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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what’s going on around the area:
Thomas Detry back during his Illinois career in 2016.
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. Congrats to Thomas Detry. The 32-year-old former Illini men’s golfer stole the show at the raucous WM Phoenix Open, compiling a four-round total of 24-under 260 to win his first PGA Tour event. Detry closed out Sunday’s win with a 6-under 66, topping runner-ups Daniel Berger and Michael Kim by seven strokes.
➜ 2. The Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin boys’ basketball team heads into the second-to-last week of the regular season with a 26-0 record. The Blue Devils play at Georgetown-Ridge Farm on Tuesday night.
➜ 3. The Champaign Holy Cross seventh-grade boys’ basketball team will play for an IESA Class 1A state championship on Thursday night after the Crusaders picked up wins on Saturday in the state quarterfinals and state semifinals. Holy Cross (25-2) plays Lincoln West Lincoln-Broadwell (28-1) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Normal Kingsley Junior High School.
Brad Underwood has a record of 159-96 record at Illinois heading into Tuesday night’s game with UCLA.
Numbers game: 4
more wins is how many Brad Underwood needs this season to lead the Illini men’s basketball team to at least 20 wins for the sixth consecutive season. Only Lou Henson, who guided the Illini to nine straight seasons with at least 20 victories from 1982 through 1991, has reached that benchmark more as the Illini coach.
Mick Cronin and UCLA visit Champaign this week to play Illinois on Tuesday night at State Farm Center.
Crowd control
Three events I’m paying attention to
➜ 1. UCLA at Illinois men’s basketball. The Bruins (18-6, 9-4 Big Ten) have won seven straight after Saturday’s 78-54 rout of Penn State in Los Angeles and will play their first game in Champaign since 1964 — when famed UCLA coach John Wooden only had one of his record-setting 10 NCAA championships — at 7 p.m. Tuesday at State Farm Center.
➜ 2. Centennial at Champaign Central basketball. Doubleheader on tap Tuesday night, with the girls’ game at 6 p.m. and the boys’ game at 7:30 p.m.
➜ 3. Watseka at Cissna Park girls’ basketball. Showdown between the host Timberwolves (22-4) and Warriors (24-3) awaits at 7:30 p.m. Monday.
Dan Campion and his wife, Alexandra.
Coach’s corner
Three questions with Mahomet-Seymour girls’ basketball coach Dan Campion:
➜ 1. My favorite sports team is … the Milwaukee Bucks.
➜ 2. Three coaches I’d like to have dinner with are … Gregg Popovich, John Wooden and Geno Auriemma.
➜ 3. My biggest pet peeve is … players not playing hard and having bad body language.