Indiana University Men’s looks to Bounce Back against Minnesota Tonight in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall
The Indiana Hoosiers return to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall at 6:30pm this evening when the Minnesota Golden Gophers come to Bloomington with the game televised on Fox Sports 1. The Hoosiers are 11-5 on the season and 3-2 in the Big Ten while the Golden Gophers come in with a seven-game winning streak at 3-1 in the Big Ten and 12-3 overall. The Hoosiers lead the all-time series 107-69 winning the last six meetings dating back to 2019 and seven in a row against Minnesota in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Minnesota has not won in Bloomington since January 12, 2012, when the beat the Hoosiers 77-74. The last time Minnesota beat Indiana in the series was February 16, 2019, 84-63 in Minneapolis.
The Hoosiers lost at Rutgers 66-57 Tuesday Night in a performance that they would like to forget. Indiana was 23-58 from the field for 39%, 7-26 from three-point range for 27% and 4-15 from the free throw line for 26%. The Hoosiers were outrebounded 51-40 and committed 18 turnovers. Kel’el Ware scored 13 points and pulled down 17 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. Mackenize Mgbako scored 13 points in a return to his home state of New Jersey and Malik Reneau added 13 points. Xavier Johnson was ejected in the second half for flagrant two foul after he gave Rutgers Forward Antione Wolfolk a low blow. Johnson played 24 minutes and scored 5 points, 3 steals, 2 assists, a rebound and committed 5 turnovers.
The Big Ten announced on Wednesday that there will be no disciplinary action on the sixth-year senior. In the last three games since returning from a foot injury he suffered in November, Johnson has scored 20 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 5 steals and committed 9 turnovers along with a 9.2 scoring average on the season. Malik Reneau leads the team with 16.3 points per game. Kel’el Ware adds 14.7 points along with team leading 9.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Trey Galloway adds 10.3 points and a team leading 3.8 assists per game. Mackenzie Mgbako adds 9.6 points while C.J. Gunn adds a team leading 1.3 steals per game. The Hoosiers are averaging 74.4 points and 12.6 turnovers per game. Indiana is shooting 48% from the field, 66 % from the free throw line and 33% from three-point range for third year coach Mike Woodson who is 55-31 in his third season at his alma mater with a 24-21 Big Ten record.
Minnesota is coming a 65-62 win against Maryland at Home on Sunday in which they snap a 10-game losing streak to the Terrapins dating back 2017 when they beat Maryland in College Park for the first and only time. Minnesota’s last win to Maryland at home came in 2016 as Maryland leads the all-time series with the Golden Gophers 16-3. Minnesota is off to a 3-1 start in the Big Ten for the first time since 2016-17. Freshman Cam Christie scored 12 points to lead Minnesota, Junior Dawson Garcia added 11 points, Sophomore Joshua Ola-Joseph and Junior Elijah Hawkins added 10 points apiece. The Golden Gophers missed 13 of their first 14 shots from beyond the arc and finished 6-23 for 26% from downtown. Minnesota finished 24-59 from the field for 40% and 11-18 from the free throw line for 61%.
Dawson Garcia leads the team in scoring 16.7 and rebounds with 7.6 per game. Elijah Hawkins leads the team with 7.8 assists along with 2.0 steals and is averaging 8.8 points per game. Pharrell Payne leads the team with 1.7 blocks along with 9.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Mike Mitchell Jr. averages 11.1 points per game, Joshua Ola-Joseph at 10.7 and Cam Christie at 10.6 per game. The Golden Gophers come to Bloomington averaging 78.9 points per game and 12.3 turnovers per game. Minnesota shoots 49% from the field, 68% from the free throw line and 36% from three-point range.
Ben Johnson is 34-41 in his third year as the Head Coach of Minnesota with a 9-33 conference record. Johnson is a Minneapolis native who won two state titles at De Lasalle HS as player. Johnson started his playing career at Northwestern 1999-2001 and transferred back to his hometown to play for the Golden Gophers from 2002-04. Minnesota has a 15-player roster with 8 Minnesota natives on the team along with players from California, Colorado, Illinois, Washington D.C., Germany and Lithuania.
#14 Indiana University Women’s Basketball Travels to #3 Iowa Saturday Night in a Battle of Conference Unbeatens
All eyes will be on Iowa, City Iowa Saturday at 8pm as the #14 Indiana Hoosiers take on the #3 Iowa Hawkeyes in Carver Hawkeye Arena in a nationally televised game on FOX with legendary broadcaster Gus Johnson on the call. The Hoosiers are 14-1 and come in on 13 game winning streak and 5-0 in the Big Ten for the first time ever. Iowa is 16-1 and come in on 13 game winning streak and 5-0 in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series 55-22 as Indiana won 87-78 on February 9, 2023, in Bloomington while Iowa won 86-85 on February 26, 2023, in Iowa City on a three-point shot by Caitlin Clark at the buzzer. Iowa has won four of the last five meetings dating back to 2022 including the 2022 Big Ten Tournament Championship Game on March 6, when the Hawkeyes beat the Hoosiers 74-67 in Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Since 2021 when Catilin Clark was freshman at Iowa the Hoosiers won a 3-4 record against the Hawkeyes as Indiana beat Iowa 85-72 on February 7, 2021, for the Hoosiers last win in Iowa City and 89-80 March 3, 2021, in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers are coming off a 75-67 win against Penn State at home Wednesday Night. The Hoosiers trailed 21-18 after the first quarter and 39-34 at halftime but outscored the Nittany Lions 41-28 in the second half in a game that featured 12 ties and nine lead changes. Mackenize Holmes led the way with 21 points and 13 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season and 24th in her career which ties her with Zan Jefferies who played from 1988-91 for fourth on the school’s career double-double list. Holmes got her 100th career start Wednesday Night in her 130th game for the Hoosiers and has scored in double figures in 13 straight games. Holmes is leading the team in scoring with 19.7 points along with 7.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Holmes has scored 2,193 career points and 882 career rebounds as she passed Rachelle Bostic for 6th place on the school’s all-time career rebounding list. Bostic pulled down 873 boards from 1981-84. One record that the Gorham, Maine native already owns is 904 career field goals made which she set earlier in the season passing Bostic who had 839. Holmes
Syndey Parrish added 20 points and averages 10.5 points per game. Sara Scalia is averaging 15.3 points, Yarden Garzon 11.3 and Chloe Moore-McNeil is averaging 9.7 points along with a team leading 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game. The Hoosiers starting five scored all 75 points against Penn State and will need Lilly Meister, Lexus Barrgesser, Lenee Beaumont and Juliana LaMendola to score after going scoreless Wednesday Night. The Hoosiers are averaging 81 points and committing 13 turnovers per game. Indiana is shooting 51% from the field, 39% from three-point range and 70% from the free throw line.
Iowa is coming off 96-71 win at Purdue Wednesday Night before a sold-out crowd at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette and excetives of the Indiana Fever who own the Number 1 pick in the WNBA Draft in April. Caitlin Clark had second straight triple double with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists after a 29 point, 10 rebound and 10 assist performance at Rutgers last Friday night. It’s the second time she has back-to-back triple doubles since January 16 and 20th 2022, when she was Sophomore. Clark has had 4 triple doubles this season and 15 in her career and 9 when she scores 25 or more points. It was her 8th straight game with at least 25 or more points which she had 7 her junior year from November to December 2022. The West Des Moines Iowa native has 3,244 career points and fifth all time on the NCAA Women’s Basketball Division 1 Women’s Basketball career scoring list. She is 40 points away from passing Britney Griner who played at Baylor for 4th and 284 points away from passing Kelsey Plum of Washington for the all-time scoring mark. Clark is averaging 31.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game. She has led the team in scoring and assists in all 17 games this season and rebounds in 7 games this season. Clark is projected to be the number 1 pick but she could come back for her fifth season thanks to the extra year of eligibility that she all Women’s College Basketball players received in 2021-22 season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic although all indications are she will enter the WNBA draft once the season ends.
Hannah Stuelke averages 13.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Kate Martin is averaging 12.2 points per game and Sharon Goodman averages 7.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and a team leading 0.9 points per game. The Hawkeyes are deep at the guard spots with Sydney Affolter averaging 7.4 points, Molly Davis averaging 5.2 points and Gabbie Marshall averaging 5.1 points per game. The Hawkeyes average 90.2 points, 20.2 assists and 14.1 turnovers per game. The Hawkeyes shoot 51% from the field, 36% from three-point range and 76% from the Free Throw Line.
Indiana University Football adds Operations and Player Personnel Post to Staff
Indiana Head Football Coach Curt Cignetti has announced the additions of assistant athletic director for player personnel Matt Wilson and director of football operations Blake Jackson to his first staff in Bloomington.
Wilson returns to the Hoosier staff after helping IU sign its third highest-ranked recruiting class in program history during the 2018 cycle. He made stops at Mississippi State (2018-20), Arkansas State (2021-22), and NC State (2023). Four of his recruiting classes over the last six recruiting cycles have been ranked among the top-50 classes nationally on National Signing Day, with four of those ranked among the top-30 nationally by 247Sports. He helped sign back-to-back top-25 classes while at MSU, which marked the first time in program history the Bulldogs inked consecutive top-25 recruiting classes. His first signing class at A-State finished tops in the Sun Belt and he pulled in the No. 28 recruiting class in his lone season with the Wolfpack.
Jackson spent two seasons at Arkansas State (2022-23) where he handled all aspects of team travel and oversaw the day-to-day operation, organization, and flow of the football program. He organized team events, managed team communications, and oversaw facility maintenance and scheduling for the Red Wolves. He spent four seasons with his alma mater, Tennessee (2018-21), where he served as the operation’s graduate assistant for two seasons, followed by two years as the football operations coordinator. The Volunteers played in the 2020 Gator Bowl (2019 season) and the 2021 Music City Bowl during his time in Knoxville.
Indiana University Wrestling heads to the East Coast to open the Big Ten Season
Indiana Wrestling is set to begin its conference slate this weekend as the Hoosiers open the Big Ten calendar with duals at No. 14 Rutgers and No. 1 Penn State.
Indiana will face No. 14 Rutgers this evening for a 7 p.m. dual at Jersey Mike’s Arena. On Sunday, the Hoosiers will take on No. 1 Penn State for a 1pm dual at Rec Hall.
Rutgers is off to an impressive start to the season with a 7-1 record to earn a No. 14 team ranking. The Scarlet Knights own wins over No. 20 Penn, Princeton and Duke among others. The Scarlet Knights boast ranked wrestlers at seven different weight classes. Five of the seven are ranked within the top-15. Indiana won a close dual over the Scarlet Knights last season, 24-16, in Bloomington. This was Indiana’s first win against Rutgers since 2008.
No. 1 Penn State is having another great season, entering the Big Ten season with a 3-0 record and eight ranked wrestlers. The team has won the past two national championships. Most recently, Penn State knocked off No. 17 Oregon State, 36-3, in Corvallis. The Nittany Lions return Carter Starocci (174) and Aaron Brooks (197) who both claim the No. 1 ranking at their weight class and are three-time defending national champions. Aaron Nagao (133), Beau Bartlett (141), Levi Haines (157), Bernie Truax (184) and Greg Kerkvliet (285) are all returning All-Americans. Haines and Kerkvliet each were NCAA runner-ups last year. Nagao and Truax are in their first year at Penn State, after transferring from Minnesota and Cal Poly, respectively.
A little over a week ago, Indiana competed in the Southern Scuffle on Jan. 1 and 2 to kick off the New Year. The Hoosiers had a highly successful showing in one of college wrestling’s premier tournaments, scoring 134 points and placing third in the event. Of the 20-team field, Indiana finished behind only Stanford and Oklahoma. Indiana had 13 entrants in the tournament and seven ended up on the podium at their weight class. Graduate students No. 23 Dan Fongaro (141) and No. 14 Graham Rooks (149) each finished first in their weight class to win individual titles. Blaine Frazier (125) took sixth place, No. 22 Tyler Lillard (165) took fourth place, No. 9 DJ Washington (174) finished second, Roman Rogotzke (184) earned third and Gabe Sollars (197) finished in fourth. En route to their titles, Fongaro and Rooks each defeated ranked competition. Fongaro defeated No. 27 Jason Miranda (Stanford) by decision, 6-4, in the title. Rooks knocked off No. 10 Noah Castillo (Chattanooga) by decision, 2-1, and No. 32 Cody Bond (App State), SV-1, 4-1.
Indiana University Track and Field Continues 2024 with a trip to Nashville for the Vanderbilt Commodore Challenge Indiana track and field kicks off the new year with the two-day Commodore Challenge meet, hosted by Vanderbilt this weekend at the David Williams II Recreation and Wellness Center. Indiana will have 57 student-athletes compete in 18 events over the course of two days. 26 athletes are scheduled to compete in at least two events throughout the weekend. “We are very excited to start of the 2024 track and field season,” Indiana Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Ed Beathea said. “We are looking forward to getting an idea on where the team is at and using this first meet as preparation for our home meet next weekend at the Indiana Invitational. I think that we have some student-athletes who are ready to put up some pretty good marks and times and I know that they are excited and energized to get started. They have come back from Christmas break in good shape and with lots of enthusiasm. We are really excited about getting started.”
The Hoosiers began their season with the Indiana Early Bird Meet on Dec. 8, 2023, for a successful opening meet with 30 personal bests achieved in addition to 15 athletes making their first collegiate debuts. Graduate sprinter Kenisha Phillips broke the school record in her first appearance with the Hoosiers after running a 37.41 in the 300 meters. Jessica Mercier won the women’s pole vault with a height of 4.20m/13-9.25. Mercier moved up in the top-10 for the fifth highest clearance in program in the women’s Pole Vault. Antonio Laidler won the 60m dash with a personal best time of 6.67 and now holds the third fastest time in program history. Laidler’s time is also tied third in the NCAA. Indiana will compete against 19 other institutions including, Arkansas State, Austin Peay State, Belmont, Cumberland, Evansville, Illinois, Lipscomb, Murray State, Ole Miss, Savannah College of Art and Design, Tennessee, Tennessee Martin, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, Trevecca, Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky, William Carey and York.
Indiana University Men’s Tennis to open 2024 season with Dayton and Toledo at home on Saturday
Indiana Men’s Tennis is set to kick off the 2024 spring season this weekend with a double-header of home matches versus Dayton and Toledo on Saturday at the IU Tennis Center. The day will start with a match versus Dayton at 11 a.m., followed by a 4 p.m. match versus Toledo. The Hoosiers enter the 2024 season with a plethora of experience on the roster along with some very talented underclassmen. The 10-man club features 5 upperclassmen and 5 underclassmen.
IU boasts five seniors in Michael Andre, Nishanth Basavareddy, Carson Haskins, Jagger Salor and Ilya Tiraspolsky. Sophomores Luc Boulier and Sam Landau also return to the fold with a year of experience beneath them. Another sophomore, Deacon Thomas joins the team after spending his freshman season at Xavier. Thomas was a consistent top-three singles player for the Musketeers in 2023. This team’s freshmen include Nikola Kolyachev and Facundo Yunis, who redshirted the previous season as a mid-year enrollee.
Indiana has quite a bit of momentum built up from the fall schedule, headlined by standout sophomore Sam Landau qualifying for the main draw of the ITA All-American Championships. Landau captured eight straight singles wins during his tournament run. In the fall, the Hoosiers played in four different tournaments to prepare for the spring. Looking to Saturday, Indiana will face two talented teams in Dayton who went 15-11, and a Toledo team who was 18-6 in the 2023 campaign.
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