Illinois crushed Valparaiso 82-57 in the first round of the NIT in Champaign. Malcolm Hill scored 25 points to lead the Illini. The U of I will play Boise State in the second round. The date and time have not been announced.
Tonight on Doug Collins court, Illinois State plays host to UC-Irvine in the opening round of the NIT. ISU looks to extend its 15-game home winning streak this season.
The Bloomington Purple Raiders claimed the boys basketball program’s first state finals berth since 1975 with a 69-46 win over Marengo in the Class 3A Super-Sectional at DeKalb. The Purple Raiders move on to the state semifinals in Peoria where they will take on Oak Park-Fenwick on Friday.
Matt Bollant has been fired as Illinois’ women’s basketball coach, two years after being sued for abusing players. Athletic director Josh Whitman made the announcement on Tuesday. Bollant had one winning season in five years at U of I.
The first games of the NCAA tournament in Dayton saw Mount St. Mary’s edge New Orleans 67-66 in a battle of 16 seeds. In a matchup of 11 seeds Kansas State pulled away from Wake Forest 95-88.
Tonight, North Carolina Central takes on UC-Davis which is coached by former Bradley head man Jim Les, and USC will take on Providence.
The Blackhawks jumped past Minnesota for the Western Conference lead with a 4-2 win over Montreal.
