HUTCHINSON, Kan.—The Hutchinson High School boy's and girl's basketball teams both scored big wins on Friday night at the Salthawk Activity Center by sweeping the Great Bend Panthers in both games.

The Hutch girl's used balanced scoring and sprint out steals and baskets by Gracie Keeler to pull away from Great Bend and get a 58-43 victory.&nbsp; Hutch jumped out to an early 16-8 lead in the first half, but Great Bend fought back to tie it at 18 before the Salthawks responded and pulled away.

In the boy's game, the Salthawks were led by junior post Nick Lange's 18 points and controlled the tempo of the game all night to win 64-37.&nbsp; The Salthawks were saddled with foul trouble in the first half, but the Hutchinson bench responded well.

Next action for the Hutch High boy's team will be Tuesday afternoon as they travel to Spring Hill, Kansas to match up with Mill Valley at 3pm next Tuesday to participate in the Spring Hill Invitational.

Hutch High girls will host Goddard Eisenhower on Tuesday night at 7:30pm at home at the SAC.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Both games will be broadcast on KWBW Radio as well as streamed on the NFHS Network.

HUTCHINSON, Kan.—The Hutchinson High School boy's and girl's basketball teams both scored big wins on Friday night at the Salthawk Activity Center by sweeping the Great Bend Panthers in both games.The Hutch girl's used balanced scoring and sprint out steals and baskets by Gracie Keeler to pull away from Great Bend and get a 58-43 victory.&nbsp; Hutch jumped out to an early 16-8 lead in the first half, but Great Bend fought back to tie it at 18 before the Salthawks responded and pulled away.In the boy's game, the Salthawks were led by junior post Nick Lange's 18 points and controlled the tempo of the game all night to win 64-37.&nbsp; The Salthawks were saddled with foul trouble in the first half, but the Hutchinson bench responded well.Next action for the Hutch High boy's team will be Tuesday afternoon as they travel to Spring Hill, Kansas to match up with Mill Valley at 3pm next Tuesday to participate in the Spring Hill Invitational.Hutch High girls will host Goddard Eisenhower on Tuesday night at 7:30pm at home at the SAC.&nbsp;&nbsp;Both games will be broadcast on KWBW Radio as well as streamed on the NFHS Network.

🏀 Salthawks sweep Great Bend

HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Former Hutchinson Community College and current Green Bay Packers’ linebacker De’Vondre Campbell was named first-team NFL All-Pro on Friday.

Campbell joins former Blue Dragon players Cordarrelle Patterson and Alvin Kamara as NFL All-Pro selections.

Campbell, who played at HutchCC in 2012 before transferring to the University of Minnesota, was drafted in the fourth round by the Atlanta Falcons with the 105th overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Campbell signed with the Packers on June 9, 2021, started all 17 games he appeared for Green Bay and led the defense with a career-high 145 tackles (101 solo), including six for a loss.

The sixth-year veteran – Campbell has also played for the Falcons and Arizona Cardinals - had two interceptions, two sacks, five passes defensed, two forced fumbles and recovery. He ranked seventh in the NFL among all defenders in tackles. Campbell was one of only three players (Derwin James, LAC; Antoine Winfield Jr., TB) with multiple Interceptions, sacks and forced fumbles.

Campbell is one of three Packers to earn All-Pro honors, joining quarterback Aaron Rodgers and receivers Devante Adams. The Packers finished the regular season 13-4 and won the NFC North Division. The Packers are the NFC’s No. 1 seed for the playoffs and will receive an opening-round bye. The NFL playoffs open Saturday.

In his one season at Hutchinson in 2012, Campbell was a second-round all-Jayhawk Conference linebacker. The outside linebacker from Fort Myers, Florida.

He was second on the 2012 Blue Dragon team – 9-3 and Salt City Bowl champions – in tackles with 83 total stops, including 21 unassisted tackles. He also had three quarterback sacks, one interception and two passes broken up. That interception was returned for a touchdown against Fort Scott.

After HutchCC, Campbell went to the University of Minnesota. He played in 39 games over three years with the Golden Gophers.

He started in 11 of 13 games in his senior season and finished third on the 2015 team with 92 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss and a team-high four sacks. He was named All-Big 10 Honorable mention honors as a senior.

STEVE CARPENTERHutchCC Sports InformationHUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Former Hutchinson Community College and current Green Bay Packers’ linebacker De’Vondre Campbell was named first-team NFL All-Pro on Friday.Campbell joins former Blue Dragon players Cordarrelle Patterson and Alvin Kamara as NFL All-Pro selections.Campbell, who played at HutchCC in 2012 before transferring to the University of Minnesota, was drafted in the fourth round by the Atlanta Falcons with the 105th overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft.Campbell signed with the Packers on June 9, 2021, started all 17 games he appeared for Green Bay and led the defense with a career-high 145 tackles (101 solo), including six for a loss.The sixth-year veteran – Campbell has also played for the Falcons and Arizona Cardinals - had two interceptions, two sacks, five passes defensed, two forced fumbles and recovery. He ranked seventh in the NFL among all defenders in tackles. Campbell was one of only three players (Derwin James, LAC; Antoine Winfield Jr., TB) with multiple Interceptions, sacks and forced fumbles.Campbell is one of three Packers to earn All-Pro honors, joining quarterback Aaron Rodgers and receivers Devante Adams. The Packers finished the regular season 13-4 and won the NFC North Division. The Packers are the NFC’s No. 1 seed for the playoffs and will receive an opening-round bye. The NFL playoffs open Saturday.In his one season at Hutchinson in 2012, Campbell was a second-round all-Jayhawk Conference linebacker. The outside linebacker from Fort Myers, Florida.He was second on the 2012 Blue Dragon team – 9-3 and Salt City Bowl champions – in tackles with 83 total stops, including 21 unassisted tackles. He also had three quarterback sacks, one interception and two passes broken up. That interception was returned for a touchdown against Fort Scott.After HutchCC, Campbell went to the University of Minnesota. He played in 39 games over three years with the Golden Gophers.He started in 11 of 13 games in his senior season and finished third on the 2015 team with 92 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss and a team-high four sacks. He was named All-Big 10 Honorable mention honors as a senior.

🏈 Former Blue Dragon named All-Pro

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs will be without Clyde Edwards-Helaire for their wild-card playoff game against the Steelers on Sunday night after their starting running back was unable to put together a full week of practice because of a hurt collarbone. 

Chiefs coach Andy Reid confirmed Friday that Edwards-Helaire would be ruled out for the playoff opener after he returned to practice on a limited basis Wednesday, but did not practice at all Thursday or Friday. 

The Chiefs should have Darrel Williams in the backfield after hurting his toe in their regular-season finale. Derrick Gore and Jerick McKinnon will also be available.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs will be without Clyde Edwards-Helaire for their wild-card playoff game against the Steelers on Sunday night after their starting running back was unable to put together a full week of practice because of a hurt collarbone. Chiefs coach Andy Reid confirmed Friday that Edwards-Helaire would be ruled out for the playoff opener after he returned to practice on a limited basis Wednesday, but did not practice at all Thursday or Friday. The Chiefs should have Darrel Williams in the backfield after hurting his toe in their regular-season finale. Derrick Gore and Jerick McKinnon will also be available.

🏈 Edwards-Helaire out for playoff game

Wichita Bishop Carroll 52, Wichita Heights 45

Jayhawk Linn vs. Oswego, ppd. to Jan 24th.

Osawatomie vs. Prairie View, ppd. to Jan 28th.

Pawnee Heights vs. Spearville, ppd. to Feb 19th.

Topeka Seaman vs. Manhattan, ppd. to Jan 14th.

<h2>GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL=</h2>Andover Central 54, Andover 44Atchison 53, KC Sumner 45Beloit 47, Minneapolis 37Bennington 45, Remington 43Boise City, Okla. 47, Elkhart 35Burlingame 45, Hartford 39Central Plains 79, Victoria 17Chapman 46, Concordia 33Cheney 57, Chaparral 33Chetopa 50, Crest 14Clay Center 42, Abilene 20Derby 40, Newton 24Douglass 53, Kingman 52Ellinwood 65, Macksville 55Eureka 29, Erie 15Garden Plain 39, Conway Springs 23Hays 58, Garden City 39Hays-TMP-Marian 63, Ellis 26Heritage Christian 42, Cair Paravel 34Hesston 43, Smoky Valley 33Hiawatha 43, Royal Valley 37Hodgeman County 47, Ingalls 27Holcomb 47, Scott City 34Hugoton 42, Goodland 38Hutchinson 58, Great Bend 43Inman 47, Sedgwick 33Jefferson North 39, Oskaloosa 27KC Wyandotte 43, KC Washington 23Kiowa County 66, Southwestern Hts. 63Lansing 50, DeSoto 35Lebo 68, Madison/Hamilton Co-op 25Liberal 49, Dodge City 47Little River 49, Rural Vista 31Logan/Palco 18, Golden Plains 15Louisburg 45, Baldwin 36Maize South 44, Arkansas City 18McPherson 66, Circle 34Mill Valley 54, Lawrence 47Minneola 51, Ashland 37Nemaha Central 37, Jefferson West 35Nickerson 54, Hoisington 36Northern Heights 50, Lyndon 26Norwich 38, Pretty Prairie 37Otis-Bison 37, La Crosse 33Phillipsburg 58, Norton 35Pleasant Ridge 60, Atchison County 41Pleasanton 33, Yates Center 26Pratt 60, Larned 26Rawlins County 54, Greeley County 48Rock Creek 60, Wabaunsee 22Rock Hills 42, Wilson 37Salina Central 64, Goddard 36Salina South 59, Wichita Campus 20South Central 50, Sublette 25South Gray 78, Bucklin 74St. John 56, Cimarron 52St. Mary's 53, Rossville 43Tescott 40, Chase 7Thunder Ridge 36, Natoma 19Topeka West 41, Highland Park 38Trego 42, Oakley 40Valley Center 39, Goddard-Eisenhower 30Wellington 50, Clearwater 46, OTWichita Bishop Carroll 52, Wichita Heights 45Wichita East 49, Wichita North 15Wichita Life Prep 49, Maize 44Winfield 52, Buhler 24POSTPONEMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS=Augusta vs. El Dorado, ppd.Eudora vs. Bonner Springs, ppd.Goessel vs. Canton-Galva, ppd.Herington vs. Solomon, ppd.Jayhawk Linn vs. Oswego, ppd. to Jan 24th.Marmaton Valley vs. Southeast, ccd.Mulvane vs. Andale, ppd.Osawatomie vs. Prairie View, ppd. to Jan 28th.Pawnee Heights vs. Spearville, ppd. to Feb 19th.Pratt Skyline vs. Fairfield, ppd.Riverton vs. Galena, ppd. to Jan 27th.Rose Hill vs. Wichita Collegiate, ppd.Sedan vs. Udall, ppd. to Feb 7th.Smith Center vs. Republic County, ppd.Tonganoxie vs. Spring Hill, ppd.Topeka Seaman vs. Manhattan, ppd. to Jan 14th.Washburn Rural vs. Junction City, ppd.Wichita Northwest vs. Wichita West, ppd.<h2>BOYS PREP BASKETBALL=</h2>Andale 66, Mulvane 50Andover Central 56, Andover 49Basehor-Linwood 67, Leavenworth 41Beloit 44, Minneapolis 31Bishop Miege 58, St. Thomas Aquinas 50Cheney 42, Chaparral 36Cherryvale 63, Humboldt 38Clearwater 44, Wellington 43Conway Springs 52, Garden Plain 33Crest 69, Chetopa 19Derby 76, Newton 54Dodge City 70, Liberal 32Doniphan West 79, Highland Park 67Elkhart 47, Boise City, Okla. 35Ellinwood 66, Macksville 47Emporia 52, Topeka Hayden 51Erie 64, Eureka 33Hutchinson 64,&nbsp;Great Bend 37Hays 69, Garden City 42Hays-TMP-Marian 68, Ellis 35Heritage Christian 76, Cair Paravel 75Hesston 53, Smoky Valley 23Hoisington 58, Nickerson 47Holcomb 60, Scott City 33Hoxie 52, Oberlin-Decatur 17Hugoton 60, Goodland 29Jefferson North 55, Oskaloosa 26KC Bishop Ward 59, Bishop Seabury Academy 55Kingman 61, Douglass 33Kiowa County 66, Southwestern Hts. 63La Crosse 46, Otis-Bison 44Lakeside 64, Rock Hills 19Lawrence 69, Mill Valley 51Lebo 59, Madison/Hamilton 52Lincoln 50, Chase 30Logan/Palco 73, Golden Plains 31Louisburg 75, Baldwin 64Lyndon 85, Northern Heights 28Maize South 67, Arkansas City 41McPherson 58, Circle 33Minneola 69, Ashland 42Nemaha Central 55, Jefferson West 41Norton 51, Phillipsburg 45Norwich 71, Pretty Prairie 37Olathe Northwest 53, Lawrence Free State 12Olathe West 59, Olathe North 54Pike Valley 51, Natoma 20Pleasant Ridge 60, Atchison County 41Pratt 64, Larned 24Remington 65, Bennington 61Royal Valley 76, Hiawatha 53Sabetha 67, Perry-Lecompton 55Salina Central 60, Goddard 41Shawnee Heights 82, KC Turner 58South Gray 78, Bucklin 74South Haven 59, Burden Central 52St. John 56, Cimarron 52St. Mary's 73, Rossville 33Stafford 33, Hutchinson Central Christian 28Sublette 49, South Central 35Topeka West 79, Highland Park 67Trego 51, Oakley 32Tyro Community Christian 71, Bradford Christian Academy, Mass. 32Victoria 48, Central Plains 37Wabaunsee 66, Rock Creek 40Wichita Heights 49, Wichita Bishop Carroll 44Wichita Home School 71, Veritas Christian 44Wichita Northwest 81, Wichita West 61POSTPONEMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS=Eudora vs. Bonner Springs, ppd.Goessel vs. Canton-Galva, ppd.Herington vs. Solomon, ppd.Jayhawk Linn vs. Oswego, ppd. to Jan 24th.Lakin vs. Syracuse, ppd.Marmaton Valley vs. Southeast, ccd.Osawatomie vs. Prairie View, ppd. to Jan 28th.Pawnee Heights vs. Spearville, ppd. to Feb 19th.Rose Hill vs. Wichita Collegiate, ccd.Sedan vs. Udall, ppd. to Feb 7th.Smith Center vs. Republic County, ppd.Tonganoxie vs. Spring Hill, ppd.Topeka Seaman vs. Manhattan, ppd.Washburn Rural vs. Junction City, ppd.

🏀 High School Basketball Scores for January 14, 2022

HUTCHINSON, Kan.—The Hutchinson Salthawk Basketball teams host the Great Bend Panthers tonight at the Salthawk Activity Center.

It will be a night of celebration as the Hutch High Booster Club will host the 1974 and 2001 State Basketball Championship Team and Cheer Squads tonight.&nbsp; All Hutch High Alums will be admitted free to the game and are encouraged to bring their families. All those attending will have reserved seating and be recognized at half time of the Boys Varsity game.  Girls Varsity game starts at 6:00 with Boys Varsity at 7:30.   A meet and greet will follow the HHS vs Great Bend game at AJ's at the Alley Sport Bar and Grill at 23rd and Lorraine.

Join the Eagle Radio broadcast team with the pre-game scheduled to begin at 5:45pm.&nbsp; Video stream of the game will be available on the Hutchinson Channel on the NFHS Network at <a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/">nfhsnetwork.com.</a>

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

HUTCHINSON, Kan.—The Hutchinson Salthawk Basketball teams host the Great Bend Panthers tonight at the Salthawk Activity Center.It will be a night of celebration as the Hutch High Booster Club will host the 1974 and 2001 State Basketball Championship Team and Cheer Squads tonight.&nbsp; All Hutch High Alums will be admitted free to the game and are encouraged to bring their families. All those attending will have reserved seating and be recognized at half time of the Boys Varsity game. Girls Varsity game starts at 6:00 with Boys Varsity at 7:30. A meet and greet will follow the HHS vs Great Bend game at AJ's at the Alley Sport Bar and Grill at 23rd and Lorraine.Join the Eagle Radio broadcast team with the pre-game scheduled to begin at 5:45pm.&nbsp; Video stream of the game will be available on the Hutchinson Channel on the NFHS Network at <a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/">nfhsnetwork.com.</a><div><iframe src="https://player.nfhsnetwork.com/#/events/hutchinson-high-school-hutchinson-ks/gamf2a858a28a" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" width="640" height="360"></iframe>

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

🎥 🏀 Game Day! Hutch High hosts Great Bend on Celebrate Champions night

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

<div><iframe title="Eagle Radio Sports for Friday Morning" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=6vrur-117b795-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=1&font-color=auto&btn-skin=7"></iframe></div><a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🎙 Eagle Radio Sports for Friday Morning

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich scored in the third period as the St. Louis Blues came back to beat the Seattle Kraken 2-1. Ville Husso made 31 saves and the Blues extended their home point streak to 13 games, dating to Nov. 18. It is the third-longest stretch in franchise history. Alex Wennberg scored and Chris Driedger made 25 saves for the expansion Kraken, who lost for the sixth time in seven games. Buchnevich's power-play goal off a slick no-look pass from Ivan Barbashev at 5:30 of the third period gave St. Louis the lead.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The last time the Chiefs played the Steelers, record-setting wide receiver Tyreek Hill had just recovered from COVID-19 and star tight end Travis Kelce was sitting at home and still dealing with the virus. Kansas City still rolled to a 36-10 victory at Arrowhead Stadium. That should give the Chiefs a lot of confidence for the rematch in the wild-card round of the playoffs Sunday night. Kelce and Hill should be healthy and available for Patrick Mahomes, who still threw for 258 yards and three scores without them in that December win over the Steelers.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — On a night when his heralded twin struggled with fouls, Kris Murray came through with career highs of 29 points and 11 rebounds, leading Iowa to an 83-74 win over Indiana. Keegan Murray, coming in as the nation's leading scorer at 24.7 points per game, finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and foul fouls in 22 minutes. &nbsp;Jordan Bohannon added 11 points including his 400th career 3-pointer, the 20th Division I player to reach the mark. Trayce Jackson-Davis led the Hoosiers with 18 points and 11 rebounds for his 29th double-double. Race Thompson added 13 points, Parker Stewart 11 and Trey Galloway 10.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — No. 6 Indiana survived a late push from Nebraska to stay undefeated in conference play, winning 72-65 Thursday. Grace Berger led Indiana (13-2) in scoring with 22 points, Aleksa Gulbe added 17 points and Nicole Cardaño-Hillary scored 13. Alexis Markowski led Nebraska (13-3) in scoring with 17 points and Jaz Shelley added 15. Forward Kiandra Browne had her first career start in Mackenzie Holmes' place, scoring 2 points and secured five rebounds in 25 minutes.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska has hired former TCU assistant Bryan Applewhite to coach running backs. Applewhite spent the past two years coaching running backs at TCU, where the Horned Frogs ranked in the top 30 nationally in rushing both seasons. Nebraska coach Scott Frost said Applewhite has proved himself as an outstanding running backs coach during two decades in college football. Applewhite's hiring filled the final opening on the staff. The Huskers previously brought in Mark Whipple as offensive coordinator, Mickey Joseph as receivers coach and Donovan Raiola as offensive line coach.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joe Haden is hoping to extend his stay in the Steel City at least one more week. Haden will play in the second playoff game of his 12-year career when the Steelers visit Kansas City in the opening round of the postseason. The 32-year-old was forced to sit out last year's playoff loss to Cleveland because he was in the NFL's COVID-19 protocols. Haden is in the final year of his contract and is unlikely to re-sign with the Steelers.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants have interviewed Quentin Harris of the Arizona Cardinals and Ryan Poles of the Kansas City Chiefs for their vacant general manager's job. Co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch and senior vice president of player personnel Chris Mara met with Harris and Poles on Thursday by videoconference. The Giants have now spoken with four men over the past two days. They interviewed Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen and Cardinals vice president of pro personnel Adrian Wilson on Wednesday. GM Dave Gettleman retired Monday, and the team fired coach Joe Judge the following day.

Djokovic faces deportation after Australia revokes visa

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic (NOH'-vak JOH'-kuh-vich) faces deportation again after the Australian government revoked his visa for a second time.

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke says he used his ministerial discretion to revoke the 34-year-old Serb's visa on public interest grounds three days before the Australian Open begins. 

His lawyers are expected to appeal in a federal court as they successfully did last week on procedural grounds. 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison welcomes Djokovic's pending deportation, saying Australia has achieved one of the lowest pandemic death rates, strongest economies and highest vaccination rates in the world. 

Everyone at the Australian Open is required to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Djokovic is not and sought an exemption because he had COVID-19 in December. 

UNDATED (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks had a surprisingly easy time defeating the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH'-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON'-poh) posted his third triple-double of the season and the Bucks led 77-38 at halftime en route to a 118-99 rout of the Warriors. Antetokounmpo finished with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in his 28th career triple-double. 

Khris Middleton chipped in 23 points, Bobby Portis had 15 and Grayson Allen had 15 for the Bucks, who welcomed back coach Mike Budenholzer. Milwaukee had gone 1-3 while Budenholzer was in COVID-19 protocols.

Andrew Wiggins had a team-high 16 points for the Warriors, while teammate Stephen Curry had just 12.

Checking out Thursday's other NBA action:

— The Grizzlies' team-record winning streak is now at 11 games following a 116-108 decision over the Timberwolves. Desmond Bane scored 21 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 20 to help Memphis avenge their 43-point loss to Minnesota on Nov. 20. Ja Morant had 16 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and John Konchar added 15 points and a career-best 17 rebounds. 

— The Nets lost for the sixth time in their last seven home games, absorbing a 130-109 defeat against the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered 33 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Thunder, who are 14-27 at the midway mark. Rookie Josh Giddey provided 19 points to the Thunder's first win in six games.

— The Nuggets carved up the Trail Blazers, 140-108 as Will Barton furnished 21 points and Nikola Jokic added 20. Barton had to leave the game for good with a strained neck after falling into the knee of Portland center Jusuf Nurkic on a drive. 

— Brandon Ingram dropped in 24 points and Jonas Valanciunas had a double-double with 18 points and 16 boards in the Pelicans' 113-89 thrashing of the Clippers. Rookie Herb Jones scored 14 points and had three steals for the Pelicans, who parlayed 15 Clippers turnovers into 23 points. 

UNDATED (AP) — The New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks are separated by just three games in the NBA's Eastern Conference standings, but their plans for the stretch run now appear to be divergent.

The Hawks have become sellers after falling to 17-23, sending forwards Cam Reddish and Solomon Hill to the Knicks for small forward Kevin Knox and a 2022 first-round draft pick. The Knicks also get a second-round choice in this year's draft. 

Reddish received regular playing time for Atlanta this season, averaging 11.9 points and 2.5 rebounds in 34 games. Reddish and Knox are recent first-round picks, but Knox started just 61 of 195 games for the Knicks after being drafted in 2018.

Reddish is reunited with former Duke teammate RJ Barrett as the Knicks try to improve on their 21-21 start.

The deal gives the Hawks additional salary cap room this summer.

— Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard is out at least six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a core injury that has been causing him abdominal pain. The six-time All-Star has missed five games since the start of the year and 11 games overall this season because of the injury.

— The Bulls expect forward Derrick Jones Jr. to miss two to four weeks because of a bone bruise in his right knee. Jones was injured in the opening minute of a 138-112 home loss to the Nets on Wednesday. 

— A trade between the Pistons and Nuggets has been rescinded after big man Bol Bol didn't receive medical clearance with Detroit. The Nuggets had finalized a deal to send Bol to the Pistons in exchange for guard Rodney McGruder along with a 2022 second-round pick via Brooklyn.

UNDATED (AP) — Third-ranked UCLA can expect to take a tumble in the AP men's basketball poll on Monday.

Head coach Dana Altman earned his 700th career win as Jacob Young poured in a season-high 23 points to lead Oregon past the Bruins, 84-81 in overtime. Young provided consecutive baskets in OT to put the Ducks ahead to stay in their fourth consecutive win.

Johnny Juzang scored 23 points for the Bruins, who had won five straight.

— Drew Timme scored 30 points on 13-of-14 shooting as second-ranked Gonzaga beat rival BYU 110-84 to extend the nation's longest home winning streak to 61 games. Andrew Nembhard had 22 points and 12 assists, and Julian Strawther added 20 points for the 13-2 Bulldogs, who shot 69%.

— No. 5 Southern California rallied from a 51-41 deficit to defeat Oregon State 81-71. Chavez Goodwin had 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Drew Peterson added 15 points. 

— Sixth-ranked Arizona is 13-1 after Azoulas Tubelis and Justin Kier provided 14 points apiece in a 76-55 blowout over Colorado. Arizona shot 51% and had 20 assists on 29 field goals to match its best start since 2015-16.

— Brad Davison provided 23 points and Tyler Wahl added 20 in No. 13 Wisconsin's sixth straight win, 78-68 against Ohio State. Wisconsin was 10 of 23 from 3-point range in improving to 14-2 overall, 5-1 in the Big Ten.

— Kevin Obanor had 17 points and No. 19 Texas Tech backed up its consecutive wins over Top 10 teams with a 78-57 victory over Oklahoma State. Adonis Arms scored 13 points for the 13-3 Red Raiders, who were coming off Tuesday's win at top-ranked Baylor.

— Jalen Terry scored 28 points and David Jones added 24 as DePaul stunned No. 20 Seton Hall, 96-92. The Blue Demons did it while playing most of the second half without conference scoring leader Javon Freeman-Liberty because of an apparent right leg injury.

AP source: Texans fire Culley after just one season as coach

UNDATED (AP) — David Culley is one and done as head coach of the Houston Texans.

Culley has been let go following a 4-13 record in his lone season at the helm. The Texans had quarterback issues early in the season but split their last four games, finishing with a 28-25 loss to the top-seeded Titans.

Culley said Monday he expected to return, but general manager Nick Caserio was said to still be evaluating him at that time.

It's the first time the Texans have fired a coach after just one season. 

The dismissals of Culley and Miami's Brian Flores leave Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin as the NFL's only Black head coach.

— Left tackle Trent Williams practiced with the 49ers on Thursday after missing the season finale with an elbow injury. Williams is on target to play Sunday against the Cowboys, saying the elbow feels good. Williams was officially limited and wore tape on the elbow instead of a brace.

— The NFL has no plans to move the Feb. 13 Super Bowl to Arlington, Texas, or anywhere else despite the recent rise in COVID-19 cases and the accompanying health precautions in California. Both NFL officials and local organizers say the championship game isn't leaving the Los Angeles area. 

MLB talks resume after 42-day gap, little evident progress

UNDATED (AP) — Labor talks to end the baseball lockout have resumed for the first time in 1 1/2 months.

There with little evident progress during a bargaining session that lasted about an hour on Thursday, jeopardizing a timely start to spring training. Major League Baseball imposed the lockout on Dec. 2 as soon as the five-year collective bargaining contract expired, a few hours after talks broke off. 

The discussions Thursday were the first on core economic issues following a 42-day gap. MLB made proposals it hoped would at least start to generate momentum, but players did not commit to a specific date to respond.

Alabama WR Williams, offensive lineman Evans enter NFL draft

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama offensive stars Jameson Williams and Evan Neal are entering the NFL draft and skipping their senior seasons. 

Williams led Crimson Tide receivers with 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns in his lone season after transferring from Ohio State. Neal played left tackle last season and started 39 games on the line in three seasons.

Both are All-Americans and projected first-round picks.

UNDATED (AP) — The Columbus Blue Jackets grabbed a 4-0 lead against the Carolina Hurricanes on New Year's Day, only to absorb a 7-4 loss. There was none of that on Thursday.

Yegor Chinakhov scored twice and Elvis Merzlikins (murz-LIH'-kihnz) turned back 31 shots as the Jackets blasted the Canes, 6-0. Amil Bemstrom and Jack Roslovic each added a goal and an assist for Columbus, which put the game away with a four-goal third period.

Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen gave up four goals on 32 shots, taking a seat on the bench after Patrik Laine and Chinakhov scored in a 32-second span early in the final period.

The Hurricanes' first shutout loss of the season drops them out of a first-place tie with the Rangers in the Metropolitan Division.

Igor Shesterkin returned from COVID-19 protocol and stopped 37 shots to lead the Rangers' 3-0 shutout of the Sharks. Chris Kreider got his first career short-handed goal and an empty-netter to reach 200 goals as the Rangers blanked San Jose for the second straight meeting.

— Tuukka Rask made his return to the Boston nets and David Pastrnak provided the Bruins' second hat trick in two nights, leading a 3-2 victory against the Flyers. Rask made his season debut after recovering from surgery last summer to repair a torn labrum, finishing with 27 saves in the Bruins' seventh win in eight games.

— Steven Stamkos scored his team-leading 18th goal and Anthony Cirelli put the Lightning ahead to stay in a 4-2 downing of the Canucks. Andrei Vasilevskiy (va-sih-LEHV'-skee) made 24 saves for Tampa Bay, including a stop on Elias Petterson's breakaway in the third period.

— Third-period goals by Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich pushed the Blues past the Kraken, 2-1. Ville Husso made 31 saves as the Blues extended their home points streak to 13 games.

— Mikey Anderson, Viktor Arvidsson and Anze Kopitar scored in a span of 1:23 of the third period to secure the Kings' third straight win, 6-2 over the Penguins. Dustin Brown had a goal and an assist to reach 700 career points, and Sean Durzi had a goal and two assists to help Los Angeles finish 5-2 on its seven-game homestand.

— The Predators had won five straight before Jeff Skinner scored twice and Aaron Dell handled 29 shots in the Sabres' 4-1 victory at Nashville. Mark Jankowski and Vinnie Hinostroza also scored for Buffalo, who snapped a six-game skid.

— Connor Hellebuyck (HEH'-leh-buhk) made 33 saves for his second shutout of the season, sending the Jets to a 3-0 win at Detroit. Andrew Copp scored twice and Kyle Connor added an empty-netter in Winnipeg's first game since a 7-1 loss in Colorado a week ago.

— Philipp Kurashev scored 2:24 into overtime to send the Blackhawks to their third straight win, 3-2 against the Canadiens. Dominik Kubalik and Patrick Kane also scored for Chicago, and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 27 shots as Chicago handed Montreal its fifth loss in a row.

— The Islanders pulled out a 3-2 win over the Devils on Mat Barzal's tiebreaking goal with 4:53 remaining. Josh Bailey and Adam Pelech (PEH'-lihk) scored and Zach Parise added two assists for the Islanders, who ran their point streak to five games and played for the first time since New Year's Day. 

— The Senators also were in action for the first time since New Year's Day, getting two goals from Nick Paul in a 4-1 verdict over the Flames. Matt Murray made 27 saves for his first victory of the season.

Ovechkin, McDavid, Draisaitl picked for NHL All-Star Game

NEW YORK (AP) — Washington star Alexander Ovechkin oh-VECH'-kin and high-scoring Edmonton teammates Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl (DRY'-sy-tul) headline the rosters for the NHL All-Star Weekend.

Ovechkin led voting in the Metropolitan Division to earn the captaincy for the Feb. 4-5 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It's his eighth selection.

The event features a three-game tournament played in a 3-on-3 format, with 11-man teams from each of the league's four divisions. 

<h2>Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press</h2>ST. LOUIS (AP) — Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich scored in the third period as the St. Louis Blues came back to beat the Seattle Kraken 2-1. Ville Husso made 31 saves and the Blues extended their home point streak to 13 games, dating to Nov. 18. It is the third-longest stretch in franchise history. Alex Wennberg scored and Chris Driedger made 25 saves for the expansion Kraken, who lost for the sixth time in seven games. Buchnevich's power-play goal off a slick no-look pass from Ivan Barbashev at 5:30 of the third period gave St. Louis the lead.KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The last time the Chiefs played the Steelers, record-setting wide receiver Tyreek Hill had just recovered from COVID-19 and star tight end Travis Kelce was sitting at home and still dealing with the virus. Kansas City still rolled to a 36-10 victory at Arrowhead Stadium. That should give the Chiefs a lot of confidence for the rematch in the wild-card round of the playoffs Sunday night. Kelce and Hill should be healthy and available for Patrick Mahomes, who still threw for 258 yards and three scores without them in that December win over the Steelers.IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — On a night when his heralded twin struggled with fouls, Kris Murray came through with career highs of 29 points and 11 rebounds, leading Iowa to an 83-74 win over Indiana. Keegan Murray, coming in as the nation's leading scorer at 24.7 points per game, finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and foul fouls in 22 minutes. &nbsp;Jordan Bohannon added 11 points including his 400th career 3-pointer, the 20th Division I player to reach the mark. Trayce Jackson-Davis led the Hoosiers with 18 points and 11 rebounds for his 29th double-double. Race Thompson added 13 points, Parker Stewart 11 and Trey Galloway 10.BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — No. 6 Indiana survived a late push from Nebraska to stay undefeated in conference play, winning 72-65 Thursday. Grace Berger led Indiana (13-2) in scoring with 22 points, Aleksa Gulbe added 17 points and Nicole Cardaño-Hillary scored 13. Alexis Markowski led Nebraska (13-3) in scoring with 17 points and Jaz Shelley added 15. Forward Kiandra Browne had her first career start in Mackenzie Holmes' place, scoring 2 points and secured five rebounds in 25 minutes.LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska has hired former TCU assistant Bryan Applewhite to coach running backs. Applewhite spent the past two years coaching running backs at TCU, where the Horned Frogs ranked in the top 30 nationally in rushing both seasons. Nebraska coach Scott Frost said Applewhite has proved himself as an outstanding running backs coach during two decades in college football. Applewhite's hiring filled the final opening on the staff. The Huskers previously brought in Mark Whipple as offensive coordinator, Mickey Joseph as receivers coach and Donovan Raiola as offensive line coach.PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joe Haden is hoping to extend his stay in the Steel City at least one more week. Haden will play in the second playoff game of his 12-year career when the Steelers visit Kansas City in the opening round of the postseason. The 32-year-old was forced to sit out last year's playoff loss to Cleveland because he was in the NFL's COVID-19 protocols. Haden is in the final year of his contract and is unlikely to re-sign with the Steelers.EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants have interviewed Quentin Harris of the Arizona Cardinals and Ryan Poles of the Kansas City Chiefs for their vacant general manager's job. Co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch and senior vice president of player personnel Chris Mara met with Harris and Poles on Thursday by videoconference. The Giants have now spoken with four men over the past two days. They interviewed Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen and Cardinals vice president of pro personnel Adrian Wilson on Wednesday. GM Dave Gettleman retired Monday, and the team fired coach Joe Judge the following day.<h2>Update on the latest sports</h2>TENNIS-NEWSDjokovic faces deportation after Australia revokes visaMELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic (NOH'-vak JOH'-kuh-vich) faces deportation again after the Australian government revoked his visa for a second time.Immigration Minister Alex Hawke says he used his ministerial discretion to revoke the 34-year-old Serb's visa on public interest grounds three days before the Australian Open begins. His lawyers are expected to appeal in a federal court as they successfully did last week on procedural grounds. Prime Minister Scott Morrison welcomes Djokovic's pending deportation, saying Australia has achieved one of the lowest pandemic death rates, strongest economies and highest vaccination rates in the world. Everyone at the Australian Open is required to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Djokovic is not and sought an exemption because he had COVID-19 in December. NBA-SCHEDULE Bucks rip WarriorsUNDATED (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks had a surprisingly easy time defeating the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH'-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON'-poh) posted his third triple-double of the season and the Bucks led 77-38 at halftime en route to a 118-99 rout of the Warriors. Antetokounmpo finished with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in his 28th career triple-double. Khris Middleton chipped in 23 points, Bobby Portis had 15 and Grayson Allen had 15 for the Bucks, who welcomed back coach Mike Budenholzer. Milwaukee had gone 1-3 while Budenholzer was in COVID-19 protocols.Andrew Wiggins had a team-high 16 points for the Warriors, while teammate Stephen Curry had just 12.Checking out Thursday's other NBA action:— The Grizzlies' team-record winning streak is now at 11 games following a 116-108 decision over the Timberwolves. Desmond Bane scored 21 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 20 to help Memphis avenge their 43-point loss to Minnesota on Nov. 20. Ja Morant had 16 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and John Konchar added 15 points and a career-best 17 rebounds. — The Nets lost for the sixth time in their last seven home games, absorbing a 130-109 defeat against the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered 33 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Thunder, who are 14-27 at the midway mark. Rookie Josh Giddey provided 19 points to the Thunder's first win in six games.— The Nuggets carved up the Trail Blazers, 140-108 as Will Barton furnished 21 points and Nikola Jokic added 20. Barton had to leave the game for good with a strained neck after falling into the knee of Portland center Jusuf Nurkic on a drive. — Brandon Ingram dropped in 24 points and Jonas Valanciunas had a double-double with 18 points and 16 boards in the Pelicans' 113-89 thrashing of the Clippers. Rookie Herb Jones scored 14 points and had three steals for the Pelicans, who parlayed 15 Clippers turnovers into 23 points. NBA-NEWSKnicks buyers, Hawks sellers UNDATED (AP) — The New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks are separated by just three games in the NBA's Eastern Conference standings, but their plans for the stretch run now appear to be divergent.The Hawks have become sellers after falling to 17-23, sending forwards Cam Reddish and Solomon Hill to the Knicks for small forward Kevin Knox and a 2022 first-round draft pick. The Knicks also get a second-round choice in this year's draft. Reddish received regular playing time for Atlanta this season, averaging 11.9 points and 2.5 rebounds in 34 games. Reddish and Knox are recent first-round picks, but Knox started just 61 of 195 games for the Knicks after being drafted in 2018.Reddish is reunited with former Duke teammate RJ Barrett as the Knicks try to improve on their 21-21 start.The deal gives the Hawks additional salary cap room this summer.In other NBA news:— Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard is out at least six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a core injury that has been causing him abdominal pain. The six-time All-Star has missed five games since the start of the year and 11 games overall this season because of the injury.— The Bulls expect forward Derrick Jones Jr. to miss two to four weeks because of a bone bruise in his right knee. Jones was injured in the opening minute of a 138-112 home loss to the Nets on Wednesday. — A trade between the Pistons and Nuggets has been rescinded after big man Bol Bol didn't receive medical clearance with Detroit. The Nuggets had finalized a deal to send Bol to the Pistons in exchange for guard Rodney McGruder along with a 2022 second-round pick via Brooklyn.T25 MEN'S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULEBruins fall to DucksUNDATED (AP) — Third-ranked UCLA can expect to take a tumble in the AP men's basketball poll on Monday.Head coach Dana Altman earned his 700th career win as Jacob Young poured in a season-high 23 points to lead Oregon past the Bruins, 84-81 in overtime. Young provided consecutive baskets in OT to put the Ducks ahead to stay in their fourth consecutive win.Johnny Juzang scored 23 points for the Bruins, who had won five straight.Also on the top-25 men's schedule:— Drew Timme scored 30 points on 13-of-14 shooting as second-ranked Gonzaga beat rival BYU 110-84 to extend the nation's longest home winning streak to 61 games. Andrew Nembhard had 22 points and 12 assists, and Julian Strawther added 20 points for the 13-2 Bulldogs, who shot 69%.— No. 5 Southern California rallied from a 51-41 deficit to defeat Oregon State 81-71. Chavez Goodwin had 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Drew Peterson added 15 points. — Sixth-ranked Arizona is 13-1 after Azoulas Tubelis and Justin Kier provided 14 points apiece in a 76-55 blowout over Colorado. Arizona shot 51% and had 20 assists on 29 field goals to match its best start since 2015-16.— Brad Davison provided 23 points and Tyler Wahl added 20 in No. 13 Wisconsin's sixth straight win, 78-68 against Ohio State. Wisconsin was 10 of 23 from 3-point range in improving to 14-2 overall, 5-1 in the Big Ten.— Kevin Obanor had 17 points and No. 19 Texas Tech backed up its consecutive wins over Top 10 teams with a 78-57 victory over Oklahoma State. Adonis Arms scored 13 points for the 13-3 Red Raiders, who were coming off Tuesday's win at top-ranked Baylor.— Jalen Terry scored 28 points and David Jones added 24 as DePaul stunned No. 20 Seton Hall, 96-92. The Blue Demons did it while playing most of the second half without conference scoring leader Javon Freeman-Liberty because of an apparent right leg injury.NFL-NEWSAP source: Texans fire Culley after just one season as coachUNDATED (AP) — David Culley is one and done as head coach of the Houston Texans.Culley has been let go following a 4-13 record in his lone season at the helm. The Texans had quarterback issues early in the season but split their last four games, finishing with a 28-25 loss to the top-seeded Titans.Culley said Monday he expected to return, but general manager Nick Caserio was said to still be evaluating him at that time.It's the first time the Texans have fired a coach after just one season. The dismissals of Culley and Miami's Brian Flores leave Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin as the NFL's only Black head coach.Elsewhere in the NFL:— Left tackle Trent Williams practiced with the 49ers on Thursday after missing the season finale with an elbow injury. Williams is on target to play Sunday against the Cowboys, saying the elbow feels good. Williams was officially limited and wore tape on the elbow instead of a brace.— The NFL has no plans to move the Feb. 13 Super Bowl to Arlington, Texas, or anywhere else despite the recent rise in COVID-19 cases and the accompanying health precautions in California. Both NFL officials and local organizers say the championship game isn't leaving the Los Angeles area. MLB-NEWSMLB talks resume after 42-day gap, little evident progressUNDATED (AP) — Labor talks to end the baseball lockout have resumed for the first time in 1 1/2 months.There with little evident progress during a bargaining session that lasted about an hour on Thursday, jeopardizing a timely start to spring training. Major League Baseball imposed the lockout on Dec. 2 as soon as the five-year collective bargaining contract expired, a few hours after talks broke off. The discussions Thursday were the first on core economic issues following a 42-day gap. MLB made proposals it hoped would at least start to generate momentum, but players did not commit to a specific date to respond.COLLEGE FOOTBALL-NEWSAlabama WR Williams, offensive lineman Evans enter NFL draftTUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama offensive stars Jameson Williams and Evan Neal are entering the NFL draft and skipping their senior seasons. Williams led Crimson Tide receivers with 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns in his lone season after transferring from Ohio State. Neal played left tackle last season and started 39 games on the line in three seasons.Both are All-Americans and projected first-round picks.NHL-SCHEDULEJackets dress down CanesUNDATED (AP) — The Columbus Blue Jackets grabbed a 4-0 lead against the Carolina Hurricanes on New Year's Day, only to absorb a 7-4 loss. There was none of that on Thursday.Yegor Chinakhov scored twice and Elvis Merzlikins (murz-LIH'-kihnz) turned back 31 shots as the Jackets blasted the Canes, 6-0. Amil Bemstrom and Jack Roslovic each added a goal and an assist for Columbus, which put the game away with a four-goal third period.Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen gave up four goals on 32 shots, taking a seat on the bench after Patrik Laine and Chinakhov scored in a 32-second span early in the final period.The Hurricanes' first shutout loss of the season drops them out of a first-place tie with the Rangers in the Metropolitan Division.Igor Shesterkin returned from COVID-19 protocol and stopped 37 shots to lead the Rangers' 3-0 shutout of the Sharks. Chris Kreider got his first career short-handed goal and an empty-netter to reach 200 goals as the Rangers blanked San Jose for the second straight meeting.Elsewhere on NHL ice:— Tuukka Rask made his return to the Boston nets and David Pastrnak provided the Bruins' second hat trick in two nights, leading a 3-2 victory against the Flyers. Rask made his season debut after recovering from surgery last summer to repair a torn labrum, finishing with 27 saves in the Bruins' seventh win in eight games.— Steven Stamkos scored his team-leading 18th goal and Anthony Cirelli put the Lightning ahead to stay in a 4-2 downing of the Canucks. Andrei Vasilevskiy (va-sih-LEHV'-skee) made 24 saves for Tampa Bay, including a stop on Elias Petterson's breakaway in the third period.— Third-period goals by Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich pushed the Blues past the Kraken, 2-1. Ville Husso made 31 saves as the Blues extended their home points streak to 13 games.— Mikey Anderson, Viktor Arvidsson and Anze Kopitar scored in a span of 1:23 of the third period to secure the Kings' third straight win, 6-2 over the Penguins. Dustin Brown had a goal and an assist to reach 700 career points, and Sean Durzi had a goal and two assists to help Los Angeles finish 5-2 on its seven-game homestand.— The Predators had won five straight before Jeff Skinner scored twice and Aaron Dell handled 29 shots in the Sabres' 4-1 victory at Nashville. Mark Jankowski and Vinnie Hinostroza also scored for Buffalo, who snapped a six-game skid.— Connor Hellebuyck (HEH'-leh-buhk) made 33 saves for his second shutout of the season, sending the Jets to a 3-0 win at Detroit. Andrew Copp scored twice and Kyle Connor added an empty-netter in Winnipeg's first game since a 7-1 loss in Colorado a week ago.— Philipp Kurashev scored 2:24 into overtime to send the Blackhawks to their third straight win, 3-2 against the Canadiens. Dominik Kubalik and Patrick Kane also scored for Chicago, and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 27 shots as Chicago handed Montreal its fifth loss in a row.— The Islanders pulled out a 3-2 win over the Devils on Mat Barzal's tiebreaking goal with 4:53 remaining. Josh Bailey and Adam Pelech (PEH'-lihk) scored and Zach Parise added two assists for the Islanders, who ran their point streak to five games and played for the first time since New Year's Day. — The Senators also were in action for the first time since New Year's Day, getting two goals from Nick Paul in a 4-1 verdict over the Flames. Matt Murray made 27 saves for his first victory of the season.NHL-ALL STAR ROSTERSOvechkin, McDavid, Draisaitl picked for NHL All-Star GameNEW YORK (AP) — Washington star Alexander Ovechkin oh-VECH'-kin and high-scoring Edmonton teammates Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl (DRY'-sy-tul) headline the rosters for the NHL All-Star Weekend.Ovechkin led voting in the Metropolitan Division to earn the captaincy for the Feb. 4-5 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It's his eighth selection.The event features a three-game tournament played in a 3-on-3 format, with 11-man teams from each of the league's four divisions. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sports Headlines for Friday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The last time the Chiefs played the Steelers in the playoffs, Tyreek Hill was a wide-eyed rookie wide receiver, Chris Jones was learning the ropes at defensive tackle and Travis Kelce was only just becoming one of the league’s best tight ends.

Oh, and Patrick Mahomes was still in college.

In retrospect, it wasn’t all that surprising the Chiefs lost on that cold January night in 2017, when Pittsburgh won 18-16 despite never reaching the end zone. Kansas City had won just one playoff game since 1994, and hadn’t won one at home in nearly three decades, while the Steelers rolled into town with a bunch of postseason experience.

Fast forward five years and the Chiefs are the ones with all the experience.

They’ve been to the last two Super Bowls. The last three AFC title games. And that team that couldn’t win a playoff game at home has won five straight, a franchise record it hopes to extend when the Chiefs play Pittsburgh again Sunday night.

“To be able to know the speed of the game and share it with (young players), I think, is important,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid admitted. “You don’t know until you get there, but for whatever reason, each level you go up in the playoffs, the speed of the game picks up. And it’s all single elimination, so the urgency level goes up, too.”

The Chiefs still have six players on their roster that played against the Steelers five years ago, which is quite astonishing in a league where the turnover rate is so high; the Steelers only have three of them, and only two that played.

Kelce had perhaps the most memorable day, catching five passes for 77 yards. Hill had four catches for 27 yards.

On the other side, Ben Roethlisberger threw for 224 yards with an interception. The same Antonio Brown that just caused such a ruckus for Tampa Bay caught six of his passes for 108 yards. And running back Le’Veon Bell, who two years later was part of the Super Bowl champions in Kansas City, ran roughshod for 170 yards on 30 carries.

The star was Chris Boswell, though. He hit each of his six field goal tries for all of the Steelers’ scoring.

Boswell is one of those still on the team in Pittsburgh. So is defensive lineman Cameron Heyward and Big Ben, who will be making his 23rd postseason start, tied with Joe Montana for fourth among quarterbacks in NFL history.

Roethlisberger is familiar with the Chiefs — on Dec. 26, he went 23 for 35 against them in a 36-10 loss at Kansas City.

There’s much more on the line in this matchup.

“I mean, it’s like I try to tell some of the young guys, every mistake is magnified,” Roethlisberger said of the postseason experience. “Even a third-down drop can be magnified, because the other team you’re playing is a really good football team, too. And so they capitalize on your mistake. I’ve been in a lot of these games where the team that makes the fewest mistakes is going to win. I just try to tell those guys, listen, go out there and play free and have fun and play football.”

While the Chiefs have had nothing but postseason success lately, that hasn’t been the case in Pittsburgh. What experience the Steelers have had is mostly the losing variety: the divisional round to Jacksonville, the wild-card round to Cleveland.

“I’m not concerned about success. I am concerned about exposure,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “People understand what the environment is like, the intensity of it. How much detail is required to win in situational ball and things of that nature. Experience is good, whether it’s positive or negative — the knowing. I’m less concerned about the lack of success. I am more concerned about those who haven’t experienced it that play a significant role for us.”

There aren’t a whole lot of those in Kansas City.

All four players that carried the ball in last year’s Super Bowl will play Sunday. Seven of the eight players that caught a pass against Tampa Bay will be on the field. Tyrann Mathieu and most of the stars of the defense will be there, too.

“The one thing that’s good about it,” Reid acknowledged, “is the veteran guys that have been through it with us can tell the young guys. Because we do have quite a few young kids that are playing right now, and all of a sudden they’re into Game 18 here and going, ‘Holy, Toledo!’ We thought we had a long season at 12 in college football.’

“Everything is a little faster in the playoffs and more aggressive,” Reid added. “It’s just the nature of this thing and how it works, so we’ve got to make sure we get ourselves right and go through that process.”

Notes: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (shoulder), Hill (calf) and RB Darrel Williams (toe) all practiced Wednesday. The Chiefs activated rookie DE Josh Kaindoh from injured reserve, giving them 53 on the active roster. He went on IR on Oct. 5 with an ankle injury. He was designated to return to practice Dec. 22.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The last time the Chiefs played the Steelers in the playoffs, Tyreek Hill was a wide-eyed rookie wide receiver, Chris Jones was learning the ropes at defensive tackle and Travis Kelce was only just becoming one of the league’s best tight ends.Oh, and Patrick Mahomes was still in college.In retrospect, it wasn’t all that surprising the Chiefs lost on that cold January night in 2017, when Pittsburgh won 18-16 despite never reaching the end zone. Kansas City had won just one playoff game since 1994, and hadn’t won one at home in nearly three decades, while the Steelers rolled into town with a bunch of postseason experience.Fast forward five years and the Chiefs are the ones with all the experience.They’ve been to the last two Super Bowls. The last three AFC title games. And that team that couldn’t win a playoff game at home has won five straight, a franchise record it hopes to extend when the Chiefs play Pittsburgh again Sunday night.“To be able to know the speed of the game and share it with (young players), I think, is important,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid admitted. “You don’t know until you get there, but for whatever reason, each level you go up in the playoffs, the speed of the game picks up. And it’s all single elimination, so the urgency level goes up, too.”The Chiefs still have six players on their roster that played against the Steelers five years ago, which is quite astonishing in a league where the turnover rate is so high; the Steelers only have three of them, and only two that played.Kelce had perhaps the most memorable day, catching five passes for 77 yards. Hill had four catches for 27 yards.On the other side, Ben Roethlisberger threw for 224 yards with an interception. The same Antonio Brown that just caused such a ruckus for Tampa Bay caught six of his passes for 108 yards. And running back Le’Veon Bell, who two years later was part of the Super Bowl champions in Kansas City, ran roughshod for 170 yards on 30 carries.The star was Chris Boswell, though. He hit each of his six field goal tries for all of the Steelers’ scoring.Boswell is one of those still on the team in Pittsburgh. So is defensive lineman Cameron Heyward and Big Ben, who will be making his 23rd postseason start, tied with Joe Montana for fourth among quarterbacks in NFL history.Roethlisberger is familiar with the Chiefs — on Dec. 26, he went 23 for 35 against them in a 36-10 loss at Kansas City.There’s much more on the line in this matchup.“I mean, it’s like I try to tell some of the young guys, every mistake is magnified,” Roethlisberger said of the postseason experience. “Even a third-down drop can be magnified, because the other team you’re playing is a really good football team, too. And so they capitalize on your mistake. I’ve been in a lot of these games where the team that makes the fewest mistakes is going to win. I just try to tell those guys, listen, go out there and play free and have fun and play football.”While the Chiefs have had nothing but postseason success lately, that hasn’t been the case in Pittsburgh. What experience the Steelers have had is mostly the losing variety: the divisional round to Jacksonville, the wild-card round to Cleveland.“I’m not concerned about success. I am concerned about exposure,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “People understand what the environment is like, the intensity of it. How much detail is required to win in situational ball and things of that nature. Experience is good, whether it’s positive or negative — the knowing. I’m less concerned about the lack of success. I am more concerned about those who haven’t experienced it that play a significant role for us.”There aren’t a whole lot of those in Kansas City.All four players that carried the ball in last year’s Super Bowl will play Sunday. Seven of the eight players that caught a pass against Tampa Bay will be on the field. Tyrann Mathieu and most of the stars of the defense will be there, too.“The one thing that’s good about it,” Reid acknowledged, “is the veteran guys that have been through it with us can tell the young guys. Because we do have quite a few young kids that are playing right now, and all of a sudden they’re into Game 18 here and going, ‘Holy, Toledo!’ We thought we had a long season at 12 in college football.’“Everything is a little faster in the playoffs and more aggressive,” Reid added. “It’s just the nature of this thing and how it works, so we’ve got to make sure we get ourselves right and go through that process.”Notes: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (shoulder), Hill (calf) and RB Darrel Williams (toe) all practiced Wednesday. The Chiefs activated rookie DE Josh Kaindoh from injured reserve, giving them 53 on the active roster. He went on IR on Oct. 5 with an ankle injury. He was designated to return to practice Dec. 22.

🏈 Chiefs Take Playoff Experience into Sunday Night vs Steelers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The last time the Kansas City Chiefs played the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs, Tyreek Hill was a wide-eyed rookie wide receiver, Chris Jones was learning the ropes at defensive tackle and Travis Kelce was just becoming one of the NFL's best tight ends. But they're a whole lot more experienced heading into their game Sunday night in Kansas City. They've been to the last two Super Bowls. The last three AFC title games. And the team that couldn't win a playoff game at home has won five straight, a franchise record it hopes to extend when the Chiefs play Pittsburgh for the second time in a month.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Holly Kersgieter scored 19 points, six in overtime, and Kansas defeated No. 13 Texas 70-66. Zakiyah Franklin hit a 3-pointer to open the overtime and the Jayhawks didn't trail after that. Kersgieter scored inside on back-to-back possessions to give Kansas a 66-61 lead with two minutes to play. Audrey Warren scored for Texas but after a Kansas miss, the Longhorns had a crucial shot clock violation with 35 seconds remaining. Joanne Allen-Taylor paced Texas with 18 points. Kansas last beat a ranked team in February of 2018 and had not won in Austin since 2012.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Ochai Agbaji arrived at Kansas as a lightly regarded three-star prospect. He will leave after this season as a potential first-round NBA draft pick. The 6-foot-6 swingman from suburban Kansas City has been one of the biggest revelations of this season. He's helped the No. 9 Jayhawks to a 13-2 start that includes wins over Michigan State and Iowa State. Along the way, Agbaji has pumped up his scoring to more than 20 points per game.

UNDATED (AP) — Kentucky's offense now runs through big man Oscar Tshiebwe. Already leading the nation in rebounding, Tshiebwe (SHEE-bway) set career highs in scoring in consecutive games for the 18th-ranked Wildcats in the Southeastern Conference. He had 30 points and 13 rebounds in a lopsided victory at Vanderbilt on Tuesday night, three days after finishing with 29 points and 17 boards against Georgia. Back-to-back eye-openers should have Tshiebwe's NBA draft stock on the rise.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Damion Baugh scored 12 points and his 3-pointer with 13 seconds left help was part of an 8-0 run TCU staged in the final 1:11 to beat Kansas State 60-57. Markquis Nowell's layup with 1:50 left gave the Wildcats a 57-52 lead but they'd never score again. Kansas State missed its last two shots, a pair of front-end 1-and-1's from the foul line and turned it over once. Nowell's little more than half-court heave bounced off the back rim to end it. Nowel scored 18 points and was a pest on defense with seven steals.

FAYATTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — JD Notae scored 19 points, Jaylin Williams had a double-double and Arkansas used a dominant first half to roll to an 87-43 win over Missouri. Trey Wade scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting for the Razorbacks, who had lost five of six games to fall out of the Top 25. Arkansas scored the first seven points of the game and followed a 3-pointer by the Tigers with a 19-0 run to lead 26-3. The Razorbacks were 11-of-15 shooting while the Tigers started the game 1 of 13 and went 3 of 21 to trail 49-15 at halftime. Javon Pickett scored 12 points for the Tigers.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Former U.S. midfielder Benny Feilhaber has been hired as head coach of Sporting Kansas City II, a farm team in the new third tier MLS Next Pro. The 36-year-old, whose tiebreaking goal on a 22-yard volley beat Mexico in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup final, had 44 appearances for the U.S., including at the 2010 World Cup. He spent nine seasons in Major League Soccer, playing for Kansas City from 2013-17 and again in 2019, his final season. He retired from playing in March 2020 and became an assistant coach at UCLA, his alma mater.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Roman Penn and Tucker DeVries scored 16 points apiece and Drake won its 10th consecutive home game, defeating Illinois State 86-75. Penn was 8-for-10 shooting and distributed six assists. Kendall Lewis scored 20 points for the Redbirds.

Hornets beat Sixers for first time in over 5 years

UNDATED (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets had dropped 16 straight to the 76ers before finally winning Wednesday in Philadelphia.

Gordon Hayward hit his first nine shots and poured in 30 points to guide the Hornets to a 109-98 victory over the Sixers. Hayward provided 22 points by halftime, nailing four 3-pointers while shooting 9-for-9.

Terry Rozier scored 22 points and Miles Bridges added 21 to help Charlotte end the NBA's longest active losing streak versus another team.

The 76ers' seven-game winning streak ended despite Joel Embiid, who scored 31 points for the fifth straight game.

Checking out Wednesday's other NBA action:

— The Nets won a matchup of Eastern Conference leaders by blowing out the Bulls, 138-112. Kevin Durant scored 27 points and James Harden added 25 with a season-high 16 assists in the rout. Durant provided 17 points while Brooklyn outscored Chicago by 20 in the third quarter.

— Lamar Stevens scored 15 of career-high 23 points in the third quarter of the Cavaliers' 111-91 pounding of the Jazz. Darius Garland had his first triple-double with 11 points, a career-high 15 assists and a career-high 10 rebounds. Lauri Markkanen added 20 points as Cleveland improved to 3-1 on its six-game trip. 

— The Heat opened the second half on a 16-0 run to break open a close game in a 115-91 thrashing of the Hawks. Max Strus scored the first eight points of the second half, including two 3-pointers. Tyler Herro led Miami's balanced attack with 21 points and 11 assists. 

— RJ Barrett scored 32 points as the Knicks ended the Mavericks' six-game winning streak, 108-85. Mitchell Robinson threw down three dunks in a powerful third quarter and finished with 19 points in New York's fourth win in five games. Julius Randle ended up with 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Knicks.

— Jaylen Brown contributed 34 points and Jayson Tatum added 33 in the Celtics' first win in seven road games, 119-100 at Indiana. Tatum shot 7-for-11 from beyond the arc and Dennis Schroder hit 4 of 5 from downtown while furnishing 23 points. Myles Turner had 18 points and Domantas Sabonis added 17 with six rebounds and six assists as the Pacers lost their second straight and eighth in nine games.

— The Kings' season-high, five-game losing streak is over after they overcame LeBron James' 34 points in a 125-116 downing of the Lakers. De'Aaron Fox scored 20 points and Chimezie Metu made a clutch 3-pointer with 46.7 seconds remaining. Sacramento also received 23 points from Harrison Barnes.

— The Wizards have a three-game winning streak after Kyle Kuzma chipped in 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in a 112-106 win over the Magic. The Wizards scored the first nine points, shot 68% from the field in the first quarter and led 33-16. Cole Anthony had 19 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for the Magic, who have lost 10 in a row.

— Eric Gordon had 31 points and the Rockets overcame Dejounte Murray's career-high 32 to beat the Spurs, 128-124. Christian Wood scored 23 points, Kevin Porter Jr. added 18 and Jalen Green had 14 as Houston stopped a three-game skid. Murray also had 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the struggling Spurs, who have lost four straight and seven of eight.

UNDATED (AP) — No. 14 Villanova has won a top-25 matchup.

The Wildcats improved to 12-4 overall by pulling out a 64-60 win at 17th-ranked Xavier.

Collin Gillespie dropped in 21 points and Justin Moore scored 10 of his 16 in the second half to help the Wildcats secure their fifth straight victory. Gillespie was coming off a season-high 28-point performance and Moore is the reigning Big East player of the week.

Paul Scruggs and Nate Johnson each scored 15 for the Musketeers, who trailed by double digits in the second half before tying the game with 2:16 remaining.

Also on the top-25 men's basketball schedule:

— Paolo Banchero had 24 points and eighth-ranked Duke hit 13 straight shots to take control in a 76-64 win against Wake Forest. Fellow freshman A.J. Griffin had a season-high 22 points to help the Blue Devils bounce back from a weekend home loss to Miami. They did it without coach Mike Krzyzewski (shuh-SHEF'-skee), who missed the game with what the school called a "non-COVID-related virus."

— Tenth-ranked Michigan State pulled out a 71-69 win over Minnesota on Joey Hauser's bucket with a tenth of a second left. Spartans freshman Max Christie had 16 points, Gabe Brown scored 13 points and Tyson Walker added 10 points. Eylijah Stephens scored 18 points, including four late free throws to tie the game at 69 with 18 seconds left.

— No. 12 LSU picked up a 64-58 win at Florida as Darius Days scored 20 points and Eric Gaines added 15 in his second start of the season. Gaines replaced injured point guard Xavier Pinson in the lineup and scored eight points in the second half, making four of five free throws down the stretch. The Gators have dropped six of nine and are 0-3 in the SEC for the first time in 41 years.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Georgetown basketball coach Patrick Ewing will miss the Hoyas' game against visiting Butler on Thursday because of what his team said were D.C. Department of Health guidelines. 

The news release announcing the former Georgetown and NBA star's absence but did not offer any other details or explanation. 

Georgetown said assistant Louis Orr would serve as the team's acting coach "starting with the Butler game." 

Agent: Weddle to rejoin Rams for playoffs

UNDATED (AP) — Safety Eric Weddle is coming out of retirement to rejoin the Los Angeles Rams for the playoffs.

The 37-year-old Weddle hasn't played in the NFL since the 2019 season, but the Rams signed him to their practice squad Wednesday to address their glaring need at safety. 

Leading tackler Jordan Fuller is out for the playoffs with a right ankle injury, and fellow starting safety Taylor Rapp is in the concussion protocol.

Weddle retired in February 2020 after one season with the Rams in which he made 108 tackles and called the defense's signals. 

The Rams return to practice Thursday. They host the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night. 

— Packers outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith is practicing again and could return for the playoffs after missing nearly the entire regular season. Smith participated in the Packers' workout Wednesday as they begin postseason preparations. Smith hasn't played since the season opener due to a back issue. 

— An extra week of games, close finishes and a non-election year helped propel the NFL to its highest regular-season ratings in six years. The 272 regular-season games averaged 17.1 million viewers across television and digital platforms, a 10% increase over last season.

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Bruins were victorious for the sixth time in seven games.

Brad Marchand and Linus Ullmark carried the Bruins to a 5-1 win over the Canadiens. Marchand scored twice in a 15-second span of the first period and completed a hat trick with a short-handed goal in the second. Ullmark stopped 24 shots as he tries to hold onto his spot in the goalie rotation. Tuukka Rask is expected to make his season debut in net on Thursday.

Boston opened four-goal leads in winning its last three games. 

Ullmark blanked Montreal until Michael Pezzetta scored midway through the second.

Jake Allen was pulled after allowing two goals on seven shots.

— Joe Pavelski notched the first five-point game of his lengthy career by collecting two goals and three assists for the Stars in a 5-2 verdict over the Kraken. Jason Robertson extended his NHL-best home point streak to 11 games in the stars' first-ever meeting with Seattle. Dallas has won its last five home games, and 13 of 14 at the American Airlines Center. 

— Ryan Dzingel scored twice and Karel Vejmelka stopped 45 shots to send the Coyotes past the Maple Leafs, 2-1. Dzingel doubled his season goal total while playing his first game since Dec. 10. Auston Matthews became the first player in Leafs history to score in nine consecutive road games.

UNDATED (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks' top prospect is slated to make his NHL debut on Thursday against Montreal.

Lukas Reichel was added to Chicago's taxi squad after he was recalled from Rockford of the AHL. Derek King has confirmed the 19-year-old forward will play Thursday.

Reichel was selected by the Blackhawks with the No. 17 pick in the 2020 NHL draft. He has 11 goals and nine assists in 20 games with the IceHogs.

— The Sabres have signed Michael Houser to a one-year, $750,000 contract and called up Aaron Dell from the minors to shore up their injury-depleted goaltending ranks. The signing comes with Buffalo adding goalies Ukko-Pekka Luukonen and Malcolm Subban to their injured list. 

Former Cubs, Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester announces retirement

UNDATED (AP) — Former Cubs and Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester has announced his retirement. The durable left-hander who won three World Series titles during 16 years in the majors told ESPN, "It's kind of run its course." 

Lester finishes with a 200-117 record and a 3.66 ERA in 452 career games, including 451 starts. He also was a reliable postseason performer, compiling a 2.51 ERA in 26 appearances. 

Lester helped Boston win the championship in 2007 and 2013 and did the same for the 2016 Cubs.

— The Rays say bullpen catcher Jean Ramirez died unexpectedly this week at the age of 28. The Rays didn't release details of the death, which it said occurred Monday. Ramirez played three years in Tampa Bay's minor league system before beginning a three-season stint as a bullpen catcher with the major league team.

— The Twins will retire the uniform number of former pitcher Jim Kaat, who was recently elected to the Hall of Fame. Kaat spent 13 seasons with the Twins and remains their all-time leader with 178 wins.

— The Orioles are moving the wall in left field back as much as 30 feet in an effort to make Camden Yards a bit easier on pitchers. The Orioles hit 122 home runs at home last year and 73 on the road. Baltimore's pitchers allowed 155 homers at home, compared to just 103 on the road.

— Rachel Balkovec has been introduced as manager of the Yankees' Low A affiliate in the Florida State League. In taking over the Tampa Tarpons, Balkovec will become the first female manager in the history of affiliated baseball, an appointment 10 years in the making for the former college softball player. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman says "the sky's the limit" for the 34-year-old Balkovec, who has two master's degrees and hopes to one day become a general manager herself.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic remains in limbo even after he was included in the draw for the Australian Open, with the tennis star still awaiting a government decision on whether to deport him for not being vaccinated for COVID-19.

<h2>Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press</h2>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The last time the Kansas City Chiefs played the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs, Tyreek Hill was a wide-eyed rookie wide receiver, Chris Jones was learning the ropes at defensive tackle and Travis Kelce was just becoming one of the NFL's best tight ends. But they're a whole lot more experienced heading into their game Sunday night in Kansas City. They've been to the last two Super Bowls. The last three AFC title games. And the team that couldn't win a playoff game at home has won five straight, a franchise record it hopes to extend when the Chiefs play Pittsburgh for the second time in a month.AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Holly Kersgieter scored 19 points, six in overtime, and Kansas defeated No. 13 Texas 70-66. Zakiyah Franklin hit a 3-pointer to open the overtime and the Jayhawks didn't trail after that. Kersgieter scored inside on back-to-back possessions to give Kansas a 66-61 lead with two minutes to play. Audrey Warren scored for Texas but after a Kansas miss, the Longhorns had a crucial shot clock violation with 35 seconds remaining. Joanne Allen-Taylor paced Texas with 18 points. Kansas last beat a ranked team in February of 2018 and had not won in Austin since 2012.LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Ochai Agbaji arrived at Kansas as a lightly regarded three-star prospect. He will leave after this season as a potential first-round NBA draft pick. The 6-foot-6 swingman from suburban Kansas City has been one of the biggest revelations of this season. He's helped the No. 9 Jayhawks to a 13-2 start that includes wins over Michigan State and Iowa State. Along the way, Agbaji has pumped up his scoring to more than 20 points per game.UNDATED (AP) — Kentucky's offense now runs through big man Oscar Tshiebwe. Already leading the nation in rebounding, Tshiebwe (SHEE-bway) set career highs in scoring in consecutive games for the 18th-ranked Wildcats in the Southeastern Conference. He had 30 points and 13 rebounds in a lopsided victory at Vanderbilt on Tuesday night, three days after finishing with 29 points and 17 boards against Georgia. Back-to-back eye-openers should have Tshiebwe's NBA draft stock on the rise.MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Damion Baugh scored 12 points and his 3-pointer with 13 seconds left help was part of an 8-0 run TCU staged in the final 1:11 to beat Kansas State 60-57. Markquis Nowell's layup with 1:50 left gave the Wildcats a 57-52 lead but they'd never score again. Kansas State missed its last two shots, a pair of front-end 1-and-1's from the foul line and turned it over once. Nowell's little more than half-court heave bounced off the back rim to end it. Nowel scored 18 points and was a pest on defense with seven steals.FAYATTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — JD Notae scored 19 points, Jaylin Williams had a double-double and Arkansas used a dominant first half to roll to an 87-43 win over Missouri. Trey Wade scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting for the Razorbacks, who had lost five of six games to fall out of the Top 25. Arkansas scored the first seven points of the game and followed a 3-pointer by the Tigers with a 19-0 run to lead 26-3. The Razorbacks were 11-of-15 shooting while the Tigers started the game 1 of 13 and went 3 of 21 to trail 49-15 at halftime. Javon Pickett scored 12 points for the Tigers.KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Former U.S. midfielder Benny Feilhaber has been hired as head coach of Sporting Kansas City II, a farm team in the new third tier MLS Next Pro. The 36-year-old, whose tiebreaking goal on a 22-yard volley beat Mexico in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup final, had 44 appearances for the U.S., including at the 2010 World Cup. He spent nine seasons in Major League Soccer, playing for Kansas City from 2013-17 and again in 2019, his final season. He retired from playing in March 2020 and became an assistant coach at UCLA, his alma mater.DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Roman Penn and Tucker DeVries scored 16 points apiece and Drake won its 10th consecutive home game, defeating Illinois State 86-75. Penn was 8-for-10 shooting and distributed six assists. Kendall Lewis scored 20 points for the Redbirds.<h2>Update on the latest sports</h2>NBA-SCHEDULEHornets beat Sixers for first time in over 5 yearsUNDATED (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets had dropped 16 straight to the 76ers before finally winning Wednesday in Philadelphia.Gordon Hayward hit his first nine shots and poured in 30 points to guide the Hornets to a 109-98 victory over the Sixers. Hayward provided 22 points by halftime, nailing four 3-pointers while shooting 9-for-9.Terry Rozier scored 22 points and Miles Bridges added 21 to help Charlotte end the NBA's longest active losing streak versus another team.The 76ers' seven-game winning streak ended despite Joel Embiid, who scored 31 points for the fifth straight game.Checking out Wednesday's other NBA action:— The Nets won a matchup of Eastern Conference leaders by blowing out the Bulls, 138-112. Kevin Durant scored 27 points and James Harden added 25 with a season-high 16 assists in the rout. Durant provided 17 points while Brooklyn outscored Chicago by 20 in the third quarter.— Lamar Stevens scored 15 of career-high 23 points in the third quarter of the Cavaliers' 111-91 pounding of the Jazz. Darius Garland had his first triple-double with 11 points, a career-high 15 assists and a career-high 10 rebounds. Lauri Markkanen added 20 points as Cleveland improved to 3-1 on its six-game trip. — The Heat opened the second half on a 16-0 run to break open a close game in a 115-91 thrashing of the Hawks. Max Strus scored the first eight points of the second half, including two 3-pointers. Tyler Herro led Miami's balanced attack with 21 points and 11 assists. — RJ Barrett scored 32 points as the Knicks ended the Mavericks' six-game winning streak, 108-85. Mitchell Robinson threw down three dunks in a powerful third quarter and finished with 19 points in New York's fourth win in five games. Julius Randle ended up with 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Knicks.— Jaylen Brown contributed 34 points and Jayson Tatum added 33 in the Celtics' first win in seven road games, 119-100 at Indiana. Tatum shot 7-for-11 from beyond the arc and Dennis Schroder hit 4 of 5 from downtown while furnishing 23 points. Myles Turner had 18 points and Domantas Sabonis added 17 with six rebounds and six assists as the Pacers lost their second straight and eighth in nine games.— The Kings' season-high, five-game losing streak is over after they overcame LeBron James' 34 points in a 125-116 downing of the Lakers. De'Aaron Fox scored 20 points and Chimezie Metu made a clutch 3-pointer with 46.7 seconds remaining. Sacramento also received 23 points from Harrison Barnes.— The Wizards have a three-game winning streak after Kyle Kuzma chipped in 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in a 112-106 win over the Magic. The Wizards scored the first nine points, shot 68% from the field in the first quarter and led 33-16. Cole Anthony had 19 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for the Magic, who have lost 10 in a row.— Eric Gordon had 31 points and the Rockets overcame Dejounte Murray's career-high 32 to beat the Spurs, 128-124. Christian Wood scored 23 points, Kevin Porter Jr. added 18 and Jalen Green had 14 as Houston stopped a three-game skid. Murray also had 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the struggling Spurs, who have lost four straight and seven of eight.T25 MEN'S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULEWildcats down MusketeersUNDATED (AP) — No. 14 Villanova has won a top-25 matchup.The Wildcats improved to 12-4 overall by pulling out a 64-60 win at 17th-ranked Xavier.Collin Gillespie dropped in 21 points and Justin Moore scored 10 of his 16 in the second half to help the Wildcats secure their fifth straight victory. Gillespie was coming off a season-high 28-point performance and Moore is the reigning Big East player of the week.Paul Scruggs and Nate Johnson each scored 15 for the Musketeers, who trailed by double digits in the second half before tying the game with 2:16 remaining.Also on the top-25 men's basketball schedule:— Paolo Banchero had 24 points and eighth-ranked Duke hit 13 straight shots to take control in a 76-64 win against Wake Forest. Fellow freshman A.J. Griffin had a season-high 22 points to help the Blue Devils bounce back from a weekend home loss to Miami. They did it without coach Mike Krzyzewski (shuh-SHEF'-skee), who missed the game with what the school called a "non-COVID-related virus."— Tenth-ranked Michigan State pulled out a 71-69 win over Minnesota on Joey Hauser's bucket with a tenth of a second left. Spartans freshman Max Christie had 16 points, Gabe Brown scored 13 points and Tyson Walker added 10 points. Eylijah Stephens scored 18 points, including four late free throws to tie the game at 69 with 18 seconds left.— No. 12 LSU picked up a 64-58 win at Florida as Darius Days scored 20 points and Eric Gaines added 15 in his second start of the season. Gaines replaced injured point guard Xavier Pinson in the lineup and scored eight points in the second half, making four of five free throws down the stretch. The Gators have dropped six of nine and are 0-3 in the SEC for the first time in 41 years.T25 MEN'S BASKETBALL-NEWSEwing unavailable ThursdayWASHINGTON (AP) — Georgetown basketball coach Patrick Ewing will miss the Hoyas' game against visiting Butler on Thursday because of what his team said were D.C. Department of Health guidelines. The news release announcing the former Georgetown and NBA star's absence but did not offer any other details or explanation. Georgetown said assistant Louis Orr would serve as the team's acting coach "starting with the Butler game." NFL-NEWSAgent: Weddle to rejoin Rams for playoffsUNDATED (AP) — Safety Eric Weddle is coming out of retirement to rejoin the Los Angeles Rams for the playoffs.The 37-year-old Weddle hasn't played in the NFL since the 2019 season, but the Rams signed him to their practice squad Wednesday to address their glaring need at safety. Leading tackler Jordan Fuller is out for the playoffs with a right ankle injury, and fellow starting safety Taylor Rapp is in the concussion protocol.Weddle retired in February 2020 after one season with the Rams in which he made 108 tackles and called the defense's signals. The Rams return to practice Thursday. They host the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night. In other NFL news:— Packers outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith is practicing again and could return for the playoffs after missing nearly the entire regular season. Smith participated in the Packers' workout Wednesday as they begin postseason preparations. Smith hasn't played since the season opener due to a back issue. — An extra week of games, close finishes and a non-election year helped propel the NFL to its highest regular-season ratings in six years. The 272 regular-season games averaged 17.1 million viewers across television and digital platforms, a 10% increase over last season.NHL-SCHEDULEB's whip HabsBOSTON (AP) — The Boston Bruins were victorious for the sixth time in seven games.Brad Marchand and Linus Ullmark carried the Bruins to a 5-1 win over the Canadiens. Marchand scored twice in a 15-second span of the first period and completed a hat trick with a short-handed goal in the second. Ullmark stopped 24 shots as he tries to hold onto his spot in the goalie rotation. Tuukka Rask is expected to make his season debut in net on Thursday.Boston opened four-goal leads in winning its last three games. Ullmark blanked Montreal until Michael Pezzetta scored midway through the second.Jake Allen was pulled after allowing two goals on seven shots.Elsewhere on NHL ice:— Joe Pavelski notched the first five-point game of his lengthy career by collecting two goals and three assists for the Stars in a 5-2 verdict over the Kraken. Jason Robertson extended his NHL-best home point streak to 11 games in the stars' first-ever meeting with Seattle. Dallas has won its last five home games, and 13 of 14 at the American Airlines Center. — Ryan Dzingel scored twice and Karel Vejmelka stopped 45 shots to send the Coyotes past the Maple Leafs, 2-1. Dzingel doubled his season goal total while playing his first game since Dec. 10. Auston Matthews became the first player in Leafs history to score in nine consecutive road games.NHL-NEWSBlackhawks promote ReichelUNDATED (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks' top prospect is slated to make his NHL debut on Thursday against Montreal.Lukas Reichel was added to Chicago's taxi squad after he was recalled from Rockford of the AHL. Derek King has confirmed the 19-year-old forward will play Thursday.Reichel was selected by the Blackhawks with the No. 17 pick in the 2020 NHL draft. He has 11 goals and nine assists in 20 games with the IceHogs.In other NHL news:— The Sabres have signed Michael Houser to a one-year, $750,000 contract and called up Aaron Dell from the minors to shore up their injury-depleted goaltending ranks. The signing comes with Buffalo adding goalies Ukko-Pekka Luukonen and Malcolm Subban to their injured list. MLB-NEWSFormer Cubs, Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester announces retirementUNDATED (AP) — Former Cubs and Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester has announced his retirement. The durable left-hander who won three World Series titles during 16 years in the majors told ESPN, "It's kind of run its course." Lester finishes with a 200-117 record and a 3.66 ERA in 452 career games, including 451 starts. He also was a reliable postseason performer, compiling a 2.51 ERA in 26 appearances. Lester helped Boston win the championship in 2007 and 2013 and did the same for the 2016 Cubs.In other baseball news:— The Rays say bullpen catcher Jean Ramirez died unexpectedly this week at the age of 28. The Rays didn't release details of the death, which it said occurred Monday. Ramirez played three years in Tampa Bay's minor league system before beginning a three-season stint as a bullpen catcher with the major league team.— The Twins will retire the uniform number of former pitcher Jim Kaat, who was recently elected to the Hall of Fame. Kaat spent 13 seasons with the Twins and remains their all-time leader with 178 wins.— The Orioles are moving the wall in left field back as much as 30 feet in an effort to make Camden Yards a bit easier on pitchers. The Orioles hit 122 home runs at home last year and 73 on the road. Baltimore's pitchers allowed 155 homers at home, compared to just 103 on the road.— Rachel Balkovec has been introduced as manager of the Yankees' Low A affiliate in the Florida State League. In taking over the Tampa Tarpons, Balkovec will become the first female manager in the history of affiliated baseball, an appointment 10 years in the making for the former college softball player. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman says "the sky's the limit" for the 34-year-old Balkovec, who has two master's degrees and hopes to one day become a general manager herself.TENNIS-AUSTRALIAN OPEN-DJOKOVICDjokovic: Still in limboMELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic remains in limbo even after he was included in the draw for the Australian Open, with the tennis star still awaiting a government decision on whether to deport him for not being vaccinated for COVID-19.Despite the cloud hanging over Djokovic's ability to compete, Australian Open organizers have included the top seed in the draw. He is slated to play fellow Serb Miomir Kecmanovic, who is ranked world No. 78., in the opening round next week. The top ranked Djokovic had his visa canceled last week when his vaccination exemption was rejected, but he won a legal battle on procedural grounds that allowed him to stay in the country. The immigration minister is still considering whether to deport him. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;