Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Brandon Johnson made all four his 3-point attempts in overtime and finished with 26 points and nine rebounds for Minnesota in a 102-95 win over No. 4 Iowa. Marcus Carr had 30 points on 6-for-13 shooting from 3-point range and eight assists for the Gophers. They improved to 8-1 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten despite trailing by seven points with 44 seconds left in regulation. Luka Garza had 32 points and 17 rebounds for the Hawkeyes. They fell to 7-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Franz Wagner had 20 points and No. 19 Michigan scored 10 straight points early in the second half to pull away from Nebraska in an 80-69 victory Friday. Michigan started slow in its first game since Dec. 13 but stunned Nebraska with the two-minute flurry that began with Isaiah Livers' 3-pointer. Wagner close it with a 25-footer that put the Wolverines up 53-41 with 14:38 remaining. Nebraska put together an 11-2 run, highlighted by a steal and breakaway dunk by Trey McGowens, and cut the Michigan lead to 64-60 on McGowens' free throws with 6:20 left. The Wolverines countered with a 7-2 spurt, going up 71-62 on Eli Brooks' fast-break layup with 4:45 remaining.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have reached the precipice of the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a nine-game winning streak that includes some heavy hitters with Super Bowl aspirations of their own. But while records alone suggest the Chiefs finally get a breather to finish off the regular-season, facing the losing Falcons and Chargers, both Kansas City coach Andy Reid and Atlanta counterpart Raheem Morris are in agreement that Sunday's game could be far tighter than the more-than-10-point spread.
UNDATED (AP) — Iowa State has The Associated Press Big 12 offensive and defensive players of the year and the league's top coach. The awards come after the Cyclones' best conference season ever. Running back Breece Hall is the unanimous choice for top offensive player with his league-best 130 yards rushing per game and 19 touchdowns. Linebacker Mike Rose was selected the top defender with his 90 tackles and four interceptions that are both tied for the league lead. Iowa State was 8-1 in Big 12 play in the regular season, a school record for conference wins.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons have declared receiver Julio Jones and center Alex Mack out for Sunday's game at Kansas City. Jones, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection, will miss his third straight game with a hamstring injury. Mack, a six-time Pro Bowl pick, will miss his first game of the season with a concussion. A third starter, left guard James Carpenter, will miss the game with a groin injury. Free safety Ricardo Allen is listed as questionable with a concussion. Allen was a full participant in practice on Thursday. Return specialist Brandon Powell (foot) and defensive tackle Marlon Davidson (knee) are questionable.
UNDATED (AP) — The year in sports was about cancellations, shutdowns, infections and quarantines. Still, for all the anguish, 2020 offered memorable and inspirational moments. Vanderbilt's Sarah Fuller had one when she became the first woman to play and score in a Power 5 football game. The Los Angeles Lakers honored the late Kobe Bryant the best way they could — by winning their record-tying 17th NBA championship. The Kansas City Chiefs won their first Super Bowl in 50 years. And the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a pandemic-shortened season, captured their first World Series title since 1988. A bit of light amid the darkness.
Update on the latest sports
NFL-SCHEDULE
NFL Saturday features three games.
UNDATED (AP) — The Buccaneers and Lions gets the NFL action started at 1 p.m. Eastern in Detroit.
Tom Brady is accustomed to the situation Tampa Bay faces, even if its unfamiliar to his current team. The Bucs need a win or a Chicago loss to clinch their first postseason berth since 2007. Tampa Bay's 13-year playoff drought is the NFL's second-longest string behind Cleveland's 18-year run that is about to end.
As for Brady, he does have those six Super Bowl rings from his time in New England. Only once while he was healthy and the full-time starter there (2002) did the Patriots not make the playoffs.
Lions interim coach Darrell Bevell will miss the game because of COVID-19 contact tracing. Wide receivers coach Robert Prince will run the team.
Next up is 5-9 San Francisco in Arizona to play the Cardinals. In an NFL first, the game will air nationally exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, Twitch and Amazon's other services. However, the game will also be broadcast in Arizona's and San Francisco's home markets.
Arizona is trying to hold on to the final NFC wild-card spot. The Niners are playing a road game at their temporary home in Arizona after being forced out of their home stadium because of coronavirus rules. San Francisco lost its two home games at State Farm Stadium.
Tonight, it's Miami (9-5) at Las Vegas (7-7). As the Raiders have plunged almost out of playoff contention, the Dolphins have compiled some impressive numbers.
After yielding an NFL-worst 30.9 points per game last season, Miami has cut that to 18.4 per game this season, the league's lowest average. The Dolphins have a takeaway in 20 consecutive games, the NFL's longest active streak. Cornerback Xavien Howard leads the league with nine interceptions, more than nine teams. And Miami has allowed only 16 TDs passing after giving up a league-high 39 last year.
The Raiders are 2-5 at home in their first year in Las Vegas and can tie a franchise record for home losses in a season with a sixth. They've lost four of five following a 6-3 start and will be eliminated from playoff contention with a loss or a Ravens win.
NBA-SCHEDULE
10-game schedule
UNDATED (AP) — After five games on Christmas Day, the NBA is offering 10 this evening. The action starts at 5 p.m. Eastern in Memphis, where the Grizzlies face the Atlanta Hawks.
Cleveland will be without promising rookie Dylan Windler when they visit Detroit tonight. The forward broke his left hand in the season opener against Charlotte. It's the home opener for the Pistons.
Charlotte is home tonight against, Oklahoma City, while the Wizards and Magic will be on the court in Washington, the Knicks host the 76ers at Madison Square Garden and the Pacers play the Bulls in Chicago.
San Antonio plays its home opener this evening against the Toronto Raptors, while the Timberwolves are in Utah, Houston visits Portland and Sacramento welcomes the Phoenix Suns.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-BOWL SCHEDULE
No. 9 Coastal Carolina, No. 23 Liberty meet in Cure Bowl
UNDATED (AP) — A pair of strong running offenses will be on display when ninth-ranked and unbeaten Coastal Carolina faces No. 23 Liberty in the Cure Bowl tonight.
Running back CJ Marable has rushed for 844 yards and 12 touchdowns for Coastal Carolina.
Liberty features former Auburn quarterback Malik Willis, who has thrown for 2,040 yards while also gaining a team-leading 807 yards on the ground.
The game could come down to which defense has the most success controlling the line of scrimmage. Liberty is eighth in the nation in rushing. Coastal Carolina is 15th.
This afternoon, Sun Belt co-champion Louisiana-Lafayette will play UTSA in the First Responder Bowl in Dallas. The Ragin' Cajuns were denied a chance for a rematch against undefeated No. 9 Coastal Carolina when the conference championship game was canceled because of COVID-19 issues within the Chanticleers program. UTSA has a three-game winning streak and is one win away from matching the program record of eight set in 2012.
Also this afternoon, Western Kentucky and Georgia State meet in the Lendingtree Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
T-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE
No. 1 Gonzaga vs No. 16 Virginia highlights
UNDATED (AP) — Top-ranked Gonzaga and No. 16 Virginia meet in Fort Worth, Texas, this afternoon in a made-for-TV matchup that comes after both programs had to pause because of coronoavirus concerns early in December.
Virginia (4-1) got back into action on Tuesday, defeating William & Mary 76-40. The Bulldogs (6-0) defeated Northwestern State of the Southland Conference on back-to-back nights Tuesday and Wednesday.
Both teams have lost what would have been marquee games to the pandemic. Virginia missed games against No. 12 Michigan State and No. 5 Villanova, while the Zags missed a game with second-ranked Baylor. Gonzaga did beat No. 4 Iowa 99-88 on Saturday in their first game back after pausing.
Other top 25 action has No. 6 Houston visiting Central Florida, No. 18 Illinois hosting Indiana and No. 23 Ohio State on the road against Northwestern.