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Still looking for a starting center. This kid is 2023 spring graduate from Coffeyville CC.


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Rest in peace, sir.

Jim Brown, Legendary NFL Running Back, Dies at 87 https://www.wsj.com/articles/jim-brown-obituary-e10aebe4

Terrence Shannon Jr. at the NBA Combine:

Max vert 37.5 inches
No step vert 32 inches
Pro lane drill 10.36 seconds
3/4 sprint 3.06 seconds
Spot up shooting 19/25, 76%
Shooting off the dribble 21/30, 70%
3-point star drill 14/25, 56%
Side-mid-side 11/30, 36%
Free throws 9/10

ESPN's "computer" predicts the percentages of us winning for each game in 2023:

Toledo 81.2
at Kansas 62.1
Penn State 24.5
Florida Atlantic 84.4
at Purdue 47.7
Nebraska 67.7
at Maryland 40.6
Wisconsin 39.9
at Minnesota 38.0
Indiana 791.
at Iowa 36.4
Northwestern 75,1

Nice article in Trib today on Bielema - feelings about NIL (surprisingly positive), in state recruiting, status of program etc. Fans should be optimistic.

Obviously, there has been a lot of backchannelling between Dennis and Illinois interests ever since he declared for the NBA Draft back in March. The Illinois collective is in a position to ensure that the money is competitive. The family likes Illinois and I think they are sold, or close to it. Illinois people have felt pretty confident all along.

RayJ needs to visit and get a good vibe, though. He knows Tim Anderson well and feels comfortable with him. Now, it's about getting to know the other coaches and the players, feeling good about those relationships, and hearing the plan the staff has for him.

There should be a visit fairly soon. It all depends on how far into the process he is with NBA scout evaluations. I think that has ramped up of late, and I see him coming back to college.

Illinois needs to do well during the visit. I don't think it's a done deal like the other transfers were before they visited. If they dot all of the I's and cross all of the T's, they have a chance to close.

Dennis is also taking calls from Indiana, Baylor, Texas Tech, Kansas State, and others. He's listening, but I still think the ball is in Illinois' court.

On a related topic...

High school recruiting is in a weird place right now.

Chester Frazier is doing most of the leg work. The options in the 24 class are dwindling, although I think some will emerge this summer. Chester is throwing out a ton of 2025 offers. Underwood is primarily focused on the Portal and "getting old".

Some big-hit donors and highly engaged fans, especially in Chicago-land, are uneasy with how things are trending. Some see similarities to where Bruce Weber was in the post '05 era.

There was disappointment and confusion with losing a nearby kid like Cole Certa to Notre Dame, and there are concerns about not recruiting in-state players hard enough. Personally, I don't share the concern IRT Certa. I wasn't sold on him and I'm not convinced Underwood was either. Certa has okay this spring. Hot and cold.

Nothing new regarding Coleman Hawkins or TJ Shannon. "Going through the process." Hope to hear more this week.

They obviously don’t feel comfortable heading into the season with the guys they have

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BATH, Mich. – The Fighting Illini men's golf team held steady in second place with a 6-under 278 during Round 2 of the NCAA Bath Regional at Eagle Eye Golf Club on Wednesday.

The second-round effort gives the Illini a 36-hole team score of 550 (-18) and leaves the regional's top-seeded program 10 shots behind Georgia in the race for the team title. Overall, the Illini are well positioned at 14 shots clear of a sixth-place tie between Kansas State and Florida with the top five teams earning NCAA Championship berths following Wednesday's finale. Oregon (-15), Texas (-12) and host Michigan State (-11) round out the top five after two rounds.

Fifth-year seniors Matthis Besard and Tommy Kuhl each moved up the individual leaderboard in Round 2. Besard followed his opening 67 with a 2-under 69 to move up one spot into a tie for fourth at 136 (-6), where he sits three shots behind leader Ben Van Wyk of Georgia. Kuhl climbed six spots into tie for sixth, overcoming a 2-over start through his first six holes to match Besard's 69 (-2). The Morton, Ill., native is one stroke behind his classmate with a two-round total of 137 (-5).

Sophomore Jackson Buchanan also carded a 69 (-2), shaving five strokes off his Round 1 effort to ascend 22 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 37th.

The Illini were the only team to survive Tuesday without an over-par score in its five-player lineup, with fifth-year senior Adrien Dumont de Chassart and junior Piercen Hunt each carding rounds of even-par 71 to round out the scoring for the Orange and Blue. Dumont de Chassart the final round tied for 11th at 4-under, while Hunt is tied for 27th at 1-under.

Round 3 tees off Wednesday morning beginning at 8 a.m. ET. The Illini, paired with the Georgia and Oregon, will again be among the first to tee off on No. 1. Live scoring is available throughout the tournament at Golfstat.com.

FOLLOW THE #ILLINI
For more Fighting Illini men's golf news, stay tuned to FightingIllini.com and follow @IlliniMGolf on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook.

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BATH, Mich. – The experience of the Fighting Illini men's golf team showed through during Monday's opening round of the NCAA Bath Regional at Eagle Eye Golf Club, as the Orange and Blue's trio of fifth-year seniors – Matthis Besard, Adrien Dumont de Chassart, and Tommy Kuhl - combined to shoot 11-under and helped the team overcome a brief mid-round swoon to finish at 12-under in tie for second place, with host Michigan State, after 18 holes of competition.

The Illini's 272 leaves the regional's top-seeded team six strokes off the pace of Round 1 leader Georgia (-18) as the program chases its sixth regional title under head coach Mike Small. Overall, the Illini are seven strokes ahead of the fifth-place tie between Little Rock and Oregon with 36 holes remaining, and an NCAA Championship berth on the line for the top five teams after 54 holes.

Besard, who tied Kuhl for third as Illinois' top finishers at the Big Ten Championship, started strong and never looked back. The grad transfer, making his regional debut as an Illini, opened with a birdie on No. 1 and remained bogey-free throughout his day. He added three more birdies on Nos. 7, 10 and 16, to move to 4-under where he sits in a tie for fifth with fellow Belgian, Dumont de Chassart.

Dumont de Chassart, however, arrived at his 67 a bit differently than Besard. After back-to-back birdies on Nos. 7 and 8, he bogeyed No. 9 to close the front at 1-under; a third birdie on 10 moved him to 2-under before it was erased by a double-bogey, on the par-3 12th hole, that slid him back to even. But the three-time Big Ten Golfer of the Year responded by closing his round with birdies on 16 and 17 before posting an eagle on the par-5 18th, to rocket back into the top five.

Kuhl's round opened with seven straight pars before he sandwiched his lone bogey of the day between birdies on Nos. 8 and 10. He finished 3-under on the back nine with two more birdies on 14 and 17, to close his round one stroke behind Besard and Dumont de Chassart in a tie for 12th.

Behind the team's three fifth-year seniors, junior Piercen Hunt rounded out the scoring for the Illini with a 1-under 70 to sit in a tie for 30th. Sophomore Jackson Buchanan was also in action for the Illini but did not factor in the Round 1 score after carding a 74 (+3) to tie for 59th in the 75-player field.

Round 2 tees off Tuesday morning beginning at 8 a.m. ET. The Illini, paired with the Georgia and MSU, will again be among the first to tee off on No. 1. Live scoring is available throughout the tournament at Golfstat.com.

FOLLOW THE #ILLINI
For more Fighting Illini men's golf news, stay tuned to FightingIllini.com and follow @IlliniMGolf on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook.

Based on his film and numbers at FIU, I see Hill as a situational player (run stuffer) early on. I don't see Aaron Henry throwing him out there at FS as the last line of defense before he coached up and has more experience. I'd expect him to play SS or STAR and maybe backup Matthew Bailey at FS. Training camp will be important for him. The good news is that he's just a sophomore and has good tools to work with.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Illinois women's basketball rising senior Makira Cook has been named a finalist for the 2023 USA Women's AmeriCup Team, USA Basketball announced Sunday night.

USA Basketball announced eight athletes selected to the 2023 USA Women's AmeriCup Team following three days of trials in Colorado Springs from May 12-14. Additionally, five finalists - including Cook - will return for AmeriCup training camp, which begins June 22 in Colorado Springs, to compete for the remaining four roster spots.

The complete 12-member roster will be announced before the team goes to the 2023 FIBA Women's AmeriCup July 1-9 in León, Mexico.

The eight 2023 USA Women's AmeriCup Team members are Lauren Betts, Rickea Jackson, Raven Johnson, Rayah Marshall, Charisma Osborne, Laila Phelia, Angel Reese and Jewel Spear. The finalists are Janiah Barker, Makira Cook, Abbey Hsu, Chance Gray and Aneesah Morrow. Additional athletes may be invited to training camp as a part of the selection process. All athletes are selected by the USA Basketball Women's Junior National Team Committee.

The team is coached by Kamie Ethridge (Washington State University), Aaron Johnston (South Dakota State University) and Katrina Merriweather (University of Cincinnati).

BATH, Mich. -- The Fighting Illini men's golf team - ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the latest Golfweek and GolfStat team rankings, respectively - tees off Monday at Eagle Eye Golf Club to begin three days of competition at the 2023 NCAA Bath Regional hosted by Michigan State University. The Orange and Blue are making their 15th consecutive NCAA Regional appearance and are also looking to advance to the NCAA Championship round for the 14th time in the last 15 seasons.

THE SETTING
The 2023 NCAA Bath Regional is hosted by Michigan State University at Eagle Eye Golf Club in Bath, Mich., just outside of East Lansing. The par-71, 7,126-yard course was designed by Chris Lutzke, in collaboration with Pete Dye, and features a rolling "links" style and a signature island green on No. 17. The course has received numerous honors and recognitions and in 2022 it was ranked No. 85 on Golfweek's list of the top 100 public courses in the U.S.

TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The 54-hole tournament will be played over three days, Monday-Wednesday, with 18 holes slated for each day.

The low four scores will count towards the team score in each round, with the top five teams, and the low individual not on one of those teams, advancing to the NCAA Championship.

THE FIELD
The Fighting Illini enter the postseason as the No. 1 seed at the Bath Regional in a strong field that includes 11 of 13 programs ranked inside the top-65 of the latest Golfweek/Golfstat team rankings. Behind the No. 2/3-ranked Illini are No. 7/10 Florida, No. 15/15 Texas, No. 21/22 Oregon and No. 27/27 Kansas State to round out the top five seeds. Georgia (26/34), Liberty (37/39), San Diego (47/50), Michigan State (65/61) and Wisconsin (62/65) are seeded 6-11, respectively. Illinois State (108/108) and Purdue Fort Wayne (209/213) round out the 13-team field vying for five bids to the NCAA Championship, May 26-30 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The 10 Individual qualifiers are: Barend Botha, Toledo; Ben Warian, Minnesota; Tyler Goecke, Wright State; Palmer Jackson, Notre Dame; Nathan Han, Columbia; Mikkel Mathiesen, Wright State; Caleb VanArragon, Valparaiso; Nate Stevens, Notre Dame; Anthony Delisanti, Valparaiso; Jack Simon, St. John's.

FIGHTING ILLINI LINEUP
No. 1: Tommy Kuhl
No. 2: Matthis Besard
No. 3: Adrien Dumont de Chassart
No. 4: Jackson Buchanan
No. 5: Piercen Hunt
Alt: Ryan Voois

ILLINI HISTORY AT THE NCAA REGIONALS
The 2023 NCAA Bath Regional marks the 21st regional appearance for the Fighting Illini since 1989, and the 18th under the guidance of head coach Mike Small (since 2000-01), who has now led the program to 15 consecutive regional berths dating back to 2008.

Small's teams have experienced great success in the regional round, having advanced to the NCAA Championship in 15 of his 18 regional berths, including a stretch of 13 straight between 2008 and 2021 before the Illini narrowly missed out on advancing at the 2022 New Have Regional where the team finished in a tie for sixth.

Small has also guided the Orange and Blue to five NCAA Regional team titles, tied for ninth nationally, including their most recent in 2019 at Myrtle Beach. The Illini claimed four consecutive regional titles in 2013 (Fayetteville), 2014 (Sugar Grove), 2015 (Noblesville), and 2016 (Kohler), at the time becoming just the second program to ever accomplish the feat (Arizona, 1990-93).

Individually, four different Illini have captured five medalist finishes at regionals. Former Illini, and current tour professionals, Michael Feagles (2019 Myrtle Beach), Nick Hardy (2017 West Lafayette), Brian Campbell (2015 Noblesville and 2014 Sugar Grove), and Luke Guthrie (2011 Central) also took home regional medalist honors during their collegiate careers.

Fifth-year seniors Adrien Dumont de Chassart and Tommy Kuhl are each playing in their fourth regionals, having also teed off as freshmen in 2019 at Myrtle Beach, in 2021 in Stillwater, and in 2022 in New Haven. Dumont de Chassart tied for fourth in 2019, and grabbed a share of third in Stillwater, and tied for 15th in New Haven. Kuhl tied for 20th at Myrtle Beach, tied for 47th in Stillwater, and closed as the Illini's top finisher in a tie for 12th in New Haven.

Though in his first season at Illinois as a transfer from Southern Illinois, fifth-year senior Matthis Besard, also has NCAA postseason experience and will make his third start in the regional start. As a freshman at SIU in 2019, Besard tied for 40th at the Louisville Regional, then tied for 37th as a senior in 2022 at the Columbus Regional.

Junior Piercen Hunt and sophomore Jackson Buchanan will each make their second straight Regional start for the Orange and Blue. Hunt, who also traveled with the team as an alternate competitor throughout the 2021 postseason, placed 36th in New Haven last season, while Buchanan tied for 37th.

Freshman Ryan Voois will travel with the team as its alternate competitor this season.

LIVE SCORING
Live scoring for the NCAA Bath Regional will be available on Golfstat.com. A recap and results will be posted on FightingIllini.com following each day of competition.

UP NEXT
The top five teams and low individual at the Bath Regional will advance to the NCAA National Championship, which will be played for the third consecutive year on the Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., May 26-31. Illinois is in search of its 16th NCAA Championship berth under head coach Mike Small.

FOLLOW THE #ILLINI
For more Fighting Illini men's golf news, stay tuned to FightingIllini.com and follow @IlliniMGolf on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook.