AP Sports Summary for January 11th, 2024.

Alabama's Nick Saban retires after 7 national titles, most in major college football history

Alabama coach Nick Saban is retiring after winning more national championships than any other major college football coach. Saban won seven national championships and turned Alabama back into a national powerhouse that included six of those titles in 17 seasons. He made the announcement Wednesday. Saban led the Tide to nine Southeastern Conference championships and won his first national title at Alabama with a 14-0 season in 2009. Titles came again in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020. He also won a national title with LSU in 2003.

East-leading Celtics hold off West's best Timberwolves in OT, improve to 18-0 at home

BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 45 points — 14 of them in the fourth quarter and another 12 in overtime — as the Boston Celtics beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-120 in a matchup of the two conference leaders to remain perfect at home. Jaylen Brown had 35 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who are 18-0 at home for the first time in franchise history. Anthony Edwards had 29 points and Karl Anthony-Towns scored 25 with 13 rebounds for Minnesota, which has the best record in the Western Conference at 26-11 and trails only Boston overall. The Celtics are 29-8.

Victor Wembanyama has 1st NBA triple-double for Spurs in 130-108 victory over Pistons

DETROIT (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his first triple-double in the NBA, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 130-108 win over the Detroit Pistons. Wembanyama pulled off the feat in just 21 minutes playing against the franchise that was hoping to land him. Detroit had the league's worst record last year, but didn't get the first pick in the draft lottery. Wembanyama was 6 of 16 from the field and showed his playmaking skills on the break and in the post to surpass his previous season high of seven assists.

Pete Carroll is out as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks after 14 seasons

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Pete Carroll is out after 14 seasons as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, responsible for two NFC championships and the only Super Bowl title in franchise history during his long tenure. The 72-year old coach is moving into an advisory role with the organization, according to a statement from owner Jody Allen on Wednesday. Seattle closed the regular season with a 21-20 win at Arizona on Sunday. The Seahawks entered the final two weeks of the regular season with the chance at reaching the playoffs for the 11th time with Carroll in charge, but a Week 17 loss to Pittsburgh left Seattle in need of help it didn't get to close out the season.

UCF Knights' defense powers team to comeback victory over No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks

ORLANDO, FL (AP) — Jaylin Sellers scored 18 points, Darius Johnson added 17 and UCF erased a 16-point deficit to beat No. 3 Kansas 65-60 on Wednesday night. UCF's victory came one night after No. 1 Purdue and second-ranked Houston lost.

Pro Picks: NFL's wild-card weekend filled with reunions and rematches

Matthew Stafford vs. the Lions. Mike McCarthy vs. the Packers. Tyreek Hill vs. the Chiefs. The NFL's wild-card weekend is all about reunions and some rematches, too. Stafford leads the Los Angeles Rams to Detroit to face his old team where he spent 12 seasons and didn't win a playoff game. McCarthy's Dallas Cowboys host Green Bay, the team he led to a Super Bowl title with Aaron Rodgers 13 years ago. Hill and the Miami Dolphins head to Kansas City, which won one Super Bowl with the dynamic wide receiver and one without him last season. The upstart Houston Texans take on the Browns for the second time in three weeks.

Sportsbooks pulling hard for big underdogs Packers and Steelers in the playoffs

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Sportsbook directors follow the money when it comes to cheering for particular teams. They are solidly behind the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend. Both are sizable underdogs in the NFL playoffs, with the majority of the money from casual bettors going to the favorites. The Packers are 7 1/2-point underdogs at FanDuel Sportsbook in the wild-card round at the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Pittsburgh is an even bigger dog at plus-10 on Sunday at the Buffalo Bills.

Israel barred from International Ice Hockey Federation events over security concerns

ZURICH (AP) — The International Ice Hockey Federation has barred Israel from competing in its world championship events citing security concerns. The IIHF says its ruling council's decision was based on concern for "the safety and well-being of all participants," including Israelis. It set no deadline for the teams to return to competition. The statement did not say if any other country had objected to playing against Israel and made no mention of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Flyers coach John Tortorella lashes out at reporter about Gauthier trade report

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Flyers coach John Tortorella lashed out at a beat reporter during his postgame news conference Wednesday night, questioning a report surrounding the trade of top prospect Cutter Gauthier on Monday. Gauthier told Flyers general manager Danny Briere that he didn't want to play in Philadelphia or for the Flyers. Unable to sign Gauthier, Philadelphia traded the Boston College star to Anaheim on Monday for defenseman Jamie Drysdale. On Monday, a reporter with a podcast affiliated with the team said, citing an organizational source, that former Flyers forward Kevin Hayes' "fingerprints are all over this." Hayes, a former Boston College player, now plays for St. Louis. Tortorella took issue with the report after Philadelphia's 3-2 victory over Montreal on Wednesday night.

Former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson says he has cancer and might have less than a year to live

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — Swedish soccer coach Sven-Goran Eriksson says he has cancer and might have less than a year to live. The former England coach has told Swedish Radio he discovered he had cancer after collapsing suddenly. He said in February last year he was reducing his public appearances because of health issues. Eriksson says he has pancreatic cancer and that it is inoperable. He says he is trying to think positively. Eriksson was England's first ever foreign-born coach from 2001-06 after making his name winning league titles at club level with Lazio in Italy, Benfica in Portugal and IFK Gothenburg in his native Sweden.

Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:

Final	Mississippi St.	77	(5)Tennessee	72	

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Early Thursday Morning, January 11th, 2024." />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Early Thursday Morning, January 11th, 2024.</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="January 11th, 2024 Early Morning Sports" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=bvvd7-1548862-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>AP Sports Summary for January 11th, 2024.Alabama's Nick Saban retires after 7 national titles, most in major college football historyAlabama coach Nick Saban is retiring after winning more national championships than any other major college football coach. Saban won seven national championships and turned Alabama back into a national powerhouse that included six of those titles in 17 seasons. He made the announcement Wednesday. Saban led the Tide to nine Southeastern Conference championships and won his first national title at Alabama with a 14-0 season in 2009. Titles came again in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020. He also won a national title with LSU in 2003.East-leading Celtics hold off West's best Timberwolves in OT, improve to 18-0 at homeBOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 45 points — 14 of them in the fourth quarter and another 12 in overtime — as the Boston Celtics beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-120 in a matchup of the two conference leaders to remain perfect at home. Jaylen Brown had 35 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who are 18-0 at home for the first time in franchise history. Anthony Edwards had 29 points and Karl Anthony-Towns scored 25 with 13 rebounds for Minnesota, which has the best record in the Western Conference at 26-11 and trails only Boston overall. The Celtics are 29-8.Victor Wembanyama has 1st NBA triple-double for Spurs in 130-108 victory over PistonsDETROIT (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his first triple-double in the NBA, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 130-108 win over the Detroit Pistons. Wembanyama pulled off the feat in just 21 minutes playing against the franchise that was hoping to land him. Detroit had the league's worst record last year, but didn't get the first pick in the draft lottery. Wembanyama was 6 of 16 from the field and showed his playmaking skills on the break and in the post to surpass his previous season high of seven assists.Pete Carroll is out as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks after 14 seasonsRENTON, Wash. (AP) — Pete Carroll is out after 14 seasons as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, responsible for two NFC championships and the only Super Bowl title in franchise history during his long tenure. The 72-year old coach is moving into an advisory role with the organization, according to a statement from owner Jody Allen on Wednesday. Seattle closed the regular season with a 21-20 win at Arizona on Sunday. The Seahawks entered the final two weeks of the regular season with the chance at reaching the playoffs for the 11th time with Carroll in charge, but a Week 17 loss to Pittsburgh left Seattle in need of help it didn't get to close out the season.UCF Knights' defense powers team to comeback victory over No. 3 Kansas JayhawksORLANDO, FL (AP) — Jaylin Sellers scored 18 points, Darius Johnson added 17 and UCF erased a 16-point deficit to beat No. 3 Kansas 65-60 on Wednesday night. UCF's victory came one night after No. 1 Purdue and second-ranked Houston lost.Pro Picks: NFL's wild-card weekend filled with reunions and rematchesMatthew Stafford vs. the Lions. Mike McCarthy vs. the Packers. Tyreek Hill vs. the Chiefs. The NFL's wild-card weekend is all about reunions and some rematches, too. Stafford leads the Los Angeles Rams to Detroit to face his old team where he spent 12 seasons and didn't win a playoff game. McCarthy's Dallas Cowboys host Green Bay, the team he led to a Super Bowl title with Aaron Rodgers 13 years ago. Hill and the Miami Dolphins head to Kansas City, which won one Super Bowl with the dynamic wide receiver and one without him last season. The upstart Houston Texans take on the Browns for the second time in three weeks.Sportsbooks pulling hard for big underdogs Packers and Steelers in the playoffsLAS VEGAS (AP) — Sportsbook directors follow the money when it comes to cheering for particular teams. They are solidly behind the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend. Both are sizable underdogs in the NFL playoffs, with the majority of the money from casual bettors going to the favorites. The Packers are 7 1/2-point underdogs at FanDuel Sportsbook in the wild-card round at the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Pittsburgh is an even bigger dog at plus-10 on Sunday at the Buffalo Bills.Israel barred from International Ice Hockey Federation events over security concernsZURICH (AP) — The International Ice Hockey Federation has barred Israel from competing in its world championship events citing security concerns. The IIHF says its ruling council's decision was based on concern for "the safety and well-being of all participants," including Israelis. It set no deadline for the teams to return to competition. The statement did not say if any other country had objected to playing against Israel and made no mention of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.Flyers coach John Tortorella lashes out at reporter about Gauthier trade reportPHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Flyers coach John Tortorella lashed out at a beat reporter during his postgame news conference Wednesday night, questioning a report surrounding the trade of top prospect Cutter Gauthier on Monday. Gauthier told Flyers general manager Danny Briere that he didn't want to play in Philadelphia or for the Flyers. Unable to sign Gauthier, Philadelphia traded the Boston College star to Anaheim on Monday for defenseman Jamie Drysdale. On Monday, a reporter with a podcast affiliated with the team said, citing an organizational source, that former Flyers forward Kevin Hayes' "fingerprints are all over this." Hayes, a former Boston College player, now plays for St. Louis. Tortorella took issue with the report after Philadelphia's 3-2 victory over Montreal on Wednesday night.Former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson says he has cancer and might have less than a year to liveSTOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — Swedish soccer coach Sven-Goran Eriksson says he has cancer and might have less than a year to live. The former England coach has told Swedish Radio he discovered he had cancer after collapsing suddenly. He said in February last year he was reducing his public appearances because of health issues. Eriksson says he has pancreatic cancer and that it is inoperable. He says he is trying to think positively. Eriksson was England's first ever foreign-born coach from 2001-06 after making his name winning league titles at club level with Lazio in Italy, Benfica in Portugal and IFK Gothenburg in his native Sweden.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal	Sacramento	123	Charlotte	98	Final	San Antonio	130	Detroit	108	Final	Indiana	112	Washington	104	Final OT	Boston	127	Minnesota	120	Final	Oklahoma City	128	Miami	120	Final OT	Atlanta	139	Philadelphia	132	Final OT	Chicago	124	Houston	119	Final	New Orleans	141	Golden State	105	Final	Utah	124	Denver	111	Final	L.A. Clippers	126	Toronto	120	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUEFinal SO	Philadelphia	3	Montreal	2	Final	Dallas	7	Minnesota	2	Final	Colorado	3	Vegas	0	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALLFinal	UCF	65	(3)Kansas	60	Final	(4)UConn	80	Xavier	75	Final	Mississippi St.	77	(5)Tennessee	72	Final	(7)North Carolina	67	NC State	54	Final	TCU	80	(9)Oklahoma	71	Final	Butler	69	(11)Marquette	62	Final	(13)Memphis	107	UTSA	101	Final	(15)Wisconsin	71	Ohio St.	60	Final	Virginia Tech	87	(21)Clemson	72	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION		Brooklyn	at	Cleveland	2 p.m.			Boston	at	Milwaukee	7:30 p.m.			Portland	at	Oklahoma City	8 p.m.			New York	at	Dallas	8:30 p.m.			Phoenix	at	L.A. Lakers	10 p.m.	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE		Anaheim	at	Carolina	7 p.m.			Edmonton	at	Detroit	7 p.m.			Los Angeles	at	Florida	7 p.m.			New Jersey	at	Tampa Bay	7 p.m.			Ottawa	at	Buffalo	7 p.m.			San Jose	at	Montreal	7 p.m.			Seattle	at	Washington	7 p.m.			Toronto	at	N-Y Islanders	7 p.m.			Vancouver	at	Pittsburgh	7 p.m.			Chicago	at	Winnipeg	8 p.m.			N-Y Rangers	at	St. Louis	8 p.m.			Calgary	at	Arizona	9 p.m.			Boston	at	Vegas	10 p.m.	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL		Michigan St.	at	(10)Illinois	9 p.m.			(23)Gonzaga	at	Santa Clara	9:30 p.m.			(24)FAU	at	Tulane	7 p.m.	___

📢📰 Sports Headlines for Thursday

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The No. 17 Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team pulled away from the Seward County Saints in the second half en route to a 76-42 win at the Sports Arena.

The Blue Dragons improve their record to 13-2 overall and 8-1 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC).&nbsp;

Hutchinson led Seward County, 30-20 at halftime after the Saints made a run late in the half to cut the Blue Dragon deficit down.

The Blue Dragons dominated the second half, outscoring the Saints, 46-22.

HutchCC shot 57 percent from the floor, while holding the Saints to 28 percent. The Blue Dragons finished plus-23 on the glass, outrebounding Seward, 44-21.

Valentino Simon led the Blue Dragons with 20 points and six rebounds, while Kernan Bundy added 15 points off the bench. Dallas Whitney also contributed off the bench with 12 points, five rebounds and six assists.

Amir Whitlock led the Saints with 13 points, while Mathias M'Madi added nine.

Hutchinson will travel to Coffeyville to play the Red Ravens on Saturday afternoon at Nellis Hall with tipoff scheduled for 4 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on the flagship station for the Blue Dragons, KHUT-FM (102.9), as well as KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704942546906.jpeg" alt="Photo by Daren Dunn." />
 <figcaption>Photo by Daren Dunn.</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The No. 17 Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team pulled away from the Seward County Saints in the second half en route to a 76-42 win at the Sports Arena.The Blue Dragons improve their record to 13-2 overall and 8-1 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC).&nbsp;Hutchinson led Seward County, 30-20 at halftime after the Saints made a run late in the half to cut the Blue Dragon deficit down.The Blue Dragons dominated the second half, outscoring the Saints, 46-22.HutchCC shot 57 percent from the floor, while holding the Saints to 28 percent. The Blue Dragons finished plus-23 on the glass, outrebounding Seward, 44-21.Valentino Simon led the Blue Dragons with 20 points and six rebounds, while Kernan Bundy added 15 points off the bench. Dallas Whitney also contributed off the bench with 12 points, five rebounds and six assists.Amir Whitlock led the Saints with 13 points, while Mathias M'Madi added nine.Hutchinson will travel to Coffeyville to play the Red Ravens on Saturday afternoon at Nellis Hall with tipoff scheduled for 4 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on the flagship station for the Blue Dragons, KHUT-FM (102.9), as well as KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5).

🏀 MBB: No. 17 HutchCC dominates second half to down Seward

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The No. 6-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team played its worst offensive game of the season, but still found a way to win, outlasting Seward County, 69-53 in the Sports Arena on Wednesday.

The win improved the Blue Dragons to 15-0 overall, 9-0 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC).

HutchCC shot a season-low 37 percent from the floor, including a 4-of-24 performance from the three-point line. The Blue Dragons countered the poor shooting by knocking down 13-of-20 from the free-throw stripe.

Monae Duffy led the Blue Dragons with 16 points, while also grabbing 13 rebounds to secure her third double-double of the season and 12th of her career. Journey Armstead also scored 16, while dishing off five assists. Akaysha Muggeridge and Kiki Smith both scored in double figures with 15 and 10, respectively.

The Blue Dragons led 11-9 after the first quarter, and continued its strong second quarter showing, outscoring the Saints, 22-11 in the period to lead 33-20 at halftime.

Seward County came out strong in the second half and outscored the Blue Dragons, 17-10 in the third frame to pull within 43-37 entering the fourth. Hutchinson built a 15-point lead in the third before the Saints pulled within three at one point.

HutchCC took advantage of 28 Seward County turnovers, scoring 25 points from the Saints' woes. The Blue Dragons also dominated in the paint, outscoring Seward, 42-24.

The Blue Dragons will travel to Coffeyville on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tipoff against the Red Ravens inside of Nellis Hall. The game will be broadcasted on the flagship station for the Blue Dragons, KHUT-FM (102.9), as well as KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) with pregame coverage starting at 1:45 p.m.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/pages/eagle-media-broadcast-calendar" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to view the EAGLE Media Sports Broadcast Calendar. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile&nbsp;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/2024/1/1704941689552.jpeg" alt="Monae Duffy looks to pass the ball in the paint in the HutchCC victory over Seward County on Wednesday, Jan. 10. Photo by Daren Dunn." />
 <figcaption>Monae Duffy looks to pass the ball in the paint in the HutchCC victory over Seward County on Wednesday, Jan. 10. Photo by Daren Dunn.</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The No. 6-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team played its worst offensive game of the season, but still found a way to win, outlasting Seward County, 69-53 in the Sports Arena on Wednesday.The win improved the Blue Dragons to 15-0 overall, 9-0 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC).HutchCC shot a season-low 37 percent from the floor, including a 4-of-24 performance from the three-point line. The Blue Dragons countered the poor shooting by knocking down 13-of-20 from the free-throw stripe.Monae Duffy led the Blue Dragons with 16 points, while also grabbing 13 rebounds to secure her third double-double of the season and 12th of her career. Journey Armstead also scored 16, while dishing off five assists. Akaysha Muggeridge and Kiki Smith both scored in double figures with 15 and 10, respectively.The Blue Dragons led 11-9 after the first quarter, and continued its strong second quarter showing, outscoring the Saints, 22-11 in the period to lead 33-20 at halftime.Seward County came out strong in the second half and outscored the Blue Dragons, 17-10 in the third frame to pull within 43-37 entering the fourth. Hutchinson built a 15-point lead in the third before the Saints pulled within three at one point.HutchCC took advantage of 28 Seward County turnovers, scoring 25 points from the Saints' woes. The Blue Dragons also dominated in the paint, outscoring Seward, 42-24.The Blue Dragons will travel to Coffeyville on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tipoff against the Red Ravens inside of Nellis Hall. The game will be broadcasted on the flagship station for the Blue Dragons, KHUT-FM (102.9), as well as KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) with pregame coverage starting at 1:45 p.m.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/pages/eagle-media-broadcast-calendar" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to view the EAGLE Media Sports Broadcast Calendar. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile&nbsp;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;

🏀 WBB: Duffy's double-double helps No. 6 HutchCC defeat Seward

By PHILIP ROSSMAN-REICH Associated Press

ORLANDO, FL (AP) — Jaylin Seller scored 18 points, Darius Johnson added 17 and UCF erased a 16-point deficit to beat No. 3 Kansas 65-60 on Wednesday night.

UCF's victory came one night after No. 1 Purdue and second-ranked Houston lost.

Ibrahima Diallo broke a 57-57 tie with less than three minutes left with a hook shot over Jayhawks (13-2, 1-1 Big 12) star Hunter Dickinson. He then blocked a KJ Adams Jr. shot with 50 seconds left to help the Knights (10-4, 1-1) preserve the lead and score the program's first Big 12 conference win.

Diallo had 13 points, five rebounds and a block to help anchor a UCF defense that forced eight turnovers and blocked four shots in the second half alone.

Kansas had 18 turnovers. The UCF center triad of Ibrahima Diallo, C.J. Walker and Omar Payne recorded five of the team's seven blocks in the game.

Kevin McCullar Jr. scored 16 points to lead Kansas. Dickinson had only 12 points and played 28 minutes because of foul trouble.

UCF used a 9-0 run in the second half during that time to take the lead for the first time since it was 7-5 early in the game thanks to a series of shots from Johnson and Sellers.

That duo combined to make 7 of 13 3-pointers for the game and three of four in the second half.

The Jayhawks got the Knights down by double-digits in the first half but could not figure out UCF's length in the second half, scoring only 23 points and shooting 7-for-22 shooting in the second half.

Kansas was in a position to claim the top spot in next week's poll after the losses by the top two teams. But the Jayhawks have not looked dominant in conference play, winning their first Big 12 game at home against TCU by just two points before falling to UCF.

UCF picked up its first Big 12 win in its inaugural season in the conference, leading to fans storming the court in celebration after the victory.

Kansas will get a chance to recover when they host No. 9 Oklahoma on Saturday.

UCF's gauntlet to start its inaugural Big 12 season continues Saturday when the team hosts No. 18 BYU in Orlando.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704942460907.jpeg" alt="Central Florida forward C.J. Walker, front left, grabs the ball from Kansas forward K.J. Adams Jr. as he falls backward during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)" />
 <figcaption>Central Florida forward C.J. Walker, front left, grabs the ball from Kansas forward K.J. Adams Jr. as he falls backward during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)</figcaption>
 </figure>By PHILIP ROSSMAN-REICH Associated PressORLANDO, FL (AP) — Jaylin Seller scored 18 points, Darius Johnson added 17 and UCF erased a 16-point deficit to beat No. 3 Kansas 65-60 on Wednesday night.UCF's victory came one night after No. 1 Purdue and second-ranked Houston lost.Ibrahima Diallo broke a 57-57 tie with less than three minutes left with a hook shot over Jayhawks (13-2, 1-1 Big 12) star Hunter Dickinson. He then blocked a KJ Adams Jr. shot with 50 seconds left to help the Knights (10-4, 1-1) preserve the lead and score the program's first Big 12 conference win.Diallo had 13 points, five rebounds and a block to help anchor a UCF defense that forced eight turnovers and blocked four shots in the second half alone.Kansas had 18 turnovers. The UCF center triad of Ibrahima Diallo, C.J. Walker and Omar Payne recorded five of the team's seven blocks in the game.Kevin McCullar Jr. scored 16 points to lead Kansas. Dickinson had only 12 points and played 28 minutes because of foul trouble.UCF used a 9-0 run in the second half during that time to take the lead for the first time since it was 7-5 early in the game thanks to a series of shots from Johnson and Sellers.That duo combined to make 7 of 13 3-pointers for the game and three of four in the second half.The Jayhawks got the Knights down by double-digits in the first half but could not figure out UCF's length in the second half, scoring only 23 points and shooting 7-for-22 shooting in the second half.BIG PICTUREKansas was in a position to claim the top spot in next week's poll after the losses by the top two teams. But the Jayhawks have not looked dominant in conference play, winning their first Big 12 game at home against TCU by just two points before falling to UCF.UCF picked up its first Big 12 win in its inaugural season in the conference, leading to fans storming the court in celebration after the victory.UP NEXTKansas will get a chance to recover when they host No. 9 Oklahoma on Saturday.UCF's gauntlet to start its inaugural Big 12 season continues Saturday when the team hosts No. 18 BYU in Orlando.

🏀 Jayhawks squander double-digit lead, lose at UCF

TUSCALOOSA (AP) —Nick Saban, the stern coach who won seven national championships and turned Alabama back into a national powerhouse that included six of those titles in just 17 seasons, is retiring, according to multiple reports.

The 72-year-old Saban restored a Crimson Tide program once ruled by Paul “Bear” Bryant to the top of college football after taking over in 2007. His decision to step away was reported Wednesday, first by ESPN and then by other outlets.

Saban led the Crimson Tide from a shaky start this season to a Southeastern Conference championship and back into the College Football Playoff before falling to Michigan in a semifinal game at the Rose Bowl.

Saban led the Tide to nine Southeastern Conference championships and won his first national title at Alabama with a 14-0 season in 2009. Titles came again in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020. Alabama was always a contender but had fallen short of the title since then.

Saban is famed for his sideline scowl and fiery demeanor -- and for winning. Saban has won more national titles than any other major college coach.

He made a two-year foray into the NFL with the Miami Dolphins before returning to college football to revive one of college football’s most storied programs, which hadn’t won a national title in 15 years. Saban is 297-71-1 as a college head coach, with stops at Toledo, Michigan State and LSU, where he also won a national title. But Alabama is where he cemented his status as one of college football's greatest coaches.

His latest team dealt with plenty of adversity early on, including a loss to Texas, but rebounded with the emergence of quarterback Jalen Milroe to upset then-No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.

Saban didn’t sound like a coach looking to give up the job any time soon after the game. But it wasn't a bad way to go, even without the title.

“This is one of the most amazing seasons in Alabama football history in terms of where this team came from, what they were able to accomplish and what they were able to do, winning the SEC Championship, and really, really proud of this group,” he said.

“I just wish that I could have done more as a coach to help them be successful and help them finish, and all we can do now is learn from the lessons that sometimes failings bring to us.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704928166083.png" alt="Nick Saban photo courtesy University of Alabama Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Nick Saban photo courtesy University of Alabama Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>TUSCALOOSA (AP) —Nick Saban, the stern coach who won seven national championships and turned Alabama back into a national powerhouse that included six of those titles in just 17 seasons, is retiring, according to multiple reports.The 72-year-old Saban restored a Crimson Tide program once ruled by Paul “Bear” Bryant to the top of college football after taking over in 2007. His decision to step away was reported Wednesday, first by ESPN and then by other outlets.Saban led the Crimson Tide from a shaky start this season to a Southeastern Conference championship and back into the College Football Playoff before falling to Michigan in a semifinal game at the Rose Bowl.Saban led the Tide to nine Southeastern Conference championships and won his first national title at Alabama with a 14-0 season in 2009. Titles came again in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020. Alabama was always a contender but had fallen short of the title since then.Saban is famed for his sideline scowl and fiery demeanor -- and for winning. Saban has won more national titles than any other major college coach.He made a two-year foray into the NFL with the Miami Dolphins before returning to college football to revive one of college football’s most storied programs, which hadn’t won a national title in 15 years. Saban is 297-71-1 as a college head coach, with stops at Toledo, Michigan State and LSU, where he also won a national title. But Alabama is where he cemented his status as one of college football's greatest coaches.His latest team dealt with plenty of adversity early on, including a loss to Texas, but rebounded with the emergence of quarterback Jalen Milroe to upset then-No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.Saban didn’t sound like a coach looking to give up the job any time soon after the game. But it wasn't a bad way to go, even without the title.“This is one of the most amazing seasons in Alabama football history in terms of where this team came from, what they were able to accomplish and what they were able to do, winning the SEC Championship, and really, really proud of this group,” he said.“I just wish that I could have done more as a coach to help them be successful and help them finish, and all we can do now is learn from the lessons that sometimes failings bring to us.”

Alabama coach Nick Saban retiring after winning 7 national titles

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals announced today that they have invited 23 players to Major League Spring Training in Surprise, Ariz. Among the invitees are 10 pitchers, five catchers, five infielders and three outfielders.

Of the 23 invitees, 11 were originally signed or drafted by Kansas City: right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Mason Barnett, left-handed pitchers&nbsp;Christian Chamberlain,&nbsp;Austin Cox&nbsp;and&nbsp;Walter Pennington; catchers&nbsp;Carter Jensen,&nbsp;Logan Porter&nbsp;and&nbsp;Luca Tresh; infielder&nbsp;Tyler Tolbert&nbsp;and outfielders&nbsp;Nate Eaton,&nbsp;Diego Hernandez&nbsp;and&nbsp;John Rave.

There are five invitees who are returning to the organization in 2024, including right-handed pitchers&nbsp;Chandler Champlain&nbsp;and&nbsp;Beck Way; catcher&nbsp;Tyler Cropley&nbsp;and infielders&nbsp;CJ Alexander&nbsp;and&nbsp;Devin Mann.

The remaining seven players are new to the organization in 2024 and include right-handed pitchers&nbsp;Dan Altavilla,&nbsp;Luis Cessa&nbsp;and&nbsp;Tyler Duffey; left-handed pitcher&nbsp;Sam Long; catcher&nbsp;Rodolfo Duran&nbsp;and infielders&nbsp;Mike Brosseau&nbsp;and&nbsp;Cam Devanney.

Kansas City’s 63-man Spring Training roster is attached.

The first workout for Royals pitchers and catchers is Wednesday, Feb. 14. The first full squad workout is scheduled for Monday,&nbsp;Feb. 19.

<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>Courtesy of Kansas City RoyalsKANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals announced today that they have invited 23 players to Major League Spring Training in Surprise, Ariz. Among the invitees are 10 pitchers, five catchers, five infielders and three outfielders.Of the 23 invitees, 11 were originally signed or drafted by Kansas City: right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Mason Barnett, left-handed pitchers&nbsp;Christian Chamberlain,&nbsp;Austin Cox&nbsp;and&nbsp;Walter Pennington; catchers&nbsp;Carter Jensen,&nbsp;Logan Porter&nbsp;and&nbsp;Luca Tresh; infielder&nbsp;Tyler Tolbert&nbsp;and outfielders&nbsp;Nate Eaton,&nbsp;Diego Hernandez&nbsp;and&nbsp;John Rave.There are five invitees who are returning to the organization in 2024, including right-handed pitchers&nbsp;Chandler Champlain&nbsp;and&nbsp;Beck Way; catcher&nbsp;Tyler Cropley&nbsp;and infielders&nbsp;CJ Alexander&nbsp;and&nbsp;Devin Mann.The remaining seven players are new to the organization in 2024 and include right-handed pitchers&nbsp;Dan Altavilla,&nbsp;Luis Cessa&nbsp;and&nbsp;Tyler Duffey; left-handed pitcher&nbsp;Sam Long; catcher&nbsp;Rodolfo Duran&nbsp;and infielders&nbsp;Mike Brosseau&nbsp;and&nbsp;Cam Devanney.Kansas City’s 63-man Spring Training roster is attached.The first workout for Royals pitchers and catchers is Wednesday, Feb. 14. The first full squad workout is scheduled for Monday,&nbsp;Feb. 19.

⚾ Royals invite 23 players to Spring Training

It's been a few years since the Hutch High Salthawks opted out of the McPherson Invitational Tournament that is played each January at McPherson High School.

Hutchinson decided to travel to Colby for the Orange and Black Classic for a couple of years, then went to the Spring Hill Invitational outside of Kansas City before returning to the Tournament of Champions in Dodge City last season. Hutch captured the TOC crown in January of 2023.

This season, Hutchinson (5-1) returns to McPherson to participate in the 60th Annual McPherson Invitational Tournament as the No. 2 seed to open vs No. 7 seed St. James Academy (1-4) from Lenexa at 4:35 p.m. KWBW will broadcast that game from McPherson on 1450-AM/98.5-FM and can be streamed on the NFHSNetwork Hutch High Channel as well as audio on kwbwradio.com.

With a 6-0 record, the McPherson Bullpups will be the No. 1 seed, and will wrap up the first day of the tournament hosting Wichita-Bishop Carrol (1-6) Thurs. Jan. 18 at 7:45 p.m.

Here are the&nbsp; first round matchups for Thursday, January 18th

Fri. 1/19’s second-round matchups will begin at 3pm. Please refer to the bracket shown above.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704912050937.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>It's been a few years since the Hutch High Salthawks opted out of the McPherson Invitational Tournament that is played each January at McPherson High School.Hutchinson decided to travel to Colby for the Orange and Black Classic for a couple of years, then went to the Spring Hill Invitational outside of Kansas City before returning to the Tournament of Champions in Dodge City last season. Hutch captured the TOC crown in January of 2023.This season, Hutchinson (5-1) returns to McPherson to participate in the 60th Annual McPherson Invitational Tournament as the No. 2 seed to open vs No. 7 seed St. James Academy (1-4) from Lenexa at 4:35 p.m. KWBW will broadcast that game from McPherson on 1450-AM/98.5-FM and can be streamed on the NFHSNetwork Hutch High Channel as well as audio on kwbwradio.com.With a 6-0 record, the McPherson Bullpups will be the No. 1 seed, and will wrap up the first day of the tournament hosting Wichita-Bishop Carrol (1-6) Thurs. Jan. 18 at 7:45 p.m.Here are the&nbsp; first round matchups for Thursday, January 18th<ul>
 <li>🏀 No. 3 Topeka-Seaman (3-2) vs. No. 6 Blue Valley (2-3) – 3:00 p.m.</li><li>🏀 No. 2 Hutchinson (5-1) vs. No. 7 St. James Academy (1-4) – 4:35 p.m.</li><li>🏀 No. 4 Lawrence-Free State (3-3) vs. No. 5 Derby (2-3) – 6:10 p.m.</li><li>🏀 No. 1 McPherson (6-0) vs. No. 8 Wichita-Bishop Carrol (1-6)– 7:45 p.m.</li>
 </ul>Fri. 1/19’s second-round matchups will begin at 3pm. Please refer to the bracket shown above.Saturday's finals will tip off at 11am. Game times are as follows:<ul>
 <li>7th place – 11:00 a.m.</li><li>5th place – 12:35 p.m.</li><li>3rd place – 2:10 p.m.</li><li>Championship – 3:45 p.m.</li>
 </ul>

🏀 McPherson Invitational boys bracket released; Salthawks No. 2 seed

The Kansas Wesleyan basketball teams will make their first out-of-state trip of the conference slate as they head north to York Nebraska to take on the Panthers on KINA.

Women's Game: Kansas Wesleyan (6-8, 4-4), York (3-9, 2-6)

The Coyotes have won each of the last six and nine of the last 10 against York. They won 81-75 last January at York and 70-34 last February in Mabee Arena. KWU has a 16-3 record against York since 2005.

The Panthers have lost their last three games and seven of their last eight, the latest a 92-59 setback against Friends on Saturday in Wichita. They lost to Bethel 89-67 last Wednesday in North Newton. 

York averages 65.5 points and is shooting 39 percent overall, 27 percent from long range. Opponents average 77.6 points and are shooting 45 percent.

Junior guard Ashley Rubio averages a team-best 8.7 points followed by junior forward Britney Schroer at 8.6 points and sophomore post Destiny Shepherd 8.3.

Men's Game: Kansas Wesleyan (10-4, 7-1), York (6-8, 4-4)

The Coyotes have won the last six games against York. They won 80-78 last January in York, Nebraska then prevailed 104-86 in February in Mabee Arena. KWU trails 12-9 in the series since 2009.

The Panthers have won their last two games, both on the road. They defeated Bethel 82-79 last Wednesday in North Newton and toppled Friends 90-84 Saturday in Wichita. 

York had lost four of five before the two victories. They led Bethel 45-21 at halftime before the Threshers rallied in the second half.

Junior guard Jaden Henderson is the leading scorer at 12.9 points. He had 25 against Friends and 18 against Bethel. Junior forward Trevon Dennis averages 12.2 and senior guard Dwight Gover 10.0. 

York averages 76 points and allows 78. The Panthers are shooting 44 percent, 36.5 percent from the 3-point line.

The video stream of the game will be available online through the Coyote Sports Network at&nbsp;www.kcacnetwork.com/kansaswesleyan. 

Live Stats will be available at&nbsp;https://kwucoyotes.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary. 

Radio coverage can be heard locally on KINA 910 AM/107.5 FM, and online at Salina Post. The online stream is also available at&nbsp;910KINA.com. 

Tyler Henry will have the call with pregame starting at 4:30 on Wednesday.

The Kansas Wesleyan basketball teams will make their first out-of-state trip of the conference slate as they head north to York Nebraska to take on the Panthers on KINA.Women's Game: Kansas Wesleyan (6-8, 4-4), York (3-9, 2-6)The Coyotes have won each of the last six and nine of the last 10 against York. They won 81-75 last January at York and 70-34 last February in Mabee Arena. KWU has a 16-3 record against York since 2005.The Panthers have lost their last three games and seven of their last eight, the latest a 92-59 setback against Friends on Saturday in Wichita. They lost to Bethel 89-67 last Wednesday in North Newton. York averages 65.5 points and is shooting 39 percent overall, 27 percent from long range. Opponents average 77.6 points and are shooting 45 percent.Junior guard Ashley Rubio averages a team-best 8.7 points followed by junior forward Britney Schroer at 8.6 points and sophomore post Destiny Shepherd 8.3.Men's Game: Kansas Wesleyan (10-4, 7-1), York (6-8, 4-4)The Coyotes have won the last six games against York. They won 80-78 last January in York, Nebraska then prevailed 104-86 in February in Mabee Arena. KWU trails 12-9 in the series since 2009.The Panthers have won their last two games, both on the road. They defeated Bethel 82-79 last Wednesday in North Newton and toppled Friends 90-84 Saturday in Wichita. York had lost four of five before the two victories. They led Bethel 45-21 at halftime before the Threshers rallied in the second half.Junior guard Jaden Henderson is the leading scorer at 12.9 points. He had 25 against Friends and 18 against Bethel. Junior forward Trevon Dennis averages 12.2 and senior guard Dwight Gover 10.0. York averages 76 points and allows 78. The Panthers are shooting 44 percent, 36.5 percent from the 3-point line.LIVE COVERAGEThe video stream of the game will be available online through the Coyote Sports Network at&nbsp;www.kcacnetwork.com/kansaswesleyan. Live Stats will be available at&nbsp;https://kwucoyotes.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary. Radio coverage can be heard locally on KINA 910 AM/107.5 FM, and online at Salina Post. The online stream is also available at&nbsp;910KINA.com. Tyler Henry will have the call with pregame starting at 4:30 on Wednesday.

Coyotes Travel to Nebraska to Tangle With York

Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics&nbsp;

WICHITA –&nbsp;Wichita State suffered its worst conference loss, falling 72-49 to Temple Tuesday evening in Charles Koch Arena.

"It was just a bad shooting night overall," head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/terry-nooner/1136">Terry Nooner</a>&nbsp;said. "When you shoot like that, you just don't give yourself a chance. We'll figure it out and have a better performance on Sunday."

Wichita State (5-11, 1-3 AAC) was caught in an offensive slump, shooting just 1-for-19 (.053 from three and 18-for-64 (.281) from the field.

Temple (9-7, 3-1 AAC) shot 30-for-59 (.508) with seven three pointers as Demi Washington's 20 points led the Owls to its second-straight conference victory.

Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/salese-blow/7620">Salese Blow</a>&nbsp;led the Shockers in scoring for the fifth time this season with 10 points and dished out a career-best three assists.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jayla-murray/7622">Jayla Murray</a>&nbsp;was the team's leading rebounder with nine.

<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jeniah-thompson/7512">Jeniah Thompson</a>&nbsp;hit the Shockers' only three of the night, finishing with eight points off the bench as the Wichita State bench scored over half of the Shockers' points with Thompson (8), Murray (7),&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/aniya-bell/7506">Aniya Bell</a>&nbsp;(4),&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ambah-kowcun/7508">Ambah Kowcun</a>&nbsp;(4),&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ella-anciaux/7504">Ella Anciaux</a>&nbsp;(3) and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/raissa-nsabua/7511">Raissa Nsabua</a>&nbsp;(1) combining for 27 points.

The Shockers forced 25 turnovers but were unable to capitalize, scoring just five points off turnovers, compared to the Owls' 21 points scored off 19 Wichita State turnovers.

Wichita State was out-rebounded for the seventh time this season, 46-33, and the Shockers have only won one game in which they lost the battle of the boards.

For the second-straight game, the Shockers struggled to score in the first quarter, only hitting one field goal with 1:09 left in the quarter to give the Owls a 15-5 advantage.

The offense continued to have to hard time in the second and third quarters as Temple took a 55-28 lead with one quarter to play.

Wichita State started to find its stride in the fourth quarter, out-scoring the Owls 21-17, but it was too little, too late.

The Shockers head back to the Lone Star State to take on North Texas (12-3, 2-1 AAC) Sunday at 2 p.m. in The Super Pit.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704895449922.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Wichita State Athletics." />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Wichita State Athletics.</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics&nbsp;WICHITA –&nbsp;Wichita State suffered its worst conference loss, falling 72-49 to Temple Tuesday evening in Charles Koch Arena."It was just a bad shooting night overall," head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/terry-nooner/1136">Terry Nooner</a>&nbsp;said. "When you shoot like that, you just don't give yourself a chance. We'll figure it out and have a better performance on Sunday."Wichita State (5-11, 1-3 AAC) was caught in an offensive slump, shooting just 1-for-19 (.053 from three and 18-for-64 (.281) from the field.Temple (9-7, 3-1 AAC) shot 30-for-59 (.508) with seven three pointers as Demi Washington's 20 points led the Owls to its second-straight conference victory.Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/salese-blow/7620">Salese Blow</a>&nbsp;led the Shockers in scoring for the fifth time this season with 10 points and dished out a career-best three assists.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jayla-murray/7622">Jayla Murray</a>&nbsp;was the team's leading rebounder with nine.<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jeniah-thompson/7512">Jeniah Thompson</a>&nbsp;hit the Shockers' only three of the night, finishing with eight points off the bench as the Wichita State bench scored over half of the Shockers' points with Thompson (8), Murray (7),&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/aniya-bell/7506">Aniya Bell</a>&nbsp;(4),&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ambah-kowcun/7508">Ambah Kowcun</a>&nbsp;(4),&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ella-anciaux/7504">Ella Anciaux</a>&nbsp;(3) and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/raissa-nsabua/7511">Raissa Nsabua</a>&nbsp;(1) combining for 27 points.The Shockers forced 25 turnovers but were unable to capitalize, scoring just five points off turnovers, compared to the Owls' 21 points scored off 19 Wichita State turnovers.Wichita State was out-rebounded for the seventh time this season, 46-33, and the Shockers have only won one game in which they lost the battle of the boards.For the second-straight game, the Shockers struggled to score in the first quarter, only hitting one field goal with 1:09 left in the quarter to give the Owls a 15-5 advantage.The offense continued to have to hard time in the second and third quarters as Temple took a 55-28 lead with one quarter to play.Wichita State started to find its stride in the fourth quarter, out-scoring the Owls 21-17, but it was too little, too late.The Shockers head back to the Lone Star State to take on North Texas (12-3, 2-1 AAC) Sunday at 2 p.m. in The Super Pit.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏀 WBB: Shockers fall to Temple, suffer third straight loss

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701263164849.png" alt="Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Wednesday Morning, January 10th, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Wednesday Morning, January 10th, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="January 10th, 2024 Early Morning Eagle Media Sports" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=tx48k-15471ec-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

🎧 LISTEN: 🏀 K-State wins on the road;🏀 Area High School games postponed: 🏈 Fans upset with NFL  🏀 KU men drop a spot,;  

Courtesy of Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Now ranked No. 17 in the NJCAA, the Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team is back at the Sports Arena on Wednesday to square off for a Jayhawk Conference matchup against the Seward County Saints.

Tip-off between the Blue Dragons (12-2, 7-1 Jayhawk Conference) and Saints (3-11, 1-7 KJCCC) is set for 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) and sister stations KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) beginning at 7:15 p.m. with Glen Grunwald (PBP) and Dan Naccarato (color). The game will also be streamed live and free on the Blue Dragon Sports Network at 7:15 p.m.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/files/Men-s_Notes_15_-_Seward_County.pdf">BLUE DRAGON GAME NOTES (PDF Format)</a>

The Blue Dragons have won two in a row and 7 of their last 8 games after last Saturday's 89-56 victory over Northwest West at the Sports Arena.

Hutchinson had its second-best shooting day of the season, hitting 52.4 percent of its shots, including 8 of 20 from 3-point range.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/thomas_kamryn_j9zm">Kamryn Thomas</a>&nbsp;had a team-high 16 points off the bench to lead four Blue Dragons in double figures.

Defensively, the Blue Dragons held Northwest Tech to an opponent-low 56 points. Leading by 11 points at halftime, the Blue Dragons outscored the Mavericks 47-25 in the second half. The 25 points allowed was the lowest scoring half the Dragons have allowed this season.

Since the start of conference play, the Blue Dragons have been one of the better defense teams in the Jayhawk Conference. Hutchinson is allowing 74.0 points per game and 75.2 points in KJCCC contests. Over the past two games, Hutchinson is allowing just 58.0 points and 39.6 percent shooting.

Part of that defensive success is the fact that the Blue Dragons are forcing 23.1 turnovers per game, 20.2 turnovers in KJCCC play. The Blue Dragons lead the Jayhawk Conference and rank No. 1 in the NJCAA with 14.5 steals per game.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/holman_zoe_o8t4">Zoe Holman</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/whiteney_dallas_ktg5">Dallas Whitney</a>&nbsp;are tied for the Jayhawk Conference lead individually in steals with 2.5 each.

Seward County enters the game on a six-game losing streak after falling to Dodge City 89-78 on Saturday in Liberal. Mathias M'Madi led the Saints with 25 points on 8 of 10 overall shooting and 9 of 10 shooting from the free-throw line.

The Saints are 1-9 over their last 10 games. The only win over that stretch of games was 73-68 over Northwest Tech on November 29.

Wednesday's game will be the 116th all-time series history that started in 1970. The Blue Dragons are 84-31 all-time against Seward County. The Blue Dragons have won the last eight games in the series, including 86-75 victory last January at the Sports Arena and 76-

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704888643287.jpeg" alt="Dallas Whitney and the No. 17-ranked Blue Dragon men's basketball team plays host to Seward County at 7:30 p.m.m on Wednesday at the Sports Arena. (Steve Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)" />
 <figcaption>Dallas Whitney and the No. 17-ranked Blue Dragon men's basketball team plays host to Seward County at 7:30 p.m.m on Wednesday at the Sports Arena. (Steve Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Hutchinson CC Sports InformationNow ranked No. 17 in the NJCAA, the Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team is back at the Sports Arena on Wednesday to square off for a Jayhawk Conference matchup against the Seward County Saints.Tip-off between the Blue Dragons (12-2, 7-1 Jayhawk Conference) and Saints (3-11, 1-7 KJCCC) is set for 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) and sister stations KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) beginning at 7:15 p.m. with Glen Grunwald (PBP) and Dan Naccarato (color). The game will also be streamed live and free on the Blue Dragon Sports Network at 7:15 p.m.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/files/Men-s_Notes_15_-_Seward_County.pdf">BLUE DRAGON GAME NOTES (PDF Format)</a>The Blue Dragons have won two in a row and 7 of their last 8 games after last Saturday's 89-56 victory over Northwest West at the Sports Arena.Hutchinson had its second-best shooting day of the season, hitting 52.4 percent of its shots, including 8 of 20 from 3-point range.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/thomas_kamryn_j9zm">Kamryn Thomas</a>&nbsp;had a team-high 16 points off the bench to lead four Blue Dragons in double figures.Defensively, the Blue Dragons held Northwest Tech to an opponent-low 56 points. Leading by 11 points at halftime, the Blue Dragons outscored the Mavericks 47-25 in the second half. The 25 points allowed was the lowest scoring half the Dragons have allowed this season.Since the start of conference play, the Blue Dragons have been one of the better defense teams in the Jayhawk Conference. Hutchinson is allowing 74.0 points per game and 75.2 points in KJCCC contests. Over the past two games, Hutchinson is allowing just 58.0 points and 39.6 percent shooting.Part of that defensive success is the fact that the Blue Dragons are forcing 23.1 turnovers per game, 20.2 turnovers in KJCCC play. The Blue Dragons lead the Jayhawk Conference and rank No. 1 in the NJCAA with 14.5 steals per game.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/holman_zoe_o8t4">Zoe Holman</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/whiteney_dallas_ktg5">Dallas Whitney</a>&nbsp;are tied for the Jayhawk Conference lead individually in steals with 2.5 each.Seward County enters the game on a six-game losing streak after falling to Dodge City 89-78 on Saturday in Liberal. Mathias M'Madi led the Saints with 25 points on 8 of 10 overall shooting and 9 of 10 shooting from the free-throw line.The Saints are 1-9 over their last 10 games. The only win over that stretch of games was 73-68 over Northwest Tech on November 29.Wednesday's game will be the 116th all-time series history that started in 1970. The Blue Dragons are 84-31 all-time against Seward County. The Blue Dragons have won the last eight games in the series, including 86-75 victory last January at the Sports Arena and 76-

🏀 MBB: Surging HutchCC Blue Dragons meet Saints at the Arena

The postponed Hutch High vs Maize High basketball games that were to be played on Tuesday night, Jan. 9 have been rescheduled for two dates.

The Hutch High girls game against Maize will be played on Thursday, Jan. 18 with the Freshman game to start at 4:15 p.m., JV game will follow at 4:45 with the girls varsity game set to tip around 7:15 at the Salthawk Activity Center located at 810 East 13th Ave. in Hutchinson.

The boy's game will be&nbsp;played on Friday, Jan. 25 with the freshman game to start at 4:15 p.m., JV game will follow at 4:45 with the varsity game set to tip around 7:15.

Weather permitting, Hutch High will be on the road in Great Bend on Friday for a non-league game against the Panthers. The girls game will tip at 6 p.m. followed by the boys game around 7:30.

Both those games will be broadcast on KWBW Radio (1450-AM/98.5-FM) and streamed on the NFHSNetwork Hutch High channel.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704889122051.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The postponed Hutch High vs Maize High basketball games that were to be played on Tuesday night, Jan. 9 have been rescheduled for two dates.The Hutch High girls game against Maize will be played on Thursday, Jan. 18 with the Freshman game to start at 4:15 p.m., JV game will follow at 4:45 with the girls varsity game set to tip around 7:15 at the Salthawk Activity Center located at 810 East 13th Ave. in Hutchinson.The boy's game will be&nbsp;played on Friday, Jan. 25 with the freshman game to start at 4:15 p.m., JV game will follow at 4:45 with the varsity game set to tip around 7:15.Weather permitting, Hutch High will be on the road in Great Bend on Friday for a non-league game against the Panthers. The girls game will tip at 6 p.m. followed by the boys game around 7:30.Both those games will be broadcast on KWBW Radio (1450-AM/98.5-FM) and streamed on the NFHSNetwork Hutch High channel.

🏀 Hutch High vs Maize postponement dates set

The Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team plays its first game after returning to the NJCAA Top 10 on Wednesday when the Seward County Saints comes to the Sports Arena for a 5:30 p.m. Jayhawk Conference matchup.

The game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) and sister stations KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) at 5:15 p.m. with Sean Boston (PBP) and Dan Naccarato (color) calling the action. The game will be streamed live on the Blue Dragon Sports Network beginning at 5:15 p.m.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/files/Notes_15_-_Seward_County_-1-.pdf">BLUE DRAGON GAME NOTES (PDF Format)</a>

The sixth-ranked Blue Dragons tied for the eighth-best start to a season and 10th-longest winning streak in program history with a dominant 92-44 victory over Northwest Tech on Saturday at the Sports Arena. Now 8-0 in the Jayhawk Conference, the Blue Dragons are currently alone in first place in the league.

The Blue Dragons improved to 14-0 to start the season after freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/smith_kiki_x1vf">Kiki Smith</a>&nbsp;tied a season high with four 3-pointers to score a game-high 25 points to lead the Blue Dragons.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/jackson_hailey_x66o">Hailey Jackson</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/denison_madie_a39r">Madi Denison</a>&nbsp;had 12 points each.

Hutchinson held its ninth opponent this season to less than 30 percent shooting, holding Northwest Tech to 22.6 percent shooting. The Dragons also forced 27 Maverick turnovers.

The Dragons lead the Jayhawk Conference and rank 16th in the NJCAA in scoring defense at 51.4 points per game. Hutchinson is No. 2 in the nation in field-goal defense at 28.8 percent.

The 14-0 start, including last week's 73-54 victory last Wednesday at then-No. 3 Butler, helped the Blue Dragons vault five spots and into the NJCAA Top 10 for the first time in 14 months to No. 6.

Seward County (7-7, 3-5) will be playing its second-consecutive nationally ranked opponent. Last Saturday, the Saints lost 73-53 in Liberal to No. 14 Dodge City. The Saints started the second semester with a 71-63 win on Jan. 3 at Garden City.

The Saints are led by first-year head coach Will Marchino, who was a Seward County assistant for two seasons previous.

Wednesday's meeting will be the 102nd in series history with Hutchinson leading the overall series 51-50. The Blue Dragons won both games against Seward County last year, winning 82-76 at the Sports Arena and 69-54 in Liberal.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704888264162.jpeg" alt="Monae Duffy and the No. 6-ranked Blue Dragon women's basketball team plays host to Seward County at 5;30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Sports Arena. (Steve Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)" />
 <figcaption>Monae Duffy and the No. 6-ranked Blue Dragon women's basketball team plays host to Seward County at 5;30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Sports Arena. (Steve Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Hutchinson CC Sports InformationThe Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team plays its first game after returning to the NJCAA Top 10 on Wednesday when the Seward County Saints comes to the Sports Arena for a 5:30 p.m. Jayhawk Conference matchup.The game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) and sister stations KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) at 5:15 p.m. with Sean Boston (PBP) and Dan Naccarato (color) calling the action. The game will be streamed live on the Blue Dragon Sports Network beginning at 5:15 p.m.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/files/Notes_15_-_Seward_County_-1-.pdf">BLUE DRAGON GAME NOTES (PDF Format)</a>The sixth-ranked Blue Dragons tied for the eighth-best start to a season and 10th-longest winning streak in program history with a dominant 92-44 victory over Northwest Tech on Saturday at the Sports Arena. Now 8-0 in the Jayhawk Conference, the Blue Dragons are currently alone in first place in the league.The Blue Dragons improved to 14-0 to start the season after freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/smith_kiki_x1vf">Kiki Smith</a>&nbsp;tied a season high with four 3-pointers to score a game-high 25 points to lead the Blue Dragons.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/jackson_hailey_x66o">Hailey Jackson</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/bios/denison_madie_a39r">Madi Denison</a>&nbsp;had 12 points each.Hutchinson held its ninth opponent this season to less than 30 percent shooting, holding Northwest Tech to 22.6 percent shooting. The Dragons also forced 27 Maverick turnovers.The Dragons lead the Jayhawk Conference and rank 16th in the NJCAA in scoring defense at 51.4 points per game. Hutchinson is No. 2 in the nation in field-goal defense at 28.8 percent.The 14-0 start, including last week's 73-54 victory last Wednesday at then-No. 3 Butler, helped the Blue Dragons vault five spots and into the NJCAA Top 10 for the first time in 14 months to No. 6.Seward County (7-7, 3-5) will be playing its second-consecutive nationally ranked opponent. Last Saturday, the Saints lost 73-53 in Liberal to No. 14 Dodge City. The Saints started the second semester with a 71-63 win on Jan. 3 at Garden City.The Saints are led by first-year head coach Will Marchino, who was a Seward County assistant for two seasons previous.Wednesday's meeting will be the 102nd in series history with Hutchinson leading the overall series 51-50. The Blue Dragons won both games against Seward County last year, winning 82-76 at the Sports Arena and 69-54 in Liberal.

🏀 WBB: No. 6 HutchCC Blue Dragons host Seward Wednesday

AP Sports Summary for January 10th, 2024.

Tennessee Titans fire coach Mike Vrabel after back-to-back losing seasons

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have fired coach Mike Vrabel after six seasons with the franchise having won only six of the past 24 games. Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement that she told Vrabel of her decision Tuesday morning. She said it was a decision "as difficult as any I've made." The announcement came a day after the Titans cleaned out their lockers with Vrabel not speaking to reporters. It was the first time in the franchise's 27 seasons in Tennessee the head coach did not talk with reporters since the team moved to the state from Texas. Vrabel was hired in January 2018 and went 56-48 including playoffs.

Warriors forward Draymond Green committed to playing without 'antics' that have plagued him

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Draymond Green is vowing a commitment to playing without the "antics" that have plagued him on the court throughout his career, working over the past month on ways to control his emotions and not let hostility take over. Through therapy, Green says he has learned techniques to better deal with tense moments during games when he has previously lost his cool, embracing the idea of improving himself after being disciplined by the NBA with an indefinite suspension last month. Green insists he has "cost my team enough" and feels a sense of urgency to get back on the court and help the Warriors.

Rays shortstop Wander Franco faces lesser charge as judge analyzes evidence in ongoing probe

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Wander Franco is facing a lesser charge after a judge in the Dominican Republic analyzed evidence that alleges the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop had a relationship with a 14-year-old girl and paid her mother thousands of dollars for her consent. Franco was originally accused of charges including commercial and sexual exploitation and money laundering. Those charges respectively carry up to 30 years, 10 years and 20 years of prison. He now stands accused instead of sexual and psychological abuse, according to a judge's resolution that The Associated Press obtained on Tuesday. Franco has not been formally accused. If found guilty on the new charge, he could face between two to five years in prison.

Chicago Cubs agree to contract with Japanese left-hander Shōta Imanaga, AP source says

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have bolstered their rotation, agreeing to a contract with left-hander Shōta Imanaga in their first major offseason roster move. A person familiar with the deal confirmed the agreement to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it was pending a physical. Terms of the contract are unknown. Chicago had been quiet since it hired Craig Counsell as manager in November, replacing David Ross in a surprise move. The Cubs were in position for an NL wild card last year before stumbling in September, fading to an 83-79 record after finishing under .500 in the previous two seasons.

Iowa State beats nation's final undefeated team, No. 2 Houston, 57-53

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Tamin Lipsey scored 14 points, freshman Milan Momcilovic made a baseline jumper with 30.2 seconds left and Iowa State beat No. 2 Houston 57-53 to knock off the nation's final unbeaten team. Iowa State secured its seventh win against a top-10 opponent in the last two seasons. That's the most in Division I. Houston had a 12-game road winning streak snapped with the loss Tuesday night. Emanuel Sharp scored 20 points, reaching the mark for the fourth time this season, for Houston. Jamal Shead added 14 points, surpassing 1,000 for his career.

Toronto coach pounds table, rips officials after Lakers hold off Raptors 132-131 behind Davis' 41

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic went on a furious, table-pounding tirade over the officiating after the Los Angeles Lakers shot 23 free throws in the fourth quarter of a 132-131 win over the Raptors. Anthony Davis scored 20 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Lakers hung on for their first back-to-back wins in a month. Rajakovic was infuriated by the Lakers' 36 free throws to the Raptors' 13, calling it "outrageous" and "completely B.S."

Miami Marlins in agreement to hire Rachel Balkovec as director of player development, AP source says

MIAMI (AP) — A person familiar with the deal confirmed an MLB.com report that the Miami Marlins are in agreement with Yankees minor league manager Rachel Balkovec to become their director of player development. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the deal. Balkovec wrapped up her second season as manager at Class A Tampa in September.. She debuted with the team in April 2022 with a win as the first woman to manage the affiliate of a Major League Baseball team.

Aaron Rodgers denies implying comic Jimmy Kimmel was tied to Epstein and condemns those who do

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers denies he implied comic Jimmy Kimmel was a pedophile and condemned those who do, but he stopped short of apologizing for his role in escalating their burgeoning feud. Rodgers returned to ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday for his weekly appearance and addressed comments he made the week before that appeared to suggest Kimmel's name might appear on a list of associates of Jeffrey Epstein, a millionaire accused of sex trafficking involving underage victims before he died. The feud between ABC's late-night star and Rodgers, who regularly appears on the daily ESPN show, has proven embarrassing for The Walt Disney Co., the parent company to both.

Now a mom, Naomi Osaka gets ready to make her Grand Slam return at the Australian Open

Naomi Osaka is one of three former No. 1-ranked, former Australian Open champions returning to Melbourne Park for the first time as moms. The trio of Osaka, Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki got even more emphasis in a tournament of comebacks after Rafael Nadal's return from a year-long injury layoff lasted three matches and he withdrew a week before the start of the year's first major. Osaka has won the Australian Open twice and also has a pair of U.S. Open titles. Three-time major winner Kerber won her breakthrough title here in 2016. Wozniacki won the Australian title in 2018. She quit the tour in 2020 and had two children before returning in time for last year's U.S. Open.

Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat have agreed on a contract extension

MIAMI (AP) — Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat have agreed on a long-term contract extension. Spoelstra is in his 16th season as head coach in Miami and his 29th overall with the franchise. He started in the video room and eventually becoming a scout, an assistant coach and then Pat Riley's hand-picked successor as head coach in 2008. Spoelstra has three NBA championship rings, two of them coming as Miami's head coach. A person with knowledge of the agreement who spoke Tuesday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the terms were not revealed publicly said Spoelstra and the team agreed on an eight-year extension worth around $120 million.

Final	(19)San Diego St.	81	San Jose St.	78	

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Wednesday Morning, January 10th, 2024." />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Wednesday Morning, January 10th, 2024.</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="January 10th, 2024 Early Morning Eagle Media Sports" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=tx48k-15471ec-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>AP Sports Summary for January 10th, 2024.Tennessee Titans fire coach Mike Vrabel after back-to-back losing seasonsNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have fired coach Mike Vrabel after six seasons with the franchise having won only six of the past 24 games. Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement that she told Vrabel of her decision Tuesday morning. She said it was a decision "as difficult as any I've made." The announcement came a day after the Titans cleaned out their lockers with Vrabel not speaking to reporters. It was the first time in the franchise's 27 seasons in Tennessee the head coach did not talk with reporters since the team moved to the state from Texas. Vrabel was hired in January 2018 and went 56-48 including playoffs.Warriors forward Draymond Green committed to playing without 'antics' that have plagued himSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Draymond Green is vowing a commitment to playing without the "antics" that have plagued him on the court throughout his career, working over the past month on ways to control his emotions and not let hostility take over. Through therapy, Green says he has learned techniques to better deal with tense moments during games when he has previously lost his cool, embracing the idea of improving himself after being disciplined by the NBA with an indefinite suspension last month. Green insists he has "cost my team enough" and feels a sense of urgency to get back on the court and help the Warriors.Rays shortstop Wander Franco faces lesser charge as judge analyzes evidence in ongoing probeSANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Wander Franco is facing a lesser charge after a judge in the Dominican Republic analyzed evidence that alleges the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop had a relationship with a 14-year-old girl and paid her mother thousands of dollars for her consent. Franco was originally accused of charges including commercial and sexual exploitation and money laundering. Those charges respectively carry up to 30 years, 10 years and 20 years of prison. He now stands accused instead of sexual and psychological abuse, according to a judge's resolution that The Associated Press obtained on Tuesday. Franco has not been formally accused. If found guilty on the new charge, he could face between two to five years in prison.Chicago Cubs agree to contract with Japanese left-hander Shōta Imanaga, AP source saysCHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have bolstered their rotation, agreeing to a contract with left-hander Shōta Imanaga in their first major offseason roster move. A person familiar with the deal confirmed the agreement to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it was pending a physical. Terms of the contract are unknown. Chicago had been quiet since it hired Craig Counsell as manager in November, replacing David Ross in a surprise move. The Cubs were in position for an NL wild card last year before stumbling in September, fading to an 83-79 record after finishing under .500 in the previous two seasons.Iowa State beats nation's final undefeated team, No. 2 Houston, 57-53AMES, Iowa (AP) — Tamin Lipsey scored 14 points, freshman Milan Momcilovic made a baseline jumper with 30.2 seconds left and Iowa State beat No. 2 Houston 57-53 to knock off the nation's final unbeaten team. Iowa State secured its seventh win against a top-10 opponent in the last two seasons. That's the most in Division I. Houston had a 12-game road winning streak snapped with the loss Tuesday night. Emanuel Sharp scored 20 points, reaching the mark for the fourth time this season, for Houston. Jamal Shead added 14 points, surpassing 1,000 for his career.Toronto coach pounds table, rips officials after Lakers hold off Raptors 132-131 behind Davis' 41LOS ANGELES (AP) — Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic went on a furious, table-pounding tirade over the officiating after the Los Angeles Lakers shot 23 free throws in the fourth quarter of a 132-131 win over the Raptors. Anthony Davis scored 20 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Lakers hung on for their first back-to-back wins in a month. Rajakovic was infuriated by the Lakers' 36 free throws to the Raptors' 13, calling it "outrageous" and "completely B.S."Miami Marlins in agreement to hire Rachel Balkovec as director of player development, AP source saysMIAMI (AP) — A person familiar with the deal confirmed an MLB.com report that the Miami Marlins are in agreement with Yankees minor league manager Rachel Balkovec to become their director of player development. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the deal. Balkovec wrapped up her second season as manager at Class A Tampa in September.. She debuted with the team in April 2022 with a win as the first woman to manage the affiliate of a Major League Baseball team.Aaron Rodgers denies implying comic Jimmy Kimmel was tied to Epstein and condemns those who doNEW YORK (AP) — New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers denies he implied comic Jimmy Kimmel was a pedophile and condemned those who do, but he stopped short of apologizing for his role in escalating their burgeoning feud. Rodgers returned to ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday for his weekly appearance and addressed comments he made the week before that appeared to suggest Kimmel's name might appear on a list of associates of Jeffrey Epstein, a millionaire accused of sex trafficking involving underage victims before he died. The feud between ABC's late-night star and Rodgers, who regularly appears on the daily ESPN show, has proven embarrassing for The Walt Disney Co., the parent company to both.Now a mom, Naomi Osaka gets ready to make her Grand Slam return at the Australian OpenNaomi Osaka is one of three former No. 1-ranked, former Australian Open champions returning to Melbourne Park for the first time as moms. The trio of Osaka, Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki got even more emphasis in a tournament of comebacks after Rafael Nadal's return from a year-long injury layoff lasted three matches and he withdrew a week before the start of the year's first major. Osaka has won the Australian Open twice and also has a pair of U.S. Open titles. Three-time major winner Kerber won her breakthrough title here in 2016. Wozniacki won the Australian title in 2018. She quit the tour in 2020 and had two children before returning in time for last year's U.S. Open.Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat have agreed on a contract extensionMIAMI (AP) — Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat have agreed on a long-term contract extension. Spoelstra is in his 16th season as head coach in Miami and his 29th overall with the franchise. He started in the video room and eventually becoming a scout, an assistant coach and then Pat Riley's hand-picked successor as head coach in 2008. Spoelstra has three NBA championship rings, two of them coming as Miami's head coach. A person with knowledge of the agreement who spoke Tuesday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the terms were not revealed publicly said Spoelstra and the team agreed on an eight-year extension worth around $120 million.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION Final	Minnesota	113	Orlando	92	Final	Sacramento	131	Detroit	110	Final	New York	112	Portland	84	Final	Memphis	120	Dallas	103	Final	L.A. Lakers	132	Toronto	131	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Final	Seattle	5	Buffalo	2	Final	Toronto	7	San Jose	1	Final OT	Tampa Bay	3	Los Angeles	2	Final	Vancouver	5	N-Y Islanders	2	Final	Winnipeg	5	Columbus	0	Final	Florida	5	St. Louis	1	Final	Anaheim	5	Nashville	3	Final	Edmonton	2	Chicago	1	Final	Calgary	6	Ottawa	3	Final OT	Arizona	4	Boston	3	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL Final	Nebraska	88	(1)Purdue	72	Final	Iowa St.	57	(2)Houston	53	Final	(6)Kentucky	90	Missouri	77	Final	(11)Duke	75	Pittsburgh	53	Final	(14)Baylor	81	(18)BYU	72	Final	(16)Auburn	66	Texas A&amp;M	55	Final	Boise St.	65	(17)Colorado St.	58	Final	(19)San Diego St.	81	San Jose St.	78	Final	(20)Utah St.	83	Wyoming	59	Final	(22)Creighton	84	DePaul	58	Final	(25)Texas	74	Cincinnati	73	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION Minnesota	at	Boston	7 p.m.	Sacramento	at	Charlotte	7 p.m.	San Antonio	at	Detroit	7 p.m.	Washington	at	Indiana	7 p.m.	Oklahoma City	at	Miami	7:30 p.m.	Philadelphia	at	Atlanta	7:30 p.m.	Houston	at	Chicago	8 p.m.	New Orleans	at	Golden State	8:30 p.m.	Denver	at	Utah	10 p.m.	Toronto	at	L.A. Clippers	10:30 p.m.	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Montreal	at	Philadelphia	7 p.m.	Minnesota	at	Dallas	7:30 p.m.	Vegas	at	Colorado	10 p.m.	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL (3)Kansas	at	UCF	7 p.m.	(4)UConn	at	Xavier	8:30 p.m.	(5)Tennessee	at	Mississippi St.	7 p.m.	(7)North Carolina	at	NC State	8 p.m.	(9)Oklahoma	at	TCU	9 p.m.	Butler	at	(11)Marquette	9 p.m.	UTSA	at	(13)Memphis	8 p.m.	(15)Wisconsin	at	Ohio St.	8:30 p.m.	(21)Clemson	at	Virginia Tech	7 p.m.	___

📢📰 Sports Headlines for Wednesday

Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics

MORGANTOWN, W.Va.&nbsp;– Junior guard&nbsp;Cam Carter&nbsp;scored 15 of his game-high 23 points after halftime to help Kansas State surge to a big second half performance in an 81-67 win over West Virginia on Tuesday night before 10,063 fans at the WVU Coliseum.

With the win, the Wildcats (12-3, 2-0) snapped a 4-game losing streak to the Mountaineers (5-10, 0-2 Big 12) in Morgantown, as they earned their first victory at the WVU Coliseum since a 65-51 win on Feb. 18, 2019. It was just the fourth victory (1949, 2013 and 2019) at West Virginia in 13 all-time visits.

K-State has now won 9 of its last 10 games, including the first 2 Big 12 games for the second consecutive season under head coach&nbsp;Jerome Tang. The Wildcats are also off to a 2-0 start in true road games.

Down 42-40 at the half, the Wildcats used a 17-5 run to start the second half to take control of the game and build their first double-digit lead (57-47) with just over 13 minutes to play. Four different players contributed to the run, including a combined 13 points from Carter (7 points) and fellow junior&nbsp;Arthur Kaluma&nbsp;(6 points).

The Mountaineers were able to close to within 5 points on 3 occasions, including 61-56 at the third media timeout with 7:21 remaining, but the Wildcats answered with a decisive 12-2 run to end any notion of a comeback and push ahead by a game-high 15 points (73-58) with 3:43 to play. Carter was responsible for 6 of the 12 points during the run.

WVU got no closer than 8 points the rest of the way in dropping its fifth game in the last 6 outings.

After allowing 42 points in the first half on 48 percent (12-of-25) shooting, including 50 percent (6-of-12) from 3-point range, K-State held West Virginia to just 25 points in the second half on 30.8 percent (8-of-26) shooting, including 18.2 percent (2-of-11) from long range.

Carter led four Wildcats in double figures with his fourth 20-point game of the season, as he finished the game 6-of-14 from the field and a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line. Kaluma and senior&nbsp;David N’Guessan&nbsp;each added 17 points, as N’Guessan tallied both his season-high and Big 12 high in going 7-of-8 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free throw line. Senior&nbsp;Will McNair Jr.&nbsp;nearly tallied a double-double with 12 points and a season-high 9 rebounds.

In addition to the four double-digit scorers, the Wildcats got another solid night from redshirt freshman guard&nbsp;Dorian Finister, who tied his season-high with 6 points on 3-of-4 shooting with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal in a career-tying 22 minutes of action.

K-State shot better than 50 percent from the field for the third time this season, connecting on 53.8 percent (28-of-52) of its field goals with 44 of its 81 points coming in the paint. Although both teams turned it over 13 times, the Wildcats were able to post a 17-5 advantage in points off turnovers.

K-State also continued its dominance on the glass, out-rebounding WVU, 35-22, including 9 offensive rebounds which led to 11 second-chance points.&nbsp;The team, which ranks in the top-40 nationally in rebounding, has outrebounded 11 of 15 opponents.

West Virginia was held to just 39.2 percent (20-of-51) shooting, including 30.8 percent (8-of-26) in the second half. The Mountaineers had 3 players score in double figures led by senior transfer&nbsp;RaeQuan Battle, who finished with 21 points on 5-of-13 field goals and 9-of-12 free throws. Senior transfers&nbsp;Noah Farrakhan&nbsp;and&nbsp;Kerr Kriissa&nbsp;each added 11 points.

WVU still leads the all-time series, 16-11, including 15-10 in the Big 12 era. The victory was just the fourth all-time by K-State in Morgantown, following wins in 1949, 2013 and 2019.

The teams went back and forth in the early going, as K-State scored on consecutive baskets from senior&nbsp;Will McNair Jr.&nbsp;and redshirt freshman&nbsp;Dorian Finister&nbsp;to take a 10-7 lead into the first media timeout at the 15:26 mark. The Wildcats pushed their lead to 16-11 on a second dunk by Finister and a layup by senior&nbsp;David N’Guessan.

West Virginia closed the deficit to 19-17 behind the play of senior transfer&nbsp;RaeQwan Battle, who was responsible for 12 of the team’s first 17 points. K-State responded with 9 of the next 13 points, which was highlighted by a 3-pointer from junior&nbsp;Arthur Kaluma, to push back ahead 28-21 with 8 minutes left in the half. The Mountaineers slowly chipped away at the deficit, using a 10-2 run to take their first lead at 31-30 on a 3-pointer by transfer senior&nbsp;Kerr Kriisa.

K-State followed with 9 of the next 13 points to push ahead at 39-35 before the final media timeout at the 3:30 mark. However, WVU finished the half by scoring 6 of the final 7 points, capped by a 3-pointer from junior&nbsp;Kobe Johnson, to take a 42-40 lead at the break.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704885311675.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics." />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics.</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Kansas State AthleticsMORGANTOWN, W.Va.&nbsp;– Junior guard&nbsp;Cam Carter&nbsp;scored 15 of his game-high 23 points after halftime to help Kansas State surge to a big second half performance in an 81-67 win over West Virginia on Tuesday night before 10,063 fans at the WVU Coliseum.With the win, the Wildcats (12-3, 2-0) snapped a 4-game losing streak to the Mountaineers (5-10, 0-2 Big 12) in Morgantown, as they earned their first victory at the WVU Coliseum since a 65-51 win on Feb. 18, 2019. It was just the fourth victory (1949, 2013 and 2019) at West Virginia in 13 all-time visits.K-State has now won 9 of its last 10 games, including the first 2 Big 12 games for the second consecutive season under head coach&nbsp;Jerome Tang. The Wildcats are also off to a 2-0 start in true road games.Down 42-40 at the half, the Wildcats used a 17-5 run to start the second half to take control of the game and build their first double-digit lead (57-47) with just over 13 minutes to play. Four different players contributed to the run, including a combined 13 points from Carter (7 points) and fellow junior&nbsp;Arthur Kaluma&nbsp;(6 points).The Mountaineers were able to close to within 5 points on 3 occasions, including 61-56 at the third media timeout with 7:21 remaining, but the Wildcats answered with a decisive 12-2 run to end any notion of a comeback and push ahead by a game-high 15 points (73-58) with 3:43 to play. Carter was responsible for 6 of the 12 points during the run.WVU got no closer than 8 points the rest of the way in dropping its fifth game in the last 6 outings.After allowing 42 points in the first half on 48 percent (12-of-25) shooting, including 50 percent (6-of-12) from 3-point range, K-State held West Virginia to just 25 points in the second half on 30.8 percent (8-of-26) shooting, including 18.2 percent (2-of-11) from long range.Carter led four Wildcats in double figures with his fourth 20-point game of the season, as he finished the game 6-of-14 from the field and a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line. Kaluma and senior&nbsp;David N’Guessan&nbsp;each added 17 points, as N’Guessan tallied both his season-high and Big 12 high in going 7-of-8 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free throw line. Senior&nbsp;Will McNair Jr.&nbsp;nearly tallied a double-double with 12 points and a season-high 9 rebounds.In addition to the four double-digit scorers, the Wildcats got another solid night from redshirt freshman guard&nbsp;Dorian Finister, who tied his season-high with 6 points on 3-of-4 shooting with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal in a career-tying 22 minutes of action.K-State shot better than 50 percent from the field for the third time this season, connecting on 53.8 percent (28-of-52) of its field goals with 44 of its 81 points coming in the paint. Although both teams turned it over 13 times, the Wildcats were able to post a 17-5 advantage in points off turnovers.K-State also continued its dominance on the glass, out-rebounding WVU, 35-22, including 9 offensive rebounds which led to 11 second-chance points.&nbsp;The team, which ranks in the top-40 nationally in rebounding, has outrebounded 11 of 15 opponents.West Virginia was held to just 39.2 percent (20-of-51) shooting, including 30.8 percent (8-of-26) in the second half. The Mountaineers had 3 players score in double figures led by senior transfer&nbsp;RaeQuan Battle, who finished with 21 points on 5-of-13 field goals and 9-of-12 free throws. Senior transfers&nbsp;Noah Farrakhan&nbsp;and&nbsp;Kerr Kriissa&nbsp;each added 11 points.WVU still leads the all-time series, 16-11, including 15-10 in the Big 12 era. The victory was just the fourth all-time by K-State in Morgantown, following wins in 1949, 2013 and 2019.HOW IT HAPPENEDThe teams went back and forth in the early going, as K-State scored on consecutive baskets from senior&nbsp;Will McNair Jr.&nbsp;and redshirt freshman&nbsp;Dorian Finister&nbsp;to take a 10-7 lead into the first media timeout at the 15:26 mark. The Wildcats pushed their lead to 16-11 on a second dunk by Finister and a layup by senior&nbsp;David N’Guessan.West Virginia closed the deficit to 19-17 behind the play of senior transfer&nbsp;RaeQwan Battle, who was responsible for 12 of the team’s first 17 points. K-State responded with 9 of the next 13 points, which was highlighted by a 3-pointer from junior&nbsp;Arthur Kaluma, to push back ahead 28-21 with 8 minutes left in the half. The Mountaineers slowly chipped away at the deficit, using a 10-2 run to take their first lead at 31-30 on a 3-pointer by transfer senior&nbsp;Kerr Kriisa.K-State followed with 9 of the next 13 points to push ahead at 39-35 before the final media timeout at the 3:30 mark. However, WVU finished the half by scoring 6 of the final 7 points, capped by a 3-pointer from junior&nbsp;Kobe Johnson, to take a 42-40 lead at the break.K-State connected on 60 percent (15-of-25) from the field in the first half, including 33.3 percent (2-of-6) from 3-point range, while WVU shot 48 percent (12-of-25), including 50 percent (6-of-12) from long range. Battle led all scorers with 18 points while N’Guessan paced the Wildcats with 11 points.K-State came out of the halftime break on fire, scoring 12 of the first 15 points to take a 52-45 lead into the first media timeout at the 15:48 mark. Kaluma had a pair of 3-pointers in the run, while Finister had a dunk and McNair and junior&nbsp;Cam Carter&nbsp;each had layups. After a pair of free throws by the Mountaineers, Carter added a 3-pointer and 2 free throws to give the Wildcats their first double-digit lead at 57-47 with 13:17 to play.Down double digits, WVU scored 7 of the next 9 points to close the deficit to 59-54, but a layup by McNair sparked a 14-4 run by K-State that extended the lead to 73-58 at the final media timeout at the 3:43 mark. Four different Wildcats contributed to the run, including 6 points from Carter.The Mountaineers made one last run, rattling off 7 in a row to close to within 73-65 with 1:33 remaining, but the Wildcats finished it off by scoring 8 of the last 10 points for the 14-point victory. Kaluma and N’Guessan scored 4 points each in the game-ending run.HEAD COACH JEROME TANGOn the game…“First of all, just very thankful for these young men and our whole team and just how we approached this game. I want to thank (Wichita Eagle&nbsp;beat writer) Kellis Robinett for not making the trip. We are 2-0 when he doesn’t come on road games, so thanks to Kellis. I appreciate the tweet. This is league is incredible, so anytime you can get a win especially on the road, you’re just super thankful. Now you try to figure out how to keep getting better as you go forward.”On the road win providing confidence to the team…“Well, we went to LSU and won and there were some pretty tough circumstances going into that one and we were able to figure it out. In know that we can win on the road, tough teams win on the road. It’s just some nights, it doesn’t matter. Like the other team is just better than you are. So, when you're able to get them to work out. It's great. And then we go back to the drawing board.”On the points in the paint…“It was great to score 44 points in the paint tonight. Obviously, West Virginia is dealing with size issues without Jesse Edwards. That's something that's been part of our game plan, to be inside out. You know, when the ball gets into the paint, good things happen.”On holding RaeQwan Battle to 3 points in the second half…“I think his first half explosion, it catches you off guard. His athleticism, his quickness, his ability to stop and go straight up in the air. That's tough to go against. I mean, he shot eight, nine free throws in the first half because we fouled him shooting three pointers. There are not a lot of guys who can come off a screen that hard, plant and go straight up in the air. And so, the second half, we tried to limit our fouls on him and that’s really what really helped us.”TEAM NOTES<ul>
 <li><a></a><a>K-State moved to 2-0 in Big 12 play with an 81-67 win at West Virginia.</a></li><li>K-State snapped a 4-game losing streak to West Virginia at the WVU Coliseum, earning just its fourth victory in Morgantown and third in the Big 12 era… It was the first victory at the WVU Coliseum since a 65-51 win on Feb. 18, 2019.</li><li>The 81 points tied for the most points against WVU on the road in the series, while the 14-point margin of victory tied for the most in the 13 career games in Morgantown.</li><li>K-State is 2-0 in Big 12 play for the second consecutive season.</li><li>West Virginia still leads the all-time series, 16-11, including 15-9 in the Big 12 era… The Mountaineers still own a 9-4 advantage at home.</li><li>K-State scored its 81 points on 53.8 percent (28-of-52) shooting, including 31.6 percent (6-of-19) from 3-point range, while the Wildcats hit on 82.6 percent (19-of-23) from the free throw line.</li><li>K-State scored 44 of its 81 points in the paint, holding a 44-22 edge in the category.</li><li>K-State held a 35-22 advantage in rebounding, including 9 offensive rebounds that led to 11 second-chance points… The Wildcats have now won the rebounding battle in 11 of 15 games.</li><li>K-State held the advantage in points off turnovers (17-5), points in the paint (44-22), second-chance points (11-4) and fast-break points (13-8).</li><li>K-State started a lineup of senior&nbsp;Tylor Perry, junior&nbsp;Cam Carter, junior&nbsp;Arthur Kaluma&nbsp;and senior&nbsp;David N’Guessan&nbsp;and senior&nbsp;Will McNair Jr.&nbsp;… It marked the 11th time using this lineup… Carter has now started all 51 games in his K-State career… Carter, N’Guessan and Perry have started all 15 games… Kaluma and McNair earned their 13th starts, respectively.</li>
 </ul>PLAYER NOTES<ul>
 <li>Four players scored in double figures led by a game-high 23 points from junior&nbsp;Cam Carter.</li><li>K-State is now 10-1 this season when 4 or more players score in double figures.</li><li>Carter was joined in double figures by juniors&nbsp;Arthur Kaluma&nbsp;(17 points) and&nbsp;David N’Guessan&nbsp;(17 points) and senior&nbsp;Will McNair Jr.&nbsp;(12 points).</li><li>Carter scored his 23 points on 6-of-14 field goals and a perfect 10-of-10 performance from the free throw line to go with 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals in 37 minutes… It marked his fourth career 20-point game, all coming this season… He has now scored in double figures in 23 career games, including 13 times this season.</li><li>N’Guessan scored a season-high 17 points on 7-of-8 field goals and 3-of-3 free throws to go with 7 rebounds, 2 blocked shots, an assist and a steal in 27 minutes… It was also the most points he has scored in a Big 12 game… He has now scored in double figures in 18 career games, including 7 times this season (which equals his entire total from 2022-23).</li><li>Kaluma scored his 17 points on 6-of-9 field goals, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, and 1-of-2 free throws to go with 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal in 28 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 52 career games, including 12 this season.</li><li>McNair scored his 12 points on 5-of-5 field goals and 2-of-4 free throws to go with a game-high and season-best 9 rebounds and 2 steals in 29 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 20 career games, including 6 times this season.</li><li>Redshirt freshman&nbsp;Dorian Finister&nbsp;continued to be a spark from the bench with a season-tying 6 points on 3-of-4 field goals (all dunks) to go with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal in a career-tying 22 minutes.</li>
 </ul>UP NEXT K-State concludes its 2-game road trip with a visit to Lubbock, Texas on Saturday afternoon, to take on Texas Tech (13-2, 2-0 Big 12) at the United Supermarket Arena. The game will tip at 3 p.m., CT on ESPN2. The Wildcats will look to snap a 9-game road losing streak to the Red Raiders.