THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 31, 2025

“THE SCOREBOARD”

INDIANA BOYS USA BASKETBALL POLLS

CLASS 4A

1.           FISHERS (13)  7-0        139

2.           CROWN POINT (1)      5-0        127

3.           LAWRENCE NORTH  6-0        101

4.           PLAINFIELD    7-0        87

5.           PIKE     6-1        78

6.           MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE)          10-2     73

7.           CARMEL           6-0        72

8.           SOUTH BEND RILEY  6-0        36

9.           GOSHEN          7-0        19

10.        NORTHRIDGE               7-1        10

11.        PORTAGE         9-0        7

12.        SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH     6-3        5

13.        BLOOMINGTON NORTH         5-1        4

              CHESTERTON 6-1        4

15.        HOMESTEAD  7-2        3

               NEW ALBANY 3-2        3

17.        PENN  6-2        2

18.        EVANSVILLE NORTH 6-0        1

CLASS 3A

1.           INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (8)         7-1        130

2.           SILVER CREEK (4)       8-1        124

3.           INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI (2)            6-0        113

4.           COLUMBIA CITY          7-1        91

5.           NORTHVIEW  7-3        69

6.           SHELBYVILLE 8-1        55

7.           BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL    4-2        35

8.           PRINCETON    7-2        34

              GUERIN CATHOLIC    4-2        34

10.        BATESVILLE    6-0        23

               INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS      5-2        23

12.        FAIRFIELD        5-0        13

13.        GIBSON SOUTHERN 6-2        11

14.        BOONVILLE    9-1        7

15.        NEW PALESTINE          4-2        3

16.        FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK  5-3        1

              HERITAGE HILLS          8-3        1

CLASS 2A

1.           OAK HILL (6)   8-0        129

2.           PARKE HERITAGE (8) 9-1        125

3.           CENTERVILLE 6-0        107

4.           PARK TUDOR 4-1        88

5.           WESTVIEW      7-1        87

6.           PAOLI  6-0        61

7.           LINTON             7-2        45

8.           BLACKFORD   6-0        32

9.           GARY 21ST CENTURY              5-4        25

10.        SOUTH RIPLEY             5-2        20

11.        TRITON CENTRAL       6-1        17

12.        SHENANDOAH             7-1        8

               FOREST PARK 5-2        8

14.        HERITAGE CHRISTIAN             4-1        6

              SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER)            5-3        6

16.        LAPEL 4-1        3

              UNIVERSITY     5-2        3

CLASS 1A

1.           BARR-REEVE (8)          7-0        133

2.           KOUTS (5)         6-0        131

3.           HAUSER (1)     6-2        102

4.           TRITON              6-1        81

5.           BLOOMFIELD 7-2        69

6.           WEST CENTRAL           7-0        59

7.           ORLEANS         5-1        47

8.           ROSSVILLE      7-1        45

9.           LOOGOOTEE  8-2        39

10.        LIBERTY CHRISTIAN  4-3        17

11.        SOUTHWOOD              8-1        15

12.        CHRISTIAN ACADEMY             6-2        10

13.        NORTH DAVIESS          8-3        8

14.        WASHINGTON TWP.  4-2        7

15.        CLAY CITY        4-3        4

16.        ELKHART CHRISTIAN               3-1        1

===========

INDIANA BOYS “SAGARIN” BASKETBALL RATINGS

4A

1. MT. VERNON
2. PLAINFIELD
3. FISHERS
4. CARMEL
5. CROWN POINT
6. NOBLESVILLE
7. LAWRENCE NORTH
8. PIKE
9. PENN
10. NEW ALBANY

3A

1. SILVER CREEK
2. CATHEDRAL
3. GIBSON SOUTHERN
4. COLUMBIA CITY
5. SHELBYVILLE
6. BREBEUF
7. RONCALLI
8. PRINCETON
9. CRISPUS ATTUCKS
10. FAIRFIELD

2A

1. TRITON CENTRAL
2. OAK HILL
3. PARKE HERITAGE
4. GARY 21^ST CENTURY
5. WESTVIEW
6. LAPEL
7. CENTERVILLE
8. SCECINA
9. UNIVERSITY
10. PAOLI

1A

1. BARR-REEVE
2. HAUSER
3. KOUTS
4. NORTH DAVIESS
5. ORLEANS
6. NORTHEAST DUBOIS
7. TRITON
8. LOOGOOTEE
9. WEST CENTRAL
10. WOOD MEMORIAL

==========

INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL

TUESDAY’S SCOREBOARD

ANGOLA           68          MISSISSINEWA             56         

BLUFFTON       49          CENTRAL NOBLE        37         

CROWN POINT            75          INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL 72         

EASTERN GREENE      66          NORTH KNOX 33         

FRANKLIN CENTRAL 71          GREENFIELD-CENTRAL          35         

FREMONT        57          OAK FARM MONTESSORI      45         

GREENWOOD              55          TRITON CENTRAL       44         

HAGERSTOWN             80          DALEVILLE       35         

JASPER              59          EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL        33         

KNIGHTSTOWN            76          CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN 52         

MONROE CENTRAL   68          MADISON-GRANT      40         

NEW ALBANY 78          SEYMOUR        33         

NORWELL        53          FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA  49         

RANDOLPH SOUTHERN        60          WINCHESTER 41         

SPEEDWAY     54          DANVILLE        40         

TRI        40          MORRISTOWN             35         

WARSAW          56          PROVIDENCE 45         

WESTVIEW      61          LEO      51         

WOOD MEMORIAL     58          WHITE RIVER VALLEY              35         

BETHESDA CHRISTIAN TOURNAMENT

INDIANA MATH & SCIENCE  52          NORTHSIDE HOMESCHOOL              50         

ASHVILLE (ALA.)          74          INDIANAPOLIS METROPOLITAN       69         

FAITH CHRISTIAN       64          IRVINGTON PREP       55         

UNIVERSITY    80          BETHESDA CHRISTIAN           39         

CLAY CITY TOURNAMENT

OWEN VALLEY             56          NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG)              46         

CLAY CITY        51          NORTH VERMILLION 40         

SCOTTSBURG               51          NORTH PUTNAM         31         

DELPHI TOURNAMENT

FRANKFORT    33          NORTH NEWTON        29         

DELPHI              49          PIONEER          32         

PIONEER          41          NORTH NEWTON        39         

DELPHI              73          FRANKFORT    54         

WINAMAC        42          NORTH MONTGOMERY          30         

ROSSVILLE      60          TAYLOR             59         

DELTA TOURNAMENT

BELLMONT      56          WESTERN        54         

CONNERSVILLE          75          SEEGER             45         

INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA       57          JENNINGS COUNTY  45         

FORT WAYNE SOUTH              50          DELTA 47         

EDINBURGH TOURNAMENT

COLUMBUS HOMESCHOOL 55        EDINBURGH   34         

NORTHEASTERN         81          BROWN COUNTY       66         

TRINITY LUTHERAN   66          BORDEN           52         

INDIANAPOLIS RIVERSIDE    50          ALEXANDRIA  49         

HUNTINGTON NORTH CLASSIC

COLUMBIA CITY          60          MISHAWAKA MARIAN              38         

FORT WAYNE DWENGER       63          INDIANAPOLIS TINDLEY        57         

SOUTH BEND ADAMS              59          HUNTINGTON NORTH            52         

JEFFERSON COUNTY INVITATIONAL

SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER)           93          RIVER CITY HOMESCHOOL 44         

BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL    59          CHRISTIAN ACADEMY             36         

PAOLI  73          MADISON        49         

KOKOMO TOURNAMENT

NORTHRIDGE               76          KOKOMO         61         

SOUTH BEND RILEY  67          LAWRENCE NORTH  52         

CHARLESTOWN          62          MERRILLVILLE              55          OT

NEW HAVEN   58          INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD      48         

LAWRENCE NORTH  53          KOKOMO         42         

NORTHRIDGE               43          SOUTH BEND RILEY  38         

LAPORTE TOURNAMENT

MICHIGAN CITY           73          MARQUETTE CATHOLIC        58         

LAPORTE          78          EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL     52         

GARY LIGHTHOUSE   53          MUNSTER        52         

FRANKLIN        62          LOWELL            39         

MARQUETTE CATHOLIC        69          EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL     56         

LAPORTE          45          MICHIGAN CITY           42         

LOGANSPORT TOURNAMENT

LOGANSPORT              67          CARROLL (FLORA)      43         

TRI-COUNTY  64          CRAWFORDSVILLE    59         

CRAWFORDSVILLE    77          CARROLL (FLORA)      31         

TRI-COUNTY  66          LOGANSPORT              58         

MIAMI COUNTY INVITATIONAL

MACONAQUAH           55          NORTH MIAMI  50      

PERU   66          CASTON           36         

MITCHELL TOURNAMENT

EASTERN (PEKIN)        45          ROCK CREEK ACADEMY        35         

WEST WASHINGTON 55          MITCHELL        32         

NORTH HARRISON    54          LOOGOOTEE  44         

NORTH CENTRAL CLASSIC

PIKE     86          PARK TUDOR 72         

CARMEL           58          LAKE CENTRAL            45         

JEFFERSONVILLE        59          NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) 57         

RICH SOUTH (ILL.) TOURNAMENT

RICH TWP. (ILL.)          41          GARY WEST     38         

RICHMOND TOURNAMENT

INDIANAPOLIS HOMESCHOOL 63  PHALEN ACADEMY    56         

PURDUE ENGLEWOOD          54          RICHMOND    53         

KIPP INDY LEGACY     62          NORTH DECATUR       50         

BUCKEYE (OHIO)        61          BEECH GROVE             56         

INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON 66    FORT WAYNE NORTH              46         

FORT WAYNE SNIDER              41          NORTHWOOD             29         

SHELBYVILLE 76          GREENSBURG              50         

BEN DAVIS       79          VALPARAISO  39         

RICHMOND    67          PHALEN ACADEMY    62         

PURDUE ENGLEWOOD  67  INDIANAPOLIS HOMESCHOOL        64         

NORTH DECATUR       62          BEECH GROVE             60         

KIPP INDY LEGACY     65          BUCKEYE (OHIO)        63         

FORT WAYNE NORTH 60        NORTHWOOD             55         

FORT WAYNE SNIDER 75       INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON           57         

VALPARAISO  65          GREENSBURG              55         

BEN DAVIS       62          SHELBYVILLE 56         

SWITZERLAND COUNTY TOURNAMENT

EAST CENTRAL             70          SWITZERLAND COUNTY        19         

FORT WAYNE LUERS 87          HENRYVILLE   49         

HAUSER            71          FRANKLIN COUNTY  42         

TRI-WEST         61          MOUNT VERNON (POSEY)    42         

WABASH VALLEY TOURNAMENT

GREENCASTLE             59          LINTON             50         

BLOOMFIELD 62          SULLIVAN        46         

NORTHVIEW  59          MARTINSVILLE             42         

TERRE HAUTE NORTH 56       PARKE HERITAGE 50 OT

===========

BOYS WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

===========

INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL “SAGARIN” RATINGS

4A

1. WARSAW
2. PIKE
3. HOMESTEAD
4. HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN
5. EVANSVILLE REITZ
6. BROWNSBURG
7. VALPARAISO
8. CENTER GROVE
9. FLOYD CENTRAL
10. LAWRENCE CENTRAL

3A

1. SILVER CREEK
2. BELLMONT
3. GREENSBURG
4. WASHINGTON
5. CATHEDRAL
6. RONCALLI
7. JENNINGS COUNTY
8. CHARLESTOWN
9. EVANSVILLE CENTRAL
10. COLUMBIA CITY

2A

1. WHITKO
2. SOUTH KNOX
3. EVANSVILLE MATER DEI
4. NORTH KNOX
5. TRITON CENTRAL
6. BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL
7. BREMEN
8. PROVIDENCE
9. RENSSELAER CENTRAL
10. AUSTIN

1A

1. MARQUETTE CATHOLIC
2. BORDEN
3. EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN
4. TRINITY LUTHERAN
5. ORLEANS
6. ELKHART CHRISTIAN
7. FREMONT
8. SPRINGS VALLEY
9. KOUTS
10. OLDENBURG ACADEMY

===========

INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL

TUESDAY’S SCORES

BLOOMINGTON SOUTH         53          WARREN CENTRAL    36         

BOONE GROVE            51          LAKE STATION              45         

EVANSVILLE MATER DEI         59          TELL CITY         32         

EVANSVILLE NORTH 61          EVANSVILLE HARRISON         37         

FOREST PARK 53          CRAWFORD COUNTY             49         

GRIFFITH          67          RIVER FOREST              53         

HUNTINGTON NORTH            64          MISSISSINEWA             38         

INDIANAPOLIS TINDLEY        72          INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA       31         

JAC-CEN-DEL 52          NORTH DECATUR       50         

JAY COUNTY   66          YORKTOWN    59         

LAFAYETTE JEFF           51          RENSSELAER CENTRAL         44         

NEW CASTLE 58          LEBANON        40         

NORTH DAVIESS          40          TECUMSEH     34         

OLDENBURG ACADEMY        49          WALDRON      13         

OWEN VALLEY             69          BROWN COUNTY       36         

PERRY MERIDIAN        45          PARK TUDOR 43         

ROCK CREEK ACADEMY        54          WASHINGTON CATHOLIC    24         

SULLIVAN        44          TERRE HAUTE NORTH             32         

TIPPECANOE VALLEY              51          FORT WAYNE WAYNE              29         

VINCENNES RIVET     54          SHOALS            15         

WARSAW          76          FAIRFIELD        58         

WASHINGTON 69       NORTH POSEY             32         

AUSTIN TOURNAMENT

SPRINGS VALLEY        52          SWITZERLAND COUNTY        25         

BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE          47          TRINITY LUTHERAN   26         

AUSTIN 63       WEST WASHINGTON 31         

PAOLI  41          LANESVILLE    32         

JASPER              52          JEFFERSONVILLE        38         

SHAWE MEMORIAL   57          SOUTH DEARBORN   14         

TRINITY LUTHERAN   55          SWITZERLAND COUNTY        25         

BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE          57          SPRINGS VALLEY        52         

LANESVILLE    44          SOUTH DEARBORN   17         

SHAWE MEMORIAL   52          PAOLI  36         

JEFFERSONVILLE        72          WEST WASHINGTON 21         

JASPER              46          AUSTIN              41         

BREBEUF JESUIT CLASSIC

BREBEUF JESUIT         51          INDIAN CREEK             37         

CORYDON CENTRAL 54          HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE)          43         

INDIAN CREEK             46          HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE)          41         

BREBEUF JESUIT         47          CORYDON CENTRAL 43         

CARL SANDBURG (ILL.) TOURNAMENT

LAKE CENTRAL            49          LARKIN (ILL.)  44         

CENTER GROVE TOURNAMENT

CENTER GROVE          46          BROWNSBURG            43         

SILVER CREEK              70          NORTH KNOX 53         

BROWNSBURG            92          NORTH KNOX 52         

CENTER GROVE          47          SILVER CREEK              38         

MIAMI COUNTY INVITATIONAL

NORTH MIAMI               32          CASTON           30         

MACONAQUAH           49          PERU   36         

NORTH CENTRAL CLASSIC

VALPARAISO  52          AVON  40         

INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL 60         NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) 58         

HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 50        DECATUR CENTRAL  44         

NORTHEASTERN TOURNAMENT

DELTA 46          NORTHEASTERN         42         

BORDEN           59          HERITAGE CHRISTIAN             49         

SOUTH KNOX 64          LAPEL 48         

FLOYD CENTRAL         47          CONNERSVILLE          32         

NORTHRIDGE TOURNAMENT

WESTFIELD     53          NORTHRIDGE               48         

GREENSBURG              65          MARQUETTE CATHOLIC        56         

HOMESTEAD  65          FRANKLIN CENTRAL 51         

PENN  59          RUSHVILLE     16         

MARQUETTE CATHOLIC        73          RUSHVILLE     41         

NORTHRIDGE               64          FRANKLIN CENTRAL 57         

PENN  41          WESTFIELD     34         

HOMESTEAD  84          GREENSBURG              44         

SCOTTSBURG TOURNAMENT

BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL    52          SEYMOUR        45         

MADISON        66          SCOTTSBURG               34         

SEYMOUR        63          SCOTTSBURG               44         

MADISON        49          BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL    37         

EAST CENTRAL             59          BATESVILLE    23         

COLUMBUS NORTH  54          EASTERN (PEKIN)        42         

SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH TOURNAMENT

SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH     73          LAKELAND       27         

PORTAGE         57          GOSHEN          23         

LAKELAND       48          GOSHEN          33         

SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH     90          PORTAGE         39         

TWIN LAKES TOURNAMENT

MCCUTCHEON           68          MUNSTER        37         

MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE)          67          TWIN LAKES    29         

CROWN POINT            61          INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD      53         

===========

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE

ALL TIMES EASTERN

FREMONT AT  FORT WAYNE LUERS 1:00 PM            

===========

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING

https://indianamat.com

===========

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TOP 25:

#12 NORTH CAROLINA 79 FLORIDA STATE 66

#19 TENNESSEE 105 SOUTH CAROLINA STATE 54

#16 LOUISVILLE 90 CALIFORNIA 70

#13 NEBRASKA 86 NEW HAMPSHIRE 55

#7 GONZAGA 99 SAN DIEGO 93

ELSEWHERE:

OHIO 80 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 64

PRINCETON 75 VERMONT 69 OT

WYOMING 68 AIR FORCE 56

NORTHWESTERN 80 HOWARD 60

SOUTH CAROLINA 96 ALBANY 67

TOLEDO 84 WESTERN MICHIGAN 79

WISCONSIN 80 MILWAUKEE 60

MIAMI OHIO 93 BOWLING GREEN 83

MIAMI FLORIDA 76 PITTSBURGH 69

SETON HALL 79 MARQUETTE 73

TEMPLE 76 CHARLOTTE 73

DUQUESNE 89 DAVIDSON 83 2OT

EASTERN MICHIGAN 80 MASSACHUSETTS 74

NOTRE DAME 47 STANFORD 40

CREIGHTON 89 BUTLER 85

ST. MARY’S 72 PEPPERDINE 45

UTAH STATE 72 FRESNO STATE 63

NEVADA 75 COLORADO STATE 62

SANTA CLARA 92 PORTLAND 85

OREGON STATE 70 SAN FRANCISCO 62

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 80 PACIFIC 71

SEATTLE 69 WASHINGTON STATE 55

SAN DIEGO STATE 81 SAN JOSE STATE 68

BOISE STATE 62 NEW MEXICO 53

===========

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TOP 25:

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

ELSEWHERE:

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

===========

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

TUESDAY, DEC. 30

LOUISIANA TECH 23 COASTAL CAROLINA 14

ILLINOIS 30 TENNESSEE 28

TCU 30 USC 27 OT

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 31

12 P.M. | NO. 14 VANDERBILT VS. NO. 23 IOWA | RELIAQUEST BOWL (TAMPA, FLA.) | ESPN

2 P.M. | DUKE VS. ARIZONA STATE | SUN BOWL (EL PASO, TEXAS) | CBS

3 P.M. | NO. 13 TEXAS VS. NO. 18 MICHIGAN | CITRUS BOWL (ORLANDO, FLA.) | ABC

3:30 P.M. | NO. 15 UTAH VS. NEBRASKA | LAS VEGAS BOWL (LAS VEGAS, NEV.) | ESPN

7:30 P.M. | NO. 2 OHIO STATE VS. NO. 10 MIAMI (FLA.) | COTTON BOWL (CFP QUARTERFINAL) (ARLINGTON, TEXAS) | ESPN

THURSDAY, JAN. 1

12 P.M. | NO. 4 TEXAS TECH VS. NO. 5 OREGON | ORANGE BOWL (CFP QUARTERFINAL) (MIAMI, FLA.) | ESPN

4 P.M. | NO. 1 INDIANA VS. NO. 9 ALABAMA | ROSE BOWL (CFP QUARTERFINAL) (PASADENA, CA.) | ESPN

8 P.M. | NO. 3 GEORGIA VS. NO. 6 OLE MISS | SUGAR BOWL (CFP QUARTERFINAL) (NEW ORLEANS, LA.) | ESPN

FRIDAY, JAN. 2

1 P.M. | RICE VS. TEXAS STATE | ARMED FORCES BOWL (FORT WORTH, TEXAS) | ESPN

4:30 P.M. | NAVY VS. CINCINNATI | LIBERTY BOWL (MEMPHIS, TENN.) | ESPN

8 P.M. | WAKE FOREST VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE | DUKE’S MAYO BOWL (CHARLOTTE, N.C.) | ESPN

8 P.M. | SMU VS. ARIZONA | HOLIDAY BOWL (SAN DIEGO) | FOX

THURSDAY, JAN. 8

7:30 P.M. | FIESTA BOWL (CFP SEMIFINAL) (GLENDALE, ARIZ.) | ESPN

FRIDAY, JAN. 9

7:30 P.M. | PEACH BOWL (CFP SEMIFINAL) (ATLANTA, GA.) | ESPN

MONDAY, JAN. 19

7:30 P.M. | COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (MIAMI, FLA.) | ESPN

===========

WEEK 18 SCHEDULE

SATURDAY, JAN. 3

CAROLINA PANTHERS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, 4:30 P.M. ET

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, 8 P.M. ET

SUNDAY, JAN. 4

GREEN BAY PACKERS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS, 1 P.M. ET

CLEVELAND BROWNS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS, 1 P.M. ET

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT HOUSTON TEXANS, 1 P.M. ET

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT ATLANTA FALCONS, 1 P.M. ET

DALLAS COWBOYS AT NEW YORK GIANTS, 1 P.M. ET

TENNESSEE TITANS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS, 1 P.M. ET

NEW YORK JETS AT BUFFALO BILLS, 4:25 P.M. ET

DETROIT LIONS AT CHICAGO BEARS, 4:25 P.M. ET

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT DENVER BRONCOS, 4:25 P.M. ET

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS, 4:25 P.M. ET

ARIZONA CARDINALS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS, 4:25 P.M. ET

MIAMI DOLPHINS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, 4:25 P.M. ET

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, 4:25 P.M. ET

BALTIMORE RAVENS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS, 8:20 P.M. ET

============

NBA

PHILADELPHIA 139 MEMPHIS 136 OT

BOSTON 129 UTAH 119

DETROIT 128 LA LAKERS 106

LA CLIPPERS 131 SACRAMENTO 90

============

NHL

MONTRÉAL 3 FLORIDA 2 OT

TORONTO 4 NEW JERSEY 0

PITTSBURGH 5 CAROLINA 1

NY ISLANDERS 3 CHICAGO 2

PHILADELPHIA 6 VANCOUVER 3

============

TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES/PRESS RELEASES

NFL NEWS

WEEK 18 NFL PREVIEW

Two playoff spots, four division titles and the top seed in both conferences will be decided in Week 18.

Denver (13-3, AFC West champion), New England (13-3, AFC East champion), Jacksonville (12-4), Buffalo (11-5), Houston (11-5) and the Los Angeles Chargers (11-5) – have secured AFC playoff berths with the winner of Baltimore (8-8) at Pittsburgh (9-7) in #Game272 on Sunday Night Football (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC) deciding the final AFC playoff team.

Seattle (13-3), San Francisco (12-4), Chicago (11-5, NFC North champion), the Los Angeles Rams (11-5),  Philadelphia (11-5, NFC East champion) and Green Bay (9-6-1) have qualified for the postseason in the NFC while the winner of the NFC South and final NFC playoff team will be Carolina (8-8) or Tampa Bay (7-9), who meet in Tampa on Saturday afternoon (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC).

The Bears and Patriots won their division this season after finishing last in their divisions in 2024. In 20 of the past 23 seasons (2003-25), at least one team finished in first place in its division the season after finishing in last or tied for last place. The 49ers and Panthers can also accomplish this feat on Saturday in Week 18.

Three divisions – AFC East (New England), AFC West (Denver) and NFC North (Chicago) – have a new winner this season while four other divisions – AFC North (Pittsburgh), AFC South (Jacksonville), NFC South (Carolina) and NFC West (Seattle) – each have a team in first place entering Week 18 that did not win its division last season. There have been at least two new division winners for 23 consecutive seasons (2003-25) and since 2002, there have been seven new division winners in a season only once (2011).

Five teams – Chicago, Jacksonville, New England, San Francisco and Seattle – have qualified for the playoffs after missing the postseason last year. Since 1990 – a streak of 36 consecutive seasons (1990-2025) – at least four teams every season have qualified for the playoffs after failing to make the postseason the year before. Carolina can join this group on Saturday with a win.

The AFC entering Week 18:

AFC North #Game272: The Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) will host the Baltimore Ravens (8-8) in #Game272, the final game of the 2025 regular season, on Sunday Night Football (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC) to determine the AFC North division champion. In Week 14, the Steelers defeated the Ravens, 27-22, as quarterback Aaron Rodgers passed for 284 yards and had two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) in the victory.

• Pittsburgh can win the division for the first time since 2020 while Baltimore seeks its third consecutive AFC North title.
• The Ravens can become the third team since 1970 to begin 1-5 and win their division in the same season, joining Washington in 2020 and Cincinnati in 1970.

AFC South: The Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4) lead the Houston Texans (11-5) by one game entering the final week of the season.

• Jacksonville hosts Tennessee (3-13) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX) and with a win, can secure the fifth division title in franchise history (1998-99, 2017 and 2022) and reach 13 wins in a season for the second time ever (14 wins in 1999).
• Houston hosts Indianapolis (8-8) in Week 18 (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS) and are the fifth team since 1990 to begin 0-3 and qualify for the postseason, joining the 2018 Houston Texans, 1998 Buffalo Bills, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1992 San Diego Chargers.
• With a Houston win and a Jacksonville loss in Week 18, the Texans win 12 games in a season for the second time in franchise history (2012) and secure their third consecutive division title.

AFC No. 1 seed: The Denver Broncos (13-3), New England Patriots (13-3) and Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4) each can secure the top seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs in Week 18.

• Denver would be the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a win against the Los Angeles Chargers (11-5) on Sunday afternoon (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS). The Broncos, which won the AFC West for the first time since 2015, can win 14 games in a season for the second time in franchise history (1998). Denver won Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, the host of Super Bowl LX, the last time they were the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
• On Sunday, New England can earn the top seed with a win against Miami (7-9) (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX) and a Denver loss while Jacksonville would be the top seed with a win against Tennessee (3-13) (1 p.m. ET, FOX) and losses by both Denver and New England.

The NFC entering Week 18:

NFC West and the No. 1 seed: The Seattle Seahawks (13-3) visit the San Francisco 49ers (12-4) on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC) with the winner securing the NFC West division title along with the top seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The 49ers defeated the Seahawks, 17-13, in Week 1 as quarterback Brock Purdy connected with tight end Jake Tonges for the game-winning touchdown with 1:44 remaining.

• With a win, the Seahawks can set a single season franchise record with 14 wins and win the division for the first time since 2020. Seattle can be the No. 1 seed for the first time since 2014, when they won Super Bowl XLVIII.
• Since head coach Mike Macdonald was hired in 2024, Seattle leads the NFL with 14 road victories, the second-most road wins by a head coach in his first two seasons all time (George Seifert, 16 road wins from 1989-90).
• The 49ers can win the NFC West for the third time in the past four seasons and win 13 games in a season for the third time under head coach Kyle Shanahan (2019 and 2022).
• San Francisco can become the top seed for the third time in the past seven seasons (2019 and 2023), previously advancing to the Super Bowl on both occasions. Since 1975, the 49ers have been the No. 1 seed 10 times, the most among all teams.

NFC South: The Carolina Panthers (8-8) will visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9) on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC) and one of those two teams will claim the NFC South division title and the No. 4 seed in the NFC playoffs. In Week 16, the Panthers defeated the Buccaneers, 23-20, as quarterback Bryce Young had two touchdown passes and a 102.5 rating in the win.

• Carolina can clinch its first NFC South division title since 2015 with a win OR an Atlanta victory over New Orleans in Week 18.
• Tampa Bay needs a win in Week 18 along with an Atlanta loss to win the division for the fifth consecutive season.
• The Panthers can become the 10th team in the past 20 seasons (2006-25) to secure a division title after beginning a season 1-3.

Among the milestones players can reach in Week 18:

Cleveland’s Myles Garrett leads the NFL with 22 sacks and can surpass Michael Strahan (22.5 sacks in 2001 with the New York Giants) and T.J. Watt (22.5 in 2021 with Pittsburgh) for the most sacks in a season since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic. 

Baltimore’s Derrick Henry ranks fourth in NFL history with 122 career rushing touchdowns and can tie Pro Football Hall of Famer Marcus Allen (123 rushing touchdowns) for the third-most rushing touchdowns in NFL history, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith (164) and LaDainian Tomlinson (145).

Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson leads the NFL with 2,255 scrimmage yards and can become the third player all-time with 2,400 scrimmage yards in a season, joining Chris Johnson (2,509 scrimmage yards in 2009 with Tennessee) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk (2,429 in 1999 with the St. Louis Rams).

Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba has 1,709 receiving yards in 2025 and can become the seventh player all-time with at least 1,800 receiving yards in a single season.

WEEK 18 PLAYOFF SCENARIOS

AFC

CLINCHED:

Denver Broncos (13-3) – AFC West

New England Patriots (13-3) – AFC East

Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4) – playoff berth

Buffalo Bills (11-5) – playoff berth

Houston Texans (11-5) – playoff berth

Los Angeles Chargers (11-5) – playoff berth
 

Denver Broncos (13-3) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (11-5); Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS

Denver clinches the AFC’s No. 1 seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage with:

1. DEN win OR
2. DEN tie + NE loss or tie OR
3. NE loss + JAX loss or tie
   
   
   

New England Patriots (13-3) vs. Miami (7-9); Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX

New England clinches the AFC’s No. 1 seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage with:

1. NE win + DEN loss or tie OR
2. NE tie + DEN loss
    

Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4) vs. Tennessee (3-13); Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX

Jacksonville clinches AFC South division title and the AFC’s No. 1 seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage with:

1. JAX win + DEN loss + NE loss

Jacksonville clinches AFC South division title with:

1. JAX win or tie OR
2. HOU loss or tie
    

Houston Texans (11-5) vs. Indianapolis (8-8); Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS

Houston clinches AFC South division title with:

1. HOU win + JAX loss
    

Baltimore Ravens (8-8) at Pittsburgh (9-7); Sunday night, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC

Baltimore clinches AFC North division title with:

1. BAL win
    

Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) vs. Baltimore (8-8); Sunday night, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC

Pittsburgh clinches AFC North division title with:

1. PIT win or tie
    

NFC

CLINCHED:

Seattle Seahawks (13-3) – playoff berth

San Francisco 49ers (12-4) – playoff berth

Chicago Bears (11-5) – NFC North

Los Angeles Rams (11-5) – playoff berth

Philadelphia Eagles (11-5) – NFC East

Green Bay Packers (9-6-1) – playoff berth
 

San Francisco 49ers (12-4) vs. Seattle (13-3); Saturday night, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC

San Francisco clinches NFC West division title and the NFC’s No. 1 seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage with:

1. SF win
    

Seattle Seahawks (13-3) at San Francisco (12-4); Saturday night, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC

Seattle clinches NFC West division title and the NFC’s No. 1 seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage with:

1. SEA win or tie
   
   

Carolina Panthers (8-8) at Tampa Bay (7-9); Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC

Carolina clinches NFC South division title with:

1. CAR win or tie OR
2. ATL win
    

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9) vs. Carolina (8-8); Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC

Tampa Bay clinches NFC South division title with:

1. TB win + ATL loss or tie

PATRIOTS STAR RECEIVER STEFON DIGGS FACES STRANGULATION CHARGES, DENIES ALLEGATIONS

BOSTON (AP) — New England Patriots star wide receiver Stefon Diggs is facing strangulation and other criminal charges in connection with an episode that happened earlier this month, police said.

News of the charges emerged after a court hearing Tuesday in Dedham, Massachusetts. It is unclear what led to the charges, which include felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery.

Diggs’ lawyer, David Meier, said in an emailed statement that Diggs “categorically denies these allegations.”

Meier said the allegations never occurred, describing them as unsubstantiated and uncorroborated.

“The timing and motivation for making the allegations is crystal clear: they are the direct result of an employee-employer financial dispute that was not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction,” Meier wrote.

In a statement, the Patriots said they were also standing by Diggs: “We support Stefon,” the team said.

Diggs, 32, established himself as one of the NFL’s best wide receivers during a run with Minnesota and Buffalo from 2018 to 2023, when he had six consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons and was selected to the Pro Bowl four times.

After a lackluster stint in Houston last year, Diggs ended up in New England, signing a three-year, $69 million deal in free agency that guaranteed him $26 million.

Diggs has proven a reliable target for second-year quarterback Drake Maye and is a big reason why the team has once again clinched the AFC East title as the team heads toward the playoffs.

Off the field, though, his tenure with the Patriots got off to a rocky start when a video surfaced on social media in May showing Diggs passing what appeared to be a bag of pink crystals to women on a boat.

It wasn’t clear what the substance was, and an NFL spokesperson said the league would not comment. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said the team would handle that matter internally.

STEELERS COULD HAVE T.J. WATT BACK FOR ‘AFC NORTH CHAMPIONSHIP’ SHOWDOWN AGAINST RAVENS

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers could have outside linebacker T.J. Watt back for their “win or go home” showdown with Baltimore for the AFC North title on Sunday night.

Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday he’s “more optimistic” than he has been that the perennial Pro Bowl edge rusher will be available after sitting out each of the past three games while recovering from surgery to repair a partially collapsed lung sustained following a dry needling treatment.

Tomlin added he’d like to see Watt practice fully at some point this week. Watt was a limited participant last week before being held out of Sunday’s 13-6 loss to Cleveland, a setback that cost the Steelers (9-7) a chance to wrap up the division with a week to go.

Now, Pittsburgh either needs to win or tie the Ravens (8-8) on Sunday night to win the AFC North for the first time since 2020.

Tomlin doesn’t think Watt’s extended downtime will have a significant impact on the 31-year-old Watt’s stamina, should he be cleared to play.

“I doubt that TJ is ever out of football shape or conditioning over the course of a 12-month calendar,” Tomlin said. “I just know how he lives his life and how he prepares and how thoughtful he is in terms of what he puts in his body and how we trains.”

While Watt’s familiar No. 90 could return, massive tight end Darnell Washington is out indefinitely after having surgery on Monday for a broken arm suffered in the first half against the Browns. Tomlin did not rule out Washington’s potential availability should Pittsburgh advance to the playoffs, though the Steelers would likely need to make a deep run to have any chance of seeing the uniquely talented 6-foot-7, 300-plus-pound Washington in the huddle.

Wide receiver Calvin Austin III (hamstring), veteran left guard Isaac Seumalo (triceps), cornerback Brandon Echols (groin) and cornerback James Pierre (calf) — all of whom sat out last week — could return against the Ravens.

The Steelers will need as many healthy bodies available as possible, particularly on offense, to avoid a stunning late collapse. Pittsburgh sputtered in Cleveland without suspended wide receiver DK Metcalf, who will also sit out this week as punishment for making contact with a fan in Detroit earlier this month.

Pittsburgh managed just 160 net yards passing against the Browns, a big chunk of it coming on a last-second drive that ended with Aaron Rodgers throwing incomplete in the end zone to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling on three consecutive plays.

Rodgers had perhaps his best game of the season in Pittsburgh’s road win at Baltimore on Dec. 7, thanks in large part to a seven-catch, 148-yard performance from Metcalf. Downfield shots were nowhere to be found on a blustery day in Cleveland, where Rodgers’ longest completion was a 29-yarder to tight end Pat Freiermuth.

While Tomlin allowed both teams will add a “wrinkle” or two in the rematch, the reality is scheme is unlikely to play a significant role in a series that has produced its fair share of memorable high-stakes meetings through the years.

The stakes should keep the Steelers from having a hangover after letting the lowly Browns jump to an early 10-point lead before holding on.

Asked if it was frustrating to lose to a team that came in with just three wins on the season with so much on the line, Tomlin shrugged.

“Man, there’s a lot of things that you could get frustrated about in our business,” he said. “I’ve learned to kind of always move forward. My windshield is much bigger than my rearview.”

Maybe, but there’s a chance the game could also be the 264th and final regular-season game of quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ Hall of Fame-caliber career. The 42-year-old four-time MVP said over the summer that his 21st season could be his last, though he also said last week he feels as if he’s aging backward and has been relatively healthy save for a broken left wrist that forced him to sit out a loss to Chicago in late November.

Rodgers said on Sunday that he expects Pittsburgh to recover and beat the Ravens. That inherent confidence is one of the reasons the Steelers spent months courting him in free agency last spring.

“That’s one of the things that made him really attractive to us, that ‘can do’ attitude and the experience and resume that goes with it,” Tomlin said. “I don’t think it’s work for him. I think it is as natural as breathing. And so if he’s breathing, I expect to see that from him as we lean in on this game.”

49ERS RB CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY, LT TRENT WILLIAMS MISS PRACTICE

The San Francisco 49ers practiced Tuesday without two key pieces of their offense, running back Christian McCaffrey and left tackle Trent Williams.

They were not mere veterans’ rest days. McCaffrey appeared on the injury list with a new back issue, and Williams was listed with the right hamstring injury sustained Sunday night in San Francisco’s 42-38 win over the Chicago Bears.

The NFC West title and No. 1 playoff seed in the conference are on the line when the 49ers host the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, and it’s up in the air whether either former All-Pro player will miss the game.

Niners coach Kyle Shanahan called McCaffrey’s ailment “back stiffness,” and the running back insisted to reporters Tuesday it was not serious. As for Williams, he left the Bears game after hurting his hamstring on the first play of the night.

“Not sure how long (he’ll be out),” Shanahan said. “He’s got a shot for this week.”

McCaffrey has battled injuries throughout his career but has started all 16 games for San Francisco thus far this season. He has compiled a career-high 303 carries for 1,179 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 96 receptions for 890 yards and seven scores.

The 49ers listed tight end George Kittle (ankle) as a limited participant in Tuesday’s practice. Kittle sat out the Bears game, and his return for Week 18 is no guarantee.

“I wouldn’t assume that” Kittle will play, Shanahan said. “We’re barely moving today. We have a short week, so we won’t be doing much all week.”

Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee/ankle) and defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos (knee) were the other notable 49ers who were limited on Tuesday. Defensive lineman Keion White (groin) and fullback Kyle Juszczyk (hip) sat out.

The Seahawks held a walkthrough on Tuesday and listed starting left tackle Charles Cross (hamstring) and his backup Josh Jones (ankle/knee) as DNPs on their estimated report. Wide receiver/return specialist Rashid Shaheed (concussion) and safety Coby Bryant (knee) were limited.

BUCS DENOTE QB BAKER MAYFIELD LIMITED ON ESTIMATED PRACTICE REPORT

During his three years in Tampa Bay, quarterback Baker Mayfield has yet to miss a starting assignment. It’s unlikely he’s going to miss Saturday’s regular-season finale.

There have been many injury obstacles for the veteran to overcome, especially in 2025, and another set are at work as the Buccaneers face a must-win situation this weekend.

Mayfield was designated as a limited participant on Tuesday’s estimated injury report, listing right shoulder and knee injuries.

Tampa Bay conducted a walk-through practice in preparation for Saturday’s home contest vs. NFC South-leading Carolina.

Mayfield has steered clear of the injury report in recent weeks after landing on the list earlier in the season with a left shoulder injury.

In the first nine games this season, Mayfield threw 16 touchdowns and only two interceptions as the Bucs took control of the division with a 6-3 mark. But as Tampa Bay has backslid over the past two months, Mayfield has struggled, tossing eight picks and nine touchdowns.

His completion percentage is down to 62.8%, the lowest in three seasons in Tampa. For the season, he has thrown for 3,490 yards, 25 TD passes and 10 interceptions.

Tampa Bay must defeat Carolina and have New Orleans defeat Atlanta to win the NFC South with an 8-9 record.

COWBOYS RELEASE VETERAN CB TREVON DIGGS

The Dallas Cowboys released two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old veteran will be subject to the waiver process and if unclaimed, will become a free agent.

Diggs confirmed the news to NFL Network, telling a reporter that “he will miss his time in Dallas, he assures me he is healthy and motivated as he looks to join another team looking for another piece to add this postseason.”

Diggs, a second-round pick by Dallas in the 2020 NFL Draft, signed a five-year, $97 million extension in July 2023.

Any team claiming him would be on the hook for Diggs’ base salary of $472,000 for Week 18, plus $58,823 if he is active for this week’s game, per ESPN.

Since signing the extension ahead of the 2023 season, Diggs has played in just 21 of a possible 50 games, dealing with multiple injuries.

He sustained a torn ACL in practice two games into the 2023 campaign and missed the rest of the season.

He was activated from the physically unable to perform list in August after missing the final six games of the 2024 season with a left knee injury.

Diggs then landed on injured reserve on Oct. 25, reportedly to help strengthen a right knee problem, though he also reportedly suffered a concussion in an “accident at his home” at some point after a Week 6 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer and owner Jerry Jones did not share details of the incident or described how Diggs was injured.

He returned to action for the Cowboys’ past two games, notching a combined seven tackles in a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and a win over the Washington Commanders.

Diggs has 25 tackles in eight games (six starts) this season for the Cowboys (7-8-1), whose season ends on the road on Sunday against the New York Giants.

In 66 career games (63 starts), Diggs has 20 interceptions, 63 passes defensed and 240 tackles. He was named first-team All-Pro in 2021, when he led the league with 11 interceptions and returned two of them for touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2022.

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL

RESTED OR RUSTY? TOP FOUR PLAYOFF SEEDS EAGER TO SHOW THEY ARE READY AS CFP QUARTERFINALS ARRIVE

No. 1 Indiana spent several December weeks reveling in the luster of the best season in school history.

They sung the school’s fight song in the confetti celebration following their first Big Ten championship since 1967 and first outright title since 1945. They were featured on “60 Minutes.” They signed their offensive and defensive coordinators to contract extensions. They even flew to New Yorck City and took photos of quarterback Fernando Mendoza and his brand new Heisman Trophy in Times Square.

And now that they know their Rose Bowl opponent after Alabama rallied for a 34-24 victory at Oklahoma, Indiana has spent the past 10 days prepping to prove they’re worthy of holding both the No. 1 ranking and the top seed in the College Football Playoff.

“We understand that just like the Big Ten Championship game, just like any other big games we played this season, this page is now folded, although I will be in the (Heisman) fraternity for the rest of my life,” Mendoza said after returning to campus with the Heisman. “Our focus right now is winning the College Football Playoff. That’s what would make this trophy so much sweeter.”

Last year was the first for the expanded 12-team playoff, and the top four seeds with first-round byes — Oregon, Georgia, Bosie State and Arizona State — all lost in the quarterfinals. This year’s top seeds — Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia and Texas Tech — want to prove last year was a fluke.

Georgia (12-1) face conference foe Ole Miss (12-1) in a New Year’s Day rematch at the Sugar Bowl; the Bulldogs dealt the Rebels their only loss. The defending champion Buckeyes (12-1) have spent the past couple weeks getting healthy and making one key change. Coach Ryan Day will be calling the plays when Ohio State faces Miami (11-2) in the Cotton Bowl on Wednesday night.

“There’s not a game that’s gone by where I’m not involved or listening to every call and making sure it’s what we’ve agreed upon going in (to the game),” Day said, explaining why he’s taking over the playcalling from new South Florida coach Brian Hartline. “So, it’s similar to the way it was before.”

The other quarterfinal matchup pits Texas Tech (12-1), the Big 12 champion, against Oregon (11-1).

The Hoosiers (13-0) never lost their focus in 2025, thanks partly to second-year coach Curt Cignetti but mostly because the Hoosiers’ returning contingent — players such as linebacker Aiden Fisher, defensive end Mikail Kamara and receivers Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. — wouldn’t allow it.

Neither did the newcomers such as Mendoza and starting center Pat Coogan, who immediately embraced Indiana’s mission to avenge the two losses that tainted Cignetti’s otherwise flawless first season: At eventual national champion Ohio State and at eventual national runner-up Notre Dame.

Outsiders entered this season wondering whether the remarkable turnaround of the losingest football program in Football Bowl Subdivision history was merely a one-hit wonder. Yet with each passing week, the Hoosiers answered the challenge, turning some doubters into believers.

“For us, it’s not really three weeks of being off, it’s more so about getting better at what you do right now,” Fisher said. “And when the time comes to scout another opponent, you’ll be an even better player and in a better situation to do that. I think that’s a big thing.”

Now comes the toughest test so far: A game at the Rose Bowl against the Crimson Tide, which has won six national championships since 2009. Cignetti is a former Alabama assistant while Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer is a former Indiana assistant.

“We understand we’ve got a great football team with Indiana,” DeBoer said. “Coach Cignetti, just what he’s done is amazing here these last two years, just building the program as quickly as he’s done to the level it’s at. Really looking forward to us diving back into our process here, getting back to work.”

So far, Indiana has met every challenge with late scores to win at Iowa, at Oregon and at Penn State before upsetting the then top-ranked Buckeyes on Dec. 6. Cignetti has relied on those lessons to help his team through his long layoff.

“Until we knew the opponent, we treated it like two bye weeks. Now we have almost two weeks to prepare for the opponent,” he said last week. “Would I prefer to play earlier? Yeah, I probably would, to be quite honest with you. But that’s not the case. We’re excited about playing. We’re off to a good start, and it will be a tremendous challenge.”

The Hoosiers don’t expect anything less from themselves. They intend to be rested and ready — not rusty.

“I believe we’ve earned these bye weeks,” Mendoza said. “I think it’s a great honor to have a bye week, and we still have great momentum going into the playoff. I think it’s a great opportunity to rest our bodies and stay sharp on our fundamentals.”

ALABAMA DEFENDERS HUBBARD, LAWSON AND JEFFERSON ARE TRAVELING REDEMPTION ROAD TO THE ROSE BOWL

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama’s defense is filled with comeback and redemption stories.

There’s safety Bray Hubbard, a junior who struggled in a season-opening loss at Florida State and rallied to become a third-team All-America selection.

There’s linebacker Deontae Lawson, a senior who tore a ligament in his right knee in November 2024 and worked his way back in time for the opener. He leads the Crimson Tide with 85 tackles.

There’s fellow linebacker Justin Jefferson, another senior who initially thought he was out of college eligibility before being granted an additional year as a former junior college transfer. He ranks second on the team in tackles (82) and tackles for loss (6 1/2).

The trio leads the way for a unit that seems determined to make amends for a disappointing season last year. They’ll no doubt be ones to watch when the 13th-ranked Crimson Tide (10-3) take on No. 1 Indiana (13-0) and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup at the Rose Bowl on Thursday. Alabama is the No. 9 seed in the CFP.

“You think back on where we have gone and you think about a year ago,” Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said. “Not being able to answer the bell and not punch back. Now, I think all our kids do is they fight, they punch and they just keep punching.”

It starts with Hubbard, Lawson and Jefferson — three guys who seem to play with a chip on their shoulder.

Hubbard was widely vilified for his effort against the Seminoles, including one particular play in which he appeared to be jogging, and he didn’t bother trying to defend himself. Instead, he vowed to let it fuel him the rest of the season.

Since that 31-17 loss in Tallahassee, Alabama has have been mostly buttoned up on that side of the ball, holding 11 of its last 12 opponents to 24 points or fewer.

“I know he was super disappointed,” coach Kalen DeBoer said about Hubbard. “Many guys were, with Week 1, with just the production. I would never really question how important it is to him. It means so much to play at a high level but even more to do it with his teammates.

“He takes it upon himself to make sure that, yes, the unit that’s on the field, the 1s, the 2s, that they’re playing at a high level and held to the standard.”

Lawson and Jefferson could be in the NFL right now. But they were among six defensive starters who put off the draft and opted to stay in school. Among the reasons: they wanted another shot at a national championship after last year’s team stumbled at Oklahoma and got left out of the playoff.

That game was in the front of their minds when Alabama got a rematch in Norman in the opening round of the CFP. Defense was the main reason the Tide turned a 17-0 deficit into a 34-24 victory. The unit intercepted a pass for a touchdown to gain momentum and allowed just seven points in the second half.

“We’ve faced about every offense that you can think of,” Hubbard said. “We’ve kind of seen it all and just keep growing. That’s kind of what you got to do.”

Alabama ranks 13th nationally in total yards allowed (288.9 a game) and points allowed (17.9 a game). Alabama already has wins against several notable QBs, some of them even one-time front-runners in the Heisman race. The list includes Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Oklahoma’s John Mateer.

Might Mendoza be next? He has the Hoosiers humming and averaging 472.8 yards and 41.9 points.

Behind Hubbard, Lawson and Jefferson, Alabama is confident it can pull an upset and keep its redemption season rolling.

OHIO STATE’S CALEB DOWNS IS QUITE THE CFP VETERAN HEADING INTO THE QUARTERFINALS AGAINST MIAMI

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Caleb Downs had to be reminded that he was getting ready for his sixth College Football Playoff game, which probably won’t be rare a decade from now but is unique in just the second year of the expanded 12-team format.

The Ohio State safety smiled at the thought and figured it couldn’t hurt to have played in the CFP as a freshman at Alabama, losing 27-20 to Michigan in overtime before transferring to the Wolverines’ biggest rival and winning four postseason games and a national championship with the Buckeyes a year ago.

“That could be a positive, just knowing that I’ve been in this situation so many times,” said Downs, a two-time Associated Press All-American. “At the end of the day, it’s not about me. It’s about everybody else feeling confident during the game. Really just trying to push that to all my teammates.”

He’s talking younger teammates such as freshman Devin Sanchez, a backup cornerback who has tried to imagine the nerves and emotions in the hours before kickoff Wednesday night in a Cotton Bowl quarterfinal against No. 10 Miami.

The Hurricanes (11-2, CFP No. 10 seed) are first-time CFP qualifiers, but got a start on those nerves with the 10-3 first-round victory at Texas A&M on Dec. 20.

The third-ranked Buckeyes (12-1, CFP No. 2) got a first-round bye despite losing to top-ranked Indiana in the Big Ten championship game.

“Lean on them a lot, more than you think,” Sanchez said. “They’re guys that have been here a lot of times, a couple of guys have been to the Cotton Bowl for the third straight year in a row. So this is not a new place for them. As a new guy, there’s nothing I can do but lean on them. The speed will be a little different. The intensity will be up a little bit more. Just lean on those guys, and when my number’s called just be able to go out there and make sure that they trust me to be out there.”

Downs remembers the nerves from his CFP debut with the Crimson Tide. He was in the Rose Bowl, a spectacle he had seen on TV as a kid.

“That was probably the biggest game I had played at the time,” said Downs, one of the top players in the 2024 portal as the first freshman to lead the storied Alabama program in tackles. “Knowing that, it was a little bit of nerves.”

The Buckeyes were in the Cotton Bowl for last season’s semifinals, beating Texas 28-14 after comfortable wins over Tennessee at home and No. 1 Oregon in a Rose Bowl quarterfinal.

Downs found a way to leave the Rose Bowl with a better feeling. Now he’ll be back on the field where he intercepted Texas’ Quinn Ewers almost a year ago, in what will be his 44th game in just three seasons.

“I think just in general with Caleb, just the amount of experience he has playing football is probably the most important thing,” first-year defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said. “His professionalism and how he prepares is probably the best example that I can point to for all the players.”

Downs, a projected first-round pick should he decide to enter the NFL draft in April, isn’t the only experienced defensive back. Davison Igbinosun and Jermaine Matthews Jr., the starting cornerbacks in front of Sanchez, have been around awhile.

Igbinosun was on the 2023 Ohio State team that also played in the Cotton Bowl, a 14-3 loss to Missouri after missing out on the last four-team playoff.

A year later, Downs was with him, believing the experience of being in the playoff didn’t matter as much as losing in the playoff.

“It definitely added a little bit of fuel to the fire because I lost my freshman year,” Downs said. “It made me want to come back and play better. I think that was a lot of what everybody else on the team felt because they didn’t have the success they wanted to earlier in their career. I think that was a hungry team. And we’ve got to be the same way this year.”

NO. 3 GEORGIA AND NO. 6 MISSISSIPPI BRACE FOR REMATCH IN THE SUGAR BOWL CFP QUARTERFINAL

No. 3 Georgia (12-1, CFP No. 3 seed) vs. No. 6 Mississippi (12-1, CFP No. 6 seed), Thursday, 8 p.m. EST (ESPN)

BetMGM Sportsbook College Football Odds: Georgia by 6 1/2.

Series record: Georgia leads 33-13-1.

What’s at stake?

The winner moves on to a CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8. Georgia comes in on the heels of an SEC championship and one year after a loss to Notre Dame in a quarterfinal at the same bowl game. Now they’ll try to beat Ole Miss a second time in one season. These two teams met in Athens on Oct. 18, with the Bulldogs winning 43-35. The was the Rebels’ only loss. They earned a rematch by routing Tulane 41-10 in the opening round of the College Football Playoff on Dec. 20, about three weeks after their coach for most of this season, Lane Kiffin, left for LSU and was replaced by former defensive coordinator Pete Golding.

Key matchup

Georgia tight end Lawson Luckie was a major matchup problem for the Ole Miss defense in the last meeting. He caught three TD passes from Bulldogs QB Gunner Stockton. Rebels linebackers and safeties will try to have a better plan this time for covering Luckie, who was a key safety valve for Stockton, particularly in the red zone. All three of Luckie’s touchdowns came on snaps inside the Ole Miss 15-yard line.

Players to watch

Mississippi: QB Trinidad Chambliss has provided one of the most compelling story lines in all of college football this season. The transfer from Division II Ferris State began the season as a backup and performed so well as an early season injury replacement that he kept the starting job for the rest of the season. Along the way, the dual-threat QB has passed for 3,298 yards and 19 TDs to go with 506 yards and eight TDs rushing.

Georgia: Stockton also is a threat as both a passer and a runner, and improved throughout his first full year as the Bulldogs’ starter. He’s completed 70.7% of his passes this season for 2,691 yards and 23 TDs while also rushing for 442 yards and eight TDs.

Facts & figures

The 50th meeting on the field between these SEC foes will be their first in the postseason. It’ll also be the eighth time they’ve played when both were ranked, with the Bulldogs having won five of the previous seven such matchups. … Georgia and Mississippi have never previously played twice in the same season. … Ole Miss’ CFP opener was Golding’s only game as a college football head coach. … Mississippi is in its 11th Sugar Bowl, having gone 6-4 in its previous 10. The Rebels’ last trip to the Sugar Bowl came after the 2021 season and they lost to Baylor 21-7. … Ole Miss led the SEC this season in total offense with 498 yards per game and passing offense with 312.4 yards per game. … Georgia is making its 13th appearance in the Sugar Bowl, having gone 5-7 in its previous 12. … The Bulldogs are in their fifth CFP, all under coach Kirby Smart. They are 5-2 in CFP games, including national titles in 2021 and 2022. … The Bulldogs won their 16th SEC championship with a 28-7 victory over Alabama on Dec. 6. Georgia has now won two straight SEC titles for the first time since winning three in a row from 1980-82. … Georgia has gone 65-6 since 2021, the best record of any Football Bowl Subdivision team during the past half decade. … Last year’s Sugar Bowl was delayed by a day because of the killing of 14 people on Bourbon Street by an attacker who drove a truck into a crowd and then died in a shootout with police in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day.

ORANGE BOWL SHOWDOWN: TEXAS TECH AND OREGON ARE MIRROR IMAGES, SET TO FACE OFF IN CFP QUARTERFINALS

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The formula for getting to this season’s Orange Bowl apparently went like this: Score a ton of points, allow very few points, have a big play on basically every possession, excel on third downs offensively, be stingy on third downs defensively.

That was Texas Tech’s path.

That was also Oregon’s path.

Numbers-wise, Texas Tech and Oregon have basically been mirroring images of one another this season. They’re both 12-1, neither has lost since mid-October, both have top-10 scoring offenses, both have top-10 scoring defenses … the similarities go on and on and on.

The Red Raiders ( No. 4 AP, No. 4 CFP) and Ducks (No. 5 AP, No. 5 CFP) will square off in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, with the winner headed to the national semifinals at the Peach Bowl next week against either Indiana or Alabama.

“Everybody knows the stakes,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “These are moments that you’re excited to get to go be a part of.”

There are no shortage of numbers that have one team looking a lot like the other. Points per game, it’s Texas Tech 42.5 and Oregon 39.2. Points allowed per game, it’s Texas Tech 10.9 and Oregon 16.3. Yards per game, it’s Texas Tech 480 and Oregon 469. Yards allowed per game, it’s Texas Tech 254 and Oregon 271. Yards allowed per play, it’s Texas Tech 3.96 and Oregon 4.36.

“How lucky are we? And that’s not a question, but man, a statement of gratitude,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said. “You know, if you had told my 13-year-old self that I’m getting ready to coach on January 1st in the Orange Bowl at 11 a.m. Central time, man, I would have probably never believed it. So, I’m just so fortunate and grateful that we get to do this and man, we’re excited.”

It could be argued that this is already the best season in Texas Tech history, with a school record for wins and a strong likelihood that the Red Raiders will finish the year 10th or better in the final AP Top 25 for the first time.

Clearly, they are aiming for much more.

“It’s more of an internal thing for us to push through and try to be the best that we can no matter what the outside voices say,” star Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez said. “If they say that we’re the best, we’ll try to play the best. If they say we’re the worst, we’ll try to play the best.”

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore said after the Ducks’ win over James Madison in Round 1 of the CFP that this has been the longest season of his life — now 14 games and counting, with the potential of two more after this one.

And he’s not complaining.

“I feel like with this team, we were very young at the beginning of the year, but we’ve had a lot of experience,” Moore said. “We’ve been pushing each other every day.”

Playing early

Texas Tech will be playing for the sixth time this season in a game starting at noon Eastern, or 11 a.m. Central. The Red Raiders are 5-0 in those games this season.

“I started saying we’re the best 11 o’clock team in the country,” McGuire said.

It’s the second noon Eastern — or 9 a.m. Pacific — game for Oregon. The Ducks beat Northwestern 34-14 on Sept. 13 in the other early kick they had this season.

And obviously, both teams have been in South Florida for a few days — plenty of time to acclimate to time changes.

Among the best

The game features some of college football’s active career leaders in a few different statistical categories at the FBS level.

Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman leads all active players in solo tackles per game over a career (4.78), while Texas Tech’s 1-2 defensive punch of Rodriguez and David Bailey are also on the active leader lists.

Rodriguez is second in forced fumbles among active FBS players (13), while Bailey is third in forced fumbles (10) and third in sacks (28).

Something will give?

A good rule for the Orange Bowl: 35 points is typically enough. And these two teams make scoring 35 points look easy at times.

Teams that score 35 or more points in the Orange Bowl are 24-1 all-time. The exception was Jan. 3, 2014, when Clemson beat Ohio State 40-35.

The average score of an Orange Bowl to this point: 28-14.

The series

This could have been the third consecutive season where Oregon and Texas Tech met on the field. They played in 2023 and were scheduled to again last season — but altered those plans so Oregon could continue its annual rivalry game with Oregon State.

The 2024 game was moved to the 2033 season.

Explosive plays

Another numerical similarity: Big plays.

Oregon has 91 plays for 20 or more yards this season, the most in the country. The No. 2 team on that list? Texas Tech, with 90 such plays.

OREGON, TEXAS TECH SET TO MAKE ORANGE BOWL DEBUTS, WITH BERTH IN CFP SEMIFINALS AT STAKE

No. 5 Oregon (12-1, CFP No. 5 seed) vs. No. 4 Texas Tech (12-1, CFP No. 4 seed), Thursday, 12 p.m. EST (ESPN)

BetMGM Sportsbook College Football Odds: Oregon by 2 1/2.

Series record: Oregon leads 3-0.

What’s at stake?

A berth in the College Football Playoff semifinals against either Indiana or Alabama awaits the winner of this game, which happens to be a matchup of two teams making their Orange Bowl debuts. The winner of the Oregon-Texas Tech game moves on to the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9; the other CFP semifinal — pitting the Ole Miss-Georgia winner against the Ohio State-Miami winner — is the day before at the Fiesta Bowl.

Key matchup

Impossible to say there is just one (or two, or three), but the obvious one would pit Oregon QB Dante Moore against the Texas Tech defensive front led by All-American LB Jacob Rodriguez. If Moore has time, he’s lethal. He’s 13-0 in college in games where he averages more than 7 yards per passing attempt.

Players to watch

Oregon: RB Jordon Davison. The freshman hurt his right foot in the CFP first-round win over James Madison, but leads the Ducks with 13 TD runs on only 98 carries this season — and the indications are that he’ll be ready to play in the Orange Bowl.

Texas Tech: LB David Bailey. He’s part of the 1-2 punch of All-Americans alongside Rodriguez, and his 12.5 sacks so far this season are the clear proof that even the best blocking schemes have been no match for him in 2025.

Facts & figures

Texas Tech has outscored opponents by 262 points in first halves this season, the biggest margin in the country. Oregon is No. 2 on that list, outscoring opponents by 222 points in the first two quarters. … Both teams had their one loss in mid-October — Texas Tech on Oct. 18 against Arizona State, Oregon on Oct. 11 against Indiana. … The teams met in 2023, a wild back-and-forth affair where Oregon prevailed 38-30. Oregon still has 13 of its players who appeared in that game, and Texas Tech still has eight. … Oregon is coming to Miami for the third time to play a third different opponent. The Ducks lost to Florida in 1929 and to the Hurricanes in 1958. … Texas Tech offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich and Oregon assistant offensive line coach/run game coordinator Cutter Leftwich are brothers. They’ve never previously faced off as coaches; they did once when Cutter, the younger brother, was playing at McNeese State and Mack was a graduate assistant at Incarnate Word. …. Oregon coach Dan Lanning is 47-7 in his career, now just ahead of Chip Kelly (46-7) for the best winning percentage as coach of the Ducks.

JEREMY PAYNE’S OT JAUNT LIFTS TCU PAST NO. 16 USC IN ALAMO BOWL

Jeremy Payne broke two tackles on his way to the game-winning touchdown and TCU shocked Southern California 30-27 in overtime to win the Alamo Bowl in dramatic fashion Tuesday in San Antonio.

TCU faced third-and-20 and needed at least a field goal to match USC and force a second overtime. Ken Seals threw a checkdown to the running back Payne, who made multiple Trojans miss while remaining inbounds along the left sideline and then sprinting to the end zone.

“We’re trying to figure out if (we’re) about to kick a field goal,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes said in the postgame TV interview. “He makes about four guys miss. You got to give our guys credit. So proud of this group, they hung in there. It didn’t look great. Jeremy made plays, Ken made plays. Defense kept us in the game.”

The unlikely play capped a comeback from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit for TCU (9-4).

Payne finished with 73 rushing yards and one touchdown along with six receptions for 50 yards and the winning score. Seals, who got the start after quarterback Josh Hoover opted out in anticipation of entering the transfer portal, finished 29-for-40 for 258 yards, the one TD and one interception.

“He’s going to be a Fort Worth legend,” Dykes said of Seals, a former starter at Vanderbilt who backed up Hoover for two years. “Never buy a drink in Fort Worth the rest of his life. He’s a great college football story. Just persevered, hung in there, and then he got his time. He got his time, he got his chance, he made the most of it and he was ready.”

Jayden Maiava completed 18 of 30 passes for 280 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for USC (9-4). King Miller rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown but was stuffed twice from the 2-yard line during overtime, leading the Trojans to settle for Ryon Sayeri’s fourth field goal of the night. Tanook Hines caught six passes for 163 yards.

Jaden Richardson made a highlight-reel play to put the Trojans ahead in the final minute of the third quarter. A backup wide receiver with 11 receptions in two seasons for USC, he leapt and leaned back with his right arm outstretched to pluck Maiava’s 21-yard pass out of the air. Richardson tapped one foot in bounds on his way down for his first FBS touchdown.

The two-point conversion, a pass to Taniela Tupou, was successful to give the Trojans a 21-14 lead. Sayeri converted from 41 yards out for a 10-point cushion with 9:37 to play.

The Horned Frogs answered with a 75-yard drive culminating in Payne’s 5-yard touchdown run with 4:24 left. TCU forced a USC three-and-out and used the remaining 2:44 to set up Kyle Lemmermann’s 27-yard field goal to force overtime.

Freshman running back Jon Denman rumbled in from the 5-yard line to put TCU up 7-3 early in the second quarter. The drive was arranged by Jamel Johnson’s fifth interception of the season.

USC answered quickly. Miller had a 24-yard rush across midfield before ending the drive with a 2-yard score.

TCU wideout Major Everhart converted a fourth-and-2 in the red zone, nearly scoring a touchdown on an 11-yard jet sweep, and Seals cashed in on a 1-yard keeper on the next play to make it 14-10 with 4:58 left in the half.

Sayeri cut the margin to 14-13 with his 28-yarder just before halftime.

Christian Pierce intercepted Seals during the first minute of the second half and USC drove to the TCU 7, but Maiava underthrew a pass to the end zone that Channing Canada picked off.

ILLINOIS FIGHTS PAST TENNESSEE TO CAPTURE MUSIC CITY BOWL

David Olano kicked a game-winning 29-yard field goal as time expired and Luke Altmyer passed and ran for one touchdown apiece as Illinois edged Tennessee 30-28 on Tuesday in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn.

Illinois finished 9-4 as the program secured nine victories in consecutive seasons for the first time. Bret Bielema also became the first Fighting Illini coach to earn a bowl victory in successive campaigns.

A senior and third-year starter, Altmyer shined in his Illinois swan song. He went 20-for-33 passing for 196 yards and a touchdown while rushing 10 times for 54 yards and a TD.

Aidan Laughery gained 77 yards on 13 carries for Illinois, which outgained Tennessee 417-278.

Jordan Anderson’s 13-yard run on fourth-and-1 from the Tennessee 31 helped set up the winning kick for Olano, who also connected from 30 and 28 yards.

Tennessee (8-5) drew within 24-21 on DeSean Bishop’s 12-yard rushing touchdown with 11:40 remaining. Tennessee limited the Fighting Illini to Olano’s 28-yard field goal with 5:14 to go, then stormed ahead as Joakim Dodson returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown and a 28-27 Volunteers lead.

Joey Aguilar was 14-for-18 for 121 yards for Tennessee, while Bishop rushed 19 times for 93 yards and two touchdowns.

The Fighting Illini were in control for much of the game and twice led by 10 points, including when linebacker Leon Lowery Jr. recovered the ball in the end zone after Joe Barna’s strip sack of Aguilar early in the third quarter.

Illinois led 10-7 at halftime as Bielema twice bypassed field goal attempts in favor of going for it on fourth down. Illinois was unable to convert in both instances, turning the ball over on downs from the Tennessee 33 and 29.

Tennessee capitalized on the first such turnover, driving 67 yards in 11 plays and punctuating the possession with Aguilar’s 7-yard scoring run with 6:16 remaining in the first quarter.

Illinois answered with a touchdown on the ensuing drive, with Altmyer connecting with Justin Bowick for an 18-yard TD with 36 seconds left in the first.

Olano kicked a 30-yard field goal with 21 seconds left in the second quarter after Volunteers counterpart Max Gilbert was wide right from 39 yards about three minutes earlier.

Tennessee has lost 23 straight games when trailing by 10 points or more in the fourth quarter.

LOUISIANA TECH RALLIES PAST COASTAL CAROLINA TO WIN INDEPENDENCE BOWL

Trey Kukuk threw for 114 yards and a touchdown and helped Louisiana Tech score two touchdowns in a four-minute span in the fourth quarter for a 23-14 comeback victory against Coastal Carolina in the Independence Bowl on Tuesday in Shreveport, La.

Kukuk, who threw an interception, also rushed for a game-high 121 yards on 19 carries as the Bulldogs (8-5) finished the season with a three-game winning streak for their first winning season since 2019.

Tad Hudson threw for 311 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 25-for-49 passing for Coastal Carolina (6-7).

The Chanticleers played under interim coach Jeremiah Johnson, who filled in after the firing of Tim Beck. Johnson was Louisiana Tech’s defensive coordinator a year earlier when the program played in the Independence Bowl.

For the Bulldogs’ first touchdown, Kukuk hooked up with Marlion Jackson for a 52-yard touchdown play on the first snap following Jordan McRae’s interception of Hudson.

Following a Coastal Carolina punt, it took just three plays for the Bulldogs to cover 49 yards. Kukuk had a 29-yard run, and Andrew Burnette’s 1-yard run with 8:09 remaining gave Louisiana Tech its first lead of the day.

After the Chanticleers gave the ball back with less than two minutes to play following four consecutive incomplete passes, Kaegan Kent kicked a clinching 35-yard field goal with 56 seconds left.

Coastal Carolina’s best scoring chance in the second half came in the third quarter, but Kian Afrookhteh’s 22-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Kenyatta McNeese.

Coastal Carolina led 14-3 at halftime, holding the Bulldogs to 102 yards of total offense.

The Chanticleers scored late in the first quarter on Hudson’s 20-yard pass to Dominic Knicely.

Louisiana Tech scored on Kent’s 42-yard field goal to conclude an 11-play drive.

The Chanticleers responded by going 75 yards in six plays, with Hudson’s 16-yard TD pass to Robby Washington coming with 1:16 to play in the half.

The Bulldogs made it 14-6 on John Hoyet Chance’s 51-yard field after their first possession of the second half. Chance, a punter, was playing in his hometown.

The teams will be future Sun Belt Conference rivals when Louisiana Tech makes the move from Conference USA.

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NBA NEWS

NBA ROUNDUP: SIXERS EDGE GRIZZLIES WITH LATE 3-POINTER IN OT

Rookie VJ Edgecombe knocked down a 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds remaining in overtime, lifting the Philadelphia 76ers to a 139-136 victory over the host Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.

Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid led the 76ers with 34 points apiece and Edgecombe finished with 25, including 13 in the fourth quarter. Embiid added 10 rebounds and eight assists while Maxey dished out 12 assists as the 76ers snapped a three-game losing streak.

Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 40 points — 18 in the fourth quarter and six in OT — and rookie Cedric Coward added career highs of 28 points and 16 rebounds. Morant made 16 of 22 shots while Coward hit 10 of 16. Coward’s 3-point try to tie the game at the overtime buzzer fell short.

The Grizzlies scored the final seven points of the fourth quarter — a four-point play from Jaren Jackson Jr. and two baskets by Morant — to send the game to overtime.

Clippers 131, Kings 90

Kawhi Leonard scored 26 of his game-high 33 points in a runaway first half and Los Angeles went on to a fifth straight victory, routing Sacramento in Inglewood, Calif.

James Harden chipped in with 21 points for the Clippers, who led 73-40 at halftime en route to their biggest margin of victory this season. Playing just 33 minutes, Leonard also found time for five rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Clippers.

In losing for the eighth time in the past 10 games, the Kings never got closer than 28 in the second half. Rookie Nique Clifford had a season-high 18 points for the Kings, whose 90 points were a season low.

Celtics 129, Jazz 119

Derrick White produced 27 points, seven blocks, seven rebounds and six assists to lead Boston to a victory over Utah in Salt Lake City.

White became the first NBA player 6-foot-5 or shorter to finish with at least 25 points, six rebounds, six assists and six blocks in a game. Jaylen Brown tallied 23 points, 10 assists and six rebounds for the Celtics. Brown’s streak of nine consecutive 30-point games, which tied the franchise record set by Larry Brown, ended. Boston’s Anfernee Simons chipped in 20 points while Payton Pritchard added 18 points and six assists.

Keyonte George had 37 points and seven assists to lead the Jazz, whose two-game winning streak was snapped. Jusuf Nurkic tallied 26 points, on 10-of-11 shooting, plus eight rebounds and eight assists. Lauri Markkanen amassed 22 points and nine rebounds.

Pistons 128, Lakers 106

Cade Cunningham scored 27 points and dished out 11 assists as visiting Detroit earned a victory over Los Angeles to spoil LeBron James’ 41st birthday.

Marcus Sasser put up 19 points, Isaiah Stewart scored 15 points and Jalen Duren added 14 points and eight rebounds as the Pistons avoided what would have been a season-worst three-game losing streak. Detroit shot a season-best 63.2% from the floor while ending their Western Conference road trip with a 3-2 record.

Luka Doncic registered 30 points and 11 assists for the Lakers, though he committed eight turnovers. James added 17 points while becoming just the 12th player in NBA history to take the floor at age 41 or older. James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, played in his 1,577th career game, second to Robert Parish’s 1,611.

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NHL NEWS

NHL ROUNDUP: HABS COME BACK FOR OT WIN OVER PANTHERS

Nick Suzuki scored two goals, including the game-winner 3:24 into overtime, as the Montreal Canadiens rallied to defeat the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Tuesday in Sunrise, Fla.

Montreal trailed 2-0 with less than five minutes left in regulation, but Cole Caufield scored with 4:27 left. Suzuki scored with 1:22 remaining after the Canadiens pulled goalie Sam Montembeault for an extra attacker.

Montembeault made 28 saves to earn the win against his former team. It was his first game since Dec. 9, after a stint in the AHL, and his first win since Nov. 28.

Florida got goals from Brad Marchand and Sam Reinhart. Backup goalie Daniil Tarasov made 26 saves.

Maple Leafs 4, Devils 0

Joseph Woll stopped 33 shots to earn his first shutout of the season and the third of his career as Toronto defeated visiting New Jersey.

Bobby McMann and Nicolas Roy each had a goal and an assist for the short-handed Maple Leafs, who have won three of four. Calle Jarnkrok and Matthew Knies also scored while Nicholas Robertson added two assists.

Jacob Markstrom made 26 saves for the Devils, who have lost four in a row.

Penguins 5, Hurricanes 1

Anthony Mantha scored twice for the first time this season while leading Pittsburgh to a rout of visiting Carolina.

Justin Brazeau, coming off a hat trick against Chicago on Sunday, and Tommy Novak both added a goal and an assist for the Penguins, who won their second straight game. Sidney Crosby also scored, Bryan Rust and Erik Karlsson assisted on a pair apiece, and Stuart Skinner stopped 27 shots.

Mark Jankowski scored for the Hurricanes, who saw their two-game winning streak end. Frederik Andersen gave up five goals on 28 shots.

Islanders 3, Blackhawks 2 (SO)

Bo Horvat scored the lone shootout goal to accompany a goal in regulation, boosting visiting New York to a win over Chicago.

Calum Ritchie added a goal for the Islanders, who won for the third time in four games. David Rittich stopped 17 shots through regulation and overtime for the victory.

Teuvo Teravainen and Nick Lardis tallied the Blackhawks’ goals, both on assists from Oliver Moore after New York jumped ahead 2-0. Spencer Knight made 19 saves as Chicago fell to 1-7-1 in its past nine games.

Flyers 6, Canucks 3

Carl Grundstrom stretched his goal-scoring streak to four games as Philadelphia recorded its league-leading 14th come-from-behind win, beating host Vancouver.

Noah Cates, Travis Konecny and Bobby Brink each had a goal and an assist for the Flyers, who have won three of their past four games. Owen Tippett and Christian Dvorak also scored, Matvei Michkov and Trevor Zegras added two assists apiece, and Dan Vladar stopped 32 shots.

Drew O’Connor and David Kampf each had a goal and an assist and Tom Willander also scored for the Canucks, who took their third loss in four games. Thatcher Demko registered 27 saves.

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TOP INDIANA HEADLINES/PRESS RELEASES

COLTS FOOTBALL

COLTS SIGN CB WYETT EKELER TO PRACTICE SQUAD, RELEASE T ZACH THOMAS FROM PRACTICE SQUAD

Indianapolis – The Indianapolis Colts today signed cornerback Wyett Ekeler to the practice squad and released tackle Zach Thomas from the practice squad.

Ekeler, 5-11, 210 pounds, played in 49 career games at Wyoming (2020-24) and compiled 197 tackles (127 solo), 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, 19 passes defensed, four interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He earned Honorable Mention All-Mountain West recognition in 2023.

Thomas, 6-5, 308 pounds, was signed to the team’s practice squad on December 16, 2025. He has played in 17 career games in his time with the Houston Texans (2024-25), New England Patriots (2024), Los Angeles Rams (2022-24) and Chicago Bears (2022). Thomas was originally selected by the Bears in the sixth round (186th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft out of San Diego State.

COLTS GREATS ADAM VINATIERI, REGGIE WAYNE AMONG 15 FINALISTS FOR PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2026

Adam Vinatieri and Reggie Wayne on Tuesday took the next step toward taking the place in Canton both earned during their historic playing careers, with the Pro Football Hall of Fame announcing both Colts greats among 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

This is Vinatieri’s second year as a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist in as many years of eligibility; despite being widely regarded as the greatest kicker in NFL history, he was not selected as a first-ballot Hall of Famer a year ago. Wayne, who is one of nine players in NFL history with at least 1,000 catches, 14,000 yards and 80 touchdowns, has not been selected in his previous six years of eligibility; he reached the finalist round in all six of those years.

Vinatieri and Wayne previously were among 26 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026. That list was reduced to 25 semifinalists in mid-December, when quarterback Philip Rivers ended his five-year retirement to step in behind center for the Colts. Longtime Colts defensive end Robert Mathis – the NFL’s all-time leader in strip-sacks – was not named a finalist for this year’s class; Mathis has been a semifinalist in each of his five years of eligibility but has not advanced to the finalist round.

Running back Frank Gore, who played for the Colts from 2015-2017, was also among the 15 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 Modern Era finalists announced Tuesday:

T Willie Anderson (1996-2008)

QB Drew Brees (2001-2020)

G Jahri Evans (2006-2017)

WR Larry Fitzgerald (2004-2020)

RB Frank Gore (2005-2020)

WR Torry Holt (1998-2009)

LB Luke Kuechly (2012-2019)

QB Eli Manning (2004-2019)

OLB/DE Terrell Suggs (2003-2019)

K Adam Vinatieri (1996-2019)

WR Reggie Wayne (2001-2014)

TE Jason Witten (2003-2017, 2019-2020)

S Darren Woodson (1992-2003)

G/T Marshal Yanda (2007-2019)

Both Holt and Wayne have now reached the finalist round of consideration seven times, tied for the most among those 15 finalists. Holt is in his 12th year of eligibility, and he along with Anderson, Kuechly and Vinatieri automatically were named finalists for 2026 because they made the cut to the final seven last year.

For more on the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s selection process and how Vinatieri and Wayne stack up as candidates this year, check out today’s episode of The Colts Show Podcast with longtime Colts scribe Mike Chappell, who serves as a selector on the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee.

COLTS RELEASE UNOFFICIAL DEPTH CHART FOR WEEK 18 GAME VS. HOUSTON TEXANS

OFFENSE

• WR: Michael Pittman Jr., Ashton Dulin
• LT: Bernhard Raimann, Luke Tenuta
• LG: Quenton Nelson
• C: Tanor Bortolini, Danny Pinter
• RG: Matt Goncalves, Dalton Tucker
• RT: Jalen Travis
• TE: Tyler Warren, Mo Alie-Cox, Will Mallory
• WR: Josh Downs
• WR: Alec Pierce, Laquon Treadwell
• QB: Philip Rivers, Riley Leonard
• RB: Jonathan Taylor, Tyler Goodson OR Ameer Abdullah, DJ Giddens
• Rivers was 17-of-30 for 147 yards, one touchdown and one interception on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
• Warren had five receptions on five targets for 43 yards against the Jaguars.
• Taylor and Alie-Cox each recorded a touchdown on Sunday.

DEFENSE

• DE: Kwity Paye, Tyquan Lewis, JT Tuimoloau
• DT: Neville Gallimore, Adetomiwa Adebawore, Chris Wormley
• NT: Grover Stewart, Eric Johnson II
• DE: Laiatu Latu, Samson Ebukam
• WLB: Germaine Pratt, Segun Olubi, Buddy Johnson, Jaylon Carlies
• MLB: Zaire Franklin, Austin Ajiake
• CB: Jaylon Jones, Johnathan Edwards
• FS: Camryn Bynum, Rodney Thomas II
• SS: Nick Cross, Reuben Lowrey III, George Odum
• N: Kenny Moore II
• CB: Sauce Gardner, Mekhi Blackmon, Cameron Mitchell
• Pratt had an interception, two passes defensed and seven tackles against the Jaguars.
• Moore recorded 10 tackles and a team-high two tackles for a loss on Sunday.
• Latu and Adebawore each had one sack against the Jaguars.

SPECIALISTS

• P: Rigoberto Sanchez
• PK: Blake Grupe
• H: Rigoberto Sanchez
• LS: Luke Rhodes
• KR: Ameer Abdullah, Ashton Dulin
• PR: Anthony Gould, Josh Downs
• Dulin had two kick returns of over 50 yards in the Colts’ game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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INDIANA PACERS

GAME PREVIEW: PACERS VS MAGIC

The Pacers (6-27) will look to close out 2025 on a high note when they host the Orlando Magic (18-15) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday afternoon for a New Year’s Eve matinee.

Indiana is looking to snap a nine-game skid and coming off an 0-2 road trip that wrapped up with a 126-119 loss on Monday night in Houston. While a late rally by Indiana’s reserves made the final margin close, the Rockets had a commanding lead in the second half, up by as many as 28 points before both teams emptied their benches.

Houston outscored the Pacers 36-23 in the second quarter to take an 18-point lead into halftime, then won the third quarter 39-30 to essentially put the game away.

“The problem that we’ve got to tackle is inconsistency,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after the loss. “We didn’t get a horrible start to the game, but the middle part of the game, we were very poor. The fourth quarter is the only quarter we won in the game. As good as it felt to fight back, you’re not going to win games having to fight back every night.”

Despite their recent slump, the Pacers have a chance to close out 2025 on a high note, as Carlisle needs just one more win to become the 11th head coach in NBA history to amass 1,000 career victories.

The Magic have been up and down for the last few weeks, going 5-7 over their last 12 games, but still enter Wednesday tied for fifth place in the East.

They are coming off a 107-106 loss on Monday night in Toronto where they blew a 21-point lead and fell in the final minute, spoiling a triple-double from All-Star forward Paolo Banchero, who had 23 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists.

24-year-old forward Franz Wagner leads Orlando in scoring at 22.7 points per game, but has not played since Dec. 7 due to a sprained ankle. Banchero is averaging 19.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. Desmond Bane — who the Magic acquired from Memphis in a major trade over the summer — is averaging 19.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.

The Magic will not only be the Pacers final home game of 2025, they will also be their first road game of 2026. After Wednesday, Indiana will host San Antonio on Friday before traveling to Orlando for a rematch with the Magic on Sunday afternoon.

Projected Starters

Pacers: G – Andrew Nembhard, G – Bennedict Mathurin, F – Johnny Furphy, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Jay Huff

Magic: G – Tyus Jones, G – Anthony Black, F – Desmond Bane, F – Paolo Banchero, C – Wendell Carter Jr.

Injury Report

Pacers: T.J. McConnell – probable (sore right hamstring), Ben Sheppard – questionable (left calf strain), Tyrese Haliburton – out (right Achilles tendon tear), Isaiah Jackson – out (concussion), Obi Toppin – out (right foot stress fracture)

Magic: Desmond Bane – questionable (back spasms), Jonathan Isaac – questionable (sore left knee), Jalen Suggs – questionable (left hip contusion), Franz Wagner – out (left high ankle sprain), Moritz Wagner – out (left knee injury recovery)

Last Meeting

April 11, 2025: The Pacers fell to the Orlando Magic, 129-115, in their final home game of the regular season. Both teams elected to rest their starters with their postseason destinies largely fulfilled.

Bennedict Mathurin led Indiana with 20 points and eight rebounds on the night, going 5-for-17 from the field but 9-for-13 from the free throw line. Second-year wing Jarace Walker tallied 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting (2-of-3 from 3-point range) and eight boards.

Johnny Furphy finished with a then career-high 17 points, six rebounds, and three assists in a career-high 32 minutes. Quenton Jackson scored 13 points off the bench, fellow reserve Tony Bradley had 10 points and nine rebounds, and RayJ Dennis scored a career-best 10 points.

Former Pacer Trevelin Queen had a career-high 25 points for the Magic off the bench, going 9-for-10 from the field and 5-for-5 from 3-point range. Fellow reserve Anthony Black added 21 points, six rebounds, and seven assists.

Noteworthy

This will be the 13th time in the last 16 years that the Pacers have hosted a game on New Year’s Eve. Indiana is 8-4 on New Year’s Eve over that stretch.

The Magic have won the season series with Indiana the last two and three of the last four seasons.

This is Orlando’s only visit to Gainbridge Fieldhouse this season. The Pacers will play in Orlando on Jan. 4 and March 23.

Magic center Goga Bitadze was drafted by the Pacers with the 18th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and spent nearly four full seasons with Indiana.

Broadcast Information (Where to Watch and Listen to Pacers Games >>)

TV: FanDuel Sports Network – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)

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INDIANA FOOTBALL

NO. 1 INDIANA RETURNS TO THE ROSE BOWL FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 1968 TO TAKE ON CFP STALWART ALABAMA

No. 11 Alabama (11-3, CFP No. 9 seed) vs. No. 1 Indiana (13-0, CFP No. 1 seed), Thursday, 4 p.m. EST (ESPN)

BetMGM Sportsbook College Football Odds: Indiana by 7.

Series record: First meeting.

What’s at stake?

Undefeated Big Ten champion Indiana is playing in the Rose Bowl for the first time since Jan. 1, 1968, and finds itself three wins away from cementing the unlikeliest rise in recent college football history with a national title. The Hoosiers are in the CFP for the season straight season, having lost 27-17 at Notre Dame in the first round last year. Alabama is making its ninth CFP appearance but first under coach Kalen DeBoer. The Crimson Tide rallied from a 17-point deficit to win at Oklahoma on Dec. 19 to reach “The Granddaddy of Them All” for the ninth time, not including a BCS championship game victory in Pasadena, California, following the 2009 season. The winner advances to the CFP semifinals to play the Orange Bowl winner, No. 4 seed Texas Tech or No. 5 seed Oregon, in the Peach Bowl.

Key matchup

Alabama running back Jam Miller vs. Indiana linebackers Aiden Fisher and Rolijah Hardy. The Crimson Tide managed to advance despite running for 28 yards against the Sooners, with Miller managing just 11 yards on seven carries in his return from a leg injury sustained in the Iron Bowl. Miller has a team-high 504 yards rushing with three touchdowns while missing time because of various ailments, but indicated he is the healthiest he has been all season long. If Miller cannot establish some semblance of a ground game against Hardy (86 tackles, 13 tackles for loss) and Fisher (77 tackles, seven tackles for loss), Indiana’s outstanding defense will be able to unleash its devastating pass rush.

Players to watch

Alabama: QB Ty Simpson leads the SEC with 3,500 yards passing and 28 touchdowns in his first season as the Crimson Tide’s starter. He was 18 of 29 for 232 yards and two touchdowns against Oklahoma but took four sacks, Simpson’s seventh game where he was sacked at least three times.

Indiana: QB Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy after throwing for 2,980 yards and a school single-season record 33 touchdowns. The potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft, Mendoza spent three seasons at California before transferring to Indiana.

Facts & figures

Alabama’s last appearance in the Rose Bowl was in 2024, a 27-20 overtime loss to eventual national champion Michigan in what would be head coach Nick Saban’s final game. … Indiana RB Roman Hemby is one of two FBS active players with 3,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in his career. … The Crimson Tide is 2-0 against Heisman Trophy winners in bowl games, knocking off Miami QB Gino Torretta in the 1992 Sugar Bowl and Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray in the 2018 Orange Bowl. … The Hoosiers lead the country in third down conversion rate at 55.8%. … Alabama has a record 11 wins all-time against AP No. 1 ranked teams. … Indiana DE Stephen Daley will not play after sustaining a serious leg injury celebrating the Big Ten championship game win over Ohio State. Daley ranks second in the FBS in tackles for loss (19).

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INDIANA WRESTLING

INDIANA FINISHES IN FIFTH PLACE AND LANDS FIVE PLACERS AT MIDLANDS

EVANSTON, Ill. ––– Indiana Wrestling wrapped up competition at the 61st annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Tuesday.

The Hoosiers finished in sixth place with 70.5 points. Indiana had five individuals place. 

Bryce Lowery (157) led the Hoosiers by taking second place. Gabe Sollars took third place in the197 Bracket. 

Derek Gilcher (174) secured fourth place, Henry Porter (141) earned sixth place and Roman Rogotzke (184) placed seventh.  

KEY MOMENTS

•  No. 8 Bryce Lowery competed strongly throughout Midlands, coming up just short in the final match. Lowery was defeated by Dylan Evans (Pittsburgh) by decision, 4-2. 

• No. 1 Gabe Sollars defeated Brockton Borelli (Stanford) in the 3rd Place Match by major decision, 9-1. 

• No. 4 Derek Gilcher fell to Sergio Desiante (Virginia Tech) by decision, 5-4, in the Third PLace Match. 

• No. 2 Henry Porter was defeated by Billy Dekraker (NU) due to injury in the Fifth Place Match. 

• No. 4 Roman Rogotzke took the win in the Seventh Place Match by injury. 

NOTABLES

• Lowery’s second place finish is his best finish of the season. 

• Sollars was on the podium at Midlands for the second time in his career. 

• Indiana had five individuals place on the podium in back-to-back years at Midlands (6 athletes last year).

Ken Kraft Midlands Championships Results

Ayden Bollinger – 125 lbs.  

• R32: Ayden Bollinger (IU) advanced on bye.  

• R16: Blake West (NIU) def. Ayden Bollinger (IU): Dec. 9-3  

• Cons. R2: Ayden Blooinger (IU) def. Drew Hansen (MSU): Dec. 10-6 

• Cons. R3: Drew Davis (SIUE) def. Ayden Bollinger (IU): MD, 11-1 

Jackson Blum – 133 lbs.  

• R32: Matty Lopes (Unattached) def. Jackson Blum (IU): Dec. 10-5 

• Cons. R1: Jackson Blum (IU) advanced on bye.  

• Cons. R2: Andrew Austin (Central Michigan) def. Jackson Blum (IU): Dec. 9-4 

Logan Frazier – 133 lbs.  

• R32: Logan Frazier (IU) advanced on bye.  

• R16: Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) def. Logan Frazier (IU): Dec. 8-3 

• Cons. R2: Teddy Flores (Michigan) def. Logan Frazier (IU): Dec. 13-6 

Blaine Frazier – 133 lbs.  

• R32: Sean Spidle (NU) def. Blaine Fraier (IU): Dec. 8-3 

• Cons. R1: Blaine Frazeir advanced on bye.  

• Cons. R2: Porter Matecki (SIUE) def. Blaine Frazier (IU): 8-2 

Lucas Peters – 141 lbs.  

• R32: Sidney Tildsley (Harvard) def. Lucas Peters (IU): Fall (4:06) 

• Cons. R1: Lucas Peters (IU) advanced on bye.  

• Cons. R2: Lucas Peters (IU) def. Danny Martinez (SIUE): Inj. 

• Cons. R3: Brogan Fielding (Unattached OSU) def. Lucas Peters (IU): Dec. 12-9 

Henry Porter – 141 lbs. 

• R32: Henry Porter (IU) advanced on bye.  

• R16: Henry Porter (IU) def. Dj Gillett (Oregon State): Dec. 7-2 

• Quarterfinal: Henry Porter (IU) def. Aiden Simmons (Cal Poly): Fall (6:54) 

• Semifinal: Elijah Cortez (Spartan Combat RTC) def. Henry Porter (IU): Inj. 

• Cons. Semi: Drew Gorman (Virginia Tech) def. Henry Porter (IU): Inj. 

•  5th: Billy Dekraker (NU) def. Henry Porter (IU): Inj. 

Henry Porter took 6th place in the 141 Bracket 

Joey Buttler – 149 lbs.  

• R32: Joey Buttler (IU) def. Charlie Fifield (Illinois): Fall (1:47) 

• R16: Joey Buttler (IU) def. Colin Kacena (Central Michigan): Dec. 5-4 

• Quarterfinal: Sergio Lemley (Michigan) def. Joey Buttler (IU): Dec. 5-1  

• Cons. R4: Andre Gonzales (Cal Poly) def. Joey Buttler (IU): Dec. 11-5

Hunter Sturgill – 149 lbs.  

• R32: Ben Lunn (SIUE) def. Hunter Sturgill (IU): MD, 12-0 

• Cons. R1: Antonio Alvarado (Illinois) def. Hunter Sturgill (IU): Dec. 5-1 

Aidan Torres – 149 lbs.  

• R32: Jackson Young (Maryland) def. Aidan Torres (IU): Dec. 7-3 

• Cons. R1: Aidan Torres (IU) def. Danny Nini (Illinois): Inj.  

• Cons. R2: Aidan Torres (IU) def. Ben Lunn (SIUE): Dec. 8-6 

• Cons. R3: Sam Cartella (NU) def. Aidan Torres (IU): TF, 17-0 

Bryce Lowery – 157 lbs.  

• R32: Bryce Lowery (IU) advanced on bye.  

• R16: Bryce Lowery (IU) def. Keller Rock (Oregon State): MD, 11-2  

• Quarterfinal: Bryce Lowery (IU) def. Anthony Berg (Cal Poly): MD, 15-2 

• Semifinal: Bryce Lowery (IU) def. Kal Miller (Maryland): Dec. 5-1

• Final: Dylan Evans (Pittsburgh) def. Bryce Lowery (IU): Dec. 4-2

Bryce Lowery took 2nd place in the 157 Bracket

Ryan Garvick – 157 lbs.  

• R32: Ryan Garvick (IU) advanced on bye.  

• R16: Conner Harer (Rutgers) def. Ryan Garvick (IU): Dec. 8-1 

• Cons. R2: Ryan Garvick (IU) def. Wyatt Hepner (Harvard): Dec. 6-0 

• Cons. R3: Ryan Bennett (Illinois) def. Ryan Garvick (IU): Dec. 4-1 

Chris Crawford – 165 lbs.  

• R32: Chris Crawford (IU) def. Logan Swaw (Illinois): Dec. 12-5 

• R16: Jacob Bostelman (NU) def. Chris Crawford (IU): Dec. 5-2 

• Cons. R2: Chris Crawford def. Ej Parco (Stanford): Dec. 8-5 

• Cons. R3: Chris Crawford (IU) def. Justin Gates (Michigan): Dec. 7-1 

• Cons. R4: Jared Keslar (Pittsburgh) def. Chris Crawford (IU): Dec. 4-2

Chase Leech – 165 lbs.  

• R32: e’Than Birden (Ohio State) def. Chase Leech (IU): TF, 20-2 

• Cons. R1: Chase Leech advanced on bye.  

• Cons. R2: Josh Knudten (Michigan) def. Chase Leech (IU): Fall (1:45)  

Orlando Cruz – 174 lbs.  

• R32: Orlando Cruz (IU) def. Ben Smith (Harvard): Dec. 6-3 

• R16: Myles Takats (Bucknell) def. Orlando Cruz (IU): TF, 17-2 

• Cons. R2: Orlando Cruz (IU) def. Nick Marienfeld (Central Michigan): Dec. 4-1 

• Cons. R3: Bode Marlow (Pittsburgh) def. Orlando Cruz (IU): MD, 13-3 

Derek Gilcher – 174 lbs.  

• R32: Derek Gilcher (IU) def. Andre Rocker (NU): TF, 16-1 

• R16: Derek Gilcher (IU) def. Caleb Neal (SIUE): Dec. 7-2 

• Quarterfinal: Derek Gilcher (IU) def. Richie Grungo (Lehigh): MD, 14-2 

• Semifinal: Daschle Lamer (Oregon State) def. Derek Gilcher (IU): Dec. 11-4

• Cons. Semi: Derek Gilcher (IU) def. Eddie Enright (NU): MD, 14-5

• 3rd: Sergio Desiante (Virginia Tech) def. Derek Gilcher (IU): Dec. 5-4

Derek Gilcher took 4th place in the 174 Bracket

Magnus Kuokkanen – 174 lbs.  

• R32: Magnus Kuokkanen advanced on bye.  

• R16: Jordan Chapman (Rutgers) def. Magnus Kuokkanen (IU): Fall, (2:59)  

• Cons. R2: Magnus Kuokkanen (IU) def. Graham Gambrall (Oregon State): MD, 11-3 

• Cons. R3: Cash Stewart (Cal Poly) def. Magnus Kuokkanen (IU): Dec. 4-1 

Roman Rogotzke – 184 lbs.  

• R32: Chase Kranitz (Pittsburgh) def. Roman Rogotzke (IU): TF, 18-2 

• Cons. R1: Roman Rogotzke (IU) def. Joey Braunagel (Illinois): Fall (1:29) 

• Cons. R2: Roman Rogotzke (IU) def. Adrien Cramer (Central Michigan): Dec. 2-1 

• Cons. R3: Roman Rogotzke (IU) def. Mikey Bartush (Bucknell): Dec. 8-2 

• Cons. R4: Roman Rogotzke (IU) def. Cody Brenner (Central Michigan): Dec. 5-1

• Cons. R5: Abraham Wojicikiewicz (Stanford) def. Roman Rogotzke (IU): Dec. 8-7

• 7th: Roman Rogotzke (IU) def. Robert Kucharczk (Harvard): Inj. 

Roman Rogotzke took 7th in the 184 Bracket

Gabe Sollars – 197 lbs.  

• R32: Gabe Sollars (IU) advanced on bye.  

• R16: Gabe Sollars (IU) def. Cole Jackson (Cal Poly): TF (3:57)  

• Quarterfinal: Gabe Sollars (IU) def. Brockton Borelli (Stanford): MD, 14-2 

• Semifinal: Seth Shumate (Ohio State) def. Gabe Sollars (IU): Dec. 13-3

• Cons. Semi: Gabe Sollars (IU) def. Luke Cochran: Dec. 4-0

• 3rd: Gabe Sollars (IU) def. Brockton Borelli (Stanford): MD, 9-1

Gabe Sollars took 3rd place in the 197 Bracket 

Matt Kowalski – 197 lbs.  

• R32: Matt Kowalski (IU) advanced on bye.  

• R16: Remy Cotton (Rutgers) def. Matt Kowalski (IU): MD, 15-2 

• Cons. R2: Matt Kowalski (IU) def. Dylan Greenstein (Harvard): MD, 11-0  

• Cons. R3: Luke Duthie (Stanford) def. Matt Kowalski (IU): MD, 14-6 

Caleb Marzolino – 285 lbs.  

• R32: Parker Ferrell (Virginia Tech) def. Caleb Marzolino (IU): MD, 10-2  

• Cons. R1: Caleb Marzolino advanced on bye.  

• Cons. R2: Simon Lato (Central Michigan) def. Caleb Marzolino (IU): Dec. 7-1

TEAM SCORES

1. Pittsburgh (92.5 points)

2. Rutgers (88 points)

3. Virginia Tech (83.5 points)

4. Cal Poly (82 points)

5. Indiana (72.5 points)

UP NEXT

• Indiana’s next appearance will be the resumption of Big Ten duals as the Hoosiers are set to travel to Ohio State on Jan. 11. 

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NOTRE DAME MEN’S BASKETBALL

IRISH DEFENSE LEADS TO 47-40 ACC OPENING WIN OVER STANFORD

PALO ALTO, Calif. – The Notre Dame men’s basketball team (10-4, 1-0) opened up ACC play with a 47-40 win over the Stanford Cardinal (11-3, 0-1 ) as their suffocating defensive performance secured their tenth win of the season. Maples Pavilion has been a tough venue to earn a road win, for Stanford was 24-5 at home since the start of the 2024-25 season, with just one ACC home loss before tonight.

The Irish held the Cardinal to their lowest scoring output of the season at 40 points, with their previous low being 69 against Seattle. It also marked their third-lowest scoring output since 1996.

Stanford finished the night shooting 23 percent from the floor (13-56) and 13 percent from three (4-30). Furthermore, the Irish defense held Stanford’s best scorer in check tonight. Ebuka Okorie, who averaged 22.8 points heading into tonight, was held to a season low seven points.

Struggling to shoot from the perimeter, the Irish shot 32 percent from the floor (18-56) and 19 percent from three (3-16) with 30 of their 47 points scored in the paint.

Notre Dame dominated the glass 48-36 with 16 offensive rebounds leading to 12 second-chance points.

Freshman guard Jalen Haralson led the offensive charge with 13 points, his 12th straight game in double figures. He was followed by graduate Carson Towt, who finished with 8 points and recorded his eighth game with double-digit rebounds this season (10).

Sophomore Garrett Sundra also tallied 8 points, with two big-time late second half threes for the Irish as he was 2-3 from behind the arc.

Freshman Brady Koehler finished with 7 points and 2 rebounds on 3-5 shooting in just 8 minutes of play.

Senior Kebba Njie also poured in 9 rebounds and 4 points for the Irish.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Carson Towt would put the Irish on the board, scoring their first four points of the night before the Irish went on a 2:40 scoring drought to put the Cardinal up 10-4. The Stanford run was broken up by a Kebba Njie dunk to make it a 6-10 ballgame heading into the first media timeout.

The Njie dunk would spark a 10-0 run across six minutes of play with buckets coming from Haralson, Towt, and Njie to give Notre Dame a 14-10 advantage.

Defensively, the Irish held the Cardinal scoreless for over seven and a half minutes. Scoring at 16:08, Stanford finally scored again at the 8:19 mark to make it 14-12.

A jumper from Sundra and a free throw from Haralason extended the Irish lead to five at 17-12 at 7:13.

Three Cole Certa free throws and a finish at the rim from Haralson would close out the half as the Irish led 22-17 at halftime. Haralson led all scorers with seven points.

While this is Notre Dame’s lowest offensive output in the first half this season (25 vs. Houston), they also held Stanford to their lowest scoring half of the season (31 vs. Minnesota). Despite Stanford starting the night 4-4 from the floor, they finished the half shooting 3-22.

Both teams shot 27 percent from the floor in the first half and while the Irish are averaging 9.1 threes per game, they were 0-7 from deep compared to Stanford’s 2-15 from three. With both teams struggling to shoot from behind the perimeter in the half, 16 of Notre Dame’s 22 points came from the paint.

A Towt dunk would open up the half with a Cardinal trey following shortly after to keep it a two-possession game at 24-20.

Five straight points from Haralson, which included an and-one finish at the rim, would allow the Irish to start to separate themselves with their largest lead of the night so far at 29-20.

Brady Koehler knocked down the first Irish three of the night to make it a 10-0 run from Notre Dame as the Cardinal were stuck in a 7.5-minute period without a made field goal.

Stanford knocked down two free throws to cut the deficit to 12 at 34-22, but the Irish responded immediately with two more back-to-back buckets from Koehler as the freshman scored seven straight points for the Irish to make it 38-22.

Stanford responded with a 5-0 run, all thanks to Ebuka Okorie, which cut it to 11 and forced a Notre Dame timeout. The Stanford scoring frenzy continued, turning into a 13-1 run to cut it to four at 39-35 with 5:52 remaining.

Desperately needing a bucket, Sundra hit a huge three to extend the Irish lead and stop the Stanford run. While the Cardinal answered with a three of their own, it was back-to-back clutch threes from Sundra that made it a seven-point ballgame again at 4:15.

Costly Irish turnovers allowed the Cardinal to hang around as a pair of Stanford free throws brought them within five at 45-40 with 2:43 remaining.

A two-possession game in the closing minutes turned into a three-possession game in the final 20 seconds as Stanford was in a must-foul situation. Sending Certa to the line, he knocked down both to remain a perfect 5-5 on the night and 27-27 on the season from the charity stripe.

The Irish closed it out for their tenth win of the season as they defeated the Cardinal 47-40 in their ACC opener.

UP NEXT

The Irish will immediately bus to Berkeley and spend their New Years there before clashing with Cal on January 2. That contest will tip at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

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BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL

FRANTIC BUTLER RALLY FALLS SHORT IN 89-85 LOSS AT CREIGHTON

Creighton converted seven free throws over the final 27 seconds, holding off a late Butler rally that saw Evan Haywood hit a trio of three-pointers over the final 21 seconds as the host Bluejays captured an 89-85 win Tuesday night in Omaha.

Creighton has now won four straight games and improves to 9-5 overall and 3-0 in early BIG EAST play. Butler falls to 10-4 (1-2 BIG EAST).

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Creighton made five of their first seven attempts from the field in taking a 12-2 lead less than four minutes into the game.

A 10-0 Butler run was able to trim Creighton’s lead to just a single point (29-28) with 5:36 remaining in the first half.

Creighton then scored 15 of the final 22 points of the first half. The Bluejays were 8-for-18 from three-point range over the first 20 minutes to take a 44-35 halftime lead.

A Michael Ajayi three-point play with 11:51 remaining in the game would cut the Creighton lead to 59-56. Ajayi would then pick up two fouls over the next 40 seconds and went to the bench with four fouls.

Ajayi re-entered the game but quickly fouled out with 4:42 remaining.

Creighton’s lead would grow again to 11 at 82-71 with 3:14 to play before four Butler three-pointers made it interesting down the stretch.

TIP-INS:

Jasen Green led Creighton with a career-high 23 points.

The Bluejays made 14 of 15 free throw attempts – all in the second half.

Austin Swartz (22 points) and Isaac Traudt (16 points) combined for nine three-pointers.

Creighton shot 49 percent from the field and went 13-for-32 from three-point range.

Butler shot 41 percent from the field. The Bulldogs went 8-for-26 from behind the arc but four of those came in the final 2:17 as Butler started only 4-for-20.

Ajayi had his 11th double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Yohan Traore led five Bulldogs in double figures with a season-high 20 points.

Jamie Kaiser Jr. matched his career-high with 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting.

Azavier Robinson had career-highs in both assists (eight) and steals (four).

Kaiser, who missed the Bulldogs’ last game Dec. 22 against NJIT with an ankle injury sustained in the Northwestern game Dec. 20, returned to the starting lineup Tuesday.

UP NEXT: Butler opens 2026 play with a pair of BIG EAST tips at Hinkle Fieldhouse against Villanova Saturday (Jan. 3) and St. John’s Jan. 6.

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IU INDY MEN’S BASKETBALL

JAGUARS TO OPEN 2026 AT NORTHERN KENTUCKY

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The IU Indianapolis men’s basketball team will ring in the new year with a Horizon League road test at Northern Kentucky (10-5, 2-2 HL) on New Years Day at 2:00 p.m. on ESPN+. The Jags come in seeking to snap a modest two-game skid and in search of a first Horizon League victory this season.

The Jaguars are coming off a 99-86 road loss at Cleveland State on Monday, despite a 27-point effort from junior Kyler D’Augustino. Senior Finley Woodward chipped in with a season-high 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting to accompany seven assists. Fifth-year senior Matt Compas came off the bench with 17 points and seven assists and Jaxon Edwards had 13 points and seven boards. The Jaguars shot 46 percent overall, but were just 7-of-36 (19.4 percent) from three-point range. Cleveland State shot 54 percent for the game and outscored the Jaguars 30-15 at the foul line.

The Jaguars are averaging more than 88 points per game for the season and rank among the nation’s best in assists (21.3 apg), steals (10.5 spg) and turnover margin (+5.2/game). Because of the team’s frenetic pace, the Jags rank tops in the country in field goal attempts (72.7 per game) and sixth nationally in three-point attempts (34.3 per game).

ACCOLADES

Junior Kyler D’Augustino is the reigning Horizon League Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, as awarded by the league office on Monday, Dec. 29. D’Augustino earned the weekly award after his 24-point, five rebound effort in a 91-78 road loss at Grand Canyon on Dec. 22.

QUOTABLE

“Winning basketball games is hard and winning on the road is incredibly hard. We had some guys step up and play really well tonight and some others who didn’t. There were times when we didn’t make plays when we had to have them. We had some chances to really get some momentum and we missed shots or missed assignments and it wasn’t good enough,” Howlett said following the loss at Cleveland State.

SCOUTING NORTHERN KENTUCKY

Northern Kentucky is 10-5 overall and 2-2 in Horizon League play to start the season. The Norse are 7-2 at home this season and are coming off a 79-77 road win at Robert Morris on Monday. NKU comes in scoring 83.9 points per game and shooting 47.7 percent from the floor this season. Here is a look at NKU’s probable starters.

    G- Dan Gherezgher (6-4, Sr.) – 16.5 ppg, 41 3’s

    G- Ethan Elliott (6-3, Fr.) – 4.8 ppg, 4.3 apg

    G- Tae Dozier (6-5, Grad.) – 7.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg

    F- LJ Wells (6-8, Sr.) – 12.9 ppg, 8.0 rpg

    F- Kael Robinson (6-7, Grad.) – 16.3 ppg, 39 3’s

INSIDE THE SERIES

IU Indy is 4-16 all-time against NKU and 2-9 in 11 meetings in Highland Heights. NKU has won the last seven meetings between the two programs.

UP NEXT

The Jaguars will return home to host Wright State on Sunday, Jan. 4 at 2:00 p.m. inside the Jungle. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and can be heard on 1430 Indy’s Sports Ticket.

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BALL STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CONTINUES #MACTION WITH NYE MIDAFTERNOON CONTEST AT AKRON

Return of the MAC:

– Wednesday’s game against Akron will mark the 52nd time in program history the two schools have met with the Cardinals leading the all-time series, 32-19. Ball State has won 14 of the last 17 meetings against the Zips. Brady Sallee owns a 14-8 mark against Akron. Ball State last defeated Akron at home on Jan. 18, 2025 by a score of 80-57.

– The Cardinals opened Mid-American Conference action with a 78-74 victory over Eastern Michigan on Dec. 20 2025 in Worthen Arena marking it the fourth-straight season Ball State has won its league opener.

– Ball State has won five-straight MAC regular season games dating back to last year. The Cardinals haven’t lost a regular season league contest since Feb. 22, 2025 which was in Muncie against Kent State.

Road Warriors:

Under head coach Brady Sallee the Cardinals have played well on the road for the last 14 years under his watch. The Cardinals are 115-77 (.597) from 2012 until present on the road. Ball State’s best season playing away from home was in 2020-21 when the Cardinals posted an 11-2 mark. Ball State is 5-3 this season on the road including neutral site games with defeats at Arkansas State, IU Indy, Memphis, Pitt and Alabama A&M.

Where We Rank in the MAC:

Ball State remains at the top of the charts in combined team rebounds (46.9), defensive rebounds (32.1) and assists (18.54). The Cardinals sit in second on offense (75.5), opponent field goal percentage (.361) and stand in third in scoring margin (11.3). Bree Salenbien ranks fourth in the MAC in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (8.6 rpg) while Tessa Towers is fifth in rebounding (8.5 rpg).

Last Game Highlights:

The Ball State women’s basketball team earned a gritty 78-74 victory Dec. 20 in Worthen Arena over Eastern Michigan in the Cardinals’ Mid-American Conference opener. For the game, Grace Kingery led Ball State with 21 points after shooting 5-of-6 (.833) from behind the arc while Tessa Towers chipped in 20 points. Karsyn Norman dished out eight assists and Aniss Tagayi recorded seven rebounds. As a team, rebounding was a huge factor in today’s outcome with the Cardinals leading that category over the Eagles, 39-20.

International Success:

The Cardinals have had plenty of international success under 14th year head coach Brady Sallee. We all remember Nathalie Fontaine the 6-2 guard from Stockholm, Sweden became Ball State’s all-time leading scorer with 2,166 points. The 2016 MAC Player of the Year and AP honorable mention averaged 21.0 points per game and 10.2 rebounds while making over 50 percent of her shots. After Fontaine was Carmen Grande a native from Madrid, Spain who held onto the all-time assists record with 697 until Ally Becki surpassed her last season with 721 and we also cannot forget Thelma Dis Agustsdottir from Keflavik, Iceland who holds the all-time 3-point record with 325 treys. Agustsdottir also competed at the Celsius 3-point championship at the NCAA Tournament.

Scouting Akron:

– Ryan Gensler in his third campaign as Akron’s head women’s basketball coach for the 2024-25 campaign after being named the 11th coach in the program’s 50-year history on March 29, 2023.

– The Zips are led by Ni’Rah Clark who is averaging 12.0 points per game and 5.9 rebounds followed by her teammate Monique Mitchell as she scores 10.5 points per contest. Akron opened the season with seven-straight losses before defeating Heidelberg on Dec. 3 by a score of 117-34.

– The Zips have the toughest schedule in the Mid-American Conference and are rated 59th in the NCAA in the category.

– Akron has connected on five or more three pointers in 122 of its last 163 contests overall. The Zips hit on a season-high 13 triples in an 117-34 victory versus Heidelberg (Dec. 3).

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PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S BASKETBALL

KIDS FREE ON NEW YEAR’S DAY VS. GREEN BAY

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Kids K-12 are free on Thursday (Jan. 1) when the Purdue Fort Wayne men’s basketball team hosts Green Bay at 2 p.m. at the Memorial Coliseum.

Game Day Information
Who: Purdue Fort Wayne (8-7, 2-2 Horizon League) vs. Green Bay (6-8, 1-2 Horizon League)
When: Thursday, January 1 | 2 PM ET 
Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Memorial Coliseum
Live Stats: Link
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: 1380 AM
Tickets: Link
Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Green Bay

Know Your Foe

A much improved from last season Green Bay team comes to the Summit City on Thursday. The Phoenix own Division I non-league wins over UMass, Iona and UC Santa Barbara. They won at IU Indy in league play, but have losses to Wright State and Robert Morris. C.J. O’Hara is averaging 12.7 points per game.

Series History

Purdue Fort Wayne leads 9-2, winning the last nine games. Green Bay’s only two wins came in the 2020-21 regular season when games were played in empty gyms. Even that year, though, the ‘Dons topped Green Bay 89-84 in double overtime in the league’s postseason. That game is best remembered for Jalon Pipkins’ game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer of the first overtime session.

‘Dons & Ends

// In December, Corey Hadnot II was named to the Lou Henson Award Watch List. The award recognizes the best player in NCAA Mid-Major Division I basketball. The award is given out at the end of the season.

// The Mastodons have eight games this season with single-digit turnovers, including just two vs. Detroit- Mercy on Dec. 14.

// Corey Hadnot II is one of only five juniors or seniors in NCAA Division I men’s basketball currently averaging 20 or more points who entered the season never having averaged 10 points in a season. (Cameron Carr, Baylor | Chandler Cuthrell, Elon | MJ Collins, Utah State | Dennis Parker Jr, Radford)

// The win over Notre Dame put the ‘Dons on a four-game win streak. The ‘Dons have now had a winning streak of at least four games in every season since 2009-10 except for one (2017-18). That is 16-of-17 seasons.

// The top two scoring games in the league this season belong to Corey Hadnot II. He had 33 at Oakland (Dec. 3) and 32 at Western Michigan (Nov. 12). Mikale Stevenson’s 29 against Chicago State (Nov. 25) is the fifth best scoring performance in the league this season.

// Through four league games, Corey Hadnot II is averaging 21.8 points per game in league play, second best in the league.

// Jon Coffman picked up his 200th career victory on Nov. 15 against Boyce. He is the program’s leader in victories.

// DeAndre Craig Jr. has scored double-digits 15-of-16 games this season. He has four games of exactly 18 points this year. The only game under 10 points was a seven-point outing vs. Chicago State (Nov. 25). He tied a career high with 22 points vs. Oakland.

// Darius Duffy has 73 rebounds on the season, 40 have been on the offensive glass.

// Redshirt freshman Ebrahim Kaba has shown early results from beyond the arc, hitting 16-of-43 (38.1 percent) from three.

// DeAndre Craig Jr. has demonstrated an ability to fill up the box score. Not only does he have 10+ points in all but one game this season, he has three games with six or more rebounds, three games with five or more assists and two games with three steals; all while turning the ball over only 16 times in 397 minutes. 

// How good has Corey Hadnot II been this year?

– Corey Hadnot II is 3rd in the nation with 116 field goals. He has 306 points this season, 2nd in the nation. He is 1st in the league at 20.4 points per game. Hadnot is also 9th in the nation in steals with 36.

– Hadnot is averaging 20.4 points per game, should he finish at that average, it would rank tie for 5th in Mastodon history for a single season.

– He has the most field goals made (tied, 12 at Oakland) and most field goals attempted (22 at WMU) by a Horizon League player this season.

– He has the third most steals in a game by a Horizon League player this season (6 at Ohio State).

– Through 15 games, Hadnot is on track to score 628 points in the regular season this year. This would rank 7th all time for points scored by a player in a single season in Mastodon history.

– Through 15 games, he is on track to have 73 steals in the regular season this year. This would rank 6th all time for steals by a player in a single season in Mastodon history.

– At 20.4 points per game, Hadnot’s scoring is up this year as is his shooting percentage. He is shooting 55.0 percent from the floor. He shot 44.6 percent last year.

– His field goal percentage has improved each season.

 (Freshman: 40.9 -> Sophomore: 44.6 -> Junior: 55.0)

// In the nation, the ‘Dons are:

– 19th in steals per game (10.1)

– 9th in turnover margin (5.4)

– 44th in fast break points per game (16.07)

– 36th in turnovers forced per game (15.5)

– 40th in fewest turnovers per game (10.1)

// Weekly alumni spotlight:

– 22 former Mastodons have played professionally in the last 14 years.

Jalon Pipkins (2021-22) is playing for Gargzdu in Lithuanian. He had 14 points and four assists in a loss to Juventus on Dec. 27.

// John Konchar to enter Mastodon Hall of Fame

– Former Mastodon John Konchar (2014-19) will be inducted into the Mastodon Hall of Fame on Jan. 31. Konchar, the seven-year NBA veteran with the Memphis Grizzlies, finished his collegiate career as the first student-athlete in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history to record 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists and 200 steals.

// Drafting notes from the Mastodons’ game at Milwaukee

– Deangelo Elisee tied a career high with four blocks.

– Maximus Nelson tied a career high with three steals.

// Here come the notes on the win at Notre Dame

– Only four players scored in the contest (Corey Hadnot II, Maximus Nelson, Mikale Stevenson and DeAndre Craig Jr.). It is the first game in the Division I era of the program with only four players scoring in a contest. The previous low was five, which has occurred multiple times.

– It was the Mastodons’ first win over an ACC opponent.

– It was Purdue Fort Wayne’s fourth win against a major conference foe. The Mastodons beat Indiana in 2016 and 2017 and DePaul in 2023. All four wins have come under head coach Jon Coffman.

– Corey Hadnot II scored 29 points, his sixth game of 25 or more points this season.

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VALPO MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL TO TIP 2026 IN CARBONDALE

Valparaiso (6-7, 0-2 MVC)

at Southern Illinois (6-8, 0-3 MVC)

Game No. 14 – Thursday, Jan. 1, 2 p.m. CT

Banterra Center (8,839) – Carbondale, Ill.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: After returning home late Monday following a game in Cedar Falls and flying out again on Wednesday to head to Carbondale, the Valparaiso University men’s basketball team will continue a busy week of Missouri Valley Conference action by visiting Southern Illinois for a holiday showdown on Thursday afternoon. 

Last Time Out: Valpo took good care of the basketball, dominated the rebounding battle and played solid defense, but UNI prevailed 58-48 on Monday in Cedar Falls, a night where Valpo did everything right except shoot. The Beacons were just 3-of-23 from beyond the 3-point arc. Owen Dease scored all of his game-high 18 points after halftime.

Glancing Ahead: The Beacons will play their first home game since Dec. 21 on Sunday, Jan. 4 as UIC comes to town for a 2 p.m. tip. It’s Faith & Family Day at the Athletics-Recreation Center. The Flames enter a home game on Thursday night against Murray State with a 5-8 overall record and 0-2 conference mark after starting league play with losses to Belmont and UNI in mid-December.

Following the Beacons: Streaming – ESPN+ – Larry Larson (play-by-play) and Doug Novsek (analyst)

Radio – WVUR 95.1 FM Valparaiso, TuneIn Radio App, ValpoAthletics.com – Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and Brandon Vickrey (analyst) 

X updates – @ValpoBasketball

Links for video, audio and live stats will be available at ValpoAthletics.com.

Head Coach Roger Powell Jr.: Roger Powell Jr. (28-51) is in his third season as the head coach of the Valpo men’s basketball program. After helping guide Gonzaga to a 121-13 record during his four seasons as an assistant coach, Powell returned to Valpo, where he was part of head coach Bryce Drew’s staff from 2011-2016 and led the team to 124 wins in five seasons, including a program-record 30 victories and a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) title game appearance in 2015-16. He was part of head coach Mark Few’s Gonzaga staff as the Bulldogs reached the 2021 national championship game after winning their first 31 games of the season. During Powell’s first season on staff in 2019-20, Gonzaga was 31-2 at the time the NCAA college basketball season was halted due to COVID-19. The Bulldogs reached the Sweet Sixteen in each of his final three seasons on staff, including two Elite Eight appearances and the aforementioned trip to the 2021 national title game. Prior to his arrival at Gonzaga, Powell served as the associate head coach at Vanderbilt University under Bryce Drew from 2016-2019. During his stint as an assistant at Valpo, he was part of four Horizon League regular-season championships in a five-year period while also leading the 2012-13 and 2014-15 squads to Horizon League tournament titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. A product of Joliet West High School and a native of Joliet, Ill., Powell capped a prolific collegiate playing career at Illinois with a national title game appearance in 2005 before going on to a successful professional playing career. In the second season of the Powell Era in 2024-2025, Valpo over doubled its overall win total from the previous season and doubled its conference win output before earning a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinal berth. The Beacons finished with 15 wins, the team’s highest total since 2019-20.

Series Notes: Valpo is 8-11 all-time against Southern Illinois after snapping a seven-game head-to-head losing streak with an 83-79 win in Carbondale on Feb. 22 of last season. The Beacons are 6-9 against the Salukis since joining the Missouri Valley Conference. 

Scouting the Salukis  

Ranked 129 in the KenPom (sixth of 11 MVC) and 120 in the NET (sixth of 11 MVC).

On a four-game skid including a trio of league losses – vs. Illinois State (75-68), at Bradley (73-69) and at Murray State (84-81).

Under the direction of second-year head coach Scott Nagy.

Led in scoring by Quel’ron House at 14.7 points per game.

Ringing in the New Year

This marks the second straight season that Valpo has played a New Year’s Day game on the road.

Last year’s 73-72 win at Missouri State was the program’s first victory on New Year’s Day since 1945, a 56-53 win over Hamline in Buffalo, N.Y.

Between 1945 and 2023, Valpo played on New Year’s Day just once – a 76-59 loss at Butler in 2011.

This represents the third time in four years that the Beacons have a game on the first day of the calendar year (2023 vs. Indiana State L 68-50; 2025 at Missouri State W 73-72, 2026 at Southern Illinois).

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VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TO RING IN NEW YEAR AT INDIANA STATE

Valparaiso (0-13, 0-2 MVC)

Game #14 – January 1, 2026 – 1 p.m. CT

at Indiana State (4-8, 0-2 MVC)

Hulman Center (9,000) – Terre Haute, Ind.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: Having spent just one night on the road over the last month, the Valpo women’s basketball team hits the pavement for the first time in MVC play this week with visits to its fellow Indiana institutions, beginning on New Year’s Day at Indiana State.

Previously: The Beacons closed out the 2025 calendar year Monday afternoon at the ARC, returning to the heart of Missouri Valley Conference play with an 86-52 loss to visiting UNI. Kayla Preston and Kayla Sullivan both matched season highs in the scoring department in the loss.

Following Valpo Basketball: Video: ESPN+

Links for live coverage: Available via ValpoAthletics.com

Head Coach Courtney Boyd (0-13 at Valpo, 1st season; 190-81 [.701] overall, 9th season): Courtney Boyd was named the ninth head coach of the Valparaiso University women’s basketball program on April 4, 2025. A national championship-winning head coach and player, an NAIA National Coach of the Year, and a two-time conference Coach of the Year, Boyd has won 20 or more games in seven of her first eight seasons as a head coach. She spent the last two seasons at the helm of the Quincy University program after six seasons as head coach at Clarke University, leading the latter program to the NAIA national title in 2022-23.

Series Notes: Indiana State leads the all-time series with Valpo by a 12-9 count, but there has been a distinct lack of home court advantage in the series, as Valpo owns a 5-4 advantage in Terre Haute and the Sycamores are 7-2 at the ARC. Last season, it was the Beacons with the series sweep, as Valpo won 73-54 in Terre Haute and 73-68 at the ARC.

@ValpoWBB…

…versus UNI

– It was a quick start for the Beacons, as Allia von Schlegell hit a 3-pointer and Fiona Connolly drove for a layup on Valpo’s first two possessions to give it an early 5-0 lead.

– UNI responded with a 14-2 run over the next three-plus minutes to pull in front.

– Mikayla Huffine stemmed the tide with a triple, and when Kennedy Sproule knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:43 remaining in the quarter, the Beacons were within 21-17.

– The Panthers hit two triples of their own late in the period to lead 27-17 after 10 minutes.

– A 3-pointer from Mor Shabtai was part of a four-point spurt to start the second quarter for Valpo, bringing it within 27-21.

– The margin was still single digits after a free throw by Kayla Sullivan made it 31-22 with 7:37 to play in the first half, before a 13-3 run over the next four-plus minutes from the Panthers pushed their lead to 19.

– UNI was up 47-30 at intermission.

– Connolly scored on the opening possession of the second half to make it a 15-point game, but that proved to be as close as Valpo got in the second half. The Panthers held a 70-46 advantage at the end of the third quarter and scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to pull away.

– After missing Valpo’s nonconference finale due to injury, Connolly returned to action and paced the Beacons with 10 points — her ninth double-digit scoring output this season.

– Two other Beacons came off the bench to match their season best in the scoring department. Kayla Preston hit 3-of-5 from the floor for seven points, while Sullivan scored six points and also set a season high with six rebounds.

– Kamryn Winch approached a double-double off the bench as well, posting eight points and a team-high nine rebounds.

– Valpo shot 32.2% from the floor and was 5-of-21 from 3-point range while committing 21 turnovers. The Panthers hit 15-of-31 from deep — the most 3-pointers by a Valpo opponent since Oakland hit 16 Dec. 31, 2016.

– The Beacons did limit the Panthers to 38.5% shooting (15-of-39) inside the 3-point line.

…versus Central Michigan

– It was a struggle from the start for the Beacons, as their lone points of the opening quarter came on a coast-to-coast layup from Allia von Schlegell 3:30 into the game. CMU led 16-2 at the end of the first period.

The Chippewas extended their advantage throughout the second quarter, until a late 7-0 run for Valpo made it 44-19 game at halftime. von Schlegell knocked down a triple around layups from Kayla Sullivan and Kamryn Winch for the late spurt.

– CMU led 65-29 at the end of the third quarter.

– Valpo played without the services of Fiona Connolly due to injury, and then lost Autumn Dibb to injury early in the second half.

– von Schlegell paced the Beacons with 14 points, including three 3-pointers. It is her sixth double-figure scoring effort of the season.

– Winch was Valpo’s second-leading scorer, hitting 3-of-5 off the bench for seven points while also grabbing six rebounds.

– Mor Shabtai matched her career best and led the Beacons with nine rebounds, while also tallying three assists against just one turnover.

– Bella Swedlund knocked down the first field goal of her collegiate career.

– Valpo shot 25% from the floor and was just 4-for-31 from 3-point range, while CMU hit at a 51.5% clip from the field and was 6-of-17 from deep.

…looking ahead

– The Beacons conclude the Indiana road swing Saturday afternoon at Evansville.

– Valpo returns home to the ARC next Thursday, Jan. 8 as it hosts Bradley.

…away from home

– Thursday’s game is the first of 10 road games in MVC play for the Beacons, who played six true road games as well in the nonconference slate.

– Valpo is currently 0-6 in true road games.

– Last season’s squad posted a 3-11 mark in true road games.

….and @ValleyHoops

– Valpo is in its ninth season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.

– Valpo was picked outside the top-four of the MVC preseason poll, as the Valley released only the top four selections.

– The Valley finished last season ranked seventh in the NET, matching the conference’s highest NET/RPI ranking in Valpo’s time as an MVC member (2020-21).

…looking back at last year

– Valpo finished last season with a 13-19 overall record and went 9-11 in MVC play to finish in eighth place.

– Among the Beacons’ 13 victories were a thrilling rally from a 20-point deficit for a home win over Drake which entered the game ranked 69th in NET, the program’s highest-ranked win since a win over #54 UNI in 2021-22.

– Leah Earnest was tabbed a First Team All-MVC honoree as she concluded a decorated career that saw her finish first in program history in career rebounds and third in career scoring.

– The 2024-25 Beacons hit 245 3-pointers, third-most in a single season in program history, and tallied 314 steals, seventh on the program’s single-season chart and the most since 2001-02.

@IndStWBB

– Indiana State comes into Thursday’s game with a 4-8 record on the season and sits at 0-2 in MVC play.

– The Sycamores lost their MVC opener at home to Drake, 97-77, and most recently fell at Illinois State, 105-64.

– Tierney Kelley leads an ISU offense which averages 72.1 points/game with 16.4 points/game, while six other players average at least 6.8 points/game.

Hoosier State Crown

– Valpo looks to defend the unofficial Hoosier State crown among the Valley’s three Indiana-based schools this season.

– The Beacons posted a perfect 4-0 record against Indiana State and Evansville last year, sweeping the road trip and the homestand versus the Sycamores and the Purple Aces.

– Since Valpo joined the MVC, it has posted the best record against its in-state foes three times (2019-20, 4-0; 2021-22, 3-1; 2024-25, 4-0). Indiana State has done so three times (2017-18, 4-0; 2018-19, 3-1; 2023-24, 4-0) and Evansville once (2022-23, 3-1), while all three teams went .500 against the other two in 2020-21.

– The road has been mighty kind for Valpo against ISU and Evansville since joining the Valley, as it holds a 10-4 record at the Hulman Center and Meeks Family Fieldhouse.

New Year’s Day

– Valpo takes to the hardwood on January 1 for just the third time in program history on Thursday afternoon.

– The Beacons’ last New Year’s Day game came on Jan. 1, 2023 at Murray State – a 67(haha, 6-7)-48 win for the Racers.

– Valpo’s only other New Year’s Day game was Jan. 1, 2016 at Wright State, an 80-63 win for the hosts.

Fiona Leads the Way

– Senior Fiona Connolly returned from missing one game due to injury to lead the Beacons in scoring last time out versus UNI with 10 points.

– Connolly has been a consistent offensive presence for Valpo this season, scoring in double figures in nine of her 12 appearances and being held under eight points just once.

– Connolly is averaging a team-best 12.2 points/game this season, over triple her scoring average of 3.5 points/game last year.

– She has also nearly doubled her production on the boards, averaging 4.1 rebounds/game this season after posting 2.2 boards/game last year.

All For Allia

– While she was limited to seven points Monday against UNI, freshman Allia von Schlegell has enjoyed a strong start to her collegiate career.

– von Schlegell set and then matched her career high in back-to-back games with 18 points against SIUE and at Western Michigan, leading all players in scoring in both games.

– von Schlegell scored in double figures six times in nonconference action, among the best in program history in terms of double-digit scoring outputs by a freshman in nonconference games since Valpo joined the North Star Conference for the 1987-88 season:

Dani Franklin, 2014-15, 11

Meredith Hamlet, 2015-16, 8

Tabitha Gerardot, 2010-11, 8

Sarrah Stricklett, 1996-97, at least 7 (2 boxes unavailable)

Debbie Bolen, 1989-90, at least 7 (1 box unavailable)

Jeanette Gray, 1999-2000, 7

Allia von Schlegell, 2025-26, 6

Stephanie Greer, 1987-88, 6

Amy Cole, 1987-88, 6

Linda Batz, 1987-88, 6

Ali Saunders, 2022-23, 5

Jamie Gutowski, 2002-03, 5

– Notably, the six players ahead of von Schlegell on that list all went on to earn All-Freshman/Newcomer Team honors and closed their time at Valpo among the top-12 in program history in career scoring.

Shifting Starters

– With Fiona Connolly missing the CMU game due to injury, Valpo used its sixth different starting lineup of the season, as Kylie Waytashek was reinserted into the starting five.

– Connolly returned to the starting lineup against UNI, as the Beacons reverted to their small lineup – Mor Shabtai, Mikayla Huffine, Allia von Schlegell, Autumn Dibb and Connolly; Dibb being the tallest at 5-10.

– Eight different players have been a part of at least one starting five this year, with two of them – Shabtai and Huffine – starting every game.

All-Tournament Honoree

– Fiona Connolly represented Valpo on the All-Tournament Team at the CSU Invitational, as she averaged 14.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game over the Beacons’ trio of games in Cleveland.

– Connolly opened with her career-high 21 points and also tied for game-high honors with eight rebounds against Radford.

– She tied for game-high honors with 14 points versus Cleveland State, and closed the tournament with nine points and seven boards against St. Bonaventure.

The Tall and the Short

– This year’s Valpo roster features recent extremes on both ends of the height spectrum.

– Mor Shabtai and Mikayla Huffine both are listed at 5-4, making them the shortest Valpo players since 5-3 Rashida Ray (2007-11).

– On the flip side, Kamryn Winch and Milana Nenadic both check in at 6-3, making them the tallest Valpo players since 6-5 Nicole Johanson (2018-19).

International Flavor

– Valpo has a trio of international players on its 2025-26 roster: sophomore Mor Shabtai (Israel) and transfers Milana Nenadic (Ontario, Canada) and Kennedy Sproule (Manitoba, Canada).

– Prior to Shabtai’s arrival last year, the Valpo program hadn’t had an international player since Sharon Karungi (Uganda) roamed the paint from 2013-15.

Sister Act

– For the third straight season, the Beacons have a pair of sisters on their roster, as freshman Nuala Connolly joins senior sister Fiona on this year’s squad.

– The last two years featured identical twins Nevaeh and Saniya Jackson.

– Before that, the last set of sisters to suit up together in the Brown and Gold were the trio of Hamlet sisters: Annemarie (2013-16) overlapped with both older sister Elizabeth (2013-14) and younger sister Meredith (2015-19).

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MARIAN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

LANDSLIDE VICTORY OVER OHIO CHRISTIAN SENDS MARIAN INTO 2026 14-0

INDIANAPOLIS – From the opening tip, the Marian women’s basketball team asserted their dominance as they closed out 2025 with a runaway 116-34 victory over Ohio Christian University. The largest win of the season sends the Knights into the New Year with a perfect 14-0 record.

The wire-to-wire win started from the opening tip, as Marian scored on its opening possession with an Abbey McNally three-point play, igniting a quick 10-2 run. McNally, along with Kennedy Coleman and Taylor Double, contributed to the early run, as the full-court press helped Marian grab a double-digit lead in the first five minutes of play. As the bench began to rotate in, Marian maintained their aggressive play, with Kiley McNally and Eva Fisher leading a surge from the reserves. The Knights ended the one-sided quarter on an 11-0 run in the final 75 seconds, getting a buzzer-beating shot from Zoe Wheeler to capture a 36-6 lead.

Marian matched its scoring totals in the second period with another 36-point effort, as the offense continued to score at will with fastbreak layups coming off Ohio Christian turnovers. The Trailblazers committed 15 turnovers in the second quarter alone, with the Knights swiping 11 steals to set up 15 made field goals inside the three-point arc. Taylor Double made the contest a 50-point game with her transition score at the 5:41 mark, giving her team a 50-plus point margin for the remainder of the game. Violet Shuluga and Olivia Faust scored down the stretch entering half, as Marian took a commanding 72-18 lead at the intermission.

Marian backed off the press in the second half, but remained physical on defense, holding Ohio Christian to 16 points in the half while scoring 44 of their own. The starters played five strong minutes before heading to the bench, with each of the five scoring to take the lead over 70 points. Kiley McNally would take Marian to the century mark with 2:13 to play in the third quarter as she scored on the fastbreak, and Violet Shuluga would cap the final points in the quarter as Marian led 106-23.

Kenna Kirby would lead Marian in scoring in the fourth quarter with four of her six points, as the Knights’ reserves bled the clock and finished off the team’s 116-34 victory.

As a team, the Knights scored a season-high 90 points in the paint, the most under head coach Suntana Anderson in a single game. Marian scored 64 points off of the 43 forced Ohio Christian turnovers, with 46 of those 64 coming on the fast break. The largest lead of the day for the Knights was 85 points. 

12 of Marian’s 13 active players scored in the win, led by Abbey McNally’s season-high 25 points and seven rebounds. Kennedy Coleman logged a career day with 15 points, while Kiley McNally led the bench with 16 points and six rebounds. Kenna Kirby had five of the team’s 30 steals in addition to six points and six rebounds, while Madisyn Bailey scored nine points to pair with her six assists.

The Knights will be back in action as they open up 2026 on the road against Taylor in a ranked matchup on January 3rd at 1 PM in Upland, Indiana.

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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

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TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

ON DECEMBER 31 IN …

1918 – KID GLEASON REPLACES PANTS ROWLAND AS CHICAGO WHITE SOX MANAGER.

1920 – ROY PARK MAKES FIRST-BALL DUCK IN ONLY TEST CRICKET INNING, VERSUS ENGLAND AT MELBOURNE CRICKET GROUND.

1927 – BILL PONSFORD SCORES 336 IN CRICKET AGAINST SOUTH AFRICA, GIVING HIM 1146 FOR MONTH.

1945 – DONALD BRADMAN SCORES 112, HIS FIRST POST-WAR CENTURY, SOUTH AFRICA VERSUS AUSTRALIA SERVICES.

1957 – AMATEUR ATHLETIC UNION AWARDS BOBBY MORROW THE JAMES SULLIVAN MEMORIAL TROPHY.

1958 – 47TH DAVIS CUP: USA BEATS AUSTRALIA IN BRISBANE (3-2).

1958 – WILLIE SHOEMAKER BECOMES FIRST JOCKEY TO WIN NATIONAL RIDING CHAMPIONSHIP FOUR TIMES.

1961 – GREEN BAY PACKERS SHUTOUT NEW YORK GIANTS 37-0 IN NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.

1962 – AMERICAN BASKETBALL LEAGUE ANNOUNCES SUSPENSION OF OPERATION.

1962 – OHIO ENDS SUIT AGAINST CINCINNATI REDS WHEN THEY AGREE TO STAY IN CINCINNATI FOR TEN YEARS.

1963 – CHICAGO BEARS WIN NFL CHAMPIONSHIP.

1964 – DONALD CAMPBELL OF THE UNITED KINGDOM SETS WORLD WATER SPEED RECORD (276.33 MPH).

1966 – TEST CRICKET DEBUT OF BISHEN SINGH BEDI, INDIA VERSUS WEST INDIES CALCUTTA, 2-92.

1967 – FIRST NBA GAME AT GREAT WESTERN FORUM, LOS ANGELES LAKERS BEAT HOUSTON ROCKETS 147-118.

1967 – OAKLAND RAIDERS BEAT HOUSTON OILERS 40-7 IN AFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.

1967 – COLDEST NFL GAME, -13 DEGREES F, DUBBED THE ICE BOWL. GREEN BAY PACKERS BEAT DALLAS COWBOYS 21-17 IN NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.

1972 – 39TH SUGAR BOWL: OKLAHOMA BEATS PENN STATE 14-0.

1972 – MIAMI DOLPHINS BEAT PITTSBURGH STEELERS 21-7 IN AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.

1972 – WASHINGTON REDSKINS BEAT DALLAS COWBOYS 26-3 IN NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.

1973 – 40TH SUGAR BOWL: NOTRE DAME 24 BEATS ALABAMA 23.

1973 – 61ST AUSTRALIAN MEN’S TENNIS: JOHN NEWCOMBE BEATS O PARUN (6-3, 6-7, 7-5, 6-1).

1973 – JOHAN CRUYFF CHOSEN EUROPEAN SOCCER PLAYER OF YEAR.

1974 – 41ST SUGAR BOWL: NEBRASKA 13 BEATS FLORIDA 10.

1974 – FREE AGENT PITCHER CATFISH HUNTER SIGNS RECORD US$3.75 MILLION FIVE-YEAR NEW YORK YANKEES CONTRACT.

1975 – 42ND SUGAR BOWL: ALABAMA 13 BEATS PENNSYLVANIA STATE 6.

1980 – NEW YORK ISLANDERS’ GREATEST SHUTOUT MARGIN (9-0) VERSUS CHICAGO BLACK HAWKS.

1984 – TEST CRICKET DEBUT OF MOHAMMAD AZHARUDDIN, VERSUS ENGLAND AT CALCUTTA, INDIA.

1988 – NHL PLAYER MARIO LEMIEUX SCORES A GOAL IN EACH OF THE FIVE DIFFERENT WAYS POSSIBLE IN ONE GAME (EVEN-STRENGTH, POWER-PLAY, SHORTHANDED, PENALTY SHOT, AND EMPTY-NET)

1989 – FOG BOWL: HEAVY FOG ROLLS IN ON CHICAGO BEARS 20-12 VICTORY OVER PHILADELPHIA EAGLES.

1989 – JOCKEY KENT DESORMEAUX SETS RECORD WITH 598 WINS IN A YEAR.

1991 – DANIEL R MCCARTHY ELECTED NEW YORK YANKEES MANAGING GENERAL PARTNER.

1991 – J DONALD CRUMP RESIGNS AS CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE COMMISSIONER.

1995 – 62ND SUGAR BOWL: VIRGINIA TECH BEATS TEXAS.

1995 – MATTHEW ELLIOTT SCORES SEPARATE CRICKET CENTURY SAME DAY FOR VICTORIA.

1997 – MARV LEVY RETIRES AS COACH OF BUFFALO BILLS.

1997 – ORLANDO HERNANDEZ, HALF-BROTHER OF PITCHER LIVAN, DEFECTS FROM CUBA.

2007 – IN BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, USA, THE BALTIMORE RAVENS FIRE LONG-TIME HEAD COACH BRIAN BILLICK, AFTER FINISHING A DISAPPOINTING 5-WIN, 11-LOSS SEASON. BILLICK SPENT NINE SEASONS IN BALTIMORE AND WAS THE RAVENS’ MOST SUCCESSFUL COACH WITH AN 85-67 RECORD.

2008 – MOSCOW DYNAMO DEFEATS CANADA IN HOCKEY TO WIN THE SPENGLER CUP IN DAVOS, SWITZERLAND.

2021 – AT LITTLE CAESARS ARENA IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN, USA, NHL REGULAR SEASON GAME: WASHINGTON CAPITALS BEATS DETROIT RED WINGS BY SCORE 3-1. CAPITALS’ FORWARD ALEXANDER OVECHKIN SCORES HIS 275TH POWER PLAY GOAL, BREAKING THE RECORD HELD BY DAVE ANDREYCHUK.

2021 – AT AMALIE ARENA IN TAMPA, FLORIDA, USA, NHL REGULAR SEASON GAME: NEW YORK RANGERS BEATS TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING BY SCORE 4-3.

2021 – AT T-MOBILE ARENA IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, USA, NHL REGULAR SEASON GAME: VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS BEATS ANAHEIM DUCKS BY SCORE 3-1.

2021 – AT PRUDENTIAL CENTER IN NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, USA, NHL REGULAR SEASON GAME: NEW JERSEY DEVILS BEATS EDMONTON OILERS BY SCORE 6-5.

BIRTHS OF SPORTS FIGURES ON DECEMBER 31

1870 – BIRTH OF THOMAS CONNOLLY; US MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL’S MAJOR LEAGUE UMPIRE FOR 50 YEARS.

1893 – BIRTH OF J M BLANKENBERG; CRICKET PLAYER (60 WICKETS IN 18 TESTS FOR SOUTH AFRICA).

1904 – BIRTH OF CHUCK GARDINER IN UNITED KINGDOM; NHL GOALIE (VEZINA WINNER).

1906 – BIRTH OF ERNA BOGEN IN HUNGARY; FOILS (OLYMPICS-BRONZE-1932).

1921 – BIRTH OF ROCKY GRAZIANO IN NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, USA; BOXER (MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION), ACTOR (MIAMI UNDERCOVER).

1924 – BIRTH OF VICTORIA DRAVES; AMERICAN PLATFORM/SPRINGBOARD DIVER (OLYMPICS-GOLD-1948).

1928 – BIRTH OF HUGH MCELHENNY; NFL HALFBACK (SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, MINNESOTA VIKINGS, NEW YORK GIANTS, DETROIT LIONS).

1929 – BIRTH OF PETER MAY; CRICKET PLAYER (DASHING ENGLISH BATSMAN OF 1950S).

1935 – BIRTH OF PETER ALLAN; CRICKET PLAYER (ONE TEST AUSTRALIA VERSUS ENGLAND 1965, 2-58 AND 0-25).

1938 – BIRTH OF ATJE KEULEN-DEELSTRA IN HOLLAND; SPEED SKATER (WORLD CHAMPION).

1939 – BIRTH OF AFAQ HUSSAIN; CRICKET PLAYER (PAKISTANI OFF-SPINNER IN TWO TESTS 1961-64).

1939 – BIRTH OF WILLYE WHITE; AMERICAN LONG JUMPER (OLYMPICS-SILVER-1956, APPEARED IN FIVE OLYMPICS).

1941 – BIRTH OF MILKHA SINGH; CRICKET PLAYER (BROTHER OF KRIPAL SINGH, INDIA BATSMAN IN FOUR TESTS).

1950 – BIRTH OF INGE HELTEN IN THE GERMAN FEDERAL REPUBLIC; SPRINTER (OLYMPICS-BRONZE-1976).

1950 – BIRTH OF ROBERT BRYAN GILDER IN CORVALLIS, OREGON, USA; PGA GOLFER (1980 CANADIAN OPEN).

1951 – BIRTH OF MICHAEL ALLEN BANTOM IN PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, USA; BASKETBALL PLAYER (OLYMPICS-SILVER-1972).

1957 – BIRTH OF DAVID ALLEN OGRIN IN WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS, USA; PGA GOLFER (1994 BYRON NELSON-SECOND).

1958 – BIRTH OF GEOFF MARSH; CRICKET PLAYER (AUSTRALIA OPENING BATSMAN 1985-92).

1961 – BIRTH OF RICK AGUILERA IN SAN GABRIEL, CALIFORNIA, USA; PITCHER (MINNESOTA TWINS).

1962 – BIRTH OF TYRONE CORBIN; NBA FORWARD (MIAMI HEAT, ATLANTA HAWKS).

1963 – BIRTH OF ED SIMMONS; NFL TACKLE (WASHINGTON REDSKINS).

1964 – BIRTH OF DENIS HICKEY; CRICKET PLAYER (FAST BOWLER FOR VICTORIA, SOUTH AFRICA AND GLAMORGAN).

1964 – BIRTH OF KLARI MACASKILL IN BUDAPEST, HUNGARY; KAYAKER (OLYMPICS-5TH-1992, 1996).

1964 – BIRTH OF LIZ MASAKAYAN IN QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES; WPVA VOLLEYBALL (BEST OF BEACH-THIRD-1994).

1964 – BIRTH OF WINSTON BENJAMIN; CRICKET PLAYER (WEST INDIES RIGHTY QUICK 1987-95).

1965 – BIRTH OF MICHELLE DOBEK IN HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS, USA; GOLFER (1995 GHP HEARTLAND CLASSIC-45TH).

1967 – BIRTH OF BRAD DALUISO; NFL PLACE KICKER (NEW YORK GIANTS).

1970 – BIRTH OF BRYON RUSSELL; NBA FORWARD (UTAH JAZZ).

1970 – BIRTH OF DAN HOWE IN KINGSTON, ONTARIO, CANADA; CANOEIST (OLYMPICS-1996).

1970 – BIRTH OF DUNSTAN ANDERSON; NFL DEFENSIVE END (MIAMI DOLPHINS, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS, RHEIN FIRE).

1970 – BIRTH OF EDWIN HUIZINGA; DUTCH SOCCER PLAYER (SC HEERENVEEN, EMMEN).

1970 – BIRTH OF MICHEL BRUNET IN GATINEAU, QUÉBEC, CANADA; ICE DANCER (1996 CANADIANS-SECOND).

1971 – BIRTH OF BRENT BARRY; NBA GUARD (SEATTLE SONICS, LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS).

1971 – BIRTH OF ERIN WARREN IN WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, USA; LUGER (OLYMPICS-1994).

1971 – BIRTH OF HEATH SHULER; NFL QUARTERBACK (WASHINGTON REDSKINS, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS).

1972 – BIRTH OF CHRIS PARKER; RUNNING BACK (JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS).

1972 – BIRTH OF COLE FORD; NFL KICKER (OAKLAND RAIDERS).

1972 – BIRTH OF KELVIN KINNEY; DEFENSIVE END (WASHINGTON REDSKINS).

1973 – BIRTH OF CURTIS MYDEN IN CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA; 200 METRE/400 METRE SWIMMER (OLYMPICS-2 BRONZE-1996).

1973 – BIRTH OF GEORGE JONES; RUNNING BACK (PITTSBURGH STEELERS).

1973 – BIRTH OF HIROYUKI MIURA; HOCKEY DEFENSEMAN (TEAM JAPAN 1998).

1975 – BIRTH OF COLE FORD; KICKER (OAKLAND RAIDERS).

DEATHS OF SPORTS FIGURES ON DECEMBER 31

1896 – LELAND HONE, CRICKET PLAYER (SCORED 7 AND 6 IN ONLY ENGLAND TEST 1879), DIES.

1967 – ARTHUR MAILEY, CRICKET PLAYER (10-66 AND AUSTRALIA VERSUS GLOUCESTERSHIRE 1921), DIES.

1972 – PITTSBURGH PIRATES’ OUTFIELDER ROBERTO CLEMENTE IS KILLED AT AGE 38 WHEN A CARGO PLANE CRASHES DURING A RELIEF EFFORT TO BRING SUPPLIES TO THE VICTIMS OF THE NICARAGUAN EARTHQUAKE.

1980 – ARTHUR WELLARD, CRICKET PLAYER (TWO TESTS FOR ENGLAND, LEGENDARY 6-HITTER), DIES.

1983 – BILL HUNT, CRICKET PLAYER (TEST FOR AUSTRALIA, OUT 0, TOOK 0-25 AND 0-14), DIES.

1985 – ALEXANDER MATHESON, CRICKET PLAYER (TWO WICKETS/2 TESTS FOR NEW ZEALAND 1930-31), DIES.

1990 – GEORGE ALLEN, US FOOTBALL COACH (LOS ANGELES RAMS, WASHINGTON REDSKINS), DIES.

1994 – WOODROW “WOODY” STRODE, AMERICAN RUGBY PLAYER/BLACK COWBOY ACTOR (POSSE, COTTON CLUB, VIGILANTE, OIL), DIES.

ON JANUARY 1 IN …

1840 – FIRST RECORDED BOWLING MATCH IN US, KNICKERBOCKER ALLEYS, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK.

1886 – FIRST TOURNAMENT OF ROSES, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, USA.

1897 – FIRST FOOTBALL GAME BETWEEN BLACK COLLEGES – ATLANTA UNIVERSITY 10, TUSKEGEE 0.

1902 – FIRST ROSE BOWL COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME (PASADENA, CALIFORNIA). UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN BEATS STANFORD 49 TO 0.

1908 – JACK HOBBS MAKES HIS TEST DEBUT AT THE MELBOURNE CRICKET GROUND (83 AND 28).

1909 – ROBERT FOWLER RUNS WORLD RECORD MARATHON (2:52:45.4).

1910 – SIMPSON-HAYWARD (ENGLAND) TAKES 6-43 ON DEBUT WITH UNDERARM LOBS.

1912 – FIRST RUNNING OF SAN FRANCISCO’S FAMED “BAY TO BREAKERS” RACE (7.63 MILES/12.3 KM).

1916 – FIRST FOOTBALL GAME IN ROSE BOWL (WASHINGTON STATE VERSUS BROWN UNIVERSITY).

1923 – THE VERY FIRST RADIO BROADCAST OF THE ROSE BOWL IS BEAMED IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA OVER KHJ RADIO.

1927 – FIRST US COAST-TO-COAST NETWORK RADIO BROADCAST OF FOOTBALL’S ROSE BOWL IS MADE. GRAHAM MCNAMEE PROVIDES THE PLAY-BY-PLAY ON NBC RADIO.

1929 – ROY RIEGELS RUNS 60 YARDS THE WRONG WAY WITH ROSE BOWL FUMBLE RECOVERY.

1935 – FIRST SUGAR BOWL AND FIRST ORANGE BOWL.

1942 – ROSE BOWL PLAYED IN NORTH CAROLINA DUE TO JAPANESE THREAT-OREGON 20, DUKE 16.

1944 – US ARMY DEFEATS NAVY 10-7 IN FOOTBALL “ARAB BOWL”, ORAN, NORTH AFRICA.

1948 – DONALD BRADMAN SCORES 132 IN THE FIRST INNINGS OF THE THIRD TEST VERSUS INDIA.

1954 – ROSE AND COTTON BOWL ARE FIRST TELEVISED SPORT COLORCASTS.

1959 – ROHAN KANHAI COMPLETES 256 VERSUS INDIA AT CALCUTTA.

1961 – BRIGGS STADIUM IS RENAMED TIGERS STADIUM.

1967 – CRU BECOMES THE CAFA AND TURNS OVER THE GREY CUP TROPHY TO THE CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE.

1967 – DAY’S PLAY IN THE CALCUTTA TEST VERSUS WEST INDIES CANCELLED BY RIOTS.

1967 – GREEN BAY PACKERS BEAT DALLAS COWBOYS 34-27 IN NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.

1967 – KANSAS CITY CHIEFS BEAT BUFFALO BILLS 31-7 IN AFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.

1969 – JACK KENT COOKE, OWNER OF NHL’S LOS ANGELES KINGS, FINES EACH PLAYER $100 FOR “NOT” ARGUING WITH THE REFEREE.

1970 – CHARLES “CHUB” FEENEY REPLACES WARREN GILES AS PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN BASEBALL’S NATIONAL LEAGUE. GILES HELD THE POSITION FOR 18 YEARS, AND FEENEY WILL HOLD IT FOR THE NEXT 16.

1973 – 47TH AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S TENNIS: MARGARET COURT BEATS GOOLAGONG (6-4, 7-5).

1974 – LEE MACPHAIL TAKES OVER AS AMERICAN LEAGUE PRESIDENT, SUCCEEDING JOE CRONIN.

1977 – TONY DORSETT RUNS FOR RECORD 202 YARDS IN THE SUGAR BOWL.

1980 – 54TH AUSTRALIAN WOMENS TENNIS: BARBARA JORDAN BEATS S WALSH (6-3, 6-3).

1980 – ALABAMA BEATS ARKANSAS IN SUGAR BOWL FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP.

1981 – GEORGIA BEATS NOTRE DAME IN SUGAR BOWL FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL TITLE.

1982 – CLEMSON WINS THE ORANGE BOWL FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP.

1983 – PGA INAUGURATES ALL-EXEMPT TOUR.

1983 – PENNSYLVANIA STATE BEATS GEORGIA IN SUGAR BOWL FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL TITLE.

1986 – IOWA’S ALL-AMERICAN RUNNING BACK, RONNIE HARMON, FUMBLES THE BALL FOUR TIMES IN HIS LAST GAME-THE ROSE BOWL.

1986 – OKLAHOMA WINS ORANGE BOWL FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP.

1988 – MIAMI BEATS OKLAHOMA FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP.

1990 – MITSUKO NISHIWAKI BEATS NAKANO TO BECOME JAPAN WOMEN WRESTLING CHAMP.

1990 – SPORTS NEWS NETWORK BEGINS OPERATION ON CABLE TV.

1991 – THE COLORADO BUFFALOES CLAIM US COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP WITH A 10-9 WIN OVER NOTRE DAME IN THE 1991 ORANGE BOWL.

1992 – THE ESPN RADIO NETWORK DEBUTS.

1993 – BLOCKBUSTER BOWL 3: STANFORD BEATS PENNSYLVANIA STATE, 24-3.

1994 – ALEKSANDR POPOV SWIMS WORLD RECORD 100M FREE STYLE (47.83).

1994 – CARQUEST BOWL 4: BOSTON COLLEGE BEATS VIRGINIA, 32-13.

1994 – FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY BEATS THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA IN THE ORANGE BOWL FOR THE US NATIONAL FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP.

1995 – RAMAN LAMBA AND RAVI SEHGAL SCORE 464 FOR FIRST WICKET FOR DELHI.

2008 – AT THE RALPH WILSON STADIUM IN BUFFALO, NEW YORK, THE FIRST REGULAR-SEASON OUTDOOR NHL HOCKEY GAME IN THE US IS HELD. 71217 FANS WATCH THE 2008 WINTER CLASSIC, IN WHICH THE BUFFALO SABRES PLAY THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS, RUNNING INTO OVERTIME, AND ENDING WITH A SHOOT-OUT WITH THE PENGUINS WINNING.

2010 – AT LEAST 96 PEOPLE ARE KILLED AND 100 INJURED BY A SUICIDE BOMB ATTACK AT A VOLLEYBALL COURT NEAR LAKKI MARWAT, CLOSE TO NORTH AND SOUTH WAZIRISTAN IN THE NORTH-WEST OF PAKISTAN.

2022 – AT CRYPTO.COM ARENA IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA, NHL REGULAR SEASON GAME: LOS ANGELES KINGS BEATS PHILADELPHIA FLYERS BY SCORE 6-3.

2022 – AT CLIMATE PLEDGE ARENA IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, USA, NHL REGULAR SEASON GAME: VANCOUVER CANUCKS BEATS SEATTLE KRAKEN BY SCORE 5-2.

2022 – AT XCEL ENERGY CENTER IN SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA, USA, NHL REGULAR SEASON GAME: SAINT LOUIS BLUES BEATS MINNESOTA WILD BY SCORE 6-4.

2022 – AT SCOTIABANK ARENA IN TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, NHL REGULAR SEASON GAME: TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS BEATS OTTAWA SENATORS BY SCORE 6-0.

2022 – AT BRIDGESTONE ARENA IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, USA, NHL REGULAR SEASON GAME: NASHVILLE PREDATORS BEATS CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS BY SCORE 6-1.

2022 – AT UBS ARENA IN ELMONT, NEW YORK, USA, NHL REGULAR SEASON GAME: NEW YORK ISLANDERS BEATS EDMONTON OILERS BY SCORE 3-2.

2022 – AT NATIONWIDE ARENA IN COLUMBUS, OHIO, USA, NHL REGULAR SEASON GAME: CAROLINA HURRICANES BEATS COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS BY SCORE 7-4.

2022 – AT FLA LIVE ARENA IN SUNRISE, FLORIDA, USA, NHL REGULAR SEASON GAME: FLORIDA PANTHERS BEATS MONTREAL CANADIENS BY SCORE 5-2.

2022 – AT TD GARDEN IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, USA, NHL REGULAR SEASON GAME: BOSTON BRUINS BEATS BUFFALO SABRES BY SCORE 4-3.

BIRTHS OF SPORTS FIGURES ON JANUARY 1

1861 – BIRTH OF ISAAC MURPHY; THOROUGHBRED JOCKEY, 628 WINS ON 1,412 MOUNTS (44.5 PERCENT).

1863 – BIRTH OF PIERRE DE COUBERTIN IN FRANCE; BARON, REVIVER OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES.

1875 – BIRTH OF N F DRUCE; CRICKET PLAYER (5 TESTS FOR ENGLAND VERSUS AUSTRALIA 1897-98).

1898 – BIRTH OF GEORGE VAN DERTON; BELGIAN RACER (WON 500 RACES).

1902 – BIRTH OF BUSTER NUPEN; CRICKET PLAYER (ONE-EYED SOUTH AFRICAN QUICK, GREAT ON MATTING).

1906 – BIRTH OF FRANK STACK IN CANADA; SPEED SKATER (OLYMPICS-BRONZE-1932).

1908 – BIRTH OF KINUE HITOMA IN JAPAN; 800M RUNNER (OLYMPICS-SILVER-1928).

1909 – BIRTH OF D D HINDLEKAR; CRICKET PLAYER (INDIAN BATSMAN AND WICKET-KEEPER 1936-46).

1911 – BIRTH OF HAMMERIN’ HANK GREENBERG; HALL-OF-FAME FIRST BASEMAN (DETROIT TIGERS).

1918 – BIRTH OF WILLY DEN OUDEN; DUTCH SWIMMER, (WORLD RECORD 100M, 1:04.06).

1921 – BIRTH OF ALAIN MIMOUN O’KACHA; ALGERIAN/FRENCH WORLD CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPION (OLYMPICS-GOLD-1956).

1925 – BIRTH OF GEORGE CONNER; NFL TACKLE, LINEBACKER (CHICAGO BEARS).

1928 – BIRTH OF KHAN MOHAMMAD; CRICKET PLAYER (PAKISTAN FAST-MED BOWLER, 54 WICKETS IN 13 TESTS).

1936 – BIRTH OF WILLYE B WHITE; AMERICAN LONG JUMPER (OLYMPICS-SILVER-1956).

1940 – BIRTH OF JACK KIEFER IN COLUMBIA, PENNSYLVANIA, USA; PGA GOLFER (1994 RALPHS SENIOR CLASSIC).

1943 – BIRTH OF JERILYN BRITZ IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, USA; LPGA GOLFER (1979 US WOMEN’S OPEN).

1944 – BIRTH OF CHARLIE DAVIS; CRICKET PLAYER (WEST INDIES BATSMAN IN 15 TESTS 1968-73).

1945 – BIRTH OF JACQUES ICKX IN BELGIUM; LE MANS AUTO RACE (SIX-TIME WINNER).

1946 – BIRTH OF MANFRED STENGL IN AUSTRIA; TWO MAN LUGIST (OLYMPICS-GOLD-1960).

1955 – BIRTH OF MICHAEL JAMES SULLIVAN IN GARY, INDIANA, USA; PGA GOLFER (1980 SOUTHERN OPEN).

1961 – BIRTH OF IRV EATMAN; NFL TACKLE (HOUSTON OILERS).

1963 – BIRTH OF GLENN TRIMBLE; CRICKET PLAYER (SON OF SAM TWO ODI’S FOR AUSTRALIA 1986).

1963 – BIRTH OF LANCE SMITH; NFL GUARD (NEW YORK GIANTS).

1965 – BIRTH OF ANDREW O VALMON IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, USA; 400M RUNNER.

1965 – BIRTH OF HARRY GALBREATH; NFL GUARD (GREEN BAY PACKERS).

1965 – BIRTH OF MARK DEWEY; US BASEBALL PLAYER (PITTSBURGH PIRATES).

1966 – BIRTH OF MIKA NIEMINEN IN TAMPERE, FINLAND; HOCKEY FORWARD (TEAM FINLAND, OLYMPICS-BRONZE-1998).

1967 – BIRTH OF ANDY HECK; NFL TACKLE (SEATTLE SEAHAWKS, CHICAGO BEARS).

1967 – BIRTH OF DERRICK THOMAS; NFL LINEBACKER (KANSAS CITY CHIEFS).

1968 – BIRTH OF JOHN DE VISSER; SOCCER PLAYER (SC HEERENVEEN).

1968 – BIRTH OF SANDY BEASLEY IN RICHMOND, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA; SOFTBALL OUTFIELDER (OLYMPICS-1996).

1969 – BIRTH OF REEMT PYKA IN BREMERHAVEN, GERMANY; HOCKEY FORWARD (TEAM GERMANY).

1970 – BIRTH OF BRIAN MORTON IN WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA; CANOEIST (OLYMPICS-1996).

1970 – BIRTH OF TOM SIER; SOCCER PLAYER (SC HEERENVEEN).

1970 – BIRTH OF VADIM GLOVATSKIY; HOCKEY DEFENSEMAN (TEAM KAZAKHSTAN OLYMPICS-1998).

1971 – BIRTH OF BENO BRYANT; WLAF RUNNING BACK (AMSTERDAM ADMIRALS).

1971 – BIRTH OF BOBBY HOLIK IN JIHLAVA, CZECHOSLAVAKIA; NHL LEFT WING (NEW JERSEY DEVILS, TEAM CZECH REPUBLIC).

1971 – BIRTH OF BRIDGET PETTIS; WNBA GUARD (PHOENIX MERCURY).

1971 – BIRTH OF KEVIN LEE; NFL WIDE RECEIVER (NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS).

1971 – BIRTH OF KEVIN MITCHELL; NFL LINEBACKER (SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS).

1972 – BIRTH OF BARRON MILES; NFL DEFENSIVE BACK (PITTSBURGH STEELERS)/WLAF CORNER (FRANKFURT).

1972 – BIRTH OF IVAN DROPPA; HOCKEY DEFENSEMAN (TEAM SLOVAKIA 1998).

1973 – BIRTH OF CLYDE WIJNHARD; SOCCER PLAYER (AJAX, RKC).

1973 – BIRTH OF FANG LI IN HUNAN, CHINA; TENNIS STAR (1991 FUTURES-BILBAO-ESP).

1973 – BIRTH OF JUSTIN ARMOUR; NFL WIDE RECEIVER (BUFFALO BILLS).

1973 – BIRTH OF MERCURY HAYES; WIDE RECEIVER (ATLANTA FALCONS).

1974 – BIRTH OF JOHNIE CHURCH; NFL DEFENSIVE END (SEATTLE SEAHAWKS).

1975 – BIRTH OF BECKY KELLAR; ICE HOCKEY DEFENSEMAN (CANADA, OLYMPICS-1998).

1975 – BIRTH OF CHRIS ANSTEY; NBA CENTER (DALLAS MAVERICKS).

1985 – BIRTH OF DEIVSON ROGERIO DA SILVA; BRAZILIAN FOOTBALL PLAYER WHO PLAYS FOR BESIKTAS J.K.

DEATHS OF SPORTS FIGURES ON JANUARY 1

1944 – C T B TURNER, CRICKET PLAYER (17 TESTS 1886-95, 101 WICKET ALL TIME GREAT), DIES.

1949 – MALCOLM CAMPBELL, ENGLISH CYCLIST (WORLD SPEED-RECORD), DIES AT AGE 63.

1964 – ALF HALL, CRICKET PLAYER (SOUTH AFRICAN LEFTY QUICK TOOK 40 WICKETS IN 7 TESTS), DIES.

1967 – MAURICE LEYLAND, CRICKET PLAYER (41 TESTS FOR ENGLAND, 2764 RUNS), DIES.

1980 – FRANK CLIFFORD WYKOFF, SPRINTER (OLYMPICS-GOLD-1928, 1932, 1936), DIES AT AGE 70.

1990 – JOE HARDSTAFF JUNIOR, CRICKET PLAYER (23 TESTS FOR ENGLAND, 1636 RUNS), DIES.

1998 – DEATH OF HELEN WILLS MOODY, AMERICAN TENNIS PLAYER (31 GRAND SLAMS), AT AGE 92 (BORN 1905).

2020 – DEATH OF DAVID STERN, AMERICAN BUSINESSMAN AND NBA COMMISSIONER (BORN 1942).

===========

TV SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, 12/31/25

NBA REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS VS CHARLOTTE HORNETS	1:00PM	NBATV NBCS-BAY FANDUEL SPORTS CHA
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES VS ATLANTA HAWKS	3:00PM	FANDUEL SPORTS NORTH FANDUEL SPORTS ATL
ORLANDO MAGIC VS INDIANA PACERS	3:00PM	FANDUEL SPORTS FL FANDUEL SPORTS IND
PHOENIX SUNS VS CLEVELAND CAVALIERS	3:30PM	FANDUEL SPORTS OHIO AFSN
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS VS CHICAGO BULLS	7:00PM	GCSN CHSN
NEW YORK KNICKS VS SAN ANTONIO SPURS	7:00PM	FANDUEL SPORTS SW MSG
DENVER NUGGETS VS TORONTO RAPTORS	7:00PM	ALT2 SN
WASHINGTON WIZARDS VS MILWAUKEE BUCKS	8:00PM	FANDUEL SPORTS MIL MNMT
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS VS OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER	8:00PM	NBATV FANDUEL SPORTS OKC RIP CITY
NHL REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
NEW YORK RANGERS VS WASHINGTON CAPITALS	12:30PM	MSG MNMT
NASHVILLE PREDATORS VS VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS	3:00PM	FANDUEL SPORTS NSH SCRIPPS
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING VS ANAHEIM DUCKS	4:00PM	FANDUEL SPORTS SUN VICTORY+
MINNESOTA WILD VS SAN JOSE SHARKS	4:00PM	FANDUEL SPORTS NORTH NBCS-CA
WINNIPEG JETS VS DETROIT RED WINGS	6:30PM	FANDUEL SPORTS DET SN
NEW JERSEY DEVILS VS COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS	7:00PM	MSGSN FANDUEL SPORTS OHIO
BUFFALO SABRES VS DALLAS STARS	8:00PM	MSG-BUF VICTORY+
ST. LOUIS BLUES VS COLORADO AVALANCHE	9:00PM	FANDUEL SPORTS MW ALT
BOSTON BRUINS VS EDMONTON OILERS	9:30PM	NESN SN
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS VS CALGARY FLAMES	9:30PM	NBCS-PHI SN
COLLEGE FOOTBALL	TIME ET	TV
RELIAQUEST BOWL: 23 IOWA VS. 14 VANDERBILT	12:00PM	ESPN
TONY THE TIGER SUN BOWL: ARIZONA STATE VS. DUKE	2:00PM	CBS PARAMOUNT+
CHEEZ-IT CITRUS BOWL: 18 MICHIGAN VS. 13 TEXAS	3:00PM	ABC
SRS DISTRIBUTION LAS VEGAS BOWL: NEBRASKA VS. 15 UTAH	3:30PM	ESPN
GOODYEAR COTTON BOWL: MIAMI/TEXAS A&M VS. 2 OHIO STATE	7:30PM	ESPN
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
WAKE FOREST AT NC STATE	12:00 PM	ESPN2
TULANE AT EAST CAROLINA	12:00PM	ESPNU
LOYOLA CHICAGO AT RHODE ISLAND	12:00PM	WLNE-DT5
JOHNSON & WALES (RI) AT BROWN	12:00PM	ESPN+
LAMAR AT EAST TEXAS A&M	12:00PM	ESPN+
ARMY WEST POINT AT LEHIGH	12:00PM	ESPN+
MERCER AT FURMAN	12:00PM	ESPN+
LOYOLA MARYLAND AT AMERICAN	1:00PM	ESPN+
BOSTON UNIVERSITY AT NAVY	1:00PM	ESPN+
SOUTH ALABAMA AT LOUISIANA	1:00PM	ESPN+
UTSA AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC	1:00PM	ESPN+
CLEMSON AT SYRACUSE	2:00PM	ESPN2
RICE AT TULSA	2:00PM	ESPNU
VIRGINIA AT VIRGINIA TECH	2:00PM	ACCN
STONY BROOK AT WILLIAM & MARY	2:00PM	CBSSN
ST. BONAVENTURE AT VCU	2:00PM	MASN
CAMPBELL AT MONMOUTH	2:00PM	NBCS-PHI
FORDHAM AT DAYTON	2:00PM	ESPN+
GEORGE MASON AT LA SALLE	2:00PM	ESPN+
CHARLESTON SOUTHERN AT GARDNER-WEBB	2:00PM	ESPN+
APP STATE AT OLD DOMINION	2:00PM	ESPN+
HIGH POINT AT UNC ASHEVILLE	2:00PM	ESPN+
PENN STATE-ABINGTON AT COLUMBIA	2:00PM	ESPN+
NJIT AT PENN	2:00PM	ESPN+
BUCKNELL AT HOLY CROSS	2:00PM	ESPN+
TEXAS STATE AT TROY	2:00PM	ESPN+
CHARLESTON AT ELON	2:00PM	FLOCOLLEGE
TOWSON AT HAMPTON	2:30PM	MNMT 2
WINTHROP AT LONGWOOD	3:00PM	ESPN+
NORTHEASTERN AT NORTH CAROLINA A&T	3:00PM	FLOCOLLEGE
COLGATE AT LAFAYETTE	3:00PM	LAFAYETTE SPORTS
NORTH TEXAS AT MEMPHIS	4:00PM	ESPN2
WICHITA STATE AT UAB	4:00PM	ESPNU
GEORGIA TECH AT DUKE	4:00PM	ACCN
GEORGE WASHINGTON AT RICHMOND	4:00PM	MNMT
SAINT JOSEPH’S AT SAINT LOUIS	4:00PM	FANDUEL SPORTS MW
GEORGIA STATE AT MARSHALL	4:00PM	ESPN+
KANSAS CITY AT DENVER	4:00PM	SUMMIT
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN AT NORTHWESTERN STATE	4:30PM	ESPN+
NEW ORLEANS AT A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI	4:30PM	ESPN+
SOUTH DAKOTA AT NORTH DAKOTA STATE	5:00PM	WDAY-DT3
UCONN AT XAVIER	5:00PM	PEACOCK
NICHOLLS AT UTRGV	5:30PM	ESPN+
DEPAUL AT VILLANOVA	6:00PM	FS1
RADFORD AT USC UPSTATE	7:00PM	ESPN+
DREXEL AT UNCW	7:00PM	FLOCOLLEGE
ST. JOHN’S AT GEORGETOWN	8:00PM	FS1
SOCCER	TIME ET	TV
SAUDI ARABIA PRO LEAGUE: NEOM VS AL ITTIHAD	10:25AM	FS2
SAUDI ARABIA PRO LEAGUE: AL KHOLOOD VS AL HILAL	12:30PM	FS2

THURSDAY, 1/1/26

NBA REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
HOUSTON ROCKETS VS BROOKLYN NETS	6:00PM	SCHNYES
MIAMI HEAT VS DETROIT PISTONS	7:00PM	FANDUEL SPORTS SUN FANDUEL SPORTS DET
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS VS DALLAS MAVERICKS	8:30PM	NBCS-PHI KFAA
BOSTON CELTICS VS SACRAMENTO KINGS	10:00PM	NBCS-BOS NBCS-CA
UTAH JAZZ VS LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS	10:30PM	KJZZ FANDUEL SPORTS SOCAL
NHL REGULAR SEASON	TIME ET	TV
WASHINGTON CAPITALS VS OTTAWA SENATORS	1:00PM	MNMT SN
UTAH MAMMOTH VS NEW YORK ISLANDERS	3:00PM	UTAH16 MSGSN
WINNIPEG JETS VS TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS	7:00PM	NHLN SN TSN
DETROIT RED WINGS VS PITTSBURGH PENGUINS	7:00PM	FANDUEL SPORTS DET ATTSN-PIT
MONTREAL CANADIENS VS CAROLINA HURRICANES	7:00PM	FANDUEL SPORTS SOUTH TSN
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING VS LOS ANGELES KINGS	7:00PM	FANDUEL SPORTS SUN DANDUEL SPORTS WEST
DALLAS STARS VS CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS	8:30PM	VICTORY+ CHSN
NASHVILLE PREDATORS VS SEATTLE KRAKEN	10:00PM	KONG FANDUEL SPORTS NSH
WASHINGTON CAPITALS VS OTTAWA SENATORS	1:00PM	MNMT SN
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL	TIME ET	TV
ELMS AT DARTMOUTH	1:00PM	ESPN+
SAMFORD AT VMI	1:00PM	ESPN+
GEORGIA SOUTHERN AT COASTAL CAROLINA	1:00PM	ESPN+
OAKLAND AT YOUNGSTOWN STATE	1:00PM	ESPN+
ORAL ROBERTS AT NORTH DAKOTA	2:00PM	MIDCO SPORTS 2
FGCU AT CENTRAL ARKANSAS	2:00PM	ESPN+
MILWAUKEE AT WRIGHT STATE	2:00PM	ESPN+
IU INDIANAPOLIS AT NORTHERN KENTUCKY	2:00PM	ESPN+
GREEN BAY AT PURDUE FORT WAYNE	2:00PM	ESPN+
JACKSONVILLE AT LIPSCOMB	2:00PM	ESPN+
EVANSVILLE AT ILLINOIS STATE	3:00PM	ESPN+
VALPARAISO AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS	3:00PM	ESPN+
STETSON AT NORTH ALABAMA	3:00PM	ESPN+
CHATTANOOGA AT UNCG	4:00PM	ESPN+
PORTLAND STATE AT WEBER STATE	4:00PM	ESPN+
WESTERN ILLINOIS AT UT MARTIN	4:30PM	ESPN+
SOUTHERN INDIANA AT SIUE	4:30PM	ESPN+
MOREHEAD STATE AT LINDENWOOD	4:30PM	ESPN+
CSUN AT UC DAVIS	5:00PM	ESPN+
SOUTHERN MISS AT ULM	5:00PM	ESPN+
UC IRVINE AT CSU BAKERSFIELD	5:00PM	ESPN+
OMAHA AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE	5:15PM	MIDCO SPORTS
NORTHERN ARIZONA AT MONTANA	6:00PM	ESPN+
TENNESSEE TECH AT LITTLE ROCK	6:00PM	ESPN+
BRADLEY AT BELMONT	7:00PM	MVC TV
BELLARMINE AT WEST GEORGIA	7:00PM	ESPN+
EASTERN KENTUCKY AT QUEENS	7:00PM	ESPN+
HAWAI’I AT UC RIVERSIDE	8:00PM	SPECTRUM
UTAH VALLEY AT TARLETON	8:00PM	ESPN+
NORTH FLORIDA AT AUSTIN PEAY	8:00PM	ESPN+
CALIFORNIA BAPTIST AT UTA	8:00PM	ESPN+
UTAH TECH AT ABILENE CHRISTIAN	8:00PM	ESPN+
INDIANA STATE AT UNI	8:00PM	ESPN+
EASTERN ILLINOIS AT SOUTHEAST MISSOURI	8:30PM	GRAY MEDIA
MURRAY STATE AT UIC	9:00PM	MVC TV
NORTHERN COLORADO AT MONTANA STATE	9:00PM	ESPN+
SACRAMENTO STATE AT IDAHO STATE	9:00PM	ESPN+
UC SANTA BARBARA AT CAL STATE FULLERTON	10:00PM	ESPN+
UC SAN DIEGO AT CAL POLY	10:00PM	ESPN+
SOCCER	TIME ET	TV
EPL: LIVERPOOL VS LEEDS UNITED	12:30PM	USA PEACOCK
EPL: CRYSTAL PALACE VS FULHAM	12:30PM	NBCSN PEACOCK
EPL: SUNDERLAND VS MANCHESTER CITY	3:00PM	USA PEACOCK
EPL: BRENTFORD VS TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR	3:00PM	NBCSN PEACOCK

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