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Sports Monday, March 23, 2026 | | |
| | | | | Good morning, Chicago. No. 3 seed Illinois was on its offensive game once again — and turned in a pretty big defensive performance too — to top 11th-seeded VCU 76-55 on Saturday night. They advance to the Sweet 16 to play No. 2 seed Houston on Thursday in Houston. It will be Illinois’ second
Sweet 16 appearance in three years under coach Brad Underwood after making an Elite Eight run two years ago. The last time the Illini did that was a span of four appearances in five years from 2001-05, including the Elite Eight in 2001 and the national championship game in 2005. Illinois forward David Mirković celebrates after scoring against VCU during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. (Chris Carlson/AP) This is almost an entirely new team from the one that went to the Elite Eight in 2024, and they celebrated by bombarding Underwood with squirt guns in the locker room afterward. “Telling myself that I’m going to the Sweet 16 is pretty surreal, but that’s why I came here,” said guard Andrej Stojaković, who is in his first year with the Illini after playing for Cal and Stanford. “It’s why all the newcomers came here.” On the women's seed, No. 7 Illinois and No. 6 Notre Dame are both in action today with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. Today’s eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History | | | | Before the Cubs opener at Wrigley Field, a two-game exhibition series against the Yankees awaits. The White Sox wrap up their time in Arizona with Monday’s finale before heading to Milwaukee. | | | | | Whether it was their size advantage against the lower-seeded teams or Brad Underwood’s challenge in the days after, Illinois — particularly its big men — showed the nastiness is still there. | | | | | The last month was one of the hardest of Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan’s life. It had nothing and everything to do with basketball. | | | | | Baseball is back this week, and though it’s not as good as the sport we grew up with, it’s still “the game” for many of us. | | | | | With Kyle Teel sidelined with a hamstring strain, the Chicago White Sox signed catcher Reese McGuire to a 1-year contract on Sunday. | | | | | The Chicago Cubs are also keeping an eye on transactions around the league and who might become available. | | | |
