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Illinois announced Monday it has changed the name of Assembly Hall to the State Farm Center as part of a 30-year, $60 million agreement which will help fund the building’s upcoming renovations.

"We are extremely proud to announce this relationship with State Farm, one of the most respected corporate brands in the world," Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas said is a statement. "State Farm has been an outstanding partner for the University of Illinois for more than two decades, and this agreement will carry that partnership forward for at least three more. The Assembly Hall is one of the most recognizable structures in the nation and, at 50 years of age, has served the UI campus, community and Central Illinois very well. This agreement will ensure State Farm Center will serve those same constituents, and even more, for many years to come.

"From the very early stages of this project, it was clearly apparent that naming rights for the building would play a major part in the funding model. This agreement complements support from campus and our students while supplementing support from the community."

The arena has been named Assembly Hall since it opened on March 2, 1963. The arena is scheduled to undergo a major renovation beginning later this year and be completed in the fall of 2016 in time for the 2016-2017 Illini basketball season.

State Farm and Illinois have partnered together in the past. The company's Bloomington, Ill., headquarters are located 50 miles from Illinois' campus, and the school's buildings include the State Farm Research and Development Center.

Senior guard Alvin Ellis, of Chicago's De La Salle High School, committed and signed his letter of intent to the Michigan State Spartans on Wednesday.

Ellis, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, was previously signed with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. He averaged 20 points, six rebounds and four rebounds for De La Salle in the Chicago Catholic League this past season.

MeanStreets AAU coach Tai Streets, Ellis’ club coach, thought Ellis would excel at Michigan State under Spartans coach Tom Izzo.

“I love Izzo though I’m a Michigan alum,” said Streets, who played football at Michigan. “That’s my guy. I know I’m going to get into trouble for that, but it’s true. If it’s not Michigan, you can’t go wrong with Izzo.

“I think it’s a great fit for Alvin. First of all, he’s a hard worker. He’s in the gym every day. His shot has improved. His ball handling has improved. Everything has improved. He’s going to be great at Michigan State. I think it’s a steal.”

Izzo, who missed out on fellow Chicago recruit Jabari Parker earlier this year, also spoke highly of Ellis in a statement.

“Alvin will be a great addition to our backcourt,” Izzo said. “We like his offensive skill set, especially his shooting touch, hitting 40 percent from three each of the last two seasons. He has good length and versatility, with the ability to defend a couple different positions on the perimeter. Combine his great work ethic, his great family background and his commitment to academics, and I expect him to be the type of player that really develops during his time as a Spartan, enjoying the complete student-athlete experience.”

Ellis joins his former high school teammate Gavin Schilling in Michigan State’s 2013 recruiting class. Ellis and Schilling were teammates at De La Salle during their junior seasons. Schilling spent his senior season at Findlay Prep in Nevada.

Northwestern freshman center Chier Ajou and freshman forward Sanjay Lumpkin have been granted medical hardship waivers and will have four years of eligibility remaining, the school announced on Wednesday.

Ajou, a 7-foot-2, 235-pound center, played in seven games and averaged 1.1 points and 4.3 rebounds last season. He suffered a knee injury last season.

Lumpkin, a 6-foot-6, 195-pound forward, played in three games and averaged 1.0 points and 6.5 minutes last season. He suffered a wrist injury last season.

The Wildcats are expected to return 12 players from last season's roster for the 2013-2014 season. Northwestern, which went 13-19 overall last season, was without Ajou, Lumpkin, junior guard JerShon Cobb (academically ineligible) and senior forward Drew Crawford (shoulder) for a majority of the season. Crawford previously received a medical hardship waiver for next season.

Freshman forward Darius Paul, the younger brother of Illinois senior guard Brandon Paul, is leaving Western Michigan after one season and is looking to transfer to a high-major program, Paul's mother said on Wednesday.

Darius, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward, was the MAC Freshman of the Year and averaged 10.4 points and 5.7 rebounds last season. He had four double-doubles, including ones against Michigan and North Carolina State.

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Patrick Baldwin was announced Friday as the second assistant to join Northwestern coach Chris Collins’ staff.

Baldwin, a former Northwestern player, spent the last two seasons as an assistant at Missouri State and was previously at Loyola Chicago for seven seasons.

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Northwestern redshirt senior forward Drew Crawford announced Friday he has decided not to transfer and will remain at the school to play his final season.

After playing 10 games last year, Crawford used a medical redshirt because of a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He could have transferred to another program by taking advantage of the NCAA rule for fifth-year graduate students.

Crawford's decision was made tougher when Bill Carmody was fired after last season. Crawford had been recruited by and played under Carmody for four seasons. Carmody recently was replaced by Chris Collins.

"I can't wait to be on the court with my Northwestern teammates again this upcoming season," Crawford said in a statement. "Coach Collins has brought great energy to the program and we all believe in his vision. I have loved my experience here at NU and I'm proud to call it home. I'm ready to do all I can to lead this group and make my last year at Northwestern a great one."

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Illinois-Chicago announced Wednesday men's basketball coach Howard Moore received a three-year contract extension.

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Seton Hall sophomore guard Aaron Cosby didn't realize when he narrowed his list of schools to transfer to that his final choices -- Illinois and Missouri -- were rivals.

"I didn't even know until I was on Twitter," Cosby said by phone Wednesday. "Fans from both schools were talking about each other. I asked if this was some sort of rivalry, then I found out they play every year. I had no idea. I didn't do it on purpose."

Needless to say, Cosby will soon be adding another piece of drama to the annual Illinois-Missouri Braggin' Rights Game. He'll be eligible to play in his first one in the 2014-2015 season after he sits out next season.

Cosby will visit both schools in the coming days. He flies to Illinois on Thursday and will stay there until Saturday. On Saturday, he'll travel to Missouri and depart there on Monday. He plans to make his decision next week.

What the winning school will get is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound combo guard who started 58 games for Seton Hall in his first two seasons. He averaged 12.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.6 rebounds as a sophomore. He also shot 42.6 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-pointer range and 75.2 percent from the free-throw line.

Cosby could see himself playing for either program.

"With Illinois, I like coach [John] Groce," said Cosby, who is from Louisville, Ky. "He had offered me when he was at Ohio. I've known him since then. I like how he coaches and his playing style. I like what he's done at Illinois. They had a great year. They exceeded expectations."

Cosby also has a list of positives for Missouri.

"Missouri is kind of the same thing," Cosby said. "They have an up-tempo style of play. Coach [Frank] Haith really took charge of the recruiting. He made it clear he wants me, and that I will really fit well with his style."

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Northwestern coach Chris Collins announced Friday he retained Tavaras Hardy as the first member of his coaching staff.

Hardy, a former Northwestern player, was on former Wildcats coach Bill Carmody's staff for the last seven seasons and was the associate head coach for the last two years. Hardy was the lead recruiter for a number of Northwestern's top players, including John Shurna and Drew Crawford, and was on staff for four consecutive NIT appearances.

"I'm thrilled to have Tavaras as a member of our coaching staff," Collins said in a statement. "His first-hand experience as a student-athlete at Northwestern is a tremendous asset to the program in that he understands what a special place this is and what it takes to be successful here. He is an outstanding talent in our profession and has a great understanding of the game. Tavaras has an excellent ability to communicate with young players which makes him a terrific recruiter and mentor."

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Illinois sophomore power forward Mike Shaw announced Tuesday he was transferring to Bradley.

Shaw, a 6-foot-8, 215-pound power forward, averaged 0.9 points, 0.8 rebounds and 3.6 minutes as a sophomore at Illinois. He will sit out next season per NCAA rules and have two years of eligibility remaining.

“I just felt comfortable with Bradley,” said Shaw, who announced he was leaving Illinois last week. “I didn’t have any intention to get it done this quick, but you just have that feeling. I like where coach (Geno) Ford is taking the program. I like the fan base. I like the school. The fact (assistant Ronald Coleman) is there also had an impact. The practice facility is off the charts.

“This feels good. I have another chance. It’s an opportunity to get better, work on my game and continue to play. It’s definitely something that’s refreshing. It’s an opportunity that not too many people get. It’s really a blessing.”

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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Newly named Northwestern coach Chris Collins didn't dismiss the possibility of his father, Doug, joining his staff at some point in the future, but in the meantime, he said Doug Collins will have input in the Wildcats' program.

Father and son were in attendance Tuesday at Chris Collins' introductory news conference.

"He's a head coach right now in the NBA," Chris Collins said of his father, who coaches the Philadelphia 76ers. "It would probably be quite a pay cut to be my assistant. No breaks in that end. You never say never to anything. It's something we've always talked about at some point.

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Illinois sophomore Mike Shaw said Friday he planned to transfer after the spring semester.

Redshirt freshman forward Devin Langford and sophomore center Ibby Djimde are also transferring from Illinois, according to a source. Langford, a 6-foot-7, 200-pound swingman, averaged 0.5 points, 0.8 rebounds and 4.3 minutes in 22 games this past season. Djimde, a 6-foot-8, 245-pound center, averaged 1.7 minutes in 11 games.

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Loyola junior guard Cully Payne will not return for his senior season, and Payne’s younger brother Quinten Payne, a high school senior guard, has asked and been granted a release from his letter of intent, the school announced on Friday.

“Cully has indicated to me that he will not return for his senior season and subsequently, Quinten has asked for a release from his NLI,” Loyola coach Porter Moser said in a statement on Friday. “We wish Cully and Quinten nothing but the best in their future endeavors.”

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Former Duke star and Illinois native Jon Scheyer said Friday Duke assistant coach Chris Collins would make an "amazing" head coach if he gets the chance.

Out of respect for Collins, Scheyer didn't want to specifically talk about Collins as a candidate for Northwestern's coaching opening. Collins is expected to interview with Northwestern next week, a source recently told ESPNChicago.com.

Scheyer, a former Illinois Mr. Basketball, has known Collins for most of his life. Scheyer and Collins both grew up in Northbrook, Ill. Scheyer attended Collins' high school games at Glenbrook North as a kid, was recruited by Collins and was later coached by him at Duke.

"I always thought since I was a player at Duke that he was going to make an amazing coach," Scheyer said by phone from Spain, where he now plays professionally. "I always thought growing up people are meant to do one thing. He has a love for basketball. Not many people can say the two people who have mentored them are Doug Collins (Chris' father) and Mike Krzyzewski, two of the greatest coaches."

Scheyer said he was especially impressed by Collins' basketball knowledge while at Duke. During scrimmages in practice, Scheyer was surprised how Collins was able to design plays to get open shots for or against him.

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The state of Illinois will be represented by 41 players on the 68 teams in the NCAA tournament this year. Here’s a look at the players, including their hometowns and high schools:

Illinois sophomore guard Tracy Abrams (Chicago, Mount Carmel)
Western Kentucky freshman forward Eddie Alcantara (Chicago, Hales Franciscan)
Michigan senior guard Josh Bartelstein (Highland Park, Ill., Highland Park)
Illinois junior guard Kevin Berardini (Lake Forest, Ill., Lake Forest)
Illinois junior guard Joseph Bertrand (Sterling, Ill., Sterling)
Michigan freshman forward Max Bielfeldt (Peoria, Ill., Notre Dame)
Albany senior guard Mike Black (Chicago, Fenwick)
Louisville sophomore guard Wayne Blackshear (Chicago, Morgan Park)
Bucknell junior guard Ben Brackney (Lincoln, Ill., Lincoln)
Wisconsin junior guard Ben Brust (Hawthorn Woods, Ill., Mundelein)
North Carolina A&T freshman forward Corvon Butler (Champaign, Ill., Champaign Central)
Notre Dame senior forward Jack Cooley (Glenview, Ill., Glenbrook South)
Valparaiso junior guard LaVonte Dority (Chicago, Foreman)
Wisconsin junior forward Duje Dukan (Deerfield, Ill., Deerfield)
Illinois sophomore forward Nnanna Egwu (Chicago, St. Ignatius)
Saint Louis junior forward Dwayne Evans (Bolingbrook, Ill., Neuqua Valley)
Wisconsin senior guard Dan Fahey (Chicago, St. Ignatius)
Marquette sophomore guard Dylan Flood (Lemont, Ill., Benet)
Chicago sophomore forward Myke Henry (Chicago, Orr)
Akron sophomore guard Deji Ibitayo (Chicago, Rich Central)
Butler sophomore forward Roosevelt Jones (O’Fallon, Ill., O’Fallon)
Wisconsin sophomore forward Frank Kaminsky (Lisle, Ill., Benet)
Illinois freshman guard Mike LaTulip (Arlington Heights, Ill., Prospect)
Wisconsin freshman guard George Marshall (Chicago, Brooks)
Saint Louis junior guard Mike McCall (Chicago, Foreman)
Harvard sophomore guard Alex Nesbitt (Chicago, University of Chicago Lab School)
Kansas State freshman guard Michael Orris (Crete, Ill., Crete-Monee)
Illinois senior guard Brandon Paul (Gurnee, Ill., Warren)
Illinois senior guard D.J. Richardson (Peoria, Ill., Peoria Central)
Valparaiso sophomore guard Alex Rossi (Winnetka, Ill., New Trier)
Illinois sophomore forward Mike Shaw (Chicago, De La Sale)
Memphis senior forward Stan Simpson (Chicago, Simeon)
Ohio State junior guard Lenzelle Smith (Zion, Ill., Zion-Benton)
Marquette freshman forward Steve Taylor (Chicago, Simeon)
Ohio State sophomore forward Sam Thompson (Chicago, Whitney Young)
Davidson junior guard Clay Tormey (Chicago, Henderson International)
Kansas freshman forward Jamari Traylor (Chicago, Julian)
Albany junior forward Dave Wiegmann (Breese, Ill., Breese Central)
Wichita State freshman guard Fred Van Vleet (Rockford, Ill., Auburn)
Michigan senior guard Matt Vogrich (Lake Forest, Ill., Lake Forest)
Duke senior forward Todd Zafirovski (Lake Forest, Ill., Lake Forest Academy)