<a href="https://www.panthers.com/news/panthers-name-brandt-tilis-executive-vp-of-football-operations">Via Carolina Panthers</a>

CHARLOTTE — The Panthers have made another significant addition to their front office as they build toward the future.

The team has hired former Chiefs executive Brandt Tilis as their new Executive Vice President of Football Operations.

The football executive management team will be led by new Panthers President of Football Operations/General Manager Dan Morgan.

Tilis will be responsible for all football administration and non-coaching matters related to operations, equipment, video, and analytics, among other areas. He will also lead player contract negotiations, compliance with the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement and league rules, salary cap management, and maintenance and labor administration.

Tilis, who was Kansas City's lead contract negotiator, adds an analytical approach to the cap.

Tilis has spent the last 14 seasons with the Chiefs and the last three as vice president of football operations.

He has been their lead contract negotiator since 2017 and worked to create a structure that allowed them to give quarterback Patrick Mahomes a record-breaking 10-year, $450 million contract extension in 2020.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702169890347.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.panthers.com/news/panthers-name-brandt-tilis-executive-vp-of-football-operations">Via Carolina Panthers</a>CHARLOTTE — The Panthers have made another significant addition to their front office as they build toward the future.The team has hired former Chiefs executive Brandt Tilis as their new Executive Vice President of Football Operations.The football executive management team will be led by new Panthers President of Football Operations/General Manager Dan Morgan.Tilis will be responsible for all football administration and non-coaching matters related to operations, equipment, video, and analytics, among other areas. He will also lead player contract negotiations, compliance with the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement and league rules, salary cap management, and maintenance and labor administration.Tilis, who was Kansas City's lead contract negotiator, adds an analytical approach to the cap.Tilis has spent the last 14 seasons with the Chiefs and the last three as vice president of football operations.He has been their lead contract negotiator since 2017 and worked to create a structure that allowed them to give quarterback Patrick Mahomes a record-breaking 10-year, $450 million contract extension in 2020.

Panthers hire Chiefs contract expert

AP Sports Summary for February 1st, 2024.

Seahawks hire Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as new coach

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks hired Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as their new head coach. Macdonald, 36, spent the past two years running Baltimore's defense, including this past season when the Ravens finished with the NFL's best regular-season record and reached the AFC championship game before losing to Kansas City. This will be the first head coaching position at any level for Macdonald. He will be the youngest head coach in the NFL.

Early money heavily on Kansas City Chiefs to repeat as Super Bowl champions

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The early money is heavily on Kansas City to repeat as Super Bowl champion when the Chiefs face the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl on Feb. 11. That caused sportsbooks to drop the opening number that favored the Niners by 2 or 2 1/2 points to 1 or 1 1/2 points. FanDuel Sportsbook opened the Niners as 2 1/2-point favorites. That number was 1 1/2 on Tuesday night.

Super Bowl-bound Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce to Taylor Swift: 'Thanks for joining the team'

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce thanked his girlfriend, pop superstar Taylor Swift, for "joining the team" during his podcast with his brother, Eagles center Jason Kelce. Swift began dating the younger Kelce after he invited her to a Chiefs game early in the season, and she has been a frequent attendee every since. Whether she makes it to Las Vegas to watch the Chiefs play the 49ers in the Super Bowl remains to be seen. She resumes her Eras Tour next week with four shows in Tokyo, and the last of them ends on Saturday about 10 p.m. local time. That could give her enough time to make the trip for Sunday's game.

Kevin Durant scores 33 points in Brooklyn return, leads Suns to 136-120 victory over the Nets

NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 33 points in his return to Brooklyn, leading the Phoenix Suns to a 136-120 victory over the Nets on Wednesday night. Durant added eight assists in his first game in Brooklyn since being traded to Phoenix nearly a year ago. He got a mixed reception early in the game before helping take the crowd out of it with 11 points in the third quarter, when the Suns outscored the Nets 42-26 after leading by just three at halftime. Jusuf Nurkic added 28 points and 11 rebounds for the Suns, overwhelming an undersized Nets team as the Suns won for the ninth time in 11 games.

Caitlin Clark moves into No. 2 on NCAA scoring list as No. 3 Iowa pounds Northwestern 110-74

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Iowa star Caitlin Clark moved into second on the NCAA women's basketball career scoring list, finishing with 35 points, 10 assists and six rebounds in the No. 3 Hawkeyes' 110-74 victory over Northwestern. Cheered on by a sellout crowd at Welsh-Ryan Arena filled with Iowa colors and dotted with Clark shirts, the senior guard went 11 for 22 from the field. It was her 13th game this season with at least 30 points. Hannah Stuelke had 17 points and nine rebounds for Iowa, which earned its second straight win since a 100-92 overtime loss at Ohio State on Jan. 21.

With scoring up less than 1% over last season, the NBA is not seeing cause for alarm

Joe Dumars went to an NBA game a couple of weeks ago that came down to the very last shot, and he thought it was one of the best games of the season to this point. The final score was Denver 102, Boston 100. It was a reminder that defense still can get played in the NBA. Amid a flurry of big individual performances — Luka Doncic scoring 73, Joel Embiid scoring 70, Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns each scoring 62 — in the last two weeks alone, Dumars said Wednesday that NBA officials aren't alarmed by such numbers because the league's scoring average is up only slightly compared to last season.

PGA Tour strikes $3 billion deal with Fenway-led investment group. Players to get equity ownership

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — The PGA Tour is getting a $3 billion investment from Strategic Sports Group. The deal gives players access to more than $1.5 billion as equity owners in the new PGA Tour Enterprises. The launch of PGA Tour Enterprises comes eight months after the PGA Tour signed a framework agreement with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf. That led to private equity groups wanting to join. The tour still is negotiating with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. The PIF is not yet part of the new venture. The tour says its partnership with SSG allows for the Saudis to be co-investors.

Tennessee, Virginia AGs suing NCAA over NIL-related recruiting rules with Vols under investigation

The attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA that challenged its ban on the use of name, image and likeness compensation in the recruitment of college athletes. The legal challenge comes in response to the NCAA's investigation of University of Tennessee athletics for potential recruiting infractions. The lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Tennessee claims the NCAA is enforcing rules that unfairly restrict how athletes can commercially use their name, image and likeness. The NCAA already is facing other antitrust suits challenging transfer rules, employment status for athletes and athlete compensation rules.

Cal Ripken Jr. and Grant Hill are part of the investment team that has agreed to buy the Orioles

Cal Ripken Jr. and Grant Hill are part of the investor group that has agreed to buy the Baltimore Orioles. So are former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke. The group is headed by Baltimore native David Rubenstein. He is co-founder of the Carlyle Group. Additional investors were revealed in a news release announcing the agreement between Rubenstein and the Angelos family, which has run the team for the past three decades. The Angelos family is selling a control stake in the team to Rubenstein for $1.725 billion. The sale is subject to a full vote of Major League Baseball ownership.

Repeating in NFL used to be more common, but Chiefs aim to be first back-to-back champs in 19 years

Repeat championships in the NFL used to be more common. Over the first 39 Super Bowls, it happened eight times. But no team has done it since Tom Brady and the New England Patriots won two in a row following the 2003-04 seasons. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are aiming to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champs in 19 years when they face the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas. The Chiefs had a chance to do it three years ago, but lost 31-9 to Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Thursday, February 1st, 2024." />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Thursday, February 1st, 2024.</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for February 1st, 2024.Seahawks hire Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as new coachRENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks hired Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as their new head coach. Macdonald, 36, spent the past two years running Baltimore's defense, including this past season when the Ravens finished with the NFL's best regular-season record and reached the AFC championship game before losing to Kansas City. This will be the first head coaching position at any level for Macdonald. He will be the youngest head coach in the NFL.Early money heavily on Kansas City Chiefs to repeat as Super Bowl championsLAS VEGAS (AP) — The early money is heavily on Kansas City to repeat as Super Bowl champion when the Chiefs face the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl on Feb. 11. That caused sportsbooks to drop the opening number that favored the Niners by 2 or 2 1/2 points to 1 or 1 1/2 points. FanDuel Sportsbook opened the Niners as 2 1/2-point favorites. That number was 1 1/2 on Tuesday night.Super Bowl-bound Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce to Taylor Swift: 'Thanks for joining the team'KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce thanked his girlfriend, pop superstar Taylor Swift, for "joining the team" during his podcast with his brother, Eagles center Jason Kelce. Swift began dating the younger Kelce after he invited her to a Chiefs game early in the season, and she has been a frequent attendee every since. Whether she makes it to Las Vegas to watch the Chiefs play the 49ers in the Super Bowl remains to be seen. She resumes her Eras Tour next week with four shows in Tokyo, and the last of them ends on Saturday about 10 p.m. local time. That could give her enough time to make the trip for Sunday's game.Kevin Durant scores 33 points in Brooklyn return, leads Suns to 136-120 victory over the NetsNEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 33 points in his return to Brooklyn, leading the Phoenix Suns to a 136-120 victory over the Nets on Wednesday night. Durant added eight assists in his first game in Brooklyn since being traded to Phoenix nearly a year ago. He got a mixed reception early in the game before helping take the crowd out of it with 11 points in the third quarter, when the Suns outscored the Nets 42-26 after leading by just three at halftime. Jusuf Nurkic added 28 points and 11 rebounds for the Suns, overwhelming an undersized Nets team as the Suns won for the ninth time in 11 games.Caitlin Clark moves into No. 2 on NCAA scoring list as No. 3 Iowa pounds Northwestern 110-74EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Iowa star Caitlin Clark moved into second on the NCAA women's basketball career scoring list, finishing with 35 points, 10 assists and six rebounds in the No. 3 Hawkeyes' 110-74 victory over Northwestern. Cheered on by a sellout crowd at Welsh-Ryan Arena filled with Iowa colors and dotted with Clark shirts, the senior guard went 11 for 22 from the field. It was her 13th game this season with at least 30 points. Hannah Stuelke had 17 points and nine rebounds for Iowa, which earned its second straight win since a 100-92 overtime loss at Ohio State on Jan. 21.With scoring up less than 1% over last season, the NBA is not seeing cause for alarmJoe Dumars went to an NBA game a couple of weeks ago that came down to the very last shot, and he thought it was one of the best games of the season to this point. The final score was Denver 102, Boston 100. It was a reminder that defense still can get played in the NBA. Amid a flurry of big individual performances — Luka Doncic scoring 73, Joel Embiid scoring 70, Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns each scoring 62 — in the last two weeks alone, Dumars said Wednesday that NBA officials aren't alarmed by such numbers because the league's scoring average is up only slightly compared to last season.PGA Tour strikes $3 billion deal with Fenway-led investment group. Players to get equity ownershipPEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — The PGA Tour is getting a $3 billion investment from Strategic Sports Group. The deal gives players access to more than $1.5 billion as equity owners in the new PGA Tour Enterprises. The launch of PGA Tour Enterprises comes eight months after the PGA Tour signed a framework agreement with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf. That led to private equity groups wanting to join. The tour still is negotiating with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. The PIF is not yet part of the new venture. The tour says its partnership with SSG allows for the Saudis to be co-investors.Tennessee, Virginia AGs suing NCAA over NIL-related recruiting rules with Vols under investigationThe attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA that challenged its ban on the use of name, image and likeness compensation in the recruitment of college athletes. The legal challenge comes in response to the NCAA's investigation of University of Tennessee athletics for potential recruiting infractions. The lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Tennessee claims the NCAA is enforcing rules that unfairly restrict how athletes can commercially use their name, image and likeness. The NCAA already is facing other antitrust suits challenging transfer rules, employment status for athletes and athlete compensation rules.Cal Ripken Jr. and Grant Hill are part of the investment team that has agreed to buy the OriolesCal Ripken Jr. and Grant Hill are part of the investor group that has agreed to buy the Baltimore Orioles. So are former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke. The group is headed by Baltimore native David Rubenstein. He is co-founder of the Carlyle Group. Additional investors were revealed in a news release announcing the agreement between Rubenstein and the Angelos family, which has run the team for the past three decades. The Angelos family is selling a control stake in the team to Rubenstein for $1.725 billion. The sale is subject to a full vote of Major League Baseball ownership.Repeating in NFL used to be more common, but Chiefs aim to be first back-to-back champs in 19 yearsRepeat championships in the NFL used to be more common. Over the first 39 Super Bowls, it happened eight times. But no team has done it since Tom Brady and the New England Patriots won two in a row following the 2003-04 seasons. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are aiming to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champs in 19 years when they face the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas. The Chiefs had a chance to do it three years ago, but lost 31-9 to Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION Final	L.A. Clippers	125	Washington	109	Final	Chicago	117	Charlotte	110	Final	Cleveland	128	Detroit	121	Final	Miami	115	Sacramento	106	Final	Minnesota	121	Dallas	87	Final	Orlando	108	San Antonio	98	Final	New Orleans	110	Houston	99	Final	Oklahoma City	105	Denver	100	Final	Phoenix	136	Brooklyn	120	Final	Portland	119	Milwaukee	116	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Final OT	Ottawa	3	Detroit	2	Final	Los Angeles	4	Nashville	2	Final OT	Anaheim	3	San Jose	2	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL Final	(1)UConn	74	Providence	65	Final	(2)Purdue	105	Northwestern	96	Final	Florida	94	(10)Kentucky	91	Final	(16)Auburn	81	Vanderbilt	54	Final	(18)Baylor	77	UCF	69	Final	Boise St.	86	(19)New Mexico	78	Final	(24)Alabama	85	Georgia	76	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION Indiana	at	New York	7:30 p.m.	L.A. Lakers	at	Boston	7:30 p.m.	Cleveland	at	Memphis	8 p.m.	Philadelphia	at	Utah	10 p.m.	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL (6)Wisconsin	at	Nebraska	8:30 p.m.	California	at	(11)Arizona	8:30 p.m.	___

📢📰 Sports Headlines for Thursday

Courtesy Hutchinson CC Sports Information

COLBY – The No. 19-ranked Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team sank 11 3-pointers to remain perfect in true road games this season with a decisive Jayhawk Conference victory over the Colby Trojans on Wednesday night.

<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/whiteney_dallas_ktg5">Dallas Whitney</a>&nbsp;hit a career-high five 3-pointers to lead the Blue Dragons to a 77-56 victory over the Trojans at the Colby Event Center.

The Blue Dragons improved to 17-3 overall and remained one game behind league leaders Barton and Cowley at 12-2. Hutchinson plays host to Independence at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Sports Arena. Colby fell to 7-14 and 3-12 in league play. The Dragons defeated Colby for the seventh-straight game.

The Blue Dragons are now 6-0 in true road games this season.

Whitney led a 39-18 scoring advantage off the bench with 19 points, his second-highest single-game performance of the season. Whitney hit 5 of 9 3-pointers to place the Blue Dragons. Whitney also tied a career high with seven rebounds.

<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/thomas_kamryn_j9zm">Kamryn Thomas</a>&nbsp;scored 14 points with a 3-pointer and four rebounds.&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/simon_valentino_8svq">Valentino Simon</a>&nbsp;had 11 points and seven rebounds with three assists.&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/bundy_kernan_hvu2">Kernan Bundy</a>finished with 10 points, hitting a pair of 3-pointers.

The Blue Dragons shot 49.2 percent overall (29 of 59), going 8 of 12 from the free-throw line. The Dragons were 11 of 23 from 3-point range with Whitney hitting five and Bundy and Logan Wagler hitting two treys each.

The Dragons out-rebounded Colby 36-30 and tallied 19 assists, 12 steals and five blocked shots.

Defensively, the Blue Dragons held Colby to the fourth fewest points in series history. The Trojans shot 41.8 percent (23 of 55) overall, 2 of 10 from 3-point range and 8 of 11 from the foul line. The Trojans committed 24 turnovers.

Marko Malekinusic had 16 points to lead Colby. Maxence Massadila, who had 28 points against Hutchinson November, was held to 11 points.

There were four lead changes in the first four minutes of the game. Trailing 8-6, the Dragons tied the game on a J.P. Ricks transition layup and took the lead for good at 10-8 after Bundy scored following an offensive rebound. A Whitney transition 3-pointer gave the Dragons a 13-8 lead with 14:00 to play in the opening half.

After the lead dipped to only one, the Blue Dragons went on a 10-0 run that was capped by a Wagler 3-pointer with 10:24 to play for a 23-12 lead.

Leading 35-24 with a minute to play in the half, the Dragons closed with a flourish. Whitney hit a pull-up 3-pointer with 59 seconds left and Simon scored after an offensive rebound with 27 seconds to go to complete the first half shooting 54.8 percent for a 40-24 halftime lead.

A Thomas layup and two Simon free throws in the first 40 seconds of the second half gave the Dragons their first 20-point lead at 44-24. The closest Colby got in the second half was 17 points.

GAME NOTES&nbsp;– With there steals,&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/whiteney_dallas_ktg5">Dallas Whitney</a>&nbsp;now has eight games of three or more steals. … Russell Brandt tied a career high with five steals. … The Blue Dragons are now 57-6 all-time against Colby. … This was all-time victory 1,911. … The Blue Dragons had their 10th game this season forcing 20 or more turnovers and sixth game with 10 or more 3-pointers. … Dre Weathers surpassed the career 400-point mark, now with 402 points. …&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/thomas_kamryn_j9zm">Kamryn Thomas</a>&nbsp;broke the career 500-point mark with 501 points. … Colby's 24 points in the first half was the sixth time this season the Dragons held an opponent to less than 30 points in a half.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706763282247.jpeg" alt="Dallas Whittney goes up for one of his career-high five 3-pointers in the No. 19 Blue Dragons' 77-56 KJCCC victory over Colby on Wednesday in Colby. (Billy Watson/Blue Dragon Sports Information)&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Dallas Whittney goes up for one of his career-high five 3-pointers in the No. 19 Blue Dragons' 77-56 KJCCC victory over Colby on Wednesday in Colby. (Billy Watson/Blue Dragon Sports Information)&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy Hutchinson CC Sports InformationCOLBY – The No. 19-ranked Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team sank 11 3-pointers to remain perfect in true road games this season with a decisive Jayhawk Conference victory over the Colby Trojans on Wednesday night.<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/whiteney_dallas_ktg5">Dallas Whitney</a>&nbsp;hit a career-high five 3-pointers to lead the Blue Dragons to a 77-56 victory over the Trojans at the Colby Event Center.The Blue Dragons improved to 17-3 overall and remained one game behind league leaders Barton and Cowley at 12-2. Hutchinson plays host to Independence at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Sports Arena. Colby fell to 7-14 and 3-12 in league play. The Dragons defeated Colby for the seventh-straight game.The Blue Dragons are now 6-0 in true road games this season.Whitney led a 39-18 scoring advantage off the bench with 19 points, his second-highest single-game performance of the season. Whitney hit 5 of 9 3-pointers to place the Blue Dragons. Whitney also tied a career high with seven rebounds.<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/thomas_kamryn_j9zm">Kamryn Thomas</a>&nbsp;scored 14 points with a 3-pointer and four rebounds.&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/simon_valentino_8svq">Valentino Simon</a>&nbsp;had 11 points and seven rebounds with three assists.&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/bundy_kernan_hvu2">Kernan Bundy</a>finished with 10 points, hitting a pair of 3-pointers.The Blue Dragons shot 49.2 percent overall (29 of 59), going 8 of 12 from the free-throw line. The Dragons were 11 of 23 from 3-point range with Whitney hitting five and Bundy and Logan Wagler hitting two treys each.The Dragons out-rebounded Colby 36-30 and tallied 19 assists, 12 steals and five blocked shots.Defensively, the Blue Dragons held Colby to the fourth fewest points in series history. The Trojans shot 41.8 percent (23 of 55) overall, 2 of 10 from 3-point range and 8 of 11 from the foul line. The Trojans committed 24 turnovers.Marko Malekinusic had 16 points to lead Colby. Maxence Massadila, who had 28 points against Hutchinson November, was held to 11 points.There were four lead changes in the first four minutes of the game. Trailing 8-6, the Dragons tied the game on a J.P. Ricks transition layup and took the lead for good at 10-8 after Bundy scored following an offensive rebound. A Whitney transition 3-pointer gave the Dragons a 13-8 lead with 14:00 to play in the opening half.After the lead dipped to only one, the Blue Dragons went on a 10-0 run that was capped by a Wagler 3-pointer with 10:24 to play for a 23-12 lead.Leading 35-24 with a minute to play in the half, the Dragons closed with a flourish. Whitney hit a pull-up 3-pointer with 59 seconds left and Simon scored after an offensive rebound with 27 seconds to go to complete the first half shooting 54.8 percent for a 40-24 halftime lead.A Thomas layup and two Simon free throws in the first 40 seconds of the second half gave the Dragons their first 20-point lead at 44-24. The closest Colby got in the second half was 17 points.GAME NOTES&nbsp;– With there steals,&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/whiteney_dallas_ktg5">Dallas Whitney</a>&nbsp;now has eight games of three or more steals. … Russell Brandt tied a career high with five steals. … The Blue Dragons are now 57-6 all-time against Colby. … This was all-time victory 1,911. … The Blue Dragons had their 10th game this season forcing 20 or more turnovers and sixth game with 10 or more 3-pointers. … Dre Weathers surpassed the career 400-point mark, now with 402 points. …&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchinson.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/thomas_kamryn_j9zm">Kamryn Thomas</a>&nbsp;broke the career 500-point mark with 501 points. … Colby's 24 points in the first half was the sixth time this season the Dragons held an opponent to less than 30 points in a half.

🏀 MBB: No. 19 Blue Dragons roll past Colby

Courtesy of Hutchinson CC Sports Information

COLBY – Led by a balanced offensive attack and stellar defensive effort, the No. 2-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team reached the 20-victory milestone on Wednesday night.

The Blue Dragons had a slow offensive start, but steadily pulled away to defeat the Colby Trojans 69-35 at the Colby Event Center in the second meeting of the season.

Hutchinson improved to 20-0 overall and 14-0 in the Jayhawk Conference. The Blue Dragons reach the 20-win plateau for the 32nd time in the program's 50-year history and the 15th time in the John Ontjes era. The Blue Dragons also extended their winning streak over Colby to 19 consecutive games. Colby fell to 6-14 overall and 2-13 in the KJCCC. The Blue Dragons play host to Independence at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Sports Arena.

The Blue Dragons missed 10 of their first 16 shots, but finished hitting 20 of their final 38 shot attempts to pull away, building leads as large as 36 points.

Ten of 11 Blue Dragons to suit up scored on Wednesday led by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/muggeridge_akaysha_rpaz">Akaysha Muggeridge</a>'s team-high 13 points, hitting 3 of 5 3-point goals.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/armstead_journey_w1mg">Journey Armstead</a>&nbsp;was the only other Blue Dragon to score in double figures, finishing with 10 points. Armstead surpassed the career 500-point mark with 509 points. Armstead added seven rebounds and three assists.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/denison_madie_a39r">Madi Denison</a>&nbsp;came off the bench to score nine points with eight rebounds.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/horyna_bree_rg28">Bree Horyna</a>&nbsp;hit a pair of 3-pointers and finished with eight points.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/pleasant_jada_61uv">Jada Pleasant</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/norris_kahlen_azmu">Kahlen Norris</a>&nbsp;had seven points each. The Blue Dragon bench outscored Colby 33-2.

The Blue Dragons shot 48.1 percent (26 of 54) for the game, hitting 9 of 23 3-pointers and 8 of 13 from 3-point range. The Dragons outrebounded Colby 35-30 and committed 12 turnovers.

Sofia Lopez led Colby with a game-high 17 points and six rebounds.

The Trojans shot only 28 percent (14 of 15) and were held to an opponent season-low one 3-pointer on 15 attempts. Colby was 6 of 7 from the free-thrown line. The Trojans committed 19 turnovers.

The Blue Dragons didn't' score for the first 2:43 of the first quarter. Denison came off the bench to spark the Dragons with back-to-back inside buckets to cap an 8-0 run for an 8-3 lead with 4:11 to play in the first quarter. Hutchinson held Colby to 1 of 12 shooting in the first 10 minutes as the Blue Dragons built a 14-7 lead after one period.

Hutchinson opened the second quarter with a 12-2 run over the first 5:56 of the second quarter. Denison scored to give the Dragons a 26-9 lead with 4:04 remaining in the half. The Dragons led 30-15 at halftime.

The Dragons held Colby scoreless for the first 4:10 of the third quarter and built a 37-15 lead after a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/duffy_monae_og8s">Monae Duffy</a>bucket following an offensive rebounds with 7:00 to play in the quarter. The Dragons hit 7 of 14 shots with a pair of 3-pointers from Armstead and Horyna. The Dragons' largest lead of the period was 26 points after an Armstead layup gave the Dragons a 45-19 lead with 3:14 remaining. The Dragons led 45-28 after three quarters.

Leading 56-32, the Dragons used a 13-2 run to build a 69-33 lead after two Horyna free throws with 59 seconds to play. The Dragons outscored Colby 21-10 in the fourth quarter, hitting 6 of 8 total shots, 2 of 2 from 3-point range and 6 of 6 from the foul line.

GAME NOTES&nbsp;– The Blue Dragons are now 59-14 all-time against Colby. … The Dragons are 6-0 on the road this season and 140-39 all-time on the road in the John Ontjes era. … This is Hutchinson's sixth start of 20-0 and seventh win streak of 20 games or more in program history. …&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/armstead_journey_w1mg">Journey Armstead</a>&nbsp;moved past Abby Ogle into ninth place on the Blue Dragon career assist list with 245. … This is the 11th time this season the Blue Dragons have held an opponent to less than 30 percent shooting and the third team to hold an opponent to less than 40 points. …&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/norris_kahlen_azmu">Kahlen Norris</a>&nbsp;hit her first career 3-pointer in the second half.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706759491045.jpeg" alt="Journey Armstead knocks down a 3-pointer during the second half of No. 2 Hutchinson's 69-35 win over Colby on Wednesday at the Colby Event Center. (Billy Watson/Blue Dragon Sports Information)&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Journey Armstead knocks down a 3-pointer during the second half of No. 2 Hutchinson's 69-35 win over Colby on Wednesday at the Colby Event Center. (Billy Watson/Blue Dragon Sports Information)&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Hutchinson CC Sports Information COLBY – Led by a balanced offensive attack and stellar defensive effort, the No. 2-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team reached the 20-victory milestone on Wednesday night.The Blue Dragons had a slow offensive start, but steadily pulled away to defeat the Colby Trojans 69-35 at the Colby Event Center in the second meeting of the season.Hutchinson improved to 20-0 overall and 14-0 in the Jayhawk Conference. The Blue Dragons reach the 20-win plateau for the 32nd time in the program's 50-year history and the 15th time in the John Ontjes era. The Blue Dragons also extended their winning streak over Colby to 19 consecutive games. Colby fell to 6-14 overall and 2-13 in the KJCCC. The Blue Dragons play host to Independence at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Sports Arena.The Blue Dragons missed 10 of their first 16 shots, but finished hitting 20 of their final 38 shot attempts to pull away, building leads as large as 36 points.Ten of 11 Blue Dragons to suit up scored on Wednesday led by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/muggeridge_akaysha_rpaz">Akaysha Muggeridge</a>'s team-high 13 points, hitting 3 of 5 3-point goals.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/armstead_journey_w1mg">Journey Armstead</a>&nbsp;was the only other Blue Dragon to score in double figures, finishing with 10 points. Armstead surpassed the career 500-point mark with 509 points. Armstead added seven rebounds and three assists.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/denison_madie_a39r">Madi Denison</a>&nbsp;came off the bench to score nine points with eight rebounds.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/horyna_bree_rg28">Bree Horyna</a>&nbsp;hit a pair of 3-pointers and finished with eight points.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/pleasant_jada_61uv">Jada Pleasant</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/norris_kahlen_azmu">Kahlen Norris</a>&nbsp;had seven points each. The Blue Dragon bench outscored Colby 33-2.The Blue Dragons shot 48.1 percent (26 of 54) for the game, hitting 9 of 23 3-pointers and 8 of 13 from 3-point range. The Dragons outrebounded Colby 35-30 and committed 12 turnovers.Sofia Lopez led Colby with a game-high 17 points and six rebounds.The Trojans shot only 28 percent (14 of 15) and were held to an opponent season-low one 3-pointer on 15 attempts. Colby was 6 of 7 from the free-thrown line. The Trojans committed 19 turnovers.The Blue Dragons didn't' score for the first 2:43 of the first quarter. Denison came off the bench to spark the Dragons with back-to-back inside buckets to cap an 8-0 run for an 8-3 lead with 4:11 to play in the first quarter. Hutchinson held Colby to 1 of 12 shooting in the first 10 minutes as the Blue Dragons built a 14-7 lead after one period.Hutchinson opened the second quarter with a 12-2 run over the first 5:56 of the second quarter. Denison scored to give the Dragons a 26-9 lead with 4:04 remaining in the half. The Dragons led 30-15 at halftime.The Dragons held Colby scoreless for the first 4:10 of the third quarter and built a 37-15 lead after a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/duffy_monae_og8s">Monae Duffy</a>bucket following an offensive rebounds with 7:00 to play in the quarter. The Dragons hit 7 of 14 shots with a pair of 3-pointers from Armstead and Horyna. The Dragons' largest lead of the period was 26 points after an Armstead layup gave the Dragons a 45-19 lead with 3:14 remaining. The Dragons led 45-28 after three quarters.Leading 56-32, the Dragons used a 13-2 run to build a 69-33 lead after two Horyna free throws with 59 seconds to play. The Dragons outscored Colby 21-10 in the fourth quarter, hitting 6 of 8 total shots, 2 of 2 from 3-point range and 6 of 6 from the foul line.GAME NOTES&nbsp;– The Blue Dragons are now 59-14 all-time against Colby. … The Dragons are 6-0 on the road this season and 140-39 all-time on the road in the John Ontjes era. … This is Hutchinson's sixth start of 20-0 and seventh win streak of 20 games or more in program history. …&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/armstead_journey_w1mg">Journey Armstead</a>&nbsp;moved past Abby Ogle into ninth place on the Blue Dragon career assist list with 245. … This is the 11th time this season the Blue Dragons have held an opponent to less than 30 percent shooting and the third team to hold an opponent to less than 40 points. …&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/norris_kahlen_azmu">Kahlen Norris</a>&nbsp;hit her first career 3-pointer in the second half.

🏀 WBB: No. 2 HutchCC reaches 20-win plateau 

<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/news/2024/1/31/womens-basketball-k-states-lee-named-to-2023-24-wade-watch-list.aspx">Via K-State Sports</a>

MANHATTAN, Kan. — K-State senior center and All-American candidate Ayoka Lee added another national award watch list to her season, as she has been named to the 2023-24 Wade Watch List by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Lee was among four players added to the list at midseason. This is the third time in her career that she has been a candidate for the Wade Trophy.

The Wade Trophy is the oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award in college women's basketball. It is named in honor of the late, legendary Delta State University head coach Lily Margaret Wade, who won three consecutive national championships with the Lady Statesmen. First awarded in 1978 by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), now known as SHAPE America, the Wade Trophy has been presented to the WBCA NCAA Division I National Player of the Year since 2001.

The committee will narrow the watch list for the honor to four finalists in mid-March. The winner of the 2024 Wade Trophy will be announced April 4 in Cleveland — site of the 2024 WBCA Convention and NCAA Women's Final Four.

The two-time USBWA/Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week recipient this season, has had a strong 2023-24 as she is averaging 19.8 points on a career-best .677 field goal percentage, 8.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots. She ranks second in the nation and leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage. Lee is fourth in the Big 12 in scoring average and leads the league and is eighth in the nation for blocks per game.

Lee, a Lisa Leslie Award Top 10 finalist, has recorded nine games this season with 20 or more points including her second career 20-20 double-double with 24 points, 21 rebounds and five blocked shots against Oral Roberts.

In her career, Lee ranks fourth in school history for points scored with 2,017, second for rebounds with 1,034, the school record holder for career blocks with 284 and owns the school record for career double-doubles with 55.

K-State begins a two-game road trip on Wednesday, as the Wildcats visit Oklahoma at 6 p.m.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706727448862.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/news/2024/1/31/womens-basketball-k-states-lee-named-to-2023-24-wade-watch-list.aspx">Via K-State Sports</a>MANHATTAN, Kan. — K-State senior center and All-American candidate Ayoka Lee added another national award watch list to her season, as she has been named to the 2023-24 Wade Watch List by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Lee was among four players added to the list at midseason. This is the third time in her career that she has been a candidate for the Wade Trophy.The Wade Trophy is the oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award in college women's basketball. It is named in honor of the late, legendary Delta State University head coach Lily Margaret Wade, who won three consecutive national championships with the Lady Statesmen. First awarded in 1978 by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), now known as SHAPE America, the Wade Trophy has been presented to the WBCA NCAA Division I National Player of the Year since 2001.The committee will narrow the watch list for the honor to four finalists in mid-March. The winner of the 2024 Wade Trophy will be announced April 4 in Cleveland — site of the 2024 WBCA Convention and NCAA Women's Final Four.The two-time USBWA/Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week recipient this season, has had a strong 2023-24 as she is averaging 19.8 points on a career-best .677 field goal percentage, 8.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots. She ranks second in the nation and leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage. Lee is fourth in the Big 12 in scoring average and leads the league and is eighth in the nation for blocks per game.Lee, a Lisa Leslie Award Top 10 finalist, has recorded nine games this season with 20 or more points including her second career 20-20 double-double with 24 points, 21 rebounds and five blocked shots against Oral Roberts.In her career, Lee ranks fourth in school history for points scored with 2,017, second for rebounds with 1,034, the school record holder for career blocks with 284 and owns the school record for career double-doubles with 55.K-State begins a two-game road trip on Wednesday, as the Wildcats visit Oklahoma at 6 p.m.Copyright ©2024 Kansas State University Athletics

Lee on Wade Watch List

GIRLS RANKINGS 6A Girls 1 Shawnee Mission South 2 OP-Blue Valley North 3 Olathe West 4 Olathe South 5 OP-Blue Valley Northwest 6 Derby 7 Wichita South 8 Topeka-Washburn Rural 9 Wichita Heights 10 OP-Blue Valley

5A Girls 1 Andover 2 Topeka - Seaman 3 Bishop Carroll 4 Maize South 5 Emporia 6 De Soto 7 OP-St. Thomas Aquinas 8 Lenexa-St. James Academy 9 Valley Center 10 OP-Blue Valley Southwest

4A Girls 1 Bishop Miege 2 Wamego 3 Fort Scott 4 Wellington 5 McPherson 6 Eudora 7 Parsons 8 Towanda-Circle 9 Ottawa 10 Scott Community HS

3A Girls 1 Silver Lake 2 Topeka - Hayden 3 Rossville 4 Halstead 5 Hesston 6 Seneca-Nemaha Central 7 Osage City 8 Garnett- Anderson County 9 Goodland 10 Haven

2A Girls 1 Wathena-Riverside 2 Pittsburg-St. Mary's Colgan 3 Hoxie 4 Hillsboro 5 Leoti-Wichita County 6 Wichita – The Independent 7 Smith Center 8 Maur Hill Mount Academy 9 Elbing – Berean Academy 10 Moundridge

1A-Div 1-Girls 1 Little River 2 St. John - Hudson 3 Centralia 4 Montezuma-South Gray 5 Frankfort 6 Clyde-Clifton-Clyde 7 Spearville 8 Olpe 9 Osborne 10 Norwich

1A-Div 2- Girls 1 Lebo 2 Sharon Springs-Wallace County 3 Bucklin 4 Hanover 5 South Haven 6 Hutchinson-Central Christian 7 Beloit-St. John’s/Tipton 8 Ingalls 9 Wheatland/Grinnell 10 Kensington-Thunder Ridge

BOYS RANKINGS 6A Boys 1 Wichita Heights 2 Shawnee Mission Northwest 3 OP-Blue Valley Northwest 4 Shawnee Mission East 5 Wichita Northwest 6 Olathe West 7 Junction City 8 Olathe North 9 Olathe South 10 OP-Blue Valley West

5A Boys 1 Maize South 2 Kapaun Mt. Carmel 3 Topeka - Highland Park 4 KC - Piper 5 De Soto 6 OP – St. Thomas Aquinas 7 Hutchinson 8 Goddard 9 Tecumseh - Shawnee Heights 10 Bonner Springs

4A Boys 1 McPherson 2 Atchison 3 Towanda-Circle 4 Hugoton 5 Fort Scott 6 Abilene 7 St. George-Rock Creek 8 Baldwin 9 Chanute 10 Ottawa

3A Boys 1 Beloit 2 Cheney 3 Goodland 4 Hesston 5 Ellsworth 6 Wichita-Collegiate 7 Wellsville 8 St. Mary’s 9 Sabetha 10 Girard

2A Boys 1 Lyndon 2 Sterling 3 Ell Saline 4 Pittsburg-St. Mary’s Colgan 5 Moundridge 6 Wichita Classical School 7 Medicine Lodge 8 Salina-Sacred Heart 9 Horton 10 Oxford

1A-Div 1-Boys 1 Montezuma-South Gray 2 Olpe 3 Coldwater–South Central 4 Osborne 5 LaCrosse 6 Clyde-Clifton Clyde 7 Burden-Central 8 Quinter 9 Claflin-Central Plains 10 Macksville

1A-Div 2-Boys 1 Almena-Northern Valley 2 Axtell 3 McPherson-Elyria Christian 4 Dighton 5 Hanover 6 Cunningham 7 Bird City-Cheylin 8 Lebo 9 Weskan 10 Logan-Palco

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1700783607464.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>GIRLS RANKINGS 6A Girls 1 Shawnee Mission South 2 OP-Blue Valley North 3 Olathe West 4 Olathe South 5 OP-Blue Valley Northwest 6 Derby 7 Wichita South 8 Topeka-Washburn Rural 9 Wichita Heights 10 OP-Blue Valley5A Girls 1 Andover 2 Topeka - Seaman 3 Bishop Carroll 4 Maize South 5 Emporia 6 De Soto 7 OP-St. Thomas Aquinas 8 Lenexa-St. James Academy 9 Valley Center 10 OP-Blue Valley Southwest4A Girls 1 Bishop Miege 2 Wamego 3 Fort Scott 4 Wellington 5 McPherson 6 Eudora 7 Parsons 8 Towanda-Circle 9 Ottawa 10 Scott Community HS3A Girls 1 Silver Lake 2 Topeka - Hayden 3 Rossville 4 Halstead 5 Hesston 6 Seneca-Nemaha Central 7 Osage City 8 Garnett- Anderson County 9 Goodland 10 Haven2A Girls 1 Wathena-Riverside 2 Pittsburg-St. Mary's Colgan 3 Hoxie 4 Hillsboro 5 Leoti-Wichita County 6 Wichita – The Independent 7 Smith Center 8 Maur Hill Mount Academy 9 Elbing – Berean Academy 10 Moundridge1A-Div 1-Girls 1 Little River 2 St. John - Hudson 3 Centralia 4 Montezuma-South Gray 5 Frankfort 6 Clyde-Clifton-Clyde 7 Spearville 8 Olpe 9 Osborne 10 Norwich1A-Div 2- Girls 1 Lebo 2 Sharon Springs-Wallace County 3 Bucklin 4 Hanover 5 South Haven 6 Hutchinson-Central Christian 7 Beloit-St. John’s/Tipton 8 Ingalls 9 Wheatland/Grinnell 10 Kensington-Thunder RidgeBOYS RANKINGS 6A Boys 1 Wichita Heights 2 Shawnee Mission Northwest 3 OP-Blue Valley Northwest 4 Shawnee Mission East 5 Wichita Northwest 6 Olathe West 7 Junction City 8 Olathe North 9 Olathe South 10 OP-Blue Valley West5A Boys 1 Maize South 2 Kapaun Mt. Carmel 3 Topeka - Highland Park 4 KC - Piper 5 De Soto 6 OP – St. Thomas Aquinas 7 Hutchinson 8 Goddard 9 Tecumseh - Shawnee Heights 10 Bonner Springs4A Boys 1 McPherson 2 Atchison 3 Towanda-Circle 4 Hugoton 5 Fort Scott 6 Abilene 7 St. George-Rock Creek 8 Baldwin 9 Chanute 10 Ottawa3A Boys 1 Beloit 2 Cheney 3 Goodland 4 Hesston 5 Ellsworth 6 Wichita-Collegiate 7 Wellsville 8 St. Mary’s 9 Sabetha 10 Girard2A Boys 1 Lyndon 2 Sterling 3 Ell Saline 4 Pittsburg-St. Mary’s Colgan 5 Moundridge 6 Wichita Classical School 7 Medicine Lodge 8 Salina-Sacred Heart 9 Horton 10 Oxford1A-Div 1-Boys 1 Montezuma-South Gray 2 Olpe 3 Coldwater–South Central 4 Osborne 5 LaCrosse 6 Clyde-Clifton Clyde 7 Burden-Central 8 Quinter 9 Claflin-Central Plains 10 Macksville1A-Div 2-Boys 1 Almena-Northern Valley 2 Axtell 3 McPherson-Elyria Christian 4 Dighton 5 Hanover 6 Cunningham 7 Bird City-Cheylin 8 Lebo 9 Weskan 10 Logan-Palco

🏀 KBCA releases latest high school rankings

🎧 LISTEN: Salthawks sweep Newton; KU wins big, K-State drops game to OU; 🏈 Kelce most popular haircut

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Hunter Dickinson and K.J. Adams Jr. each scored 16 points to lead a balanced scoring attack and No. 8 Kansas defeated Oklahoma State 83-54 on Tuesday night. All five Kansas starters scored in double figures. Kansas got 12 points from Dajuan Harris Jr., 11 from Johnny Furphy and 10 from Elmarko Jackson. Oklahoma State was led by John-Michael Wright with 16 points. Brandon Garrison added 11 points after scoring the first seven points of the game for the Cowboys.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Jalon Moore had 23 points, Javian McCollum added 21, and No. 23 Oklahoma pulled away from Kansas State down the stretch for a 73-53 victory. Sam Godwin added 11 points and Rivaldo Soares had 10 for the Sooners. They blew most of a 17-point first-half lead before using a 12-1 run over the closing minutes to put the game away. The Wildcats didn’t score for more than 8 minutes to start the game and finished 4 of 28 from the 3-point arc. Tylor Perry led them with 23 points, but leading scorers Cam Carter and Arthur Kaluma were a combined 3 of 20 and committed eight turnovers

RVING, Texas (AP) — The Big 12 has revealed its football schedule for the 2024 season. The league's first year without marquee programs Texas and Oklahoma will incorporate new members Arizona, Arizona State and Utah and mark the return of Colorado to the now 16-team league. Each team will play nine conference games without divisions. Some games will renew old rivalries and other prescheduled matchups will be played as nonconference games. Among the notable matchups, BYU will travel to Utah on Nov. 9 for the 101st meeting of the intense rivals. It will be the first time since 2010 that the schools will face off as conference foes.

The San Francisco 49ers finally climbed back up the playoff mountain to return to the Super Bowl only to find a familiar foe waiting for them. When the Niners get a second shot at a Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs it will be a rare title game rematch in this short of a span. There have only been eight Super Bowl rematches in the previous 57 games, with just three happening in a five-year span before this rematch. The winners of those three rematches were the teams that won the first meeting.

UNDATED-A person with knowledge of the deal says Carlyle Group Inc. co-founder David Rubenstein has reached an agreement to buy the Baltimore Orioles for $1.725 billion. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday night because the agreement had not been announced. Rubenstein is a Baltimore native. He will take over as the team’s controlling owner, and he’s assembled an investment team that includes Ares co-founder Michael Arougheti. The Angelos family has been in control of the Orioles since 1993, when Peter Angelos purchased the team for $173 million. Angelos’ son John is the team’s current chairman. The team recently reached a deal on a new lease extension at Camden Yards.

UNDATED-NHL players Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers, Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils and Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames have been charged with sexual assault in connection with an investigation into an alleged sexual assault by several members of Canada’s 2018 world junior team. Lawyers representing Hart, McLeod, Foote and Dube say each player has been charged by police in London, Ontario. The developments come two days after former NHL player Alex Formenton turned himself in to police to face charges.

UNDATED-Few college programs have had as much success or produced as many star players in the NFL as Alabama. Amazingly, no player who ended his college career playing for the Crimson Tide has scored a point in a Super Bowl. That won’t change this year with neither the Chiefs nor the 49ers having an Alabama player on the active roster. Players from 143 colleges have scored a point in a Super Bowl with Miami players leading the way with 84. Even the Coast Guard Academy has gotten into the act with an extra point by Washington’s Curt Knight in a 14-7 loss in Super Bowl 7.

UNDATED-Stephen Curry is headed back to NBA All-Star weekend. Sabrina Ionescu will be waiting for him. The shootout that both of them wanted is officially a reality, the NBA announced Tuesday. “Stephen vs. Sabrina” will happen as part of All-Star Saturday Night in Indianapolis on Feb. 17. Curry, the NBA’s all-time 3-point king, will take on the reigning WNBA 3-point shootout queen and single-season record holder Ionescu. “Stage is set! Let’s get it,” Curry posted on social media. Ionescu responded simply: “Let’s go!”

UNDATED-The University of Tennessee chancellor ripped the NCAA president in a scathing letter released Tuesday that said the “failing” organization is pursuing “factually untrue and procedurally flawed” allegations the school violated rules for name, image and likeness compensation compensation to athletes. The letter was written Monday after a meeting between Tennessee officials and NCAA representatives to discuss the allegations. Chancellor Donde Plowman called it “intellectually dishonest” for NCAA staff to pursue infractions cases as if students have no NIL rights. The NIL collective supporting Tennessee athletes was among the first to emerge after the NCAA lifted its ban on athletes making money off their fame.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Rory McIlroy continues his softening against LIV Golf. He says there is no need to punish players who went to LIV Golf and want to return to the PGA Tour. McIlroy says they should be able to play if they are eligible. He also says winning at a signature event like the AT&amp;T Pebble Beach Pro-Am would be cheapened by not having all the best players. Among those missing from Pebble are Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson. Both are with LIV. McIlroy says he spoke to Tyrrell Hatton on Sunday and understands his decision to join LIV Golf.

UNDATED-World Series MVP Corey Seager had surgery Tuesday for a left sports hernia repair, and the Texas Rangers' All-Star shortstop will miss most of spring training. General manager Chris Young says Seager had the operation Tuesday in Arizona, where the team holds spring training, and will remain there for rehab. The Rangers hope to have him ready by opening day. The hernia issue came up during the postseason, and after some extended rest was still bothering Seager during offseason workouts. Seager hit .318 with six homers, 12 RBIs and 15 walks in 17 postseason games last year.

ATLANTA (AP) — Naithan George scored a go-ahead layup with 7.7 seconds remaining and Georgia Tech beat No. 3 North Carolina 74-73 to end the Tar Heels’ 10-game winning streak. RJ Davis, who scored a game-high 28 points for North Carolina, won the race to a loose ball following a missed jumper by George and scored on a layup with 34 seconds remaining for a 73-72 lead. Following a Georgia Tech timeout, George drove for the go-ahead layup. Georgia Tech ended its three-game losing streak. Davis missed a last-second jumper, prompting Georgia Tech fans to celebrate by rushing onto the court.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Advertisements for sports betting may seem to be everywhere, but the NFL says viewers will only see three of them during next month's Super Bowl. During an online news conference Tuesday to discuss the upcoming championship game, league officials said they generally limit sports betting ads to one per quarter. But they say only three such ads have been sold for the Super Bowl: one right before kickoff, and two during the game. The Kansas City Chiefs will try to defend their title against the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas.

Final Georgia Tech 74 (3)North Carolina 73

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for January 31st, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for January 31st, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure>LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Hunter Dickinson and K.J. Adams Jr. each scored 16 points to lead a balanced scoring attack and No. 8 Kansas defeated Oklahoma State 83-54 on Tuesday night. All five Kansas starters scored in double figures. Kansas got 12 points from Dajuan Harris Jr., 11 from Johnny Furphy and 10 from Elmarko Jackson. Oklahoma State was led by John-Michael Wright with 16 points. Brandon Garrison added 11 points after scoring the first seven points of the game for the Cowboys.MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Jalon Moore had 23 points, Javian McCollum added 21, and No. 23 Oklahoma pulled away from Kansas State down the stretch for a 73-53 victory. Sam Godwin added 11 points and Rivaldo Soares had 10 for the Sooners. They blew most of a 17-point first-half lead before using a 12-1 run over the closing minutes to put the game away. The Wildcats didn’t score for more than 8 minutes to start the game and finished 4 of 28 from the 3-point arc. Tylor Perry led them with 23 points, but leading scorers Cam Carter and Arthur Kaluma were a combined 3 of 20 and committed eight turnoversRVING, Texas (AP) — The Big 12 has revealed its football schedule for the 2024 season. The league's first year without marquee programs Texas and Oklahoma will incorporate new members Arizona, Arizona State and Utah and mark the return of Colorado to the now 16-team league. Each team will play nine conference games without divisions. Some games will renew old rivalries and other prescheduled matchups will be played as nonconference games. Among the notable matchups, BYU will travel to Utah on Nov. 9 for the 101st meeting of the intense rivals. It will be the first time since 2010 that the schools will face off as conference foes.The San Francisco 49ers finally climbed back up the playoff mountain to return to the Super Bowl only to find a familiar foe waiting for them. When the Niners get a second shot at a Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs it will be a rare title game rematch in this short of a span. There have only been eight Super Bowl rematches in the previous 57 games, with just three happening in a five-year span before this rematch. The winners of those three rematches were the teams that won the first meeting.UNDATED-A person with knowledge of the deal says Carlyle Group Inc. co-founder David Rubenstein has reached an agreement to buy the Baltimore Orioles for $1.725 billion. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday night because the agreement had not been announced. Rubenstein is a Baltimore native. He will take over as the team’s controlling owner, and he’s assembled an investment team that includes Ares co-founder Michael Arougheti. The Angelos family has been in control of the Orioles since 1993, when Peter Angelos purchased the team for $173 million. Angelos’ son John is the team’s current chairman. The team recently reached a deal on a new lease extension at Camden Yards.UNDATED-NHL players Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers, Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils and Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames have been charged with sexual assault in connection with an investigation into an alleged sexual assault by several members of Canada’s 2018 world junior team. Lawyers representing Hart, McLeod, Foote and Dube say each player has been charged by police in London, Ontario. The developments come two days after former NHL player Alex Formenton turned himself in to police to face charges.UNDATED-Few college programs have had as much success or produced as many star players in the NFL as Alabama. Amazingly, no player who ended his college career playing for the Crimson Tide has scored a point in a Super Bowl. That won’t change this year with neither the Chiefs nor the 49ers having an Alabama player on the active roster. Players from 143 colleges have scored a point in a Super Bowl with Miami players leading the way with 84. Even the Coast Guard Academy has gotten into the act with an extra point by Washington’s Curt Knight in a 14-7 loss in Super Bowl 7.UNDATED-Stephen Curry is headed back to NBA All-Star weekend. Sabrina Ionescu will be waiting for him. The shootout that both of them wanted is officially a reality, the NBA announced Tuesday. “Stephen vs. Sabrina” will happen as part of All-Star Saturday Night in Indianapolis on Feb. 17. Curry, the NBA’s all-time 3-point king, will take on the reigning WNBA 3-point shootout queen and single-season record holder Ionescu. “Stage is set! Let’s get it,” Curry posted on social media. Ionescu responded simply: “Let’s go!”UNDATED-The University of Tennessee chancellor ripped the NCAA president in a scathing letter released Tuesday that said the “failing” organization is pursuing “factually untrue and procedurally flawed” allegations the school violated rules for name, image and likeness compensation compensation to athletes. The letter was written Monday after a meeting between Tennessee officials and NCAA representatives to discuss the allegations. Chancellor Donde Plowman called it “intellectually dishonest” for NCAA staff to pursue infractions cases as if students have no NIL rights. The NIL collective supporting Tennessee athletes was among the first to emerge after the NCAA lifted its ban on athletes making money off their fame.PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Rory McIlroy continues his softening against LIV Golf. He says there is no need to punish players who went to LIV Golf and want to return to the PGA Tour. McIlroy says they should be able to play if they are eligible. He also says winning at a signature event like the AT&amp;T Pebble Beach Pro-Am would be cheapened by not having all the best players. Among those missing from Pebble are Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson. Both are with LIV. McIlroy says he spoke to Tyrrell Hatton on Sunday and understands his decision to join LIV Golf.UNDATED-World Series MVP Corey Seager had surgery Tuesday for a left sports hernia repair, and the Texas Rangers' All-Star shortstop will miss most of spring training. General manager Chris Young says Seager had the operation Tuesday in Arizona, where the team holds spring training, and will remain there for rehab. The Rangers hope to have him ready by opening day. The hernia issue came up during the postseason, and after some extended rest was still bothering Seager during offseason workouts. Seager hit .318 with six homers, 12 RBIs and 15 walks in 17 postseason games last year.ATLANTA (AP) — Naithan George scored a go-ahead layup with 7.7 seconds remaining and Georgia Tech beat No. 3 North Carolina 74-73 to end the Tar Heels’ 10-game winning streak. RJ Davis, who scored a game-high 28 points for North Carolina, won the race to a loose ball following a missed jumper by George and scored on a layup with 34 seconds remaining for a 73-72 lead. Following a Georgia Tech timeout, George drove for the go-ahead layup. Georgia Tech ended its three-game losing streak. Davis missed a last-second jumper, prompting Georgia Tech fans to celebrate by rushing onto the court.ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Advertisements for sports betting may seem to be everywhere, but the NFL says viewers will only see three of them during next month's Super Bowl. During an online news conference Tuesday to discuss the upcoming championship game, league officials said they generally limit sports betting ads to one per quarter. But they say only three such ads have been sold for the Super Bowl: one right before kickoff, and two during the game. The Kansas City Chiefs will try to defend their title against the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas.SCORESNATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal Atlanta 138 L.A. Lakers 122Final Boston 129 Indiana 124Final Toronto 118 Chicago 107Final Golden State 119 Philadelphia 107Final New York 118 Utah 103NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUEFinal Columbus 1 St. Louis 0Final San Jose 2 Seattle 0TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALLFinal Georgia Tech 74 (3)North Carolina 73Final South Carolina 63 (5)Tennessee 59Final (8)Kansas 83 Oklahoma St. 54Final (9)Marquette 85 Villanova 80Final (14)Illinois 87 Ohio St. 75Final (25)TCU 85 (15)Texas Tech 78Final (17)Utah St. 82 San Jose St. 61Final (21)Dayton 83 George Washington 61

📢📰 Sports Headlines for Wednesday

Bennington 57, Hutchinson Trinity 46

Hitchcock County, Neb. 52, Rawlins County 50

KC Bishop Ward 44, Kansas City Christian 35

Northern Valley 94, Wheatland-Grinnell 28

Olathe Northwest 58, Lawrence Free State 50

Pittsburg St Mary's-Colgan 48, Baxter Springs 37

Salina Sacred Heart 55, Southeast of Saline 51

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701785757574.png" alt="Eagle Media HS Basketball Scoreboard for Tuesday, January 30th" />
 <figcaption>Eagle Media HS Basketball Scoreboard for Tuesday, January 30th</figcaption>
 </figure>Tuesday's ScoresThe Associated PressBOYS PREP BASKETBALL=Andale 64, Winfield 37Anderson County 43, Burlington 42Andover 61, Goddard-Eisenhower 18Axtell 49, Doniphan West 42Baldwin 70, Osawatomie 39Beloit 72, Republic County 25Bennington 57, Hutchinson Trinity 46Berean Academy 45, Inman 39Blue Valley Randolph 59, Frankfort 48Bucklin 87, Ingalls 56Buhler 52, Rose Hill 50, 2OTBurlingame 62, Northern Heights 26Burlington, Colo. 76, Goodland 37Canton-Galva 87, Herington 70Centralia 50, Troy 32Cheney 73, Garden Plain 50Cheylin 67, Golden Plains 34Circle 68, El Dorado 62, OTClay Center 68, Chapman 61Clifton-Clyde 53, Concordia 35Conway Springs 27, Kingman 23De Soto 72, KC Turner 24Deerfield 56, Walsh, Colo. 41Derby 59, Maize 46Erie 73, Cherryvale 53Girard 44, Galena 37Hanover 55, Valley Heights 45Harrisonville, Mo. 73, Spring Hill 71Haven 45, Hillsboro 42, 2OTHays 49, Scott City 30Hesston 48, Hoisington 27Highland Park 54, KC Washington 49Hitchcock County, Neb. 52, Rawlins County 50Holton 42, Royal Valley 33, OTHooker, Okla. 75, Liberal 37Hutchinson 77, Newton 31Junction City 60, BV Northwest 53KC Bishop Ward 44, Kansas City Christian 35KC Piper 76, Topeka Seaman 64Kapaun Mount Carmel 65, Wichita South 57Lebo 68, Marmaton Valley 47Lincoln 72, Stockton 37Linn 41, Washington County 34Logan 78, Triplains-Brewster 27Louisburg 47, Paola 16Lyndon 60, Wabaunsee 38Maize South 61, Salina South 29Marion 53, Sedgwick 34Medicine Lodge 50, Chaparral 34Moundridge 50, Ell-Saline 32Nickerson 54, Larned 53Northern Valley 94, Wheatland-Grinnell 28Oakley 55, St Francis 43Olathe North 66, SM South 47Olathe Northwest 58, Lawrence Free State 50Olathe West 67, Lawrence 57Osborne 55, Southern Cloud 19Oskaloosa 61, Valley Falls 56Oswego 43, Yates Center 29Oxford 61, Caldwell 37Perry-Lecompton 55, Jefferson West 38Phillipsburg 50, Hill City 42Pike Valley 75, Natoma 15Pittsburg St Mary's-Colgan 48, Baxter Springs 37Pratt 63, Halstead 50Riverton 72, Columbus 51Rockhurst, Mo. 71, St. James Academy 34Rossville 62, St Marys 57SM Northwest 60, Mill Valley 50Sabetha 58, Riverside 43Salina Central 58, Arkansas City 28Salina Sacred Heart 55, Southeast of Saline 51Silver Lake 57, Osage City 54Smith Center 56, Hoxie 42St John 71, Thunder Ridge 34Sylvan-Lucas 45, Rock Hills 36Syracuse 68, Wiley, Colo. 42Victoria 40, Ellinwood 38Washburn Rural 62, Blue Valley 59Wellington 49, Augusta 42Wellsville 73, Prairie View 17Weskan 71, Western Plains-Healy 43Wichita Campus 55, Goddard 52Wichita Independent 60, Douglass 40Wichita Northwest 82, Wichita North 43Tuesday's ScoresThe Associated Press<h2>GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL=</h2>Andale 44, Winfield 13Anderson County 49, Burlington 31Baldwin 82, Osawatomie 7Beloit 62, Republic County 39Berean Academy 48, Inman 37Buhler 44, Rose Hill 29Canton-Galva 46, Herington 23Centralia 47, Troy 41Chaparral 51, Medicine Lodge 45Cheney 41, Garden Plain 33Cheylin 40, Triplains-Brewster 22Columbus 45, Riverton 38Concordia 50, Clifton-Clyde 49Cunningham 39, Fairfield 36De Soto 77, KC Turner 9Deerfield 46, Walsh, Colo. 25Derby 44, Maize 30Doniphan West 53, Axtell 23Emporia 63, Topeka 30Frankfort 55, Blue Valley Randolph 30Girard 48, Galena 25Goessel 45, Centre 13Goodland 34, Burlington, Colo. 24Halstead 55, Pratt 45Hanover 59, Valley Heights 37Hays 62, Scott City 39Heritage Christian 70, Topeka Cair Paravel 17Highland Park 63, KC Washington 34Holton 41, Royal Valley 36, OTHoward West Elk 59, Sedan 46Hutchinson 36, Newton 23Hutchinson Trinity 50, Belle Plaine 26Jefferson North 46, Pleasant Ridge 40Kingman 50, Conway Springs 42Larned 41, Nickerson 22Leavenworth 46, Bonner Springs 39Lebo 50, Marmaton Valley 32Liberal 39, Hooker, Okla. 34Little River 75, Solomon 14Louisburg 42, Paola 38Marion 51, Sedgwick 37Moundridge 53, Ell-Saline 26Nemaha Central 44, Hiawatha 42Northern Valley 61, Logan 49Norton 37, Colby 33Norwich 47, Hutchinson Central Christian 35Oakley 65, St Francis 53Oberlin-Decatur 40, Dighton 37Olathe Northwest 53, Lawrence Free State 22Olathe South 58, SM West 31Olathe West 67, Lawrence 17Osborne 66, Southern Cloud 22Oxford 43, Caldwell 27Parsons 65, Frontenac 58Phillipsburg 43, Hill City 17Pike Valley 52, Natoma 22Pittsburg St Mary's-Colgan 55, Baxter Springs 9Prairie View 42, Wellsville 21Rawlins County 39, Hitchcock County, Neb. 34Reno County 36, Flint Hills Christian 30Rossville 54, St Marys 42Salina Central 43, Arkansas City 26Salina Sacred Heart 37, Southeast of Saline 31Shawnee Heights 55, Basehor-Linwood 51Silver Lake 70, Osage City 45Smith Center 63, Hoxie 50Spring Hill 48, Harrisonville, Mo. 33St John 78, Thunder Ridge 46Stockton 44, Lincoln 35Sylvan-Lucas 48, Rock Hills 17Topeka Hayden 71, Junction City 20Topeka Seaman 58, KC Piper 37Uniontown 32, Central Heights 16Victoria 51, Ellinwood 48Wabaunsee 54, Lyndon 38Washington County 55, Linn 39Wellington 64, Augusta 34Wichita Classical 45, Hartford 40

🏀 Eagle Media Scoreboard from Tuesday

By DAVID SMALE Associated Press

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Hunter Dickinson and K.J. Adams Jr. each scored 16 points to lead a balanced scoring attack and No. 8 Kansas defeated Oklahoma State 83-54 on Tuesday night.

All five Kansas starters scored in double figures.

“It was good not to have to stress as much,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “We played well. Offensively, we were able to move the ball. We got the shots we wanted and we shared it. Our shot distribution was good. Marko (Elmarko Jackson) saw a couple go down, so there were a lot of good things offensively.”

The Jayhawks, who played without all-America candidate Kevin McCullar Jr., cruised throughout the second half. Their lead never dipped below the halftime margin of 18 points.

“Obviously it was a tough night for us, but Kansas had a lot to do with it,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton said. “We obviously didn’t play well enough to give ourselves much of a chance.

"They can hurt you a lot of ways. Today, we tried to make them beat us from 3-point range, but they showed us they were capable of beating us from 3 early. That makes it harder to put more attention on Hunter.”

Kansas (17-4, 5-3 Big 12) got 12 points from Dajuan Harris Jr., 11 from Johnny Furphy and 10 from Jackson. Dickinson had a double-double with 11 rebounds, and Harris had seven assists. Dickinson went over 2,000 points in his career, counting his first three years at Michigan.

Self was pleased with the aggressiveness of Harris, who had his second-most points of the season.

“We wanted Juan to shoot the ball,” he said. “I think he was more aggressive. I told Juan he needs to quit listening to me and he needs to quit listening to everybody else what they think he should be doing to play well. It’s ridiculous, including me.

"All he’s done is won a state high school championship, won a national championship. He wins every pickup game. I tell him, ‘Just play and trust your instincts. Quit trying to do what other people say you need to do.’ He needs to make sure his team wins. And that’s what he does.”

Oklahoma State (9-12, 1-7) was led by John-Michael Wright with 16 points. Brandon Garrison added 11 points after scoring the first seven points of the game for the Cowboys.

Kansas gradually pulled away in the first half, grabbing its first double-digit lead with 11:12 left in the first half on a jumper by Jackson. When Dickinson hit a foul-line jumper to cap a 12-0 run, the Jayhawks led 33-15. They led by as many as 21 points in the first half before taking a 44-26 lead into the locker room.

“I looked at it as an opportunity,” Jackson said of playing without McCullar. “We've got a motto here of ‘Next man up.’ You just have to be ready for your opportunity.”

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys, the youngest team in the Big 12 Conference, don't have the depth to compete in the upper tier of the conference at this point.

Kansas: The Jayhawks didn't miss leading scorer McCullar, who was out with an undisclosed injury.

Oklahoma State: Hosts Kansas State on Saturday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706702195392.png" alt="Kansas forward K.J. Adams Jr. (24) reacts after making a basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Oklahoma State, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, in Lawrence, Kan. (Kansas Athletics photo)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas forward K.J. Adams Jr. (24) reacts after making a basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Oklahoma State, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, in Lawrence, Kan. (Kansas Athletics photo)</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAVID SMALE Associated PressLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Hunter Dickinson and K.J. Adams Jr. each scored 16 points to lead a balanced scoring attack and No. 8 Kansas defeated Oklahoma State 83-54 on Tuesday night.All five Kansas starters scored in double figures.“It was good not to have to stress as much,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “We played well. Offensively, we were able to move the ball. We got the shots we wanted and we shared it. Our shot distribution was good. Marko (Elmarko Jackson) saw a couple go down, so there were a lot of good things offensively.”The Jayhawks, who played without all-America candidate Kevin McCullar Jr., cruised throughout the second half. Their lead never dipped below the halftime margin of 18 points.“Obviously it was a tough night for us, but Kansas had a lot to do with it,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton said. “We obviously didn’t play well enough to give ourselves much of a chance."They can hurt you a lot of ways. Today, we tried to make them beat us from 3-point range, but they showed us they were capable of beating us from 3 early. That makes it harder to put more attention on Hunter.”Kansas (17-4, 5-3 Big 12) got 12 points from Dajuan Harris Jr., 11 from Johnny Furphy and 10 from Jackson. Dickinson had a double-double with 11 rebounds, and Harris had seven assists. Dickinson went over 2,000 points in his career, counting his first three years at Michigan.Self was pleased with the aggressiveness of Harris, who had his second-most points of the season.“We wanted Juan to shoot the ball,” he said. “I think he was more aggressive. I told Juan he needs to quit listening to me and he needs to quit listening to everybody else what they think he should be doing to play well. It’s ridiculous, including me."All he’s done is won a state high school championship, won a national championship. He wins every pickup game. I tell him, ‘Just play and trust your instincts. Quit trying to do what other people say you need to do.’ He needs to make sure his team wins. And that’s what he does.”Oklahoma State (9-12, 1-7) was led by John-Michael Wright with 16 points. Brandon Garrison added 11 points after scoring the first seven points of the game for the Cowboys.Kansas gradually pulled away in the first half, grabbing its first double-digit lead with 11:12 left in the first half on a jumper by Jackson. When Dickinson hit a foul-line jumper to cap a 12-0 run, the Jayhawks led 33-15. They led by as many as 21 points in the first half before taking a 44-26 lead into the locker room.“I looked at it as an opportunity,” Jackson said of playing without McCullar. “We've got a motto here of ‘Next man up.’ You just have to be ready for your opportunity.”THE TAKEAWAYOklahoma State: The Cowboys, the youngest team in the Big 12 Conference, don't have the depth to compete in the upper tier of the conference at this point.Kansas: The Jayhawks didn't miss leading scorer McCullar, who was out with an undisclosed injury.UP NEXTOklahoma State: Hosts Kansas State on Saturday.Kansas: Hosts No. 4 Houston on Saturday.

🏀 No. 8 Kansas uses balanced offense to easily defeat Oklahoma State

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Oklahoma coach Porter Moser had seen enough of Kansas State's three leading scorers on film that he knew taking away any combination of them would probably mean good things for the Sooners on Tuesday night.

They couldn't stop Tylor Perry. But they completely shut down Cam Carter and Arthur Kaluma.

That defensive performance, combined with 23 points from Jalon Moore and 21 from Javian McCollum, helped No. 23 Oklahoma pull away from the Wildcats down the stretch for a 73-53 victory.

“Our guys got a lot of respect for their guys. We watched Kaluma and Carter and those guys, and I thought our guys did a good job on them,” said Moser, whose team allowed Perry to score 23, but never let Carter and Kaluma get going.

The Wildcats' two top scorers were a combined 3 of 20 from the field, 0 for 10 from the 3-point arc and had eight turnovers.

“I thought our guys really took the challenge on,” Moser said. “They knew how good those guys were.”

Sam Godwin added 11 points and Rivaldo Soares had 10 for Oklahoma (26-5, 4-4 Big 12), which actually blew most of a 17-point first-half lead before using a 12-1 run over the closing minutes to win its final scheduled trip to Bramlage Coliseum.

The Wildcats (14-7, 4-4) didn't score for more than 8 minutes to start the game and finished 16 of 53 from the field (30.2%) and 4 of 28 from the 3-point arc. They also turned the ball over 14 times while losing their third consecutive game.

“I'll have to go back and look at the film and see if there's something there,” Kansas State coach Jerome Tang said. “Even though we didn't score, I thought we were playing with good energy and got some good looks.”

Kansas State probably couldn't imagine a worse start than its last time out, when fourth-ranked Houston shut out the Wildcats for nearly 6 minutes to begin a 74-52 blowout. But the Sooners held them scoreless through two media timeouts before David N'Guessan finally made the second of two foul shots with 11:49 to go in the first half.

The Wildcats' first field goal didn't come until the 10:30 mark. By that point, Oklahoma had built a commanding lead.

“Players have to make plays, and make plays for each other,” Tang said. “We're not getting enough of that.”

The Sooners weren't great offensively, either. They led just 35-19 at the break. And their failure to capitalize on all of that cold Kansas State shooting nearly cost them as their lead dwindled to 51-44 with less than 8 minutes to go.

That's when the Sooners pulled down two offensive boards and Godwin got a bucket to go. Kansas State misfired at the other end, Oklahoma got another offensive rebound and Otega Oweh ended an 0-for-10 shooting slump with another basket.

The Sooners were off on the run that put the game away.

“We’ve got some hard workers,” Carter said after the loss, “and we’re going to bounce back.”

Oklahoma had lost four of its last six with only a single true road win at Cincinnati, so picking up a win at Kansas State should provide the Sooners with some much-needed momentum for the second half of the Big 12 schedule.

Kansas State was outscored 40-18 in the paint. That doesn't compute when the Wildcats also were so poor from the 3-point arc.

Oklahoma returns home to play Big 12 newcomer UCF on Saturday.

Kansas State heads to Oklahoma State on Saturday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706701418147.jpeg" alt="Kansas State guard Tylor Perry (20) attempts a shot in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Oklahoma on Tuesday, January 30, 2024 in Manhattan, Kan. (Kansas State Athletics photo)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas State guard Tylor Perry (20) attempts a shot in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Oklahoma on Tuesday, January 30, 2024 in Manhattan, Kan. (Kansas State Athletics photo)</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports WriterMANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Oklahoma coach Porter Moser had seen enough of Kansas State's three leading scorers on film that he knew taking away any combination of them would probably mean good things for the Sooners on Tuesday night.They couldn't stop Tylor Perry. But they completely shut down Cam Carter and Arthur Kaluma.That defensive performance, combined with 23 points from Jalon Moore and 21 from Javian McCollum, helped No. 23 Oklahoma pull away from the Wildcats down the stretch for a 73-53 victory.“Our guys got a lot of respect for their guys. We watched Kaluma and Carter and those guys, and I thought our guys did a good job on them,” said Moser, whose team allowed Perry to score 23, but never let Carter and Kaluma get going.The Wildcats' two top scorers were a combined 3 of 20 from the field, 0 for 10 from the 3-point arc and had eight turnovers.“I thought our guys really took the challenge on,” Moser said. “They knew how good those guys were.”Sam Godwin added 11 points and Rivaldo Soares had 10 for Oklahoma (26-5, 4-4 Big 12), which actually blew most of a 17-point first-half lead before using a 12-1 run over the closing minutes to win its final scheduled trip to Bramlage Coliseum.The Wildcats (14-7, 4-4) didn't score for more than 8 minutes to start the game and finished 16 of 53 from the field (30.2%) and 4 of 28 from the 3-point arc. They also turned the ball over 14 times while losing their third consecutive game.“I'll have to go back and look at the film and see if there's something there,” Kansas State coach Jerome Tang said. “Even though we didn't score, I thought we were playing with good energy and got some good looks.”Kansas State probably couldn't imagine a worse start than its last time out, when fourth-ranked Houston shut out the Wildcats for nearly 6 minutes to begin a 74-52 blowout. But the Sooners held them scoreless through two media timeouts before David N'Guessan finally made the second of two foul shots with 11:49 to go in the first half.The Wildcats' first field goal didn't come until the 10:30 mark. By that point, Oklahoma had built a commanding lead.“Players have to make plays, and make plays for each other,” Tang said. “We're not getting enough of that.”The Sooners weren't great offensively, either. They led just 35-19 at the break. And their failure to capitalize on all of that cold Kansas State shooting nearly cost them as their lead dwindled to 51-44 with less than 8 minutes to go.That's when the Sooners pulled down two offensive boards and Godwin got a bucket to go. Kansas State misfired at the other end, Oklahoma got another offensive rebound and Otega Oweh ended an 0-for-10 shooting slump with another basket.The Sooners were off on the run that put the game away.“We’ve got some hard workers,” Carter said after the loss, “and we’re going to bounce back.”BIG PICTUREOklahoma had lost four of its last six with only a single true road win at Cincinnati, so picking up a win at Kansas State should provide the Sooners with some much-needed momentum for the second half of the Big 12 schedule.Kansas State was outscored 40-18 in the paint. That doesn't compute when the Wildcats also were so poor from the 3-point arc.UP NEXTOklahoma returns home to play Big 12 newcomer UCF on Saturday.Kansas State heads to Oklahoma State on Saturday.

🏀 No. 23 Oklahoma pulls away from cold-shooting K-State

🎧 LISTEN: HS 🏀 tonight; KU & K-State release 2024 🏈 schedule; Robinson statue update

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Salthawk Basketball teams are at home tonight to take on the Newton Railers at the Salthawk Activity Center.

Catch all the action on KWBW Radio 1450am/98.5fm with the award winning EAGLE Media sportscast crew, consisting of Glen Grunwald with the play-by-play call and Dan "Coach Nac" Naccarato.&nbsp;

The broadcast is available and archived on the Hutch High&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/">NFHS Video Stream</a>. The stream&nbsp;is free but you must register to watch if you don't have a NFHS Network account.&nbsp;

Here is a "How to Video" to assist you in setting up your NFHS Network account. &nbsp;<a href="https://youtu.be/yzsjAoVP5Ts">CLICK HERE</a>

The Girls game will tip at 6pm followed by boys action at 7:30pm.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706649939686.png" alt="Gameday vs Newton tonight at the SAC" />
 <figcaption>Gameday vs Newton tonight at the SAC</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Salthawk Basketball teams are at home tonight to take on the Newton Railers at the Salthawk Activity Center.Catch all the action on KWBW Radio 1450am/98.5fm with the award winning EAGLE Media sportscast crew, consisting of Glen Grunwald with the play-by-play call and Dan "Coach Nac" Naccarato.&nbsp;The broadcast is available and archived on the Hutch High&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/">NFHS Video Stream</a>. The stream&nbsp;is free but you must register to watch if you don't have a NFHS Network account.&nbsp;

Here is a "How to Video" to assist you in setting up your NFHS Network account. &nbsp;<a href="https://youtu.be/yzsjAoVP5Ts">CLICK HERE</a>The Girls game will tip at 6pm followed by boys action at 7:30pm.<div><iframe src="https://player.nfhsnetwork.com/#/events/hutchinson-high-school-hutchinson-ks/gam5fad8848cf" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" width="640" height="360"></iframe>

</div>

🎧🎥🏀 Hutch High hosts Newton tonight at the SAC

(AP) — Fire crews found the burned remnants Tuesday of a prized bronze statue of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jackie-robinson" target="_blank">Jackie Robinson</a>&nbsp;that was stolen last week from a public park in Kansas, authorities said.

The Wichita fire department received a call around 8:40 a.m. about a trash can on fire at Garvey Park in the southern part of the city and discovered what appeared to be pieces of the statue, according to police spokesperson Andrew Ford. At a news conference Tuesday, he described it as “not salvageable.”

“If it turns out it was racially motivated, then obviously that is a deeper societal issue and it certainly would make this a much more concerning theft,” said Bob Lutz, Executive Director of the Little League nonprofit that commissioned the sculpture. “We’ll wait and see what this turns out to be.”

League 42, which is named after Robinson’s Dodgers number, paid about $50,000 for the model, which was installed in 2021 in McAdams Park, where roughly 600 children play in the youth baseball league. It also offers educational programs.

The police spokesperson said that with assistance from arson investigators, they have conducted more than 100 interviews. Surveillance video shows two people hauling the sculpture away in the dark, to a truck that was later found abandoned.

“Yes, it’s really disheartening to see the remnants of the statue and the disgraceful way in which it has been disrespected,” Wichita police Chief Joe Sullivan said, describing the discovery of it as a “direct indication of the pressure” the perpetrators felt from the ongoing investigation.

He said police are conferring with the prosecutor’s office on a regular basis.

“There will be arrests, but we’re going to make sure that when we do, we will have a solid case,” he said, adding that for anyone involved in the theft “it is only a matter of time.”

Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, paving the way for generations of Black American ballplayers. He’s considered not only a sports legend but also a civil rights icon.

Lutz, the nonprofit director, said there will be a new statue installed that will look exactly like the old one, which was made by his friend, the artist John Parsons, before his death. He said the mold is still viable and anticipated that a replacement could be erected within a matter of months.

“I’m trying to keep it together,” he said, adding: “The statue that reappears at McAdams Park will be the work of John Parsons.” He stressed that “we are ready for some joy.”

The theft was discovered shortly before Black History Month. But Lutz said in an interview after the news conference that he was hopeful the motive wasn’t racial, but that the thieves just saw the bronze as monetarily valuable.

Council Member Brandon Johnson described the statue as a “symbol of hope” and said donations for the replacement are coming from local businesses and through an online fundraiser.

“This now lets us know that we need a new statue,” he said of the destroyed remains. “We’re no longer looking for a complete intact statue. We know we need to raise the money to replace it, and we will do so.”

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update&nbsp; &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706642235098.jpeg" alt="Jackie Robinson Statue-Courtesy GoFundMe" />
 <figcaption>Jackie Robinson Statue-Courtesy GoFundMe</figcaption>
 </figure>(AP) — Fire crews found the burned remnants Tuesday of a prized bronze statue of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jackie-robinson" target="_blank">Jackie Robinson</a>&nbsp;that was stolen last week from a public park in Kansas, authorities said.The Wichita fire department received a call around 8:40 a.m. about a trash can on fire at Garvey Park in the southern part of the city and discovered what appeared to be pieces of the statue, according to police spokesperson Andrew Ford. At a news conference Tuesday, he described it as “not salvageable.”“If it turns out it was racially motivated, then obviously that is a deeper societal issue and it certainly would make this a much more concerning theft,” said Bob Lutz, Executive Director of the Little League nonprofit that commissioned the sculpture. “We’ll wait and see what this turns out to be.”League 42, which is named after Robinson’s Dodgers number, paid about $50,000 for the model, which was installed in 2021 in McAdams Park, where roughly 600 children play in the youth baseball league. It also offers educational programs.The police spokesperson said that with assistance from arson investigators, they have conducted more than 100 interviews. Surveillance video shows two people hauling the sculpture away in the dark, to a truck that was later found abandoned.“Yes, it’s really disheartening to see the remnants of the statue and the disgraceful way in which it has been disrespected,” Wichita police Chief Joe Sullivan said, describing the discovery of it as a “direct indication of the pressure” the perpetrators felt from the ongoing investigation.He said police are conferring with the prosecutor’s office on a regular basis.“There will be arrests, but we’re going to make sure that when we do, we will have a solid case,” he said, adding that for anyone involved in the theft “it is only a matter of time.”Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, paving the way for generations of Black American ballplayers. He’s considered not only a sports legend but also a civil rights icon.Lutz, the nonprofit director, said there will be a new statue installed that will look exactly like the old one, which was made by his friend, the artist John Parsons, before his death. He said the mold is still viable and anticipated that a replacement could be erected within a matter of months.“I’m trying to keep it together,” he said, adding: “The statue that reappears at McAdams Park will be the work of John Parsons.” He stressed that “we are ready for some joy.”The theft was discovered shortly before Black History Month. But Lutz said in an interview after the news conference that he was hopeful the motive wasn’t racial, but that the thieves just saw the bronze as monetarily valuable.Council Member Brandon Johnson described the statue as a “symbol of hope” and said donations for the replacement are coming from local businesses and through an online fundraiser.“This now lets us know that we need a new statue,” he said of the destroyed remains. “We’re no longer looking for a complete intact statue. We know we need to raise the money to replace it, and we will do so.”<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update&nbsp; &nbsp;

Burned remnants of prized Jackie Robinson statue seized from public park in Kansas

KANSAS CITY, Mo.— The Kansas City Royals announced today that they have signed Adam Frazier to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2025. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

A corresponding move will be announced later today.

Frazier, 32, is an eight-year Major League veteran with Pittsburgh (2016-21), San Diego (2021), Seattle (2022) and Baltimore (2023). He was a National League All-Star in 2021, when he set career highs with a .305 (176-for-577) batting average, 36 doubles and 83 runs. He has twice been named his team’s Heart and Hustle Award winner, in 2017 and 2021.

Frazier has twice been named a finalist for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award at second base, in 2019 and 2020 with Pittsburgh. He’s played six different defensive positions throughout his big league career, but he’s spent majority of his time at second base. In fact, he leads the Majors since 2019 with 577 games played at the position, ahead of Ozzie Albies (555) and Jose Altuve (535), and his .989 fielding percentage at second base during that span is tied for 1st in the Majors with Albies and Marcus Semien.

In 2023 with the American League East champion Baltimore Orioles, the left-handed hitting Frazier recorded a career-best 13 home runs and 60 RBI, and appeared in 2 of 3 games in the American League Division Series against the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers.

Over the last five seasons (since 2019), Frazier ranks 9th among all qualified hitters with a rate of 7.92 plate appearances per strikeout. In 10 career games at Kauffman Stadium, Frazier has hit .290 (9-for-31) with 5 extra-base hits and an .888 OPS.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695315090950.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo.— The Kansas City Royals announced today that they have signed Adam Frazier to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2025. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.A corresponding move will be announced later today.Frazier, 32, is an eight-year Major League veteran with Pittsburgh (2016-21), San Diego (2021), Seattle (2022) and Baltimore (2023). He was a National League All-Star in 2021, when he set career highs with a .305 (176-for-577) batting average, 36 doubles and 83 runs. He has twice been named his team’s Heart and Hustle Award winner, in 2017 and 2021.Frazier has twice been named a finalist for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award at second base, in 2019 and 2020 with Pittsburgh. He’s played six different defensive positions throughout his big league career, but he’s spent majority of his time at second base. In fact, he leads the Majors since 2019 with 577 games played at the position, ahead of Ozzie Albies (555) and Jose Altuve (535), and his .989 fielding percentage at second base during that span is tied for 1st in the Majors with Albies and Marcus Semien.In 2023 with the American League East champion Baltimore Orioles, the left-handed hitting Frazier recorded a career-best 13 home runs and 60 RBI, and appeared in 2 of 3 games in the American League Division Series against the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers.Over the last five seasons (since 2019), Frazier ranks 9th among all qualified hitters with a rate of 7.92 plate appearances per strikeout. In 10 career games at Kauffman Stadium, Frazier has hit .290 (9-for-31) with 5 extra-base hits and an .888 OPS.

⚾ Royals sign Adam Frazier

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — It would take some searching anywhere beyond the Flint Hills of central Kansas to find anybody who thought the Kansas State women’s basketball program would become a top-10 mainstay this season.

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706636033771.png" alt="FILE - Kansas State head coach Jeff Mittie talks with Emilee Ebert (24) Rebekah Dallinger (14) and Serena Sundell (4) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas Tech on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, in Manhattan, Kan. Kansas State has its best ranking in 21 years after the Wildcats moved up to fourth in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll Monday, Jan. 22, 2024.(AP Photo/Colin E. Braley, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - Kansas State head coach Jeff Mittie talks with Emilee Ebert (24) Rebekah Dallinger (14) and Serena Sundell (4) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas Tech on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, in Manhattan, Kan. Kansas State has its best ranking in 21 years after the Wildcats moved up to fourth in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll Monday, Jan. 22, 2024.(AP Photo/Colin E. Braley, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — It would take some searching anywhere beyond the Flint Hills of central Kansas to find anybody who thought the Kansas State women’s basketball program would become a top-10 mainstay this season.Might need even more luck to find someone who would have predicted this: After the Wildcats lost All-American forward Ayoka Lee to an ankle injury, which will keep her out about three more weeks, they have kept on winning.With their hard-nosed victory over Big 12 newcomer BYU over the weekend, Kansas State climbed to No. 2 in the latest AP Top 25, matching the best ranking in school history. The Wildcats are the first team in the history of the poll to go from unranked in the preseason to No. 2 at any point, according to Stats Perform.The Wildcats are riding a 14-game winning streak since their lone loss to Caitlin Clark and No. 3 Iowa that likewise ties a school record, and could be considered 15 straight if a forfeit from TCU for not having enough players is included in the tally.“I think everybody has had to step up their game in ways that maybe we weren’t doing before,” said fifth-year senior Gabby Gregory, the Wildcats’ third-leading scorer, and one of the spark plugs for a team that was relegated to the NIT last year.The 6-foot-6 Lee, a cornerstone both offensively and defensively, missed that entire season with a knee injury.“Obviously it’s shifted the way we play slightly, and I think we’ve all had to focus in defensively helping in the post, rebounding, and then offensively, we’re not able to rely on (Lee) for points inside,” Gregory said of her teammate’s latest injury. “We’ve had to move the ball, get more drives downhill, shots. I think it’s really just having to step up our game.”It helps that the Wildcats (20-1, 9-0), who visit Oklahoma on Wednesday night, are among the deepest teams in the nation. They have eight players averaging at least 15 minutes a game, and seven of them are averaging at least six points.“We’re just a hardworking team,” Kansas State guard Jaelyn Glenn said.Yet it’s hard to overstate just how much Lee has meant to the Wildcats.The three-time All-Big 12 forward set the NCAA single-game scoring record with 61 points in a 94-65 win over the Sooners a couple of years ago, and she is fourth in school history in scoring and second in rebounds. Lee’s ability to patrol the paint has made Kansas State a nightmare to score against, and her leadership on a veteran team is almost unrivaled.So when the school announced Jan. 19 that she had undergone surgery to repair a small fracture in her ankle, and would miss a month or so, there was cause for concern — especially given how tough the Big 12 has turned out to be this season.But the Wildcats have managed to overcome the adversity. They beat rival Kansas in their first game without Lee, then knocked off No. 13 Baylor on the road, before rallying from a halftime deficit to beat BYU Saturday.Gisela Sanchez scored 18 points against the Cougars. Serena Sundell had 14 with a season-high eight assists.“We knew Ayoka’s 15 or 20 touches were going to be distributed, so we needed to get more scoring from everybody, and you’re seeing that,” said Kansas State coach Jeff Mittie, whose team is relishing the best start in school history.“The benefit of this is when Lee comes back,” Mittie continued, “we can have a much stronger, deeper team.”If her prognosis is correct, Lee would be back about the time Kansas State plays No. 23 West Virginia on Feb. 21. That would mean navigating a tough stretch coming up: After the Wildcats play the Sooners on the road, they visit No. 12 Texas, then play Oklahoma State and visit Iowa State before wrapping up the run with a game against UCF.It’s a daunting road, to be sure, but one that Kansas State has shown it can handle.With and without its star forward.