Morning Box Score
By Chuck Sudo in News on Nov 28, 2010 3:00PM
It was a full day of action yesterday. The Bulls and Blackhawks wrapped up their "circus trips;" Northwestern stood in the way on a Wisconsin trip to the Rose Bowl; Notre Dame resumed its rivalry with Southern Cal; and Illinois basketball is back in full swing.
College Football
Wisconsin 70, Northwestern 23: It's inexplicable that NU has retreated into its collective shell since QB Dan Persa suffered a season ending Achilles tendon injury, but that's exactly what's happened to the Wildcats. The defense, which already had problems wrapping up tackles most of the season, allowed Wisconsin to run roughshod all day. The Badgers earned a share of the Big Ten title and the Rose Bowl berth thanks to its standings ahead of Ohio State and Michigan State in the BCS standings.
Notre Dame 20, USC 16: Robert Hughes's 5-yard run with 2:23 remaining sealed a comeback win for the Irish as they beat USC for the first time since 2001. The win also gave Brian Kelly a winning season in his inaugural campaign as Irish coach. The Irish also got a little bit of luck in the fourth quarter when Trojans receiver Ronald Johnson dropped a certain touchdown reception in the final seconds.
College Basketball
Illinois 78, Western Michigan 63: Illinois inched closer to a showdown with North Carolina in the annual Big Ten-ACC challenge by beating the Broncos in Kalamazoo with what coach Bruce Weber said was the Illini's best first half of basketball all season. MIke Tisdale paced the Illini with 18 points and 7 rebounds.
Pro Basketball
Bulls 96, Kings 85: Derrick Rose returned to the lineup, scored 30 points, grabbed seven boards and dished out 7 assists as the Bulls bounced back from Friday night's heartbreaker in Denver to end their annual circus trip with a winning record since the Jordan era. Luol Deng backed up Rose with 22 points and 9 rebounds.
Hockey
Blackhawks 2, Kings 1: Patrick Kane's game-winning deflection of a Tomas Kopecky pass withstood a lengthy video review, giving the Blackhawks a win in Los Angeles and, more important, a 4-2 record on their road trip. Officials determined after the review that Kane didn't intentionally knock the puck into the net with his hand. Patrick Sharp scored his fifth goal in six games for the Blackhawks