FORMER UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOOTBALL COACH JERRY KILL IS NAMED SPECIAL ASSISTANT AT VIRGINIA TECH

According to multiple reports former University of Minnesota football coach Jerry Kill has been named special assistant to the head football coach at Virginia Tech. 

Kill left his position as the athletic director at Southern Illinois to take the job at Virginia Tech. 

Kill was the former head football coach at the University of Minnesota 2011-2015 where he compiled a 29-29 record at Minnesota. 

Kill suffers from Epilepsy which hasn’t slowed him down. Even after scary episodes during games and press conferences Kill keeps on coaching through it. 

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS WENT UP AGAINST MINNESOTA IN A MEN’S BASKETBALL GAME

On Nov. 25, Southern Illinois and Minnesota squared off in a men’s basketball game. Going into the game Southern Illinois had a record of 3-2 while Minnesota was 5-0.

Minnesota looked to push the ball down the floor and score baskets in transition early. Southern Illinois also looked to push the ball down the floor and could get everyone involved in the offense.

Southern Illinois took a lot of time off the shot clock as they passed the ball around the three-point line.

It took a while for each of these teams to get their offense going.

There was a media timeout with 15:15 left in the first half. The score was Minnesota 5, Southern Illinois 4.

Minnesota switched between man-to-man and zone defense in the first half. They wanted to confuse Southern Illinois.

Both teams made it difficult for the other team to get open looks at the basket.

Minnesota’s Dupree McBrayer could get to the basket and make mid-range jump shots and layups. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he could shoot it.

There was a media timeout with 11:35 left in the first half. The score was Minnesota 12, Southern Illinois 9.

Southern Illinois’s Thik Bol was all over the floor. On the offensive end, he could get to the basket and make layups. On the defensive end, he could slow his guy down.

Minnesota called a timeout with 9:34 left in the first half. The score was Southern Illinois 16, Minnesota 12.

Both teams continued to push the ball down the floor and look for baskets in transition.

There was a media timeout with 7:59 left in the first half. The score was Southern Illinois 18, Minnesota 14.

The score went back and forth for a period late in the first half. Minnesota got hot offensively.

Southern Illinois called a timeout with 4:41 left in the first half. The score was Minnesota 23, Southern Illinois 18.

Minnesota really looked to get their shots to drop late in the first half.

There was a media timeout with 2:53 left in the first half. The score was Minnesota 25, Southern Illinois 18.

Southern Illinois kept attacking the basket throughout the first half. They didn’t back down to the Minnesota pressure.

At halftime, the score was Minnesota 29, Southern Illinois 20.

As the second half got underway both teams came out shooting. Minnesota continued to push the ball down the floor and looked for baskets in transition.

There was a media timeout with 15:56 left in regulation. The score was Minnesota 35, Southern Illinois 26.

Minnesota’s Amir Coffey could get to the basket and make mid-range jump shots and layups. His teammates did a good job of getting him the ball in spots where he could shoot it.

There was a media timeout with 11:35 left in the second half. The score was Minnesota 39, Southern Illinois 32.

Minnesota continued to push the ball down the floor.

Southern Illinois called a timeout with 10:06 left in the second half. The score was Minnesota 43, Southern Illinois 32.

McBrayer stepped up and could knock down three-point baskets off the break.

There was a media timeout with 7:51 left in the second half. The score was Minnesota 47, Southern Illinois 32.

Both teams continued to take time off the clock in the second half.

Minnesota called a timeout with 5:27 left in regulation. The score was Minnesota 47, Southern Illinois 36.

Southern Illinois kept attacking the basket late in the game.

Minnesota came away with the 57-45 victory over Southern Illinois.  

The leading scorer for Southern Illinois was Bol with 15 points.

The leading scorers for Minnesota were Coffey with 13 points and McBrayer and Mason each with 11 points.

UNI ROLLS PAST SOUTHERN ILLINOIS, 81-55

Junior center Jordan Eglseder scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the University of Northern Iowa to an 81-55 win over Southern Illinois tonight at the McLeod Center.

The 7-1, 290-pound Eglseder hit on 8-of-12 shots from the field, and scored his 17 points in just 15 minutes of playing time. Once again, UNI had a balanced scoring effort, as Kwadzo Ahelegbe had 13 points, Lucas O’Rear 11, and Travis Brown 10. Adam Koch, Ali Farokhmanesh and Adam Rodenberg each chipped in with eight points. A total of nine different Panthers scored in the game. Southern Illinois was led by Tony Boyle who had 20 points.

UNI broke the game open early. Leading 9-6, The Panthers scored seven straight points, including getting layups from Rodenberg and Eglseder. That was the start of a 21-8 run by the Panthers, which ended with another basket from Eglseder. That gave UNI a 30-14 lead with 6:46 left before halftime.

The Panthers kept their lead at double-figures the rest of the way to the locker room, holding a 38-23 lead at intermission. Ahelegbe and Eglseder were the first-half catalysts for UNI, as the duo combined to score 22 points, hitting 7-of-10 shots from the field and all eight of their free throws. UNI held SIU to less than 40 percent shooting (0-for-5 on three-pointers) and forced eight Saluki turnovers in the first half.

The Panthers kept up the defensive and offensive pressure in the second half, not allowing Southern Illinois to get closer than 13 points at any point after intermission. The final score (81-55) marked UNI’s largest lead of the game, and the 26-point win tied for the Panthers’ largest margin of victory ever over SIU.

For the game, UNI shot 54 percent from the field, while holding Southern Illinois to 36 percent shooting. UNI also won the rebounding battle, 36-30, and made 20-of-24 free throws to just 10-for-12 by Southern Illinois.

With the victory, UNI improved to 18-7 overall, 12-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while Southern Illinois fell to 11-14 overall, 6-8 in the Valley. The Panthers hit the road this Saturday (Feb. 14), when they travel to face Wichita State. Tip-off from Charles Koch Arena is set for 7:05 pm.

MINNESOTA GOPHER MENS BASKETBALL TEAM SNAPS 20 GAME LOSING STREAK BY BEATING ILLINOIS

The Minnesota men's basketball team ended its 20-game losing streak to Illinois with an impressive 59-36 win over the 21st-ranked Illini Thursday night at Williams Arena.

Lawrence Westbrook went 3-of-4 from three-point range and paced the 24th-ranked Gophers with 15 points and six rebounds in 30 minutes of action. Freshman center Ralph Sampson III added 10 points and seven rebounds to help Minnesota improve to 18-3 overall and 6-3 in the Big Ten.

Carrying the momentum of a six-point halftime lead into the second half, the Gophers shot 48.1 percent (13-of-27) over the final 20 minutes of play and blew the game open – leading by as many as 23 – in front of a raucous sellout crowd of 14,625 at The Barn.

But the story of arguably Minnesota's biggest home win of the season was the Gophers’ ability to stifle the Illini with Tubby Smith's patented ball-line defensive scheme.

Aggressive all night, the Maroon and Gold held Bruce Weber's squad to 29.4 percent shooting from the field. The Illini went 7-of-28 in the first half, 8-of-23 in the second half and finished the contest 15-of-51 from the field, including just 2-of-16 shooting from behind the arc (12.5 percent).

The 36 points Minnesota held the Illini to on this night marks the lowest point total by an Illinois team in 24 years (Illinois scored 34 points in a loss to Purdue on Jan. 30, 1985). The point total was also the fewest allowed by the Gophers in a conference game since 1951. The 23-point loss was the largest margin of defeat for the Illini under head coach Bruce Weber.

Additionally, the Gophers 23-point win is the largest over a ranked opponent in the history of the program. The previous mark of 21 points in a win over No. 9 Purdue was set in 1993.

From the onset, it was obvious that Thursday night’s game would be a defensive battle. The Gophers held the Illini without a field goal for the first five minutes and 23 seconds of regulation.

Yet, Minnesota’s strong defense didn’t pay dividends on the scoreboard early on. With the Illini locking down Minnesota, the Maroon and Gold trailed seven minutes into the game.

That, however, quickly changed.

Down 6-5, Minnesota went on an 8-0 run – capped by a three-pointer from Blake Hoffarber – to take a 13-6 lead midway through the first half. The Gophers’ lead eventually ballooned to eight, 20-12, after a layup by Al Nolen forced Bruce Weber to call a timeout with 3:49 remaining in the first stanza.

Illiniois cut Minnesota’s lead to four in the final minutes of the first, but an acrobatic layup by Westbrook on Minnesota’s final possession of the first half sent the Gophers into the locker room up 22-16 at halftime.

From there, the Gophers would never trail.

Minnesota jumped on the Illini from the get-go in the second stanza.

The Gophers opened the second half on a 13-6 run and built a 35-22 lead following a free throw by Sampson III with 12:25 to go in regulation.The Illini shrunk Minnesota’s lead to 36-27 after Calvin Brock hit Illinois’ first three of the night, but the Gophers responded with a 9-0 run and led 45-27 following a three by Lawrence Westbrook with 7:46 left to go.

The Illini scored five quick points to cut into Minnesota’s advantage, but Westbrook hit another three to put the Gophers ahead by 16, 50-34, with 4:52 to play – all but ending Illinois' attempt at a comeback.

Minnesota returns to action on Wednesday when the Gophers travel to East Lansing to challenge Michigan State.

Noteworthy:

Minnesota outrebounded Illinois 44-29

Minnesota went 15-of-24 from the free throw line. Meanwhile, the Illini went just 4-of-7 from the charity stripe.

The Gophers shot 31.8 percent in the first half, but finished the game at 40.8 percent (20-of-49).

Minnesota outscored Illinois by 17 in the second half (37-20).

UNI WINS AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 59-51

Johnny Moran and Kerwin Dunham each had 11 points, and Adam Koch added 10, to lead the University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball team to a 59-51 win over Southern Illinois at SIU Arena

Moran hit 4-of-5 shots from the field and was 2-for-3 on three-pointers, while Dunham was 3-for-5 from the floor and a perfect 3-for-3 on treys. Jordan Eglseder had six points, three assists, two blocks and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Panthers.

The win was UNI’s first in Carbondale since the 1996-97 season, snapping an 11-game losing streak at SIU Arena. It was just SIU’s third Missouri Valley Conference loss at home since the start of the 2001-02 season.

Kwadzo Ahelegbe hit a pull-up jumper followed by an Ali Farokhmanesh three-pointer from the right wing to put UNI up 10-6 early in the game. The Salukis rallied to take a 14-12 lead after five straight points from Kevin Dillard, but the Panthers responded with six straight points, including layups from Lucas O’Rear and Jordan Eglseder, to go in front 18-14.

After SIU got within 18-16, Dunham provided two key three-pointers during a 9-0 run that put the Panthers in front, 27-16, with 7:15 left in the first half. UNI was able to maintain its advantage the rest of the way to the locker room, and held a 33-24 lead at the break.

A Moran three-pointer early in the second half put UNI in front, 38-30, with 18:01 left in the game. Neither team scored for the next five minutes, with SIU’s Kevin Dillard draining a three-pointer to end the scoreless drought. That spurred the Salukis on a 15-3 run over the next five minutes, as SIU moved in front, 45-41, with just over nine minutes left.

But UNI answered. Koch scored inside, followed by Eglseder grabbing an offensive rebound and getting a put-back, to pull the Panthers even at 45. With the game tied at 47, Koch took over. He was fouled on four straight UNI possessions, making 5-of-7 shots from the line, to put the Panthers up 52-47 with 2:56 left. After SIU’s Carlton Fay missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity, Dunham hit a three from the left wing to extend UNI’s lead to 55-47 with under two minutes remaining. The Panthers then were able to seal the game at the free throw line.

UNI shot 49 percent from the field for the game, including 50 percent (6-for-12) on three-pointers, and was 15-for-21 at the free throw line. The Panthers held Southern Illinois to just 35 percent field goal shooting, 6-for-16 on threes, and was 7-for-8 at the line. UNI out rebounded SIU, 30-29.

With the win, UNI improved to 7-6 overall, 1-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while Southern Illinois fell to 5-8, 0-2 in the Valley. The Panthers return home this Saturday night (Jan. 3) to play host to Wichita State at the McLeod Center, with tip off set for 7:05 pm.

UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA TO TAKE ON SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

The University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball team (6-6, 0-1 Missouri Valley Conference) heads to Carbondale, Ill., for its first conference road game of the season, facing Southern Illinois (5-7, 0-1) on New Year's Eve. The Panthers have dropped 11 straight decisions at SIU, with their last win being in the 1996-97 campaign.

JUMP BALLS

Sophomore point guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe scored a career-high 28 points, nearly leading UNI from a 21-point first half deficit to the win, in the team’s 85-84 double-overtime loss to Indiana State on Sunday. Ahelegbe connected on 11-of-19 shots from the floor, and was 2-of-3 from three-point range, while also grabbing three rebounds and dishing out three assists. The 28 points was the most ever scored by a UNI player in the three-year history of the McLeod Center, Ahelegbe’s previous career-high was 18 points against Iowa State in an overtime loss Dec. 3.

The 85-84 double-overtime loss to Indiana State Dec. 28 was the first double-overtime game in the three-year history of the McLeod Center. The last time UNI played in a double-overtime game was on Jan. 16, 2006, in a 71-65 win over Southern Illinois in the UNI-Dome.

UNI made a season-high 10 three-pointers against Indiana State Dec. 28. Ali Farokhmanesh led the way with four treys – all after halftime while Kwadzo Ahelegbe and Johnny Moran each connected on two. After falling behind by as many as 21 points in the first half (39-18), and trailing by 17 points at halftime (41-24), UNI fought back to force overtime against Indiana State Dec. 28. Travis Brown hit a three-pointer from the top of the key with one second left to force the extra session.

Two players saw career-high minute totals in UNI’s double-overtime game with Indiana State Dec. 28. Sophomore guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe played 46 of 50 possible minutes against the Sycamores, while freshman guard Johnny Moran played 41 minutes.