Indiana University Men’s Basketball travels to Michigan in First Big Ten road test
The Indiana Hoosiers face the Michigan Wolverines tonight at 9pm inside the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan with game streaming on Peacock which is owned by NBC. The Hoosiers are 6-1 on the season and 1-0 in the Big Ten after a 65-53 win over Maryland Friday Night in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Michigan is 4-4 overall and lost at Oregon 86-83 in overtime Saturday Afternoon. This will be the conference opener for the Wolverines who have lost two in a row after going 1-2 in the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas.
Indiana is led by Kel’el Ware with 17.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game which leads the team and has three double-doubles on the season. Malik Reneau averages 14.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Xavier Johnson missed the Maryland game with a foot injury and his status for his game is uncertain. Johnson averages 10.5 points and 2.3 assists per game. Trey Galloway averages 9.1 points and team leading 3.4 assists per game and C.J. Gunn leads the team with 1.3 steals per game. The Hoosiers led the Maryland game start to finish and played the most complete game they have played all season. Freshman Gabe Cupps started in place of Johnson and while did not score his defensive intensity and hustle plays are what makes him a fan favorite. Freshman Mackenize Mgbako has come into his own the last two games against Harvard and Maryland scoring 31 points total and showing his offensive skills that made him a top recruit coming out of Gladstone, New Jersey.
Michigan got 33 points from Dug McDaniel in the loss at Oregon Saturday. The Washington D.C. native was 12-21 from the field, 7-12 from three-point range and 2-3 from the free throw line. McDaniel is averaging 20.3 points per game and he will be the go-to guy for the Wolverines in this matchup. Nimari Burnett scored 13 points in the Oregon game and averages 10 points on the season. Burnett played at Texas Tech two seasons ago before transferring to Alabama and then coming back closer to his Chicago home to play for Michigan. Olivier Nkamhoua is averaging 16.9 points per game and scored 12 points against the Ducks on Saturday. The graduate transfer from Tennessee was born in Helsinki Finland and at 6-9 and 235 pounds he will be a matchup problem against the Hoosiers. The Wolverines average 9.5 three pointers per game on 38% beyond the arc.
Indiana leads the all-time series with Michigan 110-65. The Hoosiers have won the last three meetings with the Wolverines including a 62-61 win on February 11, 2023 in Ann Arbor and 75-73 overtime win on March 5, 2023 in Bloomington. The Hoosiers beat the Wolverines 74-69 in the Big Ten Tournament on March 10, 2022 in Indianapolis when the Hoosiers erased a double-digit comeback. Both Head Coaches Mike Woodson and Juwan Howard are coaching their alma mater’s. Woodson is in his third season at IU with 50-27 overall record and 22-19 Big Ten Record and scored 2,061 points for the Hoosiers from 1976-1980. Juwan Howard played for Michigan from 1991-94 as part of the famous Fab Five with Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson and fell in the 1992 and 1993 National Championship Games. Howard is 83-52 in his fifth season at Michigan and has Big Ten Record of 46-31. He led the Wolverines to the Elite 8 in 2021, the Sweet 16 in 2022 and NIT Second round in 2023. In his first season in 2019-2020 the Wolverines went 19-12 before the postseason was canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Former Indianapolis Colts Linebacker Shaquille Leonard signs with the Philadelphia Eagles
Former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Shaq Leonard has signed with a new team. According to multiple reports, the three-time first-team All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Leonard also visited with the Cowboys, though Philadelphia was “always his preferred spot.” “He made a lot of plays, that’s for sure,” Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni told Dave Spadaro, the Eagles’ official team website reporter. “He had a knack for the football and how to get the football. What I remember is just how, as an offensive coordinator, how hard he was to throw around. His length was comparable to Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone at Syracuse. He’s going to make a play in the passing lane.”
In nine games with the Colts this season, Leonard amassed 65 tackles 34 of which he racked up unassisted. Leonard was waived by the Colts on Nov. 21. The move came just days after Leonard voiced his frustrations about the lack of success, he had been able to have this season. The Eagles have five games left on their schedule this year. They’re slated to play the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at 8:20 p.m. A report on Philadelphia’s team website also indicates that the Eagles have been dealing with injuries at linebacker this season. The report notes that Nakobe Dean is currently on injured reserve with a foot injury, and Zach Cunningham missed the Eagles’ matchup with the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday with a hamstring injury. Philadelphia and Indianapolis met during the preseason this year. The Eagles won the exhibition affair, 27-13.
#27 Indiana University Wrestling defeats Princeton
Indiana Wrestling picked up a close dual victory on the road at Princeton on Sunday afternoon. Bonus points were the difference in Indiana’s 18-15 win. The Hoosiers and Tigers split with each team taking five bouts in the match, but Indiana had a win by tech fall and major decision to separate. New Jersey native and No. 28-ranked Dan Fongaro (141) won by major decision in the match’s final bout and pushed Indiana ahead to defeat Princeton. With the win, Indiana moves to 2-0 in dual competition this season. No. 17 Brayton Lee (157) picked up a 3-2 decision victory Rocco Camillaci to tie the match at 3-3 early.
No. 11 Derek Gilcher (165) didn’t give up a takedown in his win over Blaine Bergey, an 8-1 decision. No. 9 DJ Washington (174) needed just a period and a half to post a tech fall victory, 19-3 (3:59) over Mikey Squires. His win put Indiana up 11-3 through four matches. With the team trailing 15-11, Cayden Rooks (133) shot for a decisive pair of takedowns to put together an 8-3 decision victory against Sean Pierson and closed the gap on the team score. Back in his home state, No. 28 Dan Fongaro (141) dominated to finish the dual with a 15-2 major decision against Tyler Vazquez and give the Hoosiers a team victory.
Lee made his first appearance as a Hoosier and wrestled in his first competition since his injury at Minnesota in the 2022-23 season. Indiana has defeated Princeton two years in a row and now leads the all-time series, 2-1. Gilcher improves his season record to 6-0. Both of Washington’s this year are by tech fall.
Blaine Frazier (125) made his first collegiate dual appearance. Indiana Wrestling will be back in action on Saturday for a home dual against Central Michigan at 2 p.m. in Wilkinson Hall.
Indianapolis Colts beat the Tennessee Titans in Overtime
The Indianapolis Colts beat the Tennessee Titans, 31-28, in overtime at Nissan Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The game featured back-to-back blocked punts by the Colts’ special team’s unit. Quarterback Gardner Minshew hit wideout Michael Pittman Jr. for a 4-yard touchdown to clinch a win in the extra period. The score was set up by a 55-yard pass from Minshew to receiver Alec Pierce. The Colts needed the TD for the win because the Titans opened overtime with a field goal.
The Colts have now won four games in a row for the first time since 2018. They remain locked into an AFC wild card spot. The Colts also swept the Titans for the first time since 2018. The game took a wild turn late in third quarter. Nick Cross blocked the first Ryan Stonehouse punt. Grant Stuard scooped up the ball, taking it 18 yards for a touchdown to put the Colts up, 22-17. Tennessee’s Amani Hooker intercepted the two-point attempt and returned it for two points to keep it a field goal game. Tony Brown blocked the second Stonehouse punt. Segun Olubi recovered, setting up the Colts for a 28-yard field goal to extend their lead to 25-19.
The Titans tied the game on a Will Levis to DeAndre Hopkins 3-yard touchdown. Kicker Nick Folk missed the extra point that would have put Tennessee on top. The Titans scored the first time they touched the ball, marching 64 yards on four plays, capping the drive with a Derrick Henry 22-yard touchdown run. The Colts answered right back with a three-play, 56-yard drive of their own. Minshew connected with Pierce for a 36-yard touchdown to tie the game. The teams exchanged punts before one of the more bizarre sequences of the year. Pass rusher Samson Ebukam sacked Levis, forcing a fumble. Defensive back Julian Blackmon then picked the ball up and began to return it. Levis later raced down the field and forced Blackmon to fumble. Levis recovered, then led Tennessee on a field goal drive to reclaim the lead.
The Titans scored again on their next possession as Henry picked up his second touchdown of the game, giving Tennessee a 17-7 lead. The Colts countered with a Matt Gay 23-yard field goal. Indianapolis had a chance to tie the game before halftime, driving to the Tennessee 4-yard line, but former Colts’ defensive lineman Denico Autry forced Minshew to cough up the football. The Titans recovered to end the threat. All was not lost, as the Colts salvaged three points before the end of the half with a Gay 46-yard field goal to make it 17-13 as the teams headed to the locker room. Gay began the third quarter scoring with a 23-yard field goal to make it 17-16 before the Colts’ special teams sparked a flurry of scoring with the punt blocks. The Colts are now 7-5 overall and 5-1 on the road. They’ll play their second straight away game on Sunday at Cincinnati.
Notre Dame Football to face Oregon State in the Sun Bowl in El Paso Texas
The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame will head to El Paso, Texas, for their bowl game this year. The No. 15 Irish (9-3) will take on No. 21 Oregon State (8-4, 5-4 Pac-12) on Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. This marks the 42nd bowl appearance in Notre Dame program history. It’s their second appearance in the Sun Bowl; the Irish last played in the El Paso in 2010, when they defeated Miami (FL) 33-17. Notre Dame and Oregon State have met only twice before, with both games coming in bowls. The Beavers won both—the 2001 Fiesta Bowl and the 2004 Insight Bowl. Notre Dame entered the season with high hopes and started 4-0 before a last-second loss to Ohio State. Road losses to Louisville and Clemson dashed any hopes they had of making the College Football Playoff. The Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl will air on CBS.
Indy Fuel win shootout over the Fort Wayne Komets at Indiana Farmers Coliseum Sunday Afternoon
The Indy Fuel hosted the Fort Wayne Komets on Sunday afternoon to finish off their weekend. Looking for their fifth straight win, Indy fought through another overtime period and a shootout but came out victorious with a 3-2 win. In the First Period aside from some typical pushing and shoving between these two Indiana teams, there was not much excitement in the first period. Cam Hillis took a tripping penalty at 19:31 that gave Fort Wayne their first power play of the game that would carry over into the second frame. At the end of the first period, the Komets were outshooting the Fuel 15-8.
In the Second Period At 10:41, Xavier Bernard took Fort Wayne’s first penalty, giving the Fuel a power play opportunity, that Andrew Bellant capitalized on with the first goal of the game. Anthony Petruzzelli claimed his first Fuel point with an assist on that goal along with Santino Centorame who extended his point streak to four games. Jordan Martin took the next penalty of the game, an interference call at 13:18, but the Fuel killed off the penalty before getting another power play of their own with a second interference call on Bernard. Carl Berglund took a cross-checking penalty 18:36, giving the Fuel another power play late in the second. It was Bellant who scored on the power play again, with Petruzzelli earning his second point of the night and Sam Ruffin claiming the other. Despite still being outshot 20-17 after two, the Fuel headed into the third period up 2-0 over their in-state rivals.
In the Third Period Bernard took his third penalty of the game, early in the third period with a slashing call. While Fort Wayne killed that off, it was Bernard who got on the score sheet next with a goal to break the shutout, making it 2-1. Alexis D’Aoust scored for Fort Wayne to tie the game 2-2 at 11:21 despite a quick goal review after the play. At 14:31, Connor Corcoran took a tripping penalty for Fort Wayne however they were able to kill off the penalty. By the end of regulation, the Komets were outshooting the Fuel 30-27, but the score remained tied at 2-2.
During the seven-minute overtime period, Fort Wayne outshot Indy 3-2 but both teams had ample chances going back and forth. After seven minutes, neither team had scored, and they headed to the shootout. The Fuel sent out Bryan Lemos for the first shot who scored after it appeared Parks made the save but the puck trickled in. Berglund shot first for Fort Wayne, but Driscoll denied the shot. Colin Bilek shot next for the Fuel and scored, putting the Fuel up 2-0 in the shootout. Jack Dugan then scored the Komets’ first goal in the shootout to stay alive. Cam Hillis, the overtime goal scorer last night, shot and scored for Indy, winning the shootout 3-1 and sealing the game 3-2 for the Fuel putting them on a five-game win streak.
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