UIC tops Loyola 61-59 on late layup by Gary Talton

No teams in the Horizon League are as evenly matched as Loyola and UIC. The teams have mirrored each other in almost every statistic this season, which made the down-to-the-wire finish Wednesday at the Pavilion predictable. Gary Talton banked in a contested layup with 1.7 …

DePaul falls to Cincinnati despite 32 points by Cleveland Melvin

A frantic final two minutes for DePaul on Tuesday night saw junior Cleveland Melvin almost singlehandedly erase a 12-point deficit against Cincinnati. Melvin had 10 of DePaul’s closing 15 points, but the Blue Demons (10-7, 1-3 Big East) still came up short in a 75-70 …

St. John’s basketball upsets No. 20 Notre Dame 67-63

NEW YORK — JaKarr Sampson scored 14 of his 17 points in the first half and St. John’s handed No. 20 Notre Dame its second straight loss, 67-63 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.

The Red Storm (10-7, 2-3 Big East), who had lost …

Despite 1-3 start in Big Ten, Illini basketball not ready to push panic button

Admittedly, Illinois’ 74-51 stumble at Wisconsin on Saturday had a foul aroma. But the penalty is looking awfully harsh. The Illini, who had been ranked 11th, dropped to 23rd in the AP media poll on Monday. More importantly, Illinois’ sluggish 1-3 league start leaves it …

Illinois football hires Bill Cubit as offensive coordinator

Illinois football coach Tim Beckman named Bill Cubit offen- sive coordinator Monday, confirming speculation that Cubit, who was fired after eight seasons as Western Michigan’s coach, would be coming to Champaign. ‘‘I’m very excited to have an experienced coach like Bill Cubit join the staff,’’ Beckman …

Notre Dame RB Cierre Wood to enter NFL draft

Running back Cierre Wood will forgo his final season of eligibility at Notre Dame and enter the NFL draft, the university said Monday. Wood rushed for 1,102 yards as a sophomore before being suspended for the first two games of the 2012 season for unspecified …

Clarke Rosenberg’s 19 points leads Chicago State over Benedictine Springfield

Clarke Rosenberg had 19 points Monday night and Chicago State defeated Benedictine Springfield 77-53.

Matt Ross scored 13 points and Jeremy Robinson had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Cougars (5-14), who have exceeded last season’s win total of four. They led 37-23 at …

Northwestern basketball continues to struggle at home in 70-50 loss to Iowa

Northwestern announced a three-year radio-rights extension with WGN before its game Sunday against Iowa, then turned in a performance that had all the audio entertainment value of a traffic update or a farm report.

The Wildcats have had trouble scoring all season. But when they …

Brian Kelly staying at Notre Dame

Brian Kelly is staying at Notre Dame to, in his words, “build the best football program in the country.” But first, he might have to rebuild his credibility with his players, his recruits, and his fan base.

Kelly’s sudden and surprising dalliance with the Philadelphia …

McGRATH: Irish fans too hard on Brian Kelly for flirting with NFL

Jerry Wainwright was too good a guy to boo with any real enthusiasm, and that  perennially hangdog look on his face evoked a measure of  sympathy as DePaul endured one battering after another when it joined the Big East during  Wainwright’s time there. But enough …

Northwestern’s Kale Abrahamson trying to balance patience, aggressiveness

Northwestern freshman forward Kale Abrahamson is relishing every minute of his first Big Ten season, but he admits he still is trying to balance thinking too much and not at all. Abrahamson was thrust into the starting lineup when Drew Crawford had season-ending surgery on …

Illinois coach John Groce open to changes after dismal showing

MADISON, Wis. — Tyler Griffey sported a bandage over his left eye for a nasty cut that required stitches after he bumped heads with Traevon Jackson early in the game. Tracy Abrams took a break early in the second half after running into a screen …

Phoenix’s finishing kick overcomes Flames

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Alec Brown scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and Green Bay closed the game with a 13-4 run to earn a 53-47 victory Saturday against UIC. Brown was 6-for-13 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. Brennan Cougill …

Illinois can’t afford to flunk road test at Wisconsin

The big picture is that No. 12 ­Illinois could start digging a hole if it’s not up to the challenge when it visits Wisconsin on Saturday. For all they’ve accomplished in an impressive 14-3 start, a loss in Madison would leave the Illini 1-3 in …

Loyola loses grip again, falls 62-61 to Wright State

Loyola had a double-digit lead on Horizon League favorite Wright State on Friday at Gentile Arena, just as it had last week against Youngstown State. And just like last week, the Ramblers fell short in the final seconds, losing 62-61 to the Raiders, who remain …