The Daily Illini Weekly Edition Mar. 29, 2023

Photo by James Hoeck

IT’S MAMMOTH!

Students react as statue stomps onto Quad

By Jessie Wang Assistant News Editor

Students who walked past the Natural History Building were in for a surprise this past week as the University unveiled a woolly mammoth statue.

The statue is part of an “Art and Architecture” initiative and was chosen because of its biological relevance to Champaign-Urbana. Thousands of years ago, mammoths used to be common in Illinois.

According to Eesha Barua, sophomore in LAS, the statue took her by surprise.

“My first reaction was: How have I not noticed that this entire year?” Barua said. “And then it became apparent to me.”

Ayush Basu, sophomore in Engineering, said he has heard about the statue online.

“I haven’t seen the statue, I’ve only seen Reddit posts about it,” Basu said. “I wonder how much it costs.”

Other students had more humorous takes.

“I think the statue should be our new mascot,” said Daksh Kalley, sophomore in Engineering.

However, Barua said she is not sure if the woolly mammoth will become a symbol on campus.

“I think it’s tough to know because what the University (community) takes ownership of is pretty arbitrary sometimes,” Barua said. “But I think the statue is really cool as an homage to the Natural History Building.”

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CANDICE ZHOU THE DAILY ILLINI

A statue of a mammoth was recently installed on the south end of the Natural History Building.

Daily Illini is the independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Congressman proposes 4-day workweek

By Michael Bales Staff Writer

Earlier this month, Rep. Mark Takano of California reintroduced the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act into Congress, returning the idea of a four-day week to the minds of our lawmakers and the American public. Takano first introduced the bill proposing a 32-hour week in July 2021, but the bill did not advance past introduction.

The reintroduction comes on the heels of a six-month trial of the fourday week in Britain. It was conducted with 61 companies — most of which are maintaining the shortened work week moving forward.

(in) activities that bring great joy to them.”

Though Bruno had numerous positives to say about the bill, the passing of it into law is far from a sure thing; rather, it’s an “uphill battle,” as Bruno puts it.

“I feel like it could be too decisive,” said Martina Lepicki, sophomore in FAA, when reflecting on why the bill may not pass. “Especially when a lot of states have been repealing a lot of work protections.”

Lepicki referenced Arkansas’ Youth Hiring Act of 2023, which loosened the state’s child labor laws as of March 6. Bills expanding the amount of and type of work that 14- and 15-year-olds can do have appeared in other states including Iowa and Ohio.

“I think it’s two things,” Bruno said about opposition to the shortened week.

“It’s the inertia,” Bruno said about a reluctance to change. “And then it’s the sense that the employer has that there’s some loss of control over the workforce.”

“So what all the studies and the pilots show is that there is no one who is worse off,” said Robert Bruno, director of the Labor Studies Program at the University. “The employer finds that there’s no loss of productivity, no loss of worker effort. The companies are just as profitable, just as competitive, probably even more efficient.”

On top of the commercial benefits, Bruno also highlighted the mental and social aspects of a shorter work week.

“If there’s fewer days (employees) have to be at work, then they get some time back. They get a better balance. There’s a real improvement in mental health,” he said. “They’re also in a better position to strengthen their family relationship. So they’d be more attentive to children, to loved ones. They can invest a bit more time

The inertia Bruno described is the fact that five-day weeks have been the legal standard since the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, and “it takes a little bit of effort when you first make the change.”

“It’s just easier to just do what you’ve always done,” Bruno added.

Bruno also referenced the amount of time employees get back in their lives from the employers.

“Because it provides a better balance with their non-work responsibilities, workers report having greater control over their time,” Bruno said.

As of now, Bruno said that much of our time is being “consumed by getting the work, being at work, thinking about what you have to do after work.”

Though the passing of the four-day week in Congress may be unlikely, Bruno is optimistic because “one of the greatest scarcities in the lives of people is time, and (employees) feel like they just don’t have much of it.”

“Consumed by getting the work, being at work, thinking about what you have to do a er work.”

Robert Bruno, director of Labor Studies Program

Illini disc golf shoots for success

By Megan Krok Staff Writer

The Illini Disc Golf Club has been facing issues with a lack of resources for the team ahead of the College Disc Golf National Championship in April.

The resources needed for disc golf include discs, baskets and a course to play on. The Illini Disc Golf Club is currently facing issues with a lack of baskets and a desire for a practice course closer to campus, according to freshman team member Charlie Rockow.

“Currently the club has some discs, which have been donated by past and current members,” Rockow said. “But we rely on individual members who have baskets if we don’t want to have to travel about three miles from campus to get to the closest course.”

Additionally, Rockow said that the practice course the team uses is “not at all comparable in difficulty” to those used in tournaments. The distance of the course from campus has also been a barrier for teammates without cars to get to practice.

“There are plenty of players on the team who find the current courses too easy and some of them choose not to play very often because it feels monotonous and is not very good practice,” Rockow said. “This can potentially affect team morale when people do not want to practice with their teammates.”

While the team still faces these issues, they said their resources have expanded this season.

The team has recently acquired new sponsorships from Prodigy Disc Golf and Flippy Disc Golf. Through these

sponsorships, the team has been given discs, jerseys and bags according to Charlie Chemers, Illini Disc Golf Club treasurer.

Even with these sponsorships, the team’s supply of baskets still poses an issue.

“Baskets are probably the most expensive disc golf equipment to obtain and also take up a lot of space,” Chemers said. “It was a priority for the club to focus on receiving other equipment like discs and jerseys.”

However, Chemers said that the team has gained more support from the school this season as well.

The team recently became a club

sport and worked with the Student Organization Resource Fee Board to fund tournaments and resource acquisition.

In terms of the practice course, Chemers said that the school has been “gracious” to offer “plenty of practice space” if the team chooses to practice on campus.

Chemers also said the courses off campus are “slightly weaker” than the majority of the courses in the country.

However, Chemers said they are working closely with the Champaign County Disc Golf League. The team will be volunteering with the league to build a pro-style course off campus

that they can use.

Despite the issues with the resources, the team will be headed to the College Disc Golf National Championship in North Carolina next month.

“We always have goals in mind to achieve more as a club and plan to continue expanding next year and in the future,” Chemers said. “Our team is extremely excited to head to the College Disc Golf National Championships in North Carolina in early April and we feel we are fully equipped to play as best we can.” mfkrok2@dailyillini.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF ILLINI DISC GOLF CLUB

The Illini Disc Golf Club faces challenges with the organization’s funding. However, they will continue to pursue the upcoming April College Disc Golf National Championships.

“Our team is extremely excited to head to the College Disc Golf National Championships in North Carolina in early April and we feel we are fully equipped to play as best we can.”

Charlie Chemers, Illini Disc Golf Club treasurer

UI student elevates gaming career

By Drew Friberg Staff Writer

As he booted up his PlayStation 3, Luis Salik, junior in Engineering, had a decision to make.

At age 6, it didn’t seem like a big decision and it certainly did not seem like one that could become careerdefining. It was a decision that gamers everywhere face: Which game was he going to download?

After sorting the list of games and scouring the PlayStation Store for every option before proceeding, Salik settled on a little demo for a game called “Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars.” It’s a soccer game – just with rocket-powered cars instead of humans.

“Six-year-old Luis went crazy on that game,” Salik said. “When I got my (PlayStation 3), my parents wouldn’t let me buy games. My strategy was to just go to the PlayStation Store, find all of the free demos and download them. SARPBC had a free demo at the time … I remember playing that and ‘Little Big Planet.’ That was my childhood.”

Salik instantly became “obsessed” with SARPBC. He said it scratched his itch for competition and filled a void that other games could not. Salik convinced his parents to let him buy the full game, fulfilling what turned out to be a decision that would impact his future plans at a young age.

Fast forward a few years, and SARPBC began to fall out of favor with a large part of the gaming community. In order to revitalize the hype around the game, Psyonix, the game’s parent studio, announced a sequel called “Rocket League.”

Rocket League’s announcement brought a lot of hype to the community and transformed the series into one of the largest new-generation esports. Among the crowd that the hype brought was Salik. He never stopped playing SARPBC and instantly had a leg up on his opposition when Rocket League launched in 2015.

“When I heard Rocket League was coming out, I didn’t have a PlayStation 4 at the time,” Salik said. “I grinded hard and saved money all summer so that I could buy a PS4. I ended up getting it, playing Rocket League and somewhere down the line I just fell in love with competing on the game.”

Known in game as “SLK,” Salik now captains Illini Esports Rocket League

Orange, the top team representing the University. The team’s roster includes SLK and two other students at the University: Vahey “V” Mouradian, senior in LAS, and Adam “Osho” Tsouchlos, freshman in Engineering. The team is solid, competing with the best in the collegiate circuit and winning awards along the way – most recently at a competition at North Central College, where the team took first place.

In Salik’s collegiate career, he also participated in a tournament called Bundle Bash. Bundle Bash featured 16 professionals, who then drafted two of 32 possible collegiate players to join their team.

After being drafted by professional player “Rapid,” Salik and his teammates went on to place ninth to 12th at the event, beating out four-time world champion Turbopolsa’s team along the way.

“Rapid, a professional player for

XSET at the time, drafted Vegas, another collegiate player, and I,” Salik said. “And we just swept Turbopolsa’s team. Like, really bad. That was a really eye-opening experience for me.”

Hoping to build off this already prolific career, Salik and his teammates on Illini Esports Orange are preparing for their biggest tournament yet: the Illini Esports Invitational, which boasts a $25,000 prize pool.

On home soil at State Farm Center, SLK and the rest of Illini Esports Orange are looking to win their home LAN (local area network) on March 31 and April 1 at the Illini Esports Invitational. This also happens to be one of the largest independent Rocket League LAN prize pools to date.

Competition is stiff with 16 teams total competing, including the 2021 national championship runner-up Akron Zips. For a team to take down

such storied opposition, the game is all about teamwork.

“(V and Osho) are the easiest people to play with in the world,” Salik said. “Over time, I’ve been learning to place a lot higher emphasis on chemistry rather than individual skill. We have a really great dynamic right now.”

About 14 years down the line from when 6-year-old Salik booted up his PlayStation 3, he is now top 100 in 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3 game modes in Rocket League and competing for a $25,000 prize pool. Upon reflection, Salik said he thinks about that decision that led him down this path a lot.

“It’s kind of funny,” Salik said. “Just thinking that you downloaded a free demo for fun when you’re 6 and now, a few years down the line, you’re actually competing in it.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ILLINI ESPORTS

Luis “SLK” Salik, junior in Engineering, stands between two teammates: Vahey “V” Mouradian, senior in LAS (le ), and Adam “Osho” Tsouchlos, freshman in Engineering (right).

Enrollment begins for Satire 101

By Campus Scout

Straight from the desk of Chancellor Robert Jones comes unceasing commendations for the newest, hottest course on campus — what has become known as Satire 101. The University is more than pleased to announce the Campus Scout-taught course has almost completely filled up across eight different time slots scattered across the week.

However, the course is officially titled CMN 453: Inverse Mechanisms in Public Discourse for legal reasons.

In anticipation of the coming fall semester, our multifaceted professor Scout has already nailed his black-andwhite watermarked diplomas from Gupton-Jones College and the Hannibal Buress University of Upper Yonkers to the wood-paneled wall of his secret fifth-floor Gregory Hall office.

He welcomes students to preemptive office hours to get ahead on the unorthodox 13-week course.

To best hammer home his material, the good professor is instituting lectures on Mondays and Wednesdays; recitations on Tuesdays and Fridays; discussions on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays; and laboratory sessions on days where recitations, lectures and discussions don’t overlap.

The curriculum will be dense.

As mentioned in the syllabus, the curriculum will start with basic figures of the trade like Stewart and Voltaire, then moving on to the more complex characters, like Iannucci and Zoshchenko.

Never heard of any of these more or less acclaimed individuals? Professor Scout has you covered — just watch all seven seasons of Veep for extra credit and you’ll be fine.

Even if the daunting workload threatens to discourage even the toughest and most sleep-deprived James Scholar, just keep the breezy final exam in mind, which consists entirely of reading a New Yorker editorial and writing exactly the opposite of what it meant.

Fear not. Anyone can be a satirist, no matter whether they intend to be.

A quick look at the Twitter feed of the Queen Husky herself, Marjorie Taylor Greene, reveals a veritable gold mine of undoubtedly tongue-in-cheek remarks.

The class is not only intended for learning about satire, however. First, professor Scout’s pupils must learn to write it themselves.

Professor Scout encourages his students to take it easy on their softbrained audiences. It’s not like everyone owns a device that can look up a definition in a heartbeat. Regular people can’t comprehend big adult words like “citizen” and “current social climate.”

The professor knows writers shouldn’t talk up to their audiences. Looking down is so much easier for them.

In this vein, satire should never be challenging or demanding for an audience. The easier the read, the happier the reader.

This is the core of professor Scout’s curriculum — happy reader, happy writer. If the audience is satisfied with their meal, then we culinary wizards can sleep peacefully. After all, there is nothing left to offer if there are no mouths to feed.

There is no better example than what professor Scout has to say in his first lecture, entitled “The World, Satire and Me: Who’s Laughing Now?” In it, the venerable professor remarks that comedy is the sole purpose of satire. Nothing more, nothing less.

As professional entertainers, writers must always ensure the audience understands exactly what is stated firmly on the page. Leave the learning to the lectures.

This is precisely why professor Scout is so thrilled to begin his new position. After years and years of toiling away as nothing more than a court jester, he is proud to finally join the ranks of real academia.

*Campus Scout writes opinion-based, satirical stories and uses fictional sourcing.*

Submit tips to scout@dailyillini.com

UI fails Muslim students during Ramadan

By Safia Khan Columnist

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan began on the evening of March 22 — the time that Muslims worldwide look forward to with excitement and energy.

Ramadan is a holy month in Islam — a religion practiced by an estimated 1.9 billion people around the world — observed by Muslims with fasting and increased worship. During this month, Muslims fast every day from dawn to sunset, and yes, they don’t drink water.

Ramadan is a time of spiritual discipline as well as a time of celebration and joy.

Students who live on campus and

have a meal plan especially struggle when fasting. According to a representative from the Muslim Student Association, the University is “not budging” and only allowing those who are fasting to either opt in or out of their meal plan.

If students choose to opt out, they will receive a refund of $150 and have no access to dining halls for an entire month. If opting in, students get to keep their meal plan as is, with the exception of taking multiple disposable containers and filling them up with food to eat later.

This is so messed up.

A standard college meal plan is estimated to cost around $4,500 per aca-

demic year — that’s about $375 per month.

$150 doesn’t even scratch the surface of what the University is allowing Muslim students who opt out to reclaim.

With these two options—the only ones for fasting Muslims with a meal plan—they are faced with the choice of either purchasing food from outside sources, which tend to be unhealthy and expensive, or keeping their meal plan and being unable to use all of their meal swipes before they expire.

These options add a burden on students struggling financially and are fasting. Whichever option a student chooses, they will ultimately lose money. $150 for a month is not enough to

reimburse a student for their missed meal swipes; choosing to keep your meal plan will inevitably result in missed meals.

Instead of opting out of your meal plan, the University should offer a prorated meal plan for a month, similar to how they do so when students are on academic breaks.

With the options currently offered to fasting students, it is clear that the University is money-hungry and unaccommodating towards religion once it interferes with how much money they can obtain.

Safia is a freshman in LAS. skhan392@illinimedia.com

AMY SANCHEZ THE DAILY ILLINI

A bilingual play on ‘Cinderella’ at Krannert

By A. Oishii Basu Staff Writer

“Cenicienta: A Bilingual Cinderella Story” is a children’s play about Belinda, a 10-year-old storyteller, finding courage in her retelling of the classic fairy tale by puppeteering household objects. Touring the country, the play stopped at the Krannert Studio Theatre on Saturday.

Madison Palomo has been the starring actress of this one-woman play for five years and plays 18 characters.

Emily Laugesen, program director and collaborative curator of the Krannert Youth Series, said the program aims to expose youth of all ages to the arts.

The program curates professional touring shows and acts of a wide variety.

“This play is a really great example of something that really works on multiple levels for multiple ages,” Laugesen said. “Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and also random teenagers that might come can just enjoy this show.”

A production in both English and Spanish, the play brings a unique viewing opportunity to the audience.

“It brings a little bit of representation,” Laugesen said. “We know we have a very vibrant community of people who are Spanish language speakers, many of whom have Mexican heritage, the culture this piece is rooted in. And so it’s really important to us to speak to that part of our community as well.”

The play follows Belinda, an imaginative kid who loves stories and poems. She explores her interests by making imaginary friends, such as Ernesto and Gustavo, out of lamp heads and eventually Cenicienta, who is a cloth napkin.

Belinda and Cenicienta soon begin to relate to one another through their parallel experiences, and Belinda learns through her own storytelling.

Palomo said her work with the show began at a cultural festival and was workshopped at elementary schools in Texas. Belinda’s poems, featured in the play, were actually written by fourth graders.

Palomo later began to tour across the country.

Palomo said the production process has been challenging and eye-opening.

“This is a theater for young audiences,” Palomo said. “I feel like a lot of peo -

ple dismiss it as something that is going to be campy. It’s been a beautiful show to work on and to stretch my acting abilities. Each time, it’s just like another opportunity to not only play, as if I were a kid again, but work on my craft.”

Palomo said though sometimes it can be difficult to keep children engaged, young audiences have the best criticism.

“Kids are the best audience because they are honest,” Palomo said. “They will tell you if you’re not doing a good job in their own little way.”

Palomo said she began learning to puppeteer on the production and said it has given her a newfound appreciation for the art.

“I think all actors should take a master class on it,” Palomo said. “That way we have that scope and have that ability to perform more stories.”

There are many unique aspects of the play, but Palomo thinks the bilingualism of the production is integral.

“It’s a coming-of-age story,” Palomo said. “It has a mixture between Spanish and English. And in a way, the stepmother is trying to take away culture from her by mispronouncing her name, not using Spanish. The (stepsisters) even

making fun of her speaking in Spanish.” Palomo said she thinks this play is relevant to people of all ages.

“It’s so important for not only young kids to watch this but for adults as well who have experienced this language genocide,” Palomo said.

aobasu2@dailyillini.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF KRANNERT CENTER Madison Palomo has been the sole actress of the play for five years.

Oscars boost Asian representation

By Maaike Niekerk Staff Writer

The prominent success of Asian and Asian American performers this award season is drawing new attention to the lack of recognition given to people of Asian descent in former years.

The 95th Academy Awards were held March 12. “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” a sci-fi adventure film with a predominantly Asian cast, swept the night with 11 nominations and seven wins.

Irika Tso, freshman in DGS, said she was happy to see her Asian American community represented in the acclaim the film has received.

“I was very proud to see my own representation at the Oscars,” Tso said. “It can be rare to see minority representations win on American television.”

While the abundance of success is certainly something to celebrate, it also invites reflection on why Asian and Asian American representation has been noticeably absent in the past.

Only 23 actors and actresses of Asian descent have ever been nominated in the over 90 years the Oscars have been held. Four of those nominations occurred this year.

Leyna Tran, freshman in AHS, said she was “disappointed but not at all surprised.”

“It’s hard to trust the credibility of the Oscars and other Western award shows when it is so obvious that they are racially biased,” Tran said.

But how does this bias occur in such a prestigious and internationally recognized ceremony?

With 17 branches of over 10,000 members, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences appears to have a comprehensive method of selecting Oscar winners.

Academy members are industry professionals who each rank nominees in order of preference to pick a winner.

However, data collected on the 2022 voters at the Academy Awards show that only 19% of those voters do not identify as white.

Professor Chilin Shih, head of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, said white board members reviewing Asian actors and directors creates a disconnect.

Shih referred to Michelle Yeoh, the 2023 Oscar winner for best actress,

and her previous role in an actionadventure film released in 2000 entitled “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

Shih said Yeoh’s work in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” was not as widely recognized by members of the American film industry. Shih said Yeoh’s performance in the movie was “fantastic, but very subtle.”

Shih said Yeoh’s portrayal of a mother in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is “a good capture of a general feeling, a general emotion, that doesn’t have a cultural or national boundary.”

On the other hand, Shih said Yeoh’s role in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” requires a deep understanding of Asian culture, and Asian expressions of emotion, to appreciate her performance.

“I feel that there is a gap between Hollywood and the very diverse and rich culture out there in the world,”

Shih said.

Shih said closing such a gap in cultures is a complex process as “we have to make people understand and appreciate our societies, our histories, our languages … and particularly our different value systems.”

Shih also noted that viewing an accurate portrayal of Asian culture through film can help members of the Academy and any Americans form new understandings of Asian cultures.

“Watching movies should be a good way to expose people to the differences of a culture and their value systems,” Shih said.

But accurate and meaningful representation isn’t always found easily in the media. Younger people, like Tran, are painfully aware of this.

“I’ve known for a very long time that I had to search long and hard if I wanted to watch a movie or TV show where a character looked like me or wasn’t a total stereotype,” Tran said.

However, in Shih’s eyes, films like “Everything Everywhere All at Once” may be the true representation young members of the Asian American community are looking for.

“I think this film has done a lot by bringing the fundamentals of a different society, a different culture, into the American landscape,” Shih said. “And I truly appreciate that.”

As the Academy hopefully strives to form a deeper connection with other cultures, members of Asian and Asian American communities like Tran continue to celebrate this year’s talented winners and their exceptional performances.

“I’m a Vietnamese American child of immigrants myself, so seeing so many people connect with and celebrate a victory for actors that looked like me made me feel really lucky and empowered,” Tran said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF IMDB

At the 2023 Oscars, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” was nominated for 11 awards and won 7.

Los Angeles Times Sunday Crossword Puzzle

A RIDE” BY DYLAN SCHIFF

Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Nichols Lewis

Kuhl off to hot start

By Matthew Sinele Staff Writer

Illinois men’s golf is back in action as the spring season begins to pick up heat. The Illini are off to a hot start, ranking fourth in the nation and picking up right where they left off last year with first place finishes at both the Hal Williams Collegiate and the Southern Highlands Collegiate, as well as a fourth place finish at the National Invitational Tournament this past weekend.

The success the team has enjoyed so far this season has rested heavily on the shoulders of its senior core. Senior Tommy Kuhl has had an especially significant role in the strong opening for the Illini, finishing as the top or runner-up performer for Illinois in six of the seven tournaments played thus far. Kuhl’s consistent performance can be traced back to the end of last season during the New Haven Regional in which he was Illinois’s top finisher, just missing the cut for an individual NCAA Championship berth. Since then, Kuhl

has been on a streak, leading the team with an average stroke just under 70, nearly two strokes better than his previous season’s average.

Kuhl attributed this improvement on the greens to just getting to know himself.

“If I don’t beat myself out there, I seem to play pretty good,” Kuhl said.

“If I can do that, trust myself and have confidence in my game, I see results.”

Specifically, he pointed to his improved short game as a driving factor in his recent success.

“Freshman year, I was really struggling on the greens, I wasn’t confident, but sometimes the best way to fix things is just spend a lot of time on it, research what I’m doing wrong and just figuring out myself,” Kuhl said.

That relentless self-reflection over his game and areas for improvement has paid dividends for Kuhl so far this season. He has been named back-toback Big Ten Golfer of the Week, Prairie Farms Scholar Athlete of the Week and recently as one of 15 standout performers on the Fred Haskins Award

watch list, ranking seventh nationally per Golfstat.

While this is an exceptional start for both Kuhl and the rest of the Illini, the season continues down the road toward the championships, and it’s just that: a start. With the help of head coach Mike Small, Illinois has built a culture focused on winning having amassed twelve Big Ten Championships in the last 13 years, with expectations to go even further this season. However, while the postseason wins and accolades are always in the back of the program’s mind as they move forward in the season, Kuhl and the Illini know that their focus has to be on what’s immediately in front of them first.

“The Big Ten is getting better,” Kuhl said. “And we know we have to work hard each and every day if we want to reach that goal. We have to put in the work, play Illini golf and let the results take care of themselves.”

With a roster full of experienced golfers — Kuhl, Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Matthis Besard, Jackson Buchanan and Piercen Hunt — the Illini have

a great opportunity to continue the legacy of success for the program. Kuhl’s exceptional play has propelled the Illini forward so far in the season; but, as the team knows well, in order to chip away at the expectations, they’re going to have to take it one stroke at a time.

msinele2@dailyillini.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF @ILLINIMGOLF / INSTAGRAM Fi h-year senior Tommy Kuhl at the Hal Williams Collegiate from Feb. 13-14.

‘A lot of ups and downs’

Illinois men’s basketball experiences season of early highs, late struggles

By James Kim Sports Editor

After losing all five starters from the 2022 Big Ten title-winning team a mere season ago, Illinois men’s basketball appeared set to enter a serious rebuilding season heading into 202223. However, after a big offseason that saw elite transfers and top-rated freshman recruits join the program, the Illini were suddenly placed back into the title-contender conversation.

“It’s always a fun time of year to coach,” head coach Brad Underwood said in October. “This group has been unbelievable in terms of their work ethic, the new guys’ ability to grasp what we’re doing and then to back that up with really good questions and a lot of film work.”

The new-look Illini wasted no time in introducing themselves to Champaign, as the team enjoyed three-straight blowout home victories to kick off the 2022-23 season. Things were clicking in November, and the hot streak carried into Illinois’ first away game against No. 8 UCLA in the Continental Tire Main Event in Las Vegas.

In the Illini’s first real test of the season, the team didn’t falter and defeated the Bruins in a 79-70 triumph. Senior guard Terrence Shannon Jr. led the way with 29 points as Illinois played out some of its finest basketball all season.

Despite falling to No. 16 Virginia in the final shortly after, the team had made some serious noise and wasn’t finished yet. Illinois recovered in time to dominate Lindenwood before securing a 29-point victory over Syracuse in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge to wrap up the month.

December saw the roller coaster effect seen throughout the season start to come into play. The first ominous sign came after the Illini opened conference play with an away loss to the No. 22 Maryland Terrapins. There wasn’t any reason to press the panic button in Champaign, however, as the Illini bounced back and shocked the country with their subsequent trip to

Madison Square Garden.

The national spotlight shined on the Jimmy V Classic and the Illini thrived under the pressure. All the hype surrounding the potential of Underwood’s squad reached its peak as Illinois fought through an overtime period to claim an astounding 85-78 win over No. 2 Texas. Fifth-year forward Matthew Mayer and Shannon paved the path to victory, with the former finding his form after a slow start to the season. The victory was an active representation of the tough, gritty culture that Underwood had been ingraining into the Illini program for years.

However, the highest highs of the 2022-23 season also came with some of the lowest lows. A mere four days after beating the Longhorns, the Illini fell to 0-2 in the Big Ten after dropping their trap game to the Penn State Nittany Lions. It was a poor defeat in front of the home crowd at State Farm Center as Illinois was outworked and looked lost on the court. Underwood spared no expense when it came to publicly calling out his veteran players and the lack of leadership seen on the floor during the loss.

away from the team shortly after the defeat. Now 0-3 in conference play and without their starting point guard, the Illini needed a big morale boost to turn the season around.

The boost came with No. 14 Wisconsin’s visit to Champaign. Illinois battled out an upset over its neighbors to the north, striking a newfound fire within the team.

“To say (the win) was needed and felt good was probably the understatement of the day,” Underwood said, following the win over the Badgers. “You fight for your culture and your identity as to what you stand for. This team has been elite defensively and that’s a really good offensive team.”

The Illini began to heat up after earning their first Big Ten victory, winning seven of their next nine games. Statement victories over No. 24 Rutgers, Michigan State and Ohio State highlighted the midseason run, though the momentum only lasted so long.

the team’s season ended as Arkansas bounced Illinois out of the NCAA tournament in the first round.

“Let’s not forget, there’s a lot of new faces in that locker room,” Underwood said following the NCAA tournament loss. “Team chemistry just isn’t built in a day. It takes a little bit of time and I’m happy with the places we’ve gotten to and the things we’ve accomplished, but there were some challenges and some shortcomings.”

“I’m just telling you, our approach to this game right now is immature,” Underwood said, “And it lacks complete, 100% leadership. If I gotta go back to leading again, this team’s in trouble. Somebody on this team’s gotta step up.”

The Illini became increasingly inconsistent for a short stretch following the defeat. Despite obtaining blow-out victories against its final non-conference opponents of the season, Illinois suffered ugly losses to rivals Missouri at Braggin’ Rights and Northwestern in the Big Ten. Additionally, freshman point guard Skyy Clark chose to step

The final stretch of the regular season was a mixed one for Illinois. The ups of coming back against No. 21 Northwestern and defeating Michigan in a double overtime thriller were met with the downs of painful, narrow losses to Ohio State and No. 5 Purdue.

Still, there was excitement amongst fans as the Illini prepared to kickoff the postseason with the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago. Illinois had a chance at revenge against Penn State after losing the previous two encounters, however, disaster struck as the team suffered an early exit in the second round of the competition. A week later,

While it feels unfair to call the season a total bust for Illinois, it also wasn’t grand enough to be considered an undisputed success. On the one hand, the Illini achieved another 20-win season with a new-look roster. On the other hand, it was a trophyless year for the team as they were unable to defend their conference title and exited both postseason tournaments prematurely. Illinois had the pieces to do something special but weren’t able to reach its full potential. However, despite the sour taste the season’s conclusion left in fans’ mouths, the 2022-23 Illini had their moments, delivering on the exciting moments and memorable wins that Illinois basketball has come to embody as a program.

“(This season has) meant a lot,” Shannon said. “A lot of ups and downs, some guys left. But the people here now, they stayed. We stuck together and every time someone left or we lost, we never separated. It brought us even closer together.”

JAMES HOECK THE DAILY ILLINI

The Illini faced a lot of challenges during this season, and despite giving some amazing performances, they were not able to meet their potential with an early exit in the NCAA tournament.

“Team chemistry just isn’t built in a day.”

Brad Underwood, head coach

Illinois women’s tennis battles Purdue

By Conor Blount Assistant Sports Editor

After the start of Big Ten play and a 4-3 victory over No. 72 Northwestern, Illinois women’s tennis took a brief detour to Arizona for weekend matchups against No. 57 Arizona and New Mexico State. Walking out with a win over the Aggies and a loss to the Wildcats, the Illini returned home for its first and only meeting with the No. 44 Purdue Boilermakers. Battling out for a tough doubles point put Illinois in good position entering singles play, resulting in an eventual 4-1 victory thanks to wins from sophomore Kasia Treiber, senior Josie Frazier and junior Kate Duong.

As usual, Illinois’ road to a win began in doubles play where No. 28 duo of Duong and sophomore Megan Heuser stood tall at court one. The other courts, however, saw a bit of change with Frazier and senior Emily Casati on court two while sophomore Kida Ferrari and freshman Violeta Martinez held down court three.

Duong and Heuser got off to a strong start, took game after game at will and ultimately only dropped one of their own. Giving Illinois a 1-0 advantage on the doubles point with a 6-1 victory, the Illini’s top duo put them in an excellent position to enter singles play with the lead. By this time, the underclassmen duo of Ferrari and Martinez held a commanding 5-3 lead, needing just one more game to come out on top. The Boilermakers put up a fight and managed to take another game but ultimately fell 6-4.

Now leading 1-0, Illinois rolled out a familiar group on the singles courts with Duong, No. 121 senior Ashley Yeah, Heuser, Frazier, sophomore Kasia Treiber and Ferrari standing at courts one through six respectively.

The first sets did not fare kindly for the Illini, as Frazier was the only one who walked out with a convincing win (6-2). However, just when all seemed lost, Treiber rallied for a tiebreaking 7-6 win to give Illinois a bit of extra breathing room entering the second sets.

Illinois’ advantage due to the singles point was negated early into the second sets, as Yeah was defeated 6-1, 6-2. Fortunately, Illinois was finding much more success on other courts as Duong and Ferrari all rallied for quick 6-2 and 6-1 wins to force a third set. After leading 5-1, Heuser gave up

three consecutive games to put Purdue back in the set but was ultimately able to close out and force a third set of her own. Additionally, securing a 4-2 was all that was necessary for Treiber who won back-to-back games to end her match on a win.

Although much more contested than the first set, Frazier’s dominance was on full display once again. With the set knotted at 4-4, Frazier took over and won back-to-back games to give Illinois its third point of the day.

Moving into three third set matches and only needing to win one, Illinois was in the driver’s seat. In the biggest moment, it was Duong who proved her dominance on the court yet again, claiming another victory to clinch a win for the Illini and complete her personal comeback after falling behind early (6-3).

While Illinois’ performance in the first set of singles play left a lot to be desired, there was little that head coach Evan Clark could complain about when considering his group’s turnaround and doubles performance.

“I thought it was a great win for our team on the road,” Clark said. “I think every Big Ten team on the road is pretty tricky. Purdue is ranked pretty high, they’re in the ’40s … so on the road I think that’s a tricky match. They’ve won a lot of matches this year, they’re a good team.”

Considering the massive advantage that the doubles point provides when entering singles play, it would be foolish to downplay its importance — especially in this match where the cushion provided by the point was pivotal in lifting pressure off of the

Illini as they mounted comebacks on three courts.

“I was excited about the win overall, we got off to a great start with doubles and got the point which is something we focused on all week,” Clark explained. “Getting the doubles point is huge, and then obviously we dug ourselves a hole in singles, but we battled back to our credit. Certainly a lot tighter than the score line and (we) feel pretty lucky to get out of there with the win.”

Following the win, the Illini now sit at 11-5 on the season and 3-0 in Big Ten play. A brief home stretch now sits in front of Illinois, who will face Michigan State this Friday and Michigan the following Sunday.

SIDNEY MALONE THE DAILY ILLINI

Junior Kate Duong celebrates scoring against Georgia Tech on Feb. 3. Duong and sophomore Kida Ferrari brought the Illini to a third set on Sunday against Purdue despite an alarming start, leading the Illini to remain undefeated this far.