#7 Purdue Dominates Indiana University Men’s Basketball to avoid Season Sweep #7 Purdue Boilermakers led wire to wire Friday Night in a 93-64 win over their in-state rivals the Indiana Hoosiers in a sold-out Mackey Arena in West Lafayette. Purdue leads the all-time series 129-94 and has won 17 of the last 23 meetings dating back to the 2013-14 season. The two programs have split the last ten meetings 5-5 since 2021-22 season. Purdue has won 10 of the last 11 meetings against Indiana at Mackey Arena and this was the 11th straight time Purdue has been ranked when facing the Hoosiers at home as the Boilermakers are 18-4 as ranked team against Indiana. Purdue was coming off its third home loss of the season against top ranked Michigan Tuesday Night. The Boilers connected beyond the arc with Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer hitting back-to-back triples to give Purdue a 6-0 lead to start the game. Tucker DeVries hit a three to get Indiana on the scoreboard, but Purdue extended the lead to 21-12 with 8:44 left in the first half. Purdue led 46-29 at half as the trio of Trey Kaufman-Renn, Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer had 37 of the teams 46 points.
Indiana was hit with foul trouble in the first half as Conor Enright and Nick Dorn picked up three fouls each in the first half. Lamar Wilkerson, Sam Alexis and Reed Bailey picked up two fouls each as the Hoosiers had 15 first half fouls and Purdue went 12-15 from the line for 80%. Indiana was 4-7 from the free throw line for 57% as the Boilermakers committed 8 fouls in the opening half. Purdue outscored Indiana 47-35 in the second half. Omar Mayer, who had 4 points for Purdue in the first half scored 14 in the second half, going 4-4 from beyond the arc and 5-5 from the field as Purdue led by as many by 34 points 87-53 with 5:11 left in the game. Conor Enright fouled out for the Hoosiers with 3 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds. Mayer the Freshman from Tel Aviv Israel finished with 18 points off the bench as Purdue put four in double figures as they combined for 71 of the 93 points.
Trey Kaufman-Renn led the Boilermakers with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Braden Smith scored 15 points and dished out 8 assists. Fletcher Loyer scored 18 points. Purdue finished 33-51 from the field for 64%, 10-18 from three-point range for 55% and 17-25 from the free throw line for 68%. Purdue had 30 rebounds, 24 assists, 6 steals, 1 block and 7 turnovers. The Boilermakers scored 34 points in the paint, 32 bench points, 16 points off turnovers, 13 second chance points and 2 fastbreak points. Lamar Wilkerson scored 20 points to lead Indiana, Tayton Conerway added 12 points, Tucker DeVries added 11 points, and Reed Bailey scored 10 points for the Hoosiers as the four combined for 53 of the teams 64 points. Sam Alexis scored 5 points along with 3 points apiece from Conor Enright and Jasai Miles. Indiana was 24-46 from the field for 52%, 7-20 from three-point range for 35% and 9-15 from the free throw line for 60%. The Hoosiers had 15 rebounds, 13 assists, 2 steals, no blocks and 11 turnovers. Indiana scored 28 points in the paint, 25 bench points, 8 points off turnovers, 2 fastbreak points and zero second chance points.
Purdue is 22-5 overall and 12-4 in the Big Ten and will host Michigan State on Thursday Night at 8 PM. Purdue travels to Ohio State and Northwestern before they close out the regular season at home with Wisconsin. “I thought this was a great bounce back for our guys,” Purdue head basketball coach Matt Painter said. “Not being able to win a Big Ten Championship is tough, but we’re the ones that lost the games, so we have to try to get better and try to improve… because it’s hard to take.” For the trio of Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer they close out what is presumably their final game against Indiana with a 4-4 record and did not want to lose at home. “It’s nice to get a win and obviously by that margin, but I think for us, that’s our expectation for every game that we play,” Smith said. “Obviously, that’s not always the turnout, but that’s always what we strive for and try to do. I think it was just a good response from us.”
Indiana is 17-10 overall and 8-8 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers have their next three games at home with Northwestern Tuesday Night followed by Michigan State and Minnesota before closing out the regular season at Ohio State. Indiana has struggled in these last two road games, but the Hoosiers still have chance to build their resume for the NCAA Tournament to win three at home and get to the 20-win mark. Indiana knew how hard this game was going to be after winning the first matchup 72-67 in January in Bloomington. “Nights like these are hard,” Indiana head coach Darian DeVries said. “Everyone knows how good Purdue is. When they are playing at a level like this, it makes it incredibly challenging… They did everything they needed to do to put us in some tough spots.” The Hoosiers know that they must put this one behind them and get ready for Northwestern and they are fully aware of what is on the line going forward. “We’re playing for a lot right now,” Tucker DeVries said. “I think it’s important that there’s not much we can do right now about this previous game, but we can learn from it and move on to the next one and use this to get ready for the next four games that are massive for us.”
Indiana University Football Coach Curt Cignetti gets a New Deal after the National Championship Win The South Central Indiana News Network can confirm multiple Friday reports — Indiana and Curt Cignetti have once again reached new contract terms. The latest deal increases Cignetti’s average annual salary to $13.2 million per year and appears to come as a result of a “Good Faith Market Review” clause in his prior deal that requires IU and Cignetti to negotiate new terms that keep him among the three-highest paid college football coaches each time Indiana makes the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Based on recent reporting, only Georgia’s Kirby Smart and LSU’s Lane Kiffin have deals with an average salary at or in excess of $13 million. Cignetti and IU had just signed a new deal in October with average annual compensation of $11.6 million. Cignetti’s deal with IU continues to run through 2033. He is 27-2 at Indiana, which won its first national title in January, and its first outright Big Ten title since 1945. After Indiana announced his October deal, the 64-year-old Cignetti said he planned on retiring at the school.
Indiana University Softball Opens the Weekend with a Run Rule Victory over Colgate Indiana began play in the USF Invitational on Friday with a six-inning run rule defeating Colgate, 8-0, at USF Softball Stadium in Tampa Florida. The win improves the team’s season record to 8-3. It was a pitcher’s duel in the first three innings as the two teams combined for one hit and no runs on the scoreboard. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Hoosiers broke the game open, scoring four runs to go up 4-0. The scoring was started by a double steal with Alex Cooper and Aly VanBrandt each going and VanBrandt taking home.
Avery Parker singled through the left side to bring Cooper home. A few at bats later Ellie Goins tripled and brought home the fourth RBI of the game.
Indiana tacked on two more runs in the in the bottom of the fifth inning. Parker hit a sac fly to score Cassidy Kettleman and Josie Bird doubled to left center and scored VanBrandt to make it a 6-0 game. Indiana ended the game in the sixth inning on two consecutive fielder’s chocies to secure the run rule in an 8-0 win. Parker recorded two RBI while Bird, Strader, Goins and Kettleman each generated one. The win marked the team’s sixth by run rule. Goins’ triple was the second of the season for her. Mannon made her first start as a Hoosier and picked up her first win, going 5.0 innings and only allowing two hits and notching five strikeouts. Indiana outhit Colgate, 6-2. Indiana will be back on the diamond for another 9 a.m. first pitch this morning when it plays Saint Joseph’s.
Liberty Clark and Alex Shackell Win Big Ten Women’s Swimming Titles on Night 2 of the Big Ten Championships Indiana women’s swimming and diving freshmen Liberty Clark and Alex Shackell captured their first-career individual Big Ten Championships, leading the Hoosiers to a four-medal night on Thursday at the 2026 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships inside the Jane K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota. The momentous evening pushed Indiana into second place in the team standings with 398 points. Shackell led a two-medal finish in the 100-yard butterfly, as junior Miranda Grana – the reigning champion in the event – took bronze. Touching in 49.95, Shackell broke the program record, surpassing Grana’s previous mark by six hundredths. Shackell now owns the school standards in both butterfly events.
Clark dethroned the reigning Big Ten 200-yard freestyle champion – Michigan’s Stephanie Balduccini – with a confident, wire-to-wire win. The freshman went sub-1:41 for the first time in her career, touching in 1:40.84. That time makes her the 14th fastest in the event all-time and the No. 10 American. Program record holder Anna Peplowski won the NCAA 200 free title last season as a senior with a 1:40.50. Indiana set another program record in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a 1:26.20, good for a silver medal finish. Clark and Shackell led off the relay with splits of 21.48 and 21.69, and seniors Mya DeWitt and Kristina Paegle followed up with splits of 22.08 and 20.95. Paegle’s anchor ranked second-fastest in the field. “Great night for the Hoosiers,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “Outstanding efforts by Alex Shackell and Liberty Clark winning the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle. We had a solid relay to end the night, and we’re excited to get back to work tomorrow morning.”
Juniors Macky Hodges and Reese Tiltmann gave Indiana maximum points from the 400-yard IM consolation final. Hodges dropped personal bests twice on the day with a 4:09.12 in the prelim and a 4:06.63 in the final to place ninth. Tiltmann followed with a 4:07.72 to come in 10th. Three divers scored on the first day of diving. Junior Ella Roselli was the last of eight divers to qualify for the 1-meter springboard A final but improved to sixth in the championship to provide 24 points. Freshman Kaylee Bishop made her conference meet debut with a 15th-place finish, and Lily Witte placed 20th in the preliminary to score points as a C finalist. “Ella led the team today with another A final added to her list of accomplishments,” IU head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “I am so proud of how she mentally took on the challenge today. “It was great to see freshman Kaylee (Mini) Bishop handle the pressure and fight her way into the B-final. She showed her experience in diving under pressure. There are over 60 girls in the preliminary events today and tomorrow. I look forward to seeing the entire team get a handle on this event.”
TEAM SCORES
1. Michigan – 517.5
2. Indiana – 398
3. Ohio State – 390
4. Wisconsin – 384
5. USC – 296
6. Minnesota – 290
7. UCLA – 255
8. Northwestern – 202
9. Nebraska – 184.5
10. Rutgers – 171.5
11. Purdue – 164
12. Iowa – 149
13. Illinois – 114.5
14. Penn State – 106
Lawrenceburg Indiana Native Nick Goepper Finishes 4th In Men’s Freeski Halfpipe at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics Indiana native Nick Goepper finished one place shy of medaling in the men’s freeski halfpipe final at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Goepper, who is from Lawrenceburg, was going for a career fourth Olympic medal, only for Brendan Mackay, of Canada, to edge him for third place Friday. The 31-year-old Goepper had switched to halfpipe for this Olympic cycle after winning two silvers and a bronze in slopestyle in the previous three Games. Goepper gave the crowd a scare on his final run when he smashed into the deck, but he was up in a few moments and appeared to be unhurt. American freeskier Alex Ferreira, 31, won with a third and final run worth 93.75 points, adding the gold medal to his silver from Pyeongchang in 2018 and bronze from Beijing in 2022.
Ferreira, a Colorado native, delivered the United States its first gold medal in nearly two weeks of freeskiing or snowboarding at the Livigno snow park. Estonia’s 19-year-old Henry Sildaru captured the silver in his first Olympics. His third run was just 0.75 points off Ferreira’s mark. The finalists also competed in the morning for qualifying, which was pushed back to Friday because of heavy snow in the Italian Alps. In freeski halfpipe, like in snowboarding, competitors take turns zooming up and down the curved surface and launching into a series of acrobatic leaps that are scored for their difficulty and execution. Only their best of three runs counted. The halfpipe at the Livigno ski resort hosting these Olympic events measures 220 meters (240 yards) in length, 22 meters (24 yards) in width, and rises to 7.2 meters (23.6 feet) in height.
Indy Ignite Record Second Straight Sweep with a Win over the Dallas Pulse The Indy Ignite rolled to a three-set road win over the Dallas Pulse Thursday night on WTHR+. The Ignite picked up its second straight set win in a row, after sweeping San Diego Sunday at the Fishers Event Center. Indy is now 9-2 after the 25-20, 26-24, 26-24 win. Outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh led a balanced Indy attack, scoring 14 points on 11 kills, two aces and a block. Fellow outside hitters Anna DeBeer and Camryn Hannah had nine and eight points, respectively. “Just staying aggressive,” Member-Meneh said of the Ignite offense. “At the end of the day, we want to attack their block, and that’s just what my mindset was: attack, attack, attack and put the pressure on them.” The Ignite are back in action at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21 in Atlanta. The game will be livestreamed on WTHR+. After a Feb. 27 game in Columbus, which will also air on WTHR+, Indy will return to the Fishers Event Center for a game against the Omaha Supernovas on March 1. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
Sixteen of the Ignite’s 28 matches have or 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. 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
Taylor Athletics Announces Details for February 25th Day of Giving Taylor Athletics has unveiled additional details on how individuals can take part in the seventh-annual TU Athletics Day of Giving, which is set for Wednesday, February 25. All information can be found online at TaylorTrojans.com/DayOfGiving2026. “We are so thankful for the generosity of our alumni, family and friends and their continued investment in our programs each year through our Day of Giving,” stated Taylor’s Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Kyle Gould. “Our teams are committed to maximizing each gift and using it to benefit our student-athletes.”
Online donations for the annual fundraising initiative are now open and will remain open leading up to and culminating with the Taylor Athletics Day of Giving on February 25. Individuals wishing to participate in the Day of Giving campaign will have the opportunity to make online donations to a team of their choice. All funds donated will be used for projects such as mission trips, scholarships and special equipment. To make an online donation, please visit TaylorTrojans.com/DayOfGiving2026.