Hoosier Hysteria takes place tonight at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall
The 2023-24 men’s and women’s basketball seasons officially kick off with Hoosier Hysteria Presented by Smithville at 7:30 pm tonight at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with free admission. Fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to be donated to Hoosier Hills Food Bank. This is traditionally one of the organization’s most successful donation events of the year, bringing in as much as 12,000 pounds of food to support those in need in Monroe, Brown, Lawrence, Orange, Owen, and Martin counties. The event will begin with the Homecoming Parade at 5:30 p.m. down Woodlawn Avenue between 13th and 17th Streets. Parade goers and Hoosier Hysteria fans should park in any lots surrounding Memorial Stadium and Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The parade will conclude with fireworks show over Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Food Trucks will be set up outside of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Hoosier Hysteria will officially begin with player and coach introductions from both the men’s and women’s teams at 7:30 p.m. Head coaches Mike Woodson and Teri Moren will address the crowd before special performances from the IU Cheerleaders and RedSteppers. Finally, players from both squads will participate in skills competitions. Meghan McKeown and Indiana alum Rhett Lewis will emcee the event. The event will be streamed on B1G+. To order, click here https://www.bigtenplus.com/en-int/page/payment. A season pass which will bring you all of the live events featuring IU Athletics on BTN+ is $79.95. A monthly IU pass is $9.95. The men’s team will be featured on B1G+ three times this season with two exhibitions and one regular season matchup, while nine women’s games also will be shown on the service.
Woodson added 10 players to the 2023-24 men’s basketball roster, including three freshmen, three transfers, and four walk-ons. The program is coming off a season that saw the Hoosiers advance to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament for the second-straight season and a second-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. Xavier Johnson was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, while Trey Galloway and Anthony Leal each return for their senior seasons. Sophomores Malik Reneau, CJ Gunn and Kaleb Banks round out the returning core for Indiana. The 2023-24 Indiana women’s basketball roster will feature four returners from a team that finished 28-4 overall and 16-2 in Big Ten play. The program won the Big Ten regular season championship outright for the first time in 40 years. First team All-American Mackenize Holmes highlights Indiana’s roster for the upcoming season along with five other All-Big Ten selections from last season in rising seniors Chloe Moore-McNeil and Sydney Parrish, graduate student Sara Scalia and rising sophomore Yarden Garzon. Immediately following Hoosier Hysteria, Atlanta-based rapper Gucci Mane will perform. Gucci Mane has received various nominations at the Grammy Awards, BET Hip Hop Awards, iHeart Radio Music Awards, and MTV Video Music Awards. In 2015, Vice called Gucci Mane “the most influential rapper of the last decade.”
Indiana University Football Welcomes in the Rutgers Scarlet Knights for Homecoming
The Indiana Hoosiers Football Team will host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights for Homecoming on Saturday at Noon inside Memorial Stadium with game televised on the Big Ten Network. The Hoosiers are 2-4 on the season and 0-3 in the Big Ten after a 52-7 loss at #2 Michigan Last Saturday. Rutgers is 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the BigTen and coming off a 27-24 come behind win against Michigan State at home last Saturday. Indiana leads the all-time series 5-4 as the Scarlet Knights have won the last two matchups including a 24-17 win in Piscataway, New Jersey last season. This will be Rutgers fifth trip to Bloomington since 2015 and they are 2-2 against the Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium with a 55-52 victory in 2015 and a 38-3 win in 2021. The Hoosiers shut out the Scarlet Knights 41-0 in 2017 and 35-0 in 2019.
Indiana has been rotating Quarterbacks Tayven Jackson and Brendan Sorsby throughout the season and this week Tom Allen said he will not be rotating them the rest of the season and will settle on a starter but declined to say who it will be coming into this game. Jackson is 78-128 with 914 yards passing with 2 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Sorsby is 30-57 passing for 294 yards with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions this season. Jackson has been sacked 8 times and Sorsby 4 times as the offensive line has a hard time protecting both of them throughout the season. Donaven McCulley who was a quarterback before being converted to Wide Receiver threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Jaylin Lucas at Michigan for the only score of the game. Broc Lowry who has been the third string quarterback threw an 8-yard pass at Maryland. Dexter Williams II who was a quarterback last season before he had Torn ACL was the emergency quarterback last week at Michigan according to Tom Allen and is getting closer to a return, but no official word has been given. Williams was 13-38 for 184 yards passing with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions last season. He ran the ball 40 times for 165 yards and a touchdown and led the Hoosiers to a win at Michigan State last season. There has been talk that once healthy he could be the team’s starting Quarterback. Jaylin Lucas leads the team in rushing with 218 yards and 2 touchdowns on 51 carries. Lucas in third in receiving yards with 196 and 2 touchdowns with 24 catches. The Hoosiers have 7 rushing touchdowns on the season running the ball 206 times for 643 yards. Indiana has 110 catches for 1,260 yards and 5 touchdowns. Kickers Chris Freeman and Nicolas Radicic are a combined 6-6 on field goals and 13-13 on extra points. On Defense the Hoosiers have 13 sacks, 6 interceptions including one for touchdown and two forced fumbles and no fumble recoveries.
Rutgers was down by 18 points to beat Michigan State 27-24 last week at home. Running Back Kyle Monangai rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown as Scarlet Knights outscored the Spartans 21-0 in the fourth quarter to win their Homecoming game. The Scarlet Knights got two big special teams plays within nine seconds and are off to best start since 2014. Rutgers outgained Michigan State 120 to minus 20 in the fourth quarter. Monangai has rushed for 635 yards and seven touchdowns on 120 carries. Quarterback Gavin Wimsatt thrown for 1,095 yards with 7 touchdowns and 4 interceptions along with 219 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. Receivers JaQuae Jackson and Christian Dremel have combined for 562 yards and three touchdowns all by Dremel. Kicker Jai Patel is 7-9 on field goals and 21-22 on extra points. On Defense the Scarlet Knights have 17 sacks, 5 interceptions, 8 forced fumbles and 6 fumble recoveries.
IU Men’s Soccer Takes Momentum to Maryland
Indiana men’s soccer (6-3-4, 2-1-2 B1G) owns a three-game winning streak coming into a Big Ten road match at Maryland (3-6-3, 0-4-2 B1G) – a meeting that’s pivotal for both teams, per usual. Fans can watch the match on the Big Ten Network. Kickoff is set for 8:30pm. IU’s recent form has put them in contention for the conference regular season crown going into the final two weeks of play. Maryland, traditionally a league power like IU, is trying to keep its Big Ten Tournament hopes alive after going winless from its first six conference matches. Indiana is among the country’s elite in two key statistical categories: The Hoosiers rank No. 9 in goals against average (.615) and No. 15 in shots per game (15.2). The Terrapins are undefeated in their last three but tied Michigan State 2-2 their last time out. Senior defender Joey Maher was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Indiana allowed just one shot on goal in two wins last week, including a shutout of Evansville. Junior forward Samuel Sarver has provided four goal contributions (two goals and two assists) during IU’s three-match winning streak. Senior forward Karsen Henderlong has scored three goals in IU’s last four matches.
Tonight’s matchup features the Big Ten’s two winningest active head coaches, by percentage. Maryland’s Sasho Cirovski owns a .694 mark, which ranks No. 2 all-time behind legendary former IU head coach Jerry Yeagley (.821). Current IU head coach Todd Yeagley sits third all-time, right on Cirovski’s heels, at .687. Maryland is 3-6-3, 0-4-2 in Big Ten matches and 3-3-2 at home. The Terrapins are undefeated in their last three but tied Michigan State 2-2 their last time out.
Maryland is led by head coach Sasho Cirovski, who owns a 428-170-67 record over 31 seasons in College Park and a 454-182-73 career mark over 33 sasons as a head coach. Freshman forward Luke van Heukelum was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after amassing two goals and three assists over two matches last week. Senior forward Stefan Copetti leads the Terps with four goals. Freshman forward Kimani Stewart-Baynes has a team-high 11 points from three goals and five assists.
Indiana has the better of the all-time series, owning a 7-5-8 record all-time against the Terps. Last year’s meetings were full of drama. The teams met in the final match of the regular season for the fourth straight season. IU led 1-0 from a 25th minute goal and held the Terrapins scoreless into the 87th minute before they equalized. In that moment, the Hoosiers flipped from Big Ten Co-Champions to the No. 4 seed in the tournament as the match ended in a 1-1 draw. The teams met again in the Big Ten Tournament, and the Hoosiers earned a statement 2-1 win to advance to the championship match. The two teams have met six times in the Big Ten Tournament, with IU advancing in four of those instances.
Edgewood kicks off HS Sectional Football action traveling to Jennings County
The Edgewood Mustangs Football team will hit the road tonight to kick off the IHSAA HS Football Class 4A Sectional 23 tournament when they travel to North Vernon Indiana to face the Jennings County Panthers at 7:30pm. This will be the first ever meeting between these two teams. The Mustangs have a 35-42 all-time record in state tournament play dating back to 1981 and won their only sectional title in 1990. Jennings County is 6-38 all time in state tournament play dating back to 1985 and they are looking to end seven game sectional losing streak that dates back to 2016. The Panthers have won a sectional first round game five times in 1992, 1993, 2000, 2006 and 2016 and a second-round game in 2000 but have never won a sectional championship.
Edgewood is 2-7 on the season after closing out the regular season with a 46-6 win over Brown County on the red-carpet last week in Ellettsville to retain the Hoof and Talon Trophy. Edgewood opened the season with a 41-27 win at home against Mitchell as the Mustangs went on a seven-game losing skid and were outscored 316-60 in those seven losses. Edgewood outscored Mitchell and Brown County 87-33 in the two wins. First Year Head Coach Scott Fischer has dealt with a lot of injuries and depth issues with this Mustang squad which finished 2-8 under Caleb True the previous two seasons. Senior Quarterback Grant Coffey missed 4 games due to injury finished the regular season 20-71 passing for 223 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Coffey ran the ball 48 times for 325 yards and 4 touchdowns. Edgewood will run the ball the majority of the time as they racked up 1,212 yards and 12 touchdowns on 265 yards. Edgewood was a combined 44-124 passing for 388 yards with 2 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. On Defense Edgewood had eight sacks and five fumble recoveries.
Jennings County finished the regular season 4-5 after winning at Jeffersonville 28-27 in double overtime last week. The Panthers have wins over South Dearborn 41-25, Brown County 60-0 and Madison 54-26. They lost to New Albany 41-20, Columbus East 49-27, Bedford North Lawrence 28-13, Seymour 56-32 and Floyd Central 56-14. TJ Newton is in his second year as Head Coach with a 7-12 matchup. The Panthers love to throw the ball and have used three quarterbacks that are a combined 79-143 passing for 1,153 yards with 12 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Senior Running Back Brendan Braun has run for 1,178 yards with 18 touchdowns on 175 carries. His teammates have 125 carries for 410 yards and 7 touchdowns. Braun has caught 34 passes for 509 and 5 touchdowns as the team’s leading receiver. The winner of this game will take on the winner of 4-5 Greenwood and 2-7 Connersville in the Semifinals Next Friday. On the other side of the bracket 3-6 Shelbyville takes on undefeated and top ranked East Central and 6-3 Martinsville who finished 13th in the coaches’ poll and 15th in the AP Poll battles 6-3 Sliver Creek with the winners meeting in the Semifinals next Friday Night and the Championship game will be in two weeks.
Top Ranked and unbeaten Bloomington North and Bloomington South will have tonight off and face each other next week in the Class 5A Sectional Semifinals at Bloomington North next Friday Night. The Cougars finished the regular season 9-0 for the first time in school history and #1 in both the AP and Coaches Polls. Bloomington South 8-1 finished third in the AP Poll and tied for second with Fort Wayne Snider in the Coaches Poll. The Panthers only loss came at home to their cross-town rivals on September 8, 25-24 in Overtime. The winner of this game will face the winner of 5-4 Seymour and 3-6 Columbus East in the Sectional title game in two weeks.
Indiana University Volleyball splits season series with #19 Purdue
A three-game winning streak came to an end at the hands of in-state foe and No. 19 Purdue on Wednesday night at Holloway Gymnasium. Three close sets early on gave way to a dominant fourth set for the hosts as the Indiana Volleyball team (15-7, 5-4) dropped a 3-1 contest (22-25, 22-25, 25-21, 13-25) in West Lafayette. The two teams split the season series for the first time since 2012.
Junior setter Camryn Haworth dished out 43 assists and dug 10 balls for her sixth double-double of the season. Freshman libero Ramsey Gary was all over the court, digging 21 balls for the Hoosiers. Sophomore outside Candela Alonso-Corcelles supplied a team-best 15 kills. IU turns its attention to a Saturday night matchup with (RV) Ohio State at Wilkinson Hall on homecoming evening at 8pm. With 11 contests remaining in the regular season, the Hoosiers have a shot at their best finish to a campaign since 2010 (21 regular season wins). IU had 68 digs on the night, out digging Purdue by 13. Four Hoosiers had over 10 digs including Gary with a game-high 21. Purdue out blocked IU by ten and outhit the Hoosiers .270-.135 with 17 fewer attacking errors on the evening. Of IU’s four losses in Big Ten play, all have come against top-20 opponents including three on the road at No. 1 Wisconsin, No. 14 Penn State and No. 19 Purdue.
Trayce Jackson-Davis records Double-Double in his first NBA Preseason start for Golden State Warriors
Trayce Jackson-Davis started all 126 games he played at Indiana, and he got his first-career NBA start Wednesday in a preseason game against the Sacramento Kings. With starting center Kevon Looney not feeling well, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr called Jackson-Davis’ number, and he took advantage. In 25 minutes of action, Jackson-Davis posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. It wasn’t his most efficient night, shooting 6-for-14 from the field, 1-for-2 from the free throw line and picking up five fouls, but it’s a performance to build off of. The Warriors remained undefeated in preseason play, thanks to a vintage Steph Curry 3-pointer in the final seconds to claim a 116-115 win over the Kings.
Jackson-Davis has been especially useful for the Warriors as a lob threat, something Kerr highlighted as an area of need before the season. He connected with Klay Thompson on an alley-oop Wednesday night. Jackson-Davis went up against a three-time NBA All-Star Domantas Sabonis Wednesday night and held his own, as Sabonis finished with 12 points on 4-for-10 shooting, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Jackson-Davis has played four NBA preseason games so far, and Wednesday’s effort was his biggest chance yet. The Warriors have veteran forwards Looney, Draymond Green and Dario Saric, so Jackson-Davis will truly have to earn his minutes as a rookie on a championship contender. Playing around these experienced players has been valuable for the rookie. The Warriors have one more preseason game at 10pm Bloomington Time this evening against the San Antonio Spurs, before beginning the regular season at 10pm Bloomington Time on Oct. 24 against the Phoenix Suns.
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