The Chicago Cubs have continued their active offseason by bringing back a familiar face. Chicago has re-signed left-hander Drew Smyly to a two-year contract worth $19 million, according to The Athletic. The contract reportedly includes a third year mutual option. The team has not yet confirmed the signing.

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While Christmas Eve will see the bulk of the Week 16 NFL games, there will be three matchups on Christmas Day to watch.

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ST. LOUIS — After the first six minutes, the Braggin’ Rights game unraveled for Illinois.

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We’re almost to Christmas, and the NFL MVP race is actually fun! This basically never happens!

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As free agent signing and trades continue across Major League Baseball through the winter, some players on the move include former Cardinals. Some became fan favorites while wearing the birds on the bat, while others might’ve had brief stints in St. Louis before departing.

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There was something rare about SIU’s 23-man recruiting class that coach Nick Hill unveiled Wednesday morning.

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CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Marcus Domask scored a game-high 24 points as the Southern Illinois men’s basketball program won its fourth-straight game Wednesday night on the road against regional rival Southeast Missouri, 70-68.

“We knew it was going to be a grind-it-out game. I thought after the first 10 minutes of the first half we played pretty good basketball up until the last two minutes of the game,” head coach Bryan Mullins said postgame. “We have to do a better job executing at the end of the game, but our goal was to come here and get a win before Christmas and we were able to accomplish that.”

Southeast Missouri (5-8) gave the Salukis all they could handle in the final minutes of the game, cutting a seven-point deficit with 1:31 left to play to just a point with 18 seconds on the clock. SEMO was able to convert a trio of 3-pointers in the final 90 seconds, but the Salukis countered by cashing in six late free throws.

With Southern (9-4) leading by two points with 14 seconds, SEMO was able to get off a potential game-winning layup that was tipped out to a waiting Chris Harris who was just off on his 3-pointer to win the game for the Redhawks. Harris led Southeast Missouri with 19 points and connected on five threes in the game.

Domask’s 24 points marked the third time this season that the forward has eclipsed the 20-point plateau. The Waupun, Wisconsin native was a perfect 8-for-8 from the line to go along with six rebounds and a pair of assists. Domask scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half of play, including six in the final five minutes.

“Marcus stepped up late and made some big free throws, a couple of big baskets. He did what a player of his caliber should do.” Mullins said.

Lance Jones joined Domask in double figures with 14 points, scoring seven of SIU’s first 13 points in the game. Jones was 2-for-6 from deep and 4-for-5 from the charity stripe.

Key to the Salukis rallying back from a double-digit deficit was their work on the defensive end of the floor. Southern held SEMO to just four points in the final eight minutes of the first half after the Redhawks scored 26 in the first 12 minutes of play.

“We knew if we could get some defensive stops, we could push in transition and get some good looks,” Mullins said. “When we were down 10, we got some big stops and that’s what we have to hold our heads on and continue to be a team that can get stops consistently.”

Guard Dalton Banks gave the Salukis strong minutes in the second half, scoring six points, including 3-for-4 at the free throw line while controlling the flow of the game.

“He (Dalton) played with good poise and good confidence,” Mullins noted. “He wasn’t rattled, he played downhill, and I thought he made some really good decisions for us.”

Both teams started at a blistering pace to open the game with SIU taking a 13-10 advantage into the first media timeout. The Salukis started the game shooting 5-for-7, including a trio of 3-pointers to set the tone.

SEMO locked in defensively and answered with a 16-2 scoring run to take control of the game, holding the Salukis without a field goal for over nine minutes until Jawaun Newton was able to get a steal and a runout layup to pull the Salukis to within nine points.

That defensive play would jumpstart the SIU offense as Southern reeled off a 7-0 run in just over 60 seconds to make it a four-point game. The Salukis added to the run over the next four minutes finishing the half scoring 14 of the 15 points. JD Muila would push the Salukis ahead at time expired with a tip-in bucket.

SEMO shot 40 percent from the field while holding the Salukis to 37 percent, but SIU was able to capitalize on its trips to the free throw line, converting 24-of-31 attempts while Southeast Missouri was 11-for-18.

UP NEXT
The Salukis return to action following the holidays with a trip to Murray State to take on the Racers on December 29. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. from the CFSB Center.

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Basketball, on Instagram at @SIU_Basketball and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiAthletics. Fans can also download the “Salukis” Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.

When: 8 p.m., Thursday

Where: State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois

Records: Illinois 8-3, 0-2 Big Ten; Missouri 10-1

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Since 1972, no NFL team has been as consistently good as the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the 1970s, the Steelers were so dominant that NFL Films narrator John Facenda once said, “There are 27 teams in the National Football League, and then, there are the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

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Week 15 was not good to me with my picks. In fact, it was one of my worst weeks of the season.

Ouch.

So much for getting on a hot streak in the final month. But it’s Christmas week, which means the best present I can give you all is a bunch of winners — and that’s what I intend to do.

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