Some high school basketball scores provided by Scorestream.com, https://scorestream.com/

Friday's ScoresBy The Associated PressBOYS PREP BASKETBALL=Class 1A Division I=State Semifinal=Olpe 75, Little River 66South Gray 69, Ness City 58Class 1A Division II=State Semifinal=Elyria Christian 55, Pawnee Heights 42Hanover 85, Northern Valley 58Class 3A=State Semifinal=Galena 48, Rock Creek 41Hesston 64, Hays-TMP-Marian 55Class 5A=State Semifinal=Maize 74, KC Washington 58Topeka West 61, DeSoto 57GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL=Class 2A=State Semifinal=Pittsburg Colgan 40, Valley Heights 38Sterling 69, Garden Plain 52Class 4A=State Semifinal=Bishop Miege 55, Andale 40McPherson 58, Louisburg 46Class 5A=State Semifinal=Andover Central 65, Salina Central 56Class 6A=State Semifinal=SM Northwest 59, Olathe West 45Topeka 54, Dodge City 37___Some high school basketball scores provided by Scorestream.com, https://scorestream.com/

🏀 Prep State Semi-Final Scores from Friday

With NFL free agency looming, it's time for releasing, restructuring, and trying to keep the best.

The Kansas City Chiefs are about $5 million over the salary cap approaching free agency, forcing them to make some crucial decisions even before they chase reinforcements, according to a report from the Associated Press.

On Thursday, the team reported that it had released tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz.

Tom Brady isn’t the only QB providing cap relief to his team; Patrick Mahomes is expected to do the same. Chiefs are expected to convert Mahomes’ $21.7 million roster bonus to a signing bonus in the coming days, which would save KC $17 million against the cap, per league sources.<a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1370449163855482889">12:58 PM · Mar 12, 2021</a>·<a href="https://help.twitter.com/using-twitter/how-to-tweet#source-labels" target="_blank">Twitter for iPhone</a>

If they accomplish creating enough cap room, the Chiefs will attempt to fortify an offensive line dominated by the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl along with adding depth at wide receiver and in the secondary, the Associated Press reported.

With NFL free agency looming, it's time for releasing, restructuring, and trying to keep the best.The Kansas City Chiefs are about $5 million over the salary cap approaching free agency, forcing them to make some crucial decisions even before they chase reinforcements, according to a report from the Associated Press.On Thursday, the team reported that it had released tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615637004827.png" alt="Schefter tweet.png" />
 <figcaption>Schefter tweet.png</figcaption>
 </figure>Tom Brady isn’t the only QB providing cap relief to his team; Patrick Mahomes is expected to do the same. Chiefs are expected to convert Mahomes’ $21.7 million roster bonus to a signing bonus in the coming days, which would save KC $17 million against the cap, per league sources.<a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1370449163855482889">12:58 PM · Mar 12, 2021</a>·<a href="https://help.twitter.com/using-twitter/how-to-tweet#source-labels" target="_blank">Twitter for iPhone</a>If they accomplish creating enough cap room, the Chiefs will attempt to fortify an offensive line dominated by the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl along with adding depth at wide receiver and in the secondary, the Associated Press reported.

🏈 Chiefs need salary cap space; report has Mahomes restructuring

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Tyson Etienne scored 20 points and hit a pair of foul shots with 8.9 seconds left to lift top seed Wichita State to a 68-67 win over ninth seed South Florida in the American Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Friday.

David Collins was called for a charge on the subsequent possession for the Bulls.

Alterique Gilbert had 12 points and Morris Udeze grabbed 11 rebounds for the Shockers.

Michael Durr had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulls (9-13). Justin Brown added 12 points. Xavier Castaneda had 11 points.

The Shockers take on the&nbsp; Cincinnati in a Saturday semifinal.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Tyson Etienne scored 20 points and hit a pair of foul shots with 8.9 seconds left to lift top seed Wichita State to a 68-67 win over ninth seed South Florida in the American Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Friday.David Collins was called for a charge on the subsequent possession for the Bulls.Alterique Gilbert had 12 points and Morris Udeze grabbed 11 rebounds for the Shockers.Michael Durr had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulls (9-13). Justin Brown added 12 points. Xavier Castaneda had 11 points.The Shockers take on the&nbsp; Cincinnati in a Saturday semifinal.

🏀 Etienne lifts Wichita St. over USF on late free throws

KANSAS CITY, Mo.&nbsp;– Due to a positive COVID-19 test this morning within the Kansas men’s basketball team, the Jayhawks have withdrawn from the 2021 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship.

Kansas will remain in Kansas City in preparation for the NCAA Tournament following the health and safety protocols set by Kansas Team Health. The team will continue to be tested daily per NCAA guidelines.

“Obviously we are disappointed and our players are disappointed that they can’t continue to compete for the Big 12 championship,” head coach Bill Self said. “While we have been fortunate to avoid this throughout the season, there are daily risks with this virus that everybody participating is trying to avoid. We have followed the daily testing and additional protocols that have been setup for us, unfortunately we caught a bad break at the wrong time. I look forward to preparing my team in probably a unique way for next week’s NCAA Tournament.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo.&nbsp;– Due to a positive COVID-19 test this morning within the Kansas men’s basketball team, the Jayhawks have withdrawn from the 2021 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship.Kansas will remain in Kansas City in preparation for the NCAA Tournament following the health and safety protocols set by Kansas Team Health. The team will continue to be tested daily per NCAA guidelines.“Obviously we are disappointed and our players are disappointed that they can’t continue to compete for the Big 12 championship,” head coach Bill Self said. “While we have been fortunate to avoid this throughout the season, there are daily risks with this virus that everybody participating is trying to avoid. We have followed the daily testing and additional protocols that have been setup for us, unfortunately we caught a bad break at the wrong time. I look forward to preparing my team in probably a unique way for next week’s NCAA Tournament.”

🏀 Kansas Men’s Basketball withdraws from the Big 12 Championship

AUDIO: Eagle Radio Sports for Friday

Wichita Campus 42, Lawrence Free State 37

Class 1A Division I State Semifinal

Class 1A Division II State Semifinal

Cunningham 52, St. John's Beloit-Tipton 31

3:00 Northern Valley (14-9) vs Hanover (22-1)

7:00 Pawnee-Heights (14-9) vs Elyria Christian (15-9)

3:00 Ness City (17-7) vs South Gray (23-0)

3:00 Sterling (23-1) vs Garden Plain (17-5)

7:00 Pittsburg-Colgan (18-3) vs Heights (21-1)

7:00 McPherson (20-3) vs Louisburg (19-4)

3:00 Maize (21-2) vs K.C. Washington (10-4)

7:00 Topeka West (20-2) vs De Soto (19-3)

3:00 Olathe West (15-5) vs SM Northwest (20-0)

BOYS PREP BASKETBALLClass 2A State SemifinalHillsboro 51, Lyndon 45Wabaunsee 73, Hoxie 56Class 4A State SemifinalBishop Miege 78, McPherson 51Louisburg 58, Augusta 55Class 6A State SemifinalBV North 71, Lawrence 63Wichita Campus 42, Lawrence Free State 37GIRLS PREP BASKETBALLClass 1A Division I State SemifinalNorwich 54, Doniphan West 49Olpe 38, Hodgeman County 21Class 1A Division II State SemifinalCentral Plains 50, Golden Plains 39Cunningham 52, St. John's Beloit-Tipton 31Class 3A State SemifinalCheney 62, Frontenac 46Sabetha 57, Hugoton 55Class 5A State SemifinalAndover Central 65, Salina Central 56St. Thomas Aquinas 64, Lansing 44Friday State Semi-Final ScheduleClass 1A-DII Boys @ Great Bend3:00 Northern Valley (14-9) vs Hanover (22-1)7:00 Pawnee-Heights (14-9) vs Elyria Christian (15-9)Championship Saturday at 6pmClass 1A-DI Boys @ Dodge City3:00 Ness City (17-7) vs South Gray (23-0)7:00 Little River (22-1) vs Olpe (16-3)Championship Saturday at 6pmClass 2A Girls @ Manhattan3:00 Sterling (23-1) vs Garden Plain (17-5)7:00 Pittsburg-Colgan (18-3) vs Heights (21-1)Championship Saturday at 6pmClass 3A Boys @ Hutchinson3:00 TMP (21-4) vs Hesston (21-1)7:00 Rock Creek (22-2) vs Galena (22-2)Championship Saturday at 6pmClass 4A Girls @ Salina3:00 Andale (18-5) vs SM Miege (21-1)7:00 McPherson (20-3) vs Louisburg (19-4)Championship Saturday at 6pmClass 5A Boys @ Emporia3:00 Maize (21-2) vs K.C. Washington (10-4)7:00 Topeka West (20-2) vs De Soto (19-3)Championship Saturday at 6pmClass 6A Girls @ Wichita3:00 Olathe West (15-5) vs SM Northwest (20-0)7:00 Dodge City (21-1) vs (22-1)Championship Saturday at 6pm

🏀 Prep State Scores and Schedule

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

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Dru Smith made two free throws with 15.2 seconds left, and the Missouri Tigers held off Georgia 73-70 to advance to the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Seventh-seeded Missouri (16-8) will play eighth-ranked Arkansas on Friday night. The Tigers led 62-50 and nearly blew that lead after failing to make a field goal after Jeremiah Tilmon's layup with 6:24 remaining. They missed their final six shots but made all nine free throws within the final five minutes. Tenth-seeded Georgia lost its third straight. The Bulldogs trailed 69-67 with 19.8 seconds remaining when Toumani Camara missed two free throws.&nbsp;

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ochai Agbaji scored a career-high 26 points, Marcus Garrett added 17, and No. 11 Kansas held on after blowing most of a 20-point halftime lead to beat No. 25 Oklahoma 69-62 in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. Mitch Lightfoot added 11 points for the No. 2 seed Jayhawks, who played without big man David McCormack and backup forward Tristan Enaruna. Both players were caught up in COVID-19 protocols leading up to the tournament. Kansas will play No. 13 Texas in the semifinals. Brady Manek and Austin Reaves scored 19 points apiece to lead Oklahoma.

NEW YORK (AP) — With coach Greg McDermott back on the bench after a one-game suspension, No. 17 Creighton cruised into the semifinals of the Big East Tournament with an 87-56 victory against Butler. The second-seeded Bluejays advanced to face No. 3 seed Connecticut on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Creighton is in the semifinals for the third time since joining the conference in 2013 and first time since 2017. Damien Jefferson scored 11 points in the first eight minutes and Marcus Zegarowski led the Bluejays with 18. Bryce Nze had 21 points to lead Butler, which trailed by 33 in the second half.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — MaCio Teague scored 24 points, Davion Mitchell added 23 and second-ranked Baylor held on to beat Kansas State 74-68 and avoid what would have been one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Big 12 Tournament. The top-seeded Bears didn't put the game away until Kansas State threw away a pass in the final minute with a chance to make it a one-possession game. The Bears advanced to play No. 12 Oklahoma State in the semifinals. Nijel Pack led the Wildcats with six 3-pointers and 18 points.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Gabbie Marshall scored 22 of her career-high 27 points by halftime, Monika Czinano and Caitlin Clark scored in bunches over the final two quarters and sixth-seeded Iowa knocked third-seeded and No. 19-ranked Rutgers out of the Big Ten tournament 73-62. Iowa will face seventh-seeded Michigan State, which had earlier upset No. 9-ranked Indiana, in a Friday semifinal. Czinano scored 12 of her 20 in the second half on 6-of-9 shooting, and Clark scored 14 of her 21 in the second half. The trio accounted for all but five of Iowa's points. Clark also had 10 assists for her eighth double-double. Diamond Johnson tied her career high with 26 points and added eight rebounds and five steals for the Scarlet Knights. Arella Guirantes poured in 20 points.&nbsp;

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Lauren Heard scored 26 points, Tavy Diggs added a career-high 20 and TCU survived a furious Kansas rally in the fourth quarter to win 75-72 in the opener of Big 12 Tournament. Yummy Morris added 15 points for TCU, the eighth seed, which plays top seed and No. 6-ranked Baylor in a quarterfinal on Friday. TCU led by 16 early in the fourth quarter but Kansas got within a point going into the final minute but didn't score again. Holly Kersgieter scored 22 points and Ioanna Chatzileonti added a career-high 18 points plus 13 rebounds for Kansas.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Emmett Jones will serve as the interim football coach at Kansas as the beleaguered school searches for a new athletic director and head football coach following a scandal-plagued week. Jones is entering his third season with the Jayhawks, serving first as the wide receivers coach and most recently as the passing game coordinator. He also has coached at Texas Tech along with several high schools in Texas.

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals optioned pitchers Scott Blewett and Ronald Bolanos, outfielder Edwards Olivares and catcher Meibrys Viloria to Triple-A Omaha on Thursday night as they began to pare down their roster for opening day. Blewett and Bolanos were both competing for a spot in the crowded Kansas City bullpen after pitching in two games apiece last season. Olivares appeared in 18 games and Viloria in 15 games as backups last season.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Second-ranked Baylor and No. 12 Oklahoma State both survived close calls before earning the right to square off in the Big 12 semifinals.

The Bears advanced by holding off Kansas State, 74-68. MaCio Teague scored 24 points and Davion Mitchell had 23, but Baylor couldn't pull away after beating the Wildcats by an average of 40 points in their two regular-season meetings. Jared Butler sealed it with two free throws and finished with 18 points.

The Cowboys escaped with a 72-69 win over No. 10 West Virginia. Avery Anderson III hit the go-ahead bucket for the Cowboys with less than a minute to go, and Sean McNeil's tying 3-pointer came a split-second after the final buzzer. Anderson and Big 12 player of the year Cade Cunningham had 17 points apiece for the fifth-seeded Cowboys, who have won seven of their last eight games.

— Ochai Agbaji scored a career-high 26 points, Marcus Garrett added 17, and 11th-ranked Kansas held on after blowing most of a 20-point halftime lead to beat No. 25 Oklahoma 69-62. 

— Matt Coleman scored 19 points, including the go-ahead free throws with 1.8 seconds left, and No. 13 Texas rallied in the closing minutes to beat No. 20 Texas Tech 67-66.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Ohio State ended a four-game losing streak and advanced to the Big Ten semifinals.

Duane Washington Jr. and Justice Sueing each scored 16 points and the ninth-ranked Buckeyes fended off Minnesota's late charge to win 79-75.

Ohio State scored the game's first 13 points and led by 14 with 3:24 remaining before the Gophers went on an 18-5 run to get within one.

— Aleem Ford scored 17 points and No. 6 seed Wisconsin made a stop on the last play to escape with a 75-74 win over No. 11 seed Penn State.

— Eric Ayala scored 21 points, Aaron Wiggins added 19 and Maryland dominated Michigan State in the second half to take a 68-57 win. 

— Ron Harper Jr. and Jacob Young scored 13 points each as Rutgers dispatched Indiana, 61-50. 

NEW YORK (AP) — The top seed is done at the Big East tourney. 

Dante Harris capped his 18-point performance by hitting two free throws with 4.7 seconds left to give Georgetown a 72-71 win against Villanova. The foul shots capped a perfect game from the line for the Hoyas, who went 23-for-23 to become the first team to shoot 100% on at least 20 attempts in the tournament.

The free throws ended the Wildcats' string of three straight Big East tourney titles. 

— With coach Greg McDermott back on the bench after a one-game suspension, No. 17 Creighton cruised into the semifinals with an 87-56 victory against Butler. Damien Jefferson scored 11 points in the first eight minutes and Marcus Zegarowski led the Bluejays with 18. 

— Jared Rhoden hit six free throws in overtime to finish with 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, leading Seton Hall past St. John's 77-69. 

— UConn won its first Big East tourney game in eight years as Tyrese Martin had 14 points and 10 rebounds in a 94-60 dismantling of DePaul. 

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Duke's run through the ACC tournament has been ended by the pandemic.

The Blue Devils have pulled out of the event because of a positive coronavirus test and the resulting quarantining and contact tracing. The ACC announced that Duke's game with Florida State was canceled, allowing the Seminoles to advance. It also puts the Blue Devils' streak of 24 consecutive NCAA Tournaments is in jeopardy. 

—Reece Beekman hit a 3-pointer as time expired to help No. 16 Virginia edge eighth-seeded Syracuse 72-69.

— Armando Bacot had 17 points and 13 rebounds while sparking a second-half surge that helped North Carolina beat No. 22 Virginia Tech 81-73.

— Jordan Usher scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half, including a game-clinching dunk as Georgia Tech ended Miami's tournament run, 70-66.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Kentucky's men's basketball season is over.

The Wildcats finish 9-16 by dropping a 74-73 decision to Mississippi St. in the second round of the SEC tourney. Iverson Molinar scored eight of his 21 points in the final 3:07 to erase the Bulldogs' five-point deficit. Mississippi State made just 3 of 14 from 3-point range until Molinar sank 3s on two straight possessions to retake the lead at 72-71.

— Jarkel Joiner scored 18 points, Romello White had 17, seven rebounds and three blocks, and Mississippi beat South Carolina 76-59.

— Xavier Pinson provided 17 points and Dru Smith made two free throws with 15.2 seconds left to lift Missouri over Georgia, 73-70. 

— Tre Mann scored 22 points and Noah Locke added 13 as Florida held off Vanderbilt 69-63. 

UNDATED (AP) — The MVP of last weekend's NBA All-Star is off to a great start in the second half of the season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo posted his fifth triple-double of the season to help the Milwaukee Bucks trounce the New York Knicks 134-101.

Antetokounmpo had 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in 29 minutes as the Bucks handed the Knicks their most one-sided loss of the season. The Bucks shot 57.5% against New York, which entered the night leading the NBA in scoring defense, field-goal percentage defense and 3-point percentage defense.

The Bucks have won seven of their last eight and now prepare to begin a three-game road swing.

Checking out Thursday's other NBA action:

— Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points in three quarters and the Los Angeles Clippers routed Golden State 130-104 Thursday night, sending the Warriors to their season-worst fourth consecutive loss. Paul George added 17 points and Serge Ibaka had 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Clippers, who ended their own three-game skid to begin the second half of the season. Warriors guard Steph Curry was held to 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting.

— Tobias Harris scored 24 points and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls 127-105 despite missing stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons for contact tracing. Dwight Howard scored a season-high 18 and grabbed 12 rebounds. Furkan Korkmaz added 16 points, and Tony Bradley scored a season-high 14 on 7-for-7 shooting. 

— Kyrie Irving scored 40 points to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 121-109 victory over the Boston Celtics. James Harden had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Brooklyn, which improved to 25-13 with its 12th win in 13 games. Landry Shamet added 18 points and fellow reserve Jeff Green finished with 11. Jayson Tatum scored 31 points but Boston had its four-game winning streak snapped. 

— Devin Booker returned from the knee injury that kept him out of the All-Star Game to score 35 points and the Phoenix Suns beat the Portland Trail Blazers 127-121 for their fifth straight victory. Chris Paul added 19 points for Phoenix. Second in the NBA behind the Utah Jazz, the Suns have won 14 of their last 16 games. 

— Jimmy Butler scored 27 points and added 11 assists, Kelly Olynyk scored 20 and the Miami Heat beat the Orlando Magic 111-103 to move over the .500 mark for the first time this season. Tyler Herro scored 17 points, Kendrick Nunn had 13 and Goran Dragic added 11 for the Heat, who pulled away in the final 6 minutes. All-Star Nikola Vucevic finished with 24 points and a game-high 17 rebounds for the Magic, who have dropped six straight. 

— Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder held on for a 116-108 victory against a Dallas Mavericks team that rested Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. The Thunder made five of their first six 3-point attempts and built a 35-19 advantage after one quarter, then held off a late Dallas rally. Oklahoma City outrebounded Dallas 21-5 in the first period and finished the half making 10 of its 14 3-point attempts. 

— P.J Washington had 20 points and nine rebounds, Terry Rozier hit some big shots down the stretch and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Detroit Pistons 105-102 to get back to .500 for the first time since Jan. 13. Rozier and Gordon Hayward each scored 17 points and Cody Zeller chipped in with 15 points and a key rebound for Charlotte. Jerami Grant had 32 points on 11-of-24 shooting for the Pistons.

— The Timberwolves clobbered the Pelicans, 135-105 as Jaylen Nowell hit six 3-pointers on his way to a career-best 28 points. Top overall draft choice Anthony Edwards scored 27 points and the Wolves rallied from an early 16-point deficit. Rookie Jadden McDaniels hit his first four 3s and finished with a career-high 20 points for Minnesota, which won for just the eighth time this season — and second time against New Orleans.

— De'Aaron Fox had 30 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, and the Sacramento Kings sent the Houston Rockets to their 14th consecutive loss, 125-105. Buddy Hield added 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds for Sacramento, which had dropped 11 of 13 before the All-Star break. Victor Oladipo had 23 points and eight assists but couldn't help Houston end its longest losing streak in nearly two decades.

— Tony Snell hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer and the Atlanta Hawks came back from a 15-point deficit in the final six minutes to beat the Toronto Raptors 121-120. Trae Young scored 37 points for the Hawks, who won their third straight. Norman Powell scored 33 points for Toronto and Chris Boucher had another big game off the bench with 29 points and nine rebounds. 

Chiefs cut starting OTs Fisher, Schwartz to save cap space

UNDATED (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have released starting offensive tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz as they try to squeeze under the salary cap. 

The moves Thursday will provide another obstacle in their quest to upgrade an offensive line ransacked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs were more than $22 million over the cap of $182.5 million that was set Wednesday. 

The release of Fisher and Schwartz saves about $18.3 million, leaving them able to restructure other contracts — and potentially extend players — and create enough financial wiggle room to maneuver in free agency.

— New Houston Texans coach David Culley reiterated Thursday that the team has no intention of trading Deshaun Watson despite the star quarterback's request to be dealt. Culley, who was hired in January to replace Bill O'Brien, was asked more than a half-dozen times about Watson's future with the team and every time he made it clear that he expects Watson to be Houston's quarterback this season. Culley says: "He is our quarterback." 

— The Chicago Bears have rewarded kicker Cairo Santos for a club-record season by agreeing to a five-year, $16 million contract, according to a person familiar with the situation. Santos took advantage of his opportunity after Eddy Pineiro injured his groin in August, making 30 of 32 field goals and 36 of 37 extra points. He set a franchise record for consecutive field goals made and gave the Bears the stability they'd been seeking since they cut Robbie Gould before the 2016 season. 

—The Buffalo Bills have re-signed linebacker Matt Milano to a four-year contract less than a week before the starter was eligible to become a free agent. The signing comes a day after the Bills freed up more than $14.4 million in space under the salary cap by releasing receiver John Brown and defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson. 

—Thomas Davis and Greg Olsen, two beloved NFL players who developed into iconic figures in the Charlotte community, officially retired together on Thursday as members of the Carolina Panthers. Davis and Olsen signed one-day contracts with the Panthers and were honored jointly during a 90-minute virtual ceremony at Bank of America Stadium that was broadcast live on the team's website. Panthers owner David Tepper said they are "family" to the people in Charlotte and welcomed them back home.

UNDATED (AP) — It's a seven-game winning streak for the New York Islanders following a 5-3 win over the New Jersey Devils.

The Isles received production from their blueline as Adam Pelech and Noah Dobson scored, while Ryan Pulock collected two assists in the Islanders' first game in front of home fans in over a year.

Matt Martin, Josh Bailey and Brock Nelson also tallied for New York, which kept its two-point lead over the Washington Capitals atop the East Division. 

The Isles remain the only NHL team without a regulation home loss.

The Caps kept pace as Alex Ovechkin scored his 715th career goal to help them win their third straight game, 5-3 over the Philadelphia Flyers. Ovechkin moved two goals shy of matching Phil Esposito for sixth on the NHL's career goals list. 

Conor Sheary, John Carlson and Nic Dowd scored three straight goals to build a 4-1 cushion and help the Capitals win for the seventh time in the last eight games. 

— Anthony Mantha scored a tiebreaking goal late in the first period and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-4. Brayden Point scored twice in a 1:14 stretch late in the game to pull the Lightning within one before they gave up an empty-net goal to Vladislav Namestnikov. Tampa Bay entered the game 19-0-1 against the Red Wings over the last five years, and its 20-game point streak was the longest in franchise history against a team.

— Morgan Geekie scored his first two goals of the season and the Carolina Hurricanes used a rapid-fire scoring spree in the first period to defeat the Nashville Predators 5-1. Brock McGinn, Dougie Hamilton and Martin Necas also scored for the Hurricanes, who have won seven games in a row. James Reimer made 15 of his 32 saves in the first period and was denied his first shutout of the season when Nick Cousins scored with 4:32 left.

— Frank Vatrano scored 2:48 into overtime, Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves and the Florida Panthers beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4 on Thursday night to sweep a two-game series. The Panthers scored three times in the third period to erase a 4-1 deficit before Vatrano tipped in a rebounded shot from Jonathan Huberdeau to win it. Patric Hornqvist, Ryan Lomberg, Owen Tippett and Aleksander Barkov also scored for the Panthers, who have won four of five.

— Jake DeBrusk returned after being benched one game for lack of effort and scored his first goal in almost a month, chasing Rangers goalie Alexandar Georgiev early in the second period and leading the Boston Bruins to a 4-0 victory. David Krejci scored his first goal of the season and Brad Marchand had two assists — one of them after sliding the puck through his own skates to set up Patrice Bergeron's short-handed goal. David Pastrnak also scored for Boston, and Jaroslav Halak stopped 28 shots for his second shutout of the year.

— Evgeni Malkin had a goal and assist and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the free-falling Buffalo Sabres 5-2 for their fourth straight victory. Jake Guentzel scored the go-ahead goal on the power play with 8:24 left in the second period. Brandon Tanev, Anthony Angelo and Bryan Rust also scored in a game the Penguins never trailed. 

— Carl Soderberg and Alex DeBrincat scored power-play goals in the second period and the Chicago Blackhawks scored on four of their first eight shots in a 4-2 victory over the Dallas Stars. Thirty-seven-year-old defenseman Duncan Keith had his first goal in exactly a calendar year, Dominik Kubalik also scored and rookie Kevin Lankinen made 28 saves.

— Auston Matthews scored his NHL-leading 21st goal of the season 59 seconds into overtime and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 to snap a three-game losing streak. Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Ilya Mikheyev scored in regulation to help Toronto regain the overall NHL lead at 19-7-2. Frederik Andersen made 23 saves, and Matthews and Marner each added an assist.

— Josh Leivo scored twice and Calgary beat the Montreal Canadiens 2-1. Jacob Markstrom stopped 17 shots, and Derek Ryan and Sam Bennett assisted on both of Leivo's goals. Corey Perry scored for Montreal, which is 3-2-3 since Dominique Ducharme replaced the fired Claude Julien on Feb. 24.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jordan Binnington has signed a six-year, $36 million contract extension with the St. Louis Blues, less than two years after backstopping them to their first Stanley Cup title in franchise history.

The 27-year-old Binnington is in his third season in St. Louis and played a key role in the Blues making a run from last place in the standings to winning the championship in the 2018-19 season. He won his first career start in January 2019 and finished the season with a 24-5-1 record.

Sports Headlines for Friday

KANSAS CITY&nbsp;– No. 11 Kansas led for all but 2:30 to defeat Oklahoma, 69-62, in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Quarterfinals on Thursday, led by junior Ochai Agbaji’s career-high 26 points.

Kansas improves to 20-8 (12-6 Big 12) to advance to the Big 12 Championship Semifinals, where it will take on the winner of Texas vs. Texas Tech on Friday at 8:30 p.m. (CT) on ESPN or ESPN2.

The win gives the Jayhawks their 20th&nbsp;win of the season, marking the 32nd&nbsp;consecutive season Kansas recorded 20 or more victories in a season, dating back to 1989-90.

Kansas jumped out the gate early on Oklahoma, leading by as many as 23 in the first half. The Jayhawks would go into the locker room with a 20-point advantage, 35-15, marking their fourth time this season that KU led by 20 or more at the break.

Oklahoma marched back in the second, drawing to within five points with 9:12 remaining. Agbaji went off by scoring 14 consecutive points for the Jayhawks, including three consecutive 3-pointers to put KU up, 62-54 with 5:34 left in the game.

The Sooners continued to battle with the Jayhawks over the final five minutes, drawing to within three points at 62-59 with 3:29 remaining.

Kansas would go on to hold off Oklahoma, 69-62, led by three players in double-figures scoring, including Agbaji (26) Marcus Garrett (17) and Mitch Lightfoot (11). The Jayhawks shot 46% (26-of-56) from the field in the game.

The Jayhawks relied on the bench down the stretch on Thursday, scoring 15 points off the bench, including Lightfoot’s 11 points and four points from redshirt freshman Dajuan Harris. Harris added four steals tying his career high.

Playing in front of his hometown crowd, Ochai Agbaji helped the Jayhawks hold off a strong second half for Oklahoma, scoring 14 consecutive points, including three 3-pointers to help KU gain a 62-54 advantage with 5:34 left in the game. Agbaji’s run proved influential down the stretch, as Kansas held off Oklahoma, 62-69.

The Jayhawks will play the winner of the Texas-Texas Tech contest on Friday, March 12 at 8:30 p.m. Kansas is 22-16 all-time in league tournament semifinals, including 14-6 in the Big 12 Championship.

KANSAS CITY&nbsp;– No. 11 Kansas led for all but 2:30 to defeat Oklahoma, 69-62, in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Quarterfinals on Thursday, led by junior Ochai Agbaji’s career-high 26 points.Kansas improves to 20-8 (12-6 Big 12) to advance to the Big 12 Championship Semifinals, where it will take on the winner of Texas vs. Texas Tech on Friday at 8:30 p.m. (CT) on ESPN or ESPN2.The win gives the Jayhawks their 20th&nbsp;win of the season, marking the 32nd&nbsp;consecutive season Kansas recorded 20 or more victories in a season, dating back to 1989-90.Kansas jumped out the gate early on Oklahoma, leading by as many as 23 in the first half. The Jayhawks would go into the locker room with a 20-point advantage, 35-15, marking their fourth time this season that KU led by 20 or more at the break.Oklahoma marched back in the second, drawing to within five points with 9:12 remaining. Agbaji went off by scoring 14 consecutive points for the Jayhawks, including three consecutive 3-pointers to put KU up, 62-54 with 5:34 left in the game.The Sooners continued to battle with the Jayhawks over the final five minutes, drawing to within three points at 62-59 with 3:29 remaining.Kansas would go on to hold off Oklahoma, 69-62, led by three players in double-figures scoring, including Agbaji (26) Marcus Garrett (17) and Mitch Lightfoot (11). The Jayhawks shot 46% (26-of-56) from the field in the game.The Jayhawks relied on the bench down the stretch on Thursday, scoring 15 points off the bench, including Lightfoot’s 11 points and four points from redshirt freshman Dajuan Harris. Harris added four steals tying his career high.MOMENT OF THE GAMEPlaying in front of his hometown crowd, Ochai Agbaji helped the Jayhawks hold off a strong second half for Oklahoma, scoring 14 consecutive points, including three 3-pointers to help KU gain a 62-54 advantage with 5:34 left in the game. Agbaji’s run proved influential down the stretch, as Kansas held off Oklahoma, 62-69.NOTES<ul>
 <li>Kansas improves to 3-1 in neutral games this season.</li><li>Kansas is now 20-8, giving KU 20 victories for the 32nd consecutive season beginning in 1989-90.</li><li>The Jayhawks also improved to 21-3 in Big 12 Championship Quarterfinal games.</li><li>Kansas held Oklahoma to just 15 points in the first half, the fewest points allowed in a half all season. The Jayhawks also led by 20 points, marking the fourth time this season Kansas led by 20 or more at the break.</li><li>Junior Ochai Agbaji made his 75th consecutive start on Thursday night, which ranks him 12th in KU history on the consecutive start list. The next highest is No. 11 Greg Dreiling who started 78 consecutive games from 1984-86.</li><li>Ochai Agbaji scored a career-high 26 points on 9-of-14 from the field and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, surpassing his previous high of 24 points set against Texas on January 29, 2019. Agbaji’s 26 points marks his second 20-point game this season and 20th of his career.</li><li>Senior Marcus Garrett scored 17 points on Thursday, marking his 13th game this season in double figures, including his third-straight and fifth in his last six games.</li><li>Senior Mitch Lightfoot scored 11 points on 5-of-10 from the field, marking the second most points he scored this season, behind his career-high 14 points against Omaha on Dec. 11.</li>
 </ul>UP NEXTThe Jayhawks will play the winner of the Texas-Texas Tech contest on Friday, March 12 at 8:30 p.m. Kansas is 22-16 all-time in league tournament semifinals, including 14-6 in the Big 12 Championship.

🏀 Kansas overpowers Oklahoma, 69-62, advances to Big 12 Semifinals

KANSAS CITY, Mo.&nbsp;– Kansas State went toe-to-toe with one of the nation's top-ranked team for nearly 40 minutes before succumbing to top-seed and No. 2/2 Baylor, 74-68, in the quarterfinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championships on Thursday afternoon at the T-Mobile Center. The Wildcats (9-20) trailed just 55-52 after freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7431">Nijel Pack</a>&nbsp;drained a 3-pointer with 10:07 to play, but the veteran Bears (22-1) rattled off 8 of the next 9 points to push the lead into double figures at 63-53 and then held off a late rally by the Wildcats to secure the win in the waning minutes. The All-American backcourt of senior&nbsp;MaCio Teague&nbsp;(24) and juniors&nbsp;Davion Mitchell&nbsp;(23) and&nbsp;Jared Butler&nbsp;(18) combined for 65 of Baylor's 74 points on 23-of-40 field goals, including 8-of-20 from 3-point range. The trio helped the Bears connect on 53.1 percent (26-of-49) from the field, including 40.9 percent (9-of-22) from long range. K-State was led by its young core of freshmen&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7426">Davion Bradford</a>&nbsp;(18) and Pack (18) as well as sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7422">DaJuan Gordon</a>&nbsp;(15) who combined for 51 points on 17-of-31 field goals. Bradford scored 15 of his team-high 18 points in the first half, in which, the Wildcats trailed just 36-34 at halftime. Pack scored all 18 of his points from beyond the arc, knocking down six 3-pointers, which were the most by a Wildcat in more than 15 years at the Big 12 Championship since&nbsp;Lance Harris&nbsp;had seven against Kansas on March 11, 2005. K-State finished at 40.7 percent (22-of-54) from the field, including 40 percent (8-of-20) from 3-point range. The team opened the game by shooting 46.2 percent (12-of-26) in the first half, but the Bears changed their defense at halftime and held them to just 35.7 percent (10-of-28) in the second half. The game was a microcosm of the improvement that the young Wildcats have made in the last month, in which, they have recovered from a 13-game losing streak to win 4 of their last 6 games with both losses coming to Top 15 foes West Virginia and Baylor. Blown out twice by the Bears in the regular season, including a school-record 48-point loss in Waco on January 27, the Wildcats held multiple leads in the game, including 42-41 with just over 17 minutes to play. However, the more experienced Bears found an answer down the stretch. Baylor now moves on to the semifinals to play No. 5 seed Oklahoma State (19-7) on Friday. KEY STRETCH(ES) K-State got down as much as 7 points early, but rallied behind the play of reserve&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7432">Rudi Williams</a>, whose 3-pointer ignited a 7-0 run that tied the game at 16-all midway through the first half. Baylor went back ahead on the next possession behind a 3-pointer from junior&nbsp;Matthew Mayer, but the Wildcats rallied to tie it at 25-all on a 3-pointer from freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7431">Nijel Pack</a>&nbsp;with 5:59 before halftime. However, the Bears responded with a pair of timely triples from&nbsp;Davion Mitchell&nbsp;and&nbsp;MaCio Teague&nbsp;less than a minute later. The Wildcats continued to battle the rest of the half, closing to within a possession multiple times down the stretch before trailing 36-34 at the halftime break. The two teams traded the lead in the opening moments of the second half, including consecutive 3-pointers by Pack and layup by fellow freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7430">Selton Miguel</a>, which gave K-State a 42-41 lead with 17:01 to play. However, a 10-2 run by Baylor pushed the lead to 51-44 capped by a Mitchell 3-pointer to force a timeout by head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1566">Bruce Weber</a>&nbsp;with 13:19 remaining. Another 3-pointer by Pack gave the Wildcats a spark out of the timeout and start an 8-4 run that closed the gap to 55-52 midway through the second half. But once again, the Bears had a response, scoring 8 of the next 9 points to push the lead into double figures at 63-53 with 7:50 to play. The resilient Wildcats had one last rally in them, closing the deficit to 70-66 on Pack's sixth 3-pointer of the game with just over a minute to play. A bad pass by Pack ended any chance to cut the lead even further, as the Bears hit 4 free throws in the last 18 seconds to stave off the upset and earn the 74-68 victory. PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7426">Davion Bradford</a>&nbsp;tied his career-high with 18 points on 6-of-9 field goals and a 6-of-8 effort from the free throw line in just over 30 minutes. It marked his fourth time leading the team in scoring. Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7431">Nijel Pack</a>&nbsp;tied Bradford with a team-high 18 points on 6-of-11 field goals, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range, in 33 minutes. The six 3-pointers were the second-most he has tallied this season. Sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7422">DaJuan Gordon</a>&nbsp;scored 15 points on 5-of-11 field goals and a perfect 4-of-4 effort from the free throw line to go with 5 rebounds and a game-high 4 steals in 34 minutes. STAT OF THE GAME 65 – The All-American backcourt of senior&nbsp;MaCio Teague&nbsp;(24) and juniors&nbsp;Davion Mitchell&nbsp;(23) and&nbsp;Jared Butler&nbsp;(18) combined for 65 of the Bears' 74 points on 23-of-40 field goals, including 8-of-20 from 3-point range. IN THEIR WORDS K-State Head Coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1566">Bruce Weber</a> On the game… "We wanted to win. We came here with big dreams and hopes. But at the same time, you know, I told the guys all I cared about was playing with courage, and courage means -- because the first two times we played them they didn't just beat us, they just played with us and did whatever they wanted. We just played with one of the best teams. We played on a turnaround of, what, 14, 15 hours with not a whole lot of prep with playing a hard-fought game last night, and gave them everything we had. I've said it all along, I didn't want the season to end because I think we're actually playing high level basketball. We could compete with anybody. We just showed it. But you hope you use this as a momentum going into the next season. I'm proud of them, happy for them. I appreciate&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7423">Mike McGuirl's</a>&nbsp;leadership. I appreciate that the group stayed together. They believed us and they got better. And I mean, we gave a team that has three elite players, probably three NBA player guards, and turned them over 21 times. I'm proud of the two freshmen – Davion (Bradford) and Nijel (Pack). I think they made a nice statement the last two days after not getting picked on any of those (all-conference freshman teams). But, you know, proud of them, but obviously disappointed that it's ending and disappointing that maybe we could have had a little bit of a miracle here and found a way to win and done something really, really special. But it didn't happen." BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

WHAT'S NEXT With the loss, K-State ends the 2020-21 season with a 9-20 overall record, including a ninth-place finish with a 4-14 mark. The team was able to win 4 of their last 6 games after enduring a 13-game losing streak. In a turbulent year where teams weren't able to play, the Wildcats were able to play all but one of their scheduled games.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.&nbsp;– Kansas State went toe-to-toe with one of the nation's top-ranked team for nearly 40 minutes before succumbing to top-seed and No. 2/2 Baylor, 74-68, in the quarterfinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championships on Thursday afternoon at the T-Mobile Center. The Wildcats (9-20) trailed just 55-52 after freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7431">Nijel Pack</a>&nbsp;drained a 3-pointer with 10:07 to play, but the veteran Bears (22-1) rattled off 8 of the next 9 points to push the lead into double figures at 63-53 and then held off a late rally by the Wildcats to secure the win in the waning minutes. The All-American backcourt of senior&nbsp;MaCio Teague&nbsp;(24) and juniors&nbsp;Davion Mitchell&nbsp;(23) and&nbsp;Jared Butler&nbsp;(18) combined for 65 of Baylor's 74 points on 23-of-40 field goals, including 8-of-20 from 3-point range. The trio helped the Bears connect on 53.1 percent (26-of-49) from the field, including 40.9 percent (9-of-22) from long range. K-State was led by its young core of freshmen&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7426">Davion Bradford</a>&nbsp;(18) and Pack (18) as well as sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7422">DaJuan Gordon</a>&nbsp;(15) who combined for 51 points on 17-of-31 field goals. Bradford scored 15 of his team-high 18 points in the first half, in which, the Wildcats trailed just 36-34 at halftime. Pack scored all 18 of his points from beyond the arc, knocking down six 3-pointers, which were the most by a Wildcat in more than 15 years at the Big 12 Championship since&nbsp;Lance Harris&nbsp;had seven against Kansas on March 11, 2005. K-State finished at 40.7 percent (22-of-54) from the field, including 40 percent (8-of-20) from 3-point range. The team opened the game by shooting 46.2 percent (12-of-26) in the first half, but the Bears changed their defense at halftime and held them to just 35.7 percent (10-of-28) in the second half. The game was a microcosm of the improvement that the young Wildcats have made in the last month, in which, they have recovered from a 13-game losing streak to win 4 of their last 6 games with both losses coming to Top 15 foes West Virginia and Baylor. Blown out twice by the Bears in the regular season, including a school-record 48-point loss in Waco on January 27, the Wildcats held multiple leads in the game, including 42-41 with just over 17 minutes to play. However, the more experienced Bears found an answer down the stretch. Baylor now moves on to the semifinals to play No. 5 seed Oklahoma State (19-7) on Friday. KEY STRETCH(ES) K-State got down as much as 7 points early, but rallied behind the play of reserve&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7432">Rudi Williams</a>, whose 3-pointer ignited a 7-0 run that tied the game at 16-all midway through the first half. Baylor went back ahead on the next possession behind a 3-pointer from junior&nbsp;Matthew Mayer, but the Wildcats rallied to tie it at 25-all on a 3-pointer from freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7431">Nijel Pack</a>&nbsp;with 5:59 before halftime. However, the Bears responded with a pair of timely triples from&nbsp;Davion Mitchell&nbsp;and&nbsp;MaCio Teague&nbsp;less than a minute later. The Wildcats continued to battle the rest of the half, closing to within a possession multiple times down the stretch before trailing 36-34 at the halftime break. The two teams traded the lead in the opening moments of the second half, including consecutive 3-pointers by Pack and layup by fellow freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7430">Selton Miguel</a>, which gave K-State a 42-41 lead with 17:01 to play. However, a 10-2 run by Baylor pushed the lead to 51-44 capped by a Mitchell 3-pointer to force a timeout by head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1566">Bruce Weber</a>&nbsp;with 13:19 remaining. Another 3-pointer by Pack gave the Wildcats a spark out of the timeout and start an 8-4 run that closed the gap to 55-52 midway through the second half. But once again, the Bears had a response, scoring 8 of the next 9 points to push the lead into double figures at 63-53 with 7:50 to play. The resilient Wildcats had one last rally in them, closing the deficit to 70-66 on Pack's sixth 3-pointer of the game with just over a minute to play. A bad pass by Pack ended any chance to cut the lead even further, as the Bears hit 4 free throws in the last 18 seconds to stave off the upset and earn the 74-68 victory. PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7426">Davion Bradford</a>&nbsp;tied his career-high with 18 points on 6-of-9 field goals and a 6-of-8 effort from the free throw line in just over 30 minutes. It marked his fourth time leading the team in scoring. Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7431">Nijel Pack</a>&nbsp;tied Bradford with a team-high 18 points on 6-of-11 field goals, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range, in 33 minutes. The six 3-pointers were the second-most he has tallied this season. Sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7422">DaJuan Gordon</a>&nbsp;scored 15 points on 5-of-11 field goals and a perfect 4-of-4 effort from the free throw line to go with 5 rebounds and a game-high 4 steals in 34 minutes. STAT OF THE GAME 65 – The All-American backcourt of senior&nbsp;MaCio Teague&nbsp;(24) and juniors&nbsp;Davion Mitchell&nbsp;(23) and&nbsp;Jared Butler&nbsp;(18) combined for 65 of the Bears' 74 points on 23-of-40 field goals, including 8-of-20 from 3-point range. IN THEIR WORDS K-State Head Coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1566">Bruce Weber</a> On the game… "We wanted to win. We came here with big dreams and hopes. But at the same time, you know, I told the guys all I cared about was playing with courage, and courage means -- because the first two times we played them they didn't just beat us, they just played with us and did whatever they wanted. We just played with one of the best teams. We played on a turnaround of, what, 14, 15 hours with not a whole lot of prep with playing a hard-fought game last night, and gave them everything we had. I've said it all along, I didn't want the season to end because I think we're actually playing high level basketball. We could compete with anybody. We just showed it. But you hope you use this as a momentum going into the next season. I'm proud of them, happy for them. I appreciate&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7423">Mike McGuirl's</a>&nbsp;leadership. I appreciate that the group stayed together. They believed us and they got better. And I mean, we gave a team that has three elite players, probably three NBA player guards, and turned them over 21 times. I'm proud of the two freshmen – Davion (Bradford) and Nijel (Pack). I think they made a nice statement the last two days after not getting picked on any of those (all-conference freshman teams). But, you know, proud of them, but obviously disappointed that it's ending and disappointing that maybe we could have had a little bit of a miracle here and found a way to win and done something really, really special. But it didn't happen." BEYOND THE BOXSCORE<ul>
 <li>K-State finishes the season at 9-20… The Wildcats won 4 of their last 6 after a 13-game losing streak.</li><li>K-State is now 37-42 all-time in Big Eight/12 Championship play, including 17-24 in the Big 12 era… The Wildcats are now 1-3 as a No. 9 seed in their first appearance since 2006… The team is now 7-11 in the quarterfinals… K-State is now 2-14 all-time against the No. 1 seed with 9 straight defeats.</li><li>K-State played its 13th Top 25 opponent of the season, which is the second-most by a team in school history and the most since the 2015-16 team played a school-record 14.</li><li>K-State is now 120-274 all-time against Top 25 opponents, including a 7-19 mark vs. the AP's No. 2 ranked team… The team is 1-12 vs. Top 25 in 2020-21, including 1-5 vs. Top 10.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>K-State is now 23-23 all-time vs. Baylor, including 3-2 at the Big 12 Championships… The Bears own a 22-18 lead in the Big 12 era, including wins in 5 consecutive wins in the series.</li><li>The Wildcats' starting lineup consisted of freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7431">Nijel Pack</a>, senior&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7423">Mike McGuirl</a>, sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7422">DaJuan Gordon</a>, freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7430">Selton Miguel</a>, and freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7426">Davion Bradford</a>… This is the most used starting lineup, having been used in 11 games… This is the 17th time this season that the Wildcats have started 3 true freshmen… McGuirl has now started all 29 games this season and has the longest current active start streak at 34 games… He is the only player to start all 29 games.</li>
 </ul> Team Notes<ul>
 <li>K-State scored its 68 points on 40.7 percent (22-of-54) shooting, including 40.0 percent (8-of-20) from 3-point range, while connecting on 80 percent (16-of-20) from the free throw line.</li><li>Baylor scored its 74 points on 53.1 percent (26-of-49) shooting, including 40.9 percent (9-of-22) from 3-point range, while knocking down 92.9 percent (13-of-14) from the free throw line.</li><li>Baylor held a narrow 30-28 advantage on the boards, while K-State grabbed 13 offensive rebounds… However, the Wildcats managed just 8 second-chance points.</li><li>Baylor held a 18-17 advantage in points off turnovers, as the teams combined for 38 turnovers.</li><li>K-State held a 28-26 edge in points in the paint, which marked the 13th time this season that the Wildcats held the advantage in the paint.</li><li>Baylor led 36-34 at the half as the Bears connected on 54.5 percent (12-of-22) from the field.</li><li>K-State is now 0-19 this season when trailing at the half.</li>
 </ul> Player Notes<ul>
 <li>Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7426">Davion Bradford</a>&nbsp;scored a team-high 18 points on 6-of-9 field goals and 6-of-8 free throws to go with 3 rebounds and a steal in 30 minutes… It marked the fourth time he has led the team in scoring… He has now scored in double figures in 10 games, including 4 times in the last 5 contests.</li><li>Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7431">Nijel Pack</a>&nbsp;scored a team-high 18 points on 6-of-11 field goals, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range, to go with 2 rebounds and 2 assists in 33 minutes… He has now led the team in scoring in 11 games, including each of the last 2… He has now scored in double figures in 16 games… His six 3-pointers were his second-most this season and the most since had a career-high 8 vs. Texas A&amp;M (1/30/21)… His 6 triples were also the most since&nbsp;Lance Harris&nbsp;knocked down 7 vs. Kansas (3/11/2005).</li><li>Sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7422">DaJuan Gordon</a>&nbsp;scored 15 points on 5-of-11 field goals and a perfect 4-of-4 effort from the free throw line to go with 5 rebounds, and a career-best 4 steals in 34 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 19 career games, including 13 this season.</li><li>Senior&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7423">Mike McGuirl</a>&nbsp;led both teams with 7 assists in just 30 minutes of action… &nbsp;It marked the 14th&nbsp;time this season that he led the team in assists.</li><li>Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7430">Selton Miguel</a>&nbsp;continued his solid play with 7 points on 2-of-6 field goals and 3-of-4 free throws to go with 4 rebounds and 4 assists in 27 minutes.</li><li>Junior&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7432">Rudi Williams</a>&nbsp;provided a spark of the bench with 5 points on 2-of-5 field goals, including 1-of-1 from 3-point range, with a team-high 6 rebounds and 2 steals in 22 minutes.</li>
 </ul> WHAT'S NEXT With the loss, K-State ends the 2020-21 season with a 9-20 overall record, including a ninth-place finish with a 4-14 mark. The team was able to win 4 of their last 6 games after enduring a 13-game losing streak. In a turbulent year where teams weren't able to play, the Wildcats were able to play all but one of their scheduled games.

🏀 K-State battles but falls to Baylor at Big 12 Championship, 74-68

AUDIO: Eagle Radio Sports for Thursday

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports Information

The answer to Wednesday's burning Jayhawk West question of what team's five-game winning streak would be extended is …

Thanks to a gritty, tough defensive effort the Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team outlasted the Barton Cougars 73-67 on Wednesday at the Sports Arena.

Hutchinson extends its winning streak to six games and improves to 11-3 overall and maintains sole possession of first place in the Jayhawk West at 10-3. Barton had its five-game win streak snapped and falls to 7-5 overall and 6-5 in league play.

The Blue Dragon defense held Barton's high-scoring offense 25 points under its season-scoring average, holding the Cougars to 36.6 percent from the field. Barton connected on 7 of 31 3-pointers, but the Dragons had advantages of 42-30 in the paint and 17-8 in second-chance points.

With leading scorer&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/mayers_matt_jfk4">Matt Mayers</a>&nbsp;held scoreless in the first half, sophomore guard&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/okon_jaden_os3t">Jaden Okon</a>&nbsp;picked up the scoring slack with a career-high 17 points on 8 of 11 shooting to lead the Blue Dragons. He also had six rebounds and three assists.

Freshman guard&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/robinson_chris_q1cl">Chris Robinson</a>&nbsp;provided a needed spark in the first half when Barton took a 15-11 lead on a Willie Lapoole 3-pointer with 11:35 remaining.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/bujdoso_isaiah_t7bk">Isaiah Bujdoso</a>&nbsp;and Robinson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to turn things around for Hutch. Robinson scored all 10 of his points in the first 20 minutes to pace the Dragons to a 32-30 halftime lead.

Despite the slow start, Mayers posted his eighth consecutive double-double, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Bujdoso and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/baker_josh_lpkm">Josh Baker</a>&nbsp;added nine points each and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/selebangue_bryant_zo4s">Bryant Selebangue</a>&nbsp;had eight.

The Blue Dragons shot 45.3 percent overall (29 of 64). The Dragons were only 2 of 13 from 3-point range and 13 of 18 from the free-throw line. The Dragons had a 51-32 rebounding advantage.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/kuath_majok_xrls">Majok Kuath</a>&nbsp;had 10 rebounds.

Justin Harmon led the Cougars with 14 points. Jaheim Holden had 13 points and Asanti Price had 12.

Holden hit a 3-pointer to start the second half and give Barton a 33-32 lead, but the Blue Dragons immediately answered. Mayers scored inside on the next possession to take the lead back and started a 12-2 Dragon run for a 44-35 lead on an Okon bucket with 15:56 to play in the second half.

The physical game got tight in the final 5 minutes. A Harmon tip-in pulled the Cougars within two points at 58-56 with 4:40 to go and tied the game at 60-all with 3:24 to play on a DeSean Munson layup.

Okon became Hutch's go-to player after that. Okon scored on a drive to the hoop with 2:33 to play. Then with Hutch leading 62-61, Okon scored again inside for a 64-61 lead with 1:54 to play. Barton cut the lead to two, but Mayers had the answer with an inside hoop from an Okon assist for a 68-64 Dragon lead with 58 seconds left.

Hutchinson then hit six free throws – four by Baker, two by Mayers – in the final 24 second to secure the win.

The Blue Dragons had Saturday's game at Colby postponed. Hutch travels to Dodge City on Monday for a key Jayhawk West battle.

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports InformationThe answer to Wednesday's burning Jayhawk West question of what team's five-game winning streak would be extended is …Thanks to a gritty, tough defensive effort the Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team outlasted the Barton Cougars 73-67 on Wednesday at the Sports Arena.Hutchinson extends its winning streak to six games and improves to 11-3 overall and maintains sole possession of first place in the Jayhawk West at 10-3. Barton had its five-game win streak snapped and falls to 7-5 overall and 6-5 in league play.The Blue Dragon defense held Barton's high-scoring offense 25 points under its season-scoring average, holding the Cougars to 36.6 percent from the field. Barton connected on 7 of 31 3-pointers, but the Dragons had advantages of 42-30 in the paint and 17-8 in second-chance points.With leading scorer&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/mayers_matt_jfk4">Matt Mayers</a>&nbsp;held scoreless in the first half, sophomore guard&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/okon_jaden_os3t">Jaden Okon</a>&nbsp;picked up the scoring slack with a career-high 17 points on 8 of 11 shooting to lead the Blue Dragons. He also had six rebounds and three assists.Freshman guard&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/robinson_chris_q1cl">Chris Robinson</a>&nbsp;provided a needed spark in the first half when Barton took a 15-11 lead on a Willie Lapoole 3-pointer with 11:35 remaining.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/bujdoso_isaiah_t7bk">Isaiah Bujdoso</a>&nbsp;and Robinson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to turn things around for Hutch. Robinson scored all 10 of his points in the first 20 minutes to pace the Dragons to a 32-30 halftime lead.Despite the slow start, Mayers posted his eighth consecutive double-double, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Bujdoso and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/baker_josh_lpkm">Josh Baker</a>&nbsp;added nine points each and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/selebangue_bryant_zo4s">Bryant Selebangue</a>&nbsp;had eight.The Blue Dragons shot 45.3 percent overall (29 of 64). The Dragons were only 2 of 13 from 3-point range and 13 of 18 from the free-throw line. The Dragons had a 51-32 rebounding advantage.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/kuath_majok_xrls">Majok Kuath</a>&nbsp;had 10 rebounds.Justin Harmon led the Cougars with 14 points. Jaheim Holden had 13 points and Asanti Price had 12.Holden hit a 3-pointer to start the second half and give Barton a 33-32 lead, but the Blue Dragons immediately answered. Mayers scored inside on the next possession to take the lead back and started a 12-2 Dragon run for a 44-35 lead on an Okon bucket with 15:56 to play in the second half.The physical game got tight in the final 5 minutes. A Harmon tip-in pulled the Cougars within two points at 58-56 with 4:40 to go and tied the game at 60-all with 3:24 to play on a DeSean Munson layup.Okon became Hutch's go-to player after that. Okon scored on a drive to the hoop with 2:33 to play. Then with Hutch leading 62-61, Okon scored again inside for a 64-61 lead with 1:54 to play. Barton cut the lead to two, but Mayers had the answer with an inside hoop from an Okon assist for a 68-64 Dragon lead with 58 seconds left.Hutchinson then hit six free throws – four by Baker, two by Mayers – in the final 24 second to secure the win.The Blue Dragons had Saturday's game at Colby postponed. Hutch travels to Dodge City on Monday for a key Jayhawk West battle.

Hutch Blue Dragons grind out victory over Barton

The Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team saw its seven-game overall winning streak and a 26-game home-court win streak come to an end Wednesday night.

Already shorthanded with starting point guard&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/alford_tor-e_j660">Tor'e Alford</a>&nbsp;not in the lineup, the Blue Dragons struggled offensively and dropped a 63-49 Jayhawk West decision to Barton at the Sports Arena.

The Blue Dragons fall to 10-3 overall and are now tied for first place in the Jayhawk West with Barton at 8-3. Seward County joins the log jam atop the league at 8-3 as well. Barton is 11-3 overall.

Without Alford, the Blue Dragons had a season-low offensive output and season-low field-goal percentage (31.1 percent). The Dragons were also stung by 14 turnovers.

Hutchinson led 10-4 with 3:04 remaining in the first quarter, but the offense went through an extended dry spell, going 3 minutes, 27 seconds without a point. Barton scored the final nine points of the first quarter to take a 13-10 lead after 10 minutes.

Barton's Queen Ulabo nailed a 3-pointer to start the second quarter for a five-point Cougar lead.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/grassity_yana_fdqu">Yana Grassity</a>&nbsp;scored on a drive to the hoop to snap Barton's 12-point unanswered run, but from that point, the game slowly got away from Hutchinson.

Barton's Gabby Flute Player hit a 3-pointer with 5:25 remaining in the second quarter to give Barton a 27-16 lead. Barton outscored Hutchinson 24-14 in the second quarter. The Dragons shot 31.1 percent in the first half and trailed 37-24 at halftime.

The Dragons never got the game back to single figures in the second half.

Freshman K.K. Adams led the Blue Dragons with 13 points and five rebounds. Adams was 5 of 13 from the field and 2 of 5 from 3-point range.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/suttington_ishante_gbs8">Ishante Suttington</a>&nbsp;was next with nine points and 10 rebounds.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/ogle_kate_kntm">Kate Ogle</a>&nbsp;had seven points and nine rebounds.

The Blue Dragons were 19 of 61 shooting, hitting 5 of 23 from 3-point range.

A big Barton advantage came at the free-throw line. The Cougars were 15 of 17 from the foul line, while the Dragons got there 11 times, making only six.

Barton's top three scorers for the season all reached double figures on Wednesday. Queen Ulabo had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Cougars. Vanessa Oduah finished with 16 points, scoring 12 in the first half. Tiffany Dortland had a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 14 points.

Barton shot 21 of 56 (37.5 percent), making 6 of 15 from 3-point range.

The Blue Dragons will travel to Colby on Saturday for a 2 p.m. conference contest with the Trojans.

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports InformationThe Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team saw its seven-game overall winning streak and a 26-game home-court win streak come to an end Wednesday night.Already shorthanded with starting point guard&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/alford_tor-e_j660">Tor'e Alford</a>&nbsp;not in the lineup, the Blue Dragons struggled offensively and dropped a 63-49 Jayhawk West decision to Barton at the Sports Arena.The Blue Dragons fall to 10-3 overall and are now tied for first place in the Jayhawk West with Barton at 8-3. Seward County joins the log jam atop the league at 8-3 as well. Barton is 11-3 overall.Without Alford, the Blue Dragons had a season-low offensive output and season-low field-goal percentage (31.1 percent). The Dragons were also stung by 14 turnovers.Hutchinson led 10-4 with 3:04 remaining in the first quarter, but the offense went through an extended dry spell, going 3 minutes, 27 seconds without a point. Barton scored the final nine points of the first quarter to take a 13-10 lead after 10 minutes.Barton's Queen Ulabo nailed a 3-pointer to start the second quarter for a five-point Cougar lead.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/grassity_yana_fdqu">Yana Grassity</a>&nbsp;scored on a drive to the hoop to snap Barton's 12-point unanswered run, but from that point, the game slowly got away from Hutchinson.Barton's Gabby Flute Player hit a 3-pointer with 5:25 remaining in the second quarter to give Barton a 27-16 lead. Barton outscored Hutchinson 24-14 in the second quarter. The Dragons shot 31.1 percent in the first half and trailed 37-24 at halftime.The Dragons never got the game back to single figures in the second half.Freshman K.K. Adams led the Blue Dragons with 13 points and five rebounds. Adams was 5 of 13 from the field and 2 of 5 from 3-point range.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/suttington_ishante_gbs8">Ishante Suttington</a>&nbsp;was next with nine points and 10 rebounds.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/ogle_kate_kntm">Kate Ogle</a>&nbsp;had seven points and nine rebounds.The Blue Dragons were 19 of 61 shooting, hitting 5 of 23 from 3-point range.A big Barton advantage came at the free-throw line. The Cougars were 15 of 17 from the foul line, while the Dragons got there 11 times, making only six.Barton's top three scorers for the season all reached double figures on Wednesday. Queen Ulabo had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Cougars. Vanessa Oduah finished with 16 points, scoring 12 in the first half. Tiffany Dortland had a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 14 points.Barton shot 21 of 56 (37.5 percent), making 6 of 15 from 3-point range.The Blue Dragons will travel to Colby on Saturday for a 2 p.m. conference contest with the Trojans.

Blue Dragon Women suffer tough loss to Barton

HUTCHINSON, Kan.—KSHSAA Class 3A Girls State Basketball gets underway today at the Sports Arena in Hutchinson with the #1 seed Cheney (23-0) Girl's matching up against Frontenac (19-3) at 3pm.&nbsp; Then it is Hugoton (23-1) vs Sabetha (22-2) in the 7pm game.

Tickets to this years 3A Tournament are only available through the participating schools.&nbsp; No walk up tickets will be available.

<a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/playoffs/state/kansas?drilldown=upcoming&amp;activity=Basketball&amp;ads_cmpid=12510689951&amp;ads_adid=114246002090&amp;ads_matchtype=b&amp;ads_network=s&amp;ads_creative=504949761833&amp;utm_term=%2Bkansas%20%2Bbasketball&amp;ads_targetid=kwd-1188752555893&amp;utm_campaign=&amp;utm_source=adwords&amp;utm_medium=ppc&amp;ttv=2&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiAnKeCBhDPARIsAFDTLTJYHh4lFHcddESr57lP6EhiMbIJO9rAnZS5ay4139pXFe9TcVf7X2oaAtuDEALw_wcB">NFHS Network Video Stream by KSHSAA</a>

HUTCHINSON, Kan.—KSHSAA Class 3A Girls State Basketball gets underway today at the Sports Arena in Hutchinson with the #1 seed Cheney (23-0) Girl's matching up against Frontenac (19-3) at 3pm.&nbsp; Then it is Hugoton (23-1) vs Sabetha (22-2) in the 7pm game.Tickets to this years 3A Tournament are only available through the participating schools.&nbsp; No walk up tickets will be available.<a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/playoffs/state/kansas?drilldown=upcoming&amp;activity=Basketball&amp;ads_cmpid=12510689951&amp;ads_adid=114246002090&amp;ads_matchtype=b&amp;ads_network=s&amp;ads_creative=504949761833&amp;utm_term=%2Bkansas%20%2Bbasketball&amp;ads_targetid=kwd-1188752555893&amp;utm_campaign=&amp;utm_source=adwords&amp;utm_medium=ppc&amp;ttv=2&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiAnKeCBhDPARIsAFDTLTJYHh4lFHcddESr57lP6EhiMbIJO9rAnZS5ay4139pXFe9TcVf7X2oaAtuDEALw_wcB">NFHS Network Video Stream by KSHSAA</a>

🏀 Girls State class 3A Tournament starts today at the Sports Arena

KANSAS CITY, Mo.&nbsp;– Kansas State finally got its offense to match its suffocating defense of late, as the Wildcats continued their positive momentum by posting a 71-50 win over TCU in the first game of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championships on Wednesday night in front of a limited capacity crowd of 3,794 fans at the T-Mobile Center. K-State (9-19) won its first game at the Big 12 Championships for the sixth consecutive season, including its fourth in a row against TCU (12-14) at the tournament. The Wildcats now advance to the quarterfinals where they will face top-seeded and No. 2/2 Baylor (21-1, 13-1 Big 12) on Thursday at 1:30 p.m., CT. Winners of 4 of their last 5 games, the Wildcats played perhaps their best all-around game in some time, connecting on an efficient 48.3 percent (28-of-58) from the field, including 56.8 percent (21-of-37) from inside the 3-point arc, while holding the Horned Frogs to just 37 percent (20-of-54) shooting, including 21.1 percent (4-of-19) from long range, and forcing 17 turnovers. K-State has now held 6 straight opponents to 65 points or less, including less than 60 in all 4 victories (TCU twice, Oklahoma and Iowa State). In that 6-game span, the Wildcats are allowing 56.8 points on 38.6 percent shooting, including 23.3 percent from 3-point range, while forcing an average of 15 turnovers. Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7431">Nijel Pack</a>&nbsp;(23) and senior&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7423">Mike McGuirl</a>&nbsp;(17) combined for 40 of the Wildcats' 71 points on 13-of-22 field goals, including 7-of-13 from 3-point range, and 7-of-9 free throws. They were also responsible for 10 of the team's 13 assists and 5 of their 9 steals. It marked Pack's third 20-point game of the season, while he connected on 5 triples for the second time. McGuirl has scored in double figures in 5 consecutive games. K-State shot better than 46 percent in both halves while posting its fourth-highest field goal percentage of the season and the highest since shooting 51 percent against No. 13/13 Texas on February 9. It marked just the second 70-point game since January and the first since scoring 77 in the same game against the Longhorns. Only one Horned Frog – junior&nbsp;R.J. Nembhard&nbsp;– scored in double figures, leading the way with 11 points on 5-of-13 field goals to go with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. TCU finished the season losing 7 of its last 8 games, including 4 in a row. KEY STRETCH(ES) K-State enjoyed a solid start to the game, running out to multiple 7-point advantages, including 17-10 after a layup by junior&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7432">Rudi Williams</a>&nbsp;right before the third media timeout with 8:39 to play before halftime. It was right after this stoppage that TCU caught fire, running off 9 straight points to take its first lead at 19-17 after a&nbsp;Kevin Samuel&nbsp;layup at the 5:23 mark. During the stretch, K-State went scoreless for nearly 3 minutes. A layup by sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7420">Kaosi Ezeagu</a>&nbsp;broke the drought with 5:14 to play before back-to-back buckets by the Horned Frogs gave them their largest first-half lead at 23-19 at the 2:33 mark. The Wildcats finished off the half with 8 straight points, which was ignited by consecutive baskets by senior&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7423">Mike McGuirl</a>&nbsp;and Williams. Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7431">Nijel Pack</a>&nbsp;broke a 23-all tie with the first of two 3-pointers that gave K-State a 29-23 heading into the locker room. K-State continued its momentum with McGuirl scoring the first 6 points of the second half, including a 3-pointer, to push the Wildcats' lead to 35-23 less than a minute into the final half. The Horned Frogs countered with 7 of the next 8 points to close the gap to 36-30 with 16 minutes remaining. A layup by freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7426">Davion Bradford</a>&nbsp;ignited a 12-2 run and pushed K-State ahead 48-32 near the midway point. After a basket by the Frogs'&nbsp;Charles O'Bannon&nbsp;stopped the surge, the Wildcats responded with 13 straight points capped by a Pack 3-pointer to build their largest lead to 27 (61-34) with 6:05 remaining. The lead stayed over 20 points the rest of the way. PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7431">Nijel Pack</a>&nbsp;led all scorers with a game-high 23 points on 6-of-8 field goals, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range, to go with a 6-of-7 effort from the free throw line with 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in 34 minutes. Senior&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7423">Mike McGuirl</a>&nbsp;scored 17 points for the second consecutive game on 7-of-14 field goals, including 2-of-7 from 3-point range, to go with a team-tying 5 assists and a team-high 3 steals in 35 minutes. STAT OF THE GAME 48.3 – K-State had arguably its best all-around offensive performance in nearly a month, connecting on 48.3 percent (28-of-58) of its field goals, including 50 percent (15-of-30) in the second half. It was the fourth highest field goal percentage this season and the highest since hitting on 51 percent vs. No. 13/13 Texas on Feb. 9. IN THEIR WORDS K-State Head Coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1566">Bruce Weber</a> On the game… "Obviously, I'm really excited and happy for our guys. Where we've come from to where we are now is amazing. Our defense, again, was the thing that gave us a chance. You hold them to 23 at halftime, and our goal was to hold them under 50. They got a couple buckets down the stretch to get the 50. &nbsp;You guys know -­last six or seven games, we've held everybody in the 50s, except West Virginia to 65, so they made great strides. I thought we had a great start to the game. We allowed them to get back into due to our turnovers, which led to points on the other end. Once we settled down, obviously, the two 3-pointers at the end of the half by Nijel (Pack) and then the start of the second half were really, really key. Then just slowly but surely wore them down and kind of broke their spirit.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7423">Mike McGuirl</a>, what can you say, how far he's come. I thought last year's TCU game was really important in the tournament for him moving forward, and this game, 17 points, 5 assists, no turnovers and 3 steals. He just kind of read them, got to the hoop, hit the pull-up, got it inside, just did a lot of good things. A great, great team win." BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

WHAT'S NEXT K-State will now face top-seed and No. 2/2 Baylor (21-1, 13-1 Big 12) in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 1:30 p.m., CT on ESPN. The Wildcats lost both games with the Bears in the regular season, falling 100-69 at home on Dec. 19, 2020 and then 107-59 in Waco, Texas on Jan. 27, 2021.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.&nbsp;– Kansas State finally got its offense to match its suffocating defense of late, as the Wildcats continued their positive momentum by posting a 71-50 win over TCU in the first game of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championships on Wednesday night in front of a limited capacity crowd of 3,794 fans at the T-Mobile Center. K-State (9-19) won its first game at the Big 12 Championships for the sixth consecutive season, including its fourth in a row against TCU (12-14) at the tournament. The Wildcats now advance to the quarterfinals where they will face top-seeded and No. 2/2 Baylor (21-1, 13-1 Big 12) on Thursday at 1:30 p.m., CT. Winners of 4 of their last 5 games, the Wildcats played perhaps their best all-around game in some time, connecting on an efficient 48.3 percent (28-of-58) from the field, including 56.8 percent (21-of-37) from inside the 3-point arc, while holding the Horned Frogs to just 37 percent (20-of-54) shooting, including 21.1 percent (4-of-19) from long range, and forcing 17 turnovers. K-State has now held 6 straight opponents to 65 points or less, including less than 60 in all 4 victories (TCU twice, Oklahoma and Iowa State). In that 6-game span, the Wildcats are allowing 56.8 points on 38.6 percent shooting, including 23.3 percent from 3-point range, while forcing an average of 15 turnovers. Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7431">Nijel Pack</a>&nbsp;(23) and senior&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7423">Mike McGuirl</a>&nbsp;(17) combined for 40 of the Wildcats' 71 points on 13-of-22 field goals, including 7-of-13 from 3-point range, and 7-of-9 free throws. They were also responsible for 10 of the team's 13 assists and 5 of their 9 steals. It marked Pack's third 20-point game of the season, while he connected on 5 triples for the second time. McGuirl has scored in double figures in 5 consecutive games. K-State shot better than 46 percent in both halves while posting its fourth-highest field goal percentage of the season and the highest since shooting 51 percent against No. 13/13 Texas on February 9. It marked just the second 70-point game since January and the first since scoring 77 in the same game against the Longhorns. Only one Horned Frog – junior&nbsp;R.J. Nembhard&nbsp;– scored in double figures, leading the way with 11 points on 5-of-13 field goals to go with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. TCU finished the season losing 7 of its last 8 games, including 4 in a row. KEY STRETCH(ES) K-State enjoyed a solid start to the game, running out to multiple 7-point advantages, including 17-10 after a layup by junior&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7432">Rudi Williams</a>&nbsp;right before the third media timeout with 8:39 to play before halftime. It was right after this stoppage that TCU caught fire, running off 9 straight points to take its first lead at 19-17 after a&nbsp;Kevin Samuel&nbsp;layup at the 5:23 mark. During the stretch, K-State went scoreless for nearly 3 minutes. A layup by sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7420">Kaosi Ezeagu</a>&nbsp;broke the drought with 5:14 to play before back-to-back buckets by the Horned Frogs gave them their largest first-half lead at 23-19 at the 2:33 mark. The Wildcats finished off the half with 8 straight points, which was ignited by consecutive baskets by senior&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7423">Mike McGuirl</a>&nbsp;and Williams. Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7431">Nijel Pack</a>&nbsp;broke a 23-all tie with the first of two 3-pointers that gave K-State a 29-23 heading into the locker room. K-State continued its momentum with McGuirl scoring the first 6 points of the second half, including a 3-pointer, to push the Wildcats' lead to 35-23 less than a minute into the final half. The Horned Frogs countered with 7 of the next 8 points to close the gap to 36-30 with 16 minutes remaining. A layup by freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7426">Davion Bradford</a>&nbsp;ignited a 12-2 run and pushed K-State ahead 48-32 near the midway point. After a basket by the Frogs'&nbsp;Charles O'Bannon&nbsp;stopped the surge, the Wildcats responded with 13 straight points capped by a Pack 3-pointer to build their largest lead to 27 (61-34) with 6:05 remaining. The lead stayed over 20 points the rest of the way. PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7431">Nijel Pack</a>&nbsp;led all scorers with a game-high 23 points on 6-of-8 field goals, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range, to go with a 6-of-7 effort from the free throw line with 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in 34 minutes. Senior&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7423">Mike McGuirl</a>&nbsp;scored 17 points for the second consecutive game on 7-of-14 field goals, including 2-of-7 from 3-point range, to go with a team-tying 5 assists and a team-high 3 steals in 35 minutes. STAT OF THE GAME 48.3 – K-State had arguably its best all-around offensive performance in nearly a month, connecting on 48.3 percent (28-of-58) of its field goals, including 50 percent (15-of-30) in the second half. It was the fourth highest field goal percentage this season and the highest since hitting on 51 percent vs. No. 13/13 Texas on Feb. 9. IN THEIR WORDS K-State Head Coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1566">Bruce Weber</a> On the game… "Obviously, I'm really excited and happy for our guys. Where we've come from to where we are now is amazing. Our defense, again, was the thing that gave us a chance. You hold them to 23 at halftime, and our goal was to hold them under 50. They got a couple buckets down the stretch to get the 50. &nbsp;You guys know -­last six or seven games, we've held everybody in the 50s, except West Virginia to 65, so they made great strides. I thought we had a great start to the game. We allowed them to get back into due to our turnovers, which led to points on the other end. Once we settled down, obviously, the two 3-pointers at the end of the half by Nijel (Pack) and then the start of the second half were really, really key. Then just slowly but surely wore them down and kind of broke their spirit.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7423">Mike McGuirl</a>, what can you say, how far he's come. I thought last year's TCU game was really important in the tournament for him moving forward, and this game, 17 points, 5 assists, no turnovers and 3 steals. He just kind of read them, got to the hoop, hit the pull-up, got it inside, just did a lot of good things. A great, great team win." BEYOND THE BOXSCORE<ul>
 <li>K-State is now 9-19 on the season… The Wildcats have won 4 of their last 5 after a 13-game losing streak.</li><li>K-State is now 37-41 all-time in Big Eight/12 Championship play, including 17-23 in the Big 12 era… The Wildcats are now 1-2 as a No. 9 seed in their first appearance since 2006… The team is now 20-14 in the first round… K-State is now 3-2 all-time against the No. 8 seed.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>K-State is now 19-9 all-time against TCU, including a 4-1 mark at the Big 12 Championship… The Wildcats won 2 of the 3 meetings this year… K-State now leads the series, 16-7, in the Big 12 era.</li><li>The Wildcats' starting lineup consisted of freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7431">Nijel Pack</a>, senior&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7423">Mike McGuirl</a>, sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7422">DaJuan Gordon</a>, freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7430">Selton Miguel</a>, and freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7426">Davion Bradford</a>… This is the most used starting lineup, having been used in 10 games… This is the 16th time this season that the Wildcats have started 3 true freshmen… McGuirl has now started all 28 games this season and has the longest current active start streak at 33 games… He is the only player to start all 28 games.</li>
 </ul> Team Notes<ul>
 <li>K-State scored its 71 points on 48.3 percent (28-of-58) shooting, including 33.3 percent (7-of-21) from 3-point range, while connecting on 50 percent (8-of-16) from the free throw line.</li><li>It was just the second 70-point game since January and the first since posting 77 vs. Texas (2/9/21).</li><li>It was the fourth-highest field goal percentage this season and the highest since shooting 51 percent vs. Texas (2/9/21).</li><li>TCU scored its 50 points on 37 percent (20-of-54) shooting, including 21.1 percent (4-of-19) from 3-point range, while knocking down 50 percent (6-of-12) from the free throw line.</li><li>K-State is now 93-10 under head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1566">Bruce Weber</a>&nbsp;when holding an opponent to 60 points or less, including 7-1 in 2020-21… The Wildcats have held 5 of the 6 opponents under 60 points.</li><li>K-State led for 31 minutes and 50 seconds… It marked second consecutive game and the sixth time overall that the Wildcats have led a game for more than 30 minutes.</li><li>K-State held a 38-36 advantage on the boards, including 12 offensive rebounds… The Wildcats have held the rebounding advantage in 15 games, including 7 times in the last 9 games.</li><li>K-State posted a 36-30 edge on points in the paint… It marked the 12th&nbsp;time this season that the Wildcats have totaled 30 or more points in the paint.</li><li>TCU held a 19-14 advantage in points off turnovers even though K-State had just 13 miscues.</li><li>K-State led 29-23 at the half as the Wildcats connected on 46.4 percent from the field.</li><li>K-State is now 7-1 when leading at the half… It marked the first time that the Wildcats have led at the half in back-to-back games since the Jacksonville (12/21/20) and Omaha (12/29/20) games in late December.</li>
 </ul> Player Notes<ul>
 <li>Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7431">Nijel Pack</a>&nbsp;scored 23 points on 6-of-8 field goals, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range, and a 6-of-7 effort from the free throw line to go with a game-tying 5 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals in 2 steals in 34 minutes… It marked his third 20-point game this season and just 3 points shy of his season-high of 26 vs. Texas A&amp;M (1/30/21)… He has now scored in double figures in 15 games… He has now led the team in scoring in 10 games this season… He posted his 12th game of at least 5 assists.</li><li>Senior&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7423">Mike McGuirl</a>&nbsp;scored 17 points on 7-of-14 field goals, including 2-of-7 from 3-point range, and 1-of-2 free throws to go with a team-tying 5 assists (and zero turnovers), 3 rebounds and a game-tying 3 steals in 35 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 30 career games, including a team-leading 20 this season… He has 10 or more points in 5 consecutive games.</li><li>Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7430">Selton Miguel</a>&nbsp;continued his solid play with 7 points on 3-of-11 field goals to go with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and game-tying 3 steals in 34 minutes.</li><li>Sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7420">Kaosi Ezeagu</a>&nbsp;grabbed a season-high 8 rebounds to go with 6 points on 3-of-4 shooting in 18 minutes off the bench.</li><li>Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7426">Davion Bradford</a>&nbsp;finished with 8 points on 4-of-6 shooting with 6 rebounds in 21 minutes.</li>
 </ul> WHAT'S NEXT K-State will now face top-seed and No. 2/2 Baylor (21-1, 13-1 Big 12) in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 1:30 p.m., CT on ESPN. The Wildcats lost both games with the Bears in the regular season, falling 100-69 at home on Dec. 19, 2020 and then 107-59 in Waco, Texas on Jan. 27, 2021.

🏀 K-State pulls away for 71-50 win over TCU

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Austin Reaves scored 11 of his 21 points in the closing minutes, helping No. 25 Oklahoma answer Iowa State's late run and hold on for in a 79-73 victory Wednesday night in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament. De'Vion Harmon added 18 points and Elijah Harkless had 12 for No. 7 seed Oklahoma, which will play &nbsp;No. 11 Kansas for a spot in the semifinals Thursday night. Rasir Bolton scored 18 points and Jalen Coleman-Lands had 14 for the No. 10 seed Cyclones, who entered as the defending champion by virtue of their 2019 title but headed back to Ames with an 18th straight loss.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Nijel Pack hit five 3-pointers and scored 23 points, Mike McGuirl added 17 and ninth-seeded Kansas State used a pair of big runs to beat eighth-seeded TCU 71-50 in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament. The Wildcats advanced to play second-ranked Baylor, the tournament's No. 1 seed, in the quarterfinal round Thursday. RJ Nembhard had 11 points and Mike Miles nine to lead the Horned Frogs, who lost four straight and seven of their last eight.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jamari Wheeler scored a career-high 19 points, and No. 11 seed Penn State pulled away inside the last four minutes to beat No. 14 seed Nebraska 72-66 in the first round of the Big Ten Conference tournament. Penn State (11-13) has won four of its last five games and plays sixth-seeded Wisconsin in the second round Thursday. Tied at 59-all with 3:48 remaining, John Harrar made a free throw and Myles Dread hit a 3-pointer to spark a 13-7 closing run by the Nittany Lions, who trailed 37-23 at the break. Trey McGowens scored 13 points for Nebraska (7-20).

UNDATED (AP) — Kansas athletic director Jeff Long resigned Wednesday, less than two days after the school mutually parted with Les Miles amid sexual misconduct allegations dating to the football coach's time at LSU and one day after Long vowed he would lead the Jayhawks' search for a replacement. Kurt Watson will serve as the interim athletic director as the school begins searching for both a new AD and new football coach.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Monika Czinano scored a career-high 38 points and Big Ten Freshman of the Year Caitlin Clark just missed an eighth double-double, scoring 27 points with nine assists, and sixth-seeded Iowa pulled away from eleventh-seeded Purdue 83-72 in the Big Ten Conference tournament. Iowa advanced to play No. 19-ranked Rutgers (14-3), the tournament's third seed, in a Thursday quarterfinal. Czinano and Clark combined to score 23 of Iowa's 27 points in an emphatic fourth quarter. Kayana Traylor scored 19 points for Purdue and Madison Layden added 18, making five of Purdue's 10 3-pointers.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Sam Haiby had 19 points and eight rebounds, Kate Cain added 16 points and six rebounds, and Nebraska used a 22-10 second quarter to break away from short-handed Minnesota 72-61 in the second round of the Big Ten Conference tournament. Nebraska (12-11) advances to play top-seeded and No. 7 Maryland on Thursday. The defending champion Terrapins won the regular-season matchup 95-73 on Feb. 14 to give coach Brenda Frese her 500th win with the program. Isabelle Bourne had 14 points and seven boards for Nebraska. Gadiva Hubbard and Katie Borowicz, an early enrollee from Roseau High School, scored 12 points apiece for Minnesota.

UNDATED (AP) — Baylor coach Kim Mulkey doesn't really like playing conference tournaments, especially after winning the regular-season title. The sixth-ranked Lady Bears have now done that in the Big 12 for 11 seasons in a row. They take a 14-game winning streak into this week's Big 12 tournament in Kansas City. Baylor has been to the title game in 10 of the past 11 Big 12 tournaments, and won nine of them. The Lady Bears also won the most recent NCAA Tournament played two years ago. No. 17 West Virginia is the No. 2 seed for the Big 12 tournament that opens Thursday.&nbsp;

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Baylor junior NaLyssa Smith is the Big 12 women's basketball player of the year. Smith is the leading scorer and rebounder for the Lady Bears, who won their 11th regular-season conference title in a row. Lady Bears guard DiJonia Carrington won two individual awards in the voting by the league's coaches. The graduate transfer from Stanford is the top sixth player and the newcomer of the year. Oklahoma State senior and Big 12 rebounding leader Natasha Mack is the defensive player of the year. Oklahoma State's Jim Littell is the Big 12 coach of the year

UNDATED (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks are looking like a stronger team as Luka Doncic (DAHN'-chihch) gets used to playing with Kristaps Porzingis (KRIHS'-tahps pohr-ZIHN'-gihs).

Doncic had a triple-double and the Mavericks closed on a 17-4 run to beat the Spurs, 115-104. 

Doncic finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his 33rd career triple double. 

Porzingis chipped in 28 points and 14 boards for Dallas, which trailed 59-52 at halftime.

DeMar DeRozan had 30 points, 11 assists and four steals in the Spurs' first game since announcing that LaMarcus Aldridge would no longer be with the team by mutual agreement.

— Jonas Valanciunas scored a season-high 29 points and matched his season best with 20 rebounds to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 127-112 victory over the Washington Wizards. Ja Morant added 21 points and 10 assists for Memphis, while rookie Desmond Bane finished with a season-high 20 points, going 5 of 8 from 3-point range. Bradley Beal scored 21 points for the Wizards but was 6 of 22 from the field, including only 1 of 8 from 3-point range. 

NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Durant will remain out for the rest of this week and it is unclear when he will return to the Brooklyn Nets lineup, meaning he will miss more than a month with a strained left hamstring. 

Blake Griffin also will be sidelined when the Nets open the second half Thursday against Boston, though he stressed he's not injured. He and the Nets think it's smart to take their time increasing his workload after signing Monday.

Durant hasn't played since Feb. 13 at Golden State. The Nets hoped at first the injury wouldn't be serious, but announced on Feb. 26 that a follow-up MRI showed a clearer picture of the injury and would keep Durant sidelined through the All-Star break.

Coach Steve Nash said Wednesday that Durant will have another scan of the injury next week.

— Golden State Warriors rookie big man James Wiseman missed a mandatory COVID-19 test during All-Star break weekend and had to be held out of practice when the team reconvened Wednesday night. Wiseman's status remained unclear for a road game against the Los Angeles Clippers tonight. The No. 2 overall draft pick last year out of Memphis, Wiseman is averaging 11.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 20.8 minutes. 

Rangers in line to be first team back to full capacity

UNDATED (AP) — The Texas Rangers could be the first team to return to full attendance capacity. The team hopes to have a full house for its home opener next month after debuting a new 40,518-seat stadium without fans in the stands for its games last season. 

An order by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott took effect Wednesday allowing businesses to operate at 100% if they choose. 

— The Cincinnati Reds say star first baseman Joey Votto is out for an indefinite period after testing positive for COVID-19 at spring training. The 36-year-old Votto has played in four spring training games, going 4 for 9 at the plate. Last season he hit .226 in 54 games, with 11 home runs and 22 RBIs. 

— Houston Astros top prospect right-hander Forrest Whitley will have Tommy John surgery. Manager Dusty Baker says Whitley was diagnosed with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on Sunday after experiencing discomfort during a live batting practice session last week. He received a second opinion before opting for the surgery this week. 

— New York Yankees left-handed Zack Britton is scheduled for surgery Monday to remove a bone chip from his pitching elbow and seems likely to be out until at least May. Left-hander Aroldis Chapman is the Yankees' closer, and manager Aaron Boone said he will mix and match ahead of him with right-hander Chad Green, side-arming right-hander Darren O'Day, left-hander Justin Wilson and right-hander Esteban Loaisiga. 

— New Mets pitcher Carlos Carrasco is uncertain to be ready for the start of the season after elbow soreness forced him to stop throwing. Carrasco is in remission from leukemia and had the novel coronavirus vaccine. Carrasco will take a few days off without throwing and the Mets hope he can resume throwing by the end of next week. 