Indiana University Women’s Basketball Rains Three’s Down on Rutgers in a rout The Indiana Hoosiers exploded for 36 third quarter points in an 80-61 blowout victory of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights Thursday Night in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers led 32-21 at halftime in a lackluster performance. Indiana came out of the locker room and went to work and put the game away with a shooting performance that will go down in the record books. Shay Ciezki was asked after the game asked about the halftime message “It was pretty simple. Coach just said we’re gonna make shots.” The Hoosiers went 10-13 from three-point range, 12-15 from the field and 2-2 from the free throw line as they outscored the Scarlet Knights 36-19 in the third quarter. Indiana dished out 12 assists, 7 rebounds and committed 1 turnover in a complete turnaround from the first half. “I think it comes down to trust, we trust each other to hit shots. You could see it in the third quarter, we were excited.” Indiana Junior Guard Shay Ciezki said after the game.
Indiana led 14-8 after the first quarter as the Hoosiers were 5-14 from the field, 2-8 from three-point range and 2-2 from the free throw line. In the Second Quarter the Hoosiers were 6-12 from the field, 2-4 from three-point range and 4-4 from the free throw line outscoring the Scarlet Knights 18-13 to lead 32-21 at the break. Rutgers finished the first half 8-23 from the field for 28%, 1-6 from three-point range for 16% and 4-6 from the free throw line for 66%. Rutgers outscored the Hoosiers 20-13 in the fourth quarter and ended the game on 13-2 run in the last 4:46 but Indiana had emptied the bench at that point.
Sydney Parrish led the Hoosiers with 22 points, Shay Ciezki added 16, Yarden Garzon 14 and Chloe Moore-McNeil added 12 points. Indiana finished the game 29-53 from the field for 54%, 15-28 from three-point range for 53% and perfect 8-8 from the free throw line. Indiana pulled down 29 rebounds, dished out 24 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks and committed 13 turnovers. Destiny Adams led the Scarlet Knights with 21 points and Freshman Kiyomi McMiller added 14 points. The Scarlet Knights finished the game 22-57 from the field for 38%, 2-13 from three-point range for 15% and 14-24 from the free throw line for 58%. Rutgers pulled down 35 rebounds with 11 from JoJo Lacey. The Scarlet Knights had 6 assists, 5 steals and committed 13 turnovers.
Indiana improves to 15-7 overall and 7-4 in the Big Ten and have won 3 in a row. The Hoosiers have two tough road games ahead at Minnesota Sunday Afternoon and at Michigan Wednesday Night. Indiana has a lot of quad 1 opportunities left playing three ranked opponents with Michigan State on the road followed by Ohio State and Maryland at home along with a home and road battle with Purdue. Rutgers falls to 9-14 overall and 1-11 in the Big Ten as the Scarlet Knights have lost two in a row and ten of their last 11 games. Rutgers is tied for 16th in the Big Ten and with six games left in the regular season they have couple chances to get out of the bottom three hosting Northwestern, Purdue, and Penn State along with the Scarlet Knights are in danger of missing out of the Big Ten Tournament in March. Rutgers travels to Iowa, Washington and Oregon. Indiana is 9-6 all-time against Rutgers and 4-2 at home. Indiana has won six in a row against the Scarlet Knights dating back to December 2019. Indiana controlled the game start to finish and Hoosiers are hoping that third quarter performance continues to show up down the stretch heading into the postseason.
Indiana University Men’s Basketball Faces Another Challenge Hosting #24 Michigan Saturday Afternoon The Indiana Hoosiers have another tough game Saturday Afternoon as they welcome the #24 Michigan Wolverines led by Head Coach Dusty May who is a former Indiana University Manager and a Greene County Native for a 1 PM showdown with the game televised on CBS. It was reported Thursday evening that Indiana Head Coach Mike Woodson is contemplating retirement after the season ends an official announcement is coming before Saturday’s game. If it ends as expected Woodson’s time as the head coach of the Hoosiers lasted four seasons. He currently has a 77-49 overall record and a 36-36 mark in the Big Ten. Indiana leads the All-Time series 110-65 including a 67-17 record all time in Bloomington. The Hoosiers have won the last four meetings in the series dating back to March of 2022 in the Big Ten Tournament when the Hoosiers beat the Wolverines 74-69. Michigan’ last win in the series came on January 23, 2022, when they won 80-62 in Bloomington as it was the Wolverines eighth straight win in the series dating back to 2017.
Indiana is 14-9 overall and 5-7 in the Big Ten and with four straight losses and five of the last six in Conference play time is running out for the Hoosiers to play their way into the NCAA Tournament. Indiana Head Coach Mike Woodson Said after the Loss at Wisconsin Tuesday Night “We’re just not a tough team right now,” and added “We’re not. Mentally we’re not tough.” The Hoosiers lost at Wisconsin 76-64 Tuesday Night. Indiana fell behind 19-2 in the first four and half minutes and never got the margin into single digits for the rest of the game. The Hoosiers trailed 26-4 seven and half minutes into the game and have lost 21 straight games to Wisconsin at Kohl Center and only win that building came in 1998 just after the arena opened.
Indiana had back-to-back blowout losses at Iowa and home to Illinois each by 25 points before beating Ohio State in overtime in Columbus. The Hoosiers led 31-25 at halftime only to lose 79-70 to Northwestern. They lost at home to Maryland 79-78 when Rodney Rice hit a three pointer in the final seconds and after a timeout was called Myles Rice shot a corner three that came of short and there was confusion on substitutions and who was to take the last shot. The Hoosiers lost at Purdue 81-76 in a game that featured six lead changes in the final four minutes and then at Wisconsin where the Hoosiers trailed 8-0 to start the game and never a chance to recover as the Badgers went 5-6 from three-point range in the first four and half minutes led by seven-footers Steven Crowl and Nolan Winter hitting back-to-back triples to start the game. “We have a game like we did at Purdue where we competed for 40 minutes, then we come in here and we lay an egg based on how we started the ballgame,” Woodson Said. You spot teams in the road 20, it’s tough to get back in them. Again, that’s on me, man”. Woodson Said after the Wisconsin game.
Oumar Ballo struggled against the Badgers with 4 points and 6 rebounds against the Badgers twin towers Crowl and Winter and will face another seven-foot duo with Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin of Michigan on Saturday. Ballo is leading the team with 14 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. Mackenzie Mgbako is averaging 13.2 points and has scored 76 points in the last four games. Malik Reneau is averaging 12.1 points per game but after returning from a knee injury the Miami Native has scored 22 points in his last four games. Myles Rice is averaging 11.5 points and leads the team with 1.1 steals per game while Trey Galloway leads the team in assists with 4.2.
Michigan is 17-5 overall and 9-2 in the Big Ten and will come into Bloomington on a three-game winning streak and winning four of the last five. The Wolverines beat Oregon 80-76 at home Wednesday Night as Michigan placed five in double figures with 17 points from Will Tschetter off the bench in 16 minutes. Danny Wolf had 15 points and 12 Rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. Vlad Goldin scored 15 points and pulled down 6 rebounds. The duo has been hard to stop inside and outside as Goldin leads the team with 15.6 points and 1.6 blocks per game. Wolf is averaging 12.3 points and leads the team in Rebounds with 10 a game. Both players transferred to Michigan on the off season with Wolf coming from Yale and Goldin following new Head Coach Dusty May from Florida Atlantic. Tre Donaldson who transferred from Auburn averages 12.7 points and leads the team with 4.4 assists per game. Roddy Gayle Jr. who transferred from Ohio State is averaging 11.6 points and leads the team with 1 steal per game. Nimari Burnett is averaging 10.5 points per game.
Dusty May rebuilt the roster as 4 players graduated and 5 transferred out. May picked up 6 players out of the transfer portal and brought in three freshmen as part is first recruiting Class. May added Freshman Oscar Goodman to the roster who graduated from High School in December in his native New Zealand and enrolled in January and will practice with team but not play for the remainder of the season. Michigan returned 3 scholarship players and 2 Walk Ons from a season ago and added 2 more walk Ons this season to give May a 17-player roster that represents Illinois, Florida, New York, Michigan, California, Texas and Minnesota along with international players from Russia and New Zealand.
May will return home to South Central Indiana as the 48-year-old graduated from Eastern Greene High School less than 20 Miles Southwest of Bloomington in 1995 and was a student manager for Bob Knight from 1996-2000 and on Mike Davis’s Staff from 2002-05. May is 143-74 overall after he spent six seasons at Florida Atlantic leading the Owls to the 2023 Final Four with Goldin and Gary Indiana Native Johnell Davis who transferred to Arkansas. May has not had a losing season and he led Florida Atlantic to the NCAA Tournament a season ago with a 25-9 record and lost to Northwestern in the First Round. May had two other trips to the Postseason in the College Insider Tournament in 2019 and the College Basketball Invitational in 2022.
It will be a very emotional return for May and his family as will see many familiar faces in the stands and on the Sidelines as May used to cut Indiana Team Physician Dr. Larry Rink’s grass that led to that manager role under Coach Bob Knight. May said earlier in the week “We get a ticket allotment as as group, and I have no more tickets (for Saturday). We take care of immediate family and immediate family only.” May said with a smile earlier this week noting is wife is handling the requests as his phone has seen a significant uptick incoming text messages. May said it won’t be easy and doesn’t want to be a distraction, but it will be very hard for it not to be. “Without a doubt, it’s just another game.” May added “I’m sure that when we go there to practice, you’re walking into a place where you spent 50 hours a week as an undergraduate, a practice rebounder for guys, whatever the case. And then I worked there as a staffer.”
There are many Hoosier fans that believe and still believe that Dusty May should be the Indiana head Coach and not at the University of Michigan. May will be on the opposite bench for the first time in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall as a head coach and regardless of the result he has rebuilt Michigan after they dismissed one of their own a season ago in Juwan Howard.
For Dusty May and his family coming back to Bloomington this is not the first time he has come back to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. He was an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan in 2005 when and coached that year in the Eagles played the Hoosiers and has been there for many games through the years when he had had a chance to be home visiting his family over the holidays including his mother who still lives in Bloomington. On Saturday there is just one goal for the Michigan Head Coach “I’m going there to try and win a freaking basketball game, and that’s it.”
Indiana University Football adds Amari Kamara to its 2025 Recruiting Class Indiana made another addition to its high school recruiting class Wednesday as part of National Signing Day for the class of 2025. The Hoosiers picked up a commitment from Amari Kamara, a linebacker from Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, Va. Amari is the younger brother of Indiana defensive lineman Mikail Kamara, who was an All-American with the Hoosiers in 2024. In 12 games as a senior in 2024, Kamara recorded 104 total tackles, two sacks, two pass breakups and a tackle for loss, according to MaxPreps. He was named second team all-region defensive all-purpose. Kamara is listed at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds by 247Sports and On3, which consider him an unranked prospect. His only other offers came from Division III programs Averett University and Hampden-Sydney College. Kamara is the 23rd member of Indiana’s 2025 high school recruiting class, which is ranked 47th nationally and 14th in the Big Ten by the 247Sports Composite.
Bloomington South and Bloomington North Girls Basketball Play in the Sectional Semifinals at Martinsville The Bloomington South Panthers and the Bloomington North Cougars make the quick trip up I-69 as they play in the Class 4A Sectional Semifinals at Martinsville High School this evening. Bloomington South will face Terre Haute North at 6 pm followed by Bloomington North and Martinsville at 7:30 pm. The winners will meet in the Championship Game Saturday Night at 7:30 PM.
Bloomington South is 20-2 on the season and have won three in row coming into this game. Larry Winters squad is averaging 60 points a game on offense and giving up 35.3 on defense. The Panthers beat the Patriots in the regular season meeting at Terre Haute North on December 5, 2024. Terre Haute North is 10-14 on the season dropping their last four games including the regular season finale at Bloomington North 55-48 last Thursday. Terre Haute North has lost five of their last six games. The Patriots are averaging 44.2 points on offense and giving up 45.8 points on defense.
Bloomington North is 12-11 on the season and has won their last two matchups coming into the Sectional. Kiley Jarrett’s Cougars are averaging 46.8 points on offense and giving up 45.3 points on defense. Bloomington North won the regular season meeting with Martinsville 52-47 at Bloomington North on November 19, 2024. Martinsville is 8-15 on the season and beat Terre Haute South 41-26 in the Sectional Opener Tuesday Night as the Braves end the season at 9-14. Martinsville is averaging 44.1 points on offense and giving up 48.2 points on defense.
20 Monroe County Wrestlers to Compete in Saturday’s Regional at Bloomington South 20 Monroe County Wrestlers representing all three Monroe County High Schools will compete in Saturday’s IHSAA Boys Wrestling Regional at Bloomington South starting at 8 AM. The top four in each weight class advance to the Semi State Next Saturday at the Ford Center in Evansville Hosted by Evansville Reitz.
Bloomington South won the sectional title at Bloomington North for the first time since 2020 with a score of 274. Terre Haute South second with 208.5 points and Terre Haute North Third with 178.5. Bloomington South had 8 Sectional Champions and 4 Qualifiers. Edgewood who finished 6th with 96 points had 1 champion and 3 Qualifiers and Bloomington North who finished seventh with 90.5 points had 4 Qualifiers. Terre Haute South and Northview had 2 Champions each and Terre Haute North had 1. Owen Valley, Bedford North Lawrence, West Vigo, Sullivan, Brown County all had at least one wrestler advance to the regional.
Floyd Central won the Southridge Sectional with a score of 275.5 points Jasper was second with 224 and Tell City third with 180.5 points. Floyd Central had 7 Sectional Champions, Tell City had 3, Jasper had 2 along with 1 from New Albany and 1 from Southridge 1. North Knox, Forest Park, Paoli, Pike Central and Mitchell all had at least one wrestler to finish in the top four to advance to the Bloomington South Regional. In all 21 teams will be competing in the Bloomington South Regional and it’s been since 2019 that Bloomington South has won a regional and the Panthers have the depth to do it this year. Floyd Central is the Defending Regional Champion as Terre Haute South, Tell City, Bloomington South and Jasper rounded out the top five.
Boys High School Volleyball coming to Bloomington South This Spring The IHSAA added two new sports this year and Bloomington South, and maybe North, are taking them up on both of them, starting boys’ volleyball programs this spring after the addition of girls wrestling this winter. Pending board approval, South has tapped the trio of coaches: Justin Hodgson, former Panther girls coach Bob Chin and former South standout Kenadee Coyle, a December graduate at Western Kentucky after a strong four-year run with the Hilltoppers.
North has not had much interest with fewer than 10 boys’ athletes indicating on the school’s online form they’d like to play volleyball, according to athletic director Andy Hodson. He also has had no applications for any of the three coaching positions he’s had posted since July. Edgewood is not fielding a team. South AD JR Holmes said 19 showed up to a call-out meeting with the first open gyms taking place in preparation for the opening of official practice on March 10. Holmes will begin building a varsity schedule soon as long as the numbers hold through preseason workouts.
The sport has long been a staple in the central and northern part of the state. Roncalli is the state powerhouse, having appeared in 11 of the 13 finals, winning the last three in a row. Chesterton and Hebron are the only non-Indy schools to play for the title dating back to 2006. First matches can be played starting March 22 and the schedule will include a Conference Indiana tournament as all six schools were slated to field teams. Sectionals would take place May 13-17 (the week before track and tennis sectionals), regionals May 24 and state May 31, all at undetermined locations. As of now, the IHSAA has tentatively placed the Panthers (and Cougars) in a sectional with Evansville Memorial, Martinsville, Mitchell, North Knox, Terre Haute North and Terre Haute South. There are also southern sectionals in the Jeffersonville area, another with teams from the Columbus-Franklin-Greenwood-Shelbyville areas and a fourth with teams from the southside of Indianapolis such as New Palestine, Beech Grove, Perry Meridian and Southport.