🎙 AUDIO: Eagle Radio Sports for Thursday

STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports
Information

HUTCHINSON, Kan. —For the
third-straight year, Hutchinson Community College will play host to the Kansas
State High School Activities Association’s Class 4A and Class 3A state
volleyball tournaments.

Each of the eight qualifying teams will have 100
vouchers available to purchase tickets on the day that school competes. There
will be no other tickets available for the tournament.

Hutchinson
Community College officials and the Reno County Health Department decided on
that number earlier this week for attendance because of the Coronavirus
pandemic. This is to maintain social distancing for spectators.

Each
school will have a designated ticket window to purchase their tickets. The
Sports Arena ticket office is located on the south side of the building,
nearest to 11th Avenue. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students.
Students will need a current student ID to purchase the student ticket.

The
ticket office and gates will open each day at 8:30 a.m.

Class
4A will be played on Friday with Andale, McPherson, Ottawa and Shawnee Mission
Bishop Miege in the field of four.

Class
3A will be on Saturday with Sabetha, West Franklin, Goodland and the
Cheney/Smoky Valley winner (that match in Lindsborg was postponed until
Wednesday night because of weather) making up the field.

KSHSAA has announced that Live Video Streams will be available for each game in pool play on <a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/associations/kshsaa/volleyball">nfhsnetwork.com</a>.

STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports
InformationHUTCHINSON, Kan. —For the
third-straight year, Hutchinson Community College will play host to the Kansas
State High School Activities Association’s Class 4A and Class 3A state
volleyball tournaments.Each of the eight qualifying teams will have 100
vouchers available to purchase tickets on the day that school competes. There
will be no other tickets available for the tournament. Hutchinson
Community College officials and the Reno County Health Department decided on
that number earlier this week for attendance because of the Coronavirus
pandemic. This is to maintain social distancing for spectators.Each
school will have a designated ticket window to purchase their tickets. The
Sports Arena ticket office is located on the south side of the building,
nearest to 11th Avenue. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students.
Students will need a current student ID to purchase the student ticket.The
ticket office and gates will open each day at 8:30 a.m.Class
4A will be played on Friday with Andale, McPherson, Ottawa and Shawnee Mission
Bishop Miege in the field of four.Class
3A will be on Saturday with Sabetha, West Franklin, Goodland and the
Cheney/Smoky Valley winner (that match in Lindsborg was postponed until
Wednesday night because of weather) making up the field.KSHSAA has announced that Live Video Streams will be available for each game in pool play on <a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/associations/kshsaa/volleyball">nfhsnetwork.com</a>.

Restricted seating for 4A/3A State Volleyball Tournaments

MORAN, Kan. —Hutchinson-Central Christian Volleyball team won their weather delayed sub-state quarterfinal match in 4 sets with Moran-Marmaton Valley Wednesday evening&nbsp;25-18, 22-25, 25-15, 25-13, and will advance to State competition next Saturday at Emporia State's White Auditorium.

Central Christian (19-8) will be the 3 seed and will play #4 seed Grainfield-Wheatland/Grinnell (24-15) in pool play starting at 10:45 on Saturday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603969040814.jpeg" alt="&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Central Christian wins 1A Sub-State at Moran, Ks" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Central Christian wins 1A Sub-State at Moran, Ks</figcaption>
 </figure>MORAN, Kan. —Hutchinson-Central Christian Volleyball team won their weather delayed sub-state quarterfinal match in 4 sets with Moran-Marmaton Valley Wednesday evening&nbsp;25-18, 22-25, 25-15, 25-13, and will advance to State competition next Saturday at Emporia State's White Auditorium.Central Christian (19-8) will be the 3 seed and will play #4 seed Grainfield-Wheatland/Grinnell (24-15) in pool play starting at 10:45 on Saturday.

Central Christian advances to State with Sub-State thriller

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

UNDATED (AP) — Wisconsin has canceled its scheduled game at Nebraska on Saturday and paused all team activities for at least seven days after a dozen people within the program including coach Paul Chryst had tested positive for COVID-19. School officials said athletic director Barry Alvarez and chancellor Rebecca Blank made the decision in consultation with Big Ten officials. The game with Nebraska won't be rescheduled.

UNDATED (AP) — No. 3 Ohio State visits No. 18 Penn State in the game of the week in the Big Ten on Saturday. The Buckeyes are coming off a 35-point win over Nebraska and are a double-digit road favorite against the Nittany Lions. Justin Fields can continue building his Heisman Trophy credentials in prime time. Penn State is smarting after losing to Indiana in overtime and hasn't opened Big Ten play 0-2 since 2010. Iowa's offense will face a big test against a Northwestern defense that shut down Maryland. Rutgers goes for a 2-0 start as a 10-point underdog at home to Indiana.

UNDATED (AP) — There have been a lot of close games between No. 6 Oklahoma State and Texas. The last three meetings between the Cowboys and Longhorns have been decided by a combined 12 points. The undefeated Cowboys have allowed only 12 points a game. The Longhorns are the Big 12's highest-scoring team at 45 points a game. That is part of a full slate of Big 12 games on the last day of October. No. 16 Kansas State, with Oklahoma State the only teams without a Big 12 loss, goes to West Virginia. The Wildcats and Cowboys play next week.&nbsp;

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Travis Kelce had just three catches for 31 yards last week, yet he had every bit the profound impact on the Kansas City Chiefs' blowout win over the Denver Broncos that he had the previous week in Buffalo. That's even without the two touchdown receptions he had against the Bills. Kelce is still defining himself eight years into a career that has already produced five trips to the Pro Bowl and a Super Bowl title. He was once considered merely a pass-catching superstar in the mold of Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski. But now the 31-year-old Kelce has emerged as a do-everything cog in the Chiefs' dynamic offense.

UNDATED (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals have declined Kolten Wong's $12.5 million option, making the Gold Glove second baseman a free agent. The 30-year-old Wong will receive a $1 million buyout. Wong, a first-round pick in the 2011 draft, made his big league debut in 2013 and spent his first eight seasons with St. Louis. Wong hit. 265 with a homer and 16 RBIs in 53 games during the pandemic-shortened season, helping the Cardinals make the playoffs for the second straight year. They were eliminated by San Diego in the NL wild card round.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Former Kansas forward Silvio de Sousa has been charged in a New Year's Day altercation a little more than a week after announcing that he was opting out of the upcoming season. The Kansas City Star reports that an assistant in the Douglas County District Attorney's office said that although the felony count of aggravated battery wasn't filed until Monday, the case was "reviewed promptly upon receipt." The assistant said the district attorney's office received an affidavit and reports from Lawrence police on Sept. 30 and an updated affidavit on Oct. 16. No attorney for De Sousa was listed in court records, and he could not be reached for comment.&nbsp;

UNDATED (AP) — Kirk Ferentz's best Iowa teams tend to improve by the week. That means the Hawkeyes better get going if they want to be a factor in the Big Ten West. The timetable is accelerated this season because of the conference's shortened schedule. Ferentz is looking for his team to make a big jump at home against Northwestern on Saturday after its season-opening loss at Purdue. The Wildcats are coming off a 40-point win over Maryland. Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras says he and his teammates need to be on their A game to win.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Roger Espinoza scored and Sporting Kansas City clinched a playoff berth with a 1-0 victory over FC Cincinnati on Wednesday night. Sporting Kansas City also moved into the Western Conference lead. Cincinnati lost its third straight match and was eliminated from playoff contention. Espinoza's shot from close range deflected off goalkeeper Spencer Richey's left foot in the 57th minute.&nbsp;

MLB says Turner violated protocols when he returned to field

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Major League Baseball says Justin Turner risked the safety of others by violating coronavirus protocols when he celebrated the Los Angeles Dodgers' World Series win with his teammates and refused instructions from security to leave Globe Life Field.

The commissioner's office said Wednesday that it is starting a full investigation of the 35-year-old third baseman.

Turner was pulled from Tuesday night's game following the seventh inning after MLB was notified that he had tested positive for COVID-19. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Turner was quarantined in a doctor's office off to the side. But he later returned to the field and took down his mask to pose for a team photo on the field.

The commissioner's office said it will consult with the players' association as part of its investigation. The union was in the process of gathering facts on the events.

The Dodgers won their first World Series championship since 1988 with a 3-1 victory over Tampa Bay in Game 6 on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, Blake Snell spent nearly 10 minutes discussing a disappointing end to the World Series before concluding with a message to the rest of the Tampa Bay Rays. 

The 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner doesn't want his teammates to be satisfied with finishing second to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He wants everyone to take some time off to wind down from the playoff run, then show up for spring training hungry and ready to finish the job next season.

— What figures to be a down and perhaps brutal market for baseball free agents in the offseason following the pandemic began Wednesday when a dozen players were told their contract options had been declined, among them St. Louis Cardinals Gold Glove second baseman Kolten Wong. The 30-year-old Wong will receive a $1 million buyout. Wong, a first-round pick in the 2011 draft, made his big league debut in 2013 and spent his first eight seasons with St. Louis. Wong hit. 265 with a homer and 16 RBIs in 53 games during the pandemic-shortened season.

— The Washington Nationals have declined 2021 club options on right fielder Adam Eaton and right-handed starter Aníbal Sánchez. The team also declined its part of mutual options for next season on infielder Howie Kendrick and first baseman Eric Thames. Those moves allow all four players to become eligible for free agency, although Kendrick said last month he wasn't sure whether he would retire or try to play another year. Eaton, Sánchez and Kendrick were members of Washington's 2019 championship team. Four other members of that title-winning club became free agents: Ryan Zimmerman, Asdrúbal Cabrera, Sean Doolittle and Kurt Suzuki. Brock Holt also became a free agent.

— The Colorado Rockies have declined infielder Daniel Murphy's $12 million option, bringing a close to his two-year stint with the team. Murphy will receive a $6 million buyout. The 35-year-old hit .269 with 16 homers and 94 RBIs in 172 games with the Rockies.

— The Mets have declined 2021 options on catchers Wilson Ramos and Robinson Chirinos and on infielder Todd Frazier, allowing all three to become eligible for free agency. Ramos gets a $1.5 million buyout rather than a $10 million salary for next year, completing a contract that guaranteed him $19 million for two seasons. Chirinos gets a $1 million buyout rather than a $6.5 million salary. Frazier gets a $1.5 million buyout rather than a $5.75 million salary.

UNDATED (AP) — Chicago Bears star receiver Allen Robinson is in the NFL's concussion protocol, throwing his status for this week's game against the New Orleans Saints into question. He was hurt late in their lopsided loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night and left the game. Robinson's face hit the field when he was tackled on a helmet-to-helmet play by safety Nick Scott. The Bears lost 24-10 and fell out of the NFC North lead. 

— Denver Broncos offensive line coach Mike Munchak was absent from Wednesday's practice for COVID-19 reasons, two days after running backs coach Curtis Modkins returned from a bout with the novel coronavirus. All 11 offensive linemen on the roster and practice squad were present during the open period. The Broncos host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. 

— -Broncos running back Melvin Gordon apologized Wednesday for his drunken driving arrest two weeks ago. Gordon says he kept silent about he matter until now for legal reasons and not because he was ambivalent about his arrest. Gordon also blamed rust for his two fumbles in Denver's 43-16 loss to Kansas City on Sunday. 

— The Dallas Cowboys have released defensive tackle Dontari Poe in another move to shake up a disappointing defense. Poe and defensive back Daryl Worley were released a day after defensive end Everson Griffen was traded to Detroit. The Cowboys are last in the NFL in run defense.

— Carlos Dunlap has been traded from the Cincinnati Bengals to the Seattle Seahawks. The 31-year-old Dunlap has spent his entire career with the Bengals and was a Pro Bowl selection in 2015 and 2016. 

— The Houston Texans placed second-year offensive lineman Max Scharping on the NFL's COVID-19 reserve list hours after they closed their practice facility Wednesday. 

— Jimmy Orr, a sure-handed wide receiver who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Colts, has died. He was 85. Orr passed away Tuesday night. His death was confirmed by a funeral home in Brunswick, Georgia Wednesday. 

Over 13 NFL seasons, Orr caught 400 passes for 7,914 yards and 66 touchdowns over 149 games.

AP sources: Rockets hiring Stephen Silas to replace D'Antoni

HOUSTON (AP) — Two people with knowledge of the deal say the Houston Rockets and Stephen Silas have an agreement for the Dallas assistant to replace Mike D'Antoni as coach. 

The hiring of the son of former NBA player and coach Paul Silas completes a significant change in the leadership of the team the with the league's longest active playoff streak at eight seasons. Daryl Morey decided not to return as general manager after D'Antoni's departure. Silas inherits a roster led by former MVPs James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

Houston recorded 50-win seasons in each of D'Antoni's first three years and had a shot at another when the pandemic shut down the regular season last March. The Rockets beat Oklahoma City in the first round of the playoff bubble in Florida this year before losing to the champion Los Angeles Lakers in five games, the third second-round exit in D'Antoni's four seasons. 

—Toronto Raptors rookie Terence Davis has been arrested in New York City on charges including assault after police say he hit his girlfriend in the face. Police say the incident occurred Tuesday night at a luxury high-rise. Davis was released on his own recognizance after being arraigned Wednesday. 

No. 9 Wisconsin cancels Nebraska game; Chryst tests positive

UNDATED (AP) — The pandemic hit Big Ten football just two weeks into its season Wednesday as No. 9 Wisconsin canceled its game at Nebraska and paused team activities for at least a week after a dozen people in the program — including coach Paul Chryst — tested positive for COVID-19.

Athletic director Barry Alvarez and Chancellor Rebecca Blank made the decision in consultation with Big Ten officials. Alvarez said the team had only one positive test two days before Friday's season-opening 45-7 victory over Illinois and 12 positive tests afterward.

2021 Boston Marathon postponed at least until the fall

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Marathon has been postponed once again. The Boston Athletic Association says it won't hold the race as scheduled in April because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers say it will be put off "at least until the fall of 2021." 

This year's marathon was initially postponed from April until the fall and later canceled outright. It was to be the 124th edition of the world's oldest and most prestigious annual 26.2-mile race. 

UNDATED (AP) — The American Hockey League moved its projected start of next season back to Feb. 5 in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. So says president and CEO Scott Howson.

The AHL's board of governors finalized that projected start date during a brief conference call. The AHL is the top minor league affiliate for the NHL, which is targeting a Jan. 1 start for the season.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Kyle Busch won for the first time this season to extend a 16-season streak when he won the NASCAR playoff race at Texas. The race finished Wednesday, three days after it started. 

Busch finished ahead of penalized teammate Martin Truex Jr., who missed a chance to secure a spot in the championship.

Busch, the reigning Cup champion who is already out of contention for this year's title, finished 0.468 seconds ahead of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. 

The last chance to get in the championship four is Sunday at Martinsville, where Truex won in June.

There are spots for three other drivers to join Joey Logano for a run at the championship in the season finale Nov. 8 at Phoenix. 

<h2>Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press</h2>UNDATED (AP) — Wisconsin has canceled its scheduled game at Nebraska on Saturday and paused all team activities for at least seven days after a dozen people within the program including coach Paul Chryst had tested positive for COVID-19. School officials said athletic director Barry Alvarez and chancellor Rebecca Blank made the decision in consultation with Big Ten officials. The game with Nebraska won't be rescheduled.UNDATED (AP) — No. 3 Ohio State visits No. 18 Penn State in the game of the week in the Big Ten on Saturday. The Buckeyes are coming off a 35-point win over Nebraska and are a double-digit road favorite against the Nittany Lions. Justin Fields can continue building his Heisman Trophy credentials in prime time. Penn State is smarting after losing to Indiana in overtime and hasn't opened Big Ten play 0-2 since 2010. Iowa's offense will face a big test against a Northwestern defense that shut down Maryland. Rutgers goes for a 2-0 start as a 10-point underdog at home to Indiana.UNDATED (AP) — There have been a lot of close games between No. 6 Oklahoma State and Texas. The last three meetings between the Cowboys and Longhorns have been decided by a combined 12 points. The undefeated Cowboys have allowed only 12 points a game. The Longhorns are the Big 12's highest-scoring team at 45 points a game. That is part of a full slate of Big 12 games on the last day of October. No. 16 Kansas State, with Oklahoma State the only teams without a Big 12 loss, goes to West Virginia. The Wildcats and Cowboys play next week.&nbsp;KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Travis Kelce had just three catches for 31 yards last week, yet he had every bit the profound impact on the Kansas City Chiefs' blowout win over the Denver Broncos that he had the previous week in Buffalo. That's even without the two touchdown receptions he had against the Bills. Kelce is still defining himself eight years into a career that has already produced five trips to the Pro Bowl and a Super Bowl title. He was once considered merely a pass-catching superstar in the mold of Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski. But now the 31-year-old Kelce has emerged as a do-everything cog in the Chiefs' dynamic offense.UNDATED (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals have declined Kolten Wong's $12.5 million option, making the Gold Glove second baseman a free agent. The 30-year-old Wong will receive a $1 million buyout. Wong, a first-round pick in the 2011 draft, made his big league debut in 2013 and spent his first eight seasons with St. Louis. Wong hit. 265 with a homer and 16 RBIs in 53 games during the pandemic-shortened season, helping the Cardinals make the playoffs for the second straight year. They were eliminated by San Diego in the NL wild card round.LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Former Kansas forward Silvio de Sousa has been charged in a New Year's Day altercation a little more than a week after announcing that he was opting out of the upcoming season. The Kansas City Star reports that an assistant in the Douglas County District Attorney's office said that although the felony count of aggravated battery wasn't filed until Monday, the case was "reviewed promptly upon receipt." The assistant said the district attorney's office received an affidavit and reports from Lawrence police on Sept. 30 and an updated affidavit on Oct. 16. No attorney for De Sousa was listed in court records, and he could not be reached for comment.&nbsp;UNDATED (AP) — Kirk Ferentz's best Iowa teams tend to improve by the week. That means the Hawkeyes better get going if they want to be a factor in the Big Ten West. The timetable is accelerated this season because of the conference's shortened schedule. Ferentz is looking for his team to make a big jump at home against Northwestern on Saturday after its season-opening loss at Purdue. The Wildcats are coming off a 40-point win over Maryland. Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras says he and his teammates need to be on their A game to win.CINCINNATI (AP) — Roger Espinoza scored and Sporting Kansas City clinched a playoff berth with a 1-0 victory over FC Cincinnati on Wednesday night. Sporting Kansas City also moved into the Western Conference lead. Cincinnati lost its third straight match and was eliminated from playoff contention. Espinoza's shot from close range deflected off goalkeeper Spencer Richey's left foot in the 57th minute.&nbsp;<h2>Update on the latest sports</h2>MLB-WORLD SERIES-TURNERMLB says Turner violated protocols when he returned to fieldARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Major League Baseball says Justin Turner risked the safety of others by violating coronavirus protocols when he celebrated the Los Angeles Dodgers' World Series win with his teammates and refused instructions from security to leave Globe Life Field.The commissioner's office said Wednesday that it is starting a full investigation of the 35-year-old third baseman.Turner was pulled from Tuesday night's game following the seventh inning after MLB was notified that he had tested positive for COVID-19. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Turner was quarantined in a doctor's office off to the side. But he later returned to the field and took down his mask to pose for a team photo on the field.The commissioner's office said it will consult with the players' association as part of its investigation. The union was in the process of gathering facts on the events.The Dodgers won their first World Series championship since 1988 with a 3-1 victory over Tampa Bay in Game 6 on Tuesday night.Meanwhile, Blake Snell spent nearly 10 minutes discussing a disappointing end to the World Series before concluding with a message to the rest of the Tampa Bay Rays. The 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner doesn't want his teammates to be satisfied with finishing second to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He wants everyone to take some time off to wind down from the playoff run, then show up for spring training hungry and ready to finish the job next season.Elsewhere in the majors:— What figures to be a down and perhaps brutal market for baseball free agents in the offseason following the pandemic began Wednesday when a dozen players were told their contract options had been declined, among them St. Louis Cardinals Gold Glove second baseman Kolten Wong. The 30-year-old Wong will receive a $1 million buyout. Wong, a first-round pick in the 2011 draft, made his big league debut in 2013 and spent his first eight seasons with St. Louis. Wong hit. 265 with a homer and 16 RBIs in 53 games during the pandemic-shortened season.— The Washington Nationals have declined 2021 club options on right fielder Adam Eaton and right-handed starter Aníbal Sánchez. The team also declined its part of mutual options for next season on infielder Howie Kendrick and first baseman Eric Thames. Those moves allow all four players to become eligible for free agency, although Kendrick said last month he wasn't sure whether he would retire or try to play another year. Eaton, Sánchez and Kendrick were members of Washington's 2019 championship team. Four other members of that title-winning club became free agents: Ryan Zimmerman, Asdrúbal Cabrera, Sean Doolittle and Kurt Suzuki. Brock Holt also became a free agent.— The Colorado Rockies have declined infielder Daniel Murphy's $12 million option, bringing a close to his two-year stint with the team. Murphy will receive a $6 million buyout. The 35-year-old hit .269 with 16 homers and 94 RBIs in 172 games with the Rockies.— The Mets have declined 2021 options on catchers Wilson Ramos and Robinson Chirinos and on infielder Todd Frazier, allowing all three to become eligible for free agency. Ramos gets a $1.5 million buyout rather than a $10 million salary for next year, completing a contract that guaranteed him $19 million for two seasons. Chirinos gets a $1 million buyout rather than a $6.5 million salary. Frazier gets a $1.5 million buyout rather than a $5.75 million salary.NFL-NEWSBear's Robinson in concussion protocolUNDATED (AP) — Chicago Bears star receiver Allen Robinson is in the NFL's concussion protocol, throwing his status for this week's game against the New Orleans Saints into question. He was hurt late in their lopsided loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night and left the game. Robinson's face hit the field when he was tackled on a helmet-to-helmet play by safety Nick Scott. The Bears lost 24-10 and fell out of the NFC North lead. In other NFL news:— Denver Broncos offensive line coach Mike Munchak was absent from Wednesday's practice for COVID-19 reasons, two days after running backs coach Curtis Modkins returned from a bout with the novel coronavirus. All 11 offensive linemen on the roster and practice squad were present during the open period. The Broncos host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. — -Broncos running back Melvin Gordon apologized Wednesday for his drunken driving arrest two weeks ago. Gordon says he kept silent about he matter until now for legal reasons and not because he was ambivalent about his arrest. Gordon also blamed rust for his two fumbles in Denver's 43-16 loss to Kansas City on Sunday. — The Dallas Cowboys have released defensive tackle Dontari Poe in another move to shake up a disappointing defense. Poe and defensive back Daryl Worley were released a day after defensive end Everson Griffen was traded to Detroit. The Cowboys are last in the NFL in run defense.— Carlos Dunlap has been traded from the Cincinnati Bengals to the Seattle Seahawks. The 31-year-old Dunlap has spent his entire career with the Bengals and was a Pro Bowl selection in 2015 and 2016. — The Houston Texans placed second-year offensive lineman Max Scharping on the NFL's COVID-19 reserve list hours after they closed their practice facility Wednesday. — Jimmy Orr, a sure-handed wide receiver who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Colts, has died. He was 85. Orr passed away Tuesday night. His death was confirmed by a funeral home in Brunswick, Georgia Wednesday. Over 13 NFL seasons, Orr caught 400 passes for 7,914 yards and 66 touchdowns over 149 games.NBA-ROCKETS-SILASAP sources: Rockets hiring Stephen Silas to replace D'AntoniHOUSTON (AP) — Two people with knowledge of the deal say the Houston Rockets and Stephen Silas have an agreement for the Dallas assistant to replace Mike D'Antoni as coach. The hiring of the son of former NBA player and coach Paul Silas completes a significant change in the leadership of the team the with the league's longest active playoff streak at eight seasons. Daryl Morey decided not to return as general manager after D'Antoni's departure. Silas inherits a roster led by former MVPs James Harden and Russell Westbrook.Houston recorded 50-win seasons in each of D'Antoni's first three years and had a shot at another when the pandemic shut down the regular season last March. The Rockets beat Oklahoma City in the first round of the playoff bubble in Florida this year before losing to the champion Los Angeles Lakers in five games, the third second-round exit in D'Antoni's four seasons. In other NBA news:—Toronto Raptors rookie Terence Davis has been arrested in New York City on charges including assault after police say he hit his girlfriend in the face. Police say the incident occurred Tuesday night at a luxury high-rise. Davis was released on his own recognizance after being arraigned Wednesday. T25-WISCONSIN-NEBRASKA CANCELEDNo. 9 Wisconsin cancels Nebraska game; Chryst tests positiveUNDATED (AP) — The pandemic hit Big Ten football just two weeks into its season Wednesday as No. 9 Wisconsin canceled its game at Nebraska and paused team activities for at least a week after a dozen people in the program — including coach Paul Chryst — tested positive for COVID-19.Athletic director Barry Alvarez and Chancellor Rebecca Blank made the decision in consultation with Big Ten officials. Alvarez said the team had only one positive test two days before Friday's season-opening 45-7 victory over Illinois and 12 positive tests afterward.VIRUS OUTBREAK-BOSTON MARATHON2021 Boston Marathon postponed at least until the fallBOSTON (AP) — The Boston Marathon has been postponed once again. The Boston Athletic Association says it won't hold the race as scheduled in April because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers say it will be put off "at least until the fall of 2021." This year's marathon was initially postponed from April until the fall and later canceled outright. It was to be the 124th edition of the world's oldest and most prestigious annual 26.2-mile race. VIRUS OUTBREAK-AHLAHL moves season start to Feb. 5UNDATED (AP) — The American Hockey League moved its projected start of next season back to Feb. 5 in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. So says president and CEO Scott Howson.The AHL's board of governors finalized that projected start date during a brief conference call. The AHL is the top minor league affiliate for the NHL, which is targeting a Jan. 1 start for the season.NASCAR-TEXASKyle Busch wins in TexasFORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Kyle Busch won for the first time this season to extend a 16-season streak when he won the NASCAR playoff race at Texas. The race finished Wednesday, three days after it started. Busch finished ahead of penalized teammate Martin Truex Jr., who missed a chance to secure a spot in the championship.Busch, the reigning Cup champion who is already out of contention for this year's title, finished 0.468 seconds ahead of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. The last chance to get in the championship four is Sunday at Martinsville, where Truex won in June.There are spots for three other drivers to join Joey Logano for a run at the championship in the season finale Nov. 8 at Phoenix.

Sports Headlines for Thursday

Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:

Final New York 1, New England 0	New York	1	New England	0	

Final Sporting Kansas City 1, Cincinnati 0	Sporting Kansas City	1	Cincinnati	0	

Final Orlando City 4, Atlanta 1	Orlando City	4	Atlanta	1	

Final Philadelphia 2, Chicago 1	Philadelphia	2	Chicago	1	

Final New York City FC 1, Toronto FC 0	New York City FC	1	Toronto FC	0	

Final D.C. United 1, Columbus 0	D.C. United	1	Columbus	0	

Final Minnesota 2, Colorado 1	Minnesota	2	Colorado	1	

Final FC Dallas 2, Miami 1	FC Dallas	2	Miami	1	

Final Portland 5, LA Galaxy 2	Portland	5	LA Galaxy	2	

Final Los Angeles FC 2, Houston 1	Los Angeles FC	2	Houston	1	

Final San Jose 2, Real Salt Lake 0	San Jose	2	Real Salt Lake	0	

AP-Scorecard<h2>Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:</h2>___MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCERFinal New York 1, New England 0	New York	1	New England	0	Final Sporting Kansas City 1, Cincinnati 0	Sporting Kansas City	1	Cincinnati	0	Final Orlando City 4, Atlanta 1	Orlando City	4	Atlanta	1	Final Philadelphia 2, Chicago 1	Philadelphia	2	Chicago	1	Final New York City FC 1, Toronto FC 0	New York City FC	1	Toronto FC	0	Final D.C. United 1, Columbus 0	D.C. United	1	Columbus	0	Final Minnesota 2, Colorado 1	Minnesota	2	Colorado	1	Final FC Dallas 2, Miami 1	FC Dallas	2	Miami	1	Final Portland 5, LA Galaxy 2	Portland	5	LA Galaxy	2	Final Los Angeles FC 2, Houston 1	Los Angeles FC	2	Houston	1	Final San Jose 2, Real Salt Lake 0	San Jose	2	Real Salt Lake	0	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE		Atlanta	at	Carolina	8:20 p.m.	___

Sports Scores from Wednesday

🎙 AUDIO: Eagle Radio Sports for Wednesday

NEW YORK (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers, the NFL's last unbeaten team, have climbed all the way to the top spot in the latest AP Pro32 poll. The Kansas City Chiefs were close behind as they remained No. 2. And the Baltimore Ravens moved up two spots to No. 3 going into Sunday when they host the rival Steelers in the top matchup of Week 8. The Seattle Seahawks slipped to No. 4 after suffering their first loss of the season. And the Green Bay Packers rounded out the top five.

UNDATED (AP) — Mike Rose, like everybody else in college football, had no idea last spring if there would be a season. Iowa State's junior linebacker wanted to be ready just in case. So day in and day out for three months he went to his high school in the Cleveland suburb of Brecksville, Ohio, to do workouts prescribed by the Cyclones' new strength staff. Rose is reaping the rewards of his work as the 23rd-ranked Cyclones head to winless Kansas on Saturday. He's tied for second in the Big 12 with 40 tackles, and he's tied for the conference lead with two interceptions.

Dodgers win Series for first time since 1988

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — For the first time in 32 years the Los Angeles Dodgers can call themselves World Series champions.

The Dodgers closed out their seventh championship by rallying for a 3-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 6 of the Fall Classic. It erases the pain felt by the Dodgers and their fans following World Series losses in 2017 and '18.

The Rays led 1-0 until Los Angeles scored twice in the bottom of the sixth. Austin Barnes came home on a wild pitch by reliever Nick Anderson before Mookie Betts outraced first baseman Ji-Man Choi's throw to the plate on a fielder's choice.

Betts put a capper on the clincher by leading off the bottom of the eighth with a home run.

The Dodgers' rally occurred right after Rays starter Blake Snell was lifted with one out in the sixth. He allowed just two hits while striking out nine in a 73-pitch performance. Manager Kevin Cash pulled the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner immediately after Austin Barnes singled.

Snell's next three batters would have been Betts, Corey Seager and Justin Turner, who were a combined 0-for-6 with six strikeouts against the left-hander on Tuesday. Instead, Cash went with Anderson, who was charged with at least one run in each of his last seven appearances.

Tampa Bay's lone run came courtesy of a first-inning blast by Randy Arozarena (ah-roh-zah-RAY'-nah). It was Arozarena's 10th home run this postseason, extending his major league record.

The Dodgers allowed just five hits, two coming after starter Tony Gonsolin (GAHN'-sah-lihn) was pulled with two out in the second inning. Julio Urias (yoo-REE'-uhs) retired all seven batters he faced to get the save.

Winning pitcher Victor Gonzalez struck out three of the four batters he faced. Nick Anderson took the loss.

Seager was named the MVP of the series. Seager batted .400 with a .556 on-base percentage, two home runs and five RBIs in 26 plate appearances.

The Dodgers had played 5,014 regular season games and were in their 114th postseason contest since Orel Hershiser struck out Oakland's Tony Phillips for the final out of the 1988 World Series. 

Turner removed from Game 6 after positive COVID test

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Justin Turner was removed following the seventh inning in Game 6 after registering Major League Baseball's first positive test for the coronavirus in 59 days. And he wasn't on the field as the Dodgers began enjoying the spoils of a title earned during a most unusual season. 

Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed Turner's positive test moments after presenting the World Series trophy to Los Angeles. 

Turner returned to the diamond about an hour after the game, hugging longtime teammate Clayton Kershaw and sitting front-and-center for a team photo next to manager Dave Roberts with his mask pulled down under his bushy beard. 

The 35-year-old Turner has been a staple in the Dodgers' lineup for seven of their eight consecutive NL West titles.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Major League Baseball owners will vote Friday to approve the sale of the New York Mets to billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen. That's according to a person familiar with the situation. 

The proposed purchase of 95% of the Mets by an entity of Cohen was already approved by MLB's ownership committee. Cohen needs approval from 23 of the 30 club owners for the deal to be finalized. 

The sale values the franchise at $2.4 billion to $2.5 billion. 

MIAMI (AP) — Starling Marte is staying with the Miami Marlins after the team exercised its $12.5 million contract option for next year. Miami decided to pick up Marte's option rather than pay him a $1 million buyout. 

The move Tuesday prevents Marte from becoming a free agent this offseason. 

The 32-year-old outfielder was acquired from Arizona for three players at the Aug. 31 trade deadline and helped the surprising Marlins reach the playoffs by finishing second in the NL East. Marte went 2 for 4 with a double in the first-round opener against the Cubs but was hit by a pitch late in the game and missed the rest of the expanded postseason with a broken left hand.

UNDATED (AP) — Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is off injured reserve and could play Thursday against the Atlanta Falcons. 

The 2019 All-Pro arrived at the Panthers' practice Tuesday with a red jersey and a baseball cap signifying an injured player, but he quickly put on a black practice jersey and a helmet.

McCaffrey hasn't played since Week 2 when he suffered a high ankle sprain in a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

— Wide receiver Dez Bryant has signed with the Ravens and has been assigned to the practice squad. Bryant last played in 2017, when he had 69 catches for 838 yards in his eighth and final season in Dallas. He signed with New Orleans in November 2018 but tore his Achilles tendon before getting into a game.

— The Rams have released rookie kicker Samuel Sloman after seven games with the team. Veteran NFL kicker Kai Forbath is expected to take over for Sloman. The Rams signed Forbath last week off the Bears' practice squad. 

— The Cardinals have placed defensive end Zach Allen and linebacker Isaiah Irving on injured reserve two days after the team's 37-34 overtime win against the Seahawks. Several other Arizona players left the game with injuries, including defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, linebacker Jordan Hicks and running back Kenyan Drake.

— The Lions have acquired veteran defensive end Everson Griffen from the Cowboys for a conditional draft pick that could be as high as a fifth-rounder in 2021. The 32-year-old Griffen has 77 career sacks, including 2 1/2 this season as a reserve in seven games with Dallas.

— Free agent safety Eric Reid says he declined an offer to join Washington's practice squad following a season-ending injury to safety Landon Collins in Sunday's win over Dallas. Reid tells The Associated Press that he doesn't think playing on the practice squad is reflective or indicative of his career. The 28-year-old Reid played two seasons for Washington coach Ron Rivera in Carolina. 

COVID-19 issues trim Conference USA slate

UNDATED (AP) — Two Conference USA football games scheduled for the weekend have been postponed because of COVID-19 issues.

No. 19 Marshall was scheduled to play Florida International on Friday night, but FIU had to call off the game because of a lack of available scholarship players.

North Texas at UTEP on Saturday was called off because a surge in COVID-19 cases in El Paso, Texas, has led to a stay-at-home order in the city.

— Bethune-Cookman will not be participating in intercollegiate sports this coming winter or spring because of ongoing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. The NCAA said Bethune-Cookman was the first Division I institution to publicly announce that it was not going to compete in any sport for the entire academic year. 

— The Florida Gators are reporting six new positive tests for the coronavirus in the past week, bringing the team's total for the month to 37. The 10th-ranked Gators returned to practice and meetings starting Monday following a two-week hiatus because of a coronavirus outbreak. Coach Dan Mullen, at least two assistants and more than two dozen players tested positive following a road trip to Texas A&amp;M earlier this month.

Penn State running back out for the season

UNDATED (AP) — Penn State running back Noah Cain will miss the rest of the season with an injury, another blow to the Nittany Lions' backfield. 

Penn State coach James Franklin declined to give specifics of Cain's injury, but the sophomore left Saturday's game against Indiana early and reportedly was seen on the sideline later with a walking boot on his left foot. 

The loss of Cain comes about a week after Penn State announced its leading rusher from last season, Journey Brown, could miss the entire season with an unspecified medical condition. 

— Clemson coach Dabo Swinney says linebacker James Skalski will miss several games with a knee injury and will have arthroscopic surgery. The fifth-year senior was Clemson's second-leading tackler before missing last week's win over Syracuse. 

— Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence says he still has options about next season despite previously saying he expected this to be his final college season. The 6-foot-6 junior widely considered to be the likely No. 1 pick in next spring's NFL draft. The question has come up whether Lawrence should consider staying depending on which team has the top pick in the upcoming draft.

— Southern Mississippi interim coach Scotty Walden has left the school to become the head coach at Austin Peay. Walden takes over a program that had been without a coach since Mark Hudspeth resigned in July. Walden's departure means Southern Miss will be on its third head coach of the season.

UNDATED (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche have agreed to a four-year deal with newly acquired defenseman Devon Toews (deh-VAHN' tayvz). The deal reportedly is worth $16.4 million and runs through the 2023-24 season. 

Colorado picked up Toews from the New York Islanders on Oct. 12 in exchange for a second-round pick in 2021 and another in '22. 

— An arbitrator has awarded Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi a $3.5 million contract for the upcoming season. The 25-year-old Bertuzzi has scored 21 goals in consecutive seasons. He was an All-Star during the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season and led the team in goals while setting career highs with 27 assists and 48 points.

— The Hurricanes have signed defenseman Haydn Fleury to a two-year contract. Fleury had four goals and 10 assists in 45 games last season. 

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — NASCAR will make a fourth attempt to complete its playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway on Wednesday after persistent mist and cold temperatures continued the long delay.

The race began Sunday and drivers completed 52 of the scheduled 334 laps before mist and drizzle halted the action. The weather did not relent on Monday or Tuesday as NASCAR spent about two dozen futile hours trying to dry the track.

The resumption of the race was set for Wednesday at 3 p.m. EDT at the Texas track.

The Cup Series is scheduled to finalize the championship field next Sunday at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. It is not clear how NASCAR may have to adjust scheduling based on the postponements in Texas. 

World champion Coleman banned 2 yrs; to miss Tokyo Olympics

MONACO (AP) — Men's 100-meter world champion Christian Coleman has been banned for two years because of three violations of doping control rules. He will miss the Tokyo Olympics next year. 

Track and field's Athletics Integrity Unit says Coleman will be banned until May 2022. The 24-year-old American had been provisionally suspended from competition since May. Details of his three missed appointments with sample collections officials in 2019 were revealed weeks later. Coleman can appeal his ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. 

He was favored to win Olympic titles after taking gold in the individual 100 and 4x100 relay at the 2019 world championships in Qatar.

1-year sentence for angry fan who made football game threat

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A judge in Ohio has sentenced a California man to a year and a day in prison for threatening a shooting at Ohio State University in 2018. 

The government says Daniel Rippy made the threats during Ohio State's defeat of Michigan during the teams' annual football match-up. 

Federal Judge Algenon Marbley had harsh words for Rippy at Tuesday's sentencing, saying he epitomized fandom spiraling out of control, something that can be ignored in the age of mass shootings. But Marbley also said he recognized that Rippy's mental health issues contributed to the incident. 

Rippy apologized several times for his actions.

<h2>Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press</h2>NEW YORK (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers, the NFL's last unbeaten team, have climbed all the way to the top spot in the latest AP Pro32 poll. The Kansas City Chiefs were close behind as they remained No. 2. And the Baltimore Ravens moved up two spots to No. 3 going into Sunday when they host the rival Steelers in the top matchup of Week 8. The Seattle Seahawks slipped to No. 4 after suffering their first loss of the season. And the Green Bay Packers rounded out the top five.UNDATED (AP) — Mike Rose, like everybody else in college football, had no idea last spring if there would be a season. Iowa State's junior linebacker wanted to be ready just in case. So day in and day out for three months he went to his high school in the Cleveland suburb of Brecksville, Ohio, to do workouts prescribed by the Cyclones' new strength staff. Rose is reaping the rewards of his work as the 23rd-ranked Cyclones head to winless Kansas on Saturday. He's tied for second in the Big 12 with 40 tackles, and he's tied for the conference lead with two interceptions.<h2>Update on the latest sports</h2>MLB-WORLD SERIESDodgers win Series for first time since 1988ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — For the first time in 32 years the Los Angeles Dodgers can call themselves World Series champions.The Dodgers closed out their seventh championship by rallying for a 3-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 6 of the Fall Classic. It erases the pain felt by the Dodgers and their fans following World Series losses in 2017 and '18.The Rays led 1-0 until Los Angeles scored twice in the bottom of the sixth. Austin Barnes came home on a wild pitch by reliever Nick Anderson before Mookie Betts outraced first baseman Ji-Man Choi's throw to the plate on a fielder's choice.Betts put a capper on the clincher by leading off the bottom of the eighth with a home run.The Dodgers' rally occurred right after Rays starter Blake Snell was lifted with one out in the sixth. He allowed just two hits while striking out nine in a 73-pitch performance. Manager Kevin Cash pulled the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner immediately after Austin Barnes singled.Snell's next three batters would have been Betts, Corey Seager and Justin Turner, who were a combined 0-for-6 with six strikeouts against the left-hander on Tuesday. Instead, Cash went with Anderson, who was charged with at least one run in each of his last seven appearances.Tampa Bay's lone run came courtesy of a first-inning blast by Randy Arozarena (ah-roh-zah-RAY'-nah). It was Arozarena's 10th home run this postseason, extending his major league record.The Dodgers allowed just five hits, two coming after starter Tony Gonsolin (GAHN'-sah-lihn) was pulled with two out in the second inning. Julio Urias (yoo-REE'-uhs) retired all seven batters he faced to get the save.Winning pitcher Victor Gonzalez struck out three of the four batters he faced. Nick Anderson took the loss.Seager was named the MVP of the series. Seager batted .400 with a .556 on-base percentage, two home runs and five RBIs in 26 plate appearances.The Dodgers had played 5,014 regular season games and were in their 114th postseason contest since Orel Hershiser struck out Oakland's Tony Phillips for the final out of the 1988 World Series. MLB-WORLD SERIES-TURNERTurner removed from Game 6 after positive COVID testARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Justin Turner was removed following the seventh inning in Game 6 after registering Major League Baseball's first positive test for the coronavirus in 59 days. And he wasn't on the field as the Dodgers began enjoying the spoils of a title earned during a most unusual season. Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed Turner's positive test moments after presenting the World Series trophy to Los Angeles. Turner returned to the diamond about an hour after the game, hugging longtime teammate Clayton Kershaw and sitting front-and-center for a team photo next to manager Dave Roberts with his mask pulled down under his bushy beard. The 35-year-old Turner has been a staple in the Dodgers' lineup for seven of their eight consecutive NL West titles.MLB-METS SALEOwners to approve Mets sale FridayARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Major League Baseball owners will vote Friday to approve the sale of the New York Mets to billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen. That's according to a person familiar with the situation. The proposed purchase of 95% of the Mets by an entity of Cohen was already approved by MLB's ownership committee. Cohen needs approval from 23 of the 30 club owners for the deal to be finalized. The sale values the franchise at $2.4 billion to $2.5 billion. MLB-MARLINS-MARTEMarte staying with MarlinsMIAMI (AP) — Starling Marte is staying with the Miami Marlins after the team exercised its $12.5 million contract option for next year. Miami decided to pick up Marte's option rather than pay him a $1 million buyout. The move Tuesday prevents Marte from becoming a free agent this offseason. The 32-year-old outfielder was acquired from Arizona for three players at the Aug. 31 trade deadline and helped the surprising Marlins reach the playoffs by finishing second in the NL East. Marte went 2 for 4 with a double in the first-round opener against the Cubs but was hit by a pitch late in the game and missed the rest of the expanded postseason with a broken left hand.NFL-NEWSPanthers' McCaffrey back at practiceUNDATED (AP) — Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is off injured reserve and could play Thursday against the Atlanta Falcons. The 2019 All-Pro arrived at the Panthers' practice Tuesday with a red jersey and a baseball cap signifying an injured player, but he quickly put on a black practice jersey and a helmet.McCaffrey hasn't played since Week 2 when he suffered a high ankle sprain in a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.In other NFL news:— Wide receiver Dez Bryant has signed with the Ravens and has been assigned to the practice squad. Bryant last played in 2017, when he had 69 catches for 838 yards in his eighth and final season in Dallas. He signed with New Orleans in November 2018 but tore his Achilles tendon before getting into a game.— The Rams have released rookie kicker Samuel Sloman after seven games with the team. Veteran NFL kicker Kai Forbath is expected to take over for Sloman. The Rams signed Forbath last week off the Bears' practice squad. — The Cardinals have placed defensive end Zach Allen and linebacker Isaiah Irving on injured reserve two days after the team's 37-34 overtime win against the Seahawks. Several other Arizona players left the game with injuries, including defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, linebacker Jordan Hicks and running back Kenyan Drake.— The Lions have acquired veteran defensive end Everson Griffen from the Cowboys for a conditional draft pick that could be as high as a fifth-rounder in 2021. The 32-year-old Griffen has 77 career sacks, including 2 1/2 this season as a reserve in seven games with Dallas.— Free agent safety Eric Reid says he declined an offer to join Washington's practice squad following a season-ending injury to safety Landon Collins in Sunday's win over Dallas. Reid tells The Associated Press that he doesn't think playing on the practice squad is reflective or indicative of his career. The 28-year-old Reid played two seasons for Washington coach Ron Rivera in Carolina. VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE SPORTSCOVID-19 issues trim Conference USA slateUNDATED (AP) — Two Conference USA football games scheduled for the weekend have been postponed because of COVID-19 issues.No. 19 Marshall was scheduled to play Florida International on Friday night, but FIU had to call off the game because of a lack of available scholarship players.North Texas at UTEP on Saturday was called off because a surge in COVID-19 cases in El Paso, Texas, has led to a stay-at-home order in the city.In other virus-related developments:— Bethune-Cookman will not be participating in intercollegiate sports this coming winter or spring because of ongoing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. The NCAA said Bethune-Cookman was the first Division I institution to publicly announce that it was not going to compete in any sport for the entire academic year. — The Florida Gators are reporting six new positive tests for the coronavirus in the past week, bringing the team's total for the month to 37. The 10th-ranked Gators returned to practice and meetings starting Monday following a two-week hiatus because of a coronavirus outbreak. Coach Dan Mullen, at least two assistants and more than two dozen players tested positive following a road trip to Texas A&amp;M earlier this month.COLLEGE FOOTBALL-PENN STATE-CAINPenn State running back out for the seasonUNDATED (AP) — Penn State running back Noah Cain will miss the rest of the season with an injury, another blow to the Nittany Lions' backfield. Penn State coach James Franklin declined to give specifics of Cain's injury, but the sophomore left Saturday's game against Indiana early and reportedly was seen on the sideline later with a walking boot on his left foot. The loss of Cain comes about a week after Penn State announced its leading rusher from last season, Journey Brown, could miss the entire season with an unspecified medical condition. In other college football news:— Clemson coach Dabo Swinney says linebacker James Skalski will miss several games with a knee injury and will have arthroscopic surgery. The fifth-year senior was Clemson's second-leading tackler before missing last week's win over Syracuse. — Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence says he still has options about next season despite previously saying he expected this to be his final college season. The 6-foot-6 junior widely considered to be the likely No. 1 pick in next spring's NFL draft. The question has come up whether Lawrence should consider staying depending on which team has the top pick in the upcoming draft.— Southern Mississippi interim coach Scotty Walden has left the school to become the head coach at Austin Peay. Walden takes over a program that had been without a coach since Mark Hudspeth resigned in July. Walden's departure means Southern Miss will be on its third head coach of the season.NHL NEWSAvalanche sign Toews to 4-year dealUNDATED (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche have agreed to a four-year deal with newly acquired defenseman Devon Toews (deh-VAHN' tayvz). The deal reportedly is worth $16.4 million and runs through the 2023-24 season. Colorado picked up Toews from the New York Islanders on Oct. 12 in exchange for a second-round pick in 2021 and another in '22. In other hockey news:— An arbitrator has awarded Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi a $3.5 million contract for the upcoming season. The 25-year-old Bertuzzi has scored 21 goals in consecutive seasons. He was an All-Star during the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season and led the team in goals while setting career highs with 27 assists and 48 points.— The Hurricanes have signed defenseman Haydn Fleury to a two-year contract. Fleury had four goals and 10 assists in 45 games last season. NASCAR-TEXASNASCAR Cup race pushed back againFORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — NASCAR will make a fourth attempt to complete its playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway on Wednesday after persistent mist and cold temperatures continued the long delay.The race began Sunday and drivers completed 52 of the scheduled 334 laps before mist and drizzle halted the action. The weather did not relent on Monday or Tuesday as NASCAR spent about two dozen futile hours trying to dry the track.The resumption of the race was set for Wednesday at 3 p.m. EDT at the Texas track.The Cup Series is scheduled to finalize the championship field next Sunday at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. It is not clear how NASCAR may have to adjust scheduling based on the postponements in Texas. DOPING-COLEMAN BANNEDWorld champion Coleman banned 2 yrs; to miss Tokyo OlympicsMONACO (AP) — Men's 100-meter world champion Christian Coleman has been banned for two years because of three violations of doping control rules. He will miss the Tokyo Olympics next year. Track and field's Athletics Integrity Unit says Coleman will be banned until May 2022. The 24-year-old American had been provisionally suspended from competition since May. Details of his three missed appointments with sample collections officials in 2019 were revealed weeks later. Coleman can appeal his ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He was favored to win Olympic titles after taking gold in the individual 100 and 4x100 relay at the 2019 world championships in Qatar.COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME THREAT1-year sentence for angry fan who made football game threatCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A judge in Ohio has sentenced a California man to a year and a day in prison for threatening a shooting at Ohio State University in 2018. The government says Daniel Rippy made the threats during Ohio State's defeat of Michigan during the teams' annual football match-up. Federal Judge Algenon Marbley had harsh words for Rippy at Tuesday's sentencing, saying he epitomized fandom spiraling out of control, something that can be ignored in the age of mass shootings. But Marbley also said he recognized that Rippy's mental health issues contributed to the incident. Rippy apologized several times for his actions.

Sports Headlines for Wednesday

Final Nashville 1, Montreal 0	Nashville	1	Montreal	0	

Final Seattle 2, Vancouver 0	Seattle	2	Vancouver	0	

		Sporting Kansas City	at	Cincinnati	7:30 p.m.	

		New York City FC	at	Toronto FC	7:30 p.m.	

AP-Scorecard<h2>Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:</h2>___MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYOFFSFinal	L.A. Dodgers	3	Tampa Bay	1	___MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCERFinal Nashville 1, Montreal 0	Nashville	1	Montreal	0	Final Seattle 2, Vancouver 0	Seattle	2	Vancouver	0	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER		New England	at	New York	7 p.m.			Sporting Kansas City	at	Cincinnati	7:30 p.m.			Atlanta	at	Orlando City	7:30 p.m.			Chicago	at	Philadelphia	7:30 p.m.			New York City FC	at	Toronto FC	7:30 p.m.			Columbus	at	D.C. United	8 p.m.			Colorado	at	Minnesota	8 p.m.			Miami	at	FC Dallas	8:30 p.m.			LA Galaxy	at	Portland	10 p.m.			Houston	at	Los Angeles FC	10:30 p.m.			Real Salt Lake	at	San Jose	10:30 p.m.	___

Sports Scores from Tuesday

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — No large dogpile, no champagne and a mask on nearly every face — the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated their first World Series title since 1988 in a manner no one could have imagined prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

They started the party without Justin Turner, too, after their red-headed star received word of a positive COVID-19 test in the middle of their clinching victory.

Turner was removed from Los Angeles’ 3-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 6 on Tuesday night after registering Major League Baseball’s first positive test in 59 days. He wasn’t on the field initially as the Dodgers enjoyed the spoils of a title earned during a most unusual season.

He returned to the diamond about an hour after the game, hugging longtime teammate Clayton Kershaw and sitting front-and-center for a team photo next to manager Dave Roberts with his mask pulled down under his bushy beard.

“Thanks to everyone reaching out!” Turner said on Twitter. “I feel great, no symptoms at all. Just experienced every emotion you can possibly imagine. Can’t believe I couldn’t be out there to celebrate with my guys! So proud of this team &amp; unbelievably happy for the City of LA.”

Major League Baseball insulated postseason teams in neutral-site bubbles after traveling them across the country during a shortened 60-game season. Turner was the first player since the playoffs began to be flagged for the coronavirus.

MLB received Turner’s Monday sample from the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory in Utah in the bottom of the second inning, when lab president Dr. Daniel Eichner called deputy commissioner Dan Halem, who was in New York, a person familiar with the call said, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details were not released.

Eichner told Halem the result was inconclusive. MLB receives many inconclusive results, so Halem told Eichner to run Tuesday’s pregame sample from Turner. That result came back positive in the sixth inning, the person said.

Halem called Chris Young, MLB’s senior vice president of baseball operations, who was in Manfred’s box at Globe Life Field, then called Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. He notified the dugout or clubhouse, and Turner was removed from the game after the seventh inning.

“It was obviously a really unfortunate endpoint of this incredible series and definitely affected some of the joy of winning just because of what JT has meant to us,” Friedman said.

When asked about what happened after the game, Friedman said Turner wanted to take a picture with the trophy. Friedman stated several times that those around Turner had previously been in close contact and said the team would take another round of tests before determining when to leave Texas.

“Now the subsequent tests we’re going to take are really important,” Friedman said.

The 35-year-old Turner has been a staple in the Dodgers’ lineup for seven of their eight consecutive NL West titles. A late-blooming slugger who helped reshape the game by succeeding with an upper-cut swing, Turner is LA’s career leader with 12 postseason home runs, including a pair in this Series, in which he hit .364 and also played stellar defense.

“It’s gut-wrenching,” World Series MVP Corey Seager said. “If I could switch places with him right now, I would. That’s just not right.”

“We’re not excluding him from anything,” teammate Mookie Betts said.

Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed Turner’s positive test moments after presenting the World Series trophy to Los Angeles — a jarring reminder of all that’s been different in this season where the perennially favored Dodgers finally broke through.

<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/dodgers-win-the-2020-world-series" target="_blank">The end of a frustrating championship drought</a>&nbsp;for LA — and perhaps just the start for Betts and the Dodgers, whose seventh World Series title was their sixth since leaving Brooklyn for the West Coast in 1958.

“I had a crazy feeling that came to fruition,” Roberts said. “It’s just a special group of players, organization, all that we’ve kind of overcome.”

Betts bolted from third for the go-ahead run on Seager’s grounder in the sixth, even with the infield playing in,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/mookie-betts-clutch-home-run" target="_blank">then had a punctuating homer</a>&nbsp;leading off the eighth.

“It was absolutely phenomenal. This team was incredible,” said Seager,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-mookie-betts-los-angeles-dodgers-corey-seager-willy-adames-b059efebbd0dade00e8e1d636c23bcd4">also the NLCS MVP who set franchise records with his eight homers and 20 RBIs</a>&nbsp;this postseason. “We were ready to go as soon as the bell was called. Once it did, we kept rolling.”

<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/kershaw-soaks-up-world-series-win" target="_blank">Kershaw was warming in the bullpen</a>&nbsp;when Julio Urías struck out Willy Adames to end it and ran alongside teammates to celebrate in the infield, later joined by family who had been in the bubble with them in North Texas.

Players were handed face masks as they gathered, although many of their embraces came mask-free even after Turner’s positive test.

The Dodgers had played 5,014 regular-season games and were in their 114th postseason game since Orel Hershiser struck out Oakland’s Tony Phillips for the final out of the World Series in 1988, the same year Kershaw — the three-time NL Cy Young Award winner who won Games 1 and 5 of this Series — was born in nearby Dallas.

Los Angeles had come up short in the World Series twice in the previous three years. Betts was on the other side two years ago and homered in the clinching Game 5 for the Boston Red Sox, who before this season traded the 2018 AL MVP to the Dodgers. They later gave him a $365 million, 12-year deal that goes until he turns 40 in 2032.

Betts’ 3.2-second sprint home was just enough to beat the throw by first baseman Ji-Man Choi, pushing Los Angeles ahead 2-1 moments after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-tampa-bay-rays-nick-anderson-mookie-betts-los-angeles-dodgers-5025013470ff54dc9fb534eba02eedcd">Rays manager Kevin Cash pulled ace left-hander Blake Snell despite a dominant performance</a>&nbsp;over 5 1/3 innings.

“It was kind of like a sigh of relief,” Betts said. “It was the Cy Young Snell that pitched tonight.”

Snell struck out nine — including the first time all season that Betts, Seager and Turner each struck out in their first two at-bats. But the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner didn’t see the top three batters for the Dodgers again.

“The only motive was the lineup the Dodgers feature is as potent as any team in the league,” Cash said. “Mookie coming around for the third time through, I value that. I totally respect and understand the questions that come with it. They’re not easy decisions.”

Randy Arozarena, the powerful Tampa Bay rookie,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/arozarena-s-10th-postseason-hr" target="_blank">extended his postseason record with his 10th homer</a>&nbsp;in the first off rookie right-hander Tony Gonsolin, the first of seven Dodgers pitchers. The Rays never got another runner past second base as LA’s bullpen gave reliever-reliant Tampa Bay a taste of its own medicine while allowing only two hits and no walks over 7 1/3 innings.

About 2 1/2 weeks after the Lakers won the NBA title while finishing their season in the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida, the Dodgers gave Los Angeles another championship.

The MLB season didn’t start until late July and was abbreviated for the shortest regular season since 1878. The expanded postseason, with 16 teams making it instead of 10, ended when Urías got the last two outs on called third strikes, with catcher Austin Barnes stuffing the last pitch in his back pocket. The Rays had 16 Ks and the Dodgers 11, the most combined strikeouts in a nine-inning World Series game.

Chants of “M-V-P!, M-V-P!” broke out when Betts hit his double in the sixth off reliever Nick Anderson, who allowed runs in seven consecutive relief appearances, the longest streak in MLB postseason history.

Those chants got even louder — even with the a limited crowd of 11,437 — when Betts went deep on an 0-2 pitch by hard-throwing right-hander Pete Fairbanks.

There were plenty of fans in Dodgers blue at the new $1.2 billion home of the Texas Rangers, the stadium with the retractable roof where they played 16 games over three weeks. And the roof was closed for the final one, with misty conditions and a game-time temperature of 39 degrees outside.

Los Angeles was home team for the final game of the season, like in the 2017 World Series when the Houston Astros won Game 7 at Dodger Stadium, and two years ago against the Red Sox.

“This year has been crazy, but no matter what, we’ll look back on this and we’re World Series champs. To get to say that and get to be part of that, it’s so special no matter what,” Kershaw said. “The only thing that may have made it better would be to be at Dodger Stadium.”

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — No large dogpile, no champagne and a mask on nearly every face — the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated their first World Series title since 1988 in a manner no one could have imagined prior to the coronavirus pandemic.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L5byCxvRFXQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>They started the party without Justin Turner, too, after their red-headed star received word of a positive COVID-19 test in the middle of their clinching victory.Turner was removed from Los Angeles’ 3-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 6 on Tuesday night after registering Major League Baseball’s first positive test in 59 days. He wasn’t on the field initially as the Dodgers enjoyed the spoils of a title earned during a most unusual season.He returned to the diamond about an hour after the game, hugging longtime teammate Clayton Kershaw and sitting front-and-center for a team photo next to manager Dave Roberts with his mask pulled down under his bushy beard.“Thanks to everyone reaching out!” Turner said on Twitter. “I feel great, no symptoms at all. Just experienced every emotion you can possibly imagine. Can’t believe I couldn’t be out there to celebrate with my guys! So proud of this team &amp; unbelievably happy for the City of LA.”Major League Baseball insulated postseason teams in neutral-site bubbles after traveling them across the country during a shortened 60-game season. Turner was the first player since the playoffs began to be flagged for the coronavirus.MLB received Turner’s Monday sample from the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory in Utah in the bottom of the second inning, when lab president Dr. Daniel Eichner called deputy commissioner Dan Halem, who was in New York, a person familiar with the call said, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details were not released.Eichner told Halem the result was inconclusive. MLB receives many inconclusive results, so Halem told Eichner to run Tuesday’s pregame sample from Turner. That result came back positive in the sixth inning, the person said.Halem called Chris Young, MLB’s senior vice president of baseball operations, who was in Manfred’s box at Globe Life Field, then called Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. He notified the dugout or clubhouse, and Turner was removed from the game after the seventh inning.“It was obviously a really unfortunate endpoint of this incredible series and definitely affected some of the joy of winning just because of what JT has meant to us,” Friedman said.When asked about what happened after the game, Friedman said Turner wanted to take a picture with the trophy. Friedman stated several times that those around Turner had previously been in close contact and said the team would take another round of tests before determining when to leave Texas.“Now the subsequent tests we’re going to take are really important,” Friedman said.The 35-year-old Turner has been a staple in the Dodgers’ lineup for seven of their eight consecutive NL West titles. A late-blooming slugger who helped reshape the game by succeeding with an upper-cut swing, Turner is LA’s career leader with 12 postseason home runs, including a pair in this Series, in which he hit .364 and also played stellar defense.“It’s gut-wrenching,” World Series MVP Corey Seager said. “If I could switch places with him right now, I would. That’s just not right.”“We’re not excluding him from anything,” teammate Mookie Betts said.Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed Turner’s positive test moments after presenting the World Series trophy to Los Angeles — a jarring reminder of all that’s been different in this season where the perennially favored Dodgers finally broke through.<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/dodgers-win-the-2020-world-series" target="_blank">The end of a frustrating championship drought</a>&nbsp;for LA — and perhaps just the start for Betts and the Dodgers, whose seventh World Series title was their sixth since leaving Brooklyn for the West Coast in 1958.“I had a crazy feeling that came to fruition,” Roberts said. “It’s just a special group of players, organization, all that we’ve kind of overcome.”Betts bolted from third for the go-ahead run on Seager’s grounder in the sixth, even with the infield playing in,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/mookie-betts-clutch-home-run" target="_blank">then had a punctuating homer</a>&nbsp;leading off the eighth.“It was absolutely phenomenal. This team was incredible,” said Seager,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-mookie-betts-los-angeles-dodgers-corey-seager-willy-adames-b059efebbd0dade00e8e1d636c23bcd4">also the NLCS MVP who set franchise records with his eight homers and 20 RBIs</a>&nbsp;this postseason. “We were ready to go as soon as the bell was called. Once it did, we kept rolling.”<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/kershaw-soaks-up-world-series-win" target="_blank">Kershaw was warming in the bullpen</a>&nbsp;when Julio Urías struck out Willy Adames to end it and ran alongside teammates to celebrate in the infield, later joined by family who had been in the bubble with them in North Texas.Players were handed face masks as they gathered, although many of their embraces came mask-free even after Turner’s positive test.The Dodgers had played 5,014 regular-season games and were in their 114th postseason game since Orel Hershiser struck out Oakland’s Tony Phillips for the final out of the World Series in 1988, the same year Kershaw — the three-time NL Cy Young Award winner who won Games 1 and 5 of this Series — was born in nearby Dallas.Los Angeles had come up short in the World Series twice in the previous three years. Betts was on the other side two years ago and homered in the clinching Game 5 for the Boston Red Sox, who before this season traded the 2018 AL MVP to the Dodgers. They later gave him a $365 million, 12-year deal that goes until he turns 40 in 2032.Betts’ 3.2-second sprint home was just enough to beat the throw by first baseman Ji-Man Choi, pushing Los Angeles ahead 2-1 moments after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-tampa-bay-rays-nick-anderson-mookie-betts-los-angeles-dodgers-5025013470ff54dc9fb534eba02eedcd">Rays manager Kevin Cash pulled ace left-hander Blake Snell despite a dominant performance</a>&nbsp;over 5 1/3 innings.“It was kind of like a sigh of relief,” Betts said. “It was the Cy Young Snell that pitched tonight.”Snell struck out nine — including the first time all season that Betts, Seager and Turner each struck out in their first two at-bats. But the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner didn’t see the top three batters for the Dodgers again.“The only motive was the lineup the Dodgers feature is as potent as any team in the league,” Cash said. “Mookie coming around for the third time through, I value that. I totally respect and understand the questions that come with it. They’re not easy decisions.”Randy Arozarena, the powerful Tampa Bay rookie,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/arozarena-s-10th-postseason-hr" target="_blank">extended his postseason record with his 10th homer</a>&nbsp;in the first off rookie right-hander Tony Gonsolin, the first of seven Dodgers pitchers. The Rays never got another runner past second base as LA’s bullpen gave reliever-reliant Tampa Bay a taste of its own medicine while allowing only two hits and no walks over 7 1/3 innings.About 2 1/2 weeks after the Lakers won the NBA title while finishing their season in the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida, the Dodgers gave Los Angeles another championship.The MLB season didn’t start until late July and was abbreviated for the shortest regular season since 1878. The expanded postseason, with 16 teams making it instead of 10, ended when Urías got the last two outs on called third strikes, with catcher Austin Barnes stuffing the last pitch in his back pocket. The Rays had 16 Ks and the Dodgers 11, the most combined strikeouts in a nine-inning World Series game.Chants of “M-V-P!, M-V-P!” broke out when Betts hit his double in the sixth off reliever Nick Anderson, who allowed runs in seven consecutive relief appearances, the longest streak in MLB postseason history.Those chants got even louder — even with the a limited crowd of 11,437 — when Betts went deep on an 0-2 pitch by hard-throwing right-hander Pete Fairbanks.There were plenty of fans in Dodgers blue at the new $1.2 billion home of the Texas Rangers, the stadium with the retractable roof where they played 16 games over three weeks. And the roof was closed for the final one, with misty conditions and a game-time temperature of 39 degrees outside.Los Angeles was home team for the final game of the season, like in the 2017 World Series when the Houston Astros won Game 7 at Dodger Stadium, and two years ago against the Red Sox.“This year has been crazy, but no matter what, we’ll look back on this and we’re World Series champs. To get to say that and get to be part of that, it’s so special no matter what,” Kershaw said. “The only thing that may have made it better would be to be at Dodger Stadium.”

🎥 ⚾ Fitting finale: Dodgers win title, Turner tests positive

LAWRENCE, Kan.—Kansas men’s basketball today announced its updated 2020-21 schedule, including the Big 12 Conference round-robin details. KU will have four additional non-conference games to reach the 27-game max established by the NCAA. Included in the four will be a Champions Classic matchup against Kentucky, with the location to be determined. Once those details are finalized that information will be released.

Kansas will start conference play with two games in December and will be part of three ESPN Big Monday contests this upcoming season.

Already on the slate, North Dakota State comes to Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday, Dec. 5. The Jayhawks will host Creighton on Tuesday, Dec. 8, Omaha on Friday, Dec. 13, and Tarleton State on Sunday, Dec. 13, to close out a four-game homestand.

Kansas will then open Big 12 play on the road at Texas Tech on Thursday, Dec. 17. This will be the earliest Big 12 contest for KU in the 25-year history of the conference and the earliest league game for the Jayhawks since Dec. 13, 1986, against Colorado.

The Jayhawks return to Allen Fieldhouse to face conference foe West Virginia on Tuesday, Dec. 22. The remaining 16 league games begin Saturday, Jan. 2, when KU hosts Texas.

Kansas’ three ESPN Big Monday contests start Jan. 18 at Baylor. The Jayhawks will host Oklahoma State on Big Monday on Feb. 8 and travel to Texas on Monday, Feb. 22. Kansas has been featured on ESPN Big Monday at least three times per season since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996-97.

Kansas is 73-18 all-time on ESPN Big Monday (43-1 at home and 30-17 on the road), including 54-12 under head coach Bill Self (32-0 at home and 22-12 on the road). Additionally, KU has won 36-consecutive Big Monday games in Allen Fieldhouse. Overall, KU has won its last 18 ESPN Big Monday battles.

The Big 12 Championship is scheduled for March 10-13, 2021, at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

Kansas returns three starters and nine letter winners from last season’s 28-3 team which won the Big 12 regular-season title going 17-1 in conference play. KU ended the year ranked No. 1 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches’ polls as the 2019-20 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

<a href="http://faninfo.kuathletics.com/r/?id=h191ebe25,a7434591,a74b8a8c">Click here for the complete 2020-21 Kansas Basketball Schedule.</a>

LAWRENCE, Kan.—Kansas men’s basketball today announced its updated 2020-21 schedule, including the Big 12 Conference round-robin details. KU will have four additional non-conference games to reach the 27-game max established by the NCAA. Included in the four will be a Champions Classic matchup against Kentucky, with the location to be determined. Once those details are finalized that information will be released.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603847284352.jpeg" alt="&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; KU Schedule.jpg" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; KU Schedule.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas will start conference play with two games in December and will be part of three ESPN Big Monday contests this upcoming season.Already on the slate, North Dakota State comes to Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday, Dec. 5. The Jayhawks will host Creighton on Tuesday, Dec. 8, Omaha on Friday, Dec. 13, and Tarleton State on Sunday, Dec. 13, to close out a four-game homestand.Kansas will then open Big 12 play on the road at Texas Tech on Thursday, Dec. 17. This will be the earliest Big 12 contest for KU in the 25-year history of the conference and the earliest league game for the Jayhawks since Dec. 13, 1986, against Colorado.The Jayhawks return to Allen Fieldhouse to face conference foe West Virginia on Tuesday, Dec. 22. The remaining 16 league games begin Saturday, Jan. 2, when KU hosts Texas.Kansas’ three ESPN Big Monday contests start Jan. 18 at Baylor. The Jayhawks will host Oklahoma State on Big Monday on Feb. 8 and travel to Texas on Monday, Feb. 22. Kansas has been featured on ESPN Big Monday at least three times per season since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996-97.Kansas is 73-18 all-time on ESPN Big Monday (43-1 at home and 30-17 on the road), including 54-12 under head coach Bill Self (32-0 at home and 22-12 on the road). Additionally, KU has won 36-consecutive Big Monday games in Allen Fieldhouse. Overall, KU has won its last 18 ESPN Big Monday battles.The Big 12 Championship is scheduled for March 10-13, 2021, at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.Kansas returns three starters and nine letter winners from last season’s 28-3 team which won the Big 12 regular-season title going 17-1 in conference play. KU ended the year ranked No. 1 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches’ polls as the 2019-20 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<a href="http://faninfo.kuathletics.com/r/?id=h191ebe25,a7434591,a74b8a8c">Click here for the complete 2020-21 Kansas Basketball Schedule.</a>