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Michael Finke went 5-for-7 from three en route to 17 points as Illinois blew out Minnesota 85-52 in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. The Illini shot 55.2-percent to just 39.2 for the Golden Gophers. Illinois will take on fifth-seeded Iowa in the second round today.
Kevin Shattenkirk’s goal in the sixth round of the shootout gave the Blues a 3-2 win over the Blackhawks. St. Louis is a point behind Chicago and Dallas for the top spot in the West. Andrew Ladd and Artemi Panarin had the goals for the ‘Hawks. Corey Crawford stopped 28 shots in defeat. The Blackhawks face the Stars tomorrow.
The Blues and Blackhawks will be meeting outdoors in 2017. The NHL announced last night that the Blues will host the ‘Hawks in the annual Winter Classic on January 2nd. The game will be played at the home of the Cardinals, Busch Stadium.
The Bears are bolstering their defense with the addition of free-agent linebacker Danny Trevathan [[ treh-VAY-thon ]]. The former Bronco has agreed to a four-year contract. The 25-year-old Trevathan was the leading tackler on the league’s top-rated defense in 2015.
Offensive tackle Bobby Massie is heading from the desert to the Windy City. According to Bleacher Report, Massie has agreed to terms on a contract with the Bears. The 26-year-old started 14 games last season after serving a two-game suspension.
Brock Osweiler [[ OSS-why-ler ]] will not be Peyton Manning’s successor for the Broncos. ESPN reports Osweiler has agreed to a four-year, 72-million-dollar contract with the Texans. The Broncos reportedly offered Osweiler a three-year deal worth roughly 39-million-dollars.
The Giants are diving head first into free agency. They reportedly signed deals with former Dolphins pass rusher Olivier Vernon, former Jets defensive tackle Damon Harrison and former Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins. The contracts total nearly 200-million dollars in salary.
On a busy day in NFL news, long-time Bears running back Matt Forte [[ FOR-tay ]] agreed to a deal with the Jets. The Chiefs were fined and docked two draft picks for tampering last offseason, and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck retired after 17 seasons.
Justin Bour drove in two runs as Marlins handed the Cardinals a 5-3 Grapefruit League loss in Jupiter. Mike Leake pitched two innings of two-hit, shutout ball in his spring debut, striking out two. Patrick Wisdom hit a two-run homer in defeat. The Cardinals play the Mets in Port St. Lucie today.
Jake Arrieta threw two perfect innings in the Cubs’ 5-3 Cactus League loss to the Indians. Arrieta struck out four in his spring debut. Jose Candelario and John Andreoli went deep in defeat. The Cubs face the Mariners today.
The A’s roughed up the White Sox, 12-3, in Cactus League play yesterday. Chicago starter Jacob Turner was shelled for five runs and six hits in two-and-two-thirds innings. The Sox are in split-squad action against the Rangers and Royals this afternoon.
The Warriors keep on rolling at home. Golden State extended its NBA-record home winning streak to 46 games with a 115-94 rout of the Jazz. Steph Curry scored only 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting, but he did have 10 assists. The Warriors are now 57-and-6,
Another ticket to the NCAA Tournament has been punched. Nineteen-loss Holy Cross upset Lehigh in the Patriot League final to earn an automatic bid in the “Big Dance”. Conference tournaments continue across the country today.