Illinois

Black softball coaches at Illinois, Michigan State make history

Published

2 years ago

April 21, 2023

Black softball coaches at Illinois, Michigan State make history

Tyra Perry of Illinois and Sharonda McDonald-Kelley of Michigan State will meet in a three-game sequence this weekend that’s believed to be the primary time two Black feminine coaches have squared off in Energy 5 softball.

The Spartans had been scheduled to play three video games at Illinois, beginning with Friday’s opener.

“I believe it is nice that we’re evolving and turning into extra numerous in our sport,” Perry mentioned. “I believe it has been a very long time coming, so I am completely happy to be part of that specific change.”

Perry mentioned she sees the second as an indication of progress however was dissatisfied it took this lengthy to occur. She mentioned there are many Black feminine head coaches and assistant coaches able to make the leap to a Energy 5 program.

“Any time that there is the primary something of this nature, it is form of thoughts blowing that we have come alongside this far and that is the primary time one thing like this has occurred,” she mentioned. “It is taken too lengthy.”

The milestone comes as the game enjoys growing recognition.

On-site attendance on the Ladies’s Faculty World Sequence in Oklahoma Metropolis final spring set quite a few information, together with the common of 12,250 spectators per session. The championship sequence averaged 1.6 million viewers on ESPN. On the professional stage, Athletes Limitless goes into its fourth season and Ladies’s Skilled Fastpitch is getting into its second season with two new groups.

Perry and McDonald-Kelley are good mates and so they know one another’s households.

Perry was employed in 2015 whereas McDonald-Kelley was employed earlier than this season. Perry mentioned she joins McDonald-Kelley and Duke’s Marissa Younger as the one Black Energy 5 coaches. McDonald-Kelley’s youthful sister, Brittney Williams, is in her second yr as head coach at Southern College, a Division I program that isn’t Energy 5.

Perry is in her twenty second season as a Division I coach. She has greater than 600 profession victories as the pinnacle coach at Illinois, Ball State, Western Kentucky and Birmingham Southern. Her Illinois groups received not less than 36 video games every of the previous three years. The Preventing Illini enter the weekend with a 24-21 report.

Although Michigan State is 12-25 heading into the weekend, McDonald-Kelley has been profitable all through her profession. She led Campbell to a 101-81 report the earlier 4 seasons and received Massive South Event titles with the Camels in 2021 and 2022 earlier than she took over at Michigan State. Her groups went 50-19 in Massive South play and superior to NCAA regionals in every of the earlier two seasons. In 2021, she was named Massive South Coach of the 12 months.

Perry knew McDonald-Kelley was able to make the leap to the Energy 5.

“I used to be overjoyed to know that she had gotten that chance as a result of I do know that she’s a very arduous employee and been part of a whole lot of profitable applications,” Perry mentioned.

Perry mentioned she hopes different Black girls, akin to Duke assistant Olivia Watkins, get probabilities down the street.

Perry mentioned she’s seeing progress for athletes of colour on the sector, too. She mentioned it is a completely different panorama than it was when she began teaching.

“, it is rising exponentially,” she mentioned. “It is enjoyable now to see that there is been a terrific progress and enlargement and that extra individuals are on the market. And it isn’t simply even younger Black gamers. I am seeing extra of each each ethnicity on the market. So it is enjoyable to form of see the game develop in that approach.”

Source link

Click to comment

Illinois

Illinois at Northwestern Best Bet: Odds, Predictions, Recent Stats, and Trends for November 30th

Published

3 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Press Room

Illinois at Northwestern Best Bet: Odds, Predictions, Recent Stats, and Trends for November 30th

Illinois Fighting Illini (8-3) vs. Northwestern Wildcats (4-7) Preview:

The Fighting Illini are 8-3, ranked inside the top 25, and are bowl eligible. They travel to Evanston, Illinois, to take on the 4-7 Northwestern Wildcats. With the Wildcats winning 45-43 last season, you can expect Brett Bielema to have his boys ready to finish the season strong.

The Illini enter this contest, winning back-to-back games and scoring 38 points in both. Their offense has been humming since the dud against Minnesota.

Northwestern is on a horrid skid, having lost four of its last five games. Their lone win was a 26-20 overtime victory over Purdue.

Now they try to close their season with a win over Illinois as a 7-point underdog.

Bet the Edge is your source for all things sports betting. Get all of Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick’s insights weekdays at 6 AM ET right here or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

Game Details & How to Watch Illinois vs. Northwestern:

Date: Saturday, November 30, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM EST
Site: Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium
City: Evanston, IL
TV/Streaming: Big Ten Network

Game Odds for Illinois at Northwestern via BetMGM:

Moneyline: Illinois (-250), Northwestern (+240)
Spread: Illinois -7.5
Total: 44.5

Betting Insights and Predictions:

NBC Sports Bet’s expert, Brad Thomas, is leaning towards Illinois -7.5 in this matchup.

Thomas: “I don’t have a very strong read on this game. On paper, the Illini should dominate the Wildcats. They are inside the top 50 in EPA margin and offensively, this team can put points on the board, which feels like the complete opposite thing can be said about Northwestern. They are 132 in net points per drive and 124^th in offensive success rate. Illinois probably wins this game by double digits.”

Names to Know for Illinois at Northwestern:

Illinois Fighting Illini: QB Luke Altmyer – Altmyer has thrown for 2,373 yards, 20 touchdowns, and just three interceptions.
Northwestern Wildcats: QB Jack Lausch – Lausch has thrown for 1,427 yards, five touchdowns, and six interceptions.

Rotoworld has you covered with all the latest player news from the NFL and MLB. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

BetMGM College Football Insights: National Championship

Line movement (Last Week to Now)

· Ohio State +320 to +275

· Georgia +500 to +400

· Texas +500 to +450

Highest Ticket%

· Ohio State 13.4%

· Texas 11.1%

· Georgia 10.5%

Betting Trends & Insights Ahead of Illinois at Northwestern:

Illinois is 4-1 against the spread in its last 5 road games
Northwestern has lost 4 of its last 5 games
The average total game score (49.5) in Illinois’ last 10 road games is over the Total (44)

For more betting analysis and insights, follow our experts on social media:

– Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)

– Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)

Source link

Illinois

Deadspin | Dominating first half propels Illinois past Little Rock

Published

11 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Press Room

Deadspin | Dominating first half propels Illinois past Little Rock

Nov 25, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Tre White (22) drives to the basket during the first half against the Little Rock Trojans at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis scored a season-high 21 points and Illinois reeled off 23 straight first-half points to trigger a 92-34 non-conference victory over Little Rock Monday night in Champaign, Ill.

Tomislav Ivisic posted 16 points and 11 rebounds for Illinois (5-1) while Tre White contributed 16 points and eight rebounds and Will Riley added 13 points. The Illini tied the State Farm Center record for fewest points allowed by limiting the visitors to 23.6 percent shooting from the field .

Jordan Jefferson paced Little Rock (3-4) with 11 points and five rebounds. The Trojans finished with just 13 baskets while committing 14 turnovers and getting outrebounded 56-26.

Little Rock’s Mwani Williamson opened the game with a 3-pointer, but it didn’t take long for Illinois to find ways to attack the Trojans’ man-to-man and get the visitors in foul trouble.

Illinois needed just 6 minutes, 7 seconds to get into the bonus — at which time Jakucionis canned two free throws to give the Illini a 17-8 lead and a 9-for-10 showing at the line.

The Ohio Valley Conference preseason favorites pulled within 20-13 on Jefferson’s 3-pointer coming out of a timeout, but Illinois answered with 23 straight points to turn it into a rout. Ivisic, Riley, Ben Humrichous and Jakucionis drilled 3-pointers during the run while Morez Johnson Jr., Riley and Ivisic threw down dunks.

Little Rock finally snapped its 7-minute, 46-second scoring drought with Johnathan Lawson’s 10-foot set shot at the 3:41 mark to make it 43-15, but Illinois took a 51-19 lead into the break.

At halftime, the Illini owned a 27-10 advantage on the boards and they turned their seven offensive rebounds into 14 second-chance points. Little Rock, meanwhile, shot just 24 percent from the field and 40 percent at the line.

Illinois picked up where it left off in the second half. Jakucionis drilled two 3-pointers and White hit two layups as the Illini opened with a 12-2 run to push the margin to 63-21.

Little Rock went scoreless for the final 5:05 to finish with 34 points, which tied Wisconsin-Green Bay (Dec. 4, 1985) and Savannah State (Nov. 21, 2006) for fewest points by an opponent since Illinois’ home arena opened in 1963.

–Field Level Media

Source link

Illinois

Illinois (IHSA) high school football playoffs: 2024 brackets, state championship matchups, game times

Published

19 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Illinois (IHSA) high school football playoffs: 2024 brackets, state championship matchups, game times

The 2024 Illinois high school football playoffs conclude this week as all eight IHSA classifications prepare to crown their state champions.

>>Illinois high school football playoff brackets

All eight of the 2024 IHSA State Championship games will be played this Friday and Saturday (November 29-30) at Illinois State University’s Hancock Stadium in Normal, Illinois.

Stick with High School on SI for all of the matchups, game times and scores throughout the 2024 Illinois (IHSA) football playoffs.

Illinois high school football playoffs 2024 brackets

Here are the Illinois high school football playoff brackets, with matchups and game times, plus state championship matchups:

State Championship matchup

(12) Loyola Academy vs. (14) York

7:00 p.m. Saturday

2024 IHSA Class 8A high school football bracket

State Championship matchup

(4) Batavia vs. (19) Chicago Mt. Carmel

4:00 p.m. Saturday

2024 IHSA Class 7A high school football bracket

State Championship matchup

(3) Geneva vs. (1) East St. Louis

1:00 p.m. Saturday

2024 IHSA Class 6A high school football bracket

State Championship matchup

(3) Nazareth Academy vs. (6) Joliet Catholic

10:00 a.m. Saturday

2024 IHSA Class 5A high school football bracket

State Championship matchup

(9) DePaul College Prep vs. (12) Mt. Zion

7:00 p.m. Friday

2024 IHSA Class 4A high school football bracket

State Championship matchup

(9) Montini Catholic vs. (6) Monticello

4:00 p.m. Friday

2024 IHSA Class 3A high school football bracket

State Championship matchup

(6) Chicago Christian vs. (2) Maroa-Forsyth

1:00 p.m. Friday

2024 IHSA Class 2A high school football bracket

State Championship matchup

(2) Lena-Winslow vs. (1) Althoff Catholic

10:00 a.m. Friday

2024 IHSA Class 1A high school football bracket

—

Download the SBLive App

To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App

— Sam Brown | sam@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports

Source link