Western Courier | March 4th, 2020

Opinions: Dogs are the best companion.

Sports: Women's basketball heads to the Summit League tournament.

WesternCourier.com

Wednesday, March 4, 2020 - Vol. 120 Issue 63

@WesternCourier

Billy Wright out as men's basketball head coach

By Chris Bean and Brendan Reidy assistant sports editor and courier staff

BECCA LANGYS/ PHOTO EDITOR

MACOMB, Ill. — Western Illinois University Athletics announced on Tuesday they are parting ways with men’s basketball head coach Billy Wright. Wright coached the Leathernecks for six years and went 53-115 (.315) during his tenure.

“We want to thank Billy for his commitment and service to our men's basketball program and the University,” Athletic Director Danielle Surprenant told WIU Athletic Communications. “We appreciate his contributions over the last six seasons

Billy Wright has officially been relieved of his duties as head coach of the men's basketball team.

and wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Wright came to Western in 2008 and was an assistant coach for two years before he got promoted to associate head coach in 2010. Wright left in 2013 to become an assistant coach with Ball State. Wright was only there for one year before becoming the 20th head coach on April 15, 2014.

Billy Wright page 3

Three dead after plane crash in central Illinois

By Devon Greene editor-in-chief

LINCOLN, Ill. — Traffic was halted after a small plane crashed on Interstate 55, near Lincoln, Ill. on Tuesday leaving three dead.

Illinois State Police say that the plane crashed at approximately 8:49 a.m. and became fully engulfed upon impact in the middle of the interstate.

Due to the crash, the southbound lane of the interstate was closed for nearly six hours. The Illinois Department of Transportation announced the road was

opened just before 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

According to ISP, it is unclear where the plane came from, where it was going or what caused the crash. The plane has been identified as a fourseat, single-engine Cessna 172.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have taken over control of the investigation and have not released any further updates.

Identities of the passengers involved have not yet been released and will not be released until next-of-kin is notified.

Illinois State Police were the first to respond to the crash.

Sports on Page 7: Is Mitch Trubisky the right option for the Chicago Bears?

COURTESY OF ILLINOIS STATE POLICE

Opinions on Page 4: Make sure you don't waste your Spring Break.

2

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

NEWS

WesternCourier.com

WIU hosts Career and Internship Fair

BECCA LANGYS/PHOTO EDITOR

Students had the opportunity to talk to various employers from across the state.

Talking to potential employers can be a fun experience.

BECCA LANGYS/PHOTO EDITOR

Students had the opportunity to talk to various employers from across the state.

BECCA LANGYS/PHOTO EDITOR

BECCA LANGYS/PHOTO EDITOR

Graduate Intern Programs are always and option for college students.

BECCA LANGYS/PHOTO EDITOR

The Career and Internship Fair has been a great space for networking.

WC Located on the third floor of the Heating Plant Annex on the south end of campus across from Sherman Hall.

Mail: 1 University Circle, WIU, Macomb, IL 61455 Phone: 309-298-1876 Fax: 309-298-2309 Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays E-mail: micour@wiu.edu Member: Illinois College Press Association, National Association College Press

Law enforcement is a large employer in the community.

STAFF MEMBERS editor-in-chief Devon Greene

proofreader Mary Kilbourne

DJ-Greene@wiu.edu

MC-Kilbourne@wiu.edu

news editor Devon Greene

photo editor Becca Langys

DJ-Greene@wiu.edu

RE-Langys@wiu.edu

opinions editor Allison Young

assistant photo editor Sara Remar

AN-Young@wiu.edu

SE-Remar@wiu.edu

sports editor Bradley Piros

production manager Brandon Trost

BJ-Piros@wiu.edu

BL-Trost@wiu.edu

assistant sports editor Chris Bean

business manager Janiya Haynes

CR-Bean@wiu.edu

J-Haynes2@wiu.edu

edge editor Rachel Greene

assistant business manager Nash Miller

R-Greene2@wiu.edu

NK-Miller@wiu.edu

copy editor Amanda Wandachowicz

advertising manager Tyler Hoffman

A-Wandachowicz@wiu.edu

TE-Hoffman@wiu.edu adviser Will Buss WJ-Buss@wiu.edu

PUBLISHING AND CIRCULATION The Western Courier is published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the regular school year, excluding holidays, finals week and semester breaks. The WC updates the website weekly during the summer. All content reflects the editorial discretion of the students operating the newspaper and must be interpreted as unofficial university communication. While every attempt is made to determine the validity of advertising contained herein, the advertising in the WC is not to be construed as endorsements of any specific products or services. The WC assumes no responsibility or liability resulting from the content of paid advertisements. Subscription price is $36 per year mailed third-class bulk rate from Macomb.

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Wednesday, March 4, 2020

@WesternCourier

NEWS 3

Billy Wright from front page

After an 8-20 start in his first season as head coach, things turned around immediately in his second year, defeating the National Runner-ups the University of Wisconsin 69-67, earning his first road win as head coach. However, the momentum didn’t last long into the season and for the second straight year the Leathernecks finished in last place in The Summit League. Wright and the Leathernecks still finished last during 2016-17, however, he earned his best conference record at 5-11. In 201718, Wright earned his best record during his tenure at 12-16, but the Leathernecks still finished in The Summit League. In the 2018-19 season, Wright led the Leathernecks to one of the most historic wins in Summit League history, when they became the first No. 8 seed to defeat the No.1 seed in The Summit League tournament. The 79-76 win over South Dakota State was his one and only win in The Summit League tournament. Wright was unable to lead his program to The Summit League tournament in his last season, after losing 14 of their last 15 games to finish the season. The most recent 69-63 loss to Denver kept the Leathernecks out of competing in The Summit League tournament.

During Wright’s tenure, the Leathernecks finished last in The Summit League in five of his six years. In those six years, the Leathernecks went 2074 (.214) in The Summit League. Wright went 10-70 (.125) on the road. In 2019, Wright had four of his five starters returning, including former 3-star Zion Young, Mr. Kansas Ben Pyle, junior Kobe Webster and senior CJ Duff. Even though this year's roster brought experience, they finished their disappointing season at 5-21, and only three Division I wins.

Western Illinois University Athletics will start their search to find the 21st head coach in the history of the men’s basketball program.

Wright served as head coach for six years.

FILE PHOTO

5 Day Weather Forecast sourced by

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

MOSTLY CLOUDY

FRIDAY

PARTLY CLOUDY

SUNNY

SATURDAY

PARTLY CLOUDY

SUNDAY

MOSTLY CLOUDY

H 51 / L 33 H 55 / L 31 H 46 / L 29 H 57 / L 43 H 64 / L 47 Editorial Policy

The editorial views of the Western Courier shall be confined to this editorial and are to be separate from news coverage otherwise noted. The editorial presented is based on the ideas and views of the WC editorial board.Columns are the opinions of the columnists alone and should not be construed as the opinions and beliefs of the WC staff as a whole.

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E-mail letters to the Editor and Local Forum messages to micour@wiu.edu.

Letters should not be more than 350 words in length. The author’s name and phone number must be included for verification purposes. Failure to include such information will lead to the letter being discarded. The WC staff will edit letters in cases of timeliness, obscenity length and grammar, and we do not guarantee publication of all letters.

2020 Spring Semester Editorial Board

Edge Editor - Rachel Greene Editor-in-Chief - Devon Greene Opinions Editor - Allison Young

4

OPINIONS

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

WesternCourier.com

Why dogs are the best companions As someone who has been an animal lover my whole life, animals have always been a part of my life. At the ripe young age of three years old, I started nagging my parents for a pet. I normally tried to convince them to get me a dog, but occasionally I would try and pester my way to getting a horse. At one point I even had an entire slideshow of where I would keep the horse and where I would get the horse. However, being that we lived in the suburbs of Chicago, a horse was not going to happen. However, a dog eventually became a real possibility.

Now, obviously, a pet is something that is a personal preference, and there are so many different pets that it is hard to argue why one is better than the other because they are all the best pets for the right person. Some peo-

ple prefer bunnies, some prefer fish and some prefer cats.

There is nothing wrong with any one pet, trust me I love them all, but my preference is definitely dogs.

Dogs are, in my opinion, the most loyal, giving and understanding pet. They don’t “argue” with you or get upset when you’re having a rough day, but instead they are just there to comfort you.

Dogs do not get super moody as other pets may, but instead, they are always more than excited when you walk through the door, no matter how long you’ve been gone.

Dogs know their person and love them for who they are, and that’s part of what makes them so special. One of the best things about dogs is that they are always ready to get excited about something, just crank the pitch of your voice up a bit and they are instantly

excited, tail wagging and all.

Dogs, and pets in general, have also been proven to improve people’s overall emotional well-being. Pets just make people happier, and it’s easy to understand why.

My family rescued a dog when I was in my junior year of high school, and he has brought so much joy and stability into my life.

Adopting a dog was one of the best decisions we made, and I encourage anyone that is financially able to do the same. Most people have heard the argument on why you should adopt versus buy a pet, and I am a huge supporter of this argument.

Yes, you may get an older dog or a dog whose past has not been the easiest, but no one is perfect, and no pet is perfect either.

A dog is always willing to love you for who you are, and by adopting you are taking that same oath. So, in my opinion, dogs are the best companion that a person can have, but of course it’s different for everyone.

Dog cuddles are pretty great, though.

Dogs have always been known as a man's best companion.

NEEDPIX

Use spring break to your advantage Being a college student is extremely stressful and can be difficult to balance between a person’s social life and grades. Spring break as a college student is about a oneweek vacation and most students either spend time back at home or leave for a fun and exciting break somewhere preferably warmer, I think spring break lands on the perfect time for students to have a week off school because it is almost halfway through the school semester for most college students.

I think this time of the year

is so important for college students because it allows them to destress and helps with physical and mental risks caused by stress. Vacations are good for the average person's mental and physical health because most of the time, the average person comes back more productive and effective. Most vacations work to reduce someone’s stress and anxiety that is usually caused by the person's day to day activities and the surrounding environment. According to an article on Inc, four science-based reasons people

should go on vacations include, stress reduction, heart disease prevention, improved productivity and better sleep.

Stress is not only draining to someone’s mental health, but it also can show physical symptoms such as headaches, chest pain and multiple body aches. Vacations help reduce the key symptoms of stress and allow people to clear their minds from reality for a short period of time. Vacations also help prevent heart disease. In the Inc article, it states that both men and women are at higher risk of heart disease if they choose to not take at least one week off from work each year. It is a proven fact that both men and women will be less at risk if they decide to take vacations to help reduce their stress and anxiety.

Vacation time can also improve productivity in the workforce or even school because it allows people to work harder knowing that they are going to get that break from reality. For instance, a study by the Boston Consulting Group found that many professionals that were required to take time off work were significantly more productive than those people who spend most of their time working.

Although this statement applies to jobs, I believe that it still applies to college students as well. If students know that they will be getting time off, I believe that they will work harder and be more productive in their schoolwork. Vacation time also allows people to get better sleep because a side effect of stress is insomnia.

With less stress and more time off work or school, students are allowed to reset their sleep patterns and help them get better sleep or a better sleeping schedule.

Spring break is a one-week vacation for college students allowing them to get away from the ridiculous amounts of schoolwork and regrouping themselves both physically and mentally.

It is scientifically proven that when the average human is given time off of work, they become more productive and less at risk of physical damage due to stress. All college students deserve a break from furthering their education and this is given to them by having these breaks from school and traveling to more stress-free environments.

OPINIONS 5

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

@WesternCourier

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day Let's be honest, most of us despise mornings. The act of waking up and feeling groggy from the late nights, the feeling of soreness from that workout yesterday or just disturbing the comfort you have in your bed in general.

Unfortunately, most of us if not all of us have to wake up in the morning at some point. So that also means that you have to make yourself breakfast or just eat breakfast if you still are fortunate enough to have a

meal plan.

The problem is if you are not a morning person or just don’t get enough sleep, breakfast is either downsized or skipped altogether. Now, the type of downsizing I am talking about is the typical breakfast bars, water, muffins, Poptarts and cereal are not always the best options on their own. Skipping the meal altogether is not smart either, in fact, this is much worse for many reasons. For starters, when you wake up,

your body is already extremely deprived of nutrients because it has been resting. So, the first nutrients you put in your body quite literally start your day.

When you don’t have breakfast at all, your body starts to take energy away from you in other ways like your muscle mass and eventually your fat.

Now, don’t think that starving yourself will instantly make you look thinner. In fact, the loss of fat by starvation can cause irreparable damage and in some cases be fatal. Breakfast will also provide you with more energy to tackle the day and promote brain function.

If you are someone that can sleep in during the morning, you may have another bad

habit. Those late night snacks or meals can be bad for you as well. When you eat during the day, you have time to use the energy that your body took in from eating whether that is from mental or physical activities. When food is consumed late at night, our bodies are naturally going to want to rest due to an internal clock. Sleeping after eating will result in weight gain because the body is forced to store the energy.

The internal clock is basically the way your body tells you to wake up and when it needs sleep. This is why if you have a pattern to your work schedule, you typically do not need an alarm, so eating late doesn’t just mess up your diet and

overall health but it can disturb your lifestyle and daily routines as well. Late night eating attributes to health issues similar to skipping or not eating a good breakfast.

High cholesterol and diabetes are the most common results of continuously eating late.

Health issues can sometimes occur even when we take care of our bodies which is why it is important to be aware of the avoidable issues.

If it is possible for you to change your habits with your diet, doing it sooner rather than later is important. Whether it is eating late at night or changing your breakfast habits, the way you eat will affect the way you live.

Explore Your Talents at Western Illinois University This Summer Western’s 2020 Summer Session offers numerous classes to fit your schedule and your major!

Graduate from college early by taking advantage of the 2020 Summer Session.

Western offers a variety of classes in general education and undergraduate and graduate degree programs, delivered in face-to-face, online or extension formats.

Additional summer opportunities include youth summer camps, internships and study abroad.

Visit wiu.edu/summer for more information.

Advance registration for currently enrolled students is April 1-10.

Open registration begins April 13.

6

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

SPORTS

WesternCourier.com

Reranking the NHL's 31 teams Zach Remelius courier staff

No. 1 Boston Bruins: After a brief scare for the top spot in the league from a couple of teams, the Bruins have pulled away again.

A 17-5-2 record in their last 25 games will certainly help that.

No. 2 St. Louis Blues: The reigning champs have won seven in a row before Tuesday’s game in New York. They will need to continue to play at a high level if they want to win the Central Division and Western Conference.

No. 3 Colorado Avalanche: The Avs are 13-4-3 in their last 20 and have also won seven in a row to keep pace in the Central Division.

The Avalanche is dealing with a load of injuries to their top players and it appears Cale Makar may miss some time.

No. 4 Philadelphia Flyers: Very quietly, the Flyers have made their way to the top of the Metro Division. They are ahead of the Penguins and sit only three points back of Washington. They are another team on a streak, having won their past six.

No. 5 Washington Capitals: Upcoming games against the Flyers and Penguins could ultimately decide their fate and opponent when the postseason starts. After leading the division all season and being among the top in the league, failing to get home ice in the first round would be devastating.

No. 6 Vegas Golden Knights: Their road to the top seed in the Pacific got much tougher with an injury to Mark Stone. However, Marc Andre-Fleury has rounded into form and the newly acquired Robin Lehner is a more than capable backup. Their underlying numbers are amazing and should get through a weak Pacific.

No. 7 Tampa Bay Lightning: 6-4 in their last 10 isn’t bad, but when trying to keep up with the

rest of the teams in the NHL, it isn’t good enough to keep up.

Steven Stamkos is also going to miss the rest of the regular season and probably the first round of the playoffs. This could spell danger for a team looking to get over last year's playoff embarrassment.

No. 8 Pittsburgh Penguins: They may have lost six in a row, but anytime you have two future Hall of Fame centers, you have a chance. They have a chance to make up some points here in the coming weeks and get some momentum before a match-up with either the Flyers or Capitals.

No. 9 Dallas Stars: Sure, they lost over the weekend in St. Louis in a shootout but they came down from two goals which are something that offense is going to struggle with. If Ben Bishop can play like we all know he can, this team can go on a deep playoff run.

No. 10 Toronto Maple Leafs: After everyone got to laugh at them last weekend, the Leafs have won three in a row. They will soon be getting Cody Ceci and Morgan Reilly back which will help, at least Reilly will.

Under Sheldon Keefe, the Leafs are on a 107 point pace so you would think Leaf fans would be rational and calm.

No. 11 Edmonton Oilers: Adding Athanasiou and Ennis adds so much to their depth at winger. With Connor McDavid and Leon Draistaitl leading the way, there is no team that can purely stop these two. They each have five points in an 8-3 win over Nashville Monday night.

No. 12 Nashville Predators: Pekka Rinne has been abysmal for the most part this season and it showed in the loss to Edmonton.

They will be in a dog fight to even get in the playoffs but the talent they have could easily upset a top

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seed. It could be an interesting off-season if they miss the playoffs in Nashville.

No. 13 New York Islanders: After a hot start, the Islanders have been hovering around .500 in their last 45 games or so.

The good news is that it was announced they will play all their playoff games in the Nassau Coliseum. That arena had so much more energy and atmosphere in last year’s playoffs in the first round before moving to Barclays in the second.

No. 14 Carolina Hurricanes: Injuries have hit this team's defense hard. Brady Skjei hasn’t provided the boast they thought they needed after losing Pesce and Hamilton. What also doesn’t help is that both of their goalies are injured. They desperately need them back if they want to get to the playoffs.

No. 15 New York Rangers: They got hot there for a little bit, but back to back losses against the Flyers have put them back into a tough spot. Chris Kreider is out for the season and there is now a Kreider-sized hole on the left wing. Panarin has been amazing with 90 points, but he might have to be even better.

No. 16 Minnesota Wild: They traded away Zucker, looked at moving Brodin or Dumba and fired their coach, and yet here they are. They are one point out of a playoff spot, and despite being one of the more unremarkable teams in terms of star power, they play hard and that might be enough to get to the playoffs.

No. 17 Vancouver Canucks: They are missing Jacob Markstrom, he was able to cover a lot of the holes in that defense with play in net. Thatcher Demko has not been able to do so. Brock Boeser has also been injured and the replacements are let’s say, not the best. There's a bright future in Vancouver but injuries have derailed that momentum this season.

No. 18 Calgary Flames: The way this team goes up and down, they could still host a first round

series or miss the playoffs entirely.

No one can understand this team and they should be so much better than what they are.

No. 19 Arizona Coyotes: Their last 20 games have been well below average and with other teams competing for that playoff spot having games in hand this will be difficult. If they miss there will need to be some conversations about where this team is headed.

No. 20 Winnipeg Jets: Somehow, someway, Connor Hellebuyck has kept this team alive along with some decent depth scoring. Overall though, this is just not a good team and the top seeded teams are begging for them to keep Nashville out of the playoffs.

No. 21 Columbus Blue Jackets: 2-4-4 in their last 10 and will need to get out of this quickly if they want to hold off Carolina and New York. Credit to them though for fighting through injuries to every notable name that remains after last season’s mass exodus.

No. 22 Florida Panthers: They are about to drop into the next tier. They are on the very fringe of playoff contention. Reports are that ownership has told the front office to cut salary after the season if they don’t make the playoffs. Which is interesting considering they spent big money on Bobrovsky and Coach Q last season.

No. 23 Buffalo Sabres: After climbing to within six points of the third seed in the division, they have collapsed. The team knows it is over and trading Wayne Simmonds still remains one of the more confusing moves of the deadline.

No. 24 Chicago Blackhawks: They still think they are in it, and that’s all well and good, but climbing over a bunch of teams and getting back into a playoff spot is probably not in the cards.

They didn’t acquire anything for Robin Lehner and Blackhawk fans turning on Stan Bowman has been quite a sight.

No. 25 Los Angeles Kings: The

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Kings are 6-2-1 in their last nine and have a bunch of games left against the Pacific Division. This team hurting rivals while having the top farm system in the NHL is a nice spot to be in for the Kings.

No. 26 New Jersey Devils: If there's anything positive to come out of this year, Mackenzie Blackwood looks like he could be a future star in net. Otherwise it’s been a largely disappointing year after the massive moves last offseason.

No. 27 Montreal Canadiens: For some reason, the Habs didn’t sell off many pieces at the deadline. They think they can get right back into the playoffs next year, which is a nice thought but looking at the roster at large it seems like a reach.

No. 28 San Jose Sharks: A preseason pick to win the Pacific and win the Cup but they have just fallen apart. Injuries have certainly helped, but they weren’t playing well before that either.

However, if somehow they can fix the goaltending, they could get right back into contention next year.

No. 29 Ottawa Senators: The Bobby Ryan hat trick last week was one of the best moments of the entire NHL season. They also have three first round picks and it appears that some kind of plan is being put into place. It is quite possible that they could end up with two top four picks or even the top two picks.

No. 30 Anaheim Ducks: John Gibson elbowed and shoved a guy to the ground if that is any indication of how frustrated he is at the lack of support. Still, there is some young talent and another top pick is on the way.

No. 31 Detroit Red Wings: The three California teams are all near the bottom of the power rankings and combined sit at -119 in goal differential. The Red Wings are -121 all by themselves. They are 31st in scoring and 31st in goals against. They have a long, long long, long, long, I can’t emphasize this enough, long way to go before getting back to relevancy.

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Wednesday, March 4, 2020

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Sports 7

Many upsets await March Madness As the regular season starts to wind down and conference tournaments begin to start up, let’s take a look back on an incredible college basketball season. There were plenty of upsets (and March just began) and dark horses that came out of seemingly nowhere to be in contention either nationally or in their conference.

If we start on the National level, there is one name currently ranked no. three in the nation after beginning the season unranked: Dayton.

The Flyers have had a tremendous season, surpassing every expectation that people had for them while only losing two games to get where they are today. Those two losses came against two good teams in a Kansas team that was ranked fourth at the time and a close upset at home against Colorado.

Yes, other than those two

games they haven’t played anybody super good, but they have been consistently blowing opponents out of the gym. The Flyers are looking to remain undefeated in conference play as they finish out the regular season, and a loss won’t cost them the Atlantic-10 regular season title, but it will definitely cost them a number one seed in the Big Dance. This team is for real and anyone who will have to play them in the tournament should come ready to go. The Flyers don’t mess around.

Another team that seemed to come out of seemingly nowhere was San Diego State. Unlike Dayton, San Diego State was even allotted one vote to begin the season which, in hindsight, seems like a major lapse in judgment. It didn’t take long for the Aztecs to climb the rank-

ings after beating the likes of Creighton and Iowa. After reaching a peak of fourth in the nation and going undefeated the entire way, the Aztecs fell at home to UNLV by three points. This loss meant the undefeated season had to come to an end, but the lone bright spot after the loss was that the team only fell one spot in the rankings to fifth in the nation. Look for the Aztecs to be a strong opponent in the tournament and make a run.

If we shift gears to look at things on a conference level, we see one conference that has seen some major shakeup from last year: The Big Ten. I know that I wrote about the change a couple of weeks ago, but after that article, it seemed as if the Big Ten was reverting back to normal: Illinois, Rutgers and Penn State started to lose some games and Michigan State, Maryland and Ohio State picked themselves back up from tough losses for some major wins.

Things shook back out and with every team in the conference down to just two games left in the regular sea-

son, the regular season title is still up for grabs. Maryland is sitting atop the standings at the current moment, with Michigan State, Illinois and Wisconsin all just one game behind them, with Penn State and Iowa just one more game back from that group. This is a dramatic shift from last year when Michigan State and Purdue were sitting head and shoulders above the remainder of the field.

One team in particular who took a major leap from last year to this year were the Fighting Illini.

When the regular season came to an end last season, the Illini were sitting among the bottom four in the conference, nine games back from the top. While the disappointment of the bad season still lingering the team then had to consider potentially losing their star freshman, Ayo Dosunmu, to the NBA. However, after being told that he would benefit drastically from an extra season at the college level, Dosunmu decided to stay at Illinois.

This began a domino effect from there, the team was able

to land the 7-foot center, Kofi Cockburn, who has been a dominant big man in the Big Ten as a freshman this season. From there, the team hit practices hard, gearing up for what seemed to be the season that they would finally be able to make it back to the NCAA tournament. However, after losing their third game of the season to No. 21 Arizona at the time by 21 points, the team didn’t look for real. Even after winning the majority of their out of conference games, they still weren’t being looked at as for real. And then the conference games began. They lost their first conference game to Maryland by a single point on the road, at a time when the Terrapins were ranked third at the time and then beat a number five Michigan team. And the rest was history. The team thrived with Dosunmu’s clutch playmaking ability and leadership and as the season is coming to a swelling point, they are looking to keep it going. This is a team that should be on everybody’s radar once the tournament begins.

but that did not happen.

Trubisky’s numbers declined across the board this season.

He finished the 2019 season throwing 3,138 yards for 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and was ranked 21st in passing yards and 27th in passing touchdowns. Trubisky also played through injury to his non-throwing shoulder. He was required to have surgery after the season. Bears have over 25 million of cap space.

The Bears can gain more with player releases but it is uncertain if they will release anyone yet. With the cap space they do have, they're a couple of quarterbacks on the free-agent market that the Bears can potentially sign players like Marcus Mariota, Case Keenum or Teddy Bridgewater. What do these players bring to the table?

Mariota: He has played with the Tennessee Titans for five seasons. In five seasons, Mariota

has thrown a total of 13,207 yards for 76 touchdowns and 44 interceptions. Mariota led the Titans to the playoffs once, losing to the New England Patriots 14-35. During the 2019 season, in week six, Mariota threw for 63 yards and two interceptions against the Denver Broncos. Mariota was benched in the third quarter, losing the game and his starting position to Ryan Tannehill.

Mariota did not play for the rest of the season.

Keenum: He is most recognized for playing with the Minnesota Vikings in 2017. He led the Vikings to the playoffs, finishing the season 13-3. Vikings beat the New Orleans Saints in their house 29-24. Keenum threw a 61-yard pass to Stefon Digg for a game winning touchdown. Vikings went to the next round, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Keenum did not return to the Vikings the following season.

He played one season for the Denver Broncos and this past season for the Washington Redskins. Keenum started eight games, finishing the season with 1,707 passing yards for 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Bridgewater: He played four seasons for the Minnesota Vikings. He lost the starting position to Case Keenum during the 2017 season. Bridgewater was on the practice squad for the New York Jets before getting traded to the New Orleans Saints.

During the 2019 season, the Saints signed Bridgewater to a one year $7.25 million guaranteed contract. In week two, Bridgewater replaced Drew Brees who had a right thumb injury. Bridgewater started for the Saints for five games and won all five games. In those five games, Bridgewater threw a total of 1,384 passing yards for nine touchdowns and two interceptions.

Potential back-ups for the Chicago Bears josh purnell courier staff

Mitchell Trubisky will be the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears in 2020, but the job could be at risk. Chicago is expecting to add a veteran quarterback to the roster this off-season. The Bears currently have a backup quarterback in Chase Daniel, but it is uncertain if the Bears will resign him. Before the start of the 2018 season, Daniel signed a two-year $10 million contract with $7 million guaranteed.

Daniel played a total of three games in two seasons, winning two games and losing one. In all three games, he’s thrown a total of 950 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions. Bears general manager Ryan Pace told the

media at the NFL Scouting Combine that Trubisky will be the starter in 2020, but did not speak about picking up Trubisky’s fifth year option for 2021. Trubisky was drafted by the Bears in the 2017 NFL Draft with the second overall pick. Over the span of three seasons, Trubisky's record is 24-20. He led the Bears to the playoffs once, only to lose at home against the Philadelphia Eagles to a missed field goal.

He was also selected to the Pro Bowl during the 2018 season. Bears fans have not been impressed with Trubisky's performance on the field this season. After a phenomenal season in 2018, many fans were expecting Trubisky to improve,

MSN.com

Marcus Mariota looks at the action from the sideline.

Washingtonpost.com

Case Keenum walks off the field after a game.

Teddy Bridgewater looks to throw downfield.

Bycicling.com

Women's basketball face firstround rematch against ORU

By Bradley Piros sports editor MACOMB, Ill. – It’s been a grueling 29-game season for the Western Illinois University women’s basketball program, but after ending with a 9-7 conference record, they find themselves as the No. 4 seed in The Summit League Tournament.

While the team ended the regular season on a two-game losing streak and barely went above .500 with a 15-14 overall record, none of that matters now. They made it into the playoffs and that’s what it’s all about.

The Leathernecks will be taking on the No. 5 seeded Oral Roberts University Golden Eagles and it’s a matchup that has a bit of history to it. Last year, Western made the tournament as the No. 5 seed and they took on No. 4-seeded ORU. Western lost that game back on March 10 of last year by a score of 68-64 and it closed the book on the Leathernecks’ 2018-19 campaign.

These two teams split their regular season meetings, each team defending their home court successfully. The first meeting was in Western Hall and the Leathernecks prevailed 75-61. ORU flipped the script in Tulsa, though, and came out on top 71-60.

Neither of those games were particularly high scoring, and that’s

the kind of game that can probably be expected again when the two collide on Sunday.

In both of those contests, senior guard Olivia Kaufmann led the team for Western. Back on Jan. 18, she put up 21 points and seven rebounds and then put up another 20 points while on the road back on Friday.

The problem for the Leathernecks is that she can’t do it all by herself. She did have help in both games, but in one of them it just wasn’t enough.

Sophomore forward Evan Zars scored in the double digits both games as well as redshirt sophomore guard Danni Nichols. These three have been the main scoring for Western as of late but they’ll need a few more people to step up if they want to make it far in this tournament.

Other players have shown flurries of success, for instance, redshirtfreshman Carla Flores put up 12 points in the away loss, but only four points inside Western Hall.

Junior guard Grace Gilmore averages eight points per game but didn’t really do a whole lot in either of the meetings, scoring eight points at home and four on the road.

When Western played in Macomb they shot 43.1 percent from the field, but shot a mere 30.2 percent in Tulsa. That could more accurately

explain the results. In both games, though, Western shot below 30 percent from behind the three-point line. If the Leathernecks can drain threes this Sunday, this one won’t even be close, but expect ORU to make Western work for every single point they put on the board.

Western will definitely have to watch out for the Golden Eagles’ main three. Junior guard Keni Jo Lippe leads ORU averaging 18.1 points per game, and she is followed by redshirt-senior Rylie Torrey with 13. Senior center Montserrat Brotons averages nine points a game, but can absolutely go off when she’s feeling it.

The three combined for 86 points in the regular season matchups; it’s whether or not they can keep up that pace when it really matters.

Neither of these teams are great away from home, Western posting a 4-9 record while ORU went 3-12 in the regular season on the road.

Luckily for both teams, this one’s on neutral ground.

It’s the final game in a best of three series. Do the Leathernecks have a deep tournament run in them or will it be the Golden Eagles raining on their parade for the second year in a row?

That question will be answered starting at noon this Sunday from Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.

becca langys / photo editor

Olivia Kaufmann cuts through the paint.

becca langys / photo editor

Evan Zars tries to grab a steal.

2020 SUMMIT LEAGUE WOMEN’S BASKETABLL CHAMPIONSHIP No. 1 South Dakota Saturday, March 7 Game 1 - Noon

No. 8 Omaha No. 4 Oral Roberts Sunday, March 7 Game 3 - Noon

Game 1 Winner Monday, March 9 Game 5 - Noon

Game 5 Winner

Game 3 Winner

No. 5 Western Illinois

Tuesday, March 10 Game 7 - 1 p.m.

2020 SUMMIT LEAGUE CHAMPION

No. 2 South Dakota State Sunday, March 7 Game 2 - 2:30 p.m.

No. 7 North Dakota No. 3 Denver Sunday, March 8 Game 4 - 2:30 p.m.

Game 2 Winner Monday, March 9 Game 6 - 2:30 p.m.

Game 6 Winner

Game 4 Winner

No. 6 North Dakota State

MARCH 7-10, 2020 DENNY SANFORD PREMIER CENTER