#2 Indiana University Women’s Basketball host #5 Iowa for first place in the Big Ten For the first time in three decades, two top 5 Big Ten foes will battle it out when @2 Indiana meets #5 Iowa tonight in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Tipoff is set for 6:30pm on Big Ten Network. Not only will tonight’s game be a battle between the conference’s two top teams but will be the first regular season matchup featuring Top 5 Big Ten foes since 1993. During that 1992-93 season, three games featured two top 5 teams with the last occurring on March 7, 1993, when #4 Ohio State defeated #2 Iowa, 72-60.
Indiana and Iowa met three times last season, including twice in the regular season and again in the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game. Iowa took all three games in the series last year and hold a slight edge in the last 10 games played between the two, winning six of the last 10. A year prior, in 2020-21, Indiana swept both meetings between the two schools. Iowa dominates the all-time series 52-21.
Indiana picked up its eighth-straight win in the rivalry series with Purdue, in a 69-46 victory inside Mackey Arena on Sunday. The Hoosiers were led by 15 points each from senior forward Mackenize Holmes and junior guard Sydney Parrish. The Hoosiers were able to pull away in the third quarter, holding Purdue to just two points, the fewest points allowed by any teams since NCAA women’s basketball moved to the quarter format in 2015-16. Indiana picked up its sixth ranked win of the season against #2 Ohio State, Jan. 26. It’s the most ranked wins in a single season in school history, besting the previous record of five set last season. It also has four wins over the Top 10 this season, the most by any team in NCAA Division I.
The Hoosiers are led by Senior Forward Mackenzie Holmes who averages 22.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, shoots 69.6% from the field. Indiana is 22-1 overall and 12-1 in the Big Ten and led by Teri Moren who is 194-90 in her 9th season and the all-time winningest coach in Indiana University Women’s Basketball History. Moren is 393-220 in 20 seasons overall.
Iowa is on an eight-game win streak which includes wins against ranked opponents then #2 Ohio State, #8 Maryland, and then #14 Michigan. The Hawkeyes come into Bloomington with a 19-4 record and 11-1 conference record. Junior Guard Caitlin Clark leads her team with 27.9 points per game while two others average double figures in fifth year Monika Czinano (18.3 ppg.) and senior McKenna Warnock (11.4 ppg.). The combination of Clark and Czinano is one of the best in the nation. Clark can shoot it from anywhere on the court and Czinano is hard to stop when she gets the ball down low. Warnock has missed the past two games with an injury. Clark leads the team in most every category averaging, 28 points, 8 assists, 8.2 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. Clark has 11 doubles-doubles and 3 triple doubles this season.
Lisa Bluder is in her 23rd season as Iowa Head Coach with a 482-246 record and has taken the Hawkeyes to 15 NCAA Tournaments and 4 WNIT post season tournament appearances. Bulder has coached 39 seasons overall and has a record of 829-395 with stops at St Ambrose college in Davenport Iowa and Drake University in Des Moines Iowa. Bluder to Drake to the NCAA Tournament 4 times and once to the Postseason WNIT.
Mackenize Holmes Added to Wade Trophy watch list Senior forward Mackenize Holmes is one of four players nationally added to the 2023 Wade Watch list, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced Wednesday. Holmes joins graduate student guard Grace Berger on the 20-member list. Holmes is leading Indiana and one of the best in the Big Ten as she averages 22.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and shoots 69.3 percent from the floor. The senior forward has scored in double figures in all 23 games, recording 14 games with 20-plus points or more and two 30-point plus games. She has recorded nine double-doubles this season, which includes seven of those in conference play which is tied for seventh in a single season.
The Gorham, Maine native set a new career-high 32 points against Michigan State and has scored 21 points or more in the last six games for the Hoosiers. Her 30-point, 25-point and 26-point efforts against three AP Top 25 teams was the first time a player had scored three 25-point games against said foes since Maya Moore from UConn did it in 2010-11. Holmes is second in the nation in field goal percentage, third in field goals and seventh in both total points and points per game. She has also been featured on other national watch list for player of the year including the 2023 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy women’s watch list, 2023 Wooden Award preseason Top 50, misdeason Top 25 and Late Season Top 20 and 2023 USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Player of the Year watch list.
The Wade Trophy is the oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award in college women’s basketball. It is named in honor of the late, legendary Delta State University head coach Lily Margaret Wade, who won three consecutive national championships with the Lady Statesmen. First awarded in 1978 by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), now known as SHAPE America, the Wade Trophy has been presented to the WBCA NCAA Division I National Player of the Year since 2001. The WBCA will announce the four finalists for the honor in mid-March. The winner of the 2023 Wade Trophy will be announced in late March or early April on a date to be determined.
Bloomington South Diver Carina Jacobson qualifies for the State Diving Finals Bloomington South’s Carina Jacobson barely made it to state again, but the senior saved herself a lot of drama this time around. She maintained sixth in the standings until the final two dives, but that overall consistency paid off with a 363.40 and a seventh-place finish at the Jasper Diving Regional on Tuesday. The top eight advance to the state finals on Saturday morning at 9 at the IU Natatorium. Jacobson, making her third trip to regionals, was eighth last year, only moving up from ninth on her very last dive. Panther teammate and junior Claire Lutz, making her second trip to regional, was 16th with a 220.10 for eight dives, two spots higher than last year.
Defending state champ Mia Prusiecki of Center Grove made sure it wasn’t close at the top again, winning the regional title with a 539.85, well ahead of Indian Creek’s Ella Taylor (441.10). The next three checked in at 391.30 or higher, but 6-12 were separated by just 37 points. Jacobson finished with just 2.85 from sixth, 4.35 atop eighth and ninth a mere 2.95 behind that.
Lighthouse Christian Boys Basketball falls at home to Shakamak Lighthouse Christian was missing players and missing shots. Despite that, the Lions, down two starters to injury and a third playing sick, felt like they let one get away. Expectations are different this year, especially against potential postseason foes. At this point, other than No. 1 Bloomfield, LCA coach Jeff Mills sees no team in his sectional his team can’t beat. Tuesday wasn’t the day for that to happen, however, as Shakamak took advantage of LCA’s shortcomings and sank 10 3-pointers in 30 tries to shoot down the Lions, 65-54, in boys’ basketball.
Lighthouse (14-4) had fewer turnovers, but on at least three occasions, followed a Shakamak turnover with one of their own on the breakout. LCA had too many missed layups and Shakamak (10-8) also had nine offensive boards and seemed to cash in on each of them. With Will Wickstrom, an important scorer and rebounder, and Carson Jones, out hurt and Chauncey Craig under the weather, the Lions had to limit the energy they could spend on defense. The Lakers kept firing over the zone, hitting key shots every time LCA tried to make a move.
The Lions played uphill the rest of the night after tying the game at 20 after back-to-back 3s by Brock Banks in a 30-second span midway through the second. It was 29-25 at half, then 34-28 just 40 seconds into the third. LCA got within 34-32, then gave up a 3, then an offensive rebound after a missed free throw that led to a three-point possession and a 40-32 lead, leaving Mills livid during a timeout. Another 3 made it 43-35 Lakers and again, the Lions got within 43-39 only to see Shakamak earn three free throws with 1.5 seconds left in the period. JT May, who led the Lakers with 18 points, made all three for a 47-39 edge. LCA made it a four-point game again twice, the last at 49-45, before 3s by Shakamak’s Colin Barber and Jaden Johnson put the game out of reach, 55-45, with 4:44 to go but the Lakers outscored the Lions 10-9 to win the game.
Indianapolis Colts to receive 5th round pick from Buffalo Bills for Nyhiem Hines The Indianapolis Colts will have an additional draft pick to spend this spring, thanks to Nyheim Hines. Indianapolis’ midseason trade with the Bills will net them a fifth-round pick, Bills sideline reporter Sal Capaccio reported Monday. The pick will be the Bills’ original fifth-rounder, No. 165, or the 28th selection in the round. The Colts dealt their satellite back to the Bills on Nov. 1, when he requested a move after his do-it-all role in the offense never quite materialized. They received running back Zack Moss and a conditional draft pick that wound up being the fifth-rounder. Hines’ usage on offense shrunk even more in Buffalo, but he became a star on kick returns, taking two back for touchdowns in the same game.
Moss, meanwhile, filled the No. 2 role adequately after catching up to speed in Indianapolis, as he finished with 365 yards and a touchdown on 4.8 yards a carry with the Colts. He should compete with Deon Jackson for that role again next year. Hines has just more than $10 million due to him over the next two seasons. The Colts would like to use that savings to iron out a long-term contract with Jonathan Taylor, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The Colts now have three selections in this year’s draft from other teams. They picked up a third-rounder from Washington in exchange for Carson Wentz, and they added a seventh-round in a pick swap with the Buccaneers for special teamer Grant Stuard. The Colts shipped out their original third-round pick, No. 68, to the Broncos in order to draft safety Nick Cross last year.
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