Freshmen Braylon Mullins of UConn and Keaton Wagler of Illinois led the way for their teams in the Final Four on Saturday.

The NCAA is grappling with the blurred lines between amateur and professional sports.

Big men and bigger lineups have been standout factors for the teams that have reached the Final Four.

David Mirkovic had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and third-seeded Illinois flexed its defensive muscles to eliminate last year’s national runner-up from the NCAA Tournament, beating Houston 65-55 in the South Region semifinals.

Cinderella has been kicked out of the dance early for the second straight season.

The top seeds in the NCAA Tournament are generally heavy favorites in their first-round games.

Arizona remained firmly atop The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for a ninth consecutive week.

Labaron Philon scored 24 points, and No. 11 Alabama beat eighth-ranked Illinois 90-86 at the United Center.

Miami jumped LSU and Penn State into the No. 2 spot behind Ohio State in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll.

Hank Beatty returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown and broke Red Grange’s nearly 102-year-old Illinois record for yards on punt returns to help the No. 12 Illini rout Western Illinois 52-3 on Friday night to open the season.

Tre White had 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead Illinois to a 93-73 rout of No. 15 Michigan 93-73.

Jaxson Kohler had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Tre Holloman scored 14 points and No. 11 Michigan State rallied to beat Illinois 79-65 and giving the Spartans’ Tom Izzo the most conference wins in Big Ten history.

A federal judge has reinstated Illinois basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr., who had been suspended from the team since he was charged with rape in Kansas.

Jahmir Young scored 28 points and Julian Reese had 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead Maryland to a 76-67 victory over No. 10 Illinois.

No. 3 Michigan hosts Illinois in the Big House on Saturday with plenty at stake for both teams.

Aidan O’Connell passed for 237 yards and three scores, two to Payne Durham, and Purdue beat No. 21 Illinois 31-24 to turn the Big Ten West race into a muddled mess.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois fired coach Lovie Smith on Sunday with a game left in its ninth consecutive losing season. Smith became Illinois' first Black head football coach when he was hired by athletic director Josh Whitman in March 2016. The longtime NFL coach went 17-39 in five seasons at the school. Smith’s original deal was for six years and $21 million, but he received a two-year extension through 2023 after Illinois went 4-8 in his third season. The slide continued into this year, with Illinois losing its first three by a combined 117-45 score.

Both tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday and will be sidelined 21 days per Big Ten protocol. Both would be eligible to return for the Nov. 21 game at Nebraska. Illinois also announced that contact tracing sidelined several other players for the Purdue game and next week’s game against Minnesota. Sophomore Matt Robinson started at quarterback for the Ilini. The Illini opened the season last week at Wisconsin, whose team has had 22 players and staff test positive for COVID-19 this week.

EAST LANSING, Mich. Michigan State looks to snap a three-game losing streak when it hosts Big Ten rival Illinois on Saturday. LINE: Michigan State -14.5Illinois' run began with an upset over previously undefeated Wisconsin three weeks ago, and Lovie Smith's team has been cruising since. ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (4-4, 2-3)The Spartans have been known for their running game for a number of years, but Michigan State is 13th in the Big Ten, averaging 112.9 yards per game on the ground. Michigan State WR Darrell Stewart is second in the Big Ten in receiving yards (694) and third in receptions (47). PREDICTION: Michigan State 24, Illinois 20