Indiana

Nick Saban gives thoughts on Kalen DeBoer, Alabama’s blowout loss to Indiana

Published

2 weeks ago

January 7, 2026

Nick Saban gives thoughts on Kalen DeBoer, Alabama’s blowout loss to Indiana

Nick Saban had a chance to weigh in on the state of Alabama football after 2025 on Wednesday on the Pat McAfee Show.

McAfee questioned whether Alabama should have hired a Saban disciple to replace him considering all four coaches left in the playoff once worked for Saban at Alabama.

“I think if somebody was available, I’m not sure anybody was available that they could have maybe gotten to come here,” Saban said. “I do think that Kalen DeBoer is a really good coach and doing a good job here.”

Saban highlighted the “tough transition” DeBoer underwent with all of the players coming and going.

“So that’s a lot to overcome for anybody,” Saban said. “It would have been a lot to overcome for even for one of the guys that formerly coached for me.”

Saban then said he “fully supports” Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne, what he’s done and how the administrator has done it.

“I’m hoping they get the ship going in the right direction here,” Saban said. “It’s not bad to get in the playoffs and finish you know in the final eight, but not the expectation around here, which is tough to live up to sometimes.”

During his appearance on McAfee, Saban also talked some about Indiana and what the Hoosiers did to beat Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bow.

“Indiana man, I mean they were impressive in the game,” Saban said. “Not that Alabama played great, and they made some mistakes early on that hurt them … These cats, man. Everybody talks about their offense. They’ve got some dawgs on defense now. These guys play hard, they play fast, they play together, they don’t make a lot of mental mistakes. They’re well coached. They fit the runs. This pop they put on Ty (Simpson) right here. …. Incredible the job they’ve done at Indiana. Curt Cig has done a fantastic job there.”

Source link

Indiana

Bailey’s 22 help Southern Indiana beat Western Illinois 96-64

Published

52 minutes ago

January 24, 2026

Press Room

Bailey’s 22 help Southern Indiana beat Western Illinois 96-64

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Cardell Bailey scored 22 points as Southern Indiana beat Western Illinois 96-64 on Friday.

Bailey added seven rebounds and four steals for the Screaming Eagles (5-15, 2-8 Ohio Valley Conference). Steven Clay scored 16 points, shooting 5 for 6 (3 for 4 from 3-point range) and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line. Tolu Samuels had 14 points and finished 6 of 8 from the field.

The Leathernecks (4-17, 0-10) were led by Isaiah Griffin, who recorded 13 points. Goanar Biliew added 10 points and three steals.

The loss was the Leathernecks’ 10th in a row.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Source link

Indiana

Indiana basketball snaps losing streak as Tucker DeVries leads way at Rutgers

Published

13 hours ago

January 23, 2026

Press Room

Indiana basketball snaps losing streak as Tucker DeVries leads way at Rutgers

Indiana men’s basketball defeated Rutgers 82-59, ending a four-game losing streak.
Three Hoosiers scored over 20 points, including Lamar Wilkerson with 27.
The victory was Indiana’s first win at Rutgers since February 2018.

Indiana men’s basketball knocked down 15 3-pointers to beat Rutgers 82-59 to snap a four-game losing skid. It was Indiana’s fist win at Rutgers in nearly eight years, dating back to Feb. 5, 2018.

Indiana had three players with 20 or more points: Lamar Wilkerson finished with 27, Nick Dorn had 23, and Tucker DeVries finished with 22.

Indiana is now 13-7 and 4-5 in conference play.

Here are three observations:

IU basketball breaks four-game losing streak

Indiana couldn’t convert on four straight Quad 1 opportunities, but it won the game it needed to on the road in Piscataway, New Jersey.

The Hoosiers finally broke a four-game losing streak with its win over Rutgers, but it won’t do too much to improve its NCAA tournament resume. Rutgers, at No. 153 in the NET rankings, will be a Quad 3 win for the Hoosiers. Indiana, sitting at No. 38 in the NET, is 0-6 in Quad 1 games, 1-1 in Quad 2, 5-0 in Quad 3, and 7-0 in Quad 4.

Indiana will have another Quad 1 opportunity Tuesday as it hosts Purdue (No. 5 NET) at Assembly Hall.

Tucker DeVries finds rhythm after extended shooting slump

After an extended shooting slump that dated back to the beginning of Big Ten play, senior forward DeVries has started to find a rhythm.

DeVries, who had been averaging fewer than 10 points per game in conference play, scored 16 first-half points on 4-of-6 3-point shooting against the Scarlet Knights (9-11, 2-7) on Friday night to find some confidence again.

He found that 3-point shooting touch he’s been missing for most of the conference season, shooting 4-of-12 from beyond the arc, and commanded the glass with 10 rebounds. He finished the game with 22 points on 9-of-20 shooting from the field.

Nick Dorn makes splash in starting lineup

With Tayton Conerway limited because of an ankle injury, Dorn got the call to the starting lineup against Rutgers.

And he made the most of it.

Dorn, who averages 7.2 points per game, rejuvenated the Hoosiers’ 3-point shooting against Rutgers. He knocked down six 3-pointers for 23 points, becoming Indiana’s second-leading scorer of the night behind Wilkerson’s 27 points.

Conerway came off the bench for the Hoosiers, playing limited minutes as he continues to recover from an ankle injury he suffered against Iowa last week. Conerway played 16 minutes, scoring six points on 2-of-3 shooting.

Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.

Source link

Indiana

Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza declares for 2026 NFL draft; what it means

Published

1 day ago

January 23, 2026

Press Room

Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza declares for 2026 NFL draft; what it means

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football quarterback Fernando Mendoza declared for the 2026 NFL Draft on Friday morning.

He made the announcement with a video on his Instagram account.

“Coming to Indiana was a leap of faith, a leap that led me to go 16-0 with my boys and a national championship,” Mendoza said. “And has now led me here, the moment where I get to dream bigger. Thank you to my family, the teammates that pushed me, the coaches that took a chance on me, it’s only with your support and the glory of God that I’m here today. With trust in my foundation and gratitude for every person that has helped me reach this moment. I’m ready to take the next step.”

“My LinkedIn status is now, open to work, and I’m officially declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft.”

Mendoza spent just 12 months on IU’s campus, but he built a lasting legacy while wearing the crimson and cream. His dive across the goal line on fourth down in the CFP title game was one of the all-time great moments in school history.

It was just the latest clutch play he made in a season full of them while leading the Hoosiers to a perfect season.

Buy IU championship books, newspapers

The ones he made leading up to Indiana’s 27-21 win over Miami helped him become the school’s first Heisman winner. He won the award in a landslide by beating out Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin for the honor.

Mendoza also won the Walter Camp Award, Maxwell Award and Davey O’Brien Award and earned top honors in the Big Ten (Offensive Player of the Year and Quarterback of the Year).

He finished the season with 3,535 passing yards and 48 touchdowns with 41 of them coming through the air. He came close to setting single season records in all three categories, but fell short of Nate Sudfeld’s 3,573 yards.

That success catapulted him to the top of draft boards and made Friday’s announcement all but a formality. The Hoosiers already lined up his replacement by landing former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover out of the transfer portal.

Hoover will have big shoes to fill with Mendoza proving just as popular off the field in Bloomington as he was on it.

He was a very public presence, from dining out in the city on a weekly basis to partnering with local establishments to raise funds for the MS Society. The cause was a personal one for Mendoza with his mother, Elsa, battling the disease.

She inspired the positive outlook that he displayed in his interviews throughout the season that regularly went viral.

“Fernando never ceases to amaze me, he’s so deep, he’s so intelligent, he’s such a good and caring, giving person,” Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti said earlier this season. “He’ll be a huge success in anything he decides to do one day when football ends. He’s just a special, unique person. And it’s all real.”

What were Indiana football QB Fernando Mendoza stats in 2025?

Mendoza threw for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns to six interceptions while completing 72% of his pass attempts. He finished the season with the highest quarterback rating (182.9) in the country.

According to Pro Football Focus, he completed 29 passes of 20-yards or more through the air for 955 yards with 11 touchdowns.

Who will start at quarterback for Indiana football in 2026?

Barring something unforeseen, Hoover will be QB1. There was room for a little intrigue if Alberto Mendoza stuck around, but he entered the transfer portal on Tuesday morning and has since signed with Georgia Tech. His departure will likely force IU to search the transfer portal to land a backup with experience.

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.

Source link