KANSAS CITY, MO. (AP) — Of the coaches in the NFL's Final Four, Andy Reid is the outlier. Only Kansas City's coach has been the head man in a Super Bowl. Only Reid is close to having a Hall of Fame-worthy resume. Only Reid has been around for a couple of decades. So while Tennessee's Mike Vrabel, Green Bay's Matt LaFleur and San Francisco's Kyle Shanahan might look up to Reid and his career achievements, they also recognize that whichever of them wins the NFL title will be doing so for the first time as a coach.
KANSAS CITY, MO. (AP) — Sunday's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans is the first AFC championship since 2002 that doesn't feature Tom Brady or Peyton Manning or Ben Roethlisberger. Brady and the New England Patriots are missing from the conference championship weekend for the first time since 2010. Brady has been to 13 AFC title games and won nine of them. John Elway's Denver Broncos defeated the Cleveland Browns in two of the most famous AFC title game showdowns and the Cincinnati Bengals beat the San Diego Chargers in 1982 in minus-59 degrees wind chill that left Dan Fouts with icicles hanging from his beard.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — New Missouri State football coach Bobby Petrino says he knew he wouldn't stay retired. Petrino made the comment at his introductory news conference Thursday. Petrino's string of embarrassing foibles at previous coaching stops made him a high-risk proposition at the big schools. He says he is glad to have a job again, even if it's at one of the bottom programs in the second tier of college football. Petrino says one of the things he can teach players is that they always have obstacles to overcome.
WACO, TX (AP) — Baylor has hired LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda as its new football coach. The move was finalized three days after LSU beat Clemson for the national championship. He replaces Matt Rhule, who last week became head coach of the NFL's Carolina Panthers. Aranda takes over a Big 12 team on the rise. The Bears went from 11 losses in 2017 to 11 wins this season, when they played in the Big 12 championship game and the Sugar Bowl. The 43-year-old Aranda was at LSU the last four seasons after three years as Wisconsin's defensive coordinator.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia's opponents won't get much satisfaction out of knowing the Mountaineers have abandoned their full-court press. It's been replaced by a half-court defense that is among the best in the country. Coach Bob Huggins says the switch was the best path to basketball wins for West Virginia. The 12th-ranked Mountaineers have held five straight opponents to 60 points or less. They are second in Division I in field-goal percentage defense at 35%. The defense is anchored by the Big 12's top two rebounders, 6-foot-10 sophomore Derek Culver and 6-9 freshman Oscar Tshiebwe. The Mountaineers play at Kansas State on Saturday.
National Headlines
HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Astros star outfielder George Springer and the tainted team have settled on a $21 million contract for next season. Springer led the Astros to their first title in 2017 and was the Most Valuable Player of the World Series that year. This week, Major League Baseball released a report that detailed a cheating scheme the Astros used during their championship season to steal signals from opposing catchers and relay them to hitters.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 17 rebounds, Khris Middleton scored 23 points and the Milwaukee Bucks held off the Boston Celtics 128-123 Thursday night. With the victory, the NBA-leading Bucks extended their winning streak to five games. Kemba Walker scored a game-high 40 points to lead the Celtics.
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Brooks Koepka shot a 6-under 66 in his return to competition after a knee injury and was tied for third place after the opening round of the Abu Dhabi Championship. Koepka, ranked No. 1 in the world, missed three months after re-injuring his knee while competing at the CJ Cup in South Korea. Koepka is two shots behind co-leaders Shaun Norris, of South Africa, and Renato Paratore, of Italy.
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Kellen Moore is staying as offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, and new coach Mike McCarthy says the plan is for Moore to continue calling plays. Moore was promoted to his current job in the final season under Jason Garrett. Garret’s contract wasn't renewed after the team fell short of expectations in a make-or-break season.
Thursday Scores
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (1)Gonzaga 104 Santa Clara 54
Final Washington St. 72 (8)Oregon 61
Final (20)Colorado 68 Arizona St. 61
Final (22)Memphis 60 Cincinnati 49
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Phoenix 121 New York 98
Final Milwaukee 128 Boston 123
Final OT New Orleans 138 Utah 132
Final OT Denver 134 Golden State 131
Final L.A. Clippers 122 Orlando 95