#1 Indiana takes on #9 Alabama in the Rose Bowl The day that most Indiana University Football fans never thought they would see in their lifetimes has arrived as the undefeated and top ranked Indiana Hoosiers face the #9 Alabama Crimson Tide this afternoon in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California at 4 PM Bloomington time which is 1 PM local time and televised on ESPN. The winner of this game will play the winner of #5 Oregon and #4 Texas Tech in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta in the Semifinals Next Friday Night. Indiana is making their second straight College Football Playoff Appearance and looking for their first win in the playoff after losing at Notre Dame 27-17 in the first round a year ago. The Hoosiers are 3-11 all-time in bowl games and have not won a bowl game since the 1991 Cooper Bowl in Tucson, Arizona when they shutout Baylor 34-0.
The Hoosiers are 0-7 in bowl games since 1991 which is the second longest active streak among all division 1 FBS teams. The Hoosiers are looking to change that like they have changed the narrative of Indiana Football the last two seasons. Indiana finished the regular season 12-0 for the first time in program history and just the second time ever the Hoosiers did not lose a game in the regular season since 1945 when they finished 9-0-1 after a tie in the second game of that season for Bo McMillin. The Hoosiers finished the Big Ten with a 9-0 record and played Ohio State for the Conference Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on December 6. The Hoosiers beat the Buckeyes 13-10 to win their first Big Ten Championship since 1967 and become the only team in the FBS to finish unbeaten during the 2025 season and claim the school’s first ever number 1 ranking and the top seed in the College Football Playoff.
Indiana is playing in just it’s second Rose Bowl Game 58 years to the day after the Hoosiers lost to USC 14-3 under Head Coach John Pont after the Hoosiers shared the 1967 Big Ten Championship with a 6-1 record. Indiana played in the Rose Bowl last year in a Regular Season game against UCLA on September 14, 2023, as Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers ran over the Bruins 42-13 in Curt Cignetti’s first game in the Big Ten and announced he and the Hoosiers are here to stay in League that the Hoosiers have struggled for many seasons. Since Curt Cignetti arrived in Bloomington all the Hoosiers have done is win and win convincingly. Indiana is 24-2 overall and 17-1 in the Big Ten and what was once the team with the most loses in FBS History is now on top of the College Football world and the job is not finished with three more games to complete the ultimate quest for a 16-0 season and a National Championship. Cignetti is 143-37 as a Head Coach and won every National Coach of the year award for the second straight season.
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza made history on December 13, when he became the school’s first Heisman Trophy Winner and won every National College Football award in the process. Mendoza completed 71 percent of his passes for 2,980 yards with a single season school record 33 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Mendoza rushed 69 times for 240 yards and 6 touchdowns. Mendoza who started his career at the University of California transferred to Indiana in the offseason with his younger brother Alberto serving as his backup. Fernando has played three seasons starting 32 of 33 games with a 22-10 record throwing for 7,692 yards 63 touchdown passes and 22 interceptions while rushing for 437 yards and 10 touchdowns on 204 carries. Mendoza could return for another season but that is unlikely as he is projected to be a first round NFL Draft pick, but that decision will come after this season comes to a close and he hopes it will be after the National Championship Game which will take place in his hometown of Miami on January 19.
The Hoosiers are number 2 in the nation in scoring defense allowing 10.8 points per game Indiana is number 4 in the nation in scoring offense at 41.9 per game as Florida State scored 31 points on Alabama this season and Indiana allowed 20 or more points in just two games on the season as Oregon scored 20 on October 11, and 24 at Penn State on November 8. Alabama is coming off a 34-24 win over #8 Oklahoma in the First Round of the College Football Playoff on December 19. The Crimson Tide trailed 17-0 at the end of the first quarter and 12 yards of total offense after 15 minutes as they outscored the Sooners 34-7 the rest of the way to advance to today’s game against Indiana.
The Crimson Tide are 11-3 on the season and finished 7-1 in the SEC. Alabama lost the season opener at Florida State 31-17, at Oklahoma 23-21 on November 15 and the SEC Championship Game 28-7 against Georgia in Atlanta on December 6. There was much debate if Alabama should be in the College Football Playoff and the Crimson Tide showed after a bad first quarter at Oklahoma you cannot count them out and they were not going down that easy. Junior Quarterback Ty Simpson has thrown for 3,500 yards with 28 touchdown passes and 5 Interceptions. Simpson has run for 76 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns this season. Alabama is 39th in scoring offense with 31 points and 13th in scoring defense allowing 17.9 points per game.
Alabama is one of the blue bloods of College Football. The Crimson Tide have won 985 games, 46 bowl games and 10 college football playoff games all-time. Alabama has 18 claimed National Titles and 5 unclaimed national titles for 23 in program history. Alabama has 5 Heisman Trophy winners 30 SEC Conference Championships and 4 Southern Conference Titles for a total of 34 conference championships. This will the ninth time that Alabama has played in the Rose Bowl and is 5-2-1 all time in the “Grandaddy of them All”. Alabama lost to Michigan 27-20 on this day two years ago in the Semifinals of the College Football Playoff. This is Alabama’s third appearance in the game since 2021. The Crimson Tide beat Texas 37-21 in the BCS National Championship Game at the iconic venue on January 7, 2010, to win the 2009 National Championship.
Head Coach Kalen DeBoer is 20-7 in his second season in charge of the Crimson Tide. The 51-year-old was the Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach for Tom Allen at Indiana during the 2019 season. DeBoer left Bloomington becoming the Head Coach at Fresno State from 2020-21 and then to Washington from 2022-23 before heading to Tuscaloosa and has an overall record of 124-19. This is the first meeting between the two programs on the gridiron but there are many connections between these two programs. Curt Cignetti coached under Nick Saban as the Wide Receivers and the Recruiting Coordinator for Crimson Tide from 2007-11 and won 29 regular season games in a row and won the National Championship in 2009. Alabama Defensive Coordinator Kane Wommack was the linebackers Coach at Indiana from 2018-20 and added the defensive coordinator duties for the last two seasons. Defensive Backs coach Jason Jones was the safeties coach for the Hoosiers from 2020-22. Co Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach Nick Sheridan were the Quarterbacks Coach at IU from 2017-18, tight ends coach in 2019 and offensive coordinator and quarterback coach from 2020-21. David Ballou who is the director of Sports performance and IU graduate spent two seasons in Bloomington and before heading South in 2020.
This one is a matchup no one ever though they would see take place. Indiana and Alabama meeting on the football field in the Rose Bowl with the Hoosiers favored and the top ranked team in College Football. It’s dream that many fans just were that but now that dream is about to come a reality and this is not the end of the rainbow it’s just the next game with two more left to achieve the ultimate coach which is bring a National Championship home to Bloomington in Football of all things. The Hoosiers continue to make history and win over Alabama is just next step in this history making season.
#24 Michigan State visits Indiana University Women’s Basketball to Kick off the New Year The #24 Michigan State Spartans kick off 2026 with a visit to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall to take on the Indiana Hoosiers at Noon with television coverage on the Big Ten Network. Michigan State leads the all-time series 49-33 and 21-18 record in Bloomington. Michigan State won the last meeting 73-65 on February 23, 2025, in East Lansing. The Hoosiers have beaten the Spartans five straight times dating back to 2019. Indiana suffered their first home loss of the season Monday Night falling by 23 points to Minnesota 71-48. The Hoosiers have lost all three games by double digits and both of their Big Ten Games by 21 and 23 points respectively. The Hoosiers had 4 players score against the Golden Gophers and scored 2 points by their frontcourt. It was the lowest point total of the season for the Hoosiers, and the effort left Indiana Head Coach Teri Moren wondering what is going to take to get her team to get back on track.
The Hoosiers were exposed by the inside game of Minnesota as they were dominated on the boards and 21 turnovers. The Golden Gophers held the Hoosiers to 5 points in their quarter and Indiana had 6 turnovers in the quarter which was a major issue for a team that is shorthanded with Sophomore Forward Zania Socka-Nguemen out with a lower leg injury and no timetable for her return. Shay Ciezki scored 16 points and had career high 9 assists. The Buffalo, New York Native has scored in double every game this season and played 40 minutes for the fourth time this season. Ciezki has scored 10 or more points in 23 straight games dating back to last season. Lenee Beaumont scored 17 points to lead the Hoosiers and has scored 10 or more points in 12 straight games. Freshman Nevaeh Caffey scored a career high 13 points and it’s the second time she has scored double digits this season.
The backcourt trio scored 46 of the 48 points and that is a tall order when you have to rely on your backcourt to score the majority of the points. Ciezki and Beaumont are averaging double digits, and the Hoosiers have been looking for a consistent third scorer since Socka-Nguemen has been sidelined. Edessa Noyan is leading the team in rebounds and blocks while Ciezki leads the team in points and rebounds, and Beaumont is the assist leader on the team. With a young team with just one returning player in Ciezki who played a majority of the minutes last season. Coach Moren does not make excuses for why they have been blown out in Big Ten Play but keeps hammering away and telling the team that they need to lock in Every time the enter the gym and focus on the task at hand which she said after the Minnesota game that is not always the case and she doesn’t like that and wants that to change and change now.
The Spartans are 12-1 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten. Michigan State’s only loss came on December 7, at Wisconsin 78-64. Since the loss in Madison Michigan State has won four in a row with wins over DePaul 90-46, Indiana State 115-66, Ole Miss 66-49 and Rutgers 70-64. The Spartans started the season with 8 straight wins and love to score in bunches as they have scored 90 or more points 8 times and over 100 points four times this season. Grace VanSlooten averages 14 points and 1 block per game to lead the Spartans. Kennedy Blair is averaging 12.5 points and leads the team with 7.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. Rashunda Jones who started her career at Purdue and is a South Bend Washington Graduate is averaging 11.7 points and a team leading 2.6 steals per game. Theryn Hallock is averaging 10.6 points per game. Juliann Woodward is a 6-0 Sophomore from North Vernon, Indiana and played at Jennings County HS. Woodward has played 11 games averaging 4.8 points, 3.3 rebounds in 10.6 minutes per game.
Michigan State is averaging 90.5 points, 21.1 assists and 11.2 turnovers per game. The Spartans shoot 50.8 percent from the field, 38 percent from three-point range and 68 percent from the free throw line. This is a team that loves to push the tempo and share the ball and if you do not slow them down it will be a long night for the opposition. Michigan State has 15 player roster that represents Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana, Canada and Spain. There are 7 Seniors, 2 Juniors, 3 Sophomores and 3 Freshman on the team. Head Coach Robyn Fralick is in her third season at Michigan State with a record of 56-20 and two NCAA Tournament Appearances. Fralick is 144-93 in 11 years and won the Division II National Title with Ashland in 2017 and runner up in 2018 with a 104-3 record in three seasons. Fralick coached at Bowling Green from 2018-23 with a 88-73 record and three straight tips to the WNIT Postseason Tournament from 2021-23.
Indiana has not started the Big Ten 0-3 since Teri Moren arrived in Bloomington 12 years ago. This is a team that has to figure it out right now. This will be a tough game because of how Michigan State loves to get up and down the floor and if Indiana is not getting offensive rebounds and not taking care of the ball it’s going to be another long day for the Hoosiers and how will they respond after suffering their first home loss of the season after eight straight wins to start the home schedule.
Incoming Indiana University Women’s Volleyball Freshman Mallory Matheny Set for the Under Armour All-American Game Incoming setter Mallory Matheny, one of the highly regarded prep athletes in the country, will close out her high school career by playing in the 2026 Under Armour Volleyball America Game this afternoon in Orlando. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ at 4 PM. Long known for its nationally recognized football event, Under Armour has spent the last decade developing the premier volleyball event in the country. It showcases the top 28 prep athletes before most head off to begin their college careers. Following the game, Matheny – and outside hitter Sara Snowbarger – will enroll at IU for the spring semester.
Since Under Armour created the event, Matheny is the third IU signee to receive the prestigious honor of being an All-American. Former setter Emily Fitzner was selected in 2019 while former libero Ramsey Gary captained her team in 2023. Matheny will play for Team Roses as one of two setters on the roster. Per the Prep Volleyball rankings, Matheny ends her high school career as the No. 21 player in the country. As it stands, she would be the second-highest ranked recruit in program history. She provided nearly 2,000 assists in her prep career and contributed over 500 digs. Her and Snowbarger helped deliver Mintonette Volleyball Club the 16 Open AAU National Championship in 2024. Matheny, Snowbarger and defensive specialist Ellie Hepler make up one of the premier recruiting classes in the country. All three are natives of the Midwest and will join an IU roster next season that is coming off an appearance in the NCAA regional semifinals for the first time since 2010.
Bloomington’s WCGL Radio Station moves to 98.7 FM The Zone Conveniently timed with Indiana University’s run to the NCAA football championship, Sarkes Tarzian has flipped “Bloomington’s Voice” 1370 WGCL/98.7 W254DP Bloomington IN to Sports “98.7 The Zone” WWZN. The move comes with a shift from a mix of Conservative Talk and Sports to completely focusing on Sports. Program Director/morning host Kent Sterling moves from 7-9am to 9-11am. Afternoon host Mike ‘Glass’ Glasscott remains in the 3-6pm timeslot. WWZN will also add the regionally syndicated “Indiana Sports Daily” hosted by Jim Coyle from 1-3pm. Westwood One Sports Network programming will air in most other timeslots. WWZN will retain its local service elements with newscaster Diane Daily and sportscaster Joe Smith remaining.
The Noblesville Boom Close out 2025 with a Road Win over The Maine Celtics The Noblesville Boom (3-2), the NBA G League affiliate of the Indiana Pacers, erased a 19-point second-half deficit to upset the Maine Celtics (1-4), 123-122, on Wednesday afternoon at the Portland Expo Building. Kyle Guy erupted for a monster double-double, leading the Boom with 39 points and 14 rebounds on 12-of-25 shooting from the field, including 6-of-11 from beyond the arc. M.J. Iraldi followed with 24 points and five rebounds off the bench, recording his second consecutive 20-point game. Samson Johnson added a career-high 19 points with six rebounds, while Au’Diese Toney scored the game-winning basket to cap off an 18-point, seven-rebound performance. The Celtics were paced by Ron Harper Jr., who posted a team-high 36 points on 13-of-22 shooting, including 10 made three-pointers. Amari Williams finished with 12 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists, marking the first triple-double by an opposing player since Jan. 10, 2024 (Pete Nance). Stefan Todorovic provided 22 points off the bench, while Max Shulga notched a double-double with 21 points and 14 assists.
After starting 1-of-10 from the field, the Boom found themselves in an early 12-point hole at the first mandatory timeout in the opening period. The Celtics extended their lead to 17 points late in the frame until the Boom closed the quarter with seven consecutive points to climb within striking distance. In the second quarter, Maine held a double-digit lead for most of the period after Ron Harper Jr. scored 17 of his 36 points in the frame, helping the Celtics to a 19-point advantage (73-54) at halftime. Trailing 84-66 with 8:31 remaining in the third quarter, the Boom gained momentum with a 14-2 run to storm back into the game, cutting their deficit to six points late in the frame. Despite a rally by the Celtics, the Boom trailed by seven (99-92) after Kyle Guy’s 13-point performance in the quarter. The Boom silenced the crowd by starting the fourth quarter on a 15-6 run en route to their first lead of the game with 6:24 remaining in regulation. Noblesville extended its lead to seven points—their largest of the game—with 1:08 left on the clock. Maine forced four consecutive turnovers in the final minute to edge ahead by one, until Au’Diese Toney converted a tough layup to put the Boom back in front. The Celtics had two chances to seal the game but couldn’t convert as the Boom escaped with the victory. The two teams will meet again on Friday at the Portland Expo Building to close out the two-game series. Coverage will be available on NBAGLeague.com, with tip-off scheduled for 7 PM.
Indiana Pacers Drop Their 10th straight Game closing out 2025 with a Home Loss to the Orlando Magic Paolo Banchero had 29 points and 10 rebounds and hit the go-ahead basket with 7.5 seconds remaining as the Orlando Magic rallied from a 10-point, third-quarter deficit and beat Indiana 112-110 on Wednesday, sending the Pacers to their 10th consecutive loss. As the clock was winding down in regulation, Banchero backed down Aaron Nesmith and banked home an 11-foot shot for the final basket in a game that included 12 ties and 11 lead changes. The power forward finished 12 of 21 from the field and 5 for 7 at the line. Nesmith missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds remaining.
Orlando’s Desmond Bane scored 18, Anthony Black added 15 and former Pacer’s center Goga Bitadze 14. The Magic (19-15), who have been without leading scorer Franz Wagner (22.7 points per game) since Dec. 7 due to a high-ankle sprain, welcomed back point guard Jalen Suggs from a seven-game absence with a hip issue. Suggs had 11 points and three assists. The Pacers have the NBA’s worst record at 6-28. The 10-game losing streak matches the fifth-longest in franchise history. Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 26 points. Bennedict Mathurin scored 23 and Andrew Nembhard had 19. The Pacers Host the San Antonio Spurs Friday Night at 7 PM.