Category: Indiana Hoosiers

Kansas pulls off huge comeback, stuns Indiana in 75-71 victory

The Kansas Jayhawks erased a 13-point deficit and secured a huge road victory over the Indiana Hoosiers behind 21 points from Kevin McCullar.

The Indiana Hoosiers led for the first 35 minutes on Saturday against the Kansas Jayhawks, including by as many as 13 points, but a late surge from Bill Self’s squad led to a massive 75-71 road victory.

Kevin McCullar finished with 21 points, including key free throws down the stretch, while Hunter Dickinson finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds in a familiar environment at Assembly Hall, having spent the past two years in the Big Ten at Michigan.

A triumphant performance from senior guard Trey Galloway, who had to step up in the absence of guard Xavier Johnson, nearly led the Hoosiers to a huge upset. Galloway had a career-high 31 points on 12-17 shooting, including multiple big shots at the end of the game.

Kansas took their first lead with 4:51 left in the game on a hook shot from Dickinson, which was followed quickly by a bucket from Malik Reneau to give Indiana back the lead – before Kansas point guard Dajuan Harris scored a few seconds later. That ended up being the story of the final few minutes before Kansas was able to extend the lead to multiple possessions, and then finish Indiana off at the charity stripe.

This was the first true road test for the Jayhawks, who are now 10-1 on the season with only a loss to Marquette in the Maui Invitational. Kansas hosts Yale out of the Ivy League on Friday, December 22, at 8:00 PM

Meanwhile Indiana drops to 7-3 on the year, although their losses are to UConn, Kansas, and Auburn. They’ll take on Morehead State on Tuesday at 6:30 ET on the Big Ten Network.

Report: Indiana to hire James Madison head coach

Curt Cignetti has never suffered a losing season as a head coach in a tenure that spans 13 seasons. 

According to ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel, the Indiana Hoosiers are close to finalizing a contract with current James Madison head coach Curt Cignetti to be their next head coach.

Cignetti has led the Dukes to a combined 19-4 record since they moved up to the FBS level. He has an overall record of 52-9 at JMU and 11-1 this season. Due to the lack of bowl-eligible teams, the Dukes are eligible for the postseason.

Cignetti returns to the Power Five for the first time since he was an assistant under Nick Saban at Alabama from 2007 to 2010. He also had stops at Pittsburgh and North Carolina State. He led the IUP Crimson Hawks from 2011 to 2016 and Elon Phoenix in 2017 and 2018 before taking over the Dukes’ football program.

Overall, Cignetti has a head coaching record of 119-35 and a combined playoff record of 10-8. He was recently named the Sun Belt Coach of the Year for the 2023 season.

Cignetti will feel the role left vacated by Tom Allen, who was fired after the last three lackluster seasons with the Hoosiers. This feels like a strong higher by an up-and-comer in the college ranks. He played quarterback at West Virginia before joining the coaching ranks as a graduate assistant in 1983 with the Pitt Panthers.

It remains to be seen who he might bring to Bloomington once the hire becomes official. Curt Cignetti has never suffered a losing season as a head coach in a tenure that spans 13 seasons.

Rutgers football: Rod Carey shows progress in first game as Indiana’s offensive coordinator

Indiana offensive coordinator Rod Carey knows Rutgers football well.

For Rod Carey, last Saturday marked a significant day in his career. As Indiana took on Michigan, Carey was the offensive coordinator for the Hoosiers.

Carey was named the permanent offensive coordinator earlier this month following the dismissal of Walt Bell.

While Carey had a challenging task in his debut, the Hoosiers offense did show some encouraging signs. In the first quarter, the Indiana offense put seven points on the board while the defense kept Michigan scoreless. However, as the afternoon progressed, the Wolverine offense came alive and scored 52 points.

Against Michigan, Indiana recorded 232 total yards and 15 first downs. Their biggest issue was protecting the football, as they turned it over four times. While Carey’s offense only scored one touchdown, Tom Allen saw some improvement.

“Got off to a good start, which was definitely a positive. We made a big emphasis about trying to start fast as a football team,” Allen told reporters on Monday.

“We were able to do that in the first quarter. We were not able to sustain that. But obviously a tough task offensively against such a good defense. But at the same time, saw some good things.”

On Saturday, Carey will have the chance to build on last week when Indiana welcomes Rutgers to Bloomington. For Carey, this matchup represents a shot at redemption.

In 2021, he was the head coach of Temple when they lost 61-14 to Rutgers.

REPORT: Auburn and Indiana to play neutral site game in Atlanta

Auburn and Indiana are set to meet this December in a neutral site matchup according to reports.

As the offseason progresses in college basketball, non-conference games for next season continue to be scheduled. On Saturday afternoon, Jon Rothstein reported that the Auburn Tigers and Indiana Hoosiers have agreed to square off in a neutral site game next December.

The matchup between the Tigers and Hoosiers is expected to take place in Atlanta according to the report.

A matchup between the two programs would be just the second time ever, the last time the two teams met was in the 1987 NCAA Tournament. That year, the Hoosiers were a No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional and defeated the No. 8 Tigers 107-90 in regulation. Current Nevada head coach Steve Alford led all scorers in that game with 31 points and it would help lead the Hoosiers that year to a national title – the Hoosiers’ last national championship victory.

Auburn this past season went 21-13 overall including 10-8 in SEC play, finishing seventh in the conference. Their performance, however, would be good enough to earn a No. 9 seed in the Midwest regional where they would eliminate No. 8 Iowa in the first round before falling to No. 1 Houston in the Round of 32. It was the second straight season that Bruce Pearl’s program made the NCAA Tournament and the fourth time in five seasons not counting the 2019-2020 COVID-shortened season.

Indiana, on the other hand, went 23-12 including 12-8 in Big Ten play, finishing second in the conference. They would go on to be a No. 4 seed in the Midwest regional, eliminating No. 13 Kent State in the first round before losing in the Round of 32 to eventual Final Four participant, No. 5 Miami (FL).

Next season will be the program’s third under head coach Mike Woodson has delivered the program to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances after missing the last four NCAA Tournaments.

Indiana picks up big time transfer in Oregon center Kel’el Ware

Top transfer center is heading to the Midwest.

The Indiana Hoosiers added one of the best players in the transfer portal on Monday when Oregon center Kel’el Ware announced on his social media that he was transferring into the Hoosiers program.

The 7-foot, 210-pound center from North Little Rock, Arkansas, averaged 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game this season. He shot 45.7% from the floor including 53.4% from within the perimeter.

Ware signed with the Oregon Ducks as part of the 2022 recruiting class where he was a consensus top-10 prospect across the country as well as one of the country’s top three centers.

He committed to the Ducks over Arkansas, Kansas, Auburn, Illinois, and Texas Tech among others.

With the Hoosiers, Ware will have to follow in the footsteps of Trayce Jackson-Davis who is set to move onto the NBA after posting 20.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists this past season.

The Hoosiers will also be looking to follow up a 23-12 season which included a 12-8 conference record and their second-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament as a No.4 seed in the Midwest Regional. The Hoosiers fell in the Round of 32 to the No.5 Miami Hurricanes after defeating No.13 Kent State in the first round.

If Ware has a successful sophomore season with Indiana, he’ll likely find himself as a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

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