USC makes its first trip to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall to face Indiana University Men’s Basketball With the Big Ten Conference expanding to 18 teams, you will see teams across the conference making trips to places that they have never visited before. This is the case with the USC Trojans as they make their first trip to Bloomington and Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall to take on the Indiana Hoosiers tonight at 7pm and televised on the Big Ten Network. This will be the fifth all time meeting between the two programs and the first since Indiana beat USC 85-60 on March 18, 1974, in the CCA Tournament Championship Game in St. Louis Missouri. The Hoosiers have played the Trojans three times in Los Angeles as Indiana won 42-39 on December 29, 1937, as the Trojans won the next two meetings 41-39 on December 27, 1940, and 91-70 on December 30, 1960, as the series is tied 2-2. This is the first meeting as conference opponents after USC along with UCLA, Oregon and Washington joined the Big Ten on August 2, 2024. Indiana will visit the Galen Center in Los Angeles first the first-time next season.
USC is 9-5 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten. This will be the first trip away from the West Coast in Conference play as the Trojans won at Washington 85-61 and dropped home games to Oregon 68-60 and Michigan 85-74. Desmond Claude leads the Trojans with 14.9 points per game. Chibuzo Agbo averages 12.8 points per game and Terrance Williams II averages 10.6 points per game. Saint Thomas leads the team with 5.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game along with a scoring average of 9.6 points per game. Matt Knowling leads the Trojans with 0.7 blocks per game. USC averages 76.2 points and commits 11.6 turnovers per game. The Trojans shoot 47.4% from the field, 34.2% from three-point range and 75.4% from the free throw line.
The Trojans have a 19-player roster that represents California, Illinois, Connecticut, New Jersey, Texas Nebraska, Maryland and Australia. Eric Musselman is in his first season as USC Head Coach and will make his third trip to Bloomington after leading the Arkansas Razorbacks to 71-64 win over the Hoosiers on December 29, 2019 and a 63-60 loss to the Hoosiers in the NIT Postseason Tournament on March 23, 2019. Musselman is a veteran coach and not only has he coached in College at Nevada, Arkansas and USC he has coached in the NBA, CBA, USBL and the G-League along with International Stops with National Teams of China, Unted States, Dominican Republic and Venezuela. The 60-year-old Musselman was born in Ashland, Ohio and played at the University San Diego from 1983-87. His father Bill Musselman was veteran coach from 1966-1997 in College, NBA, CBA, ABA and WBA along with be assistant coach with the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers from 1997-2000. Bill Musselman passed away on May 5, 2000, at age 59 but his legacy in coaching at all levels lives on through Eric and the Trojans are looking to build on as they made three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament from 2021-23 and finished with a 15-18 record in 2023-24.
Indiana has three players who faced the Trojans a season ago as they all played in the Pac 12 a season ago against USC before they all transferred to Indiana this season. Oumar Ballo played USC twice while at Arizona a season ago and posted double-doubles of 17 points and 10 rebounds in a 78-65 loss in Los Angeles on March 9, 2024, and 13 points and 10 rebounds in 70-49 win in the Pac 12 Tournament Quarterfinals on March 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. Myles Rice played at Washington State and scored 12 points in a 72-64 win in Los Angeles on January 10, 2024, and followed it up with 16 points in a 75-72 win in Pullman, Washington on February 29, 2024. Kannan Carlyle played at Stanford and scored 10 points in 99-68 win in Palo Alto, California on February 10, 2024. Seven-Footer Dallas James who has yet to see the floor for the Hoosiers after transferring from South Carolina State in the offseason is from Artesia, California a suburb of Los Angeles and was excited to see both USC and UCLA on the schedule but the Hoosiers will host both teams this season instead of James getting his homecoming this season but said before the season that facing UCLA and USC will be “Exciting and a Nice Challenge.”
Indiana is without leading scorer Mailk Reneau who suffered a knee injury 30 seconds into the Rutgers game on January 2. Reneau is averaging 14.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 60.3% from the field. Indiana beat Penn State 77-71 on Sunday afternoon in the Palestra in Philadelphia and after the game Head Coach Mike Woodson said that not sure when the Junior from Miami, Florida will return Based on what Woodson has been told, Reneau has no structural damage to his right knee, but it isn’t clear when he will return to the floor. “Don’t know when he’s gonna be back. It’s in medical’s hands,” Woodson said from the Palestra in Philadelphia. “He didn’t tear up anything, but don’t know when he’s gonna come back, I really don’t. I just gotta follow the doctors’ leads, and he’s gotta do what he needs to do get back when he can. But it won’t be anytime soon.”
Mackenize Mgbako is averaging 14.1 points per game and scored 20 points against Penn State Sunday sparked the Hoosiers scoring 8 straight points to start the second half as part of a 12-0 Hoosier run. Oumar Ballo recorded his second straight double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds on Sunday. Ballo is averaging 13.6 points along with a team leading 9.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Myles Rice is averaging 12 points and a team leading 1.3 steals per game. Trey Galloway leads the team with 3.9 assists per game. The Hoosiers are averaging 78.9 points and committing 12.6 turnovers per game. The Hoosiers are shooting 47.9% from the field, 32.5 % from three-point range and 72% from the free throw line.
Indiana was outscored 52-28 in the paint against Penn State Sunday, but the Hoosiers knocked down nine three pointers compared to three for Penn State and had a 39-33 rebound advantage along with hitting down 16 free throws compared to 10 for the Nittany Lions. The Hoosiers are 10-0 at home while USC has played one true road game with a win at Washington and two neutral site losses to Saint Mary’s and New Mexico in Palm Springs, California. The Trojans will have road games at Illinois, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Maryland, Rutgers and finish up on the West Coast with Oregon and UCLA. Indiana is 3-1 in the Big Ten and 12-3 overall and the Hoosiers are on a four-game winning streak and without Malik Reneau along with backup guards Gabe Cupps and Jakai Newton who are all out due to injury the Hoosiers look to keep the next man up mentality and keep stacking conference wins and protect home court.
Indiana University Women’s Basketball travels to Northwestern to start a Two Game Big Ten Road Trip The Indiana Hoosiers face the Northwestern Wildcats tonight at 8 pm inside Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois with the game streamed on Big Ten Network Plus. Indiana is 10-4 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten after a 73-62 loss to the top ranked UCLA Bruins last Saturday afternoon in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Northwestern is 7-8 overall and 0-4 in the Big Ten. The Wildcats are one of four teams that have yet to win a conference game along with Purdue, Penn State and Rutgers. With 18 teams in the conference the top 15 teams will be in the Big Ten Conference Tournament in Indianapolis in March and that means the bottom three teams will be out and so for these bottom four teams getting wins especially at home is crucial with 14 conference games left for Northwestern.
Indiana had a tough time with the length and quickness of UCLA as 6-7 Lauren Betts scored 25 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as the Burins held the Hoosiers scoreless for eight minutes in the first half. Indiana fought back and Head Coach Teri Moren was proud of the team’s effort and did everything they could to stop UCLA, but they showed why they are the top ranked team in the country. Yarden Garzon leads the Hoosiers with 14.4 points and 0.7 blocks per game. Shay Ciezki is averaging 11.9 points per game. Lilly Meister is averaging 11.4 points along with a team leading 5.4 rebounds per game. Chloe Moore-McNeil is averaging 9.3 points along with a team leading 4 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Sydney Parrish is averaging 9.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and Karoline Striplin is the first player off the bench with 8.8 points per game. Meister and Striplin did the best job they could on the 6-7 Betts last Saturday and Coach Moren knows they will face several Centers across the conference this season that will create matchup problems for them. Indiana is averaging 72.1 points and committing 14.4 turnovers per game. The Hoosiers are shooting 45% from the field, 33.8% from three-point range and 75% from the free throw line. Indiana has been able to get contributions besides Striplin off the bench in different ways. Juliana LaMendola is defensive weapon that is not afraid to take a charge. Lexus Bargesser can come in to run the Hoosier offense to give Ciezki a break and Henna Sandvik has been able to come in knock down shots and get big rebounds.
Northwestern has struggled in conference play with double digit losses to Michigan by 14 points and Ohio State by 30 points on the road. The Wildcats welcomed in Big Ten Newcomers Washington and Oregon and lost to the Huskies by 19 points and Ducks by 20 points. After the Indiana Game the Wildcats head to Los Angeles to face UCLA and USC both ranked in the top 4 as part of the brutal stretch of games. Northwestern is averaging 66.3 points per game and committing 16.3 turnovers per game. Northwestern is shooting 43% from the field, 26% from three-point range and 68% from the free throw line. Caleigh Walsh leads the Wildcats with 11.2 points and 0.8 blocks per game. Melannie Daley adds 10.8 points along with 10.7 points from Grace Sullivan. Taylor Williams leads the team with 9.1 rebounds and averages 10.5 points per game. Kyla Jones averages 10.1 points per game. Caroline Lau leads the team 6.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game while averaging 4.6 points per game. Indiana leads all-time series with Northwestern 43-39 and have won the last 5 meetings including the last three in Evanston since 2021. Indiana is 13-23 all-time in Evanston and the Hoosiers should extend their win streak against Northwestern after 20-point win in Evanston and 41-point home win against the Wildcats a season ago.
Season Tickets are on Sale for the 2025 Indiana University Baseball Home Slate Ahead of an anticipated 2025 baseball season at Bart Kaufman Field, the Hoosiers released details for season and single game ticket availability. Reserved season ticket holder renewals and general public season sales begin on January 7th. IU is scheduled to play 23 contests at home this season, featuring five Big Ten weekend series as part of an expanded conference schedule. League newcomer USC visits for the first time (March 28-30) in addition to regular visits from longtime rivals Ohio State (March 14-16) and Purdue (May 9-11).
Reserved season ticket holder renewals will begin on January 7th with a deadline of January 31st. General public season ticket sales will begin on January 7th and last until February 11th. All single game tickets for general admission and reserved seating will start on February 18th. There will be three games in the early season – February 19th (Purdue Fort Wayne), February 25th (Xavier) and March 4th (Northern Kentucky) – that are free admission to all fans. The remaining 20 home contests will continue with standard pricing. The Hoosiers begin the 2025 season on February 14th in Surprise, Arizona against UNLV. IU will play four games in Arizona on opening weekend including a Sunday (Feb. 16th) tilt with traditional powerhouse Oregon State. IU’s first game in Bloomington is Feb. 19th against Purdue Fort Wayne.
Free Admission Games
February 19th – Purdue Fort Wayne
February 25th – Xavier
March 4th – Northern Kentucky
Reserved Season Ticket Holder Renewals
On-sale: January 7th
Deadline: January 31st
General Public Season Sales
General Admission: January 7th
Reserved: February 11th
Single Game Sales
GA & Reserved: February 18th
Season Pricing
Reserved Adult: $161
Reserved Youth: $92
GA Adult: $92
GA Youth: $46
Single Pricing
Reserved Adult: $14
Reserved Youth: $7
GA Adult: $10
GA Youth: $5
University of Pittsburgh Cornerback Ryland Gandy Transfers to Indiana University Football for the 2025 Season Pittsburgh transfer cornerback Ryland Gandy announced his commitment to Indiana on Monday. The 6-foot and 180-pound Gandy visited IU last week. He was a starter for Pitt in 2024. He played in all 13 games and produced 40 tackles and one pass defensed. According to PFF he played 766 snaps and had a 63.4 coverage grade and 33.7 tackling mark. PFF says he missed 15 tackles and was targeted 54 times for 28 receptions and 19.6 yards per catch. He limited opposing quarterbacks to just a 51.9% completion percentage.
Gandy played in all 12 games in 2023, contributing on special teams and as a reserve corner. He totaled seven tackles on the season. The Georgia product played in four games in 2022 and has two years of eligibility remaining. Gandy was reported to have visits to Michigan, North Carolina and Ole Miss on the horizon before he went ahead and signed with IU. Gandy initially committed to Pitt as a high-end three-star recruit in the class of 2022, choosing the Panthers over Arkansas, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Penn State, USC, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
In addition to Gandy, Indiana returns their top three corners from 2024 in D’Angelo Ponds, Jamier Johnson and Jamari Sharpe. They also added Amariyun Knighten (Northern Illinois) from the transfer portal, return two redshirt freshmen and bring in three true freshmen in 2025.
WTHR along with Pacers Sports and Entertainment Partner to Air Five Indiana Pacers Games Free and Over the Air WTHR Channel 13 and Pacers Sports & Entertainment announced a partnership to air five Indiana Pacers games for free over the air. The games will begin with the much-anticipated home matchup against the Golden State Warriors at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 10. “It’s an exciting time for Pacers basketball, and we’re thrilled to expand our reach so that more fans can access games, follow the team and stay connected,” PS&E CEO Mel Raines said. “We are incredibly thankful for our long-time partners, WTHR and TEGNA, as they continue to help us deliver in-demand content to our growing and diverse fan base.”
“Today is a huge win for Pacers fans! We’re excited to team up with Pacers Sports & Entertainment to bring these five games to fans in Indianapolis for free,” WTHR President and General Manager Michael Brouder said. “At WTHR, we’re all about delivering top-notch local stories, and this partnership solidifies us as the go-to destination for live, local sports.”
The five games on WTHR are as follows: Friday, Jan. 10 — 7 p.m. vs. Golden State Warriors Saturday, Feb. 8 — 4 p.m. at Los Angeles Lakers Friday, March 14 — 7 p.m. at Philadelphia 76ers Saturday, March 15 — 8 p.m. at Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday, March 19 — 7 p.m. vs. Dallas Mavericks
Visit nba.com/pacers for Pacers ticket information, the schedule or to download the official Indiana Pacers App.
Indianapolis Colts part ways with Defensive Coordinator Gus Bradley A determined and disappointed coach Shane Steichen walked into the Indianapolis Colts’ complex Monday morning already knowing his fate. He’s returning for a third season, and general manager Chris Ballard is coming back, too. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, however, will not be returning in 2025. The team announced Monday evening they had parted ways with the coach. “I’m appreciative of Gus and the commitment he made to the Colts. He is a man of great character, and I have the utmost respect for him. I felt like we needed to move in a different direction. I wish Gus and his family all the best moving forward,” Steichen said in a statement released by the team.
Steichen is still debating whether to make other staff changes and how to keep the development of second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson on track. But he knows another mediocre season, or worse, won’t suffice, and it’s his job to make sure next season is not a repeat of his first two with the Colts (8-9). “We want to put a winning product on the field that our fans can be proud of,” Steichen said about 13 hours after owner Jim Irsay announced that the coach and GM would return. “I can promise you this, I’m going to be relentless in my pursuit to get this thing going in the right direction.”
Indy (8-9) showed promise at times. Richardson orchestrated fourth-quarter road comebacks against the New York Jets and New England, capping the win over the Patriots by calling his own number on the decisive 2-point conversion with 12 seconds left. But the inexplicable moments and games proved costly. Jonathan Taylor’s apparent TD run at Denver that would have given the Colts a 20-7 lead in the third quarter was instead determined to be a fumble that resulted in a touchback because Taylor dropped the ball before crossing the goal line. Indy eventually lost 31-13, a defeat that helped extend its four-year playoff drought.
The Colts lost twice to Houston by a total of five points, lost yet again at Jacksonville and somehow managed to allow the New York Giants, the league’s lowest-scoring team, to put up 45 points in a playoff-eliminating loss in Week 17. “Since I’ve been a Colt, it was our worst year defensively,” Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said. “I felt like, at times, we were just a bunch of individuals out there. At times, I felt like there was just a bunch of guys out there playing football. It didn’t look like a unit out there, at times, and it showed.”
The loss to the Giants was followed by reports of players being late to team meetings and rehab, something Steichen tried to explain away by acknowledging most teams have players occasionally show up late. Even former players began to question the standards and accountability inside the team complex. So, when Irsay opted to give Steichen and Ballard another chance in 2025, it came with a caveat — if things don’t improve dramatically in 2025, they may not be back in 2026. “Those are going to be the conversations we’re going to have because, obviously, it wasn’t good enough this year,” Steichen said. “We’re going to have those tough conversations moving forward.”
The 22-year-old Richardson showed flashes of his potential. He ran well and when paired with the resurgent Taylor — who was selected to his first Pro Bowl since 2021 — the Colts showed their ground game could be one of the league’s best. But Richardson missed six more games — four because of injury, two when he was benched after taking himself out of a game against Houston because he was tired. And his completion percentage, 47.7%, was the lowest of any starting quarterback in the league. Steichen knows Richardson must improve his consistency for the Colts to take a big step forward. “He made strides. I mean, he won us some games, he made some big-time plays,” Steichen said. “Did the first two years go the way that we wanted them? No, but it’s (a) learning experience, it’s a growth experience for him and everybody.”
Buckner and Zaire Franklin are two of the defense’s most prominent voices and both understand they must be part of the solution. Last week, Franklin apologized for saying on his podcast in October, “I want to play a team I knew we gonna spank, like the Giants.” Franklin said he’d spend this offseason rethinking several things, including whether to continue the podcast. Buckner, meanwhile, intends to use his voice another way — recruiting free agents. “This offseason, there’s going to be some changes, and sometimes those changes are going to be uncomfortable for people,” he said. “There will be uncomfortable conversations.”
Receiver Michael Pittman Jr. was scheduled to have scan on his injured back Monday to determine whether he needed surgery. Pittman was expected to go on injured reserve in Week 6 but instead continued to play with a fracture in his back. He said Monday he suffered started feeling back pain during a joint practice against Arizona at training camp. He still managed to catch 69 passes for 808 yards. Starting safety Julian Blackmon also said Monday he suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder injury during the season opener. The injury kept him out of Indy’s next game, but Blackmon returned in Week 3 and didn’t miss another game. He can become a free agent in March.