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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what’s going on around the area:
Illinois forward Kendall Bostic grins as she realizes she came into the area during teammate Genesis Bryant’s time with the media during the media availability for the women’s team at the Ubben Basketball Complex in Urbana on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. A full slate of the Big Ten women’s basketball tournament is on tap Thursday, with four second-round games from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Including Illinois. The seventh-seeded Illini (21-8) will try to get past 10th-seeded Nebraska (20-10) at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
➜ 2. Beat the Cornhuskers, and Illinois gets another shot at powerhouse UCLA on Friday evening in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals. The second-seeded Bruins (27-2) have yet to lose a game this season to anyone besides Southern Cal.
➜ 3. Just like this Wednesday’s News-Gazette featured a special section devoted to the Big Ten women’s tournament, a Big Ten men’s tournament special section is in the works for next Wednesday.
John Bowler is 75-21 in three seasons as the Parkland men’s basketball coach.
Numbers game
28
wins this season compared to just two losses by the Parkland men’s basketball team, with the Cobras cruising to an 86-42 victory against Lincoln Land on Tuesday night in Champaign to open up their Region 24 tournament stay. Next up: Parkland tips off against John Wood (14-17) at 3 p.m. Friday in a Region 24 tournament semifinal game in Canton.
Braden Smith and Purdue visits Champaign for a Friday night showdown with the Illini.
Crowd control
Three events I’m paying attention to
➜ 1. No. 18 Purdue at Illinois men’s basketball. Braden Smith is averaging 16.3 points, 8.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds for the Boilermakers before Friday’s 7 p.m. tip at State Farm Center in Champaign.
➜ 2. Illinois State vs. Missouri State men’s basketball. St. Joseph-Ogden graduate Ty Pence is averaging 6.8 points and 3.9 rebounds for Illinois State (18-13) before its first-round Missouri Valley Conference tournament game at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday in St. Louis.
➜ 3. Parkland at Lincoln Land women’s basketball. The Cobras (20-11) tip off at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in Springfield against the host Loggers (29-2) in a Region 24 tournament semifinal game.
Dave Winterland and his daughter, Kate.
Coach’s corner
Three questions with Prairie Central girls’ golf coach Dave Winterland:
âžœ 1. My favorite sports teams are … the Bryant University women’s golf team where my daughter plays, and my alma mater, the Illini.
âžœ 2. Three coaches I’d like to have dinner with are … Lou Henson, Mike Ditka and Andy Reid.
➜ 3. My biggest pet peeve is ... to have someone look me in the eye and lie through their teeth.