Illinois
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker calls for aid to address migrant influx:
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has reiterated his calls for federal support as communities in his state, and others across the U.S., struggle to manage the influx of migrants arriving on buses from the southern border.
After writing a letter to President Joe Biden last week that laid out a list of requests and recommendations for how Biden’s administration should address the asylum crisis, Pritzker said that “we need help from the White House” in an appearance on “Face the Nation” Sunday.
Sanctuary cities in a number of Democratic states over the last year have had to grapple with a record surge in asylum seekers being bussed in from southern states like Texas and Florida. At the same time, the Biden administration faces the broader challenge of addressing a historic increase in border crossings. The influx of asylum seekers has put significant strain on Chicago and New York City, which have borne the brunt of the crisis.
Pritzker told “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan that he hopes the White House will assemble one office and a specific department head that Illinois leaders can coordinate with as they work to meet the needs of asylum seekers in their state.
“Because, look, we’re providing shelter as best we can and providing for the needs of these folks arriving in Chicago. And as I say, we’re a welcoming state and we understand the humanitarian crisis that we’re addressing,” Pritzker said. “But we can’t address this all by ourselves, and we need help from the White House.”
The governor asked for more communication with the Biden administration “so that we can understand who’s arriving, and when they’re arriving, and whether they have relatives already in the United States who might be able to help care for them.”
“On top of the 15,000 that have arrived in Chicago and Illinois over the last 13 months, we are now seeing busloads [of] more migrants at increasingly higher rates being sent specifically to Chicago each day,” Pritzker wrote in his letter to Mr. Biden, adding, “Most critically, the federal government’s lack of intervention and coordination at the border has created an untenable situation for Illinois.”
Pritzker said he felt as though the administration “heard” him.
“We were very clear in our communication with the White House that what we need is logistical support, that is help deciding where these folks are to go, because they can’t all go to Chicago and New York, and D.C.,” he said. “They need to go in places where there’s even more help to offer. We, of course, are a welcoming state and have been caring for the people who’ve arrived. But we can’t bear the burden only ourselves.”
The governor said the asylum crisis “needs to be a federal, national problem that gets handled at the national level,” and suggested the Biden administration coordinate with politicians in border communities in Texas to regulate how and where people are dispersed in the country after crossing the border.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams traveled to Mexico and Central America last week to meet with lawmakers and try to address the asylum crisis. Adams’ trip also intended to deliver a message to migrants that New York City has reached capacity, and asylum seekers are being misinformed about the availability of jobs and shelter in New York, which have run out, CBS New York reported.
Adams said on “Face the Nation” Sunday that more than 3,700 asylum seekers arrived in New York City in the last week of September alone.
“That’s an increase. We were getting 600 a week, which was unsustainable. And now we’re up to … getting anywhere from eight- almost 800 a week,” he told Brennan. “These numbers are not sustainable. And it’s not sustainable in Chicago when people are living in police precincts, Los Angeles, Houston, Washington. This is just not right, what is taking place.”
The mayor recently asked a court to temporarily pause New York City’s right to shelter mandate, arguing that the city does not have enough resources to handle the number of migrants arriving there. The move came under some scrutiny as critics questioned how lifting the mandate could contribute to New York City’s homelessness problem, which is already severe.
“Our legal team is not asking for a suspension. We want clarification,” Adams said on “Face the Nation.”
“This is a humanitarian crisis that we are facing,” he continued. “This is not what the architects of right to shelter thought about when you were dealing with those New Yorkers who needed shelter. We can’t have a rule that one can come from anywhere on the globe and come to New York City and remain in New York City as long as they want and taxpayers must pick up the cause. … It is unfair to the migrant seekers and asylum seekers. And it’s also unfair to … New Yorkers.”
What I’m looking at: Illinois
We’ve reached the second rivalry game as the Tigers (10-1) take on the Illinois Fighting Illini (7-3) in the annual Braggin’ Rights matchup in St. Louis.
Here’s what I’ll be keeping an eye on at noon at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis (ESPN).
Scouting Report
Illinois enters the 55th edition of the rivalry matchup and 43rd in St. Louis coming off a last-second 66-64 loss to No. 1 Tennessee.
The Illini have played a very tough schedule to this point, losing to No. 8 Alabama, No. 1 Tennessee and Northwestern in the Dec. 6 opener of Big 10 play, as well as beating No. 19 Arkansas and No. 20 Wisconsin.
There’s exactly one player on Illinois’ team who appeared in last year’s Braggin’ Rights matchup, 6-foot-1, 185-pound sophomore guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, who played 3 minutes without a stat other than a missed shot in last year’s game and is averaging about 13.8 minutes per game, appearing in all 10 this season.
Otherwise, it’s a fully new Illini roster.
Freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis (6-6, 205) has taken the lead for Illinois this year, scoring 16.1 points to go with 6.1 rebounds per contest and a team-high 5.6 assists per game. The do-it-all guard hits 42 percent of his attempts from 3 (21-of-50) and is tied for first on the team in makes from deep while being 10 attempts behind 6-9, 225-pound graduate forward Ben Humrichous, who has made 21-of-60 from deep.
Sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic (7-1, 255) who is from Croatia, is second on the team at 14.2 points per game to go with his near double-double average of 9.7 boards per contest. Freshman forward Will Riley (6-8, 195) adds 13.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, while 6-2, 205-pound junior guard Kylan Boswell scores 10.1 points per game to go with 4.1 rebounds per contest.
All four have played in all 10 games, though Riley has come off the bench in all 10.
The Illini have used the same starting 5 in every game with Jakucionis, Ivisic, Boswell, junior guard Tre White (6-7, 210) and Humrichous.
The Illini score 84 points a game and give up 64.6.
Illinois shoots 43.2 percent from the field, 32.4 percent from 3 and 73.5 percent from the free-throw line, while allowing opponents to shoot 36.9/23.9/61.5.
Illinois leads the all-time series 34-20 and holds a 26-16 advantage for matchups in St. Louis, including a 97-73 win last season. But the Illini hold just a 6-4 lead in the past 10 games.
Matchups
Mizzou’s perimeter defense vs. Jakucionis
The Tigers allow opponents to shoot just 33.2 percent from beyond the arc, which is surprisingly low considering the amount of open looks it feels like the Tigers give up every game.
Jakucionis comes in firing from deep. If Mizzou leaves him open, there’s going to be some major issues, especially if he hits a few early.
The Tiger defense needs to stay locked on Kajucionis around the perimeter as much as possible. He’s definitely a major threat closer to the basket, too, but a few early, open 3s could give the Illini the momentum and the Tigers need to take it early and run with it like they did in the Border War.
Mizzou’s defense forcing turnovers
We’re sticking with the defense with the second matchup.
The Illini commit 11.2 turnovers a game and force only 10.4, so Illinois is running a deficit game-to-game.
For the Border War, I said one of the routes to a win was the Tiger defense forcing a lot of early turnovers and building a lead, then holding onto the momentum. That’s the same case here and the 2022 Braggin’ Rights matchup is the prime example to look at.
If Mizzou is able to play in transition early and get some easy looks, that sets the Tigers up about as well as possible against a team they don’t necessarily match up well with.
Josh Gray vs. Tomislav Ivisic
This one is just interesting to me.
Watching two talented 7-footers battle it out in the post is always fun. I think Ivisic is the type of post player that’s going to go right at Gray more than Hunter Dickinson did, so another game where Gray makes a big, immediate difference in the post could go a long way to the Tigers getting their 11th consecutive win.
What I’m looking for
Has to be a quick start like we saw in the Border War.
If the Tigers are going to win both of their rivalry games this year, they have the formula and showed they can do it.
They don’t need a 29-point night from Tamar Bates again, though that would be a good way to keep the offense moving, but there’s going to have to be a big offensive night from somebody.
Both teams like to play in transition, which is going to lead to some turnovers, if the Tigers are able to take advantage and force Illinois into some early ones that lead to easy buckets, that’s the best setup Mizzou can have for this game.
And once again, gotta try to keep away that offensive lull. It’s probably going to happen at some point, we see it just about every game. The Tigers pulled out the win against kansas because they built up a big enough lead to withstand a long lull.
That’s a lot to ask them to do again, so instead, how about we ask for a shorter lull. Maybe only five minutes instead of 13 where the offense looks awful.
No lull at all would be fantastic, but feels like too big of an ask at this point until we see them go without one against a good team.
And just for my sake:
I already have one of my favorite coverage assignments I’ve gotten to experience in this year’s Border War. The 2022 version of Braggin’ Rights is another one that’s up there for me because it was my first time covering a game courtside and the way that game went, I could feel the energy from the Mizzou side of the arena all night.
I was sent up to the top of the arena for last year’s game and it definitely affected the experience, but I got confirmation Friday that I’m back on the floor this year, so hopefully the Tigers can give me a second of my favorite games I’ve ever covered in the same basketball season.
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Both of the Braggin’ Rights games that Dennis Gates has coached in with the Missouri Tigers against the Illinois Fighting Illini have been blowouts, being decided by 22 and 24 points respectively.
The resumes of both teams entering Sunday’s matchup promise a much more competitive game.
Missouri rides into the game in St. Louis on a 10-game win streak, less than three weeks removed from a victory over Kansas, then the top-ranked team in the nation.
Illinois last went toe to toe with No. 1 Tennessee, falling 66-64. They earned a quality, 90-77 win over Arkansas on Thanksgiving.
The Tigers and the Illini are also near the top in the nation for two statistical categories respectively.
The emphasis in Gates’ speech to his team at the conclusion of practice Saturday was a focus on the details. If the 2024 rendition follows the history of past Braggin’ Rights games though, the energy of a ruckus environment at the Enterprise Center will need to be matched on the court.
“You go into rivalry games, you have x’s and o’s and this and that, I think it just comes down to fight,” Missouri’s Mark Mitchell said. “It don’t matter what the record is. You could be 0-10, the other team 10-0, but it’s still going to be a dogfight until the very end.
Out of the gates, Missouri will be looking to set the tone for the game and make sure the energy in a split crowd is swinging in their favor. It was key in its win over Kansas, with Missouri forcing six turnovers and shooting 7-for-13 in the first 11 minutes to take a 22-11 lead.
“When we played Kansas, we came out, we set the tone early,” Mitchell said. “We weren’t gonna back down, we weren’t gonna lay down. I think just being tough, physical, disruptive is something that’s going to be really important.”
Turnovers were key for all 40 minutes in the Tigers’ win over Kansas, with Missouri scoring 23 points off 22 turnovers. Illinois, giving up an average of 11.2 turnovers per game, has been focused in their preparation on protecting the ball.
“That’s been a big emphasis for coach [Brad] Underwood this week in practice,” Illinois guard Kylan Boswell said of turnovers. “Being ball tough and then not fouling on the other end. … I feel like we’ve done a good job this year of making sure we’re not fouling too many times.”
Illinois is looking to be cautious when it comes to fouls as Missouri’s 29.5 free-throw attempts are the second-highest in the nation. Missouri has been successful on 71.4% of those attempts.
Illinois will have to balance an avoidance of fouls and turnovers while still sticking to their physical identity. Entering Sunday’s game, Illinois leads the nation with 45.6 rebounds per game.
“There’s gonna be some of those turnovers,” Underwood said. “I think that decisions you make at the rim they have to be solid and and we just can’t have live-ball turnovers. Those are the ones that I’m really concerned the most about.”
Gates’ rotations this season, as they have in his entire tenure with Missouri, are deep and fluid. Illinois’ elite rebounding ability will be something that influences his decisions, and the decisions of his players on the court.
“We gotta make sure, rotation wise, that we are not in a compromising situation so we’re in position to block out,” Gates said. “They’re gonna crash all five guys if they can. We know that. We gotta do our job and make sure our shot selection doesn’t put us in a disadvantage defensively.”
Underwood has seen first-hand how both turnovers and rebounds can impact the game. In losses to Tennessee and Alabama, the Illini gave up 11 and 13 turnovers respectively. They lost the rebound battle 42-to-37 to Tennessee.
“That could be a deciding factor,” Underwood said of rebounding. “Turnovers, rebounding, those are always, in almost every game, deciding factors.”
Both squads also bring two players who could single-handedly be deciding factors in Missouri’s Anthony Robinson II and Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis.
Jakucionis, a freshman from Lithuania, has been making an impact already for Illinois. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound guard leads the team in both points (16.6) and assists (5.6)
“He’s a great player,” Robinson said of Jakucionis. “It’s gonna be a touch matchup. And I’m gonna come out there and show what I got.”
Robinson has made leaps of growth since his freshman year, averaging 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists this season. In Missouri’s win over California, the Florida product scored 29 points and recorded six assists. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound point guard is a facilitator offensively and a pesky defender.
“He’s a guy that we call ‘the head of the snake,’” Underwood said of Robinson. “He makes them go. He’s very, very unselfish. And then he’s he’s a he’s a he’s a past on the defensive side. He’s, you know, he’s done a great job of of hounding some really good point guards”
A win over a fringe-top-25 team would be especially important for Missouri before entering SEC play. The Tigers will have an uphill battle in conference play, where Gates suspects 13 or 14 teams will be good enough to make the NCAA tournament.
After the statement win over Kansas, Missouri is looking to prove that win was not a fluke.
“It’s gonna be a fun atmosphere,” Robinson said. “Just gonna come in and show we got . And we can shock the world a little bit. People are doubting us, we’re gonna come out and show people what we got.”
All Things Mizzou Podcast: Braggin’ Rights Preview, Football Transfer Portal
Mizzou Guard Caleb Grill (Neck) Returns to Practice Ahead of Illinois Game
CHICAGO (WLS) — One of the world’s most legendary explorers, James Lovell, spoke with ABC7 on Saturday about the honor of December 21 being named Captain James Lovell Day in Illinois.
The honor has been a long time coming for the 96-year-old, who is now being recognized for his incredible contribution because of the efforts of two Illinois state senators.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
Lovell began his career in aviation as a navy pilot before being chosen by NASA in 1962.
As an astronaut, Lovell had several missions that make up the fabric of historic firsts.
He was a part of the Gemini 12 mission, which was the first rendezvous of the two-manned maneuverable spacecraft, as well as his favorite mission, Apollo 8, where he and his fellow crewmen became the first humans to leave earth’s gravitational pull and orbit the moon.
But Lovell is best remembered as commander of the Apollo 13 mission, where an oxygen tank exploded two days after the launch, depleting oxygen and power inside the command module odyssey.
The mishap sparked a rush to rescue the crew stranded more than 200,000 miles from home and the remarks of Lovell were made famous in the 1995 “Apollo 13” movie starring Tom Hanks.
Lovell’s heroics were celebrated as the trio returned safely to earth.
Now, Lovell resides quietly in Chicago’s north suburbs, remembering his career as an explorer.
And while he managed to accomplish so much, he wishes he could have gone to Mars.
Artifacts from his many travels are housed at the Adler Planetarium, as are his many dreams of future space exploration as he continues to look to the stars.
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