Indiana University Men’s Basketball Heads West for its Two Game LA Road Swing The Indiana Hoosiers get to escape the cold weather for the next week as they head west to face the UCLA Bruins this afternoon at Pauley Pavillon in Los Angeles California starting at 5 PM Bloomington and 2 PM Los Angeles Time with the game streaming on Peacock. The Hoosiers will remain in the City of Angels to battle the USC Trojans Tuesday Night. Indiana is 14-7 on the season and 5-5 in the Big Ten after a 72-67 win over its archrivals the Purdue Boilermakers Tuesday Night in a Sold-Out Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall as the Hoosiers have won two in a row. Lamar Wilkerson scored 19 points, and Nick Dorn added 15 points as the Hoosiers knocked down 12 triples and Tucker DeVries added 9 points and 10 rebounds. All eight Hoosiers that played scored as Conor Enright knocked down two tiples including one that sealed the game along two big free throws to give Hoosiers its first win over a ranked team this season. Indiana comes into this matchup averaging 80.7 points, 17.2 assists and 10.3 turnovers per game. The Hoosiers shoot 47%. from the field, 36% from three-point range and 78% from the free throw line.
Nick Dorn has started the last two games in place of Tayton Conerway who has been dealing with an ankle injury since the Michigan game. Dorn has taken advantage of his opportunity scoring 41 points in the last two games along with 14 points off the bench at Michigan. Head Coach Darian DeVries will have a tough decision to make once Conerway is healthy to return to keep Dorn in the starting lineup or make the change back to Conerway. Dorn is averaging 8.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. Conerway averages 11.2 points and leads the team with 1.4 steals per game. Conerway did not play against Purdue and in the road trip to Michigan and Rutgers he played a total of 18 minutes and scored 6 points. Coach DeVries said Tuesday after the Purdue win that Conerway suffered an ankle injury in the home loss to Iowa and “He is working hard to try to get back out in the floor, but he just doesn’t feel like he is ready to go right now.”
Lamar Wilkerson leads Indiana with 19.4 points along with 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Tucker DeVries is averaging 14.3 points per game along with a team leading 5.2 rebounds. Conor Enright averages a team leading 4.3 assists per game with 90 assists, 15 steals, 98 points and 25 turnovers on the season. Enright has been a veteran floor general and doesn’t always look for his shot but showed against Purdue when he is needed to score in the clutch moments he is there to step up and deliver for the Hoosiers. Sam Alexis leads the Hoosiers with 23 blocks on the season for season average of 1.1 per game.
UCLA is 15-6 overall and 7-3 in the Big Ten as Bruins are on a three-game winning streak capped off by a 73-57 Wednesday Night at Oregon. The Bruins placed four in double figures led by Tyler Bilodeau with 18 points. Donovan Dent added 15 points, Eric Dailey Jr. scored 14 points, and Trent Perry added 12 points as eight of the nine Bruins that played against the Ducks scored. The Bruins led 36-22 at halftime and outscored the Ducks 37-35 in the second half. UCLA went 23-58 form the field for 40%, 7-18 from three-point range for 39% and 20-23 from the free throw line for 87%. UCLA pulled down 40 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 steals, 4 blocks and 4 turnovers.
Tyler Bilodeau leads UCLA with 18.2 points per game as five Bruins average double figures. Skyy Clark averages 13.5 points. Donovan Dent averages 13.1 points along with a team leading 6.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Trent Perry is averaging 11.6 points per game. Eric Dailey Jr. leads the Bruins with 6 rebounds while averaging 10.8 points per game. Indianapolis Native and Cathedral High School Graduate Xavier Booker is leading the team with 27 blocks on the season for a 1.3 season average. Booker has played in 21 games this season averaging 6.9 points, 3.6 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game. UCLA is averaging 77.1 points, 15.4 assists and 9.8 turnovers per game. UCLA shoots 47% from the field, 37% from the three-point range and 75% from the free throw line.
UCLA has 15 player roster that includes 8 players from California with the rest of the team representing New York, Washington, Indiana, Arizona, Florida and New Jersey. UCLA has 6 Seniors, 4 Juniors, 2 Sophomores and 3 Freshman for Head Coach Mick Cronin. UCLA leads the series 7-6 as the Bruins beat the Hoosiers in Bloomington 72-68 on February 14, 2025, in the first meeting since the Bruins joined the Big Ten. This will be the fourth time that the teams have met in Los Angeles and the first time since December 29, 1960, when the Bruins beat the Hoosiers 94-72. Indiana beat UCLA in Los Angeles in 1937 and 1940 for a 2-1 overall record in LA. UCLA has won the last two meetings and four of the last five as Indiana is looking to beat UCLA for the first time since March 28,1992 when. The Hoosiers beat the Bruins 106-72 at the Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the NCAA Tournament Elite 8 to send the Hoosiers to the Final Four.
UCLA is unbeaten in Pauley Pavillon going 12-0 with conference wins over Oregon, Maryland, Purdue and Northwestern. Indiana is 2-4 in true road games with conference wins against Maryland and Rutgers. The Hoosiers have to keep hitting their shots to win and if they don’t it will be a long day for Darian DeVries and his team. One thing that Indiana has going for them is they are feeling good after a home win over their archrivals and with Bloomington digging out of massive winter storm earlier this week the Hoosiers are looking to sweep the two game trip to Southern California and come back 2-0 and keep their chances for the NCAA Tournament alive and keep building their tournament resume.
Bloomington North Hosts the Boys Wrestling Sectional 12 teams will compete this morning at 9 AM at the Bloomington North Boys Wrestling Sectional. The top four in each weight class will advance to the Regional hosted by Bloomington South next Saturday and will be joined by the 10 teams that are competing in the Sectional at Southridge. Bloomington North, Bloomington South and Edgewood will compete against Bedford North Lawrence, Brown County, North Central (Farmersburg), Northview, Owen Valley, Sullivan, Terre Haute North, Terre Haute South and West Vigo.
Bloomington South is the defending Sectional Champion as the Panthers scored 274 points and 8 individual sectional titles. Terre Haute South finished second with 208.5 points with two individual titles. Terre Haute North was third with 178.5 points with one Individual title. Northview finished fifth with 206.5 and two individual titles. Edgewood finished sixth with 96 points with John Orman winning the 132-pound weight class and Bloomington North finished seventh with 90.5 points. The Monroe County schools are expected to have several qualifiers for the Regional as the tradition of wrestling in this county is unmatched with more Team and Individual State Champions more than other county in the State of Indiana and that tradition will continue for a long time and this sectional winners will add their names to the lengthy list of champions who have come before them.
Indiana University Men’s Soccer adds Five Mid-Year Additions from the Transfer Portal Indiana men’s soccer head coach Todd Yeagley announced on Thursday the addition of five mid-year additions from the transfer portal. The announcement features a player in every position group – one forward, two midfielders, one defender and one goalkeeper. “We are excited to add these key transfers and ensure we have a roster that will compete for championships,” Yeagley said. “All five provide proven production, toughness and balance to our program, strengthening our team in key areas and on both sides of the ball. Their integration in our environment this spring will provide a springboard for development and continuity as we move closer to the fall.”
Alex Matthews | Midfielder | Gr. | Derbyshire, England | Missouri State- Alex Matthews brings multiple years of NCAA Tournament experience from his time at Missouri State. In 2024, Matthews earned United Soccer Coaches third-team All-America honors as well as a first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection. Over three playing seasons in Springfield, Matthews did not miss a single match, totaling 50 appearances. Matthews spent his youth career with Derby County in England, and in 2019 was named the academy’s Player of the Year. Yeagley’s take: “Alex brings a complete midfield profile. He combines a high work rate with technical efficiency and a strong soccer IQ. He is reliable in possession, makes good decisions under pressure and has proven he can impact games consistently. His presence and experience will be key to our midfield and team success.”
Nick McHenry | Defender | Jr. | Loveland, Ohio | Ohio State- Nick McHenry comes to Bloomington after two seasons across the Big Ten Conference at Ohio State. McHenry appeared in all 37 matches over two seasons in Columbus, helping the Buckeyes keep 13 clean sheets. As a freshman in 2024, McHenry played a key role in Ohio State’s run to the NCAA College Cup, appearing in all 22 matches. McHenry earned a Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection, helping the Buckeyes record 10 shutouts and a 0.85 goals against average. Yeagley’s take: “Nick is an extremely versatile player. He is comfortable at left and right center back and equally effective sliding into a defensive midfield role. Nick’s composure, technical efficiency and reading of the game are all key strengths that will bolster our team heading into the fall. His aerial presence will also help improve our attacking and defensive restarts.”
Michal Mroz | GK | Jr. | Elk Grove, Ill. | Evansville- Goalkeeper Michal Mroz did it all over two seasons in Evansville. In 2024, the MVC All-Freshman Team keeper helped the Purple Aces win the conference tournament and reach the NCAA Tournament. Last season, Mroz kept six clean sheets and a 0.95 goals against average to collect the MVC Goalkeeper of the Year – the first in program history. Following the season, the sophomore ranked No. 81 in the Top Drawer Soccer Top 100 and earned an MLS SuperDraft selection from Minnesota United FC. Yeagley’s take: “Michal has consistently proven he can impact games in big moments. He is a strong shot-stopper, commands his box well and brings a calm, confident presence to the back-line. He also possesses excellent distribution skills. Michal’s reliability and competitive edge will be an asset heading into the fall.”
Bennett Painter | Forward | Sr. | Cincinnati, Ohio | Bowling Green-One of nine non-seniors to finish the 2025 season with 50-career points, Bennett Painter has a track record for producing. Painter totaled 51 points (21 goals, nine assists) in 53 matches over three seasons at Bowling Green. He had his best season yet in 2024, recording 13 goals and 30 points – both totals ranking top-15 nationally. Yeagley’s take: “Bennett has proven himself a consistent goalscorer during his time at Bowling Green, and he has done it through toughness and an elite work rate. He competes every action, doesn’t shy away from physical moments and keeps finding ways to impact games. Bennett has the attacking tools to create shots and goals on his own, and his instincts and aerial presence make him dangerous in the box.”
Grant Paskus | Midfielder | Jr. | Indianapolis, Ind. | NIU- Grant Paskus played every match over two decorated seasons at Northern Illinois. In 2025, Paskus led the Huskies to the Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship and assisted in the title-clinching match. The year before, Paskus earned MVC All-Freshman Team honors with a goal and three assists from midfield. Yeagley’s take: “Grant brings balance and bite to our midfield. He covers ground, competes in defensive duels and plays with a gritty intensity. He is strong in the air, reliable in possession and willing to do the hard work that helps the group function. Grant’s two-way presence will play an important role.”
Indiana University Softball Lands Three on the Big Ten Players to Watch List The Big Ten Conference announced its 2026 Softball Players to Watch List on Thursday. Indiana’s three representatives on the list included senior Avery Parker and juniors Aly VanBrandt and Alex Cooper. In 2025, Parker hit for a .392 batting average with 65 hits, 17 doubles and 11 home runs. Parker also totaled 60 RBI, 34 runs scored and a .458 on-base percentage. VanBrandt had a sophomore campaign that saw her hit .372 at the plate with 58 hits, 11 doubles, one triple and four home runs. She totaled 25 RBI and 41 runs scored while charting a .449 on-base percentage. Cooper was a .311 hitter in 2025, she had 37 hits, seven doubles, two triples and three home runs. She went for 23 RBI and 35 runs scored while posting a .432 on-base percentage. Additionally, Cooper drew 26 walks.
Indiana University Women’s Tennis Signs Ran Inaba Indiana women’s tennis has signed on Ran Inaba, an additional member for its 2027 signing class, announced by head coach Gabby Moore on Friday. Inaba, a native of Kakogawa, Japan is ranked number nine overall per utrsports.net with a UTR of 9.8, the highest being 10.34. Additionally, she made it to the second round of J500 Osaka. She comes off of a successful high school career, highlighted by back-to-back trips to the High School National Tournament (2024,2025). In 2024, she was crowned the team competition champion and placed third in doubles play. In 2025, Inaba again placed third in doubles, while also placing third in the team competition at No.1 singles.
Bloomington South Applies to Join the Hoosier Hills Conference Bloomington South is on approach, let’s see if the Panthers can stick the landing. According to athletic director JR Holmes, the Panthers applied to join the Hoosier Hills Conference and in return, the league also expressed interest, leading to a meeting and a possible vote in mid-April. Membership would be in all sports starting in 2027-28. South, Columbus North and Southport were left dry for the 2026-27 school year after Bloomington North left Conference Indiana for the Mid-State Conference and then Terre Haute North and South bolted for the Sagamore Athletic Conference. For South, finding a league with members of similar size and mutual interest and within reasonable driving distances severely limited its options. But the Panthers already compete against many HHC members in every sport and the league’s long history also likely means long-term stability if they are accepted.
The feedback Holmes has heard from coaches and athletic directors has been mostly positive, he said. “It’s an established conference that’s been around,” Holmes said. “They were looking for another member, and we looked at them and some other places. “The conference in football has not been great the last couple of years. But they have big schools in basketball, including state champions (Jeffersonville boys in 2025, BNL girls in 2023 the most recent). And we play them in all sports anyway, so it’s not a difficult fix. We don’t have to throw our schedules away and start all over.”
The HHC was formed in 1972 and began play in 1973 with founding members Columbus East (first year as a school), Bedford North Lawrence, Jennings County and Madison. Bloomington North joined in 1976 (leaving in 1982) with Floyd Central, Jeffersonville and New Albany coming on in 1979 and then Seymour in 1997. Madison left entirely in 2021-22 while Jennings County pulled its football team after the 2024 season leaving the HHC with only six football playing schools. South’s football team should certainly help raise the level of competitiveness. BNL, Floyd Central and Jeffersonville have never won a regional title, New Albany has one and Seymour two (the last in 1999). Only Columbus East, which dominated the league in the 2010s, winning state titles in 2013 and ’17, has had long term postseason success.
Columbus East AD David Miller said he could not comment at this time. Sizewise, South would be the fifth largest school. According to the IHSAA enrollment numbers from 2025-26, Jeffersonville (2,141), Floyd Central (1,823), New Albany (1,814) and Seymour (1,719) are all bigger than South’s population of 1,681. Columbus East (1,518) is also of similar size while BNL has slipped to 1,242, leaving the Stars on the brink of competing in Class 3A in many sports. Jeffersonville is the only 6A football program, with the rest 5A save for BNL (4A).
Football is the main driver for conference affiliation, Holmes said, mainly due to scheduling, but having a mid-season goal to work toward is also important for all sports. Southport, which has won just six football games since 2019, has filled out its nine-game schedule as an independent, finding one foe in Ohio. Columbus North has just seven games listed, missing games in Weeks 5-6 as AD Brian Lewis said the program is still figuring out its path forward. South has only six games still on next year’s football schedule: Bloomington North, Martinsville and Terre Haute North in Weeks 1-2 and Columbus North, Brebeuf Jesuit and Center Grove in Weeks 7-9. Holmes said he might have to start looking to neighboring states for games. Membership in the HHC would alleviate all that headache moving forward. “The biggest thing you worry about is distance,” Holmes said. “And we travel anyway for boys and girls golf, baseball, soccer. We think it’ll be a good fit for us to get in there. We’d get to be involved in a conference that’s not going to explode.”
Indy Ignite win 3-1 over the Atlanta Vibe The Indy Ignite picked up their first home win of the season Thursday night, setting up a first-place battle at the Fishers Event Center this weekend. The Ignite won the first five points of Thursday’s match against the Atlanta Vibe, taking the opening set, 25-18. After dropping the second set, Indy closed out the match with wins in the next two, 25-19 and 25-18. Azhani Tealer led the Ignite in scoring with 19 points, including 16 kills, while Leketor Member-Meneh added 15 points on 10 kills and an Ignite-record four aces. Indy recorded eight aces in the match, which is also a new team record. “It’s just so easy to play well when you have a group of girls who are so like-minded,” Ignite middle blocker Blake Mohler said. “We all love each other so much, and everyone’s so supportive, no matter what your role is on the team. That’s just been really fun, and we train really hard, so playing is just a picture of what we do in the gym every single day.” The Ignite will face Dallas at home this evening in a meeting of teams tied for first place in the league. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Fishers Event Center and will also stream live for free on WTHR+.
Sixteen of the Ignite’s 28 matches will stream on WTHR+, a free 24/7 streaming app accessible on smart TVs and streaming devices such as Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV. WTHR+ is a digital extension of WTHR, providing live local news, weather and sports beyond traditional broadcast times, along with original programming and on-demand content for central Indiana viewers.
The remaining Indy Ignite schedule on WTHR+ is as follows: Saturday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m.: Dallas at Indy
Friday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m.: Grand Rapids at Indy
Monday, Feb. 9 at 10 p.m.: Indy at San Diego
Sunday, Feb. 15 at 3 p.m.: San Diego at Indy
Thursday, Feb: 19 at 8 p.m.: Indy at Dallas
Saturday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m.: Indy at Atlanta
Friday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.: Indy at Columbus
Sunday, March 8 at 6 p.m.: Grand Rapids at Indy
Saturday, April 4 at TBA: Indy at Omaha Friday, April 17 at 7 p.m.: Indy at Grand Rapids Friday, May 1 at 7 p.m.: Columbus at Indy Sunday, May 3 at 3 p.m.: San Diego at Indy