Indiana
Indiana men’s basketball’s poor adjustments stress inconsistencies in loss at No. 2 Purdue
WEST LAFAYETTE — Indiana men’s basketball was fresh off an 18-point second-half comeback on the road against Ohio State on Tuesday in which it made the proper corrections to overcome the deficit and win the game. Facing a 12-point halftime deficit at No. 2 Purdue on Saturday night, the Hoosiers had an opportunity to replicate their earlier win and earn a significant victory.
Instead, the Boilermakers stormed out of halftime with a 10-0 run to create a 22-point margin which Indiana never threatened in a 79-59 loss. Indiana’s lack of adjustments and poor start to the latter half created the insurmountable lead, and it emphasized the Hoosiers’ inconsistent play and the problem that persists.
“We were so awful coming out in the second half, we couldn’t make shots and they capitalized on it,” Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said postgame.
The Hoosiers did just about everything they could’ve asked for in the first half defensively. They held the Boilermakers — the Big Ten’s best 3-point shooting team at 40.4% entering Saturday — to an inefficient 3-for-13 from deep and forced six turnovers. Indiana’s only glaring mishap was allowing sophomore guard Braden Smith to pick the Hoosiers apart on pick-and-roll drives for 15 points in the first 20 minutes.
Purdue junior center Zach Edey is the centerpiece of the Boilermakers’ offense and proved it in the rivals’ first matchup when he produced 33 points and 14 rebounds in Bloomington. He had 12 points and eight rebounds in the first frame Saturday night, and with Purdue struggling from deep, the Hoosiers identified their defensive game plan.
“Go out and be physical with them, don’t let the perimeter players get their shots off and try to stop them,” sophomore center Kel’el Ware said.
Indiana fulfilled part of its plan but did so too much. The Hoosiers committed five fouls in the first three minutes of the second half, and three of them were against sophomore forward Malik Reneau to merit his fourth infraction and a seat on the bench. Reneau — Indiana’s leading scorer this season — returned with nine minutes remaining but fouled out two minutes later.
First Indiana allowed more opportunities at the free throw line, then disregarded defending the 3-point line and Purdue took advantage. From that point, Indiana’s performance snowballed in front of a raucous Mackey Arena crowd.
Rather than build off its positive areas from the first half, Indiana regressed in its categories of focus. When Edey banked in his first-ever 3-pointer to give Purdue a game-high 28-point lead with 6:35 remaining, the Hoosiers submerged to what felt like a new low.
“You can’t dig yourself a hole like we did, because you’re not gonna come back,” senior guard Trey Galloway said. “You’ve got to be on point from the get-go and last that for 40 minutes, and we didn’t.”
Albeit an uptick in the quality of the opponent, Indiana’s performance at Purdue exemplified none of the qualities it did in the Hoosiers’ comeback win at Ohio State just days prior. Inconsistent play in all levels of the game has prevented Indiana from finding any kind of rhythm across games, and Saturday night was another roadblock.
“We’ve just got to continue to grow as a team,” Woodson said. “We still have seven games to go, and anything can happen.”
The Hoosiers are running out of time to realize the growth Woodson desires. More than two-thirds of the way through the season, opportunities are becoming slim, and Indiana’s accomplishments are far from NCAA Tournament-quality. The Hoosiers sat 98th in the NET rankings entering Saturday night and their 20-point loss will only drop them further.
Next up on Indiana’s slate is a must-win home matchup against Northwestern. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. Feb. 18 in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall and the game can be watched on FS1.
Follow reporters Will Foley (@foles24) and Matt Press (@MattPress23) and columnist Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
Indiana
Former Colt Ryan Kelly announces retirement
(WISH) — Former Colts center Ryan Kelly announced his retirement from the NFL.
“10 seasons,” Kelly wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “What an incredible ride it was. I was blessed to be around some of the greatest people this sport has to offer. I always wanted to leave each place better than how I found it and with that I can hang my hat. Forever grateful for my family and brothers!”
Kelly was with the Colts for nine seasons, from 2016-2024. He was a four-time Pro Bowler with the Colts, and made the All-Pro Second Team in 2020. Kelly was a captain for his last two seasons with the Colts in 2023 and 2024.
Kelly was drafted by the Colts in the first round in 2016. He played all but one of his 10 seasons in the NFL in Indianapolis, playing with the Minnesota Vikings in 2025.
Indiana
Valparaiso 63-62 Indiana State (Mar 5, 2026) Game Recap – ESPN
ST. LOUIS — — Rakim Chaney had 18 points in Valparaiso’s 63-62 win over Indiana State on Thursday in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Chaney added five rebounds, five assists, and three steals for the Beacons (18-14). JT Pettigrew added 14 points while going 5 of 8 and 3 of 6 from the free-throw line while they also had seven rebounds. Brody Whitaker finished with 10 points.
Camp Wagner led the Sycamores (11-21) in scoring, finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Indiana State also got 12 points and three blocks from Ian Scott. Enel St. Bernard finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four steals. The loss was the Sycamores’ seventh in a row.
Chaney scored nine points in the first half and Valparaiso went into halftime trailing 37-28. After trailing by nine points in the second half, Valparaiso went on a 7-0 run to narrow the score to 37-35 with 17:11 remaining in the half before finishing off the victory. Pettigrew scored 12 second-half points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Indiana
Heavy rain soaks central Indiana, but drought relief uneven across the state
Central Indiana has seen a very wet start to March, with several rounds of rain and storms moving through the region over the past few days. In fact, the city of Indianapolis has already received more rain in the first four days of the month than it typically gets during the entire month of March.
So far this month, Indianapolis has recorded 3.90 inches of rainfall, which already exceeds the normal March monthly average of 3.79 inches. Much of that rain came during a widespread soaking on Tuesday, when a strong system pushed steady showers and thunderstorms across the state.
Some of the highest totals over the past three days have been recorded across central Indiana. Rain gauges show 5.86 inches in Marion County, 5.02 inches in Morgan County, 4.97 inches in Hancock County, 4.95 inches in Shelby County, 4.57 inches in Johnson County, and 4.26 inches in Hendricks County. These totals represent a significant amount of rainfall in a short period of time and have left many areas with saturated ground and standing water in low spots.
Despite the widespread rainfall, the impact on drought conditions has been somewhat uneven across the state. According to the latest drought monitor, the areas that received the heaviest rain over the past few days are largely the same areas that were already in relatively good shape in terms of moisture levels. Meanwhile, parts of northern Indiana that have been dealing with more persistent dryness have seen much lighter totals.
Cities such as Kokomo, Lafayette, and Muncie have generally picked up less rain compared to areas farther south. Forecast models suggest that pattern may continue over the next several days.
Additional rainfall is expected through Thursday, with another round possible around midday Saturday. Current projections show the best chance for another inch or more of rain focusing once again across the southern half of the state, while northern Indiana may see lower totals.
That means while the recent rain has certainly helped improve soil moisture in many areas, it may not fully address the lingering dryness farther north. For now, the pattern remains active, and Hoosiers should expect more wet weather before the system finally begins to move out later this weekend.
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