Illinois
How to watch Texas vs. Illinois: Odds, storylines for women’s NCAA Tournament matchup
Texas reached the peak of the AP poll for the first time since 2004, and is now pursuing its first national title since the undefeated run of 1985-86. The Longhorns can gallop into the Sweet 16 with a win over Illinois, a team with veteran leadership but holes in its defense.
How to watch No. 1 Texas vs. No. 8 Illinois
- What: Birmingham 3 Regional, second round
- Venue: Moody Center — Austin, Texas
- Time: 2 p.m. ET, Monday
- TV: ESPN
- Streaming: Fubo (try for free)
- Watching in-person? Get tickets on StubHub.
Dive into March Madness with The Athletic
Projecting the bracket | March Madness 2025 | Players to watch
Vic Schaefer’s squad had just three losses all season, and two of them were to defending champion South Carolina. They are suffocating on defense and fearless in the paint. All-American Madison Booker recalls another Longhorn great to wear No. 35. She’s graceful and nimble on the block, but can pop out with WNBA range. Her and Taylor Jones are as formidable of a frontcourt duo as any in the nation.
Texas looks comfortable in just about every facet of basketball … except for the long ball. It ranked 349th in 3-point attempts and took just nine treys in their opening-round win over William & Mary. That didn’t matter much — Booker scored 20, Jones had 19 and Kyla Oldacre put up 15 off the bench — but it might be a concern against tougher opponents in the later rounds.
Illinois is nearly a 20-point underdog for Monday’s road trip to Austin. The Illini are paced by three seniors in Kendall Bostic, Genesis Bryant and Adalia McKenzie. Each averaged at least 13.5 points. Bostic was a walking double-double all season, leading the Big Ten in minutes per game. Unlike Texas, this team likes the 3, shooting 38.9 percent in-conference.
Shauna Green’s gang hadn’t reached the Round of 32 since 2000. They are 4-5 against ranked opponents, but 0-2 against top-10 foes (USC, UCLA).
This matchup can also be streamed on ESPN+.
Texas vs. Illinois odds
Streaming and Betting/Odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo of Madison Booker: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)
MORGAN CO. Ill. – Two Pittsfield High School students were killed and two other people were injured following a Saturday afternoon two-vehicle crash east of Winchester.
According to the Illinois State Police, officers with Troop 6 responded to the intersection of US 67 and Woodson Winchester Road just before 2:15 p.m. on the report of a fatal traffic crash. Two people were pronounced and two were airlifted to St. John’s Hospital in Springfield with injuries.
Pittsfield Superintendent of Schools Todd Fox confirmed Saturday night that the two students killed were Jesse Davidsmeyer, a senior and Joel Noble, a junior.
“As a school and community, we are in absolute shock and overwhelmed with grief,” Fox posted on Facebook. “In the days ahead, we will have counseling and additional resources available at Pikeland for anyone in need. Students. Staff. Community members. We encourage our parents to talk with their children and reach out if additional support is needed.
“Please keep the families of Jesse Davidsmeyer and Joel Noble, those who were injured, and all who are affected in your thoughts and prayers. I will provide further updates later. I love everyone so so much.”
This is the second fatal traffic accident involving Pittsfield students in the last four months.
The intersection and roads were closed following the accident until about 8 p.m. Saturday. The incident remains under investigation by the Morgan County Coroner’s Office and the Illinois State Police.
After successfully pushing to change state law to help repair and replaced damaged gravestones of Illinois veterans, a Naperville woman is continuing her mission to preserve the legacies of local heroes.
Years ago, Staci Boyer, commander of the Judd Kendall VFW Post in Naperville, noticed many of the gravestones of veterans buried at Naperville Cemetery had become badly weathered and worn out, in some cases, left little more than a pile of rocks.
She wanted to have them repaired, but ran into a roadblock. State law required permission from a family member, but the damaged headstones were so old, tracking down relatives was difficult.
With the help of state lawmakers, she helped change Illinois law to give veterans’ organizations the authority to repair headstones that are at least 100 years old.
“Before the law, we wouldn’t have been able to do anything. We would’ve tried to find next of kin. We would not have found them, and then the graves would’ve stayed a pile of rock and debris,” Boyer said.
Since last summer, Boyer has raised enough money to replace five veteran headstones at Naperville Cemetery. She said all new headstones will be in place by the 4th of July.
“I’m proud of our community, you know, for feeling like this is important. People that don’t know these veterans but believe that they should be honored this way. That’s a beautiful thing,” she said.
Boyer had bricks engraved at Naperville Cemetery to honor all veterans with damaged headstones.
Illinois football coach Bret Bielema landed arguably his most significant recruit to date in two-sport athlete Nasir Rankin on Wednesday, but McHale Blade wouldn’t be too far behind on the short list.
Blade, an elite class of 2026 recruit, listed his top seven choices on Friday, as reported by 247 Sports – and Illinois made the cut.
Blade, a four-star defensive lineman from Chicago Simeon also included Wisconsin, Purdue, Stanford, USC, Michigan and Notre Dame among his top seven. The fifth-ranked player in the state of Illinois and No. 21 defensive lineman in the country (per 247 Sports), Blade began his high school career at Hillcrest (Country Club Hills, Illinois) before transferring to Simeon.
If Bielema and his staff have any shot of landing the 6-foot-4, 245-pound senior, they need to schedule an on-campus visit with Blade ASAP. McHale visited Purdue on Friday and is scheduled to visit Wisconsin next and USC, Michigan and Notre Dame in June.
The good news for the Illini is that they’re putting together far and away their best recruiting class in the Bielema era, and the fact that a bunch of top prospects from the state have already committed to Illinois could be a deciding factor in convincing Blade to stay home.
Blade reportedly will make schedule visits with all seven finalists and make a decision on July 4.
Top Three NBA Landing Spots for Illinois Forward Will Riley
Illinois Basketball’s Best of the Century: No. 10 Malcolm Hill
Surprising Stat Highlights Underrated Impact of Illinois’ Tomislav Ivisic
PlaqueBoyMax Levels Up on 'ATLANTA'
Man sentenced for deadly 2024 shooting at homeless encampment
Full race results from the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500
Pirates’ Oneil Cruz Sets New Record with Home Run
23-year-old killed after being struck by vehicle on Deans Bridge Road
-
Technology1 week agoMeta asks judge to throw out antitrust case mid-trial
-
World1 week agoCommissioner Hansen presents plan to cut farming bureaucracy in EU
-
News1 week agoNew Orleans jailbreak: 10 inmates dug a hole, wrote ‘to easy’ before fleeing; escape plan found
-
News1 week agoVideo: Doctors Heal Infant Using First Customized-Gene Editing Treatment
-
Movie Reviews1 week agoDevil’s Double Next Level Movie Review: Trapped in a punchline purgatory
-
Business1 week agoVideo: How Staffing Shortages Have Plagued Newark Airport
-
Business1 week agoConsumers Show Signs of Strain Amid Trump's Tariff Rollout
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago‘Nouvelle Vague’ Review: Richard Linklater’s Movie About the Making of Godard’s ‘Breathless’ Is an Enchanting Ode to the Rapture of Cinema