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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what’s going on around the area:
Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai and the Scarlet Knights beat Illinois when the two teams last played in 2021 in Champaign. They meet again today in Piscataway, N.J.
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. Illinois football has a chance to win its eighth game on Saturday at Rutgers and either Monticello or Unity football will clinch a spot in the Class 3A state title game by the time Saturday evening arrives.
➜ 2. Tuscola girls’ track and field standout Lia Patterson has proven herself on the high school scene by winning five individual state titles. Now, the senior will get a chance to do so in college after signing with Ball State on Friday night.
➜ 3. The Illinois State men’s basketball team lost 76-68 to McNeese on Friday night in the U.S. Virgin Islands, but St. Joseph-Ogden graduate Ty Pence led Illinois State with 14 points. Through five games, Pence is averaging 12.4 points for the Redbirds (3-2), who play UAB on Saturday.
Brad Underwood has 146 wins at Illinois so far.
Numbers game: 146
wins by Brad Underwood so far during his tenure as the Illinois men’s basketball coach going into Saturday’s game with Maryland-Eastern Shore, making him the sixth-winningest coach in program history right now. He should pass the next coaches on that list — J. Craig Ruby (148 wins) and Doug Mills (151 wins — before 2025 arrives. Then, all that’s left is Bruce Weber (210 wins), Harry Combes (316 wins) and Lou Henson (423 wins).
Ike Young and Monticello gets a second shot against Unity this season after the Rockets beat the Sages 42-28 on Oct. 25 at Hicks Field in Tolono. The two teams play in Monticello on Saturday in a Class 3A state semifinal.
Crowd control
Three events I’m paying attention to
➜ 1. Illinois at Rutgers football. Stopping the Scarlet Knights’ run game and limiting turnovers should give the Illini (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) a needed road win on Saturday at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J.
➜ 2. Maryland-Eastern Shore at Illinois men’s basketball. Even if the Illini (3-1) win on Saturday afternoon against the Hawks (2-5), they can’t enjoy it for long. Little Rock, which played at Arkansas on Friday night, pays a visit to State Farm Center for an 8 p.m. tip on Monday.
➜ 3. Unity at Monticello football. The Illini Prairie Conference will have one team playing in the Class 3A state championship game once the winner of Saturday’s state semifinal game is determined.
Monticello girls’ basketball coach Seth Melton.
Coach’s corner
Three questions with Monticello girls’ basketball coach Seth Melton. The Sages are back in action on Monday night when they host Charleston:
âžœ 1. My favorite sports team is … the University of Illinois.
âžœ 2. Three coaches I’d like to have dinner with are … Tom Izzo, John Wooden and Geno Auriemma.
âžœ 3. My biggest pet peeve is … players who have bad body language and are not being coachable.