Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law to restore Shabbona State Park, a total of about 1,500 acres in DeKalb County, to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.

His action Friday comes nearly a year after the group became the first federally recognized tribal nation in Illinois. Previously, Illinois had been one of 15 states without a federally recognized tribal nation.

The law’s passage is part of an attempt to correct what state lawmakers have called a “historic injustice” that occurred 175 years ago when the U.S. government auctioned off nearly 1,300 acres of Prairie Band land, largely encompassing the state park, when Chief Shab-eh-nay was visiting relatives in Kansas. The state established the state park after it purchased the land with federal grant funds between 1969 and 1978.

Prairie Band Chairman Joseph Rupnick, the fourth-generation great-grandson of Chief Shab-eh-nay, said the move showed “healing and reconciliation are possible.”

“Returning our land is a necessary step toward the recognition we deserve as a people and as citizens of Illinois,” Rupnick said. “Illinois has shown true courage and vision by leading the way in the Land Back movement. … We are proud to once again call this land home.”

Because of “quirks” in federal treaties and the way the land was handled legally, this is only an option — as far as lawmakers currently know — for these parcels of land, and couldn’t be used as a framework for returning land to tribal nations nationwide. However, one of the bill’s sponsors, state Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, said he wouldn’t be surprised if there are other, similar land transfers that could be made nationwide.

“The Land Back movement is alive and well,” Guzzardi, who represents several Chicago neighborhoods, told the Sun-Times Monday. But “this movement looks like different things in different places. … These are very unique circumstances in Illinois with these parcels of land.”

Prairie Band and the state are now working on a land management agreement to set parameters around how the park is maintained, and the tribal nation has committed to keeping it open to the public and “improving the infrastructure and experience of the park.”

“Our goal and the nation’s goal: The average visitor will not have noticed anything has changed,” Guzzardi said. “It will be preserved as publicly available park land.”

It wasn’t until 2001 that the U.S. Department of the Interior confirmed the history and legal status of the Shab-eh-nay Reservation as federally recognized Indian country because the government’s auction of land owned by Chief Shab-eh-nay had not been approved by Congress, as was required.

Last April, the Interior Department announced the decision to place parts of Shab-eh-nay Reservation land — about 130 acres, or roughly 10% of what was originally stolen — in DeKalb County into trust for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and giving the tribal nation sovereignty over the land.

The tribal nation had spent $10 million over the years to get the land back before handing it over to the government to be put into trust and officially recognized. The change in status allowed the land, which sits just southeast of Shabbona, about 70 miles west of Chicago, eligible for federal benefits and protections, and put the tribal nation in charge of governing the land.

As was the case with the prior land return, there are homes on the property not owned by members of the tribal nation, though tribal leaders have promised to work with homeowners and the state to amend their deeds in order to “assure current homeowners that their property is theirs without condition.”

This can only be accomplished through an act of Congress, given how the homes’ deeds were written in connection to the land, but as part of the agreement, the tribal nation has agreed to push for the change to be made at the federal level, allowing the homeowners to have clear titles to their properties.

“This landmark legislation puts Illinois on the right side of history — fostering a partnership with Indigenous communities and returning what was wrongfully acquired,” state Sen. Mark Walker, D-Arlington Heights, one of the bill’s sponsors, said in a statement. “This transfer is not only a common-sense solution, it’s the right thing to do.”

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)

MILWAUKEE — Kentucky is making its long-awaited return to the Sweet 16.

The third-seeded Wildcats, who had not advanced beyond the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2019, defeated 6-seed Illinois 84-75 on Sunday at Fiserv Forum to advance in the Midwest Region.

Kentucky (24-11) will face its oldest rival, Tennessee, next week in Indianapolis. The Cats and Vols (2) will be joined by Houston (1) and Purdue (4) at Lucas Oil Stadium.

To get there, Kentucky played one of its best all-around games of the season.

Offensively, the Wildcats shot 47%, went 8-of-21 from the 3-point arc, and tied its season-low for turnovers with five. UK opened the second half by making 11 of its first 12 shots and scoring on 10 straight possessions to turn a five-point halftime lead into a 15-point lead that had the Illini shell-shocked.

“It’s our guys’ mentality to dig into the emotional reservoir and bring it to start the game,” Kentucky head coach Mark Pope said. “… And it was our energy that our guys brought into the beginning of the second half and their intensity that was really important.”

Koby Brea scored a team-high 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field, while Otega Oweh (15) and Lamont Butler (14) also finished in double figures.

But it may have been UK’s effort on the defensive end of the floor that had the biggest impact on the victory. The Cats held a strong Illinois offensive club to just 44% from the field. Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley came into the game averaging a combined 28 points for the Illini but were held to 18 on 6-for-20 shooting from the field.

Kentucky also forced 14 turnovers leading to 26 points, many coming in transition.

“That game was decided at the start of the game and the start of the second half,” Illinois head coach Brad Underwood said. “… Twenty-six points off turnovers. Thirteen of the 14 were live-ball.

“But give (Kentucky) credit. I think this is Lamont Butler’s 12th NCAA Tournament game, and I thought he controlled the game on both sides (of the floor).”

Butler had three steals to go along with his 14 points and five assists.

Perhaps his biggest play of the game came with 4:37 remaining after Illinois had trimmed a 15-point Kentucky lead to 10 and had forced a missed shot by the Cats. The Illini grabbed the rebound, but Butler came from behind to steal the ball and hit center Brandon Garrison for a layup that swung momentum back to UK.

“I was behind the play,” Butler said. “It was a rebound that went long, and I was behind (No.) 32. He just dribbled up the floor, not knowing I was right next to him, so I reached and got the steal. I saw it. It was a two-on-one with me and B.G., gave it to him, and he finished the play. And that gave us energy finishing the rest of the game off.”

“He’s a game-changer,” Brea added. “… It completely changed the game in my head. I feel like we got ’em after that.It was a testament to him and how good he is. It was a crazy play.”

Pope said it embodied Butler’s “championship heart” he has often referenced this season. “That was a massive play to stem the tide a little bit.”

Illinois saw its season end at 22-13. Guard Kylan Boswell led the Illini with 23 points, while Tomislav Ivisic, brother of former Cat Zvonimir Ivisic, added 19.

*****

In this “Rapid Recap” feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory…

KEY MOMENT:

Illinois trimmed a 15-point deficit down to 10 with 4:37 remaining and had the predominantly orange-clad crowd thinking a comeback could be in the works when Kentucky’s Lamont Butler may have made the play of the game. The Illini rebounded a UK missed shot and had a chance to cut the margin to seven, but Butler sneaked behind the ballhandler and stole the ball. Center Brandon Garrison streaked to the basket, and Butler hit him with a perfect lob pass for a basket that made it a 12-point margin and put the Cats back in control.

GAME BALL:

Koby Brea, Kentucky — The player who UK head coach Mark Pope calls the best shooter in America lived up to that billing, knocking down 10 of 16 shots en route to a game-high 23 points. He also had six rebounds and a steal, playing some of the best defense he has displayed this season.

BY THE NUMBERS:

1st – Kentucky player (Amari Williams) to record at least eight points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and three blocked shots in an NCAA Tournament game.

5-0 – Kentucky’s record against Illinois in the NCAA Tournament.

7 – SEC teams have advanced to the Sweet 16: UK, Tennessee, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Florida, Alabama, and Auburn.

14 – A season-high in steals for UK, including three apiece for Andrew Carr, Lamont Butler, and Collin Chandler.

26-8 – Kentucky’s advantage in points off turnovers. The Cats forced 14 Illini miscues.

27th – Game of the season for UK’s Koby Brea hitting multiple 3-pointers. He went 3-for-8 as part of his team-high 23 points.

32nd – Double-figure scoring game of the season for the Cats’ Otega Oweh, who scored 15 points.

QUOTABLE:

“I’ve never seen — and I haven’t dug into the data, so somebody check it for me — but I’ve never seen a team that has gone from 112 to 45 (in the defensive efficiency ranking) in the last six weeks of a season. I’ve never seen it, and that is a credit to our guys. Gives you a sense of our players.” — UK head coach Mark Pope on the Cats’ defensive improvement late in the season.

UP NEXT:

Kentucky returns to action next Friday in Indianapolis, where the Wildcats will face their oldest rivals, the Tennessee Volunteers, in the Sweet 16. The Cats won both regular-season meetings against the Vols this season. Tip-off time and TV designation will be announced soon.