AP Sports Summary for December 4th, 2024:
Miami's playoff hopes nosedive as Alabama rises in the latest College Football Playoff rankings
Miami's playoff hopes took a nosedive while Alabama's got a boost in the last rankings before the College Football Playoff bracket is set next weekend. The Hurricanes moved down six spots to No. 12 after suffering their second loss of the season. They are one spot behind the Crimson Tide, who won won last week and moved up two spots to No. 11. Alabama is projected as the last team in and the fourth from the Southeastern Conference. Oregon stayed at No. 1 for the fifth straight week and will head into Saturday's Big Ten title game as the only undefeated team in big-time college football.
Flames honor the late Johnny Gaudreau and welcome his family back to Calgary
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — The Calgary Flames paid tribute to longtime star Johnny Gaudreau before their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, months after the All-Star was killed while biking on a New Jersey road this summer. Known as "Johnny Hockey," Gaudreau played the first eight of his 10 full seasons with Calgary, where he developed into one of the NHL's top players. He spent his last two seasons with the Blue Jackets. Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed on Aug. 29 when police said they were struck by a suspected drunken driver. Calgary hosted several members of the Gaudreau family on Tuesday night, including Johnny's father, his wife Meredith and their two children, and his sisters.
Juan Soto starting to eliminate teams from negotiations, agent Scott Boras says
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Juan Soto is starting to drop teams from negotiations ahead of baseball's winter meetings next week. Likely to approach or set a record contract, the free agent slugger has met with the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. Soto's agent, Scott Boras, says the outfielder has "begun the process of eliminating teams" but he doesn't think a decision is "imminent" in the near future. A four-time All-Star, Soto finished third in AL MVP voting after hitting .288 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs and 129 walks this year to help the Yankees reach the World Series. He has a .285 career batting average with 201 homers, 592 RBIs and 769 walks.
USWNT beats Netherlands 2-1 in goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher's final match
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Alyssa Naher made two critical saves in her final match for the United States, Lynn Williams scored the go-ahead goal in the 71st minute and the Americans beat the Netherlands 2-1. The U.S., which won its fifth Olympic gold medal in France this summer, wrapped up the year on a 20-game unbeaten streak. The Americans were coming off a scoreless draw with England on Saturday at Wembley Stadium. Naeher announced two weeks ago that the European matches would be her last. The 36-year-old goalkeeper played in 115 games for the U.S., with 111 starts, 89 wins and 69 shutouts.
Wiggins, Schieffelin and Clemson's defense hold down No. 4 Kentucky for a 70-66 win
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Chauncey Wiggins scored 12 points and Ian Schieffelin had 11 points and a career-high 20 rebounds as Clemson shut down No. 4 Kentucky for a 70-66 victory in the SEC/ACC Challenge. The Tigers improved to 8-1 and handed the Wildcats their first loss of the season. It's the second straight season in which Clemson has defeated a top-5 opponent, after beating No. 3 North Carolina 80-76 in January. Otega Oweh led Kentucky with 17 points.
Signing with Dodgers was really easy decision for 2-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell says it was a really easy decision to sign with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Joining a team that includes two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani influenced the left-hander too. Snell was introduced Tuesday at Dodger Stadium after signing a $182 million, five-year deal last weekend. Snell has known Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman since he was 18. Friedman says all conversations the front office has had since the World Series ended last month involved Snell, who was 2-2 against the Dodgers during his career.
Knicks beat Magic to advance in the NBA Cup. Orlando also moves on as the East wild card
NEW YORK (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and 15 rebounds, Jalen Brunson scored 21 points and the New York Knicks beat the Orlando Magic 121-106 on Tuesday to reach the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup. New York went 4-0 in East Group A and will host Atlanta on Dec. 11. Orlando (3-1) advanced as the East wild card and will travel to Milwaukee. Mikal Bridges had 19 points and Josh Hart added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who have won their last three games and eight of their last 10. Franz Wagner finished with 30 points for the Magic, who had their six-game winning streak snapped.
Iowa State and SMU athletic directors in a 'stay off my lawn' moment regarding latest rankings
Athletic directors at Iowa State and SMU are in a turf war over the latest College Football Playoff rankings, leading to a "stay off my lawn" moment on social media. Cyclones AD Jamie Pollard tweeted at his SMU counterpart Rick Hart suggesting the Mustangs' eighth ranking was inflated because of its less-than-brutal schedule and said, "looks like your lawn may be artificial." Hart responded by saying Iowa State's schedule wasn't so hot either. And, he said, "stay off my lawn."
Texans' Azeez Al-Shaair suspended 3 games without pay after violent hit on Trevor Lawrence
HOUSTON (AP) — Houston's Azeez Al-Shaair was suspended by the NFL without pay for three games for repeated violations of player safety rules following his hit to the head of Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion. Al-Shaair's punishment was announced by NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan. In his letter to Al-Shaair, he noted that he has had multiple offenses for personal fouls and sportsmanship-related rules violations in recent seasons. Runyan says "video shows you striking the head/neck area of Jaguars' quarterback Trevor Lawrence after he clearly goes down in a feet-first slide."
High school recruiting isn't the only way to build a winner in the era of the transfer portal
Texas A&M signed the nation's top-ranked class three years ago believing it had built a potential national title contender. Plenty of players from that heralded 2022 class could indeed be participating in the first 12-team College Football Playoff this month. They just won't be doing it for the Aggies. Texas A&M represents perhaps the clearest example of how recruiting and roster construction have changed in the era of loosened transfer restrictions. Coaches must assemble high school classes without always knowing which of their own players are transferring and what players from other schools could be available through the portal.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Cleveland 118 Washington 87
Final Milwaukee 128 Detroit 107
Final Philadelphia 110 Charlotte 104
Final Toronto 122 Indiana 111
Final New York 121 Orlando 106
Final Oklahoma City 133 Utah 106
Final Dallas 121 Memphis 116
Final Phoenix 104 San Antonio 93
Final Denver 119 Golden State 115
Final L.A. Clippers 127 Portland 105
Final Sacramento 120 Houston 111
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final OT Montreal 2 N-Y Islanders 1
Final Seattle 4 Carolina 2
Final Colorado 5 Buffalo 4
Final OT San Jose 2 Washington 1
Final OT Pittsburgh 5 Florida 4
Final OT Boston 3 Detroit 2
Final OT Minnesota 3 Vancouver 2
Final St. Louis 4 Winnipeg 1
Final Calgary 3 Columbus 0
Final Vegas 1 Edmonton 0
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (3)Tennessee 96 Syracuse 70
Final Clemson 70 (4)Kentucky 66
Final Michigan 67 (11)Wisconsin 64
Final Villanova 68 (14)Cincinnati 60
Final (21)Oklahoma 76 Georgia Tech 61
Final (22)Texas A&M 57 Wake Forest 44
Final (23)Mississippi 86 Louisville 63
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Detroit at Boston 7:30 p.m.
Indiana at Brooklyn 7:30 p.m.
L.A. Lakers at Miami 7:30 p.m.
Orlando at Philadelphia 7:30 p.m.
Atlanta at Milwaukee 8 p.m.
Minnesota at L.A. Clippers 10:30 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Boston at Chicago 7:30 p.m.
Nashville at Toronto 7:30 p.m.
Dallas at Los Angeles 10 p.m.
Vegas at Anaheim 10 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(1)Kansas at Creighton 8:30 p.m.
(2)Auburn at (9)Duke 9:15 p.m.
(5)Marquette at (6)Iowa St. 8 p.m.
(10)Alabama at (20)North Carolina 7:15 p.m.
(12)Oregon at Southern Cal 10:30 p.m.
Virginia at (13)Florida 7:15 p.m.
(15)Baylor at (25)UConn 6:30 p.m.
Louisiana Tech at (16)Memphis 8 p.m.
(18)Pittsburgh at Mississippi St. 9:15 p.m.
(24)San Diego St. at Fresno St. 10:30 p.m.
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