By Greg Halbleib

In college basketball out of the Missouri Valley Conference, Southern Illinois topped St. Louis 70-55, Evansville beat Norfolk State 85-66 and Missouri State slipped past Oral Roberts 86-76.

From the Big Ten, Northwestern edged Chicago State 68-66, Rutgers beat Fairleigh-Dickinson 82-69, Minnesota topped LIU-Brooklyn 76-66 and Number 14 Wisconsin handled Green Bay 73-59.

Illinois State’s Mark Spelman is the winner of the Rimington Award as the top center in FCS. The award has raised more than $2.75 million for the Boomer Esiason Foundation and $120 million for research, all toward finding a cure for cystic fibrosis.

Ridgeview High School graduate and Monmouth College linebacker Matt Barnes was one of four finalists for the Gagliardi Trophy as Division III’s top football player. The award went to linebacker Carter Hanson of St. John’s Minnesota.

The NBA and its players association have reached tentative agreement on a a seven-year collective bargaining agreement. Salaries will increase with superstars such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul earning up to $36 million next season. The pre-season schedule will shorten to allow an earlier start to the season and minimize back-to-back game days. The “one-and-done” rule allowing college players to declare for the draft after one season remains in place.

The Bulls are at Milwaukee tonight. The Blackhawks visit the Islanders while the Blues host the Devils tonight.

The Cubs have signed former Boston reliever Koji Uehara to a one-year deal worth $6 million.

The White Sox signed the same deal with free agent lefty Derek Holland.

The NFL Thursday night feature is the Los Angeles Rams at the Seattle Seahawks.

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