Author: Seth Tow

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Curt Cignetti put his arm around Nico Radicic, with a resigned look on his face. Indiana football, ranked No. 5 in the country, had just scored a touchdown to bring its deficit against No. 2 Ohio State down to two scores with less than two minutes remaining in Saturday’s game. Radicic didn’t execute the ensuing onside kick properly and left it short of the 10 yards needed to avoid a penalty. Cignetti calmly explained the mistake to his kicker, understanding his team had most likely lost this showdown. The Hoosiers did suffer their first defeat of the…

COLUMBUS, Ohio — After Indiana’s top-five showdown at Ohio State, attention turns back to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. The fifth-ranked Hoosiers came up short on Saturday at Ohio Stadium, falling to the second-ranked Buckeyes 38-15. After stumbling for the first time this season, Indiana (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) faces a lot of uncertainty with its postseason fate. This was its lone opportunity against a ranked opponent, and it did not go well. Ohio State (10-1, 7-1) completely dominated after the first two possessions. So what are the implications of this? IU will certainly drop in the polls on…

The “rat poison” that Curt Cignetti and Indiana football have ignored all season has been particularly venomous this week. The fifth-ranked Hoosiers (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) travel to Columbus on Saturday to take on No. 2 Ohio State (9-1, 6-1), in one of the biggest regular-season games of the year across all of college football. It’s one of the most important regular-season games in IU football history. Cignetti is keeping his usual perspective on the matchup, while certainly understanding how difficult a challenge his team faces. “Excited about this week’s opportunity against Ohio State. Obviously an excellent football team. One…

BLOOMINGTON — With Indiana men’s basketball slogging through the beginning of Thursday’s second half, Mike Woodson had to find a hot hand somewhere. Myles Rice recorded another solid first half against UNC Greensboro, but IU couldn’t solely rely on him. Mackenzie Mgbako and Kanaan Carlyle had off-nights shooting. Oumar Ballo will rarely carry a team offensively. Trey Galloway, Indiana’s sixth man, wasn’t giving the Hoosiers much. So IU’s head coach looked elsewhere, and gave Bryson Tucker a chance. And while the freshman may seem an unlikely candidate to step up in moments like these, Tucker is quickly shedding that label.…

BLOOMINGTON — The big game is here. Indiana football is back from its second bye week of the season with a potentially season-defining game on tap. The fifth-ranked Hoosiers take on No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday in Columbus. IU is ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll, the AFCA Coaches Poll, and the College Football Playoff rankings, the latter of which will update on Tuesday. Indiana hasn’t beaten Ohio State since 1988, and its last win at Ohio Stadium came in 1987. That, alone, would make a Hoosiers upset historic. But if they can pull this off, they’d likely…

BLOOMINGTON — After the first three games of the season, IU women’s basketball looked like it had lost its way. Indiana lost a lot from last year with Mackenzie Holmes graduating, and that sort of departure can take time to adjust to. And it’s been bumpy for IU in this first stretch without the All-American anchoring the team. The Hoosiers got away with a lot of sloppy play in the season-opener against Brown, and they couldn’t overcome similar mistakes in consecutive losses to Harvard and Butler. But on Sunday, things changed. IU’s 79-66 upset over No. 24 Stanford is a…

BLOOMINGTON — After losing two straight games for the first time since Feb. 2022, Indiana women’s basketball needed to find some momentum. The Hoosiers struggled through their first three games of the season, even in a 22-point victory over Brown to begin the season. The concerns from that win became bigger problems in consecutive defeats against Harvard and Butler. But IU had a chance to make up for the slow start on Sunday against No. 24 Stanford at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. And Indiana didn’t waste that opportunity. Teri Moren’s team turned in its best performance of this young season,…

BLOOMINGTON — One of the biggest storylines around IU men’s basketball last season was its thin backcourt. Indiana quickly ran into problems at guard last year, with Jakai Newton being unavailable all year and Xavier Johnson suffering injuries in November. That situation forced head coach Mike Woodson to turn to Gabe Cupps, Anthony Leal, and CJ Gunn to fill in the gaps. And while they all had their moments, all three proved too inconsistent for what IU needed in the backcourt. It taught Woodson a valuable lesson that he carried with him into transfer portal season. He knew he needed…

After Indiana football began the Curt Cignetti era with some promising results, questions quickly began arising. As the Hoosiers stacked wins, fans wondered how sustainable this was. Soon enough, as this IU season went from good to great — to historic — fans pondered whether Cignetti would remain in Bloomington long term. His name started to float around the discourse of other programs who could have forthcoming coaching changes. It’s nothing the Hoosiers haven’t dealt with before. When Tom Allen led them to a strong two-year run in 2019-20, he became a popular name in coaching search conversations. IU has…

BLOOMINGTON — Throughout the season, Indiana football games have felt like one long party. The games have never really been in doubt, as Indiana’s steamrolled its opponents on the way to blowout wins. Even when the Hoosiers trailed for the first time all season at Michigan State, they dominated the final three quarters and had Spartan fans heading for the exits by the start of the fourth quarter. IU home games have been a three-plus hour celebration of this new Big Ten football powerhouse. That is, until Saturday. No. 8 Indiana reached 10-0 for the first time in program history…