KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jackson County Executive Frank White has vetoed an ordinance that would have put a 3/8th-cent sales tax renewal on the April ballot. The sales tax renewal would fund sports stadiums for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals. White says the proposed sales tax would take about $2 billion from the county's residents. He also says there was no assurance that the teams would contribute to the county. Four out of the nine members in the County Legislature say they sided with White. They have until Jan. 23 to decide if they're putting the stadium tax decision in front of voters this spring.
BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Alijah Martin scored 22 points, Johnell Davis added 19 and No. 23 Florida Atlantic rallied from an 11-point deficit in the second half to beat Wichita State 86-77. Martin had 16 points in the second half and Davis had 14 after halftime for the Owls. Vladislav Goldin scored 17 and Tre Carroll added 10 off the bench for Florida Atlantic. Quincy Ballard scored 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting for Wichita State, which dropped its sixth straight. Colby Rogers also had 18 for the Shockers. Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler and Florida Panthers star Aleksander Barkov sat courtside to cheer on FAU.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Kasean Pryor made a go-ahead free throw with 4 seconds left, and South Florida rallied from a 20-point deficit to stun No. 10 Memphis 74-73. Pryor finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and reserve Selton Miguel led USF with 23 points, going 5 of 10 from 3-point range. The Bulls have won eight of nine and ended a 10-game winning streak for the Tigers, who hadn’t lost since a narrow defeat at Mississippi on Dec. 2. David Jones led Memphis with 25 points and Jahvon Quinerly finished with 15. Quinerly missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has the utmost respect for his friend and occasional offseason golf partner Patrick Mahomes. That doesn't mean Allen has forgotten the two times the Bills were eliminated from the playoffs by Mahomes and the Chiefs in Kansas City. Their more recent meeting is still a bitter one for Bills fans. Buffalo squandered a three-point lead in the final 13 seconds of a 42-36 overtime loss in the 2021 season divisional round. This time, the Bills host the Chiefs in a divisional round meeting on Sunday night. The outing will be Mahomes' first playoff road start and his first time playing in front of a Buffalo home crowd.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Tomlin isn't going anywhere. The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers head coach says he expects to be back for an 18th season and that his passion for the job hasn't waned despite another quick playoff exit. Tomlin's status for next season was up for debate after there was speculation he may be burning out. Tomlin says his enthusiasm for the job has only intensified through the season and plans to sign a contract extension soon. While Tomlin is returning, the Steelers have plenty of questions to answer in the offseason. The team's top priority is hiring a new offensive coordinator after Matt Canada was fired just before Thanksgiving.
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Mike McCarthy is selling his belief that the Dallas Cowboys can make an elusive playoff breakthrough with him as coach. McCarthy is returning for a fifth season despite a stunning 48-32 wild-card loss to Green Bay. Dallas was the first team not to reach a conference title game in three consecutive 12-win playoff seasons. McCarthy said the club has developed a “championship program” with two NFC East titles in three seasons. He says it just hasn't reached a “world championship yet.”
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Adrián Beltré could soon be a first-ballot Hall of Fame third baseman. He is among 12 first-timers in consideration for the Class of 2024 that will be revealed Jan. 23. A four-time All-Star, Beltré had 3,166 hits and 477 homers, and his 2,759 career games played at third base are fewer than only Brooks Robinson. When the Rangers retired Beltré's No. 29 jersey the season after his final game, the celebration included messages from Hall of Fame third basemen George Brett, Mike Schmidt and Chipper Jones. They all told Beltré that night in 2019 they'd see him in Cooperstown as soon as he became eligible for election.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Miami tight end Cam McCormick has announced he will return to college for what is believed to be an unprecedented ninth season of eligibility. It'll be one final season from a career that was derailed multiple times by season-ending injuries. McCormick spent the first seven of those college seasons at Oregon, transferred to Miami for the 2023 season and announced Thursday he will keep playing in 2024. If the Hurricanes make the College Football Playoff this coming season, that may give McCormick the chance to play in a game after the calendar flips to 2025.
THURSDAY SCORES
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final South Florida 74 (10)Memphis 73
Final (14)Illinois 88 Michigan 73
Final (23)FAU 86 Wichita St. 77
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Chicago 116 Toronto 110
Final New York 113 Washington 109
Final Oklahoma City 134 Utah 129
Final Minnesota 118 Memphis 103
Final Indiana 126 Sacramento 121
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Buffalo 3 Chicago 0
Final Philadelphia 5 Dallas 1
Final Washington 5 St. Louis 2
Final Tampa Bay 7 Minnesota 3
Final Boston 5 Colorado 2
Final Ottawa 6 Montreal 2
Final Edmonton 4 Seattle 2
Final Toronto 4 Calgary 3
Final Vegas 5 N-Y Rangers 1