The Mattoon boys’ basketball team lost to Jacksonville last night, 76-48. Charleston defeated Martinsville, 69-24. Both the Greenwave and Trojans open the Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic on Monday. Mattoon plays at 4:30pm vs. Lutheran North. Charleston takes on Centennial at 3:00pm.
All 10 players on the active roster scored for Eastern Illinois as the men’s basketball team routed East-West University, 110-56. The Panthers hit eight of their first nine shots of the game and the rout was on. EIU heads into the holiday break with a record of 4-8. The next game is New Year’s Day at Southeast Missouri.
The number-19 Illinois Fighting Illini destroyed the Mizzou Tigers 91-48 at Enterprise Center yesterday. The Illini led by 16 at halftime and still outscored Mizzou 50-23 in the second half. Keaton Wagler scored 22 points in the victory, while Andrej Stojakovic chipped in with 16. Illinois improved to 9-and-3. The Illini go up against Southern next Monday.
The Indianapolis Colts faded down the stretch of a 48-27 loss to the San Francisco 49ers at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts trailed by just seven at halftime before getting outscored 24-10 the rest of the way. Philip Rivers passed for 277 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the losing effort. Indianapolis dropped to 8-and-7 and need to win out to have any shot at the playoffs. The Colts host Jacksonville on Sunday.
The Indiana Pacers blew a 20-point lead during a 103-95 loss to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. The Pacers were up 69-49 early in the third quarter, but they were outscored 29-13 in the final frame. Pascal Siakam scored 25 points in the losing effort, while Andrew Nembhard finished with 20. Indiana is in 14th place in the Eastern Conference at 6-and-23. The Pacers host the Bucks tonight.
The St. Louis Blues had their three-game point streak snapped with a 4-1 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Blues gave up two goals in the first ten minutes of the game and trailed the rest of the way. Justin Faulk scored in the losing effort. St. Louis is in fifth place in the Central Division with 36 points. The Blues host the Predators on Saturday.
The Chicago Bears will spend the week getting ready for their game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday night. The Bears are in first place in the NFC North with an 11-and-4 record after earning a 22-16 overtime win against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday. This Sunday’s game kicks off at 7:20PM.
Steelers star DK Metcalf is done for the regular season. The NFL suspended the receiver for Pittsburgh’s last two games for throwing a punch at a fan during Sunday’s game against the Lions in Detroit. Lawyers representing the spectator said no racial, misogynistic or hate-based language was used during the incident. Metcalf has a history with the fan going back to his time with the Seahawks. He is appealing the suspension.
The NFL is handing down a punishment to Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman. The league is suspending Perryman for two games without pay due to repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players. The 33-year-old was flagged for unnecessary roughness in the second quarter of the team’s win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16 after delivering a helmet-to-helmet hit.
The Chiefs have received some positive news regarding quarterback Gardner Minshew’s knee injury. ESPN is reporting that Minshew does not have a torn ACL, as the team initially feared. The 29-year-old suffered the injury to his left knee during the team’s loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 16, but tests have shown that the ACL remains intact.
The Kansas City Chiefs are heading across the Missouri River for Kansas. The team and the Kansas governor have reached an agreement to bring the football franchise to Wyandotte County, Kansas in time for the 2031 season. The new stadium will have a dome, which could attract higher profile events such as the Super Bowl, and Final Four. The Chiefs have been in Kansas City, Missouri since 1963 and in their current stadium since 1972.
Ohio State’s head coach is taking on more responsibility ahead of the school’s College Football Playoff showdown. Ryan Day will call plays on offense ahead of the second-seeded Buckeyes’ matchup against Number-10 Miami in the Cotton Bowl from Arlington on New Year’s Eve. Current offensive coordinator Brian Hartline took the head coaching job at South Florida but will still coach receivers for OSU’s playoff run.
