Clark will inevitably remain the face of the franchise and one of the most recognizable athletes in American sports. Her ability to hit a 30-footer, throw a pass through a space most players don't even see and turn an ordinary regular-season game into national television remains extraordinary. But Indiana's success this season suggests something even more important has happened. The Caitlin Clark Effect has become the Indiana Fever Effect.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers won 19 games last season. The Hoosier Enquirer prediction for 2026–27: forget almost everything that record tells you. We see Indiana winning 49 to 52 games, returning to the playoffs and becoming one of the most dangerous teams in the Eastern Conference. A return to the Eastern Conference Finals is entirely plausible, and another trip to the NBA Finals would not shock us. That may sound wildly optimistic for a franchise coming off 19–63. It isn't.

TCU transfer Josh Hoover BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana is back at Memorial Stadium today for Game Two, and the defending national champions have a very different quarterback running the offense. No. 5 Indiana hosts Howard at noon after opening the season with a 52-16 victory over North Texas. The Hoosiers moved up one spot in this week’s Associated Press poll, but Curt Cignetti spent very little time celebrating it. Indiana’s head coach came out of the opener talking about missed assignments,...