Author: Seth Tow

When Mackenzie Holmes suited up for her first game in an Indiana uniform, she looked unrecognizable compared to the career that would follow. The forward joined the Hoosiers in 2019, as they looked to build on their first NCAA Tournament win in four years. At 6-foot-3, Holmes was taller than most of her competition growing up, and developed into a five-star recruit at Gorham (Maine) High School. She had immense potential entering college. But her bright future wasn’t always clearly evident. Holmes’ first IU appearance came in an exhibition game against McKendree (Ill.) University in early November. And even before…

With the dust mostly settled on rosters for the 2023-24 season, we’re going team-by-team in the Big Ten to assess where everyone stands and how things could shake out next year. Next up is Rutgers, which has developed some consistency under Steve Pikiell in the last several years, but is still looking to take the next step. The Scarlet Knights finished in a tie for ninth in the Big Ten last year with a 10-10 league record, and a 19-15 overall mark. And they finished just short of a third consecutive NCAA Tournament bid — Rutgers was the second team…

Following its first Big Ten championship in 40 years, Indiana women’s basketball is back among the top teams in the country. The Hoosiers open the season ranked No. 9 in both the preseason AP Poll and coaches poll, which both came out on Tuesday. This is the second time in program history that Indiana earned a top-10 ranking in the preseason AP poll, and this is the 17th consecutive AP Poll in which IU has placed in the top 10, dating back to week 2 of last season. Overall, it’s the 36th top-10 AP Poll ranking in program history. And…

Indiana football, once again, does not have a starting quarterback. After the Hoosiers rotated between redshirt freshmen Tayven Jackson and Brendan Sorsby during last week’s 52-7 loss at Michigan, head coach Tom Allen would not name a starter for this week’s game against Rutgers. Jackson started and finished 7 for 13 for 52 yards with two interceptions, and he also lost a fumble. Sorsby went 6 for 15 for 44 passing yards, and he rushed for 30 yards on 13 attempts with a lost fumble. Allen said the team won’t continue rotating between the two players — the Hoosiers will…

Indiana football’s margin for error is gone. The Hoosiers host Rutgers on Saturday for their homecoming game, and it’s essentially a must-win game. That would’ve been the case even if their loss to No. 2 Michigan over the weekend was less lopsided. The 52-7 defeat was unquestionably disappointing, after an encouraging start to the game, but a big loss wasn’t unexpected in that matchup. But now, halfway through the regular season, Indiana has to get back on track before it’s too late. The math is simple. IU is 2-4 with six games to go. It’d need six wins to earn…

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Indiana football faced a daunting task coming out of its bye week, with a road battle against No. 2 Michigan at Michigan Stadium. The Wolverines (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) are one of the best teams in the country for a reason, and they showed it on Saturday. Indiana (2-4, 0-3) played one of its best quarters of the season to start the game and led 7-0 after the first 15 minutes, but Michigan ran away with it from there. The score got out of hand during the third quarter, and things quickly fell apart for the…

Coming out of a bye week, Indiana football will face one of its toughest tests of the season. The Hoosiers take on No. 2 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday, and they have a lot of things to work through internally by then. IU head coach Tom Allen and selected players met with the media on Monday to talk about both the bye week and the Wolverines game. Here are a few key things that came out of the availability. Weekly schedule adjustments Allen spent time after the Maryland game and throughout the bye week doing self-evaluation within the program…

Throughout Indiana football’s bye week, much of the attention has been on the offense. The Hoosiers (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) relieved offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Walt Bell of his duties on Sunday, after a dismal performance at Maryland highlighted the plethora of issues with IU’s offense. Rod Carey is taking over the position on a permanent basis. But IU’s frustrating season thus far is not only an offensive issue. Indiana’s defense — the team’s calling card earlier in the Tom Allen era — has struggled mightily after a good start to the year. In the season-opener, the Hoosiers held…

The Big Ten released its new football scheduling model back in June, along with conference opponent slates for 2024 and 2025. Indiana drew a 2024 schedule to be excited about, with Michigan and Ohio State absent. And the “Flex Protect Plus” model meant IU would play Purdue every year, and would see Maryland and Michigan State in both 2024 and 2025. But the conference — and college sports at large — has undergone drastic change since then. The Big Ten added Oregon and Washington to its western expansion beginning next year, and that necessitated revisiting the football schedules. The updated…

Around a quarter of the way through the 2023 NFL season, several Hoosiers have been active. 14 players are on rosters across the league, though some of them are on practice squads. Here are updates on six players who have seen action early in the season. Micah McFadden The linebacker has gotten off to a strong start to the season. He’s started all four games for the New York Giants, and is playing well despite the team’s disappointing 1-3 record. He’s second on the team with 31 tackles. McFadden has also recorded a team-high five tackles for loss. Peyton Hendershot…