The Chicago Bulls will go another season without an All-Star. And the Illinois men and women have another big week after ranked road wins.
Every Tuesday, Tribune writers will provide an update on what happened — and what’s ahead — for the Bulls, Sky and local college basketball teams. Want more? Sign up for our Tribune sports newsletter.
Josh Giddey misses All-Star selection
Bulls guard Josh Giddey drives the lane in the second quarter during a game against the 76ers on Dec. 26, 2025, at the United Center. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
Despite raising hopes for a first-time selection with his early-season performance, Josh Giddey was not selected for this year’s All-Star game.
The NBA announced reserves for the All-Star rosters Sunday night, a group that included Eastern Conference stars like Donovan Mitchell and Karl-Anthony Towns. Giddey did not make the cut despite averaging the fifth-most assists per game while averaging 18.6 points, 8.8 assists and 8.6 rebounds per game. The guard has the second-most triple-doubles this season behind only Nikola Jokić.
Despite this prolific output, Giddey was already an outlier in the All-Star race before suffering a hamstring strain on Dec. 29. He missed 11 consecutive games and was still sidelined when the initial round of fan and media voting for All-Star closed on Jan. 14. The guard returned on Jan. 22, but has been sidelined again with hamstring tightness for the last three games.
The Australian is unlikely to be selected as an injury replacement due to the new format for the All-Star game, which will feature two eight-player teams of American players and one eight-player team of international players. The uncertainty of his current injury status will only add to the stacked odds against his potential All-Star bid.
This is the third consecutive season without an All-Star on the Bulls roster. This is the longest stretch without a Bull selected to the All-Star game since 2017-21, which spanned Jimmy Butler’s final selection with Chicago to Zach LaVine’s first All-Star nod.
Second-year forward Matas Buzelis will be the lone representative for Chicago as a participant in the Rising Stars challenge.
WNBA owners, players’ union meet in NYC
Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike shoots against Golden State Valkyries center Temi Fagbenle on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
The WNBA and representatives from the players’ union met for a few hours Monday in New York City for a crucial meeting after a weeks-long impasse in negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. The two sides have been operating in status quo since the prior CBA expired in early January after several extensions.
WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike and executive committee members Brianna Turner and Alysha Clark attended the meeting in person while Kelsey Plum, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart participated via video conference. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and New York Liberty owners Clara Wu Tsai and Joe Tsai were among those reported in attendance for the league’s side of negotiations.
The union previously said that scant progress has been made since the players sent the league their most recent proposal, which included a 30% gross revenue share. The league previously extended an offer that included raising the base salary of a maximum deal to $1 million, per a report from the Associated Press.
Despite initial messaging, the players have been less willing to invoke a work stoppage after authorizing a strike through a vote back in December. However, the season — which is scheduled to start on May 8 — is drawing closer.
The WNBA still has not announced a timeline for its expansion draft, amateur draft or mandatory report dates for compliance with the league’s prioritization rules. Lack of progress in negotiations could ultimately trigger a work stoppage or delay the start of the season.
‘Money’ play
Illinois’ Tomislav Ivišić dribbles against Nebraska’s Rienk Mast during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Feb. 1, 2026, in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said it was the play of the game in Illinois’ 78-69 win over Nebraska on Sunday.
But when Illini freshman Keaton Wagler saw it unfolding, he briefly thought to himself, “What is he doing?”
The Cornhuskers had cut Illinois’ lead to one point midway through the second half, and the shot clock was winding down late on an Illini possession.
Illinois center Tomislav Ivišić ran into the paint to take a pass from David Mirković but realized he didn’t have time to maneuver his way to a good shot around several defenders. So he swatted the ball to his left over a defender — right into the hands of 3-point shooter Jake Davis.
“I was hoping Jake was going to be there, and he was there,” Ivišić said.
Illinois jumps to No. 5 in the new AP Top 25, as the Big Ten has 4 of the top 10 spots
Davis, who finished with 13 points and three 3-pointers, nailed the shot to spark a 10-0 Illinois run, and Ivišić went viral on social media for the unorthodox spike pass.
Wagler saw the play unfold from the top of the key.
“Tomi just hits it. I’m like, ‘What is he doing?’” Wagler said. “It goes straight to Jake. I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, this is money.’
“It just shows how smart he is and how unselfish he is. A lot of people would just try to catch that and force up a shot. But he knew he had Jake in the corner and if he could get it to him, that he was going to knock it down.”
Super Bowl Sunday push
Illinois forward Berry Wallace shoots against UCLA at State Farm Center on Jan. 28, 2026, in Champaign. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Before Shauna Green went to the locker room with her team Wednesday night following a loss to No. 2 UCLA, the Illinois coach took the microphone at State Farm Center and addressed the fans as she usually does.
She thanked them for attending and then made a pitch. The Illinois women want to sell out State Farm Center on Sunday for their game against USC. It is, of course, Super Bowl Sunday, but the tipoff is at noon. Illinois is offering discounts, including $5 tickets, $1 wings and $7 domestic beers, to try to entice fans.
“If we can get this done, it would be monumental for this program,” Green said at her postgame news conference. “It would be great for recruiting. It would be great for our players in a big game with USC coming in. This place gets loud. I’ve been at men’s games here. If we can get that for that game, it would be unbelievable.
“It’s a tall task, but I truly believe we can get it done.”
The Illini (16-6, 6-5) hope to have some momentum heading into the game. They knocked off No. 24 Washington 75-66 on the road Sunday behind 23 points, 10 rebounds and four steals from freshman Cearah Parchment. They continue their West Coast trip at Oregon on Wednesday.
Number of the week: 6-0
The Illinois men’s basketball record in Big Ten road games this season.
Illinois guard Andrej Stojakovic goes up to shoot against Nebraska guard Sam Hoiberg and forward Berke Büyüktuncel on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Lincoln, Neb. (AP Photo/Bonnie Ryan)
Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman posted a photo after Illinois’ win at Nebraska that showed coach Brad Underwood talking to his players in the locker room. He stood in front of a whiteboard that had scrawled in capital letters, “ROB THE (expletive) BANK.”
The Illini stole the win at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Sunday, eight days after winning at Purdue’s Mackey Arena, to stay undefeated in conference road play this season. But they have one more truly big road test ahead — at Michigan State’s Breslin Center on Saturday.
“We’ve got some toughness,” Underwood said of why his team has been successful on the road. “We’ve got some connectivity. … This team has tremendous problem-solving ability. I think our basketball IQ is pretty high, and I think our toughness is growing.”
Week ahead: Bulls
Chicago Bulls guard Coby White drives to the basket as Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo defends during the second half on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Tuesday: @ Bucks, 7 p.m., CHSN
Thursday: @ Raptors, 6:30 p.m., Prime Video
Saturday: Nuggets, 7 p.m., CHSN
Monday: @ Nets, 6:30 p.m., CHSN
The Bulls survived their four-in-five sprint in Miami this weekend. Now, they face a handful of games that will decide their postseason standings after the All-Star break. Tuesday’s game in Milwaukee is their penultimate matchup against the Bucks, who are tumbling toward draft lottery status without Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Week ahead: Best college basketball games
DePaul Blue guard CJ Gunn is guarded by UConn guard Silas Demary Jr. in the second half on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Tuesday: No. 22 St. John’s men at DePaul, 7 p.m., Peacock
Wednesday: Northwestern men at No. 5 Illinois, 8 p.m., Big Ten Network
Wednesday: No. 1 Connecticut women at DePaul, 7 p.m., TruTV
Saturday: No. 5 Illinois men at No. 10 Michigan State, 7 p.m., Fox
Sunday: USC women at Illinois, 12 p.m., Big Ten Plus
Sunday: Northwestern men at Iowa, 2 p.m., FS1
The DePaul men and women welcome ranked teams to Wintrust Arena on back-to-back nights.
The Northwestern men head to Champaign for a rematch with Illinois on Wednesday. The Illini, who won the first meeting 79-68, have an 11-game winning streak on the line. Their trip to play at Michigan State on Saturday will mark their third straight weekend playing in a top-10 matchup.
What we’re reading this morning
Quote of the week
“I’m so happy. It was the first jump ball for me since I started basketball.” — 5-foot-7 guard Yuki Kawamura after winning a jump ball over 6-foot-5 guard Kasparas Jakučionis in Saturday’s win over the Miami Heat