#9 Michigan Visits Bloomington to take on Indiana University Women’s Basketball The #9 Michigan Wolverines take on the Indiana Hoosiers at 7 PM this evening at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall with the game streaming on Peacock. Indiana leads the all-time series 49-31 including a 27-8 record in Bloomington. Michigan has won the last two in the series as Indiana is looking for their first win against Michigan since an 80-59 win in Bloomington on January 4, 2024. Michigan is 17-3 on the season and 8-1 in the Big Ten Conference. The Wolverines have won two in a row and and six of their last seven games. Michigan beat USC Sunday Afternoon 73-67 in Ann Arbor. Olivia Olson led Michigan with 24 points as all five starters scored in Double Figures and combined for 67 of the teams 73 points against the Trojans.
Michigan finished 30-62 form the field for 48%, 3-13 from three-point range for 23% and 10-16 from the free throw line. The Wolverines pulled down 34 rebounds, 18 assists 11 steals, 3 blocks and 12 turnovers. Michigan led 23-11 at the end of the first quarter and 40-27 at halftime. USC outscored Michigan 31-13 in the third quarter as Wolverines trailed 58-53 heading the to the fourth quarter as Michigan bounced back with a 20-9 run to remain perfect at home this season with a 11-0 record. Olivia Olson leads Michigan with 18.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Syla Swords is averaging 13.7 points. Mila Holloway averages 12.5 points and a team leading 4.6 assists per game. Teyla Delfosse averages 10.7 points. Brooke Quarles-Daniels leads the team with 2.4 steals and Ashley Sofilkanich leads the team with 0.9 points per game.
Michigan averages 87.2 points, 17.7 assists and 14.4 turnovers per game. The Wolverines shoot 47% from the field, 33% from three-point range and 67% from the free throw line. The Wolverines have 14 player roster that Includes Senior Alyssa Crockett form Westfield, Indiana. The rest of the Wolverines represents Michigan, Kentucky, New Jersey, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Minnesota and Canada. The Wolverines have 3 three Seniors, 2 Juniors, 6 Sophomores and 3 Freshman for Head Coach Kim Barnes Arico who has 301 wins in 14 seasons in Ann-Arbor and which more than any other coach at Michigan Men or Women. Barnes Arico has 571 wins overall in her coaching career that goes back to 1996 at Fairleigh Dickinson-Madison, NJIT, Adelphi and St. John’s.
Indiana is 11-10 on the season and 0-9 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers have lost eight in a row and six by double digits. The Hoosiers are 17th in the Big Ten and sit 2 games behind Northwestern who is in the 15th and final spot for the Big Ten Tournament and has two wins. The Wildcats come to Bloomington on Sunday that could seal the Hoosiers fate if they don’t win that came Indiana could miss the Big Ten Tournament for the first time. Indiana lost at Purdue 80-69 on Sunday as Purdue snapped a 13-game losing streak to the Hoosiers and won the Barn Burner Trophy for the first time in a decade. The Hoosiers led 15-11 after the first quarter but a 30-14 Purdue run in the second quarter gave the Boilermakers a 41-29 lead at halftime and that was all they need to pull away as Indiana outscored Purdue 40-39 in the second half, but it was too little too late.
Sophomore Zania Socka-Nguemen missed the game with a lower leg injury and was in a boot and it is unclear how long she will be out after missing 8 games before with the same issue. Socka-Nguemen averages 13.6 points and team leading 8.7 rebounds per game. Her presence leaves the Hoosiers very thin in the front court with four other forwards to use and 6-4 Sophomore Faith Wiseman has not played since December 6 at Illinois and could have played against Purdue when Edessa Noyan and Jade Ondineme both fouled out but Head Coach Teri Moren kept her on the bench and went with Freshman Maya Makalusky the rest of the game. Wiseman has played 31 minutes in 7 Games scoring 3 points, 9 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. Shay Ciezki is leading the Hoosiers with 23.6 points and 1.4 steals per game. Ciezki scored 37 points in 38 minutes at Purdue for her fifth 30-point game of the season. Lenee Beaumont avarages 13.6 points per game and leads the Hoosiers with 3 assists per game. Beaumont has scored 33 points in the last two games and in the previous three games she scored 14 points and she has scored in Double Figures 17 of the 21 games this season. Edessa Noyan averages 4.9 Rebounds and a team leading 0.3 blocks per game.
Indiana averages 70.5 points, 11.9 assists and 15.3 turnovers per game. The Hoosiers shoot 47% from the field, 38% from three-point range and 78% from the free throw line. With Socka-Nguemen out the Hoosiers have 10 available players and Sophomore Guard Chloe Spreen who is a former Indiana Miss Basketball from Bedford North Lawrence High School as not played since December 21, against Western Carolina playing a season high 16 minutes. In the previous six games Spreen played a total of 24 minutes and scored six points. Coach Moren has always kept a short rotation no matter how good her teams have been and have always preached that how you practice is how you play but with the Hoosiers struggles this season and a team that has been shorthanded all season long many wonder why Wiseman and Spreen who are two of the three Indiana natives on the roster along Maya Makalusky cannot get any playing time. That is question that remains to be answered as this season continues but as the two are kept on the bench that could be a question of how much they really want to play, and it doesn’t appear that the desire is there.
Indiana has eight more conference games left and an uphill climb if they want to make the Big Ten Tournament. This season was going to be a challenge for Coach Moren and the Hoosiers with a young team and only one returning player in Ciezki who saw significant minutes a season ago. Fans do not always know and will not know what is going on away from games especially in practice and off the court, but Hoosier Nation can only guess that there are a lot of issues going on that do not look like Coach Moren and players want to fix for the remainder of the season.
Indiana University Men’s Basketball Lands Trevor Manhertz for the Class of 2026 IU basketball has picked up a commitment from 4-star forward Trevor Manhertz. The 6-foot-8 Manhertz announced the news on Wednesday afternoon on his Instagram page. He also announced he is reclassifying back to his original class — 2026. “After thoughtful consideration, and with the support of my family, I would like to announce that I will be re-classifying into 2026 and committing to Indiana University…Go Hoosiers!!!” Manhertz wrote. Manhertz is the the No. 52 overall player in the 2027 class according to the 247Sports Composite. He recently reclassed up to 2027 but is headed to Indiana in his original 2026 class. The Christ School H.S. (North Carolina) product recently narrowed the focus of his recruitment to Indiana, Louisville and Duke. He took visits to all three schools over the last couple months. Manhertz is the third-class of 2026 recruit for Indiana and head coach Darian DeVries. He joins guard Prince-Alexander Moody, and wing Vaughn Karvala. The trio creates a national top 30 class for the Hoosiers.
Upland Brewery Releasing a National Championship Edition of Curt Cignetti’s Beer IU football coach Curt Cignetti’s postgame beer is getting a new look. After celebrating Indiana’s first football national title with a Hoosier Gameday Lager, Cignetti said it “was absolutely the best beer I’ve ever had in my life and made me want to have another.” Bloomington-based Upland Brewery honored that moment last week by granting Cignetti a free lifetime supply of the beer. Now the local brewer is recognizing the occasion with a championship edition can. Upland is celebrating Indiana Football’s 2025 National Championship run with a limited commemorative Hoosier Gameday Lager can. Only 8,000 six-packs of the Commemorative 2025 National Championship Hoosier Gameday Lager Can will be produced and distributed across Indiana and the Chicagoland area.
To give fans a guaranteed shot at securing the collectible can, Upland is opening 500 reservation slots. Fans who reserve a six-pack can pick it up at participating Upland hospitality locations in Indiana. The remaining commemorative cans will roll out to retail accounts where Hoosier Gameday Lager is regularly sold. Commemorative cans will become available in mid-February. “This championship season was electric, and Hoosier Gameday Lager became part of the culture around the team,” said Samantha Marr, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Upland Brewing Company. “Fans, students, and alumni embraced it, and we wanted to create something that captures the moment and gives IU supporters a piece of history they can hold.” A portion of all Hoosier Gameday Lager proceeds support Indiana University student scholarships through Indiana University Licensing and Trademarks.
“This championship run was about more than football. Coach Cignetti and the team brought a real sense of pride and community to Bloomington and the state of Indiana,” said Padraig Cullen, Vice President of Hospitality for Upland Brewing Company. “I remember his first rally when he said that if they were going to win, the fans were going to have to show up and bring some excitement. I think both sides delivered. To have one of our beers woven into that story means a lot, and these commemorative cans are a great way for fans to remember a season none of us will forget.” Upland plans to expand the Hoosier Gameday Lager lineup with exciting new packaging and merchandise timed to the start of the 2026 to 2027 school year, continuing the momentum into next season. Hoosier Gameday Lager launched in 2023 through a partnership with Indiana University Athletics and Indiana University Licensing and Trademarks. The beer has seen exponential growth statewide and gained national attention during Indiana Football’s championship season.
Indiana University Swimming and Diving Cleans up with Big Ten Weekly Awards Three members of the Indiana swimming and diving program collected Big Ten weekly awards, announced by the conference office on Wednesday after both the men’s and women’s teams defeated Purdue Saturday. IU swept the Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards between Liberty Clark and Noah Cakir. Clark’s honor is her sixth freshman of the week this season and seventh weekly award. Cakir earned the rookie of the week title for the third time this season, first since winning in consecutive cycles in October. Additionally, Ella Roselli earned the Big Ten Diver of the Week honor for a third time this season.
Clark and Cakir excelled despite swimming outside of their normal programs. Sweeping her individual events, Clark became the program’s No. 3 performer in the 100-yard butterfly (51.26), No. 7 performer in the 200-yard IM (1:55.86) and No. 12 performer in the 100-yard backstroke (52.40). Clark also posted the fastest 50 free relay split in program history, going 20.79 to anchor IU’s 200-yard medley relay victory. Cakir took on the distance freestyle events and swept them. The freshman posted an 8:54.58 in the 1,000-yard freestyle, good for No. 4 in program history. He then led a 1-2-3-4 finish in the 500-yard freestyle with a personal best time of 4:19.73. Cakir also turned in a personal best in the 200-yard butterfly, placing second by 62 hundredths with a 1:44.55. Roselli placed top two in both diving events. She won the 1-meter springboard by 10.73 points with a score of 311.78. The junior earned her NCAA Zone Qualifying mark with a second-place performance on the platform, scoring 302.55 – .40 points off her personal best.
Indiana Pacers overcome a 14-Point Deficit to be the Chicago Bulls Aaron Nesmith made a go-ahead reverse layup with 13.9 seconds left and blocked Coby White’s attempt from close range with 2.9 seconds remaining, and the Indiana Pacers rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Chicago Bulls 113-110 on Wednesday night. Pascal Siakam scored 20 points, Andrew Nembhard had 18, Jarace Walker added 16, Bennedict Mathurin had 15 and Nesmith finished with 14 for the NBA-worst Pacers, who improved to 3-0 against Chicago this season. Indiana has won two of three, having beaten defending champion Oklahoma City in an NBA Finals rematch on Friday night. The Thunder have the league’s best record while the Pacers have plummeted to the bottom of the standings following Tyrese Haliburton’s torn Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the Finals.
Nikola Vucevic scored 25 points and Matas Buzelis had 20 for the Bulls, who lost their second straight to fall one game under .500 (23-24). Chicago led 101-87 on a layup by Jalen Smith with 7:14 to go. But the Pacers responded with an 18-4 run and Jay Huff’s 3-pointer with 2 minutes left tied it at 105-all. Vucevic’s 3-pointer with 33.5 seconds left gave the Bulls their last lead at 110-109. Johnny Furphy hit two free throws for the final margin, which was the Pacers’ biggest lead of the game. Chicago’s Josh Giddey finished with seven assists to surpass 2,000 for his career. The 23-year-old became the 15th player in NBA history to reach that milestone at age 23 or younger.
Indiana’s Bid for the Chicago Bears Gains Momentum with Senate Vote The Chicago Bears might not be packing their bags yet — but Indiana’s bid for the team picked up momentum Wednesday after senators approved legislation creating a state-run stadium authority that could finance and build a National Football League stadium in northwest Indiana. Senate Bill 27, authored by Sen. Ryan Mishler, R-Mishawaka, advanced to the House in a 46-2 vote. Only Sens. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, and Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, voted against the bill. The proposal establishes the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority, a public body that would have the power to acquire land, issue long-term bonds and finance the construction of a professional football stadium and related facilities.
It’s the latest step in Indiana’s effort to court the Chicago Bears, who have publicly explored relocating amid stalled negotiations in Illinois over a proposed stadium development in Arlington Heights. Mishler cautioned that the current draft “just creates the framework” and that “a lot of other details will need to be added” before the legislation could be finalized, including adding local representation to the authority’s board and outlining specific requirements and commitments from participating local governments. Discussions with local leaders are ongoing, he said.
Even so, Gov. Mike Braun praised the Senate’s action, calling it a key step in Indiana’s effort to attract the NFL franchise. “Indiana is open for business, and the Chicago Bears have taken notice,” Braun said in a statement. “The Senate’s passage of SB 27 to establish a Northwest Indiana stadium authority is the next critical step in the right direction to bring the Chicago Bears to the Hoosier state and to grow Indiana’s economy.”
Senate Bill 27 outlines a stadium authority that would be responsible for acquiring land, constructing the stadium and issuing bonds — with bond maturities of up to 40 years — to finance the project. The state would own the stadium, while an NFL franchise would lease the facility under a long-term agreement. The bill requires any NFL team leasing the stadium to commit to a lease of at least 35 years. Bond payments would be made primarily from lease rental payments, which the legislation allows to be funded through local tax revenues, including proceeds from local excise taxes, food and beverage taxes and innkeeper’s taxes. The bill does not specify which local taxes would be used or how much revenue would be pledged, however.
The authority’s three-member board would initially consist of the director of the Indiana Office of Management and Budget or a designee; another OMB appointee, and the state’s public finance director. Mishler said an additional local representation could be added later as negotiations progress. The legislation also lays out a lease-back structure common in large public stadium deals. Those terms would allow the authority to finance and own the facility. The team, meanwhile, would operate it, keep revenue from games and non-football events, and be responsible for maintenance and improvements. At the end of the lease term, the team would have the option to purchase the stadium — either for the cost of any remaining debt or, if the bonds are fully paid off, for $1, as long as conditions in the lease agreement are met.
Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, framed the bill as a potential statewide economic opportunity. “We don’t get an opportunity like this every day,” he said. “It is a bill that could be beneficial to not just the individual location … but to the entire state of Indiana, period.” Randolph pointed to the economic and tourism impact of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and said a similar dynamic could take hold in northwest Indiana. “That same kind of benefit could develop in northwest Indiana,” he said. “So, we will have a dual effect, and that dual effect will be a dual positive impact.” While he acknowledged uncertainty about whether a deal ultimately materializes, Randolph said early legislative support still matters. “The more support that we show for this bill,” he said, “the better chance that reality could very well occur.” Northwest Indiana leaders — including officials in Gary — have publicly pitched multiple lakefront and casino-adjacent sites as potential locations for a new stadium complex.
House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, said last week that House Republicans are prepared to take up the bill when it arrives. “Yes,” Huston said when asked whether there is appetite in the House to create a stadium authority. “When that bill comes over, we’ll work closely with all the stakeholders and see what we can do on that.” Huston rejected the idea that Indiana is merely being used as leverage in negotiations with Illinois. “I trusted their word,” he said of conversations with the Bears. “I think we’re sincere in trying to figure out how to get this done.” Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, echoed that optimism, saying lawmakers from northwest Indiana are “excited” about what the project could bring. “That’s part of bargaining, that’s part of making deals,” Bray said when asked about concerns Indiana could be used as a negotiating tool. “I trust that we will shine. The State of Indiana will shine, and we’ll put together a great package.”
Taylor University Football Reid Messer Repeats as CSC First-Team Academic All-American The College Sports Communicators announced its NAIA Football Academic All-Americans recently, with Taylor’s Reid Messer being a First-Team selection for the second-straight year. Messer boasts a 3.86 cumulative grade-point average in accounting midway through his junior year at TU. The safety played to All-MSFA honors for the second time with 51 tackles, one interception and five passes defended in the Trojan secondary during the 2025 campaign. Messer was one-of-25 student-athletes from the NAIA to make the prestigious list, was one-of-seven athletes who were not a senior or graduate student to be recognized and was one-of-four athletes to earn a repeat selection. With the latest honor, Messer joins Brendan Lamb (2021, 2022), Brandon Haan (2014, 2016), Hans Lunderg (2014, 2015, 2016) and Nick Freeman (2011, 2012) as the only individuals to receive multiple CSC Academic All-American awards with the Trojans.
Taylor football has now picked up 25 such honors in its history, with Taylor Athletics leading the NAIA with 155 CSC Academic All-American honors all-time. Of those 155 total honors, 153 have come since 2010. Messer is the fourth Taylor student-athlete to receive the top honor during the 2025-2026 year, joining Eliza Luttrell and Campbell Massey of women’s soccer and Ellie Frey of volleyball. The CSC Academic All-America program is designed to recognize student-athletes for outstanding achievements in the classroom and on the field. To receive the honor, an athlete must have a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher, must have reached sophomore status academically, and must have met the playing time criteria of playing in 90-percent, or starting in 66-percent of the team’s games during the current season. Honorees on the NAIA Academic All-American team were voted on by CSC members from a pool of CSC Academic All-District award winners.