Indiana University Men’s Basketball Heads to West Lafayette for Rivalry Showdown With #7 Purdue The Indiana Hoosiers make the two-hour trip North to Mackey Arena to take on the #7 Purdue Boilermakers tonight at 8 PM with the game televised on FOX. The Hoosiers beat Boilermakers 72-67 on January 27, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall as the Hoosiers are looking for the season sweep for the first time since 2023. The Hoosiers are 17-9 overall and 8-7 in the Big Ten. Indiana is 3-6 in true road games as the Hoosiers are coming off a 71-51 loss at Illinois on Sunday. The Hoosiers struggled in the second half scoring 20 points and could not handle the size and strength of Illinois as the Fighting Illini outscored the Hoosiers 33-20 in the second half after leading 38-31 at halftime.
Lamar Wilkerson leads Indiana with 21.2 points per game. Tucker DeVries is averaging 13.8 points and team leading 5.3 rebounds per game. Tayton Conerway averages 10.1 points and a team leading 1.2 steals per game. Conor Enright leads the team with 4.8 assists per game, and Sam Alexis is the leading shot blocker for the Hoosiers at 1.3 per game. The Hoosiers average 80.3 points, 17.3 assists and 10.2 turnovers per game. The Hoosiers shoot 47% from the field, 34% from three-point range and 78% from the free throw line. Lamar Wilkerson scored 19 points in the first meeting along with 18 points from Nick Dorn and 9 points and 10 rebounds from Tucker DeVries.
Purdue is 21-5 on the season and 11-4 in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers lost at home Tuesday night to top ranked Michigan 91-80 as the Wolverines snapped the Boilermakers five game winning streak. Michigan led 48-32 at halftime as Purdue outscored Michigan in the second half 48-43. Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 27 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Braden Smith scored 20 points, and Fletcher Loyer scored 11 points. Braden Smith leads the team with 14.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. Fletcher Loyer averages 13.4 points. Trey Kaufman-Renn averages 13 points and a team leading 9.1 rebounds per game. Daniel Jacobson leads the team in blocks with 1.6 per game and Oscar Cluff is averaging 10.2 points per game.
Purdue is averaging 82.5 points, 19.5 assists and 9.2 turnovers per game. The Boilermakers shoot 49% from the field, 37% from three-point range and 74% from the free throw line. Kaufman-Renn scored 23 points, and Smith added 14 points in the first meeting with the Hoosiers. Indiana led 40-29 at halftime and Purdue outscored Indiana 38-32 in the second half as the Hoosiers held off the Boilermakers with a late charge.
Mackey Arena is a very tough place to play, and it will be sold out and intense crowd as Purdue does not want to lose twice to their in-state rivals. The Boilermakers have lost three times at home to Iowa State, Illinois and Michigan and all three teams scored 80 or more points to win. For Indiana they have to shoot the ball well, and they cannot let the crowd get in the game early and limit turnovers. It’s hard to beat a team twice in the regular season and if Indiana can win this game, it could be the clincher for the Hoosiers punch their ticket for the NCAA Tournament.
Bloomington South Sophomore Nick Russell Competes at the IHSAA Boys Wrestling State Finals Bloomington South Sophomore Nick Russell is the only Monroe County Wrestler competing in this year’s IHSAA State Finals that start today at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Russell who is 31-7 on the season will start his competition this evening in the 6 PM session when he battles Carroll (Fort Wayne) Sophomore Joseph Warner who has a 37-3 record on the season in the opening round. The winner will advance the Quarterfinals on Saturday Morning to face the winner between Westfield Sophomore Connor Maddox who is 30-0 or Merrillville Senior Rashad Nelson who is 33-6. On the same side of the bracket East Noble Freshman Konnor Cleveland 38-4 takes on Brownsburg Sophomore Alex Huddleston who is 26-6 and the winner of that matchup will take on the winner of South Bend Riley Sophomore Vince McCoy 41-4 and Hamilton Southeastern Freshman Nolan Culp 27-6 in the Quarterfinals.
On the other side of the bracket Delta Freshman Karson Kahalekomo 40-4 will face Franklin Sophomore Cameron Schofield 36-3 with the winner taking on the winner of Hanover Central Sophomore Julian DeLuna 39-2 and Sophomore Lukas Scott of Southmont who is 36-2. Center Grove Senior Joe Hamilton 29-6 battles Maconquah Sophomore Ari Shrock 44-3 with the winner of that matchup taking on the winner of Milan Freshman Mason Baylor 40-1 against Lowell Sophomore Gavin Longoria 30-11 in the Quarterfinals. 224 wrestlers from all over the State of Indiana will compete in 14 different weight classes to be called a State Champion. You have to win your first two matches in order to get it to semifinals to get a place in the top four in order to guarantee four matches this weekend.
Russell finished third at the Evansville Semi State and won both the Sectional and Regional titles. Bloomington South won the team titles at both Sectional and Regional but struggled at Semi State as the Panthers had 11 wrestlers competing last Saturday at the Ford Center and remaining 10 were unable to get past the second round to be guaranteed a place in the State Finals. The State Finals start this afternoon at 3 PM with the opening round matches of the 150 through 285-pound weight classes followed at 6 PM with 106 through 144-pound weight classes. The Quarterfinals will start at 9 AM on Saturday with the Semifinals to follow. The Consolation Matches will begin at 4:30 PM followed by the State Title Matches at 7:30 PM.
The Chicago Bears and the State of Indiana Share the Commitment to Bring the Team to Indiana A deal to get the Chicago Bears to move across state lines is one step closer to the goal line. The Indiana House Ways and Means Committee unanimously advanced Senate Bill 27, Thursday morning, which outlines the framework to develop a multi-billion-dollar stadium site for the Chicago Bears. “There’s a shared commitment between both these parties to make this happen,” said Republican House Speaker Todd Huston.
The Bears are eyeing the Wolf Lake area in Hammond. “We’re going to make a Bears-ville right outside of this stadium,” Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott, Jr., a Democrat, said. “It’s going to be a whole separate city within the city of Hammond. And I think it’s going to be absolutely transformational for our city.” If signed into law, SB 27 would establish the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority. The new authority would have the power to finance and develop everything needed for an NFL stadium, with the ability to sign no-bid contracts, buy property, and set terms for leases without approval from the state. Bond financing would be covered by a series of new taxes. The City of Hammond would adopt a 1% admissions tax, and the state would establish a special taxing district known as a Professional Sports Development Area (PSDA) around the stadium, similar to the funding for Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Speaker Huston said infrastructure costs would be covered by a re-negotiated lease agreement with the Indiana Toll Road. The State has also asked Lake and Porter Counties to adopt a 1% food and beverage tax, along with an additional 5% innkeepers’ tax in Lake County.
Lawmakers justified the costs, which could top $1 billion in public funding, with the thousands of long-term jobs and tens of thousands of construction jobs the stadium is expected to generate. “I hear people say ‘you know, mayor, these stadiums don’t bring anything to the host community’. And I say I guess it really depends on your perspective,” McDermott said. The Chicago Bears are willing to commit more than $2 billion to the project. “We are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the wolf lake area,” the Bears organization said in a statement. “I don’t want to speak for the Bears,” McDermott said. “But I think the Bears are coming to Hammond.”
There’s been no renderings released, but the Bears have made it known they want a mixed-use site; with the stadium surrounded by restaurants, hotels, and other businesses. If the deal is complete, Indiana would maintain ownership of the stadium. The Bears would sign a 35-year lease. The father of State Rep. Earl Harris, Jr., a Democrat representing Lake County, tried to bring the Bears to Northwest Indiana when he was in the general assembly. Harris has helped revitalize those efforts in recent years. “So the amount of people that have said to me ‘We thought you were crazy three years ago when you started talking about this’ have now come back and said ‘You know what, you were right. You had the vision, your father had the vision’,” said Harris.
He was quick to point out George Halas, the founder of the Chicago Bears, actually started his professional football career in Hammond, playing for the All-Stars. “So when you talk about the Chicago Bears coming to Hammond, they’re really just coming home,” Harris said. Fans calling in to Chicago sports radio stations had a different reaction to the news. “I think it’s a disgrace to the team, to the state, to the city, to the fans,” one caller to 670 The Score said. “There is no reason they should be playing in Hammond. It’s the Chicago Bears. It’s not the Hammond Bears.”
The Bears still own land in Arlington Heights, Illinois, where the team has tried to lobby for state incentives on a new stadium. Deputy Chief of Staff for Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Matt Hill, said conversations on a new incentives package were ongoing and Pritzker’s office was blindsided by the new developments in Indiana. “Illinois was ready to move this bill forward,” Hill wrote on X. “After a productive three hour meeting yesterday, the Bears leaders requested the ILGA pause the hearing to make further tweaks to the bill. This morning, we were surprised to see a statement lauding Indiana and ignoring Illinois.”
Along with public funding through SB 27, Hammond presents a more business-friendly tax structure. Lake County has lower corporate tax, sales tax, individual tax, and commercial property tax compared to Cook County, which encompasses Chicago and Arlington Heights. “Indiana’s got the best offer on the table,” said Hammond. “We got the best business environment, why would the Bears walk away from a better deal?”
Amendments to SB 27 adopted Thursday detail the creation of a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority, Northwest Indiana Stadium Board as well as allowing the enactment of a Northwest Indiana Stadium Development District and Northwest Indiana Professional Sports Development Area to be located in Hammond. A staffer for Gov. Mike Braun said he was in D.C. Thursday morning. He did not attend the hearing on SB27, but applauded the “broad framework for negotiating a final deal” in a statement. “Indiana is open for business, and our pro-growth environment continues to attract major opportunities like this partnership with the Chicago Bears,” said Braun. “We have built a strong relationship with the Bears organization that will serve as the foundation for a public-private partnership, leading to the construction of a world-class stadium and a win for taxpayers.” The deal isn’t done. But McDermott believes, with Indiana Republicans and Democrats working on the same team, the Hoosier State is poised to make an historic interception. “The one thing we can all agree on in Indiana is the Bears are a great investment for Northwest Indiana.”
No. 6 Indiana University Women’s Swimming Scores Silver, Shatter School Standard in 800 Free Relay at the Big Ten Championships Three freshmen and a junior crushed the Indiana women’s swimming and diving program record in the 800-yard freestyle relay during the first night of the 2026 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships on Wednesday inside the Jane K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota. The IU quartet touched in a second-place time of 6:51.11, crushing the previous school standard – 6:54.03, set at the 2024 NCAA Championships – by nearly three seconds. Only Michigan’s Big Ten record 6:48.02 swim beat out the Hoosiers. “I thought it was great battle,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “We just came up a little bit short. But I think we can be significantly better in that relay at the NCAA Championships. We just need to make sure we have easy speed, taking out our first 50 and then finish the race better. We probably had three out of four legs hurting on that last 50. And it’s important to have those splits be pretty balanced throughout, and they all know that. We’re trying to win, so they were kind of pedal to the metal a little too early.”
Freshman Liberty Clark led things off in 1:41.32, just under her personal best, and gave way to classmate Alex Shackell, who went 1:42.16 in the second leg. Junior Macky Hodges took the third leg in 1:44.16, and freshman Grace Hoeper closed it out with a 1:43.47. Indiana sits in a tie for third after two events with 106 points. The Hoosier also competed in the 200-yard medley relay, finishing fifth with a time of 1:35.53. Notably, senior Kristina Paegle dropped the quickest anchor split and the lone anchor under 21 seconds with a 20.92. It was not our finest moment,” Looze said. “We’re capable of executing a lot better. I think it primarily gets chalked up to people trying too hard, maybe being a little too nervous. All four of those athletes are in the meet now, and they’ll do better moving forward. “Solid start, we have a lot of work to do. The conference is getting better, so we need to up our game, and we’re looking to have a good preliminary session tomorrow.”
TEAM SCORES
1. Michigan – 128
2. Ohio State – 108
t3. Indiana – 106
t3. Wisconsin – 106
5. USC – 96
6. Northwestern – 94
t7. Minnesota – 92
t7. UCLA – 92
9. Purdue – 74
10. Nebraska – 72
t11. Illinois – 62
t11. Iowa – 62
t11. Penn State – 62
14. Rutgers – 54
University HS Boys Basketball Junior Joshua Henderson Transfers to Carmel Joshua Henderson, the 6-foot-6 junior who led Class 2A University High School in scoring and rebounding this season, has transferred to Carmel, according to an IHSAA update that identified Carmel as his new school. Henderson entered the 2025-26 season as University’s top option, averaging 19.3 points and 7.1 rebounds in 17 games while wearing jersey No. 44 for the Trailblazers. School officials and family confirmed the move Wednesday night, with Henderson and his father Alan Henderson both acknowledging the withdrawal and University coach Justin Blanding confirming the same. Initially the school reported that Henderson “informed the school Wednesday that he is withdrawing,” and at that time it was “unclear where Henderson’s next destination will be. They did not give a reason for the departure.” Those conditions changed as the IHSAA update naming Carmel appeared the following day and MaxPreps logged an “Added to Roster” entry dated Feb. 19, 2026.
Henderson’s on-court production this season paints a stark picture of the loss for University. He posted 18 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots in a 71-49 loss at Westfield in a recent outing, and he was a key contributor in a 77-61 victory over Indianapolis Shortridge on Feb. 13 and in a 61-63 loss to Lebanon on Feb. 10. University entered the transfer window with a 13-7 record; Henderson’s breakout follows a 2024-25 campaign in which he averaged 7.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots as the Trailblazers finished 20-10 and were state runners-up to Manchester.
Losing a 19.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg leader at this point of the calendar is consequential as University prepares for Sectional 42. The Trailblazers will learn their sectional draw at Cardinal Ritter on Sunday and have a scheduled game at KIPP Indy Legacy in the interim. University’s veteran backcourt will be asked for more production: senior guards Faisal Mohamud is averaging 12.3 points and 3.2 assists per game, Blake Gray 12.2 points and 3.4 assists, and Josh McGee 10.1 points and 3.8 assists.
From a prospect and program-development angle, Henderson has been widely tracked. Scouting profiles list him at 6-foot-6 and describe him as “emerging as one of Indiana’s fastest-rising prospects,” a modern swingman with improving perimeter skills, defensive versatility and length. He competes on the Pro16 circuit for Grand Park Premier and is noted on MaxPreps as being “ranked in the top 37 in Indiana for 1 stat, top 8 in Division 2A for 1 stat, and top 1 in Pioneer – North for 3 stats.”
Immediate eligibility, paperwork and any appeals hinge on IHSAA clearance and Carmel’s roster verification. University confirmed the withdrawal but “did not give a reason for the departure,” and officials at Carmel and the IHSAA have not yet released public details about enrollment date or clearance to play. The transfer shifts postseason calculations for Class 2A University and immediately strengthens Carmel’s inventory if Henderson is cleared to suit up. Further verification from Carmel and formal IHSAA records will determine whether he can play for his new school this postseason.
Decisive Second-Half Run Propels Taylor Trojans Men’s Basketball to 76-65 Victory Against Spring Arbor The Trojans pulled away late in a physical contest against Spring Arbor (13-14, 6-11 CL) on Wednesday night inside Odle Arena for a 76-65 victory. Trailing by two four minutes into the second half, Taylor rattled off a 14-0 run over a six-minute span to take command of the contest for the final ten minutes of action. Izaiah Day began the critical run with two threes and a layup as he led all scorers with 21 in the game. The senior guard scored 12 points after the break and added five rebounds, two assists and two steals to a terrific shooting night at 8-15 from the field and 3-6 from beyond the arc.
The game began with each team scorching hot combing to make six of the first seven shots in the game, with four of the buckets from three-point land. The Trojans had a 16-12 lead just over five minutes into the action before Spring Arbor scored the next six points as part of a 14-3 run to grab its largest lead of the night at 26-19. Nathan Baker entered the game and gave TU some much needed energy, grabbing six boards and scoring nine points in the final seven minutes of the half to turn the game on its head and send the home team to the locker room with a 39-36 lead. Baker had an incredible game off the bench for the Trojans, scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for his third collegiate double-double. Baker chipped in four steals, a block, and an assist as he was the engine for the Trojans success.
Spring Arbor came out quickly in the second half to take the lead back as the teams then traded buckets before Taylor went on the decisive run. Pete Combs had another efficient outing shooting 7-11 from the field to score 16 points and adding five rebounds, a steal and an assist. Freshman point guard Carson Gould added seven points on one shot from the field and a perfect 4-4 mark from the charity stripe to go with five assists, a steal and a rebound. Taylor controlled the glass with a 37-33 advantage leading to a 14-9 second chance point differential in favor of the home squad. Taylor’s bench had 20 compared to six for the Cougars and a decided plus seven mark in the turnover department was a welcome sight.
The Trojans also went 17-23 from the free throw line and hit five of six in the final minute of action to put to end any chance of a comeback for Spring Arbor in the waning seconds. Taylor’s defense held a high-scoring Cougar attack to 14 points fewer than its season scoring average while shooting 43.4 from the floor and 31.3 from beyond the arc. Taylor (19-8, 11-6 CL) finishes regular season action on the road, with a matchup against Mount Vernon Nazarene (16-11, 8-9 CL) on Saturday, February 21st, tipping at 3:00 pm.
Taylor Trojans Women’s Basketball Fall to No. 16 Spring Arbor in Home Finale For the third straight game RV Taylor built a halftime lead, but Wednesday night’s advantage slowly drifted away with an 80-59 defeat to No. 16 Spring Arbor. TU dropped to 17-10 (7-10 CL) following the setback, while Spring Arbor improved to 22-5 (13-4 CL) on the season. Marissa Trout tied her career-best with 19 points in her second straight outing to lead the Trojans in scoring. The freshman went 6 of 13 from the field and a perfect 6 for 6 at the charity stripe where the Trojans finished an impressive 13 for 14 (92.9%) on the night. Emma Ancelet also reached double figures in her fourth start with 10 points, seven assists and five boards. Madi Allen and Quinn Kelly each chipped in seven points.
After digging an early hole with a 14-0 deficit midway through the first quarter, Taylor rallied to close the opening stanza on an 11-3 run over the final 4:37, as a Trout 3-pointer cut the deficit to six at 17-11 after one period. The run carried over into the second quarter as a three from Kelly, layup by Fohl and jumper from McKayah Musselman made it a one-point game, with the Trojans outscoring the Cougars 18-5 over a seven-minute span. The two teams exchanged baskets through the rest of the second period until the visitors moved in front by seven, leading 33-26 with three minutes until halftime. But Taylor responded again with another run and closed the first half on an 8-0 spurt, as free throws in the final seconds by Allen put the Trojans ahead 34-33 at the intermission break. The Trojans shot 59 percent in the second quarter and outscored the Cougars 23-16 in the period with all eight players making at least one field goal attempt. TU racked up seven blocks and four steals on the defensive end to limit the Cougars before halftime.
After halftime, Spring Arbor quickly regained the lead with back-to-back buckets to open the third quarter, but Taylor remained within striking distance in a one-possession game. The Trojans reclaimed the lead following the under-five media timeout on a layup by Celina Blount, which put TU ahead with just over three minutes, and a pair of free throws by Ancelet gave the Trojans a brief 46-45 lead. However, this time the Cougars closed the quarter with momentum by outscoring the Trojans 11-3 over the final two-plus minutes to lead by seven entering the final period, 56-49.
Spring Arbor would keep the momentum the rest of the night as Taylor ran out of steam. The Cougars went up by double digits, 60-49, near the nine-minute mark to force an early Taylor timeout in the fourth quarter. The Trojans could not recover and played from behind the rest of the way as the deficit swelled. Trout’s layup at the 7:43 mark made it a 10-point game with TU trailing 65-55, before the Cougars closed out the contest on a 15-4 run. Spring Arbor shot nearly 70 percent (19 of 28) over the course of the second half. Ashely Weller led four Cougars in double digits with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Haven Chapman added 15 points and seven rebounds, while Emma Smieska scored 13 points with eight boards. Leading scorer Megan Zeitz chipped in with 10 points.
Taylor shot 40.7 percent overall in the contest and just 11.1 percent from three-point range, while Spring Arbor knocked down 52.4 percent overall and 35.7 percent from deep. The Trojans had 16 turnovers – marking just third time this season that Spring Arbor’s highly-ranked defense did not force at least 20 takeaways. The Cougars recorded only seven steals – nine below their season average. RV Taylor will close out the regular season on Saturday afternoon when it travels to Mount Vernon Nazarene for a 1 p.m. matchup in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The Trojans, who are locked in as the No. 7 seed, will then await final seeding for the Crossroads League Women’s Basketball Tournament to learn who their quarterfinal opponent will be next Tuesday.