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Thursday Sports Update

By Tony Bianchi Jan 21, 2021 | 7:10 AM

Last night In the I-74 rivalry,  Illinois State rallied in the 2nd half to defeat the Bradley Braves 71-56 at the Redbird Arena.  ISU is now 5-8 and will host Valparaiso this weekend in a two-game series starting on Saturday.   

 

Northwestern lost on the road to the 10th ranked Wisconsin Badgers 68-52. The 6-and-7 Wildcats have now lost six straight games and will try to break the streak when they travel to face Penn State on Saturday. 

Tomorrow The Chicago Bulls visit the Hornets in Charlotte .  Chicago defeated the Rockets Monday for its second straight win.  The Bulls improve to 6-and-8.

The Blackhawks will face the Detroit Red Wings in their home opener at the United Center on Friday.  Chicago is seeking their first win.  The Hawks lost 5-4 in overtime to the Panthers Tuesday.  

Some NFL news

Bears legend Mike Singletary is in the running to be the team’s next defensive coordinator. The Hall of Fame linebacker and Baylor graduate has interviewed for the position.  Singletary has worked in multiple coaching roles since 2003, including two years as the 49ers head coach.  The 62-year-old last coached in the NFL in 2016, serving as a Rams defensive assistant.

 

Future Hall of Fame quarterback Philip Rivers announced his retirement yesterday. Rivers played for the Chargers organization for 16 seasons and ended his career with the Indianapolis Colts. The eight-time Pro Bowler ranks fifth in NFL history with over sixty-three thousand yards passing. Rivers said in his statement that he wanted to announce his retirement on January 20th, which is the Catholic Church’s feast day for St. Sebastian — often referred to as the patron saint for athletes.

 

Detroit Lions have agreed to a six-year deal with Dan Campbell to be their new head coach.  Campbell most recently spent time as the New Orleans Saints’ assistant head coach .

 

In the NBA The Trail Blazers’ game against the Memphis Grizzlies last night in Portland was postponed.  The Grizzlies did not have the league-mandated eight minimum players for the game.  It is NOW the 16th NBA game to be postponed because of the coronavirus.

 

Due to the high volume of postponed games the NBA is cracking down on players frolicking before and during games.  In a memo from the league,  the NBA is going to have a team of security at the midcourt area to dissuade players from hugging and shaking hands prior to the games.  The move is in response to the surge of COVID cases around the league.

 

Over in the PGA

The Tour heads to La Quinta California today for the American Express Open at the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course.