Indiana
Indiana men’s basketball’s Big Ten Tournament seeding scenarios ahead of Nebraska game
Coming off back-to-back losses, Indiana men’s basketball has six games remaining to make a late push at the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers (14-11, 6-8) currently sit 10th in the Big Ten, and with the regular season’s end nearing, it isn’t too early to look ahead at Indiana’s potential matchups for the conference tournament.
If the season ended today, Indiana would face No. 7-seed Minnesota in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. The Hoosiers beat the Golden Gophers 74-62 in Bloomington on Jan. 12, the two teams will face off a second time March 6 in Minneapolis.
The first scenario is the worst-case scenario, which KenPom predicts based off single-game projections. As underdogs with expected losses in its last six contests, Indiana would finish the season at 14-17 with a 6-14 Big Ten record.
In this case, the Hoosiers would finish 13th in the conference and face No. 12-seed Rutgers in the first round of the conference tournament. If the Hoosiers were to win, No. 5-seed Michigan State would await them. Indiana lost its sole matchup against Rutgers 66-57 on the road Jan. 9 and will only face Michigan State in the regular-season finale March 10.
Despite its unfavorable individual chances in each remaining game, KenPom projects Indiana to finish 16-15 with an 8-12 Big Ten record due to the cumulative probabilities, as it describes. Predicting these results with Indiana’s most-probable wins of the six games, the Hoosiers would defeat Nebraska and Penn State in this scenario.
Those results would lock Indiana in the No. 9 seed by winning tiebreakers over Iowa and Ohio State. The Hoosiers would face No. 8-seed Maryland in the second round and a win would mean a third matchup with Purdue, who would be the No. 1 seed.
Again, the probabilities are endless. While hyper-unrealistic, the path for an outright No. 2 seed is still open for Indiana. If the Hoosiers won out while all other favorites won, they would earn a No. 5 seed.
All of these possibilities start Wednesday night when Indiana takes on Nebraska in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers lost 86-70 in Lincoln on Jan. 3 and are looking to avoid the series sweep.
Indiana’s biggest advantage over the Cornhuskers is its home court. The Hoosiers have dipped to 4-3 in Assembly Hall against Big Ten opponents this season, but Nebraska has yet to win a conference road game with an 0-7 mark. Five of those seven losses have been by double digits.
In the two teams’ first matchup, it was all Cornhuskers. They led the game for more than 33 minutes compared to the Hoosiers’ four-minute hold on the lead in the first half. Nebraska led by as many as 22 points.
The 3-point line was one of the key difference makers the last time out. Nebraska, who leads the Big Ten in 3-point makes and attempts, shot 12-for-32 against Indiana. Senior guard Keisei Tominaga made four of the 12 in a 28-point performance to lead all scorers.
Perhaps the Hoosiers’ Achilles’ heel in that game was their turnover output. Indiana had a season-high 19 giveaways which the Cornhuskers produced into 27 points. Comparatively, Nebraska had eight turnovers which Indiana converted to 6 points.
Indiana’s front court was its biggest advantage against Nebraska as it capitalized on the size difference. Sophomore center Kel’el Ware and sophomore forward Malik Reneau combined for 34 of the Hoosiers’ 70 points and Indiana won the rebounding battle 36-29. However, head coach Mike Woodson said the Hoosiers may experiment with smaller lineups due to matchup issues after the loss to Northwestern on Feb. 18.
Many possibilities remain for Indiana. Despite what any calculations and predictions say, it’s up to the Hoosiers to determine their fate. For Woodson, it’s a process where they’ll play one game at a time.
“We got six games left, and it starts tomorrow,” he said. “This is a big game for our team in terms of really staying in the hunt and trying to move the other way.”
Follow reporters Will Foley (@foles24) and Matt Press (@MattPress23) and columnist Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
Fernando Mendoza did not attend Indiana University’s visit to the White House commemorating the Hoosiers’ college football national championship on Monday. The Las Vegas Raiders quarterback said earlier this month that he would not attend if it interfered with any activities with his new team.
“I’m on the bottom of the totem pole here,” Mendoza said following a rookie minicamp practice. “I got to prove myself. I can’t miss practice. I don’t know anything official. I don’t have the calendar, but I just wouldn’t. As a rookie, I don’t think that’s a good look, and I want to try to best serve my teammates. And I don’t know if that’d be accomplishing that goal.”
According to the team’s official offseason schedule, the Raiders did not have any formal practices or workouts on Monday. The team’s next organized activity is May 18, its first OTA workout.
“Fernando couldn’t be here today because, as I said, he’s now a member of the Las Vegas Raiders,” President Donald Trump said in his address. “Let’s see how good of a team they have, and I think he’s gonna do great. He’s a winner.”
Mendoza wasn’t the only absence. Center Pat Coogan and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds were among the other Hoosiers not in attendance for the event due to NFL obligations. Indiana had a program-record eight players selected in April’s NFL Draft.
Trump highlighted Mendoza’s accomplishments and contributions to the school’s first football national title. He celebrated Mendoza as Indiana’s inaugural Heisman Trophy winner and praised his fourth-quarter touchdown run in the championship game against Miami.
“He’s gonna be a good one,” Trump said.
Indiana was well-represented by returning members of the team. Charlie Becker, one of Mendoza’s go-to receivers during the College Football Playoffs, and Jamari Sharpe, whose late interception secured the title-game victory, both spoke on behalf of the school, as did head coach Curt Cignetti.
Mendoza is one of four members of the national champion Hoosiers who joined the Raiders this offseason. Running back Roman Hemby and wide receiver E.J. Williams Jr. signed as undrafted free agents in the days following the draft. Wide receiver Jonathan Brady earned a contract after impressing as a tryout player during rookie minicamp.
MUNCIE, Ind. (WISH) — Police are investigating a triple shooting that took place on Muncie’s south side Sunday evening that left a woman dead and two men injured.
According to police, at approximately 5:27 p.m., Muncie Police Officers were dispatched to the 2700 block of South Walnut Street in reference to reports of several people being shot.
Officers arrived and located three gunshot victims: A 23-year-old female who died from “multiple wounds,” a 39-year-old male who is hospitalized in stable condition, and a 40-year-old male who was airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital in critical condition.
Police say a suspect is in custody, a 21-year-old man.
Police did not provide any additional information.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Muncie Police Detective Division at 765-747-4867 or dispatch at 765-747-4838.
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Sports Seriously
The Indiana Pacers lost 63 games this season for a chance at a franchise-changing lottery pick. On Sunday, May 10, they lost that chance, too.
All Pacers president Kevin Pritchard could do was apologize for taking the risk.
Indiana’s pick landed at No. 5 in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, one spot outside the top four protections attached to a midseason trade. The selection now belongs to the Los Angeles Clippers .
Shortly after the results were announced, Pritchard took social media and apologized.
“I’m really sorry to all our fans,” Pritchard wrote. “I own taking this risk. Surprised it came up 5th after this year. I thought we were due some luck.”
The Pacers entered the lottery with a 52.1% chance of securing a top-four pick after finishing 19-63, the second-worst record in the NBA. It wasn’t enough.
Indiana sent Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 first-round pick to Los Angeles in the midseason deal for Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown, along with the conditional 2026 first-rounder. The pick was theirs to keep only if it landed in the top four.
Zubac appeared in just five games for Indiana after the trade because of a fractured rib.
“This team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year,” Pritchard wrote. “We have always been resillient.”
Pritchard will have to be resilient if he looks at the replies to his statement. About half of the Pacers fans’ comments were not happy, and fans of other teams called him out for “tanking.”
There were also a large number of fans who were supportive of Pritchard taking that risk.
Tyrese Haliburton is expected to return next season after tearing his Achilles in last year’s NBA Finals. The Pacers will have him Pascal Siakam and a roster they think is built to compete. They just won’t have that first-round pick to add to it.
The 2026 NBA Draft begins June 23 in Brooklyn.
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