Indiana University Men’s Basketball travels to #10 Illinois Saturday Afternoon after an 8-day break
The Indiana Hoosiers get back on the floor after an eight-day layoff when they take on the Illinois Fighting Illini Saturday Afternoon inside the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois at 3pm with the game nationally televised on FOX. The Hoosiers are 12-7 overall and 4-4 in the Big Ten after a 91-79 loss at Wisconsin on January 19. The Hoosiers have lost two straight and three out of their last four games. Sophomore Center Kel’el Ware missed the Wisconsin Game due to a lower leg injury and has been limited in practice this week and his status for Saturday is unknown. Ware is averaging 14.2 points along with a team leading 9.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.
Malik Reneau is leading the team in scoring with 16.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and coming off a 28-point game at Wisconsin. Freshman Mackenize Mgbako is averaging 10.8 points per game while Trey Galloway averages 10.6 points along with a team leading 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Mgbako scored 17 points and Galloway added 10 points at Wisconsin as the Hoosiers were down 13 points at halftime and outscored the Badgers 53-52 in the second half but lost by 12 points. The Hoosiers are averaging 74.2 points and commit 12.2 turnovers per game. The Hoosiers shoot 48% from the field, 34% from three-point range and 66% from the free throw line. Five of the Hoosiers seven losses have come back double digits and twice in the last four games Xavier Johnson and C.J. Gunn have been ejected for Flagrant Fouls questioning the lack of heart and leadership the Hoosiers have shown throughout the season. Indiana has been exposed on the glass along with their struggles both guarding and shooting from beyond the arc.
Illinois is 14-5 on the season and 5-3 in the Big Ten. The Fighting Illini are coming off a 96-91 overtime loss against Northwestern in Evanston Wednesday Night. Northwestern took control in overtime scoring the first nine points of the extra session outscoring the Fighting Illini 20-15 in a game that featured 18 lead changes and 15 ties. Coleman Hawkins scored 22 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. Marcus Domask scored 22 points, Quincy Guerrier added 15 points and 11 rebounds. Star guard Terrance Shannon Jr. is back after a six-game suspension since a federal judge ordered Illinois to lift the suspension it handed down in the wake of a rape charge in Kansas. Shannon Jr. is expected to play the rest of the season after Kansas Judge pushed his next court day back to May. Shannon Jr. scored 12 points against the Wildcats and was 1-5 from three-point range. In his first game back at Rutgers on January 21, he scored 16 points.
Shannon Jr. leads the team in scoring with 20.5 points. Marcus Domask who is graduate transfer from Southern Illinois averages 15.1 points and team leading 3.4 assists per game. Coleman Hawkins is averaging 12 points, 6.6 rebounds along with a team leading 1.9 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. Qunicy Guerrier averages 11.8 points and team leading 8.1 rebounds per game. Junior Luke Goode from Fort Wayne Indiana and Homestead High school is averaging 7.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Freshman Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn from Lafayette who started his high school career at McCutcheon HS before going the Prep School route is averaging 3.4 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Illinois averages 82.7 points and commits 11.5 turnovers per game. Illinois shoots 46% from the field, 34% from three-point range and 72% from the free throw line.
Brad Underwood is in his seventh season as Illinois Head Coach with a 128-84 record and 71-55 Big Ten record. Underwood has coached at Dodge City Community College in Kansas, Daytona Beach Community College in Florida, Stephen F Austin and Oklahoma State for an overall record of 237-111 in 18 seasons. Underwood led Illinois to the 2021 Big Ten Tournament and 2022 Big Ten Regular Season Championships. He played at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas in 1982-83 before transferring to Independence Community College in Kansas in 1983-84 before playing two seasons at Kansas State from 1984-86.
Indiana leads the all-time series with Illinois 96-91 and has won the last three meetings. The Hoosiers knocked off the Illini 65-63 in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on March 11, 2022. Indiana swept the season series winning in Champaign on January 19, 2023, 80-65 and 71-68 on February 28, 2023, in Bloomington. Illinois last win in the series was 74-57 in Bloomington on February 5, 2022, and their last win in Champaign was on December 26, 2020, 69-60.
Bloomington North Names Anthony Lindsey Head Football Coach replacing Scott Bless
As a quarterback, Anthony Lindsey was the one doing the handing off. Now, it’s his turn to take the ball and run with it. The 39-year-old, who spent the past four years of his coaching career on the staff at his alma mater, Bloomington North, is now the head football coach for the Cougars, succeeding 19-year coach Scott Bless. Speaking of… The MCCSC made his hire official at its Tuesday meeting, but Lindsey will never forget the whirlwind day, Jan. 5, he was offered the position. If that wasn’t enough of a rush, just a few hours later, Lindsey, an assistant with the boys’ basketball team, also found out he would get his first taste of being a varsity head coach earlier than he expected when the call came that head coach Jason Speer would be out sick for that night’s game against Bloomington South. North won that game, and that’s not surprising given his track record.
In 15 years as an Assistant Football Coach at Martinsville, Bloomington South and North, Lindsey’s teams were 115-54 with six sectional and three regional titles. The boys’ basketball teams with whom he’s worked over the past five years are 78-37 with three sectional and two regionals. Even back to his playing days, Lindsey was a standout. At St. Joseph’s College, he was 26-18 overall and named all-conference and team MVP all four years. He left as the school’s all-time passing leader and top 25 nationally in NCAA Division II and was the youngest athlete ever inducted to the school’s athletic hall of fame. At North, he led the football team to a school record eight wins as a senior in 2003 and over four years tossed for a North career record 7,198 yards, 551 completions and 65 touchdowns. He won 85 games on the basketball court, with the 2001 team making the final four and the 2004 team going 20-5 and making it to semi state. He left with the most made 3-pointers in school history. His sophomore year (2002), the baseball team won a sectional for first time since 1996. Consider that when the job was opened up and hiring protocols were followed, Andy Hodson sent an email out to every football coach in the state letting them know of the opening. The Cougars, ranked No. 1 most of 2023 and going 9-0, was not lacking for candidates. But continuity and familiarity won out.
Time Change Announced for Indiana University Wrestling’s Dual Meet at Northwestern
Indiana Wrestling’s road dual at Northwestern on Sunday, Feb. 18 has moved its start time. The dual will now begin at 1 p.m. eastern time/12 p.m. central/local time. It was originally slated for 3 p.m. eastern/2 p.m. central time. As part of the change, Northwestern will now host Illinois for another dual immediately following Indiana and Northwestern’s match. The change was made due to a postponement between Illinois and Northwestern’s dual that was originally scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 20.
Two Indianapolis Colts Assistant Coaches will not return to the team next season
Continuity on Shane Steichen’s coaching staff won’t include two defensive assistants. The Indianapolis Colts decided not to renew the contracts of defensive line coach Nate Ollie and assistant defensive backs coach Mike Mitchell, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Indystar was first with the development. During his post-season meeting with the media, Steichen downplayed possible staff changes. “I believe in continuity, I’ll say that’’ he said.
The decision to part ways with Ollie seems strange considering the level of success posted by his group. The Colts set a franchise record with 51 sacks and Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo, the team’s top two picks in the 2021 draft, showed marked progress. Paye, a first-round pick, set career highs with 8.5 sacks and 52 tackles. Odeyingbo, a second rounder in ’21, also set career bests with 8 sacks and 32 tackles. Also, free-agent acquisition Samson Ebukam led the team with 9.5, which also was a career-high. Ollie and Mitchell were with the Colts the past two seasons. Mitchell spent the final year of his 10-year playing career with the Colts in 2018.
Former Huntington University Cross-Country Star Addy Wiley announces she is turning professional
Indiana running phenom Addy Wiley, a top candidate to make the Paris Olympics, announced she is turning pro. The 20-year-old will thus no longer represent Huntington University after winning eight NAIA titles representing the Foresters in 2023. In an Instagram post, the Huntington North High School graduate said she signed a contract with Adidas. Longtime agent Paul Doyle said he will represent Wiley and the runner would be coached by former Huntington coach Lauren Johnson. On Sept. 8, Wiley set a collegiate 1,500-meter record of 3:59.17, breaking a 14-year-old record held by Jenny (Barringer) Simpson, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist and 2011 world champion. Also, last summer, Wiley ran 800 meters in 1:57.54, second-fastest ever by a college runner. In her last race for Huntington, she won an NAIA cross-country title Nov. 17 at Vancouver, Wash. Wiley is a survivor of childhood cancer. Before arrival at Huntington University, she set a national high school record for 1,600 meters in June 2022. She later de-committed from Colorado and enrolled at her hometown university.
Wiley has been scrutinized because of links to Nick and Lauren Johnson, both former Huntington coaches. Wiley was the Foresters’ third NAIA cross-country champion in five years. The two others, Hannah Stoffel and Emma Wilson, sued the university and the Johnsons in federal court in 2022 amid allegations of sexual abuse and doping. An IndyStar investigation revealed what former runners described as a cult-like atmosphere around Nick Johnson. He was charged in December 2020 on felony counts of child seduction, kidnapping and identity deception. He agreed to plead guilty to identity deception and served 30 days of a two-year sentence, followed by 150 days of electronic monitoring. After his arrest, he was fired and replaced as cross-country coach by his wife, Lauren. After the civil case was filed, the university placed Lauren on administrative leave. She left the university but has remained close to Wiley. Nick Johnson is awaiting trial on charges of sexual battery. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Feb. 13. The lawsuit filed by the former Huntington runners was dismissed last year by a federal judge, who ruled the allegations involved issues of Indiana law. Attorneys for Stoffel and Wilson have not refiled the case in state court.
Wiley has represented Team USA at the under-20 World Championships, U20 NACAC meet and World Road Running Championships. She is set to open her indoor season this weekend and might aim to qualify for March’s indoor worlds at Glasgow, Scotland. As a 19-year-old, she was fifth in the 1,500 in last year’s USA Championships. Top three at June’s Olympic Trials make it to Paris.
Indiana Pacers Guard Tyrese Haliburton named to the 2024 United States Men’s Basketball National Team Player Pool for the Paris Olympics
USA Basketball announced that Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is among the 41-athlete player pool for the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team. The players were selected by USA Basketball Men’s National Team managing director Grant Hill and is subject to change. The 12-member 2024 USA Men’s National Team, which will represent the United States at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris, will be announced at a later date.
In addition to Haliburton, the pool features 28 players who have represented the USA in Olympics and/or FIBA Men’s World Cup and who together have collected 23 Olympic or World Cup gold medals: Bam Adebayo, Jarrett Allen, Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, Scottie Barnes, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Jimmy Butler, Alex Caruso, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, De’Aaron Fox, Paul George, Aaron Gordon, James Harden, Josh Hart, Tyler Herro, Jrue Holiday, Chet Holmgren, Brandon Ingram, Kyrie Irving, Jaren Jackson Jr., LeBron James, Cam Johnson, Walker Kessler, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Chris Paul, Bobby Portis, Austin Reaves, Duncan Robinson, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Trae Young.
The 2024 USA Men’s National Team will be led by head coach Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors), who is assisted by Mark Few (Gonzaga University), Tyronn Lue (L.A. Clippers) and Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat). Last summer, the quartet coached the 2023 USA Basketball Men’s National Team to a fourth-place finish at the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup in Manila. Kerr is a 2020 Olympic gold medalist after serving as an assistant coach to Gregg Popovich in Tokyo. The USA officially qualified for the 2024 Olympics as one of the top two nations from the FIBA Americas zone at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in September. The American men will compete for their fifth straight – and 17th overall – Olympic gold medal.
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