Illini hit record 17 threes in season- opening rout
Ayo Dosunmu scored a career- high 28 points, freshman Adam Miller also scored 28 and No. 8 Illinois beat North Carolina A& T 122- 60 on Wednesday at State Farm Center in Champaign in the season opener for both teams.
The Aggies took an early 4- 3 lead only to watch it evaporate as the Illini went on a 24- 0 run to lead 32- 5 with 8: 05 left in the first half.
Kofi Cockburn added 18 points and 10 rebounds for his 13th double- double in 32 games. Dosunmu had 10 rebounds for his second career double- double.
Miller shot 10 of 12 from the field, including 6 of 8 from three- point range, as Illinois fell five points short of its record scoring total. The Illini hit 17 of 32 three- pointers, a school record.
† Luka Garza had 26 points and 10 rebounds and host No. 5 Iowa opened the season with a 97- 67 victory over North Carolina Central.
† Foster Loyer led four Michigan State players in double figures with 20 points ( 6 of 10 three- pointers) in a 83- 67 opening win over visiting Eastern Michigan.
† Justice Sueing scored 19 points and host No. 23 Ohio State jumped out to a 22- 0 lead en route to a 94- 67 opening win over Illinois State. Belleville West grad E. J. Liddell had 16 points for the Buckeyes.
† Chaundee Brown scored 18 of his 19 points in the second half of his Michigan debut, and the host 25th- ranked Wolverines beat Bowling Green 96- 82.
† Georgia’s opener against Columbus State was canceled just hours before tipoff because of positive COVID- 19 tests within the Division II team.
† No. 15 West Virginia will replace No. 12 Tennessee and play top- ranked Gonzaga in the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 2 in Indianapolis.
† DePaul transfer and former Young star Javon Freeman- Liberty was granted an NCAA waiver to be immediately eligible for the start of the 2020- 21 season. The 6- 3 guard made the All- Missouri Valley Conference and All- MVC defensive team as a sophomore last season with Valparaiso after averaging 19 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.2 steals.
Alabama’s Saban positive, out for Auburn game
Alabama coach Nick Saban tested positive for COVID- 19 and will miss Saturday’s annual showdown with No. 22 Auburn. He’s experiencing mild symptoms, but it appears there won’t be a false positive reprieve for Saban like there was last month before another huge game against Georgia.
Also, No. 7 Cincinnati won’t play at Temple because both teams are dealing with COVID- 19 issues and No. 14 Oklahoma postponed its game at West Virginia because of recent positive tests and contact tracing. That game is now scheduled for Dec. 12.
With Thursday’s Colorado State game at Air Force also called off, 13 games this week have been postponed or canceled across major college football. That raises the total for this month alone to 56 games directly impacted by COVID- 19 issues for at least one of the teams.
† Oklahoma temporarily paused organized team activities due to recent positive tests and contact tracing.
† Minnesota star wide receiver Rashod Bateman decided to end his season early out of concern for his health with an eye toward his NFL career.
NBA All- Star Game in Indy rescheduled for 2024
The NBA canceled its scheduled 2021 All- Star Game in Indianapolis because of the pandemic and instead awarded the city the 2024 game.
† Center Hassan Whiteside agreed to a one- year contract with the Kings. Whiteside led the NBA with 2.9 blocks per game and finished third with 13.5 rebounds last season while with the Trail Blazers.
† Warriors guard Klay Thompson underwent surgery and is expected to make a full recovery from a season- ending tear to his right Achilles tendon.
† The Rockies acquired right- hander Robert Stephenson and minor- league outfielder Jameson Hannah from the Reds for right- handed pitchers Jeff Hoffman and Case Williams, a minor- leaguer.