LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — An independent panel has downgraded five Level I violations lodged by the NCAA against Kansas and basketball coach Bill Self. That effectively ends a long saga that began with a 2017 FBI investigation into college basketball corruption. Kansas will be required to remove its 2018 Final Four banner and vacate wins from the 2017-18 season in which Silvio De Sousa, a player central to the case, participated. The case against the Jayhawks hinged on whether representatives of the apparel company Adidas were considered boosters when two of them arranged payments to prospective recruits. Self served a school-imposed four-game suspension last season.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos will be trying to end a 15-game losing streak to the Kansas City Chiefs when the longtime AFC West rivals play Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium. The skid spans six head or interim coaches for Denver, and it is one that new coach Sean Payton will be out to end. The Broncos have lost four of their first five games this season, including last week's loss to the Jets in which they blew a halftime lead. The Chiefs have not lost since their opener against Detroit. They are coming off a win in Minnesota in which tight end Travis Kelce hurt his ankle. He is expected to play against the Broncos.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky coach Mark Stoops emphasized support for the fan base in the wake of a comment during his weekly radio show in which he appeared to challenge disgruntled Wildcats fans to “pony up” more financially to attract players to his program. The 11th-year Wildcats coach sparked scrutiny on Monday night in response to a caller’s complaint about No. 24 Kentucky’s struggle to compete with SEC powers Georgia and Alabama in light of Saturday night’s 51-13 blowout loss at top-ranked Georgia and raised the issue of NIL opportunities for players. Stoops said during the SEC coaches teleconference that one part of his comment was taken out of context and that he loves Wildcats fans.
PHOENIX (AP) — The hard-hitting Arizona Diamondbacks rode a record-setting barrage of solo homers in the third inning to a 4-2 win in Game 3 of the NL Division Series on Wednesday night, sweeping the 100-win Los Angeles Dodgers out of the playoffs. The D-backs return to the NL Championship Series for the first time since 2007, where they’ll face either the Phillies or Braves. Arizona has won all five of its games during the postseason, sweeping aside both the Brewers in a best-of-three series and the Dodgers in a best-of-five. Arizona's Geraldo Perdomo, Ketel Marte, Christian Walker and Gabriel Moreno all hit solo homers in the third, setting a postseason record for homers in an inning.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — José Abreu homered for the third time in two games for the Houston Astros in a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Twins. The Astros reached their seventh straight AL Championship Series and eliminated the Twins in Game 4 of their AL Division Series. Abreu hit a two-run rocket in the fourth inning off reliever Caleb Thielbar. Michael Brantley also went deep as the Astros hit 10 homers in the series. Abreu had eight RBIs. Houston will host Texas in Game 1 of the ALCS on Sunday. Justin Verlander is scheduled to take the mound for his 36th career postseason start.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryce Harper hit a three-run homer and a solo shot to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 10-2 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. The Phillies took a 2-1 lead and can advance to the NL Championship Series for the second straight season with a win at home Thursday. Harper's homers answered ridicule from Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia. Arcia had poked fun at Harper after his baserunning blunder played a role in the Phillies' loss in Game 2. Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner and Brandon Marsh also homered for the Phillies.
PHOENIX (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers’ third straight 100-win season led to a third consecutive postseason flop. A three-game Division Series sweep by the Arizona Diamondbacks that ended with a 4-2 defeat highlighted how much expanded playoffs have devalued the regular season. Los Angeles has reached the playoffs in 11 straight years, the third-longest streak in major league history. The Dodgers won the NL West in 10 of those seasons, yet their only World Series in that span was following the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
UNDATED (AP) — The family of Olympic gymnastics champion Mary Lou Retton says she is “continuing to fight.” Retton is in intensive care at a Texas hospital with a rare form of pneumonia. Retton's oldest daughter Shayla Kelley Schrepfer says the family has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for the 1984 Olympic gold medalist. The family has received more than $275,000 in donations to a fund intended to help Retton pay her medical bills. Schrepfer did not get into specifics of Retton's condition, saying it's a “day to day process.”
WEDNESDAY SCORES
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Houston 3 Minnesota 2
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NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Philadelphia 10 Atlanta 2
Final Arizona 4 L.A. Dodgers 2
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASON
Final Boston 112 Philadelphia 101
Final L.A. Lakers 109 Sacramento 101
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Carolina 5 Ottawa 3
Final SO Toronto 6 Montreal 5
Final Boston 3 Chicago 1
Final Calgary 5 Winnipeg 3
Final Vancouver 8 Edmonton 1
Final Colorado 5 Los Angeles 2
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WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Final Las Vegas 104 New York 76
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Atlanta at Philadelphia 6:07 p.m.
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASON
Charlotte at Washington 7 p.m.
Detroit at Oklahoma City 7 p.m.
Orlando at Cleveland 7 p.m.
Maccabi Ra'anana at Brooklyn 7:30 p.m.
Memphis at Atlanta 7:30 p.m.
Denver at Chicago 8 p.m.
Houston at New Orleans 8 p.m.
Phoenix at Portland 10 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
N-Y Rangers at Buffalo 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Columbus 7 p.m.
Detroit at New Jersey 7:30 p.m.
Florida at Minnesota 8 p.m.
Seattle at Nashville 8 p.m.
St. Louis at Dallas 8 p.m.
Vegas at San Jose 10:30 p.m.
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Denver at Kansas City 7:15 p.m.
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