The Big Ten Conference adds the University of Oregon and The University of Washington in 2024
The Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors (COP/C) voted Friday to admit the University of Oregon and the University of Washington to the Big Ten Conference effective August 2, 2024, with competition to begin in all sports for the 2024-25 academic year. With the schools’ admission, Oregon and Washington will also join the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA), a consortium of world-class research institutions dedicated to advancing their academic missions. The Big Ten will have 18 teams USC and UCLA announced last Summer that they will join the Big Ten making the Conference the Nation’s first coast to coast conference.
“I’m thrilled that the University of Oregon has the opportunity to join the nation’s preeminent academic-athletic conference,” said University of Oregon President John Karl Scholz. “Our student-athletes will participate at the highest level of collegiate athletic competition, and our alumni, friends, and fans will be able to carry the spirit of Oregon across the country.”
“The Big Ten is a thriving conference with strong athletic and academic traditions, and we are excited and confident about competing at the highest level on a national stage,” said University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce. “My top priority must be to do what is best for our student-athletes and our University, and this move will help ensure a strong future for our athletics program.”
“The Big Ten Presidents and Chancellors are pleased to welcome the University of Oregon and the University of Washington to the Big Ten Conference,” said COP/C Chair and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Chancellor Robert Jones. “When considering the full spectrum of academic, athletic and research excellence, the alignment with our member institutions is extremely clear. We are excited to welcome them and look forward to collaborating and competing with them in the years ahead.”
“Accepting membership into the Big Ten Conference is a transformational opportunity for the University of Oregon to change the short and long-term trajectory of our university and athletics department,” said Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens. “The stability and exposure of joining the Big Ten is of great benefit to the University of Oregon, and we are grateful to the Big Ten presidents and chancellors for accepting our application to join the conference. We look forward to the opportunity for our student-athletes to compete in this conference, which includes many of the best programs in the nation in every sport.”
“We have tremendous respect and gratitude for the Pac-12, its treasured history and traditions. At the same time, the college athletics landscape has changed dramatically in recent years,” said Washington Director of Athletics Jennifer Cohen. “The Big Ten’s history of athletic and academic success and long-term stability best positions our teams for future success, and we are energized at the opportunity to compete at the highest level against some of the best programs in the country.”
In order for an institution to be admitted to the Big Ten Conference, it must submit a written application, which must then be approved by at least 70 percent of the Big Ten COP/C. The University of Oregon and the University of Washington formally submitted applications to join the Big Ten Conference this afternoon. The Big Ten COP/C then met via conference call and approved both applications.
“We are excited to welcome the University of Oregon and the University of Washington to the Big Ten Conference,” said Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti. “We look forward to building long-lasting relationships with the universities, administrators and staff, student-athletes, coaches and fans,” Petitti said. “Both institutions feature a combination of academic and athletic excellence that will prove a great fit for our future.”
Indiana University Women’s Basketball cruises in the second and final game of their Greece Summer Tour
Another day, another dominant win for Teri Moren and the Indiana Hoosiers. In the team’s second and final game during its foreign tour of Greece, Indiana defeated the Patras All Stars 101-36 on Saturday. The Hoosiers remain in Greece until Thursday as they get a few for days to see all the historic sites and do more team boning know that the business part of playing games is complete. It was another great game for seniors Sydney Parrish and Sara Scalia, who led the team with 23 and 21 points, as well as four and five made three-pointers each, respectively. The two finished as the leading scores for the Hoosiers during the pair of games in Greece, as Parrish averaged 21.5 PPG, and Scalia averaged 18 PPG. Parrish and Scalia also hit 10 threes apiece during their games in Athens and Patras.
However, the game definitely did not end in the way Moren and the Hoosiers wanted it to. Driving in for a fast break layup with just over two minutes remaining in the game, Scalia landed awkwardly on her left knee, causing it to buckle. The senior shooter quickly relocated to the corner and attempted a three, but after shooting it, she immediately felt something was wrong. Scalia then started walking to the IU bench and immediately called for a sub. Scalia was not taken back to a locker room but was looked at by IU trainers for the rest of the game. There is no further update on Scalia’s injury at this time. Also, for the second game in a row, superstar center Mackenzie Holmes did not play, though that is likely just a precautionary measure, and not due to any unknown injury with Holmes.
Henna Sandvik and Finland claim Ninth Place at the FIBA U-20 Women’s Basketball European Championships
Indiana University Women’s Basketball Sophomore Henna Sandvik and Finland beat Hungary 71-68 in the Ninth Place Game at the FIBA U-20 European Championships in Vilnius Lithuania Sunday. Sandvik started and played 26 minutes and 52 seconds and scored 11 points. The Helsinki native went 3-5 from the field, 2-2 from three-point range. 3-4 from the free throw line. Sandvik pulled down five rebounds, dished out five assists and committed four turnovers.
On Saturday Finland beat Montenegro 65-48 in Vilnius as Sandvik scored 6 points in 21 minutes and 52 seconds of action. She was 2-5 from the field, 1-4 from three-point range and 1-2 from the free throw line. Sandvik pulled down four rebounds, dished out 3 assists and committed two turnovers. On Friday Finland beat Belgium 66-60 in Vilnius as Sandvik scored 13 points in 34 minutes and 57 seconds of action. Sandvik was 4-12 from the field, 1-3 from three-point range and 4-4 from the free throw line. Sandvik pulled down 9 rebounds, 3 steals and committed two turnovers.
Sandvik played and started all seven games for Finland scoring 67 points in 196 minutes for averages of 28 minutes and 9.6 points per game. Sandvik was 21-54 for 39% from the field, 5-17 from downtown for 29% and 20-24 from the free throw line 83%. She pulled down 41 rebounds, dished out 17 assists, 6 steals, 4 blocks and committed 19 turnovers. She will head back to Bloomington very soon to prepare for Sophomore season with the Hoosiers.
Southern Indiana Bobcats drop final regular season game
The Southern Indiana Bobcats lost to the Columbus Gladiators 28-0 Saturday Night at Edgewood HS in Ellettsville. The game was called with 5:38 left in the fourth quarter due to lighting. The Bobcats finish the regular season at 3-7 while the Gladiators are 8-1 with a big Eastern Conference game at home against the Cincinnati Dukes on Saturday. The Playoff Schedule for the Blue-Collar Football League has not been announced yet since there is one week of games to be made up and possibly two weeks depending on results this Saturday.
The Bobcats struggled on offense as on the first possession of the game Rasool Saadiq threw an interception. The Gladiators went down the field and scored with 12:39 left in the first quarter to make it 6-0. The Bobcats turned the ball over on downs the next two possessions. Cantrell Harris who has been everywhere on defense and special teams picked off the Gladiators twice in this game and DJ Clayton had an interception as the Bobcats defense had three takeaways. Corey Motosicky had 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and 3 tackles for loss. The Bobcats turned the ball over on downs 2 more times fumbled the ball twice and punted once along with ending the first half with the ball.
The Gladiators scored on 19-yard touchdown pass with 11:53 left in the second quarter to make it 14-0. With 26 seconds left in the half they added an 8-yard touchdown run to make it 22-0 going into the locker room. After a scoreless third quarter in which both teams turned the ball over on downs. The Gladiators scored on a 17-yard touchdown with 5:38 left and the game was called. The Gladiators were 2-3 on two-point conversions.
Indiana University Baseball to play in the Frisco Baseball Classic
The Indiana baseball team will join Dallas Baptist, Alabama and Arizona as the four participating sides in the 2024 Frisco College Baseball Classic, the tournament announced. Jeff Mercer’s squad, coming off a 43-20 season and a NCAA regional final appearance, will open up the weekend on Friday, March 1st against Alabama (6:00 PM CT) before matchups against Dallas Baptist (March 2nd, 12:00 PM CT) and Arizona (March 3rd, 12:00 PM CT).
2024 Frisco College Baseball Classic- Friday, March 1 – 7:00 PM ET/6:00 PM CT – vs. Alabama, Saturday, March 2 – 1:00 PM ET/12:00 PM CT – vs. Dallas Baptist and Sunday, March 3 – 1:00 PM ET/12:00 PM CT – vs. Arizona
All four teams made the NCAA Tournament this past season with IU, Dallas Baptist and Alabama all winning 40 or more games. The Hoosiers will play a non-conference weekend in Texas for the third-consecutive season after contesting the Karbach Round Rock Classic in 2022 and a true road series at the University of Texas in 2023. IU will play Dallas Baptist and Arizona for the first time in program history. The Hoosiers have met Alabama just once before, a 10-7 victory in 1989.
Indiana Fever lose at home to the Connecticut Sun
The Indiana Fever fell to the Connecticut Sun at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, 88-72, on Friday night. Connecticut has taken the first three matchups of the regular season with the final showdown set for Friday, September 8 at Mohegan Sun Arena. Rookie center Aliyah Boston led Indiana in scoring for the 10th time this season after notching 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor and 6-of-6 shooting from the free throw line. Boston also pulled down eight rebounds on the night to go along with four assists and three steals. Kelsey Mitchell added 13 points on the night for Indiana, while forward Emma Cannon contributed 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting in her second consecutive starting appearance. Erica Wheeler pitched in 12 points in addition to five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Former IU star Grace Berger scored 4 points in 19 minutes. She went 1-1 from three-point range, 1-1 from the free throw line and 1-3 from the field. Berger had a rebound, a block and a turnover.
It was Boston’s highest scoring quarter of the year that led the Fever in opening the matchup as the rookie notched 11 points in the first frame on 4-of-6 shooting. The Fever got off to a quick start shooting 80 percent (4-of-5) from the floor, but Connecticut soon reversed the momentum by ending the quarter on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting clip and a 23-9 scoring run to close out their own highest scoring first quarter of the season. A three-point field goal at the buzzer from Boston would cap off the first frame as the Fever trailed, 31-22. The Sun spent the second quarter leading Indiana on a 25-8 scoring run, highlighted by DiJonai Carrington’s seven points and Tyasha Harris’ six points, that gave Connecticut a 56-33 lead at halftime.
After shooting 20 percent from the floor in the second frame, Indiana opened the third quarter 4-of-7 from the court. The Fever held Connecticut, the third-best team in the league in field goal percentage, to only one field goal on two attempts in the first four minutes of the half while forcing five Sun turnovers. Guided by Boston and Mitchell’s six points each, the Fever led the Sun on a 21-9 scoring run for nearly eight minutes. Though outscoring Connecticut, 21-18, in the third frame, Indiana continued to trail, 74-54, going into the final quarter. In the fourth quarter, six Fever players contributed to the scoring column while shooting 4-of-8 from the floor and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. After giving up 56 points to Connecticut in the first half, Indiana’s defense would hold the Sun’s offensive output to only 32 points in the final two quarters.
The Fever tied a season-high 10 steals in the matchup, but Indiana only pulled down a season-low 15 defensive rebounds and only recorded 20 points in the paint on offense, the lowest total of points in the paint this season. For Connecticut, the Sun gained the lead at the 5:05 minute mark in the first quarter and would not trail for the remainder of the game and extended the lead to as many as 26 points. Tiffany Hayes’ led the six Connecticut players who ended the night in double figures as she netted 18 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists. DeWanna Bonner followed behind with 14 points, while Alyssa Thomas, who has recorded five triple-doubles this season, recorded 11 points, a team-high eight assists and eight rebounds. Olivia Nelson-Ododa led the team in rebounds as she tied a career-high 10 rebounds to go along with 10 points off the bench. Carrington added 11 points to help the bench outscore Indiana’s bench, 30-17.
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