Indiana
Mackenzie Mgbako is the key to IU’s fortunes. And he’s starting to unlock his game.
BLOOMINGTON – This looked like a tricky game for Indiana.
Rolling Minnesota, early tipoff on a Friday night with weather expected, five days before Purdue and three days after a fiasco of turnovers and missed free throws at Rutgers. The Gophers arrived on a seven-game win streak, surprising the conference with their dangerousness across a 3-1 Big Ten start and with nothing really to lose as road underdogs in one of the league’s toughest venues.
Indiana, still smarting from that Rutgers loss, arrived knowing a bigger game lay in wait over the hill. Both because of the weight of rivalry in this sport in this state, and also because that game might by itself have the capacity to turn the Hoosiers’ season for better or for worse, permanently.
IU won wire-to-wire vs. Minnesota. But hears why you could hear Hoosiers’ fans groans.
More: IU beats Minnesota behind balanced scoring, stout defense
Friday night’s game should have been difficult for Mike Woodson’s team.
Friday night’s game was over in eight minutes.
And no one was more important to the manner of victory — or frankly the victory itself — than Mackenzie Mgbako, the player who more than any other Hoosier holds his team’s fortunes between now and the end of this season in his hands.
“I thought he was aggressive right from the start. I thought our whole team was aggressive on both ends of the floor,” IU coach Mike Woodson said. “(Mgbako) got some good looks early that he made. I ran a couple plays for him that he was able to knock shots down, and the way they double-team, it opened him up.”
Mgbako scored a game- and career-high 19 points, in a 74-62 win over Minnesota that was scantly even that close. The Gophers were second best in every way in what turned out to be the most important phase of the game: the first two media-timeout segments, when IU (12-5, 4-2) opened a 25-8 lead, put inarguably Minnesota’s two most important players in foul trouble and, with downhill aggressiveness and relentless pressure, buried the visitors.
The Hoosiers, who didn’t actually make it home from New Jersey until Wednesday morning because of the weather, left their turnover problems in Piscataway, and any pity they felt for themselves on the floor of the Rutgers Athletic Center (known contractually as Jersey Mike’s Arena).
Minnesota (12-4, 3-2) looked like a gopher hole — pun absolutely intended — for Indiana’s horse to step into, a hot team with virtually nothing to lose facing up to one that could be forgiven its concerns and doubts.
The Gophers typically score the ball efficiently, and share it remarkably well, and yet this game was never close. Minnesota’s best effort cut the deficit to five, late in the first half. The only 18 seconds of the game Indiana did not lead were the 18 seconds Indiana needed to score its first basket, a Trey Galloway 3-pointer, Assembly Hall, sold out and rowdy despite the impending weather.
“Once we started the game aggressive, it carried over on to our defense, and then defense creates offense,” Mgbako said. “Just being aggressive on both sides of the floor is what created the win tonight.”
This is the formula for the Hoosiers, if they are to make this season into what they want it to be. Branch McCracken Court must be a fortress. Road teams must be required their best effort and their hardest fight just to make anything of a trip to Bloomington, against an undeniably imperfect but — as Friday night showed — still remarkably talented team.
Make Bloomington a difficult place for opponents to come across these next two months, and this team can scrap out for itself the results necessary to demand a place in the NCAA tournament.
But it will take all of what the Hoosiers showed Friday, and precious little of what they showed Tuesday, this week providing a remarkably timed juxtaposition of IU at its worst, compared to IU at its best.
“We’ve got to somehow convert how we play here at home on the road,” Woodson said. “That’s going to be the difference moving forward.”
And while Mgbako need not do most or all of it himself, Friday night provided the latest and perhaps most convincing evidence he is the as-yet-undefined number that changes the calculus for this team.
Kel’el Ware and Malik Reneau (33 points, 20 rebounds Friday) will always produce in the post. Xavier Johnson can be mercurial, even frustrating, and Tuesday reminded us his game will at times cross certain lines. But he is also remarkably creative, and when his focus is properly trained he is dogged on defense.
Friday was the best of Galloway, Kansas game excepted, his 10 points, two 3s, three rebounds and seven assists all crucial. There were important contributions from Gabe Cupps, Anthony Walker, CJ Gunn — that looks like Indiana’s bench for the foreseeable future, Woodson paring his rotation down earlier in the calendar, perhaps, than he did in either of his first two years.
There’s so much that feels, if not settled, then at least proven about these Hoosiers, good and bad. The one open question is perhaps the biggest of the season, even dating back as far as June and July, when this team came together to begin the process of making something of itself.
Mgbako is — not just because of his five-star billing or his All-American status in high school but simply his obvious gifts, traits and abilities — the player with both the greatest ceiling, and the clearest ability to raise his team’s as well.
You saw it Friday night.
The downhill assertiveness against defenders incapable of managing Mgbako’s blend of length, size and athleticism on the drive. The reach and instincts that, finally applied consistently on defense, make him a frustrating matchup. The 3-point shot that has not-so-quietly come around — Mgbako is shooting 38.9% from behind the arc over his past 12 games, and 45.5% (10-of-22) from range in Big Ten play.
This isn’t meant to suggest none of his teammates can or will improve across the coming weeks. Reneau clearly already has. Ware remains somewhere south of his prodigious and almost certainly NBA-ready ceiling. Should Galloway find more of the offensive and creative consistency he’s shown beginning with the Kansas game (when he scored 28 points), he can be a difference maker for this team.
The list goes on. But it starts and it stops with Mgbako. Indiana will insist upon playing him at the three, unless in case of emergency, for the rest of this season. That will certainly challenge him again defensively, but it will also present more nights like Friday, when he faces a cover so much shorter, so much less athletic and so clearly overmatched Mgbako will find, if he works for them, stretches of the game which he can very simply dominate.
Earlier this season, Woodson flatly disagreed with the notion a player of Mgbako’s top-10 billing should simply be expected to arrive in college the finished article. Woodson promised his freshman forward would continue to improve, both technically and tactically, as he spent more time at the college level, an improvement Mgbako now both shows and, crucially, recognizes.
“He’s put the work in,” Woodson said. “He’s continuing to work, along with the rest of our young players. All we can do as coaches is continue to teach and push and try to get as much out of them as we can as we continue this journey.”
For one of the most distinct players — because of his position, his skills and his role within his team — in the Big Ten, the curve finally appears to be steepening toward Mgbako’s best.
The more that curve climbs, the better Mgbako gets, the more he understands what he’s capable of and what’s required of him and why he makes such a remarkable difference for his team, the higher Indiana’s own ceiling climbs. No player currently enjoys greater influence over either the course, or the outcome, of this season in Bloomington.
Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever continued their 2026 WNBA regular season with a 100-84 loss against the Portland Fire on Saturday, May 30.
Clark, a former Iowa women’s basketball star, and the Fever are 4-4 after the first eight games of the regular season.
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Here’s a look at how Clark fared in Saturday’s game in Portland:
Caitlin Clark stats today in Indiana Fever vs Portland Fire
Former Iowa Hawkeyes star Megan Gustafson scored a game-high 22 points for Portland in the Saturday victory.
Former Iowa State Cyclones star Bridget Carleton scored 14 points for the Fire.
Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever upcoming games
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Caitlin Clark’s stats in Indiana Fever vs Portland Fire today
MOORESVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A Mooresville police officer was involved in a “serious crash,” Saturday afternoon, officials say.
According to a Facebook post made by the Mooresville Fire Department, officers are advising the public to avoid the area of the 200 block of East Main Street due to a “serious crash” involving a Mooresville Metropolitan Police officer.
East Main Street is currently closed between Maple Lane and Franklin Street.
Police say the roads will remain closed while a crash investigation is being conducted.
Police did not provide details on the officer’s condition.
This is a developing story.
The resort area of southwest Michigan along Lake Michigan is wildly popular with Chicagoans in summer and fall for good reason. The coastal stretch offers sophisticated dining and shops, breweries, wineries, beaches, sunsets on Lake Michigan and a vacation vibe wherever you go.
If you haven’t been in a couple of years, you’ll find Indiana’s coast, home of the Indiana Dunes National Park and Indiana Dunes State Park, is worth more than a hiking or gas-station stop.
Though the towns along the lake are small and don’t have centers of commerce, many exciting new places have sprung up on U.S. Route 12, the scenic drive that skirts the lake’s edge.
Beverly Shores and Michigan City, Ind.
Miles from Chicago: 54
Sadly, the orange Studebaker that for years served up excellent wood-fired pizza is no longer parked in Beverly Shores, a small lake community famous for its collection of historic homes from the 1933-34 Chicago World’s Fair. The only way to get a South Shore Ovenworks pie now is to reserve the food truck for a private event.
Console yourself with shopping. The founder and former owner of Cowboys and Astronauts, a men’s store in Andersonville, has opened Blanket Fort (1 E. Dunes Highway), a design studio and shop in Beverly Shores. Matthew Buccilla describes his style as “vintage modern meets-cozy cabin-meets Japanese wabi-sabi.” His bona fides include designing spaces around the world for furniture maker Herman Miller. Blanket Fort, located in a cool midcentury building, is open the first and third weekends of the month.
The Heron, a French restaurant in Michigan City, Ind.
Neighboring Michigan City has seen an explosion of new restaurants, including The Heron (522 Franklin St.) which thankfully has strayed from the usual New American/Italian playbook and instead focuses on French food. A great happy hour from 4-6 p.m. (even Fridays!) features $10 martinis and deeply discounted wine and beer.
Up the street is Rocco’s Tavern (827 Franklin St.) from the family who owns Cafe Farina next door and Farina’s Supper Club in Michiana. Rocco’s makes you feel like you’re in a Rush Street steakhouse.
Interior of Rocco’s Tavern in Michigan City, Ind.
A reservation-only 12-seat Lebanese restaurant, C.12, (132 E. 6th St.) just opened in the lower level of a 100-year-old Masonic Temple. It’s owned by longtime area restaurateur Momahed “Moe” Mroueh. Diners sit around a horseshoe-shaped counter with an open kitchen. There’s one seating a night, offering a prix-fixe tasting menu ($65).
Also below ground is The Nightingale (1108 Franklin St.), a moody spot with small lamp-lit tables, great old-school cocktails, and live music, mostly jazz and blues. It’s open only occasionally so check before you go.
Cellar Door (1901 Franklin St.) opened last year in an historic building that once housed Harmony Bar. Cellar Door is everything you want in a classic neighborhood tavern — friendly service, carved wooden bar, games (10-pin bowling! Vintage pinball!), patio — and then add good wine and creative food. The head bartender and chef came from the well-regarded Hummingbird Lounge in New Buffalo.
A few new shopping options have popped up in Michigan City, too: The Wren (410 Wabash St.), a gift shop with a focus on sustainable, natural products, is across from Lighthouse Place Outlet Mall. Abigail Hayden Interiors & Design (607 Franklin St.) is a charming shop in the Arts District, filled with home accessories and art, as well as the owner’s own line of upholstered furniture.
The Standard 1208 in Michigan City, Ind.
The Standard 1208 (1208 E. Second St. at U.S. 12), formerly called Unsalted No Sharks and located in downtown Michigan City, has opened in an old Standard Oil station across from Burn ’Em Brewing (1215 E. Second St.). In addition to cool gifts and souvenirs, The Standard serves Italian sub sandwiches, great for taking to the beach. A second location just opened in New Buffalo (19 N. Whittaker St.).
Michiana, Ind.
Miles from Chicago: 67
The bar at Tavern on Twelve in Michiana, Ind.
Heading north on Route 12, Swells: A Dive Bar (3201 U.S. 12), cooks up four kinds of pizza: tavern style, Detroit style, deep dish and hand-tossed (New York style) and manages to do it all extremely well. There are soups, salads and sandwiches, too. It’s the sort of place where groups come to watch their team on TV. A dive bar with Veuve Clicquot on the menu? Sign me up.
Just up the road is Tonelli’s Tavern on Twelve (3103 U.S. 12), from the owner of Michigan City’s popular Tonelli’s, which closed a few years ago. This property has hosted a few restaurants in recent years (Blind Pig, Trip’s Tree House), but Tonelli’s seems to have found a groove in its 12 months in business, serving up classic Italian red-sauce fare at decent prices.
New Buffalo and Union Pier, Mich.
Miles from Chicago: 70
Farmette, a provisions store on the outskirts of New Buffalo
Across the border in Michigan, you might think not much changes in the little towns along Red Arrow Highway save for the time change. But many new restaurants and shops have opened, and a couple of longtime favorites have shuttered.
Just past all the new cannabis dispensaries on Route 12 (some 18 or so with more on the way), Farmette (18439 U.S. 12) on the outskirts of New Buffalo has become an instant favorite, with an in-house bakery specializing in sourdough, a coffee and drinks bar, and specialty food shop with a well-stocked freezer and refrigerator case, as well as produce and flowers in season (much of it grown on site). The owner tended Rick Bayless’ garden in Chicago once upon a time.
New Buffalo is home to arguably the hottest restaurant along this coast: PostBoy (207 N. Whittaker St.), which opened in fall of 2024. Heading the kitchen is James Galbraith, who founded Benton Harbor’s foodie favorites Houndstooth and Anemel. Galbraith previously worked under Chicago chefs at Intro, Blackbird, Elske, S.K.Y., Bellemore, and Boka. There’s a hopping patio and indoor/outdoor bar; be sure to reserve ahead. This place gets jammed.
If you’re looking for food to take to your Airbnb or vacation home, Angela’s Provisions (225 N. Whittaker St.) has homemade soups, pastas, breakfast and lunch sandwiches and salads, made to order or stocked in the fridge/freezer case.
Bookshore in New Buffalo, Mich.
The perfect hostess gift for discerning hosts is at Bookshore, which features big, gorgeous art books meant for a coffee table — or any surface. It’s owned by the same family that runs the popular tourist draw Stray Dog restaurant.
Harbor Country’s biggest news lately was the closing of Greenbush Brewing Company in Sawyer, a popular spot for 12 years. But beer lovers have other options.
The newest of the lot, which opened last fall, is Mangata Beer Co. (15936 Red Arrow Highway) in Union Pier, a sister operation of the award-winning Transient Artisan Ales (4229 Lake St.) in Bridgman. This tasting room focuses on easy-drinking, lower-alcohol beers such as pilsners, lagers, saisons and Belgian ales, all created at Transient’s brewhouse.
Sawyer and Three Oaks, Mich.
Miles from Chicago: 80
Longstory, a restaurant in Three Oaks, Mich.
Fulcra Brewing Company (13400 Red Arrow Highway) opened last July in a two-room bungalow in Sawyer, the dream of two home brewers (one a Dark Matter Coffee alum.) Fulcra focuses on balanced, drinkable brews. A beer garden has just opened; look for live music, food trucks or restaurant pop-ups, the owners say.
Three Oaks saw the closing of its popular pizza take-out, Patellie’s, last winter. But while pizza lovers mourned the loss, the owners used the space to expand their wine and beer store. P.+E. Bottle Shop (28 N. Elm St.) now carries cheese, bread, crackers, olives and prepared food — all the stuff that goes great with wine. And speaking of wine, there’s now a much-expanded selection of wine and craft beer.
For breakfast or lunch, two Chicago transplants have reopened the popular Viola Cafe (102 N. Elm St.), which was closed for a few years. Along with their chef, former Chopping Block owner Shelley Young, they’ve put a Southern twist on it. Think po’ boys, beignets, meat loaf, greens, fried green tomatoes and mac ’n’ cheese alongside breakfast classics.
Three Oaks had not had a stylish dinner spot for dinner until recently, with the opening of Longstory (8 Maple St.) in December 2024. The restaurant has had some bumps, with chef changes and the like, but is popular with locals, who gather for happy hours and order from the New-American-with-an-accent menu of chicken shawarma, Tuscan kale salad, polenta torte, grilled fish, New York strip, roasted beets and more.
Inside the popular boutique Goods & Heroes (7 Maple St.), a former clearance room has become a store within a store, GH Yarn Haus, which specializes in natural fibers and holds knitting get-togethers and classes.
Dreihart Winery, a wine tasting room, in Three Oaks, Mich.
A small wine tasting room (capacity: 25) opened in spring 2025 just off Three Oaks’ main drag. Dreihart Winery (6 Linden St. E.) is an offshoot of 6 Linden, which sells local meat, produce, eggs and cheeses, along with imported pastas and such. Winemaker Gottfried Hart, a charming man with a few stories to tell, is usually pouring. A former co-owner of Hickory Creek Winery in Buchanan, he’s one of several area winemakers who understands that Michigan can produce dry, complex wines similar to those from Austria and his native Germany. Grab some smoked trout rillette to pair with your wine.
Jan Parr, a former Chicago journalist, lives in the middle of the Indiana Dunes, in Beverly Shores. She writes about local happenings at DunesDiva.com.
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