Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
MIAMI (AP) — Sammy Watkins was supposed to be an NFL star. That's why the Buffalo Bills selected him in the first round of the draft. But after his incredible career at Clemson, the quirky wide receiver has struggled to live up to the expectations. The big culprit? Injuries. But now that he's been healthy for most of the year, the Chiefs' forgotten star is playing the best football of his career. He had 114 yards and a touchdown in the AFC championship game against Tennessee, and now the 26-year-old playmaker has an opportunity to silence his critics once and for all in the Super Bowl on Sunday.
MIAMI (AP) — Passing the family business onto the kids is a delicate chore, even when the whole world isn't watching. When it plays out in the NFL, everyone gets to see the successes and failures unveiled in real time. This year's Super Bowl features two of those stories. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan learned a lot of what he knows from his dad, Mike, who has three Super Bowl rings of his own back at home. Clark Hunt of the Chiefs took over the team when his trailblazing father, Lamar, died in 2006. Both transitions are good examples of sons who navigated the potential pratfalls of taking over the family business.
MIAMI (AP) — Edward Lee Hubbard had no idea his beloved Kansas City Chiefs were playing in the Super Bowl the previous time they made it to the big stage, nor did he learn that they had won the 1970 championship until three years after the fact. Hubbard instead was living in a 6-by-6 prison cell as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. When NFL officials heard his story, they decided to make sure Hubbard wouldn't miss the Chiefs in their return. So with a special invitation from Commissioner Roger Goodell, the 81-year-old Hubbard will be in Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday night to watch Kansas City play the San Francisco 49ers in its first Super Bowl appearance in 50 years.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Jack Roslovic had two goals and an assist to lead the Winnipeg Jets to a 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. The Jets snapped a five-game losing streak and are 12-12-2 at home this season. Connor Hellebuyck was outstanding in net for the Jets, stopping 38 shots. Jordan Binnington made 28 saves for the Central Division-leading Blues.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Devon Dotson scored 21 points, Marcus Garrett added 15 points and No. 3 Kansas topped Texas Tech 78-75 on Saturday afternoon in Allen Fieldhouse.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Elijah Joiner caught an inbounds pass with 3.3 seconds left and raced from one key to the other, connecting on a 3-pointer as time expired to give Tulsa a 54-51 victory over No. 23 Wichita State on Saturday. Hundreds of fans in the near-sellout crowd of 8,089 stormed the court in a wild celebration after Tulsa toppled another ranked visitor. In its previous home game, the Hurricane routed then-No. 20 Memphis 80-40. Joiner shot 5-for-6 on 3s and scored 22 points as Tulsa won its sixth in a row. Jaime Enchinique scored 15 for Wichita State.
MIAMI (AP) — It was a simple matter of safeties first. Safeties Troy Polamalu and Steve Atwater have been voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and will be joined by running back Edgerrin James, receiver Isaac Bruce and guard Steve Hutchinson. Polamalu made it in on his first ballot. He played all 12 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and won two Super Bowls and four All-Pro honors. He also redefined what could be done at the position. He lined up next to linebackers and linemen or sometimes all the way back with the defensive backs and made plays from everywhere.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Derek Culver scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead No. 12 West Virginia to a 66-57 victory over Kansas State on Saturday. The win moved West Virginia's Bob Huggins past Kentucky's Adolph Rupp into seventh place all time in Division I with 877 career victories. The Mountaineers bounced back from a loss at Texas Tech on Wednesday. They improved to 11-0 at home and ended a three-game losing streak to Kansas State. Xavier Sneed scored 11 points to lead Kansas State. The Wildcats have lost five straight road games.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final L.A. Clippers 118 Minnesota 106
Final Miami 102 Orlando 89
Final New York 92 Indiana 85
Final Washington 113 Brooklyn 107
Final Golden State 131 Cleveland 112
Final Dallas 123 Atlanta 100
Final Boston 116 Philadelphia 95
Final San Antonio 114 Charlotte 90
Final L.A. Lakers 129 Sacramento 113
Final Portland 124 Utah 107
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final OT Buffalo 2 Columbus 1
Final OT Vancouver 4 N-Y Islanders 3
Final Montreal 4 Florida 0
Final Winnipeg 5 St. Louis 2
Final Philadelphia 6 Colorado 3
Final N-Y Rangers 1 Detroit 0
Final OT Dallas 3 New Jersey 2
Final OT Toronto 2 Ottawa 1
Final Vegas 3 Nashville 0
Final Boston 6 Minnesota 1
Final SO Chicago 3 Arizona 2
Final Edmonton 8 Calgary 3
Final Tampa Bay 3 San Jose 0
Final Anaheim 3 Los Angeles 1
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (1)Baylor 68 TCU 52
Final (2)Gonzaga 83 San Francisco 79
Final (3)Kansas 78 Texas Tech 75
Final (4)San Diego St. 80 Utah St. 68
Final (5)Florida St. 74 Virginia Tech 63
Final (6)Louisville 77 NC State 57
Final (7)Dayton 70 Fordham 56
Final Creighton 76 (8)Villanova 61
Final (9)Duke 97 Syracuse 88
Final Xavier 74 (10)Seton Hall 62
Final Stanford 70 (11)Oregon 60
Final (12)West Virginia 66 Kansas St. 57
Final (17)Auburn 75 (13)Kentucky 66
Final Wisconsin 64 (14)Michigan St. 63
Final Providence 65 (16)Butler 61
Final (20)Colorado 78 Southern Cal 57
Final Cincinnati 64 (21)Houston 62
Final (22)LSU 73 Mississippi 63
Final Tulsa 54 (23)Wichita St. 51
Final (24)Penn St. 76 Nebraska 64
Final Michigan 69 (25)Rutgers 63
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Denver at Detroit 12:30 p.m.
New Orleans at Houston 2 p.m.
Phoenix at Milwaukee 2 p.m.
Chicago at Toronto 3 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Pittsburgh at Washington 12:30 p.m.
Columbus at Montreal 2 p.m.
Vancouver at Carolina 2 p.m.
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
San Francisco at Kansas City 6:30 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(19)Illinois at (18)Iowa 1 p.m.
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