Illinois
Daywatch: How Illinois hospitals ranked for safety
Good morning, Chicago.
Illinois ranks 30th in the nation for hospital safety, down two spots from the fall, according to new ratings released by the nonprofit Leapfrog Group today.
In all, 22% of Illinois hospitals earned A grades for safety from Leapfrog, compared to nearly 25% in the fall.
Illinois hospitals earning top marks include University of Chicago Medical Center and Rush University Medical Center. Five Endeavor Health hospitals in Evanston, Highland Park, Glenview, Elmhurst and Arlington Heights also earned As, as did six Northwestern Medicine hospitals in Huntley, DeKalb, Winfield, Geneva, Lake Forest and McHenry.
No Illinois hospital got an F grade this spring, though 15 hospitals across the state earned D grades.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Lisa Schencker.
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Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune
Mayor Brandon Johnson marches in the 52nd annual Chicago Pride Parade on June 25, 2023. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
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The Illinois high school season rolls into sectional week across the state this weekend with the top competitors in the Land of Lincoln vying to secure a spot in Champaign for next week’s state tournament. Here’s a look at some of the top potential sectional matchups on tap for this weekend.
Barrington
126 pounds — Jackson Olson (Hononegah) vs. Oleksandr Havrylkiv (Hersey)
The anticipated final features a clash between a pair of fourth-place finishers from the 2025 season. Olson placed at 120 and Havrylkiv at 113. While Havrylkiv has the more impressive record, Olson’s record reflects a tough schedule that includes tournaments such as Ironman. Placement order at this sectional will be key for Champaign, as this is one of the more open weights and a favorable seed can give a clear path to the finals at state.
Hinsdale Central
113 pounds — James Morrison (Marmion) vs. Erik Klichurov (Montini Catholic)
In a state that embraces schematics over seeding, all too often we get semifinals such as this one. Both Morrison and Klichurov are having impressive seasons and both have cracked the national rankings at various points this season. Morrison and Klichurov have met once this year with Morrison taking home a close victory. The 113-pound class in 3A is one of the deepest weights in Illinois and the winner of this one will put himself in a much more favorable position for seeding in Champaign the following week.
Hinsdale Central
138 pounds — Zach Stewart (Marmion) vs. Griff Powell (Lyons)
In yet another way-too-soon semifinal, returning state placer Griff Powell will run into 2025 state finalist Zach Stewart. Stewart will be the favorite coming in, but Powell has already found success against the Cadets with a win over Demetrios Carrera at the Flavin. This is another early sectional matchup that has potential to be repeated in next Saturday night’s state finals.
144 pounds — Demetrios Carrera (Marmion) vs. Kam Luif (Montini Catholic)
Insane semifinal matchups seem to be the norm at the Hinsdale sectional, and this one will feature Demetrios Carrera, who placed third in 2025 against returning 2A state champion kam Luif. The winner will likely still have to face multiple-time state placer Justin Williamson of Chicago Mount Carmel in the sectional finals. This is one of the deepest sectional weights, featuring three contenders for the title in Champaign, and the winner in Hinsdale will be able to push the other two across the bracket in Champaign.
Conant
120 pounds — Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East) vs. Ray Long (Niles Notre Dame)
This semifinal match is a clash between two returning state champions. Munaretto, a two-time U17 World champion and two-time Ironman champion, will be looking for his third IHSA 3A state title before continuing his career at Ohio State. Long will be looking to derail the future Buckeye’s perfect senior campaign en route to his second state title.
Antioch
190 pounds — Foley Calcagno (IC Catholic) vs. Jaxon Penovich (St. Viator)
With Jimmy Mastny up at 215 for the state series, this semifinal match up has a good probability of being repeated the following weekend in Champaign in the finals. Calcagno who placed third at 215 in his junior campaign, appears to be the biggest obstacle in front of Penovich, who will be looking for his second IHSA state championship.
Geneseo
165 pounds — Wyatt Medlin (Washington) vs.Izaac Gaines (Geneseo)
Medlin, who is highly nationally ranked and will be continuing his career at Illinois, will be a heavy favorite coming into this sectional semifinal. However, Gaines is one of the contenders at this weight, and we all know that strange things happen this time of year. Even if Gaines comes up short, the possibility of a finals rematch the following week in Champaign is definitely not out of the question.
215 pounds — Jimmy Mastny (Marian) vs. Josh Hoffer (Washington)
This is the premier matchup of this sectional and it happens in the semifinals. Both Mastny and Hoffer are returning state champions. Mastny is having a stellar season with a Super 32 championship and high placement at Ironman. Hoffer has had a few more bumps in the road, but has been high in the national rankings at points in the season and will be Mastny’s toughest test as he looks for his third state title.
Byron
106 pounds — Nate Lower (Rockridge) vs. Riley Paredes (Dixon)
This matchup makes the list because whenever you have two wrestlers with a combined 69-3 record meeting in the semifinals, someone is going to be pushed to the backside too early. Neither Lower nor Paredes qualified for the big dance last season and both will be looking to improve their seeding come the following week in Champaign.
113 pounds — Landon Near (Newman) vs. Augustus Swanson (Princeton)
This weight appears to have the marquee finals matchup between returning state placer Landon Near and state qualifier Augustus Swanson. What makes this one interesting is that Near is up from last season when he competed at 106 and Swanson is down from 120 a season ago. This is another weight where the sectional finals can be a prelude to what we will get to see next week in Champaign on Saturday.
165 pounds — Eli Burns (Mercer), Ethan Waugh (Stillman Valley), Tyler Jones (Wheaton Academy), Reily Leifheit (Marquette), Casey Etheridge (Princeton), Ryan Lower (Rockridge), Jonner Smith (Carroll).
This 1A sectional is likely the deepest weight in any class. There are at least three of the top wrestlers in this weight who will not make it out and possibly a fourth if there are any upsets. Though it’s difficult to predict how this weight will play out, the beneficiaries are the wrestlers at 165 from the other three sectionals, as the field will be significantly thinned coming into Champaign.
Illinois has lost back-to-back games for the first time this season, falling 85-82 in overtime at Michigan State on Saturday and 92-90 in overtime at home against Wisconsin on Tuesday.
That led to a notable change in one updated NCAA Tournament projection, despite the NET rankings and KenPom still holding the Illini in high regard.
With six Big Ten games remaining and the conference tournament ahead, a lot can change come Selection Sunday. But here’s a closer look at where Illinois stands in recent projections and updated rankings:
Illinois falls in CBS Sports’ updated Bracketology
Illinois fell from a No. 2 to a No. 3 seed in CBS Sports’ updated Bracketology after Tuesday’s loss to Wisconsin. However, the outlet noted that its model still projects the Illini to climb back up to the No. 2 line come Selection Sunday, so it could be just a temporary setback.
In this scenario, Illinois would play No. 14 seed Winthrop in the Round of 64, followed by a matchup against No. 6 seed Clemson or No. 11 seed Miami (Ohio). Out of the MAC, Miami (24-0) is the nation’s last undefeated team, while Clemson is second in the ACC standings at 20-4 and 10-1.
One of the teams Illinois is battling for a No. 2 seed is Purdue, which moved up from a No. 3 to a No. 2 seed after the Boilermakers’ overtime win at No. 7 Nebraska on Tuesday. Purdue (10-3) is a half game behind Illinois (11-3) in the Big Ten standings and lost a head-to-head meeting to the Illini at Mackey Arena, the teams’ only matchup of the season.
Illinois is also a victim of Kansas’ eight-game win streak, which dates back to Jan. 13 and includes wins over No. 1 Arizona, No. 2 Iowa State, No. 13 BYU and No. 13 Texas Tech. The Jayhawks are a No. 2 seed in CBS Sports’ latest projection despite being unranked in the AP poll as recently as Jan. 12.
Illinois’ most likely seed is a No. 3 at 30.9 percent, according to TeamRankings.com, followed closely by a No. 2 seed at 24.5 percent. Back-to-back losses may have eliminated Illinois’ chances of securing a No. 1 seed, though. These projections say a No. 4 seed is more likely at 21.4 percent, compared to its chances of earning a No. 1 seed at 3.1 percent.
NET rankings, KenPom still love the Illini
Losses to Michigan State and Wisconsin may only be a blip on the radar for Illinois, whose metrics have been largely unaffected over the past five days.
lllinois moved down just one spot from No. 4 to No. 5 in the NET rankings after Tuesday’s loss to Wisconsin. Houston moved ahead of the Illini as a result of recent double-digit wins over No. 13 BYU and Utah. The top three of Michigan, Arizona and Duke remains unchanged.
The NET rankings also show that seeding takes more than just the win-loss record into account. Illinois is still at No. 5 with five losses, ahead of teams like Gonzaga, Iowa State, UConn, Purdue, Michigan State and Nebraska – among others – who have fewer losses.
Part of that is because metrics like KenPom suggest Illinois is elite in a few areas. The Illini are No. 1 in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 15 in strength of schedule, bolstering their resume as KenPom’s No. 6 team overall. If there’s one thing to be concerned about, though, it’s Illinois’ No. 31 adjusted defensive efficiency – the worst of any team in KenPom’s overall top 15.
What’s next?
Illinois hosts Indiana (17-8, 8-6) at 11 p.m. CT on Sunday at the State Farm Center in Champaign. The Hoosiers are No. 31 in the NET rankings, so as things stand, it would be a Quad 2 win for Illinois. But if the Hoosiers win a few more games and move into the top 30, it could eventually become a Quad 1 win and boost Illinois’ resume.
Following Sunday’s game, Illinois travels to face USC (18-6, 7-6) on Wednesday and UCLA (17-7, 9-4) on Feb. 21, both of which would be Quad 1 wins on the road. If the Illini are able to win the next three, they may still have a shot at the Big Ten title when No. 2 Michigan (22-1, 12-1) comes to Champaign on Feb. 27.
Illinois is one of four teams – along with Nebraska, Purdue and Michigan State – that has three conference losses. So with a strong finish, it should be able to jump back up to the No. 2 seed line despite the recent setback.
MADISON – Life on the road continues to be rough for the Wisconsin women’s basketball team.
The Badgers dropped to 2-7 in opposing arenas with a 92-60 loss to Illinois on Feb. 11 at State Farm Arena in Champaign, Illinois. The loss marked the Badgers’ fourth Big Ten road loss by at least 25 points.
Freshman center Dorja Zaja finished with 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Senior forward Gift Uchenna added 13 points, but nine came in the second half when UW trailed by as many as 41 points.
Wisconsin’s top two scorers, Destiny Howell and Kyrah Daniels, combined for nine points on 3-for-20 shooting overall that included 1-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. Daniels led the Badgers in assists (five) and tied for second in rebounding (six).
Wisconsin coach Robin Pingeton thought her team’s troubles started in practices following its overtime loss to then-No. 25 Washington on Feb. 8
“We had two days of practice that just were flat and not in a way of feeling sorry for ourselves that we didn’t get the win but exhauston.,” Pingeton said on the Badgers postgame radio show. “And so how do you pick yourself up and get yourself ready to go battle again?
“That’s truly where I thought the game was lost, before we even stepped between the lines. It’s a great group of girls. We love them to death. It’s a special locker room for sure, but, you’ve got to learn to through the fires.”
Here are three takeaways from the loss.
Illinois shooters make Wisconsin pay
The Illini feature a strong interior presence led by 6-foot-3 freshman Cearah Parchment. The team also entered play averaging a league-low 16.9 3-pointers per game and ranking 14th in 3-point percentage (33.3%).
The Badgers went with a zone defense early and Illinois sank 4 of 8 3-point attempts in the first quarter. They never cooled off. Illinois’ 64.7% 3-point shooting (11 for 17) tied its season high.
Sophomore guard Aaliyah Guyton, who entered play 32.4% from 3, went 6 for 6 and scored a career-high 22 points.
Freshman Dorja Zaja offers bright spot for Badgers
The presence of so many bigs for Illinois created an opportunity for Zaja to get more minutes and she made the most of them.
Her points as well as her field goals and field goal attempts were season highs. Her 19 minutes equaled the most she has played this season.
It was as aggressive offensively as she’s been.
“She’s got a high IQ,” Pingeton said. “She lets the game come to her versus forcing the action, not rushing.”
UW keeps turnovers low, hits offensive glass but does little with chances
Wisconsin produced some good statistics. It finished with just 11 turnovers, its lowest road total this season. It also grabbed 14 offensive rebounds.
But true to the night, UW couldn’t do anything with the extra possessions. The Badgers had just 11 second-chance points and had a tough time getting space and time for their shots. Statistically, Wisconsin’s 36.9% shooting was Illinois’ best game of defense since the conference opener versus Indiana
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