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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what’s going on around the area:
Kendall Bostic, left, and Adalia McKenzie will look to lead the Illinois women’s basketball team to a ninth straight win on Thursday night when the No. 25 Illini play at No. 3 UCLA.
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. The Illinois women’s basketball team has returned to the the Associated Press Top 25 poll, with the Illini grabbing the last spot at No. 25 when Monday’s newest poll dropped. Just ahead of a week where the Illini (21-5, 11-4 Big Ten) will play at No. 3 UCLA (24-1, 12-1) on Thursday night and at No. 4 Southern Cal (23-2, 13-1) on Sunday afternoon.
➜ 2. Illinois track and field coach Petros Kyprianou is set to receive a contract extension through 2031. Illinois announced this move, pending UI Board of Trustees approval, on Monday.
➜ 3. Many thanks to Edgar Brummett, the soon-to-be retired official scorer for Illinois men’s basketball home games, for joining us on ‘Monday Night SportsTalk.’ Listen to a podcast of the show right here.
Morez Johnson Jr. is out indefinitely for Illinois with a broken wrist.
Numbers game: 29
blocks this season by Morez Johnson, the most on the Illinois men’s basketball team. But a two-handed block he made during Saturday night’s game against Michigan State at State Farm Center in Champaign will have the Illini big man sidelined for an unknown period of time. Including Tuesday night at Wisconsin after coach Brad Underwood said Monday that Johnson broke his wrist against the Spartans.
Samara McArthur and the Champaign Central girls’ basketball team plays at Danville in a Class 3A regional semifinal game on Tuesday night.
Crowd control
Three events I’m paying attention to
➜ 1. Champaign Central at Danville girls’ basketball. The Class 3A regional semifinal game between the fourth-seeded Maroons (10-15) and fifth-seeded and host Vikings (11-20) tips at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Danville beat Central 47-43 last Thursday, but Central also owns a 58-19 win against the Vikings from back in December.
➜ 2. Monticello at Meridian girls’ basketball. The visiting and fourth-seeded Sages (19-10) will try to get to 20 wins by playing the fifth-seeded Hawks (16-13) in this Class 2A regional semifinal game that tips off at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Macon.
➜ 3. Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin at Westville boys’ basketball. A Vermilion Valley Conference showdown at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday between the visiting Blue Devils (28-1, 11-0 VVC) and Tigers (25-5, 10-1) to determine the league champion.
From left, Thomas, Ryan and Taylor Wells.
Coach’s corner
Three questions with Oakwood boys’ track and field coach Ryan Wells:
➜ 1. My favorite sports team is … the St. Louis Cardinals.
➜ 2. Three coaches I’d like to have dinner with are … my high school coaches and mentors Ray Wittmann, Charlie Montgomery and Barney Hance. They all had huge impacts on my coaching style that I use today.
➜ 3. My biggest pet peeve is … talented students and students with great athletic potential that do not try out for sports.