In the Big Ten season opener, Kofi Cockburn scored a career-high 33 points and led the No. 13 Fighting Illini (5-2, 1-0 Big Ten) to a 92-65 victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman announced today that Lovie Smith has been relieved of his duties as head football coach after five seasons at the helm of the Fighting Illini. Smith will not coach the Illini during its final game of the season.

The No. 6 Fighting Illini jumped out to a 17-4 lead on No. 10 Duke and never looked back, beating the Blue Devils, 83-68, on Tuesday night as the marquee matchup in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

It was a balanced attack by the Illini with six players scoring in double figures, led by Ayo Dosunmu's 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. He also pulled down 12 rebounds in the win.