Rothstein: Louisville, Damyean Dotson And 16 Reasons To Love The Sweet 16
Louisville's press, Damyean Dotson's upside and Denzel Valentine's versatility are just three of the many reasons to love the Sweet 16.
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Louisville's press, Damyean Dotson's upside and Denzel Valentine's versatility are just three of the many reasons to love the Sweet 16.
It turned out that the Illini – and, most significantly, athletic director Mike Thomas – were indeed lucky. And in the end, that was good.
Despite the popularity of the clichéd, post-victory cry, nobody really "shocks the world."
Mitch McGary had 21 points and 14 rebounds, and fourth-seeded Michigan breezed through Virginia Commonwealth's vaunted pressure with a clinical performance Saturday, beating the fifth-seeded Rams 78-53 to advance to the NCAA round of 16 for the first time since 1994.
And this deeper dilemma affecting U. of I. athletics is so discouraging that after reading this column, you very well may be driven to drink yourself.
But because Thomas went after coaches that he – as well as the vast majority of other ADs in the country – couldn't get, he ended up badly embarrassing Illinois. Twice. And, in turn, Thomas, along with more than a little help from the Illinois trustees and administration, has succeeded in making a very good coaching job look like a radioactive one.
Illinois has reportedly reached out to Brad Stevens about its head coaching vacancy and its interest in the Butler head coach is "high".
Twelve years ago, after Lon Kruger bolted Champaign for NBA riches in Atlanta, it appeared that Illinois athletic director Ron Guenther had his successor in hand.
Thomas' latest rejection has left him in a tough spot. Other candidates now know how much money Illinois is willing to spend.
VCU head coach Shaka Smart has turned down Illinois' offer to become the next Illini men's basketball coach.
Will Shaka Smart leave his post at VCU to join Illini Nation?
Up to the minute developments on the Illinois-Shaka Smart discussions.
Unless something "drastic" changes in the next day, it appears Shaka Smart will reportedly stay at VCU instead of taking the Illinois job.
Sources close to Simeon head coach Robert Smith say he has been in Champaign having conversations with Thomas about an assistant job.
As Illinois continues its search for a new head coach, new athletic director Mike Thomas is after one guy.
It's difficult enough to hire the right basketball coach at Illinois, without choosing to limit the field of candidates beforehand.
When Shaka Smart, Virginia Commonwealth's coach and the apple of many an Illini fan's eye, opted on Thursday to don an orange tie – and a blue shirt, to boot! – for VCU's NCAA Tourney opener, both Twitter and Facebook burst alive with posts of breathless speculation.
With Bruce Weber officially out the door, here are nine possible Illini head coaching candidates.
According to a CBSSports.com report, VCU's Shaka Smart will stay at the school, and not cash in on the team's Cinderella run to the Final Four.
If the Butler Bulldogs win the national title, will they please leave?
The coaches in the Final Four consist of two seasoned veterans and a pair of young guns who are taking college basketball by storm.
Today's story involves whether Bruce Weber is going to leave Illinois for Oklahoma.
Shaka Smart is the hottest name among all college basketball coaches right now. He's taken an 11th seed Virginia Commonwealth team to the Final Four. But not too long ago he was a part of Oliver Purnell's staff.
We know where Brad Stevens has been. We know where he's at right now. And we know where he might be next Monday night.
As I struggled to watch the University of Texas-San Antonio crush Alabama State, I had the same feeling as the night before when I witnessed Clemson cruise to victory over UAB, the 'First Four' is a joke, I thought.
Thieves targeted a liquor store in Lincoln Square early Friday morning.
Activists worldwide will commemorate "May Day," also known as "International Workers' Day," on Friday.
The Kentucky Derby will see a full field of 20 horses in the first leg of the 2026 competition for horse racing's Triple Crown.
An elderly woman has essentially abandoned her home of three decades because of constantly broken elevators at her high-rise condo building on the Southwest Side of Chicago.
Several recent deadly and serious crashes involving popular electric scooters have thrust their safety into the spotlight. Now some Chicago suburbs are cracking down on where and how they can be used.
The longest shutdown of a federal department in U.S. history came to an end on Thursday when President Trump signed a bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security following a breakthrough on Capitol Hill.
The Coast Guard will run out of funding to pay personnel on May 1, with the first missed paychecks expected May 15.
Illinois lawmakers are not planning to pursue a constitutional amendment on redistricting after a key U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday.
Spirit Airlines only has enough available cash to continue operations for a matter of days, not weeks, and talks for a government-backed rescue of the no-frills carrier have stalled, sources say.
Illinois Democrats resoundingly decried the Supreme Court's decision Wednesday that significantly weakens the Voting Rights Act.
Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas Company customers are likely to see minor credits on their bills for the next three years, thanks to a $125 million settlement agreement announced Thursday by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
Chicago gas prices are spiking as the war with Iran drags on, with regular gas nearing $6 in some spots and premium already selling for more than $7 in some places.
In the legal venue of anti-trust enforcement, the state is not taking on the Trump administration, but rather filling a void that state officials say the Trump administration has vacated.
A passenger on an American Airlines flight from New York to Chicago has been charged with making a false bomb threat that forced an emergency landing at Detroit Metro Airport last month, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Skyrocketing property taxes continue to be a hot-button issue in Cook County — particularly since last fall, when many residents saw their tax bills increase by 100% or more.
The second-largest physicians' group in the U.S. has issued a surprising switch in breast cancer screening recommendations.
A new $48 million wellness center opened Thursday in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. The goal is to improve the health and quality of life for people on the West Side of Chicago.
La Rabida Children's Hospital went all out for Earth Day on Wednesday, with volunteer cleanup efforts by staffers and activities for patients and families.
It has been several weeks since West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, Illinois, abruptly shut down — and then on Wednesday, it just as swiftly partially reopened, with some services available.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 80% of deaths related to pregnancy are preventable, and Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.
A $170 million-plus plan announced this week will redevelop the Water Tower Place mall on the Magnificent Mile.
The Holiday Club in Chicago's Buena Park neighborhood will soon be going out of business, as the building that houses the popular bar is set to be torn down.
At a meeting on Tuesday, the Lincolnwood Village Board approved a pre-development agreement with the mall, providing a roadmap with the property owner for further preparations and government approvals for redevelopment.
The only remaining location of Pal Joey's pizzeria in Batavia, Illinois, will soon be going out of business, its owner announced this week.
Investment research firm Morningstar could move into the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago once Google is done renovating the former Illinois state government building.
David Allan Coe also had hits with "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" and "The Ride" among others.
Some youngsters got a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of making opera Sunday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Matt DeCaro, an actor who was a familiar face on the Chicago stage for many years, died this weekend.
Jake was at the funeral for one of his closest friends when he learned of his parents' deaths, he said.
Tickets for the 2026 Ravinia Festival season went on sale Thursday morning.
As many as 150,000 Illinois SNAP participants will lose their benefits on Friday due to new, stricter eligibility rules in the Trump Administration's "One Big Beautiful Bill."
Thieves targeted a liquor store in Lincoln Square early Friday morning.
John Schlaman, PGA director of golf at Eagle Ridge resort & Spa, joins CBS News Chicago.
The man accused of attempting to assassinate President Trump last weekend will remain bars following a court appearance.
Gas prices are increasing, and Sami Ori with the University of Chicago weighs in on CBS News Chicago.
As many as 150,000 Illinois SNAP participants will lose their benefits on Friday due to new, stricter eligibility rules in the Trump Administration's "One Big Beautiful Bill."
Activists worldwide will commemorate "May Day," also known as "International Workers' Day," on Friday.
Funeral services for fallen Chicago police officer John Bartholomew, who was fatally shot at Swedish Hospital last weekend, have been set for next week at a church in the Edgewater neighborhood.
Thieves targeted a liquor store in Lincoln Square early Friday morning.
The Kentucky Derby will see a full field of 20 horses in the first leg of the 2026 competition for horse racing's Triple Crown.
An elderly woman has essentially abandoned her home of three decades because of constantly broken elevators at her high-rise condo building on the Southwest Side of Chicago.
Violent retail crime is on the rise in Illinois, according to a new report from the Illinois Organized Retail Crime Association.
A top administrator in the Libertyville school district has been placed on leave after a fiery school board meeting focused on how the district handled allegations of grooming leveled against a former teacher.
Potholes along one stretch of road in Chicago's Pullman neighborhood are so bad, people say they damage their cars just getting to work.
There are so many issues with the DNA evidence in the case that Payne's conviction has been overturned, and a retrial has been ordered.
The Kentucky Derby will see a full field of 20 horses in the first leg of the 2026 competition for horse racing's Triple Crown.
Seven-time All-Star Skylar Diggins has only been with the Sky for about three weeks, but it's clear she's already one of the leaders of the team.
The Cubs have won 12 of their last 15 games.
Reese is all smiles as she returns to Chicago to face her former team, the Sky, in preseason action on Wednesday night.
Rookie Sam Antonnaci hit a tying triple with two outs in the ninth inning and Colson Montgomery had a winning single in the 10th, lifting the Chicago White Sox over Los Angeles 3-2 for a three-game sweep that extended the Angels' losing streak to six.
A woman has been charged with shooting a 15-year-old boy outside an indoor track facility near Gately Park in Chicago in 2024, after getting into a fight with another woman during a back-to-school event in the Pullman neighborhood.
Sexual abuse charges were filed this week against a Park City, Illinois, police officer.
Attorneys for the man convicted of the murders of two girls in Delphi, Indiana, have filed a new brief with the Indiana Court of Appeals to overturn his case.
Attorneys for a woman convicted of killing her 69-year-old landlord in Chicago's Arcadia Terrace community have filed an appeal.
Police in Cicero, Illinois, were investigating after burglars targeted gaming machines at a slots and video poker business early Wednesday.
