LAWRENCE, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas (14-7, 8-5) begins a two-game road swing at Iowa State (2-13, 0-10) on ABC, Feb. 13. The game from Hilton Coliseum will begin at 2 p.m. (CT).

Kansas played Iowa State on Thursday, Feb. 11, marking back-to-back meetings with the Cyclones. Reverting to season finales and league tournament first-round matchups, this is the third time in the Bill Self era that KU will play the same opponent consecutively. The first was 2003-04 vs. Missouri and the most recent was 2017-18 vs. Oklahoma State.

Kansas is coming off a 97-64 victory against Iowa State on Feb. 11 in Allen Fieldhouse. Iowa State is looking to end a nine-game losing streak after its loss at KU on Thursday.

Kansas leads the all-time series with ISU, 185-66, dating back to 1908. KU has won the last three, yet is 8-5 in the last 13 meetings with ISU. Kansas holds a 70-40 advantage in games played in Ames, including a 26-22 edge mark in Hilton Coliseum.

Up Next&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Kansas plays its second straight road game at Dillons Sunflower Showdown rival Kansas State, Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. (CT) on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+. The game was originally scheduled for Feb. 16.

Kansas leads the overall series with Kansas State, 200-94, and has won the last four meetings and 12 of the last 13 matchups. KU is 79-47 in meetings in Manhattan, including 27-5 in Bramlage Coliseum. KU won the first meeting this season, 74-51, on Feb. 2, in Allen Fieldhouse.

LAWRENCE, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas (14-7, 8-5) begins a two-game road swing at Iowa State (2-13, 0-10) on ABC, Feb. 13. The game from Hilton Coliseum will begin at 2 p.m. (CT).Kansas played Iowa State on Thursday, Feb. 11, marking back-to-back meetings with the Cyclones. Reverting to season finales and league tournament first-round matchups, this is the third time in the Bill Self era that KU will play the same opponent consecutively. The first was 2003-04 vs. Missouri and the most recent was 2017-18 vs. Oklahoma State.Kansas is coming off a 97-64 victory against Iowa State on Feb. 11 in Allen Fieldhouse. Iowa State is looking to end a nine-game losing streak after its loss at KU on Thursday.Kansas leads the all-time series with ISU, 185-66, dating back to 1908. KU has won the last three, yet is 8-5 in the last 13 meetings with ISU. Kansas holds a 70-40 advantage in games played in Ames, including a 26-22 edge mark in Hilton Coliseum.Kansas Notables<ul>
 <li>Kansas is No. 9 in NET nationally in strength of schedule, which is second in the Big 12 behind Iowa State at No. 4. To show how tough the Big 12 is, Kansas’ NET is No. 19 among the 357 NCAA Division I teams ranked, which is fourth in the conference.</li><li>Kansas’ 11 Quadrant 1 games played in 2020-21 are the most in the Big 12 and tie for second most nationally (Maryland 14, Ohio State 11, Northwestern 11). Kansas is 4-7 versus Quadrant 1 teams, 3-0 vs. Q2, 1-0 vs. Q3, 5-0 vs. Q4.</li><li>Five of Kansas’ seven losses have been to ranked teams and the other two losses are to teams that have moved into the top 25 of either the Associated Press or Coaches’ polls (at Oklahoma and at Oklahoma State).</li><li>Redshirt-freshman Jalen Wilson ranks third in the Big 12 in rebounding at 7.7 boards per game, which is first among league freshmen. His six double-doubles are second overall in the Big 12. He has three straight DDs.</li><li>Junior David McCormack is averaging 17.0 points in his last six games with two double-doubles. He has five double-doubles this season.</li><li>Junior guard Ochai Agbaji ranks first in the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made per game (2.7) and second 3-point field goal percentage (40.0%).</li>
 </ul>Up Next&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kansas plays its second straight road game at Dillons Sunflower Showdown rival Kansas State, Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. (CT) on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+. The game was originally scheduled for Feb. 16.Kansas leads the overall series with Kansas State, 200-94, and has won the last four meetings and 12 of the last 13 matchups. KU is 79-47 in meetings in Manhattan, including 27-5 in Bramlage Coliseum. KU won the first meeting this season, 74-51, on Feb. 2, in Allen Fieldhouse.

🏀 Jayhawks hit the road to Iowa State Saturday

STILLWATER, Oklahoma—Kansas State (5-16, 1-11 Big 12) hits the road this weekend, as the Wildcats travel to Stillwater, Okla., to take on No. 23/22 Oklahoma State (12-6, 5-6 Big 12) at 11 a.m., CT at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Cowboys will be looking to sweep the series for the second consecutive season and earn its second straight win at home in the series. Saturday's game will air on Big 12 Now with Chuckie Kempf (play-by-play) and Robbie Hummel (analyst) on the call.

NOTES ON 23/22 OKLAHOMA STATE (12-6, 5-6 Big 12)

LAST TIME OUT: 13/13 TEXAS 80, K-STATE 77

INJURIES, YOUTH DEFINE SEASON SO FAR FOR K-STATE&nbsp;

McGUIRL DOING WHATEVER IT TAKES

UP NEXT: RV/RV KANSAS (14-7, 8-5 Big 12)

🏀 K-State MBB travels to Oklahoma State Saturday

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports Information

It took a&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/mayers_matt_jfk4">Matt Mayers</a>' putback with 0.4 seconds to play, but the Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team finally won consecutive games this season.

Now the Blue Dragons look to keep the momentum going on Saturday when the Allen Red Devils come to the Sports Arena for a 7:30 p.m. Jayhawk Conference matchup on Saturday.

Hutchinson moved into second place in the Jayhawk West after Wednesday's 79-77 victory at Independence. Mayers scored a season-high 26 points, the final two gave the Blue Dragons the lead for good with 0.4 seconds to play.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/okon_jaden_os3t">Jaden Okon</a>&nbsp;had his first career double-double with 12 points and career-high 11 rebounds.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/kuath_majok_xrls">Majok Kuath</a>&nbsp;scored 18 points and dished out a career-high nine assists. The Blue Dragons survived 16 Independence 3-point goals.

The Red Devils come into the game losing two games in a row by a combined five points and have lost 3 of 4. Allen fell to No. 14 Dodge City 73-71 on Saturday and lost to Colby 70-67 one week ago.

The Red Devils are averaging 76.4 points per game while shooting 40.9 percent from the floor and 32 percent from 3-point range. Guard Freddie Word is the Red Devils' leading scorer at 17.1 points per game. Amadou Traore averages a double-double at 13.3 points and 10.6 rebounds per contest.

Mayers is leading the Blue Dragons with 17.3 points (8th in KJCCC) and 8.7 rebounds (7th in KJCCC) per game. Mayers is sixth in the league in field-goal percentage at 68.3 points per game.

The Blue Dragons are averaging 75.6 points per game, shooting 46.3 percent. The Dragons are slumping from 3-point range, shooting only 21.8 percent over their last five games.

Hutchinson is 44-9 all-time against Allen. The Blue Dragons defeated the Red Devils 92-64 last season.

With three rounds of Jayhawk West vs. East matchups, the Jayhawk West trails the East 19-14. No. 14 Dodge City leads the West at 5-0 and the Blue Dragons are 3-2. No. 5 Coffeyville leads the Jayhawk East at 5-0 and Cowley is second with a league record of 4-1.

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports InformationIt took a&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/mayers_matt_jfk4">Matt Mayers</a>' putback with 0.4 seconds to play, but the Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team finally won consecutive games this season.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613230715042.png" alt="HutchCC Men info 2-13-21.png" />
 <figcaption>HutchCC Men info 2-13-21.png</figcaption>
 </figure>Now the Blue Dragons look to keep the momentum going on Saturday when the Allen Red Devils come to the Sports Arena for a 7:30 p.m. Jayhawk Conference matchup on Saturday.Hutchinson moved into second place in the Jayhawk West after Wednesday's 79-77 victory at Independence. Mayers scored a season-high 26 points, the final two gave the Blue Dragons the lead for good with 0.4 seconds to play.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/okon_jaden_os3t">Jaden Okon</a>&nbsp;had his first career double-double with 12 points and career-high 11 rebounds.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/bios/kuath_majok_xrls">Majok Kuath</a>&nbsp;scored 18 points and dished out a career-high nine assists. The Blue Dragons survived 16 Independence 3-point goals.The Red Devils come into the game losing two games in a row by a combined five points and have lost 3 of 4. Allen fell to No. 14 Dodge City 73-71 on Saturday and lost to Colby 70-67 one week ago.The Red Devils are averaging 76.4 points per game while shooting 40.9 percent from the floor and 32 percent from 3-point range. Guard Freddie Word is the Red Devils' leading scorer at 17.1 points per game. Amadou Traore averages a double-double at 13.3 points and 10.6 rebounds per contest.Mayers is leading the Blue Dragons with 17.3 points (8th in KJCCC) and 8.7 rebounds (7th in KJCCC) per game. Mayers is sixth in the league in field-goal percentage at 68.3 points per game.The Blue Dragons are averaging 75.6 points per game, shooting 46.3 percent. The Dragons are slumping from 3-point range, shooting only 21.8 percent over their last five games.Hutchinson is 44-9 all-time against Allen. The Blue Dragons defeated the Red Devils 92-64 last season.With three rounds of Jayhawk West vs. East matchups, the Jayhawk West trails the East 19-14. No. 14 Dodge City leads the West at 5-0 and the Blue Dragons are 3-2. No. 5 Coffeyville leads the Jayhawk East at 5-0 and Cowley is second with a league record of 4-1.

🏀 Blue Dragon Men look to keep building momentum against Allen Red Devils

The No. 17-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team aims to remain perfect at the Sports Arena when the Allen Red Devils come calling for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff on Saturday.

Hutchinson looks to rebound from a 70-64 loss on Wednesday at Independence. The Blue Dragons are 4-0 at the Sports Arena and 0-2 on the road through the first six games.

The biggest culprit for the Blue Dragons (4-2, 3-2 Jayhawk West) this season is shooting. In four games at the Sports Arena, Hutchinson is shooting 45.5 percent while averaging 84.5 points per game. The two Blue Dragon losses have resulted in 32.0 percent shooting and a scoring average of 57.0 points per contest.

The Blue Dragons catch the Red Devils coming off their first victory of the season after six-consecutive losses to start the season. Adji Mbaye and Melody Wilfong combined for 31 points in a 55-50 victory over Dodge City on Wednesday in Iola.

The Red Devils rank last in the KJCCC in scoring offense at 46.7 points per game. Allen ranks third, though, in 3-point percentage at 34.3 percent. Allen is making just shy of eight made 3-pointers per game. Hallie Reed is Allen's top scorer at 9.7 points per game. Mbaye averages 9.6 points per game. Defensively, Allen is allowing 75.4 points per game this season, allowing 70 or more points four times this season.

Despite allowing a season-high 70 points on Wednesday to Independence, the Blue Dragons continue to rank second in the Jayhawk Conference in scoring defense at 54.2 points per game and ranks third in field-goal defense at 31.8 percent.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/alford_tor-e_j660">Tor'e Alford</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/grassity_yana_fdqu">Yana Grassity</a>&nbsp;scored 12 points each against the Pirates on Wednesday.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/suttington_ishante_gbs8">Ishante Suttington</a>&nbsp;had 11 points, but the Blue Dragons shot 35.7 percent.

The Blue Dragons are 31-3 all-time against Allen and have won seven straight against the Red Devils. Last season, the Blue Dragons rolled to an 81-51 victory. Over their seven-game win streak over Allen, the Dragons have won by an average of 35.7 points.

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports InformationThe No. 17-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team aims to remain perfect at the Sports Arena when the Allen Red Devils come calling for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff on Saturday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613230810558.png" alt="HutchCC WBB info 2-13-21.png" />
 <figcaption>HutchCC WBB info 2-13-21.png</figcaption>
 </figure>Hutchinson looks to rebound from a 70-64 loss on Wednesday at Independence. The Blue Dragons are 4-0 at the Sports Arena and 0-2 on the road through the first six games.The biggest culprit for the Blue Dragons (4-2, 3-2 Jayhawk West) this season is shooting. In four games at the Sports Arena, Hutchinson is shooting 45.5 percent while averaging 84.5 points per game. The two Blue Dragon losses have resulted in 32.0 percent shooting and a scoring average of 57.0 points per contest.The Blue Dragons catch the Red Devils coming off their first victory of the season after six-consecutive losses to start the season. Adji Mbaye and Melody Wilfong combined for 31 points in a 55-50 victory over Dodge City on Wednesday in Iola.The Red Devils rank last in the KJCCC in scoring offense at 46.7 points per game. Allen ranks third, though, in 3-point percentage at 34.3 percent. Allen is making just shy of eight made 3-pointers per game. Hallie Reed is Allen's top scorer at 9.7 points per game. Mbaye averages 9.6 points per game. Defensively, Allen is allowing 75.4 points per game this season, allowing 70 or more points four times this season.Despite allowing a season-high 70 points on Wednesday to Independence, the Blue Dragons continue to rank second in the Jayhawk Conference in scoring defense at 54.2 points per game and ranks third in field-goal defense at 31.8 percent.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/alford_tor-e_j660">Tor'e Alford</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/grassity_yana_fdqu">Yana Grassity</a>&nbsp;scored 12 points each against the Pirates on Wednesday.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/suttington_ishante_gbs8">Ishante Suttington</a>&nbsp;had 11 points, but the Blue Dragons shot 35.7 percent.The Blue Dragons are 31-3 all-time against Allen and have won seven straight against the Red Devils. Last season, the Blue Dragons rolled to an 81-51 victory. Over their seven-game win streak over Allen, the Dragons have won by an average of 35.7 points.

🏀 Blue Dragon Women try to bounce back vs Allen County

ARKANSAS CITY, Kan.—The Salthawk Girls ran their record to 7-8 with a win over Ark City 51-17 Friday night at the dog house in Arkansas City.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Hutch was led by Ziya Simms with 16 points and Mya Thompson with 15 points.

The Salthawk Boys were not as lucky dropping a tough fought game to the Bull Dogs 55-50.&nbsp; Hutchinson trailed by 7 at the half and trailed by the same margin going into the 4th quarter but were able to tie the game 3 times in the last 5:36 before turning the ball over twice in the last minute of play and giving the ball up to Ark City.

Myles Thompson had another great game with 20 points and 12 rebounds on the night.

Next action for Hutchinson will be Tuesday night at the SAC versus Maize High School weather permitting.

ARKANSAS CITY, Kan.—The Salthawk Girls ran their record to 7-8 with a win over Ark City 51-17 Friday night at the dog house in Arkansas City.&nbsp;&nbsp;Hutch was led by Ziya Simms with 16 points and Mya Thompson with 15 points.The Salthawk Boys were not as lucky dropping a tough fought game to the Bull Dogs 55-50.&nbsp; Hutchinson trailed by 7 at the half and trailed by the same margin going into the 4th quarter but were able to tie the game 3 times in the last 5:36 before turning the ball over twice in the last minute of play and giving the ball up to Ark City.Coach Miller Post-Game<div><iframe title="Brian Miller Post Game - 2-12-21 versus Ark City" height="122" width="100%" style="border: none;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/e5x77-fa99f0?from=pb6admin&download=1&version=1&auto=0&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Helvetica&skin=1&pfauth=&btn-skin=107"></iframe></div>Myles Thompson had another great game with 20 points and 12 rebounds on the night.Next action for Hutchinson will be Tuesday night at the SAC versus Maize High School weather permitting.

🏀 Salthawks split pair in Ark City

Buhler 60, Circle 50 (corrected score)

Hutchinson Central Christian 52, South Barber 41

Manhattan CHIEF 60, Cornerstone Family 18

South Haven 47, Cedar Vale/Dexter Co-op 42

Wichita Northwest 65, Wichita Southeast 63

Wichita Sunrise 67, Oak Hill Academy, Va. 56

Wichita Trinity 78, Wichita Independent 37

Friday's ScoresBy The Associated Press<h2>BOYS PREP BASKETBALL=</h2>Andover 75, Andover Central 59Arkansas City 55, Hutchinson 50BV Northwest 81, St. Thomas Aquinas 36Belle Plaine 47, Conway Springs 31Berean Academy 62, Bennington 32Bishop Miege 59, St. James Academy 53Bonner Springs 52, Ottawa 43Burlington 83, Prairie View 35Chaparral 49, Kingman 33Cheney 55, Garden Plain 50Cheylin 57, Triplains-Brewster 28Buhler 60, Circle 50 (corrected score)Clearwater 48, Wichita Collegiate 42Clifton-Clyde 60, Onaga 32Concordia 43, Chapman 28Derby 74, Salina South 68Ellis 56, Oakley 47Ellsworth 37, Republic County 22Flinthills 61, Argonia 59Fort Scott 49, Labette County 46Goddard-Eisenhower 51, Valley Center 44Goessel 42, Herington 8Goodland 54, Stanton County 39Greeley County 49, Deerfield 38Haven 48, Lyons 29Hays 73, Colby 40Hays-TMP-Marian 57, Phillipsburg 44Heritage Christian 58, KC Bishop Ward 52Hodgeman County 30, Minneola 17Hoisington 57, Pratt 43Hooker, Okla. 65, Liberal 48Hugoton 79, Syracuse 66Hutchinson Central Christian 52, South Barber 41Ingalls 49, Ashland 45Inman 68, Marion 23Kapaun Mount Carmel 61, Wichita East 50La Crosse 33, Central Plains 32Lawrence Free State 78, SM East 75, OTLogan 48, Weskan 29Macksville 59, Bucklin 57Maize 65, Wichita Campus 56Maize South 59, Newton 49Manhattan 58, Emporia 37Manhattan CHIEF 60, Cornerstone Family 18Marysville 56, Clay Center 55McPherson 57, El Dorado 47Medicine Lodge 55, Douglass 41Metro Academy 70, Veritas Christian 64Mill Valley 67, SM North 61Olathe Northwest 41, Olathe West 31Oswego 51, Pleasanton 36Peabody-Burns 48, Centre 37Pittsburg 55, Chanute 52Pratt Skyline 64, Cunningham 41Quinter 57, Rawlins County 45Riverton 45, Girard 37Rose Hill 38, Mulvane 37Salina Central 51, Goddard 30Salina Sacred Heart 57, Council Grove 35Satanta 56, Kiowa County 50Scott City 49, Holcomb 45Sedgwick 66, Ell-Saline 21Smoky Valley 61, Nickerson 30South Central 71, Pawnee Heights 50South Haven 47, Cedar Vale/Dexter Co-op 42St. John's Beloit-Tipton 60, Chase 17Stafford 54, Burrton 19Stockton 65, Osborne 50Sylvan-Lucas 55, Wilson 39Thunder Ridge 42, Tescott 21Topeka Seaman 55, Topeka Hayden 27Topeka West 77, Junction City 62Victoria 50, St. John 35Wamego 57, Abilene 56West Elk 48, Caldwell 33Wheatland-Grinnell 71, Golden Plains 44Wichita County 56, Sublette 49Wichita Heights 55, Wichita South 38Wichita Northwest 65, Wichita Southeast 63Wichita Sunrise 67, Oak Hill Academy, Va. 56Wichita Trinity 78, Wichita Independent 37POSTPONEMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS=Pike Valley vs. Natoma, ccd.Rock Hills vs. Lincoln, ccd.<h2>GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL=</h2>Andale 52, Wellington 37Andover Central 54, Andover 43Argonia 45, Flinthills 27BV North 51, BV Southwest 27Basehor-Linwood 42, DeSoto 37Bishop Miege 64, St. James Academy 52Bonner Springs 45, Ottawa 40Bucklin 57, Macksville 26Central Plains 60, La Crosse 35Chaparral 49, Kingman 33Cheney 54, Garden Plain 50Cheylin 49, Triplains-Brewster 25Circle 57, Buhler 33Clay Center 64, Marysville 33Clearwater 48, Wichita Collegiate 42Clifton-Clyde 46, Onaga 43Colby 42, Hays 31Concordia 47, Chapman 34Conway Springs 39, Belle Plaine 34Cunningham 41, Pratt Skyline 23Derby 45, Salina South 26Dighton 51, Western Plains-Healy 7Elkhart 57, Lakin 48Ell-Saline 31, Sedgwick 28Girard 54, Riverton 30Goddard-Eisenhower 47, Valley Center 32Goodland 54, Stanton County 30Greeley County 52, Deerfield 10Haven 52, Lyons 45Hays-TMP-Marian 44, Phillipsburg 32Herington 50, Goessel 32Hodgeman County 58, Minneola 44Hoisington 44, Pratt 35Hugoton 59, Syracuse 21Hutchinson 51, Arkansas City 17Hutchinson Central Christian 58, South Barber 33Inman 43, Marion 33KC Bishop Ward 46, Heritage Christian 32Lansing 45, Shawnee Heights 42Liberal 76, Hooker, Okla. 36Little River 38, Elyria Christian 18Maize 60, Wichita Campus 25Maize South 53, Newton 30McPherson 66, El Dorado 29Nickerson 54, Smoky Valley 34Oakley 47, Ellis 42Olathe South 45, Gardner-Edgerton 35Osborne 57, Stockton 35Otis-Bison 35, Ness City 31Pittsburg Colgan 42, Galena 20Pleasanton 41, Oswego 23Pretty Prairie 52, Fairfield 39Republic County 34, Ellsworth 31, OTRiverside 56, Perry-Lecompton 48Rock Creek 47, St. Mary's 36Rose Hill 38, Mulvane 37SM North 41, Mill Valley 36SM Northwest 40, SM West 37Salina Central 66, Goddard 34Salina Sacred Heart 47, Council Grove 28Scott City 49, Holcomb 45Silver Lake 61, Rossville 32South Central 42, Pawnee Heights 31South Haven 46, Cedar Vale/Dexter Co-op 15Southeast Saline 46, Minneapolis 36Spearville 41, Meade 40St. John's Beloit-Tipton 76, Chase 26Sterling 36, Hutchinson Trinity 23Thunder Ridge 42, Tescott 21Topeka 59, Washburn Rural 53Topeka Seaman 43, Topeka Hayden 32Trego 61, Russell 49Udall 36, Burden Central 26Valley Heights 56, Centralia 30Victoria 48, St. John 45Wakefield 40, Solomon 29Wamego 45, Abilene 31Washington County 47, Axtell 29Weskan 54, Logan 27West Elk 53, Caldwell 21Wetmore 39, Linn 30Wichita County 40, Sublette 29Wichita East 50, Kapaun Mount Carmel 48Wichita Heights 67, Wichita South 32Wichita Trinity 60, Wichita Independent 36POSTPONEMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS=Pike Valley vs. Natoma, ccd.Rock Hills vs. Lincoln, ccd.___Some high school basketball scores provided by Scorestream.com, https://scorestream.com/

🏀 Prep Scores from Friday

KANSAS CITY, MO (February 12, 2021) – The Kansas City Royals are excited to announce that their Player Development Licenses (PDLs) have been signed by Omaha (AAA), Northwest Arkansas (AA), Quad Cities (A+) and Columbia, SC (A) to make up the club’s minor league affiliates for the 2021 season.

“The Kansas City Royals are proud to formally announce that we have partnered with four great organizations,” Royals Vice President/Assistant GM-Player Performance J.J. Picollo said. “We are excited to continue our long-standing relationships with the Omaha Storm Chasers and Northwest Arkansas Naturals, who have been phenomenal to work with over the years and we are equally excited to have two new partners, the Quad Cities River Bandits and the Columbia Fireflies. We have been engaged with Major League Baseball and the Commissioner’s Office throughout this process and have been working hard to partner with great people, great cities and great facilities. We have accomplished that by staying in Omaha and Northwest Arkansas and forming a partnership with Quad Cities and Columbia. Our players will be able to maximize their personal development in this new alignment and we are anxious to engage in this new venture with MLB as Minor League Baseball takes on a new look.”

The Omaha and Kansas City franchises have joined forces since both began play in 1969, forming the longest active Triple-A affiliation in Minor League Baseball and third-longest affiliation overall. The Omaha franchise, which has carried the Storm Chasers nickname since 2011, has played more than 7,000 games as the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate, winning 16 division titles, seven league championships and three Triple-A championships (1990, 2013, 2014).

“Continuity in the face of a major industry change is something we are extremely proud of in our relationship with the Kansas City Royals,” Omaha Storm Chasers Team President Martie Cordero said. “While our agreement with the Royals is not perpetual, we each operate in a way that demonstrates permanence. Our organization cannot wait to welcome the next wave of future Royals big leaguers to Warner Park in 2021 and beyond.”

Northwest Arkansas resumes its affiliation with the Royals, having become Kansas City’s Double-A affiliate prior to the 2008 season, when they relocated from Wichita, Kan. Prior to that, the Wichita Wranglers served as the Royals’ Double-A affiliate from 1995-2007. Based in Springdale, Ark., the Naturals have reached the postseason seven times in 12 seasons, collected four division titles (2009, 2010, 2015, 2016) and one league championship in 2010.

“We are thrilled to continue our strong partnership with the Kansas City Royals,” Northwest Arkansas Naturals General Manager Justin Cole said. “Through our affiliation with the Royals, we have been able to showcase many talented players on their way to Kansas City, while also providing great family entertainment to baseball fans throughout Northwest Arkansas.”

Quad Cities will begin its partnership with the Royals in 2021, marking their first season at the Class A-Advanced level. Quad Cities has been affiliated with six other franchises since joining the Midwest League in 1960 and has won seven league titles (1968, 1971, 1979, 1990, 2011 and 2017) in that time. The River Bandits anchor the Quad Cities sports market, playing their home games at Modern Woodman Park in Davenport, Iowa.

“Moving up to Advanced-A and securing a long-term affiliation with the Kansas City Royals will be the best thing to happen to baseball in Quad Cities since the renovation of Modern Woodman Park,” Quad Cities River Bandits owner Dave Heller said. “Having Advanced-A baseball in the Quad Cities means the players who come through our ballpark are markedly more likely to reach the Major Leagues. It’s a higher level of play, with better pitchers and better hitters and more experienced players. And there is no better organization in baseball than the Kansas City Royals, no one with whom we would rather affiliate. Dayton Moore, J.J. Picollo, Scott Sharp – they are the best. They do things the right way, treat people the right way. And they have a proven record building a World Series champion. All of us in the Quad Cities who love baseball are extremely grateful to Senators Grassley and Ernst for all of their hard work. We can’t wait to welcome everyone in the Royals organization to Quad Cities.”

Columbia (S.C.) will begin its first season as a Class A affiliate with the Royals. The Columbia franchise had partnered with the New York Mets for more than 25 seasons as the Columbia Mets (1983-92), the Capital City Bombers (1993-2004) and the Fireflies (2016-2020). In 2014, the Columbia Fireflies partnered with the City of Columbia and Hughes Development to construct Segra Park, which was named Baseball Digest “Ballpark of the Decade”. The Fireflies also received Baseball Digest’s Best New Branding and Logo Award in 2016.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600774278944.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, MO (February 12, 2021) – The Kansas City Royals are excited to announce that their Player Development Licenses (PDLs) have been signed by Omaha (AAA), Northwest Arkansas (AA), Quad Cities (A+) and Columbia, SC (A) to make up the club’s minor league affiliates for the 2021 season.“The Kansas City Royals are proud to formally announce that we have partnered with four great organizations,” Royals Vice President/Assistant GM-Player Performance J.J. Picollo said. “We are excited to continue our long-standing relationships with the Omaha Storm Chasers and Northwest Arkansas Naturals, who have been phenomenal to work with over the years and we are equally excited to have two new partners, the Quad Cities River Bandits and the Columbia Fireflies. We have been engaged with Major League Baseball and the Commissioner’s Office throughout this process and have been working hard to partner with great people, great cities and great facilities. We have accomplished that by staying in Omaha and Northwest Arkansas and forming a partnership with Quad Cities and Columbia. Our players will be able to maximize their personal development in this new alignment and we are anxious to engage in this new venture with MLB as Minor League Baseball takes on a new look.”The Omaha and Kansas City franchises have joined forces since both began play in 1969, forming the longest active Triple-A affiliation in Minor League Baseball and third-longest affiliation overall. The Omaha franchise, which has carried the Storm Chasers nickname since 2011, has played more than 7,000 games as the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate, winning 16 division titles, seven league championships and three Triple-A championships (1990, 2013, 2014).“Continuity in the face of a major industry change is something we are extremely proud of in our relationship with the Kansas City Royals,” Omaha Storm Chasers Team President Martie Cordero said. “While our agreement with the Royals is not perpetual, we each operate in a way that demonstrates permanence. Our organization cannot wait to welcome the next wave of future Royals big leaguers to Warner Park in 2021 and beyond.”Northwest Arkansas resumes its affiliation with the Royals, having become Kansas City’s Double-A affiliate prior to the 2008 season, when they relocated from Wichita, Kan. Prior to that, the Wichita Wranglers served as the Royals’ Double-A affiliate from 1995-2007. Based in Springdale, Ark., the Naturals have reached the postseason seven times in 12 seasons, collected four division titles (2009, 2010, 2015, 2016) and one league championship in 2010.“We are thrilled to continue our strong partnership with the Kansas City Royals,” Northwest Arkansas Naturals General Manager Justin Cole said. “Through our affiliation with the Royals, we have been able to showcase many talented players on their way to Kansas City, while also providing great family entertainment to baseball fans throughout Northwest Arkansas.”Quad Cities will begin its partnership with the Royals in 2021, marking their first season at the Class A-Advanced level. Quad Cities has been affiliated with six other franchises since joining the Midwest League in 1960 and has won seven league titles (1968, 1971, 1979, 1990, 2011 and 2017) in that time. The River Bandits anchor the Quad Cities sports market, playing their home games at Modern Woodman Park in Davenport, Iowa.“Moving up to Advanced-A and securing a long-term affiliation with the Kansas City Royals will be the best thing to happen to baseball in Quad Cities since the renovation of Modern Woodman Park,” Quad Cities River Bandits owner Dave Heller said. “Having Advanced-A baseball in the Quad Cities means the players who come through our ballpark are markedly more likely to reach the Major Leagues. It’s a higher level of play, with better pitchers and better hitters and more experienced players. And there is no better organization in baseball than the Kansas City Royals, no one with whom we would rather affiliate. Dayton Moore, J.J. Picollo, Scott Sharp – they are the best. They do things the right way, treat people the right way. And they have a proven record building a World Series champion. All of us in the Quad Cities who love baseball are extremely grateful to Senators Grassley and Ernst for all of their hard work. We can’t wait to welcome everyone in the Royals organization to Quad Cities.”Columbia (S.C.) will begin its first season as a Class A affiliate with the Royals. The Columbia franchise had partnered with the New York Mets for more than 25 seasons as the Columbia Mets (1983-92), the Capital City Bombers (1993-2004) and the Fireflies (2016-2020). In 2014, the Columbia Fireflies partnered with the City of Columbia and Hughes Development to construct Segra Park, which was named Baseball Digest “Ballpark of the Decade”. The Fireflies also received Baseball Digest’s Best New Branding and Logo Award in 2016.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Royals sign affiliates for 2021

AUDIO: Eagle Radio Sports for Friday

The Hutchinson Community College volleyball team racked up a season-high 13 service aces as the Blue Dragons swept Dodge City in a Jayhawk West matchup Thursday at the Sports Arena.

Hutchinson used the second-longest single scoring run in program history to start what turned into a 25-5, 25-13, 25-15 victory over Dodge City.

The Blue Dragons improve to 7-5 overall and 3-2 in the Jayhawk West. Hutchinson travels to nationally ranked Seward County on Monday in another Jayhawk West contest.

Dodge City scored the first two points of the match, but the next 20 rallies all belonged to the Blue Dragons.

With freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/briggs_shadee_xm04">Shadee Briggs</a>&nbsp;at the service line, Hutchinson amassed seven kills and three team blocks in a 20-0 service run. The only longer service run by the Dragons was 21 unanswered points against Garden City on October 9, 2009.

Briggs' six service aces in the same scoring run was the most by a Blue Dragon since Mariana Blum reeled off 11 aces in a 13-point run against Northwest-Shoals in the opening round of the 2004 NJCAA Tournament.

Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/head_kristina_5dlc">Kristina Head</a>&nbsp;started the long scoring run with a kill and she scored the final point of the run with a kill. Head tallied four kills and three block assists in the run, while sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/thorne_jenna_xncq">Jenna Thorne</a>&nbsp;had three kills and three block assists. Dodge City was held to two kills and had nine attack errors in the opening set.

The five points allowed in the third set are the third fewest allowed by Hutchinson in the Rally Score era. Garden City scored three on October 9, 2009 and four in a Region VI Tournament match in that same season.

Briggs finished with a season-high eight service aces, which ties six others for the 10th-most aces in a match in Blue Dragon history. The eight aces were the most in a match since Ashlyn Westerman had nine aces against Garden City on September 5, 2011. Briggs added six kills and a block assist.

Thorne posted her eighth double-double of the season with 12 kills and 10 digs. Thorne also had four block assists and two ace serves. Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/murrell_shelby_tlgr">Shelby Murrell</a>&nbsp;added eight kills, five coming in the third set, with a block assist.

Sophomore setter&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/price_chloe_rbgs">Chloe Price</a>&nbsp;finished with 35 assists with three service aces and two total blocks, including one solo stuff. Freshman libero&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/reeder_shelby_zpe9">Shelby Reeder</a>&nbsp;had 14 digs and freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/lane_kenna_obyd">Kenna Lane</a>&nbsp;had 10 digs.

Hutchinson had 38 kills to Dodge City's 12 and out-blocked the Conquistadors 8-7.

Hillary English had seven kills and Ruby Osawey had five kills to lead Dodge City, which fell to 1-7 overall, 1-3 in the Jayhawk West.

The Blue Dragons jumped out to leads of 9-2, 14-4 and 17-5 in the second set. Dodge City climbed within 18-12, but a&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/lettries_myracle_x6su">Myracle Lettries</a>&nbsp;kill and Lettries/Thorne double block started a 7-1 run to close the set for the Dragons. Hutch closed the set on a Lane back-row kill and Murrell kill on the final two rallies of the set.

Price had three aces in an initial 10-1 Dragon run to start the third set. Leading 14-6 after Murrell terminated on a Conquistador overall, the Dragons saw Dodge City score on 8 of the next 13 rallies to pull within 19-14, prompting a Blue Dragon timeout. The Dragons scored the final six points of the match, getting two Thorne aces and a Lettries/<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/larson_taegan_9xc6">Taegen Larsen</a>&nbsp;kill on match point.

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports InformationThe Hutchinson Community College volleyball team racked up a season-high 13 service aces as the Blue Dragons swept Dodge City in a Jayhawk West matchup Thursday at the Sports Arena.Hutchinson used the second-longest single scoring run in program history to start what turned into a 25-5, 25-13, 25-15 victory over Dodge City.The Blue Dragons improve to 7-5 overall and 3-2 in the Jayhawk West. Hutchinson travels to nationally ranked Seward County on Monday in another Jayhawk West contest.Dodge City scored the first two points of the match, but the next 20 rallies all belonged to the Blue Dragons.With freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/briggs_shadee_xm04">Shadee Briggs</a>&nbsp;at the service line, Hutchinson amassed seven kills and three team blocks in a 20-0 service run. The only longer service run by the Dragons was 21 unanswered points against Garden City on October 9, 2009.Briggs' six service aces in the same scoring run was the most by a Blue Dragon since Mariana Blum reeled off 11 aces in a 13-point run against Northwest-Shoals in the opening round of the 2004 NJCAA Tournament.Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/head_kristina_5dlc">Kristina Head</a>&nbsp;started the long scoring run with a kill and she scored the final point of the run with a kill. Head tallied four kills and three block assists in the run, while sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/thorne_jenna_xncq">Jenna Thorne</a>&nbsp;had three kills and three block assists. Dodge City was held to two kills and had nine attack errors in the opening set.The five points allowed in the third set are the third fewest allowed by Hutchinson in the Rally Score era. Garden City scored three on October 9, 2009 and four in a Region VI Tournament match in that same season.Briggs finished with a season-high eight service aces, which ties six others for the 10th-most aces in a match in Blue Dragon history. The eight aces were the most in a match since Ashlyn Westerman had nine aces against Garden City on September 5, 2011. Briggs added six kills and a block assist.Thorne posted her eighth double-double of the season with 12 kills and 10 digs. Thorne also had four block assists and two ace serves. Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/murrell_shelby_tlgr">Shelby Murrell</a>&nbsp;added eight kills, five coming in the third set, with a block assist.Sophomore setter&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/price_chloe_rbgs">Chloe Price</a>&nbsp;finished with 35 assists with three service aces and two total blocks, including one solo stuff. Freshman libero&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/reeder_shelby_zpe9">Shelby Reeder</a>&nbsp;had 14 digs and freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/lane_kenna_obyd">Kenna Lane</a>&nbsp;had 10 digs.Hutchinson had 38 kills to Dodge City's 12 and out-blocked the Conquistadors 8-7.Hillary English had seven kills and Ruby Osawey had five kills to lead Dodge City, which fell to 1-7 overall, 1-3 in the Jayhawk West.The Blue Dragons jumped out to leads of 9-2, 14-4 and 17-5 in the second set. Dodge City climbed within 18-12, but a&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/lettries_myracle_x6su">Myracle Lettries</a>&nbsp;kill and Lettries/Thorne double block started a 7-1 run to close the set for the Dragons. Hutch closed the set on a Lane back-row kill and Murrell kill on the final two rallies of the set.Price had three aces in an initial 10-1 Dragon run to start the third set. Leading 14-6 after Murrell terminated on a Conquistador overall, the Dragons saw Dodge City score on 8 of the next 13 rallies to pull within 19-14, prompting a Blue Dragon timeout. The Dragons scored the final six points of the match, getting two Thorne aces and a Lettries/<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/larson_taegan_9xc6">Taegen Larsen</a>&nbsp;kill on match point.

Blue Dragons serve up a sweep against Conquestadors

LAWRENCE, Kan.&nbsp;– Four Jayhawks scored in double figures, including a team-high 19 points from Ochai Agbaji, as Kansas cruised to a 97-64 win against Iowa State inside of Allen Fieldhouse on Thursday.

Paired with Agbaji, redshirt freshman Jalen Wilson finished with his third straight double-double and his sixth of the season after scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

Agbaji led the team with 19 points, including tying a career-high five 3-point field goals made, while sophomore Christian Braun contributed 18 points of his own with five rebounds and a team-leading six assists.

Kansas got off to a hot start by opening the game on a 5-0 run and controlled the pace of the contest from the start. The KU offense served as a model of efficiency,

committing only one turnover in the first 20 minutes as KU was able to go into halftime with a 39-27 lead.

After coming out of the locker room, Kansas caught fire and built upon its lead. &nbsp;Agbaji went on a tear, scoring 14 second half points.

Freshman Bryce Thompson, who is recovering from an injury, saw action for the first time since January 12. Thompson brought added energy for the Jayhawks, scoring eight points, while grabbing four rebounds with three assists in 19 minutes of playing time.

The Jayhawks held the Cyclones to 20% (5-for-25) shooting from behind the arc and dominated in the paint, outrebounding ISU 44-32.

In a game where every Jayhawk saw action on the floor, all but two scored, as Kansas got 24 points from its bench.

With the win, Kansas improves to 14-7 overall and 8-5 in Big 12 play. Iowa State fell to 2-13 and 0-10.

6 –&nbsp;Tonight’s contest marks the sixth double-double of the season for Jalen Wilson, including his third-straight, which now leads the team for the most this season.

With the shot clocking winding down at the end of the first half, Wilson threw up a 3-point attempt and found the net to give Kansas a double-digit intermission lead and the momentum heading into the second half.

Kansas plays its second of back-to-back games at Iowa State on Saturday, Feb. 13. The contest will begin at 2 p.m. (CT) and will be televised on ABC.

Kansas leads the all-time series with ISU, 185-66, dating back to 1908. KU has won the last three, yet is 8-5 in the last 13 meetings. Kansas holds a 70-40 advantage in games played in Ames, including a 26-22 mark in Hilton Coliseum.

LAWRENCE, Kan.&nbsp;– Four Jayhawks scored in double figures, including a team-high 19 points from Ochai Agbaji, as Kansas cruised to a 97-64 win against Iowa State inside of Allen Fieldhouse on Thursday.Paired with Agbaji, redshirt freshman Jalen Wilson finished with his third straight double-double and his sixth of the season after scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.Agbaji led the team with 19 points, including tying a career-high five 3-point field goals made, while sophomore Christian Braun contributed 18 points of his own with five rebounds and a team-leading six assists.Kansas got off to a hot start by opening the game on a 5-0 run and controlled the pace of the contest from the start. The KU offense served as a model of efficiency,committing only one turnover in the first 20 minutes as KU was able to go into halftime with a 39-27 lead.After coming out of the locker room, Kansas caught fire and built upon its lead. &nbsp;Agbaji went on a tear, scoring 14 second half points.Freshman Bryce Thompson, who is recovering from an injury, saw action for the first time since January 12. Thompson brought added energy for the Jayhawks, scoring eight points, while grabbing four rebounds with three assists in 19 minutes of playing time.The Jayhawks held the Cyclones to 20% (5-for-25) shooting from behind the arc and dominated in the paint, outrebounding ISU 44-32.In a game where every Jayhawk saw action on the floor, all but two scored, as Kansas got 24 points from its bench.With the win, Kansas improves to 14-7 overall and 8-5 in Big 12 play. Iowa State fell to 2-13 and 0-10.STAT OF THE GAME6 –&nbsp;Tonight’s contest marks the sixth double-double of the season for Jalen Wilson, including his third-straight, which now leads the team for the most this season.MOMENT OF THE GAMEWith the shot clocking winding down at the end of the first half, Wilson threw up a 3-point attempt and found the net to give Kansas a double-digit intermission lead and the momentum heading into the second half.NOTES<ul>
 <li>Kansas set team highs for points (97), points in a half (58-2nd), field goal attempts (72) and field goals made (38).</li><li>Thursday’s margin of victory of 33 points was the most in the series since Kansas’ 89-52 win in Lawrence on February 24, 2007, spanning 31 meetings between the two teams.</li><li>Kansas scored 90+ points for the fifth time this season with 97 points.</li><li>Kansas improves to 5-1 when shooting 50% or better, shooting 53% tonight.</li><li>Eleven different Jayhawks scored for the game.</li><li>Junior Ochai Agbaji finished with 19 points, his 19th game in double figures this season and fourth straight. Agbaji’s 19 points lead all scorers and was his highest scoring output in 10 games when he scored 19 points at TCU (1/5).</li><li>Freshman Bryce Thompson played his first game since an injury sustained January 12th vs. Oklahoma State, finishing with eight points, four rebounds, and three assists, also adding two blocks. Thompson tied his career high and rebounds and set a new career high in assists.</li><li>Redshirt-freshman Jalen Wilson scored 16 points on the night, his sixth straight outing with double figures and 15th of the season.</li>
 </ul>UP NEXTKansas plays its second of back-to-back games at Iowa State on Saturday, Feb. 13. The contest will begin at 2 p.m. (CT) and will be televised on ABC.Kansas leads the all-time series with ISU, 185-66, dating back to 1908. KU has won the last three, yet is 8-5 in the last 13 meetings. Kansas holds a 70-40 advantage in games played in Ames, including a 26-22 mark in Hilton Coliseum.

🏀 Kansas cruises to 97-64 victory over Iowa State

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

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Ochai Agbaji scored 19 points with five 3-pointers, Christian Braun had 18 points, five rebounds and six assists, and Kansas cruised past Iowa State 97-64 for its second straight victory since getting left off the Top-25 poll earlier this week. On Monday, Kansas dropped out of The Associated Press men's college basketball poll for the first time in 12 years, ending a record streak of 231 consecutive weeks ranked. Later that night, Kansas forced No. 23 Oklahoma State into 19 turnovers to roll to a 78-66 victory. Kansas led for all of 25 seconds in this one. Jalen Wilson had a double-double for the third straight game, scoring 16 points with 11 rebounds for Kansas. Jalen Coleman-Lands scored 20 points for Iowa State.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Destanni Henderson had seven of her 11 points in a decisive third-quarter run and No. 1 South Carolina won its 30th straight against Southeastern Conference opponents defeating Missouri 77-62 Thursday night. The Gamecocks got back on the winning track after losing 63-59 in overtime at No. 2 UConn just hours after returning to the top of the rankings. Henderson helped South Carolina pull away from the Tigers with two buckets and a 3-pointer in an 11-2 run after leading just 45-44. Missouri could not answer and lost its fourth straight to South Carolina.&nbsp;

UNDATED (AP) — No. 3 Michigan plans to play for the first time since Jan. 22 at No. 21 Wisconsin on Sunday. Michigan had put all athletic activities on pause last month after receiving several positive tests for a COVID-19 variant that transmits at a higher rate. Michigan leads the Big Ten standings and is chasing a No. 1 seed at the NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin has been sliding down the Top 25 the last few weeks and lost 77-54 at Michigan on Jan. 12.

UNDATED (AP) — No. 12 Oklahoma heads to No. 14 West Virginia on Saturday in the rematch of an epic game they played on Jan. 2 in Norman, when the Sooners blew an 18-point halftime lead before hanging on for a 75-71 victory. Other games Saturday have Kansas State visiting No. 23 Oklahoma State, Kansas playing Iowa State for the second time in three days and TCU heading to No. 13 Texas. The big game early next week pits the Longhorns against the Sooners on Tuesday night.

IRVING, Texas (AP) — The Big 12 has released its 2021 conference football schedule less than two months after Oklahoma won its sixth consecutive league championship. The Sooners beat Iowa State in the Big 12 title game on Dec. 19. The Cyclones last season beat Texas and Oklahoma in the same season for the first time while putting together a Big 12-best 8-1 conference record during the regular season before losing in their first conference title game. Iowa State and Oklahoma next meet Nov. 20 in Norman, two weeks before the next title game.&nbsp;

IRVING, Texas (AP) — The Big 12 has announced the makeup dates for nine women's basketball games postponed this season because of COVID-19 protocols. Those games will be played during a nine-day span through the week before the conference tournament. Kansas State has four makeup games, starting Feb. 27 at No. 7 Baylor. The Wildcats also will play in the league's final regular-season game March 7 at Oklahoma. The Sooners and Kansas both have three makeup games, while Baylor, TCU and West Virginia have two each. Texas and Iowa State only have one. Texas Tech and Oklahoma State have none.

UNDATED (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers have won six of their last eight games, but the two losses have come at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Damian Lillard had 30 points and the Blazers won for the fourth time in five games by outlasting the Sixers, 118-114. Carmelo Anthony added 24 points off the bench, including 16 in the fourth quarter.

Joel Embiid (joh-EHL' ehm-BEED') had a team-high 35 points and nine rebounds for the 76ers, while Ben Simmons added 23 points and 11 boards in Philadelphia's first loss in five road games.

Checking out Thursday's other NBA action:

— Stephen Curry knocked down 10 3-pointers on the way to 40 points in the Warriors' 111-105 victory over the Magic. The two-time MVP has made at least four 3-pointers in a career-best 13 straight games.

— Semi Ojeleye (SHEH'-mee OH'-zhah-lay) nailed six 3-pointers and had a career-high 24 points in the Celtics' 120-106 win over the Raptors. Rookie Payton Pritchard also hit six 3s and added 20 points for the Celtics, who drained a season-high 20 shots from beyond the arc. 

— Jimmy Butler had a triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Heat in their fourth straight win, 101-94 against the Rockets. Miami trailed by 13 in the first half, but used a big run and great defense in the third to take a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter. 

— The Pacers' four-game losing streak is over after Domantas Sabonis (doh-MAHN'-tahs sah-BOH'-nihs) had 26 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a 111-95 decision over the Pistons. Malcolm Brogdon added 18 points and Jeremy Lamb scored 17 for the Pacers, who posted a season-low 94 points in a loss to Brooklyn on Wednesday.

Raptors to call Tampa home for rest of season

UNDATED (AP) — The Raptors say they will stay in its adopted home of Tampa because of ongoing challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic and how that affects the process of crossing the border between the U.S. and Canada. 

Toronto made the move south last fall, knowing Thursday's decision was a real possibility. The land border with Canada remains closed to nonessential travelers who are not Canadian citizens. 

UNDATED (AP) — The Florida Panthers continue to steamroll through their NHL schedule by winning the first of three straight meetings with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Aaron Ekblad and Alex Wennberg each had a goal and an assist as the Panthers knocked off the defending Stanley Cup champs, 5-2. Frank Vatrano, Carter Verhaeghe (vur-HAY'-gee) and Brett Connolly also scored to help Florida end Tampa Bay's six-game winning streak.

The Panthers are 8-1-2 and one point behind the Bolts for the Central Division lead.

— Max Comtois (KAHM'-twah) scored with 7:42 left to back John Gibson's 21-save performance in the Ducks' 1-0 shutout of the Golden Knights. It marked just the fifth time Vegas was blanked at home in its history, and the first time the Golden Knights lost in their own building by a score of 1-0.

— Evgeni Malkin scored with 18 seconds left in regulation and Sidney Crosby provided the lone shootout tally in the Penguins' 4-3 win over the Islanders. The Isles led the game three times, the last coming on Mat Barzal's goal with 6:25 remaining in the third period.

— Boone Jenner, Jack Roslovic, Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Stenlund scored during a wild third period that pushed the Blue Jackets to a 6-5 win over Chicago, ending the Blackhawks' three-game winning streak. Cam Atkinson set a franchise record with his 15th career short-handed goal and had three assists as Columbus won for the third time in four games. 

— Nino Niederreiter (NEE'-dur-eye-tur) scored the tiebreaking goal about four minutes into the third period before the Hurricanes completed a 5-3 downing of the Stars. Jordan Staal and Sebastian Aho both had a goal and an assist in Carolina's third win over the defending Western Conference champs.

— The Predators posted a 3-2 win over the Red Wings on Dante Fabbro's goal with 59.2 seconds remaining in regulation. Ryan Ellis and Matt Duchene (doo-SHAYN') also scored and Pekka Rinne (PEH'-kuh REE'-nay) made 24 saves as Nashville snapped a three-game losing streak. 

— The Kings halted a five-game losing streak as Anze Kopitar (AHN'-zhay KOH'-pih-tahr), Carl Grundstrom and Jaret Anderson-Dolan each had a goal and an assist in a 6-2 rout of the Sharks. Alex Iafallo (eye'-ah-FAH'-loh) and Jeff Carter added power-play goals, Drew Doughty had three assists and Cal Petersen made 28 saves for Los Angeles.

— Mike Smith picked up his 40th career shutout by turning back 38 shots in the Oilers' third straight win, 3-0 over the Canadiens. The start of the game was delayed an hour after Edmonton forward Jesse Puljujarvi (pool-YAHR'-vee) was placed on the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list. 

— Connor Hellebuyck (HEH'-leh-buhk) made 41 saves and the Jets improved to 4-0 against the Senators this season with a 5-1 victory. Paul Stastny, Dylan DeMelo and Blake Wheeler scored second-period goals after Hellebuyck stopped 18 shots in a scoreless first period.

— The Flames earned their third straight win as Mark Giordano had a goal and an assist in a 3-1 verdict over the Canucks. Jacob Markstrom had 33 saves to help Calgary deal Vancouver its sixth loss in a row.

UNDATED (AP) — The Associated Press has learned that the NHL is adding game-day rapid tests for players to its safety protocols in its latest bid to stem potential COVID-19 outbreaks. That's according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation.

Rapid tests provide results within a half-hour, and will augment daily PCR testing already in place.

— Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy could be sidelined for two weeks with a right hip injury suffered in Tuesday's win at Dallas. Andrew Shaw is facing an uncertain future after another head injury. 

— The Blue Jackets have activated goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (murz-LEE'-kihnz) off injured reserve after he missed a week with an upper-body injury suffered in practice. He is 2-2-1 with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage in six games this season. 

— The Bruins will wait to retire pioneering Black hockey player Willie O'Ree's number until next year so that they can raise his No. 22 banner to the rafters with fans in the building. The NHL said it asked the Bruins and O'Ree to postpone the ceremony until Jan. 18, 64 years to the day that he became the league's first Black player.

Dodgers introduce Trevor Bauer with 3-year deal

UNDATED (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers have finalized contracts with two of their top starting pitchers.

Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer was introduced to the media on Thursday after he and the Dodgers finalized a three-year, $102 million package. The Southern California native was 5-4 with a 1.73 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 11 starts for Cincinnati last year. 

The defending World Series champs also avoided salary arbitration with right-hander Walker Buehler (BYOO'-lur) by hammering out a two-year contract. The two-year, $8 million deal would escalate to more than $12 million if he starts regularly this year and wins a Cy Young Award.

The 26-year-old Buehler was the Dodgers' ace in helping them win their first World Series title since 1988. 

— The Mets and infielder Jonathan Villar (vee-AHR') and the New York Mets have finalized a one-year, $3.55 million contract. 

— Right-hander David Phelps and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a $1.75 million, one-year contract, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. 

—The Cubs have worked out a one-year, $1.5 million package with outfielder Jake Marisnick, a deal that is pending a physical. 

— The Pirates have signed veteran catcher Tony Wolters to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to spring training. 

— The Indians are giving free agent Ben Gamel (GAM'-ul) a shot to win one of their open outfield jobs after working out a minor league agreement with an invitation to big league spring training camp. 

— Catcher Bryan Holaday has agreed to a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks and will report to major league spring training. 

— Veteran outfielder Jon Jay has agreed to a minor league contract with the Angels and an invitation to major league spring training. 

— The major league season is scheduled to open April 1 with the Yankees hosting Toronto and Detroit hosting Cleveland to start a full schedule of 15 games. The schedule envisions every team playing its first game on the same day for the first time since 1968. 

— Seven Negro Leagues have been recommended for major league status by a task force of the Society for American Baseball Research. The announcement followed Major League Baseball's decision on Dec. 16 that it was reclassifying the Negro Leagues to majors. They had been excluded in 1969 when a baseball records committee identified six official major leagues dating to 1876. If accepted, the move can inflate stats for all players who played in the majors and Negro Leagues, including Willie Mays, Monte Irvin and Hank Aaron.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — No. 24 Purdue is still looking for its first winning streak since its four-game run was snapped on Jan. 22

Marcus Carr scored 19 points and Minnesota rallied late for a 71-68 victory against the visiting Boilermakers.

Gabe Kalscheur chipped in 16 points and Brandon Johnson added 15 for the Golden Gophers, who trailed by five with two minutes to play.

Trevion Williams led Purdue with 24 points and 10 rebounds. 

— The Mobley brothers led No. 20 Southern California to an easy win over Washington, 69-54. Evan Mobley scored 17 points, while Isaiah Mobley added 12 points and 12 rebounds in the Trojan's 11th victory in 12 games.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Aric Almirola and Austin Dillon were the winners in last night's 150-mile qualifying races for Sunday's Daytona 500. However, both drivers now have a chance to move from the second to the front row following car issues for pole-sitter Alex Bowman and William Bowman.

Almirola held off a charge from Joey Logano, who pulled alongside Almirola on the final lap of the first 150-mile race. Almirola led 52 of 60 laps in his first qualifying race victory at Daytona. 

Dillon used a cross-over move on Bubba Wallace to beat Wallace to the checkered flag. 

However, Almirola will slide up to the front row after Byron wrecked his car in the second race. And in another disappointment for Hendrick Motorsports, Bowman could be moved to the back if his motor needs to be changed. Bowman had engine trouble in the first race.

Fans barred from Australian Open following outbreak

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Day 5 at the Australian Open had begun when government officials announced that fans will be banned from attending the tournament for five days beginning Saturday because of a COVID-19 outbreak at a hotel. The Grand Slam tournament had been the first in a year to allow sizeable crowds.

The No. 7-seeded Aryna Sabalenka had already beat American Ann Li 6-3, 6-1 in front of a small morning crowd in Rod Laver Arena. She's reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time.

A year after a surprising loss in the third round at Melbourne Park, Serena Williams managed to get past that stage by beating Russian teen Anastasia Potapova, 7-6, 6-2 to advance to the Round of 16. Potapova served for the opening set at 5-3 before double-faulting five times in that game, including twice on set point.

Naomi Osaka is back in the fourth round for the first time since her title run in 2019. Osaka overcame 28 unforced errors and saved six of seven break points she faced in a 6-3, 6-2 win over 27th-seeded Ons Jabeur.

Other third-round winners on the women's side include 14th seed Garbine Muguruza (moo-guh-ROO'-thah) and No. 19 Marketa Vondrousova.

In the men's bracket, 18th seed Grigor Dimitrov (dih-MEE'-trahv) was leading 6-0, 1-0 when No. 15 Pablo Carreno Busta retired due to injury.

No. 20 Felix Auger-Aliassime beat No. 11 Denis Shapovalov in the all-Canadian match at Margaret Court Arena 7-5, 7-5, 6-3.

Canadian veteran Milos Raonic advanced to the fourth round at Melbourne Park for the eighth time by beating Marton Fucsovics of Hungary 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Patrick Cantlay birdied seven of his first eight holes and closed with two straight birdies for a 10-under 62 at the PGA's Pebble Beach Pro-Am. 

Cantlay tied the course record at Pebble Beach last matched 24 years ago by David Duval, and it gave him a two-shot lead through one round.

Henrik Norlander and 19-year-old Akshay Bhatia were at 8 under. 

UNDATED (AP) — College conferences are still planning to hold basketball tournaments where the winner earns the automatic bid to the NCAAs. But the leagues also have until Feb. 26 to notify the selection committee if there will be any changes in how their bids are awarded. 

Some coaches are split on the feasibility of having the tournaments and pandemic concerns could still lead to changes. 

The NCAA has mandated that teams must have seven straight days of negative tests prior to arriving in Indiana for the tournament. There must be an additional two negative PCR tests before teams start practice. 

— The ACC has announced that Louisville's men's basketball game at Virginia Tech scheduled for Saturday has been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns among the Cardinals. 

— Saturday's men's basketball game between Texas A&amp;M and Florida has been postponed due to a combination of positive COVID-19 tests, contact tracing and quarantining of individuals within the Texas A&amp;M program. 

—The Ivy League will allow current senior athletes to play sports as full-time grad students at their current university next year in a break with longstanding policies. The change is a result of COVID-19, which canceled a full year of sports. 

<h2>Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press</h2>LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Ochai Agbaji scored 19 points with five 3-pointers, Christian Braun had 18 points, five rebounds and six assists, and Kansas cruised past Iowa State 97-64 for its second straight victory since getting left off the Top-25 poll earlier this week. On Monday, Kansas dropped out of The Associated Press men's college basketball poll for the first time in 12 years, ending a record streak of 231 consecutive weeks ranked. Later that night, Kansas forced No. 23 Oklahoma State into 19 turnovers to roll to a 78-66 victory. Kansas led for all of 25 seconds in this one. Jalen Wilson had a double-double for the third straight game, scoring 16 points with 11 rebounds for Kansas. Jalen Coleman-Lands scored 20 points for Iowa State.COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Destanni Henderson had seven of her 11 points in a decisive third-quarter run and No. 1 South Carolina won its 30th straight against Southeastern Conference opponents defeating Missouri 77-62 Thursday night. The Gamecocks got back on the winning track after losing 63-59 in overtime at No. 2 UConn just hours after returning to the top of the rankings. Henderson helped South Carolina pull away from the Tigers with two buckets and a 3-pointer in an 11-2 run after leading just 45-44. Missouri could not answer and lost its fourth straight to South Carolina.&nbsp;UNDATED (AP) — No. 3 Michigan plans to play for the first time since Jan. 22 at No. 21 Wisconsin on Sunday. Michigan had put all athletic activities on pause last month after receiving several positive tests for a COVID-19 variant that transmits at a higher rate. Michigan leads the Big Ten standings and is chasing a No. 1 seed at the NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin has been sliding down the Top 25 the last few weeks and lost 77-54 at Michigan on Jan. 12.UNDATED (AP) — No. 12 Oklahoma heads to No. 14 West Virginia on Saturday in the rematch of an epic game they played on Jan. 2 in Norman, when the Sooners blew an 18-point halftime lead before hanging on for a 75-71 victory. Other games Saturday have Kansas State visiting No. 23 Oklahoma State, Kansas playing Iowa State for the second time in three days and TCU heading to No. 13 Texas. The big game early next week pits the Longhorns against the Sooners on Tuesday night.IRVING, Texas (AP) — The Big 12 has released its 2021 conference football schedule less than two months after Oklahoma won its sixth consecutive league championship. The Sooners beat Iowa State in the Big 12 title game on Dec. 19. The Cyclones last season beat Texas and Oklahoma in the same season for the first time while putting together a Big 12-best 8-1 conference record during the regular season before losing in their first conference title game. Iowa State and Oklahoma next meet Nov. 20 in Norman, two weeks before the next title game.&nbsp;IRVING, Texas (AP) — The Big 12 has announced the makeup dates for nine women's basketball games postponed this season because of COVID-19 protocols. Those games will be played during a nine-day span through the week before the conference tournament. Kansas State has four makeup games, starting Feb. 27 at No. 7 Baylor. The Wildcats also will play in the league's final regular-season game March 7 at Oklahoma. The Sooners and Kansas both have three makeup games, while Baylor, TCU and West Virginia have two each. Texas and Iowa State only have one. Texas Tech and Oklahoma State have none.<h2>Update on the latest sports</h2>NBA-SCHEDULE Blazers top Sixers againUNDATED (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers have won six of their last eight games, but the two losses have come at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers.Damian Lillard had 30 points and the Blazers won for the fourth time in five games by outlasting the Sixers, 118-114. Carmelo Anthony added 24 points off the bench, including 16 in the fourth quarter.Joel Embiid (joh-EHL' ehm-BEED') had a team-high 35 points and nine rebounds for the 76ers, while Ben Simmons added 23 points and 11 boards in Philadelphia's first loss in five road games.Checking out Thursday's other NBA action:— Stephen Curry knocked down 10 3-pointers on the way to 40 points in the Warriors' 111-105 victory over the Magic. The two-time MVP has made at least four 3-pointers in a career-best 13 straight games.— Semi Ojeleye (SHEH'-mee OH'-zhah-lay) nailed six 3-pointers and had a career-high 24 points in the Celtics' 120-106 win over the Raptors. Rookie Payton Pritchard also hit six 3s and added 20 points for the Celtics, who drained a season-high 20 shots from beyond the arc. — Jimmy Butler had a triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Heat in their fourth straight win, 101-94 against the Rockets. Miami trailed by 13 in the first half, but used a big run and great defense in the third to take a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter. — The Pacers' four-game losing streak is over after Domantas Sabonis (doh-MAHN'-tahs sah-BOH'-nihs) had 26 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a 111-95 decision over the Pistons. Malcolm Brogdon added 18 points and Jeremy Lamb scored 17 for the Pacers, who posted a season-low 94 points in a loss to Brooklyn on Wednesday.NBA-NEWSRaptors to call Tampa home for rest of seasonUNDATED (AP) — The Raptors say they will stay in its adopted home of Tampa because of ongoing challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic and how that affects the process of crossing the border between the U.S. and Canada. Toronto made the move south last fall, knowing Thursday's decision was a real possibility. The land border with Canada remains closed to nonessential travelers who are not Canadian citizens. NHL-SCHEDULECats top BoltsUNDATED (AP) — The Florida Panthers continue to steamroll through their NHL schedule by winning the first of three straight meetings with the Tampa Bay Lightning.Aaron Ekblad and Alex Wennberg each had a goal and an assist as the Panthers knocked off the defending Stanley Cup champs, 5-2. Frank Vatrano, Carter Verhaeghe (vur-HAY'-gee) and Brett Connolly also scored to help Florida end Tampa Bay's six-game winning streak.The Panthers are 8-1-2 and one point behind the Bolts for the Central Division lead.Elsewhere on NHL ice:— Max Comtois (KAHM'-twah) scored with 7:42 left to back John Gibson's 21-save performance in the Ducks' 1-0 shutout of the Golden Knights. It marked just the fifth time Vegas was blanked at home in its history, and the first time the Golden Knights lost in their own building by a score of 1-0.— Evgeni Malkin scored with 18 seconds left in regulation and Sidney Crosby provided the lone shootout tally in the Penguins' 4-3 win over the Islanders. The Isles led the game three times, the last coming on Mat Barzal's goal with 6:25 remaining in the third period.— Boone Jenner, Jack Roslovic, Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Stenlund scored during a wild third period that pushed the Blue Jackets to a 6-5 win over Chicago, ending the Blackhawks' three-game winning streak. Cam Atkinson set a franchise record with his 15th career short-handed goal and had three assists as Columbus won for the third time in four games. — Nino Niederreiter (NEE'-dur-eye-tur) scored the tiebreaking goal about four minutes into the third period before the Hurricanes completed a 5-3 downing of the Stars. Jordan Staal and Sebastian Aho both had a goal and an assist in Carolina's third win over the defending Western Conference champs.— The Predators posted a 3-2 win over the Red Wings on Dante Fabbro's goal with 59.2 seconds remaining in regulation. Ryan Ellis and Matt Duchene (doo-SHAYN') also scored and Pekka Rinne (PEH'-kuh REE'-nay) made 24 saves as Nashville snapped a three-game losing streak. — The Kings halted a five-game losing streak as Anze Kopitar (AHN'-zhay KOH'-pih-tahr), Carl Grundstrom and Jaret Anderson-Dolan each had a goal and an assist in a 6-2 rout of the Sharks. Alex Iafallo (eye'-ah-FAH'-loh) and Jeff Carter added power-play goals, Drew Doughty had three assists and Cal Petersen made 28 saves for Los Angeles.— Mike Smith picked up his 40th career shutout by turning back 38 shots in the Oilers' third straight win, 3-0 over the Canadiens. The start of the game was delayed an hour after Edmonton forward Jesse Puljujarvi (pool-YAHR'-vee) was placed on the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list. — Connor Hellebuyck (HEH'-leh-buhk) made 41 saves and the Jets improved to 4-0 against the Senators this season with a 5-1 victory. Paul Stastny, Dylan DeMelo and Blake Wheeler scored second-period goals after Hellebuyck stopped 18 shots in a scoreless first period.— The Flames earned their third straight win as Mark Giordano had a goal and an assist in a 3-1 verdict over the Canucks. Jacob Markstrom had 33 saves to help Calgary deal Vancouver its sixth loss in a row.NHL-NEWSNHL to implement game-day COVID testsUNDATED (AP) — The Associated Press has learned that the NHL is adding game-day rapid tests for players to its safety protocols in its latest bid to stem potential COVID-19 outbreaks. That's according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation.Rapid tests provide results within a half-hour, and will augment daily PCR testing already in place.In other NHL news: — Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy could be sidelined for two weeks with a right hip injury suffered in Tuesday's win at Dallas. Andrew Shaw is facing an uncertain future after another head injury. — The Blue Jackets have activated goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (murz-LEE'-kihnz) off injured reserve after he missed a week with an upper-body injury suffered in practice. He is 2-2-1 with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage in six games this season. — The Bruins will wait to retire pioneering Black hockey player Willie O'Ree's number until next year so that they can raise his No. 22 banner to the rafters with fans in the building. The NHL said it asked the Bruins and O'Ree to postpone the ceremony until Jan. 18, 64 years to the day that he became the league's first Black player.MLB-NEWSDodgers introduce Trevor Bauer with 3-year dealUNDATED (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers have finalized contracts with two of their top starting pitchers.Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer was introduced to the media on Thursday after he and the Dodgers finalized a three-year, $102 million package. The Southern California native was 5-4 with a 1.73 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 11 starts for Cincinnati last year. The defending World Series champs also avoided salary arbitration with right-hander Walker Buehler (BYOO'-lur) by hammering out a two-year contract. The two-year, $8 million deal would escalate to more than $12 million if he starts regularly this year and wins a Cy Young Award.The 26-year-old Buehler was the Dodgers' ace in helping them win their first World Series title since 1988. In other MLB news:— The Mets and infielder Jonathan Villar (vee-AHR') and the New York Mets have finalized a one-year, $3.55 million contract. — Right-hander David Phelps and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a $1.75 million, one-year contract, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. —The Cubs have worked out a one-year, $1.5 million package with outfielder Jake Marisnick, a deal that is pending a physical. — The Pirates have signed veteran catcher Tony Wolters to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to spring training. — The Indians are giving free agent Ben Gamel (GAM'-ul) a shot to win one of their open outfield jobs after working out a minor league agreement with an invitation to big league spring training camp. — Catcher Bryan Holaday has agreed to a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks and will report to major league spring training. — Veteran outfielder Jon Jay has agreed to a minor league contract with the Angels and an invitation to major league spring training. — The major league season is scheduled to open April 1 with the Yankees hosting Toronto and Detroit hosting Cleveland to start a full schedule of 15 games. The schedule envisions every team playing its first game on the same day for the first time since 1968. — Seven Negro Leagues have been recommended for major league status by a task force of the Society for American Baseball Research. The announcement followed Major League Baseball's decision on Dec. 16 that it was reclassifying the Negro Leagues to majors. They had been excluded in 1969 when a baseball records committee identified six official major leagues dating to 1876. If accepted, the move can inflate stats for all players who played in the majors and Negro Leagues, including Willie Mays, Monte Irvin and Hank Aaron.TOP-25 MEN'S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULENo. 24 Purdue fallsMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — No. 24 Purdue is still looking for its first winning streak since its four-game run was snapped on Jan. 22Marcus Carr scored 19 points and Minnesota rallied late for a 71-68 victory against the visiting Boilermakers.Gabe Kalscheur chipped in 16 points and Brandon Johnson added 15 for the Golden Gophers, who trailed by five with two minutes to play.Trevion Williams led Purdue with 24 points and 10 rebounds. In other top-25 action:— The Mobley brothers led No. 20 Southern California to an easy win over Washington, 69-54. Evan Mobley scored 17 points, while Isaiah Mobley added 12 points and 12 rebounds in the Trojan's 11th victory in 12 games.NASCAR-TWIN 150sAlmirola takes Daytona qualifierDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Aric Almirola and Austin Dillon were the winners in last night's 150-mile qualifying races for Sunday's Daytona 500. However, both drivers now have a chance to move from the second to the front row following car issues for pole-sitter Alex Bowman and William Bowman.Almirola held off a charge from Joey Logano, who pulled alongside Almirola on the final lap of the first 150-mile race. Almirola led 52 of 60 laps in his first qualifying race victory at Daytona. Dillon used a cross-over move on Bubba Wallace to beat Wallace to the checkered flag. However, Almirola will slide up to the front row after Byron wrecked his car in the second race. And in another disappointment for Hendrick Motorsports, Bowman could be moved to the back if his motor needs to be changed. Bowman had engine trouble in the first race.TENNIS-AUSTRALIAN OPENFans barred from Australian Open following outbreakMELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Day 5 at the Australian Open had begun when government officials announced that fans will be banned from attending the tournament for five days beginning Saturday because of a COVID-19 outbreak at a hotel. The Grand Slam tournament had been the first in a year to allow sizeable crowds.The No. 7-seeded Aryna Sabalenka had already beat American Ann Li 6-3, 6-1 in front of a small morning crowd in Rod Laver Arena. She's reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time.A year after a surprising loss in the third round at Melbourne Park, Serena Williams managed to get past that stage by beating Russian teen Anastasia Potapova, 7-6, 6-2 to advance to the Round of 16. Potapova served for the opening set at 5-3 before double-faulting five times in that game, including twice on set point.Naomi Osaka is back in the fourth round for the first time since her title run in 2019. Osaka overcame 28 unforced errors and saved six of seven break points she faced in a 6-3, 6-2 win over 27th-seeded Ons Jabeur.Other third-round winners on the women's side include 14th seed Garbine Muguruza (moo-guh-ROO'-thah) and No. 19 Marketa Vondrousova.In the men's bracket, 18th seed Grigor Dimitrov (dih-MEE'-trahv) was leading 6-0, 1-0 when No. 15 Pablo Carreno Busta retired due to injury.No. 20 Felix Auger-Aliassime beat No. 11 Denis Shapovalov in the all-Canadian match at Margaret Court Arena 7-5, 7-5, 6-3.Canadian veteran Milos Raonic advanced to the fourth round at Melbourne Park for the eighth time by beating Marton Fucsovics of Hungary 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.PGA-PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AMCantlay leads following a 62PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Patrick Cantlay birdied seven of his first eight holes and closed with two straight birdies for a 10-under 62 at the PGA's Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Cantlay tied the course record at Pebble Beach last matched 24 years ago by David Duval, and it gave him a two-shot lead through one round.Henrik Norlander and 19-year-old Akshay Bhatia were at 8 under. VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE SPORTSMore men's basketball games postponedUNDATED (AP) — College conferences are still planning to hold basketball tournaments where the winner earns the automatic bid to the NCAAs. But the leagues also have until Feb. 26 to notify the selection committee if there will be any changes in how their bids are awarded. Some coaches are split on the feasibility of having the tournaments and pandemic concerns could still lead to changes. The NCAA has mandated that teams must have seven straight days of negative tests prior to arriving in Indiana for the tournament. There must be an additional two negative PCR tests before teams start practice. In other pandemic-related news: — The ACC has announced that Louisville's men's basketball game at Virginia Tech scheduled for Saturday has been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns among the Cardinals. — Saturday's men's basketball game between Texas A&amp;M and Florida has been postponed due to a combination of positive COVID-19 tests, contact tracing and quarantining of individuals within the Texas A&amp;M program. —The Ivy League will allow current senior athletes to play sports as full-time grad students at their current university next year in a break with longstanding policies. The change is a result of COVID-19, which canceled a full year of sports. OLYMPICS-MORIMori steps downTOKYO (AP) — Yoshiro Mori says he is resigning as the president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee.The decision follows sexist comments in which Mori implied that women talk too much.Mori's departure at an executive board meeting comes after more than a week of non-stop criticism about his remarks earlier this month. He initially apologized but refused to step away, which was followed by relentless pressure from television pundits, sponsors, and an on-line petition that drew 150,000 signatures.

Sports Headlines for Friday

LAWRENCE, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas (13-7, 7-5) men’s basketball continues its two-game homestand against Iowa State (2-12, 0-9) Thursday, Feb. 11, inside historic Allen Fieldhouse. The game will begin at 6 p.m. (CT) and will be televised on ESPN.

Kansas will also play Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday, Feb. 13. Reverting to season finales and league tournament first-round matchups, this will be the third time in the Bill Self era that KU will play the same opponent consecutively. The first was 2003-04 vs. Missouri and the latest was 2017-18 vs. Oklahoma State.

Kansas is coming off its fifth win against a ranked foe this season with its 78-66 victory against No. 23 Oklahoma State on ESPN Big Monday, Feb. 8. Iowa State is looking to end a seven-game losing streak when it visits Lawrence. The Cyclone lost at TCU, 79-76, on Feb. 9.

Heading into the Feb. 11 game with Iowa State, Kansas leads the all-time series with ISU, 184-66, dating back to 1908. KU has won the last two, yet is 7-5 in the last 12 meetings with ISU. Kansas holds a 95-16 advantage in games played in Lawrence, including a 54-10 mark in Allen Fieldhouse. Beginning in 2006, KU has won the last three and 14 of the last 15 in Allen Fieldhouse against Iowa State.

Up Next&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

LAWRENCE, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas (13-7, 7-5) men’s basketball continues its two-game homestand against Iowa State (2-12, 0-9) Thursday, Feb. 11, inside historic Allen Fieldhouse. The game will begin at 6 p.m. (CT) and will be televised on ESPN.Kansas will also play Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday, Feb. 13. Reverting to season finales and league tournament first-round matchups, this will be the third time in the Bill Self era that KU will play the same opponent consecutively. The first was 2003-04 vs. Missouri and the latest was 2017-18 vs. Oklahoma State.Kansas is coming off its fifth win against a ranked foe this season with its 78-66 victory against No. 23 Oklahoma State on ESPN Big Monday, Feb. 8. Iowa State is looking to end a seven-game losing streak when it visits Lawrence. The Cyclone lost at TCU, 79-76, on Feb. 9.Heading into the Feb. 11 game with Iowa State, Kansas leads the all-time series with ISU, 184-66, dating back to 1908. KU has won the last two, yet is 7-5 in the last 12 meetings with ISU. Kansas holds a 95-16 advantage in games played in Lawrence, including a 54-10 mark in Allen Fieldhouse. Beginning in 2006, KU has won the last three and 14 of the last 15 in Allen Fieldhouse against Iowa State.Kansas Notables<ul>
 <li>Kansas is No. 4 in NET nationally in strength of schedule, which is first in the Big 12. To show how tough the Big 12 is, Kansas’ NET is No. 22 among the 357 NCAA Division I teams, which is sixth in the conference.</li><li>Kansas’ 11 Quadrant 1 games played in 2020-21 are the most in the Big 12 and tie for second most nationally (Maryland 14, Ohio State 11, Northwestern 11). Kansas is 4-7 versus Quadrant 1 teams, 3-0 vs. Q2, 1-0 vs. Q3, 4-0 vs. Q4.</li><li>Redshirt-freshman forward Jalen Wilson ranks fourth in the Big 12 in rebounding at 7.5 boards per game which is second among league freshman. His five double-doubles are tied for second overall in the Big 12.</li><li>Junior David McCormack is averaging 18.0 points in his last five games. He too has five double-doubles this season.</li><li>Junior guard Ochai Agbaji continues to rank second in the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made (2.6) and 3-point field goal percentage (39.2%).</li>
 </ul>Up Next&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kansas plays its second of back-to-back games at Iowa State on Saturday, Feb. 13. The contest will begin at 2 p.m. (CT) and will be televised on ABC.

🏀 Jayhawks to host Cyclones in Men’s Hoops

AUDIO: Eagle Radio Sports for Thursday

ORLANDO --&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5704">Alterique Gilbert</a>&nbsp;scored five of his team-high 17 points in the final 33 seconds to help Wichita State fend off UCF, 61-60, Wednesday night at Addition Financial Arena. Darius Perry led UCF (5-10, 3-9) with 27 points but missed a shot for the win in the final seconds. His hanging 15-foot jumper bounced off the rim with three seconds left, and Gilbert secured the rebound for the Shockers as time expired. WSU (12-4) improved to 7-1 in games decided by five points or less.&nbsp; At 8-2, the Shockers are out to their best conference start since joining The American. They're tied with first-place Houston (10-2) in the loss column but still need to make up two victories in the standings. Gilbert was 6-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range. <a href="https://goshockers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5697">Dexter Dennis</a>&nbsp;scored 14 of his with 16 points before halftime and finished with 10 rebounds to end a rather dubious Shocker streak. WSU had entered the night as one of just 10 active Division I schools without at least one double-double this season. <a href="https://goshockers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5701">Morris Udeze</a>&nbsp;added 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting. WSU led by as many as 10 points late in the first half and took a 36-30 edge into the locker room. UCF rallied to tie the game near the 10:00-mark and neither side led by more than four points the rest of the way. <a href="https://goshockers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5702">Trey Wade</a>&nbsp;found Gilbert for a corner three with 33 seconds left gave WSU a 59-55 lead. Perry answered with a jumper, but Gilbert hit both ended of a 1-and-1 opportunity with 17 seconds to go, and the Shockers appeared to have the game in hand, up 61-57. Instead, two mental mistakes nearly cost them. The Shockers fouled Perry on a layup with 11 seconds on the clock, and the Louisville transfer converted the free throw for a three-point play. Up, 61-60, WSU turned the ball over against UCF's full court pressure, and the Knights prepared for one final attempt with 7.9 seconds on the clock. For once, Perry missed. NOTABLE:

ORLANDO --&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5704">Alterique Gilbert</a>&nbsp;scored five of his team-high 17 points in the final 33 seconds to help Wichita State fend off UCF, 61-60, Wednesday night at Addition Financial Arena. Darius Perry led UCF (5-10, 3-9) with 27 points but missed a shot for the win in the final seconds. His hanging 15-foot jumper bounced off the rim with three seconds left, and Gilbert secured the rebound for the Shockers as time expired. WSU (12-4) improved to 7-1 in games decided by five points or less.&nbsp; At 8-2, the Shockers are out to their best conference start since joining The American. They're tied with first-place Houston (10-2) in the loss column but still need to make up two victories in the standings. Gilbert was 6-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range. <a href="https://goshockers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5697">Dexter Dennis</a>&nbsp;scored 14 of his with 16 points before halftime and finished with 10 rebounds to end a rather dubious Shocker streak. WSU had entered the night as one of just 10 active Division I schools without at least one double-double this season. <a href="https://goshockers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5701">Morris Udeze</a>&nbsp;added 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting. WSU led by as many as 10 points late in the first half and took a 36-30 edge into the locker room. UCF rallied to tie the game near the 10:00-mark and neither side led by more than four points the rest of the way. <a href="https://goshockers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5702">Trey Wade</a>&nbsp;found Gilbert for a corner three with 33 seconds left gave WSU a 59-55 lead. Perry answered with a jumper, but Gilbert hit both ended of a 1-and-1 opportunity with 17 seconds to go, and the Shockers appeared to have the game in hand, up 61-57. Instead, two mental mistakes nearly cost them. The Shockers fouled Perry on a layup with 11 seconds on the clock, and the Louisville transfer converted the free throw for a three-point play. Up, 61-60, WSU turned the ball over against UCF's full court pressure, and the Knights prepared for one final attempt with 7.9 seconds on the clock. For once, Perry missed. NOTABLE:<ul>
 <li>WSU improved to 7-0 against UCF (3-0 in Orlando).</li><li>WSU is out to its best 10-game conference start since joining The American. The Shockers opened 7-2 in their debut season (2017-18) but dropped game No. 10 at Temple.</li><li>Brown is out to the best 16-game start by a first-year Shocker head coach since Gary Thompson (13-3 in 1964-65).</li>
 </ul> UP NEXT:<ul>
 <li>WSU is back on the road Sunday at SMU (3 p.m. CT, ESPNU). The Mustangs are 7-4 in league play.</li><li>Beginning with Sunday's game, the Shockers will play four of the next five against teams with winning AAC records. Memphis (8-3), Houston (10-2) and SMU all come to Wichita in the next three weeks.</li>
 </ul>

Shockers Escape Orlando with Win

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban relented Wednesday and the national anthem will be played before home games this season after the NBA reiterated its “longstanding league policy” to include the song.

The league’s initial reaction to Cuban’s decision was to say teams were free to conduct pregame activities as they wished with the unusual circumstances created by the coronavirus pandemic. Most teams don’t have fans at home games.

But the NBA abruptly reversed course with Cuban’s decision reverberating around the country, including a question put to White House press secretary Jen Psaki during her daily briefing. Athlete protests of social and racial injustice during the “The Star-Spangled Banner” became a flashpoint between then-President Donald Trump and various leagues during his administration.

“With NBA teams now in the process of welcoming fans back into their arenas, all teams will play the national anthem in keeping with longstanding league policy,” the league said.

The Mavericks played a prerecorded anthem with both teams standing along the free throw lines, as spelled out in NBA guidelines, before Wednesday night’s 118-117 win over Atlanta. In the past, Cuban always had live performances of the anthem, although that practice has changed across all sports because of the pandemic.

Less than half of the roughly 1,500 vaccinated essential workers were at their seats during the anthem. All players and coaches stood, including Dallas coach Rick Carlisle with his right hand over his heart.

“It’s an animated discussion, which is certainly not surprising,” Carlisle said before the game. “This was Mark’s decision. He was steadfast about it. It’s been quite a day.”

The Mavericks released a statement from Cuban while acknowledging the club would return to playing the anthem.

“We respect and always have respected the passion people have for the anthem and our country,” Cuban said. “But we also loudly hear the voices of those who feel that the anthem does not represent them. We feel that their voices need to be respected and heard, because they have not been.

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban relented Wednesday and the national anthem will be played before home games this season after the NBA reiterated its “longstanding league policy” to include the song.The league’s initial reaction to Cuban’s decision was to say teams were free to conduct pregame activities as they wished with the unusual circumstances created by the coronavirus pandemic. Most teams don’t have fans at home games.But the NBA abruptly reversed course with Cuban’s decision reverberating around the country, including a question put to White House press secretary Jen Psaki during her daily briefing. Athlete protests of social and racial injustice during the “The Star-Spangled Banner” became a flashpoint between then-President Donald Trump and various leagues during his administration.“With NBA teams now in the process of welcoming fans back into their arenas, all teams will play the national anthem in keeping with longstanding league policy,” the league said.The Mavericks played a prerecorded anthem with both teams standing along the free throw lines, as spelled out in NBA guidelines, before Wednesday night’s 118-117 win over Atlanta. In the past, Cuban always had live performances of the anthem, although that practice has changed across all sports because of the pandemic.Less than half of the roughly 1,500 vaccinated essential workers were at their seats during the anthem. All players and coaches stood, including Dallas coach Rick Carlisle with his right hand over his heart.“It’s an animated discussion, which is certainly not surprising,” Carlisle said before the game. “This was Mark’s decision. He was steadfast about it. It’s been quite a day.”The Mavericks released a statement from Cuban while acknowledging the club would return to playing the anthem.“We respect and always have respected the passion people have for the anthem and our country,” Cuban said. “But we also loudly hear the voices of those who feel that the anthem does not represent them. We feel that their voices need to be respected and heard, because they have not been.“Our hope is that going forward people will take the same passion they have for this issue and apply the same amount of energy to listen to those who feel differently from them,” he said. “Then we can move forward and have courageous conversations that move this country forward and find what unites us.”The Mavericks played their first 10 regular-season games without fans before allowing the essential workers in for free for the first time Monday against Minnesota.Rich Patterson, a 29-year-old who works in health care and attended the Atlanta game with a colleague, said the anthem was important to him, but that he wasn’t hung up on whether it was played before sporting events.“This is a sporting event and I’m here to have fun,” Patterson said from seats a few rows from the front of a platform about a dozen feet above the playing area. “I’m not here to worry about politics on either side.”Cuban at that point declined to elaborate on his decision to not play the anthem, other than to say nobody noticed until after 11 regular-season home games.The move wasn’t without support among NBA coaches.“This should happen everywhere,” New Orleans coach Stan Van Gundy tweeted Wednesday. “If you think the anthem needs to be played before sporting events, then play it before every movie, concert, church service and the start of every work day at every business. What good reason is there to play the anthem before a game?”The question Van Gundy raises has been debated for some time.The NBA rule book does not specifically say that the anthem — or anthems, in games involving the Toronto Raptors, the lone Canadian team in the league — must be played before games. The only rule regarding the songs states this: “Players, coaches and trainers must stand and line up in a dignified posture along the foul lines during the playing of the American and/or Canadian national anthems.”That rule was relaxed last year in the NBA’s restart bubble at Walt Disney World, when the league took no objection to players kneeling for the anthem to show their desire for an end to racial injustice and police brutality.Players were criticized for kneeling; some of those who stood, such as Miami’s Meyers Leonard and Orlando’s Jonathan Isaac, also faced backlash on social media for choosing to stand. San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, a graduate of the Air Force Academy and coach of the U.S. men’s national team, also stood for anthems in the bubble.In an interview with ESPN, Cuban said it was never his intent to quit playing the anthem for good. The outspoken billionaire said the issue was part of an ongoing conversation with people in the community and the league, particularly as fans begin returning to arenas.“We have no problem playing the national anthem at all,” Cuban said. “I stand for the national anthem. My hand is always over my heart. The real issue is how do you represent the voices of those who feel the anthem doesn’t represent them or causes them consternation.”Dallas players Jalen Brunson and Willie Cauley-Stein said they felt Cuban was showing support for them, and they appreciated it.“One thing I’ll say about Mark is he’s not scared of what’s being talked about,” Cauley-Stein said. “It’s not just a business to him. When you get to this level, it’s such a business. And when you’ve got a guy that shows his full character and he’s not being a businessman and he’s like human, that’s big-time for a player to go through.”Backlash to not playing the anthem was swift in the Texas Capitol, where Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick urged Cuban to “sell the franchise &amp; some Texas Patriots will buy it.” Other GOP lawmakers suggested the tax breaks the American Airlines Center receives should come under new scrutiny.Patrick said he intends to introduce a bill in the Texas Senate that will ensure the national anthem is played at all events that receive public funding. He said the bill has broad support.“It is hard to believe this could happen in Texas, but Mark Cuban’s actions of yesterday made it clear that we must specify that in Texas we play the national anthem before all major events,” Patrick said. “In this time when so many things divide us, sports are one thing that bring us together — right, left, Black, white and brown.”