Indianapolis, IN

Purdue 76 USC 71 – Survive and Advance in Indianapolis

Published

12 months ago

March 14, 2025

Purdue 76 USC 71 – Survive and Advance in Indianapolis

In what can only be described as an unusual first half of basketball, Purdue somehow found a way to go into halftime tied at 35. This was a half that saw Purdue get just 20 seconds on two possessions based on a rule that I literally had no idea existed. According to rules aficionados on Twitter if the turnover occurs in the backcourt and you then get the ball in the front court the shot clock only resets to 20 seconds. Basketball keeps surprising me I guess.

Purdue started the game hot from the field going 5-5 and jumping to a quick lead over USC. It made sense. USC had played 50 minutes just about 24 hours prior and there legs would naturally be a little dead. Once they got into the flow though USC took full advantage of a sloppy first half from the Boilermakers. Purdue would turn the ball over 9 times in the first half and USC would turn that into 7 points. USC also went on a 13-2 run over 4:38. During this run TKR and Josh Cohen from USC got after each other on a couple of possessions including one in which it sure looked like Cohen dove on top of TKR to get a jump ball but nothing was called. The refs have a way of changing a game and shortly after that play was reviewed, no call was made, it seemed like there was a foul called on just about every possession for a few minutes. Purdue was rattled. They looked out of sorts on both offense and defense allowing easy cuts to the basket while taking some ill-advised shots of their own.

As in all games, a hero needed to step up and for Purdue it was the pair of sophomores who cam(e) in clutch (see what I did?). Camden Heide hit a corner three to reduce the USC lead to 28-21 and then USC committed three straight turnovers that helped Purdue to climb back in this one. Camden Heide dropped in another three to cut the lead to 28-26. A nifty bucket from TKR would tie the game at 28 a piece to cap off a 10-0 Purdue run over just 2:38. It was a far cry from the way Purdue had finished previous first halves that allowed their opponents to get back into games. Myles Colvin would get a nice pass from Braden Smith to finish the scoring at 35 each. Combined, Heide and Colvin had 11 points on 3-5 from deep in the first half. It was a welcome addition given that Braden Smith finished the half with just three points.

John Wooden Memorial Player of the Game (JWMPOTG) – I know that TKR had 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists, I know that, but he didn’t earn the award tonight. Instead, this honor goes to Camden Heide. The sophomore finished the game with 9 points on 3-3 rebounding but more importantly he grabbed 11 rebounds. Purdue needed each and every one of them as Purdue barely pulled this one out.

The second half was more of the same from the first. A back and forth contest that saw each team make difficult shot after difficult shot. Purdue was led by TKR who put up the aforementioned 30 points including three very clutch free throws at the end of the game.

This was yet another Big Ten game marred by bad officiating. Many of the bad calls went in Purdue’s favor including an out of bounds call late in the second half that was clearly off of Harris but the official on the opposite side of the court came sprinting over to change the call in favor of the Boilermakers. The USC bench lost their minds and rightfully so. Of course, TKR had been fouled on the play and it wasn’t called so it all worked out I guess? There were a couple other calls that Purdue fans should be lucky were not reviewable, but that’s what we’ve come to expect from Big Ten officials this year. They tried their best to control the game by calling six fouls in the first 3:30 of the second half, but eventually a basketball game was able to break out in the middle of the ref show.

TKR took the stage during the second half despite having some foul trouble. He scored 18 points in the second half including 6-10 from the free throw line. You would love it if he would hit 10-10 but what is a Purdue basketball game without some sweat am I right? Purdue fans did plenty of that as the game was in doubt up until the final seconds in large part thanks to Desmond Claude who became a master of the midrange jumper in the second half. He was 6-13 in the second half and finished the half with 14.

Purdue would win the game in a bit of a strange way as when up three USC had the ball but slipped and fell when trying to get their final possession going. Purdue had opted not to foul and it looked like USC was playing for a final three to tie it. As the USC player fell to the court Braden Smith was able to corral the ball and was fouled to head to the line and finish up the scoring at 76-71. Smith was off shooting the ball going 3-10 from the floor but impacted the game in other ways with 9 assists and 3 rebounds.

With the victory, Purdue will remain in the hunt for a Big Ten Tournament Championship with a game tomorrow, again around 9:00 PM against the Michigan Wolverines.

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Indianapolis, IN

New bridge over 96th Street adds to Nickel Plate Trail connections

Published

6 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

New bridge over 96th Street adds to Nickel Plate Trail connections

FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) — The Nickel Plate Trail pedestrian bridge over 96th Street is officially open.

It was being touted Friday as a major milestone for central Indiana’s growing trail system. The street is the Fishers-Indianapolis border.

Leaders called the project a critical connection point for the Nickel Plate Trail. The new bridge helps move the nearly 17-mile trail closer to its goal of connecting multiple counties through one continuous path.

The bridge also came with a 1.3-mile trail extension. A $4.5 million grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources made the bridge possible.

Dale Brier, deputy director of Indiana Department of Natural Resources, talked about the state’s Next Level Trails grant program. “Currently, we have 89 trail projects that that were funded with that money. Fifty-nine of those are complete. We’ve got 12 under construction. As of this opening, we have 167 miles of trail that have now been opened with that grant money.”

People who frequently take the trail for their daily exercises say they’re excited the bridge is finally open.

Alan Errichiello of the Fishers Running Club said, “Extending this down south into Indianapolis is a big game changer for us. It’ll add a lot of miles that we can easily get into.”

Resident Tracy Mundell said, “Trying to get to the other side was nearly impossible, so I think most people didn’t even attempt it. It’s going to be great, we can get over to the other side, and I’m anxious to see what’s over there.”

The final portion of the project, called the Clear Path project, remains under construction.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, a Republican, said, “We need to double-down on that investment, and we know time and time again here in the city of Fishers that trail systems, the ability to get up and get out and get active, is such an important part in our culture of health, that an investment like this is critical.”

Once complete, local leaders say the goal is to provide a more safe and connected routes between Noblesville, Fishers, Indianapolis and other surrounding cities.

Resident Steve Mundell said, “It’s lovely. It’ll be real convenient to get across too.”

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Indianapolis, IN

Good and bad from Colts’ 2026 NFLPA report card grades

Published

18 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Good and bad from Colts’ 2026 NFLPA report card grades

What grades did the Indianapolis Colts earn on the 2026 NFLPA report cards?

The NFLPA is no longer able to make their annual report cards public. However, ESPN’s Kayln Kahler was able to obtain a copy of the reports following the 2025 NFL season, and the Indianapolis Colts were again around the middle of the pack.

In these report cards, players rate numerous aspects of the organizations they play for, from ownership to the training facilities and everything in between. According to Kahler, 1,759 players contributed to these grades.

So, where did the Colts end up this year relative to the rest of the NFL this year?

Overall, the Colts ranked 17th. Below is a breakdown of each individual grade they received.

Treatment of Families: B
Home Game Field: D
Food/Dining Area: B
Nutritionist/Dietician: A-
Locker Room: C+
Training Room: B
Training Staff: B+
Weight Room: B
Strength Coaches: A
Position Coaches: B
Offensive Coordinator: B
Defensive Coordinator: B+
Special Teams Coordinator: B+
Team Travel: B-
Head Coach: A-
General Manager: A
Team Ownership: A

Of note, although the Colts haven’t been to the postseason in five years, Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard both received high marks.

Carlie Irsay Gordon, Kalen Jackson, and Casey Foyt earned an A in their first year as the primary owners.

The field at Lucas Oil Stadium received a very low mark, earning a D, while the locker room was given a C+. Those were the two lowest grades the Colts received.

Compared to the 2025 rankings, the Colts moved up two spots this year, after coming in at 19th last year.

The biggest jumps the Colts experienced came in the Food/Dining grade, which went from a C to a B. The Team travel grade also jumped from a D+ to a B-.

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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis police search for 3 people after shooting, stolen vehicle crash

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — After a shooting, Indianapolis police were searching for three people who fled on foot following the pursuit of a stolen vehicle and its crash on Thursday afternoon.

No information was provided in the notification about the three people being sought. News 8 reached out to IMPD by email to find out details about the three people. Anyone with information regarding the incident or the people who fled the crash was asked to contact the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

The stolen vehicle was linked to a Thursday shooting, prompting the lockdown of a nearby child care center, IMPD said in a media notification. No information was provided about where the shooting happened, what may have led to it, or whether anyone was hurt.

IMPD, however, said the stolen vehicle and crash were not related to a shooting reported at 12:35 p.m. Thursday at a gas station and restaurant at West 38th and Meridian streets.

IMPD officers found the stolen vehicle around 12:45 p.m. Thursday near East 38th Street and Post Road. When a detective attempted a traffic stop, the vehicle fled westbound before crashing a short time later near Whenner Drive, the notification said. It did not say what type of vehicle was abandoned in the crash.

Three people from the crashed vehicle fled southwest on foot. IMPD established a perimeter with assistance from the Indiana State Police, the Lawrence Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office — using specialized resources, including a state police helicopter, a special weapons and tactics team, and the IMPD’s police dogs — but did not find the three people.

IMPD said a firearm was found in the crashed vehicle, and a man detained at the crash scene was later released once investigators determined he was not directly involved in the incident.

Police have since lifted the lockdown on the child care center.

IMPD’s public information office can be reached at 317-327-3424.

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