The best time of the year is finally here. With the release of the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket, March Madness has officially begun.
This year, March Madness comes to Indianapolis as the Gainbridge Fieldhouse is set to host a weekend of matchups that will eventually send two teams to the Sweet 16.
No. 2 Marquette kicks off the action on Friday when they take on No. 15 Western Kentucky at 2:00 p.m. EDT.
That game will be immediately followed by No. 7 Florida vs. the winner of the First Four game between No. 10 Boise State and No. 10 Colorado.
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SHOP: Marquette vs. WKU & Florida vs. Boise St/Colorado tickets
The evening session begins with No. 1 Purdue battling the winner of the First Four game between Grambling and Montana State.
Friday’s action ends with a matchup between No. 8 Utah State and No. 9 TCU.
SHOP: Purdue vs. Grambling/Montana St & Utah St vs. TCU tickets
If you want to catch all the action, weekend passes are still available for as little as $451.
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The weekend passes include access to all four of Friday’s games and both of Sunday’s Round of 32 contests.
Shop NCAA Tournament Indianapolis weekend passes
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1 of 4 | New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson scored 24 points in the second half of a win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series Wednesday in New York. File Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI | License Photo
May 9 (UPI) — Jalen Brunson overcame an early injury and scored 29 points to lead the New York Knicks to a comeback victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The Knicks guard injured his foot in the first quarter and missed the second, but scored 24 in the second half of the 130-121 victory Wednesday in New York.
“I just knew I had to get my mind in the right place to figure out how I was going to attack the second half,” Brunson told reporters.
The Knicks will now head to Indianapolis, where they will take on the Pacers in Game 3 of the best-of-seven game series Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Game 4 will be Sunday in Indianapolis.
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The Knicks outshot the Pacers 57% to 51.6% in Game 2. They also held a 44-34 edge in rebounding. The game featured 11 lead changes and was tied eight times. The Pacers edged the Knicks 46-12 in points off the bench and led by as many as a dozen points.
Brunson, who entered the night with four-consecutive performances of at least 40 points, helped the Knicks take an 11-point lead about eight minutes into the first quarter of Game 2. He then left the game about 30 seconds later and missed the remainder of the quarter and entirety of the second.
“All season long, no matter what is thrown at him, injury bug or whatever, he always bounces back,” Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo said. “We knew the severity of the game and everything. So we knew. Everybody had confidence he was coming back.”
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The Pacers took advantage of Brunson’s injury absence, immediately going on a 11-0 run to tie the score. Both teams totaled 36 points in the first quarter.
Guard Tyrese Haliburton and forward Obi Toppin scored 13 and 10 points, respectively, for the Pacers through the first 12 minutes. The Pacers then outscored the Knicks 37-27 in the second to take a 73-63 lead at halftime.
But Brunson’s third-quarter return gave the Knicks a major boost.
They reeled off a 14-0 run early in the second half to snatch back the lead. Brunson totaled 10 points, while DiVincenzo scored a dozen in the third quarter. The Knicks outshot the Pacers 66.7% to 33.3% in the frame to carry a 99-91 lead into the fourth.
The Pacers, who shot 60% down the stretch, cut the deficit to one point about four minutes into the final frame, but never closed their last deficit.
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“We are just sticking together, no matter what,” said Brunson, who scored 14 over the final 12 minutes to seal the victory. “No matter what the situation is, no matter what’s thrown at us, no matter what is a disadvantage for us, we are going to stick together.
“That’s the thing we always harp on for each other.”
The All-Star guard made 11 of 18 attempts on the night. He also chipped in five assists and three steals. DiVincenzo scored 28 points on 10 of 20 shooting. He made 6 of 12 attempts from 3-point range.
Knicks forward O.G. Anunoby logged 28 points. Forward Josh Hart chipped in 19 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Center Isaiah Hartenstein logged 14 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.
Haliburton paced the Pacers with 34 points, nine assists and six steals. He made 7 of 11 3-point attempts. Guard T.J. McConnell totaled 10 points and 12 assists off the Pacers bench. Toppin scored another 20 points off the Pacers bench.
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Game 3 will tip off at 7 p.m. EDT Friday in Indianapolis. With a Game 3 victory, they could sweep the series Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Game 5, if necessary, will be Tuesday in New York. The series could extend to Sunday.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indy Parks had its second public meeting Wednesday night over changes planned for Garfield Park on the south side of Indianapolis.
Organizers asked the public for their thoughts on a new playground near the pagoda. They’re also asking the public if they want new paths, shelters or public restrooms.
The park is receiving enhancements thanks to a grant from Lilly Endowment.
Andre Denman, principal park planner for Indy Parks, said, “We’ve been wanting to improve this playground near the pagoda for a while, and Lilly brought the funding, almost $2½ million.”
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City leaders say they expect to break ground on the project later in 2024.
This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV.
INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis police announced Wednesday they’ve opened an investigation into an “NBA player and citizen” altercation that happened at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on the night Bucks guard Patrick Beverley threw a ball at a fan in the final minutes of a season-ending loss to the Pacers.
Police said in a news release the case has been forwarded to detectives, “who are currently investigating this situation and take all accusations seriously.”
Detectives will present the case to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office at the conclusion of the investigation, the release stated.
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Cameras showed Beverley sitting on the bench and tossing a ball into the stands, hitting a fan in the head with about 2½ minutes left in the game on May 2. After a different fan threw the ball back to Beverley, who was holding his arm out for it, the Bucks guard fired it back at that spectator.
Beverley spoke about his behavior on an episode of “The Pat Bev Podcast” that was released Wednesday. He said he was called a word that he’d never been called before, but added that his own actions were “still inexcusable.”
“I will be better,” he said. “I have to be better, and I will be better. That should have never happened. Regardless of what was said, that should have never happened. Simple as that.”
Beverley added the atmosphere in Indiana “was great” aside from “a handful of fans” who crossed a line. The Pacers beat the Bucks 120-98, eliminating Milwaukee from the playoffs.
