Dwyane Wade fractured his elbow on Wednesday in an unfortunate incident that will sideline him for the remainder of the regular season. The Bulls guard told reporters Thursday that the next four weeks will be about watching Jimmy Butler “kick ass” and “rise to the challenge,” leading the team to the playoffs. That will not be easy, as the Bulls are 32-36, 10th in the East and a game behind the Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat in the standings. More interesting than whether or not the Bulls can claim the eighth seed, though, is what happens after that. Wade said it was too early to say whether or not his injury would affect what he does this summer, but he has a big decision to make. The 35-year-old has a $23.8 million player option next season. We know this isn’t the be-all, end-all for Wade because he said in training camp that winning a title was “unrealistic” for this Bulls team. It’s unlikely, however, that he thought the Bulls would be under .500 and fighting for a playoff spot. He has made no secret of the fact he’s frustrated with the front office’s decision to try to develop young players and make the playoffs at the same time, and he has acknowledged that his experience in his first season in his hometown will affect what he does in the offseason. Does Wade trust management to improve the team enough to be more competitive next season? This is questionable, as the Bulls seem like it genuinely wants to get younger and rebuild now — we don’t even know if Butler will even be on the team next year.Will a better team offer him a contract he finds reasonable? This an open question because it’s unclear whether or not he would sacrifice money.Wade could join any contender he wants if he’s willing to take a minimum contract. That’s a big if, which brings us to the next variable.Wade said earlier this season that he is not “ring chasing,” but he elaborated on that comment in January.

“The reason I said that, [the media] asked me a question about going to the Cavs this summer and I said, “Well, I think they had like $2.4 million [to offer],” Wade said. “It ain’t that bad. It ain’t that bad for me now. I do got three rings … that’s what I meant. In the sense, when you’re a veteran guy, you’re older, some guys have taken those sacrifices — David West last year, he gave all his money back to go to San Antonio. It’s something that he wanted to do, he wanted to put himself in position to try to win a ring. I have three, I’ve been in five Finals, so I don’t need to do that. But it is a time where you can compete too. It’s just a fine line between what you really want. That’s not what I want.”

This is what you have to keep in mind when you start imagining him joining his friend LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wade knows he can do that, but he said fairly recently that he doesn’t think he needs to. The Cavs can’t conjure up cap space to sign him, and other top-tier teams have the same issue. When negotiations didn’t go as planned with the Heat last summer, Wade talked to the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets, not just the Bulls. If the Nuggets still want to sign him — a real question given how good their young wings are — then they could offer him as much or more money than he’d make in Chicago. The Bucks couldn’t quite do that, but they could at least make a competitive offer if Greg Monroe declines his player option. You never know who else could reach out with a rich, short-term deal — how much do you think his veteran leadership would be worth to the Minnesota Timberwolves, for example? When Wade has been on the bench, the Bulls have been 3.2 points per 100 possessions better than when he has been on the court. This isn’t exactly his fault — the front office signed him after signing Rajon Rondo and went into the season desperately in need of more shooting. Chicago never addressed the issue, leading to terrible spacing and an awkward offense. Wade started the season on fire from downtown, but regressed to 31.5 percent — it is clear that he needs to be surrounded by shooters in order to be successful.Given Wade’s recent comments and the mid-January venting session with Butler , I wonder how important it is for him to be on a veteran team. I also wonder if he’s at the point in his career where he’d be willing to accept a role as a sixth man. His efficiency has steadily declined in the last three seasons — perhaps that trend could be reversed if he was leading somebody’s second unit.

NORMAL—Deontae Hawkins made a career-high six 3-pointers and finished with 22 points to lead Illinois State to an 85-71 victory over UC Irvine in the first round of the NIT on Wednesday night.Top-seeded Illinois State (28-6) bounced back from a loss to Wichita State in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title game, and will play No. 4 seed Central Florida (22-11) in the second round.Hawkins was 8 of 11 from the floor and made all six 3-point attempts. MiKyle McIntosh and Paris Lee added 13 points apiece for the Redbirds, who shot 52.5 percent (32 of 61) from the field and 13 of 25 (52 percent) from long range, and had a season-high 22 assists.Jaron Martin scored 24 points and Luke Nelson had 17 to lead UC Irvine (21-15).The Redbirds had a double-digit lead for most of the second half. A 12-3 run pulled UC Irvine to 61-55 but the Anteaters didn’t get closer.

Mike Conley and Marc Gasol each scored 27 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 98-91 win against the Bulls on Wednesday night.Conley and Gasol scored 18 of the team’s 24 points in the fourth quarter as the Grizzlies held off the Bulls, who lost for the sixth time in seven games.Memphis, which had lost five straight before winning Monday, earned its second straight win.The Bulls never led in the second half, but Nikola Mirotic had a pair of tying 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. Both were answered by Gasol, his teammate on the Spanish national team.The Bulls were without Dwyane Wade down the stretch after he injured his right elbow with 8:34 remaining. He did not return.Rajon Rondo scored 17 points to lead the Bulls.

CHAMPAIGN—Malcolm Hill scored 25 points, Leron Black had a double-double and Jamall Walker picked up a win in his debut as the interim coach for Illinois, an 82-57 romp over short-handled Valparaiso in an opening game of the NIT on Tuesday night.Hill made 7 of 12 shots, including four 3-pointers, and 7 of 8 free throws and became the fourth player to surpass 1,800 points for the Illini (19-14), who are seeded second in their bracket and are home against Boise State next. Black had 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds.Walker served as an assistant to head coach John Groce for five seasons until Croce was fired on Saturday.Tevonn Walker had 25 points for Valparaiso (24-9), which reached last year’s NIT title game. The Crusaders were without Horizon League player of the year Alec Peters, the program’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, who started all 134 games of his career before an injury sidelined him prior to the last regular season game.Hill and Black combined for 24 points and the Illini shot 53 percent, including 5 of 10 behind the arc, to lead 41-24 at the half. Valpo pulled within 15 early in the second half, but got no closer.

MONTREAL—Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford likes facing the Canadiens in Montreal.Crawford made 40 saves and the Hawks defeated the Canadiens 4-2 on Tuesday night to take the lead atop the Western Conference standings.

”Playing here in front of family and friends is always special,” said Crawford, who has never lost to the Habs in regulation time (7-0-2).Its just enjoy it. It’s always good.”

Crawford withstood a flurry of shots at the end of the first period to preserve the lead after Patrick Kane made it 1-0.Kane finished with a goal and two assists and is tied with Edmonton star Connor McDavid with 76 points for tops in the NHL.In the second period, Crawford took Shea Weber’s slap shot off his mask from just a few feet out. The Blackhawks goalie was stunned but stayed in the game.

”I didn’t have any time to get out of the way,” said Crawford, who was coming off a season-best 42-save effort against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. ”Hard shot. I tried to take the angle away. He smoked me there.”

Crawford was going for a shutout but was beaten twice in the third period. Paul Byron slapped a bouncing puck over his shoulder at 12:42 before Weber scored on a slap shot from the point at 16:32.

”It got a little tight there at the end, but big two points for us against a big team,” said Crawford, who faced 18 shots in the third. ”We were pretty good all game. We had a lot of chances.It’s a great win, especially in this building.”

Carey Price, who made 20 saves, became the third Montreal goaltender to reach the 500-game milestone.Only Patrick Roy (551) and Jacques Plante (556) have played more games between the pipes for Montreal.But playing the Blackhawks isn’t easy for the Canadiens, who haven’t beaten the Blackhawks since 2014 (0-6-1).Crawford has never conceded more than two goals in a game against Montreal – his highest save percentage against any opponent.

”Getting that first goal is just taking us too long,” said Byron, who has 19 goals on the season. ”We can’t wait until the end of the third period to get going. We’re all trying hard and doing the right thing. We just have to focus on getting one earlier.”

After Kane’s opener in the first, the Hawks got goals from Johnny Oduya, Artemi Panarin and Jonathan Toews, into the empty net.Montreal’s Alexei Emelin was at fault on the Blackhawks’ first three goals.Kane scored in the first period after Emelin couldn’t control the puck at center ice.In the second period, the Canadiens defenseman collided with his teammate just moments before Oduya made it 2-0.Emelin was again to blame for Hawks third goal when he inexplicably changed sides mid-rush, leaving Panarin all alone in front of the goal.With time on his side, Panarin roofed the puck on Price 47 seconds into the third period. Emelin finished the game with a minus-3 rating.

”The mistakes that we made, they capitalized on,” said Jeff Petry, who was on a defensive pairing with Emelin.

”We have to communicate, to know who’s going for the puck and who’s picking the net-front guy. The communication wasn’t there tonight.

”I’m definitely not happy with the outcome of the game.”

Artem Anisimov left the game in the first period with a left leg injury after Alexander Radulov fell on him. He did not return.

NOTES—Defenseman Brandon Davidson, acquired at the trade deadline, got his second start with Montreal, replacing Nathan Beaulieu on the blue line. . The Clarkson Cup-winning Canadiennes de Montreal (CWHL) were honored in a pregame ceremony….The Blackhawks travel to Ottawa and face the Senators on Thursday night.

CHARLOTTE—Nikola Mirotic scored 24 points, Rajon Rondo had a season-high 20 in his return to the starting lineup and the Bulls beat the Charlotte Hornets 115-109 on Monday night to snap a season-high, five-game losing streak.Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler each had 23 points for the Bulls (32-35), who got a needed win to boost their hopes of earning the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.Mirotic, who didn’t play in the Bulls loss to Boston on Sunday, had five 3-pointers, while Rondo provided the spark for the Bulls in his first start since Dec. 30. Along with hitting a season-high three 3-pointers, he had six assists and seven rebounds.Jeremy Lamb scored 26 points filling in for Nic Batum (migraine), while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 22 and Kemba Walker 21 for the struggling Hornets. Marvin Williams had 13 points and tied a career high with 18 rebounds.Looking to provide an early spark to his struggling offense, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg went with Rondo over Jerian Grant as the starting point guard. The move couldn’t have worked better, as the Bulls scored 36 points in the first quarter – two shy of their season high – after knocking down 8 of 13 3-pointers.Rondo had three of those 3-pointers and added three assists as the Bulls built a 12-point, first-quarter lead.The Hornets battled back from 16 points down to tie the game in the third quarter at 69 but could never take the lead. Every time Charlotte got close, Mirotic seemed to come up with a big basket.

NOTES—The Bulls made 11 of their first 19 3-pointers, but cooled off significantly after the middle of the second quarter, finishing 14 of 40 from beyond the arc. … Outscored the Hornets 18-2 on fast-break points. … Wade, Rondo and Butler were all 8 of 15 from the field…..Frank Kaminsky returned after missing the last five games with a sprained AC joint. … Carolina Panthers perennial Pro Bowl linebacker Luke Kuechly had a front row seat to the game along with Panthers coach Ron Rivera….The Bulls return home to face Grizzlies on Wednesday night.

CHAMPAIGN—A day after Illinois fired coach John Groce and three days after its NCAA tournament hopes vanished, the Illini accepted a bid to play in the National Invitation Tournament as a No. 2 seed.The Illini (18-14) will play No. 7 seed Valparaiso in the first round Tuesday at the State Farm Center. This marks the third time in the last four years Illinois has played in the NIT, going 1-2 in that span.Illinois had worked its way back into NCAA tournament consideration with a four-game winning streak late in the season, but a loss at Rutgers in the regular-season finale and a 20-point loss to Michigan in the Big Ten tournament dashed any hopes.Athletic director Josh Whitman said he decided Thursday to dismiss Groce, who had been in Champaign for five seasons, and Whitman announced the decision Saturday. Assistant coach Jamall Walker was promoted to interim head coach.Vaparaiso (24-8, 14-4) tied for first in the Horizon League in the regular season but lost potential NBA draft pick Alec Peters late in the season to a stress fracture in his right leg.The winner will advance to play No. 3 seed Utah or No. 6 Boise State.Illinois State was considered an NCAA tournament bubble team, but the Redbirds were left out despite a strong RPI and a win against Wichita State. They earned a No. 1 seed in the NIT and will face No. 8 UC Irvine on Wednesday at Redbird Arena in Normal.The other No. 1 seeds were California, Iowa and Syracuse.In an twist, Syracuse will face UNC Greensboro. During the ACC tournament in New York, Orange coach Jim Boeheim ripped that city as a former host site, saying, “There’s no value to playing in Greensboro. None.”

EVANSTON—Northwestern earned its first NCAA Tournament berth Sunday, picked as the 8-seed in the West Region. When the Wildcats heard their name called on the CBS Sports Selection Show, fans and players went absolutely insane with excitement at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats will face No. 9 seed Vanderbilt on Thursday in Salt Lake City.
Here are the facts, and boy do they bear repeating: Northwestern’s last winning Big Ten record came in 1968. Before 2015-16, Northwestern had never won 20 games in a regular season; it had never broken the 20-win threshold, period. The first NCAA tournament was held in 1939 in Evanston, Illinois. The NCAA tournament has included at least 64 teams for 32 years. Northwestern was the only power conference team in college basketball history — the only one — never to make the NCAA tournament.It is almost impossible to fathom the epochal end these 2016-17 Wildcats represent. Compare them to the Cubs if you like, but then imagine if the Cubs went 100 years without once making the playoffs. That’s what we’re talking about here. That’s how winning 21 games in the regular season, finishing 10-8 in the Big Ten, and sliding into the back half of a 68-team NCAA tournament field makes you legendary. And don’t get it twisted: Whatever happens later this week, Chris Collins and his players are already legends.

BOSTON—This was a disgrace as thge Bulls litterly stunk out the joint at TG Garden! Worst outing of a miserable season! Isaiah Thomas scored 22 points as it circled TD Garden, leading the Boston Celtics over the Bulls 100-80 Sunday and sending the the visitors to their season-high fifth straight loss.The Celtics rushed to a 13-0 lead, shutting out the Bulls until Dwyane Wade’s jumper nearly six minutes into the game.Thomas, the team’s leading scorer at 29.2 points per game, played only 24 minutes and sat the entire final quarter. He had some fun with the fans in the closing minutes of the blowout, taking part with teammate Jae Crowder in the crowd’s cheer.Avery Bradley had 17 points and Marcus Smart and Al Horford both added 12, and no Boston starter played more than 32 minutes.Robin Lopez and Denzel Valentine paced the Bulls with 13 points apiece. Wade scored only eight points and Jimmy Butler had five.

Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin scored on the Blackhawks first two shots, Corey Crawford made 42 saves and the Hawks defeated Minnesota 4-2 on Sunday to pull within a point of the Central Division-leading Wild.Trevor van Riemsdyk and Marian Hossa also scored for the Blackhawks, who ended a two-game slide and won for the 13th time in their last 16. Kane’s goal was his team-leading 30th and 10th in eight games.Eric Staal scored his 22nd goal and Mikael Granlund got his 23rd for Minnesota, which has dropped three of four. Minnesota outshot the Blackhawks 44-22 for a season high allowed by the Blackhawks.Minnesota goaltender Devan Dubnyk, looking for his career-high 37th win, was relieved by Darcy Kuemper less than five minutes into the game after allowing those early goals.Dubnyk replaced Kuemper for the third period of the Wild’s previous game, a 7-4 win at Florida on Friday night.The Blackhawks finished 3-1 against Minnesota in the regular season. The Blackhawks and Wild have met in the postseason three times – in 2013, 2014 and 2015 – and the Hawks won all three series and twice went on to win the Stanley Cup.Set up by Panarin, Kane opened the scoring just 51 seconds in from the edge of the right circle on a shot that deflected off defenseman Marco Scandella.Panarin made it 2-0 at 4:38 on a rising one-timer from the slot that sailed over Dubnyk’s blocker. That prompted coach Bruce Boudreau to summon Kuemper.Crawford was sharp in the second period, stopping all 20 shots he faced. Meanwhile, van Riemsdyk scored at 5:28 during a delayed penalty to increase the Hawks lead to 3-1.Minnesota’s Ryan White pulled down Jordin Tootoo along the left boards. Play continued and Marcus Kruger stepped in and fed the loose puck to van Riemsdyk, who had streaked to the edge of the crease.

NOTES—Minnesota C Martin Hanzal missed the game with an illness. Wild C Jordan Schroeder moved back in the lineup after being scratched in four straight. … Blackhawks veteran defensemen Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya were back in the lineup and paired together after getting a night off in a 4-2 loss at Detroit on Friday….The game started at 11:30 a.m. and was played before a season-high United Center crowd of 22,147. … Tomas Jurco was a healthy scratch for the first time since being acquired from Detroit on Feb. 24. … The Blackhawks signed 22-year-old F John Hayden, 22, one of their top prospects after he concluded his senior year at Yale…..The Blackhawks are at Montreal on Tuesday to start a three-game Canadian trip that also takes them to Ottawa and Toronto.