MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State coach Chris Klieman didn't want to back into the Big 12 title game by having Texas lose to Baylor.

He wanted his Wildcats to earn their spot in Arlington.

So after the Longhorns took care of business a day earlier, the No. 15 Wildcats stepped onto the field Saturday night and demolished their biggest rival. Will Howard threw for 213 yards and two touchdowns, Deuce Vaughn ran for 147 yards and a score, and Kansas State routed Kansas 47-27 to earn a shot at payback against TCU next weekend.

“The guys needed to earn this,” Klieman said after drying out from three-plus hours spent in the rain. “We're smart enough to realize there was a lot of prssure on us as a coaching staff, us as players, to finish this deal, and we had one more chapter in the regular season and they finished it he right way and earned the opportunity.”

Kansas State blew a 28-10 lead and lost 38-28 to the Horned Frogs during the regular season. Now, they’ll face each other again on Dec. 3 at AT&amp;T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with a College Football Playoff spot likely on the line for TCU.

It will be the first time the Wildcats play in the Big 12 title game, which went on hiatus from 2010-17, since toppling then-No. 1 Oklahoma in 2003 during Hall of Fame coach Bill Snyder's first tenure. The Horned Frogs were beaten by the Sooners in their only previous appearance in the 2017 championship game.

“I'm not sure they're going to want to see us again,” Kansas State safety Drake Cheatum said, “but we'll be ready.”

Malik Knowles added a pair of touchdown runs, and Philip Brooks and Sammy Wheeler also reached the end zone, as the Wildcats (9-3, 7-2, No. 12 CFP) beat the Jayhawks for the 14th straight time in a game they needed to win.

Jalon Daniels threw for 168 yards while running for a touchdown, and Devin Neal also had two TD runs, as the Jayhawks — bowl-bound for the first time since 2008 — finished the regular season by losing six of their final seven games.

“Jalon was able to run the ball a little bit tonight. We were a little more active in the option game than we have bene in a while. It gave us a chance,” Jayhawks coach Lance Leipold said, “but obviously not enough.”

Kansas (6-6, 3-6) made enough mistakes in the first quarter alone Saturday night to fill an entire game.

The result was a hole it could never escape.

The trouble began when O.J. Burroughs muffed a punt after a nice stand by the Jayhawks' defense, and Knowles needed one play to scoot in from the 5 for a touchdown. And after Kansas answered with a 75-yard scoring drive, its defense blew the coverage on Wheeler on a 42-yard touchdown pass.

On the ensuing kickoff, Trevor Wilson was mobbed at the 10-yard line, and another penalty on the return buried the Kansas offense. On third down, Bryce Cabeldue was called for holding in the end zone to give Kansas State a safety.

After the free kick, the Wildcats cruised to the end zone again for a 23-7 lead after one quarter.

“Special teams created some big plays,” Leipold said, “and we just couldn't get the key drive when we needed to.”

The game soon turned into a track meet: Kansas marched through a suddenly driving rainstorm for two quick touchdowns around another score by the Wildcats, leaving them with a 30-21 advantage heading into the break.

Another major mistake by Kansas in the third quarter — a fumble by Torry Locklin — gave the Wildcats another short field, and Vaughn carried eight times on a nine-play drive before finding the end zone and putting the game out of reach.

“It wasn't easy and I knew it wouldn't be. It was wet out there, affected things a little bit, but in all three phases someone stepped up,” Klieman said. “We were able to rush the football later on — we ran it a bunch in the third and fourth quarter — and we got stops on defense when we needed stops.”

Kansas has built a reputation under Leipold for playing mistake-free football, yet it was a multitude of errors on both sides of the ball that gave the Wildcats more opportunities than they needed to hold onto the Governor's Cup.

Kansas State has struggled defensively the past two weeks, giving up 31 points to West Virginia before coughing up plenty of yards against the Jayhawks. Joe Klanderman's bunch will need to do better against the Horned Frogs.

The Wildcats have a week to prepare for TCU, while Kansas awaits its bowl destination.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State coach Chris Klieman didn't want to back into the Big 12 title game by having Texas lose to Baylor.He wanted his Wildcats to earn their spot in Arlington.So after the Longhorns took care of business a day earlier, the No. 15 Wildcats stepped onto the field Saturday night and demolished their biggest rival. Will Howard threw for 213 yards and two touchdowns, Deuce Vaughn ran for 147 yards and a score, and Kansas State routed Kansas 47-27 to earn a shot at payback against TCU next weekend.“The guys needed to earn this,” Klieman said after drying out from three-plus hours spent in the rain. “We're smart enough to realize there was a lot of prssure on us as a coaching staff, us as players, to finish this deal, and we had one more chapter in the regular season and they finished it he right way and earned the opportunity.”Kansas State blew a 28-10 lead and lost 38-28 to the Horned Frogs during the regular season. Now, they’ll face each other again on Dec. 3 at AT&amp;T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with a College Football Playoff spot likely on the line for TCU.It will be the first time the Wildcats play in the Big 12 title game, which went on hiatus from 2010-17, since toppling then-No. 1 Oklahoma in 2003 during Hall of Fame coach Bill Snyder's first tenure. The Horned Frogs were beaten by the Sooners in their only previous appearance in the 2017 championship game.“I'm not sure they're going to want to see us again,” Kansas State safety Drake Cheatum said, “but we'll be ready.”Malik Knowles added a pair of touchdown runs, and Philip Brooks and Sammy Wheeler also reached the end zone, as the Wildcats (9-3, 7-2, No. 12 CFP) beat the Jayhawks for the 14th straight time in a game they needed to win.Jalon Daniels threw for 168 yards while running for a touchdown, and Devin Neal also had two TD runs, as the Jayhawks — bowl-bound for the first time since 2008 — finished the regular season by losing six of their final seven games.“Jalon was able to run the ball a little bit tonight. We were a little more active in the option game than we have bene in a while. It gave us a chance,” Jayhawks coach Lance Leipold said, “but obviously not enough.”Kansas (6-6, 3-6) made enough mistakes in the first quarter alone Saturday night to fill an entire game.The result was a hole it could never escape.The trouble began when O.J. Burroughs muffed a punt after a nice stand by the Jayhawks' defense, and Knowles needed one play to scoot in from the 5 for a touchdown. And after Kansas answered with a 75-yard scoring drive, its defense blew the coverage on Wheeler on a 42-yard touchdown pass.On the ensuing kickoff, Trevor Wilson was mobbed at the 10-yard line, and another penalty on the return buried the Kansas offense. On third down, Bryce Cabeldue was called for holding in the end zone to give Kansas State a safety.After the free kick, the Wildcats cruised to the end zone again for a 23-7 lead after one quarter.“Special teams created some big plays,” Leipold said, “and we just couldn't get the key drive when we needed to.”The game soon turned into a track meet: Kansas marched through a suddenly driving rainstorm for two quick touchdowns around another score by the Wildcats, leaving them with a 30-21 advantage heading into the break.Another major mistake by Kansas in the third quarter — a fumble by Torry Locklin — gave the Wildcats another short field, and Vaughn carried eight times on a nine-play drive before finding the end zone and putting the game out of reach.“It wasn't easy and I knew it wouldn't be. It was wet out there, affected things a little bit, but in all three phases someone stepped up,” Klieman said. “We were able to rush the football later on — we ran it a bunch in the third and fourth quarter — and we got stops on defense when we needed stops.”THE TAKEAWAYKansas has built a reputation under Leipold for playing mistake-free football, yet it was a multitude of errors on both sides of the ball that gave the Wildcats more opportunities than they needed to hold onto the Governor's Cup.Kansas State has struggled defensively the past two weeks, giving up 31 points to West Virginia before coughing up plenty of yards against the Jayhawks. Joe Klanderman's bunch will need to do better against the Horned Frogs.UP NEXTThe Wildcats have a week to prepare for TCU, while Kansas awaits its bowl destination.

No. 15 K-State beats Kansas 47-27 to earn Big 12 title shot

Class 6A @ Emporia 1:00pm Manhattan 21, Gardner-Edgerton 20, 2OT

Class 5A @ Pittsburg 1:00 pm Mill Valley 28, Maize 14

Class 4A @ Topeka 1:00 pm Bishop Miege 35, Wamego 14

Class 3A @ Hutchinson 1:00 pm Andale 28, Holton 0

Class 2A @ Salina 1:00 pm Nemaha Central 33, Kingman 17

Class 1A @ Hays 1:00 pm St. Mary’s 44, Inman 41

8-Man DI @ Newton 3:30 pm Wichita County 54, Little River 36

8-Man DII @ Newton 11:00 am Axtell 76, Thunder Ridge 28

6-Man @ Dodge City 1:00 pm Cunningham 38, Ashland 16

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669050018255.jpeg" alt="Saturday State Championship Football Scores" />
 <figcaption>Saturday State Championship Football Scores</figcaption>
 </figure>Class 6A @ Emporia 1:00pm Manhattan 21, Gardner-Edgerton 20, 2OTClass 5A @ Pittsburg 1:00 pm Mill Valley 28, Maize 14Class 4A @ Topeka 1:00 pm Bishop Miege 35, Wamego 14Class 3A @ Hutchinson 1:00 pm Andale 28, Holton 0Class 2A @ Salina 1:00 pm Nemaha Central 33, Kingman 17Class 1A @ Hays 1:00 pm St. Mary’s 44, Inman 418-Man DI @ Newton 3:30 pm Wichita County 54, Little River 368-Man DII @ Newton 11:00 am Axtell 76, Thunder Ridge 286-Man @ Dodge City 1:00 pm Cunningham 38, Ashland 16

Saturday State Championship Scores

Barton Men 101 Hutchinson 75; Hutchinson Women 56 Barton 51

<div><a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/information/boosterclub/index"><img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1635967480149.jpeg"></a></div><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1647912774016.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Barton Men 101 Hutchinson 75; Hutchinson Women 56 Barton 51<div><iframe width="100%" height="265" src="https://clyp.it/nbu35sxo/widget" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP)
— Will Howard threw for 213 yards and two touchdowns, Deuce Vaughn
ran for 147 yards and a score, and No. 15 Kansas State routed Kansas
47-27 on Saturday night to earn a shot at payback against TCU in the
Big 12 championship game. The Wildcats blew a 28-10 lead in a 38-28
loss to the Horned Frogs during the regular season. The rematch will
be played Dec. 3 in Arlington, Texas. Devin Neal had two touchdown
runs for the Jayhawks, who despite losing to Kansas State for the
14th consecutive time will be playing in their first bowl game since
2008.

FORT WORTH, Texas
(AP) — Kendre Miller ran for two touchdowns as fourth-ranked TCU
completed the first undefeated regular season by a Big 12 team since
2009 with a 62-14 victory over Iowa State. The win got the 12-0
Horned Frogs closer to making the four-team College Football Playoff.
Max Duggan threw TDs to three receivers for the Frogs, who still have
the Big 12 championship game to play 15th-ranked Kansas State next
Saturday in coach Sonny Dykes’ first season. But they will go into
that as one of only three undefeated teams remaining. Iowa State
finished 4-8 after its most lopsided loss since the 2014 finale at
TCU.

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP)
— Trey Wolff made a 35-yard field goal in overtime after a tying
kick in the final seconds of regulation, and Texas Tech erased an
18-point deficit in a 51-48 win over Oklahoma. Dillon Gabriel threw
for 449 yards and six touchdowns, but the OU quarterback was
sidelined briefly in OT after a hard hit from safety Reggie Pearson
Jr. on a catch on a throwback play. Zach Schmit missed a 34-yard
field goal. The Red Raiders ended a 10-game losing streak against the
Sooners to finish coach Joey McGuire's first regular season. The
Sooners finished a .500 regular season in a disappointing debut for
coach Brent Venables.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)
— J.J. McCarthy threw three touchdown passes and ran for another
score, Donovan Edwards ran for two long fourth-quarter TDs and No. 3
Michigan pulled away for a 45-23 rout of No. 2 Ohio State to keep its
national title hopes firmly on track. McCarthy exploited holes in the
Buckeyes secondary and helped Michigan capture two straight wins over
Ohio State for the first time in over two decades and walk away from
Ohio Stadium with a victory for the first time since 2000.

LOS ANGELES (AP) —
No. 5 Southern California capped its outstanding regular season under
new coach Lincoln Riley by staying firmly in the College Football
Playoff race with a 38-27 victory over No. 13 Notre Dame. Caleb
Willams polished his Heisman Trophy credentials with 232 yards
passing and four total touchdowns while the Trojans completed their
first 11-win regular season since 2008 by ending their four-game
losing streak to their rival. Notre Dame's Drew Pyne passed for 318
yards and completed his first 15 throws into the fourth quarter.
Michael Mayer, Deion Colzie and Logan Diggs all scored TDs for the
Fighting Irish. USC will face No. 14 Utah on Friday in Las Vegas in
the Pac-12 championship game.

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP)
— Isaiah Newell ran for the go-ahead touchdown with 8:11 remaining,
and No. 22 Oregon State took advantage of critical mistakes in the
fourth quarter by No. 10 Oregon to rally for a 38-34 victory. The
Beavers trailed 31-10 late in the third quarter and 34-17 early in
the fourth, but the Ducks gave their rivals a short field on three
consecutive possessions, leading to touchdowns. Oregon missed out on
a spot in the Pac-12 championship game when No. 12 Washington beat
Washington State later Saturday. No. 14 Utah won a tiebreaker and
will face No. 5 Southern California on Friday for the league title.
Oregon State ran for 268 yards and five touchdowns, overcoming its
lack of a passing game.

UNDATED (AP) —
Nebraska has signed Matt Rhule to an eight-year contract to be the
Cornhuskers’ next football coach. The school said Rhule would be
introduced at a Monday news conference and terms of the contract
would be announced then. The 47-year-old Rhule has been out of work
for less than two months since getting fired by the Carolina
Panthers. Nebraska has had six straight losing seasons and is more
than 20 years removed from its 1990s heyday. Rhule took over
struggling programs at Temple and Baylor and built them into
conference contenders in three years. He was 11-27 with Carolina
before getting fired after a 1-4 start.

Final	(5)Southern
Cal	38	(13)Notre Dame	27	

Final	James
Madison	47	(23)Coastal Carolina	7	

Final	(12)Washington	51	Washington
St.	33	

Final	(4)Texas	91	Texas
Rio Grande Valley	54	

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669549605012.jpeg" alt="BARTON CYBER SECURITY BILLBOARD.jpg" />
 <figcaption>BARTON CYBER SECURITY BILLBOARD.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP)
— Will Howard threw for 213 yards and two touchdowns, Deuce Vaughn
ran for 147 yards and a score, and No. 15 Kansas State routed Kansas
47-27 on Saturday night to earn a shot at payback against TCU in the
Big 12 championship game. The Wildcats blew a 28-10 lead in a 38-28
loss to the Horned Frogs during the regular season. The rematch will
be played Dec. 3 in Arlington, Texas. Devin Neal had two touchdown
runs for the Jayhawks, who despite losing to Kansas State for the
14th consecutive time will be playing in their first bowl game since
2008.FORT WORTH, Texas
(AP) — Kendre Miller ran for two touchdowns as fourth-ranked TCU
completed the first undefeated regular season by a Big 12 team since
2009 with a 62-14 victory over Iowa State. The win got the 12-0
Horned Frogs closer to making the four-team College Football Playoff.
Max Duggan threw TDs to three receivers for the Frogs, who still have
the Big 12 championship game to play 15th-ranked Kansas State next
Saturday in coach Sonny Dykes’ first season. But they will go into
that as one of only three undefeated teams remaining. Iowa State
finished 4-8 after its most lopsided loss since the 2014 finale at
TCU.LUBBOCK, Texas (AP)
— Trey Wolff made a 35-yard field goal in overtime after a tying
kick in the final seconds of regulation, and Texas Tech erased an
18-point deficit in a 51-48 win over Oklahoma. Dillon Gabriel threw
for 449 yards and six touchdowns, but the OU quarterback was
sidelined briefly in OT after a hard hit from safety Reggie Pearson
Jr. on a catch on a throwback play. Zach Schmit missed a 34-yard
field goal. The Red Raiders ended a 10-game losing streak against the
Sooners to finish coach Joey McGuire's first regular season. The
Sooners finished a .500 regular season in a disappointing debut for
coach Brent Venables.COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)
— J.J. McCarthy threw three touchdown passes and ran for another
score, Donovan Edwards ran for two long fourth-quarter TDs and No. 3
Michigan pulled away for a 45-23 rout of No. 2 Ohio State to keep its
national title hopes firmly on track. McCarthy exploited holes in the
Buckeyes secondary and helped Michigan capture two straight wins over
Ohio State for the first time in over two decades and walk away from
Ohio Stadium with a victory for the first time since 2000.LOS ANGELES (AP) —
No. 5 Southern California capped its outstanding regular season under
new coach Lincoln Riley by staying firmly in the College Football
Playoff race with a 38-27 victory over No. 13 Notre Dame. Caleb
Willams polished his Heisman Trophy credentials with 232 yards
passing and four total touchdowns while the Trojans completed their
first 11-win regular season since 2008 by ending their four-game
losing streak to their rival. Notre Dame's Drew Pyne passed for 318
yards and completed his first 15 throws into the fourth quarter.
Michael Mayer, Deion Colzie and Logan Diggs all scored TDs for the
Fighting Irish. USC will face No. 14 Utah on Friday in Las Vegas in
the Pac-12 championship game.CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP)
— Isaiah Newell ran for the go-ahead touchdown with 8:11 remaining,
and No. 22 Oregon State took advantage of critical mistakes in the
fourth quarter by No. 10 Oregon to rally for a 38-34 victory. The
Beavers trailed 31-10 late in the third quarter and 34-17 early in
the fourth, but the Ducks gave their rivals a short field on three
consecutive possessions, leading to touchdowns. Oregon missed out on
a spot in the Pac-12 championship game when No. 12 Washington beat
Washington State later Saturday. No. 14 Utah won a tiebreaker and
will face No. 5 Southern California on Friday for the league title.
Oregon State ran for 268 yards and five touchdowns, overcoming its
lack of a passing game.UNDATED (AP) —
Nebraska has signed Matt Rhule to an eight-year contract to be the
Cornhuskers’ next football coach. The school said Rhule would be
introduced at a Monday news conference and terms of the contract
would be announced then. The 47-year-old Rhule has been out of work
for less than two months since getting fired by the Carolina
Panthers. Nebraska has had six straight losing seasons and is more
than 20 years removed from its 1990s heyday. Rhule took over
struggling programs at Temple and Baylor and built them into
conference contenders in three years. He was 11-27 with Carolina
before getting fired after a 1-4 start.SATURDAY SCORESTOP-25 COLLEGE
FOOTBALLFinal	(3)Michigan	45	(2)Ohio
St.	23	Final	(5)Southern
Cal	38	(13)Notre Dame	27	Final	(22)Oregon
St.	38	(10)Oregon	34	Final	South
Carolina	31	(7)Clemson	30	Final	(1)Georgia	37	Georgia
Tech	14	Final	James
Madison	47	(23)Coastal Carolina	7	Final	(8)Alabama	49	Auburn	27	Final	(11)Penn
St.	35	Michigan St.	16	Final	(14)Utah	63	Colorado	21	Final	(4)TCU	62	Iowa
St.	14	Final	Texas
A&amp;M	38	(6)LSU	23	Final	(25)UCF	46	South
Florida	39	Final	(9)Tennessee	56	Vanderbilt	0	Final	(15)Kansas
St.	47	Kansas	27	Final	(12)Washington	51	Washington
St.	33	TOP-25 COLLEGE
BASKETBALLFinal	(2)Houston	49	Kent
St.	44	Final	(4)Texas	91	Texas
Rio Grande Valley	54	Final	(12)Michigan
St.	74	Oregon	70	Final	TCU	79	(25)Iowa	66NATIONAL
BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal	Toronto	105	Dallas	100	Final	Houston	118	Oklahoma
City	105	Final	L.A.
Lakers	143	San Antonio	138	Final	Phoenix	113	Utah	112	NATIONAL HOCKEY
LEAGUEColumbus	at	Nashville	8
p.m.	(Postponed)Final	Edmonton	4	N-Y
Rangers	3	Final	Carolina	3	Calgary	2	Final OT	St.
Louis	5	Florida	4	Final	New
Jersey	5	Washington	1	Final	Toronto	4	Pittsburgh	1	Final	N-Y
Islanders	5	Philadelphia	2	Final	Colorado	4	Dallas	1	Final	Vancouver	5	Vegas	1

Sunday Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Tennessee's players proved to be determined defenders and relentless rebounders, along with having the kind of toughness to ensure the reigning national champions would have little chance to get comfortable.

It was all enough to give the 22nd-ranked Volunteers a title of their own, along with the blueprint that coach Rick Barnes hopes they follow the rest of the year.

Santiago Vescovi scored 20 points while Tennessee locked down on third-ranked Kansas in a 64-50 win Friday night in the championship game at the Battle 4 Atlantis, snapping the Jayhawks' 17-game winning streak.

Vescovi hit five 3-pointers as the tournament's most valuable player for the Volunteers (5-1), who dominated the glass, overcame their own turnover troubles and made the Jayhawks work for clean looks. And for the third time in as many days, Tennessee won without leading scorer Josiah-Jordan James (knee soreness).

Perhaps that's why reserve guard Zakai Zeigler, who had 14 points and four steals, showed up wearing sunglasses to the postgame news conference after the Volunteers had danced and hollered through the on-court trophy ceremony.

“We know if you can’t stop the man in front of you, then you’ll have no shot at winning the game,” Zeigler said, adding: "We just like to play defense, and we just happen to be good at it.”

The Vols held the Jayhawks to 32.1% shooting, bothering them with size and length around the rim. They also took the ball right at the Jayhawks with 5-foot-9 Zeigler leading the way, down to him refusing to let go of a jump ball and trading words with 6-8 forward Jalen Wilson.

Zeigler's night included a 3-pointer to beat the shot clock at the 7-minute mark to push Tennessee's lead to 56-38. He followed with another big one from the right wing with 4:42 left after Kansas had closed within 11.

Wilson and Joseph Yesefu each scored 14 points to lead the Jayhawks (6-1), who shot 28.6% in the first half and never warmed up. They made 5 of 21 3-pointers in what was an all-around rough night, from losing starting guard Dajuan Harris to fouls with 9 minutes left to failing to keep the Vols off the glass (45-27).

“We played a team tonight that was older and more mature and obviously played stronger and tougher,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “We didn't handle the situation near as well as what I would hope a poised team would.”

Tennessee: The Volunteers opened the tournament with a win over Butler, then grinded through an overtime win against Southern California in Thursday's semifinals. This time, Tennessee played in front the entire way en route to its first title in three tries at the Atlantis resort.

“I think the main thing from the whole week was stay together through tough times, that's what you've got to do,” Vescovi said.

Kansas: The Jayhawks didn't have an easy first two days in the Bahamas. First came a battle to the final minutes with North Carolina State. Then came Thursday's overtime win against Wisconsin on Bobby Pettiford Jr.'s last-second putback. But they never looked in any type of offensive flow this time with their smaller lineup.

“I feel like if we were able to get them out of place and not just have them standing there, waiting to contest a layup, that could’ve gave us some better chances at finishing at the rim,” Wilson said.

Tennessee held its three Atlantis opponents to 36.9% shooting and 15 of 59 (25.4%) from 3-point range. The Volunteers also averaged a +9 rebounding margin, ending with having Jonas Aidoo (nine) leading five players snagging at least six rebounds against Kansas.

“You can be a good defensive team but if you can't be a great one if you give them second and third shots,” Barnes said.

Beyond Harris’ foul trouble, the Jayhawks played most of the way without Pettiford, who exited midway through the first half grabbing at his right leg.

Afterward, Self said he would be out “for a while” with a hamstring strain.

Tennessee: The Volunteers return home to host McNeese State on Wednesday.

Kansas: The Jayhawks host Texas Southern on Monday.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Tennessee's players proved to be determined defenders and relentless rebounders, along with having the kind of toughness to ensure the reigning national champions would have little chance to get comfortable.It was all enough to give the 22nd-ranked Volunteers a title of their own, along with the blueprint that coach Rick Barnes hopes they follow the rest of the year.Santiago Vescovi scored 20 points while Tennessee locked down on third-ranked Kansas in a 64-50 win Friday night in the championship game at the Battle 4 Atlantis, snapping the Jayhawks' 17-game winning streak.Vescovi hit five 3-pointers as the tournament's most valuable player for the Volunteers (5-1), who dominated the glass, overcame their own turnover troubles and made the Jayhawks work for clean looks. And for the third time in as many days, Tennessee won without leading scorer Josiah-Jordan James (knee soreness).Perhaps that's why reserve guard Zakai Zeigler, who had 14 points and four steals, showed up wearing sunglasses to the postgame news conference after the Volunteers had danced and hollered through the on-court trophy ceremony.“We know if you can’t stop the man in front of you, then you’ll have no shot at winning the game,” Zeigler said, adding: "We just like to play defense, and we just happen to be good at it.”The Vols held the Jayhawks to 32.1% shooting, bothering them with size and length around the rim. They also took the ball right at the Jayhawks with 5-foot-9 Zeigler leading the way, down to him refusing to let go of a jump ball and trading words with 6-8 forward Jalen Wilson.Zeigler's night included a 3-pointer to beat the shot clock at the 7-minute mark to push Tennessee's lead to 56-38. He followed with another big one from the right wing with 4:42 left after Kansas had closed within 11.Wilson and Joseph Yesefu each scored 14 points to lead the Jayhawks (6-1), who shot 28.6% in the first half and never warmed up. They made 5 of 21 3-pointers in what was an all-around rough night, from losing starting guard Dajuan Harris to fouls with 9 minutes left to failing to keep the Vols off the glass (45-27).“We played a team tonight that was older and more mature and obviously played stronger and tougher,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “We didn't handle the situation near as well as what I would hope a poised team would.”BIG PICTURETennessee: The Volunteers opened the tournament with a win over Butler, then grinded through an overtime win against Southern California in Thursday's semifinals. This time, Tennessee played in front the entire way en route to its first title in three tries at the Atlantis resort.“I think the main thing from the whole week was stay together through tough times, that's what you've got to do,” Vescovi said.Kansas: The Jayhawks didn't have an easy first two days in the Bahamas. First came a battle to the final minutes with North Carolina State. Then came Thursday's overtime win against Wisconsin on Bobby Pettiford Jr.'s last-second putback. But they never looked in any type of offensive flow this time with their smaller lineup.“I feel like if we were able to get them out of place and not just have them standing there, waiting to contest a layup, that could’ve gave us some better chances at finishing at the rim,” Wilson said.STRONG RUNTennessee held its three Atlantis opponents to 36.9% shooting and 15 of 59 (25.4%) from 3-point range. The Volunteers also averaged a +9 rebounding margin, ending with having Jonas Aidoo (nine) leading five players snagging at least six rebounds against Kansas.“You can be a good defensive team but if you can't be a great one if you give them second and third shots,” Barnes said.SIDELINEDBeyond Harris’ foul trouble, the Jayhawks played most of the way without Pettiford, who exited midway through the first half grabbing at his right leg.Afterward, Self said he would be out “for a while” with a hamstring strain.UP NEXTTennessee: The Volunteers return home to host McNeese State on Wednesday.Kansas: The Jayhawks host Texas Southern on Monday.

No. 22 Tennessee beats No. 3 Kansas 64-50 for Atlantis title

Friday Sports Day (Listen) 

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Bobby Pettiford Jr. made a twisting reverse layup off a loose rebound with 0.2 seconds left in overtime to give No. 3 Kansas a 69-68 win over Wisconsin in a Battle 4 Atlantis semifinal on Thursday.

Pettiford's layup marked his only points of the game, capping a thriller that saw Wisconsin rally from 15 down early in the second half.

Pettiford landed on the floor after the basket as he watched the ball go through the net, then extended his fists in front of him and yelled as he started to sit up. By the time he had gotten on his feet, he had a big smile while his teammates began to hug and gather with him near the baseline corner to celebrate.

The team left the court to chants of “Bobby! Bobby!” as they headed to Friday's championship game.

Jalen Wilson scored 29 points and had 14 rebounds for the reigning national champion Jayhawks (6-0), and Kevin McCullar Jr. had 18 points and nine rebounds — and a 3 to force overtime.

Tyler Wahl led the Badgers (4-1) with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Most of his points came after half in what was at times a one-man comeback, including a spinning drive against a falling Wilson for a layup and a 68-67 lead with 21 seconds left.

Wisconsin shot 48% in the second half behind Wahl, who had 14 points and got to the foul line seven times. That included a run of nine straight points with his team down by eight, ending with his banked-in runner against Kansas' Gradey Dick for a 61-60 lead with 49.4 seconds left in regulation.

Wisconsin appeared on the verge of pulling off a stunner after a pair of free throws by Connor Essegian made it 63-60, but McCullar buried a clutch 3 from the left wing with 11.8 seconds left to tie it and force OT.

Wisconsin: The same team that struggled to crack 40 points — or make a shot, frankly — in the first round of the tournament looked to be on its way to another bad offensive showing. Instead, Wahl and the Badgers showed resilience and climbed back in it, they stayed shot for shot with Kansas down the stretch.

Kansas: The Jayhawks didn't have an easy time of their Atlantis debut on Thursday, needing to battle to the final minutes against N.C. State. This time, Pettiford was in the right place at the right time after Wilson tipped the ball from Wahl's reach for a rebound off Zach Clemence's missed 3-pointer. Just like that, Kansas was still unbeaten.

Wisconsin: The Badgers will face the Southern California-Tennessee loser in Friday's third-place game.

Kansas: The Jayhawks advanced to Friday's championship game to face the Southern California-Tennessee winner.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Bobby Pettiford Jr. made a twisting reverse layup off a loose rebound with 0.2 seconds left in overtime to give No. 3 Kansas a 69-68 win over Wisconsin in a Battle 4 Atlantis semifinal on Thursday.Pettiford's layup marked his only points of the game, capping a thriller that saw Wisconsin rally from 15 down early in the second half.Pettiford landed on the floor after the basket as he watched the ball go through the net, then extended his fists in front of him and yelled as he started to sit up. By the time he had gotten on his feet, he had a big smile while his teammates began to hug and gather with him near the baseline corner to celebrate.The team left the court to chants of “Bobby! Bobby!” as they headed to Friday's championship game.Jalen Wilson scored 29 points and had 14 rebounds for the reigning national champion Jayhawks (6-0), and Kevin McCullar Jr. had 18 points and nine rebounds — and a 3 to force overtime.Tyler Wahl led the Badgers (4-1) with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Most of his points came after half in what was at times a one-man comeback, including a spinning drive against a falling Wilson for a layup and a 68-67 lead with 21 seconds left.Wisconsin shot 48% in the second half behind Wahl, who had 14 points and got to the foul line seven times. That included a run of nine straight points with his team down by eight, ending with his banked-in runner against Kansas' Gradey Dick for a 61-60 lead with 49.4 seconds left in regulation.Wisconsin appeared on the verge of pulling off a stunner after a pair of free throws by Connor Essegian made it 63-60, but McCullar buried a clutch 3 from the left wing with 11.8 seconds left to tie it and force OT.BIG PICTUREWisconsin: The same team that struggled to crack 40 points — or make a shot, frankly — in the first round of the tournament looked to be on its way to another bad offensive showing. Instead, Wahl and the Badgers showed resilience and climbed back in it, they stayed shot for shot with Kansas down the stretch.Kansas: The Jayhawks didn't have an easy time of their Atlantis debut on Thursday, needing to battle to the final minutes against N.C. State. This time, Pettiford was in the right place at the right time after Wilson tipped the ball from Wahl's reach for a rebound off Zach Clemence's missed 3-pointer. Just like that, Kansas was still unbeaten.UP NEXTWisconsin: The Badgers will face the Southern California-Tennessee loser in Friday's third-place game.Kansas: The Jayhawks advanced to Friday's championship game to face the Southern California-Tennessee winner.

No. 3 Kansas survives OT scare from Wisconsin 69-68

The Rams visit the Chiefs on Sunday for their first matchup since 2018, when Los Angeles won an epic 54-51 thriller on a late touchdown pass from Jared Goff to Gerald Everett. The teams nearly played in last season's Super Bowl, but the Chiefs blew a late lead against Cincinnati in the AFC title game. The Rams are riding their first four-game losing streak under Sean McVay while the Chiefs have won four straight since a close loss to Buffalo in mid-October.

LOS ANGELES RAMS (3-7) at KANSAS CITY (8-2)

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NFL LINE: Chiefs by 14 1/2

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Rams 2-7-1; Chiefs 4-6

LAST MEETING: Rams beat the Chiefs 54-51 on Nov. 19, 2018, in Los Angeles

LAST WEEK: Rams lost to Saints 27-20; Chiefs beat Chargers 30-27

RAMS OFFENSE: OVERALL (31), RUSH (31), PASS (20), SCORING (29)

RAMS DEFENSE: OVERALL (10), RUSH (4), PASS (17), SCORING (17)

CHIEFS OFFENSE: OVERALL (1), RUSH (18), PASS (1), SCORING (1)

CHIEFS DEFENSE: OVERALL (20), RUSH (5), PASS (27), SCORING (21)

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Rams minus-7; Chiefs minus-3

RAMS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Bryce Perkins. Matthew Stafford was in the concussion protocol after taking a hit last week against New Orleans, and it's likely that Perkins will get the start in Kansas City. John Wolford started a week earlier when Stafford was out against Arizona, but has a neck injury.

CHIEFS PLAYER TO WATCH: TE Travis Kelce had six catches for 115 yards and three TDs last week against the Chargers, including the go-ahead score in the final minute. His value has always been high, but with injuries to wide receivers Mecole Hardman, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kadarius Toney, he is the most reliable pass catcher in the Kansas City offense.

KEY MATCHUP: Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco against the Rams run defense, which ranks fourth in the league and has been one of their rare bright spots this season. Pacheco ran for 107 yards last week against the Chargers, giving the air-it-out Chiefs offense some semblance of balance for the first time this season.

KEY INJURIES: Stafford is in the concussion protocol for the Rams. ... OG Joe Thuney (ankle) and WR Kadarius Toney (hamstring) missed practice for the Chiefs, though Smith-Schuster (concussion) is expected to return.

SERIES NOTES: Kansas City has won five of the past six games in the series, but the lone loss was one of the memorable regular-season games in NFL history. Jared Goff threw the go-ahead 40-yard touchdown pass to Gerald Everett with 1:49 left to give the Rams a 54-51 victory. Goff finished with 413 yards and four touchdowns passing while Chiefs counterpart Patrick Mahomes threw for 478 yards with six TD passes and three interceptions.

STATS AND STUFF: The Rams have lost four straight games for the first time under Sean McVay. ... Rams WR Tutu Atwell scored his first NFL touchdown on a 62-yard pass from Stafford last week against New Orleans. ... Rams WR Allen Robinson II has at least one catch in all 110 games of his career. He had four for 47 yards and a score against the Saints. ... The Rams ran for a season-high 148 yards against New Orleans. ... Rams LB Leonard Floyd and DT Greg Gaines had two sacks apiece against the Saints. ... The Chiefs have had at least 400 yards in four straight games. The franchise record is five set in 2004 and matched in 2020. ... Kelce has 33 games with at least 100 yards receiving, a record for tight ends. His streak of 136 consecutive games with a catch trails only Arizona's DeAndre Hopkins (140). ... Mahomes and Kelce have connected for 45 touchdown passes, trailing only Tom Brady-Gronkowski and Drew Brees-Jimmy Graham for most for a quarterback and tight end. ... Mahomes has thrown at least one TD pass in 15 straight games. ... Chiefs DE Mike Danna and DT Chris Jones had two sacks apiece last week against the Chargers.

FANTASY TIP: The Rams are second to last in the league against the pass, and that bodes well not only for Mahomes but whomever he has available. Hardman, Smith-Schuster and Toney could all miss the game, so grabbing WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling or up-and-down rookie Skyy Moore could be a wise move this week.

The Rams visit the Chiefs on Sunday for their first matchup since 2018, when Los Angeles won an epic 54-51 thriller on a late touchdown pass from Jared Goff to Gerald Everett. The teams nearly played in last season's Super Bowl, but the Chiefs blew a late lead against Cincinnati in the AFC title game. The Rams are riding their first four-game losing streak under Sean McVay while the Chiefs have won four straight since a close loss to Buffalo in mid-October.LOS ANGELES RAMS (3-7) at KANSAS CITY (8-2)Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, FOXFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NFL LINE: Chiefs by 14 1/2AGAINST THE SPREAD: Rams 2-7-1; Chiefs 4-6SERIES RECORD: Chiefs lead 7-5LAST MEETING: Rams beat the Chiefs 54-51 on Nov. 19, 2018, in Los AngelesLAST WEEK: Rams lost to Saints 27-20; Chiefs beat Chargers 30-27RAMS OFFENSE: OVERALL (31), RUSH (31), PASS (20), SCORING (29)RAMS DEFENSE: OVERALL (10), RUSH (4), PASS (17), SCORING (17)CHIEFS OFFENSE: OVERALL (1), RUSH (18), PASS (1), SCORING (1)CHIEFS DEFENSE: OVERALL (20), RUSH (5), PASS (27), SCORING (21)TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Rams minus-7; Chiefs minus-3RAMS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Bryce Perkins. Matthew Stafford was in the concussion protocol after taking a hit last week against New Orleans, and it's likely that Perkins will get the start in Kansas City. John Wolford started a week earlier when Stafford was out against Arizona, but has a neck injury.CHIEFS PLAYER TO WATCH: TE Travis Kelce had six catches for 115 yards and three TDs last week against the Chargers, including the go-ahead score in the final minute. His value has always been high, but with injuries to wide receivers Mecole Hardman, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kadarius Toney, he is the most reliable pass catcher in the Kansas City offense.KEY MATCHUP: Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco against the Rams run defense, which ranks fourth in the league and has been one of their rare bright spots this season. Pacheco ran for 107 yards last week against the Chargers, giving the air-it-out Chiefs offense some semblance of balance for the first time this season.KEY INJURIES: Stafford is in the concussion protocol for the Rams. ... OG Joe Thuney (ankle) and WR Kadarius Toney (hamstring) missed practice for the Chiefs, though Smith-Schuster (concussion) is expected to return.SERIES NOTES: Kansas City has won five of the past six games in the series, but the lone loss was one of the memorable regular-season games in NFL history. Jared Goff threw the go-ahead 40-yard touchdown pass to Gerald Everett with 1:49 left to give the Rams a 54-51 victory. Goff finished with 413 yards and four touchdowns passing while Chiefs counterpart Patrick Mahomes threw for 478 yards with six TD passes and three interceptions.STATS AND STUFF: The Rams have lost four straight games for the first time under Sean McVay. ... Rams WR Tutu Atwell scored his first NFL touchdown on a 62-yard pass from Stafford last week against New Orleans. ... Rams WR Allen Robinson II has at least one catch in all 110 games of his career. He had four for 47 yards and a score against the Saints. ... The Rams ran for a season-high 148 yards against New Orleans. ... Rams LB Leonard Floyd and DT Greg Gaines had two sacks apiece against the Saints. ... The Chiefs have had at least 400 yards in four straight games. The franchise record is five set in 2004 and matched in 2020. ... Kelce has 33 games with at least 100 yards receiving, a record for tight ends. His streak of 136 consecutive games with a catch trails only Arizona's DeAndre Hopkins (140). ... Mahomes and Kelce have connected for 45 touchdown passes, trailing only Tom Brady-Gronkowski and Drew Brees-Jimmy Graham for most for a quarterback and tight end. ... Mahomes has thrown at least one TD pass in 15 straight games. ... Chiefs DE Mike Danna and DT Chris Jones had two sacks apiece last week against the Chargers.FANTASY TIP: The Rams are second to last in the league against the pass, and that bodes well not only for Mahomes but whomever he has available. Hardman, Smith-Schuster and Toney could all miss the game, so grabbing WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling or up-and-down rookie Skyy Moore could be a wise move this week.

Rams to face Chiefs for first time since 2018 thriller

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs could have wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster back for this weekend's game against the Los Angeles Rams after he returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since landing in the concussion protocol two weeks ago.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said that Smith-Schuster would need to get through a workout to officially clear the protocol, but signs point toward him being available Sunday. And that would be a major boost for a Chiefs offense missing wide receiver Mecole Hardman and potentially Kadarius Toney, who missed Wednesday's practice with a hamstring injury.

“Hopefully everything goes well with the protocol and stuff like that, he's ready to go,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “To have that energy on the sideline — he's a great player and a great teammate, and you always want to have those guys back in the huddle.”

Right guard Joe Thuney missed practice Wednesday with an ankle injury, though Reid said it's getting better. Safety Juan Thornhill worked out despite a calf injury and cornerback Jaylen Watson despite an ailing hand.

The Chiefs also made a series of roster moves, putting running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain; they activated offensive lineman Lucas Niang to the 53-man roster after he spent the start of the season on the PUP list; and they signed tight end Kendall Blanton to the practice squad after an injury to Jordan Franks.

The decision to put Edwards-Helaire on IR comes shortly after the 2020 first-round pick ceded the starting job to seventh-round draft pick Isiah Pacheco. The Chiefs also have Jerick McKinnon in the backfield, though he's primarily a threat in the pass game, and veteran Ronald Jones II could be active for the first time Sunday.

“There's a chance he plays. I mean, a legitimate chance,” Reid said, “but within that he has to make sure he has all the protections down, the timing of the runs. Those are the things we look at. But he's been working at it.”

Smith-Schuster wound up missing only last week's 30-27 win over the Chargers after a vicious helmet-to-helmet shot from Jacksonville safety Andre Cisco the previous week left him laying motionless on the Arrowhead Stadium turf.

Smith-Schuster, who signed a one-year prove-it deal with Kansas City, has been more productive as he became more familiar with Mahomes and the offense. He caught five passes for 113 yards and a touchdown against Buffalo, seven for 124 yards and a score against San Francisco and 10 for 88 yards against Tennessee before getting hurt.

Justin Watson led the Chiefs with three catches for 67 yards against the Chargers last Sunday. Skyy Moore had the best game of his rookie season with five catches for 63 yards. The only other wide receiver in their depleted group to catch a pass was Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who had an 18-yard grab to show for his four targets.

The performance by Moore, a second-round draft pick, was perhaps the most encouraging of them.

“He’s been struggling at times but you know what? It never put him in a dark place,” Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said. “We always knew exactly what he can do. He just needed that opportunity to just go out there and shine.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs could have wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster back for this weekend's game against the Los Angeles Rams after he returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since landing in the concussion protocol two weeks ago.Chiefs coach Andy Reid said that Smith-Schuster would need to get through a workout to officially clear the protocol, but signs point toward him being available Sunday. And that would be a major boost for a Chiefs offense missing wide receiver Mecole Hardman and potentially Kadarius Toney, who missed Wednesday's practice with a hamstring injury.“Hopefully everything goes well with the protocol and stuff like that, he's ready to go,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “To have that energy on the sideline — he's a great player and a great teammate, and you always want to have those guys back in the huddle.”Right guard Joe Thuney missed practice Wednesday with an ankle injury, though Reid said it's getting better. Safety Juan Thornhill worked out despite a calf injury and cornerback Jaylen Watson despite an ailing hand.The Chiefs also made a series of roster moves, putting running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain; they activated offensive lineman Lucas Niang to the 53-man roster after he spent the start of the season on the PUP list; and they signed tight end Kendall Blanton to the practice squad after an injury to Jordan Franks.The decision to put Edwards-Helaire on IR comes shortly after the 2020 first-round pick ceded the starting job to seventh-round draft pick Isiah Pacheco. The Chiefs also have Jerick McKinnon in the backfield, though he's primarily a threat in the pass game, and veteran Ronald Jones II could be active for the first time Sunday.“There's a chance he plays. I mean, a legitimate chance,” Reid said, “but within that he has to make sure he has all the protections down, the timing of the runs. Those are the things we look at. But he's been working at it.”Smith-Schuster wound up missing only last week's 30-27 win over the Chargers after a vicious helmet-to-helmet shot from Jacksonville safety Andre Cisco the previous week left him laying motionless on the Arrowhead Stadium turf.Smith-Schuster, who signed a one-year prove-it deal with Kansas City, has been more productive as he became more familiar with Mahomes and the offense. He caught five passes for 113 yards and a touchdown against Buffalo, seven for 124 yards and a score against San Francisco and 10 for 88 yards against Tennessee before getting hurt.Justin Watson led the Chiefs with three catches for 67 yards against the Chargers last Sunday. Skyy Moore had the best game of his rookie season with five catches for 63 yards. The only other wide receiver in their depleted group to catch a pass was Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who had an 18-yard grab to show for his four targets.The performance by Moore, a second-round draft pick, was perhaps the most encouraging of them.“He’s been struggling at times but you know what? It never put him in a dark place,” Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said. “We always knew exactly what he can do. He just needed that opportunity to just go out there and shine.”

Chiefs could have Smith-Schuster back from injury for Rams

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (AP) — Keyontae Johnson scored 16 points and his jumper with five seconds left allowed Kansas State to remain undefeated and hand LSU its first loss, 61-59 in the championship game of the Cayman Islands Classic on Wednesday night.

Adam Miller gave LSU the lead, 59-57 with his layup with 1:15 left, but Markquis Nowell answered with a jumper with 49 seconds to go. The Tigers' KJ Williams turned over the ball 15 seconds later, the Wildcats ran the clock down before Johnson took a feed from Desi Sills and buried the winning shot.

Neither team managed a two-possession lead in the final eight minutes. The game was tied three times in the final five minutes and the lead changed hands four times.

Nowell led Kansas State (6-0) with 18 points and Sills contributed 16 points off the bench.

Williams led LSU (5-1) with a double-double, putting up 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Justice Hill scored 12 points and Miller contributed 11 points.

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (AP) — Keyontae Johnson scored 16 points and his jumper with five seconds left allowed Kansas State to remain undefeated and hand LSU its first loss, 61-59 in the championship game of the Cayman Islands Classic on Wednesday night.Adam Miller gave LSU the lead, 59-57 with his layup with 1:15 left, but Markquis Nowell answered with a jumper with 49 seconds to go. The Tigers' KJ Williams turned over the ball 15 seconds later, the Wildcats ran the clock down before Johnson took a feed from Desi Sills and buried the winning shot.Neither team managed a two-possession lead in the final eight minutes. The game was tied three times in the final five minutes and the lead changed hands four times.Nowell led Kansas State (6-0) with 18 points and Sills contributed 16 points off the bench.Williams led LSU (5-1) with a double-double, putting up 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Justice Hill scored 12 points and Miller contributed 11 points.

Johnson lifts Kansas State past LSU, 61-59 for Cayman title

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Bill Self couldn't wait to get started Wednesday at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Neither could hot-shooting Kansas rookie Gradey Dick.

Dick scored a season-high 25 points to help the third-ranked Jayhawks beat North Carolina State 80-74 in Wednesday’s tournament opener, giving Self a successful return to the bench after a four-game suspension.

Dick had 18 on six 3-pointers in the first half before going 1 for 8 from the field after halftime. Jalen Wilson added 19 points and 11 rebounds for the reigning national champion Jayhawks (5-0), who blew an eight-point halftime lead and a nine-point second-half lead before grinding it out.

“I think it really just showed what our team's about and in crunch time, we can come out with tough plays when we really need it,” Dick said.

It also helped, Dick said, to “have a Hall of Famer in our corner" again.

Kansas had imposed the suspension on Self and assistant Kurtis Townsend as part of the fallout from a pending NCAA infractions case tied to the federal investigation into corruption within the sport.

Self was allowed to coach practices, so he remained involved with the team. But on gamedays, he said he got a dose of the helpless perspective of a fan while assistant Norm Roberts led the team. He said he couldn't even take notes until he watched the game on a replay.

He was ready for Wednesday right from the 7 a.m. wake-up call.

“I usually don't jump out of bed,” Self said, “but I kind of did today because I was excited about what was getting ready to happen.”

As he emerged from the tunnel, Self was greeted with loud cheers from a boisterous Kansas fan section. He had a slight smile as one fan dangled a Jayhawks national title banner as he walked by and gave light high-fives to a line of about a half-dozen fans who had extended their arms over their railing.

Casey Morsell scored 21 points to lead the Wolfpack (4-1), while Terquavion Smith added 19 points.

This was N.C. State’s first appearance at Atlantis since 2017 at the start of Kevin Keatts’ coaching tenure. That team opened by beating No. 2 Arizona and this year’s bunch gave Kansas fits all the way to the final minutes.

“We missed a couple of free throws down the stretch, I thought they got out in transition,” Keatts said. “We had a couple of breakdowns that when you're in that one- or two-possession game, everything is important down the stretch.”

N.C. State: The Wolfpack program had also been caught up in the FBI investigation of the sport involving recruiting violations tied to one-and-done freshman Dennis Smith Jr. under former coach Mark Gottfried. That case had hung over the entirety of Keatts' tenure until there was a December resolution. Now Keatts has restocked his roster with a style closer to his vision: playing fast and picking up fullcourt even against a marquee-name program.

“I don't know from a raw speed standpoint if there's anybody that we'll play against that is as quick as" the backcourt of Smith and Jarkel Joiner, Self said, adding: “We're athletic, pretty athletic — but we're not jet quick. So we had to be turned up pretty good to stay in front of them.”

Kansas: The 6-foot-8 Dick is off to a strong start. He came in averaging 16.8 points while shooting 10 of 20 from 3-point range, then surpassed his (short) season high of 23 points from the opener against Omaha.

Dick's sixth 3-pointer for a 39-31 lead came before the halftime horn and through light contact from Morsell, with Dick falling to the floor. He got up with an emphatic shout, clapping, while Morsell could only respond with a frustrated shrug.

But N.C. State answered with an 8-0 burst, with Morsell hitting a 3 on the break and another on a stepback to tie it.

The Wolfpack never led after halftime but tied it five times, the last at 63-all on Jack Clark’s jumper with 7:14 left.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack will face Dayton, which lost to Wisconsin, in Thursday’s consolation bracket.

Kansas: The Jayhawks advanced to Thursday’s semifinals to face Wisconsin.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Bill Self couldn't wait to get started Wednesday at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Neither could hot-shooting Kansas rookie Gradey Dick.Dick scored a season-high 25 points to help the third-ranked Jayhawks beat North Carolina State 80-74 in Wednesday’s tournament opener, giving Self a successful return to the bench after a four-game suspension.Dick had 18 on six 3-pointers in the first half before going 1 for 8 from the field after halftime. Jalen Wilson added 19 points and 11 rebounds for the reigning national champion Jayhawks (5-0), who blew an eight-point halftime lead and a nine-point second-half lead before grinding it out.“I think it really just showed what our team's about and in crunch time, we can come out with tough plays when we really need it,” Dick said.It also helped, Dick said, to “have a Hall of Famer in our corner" again.Kansas had imposed the suspension on Self and assistant Kurtis Townsend as part of the fallout from a pending NCAA infractions case tied to the federal investigation into corruption within the sport.Self was allowed to coach practices, so he remained involved with the team. But on gamedays, he said he got a dose of the helpless perspective of a fan while assistant Norm Roberts led the team. He said he couldn't even take notes until he watched the game on a replay.He was ready for Wednesday right from the 7 a.m. wake-up call.“I usually don't jump out of bed,” Self said, “but I kind of did today because I was excited about what was getting ready to happen.”As he emerged from the tunnel, Self was greeted with loud cheers from a boisterous Kansas fan section. He had a slight smile as one fan dangled a Jayhawks national title banner as he walked by and gave light high-fives to a line of about a half-dozen fans who had extended their arms over their railing.Casey Morsell scored 21 points to lead the Wolfpack (4-1), while Terquavion Smith added 19 points.This was N.C. State’s first appearance at Atlantis since 2017 at the start of Kevin Keatts’ coaching tenure. That team opened by beating No. 2 Arizona and this year’s bunch gave Kansas fits all the way to the final minutes.“We missed a couple of free throws down the stretch, I thought they got out in transition,” Keatts said. “We had a couple of breakdowns that when you're in that one- or two-possession game, everything is important down the stretch.”BIG PICTUREN.C. State: The Wolfpack program had also been caught up in the FBI investigation of the sport involving recruiting violations tied to one-and-done freshman Dennis Smith Jr. under former coach Mark Gottfried. That case had hung over the entirety of Keatts' tenure until there was a December resolution. Now Keatts has restocked his roster with a style closer to his vision: playing fast and picking up fullcourt even against a marquee-name program.“I don't know from a raw speed standpoint if there's anybody that we'll play against that is as quick as" the backcourt of Smith and Jarkel Joiner, Self said, adding: “We're athletic, pretty athletic — but we're not jet quick. So we had to be turned up pretty good to stay in front of them.”Kansas: The 6-foot-8 Dick is off to a strong start. He came in averaging 16.8 points while shooting 10 of 20 from 3-point range, then surpassed his (short) season high of 23 points from the opener against Omaha.KEY SEQUENCESDick's sixth 3-pointer for a 39-31 lead came before the halftime horn and through light contact from Morsell, with Dick falling to the floor. He got up with an emphatic shout, clapping, while Morsell could only respond with a frustrated shrug.But N.C. State answered with an 8-0 burst, with Morsell hitting a 3 on the break and another on a stepback to tie it.The Wolfpack never led after halftime but tied it five times, the last at 63-all on Jack Clark’s jumper with 7:14 left.UP NEXTN.C. State: The Wolfpack will face Dayton, which lost to Wisconsin, in Thursday’s consolation bracket.Kansas: The Jayhawks advanced to Thursday’s semifinals to face Wisconsin.

No. 3 Kansas beats NC State in coach Bill Self's return

By STEPHEN HAWKINS&nbsp; Associated Press

The Texas Rangers hired Mike Maddux as their new pitching coach 
Wednesday, and added former Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton 
Moore as a senior adviser in their baseball operations department.

Maddux
 is returning to Texas to be on new manager Bruce Bochy's staff. Maddux 
was first the pitching coach for the Rangers from 2009-15, a span in 
which they made their only two World Series appearances. He spent the 
past five seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, and has been part of 11 
playoffs teams over his past 15 seasons as a pitching coach.

Moore
 spent the past 16 years with the Royals, where he was named GM in May 
2006 and also served as president of baseball operations before getting 
fired in September. The Royals had three consecutive 100-loss seasons 
before Moore's arrival. They won back-to-back American League pennants 
in 2014 and 2015, beating the New York Mets for the World Series title 
after the second one.

Moore will collaborate with Rangers general 
manager Chris Young, the former pitcher who finished his big league 
playing career with the Royals from 2015-17.

“There is no one more
 respected in our game. He rebuilt the Royals into a world champion,” 
Young said. “Dayton’s experiences as a longtime general manager, as well
 as his extensive background in scouting, will be a tremendous asset to 
me and the other leaders of our baseball group.”

Before joining 
the Royals, Moore spent 13 seasons with the Atlanta Braves in scouting 
and player development roles before becoming their director of player 
personnel in 2002.

Maddux was the second-longest tenured pitching 
coach in club history when he left the Rangers after the 2015 season and
 spent the following two years with Washington. Texas had four 
consecutive seasons with team ERAs under 4.00 from 2010-13. Before his 
arrival, they hadn't had a team ERA under 4.00 since 1990, and haven't 
had one since Maddux left.

After 15 seasons pitching in the big leagues, Maddux began his MLB coaching career with the Milwaukee Brewers from 2003-08.

Even
 before three-time World Series champion manager Bochy was hired last 
month, the Rangers had said co-pitching coaches Doug Mathis and Brendan 
Sagara wouldn’t return to their major league staff.

By STEPHEN HAWKINS&nbsp; Associated PressThe Texas Rangers hired Mike Maddux as their new pitching coach 
Wednesday, and added former Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton 
Moore as a senior adviser in their baseball operations department.Maddux
 is returning to Texas to be on new manager Bruce Bochy's staff. Maddux 
was first the pitching coach for the Rangers from 2009-15, a span in 
which they made their only two World Series appearances. He spent the 
past five seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, and has been part of 11 
playoffs teams over his past 15 seasons as a pitching coach.Moore
 spent the past 16 years with the Royals, where he was named GM in May 
2006 and also served as president of baseball operations before getting 
fired in September. The Royals had three consecutive 100-loss seasons 
before Moore's arrival. They won back-to-back American League pennants 
in 2014 and 2015, beating the New York Mets for the World Series title 
after the second one.Moore will collaborate with Rangers general 
manager Chris Young, the former pitcher who finished his big league 
playing career with the Royals from 2015-17.“There is no one more
 respected in our game. He rebuilt the Royals into a world champion,” 
Young said. “Dayton’s experiences as a longtime general manager, as well
 as his extensive background in scouting, will be a tremendous asset to 
me and the other leaders of our baseball group.”Before joining 
the Royals, Moore spent 13 seasons with the Atlanta Braves in scouting 
and player development roles before becoming their director of player 
personnel in 2002.Maddux was the second-longest tenured pitching 
coach in club history when he left the Rangers after the 2015 season and
 spent the following two years with Washington. Texas had four 
consecutive seasons with team ERAs under 4.00 from 2010-13. Before his 
arrival, they hadn't had a team ERA under 4.00 since 1990, and haven't 
had one since Maddux left.After 15 seasons pitching in the big leagues, Maddux began his MLB coaching career with the Milwaukee Brewers from 2003-08.Even
 before three-time World Series champion manager Bochy was hired last 
month, the Rangers had said co-pitching coaches Doug Mathis and Brendan 
Sagara wouldn’t return to their major league staff.

⚾ Dayton Moore joins Rangers organization as adviser

Place	 	Team	Record	Points	First Place Votes	Previous Rank

 	10	 	Northwest Florida State	6-2	236	 	1

 	12	 	Northeast Mississippi	4-1	169	 	15

Receiving Votes: Utah State Eastern, Midland College, Daytona State, Arizona Western, Lee, Florida Southwestern State, North Dakota SCS, Mineral Area, Holmes, Butler, Harcum, Collin, Jones

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669221593476.jpeg" alt="Week 3 - November 21st" />
 <figcaption>Week 3 - November 21st</figcaption>
 </figure>Place	 	Team	Record	Points	First Place Votes	Previous Rank 	1	 	Indian Hills	9-0	375	15	2 	2	 	Salt Lake	6-0	336	 	3 	3	 	Odessa	9-1	315	 	5 	4	 	Chipola	8-0	310	 	6 	5	 	Southern Idaho	8-0	294	 	7 	6	 	Coffeyville	8-0	280	 	8 	7	 	Kilgore	6-1	258	 	9 	8	 	Vincennes	8-0	240	 	11 	9	 	Hutchinson	7-1	238	 	4 	10	 	Northwest Florida State	6-2	236	 	1 	11	 	Snow	7-0	197	 	14 	12	 	Northeast Mississippi	4-1	169	 	15 	13	 	Tallahassee 	5-1	168	 	18 	14	 	Monroe College	7-0	161	 	RV 	15	 	Moberly Area	7-1	155	 	16 	16	 	John A. Logan	4-2	137	 	19 	17	 	Pearl River	6-2	125	 	10 	18	 	Triton	6-3	63	 	17 	19	 	Connors State	7-0	61	 	24 	20	 	Southeastern	6-2	55	 	RV 	21	 	Barton	6-1	55	 	RV 	22	 	Dodge City	5-1	45	 	NR 	23	 	Weatherford	7-1	42	 	RV 	24	 	Panola	6-1	38	 	RV 	25	 	East Mississippi	6-0	35	 	RVReceiving Votes: Utah State Eastern, Midland College, Daytona State, Arizona Western, Lee, Florida Southwestern State, North Dakota SCS, Mineral Area, Holmes, Butler, Harcum, Collin, Jones

Barton Men make first appearance in DI Poll

 	2	 	Northwest Florida State	5-0	216	 	2

 	11	 	Eastern Florida State	6-0	135	 	13

Receiving Votes: Dawson, Southwest Mississippi

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669221593476.jpeg" alt="Week 3 - November 21st" />
 <figcaption>Week 3 - November 21st</figcaption>
 </figure>Place	 	Team	Record	Points	First Place Votes	Previous Rank1	 	Trinity Valley	7-0	250	10	1 	2	 	Northwest Florida State	5-0	216	 	2 	3	 	Blinn	6-0	207	 	3 	4	 	Chipola	4-0	198	 	5 	5	 	New Mexico	5-0	189	 	6 	6	 	Gulf Coast State	7-0	180	 	7 	7	 	Jones	5-1	171	 	8 	8	 	Southern Idaho	6-1	162	 	9 	9	 	South Georgia Tech	7-1	153	 	11 	10	 	Moberly Area	6-0	144	 	12 	11	 	Eastern Florida State	6-0	135	 	13 	12	 	Hutchinson	7-1	126	 	4 	13	 	Arizona Western	5-0	117	 	14 	14	 	Salt Lake	2-0	108	 	15 	15	 	Barton	7-0	99	 	16 	16	 	McLennan	6-1	90	 	17 	17	 	Collin	7-0	81	 	19 	18	 	Casper	6-1	72	 	10 	19	 	Florida SouthWestern	5-2	63	 	18 	20	 	Tyler	3-2	54	 	21 	21	 	Walters State	5-1	40	 	22 	22	 	Dodge City	6-1	37	 	25 	23	 	Eastern Arizona	6-0	19	 	NR 	24	 	Clarendon	9-0	17	 	24 	25	 	Indian River State	4-0	12	 	NRReceiving Votes: Dawson, Southwest Mississippi

Barton Women No. 15 in NJCAA DI Poll

Things to watch during Week 13 in the Big 12 Conference:

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State will know before its rivalry game Saturday whether it needs to beat Kansas for a 14th consecutive time to earn a rematch with TCU in the Big 12 championship game.

If Baylor can knock off Texas on Friday, the No. 15 Wildcats will have their spot in Arlington.

Otherwise, a conference title will hinge upon the Wildcats beating the Jayhawks on Saturday night in a matchup that figures to be tougher for Kansas State than previous iterations.

The Wildcats (8-3, 6-2) are as good as they've ever been under fourth-year coach Chris Klieman, but Kansas (6-5, 2-5) is as good as its been under any coach in more than a decade.

“We’ve got to control what we can control,” Klieman said. “That’s what we’re worried about.”

The Wildcats have reached the Big 12 title game twice, most recently beating Oklahoma in 2003 before the game went on a six-year hiatus. They shared the conference championship with the Sooners in 2012, but have not stood alone atop the league since Bill Snyder was roaming the sidelines.

That was long before Klieman or Kansas counterpart Lance Leipold arrived on the scene.

“It’s going to be a fun one, it’s going to be a wild one,” said Kansas State defensive end Brendon Mott, the Big 12′s defensive player of the week after piling up three sacks against West Virginia. “We need a good week of preparation."

There is plenty at stake for Kansas, too.

The Jayhawks already are bowl-eligible for the first time since 2008, when Mark Mangino went to the Insight Bowl in his penultimate season. But they've lost five of their past six games, including a 55-14 roughhousing at the hands of Texas last weekend, and Leipold knows the importance of finishing the season on a high note for a program still building.

“It's about us playing well and showing that we're taking steps,” said Leipold, whose name has been linked to open jobs at Nebraska and Wisconsin. “You look at what (Kansas State) did all year, and what they've done — it's a chance to knock off another ranked opponent, and do it on the road, and give us a shot of energy as we head into bowl prep.”

It's also a chance for Kansas to make the Sunflower Showdown a rivalry again.

The two schools have been playing since 1902 and every year since 1911, making it the fifth-longest continuous series in any division of college football. Yet despite the Jayhawks holding a commanding advantage in the series, it has tilted wildly toward Kansas State ever since the late 1980s. The Wildcats won 11 straight games beginning in 1993, and their current streak of 13 straight has included plenty of lopsided scores.

That includes the 35-10 drubbing that they handed Kansas last season.

“We need to carry our end of the rivalry. That's first and foremost,” Leipold said. “This hasn't been much of a rivalry when we didn't make it a competitive game. That's first and foremost that I'm focused on. Anything after that is what it is.”

Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn, the Big 12's fourth-leading rusher with 1,148 yards, was a nightmare for the Jayhawks last season. He ran for 162 yards and three touchdowns. He'll be facing a Kansas run defense that gave up 243 yards and four TD runs to the Longhorns' Bijan Robinson last weekend.

Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels struggled early against Texas after missing six weeks with a shoulder injury, but the one-time national revelation played well down the stretch. In fact, Leipold said he wanted to sit Daniels in the third quarter of the blowout loss to Texas, but Daniels lobbied to keep playing so that he could knock off some more rust.

There was a time this season when Kansas State pondered redshirting Will Howard, who was pressed into service when Adrian Martinez got hurt against TCU. But he's played so well that any talk of setting him down has ceased.

Kansas running back Devin Neal ran for 224 yards and a touchdown against Oklahoma State before piling up 190 yards in a loss to Texas Tech. But he was held to just 51 yards by Texas, and his 3.9 per carry was nearly half his season average..

Things to watch during Week 13 in the Big 12 Conference:MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State will know before its rivalry game Saturday whether it needs to beat Kansas for a 14th consecutive time to earn a rematch with TCU in the Big 12 championship game.If Baylor can knock off Texas on Friday, the No. 15 Wildcats will have their spot in Arlington.Otherwise, a conference title will hinge upon the Wildcats beating the Jayhawks on Saturday night in a matchup that figures to be tougher for Kansas State than previous iterations.The Wildcats (8-3, 6-2) are as good as they've ever been under fourth-year coach Chris Klieman, but Kansas (6-5, 2-5) is as good as its been under any coach in more than a decade.“We’ve got to control what we can control,” Klieman said. “That’s what we’re worried about.”The Wildcats have reached the Big 12 title game twice, most recently beating Oklahoma in 2003 before the game went on a six-year hiatus. They shared the conference championship with the Sooners in 2012, but have not stood alone atop the league since Bill Snyder was roaming the sidelines.That was long before Klieman or Kansas counterpart Lance Leipold arrived on the scene.“It’s going to be a fun one, it’s going to be a wild one,” said Kansas State defensive end Brendon Mott, the Big 12′s defensive player of the week after piling up three sacks against West Virginia. “We need a good week of preparation."There is plenty at stake for Kansas, too.The Jayhawks already are bowl-eligible for the first time since 2008, when Mark Mangino went to the Insight Bowl in his penultimate season. But they've lost five of their past six games, including a 55-14 roughhousing at the hands of Texas last weekend, and Leipold knows the importance of finishing the season on a high note for a program still building.“It's about us playing well and showing that we're taking steps,” said Leipold, whose name has been linked to open jobs at Nebraska and Wisconsin. “You look at what (Kansas State) did all year, and what they've done — it's a chance to knock off another ranked opponent, and do it on the road, and give us a shot of energy as we head into bowl prep.”It's also a chance for Kansas to make the Sunflower Showdown a rivalry again.The two schools have been playing since 1902 and every year since 1911, making it the fifth-longest continuous series in any division of college football. Yet despite the Jayhawks holding a commanding advantage in the series, it has tilted wildly toward Kansas State ever since the late 1980s. The Wildcats won 11 straight games beginning in 1993, and their current streak of 13 straight has included plenty of lopsided scores.That includes the 35-10 drubbing that they handed Kansas last season.“We need to carry our end of the rivalry. That's first and foremost,” Leipold said. “This hasn't been much of a rivalry when we didn't make it a competitive game. That's first and foremost that I'm focused on. Anything after that is what it is.”DEUCE IS LOOSEKansas State running back Deuce Vaughn, the Big 12's fourth-leading rusher with 1,148 yards, was a nightmare for the Jayhawks last season. He ran for 162 yards and three touchdowns. He'll be facing a Kansas run defense that gave up 243 yards and four TD runs to the Longhorns' Bijan Robinson last weekend.RUST-FREE DANIELSJayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels struggled early against Texas after missing six weeks with a shoulder injury, but the one-time national revelation played well down the stretch. In fact, Leipold said he wanted to sit Daniels in the third quarter of the blowout loss to Texas, but Daniels lobbied to keep playing so that he could knock off some more rust.SPEAKING OF QBSThere was a time this season when Kansas State pondered redshirting Will Howard, who was pressed into service when Adrian Martinez got hurt against TCU. But he's played so well that any talk of setting him down has ceased.NEAL'S REBOUNDKansas running back Devin Neal ran for 224 yards and a touchdown against Oklahoma State before piling up 190 yards in a loss to Texas Tech. But he was held to just 51 yards by Texas, and his 3.9 per carry was nearly half his season average..

K-State to face KU with Big 12 title game possibly at stake

- Voice of the Fort Hays State Tigers Gerard Wellbrock

- K-State Football coach Chris Kleiman's press conference in advance of Saturday's Sunflower Showdown in Manhattan

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660823675526.jpeg" alt="Wednesday Show Lineup" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday Show Lineup</figcaption>
 </figure>- Voice of the Fort Hays State Tigers Gerard Wellbrock- K-State Football coach Chris Kleiman's press conference in advance of Saturday's Sunflower Showdown in Manhattan- Pre-Thanksgiving Day Sports Headlines- Sounds of the past 24-hours