regular season in 2014-15. Conference supremacy The SEC has a record 10 teams in the poll for the second consecutive week. The Big Ten is next with seven. The Big 12 has four teams, the Atlantic Coast Conference has two, and the Big East and Ivy League each have one. Games of the week No. 17 Duke at No. 6 Louisville, Thursday. First place in the ACC will be on the line. The Blue Devils have a 13-game winning streak and the Cardinals have won 14 straight. No. 2 UCLA at No. 8 Michigan, Sunday. The top two teams in the Big Ten will face off when the Bruins visit the Wolverines. UCLA hasn’t lost a conference game this season, while Michigan has just one loss. WOMEN’S TOP 25 ROUNDUP: NO. 25 UNC EDGES NC STATE Despite being up by 10 points with four minutes to play, No. 25 North Carolina barely held on for a 61-59 win over North Carolina State on Monday in Raleigh. Tilda Trygger’s layup with 12 seconds left capped an 11-3 run for the Wolfpack, cutting the deficit to two points. After a Tar Heels turnover, NC State’s Zamareya Jones missed a 3-point attempt and North Carolina’s Indya Nivar got the rebound with 1.6 seconds left. Nivar was off target on both free throws, but she rebounded the second to run off the remaining time. Lanie Grant scored 18 points while Nivar contributed 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists as North Carolina (18-5, 7-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) logged its fifth win in a row. Nyla Harris produced 10 points and nine rebounds for the Tar Heels, who bounced back after trailing by nine in the second quarter. Khamil Pierre paced NC State (15-7, 8-3) with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Trygger finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, and Qadence Samuels chipped in with 10 points and eight boards. No. 3 South Carolina 71, Texas A&M 56 Joyce Edwards scored 28 points, including eight during a 9-0 Gamecocks run in the fourth quarter that allowed South Carolina to put away the Aggies in College Station, Texas. South Carolina (22-2, 8-1 SEC) was up 58-53 with less than six minutes left before Edwards hit a jumper, sank two free throws and made a layup. After Maddy McDaniel went 1 of 2 at the foul line, Edwards added two more free throws to make it 67-53 with 1:50 to go. Tessa Johnson had 19 points and Edwards added a season-high 11 rebounds for the Gamecocks, who have won three in a row. Texas A&M (8-10, 1-8) took its sixth straight loss despite getting 14 points from Ny’Ceara Pryor and 12 from Fatmata Janneh. The Aggies’ Anita Franchini amassed seven point, nine rebounds and six steals. No. 13 Ole Miss 71, Auburn 45 Cotie McMahon scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 23 minutes, powering the Rebels to a victory over the Tigers in Birmingham, Ala. The game was played on a neutral site due to the winter storm in the South. Sira Thienou added 14 points and eight rebounds while Christeen Iwuala totaled 12 points and 11 boards for Ole Miss (19-4, 6-2 Southeastern Conference), which has won three consecutive games. Harissoum Coulibaly hit just 4 of 12 field-goal attempts for 11 points and was the lone double-figure scorer for Auburn (13-10, 2-7). The Tigers were outscored 22-10 in the first quarter and wound up shooting 32.1% en route to their fourth loss in a row. ========== NBA NBA ROUNDUP: 76ERS MAKE IT 4 STRAIGHT WITH BLOWOUT OF CLIPPERS Tyrese Maxey scored 16 of his 29 points in the first quarter as the Philadelphia 76ers got off to a fast start and extended their winning streak to four games with a 128-113 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday in Inglewood, Calif. Dominick Barlow scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed 16 rebounds and Joel Embiid added 24 points as the 76ers matched their longest winning streak of the season. The Sixers grabbed an 18-2 lead five minutes into the game, led by as many as 23 points in the first half and swept the two-game season series against Los Angeles. Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points and Jordan Miller added 21 as the Clippers’ five-game home winning streak came to an end. The Clippers were playing their second consecutive game without guard James Harden because of personal reasons, with the veteran starting to emerge in trade rumors ahead of the Thursday deadline. Rockets 118, Pacers 114 Alperen Sengun matched his season high with 39 points and helped seal Houston’s win over host Indiana with the last of his game-high 16 rebounds in Indianapolis. Sengun picked up the offensive slack for a Houston team down Kevin Durant, a late scratch due to a left ankle sprain. The Houston center shot 13-for-25 from the floor and 13-for-18 at the foul line, and it was on one of his missed attempts at the charity stripe he made a critical play. With Houston leading 117-114 and eight seconds remaining, Isaiah Jackson sent Sengun to the free-throw line with a take foul. Sengun missed both foul shots, but he chased down the second carom. The rebound shaved half of the remaining time off the clock and resulted in Amen Thompson going to the free-throw line, where he extended the Rockets’ lead to two possessions. Grizzlies 137, Timberwolves 128 Jaren Jackson Jr. had 30 points, Ty Jerome added 19 points with eight assists and Jaylen Wells scored 18 to lead Memphis past visiting Minnesota. The Grizzlies also got 16 points and five assists each from reserves Vince Williams Jr. and Cam Spencer while snapping a six-game losing streak. Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 39 points and Jaden McDaniels had 29 on 11-of-14 shooting. Donte DiVincenzo added 21 points for Minnesota, which had won four straight. Hornets 102, Pelicans 95 LaMelo Ball scored 24 points and Charlotte won its seventh consecutive game by overcoming a 22-point deficit to defeat visiting New Orleans. Kon Knueppel chipped in 17 points and nine rebounds and Brandon Miller added 16 points and eight rebounds. Grant Williams provided 16 points and nine rebounds off the bench and fellow reserve Ryan Kalkbrenner supplied 10 points for Charlotte, which is on its longest winning streak in nearly 10 years. New Orleans, which scored just 13 points in the fourth quarter and 31 for the whole second half, lost for the third time in their last four games despite Trey Murphy III’s 27 points. Derik Queen contributed 16 points and eight rebounds, while Zion Williamson added 14 points and 11 boards. ============ NHL NHL ROUNDUP: PREDATORS ESCAPE 4-GOAL HOLE, STUN BLUES Ryan O’Reilly and Steve Stamkos scored two goals each as the Nashville Predators rallied from a four-goal deficit to defeat the visiting St. Louis Blues 6-5 on Monday. Filip Forsberg added a goal and an assist and Michael McCarron also scored for the Predators, who trailed 5-1 midway through the game. Roman Josi earned four assists, and Luke Evangelista added three helpers. Predators goalie Juuse Saros allowed five goals on 21 shots before giving way to Justus Annunen in the second period. Annunen stopped all 13 shots he saw to get the victory, helping Nashville improve to 2-0-2 in the past four games. Pavel Buchnevich had two goals and an assist for the Blues, who lost for the seventh time in eight games (1-6-1). Jake Neighbours logged a goal and two assists while Philip Broberg had goal and an assist for St. Louis. Colton Parayko also scored and Jordan Kyrou earned three assists. Joel Hofer allowed six goals on 28 shots. Maple Leafs 4, Flames 2 William Nylander scored once in a three-point game and Toronto posted a win over host Calgary — the Maple Leafs’ first regulation win on the road since Dec. 4. Matias Maccelli, Troy Stecher and Bobby McMann also scored for the Maple Leafs, who are 2-0-0 since losing six straight (0-5-1). Joseph Woll made 28 saves as Toronto won its eighth consecutive meeting with Calgary. Nazem Kadri and Joel Farabee both collected one goal and one assist for the Flames, who have one win in seven games (1-4-2). Dustin Wolf stopped 18 shots. Wild 4, Canadiens 3 (OT) Kirill Kaprizov scored two goals, including the winner 3:38 into overtime, to lift Minnesota past Montreal in Saint Paul, Minn. Joel Eriksson Ek and Brock Faber also tallied for the Wild, who won their fourth game in a row. Quinn Hughes finished with three assists while Matt Boldy and Marcus Johansson had two helpers apiece. Filip Gustavsson stopped 17 shots. Brendan Gallagher, Ivan Demidov and Kirby Dach scored one goal apiece for the Canadiens, whose three-game winning streak ended. Jakub Dobes allowed four goals on 24 shots. Sabres 5, Panthers 3 Jason Zucker scored the go-ahead, power-play goal with 14:29 left in the third period, leading Buffalo over reeling Florida in Sunrise, Fla. It was the fourth straight loss for the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champion Panthers, who blew an early 2-0 lead. The Sabres also got goals from Tage Thompson, Peyton Krebs, Zach Benson and Josh Doan. Rasmus Dahlin added two assists. Alex Lyon made 38 stops for the win. The Panthers got goals from Sandis Vilmanis, Evan Rodrigues and Uvis Balinskis, and Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 15 shots. Senators 3, Penguins 2 Claude Giroux scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and Ottawa won its fourth straight while ending host Pittsburgh’s six-game winning streak. Tim Stutzle had a goal and an assist, Michael Amadio also tallied and Drake Batherson had two assists for the Senators. Linus Ullmark made 14 saves for the victory. Egor Chinakhov had a goal and an assist, Thomas Novak found the net and Arturs Silovs made 28 saves for the Penguins. Capitals 4, Islanders 1 Martin Fehervary and Anthony Beauvillier scored 31 seconds apart in the second period and rookie Clay Stevenson stopped 29 shots as host Washington rallied to top New York. Nic Dowd recorded a goal and an assist and John Carlson added an empty-netter for the Capitals, who have won three straight amid a 4-1-1 stretch. Stevenson was undeniably stout in his second consecutive start, the third of his career, as Washington continues to deal with injuries to regulars Logan Thompson and backup Charlie Lindgren. Mathew Barzal scored and David Rittich made 20 saves for the Islanders, who have dropped two in a row. Mammoth 6, Canucks 2 Nick Schmaltz scored three goals and added an assist as Utah crushed Vancouver in Salt Lake City for its seventh win in the past 10 games. Schmaltz netted two goals in the first period and one in the third enroute for his third career hat trick and his sixth game with four-plus-points. Lawson Crouse had a goal and an assist while Karel Vejmelka made 21 saves in the win. Teddy Blueger and Liam Ohgren scored and Conor Garland chipped in two assists for the Canucks, who have lost seven straight on the road. Kevin Lankinen stopped 14 of 20 shots. Stars 4, Jets 3 (OT) Thomas Harley scored in overtime as host Dallas beat Winnipeg to extend its winning streak to five games. Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist while Jason Robertson and Nils Lundkvist also scored goals for the Stars. Matt Duchene and Miro Heiskanen each had a pair of assists, and Jake Oettinger made 24 saves. Gabriel Vilardi and Cole Perfetti both had a goal and an assist for the Jets. Logan Stanley also scored. Mark Scheifele picked up two helpers and Connor Hellebuyck made 24 stops as Winnipeg fell to 2-2-2 in the past six games. Red Wings 2, Avalanche 0 Marco Kasper scored 33 seconds into the game, John Gibson made 21 saves, and Detroit beat Colorado in Denver. Lucas Raymond had a goal and an assist and Dylan Larkin added two assists for the Red Wings, who bounced back from a 5-0 home loss to Colorado on Saturday. Mackenzie Blackwood turned away 23 shots two days after his third shutout of the season for the Avalanche, who were held without a goal for the first time this season. Blackhawks 6, Sharks 3 Ryan Donato had two goals and two assists and Ilya Mikheyev produced a goal and three assists as Chicago defeated visiting San Jose to stop a five-game losing streak. Connor Murphy logged a goal and an assist while Connor Bedard and Sam Rinzel also scored for the Blackhawks, who were outshot 27-17. Jason Dickinson recorded two assists, and Spencer Knight turned aside 24 shots. Macklin Celebrini tallied a goal and an assist for the Sharks in their third straight loss. Shakir Mukhamadullin and Will Smith also scored. Yaroslav Askarov made six saves on 10 shots before yielding to Alex Nedeljkovic, who stopped five of the seven shots he faced. ============ MLB SIX MORE TEAMS ASK MLB TO PRODUCE THEIR TV BROADCASTS Six more teams are turning to Major League Baseball to handle their broadcasts for the 2026 season in the wake of Main Street Sports Group’s financial woes, according to reports Monday. The Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays are joining the steadily growing group of teams relying on MLB to deliver broadcasts to fans via cable and streaming. These six teams give MLB 13 franchises under its production umbrella. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins and San Diego Padres turned to MLB last season after their regional sports network deals defaulted. The Seattle Mariners and Washington Nationals were more recently added to the portfolio. The Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels also broke away from Main Street (branded as FanDuel Sports) in January, but they have yet to firm up their plans for this season. According to reports, MLB’s productions are similar in quality to their predecessors, but the teams do not collect as much broadcast revenue as with their prior deals. MLB reportedly sends teams variable payments based on their streaming numbers. RSNs typically pay a guaranteed fee. MARINERS SNAG ALL-STAR BRENDAN DONOVAN IN THREE-TEAM TRADE Needing one more piece to solidify their everyday lineup, the Seattle Mariners acquired All-Star infielder Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday to highlight a three-team deal that also included the Tampa Bay Rays. The versatile Donovan, 29, earned an All-Star spot last year as a second baseman, but he appeared at every position except pitcher, catcher and center field during his four-year run with the Cardinals that featured a slash line of .282/.361/.411. He earned a Gold Glove for his utility work during his rookie year in 2022. “It’s tough to imagine a better fit for our current team than Brendan,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said in a statement. “His combination of offensive skill, defensive versatility, consistency in performance, baseball instincts, and quality of character line up with what we value most.” To nab Donovan, who has a $5.8 million deal for 2026 and another year beyond that before becoming a free agent, the Mariners sent 2024 first-round pick Jurrangelo Cijntje, a switch-pitcher, and 2023 first-round pick Tai Peete to St. Louis and second-year third baseman Ben Williamson to Tampa Bay. The Rays, in turn, sent Double-A outfielder Colton Ledbetter and a Competitive Balance Round B draft pick in the upcoming MLB Draft (No. 72) to the Cardinals. The Mariners also sent a Comp Round B pick to the Cardinals that will be No. 68. Donovan gives the Mariners a fourth 2025 All-Star for their lineup — joining catcher Cal Raleigh, center fielder Julio Rodriguez and left fielder Randy Arozarena. Donovan can fit in at third base, which Eugenio Suarez vacated as a free agent ticketed for the Cincinnati Reds, or he can move to second if the Mariners decide 22-year-old Cole Young isn’t ready to be a regular there. Cijntje provides the Cardinals yet another young starter with six years of control. The 22-year-old Netherlands native made 26 appearances (23 starts) between High-A Everett and Double-A Arkansas last season and compiled a 5-7 record with a 3.99 ERA, 120 strikeouts and 51 walks. Of the 459 batters he faced last year, Cijntje threw right-handed to 397 of them. He piled up 111 strikeouts versus 32 walks as a righty but nine strikeouts and 19 walks as a lefty. He ranked as Seattle’s No. 7 prospect per Baseball America. Peete, 20, hit just .217 while spending all last season at High-A Everett, but he produced 19 homers and 25 steals while playing center field. Baseball America rated him as the Mariners’ No. 10 prospect. “We are pleased that, because of this deal, we will add five more promising young players to the talent pipeline that has always fueled this organization’s sustained success,” Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said in a statement. “We believe we’ve added exciting athleticism and upside on both sides of the ball, with more to come in this summer’s draft.” Williamson, Seattle’s second-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, made his big-league debut last year and compiled a .253/.294/.310 slash line in 85 games with one homer, 21 RBIs and five steals. The 25-year-old did not appear during the Mariners’ postseason run to Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. Ledbetter, 24, spent all of 2025 with Double-A Montgomery and fashioned a .265 average with 37 stolen bases and seven homers. Ledbetter and Cijntje were teammates at Mississippi State in 2023. ============ COLLEGE BASEBALL UCLA LEADS THE D1BASEBALL PRESEASON TOP 25 RANKINGS For the first time in the 12-year history of the rankings, UCLA is No. 1 in the D1Baseball Preseason Top 25. Led by 2025 D1Baseball Player of the Year Roch Cholowsky, the Bruins return eight everyday regulars and 10 of their top 12 innings leaders on the mound from a team that won 48 games and reached the College World Series last year. And they further bolstered their roster with two high-profile transfers (righthander Logan Reddemann and outfielder Will Gasparino), along with one of the nation’s top incoming freshman arms (Angel Cervantes). The Bruins’ previous high preseason ranking was No. 2 in 2021. They last topped the rankings heading into the 2019 NCAA tournament. Reigning national champion LSU is right behind at No. 2 in the rankings, the fourth straight year the Tigers have begun the season ranked in the top five. LSU has not entered the season ranked lower than 16th in any of the 12 D1Baseball Preseason Top 25 rankings. The Tigers lead a group of five SEC teams in the top 10. Reigning SEC champion Texas checks in at No. 3, and Mississippi State enters the Brian O’Connor era ranked fourth. Arkansas is No. 7, the sixth straight preseason top-10 ranking for the Razorbacks. And Auburn is No. 9, its highest preseason mark since 2020 (No. 8). Georgia Tech, under first-year head coach James Ramsey, is ranked fifth — the highest preseason ranking for the Yellow Jackets in the 12-year history of the rankings. The Jackets last garnered a preseason ranking in 2022 (No. 21). Last year’s national runner-up, Coastal Carolina, follows at No. 6, while No. 8 Louisville and No. 10 TCU round out the top 10. It is the highest-ever preseason ranking for the Chanticleers in the D1Baseball Top 25. Two pitching-rich teams with new-look lineups check in at No. 11 (North Carolina) and No. 12 (Oregon State). They are followed by three more SEC powers: No. 13 Florida, No. 14 Tennessee and No. 15 Georgia. Three more ACC teams fit into the 16-20 range: No. 16 Florida State, No. 17 NC State and No. 19 Clemson. No. 18 Kentucky and No. 20 Southern Miss round out the top 20. The final group of five features two more ACC clubs in No. 21 Wake Forest and No. 22 Miami, along with last year’s No. 1 overall NCAA tournament seed in No. 23 Vanderbilt. Arizona, an Omaha team a year ago, checks in at No. 24, and Texas A&M closes the rankings at No. 25. The SEC leads all conferences with 11 teams in the Top 25, followed by the ACC (eight teams), Big 12 and Sun Belt (two apiece). UCLA is the lone representative from the Big Ten. Oregon State remains a Division I ========== INDIANA RELEASES INDIANA HS GIRLS BASKETBALL FIVE-STAR LSU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SIGNEE LOLA LAMPLEY NAMED MCDONALD’S ALL-AMERICAN Indianapolis (Ind.) Lawrence Central five-star prospect Lola Lampley will suit up in the McDonald’s All-American Game in April after receiving an invite to the prestigious event this year. Lampley checks in as a Top-20 prospect in the 2026 Recruiting Cycle where she’s set to join Kim Mulkey and the LSU Tigers for the 2026-27 season after signing with the program last fall. The 6-foot-2 wing has a long track record of success across USA Basketball, where she won gold medals at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup and 2023 FIBA Americas U16 championship while also competing on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball circuit. Lampley recently surpassed 1,000 career points and was named to the 2026 Nike Hoops Summit roster as well with the accolades continuing to stack up prior to her time in Baton Rouge. Lampley ranks in the top-30 of all major recruiting services including 247Sports (No. 15), On3 (No. 17), Prospects Nation (No. 17), and ESPN (No. 29). For the elite wing, it’s Lampley’s length, anticipation and versatility that make her one of the premier perimeter defenders in her class, according to LSU Women’s Basketball. ============ INDIANA PACERS HOUSTON 118 INDIANA 114 In a game featuring 18 lead changes and 17 ties, a strong Indiana Pacers effort came up just short. Thanks to solid inside play and free throw shooting, the Houston Rockets (31-17) outlasted the Pacers (13-36), 118-114, on Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Indiana had a chance to go ahead late, but Houston ultimately came up with more clutch plays in the final moments to extend its winning streak to three straight games. The teams were tied at 87 entering the fourth quarter before the Rockets built an eight-point cushion by the midway point. Indiana then chipped away to make it a one-possession game at 115-112 with 1:39 left, and again at 117-114 with 40 seconds remaining, but the Rockets collected some key offensive rebounds in the final moments and made just enough free throws to keep the Pacers at bay. Indiana outshot Houston 49.4 percent to 46 percent from the field, but the Rockets finished 31-of-37 from the free-throw line while the Pacers went 16-for-21. Houston also won the rebounding margin 56-33 (19-7 offensive) and outscored Indiana 30-8 in second-chance points. Houston 6-foot-11 center Alperen Sengun dominated on the court, finishing with 39 points on 13-for-25 shooting, 16 rebounds and five assists for his 23rd double-double of the season. After Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr. scored 19 points, and Amen Thompson added 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Rockets. Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 27 points, Bennedict Mathurin scored 25, Aaron Nesmith added 17, and Jarace Walker finished with 12. Siakam has now scored at least 20 points in a game for 10 straight games, making him just the eighth player in Pacers history to accomplish the feat. Houston played without its superstar starting forward Kevin Durant on Monday, who was sidelined with a sprained ankle. Reed Sheppard replaced Durant in the starting lineup. Sengun scored 21 points on 9-for-15 shooting in the first half, and Houston shot 50 percent as a team, as the visitors led 63-56 at halftime. Ten of the 11 Indiana players who saw the floor scored in the first half, led by 12 points from Nesmith and 11 off the bench from Mathurin. There were 10 lead changes and nine ties in the opening half. Sengun scored 11 points in the first quarter on 5-for-9 shooting, but the Pacers knocked down four 3-pointers and shot 50 percent overall to take a 28-24 lead. Neither team led by more than a possession early until a 6-0 Pacers run, sparked by a T.J. McConnell jumper and followed by two baskets from Walker, made it 24-18 with 2:30 remaining. Sheppard hit a 10-footer with three seconds left in the quarter to cut the deficit to four. The Rockets shot 60 percent in the second quarter and outscored Indiana 39-28 in the period to lead 63-56 at intermission. After the teams traded baskets early, the Pacers went on an 8-2 run — highlighted by a Walker 3-pointer and an and-one by Nesmith — to take a 52-46 lead with 3:16 on the clock. Houston closed the half on a 16-4 run, fueled by three 3-pointers, including two from Smith Jr., to go up 63-56 at halftime. Indiana’s offense looked sharp after halftime, scoring 31 points in the third quarter — including 10 from Siakam — to tie the game at 87 entering the final period. Houston opened the second half with a 10-2 run to go up 73-61, but the Pacers answered with an 11-2 run of their own, sparked by an and-one from Isaiah Jackson and a Nesmith 3-pointer, to cut the margin to 75-72. Two baskets by Siakam, including a powerful one-handed dunk over two defenders, put Indiana back in front before both teams traded 6-0 runs late. Thompson’s putback just before the buzzer tied the game at 87. The Pacers led 99-97 with 8:37 remaining before a Tari Eason and-one ignited a 12-2 Houston run — capped by a Smith 3-pointer — to give the Rockets a 109-101 lead with five minutes to play. Indiana made it a one-possession game three times in the final two minutes, but a putback by Jae’Sean Tate, free throws from Thompson, and multiple offensive rebounds by Sengun sealed the outcome. Houston made just one of four free throws in the final eight seconds of regulation, but did enough to secure the win. Indiana will conclude its four-game homestand Tuesday against the Utah Jazz before opening a six-game road trip Friday in Milwaukee. Inside the Numbers Alperen Sengun matched his season-highs for both points (39) and rebounds (16) in the Rockets win. The Pacers made 12 threes while the Rockets drained seven. Indiana won the turnover margin 15-10. The Pacers assisted on 33 of 43 made field goals. The Pacers outscored the Rockets 23-4 in fastbreak points.. Isaiah Jackson recorded four of the team’s 10 steals. The Pacers scored 26 points off Rockets turnovers. GAME PREVIEW: PACERS VS JAZZ After a narrow loss to Houston on Monday, the Pacers (13-37) are back in action on Tuesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where they will host the Utah Jazz (15-35) to close out a four-game homestand on the second night of a back-to-back. The Blue & Gold were in until the final seconds on Monday against one of the best teams in the West, but ultimately came up a little shot in a 118-114 loss. Pascal Siakam put together another excellent performance in his first game since being named to his fourth All-Star team, scoring a team-high 27 points on 12-of-21 shooting. Siakam has now scored 20 or more points in 10 consecutive games, making him just the ninth player in NBA franchise history with a streak that long. Bennedict Mathurin also had a strong showing off the bench, scoring 25 points while going 8-for-15 from the field and 9-for-10 from the free throw line. But the Pacers didn’t have an answer for Alperen Sengun and the Rockets on the interior. Sengun had 39 points and 16 rebounds as Houston outrebounded Indiana 19-7 on the offensive glass. The Rockets also got to the line for 37 free throws to the Pacers’ 21, with Sengun alone going 13-for-18 from the charity stripe. The Jazz are in the midst of a rough stretch. Utah has dropped six straight and 10 of its last 11 games entering Tuesday. Former All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen is having an outstanding season, averaging a career-best 27.4 points per game. Second-leading scorer Keyonte George adds 24 points per game, but will miss Tuesday’s contest with a sprained ankle. Tuesday will be the Pacers’ final home game before the All-Star break. Indiana hits the road for a four-game trip beginning on Friday in Milwaukee followed by an eight-day hiatus for All-Star. Projected Starters Pacers: G – Andrew Nembhard , G – Aaron Nesmith, F – Jarace Walker, F – Johnny Furphy, C – Pascal Siakam Jazz: G – Isaiah Collier, G – Cody Williams, F – Ace Bailey, F – Lauri Markkanen, C – Kyle Filipowski Injury Report Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton – out (right Achilles tendon tear), Obi Toppin – out (right foot stress fracture) Jazz: Keyonte George – out (left ankle sprain), Walker Kessler – out (left shoulder injury recovery), Georges Niang – out (left foot fourth metatarsal stress reaction), Jusuf Nurkic – out (rest) Last Meeting Nov. 11, 2025: The Pacers couldn’t slow down the Jazz in Utah, where the hosts rolled to a 152-128 victory. Indiana jumped out to an early 20-10 lead, but the Jazz rallied to lead 38-34 by the end of the first quarter and continue to extend their lead from there. Utah scored 82 points in the second half and shot 55.4 percent from the field and 19-for-42 (45.2 percent) from 3-point range on the night. The Jazz’s 152 points are tied for the most points scored by a team in the NBA this season. Lauri Markkanen led eight Jazz players in double figures with 35 points, going 13-for-19 from the field and 5-for-7 from 3-point range. Svi Mykhailiuk and Ace Bailey added 20 points apiece, while Isaiah Collier (14 points and 11 assists) and Jusuf Nurkic (11 points and 11 boards) both recorded double-doubles. Pascal Siakam scored 27 points to lead Indiana, while Andrew Nembhard added 25 points and seven assists. Isaiah Jackson had 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Noteworthy The Pacers have won their last two home games against the Jazz. Utah is looking to sweep the season series with Indiana for the first time since 2022-23. Indiana is 2-5 on the season when playing on the second night of a back-to-back, but 2-1 when doing so within the friendly confines of Gainbridge Fieldhouse. With four assists on Tuesday, Pacers guard T.J. McConnell can pass Tyrese Haliburton for seventh place on the franchise’s all-time assists list. McConnell currently has 2,256 assists as a Pacer, while the injured Haliburton has 2,259. Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith needs 26 points on Tuesday to reach 3,000 for his career. Broadcast Information (Where to Watch and Listen to Pacers Games >>) TV: FanDuel Sports Network – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host) Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host) ========== INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL INDIANA BASKETBALL GAME NOTES – GAME 23 AT USC Opening Tip • Indiana University closes its annual west coast road trip at USC on Tuesday, Feb. 3. Tip is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET at the Galen Center. Ted Robinson (PxP) and Matt Muehlebach (Analyst) will be on the call for the Peacock broadcast. • USC (16-6, 5-6 B1G) is under the direction of second-year head coach Eric Musselman. He started his collegiate head coaching career with eight-straight 20-win seasons at Nevada and Arkansas. • The Trojans are led by graduate senior wing Chad Baker-Mazzara (18.8 points per game, 50 made 3-pointers) and senior forward Ezra Ausar (16.1 points, 6.0 rebounds per game). • Sophomore forward Jacob Cofie has averaged 9.9 points and a team-best 7.4 rebounds per outing on 54.6% (89-of-163) shooting from the floor. • USC has made 19.9 free throws per game on 71.5% (438-of-613) shooting from the line this season. The Trojans have made 25-plus free throws in six games. Game Information Feb. 3, 2026 • 10 PM ET Galen Center (10,258) • Los Angeles, Calif. TV: Peacock (Ted Robinson, Matt Muehlebach) Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick) Series History: Indiana leads, 3-2 Last Meeting: IU 82, USC 69 on Jan. 8, 2025, in Bloomington Series History • For the second time as conference foe and sixth time overall, Indiana and USC will meet up on the court. The Hoosiers have won three of the previous five game, which includes an 82-69 win in Bloomington on Jan. 8, 2025. • Indiana most recently played USC in Los Angeles on Dec. 30, 1960. The Trojans won the non-conference clash by a score of 90-71. Last Time Out • Indiana (15-7, 6-5 B1G) came away with the program’s third road win of the Big Ten slate with a 98-97 triumph at UCLA in double overtime on Saturday, Jan. 31, at Pauley Pavilion. • Junior guard Nick Dorn scored 21 of his game-high 26 points in the second half. He knocked down six 3-pointers and pulled down seven rebounds. Dorn is the first IU player with at least 25 points and six made 3-point field goals in a road Big Ten contest since Feb. 17, 2018. (Robert Johnson at Iowa). • Fifth-year senior forward Lamar Wilkerson scored 24 points, his 10th 20-point outing of the season, to pair with eight rebounds and three assists. He scored 10 of the Indiana’s 22 points in the overtime periods. • Senior forward Reed Bailey turned in 24 points, six rebounds, and five assists in 28 bench minutes. He is the first player in the last 30 seasons to record a 20-5-5 game in a reserve role for the Hoosiers. • Redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries stuffed the box score with nine points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. He is the second Hoosier (Trayce Jackson-Davis, 3 times) to post that line or better in a Big Ten Conference game. Big Ten Brilliance • Fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson has averaged 22.1 points per night in Big Ten Conference play this season. He has shot 45.9% (83-of-181) from the floor, 38.6% (39-of-101) from the 3-point line, and 88.4% (38-of-43) from the free throw line in league play. • The Sam Houston State transfer has scored 15-plus points in nine conference games, has scored at least 20 points six times, added a 32-point night against No. 10 Nebraska (Jan. 10), and went for a career-best 44 points against Penn State (Dec. 9). • Wilkerson is top five among Big Ten players in total points (243), points per game (22.1), made 3-pointers (39), and 3-point shooting percentage (38.6%) in league play. Long-Distance Calls • Indiana has averaged 10.6 made 3-pointers per game, which is fourth in the Big Ten and 23rd nationally, and 11.0 triples per league game. The Hoosiers have buried 10 or more triples in 15 games. In those contests, IU holds a record of 11-4 and averaged 87.0 points per game. • IU made at least 10 3-pointers in four-straight conference games (at Michigan on Jan. 20, at Rutgers on Jan. 23, vs. Purdue on Jan. 27, at UCLA on Jan. 31), the longest streak in Big Ten play since the 2002-03 season. • Fifth-year senior Lamar Wilkerson is tied for 19th nationally and second in the Big Ten with 3.3 made 3-pointers per game. Redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries (2.7) is fourth in the B1G. • Junior guard Nick Dorn (2.4) is ninth in the league. The Elon transfer has made 47-of-106 attempts (44.3%) from long range this season. He has made at least one triple in 15 games. =========== INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SIGNEE ADDY NYEMCHEK NAMED TO 2026 MCDONALD’S ALL-AMERICAN GAME BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana women’s basketball incoming freshman Addy Nyemchek has been maed to the 2026 McDonald’s All-American game. She becomes the program’s first-ever signed player out of high school to play in the prestigious high school game. Nyemcheck will take part in the 2026 game with the East Tea, on March 31 at Desert Diamond Arena in Phoenix and will air live on ESPN. Currently, the 6-2 guard out of Oceanport, N.J. is averaging 19.7 points for Red Bank Catholic in her senior season. She is the top-rated player out of the state of New Jersey, a ESPw four-star and the No. 28 nationally ranked recruit. During her time at Red Bank Catholic, she has guided the team to a 2024 New Jersey state championship and First Team All-State honors by scoring over 1,000 career points. She has been the leading scorer with Red Bank Catholic for the previous three years which consisted of six Division 1 committed players in her 2026 class. With the Philly Rise, Nyemchek was part of a NCAA Basketball Academy Club Championship in 2024 and U16 and U17 Gym Rat Live Tournament champion. =========== PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL SMITH NAMED TO COUSY AWARD SEMIFINALIST WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Braden Smith has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the nation’s top point guard, announced today by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Smith, who is looking to become the first back-to-back recipient of the Cousy Award, is joined by Big Ten counterparts Bennett Stirtz (Iowa) and Jeremy Fears Jr. (Michigan State) on the list. The other seven players include Labaron Philon (Alabama), Jaden Bradley (Arizona), Darius Acuff (Arkansas), Kingston Flemings (Houston), Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State), Christian Anderson (Texas Tech) and Tyler Tanner (Vanderbilt). Smith has faced off against four of the other 10 semifinalists and will square off with Jeremy Fears Jr., and Michigan State on Feb. 26. In the four games, Smith is averaging 16.5 points, 6.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 22-of-44 (.500) from the field, 8-of-14 (.571) from deep and 14-of-17 (.824) from the free throw line. For the season, Smith is averaging 15.3 points, 8.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 50.0 percent from the field, 43.5 percent from 3-point range (40-of-92) and 78.7 percent from the free throw line (48-of-61). In Big Ten play, Smith has been even better, averaging 18.5 points, 8.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 56.1 percent from the field (78-of-139), 50.0 percent from 3-point range (26-of-52) and 88.0 percent from the free throw line (22-of-25). Smith recently moved into the top 10 on the NCAA career assists list (954) and is now one of five players in NCAA history with 1,700 career points and 950 assists. He is the only one of the five to have at least 500 rebounds and Smith has 615 career boards. Smith was a unanimous first-team All-American last season and was the recipient of the Cousy Award, looking to become the first repeat winner. Smith and the Boilermakers will face Oregon on Saturday in Mackey Arena, beginning at 1 p.m. ET. =========== PURDUE WOMEN’S GOLF TIMPF FIRES CAREER-LOW 68, PACES PURDUE IN PUERTO RICO RIO GRANDE, P.R. – Just like the first day of the Purdue Puerto Rico Classic, the final round featured another career best by a Boilermaker. Twenty-four hours after Samantha Brown carded a 68 (-4), fellow sophomore Lauren Timpf fired a career-low 68 of her own to soar up the leaderboard and lead the Purdue Women’s Golf team at Grand Reserve Golf Club. The Boilermakers (-1) finished under par as a team for the first time this season, placing 10th out a competitive 18-team field. No. 4 Arkansas (-23) captured the team title, besting No. 10 Vanderbilt and No. 15 Ole Miss by six shots. Despite the conclusion of the tournament getting moved up due to heavy rain in the forecast, the showers stayed away for most of Monday morning to allow the event to be completed. Timpf took advantage, playing the best golf of her collegiate career and matching Brown for Purdue’s lowest round of the 2025-26 season. Timpf finished tied for 24th at 2-under (75-71-68—214), leaping 33 spots up the leaderboard on the last day. The Macomb, Michigan, native made six birdies during the round, including three deuces on the par-3s. She played the short holes 3-under throughout the tournament to rank fourth in the 101-player field in par-3 scoring. After shooting even par in the first two rounds, Ashley Kim and Ella Weber carded rounds of 73 (+1) and 75 (+3), respectively. Kim’s final round was highlighted by an eagle at the par-4 14th, finding the bottom of the cup with an 8-iron from 133 yards out. It was her first eagle as a Boilermaker. Following a rocky start, Weber bounced back by playing her final eight holes bogey free while adding a pair of birdies along the way. Freshman Luana Valero contributed to the team’s final round tally, shooting a 73 (+1) for the second consecutive round. She began her day 2-under through the first nine holes without making a bogey. Up next, the Boilermakers have two weeks off before teeing it up at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational in Sarasota, Florida (Feb. 15-16). BOILERMAKERS T-24. Lauren Timpf: 75-71-68—214 (-2) T-36. Ashley Kim: 72-72-73—217 (+1) T-44. Samantha Brown: 68-72-78—218 (+2) T-49. Ella Weber: 72-72-75—219 (+3) T-68. Luana Valero: 76-73-73—222 (+6) *T-68: Michaela Headlee: 76-73-73—222 (+6) *T-83. Ida Lindqvist: 75-76-75—226 (+10) *Competing as an individual TEAM LEADERBOARD #4 Arkansas: 279-275-287—841 (-23) T2. #15 Ole Miss: 285-281-281—847 (-17) T2. #10 Vanderbilt: 288-280-279—847 (-17) 4. LSU: 283-279-288—850 (-14) 5. #14 North Carolina: 276-279-297—852 (-12) 6. Kansas State: 284-284-289—857 (-7) 7. #20 Northwestern: 281-284-294—859 (-5) 8. Michigan State: 283-284-294—861 (-3) 9. North Florida: 285-290-287—862 (-2) 10. Purdue: 287-287-289—863 (-1) 11. North Texas: 286-287-292—865 (+1) 12. Iowa: 286-293-290—869 (+5) T13. Minnesota: 289-291-294—874 (+10) T13. UNCW: 290-290-294—874 (+10) 15. Iowa State: 287-292-299—878 (+14) 16. Michigan: 291-293-303—887 (+23) 17. Furman: 293-295-301—889 (+25) 18. Georgia Southern: 294-296-302—892 (+28) =========== NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HIDALGO NOMINATED FOR NANCY LIEBERMAN AWARD SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo has been named one of 10 nominees to the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award on Monday. The award recognizes the top point guards in women’s college basketball every season and is selected by the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Naismith Starting 5 committee, in collaboration with the WBCA. The junior excels on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor, as is second in the country in scoring with an average of 25.3 points per game and leads the country in steals per game with an average of 5.59 per game. Hidalgo became just the fourth player from a major conference, and seventh DI player, since 1999 to reach 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists and 400 steals in a career despite still being a junior. The guard has two of Notre Dame’s top six scoring games in program history this season, setting the program record for points in a game with 44 in a win over Akron and a 37-point effort in a road win at Stanford. Hidalgo set the NCAA record for steals in a game earlier this season, recording 16 against Akron. The junior has three games this season with double-digit steals and four games with 30+ points and 5+ steals. The rest of the ACC has one total this year.Lo The guard has already broken the Notre Dame program record for steals in a career, as she currently sits at 402, passing Irish legend Skylar Diggins’ mark of 381 earlier this season. Hidalgo also passed Ruth Riley for fifth overall in career scoring and currently sits at 2,108 points. Hidalgo and the Fighting Irish return to Purcell Pavilion for a midweek ACC matchup against Virginia Tech at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 5. The game will be streamed on ACCNX. HIDALGO EARNS ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For the fifth time this season and 11th time in her illustrious career, Hannah Hidalgo has been named the ACC Player of the Week. No other league player has earned the accolade more than once this season. Hidalgo averaged 29.5 points per game over the week, the most of any player in the ACC. The junior scored a game-high 37 points in the win at Stanford, marking the third most points by a Notre Dame player in program history in a road game. Hidalgo’s 37 points were the most on the road by a Fighting Irish player since Jewell Loyd scored 41 against DePaul on Dec. 10, 2014. Hidalgo was the only ACC player to score 30+ points in regulation this week. Hidalgo now has seven 30-point games this season, tying Arike Ogunbowlae’s program record for most 30+ point games this season. Furthermore, no other ACC player has more than two games with 30 or more points this season. The guard also scored a team-high 22 points at Cal on Thursday evening to go along with six rebounds, six assists and two steals. Hidalgo and the Fighting Irish return to Purcell Pavilion for a midweek ACC matchup against Virginia Tech at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 5. The game will be streamed on ACCNX. =========== NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S TENNIS IRISH SIGNING CLASS RANKED 17TH IN THE NATION SOUTH BEND, Ind. – TennisRecruiting.net released its 2026 Winter recruiting class team rankings on Monday, as the full list can be found here. The Notre Dame women’s tennis program, under head coach Alison Silverio, continues to shine with its third straight top-25 recruiting class. TennisRecruiting.net tabbed Coach Silverio’s recruiting class at No. 17. Back in November, Coach Silverio signed two future Irish in Aria Nina Abalos and Lily Rochon. Fast forward to now, and Aria Nina Abalos earned Blue-Chip status in the report, meaning this is the third straight class in which Coach Silverio has signed a blue-chip. Coach Silverio’s Irish are off to a 6-1 start for the 2026 dual spring season. Up next, they’ll host Purdue on Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. ET. =========== NOTRE DAME MEN’S BASKETBALL CARDS ON THE TABLE LOUISVILLE – Glenn & Stacey Murphy Notre Dame Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry is looking for his squad to piece it together for a complete 40 minutes and bring some grittiness and toughness on the road. This coming Wednesday night presents another opportunity and another tall task courtesy of the ACC. The Fighting Irish (11-11, 2-7) will battle No. 20 Louisville (15-6, 5-4) on the road inside the KFC Yum Center at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The Irish are looking to capture their third road win of the season, which would tie last year’s mark. Notre Dame is 5-13 all-time at Louisville, but has won two straight there; though, Wednesday’s matchup will mark the first at Louisville with them under Pat Kelsey. The two sides are tied at 7-7 in the series since joining the ACC. The Cardinals are coming off a 1-1 week in which they lost 52-83 to #4 Duke, but bounced back with an 88-74 victory at home vs. SMU. Four Cards average double figures in ACC play, with Ryan Conwell leading the way at 18.9 ppg. Haslam Analytics breakdown: “Louisville’s potent offense scores roughly 125 points for every 100 possessions, rated No. 16 in offensive efficiency. Louisville lives and dies by the three-ball and will launch from long-distance early and often. The team ranks first in ratio of three-point attempts to total field goal attempts. If you do allow them to shoot from long, they have the ability to punish you for it, too. Ranked in the top-75 in three-point shooting percentage, they make approximately 37.0% of their three-point attempts.” If successful, Notre Dame would achieve a Quad 1 win with Louisville’s NET at 17. Wednesday also marks another opportunity for the Irish to earn their first ranked win of the season and first true road ranked victory since knocking off #9/6 Duke on Jan. 16, 2016. LOOKING BACK AT LAST WEEK Let’s start with the 97-100 heartbreaking double overtime loss to #17 Virginia. It was a game in which the Irish tasted victory on multiple occasions: ND built a 19-point first-half lead, fell into a four-point deficit in the second half, rallied back to go up six points with two minutes remaining, had a shot at the end of regulation to walk it off, and then was one defensive stand away at the end of the first overtime. “Not into moral victories, but we are about the process. We are about using every opportunity to learn and get better,” Glenn & Stacey Murphy Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry said. “These dudes keep coming, keep fighting, keep competing and try to play their best basketball as the season goes on. I wanted this so bad for them with how hard they’re working. They put it out there, all on the line, against a really good team.” Cole Certa went off with a career high 34 points on 10-19 shooting from the floor, 5-13 from three and 9-11 from the free-throw line. Certa’s 34 points are the most by a Notre Dame player against an AP-ranked team since Nov. 26, 2008, when Kyle McAlarney scored 39 in a loss to No. 1 UNC. His 34 points were also the third most by a Notre Dame player in an ACC game, trailing just Markus Burton (43 vs Cal) and Matt Farrell (37 vs Boston College). The game also witnessed a tremendous showing from freshman Brady Koehler. The 6-10 forward out of Fishers, Indiana, dropped his first career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Koehler also recorded a season-high three steals and a season-high tying four blocks. At Syracuse on Jan. 31, the Irish just couldn’t get over the hump in the 2nd half, whether it was piecing it together defensively, or a critical error that served as an offensive rally killer. Case in point, a Certa three-pointer would cut the deficit to eight points, but an Irish technical led to a 5-point Syracuse swing that would balloon into a 14-point Syracuse lead. Later, another Certa triple brought the Irish within six for the first time since the 11:13 mark of the first half, making it a 60-66 ballgame. Yet the wave of momentum was quickly seized when a Syracuse three at the shot clock buzzer sparked a 9-0 run, resulting in a 15-point deficit. Jalen Haralson recorded a superb 2nd half, missing only one shot and scoring 19 points. He finished with a career high of 26. HOT HANDS OF LATE Jalen Haralson is currently on the best stretch of his season. The super freshman has totaled 63 points (21.0 ppg) over the last 3 games on a blazing hot 63.9% shooting (23-36 FG). He’s also produced a team-best 13 assists in that span. Looking at Jalen’s last week alone: 1st 20-point ACC game with 20 vs. #17 Virginia. Followed that with a career high 26 points at Syracuse, with 19 coming in the 2nd half on 6-7 shooting. Then there’s Braeden Shrewsberry, who follows pretty closely behind. Braeden has amassed 57 points (19.0 ppg) over the last 3 games on 45.5% shooting (20-44 FG). Braeden’s last week: At Syracuse: 17 points behind 3 triples & 3-4 from two. #17 Virginia — Scored 15 of his 18 points in the 1st half, where he was 4-4 from three, 5-8 overall. FRESHMAN STANDOUT JALEN HARALSON With such a talented ACC freshman class, Notre Dame freshman guard Jalen Haralson has flown a little under the national radar, and we are here to sing his praises. Haralson is currently averaging 15.5 ppg, which ranks fifth amongst ACC freshmen. He’s registered double-digit points in all but 2 games and is coming off back-to-back 20+ point performances. He averages a team-best 16.7 ppg in ACC play, shooting an efficient 52.4% from the floor. That field goal percentage ranks 9th in the league. Jalen has been consistent no matter the opponent, for the 6-7 guard is averaging 15.7 ppg against ranked opposition. Jalen is strong and shifty when attacking the rim, converting 70.0% from within 4.5 feet. The Fishers, Indiana, native shoots 53.2% overall from two-point range, in addition to leading the team in free throw attempts (6.1 per game). Two performances in particular have stood above the rest, starting with his career high 26 points at Syracuse. Jalen only missed one shot in the 2nd half where he totaled 19 of those points. Then, back on December 5, Jalen played hero at TCU, hitting a buzzer-beater to force overtime. Down two with three seconds remaining, Haralson hit a step-back fadeaway jumper to tie it at 76-all. Haralson finished the night with 20 points & a career high 9 assists. Other ND greats over the last three decades to match Jalen’s stat line of 20 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists and 1 block: Jerian Grant in 2015 / Chris Thomas 3x (twice in 2002 and once in 2005). SHREWSBERRY LEADING FROM THREE Braeden Shrewsberry continues to prove he’s one of the best from deep, ranking 2nd in the ACC in three-point shooting percentage at 41.8%. That number also ranks 28th in the country. He’s converting 2.8 made threes per game, which ranks 4th in the league. Shrewsberry’s sweet spot? The corner three – where he’s draining 55.6%, which is 19.8% above the Division I average. Braeden opened the Virginia game with a 4-4 start from three, pouring in 15 of his 18 points in the first half. Against Miami on Jan. 13, Braeden reached the 200 career made threes milestone, becoming the 14th Irish player all-time to do so. He now sits at 211 in his career. His best performance from beyond the arc came against Evansville when Shrewsberry scored a career-high 26 points behind a career-high 8 three pointers, shooting 80% from three (8-10). His 8 made triples tied for the 7th most in a game all-time in program history. TEAM POSITIVES “I love our growth and connectivity as a group. I love this team’s togetherness,” Coach Shrewsberry stated. “I think there are small things that we can still get better at to make a difference moving forward with these remaining games.” – Against Boston College, Notre Dame erased a 13-point deficit, marking not only their largest comeback of the season, but their third double-digit comeback victory of the year. Notre Dame outscored Boston College, 44-29, in the 2nd half, where they shot 50% from the field. The 44 points were the most ND had scored in any half of an ACC game this season. Braeden Shrewsberry finished with a game-high 22 points, marking his second-highest scoring output of the season. The junior found success driving into the paint & midrange, making 6-8 from two. Though Shrewsberry’s biggest shot of the night was a three-pointer with 1:26 remaining to push the Irish up five. – From halftime of Boston College to now, the Irish have shot 48.6% from the field, up from their season average of 45.0%. Since halftime of BC, they have scored 40+ points in a half 3 times out of a possible 5. – Free throw shooting has seen a slight improvement as well; in fact, it was a strong asset against Virginia, where they went 28-34 aka 82.4%. The 28 made free throws were a season high. Over the last week, ND raised its free-throw percentage from 68.8% to 69.9%. SEEKING RECORD BOOK #1 Notre Dame fans know Cole Certa can get hot from three and light up the scoreboard in multiple fashions, but I bet they don’t know that the sophomore guard is one of the best free-throw shooters in the nation. Certa currently ranks 11th in the country & 1st in the ACC from the stripe. Certa started the year 27-27 from the free-throw line and is now an impressive 60-65 (92.3%). If he can keep up this pace from the line, he would rank first all-time for a season at Notre Dame. The current placeholder is Steve Vasturia at 91.0%. KOEHLER SHOWING HIS POTENTIAL Freshman Brady Koehler produced a career high 17 points at Virginia Tech, pouring in 15 in the 2nd half. Overall, he was 5-7 from the field, plus 2-3 from three & 5-6 from the stripe. Since that performance, Koehler has started in 4 straight. Fast forward to Virginia on Jan. 27 and the freshman impressed yet again. Koehler was all over the stat sheet, recording his first career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds (career high). He got it done from the free-throw line where he was a personal best 9-10. He also tied his career high of 4 blocks and set a new high for steals with 3. Koehler is shooting 50.0% from two-point, but he’ been at his best in the midrange, where he’s 53.8%. But don’t let the 6-10 frame fool you, for Koehler can knock it down from three. He may own fewer three-point attempts than most of his Notre Dame teammates, but with that said, he boasts the 2nd best three-point shooting percentage at 38.7%. Lastly, Koehler is averaging 7.2 points in ACC play on 46.5% shooting, plus 7-17 (41.2%) from three. REBOUNDING TRANSLATES Towt’s current rebounding rankings: 9.5 rpg ranks 26th nationally, 4th in the ACC 3.7 offensive rpg – 1st in ACC/14th in country 5.9 defensive rpg – 5th in ACC 1,288 career rebounds – leads all active players His 1,288 career rebounds have pushed him into the top-100 all-time list at #91. ========== BUTLER WOMEN’S GOLF MCGINNIS LEADS BULLDOGS AS BUTLER OPENS THE ADVANCE GOLF PARTNERS COLLEGIATE INDIANAPOLIS – After the first round at the 2026 Advance Golf Partners Collegiate, the Bulldogs have found themselves in 15th place among the 17 teams on the field. The Bulldogs posted rounds collecting to 322(+34) on Sunday for the 18-hole round. Virginia Tech currently holds the top spot in the leaderboard after day one with a collective of 300(+12) in the tournament. Sophie McGinnis is currently in 40th place, leading the Bulldogs with a round of 79(+7) on the 6,143-yard, 72-par Hammock Creek Golf Course in Palm City, Fla. She led the team strongly with the lowest score for the team on the back half with a 39(+3). Virginia Tech’s Savannah Dupre is tied with Daytona State’s Alana Kutt for first place, posting even scores to end the day. The second round of 18 holes is scheduled for Monday, with a shotgun start beginning at 9:00 in the morning. THE BUTLER WOMEN: 40) Sophie McGinnis, 79 (+7) T60) Cybil Stillson 81 (+9) T60) Treva Dodd 81 (+9) T60) Addi Kooi 81 (+9) 91) Ashley Freitas 86 (+14) Live results are available with a link posted on ButlerSports.com. =========== BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL BUTLER BEGINS WEEK ON THE ROAD WITH WEDNESDAY NIGHT TIP AT PROVIDENCE It’s the second meeting between the teams this season as Butler posted a 113-110 double-overtime win at Hinkle Fieldhouse Dec. 13 in the BIG EAST opener for both teams. Butler Bulldogs (13-9, 4-7 BIG EAST) at Providence (9-13, 2-9) Wednesday, Feb. 4 • 7PM Amica Mutual Pavilion; Providence, R.I. Follow Along TV/Stream: Peacock • Mike Corey & Matt McCall Radio/Audio: 93.5 & 107.5FM The Fan, Butler Sports App, SiriusXM 386, Sirius XM App, TuneIn Radio App & ButlerSports.com • @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner) Eleven (Plus) Facts About the Team from the Ocean State and the Bulldogs • Thad Matta enters Wednesday’s game with 499 career wins as a head coach. • The Bulldogs enter the game off a 77-64 loss against Georgetown Saturday; Butler missed their final 14 attempts from the field in the contest, shooting only 5-for-33 after halftime. • Jamie Kaiser Jr. led Butler with a career-best 19 points Saturday against Georgetown; he has scored in double figures in three consecutive games for the first time in his career. • Butler held a 31-26 rebounding advantage over Georgetown Saturday. Butler has out-rebounded 17 of its 22 opponents this season. The Bulldogs have a +4.5 average rebounding margin on the season, which ranks second in the BIG EAST. • Over the last five games, the Bulldogs have committed a total of only 44 turnovers (an average of 8.8 per game). That includes only seven turnovers Saturday against Georgetown, one off the team’s season-low. • In Butler’s four BIG EAST wins, Finley Bizjack is averaging 25.8 points per game and getting to the free throw line an average of nine times per contest. • Bizjack has scored 20 or more points in nine games this season. Bizjack is second in the BIG EAST in scoring at 17.1 points per game and ranks fourth in the conference with 2.4 made three-pointers per game. • Bizjack ranks second in the BIG EAST in free throw shooting at 85.4 percent. In conference games, his percentage jumps to 92.2 percent (59-for-64). • Butler went 16-for-18 from the free throw line Saturday against Georgetown. The 89-percent accuracy was the second-best for the Bulldogs this season. • Butler has attempted more free throws than their opponents in 20 of the 22 games this season. The Bulldogs average 26.3 free throw attempts per game, which ranks 14th nationally. • Butler’s ability to get to the line coupled with fouling only 15.1 times per game (26th nationally) has allowed the Bulldogs to make more free throws (410) than their opponents have attempted (340) so far this season. • Drayton Jones had a game-high eight rebounds Saturday against Georgetown; it was the first time this season that a Bulldog other than Michael Ajayi led the team in rebounding. • Ajayi ranks third nationally in double-doubles (14) and fifth nationally in rebounding (11.2 per game); he has 33 double-doubles in 89 collegiate games. • In addition to leading the league in rebounding, Ajayi ranks fourth in the BIG EAST at 16.0 points per game. He is also among the conference Top 15 in minutes played (third), field goal percentage (fourth), blocked shots (13th), and assists (14th). • Evan Haywood matched his career-high with four three-pointers at St. John’s Jan. 28; he is fifth in the BIG EAST in made three-pointers per game (1.95) and has nine games this season with at least three made three-pointers. • Butler ranks 35th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage according to KenPom, collecting 36.3 percent of their misses. • Ten different Bulldogs have scored at least 13 points in at least one game this season. Facts on the Friars • Providence’s high octane offense averages 88 points per game, which is 15th nationally; conversely, the Friars’ defense ranks 356th out of 361 teams by allowing 86.1 points per game. • Seven of Providence’s nine BIG EAST losses have been by six points or less (including three in overtime). Their two wins have come on the road at St. John’s and at home against Creighton. • Leading scorer Jason Edwards — who scored 32 points in Butler’s win over the Friars Dec. 13 — has missed the last six games. • Jaylin Sellers (16.1 points per game) and freshman Stefan Vaaks (15.6) lead the Friar attack while Oswin Erhunmwunse averages 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks (ninth nationally) per contest. First Time Around • Michael Ajayi led the Bulldogs with 28 points and 15 rebounds, while 12 of Finley Bizjack’s 26 points came in the two overtime sessions. • Evan Haywood’s 18 points were a career-high and included the game-winning three-pointer with 35 seconds remaining in double-overtime of the 113-110 win. • Providence hit 14 three-pointers in the game and Butler nailed 10 from behind the arc. One for the Record Books • Butler topped Providence, 113-110, in double-overtime at Hinkle Fieldhouse Dec. 13. • The game had 30 lead changes and 20 ties. • It’s the second-highest combined point total in a BIG EAST conference game (223). On Feb. 9, 2002, Notre Dame (116) and Georgetown (111) combined for 227 in a four-overtime contest. • It marked the eighth time overall that two league teams scored 100 in a BIG EAST game and the first since Jan. 9, 2019 (Marquette 106, Creighton 104). • It’s the first Butler game where both teams scored at least 100 points since Evansville defeated the Bulldogs, 136-128, in double-overtime Feb. 9, 1991. • It’s the fifth-most points scored by Butler in a game in program history (the Bulldogs’ 112 points in the Nov. 8 win over IU Indy are sixth in program history). Previously with Providence • All 29 match-ups between Butler and PC have come since the 2013-14 season when the Bulldogs joined the BIG EAST. The Series: Providence leads, 20-9 Streak: Butler, W3 At Providence: Providence leads, 10-2 First Meeting: Jan. 21, 2014; Providence, 65-56 (at PC) Last Meeting: Dec. 13, 2025; Butler, 113-110/2OT (at BU) Up Next Butler continues its week on the road at Marquette Saturday. The Bulldogs are back at Hinkle Wednesday (Feb. 11) to host UConn. =========== BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL MEN’S BASKETBALL PREPARING FOR TUESDAY NIGHT GAME AT BOWLING GREEN The Ball State men’s basketball team is set for its second of three games in a row on the road when the Cardinals play at Bowling Green on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, while Mick Tidrow and David Eha handle the radio call on WMUN 92.5 FM / 1340 AM and on the WMUN app. Links to both broadcasts and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page. Ball State (7-14, 3-6 Mid-American Conference) got a career best 14 points from Kayden Fish but saw its three-game winning streak snapped with a 73-55 defeat at Toledo on Saturday afternoon. Bowling Green (13-9, 4-6 MAC) is on a three-game losing skid, most recently suffering a 62-59 loss at Central Michigan on Saturday night. Todd Simon is in his third season in charge at Bowling Green, who went 14-18 (8-10 MAC) last season and was projected to finish seventh in the preseason poll. The Falcons claimed a win over a Big 12 opponent on Dec. 1 with an 82-66 decision at Kansas State. Bowling Green likes to pressure the ball and get out in transition, ranking third and sixth in NCAA Division I, respectively, in steals per game (10.9) and fastbreak points (18.7 per game). The Falcons are sixth nationally in turnovers forced per game (16.5) and eighth in turnover margin (+4.9). Senior guard Javontae Campbell is the national leader in steals per game (3.23) and total steals (71) while ranking second in the MAC in total points (424), third in points per game (19.3) and fourth in assists per game (5.0). Ball State concludes the three-game road stretch with a Saturday afternoon contest at Louisiana Monroe for the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge. FISH FINDING HIS SHOT: Forward Kayden Fish posted a career best 14 points on Saturday at Toledo while adding five rebounds. The redshirt sophomore went 5-for-12 from the field and 4-for-6 on free throws and needed only 15 minutes of court time to get to the 14 points. BEARDEN BRINGING THE ENERGY: Jai Anthoni Bearden needed only six minutes and one shot attempt from the field to get to a career high seven points on Saturday. The redshirt freshman hit a 3-pointer and made each of his four free throws on the afternoon. MILESTONE WATCH: Senior guards Devon Barnes and Juwan Maxey are approaching career scoring milestones in their respective NCAA Division I careers. Barnes is 27 points away from reaching 1,000, while Maxey needs 25 to hit the 500-point mark. WINNING WITH DEFENSE: Ball State’s 58-53 win against Northern Illinois on Jan. 24 was the first time the Cardinals have won a game scoring fewer than 60 points since Dec. 21, 2022 against Georgia Southern (58-54). The last time the program had won a conference game without reaching the 60-point mark was Feb. 16, 2019 vs Akron (57-56). HILL BIG OFF THE BENCH: Guard Davion Hill scored or assisted on the final 11 points in Ball State’s win against Northern Illinois, finishing the game with team bests in points (18), rebounds (eight) and assists (three). The strong finish came a game after the Williamsport, Pa., native drove to the lane and finished through contact for the game-winning and-one in Ball State’s 68-67 win at Central Michigan on Jan. 21. Hill ranks second on the team in average points both overall (12.1 per game) and in MAC play (14.1) while shooting 49.1 percent from the field against conference opponents. ZEIGLER GETTING STRONGER: Junior Armoni Zeigler led the Cardinals in points, rebounds and assists in consecutive games leading up to the Jan. 24 battle vs NIU before tying for a game-high with 18 points and tying a career high with four 3-pointers against the Huskies. Zeigler averages 17.2 points and 5.4 rebounds a game in MAC play compared to 10.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in the non-conference season. The guard is tenth in the league in scoring and eighth in free throw percentage (83.9) in conference action. The Amityville, N.Y., native scored a career high 30 points on Jan. 13 at Akron and was the first Cardinal since Jarron Coleman with 30+ points in a game (33 on March 11, 2021 vs Toledo). It was only the fourth 30-point game for a Ball State player in the last nine seasons. TURNOVER TALK: Ball State committed only eight turnovers in the Jan. 24 triumph vs Northern Illinois a game after limiting giveaways to a season-low five in the win at Central Michigan. Seven giveaways was the previous season-low on four separate occasions before the game with the Chippewas, and Ball State is the top conference team in turnover margin (+2.9) and taking care of the ball (9.2 turnovers per game) against MAC foes. TV CHANGES GAME DAY: Ball State’s home game against Akron originally scheduled for Feb. 21 has been picked up by CBS Sports Network and will now be played at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20 at Worthen Arena. The Cardinals topped Ohio 76-71 on Jan. 16 in another Friday night conference contest aired on CBSSN in Muncie. FINE FROM THE LINE: Ball State has hit north of 70 percent of its free throw attempts in seven of its last eight games, going 25-for-31 (80.6 percent) in the Jan. 16 win over Ohio. The Cardinals went 13-for-15 (86.7 percent) from the line on Jan. 6 vs Eastern Michigan a game after making 82.6 percent (19-23) of its free throw attempts the previous Saturday at Buffalo. The most recent time the Cardinals shot better than 85 percent from the foul line previous to the Eastern Michigan game was March 4, 2025 against Central Michigan with a 91.7 percent (11-12) mark. Ball State’s last game shooting over 80 percent from the line on at least 20 attempts before the game with Buffalo was Feb. 11, 2025 in an overtime win against Eastern Michigan (89.3 percent, 25-for-28). Ball State has picked up its shooting at the charity stripe in conference play, going 76.1 percent in nine games against MAC foes as opposed to 64.8 percent in 12 games with non-conference opponents. The Cardinals are fourth in the league in free throw percentage in conference games. DOUBLE DIGIT STEALS: Ball State collected 10 steals on Jan. 10 at UMass, making it the fifth time this season the Cardinals have had 10+ steals in a game. Ball State also had double figures in that category against Mansfield (11) and Little Rock (10) in November and Evansville and South Dakota State in December. This is the first time since the 2019-20 season that the Cardinals have had four non-conference games with 10+ steals. Ball State has collected 56 more steals than its opponents this season (154-98). CARDINALS CLAMPING DOWN ON DEFENSE: Ball State paces the Mid-American Conference in scoring defense (69.9 points per game) while ranking second in fewest fouls committed per game (15.5) and fifth in steals per game (7.6) through the season’s first 21 contests. ========== INDIANA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL SYCAMORES AND PURPLE ACES BATTLE IN MIDWEEK MATCHUP ON TUESDAY EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Indiana State men’s basketball makes the short trip to Evansville for a midweek matchup against the Purple Aces. Program’s Milestone Tuesday night’s game marks Game No. 3,000 for Indiana State Basketball. The department is set to celebrate the milestone at the next home game on Monday, February 9 versus Southern Illinois. Game time is set for 7 p.m. ET with the doors opening at 6 p.m. ET. Last Time Out Indiana State men’s basketball lost at home to Valparaiso on Saturday afternoon, 76-72 in overtime. Derek Vorst led the Sycamores in scoring with 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting with three rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. Xavier Hall and Camp Wagner each scored 11 points, rounding out the three Sycamores in double figures. Hall made 5-of-6 from the field, adding five rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Enel St. Bernard grabbed a team-high six rebounds, and Sterling Young led the team in assists with five. Series History This meeting will be the 191st meeting between the Sycamores and Purple Aces. Indiana State holds the 105-85 series lead, but when playing in Evansville, UE has the 54-36 advantage. The Sycamores have dropped the last two games against Evansville, and both were played in Hulman Center. Earlier this season, Indiana State fell to Evansville 72-69. The Sycamores in the game shot their fifth-lowest field-goal percentage of the season (39.4%) and made 12-of-17 from the free throw line. UE also played the game without their leading scorer, rebounder, and the league’s leader in blocks per game (2.47) and the 2024-25 Defensive Player of the Year – Connor Turnbull. Quick Hits From Last Game: Derek Vorst led the Sycamores in scoring with 14 points for the first time this season. Over the last three games, Sterling Young averaged 5.2 assists per game, better than his season average. With 21 fouls called on the Sycamores, it tied the most this season (at Bradley on January 21). Including Saturday, in the last six games (dating back through the Illinois State game on January 14), Sycamore opponents have averaged 24.7 free throw attempts per game. Before the stretch, opponents averaged 15.06 per game. The Sycamores in conference play moved to 2-10. In conference games alone, the average margin in -5.7. From Last Week: Derek Vorst made 9-12 from the field; Ian Scott 9-10; Xavier Hall 8-11; Enel St. Bernard 7-10. In the last five games, Sterling Young has made 13-of-29 from three (44.8%) moving him onto the MVC’s leaderboard in threes per game. He is tied for 14th with 1.61 per game. Following the Valpo game, INS is 6-1 when giving up 72 points or less & 3-13 when allowing 73+ points. Evansville averages 67.2 points per game this season but scored 72 points in the last outing against Indiana State earlier this season. Up Next Indiana State takes on the Salukis of Southern Illinois for the first time this season on Monday, February 9. Game time is set for 7 p.m. ET. ========== UINDY MEN’S BASKETBALL SHAUN ARNOLD TAKES HOME GLVC MEN’S BASKETBALL WEEKLY ACCOLADE INDIANAPOLIS – Indianapolis junior forward Shaun Arnold has been named the Great Lakes Valley Conference/Athletic Solutions Player of the Week in men’s basketball, it was announced by the league office Monday. PLAYER OF THE WEEK Shaun Arnold, Indianapolis Jr. | F | Indianapolis, Ind. Major: Business Management Team Results: 72-61 W vs. #16 Missouri S&T (1/29) | 101-73 W vs. Lincoln (1/31) Averaged 19.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 3.5 steals in two conference wins Shot 61% (17-of-28) from the field, 25% (1-of-4) from three, and 80% (4-of-5) from the charity stripe Highlighted by performance against #16 Missouri S&T, recording season highs in points (23), field goals made and attempted (10-of-15), and minutes (36) to go with 13 rebounds Helped UIndy secure first ranked win since 2023 Grabbed season-high 14 rebounds versus Lincoln Logged sixth and seventh double-doubles of the season Earns first career Player of the Week Award Last Greyhounds’ Player of the Week: David Ejah (12/20/23) =========== EVANSVILLE MEN’S BASKETBALL MEN’S BASKETBALL RETURNS HOME TUESDAY EVENING EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Back home for the first time since January 13, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team faces Indiana State on Tuesday at 7 p.m. inside the Ford Center. ESPN+ and Purple Aces Radio Network will have the broadcast. Last Time Out – Evansville scored the opening five points on Saturday at UNI, however, the Panthers countered with a 15-0 run before cruising to a 71-55 victory – AJ Casey posted his first collegiate double-double in the contest finishing with 17 points and 11 caroms, tying his career mark; all 17 of his points came in the second half – Leif Moeller added 14 points in the contest First Double-Double – On Saturday at UNI, AJ Casey posted his first collegiate double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds – His point tally improved his MVC scoring average to 14.7 PPG after averaging 7.8 points in non-conference play – Casey’s 11 boards tied his career mark, which came against Ball State in December; he is 12th in the MVC with 5.45 per game Series Notes – Since 2017, Indiana State has won 15 out of 18 meetings against the Aces with all three UE wins coming in Terre Haute – The Sycamores have won eight in a row at the Ford Center Close Games – Out of Evansville’s 10 MVC losses, six have come by 10 points or fewer – UE has dropped its five MVC home games by an average of just 6.8 points per game Keeping it Rolling – Bryce Quinet has reached double figures in seven of his first 11 MVC games and recorded a career-high 20 points versus Bradley – Quinet is averaging 10.6 PPG in his last nine contests; he scored a team-high 13 points at Illinois State before posting 16 on the road at Drake – He added 13 points versus Murray State while hitting five field goals and dishing out four assists Scouting the Opponent – Indiana State enters Tuesday’s game with a mark of 9-14 and 2-10 in the MVC – The Sycamores have dropped their last five games with four of those losses coming by seven points or fewer – On Saturday, ISU dropped a hard-fought 76-72 overtime game against Valparaiso – Ian Scott leads the way with 14.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game; his 23 steals and 20 blocks are also team highs – Camp Wagner is averaging 12.0 PPG while Sterling Young holds a scoring average of 10.1 PPG ============= MARIAN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MADISYN BAILEY NAMED CROSSROADS LEAGUE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Jackson, Mich. – Coming off of the Knights’ undefeated week, the Crossroads League announced on Monday that Madisyn Bailey of the Marian women’s basketball team has been named as the league’s Defensive Player of the Week. This is the first time in Bailey’s career she has been honored as the Crossroads League Player of the Week. Bailey powered fifth-ranked Marian to two more wins, recording 2.5 steals, 9.0 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game for the Knights. In addition to her work on the defensive end, Bailey averaged 11.0 points, 4.0 assists and shot the ball at a 53.3-percent clip. Bailey had a double-double on Saturday at Goshen with 16 points and 10 rebounds, recording her first-career points and rebounds double-double. Marian returns home this week, taking on Mount Vernon Nazarene and Taylor in the PE Center. The matchup with the Cougars is slated for 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 4. ========== MARIAN WOMEN’S TRACK TEACHNOR AND WOODS SWEEP CROSSROADS LEAGUE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK AWARDS Jackson, Mich. – After a promising weekend of competition, the Marian women’s track and field team was rewarded on Monday with both the Crossroads League Track and Field Athlete of the Week awards, with Katie Woods and Delaney Teachnor earning the accolade. Delaney Teachnor earned her fifth career Crossroads League Field Athlete of the Week honor on Monday, doing so coming off a week where she hit the NAIA A standard in the pole vault at Notre Dame’s Meyo Invite. The sophomore finished eighth overall in her event, clearing a height of 3.68m. Katie Woods clocked the NAIA’s fastest mile time at Louisville’s PNC Lenny Lyles Invite last weekend, breaking her own Marian record with a 4:47.06 time. The senior finished sixth overall in the race, competing against several NCAA DI athletes, earning her 10th overall Crossroads League Athlete of the Week honor, and her fifth for indoor track and field. The Knights compete across the state of Indiana this weekend, running at Indiana Tech and Indiana Wesleyan. =========== MARIAN MEN’S BASKETBALL PAT KNIGHT, SON OF BOB KNIGHT, RESIGNS AS MARIAN HEAD BASKETBALL COACH Pat Knight is out as Marian University’s head basketball coach. Knight told News 8 on Monday night, “I quit because they wanted me to fire a staff member.” Knight added that he disagreed with that directive, and therefore, chose to resign. Knight is the son of legendary Indiana basketball head coach Bob Knight and was hired as the Knights’ head coach in May 2024. Knight was ejected from Saturday’s game at Goshen College, which earned him a suspension from the upcoming contest against Mount Vernon Nazarene on Wednesday. Marian Athletics released the following statement on the incident: “Pat is suspended from this Wednesday’s home game against Mount Vernon Nazarene stemming from his ejection this Saturday in the team’s loss against Goshen. A university statement addressing Coach Knight will be issued in the coming days.” Knight was in the middle of his second season with Marian. The Knights are 5-17 after losing Saturday by 1 to Goshen. In his first season, Knight led Marian to an 11-17 record. His father Bob Knight died Nov. 1, 2023, in Bloomington. Bob was the head coach of the Army Black Knights from 1965-1971, the Indiana Hoosiers from 1971-2000, and the Texas Tech Red Raiders from 2001-2008. He won three national championships at IU: 1976, 1981 and 1987. Overall, he won 902 NCAA Division I men’s basketball games. =========== SMALL INDIANA COLLEGE SPORTS WEB SITES UINDY ATHLETICS: https://athletics.uindy.edu/ MARIAN ATHLETICS: https://muknights.com/ 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 On February 3 in … 1876 – Albert Spalding with US$800 starts sporting goods company in the USA, manufacturing first official baseball, tennis ball, basketball, golf ball, and football. 1895 – Wilhelm Mauseth skates world record 500 metre (46.8 seconds). 1900 – Rival forces fight for control of the Union Park ball grounds in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. 1937 – Donald Bradman scores 212 (in 441 minutes!) in 5th Test Cricket versus England. 1942 – Baseball owners agree to permit each club up to 14 night games in 1942. 1947 – Donald Bradman bowled by Alec Bedser for a duck in fourth Test Cricket. 1948 – Dick Button becomes first world figure skating champion from US. 1951 – Largest purse to date in horse racing, US$144,323, won by Great Circle. 1954 – Jeen van den Berg win Dutch Eleven Cities Skating race (7:32). 1956 – Toni Sailor becomes first Olympics skier to sweep the three alpine events. 1957 – Patty Berg wins LPGA Havana Golf Open. 1962 – John Uelses pole vaults record 489cm. 1963 – Mickey Wright win LPGA Sea Island Women’s Golf Invitational. 1965 – Milwaukee Braves offer Milwaukee US$500,000 to terminate their lease a year earlier; the proposal is turned down. 1972 – (to February 13) The XI Olympic Winter Games are held in Sapporo, Japan. 1974 – Sandra Palmer win LPGA Burdine’s Golf Invitational. 1975 – Billy Herman, Earl Averill, and Bucky Harris elected to Baseball Hall of Fame. 1976 – 26th NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 123-109 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 1977 – Martin Dihigo John Lloyd elected to Baseball Hall of Fame. 1978 – Australia beats India 3-2 on 6th day of final test. 1979 – Minnesota Twins trade Rod Carew to California Angels for four players. 1979 – US female Figure Skating championship won by Linda Fratianne. 1979 – US male Figure Skating championship won by Charles Tickner. 1980 – 30th NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 144-136 (overtime) at Washington. 1980 – Larry Holmes TKOs Lorenzo Holmes in six rounds for heavyweight boxing title. 1981 – Australia beats New Zealand 3-1 to win World Series Cup. 1983 – US female Figure Skating championship won by Rosalynn Sumners. 1985 – Joanne Carner win LPGA Elizabeth Arden Golf Classic. 1987 – Montreal Expos trade Jeff Reardon to Minnesota Twins for Neal Heaton. 1989 – Start first Test Cricket, New Zealand versus Pakistan, washed out. 1990 – Jockey Billy Shoemaker (58) retires after 40,350 horse races. 1990 – New York Mets’ Darryl Strawberry voluntarily enters Smither Center for alcohol rehabilitation. 1991 – Meg Mallon wins Oldsmobile LPGA Golf Classic. 1991 – NFL Pro Bowl: AFC beats NFC 23-21. 1993 – Cincinnati Reds’ owner Marge Schott suspended for one year due to racist comments. 1998 – Florida Panthers’ player Dino Ciccarelli is 9th NHL player to score 600 career goals. 1998 – New York Yankees replace general manager Bob Watson with Brian Cashman. 2002 – The New England Patriots beat the Saint Louis Rams 20-17, in NFL Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans. 2008 – In Glendale, Arizona, the NFL’s Super Bowl XLII is played. The New York Giants beat the previously undefeated New England Patriots with a 17-14 victory. Most Valuable Player is Giants’ Quarterback Eli Manning. The telecast is viewed by 97.4 million Americans, a record for the Super Bowl and making it the second-largest TV audience, behind the MASH finale in 1983. Births of sports figures on February 3 1851 – Birth of Lord Harris; cricket player (four Tests for England MCC big-wig). 1895 – Birth of Izak Buys; cricket player (one Test for South Africa 1922, 0 and 4, 0-52). 1899 – Birth of Forrest “Red” DeBernardi; basketball hall of famer (elected 1961). 1908 – Birth of Oddbjörn Hagen in Norway; cross country jumper (Olympics-gold-1936). 1918 – Birth of Helen Stephens; US 100 metre dash (Olympics-gold-1936). 1920 – Birth of Stan Ockers; Belgian bicyclist (Tour de France 1955, 1956). 1926 – Birth of Arthur Arfons; auto racer/designer (Green Monster 1964-536.71 MPH). 1928 – Birth of C V Gadkari; cricket player (Indian batsman in six Tests 1953-55). 1932 – Birth of J P “Pom-Pom” Felloes-Smith; cricket player (South Africa batsman versus England 1960). 1932 – Birth of Maria Itkina in USSR; sprinter (nine world records). 1936 – Birth of Robert Simpson; Australian cricket player/manager (great Australian batsman/captain/coach/slip). 1939 – Birth of Deszö Nowak in Hungary; soccer player (Olympics-gold-1964, 1968). 1940 – Birth of Fran Tarkenton in Richmond, Virginia, USA; NFL quarterback (New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings). 1941 – Birth of Carol Mann in Buffalo, New York, USA; golfer (LPGA Hall of Fame 1977, 1965 US Open). 1941 – Birth of Gary Bartlett; cricket pace bowler (New Zealand in ten Tests in the 1960s). 1945 – Birth of Bob Griese; NFL quarterback (Miami Dolphins, 1971 Player of Year). 1947 – Birth of Joe Coleman; baseball pitcher (Washington Nationals, Detroit Tigers). 1951 – Birth of Felipe Munoz in México; 200 metre backstroke swimmer (Olympics-gold-1968). 1952 – Birth of Fred Lynn in Chicago, Illinois, USA; baseball outfielder (Boston Red Sox, California Angels, Baltimore Orioles). 1959 – Birth of Molly Killingbeck in Jamaica; 4X400 metre relayer (Olympics-silver-1984). 1962 – Birth of Joe Handle; US baseball pitcher (Florida Marlins). 1965 – Birth of Dorcas Wonsavage in Madison, Wisconsin, USA; cross country skier (Olympics-1994). 1966 – Birth of Danny Morrison; cricket pace bowler (New Zealand since 1987). 1966 – Birth of Sean Patrick Wade in Houston, Texas, USA; New Zealand marathon runner (Olympics-1996). 1967 – Birth of Aurelio Vidmar; soccer player (Standard Luik, Feyenoord). 1967 – Birth of Jason Morris in Scotia, New York, USA; half-middleweight judoka (Olympics-silver-1992, 1996). 1967 – Birth of Natalie Hunter; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; canoeist (Olympics-1996). 1968 – Birth of Frantisek Kucera in Prague, Czechoslovakia; NHL defenseman (Vancouver Canucks, Olympics-gold-1998). 1968 – Birth of Leroy Thompson; NFL running back (Kansas City Chiefs). 1968 – Birth of Vlade Divac in Yugoslavia; NBA center (Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers). 1969 – Birth of Casey Weldon; NFL quarterback (Tampa Bay Buccaneers). 1969 – Birth of Jeff Christy; NFL center (Minnesota Vikings). 1969 – Birth of Robert Pack; NBA guard (Washington Bullets, Dallas Mavericks). 1969 – Birth of Terry Bradshaw; US baseball outfielder (Saint Louis Cardinals). 1970 – Birth of Alonza Barnett; WLAF safety (Amsterdam Admirals). 1970 – Birth of Eric Curry; NFL defensive end (Tampa Bay Buccaneers). 1970 – Birth of Jason Muzzatti in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; NHL goalie (Hartford Whalers). 1970 – Birth of Keith Carney in Providence, Rhode Island, USA; NHL defenseman (Chicago Blackhawks, Team US). 1971 – Birth of Eric Owens in Danville, Virginia, USA; outfielder (Cincinnati Reds). 1971 – Birth of Marcus Buckley; NFL linebacker (New York Giants). 1971 – Birth of Roman Cechmanek; NHL goaltender (Team Czechoslovakia Olympics-gold-1998). 1971 – Birth of Sean Dawkins; NFL wide receiver (Indianapolis Colts). 1972 – Birth of Jermaine Smith; NFL defensive tackle (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31). 1972 – Birth of Keith Elias; NFL running back (New York Giants). 1972 – Birth of Tyrone Poole; NFL cornerback (Carolina Panthers). 1973 – Birth of Jim Campbell in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA; NHL center (Anaheim Mighty Ducks). 1973 – Birth of Kyle Richardson; WLAF punter (Rhein Fire). 1976 – Birth of Dwayne Rudd; linebacker (Minnesota Vikings). Deaths of sports figures on February 3 1925 – Jaap Eden, Dutch world champion bicyclist/speed skating, dies at age 51. 1976 – Neville Lindsay, cricket player (South Africa batsman in Test versus Australia 1921), dies. =========== TV SPORTS Tuesday, 2/3/26 NBA REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVDenver Nuggets vs Detroit Pistons7:00pmALTFanDuel Sports DETUtah Jazz vs Indiana Pacers7:00pmKKJZZFanDuel Sports INDNew York Knicks vs Washington Wizards7:00pmMSGMNMTLos Angeles Lakers vs Brooklyn Nets7:30pmSpectrumYESAtlanta Hawks vs Miami Heat7:30pmFanDuel Sports SunFanDuel Sports ATLBoston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks8:00pmNBCPeacockChicago Bulls vs Milwaukee Bucks8:00pmCHSNFanDuel Sports MILOrlando Magic vs Oklahoma City Thunder8:00pmFanDuel Sports OKCFanDuel Sports FLPhoenix Suns vs Portland Trail Blazers10:00pmNBCPeacockPhiladelphia 76ers vs Golden State Warriors10:00pmNBCS-PHINBCS-BAYNHL REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVColumbus Blue Jackets vs New Jersey Devils7:00pmMSGSNFanDuel Sports OhioWashington Capitals vs Philadelphia Flyers7:00pmNBCS-PHIMNMTOttawa Senators vs Carolina Hurricanes7:00pmRDSFanDuel Sports SouthPittsburgh Penguins vs New York Islanders7:30pmTNTMAXBuffalo Sabres vs Tampa Bay Lightning7:30pmHuluESPN_Toronto Maple Leafs vs Edmonton Oilers8:30pmESPN+SNSeattle Kraken vs Anaheim Ducks10:00pmTNTMAXMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALLTIME ETTVMiami (OH) at Buffalo6:30pmESPN+Akron at Eastern Michigan6:30pmESPN+Canisius at Niagara6:30pmESPN+Ole Miss at Tennessee7:00pmESPN2South Carolina at Texas7:00pmSECNBoston College at Duke7:00pmACCNSt. Bonaventure at Dayton7:00pmCBSSNSouthern Illinois at Illinois State7:00pmMVC TVXavier vs. UConn7:00pmPeacockWestern Michigan at Ohio7:00pmESPN+Kent State at Toledo7:00pmESPN+VCU at Fordham7:00pmESPN+Ball State at Bowling Green7:00pmESPN+Central Michigan at UMass7:00pmESPN+La Salle at Loyola Chicago8:00pmMARQSt. John’s at DePaul8:00pmPeacockIndiana State at Evansville8:00pmESPN+Valparaiso at Bradley8:00pmESPN+UIC at Murray State8:00pmESPN+SIUE at Lindenwood8:30pmESPN+Little Rock at UT Martin8:30pmESPN+NC State at SMU9:00pmESPN2Pitt at Virginia9:00pmACCNSaint Louis at Davidson9:00pmCBSSNDrake at Belmont9:00pmMVC TVAir Force at Grand Canyon9:00pmKTVKNevada at Boise State9:00pmMWNRutgers at UCLA9:30pmBTNIndiana at USC10:00pmPeacockUNLV at Fresno State11:00pmFS1Wyoming at San Diego State11:00pmCBSSNSOCCERTIME ETTVSerie A: Bologna vs Milan2:45pmParamount+DFB Pokal: Bayer Leverkusen vs St. Pauli2:45pmParamount+League Cup: Arsenal vs Chelsea3:00pmParamount+Copa del Rey: Albacete vs Barcelona3:00pmParamount+EPL: Sunderland vs Burnley3:00pmPeacock ============ About The Author troyderengowski61@gmail.com See author's posts Post navigation FINAL ICGSA GIRLS BASKETBALL POLLS THE INDIANA SRN “SCOREBOARD” FEBRUARY 3
