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Sports editor Matt Daniels looks back at what was happening in the area:

Three reasons why we love sports today

➜ 1. Thanksgiving means football…and this year, Illinois men’s basketball.

➜ 2. While Illini athletic director Josh Whitman announced the news in mid-June that Illinois and Brad Underwood would face new Arkansas coach John Calipari’s program on Thanksgiving, Illinois made it official on FridayThe Illini and Razorbacks will face off at 3 p.m. on Nov. 28 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. CBS will broadcast the game after the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears kick off the NFL season on Thanksgiving.

➜ 3. Treat yourself to a week, Jackson Buchanan. The senior from Illinois is now in the semifinals of the 124th U.S. Amateur after a 4-and-3 quarterfinal win over Jacob Modleski on Friday in Chaska, Minnesota.

Number game: 1,812

Career Points Dee Brown scored one goal during his legendary Illini basketball career from 2002 to 2006. Why is this relevant today? Well, the one-man fast break under Bill Self And Bruce Weber celebrates his 40th birthday on Saturday. Illini historian Michael Pearson catches up with Brown to look back on his Illini career in his latest Illini Legends, Lists & Lore article. Brown’s point total still ranks fourth in Illinois history.

Crowd control

Three events I observe

➜ 1. DePaul at Illinois football. The Illini’s season started off on a positive note with a 6-0 win over Wright State on Thursday night. We’ll see if that trend – and frequent scoring – continues when the Blue Demons face Demirjian Park in Champaign on Sunday at 1 p.m.

➜ 2. Cincinnati Bengals at Chicago Bears. The Caleb Williams Watch continues Saturday afternoon. Keep an eye on how many wears former Illini Follow Braun The Bengals will also receive this when the two teams meet at Soldier Field.

➜ 3. San Francisco Giants at Oakland Athletics. Former Eastern Illinois pitcher and Mattoon native Hayden Birdsong starts on Saturday night for the Giants in the Bay Area rivalry.

Trainer Corner

Three questions for Monticello boys basketball coach Kevin Roy, who has led the Sages to 344 wins since 2006, including a Class 2A runner-up finish in 2022:

➜ 1. My favorite sports team is… the dream team of 1992.

➜ 2. Three coaches I would like to have dinner with are… John Wooden, Tony Bennett and Ted Lasso.

➜ 3. What annoys me most is… wait in line.