Indiana
Indiana Pacers earn win behind Ben Sheppard and Enrique Freeman, but starter woes cloud outing
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers won their final preseason game in overtime on Thursday, and they had plenty of heroics to get it done. With 4:17 remaining, the Charlotte Hornets were ahead by 12. With 15 seconds left, that edge was six. The Hornets had done enough to win.
Yet a key putback from Quenton Jackson, a costly turnover from Tidjane Salaun, and a miraculous four-point play from Ben Sheppard later had the score tied as the clock hit zero. In the extra period, the Pacers were terrific as they earned a victory.
Late in the game, two youngsters were special. Sheppard, a second-year wing, was making plays down the stretch. He had 11 points in the fourth quarter as well as a key steal plus assist in the bonus frame.
The 2023 late first-round pick, who had a team option in his contract exercised on Friday, wrapped up preseason play with his best game. Enrique Freeman was equally terrific in crunch time. The 50th overall pick in the most recent draft continued his terrific play since being selected, dominating with energy, hustle, and efficiency.
Freeman finished the outing with 15 points and five rebounds. Nine of those points came in overtime, and three of those boards were in that stretch. His second-chance points made the victory possible — every single one of his rebounds were on the offensive end.
“Happy for that group,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of his reserves after the game. “Good stuff in the fourth quarter.”
Hard play defined the night for both Freeman and Sheppard. They battled on defense, ran hard in transition, and overall upped the Pacers energy. They both played their games and finished plays, which made them stand out. Indiana needed monster efforts from their third unit, and those two provided it.
“We had no energy, and we just came in with a spark and tried to bring us back into the game and made something happen,” Sheppard said. Freeman agreed. “Our group came in, and that was our job to do, is bring energy,” he explained.
Thanks to that pair, the blue and gold escaped preseason play 2-2. The team had good and bad stretches basically every game. Carlisle hoped to see more consistency in the final exhibition, yet that didn’t happen. They still won, but they didn’t show enough to feel good about where they are at.
The most important part of the Pacers inconsistent play came from their starting lineup. The team’s entire starting five was available to play for just the second time during the preseason, and they weren’t particularly successful outside of the first quarter.
In total, that group had a roughly 106.9 offensive rating with a 123.3 defensive rating. The Hornets had a true shooting percentage that approached 68% with Indiana’s starting five on the floor while their own true shooting percentage was 53.5%. They couldn’t get stops and struggled to score — and that came in spite of a solid first quarter from the five-man unit.
For the night, that lineup was -7. The first game that unit played, which came last week in Cleveland, they also were outscored. The Pacers starting five, a rock solid group last season, wasn’t effective in the preseason.
“Our starting group has just not been tied together,” Carlisle said. “We’re not doing a good enough job in a lot of the important areas.”
Some areas that Carlisle pointed out where that group has come up short were physicality, rebounding, and toughness. They need to work on it. Physical play hasn’t been there — Indiana has been afraid to hit first.
Defensive struggles aren’t shocking from that Pacers five-man combo. They were not known for their work on the less glamorous end of the floor last season. The inconsistent play on offense and lack of clear burst has been more jarring. That was the Pacers identity last season, and it hasn’t been there all the time.
“We’ve got to communicate better on both sides of the ball,” starting wing Aaron Nesmith said. He doesn’t think their defense has been on point despite the tools they have. “Zero in before game one. Some things we need to fix, and we’ll fix them.”
Fortunately for that group, their struggles have been masked twice by excellent play from reserves. Sheppard and Freeman earned Indiana a win last night. But in the regular season, when starters are relied upon for big minutes, the Pacers opening lineup needs to be better.
“We have five and a half days to try to get better and to get ready. Right now, we’re just not there,” Carlisle said. “We’ve all got to look in the mirror on the whole thing. But we have time, and we can still make progress.”
ABC pulls upcoming ‘Bachelorette’ season. Here’s what to know
A Carmel man and former Purdue basketball player was set to compete on this season that won’t air.
Should ABC air the canceled-for-now season of “The Bachelorette”? A Carmel man who was set to compete on it seems to think so.
Matt Carroll, a 43-year-old Purdue basketball alum and Carmel resident, took to social media over the weekend to address the cancelation of season 22 of “The Bachelorette,” on which he appeared. Public opinion on whether the show should see the light of day is split, but the former Boilermaker forward and industrial real estate broker hopes the footage makes it to air.
Disney and ABC pulled season 22 of “The Bachelorette” because its lead, “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Taylor Frankie Paul, faces an ongoing domestic violence investigations. The network announced the decision March 19 after TMZ leaked a video from a 2023 domestic violence incident involving Paul and her ex Dakota Mortensen.
Neither Carroll nor the show have officially commented on the cancelation, but that doesn’t mean he and other contestants haven’t hinted at their feelings on social media.
Carroll’s Instagram reel — in which he struts through the streets of Carmel, rose in hand, RAYE’s “Where the Hell is My Husband” soundtracking it all — breaks the ice. “So…about that,” he joked, tagging both “The Bachelorette” and Bachelor Nation, the franchise’s official hub for news and content.
The reel has garnered comments from fellow Carmel residents wishing Carroll well, even offering to set him up with local singles. Notably, though, some of Carroll’s followers have called for the season to air — and he agrees.
“Trying to manifest that they still air this,” one comment from model Brittany Mason reads. “America wants it the world wants it!”
“From your lips to God’s ears,” Carroll replied.
Another response from him put it more plainly:
“I’m still hoping they decide to air it.”
Whether “The Bachelorette” will air is unclear. Disney Entertainment Television’s official statement only indicated that it was halting the season “for now,” so it’s possible the network could dust off the footage and air it after all.
Contact IndyStar Pop Culture Reporter Heather Bushman at hbushman@indystar.com. Follow her on X @hmb_1013.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament’s Final Four is set.
Four teams have advanced to the Final Four and will compete for the national championship this upcoming weekend in Indianapolis.
The two national semifinal matchups will take place on Saturday. Tip times for the two games have been announced:
- 6:09 p.m. EDT – No. 3 seed Illinois vs. No. 2 seed UConn
- 8:49 p.m. EDT – No. 1 seed Michigan vs. No. 1 seed Arizona
The winners of Saturday’s games will then play in the National Championship Game on Monday, April 6.
Each game will take place inside Lucas Oil Stadium.
INDIANAPOLIS — Hundreds of Hoosiers gathered at the Indiana Statehouse Saturday morning as part of nationwide ‘No Kings’ events to voice their concerns about the current administration.
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Hundreds gather at Indiana State Capitol for ‘No Kings’ protest
“I’m out here today because what’s happening in our government is completely trash,” Donna Sipes told WRTV. “It’s wrong. We need to do something about it.”
“I’m tired of every single day when the TV comes on to see what stupid thing he’s done next,” Lindi Marti said.
WRTV
Attendees noted the growing popularity of the demonstrations.
“This is my fourth one to come to. I didn’t come to all of them when it was really cold, but I’m glad to see that they are getting a lot more people out here every time,” Marti added. “It seems like there’s more and more coming.”
Demonstrators highlighted specific foreign policy concerns, including the administration’s handling of the war in Iran.
“We’re bombing the heck out of them. We’re killing civilians,” Marti’s husband said. “We’re getting ready to send our Marines.”
WRTV
Others focused on the administration’s handling of immigration.
“That’s what I’m concerned about,” Reverend Kenny Little told WRTV. “Little kids, they’re taking them away from their family. And I’m just one of those people, I think everyone got rights.”
Indiana medical students also attended the rally to speak out against changes to the healthcare system.
“We’re really worried about the attacks on the health care system in general, but with Medicaid… current estimates range from anywhere from 325,000 to 450,000 Hoosiers will lose coverage by 2032,” Wade Catt said with concern.
WRTV
With midterm elections approaching later this year, attendees emphasized the importance of now taking action at the ballot box.
“If we don’t vote, then things are gonna not, they’re gonna stay the same,” a protester said.
Meanwhile, Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith says he’s happy to see Hoosiers exercise their First Amendment right to protest.
However, he takes issue with the idea that President Trump is acting like a king. Beckwith says the fact that people have the freedom to protest is proof that the president is not acting like a tyrant.
He acknowledges that bridging the gap between the sides is probably an uphill battle, but believes communication is key.
“I think when you sit down with people face to face, you’re confronted with humanity. There’s another human sitting across that table from you and talking to you. And so, all I have to say, I think that’s probably the thing I would encourage all Hoosiers to do is say, ‘Hey, if you don’t agree with somebody or if you don’t like somebody, why don’t you try grabbing coffee with them? And give it 30 minutes, and just see what happens.’ I bet most of the time people will walk away with a much softer heart and spirit towards that person before they came in,” Beckwith said.
Beckwith is currently on a 92-county tour of the state. He says all sides are welcome to attend his events.
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