Sports

Odds stacked against Hoosiers

According to vegasinsider.com, a sports gambling information Web site, the IU men’s basketball team’s odds of winning a national title this year stand at 300-1  – same as seldom-feared small school Siena and a long way from highly regarded in-state rival Purdue, whose odds are 20-1.

IU’s Mitch of all trades

Unlike some members of the IU football team, Mitchell Evans is not an outspoken personality. He just plays the game –  wherever that may be. For the last two years, Evans has essentially played the role of utility man for the Hoosiers, the man who can do just near anything when it comes to football. “He is such a good athlete, you can move him around anywhere on the field wherever your team needs him,” senior wide receiver Andrew Means said. And move him is just what the Hoosiers have done.

Former Hoosier basketball player remains hospitalized after quadruple bypass

Colts defense wants to stop run

INDIANAPOLIS – Indianapolis is tired of getting the run around. The Colts’ defense has traditionally been criticized for being too small, not having enough big-name playmakers and being soft against the run. Allowing rookie Matt Forte to gouge them for 123 yards in the season-opener certainly didn’t help the reputation.

Ball State boasts all-purpose wide receiver

MUNCIE – Ball State’s offensive game plan is simple and effective. All the Cardinals have to do, it seems, is get the ball to Dante Love.

Miller's lap around NASCAR

Fantasy football, week 2

In case you missed the big news out of the New England-Kansas City game, quarterback Brodie Croyle will be missing some time after separating his shoulder against the Pats.

Big Ten has bigger problems than Pizza Express

No decision yet on redshirt for Willis, other freshmen

The first and second teams, including quarterbacks Kellen Lewis and Ben Chappell, respectively, continued taking equal snaps in the Hoosiers’ practice on Tuesday. The only thing different from past weeks’ practices was that the players were in shells – shoulder pads, helmets and shorts.

4-star recruit commits to IU Tuesday night

High school senior Christian Watford, one of the best small forwards in the country, has committed to play for the IU men’s basketball team starting next season.

Watford commits

Four-star recruit Christian Watford confirmed Tuesday night that he gave IU men's basketball coach Tom Crean a verbal commitment to play for IU following his graduation from high school in 2009. Watford becomes the fifth 2009 recruit to give the Hoosiers a verbal, and the fourth since Crean became head coach.

Keeper nabs weekly Big Ten honor after 2-win weekend

The IU field hockey team’s sophomore goalkeeper Alex Mann picked up Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week after allowing just one goal during two games in Missouri last weekend, according to a press release. Mann recorded five saves in a shutout victory against Saint Louis, the most saves in a single game by a Hoosier this year. She has 13 saves this season, good for just more than three a game.

Johnson thinking in 3s

Sure, this weekend marked the opening game for the NFL, but it was NASCAR that was in the forefront of my mind on Sunday. With the Chase for the Sprint Cup set to begin next weekend in New Hampshire, there is one driver who sticks out in my mind as the favorite to win the Cup, and you won’t find his name on a beer can. I’m talking about Jimmie Johnson. I know Kyle Busch has basically dominated the field this season, and Carl Edwards has been a consistent winner, but I have a feeling Jimmie has no intention of giving up his title without a fight.

Crean headed to Alabama to pursue 4-star recruit

High school juniors and class of 2010 basketball recruits Lavonte Dority, Lenzelle Smith, Jr. and Alex Gauna were among a handful of recruits on campus Saturday for unofficial visits with the IU men’s basketball team.

A legend in his time, an inspiration in ours

During a pole vault career that spanned from his collegiate days at IU in the 1980s through the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Dave Volz used a technique so effective it is now banned in track and field. The move, now known as “Volzing,” allowed the vaulter to push the bar with their hand, preventing it from falling as the athlete sailed over it. Sixteen years ago, Volz placed fifth in the pole vault in the Olympics. Now, he’s back at IU, volunteering his time to coach pole vaulters on the IU men’s and women’s track and field teams.

For Jeremiah Rivers, it’s about practice

If basketball experience were Behr Pottery Red, Jeremiah Rivers could paint a house. Seriously, the kid has pretty much seen it all. He’s played in a Final Four. He’s been a part of two of the most storied college basketball programs in history. His dad just won an NBA title in a town that breeds hard-court legends. It’s translating cleanly.

Erica Short named Big Ten Player of the Week

After a record-setting weekend that where she notched 61 kills, 24 of them in a single match — an IU record — senior middle blocker and co-captain Erica Short was named Big Ten Player of the Week, according to a press release. Short’s performance, coupled with those of fellow co-captain Juli Pierce and sophomore teammate Ashley Benson, helped lead the IU volleyball team to a 3-0 weekend and first place in the Adidas Classic at Assembly Hall. Benson and Pierce were both named to the all-tournament team, while Short was named tournament MVP.

Astana team: No plans for Lance to ride with us

Lance Armstrong’s reported comeback won’t take place with the Astana cycling team. “He is no part of our team,” Astana team press officer Philippe Maertens told The Associated Press in an e-mail. “Team Astana has no plans with him.”

Count your blessings, fans of the horse

Breathe out, Colts fans: A bursa sac can’t sack Peyton Manning. The face of the franchise started the Colts’ season opener Sunday night after missing the entire preseason, recovering from surgery that removed an infected bursa sac from his left knee. And the Sorgi family weeps

Senior leads IU to tournament title

Despite her name, there was nothing short about Erica Short’s performance in the adidas Classic this weekend at Assembly Hall. The senior middle blocker and co-captain was named tournament MVP after recording 61 kills during the weekend, including an IU-record 24 in the Friday match against Valparaiso. Short said the record was a great accomplishment but was quick to credit her team as well.