Alijah Arenas sank into a folding chair, his face buried in a towel, his breathing heavy.

For the last few days, smack dab in the middle of his long-awaited breakthrough at USC, Arenas was sick. He’d spent the last few days worn down and missed practice Tuesday, leaving his status for Wednesday night’s critical game with No. 10 Illinois uncertain until a few hours before. But the Trojans star freshman refused to sit out, resolving instead to tough it out against a true Big Ten contender, even if he wasn’t at 100%.

“That takes real courage,” USC forward Jacob Cofie said.

Indeed, it was a noble effort, albeit one that meant little by the time Arenas collapsed into the bench, breathless, midway through the first half Wednesday. By that point, Illinois was already rolling, well on their way to a 101-65 victory that left USC gasping for air.

“It’s pretty simple,” USC coach Eric Musselman said. “We were not good enough tonight. We’ve got to get better in all aspects.”

The blowout loss would mark not only the biggest margin of defeat for the Trojans in two seasons under Musselman but also the first time USC (18-8 overall, 7-8 in the Big Ten) has given up more than 100 points in a game since 2019. It was the sort of performance, Musselman said, that should make “every player, person, coaches in the program look in the mirror.”

That it came with USC clinging to the edge of the NCAA tournament bubble only added insult to injury. Those hopes hang on how USC handles its business through the final five games of its regular season, a stretch that includes just one top-25 team and two matchups with its reeling crosstown rival, UCLA.

But at no point Wednesday night did the Trojans look like a team that could make some noise come March. Part of that diminished firepower was on account of its star freshman’s illness, as Arenas looked nothing like the player who came alive over the last two weeks. He could muster just eight points in 18 minutes. At one point, he even appeared to tweak his injured knee, forcing him to sit for a long stretch.

“It’s been the way our season has gone,” Musselman said.

His questionable health, though, couldn’t explain why USC was walloped on the boards, losing the rebounding battle, 41-30, why it managed just a single fast-break point or why it shot a paltry 25% inside the arc.

Illinois (22-5, 13-3) exploited every one of those weaknesses Wednesday as it extended its lead in front as a sea of blue-and-orange faithful roared back and forth on either side of USC’s home arena. When the buzzer mercifully sounded, the box score made no bones about the fact the Trojans had been outworked and outclassed in almost every facet of the game.

“I feel like we made them look good today,” Cofie said.

Cofie led USC with 14 points, while Ezra Ausar had 11. But no other Trojans player scored in double digits.

While Arenas struggled, Illinois own star freshman, Keaton Wagler, was held mostly in check. He scored 10 and added four assists.

As it turned out, Illinois didn’t need him.

The Illini kept pouring it on until the final minute, when Illinois’ big man Tomislav Ivisic threw down an alley-oop to push Illinois into triple digits. The crowd, filled with mostly Illini fans, roared with delight.

There wasn’t much of that for the home fans to enjoy Wednesday. Illinois bolted an early 15-3 lead as USC stumbled out of the gate, turning the ball over four times in the first six minutes and missing seven of its first eight shots.

With its dynamic freshman depleted from flu and another starter, Chad Baker-Mazara, still out due to injury, USC struggled to find a consistent source of offense.

Just one of the Trojans’ five starters (Cofie) had more than a single made shot in the first half. Arenas, who’d scored at least 24 in each of his last three, opened one for six, before picking up an early second foul and heading to the bench.

Illinois, meanwhile, had no issue raining shots from long range in the first half, or speeding past USC through the lane, for that matter. While the Trojans tried to find their footing, the Illini built a 22-point halftime lead with little resistance.

It only got uglier from there, leaving the Trojans’ tournament hopes in a tenuous place and their frustrated head coach with his own head in his hands.

Gov. JB Pritzker is renewing his push to ban students from using cell phones in Illinois schools, aiming to improve student performance and protect children’s mental health.

The governor is backing proposed legislation to require all public school districts and charter schools in Illinois to develop policies limiting the use of cell phones and other wireless devices – such as tablets, smartwatches, laptops, and gaming devices – on school grounds throughout the entire school day.

Pritzker backed a similar ban last year that would have only banned the use of wireless devices during classroom instruction. That measure was unanimously approved by the Illinois Senate, but stalled in the Illinois House.

According to the governor’s office, a recent study by Pew Research found that 72% of high school teachers identified cell phone distraction as a major problem in classrooms.

“There’s real harm being done, and it’s interfering with our ability to give children the most productive educational environment possible. It’s time to get cell phones out of the classroom,” Pritzker said in prepared remarks for his annual State of the State address.

The proposed ban would provide exceptions for emergencies or response to an imminent threat, for cases when a medical professional deems a wireless device is necessary to manage a student’s health, if devices are needed as part of a student’s individualized education program, to help students for whom English is a second language, or when a student Is a caregiver responsible for the wellbeing of a family member.

Schools would be allowed to provide high school students access to their phones during their lunch period, or when a teacher has authorized students to use a phone or tablet for educational purposes.

The legislation would prohibit schools from enforcing their cell phone bans through fines, fees, suspensions, expulsions, ticketing, or deployment of police officers or school resource officers.

Schools would be required to set up guidelines for storing students’ cell phones during the school day to prevent use, loss, or theft.

Districts also would be required to get input from teachers, administrators, and parents before setting policies, and would be encouraged to seek student input as well.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Berry Wallace scored 21 points and Cearah Parchment added 20 and the Illinois women’s basketball team knocked off the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 76-56 at home Tuesday.

The Fighting Illini (18-8, 8-7) had two players score in double figures, led by Wallace, who had 21 points and nine rebounds. Parchment added a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Destiny Jackson added four points, eight assists and two steals. Lety Vasconcelos turned in a career-high nine points with four boards.

Illinois did a stellar job taking care of the basketball, dishing out 24 assists while turning the ball over just 12 times. Jackson’s eight assists were the most for the Illini. Jasmine Brown-Hagger also added with five assists of her own.

Illinois’ defense held Rutgers to only 38.9 percent shooting from the field, including 26.7 percent from beyond the arc. The Scarlet Knights did not have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with six offensive rebounds and managed three second chance points while Illinois cleared 29 defensive rebounds.

How It Happened

After falling behind 8-6, Illinois went on a 5-0 run with 3:47 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Wallace, to take an 11-8 lead. The Orange and Blue then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 14-12 advantage. Illinois relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 14 points.

Illinois kept its first quarter lead intact before going on a 12-0 run starting at the 9:22 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Lety Vasconcelos, to increase its lead to 26-12. The Illini kept that lead for the remainder of the period and enjoyed a 35-21 advantage heading into halftime. Illinois dominated in the paint, scoring 16 of its 21 points close to the basket.

Illinois continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on a 10-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Wallace, to expand its lead further to 45-23 with 6:02 to go in the third. Before the third period was over, the Fighting Illini added five points to that lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 60-33 edge. Illinois played well near the basket, scoring 14 of its 25 points in the paint.

Illinois kept its lead intact before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Wallace’s jumper, to grow the lead to 69-39 with 5:49 to go in the contest. The Scarlet Knights narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Fighting Illinistill cruised the rest of the way for the 76-56 win. Illinois took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring eight of its 16 points in the paint.