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Sports Friday, April 3, 2026 | | |
| | | | | Good morning, Chicago. Perhaps the most notable Cinderella playing in Indianapolis this week went down on last night. Certainly none of the four teams playing at Lucas Oil Stadium in Saturday’s NCAA Tournament Final Four qualifies as a Cinderella by March Madness standards. But across town at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse, Illinois State saw its season end with an 88-66 loss to Auburn in the NIT semifinals. Illinois State's Ty’Reek Coleman shoots a 3-point basket during the second half against Auburn in an NIT semifinal game
on April 2, 2026, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune) As a No. 4 seed in the 32-team tournament, the Redbirds were
the underdog in a semifinal round that featured three No. 1 seeds. After its win, Auburn will meet Tulsa in the NIT title game Sunday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. For Illinois State, the NIT semifinal provided a big-time platform in a historic venue and on ESPN. Coach Ryan Pedon hopes its the next step for a program that has improved its win total in each of his four years at the helm. Today’s eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History | | | | When one Ivišić brother makes a big play on the court, it’s usually worth a look to the Illinois bench to see the reaction of the other. | | | | | AJ Redd, the lightly recruited kid out of St. Ignatius, is at the Final Four in an Illinois jersey. “It’s hard to put into words,” he said, sounding a bit speechless. | | | | | After making one of the most memorable shots in NCAA Tournament history, UConn freshman Braylon Mullins has to forget about it and focus on the semifinal against Illinois. | | | | | The new-look Ben Brown opened this Chicago Cubs season in the bullpen as a long reliever, and during the first homestand of the season, he was used twice. | | | | | Matas Buzelis needs to get stronger. The Chicago Bulls forward has a plan to expedite his physical maturation. | | | | | The Chicago Blackhawks fell to the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 on Thursday night. It was their fifth straight loss, dropping them out of playoff contention. | | | |
