>>Team USA Tops Slovakia To Advance
(PyeongChang, South Korea) — Team USA is moving on in the men’s hockey tournament in PyeongChang. Ryan Donato tallied a pair of goals as the Americans topped Slovakia 5-1 in their playoff qualifying match. USA booked a trip to the quarterfinals where it will take on the Czech Republic.
>>Alpine Skier Ted Ligety To Skip Slalom
(PyeongChang, South Korea) — Alpine Skier Ted Ligety is leaving the PyeongChang Games earlier than expected. Ligety has decided to skip the upcoming men’s slalom event and a potential team event. He will head back to Europe to focus on the remainder of the World Cup season. The 33-year-old Olympian had a disappointing 15th-place finish in his specialty, the giant slalom, and fifth in the men’s combined event.
>>Bulls Off Until Thursday
(Chicago, IL) — The Bulls return from the All-Star break on Thursday when they welcome the 76ers to the United Center. Chicago went into break with a 122-98 loss to the Raptors. The Bulls are 20-and-37, giving them the eighth-worst record in the NBA as the battle for lottery position heats up.
>>Red Sox Sign Martinez
(Fort Myers, FL) — The Red Sox are hoping they found the power bat to put them over the top. Multiple outlets report Boston has signed outfielder J.D. Martinez. FanRag Sports has the deal being worth 110-million-dollars over five seasons. The 30-year-old smashed 45 homers last season, including an incredible 62-game stretch with the D’backs when he hit .302 with 29 homers and 65 RBI.
>>Kansas Destroy Oklahoma
(Lawrence, KS) — Number-eight Kansas hit 16 threes and shot just over 60-percent as they dismantled Oklahoma 104-74 at Allen Fieldhouse. Devonte’ Graham outplayed Sooners star Trae Young, going for 23 points, seven assists and five rebounds. The Jayhawks are 22-and-6 and 11-and-4 in the Big Ten. Young finished 11 points on 3-of-13 shooting. OU has six straight to fall to 16-and-11 and 6-and-9.
>>Illinois At Number-One Michigan State Tonight
(East Lansing, MI) — Illinois is on the road tonight against the top-ranked team in the nation. The Fighting Illini face number-one Michigan State in East Lansing. Illinois ended a four-game skid with a 72-66 home win over Nebraska on Sunday. The Illini are now 13-and-15, including 3-and-12 in the Big Ten. The Spartans are 26-and-3 with a 14-and-2 conference record.
>>College Basketball Roundup
(Undated) — Elsewhere around college hoops, Maryland handed Northwestern a 71-64 loss. Miami topped Notre Dame, 77-74. UIC put down Detroit Mercy, 94-87. Tonight, Northern Illinois is at Ball State. Tomorrow, DePaul visits number-three Villanova
>>Blues Host Sharks Tonight
(St. Louis, MO) — The Blues skate against the Sharks at Scottrade Center tonight. St. Louis will also welcome Winnipeg on Friday before venturing back out on the road. The Blues are looking to put the brakes on a three-game losing streak following Friday’s 2-1 loss at Dallas. The Blues hold the top wild card in the West with 72 points, one ahead of Minnesota.
>>Kings Roll Blackhawks
(Chicago, IL) — The Kings scored the first three goals of the game to roll to a 3-1 win over the Blackhawks at the United Center. Patrick Sharp lit the lamp in the third period for Chicago to avoid the shutout. The Blackhawks have lost nine-of-10, giving them only one win in the month of February. Chicago hosts the Senators tomorrow night.
>>Blackhawks Ban Fans For Racial Taunts
(Chicago, IL) — The Blackhawks are giving further punishment to the four people responsible for the racist taunts towards Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly. All of them have been banned from attending games at the United Center. The fans were said to be chanting “basketball” at Smith-Pelly, who is African American, during their matchup on Saturday in Chicago. A statement from the team said “racist comments and other inappropriate behavior are not tolerated by the Chicago Blackhawks.”
Coming up tonight on Talk 101 FM, The Talk 101 High School Game of the Week presented by Landmark of Taylorville is at MacArthur High School as the Generals play host to Eisenhower. The Dale’s Southlake Pharmacy Pregame Show gets underway at 7:15p.m. and the tip-off follows at 7:30p.m. Join Scott Busboom and Kevin Hale with the Call tonight, on Talk 101 FM, and online using the free decatur radio dot com app for your phone or mobile device.