Ryan Baker 

Teams have changed since the first matchup between the Madison Radicals and Indianapolis AlleyCats, setting up the second meeting this Sunday afternoon.

Conditions look near pristine, with little wind and sunshine, unlike their very windy Week 3 matchup. This time, the AlleyCats travel to Madison to play at Breese Stevens Field for the first time in 2026.

The first meeting between these two was rather sloppy, with 41 total turnovers, but it was the first game of the season for both teams. Ultimately, it ended with a last-minute Radical goal that pushed them over the edge for the 19-18 win.

Personnel-wise, both teams will be dealing with key players who either played in the first one and won’t be this weekend, or didn’t play in the first one but will be on the field this weekend. For Indy, they don’t see too many significant losses, but they added Elliot Hawkins and Sofiène Bontemps, while Madison will be without Kainoa Chun-Moy for the second straight week due to a shoulder injury.

“It shouldn’t change a lot from last game,” Head Coach Jacob Spiro said about how the absence of Chun-Moy affects the game plan. “We’ve added some new wrinkles to the offense that should improve things. We definitely look forward to having him back, though!”

If you are looking for this game to replicate the first, you will be incredibly disappointed. Indy has made leaps and bounds in improving its chemistry, earned its first win of the season, and put up a good fight against Minnesota last week. Madison has cooled off after their 2-0 start, losing two straight, including against Chicago, where they fell behind in the first quarter.

Aspects are still being ironed out, as this game features two of the three teams in the league that have played just four games in 2026, the fewest played up to this point. One of those aspects is Madison’s offense, which struggled last week to get much of anything going.

“A big focus this week has been on our marks and being more disciplined to help us cut downfield. Also, just being able to start the game faster and not fall into such a big hole.” Ian McCosky remarked.

It’s tough to look at overall team stats on the year with how few games both teams have under their belts, but on a per-game basis, these two offenses are vastly different. Indy averages the second-most hucks in the league at 9.5 per game, while the Radicals are at the bottom with just 4 per game.

“Shooters are going to shoot,” Spiro said. “I don’t think you can stop a team from shooting if that’s what they plan on doing. We just need to do a better job contesting the shots they put up.”

If Madison can prevent Indy from getting things going from deep, their handler-heavy offense will pay off by keeping the disc out of the AlleyCats shooters' hands. However, if they go down early, as they did against Chicago, it will be rough to get out of the eight-ball.

“Any good offense needs to be adaptable and flexible,” McCosky said. “The scheme has definitely raised our efficiency floor, but to reach its ceiling, we’ll be making tweaks throughout the year. It has always been part of the plan to start with the basics and diversify as the year progresses and as teams throw new defenses at us.”

Can Madison maintain the small-ball strategy and minimize turnovers, or will the AlleyCats' deep game be too much for them to handle? The answer will decide which team comes out on top this weekend.

They’ve relied heavily on the production of Nico Ranabhat, Eric Sjostrom, and McCosky. The trio produced 7 assists and 4 goals in the first game against Indy, so that production will need to increase without Chun-Moy this weekend.

While the offenses differ significantly, the defenses are eerily similar. The Radicals average one more break per game than Indy, and both teams average just 8.5 blocks/game. Madison’s defense must step up its game, and Luke Marks will be a big part of that. Marks is off to a slow start, with just two blocks in three games, but he will get his at some point. It’s just a matter of when that impact happens.

It should be a more polished game on both ends. Both teams have a giant fire lit under them as Indy seeks revenge for the fourth-quarter breakdown in the first game and to close the gap in the Central Division standings. Meanwhile, Madison wants to get back on track and maintain their position in the division.

“Week 1 was always going to be a sloppy game,” McCosky stated. “Both teams had their struggles in that respect. We are more focused on trying to dictate terms on both sides of the ball and make them play our game.”

A win for Madison puts them in a phenomenal position for tiebreakers at the end of the season, but a loss would likely drop them below the AlleyCats.

To watch game two between the AlleyCats and Radicals on Sunday at 5 p.m. CT, go here!

To buy tickets for the second game at Breese Stevens Field, go here!