illinois Page 6 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Illinois Ball Boy Later Flagged For Unsportsmanlike Conduct While Attempting To Pick His Friend's Nose At Fight Hunger Bowl
Your morning roundup for Jan. 1, the day we whimsically shook our heads and thought "they've done it again." Got any stories or photos for us? Tip your editors....

The Only Entertaining Thing To Come Out Of The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Was Also The Most Heartwarming
As part of the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, players from Illinois spent two and half hours feeding the homeless at St. Anthony's Dining Room in San Francisco. They also spent at least two minutes and eleven seconds breaking it down with this wheelchair-bound gentleman. Look at that guy go!...

Northern Illinois Linebacker Suspended For Sacking Opposing Band Member
When you're on a defense that gives up 60 points in regulation, that's reason enough to be suspended. But NIU linebacker Jamaal Bass earned his suspension the hard way, by knocking over a Toledo band member before the matchup Tuesday night. Huskies coach Dave Doeren announced the suspension this a...

There Is No D In Toledo: Here's All 123 Points From Last Night's MAC Matchup In 123 Seconds
The MAC nursed a Halloween hangover and showed up to work dressed in a defense-phobic WAC costume as Northern Illinois beat Toledo last night 63-60, the highest-scoring regulation game in conference history. It was a score more familiar to NBA fans, watching because there were no NBA games on the ...

Illinois LB Jonathan Brown Checked If The Coast Was Clear Before Kneeing A Foe In The Balls Today
"During the first half of today's Illinois/Northwestern game, Illinois linebacker Jonathan Brown clearly looks around to see if anyone is watching before kneeing Northwestern offensive lineman Patrick Ward in the groin. Of course, with 65,000 people, eleven opposing players and five refs - one of ...

Short White Guy Wins College Dunk Contest
So ends the ballad of short white guy. Jacob Tucker captured our hearts, with his average height and above-average ability to jump and slam a basketball through a rim. And these were legitimately good dunks — no affirmative action here. But if you're wondering why such an athlete would be stuck in...

Bruce Pearl's First Con, And The World That Created A Monster
The first time I met Jimmy Collins was in 2004. I was working on a profile of UW-Milwaukee's ascendant basketball coach Bruce Pearl and had come to Chicago to get the other side of the story. Collins was coaching at the University of Illinois-Chicago, but by that point he was much better known as Pe...

Your NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen Finishing Touches Open Thread
In the next few hours, all attendees will have RSVP'd for the Sweet Sixteen extravaganza. The final five match-ups are Arizona vs. Texas; VCU vs. Purdue; Marquette vs. Syracuse; Illinois vs. Kansas; and in the weekend's final game, Florida State vs. Notre Dame....

Short White Guy Is On His Way To The College Dunk Contest
Jacob Tucker's strategy of putting his dunk reel on YouTube has paid off, with two million views and the attention of the NCAA. But the 5'11" Tucker ("probably 5'10½"," he says) will need to take down one more small-school dunker to get into the contest....

Fighting Illini Are Everywhere, Even In North Texas's Starting Lineup
None of these gentlemen are actually members of the North Texas Mean Green. They are, from left to right, current and former Illinois players Warren Carter, Jack Ingram, Rich McBride, Demetri McCamey, and Jamar Smith. We'd say it was a glitch or an honest mistake, but those five players have never b...

Short White Guy Makes His Case For The NCAA Dunk Contest
Jacob Tucker, a senior guard for the (DIII) Illinois College Blueboys, is 5'11" and can jump really high. He's put together a highlight reel and Facebook group arguing he's worthy of inclusion in next month's college slam dunk contest. That's moxie, kid....

Tracy Morgan Shares Naughty Thoughts About Sarah Palin With The TNT Crew
Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and internets to bring you everything you need to know to start your day....

Your "Duke = No. 2 At Best" College Basketball Open Thread
In today's Top 25 matchups, Missouri heads to Texas A&M and Illinois is at Wisconsin....

Your Saturday College Football Bowls Open Thread
Three bowl games today....

Illinois Men's Basketball Team Plays Better Basketball When Using A Men's Basketball
No. 17 Illinois got off to a slow start against Oakland tonight. They were down 15-6 in the first half when players complained to a ref that the game ball felt light. That's because it was a women's regulation basketball....

Your College Football Afternoon Games Open Thread
Even if Northwestern's redshirt-freshman QB Evan Watkins wasn't the pussy slayer that this sign maker told College Gameday Nation he is, Illinois vs. Northwestern at Wrigley is a rubbernecker's dream....

A Day Before The Game, The NCAA Figures Out That Wrigley Is A Death Trap For Football
It's, oh, 27 hours until Illinois and Northwestern kick off. But they'll be kicking off in one direction, every time, because one end zone goes right up against the brick and ivy walls. Tomorrow's going to look like backyard football....

Ron Zook Freaks Out, Has A Jim Mora Moment
After Illinois' loss to Minnesota last Saturday, Ron Zook addressed the team's prospects for bowl eligibility. It's one of the finest moments in Motor-Mouth History. H/T Erik...

Wrigley Field Tarts Itself Up For Another Rich Loser
Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and internets to bring you everything you need to know to start your day....

Michigan QB Tate Forcier Tries To Kill Reporter Moments Before Post-Game Interview
In the waning moments of a downright rollicking 67-65 triple-overtime win over Illlinois, Michigan QB Tate Forcier was forced out of bounds and into WXYZ Sports Director Don Shane's eternal soul....