Illinois
Deadspin | Ohio State hopes to stay 'dialed in' vs. No. 18 Illinois
Ohio State will seek its fourth straight win when it faces struggling No. 18 Illinois on Sunday afternoon in Champaign, Ill.
The Buckeyes (13-8, 5-5 Big Ten) have turned around their season with strong defense and the guard play of John Mobley Jr. and Bruce Thornton.
It’s been a good stretch for Ohio State.
After upsetting then-No. 11 Purdue on Jan. 21, the Buckeyes posted consecutive routs of Iowa (82-65 score) on Monday and at Penn State (83-64) on Thursday.
“That’s two games in a row that defensively we have been dialed in and really done a good job, and I think two games in a row we’ve rebounded really well now,” Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said.
“You’ve got to know that every single game you can’t sit and be too happy on your performance. We’ll celebrate this one, and then we’ve got to turn the page quickly. I’m proud of our guys for battling. That’s now two straight road games. We’ve got another tough one here coming up.”
Illinois (14-7, 6-5) has not been able to overcome the absence of center Tomislav Ivisic, who has missed the past three games due to mononucleosis.
That was never more evident than during an 80-74 overtime loss Thursday to a Nebraska team that had lost six straight.
Illini coach Brad Underwood criticized his players’ shot selection.
“Stunk. It’s terrible,” he said. “But that’s part of the problem, not having Tomi, and that’s one of the things that we’ve got to get figured out, because I have no idea when we get him back.”
Ivisic has averaged 13 points and 8.5 rebounds in 18 games this season.
“It’s big, for sure,” sophomore guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn said of not having Ivisic. “Tomi is a great player. He’s one of our starting guys, one of our best players for sure. That’s not an excuse. We have to have the next-man-up mentality.”
Underwood hinted on his post-game radio show Thursday that changes may be in the offing against Ohio State. “I’ve got to do something with the starting lineup,” he said. “… We don’t know when we’re getting Tomi back, so we’ve got to figure it out in the meantime.”
In contrast, Diebler said he likes the combo of Mobley — a freshman — and Thornton, a junior.
Mobley had 19 points and eight assists against Penn State in embracing an expanded role with guard Meechie Johnson missing the past 11 games to tend to personal matters.
“It feels good,” Mobley said. “My whole life growing up, everybody labeled me as just a shooter, but it feels good to showcase my all-around game. Defense, offense, getting people involved, getting to the basket, also shooting.”
His play has drawn attention of the defenses, making Thornton more dangerous. Thornton had 17 points vs. the Nittany Lions and is 11 for 18 from 3-point range during Ohio State’s winning streak.
“It was great because we were able to get Bruce open looks from three because we were able to move them around some, and I think that’s really important for us,” Diebler said. “We’ve got to continue to be versatile on the perimeter.”
–Field Level Media
One person is dead after a fire inside a condo complex in south suburban Glenwood on Saturday evening.
It happened around 5 p.m. in the 900 block of 194th Street.
Glenwood fire officials said that crews responded to a second-floor unit inside the three-story building that was engulfed with flames.
It was confirmed that one person died in the fire. Their identity was not released.
Neighbors in adjoining condos were displaced. The Red Cross was working to provide further assistance to those affected.
Glenwood fire said they are working with the state fire marshal to investigate what led up to the blaze.
The 2025-26 FCS playoffs consist of a 24-team bracket with play starting on Saturday, Nov. 29 and concluding on Monday, Jan. 5. The top 16 teams seeded and the top eight seeds receive automatic byes to the second round, while the rest of the 24-team field (the remaining 16 teams) play in the first round.
Here’s everything you need to know for the Division I Football Championship postseason.
FCS championship bracket
Click or tap here to view the bracket
FCS championship schedule
All times Eastern
Quarterfinals
- Friday, December 12
- Saturday, December 13
Semifinals
- Saturday, December 20
- Semifinal 1 | 4 p.m. ET | ABC
- Semifinal 2 | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2
National Championship
FCS championship rounds, dates
- Selection show: 12 p.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 23 on ESPNU
- First round: Saturday, Nov. 29
- Second round: Saturday, Dec. 6
- Quarterfinals: Friday, Dec. 12 through Saturday, Dec. 13
- Semifinals: Saturday, Dec. 20
- National championship: Monday, Jan. 5 on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. ET
FCS selections
The bracket selections for the 2025-26 FCS Championship was on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. The bracket was be revealed via a selection show on ESPNU at 12 p.m. ET and a selections release.
Eleven conferences (or conference partnerships/alliances) earn automatic bids to the playoffs. The FCS Championship Committee selects the remaining 13 at-large bids.
AUTOMATIC BIDS: Click or tap here to see all 11 of the clinched auto-bids
FCS championship history
North Dakota Dakota State is the reigning national champion, winning its 10 title in 2024 with a 35-32 win over Montana State. Here’s every FCS champion and runner-up from the past decade:
| Year | Champion | Coach | Score | Runner-Up | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | North Dakota State | Tim Polasek | 35-32 | Montana State | Frisco, Texas |
| 2023 | South Dakota State | Jimmy Rogers | 23-3 | Montana | Frisco, Texas |
| 2022 | South Dakota State | John Stiegelmeier | 45-21 | North Dakota State | Frisco, Texas |
| 2021 | North Dakota State | Matt Entz | 38-10 | Montana State | Frisco, Texas |
| 2020 | Sam Houston | K.C. Keeler | 23-21 | South Dakota State | Frisco, Texas |
| 2019 | North Dakota State | Matt Entz | 28-20 | James Madison | Frisco, Texas |
| 2018 | North Dakota State | Chris Klieman | 38-24 | Eastern Washington | Frisco, Texas |
| 2017 | North Dakota State | Chris Klieman | 17-13 | James Madison | Frisco, Texas |
| 2016 | James Madison | Mike Houston | 28-14 | Youngstown State | Frisco, Texas |
| 2015 | North Dakota State | Chris Klieman | 37-10 | Jacksonville State | Frisco, Texas |
Click here for a full list of every champion since 1978.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS) — After a brief lull in the weather on Friday, now another winter storm is setting its sights on central Illinois. Come Saturday, our next round of Winter is set to arrive. A new weather maker sweeps across the Upper Midwest, causing more snow to develop by mid-morning on Saturday. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued from 7AM Saturday through 8 PM Saturday evening. The snow will pick up intensity by late-morning and last through the afternoon into the early evening hours before ending. This new weather system will follow a path very similar to the previous storm system and spread a swath of moderate to locally heavy snow. Before the snow wraps up Saturday evening, expect another 2″-4″ for much of central Illinois, with afternoon high temperatures bitterly cold in the mid-teens.
But the worst blast of cold air comes in Saturday evening into Sunday. Frigid Arctic air surges down from Canada causing temperatures to really tumble, driving in the coldest weather we’ve had in a long time and certainly the coldest so far this season. A Cold Weather Advisory is issued from 8 PM Saturday through Noon on Sunday. Sunday morning will be dangerously cold with wind chills around 20 to 25 BELOW ZERO. With wind chills this extreme, it doesn’t take long to suffer from frostbite or hypothermia. Please stay inside to keep warm, but if you do need to venture out, limit the time you spend outdoors, and make sure to cover up all exposed skin by wearing a hat, scarf, and gloves. Sunday afternoon features lots of sunshine, but despite the sunshine, temperatures will be brutally cold and frigid with high temperatures stuck in the low single numbers while wind chills remain well below zero.
Expect more extremely chilly weather on Monday with wind chills still ranging from 5 to 15 BELOW ZERO in the morning and afternoon highs only reaching into the 20s. Then temperatures will finally start to warm up, and we should climb out of the deep freeze with highs in the mid to upper 30s on Tuesday.
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