Purdue Fort Wayne plays Old Dominion in NIT matchup
Fort Wayne, Indiana; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Purdue Fort Wayne and Old Dominion meet in the National Invitation Tournament.
The Mastodons' record in Horizon games is 20-3, and their record is 5-5 against non-conference opponents. Purdue Fort Wayne is eighth in the Horizon with 7.8 offensive rebounds per game led by Jazzlyn Linbo averaging 1.6.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
Mississippi State working to bounce back from rough first season under Jeff Lebby
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby enters his second season still looking for his first victory with the Bulldogs in Southeastern Conference play. Lebby, however, doesn't judge his maiden campaign solely by the Bulldogs' winless league record. 'The result was not what we want, wasn't the expectation,' he said. 'But if you know football and you watch, you can tell that it's a group of guys that believe, and so people want to be a part of that. There's great belief, passion, toughness, confidence inside the program right now.' The former offensive coordinator at Ole Miss and Oklahoma was widely seen as a rising star when he was hired at State after the regular season in 2023. His new job presented some tough challenges. The Bulldogs had been through a tumultuous calendar year that included coach Mike Leach unexpected death during the team's bowl game preparations. Defensive coordinator Zach Arnett took over, but couldn't last a full season as the Bulldogs struggled to a 5-7 record. Just four games into Lebby's first season, starting quarterback Blake Shapen went out with a shoulder injury. Lebby was left with true freshman Michael Van Buren at QB and the conference's worst statistical defense, resulting in a 2-10 overall mark. Lebby brought in Phil Loadholt to replace Cody Kennedy as offensive line coach, and added former head coaches Mike MacIntyre and Paul Rhodes as defensive analysts, along with former Colorado defensive line coach Vincent Dancy to coach the pass rushers. He also bolstered the roster with nearly 30 transfers and a full signing class. Second-year defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler has more more depth and talent on a unit that accounted for just 10 sacks last season. Offensively, Shapen returns for a final season of eligibility. It will be an offense built around a stable of running backs and led by a QB who enters his second year in Lebby's system and fifth year of college football. 'Being able to move a lot faster than I was last year is a big thing for me and then moving with tempo but also being able to lead other guys too,' Shapen said. 'I feel like last year I was very focused on the offense. This year I have a lot of opportunity to lead other guys and get guys in spots.' Ground game It took some time last year for the Bulldogs to get the running game off the ground, but former Utah State running back Davon Booth and junior college product Johnnie Daniels became a solid 1-2 punch. After Booth was granted another season of eligibility — stemming from Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia's precedent-setting case regarding junior college players — he is set for a huge senior campaign. Booth and Daniels have had plenty of competition from former South Alabama standout Fluff Bothwell, who gained more than 800 yards and a Sun Belt-Leading 13 touchdowns in 2024. Seth Davis, Kolin Wilson and Xavier Gayten also have shown potential. Retooled offensive line For the running game to thrive, Loadholt's line will have to pave the way. Lebby and Loadholt added five new faces from the transfer portal and added size to give the Bulldogs one of the bigger lines in the country. Jimothy Lewis and Luke Work are promising blockers poised to improve in Year 2, while Albert Reese and Canon Boone return as fifth-year veterans. Colorado transfer Zach 'Flap Jack' Owens and Virginia's Blake Steen could make an impact as well. Defensive line beefed up Improving the defensive line was among the Bulldogs' top priorities. Veteran line coach David Turner now has bigger players up front. Meanwhile, there's been an emphasis on getting defensive ends and linebackers better equipped to pressure QBs after finishing last in the league in sacks last season. The schedule The Bulldogs' SEC schedule features four teams that played in last season's inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff and seven ranked in the preseason AP Top 25. Lebby and his squad will host playoff teams Arizona State, Tennessee, Texas and Georgia with road trips to teams like Missouri and Texas A&M. The Bulldogs also have their annual matchup at home against rival Ole Miss, a team that was on the outside looking in of last year's playoff.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Washington Post
James Madison a favorite to win Sun Belt as chaos reigns in the conference
The Sun Belt has created a bit of a reputation for chaos. The days of single-team dominance have been replaced by fast risers, rapid turnover, unpredictable outcomes and fierce competition. Defending champion Marshall lost coach Charles Huff and a significant portion of the roster to conference foe Southern Miss. The West Division has its own intrigue with Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas State splitting opinion on which will be on top this season.
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Associated Press
James Madison a favorite to win Sun Belt as chaos reigns in the conference
The Sun Belt has created a bit of a reputation for chaos. The days of single-team dominance have been replaced by fast risers, rapid turnover, unpredictable outcomes and fierce competition. Defending champion Marshall lost coach Charles Huff and a significant portion of the roster to conference foe Southern Miss. The West Division has its own intrigue with Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas State splitting opinion on which will be on top this season. JMU was the clear favorite in the Sun Belt preseason coaches poll, earning a league-high 11 first-place votes. James Madison the consensus favorite James Madison is in its fourth year in the conference and the Football Bowl Subdivision and has 28 wins to show for it, a steady performance that followed a run near the top of the FCS. The Dukes finished 9-4 overall and third in the East Division with a 4-4 conference record in coach Bob Chesney's first year at the helm. Quarterback Alonza Barnett III completed 60% of his passes for 2,598 yards, 26 touchdowns and four interceptions while rushing for 442 yards and seven TDs. A leg injury cut Barnett's season short, sidelining the sophomore from the Boca Raton Bowl. The Dukes brought in other options at signal-caller, including Matt Sluka, who played for Chesney at Holy Cross and left UNLV over a contract dispute. Georgia Southern was picked to finish second in the East. None of the Sun Belt Conference teams made the AP Top 25 preseason poll, but JMU (9) and Louisiana-Lafayette (1) got votes — and both are the coaches' picks to reach the title game. Are the Golden Eagles the new Thundering Herd? Under Huff, Marshall went 10-3 last season, including 7-1 in play, and beat the Ragin' Cajuns 31-3 in the league title game. Huff left for Southern Miss soon after and the Herd had to pull out of the Independence Bowl because more than 30 players jumped into the transfer portal, pushing the team below the necessary roster minimum. Several of those players followed Huff, including quarterback Braylon Braxton, the preseason Sun Belt offensive player of the year. Braxton completed 124 of 206 passes for 1,624 yards, 19 touchdowns and two interceptions while tacking on 610 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in 2024 – all career highs. Redshirt sophomore return specialist Ian Foster and redshirt senior defensive back Josh Moten also followed Huff and were 2025 preseason all-Sun Belt selections. In the West Division Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas State each got six votes from league coaches to win the division. The Ragin' Cajuns followed their loss to Marshall in the Sun Belt title game with a 34-3 loss to TCU in the New Mexico Bowl, but it was still the best season offensively since the departure of coach Billy Napier. Significant turnover looms over its offense, losing quarterbacks Ben Wooldridge and Chandler Fields. Texas State's offense faces similar changes, bringing in a new quarterback and offensive coordinator Landon Keopple. Of the five quarterbacks on the roster, redshirt freshman Brad Jackson is the sole returner. The Bobcats acquired several transfer quarterbacks from strong programs: Keldric Luster from SMU, Holden Geriner from Auburn and Nate Yarnell from Pitt. The Bobcats also welcomed freshman Gavin Parkhurst. Key transfers Braxton, Moten and Foster weren't the only notable transfers who could have an immediate impact: — Kenard Snyder, Edge, Texas State — Kaleno Levine, CB, Troy — Zach Palmer-Smith, RB, ULM — Walker Howard, QB, Louisiana-Lafayette — Xavier Holmes, DL, James Madison — Luke Murphy, LB, Coastal Carolina Key matchups Georgia Southern at James Madison (Sept. 27), Louisiana-Lafayette at James Madison (Oct. 11), Georgia Southern at Arkansas State (Oct. 25), James Madison at Texas State (Oct. 28), Georgia Southern at Appalachian State (Nov. 6), Texas State vs. Louisiana (Nov. 8), Troy at Old Dominion (Nov. 13) __ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and
