Chicago basketball report: Bulls locked into play-in tournament as Sky prepare for WNBA draft
The Chicago Bulls are locked into the 9-10 seed game in the NBA play-in tournament. Can they hold on to home-court advantage?
The Chicago Sky hold the No. 3 and No. 8 picks in the first round of the WNBA draft, which will take place on Monday.
UConn coach Dan Hurley joined Bulls coach Billy Donovan among an elite company of coaches to win consecutive NCAA men’s basketball titles. And Illinois won the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament with a victory over Villanova in Indianapolis last Wednesday.
Every Wednesday throughout the season, Tribune writers will provide an update on what happened — and what’s ahead — for the Bulls, Sky and local basketball.
Bulls set for 9-10 game in the play-in tournament
The postseason schedule is set for the Chicago Bulls — at least for the opening round of the play-in tournament.
The Bulls will face the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the play-in tournament Wednesday in a matchup of the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds. The only question left is where the game will take place. The Bulls currently have a one-game advantage over the Hawks, and if that holds through Sunday’s regular-season finale in New York, the Bulls will host at the United Center.
If the Bulls lose Wednesday, their season will come to an end. If they win, they will advance to the next round of the tournament to face the loser of the matchup between the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds. The winner of that game will advance to the playoffs to face the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference — the Boston Celtics.
Sky enter the WNBA draft with two first-round picks
After several years of sitting on the sidelines, the Chicago Sky will be at the center of action for the WNBA draft on Monday as the league prepares for one of the most highly touted draft classes in recent history.
The Sky could have a shot at a variety of top-level names including Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson, Jacy Sheldon, Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese. After trading Kahleah Copper, the Sky are in a heavy rebuild period this season which gives them flexibility to pick the best players available at any draft slot rather than worrying too heavily about team or roster fit.
The WNBA draft will take place at 6:30 p.m. Monday in Brooklyn with a live broadcast on ESPN. The Sky have the No. 3 and No. 8 picks in the first round, as well as the No. 13 overall pick in the second round.
Illinois wins inaugural WBIT championship
Illinois made history by claiming the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament title with a win over Villanova last Thursday.
The WBIT debuted this season as a second-tier tournament for 32 teams that did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament. It serves as an offset for the men’s National Invitation Tournament.
This might seem confusing — the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) has existed since the 1990s, featuring local teams like DePaul and Northwestern. But that tournament is a pay-to-play model that requires teams to dish out a fee to the event sponsor. Unlike the WNIT, the WBIT is owned and operated by the NCAA and does not require teams to pay a fee to participate.
The top seeds in the inaugural WBIT tournament were the first four teams that missed out on the NCAA Tournament — James Madison, Washington State, Villanova and Penn State. Illinois entered as a No. 4 seed after a 19-15 season.
Makira Cook was selected as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after scoring 27 points in the final.
Dan Hurley joins Billy Donovan with consecutive NCAA titles
With a dominant 75-60 win over Purdue on Monday night, UConn coach Dan Hurley joined Bulls coach Billy Donovan among elite company as one of eight coaches to ever win consecutive NCAA men’s basketball titles.
Donovan was the last to accomplish the feat in 2006 and 2007. Before him, Mike Krzyzewski led Duke to consecutive titles in 1991 and 1992. The most dominant coach in this category is John Wooden, who won seven straight championships between 1967 and 1973.
Number of the week: 2
Alex Caruso needs to play at least 20 minutes in two of the final four games of the regular season to qualify for end-of-season awards, including All-Defense.
The NBA installed a new 65-game minimum for end-of-season awards this season. Caruso has only played more than 65 games in two seasons in his career, both with the Bulls. Although he has appeared in 68 games this year, Caruso did not log at least 20 minutes in four of those games, which means they did not count toward qualification.
Week ahead: Bulls
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: @ Detroit Pistons, 6 p.m., NBC Sports Chicago
Friday: @ Washington Wizards, 6 p.m., NBC Sports Chicago
Saturday: Off
Sunday: @ New York Knicks, 12 p.m., NBC Sports Chicago (regular-season finale)
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Off
What we’re reading this morning
Quotable
“I’m not gonna help Andre pay the fine.” — Javonte Green after Andre Drummond earned a technical foul during a raucous bench celebration for Green’s dunk against the New York Knicks
