Indiana gets its rematch with South Carolina in the NCAA Women’ Basketball Tournament The #9 Indiana Hoosiers get a rematch with the Top Seed South Carolina Gamecocks in the NCAA Tournament when they meet this afternoon in the second round at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina at 3 PM with the game televised on ABC as part of the Birmingham 2 Regional. South Carolina beat Indiana 79-74 on March 29, 2024, in the Sweet 16 in Albany, New York ending the Hoosiers season as South Carolina won the National Championship with a perfect record. This will be the 7th all-time meeting between the two programs as South Carolina leads the series 4-2. Indiana beat South Carolina 71-57 at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2019.
South Carolina destroyed #16 Tennessee Tech 108-48 on Friday afternoon in the first round. The Gamecocks led 33-12 at the end of the first quarter and led 60-27 at halftime. The Gamecocks outscored Tennessee Tech 48-21 in the second half. Joyce Edwards scored 22 points off the bench, MiLaysia Fulwiley added 15 points, Tessa Johnson 11 points and Chloe Kitts 10 points. Johnson played 24 minutes which was the most for Gamecocks as all 12 players scored and no other South Carolina player played more than 19 minutes. South Carolina is 31-3 overall and 15-1 at home. Their only loss at home came on February 16, to UConn 87-58 and have won 8 games in a row including the SEC Tournament Championship over Texas 64-45. South Carolina’s other two losses came on the road November 24, at UCLA 77-62 and February 9, 66-62 at Texas. The Gamecocks average 80.5 points and commit 12.1 turnovers per game. South Carolina shoots 46% from the field, 32% from three-point range and 76% from the free throw line.
Joyce Edwards leads South Carolina in scoring with 13.4 points while averaging 4.9 rebounds per game. Chloe Kitts averages 10.5 points and leads the team with 7.8 rebounds per game. MiLaysia Fulwiley averages 12.1 points and leads the team with 1.6 steals per game. Te-Henia Paopao averages 9.5 points and leads the team with 3 assists per game. Sania Fagin leads the team with 1.5 blocks while averaging 8 points per game. South Carolina has a 13-player roster that represents Arkansas, South Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Minnesota, Florida, Maryland, California and Texas. Dawn Staley has a record of 471-109 in 17 seasons in Columbia and an overall record of 643-189 in 25 seasons overall.
Indiana beat #8 Utah 76-68 on Friday afternoon. The game was tied 31-31 at halftime as the Hoosiers outscored the Utes 45-37 in the second half to improve to 7-0 all-time under Head Coach Teri Moren in NCAA Tournament First Round Games. The Hoosiers are 20-12 overall and have won 20 or more games for the 10th straight year for Teri Moren who is 246-111 in 11th seasons at IU and 445-221 in 22 seasons overall as a head coach. Indiana was led by 17 points from junior guard Yarden Garzon and 16 points from junior guard Shay Ciezki. The Hoosiers shot 58 percent from the floor in the effort including a staggering 83.3 percent in the 27-point third quarter. It was the first win over the Utes in program history and the first meeting between the two schools.
Yarden Garzon leads the Hoosiers with 14.6 points per game and averages 5.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals per contest. Shay Ciezki is averaging 11.8 points per game. Sydney Parrish is averaging 11.8 points and leads the team with 5.5 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game. Karoline Striplin averages 10.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Chloe Moore-McNeil who recorded her 500th career assist on Friday leads the team with 4.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game while averaging 9.9 points. Indiana is averaging 70.3 points while committing 14.4 turnovers per game. The Hoosiers are shooting 45% from the field, 36% from three-point range and 79% from the free throw line.
A year ago, South Carolina had a 49-32 lead at halftime and Indiana was down by a many as 22 points and railed only to lose by five points. South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley says her team learned their lesson from last year that the game is not over until the clock hits zero and the horn sounds. “Having a big lead and having it all dwindle down to a one-possession game is eye-opening,” Staley said Saturday. “I think this team wants to continue to play in the NCAA Tournament, so they’re going to do whatever it takes to have their journeys continue.” South Carolina’s Te-Hina Paopao thought the Gamecocks had done enough early against the Hoosiers last year and expected to roll through the final two periods and into the Elite Eight. Instead, Indiana got within 74-72 on Mackenzie Holmes’ layup with 1:08 to play. South Carolina guard Raven Johnson hit a clutch 3-pointer 15 seconds later to extend the lead. Paopao said she and her teammates learned from that game: No dance sessions, no matter how good they’re feeling about their play. “This year we have to be more disciplined,” Paopao said. “Just be able to keep the mindset that we’ve got to stay in all 40 minutes and continue to be who we are.”
Indiana coach Teri Moren hopes her players took something from that loss — that the team can compete against anyone in the country. “Disappointing that we couldn’t pull it off,” she said. “But, yeah, it gave us some confidence knowing that although both teams are different, that we have been able to play with a team like South Carolina. so, I’m hoping that these guys have the confidence.” The biggest difference between this year’s game and last year’s is in the middle, where neither team has a dominant player down low like South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso or Indiana’s Holmes. Cardoso was the Gamecocks’ leading scorer and rebounder last year and, at 6-foot-7, was a major headache to prepare for. She finished with 22 points in the win over Indiana. Staley had a play called for Cardoso when it was 74-72, who kicked the ball out to Johnson for the critical 3. Holmes, at 6-3, led Indiana in points, rebounds and blocks. She was held to 12 points, going 0 for 4 on 3s, by the Gamecocks. “We are not as tall as they are,” Indiana’s Sydney Parrish said. “I think that we have the strength of maybe trying to play a little bit smarter than them.”
Indiana University’s Anna Peplowski Captures 200-Yard Freestyle National Title Indiana senior Anna Peplowski captured her first-career NCAA national championship in the 200-yard freestyle Friday at the 2025 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships inside the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center. Peplowski out-touched USC senior Minna Abraham by six hundredths of a second with a time of 1:40.50. That time ranks No. 7 all-time, as Peplowski broke her own Big Ten and program record (1:40.69). Peplowski’s title comes as Indiana’s first-ever women’s freestyle championship. It’s also Indiana’s first women’s title since Tarrin Gilliland repeated as platform champion in 2022 as well as its first women’s swimming title since Lilly King captured four straight in both the 100 and 200 breast from 2016-19. The IU women’s program has won 19 championships overall.
Michigan sophomore Stephanie Balduccini led the race through 150 yards with Peplowski and Abraham even at a 1:14.94 split. The senior – who finished third to Balduccini and Abraham at the Big Ten Championships – wouldn’t be denied her first NCAA title, splitting 25.56 in the final 50 to Abraham’s 25.62 and Balduccini’s 26.22. Peplowski’s title was Indiana’s first of three medals and four program records Friday night. The Hoosiers jumped into fourth place with 209 points going into the final day of competition Saturday. Indiana has never finished better than seventh at a women’s NCAA Championships. “What a fantastic evening for the Hoosiers,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “I am so proud of our courageous women. From Anna Peplowski’s first national title to Miranda Grana’s amazing triple, our team is digging deep for ‘Hoosier Nation.’ We loved the way the team finished off the session with an outstanding 400 medley relay! More fun to come tomorrow!”
Sophomore Miranda Grana put together one of the more miraculous feats of the night, swimming three different events in which she finished top four and established a program record in all three. Individually, Grana took on the 100-yard butterfly, 100-yard backstroke double with great success: Grana’s fourth-place finish in the 100 fly is the best in program history as she broke Gia Dalesandro’s eight-year-old program record (prev. 50.45) with a 50.01, dropping her personal best time by 78 hundredths of a second. Grana then became the first Hoosier to break the 50-second barrier in the 100-yard backstroke, taking bronze with a program record 49.62, 61 hundredths better than her prelim 50.23 that tied teammate Kacey McKenna’s previous school standard.
Prior to February 2024, no IU women’s swimmer had ever recorded a sub-51-second 100-yard backstroke. On March 21, 2025, Grana (49.62), McKenna (50.23) and junior Mya DeWitt (50.78) all have personal best times under 51 seconds. DeWitt’s best time came in prelims as all three Hoosiers qualified for 100 back finals Friday, but she nearly matched it with a 50.79 leadoff for Indiana’s historic 400-yard medley relay that ended the evening. The Hoosiers finished fourth with a program record 3:25.83 from DeWitt, senior Brearna Crawford (58.08), Grana’s third swim of the night (49.62) and junior Kristina Paegle (47.34). Indiana has finished top 10 nationally in every relay this week, with only the 400-yard freestyle relay awaiting Saturday. Senior Skyler Liu earned Indiana’s eighth diving medal since 2019 – Hoosier divers have medaled at six consecutive NCAA Championships – with her bronze medal performance on the 3-meter springboard. Liu executed five 3.00 degree-of-difficulty (or harder) dives for at least 60 points and finished with a score of 382.35, just five points out of second and seven points away from a title. The senior is also a two-time Big Ten Champion in the event.
RESULTS
100 BUTTERFLY
4. Miranda Grana – 50.01 (All-America, Program Record, Career Best) 200 FREESTYLE
1. Anna Peplowski – 1:40.50 (NCAA Champion, All-America, Big Ten Record, Program Record, Career Best) 100 BACKSTROKE
3. Miranda Grana – 49.62 (NCAA Bronze, All-America, Program Record, Career Best)
13. Kacey McKenna – 50.92 (Second-team All-America)
14. Mya DeWitt – 51.18 (Second-team All-America) 3-METER DIVING
3. Skyler Liu – 382.35 (NCAA Bronze, All-America)
14. Lily Witte – 324.45 (Second-team All-America) 400 MEDLEY RELAY
4. Mya DeWitt, Brearna Crawford, Miranda Grana, Kristina Paegle – 3:25.83 (All-America, Program Record)
HOOSIER ALL-AMERICANS
Brearna Crawford – 200 medley relay*, 400 medley relay
Mya DeWitt – 200 freestyle relay, 100 backstroke*, 400 medley relay
Ching Hwee Gan – 500 freestyle
Miranda Grana – 200 medley relay*, 800 freestyle relay, 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke, 400 medley relay
Skyler Liu – 3-meter
Kacey McKenna – 200 medley relay*, 200 freestyle relay, 100 backstroke*
Kristina Paegle – 200 medley relay*, 800 freestyle relay, 50 freestyle*, 200 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay
Anna Peplowski – 800 freestyle relay, 500 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, 200 freestyle
Ella Roselli – 1-meter*
Reese Tiltmann – 800 freestyle
Lily Witte – 3-meter*
* – Denotes second-team honoree
Indiana University Wrestler DJ Washington Becomes the Program’s First All-American Since 2017 The 2025 NCAA Championships continued to be a great one for the Indiana program on day two at the Wells Fargo Center. The Friday action included all six Hoosiers competing, three reaching the Blood Round and one earning All-American status. Graduate student and No. 22 seed DJ Washington (184) continued his fight all the way through the wrestlebacks, winning four in a row on the backside of the bracket after dropping his opening match on Thursday to claim his spot on the podium. He defeated No. 10 Edmond Ruth (Illinois) in the Blood Round in an 8-4 decision to break through and be an All-American for the first time in his career. Washington scored on two takedowns and didn’t allow one in the win. It was a rematch from the regular season, when Ruth won in a 4-2 decision in Indianapolis at the Big Ten Takedown (Dec. 6). Washington is the program’s first All-American since 2017 when Nate Jackson took 8th place at 184 lbs. He will compete in the seventh-place match tomorrow against No. 12 Silas Allred (Nebraska) in Session V, starting at 11 a.m.
No. 21 Angelo Rini (133) and No. 24 Gabe Sollars (197) each reached the quarterfinals after two wins on day one of the championships. Both lost in their quarterfinal match by decision which dropped them to the Blood Round in the consolations. Rini lost to No. 4 Zeth Romney (Cal Poly), 8-2, and Sollars lost to No. 1 Jacob Cardenas (Michigan) in a 10-5 decision. With those losses, Rini and Sollars competed in the Blood Round. Rini lost to No. 17 Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) in an 8-0 major decision and Sollars lost to No. 20 Camden McDanel (Nebraska) in a 7-3 decision. Rini, Sollars and Washington marked the program’s first wrestlers to reach the Blood Round since Graham Rooks did so in 2023 at 149 lbs. No. 18 Jacob Moran (125) and No. 21 Jacob Bullock (285) each won their first match of the day before losing in close fashion in the third round of consolations.
FULL RESULTS 125 – No. 18 Jacob Moran:
-Round 1: No. 18 Jacob Moran (IU) def. No. 15 Maximo Renteria (Oregon State): Dec. 7-6
-Round of 16: No. 2 Matt Ramos (Purdue) def. No. 18 Jacob Moran (IU): MD, 8-0
-Cons. R2: No. 18 Jacob Moran (IU) def. No. 17 Max Gallagher (Penn): Dec. 10-4
-Cons. R3: No. 10 Stevo Poulin (N. Colorado) def. No. 18 Jacob Moran (IU): Dec. 1-0
133 – No. 21 Angelo Rini:
-Round 1: No. 21 Angelo Rini (IU) def. No. 12 Ethan Oakley (North Carolina): Dec. 7-1
-Round of 16: No. 21 Angelo Rini (IU) def. No. 5 Dominick Serrano (N. Colorado): MD, 15-7
-Quarterfinal: No. 4 Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) def. No. 21 Angelo Rini (IU): Dec. 8-2
-Round of 12: No. 17 Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) def. No. 21 Angelo Rini (IU): MD, 8-0
165 – No. 27 Tyler Lillard:
-Round 1: No. 6 Beau Mantanona (Michigan) def. No. 27 Tyler Lillard (IU): Dec. 7-3
-Cons. R1: No. 27 Tyler Lillard (IU) def. No. 22 Enrique Mungia (Rider): Fall (3:45)
-Cons. R2: No. 5 Julian Ramirez (Cornell) def. No. 27 Tyler Lillard (IU): Dec. 6-1
184 – No. 22 DJ Washington:
-Round 1: No. 22 DJ Washington (IU) def. No. 11 Gabe Arnold (Iowa): Dec. 4-1
-Cons. R1: No. 22 DJ Washington (IU) def. No. 27 Ross McFarland (Hofstra): Dec. 10-8
-Cons. R2: No. 22 DJ Washington (IU) def. No. 5 Bennett Berge (South Dakota St.): MD, 12-0
-Cons. R3: No. 22 DJ Washington (IU) def. No. 19 Eddie Neitenbach (Wyoming): TF, 19-4 (2:41)
-Round of 12: No. 22 DJ Washington (IU) def. No. 10 Edmond Ruth (Illinois): Dec. 8-4
-Cons. R5: No. 6 Chris Foca (Cornell) def. No. 22 DJ Washington (IU): TF, 20-4 (4:32)
197 – No. 24 Gabe Sollars:
-Round 1: No. 24 Gabe Sollars (IU) def. No. 9 Zac Braunagel (Illinois): Dec. 6-5
-Round of 16: No. 24 Gabe Sollars (IU) def. No. 25 Patrick Brophy (Citadel): MD, 14-4
-Quarterfinal: No. 1 Jacob Cardenas (Michigan) def. No. 24 Gabe Sollars (IU): Dec. 10-5
-Round of 12: No. 20 Camden McDanel (Nebraska) def. No. 24 Gabe Sollars (IU): Dec. 7-3
285 – No. 21 Jacob Bullock:
-Round 1: No. 12 Nick Feldman (Ohio State) def. No. 21 Jacob Bullock (IU): Dec. 4-2
-Cons. R1: No. 21 Jacob Bullock (IU) def. No. 28 Daniel Herrera (Iowa State): Dec. 7-1
-Cons. R2: No. 21 Jacob Bullock (IU) def. No. 22 Brady Colbert (Army): Dec. 8-1
-Cons. R3: No. 14 Gavin Hoffman (Lock Haven) def. No. 21 Jacob Bullock (IU): Dec. 4-1 TEAM STANDINGS UPDATE (THROUGH DAY TWO)
- Penn State (135.5)
- Nebraska (101.5)
- Oklahoma State (91.0)
- Iowa (73.5)
- Minnesota (47.0) 21. Indiana (18.5)
Indiana University Water Polo’s Skylar Kidd Named to the Cutino Award Watch List Senior Skylar Kidd has been named one of 20 candidates on the 2025 Cutino Award watch list announced by USA Water Polo and The Olympic Club and the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) on Friday. Kidd is the first Hoosier to ever appear on the Cutino Award watch list which started in 2022. The Laguna Beach, Calif. native has put together an impressive senior campaign where she sparks the Indiana offense with a team-high 42 goals and 28 assists for 70 total points. Her nine hat tricks are a team-high and started off the season with five-straight multi goal efforts and 13 overall. She is also the team’s leading sprint taker with 30 sprint wins to her name this season. In her career, Kidd has scored 151 goals, 108 assists, 81 steals and 120 sprint wins.
The Peter J. Cutino Award, named in honor of the late Hall of Fame coach, recognizes the best player in men’s and women’s college water polo. This watch list was created in 2022 in an effort to help promote the college game, awareness of the honor, and the excellent play of athletes across the country. The top 20 athletes, as submitted by varsity college coaches, have been recognized for their outstanding play.
Notre Dame Women’s Basketball cruises to a first-round win over Stephen F. Austin in the NCAA Tournament Olivia Miles departed Notre Dame’s 106-54 victory over Stephen F. Austin in the NCAA Tournament because of a left knee injury, casting a shadow over the school’s dominant performance in the first round on Friday in South Bend. Miles fell to the court under the SFA basket with 8:44 left in the fourth quarter. The senior guard limped off the court and headed to the team’s locker room. Miles, a first-team All-ACC selection, finished with two points and eight assists. She missed the 2023-2024 season because of a knee injury. Hannah Hidalgo and Sonia Citron each scored 24 points for third-seeded Notre Dame (27-5). Liza Karlen had 13 points. Next up for the Irish is No. 6 seed Michigan (23-10) at 1 PM this afternoon on ABC. Hidalgo also had six rebounds and five assists. Citron grabbed seven rebounds. Notre Dame forced 28 turnovers, including 18 steals, while committing only 11. The Fighting Irish piled up a 38-5 advantage in points off turnovers. Trinity Moore led SFA with 14 points. The Fighting Irish led 26-13 after one quarter and 46-25 at halftime.
Ball State Falls to Ole Miss in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament First Round Starr Jacobs had 18 points and 11 rebounds, Kennedy Todd-Williams added 14 points with 11 boards and No. 5 seed Mississippi rolled to an 83-65 victory over 12th-seeded Ball State in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Friday night in Waco, Texas. Madison Scott scored 15 points as the Rebels (21-10) had a much better time on Baylor’s home court three years after South Dakota won a tournament game for the first time by beating Ole Miss in Waco. The Rebels will face fourth-seeded Baylor, a 73-60 winner over Grand Canyon, in the second round Today at 4 PM on ESPN.
Ally Becki scored 19 points for the Cardinals (27-8), who were making their second NCAA appearance 16 years after the first. Ball State was the 12th seed back then, too, knocking off Tennessee before losing to Iowa State. Ball State, the Mid-American Conference Tournament champion, didn’t give itself much of a chance for another upset, shooting 31% before halftime while falling behind 37-23. The deficit reached 20-plus early in the second half and stayed there until the fourth quarter.
Ole Miss thought a fourth consecutive NCAA trip under coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin would lead to hosting the early rounds of the tournament. Instead, the Rebels had to settle for their highest seed since 1994, also at No. 5, then went out and proved they probably deserved to be on their home court. At least they can say they’re making better memories in Texas. Ole Miss led by a point when Scott hit a jumper to start a 12-0 run bridging the first and second quarters. Ball State got no closer than nine points after that. Jacobs and Todd-Williams led a dominant rebounding effort. Ole Miss had a 52-32 edge, including 18-6 on offensive boards for a 22-6 margin in second-chance points.