Eastern Illinois hosted a college basketball doubleheader on Saturday. The women’s team defeated Jacksonville State in a double-overtime thriller, 71-67. The Panther women improved to 5-9 on the season, 1-1 in the OVC. The EIU men’s team came up just short in a 57-56 loss to the Gamecocks. The Panthers are now 8-6 on the year and that was their conference opener.
Illinois cut down Ohio State, 75-70, in Champaign. Malcolm Hill had 20 points and six rebounds for the Illini, who improved to 1-and-1 in the Big Ten and 11-and-4 overall. Illinois visits Indiana on Saturday.
The Bears suffered a 38-10 loss to the Vikings in their season finale in Minnesota. Jordan Howard rushed for 135 yards for Chicago, which ends the year 3-and-13. The Bears will pick third overall in this year’s NFL Draft.
The Packers are NFC North champions. The Pack clinched the division crown with a 31-24 win over the Lions on “Sunday Night Football” in Detroit. Aaron Rodgers threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns for the Packers, who won their final six games to finish 10-and-6.
Andrew Luck hit Jack Doyle for the winning touchdown with nine seconds left as the Colts escaped the Jaguars, 24-20, at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts fell into an early 17-point hole, but battled back to end the year with a win. Luck threw for 321 yards, two scores and an interception and Robert Turbin rushed for a score. Indy finishes the year at 8-and-8.
The road to the Super Bowl in the AFC goes through Foxboro. The Patriots clinched the top seed in the AFC with a 35-14 win over the Dolphins in Miami. The Pats went 8-and-0 on the road and finished an NFL-best 14-and-2 overall.
Washington was eliminated from playoff contention with a 19-10 home loss to the Giants. New York was locked into the fifth seed in the NFC playoffs prior to the game. Detroit and Green Bay clinched playoff spots with Washington’s loss.
Other NFL winners from Sunday: Tennessee, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, the Jets, Atlanta, Seattle, Kansas City, Arizona, and Denver.
Three NFL teams are moving on without their head coaches. San Diego’s Mike McCoy and San Francisco’s Chip Kelly were both fired yesterday. Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak also reportedly told the team he is retiring due to health reasons.
The field for the NFL playoffs is set. The playoffs begin on Saturday with the Texans hosting the Raiders and the Lions travelling to Seattle to square off with the Seahawks. On Sunday, the Dolphins do battle with the Steelers in Pittsburgh while the Giants face the Packers in Green Bay.
The Blackhawks clash with the Blues in the Winter Classic at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The puck drops at noon central time. Chicago comes into the week with a Western Conference-best 51 points. You can the game on Victory 103.9
Myles Turner scored 23 with 12 rebounds as the Pacers topped the Magic 117-104 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Paul George added 19 points for Indiana in its second straight win. Indy improved to 17-and-18 overall but an impressive 13-and-5 at home. The Pacers visit the Pistons tomorrow night.