Indiana
Todd’s Take: Returning Hoosiers Make The Best First Impression For Indiana
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. On Wednesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, the new players on Indiana’s roster had an uneven start in the Hoosiers’ season opener against Southern Illinois-Edwardville.
Indiana won 80-61 over the pesky Cougars, but it was a difficult road at times and the new Hoosiers were part of the reason why.
Myles Rice? He got better as the game went along, with seven of his 11 points scored in the second half, but the sophomore had 5 turnovers and sometimes forced the issue on his dribble-drives.
Oumar Ballo? He had an impressive final stat line: 15 points, six rebounds and he was 6 of 10 from the field, but it’s a bit misleading. He scored four of his six buckets in the final 7:22 of the game. By then, Indiana had finally put itself out of SIU-E’s range. Ballo also had four turnovers and he played a part in SIU-Edwardsville’s 16 offensive rebounds.
Kanaan Carlyle? He had a good floor game (6 rebounds, 3 assists), but not a good day on the scoresheet. He was 0 for 4 from the field.
Luke Goode? The designated sharpshooter for the Hoosiers was 0-for-3, including two misses from long range.
Bryson Tucker? He’s a freshman playing his first college game that counts and he looked it on both ends of the floor. No sin in that. Most freshman start the way.
It was all a bit underwhelming from Indiana’s new Hoosiers. Even coach Mike Woodson, without specifically singling out the new players, said the offensive display wasn’t what he expected.
“I do know we can score the basketball. Certain guys haven’t really made shots like I thought they would. They’ll start falling eventually,” said Woodson on the Hoosiers’ offensive identity.
Indiana’s infusion of talent was supposed to carry the Hoosiers to Big Ten dominance. One game against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville isn’t going to determine one way or another whether that will happen or not, but it wasn’t the flashy start for the Indiana newbies that many hoped it would be.
Overreactions are rampant after the first game of the season, but all fans have after one game is a first impression, so if concerns crop up, they’re magnified.
In the end, the newbies’ struggles didn’t matter. That’s because the players that Indiana fans have already familiarized themselves with carried the day.
No one was better than sophomore Mackenzie Mgbako. The man many thought would be a one-and-done for the Hoosiers is back and Indiana is very grateful that he returned.
He scored a career-high 31 points, including 19 in the first half when Indiana struggled to keep SIU-E at bay. He was 8 of 10 from the field before halftime and added five rebounds.
It was a bravado performance – the kind that impatient Hoosiers fans wanted early in the 2023-24 season, but had to wait until the last third of the 2024 season to witness from the New Jersey native.
Junior Malik Reneau also demonstrated that he’s ready to continue his progression. Reneau finished with 15 points, 11 of which were scored in the first half. Between Mgbako and Reneau? The pair provided 71.4% of Indiana’s first-half scoring output.
Reneau didn’t do anything we haven’t seen before. He backed down one or two defenders and used his strength to create scoring chances. He got to the line (all 6 attempts in the first half) and avoided foul trouble until the very end of the game.
Another positive first impression was made by Trey Galloway. Once again, Galloway – who has had almost every conceivable role during his Indiana career – was an energy source off the bench. He spelled Rice and Galloway almost immediately unlocked an Indiana offense that seemed to be stuck in neutral at the time.
His halftime statistics were modest, but Galloway developed a symbiotic bond with Ballo in the second half. Galloway fed Ballo for four easy buckets at the rim. They were part of a 9-assist attack from the Indiana veteran.
Wednesday’s game wasn’t a great first impression for Indiana’s new Hoosiers, but while everyone wants to see how the new shiny toys are going to work, it shouldn’t be forgotten that part of the strength of this team lies in Indiana’s returning veterans.
Not every first impression has to be made by someone new. Indiana’s veteran trio demonstrated that they can be counted on to take the Hoosiers where they want to be this season. It’s the best first impression that they could have given to Indiana fans.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — The celebration continues for IU football’s national championship.
Before the IU-Purdue men’s basketball game on Tuesday, head coach Curt Cignetti and some IU football players brought the national championship trophy to half court.
Cignetti also took the mic and thanked the IU fans for their support.
To see the celebration, watch the video above.
Firefighters beat police in ‘hoagie building’ contest
Firefighters defeated police officers in a “hoagie-building” competition to honor the opening of a Wawa convenience store and gas station in Florida.
Motorists braving the extreme cold this week will have a new travel center at which to fuel their vehicles and bodies in Indiana
Wawa is slated to open a location in Richmond on Jan. 29.
The grand opening at 2600 Williamsburg Pike will commence at 7:55 a.m. with the doors opening at 8 a.m.
The first 250 customers will get free t-shirts.
All customers through Feb. 1 will get free hot coffee, any size.
The 8,000-square-foot store will offer Wawa’s signature made-to-order hoagies, fresh-brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, and a dinner menu that includes burgers, soups and sides.
The store will have interior and exterior seating areas; 16 liquid fuel spots for passenger drivers; 20 EV charging stalls; five high-speed diesel fuel lanes accepting over-the-road (OTR) payments; and a pet relief area.
Richmond will be Indiana’s ninth Wawa location.
The Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain entered the state in May 2025 with a store in Daleville, and quickly followed with openings in Noblesville and Clarksville.
The chain plans to open 60 stores in Indiana, including a location at 7140 E. Washington St. in Indianapolis scheduled for early 2027.
Contact reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cjackson@usatodayco.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on X.com: @cherylvjackson or Bluesky: @cherylvjackson.bsky.social.
INDIANAPOLIS — For long-time Hoosiers, when snowstorms are in the forecast, the Blizzard of ’78 comes to mind.
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How does this winter storm measure up to the Blizzard of 1978 in Indiana
That’s the case for Faith Toole, who lives in Pittsboro now. She lived in Noblesville in 1978, and she had a one-week-old baby during the blizzard.
“We actually saved water. We got buckets and pans,” Toole remembered of the blizzard. “We had oil heat at the time, so we had to make sure our oil was good.”
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The blizzard became a benchmark of sorts, since it set many weather records.
“I really thought it would be a once-in-a-lifetime, but we got so close this time around. We really did. I’m just thankful we didn’t,” Toole said.
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The winter storm that happened across Central Indiana on January 24 and 25, 2026, did pack quite the punch for Hoosiers, with an event snowfall total of 11.1″ in Indianapolis and frigid temperatures.
Did the storm compare to the historic Blizzard of ’78?
The blizzard occurred over the period of January 25, 26, and 27, 1978. It was the first time a blizzard warning was ever issued for Indiana.
What is a blizzard? It doesn’t entail snow totals. Instead, it focuses on the impact of gusty winds (gusts over 35 mph) and low visibility (less than a quarter mile) that lasts for an extended period of time (three hours).
During the storm in 1978, wind gusts over 50 mph lasted through the 26 and 27 of January.
“The wind, I’ll never forget the wind, how it blew!” exclaimed Toole.
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The National Weather Service recorded visibility less than a quarter mile for 25 hours straight.
The wind in the 1978 storm also created blowing and drifting snow, with some drifts 20 to 25 feet.
How does this compare to the 2026 storm?
Wind gusts stayed less than 30 mph, so this time, we did not reach blizzard criteria.
We did see quite a bit of snow: 11.1″ in Indianapolis, with other areas in Central Indiana seeing even higher totals.
In 1978, it snowed 15.5″ across the three days.
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1978 was also unique because there had already been a bit of snow on the ground before the blizzard got started.
To this day, the Blizzard of ’78 still holds the record for the most snow on the ground in Indianapolis, set at 20″.
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“It felt like it snowed a lot longer. Had we had the wind, it would have been ’78 all over again,” Toole said.
It was very cold, with lows near zero degrees, and wind chills near -50 degrees during the blizzard.
Similarly, in 2026, we have frigid air temperatures, meaning it will be difficult to clear the snow this week. Temperatures may not climb above freezing until next week.
The roads and businesses that have been shut down following the storm in 2026 are a reminder of the closures in 1978.
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Toole says she stayed at home following the blizzard, mainly focusing on sleeping when she could (because of her one-week-old baby).
“Reading, we were into word search at the time,” Toole remembered how she spent the time indoors. “We didn’t have devices to do anything. We had the TV, and that was it.”
Luckily for Hoosiers, technology has come a long way since 1978, meaning there was more to do while cooped up indoors during the 2026 storm.
“It wasn’t as boring, because it was 24/7 news coverage for the weather!” laughed Toole. “And you know, I had my games on my phone to play, movies to watch.”
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