#8 Illinois Handles Indiana University Men’s Basketball by 20 Points The #8 Illinois Fighting Illini snapped a two-game losing skid Sunday Afternoon as they handled the Indiana Hoosiers 71-51 Sunday afternoon at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. The Fighting Illini are 21-5 overall and 12-3 in the Big Ten and will head to Los Angeles for their two-game road trip against USC on Wednesday and UCLA on Saturday. Indiana is 17-9 on the season and 8-7 in the Big Ten and will have another road challenge Friday Night at 8 PM when they face the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette.
David Mirkovic led the Fighting Illini with 25 points, Keaton Wagler scored 18 points and Tomislav Ivisic scored 14 points. Illinois went 29-66 from the field for 44%, 7-31 from three-point range for 23% and 6-7 from the free throw line for 86%. Illinois pulled down 38 rebounds, dished out 11 assists, 7 steals, 2 blocks and had 2 turnovers for the entire game. Lamar Wilkerson led Indiana with 21 points, Tucker DeVries scored 13 points, and Sam Alexis added 11 points. Indiana went 20-49 from the field for 41% from the field, 6-24 from three-point range for 25% and 5-6 from the free throw line for 83%. Indiana pulled down 25 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and committed 10 turnovers.
Illinois dominated inside, scoring 40 points in the paint to 24 for Indiana. The Fighting Illinois controlled the glass, pulling down 15 offensive rebounds to just 4 for Indiana and outrebounded the Hoosiers 23-21 on the defensive end. The matchup was too much for Indiana as the Hoosiers could not get rebounds or stop Illinois from scoring at will inside. Mirkovic was solid going 10-16 from the field, 3-6 from three-point range and 2-2 from the free throw line along with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. Kylan Boswell returned after missing the last seven games with a hand injury. The Champaign Native had 9 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and a turnover as he started playing 33 minutes. Andrej Stojakovic missed his second game with an ankle injury. The game was back and forth in the first half as Illinois led 38-31 at halftime. Illini took over in the second half outscoring the Hoosiers 33-20 as Indiana struggled to get anything going and until late in the game Lamar Wilkerson was the only one in double figures. Illinois did a great job handling the ball and taking the Hoosiers out of the game in the second half.
The Hoosiers lead the All-Time Series 96-94 as Illinois has won the last three meetings between the two programs and The Hoosiers are now 35-56 all-time in Champaign. Indiana has Purdue and Ohio State on the road and Northwestern, Minnesota and Michigan State to close out the regular season. The Hoosiers have work to do get themselves in the NCAA Tournament field of 68. Indiana suffered its fourth loss in the Big Ten by double digits and third on the road. With the Hoosiers heading to Purdue on Friday, that will be a tough one after the Hoosiers beat the Boilermakers 72-67 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Purdue will have revenge on their mind after the Hoosiers knocked off the ranked Boilermakers in Bloomington. If Indiana can knock off their in-state rivals for the sweep it would be huge boost for their NCAA Tournament Resume.
Shay Ciezki Re-Tweaks Ankle as Indiana University Women’s Basketball Suffers Its Worst Loss of the Season at #2 UCLA Shay Ciezki returned to the starting lineup, but it was short lived as the Senior Guard re-tweaked her ankle with 3 minutes left in the first quarter and did not return as #2 UCLA Bruins dominated the Indiana Hoosiers 92-48 Sunday Afternoon at Pauley Pavillion in Los Angeles. Ciezki scored 2 points on 1-3 shooting and had a steal. Ciezki missed Thursday’s Game at USC after rolling her ankle in the Morning shootaround. Coming into the game she was nine points away from joining the 1,000-point club for her Hoosier career and will have to wait until the Hoosiers return home next Sunday when they Host Oregon at 1 PM to have an opportunity to accomplish the feat.
UCLA is 15-0 in the Big Ten and 25-1 overall and getting closer to clinching the Big Ten Regular Season Championship. The Bruins will remain in Los Angeles hosting Washington and Wisconsin and traveling crosstown to USC to close out the regular season before heading to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament. Lauren Betts recorded her 10th double-double of the season with 16 points and 14 rebounds as Bruins put seven players in double figures. Kiki Rice led the Bruins to score 17 points. Charlisse Ledger-Walker and Gianna Kneepkens scored 12 points. Gabriella Jaquez scored 11 points along with 10 points apiece off the bench from Sienna Betts and Lena Bili. UCLA dominated outrebounding the Hoosiers 51-24 with 23 offensive rebounds and 42-16 points in the paint.
The Bruins went 36-78 from the field for 46%, 8-20 from three-point range for 40% and 12-15 from three-point 3 range for 80%. UCLA dished out 16 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks and 4 turnovers. UCLA led 17-10 after the first quarter and outscored Indiana 30-10 in the second quarter to lead 47-20 at halftime and put it on cruise control in the second half. The Bruins outscored the Hoosiers 29-14 in the third quarter to lead 76-34 going into the fourth quarter and outscored the Hoosiers 16-14 in the fourth quarter.
Maya Makalusky scored 13 points to lead the Hoosiers after scoring a career high of 29 points Thursday Night at USC. Lenee Beaumont scored 11 points, and Neveah Caffey added 10 points. Phoenix Stotjin scored 7 points, Jerni Kiaku scored 4 points, Edessa Noyan scored 1 point and fouled out in 9 minutes. Jade Ondimeme and Faith Wiseman played for 17 and 14 minutes respectively as both pulled down a rebound and did not score. The Hoosiers went 15-48 from the field for 31%, 4-20 from three-point range for 20% and 14-17 from the free throw line for 82%. Indiana had 3 assists, 1 steal, no blocks and 13 turnovers. Sophomore Chloe Spreen did not play and with the game well in hand Hoosier Nation is not sure why Head Coach Teri Moren did not give the Bedford, Indiana Native and Former Indiana Miss Basketball some playing time.
This is the Hoosiers 10th loss by double digits and the ninth in conference play. The 44-point loss is the largest this season for the Hoosiers. Indiana has a week to rest up and hopes that Ciezki can play next Sunday when the Hoosiers host the Oregon Ducks at 1 PM Sunday. Indiana has a road trip to Rutgers and a Home game against Penn State to close out the regular season. The Hoosiers are sitting in the 15th and final spot for the Big Ten Tournament and Ciezki is looking towards her professional career as she is on WNBA Draft Boards but the good news is she has week to heal for the next game but Indiana is going to do what they need to do protect her long term health and her future at next level after this season.
Indiana University Drops a Doubleheader at North Carolina A late error in the second half of a doubleheader gave way for No. 11 North Carolina (3-0, 0-0 ACC) to sweep the Indiana Baseball team (0-3, 0-0 B1G) on Saturday at Boshamer Stadium. The Tar Heels won the first game of the day in seven innings (W, 12-2) before hitting a walk-off home run in the 11th inning of the nightcap (W, 4-3) to complete the three-game sweep in Chapel Hill.
Game 1: North Carolina 12, Indiana 2 (F/7) – Game 1 The Indiana Baseball team (0-2, 0-0 B1G) gave up three runs in the fifth inning and six in the sixth inning as North Carolina pulled away for a 12-2 victory. The game finished in seven innings after the Tar Heels put two across in the final frame to bring the run rule into effect. Senior pitcher Jackson Bergman went four-plus innings of work in his debut for the Hoosiers. He stranded two runners after beginning the fifth inning. Erik Paulsen, the first batter that graduate student left-handed pitcher Conner Linn faced, hit a three-run home run to give North Carolina the lead for good. Sophomore third baseman Will Moore had the lone RBI for IU in the defeat. He hit a double down the left field line for his first extra-base knock of the season. IU’s second run came when sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny scored on a wild pitch in the sixth inning.
Game 2: North Carolina 4, Indiana 3 (F/11) Recap – Game 2 A late error in the bottom of the ninth cost the Indiana Baseball team (0-3, 0-0 B1G) an early chance at a signature win in the 2026 season. North Carolina tied the game on that throwing error in the ninth before Macon Winslow smashed a walk-off home run off the scoreboard. The Hoosiers pitched phenomenally in the final game of the weekend. Sophomore southpaw Brayton Thomas tossed three innings in his first career start. Graduate student right-handed pitcher Gavin Seebold came on to provide 3.2 scoreless frames of relief out of the IU bullpen. Junior righty Jackson Yarberry recorded an additional nine outs to keep the game going. IU’s scoring came from the heart of its sophomore core. Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley singled up the middle to put IU on the board in the first inning. Sophomore shortstop Cooper Malamazian delivered a big two-run single with the bases loaded in the seventh to put IU up 3-1. Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Jacob Vogel worked a scoreless 10th inning but gave up the game-winning home run in the 11th. IU gave up just two earned runs while recording 30 outs on Saturday evening in Chapel Hill.
Game 1-Four of the top five guys in the lineup recorded a hit. Game 2-IU’s pitching staff gave up just two earned runs over 10-plus innings in the second half of the doubleheader. The Hoosiers had five different players record a hit as the top four guys in the order each had a hit. Graduate student right-handed pitcher Gavin Seebold recorded 11 outs in relief while allowing zero runs.
Sophomore third baseman Will Moore extended his hitting streak out to seven games, dating back to last season. He had a hit in all three games of last year’s Michigan series (May 15-17, 2025) and the first game of the Big Ten Tournament against Rutgers (May 20, 2025). It’s the fifth time in his career that he’s started and recorded a hit in all three games of a true three-game series. The second game of the doubleheader, an 11-inning defeat, was the longest game played by the Hoosiers since a 12-inning tie against Ball State on April 24th, 2024. It’s the third straight time that IU has lost an extra-inning game when giving up five-or-fewer runs. Since making his last start on April 13th, 2025, at Illinois, graduate student right-handed pitcher Gavin Seebold has worked primarily out of the bullpen. In that span, across seven appearances, Seebold is holding a 3.56 earned run average with 25 strikeouts. IU is scheduled to begin its home season at Bart Kaufman Field on Tuesday evening against Bradley. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. on B1G+ and can be heard on the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio.
#20 Indiana University Wrestling Drops Dual to #5 Nebraska Despite opening the dual with a tech fall and 5-0 lead, No. 20 Indiana lost their Sunday (Feb. 15) matchup to No. 5 Nebraska, 34-5, at Wilkinson Hall. With the loss, Indiana is now 8-5 on the season and 3-4 in the Big Ten.
Indiana got off to a fast start with No. 14 Jacob Moran (125) scoring on a barrage of takedowns in a 19-4 win by tech fall over Kaul Lauridsen to put Indiana up 5-0. Nebraska picked up back-to-back tech falls at 133 and 141 lbs. to make it a 10-5 match. At 149 lbs., Joey Buttler found his offense in the third period, but did not have enough time to work with, scoring a late takedown to draw close against No. 20 Chance Lamer, but losing in a 5-3 decision.
No. 18 Tyler Lillard (165) gave No. 7 LJ Araujo all he could handle, falling just short in a 10-8 decision. After trailing 7-0 early, Lillard picked up two third period takedowns and his comeback fell just short in the final period. Nebraska closed out the remaining matches with nine-straight wins to finish the dual.
Gavin Jendreas made his first career dual appearance. With Moran’s win he is now 10-3 in duals this season. It was also Moran’s fifth win by tech fall this season. Jendreas and Kowalski marked two true freshmen in the starting lineup for IU. Indiana will compete in their final regular season dual on Friday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. against rival Purdue in Wilkinson Hall.
#13 Purdue Men’s Basketball Dominates Iowa in Iowa City C.J. Cox and Gicarri Harris each had 14 points to help No. 13 Purdue beat Iowa 78-57 on Saturday. The Boilermakers (20-5, 11-3 Big Ten), wrapping up a stretch of six of eight games on the road, extended their winning streak to four with an efficient offense that consistently found openings. Purdue, which leads the nation in assists per game, had 20 assists on 25 field goals, with Braden Smith having 12 of those. Iowa (18-7, 8-6), which had won six of seven, lost for the second time this week. The Hawkeyes lost 77-70 at Maryland on Wednesday night and were looking to bounce back in front of their first sellout home crowd of the season. Instead, they couldn’t make shots. Trey Kaufman-Renn had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Purdue. Fletcher Loyer added 12 points. Bennett Stirtz led Iowa with 19 points. The Hawkeyes shot 37.7% from the field, a percentage raised by a late stretch in which they made nine of their last 13 shots. Purdue built a 36-25 halftime lead behind a 15-2 run. Purdue is back in action Tuesday Night when the Host Michigan at Mackey Arena.
Madi Allen Nets 27 Points for Taylor University Women’s Basketball in a Win over RV Huntington For the second straight game, a pair of freshmen produced career-high totals as Madi Allen erupted for 27 points and Marissa Trout scored 19 to lead RV Taylor past RV Huntington by a final score of 78-68 on Saturday in Odle Arena. With the victory, TU (17-9, 7-9 CL) snapped its recent five-game skid and logged its fourth combined win over a ranked or receiving votes team in the NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. The Trojans also improved to 10-3 in home games on the season. Taylor registered a season-high 50-percent shooting clip from three-point range, knocking down 10 of 20 from deep while committing a season-low eight turnovers. It’s the most made threes against a league opponent this season.
Allen led all scorers with 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting, while posting 17 points in the second half, to go along with five rebounds and three assists. The freshman has now tallied double figures in 16 games this season. Marissa Trout registered a new career high for the second straight outing, following up on her 14-point outing last Wednesday with 19 against the Foresters. Trout went 3 of 4 from deep including a pair of threes in the opening quarter where she erupted for 11 of TU’s 19 points.
Playing her 100th career game on her Senior Day, Quinn Kelly dominated the boards to finish with a 10-point, 14-rebound double-double – her first this season and third of her career. Celina Blount filled the box score with nine points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals in 22 minutes off the bench. Kaycie Warfel also chipped in nine points. Taylor led at halftime for the second straight outing after building a six-point advantage at the intermission, 39-33.
After the break, Huntington (18-8, 10-6 CL) quickly tied the score, but the Trojans responded when Warfel’s three and a layup by Blount put the Purple & Gray ahead, 44-39 near the midway point of the third period. Entering the final quarter, TU held on to a five-point lead at 60-55 and remained ahead by multiple possessions until 3:39 left in the game, when HU’s Liv Raby made a layup to pull the visitors within three, 69-66, capping a 7-0 run for the Foresters. The spurt from Huntington came after Kelly’s 3-pointer with under seven minutes extended the TU lead to 10 points. Allen closed out the win by knocking down a perfect 6 of 6 free-throw attempts down the stretch.
Huntington’s largest lead was four points early in the second quarter, going up 23-19 after the Trojans led 19-18 at the end of the opening stanza. In a back-and-forth stretch, HU hit a three to go up 28-27, but the Trojans countered when Allen’s three near the three-minute mark of the second period put TU ahead 34-30. The Trojans shot a blistering 64 percent (9-14) in the second quarter, as Blount’s three near halftime capped a key 12-3 run over a three-minute span. That long-distance bucket from Blount put the Trojans ahead 39-31.
Overall, both teams shot at a 43-percent rate in the contest and each side knocked down 12 free throws. Taylor limited the visitors to 6 of 17 (35.3%) from three-point range. The Trojans also won the glass battle, with a slight 39-35 edge in rebounds that included 13 offensive boards. Annaka Nelson led Huntington with 14 points while Kyndra Sheets posted a double-double effort with 11 points and 10 assists. RV Taylor returns to action on Wednesday night in the regular-season home finale against No. 16 Spring Arbor (21-5, 12-4 CL). Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. inside Odle Arena.
Taylor University Men’s Basketball Senior Day Spoiled by Ten-Point Defeat Against No. 19 Huntington After celebrating a pair of seniors on Saturday, Taylor struggled to get going offensively against No. 19 Huntington in a 74-64 defeat inside Odle Arena. Before the action, Taylor honored seniors, Nate Paarlberg and Jackson Ullom for four years of excellence in the Taylor men’s basketball program. In a key game in the Crossroads League standings Taylor could not match the energy of the Foresters until late in the contest to fall a game behind Huntington and Bethel.
Taylor traded baskets early before a 9-0 run gave Huntington a 22-11 lead near the midway mark of the first half. Every bucket by the Trojans was answered by the Foresters for the remainder of the opening 20 minutes but Nathan Baker nailed a shot from downtown to head to the locker room trailing 39-32. The offense started to sizzle for the Trojans after the break with buckets on four of the first five possessions of the second half. Izaiah Day scored four in the spurt which trimmed the deficit to three within three minutes of the restart. The next six minutes doomed the Trojans as a 12-0 run by Huntington pushed the lead to 15 with 11 minutes remaining in the game.
Baker and Pete Combs combined for 10 points in a 10-5 run for TU to get back into the contest late in the second. Huntington led by 11 before a trio of stops on the defensive end combined with triples by Baker, Anthony McGhee, and Paarlberg got Taylor within a possession for the first time in 15 minutes. Jackson Paul took over offensively for the Foresters and splashed home a pair of high difficulty shots in the final two minutes to put the game to bed. Combs and Day led TU with 12 points apiece, and Day added five rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Baker was phenomenal off the bench with 11 points, five boards, and two assists while hitting a trio of threes. Carson Gould continues to be a dynamic playmaker, adding five assists and 11 points in the game. Taylor (18-8, 10-6 CL) caps its regular season home slate with a matchup against Spring Arbor on Wednesday, February 18th, with tip set for 7:30 pm.