Illinois
How to Watch Michigan State at Illinois – TV, Quick Facts and Prediction
Michigan State men’s basketball will travel to Champagne, Illinois to take on the fighting Illini. Illinois has looked dangerous all season while the Spartans have been inconsistent. This will be a big test for the Spartans if they hope to contend in the top portion of the Big Ten.
Game Time: Thursday, January 11th at 9:00pm (US East Coast Time)
Watch the game: FS1 (or streaming in the FoxSports App with a subscription)
Comment and Follow Live at the GAME THREAD HERE (live at 6pm)
Some basics to sound like a pro:
Michigan State:
Michigan State is going to have to do what it has not been able to yet this year: win a true road game. It’s inconceivable that the Spartans are this deep in the season and this will be only its third true road game (the other two were a loss at Nebraska and a loss at Northwestern).
On paper the Spartans should be strong on the road. They are led by a veteran team, and particularly their back court has experience featuring a 5th year senior shooting guard (Tyson Walker), a Senior point guard (AJ Hoggard) and a Junior wing (Jaden Akins). Yet these veterans (and fifth year senior power forward Malik Hall) have not looked great in their two Big Ten road losses. Particularly Malik Hall has been a disappearing act on the road.
In positive news for the Spartans, Tyson Walker and AJ Hoggard continue to look like one of the best backcourt combos in the country. If they can bring their defensive dominance to this game, it could make the difference against an Illinois team missing its top scorer (more on that in a moment).
Also, the return of Jaxon Kohler to the center position could mean this team actually gets some solid offensive production from its front court. This will be Kohler’s second game of the season and he only played a few minutes against Northwestern. Even in spot minutes, the sophomore is a substantial upgrade on the offensive end.
University of Illinois
Illinois is very good this year. Their only losses were against top ranked opponents Marquette (then Number 4), Tennessee (then number 17) and Purdue (then number ranked 1) 4 days ago. Each of those games has been highly contested.
In terms of overlapping opponents, Illinois was beat by Tennessee that also beat Michigan State in a tight pre-season game. Much more concerning for the Spartans is the absolutely beating Illinois gave Northwestern. In the game before the Wildcats controlled the Spartans and won by 15 points, the Fighting Illini had whipped Northwestern by 30 points.
The storyline for Illinois off the court is the Terence Shannon, Jr. story. Shannon was suspended by the team after he was arrested on a rape charge. The Illinois team leader in points per game and minutes played per game is suing the college to reinstate him. In the three games since his suspension, the Fighting Illini have continued to play well (the Northwestern and Purdue games were played without Shannon). Still he is a loss for a team.
Considering this game is being played in Champagne, Illinois, it would be considered an upset of the Spartans were able to pull off a win.
Predictions:
BBD: 78-71 Illinois Win
What are your predictions for the game? Let everyone know in the comments below.
Illinois
Has Trump’s approval dropped in Illinois amid Pope Leo feud? See polls
Millions of asylum seekers have been impacted as caseloads have grown
A general crackdown on immigration courts the administration sees as liberal has led to the firing of dozens of immigration judges.
Recent polls show President Donald Trump’s approval ratings continue to dip as the war in Iran endures and national gas prices float above $4.
One such poll conducted by CNN/SSRS illustrates widespread upset among Americans with regards to Trump’s handling of the economy and inflation. Here’s how Trump’s approval ratings look nationally and within Illinois, as of April 20.
Donald Trump approval rating: CNN
Only 31% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling the economy, compared to 39% in January 2026, according to the poll.
The decline in approval on the issue is even higher among Republicans, especially Republicans under 45 years old, according to CNN.
In the poll, President Donald Trump received his worst approval rating yet in either of his two terms on the economy.
CNN findings show about two-thirds of Americans say Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions, and 27% say they approve of Trump’s handling of inflation.
CNN also reported 63% of Americans say the prices at the pump have caused financial hardship in their household, including 15% calling it “severe.”
The poll, conducted March 26-30 among 1,201 U.S. adults, found 35% approve of Trump’s job performance overall. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
One poll respondent told CNN and the pollster about the most important issue facing the country: “Prices! Everything is so expensive. Makes it very difficult to do anything other than work and go home. Trips to the grocery store are ridiculous! Between gas and grocery prices, we are poor!”
Trump addressed the concerns about gas prices in his address to the nation on April 1, saying the Strait of Hormuz would reopen when the conflict was over and the prices would fall again.
Trump reaffirmed his promise about the strait on April 18, saying his administration had “very good conversations going on” with Iran after the country said the strait would not be reopened.
Donald Trump approval rating in Illinois: Civiqs
Trump’s job approval rating in Illinois, as of April 18, according to data from online survey platform Civiqs, is as follows:
- Approve — 32%.
- Disapprove — 65%.
- Neither — 4%.
Donald Trump national approval rating: Civiqs
Trump’s national approval rating as of April 13, according to data from Civiqs, is as follows:
- Approve — 39%.
- Disapprove — 57%.
- Neither — 4%.
Donald Trump approval rating in Illinois: The Economist
Trump has a -36% net approval rating in Illinois as of April 20, according to data from The Economist.
Donald Trump national approval rating: The Economist
Trump’s national approval rating as of April 20, according to data from The Economist, is as follows:
- Approve — 38%.
- Disapprove — 56%.
- Don’t know — 7%.
Trump, Iran War approval rating: Pew Research Center
A Pew Research study conducted in mid-March found that about six-in-ten Americans (61%) approve of Trump’s handling of the conflict in Iran, with 39% approving.
A report released in early April found that the largest concern for most Americans as a result of the conflict is higher gas prices, with 69% saying they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the issue.
Other Trump approval rating polls as of April 20
Here is a look at some other polling aggregators to understand how CNN/SSRS’s poll compares to the average Trump approval numbers as of April 20:
RealClearPolitics Poll Average: 41.2% approve, 56.6% disapprove.
The New York Times: 40% approve, 56% disapprove.
Silver Bulletin: 39.7% approve, 56.4% disapprove.
Which president has the lowest approval rating ever?
Although Trump has dropped to a historic low in approval rating polls this term so far, he hit a 34% low in the first term and other recent presidents such as Joe Biden hit a 36% low, Barack Obama hit a 40% low, George W. Bush hit a 25% low and Bill Clinton hit a 37% low, according to the Gallup polls, whose recorded lowest rating was Harry Truman with 22%.
As for the highest presidential approval ratings, George W. Bush holds the highest approval rating ever recorded at 90%, while his father, George H. Bush holds the second highest at 89%.
Trump is the only president that has not reached a 50% or higher approval to date in the Gallup polls’ history.
Illinois
Multiple people shot in Centralia, Illinois: REPORT
CENTRALIA, Ill. – An investigation is underway after multiple people were shot Sunday in Centralia, Illinois, according to a report from WFCN News in southern Illinois.
FOX 2 has confirmed the Illinois State Police is investigating a shooting and taking over the investigation, but ISP could not confirm many further details as of 9 p.m. Sunday.
“The investigation is in its infancy and to protect the integrity of the investigation, no additional details will be released at this time,” ISP said in a statement to FOX 2.
According to WFCN News, the shooting happened around 5 p.m. near the 900 block of East Kell Street in Centralia. Multiple law enforcement agencies have since responded to scene and multiple victims are hospitalized, according to the report.
It’s unclear how many people may have been injured and what led up to the shooting.
Centralia, Illinois is about 70 miles, or just over an hour, east of St. Louis.
This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.
Illinois
Weather service assessing damage across Iowa, Illinois and Missouri
The National Weather Service has teams of storm surveryors in the field April 18 investigating several reports of severe storms and tornado touch downs across eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois and northeast Missouri.
According to the weather service’s website, windgusts of up to 60 to 70 mph along with teacup-sized hail and several tornadoes were reported April 17.
Many homes and outbuildings were damaged, trees were uprooted and power lines were downed in Lena, Illinois, where the most significant damage occurred, the site pointed out.
Very strong winds also were reported near Washington, Iowa, and Colmar, Illinois, where several outbuildings and grain bins were destroyed.
The weather service received reports of confirmed and possible tornadoes in the areas of Lena, Pecatonica, Shirland, Rockton, Roscoe and Capron.
The teams will be assessing damage this weekend into next week along with county emergency management teams to determine what types of storms occurred and their paths.
Dozens of power outages were reported, as well.
As of the afternoon of April 18, ComEd was reporting 85 active power outages across northern Illinois, down from 241 on April 17, and 6,751 customers affected, down from more than 18,000.
The bulk of those outages and the most customers impacted are concentrated in Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties.
-
Crypto6 minutes agoXRP Prepares for Quantum Future as Ripple Maps XRPL Strategy for Security Readiness
-
Finance12 minutes agoWhy this sleepy Swiss town has become a ‘bolt-hole’ for the Gulf elite
-
Fitness18 minutes ago
Six ways your smartwatch is lying to you, according to science
-
Movie Reviews30 minutes agoMovie Review – Desert Warrior (2026)
-
World42 minutes agoIran War Live Updates: Trump Officials and Iran Plan New Talks Despite Mixed Messages
-
News48 minutes agoVideo: Singer D4vd Is Charged With Murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez
-
Politics54 minutes agoTrump and Iran Face Off in Iran War Negotiations
-
Business60 minutes agoThe Onion Signs New Deal to Take Over Infowars