“THE SCOREBOARD” INDIANA BOYS REGIONAL MATCH-UPS NORTHERN HOSTS MICHIGAN CITY CLASS 3A | 4 PM CT | EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL (14-12) VS. MISHAWAKA MARIAN (17-7) CLASS 4A | 7 PM CT | CHESTERTON (22-4) VS. CROWN POINT (22-1) LOGANSPORT CLASS 3A | 1 PM ET | WEST LAFAYETTE (22-4) VS. NEW HAVEN (19-7) CLASS 4A | 4 PM ET | HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) (18-8) VS. HOMESTEAD (19-6) HUNTINGTON NORTH CLASS 1A | 4 PM ET | FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY (14-11) VS. TRI-COUNTY (15-10) CLASS 2A | 7 PM ET | FORT WAYNE BISHOP LUERS (14-11) VS. BREMEN (22-4) NEW CASTLE CLASS 3A | 1 PM ET | DELTA (15-10) VS. FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN (20-7) CLASS 4A | 4 PM ET | FORT WAYNE SNIDER (19-7) VS. CARMEL (18-5) NORTH JUDSON-SAN PIERRE CLASS 1A | 4 PM CT | TRITON (22-3) VS. MARQUETTE CATHOLIC (18-7) CLASS 2A | 7 PM CT | WESTVIEW (24-1) VS. GARY 21ST CENTURY (17-6) LAPEL CLASS 1A | 1 PM ET | MONROE CENTRAL (20-4) VS. SOUTHWOOD (22-3) CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | BLACKFORD (20-6) VS. LAPEL (20-5) PLYMOUTH CLASS 3A | 4 PM ET | COLUMBIA CITY (22-4) VS. HANOVER CENTRAL (12-14) CLASS 4A | 7 PM ET | NORTHRIDGE (24-1) VS. SOUTH BEND SAINT JOSEPH (21-4) FRANKFORT CLASS 1A | 1 PM ET | ROSSVILLE (20-5) VS. NORTH VERMILLION (15-11) CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | BENTON CENTRAL (11-14) VS. OAK HILL (24-1) SOUTHERN HOSTS SOUTHPORT CLASS 4A | 4 PM ET | MT. VERNON (FORTVILLE) (24-3) VS. PIKE (23-3) CLASS 4A | 7 PM ET | LAWRENCE CENTRAL (14-11) VS. DECATUR CENTRAL (19-6) SEYMOUR CLASS 1A | 1 PM ET | SOUTH DECATUR (18-6) VS. HAUSER (24-2) CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | PAOLI (26-0) VS. LINTON-STOCKTON (23-4) GREENCASTLE CLASS 3A | 4 PM ET | NORTHVIEW (21-5) VS. RONCALLI (17-7) CLASS 4A | 7 PM ET | COLUMBUS NORTH (14-10) VS. TERRE HAUTE NORTH VIGO (23-3) WASHINGTON CLASS 1A | 1 PM ET | BARR-REEVE (24-1) VS. WEST WASHINGTON (20-6) CLASS 1A | 4 PM ET | NORTHEAST DUBOIS (17-8) VS. BLOOMFIELD (18-8) GREENFIELD-CENTRAL CLASS 1A | 4 PM ET | LIBERTY CHRISTIAN (18-7) VS. GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN (11-14) CLASS 2A | 7 PM ET | INDIANAPOLIS CARDINAL RITTER (14-12) VS. TRITON CENTRAL (22-3) SOUTHRIDGE CLASS 3A | 1 PM ET | EVANSVILLE BOSSE (17-8) VS. PRINCETON COMMUNITY (22-3) CLASS 4A | 4 PM ET | NEW ALBANY (21-5) VS. CASTLE (9-16) MARTINSVILLE CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | PARKE HERITAGE (23-4) VS. CENTERVILLE (24-2) CLASS 3A | 7 PM ET | BREBEUF JESUIT (18-6) VS. INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (21-5) CHARLESTOWN CLASS 2A | 1 PM ET | AUSTIN (16-8) VS. FOREST PARK (13-13) CLASS 3A | 4 PM ET | SILVER CREEK (27-1) VS. BATESVILLE (20-4) ============================================================== AP MEN’S COLLEGE AP POLL DUKE 29 – 2 ARIZONA 29 – 2 MICHIGAN 29 – 2 FLORIDA 25 – 6 HOUSTON 26 – 5 UCONN 27 – 4 IOWA STATE 25 – 6 MICHIGAN STATE 25 – 6 ILLINOIS 24 – 7 VIRGINIA 27 – 4 NEBRASKA 26 – 5 GONZAGA 28 – 3 ST. JOHN’S 25 – 6 KANSAS 22 – 9 ALABAMA 23 – 8 TEXAS TECH 22 – 9 ARKANSAS 23 – 8 PURDUE 23 – 8 NORTH CAROLINA 24 – 7 MIAMI OHIO 31 – 0 ST. MARY’S 27 – 4 VANDERBILT 24 – 7 WISCONSIN 22 – 9 LOUISVILLE 22 – 9 TENNESSEE 21 – 10 OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: MIAMI 60, TCU 19, BYU 18, SAINT LOUIS 12, HIGH POINT 11, GEORGIA 10, VILLANOVA 10, UCLA 3, VCU 3, STEPHEN F AUSTIN 2, UTAH ST. 2, OHIO ST. 2, MISSOURI 2, AKRON 1. ================================================================= MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES #12 GONZAGA 65 OREGON STATE 56 SANTA CLARA 76 #21 ST. MARY’S 71 WRIGHT STATE 103 NORTHERN KENTUCKY 90 ALCORN STATE 77 ALABAMA STATE 65 TEXAS A&M 74 NEW ORLEANS 61 FURMAN 76 E. TENNESSEE STATE 61 TROY 77 GEORGIA SOUTHERN 61 MONTANA 95 NORTHERN COLORADO 89 GRAMBLING STATE 77 MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 52 TEXAS RIO GRANDE 86 NICHOLLS 68 HOFSTRA 68 TOWSON 65 OT DETROIT MERCY 70 ROBERT MORRIS 64 EASTERN WASHINGTON 84 WEBER STATE 79 =============================================================== AP WOMEN’S BASKETBALL POLL UCONN 33 – 0 UCLA 31 – 1 TEXAS 31 – 3 SOUTH CAROLINA 31 – 3 LSU 27 – 5 VANDERBILT 27 – 4 IOWA 26 – 6 DUKE 24 – 8 MICHIGAN 25 – 6 OKLAHOMA 24 – 7 OHIO STATE 26 – 7 WEST VIRGINIA 27 – 6 LOUISVILLE 27 – 7 TCU 29 – 5 NORTH CAROLINA 26 – 7 KENTUCKY 23 – 10 MARYLAND 23 – 8 MINNESOTA 22 – 8 OLE MISS 23 – 11 MICHIGAN STATE 22 – 8 BAYLOR 24 – 8 NOTRE DAME 22 – 10 PRINCETON 24 – 3 GEORGIA 22 – 9 TEXAS TECH 25 – 7 OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: ALABAMA 47, FAIRFIELD 45, VILLANOVA 42, COLORADO 11, RHODE ISLAND 9, SOUTH DAKOTA ST. 5, OREGON 5, ILLINOIS 3, QUINNIPIAC 1. ================================================================== WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES #1 UCONN 90 VILLANOVA 51 GREEN BAY 73 PURDUE FORT WAYNE 48 SACRAMENTO STATE 62 IDAHO STATE 53 JAMES MADISON 69 TROY 52 NICHOLLS 81 INCARNATE WORD 55 YOUNGSTOWN STATE 60 CLEVELAND STATE 55 OREGON STATE 73 LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 67 EASTERN WASHINGTON 55 NORTHERN COLORADO 53 JACKSONVILLE 66 AUSTIN PEAY 63 OT MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 63 PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 49 GONZAGA 88 SANTA CLARA 60 LEHIGH 68 LOYOLA MARYLAND 54 ARMY 65 LAFAYETTE 57 VERMONT 68 MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY 65 2OT MAINE 60 BINGHAMTON 56 MERCYHURST 70 STONE HILL 64 HOLY CROSS 72 COLGATE 36 FAIRFIELD 51 QUINNIPIAC 44 LEMOYNE 54 WAGONER 47 LIU 99 CHICAGO STATE 77 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 81 ST. FRANCIS 56 NAVY 76 BOSTON 66 AIR FORCE 68 BOISE STATE 66 COLORADO STATE 66 UNLV 59 =============================================================== COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES STETSON 6 #5 ARKANSAS 4 #18 OREGON STATE 7 XAVIER 2 UTAH 7 GRAND CANYON 2 CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE 12 PEPPERDINE 1 UTAH VALLEY 5 NORTHERN COLORADO 1 ============================================================== COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES #6 ARKANSAS 12 MISSOURI STATE 0 #9 FLORIDA 5 MISSOURI 2 LOYOLA CHICAGO 9 DAYTON 0 MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY 7 MORGAN STATE 0 CONNECTICUT 4 ST. JOHN’S 1 PURDUE 9 GREEN BAY 0 UTAH VALLEY 6 UC DAVIS 5 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 7 GREEN BAY 1 OAKLAND 2 WAYNE STATE 0 OAKLAND 6 WAYNE STATE 2 SAN DIEGO 6 PRINCETON 1 INDIANA STATE 8 BRADLEY 4 DRAKE 9 COLORADO STATE 8 EASTERN ILLINOIS 10 MOREHEAD STATE 2 SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE 4 WESTERN ILLINOIS 3 SOUTHERN INDIANA 6 TENNESSEE STATE 1 UTAH VALLEY 6 UC DAVIS 5 ============================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED ============================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL SCORES PRINCETON 3 #12 UC DAVIS 2 LONG ISLAND 3 KING 0 ================================================================ DIVISION 1 MEN’S LAX SCORES #18 PENNSYLVANIA 10 VILLANOVA 6 ================================================================= DIVISION 1 WOMEN’S LAX SCORES OREGON 15 KENT STATE 1 UMASS LOWELL 15 WOFFORD 14 KENNESAW STATE 18 DELAWARE STATE 6 CALIFORNIA 17 STONEHILL 10 ================================================================= NBA SCORES CLEVELAND 115 PHILADELPHIA 101 OKLAHOMA CITY 129 DENVER 126 BROOKLYN 126 MEMPHIS 115 UTAH 119 GOLDEN STATE 116 LA CLIPPERS 126 NEW YORK 118 ================================================================== NBA G-LEAGUE SCORES TEXAS 121 SALT LAKE CITY 114 OT WISCONSIN 109 VALLEY 103 ================================================================== NHL SCORES LOS ANGELES 5 COLUMBUS 4 OT WASHINGTON 7 CALGARY 3 NY RANGERS 6 PHILADELPHIA 2 CHICAGO 3 UTAH 2 OT OTTAWA 2 VANCOUVER 0 ================================================================== MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL HOUSTON 10 ST. LOUIS 3 TAMPA BAY 4 DETROIT 4 ATLANTA 9 MINNESOTA 8 BOSTON 5 PHILADELPHIA 3 ST. LOUIS 7 BALTIMORE 2 LAS VEGAS 9 CINCINNATI 7 LA ANGELS 2 SAN FRANCISCO 0 CLEVELAND 6 KANSAS CITY 2 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 12 COLORADO 3 ARIZONA 2 SEATTLE 1 TEXAS 4 SAN DIEGO 1 LA DODGERS 4 MILWAUKEE 3 NY METS 9 MIAMI 0 PITTSBURGH 5 NY YANKEES 3 ================================================================== WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC SCORES KOREA 7 AUSTRALIA 2 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 10 ISRAEL 1 COLUMBIA 4 PANAMA 3 GREAT BRITAIN 8 BRAZIL 1 PERU 4 CUBA 1 VENEZUELA 4 NICARAGUA 0 UNITED STATES 5 MEXICO 3 ================================================================= WOMEN’S PRO VOLLEYBALL SCORES NO MATCHES SCHEDULED ================================================================== MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER NO MATCHES SCHEDULED ================================================================= NATIONAL SPORTS NEWS RELEASES NFL DOLPHINS RELEASING QB TUA TAGOVAILOA, RESULTING IN A $99 MILLION DEAD CAP HIT. MALIK WILLIS TO SIGN MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa is out. Malik Willis is in. Just like that, the Miami Dolphins are starting anew at quarterback. Tagovailoa — the team’s primary starter for the last 5 1/2 seasons — will be released, the Dolphins said Monday, a move that will result in an NFL-record $99 million dead cap hit. In his place: Willis, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no deal has been completed. Willis has dazzling numbers, albeit in a very small sample size. “I recently informed Tua and his representation that we are going to move in a new direction at the quarterback position and will be releasing him after the start of the new league year,” Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said in remarks released through the team. Willis will be reuniting with Sullivan and new Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley. The trio were all together in Green Bay, a team with whom Willis — widely considered among the top quarterbacks in this free agent class — completed 70 of 89 passes in three games over the last two seasons, throwing for 972 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions. The league year starts Wednesday afternoon. If the Tagovailoa move is designated as a post-June 1 release, the $99 million is split over two years, with about two-thirds on this year’s cap and the remaining third in 2027. Tagovailoa went 44-32 as Miami’s starter, dealt with concussions on multiple occasions and at times was a lightning rod for critics. Over the last five seasons — not counting his first year when he wasn’t the full-time starter yet — Tagovailoa completed 68.6% of his passes, second only to Joe Burrow over that span, while ranking 11th leaguewide in passing yards and passing touchdowns. At times, it was good. In the end, it just wasn’t always good enough. Tagovailoa reacted to Monday’s announcement on social media, thanking the Dolphins “for six unbelievable years.” “From the moment I arrived, you believed in me, supported me, and embraced my family as your own,” Tagovailoa wrote. “I was able to marry my wife and welcome both my kids to this world. … Wearing this jersey and representing this city has been one of the greatest joys of my life.” He also expressed disappointment that he couldn’t deliver that long-awaited playoff breakthrough for the team and its fans. “I also carry deep regret that I couldn’t get the job done and bring a championship home to this city,” Tagovailoa said. “Miami deserves that, and I’ll always wish I could have delivered it for you.” It’s the latest, and certainly one of the most significant, moves in this offseason of rebuilding and change for the Dolphins. Big names like receiver Tyreek Hill and pass rusher Bradley Chubb aren’t being brought back. Another move came Monday when the Dolphins agreed to trade safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the New York Jets for a seventh-round pick, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The biggest question left was the one at quarterback, and if Tagovailoa would get another shot. It was finally answered Monday. A trade or release had been somewhat expected after Tagovailoa, drafted fifth overall in 2020, was benched by former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel toward the end of last season because of poor play. Tagovailoa at the time said he wasn’t happy with the decision and wasn’t sure what his future with the team would look like. Tagovailoa was demoted for rookie Quinn Ewers with three games remaining last season, a clear signal that his six-year run with the Dolphins might be coming to an end. Tagovailoa, who turned 28 earlier this month, led the league in passing yards in 2023 with a career-best 29 passing touchdowns, but he never quite replicated that form. He threw a career-high 15 interceptions last season. “I would say the biggest thing, and it’s being honest with myself as well, had been my performance,” Tagovailoa said after being benched. “I haven’t been performing up to the level and the capabilities that I have in the past.” The dead cap hit tops the previous record of $85 million that the Denver Broncos took for releasing Russell Wilson in 2024. Willis figures to become the franchise’s 28th different starter since Dan Marino’s final season in 1999. Tagovailoa made 76 starts with Miami, second-most in that span behind Ryan Tannehill’s 88. Tagovailoa was drafted by the Dolphins to be their franchise quarterback after winning a national championship during a successful college career at Alabama. But the quarterback struggled on the field his first two seasons under former Miami coach Brian Flores and was benched several times as a rookie, resulting in a constant cycle of rumors on whether the Dolphins — who have the NFL’s longest playoff win drought, at a quarter-century and counting — would stick with Tagovailoa. The Dolphins fired Flores and replaced him with McDaniel for the 2022 season, and McDaniel developed and outwardly supported Tagovailoa during the coach’s four years in Miami. But with McDaniel gone, and a new regime in, the time was evidently right for Miami to start over at quarterback yet again. And the Willis era will soon be underway. “As I prepare for the next chapter, I move forward with gratitude, faith, and memories I’ll cherish for a lifetime,” Tagovailoa wrote. “South Florida will always hold a special place in my heart.” CHIEFS LAND SUPER BOWL MVP KENNETH WALKER ON A 3-YEAR DEAL WORTH UP TO $45M, AP SOURCE SAYS KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs and Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker have agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $45 million to bring the former Seattle running back to Kansas City, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Monday. The deal includes $28.7 million guaranteed and $43.05 million in base value, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because contracts cannot become official until the new league year begins Wednesday. Walker fills perhaps the biggest need for the Chiefs as they try to bounce back from a disastrous 6-11 season. Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, their top two running backs, are both free agents, leaving only second-year pro Brashard Smith under contract. The deal came as the Chiefs were nearing an agreement to bring back four-time All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce for his 14th season, a person familiar with those negotiations told AP. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because that contract was not yet final. Walker, a second-round pick in the 2022 draft, ran for 3,555 yards and 29 touchdowns over four seasons with the Seahawks. He had 1,027 yards and five scores last season, and he was even better in the playoffs, running for 116 yards and three TDs against the 49ers, another touchdown against the Rams, and 135 yards in a 29-13 win over the Patriots in the Super Bowl. He is the fourth Super Bowl MVP to change teams the following season: Larry Brown went from the Cowboys to the Raiders, Desmond Howard from the Packers to the Raiders, and Dexter Jackson from the Buccaneers to the Cardinals. The Chiefs have long survived at running back behind a patchwork of late-round draft picks and bargain free agents. But they were desperate to improve the position after ranking 25th in the NFL in rushing last season with just 106.6 yards per game. Hunt finished with 661 yards rushing and Pacheco with 462 yards. The Chiefs’ third-leading rusher was quarterback Patrick Mahomes with 422 yards and five touchdowns, and he missed the final three games of the season with a torn knee ligament. The Chiefs had been linked to Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love in the upcoming NFL draft, but his strong scouting combine may have pushed him so far up draft boards that he will be unavailable when Kansas City is due to pick at No. 9 overall. The Chiefs also have the No. 29 pick in the first round as part of their deal to send cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Rams. And by signing Walker in free agency, they have more flexibility in the draft to address some of their other pressing needs, including a weak pass rush, the interior of their defensive line, their offensive line depth and wide receiver. COWBOYS GET EDGE RUSHER RASHAN GARY IN TRADE WITH PACKERS AS FREE AGENCY OPENS, AP SOURCE SAYS The Dallas Cowboys are acquiring edge rusher Rashan Gary from the Green Bay Packers in a trade just as NFL free agency opens, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Monday. Dallas will send a 2027 late-round pick to the Packers, the person said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was still being finalized. The Cowboys and Packers reached the deal just as free agents were being allowed to talk to teams and reach agreements on contracts that can’t be signed until the league year begins Wednesday. The Miami Dolphins announced they are releasing Tua Tagovailoa, adding another big name at quarterback to a list of free agents that will include Kyler Murray, who is being let go by Arizona. The Dophins made another move by agreeing to trade safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the New York Jets for a seventh-round pick, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The Cowboys and Green Bay have agreed on a trade involving an edge rusher for the second year in a row. A week before the season started last year, the Cowboys traded young star Micah Parsons, who immediately signed a $188 million, four-year contract with $136 million guaranteed. It was the richest contract for a non-QB in league history. The Cowboys also got defensive tackle Kenny Clark from Green Bay in the Parsons trade. Gary was the No. 12 overall pick in 2019, two years before Parsons went to the Cowboys in the same draft spot. Gary had 7 1/2 sacks last season, but none in the final 10 games of an up-and-down year when the Packers were hoping the addition of Parsons would be a boost for Gary. Parsons missed the final three games and a wild-card loss to the Chicago Bears after tearing the ACL in his left knee. The 28-year-old Gary spent his first seven seasons with the Packers and had at least 7 1/2 sacks in four of the past five years. Gary, T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett are the only NFL players with at least 40 sacks, 100 quarterback hits, five forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries since 2020. This trade caps an eventful few days for Gary. He had posted a farewell to Green Bay on Instagram in Friday — an indication the Packers were about to move on from him — but he deleted the post later that day. The New York Giants are re-signing veteran tight end Chris Manhertz, keeping him and running back Devin Singletary among the offensive holdovers under new coach John Harbaugh. The team last week also re-signed receiver/returner Gunner Olszewski, and 25-year-old Wan’Dale Robinson may depart in free agency after becoming just the third player since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger 5-foot-8 or shorter to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving in a season. The Vikings kept one of their unrestricted free agents off the market by agreeing to terms on a new contract with 10th-year veteran linebacker Eric Wilson, a three-year deal valued at $22.5 million with $12.5 million guaranteed, according to the NFL Network. Wilson, who returned to his original team last season, had career highs in tackles for loss (17), sacks (6 1/2), quarterback hits (10) and forced fumbles (four). CHIEFS AND TIGHT END TRAVIS KELCE NEARING A DEAL FOR HIS 14TH SEASON, AP SOURCE SAYS KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs and Travis Kelce are nearing a deal to bring the four-time All-Pro tight end back for a 14th season, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Monday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because a contract had yet to be finalized. The 36-year-old Kelce said late last season that he would make a decision on whether to retire by early March, which would give the Chiefs some certainty as they attempt to rebuild their roster. The negotiating window for free agents opened Monday and the league year begins Wednesday, at which point trades and contracts can be finalized. The Chiefs also are trying to plan for next month’s NFL draft. They have two first-round picks following their trade of cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Rams last week, their original at No. 9 and the No. 29 selection that they picked up from Los Angeles. “I think we’ve kind of taken a different approach with Travis in the sense that we’ve prepared for either scenario,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said during last month’s scouting combine. “Coach (Andy Reid) had mentioned on Friday he’s had great dialogue with Travis. On our end, myself, (assistant general manager) Chris Shea and Travis’ crew, we’ve had some good dialogue there. “Travis is the best, he’s an icon and hopefully he comes back and we’ll just let that process play out.” Kelce has myriad interests besides football, whether it be his “New Heights” podcast with his brother and retired Eagles center Jason Kelce, or his roles in film and TV. He also is engaged to pop star Taylor Swift with a wedding expected to take place soon. But Kelce also has been adamant about the important role that football continues to play in his life. He first began contemplating retirement two years ago, but he was drawn back to Kansas City last season in large part because he did not want his career to end with a humbling loss to Philadelphia in the Super Bowl. The same feeling of disappointment almost certainly played a role in his return again with the Chiefs now coming off a 6-11 season — their worst since 2012. Then there is the desire to play one more season with Patrick Mahomes. One of Kelce’s best friends, Mahomes missed the final three games of last season after tearing his ACL in the final minutes of a loss to the Chargers that eliminated Kansas City from playoff contention. The two-time MVP quarterback underwent surgery the next day and made it clear to reporters a few weeks later that he intended to be ready for Week 1 of the upcoming season. Kelce returned last season in his best shape in years. And while he only caught 76 passes, his fewest since the 2015 season, Kelce still had 851 yards and five touchdowns — numbers that once again ranked him among the leading tight ends in the NFL. Kelce, who will turn 37 in October, has 1,080 catches for 13,002 yards and 82 touchdowns in 192 regular-season games, putting him fourth among tight ends in receptions and third in yards in NFL history. He also has 178 catches for 2,078 yards and 20 TDs during the postseason, which have helped him win five AFC championship rings and three Super Bowl rings. COMMANDERS RE-SIGN LEFT TACKLE LAREMY TUNSIL TO A 2-YEAR CONTRACT, AP SOURCE SAYS The Washington Commanders have re-signed starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil to a two-year deal, putting him under contract through the 2028 season, according to a person familiar with the move. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because the signing had not yet been announced. Tunsil, who turns 32 this summer, was one of the highest-performing players at the position last season. He ranked second in pass blocking, according to Pro Football Focus, and allowed just two sacks and 15 quarterback pressures in 14 games. He is a five-time Pro Bowl selection. His new contract is reportedly worth $60.2 million with a $32.5 million signing bonus, the largest for an offensive lineman. Bringing back Tunsil solidifies the offensive line to protect franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels, with versatile Nick Allegretti and Andrew Wylie also re-signing. Allegretti could move to center, with Wylie or Brandon Coleman at left guard, Sam Cosmi at right guard and 2025 first-round pick Josh Conerly at right tackle. Washington paid a significant price to acquire Tunsil a year ago in a trade with Houston: a third- and a seventh-rounder last year and a second- and a fourth-rounder this year. The Commanders are looking to bounce back after going 5-12, a significant drop-off from their 2024 run to the NFC championship game. Coach Dan Quinn’s staff will have two new coordinators, including David Blough getting promoted to run the offense. RAIDERS AGREE TO A 3-YEAR, $30M CONTRACT TO RETAIN CB ERIC STOKES, AP SOURCE SAYS HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Las Vegas Raiders agreed to a three-year, $30 million contract on Monday to retain cornerback Eric Stokes, a person with knowledge of deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been finalized. Stokes’ deal includes $20 million in guaranteed money. He signed a one-year contract with the Raiders last season after spending his first four years in Green Bay. Stokes started 16 games to give Las Vegas some stability at an otherwise shaky position, finishing with five pass breakups and 53 tackles. Both were his second-best career totals, behind his rookie-season numbers of 14 pass breakups and 55 tackles. Pro Football Focus rated him the 18th-best cornerback among 114 at the position. The Raiders enter free agency on Wednesday with nearly $112 million in salary cap space, according to overthecap.com, easily the most in the NFL. They also have the No. 1 overall draft pick and are widely expected to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, as well as the 14th selection after agreeing to trade defensive end Maxx Crosby to Baltimore on Friday. Las Vegas also is expected to cut veteran quarterback Geno Smith. Second-year general manager John Spytek hopes to use all those assets to help turn around a franchise that went 3-14 last season. The Raiders also enter next season with their third coach in three years with former Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak taking over. EDGE RUSHER JAELAN PHILLIPS AND PANTHERS AGREE ON A $120 MILLION, 4-YEAR DEAL, AP SOURCE SAYS Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and the Carolina Panthers have agreed on a four-year, $120 million contract, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Monday. The person, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract can’t be finalized until the start of the new league year on Wednesday, said the contract includes $80 million guaranteed. The Philadelphia Eagles were hoping to retain Phillips after trading a third-round pick for him at the trade deadline last season. Phillips had five sacks for the Dolphins and Eagles. A first-round pick in 2021, Phillips has 28 sacks in five seasons. The NFC South champion Panthers finished 8-9 last season and lost to the Los Angeles Rams in a wild-card game. JETS ACQUIRING MINKAH FITZPATRICK FROM DOLPHINS AND SIGNING HIM TO $40M EXTENSION, AP SOURCE SAYS Minkah Fitzpatrick is coming home and filling a major need for the New York Jets. The three-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl safety and New Jersey native is being acquired by the Jets from the Miami Dolphins, two people with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Monday. One of the people said New York will sign Fitzpatrick to a three-year, $40 million contract extension. The Jets will send a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft to the Dolphins in the deal, according to the people who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the trade can’t become official until the start of the NFL’s new league year on Wednesday. The deal, first reported by ESPN, should immediately help the Jets, who became the first team in NFL history to go an entire season without an interception. The 29-year-old Fitzpatrick, who had one year left on his contract with the Dolphins worth a non-guaranteed $15.6 million, was born in Old Bridge, New Jersey, and went to high school in Jersey City — about 25 miles from the Jets’ training facility in Florham Park and less than 10 from MetLife Stadium, his new playing home. It’s the second major trade this offseason for the Jets, who are looking to upgrade their defense in coach Aaron Glenn’s second season. New York acquired nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat from Tennessee for edge rusher Jermaine Johnson last month. Minkah Fitzpatrick is coming home and filling a major need for the New York Jets. The three-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl safety and New Jersey native is being acquired by the Jets from the Miami Dolphins, two people with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Monday. One of the people said New York will sign Fitzpatrick to a three-year, $40 million contract extension. The Jets will send a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft to the Dolphins in the deal, according to the people who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the trade can’t become official until the start of the NFL’s new league year on Wednesday. The deal, first reported by ESPN, should immediately help the Jets, who became the first team in NFL history to go an entire season without an interception. The 29-year-old Fitzpatrick, who had one year left on his contract with the Dolphins worth a non-guaranteed $15.6 million, was born in Old Bridge, New Jersey, and went to high school in Jersey City — about 25 miles from the Jets’ training facility in Florham Park and less than 10 from MetLife Stadium, his new playing home. It’s the second major trade this offseason for the Jets, who are looking to upgrade their defense in coach Aaron Glenn’s second season. New York acquired nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat from Tennessee for edge rusher Jermaine Johnson last month. NFL FREE AGENCY – DAY 1: INSTANT ANALYSIS AND GRADES FOR ALL MAJOR MOVES Day 1 Panthers sign Devin Lloyd 3-year, $45M deal This might be the biggest steal of the day. Maybe I’m getting carried away with Lloyd’s recent ascent – teams could very well be worried about the chances of him ever coming close to the second-team All-Pro production he provided in Jacksonville last season. But relatively small samples of high-level play have never stopped teams from swinging big on the open market before. At just 27, the former first-round pick seemed like a contender to push for $20 million per year. Instead, he lands in Carolina on a deal that will pay him $15 million annually. It’s still a decent chunk of change, but the $17-million average Zack Baun received in a similar free-agent situation last year probably should have been the starting point. Lloyd’s $15-million mark is closer to the deal Quay Walker is getting in Las Vegas than it is to the late-breakout Eagles linebacker. That’s outstanding value for Carolina. And from a football perspective, adding Lloyd and Jaelan Phillips mere hours apart dramatically changes the makeup of what had previously been an underwhelming front seven. Grade: A Titans follow the Patriots model The Raiders aren’t the only team throwing cash around on the first day of free agency. I had my eye on the Titans as a likely big spender, and they have not disappointed. The idea? Take advantage of a unique cap situation and get aggressive to turn over the roster around your promising sophomore quarterback. It’s a risky way to go about stockpiling talent, but what choice do you have when there’s so much work to be done on the roster and such limited time with an affordable rookie QB contract? Mike Vrabel and the Patriots proved last year that there’s a way to make it work with the right incoming players. Player Contract WR Wan’Dale Robinson 4 yrs/$78M DL John Franklin-Myers 3 yrs/$63M CB Alontae Taylor 3 yrs/$60M CB Cordale Flott 3 yrs/$45M CB Joshua Williams 2 yrs/TBD DE Jermaine Johnson II (trade) $13.4M Can the Titans recreate that magic under a defensive-minded second-time head coach of their own in Robert Saleh? That’s a tough ask. As was the case with the Raiders, a few of these contracts (Robinson, Taylor) are quite a bit more expensive than I was expecting. But I love the aggressiveness to completely overhaul the cornerback room with three solid additions. Franklin-Myers is a supremely underrated interior rusher who should feast lined up next to All-Pro Jeffery Simmons and Jermaine Johnson, and Robinson will be a target machine for Cam Ward. It’s a solid start to get a barren roster moving in the right direction. Grade: B+ Seahawks sign Rashid Shaheed 3-year, $51M deal Seattle swinging a deal for Shaheed ended up being the best move of last year’s trade deadline. His electric playmaking skills showed up in some critical moments on offense, and he also chipped in three special-teams scores after coming over from the Saints. Shaheed’s $17-million AAV may seem a little pricey for a player who has never posted more than 719 yards in a season, but his ability to stretch the field is such a perfect fit with Sam Darnold that I’m expecting his production to tick up in his first full season with the Seahawks. The 27-year-old will continue to provide an excellent complement to Jaxon Smith-Njigba while also moonlighting as the NFL’s most dangerous return man. All in all, a strong piece of business for the defending champs. Grade: A- Raiders spending spree The Raiders spent as much money as any other team in the first six hours of the negotiating window, and it makes sense. Not only was this roster in need of a substantial overhaul, but Las Vegas is obligated to use the vast majority of its $130 million in cap space just to reach the NFL’s three-year spending floor. Player Contract C Tyler Linderbaum 3 yrs/$81M LB Quay Walker 3 yrs/$40.5M LB Nakobe Dean 3 yrs/$36M WR Jalen Nailor 3 yrs/$35M DE Kwity Paye 3 yrs/$48M DE Malcolm Koonce 1 yr/$11M CB Eric Stokes 3 yrs/$48M CB Taron Johnson (trade) 2 yrs/$18.7M Admittedly, there aren’t many value adds in that haul. The Linderbaum deal, as I explained earlier, blows the center market out of the water. And I would argue the Walker contract is a bit of an overpay for a linebacker who does his best work in the run game. But the encouraging thing here is that this appears to be a team that now understands its timeline after last year’s wake-up call. The money spent was always going to be secondary to the desperate need for an influx of young talent. Linderbaum, Walker, and Dean are still only 25, while Nailor, Paye, Koonce, and Stokes are all 27. It’ll take some time, not to mention plenty of success in the draft, but the Raiders finally committing to rebuilding the right way could pay off in the long run. Grade: B+ Falcons sign Tua Tagovailoa 1-year, $1.3M deal Landing Tagovailoa on a veteran minimum deal will be seen as incredible value in some corners. I understand the logic: Atlanta is effectively getting an experienced starter at the NFL’s most expensive (and important) position for free. And I’ll absolutely take that stance when Kyler Murray finds his next home. But this situation is a bit different. Given the way Tua’s play dropped off during his last season in Miami, it’s not clear whether he’s still a starting-caliber player. It’s obviously a low-risk move – and sure, maybe he’s simply coming aboard to provide insurance at the position. But considering he agreed to the deal this soon after Monday’s release from the Dolphins, and Michael Penix Jr. is spending his offseason recovering from ACL surgery, I would bet that Tagovailoa enters the season as the starter. That’s not going to help the Falcons compete this year, no matter how cheap his contract is. Grade: C- Commanders sign Odafe Oweh 4-year, $100M deal The Commanders get on the board with a potentially massive addition to the defensive front. Making Oweh one of the 12 highest-paid edge rushers in the game is a gamble that he’ll maintain the level of play he displayed after a midseason trade to the Chargers. The contract is a little rich for my liking considering his relatively underwhelming track record beforehand. This will be tough to swallow if his breakout ultimately proves to be unsustainable contract-year magic. But Oweh always had this kind of potential as a disruptive pass-rusher off the edge, so I don’t hate the bet. If the second half of last season truly was a sign of things to come, a $25-million AAV with four years of control will wind up looking like a steal in an edge-rush market that currently peaks at $46.5 million. Grade: B- Bengals sign Bryan Cook, Boye Mafe Cook: 3-year, $42.5M deal Mafe: 3-year, $60M deal It seemed like the Bengals had no choice but to make some big moves on defense this offseason. Then again, you never really know with this team, so I wasn’t about to get my hopes up. Cincinnati landing Cook and Mafe on the first day of the negotiating period is a pleasant surprise. Cook is a versatile safety who can make an impact either as a deep cover man or coming downhill in run support. The roster needed all the help it could get in both of those areas. Mafe adds some much-needed explosiveness to replace the departing Trey Hendrickson on the edge. He only had two sacks with the Seahawks in 2025, but it’s reasonable to expect his production to take off in a lead pass-rush role. The notoriously conservative Bengals got quite a bit better on defense in the first few hours of free agency. Will they stay aggressive in the days and weeks to come? Grade: B+ Broncos re-sign J.K. Dobbins 2-year, $16M deal There were some rumblings about the Broncos taking a big swing at running back in free agency. I certainly would have been on board with that strategy given how the run game struggled down the stretch this year, but there was no need to meet the price tag for Kenneth Walker or Travis Etienne when they could simply re-sign one of the league’s most underrated running backs at a more modest rate. Dobbins was an excellent addition to Denver’s backfield in 2025, racking up 772 yards on 5 yards per carry before having to undergo Lisfranc surgery in November. The extensive injury history is a concern here, but that’s baked into the cost and contract length. Dobbins can be a star with some better injury luck working behind an excellent Broncos offensive line. Saints sign David Edwards 4-year, $61M deal As you can see below, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Saints spending big money on Travis Etienne Jr. in free agency. My feelings about this move in the trenches are the complete opposite. Arguably the top available guard, Edwards was a key component of an elite Bills offensive line for each of the last two years. With recent top picks Kelvin Banks Jr. and Taliese Fuaga at tackle, and veteran duo Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz still in place on the interior, Edwards is the final piece of what could soon be one of the league’s best offensive lines. We’ve seen what Kellen Moore is capable of doing when he’s got a solid foundation up front (even if this group may not be on the same level as the dominant unit he had during his offensive coordinator stint with the Eagles). Tyler Shough and his group of playmakers, Etienne included, should be set up for success in 2026. Grade: A Rams sign Jaylen Watson 3-year, $51M deal I’m circling back to this one after a wild start to Monday because it shouldn’t go overlooked that the Rams made another splash in the secondary. Their cornerback room got exposed in a big way down the stretch last season, ultimately playing a significant role in their heartbreaking loss in the NFC title game. Les Snead and Sean McVay aren’t about to let that happen again. Last week’s trade for Trent McDuffie was the perfect first step to shore up that problem area, and going back to the well of former Chiefs defensive backs is an excellent way to round out the new-look group. Watson is coming off a strong 2025 season in which he ranked 12th among all qualified corners with a 69.0 passer rating allowed. He finally brings some size and physicality to the position on the outside, and getting him for quite a bit less than Alontae Taylor’s $20 million per year is impressive value for the potential Super Bowl favorites. Grade: A- 49ers sign Mike Evans 3-year, $60.4M deal It’ll take some time to get used to seeing Evans in another uniform. The potential Hall of Famer is on the move after an incredible 12-year career in Tampa Bay, and he’s a fascinating fit with the 49ers. Kyle Shanahan’s offense becomes more difficult to defend with a true X receiver on the outside – think back to what he did with Julio Jones in Atlanta. Evans won’t produce at that level at this point in his career, but he remains a tremendous difference-maker when healthy. His ability to win one-on-one matchups on the outside could mirror Davante Adams’s impact upon landing in Los Angeles last year. And the 49ers managed to get Evans at a cheaper annual rate than the Rams did their veteran star. This feels like a perfect all-in move for a team that has a real chance to win now. Grade: A- Saints sign Travis Etienne 4-year, $52M deal I don’t understand this one from the Saints’ perspective. Etienne set himself up for a nice payday with a strong season in Jacksonville, but did anyone expect he’d become the NFL’s seventh highest-paid running back at $13 million per year? As I saw it, Etienne should have been the cheaper alternative for teams that missed out on Kenneth Walker. It’s a bit rich that this deal is so close to the Super Bowl MVP’s new contract with the Chiefs – it’s even got an extra year. And that’s before considering that the Saints are likely still a season away from competing. Etienne may not be the kind of game-changer who can accelerate that process. Why not spend their limited cap space elsewhere? Grade: D+ Titans sign Wan’Dale Robinson 4-year, $78M Everyone saw this move coming a mile away. Robinson was poised to cash in after taking his game to another level in his final season with the Giants. Formerly something of a short-area merchant, his improved production at the deeper areas of the field led to his first career 1,000-yard season. The Titans had lots of money available to address their glaring need at receiver, and Brian Daboll arrived as offensive coordinator after four years in New York, creating an obvious connection with Robinson. I don’t love the price at $19.5 million per year – it blows away the Khalil Shakir deal ($13.25M AAV) that seemed like a logical starting point for a rising slot-only receiver. Like the Raiders, however, the Titans were in a position to spend big. The offense needs all the help it can get at the skill positions, and Robinson provides a meaningful upgrade to Cam Ward’s cast of playmakers. Grade: B Raiders sign Tyler Linderbaum 3-year, $81M deal Linderbaum has blown the roof off the center market. This morning, Creed Humphrey was the NFL’s highest-paid player at the position at $18 million per year. The Raiders giving Linderbaum a deal with an annual average of $27 million represents a stunning 50% increase over the previous record. That pulls down the grade quite a bit, but Las Vegas does have a truly ridiculous amount of cap space after freeing up another $30 million with the Maxx Crosby trade. The front office could find worse ways to spend that money than ensuring projected top pick Fernando Mendoza has a solid foundation up front. Adding Linderbaum is an important step in that direction, and the three-time Pro Bowler’s athleticism should be a great fit for Klint Kubiak’s wide-zone run game. Grade: B- Dolphins sign Malik Willis 3-year, $67.5M deal Miami has its new quarterback. Willis appeared to be a likely and logical fit with new head coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan coming over from Green Bay. I admittedly wasn’t sure whether the Dolphins would be able to justify spending big money at the position with Tua Tagovailoa’s release leaving behind a record $99 million in dead money. Willis’ market wasn’t as competitive as some were expecting, though. The contract might seem a little pricey for a player with such limited experience, but it easily could have been a lot bigger based on the flashes he showed in spot duty for the Packers. A deal topping the $20-million AAV Justin Fields received last year with the Jets is a perfectly reasonable gamble on the former second-rounder joining the growing list of late-breakout stars at the most important position in football. Grade: A- Steelers trade for Michael Pittman Jr. Trade terms: Indianapolis sends WR to Pittsburgh for late-round pick swap The Steelers finally have a No. 2 receiver. Trading for Pittman isn’t the most exciting way to fill that spot, as his production trended downward over the last two years in Indianapolis. His 784 yards last season represents his lowest total since his rookie campaign in 2020. In that sense, this feels like yet another Band-Aid move by an organization that remains in denial of the obvious need to rebuild. The grade has to reflect that. That said, Pittman is still only 28 years old and could conceivably enjoy a bounce-back season as a reliable possession target opposite DK Metcalf. The trade compensation is negligible, and the three-year, $59-million extension reportedly handed out as part of the deal is fair value in an exploding receiver market. It’s a reasonable gamble. The risk, knowing this organization, is that Pittman is the Steelers’ only major addition at receiver. That would be a mistake. Grade: C Panthers sign Jaelan Phillips 4-year, $120M deal The Panthers aren’t messing around. The industry seemed to expect the Eagles would find a way to re-sign Phillips – and that was likely the plan after Howie Roseman gave up a third-round pick for him at the deadline – but Philly was never going to match this kind of money. Carolina addresses a pass-rush need with a deal that makes Phillips the NFL’s eighth highest-paid edge defender at $30 million per year. Injuries have prevented the former first-rounder from fully capitalizing on his potential, and his play did tail off down the stretch in 2025. But he still finished the year with a career-high 73 pressures, good for ninth among the league’s top performers at the position. Expensive as the contract may be, Phillips’ arrival could help Carolina’s defense take the next step. Grade: B Chiefs sign Kenneth Walker 3-year, $43.05M deal This is a major splash for the Chiefs. While many people would argue against paying up for a running back, particularly when a team has so many needs elsewhere on the roster, how can you not love the fit? Kansas City will no longer trot out a middling backfield that fails to make the most of a favorable situation. Walker, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, is a true home-run hitter. He represents a massive upgrade over what the team has gotten from Isiah Pacheco and an aging Kareem Hunt over the last few years. Being able to move the ball on the ground with some semblance of consistency will go a long way toward getting the Chiefs’ offense back on track. Crucially, this also ensures Patrick Mahomes won’t have to do everything himself in the early stages of returning from his torn ACL. Grade: A Colts re-sign Alec Pierce 4-year, $116M deal The Colts evidently weren’t going to be outbid for Pierce, and the final numbers are jarring. At $29 million per season, Pierce tops Tee Higgins to become one of the 10 highest-paid receivers in football. That’s quite the feat for a receiver whose 47 catches and 1,003 yards in 2025 set new career highs, even though those numbers pale in comparison to established superstar wideouts’ statistics. But his raw production doesn’t tell the full story. Pierce has quietly become one of the league’s most effective big-play receivers, leading all receivers in yards per catch over each of the last two seasons. Still an ascending player at 25 years old, this deal is more a reflection of where he’s headed than what he’s produced to this point. Keeping Pierce was a must if the Colts are going to set Daniel Jones up for success. Grade: B- Chiefs re-sign Travis Kelce No surprises here. Kelce was technically scheduled to be a free agent, and some recent reports indicated he was planning to talk to other teams once he hit the market. Yeah, sure. Kelce was never going to play for anyone other than the Chiefs, and news that he intended to return to Kansas City came down near the start of the negotiating period. Not only does he have the rare opportunity to play an entire Hall of Fame career in one uniform, but this was also his best chance of going out with another Super Bowl. The 36-year-old evidently has a little juice left in the tank, too: He finished the 2025 season ranked third among all tight ends with 851 receiving yards. Grade: B+ Cowboys acquire Rashan Gary Trade terms: Green Bay sends DE to Dallas for 2027 4th-round pick An announcement shared on Gary’s Instagram account over the weekend suggested he was being released by the Packers. The post was quickly taken down, though, and reporters soon chimed in to say he was hacked. Who’s buying that? Gary’s pass-rush win rate dropped in each of the past four seasons, according to PFF. The opportunity for the Packers to save $19.5 million in cash commitments made him a likely cut candidate. With that in mind, the Cowboys giving up a fourth-rounder seems like a clear overpay. Gary fills a need on the edge, and the 29-year-old could bounce back with a fresh start. But it’ll be a bit of a disappointment if this ends up being Dallas’ only big move to round out the defensive front. Grade: D+ Jets acquire Minkah Fitzpatrick Trade terms: Miami sends safety to New York for 2026 7th-round pick Miami’s new leadership is in the process of tearing down the roster, so it was only a matter of time before Fitzpatrick was shipped out. The only surprise here – and it may have been an unpleasant one for the veteran safety – is that he wasn’t scooped up by a contender. Fitzpatrick’s leadership will be invaluable for a young New York defense, and his playmaking ability is a welcome addition for a unit that somehow finished the 2025 campaign without a single interception. And it’s not like this is a reckless, short-sighted move on the Jets’ part. The draft compensation is effectively nothing, and the extension Fitzpatrick reportedly got as part of the deal – three years, $40 million – puts him 13th among NFL safeties in terms of average salary. That’s good value for a three-time All-Pro who is still only 29 years old. Grade: B- Raiders acquire Taron Johnson Trade terms: Buffalo sends CB, 7th-round pick to Las Vegas for 6th-round pick The Raiders and Bills kept the trade fun going late Sunday night, agreeing to a deal that sends veteran cornerback Taron Johnson to Las Vegas for a late-round pick swap. Buffalo announced Johnson’s release at the end of last week, so this is effectively Las Vegas’s way of beating other interested teams to the punch. The fit is a bit curious, as the Raiders should probably be focused on adding young talent that might match their eventual competitive timeline. The 29-year-old should have a few good seasons left in the tank, though. And since the Raiders have more cap space than any other team, it’s tough to argue against picking up a $8.67-million cap hit for one of the best reliable slot defenders in football. Grade: C+ Last week’s blockbusters A few teams got an early start on their offseason business last week. Maxx Crosby is headed to the Ravens in a blockbuster deal that sends a pair of first-round picks back to the Raiders, the Rams are addressing their need at corner by acquiring Trent McDuffie from the Chiefs, and the Bills are swinging big with an aggressive deal to acquire DJ Moore from the Bears. ===================================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL DUKE MARKS ITS RECORD 150TH NO. 1 RANKING IN THE AP TOP 25, WISCONSIN, LOUISVILLE BACK IN POLL Duke was chosen No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for a record 150th time on Monday. The Blue Devils received 56 of 61 first-place votes from a national media panel after wins over rivals NC State and North Carolina, leaving them in the top spot for the third consecutive week. Arizona stayed second and received four first-place votes while Michigan received the other No. 1 ballot after its impressive win over No. 8 Michigan State. “We’ve put ourselves in a position to do something special and make a run,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. The Blue Devils reached No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time on Dec. 13, 1965, and they’ve spent more time there than any other men’s basketball program. UCLA is second with 134 weeks on top while Kentucky is third (125). Now, Scheyer’s crew heads into the ACC Tournament as the No. 1 seed, but potentially without two of their starters. Patrick Ngongba II and Caleb Foster both were wearing boots in the second half of Duke’s win over the Tar Heels on Saturday. “I’d be shocked if both of them are playing (in the conference tournament),” Scheyer said. “Our plan is how can we get as healthy as possible and ready as possible for two weeks from now, wherever we go (into the NCAA Tournament).” Defending national champion Florida climbed to fourth in this week’s AP poll, the highest the Gators have been since they were preseason No. 3. Houston moved up to fifth after finishing second to Arizona in the regular-season Big 12 race. UConn dropped from fourth to sixth after the Huskies were upset by Marquette in their regular-season Big East finale. Rising and fall St. John’s moved up five spots to No. 13 after beating Georgetown and Seton Hall last week. The Red Storm have won 16 of their last 17 games with the lone defeat coming to UConn, and Rick Pitino’s squad is seeded No. 1 in the Big East Tournament this week. Texas Tech, which lost All-American forward JT Toppin to a torn ACL, dropped six spots to No. 16 following losses to TCU and BYU. In and out Wisconsin made its fifth appearance in the poll this season at No. 23 after routing Maryland and beating Purdue on the road last week. Louisville also returned to the poll at No. 24 after wins over Syracuse and then-No. 22 Miami. The Hurricanes were the top team outside the Top 25 while Saint Louis dropped out following its loss to George Mason. Conference tournaments Arizona, Houston, No. 14 Kansas and Texas Tech are the top four seeds in the Big 12 and earned double-byes into the quarterfinals on Thursday. Duke, No. 10 Virginia, Miami and No. 19 North Carolina are the top four in the ACC and likewise begin play Thursday, as will the top four seeds in the Big East: St. John’s, UConn, Villanova and Seton Hall. Michigan, No. 11 Nebraska, Michigan State and No. 9 Illinois are the top four seeds in the Big Ten and will play their quarterfinal games on Friday. So will Florida, No. 15 Alabama, No. 17 Arkansas and No. 22 Vanderbilt, the top four seeds in the SEC Tournament. No. 12 Gonzaga played Oregon State in the West Coast semifinals on Monday night, while No. 21 Saint Mary’s played Santa Clara in the other semifinal. The winners will meet for the conference championship Tuesday night. No. 20 Miami (Ohio) is the top seed in the MAC tourney. The RedHawks play UMass in the quarterfinals on Thursday. NET rankings The rankings used by the NCAA to help seed its tournament varied slightly from the AP poll. The NET had Michigan instead of Arizona at No. 2 behind the Blue Devils, while BYU and Iowa — unranked in the media poll — rounded out its version of the Top 25. The RedHawks, who completed a 31-0 regular season, were ranked 55th by the NET due in large part to their strength of schedule. Conference watch The Big Ten has six ranked teams while the Big 12 and SEC have five apiece, though the Big 12’s five included three of the top seven and all within the top 16. The ACC has four ranked teams, the Big East and West Coast two apiece and the MAC one. ROUNDUP: NO. 12 GONZAGA DEFEATS OREGON STATE TO MOVE INTO WCC FINAL Graham Ike recorded 24 points and 11 rebounds and No. 12 Gonzaga advanced to the West Coast Conference tournament title game by dispatching Oregon State 65-56 on Monday night in Las Vegas. Davis Fogle added nine points and six rebounds off the bench for the top-seeded Bulldogs (29-3), who held a 16-0 edge in fast-break points during the wire-to-wire victory. Gonzaga will be looking to notch its 22nd WCC tourney title in the past 28 seasons on Tuesday. The Bulldogs will play either second-seeded Saint Mary’s or third-seeded Santa Clara. Those squads play in Monday’s late semifinal. Jorge Diaz Graham registered 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots for fourth-seeded Oregon State (17-16), who likely played its final game under Wayne Tinkle. The 12th-year coach was dismissed on Feb. 26 and is finishing out the season. Ike averaged 26.8 points with a high of 35 in four games against the Beavers over the past two seasons. The Bulldogs shot 47.2% from the field, including 3 of 14 from 3-point range. The Beavers connected on 33.9% of their field-goal attempts and were 6 of 25 from behind the arc. Noah Amenhauser added 11 points for Oregon State. Gonzaga led by 16 early in the second half before the Beavers used a 7-0 run to move within 46-37 with 12:45 remaining. Tyon Grant-Foster responded with consecutive baskets to push the lead back to 13 with 11:06 left. The margin was 10 before the Bulldogs ran off eight straight points. Ike hit a jumper, Fogle scored back-to-back hoops and Ike made two free throws to give the Bulldogs a 58-40 lead with 6:53 left. Oregon State scored the game’s final seven points to cut the margin into single digits before Tinkle and Gonzaga coach Mark Few shared a long embrace at midcourt. Ike scored 12 first-half points as the Bulldogs led 38-24 at the break. Gonzaga scored the game’s first six points and later ripped off 11 straight to take a 21-6 advantage just 11-plus minutes into the contest. The Beavers scored 13 of the next 19 points to move within eight before Adam Miller buried a 3-pointer and Jalen Warley contributed a dunk to make it 32-19 with 3:20 to play. FURMAN STUNS TOP-SEEDED EAST TENNESSEE FOR SOUTHERN CONFERENCE CROWN Sixth-seeded Furman stunned top-seeded East Tennessee State, 76-61, to capture the Southern Conference tournament title and earn their second trip in four seasons to the NCAA Championships. The Paladins led for the final 36:39 of the game, shooting 50.9% (27 of 53) from the floor and outrebounding the Buccaneers 36-24 in Asheville, N.C. Cooper Bowser led Furman (22-12) with 21 points, hitting 9 of 12 shots from the floor. He added a game-high 11 rebounds. Reserve Tom House added 13 points, while Alex Wilkins scored 12. Brian Taylor paced East Tennessee (23-11) with 16 points and Blake Barkley pitched in with 14. But the Buccaneers misfired on 13 of 16 3-point attempts, including eight of nine while trying to rally in the second half. Furman led, 42-35 at halftime and scored five of the second half’s first six points to take command. Troy 77, Georgia Southern 61 The Trojans defended their Sun Belt tournament title, cruising past the Eagles in Pensacola, Fla. Thomas Dowd paced top-seeded Troy (22-11) with 23 points and 13 rebounds and Jerrell Bellamy added 15. The two combined to convert 15 of 23 shots from the floor. The Trojans will make their fourth appearance at the NCAA Championships, with previous trips in 2003, 2017 and 2025. Georgia Southern (21-16) entered the tournament as the 10th seed and won four games in four days before running out of gas. Tavarus Webb led the Eagles with 16 points, but they made only 8 of 26 shots in the first half and trailed, 38-25. SANTA CLARA TOPS SAINT MARY’S IN WCC SEMIS, BOOSTING NCAA HOPES Sash Gavalyugov had 23 points and six assists and Santa Clara likely wrapped up its first NCAA Tournament bid in 30 years with a 76-71 victory over No. 21 Saint Mary’s in the West Coast Conference semifinals on Monday night at Las Vegas. Elijah Mahi added 19 points and seven rebounds and Allen Graves had 10 points and three steals for third-seeded Santa Clara (26-7), which is sitting on the NCAA tourney bubble. The Broncos will face top-seeded Gonzaga for the league’s automatic bid in the championship game on Tuesday. Paulius Murauskas recorded 26 points and eight rebounds for the second-seeded Gaels (27-5), who are solidly part of the NCAA Tournament field despite the setback. Mikey Lewis added 23 points and Andrew McKeever produced 11 points and 11 rebounds for Saint Mary’s. Santa Clara hasn’t played in the NCAA Tournament since 1996, when it finished a run of three appearances in four seasons during the Steve Nash era. Mahi knocked down a 3-pointer to give Santa Clara a 71-69 edge with 1:42 left. He added a layup with one minute remaining to give the Broncos a four-point lead. Joshua Dent hit a jumper in the lane to bring Saint Mary’s within 73-71 with 41.5 seconds to go. The Gaels chose not to foul, and with the shot clock winding down, Gavalyugov buried a 3-pointer from well behind the arc to give the Broncos a five-point lead with 12.1 seconds to play. The victory was the 600th in the career of Broncos coach Herb Sendek. Santa Clara shot 48.4% from the field, including 11 of 25 (44%) from 3-point range. The Broncos shot 58.6% (17 of 29) in the second half. The Gaels connected on 44.4% of their shots and were 6 of 20 (30%) from behind the arc. Saint Mary’s led by five in the second half before Santa Clara scored 13 of the next 18 points. Graves scored the final five to give the Broncos a 52-49 lead with 11:30 remaining. The Gaels scored the next four points to inch back ahead before Santa Clara went on a 9-2 spurt. Thierry Darlan scored the last five to give the Broncos a 61-55 advantage with 7:23 left. Graves’ three-point play pushed Santa Clara’s lead to 64-57 with 6:38 remaining. Murauskas then scored five points during a 7-0 spurt as the Gaels knotted the score with 4:33 left. Murauskas scored 10 first-half points, and Saint Mary’s led 35-32 at the break. THE ACC TOURNAMENT ARRIVES WITH THE LEAGUE POISED TO CLAIM A HEFTY HAUL OF MARCH MADNESS BIDS AGAIN The Atlantic Coast Conference entered the season hoping to create a jolt for men’s basketball, a flagship sport facing a dwindling count of March Madness bids in recent years. “We just weren’t performing at the level that anybody was satisfied with,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips told The Associated Press. It looks like those efforts worked entering this week’s ACC Tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina. Duke arrives as the No. 1-ranked team in the AP Top 25 after a second straight one-loss run through the league. But the ACC overall has positioned itself to reclaim bids that had gone missing in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic. “There’s no question the league is elevated,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said after Saturday’s win against rival North Carolina in the regular-season finale. “The metrics would tell you that, the number of teams we’re going to get in the (NCAAs) would tell you that. And I think we’ve really been tested in different ways.” The ACC had a league-record nine NCAA bids in 2017 and 2018, but slid to five from 2022-24, then four as an 18-team league last year — the fewest since getting four in 2013 with just 12 schools. That coincided with a multi-year sideline overhaul headlined by retirements of Hall of Famers like UNC’s Roy Williams (2021), Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski (2022) and Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim (2023). The league is projected to have eight bids according to Monday’s latest projections from ESPN, BracketMatrix.com — which averaged 79 mock brackets —and Bart Torvik’s analytics site. It comes after multiple moves such as cutting a 20-game league slate to 18 this year so teams had more flexibility to schedule quality nonconference matchups. Phillips has pointed to multiple steps emerging from a multi-year evaluation on how to stop the slide, such as elevated financial investments by schools and the league consulting with tournament-projection analysts like Jerry Palm and Joe Lunardi. “We had done everything we possibly could to prepare for the year,” Phillips said. “What you don’t know is what does personnel look like, how good teams are going to be or how well they come together.” The metrics painted a picture of gains: — The ACC has had four or five teams ranked in the AP Top 25 in 15 of 18 polls this year after failing to have more than three all last year; — The league closed the regular season with eight teams in the top 40 of the NET, double this time last year; — And the ACC went from having just 29 Quadrant 1 wins that top a postseason résumé at this time last year to 74 as of Sunday’s games. That includes eight teams managing at least five each compared to only Duke reaching that marker last year. “In the end, I think we were all really cautiously optimistic about how the year was going to be,” Phillips said. “We still have work to do, but this has been a major re-correction for the ACC to get back to where they’ve been in the past.” Duke’s health The Blue Devils (29-2, 17-1) suddenly have health worries. Starting big man Patrick Ngongba II sat out Saturday with right-foot soreness. Then starting point guard Caleb Foster was hobbled late in the first half when he stumbled backwards and planted his right foot awkwardly, then immediately turned to the bench. The junior checked out and was wearing a boot on the bench in the second half. “Health going into the NCAA Tournament is the priority, it just is,” Scheyer said. “The ACC Tournament, we want to be ready to go. I can tell you this: I’ll be shocked if both of them are playing next week.” Fast starts No. 10 Virginia and Miami had strong debuts under first-year coaches. The Cavaliers (27-4, 15-3) are the No. 2 seed under Ryan Odom. His team was among the NCAA selection committee’s top 16 seeds in its preliminary rankings last month. “We did talk about NCAA Tournament seeding, just painted a picture for them that we are playing for something right now,” Odom said after Saturday’s win against rival Virginia Tech. The Hurricanes (24-7, 13-5) are the 3-seed under Jai Lucas, the 37-year-old who had worked the previous three seasons under Scheyer at Duke. Wilson-less Tar Heels No. 19 North Carolina went from being on the verge of getting star freshman Caleb Wilson back from a left-hand injury to losing him for the season to a broken right thumb. The fourth-seeded Tar Heels (24-7, 12-6) are 5-2 without Wilson this year, but the injury is a massive blow to their chances of making a deep March push. “I love these kids, I love the fight, the resiliency, the perseverance of this group,” coach Hubert Davis said after Saturday’s loss at Duke. “And I’ll roll with this team and this group every day.” Bubble watch Monday’s projected tournament teams included fifth-seeded Clemson, sixth-seeded Louisville — which re-entered Monday’s AP Top 25 at No. 24 — seventh-seeded N.C. State and 11th-seeded SMU. Torvik’s T-Ranketology and ESPN both had 10th-seeded Stanford and 12th-seeded Virginia Tech among the first teams outside the field of 68, while ninth-seeded California is also hovering with a chance to help its bid hopes. The schedule This marks the second year of a 15-team bracket for the 18-team league. Notre Dame, Boston College and Georgia Tech failed to qualify. Play opens Tuesday with three first-round games. The top four seeds have double-round byes into Thursday’s quarterfinals. The semifinals are Friday night, followed by Saturday’s championship. ================================================================== WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL NO. 2 UCLA ENDS UCONN RUN AS UNANIMOUS NO. 1 IN WOMEN’S AP TOP 25, TEXAS MOVES UP TO NO. 3 No. 2 UCLA picked up first-place votes from top-ranked UConn in The Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 on Monday and Texas jumped South Carolina to move up to No. 3 after winning their head-to-head showdown in the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game. The Bruins picked up three first-place votes after their 51-point win over then-No. 9 Iowa in the Big Ten title game Sunday. UConn had been a unanimous No. 1 from the national media panel for the past eight weeks. The undefeated Huskies received the other 28 first-place votes. UConn and UCLA are expected to be the top two teams when the women’s NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed Sunday night. While the Bruins are done until then, the Huskies faced Villanova for the Big East tournament title Monday night. LSU moved up to No. 5, swapping spots with Vanderbilt. Despite its loss to UCLA, Iowa moved up to seventh. Duke jumped five places to eighth after winning the Atlantic Coast Conference championship, beating then-No. 12 Louisville in overtime. Michigan was ninth and Oklahoma 10th. In and out Buoyed by reaching the ACC Tournament semifinals, Notre Dame re-entered the Top 25, coming in at No. 22. Notre Dame replaced Fairfield, which had entered the poll last week and advanced to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship game Monday. Conference supremacy The SEC has the most teams in the Top 25 with eight. The Big Ten is next with seven. The Big 12 and ACC each have four. The Ivy League and Big East each have one. Games of the week Besides UConn, Princeton is the only other Top 25 team playing this week. The Tigers will face Brown in the Ivy League Tournament semifinals on Friday night. If they win, they will play either Harvard or Columbia on Saturday. The Lions handed the Tigers two of their three losses this season. MEMPHIS FIRES WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACH ALEX SIMMONS AFTER 30-61 RECORD IN 3 SEASONS MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis fired women’s basketball coach Alex Simmons on Monday after the Tigers went 30-61 during her three seasons. Athletic director Ed Scott announced the decision Monday, saying this was the right time for a change. “We remain committed to building a program that competes at the highest level of our conference and reflects the pride and passion of the University of Memphis community,” Scott said. “We have made meaningful investments in women’s basketball and are grateful for the strong support from our fans and donors.” Simmons, who played at Tennessee, was hired in 2023 after guiding Gardner-Webb to the NCAA Tournament. She had a record of 90-59 over five seasons there, but she never posted a winning record at Memphis and was 18-36 in American conference play. Shalon Pillow will run the women’s program during the search for Simmons’ replacement. Memphis has a firm helping in the search for a replacement. RUTGERS TURNS TO LSU ASSISTANT GARY REDUS II TO REVIVE ITS STRUGGLING WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PROGRAM Rutgers hired Gary Redus II as its women’s basketball coach on Monday to replace Coquese Washington. Redus has worked on Kim Mulkey’s staff at LSU since the 2022-23 season, which ended with the Tigers winning a national championship. Before LSU, the 36-year-old Redus spent time at SMU, Vanderbilt and Division II Delta State as an assistant. This will be his first head coaching position. “I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to be the next women’s basketball coach at Rutgers University,” Redus said. “I am no stranger to the rich history of basketball here at Rutgers and I look forward to building on that legacy as we move the program forward.” He has been a chief recruiter for LSU, helping bring in two of the top classes in college basketball over the past three seasons. Rutgers fired Washington a week ago after four seasons and a 42-84 record. The Scarlet Knights were 1-17 in Big Ten play this past season — its worst mark ever in the conference. The Scarlet Knights used to be one of the top programs in women’s basketball under Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer, going to two Final Fours and winning four Big East championships. Stringer retired in 2022. In her time at the school the program made 17 NCAA appearances. Rutgers president William Tate and new athletic director Kelli Zinn both previously worked at LSU. “We are thrilled to welcome Gary and his family to Rutgers,” Zinn said. “Having worked with him previously, I’ve seen firsthand the energy, commitment, and competitive mindset he brings to coaching. Coach Redus is well known as one of the top recruiters in the country, with an exceptional ability to create relationships and attract elite talent. He is an outstanding teacher of the game with a reputation for developing student-athletes to reach their fullest potential.” NO. 1 UCONN REMAINS PERFECT WITH BIG EAST FINAL ROMP OVER VILLANOVA Azzi Fudd scored 19 points and Sarah Strong netted 18 as No. 1 UConn’s undefeated season continued with a 90-51 victory Monday night over No. 2 Villanova in the Big East Tournament Championship in Uncasville, Conn. The Huskies (34-0) have dominated the Big East since rejoining the league ahead of the 2020-21 season after spending seven years in the AAC. This marked UConn’s sixth consecutive Big East Tournament title and its 31st conference tournament championship overall. Fudd knocked down a trio of 3-pointers and also tallied three steals, while Strong — voted the Most Outstanding Player at the Big East Tournament — collected eight rebounds, two steals, a block and an assist. Blanca Quinonez added 13 points in an off-the-bench effort, while KK Arnold notched 10 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals. The win for UConn marked its 50th consecutive victory in a streak that began last season. Jasmine Bascoe paced the Wildcats (25-7) with 14 points, five rebounds, four steals and two assists. UConn led wire-to-wire after outscoring Villanova 23-11 in the first quarter. The Wildcats shot just 27% from the floor, tied for their worst mark of the season, which also came against UConn in the regular season Jan. 15. The Huskies held a 49-34 advantage in rebounding and scored 21 fast-break points to just two from Villanova. UConn outscored the Wildcats in the paint 48-18. It’s likely that UConn and Villanova will be the Big East’s lone representatives in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies are widely projected to be the overall No. 1 seed, while the Wildcats are predicted to be a No. 8 seed by ESPN and a No. 9 seed by USA Today in their bracketologies. For the 11th time in program history, UConn will enter March Madness with a perfect record. The Huskies are seeking their 13th national championship in Phoenix, Arizona. ================================================================== NBA NBA ROUNDUP: JAMES HARDEN SCORES 29,000TH POINT IN CAVS’ WIN OVER 76ERS James Harden scored 21 points and fellow trade-deadline acquisition Keon Ellis added 19, lifting the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 115-101 victory over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night. Harden, who is in his 17th season, reached the 29,000-point milestone for his career in the first quarter and finished the game with 29,017 points, good for ninth place on the all-time scoring list. Hall of Fame center Wilt Chamberlain is eighth with 31,419 points. The Cavaliers won for the eighth time in nine home games. They are 23-9 since Dec. 29 and have moved into fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Donovan Mitchell chipped in 17 points and six assists for Cleveland, which led by 25 and won all four games over the short-handed 76ers this season. Quentin Grimes scored 17 points and Justin Edwards had 14 points off the bench for the 76ers. Cameron Payne, starting in place of All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey (right finger sprain), had 12 points and six rebounds. Nets 126, Grizzlies 115 Day’Ron Sharpe tied a season high by scoring 19 points and Brooklyn pulled away for a victory over Memphis in New York. Sharpe highlighted an 8-of-11 showing with a powerful one-handed dunk over Rayan Rupert to give the Nets a 98-88 lead with 10:33 remaining. Ochai Agbaji added a season-high 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting. He scored nine straight Brooklyn points, capped by a step-back 3-pointer for a 110-95 lead with eight minutes left. Rookie Nolan Traore hit four of Brooklyn’s 17 3-pointers and contributed 17 points. Memphis had eight available players as it sat Ty Jerome (calf), Scotty Pippen Jr. (toe) and rookie Cedric Coward (knee) on the front end of a back-to-back. Rupert led the Grizzlies with a career-high 20 points and Javon Small contributed 19. GG Jackson chipped in 18, Jaylen Wells finished with 17 and rookie Walton Clayton Jr. had 13. Thunder 129, Nuggets 126 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, including a step-back 3-pointer in the closing seconds, to help Oklahoma City to a home win over Denver. Gilgeous-Alexander tied Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA record with his 126th consecutive 20-point game. Gilgeous-Alexander added 15 assists and nine rebounds. Jaylin Williams scored 29 points on a career-high seven 3-pointers and contributed 12 rebounds to help Oklahoma City win without big men Chet Holmgren (flu) and Isaiah Hartenstein (calf). Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists, scoring 11 in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t quite enough to keep the Thunder from improving to 3-0 vs. the Nuggets this season. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 28 off the bench while Aaron Gordon had 23 points and 10 rebounds. Clippers 126, Knicks 118 Kawhi Leonard recorded 29 points, eight assists and seven rebounds and Los Angeles reached .500 for the first time in more than four months with a victory over visiting New York. Bennedict Mathurin added 28 points and seven rebounds off the bench as Los Angeles evened its record at 32-32. Darius Garland sank five 3-pointers and had 23 points and seven assists as the Clippers won for the fifth time in six games. Brook Lopez and Derrick Jones Jr. added 16 points apiece for Los Angeles. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 35 points on 13-of-17 shooting and also had 12 rebounds and seven assists before fouling out for New York. Jalen Brunson registered 28 points and eight assists, OG Anunoby scored 22 points and Josh Hart had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks, who dropped to 1-2 on a five-game road trip. Jazz 119, Warriors 116 Blake Hinson knocked down a go-ahead 3-pointer with 29.2 seconds left, lifting Utah to a victory over Golden State in Salt Lake City. Hinson made four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points to help Utah win for the second time in three games. Kyle Filipowski tallied 19 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and two steals for the Jazz. Brice Sensabaugh had a team-high 21 points. De’Anthony Melton scored 22 points and collected seven rebounds to lead Golden State. Draymond Green finished with a game-high 11 assists. Gui Santos added 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Warriors, who lost for the fourth time in five games. Brandin Podziemski had 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists. ===================================================================== NHL NHL ROUNDUP: JAMES REIMER, SURGING SENATORS SHUT OUT CANUCKS James Reimer stopped all 16 shots he faced for his 32nd career shutout and Ridly Greig scored midway through the second period as the surging Ottawa Senators won 2-0 over the lowly host Vancouver Canucks on Monday night. Tim Stutzle extended his point streak to 13 games by assisting on Brady Tkachuk’s empty-netter for the Senators, who are on the outside of playoff position in the Eastern Conference but won their third straight amid a 5-0-2 stretch. With the result, Ottawa finished a 4-0-1 road stretch. Reimer was playing in his eighth game since joining Ottawa in January and making his first start since Feb. 5 as backup to Linus Ullmark, was not severely tested throughout the evening. However, he did make a key pad save on Zeev Buium late to preserve the lead for the Senators, who have allowed two or fewer goals five times over the last seven contests. Kevin Lankinen was solid in making 22 saves for the Canucks. However, his Vancouver teammates were held to fewer than 20 shots on goal for the ninth time this season. Kings 5, Blue Jackets 4 (OT) Adrian Kempe scored his second goal of the game at 2:34 of overtime as visiting Los Angeles won at Columbus. Brian Dumoulin had a goal and two assists, Artemi Panari and Scott Laughton each had a goal and an assist and Anton Forsberg made 28 saves as the Kings improved to 3-4-0 since the Olympic break. Conor Garland scored twice, Denton Mateychuk had a goal and an assist, Kirill Marchenko also scored and Jet Greaves made 26 saves for the Blue Jackets, who extended their point streak to six games (3-0-3). Blackhawks 3, Mammoth 2 (OT) Frank Nazar scored on the power play 2:36 into overtime and Connor Bedard had two assists to lift host Chicago past Utah. Drew Commesso made 22 saves for the Blackhawks, who stopped a three-game skid while ending the Mammoth’s three-game winning streak. Chicago’s Andrew Mangiapane and Andre Burakovsky also scored. Vitek Vanecek had 23 saves for the Mammoth, who got first-period strikes from Barrett Hayton and Dylan Guenther. Rangers 6, Flyers 2 Mika Zibanejad scored twice and added an assist to continue his success against Philadelphia as New York skated to a comfortable road victory. Zibanejad, who has logged three of his 10 career hat tricks against the Flyers (including one earlier this season), increased his goal total to 25 in 52 career games against Philadelphia. Vincent Trocheck contributed three assists for the Rangers, while Alexis Lafreniere, Noah Laba, Gabe Perreault and Tye Kartye each had a goal and an assist. Dan Vladar allowed six goals on 24 shots for Philadelphia before Samuel Ersson finished off by saving all three shots he faced. Matvei Michkov and Sean Couturier scored for the Flyers, who had won four of their previous five contests. Capitals 7, Flames 3 Connor McMichael’s second goal of the game broke a third-period tie and host Washington recovered after blowing a three-goal lead to beat Calgary. Justin Sourdif scored once in a three-point game and Hendrix Lapierre produced one goal and one assist for the Capitals, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Washington’s Tom Wilson, Ethen Frank and Ryan Leonard added a goal apiece, and goaltender Logan Thompson made 23 saves. Washington is 11-2-1 in its past 14 meetings with Calgary. Matvei Gridin, Blake Coleman and Yegor Sharangovich tallied for the Flames, who have one win in six games (1-4-1). Goalie Devin Cooley stopped 22 shots. ===================================================================== INDIANA SPORTS TEAM RELEASES COLTS NEWS STEELERS ARE ACQUIRING WR MICHAEL PITTMAN JR. FROM INDIANAPOLIS, AP SOURCE SAYS PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers gave their wide receiver group an upgrade on Monday, acquiring veteran Michael Pittman Jr. from Indianapolis for a late-round pick in this year’s draft. A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press the Colts are sending Pittman to Pittsburgh. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was not official. The 28-year-old Pittman has been one of the league’s most productive wideouts since being selected in the second round by Indianapolis in the 2020 draft. Pittman has 485 receptions for 5,254 yards and 25 touchdowns in six seasons, including 80 catches for 784 yards and seven scores in 2025. Pittman appeared to confirm the deal on social media, posting on his X account that his wife had a dream recently that he was wearing a Steelers jersey. “God works in crazy ways,” Pittman posted. The Steelers have been searching for a secondary receiving option to complement DK Metcalf, who they acquired in a trade with Seattle last year. Metcalf, who faced frequent double teams, finished with just 59 catches for a career-low 850 yards. He was also suspended for Pittsburgh’s final two regular-season games after making contact with a fan in Detroit. Pittsburgh is hoping to create a more dynamic offense in 2026 under new head coach Mike McCarthy, hired in late January to replace Mike Tomlin. The Steelers remain unsettled at quarterback. The club remains open to Aaron Rodgers returning after a solid if not always spectacular 2025, though Rodgers has remained noncommittal so far about the possibility of returning for a 22nd season and reuniting with McCarthy, who coached Rodgers when both were in Green Bay. Whoever is behind center now has two tall and proven playmakers on the outside. Pittsburgh’s wide receivers outside of Metcalf were often an afterthought last season. Four of the Steelers’ top five leading receivers in 2025 were either running backs or tight ends. Calvin Austin III’s 31 receptions ranked sixth on the team. COLTS REACH 4-YEAR, $116 MILLION DEAL TO KEEP WR ALEC PIERCE, AP SOURCE SAYS INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts and receiver Alec Pierce have agreed to a four-year, $116 million contract extension, a person with knowledge of the deal confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday. The person requested anonymity because the deal had not yet been announced. Pierce has been a key component in the Colts offense each of the past two seasons when he led the league in yards per reception among qualifiers each season. He was expected to be one of the top receivers to hit free agency, but the deal will prevent him from hitting the market — just as it was about to open. The move will keep Pierce and quarterback Daniel Jones, who received the transition tag from Indy, together again. They developed a close rapport last season, their first as teammates. The deal was first reported on The Pat McAfee Show. =================================================================== INDIANA PACERS PACERS FACE KINGS IN BATTLE OF NBA CONFERENCE CELLAR-DWELLERS The Sacramento Kings will look to build on their first home win in nearly two months when they face the visiting Indiana Pacers on Tuesday. The matchup features the two teams with the worst records in the NBA. Sacramento (15-50) is last in the Western Conference, while Indiana (15-49) has lost nine straight games and sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Russell Westbrook had 23 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds for Sacramento on Sunday, when the Kings toppled the Chicago Bulls 126-110 for their first home win since beating the Washington Wizards on Jan. 16. Westbrook, 37, tallied his NBA-record 208th career triple-double and fifth of the season to help Sacramento snap a three-game losing streak. “Russ was spectacular,” Kings coach Doug Christie said. “He controlled the ballgame. He found people in the pocket. He just continues to amaze that he can go out and produce the way he does. And (Sunday) was not only a great performance, but a needed performance for us.” Malik Monk scored a season-high 30 points off the bench in the victory, while rookie center Maxime Raynaud contributed 26 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. The Kings played without DeMar DeRozan (illness), who missed a game for the first time this season. Daeqwon Plowden started in place of DeRozan and tallied 16 points, three rebounds and two assists. After the victory, Monk praised the fans in Sacramento who have stuck with the team during a dismal season. “It always feels good to get a win at home, especially in front of this crowd,” Monk said. “I don’t even know our record — something terrible — but as bad as we are, they always give us a lot of energy. They’re always cheering for us no matter how bad we are, so kudos to the fans.” The Kings have dropped their last three meetings against Indiana, including a 116-105 defeat on Dec. 8 in Indianapolis. The Pacers are wrapping up a four-game trip after losing 131-111 to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. Indiana has dropped its past six games by an average of 19.7 points. Pascal Siakam scored 22 points to lead the Pacers against Portland, while Jay Huff added 16 points and five blocks. The Pacers, who are winless since the All-Star break, struggled to rally after Portland used an 19-5 run to open their lead to 69-52 at the half. “We had done some good things leading up to that, and there are some good things sprinkled throughout the game, but consistency and being able to sustain are essential on the road,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. “There were problems we just couldn’t overcome.” Pacers point guard T.J. McConnell exited the Sunday game with a sore right hamstring in the fourth quarter and did not return. He will not play on Tuesday. The injury-plagued Pacers have used 35 different starting lineups, which is the most in the NBA. The team is in evaluation mode with an eye toward next season. “This is an opportunity to look at everything,” Carlisle said, “and we’re looking at a lot of different guys, a lot of different combinations, and by the time we’re done, we’re going to have a significant amount of information collected on our entire team. This is meaningful.” ===================================================================== INDIANA FEVER CAITLIN CLARK EXCITED FOR RETURN TO COURT WITH TEAM USA Caitlin Clark called it a “really cool opportunity” as she prepares to make her Team USA debut at the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Puerto Rico. The five games between March 11-17 will also mark Clark’s first competitive basketball games in nearly eight months. That’s when her second WNBA season was cut short by a series of quad, groin and ankle injuries. Clark took part in her first USA Basketball senior national training camp in December and said that she was 100%, but she acknowledged that this week brings different feelings. “I don’t want to call it nerves, but excitement to play,” Clark said after practice Monday, per ESPN. “This is a really cool opportunity. If you don’t feel that way, then you probably don’t care enough. Certainly, that’s how I feel about it for myself. Clark, 24, is expected to make her Team USA debut on Wednesday against Senegal. The qualifiers are a prelude to the FIBA World Cup in September, with Team USA one of five that have already qualified for the tournament in Berlin. “This is a different stage,” she said. “You’re not going to come out here and be the star player. That’s not how it’s going to be for USA Basketball.” After not missing a game during her rookie season in the WNBA, Clark averaged 16.5 points and 8.8 assists while appearing in only 13 contests last year. “I feel like I’ve put myself in the best possible shape I could be in at this point,” Clark said. “The first game is the hardest, but once you get in kind of a flow of things, you figure things out.” Team USA is chock full of WNBA stars, with 2025 No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese and Kiki Iriafen also set to make their senior national team debuts. ===================================================================== INDY FUEL FUEL FACE BLOOMINGTON BISON IN EARLY MORNING MATCHUP FISHERS– The Fuel will start their week bright and early in Bloomington, Illinois on Tuesday morning as they take on the Bison for their Education Day game. After finding success in home Education Day games the last few seasons, Indy will look for an early morning win on the road. LAST TIME OUT The last time these two teams met was on January 25 when the Fuel visited the Bison. They were shut out on the road, 3-0. Nikita Sedov, Shane Ott, and Mikhail Abramov were the three goalscorers for the Bison with Mitchell Weeks in Indy’s net. SCOUTING REPORT Defenseman Nikita Sedov leads the team in points with 42. Forward Kyle Jackson follows closely behind him with 40, while leading the team in goals with 15. Bison captain Eddie Matsushima has also scored 15 goals so far this season. TRACK THE STANDINGS The Fuel and Bison sit in third and fourth place in the Central division standings respectively. The Fuel have 61 points while the Bison have 56. They round out the four playoff eligible teams, which also include the Toledo Walleye and Fort Wayne Komets who have alternated leading the Central division all year. ====================================================================== INDIANA BASEBALL BASEBALL CENTRAL: WRIGHT STATE BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana Baseball team (6-9, 1-2 B1G) will close out a four-game homestand on Tuesday (March 10) evening with a midweek visit from Wright State. The two sides will play for the first time since 2019 as head coach Jeff Mercer prepares to face his former program. IU will be off to the west coast this weekend to face nationally-ranked Oregon in a three-game Big Ten set (March 13-15). Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley has picked up the pace offensively after struggling in the first couple weeks of the season. He’s worked his average up to a team-best .339 (20-59) with an OPS just shy of 1.000. Hanley has scored 11 runs, hit three home runs and driven in 13 runs. The Mason, Ohio native is fielding at a .992 clip with just one error on the year. Without Sunday starter Jackson Bergman available last weekend, IU’s bullpen was taxed in the three-game series with Washington. However, a bright spot continues to shine in the form of freshman right-handed arm Ivan Mastalski. The Indiana native has a 2.70 ERA on the season and has seven strikeouts to just one walk. He will start Tuesday’s contest against Wright State. Tuesday’s game is scheduled to get underway at 5 p.m. from Bart Kaufman Field. With a potential for rain in the forecast, stay tuned to IU’s social media channels for any potential weather updates. The game against Wright State will be streamed on B1G+. Gameday Info vs. Wright State (Tuesday, March 10th – 5 p.m. ET) Live Video: bit.ly/4lrO4pe Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j Probable Starters Indiana vs. Wright State • Tuesday: RHP Ivan Mastalski, Fr. (0-0, 2.70 ERA) Leading Off HEATING UP: Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley has found his form in 2026. The big lefty is hitting .432 over his past 10 games with 16 hits, nine runs scored, three doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs. In that stretch, he has an OPS of 1.202. He moved back into the cleanup role on Sunday afternoon. FAMILIAR FOE: Head coach Jeff Mercer will face his old squad when the Raiders visit down on Tuesday. Mercer played at Wright State and was an assistant before serving as the head coach in 2017 and 2018. His 2018 team went to the NCAA Tournament and the Stanford Regional. TIMES TWO: Assistant coach Zach Weatherford also played at Wright State and was a player during Mercer’s tenure in Dayton. In 2019, the last time Wright State played in Bloomington, Weatherford was on the team that beat Mercer’s Hoosiers 15-4. He had two hits in that game. FINDING FORM: Freshman right-handed pitcher Ivan Mastalski has been a pleasant surprise for the Hoosiers. He has allowed just one earned run over 5.2 innings of work. He has five strikeouts on the season and still hasn’t walked a batter. Mastalski worked two scoreless frames against Washington last weekend. MIDWEEK SUCCESS: To have a chance at the NCAA Tournament, IU will need to be fantastic in midweek games. So far this season, the Hoosiers are 2-0 in games on Tuesday or Wednesday. A win over Wright State would go a long way in helping take the sting out of Sunday’s loss to Washington. BIG HIT COOP: Sophomore shortstop Cooper Malamazian continues to be a big source of IU’s run production. He leads IU with 15 RBIs on the season and is second with 18 base knocks. No IU player has had more multi-RBI contests (five) on the year than Malamazian. MORE FROM MOORE: Sophomore third baseman Will Moore is finding his stride again after missing a pair of games in February. Over the last five contests, he is hitting .375 with six hits. In that time, he’s also reached base via four walks and three hit-by-pitches. BIG CLOSER: Junior right-handed pitcher Jackson Yarberry has been IU’s choice to close games out of the bullpen this year. After a couple tough breaks to start the year, he’s settled in nicely. He has a pair of saves in his last three appearances without allowing a run. Scouting the Opponent Wright State • Once again, Wright State has faced a challenging schedule to begin the season. The Raiders own wins over Georgia and Tennessee and took a series over Campbell. Three of their eight losses have come by one run. Wright State will be the favorite to win the Horizon League again this year. • The Wright State bats are off to a slow start against premier pitching but pack big potential to break through. Outfielder Cy Turner is hitting .366 with 15 base knocks and eight RBIs. Infielder JP Peltier has provided the power with a trio of home runs. • Even against a tough schedule, the pitching has been a strength of this season so far. Chet Lax is 4-0 with a 2.50 ERA over 18.0 innings of action. Friday starter Cam Allen is working his way back into things and has thrown just eight innings this year. The Raiders have compiled 94 strikeouts on the season. Inside the Series Wright State • This series dates back to the 1970s but was largely dormant before former Wright State coach, and current IU skipper, Jeff Mercer revived the matchup in 2019. This will be the first matchup in seven seasons as the Raiders return to the schedule. • IU leads the all-time series 17-8 over the first 25 meetings. Wright State won the only matchup during the Mercer era. Most of the contests were played in the early 2000’s under former head coach Bob Morgan. • Three of IU’s staff members have ties to Wright State. Mercer was a player, assistant coach and head coach. Zach Weatherford played for Mercer at Wright State and was a volunteer assistant. Denton Sagerman spent one season on staff in 2018 before coming to IU with Mercer. =================================================================== INDIANA SWIMMING FIVE HOOSIERS QUALIFY FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS ON FIRST DAY OF ZONES BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Five Indiana divers qualified for the 2026 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships during the first of three days at the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships Monday (March 9) inside the Jones Natatorium on the campus of Eastern Michigan University. Three men – sophomore Joshua Sollenberger, senior Maxwell Weinrich and redshirt freshman Aiden Sadler – earned their first bids on the 3-meter springboard having all made the top 10 cutline. On the women’s springboard, juniors Ella Roselli and Lily Witte posted the field’s two best scores in their opening event. Indiana divers will have the chance to add to their programs over the next two days as their qualifying competition continues with the men’s 1-meter, women’s 3-meter (Tuesday) and platform (Wednesday) events. RESULTS MEN’S 3-METER 1. Joshua Sollenberger – 782.05 (NCAA Qualifier) 4. Maxwell Weinrich – 745.75 (NCAA Qualifier) 9. Aiden Sadler – 696.45 (NCAA Qualifier) 30. Jacob Schade – 302.80 33. Dash Glasberg – 293.35 WOMEN’S 1-METER 1. Ella Roselli – 612.00 (NCAA Qualifier) 2. Lily Witte – 599.65 (NCAA Qualifier) 18. Kaylee Bishop – 498.55 36. Mary Kate Cavanaugh – 223.40 UP NEXT The men and women will switch springboards on Tuesday. Competition is scheduled to resume at 1 p.m. ET. =================================================================== PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL SMITH NAMED COUSY AWARD FINALIST FOR 3RD STRAIGHT YEAR WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue senior point guard Braden Smith has been named one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top point guard, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced today. Smith, who won last year’s honor, is looking to become the first two-time winner of the award. He is joined in the final five by Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr., Arizona’s Jaden Bradley, Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr., and Houston’s Kingston Flemings. This marks the third straight season that Smith has been a finalist. Smith is having a sensational senior season, averaging 14.9 points, 8.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals while shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from 3-point range and 82.3 percent from the free throw line. In conference play only, Smith averaged 16.5 points, 8.4 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals while shooting 48.0 percent from the field, 40.4 percent from deep and 88.3 percent from the free throw line. He is 1-of-6 players nationally to stash splits of at least 48-40-88 in conference games only. Smith is the only player in the country to have at least 450 points, 250 assists and 100 rebounds this season and is the first player in NCAA history to have at least three seasons of 450 points, 250 assists and 100 rebounds. The 450-250-100 splits have been accomplished just eight times in Big Ten history. Smith has accounted for three of them. Smith is one of the most-decorated point guards in NCAA history, being named a first-team All-American and Cousy Award winner during the 2024-25 season. For his career, he is the only player in NCAA history to have at least 1,800 points and 1,000 career assists and when you add in his 648 rebounds, Smith is still the only player in NCAA history with even 1,500 points, 1,000 assists and 500 rebounds. He is the Big Ten’s all-time leader in assists (1,029) and needs 48 assists to become the NCAA all-time leader in career assists. ==================================================================== PURDUE SOFTBALL SOFTBALL CONTINUES WIN STREAK WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Softball closed out the Boilermaker Classic with a commanding 9-0 win over Green Bay. The Boilers are now on a 10 game win streak. After two perfect tournament weekends, Purdue will face Indiana State for a midweek matchup on Wednesday before beginning Big Ten conference play this weekend, hosting Ohio State. Offensive Highlights Moriah Polar: 2-for-2, RBI, 2 R, 2 SB Haley Painter: 2-for-2, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, 2B Ashlynn Campbell: 1-for-2, 2 R, 2 RBI Khloe Banks: 1-for-1, R Pitching Breakdown Malone Moore: (W, 1-0) 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 21 BF The Boilers scored early and often against the Phoenix, plating four runs in the first, three in the second, and a lone run in both the third and fourth. Khloe Banks and Moriah Polar led off the game with a pair of back-to-back bunt singles, followed by a walk, and a hit by pitch from Bella Douglas. The Boilers plated their first two runs on a single up the middle from Ashlynn Campbell, before Delaney Reefe doubled later in the inning, which doubled the score. In the second, Polar struck again, scoring Banks on another single up the middle. Anna Moore, the newly minted Big Ten Freshman of the Week, walked to put two runners aboard for Haley Painter who scored both with a two RBI double. After reaching on an error in the third, Campbell came around to score on a single from Maura Condon, bringing the Boilers out to an eight-run lead. To add some insurance, Painter added a solo shot in the fourth, which cemented the Boilers 9-0 shutout victory. Malone Moore went the distance on the mound, pitching a career-high five innings and picking up four strikeouts for her first-career victory. For updates on Purdue Softball, follow the Boilermakers on Twitter (@PurdueSoftball), Instagram (@purduesoftball), and Facebook (Purdue Softball). =================================================================== PURDUE BASEBALL GOSSETT, MOORE EARN BIG TEN HONORS WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Julia Gossett becomes the first pitcher in Purdue history to earn Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors in back-to-back weeks. Freshman, Anna Moore, earns her first-career honors after a stellar debut at Bittinger Stadium. Gossett had another wonderful weekend, picking up three victories of the four games Purdue played. She pitched 12.0 innings with a 0.58 ERA, striking out 22 batters. Her strikeout per inning ratio was 1.83, nearly earning 2 outs of every inning during her performance. Gossett surrendered just six hits, with a .146 BAA. She also earned a shutout victory over Green Bay. In the final game of the weekend, against Green Bay, Gossett struck out 11 batters, including striking out five of the first six batters and making the sixth out on a line drive back to the mound. On day three of the Boilermaker Classic, Gossett struck out 20 batters, 9 in the first game in relief, and 11 in her performance immediately following. She earns the honor for the third time in her career, and her second time this season. Indianapolis native, Moore, earned her first-career honor this weekend during her four-game debut at Bittinger Stadium. Moore had herself a weekend, hitting .667 with six hits and six RBI, including two doubles, one triple, and a home run. Moore’s home run was the fifth of her career, as well as her first at home during her first-ever weekend at Purdue. The freshman slugged 1.444 with a .750 on-base percentage, while also stealing a base and scoring three runs. In the field, she was perfect, earning four putouts. The Boilers concluded the Boilermaker Classic with a win at home against Green Bay today, and will take on Indiana State at home on Tuesday. For updates on Purdue Softball, follow the Boilermakers on Twitter (@PurdueSoftball), Instagram (@purduesoftball), and Facebook (Purdue Softball). ==================================================================== PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL BOILERMAKERS TO OPEN BIG TEN TOURNAMENT PLAY THURSDAY NIGHT WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue men’s basketball team will open its Big Ten Tournament action on Thursday night at the United Center in Chicago. The Boilermakers, which received the No. 7 seed with a 13-7 Big Ten record, will face either 10th-seeded Indiana, 15th-seeded Northwestern or 18th-seeded Penn State. Northwestern and Penn State will play in Tuesday night’s first round with the winner facing Indiana in Wednesday’s second round. The winner of the second-round game will then face the Boilermakers in the first game of the evening session on Thursday. Purdue enters the tournament with a 23-8 overall record and a 13-7 mark in the Big Ten. Purdue has lost its seven Big Ten games by a combined 38 points with five of the losses coming by six or fewer points. The Boilermakers have played well away from Mackey Arena, posting an 11-3 record, including a 3-0 record in neutral-site games with wins over nationally-ranked Texas Tech and Auburn. Purdue’s seven Big Ten wins away from Mackey Arena are tied for the most in a season in school history. All four of Purdue’s wins against nationally-ranked teams have come away from Mackey Arena. Purdue and Indiana have split the season series this year with each team winning on their home court. Indiana edged the Boilermakers 72-67 in Bloomington in late January, while Purdue toppled the Hoosiers 93-64 in Mackey Arena in mid-February. Purdue and Indiana have met just once in Big Ten Tournament history – a 76-71 Purdue victory in the Boilermakers’ very first Big Ten Tournament game on March 6, 1998, in Chicago. Purdue defeated Northwestern just two games ago on March 4, rallying for a 70-66 road win over the Wildcats. Purdue defeated Penn State 93-85 in Mackey Arena on Jan. 10, in the only meeting between the two squads. Purdue owns a 1-0 record against Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament, defeating the Wildcats 69-61 in the 2010 quarterfinals. Purdue is 5-0 all-time against Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament, including a 67-65 win in the 2023 Big Ten Tournament title game in Chicago. The bottom half of the bracket includes No. 2 seed Nebraska, No. 3 seed Michigan State and No. 6 seed UCLA. Should Purdue advance to Friday’s quarterfinals, it would face Nebraska on Friday evening in Chicago. ==================================================================== NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S LAX #11/12 IRISH SET TO TAKE ON ELON #11/12 NOTRE DAME at ELON – Tuesday, March 10 at 1 PMLocation: Elon, NC | Rudd FieldLIVE STATS | FloCollege The No. 11/12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-2, 2-2) stay on the east coast as they head to Elon, NC to take on the Elon Phoenix (3-2, 0-0). The Irish lead the overall series 3-0, winning 8-4 at Elon in their last meeting last season on March 2, 2025. BY THE NUMBERS3Kate Timarky and Maura Irish earned their way onto the 2026 Tewaaraton watch list as the list of additions was announced on Thursday afternoon. They joined Madison Rassas, who was on the first watch list that was announced mid-February.3Freshman goalkeeper Ceci Patterson is third in the ACC with a save percentage of .476 and is fourth in the ACC with a goals against average of 7.50.4Timarky recorded her fourth hat trick of the season with three goals against Clemson. She fifth in the ACC with 20 goals.6Grace Maroney recorded her first career hat trick in the win over No. 3 Boston College on Feb 13, with her behind the back landing at #6 in SportsCenter Top 10.5After recording a hat trick in the season-opening win over No. 15/12 Michigan, Timarky scored a career-high five goals in the win over Central Michigan and then tied it, scoring five goals in the win at No. 25/23 Harvard.6Rassas recorded a career-best 6 goals and 9 points in the win over Central Michigan.25The 25-0 win over Central Michigan was the third regular season shutout in program history.10Ten different players landing in the scoring column in the win over Central Michigan.12The Irish welcome 12 freshman to this year’s squad.4The Irish named four captains for the 2026 campaign: Julia Carr, Abby Lyons, Franny O’Brien, and Kathryn Morrissey.2Two new assistant coaches join this season as Marina Miller and Mckenna Davis joined the staff this summer.15Head Coach Christine Halfpenny heads into her 15th year at the helm of the program. Irish Fall to #11/15 Clemson The No. 6/7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-2, 2-2) fell 9-13 on the road to the No. 11/15 Clemson Tigers (4-4, 1-3) on Sunday afternoon. One of the latest Tewaaraton Watch List additions, junior Kate Timarky, led the Irish with three goals with her fourth hat trick of the season. She was followed by fellow Tewaaraton Watch List player Madison Rassas with two goals. Charley Bacigalupo, Grace Maroney, Angie Conley, and Emma Murphy each scored one goal for the Irish. Murphy and Maura Irish each dished out a team-best two assists apiece. The Irish won the draw control battle 15-9 with Uma Kowalski finishing with six draw controls and Meghan O’Hare finishing with a stat line of five draw controls, two ground balls, and a caused turnover. Irish and Timarky Join Rassas on Tewaaraton Watch List fell for the first time in their last meeting last season in South Bend, 11-12. Junior Kate Timarky and freshman Maura Irish earned their way onto the 2026 Tewaaraton watch list as the list of additions was announced on Thursday afternoon. They joined sophomore Madison Rassas, who was on the first watch list that was announced mid-February. Timarky leads the Irish with 17 goals and 22 points so far this season and is also tied on the team with M. Irish for the second most ground balls (11). Timarky is fifth in the ACC with 17 goals and is fourth in the conference with 2.83 goals per game. Irish has scored 10 goals and dished out seven assists for a total of 17 points so far in her rookie season. She has also recorded 11 draw controls and leads the team with 12 caused turnovers. She is also sixth in the ACC with 2.17 caused turnovers per game. Irish earned her first ACC weekly honor of her career as she was named ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week after helping guide Notre Dame to wins over No. 3 Boston College and No. 25 Harvard. Rassas has received several honors already this season, including being named to the 2026 Preseason All-ACC Team and has also received USA Lacrosse Preseason All-American honors. She is eighth in the ACC with 15 goals and is seventh in the conference with 2.50 goals per game. Rassas is second on the team with 20 points so far this season and has recorded seven ground balls and caused four turnovers. Irish Pick Up Another Ranked Win, Defeating #24/23 Pitt 12-9 The No. 8/8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish secured another ranked win as they defeated the No. 24/23 Pitt Panthers on Saturday, Feb. 28, in a 12-9 victory at Arlotta Stadium. The Irish have four ranked wins this season and have held their opponents to single-digit scoring five times, including the 25-0 shutout against Central Michigan. The Irish were led by freshman Maura Irish, who finished with a career-high four goals and four points in the win. Her impressive stat line continued as she tied for a team-best three ground balls and three caused turnovers. Abby Lyons also tied for a team-best three ground balls and Julia Carr tied for a team-best three caused turnovers. Kate Timarky and Madison Rassas each recorded two goals and two assists apiece for a pair of four-point performances. Emma Murphy also scored two goals, followed by Charley Bacigalupo and Grace Maroney with a goal each. IRISH FALL 7-9 TO VIRGINIA CAVALIERS The then-No. 5/4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-1, 1-1) suffered their first loss of the season as they fell, 7-9, to the #24/NR Virginia Cavaliers (2-3, 1-0) on Sunday evening in the Loftus Sports Center. The Irish were led by Grace Maroney and Katie Mallaber, who tied her career high, as they each scored two goals a piece. Maroney finished with a team-best three points. Emma Murphy and Abby Lyons each scored their first goal of the season, with Madison Rassas also scoring a goal for the Irish. At the draw, Uma Kowalski finished with a team-best four draw controls. The trio of Sloane Ginevan, Ceci Patterson, and Lila O’Brien led the team with two caused turnovers a piece, recording six of the team’s 10 caused turnovers. Ginevan and Patterson also led the Irish with two ground balls each. Patterson capped off her stat line with 11 saves, tying her career-best this season. IRISH DEFEAT #25/23 HARVARD, OPENING SEASON 4-0 The then-No. 16/16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish downed the No. 25 Harvard Crimson on the road Sunday afternoon in a 10-7 victory. The Irish picked up their second road win and their third ranked win of the season. Junior Kate Timarky had herself a day, matching her career-high of five goals in the win. Timarky had a hat trick in the second quarter alone, scoring three straight goals for the Irish. Maura Irish, Charley Bacigalupo, Franny O’Brien, Grace Maroney, and Madison Rassas all scored a goal in the win. M. Irish also dished out three assists, recording a career-high four points, career-high four caused turnovers, and a career-high four ground balls. She was followed by Maroney with two assists, tying her career-high. Abby Lyons and Franny O’Brien each caused three turnovers apiece, with O’Brien also recording a career-high five ground balls. Goalkeeper Ceci Patterson finished the day with four saves and picked up her fourth win of the season. IRISH TAKE DOWN #3 BOSTON COLLEGE ON THE ROAD IN ACC OPENER The then-No. 16/16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-0, 1-0) remain undefeated as they took down the No. 3 Boston College Eagles (0-2, 0-1) on Friday night, pulling off the upset with a 12-9 victory to open ACC play. A huge fourth quarter surge powered the Irish to the three-goal road win, shutting out the Eagles 6-0 in the fourth. “I’m proud of this team and the way they have been working to realize their potential,” said Head Coach Chris Halfpenny. “It was a quick turnaround from opening weekend to today, and this team was ready for the challenge. I can’t say enough about the combo of this freshmen class and our returning group. We’re all having a lot of fun.” The Irish were led by freshman Grace Maroney, recording her first career hat trick in the win. She was followed by Meghan O’Hare, Kate Timarky, and Madison Rassas with two goals apiece. Timarky also led the team with three ground balls. Freshman Maura Irish scored two goals as well, while also leading the team with five draw controls. Freshman Uma Kowalski finished with four draw controls and graduate student Julia Carr finished with a team-best two caused turnovers. Freshman goal keeper Ceci Patterson recorded eight saves and her third win of the season. OPENING WEEKEND FOR THE IRISH The Notre Dame Fighting Irish opened their 2026 season with a 2-0 start at home. After defeating No. 15/12 Michigan in 12-10 victory, the Irish defeated Central Michigan 25-0. The win is the third regular season shutout in program history. Sophomore preseason All-American Madison Rassas wasted no time, recording a hat trick in her first game of the season. Junior Kate Timarky recorded her sixth career hat trick in the win over Michigan as well. Junior Meghan O’Hare followed with two goals, three ground balls, and six draw controls. The freshmen trio of Maura Irish, Grace Maroney, and Mackenzie Conley each scored their first career goals in the win with M. Irish netting two goals in her Notre Dame debut. It was also a big night for freshmen Uma Kowalski and Ceci Patterson in their first game in an Irish uniform. Kowalski led the Irish with nine draw controls and Patterson recorded her first win in goal and finished the night with eight saves. In the win over Central Michigan, Rassas led the offensive charge for the Irish with a career-high six goals, three assists, and nine points. She posted an impressive stat line of nine goals, three assists, five ground balls, and three caused turnovers for the weekend. She was followed by another career-high performance from Kate Timarky who recorded a career-best five goals, two assists, and seven points. Timarky also recorded a hat trick in the season-opening win over Michigan for a total of eight goals, three assists, and 11 points on the weekend. Freshman Charley Bacigalupo not only scored her first career goal, but went on to score her first career hat trick. The rookie midfielder finished with two assists for five points on the day. Kowalski also scored her first career goal and absolutely dominated the draw. She recorded 11 draw controls after recording nine in the season-opening win over Michigan for an impressive total of 20 draws on the weekend. M. rish finished with a full stat line in the win as well as the freshman recorded one goal, one assist, two points, two ground balls, two draw controls, and four caused turnovers. Shannon Earley, Grace Maroney, Katie Mallaber, and Wynter Jock each recorded two goals a piece for the Irish. Mackenzie Conely also scored a goal in the shutout win. O’Hare won four draw controls and caused three turnovers, followed by Abby Lyons who caused two turnovers. Sloane Ginevan grabbed four ground balls, followed by Franny O’Brien with three ground balls. A LOOK AHEAD The Notre Dame Women’s Lacrosse program is ready for spring with the announcement of their 2026 schedule. The Irish are slated for 16 games with an even eight games at home and eight games on the road. The ACC docket will feature 10 conference games with five games on the road and five games at home. With eight opportunities to see the Irish at home, it is free admission for both indoor games at Loftus Sports Center and outdoor games at Arlotta Stadium. IRISH WELCOME 12 FRESHMEN With the Irish graduating five last season, the Irish have welcomed 12 freshmen to the roster. Eight of which were included in the IL Power 100 Incoming Freshmen Rankings – Ceci Patterson (#3) – Uma Kowalski (#15) – Charley Bacigalupo (#27) – Maura Irish (#29) – Maeve Cavanaugh (#45) – Mackenzie Conley (Watchlist) – Brooke Hopkins (Watchlist) – Grace Maroney (Watchlist) THE RASSAS FAMILY IS NO STRANGER TO NOTRE DAME Rassas isn’t just an Irish standout as one of the best players in the country, but she’s continuing her family’s legacy at Notre Dame. She comes from a long line of Notre Dame graduates, including both parents (Todd and Angela Rassas) as well as her grandfather and great-grandfather. Her father, Todd, was an All-American lacrosse player at Notre Dame (‘98), while her grandfather and great-grandfather were both football players for the Irish. As she continues the legacy, she’s already picking up several accolades at the start of her sophomore year. She was named to the 2026 Tewaaraton Watch List, the 2026 Preseason All-ACC Team and has also received USA Lacrosse Preseason All-American honors. TWO NEW ADDITIONS TO THE COACHING STAFF Head Coach Chris Halfpenny introduced two new additions to the staff this season as she welcomed Marina Miller and Mckenna Davis to the Irish. After graduating from Clemson in 2023, Miller stayed with the Tigers to serve as an assistant coach for the program for the 2024 season. In addition to serving as a coordinator of the defensive unit, Miller was key to the program’s draw strategy and success in 2024 as the Tigers were among the top 15 in the nation in draw control percentage and draw controls per game. In June of 2024, Miller started as an assistant coach at Davidson, helping guide the Wildcats to a 12-5 record in the 2025 season. Miller started her college career at Penn State before playing the next three years at Richmond, where she was a captain in 2022 for her senior season. Miller finished her undergraduate degree at Richmond before joining former Richmond head coach Allison Kwolek at Clemson for her graduate season while competing for the Tigers on their inaugural team in 2023. A captain at Clemson, Miller started all 18 games and scored 23 goals with 11 assists as she closed out her playing career. She also won 33 draw controls and was selected for the 2023 Senior All-Star Team and the South’s All-Region Second Team. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pa., Miller went to Pine-Richland High School where she was a four-year letter winner and two-time team captain. She led her lacrosse team to back-to-back Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic League (WPIAL) titles and ended her high school career as Pine-Richland’s all-time leading scorer with 325 goals and 94 assists. Davis is a 2025 Boston College alum, where she was an All-ACC standout and three-time All-American attacker for the Eagles. In her four-year Eagle career, Davis recorded 99 goals and 220 assists for 319 career points. As a junior, Davis helped guide the Eagles to their 2024 National Championship title as she netted two goals and recorded an assist for a total of three points, while also tallying one ground ball and a caused turnover. In her senior season at Boston College, Davis was second in the nation and the ACC with a personal-high 77 assists, breaking the single-season Eagles record. IRISH IN THE PROS With the start of the WLL in 2025, it didn’t take long for the Irish to get picked up. Five Notre Dame Women’s Lacrosse alums were all selected to the Boston Guard: Madison Ahern (‘24), Kasey Choma (‘24), Jackie Wolak (‘24), Hannah Dorney (‘23), and Andie Aldave (‘21). The Guard won the first ever WLL Championship last February. Now, the Irish have six alums on current WLL rosters: BOSTON GUARD:Madison Ahern (‘24)Kasey Choma (‘24)Jackie Wolak (‘24)Hannah Dorney (‘23)Andie Aldave (‘21). MARYLAND CHARM: Kelley Denes (‘24) ====================================================================== NOTRE DAME MEN’S BASKETBALL HARALSON NAMED ALL-ACC HONORABLE MENTION CHARLOTTE – The Atlantic Coast Conference released its 2025-26 Men’s Basketball end-of-season awards on Monday evening. Amongst the list and top players of the ACC was none other than Notre Dame’s freshman sensation Jalen Haralson. The 6-7 guard out of Anderson, Indiana, was named All-ACC Honorable Mention. Haralson was dominant in league play down the final stretch of the season. He recorded five 20-point games over his last eight games played: 20 vs. Virginia, 26 at Syracuse, 23 at SMU, 25 vs. NC State & 21 at Boston College. Haralson ultimately averaged 17.4 points per game in ACC play, which ranked 9th overall and fifth amongst ACC rookies: Ebuka Okorie (23.3) Cameron Boozer (22.7) Caleb Wilson (20.1) Mikel Brown Jr (18.1) Jalen Haralson (17.4) Thijs De Ridder (16.3). Haralson also shot a prolific 53.6% from the field, which ranked 5th in the league. Some of the top Haralson moments in ACC play include: An electric 2nd half in the NC State win — Haralson scored 20 points on 7-9 shooting, 6-6 from stripe in the 2nd half alone. He tallied 14 of the team’s final 20 points in regulation. He finished the game with 25 points, one shy of his career best. 9-10 from FT line. Win at home vs. Boston College — Haralson recorded 11 of his 17 points in the second half and finished 8-13 overall on the night. At Syracuse – finished with a career-high 26 points, with 19 points coming in the second half on 6-7 shooting. He was 9-12 from the floor on the night and went 8-11 from the charity stripe. 2025-26 ACC AWARDS Player of the Year – Cameron Boozer, Fr., F, Duke Defensive Player of the Year – Maliq Brown, Sr., F, Duke Rookie of the Year – Cameron Boozer, F, Duke Most Improved Player – Juke Harris, So., G, Wake Forest Sixth Man of the Year – Maliq Brown, Sr., F, Duke Coach of the Year – Jon Scheyer, Duke 2025-26 ALL-ACC TEAM FIRST TEAM Name, School, Points Cameron Boozer, Duke, 425 Caleb Wilson, North Carolina, 410 Ebuka Okorie, Stanford, 356 Malik Reneau, Miami, 344 Thijs De Ridder, Virginia, 302 SECOND TEAM Boopie Miller, SMU, 293 Juke Harris, Wake Forest, 237 Henri Veesaar, North Carolina, 215 Tre Donaldson, Miami, 204 Ryan Conwell, Louisville, 201 THIRD TEAM Isaiah Evans, Duke, 151 Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville, 147 Quadir Copeland, NC State, 98 Robert McCray V, Florida State, 90 Dai Dai Ames, California, 51 HONORABLE MENTION Jaron Pierre Jr., SMU, 45 Donnie Freeman, Syracuse, 36 RJ Godfrey, Clemson, 32 Amani Hansberry, Virginia Tech, 29 Seth Trimble, North Carolina, 27 Patrick Ngongba II, Duke, 26 Justin Pippen, California, 18 Darrion Williams, NC State, 16 Jalen Haralson, Notre Dame, 15 B.J. Edwards, SMU, 15 Note: All-ACC Team points are determined on a 5-3-1 system (five points for first team, three points for second team, one point for third team). Player of the Year Cameron Boozer, Duke, 84 votes Ebuka Okorie, Stanford, 1 Thijs De Ridder, Virginia, 1 Defensive Player of the Year Maliq Brown, Duke, 25 Dame Sarr, Duke, 15 Ugonna Onyenso, Virginia, 13 Cameron Boozer, Duke, 10 B.J. Edwards, SMU, 8 Ernest Udeh Jr., Miami, 4 William Kyle III, Syracuse, 3 Patrick Ngongba II, Duke, 2 Caleb Wilson, North Carolina, 2 Quadir Copeland, Syracuse 2 Johann Grünloh, Virginia, 2 Rookie of the Year Cameron Boozer, Duke, 82 votes Ebuka Okorie, Stanford, 3 Caleb Wilson, North Carolina, 1 Sixth Man Of the Year Maliq Brown, Duke, 38 Jacari White, Virginia, 20 Tru Washington, Miami, 19 Adrian Wooley, Louisville, 5 Jeremy Dent-Smith, Stanford, 2 Nojus Indrusaitis, Pitt, 1 Cayden Boozer, Duke, 1 Most Improved Player Juke Harris, Wake Forest, 55 votes Dai Dai Ames, California, 8 Isaiah Evans, Duke, 6 Cole Certa, Notre Dame, 5 Malik Reneau, Miami, 3 B.J. Edwards, SMU, 3 Fred Payne, Boston College, 2 Paul McNeil, Jr., NC State, 1 Ugonna Onyenso, Virginia, 1 Ben Hammond, Virginia Tech, 1 Patrick Ngongba II, Duke, 1 Coach of the Year Jon Scheyer, Duke, 51 votes Jai Lucas, Miami, 19 Ryan Odom, Virginia, 9 Luke Loucks, Florida State, 4 Brad Brownell, Clemson, 2 Mark Madsen, California, 1 All-Defensive Team Maliq Brown, Duke, 63 votes Ugonna Onyenso, Virginia, 58 B.J. Edwards, SMU, 55 Dame Sarr, Duke, 48 Ernest Udeh Jr., Miami, 40 All-Rookie Team Cameron Boozer, Duke, 84 votes Caleb Wilson, North Carolina, 84 Ebuka Okorie, Stanford, 82 Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville, 64 Thijs De Ridder, Virginia, 62 86 total votes Note: Coaches cannot vote for their players ===================================================================== NOTRE DAME BASEBALL FIRST-TIME OPPONENT ON DECK FOR IRISH SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame baseball team face off against first-time foe Queens University at Atrium Health Ballpark, home of the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, on Tuesday, March 10 starting at 6:00 p.m. ET. DateTime (ET)OpponentLocationProbable StartersBroadcastMar. 106:00 PMQueensAtrium Health BallparkRHP Aiden Zerr vs. RHP Adrian QuezadaESPN+ THE MATCHUP This is the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Irish are coming off a series win at Duke over the weekend. The Royals most recently fell in a four-game series at No. 8/11 Georgia. LAST TIME OUT The Irish earned the series win over Duke after taking the rubber match on Sunday by a 2-0 score. GAME ONE – The Irish put a run on the scoreboard in the top of the third and erupted for five runs on three homers in the fifth en route to a 10-4 win in game one of the series at Duke. Jamie Zee belted his first collegiate home run in the victory. Jack Radel continued his stellar start to the season with 7.0 innings pitched (92 pitches), nine strikeouts and one run allowed. GAME TWO – Notre Dame responded to an early run by the Blue Devils with a three-spot in the top of the second. A ninth-inning rally by Duke, however, saw the Blue Devils use three runs in the final frame to take a 6-5 decision. Noah Coy had a triple and drove in three of the team’s five runs. GAME THREE – Drew Berkland got it done on both sides of the field to help lift the Notre Dame baseball team to a 2-0 win over Duke to capture the opening ACC series of the year. The grad transfer outfielder had a diving catch with a runner on base in the scoreless fourth inning, hit a solo home run in the top of the sixth for the first run of the game, and made a leaping catch at the fence with two runners on and two outs in the bottom half of the sixth to keep Duke off the scoreboard. Ty Uber had a career-high eight strikeouts and allowed zero runs on two singles in a shared shutout on the mound. Noah Rooney earned a gutsy save with a strikeout looking after Duke put two runners in scoring position in the ninth. BY THE NUMBERS .300+The Irish have five players hitting .300 or above, led by Mark Quatrani’s .469 batting average.38Jack Radel retired 38 consecutive batters spanning from the third inning against FAU to the sixth inning against Alabama A&M.16The team features 16 returners from the 2025 Notre Dame squad that put together a 16-2 record to close out the regular season last spring.12The Irish collected 12 two-out RBIs in their series win at Duke.12The squad features 12 true freshmen. Six of those 12 were ranked among the top two recruits in the Class of 2025 at their respective positions in their states.9Caden Crowell was ranked as No. 9 on the D1Baseball Freshman Impact List for 2026.7Seven transfer student-athletes joined the Irish for the 2026 season, including five graduate student-athletes.6.0Jack Radel threw 6.0 perfect innings with nine strikeouts on just 68 pitches against UCF.6The Irish have six players listed in the D1baseball.com Preseason rankings by position. Bino Watters (No. 19 first baseman), Jack Radel (No. 29 starting pitcher), Mark Quatrani (No. 49 catcher), Drew Berkland (No. 63 outfielder), Oisin Lee (No. 74 relief pitcher) and Davis Johnson (No. 132 outfielder).5The Irish erased a five-run deficit (3-8) to defeat Indiana 9-8 in 11 innings at the Live Like Lou Jax Baseball Classic.3A trio of Irish players earned All-Tournament Team honors at the Live Like Lou Jax Baseball Classic – Jack Radel, Mark Quatrani and Drew Berkland0.61Jack Radel’s 0.61 WHIP ranks tenth in the nation. TOP TALENT The Irish have six players listed in the D1baseball.com Preseason rankings by position. Sophomore Bino Watters was the 17th ranked first baseman. Junior Jack Radel was 29th on the starting pitchers list. Junior Mark Quatrani was 49th on the catchers list. Graduate student Drew Berkland was 63rd on the outfielders report. Sophomore Oisin Lee came in at 74th on the relief pitchers list. Junior Davis Johnson was listed at 132nd in the outfielder rankings. Additionally, Notre Dame had representation on the D1Baseball Impact Freshman List as Caden Crowell came in at No. 9 on the ranking. ===================================================================== NOTRE DAME HOCKEY POSTSEASON BEGINS AT #1/1 MICHIGAN FOR IRISH HOCKEY Ann Arbor, Mich. – The University of Notre Dame Hockey team starts a new season on Wednesday, March 11, as they open the Big Ten Playoff Quarterfinals in Ann Arbor to square off against #1/1 Michigan. The single elimination game will take place at Yost Ice Arena at 7:00 pm. The postseason clash will be streamed on B1G+. This week’s contest will mark the fifth time these teams have clashed this season. A new postseason format begins this season as each round of the tournament will feature single elimination games as opposed to the best-of-three opening round seen previously. The post season meeting will mark the 176th all-time clash between the hockey clubs. Previously in January, the Irish traveled to Ann Arbor where they were bested in the two game series by the top-ranked Wolverines in both tilts. A rivalry that dates back to the 1921-22 season, Notre Dame currently trails in the all-time series with 77 wins, 96 losses, & six ties. Owning 33 road victories, the Irish will look to extend their season this Wednesday when they take on the Wolverines. Junior captain Danny Nelson was the leader in points over the course of the home-and-home series against Michigan this season. Nelson recorded two goals and three assists for five points across the four games with the Wolverines. Fellow juniors Brennan Ali and Evan Werner joined their junior captain as two other skaters that boasted multiple goals across the contests with two a piece. In their most recent outing, the Irish went into Columbus, Ohio and walked away with two impressive overtime victories against the Buckeyes. Winning their third-straight game in overtime, Notre Dame made program history by securing three consecutive victories in extra time (against then #5/5 Penn State 4-3, OSU 5-4, OSU 4-3). In the Thursday night contest, Werner was the overtime hero. Werner’s goal in overtime was his fourth point on the night (2-2-4) which marked the third time this season that the Flower Mound, Texas native recorded such a stat line. Friday night’s bout came down to the final tenth of a second in regulation as a shot from junior defenseman Paul Fischer beat the OSU goaltender and crossed the goal line with 0.1 seconds left on the clock to even the score at three goals a piece between. Freshman Pano Fimis put the contest on ice in overtime as he buried the game winner from the face-off dot at the 3:16 mark in the three-on-three session. As the Irish head to the Mitten State again for another visit to Yost Ice Arena, they will look to bring their resilient play into the Wolverines’ home territory. Another hard hitting & fast paced installment to a rich 105 year old rivalry is something that Notre Dame looks to add as they begin their playoff push on Wednesday night. SERIES OVERVIEW Opponent: #1/1 Michigan Wolverines | March 11 Location: Ann Arbor, Mich. | Yost Ice Arena Schedule: 7 PM TV: B1G+ Live Stats: FightingIrish.com Radio: fightingirish.com/radioaffiliates/ Game Notes: Notre Dame ===================================================================== NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HIDALGO SELECTED AS LIEBERMAN AWARD FINALIST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo has been named one of five finalists for the 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. Fans can vote for Hidalgo beginning on March 13 at hoophallawards.com, as the fan vote will count as one vote during the final selection process. The junior has already been named the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Defensive Player of the Year following her stellar regular season. The Merchantville, New Jersey, native is averaging 25.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.4 steals and 5.3 assists per game. Hidalgo is the only women’s player at the DI level since the 1999-00 season to average at least 25 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals in a game. The junior has turned in many incredible performances this season while breaking records along the way. Hidalgo set the all-time record for steals in a game and the program’s single-game scoring record against Akron, finishing with 44 points and 16 rebounds. She has the career program scoring records for 30-point games (18), 20-point games (76) and consecutive games in double figures (99). Hidalgo broke the program’s record for career steals (452) and season steals (173). The standout became the fastest player in ACC and program history to reach 2,000 career points, accomplishing the feat in 86 games. In the final game of the regular season, Hidalgo recorded 30 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five steals in a road win over No. 10 Louisville, becoming the first ACC player to have 30 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals in a game since 2001. Hidalgo had a stretch to close out the regular season and begin ACC Tournament play with a career-high six straight 25+ point games, which is the most among all ACC players this century. ===================================================================== BUTLER BASEBALL MATTHEW RHOADES NAMED BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK, DAVID AYERS EARNS SPOT ON HONOR ROLL INDIANAPOLIS – Matthew Rhoades was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week and David Ayers earned a spot on the honor roll as announced by the league office in New York on Monday. Butler went 1-3 over the weekend in a four-game series with Morehead State. Rhoades had a sensational week for Butler against Morehead State. Rhoades had 16 at-bats and recorded nine hits, 10 runs scored and one double. The Monument, Colorado native added five home runs, eight RBIs, one walk and two hit by pitches. The junior hit .563 over the course of the week for Butler. Ayers had a sensational series for Butler that began with the junior tying a program record for most RBIs in a game with eight to his credit in Friday’s 20-5 victory over Morehead State. Ayers hit .500 on the week with five runs scored, seven hits, one double, three home runs, 10 RBIs and a hit by pitch. Butler will return to action tomorrow as the Dawgs travel to Louisville, Ky., to take on Bellarmine. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. =================================================================== BULLDOGS TRAVEL TO LOUISVILLE TO FACE BELLARMINE INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will travel to Louisville, Ky., to take on Bellarmine on Tuesday, March 10. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. GAMEDAY INFORMATION DATE: Tuesday, March 10 GAME TIMES: 2PM LOCATION: Louisville, Ky. | Knights Field LIVE STATS: Butlersports.com ABOUT THE BULLDOGS Butler (4-11) went 1-3 over the weekend in a four-game series with Morehead State. The Bulldogs won game one, 20-5, before dropping the next three games. Against Morehead State, Matthew Rhoades was sensational for Butler. In 16 at bats, he recorded nine hits, 10 runs scored, one double, five home runs, eight RBIs, one walk and two hit by pitches. Rhoades hit .563 over the course of the week for BU. David Ayers had a sensational series for Butler that began with the junior tying a program record for most RBIs in a game with eight to his credit in Friday’s 20-5 victory over the Eagles. Ayers hit .500 on the week with five runs scored, seven hits, one double, three home runs, 10 RBIs and a hit by pitch. Logan Crock was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watchlist last week. The award honors the nation’s top shortstop and will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this year. The top 100 shortstops in the country made the list, which featured Butler shortstop Crock. The sophomore has had a solid start to 2026, slashing .263/.395/.759 in 11 games for the Dawgs. Crock has 10 hits, two doubles, one homer and eight RBIs to his credit on the young season. Ayers leads Butler at the dish, slashing .364/.782/1.208 on the season. The junior has 20 hits and 15 runs scored to his credit and leads the team in RBIs (19) and is second on the team in doubles (3) and home runs (6). Max Winders has been dominant on the mound for the Bulldogs. In five appearances (two starts), Winders has posted a 3.75 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. The sophomore leads Butler with 29 strikeouts and has yet to issue a walk. Butler returns 17 letterwinners from a year ago and welcomes 21 new faces to the squad for 2026. Butler welcomed Ty Neal to the coaching staff this offseason as the program’s pitching coach. Neal was an assistant coach at Michigan in 2025, helping the Wolverines post a 33-23 overall record. They went 16-14 in the Big Ten standings and held a 4.92 team ERA. Neal has made stops at Michigan, Arizona State, Cincinnati, Indiana, Miami Ohio, and Southern Illinois. He brings nearly 20 years of coaching experience to the program and has assisted in the recruiting and development of over 50 MLB draft picks. Freshman Grayson Bradberry was named the BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year by D1Baseball and Perfect Game prior to the start of the season. Bradberry hails from Columbia City, Indiana and earned All-Conference honors (3x), Pre-Season All-State honors, team MVP (2x), NE8 Conference Player of the Year and was chosen as a two-time team captain. In 2025, Butler saw Jack Moroknek get drafted in the 11th round by the Washington Nationals. Moroknek led the team in hits (81), batting average (.372), total bases (153), RBIs (57), home runs (18), runs scored (57), slugging percentage (.702) and OPS (1.145) while posting one of the best individual seasons in Butler history. Moroknek was the first Bulldog drafted since Ryan Pepiot was taken in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Head Coach Blake Beemer enters his fourth season at the helm of the Bulldogs. Beemer helped coach back-to-back BIG EAST Freshman of the Year winners Joey Urban (2023) and Kade Lewis (2024) in his first two seasons with the Bulldogs. Beemer played a pivotal role in developing Jack Moroknek who earned All-BIG EAST second team honors a season ago before being selected by the Washington Nationals in the 2025 MLB Draft. SCOUTING BELLARMINE Bellarmine (3-11) went 1-2 over the weekend in a series with Eastern Illinois. The Knights secured an 8-2 victory in the final game of the series on Saturday. Cole Huett leads Bellarmine at the dish, slashing .359/.590/.995. The freshman has 14 hits, three homers and eight RBIs to his credit. On the mound, Chase Carver leads the squad with 19.0 innings pitched. Carver boasts a 1-3 record and an 8.05 ERA. UP NEXT The Bulldogs will return to action this weekend as the Dawgs travel to Wichita, Kan. to take on Wichita State in a four-game series. Game one of the series is scheduled for Thursday, March 12, with first pitch slated for 7:05 p.m. ET / 6:05 p.m. CT More information will be available on butlersports.com. ===================================================================== IU INDY MEN’S GOLF JAGUARS SIT FIFTH AFTER OPENING DAY OF JACKRABBIT INVITATIONAL BOULDER CITY, Nev. – The IU Indianapolis men’s golf team carded rounds of 281 and 300 on Monday (Mar. 9) and sits fifth among the 11-team field after day one of the Jackrabbit Invitational at Boulder Creek Golf Club. Host South Dakota State leads the field at 566 and Youngstown State is second at 570. The Jaguars were tied atop the leaderboard after an opening round 281, but slid to fifth with a 12-over 300 in the afternoon round. North Dakota and Kansas City are tied for third at 578 while the Jags sit at 581. “The course was easy to start the day, there was no wind and the greens were rolling pure,” junior Brady Schier said. “I needed to get settled in at the start. I didn’t hit the ball great but battled and kept it around par and gave myself a chance to play a good round. “I felt good going into the second round and got off to a hot start. The wind picked up heavily toward the end and I had to grind it in and did a good job of making some good pars. I had a solid day overall.” ===================================================================== BALL STATE BASEBALL BASEBALL ON THE ROAD AT KENTUCKY ON TUESDAY NIGHT The Ball State baseball team is set for its first midweek game of the season when it plays at No. 25 Kentucky on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. The game at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington will be streamed on SECNetwork+ / ESPN+. Ball State (7-7) beat Central Michigan 11-6 on Saturday and 11-10 on Sunday at Shebek Stadium to claim the home and Mid-American Conference opening series. The Sunday contest featured a six-run ninth inning rally for the Cardinals that was capped off by a walk-off two-run double from Brett Griffiths. Kentucky (14-2), who cracked the Top 25 of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers’ Association week five poll after receiving votes the previous week, swept The Citadel in Lexington last weekend to extend its winning streak to nine straight. The Wildcats have only lost to Morehead State (8-6 on Feb. 17) and at Evansville (1-0 on Feb. 21) so far this year. Nick Mingione is in his 10th season as the head coach at Kentucky, who was picked 11th in the 16-team Southeastern Conference preseason coaches poll. The Wildcats are adept at small ball, pacing the SEC and ranking among the NCAA Division I leaders in getting hit by pitches (51, No. 2 nationally), stolen bases (53, No. 3) and sacrifice bunts (12, No. 18). Junior Ethan Hindle has been the big bat in the Kentucky lineup so far this year, leading the Wildcats in OPS (1.214), home runs (five) and RBI (23) in 16 games. Ball State next hosts Eastern Michigan starting Friday afternoon for a second straight home series to begin conference play. GRIFFITHS GETS GOING: Senior shortstop Brett Griffiths collected game-winning hits both Saturday and Sunday against Central Michigan to help Ball State win the series against the Chippewas. A walk-off two-run double to left center finished off an 11-10 comeback win for the Cardinals on Sunday a day after Griffiths blasted a go-ahead solo homer in an 11-6 victory on Saturday. The senior tallied five hits including a double, triple and home run and five RBI during the weekend set. COMEBACK CARDINALS: Ball State came back from a four-run deficit on Saturday and a seven-run hole on Sunday to post back-to-back comeback wins over Central Michigan. The Cardinals trailed 6-2 after the top of the sixth inning Saturday but scored four times in the sixth, three in the seventh and twice in the eighth for the final nine runs of the game. Central led 7-0 Sunday after a seven-run fourth frame, 10-4 after the top of the eighth inning and 10-5 going into the ninth, but Ball State rallied for six runs to capture the win. GARZA GOES THE DISTANCE: Sophomore Brendan Garza surrendered only two hits and two walk and didn’t allow a runner to advance past first base, in a complete game shutout in Ball State’s 1-0 win at Hawaii on Feb. 27. The right-handed pitcher worked 1-2-3 innings five times, as he retired the final 12 batters of the game following a leadoff walk in the sixth. Garza was named the Mid-American Conference pitcher of the week for the performance. This was Ball State’s first complete game since Merritt Beeker allowed one run in 9.0 frames in May 2024 against Toledo at the Mid-American Conference Tournament and first nine-inning shutout in five years (John Baker against Western Michigan in a 2-0 win on March 19, 2021). BALIUS BATS AND RUNS: Senior Gavin Balius collected a hit in each game against the Chippewas and leads the Cardinals in stolen bases (13) while ranking third in hits (17) and second in batting average through the first 14 games of the season. The Flushing, Mich., native has collected multiple hits in three games and multiple steals in four games so far this year. Balius leads the league and ranks eighth in Division I beginning this week with the 13 steals. PITCHERS PUTTING IN WORK: Led by Garza (3.70 ERA, 21 strikeouts in 24.1 innings), Owen Quinn (2.13 ERA, 10 strikeouts in 12.2 frames), and John Chambers (3.29 ERA, 16 strikeouts in 13.2 frames), the Ball State pitching staff has been one of the best in the league to start the year. The Cardinals rank third in the MAC in ERA (5.53) and fewest hits allowed per nine innings (8.62) and fourth in WHIP (1.50) as a group. DEFENSIVE DYNAMOS: Ball State finished the 2025 season with the fourth-best fielding percentage in NCAA Division I at .983 (only 34 errors in 1,993 opportunities). The Cardinals concluded the regular season with the top fielding percentage in the country (.984) but got passed up in the postseason. Ball State has 10 errors in 507 chances for a .980 fielding percentage (fourth in the MAC) to start the season. ====================================================================== INDIANA STATE SWIMMING AND DIVING LOPEZ FINISHES 20TH IN NCAA ZONE C QUALIFIERS 1M SPRINGBOARD EVENT YPSILANTI, Mich. – Indiana State diver Jecza Lopez placed 20th overall in the 2026 NCAA Zone C Qualifiers in the 1M Springboard event on Monday afternoon as the junior took on the 55-athlete field at the Michael H. Jones Natatorium. Lopez posted a six-dive score of 253.15 to finish just outside the Top 18 in the scoring to wrap up her first day at Eastern Michigan. The Sycamore diver posted four dives of 40-plus points in the field, including scoring a 45.50 on her first dive, a Forward 2 ½ Somersault Pike, while adding a 45.50 on her last dive, a Forward 1 ½ Somersault 2 Twist Free. Lopez averaged 42.19 points over her six dives overall. Lopez Diving Results – Monday 1M Springboard Forward 2 ½ Somersault Pike – 45.50 Back 1 ½ Somersault Pike – 42.55 Reverse 1 ½ Somersault Pike – 39.60 Inward 1 ½ Somersault Pike – 38.40 Reverse 1 ½ Somersault 1 ½ Twist Free – 41.60 Forward 1 ½ Somersault 2 Twist Free – 45.50 Lopez continues the NCAA Zone C Qualifiers tomorrow morning as the Sycamore diver competes in the 3M Springboard starting tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET. =================================================================== INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL INDIANA STATE DEFEATS BRADLEY 8-4 AT PRICE FIELD TERRE HAUTE, Ind – Indiana State defeated the Bradley Braves on Monday during the third game of the conference series at Price Field. Bradley got ahead at the start of the game with a home run during the top of the inning. Still, Indiana State quickly answered with a single from Morgan Goodrich followed by a Mallory Chavez double and third base to bring her home, moving the scoreboard to 1-1. During the second inning, ISU’s defense stayed strong, as Hannah Welch dove to catch the final out of the top of the inning. Lauren Sackett had a strikeout on the top of the third, as Isabelle Saylor also dive caught the final out of the inning. Bradley stayed strong with another home run through the fourth, while the Sycamores fought back, scoring four runs. The first one came down after two singles from Claire Connelly and Isabelle Saylor, a sacrifice bunt from Brailey Mills, and a double from Lauren Marsicek that brought Bella Pusateri home. The next three were scored from a fielding error, making Isabelle Saylor, Lauren Marsicek, and Morgan Goodrich reach home. The Braves scored their third home run during the sixth inning to change the score to 5-3, as Indiana State’s Mallory Chavez tripled to bring both Morgan Goodrich and Madison Poulson home, scoring another two runs. Emi Jeras then hit a single that brought the final Sycamore run of the day home by Mallory Chavez. For the last inning, Bradley found their fourth home run of the day, and Caylee Gaytan relieved pitcher Megan Asher to save the game. News & Notes Caylee Gaytan recorded her second save of the season. Mallory Chavez scored her second triple of the season. Morgan Goodrich keeps a 1.00 stolen base percentage. =================================================================== INDIANA STATE BASEBALL INDIANA STATE CLOSES OUT SEASON-OPENING ROAD TRIP ON TUESDAY NIGHT AT VANDERBILT TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State closes out the road trip on Tuesday night in Nashville, Tenn. as the Sycamores take on Vanderbilt for a midweek nonconference matchup at Hawkins Field. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. ET and will be carried live on SEC+ and 105.5 The Legend. The Sycamores wrap up a 16-game road trip to open the 2026 season as Indiana State takes on Vanderbilt. Indiana State opens up a seven-game home stand this weekend starting March 13-15 against Gonzaga at Bob Warn Field. Recapping The Weekend Indiana State went 1-2 this past weekend in Bowling Green, Ky. as the Sycamores fell in two of the three games against Western Kentucky. The Sycamores fell in Friday’s extra-inning game, 6-5, before bouncing back behind Emil Estrella’s two-homer, five RBI game with an 11-6 win on Saturday afternoon. WKU followed with a 7-4 victory on Sunday afternoon to claim the series. The weekend marked the first time Indiana State and Western Kentucky lined up against each other since 1985 with WKU holding a 7-5-1 all-time edge in the series following the weekend. Carter Beck (.385) recorded team-highs with hits (5) and doubles (2) over the weekend while extending his on-base streak to 20 consecutive games over the weekend series. Emil Estrella posted a .500 on-base percentage and a 1.182 slugging percentage with all four of his hits going for extra bases. Emil Estrella connected on Indiana State’s first multi-homer game of the 2026 season after homering twice on Saturday afternoon against Western Kentucky. He added the Sycamores’ second grand slam of the season, joining Carter Beck (Feb. 20 vs. Miami (Ohio)). Estrella led the Sycamores with eight RBIs, including a five-RBI game in Saturday’s 11-6 win over WKU. Caleb Niehaus (.333), Nomar Garcia (.333), Mason Roell (.333), and Eddie Alonso (.375) all hit above the .300 mark on the week as Indiana State hit .291 over the three-game series. Indiana State connected on 18 extra-base hits over the weekend, including 12 doubles, two triples, and four home runs. Overall, eight different Sycamores doubled over the weekend with Carter Beck, Caleb Niehaus, Jeremy Martinez, and Eddie Alonso all recording two doubles over the three games. The Sycamore pitching staff combined for a 5.06 team ERA over 26.2 innings pitched on the mound. Indiana State recorded a 27:11 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Hunter Small, Ryan Karst, and Aaron Moss all posted 0.00 ERAs over the weekend with Small going 2.1 scoreless inning with four strikeouts over appearances on both Friday and Sunday. Colby Morse added 3.0 strong innings on the mound on Friday night, while Jack Armstrong (4.50 ERA), Ty Brooks (5.40 ERA), and Grant Parson (5.79 ERA) drew the weekend starts combining for 11 strikeouts over 13.2 innings of work. Season Spotlight Jeremy Martinez (.310) and Carter Beck (.300) are both hitting over .300 on the season through the first 15 games of the year to lead the Indiana State offense. Martinez has posted a team-high .423 on-base percentage among the regulars in the starting lineup while adding a .548 slugging percentage on the year. Beck has a team-high six doubles after this past weekend’s series against Western Kentucky and is the team leader in runs scored (15), hits (18), and stolen bases (3). Mason Roell is hitting .400 on the year in limited action while playing both third base and designated hitter. Roell has scored 12 runs over eight games played, while adding two doubles, a triple, and two home runs. Caden Miller paces the Sycamores with 14 RBIs to go with a .291 batting average while lining up in the middle of the Indiana State batting order. He added his first home run of 2026 over the weekend. Emil Estrella has come on as of late and enters the week with a .277 batting average with a team-high nine extra-base hits, 13 RBIs, and 11 runs scored. Nick Sutherlin is second on the team with 14 runs scored and third with 12 RBIs, while hitting .281 from the plate. Overall, Indiana State has four players with at least five doubles on the season between Beck (6), Martinez (5), Sutherlin (5), and Estrella (5) all achieving the feat. Three Sycamores have been penciled into the starting lineup every game so far in the 2026 season with Carter Beck (CF), Emil Estrella (DH/RF), and Nick Sutherlin (INF) everyday starters. Caden Miller, and Caleb Niehaus have also been on the field in all 15 games. Ty Brooks headlines the Indiana State pitching staff to date with team-highs in innings pitched (27.0) and starts (5), while recording three of the Sycamores’ seven wins on the mound. Brooks has a 2.00 ERA, a 20:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and a .129 opponent batting average. Jack Armstrong made his starting debut on the mound this past weekend and has carried a 1.17 ERA over 15.1 innings on the mound. Armstrong is 2-0 overall with an 18:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .111 opponent batting average. Overall, the Sycamores have posted a 6.32 team ERA on the season with a 119:68 strikeout-to-walk ratio while allowing opponents to hit .266 from the plate. Sycamores Against Vanderbilt Indiana State and Vanderbilt have lined up 15 times over their respective program histories dating back to the inaugural matchup back on March 12, 1987, when the Sycamores topped the Commodores, 10-7. Vanderbilt holds the all-time 11-4 edge in the series, including winning the last two contests in the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The Sycamores last win in Nashville came on April 18, 2023, with Indiana State topping the Commodores 10-2 in Hawkins Field. The Indiana State win snapped a six-game losing streak in the series. Last season, Mac Rose broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the second inning with a two-run home run and the No. 15 Vanderbilt pitching staff outdueled the Sycamores in a 5-2 win on April 29, 2025. The Sycamores limited Vanderbilt to just seven hits in the contest, while Carter Beck and Nick Sutherlin both doubled to lead the Indiana State offense. Sycamores Against the Southeastern Conference Indiana State has a 23-74 all-time record against members of the Southeastern Conference. The Sycamores took on two members of the SEC last season in both Vanderbilt and Tennessee, falling to both programs in midweek contests. Indiana State’s best record against SEC programs has come against Missouri (6-12), while adding multiple wins against Arkansas (4-11), Kentucky (4-10), Ole Miss (2-7), Vanderbilt (4-11), and Tennessee (2-23). About the Commodores Vanderbilt enters the midweek contest with a 10-7 record, 9-2 mark at Hawkins Field as the Commodores welcome the Sycamores to the field. Vanderbilt has picked up series wins over Eastern Michigan, Marist, and North Dakota State, while adding victories over Troy, Evansville, and Texas Tech. The Commodores are currently unranked after starting the year inside the top 25 in all major polls. Vanderbilt was picked eighth overall in the Southeastern Conference’s preseason poll after receiving 151 total points from the league’s head coaches. Designated hitter/utility player Braden Holcomb was the lone representative on the SEC Preseason All-Conference team earning a spot on the league’s Second Team. Ryker Waite (.392) has been the team’s batting average leader early in the season, while Brodie Johnston (.387, seven HR), and Holcomb (.349, nine HR) have provided the power in the lineup. Holcomb paces the Commodores with 29 RBIs and 17 runs scored in addition to his nine home runs. Overall, Vanderbilt is hitting .314 from the plate with 42 home runs over 17 games. The Vanderbilt pitching staff has posted a 3.80 ERA on the year over 137.1 innings. They have recorded a 168:68 strikeout-to-walk ratio while allowing opponents to hit just .218 from the plate. Indiana State Baseball Season Tickets on Sale Now Season tickets for the 2026 Indiana State baseball season are now on sale as the Sycamores head into their second season under Head Coach Tracy Archuleta. The Sycamores will play 21 home games inside Bob Warn Field this season, starting on March 4 against Lindenwood. Reserved chairback season tickets can be purchased for $110. General admission season tickets will go on sale as well with adult ($75), seniors ($55), and youth ($40) tickets also being available for purchase. There will be a $5 surcharge added to those wanting tickets printed. The Sycamores have teamed up with Pacesetter Sports and the Spirit Shop for the third consecutive season for a season ticket deal. Fans will receive a $50 Pacesetter gift card for each $110 reserved chairback season ticket, $35 gift card for each $75 general admission season ticket, $25 gift card for each $55 senior general admission ticket, and $20 gift card for each $40 youth season ticket sold. ==================================================================== PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MASTODON WBB FALLS TO GREEN BAY IN HORIZON LEAGUE SEMIFINAL INDIANAPOLIS – No. 5 seeded Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball fell to No. 1 seed Green Bay on Monday (March 9) in the Barbasol Horizon League Championship semifinal game 73-48. Needing four points to reach 2,000 for her career, Jordan Reid scored all four on the first two possessions of the game. She finished the contest with a team-high 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Lili Krasovec joined Reid in double-figures with 10 points and added four rebounds and three blocks. Reid’s four early points led the Mastodons out to a 4-0 lead. Green Bay pushed back, scoring seven of the next nine. Rylee Bess hit a triple to go up 9-7, but that was Purdue Fort Wayne’s last lead. After that, the Phoenix went on a 16-0 run to take control of the game and lead the rest of the way. Purdue Fort Wayne fell to 20-13. It is the fourth 20-win season in the program’s Division I history and third in a row under head coach Maria Marchesano. Green Bay improved to 73-48 thanks to a game-high 20 points from Carley Duffney. The Mastodons will await word on postseason opportunities. ====================================================================== EVANSVILLE BASEBALL BASEBALL TO BATTLE BEARCATS TUESDAY TO BEGIN CINCINNATI SWING EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team begins their road swing in Cincinnati on Tuesday, taking on the Cincinnati Bearcats for a midweek contest. The game is the first of five for the Aces in southwest Ohio this week. Series History – Evansville and Cincinnati are playing for the second time ever and the first time since 1894, when UE was known as Moores Hill College and was located in Moores Hill, Ind. – The school was known as Moores Hill College until campus was moved to Evansville in 1919, when it became known as Evansville College – Moores Hill, Ind. is located 41.3 miles from Cincinnati Busy Stretch – Evansville begins a busy two-week stretch on Tuesday against Cincinnati – The Aces will play 10 games in the next 13 days, including eight road contests – Nine of 10 games are against opponents who finished 2025 with a winning record Hitting His Stride – Center fielder Reid Haire has emerged as one of Evansville’s most dangerous hitters over the past week – In four games last week, Haire went a team-best 5-for-15 with a home run and a double – Haire leads the team with three home runs this season ==================================================================== EVANSVILLE SOFTBALL ACES TRAVEL TO LOUISVILLE FOR TUESDAY CONTEST EVANSVILLE, Ind. – On Tuesday, the University of Evansville softball team travels to Louisville for a 5 p.m. CST contest at UImer Stadium. Evansville opened its Missouri Valley Conference slate over the weekend against Illinois State. Each game was decided by a single run as the Redbirds took two of the three games. The Purple Aces took Saturday’s finale in exciting fashion. Trailing 7-4 entering the bottom of the seventh, the Aces scored four runs to earn the walk-off victory. Freshman Ashtyn Holbrook hit two home runs in the game. Her 2-run shot in the 7th tied the game. Taylor Howe reached on a play that saw ISU commit two errors, allowing the winning run to score. UE was solid in all three contests. Friday’s opener was a pitcher’s duel that saw ISU win by a 3-2 final. In the second game of the doubleheader, the Redbirds scored five runs in the top of the first. Despite the early deficit, UE battled back to tie the game with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. The contest went to extra innings where ISU plated the winning run in the 9th. Taylor Howe and Niki Bode each batted .500 on the weekend. Both posted five hits in 10 at-bats. Brooke Voss batted .417 in the series. She had five hits in 12 att-bats while scoring a team-high three runs. Louisville heads into Tuesday’s game with a record of 18-5. They received six votes in the latest March 2 top 25 rankings. =================================================================== SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL SCREAMING EAGLES COMPLETE SWEEP OVER TIGERS EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball completed a series sweep of Tennessee State University on Monday afternoon, defeating the Tigers by a score of 6-1 at USI Softball Field. USI Softball (6-14, 3-0 OVC) picked up its third straight win and moved to a 3-0 start in Ohio Valley Conference play. Meanwhile, Tennessee State (0-13, 0-3 OVC) still remains without a win on the season. On Monday, the Screaming Eagles got off to another fast start with three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 3-0 lead. USI took advantage of miscues by the Tigers and capped off the first inning scoring on a sac fly by junior outfielder Kate Satkoski. In the bottom of the fourth inning, USI added another three-spot by scoring a run in three consecutive at-bats to go in front 6-0. The scoring started on an RBI double by senior outfielder Caroline Stapleton that scored junior designated player Shelby Stivers. After scoring the fifth run on a Tigers error, junior infielder Sydney Long drove in Stapleton for the sixth run on an RBI single. Stapleton finished with two runs and two hits in the contest. While Tennessee State avoided a 6-0 shutout with a run in the top of the seventh inning, the Screaming Eagles closed out the game and series sweep. On a pitching staff day for the Screaming Eagles, freshman pitcher Anna Kemp (2-5) set the tone with two shutout innings and earned her second win of the season. Sophomore pitcher Kylie Witthaus had a strong outing in middle relief, going 4.2 innings and striking out three. Freshman pitcher Elly Robbins struck out the final batter of the game to finish off the series sweep. Tennessee State had three pitchers toss two innings each, with Tianna Salcido (0-7) making the start and being charged with the loss after giving up three runs through the first two frames. After the announcement of Wednesday’s postponement for the road game at the University of Kentucky, USI Softball will next return to action this weekend with a three-game OVC road series at Western Illinois University. Saturday’s doubleheader and Sunday’s series finale from Macomb, Illinois, are both slated for Noon starts. All three games can be seen with an ESPN+ subscription. Additional coverage and live stat links are available on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com. ======================================================================= SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL USI HITS THE ROAD FOR THE NEXT FIVE GAMES EVANSVILLE, Ind. — University of Southern Indiana Baseball hits the road for the next five games this week, beginning with a 1 p.m. battle in Columbia, Missouri, against the University of Missouri. The USI-Missouri contest has been moved up from the original 6 p.m. start due to the forecast of rain Tuesday evening. Following Tuesday’s game at Missouri, USI continues the road swing with a visit to Southern Illinois March 13-15 for a three-game series against the Salukis. The first pitch Friday is slated for 6 p.m. before continuing Saturday at 2 p.m. and concluding Sunday at 1 p.m. The final visit of the road swing is March 17 at Bellarmine in Louisville, Kentucky. The USI-Bellarmine matchup is scheduled for 1 p.m. (CDT). Fans are encouraged to watch social media and USIScreamingEagles.com for any schedule changes due to the forecast of rain this weekend. Links to follow the Screaming Eagles during 2026 can be found on USIScreamingEagles.com and the USI Baseball Schedule. USI Baseball Notes: USI off to best start since 1996. The USI Screaming Eagles are 12-4 and off to their best start since 1996. USI, which also is off to its best start in the Division I era, started 1996 with a 13-4 mark. USI sweeps homestand. The Screaming Eagles swept their four-game homestand last week, taking the opener from Illinois State and all three versus Youngstown State. The Screaming Eagles averaged 7.75 runs per game and batted .268 (34-127), while posting a team ERA of 2.25 and holding the opposing hitters to a .194 average (24-124). USI’s homestand leaders. Junior second baseman Zion Stephens led the Screaming Eagles by hitting .400 (4-10), while senior first baseman Patrick McLellan had a team-best five RBIs in the homestand. Junior right-hander Abdriel Figueroa had USI’s best appearance on the mound last week with a scoreless six innings and struck out five in the game one win over Youngstown State. The three-game set with Youngstown State. USI battled through three games with Youngstown State, winning 5-2 Friday and sweeping a doubleheader 10-1 and 4-1 Sunday. The Screaming Eagles batted only .231 (21-91), but the hurlers had a 1.33 ERA in 27 innings of work to get the sweep. USI opened the week, homestand with win. The Screaming Eagles opened the four-game homestand this week with a 12-5 win over Illinois State at the USI Baseball Field. Junior third baseman Parker Martin and junior outfielder Noah Foster had three RBIs each, while senior first baseman Patrick McLellan had a pair. Multi-hit games. Senior shortstop Clayton Slack has eight multi-hit games this year and four three-hit contests in 12 games. Junior outfielder Noah Foster and senior first baseman Patrick McLellan follow with six multi-hit contests this year. Holiday, McLellan are the run makers. USI graduate centerfielder Khi Holiday and senior first baseman Patrick McLellan have been generating the offense for the Screaming Eagles this season. The duo leads USI and the OVC with 23 runs scored this season. Doing it at the plate. USI is putting runs on the scoreboard at an incredible rate. USI leads the OVC with 9.4 runs per game this season (150). The Screaming Eagles also rank second in the OVC with a .315 team batting average. Improved pitching last week. USI showed improvement on the mound the last two weeks, posting a 2.51 ERA in 68.0 innings over eight games, compared to a 6.49 ERA in the first eight games. Missouri in 2026. Missouri is 14-2 after posting a 10-0 win over Illinois-Chicago this afternoon in Columbia, Missouri. The Tigers have won 12-straight and are 9-0 at home this season. USI vs. Missouri. The series will be the first meetings between USI and Missouri in baseball. SIU in 2026. Southern Illinois is 6-8 after winning two of three in the Cambria Classic in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Salukis, who visit SIU Edwardsville Tuesday before hosting USI, defeated Omaha, 9-1, and South Dakota State, 5-4, in addition to losing to UNLVC, 16-8. USI vs. SIU. SIU leads the all-time series with USI, 6-1, after winning both meetings last season. The Salukis defeated USI in Carbondale last year, 16-12 and 7-0, and have won the last five meetings since the Screaming Eagles made the jump to Division I. USI’s lone victory over SIU came in 1989, 6-2, in Carbondale. ===================================================================== VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WOMEN’S BASKETBALL OPENS MVC TOURNAMENT THURSDAY VERSUS DRAKE Valparaiso (0-31, 0-20 MVC) 2026 Credit Union 1 MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament Game #32 – March 12, 2026 – 8:30 p.m. vs. Drake (11-19, 10-10 MVC) Xtream Arena (5,100) – Coralville, Iowa Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valpo women’s basketball team heads to the 2026 Credit Union 1 MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament as the tournament’s 11th seed and will face sixth-seeded Drake in the opening round. The Beacons will have to win four games over four days to claim the tournament title. Previously: The regular season came to an end for Valpo Saturday afternoon at the ARC, as the Beacons dropped a 100-68 decision to the visitors from Murray State, which had already secured the MVC regular season title entering the day. Playing the final home game of her collegiate career, Fiona Connolly surpassed her career best with a game-high 23 points. Following Valpo Basketball: Video: ESPN+ – Brad Wells and Jacqui Kalin Radio: WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso) – Eli Conklin and Paul Oren Streaming Audio: TuneIn app Links for live coverage: Available via ValpoAthletics.com Head Coach Courtney Boyd (0-31 at Valpo, 1st season; 180-99 [.645] overall, 9th season): Courtney Boyd was named the ninth head coach of the Valparaiso University women’s basketball program on April 4, 2025. A national championship-winning head coach and player, an NAIA National Coach of the Year, and a two-time conference Coach of the Year, Boyd has won 20 or more games in seven of her first eight seasons as a head coach. She spent the last two seasons at the helm of the Quincy University program after six seasons as head coach at Clarke University, leading the latter program to the NAIA national title in 2022-23. Series Notes: Drake leads the all-time series with Valpo, 20-3, including two wins this season – a 66-56 victory at the ARC in January and a 79-68 win in Des Moines last month. Milana Nenadic scored a team-high 18 points off the bench in the game at Valpo, while in the most recent meeting, Fiona Connolly scored a game-best 20 points. @ValpoWBB… …versus Murray State – Back-to-back jumpers from Fiona Connolly had Valpo within 12-10 with 3:16 to play in the opening quarter. – The Racers ended the period on a 14-4 run to lead 26-14 10 minutes into the game. – Valpo nicked the deficit down to 10 points twice early in the second quarter, but on the second time, Murray State came out with a 12-0 spurt over the next three minutes to extend its lead. – The Racers held a 55-28 lead at halftime and an 87-48 advantage at the end of the third quarter. – Connolly scored 10 points in just four minutes of play in the final period, a quarter which featured extended run for both teams’ benches and was highlighted by the first career 3-pointer for Bella Swedlund in her final career home game. – Playing in her final career home game, Connolly hit the 20-point mark for the sixth time this year as she led all players with 23 points — in the process surpassing her previous career best of 22 points, set early last month at the ARC versus Southern Illinois. – Connolly was efficient with her shots, hitting 7-of-12 from the field, 4-of-6 from 3-point range — setting a career best for triples in a game — and 5-of-6 from the foul line. – Milana Nenadic reached double figures as well with 13 points and paced the Beacons with nine rebounds. – Playing in her final collegiate home game, Mikayla Huffine tied her career best with six rebounds and tied for team-high honors with three assists. – Autumn Dibb came off the bench with a season-best eight points, including the first two 3-pointers of her collegiate career. – Not only did Swedlund connect from the 3-point line for the first time in her collegiate career, she also set a career high with three rebounds and came up with her first collegiate steal. – Valpo shot at a 34.7% clip from the field and was 10-for-29 from 3-point range — matching its second-highest total of made triples in a game this year. Murray State finished shooting 43.4% from the floor and was 11-for-33 from the 3-point line. – The Beacons committed just 12 turnovers, tied for their second-fewest in a game this season. …versus Belmont – The first half of the first quarter was a one-possession game the entire way, with Belmont holding a slim 11-10 lead at the halfway mark. – Valpo outscored the Bruins 7-2 in the second five minutes of the opening period, as Allia von Schlegell scored five and Kamryn Winch had a putback basket to give the Beacons a 17-13 lead after 10 minutes. – Valpo led by as many as seven points in the second quarter and still held a 33-31 advantage with 1:20 to play in the half after another basket from Winch. – Belmont scored seven straight points in the final 65 seconds of the half to take a 38-33 lead into the locker room. – The Bruins pushed their lead to 10 points with 6:43 to play in the third quarter before a 9-2 Valpo run — featuring five points from Fiona Connolly and buckets from Milana Nenadic and Kayla Sullivan — brought the Beacons within 49-46 with 3:11 remaining in the period. – Belmont led 57-50 entering the fourth quarter. Valpo was still within eight points over three minutes into the final period before the Bruins went on a 15-1 run to pull away. – Nenadic scored in double figures for the 11th time this season and paced Valpo for the sixth time as she scored her 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting. The redshirt junior also tied for team-high honors with her 10 boards to record her third double-double this season. – Valpo’s two leading scorers on the season, Connolly and von Schlegell both struggled from the field Thursday, but helped make up for it with their work at the foul line. Connolly hit 7-of-8 from the stripe as she finished with 15 points while also grabbing five rebounds and tying her best in the Valpo uniform with five assists. – von Schlegell was a perfect 7-for-7 from the foul line and finished with nine points. – Led by the aforementioned duo’s work at the charity stripe, the Beacons hit at an 85.7% clip (18-for-21) from the foul line — the team’s second-best free throw percentage of the season. – Winch matched Nenadic as she grabbed 10 rebounds in 15 minutes of action off the bench — her fourth double-figure effort on the boards this season. The pair of posts became the first Valpo players to both snag at least 10 boards in the same game since Amber Lindfors pulled down 15 rebounds and Dani Franklin 11 March 3, 2017 against Youngstown State. – Valpo shot 28.8% from the field for the game and hit 7-of-23 from 3-point range, while Belmont hit at a 35.1% clip from the floor and was 9-for-33 from the 3-point line. The Bruins’ field goal percentage was tied for second-lowest by a Valpo opponent this season. …looking ahead – With a win on Thursday, the Beacons would face third-seeded Illinois State on Friday night at 8:30 p.m. …at neutral sites – Thursday’s game is the third neutral-site game of the season for Valpo, as the Beacons played games at Cleveland State against Radford and St. Bonaventure over the Thanksgiving holiday. – Valpo has won just one of its last 10 neutral-site games, dating back to the 2021 MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament. ….and @ValleyHoops – Valpo is in its ninth season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. – Valpo was picked outside the top-four of the MVC preseason poll, as the Valley released only the top four selections. – The Valley finished last season ranked seventh in the NET, matching the conference’s highest NET/RPI ranking in Valpo’s time as an MVC member (2020-21). @DrakeWBB – The Bulldogs enter the MVC Tournament at 11-19 on the season and earned the sixth seed for the tournament with a 10-10 record in Valley play. – Drake had won five of its last six games before succumbing to a late run from UNI in the regular season finale Sunday. – Abbie Aalsma averages a team-best 15.1 points/game, while Anna Becker contributes 11.5 points/game as well. – The Bulldogs are playing on Thursday at the MVC Tournament for the first time since 2022. A Look Back at the Drake Games …66-56 loss at Valpo on Jan. 18 – Valpo led throughout the first quarter, ending the period with an 18-14 edge. – The Beacons’ lead was 22-16 with 6:42 to play in the second quarter before Drake ended the half on a 17-3 run to lead 33-25 at intermission. – The Bulldogs led by as many as 14 in the third quarter before Valpo closed to within 54-45 with 10 minutes remaining. – The Beacons cut the deficit to four points with 6:51 to play before Drake extended back to a 12-point lead. – Valpo got back within 62-55 with 2:08 to play – the Beacons got two more stops in a row on the defensive end to give themselves a chance to inch even closer, but a pair of great looks right at the rim on the offensive side didn’t fall. – Milana Nenadic paced Valpo with 18 points and tied for team-high honors with five rebounds. – Kayla Sullivan and Kayla Preston both scored in double figures as well, finishing with 11 and 10 points, respectively. – Valpo’s two leading scorers on the season — Fiona Connolly and Allia von Schlegell — were limited to single digits, one of just four times that has happened this year. – Valpo shot just 32.1% from the floor, but the Beacons were 7-for-19 from 3-point range. Drake shot 41.1% from the field, but was just 5-for-19 from beyond the arc. …79-68 loss at Drake on Feb. 19 – Drake was the team which started on the front foot, as the Bulldogs led 12-5 just 3:02 into the ballgame. – But the Beacons exploded over the next few minutes offensively, scoring on eight consecutive offensive possessions and putting up 21 points. Five different players hit 3-pointers during the stretch, which saw Valpo go up by seven points with 2:15 to play in the period on a layup from Fiona Connolly. – Another drive and finish by Connolly in the final 40 seconds closed the scoring in the opening frame, as Valpo held a 28-21 lead. – An 11-1 run for the Beacons pushed the lead to 41-26 with three minutes to play in the half. – Valpo carried a 46-34 lead into the locker room at halftime. – Kayla Sullivan connected from deep 1:19 into the third quarter, restoring Valpo’s largest lead at 15 points. – Drake went on a 14-2 run over the next six-plus minutes to cut Valpo’s lead to three points, where it remained at the end of the quarter, as the Beacons were in front 56-53. – The Bulldogs scored on back-to-back possessions early in the fourth quarter to take their first lead since the first quarter with 8:18 to play, but Valpo responded with a 9-1 run, and when Kamryn Winch connected on a foul-line jumper with 5:22 to play, the Beacons led 65-58. – That proved to be Valpo’s last point for over four and a half minutes, as Drake scored 17 in a row to take the lead for good. Abbie Aalsma started the key run with back-to-back triples following Winch’s basket. – The 28-point first quarter was Valpo’s highest scoring quarter of the season. – The Beacons led at halftime for the third time this year and after three quarters for the first time. – For the second time this season, four Beacons scored in double figures, led by a game-best 20 points from Connolly. – Milana Nenadic tallied 14 points and paced Valpo with seven rebounds. – Allia von Schlegell scored in double figures with a 12-point night, while Sullivan reached double digits with 11 points, including a season-high three 3-pointers. – Valpo shot 36.4% from the field and was 10-for-33 from 3-point range — its second-highest total of triples this year. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs were 43.3% from the floor, including 8-for-18 from the 3-point line. Valpo in the Postseason – After winning its first game in its first three appearances at the MVC Tournament, Valpo has dropped its first game in each of the last four seasons. – The Beacons last played on Friday in 2022, when they earned a spot directly in the quarterfinals as the six seed. – This is just the third time since joining the MVC that Valpo has opened the conference tournament against a team it lost twice to in the regular season – Valpo defeated Indiana State to open the 2019 tournament after two regular-season losses, while most recently, UIC earned a 25-point win at the 2023 tournament opener after edging the Beacons by a combined three points in two regular season matchups. – This year sees Valpo return to its familiar 8:30 p.m. time slot to open the tournament, as the Beacons also opened the 2022 and 2023 tournaments with an 8:30 p.m. game. Going back further, Valpo opened with the last game of the day in 2021 (a 7:30 p.m. tip), while its first game for the canceled 2020 tournament was slated for 8:30 p.m. as well. 500 and Counting for Fiona – With her final point late in the fourth quarter Feb. 28 against Illinois State, Fiona Connolly tallied the 500th point of her collegiate career. – Connolly scored 53 points over two seasons at La Salle and scored 109 last year as a junior before exploding this year, scoring 366 to date. – She has led the Beacons in scoring 12 times and has scored in double figures 19 times this year, including six games of 20+ points – highlighted by a career-best 23-point effort in the regular season finale versus Murray State. – Connolly’s points/game average has jumped from 3.5 ppg last year to 12.6 ppg this season – that 9.1 ppg jump ranks 64th nationally (among players who have played at least 15 games in both seasons) and third in the MVC (among players in the Valley both seasons). – It is the second-biggest jump by a Valpo player in the Her Hoops Stats era (since 2008-09), behind only Addison Stoller, who went from 3.3 ppg in 2017-18 to 12.8 ppg in 2018-19 for a 9.5 ppg jump. Closing Strong – Connolly has been making the most of the last few weeks of her collegiate career. – The senior was limited to eight points against Evansville Feb. 5, her seventh consecutive game in single digits as her scoring average dropped to 10.9 points/game. – Since then, Connolly has scored at least 11 points in all eight games, averaging 17.1 points/game in that stretch. – She has hit the 20-point mark four times in those eight games, including the two highest-scoring games of her career – 23 in the regular-season finale against Murray State and 22 at home versus Southern Illinois. A Quick 20 – Connolly scored a game-high 20 points at UNI despite playing just 19:09 in that contest due to foul trouble. – It is the second time this year the Beacons have had a 20-point scorer play fewer than 20 minutes, as Milana Nenadic did so in 19:15 at Iowa State back in November. – Before this season, Valpo had just three players accomplish the feat in the last 22 years. – Connolly and Nenadic had been the only two MVC players to accomplish the feat this season, until Haven Ford scored 20 in 19:55 at the ARC last Saturday. Allia’s Big Day(s) – Freshman Allia von Schlegell averaged 12.4 points/game in MVC play, but took it to another level in Valpo’s home game against Southern Illinois. – von Schlegell’s 29 points bested her previous career high of 19 points by 10, as she established a career high for field goals made and matched her career best for 3-pointers made. – von Schlegell scored the most points by a Valpo freshman since Ali Saunders scored 32 against UAB Nov. 21, 2022. It also matched the most points by an MVC freshman this season. – 15 of von Schlegell’s points came in the fourth quarter alone as she outscored SIU in the final period. It is the most points in a single period by a Valpo player this season. – Even more impressively, von Schlegell scored those 29 points while not committing a single turnover in 35 minutes of action. She is one of just five D-I freshmen this year with a game with 29 or more points and no turnovers. The Freshman Fills It Up – von Schlegell has made a big impact in her rookie season. – She has scored in double figures 18 times this year – 12 times, von Schlegell has dropped at least 15 points – the most 15+ point games by a Valpo freshman since Dani Franklin hit the 15-point mark 12 times in the 2014-15 season. – von Schlegell currently ranks third among MVC freshmen in scoring (11.3 points/game) and is second in 3-pointers made (61). – She ranks 59th nationally in freshman scoring and is tied for 14th among freshmen nationally in 3-pointers made. – von Schlegell scored in double figures six times in nonconference action, tied for seventh-most in program history by a freshman in nonconference games since Valpo joined the North Star Conference for the 1987-88 season. – Notably, the six players ahead of von Schlegell on that list all went on to earn All-Freshman/Newcomer Team honors and closed their time at Valpo among the top-12 in program history in career scoring. Freshman Scoring Leaders – von Schlegell is one of just nine freshmen in program history to score at least 300 points as a rookie and has put herself in position to challenge Valpo’s freshman scoring record. – Sarrah Stricklett scored 377 points as a rookie in 1996-97, a mark which von Schlegell enters Thursday 28 points back of: 377 – Sarrah Stricklett, 1996-97 365 – Dani Franklin, 2014-15 351 – Debbie Bolen, 1989-90 349 – Allia von Schlegell, 2025-26 331 – Tabitha Gerardot, 2010-11 329 – Meredith Hamlet, 2015-16 326 – Jeanette Gray, 1999-2000 322 – Ali Saunders, 2022-23 302 – Jasmyn Walker, 2014-15 – Notably, every player on this list was an All-Freshman/Newcomer Team honoree in their respective season. Nenadic’s Night – It was truly a night to remember for Milana Nenadic at Illinois State Jan. 15, coming off the bench to deliver 34 points on 16-of-25 shooting. – The 16 field goals made broke the program record for baskets in a single game, as the previous mark was shared at 15 by Deb Lahti (Feb. 19, 1983 vs. Carthage) and Lyn Swanson (Feb. 8, 1986 at Carthage). – Nenadic is tied for ninth among NCAA D-I players this season for field goals in a game. – Nenadic’s 25 field goal attempts are tied for eighth-most in a single game in Valpo history. – The junior now shares fifth on Valpo’s single-game scoring chart with Dani Franklin, who dropped 34 at Stetson Nov. 12, 2016. Those two are the only Valpo players to score at least 34 in a game since 1992. Nenadic’s 34 points are the most by a player coming off the bench in program history. – Nenadic’s previous career best was 20 points earlier this year while facing All-American Audi Crooks at Iowa State. – Nenadic is just the fourth MVC player in the last nine seasons with at least 16 baskets in a game, and joins a few pretty solid players in that department — Drake’s Katie Dinnebier, Belmont’s Destinee Wells and Murray State’s Katelyn Young. – Nenadic went on to score 18 points later that weekend against Drake and was named MVC Newcomer of the Week Jan. 19 for her efforts, becoming Valpo’s first MVC weekly award winner in over four years. A Jump in Production – Nenadic has taken advantage of her playing time this year to rank third on the team with 9.4 points/game and lead the Beacons with 5.4 rebounds/game. – She has scored in double figures 12 times, including a pair of efforts of at least 20 points, and has tallied at least 10 boards four times. – In her first three collegiate seasons (two at Maine, one at Idaho State), Nenadic played just 29 minutes over 11 games, scoring eight points and pulling down nine rebounds. – In the Her Hoop Stats era (since 2008-09), Nenadic’s 291 points this season are the most by a D-I player who did not score a single point in at least five games played the previous season. – Nenadic’s 9.4 points/game this year have come in just 18.0 minutes/game – the highest scoring average of any D-I player who averages 18 minutes or fewer. Gobbling Up the Boards – Kamryn Winch needed just 15:18 of playing time last Thursday versus Belmont to pull down 10 rebounds, the fourth time this year she has reached double digits on the glass. – It was the second time she’s reached double figures in less than 16 minutes, as at UIC, she matched her career high with 12 rebounds while playing just 13:10. – Winch is the only Valpo player to record 10+ boards while playing less than 16 minutes against a D-I opponent since at least 2002-03 – Sylwia Zabielewicz tallied 10 rebounds in 14 minutes in November 2009 against Indiana Tech. – Winch is the only MVC player and one of just three nationally with multiple such games this season. – You have to go back to the 2019-20 campaign and Missouri State’s Emily Gartner to find the last MVC player with multiple such games in the same season. Gaining Experience on the Fly – Valpo has traversed this season with a roster which was very inexperienced at the D-I level prior to this year. – The Beacons lost their top four scorers and five players in all from last season to graduation or transfer – a group which played a combined 3,887 minutes in 2024-25. – Then take into account the Beacons have been without the services of Maci Rhoades and Raeven Raye-Redmond all season, a pair who have combined for 1,934 D-I minutes in their respective careers. – That leaves six active players who had a total of 2,042 D-I minutes entering the season – basically the equivalent of two seasons worth of minutes for a regular player. Shifting Starters – For the first time this season, Valpo has utilized the same starting lineup – Huffine, von Schlegell, Connolly, Sullivan and Nenadic – in more than four consecutive games, as this quintet has started seven straight. – The Beacons have used 10 different starting lineups this year. – Ten different players have been a part of at least one starting five this year, with only one – Huffine – starting every game. All ten have started at least three games apiece. – The Beacons have not used the same starting lineup in more than four consecutive games this season. The Tall and the Short – This year’s Valpo roster features recent extremes on both ends of the height spectrum. – Mor Shabtai and Mikayla Huffine both are listed at 5-4, making them the shortest Valpo players since 5-3 Rashida Ray (2007-11). – On the flip side, Kamryn Winch and Milana Nenadic both check in at 6-3, making them the tallest Valpo players since 6-5 Nicole Johanson (2018-19). International Flavor – Valpo has a trio of international players on its 2025-26 roster: sophomore Mor Shabtai (Israel) and transfers Milana Nenadic (Ontario, Canada) and Kennedy Sproule (Manitoba, Canada). – Prior to Shabtai’s arrival last year, the Valpo program hadn’t had an international player since Sharon Karungi (Uganda) roamed the paint from 2013-15. Sister Act – For the third straight season, the Beacons have a pair of sisters on their roster, as freshman Nuala Connolly joins senior sister Fiona on this year’s squad. – The last two years featured identical twins Nevaeh and Saniya Jackson. – Before that, the last set of sisters to suit up together in the Brown and Gold were the trio of Hamlet sisters: Annemarie (2013-16) overlapped with both older sister Elizabeth (2013-14) and younger sister Meredith (2015-19). Timely Note Distribution – Over the last few years, it’s been this SID’s goal to get his MVC Tournament notes in the hands of the broadcast talent/crew and media as quickly as possible. – This year’s effort has been thwarted slightly by the trio of regular season finales on Sunday – a departure from previous years, when the regular season wrapped on Saturday (and let the record show the vast majority of this year’s notes were completed by 7:15pm Saturday). – Distribution of this year’s first set of tournament notes is expected early evening on Sunday – here’s how that compares to his previous distribution times in his time as Valpo WBB SID: – 2025 – Sunday, 11:45am – 2024 – Saturday, 9:15pm (Notably, Valpo’s first two opponents were already set after the penultimate set of games, allowing him to prepare tournament notes ahead of the regular season finales) – 2023 – Monday, 6:02pm – 2022 – Tuesday, 3:54pm (Team’s first game was on Friday) – 2021 – Tuesday, 11:42am – 2020 – Wednesday, 8:48am (Team’s first scheduled game was on Friday before tournament was canceled due to COVID) ======================================================================== UINDY WOMEN’S TENNIS WOMEN’S TENNIS DOWNED BY TENNESSEE WESLEYAN CHATTANOOGA, Tn – In the first of three matches in the Volunteer State, the No. 26 UIndy women’s tennis team was dropped by NAIA No. 3 Tennessee Wesleyan 5-2. After the Bulldogs swept doubles, success in singles action was narrow, with the lone victories coming from Jimena De Pablos Hernando and Sofia Cardenas. INS AND OUTS It was all Tennessee Wesleyan in doubles play, taking all three matches. Ivana Prat and Ruslana Kovalenko pulled the first result for the Bulldogs, blanking Silvia Zappoli and Liza Simak 6-0. They secured the doubles point after Ana Serrano Olivia Alcala took down No. 37 Maelys Thiery-James and Magda Kornikczuk 6-1. In singles, Laia Berne extended the Bulldog lead to 2-0 with her 6-4, 6-4 win over No. 73 Kornijczuk. De Pablos Hernando had the counter strike for the Hounds, overtaking Alcala 6-4, 7-5 at #2 singles. On court #1, Thiery James couldn’t keep pace in the third set against Kovalenko, falling 6-7, 7-6, 1-6. The Bulldogs found another breakthrough with Honoka Tsuji’s 6-3, 6-1 win over Simak at #5 singles. Cardenas then earned UIndy’s second point of the match, downing Serrano 6-4, 6-2. The match finished with a three-set battle between Zappoli and Prat, where Prat won 3-6, 7-5, 6-0. UP NEXT UIndy will be back in action this Tuesday, March 10, for a matchup with No. 7 Catawba at 12 PM. ==================================================================== UINDY MEN’S TENNIS CHATTANOOGA, Tn – In the first of three matches in the Volunteer State, the No. 9 UIndy men’s tennis team fell to NAIA No. 2 Tennessee Wesleyan 6-1. After falling short in the opening doubles point, the Greyhounds couldn’t keep pace with the Bulldogs in singles play, with the lone win coming from Mathieu Derache. INS AND OUTS TWU was on the board first in doubles, picking up wins on courts #2 and #3. Mario Monclus and Agustin Gaia downed No. 49 Tadeo Gaggiofatto and Zaid Shelbaya 6-2 at #2 doubles for the opening strike. Nicolas Campos and Serafin Zund outlasted Vladislav Gorbatenko and Jovan Matovic 6-4 at #3 doubles to clinch doubles. No. 19 Asier Ayllon Prado and Mathieu Derache picked up the lone doubles win for UIndy, taking down Lucas Grana and Lucas Perez 7-6 at #1 doubles. In singles play, Grana got the Bulldogs a 2-0 after defeating No. 9 Ayllon Prado 6-4, 6-2 on court #1. Derache countered the deficit with a 6-2, 6-3 win at #3 doubles, putting the Hounds within one. TWU gained more steam with Zund’s 6-2, 7-6 victory over No. 16 Gaggiofatto at #2 singles. The final result for the Bulldogs came from court #5, where Asier Pascual took down Shelbaya 6-3, 6-2. UP NEXT The Hounds will be back in action this Tuesday, March 10, for a matchup with No. 15 Catawba at 12 PM. ==================================================================== UINDY SOFTBALL GREYHOUND SOFTBALL NOTCHES TWO MORE WINS IN FLORIDA MELBOURNE, Fla. – The 11th-ranked UIndy softball team extended its unbeaten Spring Break trip with two more wins at the Space Coast Spring Games in Melbourne, Fla. The Greyhounds blasted in-region Ferris State, 12-5, before taking down Gannon, 6-4. UP NEXT UIndy gets a day off before concluding its Central Florida stay Wednesday with games against Bemidji State and Florida Tech. GAME 1 | UIndy 12, FSU 5 UIndy topped Ferris State for the second time in 10 days. The turning point came in the bottom of the fourth when the Greyhounds exploded for eight runs, turning a 4-1 deficit into a 9-4 advantage. Freshman Christina Stankus sparked the rally with a one-out solo shot to right—her first home run as a collegian. Things unraveled from there for the Bulldogs, as each of the next 10 Greyhound batters reached base safely. By the time the dust settled in the frame, UIndy churned through three different Ferris pitchers, racking up five hits and five walks along the way. Sophomore Brooklyn Willis led the offensive onslaught, amassing two hits, two walks, three runs and four ribbies. Her solo home run in the third got UIndy on the board, while her two-run double in the sixth capped the Hounds’ scoring. Starting pitcher Cheyenne Eads (9-0) tossed 4 1/3 innings to earn the win, while Caitlin Bunte faced one over the minimum in 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Sophomore Josie Jager added a double and two walks, while junior Cara Cooper registered two hits and a pair of walks. GAME 2 | UIndy 6, Gannon 4 UIndy jumped out to an early lead with a three-run first inning thanks to RBI singles from Jager and Stankus. The Golden Knights would eventually tie the score at 4-4 in the bottom of the fourth, but single tallies in the fifth and sixth put the Hounds up for good. Eads delivered the go-ahead single, while a Bunte RBI provided the insurance. The Greyhounds employed the pitching trio of Hailey Thompson, Isabelle Noble and Bunte to dispatch Gannon. Noble (1-0) earned her first win of the season, while Bunte was credited with her first career save after throwing the final three innings without allowing a hit. Senior Shelby Cook smacked two doubles in the contest, Eads reached base in all four of her plate appearances, and Willis and Cooper pulled off a double steal in the first. ==================================================================== MARIAN BASEBALL BASEBALL SETS MULTIPLE RECORDS AS TEAM COMPLETES SERIES SWEEP OF GOSHEN GOSHEN, Ind. – The Marian baseball team set multiple records on Monday afternoon in the team’s sweep of Goshen College, completing a four-game sweep of the Maple Leafs by shattering five single-game marks, four series records, and one NAIA team game record in their 12-5 and 43-3 victories. Marian also tied the program’s single-season team home run record, having won eight consecutive games as they completed the sweep. The Knights begin Crossroads League play 8-0 for the first time in program history, while moving to a 13-3 overall record. Game One | Marian 12-5 Goshen The third game of the series would be the closest of the four contests in terms of score margin, but would be the sloppiest as the two teams combined for eight defensive errors. The first of which was charged against Goshen, as Landon Sarkey scored the first run of the contest in the top of the first after River Pecina reached base on an error. The miscue gave the Knights an early 1-0 lead, which would be enough for Eli Loichinger to work, as the sophomore allowed one base runner in his first three innings of scoreless play. Marian added to the lead in the fourth inning as Ty Jarvis roped a double to center field, and two batters later, his courtesy runner Judah Hennessy would touch the plate on a wild pitch. Nathan Pinarski kept the frame going as he was hit by a pitch, coming around to score after stealing second and taking two bags on Brayden Coffey’s RBI single. Goshen would retaliate in the ensuing half inning as Fernando Santana hit a two-out, two-run home run off Loichinger, cutting the score to one as the Knights led 3-2. Loichinger would bounce back with a scoreless fifth inning, striking out a pair, setting up the offense, which attacked the Maple Leafs as the home team turned to its bullpen. A lead-off walk drawn by Pinarski would help Marian flood the base paths, as another walk and error loaded the bags for River Pecina, with the freshman coming up with a two-RBI double. Ty Jarvis finished the inning’s damage with a two RBI base hit of his own, pushing the Knights to a 7-2 lead. Loichinger then finished his outing with a hitless sixth inning, carrying the five-run edge into the seventh. A lead-off double for Will Johnson helped Marian plate one run in the seventh inning, which matched Goshen’s score in the next half inning as they plated an unearned run off reliever Brady Armstrong. Marian answered Goshen in the top of the eighth inning, scoring four more runs to cap their attack in game one. Pecina scored on a wild pitch for the first of the three runs, and Calvin Miller, Will Johnson, and Nathan Pinarski each followed with an RBI base hit. Miller’s knock was a double and Pinarski’s a triple, extending the lead to nine at 12-3. Goshen would scratch two runs back in the eighth inning, but Armstrong closed the door in the ninth, striking out three batters to complete a 12-5 win. Loichinger (3-1, 2-0) picked up the win, pitching a weekend-high six innings of the Marian starters, allowing two hits and two runs in his outing. The sophomore logged eight strikeouts, tossing just under 100 pitches. Armstrong recorded his first collegiate save in the win, striking out five over three innings of relief. The Knights had 12 hits in the win, getting three each from Pecina and Jarvis. Johnson had two hits as he made his first collegiate start, and Pinarski reached base safely in each of his five plate appearances, going 1-1 with his triple and three walks, and one hit by pitch. Game Two | Marian 43-3 Goshen The Knights saved their best for last in the series finale, putting up two or more runs in each of the seven innings of game four. The game opened with Brayden Coffey tattooing the first pitch of the contest to left-center for a lead-off solo home run, while later in the first inning, Johnny Roeder belted a grand slam as part of a seven-run frame. After Seth Hogg pitched a scoreless first frame on 14 pitches, the Knights matched the pitch count in the second, bringing home 14 more runs to take a whopping 21-0 lead. Aiden Kerr recorded the first RBI hit in the inning with his single, while Coffey went on to launch his second home run of the game, this time of the three-run variety. Johnny Roeder delivered a damaging two-run double, and Tate Bender followed with a two-RBI triple. Coffey would pick up another RBI hit in the inning with a double to left, and Landon Sarkey finished the one-sided inning with an RBI single to left. The scoring would not exceed seven in a single frame for the remainder of the game, but Marian continued to show plenty of firepower and patience at the plate, scoring three in the third on a River Pecina home run, and RBI groundouts from Johnny Roeder and Nathan Pinarski. An RBI double from Tate Bender sparked a four-run inning, as Roman Utterback would follow with a two-RBI triple, and Coffey plated the sophomore outfielder after reaching on an error, giving the Knights 28 runs after four complete innings. Marian’s starting pitcher, Seth Hogg would exit the game after four near-flawless innings, pitching a shutout as he allowed five runners to reach over four innings, striking out five. In the fifth inning, Marian would bring home two more runs, with the first coming on a solo home run from Aiden Kerr. Tate Bender singled in Aidan Holtzapple for the team’s 30th run of the game, and in the bottom half inning, Goshen would break its drought, scoring on a wild pitch thrown by Andrew Neff. Isaac Kramer cleaned up the fifth inning and limited Goshen to one run, and in the sixth, the freshman was rewarded with another six runs, with three coming off the bat of Johnny Roeder, as the outfielder homered to left. Kramer allowed two Goshen runs to score in the bottom of the sixth inning, moving the score to 36-3 entering the final inning. The Knights drew a pair of RBI bases-loaded walks in the inning, and Roeder plated another run, this time singling home Judah Hennessy. Tate Bender drove home two more with a single, and after Roeder scored on a wild pitch, Will Johnson finished the game with Marian’s 43rd run, delivering the team’s 39th RBI as he singled home the freshman Bender. The final RBI hit gave the Knights a commanding 43-3 lead, which would go on to stand as the final score as Kramer pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh to end the contest. In the game, Marian’s bats displayed record-setting numbers, breaking an NAIA single-game record with 39 RBI, a mark that had been previously set by Grand Canyon in a game over Denver in 1988, back when both schools were NAIA institutions. Marian also shattered several single-series records, logging a four-game series record of 163 at-bats, 99 runs, 87 RBI, and 78 hits. Marian’s 43 runs scored in game four of the series broke the single-game record set one day prior when the team scored 30 in game one, while the 39 RBI broke Marian’s single-game record in addition to the NAIA mark. The Knights also had 30 hits in the series finale, a single-game record. The team’s 43 runs were two shy of tying the NAIA single-game record, while the 30 hits in game four were three shy of tying the national mark. Lastly, Marian hit 13 home runs in the series, including six in the finale, bringing their season total to 42, which ties Marian’s single-season team home run record previously set in 2024. Individually, Johnny Roeder had the team’s biggest day, going 5-8 with 11 RBI and five runs scored. Roeder doubled and homered twice in the win, with his 11 RBI setting the Marian single-game record and coming two short of the national record. Tate Bender also had a big game, doubling and tripling as he went 6-6 with six RBI and five runs. Coffey homered twice and finished 3-4 with five RBI, and Aiden Kerr enjoyed a 4-5 game at the dish. Seth Hogg (3-0, 2-0) needed four innings to pick up the win, pitching four hitless frames. Isaac Kramer pitched 2.2 innings, allowing four hits and two runs in his best relief outing of the season. Kramer struck out a season-best five batters. Marian will look to replicate its offense on Tuesday as they host IU-Kokomo in a non-conference nine-inning game at 3:00 p.m. ====================================================================== 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 BASEBALL HISTORY 1941 The Dodgers announce their players will start to wear helmets when batting. The safety headgear will not be not mandatory in the National League until 1954, with the AL following suit four years later. 1951 J. Edgar Hoover, longtime director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, declines the post of baseball commissioner. President Calvin Coolidge appointed him in 1924, and the nation’s top cop remained with the FBI until he died in 1972. 1962 At St. Petersburg’s Al Lang Field, the ballpark the team shares with today’s opponents, the Mets, playing their first major league exhibition game, drop an 8-0 decision to the Cardinals. The New York National League expansion club’s hurlers, Jay Hook, Clem Labine, and Craig Anderson, give up twelve hits, including two homers to Minnie Minoso and Gene Oliver. 1963 In an exhibition game against the White Sox, 21-year-old rookie Pete Rose goes 2-for-2 in his first appearance in a Reds’ uniform. The future all-time major league hit leader will be named the National League’s Rookie of the Year. 1966 The Orioles trade 22-year-old minor league outfielder Lou Piniella to the Indians for reserve catcher Camilo Carreon, who retires at the end of the season after playing in only four contests for his new team. The Tribe’s latest flycatcher will appear in more than 1,700 big-league games, but only six games for Cleveland, all in 1968, before becoming the Pilots’ selection in the expansion draft, the team that trades him at the start of the 1969 campaign to the Royals for John Gelnar and Steve Whitaker. 1992 The Pirates trade pitcher Neal Heaton (3-3, 4.33) to the Royals for outfielder Kirk Gibson (.236, 16 HR, 18 SB). After being released by the Bucs in May, the veteran flycatcher, who will turn down an offer to play for the Arena Football League’s Detroit Drive, ends his brief retirement, playing his last three years as a Tiger for his former manager Sparky Anderson. 1993 Sherry Davis becomes the first full-time female major league public address announcer when the Giants hire her to work at Candlestick Park. The legal secretary, chosen from five hundred contestants, won the job in an open audition. 1995 Former Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan, citing labor unrest as the reason, announces that he is leaving the White Sox organization to return to the Chicago Bulls. In his only season in professional baseball, the future NBA Hall of Famer batted .202, hit three home runs, drove in 51 runs, stole 30 bases, and made 11 errors playing the outfield for the Double-A Birmingham Barons last season. 2004 Donald Fehr refuses to comply when asked by Senator John McCain to renegotiate Major League Baseball’s contract concerning the use of controlled substances. Although the union boss condemns the use of steroids, he believes the players oppose random drug testing as a violation of privacy, an argument countered by the Arizona Republican as unacceptable, promising congressional action if the status quo remains in place. 2005 Singling off Brad Thompson in a Cardinal intrasquad game, former pitching prospect Rick Ankiel goes 1-for-2 in his debut as a position player. Historic wildness and injuries ended the 25-year-old’s once-promising career on the mound. 2009 At Puerto Rico’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium, the Netherlands World Baseball Classic team, mostly of unknown players, upsets a heavily favored Dominican Republic club for the second time in four days, advancing to the next round. The Dominicans, considered an odds-on favorite with a roster filled with major league All-Stars, including David Ortiz (Red Sox), Hanley Ramirez (Marlins), and Miguel Tejada (Astros), are eliminated in the first round of the 16-team tournament. 2010 Nomar Garciaparra, announcing his retirement before the exhibition game against Tampa Bay, signs a ceremonial one-day contract with Boston, six years after rejecting the team’s four-year, $60 million offer that resulted in an acrimonious trade to the Cubs in 2004. The former Rookie of the Year and AL batting champion, who finishes his 14-year major league career with a .313 batting average, gets his wish to leave the game in a Red Sox uniform when he throws out the ceremonial first pitch to former teammate Jason Varitek. 2010 Justin Upton (.300, 26, 86) and the Diamondbacks agree on a $51.25 million, six-year contract, the second-largest deal in franchise history, being slightly less than Randy Johnson’s $52.4 million pact in 1999. The 22-year-old outfielder, the team’s No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft, was selected to last season’s National League All-Star squad. 2021 Major League Baseball owners and the players’ union reach a labor agreement after a 99-day impasse that started last December with a lockout by owners. The sport’s ninth work stoppage postpones Opening Day from March 31 to April 7, with the first two series of the season rescheduled to later dates after originally being canceled. ========================================================= TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY On March 10 in … 1888 – Heavyweight Boxing champion John L Sullivan draws Charlie Mitchell in 30 rounds. 1896 – After Bob Fitzsimmons knocks out much larger Jim Corbett to win world heavyweight championship he says, “The bigger they are, the harder they fall”. 1903 – Stanley Cup: Ottawa Silver Seven sweep Montréal AAA in two games. 1909 – Jack Johnson fights Victor McLaglen to no decision in six for boxing title. 1913 – Stanley Cup: Québec Bulldogs sweep Sydney Miners in two games. 1913 – William Knox becomes first in American Bowling Congress to bowl 300. 1920 – NHL’s Québec Bulldogs’ Jim Malone scores six goals versus Ottawa Senators. 1934 – Longest undefeated streak in Toronto Maple Leafs history (18 games). 1934 – US Ladies Figure Skating Championship won by Suzanne Davis. 1934 – US Men’s Figure Skating Championship won by Roger Turner. 1941 – Larry MacPhail, Brooklyn Dodgers’ general manager, predicts all players will wear batting helmets. 1949 – Detroit Tigers’ pitcher Art Houtteman is critically injured in an auto accident but recovers to win 15 games in 1949. 1951 – FBI director J Edgar Hoover declines post of baseball commissioner. 1957 – Thousands of soccer fans riot in Italy. 1959 – Dorothy Comiskey Rigney sells 54 percent of Chicago White Sox to Bill Veeck. 1962 – Due to its no black policy, Philadelphia Phillies leave Jack Tar Harrison Hotel and move to Rocky Point Motel, 20 miles outside Clearwater, Florida. 1963 – Pete Rose debuts with hits in his two first at bats in spring training. 1963 – Wilt Chamberlain of NBA San Francisco Warriors scores 70 points versus Syracuse. 1966 – Five-time Horse of the Year, Kelso, retires. 1970 – South Africa complete 4-0 series drubbing of Australia. 1973 – BPAA US Open won by Mike McGrath. 1974 – Carol Mann wins LPGA S&H Green Stamp Golf Classic. 1974 – Lawrence Rowe completes 302 versus England Bridgetown, 36 fours 1 six. 1982 – Salim Malik scores 100 in second inning of Test Cricket debut (v SL). 1982 – Travis Jackson and Happy Chandler elected to Baseball Hall of Fame. 1983 – Walter Alston, Los Angeles Dodgers manager, elected to Hall of Fame. 1985 – Bonnie Lauer wins Uniden LPGA Golf Invitational. 1985 – Dallas Mavericks’ coach Dick Motta is fourth NBA coach to win 700 games. 1985 – India beats Pakistan to win “World Championship of Cricket”. 1985 – World Ice Dance Championship in Tokyo won by Natalia Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin (USSR). 1985 – World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship in Tokyo won by Elena Valova and Oleg Vasiliev (USSR). 1985 – World Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Tokyo won by Katarina Witt (German Democratic Republic). 1985 – World Men’s Figure Skating Championship in Tokyo won by Alexandr Fadeev (USSR). 1986 – Ernie Lombardi, National League Most Valuable Player in 1938, and Bobby Doerr, elected to Baseball Hall of Fame. 1988 – New York Islanders celebrate Mike Bossy night. 1990 – World Ice Dance Championship in Halifax won by Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko (USSR). 1990 – World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship in Halifax won by Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov (USSR). 1990 – World Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Halifax won by Jill Trenary (USA). 1990 – World Men’s Figure Skating Championship in Halifax won by Kurt Browning (Canada). 1991 – Eddie Sutton is first NCAA coach to lead four schools into playoffs. 1991 – Laura Davies wins LPGA Inamori Golf Classic. 1991 – Marc Girardelli of Luxembourg clinches his fourth slalom World Cup. 1991 – Merlene Ottey runs world record 200 metre indoor (22.24 seconds). 1991 – Rico Lieder, Jens Carlowitz, Karsten Just, and Thomas Schönlebe walk 4×400 metre indoor world record (3:03.05). 1992 – Sandra Seuser, Katrin Schreiter, Annet Hesselbarth, and Grit Breuer walk female indoor world record 4×400 metre (3:07.22). 1995 – Citing the labor unrest as the reason, former Chicago Bulls’ great Michael Jordan announces he is leaving baseball to return to the NBA. 2006 – In the World Baseball Classic, Netherlands rout Panama, 10-0. The game is called after seven innings because of the mercy rule: a 10-run lead after seven innings. 2022 – At crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, USA, NHL regular season game: San Jose Sharks beats Los Angeles Kings by score 4-3. 2022 – At Scotiabank Saddledrome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, NHL regular season game: Calgary Flames beats Tampa Bay Lightning by score 4-1. 2022 – At Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, NHL regular season game: Nashville Predators beats Anaheim Ducks by score 4-1. 2022 – At Enterprise Center in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA, NHL regular season game: Saint Louis Blues beats New York Rangers by score 6-2. 2022 – At UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, USA, NHL regular season game: New York Islanders beats Columbus Blue Jackets by score 6-0. 2022 – At PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, NHL regular season game: Carolina Hurricanes beats Colorado Avalanche by score 2-0. 2022 – At Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, USA, NHL regular season game: Winnipeg Jets beats New Jersey Devils by score 2-1. 2022 – At FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida, USA, NHL regular season game: Florida Panthers beats Philadelphia Flyers by score 6-3. 2022 – At Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, USA, NHL regular season game: Minnesota Wild beats Detroit Red Wings by score 6-5. 2022 – At Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, NHL regular season game: Ottawa Senators beats Seattle Kraken by score 4-3. 2022 – At Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, NHL regular season game: Arizona Coyotes beats Toronto Maple Leafs by score 5-4. 2022 – At KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, USA, NHL regular season game: Buffalo Sabres beats Vegas Golden Knights by score 3-1. 2022 – At TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, NHL regular season game: Boston Bruins beats Chicago Blackhawks by score 4-3. Births of sports figures on March 10 1908 – Birth of Kristian Palusalu in Finland; heavyweight wrestler (Olympics-gold-1936). 1914 – Birth of Chandler Harper; golfer (1950 PGA champion). 1923 – Birth of Ara Parseghian; football coach (Northwestern, Notre Dame). 1926 – Birth of Marques Haynes; NBA hall of famer (Harlem Globetrotters). 1928 – Birth of Arthur Milton; cricket player (England opening batsman late 1950s). 1932 – Birth of Anatoliy Roschin in USSR; super heavyweight wrestler (Olympics-gold-1972). 1937 – Birth of Tamara Press in USSR; shot putter (Olympics-gold-1960, 1964). 1938 – Birth of Ijaz Butt; cricket player (Pakistani opening batsman in 8 Tests 1958-60). 1938 – Birth of Ron Mix; NFL tackle (San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders). 1939 – Birth of Irina Press in USSR; 80 metre hurdles/pentathlete (Olympics-gold-1960, 1964). 1941 – Birth of Sandra Palmer in Fort Worth, Texas, USA; LPGA golfer (1986 Mayflower Classic). 1948 – Birth of Austin Carr; NBA star (Cleveland Cavaliers). 1956 – Birth of Janet Anderson in West Sunbury, Pennsylvania, USA; LPGA golfer (1982 US Women’s Open). 1957 – Birth of Adolfo Horta in Camaguey, Cuba; heavyweight boxer (Olympics-silver-1980). 1960 – Birth of Linda Jezek in California, USA; backstroke swimmer (Pan Am Gold-1979). 1961 – Birth of Jesse Sapolu; NFL guard (San Francisco 49ers). 1961 – Birth of Mitch Gaylord in Van Nuys, California, USA; gymnast (Olympics 1984)/actor (American Anthem). 1962 – Birth of Andre Waters; NFL safety (Arizona Cardinals). 1963 – Birth of John Cangelosi in Brooklyn, New York, USA; outfielder (Houston Astros). 1964 – Birth of Greg Campbell; cricket player (Aussie pace-bowler 1989-90). 1965 – Birth of Paul Masotti; Canadian Football League receiver (Toronto Argonauts). 1965 – Birth of Rod Woodson; NFL cornerback/kick returner (Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers). 1966 – Birth of Michael Timlin in Midland, Texas, USA; pitcher (Toronto Blue Jays). 1967 – Birth of Derrick Graham; guard (Seattle Seahawks). 1969 – Birth of Jay Hillmann; WLAF running back (Rhein Fire). 1969 – Birth of Stephen Leaney in Australia; Canadian Tour golfer (1993 Infinit TPC-7th). 1970 – Birth of Antonio Edwards; NFL defensive end (Seattle Seahawks). 1971 – Birth of Frank Habermann; WLAF defensive linebacker (Rhein Fire). 1971 – Birth of Morris Unutoa; corner (Philadelphia Eagles). 1971 – Birth of Shad Williams in Fresno, California, USA; pitcher (California Angels). 1972 – Birth of Jack Kellogg; WLAF cornerback (Frankfurt Galaxy). 1975 – Birth of Stefan Bergkvist in Leksand, Sweden; NHL defenseman (Pittsburgh Penguins). 1977 – Birth of Shannon Miller in Rolla, Missouri; gymnast (Olympics-2 gold/2 silver/3 bronze-1992, 1996). 1982 – Birth of Kwame Brown; American basketball player. Deaths of sports figures on March 10 1988 – Glenn Cunningham, US world record miler, dies at age 78. 2017 – Death of Aníbal Ruiz, Uruguayan football coach (born 1942). 2017 – Death of John Surtees, British motorcycle racer and driver (born 1934). ========================================================== TV SPORTS TODAY Tuesday, 3/10/26 WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC POOL PLAYTIME ETTVJapan vs. Czechia6:00amFS1Netherlands vs. Israel7:00pmFOX AppPuerto Rico vs. Canada7:00pmTubiU.S. vs. Italy9:00pmFS1MLB SPRING TRAININGTIME ETTVAtlanta Braves vs Toronto Blue Jays1:07pmMLBNArizona Diamondbacks vs Los Angeles Dodgers4:05pmMLBNNBA REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVMemphis Grizzlies vs Philadelphia 76ers7:00 PMNBCS-PHIFanDuel Sports MEMDetroit Pistons vs Brooklyn Nets7:30pmYESFanDuel Sports DETWashington Wizards vs Miami Heat7:30pmMNMTFanDuel Sports SunPhoenix Suns vs Milwaukee Bucks8:00pmAFSNFanDuel Sports MILBoston Celtics vs San Antonio Spurs8:00pmNBCPeacockToronto Raptors vs Houston Rockets8:00pmSNSCHNDallas Mavericks vs Atlanta Hawks8:00pmKFAAFanDuel Sports ATLIndiana Pacers vs Sacramento Kings10:00pmNBCS-CAFanDuel Sports INDCharlotte Hornets vs Portland Trail Blazers10:00pmRip CityFanDuel Sports CHAChicago Bulls vs Golden State Warriors10:00pmCHSNNBCS-BAYMinnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers11:00pmNBCSPeacockNHL REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVPittsburgh Penguins vs Carolina Hurricanes7:00 PMATTSN-PITFanDuel Sports SouthCalgary Flames vs New York Rangers7:00pmSNMSGDetroit Red Wings vs Florida Panthers7:00pmFanDuel Sports DETScrippsLos Angeles Kings vs Boston Bruins7:00pmFanDuel Sports WestNESNSan Jose Sharks vs Buffalo Sabres7:00pmNBCS-CAMSG-BUFToronto Maple Leafs vs Montreal Canadiens7:00pmESPN+SNColumbus Blue Jackets vs Tampa Bay Lightning7:00pmFanDuel Sports OhioFanDuel Sports SunNew York Islanders vs St. Louis Blues7:30pmTNTMAXUtah Mammoth vs Minnesota Wild8:00pmHuluESPN+Vegas Golden Knights vs Dallas Stars8:00pmScrippsVictory+Anaheim Ducks vs Winnipeg Jets8:30pmVictory+SNEdmonton Oilers vs Colorado Avalanche10:00pmTNTMAXNashville Predators vs Seattle Kraken10:00pmFanDuel Sports SouthKONGMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALLTIME ETTVBig 12 First Round12:30pmESPN+ACC First Round2:00pmACCNSWAC Second Round2:00pmESPN+Big 12 First Round3:00pmESPN+ACC First Round4:30pmACCNBig Ten First Round5:00pmPeacockAmerica East Semifinal6:00pmESPN+Conference USA First Round6:30pmESPN+Horizon League Championship7:00pmESPNNEC Championship7:00pmESPN2Southland Semifinal7:00pmESPNUACC First Round7:00pmACCNCAA Championship7:00pmCBSSNAmerica East Semifinal7:00pmESPN+Big 12 First Round7:00pmESPN+Big Ten First Round7:30pmPeacockSWAC Second Round8:30pmESPN+WCC Championship9:00pmESPNMAAC Championship9:00pmESPN2Big Sky Semifinal9:00pmESPNUConference USA First Round9:00pmESPN+Southland Semifinal9:30pmESPN+Big 12 First Round9:30pmESPN+Big Sky Semifinal11:30pmESPN2SOCCERTIME ETTVCONCACAF Champions Cup: San Diego vs Toluca5:00pmVIXCONCACAF Champions Cup: San Diego vs Toluca5:00pmVIX Wednesday, 3/11/26 WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC POOL PLAYTIME ETTVCuba vs. Canada3:00pmFS1Mexico vs. Italy7:00pmTubiVenezuela vs. Dominican Republic8:00pmFS1MLB SPRING TRAININGTIME ETTVPittsburgh Pirates vs Baltimore Orioles1:05pmMLBNToronto Blue Jays vs New York Yankees6:35pmMLBNNBA REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVCleveland Cavaliers vs Orlando Magic7:30pmESPNFanDuel Sports OhioFanDuel Sports FLToronto Raptors vs New Orleans Pelicans8:00pmSNGCNNew York Knicks vs Utah Jazz9:00pmMSGKJZZCharlotte Hornets vs Sacramento Kings10:00pmNBCS-CAFanDuel Sports CHAHouston Rockets vs Denver Nuggets10:00pmESPNSCHNALTMinnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Clippers10:30pmFanDuel Sports NorthFanDuel Sports SoCalNHL REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVWashington Capitals vs Philadelphia Flyers7:30pmTNTMAXMontreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators7:30pmSNESPN+MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALLTIME ETTVAtlantic 10 First Round11:30amUSAACC Second Round12:00pmESPNBig Ten Second Round12:00pmPeacockBig 12 Second Round12:30pmESPN2SEC First Round12:30pmSECNAtlantic 10 First Round2:00pmUSASWAC Quarterfinal2:00pmESPN+ACC Second Round2:30pmESPNBig Ten Second Round2:30pmPeacockSEC First Round3:00pmSECNMountain West First Round3:00pmMWNBig 12 Second Round3:00pmESPN+Big East First Round4:00pmPeacockSouthland Championship5:00pmESPN2Mountain West First Round5:30pmMWNMEAC Quarterfinal6:00pmESPN+Big Ten Second Round6:30pmBTNBig East First Round6:30pmPeacockConference USA Quarterfinal6:30pmESPN+ACC Second Round7:00pmESPN2SEC First Round7:00pmSECNPatriot League Championship7:00pmCBSSNBig 12 Second Round7:00pmESPN+American First Round7:00pmESPN+WAC First Round8:30pmESPN+SWAC Quarterfinal8:30pmESPN+Big Ten Second Round9:00pmBTNMountain West First Round9:00pmMWNBig East First Round9:00pmPeacockConference USA Quarterfinal9:00pmESPN+Big West First Round9:00pmESPN+ACC Second Round9:30pmESPN2Big 12 Second Round9:30pmESPNUSEC First Round9:30pmSECNAmerican First Round9:30pmESPN+Big Sky Championship11:30pmESPN2Big West First Round11:30pmESPN+Mountain West First Round11:30pmMWNSOCCERTIME ETTVUEFA Champions League: Bayer Leverkusen vs Arsenal1:45pmParamount+VIXUEFA Champions League: Real Madrid vs Manchester City4:00pmParamount+VIXUEFA Champions League: PSG vs Chelsea4:00pmParamount+VIXUEFA Champions League: Bodø / Glimt vs Sporting CP4:00pmParamount+VIXCONCACAF Champions Cup: Nashville SC vs Inter Miami7:30pmVIXCONCACAF Champions Cup: LA Galaxy vs Mount Pleasant Academy9:30pmVIXCONCACAF Champions Cup: San Diego vs Toluca11:30pmVIX About The Author troyderengowski61@gmail.com See author's posts Post navigation THE INDIANA SRN “SCOREBOARD” MARCH 9
