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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what’s going on around the area:
Noah Rice and the Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin boys’ basketball team is rolling this season.
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. Five area high school basketball teams are among those ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 statewide polls that were released on Wednesday afternoon.
➜ 2. On the boys’ side, undefeated Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin (18-0) is ranked fifth in Class 2A, while Tuscola (15-2) is ranked seventh in 1A. On the girls’ side, Watseka (16-1) is 10th in 2A, while Cissna Park (15-3) is fifth in 1A and Salt Fork (17-2) is tied for ninth in 1A.
➜ 3. The IHSA boys’ basketball state tournament at State Farm Center in Champaign tips off March 13. The top-ranked teams in all four classes as of mid-January are Quincy (16-1) in 4A, DePaul College Prep (17-1) in 3A, Williamsville (15-0) in 2A and Pecatonica (14-0) in 1A.
Will Riley and the Illini are back in action on Sunday at Michigan State.
Numbers game: 8
games this season where the Illinois men’s basketball team has scored at least 90 points, with Tuesday night’s 94-69 rout at Indiana the latest. The Illini, who were sixth in the country entering Wednesday by averaging 87.3 points, have scored at least 90 points in 46 games during Brad Underwood’s 248-game tenure so far at Illinois. The most came last season when the Illini did so 11 times.
Danny Pucino, left, and the No. 9 Illinois wrestling team square off at No. 2 Iowa on Friday night.
Crowd control
Three events I’m paying attention to
➜ 1. No. 9 Illinois at No. 2 Iowa wrestling. The Illini will try to buck history on Friday night, with Illinois (7-1, 2-1 Big Ten) vying for its first win against the powerhouse Hawekeyes (7-0, 1-0) since 2005 and first win in Iowa City since 1958.
➜ 2. Marty Williams Invitational. The annual wrestling tournament, named in honor of the former Mahomet-Seymour coach who led the Bulldogs to five state championships in the 1980s, will feature 18 teams competing Saturday in Mahomet.
➜ 3. Illini Prairie Conference wrestling duals. Monticello, Prairie Central, Rantoul, St. Joseph-Ogden, St. Thomas More and Unity will vie for a title beginning Friday and ending Saturday in Chillicothe.
Colin Rotramel, right with Jack Barnhart after Barnhart won a state title in 2024.
Coach’s corner
Three questions with Centennial wrestling coach Colin Rotramel:
➜ 1. My favorite sports team is … the Penn State wrestling team. They have been dominating the sport for years.
➜ 2. Three coaches I’d like to have dinner with are … Cael Sanderson, Nick Saban and Deion Sanders.
➜ 3. My biggest pet peeve is … when people make excuses. Excuses limit your potential, and it allows the mind to accept failure. Anyone has the potential to achieve greatness. It’s the mindset that holds you back. When you truly believe in yourself, nothing can get in the way of your dreams.
