“THE SCOREBOARD” INDIANA BOYS REGIONAL MATCH-UPS NORTHERN HOSTS MICHIGAN CITY CLASS 3A | 4 PM CT | EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL (14-12) VS. MISHAWAKA MARIAN (17-7) CLASS 4A | 7 PM CT | CHESTERTON (22-4) VS. CROWN POINT (22-1) LOGANSPORT CLASS 3A | 1 PM ET | WEST LAFAYETTE (22-4) VS. NEW HAVEN (19-7) CLASS 4A | 4 PM ET | HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) (18-8) VS. HOMESTEAD (19-6) HUNTINGTON NORTH CLASS 1A | 4 PM ET | FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY (14-11) VS. TRI-COUNTY (15-10) CLASS 2A | 7 PM ET | FORT WAYNE BISHOP LUERS (14-11) VS. BREMEN (22-4) NEW CASTLE CLASS 3A | 1 PM ET | DELTA (15-10) VS. FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN (20-7) CLASS 4A | 4 PM ET | FORT WAYNE SNIDER (19-7) VS. CARMEL (18-5) NORTH JUDSON-SAN PIERRE CLASS 1A | 4 PM CT | TRITON (22-3) VS. MARQUETTE CATHOLIC (18-7) CLASS 2A | 7 PM CT | WESTVIEW (24-1) VS. GARY 21ST CENTURY (17-6) LAPEL CLASS 1A | 1 PM ET | MONROE CENTRAL (20-4) VS. SOUTHWOOD (22-3) CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | BLACKFORD (20-6) VS. LAPEL (20-5) PLYMOUTH CLASS 3A | 4 PM ET | COLUMBIA CITY (22-4) VS. HANOVER CENTRAL (12-14) CLASS 4A | 7 PM ET | NORTHRIDGE (24-1) VS. SOUTH BEND SAINT JOSEPH (21-4) FRANKFORT CLASS 1A | 1 PM ET | ROSSVILLE (20-5) VS. NORTH VERMILLION (15-11) CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | BENTON CENTRAL (11-14) VS. OAK HILL (24-1) SOUTHERN HOSTS SOUTHPORT CLASS 4A | 4 PM ET | MT. VERNON (FORTVILLE) (24-3) VS. PIKE (23-3) CLASS 4A | 7 PM ET | LAWRENCE CENTRAL (14-11) VS. DECATUR CENTRAL (19-6) SEYMOUR CLASS 1A | 1 PM ET | SOUTH DECATUR (18-6) VS. HAUSER (24-2) CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | PAOLI (26-0) VS. LINTON-STOCKTON (23-4) GREENCASTLE CLASS 3A | 4 PM ET | NORTHVIEW (21-5) VS. RONCALLI (17-7) CLASS 4A | 7 PM ET | COLUMBUS NORTH (14-10) VS. TERRE HAUTE NORTH VIGO (23-3) WASHINGTON CLASS 1A | 1 PM ET | BARR-REEVE (24-1) VS. WEST WASHINGTON (20-6) CLASS 1A | 4 PM ET | NORTHEAST DUBOIS (17-8) VS. BLOOMFIELD (18-8) GREENFIELD-CENTRAL CLASS 1A | 4 PM ET | LIBERTY CHRISTIAN (18-7) VS. GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN (11-14) CLASS 2A | 7 PM ET | INDIANAPOLIS CARDINAL RITTER (14-12) VS. TRITON CENTRAL (22-3) SOUTHRIDGE CLASS 3A | 1 PM ET | EVANSVILLE BOSSE (17-8) VS. PRINCETON COMMUNITY (22-3) CLASS 4A | 4 PM ET | NEW ALBANY (21-5) VS. CASTLE (9-16) MARTINSVILLE CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | PARKE HERITAGE (23-4) VS. CENTERVILLE (24-2) CLASS 3A | 7 PM ET | BREBEUF JESUIT (18-6) VS. INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (21-5) CHARLESTOWN CLASS 2A | 1 PM ET | AUSTIN (16-8) VS. FOREST PARK (13-13) CLASS 3A | 4 PM ET | SILVER CREEK (27-1) VS. BATESVILLE (20-4) ============================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES #7 IOWA STATE 91 ARIZONA STATE 42 #24 LOUISVILLE 62 SMU 58 ST. BONAVENTURE 99 LASALLE 80 IOWA 75 MARYLAND 64 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 98 PITTSBURGH 88 KENTUCKY 87 LSU 82 LOYOLA CHICAGO 75 RICHMOND 67 WASHINGTON 83 USC 79 UNLV 73 WYOMING 70 AUBURN 79 MISSISSIPPI STATE 61 CENTRAL FLORIDA 66 CINCINNATI 65 PROVIDENCE 91 BUTLER 81 MCNEES 76 STEPHEN F AUSTIN 59 NEVADA 80 AIR FORCE 45 DELAWARE STATE 75 MORGAN STATE 70 MISSOURI STATE 77 LIBERTY 69 NORTHWESTERN 74 INDIANA 61 XAVIER 89 MARQUETTE 87 OLE MISS 76 TEXAS 66 LEHIGH 74 BOSTON 60 BYU 68 WEST VIRGINIA 48 TULANE 81 MEMPHIS 69 FLORIDA STATE 95 CALIFORNIA 89 ABILENE CHRISTIAN 84 TARLETON STATE 78 FLORIDA A&M 70 JACKSON STATE 60 COLORADO STATE 67 FRESNO STATE 63 SAM HOUSTON 69 NEW MEXICO STATE 61 UC SAN DIEGO MINNESOTA 67 GEORGETOWN 63 DEPAUL 56 CLEMSON 71 WAKE FOREST 62 OKLAHOMA 86 SOUTH CAROLINA 74 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 63 TEMPLE 59 TCU 95 OKLAHOMA STATE 88 SAN JOSE STATE 84 BOISE STATE 74 UC DAVIS 79 UC SANTA BARBARA 73 IDAHO 77 MONTANA 66 ================================================================== WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES MIAMI OHIO 65 KENT STATE 58 ALABAMA A&M 72 FLORIDA A&M 68 MCNEES 67 TEXAS RIO GRANDE 68 HOWARD 75 SOUTH CAROLINA STATE 43 LOUISIANA TECH 72 DELAWARE 43 NORTH TEXAS 80 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 57 OHIO 89 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 88 UNC WILMINGTON 51 NORTHEASTERN 50 STEPHEN F AUSTIN 64 LAMAR 59 MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE 55 DELAWARE STATE 48 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL 76 JACKSONVILLE STATE 66 CAL STATE FULLERTON 80 CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE 65 TEXAS SAN ANTONIO 59 TEMPLE 51 BALL STATE 75 BOWLING GREEN 63 IDAHO 60 MONTANA STATE 57 ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF 64 ALCORN STATE 60 UC RIVERSIDE 58 UC SANTA BARBARA 53 TEXAS ARLINGTON 77 UTAH TECH 73 TOLEDO 67 UMASS 56 =============================================================== COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES #9 OKLAHOMA 6 TEXAS ARLINGTON 1 TEXAS TECH 10 #24 TEXAS SAN ANTONIO 5 #25 SOUTH CAROLINA 7 SAN DIEGO 6 FORDHAM 8 RUTGERS 7 GEORGETOWN 5 PENN STATE 4 NEBRASKA 11 NORTH DAKOTA STATE 1 OREGON 6 XAVIER 3 MINNESOTA 6 GONZAGA 2 EVANSVILLE AT MIAMI CANCELED CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT YOUNGSTOWN STATE CANCELED OAKLAND AT AKRON CANCELED ============================================================== COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES #10 VIRGINIA TECH 14 ELON 2 #24 SOUTH CAROLINA 12 COASTAL CAROLINA 2 #2 TEXAS 10 E. TEXAS A&M 1 #4 OKLAHOMA 12 TULSA 1 #11 FLORIDA STATE 8 S. ALABAMA 4 #8 UCLA 9 LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 1 NOTRE DAME 8 UC SANTA BARBARA 6 PURDUE 5 INDIANA STATE 2 LINDENWOOD 3 MINNESOTA 0 PENN STATE 3 OREGON STATE 1 ============================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY SCORES #10 PENN STATE 6 MINNESOTA 2 OHIO STATE 7#10 WISCONSIN 1 ============================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL SCORES #8 LINDENWOOD 3 BELMONT ABBEY 0 #4 UC IRVINE 3 #11 UC SANTA BARBARA 1 #6 PEPPERDINE 3 #15 PENN STATE 1 ================================================================ DIVISION 1 MEN’S LAX SCORES UTAH 16 MARQUETTE 7 ================================================================= DIVISION 1 WOMEN’S LAX SCORES #7 FLORIDA 18 PENNSYLVANIA 9 BUTLER 14 GARDNER WEBB 9 #21 VIRGINIA 12 #22 PRINCETON 10 #11 STONY BROOK 11 RUTGERS 8 ================================================================= NBA SCORES ORLANDO 128 CLEVELAND 122 NEW ORLEANS 122 TORONTO 111 NEW YORK 134 UTAH 117 DENVER 129 HOUSTON 93 CHARLOTTE 117 SACRAMENTO 109 LA CLIPPERS 153 MINNESOTA 128 ================================================================== NBA G-LEAGUE SCORES MOTOR CITY 135 NOBLESVILLE 128 OSCEOLA 126 WISCONSIN 113 GREENSBORO 136 DELAWARE 116 BIRMINGHAM 122 GRAND RAPIDS 95 SIOUX FALLS 120 STOCKTON 118 SOUTH BAY 123 IOWA 116 SAN DIEGO 128 RIP CITY 118 ================================================================== NHL SCORES MONTRÉAL 3 OTTAWA 2 PHILADELPHIA 4 WASHINGTON 1 ================================================================== MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL BALTIMORE 7 PITTSBURGH 2 ATLANTA 5 TAMPA BAY 3 WASHINGTON 3 ST. LOUIS 1 MINNESOTA 2 DETROIT 1 HOUSTON 4 MIAMI 1 LA ANGELS 8 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 4 CINCINNATI 6 MILWAUKEE 3 CHICAGO CUBS 9 KANSAS CITY 8 SAN FRANCISCO 5 KANSAS CITY 2 LAS VEGAS 13 ARIZONA 3 COLORADO 11 SEATTLE 7 NY YANKEES 8 TORONTO 1 ================================================================== WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC SCORES CANADA 7 CUBA 2 ITALY 9 MEXICO 1 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 7 VENEZUELA 5 ================================================================= WOMEN’S PRO VOLLEYBALL SCORES NO MATCHES SCHEDULED ================================================================== MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER NO MATCHES SCHEDULED ================================================================= NATIONAL SPORTS NEWS RELEASES NFL STAR EDGE RUSHER TREY HENDRICKSON HEADING TO BALTIMORE ON 4-YEAR, $112 MILLION DEAL, AP SOURCE SAYS Four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Trey Hendrickson has agreed on a four-year, $112 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract can’t be finalized until the start of the new league year at 4 p.m. EDT. The Ravens backed out of a blockbuster trade for star edge rusher Maxx Crosby late Tuesday. A person with knowledge of Baltimore’s decision told the AP that Crosby failed his physical. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because those results are private. So Baltimore keeps the two first-round draft picks it had agreed to send to Las Vegas and quickly pivoted to the best pass rusher on the market. Hendrickson was an All-Pro for the Bengals in 2024 when he led the NFL with 17 1/2 sacks. He played in only seven games because of injuries last season and had four sacks. The 31-year-old Hendrickson has 81 sacks in nine seasons with New Orleans and Cincinnati. He reached double-digits four times, including 17 1/2 in consecutive seasons in 2023-24. Hendrickson requested a trade from Cincinnati last March and skipped organized team activities and a mandatory minicamp, He also missed the start of training camp before getting a $14 million raise for last season. The Bengals did not use the franchise tag on him earlier this month, freeing him to hit the open market. The last few days have been a whirlwind for Ravens fans. After initially agreeing to acquire Crosby for the high price of two first-round picks, Baltimore lost several players at the start of the free agent negotiating period. Then the Ravens nixed the trade for Crosby, and even after moving on to Hendrickson, they have issues to resolve, particularly in the middle of the offensive line after center Tyler Linderbaum agreed to a deal with the Raiders. Baltimore was also hoping to sign two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson to an extension before the start of the new league year Wednesday. But that hasn’t happened. Instead the Ravens have restructured Jackson’s deal to create cap space, according to a person with knowledge of the deal, speaking on condition of anonymity because the contract hadn’t been finalized. Jackson has two years remaining on the five-year, $260 million contract the Ravens gave him in 2023. In addition to Linderbaum, outgoing Baltimore free agents Isaiah Likely, Ar’Darius Washington, Dre’Mont Jones, Jordan Stout and Alohi Gilman were among those who reached deals with other teams. All had been important players for the Ravens. So Baltimore has work to do, although now the Ravens have their first-round pick again. They also have Hendrickson, who will join safety Kyle Hamilton and linebacker Roquan Smith among the stars on Baltimore’s defense. The Ravens were shaky on that side of the ball last season, all the way through the final game, when they repeatedly allowed Aaron Rodgers to rally the Steelers in the Week 18 matchup that gave Pittsburgh the AFC North title and kept Baltimore out of the playoffs. The defensive-minded Jesse Minter took over as Baltimore’s coach after John Harbaugh was fired. TRAVIS KELCE RETURNS TO KANSAS CITY CHIEFS FOR 14TH SEASON WITH PATRICK MAHOMES AND CO. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Travis Kelce will be back catching passes from Patrick Mahomes for the Kansas City Chiefs one more time. The Chiefs made official their deal to bring the four-time All-Pro tight end back for a 14th season Wednesday, when the new league year made pending contracts official. The 36-year-old Kelce had decided in recent days to shove off retirement for another year rather than end a superlative career that includes three Super Bowl rings with a 6-11 record this past season. The one-year deal for Kelce is worth $12 million with incentives that could push the total to $15 million. “You always need to take a step back, breathe and let the emotions of the season settle down and see where the body is,” Kelce said during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday. “Man, I’m still in love with this game. I still love going to work, putting on the pads, grinding it out and just playing the game.” Kelce had indicated as far back as the NFL scouting combine that he wanted to play for Kansas City if he returned. “My best opportunity was playing for the Chiefs yet again and running this thing back,” Kelce said. “There’s a lot of pieces in Kansas City that I just absolutely love and I can’t wait to get back in the building with them.” Kelce also said his fiancee, pop superstar Taylor Swift, played a role in his decision to return. “We share the same love for what we do, and fortunately we’ve had this desire since we were kids in our selective professions,” Kelce said. “It’s amazing to see her keep going to the table, keep finding new things to write about, keep finding new melodies and, on top of that, still seeing her have that love and joy in what she does. “Of course that’s motivating. That’s motivating for anybody to see, let alone my fiancée, knowing that I’m going through something where I’m trying to figure out exactly what the future holds for me.” As for the Chiefs, the chance to keep playing for coach Andy Reid and alongside best buddy Mahomes — who hopes to be ready for Week 1 after late-season surgery on a torn knee ligament — was enticing. So was the chance to play once more for Eric Bieniemy, who is returning for a second stint as Kansas City’s offensive coordinator after the departure of Matt Nagy. The Chiefs were happy to give Kelce some time to make his decision. But they also were hopeful that it would come by the start of the new league year, giving them some cost certainty for free agency and roster certainty ahead of the NFL draft. “I think we’ve kind of taken a different approach with Travis in the sense that we’ve prepared for either scenario,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said during last month’s scouting combine. “Coach (Reid) had mentioned he’s had great dialogue with Travis. On our end, myself, (assistant general manager) Chris Shea and Travis’ crew, we’ve had some good dialogue there. “Travis is the best, he’s an icon and hopefully he comes back and we’ll just let that process play out.” Kelce began contemplating retirement even before last season, but he quickly decided that he didn’t want his career to end with a Super Bowl loss to Philadelphia. He instead redoubled his offseason conditioning work and returned in his best shape in years, and he wound up catching 76 passes for 851 yards and five touchdowns last season. But whether he can sustain that pace yet again is a big question mark. Kelce turns 37 in October. “The biggest thing coming back was that we’ve got to be even more hungrier than we’ve been before. Talking to Pat and Coach Reid and the guys, it’s pretty (evident) there’s a lot of ‘dog’ mentality right now to get this thing fixed,” Kelce said. “That mentality itself is already motivating me to get to where I need to be during the season.” REPORT: COMMANDERS SIGNING LB K’LAVON CHAISSON The Washington Commanders are in agreement with outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson on a one-year, $12 million deal, NFL Network reported Wednesday. Chaisson, 26, joins his fourth team in four seasons following a breakout campaign with the New England Patriots in 2025. He set career highs in sacks (7.5), tackles for loss (10), quarterback hits (18) and forced fumbles (two) in 16 regular season games (10 starts) and added three sacks in four playoff games. A first-round pick (20th overall) by Jacksonville in 2020, Chaisson has tallied 17.5 sacks, 49 QB hits, 136 tackles, three forced fumbles and one interception in 88 games (25 starts) with the Jaguars (2020-23), Las Vegas Raiders (2024) and Patriots (2025). Chaisson joins a Washington defense that added pass rusher Odafe Oweh and linebacker Leo Chenal in free agency earlier this week. RETURNED TO SENDER: MAXX CROSBY AT RAIDERS’ FACILITY, SIDES MENDING FENCES Signs point to the Las Vegas Raiders welcoming Maxx Crosby back into the fold as a result of the return-to-sender rejection of a trade with the Baltimore Ravens. Sports Illustrated reported the star defensive end was back at the team facility to rehab from left knee surgery at 8 a.m. on Wednesday and considers himself an employee of the Raiders going forward. The Raiders agreed to a trade on Friday with the Ravens, sending Crosby to Baltimore in exchange for multiple first-round picks. But the deal was pending the results of Crosby’s physical and was not official until Wednesday, the first day of the league year. On Tuesday night, the Ravens informed the Raiders the deal was off, according to multiple reports, because of questions surrounding Crosby’s health and what they considered a “failed physical.” On Wednesday morning, the Ravens reportedly agreed to a four-year contract with free agent defensive end Trey Hendrickson. The 31-year-old is also coming back from surgery. He played in seven games last season and underwent core muscle surgery. The terms of the agreement, with a value of around $112 million according to multiple reports, matches the total compensation remaining on Crosby’s deal. NFL Network reported the Chicago Bears were willing to part with two first-round picks to acquire Crosby but were outbid. The Ravens likely jumped ahead because Baltimore’s 2026 first-round pick is 11 slots better than Chicago’s No. 25 overall pick. The Raiders and Crosby, 28, had been at odds since fired head coach Pete Carroll decided to sit him late in the 2025 season when the fiery Pro Bowl talent argued he wasn’t hurt. By reversing direction, the Ravens retained the No. 14 overall pick and their 2027 first-rounder promised in the handshake agreement. The Raiders signed two edge rushers — Malcolm Koonce and Kwity Paye — but remain responsible for Crosby’s contract and the $35.7 million cap hit for 2026, per Spotrac. Las Vegas also signed Ravens free agent center Tyler Linderbaum. REPORT: CHARGERS RE-SIGNING ALL-PRO SPECIAL TEAMER DEL’SHAWN PHILLIPS The Los Angeles Chargers are re-signing special teams standout Del’Shawn Phillips to a two-year, $7.5 million contract worth up to $10.5 million in incentives, the NFL Network reported on Wednesday. Phillips, 29, was selected second-team All-Pro for special teams in his first season with the Chargers in 2025. Phillips played in 17 regular-season games (one start) and had 37 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery. He participated on 80% of special teams plays (352). Phillips has 113 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries in 86 career games (three starts) for the Buffalo Bills (2020), New York Jets (2021), Baltimore Ravens (2022-23), Houston Texans (2024) and Chargers. REPORT: NFL EXPLORES ADDING GAME ON THANKSGIVING EVE The NFL is considering the addition of a Thanksgiving Eve game to the schedule as soon as the 2026 season, ESPN reported Wednesday. Adding a potential contest on Wednesday, Nov. 25, to the traditional menu of Thursday games would follow the league’s recent trend of expanding its holiday offerings. The NFL has played a game on Black Friday since 2023, with commissioner Roger Goodell telling the Wall Street Journal in December that a second game could be added this season on Friday, Nov. 27. There was a Christmas Day tripleheader last season, when the holiday fell on a Thursday. In 2023, the NFL played two Christmas games on a Wednesday. A Thanksgiving Eve game in 2026 would give the league a nine-day stretch with seven days of NFL action from Nov. 22-30. ====================================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL BIG TEN TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: NORTHWESTERN TOPS INDIANA, INTO 3RD ROUND Nick Martinelli scored a game-high 28 points and freshman Jake West added 18 to match a career high as Northwestern advanced to the third round of the Big Ten tournament with a 74-61 victory over Indiana on Wednesday night in Chicago. Tre Singleton scored eight points and Jayden Reid added six assists for the 15th-seeded Wildcats (15-18), who collected their seventh consecutive win over the 10th-seeded Hoosiers and their second in 16 days. Martinelli, the Big Ten’s leading scorer during the regular season at 22.8 points per game, went 10 of 18 from the floor and reached the 20-point mark for the 25th time. Northwestern earned its second tournament victory in two days and moved on to face seventh-seeded and No. 18-ranked Purdue (23-8) on Thursday. The Boilermakers edged the Wildcats 70-66 on March 4 in Evanston, Ill. Iowa 75, Maryland 64 The Hawkeyes exploded in the second half, capitalizing on turnovers and the tandem of Bennett Stirtz and Cooper Koch to advance to the third round of the Big Ten tournament with a win over the Terrapins. Koch wasn’t bothered by a bloody nose, as the freshman forward scored team-best and career-high 19 points, and Stirtz added 17 after a quiet first half. Stirtz also had eight assists and six rebounds. Iowa (21-11) ended a three-game losing streak while Maryland (12-21) had 16 turnovers and missed 14 of its 21 3-point tries. Isaiah Watts had four 3s and finished with 12 points and Darius Adams scored a team-high 14 for the 17th-seeded Terrapins, who saw Iowa take control with a 21-0 run starting at the 17:16 mark of the second half that buried Maryland in a 51-34 hole. Washington 83, USC 79 (OT) Zoom Diallo scored 22 points and added 11 assists and seven rebounds as the Huskies overcame a 13-point deficit in the second half to defeat the Trojans in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. Quimari Peterson and Wesley Yates III scored 15 points apiece and Hannes Steinbach had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the 12th-seeded Huskies (16-16), who will meet No. 5 seed Wisconsin (22-9) on Thursday.Kam Woods led the 13th-seeded Trojans (18-14) with 24 points and seven assists. Jacob Cofie added 14 points and nine rebounds, Jordan Marsh had 13 points and Ryan Cornish and Ezra Ausar scored 10 apiece as USC lost its eighth straight game. Rutgers 72, Minnesota 67 Tariq Francis scored 29 points and shot 5-for-7 from 3-point range as the 14th-seeded Scarlet Knights finished strong for a win over the 11th-seeded Golden Gophers in the Big Ten tournament’s second round. Jamichael Davis finished with 13 points and six assists for Rutgers (14-18), which advances to face sixth-seeded UCLA in the quarterfinals Thursday night. Emmanuel Ogbole scored 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots as the Scarlet Knights avenged a 19-point loss against the Golden Gophers on Feb. 21. Cade Tyson scored 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting to lead Minnesota (15-17). Bobby Durkin finished with 15 points and made four 3-pointers, and Grayson Grove chipped in 10 points. SEC TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: OLE MISS DENTS TEXAS’ NCAA TOURNEY HOPES Malik Dia scored 23 points and Ole Miss never trailed in its 76-66 victory over Texas in Wednesday’s first-round game of the Southeastern Conference tournament in Nashville, leaving the Longhorns to sweat out the next three-plus days. AJ Storr added 18 points and Ilias Kamardine chipped in 16 for the 15th-seeded Rebels (13-19), who won despite making just 1 of 10 3-point attempts. James Scott finished with 10 points and nine rebounds for Ole Miss, which advances to face seventh-seeded Georgia on Thursday. Dailyn Swain led 10th-seeded Texas (18-14) with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Jordan Pope had 16 points and Matas Vokietaitis scored 10 for the Longhorns, who are now firmly on the bubble and will learn their NCAA Tournament fate on Sunday afternoon. With the Longhorns trailing by nine, a three-point play by Camden Heide and Pope’s subsequent triple cut the deficit to 66-63 with 4:07 remaining. But the Rebels answered with six straight to put the game away. Auburn 79, Mississippi State 61 Thanks to Kevin Overton’s 22 points, five assists and four rebounds, the Tigers boosted their NCAA Tournament hopes with a win over the Bulldogs in the first round. The Tigers (17-15) got 15 points and nine rebounds from KeShawn Murphy, 14 points from Keyshawn Hall and 13 from Tahaad Pettiford. Auburn advances to face fifth-seeded Tennessee (21-10) on Thursday afternoon. Mississippi State (13-19) got 22 points from Josh Hubbard, its leading scorer who had 46 against Auburn in the regular-season matchup and 42 in Saturday’s loss to Georgia. But Hubbard was 8-of-25 from the floor and missed both of his second-half 3-point attempts. Kentucky 87, LSU 82 Otega Oweh recorded 23 points and eight rebounds and the Wildcats committed just five turnovers in holding off the Tigers in their first-round game. Brandon Garrison added 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting and Denzel Aberdeen had 16 for the Wildcats (20-12). Max Mackinnon led LSU (15-17) with 28 points while Michael Nwoko added 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Kentucky will face Missouri, which defeated the visiting Wildcats 73-68 on Jan. 7, in Thursday’s second round. The Wildcats shot 50.0% from the floor and 73.9% from the foul line against LSU in a game that neither team led by more than four in the second half’s first 10 minutes. Oklahoma 86, South Carolina 74 Nijel Pack scored 24 points and made five 3-pointers to help lead the Sooners to a victory over the Gamecocks in a first-round matchup. Derrion Reid added 20 points for 11th-seeded Oklahoma (18-14), which kept its NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Tae Davis scored 18 points for the Sooners, who won their fifth straight game and will advance to face sixth-seeded Texas A&M on Thursday night. Xzayvier Brown finished with 14 points in the win. Kobe Knox led 14th-seeded South Carolina (13-19) with 20 points, followed by Mike Sharavjamts’ 19 points and eight rebounds. Meechie Johnson chipped in 14 points for the Gamecocks, who held a 13-point first-half lead. BIG EAST ROUNDUP: XAVIER GETS BY MARQUETTE LATE IN TOURNEY OPENER Jovan Milicevic scored 21 points and hit the tiebreaking layup with 1:14 remaining as 10th-seeded Xavier outlasted seventh-seeded Marquette for an 89-87 victory in the opening round of the Big East tournament in New York on Wednesday. Milicevic made 7 of 11 shots and 4 of 7 3-pointers as he finished two points shy of his career high set last month in a 96-88 win over Marquette. His biggest shot was a clear path to the rim that resulted in a layup to snap an 80-all tie; the clutch drive occurred after the Musketeers (15-17) lost a 10-point lead. Two free throws by Isaiah Walker with eight seconds left helped Xavier close out the win. Xavier advanced to a quarterfinal matchup with second-seeded UConn on Thursday night. Royce Parham led Marquette with 22 points and nine rebounds. Nigel James Jr., named Big East Freshman of the Year earlier in the day, added 18 but struggled to find a rhythm and shot 6-of-17. Chase Ross contributed 16 for the Golden Eagles (12-20), who shot 42.5% and made 11 of their season-high-tying 40 3-point attempts. Providence 91, Butler 81 Stefan Vaaks scored a career-best 28 points and hit a career-high eight 3-pointers as the Friars overcame a 16-point deficit in the first half for a victory over the Bulldogs. Vaaks kept the Friars afloat before their rally and finished 8-of-13 from behind the arc. Ryan Mela added a career-high 23 on 10-of-14 shooting and Jaylin Sellers contributed 19 of his 23 in the second half after shooting 2-of-10 in the opening 20 minutes. Mela added nine rebounds and five assists, both team highs. The Friars (15-17) will face top-seeded St. John’s in the quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon. Michael Ajayi led Butler (16-16) with 21 points and 11 rebounds but played the final 10-plus minutes with four fouls. Finley Bizjack struggled most of the game, scoring 17 on 5-of-15 shooting. Georgetown 63, De Paul 56 Reserve Vince Iwuchukwu collected 17 points and 14 rebounds as the 11th-seeded Hoyas earned a victory over the sixth-seeded Blue Demons. The Hoyas (15-17) won their second straight following a seven-game losing streak and will face No. 3 seed Villanova in the quarterfinals Thursday night. Jeremiah Williams also scored 17 for Hoyas before fouling out late in the contest, when Iwuchukwu helped Georgetown pull away in the final minutes. Malik Mack contributed 16 points as the Hoyas shot 52% in the second half and 39.3% overall. Layden Blocker led DePaul (16-16) with 16 points off the bench but on 5-of-14 shooting. NJ Benson added 12 but CJ Gunn was held to seven on 3-of-13 shooting. ACC TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: RYAN CONWELL PLAYS HERO, LOUISVILLE BEATS SMU Ryan Conwell scored five of his 16 points in the final 77 seconds as No. 24 Louisville overcame SMU for a 62-58 victory in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament’s second round Wednesday afternoon in Charlotte, N.C. The Cardinals, playing without freshman standout Mikel Brown Jr., received lifts from Adrian Wooley’s 14 points and Isaac McKneely’s 10 points. SMU didn’t score in the final 2:43. Sixth-seeded Louisville (23-9) meets third-seeded Miami (24-7) in Thursday’s quarterfinals in a rematch from Saturday’s regular-season finale won by the visiting Cardinals. Jaron Pierre Jr.’s 17 points led No. 11 seed SMU (20-13), while Jaden Toombs had 13 points and nine rebounds and Corey Washington added 10 points. Scoring leader Boopie Miller (19.5 ppg) was held to eight points on 4-of-17 shooting, missing all eight of his 3-point attempts, while the Mustangs were 9-for-27 overall from 3-point range (33.3%). North Carolina State 98, Pitt 88 Quadir Copeland collected 24 points and eight assists in the Wolfpack’s victory over the Panthers in a second-round game. Ven-Allen Lubin racked up 18 points, Paul McNeil Jr. had 15, Tre Holloman notched 14 and Darrion Williams and Matt Able both scored 12 as the Wolfpack shot 60.8% from the field. NC State made 13 of 23 shots from 3-point range. Seventh-seeded NC State (20-12), which won for only the second time in eight games, will meet No. 10-ranked and second-seeded Virginia in Thursday’s first quarterfinal. Cameron Corhen poured in 27 points on 9-for-12 shooting for No. 15 seed Pitt (13-20), which had won four of its previous six games. Nojus Indrusaitis, who hit five 3-point shots, and Omari Witherspoon each scored 19 points and Barry Dunning Jr. added 11 points, but the Panthers’ 57.1% shooting wasn’t enough. Florida State 95, Cal 89 Robert McCray V delivered 30 points and eight assists to propel the eighth-seeded Seminoles to a victory over the ninth-seeded Golden Bears. Lajae Jones scored 15 points and Chauncey Wiggins added 14 for the sizzling Seminoles (18-14), who have won 10 of their last 12 under first-year coach Luke Loucks. Kobe MaGee came off the bench to score all 13 of his points in the first half as Florida State advanced to a quarterfinal matchup with top-seeded Duke on Thursday in Charlotte. Dai Dai Ames scored 27 points to pace Cal (21-11), which likely saw its hopes dashed for an NCAA Tournament berth. The Golden Bears were listed among the “next four out,” in ESPN’s bracket predictions to begin the week. Chris Bell scored 17 points, Justin Pippen tallied 15, John Camden had 11 and Lee Dort added seven points and 18 rebounds for Cal. Clemson 71, Wake Forest 62 RJ Godfrey supplied 11 points and eight rebounds to lead a balanced attack as the fifth-seeded Tigers topped the 13th-seeded Demon Deacons. Nick Davidson, Ace Buckner, Butta Johnson and Dillon Hunter added eight points each as the Tigers (23-9) advanced to a quarterfinal matchup with fourth-seeded North Carolina on Thursday night. Chase Thompson contributed nine points for Clemson, which is pursuing its first ACC tournament title since the event was established in 1954. The Tigers used their trademark physical defense to force 12 turnovers and limit the Demon Deacons to 44.0% accuracy from the field. Clemson committed just four turnovers and its reserves outscored those of Wake Forest 34-20. Juke Harris scored 22 points to pace the Deacons (17-16). BIG 12 ROUNDUP: IOWA STATE’S 49-POINT WIN LARGEST IN CONFERENCE TOURNEY HISTORY Milan Momcilovic scored 21 points and Joshua Jefferson added 20 points and 12 rebounds as No. 7 Iowa State walloped Arizona State 91-42 on Wednesday in a Big 12 Conference tournament second-round game in Kansas City, Mo. The fifth-seeded Cyclones (26-6) advance to play fourth-seeded Texas Tech, No. 16 in the latest AP poll, in the quarterfinal round on Thursday afternoon. Iowa State led by as many as 33 points in the first half and by 29 at halftime as it held the 12th-seeded Sun Devils to 31.8% shooting from the floor while forcing 15 turnovers that led to 18 points for the Cyclones. The second half was not much better for Arizona State, as Iowa State eventually expanded the margin to 49 points, with the margin of victory the largest in Big 12 tournament history. Blake Buchanan added 17 points for the Cyclones, while Tamin Lipsey scored 11. Santiago Trouet led Arizona State (17-16) with 13 points and was the only Sun Devil in double figures. TCU 95, Oklahoma State 88 David Punch scored 26 points, Tanner Toolson hit a clutch 3-pointer and the Horned Frogs stormed back from a 10-point deficit for a victory over the Cowboys. The sixth-seeded Frogs (22-10) advance to the quarterfinals on Thursday to face No. 14 Kansas, the 3-seed. TCU has won at least one game in the tournament in four of the last five seasons. Toolson scored 19 off the bench and Jayden Pierre added 13 points and five assists. Xavier Edmonds posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds for TCU, which won all three of its games against Oklahoma State this season. The 14th-seeded Cowboys (19-14) were leading 67-57 with less than 14 minutes left, courtesy of an 8-0 spurt that featured two 3-pointers by Anthony Roy, who finished with 25 points and nine rebounds. Christian Coleman had 15 points and Kanye Clary added 14 points and dished out five assists. BYU 68, West Virginia 48 AJ Dybantsa continued his impressive showing early on at the Big 12 tournament, scoring a game-high 27 points to lift the Cougars over the Mountaineers. BYU (23-10), the 10th seed in the tournament, advanced to the quarterfinals where it will face second seed Houston, ranked No. 5 in the country, on Thursday night. Dybantsa, one of the top NBA draft prospects who set a freshman tournament record with 40 points in the Cougars’ opening-round victory over Kansas State on Tuesday, finished 11-of-24 from the field with seven rebounds and three assists. The Mountaineers (18-14) were led by Honor Huff’s 17 points. Brenen Lorient added 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds. UCF 66, Cincinnati 65 Riley Kugel scored 15 points that included two baskets that helped send the game into overtime and John Bol added four huge free throws in the extra period as the Knights outlasted the Bearcats. The eighth-seeded Knights (21-10) advanced to the quarterfinals and a matchup with top-seeded Arizona on Thursday afternoon. Cincinnati (18-15), which took an 8-point lead with 2:17 left in regulation, suffered a crushing blow to its NCAA Tournament hopes. Jamichael Stillwell led the Knights with 17 points and 15 rebounds while Bol added 13 points. Moustapha Thiam paced Cincinnati with 18 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks. REPORTS: ADRIAN AUTRY OUT AS SYRACUSE BASKETBALL COACH Syracuse fired men’s basketball coach Adrian Autry on Wednesday, three years after he replaced legendary coach Jim Boeheim, multiple outlets reported Wednesday. Under Autry, who played for Boeheim and was an assistant coach on his staff, the Orange finished 49-48 with no NCAA Tournament appearances. They didn’t make the tournament in the final two years of Boeheim’s 47 years, leaving Syracuse without a chance to play for a national title the past five seasons. That is the longest drought in more than 50 years. Autry, 54, coached his final game on Tuesday, with the Orange losing to SMU 86-69 in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. Syracuse finished the season at 15-17 (6-12 ACC) and was 1-11 in Quad 1 games. Syracuse reached the 20-win mark in his first season (20-12) but was 14-19 in 2024-25. Postgame, Autry addressed the difficulty of being an NCAA coach in this era. “When I took this job, I knew the expectations that come with it. I was a player and part of it, and every day, I tried to honor that,” he said. “What I’ve learned is that there are a lot of different variables in today’s world that you just can’t overlook to get to that standard again. The landscape of college athletics has changed. To be where we want our standard to be, a lot of those things change, and I think that was the struggle for me to adapt. To be able to compete nationally is different now.” REPORT: FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL FIRES JEREMY BALLARD Florida International fired men’s basketball coach Jeremy Ballard on Wednesday after eight seasons and a 113-141 record, ESPN reported. Ballard, 44, guided the Panthers to just one postseason appearance, reaching the CIT second round in his first year at the Westchester, Fla., program in 2018-19. Florida International just completed a 15-17 campaign (8-12 Conference USA) with a 75-72 loss to Missouri State in the first round of the conference tournament on Tuesday. Including a 20-14 record in his debut season at FIU, Ballard’s only other winning record came the following season at 19-13. The Panthers have not been to the NCAA Tournament since their lone appearance in 1995. Ballard was an assistant coach at VCU, Pitt, Illinois State, Tulsa and his alma mater, Colgate, before taking over at FIU. REPORTS: OREGON STATE TO TAB MICHIGAN ASSISTANT JUSTIN JOYNER AS COACH Oregon State is expected to hire Michigan assistant Justin Joyner as its next head coach, multiple media outlets reported on Wednesday. Joyner effectively will replace head coach Wayne Tinkle. The university announced on Feb. 26 that it planned to part ways with Tinkle at the end of the 2025-26 season. The Beavers (17-16, 9-9 West Coast Conference) saw their season come to an end with a 65-56 setback to Gonzaga on Monday in the semifinals of the conference tournament. Joyner, 38, is no stranger to the West Coast, having spent seven seasons at Saint Mary’s before working as an assistant with Dusty May in Michigan. Joyner’s wife, Tracy, is the women’s soccer coach at Oregon. Tinkle completed his 12th season leading the Beavers, over which he has amassed a 177-206 record. He led Oregon State to just two NCAA Tournament appearances but made a famous run in one of them, taking the Beavers to the first Pac-12 tournament championship in program history and their first Elite Eight appearance since 1982 during the 2020-21 season. Tinkle, 60, previously was the head coach at Montana, his alma mater, from 2006-14, leading the Grizzlies to NCAA Tournament appearances as the Big Sky Conference champion in 2010, 2012 and 2013. =================================================================== NBA NBA ROUNDUP: KAWHI LEONARD NETS 45 AS HOT CLIPPERS WIN, MOVE OVER .500 Kawhi Leonard scored 45 points and Bennedict Mathurin added 22 as the Los Angeles Clippers remained red-hot in March with a 153-128 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Inglewood, Calif. Darius Garland scored 21 points and Jordan Miller had 14 as the play-in-tournament eligible Clippers improved to 6-1 this month. Los Angeles (33-32) became the first team in NBA history to move over .500 after they were 15 games under in the same season. Leonard delivered his fifth game with at least 40 points this season and his second against the Timberwolves. The Clippers set a season high in points scored and are 15-5 at home since Dec. 20, while avenging a 94-88 loss to the Timberwolves at home on Feb. 26. Anthony Edwards scored 36 points and Naz Reid added 18 as Minnesota lost its third consecutive game. Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and Jaylen Clark each had 11 points for the Timberwolves, who have dropped from third to fifth place in the Western Conference during the current skid. Pelicans 122, Raptors 111 Trey Murphy III produced a game-high 28 points to lead New Orleans past visiting Toronto, giving the Pelicans their seventh win in the past 10 games. Dejounte Murray had a season-high 27 points and Zion Williamson added 19 for New Orleans, which shot 51.5% from the floor. The victory spoiled the return of former Pelicans star Brandon Ingram, in his first season with Toronto after spending the previous six in New Orleans. Ingram scored 22 points, while Immanuel Quickley put up 25 as Toronto lost for the fourth time in five games. Magic 128, Cavaliers 122 Desmond Bane scored 35 points, including five in the final 18 seconds, as Orlando beat visiting Cleveland for the Magic’s fifth straight win. Paulo Banchero had 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and Tristan da Silva added 23 points for the surging Magic, who moved into a tie for fifth place in the Eastern Conference with the Toronto Raptors. Cleveland is fourth, three games ahead of both. James Harden finished with 30 points, his most since joining the Cavaliers in a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers, along with five rebounds and eight assists Donovan Mitchell had 25 points and Keon Ellis scored 20 off the bench for Cleveland. Knicks 134, Jazz 117 Jordan Clarkson scored 17 of his season-high 27 points during a decisive surge over the final 16 minutes for New York, which overcame an 18-point first-half deficit to beat Utah in Salt Lake City. Jalen Brunson scored 28 points for the Knicks and converted a three-point play that put New York ahead for good at 96-94 with 1.6 seconds left in the third. OG Anunoby had 22 points and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 21 points while Mohamed Diawara added 10 points off the bench. Brice Sensabaugh scored 29 points to lead five players in double figures for the Jazz, who made 14 of their first 18 3-point attempts — including eight in a row in the first quarter — before cooling off and losing for the 17th time in 22 games. Nuggets 129, Rockets 93 Nikola Jokic had 16 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds, Jamal Murray scored a game-high 30 points, and host Denver beat Houston to close the gap in the Western Conference standings. Houston entered the night in third place in the West, 1 1/2 games ahead of sixth-place Denver. Four teams are within a game of the third seed in the West. Christian Braun scored 19 points, Cameron Johnson added 17 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. contributed 14 for the Nuggets, which won the season series 3-1. Amen Thompson scored 16 points, Josh Okogie had 12, Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. had 11 each and Alperen Sengun finished with 10 for the Rockets, who beat the Raptors at home on Tuesday night. Hornets 117, Kings 109 Miles Bridges had nine of his 26 points in a key third-quarter run, LaMelo Ball and Kon Knueppel combined for 11 3-pointers and 54 points, and Charlotte rallied from a halftime deficit to win in Sacramento. In a contest matching teams that had won 24 hours earlier, Ball finished with a team-high 30 points, Knueppel chipped in with 24 and Brandon Miller added 20 for Charlotte, which won for the eighth time in its last 10 games. DeMar DeRozan poured in a season-high 39 points for the Kings, who saw a rare two-game winning streak come to an end. Down by five at the half then tied at 73-all in the sixth minute of the third period, the Hornets took the lead for good with an 11-2 burst. =================================================================== WNBA WNBA, PLAYERS UNION CONCLUDE OVERNIGHT MEETING WITHOUT NEW CBA A meeting between WNBA representatives and the players association ended early Wednesday morning without a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement, multiple outlets reported. The meeting, held at a New York hotel, began at 5 p.m. Tuesday and ended about 12 hours later, ESPN reported. League officials had set March 10 as the deadline for a new CBA agreement to avoid the loss of regular-season games. The league and the players have been at a standstill for months, with revenue sharing and housing among the key issues. The regular season is scheduled to begin May 8. “It’s complex,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert told reporters outside the hotel after 5 a.m. “We’re working towards a win-win deal like we’ve been saying, a transformational deal for these players that balances all the things we’ve been trying to balance with continued investment by our owners. So we’re working hard towards that, and we still have work to do.” Women’s National Basketball Players Association executive director Terri Jackson said “conversations are continuing, and they need to be,” ESPN reported. “Every meeting is a positive meeting,” Jackson said, per ESPN. “Seriously, every meeting is a positive meeting. The fact that we scheduled meetings, that we offer dates to schedule meetings that we actually get together, get in the room. I think that’s positive. It’s taking as long as it’s taking. But you know, that’s what it needs to be.” The league has not revealed whether it has flexibility to start the season on time with the deadline passed. The WNBA draft is scheduled for April 13, with training camps opening six days later. The league also must hold a free agency period, an expansion draft with the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire set to begin play this upcoming season, as well as preseason games. The players have been without a collective bargaining agreement since they opted out of their existing agreement in October 2024, a year before its Oct. 31, 2025, expiration, with hopes of having a new deal in place last fall. ==================================================================== NHL MAMMOTH F NICK SCHMALTZ INKS 8-YEAR, $64M EXTENSION Utah Mammoth forward Nick Schmaltz signed an eight-year, $64 million contract extension on Wednesday. Schmaltz was in line to be an unrestricted free agent this summer before agreeing to a deal that runs through 2033-34. “There was never a doubt that Utah is where I want to play the rest of my career and I’m thrilled to sign an eight-year extension,” Schmaltz said. “We have a great core of players and I know we can do some special things together here in Utah. We have a very bright future, and I am thankful to (Mammoth governor) Ryan and Ashley Smith for wanting me to be a part of the group that will one day bring a Stanley Cup to Utah and grateful for the incredible fan base who always show up and support the Mammoth.” Schmaltz, 30, has recorded a career-high 24 goals to go along with 35 assists and a plus-21 rating in 65 games this season. He is playing on the final season of a seven-year, $40.95 million contract. “We are thrilled that Nick chose Utah and wants to remain with the team for the next eight years,” general manager Bill Armstrong said. “Nick is a tremendous player and person who is very deserving of this contract. We expect him to continue producing on the ice and leading our young, skilled forwards for years to come. Schmaltz has totaled 482 points (166 goals, 316 assists) in 653 career games with the Chicago Blackhawks, Arizona Coyotes and Mammoth. He was selected 20th overall by the Blackhawks in the 2014 NHL Draft. CANADIENS COMPLETE BACK-TO-BACK SWEEP WITH WIN OVER SENATORS Ivan Demidov scored the go-ahead goal at 12:40 of the third period and the Montreal Canadiens rallied for a 3-2 win over the Senators in Ottawa. The Montreal forward knocked in the rebound after Linus Ullmark made the initial save against Alex Newhook on the rush but could not hold the puck. Demidov added an assist and leads NHL rookies with 51 points (14 goals, 37 assists). Juraj Slafkovsky and Alexandre Texier also scored for the Canadiens, who have won three straight and were playing the second of back-to-backs after a 3-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday. Jacob Fowler made 32 saves, including stopping the last 23 shots he faced, several during 6-on-5 play in the final minute. Montreal moved into a tie for second place with idle Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division. Drake Batherson scored twice for the Senators, who had won three in a row and trail the idle Boston Bruins by five points for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. Ullmark made 20 saves. Ottawa’s Tim Stutzle (two assists) extended his point streak to 14 games (eight goals, 11 assists). It was 100th NHL multi-point game. Slafkovsky gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal 1:16 into the first period. Nick Suzuki passed to Demidov in the slot and he fed Slafkovsky for the tip in at the left post. Slafkovsky (164 career points) passed Henri Richard for the most points in franchise history by a player before age 22. Batherson got the tying goal at 16:42 when Brady Tkachuk’s pass across the crease deflected off him and just over the goal line during a power play. Batherson gave the Senators a 2-1 lead at 18:41 when the tipped puck past Fowler from in front. The Canadiens tied it 2-2 at 17:29 of the second period. Moments after Fowler made a pair of saves on an Ottawa breakaway, Montreal entered the zone and Texier went behind the net and his wrap-around shot deflected off Ullmark’s right leg and over the goal line. Ottawa outshot Montreal, 34-23, including 13-5 in the final period. FLYERS TAKE DOWN FELLOW WILD-CARD-CONTENDING CAPITALS Travis Konecny scored on his 29th birthday and Owen Tippett added a goal and an assist to lift the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-1 victory over the visiting Washington Capitals on Wednesday. Samuel Ersson, making just his second start since Jan. 29, finished with 21 saves for the Flyers. Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale also scored and Noah Cates recorded two assists for Philadelphia, now 5-2-0 in its last seven. Both teams are seven points back of the Eastern Conference’s second and final wild-card spot. Ryan Leonard scored the only goal for Washington, which has lost four of its last five contests. Logan Thompson turned aside 18 shots for the Capitals. Alex Ovechkin had an assist and five shots on goal for Washington. The Russian superstar has failed to score a goal in 11 of his last 12 games. Leonard opened the scoring with a power-play goal midway through the first period. Following a scrum near the boards, Leonard emerged with the puck and unleashed a wrister from the top of the circle that beat Ersson. That was the only goal of the first period, but the Flyers struck twice in the second. Konecny, playing in his second game since missing three contests with an upper-body injury, began by depositing his team-leading 24th goal of the season at 4:23. Travis Sanheim made a pretty cross-ice feed to a wide-open Konecny, who beat Thompson to the short side to tie the game 1-1. About eight minutes later, Zegras gave Philadelphia the lead with his 22nd of the season. With a step on the defense, Zegras and Tippett skated up the ice, in close quarters, on a 2-on-0 breakaway. Tippett passed to Zegras, who went back to Tippett, whose touch pass to Zegras set up the go-ahead tally. Drysdale’s shot from the high slot gave the Flyers a 3-1 lead at 7:17 of the third period. Tippett added an empty-netter with 1:03 remaining to clinch the victory. =================================================================== BASEBALL SPRING TRAINING ROUNDUP: TATSUYA IMAI, ASTROS SHUT DOWN MARLINS Tatsuya Imai threw three perfect innings, Jose Altuve hit his first home run of spring training and the Houston Astros defeated the host Miami Marlins 4-1 on Wednesday in Jupiter, Fla. Imai, the Japanese ace who signed a three-year, $54 million contract with the Astros this winter, stuck out four and needed just 35 pitches (24 strikes) to breeze through Miami’s lineup. Isaac Paredes broke a 0-0 stalemate with a solo shot in the fourth inning before Zach Cole and Altuve went back-to-back in the sixth. Heriberto Hernandez hit his third homer of the spring for the Marlins’ lone run. Starter Max Meyer fanned six batters in three innings before Janson Junk gave up the first home run and Bradley Blalock allowed the next two. Braves 5, Rays 3 Matt Olson’s first-inning homer was his third longball of the spring, and Brett Wisely added a home run as Atlanta beat visiting Tampa Bay in North Port, Fla. Olson finished 2-for-3 and Austin Riley added an RBI double for the Braves. Spencer Strider struck out five in four innings on his way to his second win of spring training. Ben Williamson drove in all three Rays runs with a 425-foot shot in the sixth inning. He went 2-for-3, but Tampa Bay batted 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Orioles 7, Pirates 2 Taylor Ward and Jose Barrero launched three-run home runs to help Baltimore beat visiting Pittsburgh in Sarasota, Fla. Orioles starter Kyle Bradish held the Pirates to one hit and one walk in his five innings, and Chris Bassitt took care of the final four innings, yielding two runs but fanning three. Nicholas Cimillo had a pinch-hit home run in the ninth for the Pirates. Twins 2, Tigers 1 Kaelen Culpepper hit a walk-off single to left with one out as host Minnesota edged Detroit in Fort Myers, Fla. The Twins didn’t score until Ildefonso Ruiz’s sacrifice fly tied the game in the eighth. Taj Bradley struck out seven batters, scattered one run and three hits during his five-inning start. The Tigers mustered just four hits in all, but they led for a good portion of the game thanks to Riley Greene’s fourth-inning double that scored Matt Vierling. Nationals 3, Cardinals 1 Abimelec Ortiz and Trey Lipscomb put Washington ahead in the eighth inning, and the hosts held on to beat St. Louis in West Palm Beach, Fla. Ortiz broke a 1-1 tie with an RBI double and Lipscomb followed two batters later with a run-scoring single for the Nationals. Cade Cavalli and four relievers combined to hold the Cardinals to five hits. Nolan Gorman tied the game for the Cardinals in the sixth with a run-plating single after Daylen Lile put Washington on the board with an RBI double in the first. Reds 6, Brewers 3 Matt McLain continued his blistering spring by going 3-for-3 with his fifth home run to lead Cincinnati past visiting Milwaukee in Goodyear, Ariz. McLain boosted his batting average to .607 with a first-inning homer and two singles. He also stole a base while Noelvi Marte and Jose Trevino added solo homers for the Reds. Starter Andrew Abbott allowed six hits and two runs over 3 2/3 innings, but he fanned five. Gary Sanchez (2-for-3) slugged a two-run homer in the first off Abbott. Reese McGuire added a solo shot in the sixth. Starter Robert Gasser surrendered five hits, four runs and three homers in 2 2/3 innings. Athletics 13, Diamondbacks 3 The visiting Athletics bashed five homers in the first five innings to roll to the victory over Arizona in Scottsdale, Ariz. Andy Ibanez opened the floodgates with a two-run homer in the second. Shea Langeliers went deep in the third, Max Muncy followed suit in the fourth and Tyler Soderstrom added a three-run blast in the fifth before Brent Rooker capped the spree one batter later. Starter Luis Morales gave up four hits and two runs (one earned) over 4 2/3 innings. Ildemaro Vargas and Danny Serretti posted solo homers for the Diamondbacks, who finished with five hits. Starter Ryne Nelson gave up two hits and three runs in 3 1/3 innings to boost his spring ERA to 5.63. Angels 8, White Sox 4 Jo Adell and Chris Taylor cracked homers as visiting Los Angeles rallied from a 4-0 deficit to knock off Chicago in Phoenix. Adell, Taylor, Oswald Peraza and Kyren Paris produced two hits apiece for the Angels while Paris added three stolen bases. Starter Alek Manoah lasted four innings, but he gave up eight hits and four runs with four whiffs and two walks. Austin Hays (3-for-4, three RBIs) and Colson Montgomery each smacked their third homers of the spring for the White Sox. Korey Lee went 2-for-2 with a double and a walk. Starter Anthony Kay allowed just three hits and one run over four innings and fanned four. Rockies 11, Mariners 7 Glenallen Hill slugged a three-run homer in the eighth that gave Colorado a lead it didn’t relinquish against host Seattle in Peoria, Ariz. Adael Amador and Braxton Fulford added homers for the Rockies, who earned extra bases on nine of their 12 hits. Starter Chase Dollander surrendered seven hits and four runs in his 3 1/3-inning effort. Cole Young (3-for-5, three RBIs) cracked his fourth homer of the spring as he and Brock Rodden went back-to-back in the seventh to take a 7-6 lead. Rhylan Thomas went 3-for-5 as the Mariners compiled 15 hits. Starter Luis Castillo went 3 1/3 innings and allowed four hits and two runs while whiffing three. Cubs 9, Royals (ss) 8 Matthew Halbach’s one-out double drove in Scott Kingery with the winning run as host Chicago walked off Kansas City’s split squad in Mesa, Ariz. Pedro Ramirez belted a grand slam in the second and Nico Hoerner followed with a solo shot to stake the Cubs to a 5-1 lead. Starter Colin Rea surrendered five hits and five runs (four earned) in his four-inning stint. Rea gave up three of the Royals’ five home runs as Brett Squires launched a two-run clout while Elias Diaz, Luca Tresh, Peyton Wilson and Blake Mitchell added solo homers. Starter Mitch Spence lasted just two innings as he allowed four hits and five runs. Giants 5, Royals (ss) 2 Jerar Encarnacion highlighted a four-run third inning with a two-run homer as visiting San Francisco handled Kansas City in Surprise, Ariz. Giants starter Tyler Mahle (3-0) maintained his 0.00 spring ERA by allowing just one hit in three scoreless innings. Christian Koss, Parks Harber and Jared Oliva contributed two hits apiece as San Francisco outhit Kansas City 14-3. Gavin Cross poked a solo shot in the seventh for the Royals. Starter Bailey Falter gave up nine hits and four runs during his three-inning stint. Yankees 8, Blue Jays 1 Giancarlo Stanton hit his second and third home runs of the spring, driving in three runs as host New York toppled Toronto in Tampa, Fla. Jonathan Ornelas and Leonard Gabrielson added solo shots and Trent Grisham and Randal Grichuk had RBI doubles for the Yankees. Cam Schlittler went 3 2/3 innings in his start and scattered one run and two hits while fanning six. Jesus Sanchez hit a run-scoring double to highlight the Jays’ four hits. Eric Lauer gave up four runs on four hits in a 3 1/3-inning start. VINNIE PASQUANTINO’S 3 HRS MAKE WBC HISTORY AS ITALY BEATS MEXICO Vinnie Pasquantino recorded the first three-homer game in the 20-year history of the World Baseball Classic, and Italy earned a 9-1 victory over Mexico on Wednesday in Houston, capturing first place in Pool B while helping the United States advance. Pasquantino, who was 0-for-12 entering the game, earned himself three celebratory shots of espresso by going deep to lead off the second, sixth and eighth innings. Jon Berti also homered to lead off the fourth inning for Italy (4-0), which banged out 10 hits to join the United States (3-1) in advancing to the quarterfinals. Italy will face Pool A second-place team Puerto Rico (3-1) on Saturday, while the Americans will square off against Pool A first-place side Canada (3-1) on Friday. Jakob Marsee ripped a two-run single, Andrew Fischer had an RBI double and Jac Caglianone scored on a sacrifice bunt by Dante Nori in the fifth inning for Italy. Aaron Nola scattered four hits and struck out five batters over five scoreless innings as Italy eliminated Mexico (2-2) from the tournament. Pasquantino opened the scoring by depositing a 0-1 cutter from Chicago Cubs pitcher Javier Assad just over the wall in right field. Pasquantino was far from done, however. The Kansas City Royals slugger sent a 0-1 slider from Daniel Duarte just inside the right field foul pole to give Italy a 6-0 lead in the sixth inning. He then crushed a 3-2 slider from Robert Garcia in the eighth to complete the hat trick. Berti gave Italy a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning, sending a 2-2 fastball from Assad over the wall in left-center field. Caglianone walked to lead off the fifth inning and promptly stole second base. The Royals outfielder advanced to third on J.J. D’Orazio’s single to left field and came around to score on Nori’s bunt. Italy extended its lead to 5-0 after Marsee of the Miami Marlins ripped a single to right field that plated both D’Orazio and Nori. Sam Antonacci scored from first base in the seventh inning after Mexico center fielder Alek Thomas was unable to cleanly field the ball on Berti’s single. Thomas’ soft grounder to first base scored Joey Meneses in the seventh inning for Mexico’s lone run. TEAM USA’S WORLD CUP REPRIEVE WON’T MATTER DUE TO LACK OF INTENSITY Thanks to Italy beating Mexico on Wednesday night, the United States gets another chance in the World Baseball Classic. What looked like a potentially disastrous early exit for Team USA manager Mark DeRosa and the boys turned out to be nothing more than substantial worry and significant embarrassment for about 24 hours. It remains to be seen if the U.S. really wants to win badly enough for the reprieve to matter, as if it’s just a switch they can flick. But there is little reason for Team USA fans to be optimistic. The Americans’ attitude and behavior have been all over the place when it comes to their opinion of the WBC’s value. It’s no Olympics, after all, as slugger Bryce Harper would prefer. How important is the WBC to the U.S.? Less important than it is to the other teams in the tournament. Team USA didn’t appear to compete with urgency against Italy on Tuesday, playing as if it already had qualified for the quarterfinals. And it wasn’t just overconfidence. The players mimicked the leadership of DeRosa, who operated as though he were just trying to get through a mostly meaningless game. Only, the U.S. hadn’t qualified yet. DeRosa seemed to get lost in the WBC’s tiebreaking procedures, which in itself is understandable if you don’t know how to work an abacus and slide rule. But someone on his staff should have figured out that the Italy game mattered before DeRosa went on TV and said the U.S. already had punched its own ticket for the next round. If Mexico had beaten Italy on Wednesday, or if Italy hadn’t scored the right amount of runs, or if everything went sideways in extra innings, we’d be talking about the U.S. getting its ticket punched in a bad way. DeRosa said later that he only “misspoke,” but it was more like he misunderstood completely. He assembled a questionable lineup and made questionable pitching decisions, leading a collective effort that appeared to gain clarity and urgency only in the final third of the game. Did someone finally figure out what the dugout hadn’t figured it out? Team USA next plays Canada on Friday night in Houston, a game the hosts should win — although that’s what everyone said before the U.S. scraped by Mexico and got stomped like a grape against Italy. But even if the U.S. team reaches the semis, then what? Italy, Puerto Rico, Japan, South Korea, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic are the other teams still alive in the knockout stage. All of those teams have something in common not shared with the U.S.: They manage to play with intensity and joy. The Americans can be intense. Earlier in the tournament against Mexico, U.S. catcher Cal Raleigh refused a handshake overture from opponent Randy Arozarena. They are teammates on the Seattle Mariners, but Raleigh reacted as if Arozarena were asking for his computer passwords, replying as if to say: “Don’t bother me, Randy, this is a big game and I’m in the zone!” It’s possible the only memory anyone will have of the U.S. acting as if they cared about winning the WBC is Raleigh making a miscalculation about the optics of a fist bump. It’s probably too late to do anything this time, but what can the U.S. do to give itself a chance to win the next WBC? The best chance is to move the tournament to mid-summer, during a break in MLB’s regular season that doesn’t exist yet and likely won’t soon. But in June or July, all of the best pitchers are in midseason form, and the Americans would have a big talent advantage on the mound. Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal wouldn’t be limited to a game here or three innings there. They would be able to really pitch, and they would dominate. That’s the only way for the U.S. to show the world who’s best. Because the Americans are not going to do it the way Japan and the Dominican Republic are doing it now. The Americans don’t have the intensity-joy combination. Their day jobs are just too important to them. ===================================================================== AUTO RACING WEEKLY All Times Eastern NASCAR CUP SERIES Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube Site: Las Vegas. Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Race distance: 267 laps, 400.5 miles. Schedule: Saturday, practice, 2:30 p.m., qualifying, 3:40 p.m.; Sunday, race, 4 p.m. (FS1). Last year: Josh Berry edged Daniel Suárez for the lead with 18 laps to go, securing his first series victory and the 101st Cup Series win for Wood Brothers Racing. Last race: Ryan Blaney recovered from multiple tire issues and a pit road penalty, moving into the lead with 10 laps remaining to claim his first victory of the season. Next race: March 22, Darlington, S.C. Online: http://www.nascar.com NASCAR O’REILLY AUTO PARTS SERIES The LiUNA! Site: Las Vegas. Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Race distance: 200 laps, 300 miles. Schedule: Saturday, practice, noon, qualifying, 1:05 p.m., race, 5:30 p.m. (CW). Last year: Leading a race-high 102 laps, Justin Allgaier secured the victory by taking the lead from Aric Almirola with under ten laps to go. Last race: Justin Allgaier rallied late, fending off Jesse Love to secure his first win of the season and 29th of his career. Next race: March 21, Darlington, S.C. Online: http://www.nascar.com NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES Last race: Layne Riggs led 41 of 80 laps and held off Ty Majeski and Ben Rhodes to win the series’ first street race in St. Petersburg. Next race: March 20, Darlington, South Carolina. Online: http://www.nascar.com FORMULA 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix Site: Shanghai. Track: Shanghai International Circuit. Race distance: 56 laps, 189 miles. Schedule: Thursday, practice, 10:30 p.m.; Friday, sprint qualifying, 2:30 a.m., sprint race, 10 p.m., Saturday, qualifying, 2 a.m.; Sunday, race, 2 a.m. (APPLE TV). Last year: Pole-sitter Oscar Piastri held off an early surge from George Russell, securing the win as teammate Lando Norris completed a McLaren 1-2. Last race: George Russell claimed his sixth career win after battling Charles Leclerc early for the lead, leading a 1-2 finish for Mercedes. Next race: March 29, Suzuka, Japan. Online: http://www.formula1.com NTT INDYCAR SERIES Java House Grand Prix of Arlington Site: Arlington, Texas. Track: Streets of Arlington, Texas. Race distance: 70 laps, 191 miles. Schedule: Friday, practice, 4 p.m.; Saturday, practice, 9:30 a.m., qualifications, 2:30 p.m.; Sunday, warmup, 10 a.m., race, 12:30 p.m. (FOX). Last year: This is an inaugural race. Last race: Josef Newgarden earned his 33rd career victory after passing Kyle Kirkwood with seven laps to go. Next race: March 29, Birmingham, Alabama. Online: http://www.indycar.com NHRA DRAG RACING Next race: March 22, Chandler, Arizona. Online: http://www.nhra.com WORLD OF OUTLAWS WORLD OF OUTLAWS ROCKY TOP RUMBLE WORLD OF OUTLAWS COWTOWN CLASSIC WORLD OF OUTLAWS TENNESSEE TIPOFF WORLD OF OUTLAWS COWTOWN CLASSIC Next race: March 19-20. Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com CONOR DALY TO DRIVE FOR DRR IN INDIANAPOLIS 500 Conor Daly announced plans Wednesday to compete in the 2026 Indianapolis 500 for Dryer & Reinbold Racing. The 34-year-old Indiana native will attempt to make his 13th start in the showcase race on May 24. “Having a chance to go racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway again at Indy 500 with DRR means the world to me,” Daly said. “I love this event. I can’t wait to get back in the car, and I appreciate the chance that Dennis (Reinbold) and everyone at Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has given me to do the job I enjoy. “We’ve set some high goals with the No. 23. We want to win this race together, and I appreciate that [sponsor] Kingspan has come on board for the biggest race in the world. We appreciate their support for this effort to chase after that nice cold glass of milk in the winner’s circle.” Daly has recorded five top-10 finishes at Indianapolis, including 10th in 2024 while driving for DRR. He led 22 laps after starting 29th. Daly has made 131 career starts in the IndyCar Series since his 2013 debut, including a second-place finish at Detroit in 2016 and a third-place run at Milwaukee in 2024. ALEX BOWMAN (VERTIGO) REMAINS SIDELINED FOR LAS VEGAS NASCAR Cup Series driver Alex Bowman will miss his second straight race on Sunday while battling vertigo. Hendrick Motorsports announced Wednesday that Justin Allgaier will pilot the No. 48 Chevrolet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Anthony Alfredo replaced Bowman last Sunday at Phoenix Raceway and finished 33rd. “Alex continues to work closely with doctors toward being medically cleared, but he’s still experiencing some lingering symptoms,” Hendrick Motorsports president and general manager Jeff Andrews said in a team statement. “He’s put a lot into the recovery process, and we will continue to support him every step of the way. Our priority remains making sure Alex is fully ready before returning to the race car.” Bowman, 32, became ill during the March 1 race at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, and was replaced by Myatt Snider after completing 71 of the 95 laps. Bowman, an eight-time winner in the Cup Series, was diagnosed with vertigo. The condition, usually caused by an inner-ear issue, can produce sensations of dizziness and loss of balance. Bowman missed five races in 2022 with a concussion and sat out three races in 2023 with a broken back. His most recent win came at the Chicago Street Course in July 2024. Allgaier, 39, is coming off his 29th career victory in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series last Saturday in Phoenix. He has 84 career starts in the Cup Series, most recently at the 2026 Daytona 500 with JR Motorsports. ================================================================== GOLF NEWS GOLF WEEKLY PGA Tour THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP Site: Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Course: TPC Sawgrass (Players Stadium). Yardage: 7,352. Par: 72. Prize money: $25 million. Winner’s share: $4.5 million. Television: Thursday-Friday, 1-7 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 2-7 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (NBC). Defending champion: Rory McIlroy. FedEx Cup leader: Collin Morikawa. Last week: Akshay Bhatia won the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Notes: The Players Championship will have its smallest field in history at 123 players, down from 144 players last year as part of the PGA Tour’s plans for smaller fields. … Brooks Koepka is playing, an addition to the 120-man field along with two other players to allow for groups of three during the weekday rounds. … Collin Morikawa has taken over the top spot in the FedEx Cup after a win at Pebble Beach and two top 10s in signature events at Riviera and Bay Hill. … Now that LIV Golf has OWGR points, The Players has only 46 of the top 50 in the world ranking. … The winner gets a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour. … Fourteen players are making their debut in The Players Championship. … Three of the last four winners at The Players went on to win a major that year — Rory McIlroy (Masters), Scottie Scheffler (Masters) and Cameron Smith (British Open). … Five of the last six tournaments at TPC Sawgrass were decided by no more than one shot. Next week: Valspar Championship. Online: https://www.pgatour.com/ ___ LIV Golf League LIV GOLF SINGAPORE Site: Singapore. Course: Sentosa GC (Serapong). Yardage: 7,406. Par: 71. Prize money: $20 million. Winner’s share: $4 million. Television: Wednesday, 9-11 p.m. (Fox Sports app), 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. (FS1); Thursday, 9-11:30 p.m. (Fox Sports app), 11:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. (FS1); Friday, 9:30-10:30 p.m. (FS2), 10:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. (FS); Saturday, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. (FS1). Defending champion: Joaquin Niemann. Points leader: Jon Rahm. Last week: Jon Rahm won LIV Golf Hong Kong. Notes: This is the fourth straight year for LIV Golf playing in Singapore. … Jon Rahm won for the first time since 2024. In his last five individual LIV events, he has four runner-up finishes and a victory. … LIV Golf has two events left for players to try to get into the top 50 in the world ranking to earn a Masters invitation. Thomas Detry is at No. 61 in the world after his runner-up finish in Hong Kong, while Elvis Smylie is at No. 73. LIV currently has 10 players eligible for the Masters. … Singapore recently hosted the HSBC Women’s World Championship on the LPGA Tour. … Sergio Garcia (2018) and Ian Poulter (2009) have won the Singapore Open when it was held at Sentosa Golf Club. … Rahm has gone from No. 84 to No. 36 in the world since the start of the year. … LIV will go to South Africa next week for the first time before returning to North America with an event in Mexico City a week after the Masters. Next week: LIV Golf South Africa. Online: https://www.livgolf.com/ ___ LPGA Tour Last week: Mi Hwang Lee won Blue Bay China. Next week: Fortinet Founders Cup. Race to CME Globe leader: Jeeno Thitikul. Online: https://www.lpga.com/ ___ European tour Last week: Dan Bradbury won the Joburg Open. Next week: Hainan Classic. Race to Dubai leader: Patrick Reed. Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/ ___ PGA Tour Champions Last week: Zach Johnson won the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational. Next week: Cologuard Classic. Charles Schwab Cup leader: Stewart Cink. Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions ___ Korn Ferry Tour Last week: Doc Redman won the Astara Chile Classic. Next tournament: Club Car Championship on March 26-29. Points leader: Ian Holt. Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour ___ Other tours Epson Tour: IOA Golf Classic, Alaqua CC, Longwood, Florida. Previous winner: Gina Kim. Online: https://www.epsontour.com/ Ladies European Tour: Women’s Australian Open, Kooyonga GC, Lockleys, Australia. Television: Wednesday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. (Golf Channel app). Previous winner: Jiyai Shin. Online: https://ladieseuropeantour.com/ PGA Tour of Australasia: Heritage Classic, Heritage Golf and CC, Chirnside Park, Australia. Defending champion: James Conran. Online: https://golf.com.au/ Sunshine Tour: The Courier Guy Playoffs: The Serengeti Playoffs, Serengeti Estates, Johannesburg. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://sunshinetour.com/ Japan LPGA: Taiwan Foxconn Ladies, The Orient GC, Taipei, Taiwan. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/ Korea LPGA: Rejuran Championship, Amata Spring CC, Chonburi, Thailand. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://klpga.co.kr/ PGA TOUR TARGETS BIGGER FIELDS IN BIGGER MARKETS AS IT MOVES CLOSER TO NEW MODEL PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The PGA Tour wants to double the number of signature events and expand fields to 120 players with a 36-hole cut as it looks to overhaul its competitive model to bring the best players together on the best golf courses in big markets. It also would lead to two tracks of tournaments — some two dozen elite events and the rest of the tournaments that would be geared toward promotion. Missing from CEO Brian Rolapp’s news conference on Wednesday were several key details, and he emphasized that nothing has been finalized. “It is by no means a baked cake,” Rolapp said. “These are simple areas we are starting to see a meaningful consensus.” This was pulling back the curtain on the work of the Future Competition Committee, which Rolapp created in August and appointed Tiger Woods as chairman. Rolapp spoke before more than 1,000 people at PGA Tour headquarters, all with various stakes in the game, from corporate and television partners, player managers, tournament officials and executives of other golf organizations. Hundreds of them watched from the railing on the second and third floors. He built his presentation around six themes — a season from late January to September, 120-man fields, a big opener on the West Coast at a famous golf course, finding bigger media markets, meritocracy and a more dramatic finish to the season. One possibility was introducing a form of match play at the Tour Championship or throughout the postseason to provide “win or go home” moments. Television partners have favored match play, though top players have questioned why golf should have stroke play all year and have a different format for the biggest prize. Rolapp said some changes could be introduced as early as 2027, though he would not expect the finished product until 2028 at the earliest. The push toward bigger markets — the PGA Tour is not consistently in New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington, San Francisco and Philadelphia — and a splashy start to the season have been in the works for months. The key element from this early look was the 120-man fields and the 36-hole cut. The $20 million signature events currently have 72 players (80 at Pebble Beach), and only three have cuts. Rolapp said he envisions a schedule of 21 to 26 tournaments for the top players — as many as 16 signature events, The Players Championship, four majors and the three postseason events. “We will have a second track of PGA Tour tournaments, which will ladder up to the elevated events,” which would run concurrently with the season, he said. Rolapp leaned on the word “scarcity” when he first presented his vision in August. He said Wednesday that was not about the number of tournaments on the schedule but rather making every tournament matter. Key to the overhaul is a form of promotion and regulation between the two tracks. “What we envision is a merit-based system that leans into what makes professional golf so compelling — players earning their way to the top, with every event having greater meaning,” he said. “The message is pretty simple: Play well and you earn the opportunity to compete in our biggest events and for more money.” Such a plan likely would do away with the need for players to have the chance to earn their way into signature events during the year because the fields already are 120 players. As for going to bigger markets, Rolapp said moving current tournaments or creating new ones are both possibilities. The tour added a new signature this year at Trump Doral in Miami, for example. Rolapp has been driven by what makes the tour better, which is why he created a program that allowed five-time major Brooks Koepka to return from LIV Golf. Still to be determined is what kind of media rights deal golf can strike, even with a current deal that runs through 2030. He said the U.S. media market and rights fees is $30 billion. The NFL has $12 billion of that and Rolapp said, “They have made their public intentions clear they would like to double that.” “So if you start doing that math and you’re anyone other than the National Football League, you start to ask yourself the questions,” he said. “Next time I go to the media market, how do I make sure I have the most compelling product for fans and for our media partners so that we can compete in what is a very complicated media ecosystem that’s changing all the time? “It’s a very dynamic time in media,” he said. “If you are in the sports business, it behooves you to put your house in order as much as possible. That is a significant part of the work that the Future Competition Committee is doing, and it’s one of the reasons why it’s so important.” Rolapp also said it recently made a proposal to extend its relationship with the European tour, and that international tournaments are under consideration in the summer and the fall. THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP IS SET TO DELIVER MAJOR EXCITEMENT AT THE TPC SAWGRASS PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Major or not, The Players Championship rarely lacks for entertainment. Still fresh is Rory McIlroy going from a four-shot deficit to a three-shot lead only to wind up in a playoff that he won last year when J.J. Spaun failed to find land on the island green. That kind of drama has been more rule than exception over the years on the ever daunting, never dull Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass. “Exciting” was the one word Adam Scott chose to describe The Players Championship, the premier tournament on the PGA Tour that has all the trapping of a major except the label. “I grew up watching this, seeing a lot of birdies and a lot of dramatic stuff happening,” Scott said. “I think that’s exciting, and I think that’s why people like watching this tournament. You go out there with the dream that you can shoot 10 under somehow and spin balls back off slopes. And it’s not that easy once you’re out there.” Scott won The Players in 2004, and he recalled being at the bar of a restaurant with his girlfriend after opening with a 65. Some fans were talking about the day’s action when one asked who was leading the tournament. “The guy looked at him at said, ‘Some expletive no-name.’ And it was me,” Scott said. “My wife, or girlfriend at the time, was ready to jump in there and let him have it. So it was good to go on and win and maybe get out of the no-name category.” The Players has had plenty of surprise winners. Craig Perks won his only PGA Tour title at Sawgrass, memorable for his three-hole finish when he chipped in for eagle, made a 30-foot birdie putt and then chipped in for par. The Players has rewarded everything from the power of Tiger Woods to the precision of Fred Funk. “You see a variety of winners, and you also don’t see one style of player winning this tournament a bunch of times,” said Scottie Scheffler, the only player to win back-to-back at the TPC Sawgrass. His second win in 2024 required a rally from five shots behind, holing out with a full wedge for eagle on the fourth hole and a 64 to post the lowest final round by a winner. This was after he nearly withdrew because of a neck injury. There’s always drama. “The way modern golf is trending, I think this place you kind of take some steps back where the areas to hit into are small,” Scheffler said. “And there’s certain holes where you can definitely take advantage of your length if you’re a longer hitter. But there’s also some holes where you’ve got to get the ball in play, and you have to be able to curve the ball both directions.” He then took everyone on a tour — a fade off the first tee, a draw for the approach. Next hole, a draw off the tee and a fade for the long shot into the par 5. Fade, fade, draw, draw. On he goes. Scheffler does both well — everything well, really — which explains his position in the game. He won his 2026 debut in the California desert. His last two tournaments haven’t been quite up to his standard — two straight times out of the top 10 for the first time in a year — though Scheffler seems to be the only one not overly concerned about it. “Your expectations of me are living week by week,” Scheffler said. “My expectations of myself is almost more shot by shot.” The biggest question on the eve of the $25 million championship — the richest in golf with $4.5 million going to winner — is the defending champion. McIlroy withdrew before the third round at Bay Hill last week because of muscle spasms in his lower back. He told Golf Channel the back was being stubborn, and his plan was to arrive Wednesday to determine whether he could play. The 123-man field is as deep as can be, with 46 of the top 50 in the world, missing four players from LIV Golf. It includes Brooks Koepka — an addition to the field — and two other players to make sure each group is threesomes on the weekdays. Koepka is playing at the TPC Sawgrass for the first time since 2022, before he went over to LIV Golf. He once made an albatross on the par-5 16th on his way to what was then a course-record 63 (Justin Thomas beat that last year with a 62) but he has yet to finish in the top 10 in his six appearances. He has a simple explanation for his pedestrian showing. “The 17th hole,” he said of the island green, which is actually a peninsula but is the signature hole at Sawgrass, terrifying to play and fun to watch. “One year I made an 8 and a 7. Yeah, that wasn’t very good. But that 17th hole has gotten me over the years. I’ve played good rounds here. That’s just kind of the one bugaboo that always gets me.” The PGA Tour raised eyebrows with a subtle nudge toward elevating the status of The Players with a promotional campaign that ended with, “March is going to be major.” Major excitement, anyway. ==================================================================== INDIANA SPORTS TEAM RELEASES COLTS, QB DANIEL JONES AGREE TO 2-YEAR DEAL WORTH UP TO $100 MILLION, AP SOURCE SAYS INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Quarterback Daniel Jones plans to stay with the Indianapolis Colts for at least two more years. The two sides agreed to a new contract, a deal that will pay Jones up to $100 million, a person with knowledge of the contract told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The person requested anonymity because the deal had not yet been announced. Jones will receive $88 million over the next two seasons with $50 million guaranteed. He can make an additional $12 million through incentives. Jones led the Colts offense to a productive 10-game start. But following the bye week, Jones played through a hairline fracture in his left leg and then wound up suffering a season-ending torn right Achilles tendon in early December. It’s unclear whether he will be ready to play when the season opens in September, though general manager Chris Ballard and coach Shane Steichen have said they remain hopeful Jones will be able to participate in training camp. Injuries also limited Jones, the No. 6 overall draft pick in 2019, to just six games in 2023 and he started 10 games for the New York Giants in 2024 before he was benched, leading to his release. But Jones found a perfect home in Indy. He completed 68 percent of his throws last season for 3,101 yards — his highest total since leading the New York Giants to the playoffs in 2022. He also threw 19 touchdown passes, his highest total since 2019, and had eight interceptions. Ballard made it clear in January that his top offseason priorities were re-signing Jones and receiver Alec Pierce, who led all NFL qualifiers in yards per reception in 2024 and 2025. Indy placed the transition tag on Jones last week as team officials and Jones’ agents continued working on an extension, and the Colts agreed to a four-year deal worth $116 million with Pierce on Monday. Jones and Pierce developed a close rapport both on and off the field last season, and the Colts were so committed to keeping them together that Ballard also traded longtime No. 1 receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a late-round draft pick Monday. Indy could still be in the market for a backup quarterback, too, after giving Anthony Richardson permission to seek a trade. Richardson, the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2023, lost the starting job to Jones in training camp last season and then suffered an eye injury during a freak pregame accident in October, another injury that forced him to miss the rest of the season. ===================================================================== INDIANA PACERS GAME PREVIEW: PACERS VS SUNS Game Preview The Indiana Pacers return home Thursday looking to snap a 10-game losing streak when they host the playoff-contending Phoenix Suns. While the Pacers (15-50) are looking to build for the future over the final few weeks of the season, the Suns (38-27) hope to improve their seeding. Indiana was mathematically eliminated from postseason contention Tuesday after losing to the Sacramento Kings and the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Portland Trail Blazers. Phoenix’s game against Indiana is the second stop on a six-game road trip, and the Suns currently sit seventh in the Western Conference. Indiana enters the matchup coming off a 114-109 loss to the Kings. After Indiana led for much of the first three quarters, Sacramento outscored the Pacers 42-27 in the fourth to secure the victory. Aaron Nesmith led the Pacers with 29 points and Obi Toppin added 17 points in just 15 minutes in the loss. The 15 minutes marked Toppin’s highest usage since returning on Feb. 26 from a foot injury. The Pacers were missing six players because of injuries in Sacramento, including All-Star forward Pascal Siakam, starting point guard Andrew Nembhard, and sixth man T.J. McConnell, among other key contributors. Phoenix visits Indianapolis after beating the Milwaukee Bucks 129-114 on Tuesday at Fiserv Forum. Devin Booker scored 27 points in the win, Jalen Green added 25 and Royce O’Neale finished with 21. The Suns rank among the league’s top 3-point shooting teams this season, averaging 14.7 made 3-pointers per game — fourth best in the NBA — and are tied among all teams for second in steals per game (9.9). Booker, a 2026 NBA All-Star, leads Phoenix in scoring at 24.9 points per game, while Grayson Allen averages 17.5. Green (14.8) and Collin Gillespie (13.6) are also averaging double figures among players currently healthy for the Suns. The Pacers will face a Suns team without Dillon Brooks, who is sidelined with a hand fracture. Brooks scored 32 points against Indiana in the teams’ first meeting — a 133-98 Phoenix victory on Nov. 13 Projected Starters Pacers: G – Kam Jones, G – Aaron Nesmith, F – Aaron Jarace Walker, F – Obi Toppin, C – Jay Huff Mavericks: G – Collin Gillespie, G – Devin Booker, F – Jalen Green, F – Royce O’Neal, C – Oso Ighodaro Injury Report Pacers: T.J. McConnell – TBA (right hamstring soreness), Andrew Nembhard – TBA (sore lower back/neck), Pascal Siakam – TBA (right knee sprain), Johnny Furphy – out (right ACL tear), Tyrese Haliburton – out (right Achilles tendon tear), Ivica Zubac – out (left ankle sprain) Suns: Dillon Brooks – out (left hand fracture), Mark Williams – out (left foot third metatarsal stress reaction) Last Meeting Nov. 13, 2025: Devin Booker scored 33 points and Dillon Brooks added 32 as the Phoenix Suns beat the Indiana Pacers 133-98 at Mortgage Matchup Center. The Pacers shaved a 20-point third-quarter deficit to 10, but the Suns responded with a 16-0 run to lead 106-84 going into the fourth quarter and hung on from there. Indiana shot just 36 percent from the field, including 28 percent from 3-point range, while Phoenix shot 58 percent overall. Andrew Nembhard led the Pacers with 21 points and eight assists, Pascal Siakam had 19 points, and Aaron Nesmith chipped in 10 points. In addition to the strong performances by Booker and Brooks, Oso Ighodaro provided 17 points off the bench for the Suns. The Suns outrebounded the Pacers 43-41 and outscored the visitors 54-42 in fastbreak points. Noteworthy The Pacers have won three of their last four games against the Suns. If Pascal Siakam scores at least 10 points against the Suns, it would be the 66th straight game he’s accomplished the feat for the Pacers – good for the sixth-longest streak in franchise history, and besting his previous mark with the team of 65 consecutive games. T.J. McConnell needs one steal to reach 900 career steals. One steal would put him at 248th all-time in NBA history – one spot ahead of Phoenix Hall-of-Fame point guard Steve Nash. =================================================================== INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL HOOSIERS FALL TO WILDCATS IN BIG TEN TOURNAMENT CHICAGO — What do you say when Big Ten tourney misery returns, when a final opportunity to make a NCAA Tournament case ends in 74-61 defeat to Northwestern at the United Center, when a season that began with such promise (seven straight victories) likely ends with such disappointment (six losses in the last seven games). If you’re Indiana forward Tucker DeVries, one of the Hoosiers six seniors/graduate students, you think about what might have been. “We had so many seniors,” he said. “We wanted to lay the groundwork for this program … we had so many opportunities. It really sucks. It’s really frustrating.” IU (18-14) has lost seven straight games to Northwestern (15-18). The offseason priority to turn things around, coach Darian DeVries said, comes down to “depth, size and physicality to give us a better chance on the interior.” Here was IU assistant coach Rod Clark, talking with Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer in the post-game radio show, assessing what might have been. “These six seniors came here and took a chance on the program,” Clark told Fischer. “They sacrificed for this year. I feel bad for those guys and the effort they put in. “We came into the game with high hopes feeling we had some things put together to neutralize those guys. It just didn’t come to fruition.” IU’s Big Ten tourney frustration continues. It has never won this event, which began in 1998. It has only reached one conference tourney final, and that was a generation ago. The down-the-stretch struggles were never solved. “I just feel like we just got stagnant,” guard Lamar Wilkerson said. “We just weren’t playing our best basketball. The other team that we were playing, they executed well. They did what they had to do. “We made a lot of self-inflictions that cost us games through that last stretch. We just weren’t hooked up like we were supposed to be. Four layups and four 3-pointers helped IU build a 10-point first-half lead, but turnovers helped Northwestern cut it to one at halftime. The Wildcats dominated the second half, 38-24. Senior forward Nick Martinelli led Northwestern, which will play Purdue Thursday night, with 28 points. IU opened bigger with 6-foot-10 forward Reed Bailey starting ahead of 6-foot-7 guard Nick Dorn. It helped the Hoosiers score 14 points in the paint in the first half. They finished with 24, 10 fewer than the Wildcats. “In the early part of the game,” Clark told Fischer, “We guarded the ball screens a little different than we had in the past. It was more about keeping the ball out of (Big Ten leading scorer Nick) Martinelli’s hands, and stay back more. It was fighting and being tougher on the ball. “Then (Northwestern) started getting downhill and their guards started to living in the paint on us. We had to switch up our coverage.” Guard Lamar Wilkerson led Indiana with 17 points. Guard Tayton Conerway came off the bench for 14. Forward Tucker DeVries scored five early points, then didn’t score again until just three minutes remained in the game. He finished with six points, eight rebounds and six assists. IU’s inside emphasis quickly paid off with layups from Sam Alexis and Wilkerson before a Tucker DeVries 3-pointer boosted the Hoosiers to an 8-2 lead. A Wilkerson 3-pointer made it 13-6 five minutes into the game. Baskets by Alexis and Wilkerson gave IU a 22-13 lead after 10 minutes. A Dorn 3-pointer made it 25-15. Northwestern capitalized on three Hoosier turnovers to close within 30-25. An 8-0 run boosted the Wildcats to a 33-32 lead with just under three minutes. Dorn’s second 3-pointer and a Conerway basket pushed IU ahead 37-33. The Hoosiers reached halftime with a 37-36 lead. Wilkerson led with 10 points. Conerway, and Dorn came off the bench for a combined 12 points. Northwestern scored the first four points of the second half to regain the lead. IU countered with a pair of Bailey free throws and a Wilkerson jumper. Dorn was called for a flagrant foul. The Wildcats capitalized to push ahead 53-44 with 12 minutes left. A pair of Conerway free throws ended IU’s scoring drought, but Martinelli’s two free throws and Reid’s 3-pointer made it 60-47 with 9:33 left. The Wildcats made it 67-49 with seven minutes left before Conerway’s 3-pointer offered a final flicker of hope. It wasn’t nearly enough. IU will wait until Sunday to see if it receives an NCAA tourney bid. “I certainly think there’s a case (to make the NCAA Tournament) there,” Darian DeVries said. “Whether it’s an enough, we’ll see.” Added Clark to Fischer: “This is a process. When you get 13 to 15 new guys together, it’s not easy to snap your fingers and hope it all fits together. You have guys from multiple programs and try to get them to play the way you want to play. “We do have good guys. They tried to perform the way we wanted. It was a rollercoaster season. Guys were getting adjusted to a new league, a new program, a new school. We’re not the only program going through this. We’re looking forward to building this thing.” Would the Hoosiers consider playing in a postseason tournament other than the NCAA? =================================================================== IU WRESTLING INDIANA’S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS SEEDS REVEALED BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ––– The NCAA announced the seeding list and bracket placement at each of the 10 weight classes for the 2026 NCAA Championships on Wednesday night. Indiana has six wrestlers who qualified for the championships. Jacob Moran (125), Bryce Lowery (157), Derek Gilcher (174) and Gabe Sollars (197) clinched automatic bids at the Big Ten Championships last weekend while Tyler Lillard (165) and Sam Goin (184) received at-large bids yesterday. This year’s total marks three-straight years of six qualifiers. Moran and Sollars both got the No. 14 seed at their weight class while Lillard and Gilcher each got the No. 26 seed. Lowery was slotted as the No. 29 seed and Goin was named the No. 33 seed in the pigtail match at 184 lbs. Opening Matches: 125: No. 14 Jacob Moran (IU) vs. No. 19 Kysen Terukina (North Carolina). 157: No. 29 Bryce Lowery (IU) vs. No. 4 Kaleb Larkin (Arizona State). 165: No. 26 Tyler Lillard (IU) vs. No. 7 Max Brignola (Lehigh). 174: No. 26 Derek Gilcher (IU) vs. No. 7 Cam Steed (Mizzou). 184: No. 33 Sam Goin (IU) vs. No. 32 Caleb Uhlenhopp (Utah Valley). 197: No. 14 Gabe Sollars (IU) vs. No. 19 Zayne Lehman (Ohio). The 2026 NCAA Championships will take place from March 19-21 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. ================================================================== IU SWIMMING INDIANA FINALIZES ROSTERS FOR 2026 NCAA SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Following the NCAA’s announcement of swimming qualifiers for the 2026 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships as well as the conclusion of the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships, No. 3/6 Indiana finalized its rosters for the national meet on Wednesday (March 11). Thirty-two athletes will represent IU over the next two weeks at the two NCAA swimming and diving championship meets, starting with the women’s competition scheduled to run next Wednesday through Saturday (March 18-21). The men’s meet will run the following week (March 25-28). Indiana qualified 19 athletes – 16 swimmers, three divers – for the men’s meet, the nation’s largest roster. IU added four divers to its women’s roster this week at the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships after the NCAA announced nine swimmers had qualified last Tuesday. The Big Ten Champion men will have a representative in every event and multiple competitors in 20 of 22 events. The Hoosiers have six qualifications in the 400-yard IM, five in the 100-yard backstroke and four apiece in the 500-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke, 200-yard breaststroke and 200-yard IM. Including relays, Hoosiers own 16 top 10 seeds and six top five seeds in their events. The two-time reigning NCAA Champion in the 1,650-yard freestyle, senior Zalán Sárkány is favored to win the mile again as the top seed in the event. Sárkány also owns the No. 2 seed in the 500-yard freestyle. Classmate Owen McDonald has the top seed in the 200 IM. Freshman Josh Bey ranks No. 2 in the 400 IM after breaking the Big Ten record in his conference title victory last month. 2026 NCAA SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS Indiana Women’s Qualifiers Kaylee Bishop – platform Mary Kate Cavanaugh – platform Liberty Clark – 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle Mya DeWitt – 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke Miranda Grana – 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 100 butterfly Macky Hodges – 200 backstroke, 200 IM, 400 IM Grace Hoeper – 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle Jonette Laegreid – Relay alternate Kristina Paegle – 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle Ella Roselli – 1-meter, 3-meter, platform Alex Shackell – 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly Reese Tiltmann – 200 breaststroke, 200 IM, 400 IM Lily Witte – 1-meter, 3-meter 200 freestyle relay 400 freestyle relay 800 freestyle relay 200 medley relay 400 freestyle relay Indiana Men’s Qualifiers Alexei Avakov – 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke Toby Barnett – 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, 200 IM Josh Bey – 200 breaststroke, 200 IM, 400 IM Noah Cakir – 200 breaststroke, 200 IM, 400 IM Luke Ellis – 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle, 400 IM Travis Gulledge – 50 freestyle, 100 breaststroke Miroslav Knedla – 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke David Kovacs – 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 400 IM Mikkel Lee – 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle Owen McDonald – 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 200 IM Raekwon Noel – 100 backstroke, 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly Aiden Sadler – 3-meter Zalán Sárkány – 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle, 400 IM Aaron Shackell – 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 200 butterfly Dylan Smiley – 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 100 breaststroke Joshua Sollenberger – 1-meter, 3-meter Maxwell Weinrich – 1-meter, 3-meter, platform Kai van Westering – 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke Luke Whitlock – 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle, 400 IM 200 freestyle relay 400 freestyle relay 800 freestyle relay 200 medley relay 400 freestyle relay ==================================================================== PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL SMITH NAMED 2ND TEAM ALL-AMERICA BY THE SPORTING NEWS WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue senior point guard Braden Smith has been named a second-team All-American by The Sporting News, the organization announced today. The Sporting News is one of four organizations recognized for consensus All-American honors (Associated Press, NABC, USBWA), thus making Smith officially an All-American for the 2025-26 season. Smith is joined on the second team by Houston’s Kingston Flemings, Florida’s Thomas Haugh, Illinois’ Keaton Wagler and Texas Tech’s J.T. Toppin. The first team consisted of Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, BYU’s A.J. Dybantsa, Arkansas’ Darius Acuff, Duke’s Cameron Boozer and Iowa’s State’s Joshua Jefferson. Smith becomes the eighth player in the modern era to be named All-American twice, joining Zach Edey (2023, 2024), Carsen Edwards (2018, 2019), Glenn Robinson (1993, 1994), Joe Barry Carroll (1979, 1980), Rick Mount (1968, 1969, 1970), Dave Schellhase (1965, 1966) and Terry Dischinger (1960, 1961, 1962). Purdue has now had an All-American in five straight seasons, the longest active streak in the country. Yesterday, Smith became the fifth Purdue player in modern history (since 1948) to be named first-team All-Big Ten three times, joining Robbie Hummel, Rick Mount, Dave Schellhase and Terry Dischinger on the list. He was the first Big Ten player to be named first-team All-Big Ten three times since Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ (2017-19). Smith is having a sensational senior season, averaging 14.9 points, 8.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals while shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from 3-point range and 82.3 percent from the free throw line. In conference play only, Smith averaged 16.5 points, 8.4 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals while shooting 48.0 percent from the field, 40.4 percent from deep and 88.3 percent from the free throw line. He has scored at least 10 points, 25 different times this season and has surpassed 20 points nine times. He has recorded double-doubles in eight games this season and has 13 games of at least 10 assists. Smith is the only player in the country to have at least 450 points, 250 assists and 100 rebounds this season and is the first player in NCAA history to have at least three seasons of 450 points, 250 assists and 100 rebounds. The 450-250-100 splits have been accomplished just eight times in Big Ten history. Smith has accounted for three of them. Smith is one of the most-decorated point guards in NCAA history, being named a first-team All-American and Cousy Award winner during the 2024-25 season. For his career, he is the only player in NCAA history to have at least 1,800 points and 1,000 career assists and when you add in his 648 rebounds, Smith is still the only player in NCAA history with even 1,500 points, 1,000 assists and 500 rebounds. He is the Big Ten’s all-time leader in assists (1,029) and needs 48 assists to become the NCAA all-time leader in career assists. Purdue will open play in the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday evening against the winner of Indiana vs. Northwestern. #18 PURDUE HEADS TO CHICAGO IN SEARCH OF BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TITLE GAMEDAY INFORMATION [18 / 18] Purdue (23-8) VS. Northwestern (15-18) Thursday, March 12, 2026 | 6:30 p.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. CT Chicago, Illinois | United Center (20,917) TELEVISION: BTN (Kevin Kugler, Robbie Hummel, Andy Katz) RADIO: Purdue Global Radio Network (Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell) PURDUE’S NUMBERS • Overall: 23-8 | Big Ten: 13-7 • Home: 12-5 | Away: 8-3 | Neutral: 3-0 • Q1: 8-8 | Q2: 5-0 | Q3: 7-0 | Q4: 3-0 • NCAA NET: 10th | KenPom: 8th • Off. Eff.: 2nd | Def. Eff.: 39th • NCAA SOS: 7th | KenPom SOS: 8th THE SCENE SETTER • Starting what hopes to be a long March postseason run, the No. 18-ranked Purdue Boilermakers head to the Windy City for the 2026 Big Ten Tournament, starting Thursday against the winner of the Northwestern vs. Indiana contest. The Boilermakers are looking for their third Big Ten Tournament title, and second straight title in Chicago after winning the last tournament played at the United Center in 2023. • The Boilermakers will hear their names on Selection Sunday for the 11th straight year, when the brackets come out Sunday night. THE SERIES • Purdue is looking for its third tournament title in school history when the Big Ten Tournament gets underway for the Boilermakers on Thursday evening in Chicago. The Boilermakers won the event in 2009 in Indianapolis and in 2023 in Chicago. • Over the last five years (since 2021-22), Purdue has the most wins in the Big Ten Tournament with seven. Penn State (6), Wisconsin (6) and Iowa (5) are next. • Purdue is the only team to have won at least one game in each of the last four Big Ten Tournaments, entering this year’s tournament. • Purdue has faced both Northwestern and Indiana just once in the Big Ten Tournament. The Boilermakers topped Indiana in Purdue’s first Big Ten Tournament game in school history, 76-71, on March 6, 1998. Purdue defeated Northwestern, 69-61, on March 12, 2010. • Matt Painter’s 18 wins in the Big Ten Tournament are the fourth most by a coach in tournament history (Tom Izzo – 36; Thad Matta – 23; John Beilein – 21). Painter’s two titles are tied for fourth. Greg Gard is next among active coaches with 11 Big Ten Tournament victories. NEWS AND NOTES • Purdue aims to turn it on now that the postseason is upon us, entering the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 7 seed with a 23-8 overall record. The Boilermakers ended Big Ten play with a 13-7 record, with five of the losses coming by two or fewer possessions. • Purdue aims to make history this week in Chicago as no number seven seed has ever reached the championship game. • Purdue has reached the title game six times in school history, winning titles in 2009 and 2023. The six title-game appearances are the fifth most in the league (Ohio State, Wisconsin – 9; Illinois – 8; Michigan State – 7). • Purdue is averaging 82.3 points per game, tied for the highest average of the Matt Painter era (2024), and the highest since the 1988 season (84.6 PPG). Purdue is also shooting 50.1 percent from the field, the highest percentage in a season since the 1989-90 season (52.2 percent). • The Boilermakers are on pace to shatter the NCAA record for assist-to-turnover ratio in a season, posting a 2.16 ratio (current record: 2.07 by Gonzaga, 2024-25 season). • Over Purdue’s last six games, each opponent has shot over 51.0 percent from the field. Opponents are shooting 160-of-304 (.526) from the field in the last six games. • Purdue’s eight quad-1 victories are tied for the seventh most nationally. Purdue’s lone loss outside quad-1A is against Wisconsin on March 7, in Mackey Arena. The Badgers are currently ranked No. 26 in the NCAA NET rankings. Purdue is 18-1 outside quad-1A. • Purdue continues to play one of America’s toughest schedules, owning the eighth-most difficult schedule in America. In the last three seasons, Purdue’s strength of schedule has ranked 8th (2025-26), 8th (2024-25) and 2nd (2023-24). • In Purdue’s 23 wins this season, Purdue is holding opponents to 42.0 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from 3-point range. In Purdue’s eight losses, foes are shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 44.9 percent from long distance. • Braden Smith was named a first-team All-Big Ten performer for the third straight year, joining Robbie Hummel, Rick Mount, Dave Schellhase and Terry Dischinger as the only Purdue players to be named first-team All-Big Ten three times. • Braden Smith was named a Sporting News second-team All-American on Wednesday, becoming the eighth player in school history to be named All-American twice. =================================================================== PURDUE WRESTLING SEEDS, BRACKETS ANNOUNCED FOR NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS CLEVELAND — The NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee announced seeding and brackets for the 2026 NCAA Championships during its selection show on Wednesday night. First round opponents have been revealed for the four Boilermakers who qualified for the national tournament. PURDUE SEEDS / FIRST ROUND OPPONENTS WeightPurdue Wrestler (Seed)Opponent165Joey Blaze (2)Jared Keslar (31), Pitt174Brody Baumann (22)MJ Gaitan (11), Iowa State133Blake Boarman (24)Dominick Serrano (9), Northern Colorado197Ben Vanadia (26)Cody Merrill (7), Oklahoma State On the heels of a 22-1 junior season, Joey Blaze earned the No. 2 seed at 165 pounds, which makes him just the fourth Boilermaker since 1962 to own a top-two seed. The others all finished on the podium as All-Americans. Top-two seeded Purdue wrestlers since 1962YearWrestlerSeedFinish1992Charles Jones2Champion2003Chris Fleeger12nd2025Matt Ramos24th2026Joey Blaze2? Purdue’s 2025 national runner-up at 157, Blaze will aim for the top of the podium at his new weight this season. He has a chance to become Purdue’s first national champion since Jones in 1992 and just the fifth in school history. Blaze draws No. 31 Jared Keslar (Pittsburgh) in the first round. Keslar is 15-13 this season making his first NCAA tournament appearance as a redshirt junior. Redshirt junior Brody Baumann (No. 22 at 174) becomes a three-time NCAA qualifier after an eighth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. A two-time state champion from Evansville, Ind., he is one of just three Indiana natives to qualify for nationals in 2024, 2025 and 2026, along with Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) and Evan Bates (Missouri). Baumann will wrestle No. 11 MJ Gaitan (Iowa State), a three-time national qualifier who just placed third at the Big 12 Championships. Redshirt senior Blake Boarman (No. 24 at 133) took a big leap forward in last weekend’s Big Ten Championships to secure his second trip to nationals. He qualified last year in his fourth season at Chattanooga before transferring to Purdue for his fifth year. Boarman will face No. 9 Dominick Serrano (Northern Colorado), a three-time NCAA qualifier and 2024 Big 12 champion. After competing in his fourth and final Big Ten tournament, redshirt senior Ben Vanadia (No. 26 at 197) broke through to reach the NCAA Championships for the first time. Hailing from Brecksville, Ohio, his final run of college wrestling will happen in his home state. Vanadia will square off with No. 7 Cody Merrill (Oklahoma State), a redshirt freshman who also placed third at the Big 12 tournament last weekend. The NCAA Wrestling Championships are set for March 19-21 inside Cleveland’s Rocket Arena, home of the NBA’s Cavaliers. Session 1 will begin at noon ET on Thursday, March 19. Broadcast coverage will be provided by the ESPN family of networks — a more detailed schedule is available here. MATCHUPS 133 | #24 Blake Boarman – R-Sr.Round of 32: #9 Dominick Serrano (UNCO)Round of 16 (if advanced): #8 Markel Baker (NIU) OR #25 Will Betancourt 165 | #2 Joey Blaze – Jr.Round of 32: #31 Jared Keslar (PITT)Round of 16 (if advanced): #15 Connor Euton (ISU) OR #18 Gunner Filipowicz (ARMY) 174 | #22 Brody Baumann – R-Jr.Round of 32: #11 MJ Gaitan (ISU)Round of 16 (if advanced): #6 Matty Singleton (NCST) OR #27 Collin Carrigan (UNC) 197 | #26 Ben Vanadia – R-Sr.Round of 32: #7 Cody Merrill (OKST)Round of 16 (if advanced): #10 Mac Stout (PITT) OR #23 Mikey Squires (BING) ===================================================================== PURDUE SOFTBALL BOILERS WALK OFF SYCAMORES IN 10 INNINGS WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Boilers walked-off the Sycamores in ten innings on a three-run homer from Moriah Polar. With the win, the Boilers extend their win-streak to eleven, heading into Big Ten Conference play this weekend. BOILER BITS Offensive Highlights Moriah Polar: 4-for-5, 3 RBI, HR, 2 R Anna Moore: 1-for-4, HR, RBI, R Khloe Banks: 1-for-4, R Kylie Franks: 1-for-3 Pitching Breakdown Brianna Fontenot: 2.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 K, 12 BF Julia Gossett: (W, 9-3) 8.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 14 K, 27 BF Purdue jumped onto the scoreboard in the bottom of the first inning when Polar singled up the middle, and then stole second. Anna Moore sent one over the left field wall, her sixth of the season, to put the Boilers ahead 2-1. Indiana State plated two runs, one in the first, and one in the second which kept the score even through nine innings of play. The Boilermakers defense shut the Sycamores down throughout the game, aided by the arm of Julia Gossett, the two-time Big Ten Pitcher of the Week who tied her career-high in strikeouts with 14 over eight hitless innings. Keeping the score at 2-2 through the seven innings of regulation, the teams went into extra innings. In the eighth and ninth, the combination of the Boilermaker defense and Gossett shut down the Sycamores yet again. The Boilermakers were held to one hit in the eighth by Moriah Polar and one hit in the ninth by Kylie Franks. In the tenth, Purdue shut down the Sycamores, leaving room for Purdue in the bottom of the innings. The Big Ten leader in hits and batting average, Polar, sent a three-run homer over the left center wall, ending the game. Polar’s third home run of the year was a big one, bringing her to 48 hits on the year while hitting .593. ==================================================================== NOTRE DAME HOCKEY HOCKEY FALLS AT #1/1 MICHIGAN IN BIG TEN TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The 2025-26 hockey season comes to a close for the University of Notre Dame hockey team as they fall at top-ranked Michigan, 6-1, in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals Wednesday evening at Yost Ice Arena. The Irish had the first true shot on net of the contest when Cole Brown connected with Evan Werner in the slot but his shot was denied by the pads of the Wolverine netminder, Jack Ivankovic. Michigan countered with a chance of their own but Nicholas Kempf sealed the five-hole chance for the home team a the game remained scoreless at the halfway point of the opening period. At the first media timeout of the night the Irish were outshooting the Wolverines, 5-2, but neither team had been able to convert in a scoreless first few minutes. The Wolverines broke the stalemate at 11:52 of the first period when a race up ice beat a changing Irish skater and the Wolverine forward fired a shot over the glove of Kempf. The Notre Dame penalty kill unit was tested first Wednesday night when the Irish were called for interference with 2:30 left in the first period. The Irish managed to kill off the duration of the penalty with Carter Slaggert making a big defensive stop on a four-on-two chance for the Wolverines in the final seconds of the special teams play to keep it a one-goal game. The score remained stagnant through the horn signaling the end of 20 minutes as the Irish skated to the locker room trailing by one after one. The Wolverines extended their lead with just under five minutes gone in the second period when a rebound attempt from a low-angle shot beat Kempf at the right post to make it a 2-0 game. A scrum in the Michigan crease after an Irish skater was knocked into the Wolverine netminder from behind caused a stir inside Yost Ice Arena at the 13:39 mark and saw the ND player removed from the game for charging the goaltender. The Irish managed to kill off the final three minutes of the major after a two-minute stint four-on-four as the Wolverines were penalized for their retaliation. With just over a minute left on the Irish infraction, Jaedon Kerr stepped up in the near circle, blocking a Grade-A shot opportunity for the Wolverines and keeping the look off net and finishing off the rest of the penalty unscathed. A delayed slashing call against the Irish with under seven to go in the second stanza gave Michigan a chance six-on-five briefly but the Irish reclaimed possession with 6:22 to go and were tasked with their third kill of the evening. Michigan would convert on that man-advantage as the Irish faced a 3-0 deficit heading into the final period of regulation. Some extracurriculars behind the Michigan net lead to four-on-four and the first media timeout of the third period as a skater from each side was sent to the box for roughing with 11:55 to go in the frame. Werner and Paul Fischer each had chances on the special teams affair but the four-on-four play was cut short when the Irish were called for contact to the head and assessed a five-minute major. The two teams earned a skater back with 9:55 left to play and the Irish were tasked with a lengthy penalty kill as they attempted to close out the third period major. With 10 ticks left on the penalty, the Wolverines snuck a shot past Kempf in the crease after the sophomore netminder had made a series of saves, making it 4-0. Notre Dame opted for the extra attacker following the final media timeout of regulation as they searched for four goals. It took the Irish just 25 seconds to capitalize with the extra attacker when Evan Werner found the back of the net in his former barn. The Irish won the ensuing draw and Kempf raced to the bench in favor of the extra attacker once more but the Wolverines capitalized with a shot down the center of the ice to make it a 5-1 contest with 2:45 left in the third. Kempf returned to the ice after the Wolverines’ took advantage of the empty net and a scramble in the final minute beat the Irish netminder for the 6-1 final. ====================================================================== NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL LATE COMEBACK LIFTS IRISH OVER GAUCHOS SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The University of Notre Dame softball team posted its first comeback win of the season Wednesday, taking down UC Santa Barbara with a three-run seventh inning to down the Gaunchos 8-6. The Irish are now 10-15 on the year. Offensively, Olivia Levitt was the difference, lining a go-ahead two-run double in the top of the seventh to put Notre Dame up for good. Ava Zachary logged a pair of hits and three RBI while Sydny Poeck’s three hits bumped her team-best average to .397 on the year. Brianne Weiss was masterful in the circle, throwing 3.1 shutout relief innings to close the game and keep Notre Dame in the game. Micaela Kastor, who started the game, tossed three innings and didn’t allow an earned run. Notre Dame continues its road trip this weekend at #19/20 Stanford for a three-game series. Game one is set for Friday at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT on ACC Network Extra. How it happened The Irish scored first, as Sydny Poeck lined a ball into left field to score Caroline O’Brien, who doubled earlier in the inning. Notre Dame had a 1-0 lead before Micaela Kastor stepped into the circle. With the game tied at one and the bases loaded in the top of the second, Ava Zachary launched a ball into the right center field gap, clearing the bases to give the Irish a 4-1 lead. Poeck doubled in a run in the top of the fourth to make it 5-1 heading in the bottom of the fourth. The Gauchos scored five in the fourth inning to take the lead, notching six hits in the frame to take a 6-5 lead. But the Irish fought back. Down in the top of the seventh, back-to-back singles by Poeck and Hayden Kyne put the go-ahead run on first for Rebecca Eckart, who lined a double into the gap in right center field to tie up the game. That’s when Olivia Levitt dug into the box, lashing one down the left field line and into the corner, scoring the go-ahead runs to put the Irish up 8-6. It was the 13th and 14th RBI of the season for Levitt, who leads the team. Brianne Weiss was dominant in relief Wednesday afternoon. The sophomore tossed 3.1 innings, striking out six while only allowing two hits. The southpaw didn’t surrender a walk and secured her team-leading fifth win of the season. ==================================================================== BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL BUTLER FALLS TO PROVIDENCE, 91-81, IN BIG EAST TOURNAMENT Providence used 14 three-pointers to climb back into the game and ultimately take a 91-81 win over Butler Wednesday in the first round of the 2026 BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Friars, the No. 9 seed, advance to play No. 1 seed St. John’s in the BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals Thursday afternoon. Butler falls to 16-16 on the season with the result. HOW IT HAPPENED: Butler jumped out to a 25-9 lead, making 10 of their first 15 attempts from the field, over the first nine minutes of the game. Providence would climb back into the game, tying the game at 38-38 before the Bulldogs eventually led 42-40 at the half. A 12-0 run gave PC a 61-52 lead with 12:25 remaining, the Friars’ first lead since 2-0. A Jamie Kaiser Jr. three-pointer with 3:52 remaining pulled Butler within two at 77-75 but the Bulldogs were never able to re-take the lead. TIP-INS: Michael Ajayi led Butler with 21 points and 11 rebounds, his 19th double-double of the season. Ajayi also set Butler’s single-season rebounding mark in the game, moving past the record previously held by Daryl Mason in 1972-73 (354). Finley Bizjack (17) and Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor (10) also reached double figures for Butler. Freshman Stefan Vaaks led Providence with 28 points, which included 8-for-13 shooting from three-point range. Ryan Mela and Jaylin Sellers each scored 23 points. Providence went 14-for-27 from three-point range (52 percent); the Friars shot 60 percent from the field in the second half. Butler shot 46 percent from the field, but only 5-for-17 from behind the arc. Butler and Providence split two regular season match-ups this season with each going to double-overtime and the home team victorious. ===================================================================== BUTLER BASEBALL BUTLER TRAVELS TO WICHITA STATE FOR FOUR-GAME SERIES INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will travel to Wichita, Kan. to take on the Wichita State Shockers in a four-game series starting Thursday, March 12. Friday will feature one game, followed by a doubleheader between the two sides on Saturday. First pitch for Thursday’s series opening game is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET / 6:05 p.m. CT. GAMEDAY INFORMATION DATE: March 12, 13, 14 GAME TIMES: Thursday – 7:05 p.m. ET, Friday – 4:05 p.m. ET, Saturday – 2:05 p.m. ET & 5:35 p.m. ET LOCATION: Wichita, Kan. LIVE STATS: Butlersports.com ABOUT THE BULLDOGS Butler (4-12) dropped a midweek contest at Bellarmine 17-10 on Tuesday afternoon. Butler recorded 19 hits and 10 walks in the contest. Matthew Rhoades hit a home run, marking his third-consecutive game with a homer. Against Morehead State, Rhoades was sensational for Butler. In 16 at bats, he recorded nine hits, 10 runs scored, one double, five home runs, eight RBIs, one walk and two hit by pitches. Rhoades hit .563 over the course of the week for BU. The junior earned BIG EAST Player of the Week honors after his spectacular weekend for the Dawgs. David Ayers had a sensational series for Butler that began with the junior tying a program record for most RBIs in a game with eight to his credit in Friday’s 20-5 victory over the Eagles. Ayers hit .500 on the week with five runs scored, seven hits, one double, three home runs, 10 RBIs and a hit by pitch. For his efforts, Ayers earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll. Logan Crock was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watchlist last week. The award honors the nation’s top shortstop and will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this year. The top 100 shortstops in the country made the list, which featured Butler shortstop Crock. The sophomore has had a solid start to 2026, slashing .292/.479/.854 in 15 games for the Dawgs. Crock has 14 hits, three doubles, two homers and 12 RBIs to his credit on the young season. Ayers leads Butler at the dish, slashing .367/.767/1.191 on the season. The junior has 22 hits and 16 runs scored to his credit and leads the team in RBIs (20) and is second on the team in doubles (4) and home runs (6). Max Winders has been dominant on the mound for the Bulldogs. In five appearances (two starts), Winders has posted a 3.75 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. The sophomore leads Butler with 29 strikeouts and has yet to issue a walk. Butler returns 17 letterwinners from a year ago and welcomes 21 new faces to the squad for 2026. Butler welcomed Ty Neal to the coaching staff this offseason as the program’s pitching coach. Neal was an assistant coach at Michigan in 2025, helping the Wolverines post a 33-23 overall record. They went 16-14 in the Big Ten standings and held a 4.92 team ERA. Neal has made stops at Michigan, Arizona State, Cincinnati, Indiana, Miami Ohio, and Southern Illinois. He brings nearly 20 years of coaching experience to the program and has assisted in the recruiting and development of over 50 MLB draft picks. Freshman Grayson Bradberry was named the BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year by D1Baseball and Perfect Game prior to the start of the season. Bradberry hails from Columbia City, Indiana and earned All-Conference honors (3x), Pre-Season All-State honors, team MVP (2x), NE8 Conference Player of the Year and was chosen as a two-time team captain. In 2025, Butler saw Jack Moroknek get drafted in the 11th round by the Washington Nationals. Moroknek led the team in hits (81), batting average (.372), total bases (153), RBIs (57), home runs (18), runs scored (57), slugging percentage (.702) and OPS (1.145) while posting one of the best individual seasons in Butler history. Moroknek was the first Bulldog drafted since Ryan Pepiot was taken in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Head Coach Blake Beemer enters his fourth season at the helm of the Bulldogs. Beemer helped coach back-to-back BIG EAST Freshman of the Year winners Joey Urban (2023) and Kade Lewis (2024) in his first two seasons with the Bulldogs. Beemer played a pivotal role in developing Jack Moroknek who earned All-BIG EAST second team honors a season ago before being selected by the Washington Nationals in the 2025 MLB Draft. SCOUTING WICHITA STATE Wichita State (11-6) enters the series after a midweek loss at Kansas State. The Wildcats secured a 7-5 win, and Brady Owens took the loss on the mound for the Shockers. Owen Washburn leads Wichita State at the dish, batting .467 on the season. Washburn has a team-high 28 hits to his credit to go along with six doubles, four home runs and 23 RBIs. On the mound, Matthew Cuccias leads the Shockers with a 1-0 record and a 2.00 ERA in 18 innings of action. Cuccias has 20 strikeouts to only six walks and has only allowed four earned runs across four outings. UP NEXT The Bulldogs will return to action on Tuesday, March 17 as the Dawgs host Purdue at Bulldog Park. BU will then make the quick trip to Muncie, Ind. to take on Ball State on Wednesday, March 18. More information will be available on butlersports.com. ================================================================= BUTLER WOMEN’S LAX NINE DAWGS SCORE IN WIN OVER GARDNER-WEBB Boiling Springs, N.C.- The Butler women’s lacrosse team defeated Gardner-Webb 14-9 on Wednesday afternoon. Gardner-Webb scored the first two goals of the contest. Elise Latham scored two goals and Madeline Gregston added one for the Bulldogs. Gardner-Webb added one more to end the quarter tied 3-3. Butler would come out firing in the second quarter to outscore Gardner-Webb 5-2. Bulldog goals came from Katie Smyka, Latham, Emma Palmer, Rylie Smith, and Genna Sulek. The Bulldogs led 8-5 into half. After the half, the Bulldogs would score two and keep Gardner-Webb to only one goal in the quarter. Bulldog goals were recorded by Kerrin McGovern and Riley Ryan. The Bulldogs would carry the lead 10-6 into the final 15 minutes. Gardner-Webb attempted a comeback with three goals in the quarter, but the Dawgs’ four goals of the quarter would lead them to the 14-9 win. The fourth quarter goals for the Bulldogs came from Sarah Gastineau, Ryan, and two from Latham. Notable Stats: Latham recorded five goals on the day. Ryan added four assists and led the team in points with six. Emily Eckert, Sulek, and McGovern recorded two draw controls each. Samantha Wilson recorded 10 saves. Up Next The Bulldogs stay on the road as they travel to Virginia to face Radford on Saturday, March 14 at 11 a.m. =================================================================== BUTLER MEN’S SOCCER THREE SIGNEES COMMIT TO MEN’S SOCCER FOR FALL 2026 Butler men’s soccer head coach Ian Sarachan has announced the commitments of three incoming freshmen who will join the program for the upcoming fall 2026 season. The newcomers are Chace Crismale, Finn Moran, and Hayden Neale. __________ Chace Crismale Glen Gardner, N.J./North Hunterdon (PDA MLS next) 5′-10″, F/D Crismale played club with PDA MLS Next on a side that was undefeated (6-0-2) in his final season. He was a high honor roll student at North Hunterdon who played one season as a sophomore. His team, which finished the season with 12 wins, was conference champion and a Hunterdon Warren Sussex finalist. The defender had four goals with six assists and scored the game-winning goal in overtime of the Hunterdon Warren Sussex semifinal match. “Chace brings a great ability to read the game defensively while also having an incredible engine to get up and down the flank in possession,” stated Sarachan. “His skill set fits excellent within our system and will be pivotal on both sides of the ball.” On choosing Butler: “I chose Butler because of its top-level coaching staff, strong academic reputation, and its great environment on campus. Butler is the best option for me to improve my professional and personal careers.” Crismale is the son of Giacomo and Nicole Crismale and has two siblings, Justin and Madison. He plans to major in Business. __________ Finn Moran Cranford, New Jersey/Cranford HS (PDA and Red Bull New York Academy) 5′-9″, F Moran was a part of the Players Developmental Academy and played as an attacking midfielder/LB for the Red Bulls Academy U18 MLS Next team which he joined at U13. He has been named Student of the Month at Cranford where he is also an honor roll student. “Finn has great experience within the NY Red Bull and PDA systems which will directly translate to college soccer,” said Sarachan. “His ability on the ball to create plays, while also being a willing presser, will be a great addition to our team.” On choosing Butler: “I chose Butler for the opportunity to be a part of the soccer program.” Moran is the son of Rory and Kerri Moran and has two siblings, Jack and Scarlett. He plans to major in Finance. __________ Hayden Neale Boulder, Colorado/Boulder HS (Real Colorado) 6′-2″, F Neale’s Real Colorado club team was an MLS Next Cup finalist in 2024 and a semi-finalist in 2025. In 2024-25, he led the side in assists and was the second-leading goal scorer. Neale played one season at Boulder High School, racking up 13 goals and 11 assists on a conference championship team. Postseason honors included All-State and All-Conference recognition, and he was the conference Player of the Year and team MVP. He also earned Academic All-State recognition. “Hayden is a proven goalscorer at the academy level who has the tools and mentality to become a constant threat for defenders in the BIG EAST,” stated Sarachan. “His relentless work-rate with and without the ball will fit in nicely in our group.” On choosing Butler: ” I choose Butler because of its amazing facilities, experienced coaches, great conference, and great opportunities to grow my career as a soccer player.” Neale is the son of Melanie and Simon Neale and has one sibling, Sebastien. He plans to major in Business. =================================================================== BALL STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 25 FOR 25; KINGERY HELPS LEAD WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TO MAC CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS CLEVELAND – – Led by a career-high 25 points from sophomore Grace Kingery, the second-seeded Ball State women’s basketball team overcame a second-half rally from No. 7 seed Bowling Green to earn a 75-63 win in quarterfinal action of the Mid-American Conference Women’s Basketball Championship. With the victory, the Cardinals (26-6) advance to Friday’s second semifinal contest at Rocket Arena, slated to start around 12:30 p.m., where it will battle the winner of tonight’s final quarterfinal matchup between No. 3 UMass and No. 6 Toledo. Leading by 14 points at the half, the Cardinals saw the Falcons (17-14) cut the advantage to four, at 56-52, with 7:08 remaining in the game. However, a layup and pair of three-pointers from Kingery helped extend the edge back to nine, at 67-58, with 2:22 remining. BSU would reclaim its 10-point lead moments later when senior Bree Salenbien’s connected for her fourth and final trifecta of the afternoon with 1:44 remaining. Junior Karsyn Norman would then hit four straight free throws, helping keep the Falcons at bay, while Kingery made two of her own to cap the scoring in the game. Kingery’s career-high 25 points came on 9-for17 shooting, including five makes from behind the three-point arc. Salenbien was second on the squad with 18 points and added a game-high 10 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season. As impressive as the play of Kingery and Salenbien was, even more impressive was the team’s ability to share the ball, collecting 22 assists on 27 made shots. Norman and freshman Aniss Tagayi tied for game-high honors with six assists apiece, while eight of the nine Cardinals to see action had at least one helper in the game. Ball State also held a 46-to-39 advantage on the glass, including 32 defensive boards. Along with Salenbien’s 10 rebounds, both Tagayi and senior Tessa Towers were credited with eight apiece. The opening tip-off brought expected nerves as the reigning MAC Tournament champions battled through a back-and-forth first quarter. Despite struggling to score in the paint, typically the team’s greatest strength, Ball State took a 19-15 lead thanks to a pair of clutch triples from Kingery. Building on their early momentum, the Cardinals used a three-point play from Salenbien to stretch its lead to nine in the second frame. Despite the Falcons’ efforts to accelerate its tempo, BGSU was overwhelmed by a Ball State offense which shot 17-of-37 from the field. This efficient display, highlighted by 45% shooting and five triples, resulted in a 42-28 cushion at the break. Ball State stumbled early in the third quarter as Bowling Green used a 13-6 run to trim the lead to 48-38 by the media timeout. Kingery answered the threat with her third triple of the game, pushing the cushion back to 13, but a quick BGSU three and consecutive Cardinals’ turnovers helped cut the deficit to single digits. However, a gritty, last-second layup by Salenbien restored a 10-point Ball State lead (53-43) heading into the final frame. The Falcons surged early in the fourth quarter, using a 9-3 run to cut the lead to just four points (56-52) with 7:08 remaining. However, the Cardinals responded with championship poise as Kingery and Salenbien combined to push the lead back to 10 with 1:44 left. This clutch performance effectively sealed the game, sending BSU to their fifth straight MAC Tournament semifinal game. =================================================================== INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL SYCAMORES FALL 5-2 TO PURDUE IN A 10-INNING GAME WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.- Indiana State Softball wrapped up Wednesday night’s play, falling to Purdue, 5-3, at Bittinger Stadium. Both teams scored to open the game. The Sycamores scored off a double by Claire Connelly that drove Madison Poulson home. The Boilermakers didn’t hesitate to respond, as they scored two runs at the top of the inning to take the lead 2-1. During the second inning, Indiana State tied the scoreboard after both Brailey Mills and Isabelle Saylor singled, advancing bases, followed by a third single to the left field by Morgan Goodrich, that drove Brailey Mills home. Both teams remained tied until two extra innings were played. The Sycamores made several efforts during the game; Morgan Goodrich got two hits and one RBI, while Hannah Welch stole a base during the sixth inning. In the circle, the redshirt-senior Lauren Sackett kept putting pressure on the opposing team, as she pitched all ten innings, and reached twelve strikeouts, beating her season and personal best marks. The match kept going until the tenth inning, when Purdue scored three runs off a home run to secure the win. News & Notes Lauren Sackett broke her personal best mark on strikeouts with twelve. Morgan Goodrich equaled her season high of 2 hits during the game. Three extra innings were played during this game. The Sycamores will continue conference play this weekend against UIC at Price Field. ================================================================== INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SYCAMORES OPEN MVC TOURNAMENT THURSDAY AGAINST SOUTHERN ILLINOIS TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State and Southern Illinois square off in the opening game of the 2026 MVC Tournament Thursday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. inside Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. Thursday’s tournament opener will be aired on ESPN+, with Brad Wells (play-by-play) and Jacqui Kalin (analyst) on the call. John Sherman will also have the radio call on WVIG-FM/105.5 The Legend. MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament – First Round – (9) Indiana State vs. (8) Southern IllinoisDateThursday, March 12 | 4:30 p.m. ETLocation // VenueCoralville, Iowa // Xtream Arena (5,100)Game NotesIndiana State Notes // Southern Illinois NotesLive StatsLive Stats LinkWatchESPN+ListenWVIG-FM/105.5 The LegendTicketsSingle Session Tickets Starting at $17 // All-Session Tickets Starting at $74.75Media InformationIndiana State Women’s Basketball Media CenterMVC Tournament InformationChampionship CentralSocial Media@IndStWBB // @IndStAthletics Last Time Out 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. Tourney Time Indiana State enters the MVC Tournament as the ninth seed for the second time in the last three seasons, with the Sycamores facing Southern Illinois in the conference tournament for the fifth time in the last six seasons (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026). The Sycamores own a 15-31 mark all-time in conference tournament games, though the Blue and White have seen some recent success with recent first round wins in 2022 and 2024. Indiana State’s last conference tournament win came against Southern Illinois in 2024 (66-54), with the Sycamores also winning their most recent matchup against the Salukis on February 21 in Terre Haute (81-73). Should Indiana State win Thursday’s opening round game against Southern Illinois, the Sycamores will meet Murray State in the quarterfinals Friday at 1 p.m. in a battle between the two highest-scoring teams in the Missouri Valley Conference this season. Big-Time Bench Indiana State’s bench production this season has been among the best in the nation, with the Sycamores’ 32.7 bench points per game ranking third in the nation. The Sycamores trail only a pair of nationally-ranked teams in LSU and Louisville in terms of bench scoring. The Sycamores’ top three scorers this season have all primarily come off the bench, with sophomore guard Tierney Kelsey’s 14.3 points per game also ranking in the top 15 in the conference this season. Kelsey has scored in double-figures in 23 of Indiana State’s 30 games this season, including a team-leading five 20-point games. Junior forward Clemisha Prackett nearly averages a double-double off the bench at 11.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, despite averaging less than 20 minutes per contest. Prackett’s 8.0 rebounds per game rank sixth in the conference this season, while her 3.2 offensive rebounds per game ranked second in the conference. Jayci Allen averages just shy of 10 points per game off the bench, with the redshirt junior sharpshooter also ranking fifth in the MVC in 3-point percentage at a team-leading 32.9 percent. Allen’s 50 3-pointers this season also rank in the top 10 in the conference. She tallied a team-leading 16 games with multiple 3-pointers this season, including seven games with three or more treys. Indiana State was snubbed of any conference postseason accolades, including Sixth Player of the Year, despite having the top bench scorer (Kelsey), rebounder (Prackett) and 3-point shooter (Allen) in the MVC this season while featuring the only reserve unit in the conference to average more than 30 points per game. Charity Work Indiana State has been one of the best in the nation when it comes to drawing fouls and generating free throw attempts, as the Sycamores rank among the national leaders in free throws made and attempted. The Blue and White enter the conference tournament ranked sixth nationally with 16.8 free throws made and 23.5 free throws attempted per game, while Indiana State’s 20.3 fouls drawn per game ranks 15th nationally. Indiana State ranks second in the conference in all three categories, trailing only regular season champion Murray State in all three. The Sycamores have made the most of their trips to the charity stripe since the start of conference play. Indiana State shot 74.5 percent from the line in its 20 MVC games, compared to a 65.8 percent mark on free throws in the Sycamores’ 10 non-conference games. Four different Sycamores – Jayci Allen (84.2 percent), Tierney Kelsey (81.8 percent), Kennedy Claybrooks (81.6 percent) and Kayla Smith (81.6 percent) – shot better than 80 percent from the charity stripe in conference play, while Samiyah Briggs (73.5 percent) and Clemisha Prackett (70.5 percent) both shot better than 70 percent on free throws against Missouri Valley Conference opposition. Off And Running Indiana State has been at its best this season when getting out in transition, as the Sycamores averaged 18.9 fastbreak points per game in their nine wins this season. Four of those nine wins featured 20-plus fastbreak points for the Blue and White, including a season-high 33 fastbreak points in the Sycamores’ New Year’s Day win over Valparaiso. Four of Indiana State’s five games with 20-plus fastbreak points have resulted in wins for the Sycamores, with Indiana State’s lone loss when scoring 20-plus fastbreak points coming against Bradley on February 7. Indiana State’s ability to get out in transition has been a major factor in the Sycamores’ up-tempo offense, which is on pace for the program’s highest-scoring season since the 2006-07 campaign. The Sycamores enter the conference tournament averaging 73.9 points per game, a mark which ranks second in the conference and 54th nationally this season. Indiana State has hit the 70-point mark in 20 games this season, with the Sycamores also owning a 3-1 mark when reaching the 80-point plateau. Indiana State has not averaged more than 70 points in a season since accomplishing the feat in five straight seasons (2002-07) under Jim Wiedie. The 2025-26 season is projected to rank among the 10 highest-scoring seasons for the Sycamores in the Division I era. TK Can Play Indiana State sophomore guard Tierney Kelsey led the Blue and White in scoring this season at 14.3 points per game, a mark which projects to be the highest-scoring season by a Sycamore since the 2012-13 campaign (Anna Munn, 14.6). Kelsey’s 14.3 points per game were the most in the conference among individuals who have started in less than half of their team’s games. She scored in double-figures a team-leading 23 times, including five games with 20-plus points. Kelsey’s 27-point performance at Northern Iowa was tied for the highest-scoring game by a Sycamore this season (Amerie Flowers – 27 vs. Murray State). Kelsey’s 14.3 points per game marked a massive increase in production compared to her freshman season at Jackson State, where she averaged just 3.6 points per game in 30 contests for the Tigers. The sophomore guard set career highs in points (27 at Northern Iowa), rebounds (six at Northern Iowa), assists (seven at Western Kentucky and vs. UIC), field goals (eight at Austin Peay and at Northern Iowa), 3-pointers (five at Northern Iowa) and free throws (eight vs. Eastern Illinois, at SIU Edwardsville, vs. Northern Illinois and vs. Old Dominion). Southern Illinois At A Glance Southern Illinois enters the conference tournament at 10-19 overall and 7-13 in MVC play. The Salukis secured the eighth seed with their win over Evansville on the final day of the regular season. Alayna Kraus leads the Salukis with 15.5 points per game and was a Third Team All-MVC selection. Indya Green nearly averages a double-double for Southern Illinois at 13.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, while Kayla Cooper also scores in double-figures at 10.9 points per game. Jeniah Thompson adds 9.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while Tkiyah Nelson dishes out 4.2 assists per game. Kelly Bond-White is in her fourth season as head coach at Southern Illinois and owns a 37-84 record at the helm of the Salukis. Bond-White is 6-4 all-time against Indiana State, including a 1-1 record in the MVC Tournament. Series History Against Southern Illinois Indiana State is 49-61 all-time against Southern Illinois, including a 7-7 mark at neutral sites. The Sycamores won the last meeting 81-73 in Terre Haute and also won the last neutral site game (2024, 66-54). Last Meeting Against Southern Illinois (Feb. 21, 2026) Clemisha Prackett and Kayla Smith scored 15 points apiece, as Indiana State pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat Southern Illinois 81-73 on Senior Day inside Hulman Center. Prackett also added a game-high 14 rebounds for her team-leading ninth double-double of the season, while Tierney Kelsey chipped in 12 points off the bench, while Da’Naria Washington added seven points, eight rebounds and five assists. Kennedy Claybrooks dished out a game-high eight assists for the Sycamores. Southern Illinois opened on a 7-0 run, but the Sycamores battled back to lead 21-18 after the opening quarter behind a trio of threes. Indiana State maintained its narrow lead into halftime, but SIU went ahead early in the third. After the Salukis briefly grabbed the lead in the third, Jayci Allen answered with a fast-break three to spark an 8-0 run as the game entered the fourth tied at 56-56. Indiana State then used a decisive 17-5 stretch behind balanced scoring from Washington, Kelsey, Smith, Prackett. and Briggs to build a double-digit cushion. Despite a late Southern Illinois push, clutch free throws from Claybrooks sealed the 81-73 Senior Day win. Up Next The winner of Thursday’s first round game will face regular season champion Murray State Friday at 1 p.m. in the quarterfinals. =================================================================== EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL RUNNER, HUBER EARN ALL-MVC ACCOLADES ST. LOUIS – University of Evansville sophomore guard Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind./Hamilton Heights) and freshman guard Sydney Huber (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Mount Vernon) earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors on Wednesday morning, the league office announced. Runner was selected to the All-MVC Second Team, while Huber landed on the All-Freshman Team. Runner earns second team honors after a regular season in which she established herself as one of the top mid-major guards in the country. Runner ranks inside the top five in the MVC in scoring (18.1 ppg – fourth) and assists (5.5 apg – second) and is second in the country in free throws made (196). Entering the MVC Tournament, Runner is one of seven players in the country since 2010-11 to have average 18 points, five assists, 5.5 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game in a season, with Iowa legend Caitlin Clark doing it three times. On February 26 against Drake, Runner scored a career-high 36 points, the most points in regulation in program history, and became the second fastest Ace to reach 1,000 career points. Runner also made program history on January 29, becoming the first Ace to record a triple-double with a 19-point, 10 rebound, 10 assist performance against Belmont. Additionally, Runner has recorded three double-doubles this season. Huber lands on the MVC All-Freshman Team after playing a key role for the Aces in her first year of collegiate basketball. Huber started 25 games and played an average of 27.5 minutes per game, the third-most on the team, while also finishing the regular season third on the team in scoring at 8.3 ppg. Among Valley freshmen, Huber ranks fourth in scoring, second in minutes per game, and first in three-point field goals (62 – fifth overall in MVC). Huber has scored in double figures 10 times this season, ranking fourth among all MVC freshmen, and a season-high of 18 points twice. The 10-seeded Aces open MVC Tournament play on Thursday, batting 7th-seeded UIC in the first round. Tip-off from Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa is set for 6 PM. =================================================================== SOUTHERN INDIANA WBB USI WOMEN’S BASKETBALL’S SAUNDERS NAMED A FINALIST FOR THE 2026 LILLY WOMEN’S COLLEGE ALL-STAR GAME EVANSVILLE, Ind. – On Wednesday, it was announced that University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball senior guard Ali Saunders has been named a finalist for the 2026 Lilly Women’s College All-Star Game. Saunders has had a career season in 2025-26, leading the Screaming Eagles and ranking among the top of the Ohio Valley Conference with 18 points per game and over four assists per contest. Shooting the ball, the senior was third in the OVC in three-point percentage (37.9 percent) with 69 made threes. Saunders was top 15 in the nation and second in the OVC with an 89.5 free-throw percentage. The senior scored 20-plus in 13 outings, including three 30-point performances. Earlier this season, Saunders set a USI record by making 41 consecutive free throws. Additionally, Saunders surpassed 1,000 overall career points and 1,000 career points while at USI, and she moved up to second on USI’s all-time assists list. The Depauw, Indiana, native earned All-OVC First-Team honors and OVC All-Tournament Team accolades within the last week. The Women’s College All-Star Game Watch List, presented by Lilly, is selected by a distinguished panel of national media experts to potentially compete in the national showcase event at Global Credit Union Arena on the campus of Grand Canyon University on April 4 in Phoenix, Arizona, during national championship weekend. The 2026 Lilly Women’s College All-Star Game will feature the top senior standouts. Of the 100-plus players that appear on the finalist list, 20 will ultimately be selected to participate in the event, which will be televised on ESPN2 at Noon CT. Inclusion in this finalist list recognizes the outstanding achievements of all student-athletes and underscores their status among the most impactful and distinguished performers in the country. The list features 107 players from 58 different schools across 19 conferences, with the strongest representation coming from the major power leagues. The SEC leads all conferences with 20 players, followed by the Big Ten with 17 and the Big 12 with 16, while the ACC contributes 12 players, meaning the four power conferences account for 64 total selections—well over half of the entire list. Strong mid-major representation is also present, led by the American Athletic Conference with 7 players, the Atlantic 10 with 6, and the Sun Belt with 3, while additional contributors include the Big East (6) and America East (4). At the school level, UCLA leads all programs with six players on the finalist list, reflecting the program’s depth and national prominence. Several schools place four players each, including South Carolina, Kentucky, and Michigan State, while UConn, Baylor, Clemson, TCU, and Texas Tech each contribute three players. Numerous other programs—including Alabama, Duke, LSU, Maryland, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Richmond, Tennessee, UC Irvine, Vanderbilt, Vermont, and West Virginia—have multiple players represented, highlighting the wide geographic and competitive spread of talent across both power conference and mid-major programs nationwide. Intersport launched the inaugural Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-Star Challenge in 1998, which the WBCA operated through 2006. The Chicago-based agency was also a longstanding partner with the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and ESPN in staging the prestigious Women’s Tip-Off Classic, which annually featured the sport’s top programs in high-profile matchups as part of ESPN’s early-season programming. Today, Intersport continues to operate major men’s and women’s college basketball events throughout the season, including the CBS Sports Classic, the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off, Skechers Greenbrier Tip-Off, and other major showcase events that will be broadcast across CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, FS1, and more. More information about the 2026 Lilly Women’s College All-Star Game can be found at womenscollegeallstar.com. ====================================================================== VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VON SCHLEGELL NAMED TO MVC ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM Valpo women’s basketball freshman guard Allia von Schlegell (Downers Grove, Ill./Nazareth Academy) was recognized Wednesday for her performance as a rookie, as she was named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team. von Schlegell has scored 349 points this season, fourth on Valpo’s freshman scoring chart and just 28 points back of Sarrah Stricklett’s record for a Valpo freshman. She has averaged 11.3 points/game this year, a mark which improved to 12.4 points/game in MVC play. von Schlegell ranks third in the Valley among freshmen in scoring and is second among MVC rookies with 61 made 3-pointers, marks which rank 59th and 14th, respectively, on the national level. She has scored in double figures 18 times this season, including 12 games with 15+ points — the most such games by a Valpo freshman since Dani Franklin scored 15 or more 12 times in 2014-15. von Schlegell is just the third All-Freshman Team honoree for Valpo since joining the Missouri Valley Conference and the first since Ali Saunders was recognized for her efforts in the 2022-23 season. ================================================================== VALPO SOFTBALL BUSY WEEKEND ON TAP FOR SOFTBALL Valpo (9-12, 0-0 MVC) March 13 – at Murray State (9-12, 1-1 MVC) – 1 p.m. DH March 14 – at Murray State – 1 p.m. March 15 – at IU Indy (3-19) – noon CT DH March 17 – DePaul (10-14, 1-2 Big East) – 4 p.m. Next Up in Valpo Softball: A busy weekend awaits the Valpo softball team, as the Beacons continue MVC play with a three-game series Friday and Saturday at Murray State before stopping at IU Indy for a nonconference doubleheader Sunday afternoon. Valpo is then scheduled to open its home schedule at the Valpo Softball Complex Tuesday afternoon against DePaul. Previously: Valpo dropped two games at Southern Illinois to open MVC action before the third game of the series was canceled due to weather. The Beacons then fell in a nonconference doubleheader at Northern Kentucky. Looking Ahead: The Beacons are slated for their first MVC home series next weekend, as they welcome UNI to town March 20-21. Following Valpo Softball: All three games of the Murray State series are slated for broadcast on ESPN+, while every game will have live stats available via ValpoAthletics.com. Most home games and most MVC road games will be broadcast on ESPN+, while select nonconference games will have video streams depending on the host. Head Coach Mike Armitage (29-42 [.408] at Valpo, 2nd season; 98-109 [.473] overall, 5th season): Mike Armitage is in his second season as head coach of the Valpo softball program after being hired as head coach on June 6, 2024. In his first year at Valpo, Armitage guided the Beacons to 20 wins – the program’s winningest season since 2018 and an 11-win improvement over the previous season. Valpo posted a six-win improvement within MVC play, finishing with its highest total of Valley wins, its most MVC series wins and its best Valley regular season finish since 2018 as well. Prior to Valpo, Armitage spent three seasons as head coach at Minnesota State Moorhead, posting the first back-to-back 30-win seasons in MSUM program history in 2023 and 2024 after inheriting a Dragons program which had not finished above .500 since 2007. Series Records: Murray State – The Racers are a perfect 5-0 in the brief series between the two programs, sweeping a three-game set in 2023 and a doubleheader in 2024. IU Indy – Valpo owns a 35-26 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs, although the two programs have not met since the Jaguars rebranded as IU Indy. The last meeting came back in 2019 at the Valpo Softball Complex, a 4-1 Valpo victory. DePaul – The Blue Demons hold a 48-1-1 advantage in the all-time series, including two DePaul wins last season – a 2-0 final on opening weekend at the Dome Tournament and a 4-3 final in eight innings in Chicago. This year’s matchup will mark five out of the last six seasons that the two programs have met. Scouting the Opposition: Murray State – The Racers sits at 9-12 overall and are 1-1 in MVC play after splitting a conference-opening twinbill against UNI last weekend. Bailey Broemmer and Kynadee Warner are both hitting better than .350 at the plate, while in the circle, Bre Haislip has tossed a team-high 48.2 innings and is 3-3 with a 3.31 ERA. IU Indy – The Jaguars are 3-19 on the year, with a game scheduled at Bellarmine Thursday afternoon prior to Sunday’s doubleheader. Molly Kable is leading IU Indy with a .356 batting average and an OPS above 1.000. The Jaguars have struggled in the circle, with a team ERA of 8.86. DePaul – The Blue Demons are 10-14 this season entering the weekend, where they are scheduled to host Georgetown for a three-game series prior to Tuesday’s game. Alexis Houge reaches base at a .500 clip and leads the team with 20 runs scored and 10 stolen bases, while in the circle, Hannah Messer has thrown a team-high 65 innings and is 4-7 with a 3.12 ERA. Old Friend Alert: Valpo has a long history with its two nonconference foes over the next week, having previously shared conference affiliation with both institutions. DePaul and Valpo were both members of the North Star Conference and then were in the Mid-Con together from 1993-99. Meanwhile, Valpo and IU Indy (then known as IUPUI) competed together in the Mid-Con from 1999-2007. More Weather Changes: After having two of their three outdoor tournaments’ schedules adjusted due to weather, it feels like no surprise that the Beacons’ MVC-opening series at Southern Illinois was truncated to two games thanks to Mother Nature. Having already had four games erased from the original schedule due to weather, Valpo picked up Sunday’s doubleheader at IU Indy on its way back from Murray State. Earliest Home Opener: Valpo’s scheduled home opener with DePaul on Tuesday, March 17 would be its earliest home opener in program history by three days – the current earliest game Valpo has hosted is March 20 (2012 versus IUPUI; 2015 versus Green Bay). Should Tuesday’s game be postponed or canceled (and based on the weather forecast as of the composition of these notes, that seems extremely likely), if the Beacons play their games as scheduled Friday against UNI, that would still match the earliest home game in program history. Walk This Way: Valpo’s collective discerning eye at the plate has led to plenty of free bases. The Beacons have drawn six or more walks nine times this season, highlighted by a 10-walk performance in the opening-weekend win over Oakland – tied for fifth-most in a single game in program history. Valpo currently ranks 33rd nationally in walks, with their 100 free passes already more than halfway to the program single-season record. Just Keep Reaching Base: Senior Mack Gallagher extended her season-opening on-base streak to 21 consecutive games as she reached at least once in all four games last weekend – tied for seventh-longest by a Valpo player in the last two decades. She drew a walk in each of the first three games of the weekend before connecting on a two-run homer in the nightcap at Northern Kentucky. Gallagher ranks third nationally in walks/game (1.05), while her 12 walks lead the MVC and her .526 on-base percentage ranks fifth in the Valley. Jackson With the Hits: While sophomore Marissa Jackson saw her batting average drop slightly last weekend, she did pick up at least one hit in three of the Beacons’ four games to push her season total to 23 hits. Her .383 batting average ranks eighth among MVC players. V Races Into Record Book: One season after cracking Valpo’s single-season top-10 for stolen bases by going a perfect 17-for-17, sophomore Madison Vrastil made her mark in the single-game department on opening weekend. Vrastil stole one base in the first inning, one in the second inning and two in the third inning of the Beacons’ Saturday win over Green Bay, establishing a new Valpo single-game record with four stolen bases. Vrastil is 15-for-15 on the bases this year – tied for 13th nationally in steals. Her 32 career stolen bases rank eighth in program history. Nonconference Success: Valpo heads into MVC play with a winning record, as the Beacons sit at 9-8 through four weekends of play. This is the second straight season the Beacons have carried a winning record into Valley action, as they were 11-9 going into their MVC opener in 2025. Prior to last year, it had been since 2018 (12-8) that Valpo opened conference play with a winning record. A Perfect Start: Valpo swept its four games on opening weekend at the DePaul Dome Tournament, starting 4-0 for the fifth time in program history and just the second time against all D-I opponents. The 2017 squad started 5-0 for the best start by a Valpo team, while the 1986, 2000 and 2002 teams all faced at least two non D-I opponents en route to a 4-0 start. Who’s Back: Valpo returns 15 letterwinners from last year’s squad for the 2026 campaign, a group which accounted for 85.3% of the team’s at-bats and 100% of the innings pitched last season. The Beacons also return two pitchers – Mia Carroll-Greeves and Kayla Purdy – who sat out the entirety of their first season on campus in 2025. Who’s New: Valpo welcomes six newcomers to the program this season. Transfers Grace Hollopeter and Cadan Brinkman join from Purdue Fort Wayne and Campbell, respectively, while Addie Young, Jenna Flessner, Lillian Martinez and Ava Goodman come in as true freshmen. A Large Roster: Do the math from the above two notes, and you find that this year’s Valpo softball roster is comprised of 23 players. While that is one shy of last year’s team, which featured a program-record 24 players, it is still the second-largest roster in program history. Hitting the Road: This weekend’s games continue a long and winding road for the Beacons before they finally get the chance to play at the Valpo Softball Complex. Valpo played in tournaments hosted by DePaul, UT Martin, UNLV and Lindenwood to open the season and played at SIU and NKU last weekend. After this weekend’s five road games, Valpo will have played 26 games before the scheduled home opener against DePaul March 17. Looking Back at 2025: Valpo won 20 games in 2025, more wins than the previous two seasons combined and its highest win total since the 2018 season. The Beacons won nine MVC games, also their highest total since 2018. Offensively, Valpo scored the most runs in a season since 2017, while on the mound, the pitching staff’s ERA was the program’s lowest since 2018. Lopez Earns Preseason Honor: Senior Azalya Lopez was named to the preseason All-MVC First Team for her work in the circle and at the plate. Lopez – a Second Team All-MVC choice last season in her first year at Valpo – posted 10 wins, four saves, a 2.89 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 138 innings of work in 2025 while allowing opponents to hit just .218 off of her — the tenth-best mark in a single season in program history. She tied for the MVC lead in saves, ranked fifth in strikeouts and opponents’ batting average, and eighth in ERA and wins. At the plate, the two-time MVC Newcomer of the Week hit .254 with 14 runs scored and 25 RBIs. Lopez led the team with 10 doubles and ranked second in both RBIs and walks (23). She found her groove in the batter’s box during conference play, hitting a team-best .307 in MVC play with an .835 OPS. Soaring Sophomores: A pair of Beacons who had strong freshman campaigns are back for their sophomore season in 2026. Madison Vrastil hit a team-high .333 as a rookie and posted an .818 OPS. Vrastil moved into 10th on Valpo’s single-season steals chart with 17, third-most among MVC players, and ranked ninth in the Valley with 57 hits. She opened her career with a 22-game on-base streak, tied for the fourth-longest by a Valpo player since 1999. In the circle, Erin Metz appeared in 44 games as a rookie, recording six wins and tying for the MVC lead with four saves while posting a 3.35 ERA and striking out 77 batters in 92 innings of work. She was named MVC Pitcher of the Week April 7 after going 4-0 with a 1.34 ERA the previous week, becoming the first Valpo pitcher to pick up the win in four consecutive games since 2008. Return of the Mack: In addition to Lopez, head coach Mike Armitage had senior Mack Gallagher come with him from MSU Moorhead to Valpo, and Gallagher made a big impact in her first season as a Beacon in 2025. Gallagher ranked second on the team with a .392 on-base percentage, thanks in large part to drawing 36 walks – third-most by a Valpo player in a single season in program history, tied for second among MVC players and tied for 48th nationally in walks per game. She led the Beacons with six home runs and 30 RBIs as well. Big Bat Incoming: Purdue Fort Wayne transfer Grace Hollopeter brings quite the resume with her to the Beacons’ roster for her final season of collegiate softball. A two-time First Team All-Horizon League honoree, Hollopeter hit .415 with 12 home runs last season and led the Horizon League in slugging percentage (.800), on base percentage (.509), OPS (1.309), RBIs (53), doubles (14) and walks (25). The senior – who has seen action at catcher, around the infield and as designated player – hit .355 over her three seasons in the Mastodon uniform, totaling 154 hits, including 34 doubles and 27 homers, 81 runs scored and 111 RBIs. ===================================================================== VALPO BASEBALL VALPO BASEBALL SET FOR FINAL PRE-CONFERENCE WEEKEND AT SIUE Valparaiso (5-8, 0-0 MVC) at SIUE (6-11, 0-0 OVC) Roy E. Lee Field at Simmons Baseball (1,500) | Edwardsville, Ill. Friday, March 13, 4 p.m. CT – RHP Adam Guazzo Saturday, March 14, 1 p.m. CT – RHP Connor Lockwood Sunday, March 15, 1 p.m. CT – RHP Nick Baffa Next Up in Valpo Baseball: The Valparaiso University baseball team will begin its final nonconference weekend prior to the start of Missouri Valley Conference play as the Beacons make the trip to Edwardsville, Ill. to clash with Ohio Valley Conference preseason favorite SIUE for three beginning on Friday. Last Time Out: The Beacons were on the wrong end of a tight 3-2 score in Friday’s series opener before being run-ruled in both ends of a doubleheader on Saturday, 17-3 and 13-2 last weekend at Jacksonville State. Valpo led 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth of Friday’s series opener, and the game was tied at two going to the bottom of the seventh before Jax State scored the decisive run. The losses came to a team that is now 14-3 this season after winning 37 games and making it to the Conference USA title game last season. Following the Beacons: No video stream will be available for this weekend’s games. For links to stats, visit ValpoAthletics.com. For in-game updates, follow @ValpoBaseball on X. Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack (217-379) is in his 13th season in charge of the program. He ranks third in program history in seasons coached and games coached as he coached his 500th game on March 17, 2024 at Campbell. On April 19, 2024 vs. Missouri State, he became the third head coach in program history to secure his 200th win. Schmack, a member of the 2003 Detroit Tigers, served as pitching coach/associate head coach at Valpo for seven seasons prior to his promotion. Series Notes: Valpo is 4-6 all-time against SIUE as the two teams prepare to meet for the first time since 2019. Valpo won the opener of that three-game series 8-0, but fell 4-3 and 16-6 in a doubleheader the following day. Those are the only three meetings during the Schmack head coaching era in a series that dates back to 1972. In the Other Dugout – SIUE Coming off a 16-6, eight-inning victory over Missouri Valley Conference member Southern Illinois on Tuesday. Valpo will be the fourth MVC team that SIUE has faced this season, as the Cougars have losses to Illinois State (9-5) and Bradley (8-7). Had dropped four straight including a sweep at the hands of Kansas State last weekend before the midweek win over SIU. Picked to win the Ohio Valley Conference, hauling in 10 first-place votes and edging SEMO 137-136 in the preseason poll. Return five All-OVC selections from last season, when SIUE won 18 league games, the second most in program history, and earned its highest-ever OVC Tournament seed as the No. 2. Notes Wrapping Up March 6-7 at Jacksonville State (L 3-2, L 17-3, L 13-2) The series came against a Jax State team that won 37 games and went to the Conference USA title game last season and is off to a 14-3 start this year. Javin Gauthier had two hits in the series opener on Friday. His triple on Saturday was the first of his collegiate career and marked Valpo’s seventh triple of the season. Austin Amburgey’s home run in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader was the second of his career and first since March 8, 2025 at Ohio State. Both of his career home runs have come in the second game of the fourth weekend of the season. Cole Lockwood had two hits in Saturday’s series finale to lead the team, including the squad’s lone extra-base knock of the contest. Valpo struck out 13 times and walked only once in that game. Beacons Among League, National Leaders Valpo ranks ninth in the country and leads the MVC with seven triples. The team’s 0.54 triples per game rank fifth nationally and lead the MVC. Connor Lockwood leads the Missouri Valley Conference and ranks sixth nationally in walks allowed per nine innings at 0.36. Lockwood leads the MVC and ranks 10th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 17.0. Immaculate Connor Lockwood completed one of baseball’s rarest feats on Feb. 28 at Alabama State. The redshirt senior right-hander threw an immaculate second inning, striking out the side on just nine pitches. Fellow Libertyville, Ill. native Colin Fields threw Valpo’s previous immaculate inning, doing so as part of his no-hitter on March 13, 2021 at Middle Tennessee. Lockwood reached the 200-strikeout milestone for his collegiate career in the game against Alabama State as well. Lockwood’s 11 strikeouts were the most by a Beacon since he had a career-high 11 on Feb. 22 at Memphis. This marked Valpo’s first shutout since Bryce Konitzer on April 28, 2024 in a seven-inning game. It was Valpo’s first nine-inning shutout since Ellis Foreman on April 23, 2017. This was Valpo’s first complete game since Harry Deliyannis on April 26, 2025 at Belmont. In addition to yielding only three hits and striking out 11 in his shutout, Lockwood did not issue any walks. Locking In Recognition For his Feb. 28 shutout at Alabama State, Connor Lockwood received significant recognition. The redshirt senior right-hander posted a “game score” of 92 according to D1Baseball.com, the second best in the nation that day. In addition, he was No. 2 on D1Baseball’s Top 100 Pitchers for Week 3. Lockwood was named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week, making it the third straight week a Valpo player received a league honor. Cal Schembra (Freshman of the Week, Week 1) and Javin Gauthier (Player of the Week, Week 2) preceded Lockwood’s Week-3 accolade. This marked the fourth time that Lockwood has been named MVC Pitcher of the Week in his career, the most of any Valpo player since joining the league. Valpo has captured the award 11 total times since joining The Valley. Lockwood is joined by Colin Fields (twice), Bryce Konitzer, Jacob Rosenkranz, Jake Miller, Bobby Nowak and Easton Rhodehouse. Notes Wrapping Up Feb. 27-March 1 at Alabama State (L 6-1, W 9-0, W 3-1) In Friday’s series opener, Valpo was limited to just two hits and did not have any after freshman Cal Schembra’s homer to lead off the fifth. The Schembra dinger was the second of the season for the freshman and the team’s fourth long ball. In Saturday’s win, Brayden Pleau had his fourth multi-hit game of the season and recorded a season-high three hits. On Saturday, Valpo scored nine runs or more for the fourth time in a five-game span. All nine Valpo batters in the lineup had at least one hit on Saturday. Gauthier’s home run on Sunday was his second of the young season as the redshirt freshman also launched one on Feb. 21 at USC Upstate. Freshman Cole Lockwood and sophomore Michael Kuska had two hits apiece in a game where each team had seven hits on Sunday. Schembra’s triple on Sunday was his second already on the season (Feb. 20 at Wofford) and his sixth extra-base hit through his first 10 collegiate contests. Starting pitcher Nick Baffa’s five innings and six strikeouts on Sunday both marked career highs. He achieved his first collegiate victory. Kruse nailed down his second career save and first of the season on Sunday. Javin Shines in the South Carolina Sun Redshirt freshman Javin Gauthier posted a slash line of .667/.765/1.083 in three games this past week in South Carolina, earning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week honors following his big performance. Gauthier racked up eight hits including three for extra bases and his first collegiate home run to help Valpo take two of three in South Carolina. He totaled 13 bases, scored six runs and drove in eight while also drawing five walks and posting a perfect fielding percentage on the left side of Valpo’s infield, splitting time between third and short. The left-handed hitting infielder had multiple hits in all three games over the weekend, and was listed at No. 33 on D1Baseball.com’s Top 100 hitters of the week, the second straight week a Beacon earned a place on that list. Gauthier became Valpo’s first MVC Player of the Week since Jake Skrine on April 17, 2023. He joined Skrine, Sam Shaikin, Kaleb Hannahs and Nolan Tucker as Valpo players who have won MVC Player of the Week awards since the team joined the MVC. Bringing the Bats Valpo posted 21 runs on 20 hits in a high-scoring Feb. 22 win at Presbyterian. This marked the second time in a nine-game span dating back to last season that Valpo surpassed 20 runs, as the squad put up 24 on May 16, 2025 vs. Southern Illinois. This marked the team’s highest run total in a road game since May 8, 2005, a 21-1 victory over Oakland. The team’s 20 hits against the Blue Hose were its most since May 13, 2016 at Youngstown State (21). Grand Entrance Freshman first baseman Cal Schembra was named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week for his opening-weekend performance at Gardner-Webb. He became the first-ever player to earn that award as the league added a Freshman of the Week Award to its arsenal of honors this season. Schembra batted .500 with a double, home run, five RBIs and four runs scored. He reached at a .533 clip and slugged .786 over the four games. The Valpo rookie also had a diving catch in foul territory and doubled up the runner who was trying to tag and score from third. The impressive play was featured as the No. 2 Play of the Week by D1Baseball. Schembra, who had multiple hits in each of the first three games of his collegiate career, was ranked the No. 77 hitter nationally in Week 1 of the season by D1Baseball. MVC Preseason Watch List Rather than preseason all-conference teams, the Missouri Valley Conference released a Preseason Watch List prior to the 2026 campaign. Valpo players to watch include redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Spencer Boynton, redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Adam Guazzo, redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Connor Lockwood, redshirt senior catcher Eli Riley and redshirt sophomore infielder Case Sullivan. The Valley did not release the full preseason poll this season, but did release the top five teams in the voting. Murray State is the preseason favorite, followed by Southern Illinois and UIC. ===================================================================== UINDY SWIMMING NAMUTEBI, POCK SECURE EVENT TITLES AT NATIONALS EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The 2026 NCAA DII Swimming & Diving Championships continued Wednesday at the Deaconess Aquatic Center in Evansville, Ind. The Greyhound men and women combined for 11 All-America nods on the night, including event national titles from Kirabo Namutebi and Jeremias Pock. Both UIndy team sit in fourth place through 11 events. See below for the current standings (top five only). The meet continues tomorrow with morning prelims at 11 a.m. ET, followed by diving at 2 p.m. and evening finals at 6:30 p.m. CURRENT STANDINGS WOMEN PTS MEN PTS 1. Nova S’Eastern 163 1. Drury 152 2. Tampa 129.5 2. Tampa 149 3. Drury 94 3. Colorado Mesa 139 4. UIndy 87 4. UIndy 120 5. West Florida 81 5. McKendree 86.5 After Swann Plaza (third) and Jan Schmidt (eighth) set the tone with a pair of All-America swims in the men’s 1000, Pock followed with a statement swim in the 200 IM. The recently-crown GLVC Men’s Swimmer of the Year out-paced the field by two seconds with a school-record time of 1:42.39. It marked his first career national championship in the event and second overall (200 IM, 2025). Celina Schmidt also scored big points in the 200 IM, placing third on the women’s side. Her time of 1:59.42 set a new collegiate best. Namutebi capped the Hounds’ individual success with her second 50 free national title in the last three years. The junior touched the wall in 22.10, besting Nova Southeastern’s Kristina Orban by a quarter of the second. UIndy’s 200 medley relay teams both earned spots in the top five. Namutebi returned to the pool to anchor the women’s team, joining Caroline Reinke, Schmidt, Caprice Schlueter in a fourth-place performance (1:38.96). Camille Trinquesse, Pock, Elias Noe and Johann-Matthew Matamoro combined for a fifth-place time of 1:24.97. OTHER NOTABLES 10th- Nico Basten, men’s 200 IM 11th- Valentina Masella, women’s 200 IM 15th- Silas Buessing, men’s 200 IM 16th- Jasmin Hoffmann, women’s 50 free ===================================================================== UINDY SOFTBALL SOFTBALL GOES 6-FOR-6 ON SPRING BREAK TRIP MELBOURNE, Fla. — The 11th-ranked UIndy softball win capped an beaten Spring Break trip Wednesday. The Greyhounds racked up six wins at the Space Coast Spring Games on the week, including today’s 3-0 shutout of Bemidji State and an 8-5 comeback win against Florida Tech. UP NEXT After their lengthy trip south, the Hounds trek north to open GLVC play at Upper Iowa on Saturday, March 14. First pitch is set 2 p.m. ET. GAME 1 | UIndy 3, Bemidji State 0 The game featured a stellar two-hit shutout by freshman Caitlin Bunte, who struck out nine batters over seven innings. She kept the Panthers at bay until her offense finally broke through in the seventh. Cara Cooper walked, Cheyenne Eads singled and Emma Piercy walked to load the bases. Christina Stankus came up big with a single through the right side, bringing home two. Maya Rodriquez then grounded out to second, allowing Emma Piercy to score and extend the lead. PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS Bunte was in total command in the cirlce, pitching a complete-game shutout for the Hounds. She allowed only two hits and zero walks, stifling the Beavers’ offense while fanning nine batters. The performance marked her eighth win of the season, underscoring her dominance on the mound. Stankus made her mark at the plate with two hits and two RBIs. Eads contributed a hit, a stolen base, and scored a run. Cooper reached base three times with a hit and two walks, scoring once. GAME 2 | UIndy 8, FIT 5 The Panthers jumped to an early lead in the third inning as Miranda Schwartz hit a grand slam to put Florida Tech in front. But the Greyhounds roared back in the fifth inning, capitalizing on the Panthers’ miscues. Christina Stankus reached on an error that led to two runs. Shelby Cook and Maya Rodriquez each notched RBIs. Paige Vickery and Peyton Cusack kept the pressure on, pushing more runs across for the Hounds. At the end of the fifth, UIndy found itself on top, 6-4. In the sixth, the Hounds added two more. Cook singled to right center, bringing two runners home. The score moved to UIndy 8, Florida Tech 4. The Panthers managed to add one more in the seventh with a Jillian Moeller double, but UIndy held firm, securing the victory. Final score: UIndy 8, Florida Tech 5. PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS Cheyenne Eads pitched a complete game for the Greyhounds, delivering seven innings while allowing six hits and five earned runs. Eads faced 28 batters, striking out five and walking just one on the way to her 10th win of the season. Stankus scored twice and added two RBIs, again making a significant impact at the plate. Cook contributed with three RBIs and two hits. Josie Jager chipped in with two hits and crossed the plate once, maintaining a strong presence in the lineup. ====================================================================== UINDY MEN’S TENNIS NO. 14 HOUNDS DOWN NO. 12 NORTH GEORGIA 4-2 CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — In their final match at the Scenic City Showcase, the No. 14 UIndy men’s tennis team knocked off No. 12 North Georgia 4-2. After a clean capture of the doubles point, the Hounds found three singles wins from Zaid Shelbaya, Asier Ayllon Prado, and Tadeo Gaggiofatto en route to victory. INS AND OUTS UIndy got off to a fast start in doubles play, as courts #1 and #2 cruised past their opponents with quick service breaks. Gaggiofatto and Shelbaya were on the board first, posting a 6-2 win over Juan Cruz Blanco and Lleyton Beasley. Doubles action closed with Ayllon Prado and Mathieu Derache after they downed Joao Luis Silva and Ben Brandl at No. 1 doubles. In singles, UIndy’s lead was boosted to 2-0 with Shelbaya’s 6-3, 6-3 win at #5 singles over Beasley. The Nighthawks responded with a pair of wins from Frank Rebora and Eliseo Alcalde. Alcade bested No. 56 Vladislav Gorbatenko 6-3, 6-3 at #5 singles, while Rebora downed Jovan Matovic 6-4, 6-3 to put two on the board for North Georgia. Moments later, No. 16 Gaggiofatto gave UIndy an edge with his 6-3, 6-4 win at #2 singles over Brandl. The match finished off the strings Ayllon Prado, the ninth-ranked singles player in DII, after he out-mustered Marcos Castellanos 7-5, 7-5 on court #1. UP NEXT The Hounds will be back in action on Wednesday, March 25, for an in-region showdown against No. 7 Tiffin. ====================================================================== UINDY WOMEN’S TENNIS WOMEN’S TENNIS WRAPS SCENIC CITY CLASSIC WITH NARROW FALL TO NO. 9 NORTH GEORGIA CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — In the ultimate match of the Scenic City Showdown, the No. 26 UIndy women’s tennis team was edged out by No. 9 North Georgia 4-1. The Nighthawks were first to strike in doubles play, taking the opening point uncontested. The momentum carried over in singles play for North Georgia, taking three singles matches on their way to the win. INS AND OUTS North Georgia got off to a quick start in the doubles point, plucking wins at #2 and #3 singles. Emily Bush and Linn Goerdes took the first result, besting Liza Simak and Silvia Zappoli 6-2 on court #2. In the lone ranked-matchup of the afternoon, the No. 24 team of Anastasiia Opolska and Olesya Stokusova downed No. 30 Magda Kornijczuk and Maelys Thiery-James 6-3. The transition to singles play didn’t slow the Nighthawks, as No. 28 Stokusova posted a quick 6-2, 6-1 result over Kornijczuk at #3 singles. Tenth-ranked Opolska was next to finish, defeating Thiery-James 6-2, 6-2 at #1 singles. Jimena De Pablos Hernando responded for UIndy, upending Sofia Giraldo on #2 6-4, 6-4 to help the Hounds to their first point of the match. The Nighthawks closed the match at #5 singles, with Victoria Niox Chateau’s 6-2, 7-6 win over Linya Chen. UP NEXT The Hounds will return to the 317 on Wednesday, March 35, for an in-region matchup with No. 45 Tiffin. ====================================================================== UINDY TRACK FROM NANTES TO THE NATIONAL STAGE— LE CADRE EYES SECOND NCAA TITLE When Josue Le Cadre steps onto the track, he brings with him a lifetime of preparation. The UIndy standout is back at the NCAA DII Indoor Track and Field National Championships in Virginia Beach, Va., hungry to add another title to his name after winning the 800m title outdoors last season and finishing second in last year’s indoor championships. His journey began long before he donned the Greyhounds uniform. “I started track and field at six years old,” Le Cadre said. Growing up in Nantes, France, he developed his love for the sport through his local club, where his mother volunteered, and different coaches shaped his path. He balanced athletics with academics, earning a nursing degree before choosing to continue his education and running career in the United States after his friend Felix Rivet — now also a UIndy runner — convinced him to consider the United States. After connecting with distance coach Bradley Robinson, Le Cadre found his home in Indianapolis. Finding Momentum as a Team This season, Le Cadre helped lead the Greyhounds earn the GLVC championship — a feat that had eluded the program for seven years. “It was a really, really big challenge for the team because we knew it was possible to win, but everybody had to do better in every event,” he said. “We did it, and it was really insane.” The victory was a moment of pure joy for the entire program. “Everybody did the job, and I was really glad for everyone because it’s a magic story and a lot of emotion,” Le Cadre added. Chasing Greatness The 800m runner enters the championship as the top seed, but he knows that status comes with responsibility. “I don’t like to get the favorite place because you have everything to lose,” he said. “But I think I can handle the pressure.” Last year’s narrow loss—he finished second by just 0.3 seconds—fuels his motivation. “I really want this title,” Le Cadre said. “I know I ran well in Boston, and I think I can do better.” His goal is clear: win the national championship and take aim at the NCAA DII record of 1:46.78. He came within a tenth of a second earlier this season and believes the final in Virginia Beach could be the perfect stage. He’s also excited to contribute to the Distance Medley Relay (DMR), a team event he loves for its camaraderie. “I love the team stuff,” Le Cadre said. “I’m going to give everything for the team.” A Team to Believe In Le Cadre credits head coach Brad Robinson and his teammates for the program’s momentum. “I’m really glad to represent UIndy because I know in track we are like a small D2, but we have really great potential,” he said. He points to teammates Yanis Le Mouillour in the 800m, Felix Rivet in the 3k, and Alex Meyer in the long jump as examples of the team’s depth and championship mindset. His belief extends to the DMR, where he thinks the Greyhounds can compete for the top spot. “I think we can win,” he said. “We can perform really well.” For Le Cadre, representing UIndy means everything. “I love this school, I love this city, and I love this singlet,” he said. “I’m going to run really fast for this singlet.” Greyhound fans can catch Francesca Maurino in the women’s high jump at 4:35 p.m. ET on Friday, March 13, while Le Cadre and Le Mouilour compete in the 800m preliminary round on at 5:05 p.m. just before Alex Meyer and the men’s long jump start time at 5:10 p.m. The DMR team of Le Cadre, Le Mouillour, Lateef Mustafaa, and Rivet will wrap up the Friday night action with a 7:05 p.m. start time. Vivian Osagie kicks things off for the Hounds on Saturday, competing in the women’s shot put at 5:15 p.m. before the 800m finals at 5:25 p.m. Rivet rounds out the competition for the Hounds in the men’s 3k at 6:05 p.m. The 2026 DII Indoor National Championship will be live-streamed at NCAA.com ==================================================================== MARIAN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL NAIA PREVIEW: MARIAN BASKETBALL HOSTS NAIA FIRST AND SECOND ROUND MARCH 13-14 INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian women’s basketball team is set to embark on its final journey of the season, as the NAIA National Tournament begins on Friday, March 13, with the Knights hosting the NAIA First and Second Round in Indianapolis. Marian will tip-off the NAIA First Round against Haskell Indian Nations on Friday night, looking to get off to a strong start in their NAIA postseason run. The 2026 NAIA Second Round winners will meet in Sioux City, Iowa, at the NAIA Championship final site presented by Bomgaars and Sterling. The 45th annual championship occurs at the Tyson Events Center from March 19-24. This year’s First Round field includes 35 automatic qualifiers and 29 at-large selections. Automatic berths were given to teams that either won their respective conference tournament title or regular season championship, finished runner-up at the conference tournament or were otherwise selected by the conference. The NAIA Women’s Basketball National Selection Committee determined the at-large bids. The selection committee consists of one representative from each geographical area and six at-large members, comprised of coaches and administrators from around the country. Marian is one of seven Crossroads League teams to make the NAIA Tournament field, joining Saint Francis, Indiana Wesleyan, Huntington, Spring Arbor, Bethel, and Taylor. The Crossroads League led the NAIA in teams in the championship field, while the Cascade Collegiate Conference, Great Plains Athletic Conference and Mid-South Conference all qualified six teams. Eleven teams in the field boast one or more titles. Northwestern (Iowa) has claimed five Red Banners and is followed closely by Hastings (Neb.), which has three of its own. Two-time defending national champion, Dordt (Iowa), returns to the field after earning back-to-back Red Banners in Sioux City. Marian (Ind.) and Indiana Wesleyan have also won multiple titles, while Concordia (Neb.), Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.), MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), Saint Francis (Ind.), Shawnee State (Ohio) and Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) each have one. Marian is 9-0 all-time in the NAIA Tournament First and Second Round, and is serving as a host for the sixth consecutive year. Marian is on the one-line for the first time since the 2023-24 season, serving as the top team in the Liston Quadrant. Marian is in the NAIA Tournament for a 13th time in program history. SELF-SCOUTING MARIAN Marian earned the No. 1 seed in the Liston Quadrant and are one of five NAIA programs in the 2026 championship field with multiple NAIA Championships. The Knights are entering the NAIA First Round with a record of 29-2, and were ranked as high as No. 4 in the NAIA Coaches’ Poll this season. Marian is the top team in the North ARC this season, and is third in the NAIA 2025-26 RPI. The Knights went 13-2 overall in quad one games this season. Marian is entering the national tournament on a 12-game winning streak, having last played in their thrilling Crossroads League Tournament Championship win against Saint Francis. Marian is led by the Crossroads League Player and Defensive Player of the Year, Abbey McNally, and is coached by the CL Coach of the Year, Suntana Anderson. Marian had 11 total Crossroads League honors this year, with Taylor Double joining McNally on the league’s First Team. McNally eclipsed 2000 career points this season, becoming the third player in program history to hit the milestone. The senior is second all-time in career scoring, and is in contention to become the program’s all-time leading scorer. She is the all-time leading rebounder in women’s basketball history in the Crossroads League, as she approaches 1400 career boards this weekend. SCOUTING COLUMBIA Columbia is making their second trip to Indianapolis for an NAIA Tournament First and Second Round, as the Cougars will be the No. 8 seed in this year’s tournament. The Cougars came to Indy last in 2022, earning a 10-seed in the 2022 tournament, where they would lose to No. 7 Rio Grande in the First Round. This season, the Cougars are 30-1 overall and have won 19 consecutive games entering the NAIA Tournament. Columbia was receiving votes in the final NAIA Coaches’ Poll of the season, and is ranked No. 26 in the final RPI metrics this season. The Cougars earned an automatic bid to the NAIA Championship, winning both the American Midwest Conference Regular Season and Tournament championships. This year’s appearance marks the 22nd overall NAIA Tournament spot for the Cougars. Like the Knights’ Anderson, the Cougars’ head coach Matt Moore is in his second season and was named as the AMC Coach of the Year. The Cougars had a pair of players make the AMC First Team in Lexi Miller and Ashtyn Klusmeyer, and had five other players collect AMC honors, including the league’s defensive player of the Year in Tori Rubel. If the Cougars were to advance and play the Knights, it would be the first meeting in program history between the two schools. The Knights and Cougars did not have any common opponents this season. SCOUTING CARROLL Carroll College is heading to Indianapolis as the No. 9 seed in the Liston Quadrant, matching up with Columbia College in the NAIA First Round. Carroll is making its 17th all-time appearance in the NAIA Championship field, and enters the postseason with a 19-10 overall record this season, qualifying as an at-large bid team. The Fighting Saints were receiving votes in the final NAIA Coaches’ Poll of the season, and are 46th in the NAIA RPI. The Saints have one common opponent with the Knights this season in Rocky Mountain College, a Frontier Conference member with Carroll. The Saints went 1-1 against the Battlin’ Bears this year, while Marian won its matchup 71-46 on a neutral floor in Arizona in December. Carroll is 1-0 all-time against Marian, having defeated the Knights on November 12, 2022, playing on a neutral court at Indiana Wesleyan. Marian lost that contest 69-61, playing without the team’s star player at the time, Ella Collier. Abbey McNally would lead Marian in scoring in their only matchup with Carroll with 17 points as a freshman, while Olivia Faust and Kenna Kirby combined for 15 points in the meeting their freshman season. For Carroll, Jillian Kanduch has provided a spark in her first collegiate season as she was named as the Frontier Conference Freshman of the Year, providing the second-highest scoring average per game this season. Kenzie Allen was named the Frontier’s Co-Newcomer of the Year as well as a second-team all-league and all-defense performer, and Willa Albrecht was named to the Frontier first team. SCOUTING HASKELL Marian’s opponent in the NAIA Tournament First Round is Haskell Indian Nations University. Haskell, located in Lawrence, Kansas, will be making its first-ever trip to Indianapolis, having qualified after winning the Continental Conference Tournament Championship. Haskell secured their spot in the national tournament after defeating Georgia Gwinnett College 66–56 in the CAC Championship game on March 1. The victory marks back-to-back conference titles for Haskell and sends the program to the national stage for the second consecutive season. Haskell is 14-16 overall on the season and will be playing Marian for the first time in program history on Friday night. This is Haskell’s sixth overall NAIA appearance, as they will be a 16-seed in the Indianapolis bracket. Ona Dauphinais was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, while Ivy Fox and Tierzah Penn earned All-Tournament Team honors. Fox was also named the CAC Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-Conference, while Dauphinais earned First Team All-Conference recognition, leading Haskell this year. WATCH AND FOLLOW ALONG All games of the NAIA Tournament First and Second Round will be live-streamed on the Urban Edge Network. Marian will have one of the largest numbers of camera angles in the NAIA for the championship First and Second Round, as the ISC Sports Network will produce the games with six total camera angles. Each game will have live stats on the Marian StatBroadcast Channel and PrestoStats. Tickets are on sale now for the contests in Indianapolis on Friday, March 13. Sales for Saturday’s contest will go live on Friday night following the conclusion the Columbia and Carroll contests. WHAT’S AT STAKE The winner of the Indianapolis bracket of the Liston Quadrant will play on Friday, March 20, in the NAIA Round of 16. The Indianapolis bracket plays the winner of the Springfield bracket, which features No. 4 Evangel, No. 13 University of Oklahoma Science & Arts (USAO), No. 5 William Carey, and No. 12 Shawnee State. Tip on Friday between Marian and Haskell is at 5:30 p.m. ====================================================================== SMALL INDIANA COLLEGE SPORTS WEB SITES UINDY ATHLETICS: https://athletics.uindy.edu/ MARIAN ATHLETICS: https://muknights.com/ INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/ EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/ WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/ FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/ ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/ ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/ DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/ HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/ MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/ HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/ OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/ IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/ IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/ PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/ INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/ ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/ GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/ HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/ VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index ========================================================= “SPORTS EXTRA” TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY ========================================================= TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY ========================================================== TV SPORTS TODAY Thursday, 3/12/26 MLB SPRING TRAININGTIME ETTVBoston Red Sox vs Minnesota Twins1:05pmMLBNAtlanta Braves vs Pittsburgh Pirates6:05pmMLBNKansas City Royals vs San Diego Padres9:10pmMLBNNBA REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVPhiladelphia 76ers vs Detroit Pistons7:00pmPrimeWashington Wizards vs Orlando Magic7:00pmMNMTFanDuel Sports FLPhoenix Suns vs Indiana Pacers7:00pmAFSNFanDuel Sports INDBrooklyn Nets vs Atlanta Hawks7:30pmYESFanDuel Sports ATLMilwaukee Bucks vs Miami Heat7:30pmFanDuel Sports SunFanDuel Sports MILDallas Mavericks vs Memphis Grizzlies8:00pmKFAAFanDuel Sports MEMDenver Nuggets vs San Antonio Spurs9:00pmALTFanDuel Sports SWBoston Celtics vs Oklahoma City Thunder9:30pmPrimeNBCS-BOSFanDuel Sports OKCChicago Bulls vs Los Angeles Lakers10:30pmCHSNSpectrumALTNHL REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVSan Jose Sharks vs Boston Bruins7:00 PMNBCS-CANESNCalgary Flames vs New Jersey Devils7:00pmSNMSGSNSt. Louis Blues vs Carolina Hurricanes7:00pmFanDuel Sports MWFanDuel Sports SouthDetroit Red Wings vs Tampa Bay Lightning7:00pmFanDuel Sports DETFanDuel Sports SunWashington Capitals vs Buffalo Sabres7:00pmMNMT2MSG-BUFAnaheim Ducks vs Toronto Maple Leafs7:00pmVictory+SNColumbus Blue Jackets vs Florida Panthers7:00pmFanDuel Sports OhioScrippsEdmonton Oilers vs Dallas Stars8:00pmHuluESPN+New York Rangers vs Winnipeg Jets8:00pmMSGSNPhiladelphia Flyers vs Minnesota Wild8:00pmNBCS-PHIFanDuel Sports NorthChicago Blackhawks vs Utah Mammoth9:00pmCHSNUtah16Pittsburgh Penguins vs Vegas Golden Knights10:00pmATTSN-PITScrippsColorado Avalanche vs Seattle Kraken10:00pmALT2KONGNashville Predators vs Vancouver Canucks10:00pmFanDuel Sports NSHSNMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALLTIME ETTVMAC Quarterfinal11:00amESPN+Atlantic 10 Second Round11:30amUSAACC Quarterfinal12:00pmESPN/2Big Ten Third Round12:00pmBTNBig East Quarterfinal12:00pmPeacockBig 12 Quarterfinal12:30pmESPN/2SEC Second Round12:30pmSECNMAC Quarterfinal1:30pmESPN+Atlantic 10 Second Round2:00pmUSASWAC Quarterfinal2:00pmESPN+ACC Quarterfinal2:30pmESPN/2Big Ten Third Round2:30pmBTNBig East Quarterfinal2:30pmPeacockBig 12 Quarterfinal3:00pmESPN/2SEC Second Round3:00pmSECNMountain West Quarterfinal3:00pmCBSSNMAC Quarterfinal4:00pmESPN+Atlantic 10 Second Round5:00pmUSAMountain West Quarterfinal5:30pmCBSSNMEAC Quarterfinal6:00pmESPN+Big Ten Third Round6:30pmBTNMAC Quarterfinal6:30pmESPN+Conference USA Quarterfinal6:30pmESPN+ACC Quarterfinal7:00pmESPN/2Big 12 Quarterfinal7:00pmESPN/2Big East Quarterfinal7:00pmFS1American Second Round7:00pmESPNUSEC Second Round7:00pmSECNAtlantic 10 Second Round7:30pmUSAMEAC Quarterfinal8:30pmESPN+SWAC Quarterfinal8:30pmESPN+Big Ten Third Round9:00pmBTNMountain West Quarterfinal9:00pmCBSSNWAC Quarterfinal9:00pmESPN+Big West Second Round9:00pmESPN+Conference USA Quarterfinal9:00pmESPN+ACC Quarterfinal9:30pmESPN/2Big 12 Quarterfinal9:30pmESPN/2Big East Quarterfinal9:30pmFS1American Second Round9:30pmESPNUSEC Second Round9:30pmSECNMountain West Quarterfinal11:30pmCBSSNBig West Second Round11:30pmESPN+WAC Quarterfinal11:30pmESPN+GOLFTIME ETTVPGA Tour: Players Championship1:00pmGOLFSOCCERTIME ETTVUEFA Europa League: Lille vs Aston Villa12:45pmParamount+VIXUEFA Europa League: Bologna vs Roma12:45pmParamount+VIXUEFA Europa League: Stuttgart vs Porto12:45pmParamount+VIXUEFA Europa League: Panathinaikos vs Real Betis12:45pmParamount+VIXUEFA Conference League: AZ vs Sparta Praha12:45pmParamount+VIXUEFA Conference League: Lech Poznań vs Shakhtar Donetsk12:45pmParamount+VIXUEFA Conference League: Rijeka vs Strasbourg12:45pmParamount+VIXUEFA Conference League: Samsunspor vs Rayo Vallecano12:45pmParamount+VIXUEFA Europa League: Celta de Vigo vs Olympique Lyonnais3:00pmParamount+VIXUEFA Europa League: Ferencváros vs Sporting Braga3:00pmParamount+VIXUEFA Europa League: Genk vs Freiburg3:00pmParamount+VIXUEFA Europa League: Nottingham Forest vs Midtjylland3:00pmParamount+VIXUEFA Conference League: Fiorentina vs Raków Częstochowa3:00pmParamount+VIXUEFA Conference League: Sigma Olomouc vs Mainz 053:00pmParamount+VIXUEFA Conference League: Crystal Palace vs AEK Larnaca3:00pmParamount+VIXUEFA Conference League: Celje vs AEK Athens3:00pmParamount+VIXCONCACAF Champions Cup: Cincinnati vs Tigres UANL8:00pmVIXCONCACAF Champions Cup: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Seattle Sounders FC10:00pmVIX About The Author troyderengowski61@gmail.com See author's posts Post navigation THE INDIANA SRN “SCOREBOARD” MARCH 11 THE INDIANA SRN “SCOREBOARD” MARCH 12
