Unranked Indiana University Men’s Basketball takes on Sam Houston State The Indiana Hoosiers return home to face the Sam Houston State Bearkats tonight at 7:30 pm in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall with the game televised on the Big Ten Network. The Hoosiers went from being ranked 14th in the Associated Press and 15th in the Coaches Poll to being unranked when the new polls were released on Monday. Indiana went 1-2 at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas after losing to Louisville 89-61 and #3 Gonzaga 89-73 before beating Providence 89-73 in the seventh-place game. The Hoosiers are 5-2 on the season and 4-0 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall with one win coming against a power 4 opponent in South Carolina by 16 points on November 16.
The Hoosiers have two non-conference games at home before the Big Ten Home Opener next Monday against Minnesota and traveling to Nebraska Next Friday in a place that the Hoosiers have struggled with over the years. The NCAA debuted its NET ranking for the 2024-25 season on Monday the Hoosiers fared poorly on day one. Indiana is ranked 71st in the initial NET rankings. The NET rankings are the NCAA’s primary means of sorting teams when NCAA Tournament teams are selected in March. Indiana has gone 0-2 against teams in the Quad 1 portion of the NET rankings after an 89-61 loss to No. 30 Louisville and an 89-73 defeat against No. 3 Gonzaga in the Bahamas. The quad system is tiered. A Quad 1 victory is achieved if a team is beaten in the 1-30 ranking range at home, 1-50 on a neutral floor or 1-75 in a true road game. The Quad 2 range is 31-75 at home, 51-100 neutral, 76-135 away. Quad 3 is 76-160 at home, 101-200 neutral and 136-240 away. Quad 4 is 161-364 home, 201-364 neutral and 241-364 away.
All of Indiana’s victories are considered Quad 3 or Quad 4. Victories over No. 104 Providence and No. 135 South Carolina are the Hoosiers’ Quad 3 wins. Indiana’s other three victories are Quad 4 wins, the lowest tier. With no Quad 1 or Quad 2 wins, Indiana is in a significant hole as far as its NCAA Tournament prospects are concerned. Indiana does not play any remaining nonconference games against any opponents ranked 146 or better in the NET, so the only way for the Hoosiers to bolster their resume will be to do well in Big Ten Conference contests. Indiana is ranked 13th among the 18 Big Ten teams in the NET rankings. Northwestern, Rutgers, Washington, Minnesota and Southern California are the only teams ranked lower.
Indiana is averaging 78.4 points and committing 14 turnovers per game. The Hoosiers are shooting 48% from the field, 35% from three-point range and 78% from the free throw line. Indiana has four players averaging double figures with Mackenize Mgbako leading the way at 17.3 points per game. Malik Reneau averages 14.6 points per game and leads the team with 1.6 steals per game. Oumar Ballo is averaging 13.1 points along with a team leading 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. Myles Rice is averaging 10 points per game while Trey Galloway leads the team with 4.6 assists and averages 6.3 points per game.
The Bearkats enter the game with a record of 4-4 under second-year head coach head coach Chris Mudge. Senior guard Lamar Wilkerson leads a trio of double-figure scorers for SHSU at 19.4 points per game. He is shooting 45.3% (29-of-64) from the 3-point line. Junior guard Dorian Finister averages 11.4 points and 7.0 rebounds, while senior forward Cameron Huefner scores 10.4 points a night. The Bearkats located in Huntsville, Texas have a 15-player roster with four players from the State of Texas and include players from Florida, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and three international players who represent Australia, Senegal and France. This will be the second all-time meeting between the two teams as Indiana topped Sam Houston by a score of 99-45 the lone time the programs met on Nov. 15, 2012, in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Five Hoosiers scored in double figures that night. Christian Watford led the way with 23 points off the bench. Current Team & Recruiting Coordinator Jordan Hulls tallied 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the win.
Kurtis Rourke and Jailin Walker Earn Big Ten Honors after Bucket Win The largest victory over an FBS opponent in program history and the most points surrendered by Purdue in its program history earned quarterback Kurtis Rourke his third Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award in 2024 and linebacker Jailin Walker his first-career Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award.
Rourke is also part of the weekly Dave O’Brien Award’s Dave’s 8, which makes him eligible for the national quarterback of the week honor. Rourke joins Anthony Thompson (4; 1989) as the only Hoosiers to win three-or-more Big Ten weekly awards in a single season and is one of just four IU football players with three-or-more weekly offensive awards in a career. Thompson (6), Antwaan Randle El (6) and Kellen Lewis (5) join Rourke on the list. Against the Boilermakers, Rourke completed 23-of-31 passes for 349 yards and a program-record-tying six touchdown passes. He connected with seven different pass catches in the game and five of those hauled in touchdown passes. Rourke found Elijah Sarratt on eight occasions for 165 yards and two scores.
His six touchdown passes equal a mark set by Bob Hoernschmeyer (at Nebraska; 1943) and Tre Roberson (Purdue; 2013) atop the program’s single-game list. His 349 passing yards ranks him at No. 7 in the top passing performances in Bucket Game history and third-best from a Hoosier behind Richard Lagow (373; 2017) and Nate Sudfeld (350; 2015). The 349 yards passing marked his fourth 300-yard passing game of the season, which ranks No. 3 in program history and pushed his season passing total to 2,827 yards to sit No. 7 on the single season list at IU. His six passing scores give him 27 on the year, which ranks tied for No. 2 in program history with Sudfeld (2015) and is just one shy of Lewis’ record 28 touchdown passes in 2007.
Walker earns his first-career player of the week honor after a five-tackle, two turnovers forced outing against the Boilermakers. All five of his tackles produced lost yardage with 4.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in the game. He added an interception and a forced fumble in the game. His 4.0 tackles for loss are tied for No. 6 on the single game charts at Indiana and the third-most in a game by a Big Ten defender this season. He is the fourth Hoosier with multiple turnovers forced in a game this season, joining Rolijah Hardy (Western Illinois), D’Angelo Ponds (Washington) and Amare Ferrell (at Michigan State). Walker’s effort on defense helped IU hold Purdue to a program-record for fewest yards of total offense in a single game at 67 yards. It also marked the first Indiana shutout of Purdue since 1945 and Indiana’s largest margin of victory over an FBS opponent in program history.
Indiana Fever announce the 2025 Season Schedule The Indiana Fever will tip off the 2025 regular season schedule at Gainbridge Fieldhouse against the Chicago Sky on Saturday, May 17 at 1 p.m. ET. The expanded 44-game regular-season schedule for the 2025 season can be viewed here. A select number of single game tickets will go on sale on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. ET. Fans can also join the season ticket waitlist by visiting FeverBasketball.com. Preseason game dates and broadcast information will be announced at a later date. The longest homestand of the 2025 regular season for Indiana will be a five-game stretch at Gainbridge Fieldhouse beginning Thursday, July 3 against the Las Vegas Aces at 7 p.m. ET and ending with a matchup against the Dallas Wings on Sunday, July 13 at 1 p.m. ET. The Wings currently own the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
The fifth year of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup will begin for the Fever on Tuesday, June 3 against the Washington Mystics. Indiana’s full Commissioner’s Cup schedule in 2025 will feature:
vs. Washington – June 3 – 7 p.m. ET
at Chicago – June 7 – 7 p.m. ET
at Atlanta – June 10 – 7:30 p.m. ET
vs. New York – June 14 – 3 p.m. ET
vs. Connecticut – June 17 – 7 p.m. ET
Indiana’s first regular-season matchup against the WNBA’s newest franchise, the Golden State Valkyries, will take place on Thursday, June 19 at Chase Center. The Valkyries will visit Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the first time Wednesday, July 9 at Noon ET. Before the home Commissioner’s Cup matchup, the Fever will also host the defending WNBA Champion New York Liberty Saturday, May 24 at 1 p.m. ET. The Fever will play back-to-back road games Tuesday, July 15 at Connecticut and Wednesday, July 16 at New York before hosting WNBA All-Star Weekend beginning on July 18 in Indianapolis. More information regarding WNBA All-Star 2025 can be accessed here. The Indiana Fever will begin the 26th season in franchise history in 2025. Last season, led by WNBA All-Stars Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark, the Fever reached the WNBA Playoffs for the 14th time in franchise history. For more information about the team, visit FeverBasketball.com.
Purdue University Dismisses Head Football Coach Ryan Walters after two Seasons Purdue hired Ryan Walters to keep a promising program near the top of the Big Ten Conference. Two years later, the Boilermakers have sunk to unprecedented depths and Walters is out of a job. Athletic director Mike Bobinski fired the first-time head coach on Sunday, following a brutal 1-11 season in which the Boilermakers made all the wrong kinds of history. They lost their final 11 games to set the school’s single season record, endured the two most lopsided losses in program history, went winless in conference play for only the third time since 1946 and failed to beat an FBS opponent for the first time since 2013 and the second time in college football’s modern era. It was simply too much to ignore even for a program like Purdue, which rarely fires coaches this quickly and the revenue model changes next year. “It’s a pivotal time for Purdue, and we must take the steps necessary to best position our football program for success,” Bobinski said in a statement. “We are determined to provide the university and our incredibly loyal fans football performance that reflects the excellence of Purdue and is worthy of their continued support.”
The move comes a day after the Boilermakers’ worst loss in the 126-game rivalry with No. 10 Indiana, 66-0. On the radio broadcast afterward, Walters called it the worst offensive performance he’d ever seen, then told reporters he had a vision for the future. Walters replaced Jeff Brohm after Purdue’s 2022 Big Ten West Division title run, which ended with a Big Ten championship game loss to the playoff-bound Michigan Wolverines. But things unraveled quickly for Walters. The FBS’ sixth-youngest coach lost his first game to Fresno State, started 2-3, then lost four in a row — three by 17 or more points to start a trend that continued through his second season and ultimately sealed his fate. While Purdue was projected to finish last in this year’s expanded 18-team Big Ten, few expected such a complete collapse — even despite a brutal schedule that included four contests against top-five teams. “This was a truly difficult decision, as head coach Ryan Walters continued to lead the Boilermakers with integrity, resilience and poise in the face of considerable challenges,” Bobinski said.
It wasn’t just the losses — it was how they lost. Purdue gave up 21 points to then-No. 18 Notre Dame in the final 2 1/2 minutes of the first half, a flurry that led to what was then the most lopsided loss in school history, 66-7. Saturday’s loss was even worse as the Boilermakers suffered their third shutout, losing for the sixth time by 35 or more points while gaining just 67 total yards. Even the competitive games went awry. Walters took risky gambles in two overtime games by playing for the win. Both failed, and at Michigan State, their second-half comeback fell short. The fans who kept showing up for home games grew exasperated by what they saw. Walters insisted Saturday night that he could still fix things. “I know exactly what this place needs, what holes we need to fill,” Walters said. “I feel like going into Year 3, being able to attack the holes we need to fill and getting the right people in place to push forward, I feel comfortable in that plan and confident in that plan.” How bad did things get?
Behind the scenes, there was a perception of chaos, too. Walters fired offensive coordinator Graham Harrell just 16 games into his tenure, turning over the play-calling duties to Jason Simmons, a longtime Indianapolis prep head coach who was in just his second season coaching at the college level. When Purdue responded with a 52-6 loss at Wisconsin, Walters, who spent his entire coaching career working with college defenses, started calling the offensive plays in Week 7. That didn’t work either. Just keeping players on board became problematic, too. Starting cornerback Markevious Brown left the team for personal reasons before the Wisconsin game and did not return. Purdue recruits increasingly started decommitting as the losses piled up. Just keeping players on board became problematic, too. “Yeah, we’ve gotten questions about that,” Walters said when asked if recruits were asking about his future at Purdue.
Naturally, the cries for Walters’ ouster grew into a crescendo. So Bobinski finally ended Walters’ tenure on Sunday. Purdue still owes Walters for three seasons on his original five-year deal, costing the school roughly $9.5 million. Walters finished his career with a 5-19 mark overall, going 3-15 in league play with no bowl appearances, though he did win both of Purdue’s trophy games in 2023 — and lost both in 2024. What’s next for the Boilermakers remains unclear. “We will conduct a thorough search process and look forward to bringing aboard a new head coach equipped to restore Purdue football to its proud tradition of success,” Bobinski said. Walters arrived at Purdue after spending the previous two seasons as defensive coordinator for Illinois coach Bret Bielema. He attended his father’s alma mater, Colorado, moving from quarterback to safety and immediately began his coaching career when his playing days ended in 2008. His coaching stops included Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma, North Texas, Memphis and Missouri.
Anthony Richardson leads the Indianapolis Colts to a road win over New England Patriots Anthony Richardson is getting used to having the ball in his hands in close games. And he’s learning how to win in those situations. Indianapolis’ second-year quarterback threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Alec Pierce with 12 seconds left and ran for the go-ahead 2-point conversion, and the Indianapolis Colts beat New England 25-24 on Sunday when the Patriots’ Joey Slye missed a 68-yard field goal attempt as time expired. It was the second comeback win in three games for Richardson, who also ran for a TD in the final minute to beat the New York Jets two weeks ago. “Whatever it takes, man. Whatever it takes,” Richardson said. Richardson finished 12 of 24 for 109 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions to help the Colts (6-7) keep their postseason hopes alive. Three of Indianapolis’ final four opponents have losing records.
The Patriots (3-10) were eliminated from playoff contention with their fourth loss in five games. Drake Maye finished 24 of 30 for 238 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Indianapolis capitalized on a pass-interference penalty to get into the red zone with just over a minute left. Then, facing fourth-and-goal on the 3, Richardson rolled out and hit Pierce to get Indy within a point. Coach Shane Steichen told his players they were going for 2 and called a run-pass option for Richardson, who took over from there. “I know Shane called that play for a certain reason,” Richardson said. “I was reading the outside guys on it. But once I looked in the middle, I just decided I was going to put it in my hands. … And we made it happen.” Steichen said the moment could resonate for his quarterback and the Colts. “It comes down to a lot of those in this league, and that’s huge growth,” Steichen said. “That’s huge confidence for him. Huge confidence for our team that he can get those things done.” After the successful conversion, Maye connected with tight end Hunter Henry on two passes for 20 yards to advance the ball to midfield. The Patriots lined up from there for what would have been an NFL record-long field goal. Slye’s kick was online but fell short of the crossbar.
Indy’s Jonathan Taylor carried 25 times for 96 yards, passing Marshall Faulk (5,320 yards) for third place on the franchise rushing list. The Patriots were balanced offensively, rushing for a season-high 200 yards. But they scored touchdowns on just 2 of 6 trips to the red zone. “I have to give our guys some chances,” Maye said. “Just can’t settle for four field goals in the red zone and expect to win ballgames.” Matt Gay put the Colts in front 17-16 with a 25-yard field goal early in the third quarter. New England then drove to the Colts 7. Maye threw a pass that hit Henry in the hands at the goal line, but Julian Blackmon wrestled the ball away for an interception. Indy punted, and the Patriots marched back into the red zone. Antonio Gibson ran it in from 11 yards out, followed by a 2-point conversion pass from Maye to Kayshon Boutte that gave the Patriots a 24-17 lead with just over eight minutes remaining.
The Patriots possessed the ball for nine minutes more than the Colts in the first half, but they came away with one TD and three field goals in four red-zone trips. New England’s offensive line was whistled for four holding penalties, which contributed to those drives being stunted. Indy had only one penalty in the opening 24 minutes and went 2 for 2 scoring touchdowns inside the 20. New England led 16-14 at halftime. Patriots’ safety Jabrill Peppers started after being taken off the commissioner’s exempt list this week amid his ongoing domestic violence and drug case. He was placed on the list on Oct. 9, two days after he was arrested and charged with shoving his girlfriend’s head into a wall and choking her. The league said this week that its review is ongoing. He finished with nine tackles. Both teams have bye week next week and return to action December 15, as the Colts travel to Denver and the Patriots travel to Arizona.
Indiana Pacers fall to the Memphis Grizzlies after a 19-point first half Lead Jaren Jackson Jr. had 25 points, eight rebounds and three blocks as the Memphis Grizzlies erased a 19-point first-half deficit and defeated the Indiana Pacers 136-121 on Sunday. Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 19 points and nine rebounds, part of six Indiana players finishing in double figures. Pascal Siakam scored 17 points and handed out six assists, and Obi Toppin had 16 points and eight rebounds. The Pacers got some help on the injury front as starting guard Andrew Nembhard returned after missing 14 games in November with left knee inflammation. His 14 first-half points helped Indiana to a double-digit lead. He did not play in the second half as he was on limited minutes. Ja Morant finished with 19 points and eight assists, and Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane added 16 points each as Memphis won its sixth straight. Indiana was shooting at a 60% clip in the first half as it built a 19-point lead, and its 68 points were the most its scored in a first half this season.
The Pacers couldn’t keep pace in the second half. Poor shooting had Memphis struggling early. But the shooting improved after the first quarter as Memphis finished at 53%, including 16 of 46 from 3-point range. The Grizzlies whittled into the Pacers 19-point lead by halftime and outscored Indiana 40-23 in the third quarter with Morant and Jaylen Wells pushing the offense. Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton was averaging 25.5 points over the previous four games but was limited to eight points and shot 3 of 10 from the field. The Pacers are at Toronto this evening, while the Grizzlies travel to Dallas to face the Mavericks Tonight.