Northwestern beats Indiana University Men’s Basketball for the Fifth Straight Time The Northwestern Wildcats beat the Indiana Hoosiers 79-70 in Welsh-Ryan Arena Wednesday Night as Northwestern has won five straight over the Hoosiers as Mike Woodson has yet to beat Northwestern as Indiana Head Coach. It’s the first time that Wildcats have beaten the Hoosiers five time since 1915 when Northwestern won five straight from 1913-15. Indiana leads the series 120-57 and 49-38 all-time in Evanston as Northwestern has beaten Indiana three straight times in Evanston and six of the last seven meetings in the series.
Indiana is 14-6 overall and 5-4 in the Big Ten and this is first time this season that Indiana did not lose by double-digits. Mackenzie Mgbako scored 20 points to lead the Hoosiers. Oumar Ballo scored 15 points and pulled down 7 rebounds along with 7 assists. Luke Goode scored 14 points and drilled 4 three pointers. Myles Rice added 14 points. The Hoosiers were 24-57 for 42%, 9-20 from three-point range for 45% and 13-17 from the free throw line for 76%. Indiana pulled down 34 rebounds, dished out 17 assists, 7 steals, 3 blocks and committed 17 turnovers.
Northwestern improves to 12-7 overall and 3-5 in the Big Ten. Ty Berry scored 23 points off the bench hitting 7 three pointers to lead the Wildcats. Brooks Barnhizer added 21 points as the two scored a combined 44 points. Barnhizer added 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 steals. Nick Martinelli scored 18 points and Jalen Leach added 15. Northwestern finished 28-58 from the field for 48%, 13-27 from three-point range for 48% and 10-17 from the free throw line for 58%. The Wildcats pulled down 30 rebounds, dished out 18 assists, 11 steals, 6 blocks and committed 11 turnovers.
Indiana led 31-25 at halftime but the Wildcats outscored the Hoosiers 54-39 in the second half. Indiana trailed 70-56 with 3:12 left as the Hoosiers got within four points 72-68 with 44 seconds left and Northwestern finished the game outscoring Indiana 7-2 and closed the game on a 21-4 run. Indiana will host Maryland on Sunday at Noon. Malik Reneau returned from a knee injury he suffered 30 seconds into the Rutgers game on January 2, The Junior from Miami played 11 minutes scoring 2 points and pulled down 3 rebounds. Indiana was coming off an overtime win at Ohio State as the Hoosiers have dropped three of their last four games and have a tough schedule ahead with plenty of opportunity for quad 1 wins but if the Hoosiers do not get enough wins there is a good chance that they will miss the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.
Indiana University Football finishes 10th in the Final Associated Press Poll for the 2024 Season Despite their only losses coming to the two teams that played in Monday’s national championship, Indiana dropped a spot and finished No. 10 in the final AP top-25 poll for the 2024 season. They were ranked No. 9 by the AP and No. 8 by the CFP Selection Committee ahead of their CFP first round game at Notre Dame. This marks just the third time in program history the Hoosiers finished the season ranked in the top 10.
Was 2024 the best season in program history? That is subject to debate. But the 1967 and 1945 teams were ranked higher at the end, coming in at No. 4 in the final polls for both of those seasons. Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers entered the AP top-25 in late September after 5-0 start that included wins over UCLA and Maryland. They rose to as high as No. 5 ahead of a loss at eventual national champion Ohio State. 2024 marked the most weeks IU was ranked in the AP top-25 in a single season. The Hoosiers appeared in the poll 12 times, and 12 consecutive weeks. They’ve been ranked at least one week in 21 seasons, including four of the last six (1937, 1942, 1944, 1945,1946, 1948, 1950, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1979, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024).
Indiana has now been ranked a total of 79 weeks in the AP top-25 since the poll’s inception in 1936. Despite three bad years from 2021-2023, this has been something of a golden age for the program, with 24 of the 79 ranked weeks coming since Nov. 2019.
IU was one of five ranked Big Ten teams in the final poll. Here are the results of the final AP top-25 for the 2024 season:1-Ohio State
2-Notre Dame
3-Oregon
4-Texas
5-Penn State
6-UGA
7-Arizona State
8-Boise State
9-Tennessee
10-Indiana
11-Ole Miss
12-SMU
13-BYU
14-Clemson
15-Iowa State
16-Illinois
17-Alabama
18-Miami
19-South Carolina
20-Syracuse
21-Army
22-Missouri
23-UNLV
24-Memphis
25-Colorado
Indiana is almost certain to open the 2025 season ranked in the AP Top-25
Bloomington North Graduate Will Klein Joins the Seattle Mariners Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Justin Hollander announced that Bloomington North Graduate Will Klein who is a Right-Handed Pitcher has been acquired from the Athletics in exchange for international slot money. Klein, 25, appeared in 8 Major League games in 2024 between the Kansas City Royals (5 G) and the Athletics (3 G), making his big-league debut with Kansas City on April 28, 2024. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound righty was acquired by the A’s, along with two minor leaguers, from Kansas City in exchange for right-handed pitcher Lucas Erceg on July 30. Klein was designated for assignment by the A’s on Jan. 17. Klein also made 38 appearances at the Triple-A level between Omaha (34 G) and Las Vegas (4 G) last season, recording 32 strikeouts in 43.0 innings of work. The Bloomington, Indiana native was originally selected by the Royals in the 5th round of the 2020 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Eastern Illinois University. He has made 153 minor league appearances since his professional debut in 2021 and represented the Royals at the 2023 All-Star Futures Game at T-Mobile Park.
Indiana University Women’s Soccer Alum Avery Snead Signs Professional Contract to Play in Norway Indiana alum Avery Snead has signed a professional contact to continue her career at the next level with FK Bodø/Glimt in Bodø, Norway. “Indiana University was a crucial stepping stone in my journey to becoming a professional soccer player,” Snead said. The program helped me grow both on and off the field, preparing me for the next level with the support of great coaches and teammates. I’m grateful for everything IU provided to help me chase my goals and am excited for the opportunity to continue to play.”
In her only season with the Hoosiers, she tallied nine points with three goals and three assists. Snead was selected as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 3 after she played a combined 149 minutes with a goal and assist for three total point and a 1.000 shots on goal percentage in games against Wright State and Brown. The Wrentham, Mass. native also excelled in the classroom where she was a CSC Academic All-District honoree and will complete a certificate in business in May 2025. Prior to Indiana, she played three seasons at Providence where she made 69 starts and scored six goals, on assist and 13 total points for the Friars. She was a two-time All-BIG East second team honoree and All-BIG East All-Freshman award winner.
Four Indiana University Softball Players Ranked by D1 Softball at their Respective Positions Indiana senior Taylor Minnick was slated at No. 22 in D1Softball’s position rankings for outfielders. Minnick hit third in the Indiana order and has been a four-year contributor in the outfield for the team. The Bloomington, Ind. native hit .357 from the plate with 24 extra-base hits, including 10 home runs, 54 RBI and drew 33 walks. She was named NFCA First Team All-Region and All-Big Ten Second Team in 2024.
Sophomore Aly VanBrandt was listed at No. 12 in D1Softball’s second base position rankings. In 2024, VanBrandt broke out in her freshman season for the Hoosiers, earning the starting spot at second base and led the team in batting average with a .369 mark. She charted 17 RBI and had 12 stolen bases. VanBrandt was also named to the All-Big Ten Second Team, NFCA All-Region Second Team and the Big Ten’s All-Freshman Team in 2024.
Senior Brianna Copeland was named the No. 2 utility (dual threat) player in D1Softball’s position rankings. Copeland also earned the No. 54 spot in D1Softball’s preseason top 100 rankings. In 2024, Copeland was the ace in the circle and hit at the top of the lineup for the Hoosiers. In the circle, she had a 2.88 ERA, 174 strikeouts and recorded 20 wins. At the plate, Copeland hit for a .325 average with eight home runs 10 doubles and 36 RBI while also stealing 18 bases. She was named an NFCA Second Team All-Region selection.
Junior Avery Parker was slated as the No. 7 catcher by D1Softball in their position rankings. Parker was also slotted as the No. 85 player in D1Softball’s preseason top 100 player rankings. The junior has been the team’s primary catcher the last two seasons. She had a .313 batting average with 11 doubles, 44 RBI and a team-high 13 home runs in 2024. She also earned NFCA Second Team All-Region honors last season.
Indianapolis Colts Hire Lou Anarumo as Defensive Coordinator The Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday hired Lou Anarumo as defensive coordinator. Anarumo joins the Colts after spending the last six seasons (2019-2024) as the Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive coordinator. He brings 36 years of coaching experience to the Colts and has an extensive background coaching defensive backs. “I’m thrilled to add Lou Anarumo as our defensive coordinator,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said. “With many years of coaching experience, Lou is a proven leader who will demand the best out of our players. His strategic mindset and unique scheme will be invaluable as we build a fast and disciplined defensive unit.”
With the Bengals, Anarumo masterminded defenses that consistently made things difficult for opposing quarterbacks. Cincinnati’s defense in 2024 finished top 10 in the NFL in interceptions (15, T-8th), pick-sixes (two, T-3rd) and passes defensed (79, 9th); defensive end Trey Hendrickson led the NFL with 17.5 sacks, which tied a career high set in 2023. Anarumo’s Bengals defense in 2022 held opponents to 20.1 points per game (T-5th) and a 58.9 completion percentage, the lowest rate in the NFL. In 2021, Anarumo helped push the Bengals to Super Bowl by holding Cincinnati’s opponents – the Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams – to 20.5 points per game. After halftime of the 2021 AFC Championship, Anarumo’s defense held Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to eight completions on 18 attempts for 55 yards with two interceptions and four sacks, allowing the Bengals to erase what was an 18-point deficit in the second quarter and win, 27-24, in overtime at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Prior to Cincinnati, Anarumo spent seven seasons as a defensive backs coach for the Miami Dolphins (2012-2017) and New York Giants (2018). Anarumo also was named the Dolphins’ interim defensive coordinator in 2015 by interim head coach Dan Campbell, who’s now the head coach of the Detroit Lions. Before making the jump to the NFL in 2012, Anarumo coached for 23 years at the college level. Anaumo coached defensive backs for Purdue from 2004-2011 and was hired by legendary Boilermakers head coach Joe Tiller. He was Marshall’s defensive backs coach from 2001-2003, and in 2003 was also the Thundering Herd’s special teams coordinator.
From 1995-2000, Anarumo was Harvard’s assistant head coach, defensive backs coach and special team’s coordinator – and it was at Harvard where he met Joe Philbin, then the Crimson’s offensive line coach. Philbin hired Anarumo as the Dolphins’ defensive backs coach upon being hired as Miami’s head coach in 2012. Anarumo also was the defensive backs coach/defensive coordinator for the United States Merchant Marine Academy (1992-1994), was a graduate assistant at Syracuse (1990-1991) and was a part-time running backs coach at Wagner (1990) and the Merchant Marine Academy (1989-1990). Anarumo (pronounced ann-ah-ROO-mo) is a native of Staten Island, N.Y. and earned his bachelor’s degree in special education from Wagner in 1990. He got his coaching start while in college as the head junior varsity coach at Susan Wagner High School in Staten Island.
Taylor University’s Josh Forbes Named Crossroads Men’s Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week Josh Forbes was named the Crossroads League Men’s Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week on Monday for his performance in the pole vault at the Warrior Invite on January 17. Forbes posted a winning height of 4.80 meters at the meet, provisionally qualifying for NAIA Nationals. The mark was also good for the third-best pole vault performance in the NAIA this season. The award is the first of the year for the men’s track and field program and the first in the three-year career of Forbes. With the honor, Taylor Athletics has now claimed 32 league athlete-of-the-week awards during the 2024-2025 year. Forbes and the Trojans will continue their indoor season on Saturday, January 25, when they host the George Glass Invitational, beginning at 9:30 am.