Illinois
Northern Illinois (NIU) vs. Marquette Prediction, Preview, and Odds – 11-6-2023
The Northern Illinois Huskies are on the road Monday to play the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first game of the college basketball regular season for both teams. Last season, Northern Illinois finished 13-19 overall and 9-9 in Mid-American Conference action. The Huskies finished 7th in the MAC standings.Marquette finished last season 29-7 overall and 17-3 in the Big East. Marquette was first in the Big East two games ahead of Xavier. Neither team has any players listed on its injury report.
Northern Illinois is in rebuild mode
The Northern Illinois Huskies will be in a rebuild mode for the 2023-24 season with only three starters returning from last season. The top returners from last season are guards Anthony Crump and Kaleb Thornton. Last season Thornton scored an average of 8.8 points per game and Crump scored an average of 7.7 points per game. Thornton was the leader in assists for the Huskies at 5.3 per game and Crump was the leader in rebounds at 5.1 per game.
The other returning starter, Darweshi Hunter was not as productive as the other two but will once again contribute this season. Northern Illinois added St Bonaventure transfer Oluwasegun Durosinmi, who will help in the paint on the boards and protect the rim. Expectations are not high in Northern Illinois and an 8th or 9th place finish is expected by the Huskies.
Marquette is expected to compete for a national title
The Marquette Golden Eagles rose in prominence last season and are expected to contend for the national title this season. Marquette lost just one of its top players from last year Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who averaged 12.5 points per game. However, last year’s leading scorer Kam Jones is back, who averaged 15.1 points per game as is the second leading scorer Tyler Kolek, who averaged 12.9 points per game and led the team in assists with an average of 7.5 per game. The leading rebounder from last season Oso Ighodaro, who averaged 5.9 boards per contest is also back. Ighodaro also averaged 11.4 points per game
Five other players that saw plenty of action return for Marquette. The Golden Eagles did not take part in a transfer portal this season as there are no new transfers but they did add five freshmen including two guards and three forwards, who are expected to contribute from the start as well.
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Marquette has all the tools to compete for a national title as the Golden Eagles lost only one of their top three scorers and have eight players returning from last season including guard Kam Jones their leading scorer and guard Tyler Kolek their second leading scorer and their leader in assists. Marquette also has its leading rebounder from last Oso Ighodaro, who was also the fourth leading scorer from a season ago. Northern Illinois is in a rebuild mode as the Huskies have just three starters back from last season while adding a few transfers and freshman but are not expected to finish higher than 9th in the Mid-American Conference which gives them little to no chance of winning this first game of the season. Regardless of the point spread, look for Marquette to run away and hide in this matchup on Monday
Prediction: Marquette Golden Eagles
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Marquette scored an average of 79.3 points per game last season which was 23rd in the nation and the Golden Eagles did not play the best of defense, allowing an average of 70.3 points per game which was 183rd. Much of that is due to the uptempo style that Marquette plays and that will be on display again Monday night as they will put up as many shots as possible at the hoop and thus their opponent will also see plenty of attempts, therefore the total will finish over.
Prediction: OVER
Illinois
Illinois man killed in Ross County, Ohio crash
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (WCMH) — A 58-year-old man from Illinois died Friday evening after a crash on a Ross County roadway.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol said that Western Springs, Illinois resident Slavisa Jovanovic was driving a Mercedes west on U.S. Route 35 just after 10:15 p.m. After driving off the right side of the road, Jovanovic’s Mercedes crashed into a tree.
He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead as a result of his injuries. The Ohio State Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate the crash.
Illinois
Illinois or Northwestern? Voters picked the team they hope will win Saturday at Wrigley Field
Northwestern will be the home team Saturday against Illinois at Wrigley Field. Yes, in football. Some of you probably have been too busy sticking pins in your George McCaskey dolls to realize this was about to happen.
In this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on the social platform X, we asked which team you’d rather see win the battle for the “Hat” trophy.
“It means more for Illinois,” wrote @JeffreyCanalia, referencing the Illini’s 8-3 record and opportunity to get into a New Year’s bowl game.
Next, we asked if Luke Richardson is the right coach to lead the Blackhawks into their next winning era.
“Nope,” @arrosen76 commented. “He’s not a rebuild coach. He’s a win-now coach.”
“I would like it if he stopped changing his lines so much,” @MeersmanChris offered. “Has he heard of consistency or chemistry?”
Last, we asked how often you’ve been betting on sports.
“Much, much less often than in 2020-21,” @DeyoSahler wrote. “It’s so difficult to win consistently.”
That’s true in gambling. It’s also true for pretty much all Chicago sports teams, just saying.
On to the polls:
Poll No. 1: Which team would you rather see win Saturday’s game at Wrigley Field, Illinois or Northwestern?
It’s time for this week’s “Polling Place.” Let us hear from you! Selected comments will appear in Sunday’s paper.
Poll No. 1: Which team would you rather see win Saturday’s football game at Wrigley Field, Illinois or Northwestern?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) November 29, 2024
Upshot: A 70-30 vote split in favor of the visiting Illini goes perfectly with the 70-30 crowd split we’re bound to see in favor of the Illini.
Poll No. 2: Is Luke Richardson the right coach to help make the Blackhawks winners again?
Poll No. 2: Is Luke Richardson the right coach to help make the Blackhawks winners again?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) November 29, 2024
Upshot: The Hawks went 26-49-7 for 59 points in Richardson’s first season. But then they got it together and went 23-53-6 for 52 points in his second season. Wait, is the second one worse than the first one? Never mind.
Poll No. 3: How often are you betting on sports?
Poll No. 3: How often are you betting on sports?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) November 29, 2024
Upshot: Don’t worry about what others are doing, OK? You just worry about picking that 11-team parlay today that’s totally going to come in.
Illinois
Detective Fatally Shot, Road Rage Slaying: Illinois News
ILLINOIS — On the weekend, we present a week in review of the top stories and headlines from all across Illinois. Here’s a roundup of some of the most-read stories across the state. You can also find your local Patch and catch up on those stories by clicking here.
Murder Charge Filed In I-80 Road Rage Shooting Death
State police responded to a 911 call of a shooting on I-80 and found a 30-year-old man who had been shot to death after a road rage-related crash, officials said.
Detective Killed In Shooting
Police said the officer, 40, was fatally shot after responding to a report of an armed person leaving a bank. The person accused in the shooting was also shot and is hospitalized, police said.
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