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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what’s going on around the area:
The Parkland men’s basketball team is two wins away from an NJCAA Division II national championship.
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. The Parkland men’s basketball team is a win away from playing for an NJCAA Division II national title after beating Howard (Md.) 60-54 on Wednesday night in the quarterfinals in Danville.
➜ 2. Three area eighth-grade volleyball teams — St. Malachy in Rantoul, St. Matthew in Champaign and Sullivan — are in the IESA state tournament this weekend.
➜ 3. Sullivan (18-5) plays Morris Saratoga (19-4) at 4:30 p.m. Friday in a Class 3A state quarterfinal at Pana High School, while St. Matthew (21-3) plays Mt. Pulaski (17-3) at 5:45 p.m. Friday in a 2A state quarterfinal at Auburn High School and St. Malachy (21-1) plays Kewanee Visitation (16-2) at 7 p.m. Friday in a 1A state quarterfinal at Bishop McNamara in Kankakee.
Will Riley and the Illini will tip off late Friday night in the NCAA tournament.
Numbers game: 9
games that have tipped at 8 p.m. or later this season for Brad Underwood and his Illinois men’s basketball team. The 10th comes Friday night at 8:45 p.m. in a first-round NCAA tournament game at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Illinois is 6-3 this season in these late-night games, with wins against Oakland, Little Rock, Wisconsin, Oregon, Penn State and Iowa. The losses in this scenario have happened against Alabama, Northwestern and Maryland.
Kendall Bostic leads the Illinois women’s basketball team into the NCAA tournament, with the Illini playing Creighton at 6:15 p.m. Saturday in a first-round game in Austin, Texas.
Crowd control
Three events I’m paying attention to
➜ 1. NCAA wrestling championships. Illinois has Big Ten champion Lucas Byrd at 133 pounds, Danny Pucino at 141, Kannon Webster at 149, Braeden Scoles at 165, Danny Braunagel at 174, Edmond Ruth at 184, Zac Braunagel at 197 and Urbana native Luke Luffman at 285 all vying for a national title starting Thursday.
➜ 2. Illinois vs. Creighton women’s basketball. The Illini beat the Bluejays 87-71 in 1996 in their only matchup before Saturday night’s NCAA tournament first-round game tips off in Austin, Texas.
➜ 3. Illinois at Northwestern baseball. The Illini (11-7, 1-2 Big Ten) and Wildcats (8-10, 1-2) begin a three-game weekend series at 3 p.m. Friday in Evanston.
Hannah Newman, far left, with her family.
Coach’s corner
Three questions with Uni High swimming coach Hannah Newman:
➜ 1. My favorite sports team is … any Illini team.
➜ 2. Three coaches I’d like to have dinner with are … the late, great Bruce Miller, Chris Freeburg and Will Barker.
➜ 3. My biggest pet peeve is … kids who decide they “have” to go to the bathroom in the middle of the main set.
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