LIVE BLOG: Follow Indiana's Game With Notre Dame in Real Time; News, Views, Highlights

Welcome to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, where we are saying goodbye to the Crossroads Classic on Saturday. The last game is Indiana vs. Notre Dame, and this is your live blog straight from press row. We'll keep you updated on the game in real time.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Welcome to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, where we are saying goodbye to the Crossroads Classic on Saturday. The last game is Indiana vs. Notre Dame, and this is your live blog straight from press row. We'll keep you updated on the game in real time.

If you're not familiar with our blog, just keep refreshing. The most recent items are on the top.

FINAL: Indiana hangs on for a 64-56 win. A tremendous defensive effort all day, and a great job of answering the bell after Notre Dame made its run. Wisconsin loss now officially in the rear-view mirror. 

• HERE'S THE GAME STORY —— CLICK HERE

4:37 p.m. — Race Thompson fouled again. He makes them both this time, and Indiana leads 61-52. Notre Dame misses, and Parker Stewart fouled right away. He makes 1-of-2. Indiana leads 62-52.

4:35 p.m. — Race Thompson is fouled at 1:52 and goes to the line for a one-and-one. Makes the first, misses the second. Rob Phinisee and Anthony Leal getting huge minutes down the stretch here, all for defensive purposes. It's been paying off. Bad foul call there on Leal on a rebound. It's 59-52. Parker Stewart back in for Leal.

4:32 p.m. — Trayce Jackson-Davis knocks down two big free throws and Indiana goes up by nine at 58-49 with 2:07 to go. He has 17 points now. Those free throws were big. He was just 3-for-6 from the line prior to that. 

4:30 p.m. — Huge steal by Anthony Leal, who's been great on the defensive end all afternoon. But then there's a charging call on Xavier Johnson on the other end and the Hoosiers give it back. Still 52-47 with 3:35 to go. This time it's a Rob Phinisee block and the Hoosiers get it back. Xavier Johnson, was was 2-for-10 shooting, makes amends with a huge jumper. It's 54-47 now. 

4:24 p.m. — Rob Phinisee, who had made only 1-of-6 shots, knocks down a huge three-pointer as the shot clock was winding down, giving the Hoosiers a 52-47 lead with 4:16 to go. Notre Dame coach Mike Brey calls timeout.

4:14 p.m. — That 10-point Indiana lead is now now all gone as the Badgers (wink, wink) go on an 11-1 run to tie the game at 46-46 with 7:41 to go.  We're at the under-8 timeout now, still tied at 46-46 with 6:51 to go and Xavier Johnson heading to the line for two. Makes the first, misses the second. Indiana back ahead 47-46.

4 p.m. — Indiana's lead is up to 10 now, at 45-35, after another three-pointer from Parker Stewart. That last basket came on a great spin move to the RIGHT by Trayce Jackson-Davis and ended with a thundering dunk. There's a timeout with 11:41 to go. Indiana's defense has been tremendous. Notre Dame has scored 11 points in the last 16 minutes of game action. INDIANA 45, NOTRE DAME 35.

3:54 p.m. — Some games are louder than others. lol

Cheerleaders AND band right behind me. 

3:50 p.m. — Nice ovation for Calbert Cheaney, who's in the crowd today. The former Hoosier is still the Big Ten's all-time leading scorer.

3:46 p.m. — Nice start to the second half for Indiana. Race Thompson scores on a Trayce Jackson-Davis double team and Miller Kopp hits a shortie, then comes right back and nails a three. That's big after his scoreless first half. Indiana up 37-29.

HALFTIME — Indiana ends the half on a 15-3 run, and heads to the locker room with a 30-27 lead. The Hoosiers made 8 of their last 12 shots in the half, and are 4-for-9 from three for the half.

3:22 p.m. — Indiana finally grabs the lead, with a pair of free throws from Xavier Johnson and back-to-back layups by Race Thompson and Trayce Jackson-Davis. Indiana leads 28-27 with 2:31 to go. 

3:17 p.m. — The Hoosiers have done a nice job of scratching back into this game. We're at the under-4 media timeout now, and it's 27-24 Irish. Indiana with eight first-half turnovers thus far, still an issue for this team. Three of the eight have come on passes out of the post. Just needs to be better.

3:09 p.m. — Notre Dame up by nine now, after an and-one from Trey Wertz. It's 24-15 with 7:05 to go in the first half. Xavier Johnson and Rob Phinisee have been on the floor. together a lot today. Parker Stewart is back in how, but he sat for a long time. He immediately has another three, and it's a two-point game at 24-22. 

3:01 p.m. — Notre Dame gets the lead up to seven at 17-10, but senior guard Rob Phinisee hits a three for Indiana to stop the bleeding. Phinisee had his best career moment in this event, hitting a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer against Butler as a freshman. 

2:54 p;.m. — Second media timeout and Notre Dame leads 13-8. Hoosiers are just 3-for-11 from the field so far, and are one-and-done on the offensive end. Eight misses, and zero offensive rebounds. 

2:45 p.m. — We finally made it to the first media timeout, and with 13:34 to go, Notre Dame leads 11-8. 

2:38 p.m. — First tip, and Indiana gets it. On time start. And, for those who are keeping track, Mike Woodson is wearing a suit today.

Mike Woodson wearing a suit today

2:35 p.m. — Same starting lineup for the 11th straight game, with Trayce Jackson-Davis, Race Thompson, Miller Kopp, Xavier Johnson and Parker Stewart getting the nod from coach Mike Woodson. 

First five in the fieldhouse.

⚪️ @XavierJ0hnson
🔴 @Miller_Kopp
⚪️ @TrayceJackson
🔴 @RaceThompson1
⚪️ @_PSTEW pic.twitter.com/XaLVMh9yvO

— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) December 18, 2021

2:25 p.m. — No Tamar Bates for Indiana today. He'll miss the game to attend a family funeral.

2:20 p.m. — Indiana's Parker Stewart leads the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage at 47.1%. That's pretty impressive considering that after making his first two shots as a Hoosier, he then missed 10 in a row. He's 24-for-49 since then, and prior to Sunday, he had multiple three-pointers in six straight games.

2:15 p.m. — For all of the troubles that Archie Miller had at Indiana, he was 4-0 in this event as the coach of the Hoosiers.

2:10 p.m. — Trayce Jackson Davis had 16 points against Merrimack on Sunday and now sits at 1,142 career points, good for 41st place all-time. Next up on this list is Cody Zeller (1,157). For the complete list of 1,000-point scorers, CLICK HERE

2:05 p.m. —  Notre Dame freshman Blake Wesley from South Bend was a priority recruiting target for Indiana, but he chose to stay home and play at Notre Dame. He's been great so far. His 13.0 points-per-game average is second-best in the ACC among true freshmen and seventh-best in the nationa among major conferences. He has scored 20 points or more twice off the bench, and had 24 at Illinois, including 18 in the second half.

Notre Dame-Indiana history

• Series history: Indiana leads the series 50-22. The last five meetings have all taken place in Indianapolis as part of the Crossroads Classic. Indiana is 4-1 in those meetings, winning in 2011, 2015, 2017 and 2019, and losing in 2013.
• Last meeting: In the Dec. 21, 2019 game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indiana won 62-60. Indiana freshman guard Armaan Franklin made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 15.7 seconds left to secure the win, raising the Hoosiers' record to 11-1.