Illinois players hurt in accident

Two Illinois players were injured when their car went off a road and slammed into a tree in Champaign, Ill.

Brian Carlwell was at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana on Tuesday in serious condition with a severe concussion, sports information director Kent Brown said. Jamar Smith was treated at the hospital for a concussion and released.

Illinois Coach Bruce Weber spent Monday night in the hospital with Carlwell, a 6-foot-11 freshman center.

Police cited Smith for improper lane usage, Brown said, and campus police said further action was possible depending on their investigation.

Smith, a 6-3 sophomore guard, was driving Monday night on the outskirts of the campus when his car crossed the center line and struck a tree, university police said. It was snowing heavily in the area, but it wasn’t known if that contributed to the accident.

Smith averages 8.1 points, and Carlwell averages 1.7 points and 1.4 rebounds.

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The game scheduled for tonight between No. 24 Indiana and Purdue at West Lafayette, Ind., has been postponed until Thursday because of heavy snow that has blanketed much of Indiana.

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Tonight’s game between Northwestern and Iowa has been postponed until Thursday because of severe weather in the Chicago area. The Hawkeyes will play host to the Wildcats.

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Illinois Chicago Coach Jimmy Collins, 59, who has been on leave since Dec. 23 because of illness, said he expects to resume his full-time duties this spring. Collins had surgery Jan. 4 to repair a major abdominal artery.