Indiana
Spurs vs Pacers NBA game today live. Latest scores, highlights, stats, expert prediction
The Indiana Pacers (24-19) will face the San Antonio Spurs (19-22) in Paris in the first of two games. These are two winnable games with the Pacers now just a game out of fourth in the Eastern Conference.
The Spurs are, of course, led by Frenchman Victor Wembanyama (24.4 ppg, 35.4% on 3s, 10.8 rpg, 4.0 bpg), the reason the games are being played in Paris. His improved supporting cast includes Devin Vassell (16.3 ppg, 36.6% on 3s, 3.1 apg), Chris Paul (9.6 ppg, 36.5% on 3s, 8.2 apg), Harrison Barnes (11.1 ppg, 40.5% on 3s) and rookie Stephen Castle (11.6 ppg). Follow along here for updates throughout the game:
The Pacers showing some signs of life even though it’s not likely to matter. Bennedict Mathurin just threw down a dunk off an Andrew Nembhard steal. Myles Turner has a 3. The Pacers are up 7-2 so far. But they have to maintain this pace for 12 minutes.
Wembanyama finished a put-back to end an absurd third quarter for the Spurs. They outscored the Pacers 45-23. Spurs were 17 of 23 from the field, 7 of 10 from 3, 4 of 4 at the line for a ridiculous 1.89 points per possession. Pacers were 8 of 23, 2 of 7 from 3, 5 of 6 from the line for 0.90 points per possession. And the Spurs have pretty much put this one out of reach.
The Spurs are up 34-21 in the third. They’ve been up by as many as 20. Been a pretty brutal defensive effort in the third for the Pacers. San Antonio is 12 of 16 from the field for the period and 6 of 8 from 3 and 4 of 4 from the line for 1.81 points per possession.
A Tre Jones fast-break layup and a Keldon Johnson 3-pointer have the Spurs continuing to roll in the third The Spurs have 25 points in just over seven minutes. An absurdly efficient start.
The Spurs built a lead as big as 13 points before the Pacers finally pushed back with a dunk and a reverse layup from Bennedict Mathurin. Still, the Pacers haven’t had any answers for the Spurs on defense and for Victor Wembanyama in particular. The Spurs are 7 of 10 from the floor this quarter, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range for 2.02 points per possession which obviously is a huge, huge problem for the Pacers.
The Pacers just gave up another easy putback with Harrison Barnes all alone on an offensive rebound so Rick Carlisle called timeout. The Spurs are up 12-7 to start the third and now they have their biggest lead of the game. Barnes is 3 of 3 from the floor this quarter and the Spurs are 4 of 5.
Neither team had a lead bigger than five points in the first half but the Spurs take the lead at the break with a bucket by Devin Vassell. The Pacers don’t have a lot of room for error with Wembanyama on the floor but they have allowed a few too many shots around the rim for their liking.
At the break, the Pacers are 23 of 50 from the floor, 7 of 23 from 3-point range and 4 of 4 from the line for 1.10 points per possession. The Spurs are 26 of 48 from the floor, 8 of 20 from 3 with no free throws for 1.15 points per possession. Tyrese Haliburton and Obi Toppin have 11 points each and Bennedict Mathurin has 10 to lead the Pacers. Pascal Siakam has nine. Victor Wembanyama leads the Spurs with 15 points. Devin Vassell has 14.
The Spurs are up 23-19 in the glass and it’s not just Wembanyama who’s making it happen, so Rick Carlisle just called timeout after a Keldon Johnson putback to make the point that it’s not so much acceptable.
The Spurs rally back and they’re getting some easy buckets at the rim. They’re up to 20 points in the paint so far and it’s not just Wembanyama getting it done, though Wembanyama is up to 15 points already.
Even with Wembanyama on the floor the Pacers got three buckets at the rim to start the second quarter. T.J. McConnell got a clean layup on a give-and-go, Pascal Siakam scored on a putback and Siakam found Bennedict Mathurin for a dunk in transition. Good start there.
The Pacers need to win the non-Wembanyama minutes by a lot because he just changes so much of what an opponent can do on offense. They won those minutes in this case but not by a whole lot and Wembanyama stepped back on to the floor just before the end of the first quarter to get the Spurs the lead back.
Obi Toppin hit three big 3s to get the Pacers on track, though, and at the end of one, they are 11 of 27 from the floor, 5 of 13 from 3 and 2 of 2 at the line for 1.08 points per possession. The Spurs are 13 of 27, 4 of 12 from 3 with no turnovers for 1.07 points per possession. Wembanyama has 10 points already.
Victor Wembanyama just engineered a 7-0 run almost entirely by himself. T.J. McConnell cut under the basket for what should’ve been an easy layup and would’ve been against anyone else, but he rushed the shot and Wembanyama kinda altered it and got the rebound. On the other end Wembanyama hit a 3. Myles Turner rushed a 3 a little and missed and then Wembanyama threw down a dunk. Bennedict Mathurin forced a pass into traffic with Wembanyama on him and then Wembanyama threw a lob into Stephon Castle that Castle turned into a layup.
Both teams started slow in terms of shooting the ball, but Pascal Siakam is finding a rhythm and is 3 of 3 from the floor. Tyrese Haliburton also has a 3. Victor Wembanyama is proving just as much of a deterrent as you would expect and he blocked a Myles Turner dunk attempt from behind. He also just hit a deep 2 reminding everyone of his range. But the Pacers are 5 of 10 so far against the 4 of 8 Spurs.
Pacers
PG — Tyrese Haliburton
SG — Andrew Nembhard
SF — Bennedict Mathurin
PF — Pascal Siakam
C — Myles Turner
Spurs
PG — Chris Paul
SG — Devin Vassell
SF — Stephon Castle
PF — Harrison Barnes
C — Victor Wembanyama
Both teams have fairly clean injury report. The Pacers’ is clean except for Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman being out long-term with their Achilles tendon tears. Spurs wing Jeremy Sochan was questionable with a bilateral lumbar spine bone bruise, but he’s available.
2 p.m. ET Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, at Accor Arena in Paris, France.
Dustin Dopirak, IndyStar: Spurs 117-110 on Thursday; Pacers 122-112 on Saturday
The Pacers split their games against Victor Wembanyama last season, so the guess here is that will happen again. The Pacers’ roster is significantly deeper, but Wembanyama’s size and skill change games. He could be more dominant with a better supporting cast — the Spurs have lost three straight and six of their last seven — but the Pacers rely heavily on scoring inside, and Wembanyama makes that much more difficult. The Pacers will need to make the most out of the minutes Wembanyama is off the floor.
via BetMGM
Favorite: Pacers by 2.5 points
Over/under: 230.5 total points
Moneyline: Pacers -155, Spurs +125
ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Pacers a 58.6% chance of winning on Thursday.
FanDuel Sports Network, with Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analysis) and Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporting).
Watch games on FanDuel Sports Network and ESPN with Fubo, which offers a free trial. Watch games on TNT with Sling TV.
Radio: 93.5, 107.5 FM in Indianapolis, with Mark Boyle (play-by-play)
January
Thur., Jan. 2: W, Pacers 128, Miami 115
Sat., Jan. 4: W, Pacers 126, Phoenix 106
Mon., Jan. 6: W, Pacers 113, Brooklyn 99
Wed., Jan. 8: W, Pacers 129, Chicago 113.
Fri., Jan. 10: W, Pacers 108, Golden State 96
Sun., Jan. 12: W, Pacers 108, Cleveland 93
Tue., Jan. 14: L, Cleveland 127, Pacers 113
Thur., Jan. 16: W, Pacers 111, Detroit 100
Sat., Jan. 18: W, Pacers 115, Philadelphia 102
Thur., Jan. 23, vs. San Antonio (in Paris), 2 p.m., NBA TV
Sat., Jan. 25, at San Antonio (in Paris), noon, ESPN
Wed., Jan. 29, vs. Detroit, 7 p.m.
February
Sat., Feb. 1, vs. Atlanta, 5 p.m.
Mon., Feb. 3, at Utah, 9 p.m.
Tue., Feb. 4, at Portland, 10 p.m.
Thur., Feb. 6, at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 8, at L.A. Lakers, 4 p.m.
Tue., Feb. 11, New York, 7:30 p.m., TNT
Wed., Feb. 12, at Washington, 7 p.m.
Thur., Feb. 20, vs. Memphis, 7 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 23, vs. L.A. Clippers, 5 p.m.
Mon., Feb. 24, vs. Denver, 7 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 26, vs. Toronto, 7 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 28, at Miami, 8 p.m.
March
Sun., March 2, vs. Chicago, 5 p.m.
Tue., March 4, vs. Houston, 7 p.m.
Thur., March 6, at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., March 8, at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
Mon., March 10, at Chicago, 8 p.m.
Tue., March 11, vs. Milwaukee 7 p.m., TNT
Fri., March 14, at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Sat., March 15, at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
Mon., March 17, at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Wed., March 19, vs. Dallas, 7 p.m.
Thur., March 20, vs. Brooklyn, 7 p.m., NBA TV
Sat., March 22, vs. Brooklyn, 5 p.m.
Mon., March 24, vs. Minnesota, 7 p.m.
Wed., March 26, vs. L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Thur., March 27, at Washington, 7 p.m.
Sat., March 29, at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.
Mon., March 31, vs. Sacramento, 7 p.m.
April
Wed., April 2, vs. Charlotte, 7 p.m.
Fri., April 4, vs. Utah, 7 p.m.
Sun., April 6, at Denver, 8 p.m.
Tue., April 8, vs. Washington, 7 p.m.
Thur., April 10, vs. Cleveland, 7 p.m., TNT
Fri., April 11, vs. Orlando, 7 p.m.
Sun., April 13, at Cleveland, 1 p.m.
October
Wed., Oct. 23: W, Pacers 115, Detroit 109
Fri., Oct. 25: L, New York 123, Pacers 98
Sun., Oct. 27, L, Philadelphia 118, Pacers 114
Mon., Oct. 28, L, Orlando 119, Pacers 115
Wed., Oct. 30, W, Pacers 135, Boston 132
November
Fri., Nov. 1: L, New Orleans 125, Pacers 118
Mon., Nov. 4: W, Pacers 134, Dallas 127
Wed., Nov. 6: W, Pacers 118, Orlando 111
Fri., Nov. 8, L, Charlotte 103, Pacers 83
Sun., Nov. 10: W, Pacers 132, New York 121
Wed., Nov. 13: Orlando 94, Pacers 90
*-Fri., Nov. 15: L, Miami 124, Pacers 111
Sun., Nov. 17: W, Pacers 119, Miami 110
Mon., Nov. 18: L, Toronto 130, Pacers 119
Wed., Nov. 20: L, Houston 130, Pacers 113
*-Fri., Nov. 22: L, Milwaukee 129, Pacers 117
Sun., Nov. 24: W, Pacers 115, Washington 103
Mon., Nov. 25: W, Pacers 114, New Orleans 110
Wed., Nov. 27: W, Pacers 121, Portland 114
*-Fri., Nov. 29: L, Detroit 130, Pacers 106
December
Sun., Dec. 1: L, Memphis 136, Pacers 121
*-Tue., Dec. 3: L, Toronto 122, Pacers 111
Wed., Dec. 4: L, Brooklyn 99, Pacers 90
Fri., Dec. 6: W, Pacers 132, Chicago 123
Sun., Dec. 8: L, Charlotte 113, Pacers 109
Fri., Dec. 13: W, Pacers 121, Philadelphia 107
Sun., Dec. 15: W, Pacers 119, New Orleans 104
Thur., Dec. 19: W, Pacers 120, Phoenix 111
Sun., Dec. 22: W, Pacers 122, Sacramento 95
Mon., Dec. 23: W, Pacers 111, Golden State 105
Thu., Dec. 26: L, Oklahoma City 120, Pacers 114
Fri., Dec. 27: L, Boston 142, Pacers 105
Sun., Dec. 29: W, Pacers 123, Boston 114
Tue., Dec. 31: L, Milwaukee 120, Pacers 112
Indiana
Rematch history in CFP and BCS favors Oregon vs. Indiana in Peach Bowl
Oregon struggles to match Indiana’s dominant defensive front
Oregon must control the line of scrimmage to have any hope against Indiana’s dominant front.
The College Football Playoff national semifinal at the Peach Bowl marks a rematch of No. 1 seed Indiana’s 30-20 win against No. 5 Oregon in October, the first of several results this year that have left the Hoosiers knocking on the door of a historic and unbeaten season.
With two more wins, Indiana would become the first 16-0 national champion since Yale in 1894. But in order to make history, the Hoosiers will need to reverse some recent history.
Since the 1996 season, there have been seven regular-season rematches in the College Football Playoff and in national championship games played under the two previous postseason formats, the Bowl Championship Series and the Bowl Alliance. Four of these pairings have occurred since the playoff expanded last season.
Surprisingly, all but one of these games have seen the loser from the regular season rebound to win the rematch. This could be a coincidence. At a minimum, though, this trend shows the difficulties in defeating an elite opponent twice in under a four-month span.
The Hoosiers look to buck that recent history. Here’s a look back at these rematches and what they might suggest about the Peach Bowl:
Ole Miss vs. Georgia, 2025
Results: Georgia 43-35, Ole Miss 39-34.
Ole Miss led Georgia in the second half when the two met in October but coughed up a lead for its one and only loss on the year. The two SEC rivals met again in the Sugar Bowl earlier this month, with the Rebels pulling out the win on a late field goal. Unlike during the regular season, Ole Miss landed a big game from Trinidad Chambliss and did much better running the ball, indicating how teams can strategize by looking back and evaluating the previous matchup.
Ole Miss vs. Tulane, 2025
Results: Ole Miss 45-10, Ole Miss 41-10.
Here’s the one outlier. The Rebels stampeded over Tulane at home in September and then did the same in the opening round. The one difference: Lane Kiffin was the head coach for the first game and Pete Golding for the second. In this case, a significant edge in talent was the biggest factor in helping Ole Miss defy recent history.
Oklahoma vs. Alabama, 2025
Results: Oklahoma 23-21, Alabama 34-24.
Again, an SEC rematch that reversed the regular-season result. Oklahoma’s win in November sparked its run to the playoff. That seemed to carry over to the opening round, when the Sooners stormed out to a 17-0 lead. But the Tide crawled back to tie for the biggest comeback in playoff history.
Oregon vs. Ohio State, 2024
Results: Oregon 32-31, Ohio State 41-21.
Oregon narrowly pulled out the win in Autzen Stadium and then went on to post a perfect regular season, earning the top seed in the debut of the expanded playoff. But in the Rose Bowl the Ducks ran into a buzzsaw in the Buckeyes, who stormed out to a 34-0 late in the second quarter and won going away. A year later, Oregon hopes to follow Ohio State’s blueprint and score the upset against the unbeaten Big Ten champs.
Alabama vs. Georgia, 2021
Results: Alabama 42-24, Georgia 33-18.
The Tide knocked off then-unbeaten Georgia in the SEC championship game behind 421 yards and three touchdowns from quarterback Bryce Young. That landed Alabama in the four-team playoff as the No. 1 seed, while Georgia slotted in at No. 3. The pair met in the championship game after beating Cincinnati and Michigan, respectively, and the Bulldogs would hold Young to 6.5 yards per throw and make two picks to take the first of back-to-back titles.
LSU vs. Alabama, 2011
Results: LSU 9-6, Alabama 21-0
The Tigers’ overtime win during the regular season was about as ugly as the score suggests with five field goals being the only scores. The rematch in the title game about two months later wasn’t any better. Alabama’s defense barely allowed LSU to cross midfield in this second meeting to win the second of Nick Saban’s six titles in Tuscaloosa.
Results: Florida State 24-21, Florida 52-20.
No other rematch has come within such a short time frame. FSU topped Florida on Nov. 30 to end the regular season and drew the immediate rematch in the Sugar Bowl, which was designated as the championship game in the Bowl Alliance format, because then-No. 2 Arizona State was obligated to face No. 4 Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. This time, Steve Spurrier’s Gators bombarded the Seminoles to capture the first national title in program history with the Sun Devils falling to the Buckeyes.
Indiana
Peach Bowl Ticket Prices Skyrocket Ahead of Oregon and Indiana Rematch
As the No. 5 Oregon Ducks prepare to face off against the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers with a bid to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on the line, ticket prices for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Mercedez-Benz Stadium have increased.
Though Duck fans were outnumbered in the previous playoff quarterfinal against Texas Tech at the Orange Bowl in Miami, a Big Ten rematch might drum up more fans wearing green at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
That increase in visiting fans, plus the importance of this game, can be seen through the surging prices for tickets on event websites.
Current Prices for Peach Bowl Tickets
The cheapest tickets to get into the Peach Bowl start at standing room only, with a $166.50 price from Ticketmaster and a $178 price on StubHub.
This total for standing room has decreased since allotment tickets sold out on Monday, with Oregon Ducks on Sports Illustrated reporting $184 for standing-room only on StubHub.
Seats behind both teams’ benches have almost the same amount of seats still open, with the cheapest ticket behind the Ducks’ bench sit around the club 130 section in row 34 for $628.32 on StubHub. Ticketmaster has a $638 price tag per ticket in the same section a few rows up, which the website states is discounted from an over $1,000 original resale listing.
The most affordable sections according to both websites is the upper decks with sections 342 through 350 on the Oregon bench side selling in the $250-$300 range a piece. The highest-priced ticket, according to Ticketmaster, sits on the side of the Indiana bench in section 110 in the club, with a price of $4,760. However, there are several club level tickets with price tags well over a grand.
Oregon’s Ticket Allotment Sold Out Early
At the beginning of the week, the allotted tickets for Oregon fans to the Peach Bowl had officially sold out through the Oregon Athletic Department. According to the Peach Bowl, this is the 26th time the game has sold out of initial ticket inventory in it’s last 29 kickoffs.
MORE: Oregon Fans Won’t Like Dante Moore’s New Projected NFL Team
MORE: Oregon Ducks’ Peach Bowl Uniforms Make History
MORE: Oregon Ducks Get Jay Harris Update From New Injury Report
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Comparing Peach Bowl Tickets to Oregon’s Other Playoff Games
In terms of ticket prices, the Peach Bowl turnout likely will become the most expensive postseason game for Oregon this season. For the Orange Bowl in Miami, Vivid Seats reported that the get-in price dropped to $39 a ticket.
The Oregon crowd for that showdown was roughly 25 percent compared to 75 percent Texas Tech fans, with many empty seats seen throughout Hard Rock Stadium. Furthermore, the lowest cost for tickets in terms of Oregon’s first round playoff game against James Madison at Autzen Stadium also reached around $50 with only a few hours before kickoff.
The Hoosiers and the Ducks will kickoff at 4:30 p.m. PT from Mercedenz-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Indiana
An Indiana secret: Someone has sprinkled holy water during championship run
Indiana football: Holy water sprinkled at Big Ten championship, Rose Bowl
Watch Indiana grad sprinkle Bloomington holy water before Big Ten title, Rose Bowl
When photographer Garrett Ewald flew in from New York for the Big Ten Football championship at Lucas Oil Stadium, he had no plans of pouring an 8-ounce bottle of holy water onto the Indiana end zone, water pumped from a well at a Catholic retreat center in Bloomington where the liquid has long been touted as having spiritual and healing properties.
He, admittedly, was a tad nervous that “someone might tackle me and call Homeland Security or something” as he nonchalantly sprinkled the holy water on Indiana football’s sideline and end zone before they took on Ohio State.
But his heart got the best of him. His roots got the best of him; he’s an IU grad. The idea of that water got the best of him. “What the hell?” said Ewald, who was on the field to shoot photos for The Bloomingtonian. “You never know.”
Earlier that day, Ewald had visited Mother of the Redeemer Retreat Center a few miles west of Bloomington, located on a hilly, lush green, peaceful property where people have gathered to pray, to heal and to attend retreats for more than 30 years.
Ewald was brought there by his friend and longtime IU senior associate athletics director Harold Mauro, whose grandchild is buried on the property. For years, Mauro has been devoted to the center, doing maintenance and upkeep at the place he and those who love it call “the farm.”
Mauro not only spent 22 years as athletics administrator at IU, he played football for IU the last time the team made the Rose Bowl in 1968. He was a part of nine of IU’s 10 bowl games as a player, assistant coach or administrator.
“And so we were there with Harold visiting. My other friends were maybe a little bit more religious than I am, but I went with an open mind and was happy to see how much joy it brought to Harold,” Ewald said. “He mentioned in passing how the well on the property has had some moderately documented examples of miraculous healing. And he insisted on giving us (water), so he gave us a little plastic jug of water when we left.”
At some point on his drive to Lucas Oil Stadium from the farm, Ewald had an idea. “I said, ‘You know, I’ll bring some in and I’ll sprinkle it on the field.’” He dumped out an 8-ounce bottle of regular water, put the holy water in its place and made his move.
“I was trying to be a little bit surreptitious, so I walked holding the bottle in one hand, the lid just slightly open, and then my other hand had my cellphone,” he said. “I just kind of walked down behind the bench, dribbling water out as I went. And then I walked across the Indiana end zone as well, sprinkling the rest of the water as I went. And I let Harold know that I had done it, and he was like, ‘That’s great.’”
Mauro didn’t ask him to do it, but Ewald thought it would make him happy.
Then, Ohio State missed that 27-yard field goal wide left with less than 3 minutes to play, which could have tied the game 13-13. It was missed it in the end zone where Ewald had sprinkled the water.
IU walked away with its first outright Big Ten championship since 1945.
Of course, as faith usually goes, no one had any proof that water had done anything. Few even knew of Ewald’s sprinkling. But those who did, and those who believed, were all in on making sure that water followed IU as far as their magical football playoff run took them.
They made sure the holy water from the farm was in Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. And it will be there Friday for the Peach Bowl.
And should IU make it to the national championship, the holy water will flow there as well.
PERFECT! Buy this IU football championship book
‘Our Lady was like the 12th man on the field’
Fr. Terrance Chartier didn’t find out the water from his farm had blessed the IU portion of Lucas Oil’s field until after the game when Mauro’s wife sent him a video of Ewald pouring it out at the stadium.
“And I thought of Our Lady as like the 12th man on the field,” said Chartier, a priest with the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, who is stationed at the Mother of the Redeemer Retreat Center. “I thought she was there, especially with the field goal. Indoors, no wind, no rain, 27-yard field goal.
“I watched almost in disbelief as the kicker totally missed. I noted afterwards that the kicker was kicking into the same end zone with Indiana’s name on it, same end zone where Indiana had scored their touchdown in the third quarter and the same end zone that I saw Harold’s friend sprinkling the farm water in that video.”
Chartier scrapped the homily he had prepared on habits for the following Sunday morning and replaced it with an IU football-themed homily instead, which explained more about the water on his farm and what had happened in Indianapolis the weekend before.
“For those of you who don’t know, the water from the well here at the farm has reportedly been the cause of a number of miraculous cures,” Chartier said in his homily.
One of the biggest and most recent happened in January 2024 when Eric Johnson of New Albany, who had been suffering from a neuromuscular disease for nearly eight years and had a permanent disability, started drinking the water.
“He was actually cured of it after drinking water from the farm,” Chartier said. “His neurologist told him that there was no medical or scientific explanation for his cure.”
Chartier points to a number of similar stories regarding the farm water, including a spiritual directee of his in Norway who drank the water and believes she was cured of her lymphoma because of it. There are dozens of other, smaller, cures the water has brought to people, including cataracts, aches and pain and emotional distress.
“So, I knew the farm water and I knew it’s holy and I believe it was given by God to help heal people. But to help IU win the Big Ten championship? I hadn’t thought about that,” Chartier said.
But then he started thinking about Mauro, who has been so faithful to the farm, about his ties with IU and the fact that he is the one who gave Ewald the water, never expecting it would be used for IU football.
“I think she gave that victory last Saturday to Harold as an early Christmas gift, to thank him for his faithfulness and for all the good that he’s done for the farm,” Chartier said in his homily. “And I think she gave the victory also as a gift to her other son, the IU quarterback [Fernando Mendoza], who is a very faithful Catholic, too. And even as a gift to her other faithful children who were on the team.
“So may she, our lady of victories, continue to grant us all the spiritual victories that we need in this life, and even some of those other victories which are a sign and an encouragement to us, her children.”
Why is the water at Mother of the Redeemer considered holy?
Jim and Ruth Ann Wade, both longtime educators in Bloomington’s public schools, made way for the retreat center in 1993 when they gave up their home and farm, and dedicated it for Mother of the Redeemer.
Ruth Ann is a locutionist, Chartier said, someone who hears directly from the Lord and from Mary, the mother of Jesus.
“And that was one of the first things that they had asked for, that the farm would be turned into a retreat center,” he said. “And she was told, among other things, that the water on the property is holy and it could be used for blessing people and healings as well.”
But not all the water on the property is holy, only the water that flows from the green pump.
“The Lord Jesus told Ruth Ann that all the water under the original 40 acres, green pump only, is holy water and blessed by God and it has healing powers which God uses as an instrument of healing if he so chooses,” according to Mother of the Redeemer. “This pump is the only pump on the land that comes directly from the natural waters. Other water on the property is city water. Simply put, yes it is holy water blessed by God and by a priest.”
The water comes from a well located at the bottom of the hill on the property next to the Wades’ home. People travel from all over to get jugs of the water, which volunteers at the center pump. Visitors are also welcome to pump their own water and, after Chartier’s homily, there’s been quite an uptick in travelers to the well.
As for Ewald, he is making sure a bit of that water ends up on IU’s end zone for the rest of the season.
He made it happen at the Rose Bowl, albeit, he only had about two tablespoons to sprinkle. That water was brought from Mother of the Redeemer by a priest close with Mendoza and other players on the team.
Fr. Patrick Hyde, a Dominican priest and pastor of the St. Paul Catholic Center, held a private mass for players in Pasadena the night before the Rose Bowl. Mendoza, a devout Catholic, credited Hyde and the center for supporting his faith when he won the Heisman trophy.
Ewald met Hyde that night (the priest was wearing an IU sweatshirt and backpack) to secure the water.
“It was a little tiny bottle. They were nervous about how much they could bring, so it was like maybe a couple tablespoons of water,” Ewald said. “So I was a little bit more judicious in my sprinklings to make it last.” That meant no sprinkling on the sideline by the Indiana bench, just on its end zone.
“And we had so much rain,” Ewald said. “I was kind of like, you know, theoretically, it was getting diluted by all the rainwater.” But IU won, so it seemed to work.
Father Hyde will bring Ewald more water Friday night in Atlanta and the IU grad from the 1980s and one of the most veteran photographers of IU football will do his thing again.
Ewald’s just worried about one minor issue: This story will be published before the Peach Bowl.
“Well, hopefully they won’t detain me when I come in,” he said, “saying, ‘You’re the guy who’s been sprinkling water on our fields, damn it.’”
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.
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