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Last time Fever made playoffs, Caitlin Clark was a freshman… in high school. They’re closing in.

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Last time Fever made playoffs, Caitlin Clark was a freshman… in high school. They’re closing in.


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ATLANTA — On Monday night, Indiana accomplished a feat it hadn’t sniffed since Fever legend Tamika Catchings hung up her sneakers in 2016: It won more than 13 games in a single season.

Indiana’s 14 wins this season are the most since the Fever’s 2016 squad went 17-17. Only Fever guard Erica Wheeler was on the Fever that season, completing her first stint with the franchise. Other than that, it’s a completely different team — different players, coaches and front office.

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The last time the Fever won 14 or more games in a season, Fever rookie Caitlin Clark was a freshman in high school.

‘I look really soft.’ Caitlin Clark brushes off slight ankle injury in Fever win

It’s been a long turnaround for the Fever since Catchings and coach Stephanie White left eight years ago. Now, they’re rebuilding into something sustainable.

“I think in our locker room, even when coaches talk about it, we focus from game-to-game,” said seventh-year pro Kelsey Mitchell, the longest-tenured Fever player. “But we’re not crazy, you know, playoffs is a big deal for all of us, and I think we try to stay focused on what’s right, and I think the main thing is game-by-game.”

The Fever, who held on to beat Atlanta 84-79 Monday, are full of young players. Three of their five starters (Clark, Boston and third-year NaLyssa Smith) are still on rookie contracts, while Katie Lou Samuelson is in her fifth year. Indiana’s first option off the bench, Lexie Hull, is a third-year player, too.

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Not many of the players on the Fever have playoff experience — only Damiris Dantas and Temi Fagbenle have gone deep into the playoff push, winning championships with the Minnesota Lynx in 2015 and 2017, respectively, both coming off the bench.

“We all feel like we can continue to get better in a lot of ways.,” Clark said. “This team is young, has a lot of young talent, and I feel like we’re just starting to put it together a little bit. So, hopefully that continues to come along.”

Based on past seasons, the Fever will likely need to win at least 17 games to have a good shot at the playoffs. A minimum record of 17-23 would put the Fever at a .425 winning percentage in the regular season, and the averaged record of the league’s playoff No. 8 seeds from 2017-23 was .428.

More: How many more wins do Fever need to snap playoffs drought? A look at the schedule.

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Plus, the Fever now have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Dream (Indiana is 3-0 vs. Atlanta), and it’s looking more and more likely Indiana will finally break its streak of missing the playoffs. A win against the Sky next Sunday would give Indiana the head-to-head tiebreaker over Chicago as well.

Three teams — New York, Connecticut and Minnesota — have already clinched playoff berths. Seattle is close to officially making the playoffs, as well as Phoenix. Right now, ESPN gives Indiana a 94.4% chance of making the playoffs. The next highest is Chicago, which ESPN predicts a 56.2% chance. Chicago and Atlanta, which has a 47.5% chance, will likely battle for the final playoff spot.

And it will likely take a lot of worry out of Indiana’s camp if it can ensure it has the head-to-head over both of those teams.

There are a bevy of winnable games for the Fever left on the schedule, including their final game against the Dream at home Sept. 8. The Fever also play the three teams who are all but out of the playoffs, including Los Angeles, Washington and Dallas (twice).

Those are six games the Fever will likely be favored to win, and that could put them in great standing for the playoff picture. But that’s easier said than done.

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The Fever led by as many as 18 points against the Dream in the second half Monday but allowed them back within two points. The Dream trailed by just three with 30 seconds left and did all they could to force overtime — including grabbing two offensive rebounds in the same possession before the Fever could regain control of the ball.

Winning the game itself was a big step for the Fever — earlier in the season, there were times when they crumbled in those situations, taking the loss without a fight. Indiana is still a young team, still learning how to control those situations. To be truly successful, though, the Fever need to make sure those big end-of-game runs don’t happen in the first place.

“I think just figuring out a way to kind of play with the lead a little bit better; we’ve kind of struggled with that this year, and I think at times we get a little stagnant and don’t play with the same pace that we played with in the first half,” Clark said. “… just don’t get stagnant and find a way to continue to push it and extend the lead out, rather than just letting them hang around.”

Follow IndyStar Fever Insider Chloe Peterson on X at @chloepeterson67.



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Indiana

Are Caitlin Clark’s Air Force 1s the key to Indiana Fever’s playoff success?

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Are Caitlin Clark’s Air Force 1s the key to Indiana Fever’s playoff success?


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Caitlin Clark may not be able to play for the Indiana Fever, but she’s clearly trying to influence her teammates with her shoe game. The All-Star guard, who is out with a right groin injury, has worn black Nike Air Force 1 sneakers for the last three games of the playoffs.

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The Fever’s record in those three games: 3-0.

It started when the Fever were down 1-0 in their best-of-3 first-round series to the Atlanta Dream. She walked out on the court with the shoes, which exude toughness, and got a big reaction from teammates.

“I fear you, you mean business,” Fever All-Star center Aliyah Boston joked before Game 2. “Black Forces?! Them (refs) better watch out.” 

BE LIKE CAITLIN CLARK: Buy black Air Force 1s

Ever the superstitious type, after the Fever won Game 2, Clark wore same outfit and Air Force 1s for Game 3. After the Fever upset the Dream, they celebrated the shoes on the court.

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“I mean, they’re working, so,” teammate Lexie Hull said following the Game 3 win. “We told her she’s bringing them in her bag, wearing them every day.”

For Game 1 of the semifinals against the Las Vegas Aces, Clark wore black and white Nikes to the Michelob ULTRA Arena. Indiana’s Sophie Cunningham was concerned, asking about the black Air Forces. Clark said: “Don’t worry, I’ve got them.”

Clark wore all black for the game, including the Air Force 1s, and the Fever stunned the Aces to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-5 semifinals.

Here’s guessing the black AF1s will be back for Game 2, Tuesday in Las Vegas.

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Notre Dame’s Misery Could Be Indiana’s Opportunity — Here’s Why

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Notre Dame’s Misery Could Be Indiana’s Opportunity — Here’s Why


Indiana made quick of Indiana State on Friday night, routing the Sycamores 73-0. One night later, roughly 200 miles north of Bloomington, Indiana, in South Bend, Notre Dame dropped another thriller. This one was a 41-40 loss to Texas A&M that dropped the Fighting Irish to 0-2.

Aside from the obvious in Texas A&M, Indiana may have just been the biggest winner in college football because of that.

Indiana Football’s Current Setting

Indiana football celebrates a touchdown against Indiana State in 202

Sep 12, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Jonathan Brady (0) and Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Alberto Mendoza (16) celebrate after a touchdown during the second half against the Indiana State Sycamores at Memorial Stadium. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Indiana sits at 3-0 after Friday’s drubbing of Indiana State and is now preparing for No. 9 Illinois in one of the biggest games in the history of Memorial Stadium. Both the Hoosiers and Fighting Illini have realistic College Football Playoff hopes, and Saturday’s showdown will go a long way in determining who has a step up.

A win by Indiana Saturday would put it in the driver’s seat for a College Football Playoff spot ahead of Notre Dame, even if the Irish win out and finish 10-2.

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Beating No. 9 Illinois on Saturday night would mean Indiana has a top ten win to its name, something Notre Dame is almost guaranteed to not have all year, as it sits 0-2 and only has one game remaining against a team that is currently ranked (Oct. 18 vs. No. 25 USC).

Indiana’s Remaining Schedule:

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza during a 2025 game against Indiana Stat

Sep 12, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) runs for a touchdown during the first half against the Indiana State Sycamores at Memorial Stadium. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Coaches hate looking ahead and understandably so. However, we’re not coaches here, and can look ahead without getting punished for it.

Of its nine remaining games, Indiana figures to be favored in seven. Only trips to Oregon and Penn State would appear to make the Hoosiers underdogs at this point.

College football rarely goes as we expect it to far out, but what happens if Indiana simply beats the teams, it should, with Saturday’s game against Illinois included in that?

Indiana would finish 10-2 and feature a top ten win. The best Notre Dame could currently do is run the table and finish 10-2, but that would almost certainly come without a win over a top 15 team, let alone a top 10 one.

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College Football Playoff Outlook:

Would the College Football Playoff committee agree? It can say it doesn’t favor brands over resumes all it wants, but sometimes the evidence is too strong against that. Notre Dame losing its two games by a combined four points only would be part of its case, but should margin of defeat even matter in CFP cases?

Indiana didn’t even play Saturday night but depending how the rest of the regular season goes, it may have just been the biggest winner in all of college football Saturday night, short of Texas A&M.



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Knicks Hope to Be in Pacers’ Shoes

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Knicks Hope to Be in Pacers’ Shoes


The New York Knicks hope to do what the Indiana Pacers were able to accomplish this past season by winning the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Pacers stunned the Knicks in six games to advance to the NBA Finals, where they pushed the champion Oklahoma City Thunder to a Game 7 despite losing star point guard Tyrese Haliburton to a torn Achilles midway through the final matchup.

New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges Tyrese Haliburton Indiana Pacers

May 31, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) dribbles the ball defended by Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) in the third quarter during game six of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Pacers should be different without Haliburton in the upcoming season, opening the door for the Knicks to take over as the top team in the East. Even though Haliburton won’t be on the court, the Pacers should still have a solid team.

Andrew Nembhard is expected to have significant duties as the team’s point guard while Bennedict Mathurin will likely be his partner in the backcourt.

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Aaron Nesmith, who torched the Knicks throughout the entire Eastern Conference Finals, will likely be the team’s starting small forward. Pascal Siakam will be expected to lead the team in scoring from the power forward position while the team has question marks surrounding the center spot.

Myles Turner won’t be with the Pacers for the first time in a decade after he signed a contract with the division rival Milwaukee Bucks over the offseason, so the team needs to figure out what it will do to replace him.

“By far, the biggest question with the lineup is the center position. There is no guaranteed starter, although Isaiah Jackson is the favorite. Jay Huff and James Wiseman will likely back him up,” Indiana Pacers On SI contributor Ryan Stano wrote.

“There’s a chance that Indiana changes who they want to start at center at some point during the season, so that is a fluid spot. Tony Bradley will fight Wiseman for the third-string minutes.”

The Knicks should be favored over the Pacers during the season, but this is a team whose core was one win away from winning the championship just a few months ago.

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Therefore, the Knicks have to take the Pacers seriously if they want to overtake them in the Eastern Conference hierarchy.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!



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