&nbsp;MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;- Kansas State is back in the bowl scene after a one-year hiatus as the Wildcats were rewarded for their seven-win regular season with their 23rd bowl berth all-time and will take on LSU in the TaxAct Texas Bowl. The game is slated for an 8 p.m., kickoff on Tuesday, January 4, 2022, inside NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Wildcats and Tigers will meet for just the second time ever and the first in 41 seasons, as K-State fell at LSU, 21-0, to open the 1980 season.

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Cats, Tigers Tussle in Final Bowl Game of 2021

Beamer gets mayonnaise bath as South Carolina wins Mayo Bowl

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — South Carolina coach Shane Beamer had a bucket of mayonnaise dumped over his head, putting a messy finish on the Gamecocks' 38-21 victory over North Carolina in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Jaheim Bell had five catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns for South Carolina, which rebounded nicely after losing 30-0 to Clemson in its regular-season finale on Nov. 27. Kevin Harris added 169 yards rushing and a score, helping secure the mayo bath for Beamer.

Allen, Wisconsin hold off Arizona State in Las Vegas Bowl

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Braelon Allen ran for 159 yards and Wisconsin drained the final 9:57 off the clock with an 18-play drive that sealed a 20-13 victory over Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Allen, the 17-year-old true freshman from Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, had 101 yards by halftime for his eighth 100-yard game of the season. Graham Mertz finished 11 of 15 for 137 yards and a touchdown to senior tight end Jake Ferguson, who caught three passes for 33 yards in his final game for Wisconsin. The Badgers started 1-3 with Big Ten losses to ranked opponents Penn State and Michigan but answered with a seven-game winning streak to earn a 20th consecutive bowl bid.

Thorne leads No. 11 Spartans past No. 13 Pitt in Peach Bowl

ATLANTA (AP) — Payton Thorne's 22-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed gave No. 11 Michigan State the lead with less than three minutes remaining and the Spartans overcame an 11-point deficit to beat No. 13 Pittsburgh 31-21 on Thursday night in the Peach Bowl. Linebacker Cal Haladay's 78-yard interception return for a touchdown with 22 seconds remaining ended Pitt fill-in quarterback Davis Beville's bid for a last-minute comeback in the game the Panthers played without star QB Kenny Pickett. Thorne threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes as Michigan State (11-2) rallied. Cam Bright returned a fumble recovery 26 yards for a touchdown 20 seconds into the second half for Pittsburgh (11-3). The Panthers lost fill-in starting quarterback Nick Patti to an injury in the first quarter.

Purdue outlasts Tennessee 48-45 in OT in Music City Bowl

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mitchell Fineran kicked a 39-yard field goal in overtime and Purdue finished off its best season since 2003 by overcoming a 14-point deficit and beating Tennessee 48-45 on Thursday in a record-setting Music City Bowl. Purdue (9-4) tied for the second-most wins in program history as only the 12th team in the Boilermakers' 134-year history to win nine games. Tennessee (7-6) missed a chance to make Josh Heupel the first Vols coach to cap his debut season with a bowl win since Bill Battle won the 1971 Sugar Bowl. On the first possession of overtime, Purdue's Jamar Brown and Kieren Douglas stopped Vols running back Jaylen Wright short on fourth-and-goal at the 1.

<h2>Beamer gets mayonnaise bath as South Carolina wins Mayo Bowl</h2>By STEVE REED AP Sports WriterCHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — South Carolina coach Shane Beamer had a bucket of mayonnaise dumped over his head, putting a messy finish on the Gamecocks' 38-21 victory over North Carolina in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Jaheim Bell had five catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns for South Carolina, which rebounded nicely after losing 30-0 to Clemson in its regular-season finale on Nov. 27. Kevin Harris added 169 yards rushing and a score, helping secure the mayo bath for Beamer.<h2>Allen, Wisconsin hold off Arizona State in Las Vegas Bowl</h2>By DANNY WEBSTER Associated PressLAS VEGAS (AP) — Braelon Allen ran for 159 yards and Wisconsin drained the final 9:57 off the clock with an 18-play drive that sealed a 20-13 victory over Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Allen, the 17-year-old true freshman from Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, had 101 yards by halftime for his eighth 100-yard game of the season. Graham Mertz finished 11 of 15 for 137 yards and a touchdown to senior tight end Jake Ferguson, who caught three passes for 33 yards in his final game for Wisconsin. The Badgers started 1-3 with Big Ten losses to ranked opponents Penn State and Michigan but answered with a seven-game winning streak to earn a 20th consecutive bowl bid.Thorne leads No. 11 Spartans past No. 13 Pitt in Peach BowlBy CHARLES ODUM AP Sports WriterATLANTA (AP) — Payton Thorne's 22-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed gave No. 11 Michigan State the lead with less than three minutes remaining and the Spartans overcame an 11-point deficit to beat No. 13 Pittsburgh 31-21 on Thursday night in the Peach Bowl. Linebacker Cal Haladay's 78-yard interception return for a touchdown with 22 seconds remaining ended Pitt fill-in quarterback Davis Beville's bid for a last-minute comeback in the game the Panthers played without star QB Kenny Pickett. Thorne threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes as Michigan State (11-2) rallied. Cam Bright returned a fumble recovery 26 yards for a touchdown 20 seconds into the second half for Pittsburgh (11-3). The Panthers lost fill-in starting quarterback Nick Patti to an injury in the first quarter.<h2>Purdue outlasts Tennessee 48-45 in OT in Music City Bowl</h2>By TERESA M. WALKER AP Sports WriterNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mitchell Fineran kicked a 39-yard field goal in overtime and Purdue finished off its best season since 2003 by overcoming a 14-point deficit and beating Tennessee 48-45 on Thursday in a record-setting Music City Bowl. Purdue (9-4) tied for the second-most wins in program history as only the 12th team in the Boilermakers' 134-year history to win nine games. Tennessee (7-6) missed a chance to make Josh Heupel the first Vols coach to cap his debut season with a bowl win since Bill Battle won the 1971 Sugar Bowl. On the first possession of overtime, Purdue's Jamar Brown and Kieren Douglas stopped Vols running back Jaylen Wright short on fourth-and-goal at the 1.<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;

NCAA Bowl Game results from Thursday

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow admitted that this week that he heard the warning from Baltimore defensive coordinator Wink Martindale against putting him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame so early in his young NFL career.

Burrow proceeded to shred the Ravens for 525 yards passing in a blowout of their AFC North rivals.

He just may need to replicate that performance on Sunday, when AFC West champion Kansas City comes to town. After all, the Chiefs have their own quarterback — Patrick Mahomes — who appears destined to one day land in Canton, Ohio.

"I think whoever is lining up across from us, we're going to be excited to play," Burrow said in brushing aside any talk of a showdown between quarterbacks. 

"This is a big opportunity, whether it's the Chiefs or whoever we throw out there against us. We have an opportunity to win and make the playoffs."

Indeed, the Bengals (9-6) can clinch their division with a win over the Chiefs (11-4) on Sunday. That would take a whole lot of pressure off their regular-season finale in Cleveland, and give Bengals coach Zac Taylor the rare opportunity to rest Burrow and some of his other stars ahead of a wild-card playoff game the following week.

But beating the Chiefs right now just might be the toughest task in football.

After a lousy start left them with a losing record seven games into the season, Mahomes and the rest of his cohorts have turned things around in a remarkable way. They have ripped off eight consecutive wins, including last week's 36-10 romp over Pittsburgh to clinch their sixth straight division title, and are back near full strength after a COVID-19 outbreak.

"It's a big game any way you want to phrase it," Taylor said. "You want to win the division and go to the playoffs. The Chiefs happen to be the team that's right in front of us that allows us to do that. It's a tremendous football team. They've had a lot of success over the years. We understand that. But we don't put too much into that. This is about us."

That's not to say the Chiefs don't have plenty riding on the outcome. They head into the weekend leading Tennessee by one game for the No. 1 playoff seed, which means the lone AFC bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

"The job's not finished," Mahomes said. "We want to get the No. 1 seed."

As for his showdown with Burrow on Sunday?

"Not only is he a great football player, I think he's a great leader," Mahomes said. "He can lead anybody, no matter where he's at. He can go out with swag, that mentality, 'We're going to win no matter what.' It takes a lot of experience and going out there and doing it for people to believe it."

Chiefs linebackers coach Matt House was hired as the defensive coordinator at LSU this week. But Chiefs coach Andy Reid said this week that House will continue to work in Kansas City as long as the team is alive in the playoffs.

"He'll be tremendous for the Tigers," Reid said. "We have a bunch of them on our team. They're fired up for him."

Burrow needs 38 completions to break Carson Palmer's single-season franchise record of 373 set in 2007, and he needs 129 yards passing and four TD passes to break Andy Dalton's records of 4,293 yards and 33 TDs set in 2013. 

He's not the only Bengals player on record watch, though. Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase needs 278 yards receiving to pass Chad Johnson (1,440) for the most in a single season, and running back Joe Mixon's 16 touchdowns overall are one shy of Carl Pickens' record set in 1995 and his 13 TD runs are two shy of Ickey Woods' record set in 1988.

The Chiefs have dominated the turnover battle in recent weeks, a big reason they've ripped off eight straight wins. The Chiefs have forced 20 turnovers and committed six over the past seven games. Last week was a prime example: They picked off Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger while recovering two fumbles while not committing a turnover.

Want to know how much offensive firepower will be on display Sunday? The AFC offensive player of the week awards gives a pretty good indication. Mahomes has won it twice and tight end Travis Kelce picked up the honor for Kansas City in Week 15. Burrow also has two awards, including this past week, while Chase won it for Cincinnati in Week 7 and running back Joe Mixon in Week 12. That's nearly half of the honors given out this season.

One way teams have tried to slow down Kansas City is by playing two safeties in a "shell" deep downfield, forcing them to dink-and-dunk their way downfield on offense. But there have been signs the past few weeks that Mahomes and Co. have figured out that strategy, and that means it might not be so successful for Cincinnati.

"Teams are mixing more than what we think," Reid said. "We're seeing some shell, some single safety, some man — they throw a lot at you and this crew is no different. They have a whole package that they really execute well."

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports WriterBengals quarterback Joe Burrow admitted that this week that he heard the warning from Baltimore defensive coordinator Wink Martindale against putting him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame so early in his young NFL career.Burrow proceeded to shred the Ravens for 525 yards passing in a blowout of their AFC North rivals.He just may need to replicate that performance on Sunday, when AFC West champion Kansas City comes to town. After all, the Chiefs have their own quarterback — Patrick Mahomes — who appears destined to one day land in Canton, Ohio."I think whoever is lining up across from us, we're going to be excited to play," Burrow said in brushing aside any talk of a showdown between quarterbacks. "This is a big opportunity, whether it's the Chiefs or whoever we throw out there against us. We have an opportunity to win and make the playoffs."Indeed, the Bengals (9-6) can clinch their division with a win over the Chiefs (11-4) on Sunday. That would take a whole lot of pressure off their regular-season finale in Cleveland, and give Bengals coach Zac Taylor the rare opportunity to rest Burrow and some of his other stars ahead of a wild-card playoff game the following week.But beating the Chiefs right now just might be the toughest task in football.After a lousy start left them with a losing record seven games into the season, Mahomes and the rest of his cohorts have turned things around in a remarkable way. They have ripped off eight consecutive wins, including last week's 36-10 romp over Pittsburgh to clinch their sixth straight division title, and are back near full strength after a COVID-19 outbreak."It's a big game any way you want to phrase it," Taylor said. "You want to win the division and go to the playoffs. The Chiefs happen to be the team that's right in front of us that allows us to do that. It's a tremendous football team. They've had a lot of success over the years. We understand that. But we don't put too much into that. This is about us."That's not to say the Chiefs don't have plenty riding on the outcome. They head into the weekend leading Tennessee by one game for the No. 1 playoff seed, which means the lone AFC bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs."The job's not finished," Mahomes said. "We want to get the No. 1 seed."As for his showdown with Burrow on Sunday?"Not only is he a great football player, I think he's a great leader," Mahomes said. "He can lead anybody, no matter where he's at. He can go out with swag, that mentality, 'We're going to win no matter what.' It takes a lot of experience and going out there and doing it for people to believe it."TAKE AWAY THE HOUSEChiefs linebackers coach Matt House was hired as the defensive coordinator at LSU this week. But Chiefs coach Andy Reid said this week that House will continue to work in Kansas City as long as the team is alive in the playoffs."He'll be tremendous for the Tigers," Reid said. "We have a bunch of them on our team. They're fired up for him."RECORD WATCHBurrow needs 38 completions to break Carson Palmer's single-season franchise record of 373 set in 2007, and he needs 129 yards passing and four TD passes to break Andy Dalton's records of 4,293 yards and 33 TDs set in 2013. He's not the only Bengals player on record watch, though. Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase needs 278 yards receiving to pass Chad Johnson (1,440) for the most in a single season, and running back Joe Mixon's 16 touchdowns overall are one shy of Carl Pickens' record set in 1995 and his 13 TD runs are two shy of Ickey Woods' record set in 1988.TAKE IT AWAYThe Chiefs have dominated the turnover battle in recent weeks, a big reason they've ripped off eight straight wins. The Chiefs have forced 20 turnovers and committed six over the past seven games. Last week was a prime example: They picked off Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger while recovering two fumbles while not committing a turnover.STAR WARSWant to know how much offensive firepower will be on display Sunday? The AFC offensive player of the week awards gives a pretty good indication. Mahomes has won it twice and tight end Travis Kelce picked up the honor for Kansas City in Week 15. Burrow also has two awards, including this past week, while Chase won it for Cincinnati in Week 7 and running back Joe Mixon in Week 12. That's nearly half of the honors given out this season.SHELL GAMESOne way teams have tried to slow down Kansas City is by playing two safeties in a "shell" deep downfield, forcing them to dink-and-dunk their way downfield on offense. But there have been signs the past few weeks that Mahomes and Co. have figured out that strategy, and that means it might not be so successful for Cincinnati."Teams are mixing more than what we think," Reid said. "We're seeing some shell, some single safety, some man — they throw a lot at you and this crew is no different. They have a whole package that they really execute well."___

Chiefs visit Bengals in showdown of 2 of AFC's top teams

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

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Lauren Hansen made a &nbsp;driving layup with 0.1 seconds left and Missouri stunned No. 1 South Carolina 70-69 in overtime Thursday night in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. The Tigers (12-2) overcame the absence of scoring leader Aijha Blackwell and four other players to beat a No. 1 team for the first time in program history. It marked only the seventh time an unranked team has beaten the top-ranked team. Hansen and Hayley Frank each scored 21 points, LaDazhia Williams added 12, and Mama Dembele had 11. Aliyah Boston scored 17 points for South Carolina (12-1).&nbsp;

UNDATED (AP) — The Chiefs head to Cincinnati on Sunday for a showdown of teams with Super Bowl aspirations. The Chiefs already have clinched the AFC West and have a one-game lead over Tennessee for the top seed in the conference. The Bengals can clinch the AFC North with a win. The game is also a showdown between two star-packed teams with the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes slinging it to Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill and the Bengals' Joe Burrow throwing to Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Embiid, 76ers spoil Durant's return to Nets' lineup

UNDATED (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers spoiled Kevin Durant's return to the lineup by beating the Nets 110-102 in Brooklyn. 

Joel Embiid (joh-EHL' ehm-BEED') scored 34 points, including converting a tiebreaking three-point play with 3:14 remaining.

Durant still had 33 points in his first game in two weeks, having missed three games in health and safety protocols. 

— The Milwaukee Bucks extended their winning streak to five games with a 136-118 victory over the Orlando Magic. Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH'-nihs an-teh-toh-KOOM'-poh) led the Bucks' scoring with 33 points, while Jrue Holiday added 25 and Khris Middleton 22. 

— Bradley Beal had 29 points and 10 assists in his return from the NBA's health and safety protocols, leading the Washington Wizards to a 110-93 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his first game action in 12 days, Beal played 34 minutes, shooting 13 of 23 from the floor. Cleveland played its first game since losing point guard Ricky Rubio for the season with a torn left ACL. 

UNDATED (AP) — The NBA postponed Golden State's game with Denver tonight, the same day that Philadelphia's Doc Rivers and Denver's Michael Malone entered the NBA's health and safety protocols. That raised the total number of head coaches on that virus-related list to seven. 

Rivers and Malone join the Los Angeles Lakers' Frank Vogel, Chicago's Billy Donovan, Phoenix's Monty Williams, Portland's Chauncey Billups and Oklahoma City's Mark Daigneault in the protocols. Also in the protocols: around 120 players, along with an untold number of other staffers from around the league.

— A person familiar with the potential trade tells The Associated Press that the Cleveland Cavaliers have made progress in talks with the Los Angeles Lakers about a trade involving veteran point guard Rajon Rondo. Cleveland has been urgently looking for a guard since Ricky Rubio suffered a season-ending knee injury. The Cavs and Lakers are "trending" toward completing the trade, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams have not yet reached an agreement. Rondo is in his first season with the Lakers. The 35-year-old is averaging 3.1 points and 3.7 assists in 18 games. 

UNDATED (AP) — Anthony Duclair scored twice, Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and four assists, and the Florida Panthers romped to a 9-3 rout of the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning. 

Florida scored three times in each period against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions and snapped Tampa Bay's four-game winning streak. Eight Panthers in all scored, while Spencer Knight made 39 saves. 

Tampa Bay lost for only the second time in 11 games this month.

— Carolina excelled on special teams in a 4-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. The Hurricanes scored three times on power plays and another time short-handed in their first game in nearly two weeks. Antti Raanta, usually the Hurricanes backup goalie, made 26 saves for his first shutout since February 2020. 

— Gustav Nyquist scored in the fifth round of the shootout to give the Columbus Blue Jackets a 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators. Elvis Merzlikins made 31 saves for the Blue Jackets, who snapped a two-game skid. 

— The New York Islanders beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 for their third victory in four home games. Mathew Barzal added a goal and two assists while Semyon Varlamov made 36 saves as the Islanders improved to 3-5-3 at UBS Arena after an 0-5-2 start in their ornate new home. 

— The Los Angeles Kings snapped the Vancouver Canucks' seven-game winning streak under new coach Bruce Boudreau with a 2-1 shootout victory. Adrian Kempe and Viktor Arvidsson scored in the shootout for L.A., while Jonathan Quick made 17 saves.

— The Calgary Flames beat the Seattle Kraken 6-4 in their first game in nearly three weeks. Matthew Tkachuk scored the go-ahead goal with 2:26 left and had two assists, while Johnny Gaudreau added two goals and assisted on the game-winner. Former Flames captain Mark Giordano had a goal and two assists in his first game against his old team.

— San Jose's Tomas Hertl scored with 30.1 seconds remaining in overtime to spoil a dazzling debut by Philadelphia goaltender Felix Sandstrom in a 3-2 Sharks victory over the Flyers. The 24-year-old Sandstrom made 43 saves in his first NHL appearance, but couldn't stop Hertl from close range on the deciding goal.

Wild sign coach Dean Evason, staff to multiyear extensions

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Wild have signed coach Dean Evason and his staff to multiyear contract extensions. 

Evason is in his second full season as Minnesota's coach. The Wild have won 19 of their 30 games so far this season and are on their way to a third consecutive playoff appearance with Evason in charge. He replaced Bruce Boudreau in February 2020. 

Assistant coaches Darby Hendrickson, Brett McLean and Bob Woods, goaltending coach Frederic Chabot and video coaches T.J. Jindra and Jonas Plumb were also extended.

UNDATED (AP) — Payton Thorne's 22-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed gave No. 11 Michigan State the lead with less than three minutes remaining and the Spartans overcame an 11-point deficit to beat No. 13 Pittsburgh 31-21 in the Peach Bowl. 

Linebacker Cal Haladay's 78-yard interception return for a touchdown with 22 seconds remaining ended Pitt fill-in quarterback Davis Beville's bid for a last-minute comeback. 

Thorne threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes as Michigan State rallied. 

The Panthers played without star QB Kenny Pickett and lost fill-in starter Nick Patti to an injury in the first quarter.

— South Carolina coach Shane Beamer was rewarded with a bucket of mayonnaise dumped over his head, after the Gamecocks' 38-21 victory over North Carolina in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Jaheim Bell had five catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns for South Carolina. Kevin Harris added 169 yards rushing and a score. By agreeing to the mayo bath, Beamer got $10,000 donated to a favorite charity.

— The Music City Bowl in Nashville went to overtime, with Purdue emerging the victor 48-45 over Tennessee. Mitchell Fineran kicked a 39-yard field goal for the win, as the Boilermakers finished off their best season since 2003 by overcoming a 14-point deficit.

— Braelon Allen ran for 159 yards and Wisconsin drained the final 9:57 off the clock with an 18-play drive that sealed a 20-13 victory over Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Allen, a 17-year-old true freshman, had 101 yards by halftime for his eighth 100-yard game of the season. The Badgers started the season 1-3 with Big Ten losses to ranked opponents Penn State and Michigan but answered with a seven-game winning streak to earn a 20th consecutive bowl bid. 

Mayfield downplays death threats; Roethlisberger hints at goodbye

UNDATED (AP) — Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is downplaying death threats he received following his four-interception performance at Green Bay.

In a Zoom call with reporters as Cleveland prepares to face Pittsburgh Monday night, Mayfield said his focus is solely on the Steelers and dismissed his social media critics as "keyboard warriors that make empty threats." 

Mayfield's wife, Emily, first revealed the threats in an Instagram post earlier this week. 

Mayfield has had a stormy, injury-slowed fourth season in Cleveland. He threw a career-high four picks in a 24-22 loss to the Packers on Christmas after missing two weeks of practice because of a positive COVID-19 test. 

— Ben Roethlisberger could be making his final start at Heinz Field when the Steelers host Cleveland on Monday night. The Pittsburgh quarterback says he never speaks "in definites or guarantees," but adds "looking at the bigger picture, I would say that all signs are pointing that this could be it." The 39-year-old insists he won't make any final decisions until after the season, but the comment stands as his first public acknowledgement that Monday could be his final home game.

UNDATED (AP) — DeMarcus Ware, Andre Johnson and Devin Hester are finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's class of 2022 all in their first year of eligibility. The 15 modern-day players who will be considered on Jan. 18 by the selection committee include tackle Tony Boselli and defensive lineman Richard Seymour. 

Other finalists announced Thursday are safety Leroy Butler, wide receivers Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne, linebackers Sam Mills and Zach Thomas. They are all finalists for the third time. 

Defensive linemen Jared Allen and Bryant Young and cornerback Ronde Barber are two-time finalists. Tackle Willie Anderson and linebacker Patrick Willis are first-time finalists.

Slater, David 4th-time nominees for NFL sportsmanship award

NEW YORK (AP) — Matthew Slater and Lavonte David are nominees for the fourth time for the NFL's Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. 

The league Thursday announced the eight finalists for the honor that recognizes players who best demonstrate the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition. 

Joining Slater, a wide receiver and special teams standout for New England, and Tampa Bay linebacker David are Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, Houston receiver Brandin Cooks, Miami defensive back Jason McCourty, New Orleans defensive end Cameron Jordan, San Francisco fullback Kyle Juszczyk (YOOS'-chehk) and Minnesota wideout Adam Thielen. Juszczyk is a finalist for the second consecutive season. Allen, Cooks, McCourty, Jordan and Thielen are first-time nominees.

A panel of former players selected the eight finalists from the 32 team nominees. The winner will be determined by a vote of current NFL players. 

<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;

<h2>Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press</h2>COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Lauren Hansen made a &nbsp;driving layup with 0.1 seconds left and Missouri stunned No. 1 South Carolina 70-69 in overtime Thursday night in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. The Tigers (12-2) overcame the absence of scoring leader Aijha Blackwell and four other players to beat a No. 1 team for the first time in program history. It marked only the seventh time an unranked team has beaten the top-ranked team. Hansen and Hayley Frank each scored 21 points, LaDazhia Williams added 12, and Mama Dembele had 11. Aliyah Boston scored 17 points for South Carolina (12-1).&nbsp;UNDATED (AP) — The Chiefs head to Cincinnati on Sunday for a showdown of teams with Super Bowl aspirations. The Chiefs already have clinched the AFC West and have a one-game lead over Tennessee for the top seed in the conference. The Bengals can clinch the AFC North with a win. The game is also a showdown between two star-packed teams with the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes slinging it to Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill and the Bengals' Joe Burrow throwing to Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.<h2>Update on the latest sports</h2>NBA-SCHEDULEEmbiid, 76ers spoil Durant's return to Nets' lineupUNDATED (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers spoiled Kevin Durant's return to the lineup by beating the Nets 110-102 in Brooklyn. Joel Embiid (joh-EHL' ehm-BEED') scored 34 points, including converting a tiebreaking three-point play with 3:14 remaining.Durant still had 33 points in his first game in two weeks, having missed three games in health and safety protocols. Elsewhere in the NBA:— The Milwaukee Bucks extended their winning streak to five games with a 136-118 victory over the Orlando Magic. Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH'-nihs an-teh-toh-KOOM'-poh) led the Bucks' scoring with 33 points, while Jrue Holiday added 25 and Khris Middleton 22. — Bradley Beal had 29 points and 10 assists in his return from the NBA's health and safety protocols, leading the Washington Wizards to a 110-93 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his first game action in 12 days, Beal played 34 minutes, shooting 13 of 23 from the floor. Cleveland played its first game since losing point guard Ricky Rubio for the season with a torn left ACL. NBA-NEWSGolden State, Denver postponedUNDATED (AP) — The NBA postponed Golden State's game with Denver tonight, the same day that Philadelphia's Doc Rivers and Denver's Michael Malone entered the NBA's health and safety protocols. That raised the total number of head coaches on that virus-related list to seven. Rivers and Malone join the Los Angeles Lakers' Frank Vogel, Chicago's Billy Donovan, Phoenix's Monty Williams, Portland's Chauncey Billups and Oklahoma City's Mark Daigneault in the protocols. Also in the protocols: around 120 players, along with an untold number of other staffers from around the league.In other NBA news:— A person familiar with the potential trade tells The Associated Press that the Cleveland Cavaliers have made progress in talks with the Los Angeles Lakers about a trade involving veteran point guard Rajon Rondo. Cleveland has been urgently looking for a guard since Ricky Rubio suffered a season-ending knee injury. The Cavs and Lakers are "trending" toward completing the trade, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams have not yet reached an agreement. Rondo is in his first season with the Lakers. The 35-year-old is averaging 3.1 points and 3.7 assists in 18 games. NHL-SCHEDULEPanthers rout Lightning 9-3UNDATED (AP) — Anthony Duclair scored twice, Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and four assists, and the Florida Panthers romped to a 9-3 rout of the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning. Florida scored three times in each period against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions and snapped Tampa Bay's four-game winning streak. Eight Panthers in all scored, while Spencer Knight made 39 saves. Tampa Bay lost for only the second time in 11 games this month.In other NHL action:— Carolina excelled on special teams in a 4-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. The Hurricanes scored three times on power plays and another time short-handed in their first game in nearly two weeks. Antti Raanta, usually the Hurricanes backup goalie, made 26 saves for his first shutout since February 2020. — Gustav Nyquist scored in the fifth round of the shootout to give the Columbus Blue Jackets a 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators. Elvis Merzlikins made 31 saves for the Blue Jackets, who snapped a two-game skid. — The New York Islanders beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 for their third victory in four home games. Mathew Barzal added a goal and two assists while Semyon Varlamov made 36 saves as the Islanders improved to 3-5-3 at UBS Arena after an 0-5-2 start in their ornate new home. — The Los Angeles Kings snapped the Vancouver Canucks' seven-game winning streak under new coach Bruce Boudreau with a 2-1 shootout victory. Adrian Kempe and Viktor Arvidsson scored in the shootout for L.A., while Jonathan Quick made 17 saves.— The Calgary Flames beat the Seattle Kraken 6-4 in their first game in nearly three weeks. Matthew Tkachuk scored the go-ahead goal with 2:26 left and had two assists, while Johnny Gaudreau added two goals and assisted on the game-winner. Former Flames captain Mark Giordano had a goal and two assists in his first game against his old team.— San Jose's Tomas Hertl scored with 30.1 seconds remaining in overtime to spoil a dazzling debut by Philadelphia goaltender Felix Sandstrom in a 3-2 Sharks victory over the Flyers. The 24-year-old Sandstrom made 43 saves in his first NHL appearance, but couldn't stop Hertl from close range on the deciding goal.NHL-NEWSWild sign coach Dean Evason, staff to multiyear extensionsST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Wild have signed coach Dean Evason and his staff to multiyear contract extensions. Evason is in his second full season as Minnesota's coach. The Wild have won 19 of their 30 games so far this season and are on their way to a third consecutive playoff appearance with Evason in charge. He replaced Bruce Boudreau in February 2020. Assistant coaches Darby Hendrickson, Brett McLean and Bob Woods, goaltending coach Frederic Chabot and video coaches T.J. Jindra and Jonas Plumb were also extended.COLLEGE FOOTBALL-BOWL SCHEDULEThorne leads No. 11 Spartans past No. 13 Pitt in Peach BowlUNDATED (AP) — Payton Thorne's 22-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed gave No. 11 Michigan State the lead with less than three minutes remaining and the Spartans overcame an 11-point deficit to beat No. 13 Pittsburgh 31-21 in the Peach Bowl. Linebacker Cal Haladay's 78-yard interception return for a touchdown with 22 seconds remaining ended Pitt fill-in quarterback Davis Beville's bid for a last-minute comeback. Thorne threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes as Michigan State rallied. The Panthers played without star QB Kenny Pickett and lost fill-in starter Nick Patti to an injury in the first quarter.In other college football bowl games:— South Carolina coach Shane Beamer was rewarded with a bucket of mayonnaise dumped over his head, after the Gamecocks' 38-21 victory over North Carolina in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Jaheim Bell had five catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns for South Carolina. Kevin Harris added 169 yards rushing and a score. By agreeing to the mayo bath, Beamer got $10,000 donated to a favorite charity.— The Music City Bowl in Nashville went to overtime, with Purdue emerging the victor 48-45 over Tennessee. Mitchell Fineran kicked a 39-yard field goal for the win, as the Boilermakers finished off their best season since 2003 by overcoming a 14-point deficit.— Braelon Allen ran for 159 yards and Wisconsin drained the final 9:57 off the clock with an 18-play drive that sealed a 20-13 victory over Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Allen, a 17-year-old true freshman, had 101 yards by halftime for his eighth 100-yard game of the season. The Badgers started the season 1-3 with Big Ten losses to ranked opponents Penn State and Michigan but answered with a seven-game winning streak to earn a 20th consecutive bowl bid. NFL-NEWSMayfield downplays death threats; Roethlisberger hints at goodbyeUNDATED (AP) — Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is downplaying death threats he received following his four-interception performance at Green Bay.In a Zoom call with reporters as Cleveland prepares to face Pittsburgh Monday night, Mayfield said his focus is solely on the Steelers and dismissed his social media critics as "keyboard warriors that make empty threats." Mayfield's wife, Emily, first revealed the threats in an Instagram post earlier this week. Mayfield has had a stormy, injury-slowed fourth season in Cleveland. He threw a career-high four picks in a 24-22 loss to the Packers on Christmas after missing two weeks of practice because of a positive COVID-19 test. Elsewhere around the NFL:— Ben Roethlisberger could be making his final start at Heinz Field when the Steelers host Cleveland on Monday night. The Pittsburgh quarterback says he never speaks "in definites or guarantees," but adds "looking at the bigger picture, I would say that all signs are pointing that this could be it." The 39-year-old insists he won't make any final decisions until after the season, but the comment stands as his first public acknowledgement that Monday could be his final home game.NFL-HALL OF FAME FINALISTSHall of Fame's class of 2022 UNDATED (AP) — DeMarcus Ware, Andre Johnson and Devin Hester are finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's class of 2022 all in their first year of eligibility. The 15 modern-day players who will be considered on Jan. 18 by the selection committee include tackle Tony Boselli and defensive lineman Richard Seymour. Other finalists announced Thursday are safety Leroy Butler, wide receivers Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne, linebackers Sam Mills and Zach Thomas. They are all finalists for the third time. Defensive linemen Jared Allen and Bryant Young and cornerback Ronde Barber are two-time finalists. Tackle Willie Anderson and linebacker Patrick Willis are first-time finalists.NFL-SPORTSMANSHIP FINALISTSSlater, David 4th-time nominees for NFL sportsmanship awardNEW YORK (AP) — Matthew Slater and Lavonte David are nominees for the fourth time for the NFL's Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. The league Thursday announced the eight finalists for the honor that recognizes players who best demonstrate the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition. Joining Slater, a wide receiver and special teams standout for New England, and Tampa Bay linebacker David are Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, Houston receiver Brandin Cooks, Miami defensive back Jason McCourty, New Orleans defensive end Cameron Jordan, San Francisco fullback Kyle Juszczyk (YOOS'-chehk) and Minnesota wideout Adam Thielen. Juszczyk is a finalist for the second consecutive season. Allen, Cooks, McCourty, Jordan and Thielen are first-time nominees.A panel of former players selected the eight finalists from the 32 team nominees. The winner will be determined by a vote of current NFL players. <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;

Sports Headlines for Friday

LAWRENCE, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas men’s basketball will host George Mason on Saturday, Jan. 1 at 4 p.m. (CT) in Allen Fieldhouse, the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The game will be televised on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+. The addition of the Patriots to the schedule occurred after the Jan. 1 TCU at Kansas game was postponed due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols within the TCU program.

&nbsp;George Mason is currently 7-5 on the season. The Patriots have won three straight after their 68-44 win against American on Dec. 21.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Parking and Allen Fieldhouse Access

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LAWRENCE, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas men’s basketball will host George Mason on Saturday, Jan. 1 at 4 p.m. (CT) in Allen Fieldhouse, the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The game will be televised on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+. The addition of the Patriots to the schedule occurred after the Jan. 1 TCU at Kansas game was postponed due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols within the TCU program.&nbsp;George Mason is currently 7-5 on the season. The Patriots have won three straight after their 68-44 win against American on Dec. 21.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ticketing<ul>
 <li>Single-game tickets must be purchased specifically for the George Mason contest and will not be added to current season ticket holder accounts.</li><li>An exclusive presale will be held from 1 p.m. today until noon tomorrow for season ticket holders to purchase tickets for the George Mason contest.</li><li>The public ticket on-sale will begin Thursday, Dec. 30 at noon (CT). Fans may purchase tickets online at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kuathletics.com/tickets">www.kuathletics.com/tickets</a>.</li><li>Ticket pricing for the George Mason game:Tiers 1-5: $25Tiers 6-8: $20General Admission: $15</li><li>Tiers 1-5: $25</li><li>Tiers 6-8: $20</li><li>General Admission: $15</li><li>KU students who redeemed tickets for the original TCU contest will have the George Mason game automatically added to their account.</li>
 </ul>&nbsp;Parking and Allen Fieldhouse Access<ul>
 <li>Parking for the George Mason contest will be free throughout campus on a first-come, first-served basis.</li><li>For those who have reserved parking in Lot 71, an email will be sent with specific instructions.</li><li>Beginning at 2 p.m., two hours prior to tip-off, KU Parking &amp; Transit will have a shuttle service pick-up at stop 3 in Lot 301 Park and Ride for a fee of $5 per person.</li><li>Doors will open for KU students at 2 p.m. All other ticket holders may enter Allen Fieldhouse at 2:30 p.m.</li>
 </ul>&nbsp;TCU Tickets<ul>
 <li>Single-game ticket purchasers through KU Athletics will have access to exchange tickets for this game or keep the tickets for the rescheduled TCU game once announced. An email will be sent to those fans with a form to complete letting us know of their choice. If fans do not fill out this form by Thursday, at 5pm (CT), the system will default to keeping their TCU tickets.</li><li>Those who have TCU at KU tickets will be able to use those when that game date and time is announced.</li><li>For any fans that purchased TCU tickets on the secondary market, you must go through that specific site for details on ticket exchanges or refunds.</li>
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🏀 Kansas Men’s Basketball to Host George Mason on Jan. 1

<h2>College Basketball Scores</h2>Wednesday, Dec. 29EASTBryant 80, CCSU 76Cairn 76, Moravian 67DeSales 96, Neumann 56Drew 66, Hood 64Emory 91, Wis.-Whitewater 70Franklin &amp; Marshall 72, Alfred 62Juniata 88, Bryn Athyn 50Lehigh 70, Eastern 63Mary Washington 77, Goucher 48Merrimack 74, St. Francis (NY) 64Miami (Ohio) 91, Buffalo 81New Paltz 86, W. Connecticut 79Oswego St. 59, RPI 46Providence 70, Seton Hall 65Rowan 110, John Carroll 91Sacred Heart 69, LIU 65St. John Fisher 84, Medaille 72Stony Brook 87, Farmingdale St. 57Syracuse 80, Cornell 68Wagner 72, St. Francis (Pa.) 64Wesleyan (Conn.) 108, Wilkes 87SOUTHAlabama 73, Tennessee 68Auburn 70, LSU 55Centre 72, Piedmont 69Elon 79, Northeastern 62Furman 81, Samford 49Gardner-Webb 77, Georgia 60Jacksonville 98, Carver 45Kentucky 83, Missouri 56Louisville 73, Wake Forest 69Miami 91, NC State 83Mississippi St. 81, Arkansas 68Morehead St. 63, E. Illinois 50Oglethorpe 89, Spalding 61Tulane 85, Memphis 84UNC-Wilmington 70, Delaware 68VMI 80, Wofford 73William &amp; Mary 63, Hofstra 62MIDWESTBluffton 86, Adrian 82Carroll (Wis.) 70, Simpson 62Cent. Michigan 72, Kent St. 69Findlay 98, Ohio Christian 65Hope 87, Central College 70Indiana St. 107, Midway 51Iowa 92, W. Illinois 71Kansas 88, Nevada 61Loras 93, Bethany Lutheran 72Luther 77, Dallas Crusaders 56Lycoming 75, Wilmington (Ohio) 73Lynchburg 94, Muskingum 90Michigan St. 81, High Point 68Missouri Western 78, Friends Falcons 50NW Missouri St. 85, Saint Mary Spires 59Nazareth 78, Edgewood 72Ohio Northern 87, Ohio Wesleyan 83Otterbein 63, Olivet 60Purdue 104, Nicholls 90St. Norbert 79, Northland 42St. Thomas (MN) 97, North Central 45Toledo 83, W. Michigan 56Tufts 81, Carthage 70Wis.-Oshkosh 78, Calvin 56Wis.-Platteville 74, Beloit 46Wis.-Stout 75, Ripon 49Wis.-Superior 77, Whittier 75Wisconsin 89, Illinois St. 85SOUTHWESTSMU 74, Tulsa 69St. Mary's (Texas) 103, Ecclesia 45Texas A&amp;M 85, Cent. Arkansas 59FAR WESTAir Force 49, Utah St. 47BYU 65, Westminster (Utah) 53George Fox 69, Nebraska Wesleyan 68___<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.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

🏀 College Basketball Scores from Wednesday

GREENVILLE, N.C. --&nbsp;The American Athletic Conference has postponed Wednesday evening's men's basketball matchup between Wichita State and East Carolina due to health and safety protocols within the ECU program. The Shockers arrived in Greenville, N.C. on Tuesday evening and took part in a Wednesday afternoon shoot around at Minges Coliseum. Director of Athletics&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/staff.aspx?staff=10">Darron Boatright</a>&nbsp;said: "We have been in communication with ECU and the conference office throughout the day. We hate that these types of postponements continue to be a reality, but if we're to push forward with an athletic season in the midst of a pandemic, we're going to face challenges like this. We will work with ECU and the conference to find a makeup date that makes sense for both parties." Wichita State (9-3) will instead open its American Athletic Conference season at home against Memphis on New Year's Day (11 a.m. CT, CBS).&nbsp;&nbsp;

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GREENVILLE, N.C. --&nbsp;The American Athletic Conference has postponed Wednesday evening's men's basketball matchup between Wichita State and East Carolina due to health and safety protocols within the ECU program. The Shockers arrived in Greenville, N.C. on Tuesday evening and took part in a Wednesday afternoon shoot around at Minges Coliseum. Director of Athletics&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/staff.aspx?staff=10">Darron Boatright</a>&nbsp;said: "We have been in communication with ECU and the conference office throughout the day. We hate that these types of postponements continue to be a reality, but if we're to push forward with an athletic season in the midst of a pandemic, we're going to face challenges like this. We will work with ECU and the conference to find a makeup date that makes sense for both parties." Wichita State (9-3) will instead open its American Athletic Conference season at home against Memphis on New Year's Day (11 a.m. CT, CBS).&nbsp;&nbsp;<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.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

🏀 WSU-ECU Game Postponed

LAWRENCE, Kan. –&nbsp;Christian Braun scored a team-high 22 points and four Kansas players reached double figures as the Jayhawks rolled past Nevada, 88-61, on Wednesday, Dec. 29, at Allen Fieldhouse.

With the win, the Jayhawks move to 10-1 on the year while improving to 6-0 at home this season. The loss drops Nevada to 6-5 on the year.

Kansas shot 57.7% from the field in the first half, which included hitting 4-of-7 (57.1%) from beyond the arc and built a lead of 39-27 at the break. The Jayhawks scored the first eight points of the game and build a lead of double figures by the second media timeout.

Nevada used a 5-0 run to get within six, 24-18, at the 8:19 mark, but a 7-0 run by the Jayhawks pushed the lead back to 13. KU would end the half in style, breaking a 7-0 Nevada run with consecutive 3-pointers from Christian Braun and Remy Martin, followed by a windmill dunk from Ochai Agbaji to push the lead to 12 at half. Braun led the way for the Jayhawks with 14 first-half points.

The teams played even at the start of the second half, but the Jayhawks used two big runs to put the game away. KU held the Wolf Pack without a basket for better than four minutes while using a 12-0 run to build a lead of 61-36 with 12:51 to play. Included in the run were 3-pointers by DaJuan Harris, Jr., and Martin along with back-to-back fast break dunks by Agbaji.

Nevada was able to pull within 16 points in the second half, before KU scored 11 straight points in less than two minutes and pushed the lead to 80-53 with 4:30 to play.

Braun led the Jayhawks with 22 points, which is good for his fourth 20-point game of the season and seventh of his career. He was joined in double figures by Agbaji, who scored 16 points and pulled down seven rebounds.

Harris set a new career-high with 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field while also dishing out five assists. David McCormack also reached double figures, scoring 14 points to go with six rebounds.

Kansas returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 1, at 4 p.m. CT against George Mason, a game that was recently added to the schedule to replace the original Big 12 opener against TCU, which was postponed.

The Jayhawks will now open the 2021-22 Big 12 Conference season at Oklahoma State on Tuesday, Jan. 4, at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

LAWRENCE, Kan. –&nbsp;Christian Braun scored a team-high 22 points and four Kansas players reached double figures as the Jayhawks rolled past Nevada, 88-61, on Wednesday, Dec. 29, at Allen Fieldhouse.With the win, the Jayhawks move to 10-1 on the year while improving to 6-0 at home this season. The loss drops Nevada to 6-5 on the year.Kansas shot 57.7% from the field in the first half, which included hitting 4-of-7 (57.1%) from beyond the arc and built a lead of 39-27 at the break. The Jayhawks scored the first eight points of the game and build a lead of double figures by the second media timeout.Nevada used a 5-0 run to get within six, 24-18, at the 8:19 mark, but a 7-0 run by the Jayhawks pushed the lead back to 13. KU would end the half in style, breaking a 7-0 Nevada run with consecutive 3-pointers from Christian Braun and Remy Martin, followed by a windmill dunk from Ochai Agbaji to push the lead to 12 at half. Braun led the way for the Jayhawks with 14 first-half points.The teams played even at the start of the second half, but the Jayhawks used two big runs to put the game away. KU held the Wolf Pack without a basket for better than four minutes while using a 12-0 run to build a lead of 61-36 with 12:51 to play. Included in the run were 3-pointers by DaJuan Harris, Jr., and Martin along with back-to-back fast break dunks by Agbaji.Nevada was able to pull within 16 points in the second half, before KU scored 11 straight points in less than two minutes and pushed the lead to 80-53 with 4:30 to play.Braun led the Jayhawks with 22 points, which is good for his fourth 20-point game of the season and seventh of his career. He was joined in double figures by Agbaji, who scored 16 points and pulled down seven rebounds.Harris set a new career-high with 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field while also dishing out five assists. David McCormack also reached double figures, scoring 14 points to go with six rebounds.Kansas returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 1, at 4 p.m. CT against George Mason, a game that was recently added to the schedule to replace the original Big 12 opener against TCU, which was postponed.The Jayhawks will now open the 2021-22 Big 12 Conference season at Oklahoma State on Tuesday, Jan. 4, at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2.<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.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

🏀 Kansas Rolls Past Nevada 88-61 to Close out 2021

Brooks' 3 TDs push Oklahoma past Oregon 47-32 in Alamo Bowl

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Kennedy Brooks ran for 142 yards and three touchdowns as No. 14 Oklahoma rode a dominant first half to beat No. 15 Oregon 47-32 in the Alamo Bowl. Caleb Williams threw three touchdown passes and the Sooners gave interim coach Bob Stoops career win No. 191 and a special family moment when he hugged son Drake, an Oklahoma wide receiver, after a first-half touchdown. Oregon rallied with three touchdowns in the third quarter but couldn't stop the Sooners' offense late.

Tagovailoa leads Terps past Virginia Tech in Pinstripe Bowl

NEW YORK (AP) — Taulia Tagovailoa threw touchdown passes of 70 and 32 yards to Darryl Jones, and Maryland routed Virginia Tech 54-10 in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Tarheep Still returned a punt 92 yards for a touchdown for the Terps. Tagovailoa is the younger brother of Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa. He was named the game's MVP, finishing with 265 yards passing. His 26 touchdown passes this season tied the Maryland single-season record set by Scott Milanovich in 1983. Virginia Tech finished with its second straight losing season and has not won a bowl game since 2016.

Clemson tops Iowa State in Cheez-It Bowl for Swinney's 150th

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — D.J. Uiagalelei completed 21 of 32 passes for 187 yards &nbsp;Mario Goodrich scored on an 18-yard interception return and No. 19 Clemson beat Iowa State 20-13 on Wednesday night in the Cheez-It Bowl for coach Dabo Swinney's 150th victory. Will Shipley had a 12-yard touchdown run and finished with 61 yards rushing and 53 yards receiving for Clemson (10-3). Dacari Collins caught six passes for 53 yards, and B.T. Potter made two field goals. Clemson won its sixth straight game to reach 10 victories for an 11th consecutive season. Florida State (14 from 1987-00) and Alabama (14 from 2008-21) are the only programs with longer streaks. Iowa State finished 7-6.

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<h2>Brooks' 3 TDs push Oklahoma past Oregon 47-32 in Alamo Bowl</h2>SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Kennedy Brooks ran for 142 yards and three touchdowns as No. 14 Oklahoma rode a dominant first half to beat No. 15 Oregon 47-32 in the Alamo Bowl. Caleb Williams threw three touchdown passes and the Sooners gave interim coach Bob Stoops career win No. 191 and a special family moment when he hugged son Drake, an Oklahoma wide receiver, after a first-half touchdown. Oregon rallied with three touchdowns in the third quarter but couldn't stop the Sooners' offense late.<h2>Tagovailoa leads Terps past Virginia Tech in Pinstripe Bowl</h2>By DAN GELSTON AP Sports WriterNEW YORK (AP) — Taulia Tagovailoa threw touchdown passes of 70 and 32 yards to Darryl Jones, and Maryland routed Virginia Tech 54-10 in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Tarheep Still returned a punt 92 yards for a touchdown for the Terps. Tagovailoa is the younger brother of Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa. He was named the game's MVP, finishing with 265 yards passing. His 26 touchdown passes this season tied the Maryland single-season record set by Scott Milanovich in 1983. Virginia Tech finished with its second straight losing season and has not won a bowl game since 2016.<h2>Clemson tops Iowa State in Cheez-It Bowl for Swinney's 150th</h2>By JOHN DENTON Associated PressORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — D.J. Uiagalelei completed 21 of 32 passes for 187 yards &nbsp;Mario Goodrich scored on an 18-yard interception return and No. 19 Clemson beat Iowa State 20-13 on Wednesday night in the Cheez-It Bowl for coach Dabo Swinney's 150th victory. Will Shipley had a 12-yard touchdown run and finished with 61 yards rushing and 53 yards receiving for Clemson (10-3). Dacari Collins caught six passes for 53 yards, and B.T. Potter made two field goals. Clemson won its sixth straight game to reach 10 victories for an 11th consecutive season. Florida State (14 from 1987-00) and Alabama (14 from 2008-21) are the only programs with longer streaks. Iowa State finished 7-6.<h2>FENWAY BOWL CANCELED&nbsp;</h2>Virginia vs SMU<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.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

NCAA Bowl Game Results from Wednesday

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Christian Braun scored 22 points, Ochai Agbaji added 16 and sixth-ranked Kansas rolled to a 88-61 victory over Nevada. The Jayhawks were supposed to play Harvard before an outbreak forced the Crimson to cancel the trip early this week. The Wolf Pack stepped in when their Mountain West opener against San Jose State had to be postponed because of positive tests within the Spartans' program. Desmond Cambridge Jr. and Grant Sherfield led the Wolf Pack with 16 points apiece. Kansas built a 39-17 halftime lead and went on a 12-0 run early in the second half.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Keion Brooks Jr. scored 17 points, TyTy Washington Jr added 14 and No. 18 Kentucky overcame an uneven second half to roll past Missouri 83-56 on Wednesday night in the Southeastern Conference opener for both schools. The Wildcats trailed just once early on against a Tigers squad playing without head coach Cuonzo Martin, who missed the contest with COVID. But Kentucky had to overcome 38% percent shooting in the second half and some ragged stretches to pull away from Missouri. Amari Davis and Dajuan Gordon had 10 points each for Missouri, which dropped its fourth in six games.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and two assists as the St. Louis Blues beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-2. Brandon Saad, Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou also scored in St. Louis' first game since a 4-2 loss at Winnipeg on Dec. 19. Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard scored for Edmonton in its first game since a 5-3 win at Seattle on Dec. 18. Jordan Binnington made 26 saves in his second start since being activated off the COVID-19 list. Mike Smith stopped 29 shots for the Oilers. Tarasenko put the Blues ahead 3-2 late in the second period.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — One of the biggest reasons the Chiefs have rattled off eight straight wins is something simple yet largely uncontrollable: health. And not just when it comes to COVID-19. The Chiefs regularly have two or three names on the official injury list, whereas other teams have a dozen or more. It's been a pleasant change in karma from last season, when the Chiefs were so beat up by the Super Bowl that their entire offensive line was basically signed off the street. At present, the only injury of note is running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and he should return by the playoffs from a shoulder injury.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State men's basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger says Georgetown transfer Tre King has joined the Cyclones and will be eligible to play starting in 2022-23. The 6-foot-7 forward spent the previous three seasons at Eastern Kentucky and can play two seasons for the Cyclones. He left Georgetown in October before he played a game for the Hoyas. He tweeted in October that he had violated the school's student code of conduct. King averaged 15 points and six rebounds per game and earned All-Ohio Valley Conference first-team honors last season.&nbsp;

UNDATED (AP) — The Phoenix Suns have returned to their winning ways, with a 115-97 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

The Suns rebounded from home losses to Golden State and Memphis to pull even with the Warriors atop the league standings at 27-7. 

Devin Booker scored 38 points for Phoenix to surpass 10,000 for his career.

Both teams were without several key players and their head coaches on the COVID protocols list.

— Rudy Gobert had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz beat the Portland Trail Blazers 120-105 with star Donovan Mitchell out with a sore back. Utah's dominance started on the inside and continued all night long, outscoring Portland 74-30 in the paint. 

— Eric Bledsoe scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, hitting a key 3-pointer down the stretch, to help the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Boston Celtics 91-82. Marcus Morris had 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Clippers. 

— The Memphis Grizzlies overcame a 14-point second-half deficit to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 104-99. Ja (jah) Morant had a big night scoring 41 points to lead Memphis. LeBron James led Los Angeles with 37 points — a day short of his 38th birthday — while Russell Westbrook had a triple-double in the loss.

— Zach LaVine scored 25 points and the Chicago Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks for the second time in three nights, 131-117. The Bulls extended their winning streak to a season-high five games. The Hawks are missing 15 players due to the NBA's health and safety protocols and injuries. 

— Alec Burks scored a season-high 34 points to lead a huge night from New York's bench and the Knicks beat the short-handed Detroit Pistons 94-85. The Knicks' reserves combined for 65 points. 

— Terry Rozier scored a season-high 35 points, LaMelo Ball added 21 points and 12 rebounds, and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Indiana Pacers 116-108. Ball also had nine assists, falling just short of his third triple-double this season as the Hornets won their third straight.

— The Sacramento Kings scored a 95-94 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the opener of a two-game set between the teams. Chimezie Met made a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer for the win.

Edey, Ivey lead No. 3 Purdue past Nicholls State

UNDATED (AP) — Zach Edey scored 21 points, Jaden Ivey added 19 and No. 3 Purdue beat Nicholls State 104-90.

Purdue shot 57.4% and cracked 100 points for the first time this season. The 7-foot-4 Edey made 7 of 8 shots and 7 of 9 free throws. Ivey was 5-for-9 from the field. 

In other top 25 men's college basketball:

— Christian Braun scored 22 points, Ochai Agbaji added 16 and sixth-ranked Kansas rolled to a 88-61 victory over Nevada. The Jayhawks were supposed to play Harvard before an outbreak forced the Crimson to cancel the trip early this week. The Wolf Pack stepped in when their Mountain West opener against San Jose State had to be postponed because of positive tests within the Spartans' program. 

— Gabe Brown scored a career high 24 points, as short-handed No. 10 Michigan State pulled away in the second half to beat scrappy High Point, 81-68. 

— Walker Kessler had 16 points, a career-high 11 blocked shots and nine rebounds to lead No. 11 Auburn to a 70-55 victory over previously unbeaten No. 16 LSU in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. Auburn has won nine straight. 

— No. 19 Alabama beat 14th-ranked Tennessee 73-68 in the SEC opener for both teams. Jahvon Quinerly scored 18 points and Noah Gurley added a season-high 15 for Alabama. 

— No. 21 Providence topped 15th-ranked Seton Hall 70-65. Noah Horchler scored 17 points with 13 rebounds, and 6-foot-10 center Nate Watson added 14 points, becoming the 18th player in Providence history to reach 1,500 points. Seton Hall had only eight players in uniform, with five in COVID-19 protocols.

— No. 18 Kentucky overcame an uneven second half to roll past Missouri 83-56 in the Southeastern Conference opener for both schools. Keion Brooks Jr. scored 17 points, TyTy Washington Jr added 14 for the Wildcats. Missouri was playing without head coach Cuonzo Martin, out with COVID. 

— No. 24 Wisconsin struggled to put away Illinois State, winning 89-85 in its first game after a two-week break because of COVID-19. Steven Crowl had 21 points and nine rebounds, while Johnny Davis, the Badgers' leading scorer, had 20 points and 11 rebounds. 

UNDATED (AP) — MacKenzie Weegar, Carter Verhaeghe (vur-HAY'-gee) and Anthony Duclair (doo-CLEHR') scored in the third period to rally the Florida Panthers past the New York Rangers 4-3.

Duclair blocked a shot in the Panthers end then joined the rush the other way to score what ultimately proved the game-winner.

Chris Kreider got the Rangers back within one with 45 seconds to go, after New York pulled Shesterkin for an extra attacker. But they couldn't get the equalizer.

It was the Panthers' first game in 13 days and the Rangers' first in 12 following the NHL's extended Christmas break because of rising COVID-19 cases.

— The Vancouver Canucks beat the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 for their seventh straight win since Bruce Boudreau took over behind the bench. Boudreau is the third coach in NHL history to start 7-0 with a new team. J.T. Miller scored 26 seconds into overtime on a breakaway.

— Evgeny Kuznetsov scored a late short-handed goal in his return from an 18-day absence to put the Washington Capitals ahead for good in a 5-3 victory over the Nashville Predators. Kuznetsov's wrist shot from a tight angle helped the Capitals beat the Predators for the first time in nine games. 

— Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and two assists as the St. Louis Blues beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-2. Brandon Saad, Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou also scored for the Blues, while Jordan Binnington made 26 saves in his second start since being activated off the COVID-19 list. 

— Ivan Provorov scored 2:14 into overtime and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Seattle Kraken 3-2. James van Riemsdyk's second goal of the game with 5:13 left in regulation pulled the Flyers even at 2. 

— Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt each had a goal and two assists to help the New Jersey Devils end their six-game losing streak with a 4-3 win against the Buffalo Sabres. It was the first game in 12 days for the Sabres after four straight postponements. They were still without six players and head coach Don Granato. 

UNDATED (AP) — The NHL is following other leagues and the CDC by cutting COVID-19 isolation times to five days under certain conditions and where it is allowed by local laws. The change applies only in the U.S. because of stricter pandemic regulations in Canada.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-JUNIOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP

Rest of world junior championship canceled over COVID-19

UNDATED (AP) — The remainder of the world junior hockey championship in Canada has been canceled after a few positive tests prompted fears of a COVID-19 outbreak.

The top tournament in the world for players under age 20 had completed nine games in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta. But positive coronavirus test results among U.S. and Czech players had led to two games being forfeited, and another was imminent with Russia.

Citing the spread of the coronavirus and the omicron variant, the International Ice Hockey Federation's council determined the integrity of the event had been compromised by the forfeits.

Clemson beats Iowa State; Maryland routs Va. Tech.

UNDATED (AP) — Kennedy Brooks ran for 142 yards and three touchdowns as No. 14 Oklahoma rode a dominant first half to beat No. 15 Oregon 47-32 in the Alamo Bowl. 

Caleb Williams threw three touchdown passes and the Sooners gave interim coach Bob Stoops career win No. 191 and a special family moment when he hugged son Drake, an Oklahoma wide receiver, after a first-half touchdown. 

Oregon rallied with three touchdowns in the third quarter but couldn't stop the Sooners' offense late.

— No. 19 Clemson beat Iowa State 20-13 in the Cheez-It Bowl for coach Dabo Swinney's 150th victory. D.J. Uiagalelei completed 21 of 32 passes for 187 yards and Mario Goodrich scored on an 18-yard interception return, while Will Shipley had a 12-yard touchdown run and finished with 61 yards rushing and 53 yards receiving for Clemson. 

— Taulia Tagovailoa (tuhng-ah-vy-LOH'-ah) threw touchdown passes of 70 and 32 yards to Darryl Jones, and Maryland routed Virginia Tech 54-10 in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Tagovailoa was named the game's MVP, finishing with 265 yards passing and his 26 touchdown passes this season tied the Maryland single-season record.

Panthers bench Newton, will start Darnold at QB vs. Saints

UNDATED (AP) — Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule says Sam Darnold will start at quarterback on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints instead of 2015 league MVP Cam Newton. 

Newton is 0-5 as Carolina's starting quarterback this year and has lost 13 straight starts as the Panthers starting QB dating back to the 2018 season.

Darnold started the season 3-0 but has a 1-5 record in his last six starts. He led the Panthers to a 26-7 win over the Saints in Week 2, completing 26 of 38 passes for 305 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

— 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo won't need surgery on his injured right thumb despite a chip of the bone and a torn ligament. It remains unclear if he will be able to start this week against Houston, when they have a chance to clinch a playoff spot. Garoppolo played through the injury during a loss last Thursday and says he knows what the pain feels like. He says it comes down to "being confident" and able to do what he normally does with the football. 

— Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was limited at practice Wednesday, but that's a step in the right direction after he missed two straight games with an ankle injury. Tyler Huntley, who played two weekends ago in Jackson's place but missed last weekend's game after landing on the COVID-19 list, is still on that list. But, he's expected back soon. 

— The Denver Broncos are preparing for quarterback Drew Lock to make his second straight start in place of Teddy Bridgewater when the Broncos visit the Chargers. Coach Vic Fangio says Bridgewater remains in concussion protocol.

— Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields was feeling good enough to practice after missing a game because of an ankle injury. His status for Sunday remains unclear.

— New York Jets coach Robert Saleh has cleared COVID-19 protocols and returned to run practice for the first time since testing positive for the coronavirus. The Jets also got nine players back from the COVID-19 list. Buffalo also had a few key players activated, including two of their top wide receivers in Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis. Other star players returning are Minnesota running back Dalvin Cook, Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, New Orleans quarterback Taysom Hill, Houston wide receiver Brandin Cooks and Chargers linebacker Joey Bosa.

Candace Parker voted AP Female Athlete of Year for 2nd time

UNDATED (AP) — Candace Parker staved off Father Time to help the Chicago Sky win the franchise's first WNBA championship and capped off 2021 by being named The Associated Press' Female Athlete of the Year for a second time.

Parker also won the AP award her rookie year with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2008, when she was honored as the WNBA's MVP and top rookie. She helped Tennessee win the national championship that year. 

The 35-year-old Parker is now a working mom in the twilight of her playing career who also is a basketball analyst for TNT.

Kyle Seager retires after 11 seasons with Mariners

SEATTLE (AP) — Kyle Seager has announced his retirement after 11 seasons in the majors, all with the Seattle Mariners. 

The 34-year-old free agent chose to call it a career rather than test the open market amid the uncertainty created by the ongoing lockout. Seager's retirement is a bit surprising considering he's coming off one of the best seasons of his career. He hit a career-high 35 home runs and had a career-best 101 RBIs last season. 

<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.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

<h2>Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press</h2>ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — D.J. Uiagalelei completed 21 of 32 passes for 187 yards &nbsp;Mario Goodrich scored on an 18-yard interception return and No. 19 Clemson beat Iowa State 20-13 on Wednesday night in the Cheez-It Bowl for coach Dabo Swinney's 150th victory. Will Shipley had a 12-yard touchdown run and finished with 61 yards rushing and 53 yards receiving for Clemson (10-3). Dacari Collins caught six passes for 53 yards, and B.T. Potter made two field goals. Clemson won its sixth straight game to reach 10 victories for an 11th consecutive season. Florida State (14 from 1987-00) and Alabama (14 from 2008-21) are the only programs with longer streaks. Iowa State finished 7-6.LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Christian Braun scored 22 points, Ochai Agbaji added 16 and sixth-ranked Kansas rolled to a 88-61 victory over Nevada. The Jayhawks were supposed to play Harvard before an outbreak forced the Crimson to cancel the trip early this week. The Wolf Pack stepped in when their Mountain West opener against San Jose State had to be postponed because of positive tests within the Spartans' program. Desmond Cambridge Jr. and Grant Sherfield led the Wolf Pack with 16 points apiece. Kansas built a 39-17 halftime lead and went on a 12-0 run early in the second half.LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Keion Brooks Jr. scored 17 points, TyTy Washington Jr added 14 and No. 18 Kentucky overcame an uneven second half to roll past Missouri 83-56 on Wednesday night in the Southeastern Conference opener for both schools. The Wildcats trailed just once early on against a Tigers squad playing without head coach Cuonzo Martin, who missed the contest with COVID. But Kentucky had to overcome 38% percent shooting in the second half and some ragged stretches to pull away from Missouri. Amari Davis and Dajuan Gordon had 10 points each for Missouri, which dropped its fourth in six games.ST. LOUIS (AP) — Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and two assists as the St. Louis Blues beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-2. Brandon Saad, Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou also scored in St. Louis' first game since a 4-2 loss at Winnipeg on Dec. 19. Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard scored for Edmonton in its first game since a 5-3 win at Seattle on Dec. 18. Jordan Binnington made 26 saves in his second start since being activated off the COVID-19 list. Mike Smith stopped 29 shots for the Oilers. Tarasenko put the Blues ahead 3-2 late in the second period.KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — One of the biggest reasons the Chiefs have rattled off eight straight wins is something simple yet largely uncontrollable: health. And not just when it comes to COVID-19. The Chiefs regularly have two or three names on the official injury list, whereas other teams have a dozen or more. It's been a pleasant change in karma from last season, when the Chiefs were so beat up by the Super Bowl that their entire offensive line was basically signed off the street. At present, the only injury of note is running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and he should return by the playoffs from a shoulder injury.AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State men's basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger says Georgetown transfer Tre King has joined the Cyclones and will be eligible to play starting in 2022-23. The 6-foot-7 forward spent the previous three seasons at Eastern Kentucky and can play two seasons for the Cyclones. He left Georgetown in October before he played a game for the Hoyas. He tweeted in October that he had violated the school's student code of conduct. King averaged 15 points and six rebounds per game and earned All-Ohio Valley Conference first-team honors last season.&nbsp;<h2>Update on the latest sports</h2>NBA SCHEDULESuns halt skid in win over ThunderUNDATED (AP) — The Phoenix Suns have returned to their winning ways, with a 115-97 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Suns rebounded from home losses to Golden State and Memphis to pull even with the Warriors atop the league standings at 27-7. Devin Booker scored 38 points for Phoenix to surpass 10,000 for his career.Both teams were without several key players and their head coaches on the COVID protocols list.Elsewhere in the NBA:— Rudy Gobert had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz beat the Portland Trail Blazers 120-105 with star Donovan Mitchell out with a sore back. Utah's dominance started on the inside and continued all night long, outscoring Portland 74-30 in the paint. — Eric Bledsoe scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, hitting a key 3-pointer down the stretch, to help the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Boston Celtics 91-82. Marcus Morris had 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Clippers. — The Memphis Grizzlies overcame a 14-point second-half deficit to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 104-99. Ja (jah) Morant had a big night scoring 41 points to lead Memphis. LeBron James led Los Angeles with 37 points — a day short of his 38th birthday — while Russell Westbrook had a triple-double in the loss.— Zach LaVine scored 25 points and the Chicago Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks for the second time in three nights, 131-117. The Bulls extended their winning streak to a season-high five games. The Hawks are missing 15 players due to the NBA's health and safety protocols and injuries. — Alec Burks scored a season-high 34 points to lead a huge night from New York's bench and the Knicks beat the short-handed Detroit Pistons 94-85. The Knicks' reserves combined for 65 points. — Terry Rozier scored a season-high 35 points, LaMelo Ball added 21 points and 12 rebounds, and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Indiana Pacers 116-108. Ball also had nine assists, falling just short of his third triple-double this season as the Hornets won their third straight.— The Sacramento Kings scored a 95-94 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the opener of a two-game set between the teams. Chimezie Met made a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer for the win.COLLEGE BASKETBALLEdey, Ivey lead No. 3 Purdue past Nicholls StateUNDATED (AP) — Zach Edey scored 21 points, Jaden Ivey added 19 and No. 3 Purdue beat Nicholls State 104-90.Purdue shot 57.4% and cracked 100 points for the first time this season. The 7-foot-4 Edey made 7 of 8 shots and 7 of 9 free throws. Ivey was 5-for-9 from the field. In other top 25 men's college basketball:— Christian Braun scored 22 points, Ochai Agbaji added 16 and sixth-ranked Kansas rolled to a 88-61 victory over Nevada. The Jayhawks were supposed to play Harvard before an outbreak forced the Crimson to cancel the trip early this week. The Wolf Pack stepped in when their Mountain West opener against San Jose State had to be postponed because of positive tests within the Spartans' program. — Gabe Brown scored a career high 24 points, as short-handed No. 10 Michigan State pulled away in the second half to beat scrappy High Point, 81-68. — Walker Kessler had 16 points, a career-high 11 blocked shots and nine rebounds to lead No. 11 Auburn to a 70-55 victory over previously unbeaten No. 16 LSU in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. Auburn has won nine straight. — No. 19 Alabama beat 14th-ranked Tennessee 73-68 in the SEC opener for both teams. Jahvon Quinerly scored 18 points and Noah Gurley added a season-high 15 for Alabama. — No. 21 Providence topped 15th-ranked Seton Hall 70-65. Noah Horchler scored 17 points with 13 rebounds, and 6-foot-10 center Nate Watson added 14 points, becoming the 18th player in Providence history to reach 1,500 points. Seton Hall had only eight players in uniform, with five in COVID-19 protocols.— No. 18 Kentucky overcame an uneven second half to roll past Missouri 83-56 in the Southeastern Conference opener for both schools. Keion Brooks Jr. scored 17 points, TyTy Washington Jr added 14 for the Wildcats. Missouri was playing without head coach Cuonzo Martin, out with COVID. — No. 24 Wisconsin struggled to put away Illinois State, winning 89-85 in its first game after a two-week break because of COVID-19. Steven Crowl had 21 points and nine rebounds, while Johnny Davis, the Badgers' leading scorer, had 20 points and 11 rebounds. NHL-SCHEDULEPanthers rally past RangersUNDATED (AP) — MacKenzie Weegar, Carter Verhaeghe (vur-HAY'-gee) and Anthony Duclair (doo-CLEHR') scored in the third period to rally the Florida Panthers past the New York Rangers 4-3.Duclair blocked a shot in the Panthers end then joined the rush the other way to score what ultimately proved the game-winner.Chris Kreider got the Rangers back within one with 45 seconds to go, after New York pulled Shesterkin for an extra attacker. But they couldn't get the equalizer.It was the Panthers' first game in 13 days and the Rangers' first in 12 following the NHL's extended Christmas break because of rising COVID-19 cases.In other NHL action:— The Vancouver Canucks beat the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 for their seventh straight win since Bruce Boudreau took over behind the bench. Boudreau is the third coach in NHL history to start 7-0 with a new team. J.T. Miller scored 26 seconds into overtime on a breakaway.— Evgeny Kuznetsov scored a late short-handed goal in his return from an 18-day absence to put the Washington Capitals ahead for good in a 5-3 victory over the Nashville Predators. Kuznetsov's wrist shot from a tight angle helped the Capitals beat the Predators for the first time in nine games. — Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and two assists as the St. Louis Blues beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-2. Brandon Saad, Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou also scored for the Blues, while Jordan Binnington made 26 saves in his second start since being activated off the COVID-19 list. — Ivan Provorov scored 2:14 into overtime and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Seattle Kraken 3-2. James van Riemsdyk's second goal of the game with 5:13 left in regulation pulled the Flyers even at 2. — Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt each had a goal and two assists to help the New Jersey Devils end their six-game losing streak with a 4-3 win against the Buffalo Sabres. It was the first game in 12 days for the Sabres after four straight postponements. They were still without six players and head coach Don Granato. NHL-NEWSNHL cuts isolation time to 5 days in USUNDATED (AP) — The NHL is following other leagues and the CDC by cutting COVID-19 isolation times to five days under certain conditions and where it is allowed by local laws. The change applies only in the U.S. because of stricter pandemic regulations in Canada.VIRUS OUTBREAK-JUNIOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPRest of world junior championship canceled over COVID-19UNDATED (AP) — The remainder of the world junior hockey championship in Canada has been canceled after a few positive tests prompted fears of a COVID-19 outbreak.The top tournament in the world for players under age 20 had completed nine games in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta. But positive coronavirus test results among U.S. and Czech players had led to two games being forfeited, and another was imminent with Russia.Citing the spread of the coronavirus and the omicron variant, the International Ice Hockey Federation's council determined the integrity of the event had been compromised by the forfeits.COLLEGE FOOTBALL-BOWL SCHEDULEClemson beats Iowa State; Maryland routs Va. Tech.UNDATED (AP) — Kennedy Brooks ran for 142 yards and three touchdowns as No. 14 Oklahoma rode a dominant first half to beat No. 15 Oregon 47-32 in the Alamo Bowl. Caleb Williams threw three touchdown passes and the Sooners gave interim coach Bob Stoops career win No. 191 and a special family moment when he hugged son Drake, an Oklahoma wide receiver, after a first-half touchdown. Oregon rallied with three touchdowns in the third quarter but couldn't stop the Sooners' offense late.In other college football bowl games:— No. 19 Clemson beat Iowa State 20-13 in the Cheez-It Bowl for coach Dabo Swinney's 150th victory. D.J. Uiagalelei completed 21 of 32 passes for 187 yards and Mario Goodrich scored on an 18-yard interception return, while Will Shipley had a 12-yard touchdown run and finished with 61 yards rushing and 53 yards receiving for Clemson. — Taulia Tagovailoa (tuhng-ah-vy-LOH'-ah) threw touchdown passes of 70 and 32 yards to Darryl Jones, and Maryland routed Virginia Tech 54-10 in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Tagovailoa was named the game's MVP, finishing with 265 yards passing and his 26 touchdown passes this season tied the Maryland single-season record.NFL-NEWSPanthers bench Newton, will start Darnold at QB vs. SaintsUNDATED (AP) — Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule says Sam Darnold will start at quarterback on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints instead of 2015 league MVP Cam Newton. Newton is 0-5 as Carolina's starting quarterback this year and has lost 13 straight starts as the Panthers starting QB dating back to the 2018 season.Darnold started the season 3-0 but has a 1-5 record in his last six starts. He led the Panthers to a 26-7 win over the Saints in Week 2, completing 26 of 38 passes for 305 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.In other NFL news:— 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo won't need surgery on his injured right thumb despite a chip of the bone and a torn ligament. It remains unclear if he will be able to start this week against Houston, when they have a chance to clinch a playoff spot. Garoppolo played through the injury during a loss last Thursday and says he knows what the pain feels like. He says it comes down to "being confident" and able to do what he normally does with the football. — Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was limited at practice Wednesday, but that's a step in the right direction after he missed two straight games with an ankle injury. Tyler Huntley, who played two weekends ago in Jackson's place but missed last weekend's game after landing on the COVID-19 list, is still on that list. But, he's expected back soon. — The Denver Broncos are preparing for quarterback Drew Lock to make his second straight start in place of Teddy Bridgewater when the Broncos visit the Chargers. Coach Vic Fangio says Bridgewater remains in concussion protocol.— Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields was feeling good enough to practice after missing a game because of an ankle injury. His status for Sunday remains unclear.— New York Jets coach Robert Saleh has cleared COVID-19 protocols and returned to run practice for the first time since testing positive for the coronavirus. The Jets also got nine players back from the COVID-19 list. Buffalo also had a few key players activated, including two of their top wide receivers in Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis. Other star players returning are Minnesota running back Dalvin Cook, Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, New Orleans quarterback Taysom Hill, Houston wide receiver Brandin Cooks and Chargers linebacker Joey Bosa.AP FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEARCandace Parker voted AP Female Athlete of Year for 2nd timeUNDATED (AP) — Candace Parker staved off Father Time to help the Chicago Sky win the franchise's first WNBA championship and capped off 2021 by being named The Associated Press' Female Athlete of the Year for a second time.Parker also won the AP award her rookie year with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2008, when she was honored as the WNBA's MVP and top rookie. She helped Tennessee win the national championship that year. The 35-year-old Parker is now a working mom in the twilight of her playing career who also is a basketball analyst for TNT.MLB-KYLE SEAGER-RETIREMENTKyle Seager retires after 11 seasons with MarinersSEATTLE (AP) — Kyle Seager has announced his retirement after 11 seasons in the majors, all with the Seattle Mariners. The 34-year-old free agent chose to call it a career rather than test the open market amid the uncertainty created by the ongoing lockout. Seager's retirement is a bit surprising considering he's coming off one of the best seasons of his career. He hit a career-high 35 home runs and had a career-best 101 RBIs last season. <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.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Sports Headlines for Thursday

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Due to COVID-19 related issues within the North Florida program, Kansas State's men's basketball game scheduled for tonight (December 29) against the Ospreys has been canceled. The game will not be rescheduled. Ticket purchasers for Wednesday's canceled game will receive additional information from the K-State Athletics Ticket Office via email. The Wildcats' next home game will be with No. 17/18 Texas (10-2) at 6 p.m., on Tuesday, January 4, 2022. Tickets start at just $1 for Dollar Night in Bramlage Coliseum. Tickets can be purchased by visiting k-statesports.com, calling (800) 221.CATS, or by visiting the Bramlage Coliseum ticket office in person from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., CT, Monday through Friday.&nbsp; K-State will open Big 12 play at Oklahoma (10-2) on Saturday night at 7 p.m., CT on ESPNU.&nbsp;&nbsp;

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Due to COVID-19 related issues within the North Florida program, Kansas State's men's basketball game scheduled for tonight (December 29) against the Ospreys has been canceled. The game will not be rescheduled. Ticket purchasers for Wednesday's canceled game will receive additional information from the K-State Athletics Ticket Office via email. The Wildcats' next home game will be with No. 17/18 Texas (10-2) at 6 p.m., on Tuesday, January 4, 2022. Tickets start at just $1 for Dollar Night in Bramlage Coliseum. Tickets can be purchased by visiting k-statesports.com, calling (800) 221.CATS, or by visiting the Bramlage Coliseum ticket office in person from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., CT, Monday through Friday.&nbsp; K-State will open Big 12 play at Oklahoma (10-2) on Saturday night at 7 p.m., CT on ESPNU.&nbsp;&nbsp;

BREAKING NEWS: Tonight’s Men’s Basketball Game vs. North Florida Canceled

Minnesota beats West Virginia 18-6 in Guaranteed Rate Bowl

PHOENIX (AP) — Ky Thomas ran for 144 yards and a touchdown, Mar'Kiese Irving added 129 yards rushing and Minnesota shut down West Virginia to win the Guaranteed Rate Bowl 18-6. Thomas and Irving became the Gophers' 1-2 punch after Mohamed Ibrahim and Trey Potts sustained season-ending injuries. The two running backs carried most of the load offensively against West Virginia, accounting for 273 of Minnesota's 358 total yards. The Gophers overwhelmed the Mountaineers defensively, holding them to 206 total yards to win their fifth straight bowl game, third under coach P.J. Fleck.

Air Force uses rare passing game to win First Responder Bowl

DALLAS (AP) — Haaziq Daniels passed for two touchdowns and ran for two others as Air Force beat Louisville 31-28 in the First Responder Bowl at SMU's home field in Dallas. Daniels completed 9 of 10 passes for a season-high 252 yards leading a triple-option offense that came into the game averaging an FBS-best 340.8 rushing yards and the second-fewest passing yards at 82.5 per game. Malik Cunningham threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Harrell and ran for a 22-yard touchdown with 2:57 to play for Louisville.

Smith leads Texas Tech past Leach's Bulldogs in Liberty Bowl

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Donovan Smith threw for 252 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score, and Texas Tech beat Mississippi State 34-7 in the Liberty Bowl. Tahj Brooks rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown and SaRodorick Thompson ran for 80 yards and a score for the Red Raiders, who finished with a winning record for the first time since 2015. They were appearing in their first bowl game since 2017. Mississippi State fell short in coach Mike Leach's first game against a former program of his. Leach went 84-43 at Texas Tech from 2000-09.

No. 21 Houston edges Auburn 17-13 in Birmingham Bowl

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Jake Herslow caught a 26-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass from Clayton Tune with 3:27 left to help lift No. 21 Houston to a 17-13 victory over Auburn in the Birmingham Bowl. The Cougars marched 80 yards on eight plays to cap the third season in program history with at least 12 wins. They snapped a four-game bowl losing streak. The Tigers ended a season, coach Bryan Harsin's first, with five straight losses for the first time in 71 years. Game MVP Tune completed 26 of 40 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, while also rushing for 43 yards.

<h2>Minnesota beats West Virginia 18-6 in Guaranteed Rate Bowl</h2>By JOHN MARSHALL AP Sports WriterPHOENIX (AP) — Ky Thomas ran for 144 yards and a touchdown, Mar'Kiese Irving added 129 yards rushing and Minnesota shut down West Virginia to win the Guaranteed Rate Bowl 18-6. Thomas and Irving became the Gophers' 1-2 punch after Mohamed Ibrahim and Trey Potts sustained season-ending injuries. The two running backs carried most of the load offensively against West Virginia, accounting for 273 of Minnesota's 358 total yards. The Gophers overwhelmed the Mountaineers defensively, holding them to 206 total yards to win their fifth straight bowl game, third under coach P.J. Fleck.<h2>Air Force uses rare passing game to win First Responder Bowl</h2>DALLAS (AP) — Haaziq Daniels passed for two touchdowns and ran for two others as Air Force beat Louisville 31-28 in the First Responder Bowl at SMU's home field in Dallas. Daniels completed 9 of 10 passes for a season-high 252 yards leading a triple-option offense that came into the game averaging an FBS-best 340.8 rushing yards and the second-fewest passing yards at 82.5 per game. Malik Cunningham threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Harrell and ran for a 22-yard touchdown with 2:57 to play for Louisville.<h2>Smith leads Texas Tech past Leach's Bulldogs in Liberty Bowl</h2>By PHIL STUKENBORG Associated PressMEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Donovan Smith threw for 252 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score, and Texas Tech beat Mississippi State 34-7 in the Liberty Bowl. Tahj Brooks rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown and SaRodorick Thompson ran for 80 yards and a score for the Red Raiders, who finished with a winning record for the first time since 2015. They were appearing in their first bowl game since 2017. Mississippi State fell short in coach Mike Leach's first game against a former program of his. Leach went 84-43 at Texas Tech from 2000-09.<h2>No. 21 Houston edges Auburn 17-13 in Birmingham Bowl</h2>By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports WriterBIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Jake Herslow caught a 26-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass from Clayton Tune with 3:27 left to help lift No. 21 Houston to a 17-13 victory over Auburn in the Birmingham Bowl. The Cougars marched 80 yards on eight plays to cap the third season in program history with at least 12 wins. They snapped a four-game bowl losing streak. The Tigers ended a season, coach Bryan Harsin's first, with five straight losses for the first time in 71 years. Game MVP Tune completed 26 of 40 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, while also rushing for 43 yards.

NCAA Football Bowl Game results from Tuesday

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<h2>College Basketball Scores</h2>Tuesday, Dec. 28EASTMaryland 76, Lehigh 55Notre Dame 68, Pittsburgh 67SOUTHJacksonville St. 123, Carver 59MIDWESTDrake 82, Mount Marty 53Hope 89, North Central College 84, OTMarietta 78, Chicago 65St. Mary's (Minn.) 83, Wis.-Superior 78SOUTHWESTBaylor 104, Northwestern St. 68Cincinnati 2, Houston 0Texas 78, Incarnate Word 33Texas Tech 75, Alabama St. 53FAR WESTBoise St. 65, Fresno St. 55Cal Baptist 96, La Verne 41Gonzaga 93, North Alabama 63Linfield 77, Warner Pacific Knights 74Northwestern (Minn.) 85, Cal Lutheran 77Saint Mary's (Cal.) 87, Yale 60San Francisco 111, Academy of Art 78___<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.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;