Sports
How Indiana won college football’s national championship
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Indiana announced its college football arrival a year ago, but even then, it felt hard to believe the losingest program in FBS history would have much staying power. Critics ripped their schedule, called them a fluke, debated whether they even deserved to make the College Football Playoff and dismissed them following an opening-round loss to Notre Dame.
Cute story, those Hoosiers. But see! They should leave the real football to the real blue bloods.
Cue the Curt Cignetti staredown.
Google him again, just for reference. The man simply does not lose.
Indiana may have been pooh-poohed as a one-year wonder, opening 2025 ranked No. 20 and picked to finish sixth in the Big Ten preseason media poll.
Fueled by the perceived disrespect, desperate to prove it would not become a bottom dweller again, Indiana produced the football version of “Hoosiers,” completing one of the most improbable turnarounds in sports history — winning its first national championship while becoming the first major college team since Yale in 1894 to go 16-0.
Indiana may not have won by 30, the way they did in previous playoff victories. But they played with the same confident flair, punctuated by the call of the game: On fourth-and-4 from the Miami 12 and the Hoosiers up 3, coach Curt Cignetti called a quarterback run for quarterback Fernando Mendoza. He pushed up the middle, and bullied his way through the Miami defense, busting multiple tackles to stretch over the goal line.
That play summed up the season in a nutshell: Cignetti banking on himself and his players and Mendoza delivering in the clutch.
Asked before the game whether Indiana qualifies as a “Cinderella story,” given its success last year, Cignetti answered in the most Cignetti way, wryly saying in return, “Define ‘Cinderella story’ in the context of Indiana. I’m not quite sure what you mean by that.”
Since Cignetti is a Google fan, go ahead and Google “Cinderella story.” This is what comes up:
Noun. Used in reference to a situation in which a person, team, etc., of low status or importance unexpectedly achieves great success or public recognition.
In 2022, Indiana became the first Division I college football team to lose 700 games. Indiana is now a national champion after defeating Miami in its home stadium, 27-21.
Provided the definition, Cignetti finally answers.
“I think that’s a fact. If you look at the record since Indiana started playing football and relative to the success we’ve had the last two years, we’ve broken a lot of records here in terms of wins, championships, postseason games, top-10 wins,” Cignetti said.
“It’s been kind of surreal.”
While there may still be a “pinch me, I’m dreaming” vibe to this title run, Cignetti told the world when he was hired to coach the Hoosiers in 2023, they would win, then trash-talked the best teams in the Big Ten when he took the mic at a basketball game the day after he was hired.
Hey, look, I’m super fired up about this opportunity. I’ve never taken a back seat to anybody and don’t plan on starting now. Purdue sucks! But so does Michigan and Ohio State! Go IU!
While others may have rolled their eyes, the people inside the football program, athletic department and Bloomington, Indiana, charged ahead.
Cignetti made sure of that.
WHEN INDIANA FIRED coach Tom Allen in 2023, university leadership was prepared to take the next step with football. School president Pamela Whitten had laid the groundwork.
When she was hired two years earlier, Whitten was tasked with a long to-do list, including elevating Indiana athletics. This was during a revolutionary time for collegiate sports, with the transfer portal and NIL evening the playing field in a way that would allow more than the same handful of programs to compete for championships.
“We had to raise a lot of money to have the resources, both financial as well as the physical infrastructure,” Whitten said. “So when we were ready to bring in a coach, he needed that ecosystem to be successful as well.”
She and athletic director Scott Dolson — an Indiana lifer who worked as a student manager for Bobby Knight — talked about what they wanted in their next coach, and when they met with Cignetti, Whitten said, “It wasn’t so much like an interview as it was a melding of the approach and values and goals that we had. It’s almost like merging successfully on a highway.”
While Cignetti did not guarantee a national title in two years, he refused to put any limitations on what he thought Indiana could do.
Dolson thought back to a conversation he once had with his brother-in-law, who played football at Indiana in the 1980s under Bill Mallory, who led the Hoosiers to six bowl appearances during his tenure.
“He said to me, ‘Why don’t we ever think big enough? We should think about championships. We shouldn’t just think about bowl games,'” Dolson recalled. “He instilled that in me. It is important to have a plan to build a winning program across the board. Don’t put any limitations there. It’s what Coach Cig said from the minute I talked to him.”
Cignetti famously left his job as an Alabama assistant after the 2010 season to take his first head coaching job at Indiana University Pennsylvania, where his dad once coached, taking a massive pay cut in the process. But he bet on himself. Now, he was betting on Indiana.
Cignetti got to work building the program in his image, the same way he built programs and won at Division II IUP, Elon and then James Madison — where he made the FCS playoffs in his first season as head coach. In fact, he made the respective playoffs at all three programs within the first two years.
Forget about four- and five-star players and highly touted prospects. Cignetti valued character and production above all else. He was looking for not only hard workers but players who would put team above self. He approves every personnel decision. His first team had 23 people who either coached or played for him at James Madison.
In 13 seasons as a head coach, Cignetti had never had a losing record. Now, at the losingest program in FBS, something had to give. It wasn’t going to be the stubborn coach.
GOING 11-2 AND losing to Notre Dame in the first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff served as the launching point to this season. Cignetti knew Indiana could go further, so he went back into the transfer portal to make his team even better.
One of his first phone calls went to Mendoza, then the quarterback at California. He had the intangibles Cignetti was looking for. An overlooked recruit out of high school who was set to go to Yale before Cal offered at the last minute, Mendoza had worked through multiple quarterback competitions and setbacks to have a career year in 2024. After leading a 98-yard game-winning drive to beat rival Stanford, he went viral after getting emotional and proclaiming, “I’ll remember going 98 yards with my boys.”
Team above self.
Mendoza had fielded plenty of other calls from interested schools. But he remembers that first conversation with Cignetti, who told him, “If you’re going to come here, you’re going to develop into a hell of a quarterback.”
Mendoza was one of 22 players Indiana added in the portal, including running back Roman Hemby, receiver E.J. Williams Jr., center Pat Coogan, right tackle Kahlil Benson, defensive tackle Hosea Wheeler and defensive backs Louis Moore and Devan Boykin. Those players arrived to find a team that did not take too kindly to the narratives that dismissed them following the playoff loss.
“There was a lot of skepticism after last year, that we were a fluke,” Cignetti said. “That team did a lot of great things and got it all started. I think a lot of that negative stuff in the media fueled the guys returning from this team.”
As the quarterback, Mendoza knew how important it was to become a part of the team from the jump. His first order of business was to learn the name of each of his teammates. To help, he kept roster photographs with him.
“If I didn’t get them the first try, I got them the second try,” Mendoza said. “No matter if you’re the star linebacker or you’re a walk-on, I’m going to care about you because I want to help this team and be a leader of this team.”
Leaders emerged in different ways, particularly during offseason workouts. Tight end Riley Nowakowski recalled receiver Elijah Sarratt urging teammates to do one more rep after their work was done for the day. Soon, others followed. “One more rep,” became a calling card. The Friday before the national championship game, Sarratt screamed to his teammates during a lifting session in the weight room, “One more rep!”
“Finishing how last season finished, losing to Notre Dame, when we came back, we were like, ‘What’s the next step?'” Sarratt said. “For me, I decided to put in that extra work. If you’re doing a little bit more than everyone else, it has to help. I was doing it by myself at first. Then I told one receiver, and now the whole offense is doing it.”
“That’s reflective of guys wanting to pay the price to be the best they can be and pushing themselves, understanding it takes a little bit more to be the best,” Cignetti said. “There’s good and there’s great, and what does it take to be great? It takes a special discipline, work ethic and focus. Those are guys trying to find the edge and improve every single day.”
They were eager to show all that work off when the season opened Aug. 30 against Old Dominion.
“Although social media before the year was like, oh, ‘Cinderella story,’ we all had the internal belief in the facility, behind closed doors,” Mendoza said.
RANKED NO. 20 TO start the year and beating Old Dominion, Kennesaw State and Indiana State to open the season was one thing. The first test would come in Week 4, with No. 9 Illinois coming to town.
Scratch that — Illinois wasn’t much of a test, either.
Indiana overwhelmed the Illini 63-10, as Mendoza threw five touchdown passes and just two incompletions, for its first top-10 win in five years. Afterward Cignetti said, “We’ll get people’s attention with this one.”
“The thing that we said in the locker room beforehand is, ‘This game does not have to be close,'” said defensive lineman Mikail Kamara. “Like, even though everyone’s saying it’s gonna be a close game, we understood we could win this game by like 30, 40 points. We started the game off fast and even though that was not our biggest opponent, we slayed a dragon.”
Indiana got even more attention after going on the road to beat No. 3 Oregon 30-20 on Oct. 11. With the game tied early in the fourth quarter, Indiana scored the contest’s final 10 points — taking the lead for good on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Mendoza to Sarratt with 6:23 to go. Indiana had been winless (0-46) in road games against top-5 opponents in its history. Not anymore.
This team was not a fluke.
This team was better than last year.
An unofficial motto soon took hold: “Make a team quit.”
Then James Franklin got fired. The Nittany Lions were the preseason choice to win the Big Ten, but they fired their coach in mid-October after a disappointing 3-3 start. Once that happened, speculation swirled that Penn State officials had locked in on Cignetti as their top choice.
Dolson opted to be proactive and immediately went to see Cignetti in his office.
“I wanted him to know our commitment to him,” Dolson said. “It wasn’t just, ‘OK, we hit one there last year. I told him, ‘We know what the market is. We know your value. We know how coveted you are, and we’re willing to do what we need to do to make certain you feel that.”
Four days after Franklin was fired, Indiana announced a new eight-year contract with Cignetti worth $11.6 million a year, making him one of the highest paid coaches in the country.
When Indiana went to State College, the Hoosiers were ranked No. 2 and Penn State was reeling, having lost six straight.
Playing its most inspired football of the season, Penn State took a 24-20 lead with 6:27 remaining. Then came more Mendoza Magic. Indiana got the ball with less than 2 minutes to go, and Mendoza started rolling, firing one completion after the next to get Indiana down to the Penn State 7-yard line with 36 seconds left.
On third-and-goal and time running out on its undefeated season, Mendoza threw for Omar Cooper Jr. in the back of the end zone. Cooper leapt off the ground and leaned back to make the catch, seemingly defying gravity and the laws of physics to tap his left foot inside the end zone before falling out of bounds. Touchdown, Indiana.
Eighty yards, with his boys, to get Indiana’s first-ever win at Penn State.
“Fernando put it in the perfect spot,” Cooper said. “So I just went up and tried to make a play. I caught it, and the next thing I had to do was try to keep my feet in bounds. I knew how far I was from out of bounds, and I knew the defender was also pushing me. It happened so fast that I was just hoping that my foot was in bounds. When I looked and saw the ref’s reaction, it was just a rush of excitement and joy. I don’t know how to explain it.”
That play kept its undefeated season alive, but also provided a powerful reminder about resilience and trust.
“We got used to teams quitting, and Penn State had a lot of fight,” Kamara said. “There was no fear on the sideline, no arguing, no anxiety. It was, ‘Let’s go get it done.”
While Indiana appeared to be an unstoppable force, so did No. 1 Ohio State. The two met in the Big Ten championship game, their CFP spots secured, but Indiana had not won a conference title since 1967.
With two of the best defenses in the country squaring off, points were at a premium. Once again, it was Mendoza who delivered in the clutch, with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Sarratt in the third quarter that ended up being the game-winning score in the 13-10 victory to take down the Buckeyes and reinforce Indiana’s inevitability as champions.
A week later, Mendoza became the first Heisman Trophy winner in school history. Now, he looks back on that initial phone call with Cignetti as a pivotal moment.
“I’ve been able to develop into that quarterback and made that exponential jump this year that I was aspiring to,” Mendoza said. “I really am thankful that he sold me on developing Fernando as the quarterback. That’s one of the things that made me decide on this school.”
CIGNETTI HAD A message he needed to deliver at the news conference the day before Indiana played Alabama in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl. Citing disruptive travel, Cignetti said their first practice in California “didn’t meet the standard” and there were a lot of “loose ends” his team had to tie up before facing the Crimson Tide.
Since the CFP expanded to 12 teams, not one team that had a first-round bye won in the quarterfinals.
Indiana became the first, embarrassing Alabama 38-3. Then in the semifinals, Indiana crushed Oregon, 56-22. The blowouts were so thorough that they made Indiana the first team to ever win multiple CFP games by 30 or more points.
“I wouldn’t say it’s completely out of the ordinary for us, to be honest,” receiver Charlie Becker said. “Coach Cignetti told us we’re going to win, and we all bought in. It’s a standard at this point.”
The Hoosiers may have emerged as the favorite to win the national title by the end of the season, but they did it with a coach who waited four decades for an FBS head coaching opportunity, with players mostly undervalued and overlooked. Only eight four- or five-star players are currently on the roster.
The Cinderella story is now complete, whether Cignetti objects to the characterization or not. But the same forces that led the Hoosiers to this point will carry them beyond this exceptional two-year moment.
“One of the things that will probably never go away is the chip on our shoulder, that we have to continually prove ourselves and continue to be paranoid about falling backwards,” Dolson said. “There is a, ‘We still have a lot of work to do,’ mentality around here.”
“I want to make it so we’re like Alabama where this is normal,” Kamara said. “Once we win this, everything will change.”
Heather Dinich and Adam Rittenberg contributed to this report.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Reigning Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner begins his quest for a third consecutive title Down Under on Day 3. Naomi Osaka, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, and Madison Keys will also feature as the final first round matches are contested.
Eyes are also locked on the wait times and queues that have marred the first two days of main draw action, with fans voicing frustration about just how busy the precinct is. Some spectators were forced to wait in excess of two hours just to enter Melbourne Park on opening Sunday and Monday, then another hour to enter the show courts.
Stay tuned as ESPN’s team of reporters bring you all the latest news, results, match schedules, and more from Day 3 at the Australian Open.
Sports
Indiana’s Curt Cignetti complains about lack of calls against Miami during halftime of national title game
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Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti expressed some frustration with the officials in the college football national championship on Monday night.
Cignetti spoke to ESPN’s Holly Rowe and was frustrated with the lack of calls against the Miami Hurricanes for hits on Fernando Mendoza. The Heisman Trophy winner was left bloodied after one of the hits that were put on him.
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Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti watches during warm ups before the College Football Playoff national championship game between Miami and Indiana, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo)
“There’s three personal fouls on the quarterback not called in one drive,” Cignetti said. “They need to be called because they’re obvious personal fouls. I’m all for letting them play, but when you cross the line, you gotta call it. They were black and white calls.”
Through the hits, Mendoza has hung in there and had Indiana up 10 points at halftime.
TRUMP ARRIVES AT INDIANA-MIAMI COLLEGE FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza looks to pass against Miami during the first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Lynne Sladky/AP Photo)
He was 12-of-17 with 116 passing yards.
Indiana’s scoring began in the first quarter with a field goal. Then, with about 6:13 left in the second quarter, Mendoza led the Hoosiers down the field and handed the ball off to Riley Nowakowski to punch the ball in. The Hoosiers held a 10-0 lead at that point.
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti speaks during news conference ahead of the College Football Playoff national championship game between Miami and Indiana, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Miami. The game will be played on Monday. (Chris Carlson/AP Photo)
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The Hurricanes started to find a rhythm late in the first half. But Carter Davis’ field goal attempt went off the upright. The Hurricanes only had three first downs despite having the ball for nearly 12 minutes in the half.
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Jeff Borzello
After weeks of relative consistency at the top, Michigan’s stunning home loss to Wisconsin and Iowa State’s blowout loss to Kansas have prompted a massive shuffle in ESPN’s Power Rankings.
How far do the Wolverines and Cyclones drop?
Michigan still has elite efficiency-based metrics, ranking No. 1 in the NET, at KenPom and at BartTorvik. And while the Wolverines have only four Quad 1 wins, they own a long list of blowout victories, including a 40-point one over Gonzaga — enough to fall only one spot.
Iowa State has one of the most impressive wins we’ll see from any team this season: a 23-point road rout at Purdue. The Cyclones also own victories over a couple of borderline Top 25 teams in St. John’s and Iowa. They still rank among the top five at KenPom but dropped out of that group in every other metric.
Now, Duke, Purdue and Nebraska each have cases to pass Iowa State in the rankings. (Vanderbilt could have made one if it, too, hadn’t lost its first game Wednesday night.)
The Blue Devils have outstanding résumé-based metrics, sit at No. 1 in ESPN’s BPI and own wins over Michigan State, Arkansas, Kansas and Florida. Their lone loss was by one point on a neutral court, against Texas Tech.
Purdue has a better metric-based résumé than Iowa State, but it’s hard to put the Boilermakers ahead, given their loss at home to the Cyclones.
Nebraska has arguably the best résumé in the sport, ranking No. 2 in wins above bubble and No. 2 in ESPN’s strength of record. The Cornhuskers are also unbeaten. Yet they lag behind the others when it comes to their efficiency margin.
Ultimately, Duke gets the nod at No. 4 this week, with Iowa State rounding out the top five.
Previous ranking: 1
Of the Arizona freshman duo, Brayden Burries received most of the attention to end the 2025 calendar year. Since the start of Big 12 play in early January, however, Koa Peat has taken back the headlines. Peat was terrific in Wednesday’s rivalry win over Arizona State, finishing with 24 points and 10 rebounds (in the second half, he had 16 points, 5 boards and 2 assists while shooting 7-for-7 from the field). In four Big 12 games, Peat is averaging 19.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists. He might never top his 30-point career debut, but he’s back to his most productive self.
Next seven days: at UCF (Jan. 17), vs. Cincinnati (Jan. 21)
0:23
Brayden Burries gets the steal for a Koa Peat slam
Brayden Burries snatches the rock from TCU and throws it ahead to Koa Peat for a beautiful dunk.
Previous ranking: 4
UConn extended its winning streak to 13 games by hanging on to beat Seton Hall on the road Tuesday, but the Huskies have showed potential flaws along the way. They succumbed to the Pirates’ pressure defense in the second half, turning it over 17 times — and that’s not necessarily a new issue, either. BYU sparked its attempted comeback against UConn in November by forcing turnovers, and as Lukas Harkins of Basket Under Review pointed out this week, the Huskies had turned it over on 19.5% of possessions in their past seven games heading into the week.
Next seven days: at Georgetown (Jan. 17)
Previous ranking: 2
Michigan saw its invincibility cloak disappear in its close win over Penn State, then truly fell back to earth with its stunning loss at home to Wisconsin over the weekend. The Wolverines bounced back with a 10-point road win at Washington, but the dominance they had showed for the previous seven weeks has waned. It has been most noticeable on the defensive end, where they’ve allowed three straight opponents — and four of six opponents in Big Ten play — to hit the one point per possession mark. Michigan’s pace is also worth monitoring: After routinely playing games with possessions in the high 70s and low 80s, Michigan’s past three games have checked in around 71, per KenPom.
Next seven days: at Oregon (Jan. 17), vs. Indiana (Jan. 20)
1:25
Wisconsin Badgers vs. Michigan Wolverines: Game Highlights
Wisconsin Badgers vs. Michigan Wolverines: Game Highlights
Previous ranking: 5
Prior to the start of January, Isaiah Evans had one 20-point game in his college career. He quadrupled that number in the first 10 days of 2026: 28 points at Florida State, 23 against Louisville and 21 SMU. His streak ended on Wednesday against California, though he still finished with 17 points. He has also made at least four 3s in each of those past four games, averaging 22.3 points while shooting 40% from 3-point range. Providing consistent perimeter balance to Cameron Boozer‘s interior dominance will be key moving forward.
Next seven days: at Stanford (Jan. 17)
Previous ranking: 3
Despite more competitive wins in recent weeks, it was impossible to see a 21-point loss to Kansas in the cards for Iowa State on Tuesday. It was comfortably the Cyclones’ worst offensive performance: a season-low 63 points on a season-low 37% shooting and a season-low 0.97 points per possession. It was also by far their worst defensive showing, with the Jayhawks scoring 1.29 points per possession. And how about this stat from ESPN Research: Tuesday was the largest loss by a team that was 16-0 or better since Marquette lost to Detroit by 21 in 1972.
Next seven days: at Cincinnati (Jan. 17), vs. UCF (Jan. 20)
Previous ranking: 6
There won’t be many more impressive second-half offensive performances than Purdue’s against Iowa on Wednesday. The Boilermakers hit nearly 73% of their shots after halftime, missing just one from the field while making nine in the final 10:30. They also went 14 for 16 from the free-throw line in the final 20 minutes. And all of it was sparked by All-American point guard Braden Smith, who had 16 points and 4 assists in the second half.
Next seven days: at USC (Jan. 17), at UCLA (Jan. 20)
Previous ranking: 7
Nebraska continues to win in different ways, erasing a 16-point second-half deficit to defeat Indiana on Saturday before turning around and beating Oregon by 35 on Tuesday. But the stimulus of the Cornhuskers’ offense continues to be the 3-point shot. Indiana took a nine-point lead as Nebraska missed seven straight 3s spanning both halves, but the Huskers came back by hitting six of their next eight 3s. Against Oregon, they made 17 3s, including five straight from late in the first half to early in the second half to turn a tied score into a 15-point lead in four minutes of game action.
Next seven days: at Northwestern (Jan. 17), vs. Washington (Jan. 21)
Previous ranking: 9
In a career filled with dominant seasons, Graham Ike could be trending toward his strongest yet. While he put up more points and rebounds in 2021-22 at Wyoming, Ike is averaging the most points (17.8), rebounds (8.6) and assists (2.6) of his three seasons at Gonzaga. He has the best offensive rating and true shooting percentage of his career. And he has taken his game up a notch in WCC play, shooting 72.5% inside the arc in five conference games thus far, most recently finishing with 34 points and 11 rebounds against Santa Clara.
Next seven days: at Washington State (Jan. 15), at Seattle (Jan. 17), vs. Pepperdine (Jan. 21)
Previous ranking: 10
Houston is really starting to tighten it up on the defensive end of the floor. After allowing Arkansas and Middle Tennessee to each score more than one point per possession at the end of nonconference play, the Cougars have locked things down since Big 12 play began. They held West Virginia to 48 points on Tuesday — including just one 2-pointer in the first half — after limiting Baylor to 55 points this past Saturday. Their four conference opponents so far have scored just 0.9 points per possession.
Next seven days: vs. Arizona State (Jan. 18)
Previous ranking: 11
BYU will take a 13-game winning streak into a massive showdown on Saturday at Texas Tech, where the Cougars will look for a true statement win to solidify their position in the top 10. They’ve beaten several Top 25 teams up to this point — including Villanova, Clemson and fringe team Miami — but a win in Lubbock would immediately go to the top of the résumé. Will Tech have an answer for AJ Dybantsa? His 25-point performance against TCU marked his 10th straight 20-point game, although his record-setting nine-game streak of 20 points and 50% field goal shooting came to an end.
Next seven days: at Texas Tech (Jan. 17)
1:16
BYU rallies back to defeat TCU
AJ Dybantsa leads BYU with 25 points as the Cougars overcome a halftime deficit to win 76-70.
Previous ranking: 12
After hitting double-figures six times in his first 12 games of the season, Jeremy Fears Jr. has now scored at least 14 points in five straight games — including Tuesday’s career-high 23 points against Indiana. His assist numbers haven’t dropped off, either. He had 10 in the win over the Hoosiers and was responsible for 18 of the Spartans’ 27 field goals via points or assists. Over the five-game stretch, Fears is averaging 17.6 points and 8.0 assists while turning the ball over just 12 times total.
Next seven days: at Washington (Jan. 17), at Oregon (Jan. 20)
Previous ranking: 8
Vanderbilt fell from the ranks of the unbeaten on Wednesday, getting blown out by Texas. So what happened? The counting numbers from Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles weren’t much different than their season averages, but they weren’t nearly as efficient in reaching those numbers. They also didn’t get much help from the supporting cast. The Commodores entered the night averaging 93.0 points per game, and Texas held them to 64. It was also their worst defensive performance since Nov. 8 from an efficiency standpoint, giving up 1.21 points per possession. After allowing just three of its first 13 opponents to hit the one-point-per-possession threshold, Vandy’s past four opponents have all reached that mark.
Next seven days: vs. Florida (Jan. 17), at Arkansas (Jan. 20)
1:44
Highlight: Texas pulls away to upset No. 10 Vandy
Matas Vokietaitis records 22 points and seven rebounds as Tramon Mark scores 21 points as the Longhorns earn a win over the Commodores, 80-64.
Previous ranking: 15
Keaton Wagler checked in at No. 18 in ESPN’s latest NBA mock draft — a remarkable rise for an unranked four-star recruit coming out of high school. But with the way the freshman is playing lately, it’s hard to see him not moving comfortably into the lottery once the process is over. After scoring 22 points against Northwestern on Wednesday, Wagler is now averaging 19.3 points and 4.7 assists and shooting 44.4% from 3-point range in Big Ten play.
Next seven days: vs. Minnesota (Jan. 17), vs. Maryland (Jan. 21)
Previous ranking: 13
Arkansas had a mixed week, losing by 22 at Auburn on Saturday then destroying South Carolina by 34 on Wednesday. On the positive side, the offensive performance (1.48 points per possession) against the Gamecocks was the Razorbacks’ best outing since a November win over Jackson State. Freshman guards Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas combined for 39 points and 15 assists — and no turnovers. On a less positive note, Arkansas has now allowed at least one point per possession in eight straight games and is just seventh in the SEC in defensive efficiency.
Next seven days: at Georgia (Jan. 17), vs. Vanderbilt (Jan. 20)
Previous ranking: 18
While Grant McCasland’s team has developed better balance in recent weeks, Wednesday’s win over Utah showed why Christian Anderson and JT Toppin form arguably the best inside-outside tandem in college basketball. Anderson went for 26 points and 10 assists, while Toppin put up 31 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists. And we’re about to get a better handle on where Tech sits in the Big 12 pecking order: The Red Raiders host BYU on Saturday before heading to Baylor on Tuesday then returning home to host Houston next weekend.
Next seven days: vs. BYU (Jan. 17), at Baylor (Jan. 20)
Previous ranking: 17
Days after Kansas fell out of the AP Top 25 (but not these rankings) for the first time all season, the Jayhawks turned around and pummeled Iowa State by 21 points — their third-largest win over a top-five opponent in program history, per ESPN Research. They had one of their best shooting performances of the season, going 12-for-24 from 3. And while Darryn Peterson‘s 16 points were key, the Jayhawks’ ancillary players had massive outings. Tre White had 19 points (including five 3s), 10 rebounds and three assists, while Jamari McDowell played his most minutes of the Big 12 season en route to eight points and six assists.
Next seven days: vs. Baylor (Jan. 16), at Colorado (Jan. 20)
Previous ranking: 21
Thijs De Ridder has been the first-year Virginia player getting most of the attention, but Johann Grunloh changed the game at both ends of the floor in Tuesday’s win over Louisville. The 7-foot Germany native tied his career high with 16 points while adding 7 rebounds and 4 blocks in what was arguably his best game in a Cavaliers uniform. And it came on a night when De Ridder was struggling, going 3-for-10 from the field with five turnovers. Grunloh is now up to 42.9% from 3 in ACC play, hitting three shots from deep Tuesday.
Next seven days: at SMU (Jan. 17)
Previous ranking: Unranked
The Gators might be back. Since losing by two at Missouri on Jan. 3, the reigning national champions have run three straight SEC opponents off the floor. They beat Georgia, Tennessee and Oklahoma by an average of 18.7 points, scoring an average of 93.0 points in the process. Boogie Fland‘s emergence has been important; he has put up 19.0 points and 6.0 assists in their past two games. And Rueben Chinyelu has been dominant down low, averaging 18.0 points and 14.0 rebounds over his past two games.
Next seven days: at Vanderbilt (Jan. 17), vs. LSU (Jan. 20)
1:49
Highlight: No. 19 Florida dominates the glass in blowout win vs. Oklahoma
Thomas Haugh leads the way with 21 points while Rueben Chinyelu follows up with 19 points and 12 rebounds as the Gators outrebound the Sooners 43-31 in their 96-79 win.
Previous ranking: 16
Tuesday wasn’t shaping up to be an ideal night for Nate Oats’ program. The Crimson Tide were on a two-game losing streak coming off Saturday’s home defeat to Texas, and five rotation players were ruled out for the road trip to Mississippi State. The Bulldogs then jumped out to a 14-point lead with eight minutes left in the first half. But over the final 28 minutes, Alabama scored 82 points and outscored Mississippi State by 29. Labaron Philon Jr. was the catalyst with a career-high 32 points on just 14 shots.
Next seven days: at Oklahoma (Jan. 17)
Previous ranking: 14
Through the first two months of the season, North Carolina was very solid on the defensive end of the floor. The Tar Heels allowed only four of their first 14 opponents to reach one point per possession, and they ranked 17th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency. But the defense has been porous over the past three games, resulting in a 1-2 record with losses to SMU and Stanford. They allowed 97 points to the Mustangs and 95 to the Cardinal, surrendering 84 points in a close win over Wake Forest in between. In that three-game stretch, they allowed an average of 1.3 points per possession.
Next seven days: at California (Jan. 17), vs. Notre Dame (Jan. 21)
Previous ranking: 19
After Saturday’s listless 24-point loss to Florida, Rick Barnes needed to see a response from his team — and he got one in the form of a double-overtime win over Texas A&M on Tuesday. While the play of Bishop Boswell and Felix Okpara was promising, the biggest reason for optimism moving forward comes from the more assertive Nate Ament. An elite prospect coming out of high school, Ament has been inconsistent on the offensive end after a strong start. But he finished with 23 points against the Aggies — including nine in the second half and 10 in the overtimes — to go with 12 rebounds. Tennessee was looking for him, and he was looking for his shot. That needs to continue.
Next seven days: vs. Kentucky (Jan. 17)
2:15
Nate Ament relives win in double-OT madness vs. Texas A&M
Ament reflects on taking over late in the game while emphasizing the Vols’ perseverance and details the building momentum in Rocky Top after a bounce back win over the Aggies.
Previous ranking: 22
MJ Collins leads the team in scoring and continues to put up 20-point nights with regularity, but junior guard Mason Falslev has arguably been the better of the two Aggies stars in Mountain West play. It can only be a good thing for Jerrod Calhoun. Falslev had 26 points in Wednesday’s win over Nevada and now has a KenPom offensive rating above 150.0 in league play (for context, only Purdue’s Oscar Cluff has a higher offensive rating than 150.0 over the full season). Falslev is shooting 62.8% from 2 and 47.1% from 3 and averaging 17.7 points in six MWC games.
Next seven days: at Grand Canyon (Jan. 17), vs. UNLV (Jan. 20)
Previous ranking: Unranked
Clemson has quietly won eight in a row and is off to a 5-0 start in ACC play after losing back-to-back close games to Alabama and BYU in early December. The Tigers have a real chance to stake a claim in the ACC standings over the next week, with home games against Miami and NC State. Win both, and suddenly Brad Brownell’s team is likely favored in its next five games before heading to Duke on Valentine’s Day. The Tigers currently have the best defense in the ACC, holding teams to 0.94 points per possession in conference play.
Next seven days: vs. Miami (Jan. 17), vs. NC State (Jan. 20)
Previous ranking: Unranked
Villanova bounced back from its home loss to Creighton with back-to-back road wins over Marquette and Providence, setting up a showdown against St. John’s on Saturday. The winner will very likely be in next week’s rankings; the loser will fall completely out of the Big East title race. Two veterans have been key in the Wildcats’ strong play of late. Grand Canyon transfer Duke Brennan has been one of the best offensive rebounders in the country and is shooting nearly 79% from the field in conference play. And the well-traveled Devin Askew — now at his fifth school — averaged 16.5 points off the bench in the two most recent wins.
Next seven days: vs. St. John’s (Jan. 17), vs. Georgetown (Jan. 21)
Previous ranking: 20
Louisville is clinging on to its spot in the rankings, losing for the third time in four games to Virginia at home on Tuesday. The Cardinals are now just 3-4 without Mikel Brown Jr., and with no known return date, the outlook is worrisome for Pat Kelsey’s team. After Brown’s last game, a win over Memphis on Dec. 13, Louisville was 9-1 and ranked No. 9 at BartTorvik. In the past seven games, the Cardinals are down at No. 42 in Torvik’s rankings. They’ve fallen off a cliff on the offensive end, ranking fourth in adjusted efficiency with Brown and 55th without him. With him, Louisville turned it over on just 14.7% of its possessions and shot 37.5% from 3. Without him, the Cardinals are coughing it up on 17.8% of possessions and shooting 29.3% from 3.
Next seven days: at Pitt (Jan. 17)
Dropped out: Georgia Bulldogs (No. 23), Saint Louis Billikens (No. 24), Iowa Hawkeyes (No. 25)
Asian stocks today: Markets trade mostly in red; Nikkei sheds 1%, HSI remains flat – The Times of India
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