“THE SCOREBOARD” INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL STATE FINALS SATURDAY MARCH 28 SESSION 1 10:30 AM ET | CLASS 1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP BARR-REEVE (27-1) VS. TRITON (25-3) APPROX. 12:45 PM ET | CLASS 2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PARKE HERITAGE (26-4) VS. WESTVIEW (27-1) SESSION 2 6 PM ET | CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (24-5) VS. NEW HAVEN (22-7) APPROX. 8:15 PM ET | CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MT. VERNON (FORTVILLE) (27-3) VS. CROWN POINT (25-1) CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2025-26%20Boys%20Basketball%20Preview.pdf =========================================================== INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL INDIANA PREP BASEBALL’S PRE-SEASON TOP 25-4A https://www.prepbaseballreport.com/news/IN/2026-4a-preseason-top-25?r=%2Findiana%2Fnews-listings INDIANA PREP BASEBALL’S PRE-SEASON TOP 10-3A https://www.prepbaseballreport.com/news/IN/2026-3a-preseason-top-10-?r=%2Findiana%2Fnews-listings INDIANA PREP BASEBALL PRE-SEASON TOP 10-2A https://www.prepbaseballreport.com/news/IN/2026-2a-preseason-rankings?r=%2Findiana%2Fnews-listings INDIANA PREP BASEBALL’S PRE-SEASON TOP 10-1A https://www.prepbaseballreport.com/news/IN/2026-1a-preseason-rankings?r=%2Findiana%2Fnews-listings =========================================================== NCAA TOURNAMENT MEN’S SCHEDULE/SCORES THURSDAY, MARCH 26 (SWEET 16) (2) PURDUE VS. (11) TEXAS, 7:10 P.M. | CBS (4) NEBRASKA VS. (9) IOWA, 7:30 P.M. | TBS/TRUTV (1) ARIZONA VS. (4) ARKANSAS, 9:45 P.M. | CBS (2) HOUSTON VS. (3) ILLINOIS, 10:05 P.M. | TBS/TRUTV FRIDAY, MARCH 27 (SWEET 16) (1) DUKE VS. (5) ST. JOHN’S, 7:10 P.M. | CBS (1) MICHIGAN VS. (4) ALABAMA, 7:35 P.M. | TBS/TRUTV (2) UCONN VS. (3) MICHIGAN STATE, 9:45 P.M. | CBS (2) IOWA STATE VS. (6) TENNESSEE, 10:10 P.M. | TBS/TRUTV =========================================================== MEN’S NIT SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED ========================================================== NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT LOUISVILLE 69 ALABAMA 68 VIRGINIA 83 IOWA 75 2OT NOTRE DAME 83 OHIO STATE 73 KENTUCKY 74 WEST VIRGINIA 73 UCONN 98 SYRACUSE 45 VANDERBILT 75 ILLINOIS 57 SOUTH CAROLINA 101 USC 61 UCLA 87 OKLAHOMA STATE 68 ========================================================== WOMEN’S NIT LASALLE 70 BINGHAMTON 61 MARSHALL 66 MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY 53 LOYOLA ILLINOIS 62 FLORIDA GULF COAST 56 GEORGE WASHINGTON 61 SOUTHERN INDIANA 58 CLEVELAND STATE 74 MONMOUTH 68 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 69 ST. BONAVENTURE 50 ARKANSAS STATE 83 RADFORD 52 ========================================================== COLLEGE BASEBALL TOP 25 POLL UCLA 21 – 2 TEXAS 20 – 3 GEORGIA TECH 19 – 5 ARKANSAS 18 – 7 AUBURN 19 – 4 MISSISSIPPI STATE 20 – 4 GEORGIA 20 – 5 OKLAHOMA 19 – 5 VIRGINIA 20 – 5 FLORIDA STATE 19 – 4 SOUTHERN MISS 19 – 5 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 24 – 1 NORTH CAROLINA 20 – 4 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 18 – 6 COASTAL CAROLINA 16 – 7 OREGON STATE 17 – 5 WEST VIRGINIA 16 – 4 OLE MISS 19 – 6 KENTUCKY 19 – 4 OREGON 19 – 4 TENNESSEE 17 – 7 ARIZONA STATE 17 – 6 NOTRE DAME 13 – 6 NEBRASKA 18 – 6 TEXAS A&M 18 – 5 OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: FLORIDA, CLEMSON, WAKE FOREST, LOUISIANA ========================================================== COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES STANFORD 15 UTAH VALLEY 6 ARIZONA STATE 12 UNLV 11 PORTLAND 8 NORTHWESTERN 3 UC DAVIS 8 CAL POLY 2 FRESNO STATE 8 LONG BEACH STATE 1 ========================================================== COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES OREGON 24 INDIANA 12 UCLA 17 RUTGERS 6 OKLAHOMA 5 OLE MISS 2 NEVADA 10 UTAH VALLEY 2 AUBURN 8 FLORIDA A&M 3 SANTA CLARA 5 PORTLAND STATE 2 MONTANA 7 SEATTLE 5 MONTANA 6 SEATTLE 5 ========================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED ========================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED ========================================================== DIVISION 1 MEN’S LAX SCORES VIRGINIA 18 DARTMOUTH 7 ========================================================== DIVISION 1 WOMEN’S LAX SCORES DUKE 17 ELON 13 CLEMSON 22 WOFFORD 3 MARQUETTE 13 UC DAVIS 12 DARTMOUTH 17 MERCER 8 ========================================================== NBA SCORES OKLAHOMA CITY 123 PHILADELPHIA 103 DETROIT 113 LA LAKERS 110 INDIANA 128 ORLANDO 126 SAN ANTONIO 136 MIAMI 111 ATLANTA 146 MEMPHIS 107 CHICAGO 132 HOUSTON 124 TORONTO 143 UTAH 127 GOLDEN STATE 137 DALLAS 131 OT PORTLAND 134 BROOKLYN 99 LA CLIPPERS 129 MILWAUKEE 96 ========================================================== NBA G-LEAGUE SCORES RAPTORS 116 SALT LAKE CITY 101 COLLEGE PARK 117 WISCONSIN 114 ========================================================== NHL SCORES OTTAWA 2 NY RANGERS 1 ========================================================== MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TAMPA BAY 7 PHILADELPHIA 0 MINNESOTA 9 BOSTON 6 BALTIMORE 2 WASHINGTON 0 ATLANTA 5 PITTSBURGH 2 LAS VEGAS 10 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 9 CHICAGO CUBS 15 NY YANKEES 6 SAN DIEGO 10 SEATTLE 3 ST. LOUIS 3 SPRINGFIELD CARDINALS 2 MILWAUKEE 9 CINCINNATI 1 TEXAS 3 KANSAS CITY 2 HOUSTON 9 SUGAR LAND SPACE COWBOYS 1 COLORADO 6 DETROIT 5 LA DODGERS 7 LA ANGELS 7 CLEVELAND 7 ARIZONA 0 SAN FRANCISCO 10 DE MONTEREY 2 ========================================================== WOMEN’S PRO VOLLEYBALL SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED ========================================================== MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER NO GAMES SCHEDULED ========================================================== NATIONAL SPORTS NEWS RELEASES MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL BRACKET RESET: NCAA TOURNAMENT DOWN TO A SWEET 16 OF HIGH-MAJORS Cinderella has been kicked out of the dance early for the second straight season. Following a madness-promising first day of upsets, the NCAA Tournament has turned into a high-major affair. The Sweet 16 invite is for power-conference programs only. Advocates for fewer automatic qualifiers and bracket expansion will have a field day with this one. “I think parity is great for the game, but things change,” said Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, who spent 21 seasons as an assistant at Gonzaga. The Big Ten is the big conference on the block, pushing through a league-record six teams into the Sweet 16 — three in the same region. The SEC has four Sweet 16 teams, the Big 12 three, the Big East two, the ACC one. Mid-majors: zero for the second straight season. East Region The top three seeds made it through the East. St. John’s is the Darling. The fifth-seeded Red Storm (30-6) blew a 12-point lead against Kansas, but Dylan Darling, who hadn’t hit a shot all day, scored at the buzzer for a 67-65 win that sends St. John’s to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999. Next up for the Johnnies is a date with Duke on Friday in Washington. The Blue Devils (34-2) and star freshman Cameron Boozer had an opening 1-vs.-16 scare against Siena but took it out on TCU with an 81-58 win to reach the Sweet 16 for the third straight season. The second regional semifinal likely will leave both teams bruised and battered. UConn (31-5) lost in the second round last season following consecutive national championships but clamped down on UCLA to earn a Sweet 16 return. Michigan State (27-7) is in the Sweet 16 for the 17th time under coach Tom Izzo, led by the dynamic duo of Jeremy Fears Jr. and Coen Carr. South Region No. 2 seed Houston avoided having to play reigning national champion Florida — Iowa made sure of that — and will be playing at home for the South Region. The Cougars (30-6) will be surrounded by Big Ten teams, starting with a 2-mile trip from campus against Illinois on Thursday. The Illini (26-8) are big — bigger than any team in the country. They used that size to their advantage, clobbering Penn and VCU to reach the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons under coach Brad Underwood. The second East semifinal will be the battle of the corn. No. 4 seed Nebraska (28-6) is the closest thing the Sweet 16 has to an underdog — only because it had never won an NCAA Tournament game prior to this season. No. 9 seed Iowa (23-12) finished 10-10 in the Big Ten but has bullied its way through the bracket so far, reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 by ending Florida’s repeat bid. Midwest Region Michigan has looked every bit a top seed, winning its first two games by an average of 22 points. Next up is a showdown with No. 4 seed Alabama on Friday in Chicago. The Crimson Tide (25-9) washed away Texas Tech by raining down 19 3-pointers in a 90-65 thrashing to reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight season. No. 2 seed Iowa State took a big hit when All-America forward Joshua Jefferson sprained his ankle in the Cyclones’ opener and didn’t play against Kentucky. It did little to slow them down; the Cyclones (29-7) spun away from Kentucky 82-63 to reach the Sweet 16 for the third time under coach T.J. Otzelberger. Iowa State hopes to have Jefferson back for Friday’s game and will likely need him against Tennessee. The No. 6 Vols (24-11) have been Sweet 16 regulars under coach Rick Barnes and made it four straight by outlasting Virginia 79-72. West Region The West has an SEC team disguised as Cinderella. Texas has a world of resources and plays in the SEC yet found itself in Dayton, Ohio, as a No. 11 seed. The Longhorns (21-14) pulled it together at just the right time in their first season under coach Sean Miller, knocking off No. 3 seed Gonzaga to become the sixth First Four team to reach the Sweet 16. That earns them a spot in the West semifinals against No. 2 Purdue on Thursday in San Jose, California. Coach Matt Painter has molded the Boilermakers (29-8) into a model of consistency, reaching the Sweet 16 seven times the last nine seasons — including the 2024 title game — with their 79-69 win over Miami. The showdown between No. 1 Arizona and No. 4 Alabama will be an NBA scout’s delight. The Wildcats (34-2) go eight deep in potential future pros and guard Jaden Bradley has a knack for making the biggest plays at the biggest moments. John Calipari set the standard for recruiting NBA lottery picks at Kentucky, and it’s been no different in his second season in Fayetteville. Fabulous freshman Darius Acuff Jr. was the star in Arkansas’ 94-88 win over High Point, scoring 36 points as the Razorbacks secured their second straight Sweet 16 berth. IN THE ERA OF NIL AND TRANSFERS, THE SWEET 16 IS FILLED WITH VETERAN TEAMS THAT HAVE STUCK TOGETHER ST. LOUIS (AP) — Purdue was struggling to put away Miami in the second half of their second-round NCAA Tournament game on Sunday when Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kauffman-Renn combined to score the Boilermakers’ next 22 points, helping them to turn a three-point lead into a 79-69 victory and a spot in the Sweet 16. It was exactly what coach Matt Painter has come to expect from his guys over the last four years. The antithesis of college basketball in the age of free transfers and name, image and likeness money, the Boilermakers are two wins away from a second Final Four appearance in the last three years by keeping things decidedly old-school: They recruit players that fit their program, develop them over time, and then they lean on them when it matters the most. “It comes down to culture,” Smith said. “Having what we have here in the last four years is really special. I think we’ve had maybe four transfers in my four years that we have had, and I think that’s pretty special, and not a lot of teams ever have that.” It’s unique in college basketball, to be sure, but not necessarily unique in the Sweet 16. In fact, the NCAA Tournament this year has underscored the value of continuity within a program, and that simply restocking with a new wave of transfers each offseason is not necessarily the best way to build a championship roster. Five teams still alive have at least four starters who have played multiple seasons for their current coaches, according to a roster survey from The Associated Press, and nine of the 16 have at least three. Duke and Michigan State have starting lineups that consist entirely of guys who have played nowhere else in college, and 11 of the 16 teams have at least three such starters. Those numbers exist despite the fact that Iowa (Ben McCollum) and Texas (Sean Miller) have new coaches, and both were forced to mine the transfer portal after the typical and unavoidable outflow of players from the previous regime. At Purdue, Smith — now the NCAA career assists leader — and Loyer have been starters the last four years. Kaufman-Renn, also a senior, has been in the starting lineup the last three. Together, they are tied for the winningest class in school history. “Who wouldn’t want to stay?” Smith asked. “Obviously if our situation was different, whatever. For us just being around a great group of people as a whole, the community at Purdue, the coaching staff, just staff in general — it just makes it super special.” In the case of the Hawkeyes, four of the starters — Bennett Stirtz, Tavion Banks, Cam Manyawu and Kael Combs — followed McCollum from Drake, creating the same sort of continuity. The other starter, Jacob Koch, played for Fran McCaffery at Iowa last season. “We’ve got really loyal kids, and I knew that going in,” said McCollum, who two years ago was coaching Division II ball. “Whether or not they’re perfect — they’re not. We’ve got our issues, I’ve got my issues, but what they’re perfect at is loyalty, and they’re tough, and they’ve established a foundation and a solid core.” The Hawkeyes’ in-state rival, Iowa State, is back in the Sweet 16 behind Tamin Lipsey, a fourth-year senior who grew up near its campus in Ames. Milan Momcilovic and injured forward Joshua Jefferson have been with T.J. Otzelberger for multiple years. Over time, they have embraced what it means to be a part of the Cyclones program. “We have a lot of pride that this program continues to do really well,” Otzelberger said, “and the consistency of it means a whole lot to us. We’re going to continue to have those work habits that reflect that day-in and day-out.” Spartans coach Tom Izzo doesn’t just have five starters that he recruited out of high school but four who have stuck with him at least three seasons. That includes Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler, a pair of college basketball unicorns: fourth-year seniors. “When you end up coaching and you have guys for three and four years, they do become like your own kids,” Izzo said. “In fact, I spent more time with some of my players than I did my own kids as they were growing up. I’m not really proud of that, just the fact of life.” Yet it’s a somewhat pleasant way of life for those who remember what college sports was before administrators began chasing money above all else, and players followed suit. Teams were embraced by fans when March Madness rolled around because they had watched their players grow up; they had a vested interested after years of shared joy and suffering. In some ways, this year’s Sweet 16 is a throwback to an increasingly bygone era. “I kind of go back to just how we are right now, even in like, our meals in the hotel rooms, and just hanging out with the guys. I think that’s something that we’re all going to take for granted at some point,” Cooper said. “When we graduate, wherever the next step takes us, we’re going to think back and wish that we were back there, being able to hang out with the guys.” FRED HOIBERG TURNS NEBRASKA FROM LAUGHINGSTOCK TO MARCH MADNESS DARLING AND SWEET 16 SQUAD OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Fred Hoiberg carried the nickname “The Mayor” during his playing days at Iowa State, a reflection of his popularity in Ames, Iowa. With the following he’s gained as Nebraska’s head basketball coach, perhaps “Governor” would be fitting. And if he leads the Cornhuskers past rival Iowa in the Sweet 16, any election might be a landslide. Hoiberg has lifted the Cornhuskers (28-6) from laughingstock to March Madness darling. The Cornhuskers were a combined 14-45 his first two seasons after he took over in 2019. Heading into this season, Nebraska, which had never won an NCAA Tournament game, was picked to finish 14th in the 18-team Big Ten Conference. Instead, the Cornhuskers won their first 20 games and jumped into the top five of The Associated Press poll. They earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and a horde of Nebraska fans traveled to Oklahoma City to watch the program take over the Paycom Center and claim its first two March Madness victories — a blowout against Troy and a thriller against Vanderbilt. Hoiberg said his players deserve the credit heading into the South Region matchup with Iowa (23-12) on Thursday in Houston. “They’ve just done all the little things really well, and to me, it makes our job as coaches a lot easier when you have a group that does all those things,” he said. “They hold each other accountable. We’ve got great leadership with this group — as good as any that I’ve coached.” Hoiberg said the seeds for this year’s success were planted last season at the College Basketball Crown tournament. The Cornhuskers won four games to claim the championship at that event, making success a part of their identity. “You don’t get a chance to cut down nets very often, so for us, it was a really cool and special event,” he said. “Again, the guys that got the opportunity to play that are helping us this year in a huge way — that was as important as anything.” The success has carried over to this season. Troy coach Scott Cross was impressed after Nebraska defeated his team 76-47 last week. “Nebraska is one of the best teams,” he said. “I’ve been doing this since 1998. They’re really, really freaking good. The way they shoot the basketball and the way they defend, watching it on video, you’re like, man, there’s no openings as you watch it on video.” Hoiberg has been able to enjoy the run with his son Sam as the point guard. Sam Hoiberg averages 9.4 points on 54.5% shooting and has 151 assists to just 37 turnovers. Sam’s twin brother, Charlie, is a graduate team manager. “To be able to share that moment with these guys — you get so caught up in the coaching part of it that you really don’t think about it, but when that game was over and all the emotions were flooding out, to be able to share that with those two guys has been great,” Fred Hoiberg said. It’s not all grit and precision — there’s talent, too. The Cornhuskers picked up a star in Pryce Sandfort, who played for Iowa last season before transferring. He leads the team with 17.9 points per game. Rienk Mast, a 6-foot-10, 250-pound big man from the Netherlands, has been a stabilizer. The senior is averaging 13.5 points and 5.8 rebounds. Braden Frager, a freshman from Lincoln, Nebraska, who hit the dramatic game-winning layup against Vanderbilt, averages 11.7 points as a reserve. Guard Jamarques Lawrence started his career at Nebraska, then played a season at Rhode Island for a season before returning to the Huskers. He averaged 9.8 points and 3.9 assists this season. Berke Buyuktuncel, a physical 6-10 forward from Turkey, has started every game. Fred Hoiberg said each player’s ability to find his lane has been key to the team’s success. “We all have our styles,” he said. “We all have our personalities. I think you’ve got to be who you are. These players are smart, and we have to be who we are. We can’t be frauds. It’s just kind of who I am and who I’ve always been.” CHARLOTTE HIRES WES MILLER AS MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH AFTER HE WAS FIRED BY CINCINNATI CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Charlotte 49ers have hired Wes Miller as their basketball coach. Miller spent the past five seasons at Cincinnati before being fired on March 13 with three years left on his contract after failing to get the Bearcats to the NCAA Tournament. He was 100-74 at Cincinnati. The Bearcats finished 18-15 this season. They had recovered from a disappointing start to win seven of nine games down the stretch and were considered an NCAA Tournament bubble team heading into the Big 12 Tournament. But the Bearcats lost to UCF 66-65 in overtime in the second round after surrendering an eight-point lead in the final two minutes of regulation, paving the way for Miller’s departure. The 43-year-old Miller has strong ties to North Carolina, leading the Tar Heels to a national championship as a player. He also coached a decade at UNC Greensboro, where he earned Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2012 and 2018. He helped UNC Greensboro win 25 or more games in three consecutive seasons, won three conference titles and led the Spartans to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2018 and 2021. He left UNCG for Cincinnati considered one of the bright young coaches in the game after recording a school-record 185 wins, including an average of 25 wins per season over his final five years. REPORTS: UTAH STATE’S JERROD CALHOUN HEADING TO ALMA MATER CINCINNATI Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun is set to take the same position at Cincinnati, several reports said Monday. Calhoun will replace Wes Miller, whom Cincinnati bought out after five years as its head coach and no trips to the NCAA Tournament. Calhoun, 44, is an Ohio native who attended Cincinnati and served as a student assistant under Bob Huggins in 2003-04. Calhoun worked under Huggins again on the staff at West Virginia (2007-12) before becoming a head coach for the first time. He has held the main job at Division II Fairmont State (2012-17), Youngstown State (2017-24) and Utah State. He leaves behind a Utah State program that he coached to an impressive 55-15 record over two seasons. The Aggies made the NCAA Tournament and held an AP Top 25 ranking for at least one week in each season under Calhoun. No. 9 seed Utah State defeated No. 8 Villanova in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday before falling to top seed Arizona 78-66 on Sunday. Utah State is in the market for a new head coach for the fourth time this decade. After Craig Smith left for rival Utah in 2021, the Aggies hired Ryan Odom, who stayed two seasons before taking over VCU and now Virginia. Following Odom was one season under Danny Sprinkle, who coached Utah State to an NCAA Tournament win and promptly jumped to Washington. That’s when the Aggies hired Calhoun, who had gone 118-106 in seven years at Youngstown State. REPORTS: RANDY BENNETT LEAVING SAINT MARY’S TO COACH ARIZONA STATE After 25 seasons and 12 NCAA Tournament appearances as the head coach of Saint Mary’s, Randy Bennett is heading home to replace Bobby Hurley at Arizona State, multiple media outlets reported Monday. Bennett, 63, is in the process of finalizing a five-year contract, ESPN reported. Per Arizona Sports, Bennett — Arizona State’s top choice after 20 candidates were trimmed to three — will earn more than $3 million in his first season. He is a native of Mesa, a short drive from the Sun Devils’ Tempe campus. Bennett, who reportedly informed the team of his decision at a meeting Monday morning, will be replaced at Saint Mary’s by associate head coach Mickey McConnell, per ESPN. McConnell, who turns 37 next month, has been on the Gaels’ coaching staff since 2019 and played for Bennett from 2007-11. Under Bennett, who had one season remaining on a 10-year contract, Saint Mary’s reached the NCAA Tournament the last five seasons and has won at least a share of four straight WCC regular-season titles. In 2010 as a No. 2 seed, the Gaels reached the Sweet 16. In this year’s NCAA Tournament, No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s was upset by No. 10 seed Texas A&M in the first round. Bennett finished his tenure with a 589-228 record. Bennett takes over for Hurley, who did not have his contract renewed after this season. The former Duke star coached Arizona State to three NCAA Tournament berths in 11 seasons and left as the second-winningest coach in program history (185 wins). VCU EXTENDS COACH PHIL MARTELLI JR. THROUGH 2031-32 SEASON VCU rewarded Phil Martelli Jr. with a two-year contract extension on Monday after he coached the Rams to an NCAA Tournament victory over North Carolina. Martell’s contract now runs through the 2031-32 season. VCU went 28-8 this season in Martelli’s first campaign with the school and Thursday’s 82-78 overtime win over the Tar Heels was the team’s 17th in 18 games. It also marked the school’s first NCAA Tournament victory in 10 years. The Rams had their season end Saturday with a 76-55 loss to Illinois. “Coach Martelli showed all season that he embodies the leadership qualities we want in our head men’s basketball coach,” VCU athletic director Ed McLaughlin said in a news release. “He made history in his first season by winning the Atlantic 10 Championship and an NCAA Tournament game and continued the standard of excellence that we have created and come to expect. I want to ensure we keep Coach Martelli and give him the opportunity to build on the amazing foundation we have solidified at VCU with three A-10 Championships in the last four years and appearances in 12 of the past 15 NCAA Tournaments.” The 28 victories tied for second-most in school history, one off the record set in 2011-12 when the team was coached by Shaka Smart. “I am grateful to the players and the staff who believed in the vision and worked tirelessly to ensure its continued success.” Martelli said. “We are very fortunate to be at such a storied program and look forward to continuing our short- and long-term pursuit of adding to its rich legacy. Go Rams!” Martelli, 44, coached Bryant to a 43-25 record in two seasons before taking the VCU job. The Bulldogs participated in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, falling to Michigan State in the first round. He is the son of Phil Martelli, who went 444-328 in 24 seasons at St. Joseph’s and guided the Hawks to the Elite Eight in 2004 when they were a No. 1 seed. CREIGHTON COACH GREG MCDERMOTT ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AFTER 16 SEASONS; ALAN HUSS WILL SUCCEED HIM OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — After leading the Creighton basketball program to unprecedented heights over his 16 years as coach, Greg McDermott announced Monday he would retire at the end of the season and turn the program over to right-hand man Alan Huss. McDermott will step down after the Bluejays’ final game in the College Basketball Crown tournament next month. “It has been an incredible honor to lead the Creighton men’s basketball program for the past 16 years,” the 61-year-old McDermott said in a statement. “I’m very proud of the young men that have proudly worn the Bluejay uniform and represented our program in a first-class manner. Witnessing their growth and development on and off the playing floor was especially gratifying. “I’m deeply grateful for the support of my family, our players, coaching staff and support staff, as well as the presidents, athletic directors, and all the University and athletic administrators. The support of the Omaha community consistently packing our arena with 17,000 fans has created many fond memories.” McDermott is 365-188 at Creighton and 514-319 in 25 years as a Division I head coach. Only one of his Creighton teams finished below .500, but the Bluejays are 15-17 heading into their April 2 game against Rutgers in the Crown in Las Vegas. SAINT MARY’S HIRES MICKEY MCCONNELL TO REPLACE COACH RANDY BENNETT, AP SOURCE SAYS MORAGA, Calif. (AP) — Saint Mary’s will promote associate head coach Mickey McConnell to the head coaching job after Randy Bennett left to take the job at Arizona State. A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Monday that McConnell will be Bennett’s replacement. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the school hadn’t made an announcement. The move to hire McConnell came shortly after Bennett decided to leave Saint Mary’s after a 25-year run when he turned a moribund program into one of the most consistent winners in college basketball. “This was a difficult decision after calling Saint Mary’s home for so long and building this program into a national contender each year,” Bennett said in a statement. “I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to lead Saint Mary’s and for all the special people in this community I’ve been able to work with over the years. This was truly my home away from home for so long and I will miss this place.” McConnell, a former star player for the Gaels, will now have the task of keeping Saint Mary’s performing at a high level after spending the past seven seasons as an assistant on Bennett’s staff. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL WOMEN’S NCAA ROUNDUP: NO. 10 VIRGINIA TOPPLES NO. 2 IOWA IN 2OT Kymora Johnson scored 28 points and forced both the first and second overtime period for No. 10 seed Virginia as it buried No. 2 Iowa 83-75 in the biggest upset of the women’s NCAA Tournament thus far on Monday in Iowa City. Paris Clark put up 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Cavaliers (22-11), who have become the first women’s team to advance from the First Four to the Sweet 16. The Cavaliers went from ahead by seven to down by nine as Iowa dominated the third quarter of the second-round contest in Regional 4. A personal 8-0 run from Clark with two 3-pointers shaved the deficit down, and Johnson’s tying 3-pointer with 2:11 left stood as the final points of regulation, as Iowa missed its final five attempts of the fourth quarter. Both teams held brief leads in the first overtime, but the Hawkeyes nudged ahead by two in the final seconds before Johnson’s jumper in the paint tied it at 65-65 with 13 seconds left. But it was all Cavaliers in the second overtime, as they scored 11 of the first 13 points and salted it away from the foul line. Romi Levy scored 13 points and Caitlin Weimar had 12 for Virginia, which made 18 of 23 free throws compared to Iowa’s feeble 8-for-16 effort. Ava Heiden pumped in 26 points, Chazadi Wright had 21 and Hannah Stuelke compiled 15 points, 19 rebounds and six assists for Iowa (27-7), which was tested by No. 15 seed FDU in the first round but eked out a 58-48 victory. No. 1 UConn 98, No. 9 Syracuse 45 Azzi Fudd matched her career highs of 34 points and eight 3-pointers as the Huskies steamrolled the Orange in Fort Worth Region 1 play to reach the Sweet 16 for the 32nd straight NCAA Tournament at Storrs, Conn. Sarah Strong added 18 points and nine rebounds as UConn (36-0) won its 52nd consecutive contest, including the final 16 of last season to win the national title. Blanca Quinonez also scored 18 points for the Huskies, who will face No. 4 North Carolina on Friday in the Sweet 16. Uche Izoje had 12 points and Laila Phelia added 10 for Syracuse (24-9), which trailed 65-12 at halftime. The Orange finished 1-for-18 from 3-point range and shot 32.8% overall and committed 20 turnovers. Syracuse went nearly 10 1/2 minutes without a point during one stretch of the first half as UConn rolled off 31 consecutive points for a 53-8 lead. Fudd scored 26 points in the half as the Huskies shot 65.9% from the field. Fudd was 13 of 18 from the field and also had five assists and four of UConn’s 15 steals. The Huskies shot 55.9% overall and 13 of 26 from 3-point range. No. 2 Vanderbilt 75, No. 7 Illinois 57 Mikayla Blakes recorded 25 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and four steals as the Commodores sped to the victory over the Fighting Illini at Nashville, Tenn., in Fort Worth Region 1 play to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2009. Justine Pissott added 18 points and Aubrey Galvan had 12 for Vanderbilt (29-4), which is one shy of the school record for victories, accomplished twice. The Commodores will face No. 6 Notre Dame on Friday. Berry Wallace registered 18 points, nine rebounds and three steals for Illinois (22-12). Cearah Parchment added 12 points and eight rebounds while Jasmine Brown-Hagger also scored 12 points for the Illini, who made 3 of 23 3-point attempts and shot 29.6% overall. Illinois scored the first basket and never led again. Vanderbilt led 21-8 after the first quarter and 36-25 at halftime and pulled away in the third quarter when Blakes made two treys during a 12-2 burst to give the Commodores a 58-39 lead with 2:18 left. Blakes buried her fourth and final 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter to push the lead to 22 as Vanderbilt finished off the rout. The Commodores shot 43.8% from the field, including 11 of 26 from behind the arc. No. 3 Louisville 69, No. 6 Alabama 68 Elif Istanbulluoglu and Tajianna Roberts had 18 points apiece and the host Cardinals survived the Crimson Tide to advance to the Sweet 16 from Regional 3. Trailing by four, Alabama’s Karly Weathers scored with 9.4 seconds left and Louisville’s Imari Berry made both free throws before Weathers hit another 3 to make it 69-68 with four seconds on the clock. But after Reyna Scott missed two foul shots, Alabama didn’t have time to advance the ball for the potential game-winner. Istanbulluoglu also had 11 rebounds. Louisville survived woeful 7-of-26 shooting from long range with 14 offensive rebounds and 24 points in the pant. Alabama was outrebounded 41-24. Ace Austin led Alabama with 17 points. She hit her fifth 3 to keep Alabama in striking distance, 52-49, with 1:22 left in the third. Weathers had 11 of her 13 points in the fourth quarter, while Diana Collins scored 14 points and made 4 of 5 from 3-point range. The Crimson Tide shot 46.2% (12 of 26) from 3 but only 45.6% overall (26 of 57). No. 6 Notre Dame 83, No. 3 Ohio State 73 Hannah Hidalgo poured in 26 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and swiped eight steals as the Fighting Irish knocked off the Buckeyes in Columbus to reach the Sweet 16 from Regional 1. Vanessa de Jesus added 15 points, Cassandre Prosper and Iyana Moore had 13 points apiece and KK Bransford chipped in 10 off the bench for Notre Dame (24-10), which advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fifth straight season. Jaloni Cambridge carried Ohio State (27-8) with 41 points, shooting 13-for-25 from the field (including 5-for-8 from deep), and Elsa Lemmila posted nine points and 10 rebounds, but Ohio State failed to get out of the second round for the third year in a row. After trailing 22-20 at the end of the first quarter, Notre Dame flipped the game with a 23-13 second to take a 43-35 halftime lead. Cambridge kept rallying the Buckeyes, but the Irish held a four-point edge entering the fourth and closed with a 25-point final quarter to cement it. Notre Dame forced 21 turnovers while going 23-for-26 on free throws. No. 5 Kentucky 74, No. 4 West Virginia 73 Teonni Key and Clara Strack posted double-doubles as the Wildcats held off the Mountaineers in Morgantown, W. Va, to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in a decade. Key scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Stack had 18 points and 15 boards plus four blocks. Tonie Morgan added 15 points, including a basket in the final minute that gave Kentucky a 74-71 lead. The Wildcats looked in control after a dominant third quarter, when they pushed the lead as wide as 62-48. West Virginia ripped off a fourth-quarter rally behind Sydney Shaw, who scored 11 of her 23 points in the final period. Gia Cooke’s two free throws with 33 seconds left cut it to 74-73, but the Mountaineers never got back in front. Cooke matched Shaw with 23 points and Kierra Wheeler chipped in 16 for West Virginia. Kentucky finished plus-16 on the glass and now moves on to face top-seeded Texas in Fort Worth Regional 3. ================================================================== WNBA WNBA PLAYERS UNANIMOUSLY APPROVE A NEW 7-YEAR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT THROUGH 2032 NEW YORK (AP) — WNBA players unanimously approved the new collective bargaining agreement on Monday with more than 90% participating in voting over the weekend. The seven-year CBA, which will begin this season and run through 2032, represents a landmark labor deal for the WNBA and its players. “This transformational CBA delivers consequential economic progress and expanded benefits that support players on and off the court,” the union said in a statement. “It builds a stronger foundation for today’s players, the next generation, and those who helped build the WNBA. It affirms the strength of our union and the power of our collective voice. “Now it is time to get back to the game and the fans we love, competing at the highest level, and showing exactly what this league can be.” Once the WNBA Board of Governors approves the CBA it will become official. Then there will be a sprint to the start of the regular season on May 8. First up is an expansion draft for the two new teams — Toronto and Portland. Rules regarding who the current teams will be able to protect and how the draft will work are still being figured out. The draft is expected to take place right around the Final Four. Next up would be free agency. More than 80% of the league are free agents this year as players had signed deals that were going to expire last year. There are only two veteran players that aren’t under rookie contracts who are signed for this season. The college draft is scheduled for April 13 in New York. Teams are expected to start training camp on April 19 and will have little time to get prepared for the regular season. ============================================================= NBA NBA ROUNDUP: PISTONS HALT LAKERS’ 9-GAME WINNING STREAK Daniss Jenkins poured in a career-high 30 points, including four in the final 25 seconds, and the host Detroit Pistons ended the Los Angeles Lakers’ nine-game winning streak with a 113-110 victory on Monday. Jenkins added eight assists while Jalen Duren contributed 20 points and 11 rebounds in Detroit’s fourth straight win. The Pistons played without All-Star Cade Cunningham for the third consecutive game. Cunningham was diagnosed with a collapsed lung last week. Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 32 points. Austin Reaves had 24 points and Deandre Ayton amassed 13 points and 10 rebounds. LeBron James finished with 12 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Doncic was eligible to play after the team successfully won an appeal to the league. The superstar guard picked up his 16th technical foul on Saturday, triggering an automatic one-game suspension for reaching the season limit. However, the technical was rescinded on Sunday. Doncic airballed a contested 3-point try at the buzzer. Thunder 123, 76ers 103 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 points to guide Oklahoma City to its 12th straight win, a comfortable victory in Philadelphia. Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams each added 18 points for Oklahoma City, which shot well from the field (53.3%), the 3-point arc (43.9%) and the foul line (9 of 10) in a smooth all-around performance. Jared McCain, who was dealt from the Sixers to the Thunder at last month’s trade deadline, chipped in with 13 points off the bench. VJ Edgecombe scored 35 points to pace Philadelphia, which had won four of its previous five games. The Sixers continued to play without Tyrese Maxey (finger), Joel Embiid (oblique) and Paul George (suspension), among others. Pacers 128, Magic 126 Pascal Siakam scored a season-high 37 points as Indiana ended a franchise-record 16-game losing streak with a victory at Orlando. Jarace Walker chimed in with 20 points as the Pacers won for the first time since Feb. 11, before the All-Star break. Aaron Nesmith had 19 points — all in the second half — while shooting 5 of 8 from 3-point range, and Andrew Nembhard paired 13 points with 14 assists. Paolo Banchero poured in a season-best 39 for the Magic, who took their fifth straight defeat. Orlando trailed by six with 1:33 to play but had its shot for a tie denied at the buzzer when Siakam blocked Banchero’s layup attempt. Spurs 136, Heat 111 Victor Wembanyama posted 26 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks and four assists as San Antonio defeated host Miami. It was the sixth straight win for the Spurs who are 22-2 since Feb. 1 — the best record in the NBA during that span. With Wembanyama playing, the Spurs have won 11 straight games. On Monday, he got the most support from Dylan Harper and Keldon Johnson (21 points each off the bench); and Stephon Castle (19 points). Miami lost its fifth straight game, tying its longest skid of the season. Norman Powell led Miami on Monday with 21 points while Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro had 18 points each. The Heat are now just 1-5 since Adebayo scored 83 points on March 10. Powell, Andrew Wiggins (nine points) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (eight points) all returned from injuries for the Heat, but they weren’t enough. Clippers 129, Bucks 96 Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points and set a career high for made 3-pointers in a season as Los Angeles returned home with a blowout win over Milwaukee. Brook Lopez and Kobe Sanders produced 19 points apiece and Darius Garland added 15 points and six assists for the Clippers, who won a second straight game while beginning a run with seven of their last 11 regular-season games at home. The Clippers shot 58% from the floor and 44.7% (17 of 38) from beyond the arc as Leonard set a career high with 149 made 3-pointers for the season. Gary Trent Jr. scored 20 points, AJ Green had 15 and Ryan Rollins added 13 for the Bucks, who fell to 3-11 since Feb. 27. Milwaukee was without Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) for the fourth consecutive game. The Bucks star has played six games since Jan. 27. Bulls 132, Rockets 124 Collin Sexton scored 25 points and Matas Buzelis added 23 to pace seven players in double figures and boost host Chicago past Houston. Chicago squandered a 22-point, first-half lead before recovering down the stretch against Houston, scoring 14 of the game’s final 20 points. Leonard Miller matched a career high with 17 points to go with nine rebounds while Josh Giddey had 15 points and 13 assists. The Rockets lost their third straight road game despite a 40-point effort from Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun’s 33-point, 13-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. Durant and Sengun combined on 31-for-42 shooting. Amen Thompson added 23 points for Houston while Reed Sheppard had 13. Hawks 146, Grizzlies 107 Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 26 points — 22 in the first half — and Atlanta routed struggling Memphis for its 11th straight home victory. The Hawks are 14-2 since the All-Star break and have won 13 of their last 14 games. Their margin of victory during the home-court winning streak is 19.8 points. The Grizzlies have lost three straight and 11 of their past 12 games. Atlanta also got 16 points from Jonathan Kuminga and Onyeka Okongwu. Memphis was led by GG Jackson with 26 points and Tyler Burton, who came off the bench to score 20 points and grab eight rebounds. Raptors 143, Jazz 127 RJ Barrett scored 27 points and Sandro Mamukelashvili added 23 as Toronto snapped a two-game skid with a blowout of Utah in Salt Lake City. Ja’Kobe Walter made six 3-pointers and finished with a season-high 21 points for the Raptors, who led by as many as 35 and shot 61.4% from the field, including 54.1% (20 of 37) from 3-point range. Ace Bailey led the Jazz with a career-high 37 points and matched his career high with seven 3-pointers. Brice Sensabaugh scored 24 points as Utah lost for the sixth time in seven games. Trail Blazers 134, Nets 99 Toumani Camara established career highs of 35 points and nine 3-pointers to lead Portland to a convincing victory over visiting Brooklyn. Camara scored 23 points on flawless shooting in the first half to get Portland started toward its fourth win in the past five games. Deni Avdija scored 18 points, Kris Murray added 16 points off the bench, and Donovan Clingan had 15 rebounds and seven blocked shots to go with seven points for the Trail Blazers, who are a half-game behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the eighth spot in the Western Conference. Reserve Tyson Etienne scored a team-high 18 points, Ziaire Williams scored 16 and Josh Minott added 15 for the Nets, who lost their eighth straight contest and 18th in their past 20. Backup Chaney Johnson had 12. Warriors 137, Mavericks 131 Moses Moody hit a key 3-pointer in overtime before sustaining a left knee injury as the Warriors concluded a six-game trip with a victory over Dallas. Moody finished with 23 points for the Warriors, who put eight players in double figures while earning just their second victory on the trek. However, he was stretched off in overtime. Kristaps Porzingis returned to one of his old homes to log 22 points. Cooper Flagg had a game-high 32 points for the Mavericks. Dallas rallied from an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit to have the final shot of regulation, but Naji Marshall couldn’t connect on a 25-footer with the clock winding down. ================================================================ MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL (FIELD LEVEL MEDIA REPORT) NL CENTRAL CAPSULES: CAN BREWERS CLAIM 4TH STRAIGHT DIVISION TITLE? Milwaukee Brewers2025 record: 97-65 (1st in NL Central)He gone: RHP Freddy Peralta, 3B Caleb Durbin, OF Isaac Collins, LHP Jose Quintana, RHP Nick MearsNew faces: C Gary Sanchez, RHP Brandon Sproat, SS/OF Jett Williams, INF David Hamilton Biggest question entering Opening Day: Is their unwillingness to keep Peralta because of his pending free agency going to cost them a playoff spot and/or a chance at winning a World Series? They had an expected W/L of 99-63 in 2025, but are projected by a consensus to finish close to .500 this season. It seems harsh, but the Brewers are counting on a return to form by right-hander Brandon Woodruff (at 33), and high-percentile development by fireballer Jacob Misiorowski to anchor the rotation. Christian Yelich, at 34, would have to play a full season again — which he’s managed in three of the past four years. Jackson Chourio was nearly a four-WAR player at age 20 in 2024. He could take a big step forward offensively this season. So could William Contreras, a two-time Silver Slugger winner whose power regressed a bit in ‘25. Having Andrew Vaughn around for 150 games could mean a lot, as long as his hitting performance in ‘25 wasn’t too fluky. He’s not projected to leave spring training with the big-league team, but infielder Andrew Fischer is a good bet to be helpful as a rookie soon. 2026 outlook: The W-L record is likely to regress, and the Cubs probably will overtake them in the division, but the projections for 81-82 wins also seem way too low. Too many things would have to go wrong. Still, they’re not moving closer to winning the franchise’s first World Series. Chicago Cubs2025 record: 92-70 (2nd place, NL Central)He gone: OF Kyle Tucker, RHP Brad Keller, RHP Michael Soroka, 1B Justin Turner, LHP Drew PomeranzNew faces: 3B Alex Bregman, RHP Edward Cabrera, RHP Phil Maton, RHP Hunter Harvey, LHP Hoby Milner Biggest question entering Opening Day: Will the starting rotation stay healthy enough, and will the arms miss enough bats come playoff time, for the Cubs to make a run at the World Series? The addition of Cabrera via offseason trade will be key here, as will the possible return of left-hander Justin Steele at some point. Both have had trouble historically staying healthy. The Cubs had good but unspectacular starting pitching a season ago, finishing in the middle of the pack in Fangraphs WAR. Lefty Matthew Boyd led the team in starts (31) and innings pitched (179 2/3) in 2025, making the All-Star team and performing wonderfully overall. He’s also 35 years old with an extensive injury history. The other projected starters, including right-hander Cade Horton, lefty Shota Imanaga, and righties Jameson Taillon and Cabrera, also have their own question marks. For one reason or another, the Cubs are crossing their fingers for all of them. 2026 outlook: The offense should be among the top 10 (or better) but how Pete Crow-Armstrong adjusts after a weak final two months of ’25 will be key. The back of the bullpen is strong with Daniel Palencia, and they added four new middle relievers in the offseason. The Cubs look good, if not great, and could compete for the World Series if they get some breaks. Cincinnati Reds2025 record: 83-79 (3rd place, NL Central)He gone: RHP Nick Martinez, 2B/OF Gavin Lux, OF Austin Hays, RHP Scott Barlow, LHP Brent SuterNew faces: DH/3B Eugenio Suarez, 1B Nathaniel Lowe, OF Dane Myers, RHP Pierce Johnson, LHP Caleb Ferguson Biggest question entering Opening Day: Do the Reds have the best starting pitching in the league? The answer likely depends on how fast rookies Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder develop. But even if they’re not immediate All-Stars, the Reds’ starting corps finished second in Fangraphs WAR in 2025. Left-handers Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo, along with Hunter Greene, Brady Singer and the rookies aren’t all household names, but they’re a formidable bunch — and they’re all under 30 years old. Cincy’s competition for best rotation includes the Phillies and Dodgers. How Greene comes through surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow will matter a lot. 2026 outlook: The Reds’ bullpen is closer to middle-of-the-road and likely will limit them come October. The offense needs to get better, but the lineup figures to improve if Sal Stewart becomes a middle-of-the-order force, if Matt McLain rebounds and if Elly De La Cruz takes a step forward at age 24. None of those are unreasonable asks. St. Louis Cardinals2025 record: 78-84 (4th place, NL Central)He gone: 3B Nolan Arenado, 1B Willson Contreras, 2B Brendan Donovan, RHP Sonny Gray, RHP Miles MikolasNew faces: 2B JJ Wetherholt, RHP Dustin May, RHP Hunter Dobbins, RHP Ryne Stanek, LHP Brandon Clarke Biggest question entering Opening Day: How long is it going to take team president Chaim Bloom to turn this thing around? By some accounts, the Cardinals’ farm system ranks just outside of the top 10, but it’s going to take more than a few prospects to bring back the glory days. Oli Marmol is in place as the skipper, and Bloom’s people have been running the minors and development. Wetherholt has a chance to win NL Rookie of the Year, and Masyn Winn, Lars Nootbaar, Alec Burleson and Ivan Herrera make up a portion of a potential winning core of position players. Matthew Liberatore and Michael McGreevy can be major league starters, though their upside might have limits. Aside from them, expect a lot of turnover in the next several years. 2026 outlook: The Cards won 78 games this past season and probably will be lucky to win more than 68 this time. And it might be worse. A Cardinals team hasn’t lost 100 games or more since 1908, but this one is going to come uncomfortably close — and that’s if things go well, relatively speaking. Pittsburgh Pirates2025 record: 71-91 (5th place, NL Central)He gone: OF/DH Andrew McCutchen, OF Tommy Pham, RHP Johan Oviedo, RHP Mike BurrowsNew faces: OF/1B Ryan O’Hearn, DH Marcell Ozuna, 2B Brandon Lowe, OF Jake Mangum, RHP Jose Urquidy Biggest question entering Opening Day: Is Paul Skenes still going to be on the roster the next time the Pirates win a playoff game? At one point in time, into the second decade of the 2000s, it seemed like the Pirates would never have a winning season again. But the Gerrit Cole/Andrew McCutchen teams yielded three straight second-place finishes and postseason berths. It IS possible to win in the PNC Park era. But it’s been 11 years now. Pirates owner Bob Nutting finally spent some revenue-sharing dough this offseason, and their lineup is not bad, potentially, thanks in part to the additions of O’Hearn, Ozuna and Lowe. If slugger Bryan Reynolds can bounce back, and if Spencer Horwitz can clear the effects of his hamate bone injury, they’ll score a decent amount of runs. 2026 outlook: The Bucs risk wasting most of Skenes’ prime if they don’t start competing soon. Is there any chance they can make the postseason this year? PECOTA and Fangraphs projections say they could finish above .500, so yes. If star pupil Konnor Griffin gets promoted and runs away with NL Rookie of the Year, if Bubba Chandler gets strong results over a full season, and if Oneil Cruz snaps out of his funk, they could reach the mid- or upper-80s in victories. NL EAST CAPSULES: DO AGING PHILLIES STILL RUN THE DIVISION? Philadelphia Phillies2025 record: 96-66 (1st place, NL East)He gone: LHP Ranger Suarez, OF Nick Castellanos, LHP Matt Strahm, OF Harrison Bader, OF Max KeplerNew faces: OF Adolis Garcia, RHP Brad Keller, OF Justin Crawford, RHP Andrew Painter, INF/OF Dylan Moore Biggest question entering Opening Day: Will their aging star players perform well enough to overcome questionable depth in the lineup and bullpen? The Phillies’ roster has several of the best players in the game — Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler and Jhoan Duran among them. But they also plan on Alec Bohm hitting cleanup, and they’re hoping Garcia can bounce back at 33 after two poor seasons at the plate. Harper, also 33, hit well last year, but wasn’t close to his career best. Wheeler, soon to be 36, is coming off thoracic outlet syndrome surgery that included a celebrated rib removal. He’s getting a late start on the season. Righty Aaron Nola (who looked great for Italy in the World Baseball Classic) needs to do better than his 6.01 ERA in 17 starts a season ago. Duran is a great stopper, but the bullpen as a unit was mediocre in ‘25 — although lefty Jose Alvarado is back after throwing just 25 innings a season ago because of a PED suspension. 2026 outlook: They should be a playoff team again, but the Phillies want more than a mere appearance in the postseason. Having a full complement of healthy starting pitching, a return to elite status by Harper and an 80th-percentile performance by the bullpen just might get a World Series championship done. New York Mets2025 record: 83-79 (2nd place, NL East)He gone: RHP Edwin Diaz, 1B Pete Alonso, OF Brandon Nimmo, 2B/OF Jeff McNeil, OF/DH Starling MarteNew faces: RHP Freddy Peralta, 3B Bo Bichette, 2B Marcus Semien, OF Luis Robert Jr., RHP Devin Williams Biggest question entering Opening Day: Are they good enough to win in the postseason (assuming they get there) after letting go of two club icons? Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns made some savvy additions in the offseason, notably bringing in Peralta for the top of the rotation. Bichette and Jorge Polanco should cover Alonso’s bat in the lineup. Robert is a fair gamble to bounce back in center. Williams and Luke Weaver are solid bets to have strong seasons in high-leverage relief situations. But losing Alonso and Diaz is like getting a soul transplant, and it’s not like they were the ones keeping the team from success in ‘25. Most of all: The starting pitching depth after Peralta and Nolan McLean seems very iffy. 2026 outlook: The Phillies would have to significantly regress (not impossible, but unlikely) for the Mets to pass them in the division. The Braves are wounded already. The Nationals are bottoming out. The Marlins are more irritating than dangerous. The Mets seem like a sure bet for second place. Miami Marlins2025 record: 79-83 (3rd place, NL East)He gone: RHP Edward Cabrera, LHP Ryan Weathers, OF Dane Myers, INF Eric WagamanNew faces: OF Owen Caissie, RHP Pete Fairbanks, RHP Chris Paddack, INF/OF Christopher Morel Biggest question entering Opening Day: How can they tap into the mojo that rocked LoanDepot Park during the World Baseball Classic? The Miami area obviously has baseball fans, and they clearly know where the stadium is. It’s just a matter of giving them a reason to enter the ballpark for Marlins home games. The Fish have some talented pitchers (Eury Perez, Sandy Alcantara, Max Meyer) and intriguing pitching prospects (Thomas White, Robby Snelling). They’re hoping that Caissie develops like Kyle Stowers did in ‘25, and that Jakob Marsee performs all season like he did in August (but not September). If it all comes together, they could form the best young outfield in the majors. But it likely won’t spark a wave of enthusiasm like we saw from Team Venezuela, the Dominican Republic or even Italy in the WBC. A sustainably great young Marlins team would be great for the league. If only. 2026 outlook: President of baseball ops Peter Bendix and manager Clayton McCullough appear to be the right guys to run an organization. If Alcantara returns to All-Star form, and Perez fully finishes his recovery from Tommy John, the Marlins have a chance to repeat as third-place champs. Actual contention remains only vaguely on the horizon. Atlanta Braves2025 record 76-86 (4th place, NL East)He gone: DH Marcell Ozuna, RHP Charlie Morton, RHP Pierce Johnson, OF Alex Verdugo, manager Brian SnitkerNew faces: RHP Robert Suarez, OF Mike Yastrzemski, SS Mauricio Dubon, 1B/DH Dominic Smith, C Jonah Heim Biggest question entering Opening Day: Will they stop having injuries long enough to have their best chance to rejoin the playoff hunt? Few if any teams have been affected by major injuries over the past two seasons more than the Braves. They’re still nicked up, with Spencer Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep, Joe Jimenez, Sean Murphy and Ha-Seong Kim among those set to start the season on the injured list. Jurickson Profar isn’t hurt, but won’t play this season after getting popped for PEDs again. The good news: superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. is healthy and ready to get 600-plus plate appearances for the first time since 2023. The Braves also need bounce-back seasons from other key players who’ve been limited by injuries — notably sluggers Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies, and righty Reynaldo Lopez. Michael Harris II regaining his former form, as he showed signs of doing in the second half of ‘25, also will be key. Most of all, can Spencer Strider become the ace was in 2023? Regardless, some think Didier Fuentes, a rookie who is beginning in the bullpen, can make an impact like Strider did as a younger player. 2026 outlook: Walt Weiss takes over as manager, promoted from bench coach after Snitker retired. Even if the Braves can regain contending form, a goal like the World Series seems out of their grasp right now. Washington Nationals2025 record: 66-96 (5th place, NL East)He gone: LHP MacKenzie Gore, 1B/DH Josh Bell, INF Paul DeJong, LHP Jose A. FerrerNew faces: RHP Zack Littell, LHP Foster Griffin, RHP Miles Mikolas, manager Blake Butera, president of baseball ops Paul Toboni Biggest question entering Opening Day: Is it a good or bad sign that top prospect Dylan Crews won’t make the Opening Day roster? It’s probably bad and reflects more on Crews’ struggles, because the Nats don’t have a lot of depth that projects to perform well. CJ Abrams and James Wood, even with their imperfections, are a strong way to start a lineup. After that, it gets really iffy, really fast. Be optimistic about Brady House, who didn’t hit a season ago as a rookie, but still has the potential to be an effective third baseman. Outfielder Daylen Lile probably over-performed as a rookie, so beware the regression monster. Keibert Ruiz has been a disappointment since coming over in an earlier rebuild, posting a career slash line of .248/.293/.372. Maybe he can get hot enough to be traded so prospect Harry Ford can come up and play. Luis Garcia Jr. didn’t build on his breakout 2024 season, but his peripheral numbers still indicate All-Star potential (partially because second base is a relatively weak position league-wide). The starting pitching is weak, but at least they signed Littell, who probably will be traded by the deadline. 2026 outlook: A consensus of projection systems (for example, PECOTA) says the Nationals are likely to go 66-96 or so in 2026. That seems optimistic. Very. If everything goes right, they’ll avoid losing 100 games, but there’s a nonzero chance they’ll lose 110. NL WEST CAPSULES: WHAT’S STOPPING DODGERS FROM ANOTHER WORLD SERIES? Los Angeles Dodgers2025 record: 93-69 (1st place, NL West, World Series champions)He gone: RHP Michael Kopech, RHP Kirby Yates, RHP Tony Gonsolin, C Austin Barnes, OF Michael Conforto, LHP Anthony Banda, OF Justin Dean, C Ben Rortvedt, OF Esteury RuizNew faces: OF Kyle Tucker, RHP Edwin Diaz, OF Jack Suwinski, INF Santiago Espinal, OF Michael Siani Biggest question on Opening Day: Can Shohei Ohtani win NL MVP and Cy Young in the same season? As far as single-season individual achievements go, this is his final frontier. He’s going for his fourth straight MVP, but he’s never finished better than fourth in Cy Young voting (2022 with the Angels, when he finished second in AL MVP). But he’s going to have fewer (or zero) restrictions on his pitching, being so far removed from Tommy John surgery. It sounds far-fetched with Paul Skenes also in the league, but this is Ohtani’s best chance to do something nobody ever has done, and nobody else probably ever will. 2026 outlook: Pretty rosy. Making the playoffs would seem to be inevitable, but what could prevent the Dodgers from winning back-to-back-to-back World Series? Starting pitching injuries, a relatable factor to them. But even a season ago, the Phillies were one or two plays away from flipping their playoff series. The Blue Jays were literally inches (centimeters?) from winning the World Series. Another championship is not promised to the Dodgers. San Diego Padres2025 record: 90-72 (2nd place, NL West)He gone: RHP Dylan Cease, OF/1B Ryan O’Hearn, RHP Robert Suarez, INF Luis Arraez, C Elias Diaz, INF Jose Iglesias, INF Tyler Wade, 1B Yuli Gurriel, LHP Nestor Cortes, OF Jason Heyward, C Martin MaldonadoNew faces: OF/DH Miguel Andujar, OF/1B Nick Castellanos, 1B Ty France, RHP German Marquez, RHP Walker Buehler, LHP Marco Gonzales, RHP Triston McKenzie, INF Sung-Mun Song, RHP Griffin Canning, INF Jose Miranda, OF Alex Verdugo, OF/INF Nick Solak Biggest question on Opening Day: Is star right-hander Mason Miller going to stay with them through the trade deadline? There was offseason talk of turning Miller into a starting pitcher, and it would be interesting (if risky) to see if he could sustain 102 mph over several innings. The Padres also could get a lot for him in a trade, and it might be prudent to explore those options, given their expected regression in the standings. As a group, the Padres are starting to get old and expensive, and they’ve hit a wall as far as keeping up with the best teams in the league. 2026 outlook: Projection systems don’t think the Padres will win enough games to make the playoffs for a fifth time in seven seasons. They still have two of the top 20 or so players in the league in Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, with Jackson Merrill a good bet to regain his 2024 form. The bullpen remains deep, and the starting pitching depth could be OK if one or more among Buehler, Marquez, Canning and Joe Musgrove can bounce back. San Francisco Giants2025 record: 81-81 (3rd place, NL West)He gone: RHP Justin Verlander, 1B/DH Dominic Smith, C Andrew Knizner, 1B Wilmer Flores, LHP Scott Alexander, C Tom MurphyNew faces: Manager Tony Vitello, RHP Tyler Mahle, RHP Adrian Houser, 2B Luis Arraez, OF/DH Will Brennan, OF Harrison Bader, C Daniel Susac, LHP Ryan Borucki, RHP Caleb Killian, RHP Jason Foley, LHP Sam Hentges, C Eric Haase, RHP Gregory Santos, RHP Michael Fulmer Biggest question on Opening Day: Can the new manager from Tennessee massage this roster into a viable postseason contender? The free-agent additions of Mahle, Houser, Bader and Arraez don’t seem like a group capable of adding 10 wins to the ledger. The depth is paper-thin on both sides of the ball. Slugging first-base prospect Bryce Eldridge should return from another minor league stint, but it was apparent by his strikeouts in spring training that he needed more seasoning in Triple-A. 2026 outlook: The Giants barely breaking .500 would be a little better than their 2025 results, but still gives them less than 60-40 odds of making the postseason. They look more like a team in transition that needs to get younger, and is only taking half-measures to compete in the present. Arizona Diamondbacks2025 record: (80-82, 4th place, NL West)He gone: RHP Kendall Graveman, LHP Jalen Beeks, INF Blaze Alexander, OF Jake McCarthy, LHP Kyle Backhus, RHP Gus VarlandNew faces: RHP Merrill Kelly, 3B Nolan Arenado, 1B Carlos Santana, RHP Michael Soroka, RHP Paul Sewald, RHP Taylor Clarke, RHP Jonathan Loaisiga, INF Luis Urias, RHP Joe Ross, RHP Grant Holman, RHP Kade Strowd Biggest question on Opening Day: Is there a stranger collection of players among contending teams in the entire league? The D-backs return three of the best players in MLB at the top of the batting order with second baseman Ketel Marte (4.6 Fangraphs WAR), outfielder Corbin Carroll (6.5) and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (7.1). They traded for Nolan Arenado, who at nearly 35 years old has a Hall of Fame resume but has been in decline, and couldn’t push the Cardinals to contend the past two seasons. They signed near-40-year-old Carlos Santana to play first base. They’re counting on eternal prospect Jordan Lawlar to learn center field and hit major league pitching for the first time in several attempts. They brought back old ace Zac Gallen after he couldn’t attract a reasonable long-term offer in free agency. They gave a lot of money to their old No. 2 starter Merrill Kelly (who is 37), and they’re hoping Corbin Burnes will have something to give by mid-season once he recovers from Tommy John surgery. They also are trying to repair a decimated bullpen with Sewald, Clarke and Loaisiga. Roll those dice, GM Mike Hazen! 2026 outlook: Projection systems don’t like the D-backs to improve on their difficult 2025 results. Just three years ago, they reached the World Series with a lot of the same names on the roster. Two years ago, they won 89 games but missed the playoffs by one game. Will they compete this time? Don’t bet against manager Torey Lovullo. Colorado Rockies2025 record: 43-119 (5th place, NL West)He gone: RHP German Marquez, INF Thairo Estrada, INF Kyle Farmer, LHP Austin Gomber, INF Orlando ArciaNew faces: Team president Paul DePodesta, GM Josh Byrnes, OF Jake McCarthy, 3B Willi Castro, 1B Troy Johnston, 2B Edouard Julien, RHP Michael Lorenzen, LHP Jose Quintana, RHP Tomoyuki Sugano, LHP Brennan Bernardino, RHP John Brebbia, RHP Keegan Thompson, INF Nicky Lopez Biggest question on Opening Day: Can they get the humidor working again? Please? The Rockies had six pitchers make at least 10 starts and finish with an ERA over 6.00 in 2025. Only left-hander Kyle Freeland managed to squeeze his ERA under 5.00 (barely — 4.98). The new regime takes up the task of trying to make it possible for the Rockies to have effective pitching. Best of luck there. The second-biggest question for the Rox: Will Kris Bryant ever feel healthy enough to play again? Bryant’s degenerative disc disease has made his life miserable, and that’s before he even steps onto the baseball field. He’s still got three years left on his contract that pays $27 million annually, but no amount of money is likely to make him feel better physically or emotionally. 2026 outlook: The Rox project to win 60-65 games this season, which brings up the rear but would put them in position to pick at the top of the 2027 draft. Their farm system also needs all the help it can get. REPORTS: CUBS, PETE CROW-ARMSTRONG AGREE TO EXTENSION Pete Crow-Armstrong reportedly is receiving a present ahead of his 24th birthday on Wednesday. The center fielder and the Chicago Cubs are completing a long-term contract extension, multiple media outlets reported Monday night. The financial terms and length of the deal weren’t reported. Crow-Armstrong is coming off a season in which earned his first All-Star selection, won a Gold Glove and finished ninth in National League MVP voting. In his third major league season, Crow-Armstrong got off to a great start in 2025, hitting .265/.302/.544 with 25 homers and 71 RBIs in 95 games before the All-Star break. He tailed off badly in the second half, though, batting .216/.262/.372 with six homers and 24 RBIs in 62 games. He finished at .247/.287/.481 with 31 homers and 95 RBIs. Crow-Armstrong also hit 37 doubles and stole 35 bases, becoming the first Cubs with 30-plus doubles, homers and steals in the same season. Through 293 major league games, Crow-Armstrong owns a .240/.285/.437 batting line with 50 doubles, 10 triples, 41 homers, 143 RBIs and 64 steals. Selected by the Mets in the first round (No. 19 overall) of the 2020 draft, Crow-Armstrong was traded to the Cubs in the July 2021 deal that sent infielder Javier Baez and right-hander Trevor Williams to New York. The Cubs open the season on Thursday against the visiting Washington Nationals. SPRING TRAINING ROUNDUP: RAYS’ STEVEN MATZ FINISHES STRONG SPRING VS. PHILLIES Southpaw Steven Matz put a punctuation mark on his excellent spring training by tossing five scoreless innings Monday as the Tampa Bay Rays blanked the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-0, in Clearwater, Fla. Matz, 34, who is transitioning back to the starting rotation after spending the last two seasons in the bullpen, pitched 11 scoreless innings for his new team this spring and is scheduled to start the Rays’ third game of the season. He gave up four hits and one walk while striking out four Phillies. Yandy Diaz went 4-for-4 and drove in three runs with a sixth-inning double. Jake Fraley and Ben Williamson added home runs for Tampa Bay. Phillies southpaw Jesus Luzardo, who finalized a five-year, $135 million contract extension earlier this month, shut down Tampa Bay through five innings, but allowed Fraley’s home run to lead off the sixth. He gave up two earned runs, permitted nine Rays to reach base (seven hits, two walks) and fanned six in five innings. Orioles 2, Nationals 0 Leody Tavares cracked a pinch-hit, two-run home run in the top of the seventh as Baltimore blanked host Washington. The former Texas Rangers outfielder signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Orioles in November 2025, but is not assured of making the club. Another Baltimore newcomer, starter Shane Baz blanked the Nationals on three hits (no walks) through five innings. Nine Washington hurlers threw one inning apiece, including former Oriole Cionel Perez, who fanned two of three batters in the eighth. The Nationals managed only three singles off four Baltimore pitchers. Braves 5, Pirates 2 Matt Olson hit two of the team’s four solo home runs as Atlanta blasted past Pittsburgh in Bradenton, Fla. Olson, who has six homers this spring, connected in the first and sixth innings. Eli White went deep in the second inning and Mike Yastrzemski left the yard in the sixth, directly preceding Olson’s second long ball. Prospect Didier Fuentes allowed one earned run over 4 2/3 innings. Fuentes, 20, has been added to the Braves’ Opening Day roster as a bullpen arm, but reports indicate he will be sent back to Triple-A Gwinnett a few weeks into the season to be stretched out as a starter. Nick Gonzalez and Nick Yorke contributed RBI doubles for the Pirates. Twins 9, Red Sox 6 David Banuelos hit a two-run, eighth inning home run off premier closer Aroldis Chapman and Minnesota bested Boston in Fort Myers, Fla. Trevor Larnach also homered for the Twins and added an RBI groundout. Orlando Arcia went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Starter Bailey Ober allowed 13 Red Sox baserunners (10 hits, three walks) and four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. Ceddanne Rafaela had three hits in four trips for the Red Sox, including his third homer of the spring, a solo blast which tied the game at 6 in the bottom of the seventh. Wilyer Abreu added a solo shot for Boston. Starter Johan Oviedo permitted six earned runs in 3 1/3 innings. ===================================================================== COLLEGE BASEBALL COLLEGE BASEBALL NOTEBOOK: PLAYERS WHO FOLLOWED CHRIS POLLARD FROM DUKE LEADING THE WAY FOR VIRGINIA Virginia’s baseball program has shown no drop-off without Brian O’Connor. In fact, the Cavaliers are doing quite nicely with Chris Pollard at the helm. The new-look Wahoos (20-5, 6-3) are in the top 10 in the polls and have won their first three Atlantic Coast Conference series to sit in a five-way tie for second behind Florida State. Only five position players and six pitchers returned from last year’s team, which finished 32-18 overall, 16-11 in the ACC and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. O’Connor, who coached the Cavaliers for 22 seasons, made a surprise move to Mississippi State in June. Virginia hired away Pollard from ACC rival Duke, where he had won 420 games in 13 years and led the Blue Devils to seven NCAAs. The Cavaliers, after an 11-2 start, have won ACC series at then-No. 8 North Carolina and at home against Virginia Tech and then-No. 24 Wake Forest. They’re among the national leaders in scoring (10 runs per game) and homers (46), and Duke transfers AJ Gracia and Sam Harris each have gone deep eight times. The Nos. 1 and 2 starting pitchers, Henry Zatkowski (4-0, 5.58 ERA) and Max Stammel (2-1, 4.97), also came with Pollard from Duke. Reliever Lucas Hartman, a graduate transfer from Western Kentucky, is 4-0 with a 1.47 ERA over 30 2/3 innings. The Cavaliers scored the final 12 runs after falling behind 4-2 against Wake Forest on Sunday for a 14-4 win, their eighth in which they have come from behind. “That’s been a hallmark of this group to this point in the year,” Pollard said. “When we fall behind, we are really good at having a quick answer.” In the polls The top three teams remained the same Monday in polls by D1Baseball.com and Baseball America. No. 1 UCLA (21-2) extended its win streak to 15 games with a home sweep of Maryland. No. 2 Texas (20-3) took two of three against Auburn, including a 5-0 win Sunday that marked the Longhorns’ first conference shutout as an SEC member. No. 3 Georgia Tech (19-5) held its spot after dropping a midweek game at Auburn and winning two of three at Pittsburgh. Trojans keep rolling Southern California is out to its best start in program history through 25 games, improving to 24-1 after sweeping Washington. Ace left-hander Mason Edwards has put together six straight dominant performances, his most recent coming Friday when he pitched six scoreless innings and struck out a career-high 12 in a 5-0 victory over the Huskies. Edwards (5-0, 0.25 ERA) has allowed just one earned run over 36 innings and struck out 64. The staff’s 1.83 ERA leads the nation. Home run derby Cincinnati’s Quinton Coats and Jack Natili each hit three home runs in a 20-10 run-rule victory over Utah on Saturday. Coats’ third homer came in the seventh inning, and Natili’s third came in the eighth and ended the game. Coats leads the nation with 18 homers. ================================================================== NHL SENATORS SHUT DOWN RANGERS, CONTINUE PUSH TOWARD PLAYOFFS Shane Pinto and Warren Foegele scored in the first two periods as the Ottawa Senators continued their playoff push by clamping down defensively in a 2-1 victory over the host New York Rangers on Monday night. The Senators (37-24-9, 83 points) moved within two points of the New York Islanders for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Ottawa also trails the Detroit Red Wings by one point, and the Atlantic Division foes face each other on Tuesday. Ottawa also improved to 14-3-2 in its past 19 games and 17-5-4 in its last 26, a stretch that started with sweeping the Vancouver Canucks and Rangers on a back-to-back set Jan. 13-14. Pinto scored late during a power play following a hooking penalty to Taylor Raddysh when he took a pass from Claude Giroux at the edge of the left circle and lifted a shot over goalie Igor Shesterkin 6:30 into the contest when the Senators took the first 11 shots on goal. Foegele scored for the third straight game and fifth time in nine games with Ottawa when he was left open at the right scored and one-timed a cross-ice pass from Lars Eller by Shesterkin 6:46 into the second. The Senators ended their latest win with four defensemen after losing Thomas Chabot and Lassi Thomson. Chabot did not return after getting hit in the right arm by New York captain J.T. Miller’s stick in the waning seconds of the first and Thomson, playing in his first game since Nov. 25, exited in the second. Conor Sheary scored for the Rangers with 12:57 left in the third by getting by Pinto to the left side of the crease and sliding the puck into the vacated side of the net. Ottawa goalie James Reimer made eight saves for his fourth straight win. After honoring Mika Zibanejad in a pregame ceremony for appearing in his 1,000th career regular-season game on Monday, the Rangers tied a season worst with their fifth straight loss. Zibanejad finished with three of New York’s shots on goal as the Rangers were held to one goal or fewer for the 17th time this season. Shesterkin made 31 saves. ============================================================== INDIANA SPORTS TEAM RELEASES INDIANA PACERS GAME REWIND: PACERS 128, MAGIC 126 For the first time since before the All-Star break, the Indiana Pacers are back in the win column. All-Star forward Pascal Siakam scored a season-high 37 points on Monday night and had the game-winning block on Paolo Banchero at the buzzer as Indiana (16-56) went into Orlando and knocked off the Magic (38-33), 128-126. With the victory, the Pacers snapped a 16-game skid, the longest losing streak in franchise history. Indiana’s last win came on Feb. 11 in Brooklyn. The Pacers led 125-113 with just over three minutes remaining, but the Magic reeled off nine unanswered points, pulling within three on Wendell Carter Jr.’s three-point play with 1:52 to play. Andrew Nembhard provided some much-needed breathing room by knocking down a step-back three from the left wing with 1:33 left. Banchero answered with a layup on the other end to make it 128-124. After the two teams traded misses, Banchero drew a foul and converted both free throws to make it a two-point game with 28.9 seconds remaining. After a timeout, Indiana ran the shot clock down before Siakam hoisted a turnaround jumper from the free throw line. The shot rattled around the rim, but popped out. Aaron Nesmith corralled the offensive rebound, but was tied up by Orlando. The Magic won the ensuing jump ball and called a timeout with 5.0 seconds to play. Orlando put the ball in Banchero’s hands. He caught the ball on the right wing with his back to the basket, faked right and spun back toward the baseline. He rose up for what would have been a game-tying slam, but Jay Huff rotated over to meet him at the rim, providing enough resistance for Siakam to recover and block Banchero from behind. “I think he beat me a little bit, so I was just trying to recover as much as I [could],” Siakam told FanDuel Sports Network’s Jeremiah Johnson of the pivotal play. “Fortunately I got the block.” Siakam finished with 37 points, six rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. He went 13-for-26 from the field and 9-for-9 from the free throw line. He got the last laugh in a memorable duel with Banchero, who scored a game-high 39 points while going 13-for-27 from the field and 9-for-12 from the charity stripe. The Pacers got off to a strong start on Monday, making eight of their first 11 shots. Nembhard (eight points), Jarace Walker (seven), and Siakam (six) combined for all of Indiana’s points as the Blue & Gold raced out to a 21-11 lead. The visitors remained in front for the rest of the opening quarter. Walker scored 10 points in the frame and Siakam banked in a three in the final minute as the Pacers took a 34-24 lead after one. The Magic mounted a charge at the start of the second quarter, opening the frame with a 9-0 run. Two free throws by Siakam at the 9:06 mark got the Pacers on the board, but the Blue & Gold missed their first six field goal attempts in the quarter, allowing Orlando to tie the game at 36. T.J. McConnell’s jumper at 7:27 was Indiana’s first bucket of the frame and broke the tie. The Magic surged ahead a few minutes later thanks to an 8-0 spurt. The last few minutes of the first half turned into a duel between All-Star forwards Siakam and Banchero. Siakam scored nine of Indiana’s final 12 points in the second quarter, but Banchero scored 17 points in the frame to help the hosts maintain a 64-59 advantage heading into halftime. The Pacers retook the lead quickly in the third quarter, as Walker and Siakam each knocked down a 3-pointer to spark a 10-0 Indiana run. Banchero responded with a three to briefly tie the game at 69, but Siakam and Nesmith countered with five quick points to keep the Pacers in front. Indiana led 95-84 with just over three minutes to play in the third quarter. Desmond Bane scored seven points to trigger a 9-2 Orlando run, but threes from Micah Potter and Nesmith gave the visitors a 103-95 lead entering the fourth quarter. Nesmith — who went scoreless in the first half — erupted for 16 points in the third quarter, making four 3-pointers. The Pacers outscored Orlando 44-31 in the frame. The Pacers extended the lead as high as 11 points early in the fourth quarter. Orlando trimmed the deficit to 113-107 following Banchero’s layup with 8:09 remaining, but Nesmith answered with his fifth three of the night and Nembhard followed with a layup. Orlando would mount a late charge, but Siakam’s block at the buzzer was the difference as the Pacers held on for their first victory in just under six weeks. “We’ve got to get some wins, man,” Siakam said. “We’ve got to keep building as a team. It’s been tough, it’s been a tough year for us. It shows your character. You know [losing] is going to test you, but that’s life. “We’re not going to back down, we’re going to keep fighting for each other, keep working. And we’re just hopeful that good things are going to happen from us just continuing to work and not giving up.” Walker finished with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting and five rebounds. Nesmith scored all 19 of his points in the second half, going 5-for-8 from 3-point range, while Nembhard stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, seven boards, and 14 assists. McConnell was the fifth and final Pacer to score in double figures, tallying 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting and six assists in 20 minutes off the bench. Tristan da Silva scored 21 points and dished out five assists in the loss for Orlando, while Carter and Bane tallied 17 points apiece. The Pacers will return to Indianapolis for three straight games this week. Indiana hosts the Lakers on Wednesday, the Clippers on Friday, and the Heat on Sunday. Inside the Numbers Siakam’s 37 points were a new season high and matched the most he’s scored for the Pacers in a regular season game. He also scored 37 in a win over Detroit on Jan. 29, 2025. Nembhard recorded his 10th double-double of the season in the win. His 14 assists were his third-most in a game in his career. Walker registered his eighth 20-point game of the season. Prior to this season, he had not had a 20-point performance in 108 career games. Nesmith scored all 19 of his points in the second half and made five threes — his fifth game this season making five or more shots from beyond the arc. Indiana shot 54.9 percent from the field and went 16-for-35 (45.7 percent from 3-point range). The Pacers had 32 assists and just nine turnovers on Monday. ============================================================== INDY IGNITE IGNITE PLACE MIDDLE BLOCKER MOHLER ON INJURED RESERVE FISHERS, Ind. (March 23, 2026) – The Indy Ignite placed all-star middle blocker Blake Mohler on injured reserve status for the rest of the 2026 season following an injury sustained in Thursday’s match with Columbus. She will undergo surgery at IU Health Fishers Hospital this week. Mohler landed awkwardly on her right leg after leaping to make a play at the net midway through the opening set of Indy’s 3-1 win. She was helped off the court and did not return to the match. Mohler will miss the remainder of the 2026 Major League Volleyball season. Prior to the injury, Mohler was playing the best volleyball of her MLV career. Starting 14 of the Ignite’s first 18 matches in the team’s four-player rotation at middle blocker, Mohler is third in the league in kill percentage (47.3%) and efficiency (36.3%), as well as fifth in blocks (34). Mohler’s outstanding performance this season led to her being named to the MLV All-Star Team, though she will miss AdventHealth MLV All-Star Match play on March 28 due to the injury. A Purdue University graduate in her sixth year playing professionally, including three seasons in Europe before joining MLV in its inaugural 2024 season with Orlando, Mohler is in her second season with the Ignite. The 29-year-old’s experience has provided key leadership as Indy has built the best record in the 2026 season, at 15-3. “Blake was in the middle of one of the best seasons of her career. Not only as one of the league leaders personally, but being instrumental in our success so far—bringing energy, experience and key leadership to the team,” said Indy Ignite head coach Lauren Bertolacci. “Injuries are such an unfortunate part of professional sports, but we know she will approach her recovery with the same determination she brings to the court, and our entire organization will support her every step of the way.” The Ignite is currently seeking a replacement middle blocker. =============================================================== INDIANA BASEBALL BASEBALL CENTRAL: INDIANA STATE BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana Baseball team (10-13, 3-6 B1G) will put its perfect record in midweek games (4-0) to the test on Tuesday (March 24) afternoon against Indiana State. The first of two meetings between the two sides this year will close out a four-game homestand in Bloomington. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. from Bart Kaufman Field. IU is coming off its first Big Ten series win of the year after taking two of three from Minnesota. Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley hit .471 on the week as the Hoosiers picked up a trio of victories. He smashed two home runs in the series against the Golden Gophers as IU got back on track in the conference standings. The Hoosiers have been fantastic in midweek games this year. Between a balanced cohort of pitchers and a determined offensive lineup, IU has outscored opponents 42-12 in games played on Tuesday or Wednesday this year. That includes a big 5-1 victory over Vanderbilt last week where sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny had four hits and four RBIs. IU has five games remaining in the month of April. Games against Indiana State and Evansville are sandwiched around a massive road trip to No. 24 Nebraska (March 27-29). Graduate student left-handed pitcher Conner Linn will get the ball to start on Tuesday. A collection of arms will be available behind him as IU goes for its fourth win in five games. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. in Bloomington. Gameday Info vs. Indiana State (Tuesday, March 24th – 6 p.m. ET) Live Video: bit.ly/4dE8bhS Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j Probable Starters Indiana vs. Indiana State • Tuesday: LHP Conner Linn, Gr. (2-0, 6.91 ERA) Leading Off HANLEY’S HOT WEEK: Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley had a productive week in the series win over Minnesota. He hit .538 (7-13) in three games with the Golden Gophers. Hanley provided two home runs, six RBIs and four runs scored as IU won its first Big Ten weekend of the year. LINNSANITY: Graduate student southpaw Conner Linn worked 3.2 scoreless innings on 65 pitches last week in a win over Vanderbilt. He will get the ball again on Tuesday with hopes he provides a great start for the Hoosiers. In the win over the Commodores, he had a season-high five strikeouts. GETTING GOING: Sophomore outfielder Cole Decker is amidst the best stretch of play in his young career. The Indiana native is riding a six-game hitting streak that began with a home run against Oregon last week. He has also made several fantastic defensive plays in center field. VOGEL RESPONDS: After dealing with some injuries last year, redshirt junior pitcher Jacob Vogel has provided a big season on the mound. He’s tied for the team lead with nine appearances and has given up just five earned runs in 14.0 innings. His 3.21 ERA is second best on the team. HOMEGROWN HITS: On the season, 92.6% of IU’s hits have come from players that head coach Jeff Mercer recruited to Bloomington out of high school. The top six players in terms of total hits are all underclassmen that began their careers at IU. Jake Hanley leads the team with 33 base knocks. THROW ‘EM OUT: IU’s talented catcher duo of junior T.J. Schuyler and sophomore Hogan Denny has been fantastic behind the dish. The two have combined to throw out eight would-be base stealers. They’ve also committed zero errors in over 220 chances. Scouting the Opponent Indiana State • The Sycamores bring an identical record into this week’s matchup against the Hoosiers. Indiana State owns three wins over Big Ten opponents (Penn State – 2, Illinois) on the season. It is coming off a series victory over Bradley to begin Missouri Valley action last weekend. • Outfielder Carter Beck was the Preseason Player of the Year in the conference and is coming off a season as a First Team All-MVC selection. He leads the team with a .319 batting average and has eight doubles, four home runs and 19 RBIs. Outfielder Emil Estrella is coming off a game where he hit two grand slams against Bradley. • Indiana State has gotten strong starting pitching from Ty Brooks and Jack Armstrong but has struggled to close out weekends. After using five arms in the Sunday finale against Bradley, the Sycamores will go a staff day to make it through nine innings on Tuesday. 10 arms threw in the 11-inning win over Illinois last Tuesday. Inside the Series Indiana State • These two teams have been quite familiar with each other. Separated by just an hour, they have played over 100 times all-time. Annually, the two sides meet in the midweek on a home-and-home basis. Each of the last four years (including 2026) the Sycamores and Hoosiers will have played twice. • Jeff Mercer holds a 5-3 advantage over Indiana State during his time in Bloomington. The teams have split each of the last three seasons. Both teams went to a regional in 2023 and 2024. IU has won three of the last four games played at Bart Kaufman Field. ============================================================== INDIANA SOFTBALL THE HOOSIERS FALL TO NO. 16 OREGON IN NON-CON MATCHUP BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –– Indiana lost to Oregon on Monday (March 23), 24-12, at Andy Mohr Field in a non-conference matchup. Indiana’s record now stands at 25-7 overall and 7-2 in conference play. INDIANA 12, No. 16 Oregon 24 KEY MOMENTS • After an Oregon leadoff double, the Hoosiers worked to retire the next three batters for the Ducks to end the first half of the first frame. • Following consecutive walks for Alex Cooper and Avery Parker, Josie Bird sent the first pitch deep into right center field to put the Hoosiers on the board early. After the first inning, Indiana leads 3-0. • With bases loaded in the bottom of the third inning, senior outfielder Ellie Goins launched a grand slam into center field. The homer put the Hoosiers up 7-0 going into the fourth inning. • A one-out single for the Ducks scored two runs in the top of the fourth inning. A series of walks put Oregon in a position to cut into Indiana’s lead. A triple off the right field wall scored two runs for the Ducks. A double later in the inning resulted in two more runs. The Ducks tied the Hoosiers in the top of the fourth inning, 7-7. • Junior Alex Cooper singled to start the action for the Hoosiers in the bottom of the fourth frame. In her third plate appearance, Bird hit a two-run home run to left field to reclaim the lead for Indiana. • A three-run home run from Kaylynn Jones in the top of the fifth frame gave Oregon its first lead of the evening, 11-9. A fly-out from Stefini Ma’ake to leftfielder Cassidy Kettleman brought an end to the first half of the fifth inning. • After a series of walks to load the bases, Elon Butler hit a grand slam in the top half of the sixth inning. Amari Harper followed with a home run to add to Oregon’s lead. • Pinch hitter Josie White walked prior to an Alex Cooper double, resulting in an RBI for the Hoosiers. • A grand slam from Emma Cox in the top of the seventh inning extended Oregon’s lead to 21-11. A single by Trinity Holden added a run to Oregon’s lead, 24-11. • Hannah Haberstroh led off the seventh inning with a single to the right side. A walk from Alli Gavin and a single to right field from Cassidy Kettleman loaded the bases for Indiana. Alex Cooper single to right field sent Haberstroh home to add to IU’s score. NOTABLES • With Josie Bird’s second home run of the day, the Hoosiers tallied their 50th homer of the 2026 season. • Bird’s two home run performance was the second multi-home run game of her career. Bird’s last multi-homer game came in 2025 against Oregon. • Ellie Goins’ grand slam accounts for her fourth career home run and the fourth home run of the season. • Three Hoosiers had a multiple RBI game: Cooper (2), Bird (5), Goins (4). UP NEXT Indiana is back in action against Detroit Mercy on Friday (March 27) for a 6 p.m. first pitch. =================================================================== IU SWIMMING NO. 3 HOOSIERS READY FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS ATLANTA – Coming off its fifth consecutive Big Ten Championship, No. 3-ranked Indiana will look to perform its best this week at the 2026 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Atlanta. The four-day meet will run Wednesday (March 25) through Saturday (March 28) inside the McCauley Aquatic Center. Final sessions will kick off at 6 p.m. ET each night, preceded by preliminary heats each morning starting at 10 a.m. ET. Fans can stream the competition via the ESPN+ digital platform. FORMAT CHANGES The 2026 championships include three major format changes. First, the championships will not include ‘B’ finals. Athletes that place ninth through 16th from preliminaries will still earn second-team All-American status but will not advance to a second swim, retaining the placement they earned in the morning. Second, relay and 1,650-yard freestyle timed finals will occur during the preliminary session. Only the fastest heats of those events will swim in the evening. Third, the diving championship finals will split in two parts during the evening session. Each of the three final nights will follow this order: two swimming events, first three rounds of diving, two swimming events, final rounds of diving, relay. QUALIFIERS Indiana qualified 19 athletes (16 swimmers, three divers) for the national meet, the largest roster among the competing teams. IU 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. SENIOR TOP SEEDS The two-time reigning champion in the 1,650-yard freestyle, senior Zalán Sárkány is the top seed in the meet’s opening event on Wednesday. While short course and NCAA Championships experience are on his side, he’ll have to fend off two long course world champions in Florida’s Ahmed Jaouadi and Ahmed Hafnaoui. An 11-time All-American and two-time NCAA medalist, as well as an NCAA team champion during his time at Arizona State, senior Owen McDonald will want to check individual champion off the list. McDonald will have his best shot in the 200-yard IM as the top seed coming into the week. YOUNG GUNS Indiana boasts one of the top freshman classes in the country, qualifying four first-year athletes for the national meet. Josh Bey turned heads with his Big Ten record, conference champion swim in the 400 IM last month, setting the No. 2 time in the country with a 3:34.90. Bey projects to score in all three of his events, ranking No. 6 in the 200-yard breaststroke (1:50.03) and 14th in the 200-yard IM (1:41.68). Classmate Noah Cakir will swim the same program as Bey. Cakir ranks right behind Bey in the 200 breast in seventh, his 1:50.47 setting a 17-18 National Age Group record at the Big Ten Championships. Luke Ellis gives Indiana depth in the distance events. His 14:43.01 for a Big Ten bronze medal earned the No. 12 time in the country. Bloomington native David Kovacs qualified for this week from Indiana’s “Last Chance” meet earlier this month, his 1:39.18 in the 200-yard backstroke ranking No. 14 in the country. Kovacs will also swim the 100 back and 400 IM. GLUE GUYS Depth separates the high-scoring teams from the field, and Indiana once again has it. Raekwon Noel, Aaron Shackell, Kai van Westering, Travis Gulledge, Alexei Avakov, Dylan Smiley, Toby Barnett and Miroslav Knedla all rank top 20 in at least one event and, with a personal best swim or two (or three), can play a mighty role in a high team finish. Most notable, Noel ranks No. 8 in the 200-yard butterfly (1:39.26). Barnett joins Bey and Cakir within the top 10 of the 200 breast (1:50.75). And Knedla ranks No. 17 in both the 100 back (44.67) and 200 back (1:39.28). POINTS ON THE BOARDS Indiana eclipsed 100 points in diving alone each of the last three seasons. Despite the graduation of national champions Carson Tyler and Quinn Henninger, IU still has plenty of opportunities to capture points on the boards this week. Senior Maxwell Weinrich leads the group, hungry to etch his name in the unparalleled history of IU diving. Weinrich was national runner-up on platform to Tyler in 2024 and is a four-time All-American. He’ll dive in all three events, joined by sophomore teammates Joshua Sollenberger (1-meter, 3-meter) and Aiden Sadler (3-meter). MEET INFO Wednesday, March 25 – Saturday, March 29 • 10 a.m. ET (prelims), 6 p.m. (finals) McAuley Aquatic Center • Atlanta, Ga. Live Results (Swimming): https://bit.ly/4btUAsd/Meet Mobile (App) Live Results (Diving): divemeets.com Live Stream: ESPN+ SCHEDULED EVENTS (Finals) Wednesday (6 p.m. ET) – 1,650 freestyle, 200 medley relay, 800 freestyle relay Thursday (6 p.m. ET) – 100 butterfly, 400 IM, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 200 freestyle relay, 1-meter springboard Friday (6 p.m. ET) – 100 backstroke, 200 breaststroke, 500 freestyle, 50 freestyle, 400 medley relay, 3-meter springboard Saturday (6 p.m. ET) – 200 IM, 100 freestyle, 200 butterfly, 200 backstroke, 400 freestyle relay, platform INDIANA SWIMMING AND DIVING QUALIFIERS 2026 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships 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 BASEBALL BOILERMAKERS CLOSE OUT HOMESTAND WITH 2 MIDWEEK DATES GAMEDAY INFORMATION Valparaiso (6-13, 0-3 MVC) at Purdue (15-7, 5-4 Big Ten) Tuesday, March 24 at 4 p.m. ET / Stream B1G+ Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana Probable Starting Pitchers: TBA for Purdue vs. Valpo’s Spencer Boynton (R-Sr, RHP) UIC (6-14-1, 2-1 MVC) at Purdue Wednesday, March 25 at 4 p.m. ET / Stream B1G+ Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana Probable Starting Pitchers: TBA for both teams SERIES HISTORY All-Time vs. Valparaiso: Purdue leads 70-20 All-Time in West Lafayette: Purdue leads 42-9 Purdue Under Greg Goff vs. Valpo: Purdue leads 2-0 (since 2020) 2025: Purdue 6, Valpo 3 (March 25 in West Lafayette) First Meeting: Purdue 11, Valpo 9 (April 1949 in West Lafayette) All-Time vs. UIC: Purdue leads 16-12 All-Time in West Lafayette: Purdue leads 10-4 Purdue Under Greg Goff vs. UIC: UIC leads 5-3 (since 2020) 2025: Purdue swept a 2-game series – game 3 canceled (March 14-15 in West Lafayette) First Meetings: Purdue swept a Doubleheader (May 1982 in West Lafayette) WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Baseball closes out a 6-game homestand with the start of its busiest week of the season, hosting Valparaiso and UIC for its final home dates of the month of March. First pitch at Alexander Field is set for 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Wednesday as the Boilermakers’ last home games to feature the early starts. Weekday games at Alexander Field start at 6 p.m. in April and May. Valpo and UIC are both relative newcomers to the Missouri Valley Conference. Another new conference rival – Murray State – also visits West Lafayette the first weekend of May. Valpo and Murray played each other this past weekend for the opening weekend of MVC play and the series was moved to Evansville due to renovations at the Johnny Reagan Field in the southwest corner of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Purdue is 5-3 at home and 2-1 in midweek action this season. =============================================================== NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL IRISH DANCE INTO FIFTH-STRAIGHT SWEET SIXTEEN COLUMBUS, Ohio – For the fifth straight season the Fighting Irish are heading back to the Sweet Sixteen, as Notre Dame defeated No. 3 seed Ohio State 83-73 on Monday afternoon inside the Schottenstein Center. The Irish will take on the winner of No. 2 seed Vanderbilt and No. 7 seed Illinois on Friday, March 27 in Fort Worth, Texas inside Dickies Arena. The game will air on one of the ESPN family of networks. Notre Dame featured a well balanced offensive attack, as five players finished in double figures in the scoring column. Hannah Hidalgo led the way with 26 points to go along with 13 rebounds, eight steals and two assists. Vanessa de Jesus scored 15 points while Cassandre Prosper and Iyana Moore each recorded 13 apiece. KK Bransford came in and added 10 points off the bench in 21 minutes of action. HOW IT HAPPENED The Buckeyes started the game by scoring the first 11 points to open up an early double-digit lead before the Irish began to settle in. Notre Dame responded with a 12-4 run, spurred by back-to-back three pointers from Moore, to trim the host’s lead to three at 15-12 with 4:32 left in the first quarter. The two sides traded buckets for the remaining of the first frame before the Irish scored the final four points to make it a one-possession game as Ohio State led 22-20 after the first 10 minutes of play. After a made jumper by the Buckeyes pushed their lead back to four to open the second quarter the Irish took over the next five minutes of play. Notre Dame scored 13 of the next 17 points to go on top 33-26 with 4:30 left in the half. Ohio State managed to trim the lead to two at 37-35 before the Irish closed the half strong, scoring the final six points of the half to take a 43-35 lead into the halftime break. Notre Dame was extremely balanced in the opening 20 minutes of play, as five players scored six or more points. The Irish picked up right where they left off to start the second half, scoring seven of the first nine points to push the advantage to 13 points at 50-37, forcing an early Ohio State timeout. Ohio State refused to go away, rattling off the next 10 points to make it a one-possession game at 50-47 with just under 5 minutes left in the third stanza. The Buckeyes cut the Irish lead to one in the third but were never able to tie or take the lead, as the Irish took a 58-54 lead into the final 10 minutes of regulation. Moore and de Jesus each connected on three pointers early in the fourth followed by a bucket from Hidalgo to quickly stretch the lead back to double digits at 66-56 with 7 minutes left in the game. Notre Dame never allowed Ohio State to get closer than 10 the rest of the way, leading by as many as 18 at 83-65 with under a minute to play before going on to win by a final score of 83-73. NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME The Irish defense completely shackled the Ohio State offense in the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes recorded just nine field-goal attempts from the field while turning it over seven times. NOTRE DAME NOTES Notre Dame improves to 77-28 in the NCAA Tournament in program history, including a mark of 21-5 in second round contests. Karen & Kevin Keyes Family Head Women’s Basketball Coach Niele Ivey is 5-0 in NCAA Tournament second round games and 10-4 overall in the NCAA Tournament in her career. The Irish improved to 5-1 against Ohio State in the all-time series, winners of each of the last five matchups. Notre Dame was excellent from the free-throw line, converting 23-of-26 attempts. Hidalgo set the single-season program record for points with 856, passing Arike Ogunbowale’s previous record of 849 during the 2018-19 season. Hidalgo has scored 20 or more points in nine straight games, marking the third time in her career she has recorded at least nine straight games with 20+ points. With 26 points, Hidalgo has scored 20+ points in 27 games this season and 78 games in her career, which is the program record. Hidalgo has finished in double figures in the scoring column in all 101 games of her career, the longest streak in program history and the longest active streak in the country. Moore moved into a tie for fourth in program history for made three pointers in a season with 80. Moore is tied with Marina Mabrey (2018-19) UP NEXT The Irish will take on the No. 2 seed Vanderbilt Commodores on Friday, March 27 inside Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line. The game will air on one of the ESPN family of networks. ================================================================== BUTLER SOFTBALL PREVIEW: BULLDOGS TRAVEL TO BALL STATE FOR MIDWEEK CONTEST DATE: Tuesday, March 24 LOCATION: Muncie, Ind. / Ball State Softball Stadium LIVE STATS: butlersports.com (statbroadcast) LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ The Butler softball team will travel to Ball State on Tuesday afternoon for a midweek contest. The Bulldogs (13-9, 6-0 BIG EAST) are coming off a three-game series sweep vs. Seton Hall. The Cardinals (12-12, 1-5 MAC) most recently won one of three at Central Michigan. Bulldog Bits (as of 3/23/26) As a team, Butler leads the BIG EAST with a .332 batting average, 13 double plays, and 7.55 runs/game. Makena Alexander leads the BIG EAST and is (ranked nationally) in several categories: .616 on base% (7th), .523 avg. (8th), 1.077 Slug% (8th), and 40 RBI (30th), and 9 home runs (85th). Hailey Conger ranks in the BIG EAST and is (ranked nationally) in several categories: 1st (50th) with 34 runs, 2nd (38th) with .556 on base%, 2nd (39th) with .467 avg. and 2nd with 31 RBIs. Cate Lehner leads the BIG EAST (26th nationally) with 18 stolen bases, and she is also 1st (5th) with 83.0 at bats per strikeout. vs. Seton Hall Cate Lehner led Butler with a .636 avg., seven hits, and four stolen bases. With five runs scored over three games, she broke Butler’s career record and now has 126 runs in her career. (Ella White, 124 runs scored, ’22-’25) Hailey Conger and Lehner each scored five runs. Conger and Makena Alexander led Butler with five RBIs. Lehner, Conger, and Alexander each had multiple hits and batted .500 or better. Katie Petran (0.00 ERA, 2APP, 8.2-IP) pitched a complete-game shutout victory in game one vs. Seton Hall. She then entered game three in the fifth and closed out the game. Conger and Petran were named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for their performances over the weekend. This was Butler’s first-ever sweep over Seton Hall. The Bulldogs have not started BIG EAST play with six-straight wins since 2023 when they won their first eight conference games. (DePaul, Providence, Creighton). Series History Ball State leads: 22-6 The Cardinals won last season, 7-0, in Indianapolis. Butler’s most recent win was in 2021. (5-4, in Indianapolis) The teams have alternated victories over the last four contests, but Ball State has won 6 of the most recent 10, dating back to 2013. SCOUTING BALL STATE (12-12, 1-5 MAC) Wins for Ball State include Memphis, Long Island (3), USI, IU Indy (2), and Bellarmine. Losses for the Cardinals include Akron (3), Western Kentucky, Southern Illinois, and Kansas City. BSU split with Louisville and won one of three both vs. Illinois and at Central Michigan. 2026 BALL STATE stats* compared to (Butler) Ave. .291, (.330), Runs 132 (165), Hits 191 (203), RBI 121 (155), SB 25 (44), ERA 3.51 (5.93) PAIR OF BULLDOGS EARN BIG EAST WEEKLY RECOGNITION Butler outfielder Hailey Conger, along with pitcher Katie Petran, have each been recognized by the BIG EAST on the Weekly Honor Roll after their performances in the conference series with Seton Hall this past weekend. Conger went 6-for-11 (.544) to go with five runs scored, five RBI and one stolen base in the weekend sweep over the Pirates. In the 11-3 game-three-win, Conger produced four RBI in her final two at-bats in the fifth and sixth innings – key to securing the victory over Seton Hall. Petran recorded five strikeouts and gave up nine hits in 8.2 innings of work in two appearances over the weekend. Petran pitched a complete-game shutout victory in game one versus Seton Hall (3-0). She also entered game three in the fifth and closed out the game for an 11-3 win. Butler (13-9) is now 6-0 in conference play. This week, the Bulldogs will travel to Ball State for a midweek contest and then on to St. John’s for a three-game BIG EAST series. ============================================================== IU INDY WOMEN’S GOLF WOMEN’S GOLF IN FOURTH-PLACE AFTER 36 HOLES AT NKU JULIE INVITE BATAVIA, Ohio – IU Indianapolis women’s golf freshman Li (Sherry) Xia finds herself in third-place among the 70-player field and the Jaguars are fourth of 12 teams after day one of the NKU Julie Invitational at Elks Run Golf Club on Monday (Mar. 23). Xia carded rounds of 73 and 75 and is four shots off the lead heading into Tuesday’s final round. The Jaguars posted team scores of 320 and 317 and sit fourth among a tightly bunched field. IU Indy was forced to play four-count-four as senior Reagan Sohn was unable to finish her opening morning round due to injury. In her absence, Xia and company did enough to put themselves easily among the top half of the field. In the opening round, Xia led the way at 2-over 73 and senior Yanah Rolston carded an 81. Sophomore Cassidy Ayres shot 82 and freshman Olivia Aronhalt rounded out the scorers at 84. Sophomore Lexi Stuart paced the individual entries at 8-over 79 and Emma Frauhiger shot 82. In round two, both Xia and Rolston shot 4-over 75 to buoy the lineup. Rolston opened her round with 10 straight pars while Xia finished with eight straight of her own. Ayres checked in at 82 while Aronhalt shot 85. Both Stuart and Frauhiger turned in afternoon rounds of 83 apiece. Xia is second among the field with 24 pars and made a team-high three birdies on Monday. Oakland leads the team scoring at 599 and Green Bay is second at 621. The Jaguars trail host NKU by four shots heading into the final 18. Oakland’s Olivia Hemmila and Lily Bargamian each ended the day tied atop the leaderboard at 2-over 144. Teams will return to action at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday. =============================================================== BALL STATE BASEBALL BASEBALL PLAYING AT SOUTHERN INDIANA TUESDAY AND AT HOME VS OAKLAND CITY WEDNESDAY The Ball State baseball team is set to play at Southern Indiana on Tuesday evening and at home against Oakland City on Wednesday afternoon. The Tuesday contest in Evansville will be played at 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT) and be broadcast on ESPN Radio 97.7 FM. Wednesday’s game was a late add to the schedule and has a 3 p.m. start time with a WMUN 92.5 FM / 1340 AM radio call. A video stream can be found on the WMUN Facebook page for Wednesday. Ball State (12-10, 7-2 Mid-American Conference) most recently won a series at Western Michigan over the weekend thanks to a pair of ninth inning rallies. The Cardinals scored five runs in the final frame on Saturday in an 8-6 win and four in the ninth on Sunday for a 7-5 decision. Southern Indiana (15-9, 2-1 Ohio Valley Conference) beat Western Illinois on Friday and Sunday to earn a series win to begin the OVC season. The Screaming Eagles are proficient in playing small ball, pacing the OVC in both sacrifice bunts (24, No. 5 in NCAA Division I) and getting hit by pitches (47), as the league’s top run-producing team (8.3 runs per game). Senior Clayton Slack is the team leader in batting average (.371) while having the second-most hits (33) for USI. Fellow senior Patrick McLellan leads the Screaming Eagles in doubles (eight), home runs (three) and RBI (30) as a .357 hitter. Oakland City (23-7, 8-4 River States Conference) is an NAIA member about 30 miles northeast of Evansville. The Mighty Oaks played Purdue last Wednesday in West Lafayette, losing 11-3, before sweeping West Virginia University Institute of Technology across three games last Friday and Saturday. Freshman Charlie Hoffman is the team leader in batting average at .409, while junior Eric Correa boasts a .361 average with five homers and team highs in RBI (30) and stolen bases (10). Ball State’s next conference series starts on Friday afternoon at home vs Ohio. =================================================================== BALL STATE WOMEN’S GOLF WOMEN’S GOLF SECOND AFTER 36 HOLES AT NASHVILLE INVITATIONAL HERMITAGE, Tenn. – – Led by the play of senior Sabrina Langerak and sophomore Sophie Korthuijs, the Ball State women’s golf team is second among the 16-team field after the first 36 holes of the Nashville Invitational hosted by Lipscomb. “We played really solid golf today,” head coach Cameron Andry exclaimed! “Sabrina was excellent all day. Sophie just hung in there then caught fire coming down the stretch in the second round.” Langerak is currently tied for third among the 91 players in the event at +1 (145), while Korthuijs is tied for seventh at +3 (147). Both turned in rounds of E (72) on the day, with Langerak leading the squad in the opening round on General’s Retreat at the Hermitage Golf Course. Korthuijs shot even par on her second tour of the 72-par, 6,186-yard course. Both finished the day tied for sixth among the tournament field with six total birdies. Four of Langerak’s came in her opening round, while Korthuijs closed her second round with four birdies over her final six holes. Langerak made some big noise on the course’s par 3s and is currently tied for the tournament lead with a -2 (2.75) par 3 average. Three of Korthuijs’ four closing birdies came on par 4s and she is currently fourth among the field in par 4 average at E (4.00). She also had an impressive wedge shot out of a bunker in the opening round, sending the gallery of course sheep into a grazing frenzy. Overall, the Cardinals shot +5 (293) in the opening round and +11 (299) in the second to finish the day at +16 (592). Ball State is eight strokes back of Delaware for the top spot, as the Blue Hens finished the day at +8 (584). Individually, Langerak is two strokes behind tournament co-leaders Hyunji Kim (Delaware) and Tsara Ralamboarison (Seattle). Junior JJ Gregston also turned in a solid second round, shooting +2 (74) and is tied for 19th overall at +6 (150). Seniors Jasmine Driscoll and Sarah Gallagher are tied for 30th overall at +8 (152). Both shot +1 (73) in their opening rounds. Also turning in a strong effort was Ball State’s lone individual, freshman Skylar Dean, who is tied for 12th overall at +5 (149). She shot rounds of +3 (73) and +2 (72), with her second-round effort being the best of her young collegiate career. “JJ played really steady golf and just needed the putter to heat up,” Andry added. “I’m also really proud of Skylar! She’s been working her tail off and it’s showing in the results she’s getting.” Dean turned in a solid effort on the course’s par 3s, playing them at E (3.00) to tie for fourth among the field. As a team, Ball State ranked in the top four in average in all three pars, ranking second on par 4s (+16 / 4.16) and fourth on both par 3s (+8 / 3.20) and par 5s (+4 / 5.10). The Cardinals also led the field in total pars (119) and were fifth in total birdies (19). Ball State also had the fewest bogeys among the field at 37, two less than tournament leader Delaware. The third and final round of the Nashville Invitational will begin with another shotgun start at 9 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. CT Tuesday. Ball State’s team players will start on holes 1-4, while Dean will tee off on 17. =================================================================== INDIANA STATE BASEBALL SYCAMORES BACK ON THE ROAD WITH MIDWEEK NONCONFERENCE TRIP TO INDIANA TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State heads to Bloomington, Ind. and Bart Kaufman Field for a Tuesday night matchup against host Indiana as the Sycamores prepare to embark on a four-game road trip. First pitch in the Tuesday night contest is set for 6 p.m. ET and will be carried live on the B1G+ and 105.5 The Legend. Recapping The Weekend Indiana State enters the midweek coming off a series win over Bradley as the Sycamores bounced back from a 10-8 loss on Friday night, to claim 8-3 and 18-10 victories over the final two games to move to 2-1 in Missouri Valley play. The Sycamores’ series win over Bradley marked Indiana State’s second series win of the 2026 season following their victory over Penn State over February 27-March 1 in Nassau, Bahamas. Andrew Ortiz (.545), Nick Sutherlin (.545), and Carter Beck (.500) all hit over .500 on the weekend in the series against the Braves as Indiana State hit .387 overall as a team over the three-game series. For the series overall, Indiana State featured five players with at least five hits and seven players scoring at least four runs. Andrew Ortiz reached base 10 times over his 15 plate appearances over the weekend and added two doubles, two stolen bases, and four walks. Nick Sutherlin added six hits and a team-high five runs, while connecting on one double. Cater Beck had six hits, a home run, and six RBIs against Bradley. Emil Estrella closed out the series with a game for the ages posting two grand slams and nine RBIs in leading Indiana State to the series finale 18-10 victory on Sunday afternoon. Nomar Garcia added a .556 batting average with five hits, a double, and two stolen bases in the series win. The Indiana State pitching staff utilized 12 appearances over the three-game series with standout performances from Carson Seeman, Colby Morse, and Jacob Spencer. The Sycamores recorded a 5.33 team ERA with a 23:10 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 27.0 innings pitched. Carson Seeman was effective in Sunday’s relief going 3.0 shutout innings while striking out four batters in the series finale win. Colby Morse and Jacob Spencer both recorded scoreless relief outings on the week combining to throw 3.2innings while striking out four on Friday night. Ty Brooks turned in his sixth outing of 5.0+ innings on Saturday afternoon as the sophomore right-hander posted a 1.29 ERA over 7.0 innings, allowing four hits and a run while striking out five. Indiana State allowed Bradley to hit .286 from the plate over the weekend series. Season Spotlight Carter Beck has come alive with the start of Missouri Valley play as the junior outfielder leads the team with a .319 batting average, 30 hits, and eight doubles, while adding four home runs and 19 RBIs. Caden Miller (.305) has also kept his batting average over the .300 mark on the season with seven doubles, a triple, and three home runs, while driving in 22 RBIs. Emil Estrella (.283) saw his batting average bump up following the weekend as the senior outfielder leads the team with six home runs and 27 RBIs, while adding a team-high 14 extra-base hits. He has added five stolen bases. Nick Sutherlin (.298) is also hovering around the .300 mark at the plate while posting four home runs and 22 RBIs in the middle of the Indiana State lineup. Colin Sander has shined at the plate after cracking the starting lineup this past week. Sander is hitting .316 from the plate on the year and doubled, tripled, and homered this past weekend against Bradley. Indiana State currently leads the Missouri Valley and is 24th in the NCAA in team doubles (53) and 21st in doubles per game (2.30). Overall, the Sycamores are hitting .267 from the plate as a team. Carter Beck and Emil Estrella have both started all 23 games in the 2026 season for the Sycamores, while Caden Miller and Nick Sutherlin have also played in all 23 contests on the year. Indiana State’s pitching efforts have led to a 6.76 team ERA over 203.2 innings pitched on the year. The Sycamores have posted a 187:113 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the year while allowing opponents to a .276 batting average. Jacob Spencer (0-2, 2.57 ERA), Colby Morse (2-0, 4.76 ERA), Ryan Karst (0-1, 5.93 ERA), and Owen Roberts (0-1, 6.75 ERA) have been among the team’s pitching leaders out of the bullpen this year with all expected to be in the mix on the mound on Tuesday. Carson Seeman (1-0, 7.62 ERA) is coming off a strong week where he posted 5.1 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts against both Illinois and Bradley. Hunter Small is among the national leaders in appearances with 13 on the season. Sycamores Against Indiana Indiana State and Indiana have lined up 117 times all-time over their respective program histories with the Hoosiers holding the 67-49-1 all-time edge over the Sycamores. The series between the in-state opponents started back in 1903 with Indiana claiming the 11-1 win in Bloomington. More recently, the series has swung back and forth with the teams splitting the contests 3-3 overall since the 2023 season. Last year, Indiana claimed the 9-4 win over Indiana State back on March 11, 2025, with the Sycamores falling in Terre Haute. Indiana State answered in Bloomington with a 7-5 win over the Hoosiers at Bart Kaufman Field, marking Indiana State’s first win at Indiana since March 29, 2017. In the Sycamores’ win over the Hoosiers, Indiana State utilized a four-run fifth inning with Nomar Garcia (RBI single), Keegan Garis (two-run single), and Mason Roell (RBI single) driving in RBI in the frame. Ryan Karst, Jack Armstrong, Colby Morse, and Carson Seeman were effective in relief combining to allow just three runs over the final 6.0 innings to secure the season split. Sycamores against the Big Ten Indiana State has an all-time mark of 166-170-5 against the current iteration of the Big Ten Conference. The Sycamores are 3-1 against the Big Ten this season after playing both Penn State and Illinois. Indiana State took two of three games against Penn State at the inaugural 2026 Atlantis Collegiate Baseball Series played over February 27-March 1 at the Andre Rodgers National Baseball Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas. The Sycamores picked up their third win on March 18 against Illinois as Indiana State topped the Fighting Illini in 11 innings at Bob Warn Field with the 4-3 extra-inning win. Indiana State is scheduled to continue annual home-and-home series with Illinois, Indiana, and Purdue over the 2026 season. About the Indiana Indiana was recognized on the Big Ten baseball’s preseason poll with the Hoosiers selected fifth overall among the six teams listed. The Hoosiers put three players on the conference’s preseason Players to Watch List with Jackson Bergman (RHP), Hogan Denny (C/OF), and Jake Hanley (1B) all receiving recognition. Indiana enters the midweek contest with a 10-13 overall record, 3-6 in Big Ten play on the year. The Hoosiers are 5-3 overall at Bart Kaufman Field in the 2026 season with wins over Bradley, Washington, Wright State, and Minnesota. Additional IU wins include victories over Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky, Xavier, and UCF. Jake Hanley is Indiana’s hitting leader entering the midweek contest posting team-highs in batting average (.359), hits (33), home runs (5), and RBIs (22). Caleb Koskie (.328) is also hitting above the .300 mark, while Denny Hogan (.318) has posted a team-high nine doubles to go with five home runs and 18 RBIs. Overall, IU is hitting .264 from the plate on the year. The Indiana pitching staff has combined to post a 6.27 ERA over 198.0 innings with a 190:115 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the year. Indiana State Baseball Season Tickets on Sale Now Season tickets for the 2026 Indiana State baseball season are now on sale as the Sycamores head into their second season under Head Coach Tracy Archuleta. The Sycamores will play 21 home games inside Bob Warn Field this season, starting on March 4 against Lindenwood. Reserved chairback season tickets can be purchased for $110. General admission season tickets will go on sale as well with adult ($75), seniors ($55), and youth ($40) tickets also being available for purchase. There will be a $5 surcharge added to those wanting tickets printed. The Sycamores have teamed up with Pacesetter Sports and the Spirit Shop for the third consecutive season for a season ticket deal. Fans will receive a $50 Pacesetter gift card for each $110 reserved chairback season ticket, $35 gift card for each $75 general admission season ticket, $25 gift card for each $55 senior general admission ticket, and $20 gift card for each $40 youth season ticket sold. MILLER, SANDER RECEIVE MISSOURI VALLEY BASEBALL WEEKLY ACCOLADES TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State’s Caden Miller (Newcomer) and Colin Sander (Freshman) were both honored among the Missouri Valley Conference’s weekly award winners as announced by the conference office on Monday afternoon. Miller receives his first Newcomer of the Week nod, while Sander receives his first Freshman of the Week honor in the 2026 season. Miller finished the week among Indiana State’s hitting leaders from the plate as the junior infielder/catcher recorded multi-hit games in three of the four contests on the week, drove in four RBIs, and scored five runs. Miller doubled three times and connected on a home run as the Sycamores went 3-1 overall on the week. Miller opened the midweek against Illinois connecting on the game-tying two-run home run in the fourth inning of the Sycamores’ 4-3 11th inning win over the Fighting Illini. After going hitless on Friday night, Miller responded by driving in the go-ahead run on Saturday in Indiana State’s 8-3 win over the Braves. Miller’s RBI double in the bottom of the fourth scored Carter Beck and highlighted his 2-for-4 day at the plate. He followed up on Sunday afternoon reaching base on five of his six plate appearances, connecting on a double while scoring three runs in the series finale win over Bradley. Sander seized his first opportunity to start in the Indiana State lineup and the Sycamore freshman made it count this past weekend against Bradley. Sander recorded three multi-hit games, driving in five RBIs and scoring four runs, while adding a double, triple, and home run in the series win over the Braves. Sander drove in Indiana State’s first run of the weekend on his first collegiate hit on Friday night with an RBI triple down the right field line highlighting his two-hit effort on the day. He kept the bat going in the second game, an 8-3 win on Saturday afternoon, with a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh to stretch the Indiana State lead to 7-1. Sander added his first double and first stolen base in the contest. The Louisville, Ky. native closed out the weekend series connecting on a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth to put Indiana State on the board starting the 18-run comeback. Sander added an RBI fielder’s choice in the game and added three runs scored on the afternoon to close out the weekend. Sander also set up Indiana State’s midweek 4-3 win over Illinois as the freshman dropped down a key sacrifice bunt in the 11th inning moving Caleb Niehaus to second base before Emil Estrella’s game-winning single in the victory over the Fighting Illini. Indiana State Baseball Season Tickets on Sale Now Season tickets for the 2026 Indiana State baseball season are now on sale as the Sycamores head into their second season under Head Coach Tracy Archuleta. The Sycamores will play 21 home games inside Bob Warn Field this season, starting on March 4 against Lindenwood. Reserved chairback season tickets can be purchased for $110. General admission season tickets will go on sale as well with adult ($75), seniors ($55), and youth ($40) tickets also being available for purchase. There will be a $5 surcharge added to those wanting tickets printed. The Sycamores have teamed up with Pacesetter Sports and the Spirit Shop for the third consecutive season for a season ticket deal. Fans will receive a $50 Pacesetter gift card for each $110 reserved chairback season ticket, $35 gift card for each $75 general admission season ticket, $25 gift card for each $55 senior general admission ticket, and $20 gift card for each $40 youth season ticket sold. =================================================================== PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MASTODONS AND SOUTH ALABAMA TO TUSSLE IN WNIT SECOND ROUND FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball team will begin its march through March when South Alabama comes to the Hilliard Gates Sports Center for the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday (March 24) at 7 p.m.Game Day InformationWho: South Alabama JaguarsWhen: Tuesday, March 24 | 7 PMWhere: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Gates Sports CenterLive Stats: LinkWatch: ESPN+Radio: WELT 95.7Tickets:LinkGame Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | South Alabama | Horizon League Know Your Foe South Alabama is 17-18 this season. After a 5-13 mark in Sun Belt action, the Jaguars won four games to advance through the Sun Belt tournament gauntlet before falling to eventual champion James Madison in the quarterfinal. The Jags topped Alcorn in the WNIT First Round. Amyah Sutton and Cordasia Harris average 11 points per game. Series History This is the first meeting between the two programs. ‘Dons in the WNIT… The ‘Dons are 4-2 in the Postseason WNIT in the last three seasons. They have wins over Eastern Kentucky, Cincinnati, Old Dominion and Butler, with losses to Saint Louis and Cleveland State. The ‘Dons made the Super 16 in 2024 and the Great 8 in 2025. ‘Dons and Jaguars in the WNIT Purdue Fort Wayne (4-2, third tournament) 03/20/2024 – vs Eastern Kentucky – W, 83-75 – Fort Wayne, Ind. 03/24/2024 – at Cincinnati – W, 84-58 – Cincinnati, Ohio 03/29/2024 – vs Saint Louis – L, 82-78 – Fort Wayne, Ind. 03/25/2025 – vs Old Dominion – W, 87-61 – Fort Wayne, Ind. 03/28/2025 – vs Butler – W, 87-61 – Fort Wayne, Ind. 03/31/2025 – vs Cleveland State – L, 65-76 – Fort Wayne, Ind. South Alabama (4-4, fifth tournament) 3/24/1988 – vs. Purdue – L, 63-55 – Amarillo, Texas 3/25/1988 – vs. UNLV – W, 88-85 (OT) – Amarillo, Texas 3/26/1988 – vs. Mississippi State – W, 73-51 – Amarillo, Texas 3/19/2003 – at Auburn – L, 77-53 – Auburn, Ala. 3/17/2004 – vs. Florida State – L, 67-61 – Mobile, Ala. 3/22/2019 – at Lamar – W, 73-71 – Beaumont, Texas 3/24/2019 – at Wyoming – L, 78-71 – Laramie, Wyoming 3/21/2026 – at Alcorn – W, 73-65 – Lorman, Miss. The Newest 2,000-Point Scorer In the Horizon League Championship semifinal game, Jordan Reid scored the first four points of the contest to reach 2,000 points in her career between Indiana Wesleyan and Purdue Fort Wayne. Scoring in Bunches Alana Nelson has 518 points this season, the sixth-most in the Mastodons’ Division I single-season history. She needs six to match Haley Seibert’s 524 points for fifth. Last Time Out Purdue Fort Wayne fell to Green Bay 73-48 in the Horizon League Championship semifinal. Next Time Up The winner of the second round game will play the winner of Arkansas State and Radford. ============================================================== PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S GOLF LILLIAN GOTTMAN IN 10TH AFTER DAY ONE OF NKU JULIE INVITATIONAL BATAVIA, Ohio – Lillian Gottman of the Purdue Fort Wayne women’s golf team is on pace for her first top-10 of the season, as the junior is in 10th place after two rounds of the NKU Julie Invitational. Gottman shot 79-76-155 on Monday (March 23), which put her in a tie for 10th with NKU’s Ryliann Bednar. Gottman had 11 pars and a birdie on hole five in the morning. In the afternoon, she had 12 pars and a birdie on nine. That birdie came in the middle of an eight-hole stretch without a bogey to finish the day. Natalie Papa shot 83-78-161 for 24th place. She had 14 pars in round two. Emily Gottman shot 87-75-162. In round two, Gottman had 11 pars and birdies on 13 and 17. She is in 29th place. Louise Ekesall shot 86-82-168 for 51st place. She had a birdie on hole 12 in round one and nothing worse than a bogey in round two. Hunar Mittal rounded out those competing for the team score with an 89-82-171. She had 14 pars. Lara Dommach played as an individual, but was the Mastodons’ second-best score of the day. She shot 78-80-158, which put her in 17th place. She had 14 pars and three birdies with nothing worse than a bogey. Lillie Cone also played as an individual, shooting 93-82-175. She had a stretch of seven holes without a bogey on the back nine in round two. Despite a tough first 18, the Mastodons are in seventh place, but just 13 shots off third. They shot 335-311-646 on day one. Oakland leads the way with a two-round total of 599. The final round of the NKU Julie Invitational will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday (March 24). ============================================================== SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL USI FALLS SHORT MONDAY EVENING TO GEORGE WASHINGTON IN WNIT EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball returned to the hardwood at Liberty Arena on Monday evening for the second round of the 2026 Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), but the Screaming Eagles’ season came to an end after falling just short to George Washington University, 61-58. USI Women’s Basketball (21-11, 14-6 OVC) was making its third consecutive appearance in the WNIT, but competing for the first time in the 2026 edition after earning a first-round bye. However, the Screaming Eagles suffered their second loss in a row by only one possession after also falling by three points to Lindenwood University in the semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament on March 6. Meanwhile, George Washington (17-17, 7-11 A-10) had advanced to travel and face the Screaming Eagles after defeating Bradley University by another three-point margin, 63-60, last Thursday. On Monday, USI had four players tally double figures. Junior guard Sophia Loden topped the squad with 13 points while also pacing the team with seven rebounds. Senior guard Ali Saunders recorded a dozen points with three assists and three steals. Junior forward Chloe Gannon and freshman forward Channah Gannon each had 10 points. USI shot for 37 percent (22-59) overall, 26 percent (5-19) from beyond the arc, and 60 percent (9-15) from the foul stripe. George Washington had three players score 10 or more, with sophomore guard Gabby Reynolds dropping 26 points and junior forward Sara Lewis posting a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Revolutionaries went for over 41 percent (17-41) from the floor, 29 percent (7-24) from three-point range, and 69 percent (20-29) at the free-throw line. George Washington outrebounded USI 38-31 on the glass. It took some time for both teams to settle into Monday’s contest. George Washington had a 7-6 edge at the midway point of the opening quarter. A few minutes later, redshirt sophomore guard Kylee Dennis, who finished with eight points on Monday, went on a personal 6-0 run by canning a difficult three from the wing and then cashing in on a three-point play to put USI in front, 13-7. The two sides traded triples in the last 90 seconds of the first quarter, as USI led 16-10 through the first 10 minutes of action. The Screaming Eagles pushed their lead to double digits, 22-12, in the early minutes of the second quarter on a made jumper by Saunders. Following a scoring drought of three-plus minutes, Saunders splashed in a trey for USI’s largest lead of the contest, 25-13. The Revolutionaries chipped away late in the first half to cut the difference in half, 27-21, as USI took the six-point advantage into halftime. After hitting a pair of three-pointers late in the first half, George Washington knocked down another pair early in the second half to climb within one of USI, 29-28, two minutes into the third quarter. The two teams exchanged one-point leads on four straight possessions in the middle of the third. Following a three-point play by Channah Gannon and back-to-back made jumpers, the Eagles increased their lead up to seven, 41-34, with a little over three minutes remaining in the third period. USI wound up taking a seven-point lead, 47-40, into the fourth quarter. George Washington scored six-straight points to start the fourth to pull back within one, but Chloe Gannon answered with a bucket to reach double figures in the contest. As the defenses locked back down in the middle of the fourth, the Revolutionaries took advantage at the free-throw line to briefly grab the lead. The game was tied at 52 with less than two minutes to go, but George Washington went on an 8-0 run to lead 60-52 by the 20-second mark. Despite a couple of three-pointers in the late seconds, USI ran out of time. The Screaming Eagles ended the 2025-26 season having secured their third season in a row with 20-plus while making the WNIT for the third consecutive season and reaching at least the semifinal round of the Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament for a third-straight year. Next, the program will look to build on another successful campaign and prepare for the 2026-27 season. ================================================================ VALPO WOMEN’S GOLF WOMEN’S GOLF SWINGS BACK INTO ACTION AT NKU’S THE JULIE The Valparaiso University women’s golf team returned to the course on Monday for the first two rounds of The Julie Invitational, hosted by Northern Kentucky at the par-71, 5861-yard Elks Run Golf Course in Batavia, Ohio. Senior Taylor Skibinski (Michigan City, Ind. / Michigan City) holds the team lead through 36 holes. How It Happened Skibinski finished the day tied for 44th in a 70-player field at 165. She made a five-stroke improvement from Round 1 to Round 2, completing the opening day of competition with an 80. Freshman Katie Estridge (Biloxi, Miss. / Biloxi) is second on the team through 36 holes at 167. She put together a balanced effort of 84-83 over the two rounds. Senior Katelyn McCoy (Chesterton, Ind. / Chesterton) had the best single-round score of the day by any Beacon, making an 11-stroke improvement to card a 79 in Round 2, tying a career low. She had birdies on Holes 1 and 5 in Round 2. Valpo finished the day 12th on the team leaderboard, but did boast a considerable 17-stroke improvement from Round 1 to Round 2, finishing the day at 679 (348-331). Oakland is the team leader at 559 and has the individual leaders with Olivia Hemmila and Lily Bargamian tied at 144. Thoughts from Head Coach Jill McCoy “It was a tough day. I’m very proud of everyone. We all improved in the second round. Katelyn and Taylor were great leaders out there today. They never gave up and kept grinding to the very end!” Up Next The Beacons will play the third and final round of the event on Tuesday. A link to live scoring via Clippd is available on ValpoAthletics.com. ================================================================== VALPO BASEBALL BASEBALL BEACONS TO PLAY FIRST MIDWEEK GAME OF SEASON ON TUESDAY AT BIG TEN FOE PURDUE Valparaiso (6-13, 0-3 MVC) at Purdue (15-7, 5-4 B1G) Alexandra Field (1,500) | West Lafayette, Ind. Tuesday, March 24, 3 p.m. CT – RHP Spencer Boynton Next Up in Valpo Baseball: The Valparaiso University baseball team will play its first midweek game of the season on Tuesday as the Beacons make the short trip to West Lafayette for an instate battle with Purdue. This starts a Big Ten heavy stretch as five of the next eight games will be against opponents from the Big Ten Conference. This will finish a stretch of 20 straight road games to start the season before the Beacons finally play at Emory G. Bauer Field when they host Indiana State on Friday. Last Time Out: The Beacons had a challenging series to begin Missouri Valley Conference play, opening the league docket by going on the road against preseason league favorite and defending NCAA Super Regional champion Murray State. The Racers swept the series, which was moved to Evansville, Ind. due to Murray State’s field renovations. Valpo fell 9-4 on Friday, a game that was scoreless as late as the bottom of the sixth. The Beacons got great pitching but minimal offense in a 3-1 loss on Saturday and then got great offense but minimal pitching in a 13-12 defeat on Sunday that saw the Beacons rack up 10 extra-base knocks including three home runs. Following the Beacons: Tuesday’s game will air on B1G+. For links to video and stats, visit ValpoAthletics.com. For in-game updates, follow @ValpoBaseball on X. Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack (218-384) 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 20-70 all-time against Purdue in a series that dates back to 1949, most recently falling 6-3 on March 25 of last season. The Beacons have dropped the last four matchups with the Boilermakers after winning 5-1 on March 29, 2017. The last eight matchups between these two teams dating back to 2012 have been decided by four runs or fewer and nine straight dating back to 2010 have been decided by five runs or fewer. In the Other Dugout – Purdue Went 31-23 last season. Under the direction of Greg Goff, who joined the Purdue staff as an assistant coach in July 2017 and was promoted to head coach in June 2019. Coming off a home series win over Penn State, winning 12-7 on Friday and 2-1 on Saturday before the Nittany Lions salvaged the Sunday game 14-9. Playing back-to-back games against Missouri Valley Conference opponents as they will host UIC on Wednesday. Led by Eli Anderson, who is hitting .409, while Sam Flores has a team-high six home runs. Notes Wrapping Up Murray State (March 20-22): L 9-4, L 3-1, L 13-12 Javin Gauthier’s home run in Friday’s season opener was his third of the season, moving him into sole possession of the team lead. He added his team-leading fourth of the season on Sunday. Michael Kuska went 3-for-3 plus a walk on Friday while also notching a double for one of the team’s two extra-base knocks. That was his second game with at least three hits this season and first with exactly three, one shy of his career high set on Feb. 22 at Presbyterian. His double was his third of the season and first since Feb. 14 at Gardner-Webb. Cole Lockwood and Gauthier had two hits apiece on Friday, joining Kuska with multiple hits. Both teams stranded 10 men on base in Friday’s series opener. The Beacons were outhit 15-10 on Friday, their second straight double-figure hit total and seventh of the season. In Saturday’s middle game, Connor Lockwood tossed his second complete game of the season and the fifth of his career. He needed just 87 pitches to cover all eight defensive innings. Lockwood walked just one while allowing three runs on seven hits in the eight innings. The walk was just the second he has issued all season and first since Feb. 13 vs. Gardner-Webb. Freshman Cal Schembra and sophomore Michael Kuska led the team with two hits apiece on Saturday as the Beacons were outhit by a narrow 7-6 count. Saturday’s game was Valpo’s fourth loss of the season by two runs or fewer. Schembra’s home run on Sunday was his third of the season and first since Feb. 27 at Alabama State. Cooper’s home run on Sunday was his third of the season, all in his last five games. The Beacons’ three home runs on Sunday marked a season high. Valpo tied a season high with 10 extra-base hits on Sunday (previously Feb. 22 at Presbyterian). Valpo’s six doubles also tied the PC game for a season high. Valpo lashed out 14 hits in the series finale, tied for the team’s second-highest total of the season, joining March 15 at SIUE and behind only 20 on Feb. 22 at Presbyterian. The Beacons and Racers were even in the hit column on Sunday with 14 knocks apiece. The Beacons had 31 total bases in Sunday’s game, second-highest of the season behind 35 at PC. The 12 runs in the series finale marked Valpo’s third highest total of the season and fifth time in double figures. Case Sullivan’s triple on Sunday was his second of the season, making him the third Beacon with multiple this season. The team has eight triples on the year. Sullivan went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored with two doubles and a triple on Sunday. He enjoyed his first three-hit game of the season. Eli Riley went 3-for-4 with two runs scored while doubling twice on Sunday. He had his second two-double game and second three-hit game of the season. Guazzo was a pitching bright spot on a high-scoring Sunday, not allowing a run over 1 1/3 innings of relief. He has worked scoreless ball in five of his last six outings. Valpo fell to 1-4 in one-run games this season and a combined 2-13 in one-run games in 2025 and 2026. Sunday was the first time Valpo played a game decided by the exact score of 13-12 since May 10, 2003, a loss at Southern Utah. Valpo struck first in two of the three games in the series and has scored first in 14 of the team’s 19 games this season. Pitching Probable #29 RHP Spencer Boynton, R-Sr. (Tampa, Fla. / Seffner Christian) – Was an all-conference honoree at Eastern Nazarene College, where he spent two seasons before joining the Beacons prior to the 2024 campaign, which he missed due to an injury… Hobbies include golf, tennis, ping pong and video games… Favorite movie is The Usual Suspects, food is pizza, pro baseball team is the San Francisco Giants and MLB players are Buster Posey and Kevin Gausman… Garnered his first collegiate victory with a bounce-back outing on Feb. 23 at Memphis. He was perfect through four innings and totaled five frames of two-hit, no-walk ball while striking out five…. Went five scoreless innings in his April 27, 2025 start at Belmont, receiving no decision in a game the team lost 1-0. He pitched shutout ball for the first time in the 2025 season, marking his best start of the year… Allowed one unearned run in two innings of relief on March 20 at Murray State. RPI Report: At 131, Valpo has the second-best RPI in the Missouri Valley Conference, behind only Illinois State (91). Top 100: For the third time this season, Valpo had a hitter in D1Baseball’s Top 100 Hitters of the Week, as Thomas Cooper checked in at No. 53 for Week 5 after hitting .417 including two home runs and five RBIs in the three-game series at OVC preseason favorite SIUE. =================================================================== MARIAN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MARIAN OUTLASTS DAKOTA WESLEYAN 62-54 TO ADVANCE TO NAIA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Marian women’s basketball team completed a wire-to-wire victory on Monday night in the NAIA National Semifinal game, getting key stops and makes from their seniors in the fourth quarter to cap a 62-54 victory over No. 2 seed Dakota Wesleyan. Marian’s victory over the Tigers in the semifinals advances them to the NAIA National Championship game for the first time since 2017, as the Knights will carry a 34-2 record into the final game of the season. Marian couldn’t have asked for a better start on Monday night, getting their semifinal outing off to a commanding 7-0 start. Abbey McNally won the opening tip and scored 12 seconds into play, igniting a run that saw her sister Kiley McNally sink her fifth three-pointer of the season. While the offense started on a high note, the defense matched the tone, denying the Tigers of any points in the first 3:33 of game play, holding Dakota Wesleyan to an 0-4 start from the field. The Tigers also missed their first two foul shots of the night, allowing Marian to add to their confidence on the defensive end. The streak of missed shots would subside as Dakota Wesleyan was able to rattle in a contested look, but Marian continued to come up with offensive answers, as Madisyn Bailey and Olivia Faust each sank a first-quarter trifecta, keeping the Knights on the right side of the ledger. Abbey McNally scored with 1:48 remaining in the first quarter, putting Marian on top 15-6, which would stand as the score after 10 minutes, as a block from the senior went on to secure the nine-point edge. The Knights continued to be the aggressors in the second quarter, outscoring the Tigers 4-2 in the first three minutes, pushing their edge to double figures. Marian would keep its double-digit lead throughout the majority of the period, not allowing Dakota Wesleyan to get closer than nine points. Abbey McNally and Madisyn Bailey were the run killers in the quarter, while a three-pointer from Zoe Wheeler with 1:40 to play in the half off a Bailey assist gave the Knights a 28-14 lead. The trifecta secured a lead of 11 going into the half, as Dakota Wesleyan would make the game a 28-17 score after converting a three-point play in the final minute. The halftime break favored Dakota Wesleyan in the third quarter, as Marian was unable to extend the lead beyond 13 points. The Tigers scored first in the half and kept finding answers, even with Madisyn Bailey driving home a pair of layups. The McNally sisters were able to push Marian back to a 13-point lead after Avery Broughton narrowed the gap for the Tigers once more, but foul trouble would creep up for the first time in the tournament, as both twins would exit for the bench in the third quarter after each picking up their third foul. The absence of the twins allowed Dakota Wesleyan to gain momentum heading into the fourth quarter, as they overcame an Olivia Faust three-pointer and ended the quarter on an 8-2 run, cutting the game to a 42-34 affair. Dakota Wesleyan stayed aggressive and continued to pressure Marian as the game entered the fourth quarter, as they extended the run to 11-2 after opening the quarter’s scoring with a three-pointer. A pair of free throws with 6:27 remaining in the game saw Dakota Wesleyan get within three points, putting a true threat on Marian’s lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the game. Marian would stay collected after seeing its 14-point lead evaporate to three, and answered with a 6-0 swing, as Olivia Fuast drained a run-killing trifecta and Kenna Kirby completed a three-point play, pushing the Knights back in front by nine. The McNally sisters would score back-to-back layups to take the lead into double digits once more, but Dakota Wesleyan showed fight after the scores, forcing a pair of quick turnovers to make the game a 52-45 score. Marian showed resilience as its lead was cut, working their way back to the foul line after calling a timeout, where Madisyn Bailey was able to score three points in two possessions to secure a three-possession lead. Bailey’s work came with 2:20 remaining in the contest, and from that moment, the Knights relied on their defense, forcing three consecutive misses before Kily McNally came away with a steal. The defense would force another missed shot before the Tigers cut the lead to six with 1:09 remaining, but the damage would not stop Marian, as they answered by expanding its 55-49 lead. After calling a timeout in the final minute, the Knights set the ball for their All-American Abbey McNally, who drove the lane and beat the shot clock, converting a three-point play to close any comeback hopes for Dakota Wesleyan. Marian would sink four free throws in the final 30 seconds of play to seal the win, running into the national championship game with a 62-54 victory. Marian never trailed in the national semifinal game, and overcame a 34 percent shooting night from the floor as they forced 19 turnovers and limited Dakota Wesleyan to a 33 percent night shooting. Marian also closed the game out with an advantage at the foul line, making three more shots than the Tigers, while additionally knocking down three more three-point shots. Abbey McNally finished the game with her 65th career double-double, as she logged 16 points and 11 rebounds in the win. McNally also blocked two shots in the win for the Knights. Madisyn Bailey scored 15 points in the win, while also assisting on five shots and grabbing six rebounds. Olivia Faust finished the night with nine points, making three three-pointers, and Kenna Kirby finished with seven points and four steals in the win. For the second consecutive season, the Knights will match up against Dordt University, with the Knights and Defenders competing for the NAIA National Championship on Tuesday night. Tip-off from the Tyson Events Center is set for 8:00 p.m. ET. ================================================================== 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 1933 Babe Ruth, who made $75,000 last season, takes a $23,000 pay cut, a decrease indicative of the depression era. The 38-year-old Yankee slugger remains productive, batting .301, hitting 34 home runs, and driving in 103 runs for the second-place club that finishes seven games behind the Senators. 1936 Paul Dean agrees to a $10,000 deal to pitch for the Cardinals after posting a 19-11 record in his sophomore year. After compiling 38 victories in his first two seasons, Dizzy’s 23-year-old right-handed brother will have his career shortened by arm troubles, retiring after a nine-year tenure in the major leagues with a 50-34 mark. 1946 In Birmingham, Alabama, police remove 27-year-old southpaw Edward Klep from the Cleveland Buckeyes lineup of the visiting Negro American League team. They order the first white player in organized black baseball to change into his civilian clothes and sit in the “whites only” section of Rickwood Field, apart from his teammates. 1947 During a four-hour hearing with Commissioner Chandler at the Sarasota Terrace Hotel, Dodger manager Leo Durocher admits to playing occasional card games for money with Kirby Higbe. Before Opening Day, Chandler will suspend the Brooklyn skipper for the 1947 season for “association with known gamblers.” 1952 During spring training at St. Petersburg, Cardinals pitcher Robert Slaybaugh is hit in the face with a line drive during batting practice, resulting in the loss of his left eye. The 21-year-old southpaw will attempt a comeback in 1953 and 1954 before retiring from professional baseball. (Ed. Note: While recuperating from his eye operation in the St. Louis hospital, the young left-hander will meet Joy, a nurse who will become his wife. – LP) 1959 A photo of Pete Whisenant taken before an exhibition game played against the Dodgers in Havana, Cuba, shows the Reds outfielder toting a machine gun. The weapon shown in the posed picture belongs to a rebel from Fidel Castro’s revolutionary army. 1961 The New York State Senate approves $55 million in funding to build a new stadium in Flushing Meadows Park for the new National League’s expansion team. Until the completion of the Queens’ ballpark, which will become known as Shea Stadium, the Mets will play in the Polo Grounds during the first two years of their existence. 1982 When Fernando Valenzuela ends his three-week holdout, the Dodgers automatically renew the southpaw’s contract for a reported $350,000. The National League Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year Award recipient, after earning just $42,500 in his freshman season, still refuses to sign the deal that makes him the highest-paid second-year player in baseball history, having asked for a raise to $850,000. 1984 The Tigers trade utility player John Wockenfuss and outfielder Glenn Wilson to the Phillies for first baseman Dave Bergman and relief pitcher Willie Hernandez, who will win the American League’s MVP and Cy Young awards. The 29-year-old closer from Aguada (PR) posts a 9-3 record and a 1.92 ERA en route to saving 32 games in 33 opportunities for the World Champs. 1995 While out for his daily walk during spring training, Dave Shotkoski, a Braves replacement player for the Braves, is shot to death during a botched attempted robbery in West Palm Beach (FL). Atlanta teammate Terry Blocker will help the police track down the 30-year-old right-handed reliever’s assailant, who pleaded guilty to the murder and will be sentenced to 27 years in jail but will only serve 17 years before being released for good behavior. 2001 During an exhibition game against the Giants, Diamondback hurler Randy Johnson’s fastball hits and instantly kills a dove flying in front of home plate. The bird appears to explode as the National League Cy Young winner’s pitch sends it over catcher Rod Barajas’ head. 2006 At Mickey Mantle’s Manhattan restaurant, the U.S. Postal Service unveils the Baseball Sluggers postage stamps, to be issued before the game against the White Sox at Yankee Stadium on July 15. The four featured Hall of Famers all have roots in New York, with Mickey Mantle (Yankees), Mel Ott (Giants), and Roy Campanella (Dodgers) playing their entire careers in the Big Apple, and the fourth, Hank Greenberg, setting schoolboy records at James Monroe High School in the Bronx. 2008 The Twins agree to a new deal with their All-Star closer, signing Joe Nathan (1.88, 37 saves) to a $47 million, four-year contract, including a 2012 club option. The 33-year-old right-hander’s 160 saves over the past four seasons tie Mariano Rivera of the Yankees for most in the American League. 2008 On the South Lawn of the White House, the Washington Nationals’ presidential character mascots participate in the traditional White House Easter Egg Roll. Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington appeared very comfortable in their surroundings. ========================================================= TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY On March 24 in … 1913 – Netherlands soccer team’s first victory over England. 1922 – Grand National at Aintree sees only three horses out of 32 starters finish. 1941 – Long Island University beats Ohio University 56-42 for NIT basketball championship. 1950 – Gracie de Moss wins LPGA Pro-Ladies Golf Championship. 1950 – US Ladies Figure Skating Championship won by Yvonne C Sherman. 1950 – US Men’s Figure Skating Championship won by Richard Button. 1961 – New York Senate approves US$55 million for a baseball stadium at Flushing Meadows. 1962 – 24th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Cincinnati beats Ohio State 71-59. 1962 – Benny Paret is knocked out in a welterweight title; he dies ten days later. 1968 – Mickey Wright wins Port Malabar Golf Invitational. 1973 – Immaculata beats Queens College, 59-52 to win AIAW Basketball title. 1973 – Professional track debut of Kip Keino defeating Jim Ryun in the mile. 1973 – San Francisco 49ers’ president Lou Spadia proposes NFL expand to 30 teams. 1974 – 36th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: North Carolina State beats Marquette 76-64; this ends UCLA’s 7-year reign as NCAA basketball champions. 1975 – Muhammad Ali TKOs Chuck Wepner in 15 rounds to retain the heavyweight boxing title. 1979 – Ten rebounds and ten assists, as the Spartans cruise to a 101-67 by University of Pennsylvania; Michigan State’s Earvin “Magic” Johnson registers triple-double 29 points. 1979 – First appearance as Australian cricket captain for Kim Hughes. 1980 – 42nd NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Louisville beats UCLA 59-54. 1980 – The Australia Olympic Committee announces it will send an Olympic delegation to Moscow, despite objections by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser. 1981 – Bombay beats Delhi by innings and 46 to win Ranji Cricket Trophy. 1984 – International Olympic Committee agrees to six-team exhibition baseball tournament in Olympics. 1984 – Igor Malkov skates world record 10 km (14:01.51). 1984 – Andrea Schöne skates ladies’ world record 5 km (7:04.52). 1985 – Jan Stephenson wins LPGA GNA Golf Classic. 1985 – Norman Gifford makes cricket ODI debuts at age 44 (v Australia, Sharjah). 1987 – Western Australia wins the Sheffield Shield by drawing cricket final versus Victoria. 1990 – Tom Hunter swims world record 50-metre freestyle (21.81 seconds). 1991 – Barcelona Dragons beat New York/New Jersey Knights 19-7 in their first WLAF game. 1991 – Danielle Ammaccapane wins LPGA Standard Register Ping Golf Tournament. 1991 – New York Yankees beat New York Mets, 9-3. 1996 – Laura Davies wins LPGA Standard Register Ping Golf Tournament. 2001 – During an exhibition baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the Arizona Diamondbacks, Randy Johnson’s fastball hits and instantly kills a dove flying in front of home plate. The bird appears to explode as the pitch sends it over the catcher’s head. 2008 – In Greece, the Olympic torch begins its journey to Beijing, China. 2020 – The government of Japan announces the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will be postponed by one year due to Covid-19. 2020 – The International Olympic Committee and Japan suspend the 2020 Summer Olympics until 2021. 2022 – At crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, USA, NHL regular season game: Chicago Blackhawks beats Los Angeles Kings by score 4-3. 2022 – At T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, NHL regular season game: Vegas Golden Knights beats Nashville Predators by score 6-1. 2022 – At Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, NHL regular season game: Edmonton Oilers beats San Jose Sharks by score 5-2. 2022 – At Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, NHL regular season game: Ottawa Senators beats Winnipeg Jets by score 5-2. 2022 – At Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA, NHL regular season game: Minnesota Wild beats Vancouver Canucks by score 3-2. 2022 – At Enterprise Center in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA, NHL regular season game: Philadelphia Flyers beats Saint Louis Blues by score 5-2. 2022 – At UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, USA, NHL regular season game: New York Islanders beats Detroit Red Wings by score 5-2. 2022 – At PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, NHL regular season game: Dallas Stars beats Carolina Hurricanes by score 4-3. 2022 – At Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, NHL regular season game: Florida Panthers beats Montreal Canadiens by score 4-3. 2022 – At TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, NHL regular season game: Boston Bruins beats Tampa Bay Lightning by score 3-2. Births of sports figures on March 24 1866 – Birth of Jack McAuliffe; US lightweight boxing champion, hall of famer. 1885 – Birth of Charlie Daniels; US swimmer (Olympics-4 gold-1904, 1908). 1893 – Birth of George Harold Sisler AKA Gorgeous George in Manchester, Ohio, USA; pitcher/first base (Saint Louis Browns, Washington Senators, Boston Braves), 257 hits in 1920 (record until 2004), 0.420 batting average in 1922, American League MVP (1922), Baseball Hall of Fame (1939). 1929 – Birth of Cuan McCarthy; cricket player (36 Test wickets for South Africa, one career no-ball). 1931 – Birth of Thelma Kalama; American 4 X 100 metre relay swimmer (Olympics-gold-1948). 1938 – Birth of Larry Wilson; NFL back (Arizona Cardinals). 1943 – Birth of Jesus Alou; baseball outfielder (San Francisco Giants). 1943 – Birth of Marika Kilius; German Federal Republic pairs ice skating-Franz Ningel/Hans Jurgen Baumler, (Olympics-silver-1960, 64). 1944 – Birth of Denny McLain; baseball pitcher (Detroit Tigers, 31 wins in 1968). 1951 – Birth of Pat Bradley in Westford, Massachusetts, USA; LPGA golfer (1981 US Women’s Open). 1953 – Birth of Steve Lubbers; cricket player (captain of Dutch World Cup team 1996). 1956 – Birth of Ijaz Faqih; cricket player (Pakistan off-spin all-rounder in five Tests 1980-88). 1959 – Birth of Renaldo Nehemiah; American hurdler (110 metre at 12.93)/NFL player (San Francisco 49ers). 1961 – Birth of Dean Jones; cricket player (dashing Australian batsman and fielder 1984-92). 1961 – Birth of James T Gallagher Junior in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA; PGA golfer (1990 Greater Milwaukee). 1962 – Birth of Penny Hammel in Decatur, Illinois, USA; LPGA golfer (Jamie Farr Toledo-1985, 1989). 1963 – Birth of Raimond van der Gouw; Dutch soccer goalie (Vitesse, Manchester). 1965 – Birth of Angela Zuckerman in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA; speed skater (Olympics-1994). 1965 – Birth of Ben Torriero; WLAF running back (Scottish Claymores). 1965 – Birth of Jeff Reese in Brantford, Ontario, Canada; NHL goalie (Tampa Bay Lightning). 1966 – Birth of Penny Toler; WNBA guard (Los Angeles Sparks). 1967 – Birth of Kathy Rinaldi-Stunkel in Florida, USA; tennis player (Virginia Slims of Arkansas 1987). 1967 – Birth of Richard Gillam in Atlanta, Georgia, USA; pairs skater (and Erin Moorad). 1969 – Birth of Yoko Zetterlund in San Francisco, California, USA; volleyball setter (Olympics-bronze-1992, 1996). 1970 – Birth of Marques Bragg; NBA forward (Minnesota Timberwolves). 1970 – Birth of Mike Vanderjagt; Canadian Football League kicker (Toronto Argonauts). 1970 – Birth of Shannon Lemora in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; 1.5km runner. 1973 – Birth of Atle Larsen; WLAF kicker (Rhein Fire). 1973 – Birth of Chip McCaw in Chicago, Illinois, USA; volleyball setter (Olympics-1996). 1973 – Birth of David Moravec; hockey forward (Team Czechoslovakia Olympics-gold-1998). 1973 – Birth of Josh Lakatos in Pasadena, California, USA; trap shooter (Olympics-silver-1996). 1973 – Birth of Philippe Boucher in Saint Apollinaire, California, USA; NHL defense (Los Angeles Kings, Olympics-Gold-1998). 1974 – Birth of Terry Killens; linebacker (Tennessee Oilers). 1975 – Birth of Debbie Keller in Winfield, Illinois, USA; soccer forward (Olympics-1996). 1975 – Birth of Julia Bikbova in Kiev, Ukraine; dance skater (and John Lee). 1976 – Birth of Danielle Garrett in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania; soccer forward (Olympics-1996). Deaths of sports figures on March 24 1899 – Billy Barnes, cricket player (725 runs in 21 Tests for England), dies. 1911 – Matthew Stanley Robison, president (Saint Louis Cardinals), dies. 1932 – George Robert Canning, cricket player (the 4th Lord Harris), dies. 1980 – Death of Pierre Etchebaster, French real tennis player (born 1893). 2009 – Death of George Kell, third baseman (Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Baseball Hall of Fame), in his sleep at age 86 in Swifton, Arkansas. 2016 – Death of Johan Cruyff, Dutch footballer and manager (born 1947). ========================================================== TV SPORTS TODAY (All times Eastern) Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts Tuesday, March 24 COLLEGE BASEBALL 7 p.m. ACCN Coastal Carolina at Clemson COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S) 7 p.m. ESPN2 — NIT Tournament: Wichita St. at Tulsa, Quarterfinal 9 p.m. ESPN2 — NIT Tournament: St. Joseph’s at New Mexico, Quarterfinal COLLEGE SOFTBALL 5 p.m. ACCN — Stanford at North Carolina GOLF 7 p.m. ESPN — TGL Playoffs: Los Angeles Golf Club vs. Jupiter Links Golf Club, Finals – Match 2 9 p.m. ESPN — TGL Playoffs: Los Angeles Golf Club vs. Jupiter Links Golf Club, Finals – Match 3 (If Necessary) MLB BASEBALL 1 p.m. MLBN — Spring Training: Boston vs. Minnesota, Fort Myers, Fla. 8 p.m. MLBN — Spring Training: L.A. Angels at L.A. Dodgers NBA BASKETBALL 8 p.m. NBC — Regional Coverage: Orlando at Cleveland PEACOCK — Orlando at Cleveland 11 p.m. NBC — Regional Coverage: Denver at Phoenix PEACOCK — Denver at Phoenix NHL HOCKEY 7:30 p.m. TNT — Minnesota at Tampa Bay TRUTV — Minnesota at Tampa Bay SOCCER (WOMEN’S) 1:40 p.m. CBSSN — UEFA Champions League: Lyonnes at VfL Wolfsburg, Quarterfinal – Leg 1 3:55 p.m. CBSSN — UEFA Champions League: Chelsea at Arsenal, Quarterfinal – Leg 1 TENNIS 11 a.m. TENNIS CHANNEL — Miami WTA/ATP – Live; ATP Round of 16; WTA Quarterfinal 1 & 2 About The Author troyderengowski61@gmail.com See author's posts Post navigation THE INDIANA SRN “SCOREBOARD” MARCH 23 THE INDIANA SRN “SCOREBOARD” MARCH 24
