Illinois tries again for its first Big Ten win as the Illini visit Wisconsin tonight. Pregame at 7 on WJEZ.

In girls basketball,  Pontiac topped St. Joseph-Ogden 57-48 at PTHS. Prairie Central won at home over Tolono Unity 47-42. Dwight lost to Watseka 55-29.

The McLean County/Heart of Illinois Conference Girls championship game is set. Number-9 seed Lexington pulled off another upset, taking down El Paso-Gridley, 41-24. Eureka had to trouble with Ridgeview, 61-35, to set up the final between the Lady Minutemen and Hornets at Saturday at Illinois Wesleyan’s Shirk Center.

The boys semifinals are tonight at Shirk. GCMS plays Deer Creek-Mackinaw at 6:30 p.m., El Paso-Gridley and Ridgeview at 8.

In the boys fifth-place bracket at El Paso, Tremont held off Fieldcrest 61-56 and LeRoy edged Tri-Valley 58-56. In the consolation bracket. it was Fisher over Flanagan-Cornell, 61-52, and Eureka bested Heyworth, 62-50.

Illinois State women’s basketball visits Evansville tonight. The Redbirds are coming off their first Missouri Valley Conference win on Sunday. The Purple Aces are still winless in the Valley.

Illinois football coach Lovie Smith has reportedly landed a new offensive coordinator. Rod Smith, who most recently was the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Arizona, would replace Garrick McGee, who was fired last month.

The Central Illinois Flying Aces play the first of three weekend home games tonight at the Sioux Falls Stampede come to Grossinger Motors Area in Bloomington.