Black Key Bulls Pull Away to win Men’s Little 500 in Back-to-Back Years The Black Key Bulls pulled away to win the 74th annual Men’s Little 500 Bike Race Saturday afternoon at Bill Armstrong Stadium on the Indiana University Campus before a packed house and sunny but cool afternoon that made for a fast-paced race. The Black Key Bulls become the 8th team to win Back-to-Back Championships and the 5th different team to go back-to-back. They join the North Hall Friars in 1951-52, Phi Kappa Psi won three straight titles from 1958-1960, Delta Chi in 1973-74, 1976-77 and three peated from 1979-81. The Cutters won five straight titles from 2007-11 and 2018-19. The four members of the Black Key Bulls are Will Wagner and Paul Lee who competed their 4th little 500 with Zack Villarreal in his 3rd Little 500 and Wiley Close in his second little 500. BKB dominated the second half of the race after a wreck in turn 1 on Lap 82 changed the outcome of the race. 20 teams led the race after 80 laps but when the wreck occurred several teams that were battling for lead in including the Cutters were caught up in the pile up, but the Cutters fought all the way back to finish third as Sigma Alpha Eplison held off the Cutters for second place.
When the race was restarted on Lap 83 it became a two-team race between Black Key Bulls and Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and they went back and forth for the lead with the Cutters and Delta Tau Delta on the tail end of the lead lap and the top two teams lapped them set up a two-team battle. With 30 laps left Black Key Bulls pulled away from SAE and all they had to do was keep the exchanges clean, don’t get caught up in lapped traffic and don’t wreck and they did just that. With 20 laps left they went into cruise control and on the final lap they lapped SAE and win their fourth Little 500 title in team history to go with 2014, 2017 and 2024. Their fans ran around the track after the race behind the riders for the victory lap with Queen’s “We are the Champions” playing over the loudspeakers.
It was a sunny day with temperatures in the Upper 50’s which made for perfect racing conditions. Indiana University Football Coach Curt Cignetti was the Grand Marshall for the Men’s Race and was joined by Indiana University Women’s Basketball Players Chloe Moore-McNeil and Sydney Parrish who joined Cignetti for the Parade around the track. Cignetti gave the command for the riders to mount their bicycles followed by the three pace laps and the start of the race at 2:32 pm and 2 hours and nine minutes later it was over with the top three teams on the Podium receiving their trophy’s. This was the second time ever that their Back-to-Back Champions in both Women’s and Men’s Little 500 races in the same years. Teter won back-to-back Women’s Titles in 2010 and 2011 while the Cutters won their fourth- and fifth-Men’s Titles as part of their five peat. Kappa Alpha Theta won the Women’s Little 500 yesterday going to back-to-back and now on the Men’s side the Black Key Bulls join them going back-to-back so the 2025 Women’s and Men’s Little 500 will be remembered for both Kappa Alpha Theta and the Black Key Bulls making history as back-to-back champions and with another packed house for both races the “World’s Greatest College Weekend” remains what has been and will always be.
Indiana University Football Lands In-State Athlete Kasmir Hicks for 2026 Indiana received a verbal commitment from class of 2026 in-state athlete Kasmir Hicks on Friday morning. The Decatur Central H.S. (Indianapolis, Ind.) product announced his commitment to IU on X. Hicks is a 3-star, the No. 411 overall player in the class of 2026, the No. 38 cornerback, and the No. 1 player in the state based on the On3 industry average. He chose IU over Cincinnati, Purdue, Illinois, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Stanford, Northwestern and others. “I love what they have going,” Hicks told On3’s Steve Wiltfong. “They’re building something special in Bloomington, and I can’t wait to be a part of it.” Hicks appears likely to play defensive back for the Hoosiers, but he’s versatile and made an impact all over the field as a junior in 2024. In total he produced 22 touchdowns. The 5-foot-11 and 170-pound Hicks had 1,940 all-purpose yards including 46 carries for 479 yards and five scores, 54 receptions for 945 yards and 13 scores, and seven kickoff returns for 334 yards and two more scores. On the defensive side of the ball Hicks had 32 tackles, five interceptions, two forced fumbles, two pass break-ups, and two interception returns for touchdowns. Overall, Hicks was a key factor in leading his school to the 5A state title. Hicks is Indiana’s fourth commit in the 2026 class.
Indiana University Football Lands Linebacker Jacob Savage for 2026 Indiana earned a verbal commitment from Union, Ky. class of 2026 linebacker Jacob Savage on Friday afternoon. Savage announced his pledge to Curt Cignetti and staff at his school — Ryle H.S. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Savage took multiple visits to IU over the last few months. He chose Indiana over fellow finalists Purdue, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Northwestern, Michigan State and Minnesota. According to the On3 industry average, Savage is a 3-star recruit, the No. 963 overall player in the class, and the No. 79 linebacker. At linebacker in 2024, Savage posted 141 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, three sacks and an interception. He was recruited by colleges to play defense but also plays running back and rushed for 1,085 yards and 22 touchdowns, according to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association statistics. He also had 29 receptions for 313 yards and four touchdowns. Savage helped to lead Ryle to the Kentucky Class 6A state final this past December. Ryle (12-3) completed its season as the state runner-up. Indiana now has five commits in the 2026 class.
The Indianapolis Colts add Defense on the Second Day of the NFL Draft Chris Ballard called up Ryan Day on Friday to pick the Ohio State Buckeyes head coach’s brain on a few players, prime among them defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau. And while Ballard was doing his due diligence, so was Day. “I’m trying to figure out why he didn’t go in the first round,” Day wondered in his conversation with the Colts’ general manager. “We had a good grade on him,” Ballard said, “but (Day) was pretty effusive with his praise.” Tuimoloau ripped off 12.5 sacks and 21.5 tackles for a loss during a dominant senior season for the championship-winning Buckeyes in 2024. At 6-foot-4 and 264 pounds, and with some high-end athletic traits, Tuimoloau’s blend of top-level production and athleticism felt more than worthy of a first-round pick to his college coach.
For the Colts, though, getting Tuimoloau in the second round was an ideal outcome to begin Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft. Later in the night, the Colts jumped at the chance to draft Minnesota cornerback Justin Walley with the 80th overall pick in the third round. And while Day had questions about why Tuimoloau wasn’t a first-round pick, Ballard later Friday answered questions about why Walley was a third-round pick instead of hearing his name called at some point on Day 3. But here’s the thing with the NFL Draft, especially as it presses on past the first 50 or so picks: There’s nothing close to a consensus on certain prospects. One team might have a player graded in the third-round range while another might view him as a seventh-round pick. Or, in the case of respected draft media analysts, there could be a massive gap in evaluations: The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had a sixth-round grade on Walley, while NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah had him ranked 94th on his big board – well within the range of being a third-round pick.
Ballard highlighted Walley’s “speed, toughness, instincts – he’s got good ball skills,” as well as the 5-foot-10 cornerback’s competitiveness in explaining why the Colts valued him at pick No. 80. “I don’t care where everybody thinks they’re going to go – I don’t,” Ballard said. “We grade them and we take them. We think he’s got a chance to be a really good starting corner in this league.” Tuimoloau and Walley, notably, have a few things in common. Both have extensive starting experience in the Big Ten: Tuimoloau started 41 games for Ohio State, while Walley started 42 for Minnesota. And they’ve each had plenty of production in their careers: Tuimoloau totaled 23.5 sacks and 43.5 tackles for a loss for the Buckeyes, and Walley had 34 passes defensed (seven interceptions, 27 pass break-ups) with the Golden Gophers.
Along with Tyler Warren – another hyper-productive Big Ten player – the Colts have unintentionally had a regional focus in this year’s draft (although the Big Ten is, well, hardly a regional league anymore). “I wish I could say that was some master plan, but it just kind of worked out that way,” Ballard said. “And look, I mean, the Big Ten, I think it was proven. I mean, that’s really good football. I mean, you’ve got the national champion (Ohio State). You had Penn State playing in the playoffs. So, it’s excellent football. Minnesota had a good football team. It just kind of worked out that way.” Notably, too, Tuimoloau will turn 22 on May 10 while Walley will turn 23 a few weeks into his rookie season. Usually, players with 40-plus starts at the college level are older prospects – think 24- or 25-year-old rookies. The relative youth both players lends itself to a higher ceiling than some older prospects. “These are experienced players, and they’re not older, like they’re younger,” Ballard said. “They’re young by age, which is a little unique in this year’s draft. There are guys up that are turning 24/25 years old. There was one thing I kind of peeked at. I said, ‘Man, these guys played a lot of football, but they’re still under the age of 23.” Another thing Tuimoloau and Walley have in common is an unclear path to starting as rookies – but that’s not a bad thing.
Indiana Pacers drop Game 3 to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Playoffs The Milwaukee Bucks caught fire in the second half, erasing the Indiana Pacers 10-point halftime lead to run away with Game 3, winning 117-101. The Pacers were outscored 39-18 in the third quarter. “When we’re unable to get stops, it’s hard to get the ball out and go and play the way we want to play,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “We were bad on both sides of the ball. They were great, we were bad. We made mistakes and had problems defensively, and offensively, the ball needed to move more.”
“I just felt like we were maybe on our heels a little bit,” Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said. “I felt like that’s where we’re at our worst offensively, and I think maybe that, I mean, not maybe, but that definitely played a part in it. We’ve got to do a better job of getting downhill, playing faster, and that starts with me. I’ve got to be better. I’ll be better in Game 4.” “Adversity is good,” Pacers center Myles Turner said. “I think adversity is good in the playoff series. I’m glad that we are kind of looking it in the face now. I think things are set out for us to go out here and just compete again in the coming days.”
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 28 points. Haliburton had 14 points and 10 assists. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Gary Trent Jr. both had 37 points for the Bucks. Antetokounmpo shot 14-19 from the field and added 12 rebounds. Trent shot a scorching 9-12 from three-point range. It was not the Pacers night from beyond the arc in Game 3. In the first two games at home, the Pacers shot 38.2% (Game 1) and 44.4% (Game 2) from three-point range. In Game 3, they shot just 31.7%. The Pacers Road struggles continued in the playoffs. Last season, they were just 2-7 away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Pacers led 57-47 at halftime. Game 4 of the series will be tonight in Milwaukee at 9:30 p.m. Eastern.
Former Purdue University Men’s Basketball Player Brian Waddell Transfers to Bellarmine Brian Waddell is headed to Bellarmine. The former Boilermaker announced his transfer destination via a post on social media on Thursday evening. He is one of four Purdue players who entered the transfer portal following the 2024-25 campaign. Waddell will have one year of eligibility to use at his next destination. “Excited for the next chapter,” Waddell wrote in his Instagram post. Bellarmine competes in the A-Sun Conference. Waddell appeared in 40 games across his four years at Purdue. He missed the entire 2021-22 campaign due to injury. In his time in West Lafayette, the forward scored 43 points, grabbed 26 rebounds and dished out 14 assists. During the 2024-25 campaign, Waddell played in nine games and averaged 2.0 points and 0.8 rebounds per contest. He was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. Coming out of high school, Waddell was an under-recruited prospect who brought great promise to Purdue. But the injury as a true freshman set him a year behind and rosters loaded with talent made it difficult for the forward to carve out a consistent role. Waddell averaged 15.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a senior at Carmel High School. He was also a member of Greyhounds program that claimed a pair of Class 4A Indiana state titles in his four years. Now, Waddell will held to Bellarmine to see if he can carve out a role for himself with the Knights.