Illinois State plays Troy in NIT
▶ Follow AP's full coverage of March Madness.
▶ Get the AP Top 25 women's college basketball poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here.
Troy Trojans (23-13, 14-6 Sun Belt) at Illinois State Redbirds (24-12, 15-7 MVC)
BOTTOM LINE: Illinois State squares off against Troy in the National Invitation Tournament.
The Redbirds are 15-7 against MVC opponents and 9-5 in non-conference play. Illinois State scores 75.4 points and has outscored opponents by 7.3 points per game.
The Trojans' record in Sun Belt play is 14-6. Troy leads the Sun Belt scoring 79.5 points per game while shooting 42.2%.
Illinois State's average of 6.8 made 3-pointers per game is 1.0 fewer made shot on average than the 7.8 per game Troy allows. Troy averages 6.3 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.8 fewer made shots on average than the 8.1 per game Illinois State allows.
TOP PERFORMERS: Shannon Dowell is shooting 48.5% and averaging 17.1 points for the Redbirds. Elyce Knudsen is averaging 3.6 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Emani Jenkins averages 1.7 made 3-pointers per game for the Trojans, scoring 7.3 points while shooting 34.7% from beyond the arc. Zay Dyer is averaging 16.9 points and 9.9 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Redbirds: 7-3, averaging 76.9 points, 29.0 rebounds, 15.7 assists, 5.8 steals and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 49.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 70.1 points per game.
Trojans: 7-3, averaging 83.7 points, 45.7 rebounds, 15.2 assists, 7.8 steals and 7.0 blocks per game while shooting 43.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.0 points.
___
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Clemson baseball lands promising transfer from SEC program
Clemson baseball lands promising transfer from SEC program For the second time this week, the Clemson Tigers have added a player from an SEC baseball roster via the transfer portal. Infielder Bryce Clavon, who transfers after one season with the Georgia Bulldogs, announced his commitment to Clemson in a post to social media Saturday. Clavon was a freshman for coach Wes Johnson's team in 2025, appearing in 27 games and making one start. He joins former Alabama Crimson Tide pitcher Ariston Veasey as SEC players to transfer to Clemson this week. A right-handed hitter who's listed as 6-feet, 187 pounds, Clavon committed to Georgia after graduating from Kell High School in Stockbridge (Ga.). Perfect Game ranked him the No. 4 overall shortstop in the nation coming out of high school. Clavon was 5-for-15 with a home run, a double and a triple last season. He was also 2-of-2 on stolen base attempts. Clavon played behind starting shortstop Kolby Branch and did not appear in the game when Clemson and Georgia met as top five opponents on April 22 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, a 3-0 Tigers shutout victory. Clavon is the Tigers' second commitment in the transfer portal Saturday. Earlier in the day, shortstop Tyler Lichtenberger committed to Clemson from Appalachian State. Lichtenberger was the Sun Belt conference Freshman of the Year in 2025, batting .341 with 13 doubles, three home runs and 44 RBIs. Clemson has added four players via the transfer portal since their season-ending loss to Kentucky in the Clemson Regional last Sunday. In addition to Clavon, Lichtenberger and Veasey, the Tigers also added right-hander Hayden Simmerson from Division II Catawba College in North Carolina. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
Fox Sports
7 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Carson Hocevar living the dream back home in Michigan as aggressive, headline-grabbing NASCAR driver
Associated Press BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — Carson Hocevar grew up 80 miles west of Michigan International Speedway, where he attended his first race at the age of 5. As a kid in Portage, he dreamed of becoming a NASCAR driver that people talked about. The 22-year-old Hocevar got his wish. He knocked Ricky Stenhouse Jr. out of last week's race at Nashville and his aggressive style has created a buzz in a sport that traditionally has young drivers trying to find the line between aggressive and reckless driving. 'It's cool to be talked about,' Hocevar said Saturday, a day ahead of the FireKeepers Casino 400. 'Obviously, you want to be talked about maybe in a different light. "But I mean, at least they're talking, right? And, I think that's big for me.' Hocevar called Stenhouse earlier in the week to discuss their contact on Lap 106 of 300 at Nashville, where Stenhouse was bumped from behind and sent into a wall. Both said the conversation was productive. 'I don't think he crashed me on purpose,' Stenhouse said. "But I think he was super impatient. 'We've never had any issues. He's had plenty of issues with other people.' Hocevar, in his second full Cup season, was behind only winner Ryan Blaney at Nashville to match the career-best, second-place finish he had earlier this year. At the race in Atlanta, several drivers complained about Hocevar over the radio or some addressed their concerns face to face in pit lane. Blaney, who got turned by Hocevar in the final stage of the race, and Ross Chastain confronted him in February. Chastain sounded frustrated that Hocevar, who drives the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, has not appeared to learn from his mistakes. His latest move was reckless, Chastain said. 'Yeah, 47 spun off his front bumper,' he said. 'Been there, done that.' Blaney has, too. 'You can say you're sorry all you want, but if you don't learn from them and make a change, then everyone thinks you're lying,' Blaney said. A new wrinkle NASCAR's 'In-season Challenge' will begin seeding drivers Sunday and at the following two races in Mexico City and at Pocono. The results will create a field of 32 drivers, who will race for a $1 million prize over a five-race competition starts June 28 at Atlanta. Single elimination will reduce the field to 16 in Chicago, eight at Sonoma, four in Dover and the final two on July 27 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The NBA has had success with a similar format. 'It's like the March Madness bracket,' said Blaney, whose No. 12 Ford finished first last week at Nashville. "You want to do well to seed yourself against an easier opponent. "It could be big. It could grow. I think it's a great idea. Why not try it? You're still going to have racing. It's just going to be a race within the race between all the guys.' Pressing priorities Denny Hamiln is prepared to leave his No. 11 Toyota behind this weekend to join his fiancé, Jordan, who is due to give birth to a baby boy — their third child — at any time. Hamlin, who is also juggling his role as the co-owner of a team suing NASCAR, said he would skip next week's race in Mexico City if necessary to witness the birth of his boy. Hendrick's drought Hendrick Motorsports has won a record 316 Cup races, but hasn't finished first at Michigan in more than a decade. Jeff Gordon's third win on the track was the team's ninth and that was way back on Aug. 17, 2014. 'It's just kind of surprising because I don't feel like it's a track that we struggle at by any means,' said Kyle Larson, who drives the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick. "Every time we've been here, we've been one of the fastest and up front. 'It's not a track like Nashville, where where we struggle.' Odds and Ends Larson at +300 is the betting favorite to win Sunday, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, followed by points leader William Byron (+375), defending race champion Tyler Reddick (+500) and Christopher Bell (+550). ___ AP auto racing: recommended
New York Post
13 hours ago
- New York Post
A strategy for pacing out your bets on Belmont Stakes day
It's a cliché, but betting — especially on Belmont Stakes day — is a marathon, not a sprint. Becoming a profitable handicapper is not just about picking winners and finding an edge. A pillar of success in betting is managing two things — your bankroll and your emotions. We'll start with bankroll management. Your bankroll refers to the amount of money you have allocated for betting. In other words, the amount of money you would be comfortable losing. For some people, that number could be high. For others, it could be quite low. Bet with your head, not over it. When it comes to a day such as the Belmont Stakes, bankroll management becomes even more important because, in all likelihood, you're going to want to have some scratch in your pocket to bet the headliner at 7:04 p.m. That means you're going to essentially have two separate pools of money: one for the Belmont Stakes and one for the undercard, which gets underway at 10:45 a.m. and features seven other stakes races. It's a magnificent day for railbirds, but it can get spoiled quickly if you're not in control of your impulses. And what makes this day of racing especially tricky for those who may struggle with keeping their emotions in check when it comes to betting is that there is a really tempting 'chase' opportunity in the Belmont Stakes. The 2025 Belmont is headlined by two clear favorites, No. 7 Journalism (8-5) and No. 2 Sovereignty (2-1). Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty gets a bath on June 6, 2025 in preparation for Saturday's Belmont Stakes. Getty Images There will be plenty of casual punters who will plan on ending their day with a big bet on one or both of these horses. If you've been betting long enough, you know this feeling. Perhaps it was on Day 1 of March Madness or the first Saturday of the college football season, but we've all dealt with the temptation of chasing a day of losses with one final bet on a 'sure thing' late in the night (it's why Hawaii football games attract an unusually large number of bets during the fall). Nobody wants to be lectured about betting, or see someone get on their soapbox, but any seasoned gambler will say that resisting the urge to chase their losses was a huge step in the right direction. For the purposes of using a round number, let's say you have a bankroll of $200 for Saturday. Immediately, you should decide how much of that you want to leave for the Belmont Stakes. Mike Repoli is the owner of Uncaged who is running in Saturday's Belmont Stakes. Jason Szenes / New York Post Sticking with the round numbers, we'll put $20 aside for the Belmont (along with stashing away any profits from earlier wins), allowing us $180 to gamble with on the full menu of races leading up to the main event. But there's also a chance you're going to want to be a part of the Mandatory Payout Pick 5, which begins with the Jaipur (Race 9, 4:08 p.m.) and wraps up with the Belmont Stakes. By entering the Pick 5, you not only give yourself a shot at a life-changing amount of money, but you'll also have action on each race, so long as you're still in it, without having to bet anymore. We can put $54 aside for the Pick 5, which allows you plenty of room to build a decent ticket, and leaves you with $126 to bet on the rest of the races. It's not the most exciting part of the game, but mapping out a strategy like this before you enter the gates Saturday will go a long way in helping you walk out feeling like a winner.
