Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Timmy Allen scored 24 points and his long jumper from just beyond the free-throw line with 21 seconds left put Texas ahead before Marcus Carr's free throws sealed a 79-76 win over No. 8 Kansas. Texas is one of the best defensive teams in the country and had to withstand a blistering shooting half from the top-scoring team in the Big 12. Kansas led 76-72 before Texas' Tre Mitchell banked in a 3-pointer to get the Longhorns within one. A Kansas turnover then set up Allen's go-ahead shot.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Empty seats are outnumbering occupied ones at Nebraska men's basketball home games as the team grinds through one of the worst seasons in program history under coach Fred Hoiberg. According to figures provided to The Associated Press, the average number of tickets scanned is just under 7,200. That's less than half of Pinnacle Bank Arena's capacity. Three consecutive January games drew fewer than 5,800 fans. Athletic director Trev Alberts acknowledged some fans are staying away because of the mask mandate. But he said the team's poor performance is the biggest factor and a major concern.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Naz Hillmon scored 26 points and had 10 rebounds, and No. 6 Michigan beat No. 21 Iowa 98-90, despite the Hawkeyes getting 46 points from Caitlin Clark. Laila Phelia added 24 points, four rebounds and three assists for the Wolverines, and Maddie Nolan contributed 17 points. Clark was the lone bright spot for the Hawkeyes. She and Sydney Affolter each grabbed six rebounds. The Wolverines took the lead a minute and a half into the first quarter and then controlled the game, leading by as much as 25.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Christian Braun and Ochai Agbaji each scored 18 points and No. 10 Kansas bolted to a big lead and routed No. 8 Baylor 83-59 to hold the top spot in the Big 12 Conference race. The Jayhawks led by as many as 34 points late in the game and improved to 19-3 overall and 8-1 in the league. This was the first time Kansas had hosted a defending national champion since Dec. 15, 2018, when it beat Villanova 74-71 at Allen Fieldhouse. Baylor fell to 19-4 overall and 7-3 in the league. The Bears had won nine straight games against Top 10 opponents. But they never got close to extending that streak, quickly falling behind by double digits. Adam Flagler had 16 points for Baylor.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Keegan Murray had 24 points and 15 rebounds, Patrick McCaffery added 18 points and seven boards and Iowa used a big second-half run to beat Minnesota 71-59. Murray and McCaffery combined to shoot 17 of 32 from the field while the rest of the team shot just 36% (12 of 33). Iowa (14-7, 4-6 Big Ten), which went into the game No. 3 nationally in fewest turnovers per game at 8.9, committed six. The Hawkeyes scored 21 points — including 17 in the second half — off 12 Minnesota turnovers. Minnesota (11-9, 2-9) has lost four in a row and eight of its last nine. Luke Loewe scored 19 points and Payton Willis added 16 for the Gophers.
Update on the latest sports
OLYMPICS
Chen sets record in short program
BEIJING (AP) — Vincent Zhou (jow) is missing from the U.S. men's figure skating team, but Nathan Chen is right on target.
Chen has set the world record during his short program at the Beijing Olympics, scoring 113.97 points. That breaks the previous mark set by longtime rival Yuzuru Hanyu and puts Chen in position to win his long-sought gold medal.
Chen opened with a perfect quad flip, breezed through the triple axel that sometimes gives him problems and drilled a quad lutz-triple toe loop that by itself scored more than 21 points.
His total was more than five points ahead of Yuma Kagiyama, who sits in second place. Hanyu is 20 points off the lead.
Meanwhile, Zhou has tested positive for the coronavirus, and is out of the individual competition.
The 21-year-old had struggled through a poor free skate for the eventual team silver medalists a day before and was due to compete in the individual competition that begins with the men's short program on Tuesday.
Also at Beijing:
— Vermont native Ryan Cochran-Siegle came away with silver in the men's Super-G. finishing 0.04 seconds behind Austria's Matthias (mah-TEE'-uhs) Mayer. Cochran-Siegle's silver medal came almost 50 years to the day after his mother, Barbara Ann, won gold in the slalom at the 1972 Sapporo Games. Mayer broke Norway's 16-year grip on the men's Olympic super-G title when he won gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
— Marie-Philip Poulin capped a three-goal run by scoring on a penalty shot with 2:35 left in the second period, helping Canada beat the defending-champion United States. The outcome gives the Canadians the top seed entering the playoff round. Barring a major upset, the two global hockey powers are expected to meet once more in the gold-medal final next week.
— Casey Dawson is finally on his way to the Olympics. The U.S. speedskater tested positive for COVID-19 three weeks ago and had struggled to get the necessary clearance to travel to Beijing. He's already missed the 5,000 meters, and his late arrival will likely keep him out of Tuesday's 1,500 meters.
— American-born Eileen Gu of China has captured gold in women's freestyle big air. Gu cranked out the first 1620 of her career on her final jump, stunning Tess Ledeux of France and earning the first of what she hopes will be three gold medals. She is also a medal favorite in slopestyle and halfpipe.
— The U.S. ski team says American skier Nina O'Brien has sustained a compound fracture of her left tibia and fibula after falling toward the end of the women's giant slalom. Monday's race had to be delayed for about 15 minutes when O'Brien slid across the finish line at the end of her second run. She was screaming in pain after stumbling through the last gate as her skis crossed in front of her.
— A second Finland men's hockey player has been taken to an isolation hotel after testing positive for the coronavirus in Beijing. Goaltender Jussi Olkinuora has joined forward Marko Anttila in isolation. A Finnish Olympic Committee says the two players recovered from COVID-19 last month and tested negative to travel to Beijing.
— Another Russian women's hockey player has tested positive for the coronavirus after playing against Canada. The forward played against Canada in a game Monday which was delayed because of virus concerns on both teams before the Russians and Canadians agreed to start the game in masks. The Canadians kept their masks on and won 6-1.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Heat stay atop East standings
UNDATED (AP) — The Miami Heat are spending another night as the undisputed No. 1 team in the NBA's Eastern Conference.
Bam Adebayo (ad-eh-BY'-oh) dropped in 21 points and Jimmy Butler had 19 as the Heat cruised to a 121-100 win over the Wizards. Miami never trailed and went on a 22-1 run to take a 98-70 lead early in the fourth quarter.
The Heat shot 18 for 32 from long range while the Wizards were just 7 for 31.
Miami has won three straight since dropping the first two of a six-game road trip.
Checking out Monday's other NBA action:
— The Suns improved to a league-best 43-10 as Devin Booker scored 38 points in a 127-124 downing of the Bulls. The Suns led by as much as 27 in the third quarter and withstood a push down the stretch to win for the 13th time in 14 games. Chris Paul added 19 points and 11 assists as Phoenix moved to 21-5 on the road.
— Klay Thompson dumped in 21 points and the Warriors extended their winning streak to nine games by topping the Thunder, 110-98. Thompson hit two 3-pointers, including one with just over a minute remaining, to put the Warriors up nine. Stephen Curry added 18 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for the Warriors, who shot 50% from the field.
— The Raptors own a six-game winning streak after Pascal Siakam had 24 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in their 116-101 decision over the skidding Hornets. Gary Trent Jr. scored 24 points, and Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby (an-ah-NOH'-bee) each had 20 points for the Raptors, who began a stretch of eight of nine games on the road. Charlotte lost its fifth straight despite 25 points from Miles Bridges.
— Donovan Mitchell had 32 points, seven rebounds, and six assists to lead the Jazz to a 113-104 victory over the Knicks. Mitchell also had four steals to help rally the Jazz to their third straight win. Bojan (BOY'-ahn) Bogdanovic finished with 20 points. Mike Conley had 18 points and seven assists, and Jordan Clarkson scored 16 for Utah.
NBA-NEWS
Ball, Murray to replace Durant, Green in NBA All-Star Game
NEW YORK (AP) — Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball and San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray have been named to the NBA All-Star Game as injury replacements. They will step in for Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green.
The NBA also announced that Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum will replace Durant as a starter.
NFL-TEXANS-SMITH
Houston Texans said to be ready to hire Lovie Smith
UNDATED (AP) — The Houston Texans are expected to hire Lovie Smith as their head coach, a person familiar with the process told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the team had not announced that Smith would be hired. The same source said an official announcement was expected later Monday or Tuesday morning.
Smith, who is Black, will be the second minority candidate to be hired this offseason after the Miami Dolphins hired San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, who is biracial, on Sunday.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
— The Rams could get two former starters back from injured reserve in time for the Super Bowl. Coach Sean McVay said defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day and running back Darrell Henderson are expected to practice with the Rams this week, and there's "a good chance" Joseph-Day and Henderson can play against Cincinnati.
— Two people familiar with the decision say the New Orleans Saints have promoted defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to head coach. Sean Payton resigned nearly two weeks ago after 16 years with the club.
— The Giants have hired a Black assistant general manager less than a week after fired Dolphins coach Brian Flores sued the Giants, two other franchises and the NFL for alleged racist hiring practices. The Giants say Brandon Brown will work with new general manager Joe Schoen, leading the player personnel department and helping other parts of the football operation.
— A group of civil rights leaders called for replacing the Rooney Rule in a meeting Monday with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Major civil rights groups requested the meeting after former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores accused the NFL and three teams — the Giants, Broncos and Dolphins — of racial discrimination in a proposed class-action lawsuit last week.
T25 MEN'S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE
Cavs down Blue Devils on late bucket
UNDATED (AP) — Unranked Virginia could be in the midst of a push toward a berth in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
The Cavaliers went into Durham, North Carolina, and came away with a 69-68 win over seventh-ranked Duke. Reece Beekman hit a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining, giving Virginia a 9-5 record in the ACC and a 15-9 mark overall.
Jayden Gardner scored 17 points and Kadin Shedrick posted a career-high 16 points as the Cavs handed the Blue Devils their first loss in four games.
In Monday's other top-25 games:
— Azuolas Tubelis had 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead six Arizona players in double figures as the No. 4 Wildcats got past Arizona State 91-79 on Monday night. Bennedict Mathurin (MATH'-ah-rihn) added 18 points for the Wildcats.
— Timmy Allen scored 24 points and hit a long jumper with 21 seconds left to put 20th-ranked Texas ahead for good in a 79-76 triumph over No. 8 Kansas. The Jayhawks led, 76-72 until Tre Mitchell nailed a 3-pointer after missing his first five attempts from downtown. Mitchell scored 17 for the Longhorns.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-POLL
Auburn, Gonzaga stay 1-2 in AP Top 25; Texas Tech up to 9th
UNDATED (AP) — Auburn is No. 1 in The Associated Press men's college basketball poll for the third straight week. Coach Bruce Pearl's Tigers earned 48 of 61 first-place votes.
Gonzaga earned the other 13 votes and has been ranked No. 2 throughout Auburn's first stay at the top. Purdue, Arizona and Kentucky rounded out the top five.
Texas Tech rose five spots to No. 9 under first-year coach Mark Adams. No. 22 Saint Mary's and No. 23 Murray State entered the poll. Murray State's poll appearance is its first since March 2015. Iowa State and LSU fell out from last week.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL NEWS
Vols' Nkamhoua to have ankle surgery, likely out for season
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee starting forward Olivier Nkamhoua will have surgery on his left ankle that will likely sideline him for the remainder of the season. Nkamhoua went down in the second half of last weekend's 81-57 win at South Carolina.
The forward from Helsinki, Finland, was the Vols' third-leading scorer and had started every game this season.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Marner, Leafs still streaking
UNDATED (AP) — Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs remain red hot.
Marner's second goal of the night was the game-winner as the Leafs outlasted the Hurricanes, 4-3. He also tied the game with 5:48 remaining in regulation, stretching his goal streak to eight games.
Marner has 10 goals during the streak after netting just six his first 25 games this season.
Austin Matthews netted his 30th and 31st goals of the season 3:21 apart in the second period to put Toronto ahead, but Carolina regained the lead on third-period tallies by Tony DeAngelo and Derek Stepan.
Also on NHL ice:
— The Devils absorbed their seventh straight regulation loss as Matt Murray turned back 32 shots to lead the Senators' 4-1 verdict over New Jersey. Connor Brown had a goal and an assist in his return to the lineup after missing 10 games with a broken jaw. Nick Paul also had a goal and an assist for Ottawa.
MLB-NEWS-NO DRUG TESTING
Sources say baseball isn't testing for steroids
UNDATED (AP) — Two people familiar with the sport's Joint Drug Program tell The Associated Press that Major League Baseball has stopped testing players for steroids for the first time in nearly 20 years due to the expiration of the sport's drug agreement.
When the 2017-21 drug agreement was negotiated, the sides included a provision that states "the termination date and time of the program shall be 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1, 2021." That matched the expiration of the five-year labor contract.
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