Author: Mike Schumann

March 28, 1987 — New Orleans, Louisiana The largest crowd ever for a college basketball game saw a classic.  And they also saw something that many did not expect. While most anticipated a contrast in styles between run-and-gun UNLV and methodical Indiana, the Hoosiers opted to join the Runnin’ Rebels in a track meet. To the thrill and surprise of the 65,959 fans at the Louisiana Superdome, IU tried to beat No. 1 ranked UNLV in a national semifinal matchup at their own game.  According to Indiana head coach Bob Knight, it was the only chance the Hoosiers had against…

Can IU football repeat in 2026 after a fairly significant turnover of the roster? One of the sports’ top analytical models has spoken. IU football is ranked No. 5 in the first preseason edition of ESPN’s long-running SP+ model prepared by Bill Connelly.  With no spring transfer portal this season, these preseason SP+ rankings should generally hold up through the start of Indiana’s season on Sept. 5. This is how the preseason national top-10 looks in Connelly’s first edition of SP+ for the 2026 season: 1. Ohio State 2. Oregon 3. Notre Dame 4. Georgia 5. Indiana 6. Texas 7.…

The 2026 Major League Baseball season is underway, and five former Hoosiers are with big league clubs at the open. Kyle Schwarber – Philadelphia The greatest slugger in IU baseball history is in year 12 of his MLB career.  Schwarber is up 341 home runs for his career after going long in the season opener.  The 33-year-old is coming off the best season of his career.  Schwarber hit .240 with 56 home runs and 132 RBIs in 2025.  If he can put together a few more productive years, Schwarber has a chance to reach the MLB Hall of Fame. Tim…

Our transfer portal names to know series involves players with rumored interest or interesting connections with IU basketball. Belmont transfer forward Sam Orme is an Indiana native (Carmel H.S., Carmel, Ind.), and a name to know for IU basketball. When he was young high school prospect, Orme told TDH he comes from a big IU family.  Obviously that won’t exclusively drive his recruitment, but it’s at least an interesting side note. Orme has been with Belmont for the last three seasons and he has progressed into a potential high major player. Listed at 6-foot-9 and 220-pounds, Orme averaged 12.8 points…

IU football coach Curt Cignetti hasn’t softened his approach after winning a national championship. Just ask his new wide receiver Nick Marsh. When Marsh arrived for Indiana’s first spring practice Thursday morning in Bloomington wearing flashy cleats, the Michigan State transfer got a quick introduction to how Cignetti runs the program. “I didn’t love those gold shoes he (Marsh) came out in today,” Cignetti said when he spoke with the media after practice. “He learned what getting your ass ripped is all about. I don’t know if that happened to him very often at Michigan State. That was before practice…

Your first chance to see the 2026 Indiana Hoosiers arrives in less than a month. Indiana announced today the 2026 spring game will commence at 8 p.m. ET inside Memorial Stadium on April 23. The start of the game coincides with the start of the 2026 NFL Draft.  Former IU quarterback Fernando Mendoza is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick. Several factors could lead to a big crowd this year.  Many fans were unable to attend the national championship celebration in January due to freezing temperatures and a looming storm.  But the late April weather, ahead of IU’s…

Indiana opens spring practice on Thursday, and in advance of that we continue to examine the new look Hoosiers as they embark on a national title defense. The Hoosiers have lost several of the top players from the 2025 team, but also bring back some key contributors. And they’ve made some significant additions to the roster via the transfer portal.  IU has clear talent.  Their biggest questions center on depth and role definition. Led by Broyles Award winning defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, IU should have one of the nation’s top defenses again in 2026.  But here are some of the…

For four seasons linebackers Cam Jones and Micah McFadden were teammates in Bloomington. Both played key roles in the 2019 and 2020 seasons that saw the Hoosiers go a combined 14-7 and make back-to-back appearances in January bowl games. McFadden left IU for the NFL following the 2021 season.  He was drafted by the New York Giants and has spent the last four seasons there.  He re-signed with the franchise earlier this month. Originally a fifth-round draft choice by the Giants in 2022, McFadden has played in 48 regular-season games with 36 starts in four seasons. His career numbers include…

The quest for a repeat national title starts now. Indiana football kicks off spring practice this week in Bloomington. The Hoosiers will start practicing on Thursday, and their slate of spring practices will run through April 23. IU coach Curt Cignetti has said on multiple occasions he has never used the full allotment of practices, and this year’s schedule indicates that will continue to be the case.  Programs are allowed to conduct 15 on-field practice sessions over a 34-day period. Indiana’s spring practices are closed to the public. April 23 marks the conclusion of spring practices, and it is the…

Despite carrying the national champion title into the 2026 season, IU football enters spring practice like everyone else — full of questions. What are the biggest questions head coach Curt Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan face in their pursuit of back-to-back titles? Here’s our top questions confronting the IU offense in 2026. QUARTERBACK There’s no question Josh Hoover enters spring ball as the anticipated 2026 starter, but like 2025, there is a question about who will serve as the backup. Snaps in spring practice and in the spring game should provide obvious clues. Based on experience, the leading contender…