Ben Davis:

-Boys basketball took a hard buzzer-beating MIC loss to Lawrence North on Thursday by a score of 49-47, but recovered quickly in a Saturday afternoon game against Terre Haute South, winning 71-58.

-Girls basketball season came to an end on Tuesday in the first round of sectionals against MIC rival Pike. Despite a tough battle, the Lady Giants fell 51-46 to the eventual sectional champions. The team finishes with a record of 11-11.

-The wrestling team put up another third place at the semi-state tournament on Saturday. Three wrestlers will be advancing to the state final next week: Dylan Lydy (finished first at semi-state, 170-pound class), Kasha Wilder (finished third, 220-pound class) and Norman Oglesby (finished first, 285-pound class).

Local:

-In what many toted as the biggest game in Hinkle Fieldhouse history, the Butler men’s basketball team came up short Saturday against No. 6 Villanova, 68-65, on a last-second shot. Starter Andrew Chrabascz broke his right hand in the loss, and will be out for 2-4 weeks. The team recovered, however, and ended up on the better side of a last-second shot against Creighton on Monday, winning 58-56 in Omaha.

-The IU Hoosiers put up a dominating performance against the Minnesota on Sunday, winning 90-71 and equaling out their Big Ten loss on Wednesday to Maryland, 68-66. The Hoosiers hit a school record 18 three-pointers. They play Indiana rival Purdue on Thursday looking to avenge their January loss to the Boilermakers.

-Purdue took advantage of an easy schedule this week, adding two more Big Ten wins against Rutgers on Thursday (61-51) and Nebraska (66-54). The only game for the Boilers next week is their rematch with the Hoosiers on Thursday, which may prove to be critical to this team trying to sneak an NCAA tournament bid.

-Notre Dame had only one men’s basketball game this week, a 60-58 victory against Clemson. The No. 10 Fighting Irish face Wake Forest tonight.

-The Indianapolis Colts released OLB Shaun Phillips on Monday, who was scheduled to make $2.55 million next season, as part of an effort to clear up cap space heading into the offseason.

-Indiana Pacers star forward Paul George stated in an interview Friday that he’d like to possibly be returning to playing action mid-March, with a return to full practice on March 1. While that same enthusiasm isn’t shared with the entire organization, the confidence does give hope.

National:

-NBA’s All-Star weekend took over headlines with stories such as Zach Lavine’s dunk contest performance and Russell Westbrook’s 41-point MVP showing in the All-Star game.

-Amar’e Stoudemire was released from the struggling Knicks on Monday, and the forward already intends to sign with the Dallas Mavericks.

-NASCAR star Jeff Gordon earned the pole position for his final season and final race in the Daytona 500 on Sunday.