By Greg Halbleib

The Fighting Illini continue play in the NIT Season Tip-Off at home tonight against Winthrop. Game time is 7 p.m. at State Farm Center and it’s live on 98.9 WJEZ.

Illinois State men’s basketball is in Fort Worth to face TCU. Tip is at 5:00.

Illinois Wesleyan women’s basketball lost at Number 22 UW-Stevens Point 62-58.
The Bears didn’t score in the second half and were officially eliminated from post-season possibilities with a 22-16 loss to the Giants. Jay Cutler was sacked four times and threw a late interception that sealed the Giants’ win.

A tense wait of more than a week has a happy ending for Illinois State football. The Redbirds received an at-large playoff bid and are in the post-season for a program-record third straight year. The Birds travel to Conway, Arkansas for a Saturday afternoon first-round game against Central Arkansas.

The Bulls beat the Lakers 118-110 behind 40 points from Jimmy Butler.
Jimmie Johnson is NASCAR champion for the seventh time, tying Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty for the most titles. Johnson held off Kyle Busch and Joey Logano in a late restart to win at Homestead, Florida to seal the title.

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