Your Indiana Thanksgiving weekend sports guide
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Can Purdue defend the Old Oaken Bucket in 2024? Photo: Justin Casterline/Getty Images
Gathering around the TV to watch sports is a Thanksgiving tradition as deeply rooted as turkey and cranberry sauce.
Why it matters: Indiana sports teams are getting in on the action with big matchups on the docket all holiday weekend long.
- The upcoming contests include one of the most heated rivalries in all of Big Ten football, the Pacers in NBA Cup action and the Colts fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Zoom in: Here's a quick look at 10 Indiana games to catch over Thanksgiving weekend.
🏀 Purdue and Notre Dame's Thanksgiving Day games
What's happening: Both Boilermaker squads and the Notre Dame men's team are joining the rest of Indiana's holiday travelers by hitting the road.
How to watch: Start Thanksgiving with a late-night tip off when Notre Dame faces No. 6 Houston at 12:30am on TBS.
- No. 13 Purdue men play NC State at 3pm on FS1, while the Purdue women's team plays Middle Tennessee at 4:30pm on Women's Sports Network.
🏀 Pacers vs. Pistons in NBA Cup play
What's happening: Detroit comes to town for the next round of the NBA in-season tournament, complete with a special court in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
How to watch: 8pm Friday on FanDuel Sports Network Indiana.
If you go: Tickets start at $19.
🏈 IU vs. Purdue in the Old Oaken Bucket game
What's happening: The regular season finale is for possession of the traveling trophy the two teams have battled over since 1925.
- Purdue leads the series 77-42-6, but the powerhouse Hoosiers are the clear favorites this year. IU is hosting.
How to watch: 7pm Saturday on FS1.
If you go: Tickets start at $51.
🏈 Notre Dame vs. USC
What's happening: Fresh off a top five AP college football ranking, the Fighting Irish head west to play a longtime rival.
How to watch: 3:30pm on CBS and Paramount+.
🏀 Busy weekend for Notre Dame women's hoops
What's happening: The No. 3 team in women's college basketball is spending the holiday abroad, playing No. 17 TCU and Utah on Friday and Saturday in the 2024 Cayman Islands Classic.
How to watch: 5pm both days on FloHoops.
🏈 Colts vs. Patriots in Week 13
What's happening: The Colts (5-7) still have a shot at the playoffs if they outlast the Patriots (3-9).
How to watch: 1pm Sunday on CBS, Fubo or Paramount+.
Also: The traditional NFL Thanksgiving Day games are still going down, with the Bears vs. Lions (12:30pm), Giants vs. Cowboys (4:30pm) and Dolphins vs. Packers (8:20pm).
🏀 IU vs. Maine in Bloomington
What's happening: The IU's women's team will attempt to bounce back from some bad injury news against the Black Bears at home.
How to watch: 2pm Sunday on B1G+.
If you go: Tickets start at $5.