By Mitchell Rans Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS – A week after her USC Trojans had celebrated on the home court of the UCLA Bruins, a regular-season sweep of their rival complete, JuJu Watkins left the floor at Gainbridge Fieldhouse alone. The third meeting between the crosstown rivals ended with the No. 4-ranked Bruins limiting …
Read MoreBy Cort Street | @cort_street Sports Capital Journalism INDIANAPOLIS – It was the timeless story of the power of three. In a venue located in the heart of midwestern basketball, in an era defined by its willingness to embrace the unfamiliar, the UCLA Bruins emerged triumphant at the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament, showcasing a …
Read MoreBy Cort Street | @cort_street Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS – Two programs, separated by over 2,000 miles. Two basketball traditions, forged over the course of decades spent apart. The Ohio State Buckeyes, a stalwart of a suddenly distant era of Big Ten basketball, a program intertwined with the very nature of midwestern sports. The …
Read MoreBy Mitchell Rans Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — For more than 33 minutes in their semifinal game of the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament, the Michigan Wolverines gave themselves a reason to believe. They created problems for the second-ranked USC Trojans and national player of the year candidate JuJu Watkins. With 6:29 to play, …
Read MoreBy Andrew Thomison | @Andrew_Thomison Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana interior defensive lineman CJ West will fly under NFL teams’ radars no more. Over the last few weeks, West has started to garner more attention as a prospect in the 2025 National Football League Draft. In his lone season with Indiana University, West …
Read MoreBy Cort Street | @cort_street Sports Capital Journalism Program ATLANTA – All they needed was a chance. That was the message a decade ago, when, in the inaugural College Football Playoff, Ohio State battled through a devastating early-season loss and numerous injuries to key players but managed to capture the final seed of the expanded …
Read MoreThe Buckeyes enter Monday night’s national championship affair on a six-game winning streak over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, with Notre Dame’s last win in the series coming all the way back in 1936. Ohio State will be seeking its first national title in ten years, while a nearly unfathomable 36 years have passed since …
Read MoreBy Cort Street | @cort_street Sports Capital Journalism ATLANTA – The clash of competing shoulder pads striking with more velocity than at any other point in the season. The whisk of two ill-fated field goal kicks, one hooking beyond the reach of the left goal post, the other fading outside the right. The cry of …
Read MoreBy Cort Street | @cort_street Sports Capital Journalism Program ATLANTA – As Curt Cignetti took the podium to give his opening remarks as the honoree at the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award presentation, he paused, taking a moment to think reflectively at the side of the bust of Robinson, a coach he had …
Read MoreBy Cort Street | @cort_street Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS – Something felt different as the triumphant No. 1 Oregon Ducks took the stage to celebrate a momentous 45-37 Big Ten Championship victory over the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions. The home sideline at Lucas Oil Stadium had been worn by the calm, confident …
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