CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — A year after missing the NCAA tournament, Illinois will be back again this year after being picked as a fifth seed. (more…)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — With one shot at winning a game they thought they had put away much earlier, Illinois turned its fate over to a freshman kicker Saturday night. (more…)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Next to Jason Ford’s name in the Illinois media guide are the letters FR, for freshman. (more…)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — State elected officials have spent more than $400,000 on Ohio State football tickets since 1996, purchasing hundreds of seats each year through their campaign funds, state records show.
For the upcoming 2008 season, 773 season tickets have been purchased by public officials at the state, county and local levels, according to university data. Most of those were bought by state lawmakers, all 132 of whom are offered four apiece.
“We look at ourselves as a statewide institution,” Ohio State spokeswoman Shelly Hoffman said. “Football is a great way to connect with people, so we can then tell them about other things we have going on.”
The sudden resignation in May of state Rep. John Widowfield, a Cuyahoga Falls Republican, drew attention to the popular practice of lawmakers purchasing face-value Buckeyes tickets offered by the university. Widowfield is alleged to have sold tickets he bought with campaign funds on eBay for a profit, which is illegal. Findings of a state investigation into his actions are expected later this summer.
NORMAL — Mark Kingston will succeed ISU baseball Coach Jim Brownlee in one year.
The Bloomington Pantagraph says that Kingston and ISU have agreed on a contract to bring the Tulane associate head coach back to Normal for one season as Brownlee’s top assistant. An ISU assistant in 1999, Kingston will then become head coach when Brownlee retires after the 2009 season.
Adam Harris won the 200 meters and anchored the winning 400-meter relay team Sunday, leading Michigan to its first men’s title since 1983 at the 108th Big Ten Track and Field Championships. (more…)
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — A rape charge and all other criminal charges against former Penn State running back Austin Scott were dropped Friday.
The decision came after the state Superior Court ruled earlier Friday that jurors could hear testimony about the alleged victim’s involvement in a separate sexual assault case in 2003. The defendant in that case was acquitted.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Memphis and its up-tempo offense will face Kansas and its shutdown defense when the two top-seeded teams meet for the NCAA championship Monday night. (more…)
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Kansas, Michigan State and Xavier are today’s early winners in the men’s NCAA basketball tournament. (more…)
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Kelvin Sampson has accepted a $750,000 buyout to step down as Indiana’s basketball coach.
