Indiana University Men’s Basketball returns to action hosting Chicago State After a week off to take care of Final Exams the Indiana Hoosiers return to the hardwood this afternoon at 1 PM when they host the Chicago State Cougars at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall with the game streaming on Big Ten Network Plus. Indiana is 8-3 on the season after a 72-60 loss to the Kentucky Wildcats last Saturday Night in Lexington. The Hoosiers led 49-42 with 14:18 left in the second half before Kentucky went on a 30-11 run to close the game out. Tucker DeVries and Lamar Wilkerson led the way with 15 points apiece and Tayton Conerway added 11 points. Indiana went 26-29 from the free throw line for 89 percent which was the most made free throws in a game since November 16, 2024, when they hit 27 against South Carolina. This was the highest percentage by a Hoosier team when shooting 25 or more free throws since Indiana went 26-27 from the free throw line for 96 percent against Florida Atlantic on December 21, 2012.
Lamar Wilkerson is leading the Hoosiers with 18.5 points per game and was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week and the USWBA Oscar Robertson Five National Players of the Week. The Ashdown, Arkansas native averaged 29.5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.5 steal in 23 minutes against Penn State and Kentucky. Wilkerson shot 21-33 from the field for 63 percent, 12-20 from three-point range for 60 percent and 5-6 from the free throw line for 86 percent. Wilkerson was on fire scoring a Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall Record 44 points against Penn State including a school record 10 three pointers. He only played 24 minutes and added 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Wilkerson is only division 1 or NBA player in the last 30 seasons to score 40 plus points and make 10 plus three pointers in a game while playing less than 25 minutes.
Tucker DeVries is averaging 17 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1 steal per game. Tayton Conerway is averaging 12.2 points per game along with a team leading 1.7 steals per game. Sam Alexis leads the Hoosiers with 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks while averaging 8.7 points per game. Reed Bailey is averaging 10.1 points and 4 rebounds per game while Conor Enright leads the team with 4.5 assists per game. The Hoosiers are averaging 85.6 points, 19.3 assists and 10.5 turnovers per game. Indiana is shooting 49 percent from the field, 36 percent from three-point range and 77 percent from the free throw line. Indiana struggles at times with rebounding and teams that are more physical than them. Indiana turned it over a bunch against Kentucky especially in the second half as the Wildcats took advantage and got the Rupp Arena crowd going to the put the game away.
Chicago State is 2-10 on the season and has played two games since Indiana played Kentucky. The Cougars beat Loyola Chicago 84-75 on Sunday and lost at Bowling Green 76-55 on Tuesday. The Cougars only other win came on December 1, when they beat Saint Xavier 85-62 to snap an eight-game losing streak to start the season. The Cougars are road warriors playing 10 of their 12 games away from home. Two of those road games came against Chicago schools in DePaul and Loyola of Chicago so the Cougars have tracked outside the Windy City. Chicago State will make its third trip to the State of Indiana after losing at Butler 98-66 on November 11, and Purdue Fort Wayne 90-77 on November 25. This will be the third Big Ten Team the Cougars have faced this season. Chicago State lost at Minnesota 66-54 on November 18, and at Iowa 93-54 on November 20. Chicago State is averaging 66 points, 9.8 assists and 13.3 turnovers per game. The Cougars shoot 39 percent from the field, 29 percent from beyond the arc and 74 percent from the free throw line.
Doyel Cockrill III leads the team with 15.1 points per game but has missed four games for the Cougars this season. Marcus Tankersley averages 14.7 points and leads the team with 2.1 assists per game. CJ Ray averages 10.8 points per game along with a team leading 4.2 rebounds per game. Malek Robinson leads the team with 1.7 steals and Stephen Byard is averaging 0.9 blocks per game. Chicago State has a 17-player roster that represents Illinois, Texas, New Jersey, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, New York, The Bahamas and Russia. The Cougars have 9 Seniors, 5 Juniors, 2 Sophomores and 1 Freshman on the team.
Head Coach Landon Bussie is in his first season at Chicago State. The 38-year-old was 66-83 in 5 seasons at Alcorn State and took the Braves to back-to-back postseason NIT Tournament Appearances in 2022 and 2023. Bussie played at Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina form 2005-2007 and Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans from 2008-10. Bussie was an assistant at his Alma Mater from 2010-13 and Prairie View A&M from 2014-20 and for the 2013-14 season he was the assistant coach for the Women’s Basketball Team at Prairie View A&M. Bussie’s younger sister Asya was drafted by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2014 WNBA Draft after 4-year career at West Virginia. This will be the fifth all-time meeting between Indiana and Chicago State as the Hoosiers have won all four meetings by an average margin 34 points as the Hoosiers have averaged 97.8 points in a series that began in 2006. Indiana beat Chicago State 104-55 on November 6, 2018, in the college debut of Romeo Langford as the New Albany native scored 19 points and became the 14th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Inter Miami Selects Alex Barger in the MLS SuperDraft Indiana men’s soccer junior defender Alex Barger earned a selection in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft, as MLS Cup Champion Inter Miami CF picked the outside back in the second round with No. 60 overall pick. IU has produced an MLS draft selection in eleven consecutive seasons. Over 16 seasons, head coach Todd Yeagley has seen 40 players earn selections from the United States’ top league between the MLS SuperDraft, homegrown contracts and supplemental draft selections. Barger has started 54 of the 61 matches he’s appeared in over three seasons at Indiana, totaling five goals and five assists. The defender recorded a career-high three goals as a junior. Barger helped IU win Big Ten regular season titles in 2023 and 2024 as well as the conference tournament championship in 2023. Barger joins senior forward Palmer Ault and junior forward Collins Oduro as players on Indiana’s 2025 roster to have earned MLS SuperDraft selections. In the second round of last year’s draft, Colorado selected Ault (No. 36 overall), and Orlando City picked Collins Oduro (No. 57). Drafted players may return to their college program while their pro team retains their signing rights.
Indiana University Football Offensive Coordinator Mike Shannahan signs Contract Extension Indiana is set to keep the band together in 2026. Offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan has agreed to a new three-year deal to remain in Bloomington, a source confirmed on Thursday to The South-Central Indiana News Network. Mike Niziolek of the Herald-Times first reported the news on X. Shanahan has been with head coach Curt Cignetti since 2016 when he joined the Indiana University of Pennsylvania staff as a wide receivers coach. He first became an offensive coordinator with Cignetti at James Madison in 2021. “One of Mike’s strengths, is he draws on everybody,” Cignetti said last week. … “Mike’s demeanor is such, he’s such a likable guy. He doesn’t really have an ego. He does a great job coaching receivers. Has done a great job as coordinator.” Quarterbacks have thrived in Shanahan’s offense.
In 2025 Fernando Mendoza won Indiana’s first ever Heisman Trophy, and in 2024 Kurtis Rourke finished ninth in the Heisman voting and was selected in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. As a team in 2025, IU is third nationally in scoring offense, eighth in total offense, tenth in rushing offense, and No. 1 in team passing efficiency. The Hoosiers are also No. 1 nationally in third down conversion percentage, and they have the second-most first downs in the nation. The team set a new record for touchdowns (71) and points scored (545), both breaking last year’s record. In 2024 Shanahan’s offense set then program records for touchdowns scored (70), points scored (537) and most 40-point games in a single season (8). Indiana ranked No. 2 nationally in scoring offense (41.3) and passing efficiency (174.3), while it ranked No. 7 in red zone offense among FBS programs. This follows last week’s news Indiana also signed defensive coordinator Bryant Haines to an extension. Both Haines and Shanahan have been with Cignetti for a decade. The IU head coach regularly cites staff continuity as a key ingredient in his winning formula. At this time, no member of the 2025 Indiana coaching staff is set to depart following the College Football Playoff. In 2024 the Hoosiers lost just one member of the staff — quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri.
Former Indiana University Football Coach Tom Allen “Super Happy” for his Players still in Bloomington The golden age of Indiana football many believed was taking shape in 2020 wasn’t to be. At the confluence of the transfer portal, NIL and an inability to protect the quarterback stood head coach Tom Allen, and those forces crushed IU’s momentum and led to a coaching change following the 2023 season. You already know what happened next in Bloomington. Three seasons of 9-27 football from 2021 to 2023 turned into 24-2 the last two years. Now the defensive coordinator at Clemson, Allen was asked Tuesday as he prepares for the Pinstripe Bowl if he has been keeping tabs on the developments at IU over the last two years. He has.
“Just super happy for the players, I’ve texted a bunch of them, and their parents” Allen said. “Bunch of those guys are playing for them, one was the Big Ten Player of the Year on the offensive line, the kicker is doing extremely well, the receivers, bunch of linemen, DBs, one of their linebackers, just really, really happy for those guys.” Some of the stars of the 13-0 and No. 1 ranked Hoosiers are players Allen recruited to Bloomington, including offensive linemen Carter Smith, Drew Evans, Bray Lynch and Khalil Benson, wide receivers Omar Cooper, Jr., E.J. Williams, and Charlie Becker, linebacker Isaiah Jones, cornerback Jamari Sharpe, and safeties Amare Ferrell and Louis Moore.
Indiana has directed significant resources to football since the arrival of Curt Cignetti, mainly focused on coaches’ salaries, revenue sharing and NIL. The school has also received significant funds from the outside, including billionaire alumnus Mark Cuban. And a new television deal has significantly cranked up the flow of funds back to the athletic department coffers. On his way out, Allen was vocal about the lack of financial support for football. The Indiana native is happy to see the school turn the page and place a heavy emphasis on the sport that generates the most revenue. “Really happy that they’ve chosen to invest in football,” Allen said. “That’s something that they know they’ve needed to do. I said that when I left. They had not done that in the past to the level that was necessary. It’s been awesome to see them recognize that and invest and be able to see them rewarded for that.”
Anthony Richardson Cleared to Practice but Phillip Rivers to Remain the Starter for the Indianapolis Colts Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson returned to practice Thursday, marking the first time in two months he’s taken snaps. He’s still not ready to challenge 44-year-old Philip Rivers for the starting job. Coach Shane Steichen said Richardson’s fractured orbital bone has healed sufficiently enough for him to be cleared for practice but that he would not be activated before Monday night’s crucial game against the San Francisco 49ers and it’s still unclear whether Richardson will be activated before the end of this season. “He has some vision limitations in his eye, but we’re going to get him back on the practice field, get him throwing, doing some scout team,” Steichen said. “So, it’s something that he’s going to have to manage.” Steichen said earlier this week that the Colts didn’t sign Rivers to sit on the bench.
Richardson has been on injured reserve since mid-October when he was injured in a freak locker room accident while stretching with a band as part of his pregame warmup routine. The Colts (8-6) now have 21 days to activate Richardson or to shut him down for the rest of the season. The Colts took Richardson with the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft because of his tantalizing size, arm strength and mobility. But injuries have limited Richardson to just 15 starts and 17 total appearances out of 48 possible games. He made only four starts as a rookie before needing season-ending surgery on his throwing shoulder. He missed six games in 2024 with back and hip injuries and dislocated his pinkie during a preseason game this year before losing the quarterback battle to Daniel Jones.
Richardson hasn’t just struggled to stay on the field. He’s also had trouble with accuracy. His completion percentage, 47.7%, in 2024 was the lowest of any starter in the NFL. And in three seasons, he’s compiled an 8-7 record, a completion percentage of 50.6% with 11 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. So, Richardson is eager for a fresh start — even if it doesn’t come till next season. “I feel normal, able to see, able to drive, walk around, not bump into anything so I feel normal,” said Richardson, who plans to continue wearing a visor underneath his face mask. “Sitting at home, it’s not fun. It’s really boring not being in the building as much when it first happened, not being around my teammates, not being able to go to the stadium and all that was really boring. But I thank God for being able to go out there and practice.”
Yet Rivers will continue to start after coming out of retirement last week when Jones suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon and backup quarterback Riley Leonard, a rookie, arrived at the team complex with an injured right knee. Rivers joined Indy’s practice squad last Tuesday and five days later was taking his first snaps in an NFL game in nearly five years. He nearly led the Colts to a come-from-behind victory at Seattle, but the Seahawks kicked a late field goal to hand Indy its fourth consecutive loss, 18-16. Rivers said Thursday he feels much more comfortable after having a full week to prepare for the 49ers (10-4). “Really trying to dive into San Francisco and take advantage of the extra day, get into a normal game week,” the Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist said. “Last week was a normal game week but not really because it was all ramped up, pretty fast. This has felt like more of a normal game week where we’re able to get started on Monday and Tuesday, so it’s felt somewhat routine from a standpoint of the daily operation.”
Indy needs Rivers to play well the last three weeks as it tries to end a four-year playoff drought. They face three strong defenses and three teams fighting to make the playoffs — San Francisco, two-time defending AFC South champion Houston (9-5) and AFC South-leading Jacksonville (10-4). Indy has lost five of six, sliding out of the division lead and into the No. 8 seed, which would leave them one spot short of making the AFC’s seven-team playoff field. The 49ers, meanwhile, have won four straight as they try to leapfrog the Los Angeles Rams (11-3) and Seattle Seahawks (11-3) in the NFC West to capture the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
RV Taylor University Women’s Basketball Leans on Defense to Keep Streak Alive RV Taylor earned its 13th consecutive victory by overcoming an off-shooting night to defeat Arizona Christian 70-57 Thursday at the ACU Events Center. Taylor (13-0, 4-0 CL), one of 10 undefeated NAIA teams remaining, sustained its lead much of the night by forcing 25 ACU turnovers, including 13 steals. TU outscored the hosts 27-10 in points off turnovers during the contest, while keeping its opponent to under 70 points in the seventh straight outing. Kaycie Warfel led with a game-high 28 points on 10-of-28 shooting and 5-of-11 from three-point range. The freshman also grabbed six rebounds with a pair of steals. Madi Allen filled the stat sheet with 15 points, a team-high nine rebounds and five steals. Emma Fohl dished a team-high five assists while Quinn Kelly grabbed eight boards.
The Trojans shot below 30 percent overall from the field before heating up late. Warfel and Allen combined for 18 of Taylor’s 22 points in the fourth quarter. ACU (3-9), which dropped its fifth straight game, climbed back to within a point, 42-41, after knocking down a pair of made 3-pointers with under a minute remaining in the third quarter. The hosts stormed back after trailing by 13 shortly after halftime, outscoring TU 18-8 while limiting the Trojans to just two made shots on their first 17 attempts in the third period. Then, Warfel took over and countered with back-to-back 3-pointers of her own, with the second trey coming at the third quarter buzzer to put Taylor back in front by seven, 48-41. After the lead was trimmed to one, the Trojans outscored the Firestorm 28-16 the rest of the way on 8-of-12 shooting, including 4 of 5 from three-point range.
Allen got the scoring started in the fourth quarter before Warfel hit another pair of triples, extending the lead back to double digits with under five minutes left in regulation. TU trailed 7-2 early in the opening quarter before a putback layup from Emma Ancelet made it a one-point game at 9-8. Warfel followed with six consecutive points to reclaim the lead, while Fohl drained a triple to help the Trojans build an 18-14 advantage after one period of action. In the second quarter, the Trojans used a 9-0 run to take control of the contest by holding ACU scoreless for over seven minutes. Celina Blount’s made 3-pointer put the Trojans ahead by 13 with under two minutes, before the Purple & Gray took a 34-23 lead into the halftime break. TU collected 14 offensive boards and registered a 16-3 advantage in second-chance points during the first half. Overall, the Trojans doubled up the Firestorm in offensive boards, 18-9, despite total rebounds being even at 44-44.
Both teams shot below 40 percent overall. TU shot 31.2 percent (24-77) from the field and 9 of 32 (28.1%) from distance. The Trojans finished 13 for 19 (68.4%) at the free-throw line. ACU shot 38.9 percent overall (21-54) and 4 of 14 (28.6%) from three-point range, while going 11 for 19 (57.9%) at the charity stripe. Taylor Schwab led three ACU players in double figures with 20 points on 4-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Thursday’s victory marked the first win for the Trojans over Arizona Christian. It was only the second meeting after the two teams previously played in Arizona during the 2017-18 campaign. TU returns to action on Tuesday, December 30, when No. 22 Indiana Tech (8-3) visits Upland for a 6 p.m. tipoff inside Odle Arena.