Spring training baseball, March Madness, both high school and college, other Spring sports evolve. It might be many fans’ favorite time of the year. Just the good, fresh, warm, air might be a part of good feeling. But, in some years, early March can be bitter cold and repressive. We have been fortunate.
Then again, both main professional Winter teams in Chicago, Bulls and Blackhawks, at this writing are out of the playoffs. The Blackhawks are in last place and the Bulls are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference in which eight teams qualify for the playoffs. The Bulls were 21-30 entering the game Tuesday this week against Detroit, 8-49, and in last place in the Eastern Conference. It shows things always can be worse. The Bulls have hopes of improving enough to take a playoff spot.
In men’s college basketball, the University of Illinois is second place in the Big Ten Conference, 20-7 overall, and in the poll rankings, No. 13 in the Associated Press and No. 16 in the USA Today. Northwestern University is playoff-bound with 10-6 in the Big Ten and tied with Wisconsin for third place and 19-8 overall. See page 8 for basketball standings and the first look at Cubs and White Sox Spring training perspectives. The lists include college basketball Division I tournament champions. Noted, the last Big Ten champion was Michigan State in 2000, however, seven Big Ten Conference teams have finished in second place since 2000. Can Purdue, or, even Illinois do as well this season in postseason tournament play?
Certainly, Purdue’s 7-2 center, Zach Edey, has been a big factor all season for the Boilermakers and he likely is the top candidate to win college basketball’s Division I player of the year award.
High school basketball, boys and girls, are moving along in the countdown to the State championships. In girls, teams played super-sectionals Monday this week. In the largest Class 4A, Waubonsie Valley, in Aurora, defeated Alton, 55-53, in overtime at Illinois Wesleyan University, Fremd defeated Batavia, 65-46, at Bartlett, host Hinsdale South defeated, Marian Catholic, 36-30, and Montini Catholic defeated Grayslake Central, 44-25, at Concordia University.