Indiana University Men’s Basketball Cruises Past Penn State to give Darian DeVries his First Big Ten Win The Indiana Hoosiers gave Head Coach Darian DeVries his first Big Ten Win as the Hoosiers cruised over the Penn State Nittany Lions 113-72 Tuesday Night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Indiana is 8-2 overall and snaps a two-game losing streak and 1-1 in the Big Ten and will travel to Kentucky on Saturday evening at 7:30 PM. Penn State drops to 8-2 overall ending a three-game winning streak and 0-1 in the Big Ten and will host Michigan State on Saturday at Noon. Lamar Wilkerson scored a career high 44 points as the Senior from Ashdown, Arkansas went 16-22 from the field 2-2 from the free throw line and 10-15 from beyond the arc to set a new school record for most three pointers in a single game. Wilkerson breaks the previous record by three other Hoosiers. Roderick Wilmont on February 28, 2007, at Northwestern, Matt Roth January 31,2009 against Ohio State and Robert Johnson at Iowa on February 17, 2018.
The 44 points are tied for the 8th most in single game in school history sharing the mark with Jimmy Rayl who did it twice against Wisconsin on February 12, 1962, and at Michigan State on January 5th, 1963. Wilkerson set the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall Record that was held by Trayce Jackson-Davis who scored 43 points against Marshall in 2021. Wilkerson pervious career high came when he was Sam Houston State scoring 32 points against New Mexico State on March 8, 2025. Reed Bailey scored 18 points off the bench, Tayton Conerway added 17 points, Nick Dorn scored 13 points and Tucker DeVries added 12 points. Indiana finished 42-61 form the field for 69%, 17-31 from three-point range for 54% and 12-15 from the free throw line 80%. Indiana pulled down 28 rebounds, dished out 30 assists, 8 steals, 1 block and 10 turnovers.
Kayden Mingo led the Nittany Lions with 19 points, Freddie Dillione V added 14 points, and Melih Tunca added 11 points. Penn State finished 26-56 for 46% from the field, 5-16 from three-point range for 31% and 15-22 from the free throw line. Penn State pulled down 21 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 steals, no blocks and 14 turnovers. Penn State scored 45 seconds into the game a drive to the basket by Freshman Kayden Mingo Indiana took the lead 15 seconds later when Lamar Wilkerson drained a three pointer and then drained a second one 31 seconds later to give the Hoosiers a 6-2 lead. Penn State got within one when Melih Tunca hit a three pointer to make it 6-5 with 18 minutes left in the first half. Indiana took control as Lamar Wilkerson drained third three pointer and Tayton Conerway hit a triple as the Hoosiers scored their first 12 points of the game hitting from beyond the arc and never looked back.
Wilkerson was on fire has he scored 20 first half points hitting 4-6 from downtown and 8-11 from the field. Reed Bailey who came in off the bench added 13 first half points going 4-4 from the field and 5-5 from the free throw line as Sam Alexis started in place of Bailey for the first time this season. Alexis struggled in the first half playing 9 minutes with no shot attempts one rebound, one assist and 2 fouls. Tayton Conerway scored 12 points hitting two three pointers and going 5-6 from the field with 6 assists. The Hoosiers led 58-26 at halftime Indiana was 23-34 from the field, 7-15 from three-point range for 46% and 5-5 from the free throw line. Indiana pulled down 15 rebounds, dished out 16 assists, 7 steals, a block and 4 turnovers.
Freshman Kayden Mingo had 10 points at the half as the Nittany Lions were 9-27 from the field for 33%, 2-8 from downtown for 25% and 6-9 from the free throw line for 66%. Penn State had 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, no blocks and 11 turnovers. The Hoosiers lead the All-Time Series 46-17 and have won four in a row and seven of the last eight meetings in Bloomington. The Hoosiers scored the most points in a game against the Nittany Lions and third in series history with all three coming at home 105-57 on January 9, 1993, and 110-102 in three overtimes on February 1, 2017.
This was the fourth game this season that Indiana has scored 100 points or more in game. The 113 points are the most since Indiana beat Alcorn State 112-70 on November 30, 2015. The Hoosiers were on a roll tonight and Lamar Wilkerson had a game for the record books and after the game he gave all the credit to his teammates and Head Coach Darian DeVries said it was” Fun to watch and see Lamar get loose”. Indiana now heads to Rupp Arena in Lexington for the first time since 2010 and the first regular season matchup when Christian Watford hit the buzzer beater to beat the number 1 Wildcats on December 10, 2011, in Bloomington. The Hoosiers responded after two games away from home after a tough two game stretch away from Simon Skojdt Assembly Hall. Indiana is 7-0 at home this season and to have a chance to build momentum and renew an old rivalry against the Kentucky Wildcats.
Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza Named a Heisman Trophy Finalist After leading Indiana football to its first Big Ten Championship Game victory in program history and the first outright Big Ten title since 1945, redshirt-junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza was named a finalist for the 91st edition of the Heisman Trophy by the Heisman Trophy Trust on Monday night. Mendoza is the second-ever Heisman Trophy finalist from Indiana, joining Anthony Thompson, who was the runner up in 1989. Other top-10 finishers in the Heisman Trophy voting include Bill Hillenbrand (1942), Vaughn Dunbar (1991), Antwaan Randle El (2001), Tevin Coleman (2014) and Kurtis Rourke (2004). The award will be announced on ABC at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 13 from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room in New York City and will be hosted by Chris Fowler. The four finalists are Mendoza, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin.
Mendoza currently leads the nation in passing touchdowns (33) and is the Power 4 leader in touchdowns responsible for (39). He is the third Big Ten quarterback since 2000 with three-straight games of at least four passing touchdowns and zero interceptions – C.J. Stroud (Ohio State; 2021) and Kyle Orton (Purdue; 2004, four straight). The Miami, Florida, native is the only FBS quarterback since at least 1996 with multiple games of at least 90 percent completion and four touchdown passes versus Power 4 opponents. In 2025, Mendoza is the lone FBS quarterback with five games of 4-plus touchdown passes and zero interceptions and entered Championship Week as the FBS leader in percentage of passes that result in a touchdown at 10.9%, over one point higher than the next closest passer (Julian Sayin, Ohio State; 9.2%).
He has thrown a touchdown pass in 12-straight games entering the College Football Playoff and has five games with both a passing and rushing touchdown in 2025. He has thrown 33 touchdowns to just six interceptions, is tied for No. 2 on the team with six rushing touchdowns and has 240 yards rushing on the season. The Hoosiers earned the No. 1 spot in the College Football Playoff and will play the winner of Alabama/Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 1, 2026. The game from Rose Bowl Stadium will kick at 4 p.m. ET.
Tommy Gibbs Signs with Indiana University Wrestling for 2026 Indiana Wrestling head coach Angel Escobedo announced the program’s initial signee of the 2026 recruiting class as Tommy Gibbs of Brownsburg, Ind. has signed with the Hoosiers and will join the program in the fall of 2026.
Tommy Gibbs | 157 lbs. | Brownsburg, Ind.- Sixth place at Fargo in 16U Freestyle Nationals in 2024. Wrestles for Brownsburg High School. High School coach is Darrick Snyder. Wrestles club for Contenders Wrestling Academy. Went 15-4 at 144 lbs. in the 2024-25 season. Won an IHSAA State Title both with his team and individually at 144 lbs. in the 2024-25 season. Part of back-to-back state title teams as Brownsburg won the title in 2023-24 and placed third in 2022-23. Ranked the No. 4 pound-for-pound wrestler in Indiana for the 2026 class by IndianaMat. Fifth place at Fargo in 16U Greco-Roman Nationals in 2024.
Indiana Pacers beat the Sacramento Kings for Back-to-Back Wins for the First Time This Season Andrew Nembhard had 28 points and a season-high 12 assists, and helped Indiana regain control in the fourth quarter as the Pacers beat the Sacramento Kings 116-105 on Monday night. Bennedict Mathurin added 25 points and Pascal Siakam scored 23 for the Pacers, who matched a season best with their second straight win and improved to 6-18 overall. Indiana has won four of six after starting 2-16. Russell Westbrook finished with 24 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds for the Kings in his fourth triple-double this season and the 207th of his career. DeMar DeRozan added 20 points and Zach LaVine had 16.
Indiana was in control much of the way, extending a 66-51 halftime lead to 77-58 on Nembhard’s layup with 8 1/2 minutes remaining in the third quarter. But the Kings used a 37-point quarter to trim it to 92-88 going into the fourth, then reeled off an 11-0 run to open a 101-97 lead on Westbrook’s basket midway through the period. Nembhard made a 3-pointer to stem the tide and Mathurin followed with one of his own to put Indiana back on top at 103-101. Nembhard followed with another 3 and a layup to extend the Pacers’ lead to 108-101. The Kings (6-18) were coming off a victory in Miami on Saturday and trying to win two in a row for the second time this season. The Pacers return to action on Friday when they travel to Philadelphia to face the 76ers.
New Palestine HS Football Coach Kyle Ralph Receives a Special Honor New Palestine High School head football coach Kyle Ralph led his Dragons to another state title this season. They won the IHSAA 5A State Championship Game last month, beating Merrillville 38-17. As a result, the Dragons finished the season with a perfect 14-0 record. The Dragons didn’t just win this year. They dominated. In fact, they won 13 out of their 14 games by double digits. The Indianapolis Colts must have noticed because, on Monday, Ralph was named the Colts Coach of the Year.
By receiving the honor, he will be nominated for the NFL’s Don Shula High School Coach of the Year Award, which “recognizes high school coaches who embody Coach Shula’s values — character, integrity, leadership, dedication to the community, commitment to player health and safety, and on-field success,” according to the award’s official website. The NFL will then select two finalists among the 32 nominees for the Don Shula High School Coach of the Year Award, one from the AFC and one from the NFC. Those two coaches will be invited to the 2025 Pro Bowl Games and Super Bowl LX. “The final award winner will receive a $10,000 prize and a $15,000 grant for his football program from the NFL Foundation. The remaining 30 nominees will receive a $1,000 prize and an invitation to the 2025 Pro Bowl Games,” according to the Colts.
Last year, Brownsburg High School head coach John Hart received the Don Shula High School Coach of the Year Award, after being named the finalist from the AFC. Ralph just wrapped up his 13th season as head coach at New Palestine. He’s won five state championships since taking over the program. The Dragons have won two of those championships the past two seasons. This past year, Ralph became the fastest coach in Indiana history to achieve 150 wins, reaching the milestone in just 164 games.
Indianapolis Colts Backup Quarterback Riley Leonard has a Knee Injury creating a Crisis for the Team Indianapolis Colts quarterback Riley Leonard, who replaced injured starter Daniel Jones after his season-ending Achilles tear on Sunday, is now dealing with an injury of his own. Coach Shane Steichen said Leonard, a sixth-round pick from Notre Dame, reported an unspecified knee issue to the team’s medical staff Monday morning. The team, Steichen said, is “working through that right now.” Asked whether Leonard was expected to play on Sunday, when the Colts visit the Seattle Seahawks, Steichen said, “That’s the hope. We’ll see how it goes.” Steichen offered no details on the nature of Leonard’s injury or its severity. Leonard did not indicate he had sustained an injury during his time on the field Sunday. He finished the game after entering on the final play of the first quarter, completing 18 of 29 pass attempts for 145 yards and one interception.
Leonard has served as the Colts’ primary backup since former starter Anthony Richardson Sr. landed on injured reserve in October following a freak pregame incident involving stretching bands that left with him with a facial fracture. Richardson has not yet been cleared to return, but the Colts have not closed the door on that idea. The Colts are widely expected to make at least one quarterback transaction this week, if not more, depending on Leonard’s status. Leonard is the only healthy quarterback on the active roster. Indianapolis does have journeyman Brett Rypien on its practice squad, and a promotion to the active roster could be in line for him.
Meanwhile, Steichen confirmed Jones’ right torn Achilles, saying he was scheduled for surgery later this week. “Just very unfortunate,” Steichen said. “One of the toughest guys I’ve ever been around.” Jones is scheduled to hit free agency in March when his one-year contract expires. The Colts had already been plotting a plan to retain him, but the injury and its long recovery timeline could have a major impact on those plans. Also of note, Steichen said, is that cornerback Charvarius Ward was placed in concussion protocol Monday after experiencing symptoms.
If Ward is actually diagnosed with a concussion, it would be his third of the season and would raise concerns given the severity of his last head injury. Ward was injured in an accidental collision with tight end Drew Ogletree in October during warmups before a game against the Arizona Cardinals. The impact of the hit, which blindsided Ward, caused him to lose consciousness, Ward said in a recent interview. He added that his symptoms lingered for weeks, leaving Ward to contemplate whether he would continue playing football. “I was getting dizzy for damn near a month,” Ward said. He later said, “I was kind of doubting if I was going to play football again. It was that scary.” Ward’s injury compounds an existing problem at cornerback where the Colts are already missing two-time All-Pro Sauce Gardner because of a calf injury that is expected to sideline him multiple weeks.