March Madness is just around the corner.

Why it matters: Selection Sunday is less than a month away, meaning every game is high stakes for Division I basketball programs looking to maintain or improve their position before tourney tip-off.

State of play: Indiana's college basketball landscape includes ever-present powerhouses looking to finally win it all and on-paper underdogs hoping their long shot is nothing but net.

The intrigue: The Purdue Boilermakers men's team, the only ranked program in the state, weakened their tournament positioning and Big Ten title chances when they lost to No. 1 Michigan 91-80 last night.

• Purdue's next game is Friday night showdown with rivals the Indiana Hoosiers at home.

On the women's side, Ball State is continuing a dominant run atop the MAC conference as they shoot for back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths for the first time in school history.

• The Cardinals take on the Buffalo Bulls on the road tonight.

What's next: Selection Sunday is March 15 for both the men's and women's NCAA Division I tournaments.

• The men's tournament begins March 17, and the women's tournament begins March 18.
• Indianapolis will host the men's Final Four April 4-6. The women's Final Four will be held in Phoenix, Arizona, April 3-5.

Zoom in: Here is a quick cheat sheet to catch you up on how every men's and women's DI team in the state is doing.

Indiana University

Men's record: 17-9, 8-7 in the Big Ten, 97% chance of making the tournament, according to Team Rankings.

Women's record: 14-13, 3-12

Purdue University

Men's record: 21-5, No. 7 national ranking, 11-4 in the Big Ten, 100% chance with a 8% chance of entering as the No. 1 seed.

Women's record: 12-13, 4-10

Butler University

Men's record: 13-13, 4-11 in the Big East, 1% chance

Women's record: 9-17, 3-11

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Degree programs that don't lead to high-paying jobs could be eliminated under a bill passed by the Indiana House yesterday.

Why it matters: The provision in Senate Bill 199 continues legislative efforts to exert more control over the state's public colleges and universities.

Driving the news: SB 199's language targeting "low earning outcome programs" would require higher education institutions to stop offering degrees with average starting salaries lower than that of a high school graduate who went straight into the workforce.

• In Indiana, that's programs where graduates are making $35,000 or less.
• It tracks language in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which will cut access to federal loans for such programs.

State of play: According to data from the U.S. Department of Education, degrees in dance, music and English language and literature are among those at risk.

What they're saying: "I didn't know when I came to the Legislature that we were in the business of snatching dreams from young people," Rep. Renee Pack (D-Indianapolis) said.

• Pack's daughter is author and bookstore owner Leah Johnson.
• Other Democrats criticized the legislation as an attack on individual choice and micromanaging the state's higher education institutions.

The other side: The bill's House sponsor, Rep. Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis), said the measure is about protecting students from investing time and money into a degree that won't pay off.

Reality check: Starting salaries don't always reflect long-term earnings — just ask the journalists who write this newsletter.

Zoom out: Hundreds of degree programs were eliminated last year due to a new state law that sets enrollment thresholds.

The latest

🐺 February isn't the month of love for humans alone. It's also mating season for coyotes, which means sightings are on the rise in urban environments like Indianapolis — but it need not be cause for concern. (IndyStar)

🏘️ Limits on rentals owned by out-of-state investors in communities like Carmel and Fishers could be at risk. A legislative proposal would ban so-called "rental caps." (WFYI)

💨 Air quality monitors will be installed on the west side of the city to track soot and other air pollution in a part of town where lung cancer rates are higher than in other areas through a pilot program from the Marion County Public Health Department. (Mirror Indy)

From inspiring the IBE to speaking on behalf of farmers, Rev. Jesse Jackson left a lasting mark on the city of Indianapolis.

Driving the news: Jackson died Tuesday after a career in activism and politics during a national transformation in civil rights and inequality.

Flashback: Jackson is credited as the founder of the Black exposition concept, and those who helped bring the Indiana Black Expo to life in 1971 say it was his work in Chicago two years prior that made it possible.

In 1990, Jackson took the stage inside the Hoosier Dome during the Farm Aid IV Festival to speak to a capacity crowd about the plight of family farmers and lead a "keep hope alive" chant.

Jackson was initially diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2015, but his diagnosis was later revised to a rare neurological disorder called progressive supranuclear palsy. He had been confined to a wheelchair in recent years.

• Still, he visited Indianapolis in February 2024 to attend the HBCU Classic and NBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Go deeper

Justin here!

Thai Prime has arrived to serve up modern takes on traditional cultural cuisine in Carmel's Proscenium.

Why it matters: Interest in the future of the former Wahlburger's has been high since the sudden closure of the state's only location in June 2024.

Driving the news: Thai Prime had a full house when my wife and I swung by for their soft opening last week.

• The restaurant's striking decor screams "business casual boujee," making it a solid pick for post-work drinks with colleagues.

What we ordered: We started with vegetable tempura ($10) and stuffed chicken wings ($14); and finished with basil fried rice with chicken ($16) and the Thai Prime pork ribs ($22).

My take: The veggie tempura had light breading and sizable portions, but the chicken wings stuffed with carrot and vermicelli noodles lacked crunch.

Yes, but: The pork ribs will keep me coming back for a very long time.

If you go