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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what’s going on around the area today:
Former Illinois star Thomas Detry fared well in his first PGA Tour event in 2025.
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. It’s Masters week. Two former Illini, Thomas Detry and Brian Campbell, are in the 95-player field and will make their Masters debuts when the first round tees off Thursday at Augusta National in Georgia. Detry will play with Tony Finau and Maverick McNealy in the first and second rounds, while Campbell is paired with 1994 and 1999 Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal and Thriston Lawrence.
➜ 2. Detry tees off at 9:37 a.m. Thursday and 12:45 p.m. Friday, while Campbell plays his first round on Thursday beginning at 10:10 a.m. and has to wake up earlier on Friday for his 7:02 a.m. tee time.
➜ 3. This is the first year multiple former Illini are playing the Masters since Steve Stricker and Thomas Pieters did in 2017.
Illinois men’s golf standout Jackson Buchanan is up for a national honor.
Numbers game: 5
individuals up for the Byron Nelson Award, given annually to the outstanding scholar-athlete in men’s college golf. Including one that calls Champaign-Urbana home: Jackson Buchanan. The fifth-year Illini senior is not only the reigning Big Ten Golfer of the Year, but he carries a 3.63 grade-point average in business operations management. Buchanan, Cameron Adam (Northwestern), Matt Buckley (RPI), Andrew Swanson (Clemson) or Jackson Van Paris (Vanderbilt) will be named the winner on April 29.
Dan Hartleb and his Illinois baseball team is back in Champaign on Friday night to begin a three-game Big Ten series with Indiana at Illinois Field.
Crowd control
Three events I’m paying attention to
➜ 1. Indiana at Illinois baseball. Chance for the Illini (18-12, 7-5 Big Ten) to move up the conference standings begins at 6 p.m. Friday when the Hoosiers (19-14, 9-6) visit for the first game of a three-game weekend series at Illinois Field.
➜ 2. Ohio State at Illinois men’s tennis. The Illini (12-8, 5-4 Big Ten) will try to pull the upset and knock off Ohio State for the first time since 2021 when they tangle with the fourth-ranked Buckeyes (20-2, 9-0) at 6 p.m. Friday at Atkins Tennis Center.
➜ 3. Michigan State at Illinois softball. A late Friday night at Eichelberger Field when the Illini (15-19, 2-7 Big Ten) host the Spartans (12-20, 2-8) at 7:30 p.m. to begin a three-game weekend series.
Dustin Simpson, middle, with his Westville girls’ basketball team.
Coach’s corner
Three questions with Westville girls’ basketball and golf coach Dustin Simpson:
➜ 1. My favorite sports team is … the Chicago Cubs.
➜ 2. Three coaches I’d like to have dinner with are … Bobby Knight, Mike Krzyzewski and Erik Spoelstra.
➜ 3. My biggest pet peeve is … when players don’t give their 100 percent in practice or games because that just holds back how good they truly can be.
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