“THE SCOREBOARD” INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL FRIDAY SCHEDULE CLASS 4A CROWN POINT HAMMOND CENTRAL AT CROWN POINT 7:00 PM MUNSTER VS. LAKE CENTRAL 8:30 PM CHESTERTON HOBART VS. VALPARAISO 7:00 PM MERRILLVILLE AT CHESTERTON 8:30 PM MISHAWAKA SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH VS. SOUTH BEND ADAMS 6:00 PM PENN VS. SOUTH BEND RILEY 7:30 PM ELKHART WARSAW AT ELKHART 6:00 PM NORTHRIDGE VS. GOSHEN 7:30 PM FORT WAYNE NORTHROP FORT WAYNE SNIDER VS. CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) 6:00 PM FORT WAYNE NORTH AT FORT WAYNE NORTHROP 7:30 PM HUNTINGTON NORTH FORT WAYNE SOUTH VS. HOMESTEAD 6:00 PM FORT WAYNE WAYNE AT HUNTINGTON NORTH 7:30 PM LAFAYETTE JEFF MCCUTCHEON VS. HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) 6:00 PM KOKOMO AT LAFAYETTE JEFF 7:30 PM NOBLESVILLE CARMEL AT NOBLESVILLE 6:00 PM FISHERS VS. HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 7:30 PM GREENFIELD-CENTRAL MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE) VS. MUNCIE CENTRAL 6:00 PM ANDERSON AT GREENFIELD-CENTRAL 7:30 PM INDIANAPOLIS ARSENAL TECH NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) VS. LAWRENCE NORTH 6:00 PM WARREN CENTRAL VS. LAWRENCE CENTRAL 7:30 PM PLAINFIELD PIKE AT PLAINFIELD 6:00 PM BEN DAVIS VS. BROWNSBURG 7:30 PM MOORESVILLE SOUTHPORT AT MOORESVILLE 6:00 PM FRANKLIN CENTRAL VS. DECATUR CENTRAL 7:30 PM MARTINSVILLE BLOOMINGTON NORTH VS. TERRE HAUTE NORTH 6:00 PM TERRE HAUTE SOUTH VS. BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 7:30 PM COLUMBUS NORTH COLUMBUS EAST AT COLUMBUS NORTH 6:00 PM WHITELAND VS. FRANKLIN 7:30 PM SEYMOUR JEFFERSONVILLE AT SEYMOUR 6:00 PM BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE VS. NEW ALBANY 7:30 PM EVANSVILLE NORTH CASTLE AT EVANSVILLE NORTH 7:00 PM EVANSVILLE REITZ VS. EVANSVILLE HARRISON 8:30 PM CLASS 3A GARY WEST HAMMOND NOLL VS. EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL 7:00 PM GRIFFITH AT GARY WEST 8:30 PM HANOVER CENTRAL RIVER FOREST VS. LOWELL 7:00 PM KANKAKEE VALLEY AT HANOVER CENTRAL 8:30 PM NEW PRAIRIE CULVER ACADEMY AT NEW PRAIRIE 6:30 PM MISHAWAKA MARIAN VS. SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON 8:00 PM COLUMBIA CITY FAIRFIELD AT COLUMBIA CITY 6:00 PM NORTHWOOD VS. WAWASEE 7:30 PM DEKALB FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK AT DEKALB 6:00 PM EAST NOBLE VS. LEO 7:30 PM BELLMONT MARION VS. HERITAGE 6:00 PM NEW HAVEN AT BELLMONT 7:30 PM LOGANSPORT NORTHWESTERN AT LOGANSPORT 6:00 PM WEST LAFAYETTE VS. PERU 7:30 PM NEW CASTLE CONNERSVILLE VS. YORKTOWN 6:00 PM DELTA VS. HAMILTON HEIGHTS 7:30 PM FRANKFORT LEBANON VS. BREBEUF JESUIT 6:00 PM DANVILLE VS. GUERIN CATHOLIC 7:30 PM INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS INDIANAPOLIS HERRON VS. INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL 6:00 PM INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD AT INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS 7:30 PM SPEEDWAY CASCADE VS. EDGEWOOD 6:00 PM NORTHVIEW VS. INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON 7:30 PM GREENWOOD SHELBYVILLE AT GREENWOOD 6:00 PM BEECH GROVE VS. INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI 7:30 PM SOUTH DEARBORN BATESVILLE VS. GREENSBURG 6:00 PM JENNINGS COUNTY AT SOUTH DEARBORN 7:30 PM MADISON CHARLESTOWN AT MADISON 6:00 PM SILVER CREEK VS. BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 7:30 PM WASHINGTON PRINCETON AT WASHINGTON 6:00 PM SOUTHRIDGE VS. JASPER 7:30 PM BOONVILLE EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL VS. EVANSVILLE BOSSE 6:30 PM HERITAGE HILLS AT BOONVILLE 8:00 PM CLASS 2A BOONE GROVE WHEELER VS. GARY LIGHTHOUSE 6:30 PM HEBRON VS. GARY 21ST CENTURY 8:00 PM LAVILLE CAREER ACADEMY VS. BREMEN 6:00 PM JIMTOWN VS. KNOX 7:30 PM WESTVIEW CHURUBUSCO AT WESTVIEW 6:00 PM LAKELAND VS. PRAIRIE HEIGHTS 7:30 PM BLUFFTON WOODLAN AT BLUFFTON 6:00 PM FORT WAYNE LUERS VS. WHITKO 7:30 PM DELPHI RENSSELAER CENTRAL VS. WESTERN BOONE 6:00 PM BENTON CENTRAL VS. NORTH MONTGOMERY 7:30 PM MANCHESTER ROCHESTER VS. WABASH 6:00 PM LEWIS CASS VS. OAK HILL 7:30 PM ELWOOD SHERIDAN VS. TAYLOR 6:00 PM LAPEL AT ELWOOD 7:30 PM EASTBROOK BLACKFORD AT EASTBROOK 6:00 PM WAPAHANI VS. MUNCIE BURRIS 7:30 PM GREENCASTLE NORTH PUTNAM VS. SOUTH PUTNAM 6:00 PM SOUTH VERMILLION VS. PARKE HERITAGE 7:30 PM INDIANAPOLIS RITTER COVENANT CHRISTIAN VS. UNIVERSITY 6:00 PM PARK TUDOR AT INDIANAPOLIS RITTER 7:30 PM EASTERN HANCOCK INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA VS. KIPP INDY LEGACY 6:00 PM HERITAGE CHRISTIAN VS. TRITON CENTRAL 7:30 PM HAGERSTOWN CENTERVILLE AT HAGERSTOWN 6:00 PM SHENANDOAH VS. NORTHEASTERN 7:30 PM SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER) AUSTIN VS. SWITZERLAND COUNTY 6:00 PM SOUTH RIPLEY AT SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER) 7:30 PM SALEM PROVIDENCE AT SALEM 6:00 PM MITCHELL VS. PAOLI 7:30 PM NORTH KNOX SOUTH KNOX VS. LINTON 6:00 PM SULLIVAN VS. WEST VIGO 7:30 PM FOREST PARK SOUTH SPENCER AT FOREST PARK 6:30 PM NORTH POSEY VS. EVANSVILLE MATER DEI 8:00 PM CLASS 1A KOUTS MORGAN TWP. AT KOUTS 7:00 PM WASHINGTON TWP. VS. MARQUETTE CATHOLIC 8:30 PM CASTON TRI-COUNTY VS. WEST CENTRAL 6:00 PM DEMOTTE CHRISTIAN AT CASTON 7:30 PM CULVER TRITON VS. ARGOS 6:30 PM SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) VS. NORTH JUDSON 8:00 PM BETHANY CHRISTIAN FREMONT VS. FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY 6:00 PM LAKEWOOD PARK AT BETHANY CHRISTIAN 7:30 PM FOUNTAIN CENTRAL COVINGTON VS. LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 6:00 PM NORTH VERMILLION VS. RIVERTON PARKE 7:30 PM CLINTON CENTRAL ROSSVILLE VS. CARROLL (FLORA) 6:00 PM BETHESDA CHRISTIAN VS. FRONTIER 7:30 PM WES-DEL NORTH MIAMI VS. TRI-CENTRAL 6:00 PM DALEVILLE VS. SOUTHWOOD 7:30 PM CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN UNION (MODOC) VS. UNION CITY 6:00 PM MONROE CENTRAL VS. RANDOLPH SOUTHERN 7:30 PM INDIANA DEAF PURDUE BROAD RIPPLE VS. ANDERSON PREP 6:00 PM LIBERTY CHRISTIAN VS. INDIANAPOLIS TINDLEY 7:30 PM INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN PROVIDENCE CRISTO REY VS. EMINENCE 6:00 PM GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN AT INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN 7:30 PM TRI WALDRON AT TRI 6:00 PM EDINBURGH VS. SOUTH DECATUR 7:30 PM MILAN TRINITY LUTHERAN AT MILAN 6:00 PM OLDENBURG ACADEMY VS. HAUSER 7:30 PM WHITE RIVER VALLEY CLOVERDALE VS. SHAKAMAK 6:00 PM BLOOMFIELD VS. CLAY CITY 7:30 PM LOOGOOTEE ORLEANS VS. VINCENNES RIVET 6:00 PM BARR-REEVE VS. NORTH DAVIESS 7:30 PM BORDEN LANESVILLE VS. WEST WASHINGTON 6:00 PM SOUTH CENTRAL (ELIZABETH) AT BORDEN 7:30 PM WOOD MEMORIAL TECUMSEH AT WOOD MEMORIAL 6:30 PM EVANSVILLE DAY VS. NORTHEAST DUBOIS 8:00 PM ================================================================= =============================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES #3 MICHIGAN 71 IOWA 68 #8 MICHIGAN STATE 91 RUTGERS 87 DRAKE 67 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 63 SACRED HEART 91 IONA 80 SOUTHERN MISS 86 JAMES MADISON 80 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 73 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL 67 DELAWARE 83 SAM HOUSTON STATE 80 LOUISIANA TECH 76 LIBERTY 71 TEMPLE 89 TULANE 60 TULSA 93 E. CAROLINA 66 DELAWARE STATE 57 MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE 56 BOSTON 75 AMERICAN 73 COLGATE 90 LOYOLA MARYLAND 77 VALPARAISO 63 INDIANA STATE 62 LEHIGH 69 HOLY CROSS 66 NAVY 74 BUCKNELL 69 TENNESSEE MARTIN 66 EASTERN ILLINOIS 63 NORTH DAKOTA STATE 76 ORAL ROBERTS 65 TEXAS ARLINGTON 65 TARLETON STATE 60 MISSOURI STATE 87 WESTERN KENTUCKY 74 MORGAN STATE 70 COPPIN STATE 66 JACKSON STATE 85 MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 77 PRAIRIE VIEW 70 TEXAS SOUTHERN 59 UTAH VALLEY 92 SOUTHERN UTAH 88 FAIRFIELD 71 MANHATTAN 60 GEORGIA SOUTHERN 80 ARKANSAS STATE 77 NEW MEXICO STATE 77 JACKSONVILLE STATE 75 OT UTEP 78 KENNESAW STATE 71 SOUTH FLORIDA 96 MEMPHIS 89 ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF 83 ALCORN STATE 48 PORTLAND 77 PEPPERDINE 68 CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE 86 CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD 84 ST. THOMAS 80 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 67 NORTHERN IOWA 68 EVANSVILLE 59 SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE 68 LINDENWOOD 66 CAL STATE FULLERTON 75 UC SAN DIEGO 71 CAL BAPTIST 87 ABILENE CHRISTIAN 48 UC IRVINE 107 CAL POLY 85 UC DAVIS 76 LONG BEACH STATE 70 OT SAN DIEGO 66 LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 62 =============================================================== WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES #17 KENTUCKY 76 #22 GEORGIA 61 KANSAS STATE 58 #21 TEXAS TECH 51 #7 OKLAHOMA 82 FLORIDA 64 #11 OHIO STATE 83 INDIANA 59 #24 OLE MISS 73 AUBURN 57 ILLINOIS 71 #18 MICHIGAN STATE 69 OREGON 73 #14 MARYLAND 68 CLEMSON 63 VIRGINIA 15 CHATTANOOGA 66 WESTERN CAROLINA 47 WASHINGTON 76 USC 64 NOTRE DAME 69 MIAMI FLORIDA 54 BYU 70 UTAH 52 WASHINGTON STATE 80 SEATTLE 58 SOUTHERN INDIANA 72 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS EDWARDSVILLE 44 DAYTON 62 GEORGE WASHINGTON 54 SYRACUSE 70 CALIFORNIA 59 SAN DIEGO 66 ST. MARY 62 ARIZONA STATE 77 IOWA STATE 68 BRADLEY 82 EVANSVILLE 61 NORTHERN IOWA 92 INDIANA STATE 73 BELMONT 83 VALPARAISO 63 VIRGINIA TECH 62 GEORGIA TECH 54 ALABAMA 76 TENNESSEE 64 HAWAII 89 UC RIVERSIDE 56 UC SAN DIEGO 77 CAL STATE FULLERTON 69 UC IRVINE 85 CAL POLY 65 UC DAVIS 59 LONG BEACH STATE 56 COLORADO 55 KANSAS 48 =============================================================== BIG 10 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE FRIDAY, MARCH 6 – QUARTERFINALS GAME 8 | #1 UCLA VS. WASHINGTON 12 P.M. ET | BTN GAME 9 | #4 MINNESOTA VS. OHIO STATE 25 MINUTES FOLLOWING GAME 8 | BTN GAME 10 | #2 IOWA VS. ILLINOIS 6:30 P.M. ET | BTN GAME 11 | #3 MICHIGAN VS. OREGON 25 MINUTES FOLLOWING GAME 10 | BTN SATURDAY, MARCH 7 – SEMIFINALS GAME 12 | G8 WINNER VS. G9 WINNER | 2 P.M. ET | BTN GAME 13 | G10 WINNER VS. G11 WINNER | 4:30 P.M. ET | BTN SUNDAY, MARCH 8 – CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 14 | G12 WINNER VS. G13 WINNER | 2:15 P.M. ET | CBS ============================================================== COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES #4 MISSISSIPPI STATE 8 LIPSCOMB 3 #12 OKLAHOMA 2 SANTA CLARA 1 MICHIGAN 17 PEPPERDINE 4 KANSAS 4 ST. THOMAS 2 CAL BAPTIST 13 BYU 11 CINCINNATI 9 UC SAN DIEGO 5 MISSOURI 9 ILLINOIS CHICAGO 8 TEXAS STATE 13 WASHINGTON STATE 11 ============================================================== COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES #5 NEBRASKA 9 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 4 #5 NEBRASKA 8 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 0 #11 VIRGINIA TECH 5 MICHIGAN 3 #14 ARIZONA 13 BYU 1 #23 GRAND CANYON 2 WISCONSIN 1 MICHIGAN 7 BOSTON COLLEGE 1 PORTLAND STATE 7 CAL BAPTIST 3 CAL BAPTIST 5 BOISE STATE 1 TARLETON STATE 6 TEXAS STATE 5 NC STATE 4 MICHIGAN STATE 3 SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA 5 TEXAS ARLINGTON 0 BOISE STATE 8 PORTLAND STATE 1 WISCONSIN 5 SAN DIEGO STATE 4 ============================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY SCORES NOTRE DAME 5 OHIO STATE 4 OT #17 UMASS 2 #13 BOSTON COLLEGE 1 #14 CONNECTICUT 4 NEW HAMPSHIRE 1 #11 WISCONSIN 7 #6 PENN STATE 3 #2 MICHIGAN STATE 7 MINNESOTA 1 LINDENWOOD 5 LONG ISLAND 4 ============================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL SCORES #13 MCKENDREE 3 NORTHERN KENTUCKY 1 #10 LINDENWOOD 3 #15 OHIO STATE 0 #8 LOYOLA CHICAGO 3 #9 BALL STATE 0 #14 LEWIS 3 #19 PURDUE FORT WAYNE 0 ================================================================ DIVISION 1 MEN’S LAX SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED ================================================================= DIVISION 1 WOMEN’S LAX SCORES CANISIUS 22 MERCYHURST 5 ELON 15 HIGH POINT 7 ARIZONA STATE 17 NIAGARA 7 ================================================================= NBA SCORES ORLANDO 115 DALLAS 114 UTAH 122 WASHINGTON 112 MIAMI 126 NEW JERSEY 110 GOLDEN STATE 115 HOUSTON 113 MINNESOTA 115 TORONTO 107 CHICAGO 105 PHOENIX 103 DENVER 120 LA LAKERS 113 NEW ORLEANS 133 SACRAMENTO 123 ================================================================== NBA G-LEAGUE SCORES COLLEGE PARK 140 NOBLESVILLE 121 CAPITAL CITY 126 GRAND RAPIDS 120 SIOUX FALLS 119 MEMPHIS 82 STOCKTON 124 BIRMINGHAM 99 ================================================================== NHL SCORES NY RANGERS 6 TORONTO 2 UTAH 3 PHILADELPHIA 0 BUFFALO 5 PITTSBURGH 1 COLUMBUS 4 FLORIDA 2 NASHVILLE 6 BOSTON 3 WINNIPEG 4 TAMPA BAY 1 OTTAWA 4 CALGARY 1 LOS ANGELES 5 NY ISLANDERS 3 ================================================================== MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL MINNESOTA 15 NY YANKEES 0 WASHINGTON 7 NY METS 4 ATLANTA 9 TORONTO 5 PHILADELPHIA 6 BOSTON 2 BALTIMORE 4 TAMPA BAY 3 ST. LOUIS 3 PITTSBURGH 2 MIAMI 2 HOUSTON 0 CINCINNATI 14 LA DODGERS 13 CHICAGO CUBS 8 ARIZONA 1 SAN DIEGO 27 SEATTLE 6 LAS VEGAS 16 LA ANGELS 11 MILWAUKEE 10 COLORADO 8 CLEVELAND 12 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 3 TEXAS 15 KANSAS CITY 9 ================================================================== WOMEN’S PRO VOLLEYBALL SCORES ORLANDO 3 COLUMBUS 1 ================================================================== MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER NO GAMES SCHEDULED ================================================================= NATIONAL SPORTS NEWS RELEASES BILLS ARE GETTING RECEIVER D.J. MOORE IN A TRADE WITH THE BEARS, AP SOURCES SAY The Buffalo Bills agreed Thursday to acquire wide receiver D.J. Moore from the Chicago Bears, two people with knowledge of the trade told The Associated Press. Buffalo is sending Chicago a second-round pick in this year’s draft in return for Moore and a fifth-round pick, the people said. They spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot become official until the start of the new league year Wednesday. Moore is coming off making 50 catches for 682 yards and six touchdowns last season as the Bears made the playoffs in Ben Johnson’s first year as coach. He had been with them since a 2023 trade from Carolina that gave the Panthers the No. 1 pick and the chance to take Bryce Young — and set the stage for Chicago to get its franchise quarterback, Caleb Williams. Moore, who turns 29 in April, has 608 receptions for 8,213 yards and 41 TDs in eight NFL seasons since getting taken with the 24th pick in the 2018 draft. He joins the Bills under new coach Joe Brady after quarterback Josh Allen has thrown to a rotating cast of characters at receiver. Last season alone, Allen completed a pass to 16 different teammates. AP MOCK DRAFT 1.0: EDGE RUSHERS GO 2-3-4 AFTER RAIDERS TAKE QB FERNANDO MENDOZA NO. 1 OVERALL Fernando Mendoza won a Heisman Trophy, led Indiana to its first national championship and will be the No. 1 overall pick when the Las Vegas Raiders are on the clock next month. The rest of the NFL draft isn’t that clear-cut. It’s not even a certainty another quarterback will be selected in the first round after Mendoza, though Ty Simpson made a strong case at the scouting combine. Here’s the first edition of the AP’s 2026 mock draft in order of picks without any projected trades: 1. Las Vegas Raiders: FERNANDO MENDOZA, QB, INDIANA Mendoza is a precise pocket passer with prototypical size, poise and maturity. The Raiders have some playmakers — Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty — but must build around Mendoza and protect him. Mendoza should benefit from having part-owner Tom Brady around for advice. The Raiders haven’t won a playoff game since losing the Super Bowl following the 2002 season and have only reached the postseason twice in that span. They need Mendoza to be a franchise QB. 2. New York Jets: ARVELL REESE, EDGE RUSHER, OHIO STATE Reese is a freak athlete — he ran a 4.47 40-yard dash — who played off-ball linebacker and standup edge. He has the talent to be an elite edge rusher and the Jets need a can’t-miss prospect. 3. Arizona Cardinals: DAVID BAILEY, EDGE RUSHER, TEXAS TECH Bailey is mocked as high as No. 2 on many draft boards. He’s another immensely athletic edge with elite upside. If the Cardinals don’t trade down to add more draft capital, he’s an ideal fit. 4. Tennessee Titans: RUEBEN BAIN JR., EDGE RUSHER, MIAMI Bain is a versatile rusher who can line up on the edge or inside against guards, creating mismatches. He’ll be a huge asset for new coach Robert Saleh. 5. New York Giants: FRANCIS MAUIGOA, OFFENSIVE TACKLE, MIAMI Protecting Jaxson Dart is a priority for the Giants. Mauigoa is a three-year starter at right tackle who would instantly upgrade New York’s offensive line. 6. Cleveland Browns: KADYN PROCTOR, OFFENSIVE TACKLE, ALABAMA Proctor started at left tackle as a true freshman and allowed just two sacks in his three seasons. The Browns need to overhaul their offensive line and Proctor is a great start. He has great size — 6-foot-7, 352 pounds — and plenty of athleticism. Proctor even had five runs for 16 yards. 7. Washington Commanders: SONNY STYLES, LINEBACKER, OHIO STATE Styles’ impressive combine performance helped him soar into the top five on many draft boards. The Commanders have needs on offense but can’t pass up a gifted defensive player like Styles. 8. New Orleans Saints: CARNELL TATE, WIDE RECEIVER, OHIO STATE Tate has been compared to Chris Olave and would end up playing with him. He’s a consistent route runner with excellent hands and enough speed to be a top playmaker. 9. Kansas City Chiefs: JEREMIYAH LOVE, RUNNING BACK, NOTRE DAME The Chiefs need to help Patrick Mahomes with better blocking and more receivers. Love immediately takes pressure off Mahomes and the passing game, giving the offense a playmaker who can go the distance every touch. 10. Cincinnati Bengals: MANSOOR DELANE, CORNERBACK, TULANE Delane is the best cover corner in the draft. He’ll provide a significant boost for a defense that has struggled. 11. Miami Dolphins: JERMOD MCCOY, CORNERBACK, TENNESSEE McCoy is a consistent player with outstanding ball skills. The Dolphins could look at a receiver to replace Tyreek Hill but new coach Jeff Hafley is a former defensive coordinator and McCoy is a player who can anchor the secondary. 12. Dallas Cowboys: KELDRIC FAULK, EDGE RUSHER, AUBURN Scouts rave about Faulk’s leadership and he has obvious talent. An ideal fit for the Cowboys, who are trying to replace Micah Parsons’ production. 13. Los Angeles Rams: CALEB DOWNS, SAFETY, OHIO STATE Downs is an elite, versatile playmaker who only slips this far because of knee concerns that cropped up at the combine. Adding Downs after acquiring All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie solidifies the Rams’ secondary. 14. Baltimore Ravens: OLAIVAVEGA IOANE, GUARD, PENN STATE Ioane fills a big need for the Ravens and fits their run-blocking scheme nicely. 15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: CJ ALLEN, LINEBACKER, GEORGIA Allen is one of the most versatile linebackers in the draft and can take over as the defensive play-caller if Lavonte David retires. 16. New York Jets: MONROE FREELING, OFFENSIVE TACKLE, GEORGIA The Jets bolster the other side of the trenches with their second pick in the first half of the first round. Freeling has elite athleticism and just needs more experience. 17. Detroit Lions: SPENCER FANO, OFFENSIVE TACKLE, UTAH Fano could be long gone by the time the Lions pick due to his natural talent. He slips because short arms have become a big topic since the Super Bowl. 18. Minnesota Vikings: DILLON THIENEMAN, SAFETY, OREGON Thieneman had an impressive combine, running a 4.36 40-yard dash that was faster than some of the NFL’s best receivers. A three-year starter, he’ll step right into Brian Flores’ defense. 19. Carolina Panthers: AKHEEM MESIDOR, EDGE RUSHER, MIAMI Mesidor is an older prospect at age 25 but his talent is clear on video. He’ll generate pressure from the outside and is solid against the run. 20. Dallas Cowboys: AVIEON TERRELL, CORNERBACK, CLEMSON An athletic cornerback who immediately gives Dallas and new defensive coordinator Christian Parker an impact starter. 21. Pittsburgh Steelers: TY SIMPSON, QUARTERBACK, ALABAMA Simpson could finally be Pittsburgh’s long-term answer at quarterback with a chance to develop under coach Mike McCarthy. 22. Los Angeles Chargers: KENYON SADIQ, TIGHT END, OREGON He’s the best tight end in the draft. Could quickly become Justin Herbert’s favorite target. 23. Philadelphia Eagles: CALEB LOMU, OFFENSIVE TACKLE, UTAH The Eagles often take offensive or defensive linemen in the first round and have a need. Lomu is an eventual successor to Lane Johnson at right tackle. 24. Cleveland Browns: CALEB BANKS, DEFENSIVE TACKLE, FLORIDA Banks will need more seasoning after playing in just three games last year due to injury but his raw talent is off the charts. 25. Chicago Bears: KAYDEN MCDONALD, DEFENSIVE TACKLE, OHIO STATE McDonald is another Buckeyes player going in the first round. He’s a natural run defender who’ll clog the middle of the line. 26. Buffalo Bills: DENZEL BOSTON, WIDE RECEIVER, WASHINGTON Boston is strong, fast and has elite ball skills. He gives Josh Allen a target he needs. 27. San Francisco 49ers: MALACHI FIELDS, WIDE RECEIVER, NOTRE DAME The 49ers also need an offensive tackle but they’re going to have to rebuild their receiver corps. Fields is a tough, physical wideout who is a red zone threat. 28. Houston Texans: MAX IHEANACHOR, OFFENSIVE TACKLE, ARIZONA STATE The Texans need to protect C.J. Stroud better. Iheanachor is an athletic former basketball player with ideal size who will need time to develop but projects as a potential starter right away. 29. Kansas City Chiefs: BLAKE MILLER, OFFENSIVE TACKLE, CLEMSON Miller started 54 games in college and can step right in and play for the Chiefs, who need to bolster protection for Mahomes. 30. Denver Broncos: MAKAI LEMON, WIDE RECEIVER, USC Lemon is an elite playmaker who’ll give Bo Nix another option and bolster the Broncos’ offense. 31. New England Patriots: ZION YOUNG, EDGE RUSHER, MISSOURI Young is a disruptive force who brings energy and leadership. Should fit well with coach Mike Vrabel. 32. Seattle Seahawks: BRANDON CISSE, CORNERBACK, SOUTH CAROLINA The Super Bowl champions improve the league’s best defense by adding another defensive back from South Carolina after hitting the jackpot with Nick Emmanwori last year. REPORT: DE CAMERON JORDAN TO BE FREE AGENT AFTER 15 SEASONS WITH SAINTS Cameron Jordan, an eight-time Pro Bowl defensive end who has spent his 15-year career with New Orleans, will not have a new contract with the Saints by next week and will become a free agent, ESPN reported Thursday. Jordan, who turns 37 in July, completed a two-year, $27.5 million contract in 2025. ESPN reported that he wants to play a 16th season. He started all 17 regular-season games last season and totaled 47 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, 15 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. For his career, Jordan has a franchise-record 132 sacks along with 763 tackles, 175 tackles for loss, 17 forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries and 67 passes defensed in 243 regular-season games (242 starts). Jordan was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2013, 2015 and from 2017 to 2022, and was first-team All-Pro in 2017. The eight Pro Bowl selections are the most for a Saints defensive player in franchise history. New Orleans selected Jordan in the first round (24th overall) in the 2011 NFL draft out of Cal. TEXANS OT TRENT BROWN AGREES TO ONE-YEAR, $7M CONTRACT Offensive tackle Trent Brown and the Houston Texans agreed to a one-year contract extension worth up to $7 million. Brown’s agent Drew Rosenhaus announced the news on Thursday morning. It also comes on the heels of Houston agreeing to trade starting right tackle Tytus Howard to the Cleveland Browns and Juice Scruggs to the Detroit Lions in separate deals. Brown, who turns 33 next month, signed with the Texans as a free agent last March and — after initially being released in August — was added to the roster in October. He started all seven games in which he appeared last season with Houston. A Pro Bowl selection in 2019, he has started 103 of 110 games over 11 NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers (2015-17), New England Patriots (2018, 2021-23), Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders (2019-20), Cincinnati Bengals (2024) and Texans. =================================================================== WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL BIG TEN TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: ILLINOIS HOLDS ON TO UPSET MICHIGAN ST. Cearah Parchment tallied 15 points and six rebounds as Illinois used a late defensive stand to upset No. 18 Michigan State 71-69 on Thursday in the second round of the Big Ten women’s tournament in Indianapolis. The 10th-seeded Illini (21-10) weathered a career-high 30 points from Kennedy Blair, who added six rebounds and five assists in her standout performance for the seventh-seeded Spartans (22-8). Blair was unable to generate a final look at overtime in the closing seconds thanks to pressure from Parchment, who came up big on defense twice down the stretch. The Spartans gained possession when Ines Sotelo knocked away a pass attempt forced into the post by Destiny Jackson (14 points, six rebounds). Grace VanSlooten took the ball inside on the other end, but could not get off a clean shot with Parchment and Maddie Webber surrounding her. The defensive sequence capped a 13-point effort from Webber in 37 minutes off the bench, helping fill some of the void with Aaliyah Guyton limited due to foul trouble. Webber and Parchment were among five Illini scorers in double figures, joining Jackson, Jasmine Brown-Hagger with 12 and Berry Wallace with 11. The win sends Illinois onto Friday’s quarterfinals for a meeting with Iowa. No. 11 Ohio State 83, Indiana 59 Jaloni Cambridge racked up 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists and the fifth-seeded Buckeyes overwhelmed the 13th-seeded Hoosiers with a stifling defensive effort. Ohio State (25-6) held Indiana (18-14) to just 19-of-57 shooting from the floor (33.3%), including 5 of 21 from 3-point range, while also forcing the Hoosiers into 15 turnovers. Ava Watson helped key the Ohio State defense with five steals, while Elsa Lemmila blocked three shots to go with her 13 rebounds and five assists. Chance Gray added 18 points and Kennedy Cambridge scored 14 points for the Buckeyes, who advance to face No. 19 Minnesota in the quarterfinals. Indiana’s Maya Makalusky led all scorers with 21 points in the loss. Washington 76, Southern California 64 Elle Ladine scored a season-high 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting and the Huskies topped the Trojans in the tournament’s 8-9 matchup. It was USC’s fourth consecutive loss and the Trojans are waiting for more than an NCAA bid after losing conference freshman of the year Jazzy Davidson to a shoulder injury. The team’s leader in average points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, Davidson shot 2 of 13 from the field and totaled eight points in 29 minutes. She said an MRI on her injured shoulder was scheduled for Friday. Washington (21-9) came alive with 48 points in the second and third quarters after the teams combined for 14 points in the first. The Huskies held USC (17-13) to just 20 first-half points, building a 20-point cushion through the third period. The Huskies outscored the Trojans 40-14 on points in the paint. Ladine’s ability to attack helped key the Huskies, while Avery Howell provided support to the tune of 18 points and nine rebounds. Londynn Jones led USC with 19 points. Washington moves on to face the tournament’s No. 1 seed UCLA — ranked No. 2 in the latest Top 25 poll — on Friday. The Bruins beat the Huskies 82-67 last month and went undefeated in Big Ten play. BIG 12 TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: K-STATE DUMPS NO. 21 TEXAS TECH WITH 21-0 RUN Nastja Claessens recorded 14 points, eight rebounds and four steals and No. 12 seed Kansas State closed the game with a 21-0 run to post a 58-51 upset of No. 5 seed Texas Tech on Thursday in the second round of the Big 12 tournament at Kansas City, Mo. Taryn Sides scored 13 points and Aniya Foy added 12 for the Wildcats (17-16), who beat Cincinnati in Wednesday’s first round. Tess Heal added 10 points for Kansas State, which trailed 51-37 with 7:43 remaining before going on the epic burst. No. 21 Texas Tech (25-7) looked to be in great shape after Jalynn Bristow and Snudda Collins (14 points) opened the fourth quarter with baskets. But the Red Raiders missed their last 13 field-goal attempts to go with four costly turnovers during a stunning collapse that marked their fourth loss in the past six games. Claessens split two free throws with 2:39 left to give Kansas State its first lead at 52-51. Heal added a driving basket and Sides and Heal each made two free throws as Kansas State earned a quarterfinal matchup against No. 4 seed Oklahoma State on Friday. BYU 70, Utah 52 Delaney Gibb registered 19 points, eight assists, five rebounds and four steals to help the No. 9 seed Cougars rally to the victory over the No. 8 seed Utes for their fifth consecutive victory. Lara Rohkohl had 12 points and eight rebounds before fouling out and Brinley Cannon added 12 points for BYU (22-10), which outscored Utah 43-16 in the second half. The Cougars trailed by seven before scoring the final 15 points of the third quarter and then continued their domination in the fourth and next face top-seeded TCU in Friday’s quarterfinals. Lani White scored 20 points for the Utes (19-12), who were 7 of 27 from the field in the second half, including 1 of 14 from 3-point range. Utah’s largest lead was 11, coming after Chyra Evans opened the third quarter with a basket, but the lead got away as the Utes lost to the rival Cougars for the third time this season. Arizona State 77, Iowa State 68 Gabby Elliott had 22 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists before fouling out to lead the No. 10 Sun Devils past the No. 7 Cyclones and earn a quarterfinal matchup against No. 2 West Virginia on Friday. Heloisa Carrera added 17 points and McKinna Brackens had 16 as Arizona State (24-9) bolstered its NCAA Tournament at-large hopes with the wire-to-wire victory. The Sun Devils led by 16 in the fourth quarter before fighting off an Iowa State charge. Audi Crooks had 21 points and seven rebounds before fouling out for the Cyclones (22-9). Addy Brown had 13 points and 12 rebounds and Mackenzie Hare added 12 points for Iowa State, which shot just 19.4% (7 of 36) from 3-point range while losing for the third time in four games. SEC TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: CLARA STRACK (33 POINTS), KENTUCKY HANDLE GEORGIA Clara Strack scored a career-high-tying 33 points, Teonnie Key had a double-double and No. 17 Kentucky pulled away from No. 22 Georgia 76-61 in the second-round opener of the SEC women’s tournament Thursday afternoon in Greenville, S.C. Key finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, Tonie Morgan scored 14 points and Strack added eight rebounds for the ninth-seeded Wildcats (23-9), who trailed by one point at halftime but outscored the eighth-seeded Bulldogs (22-9) 19-13 in the third quarter and 22-12 in the fourth. Dani Carnegie scored 18 points, Trinity Turner had 14 and Mia Woolfolk added 11 to lead Georgia, which shot just 37.9% in the second half and made just 2 of 12 3-pointers (16.7%) after halftime. Kentucky, which shot 50% from the floor for the game, will face top-seeded South Carolina in the quarterfinals Friday. No. 7 Oklahoma 82, Florida 64 Raegan Beers scored 18 points, Aaliyah Chavez had 17 and the fifth-seeded Sooners took control by scoring the first 10 points of the third quarter. The fifth-seeded Sooners (24-6) went on to outscore the 12th-seeded Gators 27-7 in the period and expand their two-point halftime lead to 67-45. Zya Vann added 14 points and Brooklyn Stewart scored 12 for Oklahoma, which will face fourth-seeded LSU in the quarterfinals Friday. Liv McGill scored 28 points, making 13 of 17 free throws, and grabbed eight rebounds and Me’Arah O’Neal added 10 points to lead Florida (18-15). McGill had nine of her team’s 24 turnovers. No. 24 Ole Miss 73, Auburn 57 Christeen Iwuala had 18 points and nine rebounds and the seventh-seeded Rebels rode a dominant first quarter to an easy victory over the 15th-seeded Tigers. Cotie McMahon and Latasha Lattimore added 13 points each for Ole Miss (22-10), which had lost its last four games of the regular season. The Rebels, who shot 52.8% from the floor and 53.8% on 3-pointers, will face second-seeded Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals on Friday. Khady Leye had 17 points and eight rebounds and Kaitlyn Duhon added 14 points to lead Auburn (15-17), which got outscored 21-6 in the first quarter, trailed 48-20 at halftime and never threatened. Alabama 76, Tennessee 64 Jessica Timmons scored 23 points, Ta’Mia Scott added 20 and the 11th-seeded Crimson Tide never trailed in defeating the sixth-seeded Lady Volunteers. Essence Cody finished with 10 points for Alabama (23-9), which shot 50% for the game and 55% in the first quarter to take a 25-18 lead. The Tide’s defense then took over, sending them into a quarterfinal game against third-seeded Texas on Friday. Janiah Barker scored 20 points and Zee Spearman added 13 to lead Tennessee (16-13), which shot 38.5% from the floor as it lost its seventh straight game. ACC TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: CLEMSON RIDES STRONG SECOND HALF, TOPS VIRGINIA Mia Moore scored 17 of her 19 points in the second half and Clemson defeated Virginia 63-50 in the Atlantic Coast Conference women’s tournament’s second round on Thursday at Duluth, Ga. The ninth-seeded Tigers (21-10), who made 12 of 19 shots in the second half, advanced to Friday’s quarterfinals matchup with top-seeded and No. 13th-ranked Duke. Clemson, which received 10 points from Taylor Johnson-Matthews off the bench, handed Duke one of two ACC regular-season losses less than two weeks ago. Paris Clark’s 15 points and Kymora Johnson’s 12 led eighth-seeded Virginia (19-11), which shot 32.8% (20 of 61) from the field. Using an 8-0 run while Clemson went 4 1/2 minutes without scoring, the Cavaliers took a third-quarter lead. Moore had 10 fourth-quarter points. Notre Dame 69, Miami 54 Hannah Hidalgo poured in 28 points and the fifth-seeded Irish used a strong first half for the second-round victory. Hidalgo shot 12-for-22 from the field and Cassandre Prosper notched 12 points for Notre Dame (21-9), which led 37-23 at halftime and will face fourth-seeded North Carolina State in the quarterfinals Friday. The teams combined to shoot 13-for-27 on free throws. Gal Raviv had 15 points, Ahnay Adams added 13 and Ra Shaya Kyles provided 11 points and 15 rebounds for the 12th-seeded Hurricanes (17-14), who scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to close within 58-50. Syracuse 70, California 59 Uche Izoje racked up 23 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks as the seventh-seeded Orange withstood some late anxiety to win the second-round game. Syracuse (23-7), which tangles with second-seeded Louisville in Friday’s quarterfinals, had a 21-point third-quarter lead reduced to 52-47 with 6:26 to play before finishing the task. Laila Phelia had 17 points and Sophie Burrows, boosted by late free throws, ended up with 13 points. Sakima Walker tallied 19 points, Lulu Twidale posted 14 points and Gisella Maul had 13 points for No. 10 seed Cal (19-14), which trailed 37-16 at halftime. The Bears finished 3-for-19 from 3-point range. Virginia Tech 62, Georgia Tech 54 Carleigh Wenzel scored 15 points and Mackenzie Nelson added 14, helping the sixth-seeded Hokies come back from an early 14-point deficit in the second-round game. Virginia Tech (23-8), which next faces third-seeded North Carolina in Friday night’s quarterfinals, had six players with at least eight points each. The Hokies shot 36.2% from the field but grabbed 13 offensive rebounds. Talayah Walker scored 20 points, and La’Nya Foster added 12 for 11th-seeded Georgia Tech (14-18). The team was limited to just six points in the second quarter and only eight in the fourth. Walker contributed seven of the team’s 20 made field goals and half of their four 3-pointers. SUN BELT SUSPENDS FOUR IN TOURNAMENT BRAWL FALLOUT The Sun Belt Conference suspended four players involved in a fight that interrupted a second-round game in the postseason conference tournament. South Alabama and Coastal Carolina had less than six minutes on the clock of the 80-70 South Alabama win when tempers flared. The skirmish started when South Alabama’s Cordasia Harris bumped Tracey Hueston, who responded by pushing Harris and swinging her firsts. Caught in the middle of the fracas, referee Marla Gearhar fell to the floor and stayed on her back as she was attended to on the court by medical personnel. She would be cleared to continue the game. Eight players were ejected for participating in the fight. Coastal Carolina’s Hueston was suspended for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, should the school appear in any postseason games. With a 14-18 record, that is unlikely. South Alabama’s Harris, Amyah Sutton and Daniela Gonzalez all received one-game suspensions. The Jaguars play North Texas at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. “It’s unfortunate we had the incident with South (Alabama) today,” Coastal Carolina coach Kevin Pederson said after the game. “I know Tracey Hueston regrets that. She’s an incredible model citizen off the floor and she knows she can’t act that way. That was extremely frustrating for everybody, certainly something we don’t approve of in this program. It’s nothing you want to see. You hate to see that in your last game.” ====================================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL NO. 8 MICHIGAN STATE HOLDS OFF RUTGERS TO CLINCH BIG TEN TRIPLE-BYE Jeremy Fears Jr. had 21 points and eight assists, Coen Carr also scored 21 points and No. 8 Michigan State clinched a triple-bye in next week’s Big Ten Tournament by dispatching Rutgers 91-87 on Thursday night at East Lansing, Mich. Fears moved into third place on the Spartans’ single-season assists list with 272. Fears surpassed the legendary Magic Johnson (269 in 1978-79) and stands two shy of second-place Mateen Cleaves (274 in 1998-99). Jaxon Kohler added 15 points and seven rebounds and Carson Cooper scored 14 points as Michigan State (25-5, 15-4 Big Ten) won its fifth straight game. Tariq Francis scored 25 points with five assists and three steals for Rutgers (12-18, 5-14), which fell to 0-9 on the road against the Spartans. Lino Mark scored 14 points and Emmanuel Ogbole added 13 on 6-of-7 shooting before fouling out for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers trailed by 15 with 1:19 left before using a 14-3 burst to creep within four. A basket by Francis with 27.6 seconds left and a steal and layup by Kaden Powers with 20.3 seconds remaining brought the Scarlet Knights within 86-82. Rutgers trailed 89-87 after Darren Buchanan Jr. buried a 3-pointer with 5 seconds remaining. Fears was fouled with 2 seconds left and made both free throws to make it a four-point margin and the Spartans held on. Michigan State shot 58.5% from the field, including 4 of 12 from 3-point range, and held a 38-21 rebounding advantage. The Scarlet Knights made 47.7% of their shots and hit 10 of 18 from behind the arc. The Spartans scored the first seven points of the second half to take a 38-30 lead. After Francis drained a trey to cut the lead to 40-35 with 16:47 remaining, Fears assisted on three consecutive dunks. Carr threw down the first two, with the second assist by Fears passing Johnson, and Jordan Scott finished with the last one, giving Michigan State a 46-35 lead with 15:34 left. Michigan State later elevated the lead to 74-55 on Carr’s triple with 6:17 left. Ogbole scored three straight baskets to pull Rutgers within 75-63 with 3:37 remaining, but Kohler and Fears responded with baskets to make it a 16-point margin with 2:54 left. Michigan State led 31-30 at the break. Francis had 10 first-half points for the Scarlet Knights, who led for more than 13 minutes of the first half. NO. 3 MICHIGAN EDGES IOWA TO GO UNDEFEATED IN BIG TEN PLAY Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. each scored 16 points Thursday night and No. 3 Michigan became the first Big Ten Conference team in 50 years to go unbeaten on the road in league play with a 71-68 victory over Iowa. Aday Mara added 14 for the Wolverines (28-2, 18-1), including a tie-breaking dunk with 43 seconds left that put Michigan ahead 68-66. Lendeborg added 3 of 4 accuracy at the foul line in the last seven seconds. Eliot Cadeau bounced back from a sloppy first half to finish with 11 points and nine assists as the Wolverines converted 24 of 45 shots from the field, including 13 of 23 after halftime. They also dominated the glass 38-25. Bennett Stirtz scored a game-high 21 points for the Hawkeyes (20-10, 10-9) but made only 7 of 23 shots from the field, including 4 of 14 3-pointers. He had a chance to force overtime but couldn’t can a 3-pointer with one second remaining. Cam Manyawu added 14 points and eight rebounds before fouling out with four seconds on the clock. Iowa made only 39.1% from the field but forced 18 turnovers and converted those into 26 points. The pregame storyline concerned if undersized Iowa could find a way to defend against Michigan’s huge, productive frontcourt and earn a resume-boosting win. It turned out the Hawkeyes could, at least in a first half where the Wolverines spent as much time throwing the ball away as they did scoring. Michigan entered the evening ranked fourth in assists in Division I and a solid 32nd in assist-turnover ratio at 1.6. But it coughed up a whopping 12 turnovers in 32 first-half possessions, including three from Cadeau, who averages more than two assists for every miscue. Iowa cashed in those turnovers for 16 points, more than half its offense. The Hawkeyes led by six at one point in the half before the Wolverines were able to play catch-up. An alley-oop from Cadeau to Mara with six seconds left produced a 30-30 tie at intermission. ======================================================================= NBA NBA ROUNDUP: LEBRON JAMES SETS RECORD, GETS HURT IN LAKERS’ LOSS TO NUGGETS Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds to overcome nine turnovers, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 120-113 on Thursday night in a crucial Western Conference matchup. Lakers star LeBron James finished with 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting to reach another milestone in his 23rd season. James entered the night two behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in made field goals in NBA history and passed the all-time great on a 12-foot turnaround jumper in the first quarter. James didn’t reach the end of the game, though. He exited with 3:58 to go in the fourth quarter after sinking a layup, falling to the floor and hurting his left elbow. In the first quarter, Los Angeles’ Deandre Ayton exited for good due to a knee injury. Coach JJ Redick had no substantive updates about either player postgame. Jamal Murray scored 28 points for the Nuggets, while Luka Doncic logged 27 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers. Warriors 115, Rockets 113 (OT) De’Anthony Melton converted a second-chance basket with 5.3 seconds remaining and short-handed Golden State held on for an overtime victory at Houston. Melton finished with 23 points and six rebounds for the Warriors, who were without Stephen Curry and Kristaps Porzingis. Brandin Podziemski paced the Warriors with 26 points and nine rebounds, including five points early in overtime that yielded a 111-106 lead. Reed Sheppard led the Rockets with 30 points, six 3-pointers and six assists, and Kevin Durant added 23 points. Amen Thompson posted 18 points and 10 rebounds. Magic 115, Mavericks 114 Wendell Carter Jr. threw down a dunk with 1.4 seconds left as Orlando beat visiting Dallas and spoiled Cooper Flagg’s return to the lineup. Dallas moved ahead 114-110 with 37.3 seconds remaining on Flagg’s three-point play before Jalen Suggs hit a 3-pointer. Flagg missed a 14-foot jumper ahead of Carter’s game-winner, and Dallas was unable to get a shot off on its final play. Tristan da Silva scored 19 points and Suggs added 17 for Orlando, which won for the fourth time in its past six games. Klay Thompson led Dallas with 24 points off the bench, sinking a season-high seven 3-pointers. Khris Middleton scored 19 points, Flagg and P.J. Washington had 18 apiece. Spurs 121, Pistons 106 Victor Wembanyama amassed 38 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots as San Antonio opened a six-game homestand with a decisive victory over Detroit. The Spurs earned their second straight win and their 13th victory in the past 14 games. Two of those wins were against the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons. San Antonio set the tone by going up by as many as 19 points in the first half en route to a 71-55 lead at the break. De’Aaron Fox finished with 29 points for the Spurs. Cade Cunningham had 26 points for Detroit, which dropped its second consecutive outing after an 8-1 stretch. The Pistons’ Ausar Thompson was forced from the game with a sprained right ankle in the first quarter and did not return. Heat 126, Nets 110 Kel’el Ware scored 16 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, set a career high with seven blocks and added five steals, helping host Miami beat Brooklyn. The Heat, who have won three straight games, also got 25 points from Tyler Herro and 21 from Bam Adebayo. Miami has played all three of those games without its leading scorer, Norman Powell (groin). Michael Porter Jr. logged game highs in points (27) and rebounds (13), but the Nets lost their 10th straight game, the longest active skid in the NBA. Brooklyn dropped to 1-40 when trailing after three quarters. Bulls 105, Suns 103 Collin Sexton scored a season-high 30 points, Tre Jones added 21, and Chicago never trailed in a victory at Phoenix. Guerschon Yabusele had 16 points and Rob Dillingham added 11 off the bench for the Bulls, who saw a 12-point lead with six minutes left dwindle to one before holding on. Chicago’s Nick Richards made a free throw with 4.4 seconds left before missing the second, and the Bulls controlled the loose ball as time ran out. Devin Booker scored 27 points and Grayson Allen added 21 for the Suns, who had a two-game winning streak end. Timberwolves 115, Raptors 107 Anthony Edwards scored 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting, and Minnesota held on for a win over Toronto in Minneapolis. Rudy Gobert added 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who won their fifth game in a row. Julius Randle finished with 17 points and eight boards. RJ Barrett scored 25 points on 9-for-14 shooting to lead the Raptors, who lost for the fourth time in their past five games. Immanuel Quickley tallied 18 points. Jazz 122, Wizards 112 Ace Bailey scored a career-high 32 points to help Utah end a seven-game losing streak with a win at Washington. Isaiah Collier finished with 27 points and 11 assists for the Jazz, and Kyle Filipowski added 20 points and 14 rebounds. Trae Young made his debut for the Wizards after being acquired in a trade with Atlanta in January. He finished with 12 points and six assists in 19 minutes. Rookie Julian Reese led Washington with 18 points and 20 rebounds, both career highs, as the Wizards lost their seventh game in a row. Pelicans 133, Kings 123 Zion Williamson scored 23 points, six teammates chipped in with double-digit point totals and visiting New Orleans used a big third quarter to distance itself from Sacramento. Trey Murphy III had 21 points and Saddiq Bey 20 for the Pelicans, who ended a two-game losing streak and became a 20-game winner for the season. Precious Achiuwa equaled his career best with a game-high 29 points for the Kings, who became the league’s first 50-game loser this season with a third consecutive setback. CELTICS’ JAYSON TATUM LISTED AS ‘QUESTIONABLE,’ ON VERGE OF RETURN 9 MONTHS AFTER ACHILLES SURGERY BOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is on the verge of making a return to NBA action nine months after rupturing his right Achilles tendon injury during last season’s playoffs. Tatum was listed as questionable on the Celtics’ injury report on Thursday ahead of the team’s home matchup with the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night. It is the first time this season he hasn’t been listed as sidelined and undergoing rehabilitation for the injury he suffered during Game 4 of Boston’s Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the New York Knicks last May. Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has said that Tatum wouldn’t be cleared to return until he was ready to play both physically and mentally. That time may have arrived. Tatum also has previously indicated that his return to the court would be a home game. The Celtics (41-21) have 20 games remaining in the regular season, including 11 at TD Garden. Boston is currently in second place in the East standings. “I didn’t come back to be no role player, Doc,” Tatum said weeks after the surgery to his physician during a checkup that was chronicled in the recently released documentary “The Quiet Work,” which followed his rehab process. When Tatum was injured last season, his thoughts quickly pivoted away from the devastation he felt for himself and what would soon be the end of his team’s bid to repeat as NBA champions. He made the decision quickly to begin the process of turning the page and opted to have surgery the very next day. The typical rehabilitation window to return to basketball action following Achilles tendon surgery is between 9 and 12 months. If he indeed plays on Friday, the 28-year-old Tatum, who had surgery on May 13, will make his return to the court after 298 days. That’s not far beyond the recovery time it took for Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins to recover from his Achilles tendon rupture. Wilkins returned at age 33 after 283 days to play in the 1992-93 season. He went on to appear in 71 regular-season games that year, averaging 29.9 points per game and being named to the All-Star team. Tatum’s childhood idol, Kobe Bryant, made it back to the court after about eight months, but was hampered by subsequent injuries. Tatum is in the first season of the five-year, $314 million extension he signed in 2024. He celebrated his 28th birthday on Tuesday. While Tatum has been rehabbing six days per week since surgery, the decision of whether he’d return this season hasn’t been a foregone conclusion. Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton and Portland Trail Blazers player Damian Lillard were both ruled out for the entire 2025-26 NBA season after also suffering torn Achilles tendon injuries during the 2025 playoffs. Lillard, who was with the Milwaukee Bucks last season, went down in their first-round loss to Indiana. Haliburton was injured in Game 7 of Indiana’s NBA Finals loss to Oklahoma City. But Tatum has been on a steady ramp up since beginning his rehab and has had no known setbacks. He’s remained a fixture around the team and has been traveling on road trips while continuing his workouts. After going through a full practice with the Celtics’ G League team three weeks ago, Tatum said he hadn’t yet made a decision of whether he’d return. “It doesn’t mean that I’m coming back or I’m not, it’s just following the plan. So it’s just another step,” Tatum said at the time. “I don’t know percentage. I just know I feel a little bit better everyday. I just try to focus on that.” Tatum said in the same interview that he is also mindful of not wanting to disrupt the progress of a Celtics team that is in the mix to come out of the East this season. In particular, fellow All-Star Jaylen Brown has thrived in Tatum’s absence this season, averaging career highs in points (29.1), rebounds (7.1) and assists (4.9) while becoming one of the NBA’s elite defenders as well. It has earned him strong consideration in league MVP discussions for the first time in his career. It’s why Tatum said he’d expressed some hesitation about possibly returning in a recent podcast appearance. ’I’m just hyper aware of what’s going on. I think it would just stem from that. Obviously, I know what I bring to the table and bring to the team. But I’m also aware that these guys have been playing extremely well,” Tatum said. “Not to say that I would mess it up or anything like that. It was just being kind of, being vulnerable, I guess, for a moment and talking from that perspective.” ====================================================================== NHL NHL ROUNDUP: CONNOR HELLEBUYCK-LED JETS TOP ANDREI VASILEVSKIY, LIGHTNING Connor Hellebuyck won a battle between elite goaltenders, Morgan Barron and Mark Scheifele scored second-period goals and the Winnipeg Jets topped the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 on Thursday night. In a matchup between two of the five active Vezina Trophy-winning goalies, Hellebuyck made 26 saves, while Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy also stopped 26 shots. A three-time Vezina winner who backstopped Team USA’s gold medal-winning 2-1 overtime victory over Canada, Hellebuyck improved to 8-2-1 in head-to-head matchups with Vasilevskiy, the 2019 Vezina winner. Gustav Nyquist scored his first goal for Winnipeg, and Kyle Connor added an empty-net goal as the Jets improved to 5-2-3 in their last 10 games. Brayden Point scored the only goal for the Lightning, who have lost four straight games after going 20-1-1 from Dec. 20 to Feb. 25. Rangers 6, Maple Leafs 2 Alexis Lafreniere scored the tiebreaking goal on a redirection in the third period and host New York pulled away for a victory over Toronto. Will Cuylle scored in the first period before capping things with an empty-net tally with 2:51 left, and Vladislav Gavrikov netted the second tying goal during a power play in the second period. Jaroslav Chmelar and Mika Zibanejad also scored for the Rangers. Matias Maccelli scored 13 seconds into the contest and rookie Easton Cowan scored in the second before the Maple Leafs allowed five straight goals and matched a season worst with their sixth straight loss. Senators 4, Flames 1 Dylan Cozens broke a third-period tie and sparked Ottawa to a crucial comeback victory over host Calgary. Lars Eller, Tim Stutzle and Shane Pinto also scored for the Senators, who are on a 7-1-2 run that is keeping them in the playoff picture. Ottawa goaltender Linus Ullmark made 19 saves. He is on a personal 8-0-3 streak. Ottawa is four points behind the Boston Bruins for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. Martin Pospisil tallied for the Flames, who have dropped four straight games (0-3-1) and have managed only three victories in 13 games (3-7-3), which leaves them a dozen points outside a Western Conference playoff position. Kings 5, Islanders 3 Artemi Panarin scored his first goal for the Kings, helping Los Angeles to a win against visiting New York. Panarin, Adrian Kempe and Mikey Anderson each had a goal and an assist, Samuel Helenius and Alex Laferriere also scored, Brandt Clarke had two assists and Darcy Kuemper made 31 saves for the Kings, who had lost six of their previous seven games (1-5-1). Bo Horvat, Adam Pelech and Emil Heineman scored, Jean-Gabriel Pageau had two assists and Ilya Sorokin stopped 30 shots for the Islanders, who were coming off a 5-1 road loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday that snapped a five-game winning streak. Blue Jackets 4, Panthers 2 Ivan Provorov had a goal with two assists and Mathieu Olivier scored twice as host Columbus won its third straight. Boone Jenner also scored and Jet Greaves made 26 saves for the Blue Jackets, who are 14-2-1 since Jan. 11 and just outside of playoff position in the Eastern Conference. Columbus, undefeated while star Zach Werenski has missed the last three games due to illness, snapped a 0-6-3 slide versus Florida, but nearly coughed up a 3-0 lead. The Panthers finally got on the board with 10:52 remaining in the third period. Daniil Tarasov made 24 saves for the Panthers, whose playoff hopes continue to fade after a fourth straight defeat amid their 2-9-0 rut. Mammoth 3, Flyers 0 Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller scored second-period goals and Vitek Vanecek made 16 saves as Utah posted a shutout road victory over Philadelphia. Dylan Guenther had two assists and Michael Carcone also scored for Utah, which has won five of its last seven games. Vanecek, making his first start since Jan. 27, recorded the 100th victory (and 11th shutout) of his career. Dan Vladar turned aside 20 shots for Philadelphia, which had its three-game winning streak snapped. The Flyers played without top scorer Travis Konecny (upper-body injury) for the second straight game. Sabres 5, Penguins 1 Josh Norris and Owen Power each had a goal and an assist for Buffalo, which won its fifth straight game against host Pittsburgh. Ryan McLeod, Alex Tuch and Mattias Samuelsson also scored for the Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 27 saves. Bryan Rust scored, and Arturs Silovs made 21 saves for the Penguins, who have lost three of four (1-2-1). Predators 6, Bruins 3 Nashville closed the second period with three straight goals to break open a one-goal game and went on to post a win over visiting Boston. Filip Forsberg had a goal and two assists while Matthew Wood scored twice in the Predators’ four-goal middle frame. Nicolas Hague, Erik Haula and Luke Evangelista also scored, Steven Stamkos had two assists and Juuse Saros made 20 saves to help Nashville break a three-game skid (0-2-1). Charlie McAvoy and Viktor Arvidsson each notched a goal and an assist, Morgan Geekie also scored and Pavel Zacha had two helpers for the Bruins, who have a six-game road losing streak (0-3-3). Joonas Korpisalo stopped 23 shots. AVALANCHE GET NICOLAS ROY, GOLDEN KNIGHTS ACQUIRE NIC DOWD AHEAD OF THE NHL TRADE DEADLINE Two of the top Stanley Cup contenders in the Western Conference are not waiting until trade deadline day to make significant additions down the middle. The NHL-best Colorado Avalanche acquired center Nicolas Roy from Toronto on Thursday for a conditional fifth-round pick this year and a conditional first-rounder in 2027. The Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights got center Nic Dowd from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick, a 2029 second-rounder and young goaltender Jesper Vikman. Avalanche get bigger and deeper by trading for Nicolas Roy Roy fills a major void for Colorado with significant size at 6-foot-4. Now 29, he helped Vegas win the Cup in 2023, when depth played a major role in that title run. The condition on the 2027 first-rounder is that if it’s in the top 10, Colorado will send its unprotected first in 2028 instead. The fifth will be the lowest of the three Colorado currently has this year. There had been some speculation about the Avalanche reacquiring Nazem Kadri, who was part of their championship team in 2022, but the three years remaining on his contract with Calgary and pricey $7 million salary cap hit made that a tougher puzzle piece to fit in. Roy should slide in perfectly as the No. 3 center behind leading scorer (at 100 points in 59 games) Nathan MacKinnon and 30-goal scorer Brock Nelson. The position was seen as the biggest need for a group that has been atop the standings since October. Colorado previously added on the blue line with Brett Kulak and Nick Blankenburg. Golden Knights keep buying by getting Nic Dowd Vegas jumped the line in January, before the Olympic break, to pick up defenseman Rasmus Andersson from the Flames. Now general manager Kelly McCrimmon bolstered the roster up front. Dowd, 35, gives the Golden Knights a penalty killer and shutdown defender down the middle who can also chip in some offense. He has 16 points and 43 blocked shots in 55 games this season. An Alabama native, Dowd is under contract through ’26-27 at a reasonable cap hit of $3 million. The Golden Knights could still target a goaltender. While the Avalanche have the best team save percentage in the league at .916, Vegas is second-worst at .880 between Adin Hill, Carter Hart, Akira Schmid and Carl Lindbom. Colton Parayko declined to waive his no-trade clause to go the Sabres Buffalo and St. Louis had agreed to a deal that would send Colton Parayko to the Sabres, pending the defenseman waiving his no-trade clause. Parayko on Thursday informed them that he was not waiving it, therefore negating the trade, a person familiar with discussions told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were private. As part of the eight-year, $52 million contract he signed Sept. 1, 2021, Parayko received full no-trade protection through 2028. He is signed through 2030. What other trades could be coming? Trading Dowd signals the Capitals’ intention to at least in part be sellers, sitting four points back of the second and final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference but having played three more games than Boston, which is in that position. Pending unrestricted free agent forward Brandon Duhaime and defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk are also trade candidates for Washington. With roughly 26 hours to go before the deadline, plenty of other teams who declared they’re open for business are awaiting more deals. Vincent Trocheck remains with the New York Rangers, and coach Mike Sullivan was noncommittal about whether the center whose name is atop many trade boards would play Thursday night against Toronto. Roy played Wednesday night at New Jersey for the Maple Leafs, who are all but certain to miss the playoffs for the first time in a decade. They sat three other players for roster management reasons as trade talk heats up: Bobby McMann, Scott Laughton and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, all of whom could have new homes by 3 p.m. EST Friday. REPORTS: BLUES D COLTON PARAYKO REJECTS TRADE TO SABRES St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko exercised his no-trade clause to shut down a move to the Buffalo Sabres, multiple outlets reported Thursday. The deal reported Wednesday would have sent the 32-year-old Parayko to Buffalo in exchange for 18-year-old blueliner Radim Mrtka and a first-round draft pick. Parayko, who has played his entire 11-year career with the Blues, is in the fourth season of an eight-year, $52 million deal that includes a no-trade clause. He is signed through 2029-30 at an annual cap hit of $6.5 million. The 6-foot-6 Parayko has one goal and 14 points over 58 games in 22:24 of average ice time. He ranks third in the league with 141 blocked shots. A 2012 third-round draft pick and 2019 Stanley Cup champion, Parayko has tallied 309 career points (78 goals, 231 assists) in 781 games. Mrtka was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft by Buffalo. The NHL trade deadline is Friday at 3 p.m. ET. ================================================================== MLB SPRING TRAINING ROUNDUP: SANDY ALCANTARA DEALS AS MARLINS BEAT ASTROS Former National League Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara struck out four and retired all nine batters he faced on Thursday to help the Miami Marlins post a 2-0 win over the Houston Astros at Jupiter, Fla. Alcantara threw 31 of his 43 pitches for strikes at the outset of a contest in which five Miami pitchers combined for a one-hit shutout and 13 strikeouts. Alcantara was the NL’s top pitcher in 2022 before a major arm injury helped derail him in recent seasons. Robby Snelling replaced Alcantara and fanned six in three innings. He gave up the lone Houston hit, a single by Zach Cole to start the fourth inning. Xavier Edwards had an RBI single in the third and Esteury Ruiz delivered a run-scoring single in the sixth. Twins 15, Yankees 0 (7) Luke Keaschall went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs and James Outman hit a two-run shot as visiting Minnesota ended New York’s eight-game winning streak at Tampa, Fla., in a game called in the top of the seventh inning due to rain. Noah Cardenas drove in three runs and Gabriel Gonzalez knocked in two as the Twins racked up 16 hits. The Yankees had just two hits in their 18 at-bats with Jasson Dominguez getting a single in the first and Ryan McMahon doubling in the fifth. Cardinals 3, Pirates 2 Jimmy Crooks hit a tiebreaking single to score Joshua Baez with two outs in the eighth inning as visiting St. Louis registered the victory over Pittsburgh at Bradenton, Fla. Nolan Gorman smacked a two-run homer for the Cardinals, who had six hits. Alika Williams hit a two-run blast for the Pirates. Nationals 7, Mets 4 Trey Lipscomb ripped a tiebreaking two-run double during a four-run sixth inning to help host Washington knock off New York at West Palm Beach, Fla. Matt Mervis had a run-scoring single and Seaver King had an RBI double later in the inning for the Nationals. For the Mets, Brett Baty hit a two-run homer and prized free agent Bo Bichette went 2-for-3 with one RBI. Braves 9, Blue Jays 5 Tristin English lined a three-run double and Chris Sale gave up one run in three innings as Atlanta best visiting Toronto at Venice, Fla. Dominic Smith hit a two-run homer and Drake Baldwin added a two-run single for the Braves. Addison Barger and Cutter Coffey each had two-run doubles for the Blue Jays. Orioles 4, Rays 3 Will Robertson hit a two-run homer and Jose Barrero drilled a solo shot to lead visiting Baltimore past Tampa Bay at Port Charlotte, Fla. The blast by Robertson gave the Orioles a 4-0 lead in the sixth. Jose Perez, Gregory Barrios and Nicandro Aybar had run-scoring singles for the Rays. Phillies 6, Red Sox 2 Jesus Luzardo struck out five and gave up two hits in three scoreless innings to help Philadelphia defeat visiting Boston at Clearwater. Dylan Moore had a two-run single in a three-run third inning and Christian Cairo added a solo shot in the seventh. Braiden Ward went 2-for-2 with two steals for the Red Sox to raise his spring average to .450 to go with 10 thefts. Reds 14, Dodgers 13 Rece Hinds clubbed a walk-off three-run homer to left field to hand Cincinnati a win over Los Angeles in Goodyear, Ariz. Hector Rodriguez hit an RBI double one batter earlier to set the stage for Hinds, who went deep off Jordan Weems to secure the Reds’ comeback win. The Reds went from ahead 6-1 to trailing 11-6 in a span of three innings. Each team hit five home runs. Former Red Santiago Espinal homered twice and finished with six RBIs (including two sac flies) for the Dodgers, who extended their lead to 13-10 in the top of the ninth on a solo shot by Nick Senzel — another former Red. Elly De La Cruz and Will Benson left the park in the first inning for Cincinnati, and Matt McLain went 3-for-3 with a home run and three runs. Cubs 8, Diamondbacks 1 Dansby Swanson and Carson Kelly hit two-run home runs as Chicago sailed past Arizona in Mesa, Ariz. Cubs starter Colin Rea struck out six batters and scattered one run and four hits in his 3 2/3 innings of work. Nico Hoerner added an RBI triple. Pavin Smith’s home run supplied the only run for the Diamondbacks. Ryne Nelson gave up the Cubs’ first two runs on three hits while fanning three in a 2 2/3-inning start. Brewers 10, Rockies 8 Garrett Mitchell hammered a leadoff homer and a three-run double to fuel Milwaukee past Colorado in Scottsdale, Ariz. Jake Bauers contributed a two-run shot and Sal Frelick added two RBIs on a groundout and a single for the Brewers. Seven of Milwaukee’s 10 RBIs came with two outs. Both teams finished with 12 hits, but the Rockies were less opportunistic (3-for-11 with RISP). Jordan Beck and Ryan Ritter each hit two doubles as Colorado made a late push from down 10-5 that fell short. Athletics 16, Angels 11 Tyler Soderstrom’s grand slam anchored an eight-run second inning and the A’s fended off Los Angeles in a slugfest in Tempe, Ariz. Brent Rooker followed Soderstrom’s four-bagger with a solo shot, and Austin Wynns hit a solo homer two batters later. Junior Perez added a two-run homer to make it 13-4 Athletics in the sixth. After the Angels nearly completed a comeback, Clark Elliott crushed a 445-foot bomb to center in the top of the ninth. Angels starter Alek Manoah issued five walks and yielded five runs in 2 1/3 innings before being replaced by Aneurys Zabala, who gave up the A’s first three homers. Los Angeles’ rally included Denzer Guzman’s solo shot, a three-run double by Sebastian Rivero and a run-scoring triple by Kyren Paris. The Angels outhit the A’s 15-12. Padres 27, Mariners 6 Freddy Fermin had two hits, including a double, and drove in three runs during San Diego’s 12-run second inning, and eight different players homered as part of a blowout of Seattle in Peoria, Ariz. Fermin finished 3-for-3 with six RBIs and three runs after he blasted a three-run homer to center in the third that made it 15-2. Jake Cronenworth (3-for-3) and Jackson Merrill (3-for-4) also had standout performances, while Bryce Johnson (three-run shot) and Nick Schnell poured it on with homers in the seventh and eighth. The Mariners yielded 28 hits, issued five walks and committed a pair of errors to boot. On the plus side, they had four homers of their own, courtesy of Patrick Wisdom, Rob Refsnyder, Carson Taylor and Jared Sundstrom. ===================================================================== GOLF ROOKIE CHANDLER BLANCHET TAKES POLE POSITION AT PUERTO RICO OPEN PGA Tour rookie Chandler Blanchet shot a career-low, 8-under-par 64 to take the early lead at the Puerto Rico Open on Thursday in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. Blanchet missed the cut in his first five starts of the season. This week, in the alternate event opposite the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Blanchet finds himself on top. “It’s not been the ideal start to the season, but that being said, there’s been a lot of good learning and like a lot of growth in that,” said Blanchet, who missed the cut by one shot last week at the Cognizant Classic. “I think last week was kind of a pretty good kick in the butt. Kind of changed the mindset a little bit for this week. Like, I want that adversity to grow and, like, I want to handle those challenges well.” He bogeyed his first hole at Grand Reserve Golf Club, the par-4 10th, only to follow with nine birdies. Blanchet sits one stroke ahead of Gordon Sargent, while Sweden’s Jesper Svensson holds third at 5-under 67. Canada’s Adam Hadwin highlights a six-way tie at 4-under 68. Sargent would be tied with Blanchet were it not for a bogey at the 18th, his only blemish in a round that featured one eagle and six birdies. “The start of the season was interesting. I feel like I played better than I scored,” Sargent said. “Yeah, tried not to get too down. It’s crazy how it can kind of flip out here.” BYU freshman Kihei Akina, a 19-year-old amateur, is part of the tie at 4 under. Fellow amateur John Daly II, making his PGA Tour debut, opened with a 2-under 70. A senior on the Arkansas golf team, Daly chipped in for birdie from the greenside rough at No. 16. “Got off to a good start, made a nice birdie on 1,” said the son of two-time major winner John Daly. “Solid up-and-down on 2, made about a 20-footer for par, which is nice, settled me in. And then just hit some good shots. Feel like I left a few out there, but I made it up with just a couple good saves and nice chip-in on 16.” DANIEL BERGER FIRES 63 TO LEAD ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL Daniel Berger poured in six of his nine birdies on the back nine on his way to a sterling 9-under-par 63 and a three-stroke lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Thursday in Orlando, Fla. Berger finds himself comfortably ahead of Collin Morikawa and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg (6-under 66) after his bogey-free trip around Bay Hill Club and Lodge. Berger, 32, hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since 2021 and struggled to get back to his competitive peak after a back injury cost him half of 2022 and all of 2023. Then he suffered a broken finger late last season. “I think the biggest thing for me is just getting in a bit of a rhythm,” Berger said. “I missed all of the fall. I broke my finger at the BMW (Championship), so I took basically four months off. Then when you come back, you’re just kind of getting back into the flow of things and getting into your routine. And kind of, I’ve really played not really that poorly, and just haven’t had the results. So you just kind of keep doing the same things and good things will come.” A Florida native, Berger had a memorable day with his irons and wedges as his approaches set up birdies from 6 feet, 4 feet and 2 feet at Nos. 7, 10 and 11. Morikawa, who ended a two-year-plus title drought last month at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, had an up-and-down day until a remarkable finish. With five birdies and three bogeys on his card through 15 holes, Morikawa sank a 15-foot eagle putt at the par-5 16th, hit a dart at the par-3 17th for a tap-in birdie and then holed a 27-foot birdie putt to go 4 under in the final three holes. It meant a lot to Morikawa after he lost a late lead at Bay Hill last year and finished one shot behind Russell Henley. “I’m never going to forget how I played last year,” Morikawa said. “You don’t want to forget about it. Like, I still played solid. But you want to close out events. You don’t dwell on it. You learn from it, you move on, you live from it and that’s the biggest thing is, how do I take a lot of the good shots I had from last year … (and) maybe there is a way I can come out here and figure out the golf course and then plot my way around. It’s just nice to be able to continue that.” Aberg followed consecutive bogeys at Nos. 10-11 with an eagle at No. 12 on a 24 1/2-foot putt. “I felt like I was rolling it nicely on the greens,” Aberg said. “I was hitting the fairways, which obviously helps. Yeah, felt like I was not trying to be overly aggressive. I wasn’t trying to be overly conservative either, but it was tricky with the crosswind and kind of going back and forth.” Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela shares fourth at 5-under 67 with Cameron Young. Xander Schauffele, Australian Adam Scott and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox are another shot behind. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is in decent position with a 2-under 70. He was plagued by slow starts at each of his three previous tournaments, shooting 72 or worse in the first round before recovering to respectable finishes each time. “I think being satisfied is always a bit of a stretch in golf. No, I feel like I did some really good things,” Scheffler said. “I felt like I made a couple mistakes that I shouldn’t have, but overall I did some really good stuff out there. Anything under par on this golf course is a decent score.” Other notables included Rickie Fowler at 3-under 69, Justin Rose of England and Hideki Matsuyama of Japan at 2-under 70 and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Viktor Hovland of Norway at even-par 72. McIlroy had a double bogey, two bogeys and a birdie over his final six holes. Though it’s a $20 million signature event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational features a 36-hole cut at the top 50 and ties. 3 SIT ATOP LEADERBOARD AT BLUE BAY LPGA IN CHINA Weiwei Zhang used an eagle and a birdie on the final two holes to card a 6-under 66 and move into a three-way tie for the lead at the Blue Bay LPGA in Hainan, China, on Thursday. Joining her at the top of the leaderboard were her Chinese compatriot, Mary Liu, and tour rookie Youmin Hwang of South Korea. Both women played a bogey-free round at the Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course. China’s Zining An, American Auston Kim and Mi Hyang Lee of South Korea finished with rounds of 5-under 67 at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course to sit one shot back and tied for fourth. Seven more players are tied for seventh place after rounds of 68. Liu, in her first LPGA Tour start of the season, played a steady round, scattering six birdies. “My winter training went very well,” she said. “This year, I have a clearer idea of what my priorities are. My coach also advised me to balance work and rest. I even went home for the Chinese New Year, which was really nice.” And that positive attitude carried over to the first round. “I really enjoyed myself out there,” she said. “I worked well with my caddie, and we maintained a good rhythm throughout the day.” Zhang was delighted with her round after navigating the final two holes – the eagle and a birdie. “It was a really tricky lie for the chip,” she said about the eagle. “I hit it a bit heavy, but the landing spot was perfect, and it rolled straight into the hole.” And on the final hole, it was an 11-yard chip that led to the birdie. “The last two holes were particularly exciting,” she said. “That really got me energized.” Kim has some ground to make up. She was in contention last week in Singapore and finished in a tie for second. “I feel like mentally, I’m on top of things very often, more often. Put in a lot of hard work over the offseason and really cool to see it pay off. “Overall my game is feeling OK. I feel like last week, I didn’t really have my A-game and today I didn’t really have my A-game, but my short game and putting is really saving me. I hit my irons better today, too, so more chances.” Defending champion Rio Takeda of Japan is five strokes back. She is among 17 women to record a round of 71. ===================================================================== INDIANA SPORTS TEAM RELEASES INDIANA PACERS GAME PREVIEW: PACERS AT LAKERS The Indiana Pacers (15-47) remain in Los Angeles as they look ahead to a matchup with the Lakers (37-24) on Friday. Following a loss to the Clippers, the Pacers shift their focus across town to LeBron James and Luka Doncic as they clash with the Lakers for the first time this season. The Lakers are winners of three straight contests ahead of their matchup with the Nuggets on Thursday, and have a good hold on the Western Conference’s sixth seed. Los Angeles is just a half-game behind the Nuggets in the standings for the fifth seed. Doncic has been electric for the Lakers, and leads the NBA in scoring with over 32 points per game this season. He’s been Los Angeles’ leading scorer for seven straight games as the Lakers climb the Western Conference standings ladder. Indiana is in the midst of a seven-game skid, but received reinforcements on Wednesday as Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Aaron Nesmith returned to the lineup following various injuries. Siakam recorded a game-high 29 points in the 130-107 loss to the Clippers. Siakam is Indiana’s only player averaging north of 20 points per game, while Los Angeles boasts three such scorers – Doncic at 32.4, James at 21.6, and Austin Reaves at 23.8 points per game. The Pacers’ defensive intensity becomes critical in a matchup rich with crafty offensive opponents. Following the clash with the Lakers, the Pacers head to Portland for a meeting with the Trailblazers on Sunday, then to Sacramento to play the Kings on Tuesday before returning to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday, March 12, when they host the Phoenix Suns. Projected Starters Pacers: G – Andrew Nembhard, G – Aaron Nesmith, F – Jarace Walker, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Jay Huff Lakers: G – Luka Doncic, G – Austin Reaves, F – Marcus Smart, F – LeBron James, C – Deandre Ayton Injury Report Pacers: Andrew Nembhard – probable (sore lower back/neck), Aaron Nesmith – probable (right ankle sprain/lower back sprain), Pascal Siakam – probable (left wrist sprain), Johnny Furphy – out (right ACL tear), Tyrese Haliburton – out (right Achilles tendon tear), Ivica Zubac – out (left ankle sprain) Lakers: Maxi Kleber – questionable (back soreness) Last Meeting March 26, 2025: A buzzer-beating tip-in from LeBron James lifted the Lakers past the Pacers in the final seconds of the game, 120-119. After James was 0-for-6 in the first three quarters of the matchup, he erupted for 10 points in the fourth quarter as he willed the Lakers to victory. James finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists. Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 34 points on 11-for-21 shooting, and Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers in scoring as he recorded 23 points. Tyrese Haliburton notched a season-high 18 assists alongside his 16 points. Mathurin was the only Pacers player to surpass the 20-point mark. Indiana led the game with under a minute to play despite the Lakers once owning a 17-point lead. The loss ended a five-game winning streak for Indiana, and ended a three-game skid for Los Angeles. Noteworthy Friday’s matchup marks the first of two meetings between the Pacers and Lakers this season. Indiana is 35-67 against the Lakers all-time. The Lakers will visit the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday, March 25 at 7:00 PM ET. Lakers forward Jake LaRavia is an Indiana native and played his high school basketball for Lawrence Central High School. Pacers guard T.J. McConnell needs three steals to reach 900 for his career. Broadcast Information (Where to Watch and Listen to Pacers Games >>) TV: FanDuel Sports Network/WTHR – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host) Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (studio host) ===================================================================== INDY FUEL FUEL LOOK FOR BACK-TO-BACK WINS OVER WICHITA FISHERS– The Fuel will host the Wichita Thunder on Friday night for the second game in a row after defeating them 3-2 on Wednesday night. Indy looks to take the season series win before hosting them for a final time on Saturday. LAST TIME OUT The last time these two teams met was Wednesday night where a power outage delayed the game by over two hours, before the Fuel locked up the 3-2 victory. Nick Grima opened the scoring with an odd goal where the puck trickled past the goaltender, before Lee Lapid and Cody Laskosky added to Indy’s lead. The Thunder could not make the comeback despite two power play goals. ALL OF THE LIGHTS The Fuel and Thunder will look to bounce back to some normalcy after a strange Wednesday night game that didn’t start until after 9 p.m., a handful of major penalties handed out, and an odd goal. With the lights on early this time, Indy hopes to shine under them. ====================================================================== INDIANA SOFTBALL INDIANA SOFTBALL TO OPEN BIG TEN PLAY WITH MINNESOTA SERIES BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ––– Indiana Softball will make its 2026 home and conference debut this weekend with the Minnesota Gophers coming to Andy Mohr Field. The three-game set will take place from Friday to Sunday (March 6-8) with the Hoosiers entering the weekend at 16-4 and the Golden Gophers at 7-13. QUICK HITTERS: Aly VanBrandt earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors for her outstanding showing at the Elon & UNCG Tournament last weekend. VanBrandt hit .500 at the plate with four home runs and two doubles. Against Elon (Feb. 27), VanBrandt was 3-for-4 with two home runs and a double. In the first game against UNC Greensboro (Feb. 28), VanBrandt hit a grand slam as part of a 2-for-3 day. Alli Gavin hit her first two career home runs in the win over Elon (Feb. 27) before hitting two more home runs the very next day against Charleston Southern (Feb. 28). Against Portland State in the Littlewood Invitational (Feb. 12), VanBrandt hit for the cycle as part of a 5-for-5 day where she also totaled two home runs. Indiana led the nation in three statistical categories in 2025: batting average (.365), doubles per game (2.13) and on base percentage (.454). LAST TIME OUT: Last weekend at the Elon & UNCG Tournament, Indiana put on a highly dominant display. The Hoosiers went 5-0 and won each game by eight runs or more. Across the entire five-game stretch, the Hoosiers also outscored their opponents, 59-3, totaled 13 home runs and 18 stolen bases and got five wins from five different starting pitchers. Taylor Hess was stellar in the circle against UNC Greensboro (Feb. 1). She pitched a complete game in the 11-0 win and totaled seven strikeouts while not allowing a single run. Three Hoosiers hit multiple home runs in the tournament, including four from VanBrandt and Gavin and Josie Bird also hit three when in the state of North Carolina. The Hoosiers have four batters who are hitting above .400, including one player hitting over the .500 mark: Aly VanBrandt (.522), Avery Parker (.451), Cassidy Kettleman (.425) and Alex Cooper (.400). SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: After the month of non-conference competition, Minnesota sports a 7-13 record. Most recently, the Golden Gophers were 1-4 at the Hillenbrand Invitational, with a win over Howard in eight innings. In the weekend prior, Minnesota hosted the Gopher Indoor Classic at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings. The Golden Gophers had a 2-3 showing in the event, taking victories over LIU and Central Michigan. Scarlett Kuhn leads the Golden Gophers at the plate, sporting a .422 batting average with five doubles and one home run to go along with six RBI. Tara Wolocko is leading the team with 16 RBI and six home runs. In the circle, Sydney Schwartz and Macy Richardson each have gotten the most usage, both making 12 appearances and sporting a 3.12 and 4.26 ERA, respectively. The duo has combined for 96 strikeouts. In 2025, Minnesota had a 20-30 record with a 5-17 mark in conference play and did not qualify for the Big Ten Tournament. SERIES HISTORY: Indiana and Minnesota have a close series record in the all-time history between the two programs. Minnesota leads it 56-48 with this being the first series meeting since 2024. In that series, Indiana swept the Golden Gophers in April of that year. ==================================================================== INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL IU FALLS TO OHIO STATE IN BIG TEN TOURNAMENT INDIANAPOLIS – 13-seed Indiana couldn’t keep up with 5-seed Ohio State as it fell, 83-59, on Thursday in the 2026 Allstate Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament second round at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. KEY MOMENTS Indiana (18-14) took advantage of Ohio State missing its first seven shots as it pulled ahead after a pair of freshman forward Maya Makalusky. The lead was as many as six but the Buckeyes finished the first quarter on a 6-0 run in the final 2:50 of play to tie the game at 12-all. The scoring woes entered the second quarter, as at 12-2 scoring run pushed OSU ahead by 10 with 6:03 left before halftime. Indiana was outscored 24-12 in the frame and faced a 36-24 deficit at the break. With a little momentum coming out of the break, Indiana cut the deficit to as few as seven but Indiana’s droughts from the field in the second half allowed the Buckeyes to build up the lead. NOTABLE Senior guard Shay Ciezki recorded her 700th point in the first quarter becoming the second player (Tyra Buss, 763) to score over 700 points in a single season at Indiana (708 points). Ciezki finished the day with 12 points, six rebounds and five assists. Makalusky finished with a team-high 21 points and made five 3-pointers. It pushed her season 3-point total to 64, which moves her into third all-time by a freshman in IU history. Junior forward Edessa Noyan finished with a team-high 11 rebounds, her second-straight double figure rebounding game and the fifth of the season. Freshman guard Nevaeh Caffey added 10 points. ==================================================================== INDIANA BASEBALL BASEBALL CENTRAL: WASHINGTON BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The 30-game sprint through the Big Ten begins this weekend as the Indiana Baseball team (5-7, 0-0 B1G) starts its conference slate against Washington at Bart Kaufman Field. IU is looking to open league play with a series victory for the first time since 2023. Since head coach Jeff Mercer took over the program in 2019, he has won 22 of 26 traditional (three/four games) conference series played in Bloomington. IU wrapped up a busy five-game stretch last week with a trio of road wins against Xavier and Western Kentucky (2). Redshirt freshman designated hitter Brayden Ricketts, the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, and sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley did the heavy lifting as IU’s offense continues to heat up. Each player hit at least .500 with 10-or-more base knocks. Ricketts slugged two home runs on Sunday against Western Kentucky to finish off a productive weekend. Despite Saturday’s doubleheader finale getting away from the staff, IU has pitched the ball at a high level. The Hoosiers have allowed four-or-fewer runs in five of the last seven ballgames. That includes two one-run efforts in each of the last pair of starts by sophomore southpaw Brayton Thomas. IU is 2-1 in games this year that are started by the Fort Wayne native. 10 of the next 11 weekends will feature series against Big Ten opponents as IU chases an at-large bid and a return to the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers will begin with their first ever weekends against Washington (March 6-8) and Oregon (March 13-15) before returning to face the legacy conference programs. The only non-conference weekend left on the schedule is against Abilene Christian in Bloomington. First pitch this weekend is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Friday against the Huskies. All three games in the series will be streamed on B1G+. With potential weather in the area, stay tuned to iuhoosiers.com for any updates to the schedule against Washington. Gameday Info vs. Washington (Friday, March 6th – 5 p.m. ET) Live Video: bit.ly/46HavAt Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j vs. Washington (Saturday, March 7th – 1 p.m. ET) Live Video: bit.ly/3MT2T7n Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j vs. Washington (Sunday, March 8th – Noon ET) Live Video: bit.ly/3MWKUNq Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j Probable Starters Indiana vs. Washington • Friday: LHP Tony Neubeck, Gr. (0-1, 1.46 ERA) • Saturday: LHP Brayton Thomas, So. (1-0, 2.13 ERA) • Sunday: RHP Jackson Bergman, Sr. (1-1, 4.50 ERA) (subject to change with any weather changes) Leading Off BIG HIT RICK: Redshirt freshman designated hitter Brayden Ricketts was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week after a massive week in Bowling Green. He hit .600 (9-15) on the weekend with two home runs and seven RBIs. That includes a three-hit, five-RBI effort in a win on Sunday afternoon. START ‘EM YOUNG: With the weekly honor for Ricketts on Monday, IU has now had 14 different players win a Big Ten Freshman of the Week award since Jeff Mercer became coach in 2019. Five of those 14 players are currently in the starting lineup for the Hoosiers. HANLEY IS HOT: Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley returned to his typical form last week with an 11-20 (.550) offensive stretch in five games. He hit a home run and collected six RBIs. The Mason, Ohio native is starting to see the ball well and has his batting average back over .320. SEEBOLD DEALING: Graduate student right-handed pitcher Gavin Seebold has thrown 11.2 innings of scoreless baseball across four appearances to begin the year. He’s the first IU pitcher with four-straight, multi-inning scoreless outings since Ryan Kraft three years ago (2023). B1G HOME SUCCESS: Under head coach Jeff Mercer, IU has won 22 of 26 traditional Big Ten home series. In fact, IU has never lost more than one conference home series in a year with Mercer as the skipper. Only Maryland in 2023 has swept the Hoosiers at Bart Kaufman Field. BIG THREE: Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley, sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny and sophomore shortstop Cooper Malamazian are the only players to start all 12 games for IU this season. All three players are hitting at least .325 and have combined for 33 of IU’s 71 RBIs this year. FINDING DEPTH: Despite the second game on Saturday getting away, IU actually pitched it very well last week. The Hoosiers allowed four-or-fewer runs in four of the five games. That included a one-run, four hit effort against Western Kentucky on Saturday morning. OL’ RELIABLE: Redshirt junior pitcher Jacob Vogel has been the main option to help IU get out of long innings. In his career, 27 of his 36 appearances have been scoreless outings. He went 3.2 innings without allowing a run last week against Notre Dame. TOUGH BT: Offenses are having a hard time attacking sophomore southpaw Brayton Thomas. The big lefty is allowing opposing batters to hit just .130 against him this year. In 12.2 innings of action, the Fort Wayne native has conceded just three earned runs. BASE KNOCKS: Even without picking up a ton of extra bases, IU has hit the ball at a high clip this year. Six different IU players have at least 10 hits this season. Four of them, all from the same recruiting class, have at least 15 for Mercer and the Hoosiers. Scouting the Opponent Washington • After a great start to its tenure in the Big Ten, Washington has gotten off to a slow start in 2026. The Huskies won a pair of games against San Diego State last weekend but are just 3-9 on the year. Washington is 1-2 in true road games this year after losing a series at Loyola Marymount. • Outfielder Braeden Terry has done the heavy lifting on the offensive side of things. He is hitting .415 with 17 base knocks, a home run and six RBIs. Outfielder Mic Paul is the only other Washington player hitting above .300 on the year. The Huskies are averaging 4.5 runs per game this year and are hitting .246. • Washington has worked a 6.26 ERA in the opening weeks of the season. Gunnar Nichols is the only pitcher to start all three weekends this year. He has a 3.86 ERA over 14 innings of action. Bryce Johnson, Noah Kenney and Hayden Lewis have each made a pair of starts and thrown over 10 innings this year. Inside the Series Washington • This will be the first time these two teams play as members of the Big Ten. The only other two meetings came when Washington was in the Pac-12. It will be the second matchup during the Jeff Mercer era. • IU defeated Washington 1-0 in 2019 (Seattle, Wash.) and 8-2 in 2014 (Surprise, Ariz.). Both of those seasons resulted in a Big Ten regular season championship for the Hoosiers. After dropping weekends to UCLA and USC last year, IU is still looking for its first series victory over a west coast program. • Only Oregon, who IU plays next weekend, has appeared fewer times on IU’s schedule than Washington. The Huskies are making their maiden journey to Bloomington and Bart Kaufman Field. ====================================================================== PURDUE BASEBALL BOILERMAKERS OPEN BIG TEN, HOME SEASONS VS. #24 OREGON GAMEDAY INFORMATION #24 Oregon (10-2) at Purdue (8-3) March 6-8 / Stream B1G+ Series Opener: Friday, March 6 at 4 p.m. ET Middle Game: Saturday, March 7 at 2 p.m. ET Series Finale: Sunday, March 8 at Noon ET Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Ind. Series History: First Meetings WEEKEND PROMOTIONS Friday: No Fly Zone T-Shirt Giveaway (Early Arriving Fans) Sunday: Bark in the Park Dog Day & Dog Toy Giveaway PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS Friday: Cole Van Assen (Jr, RHP) vs. Oregon’s Will Sanford (So, RHP) Saturday: Zach Erdman (Sr, LHP) vs. Oregon’s Collin Clarke (Jr, RHP) Sunday: Jarvis Evans (Sr, LHP) vs. Oregon’s Cal Scolari (R-So, RHP) WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Baseball’s earliest home opener ever coincides with the start of Big Ten Conference play as Oregon makes its first appearance at Alexander Field. First pitch is slated for Friday at 4 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at noon. Saturday’s game time is the most likely to be impacted by the rain in the weekend forecast. With temperatures in the mid-70s Friday and the 60s Saturday and Sunday, the forecast is otherwise very favorable for the first full weekend of March. The Boilermakers open their home schedule riding a six-game win streak, their longest going into a home opener since being 12-0 (on the way to 15-0) in 2022. This season will mark the fifth time since 2019 Purdue has reset the date for its earliest home opener ever. Meanwhile, the Boilers have won eight straight Big Ten openers, the longest such streak in program history. WIN STREAKS OF NOTE • Purdue in All Games: 6 straight since Feb. 21 …Wins against Baylor, Oregon State, Marist (4x) • Purdue in Big Ten Openers: 8 straight since 2017 …Wins against Iowa (2x), Penn State, Northwestern, Nebraska, Ohio State, Michigan State, Minnesota • Purdue in Home Openers: 4 straight since 2022 …Wins against Bellarmine, Northern Illinois, UAlbany, Butler ACTIVE STREAKS • Eli Anderson: 11-game hit in Big Ten play • Brandon Rogers: 6-game hit; 5-game on-base in Big Ten play • Ali Banks: 6-game on-base • Dylan Drake: 5-game on-base • Sergio DeCello: 5-game on-base Oregon is set to become the third team from the Pacific Time Zone to play at Alexander Field, joining Cal State Northridge (2016) and UCLA (2025). The Ducks are led by former Purdue head coach Mark Wasikowski, who was the leader of the Boilermakers for three seasons from 2017-19. He brought current Purdue head coach Greg Goff to campus in the summer of 2017 and Goff succeeded Wasikowski two years later. The two men first worked together as assistants at Southeast Missouri State in the late 90s, helping the Redhawks qualify for their first NCAA Division I Regional in 1998. Twenty years later, they led Purdue to an NCAA Regional after the 2018 team finished second in the Big Ten standings and was a finalist at the Big Ten Tournament. Wasikowski spent five seasons as an assistant at Oregon from 2012-16 before being hired at Purdue in June 2016. Across all sports, he’s believed to be just the third Purdue head coach in at least the last 50 years to later coach against the Boilermakers again as a head coach. Nell Fortner (1996-97 at Purdue) brought her Georgia Tech women’s basketball team to Mackey Arena in December 2021 as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Kathie Wickstrand-McIntosh was the head coach of Purdue women’s swimming & diving during the 1985-86 and 1986-87 seasons before accepting the same job at Northwestern in the spring of 1987. Purdue and Northwestern regularly competed against each other for dual meets over the next decade while Wickstrand was at Northwestern. Wasikowski’s longest-tenured assistant, Jack Marder, was also an assistant at Purdue in the fall of 2016. In its inaugural Big Ten season, Oregon shared the Big Ten title with UCLA. The Boilermakers are opening conference play vs. the defending Big Ten champion for the first time since 2011 against Minnesota. That series in April 2011 was moved to Target Field after the roof of the Metrodome collapsed due to a blizzard over the winter. OPENING WEEKEND OF BIG TEN PLAY • Oregon at Purdue • Michigan State at Nebraska • UCLA at Ohio State • Washington at Indiana • Illinois at USC • Maryland at Troy (Non-Conference) • Penn State at Texas Tech (Non-Conference) • Michigan at Pepperdine (Non-Conference) • Bryant at Rutgers (Non-Conference) • Lindenwood at Iowa (Non-Conference) • Minnesota hosts Tournament Inside U.S. Bank Stadium • Northwestern at Minnesota Tournament EARLIEST HOME OPENERS IN PURDUE HISTORY *Home-Opening Doubleheader • 2024: March 9 vs UAlbany* – W, 11-3 • 2022: March 10 vs Bellarmine – W, 8-4 • 2025: March 12 vs Butler – W, 10-1 • 2019: March 12 vs Milwaukee – L, 6-1 • 1996: March 13 vs Saint Joseph’s (Ind.) – L, 7-0 • 2023: March 15 vs Northern Illinois – W, 14-5 • 1992: March 16 vs Ball State* – W, 9-0 • 1991: March 16 vs Saint Joseph’s (Ind.)* – L, 2-1 • 1994: March 17 vs Saint Joseph’s (Ind.) – W, 3-0 • 1990: March 17 vs Saint Joseph’s (Ind.) – L, 5-3 • 2015: March 18 vs Valparaiso – W, 2-0 (Year 3 at Alexander Field) • 1998: March 18 vs Valparaiso – W, 5-4 • 1993: March 18 vs Saint Joseph’s (Ind.) – W, 8-0 ==================================================================== NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL NOTRE DAME, NC STATE SET FOR ACC QUARTERFINALS DULUTH, Ga. — After beating Miami on Thursday in the Second Round of the 2026 ACC Tournament, No. 5 Notre Dame (21-9) will face No. 4 NC State (20-9) on Friday afternoon. Debbie Antonelli, Beth Mowins and Jess Sims will have the call on ACC Network. The game tips off at 1:30 p.m. NOTES In Notre Dame’s 69-54 win over Miami on Thursday, Hannah Hidalgo led the way once again with 28 points, marking her fifth consecutive 25-point game. She also had eight rebounds, five assists and five steals. Hidago now has 167 steals this year, which is an ACC single-season record. Malaya Cowles posted 12 rebounds in the contest, while Cassandre Prosper and Iyana Moore had 12 and 11 points, respectively. Cowles now has 501 career rebounds. The Irish limited Miami to just four points in the second quarter, the Hurricanes’ lowest scoring output in a quarter this season. Gisela Sanchez hit a big fourth quarter three-pointer for Notre Dame on Thursday and is now 10-14 from deep over the last eight games. Notre Dame has won its first ACC Tournament game in each of the last five seasons. The Irish are 11-6 all-time against the Wolfpack, including a 3-0 showing in the ACC Tournament. ===================================================================== NOTRE DAME HOCKEY WERNER CONVERTS IN OVERTIME; LIFTS IRISH TO 5-4 WIN AT BUCKEYES COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Irish hockey team scored four unanswered goals Thursday night en route to a 5-4 overtime victory on the road at Ohio State University. The Buckeyes jumped out to an early lead when a shot beat Nicholas Kempf at 3:23 of the opening period and then extended their lead with a powerplay goal after the Irish were called for a cross-check halfway through the frame. The Irish continued to press the Buckeye zone despite trailing 2-0 in the final minutes. Sutter Muzzatti broke finally broke through for the Irish at the 16:03 mark to get the Irish on the board. Notre Dame went on to convert twice more before the end of the period as Dashel Oliver and Evan Werner each found twine within 30 seconds to give the Irish the 3-2 lead. The Buckeyes nearly had the equalizer in the waning seconds when a shot from the neutral zone trickled off the sleeve of Kempf before being removed from danger by a defenseman as the horn sounded on the frame. With a skater from either side called for roughing early in the second stanza, the Irish and Buckeyes would skate four-on-four for two minutes where the visitors extended their lead off the stick of Muzzatti for his second of the night. The remainder of the second period was riddled with penalties but neither team could convert during the special teams play as the Irish clung to their 4-2 lead heading into the final period Thursday on the road. The whistles continued to be at play early in the third period as the Irish were called for a hold just 30 seconds into the frame and were tasked with their fourth attempted kill of the night. Notre Dame managed to kill off the infraction unscathed as they returned to full strength with 2:30 elapsed in the third. Ohio State got one back at 4:47 of the third period when they connected on a backdoor tap-in to make it a 4-3 contest. The Buckeyes tied the game up when an oded-man entry into the zone saw an Irish defenseman sprawled out trying to break up the play. The attackers read the play and passed the puck beyond the Irish skater to beat Kempf in the Notre Dame crease for the 4-4 score at 10:13 of the third. With just over six minutes to play, Ohio State fans thought their team had scored when a shot beat Kempf above the blocker but the shot rang off the corner of the post and sailed back into play to keep the game knotted. At 15:16 of the third period the Irish were awarded their first true powerplay opportunity of the night after Brennan Ali drew a slash just outside the crease to stop a potential scoring opportunity. The first powerplay unit had numerous chances midway through the man-advantage opportunity but were unable to convert as the Buckeyes killed the infraction and returned to full strength. A late backhander from Dashel Oliver nearly gave the Irish the win in regulation but his shot was stopped with 2.6 seconds to go in the third to force the overtime session. It was junior Evan Werner who clinched the victory for the Irish Thursday evening with a goal at 3:23 of the overtime session to skate away with a 5-4 victory. KEY STATS With both juniors earning a start Thursday night, Danny Nelson and Paul Fischer both eclipse 100 career games in an Irish sweater. Both skaters registered a point in their milestone game. The Irish closed out the first period with a trio of goals in just 1:46 to carry a 3-2 lead into the intermission. Evan Werner finished the night with four points, registering his third four-point night of the season with two goals and two assists. Sutter Muzzatti boasted multiple goals along with an assist for a three-point game. UP NEXT The Irish and Buckeyes close out the regular season with a 6:30pm tilt on B1G+. ===================================================================== BUTLER BASEBALL BULLDOGS HOST MOREHEAD STATE AT DROPLIGHT GRAND PARK INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will host Morehead State for a four-game series at Droplight Grand Park this weekend. Friday, March 6 will feature a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. and the second game will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. GAMEDAY INFORMATION DATE: Friday, Mar. 6 – Sunday, Mar. 8 GAME TIMES: Friday – 1 PM & 4 PM, Saturday – 2 PM, Sunday – 1 PM LOCATION: Westfield, Ind. / Droplight Grand Park LIVE STATS: Butlersports.com ABOUT THE BULLDOGS Butler (3-8) went 1-2 last weekend against Marshall. Butler picked up a 7-2 victory in game two of the series behind a stellar performance from Max Winders on the mound. Winders was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after tossing five innings allowing only one hit and one run while punching out eight. The Carmel native picked up the save in the contest and dominated the Thundering Herd from start to finish after entering at the start of the fifth. Logan Crock was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watchlist on Wednesday morning. 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. Gavin Gilmore leads Butler at the plate, batting .354 to start the season. Gilmore ranks first on the team with 17 hits while recording eight RBIs and 10 runs. Winders has been dominant on the mound for the Bulldogs. In four appearances (one start), Winders has posted a 2.65 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP. The sophomore leads Butler with 22 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 MOREHEAD STATE Morehead State (5-7) is coming off a 13-5 midweek victory over Louisville on Tuesday. Earlier this season, the Eagles took down No. 18 Kentucky in Lexington 8-6. Morehead was lifted to victory behind homers from Aubrey Kearns and Jaden Correa. Kearns leads the squad at the dish, slashing .404/.660/1.132 in 12 games. The sophomore has 19 hits, 10 runs scored, three doubles, three home runs and 12 RBIs to go with five walks. On the mound, Landon Waugh has tossed a team-high 13.2 innings and boasts a 5.27 ERA. Waugh has recorded 15 strikeouts and is holding his opponents to a .192 batting average. UP NEXT The Bulldogs will return to action on Tuesday, March 10 as the Dawgs travel to Louisville, Ky. to take on Bellarmine. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. More information will be available on butlersports.com. ====================================================================== BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL NO. 9 SEEDED BUTLER FACES NO. 8 SEEDED GEORGETOWN IN FIRST ROUND OF BIG EAST TOURNAMENT INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will face Georgetown in the opening round of the 2026 BIG EAST Tournament Presented by Jeep on Friday, March 6. Tip-off for the contest is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena. This will be the third time Butler and Georgetown face one another this season, as each side picked up a road victory during the regular season. The game will be streamed live on Peacock with John Fanta, Kim Adams and Caroline Pineda on the call. GAMEDAY INFORMATION Date: Friday, Mar. 6, 2026 Time: 11 AM Location: Uncasville, Conn. Live Stats: Butlersports.com Watch: Peacock ABOUT THE BULLDOGS Butler (12-18, 6-14 BE) is coming off its third-consecutive victory as BU took down Seton Hall 62-55 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Sunday. Mallory Miller led the Dawgs with 19 points in the contest. Miller chipped in three rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal. Anna Wypych was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the week on Monday after a 2-0 week for Butler. Wypych averaged 14.5 points, two rebounds and two assists across the two games. The freshman shot 42.9 percent (9-21) from the floor and sank 33.3 percent (4-12) of her shots from distance. Saniya Jackson earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday after averaging a double-double last week for BU. The redshirt sophomore averaged 12 points per game and 11 rebounds per game. Over the course of the week, Jackson pulled down 19 defensive rebounds to go with three offensive boards. She added three steals, two assists and a block. Butler has posted double-digit assists in 18 of 20 league games this season. Butler recorded 14 assists as a team against Seton Hall, behind a game-high five assists from Kennedy Langham. Saniya Jackson recorded her second double-double of the season against DePaul tallying 19 points on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting performance from the floor. Jackson grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds and added an assist and three steals. Miller leads the BU offense, averaging 9.4 points per game. The redshirt sophomore is shooting 40.1-percent from the floor and 32.6-percent from beyond the arc. Saniya Jackson leads the squad on the glass, pulling down 5.5 rebounds per game. Butler’s two freshmen, Addison Baxter and Wypych, have been solid contributors this season for BU, averaging 19.1 and 16.7 minutes per game, respectively. Baxter, a 2025 Indiana All-Star from Columbia City, is averaging 5.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.9 steals per game. She is shooting 43.6-percent from the floor and is sinking 77.4-percent of her attempts from the charity stripe. Wypych posts 6.1 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. The Michigan native has been impressive from the floor, shooting 43.7-percent while sinking 36.8-percent of her shots from behind the arc. BU is in the top 100 nationally in bench points per game (22.8; 72nd) and free throw percentage (74.3%; 91st). Austin Parkinson is in his fourth season at the helm of the Bulldogs. Parkinson has led the squad to 42 wins in his first three seasons. SCOUTING GEORGETOWN Georgetown (13-16, 6-14 BE) concluded the regular season with a 59-54 loss against DePaul in Washington, D.C. GU was led by Indya Davis, who scored 11 points in the contest. Khia Miller leads the Hoya offense, averaging 9.3 points per game. Miller is shooting 40.8-percent from the field and 29.8-percent from beyond the arc. Destiny Agubata paces GU on the glass, pulling down five rebounds per game. ABOUT THE SERIES Butler is 14-13 all-time against Georgetown dating back to 2014. The two sides split the season series as BU took down the Hoyas in D.C. on February 21, 66-58. Wypych led a quartet of Bulldogs in double figures with 13 points in the contest. Butler and Georgetown last met in the BIG EAST Tournament in 2023. Georgetown won the contest 53-46. ===================================================================== BUTLER SOFTBALL PREVIEW: FIVE GAMES ON TAP IN NASHVILLE AT MAYNARD INVITATIONAL DATE: Friday, March 6 – Sunday, March 8 LOCATION: Clarksville, Tenn. / Austin Peay & Lipscomb LIVE STATS: butlersports.com (statbroadcast) LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ The Butler softball team will participate in the Cathi Maynard Invitational this weekend near Nashville, Tenn. The Bulldogs (5-7) are scheduled to play five games vs. three opponents: Western Michigan, Austin Peay, and Lipscomb. The Dawgs have recently suffered a few game cancellations, having last played in the Hilltopper Classic at Western Kentucky, Feb. 20-21. Bulldog Bits at the Hilltopper Classic With six RBIs vs. Detroit Mercy, senior Hailey Conger tied the Butler record for single-game RBIs, and she now joins two other Bulldogs who have done the same. Monique Hoosen accomplished the feat in 2024, and Erin Falkenberry reached the milestone four times in 2009. Freshman Kendall Graves hit the first two home runs of her career, producing five total RBIs. Sophomore Maren Berger produced a 0.95 ERA in the circle, yielding only one earned run in 7.1 innings of work over two appearances. Conger, Graves, and Berger were each named to the Feb. 23 BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after their performances at the Hilltopper Classic. Western Michigan defeated Butler, 12-2 (6 in.), earlier this season at the Hilltopper Classic. SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS Western Michigan (7-6, 0-0 MAC) Series record: WMU leads, 2-1 Western Michigan has wins over Butler, Detroit Mercy, Dayton, Morehead State, Presbyterian, and Le Moyne. Losses came to South Alabama (2), Western Kentucky (2) and UAB. The Broncos split games with Jacksonville State. Hitting leaders: #9 Malartsik (.516) 16H, 8RBI, 3SB | #22 Duncan (.333) 14H, 3-2B, 3-3B, 3HR, 16 RBI | #27 Herman (.294) 10H, 3-2B, HR, 8RBI Pitching leaders: #33 Geyer (2-2) 38.1-IP, 2.92 ERA, 38K | #24 Potts (3-3) 22.1-IP, 6.58 ERA, 21K Austin Peay (12-8, 0-0 ASUN) Series record: Butler leads, 4-0 The Governors have wins that include Ohio, Central Michigan, USI, and Drexel, Losses include Sam Houston (2), Georgia State (2), and UIC. The team split with Lamar and McNeese State. Hitting leaders: #4 Baker (.431) 31H, 3SB | #9 Shelander (.407) 24H, 7-2B, 4HR, 16 RBI | #5 Raper (.327) 16H, 9HR, 15RBI Pitching leaders: #14 Jones (7-3) 52.0-IP, 2.96 ERA, 47K | #17 Nichols (0-1) 20.1-IP, 3.79 ERA, 6K | #28 Grayson (4-4) 37.2-IP, 4.83 ERA, 12K Lipscomb (4-14*, 0-0 ASUN) Series record: Lipscomb leads, 2-5 The Bisons have wins over UAB, SEMO, Towson, and Furman. Losses include Purdue, Clemson, Baylor, SIU, Bowling Green, and Western Carolina. Hitting leaders: #4 Kirby (.469) 23H, 2-2B | #23 Cunningham (.407) 24H, 2-2B, 8SB | #44 Sherman (.322) 19H, 4-2B, 3HR, 13RBI | #14 Martin (.317) 13H, 3-2B, 4HR, 15RBI Pitching leaders: #14 Martin (0-3) 30.1-IP, 3.23 ERA, 9K | #27 Beam (1-6) 43.2-IP, 4.17 ERA, 21K ===================================================================== IU INDY SOFTBALL JAGUARS DROP BACK-TO-BACK GAMES IN DAY ONE OF EKU INVITE RICHMOND, Ky. – IU Indy wrapped up the opening day of the EKU Invitational on Thursday with a pair of losses, falling to host Eastern Kentucky, 12-1 in five innings, before dropping a 13-0 decision to Miami (Ohio) later in the afternoon at Gertrude Hood Field. The Jaguars struck first in the top of the opening inning against EKU. Adeline Blackwell worked a leadoff walk, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error before Kennedy Cowan drove her in with an RBI double to give IU Indy an early 1-0 lead. Eastern Kentucky responded quickly, plating three runs in the bottom of the first and adding five more in the second to build an 8-1 advantage. The Colonels used a combination of timely hitting and power, finishing with 10 hits and five home runs in the game. Cowan led the Jaguars offensively with a double and the team’s lone RBI, while Blackwell added a stolen base as IU Indy totaled three hits in the contest. In the circle, Lily Roush, Callie Dickerson and Sidney Parks combined for the five innings of work. In the afternoon matchup, Miami (Ohio) jumped out early and never looked back, scoring one run in the first and three in the second on its way to a 13-0 win. The RedHawks broke the game open with a seven-run seventh inning and finished with 18 hits. IU Indy was limited to two hits in the game, coming from Blackwell and Tori Candler. Alexa Holman made the start in the circle, tossing 6.1 innings, while Kaylen Garland closed out the final two-thirds of an inning. The Jaguars (3-16) will look to bounce back as they continue play at the EKU Invitational on Friday with a single game against Miami (Ohio). ===================================================================== BALL STATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL MVB FALLS TO THE RAMBLERS CHICAGO – The ninth-ranked Ball State men’s volleyball program fought valiantly inside Gentile Arena Thursday evening but ultimately fell to No. 8 Loyola Chicago in straight sets (21-25, 21-25, 24-16). Even with the outcome, the Cardinals (15-3, 6-2 MIVA) out hit the Ramblers (11-4, 5-1 MIVA) in all three sets, averaging a .475 clip as a team compared to Loyola’s .456. Both units faced struggles with service aces throughout the closely contested match, which saw 26 total ties, as Ball State tallied 18 and Loyola recorded 17. Senior outside Patrick Rogers led Ball State’s offense with 10 kills while hitting .500. Wil Basilio added nine kills on a .600 clip, his second-best average this season, while Ryan Louis contributed six kills. Junior Setting Lucas Machado was instrumental in guiding the Cardinals to its third-most efficient outing of the year, totaling 29 assists. Machado also recorded a team-best two service aces. Although he only entered during the closing set of the evening, freshman Daniel Günther was a key component to Ball State’s defense, leading the team with four blocks. Rogers and Louis added three blocks each, while Braydon Savitski-Lynde contributed a pair. Machado and Basilio also recorded one block each. For the sixth occasion this season, libero Victor Scherer paced Ball State in digs, making up five of the Cardinals’ 11 total. After seeing the first two sets go in favor of the host, Ball State maintained the advantage nearly all the way through the third game, leading by as many as four. At 21-17, the Ramblers rallied a 9-3 run, closed by three straight kills from Loyola’s Daniel Fabikovic to take the win. Ball State looks to avenge its conference blemish on Saturday, March 7 as it visits No. 14 Lewis. First serve is slated to take place at 6 p.m. ET. ===================================================================== BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL MEN’S BASKETBALL HOSTING CENTRAL MICHIGAN FRIDAY FOR SENIOR DAY The Ball State men’s basketball team is set to conclude the season with a 7 p.m. Friday night game against Central Michigan at Worthen Arena. Fans are encouraged to arrive early for a pregame Senior Day ceremony. Mick Tidrow and David Eha will be on the ESPN+ broadcast, while Mark Foerster and Scot Bunnell handle the radio call on WMUN 92.5 FM / 1340 AM and on the WMUN app. Links to both broadcasts, tickets and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page. Ball State (11-19, 6-11 Mid-American Conference) has won three games in a row after a 74-71 overtime decision at Western Michigan on Tuesday night behind 28 points from Armoni Zeigler. Central Michigan (10-20, 6-11 MAC) fell 77-64 to Akron at home on Tuesday but is still in contention for a bid in next week’s MAC Tournament. The Chippewas need to win Friday and have Buffalo lose at Toledo to clinch the bid. Andy Bronkema is in his first season as the CMU head coach after 12 years at NCAA Division II Ferris State. The Chippewas were picked to finish 12th in the conference preseason coaches poll. Central is the top MAC team in blocks per game (4.3) and ranks 10th in scoring offense (73.5 points per game) and seventh in scoring defense (76.6 points per game) in the league. Senior guard Tamario Adley paces the Chippewas with 12.9 points a game followed by senior center Nathan Claerbaut’s 12.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and MAC high 2.1 blocks per game. CARDIAC CARDINALS: Ball State trailed by four points with under 15 seconds to play but forced overtime thanks to a 3-pointer and layup from Armoni Zeigler in Tuesday night’s 74-71 win at Western Michigan. The Cardinals also beat UMass in an extra session on Feb. 24 and have won their last four games that went to overtime (2-0 in 2024-25 season). ZEIGLER STUFFS THE STAT SHEET: Junior guard Armoni Zeigler tallied 28 points, seven rebounds and a career best eight assists to help the Cardinals beat the Broncos on Tuesday. The game was Zeigler’s third this year with 28 or more points following 30 at Akron (Jan. 13) and 28 in the win against Ohio (Jan. 16). RALLYING ON THE ROAD: Ball State has won back-to-back road games for this first time this season and has gone 4-3 in the last seven games away from Worthen Arena. The Cardinals won tight games by five or fewer points in three of those contests, with the exception being a 79-43 blowout at Northern Illinois. HOUNDING THE HUSKIES: Ball State’s 43 points allowed in the 79-43 win last Saturday at Northern Illinois were the fewest the men’s basketball team has allowed against a Mid-American Conference opponent since March 11, 2019 in a 61-43 win against Eastern Michigan. The 36-point margin of victory was the largest against a MAC foe for the Cardinals since a 115-79 decision vs EMU on Feb. 27, 2016. Ball State gave up only 96 total points to the Huskies in the two-game season series including a 58-53 win against Northern Illinois on Jan. 24. That was the first time the Cardinals had won a game scoring fewer than 60 points since Dec. 21, 2022 against Georgia Southern (58-54). The last time the program had won a conference game without reaching the 60-point mark was Feb. 16, 2019 vs Akron (57-56). STRONG START TO THE SECOND HALF: Ball State started the second half of Saturday’s win over Northern Illinois on a 21-0 scoring run to take a 57-29 lead with 13 minutes to play. The stretch was Ball State’s best against an NCAA Division I foe this season following a 15-0 run at Central Michigan on Jan. 20. The Cardinals started the game against Earlham on Dec. 29 up 33-0. HILL TO THE HOOP: Guard Davion Hill led the Cardinals in points (17), rebounds (six) and assists (season best seven) at NIU a game after going for a season high 26 points in last Tuesday night’s 74-73 overtime win against UMass. The 26-point performance included an 11-for-11 showing at the free throw line, which was the first 100 percent effort at the foul line for a Cardinal this season shooting more than six free throws. Hill has now scored in double figures in nine straight games and 13 of the last 14 and leads the team in average points overall (13.6 per game) and in MAC play (15.7). FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME FOR OVERTIME: The Ball State men’s basketball program went 33 games between overtime contests before the 74-73 win over UMass on Feb. 24 featuring an extra session. The Cardinals’ last overtime game before that was an 89-83 win against Northern Illinois on Feb. 15, 2025. FIVE IN DOUBLE FIGURES: Ball State got five scorers in double figures for the second straight game in Saturday’s win at NIU. Hill paced the Cardinals with 17 points followed by Armoni Zeigler (13 points), Elmore James IV (12), Kayden Fish (12) and Devon Barnes (11). Four Cardinals scored 10 points each in the overtime win over UMass on Feb. 24 to join Hill (26) in double figures. MILESTONES MET: Senior guards Devon Barnes and Juwan Maxey hit career scoring milestones in their respective NCAA Division I careers on Feb. 14 against Kent State. Barnes joined the 1,000-point club on a free throw late in the first half, and Maxey made a layup early in the second half to hit the 500-point mark. BENCH GETTING BUCKETS: Led by Kayden Fish’s 17 points at Louisiana Monroe, the Ball State bench scored more than half the team’s points with 38 in the win against the Warhawks. Davion Hill added 14, and Juwan Maxey chipped in seven for the team averaging the fourth-most bench points per game in the MAC (25.5). SUCCESS OVER THE SUN BELT: Ball State’s win at Louisiana Monroe on Feb. 7 clinched the Cardinals’ first sweep of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge, which is in its third season. A 75-64 win over Louisiana in the season opener was the first leg in the two-game event. Ball State is now 3-0 at home and 1-2 on the road in the Challenge and was one of only three MAC teams to win on Saturday against Sun Belt opponents. The Cardinals became the first team in the series history with the Warhawks to win on the road, as both teams entered the contest 2-0 at home for a 2-2 split. TURNOVER TALK: Ball State committed only seven turnovers in last Saturday’s win at Northern Illinois, which was the fifth game this season giving away seven or fewer turnovers (season low five at Central Michigan on Jan. 20). Ball State is the top conference team in taking care of the ball (9.7 turnovers per game) and turnover margin (+2.4) against MAC foes. Ball State kept control of the ball at Bowling Green on Feb. 3, giving up only 10 turnovers to a team that averaged more than 16 turnovers forced per game entering the contest for the sixth-most in NCAA Division I. The Cardinals have had 15 games so far this season with 10 or fewer giveaways. CARDINALS CLAMPING DOWN ON DEFENSE: Ball State leads the Mid-American Conference in scoring defense (69.5 points per game) and ranks third in fewest fouls committed per game (15.9) and fourth in turnovers forced per game (12.8) through the season’s first 30 contests. ====================================================================== BALL STATE BASEBALL BASEBALL SET FOR MAC AND HOME OPENING SERIES VS CENTRAL MICHIGAN The Ball State baseball team is set to host Central Michigan for a trio of 1 p.m. games starting Friday in the Mid-American Conference and home opener at Shebek Stadium. The Cardinals and Chippewas are schedule to square off on Saturday and Sunday as well to kick off MAC play. Each game will be broadcast on WMUN 92.5 FM / 1340 AM and on the WMUN app, while Saturday and Sunday’s contest are set to be aired on ESPN+. Friday’s game will feature a single camera broadcast on the WMUN Facebook page. Ball State (5-6) is coming off a 1-3 weekend in Hawaii, where the Cardinals beat the Rainbow Warriors 1-0 on Saturday behind a complete game shutout from Brendan Garza. Central Michigan (5-5) got swept in a three-game set at Louisville last weekend but won series at West Georgia and Belmont to begin the year. Jake Sabol is in his third season as the head coach of the Chippewas, who were picked to finish seventh in the 12-team MAC preseason poll. Central leads the league in sacrifice bunts (eight) and ranks second in batting average (.283) and slugging percentage (.440). The Chippewas score the third-most runs per game (7.4) in the MAC while having the sixth-best ERA (6.17). Senior outfielder Cole Prout hits .259 with a 1.093 OPS and ranks second in the conference in walks (13) and hit by pitch (seven) and fourth in on base percentage (.574). Freshman right-handed pitcher Luke Neiswonger boasts a 2-0 record, 4.11 ERA and MAC-most 20 strikeouts in three starts to begin his collegiate career. Ball State’s next scheduled contest after this weekend is a Tuesday night game at Kentucky. 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 Saturday night. 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). LONG TIME RIVALRY: Central Michigan (181 games) is Ball State baseball’s second-most commonly played opponent behind Western Michigan (198 games). The Cardinals took 2 of 3 games against the Chippewas each of the last two seasons. Ball State won the first two games of each series before CMU salvaged the final both in 2025 and 2024. BALIUS BATS AND RUNS: Senior Gavin Balius had his 10-game hitting streak to begin the season snapped on Sunday at Hawaii but leads the Cardinals in total hits (14) and stolen bases (12) through the first 11 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 ranks second in Division I entering this weekend with the 11 steals. PITCHERS PUTTING IN WORK: Led by Garza (3.00 ERA, 15 strikeouts in 18.0 innings), Owen Quinn (0 runs, nine strikeouts in 12.0 frames), Alex Burden (3.12 ERA, nine strikeouts in 8.2 innings), and John Chambers (3.37 ERA, 10 strikeouts in 10.2 frames), the Ball State pitching staff has been one of the best in the league to start the year. The Cardinals rank second in the MAC in ERA (5.21) and fewest hits allowed per nine innings (8.62) and third in WHIP (1.46) 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 seven errors in 392 chances for a .980 fielding percentage (third in the MAC) to start the season. NEW LOOK OFFENSE: Balius is the lone returning Ball State hitter with more than 100 at bats last season. Balius produced a .303/.343/.407 slash line in 178 at bats while tallying a team high 22 steals in 2025. Senior Ben Giovannetti (90 at bats) and junior Max Kalk (46) are the next two Cardinals with the most times to plate last season. Senior Brett Griffiths (40 at bats) and sophomores DJ Scheumann (25), Brayden Huebner (23) and John Colligan (19) will look to get more experience swinging the bat in their second seasons at Ball State. ==================================================================== BALL STATE SOFTBALL SCHEDULE UPDATE: SOFTBALL HEADS TO LOUISVILLE FOR CARDINAL CLASSIC » THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: The Ball State softball team closes its 2026 pre-conference slate this weekend at the Cardinal Classic hosted by Louisville … The Cardinals open the three-day event Friday with games versus Bellarmine (11 a.m.) and host Louisville (1:30 p.m.) … Saturday’s lone game will be a rematch of the battle of the Cardinals starting at 9 a.m. … Ball State is also slated to play Long Island (11:30 a.m.) and Illinois (2 p.m.) Sunday. » THE OVERALL RECORD: Ball State enters the Cardinal Classic with a 1217-1195-4 (.505) overall record dating back to the 1975 season … The Cardinals finished the 2025 campaign with a 33-18 record to reach the 30-win mark for the 17th time in program history and the 12th time in the past 18 seasons. » LAST TIME OUT: Ball State went 3-2 at the Hilltopper Spring Fling hosted by Western Kentucky … BSU topped Illinois by a score of 7-6 and IU Indy by a score of 2-1 (8) on the opening day … After losing an extra-inning thriller by a score of 6-4 (10) to host WKU to open play Saturday, the Cardinals rebounded with a 12-4 (5) victory over IU Indy … Ball State closed the event with a 4-2 setback to Illinois Sunday. » A QUICK LOOK AT THE CARDINALS: OFFENSE: Senior first baseman Lindsey DeRoeck has made quite the impact in her first season at Ball State, leading the team and ranking 77th nationally with a .463 batting average … Named MAC Co-Player of the Week for her play at last weekend’s Hilltopper Spring Fling, DeRoeck also leads the squad with 17 RBIs and 11 of her 19 hits have gone for multiple bases, including seven doubles, a triple and three home runs … Senior pitcher / designated player Ella Whitney has been almost as solid, boasting a .385 average with 14 RBIs, three doubles and three home runs. PITCHING: Redshirt junior Bridie Murphy was named the MAC Co-Pitcher of the Week for her effort at the Hilltopper Spring Fling, which included an eight-inning complete game victory over IU Indy in which she struck out seven batters and limited the Jaguars to five hits … Murphy is second on the squad with a 3.15 ERA this season, while holding opposing batters to a .286 average this season … Freshman Gray Gray leads the squad with a 3.11 ERA and 15 strikeouts, one more than Murphy. DEFENSE: Ball State ranks fourth in the MAC and 91st nationally with a .968 fielding percentage … The Cardinals have committed just 12 errors on the season, while turning five double plays. » VERSUS THE CARDINAL CLASSIC FIELD: Ball State owns a 14-12 record against teams in the Cardinal Classic field … The Cardinals own a 3-1 edge in the all-time series versus Bellarmine, including a 3-1 victory in the latest meeting March 25, 2025 … Ball State is 1-4 all-time versus Louisville, but have not played the Cardinals since an 8-0 (5) setback on March 8, 2015 … BSU has already picked up a pair of wins over Long Island this season, with the most recent being a 12-2 (5) win on Feb. 8 at the FGCU Kickoff Classic … Ball State split a pair of games with Illinois last weekend, with the Illini earning a 4-2 win in Sunday’s final game for both squads at the Hilltopper Spring Fling. BALL STATE NEWS & NOTES: » ONE OF THE NATION’S BEST: After a breakout year in her first season with the Ball State softball program in 2025, senior Ella Whitney has earned recognition as one of the top pitcher/utility players in the country … She entered the 2026 season ranked as the No. 9 Pitcher/Utility Player in D1Softball’s Preseason Player Position Rankings … In addition, she was the 49th-ranked player in the D1Softball Preseason Mid-Major D100 Player Rankings … Including her two seasons at FIU, Whitney owns 26 pitching wins, two saves and 129 strikeouts … She is also a .307 career batter with 117 hits, including 24 doubles, one triple and 18 home runs … Her 100th career hit was an RBI single in the bottom of the third inning to drive in what proved to be the game-winning run in a 3-0 shutout over Central Michigan in the 2025 regular season finale. » CLIMBING THE BALL STATE CHARTS: Junior Maia Pietrzak enters the Cardinal Classic ranked 12th in program history with a .335 (84-for-257) career batting average … She is Ball State’s active career leader with 84 career runs scored, with her 60 runs in 2025 ranking as the third-best total in a season in program history … Pietrzak also currently ranks seventh in program history with a .440 on base percentage. » ON THE OFFENSIVE FRONT: Ball State put on an offensive clinic last season, ranking first in the MAC and 22nd nationally by averaging 6.59 runs per game … The Cardinals have opened the 2026 season on a similar pace, averaging 5.77 runs per game to rank fifth in the league and 90th nationally … Both of Ball State’s wins at the FGCU Kickoff Classic came via the run rule, with the Cardinals have out-scored opponents 75 to 51 so far this year. » TAKING THE HIT: A pride point for the offense under the leadership of third-year associate head coach Matt Burns, Ball State batters have been hit by a pitch 13 times so far this season to rank fourth in the MAC and 79th nationally … Last season, the Cardinals lead the nation by being hit 91 times, which was a BSU single season record topping the previous mark of 55 set in 2015 … The next closest team was St. John’s, which was hit 69 times over 57 games, six more than the 51 the Cardinals played … Under Burns’ offensive guidance Ball State batters have been hit by 156 pitches over the past two-plus seasons. » WALK THIS WAY: The Cardinals have drawn 63 total walks so far this season, including tying the program’s single game record with 14 walks in the 9-5 victory over Southern Indiana (Feb. 13) … Ball State previously drew 14 walks in a 15-7 (6) victory over Kent State on April 4, 2018 … Junior third baseman Mandy Lauth currently leads the team with 11 walks, while ranking first in the MAC and 15th nationally with 0.92 walks per game … Lauth, who has also been hit-by-pitch a team-leading six times this season, is second in the MAC and 53rd nationally with a .575 on base percentage … Senior outfielder Ashley Lovett is fifth in the league and 117th nationally with 0.69 walks per game. » LEADING THE CHARGE: In addition to leading the squad with 17 RBIs so far this season, Lindsey DeRoeck has a MAC-best .902 slugging percentage … Of her 19 hits, 11 have gone for multiple bases including seven doubles, one triple and three home runs. » PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATION: The Ball State softball team was picked to finish third among the 12 teams in the MAC’s annual preseason coaches’ poll … The Cardinals earned 98 total points and two first-place votes … Miami was picked to win its seventh consecutive MAC regular season titles with 116 points and eight first-place votes, while Ohio was selected second with 108 points and one first-place tally … The Cardinals also earned one vote to win the MAC Softball Championship title, with Miami and Ohio garnering five each. =================================================================== INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SYCAMORES UNABLE TO SHAKE OFF SLOW START, FALL TO PANTHERS IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State closed out its regular season Thursday night, as visiting Northern Iowa defeated the Sycamores 92-73 inside Hulman Center. Tierney Kelsey led the Sycamores with 18 points, while Kennedy Claybrooks tacked on 13 and Clemisha Prackett produced her fourth double-double in the last five games with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Claybrooks added four assists, while Ruth Sodipe produced her best game of the season with seven points and five rebounds. The Panthers came out scoring quick opening the game on an 11-0 run, which proved to be too much for the Sycamores to come back from, despite keeping pace with them for the remainder of the game. Northern Iowa doubled up Indiana State 34-17 in the opening frame, and cruised to a win on the road. First Half Jayci Allen opened the scoring for the Trees with five quick points after the visitors opened the game on an 11-0 run, which included Sycamore head coach Marc Mitchell burning a timeout less than 20 seconds into the game. The Sycamores continued to battle with back-to-back baskets by Prackett, but Northern Iowa closed the quarter on a 20-8 run to lead 34-17 after one. The Trees and the Panthers traded baskets for the opening minutes of the second quarter. Despite baskets by Kelsey, Claybrooks and Ruth Sodipe, the Sycamores remained down by double-digits. A low-scoring second quarter saw the teams score 15 apiece in the frame, with Northern Iowa taking a 49-32 lead to the intermission. Second Half The Sycamores went down low throughout the third quarter, with all of Indiana State’s production coming in the paint or at the free throw line. Prackett had eight points and seven rebounds in the period, but the Trees never got closer than 16. Despite keeping Northern Iowa in check for the final three minutes of the period, the Sycamores trailed 71-50 with 10 minutes to play. Kelsey scored four of the Sycamores’ six points in the opening four minutes of the final quarter, as the teams traded baskets in the front half of the frame. The Sycamores went cold during the middle stages of the period, going nearly four minutes without a basket as Sodipe free throws were the only points for the Blue and White in that stretch. The Sycamores found a spark late with 15 points in the final three-plus minutes, largely thanks to threes from Kelsey and Kayla Smith, but the deficit was too much to overcome in a 92-73 setback. News and Notes: Ruth Sodipe had a career night, finishing with seven points and five rebounds in 15 minutes of action. The seven points and five boards were both season-high marks, while she also dished out an assist and was 3-for-4 from the charity stripe Clemisha Prackett recorded her 11th double-double this season, with four coming in the last five games. With 42 points off the bench, Thursday’s game was the third straight in which the Sycamores had 42 bench points and fourth straight game with 40-plus bench points. Indiana State’s four blocks were the Sycamores’ most since their Feb. 21 win over Southern Illinois. Indiana State closed out the regular season with nine wins, more than doubling the Sycamores’ 2024-25 win total. The Trees’ five conference wins were a three-win improvement from last season. Up Next Indiana State turns its attention to the MVC Tournament, with the Sycamores’ seed and first round opponent still to be determined. The Blue and White will play at either 4:30 or 7 p.m. March 12 in the opening round. ===================================================================== INDIANA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL SYCAMORES CONCLUDE 2025-26 SEASON WITH LOSS TO VALPARAISO ST. LOUIS – Indiana State men’s basketball wrapped up the 2025-26 season with a loss to No. 7 Valparaiso, 63-62, in the 2026 State Farm MVC Tournament on Thursday night. The Sycamores ended the season with an 11-21, 4-16 MVC record. Camp Wagner led the Sycamores in both scoring and rebounding with 13 points and eight rebounds, adding in four assists. Ian Scott followed with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three blocks. Enel St. Bernard finished with 10 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting from the field with six rebounds, four steals, an assist, and a block. The game started in favor of the Sycamores, holding a 9-6 lead at the first media timeout and 16-8 just above the 12-minute mark in the half. Valpo tied the game at 18 apiece midway through the first half. Indiana State used a 9-1 run from 8:07-3:05 to take a 30-21 lead. Each team scored seven points apiece as Indiana State took a 37-28 lead into the halftime break. Valparaiso came close twice within the first four minutes of the second half, but the Sycamores led 41-38. Following a pair of Valpo free throws, Indiana State built to a 50-40 lead with 13 minutes on the clock. Camp Wagner made a three with 8:06 on the clock, and at the 5:17 mark Ian Scott made a layup. That Scott layup ended up being the final field goal for the Sycamores. The Beacons closed the game on a 10-2 run, but the Sycamores’ two points came from a pair of free throws by Bruno Alocen at the 4:34 mark. Indiana State made 0-of-5 from the field in the stretch, as Valparaiso took the 63-62 victory. ==================================================================== INDIANA STATE BASEBALL INDIANA STATE HEADS BACK ON THE ROAD FOR WEEKEND SERIES AT WESTERN KENTUCKY TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State heads to Bowling Green, Ky. and Nick Denes Field for a three-game weekend series at Western Kentucky spanning March 6-8. All three games will be carried live on 105.5 The Legend with live stats available on the calendar at GoSycamores.com. With Wednesday afternoon’s game against Lindenwood postponed due to weather, the Sycamores will now open the 2026 season with 16 consecutive games away from Bob Warn Field prior to their home debut on March 13-15 against Gonzaga. Recapping The Weekend Indiana State claimed the inaugural Atlantis Collegiate Baseball Series title this past weekend as the Sycamores took two of three games against Penn State at the Andre Rodgers National Baseball Stadium. The Sycamores claimed the 8-5 win on Friday night, before recording a 2-1 victory on Saturday afternoon to clinch the series. Penn State rallied back to win the Sunday finale in extra innings, 9-8. Caden Miller was named the Tournament MVP after posting a .385 batting average with four RBIs over the three-game series against the Nittany Lions. Nick Sutherlin was Indiana State’s leading hitter with a .545 batting average, including three doubles, and added four runs scored on the weekend. Mason Roell added a .500 batting average and recorded his second home run of the 2026 season, an inside-the-park shot in Sunday’s finale, while adding three RBIs. Jack Armstrong and Colby Morse both recorded wins on the mound for the Sycamores as the bullpen recorded all three decisions on the mound. Armstrong worked 4.2 scoreless innings on Friday evening with a career-high seven strikeouts, while Morse worked the final frame in the Saturday afternoon win. Ty Brooks continued his dominant start to the season going 7.0 innings allowing three hits and a run while striking out eight in the Saturday start. It marked his second consecutive quality start on the mound. Justin Hoff and Hunter Small both recorded saves on the mound. The Sycamores posted a 4.18 team ERA over 28.0 innings of work, while adding a 23:12 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Opponents hit just .238 from the plate against 11 Indiana State pitchers. Season Spotlight Jeremy Martinez (.345) and Caden Miller (.302) are both hitting over .300 on the season through the first 12 games of the year to lead the Indiana State offense. Martinez has posted a team-high .474 on-base percentage among the Indiana State lineup regulars, while adding a .552 slugging percentage. Miller is tied for the team lead with 12 RBIs and enters the week on a four-game hitting streak, while also driving in RBIs in four of the last five games. Nick Sutherlin is just under the .300 line with a .295 batting average, sitting tied for the team lead in both home runs (2) and RBIs (12). He also leads the team with 13 runs scored. Carter Beck has been a mainstay in the Sycamores’ lineup with a .277 batting average and is tied for the team lead with four doubles, while adding 10 RBIs, 12 runs scored, and three stolen bases. Beck currently heads into the week with a 16-game on-base streak. Six different Sycamores have recorded multiple stolen bases on the year paced by Beck, Emil Estrella, and Jorge Cartagena with three apiece. 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 12 games. Ty Brooks headlines the Indiana State pitching staff to date with team-highs in innings pitched (22.0) and starts (4), while recording two of the Sycamores’ six wins on the mound. Brooks has a 1.23 ERA, a 16:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and a .108 opponent batting average. Jack Armstrong and Colby Morse both have two wins apiece on the mound on the season. Armstrong is tied for the team’s strikeout lead through the first three weeks of the season as the right-handed reliever has posted 16 strikeouts over 11.1 innings of work. He has allowed opponents to hit just .054 from the plate on the year while posting a 0.00 ERA and receiving win against Miami (Ohio) and Penn State. Sycamores Against Western Kentucky Indiana State and Western Kentucky have not lined up against each other since the 1985 season when the Sycamores traveled to WKU over April 2 for a doubleheader, while hosting the Hilltoppers on April 24 in Terre Haute. The teams split the doubleheaders to finish with a 2-2 record against each other in the 1985 season. Overall, Western Kentucky holds a 5-4-1 edge over the Sycamores dating back to their inaugural matchup back on March 20, 1982, in Bowling Green. This weekend marks the first three-game series played between the two opponents. Sycamores Against Conference USA Indiana State has a storied history against two members of the current Conference USA membership with former Missouri Valley members Dallas Baptist and Missouri State both joining the conference over the last five years. Dallas Baptist joined the C-USA in 2023, while Missouri State is in their first season as full members of the conference after joining this past fall. The Sycamores have winning records all-time against current members Middle Tennessee State (19-7-3) and New Mexico State (3-1). About the Hilltoppers Western Kentucky enters the weekend series with a 7-7 record over 2026, including wins over BYU, SEMO, and Indiana. The Hilltoppers have posted a 7-6 overall record at Nick Denes Field, with their lone contest away from home coming at Kentucky over February 25. Western Kentucky was selected fifth overall in the Conference USA 2026 preseason baseball poll after receiving 97 total points. Infielder Kyle Hayes was the lone Western Kentucky player recognized on the C-USA’s preseason All-Conference team. Lane Arroyos is the leading WKU hitter over the early part of the season with a team-high .365 batting average with 19 hits, seven doubles, and 15 RBIs. Camden Ross (.319) and JP Acosta (.314) are both hitting above the .300 mark on the season. Kyle Hayes has a team-high three home runs and 11 RBIs, while Reid Howard paces the team’s efforts on the base paths with nine stolen bases in 11 chances. WKU is hitting .267 from the plate as a team with 10 home runs and 22 stolen bases on the season. Aaron Robertson (1-0, 1.69 ERA), Gavin Perry (1-0, 3.38 ERA), and Dominic Monaco (0-2, 12.00 ERA) all have three starts over the early part of the season and have been the team’s mainstays in the weekend rotation. Zach Lyles (1-0, 2.00 ERA) has been one of the primary weapons out of the bullpen with a trio of saves on the year. Overall, WKU has posted a team-high 5.33 ERA with a 129:50 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Opponents are hitting .286 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 MEN’S VOLLEYBALL NO. 19 MASTODONS FALL AT NO. 14 LEWIS IN MIVA PLAY ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Logan Muir led No. 19 Purdue Fort Wayne with 11 kills and seven digs, but the Mastodons fell at No. 14 Lewis 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-21) on Thursday (March 5) evening at Neil Carey Arena. The Mastodons forced two early Lewis timeouts in the first set as they jumped out to a 19-17 lead. A block by Muir and Casey Lyons accounted for point 19 for the ‘Dons. But from there the Flyers closed the frame on an 8-2 run. The second set had a similar feel. The Mastodons took a 15-14 lead to the media timeout with Lyons and Brody McAfee both having four kills in the first half of the set. From there on, however, the Flyers went to work. Cameron Hoying had five kills the over the next 11 Lewis points. Hoying finished with 17 kills in the match. Purdue Fort Wayne’s final lead in the match came at 7-5 in the third set, before a 6-0 Lewis run gave the lead back to the Flyers for good. The Flyers out-hit the Mastodons .325 to .188 and benefited from seven aces to the Mastodons’ two. Lyons added seven kills and three blocks for the Mastodons. Purdue Fort Wayne falls to 8-6 (3-4 MIVA) and Lewis improves to (12-6, 5-3 MIVA). The Mastodons are at Loyola on Saturday (March 6) evening in Association. ===================================================================== EVANSVILLE MEN’S BASKETBALL CASEY’S DOUBLE-DOUBLE NOT ENOUGH AS ACES FALL AT ARCH MADNESS ST. LOUIS – AJ Casey recorded his third double-double of the season to pace the University of Evansville men’s basketball team in a 68-59 setback to sixth-seeded Northern Iowa in Thursday’s Arch Madness match-up at the Enterprise Center. “It was a hard-fought game. UNI did a good job of setting the tone and punching us in the mouth, but our guys responded the right way and took the lead at halftime,” UE head men’s basketball coach David Ragland said. “With 12 minutes to go, I felt like we were in a good spot with how we were getting into the paint and getting fouled. Credit UNI – they knocked down some huge shots. I am proud of our fight but it was just not enough this evening.” Casey recorded 23 points and 10 rebounds in the contest while adding three assists. Leif Moeller finished the night with 15 points while Trent Hundley tallied 14. Leading the way for UNI was Trey Campbell who matched Casey for the top scoring mark in the game at 23. UNI opened the night with a 3-0 lead while Leif Moeller tied it up on a triple. The Panthers countered with nine in a row to open a 12-3 advantage as Trey Campbell finished the run with a 3-pointer. The Panthers hit five of their opening eight attempts while the Aces started the game 1-of-5 from the floor. Trent Hundley knocked down a trey while Moeller followed with a basket to get UE back within four. As the half approached its midway point, the Panthers completed an 8-0 stretch to open a 20-8 lead as they converted three field goals in a row. With UNI up 23-11 with 9:20 remaining in the period the Aces made a run with a 7-1 stretch. Hundley added his second triple of the night during the rally. Trailing 26-18 with 7:10 on the clock, Evansville used the next two minutes to make it a 1-possession game. Following a basket by AJ Casey, Hundley converted a 4-point play to make it a 26-24 game. Will Hornseth got UNI back on track with a 3-point play before Alex Hemenway got things going. He hauled in an offensive board and turned that into a triple with 4:13 remaining before his field goal with the shot clock winding down tied the game at 29-29 with 2:16 left. After a quick 4-0 spurt by Northern Iowa, Casey converted four free throws to knot the score inside the final minute. UE regained possession with 0.6 remaining with Hundley inbounding the ball. He found AJ Casey who drained a triple at the buzzer to give UE its first lead heading into the break at 36-35. Out of the break, UNI converted three of its opening four attempts to regain a 41-36 lead. Buckets from Josh Hughes and Moeller made it a 1-point game four minutes in, but a Trey Campbell triple put UNI back up by four. Over the ensuing stretch, the Panthers held the Aces to 1-of-7 from the floor as they went back up by six points at 55-49. Hundley’s fourth trey of the contest cut the deficit in half as the Panthers entered the final eight minutes with a 55-52 lead. With 2:53 remaining, Casey’s turnaround jumper cut the gap to three at 59-56. That is when the defensive of UNI took over. The Panthers finished the game on a 9-3 run to take the victory. The defensive battle saw UNI shoot 38.3% with UE finishing the night at 37.3%; UNI had a slight 37-36 rebounding advantage. ======================================================================= EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ACES DROP FINAL REGULAR SEASON ROAD GAME AT BRADLEY PEORIA, Ill. – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team dropped their final regular season road game on Thursday night, suffering an 82-61 setback against Bradley in Peoria. Evansville trailed by three at the half, but the Aces were outscored 30-11 in the third quarter. Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind./Hamilton Heights) led the Aces offensively with 14 points and six assists. Georgia Cox (Ballarat, Australia/Eastern Illinois) added 12 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Kylee Norkus (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) scored in double digits for the third game in a row with 11 points. Evansville grabbed the lead in the early going, with Cox scoring the first five points of the game. Bradley would battle back to take a 10-9 lead, but a 7-0 run capped by a three-pointer from Norkus put the Aces back in front, 16-12. However, the Braves scored the last seven points of the quarter to go up by two. The game remained tight in the third quarter, with the Braves hanging on to a slim advantage. At the 3:16 mark, Runner cut the deficit to one with a three-pointer. After Bradley answered back with two baskets of their own, Runner made another triple to make the score 36-33, which is where it remained heading into halftime. The Aces and Braves traded a pair of baskets to start the third quarter, but Bradley would go on a run to pull away, scoring 12 unanswered points to open up a 15-point lead. Bradley remained in control for the remainder of the quarter, increasing their lead to 22 heading into the fourth. Elle Snyder (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) found her three-point shooting stroke in the fourth quarter, knocking down a pair of threes, but the Braves were able to cruise to an 82-61 win. Evansville is back inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse on Sunday for the regular season finale, taking on Southern Illinois. Tip-off is set for 2 PM and will serve as Evansville’s Fan Appreciation Day, featuring special giveaway prizes for fans throughout the game ===================================================================== SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SCREAMING EAGLES SOAR PAST COUGARS TO ADVANCE TO OVC TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball made its 2026 Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament debut in the quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon and put the clamps down on Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, capturing a 72-44 victory to advance to Friday’s semifinal round. Coming off a first-round bye as the third seed, USI Women’s Basketball (21-9, 14-6 OVC) quickly established itself in Thursday’s contest and never looked back against seventh-seeded SIUE (16-16, 8-12 OVC). The Cougars advanced from Wednesday’s first round after a 63-49 win over the sixth-seeded University of Tennessee at Martin. An all-around team effort for the Screaming Eagles saw four players score in double figures on Thursday. Junior guard Shannon Blacher dropped a team-high 15 points on 5-9 shooting with three makes from beyond the arc and added three assists. Junior guard Sophia Loden tallied 13 points on 5-8 shooting with three three-pointers and totaled seven rebounds and four assists. Junior forward and All-OVC Second-Team honoree Chloe Gannon recorded 12 points with four boards and three helpers, while freshman forward Channah Gannon registered 10 points with nine rebounds. Senior guard and All-OVC First-Team selection Ali Saunders scored nine points, pulled down eight rebounds, and dished out six assists. As a team, USI shot for 43 percent (29-67) overall, a blistering 56 percent (10-18) from three-point range, and went 4-6 at the free-throw line. The Screaming Eagles were plus 10 on the glass, 45-35. The Screaming Eagles’ OVC-leading defense showcased its stifling ability on Thursday, which was USI’s 17th win this season when holding an opponent to 60 points or less, and the ninth win limiting the opposition to under 50 points. USI’s defense held SIUE to 30 percent (17-56) shooting from the floor and had only one player score 10-plus. The Cougars were held to 3-24 from outside for 12 percent. SIUE went 7-10 at the charity stripe. The Screaming Eagles wasted no time getting going on Thursday with a first-possession three-pointer by Loden. Over a large chunk of the first quarter, the Eagles built a 14-0 run, leading to a 17-5 advantage by the two-minute mark of the opening frame. The run was sparked by a pair of triples and a couple of makes inside by Channah Gannon. USI led 17-8 through the first 10 minutes of action. USI’s advantage reached double digits early in the second quarter following a three-pointer by Blacher, giving the Screaming Eagles a 22-10 lead. SIUE cut the deficit briefly back down to single digits in the middle of the second quarter, but Chloe Gannon answered with two buckets that pushed the Screaming Eagles in front by 13, 28-15, with under four minutes to play in the first half. Gannon tacked on another basket by the end of the half to send USI into halftime ahead 31-17. Early in the second half, the Screaming Eagles went on a 7-0 run that was capped off by a Saunders trey that extended USI’s lead to 21, 40-19. Despite the third quarter settling into a defensive battle midway through, Saunders drilled another triple inside of two minutes, and then Blacher hit a desperation runner right before the end of the third to give the Screaming Eagles a 50-28 advantage going to the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, it was more of the same from USI. An early run in the fourth forced SIUE into a timeout after the Screaming Eagles went ahead 58-32. Shortly after the timeout, Blacher splashed home a three-pointer, and Loden knocked down a jumper. Blacher swished in another triple just after the halfway point of the fourth to put USI in front by 33, 67-34, as one of the final exclamation points in the big quarterfinal win. Following Thursday’s triumph, USI is not only making its third consecutive appearance in the OVC Tournament this year, but the Screaming Eagles will also be making their third consecutive appearance in the semifinal round. USI will take on No. 2 Lindenwood University on Friday at 3:30 p.m. from Ford Center in downtown Evansville. The Lions won both regular-season meetings against USI. All games from the OVC Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament can be seen live with a subscription to ESPN+. 95.7 FM The Spin and 97.7 FM WREF will have radio coverage of USI contests. Prior to Friday’s tipoff, USI alumni and fans can once again join in on a pregame gathering and lunch at The Rooftop across from Ford Center from 1-3 p.m. Special guests include USI athletic staff, Archie Eagle, and the USI Cheer Team. Afterward, head over to the Ford Center for the game. Tickets are $80 for all women’s tournament session passes and can be purchased through the Ford Center Ticket Office. Individual session tickets are also on sale now through the Ford Center and Ticketmaster. USI students receive free tickets to all USI games at the OVC Tournament at Ford Center by showing their student ID. Student tickets can be picked up at the interior Ford Center box office an hour before game time. ==================================================================== SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL USI HOSTS YOUNGSTOWN STATE FOR HOLIDAY INN SHOWCASE EVANSVILLE, Ind. — University of Southern Indiana Baseball will host Youngstown State for the Holiday Inn Showcase three-game series this weekend at the USI Baseball Field. The three-game set begins Friday at 4 p.m., continues Saturday at 4 p.m., and concludes Sunday at 1 p.m. 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. Following this weekend’s series, which is sponsored by Holiday Inn Express West, the Screaming Eagles are scheduled to be on the road for five-straight games. The road swing starts at Missouri Tuesday for a 6 p.m.; continues with a three-game series at Southern Illinois March 13-15; and concludes at Bellarmine March 17 at 1 p.m. (CT). USI Baseball Notes: Slack leads USI, the OVC, NCAA. Senior shortstop Clayton Slack leads USI and the OVC with a .510 batting average. He also ranks first in total hits (26) and 10th in batting average in the NCAA. USI opens week, homestand with win. The USI 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 posted his eighth multi-hit game of the year and his fourth three-hit contest with two singles and a double in the win over ISU. Junior outfielder Noah Foster also posted his sixth multi-hit contest and had a season-high three hits on Tuesday. USI splits road swing last week. The Screaming Eagles split their four-game road swing last week, falling to Saint Louis (3-1) and taking two of three from North Alabama (20-1, 8-0, 3-7). Slack, McLellan led USI at the plate last week. Senior shortstop Clayton Slack led USI in four games last week, hitting .571 (8-14) with a team-high six RBIs and two doubles. Senior first baseman Patrick McLellan batted .500 (8-16) with three RBIs. Holiday is the run maker. USI graduate centerfielder Khi Holiday has been generating the offense for the Screaming Eagles this season. Holiday leads USI, the OVC, and ranks second in the NCAA with 22 runs scored this season. Doing it at the plate. USI is putting runs on the scoreboard at an incredible rate. USI leads the OVC and ranks 10th in the NCAA with 10.1 runs per game this season (131). The Screaming Eagles also rank first in the OVC and 17th in the NCAA with a .332 team batting average. Improved pitching last week. USI showed some improvement on the mound last week, posting a 2.81 ERA in 32 innings over four games, compared to a 5.31 overall this season through 12 games. Junior right-hander Ryan Weller had the best start of the week, going five innings and blanking North Alabama on two hits while striking out six. Junior right-hander Abdriel Figueroa also had a strong start, allowing one run through five innings at UNA. This season on the mound. Junior right-handers Trey O’Neil and Abdriel Figueroa lead USI in the win column with two each. O’Neil has a 1.17 ERA in six appearances and 7.2 innings of work out of the pen. YSU in 2026. YSU is off to a tough start in 2026, winning once in the 11 tries this spring. The Penguins (1-10) picked up their first win of the season over the weekend, taking game one of the series at Longwood. USI vs. YSU. The series will be the first meetings between USI and Youngstown State in baseball. ====================================================================== VALPO MEN’S BASKETBALL VALPO RALLIES FROM 12 DOWN, EDGES INDIANA STATE IN ARCH MADNESS OPENER The madness of March is officially on. The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team took its first lead since 3-2 with a go-ahead free throw with 1:17 left that made it 63-62, and that score held up as Shon Tupuola (Brownsburg, Ind. / Brownsburg [Saint Mary-of-the-Woods]) blocked a shot just before the horn to preserve the one-point win for the seventh-seeded Beacons over 10th-seeded Indiana State in the opening round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Thursday night at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. How It Happened Valpo hit a pair of 3s early with Rakim Chaney (Rockford, Ill. / Rockford Auburn [212 Sports Academy) and Brody Whitaker (Greencastle, Ind. / Greencastle [University of Indianapolis / Marian) each connecting from distance. Whitaker’s 3 cut what had been a 7-3 Indiana State lead to one at the 16:57 mark. After another basket, the Sycamores led 9-6 with 15:50 left in the first half. The Sycamores opened up an eight-point lead at 16-8 after a traditional 3-point play with 12:20 left in the first half, but Valpo responded with a five-point burst as Tupuola slammed home a second-chance dunk and Chaney drilled a trey to shrink the lead to three at 16-13. Indiana State had a five-point lead at the under-12 media timeout. Valpo made five straight field-goal attempts including a game-tying triple that squared the game at 18 with 9:56 on the clock. Owen Dease (Evansville, Ind. / Evansville Reitz [Texas A&M Corpus Christi]) nailed a jumper that got Valpo back within one with 8:23 to go, and then the Sycamores stretched it back to three going into the under-8 media timeout. The Beacons cooled off, missing five straight shots and going 4:39 without a field goal as Indiana State built up a seven-point lead at 28-21 with 3:44 left in the first half. The Sycamores mounted a 12-point lead at 37-25 with seven seconds left in the first half on a 3 by Camp Wagner, but Chaney responded with a triple to beat the halftime horn, cutting the deficit back to single figures at 37-28. The Beacons shot 38 percent in the first half, while the Sycamores hit at a 55.2 percent clip and owned an 18-13 edge on the boards. Freshman JT Pettigrew (Lisle, Ill. / Bolingbrook) scored the first five points of the second half, including a 3 to start the half’s scoring. Indiana State took a timeout with 18:22 left in the second half after Valpo cut the lead to four at 37-33. Indiana State got the lead back to double figures at 50-40 with 13:05 left in the second half after a 3 by Van Buggenhout. Valpo responded by scoring the next four, but Valpo trailed 52-44 at the under-12 media timeout. Valpo had four offensive rebounds on one possession with 9:33 left in regulation, leading to two free throws by Sader Servilus (Montreal, Quebec, Canada / Fort Erie International Academy) to cut the lead to seven at 55-48. Valpo had a stretch where it missed nine out of 10 shots from the floor. The one make was a driving layup by Dease at the 7:46 mark that cut the gap down to single figures at 58-50. Servilus made two free throws to trim the lead to five with four minutes to play. Servilus nailed a huge 3 with 2:34 on the clock to tie the game at 62, extending Valpo’s run to 7-0. Dease made a free throw with 1:17 on the clock to put Valpo up 63-62, the team’s first lead since 3-2. Indiana State missed a shot with 54 seconds on the clock, and then Valpo missed a 3, had an offensive rebound and missed a second shot, which came with 22 seconds left. Indiana State called timeout with 12 seconds to go and had a chance to shoot for the win down just one. Tupuola rejected the final shot with two seconds remaining, and the horn sounded clinching the 63-62 victory. Inside the Game Chaney paced the team with 18 points, drilling four 3s and handing out five assists. Chaney scored in double figures for the fifth consecutive game and had his highest point total since 20 on Feb. 9 at Drake. Pettigrew scored 14 points and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. He tallied double figures for the seventh straight game. He went 5-of-8 from the field. Whitaker scored 10 points, his third straight game in double figures and seventh time in the last eight games. Whitaker had a team-best +12 in the plus-minus. Valpo prevailed despite shooting 36.8 percent from the field with Indiana State shooting 46.4 percent. The Sycamores outrebounded the Beacons 37-35, but Valpo held a 16-12 advantage on the offensive boards. Valpo won the turnover battle 14-8, the team’s eighth straight game with 11 turnovers or fewer and sixth time in the last seven outings in single figures. Servilus scored seven points and pulled down four rebounds off the bench. Valpo led for just 2:01 to Indiana State’s 35 minutes, 15 seconds, but the Beacons led when the final buzzer sounded. Valpo trailed by as many as 12 points, erasing a double-figure deficit to win for the third time this season and second time against Indiana State this season. Valpo also came from 13 down against Evansville on Feb. 6. Valpo swept all three games from Indiana State and they were decided by a total of six points. If you look at only regulation, Valpo outscored Indiana State by a mere two points over the three games. Valpo upped its overall win total to 18, needing one more to tie the 2019-20 season as Valpo’s highest overall win total during the Missouri Valley Conference Era and two more to clinch the team’s first 20-win season since joining The Valley. With his seven rebounds, Pettigrew lifted his season total to 210, jumping to 13th in Missouri Valley Conference history for rebounds by a freshman. Valpo has played 12 games decided by single figures in its last 13 contests. Valpo’s last nine wins have all been decided by seven points or fewer. All 12 wins over MVC teams (11 regular-season, one conference tournament) have come by 10 points or fewer. Each of Valpo’s last four games have been decided by four points or fewer, including two straight one-point games. Valpo improved to 2-2 in one-point games this year with both wins coming over Indiana State. BEACONS, BRAVES TO BATTLE IN MVC QUARTERFINAL ON FRIDAY Valparaiso (18-14, 11-9 MVC) vs. Bradley (20-11, 13-7 MVC) Game No. 33 – Friday, March 6, 6 p.m. CT Enterprise Center (8,476 lower bowl, 16,502 full) – St. Louis, Mo. Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team will look to clinch its second straight Missouri Valley Conference semifinal berth on Friday night as the Beacons compete in the quarterfinal round of Arch Madness, the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Louis. In order to get to Saturday, the Beacons must first get through a nemesis that has thwarted Valpo tournament runs in years past, the second-seeded Bradley Braves, who earned a first-round bye and will play their first game of the tournament on Friday. Only two games separated the seventh-seeded Beacons from the second-seeded Braves in the regular-season standings. Last Time Out: The Beacons trailed by as many as 12 points, but rallied to beat Indiana State in dramatic fashion for the third time this season, this time 63-62 on a defensive stand as Shon Tupuola blocked a would-be buzzer-beater to send the Beacons to the quarterfinal round of Arch Madness. Owen Dease made a go-ahead free throw with 1:17 on the clock, giving Valpo its first lead since 3-2. Rakim Chaney scored a team-high 18 points and drained four 3s, while JT Pettigrew (14) and Brody Whitaker (10) also tallied double figures. Glancing Ahead: The winner of Friday’s game will face the winner of third-seeded Illinois State and sixth-seeded UNI in Saturday’s second semifinal, which tips at 5 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. Following the Beacons: Television – MVC-TV Network – Scott Warmann (play-by-play), Kevin Lehman (analyst) and Adam Emmenecker (sideline) Cedar Rapids, Iowa (KCRG 9.2 / MyNet); Ottumwa, Iowa (KYOU 15.3 / THE365); Rockford, Illinois (WIFR 23.2 / Antenna); Peoria, Illinois (WEEK 25.3 / CW+); South Bend, Indiana (WNDU 16.2 / THE365); Fort Wayne, Indiana (WPTA 21.3 / MyNet); Louisville, Kentucky (WAVE 3.2 / Bounce); St. Louis, Missouri (KMOV 32.1 / Matrix Midwest); Kansas City, Missouri (KCTV/KSMO 62.1 / MyNet); Nashville, Tennessee (WSMV 4.2 / TVSN); Memphis, Tennessee (WMC 5.3 / WMC+); Knoxville, Tennessee (WVLT 8.2 / MyNet); Paducah, Kentucky / Cape Girardeau, Missouri (WQWQ 9.2 / CBS); Bowling Green, Kentucky (WBGS 34.3 / TVSN); Davenport, Iowa (KWQC 6.3 / Cozi); Sioux City, Iowa (KTIV 4.3 / MeTV); Quincy, Illinois (WGEM 10.4 / MeTV / MyTV); Evansville, Indiana (WFIE 14.2 / MeTV); Lexington, Kentucky (WKYT 27.4 / MeTV); Springfield, Missouri (KSPR 33.3 / MeTV); Des Moines, Iowa (KCCI 8.2 / Hearst); Chicago, Illinois (WPWR / FOX 50.1); Indianapolis, Indiana (WNDY 23.1 / Circle City); Decatur/Champaign, Illinois (WAND 17.2); Streaming – ESPN+ St. Louis Radio – KTRS 550 AM – Brendan Wiese (play-by-play) and Rich Zvosec (analyst) Valpo Radio – WVUR 95.1 FM Valparaiso, TuneIn Radio App, ValpoAthletics.com – Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and The Victory Bell (analyst) X updates – @ValpoBasketball Links for video, audio and live stats will be available at ValpoAthletics.com. Head Coach Roger Powell Jr.: Roger Powell Jr. (40-58) is in his third season as the head coach of the Valpo men’s basketball program. After helping guide Gonzaga to a 121-13 record during his four seasons as an assistant coach, Powell returned to Valpo, where he was part of head coach Bryce Drew’s staff from 2011-2016 and led the team to 124 wins in five seasons, including a program-record 30 victories and a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) title game appearance in 2015-16. He was part of head coach Mark Few’s Gonzaga staff as the Bulldogs reached the 2021 national championship game after winning their first 31 games of the season. During Powell’s first season on staff in 2019-20, Gonzaga was 31-2 at the time the NCAA college basketball season was halted due to COVID-19. The Bulldogs reached the Sweet Sixteen in each of his final three seasons on staff, including two Elite Eight appearances and the aforementioned trip to the 2021 national title game. Prior to his arrival at Gonzaga, Powell served as the associate head coach at Vanderbilt University under Bryce Drew from 2016-2019. During his stint as an assistant at Valpo, he was part of four Horizon League regular-season championships in a five-year period while also leading the 2012-13 and 2014-15 squads to Horizon League tournament titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. A product of Joliet West High School and a native of Joliet, Ill., Powell capped a prolific collegiate playing career at Illinois with a national title game appearance in 2005 before going on to a successful professional playing career. In the second season of the Powell Era in 2024-2025, Valpo over doubled its overall win total from the previous season and doubled its conference win output before earning a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinal berth. The Beacons finished with 15 wins, the team’s highest total since 2019-20. Series Notes: The Beacons dropped all three matchups with the Braves last season including a season-ending 70-65 defeat in the quarterfinal round of Arch Madness. Valpo was on the wrong end of a 72-65 score on Feb. 3 in Peoria in the first matchup this season before breaking through with a 79-72 victory over the Braves on Feb. 18 at the ARC. Bradley leads the all-time series 16-6 and had rattled off 10 straight head-to-head wins before Valpo snapped that streak in the last meeting. Prior to that, Valpo’s most recent triumph over Bradley came 91-85 in double overtime on Jan. 28, 2021 at the ARC. Valpo is 0-11 all-time against Bradley away from the Athletics-Recreation Center, 0-9 in Peoria and 0-2 at Arch Madness including last season’s 70-65 semifinal defeat and an 80-66 setback in the 2020 MVC title game. ==================================================================== UINDY MEN’S BASKETBALL HOUNDS FACE MINERS IN RETURN TO GLVC TOURNAMENT vs. Missouri S&T Friday // March 66:30 PM // St. Louis, Mo.Watch | Live Stats | Listen The University of Indianapolis men’s basketball squad is back in the GLVC men’s basketball championship and will face the No. 5-seeded Missouri S&T Miners after earning the No. 4 seed. The two will face off for the second time this season and for the first time in the GLVC Championship in the tournament’s quarterfinal at the University of Missouri-St. Louis on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET. The Hounds lead the series 20-3 after defeating the Miners 72-61 in Indianapolis earlier this season, in their highest-ranked win since Jan. 2023. Defensive Player of the Year Shaun Arnold had a career night on the offensive end with a game-high 23 points off 10 field goals made, setting new career-highs in both categories. MISSOURI S&T The Miners have garnered steady national attention throughout the season, climbing as high No. 5 in the NABC DII Poll on Dec. 4, 2025. Missouri S&T recently had a streak of 57 weeks inside the top-25, falling out of the national poll on Feb. 14, 2026. At the national level, the Miners excel at limiting their opponents to extra possessions. They’re collecting 28.4 defensive rebounds per game, which ranks 6th in all DII. Another defensive stat category that favors S&T well is field goal percentage defense, as opponents average mere 41.4-percent from the field against the Miners, a number good for 2nd in the league and 38th in DII. Within the league Individually, Andrew Young holds many well-heralded accolades throughout his four-year tenure in Rolla. Young was twice named to the Bevo Francis Award watchlist as a junior and senior, while cracking the top-25 of the Trevor Hudgins Award. He also earned All-Midwest Region First Team honors by the NABC and D2CCA in 2025, and All-GLVC First Team selections in 2025 and 2026. Young claimed the Missouri S&T single-season blocks record last season, collecting 54 swats. He’s off to another strong campaign this season, averaging 16.7 points per game and 6.6 boards per game. ==================================================================== MARIAN WRESTLING THREE KNIGHTS REMAIN UNDEFEATED FOLLOWING DAY ONE OF NAIA CHAMPIONSHIP WICHITA, Kan. – The Marian wrestling team had a strong day at the NAIA Championship, as the 11 wrestlers competed in the first two sessions of the NAIA National Championship. Marian had three wrestlers go undefeated through the two sessions: Anthony Hughes, Logan Wagner, and Anthony Rinehart each went 2-0, while a total of four other Knights remained alive in the field after competing through the consolation bracket. Anthony Hughes kick-started the Knights’ day with the team’s first victory of the tournament, as the No. 5 seed in the 125 weight class landed a 14-5 major decision win over Embry-Riddle’s (Arz.) Jaren Kimura. Hughes’ counterpart at 125 did not face the same success in his first match at the NAIA Tournament, as freshman Aiden Woods fell to Embry-Riddle’s other wrestler, seven-seed Landon Smith, by fall in 4:07, falling to the consolation bracket. Landon Bertsch was also unsuccessful in his first match of the NAIA Championship, as the Marian 133-pounder fell to Arizona Christian’s Jason Ramirez by 13-2 major decision. Marian would rebound and get a victory at 141 from No. 8 Logan Wagner, as the senior pinned Lucas Hall of Midway in 52 seconds, advancing to the second round of the tournament. The back and forth on the mats continued as the weight classes shifted to 149, as Tiernan Boots was tech-falled in full-time against Arizona Christian’s Carlos Stanton, as the No. 8 seed in the class won 18-3. Fellow freshman Christian Arberry then hit the mat as the 157 matches began, and the No. 15 seed won with ease, taking down Francis Morrissey of Missouri Valley by major decision, 15-3. At 165, both of the Knights’ wrestlers were bounced to the consolation bracket, as Braden Getz fell by a 25-9 tech-fall against Indiana Tech’s No. 2 seed Jonathan Kervin, while Jeff Dunasky Jr. was tech-falled against Life’s Alexander Couto. Marian then suffered a loss as the 174 weight class began, as Jeivan Ross was bounced to the consolation side following his 11-2 major decision loss against Dakota Wesleyan’s Jagger Tyler. Anthony Rinehart got Marian back in the win column at 174, as the freshman ranked No. 11 won by a 9-2 decision against Hunter Weimer of Concordia. Noah Hollendonner completed Marian’s run of matches in round one, and in his bout against Isaiah Twalt of Corban, the Knights’ 184-pound senior lost by a narrow 4-1 decision, falling to the consolation round. In the first wrestleback, Aiden Woods scored a 9-4 win by decision against Tyler Ramos of Truett McConnell to keep alive, and at 133, Landon Bertsch won a rematch against conference rival Randy Frailey of Siena Heights 5-3 to stay alive. Tiernan Boots also stayed alive at 149 as he defeated Southern Oregon’s Kolton Malone by fall in 4:08, and at 184, Noah Hollendonner staved off elimination with an upset win of No. 12 Rocco Horvath of Cumerbalnd, ending one of the top seeds tournament with a win by fall in 4:05. Jeivan Ross joined the quartet with an elimination round win against Michael Ager of Saint Mary, pinning his opponent in 60 seconds to advance in the tournament. Marian’s 165-weight class wrestlers did not advance past consolation round one, as Jeff Dunasky Jr. lost by fall and Braden Getz lost on a major decision, ending both wrestlers’ tournament runs with 0-2 records. Beginning with session two on Thursday night, the Knights earned a championship round two win from Anthony Hughes against No. 12 Jesse Lewis, as the Knight outlasted the Wayland Baptist grappler 3-2 in the third overtime period, advancing to the quarterfinal round. Aiden Woods would not share the same luck in the consolation round, as he lost to Providence’s Kobi Johnson by a 5-4 decision, ending his NAIA Championship run with a 1-2 record in his first appearance at nationals. Landon Bertsch earned his second win of the day in the consolation round, as the second bout in the consolation period saw the Knight score a 5-1 victory against Hastings’ Justin Rodriguez. Bertsch finished the day 2-1, and will compete in the third consolation round on Friday morning. At 141, Logan Wanger defeated Cumberlands’ Eli Peyton by fall in 4:07, remaining undefeated at 2-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. Tiernan Boots earned a second consolation victory at 149 on Thursday, as he was able to record a session two win against Baker’s Nikolas Slatoff 4-1, recording a takedown in the first overtime period for the sudden victory. Boots is 2-1 entering Friday’s first session, competing in consolation round three. Christian Arberry would fall against Life’s Fabian Padilla in the second championship round of 157 matches, as the Knight freshman fell 4-0 against the No. 2 seed. Arberry would bounce back before the end of the night, defeating Bismarck State’s Willard Sprenger 7-3 in the second consolation round, moving his record to 2-1 as he advanced further in the tournament. The Marian pair at 174 combined for two wins in the second session on Thursday night, first getting a win from No. 11 Anthony Rinehart. The freshman won by major decision 11-3, upsetting Southeastern’s Ty Rodriguez to advance to the quarterfinal round. Rinehart’s win over Rodriguez fueled teammate Jeivan Ross, who was able to take out the Fire’s sixth-ranked wrestler in the consolation round two. Ross upset Rodriguez 10-9, scoring a late escape and stalling point to take the win and remain alive. Rinehart will wrestle in the quarterfinals with a 2-0 record on Friday, while Ross continues to stay alive in the consolation round three with his 2-1 record. In Marian’s final consolation match of the night, the Knights’ Noah Hollendonner was unable to keep his season alive, as Keiser’s Sam Libby was able to pin the senior in 2:06. The win by fall ended Hollendonner’s season with a 1-2 run in the 184 bracket at the NAIA Championship. Hughes, Bertsch, Wagner, Boots, Arberry, Rinehart, and Ross all remain alive entering the second day and third session of the NAIA Championship. Marian ended the first day of the championship in seventh place, scoring 24.5 points on the day. Marian is one of eight teams in the 63-team field to have six or more wrestlers remaining in the NAIA Championship, and will look to keep all seven going as the third session begins at 12:00 p.m. ET. ==================================================================== MARIAN WOMEN’S LAX GIEDD BREAKS POINTS RECORD AS KNIGHTS UPSET NO. 7 MISSOURI BAPTIST INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian women’s lacrosse team bounced back into the win column on Thursday evening at Ascension St. Vincent Field, as the Knights completed a home-opening upset over No. 7 Missouri Baptist, winning 9-8. Marian’s upset win improves the team record to 2-1 on the young season. The Spartans would strike first on Thursday night, getting a quick goal 28 seconds into the game, but Marian would respond, scoring the next two as they tightened their defense. Ruby Mason scored the tying goal, while Rylie Boezeman scored a man-up goal, giving the Knights a 2-1 lead. Marian would never trail after the Boezeman goal, but did see the game come to a draw, as Missouri Baptist leveled the score with 7:39 to play in the first quarter, only to see Marian reclaim the lead on Skyler O’Leary’s unassisted goal. Marian led 3-2 entering the second quarter, and remained on top for 10 minutes, as the Knights fortified the back line and saw stellar play in goal from Aniyah Jones to deny the Spartans. Missouri Baptist would break the drought with 5:14 to play as they leveled the game 3-3, but before the quarter would expire, both Ruby Mason and Alex Dean hammered home goals, as the back-to-back scores gave the Knights a 5-3 edge at the break. Missouri Baptist would threaten Marian early after halftime as Marissa Oldham scored a man-advantage goal, but it would not be enough to generate momentum for the Spartans as Ella Grace Giedd rattled the cage with 8:44 to play in the third, breaking Marian’s all-time points scored record in the process. The Spartans would counter Giedd’s goal with a pair of goals to tie the contest, but with 3:52 remaining, Ruby Mason pushed the Knights back in front 7-6 to take a lead entering the fourth quarter. In the final stanza, Marian scored the first two goals, putting the game out of reach as Gieed and Delaney Koles pushed their team in front 9-6 with 5:32 remaining in the game. Missouri Baptist would put pressure on the Knights as they scored back-to-back goals, making it a one-score game with 93 seconds to play, but the Knights were able to win the ensuing draw, running out the clock to preserve the 9-8 upset win. Mason led the Knights in goals with three in the win, scoring a hat trick in addition to recovering two ground balls. Ella Grace Giedd scored twice and assisted on three goals in the win, while Dean, Boezeman, O’Leary, and Koles each scored one goal. Giedd and Olivia Dean each caused four turnovers in the win, and Aniyah Jones had a team-high four ground balls. Jones made seven saves in goal as she moved to 2-1 on the season. Marian next plays on Thursday, March 12, as they host No. 1 Benedictine at 5:00 p.m. =================================================================== MARIAN SOFTBALL TESNAR CONTINUES UNDEFEATED START AS KNIGHTS DEFEAT BISMARCK STATE 7-3 Viera, Fla. – The Marian softball team snapped back into the win column on Thursday evening, as the Knights defeated Bismarck State College by a final score of 7-3. Marian’s win advances the team’s record to 6-1 overall on the season. Marian got another strong outing from sophomore Alayna Tesnar, as the second-year Knight began her fourth start of the season with a perfect three innings of work, picking up four strikeouts in her first three innings. The offense backed up the pitcher early as Mallorie Beutel drove in two runs in the first inning, charging a single to right field to score both Abby Madere and Lily Wendt. Tesnar would fire another strikeout in a perfect fourth inning as she faced the minimum through four, and with two outs in the next half inning, Marian struck big for four runs. An Alyssa Donaldson double led off Marian’s big inning, and one batter after Alex Kiemeyer was hit by a pitch, Karly Anderson delivered an RBI single to drive home the designated player. Abbey Hofmann followed with an RBI double to center field, and after a pitching change, Mystic Means plated two runs with an RBI base hit of her own. Means’ two-run single gave the Knights a 6-0 lead. Marian’s pitcher continued to groove as she again logged a strikeout in a scoreless fifth inning, and in the home half, the Knights were able to manufacture a run as Delaney Rundle scored the team’s seventh run. Tesnar would lose her no-hit bid in the sixth inning as she allowed a lead-off single, but the sophomore managed to keep her shutout alive as she stranded two runners with a pair of pop-outs and a groundout. In the seventh inning, the Mystics were able to rough the Knights’ starter for three runs as they produced three base hits, but Tesnar was able to limit the damage to three, ending the game with a strikeout to close the team’s 7-3 victory. The sophomore Tesnar (4-0) remained strong in the circle as she collected her fourth win of the season, pitching a career-high eight strikeouts in the win. Tesnar allowed four hits and three runs, two of which were earned, and one walk in her fourth start of the season. At the plate, both Abbey Hofmann and Mystic Means went 2-3 to lead the team, with Means and Mallorie Beutel recording a team-best two RBI each. Marian also played the Czech Republic National Team on Thursday night in an exhibition contest, playing a tight one-run game in the program’s final exhibition game of the season. ===================================================================== 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 1884 High winds tear off the grandstand roof of Manhattan’s Southeast Diamond, but the one-year-old ballpark will be ready for the Gothams’ National League home opener on May 1st. The team, renamed the Giants next season, will win their first dozen games at the repaired facility at 5th Avenue and 110th Street, commonly called the Polo Grounds because horse racing was held there in the 1870s. 1907 The courts find Phillies’ owner A.J. Reach and John Roger not liable for damages resulting from the 1903 Baker Bowl disaster. A balcony had collapsed at the Broad Street and Lehigh Avenue ballpark, killing 12 and leaving 232 fans injured. 1923 The Cardinals announce that players will wear numbers on their uniforms’ sleeves, with the digits corresponding to their place in the batting order. The Redbirds strongly disapproved of the concept implemented by St. Louis manager Branch Rickey, who acted on a suggestion from sportswriter John Sheridan. 1938 The Phillies trade first baseman Dolph Camilli to the Dodgers for utility player Eddie Morgan and $45,000. The heavy-hitting infielder will spend six seasons in Brooklyn, having his best year in 1941, winning the National League MVP after leading the circuit in home runs and RBIs. 1945 In some of the fiercest fighting of World War II, Harry O’Neill is killed in the battle for Iwo Jima. In 1939, the fallen Marine played one game in the major leagues, appearing with the A’s as a catcher. 1948 The Braves acquire All-Star second baseman Eddie Stanky from the Dodgers for Bama Rowell and $60,000. This season, the 32-year-old hard-nosed infielder, the Brat, will play a pivotal role in Boston’s National League championship. 1951 Perennial loser Charlie Brown, who debuted in Charles Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip last October, appears in his first baseball game. The team’s pitcher and the manager usually fielded the following lineup: first baseman – Shermy, second baseman – Linus, third baseman – Pig-Pen, shortstop – Snoopy, right fielder – Lucy, center fielder – Patty, left fielder – Violet, and catcher – Schroeder. 1961 The County Board approves an ordinance barring fans from bringing beer, liquor, or soda into Braves’ games at County Stadium that includes fines of $5 to $500 or up to 90 days in jail for violating the ban. Organizers of ‘Operation Six-Pack,’ a campaign to reverse the board’s decision, will collect 87,000 signatures calling for repeal, but Circuit Judge Ronald A. Dreschler upholds the ruling in June. 1971 Joe Cronin, the AL president, defers to A’s owner Charlie Finley’s request to allow three balls, rather than four, to constitute a base on balls during an exhibition game against the Brewers. The experiment, designed to add offense and speed up the game, proves tedious for both teams when 19 walks are issued and six homers clear the fence during the 13-9 spring training victory for Oakland. 1973 Larry Hisle becomes the first designated hitter in major league history in a spring training game against the Pirates. The contention that the new American League rule will add more offense to the game appears correct when the Twins’ DH hits two homers and drives in seven runs. 1976 Before the return of natural grass is in place for Opening Day, approximately a thousand people show up at Comiskey Park to get a piece of the 18,000 square feet of artificial turf covering the infield that Bill Veeck made available to the fans. The new White Sox owner, sensing a lack of public interest during the work stoppage, decided to stage the promotion to spark interest in the upcoming season, reminding fans, “When you go to the ballpark, you are entitled to the smell of freshly cut grass.” 1985 The Veterans Committee elects Enos Slaughter, a 10-time All-Star outfielder, and Arky Vaughan, considered one of the game’s greatest shortstops, to the Hall of Fame. The players, who finished with lifetime batting averages of .300 or higher, will join Lou Brock and Hoyt Wilhelm for induction to Cooperstown in July. 1987 Free agent Andre Dawson signs a blank contract to join the Cubs. The former player for the Expos will win the National League MVP, making him a bargain at $500,000, the amount Chicago decided to pay the All-Star outfielder. 2001 The Veterans Committee elects Bill Mazeroski, the 1960 World Series hero who compiled a .260 batting average over 17 seasons with the Pirates, to the Hall of Fame. The group, which met in closed sessions and cast multiple classified ballots, also selected six-time All-Star right-hander Hilton Smith, a pitching standout with the Kansas City Monarchs, often overshadowed by his teammate Satchel Paige. 2001 The dedication of two sculptures, located 60 feet, six inches apart, depicting Johnny Podres pitching to Roy Campanella during the seventh game of the 1955 World Series, takes place on the south lawn of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. The life-sized bronze statues, designed by figurative sculptor Stanley Bleifeld, were donated by an ardent Dodger fan, Sheldon Fireman. 2005 Suzyn Waldman, making her debut with John Sterling on WCBS-AM (880), the Yankees radio flagship, becomes the first woman in big-league history to be a full-time color commentator. The former radio talk show host on WFAN, the first all-sports radio station in the country, was the first female to broadcast a nationally telecast baseball game and the first local TV (Yankees) major league play-by-play announcer. 2020 Twenty-eight-year-old outfielder Chris Yelich signs the most extended and richest deal in Brewers’ history, agreeing to a seven-year, $187.25 million contract extension. The agreement most likely keeps the 2018 National League Most Valuable Player, who won the National League’s batting title for the last two seasons in Milwaukee, for the remainder of his career. ==================================================================== TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY On March 6 in … 1895 – J T Brown hits the fastest 50 in Test Crickets (28 minutes) England versus Australia. 1895 – England beats Australia to win one of the best cricket series ever, 3-2. 1906 – Chicago Cubs sign third baseman Harry Steinfeldt to complete Tinker-Evers-Chance. 1919 – NHL Championship: Montreal Canadiens beat Ottawa Senators, three games to one with one tie. 1922 – Babe Ruth signs three years at $52,000 a year New York Yankees contract. 1923 – Saint Louis Cardinals announce their players will wear numbers on their uniforms. 1935 – Frank Bartell (Czechoslovakia), cycles record 80.584 mph in Los Angeles. 1955 – Jackie Pung wins LPGA Jacksonville Golf Open. 1962 – Saint Louis, Missouri, votes to build a new downtown stadium for the Saint Louis Cardinals. 1964 – Tom O’Hara runs world record mile (3:06.4). 1965 – Bruce Taylor hits 105 for New Zealand versus India in first Test Cricket innings. 1971 – Test Cricket debut of Sunil Gavaskar, versus West Indies at Port-of-Spain. 1972 – Jack Nicklaus passes Arnold Palmer as golf’s all-time money winner. 1973 – In an exhibition game with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Minnesota Twins’ Larry Hisle becomes the first designated hitter (he hits two homeruns and knocks in 7 RBIs). 1974 – Brothers Ian and Greg Chappell score cricket century in each inning ot a Test match, at Wellington. 1976 – World Ice Dance Championship in Gothenburg won by Liudmila Pakhomova and Alexandr Gorshkov (USSR). 1976 – World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship in Gothenburg won by Irina Rodnina and Alexandr Zaitsev (USSR). 1976 – World Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Gothenburg won by Dorothy Hamill (USA). 1976 – World Men’s Figure Skating Championship in Gothenburg won by John Curry (Great Britain). 1982 – NBA highest scoring game: San Antonio beat Milwaukee Bucks 171-166 (three overtime periods). 1983 – US Football League begins its first season. 1983 – Anne-Marie Palli wins LPGA Samaritan Turquoise Golf Classic. 1985 – Enos Slaughter and Arky Vaughan are elected to baseball Hall of Fame. 1985 – Mike Tyson makes his professional debut in Albany, New York, a match he wins by a first round knockout of Hector Mercedes. 1988 – Betsy King wins LPGA Women’s Kemper Golf Open/Helene Curtis Pro-Am. 1988 – Julie Krone becomes winningest female jockey (1205 victories). 1988 – Orville Moodey shoots 63 at Seniors golf tournament. 1989 – New York Yankees beat New York Mets 6-4 in exhibition game (first meeting since 1985). 1992 – New York Yankees’ pitcher Pascual Perez suspended for one year due to cocaine use. 1994 – Colin Jackson runs world record 60 metre hurdles indoor (7.30 seconds). 1994 – United Arab Emirates beat Kenya by two wickets to win ICC Trophy. 1996 – Aravinda De Silva smashes 145 versus Kenya in cricket World Cup at Kandy Sri Lanka score 5-398 in 50 overs in World Cup versus Kenya. 2022 – At Honda Center in Anaheim, California, USA, NHL regular season game: Anaheim Ducks beats San Jose Sharks by score 3-2. 2022 – At T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, NHL regular season game: Vegas Golden Knights beats Ottawa Senators by score 2-1. 2022 – At Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, NHL regular season game: New York Rangers beats Winnipeg Jets by score 4-1. 2022 – At United Center in Chicago, Illinois, USA, NHL regular season game: Tampa Bay Lightning beats Chicago Blackhawks by score 6-3. 2022 – At PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, NHL regular season game: Carolina Hurricanes beats Seattle Kraken by score 3-2. 2022 – At Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA, NHL regular season game: Dallas Stars beats Minnesota Wild by score 6-3. 2022 – At Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, USA, NHL regular season game: New Jersey Devils beats Saint Louis Blues by score 3-2. 2022 – At KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, USA, NHL regular season game: Los Angeles Kings beats Buffalo Sabres by score 3-0. Births of sports figures on March 6 1898 – Birth of Hal Hooker; cricket player (New South Wales pace bowler of 1920s and 1930s). 1898 – Birth of Jimmy Conzelman; NFL quarterback/coach/team owner (Chicago Bears). 1900 – Birth of Robert “Lefty” Grove; baseball pitcher (300 game winner). 1903 – Birth of Elizabeth Pinkston Becker; US platform diver (Olympics-gold-1928). 1917 – Birth of Roy Scott; cricket player (one Test New Zealand versus England 1947, 18, 1-74). 1926 – Birth of Ann Curtis; 400-metre/800-metre US swimmer (Olympics-2 gold-1948). 1929 – Birth of David Sheppard; bishop (Liverpool, England)/cricket player (England batsman). 1933 – Birth of Kim Elgie; cricket player (South African bat vs New Zealand 1961-62, Scotland RU international). 1935 – Birth of Ronnie Delaney in Ireland; 1500 metre runner (Olympics-gold-1956). 1940 – Birth of Willie Stargell; outfielder/first baseman (Pittsburgh Pirates, 1971 National League homerun leader). 1947 – Birth of Dick Fosbury in Portland, Oregon, USA; high jumper (Olympics-gold-1968). 1956 – Birth of Peter Roebuck; cricket player (Somerset opening batsman and SMH writer). 1958 – Birth of Mike Gatting in England; cricket player. 1960 – Birth of [Eris] Sleepy Floyd; NBA guard. 1962 – Birth of Alison Nicholas in Gibraltar; LPGA golfer (1995 LPGA Corning Classic). 1965 – Birth of Tammy Liley in Long Beach, California, USA; volleyball mid blocker/captain (Olympics-bronze-1992, 1996). 1966 – Birth of Cliff Meidl in Redondo Beach, California, USA; sprint kayak (alternate-Olympics-1996). 1966 – Birth of Michelle Edwards; WNBA guard (Cleveland Rockers). 1968 – Birth of Carla McGhee in Peoria, Illinois, USA; American basketball forward (Olympics-gold-1996). 1968 – Birth of Jon Baker; WLAF defensive end (Frankfurt Galaxy). 1968 – Birth of Marty Morgan in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; 180.5 pounds greco-roman wrestler (Olympics-1996). 1968 – Birth of Russell Butler Dandenong in Victoria, Australia; diver (Olympics-28th-1988, 1996). 1969 – Birth of Deems May; NFL tight end (San Diego Chargers). 1970 – Birth of Robbie Tobeck; NFL guard/center (Atlanta Falcons). 1970 – Birth of Scott Stahoviak in Waukegan, Illinois, USA; infielder (Minnesota Twins). 1971 – Birth of Darrick Martin; NBA guard (Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves). 1971 – Birth of Roger Salkeld in Burbank, California, USA; pitcher (Cincinnati Reds). 1972 – Birth of Jamal Anderson; fullback (Atlanta Falcons). 1972 – Birth of Paul Frlan; Canadian Football League linebacker (Saskatchewan Roughriders). 1972 – Birth of Shaquille O’Neal in Newark, New Jersey, USA; NBA center (Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Olympics-gold-1996). 1973 – Birth of Brian Olson in Tallahassee, Florida, USA; middleweight (189 pounds) judoka (Olympics-1996). 1973 – Birth of Greg Ostertag; NBA center (Utah Jazz). 1973 – Birth of Michael Finley; NBA guard/forward (Phoenix Suns/Dallas Mavericks). 1973 – Birth of Terry Adams in Mobile, Alabama, USA; pitcher (Chicago Cubs). 1982 – Birth of Stephen Jordan; English football player Manchester City. Deaths of sports figures on March 6 1930 – William Milton, cricket player (South African Test captain in three Tests 1889-92), dies. 1976 – “Slapsie” Maxie Rosenbloom, light-heavyweight boxing champion (1932-34), dies at age 71. 1981 – George Geary, English cricket player (14 Tests for England, 46 wickets), dies (born 1893). 1984 – Ian Cromb, cricket player (5 Tests for New Zealand, 123 runs, 8 wickets), dies. 1994 – Death of Ray Arcel, American boxing trainer; was active from the 1920s through the 1980s (born 1899). 2007 – Death of Allen Coage, American professional wrestler (born 1943). ========================================================== TV SPORTS TODAY Friday, 3/6/2026 WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC POOL PLAYTIME ETTVChinese Taipei vs. Japan5:00amFS1Panama vs. Cuba11:00amFS2Venezuela vs. Netherlands12:00pmTubiGreat Britain vs. Mexico1:00pmFS1Colombia vs. Puerto Rico6:00pmFS1Dominican Republic vs. Nicaragua7:00pmFS2Brazil vs. U.S.8:00pmFOXCzechia vs. Chinese Taipei10:00pmFS2MLB SPRING TRAININGTIME ETTVSt. Louis Cardinals vs Baltimore Orioles1:05pmMLBNLos Angeles Angels vs Cleveland Guardians3:05pmESPNSan Diego Padres vs Chicago Cubs8:10pmMLBNNBA REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVMiami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets7:00 PMFanDuel Sports SunFanDuel Sports CHADallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics7:00pmESPNNBCS-BAYPortland Trail Blazers vs Houston Rockets8:00pmRip CitySCHNNew Orleans Pelicans vs Phoenix Suns9:00pmGCSNAFSNNew York Knicks vs Denver Nuggets9:00pmMSGALT2Los Angeles Clippers vs San Antonio Spurs9:30pmESPNFanDuel Sports SWFanDuel Sports SoCalIndiana Pacers vs Los Angeles Lakers10:30pmFanDuel Sports INDSpectrumNHL REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVFlorida Panthers vs Detroit Red Wings7:00 PMScrippsFanDuel Sports DETColorado Avalanche vs Dallas Stars8:00pmALTVictory+Vancouver Canucks vs Chicago Blackhawks8:30pmSNCHSNMontreal Canadiens vs Anaheim Ducks9:00pmSNVictory+Carolina Hurricanes vs Edmonton Oilers9:00pmSNFanDuel Sports SouthMinnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights10:00pmFanDuel Sports NorthScrippsSt. Louis Blues vs San Jose Sharks10:00pmFanDuel Sports MWNBCS-CAMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALLTIME ETTVASUN Quarterfinal12:00pmESPN+Big South Quarterfinal12:00pmESPN+MVC Quarterfinal1:00pmMVC TVCAA First Round2:00pmFloCollegeBig South Quarterfinal2:30pmESPN+ASUN Quarterfinal2:30pmESPN+MVC Quarterfinal3:30pmMVC TVASUN Quarterfinal5:00pmESPN+SoCon First Round5:00pmESPN+Northern Illinois at Akron6:00pmCBSSNBig South Quarterfinal6:00pmESPN+MAAC Quarterfinal6:00pmESPN+Sun Belt Fourth Round6:00pmESPN+Bowling Green at Eastern Michigan6:30pmESPN+VCU at Dayton7:00pmESPN2MVC Quarterfinal7:00pmMVC TVSummit League Quarterfinal7:00pmMidCo SportsBuffalo at Toledo7:00pmESPN+Western Michigan at Kent State7:00pmESPN+Columbia at Harvard7:00pmESPN+Penn at Brown7:00pmESPN+Central Michigan at Ball State7:00pmESPN+SoCon First Round7:30pmESPN+ASUN Quarterfinal7:30pmESPN+OVC Semifinal8:00pmESPNUUCF at West Virginia8:00pmCBSSNSun Belt Fourth Round8:30pmESPN+Big South Quarterfinal8:30pmESPN+MAAC Quarterfinal8:30pmESPN+Miami (OH) at Ohio9:00pmESPN2St. John’s at Seton Hall9:00pmFS1WCC Second Round9:00pmESPN+MVC Quarterfinal9:30pmMVC TVSummit League Quarterfinal9:30pmMidCo SportsUNLV at San Diego State10:00pmCBSSNOVC Semifinal10:30pmESPNUWCC Second Round11:30pmESPN+GOLFTIME ETTVDP World Tour: Joburg Open5:30amGOLFPGA Tour: Puerto Rico Open10:00amGOLFPGA Tour: Arnold Palmer Invitational2:00pmGOLFLPGA Tour: Blue Bay LPGA11:00pmGOLFSOCCERTIME ETTVBundesliga: Bayern München vs Borussia M’gladbach2:30pmESPN+Ligue 1: PSG vs Monaco2:45pmbeIN SportsfuboTVFA Cup: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Liverpool3:00pmESPN+fuboTVLa Liga: Osasuna vs Mallorca3:00pmESPN+Liga MX: Mazatlán vs León8:00pmfuboTVLiga MX: Necaxa vs Pumas UNAM10:00pmVIXLiga MX: Mazatlán vs Pachuca8:00pmVIX Saturday, 3/7/26 WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC POOL PLAYTIME ETTVJapan vs. South Korea5:00amFS1Canada vs. Colombia11:00amFS2Netherlands vs. Nicaragua12:00pmTubiItaly vs. Brazil1:00pmFOX AppPuerto Rico vs. Panama6:00pmFS1Venezuela vs. Israel7:00pmFS1U.S. vs. Great Britain8:00pmFOXSouth Korea vs. Chinese Taipei10:00pmFS2MLB SPRING TRAININGTIME ETTVPittsburgh Pirates vs Detroit Tigers1:05pmMLBNTexas Rangers vs San Francisco Giants3:05pmMLBNColorado Rockies vs Los Angeles Dodgers8:05pmMLBNNBA REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVOrlando Magic vs Minnesota Timberwolves3:00 PMPrimeFanDuel Sports FLFanDuel Sports NorthPhiladelphia 76ers vs Atlanta Hawks6:00pmNBCS-PHIFanDuel Sports ATLBrooklyn Nets vs Detroit Pistons6:00pmNBATVYESFanDuel Sports DETUtah Jazz vs Milwaukee Bucks8:00pmKJZZFanDuel Sports MILLos Angeles Clippers vs Memphis Grizzlies8:00pmFanDuel Sports SoCalFanDuel Sports MEMGolden State Warriors vs Oklahoma City Thunder8:30pmABCESPN UnlimitedNHL REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVWashington Capitals vs Boston Bruins12:30 PMABCESPN UnlimitedNew York Rangers vs New Jersey Devils3:00pmABCESPN UnlimitedNashville Predators vs Buffalo Sabres5:30pmMSG-BUFFanDuel Sports NSHPhiladelphia Flyers vs Pittsburgh Penguins5:30pmNBCS-PHIATTSN-PITMontreal Canadiens vs Los Angeles Kings7:00pmSNFanDuel Sports WestTampa Bay Lightning vs Toronto Maple Leafs7:00pmSNFanDuel Sports SunVancouver Canucks vs Winnipeg Jets7:00pmESPN+SNUtah Mammoth vs Columbus Blue Jackets7:00pmUtah16FanDuel Sports OhioOttawa Senators vs Seattle Kraken10:00pmSNKONGNew York Islanders vs San Jose Sharks10:00pmMSGSNNBCS-CACarolina Hurricanes vs Calgary Flames10:00pmSNFanDuel Sports SouthMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALLTIME ETTVHouston at Oklahoma State12:00pmCBSArkansas at Missouri12:00pmESPNXavier at Villanova12:00pmTNTVirginia Tech at Virginia12:00pmCWDavidson at St. Bonaventure12:00pmUSAButler at DePaul12:00pmFS1Notre Dame at Boston College12:00pmESPNUGeorgia Tech at Clemson12:00pmACCNNEC Semifinal12:00pmNEC TVSoCon Quarterfinal12:00pmNexstarBig South Semifinal12:00pmESPN+Louisiana Tech at Delaware12:00pmESPN+CAA Second Round12:00pmFloCollegeUConn at Marquette12:30pmFOXSouth Carolina at Ole Miss1:00pmSECNLa Salle at Saint Joseph’s1:00pmNBCS-PHIAmerica East Quarterfinal1:00pmESPN+Kansas State at Kansas2:00pmCBSLouisville at Miami (FL)2:00pmESPN/UVanderbilt at Tennessee2:00pmESPN/UGeorge Washington at Loyola Chicago2:00pmUSACincinnati at TCU2:00pmTNTArizona State at Iowa State2:00pmFS1SMU at Florida State2:00pmACCNNEC Semifinal2:00pmNEC TVRichmond at Duquesne2:00pmATTSN-PITAmerica East Quarterfinal2:00pmESPN+WKU at FIU2:00pmESPN+Sam Houston at Liberty2:00pmESPN+Rhode Island at Fordham2:00pmESPN+Princeton at Yale2:00pmESPN+Cornell at Dartmouth2:00pmESPN+Stanford at NC State2:15pmCWSoCon Quarterfinal2:30pmNexstarBig South Semifinal2:30pmESPN+CAA Second Round2:30pmFloCollegeAmerica East Quarterfinal3:00pmESPN+Middle Tennessee at Missouri State3:00pmESPN+Georgia at Mississippi State3:30pmSECNMVC Semifinal3:30pmCBSSNWisconsin at Purdue4:00pmCBSFlorida at Kentucky4:00pmESPNSaint Louis at George Mason4:00pmUSAFlorida Atlantic at Wichita State4:00pmESPNUCalifornia at Wake Forest4:00pmACCNNew Mexico at Utah State4:00pmKMYUBoise State at Colorado State4:00pmMWNAmerica East Quarterfinal4:00pmESPN+Kennesaw State at NM State4:00pmESPN+Jacksonville State at UTEP4:00pmESPN+Pitt at Syracuse4:30pmCWUtah at Baylor5:00pmPeacockWyoming at San Jose State5:00pmMWNASUN Semifinal5:00pmESPN+Indiana at Ohio State5:30pmFOXTexas A&M at LSU6:00pmSECNMVC Semifinal6:00pmCBSSMSoCon Quarterfinal6:00pmNexstarMAAC Quarterfinal6:00pmESPN+CAA Second Round6:00pmFloCollegeNorth Carolina at Duke6:30pmESPNSun Belt Quarterfinal6:30pmESPN+UTA at Abilene Christian7:00pmESPN+Big Sky First Round7:30pmScrippsASUN Semifinal7:30pmESPN+Providence at Georgetown8:00pmtruTVCSU Bakersfield at Cal Poly8:00pmESPNUSummit League Semifinal8:00pmCBSSNFresno State at Grand Canyon8:00pmKTVKAuburn at Alabama8:30pmESPNOklahoma at Texas8:30pmSECNSoCon Quarterfinal8:30pmNexstar MAAC Quarterfinal8:30pmESPN+California Baptist at Southern Utah8:30pmESPN+CAA Second Round8:30pmFloCollegeOVC Championship9:00pmESPN2UCLA at USC9:00pmFS1Northwestern at Minnesota9:00pmBTNWCC Third Round9:00pmESPN+Sun Belt Quarterfinal9:00pmESPN+Utah Valley at Utah Tech9:00pmESPN+Big Sky First Round10:00pmScrippsAir Force at Nevada10:00pmKNSNTexas Tech at BYU10:30pmESPNSummit League Semifinal10:30pmCBSSNArizona at Colorado11:00pmESPN2Washington at Oregon11:00pmFS1WCC Third Round11:30pmESPN+MOTORSPORTSTIME ETTVIndyCar: Good Ranchers 25012:00pmFOXXfinity: GOVX 20012:00pmCWFormula One: Australian Grand Prix11:00pmApple TVGOLFTIME ETTVDP World Tour: Joburg Open5:30amGOLFPGA Tour: Arnold Palmer Invitational12:30pmGOLFPGA Tour: Puerto Rico Open2:30pmGOLFPGA Tour: Arnold Palmer Invitational2:30pmNBCLPGA Tour: Blue Bay LPGA11:00pmGOLFSOCCERTIME ETTVFA Cup: Mansfield Town vs Arsenal7:15amESPN+fuboTVLa Liga: Getafe vs Real Betis8:00amESPN+Serie A: Como vs Lecce9:00amParamount+Bundesliga: Wolfsburg vs Hamburger SV9:30amESPN+Bundesliga: RB Leipzig vs Augsburg9:30amESPN+Bundesliga: Mainz 05 vs Stuttgart9:30amESPN+Bundesliga: Heidenheim vs Hoffenheim9:30amESPN+Bundesliga: Freiburg vs Bayer Leverkusen9:30amESPN+La Liga: Levante vs Girona10:15amESPN+Ligue 1: Nantes vs Angers SCO11:00ambeIN SportsfuboTVBundesliga: Köln vs Borussia Dortmund12:30pmESPN+La Liga: Atlético Madrid vs Real Sociedad12:30pmESPN+FA Cup: Wrexham vs Chelsea12:45pmESPN+fuboTVLigue 1: Auxerre vs Strasbourg1:00pmbeIN SportsfuboTVMLS: New York City vs Orlando City SC2:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: New England vs Houston Dynamo2:30pmMLS Season PassFA Cup: Newcastle United vs Manchester City3:00pmESPN+fuboTVLa Liga: Celta de Vigo vs Real Madrid3:00pmESPN+SheBelieves Cup: USA vs Colombia3:00pmTNTPeacockLigue 1: Toulouse vs Olympique Marseille3:05pmbeIN SportsfuboTVMLS: Minnesota United vs Cincinnati4:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: DC United vs Inter Miami4:30pmMLS Season PassLiga MX: Cruz Azul vs Atlético San Luis6:00pmVIXMLS: Atlanta United vs Real Salt Lake7:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: Charlotte vs Austin7:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: Philadelphia Union vs SJ Earthquakes7:30pmMLS Season PassLiga MX: Atlas vs Guadalajara8:00pmVIXMLS: St. Louis City vs Seattle Sounders FC8:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: Nashville SC vs Minnesota United8:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: Sporting KC vs San Diego8:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: Colorado Rapids vs LA Galaxy9:30pmMLS Season PassLiga MX: Tigres UANL vs Monterrey10:00pmVIXMLS: Portland Timbers vs Vancouver Whitecaps10:30pmMLS Season PassMLS: Los Angeles FC vs Dallas10:30pmMLS Season Pass About The Author troyderengowski61@gmail.com See author's posts Post navigation THE INDIANA SRN “SCOREBOARD” MARCH 5 THE INDIANA SRN “SCOREBOARD” MARCH 6, 2026
