Kansas scored the first 11 points and never looked back on its way to a 75-52 victory over Arizona State on Thursday night at Allen Fieldhouse. 

Elle Evans led the Jayhawks with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting, marking the second straight 20-point game for Evans and her fourth of the season. Regan Williams finished two rebounds shy of a double-double, totaling 13 points and eight rebounds. Brittany Harshaw scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds and Laia Conesa had 11 points and four rebounds in 35 minutes of action.

The Jayhawks pulled down 37 rebounds, its most in a conference game this season, while forcing 20 turnovers and outscoring Arizona State 30-14 in the paint. Kansas shot 47.5 percent from the field, hitting 28-of-59 field goal attempts while limiting ASU to 33.3 percent (18-54) shooting.

With the win, Kansas improves to 12-5 on the year and 2-4 in Big 12 play. Arizona State drops to 8-10 and 2-4 in conference play.

"Going into the game we just really settled in on trying to protect the paint," Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider said. "Prior to tonight, we were giving up layups and threes, and sometimes you have to pick your poison, and we chose to just do a much better job protecting the paint. But I also thought Regan Williams post defense was exceptional, just really active and made it much harder for them to catch."

The Jayhawks started the first quarter with an 11-0 run to take control from the outset. Arizona State called an early timeout in an attempt to disrupt the Jayhawks' strong momentum, but Kansas held ASU scoreless for half of the quarter. Although the Sun Devils managed to find a basket late in the first and cut into KU's lead, the Jayhawks closed out the quarter with a pair of free throws by Sania Copeland to lead 20-9.

Williams scored KU's first five points of the second frame and KU's lead stood at 10, 25-15, after a pair of ASU three-pointers. Kansas continued to dominate on offense, using a 16-3 run over five minutes to build the lead to 38-20. 

Kansas took control during this stretch as Harshaw and Evans hit key three-pointers to push the lead to 14. Evans followed with two additional three-pointers and a jumper, extending the advantage to 21. Kansas' defense held strong, keeping ASU scoreless for 5:25 while quick transitions helped the Jayhawks take a commanding 41-23 lead into halftime. 

The second half opened with Kansas maintaining control through strong defense, forcing multiple ASU turnovers.  While the Jayhawks missed a few early shots, Conesa and Nadira Eltayeb added baskets of their own to extend the lead to 20 at 45-25.

Although Arizona State went on a brief scoring run, Kansas remained in control heading into the media timeout. In the final minute of the third quarter, Williams scored the last two baskets pushing the Jayhawks ahead 52-39 heading into the final frame. 

Kansas outscored ASU 23-12 in the last ten minutes as the Jayhawks went on a decisive 14-1 scoring run that spanned almost six minutes with Evans contributing six points and Conesa adding four en route to the 75-52 victory.

Kansas completes its weekend home stand on Sunday, Jan. 19, when the Jayhawks welcome Arizona to Allen Fieldhouse. That game is set for a 2 p.m. CT tipoff on ESPN+. 

- Kansas' 11 point, 20-9, advantage over Arizona State is the largest first quarter lead it has had over an opponent this season. 

- Kansas tied its season high with six blocked shots, including two apiece from Sania Copeland and Elle Evans each supplying two.  

- Four Jayhawks finished in double figures as Evans led with 22 followed by Regan Williams (13), Brittany Harshaw (12) and Laia Conesa (11). The last time Kansas had four players score in double figures was against Kansas City on Dec. 11, 2024.

- Kansas grabbed 37 rebounds, the most in a conference game this season, while outscoring Arizona State 30-14 in the paint. The Jayhawk defense also forced 20 turnovers which led to 20 points off turnovers.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737128248432.png" alt="Forward Regan Williams of the Kansas Jayhawks during the Jan. 17, 2025, game against Arizona State. (photo by KU Athletics)" />
 <figcaption>Forward Regan Williams of the Kansas Jayhawks during the Jan. 17, 2025, game against Arizona State. (photo by KU Athletics)</figcaption>
 </figure>KU AthleticsKansas scored the first 11 points and never looked back on its way to a 75-52 victory over Arizona State on Thursday night at Allen Fieldhouse. Elle Evans led the Jayhawks with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting, marking the second straight 20-point game for Evans and her fourth of the season. Regan Williams finished two rebounds shy of a double-double, totaling 13 points and eight rebounds. Brittany Harshaw scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds and Laia Conesa had 11 points and four rebounds in 35 minutes of action.The Jayhawks pulled down 37 rebounds, its most in a conference game this season, while forcing 20 turnovers and outscoring Arizona State 30-14 in the paint. Kansas shot 47.5 percent from the field, hitting 28-of-59 field goal attempts while limiting ASU to 33.3 percent (18-54) shooting.With the win, Kansas improves to 12-5 on the year and 2-4 in Big 12 play. Arizona State drops to 8-10 and 2-4 in conference play."Going into the game we just really settled in on trying to protect the paint," Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider said. "Prior to tonight, we were giving up layups and threes, and sometimes you have to pick your poison, and we chose to just do a much better job protecting the paint. But I also thought Regan Williams post defense was exceptional, just really active and made it much harder for them to catch."The Jayhawks started the first quarter with an 11-0 run to take control from the outset. Arizona State called an early timeout in an attempt to disrupt the Jayhawks' strong momentum, but Kansas held ASU scoreless for half of the quarter. Although the Sun Devils managed to find a basket late in the first and cut into KU's lead, the Jayhawks closed out the quarter with a pair of free throws by Sania Copeland to lead 20-9.Williams scored KU's first five points of the second frame and KU's lead stood at 10, 25-15, after a pair of ASU three-pointers. Kansas continued to dominate on offense, using a 16-3 run over five minutes to build the lead to 38-20. Kansas took control during this stretch as Harshaw and Evans hit key three-pointers to push the lead to 14. Evans followed with two additional three-pointers and a jumper, extending the advantage to 21. Kansas' defense held strong, keeping ASU scoreless for 5:25 while quick transitions helped the Jayhawks take a commanding 41-23 lead into halftime. The second half opened with Kansas maintaining control through strong defense, forcing multiple ASU turnovers. While the Jayhawks missed a few early shots, Conesa and Nadira Eltayeb added baskets of their own to extend the lead to 20 at 45-25.Although Arizona State went on a brief scoring run, Kansas remained in control heading into the media timeout. In the final minute of the third quarter, Williams scored the last two baskets pushing the Jayhawks ahead 52-39 heading into the final frame. Kansas outscored ASU 23-12 in the last ten minutes as the Jayhawks went on a decisive 14-1 scoring run that spanned almost six minutes with Evans contributing six points and Conesa adding four en route to the 75-52 victory.Up NextKansas completes its weekend home stand on Sunday, Jan. 19, when the Jayhawks welcome Arizona to Allen Fieldhouse. That game is set for a 2 p.m. CT tipoff on ESPN+. Postgame Notes- Kansas' 11 point, 20-9, advantage over Arizona State is the largest first quarter lead it has had over an opponent this season. - Kansas tied its season high with six blocked shots, including two apiece from Sania Copeland and Elle Evans each supplying two. - Four Jayhawks finished in double figures as Evans led with 22 followed by Regan Williams (13), Brittany Harshaw (12) and Laia Conesa (11). The last time Kansas had four players score in double figures was against Kansas City on Dec. 11, 2024.- Kansas grabbed 37 rebounds, the most in a conference game this season, while outscoring Arizona State 30-14 in the paint. The Jayhawk defense also forced 20 turnovers which led to 20 points off turnovers.

Kansas women shut down Arizona State offense in 75-52 win

By BRANDON SMITH Barton Sports Info

The Barton Community College wrestling team opened the conference dual season with a pair of losses Wednesday evening in its home opener at the Barton Gym.

Nearly pulling off an upset over No. 12 Cowley College to begin the triangular, Neosho County Community College rallied in the middle dual of the night winning five of the final six bouts to secure a 30-22 win over the Cougars. The Tigers used a 285-division pin in the opening match of the night to withstand the Panthers late surge in picking up a tightly 29-22 victory.

In the nightcap Barton fell on the wrong side of six Cowley pins and an open weight to eventually fall 42-15.

Dropping to 0-2 in conference play and 2-12 overall, the Cougars will step out of dual play Sunday traveling to Warrensburg, Missouri for the Denker Open before concluding the home slate next Thursday hosting No. 9 Pratt Community College.

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wrest/2024-25/files/Neosho011625.pdf">Barton vs Neosho Results</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wrest/2024-25/files/Cowley011625.pdf">Barton vs Cowley Results</a>

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wrest/2024-25/bios/mcmullen_skyler_jz53">Skyler McMullen</a>&nbsp;(141) and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wrest/2024-25/bios/agudzi-addo_nathan_04nx">Nathan Agudzi-Addo</a>&nbsp;(285) delivered four of Barton's seven victories on the night each distributing back flattening victories in their pair of matches.

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wrest/2024-25/bios/garrett_jamal_dw5v">Jamal Garrett</a>'s opening round forfeit victory at 125 sparked a 6-0 start for the Cougars against the Panthers with McMullen's first of two first-period falls on the night and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wrest/2024-25/bios/mader_jarret_ixfh">Jarret Mader</a>'s 13-5 major decision at 149 gifting Barton it's biggest advantage on the night at 16-5.

Dropping the next four tilts while being open at 197, the Panthers secured the match victory before Agudzi-Addo put the final points on the board serving up the first of his two pins in just 1:04 over Christopher Colwell.

McMullen's second fall of the evening coming just 2:44 into the 141-match against Beau Murphy halted a 12-0 Tiger start in the nightcap.

With the match already secured after five straight Tiger pins, sophomore&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wrest/2024-25/bios/duarte_quiroz_edgar_hm9y">Edgar Duarte Quiroz</a>&nbsp;delivered the most exciting match of the evening bouncing back from a rough second period fall to Neosho's Dylan Waggerman to split his evening's matches squeezing out a tightly contested 17-12 decision over Cowley's Brayden Merredith.

Agudzi-Addo sent the Barton crowd home happy capping his perfect night just before the second period buzzer serving up a 4:58 fall over the Tigers' Jacob Acedo.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737121756791.jpeg" alt="Kayden Blake" />
 <figcaption>Kayden Blake</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRANDON SMITH Barton Sports InfoThe Barton Community College wrestling team opened the conference dual season with a pair of losses Wednesday evening in its home opener at the Barton Gym.Nearly pulling off an upset over No. 12 Cowley College to begin the triangular, Neosho County Community College rallied in the middle dual of the night winning five of the final six bouts to secure a 30-22 win over the Cougars. The Tigers used a 285-division pin in the opening match of the night to withstand the Panthers late surge in picking up a tightly 29-22 victory.In the nightcap Barton fell on the wrong side of six Cowley pins and an open weight to eventually fall 42-15.Dropping to 0-2 in conference play and 2-12 overall, the Cougars will step out of dual play Sunday traveling to Warrensburg, Missouri for the Denker Open before concluding the home slate next Thursday hosting No. 9 Pratt Community College.<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wrest/2024-25/files/Neosho011625.pdf">Barton vs Neosho Results</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wrest/2024-25/files/Cowley011625.pdf">Barton vs Cowley Results</a><a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wrest/2024-25/bios/mcmullen_skyler_jz53">Skyler McMullen</a>&nbsp;(141) and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wrest/2024-25/bios/agudzi-addo_nathan_04nx">Nathan Agudzi-Addo</a>&nbsp;(285) delivered four of Barton's seven victories on the night each distributing back flattening victories in their pair of matches.<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wrest/2024-25/bios/garrett_jamal_dw5v">Jamal Garrett</a>'s opening round forfeit victory at 125 sparked a 6-0 start for the Cougars against the Panthers with McMullen's first of two first-period falls on the night and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wrest/2024-25/bios/mader_jarret_ixfh">Jarret Mader</a>'s 13-5 major decision at 149 gifting Barton it's biggest advantage on the night at 16-5.Dropping the next four tilts while being open at 197, the Panthers secured the match victory before Agudzi-Addo put the final points on the board serving up the first of his two pins in just 1:04 over Christopher Colwell.McMullen's second fall of the evening coming just 2:44 into the 141-match against Beau Murphy halted a 12-0 Tiger start in the nightcap.With the match already secured after five straight Tiger pins, sophomore&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wrest/2024-25/bios/duarte_quiroz_edgar_hm9y">Edgar Duarte Quiroz</a>&nbsp;delivered the most exciting match of the evening bouncing back from a rough second period fall to Neosho's Dylan Waggerman to split his evening's matches squeezing out a tightly contested 17-12 decision over Cowley's Brayden Merredith.Agudzi-Addo sent the Barton crowd home happy capping his perfect night just before the second period buzzer serving up a 4:58 fall over the Tigers' Jacob Acedo.

Barton Wrestling falls in conference openers; McMullen and Agudzi-Addo go perfect

K-State held off an upset bid by Arizona on Thursday night at Bramlage Coliseum, 62-47, as Serena Sundell joined an exclusive scoring club in program history. The win improves K-State's win streak to 13. The 13-game win streak is tied for the fifth-longest win streak in program history.

K-State improved its overall record to 18-1 for the second time under the direction of head coach Jeff Mittie. This is the second straight season K-State has opened with a 18-1 record. In its history, K-State has opened a season 18-1 or better four times.

Sundell, an All-America candidate and the national leader in assists and assists per game, led K-State with 16 points, eight assists, four rebounds, a block and a steal. With her point total on Thursday, Sundell surpassed the 1,500-point mark (1,507) in her K-State career, becoming the 14th player in program history to reach the milestone.

Joining Sundell in double figures was senior forward and Cheryl Miller Award candidate Temira Poindexter with 14 points including 4-of-8 from long range and two rebounds. In her last three games, Poindexter is 12-of-25 (.480) from behind the three-point line.

Senior center Ayoka Lee chipped in on the defensive end by tying her career-high and equaling the school record for blocks in a conference game by sending back eight shots. The eight blocks were tied for the most in any game by a Big 12 team this season and were the most in a league game this season. She also carded six rebounds, two steals and six points.

- K-State (18-1, 6-0 Big 12) held a four-point lead, 14-10, entering the second quarter. The Wildcats were sparked to start the second frame by Gisela Sanchez, as she made three straight field goals including two 3-pointers to push the Wildcats into a 22-13 lead. Sanchez finished the night with nine points and three rebounds to lead a K-State bench that outscored the Arizona bench, 19-10.

- The Wildcats would build a 13-point advantage twice in the second quarter, the last coming on a 3-pointer from Taryn Sides with 1:13 remaining in the frame to give K-State a 36-23 lead.

- K-State shot 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from the field in the second quarter, including four connections from long range.

- Arizona (11-8, 2-4) opened the third quarter with an 11-4 run, which included a span of four straight made field goals, to pull to within four, 40-36, with 5:28 to play in the third stanza.

- Arizona would win the third quarter, 16-11 and hold K-State to 27.3 percent (3-of-11) shooting in the third stanza. The 11 points were a season-low for a third quarter this season for K-State. 

- K-State would open the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run, as Poindexter buried a pair of 3-pointers to force an Arizona timeout with 6:59 to play and K-State leading, 55-41.

- K-State would push its lead to 18, 61-43, with 4:26 to play on a layup by Sundell. The Wildcats would hold Arizona to six points and 3-of-13 (.231) shooting in the final frame.

- K-State ended the night shooting 45.1 percent (23-of-51), including 38.1 percent (8-of-21) from long range.

- Arizona was held to 32.2 percent (19-of-59) shooting including a 14.3 percent (1-of-7) performance from distance.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737127458221.png" alt="Reece Bachta Photography" />
 <figcaption>Reece Bachta Photography</figcaption>
 </figure>K-State SportsK-State held off an upset bid by Arizona on Thursday night at Bramlage Coliseum, 62-47, as Serena Sundell joined an exclusive scoring club in program history. The win improves K-State's win streak to 13. The 13-game win streak is tied for the fifth-longest win streak in program history.K-State improved its overall record to 18-1 for the second time under the direction of head coach Jeff Mittie. This is the second straight season K-State has opened with a 18-1 record. In its history, K-State has opened a season 18-1 or better four times.Sundell, an All-America candidate and the national leader in assists and assists per game, led K-State with 16 points, eight assists, four rebounds, a block and a steal. With her point total on Thursday, Sundell surpassed the 1,500-point mark (1,507) in her K-State career, becoming the 14th player in program history to reach the milestone.Joining Sundell in double figures was senior forward and Cheryl Miller Award candidate Temira Poindexter with 14 points including 4-of-8 from long range and two rebounds. In her last three games, Poindexter is 12-of-25 (.480) from behind the three-point line.Senior center Ayoka Lee chipped in on the defensive end by tying her career-high and equaling the school record for blocks in a conference game by sending back eight shots. The eight blocks were tied for the most in any game by a Big 12 team this season and were the most in a league game this season. She also carded six rebounds, two steals and six points.HOW IT HAPPENED- K-State (18-1, 6-0 Big 12) held a four-point lead, 14-10, entering the second quarter. The Wildcats were sparked to start the second frame by Gisela Sanchez, as she made three straight field goals including two 3-pointers to push the Wildcats into a 22-13 lead. Sanchez finished the night with nine points and three rebounds to lead a K-State bench that outscored the Arizona bench, 19-10.- The Wildcats would build a 13-point advantage twice in the second quarter, the last coming on a 3-pointer from Taryn Sides with 1:13 remaining in the frame to give K-State a 36-23 lead.- K-State shot 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from the field in the second quarter, including four connections from long range.- Arizona (11-8, 2-4) opened the third quarter with an 11-4 run, which included a span of four straight made field goals, to pull to within four, 40-36, with 5:28 to play in the third stanza.- Arizona would win the third quarter, 16-11 and hold K-State to 27.3 percent (3-of-11) shooting in the third stanza. The 11 points were a season-low for a third quarter this season for K-State. - K-State would open the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run, as Poindexter buried a pair of 3-pointers to force an Arizona timeout with 6:59 to play and K-State leading, 55-41.- K-State would push its lead to 18, 61-43, with 4:26 to play on a layup by Sundell. The Wildcats would hold Arizona to six points and 3-of-13 (.231) shooting in the final frame.- K-State ended the night shooting 45.1 percent (23-of-51), including 38.1 percent (8-of-21) from long range.- Arizona was held to 32.2 percent (19-of-59) shooting including a 14.3 percent (1-of-7) performance from distance.

No. 11 K-State women push win streak to 13 games with win over Arizona

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is donating $500,000 to help firefighters and animals forced to flee the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-wildfires-southern-california-15199a02942f11f6a1b7aac340f7e9a1">deadly wildfires around the region</a>.

Ohtani announced his intention on Instagram, with LA Strong in white lettering against a black background.

“We’ll be donating $500,000 to help those firefighters and those forced to live in shelter to help animals in need,” he wrote.

The Dodgers and other Los Angeles sports teams are partnering in selling an “LA Strong” collection of T-shirts and sweatshirts, with all proceeds benefiting the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation and American Red Cross.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is donating $500,000 to help firefighters and animals forced to flee the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-wildfires-southern-california-15199a02942f11f6a1b7aac340f7e9a1">deadly wildfires around the region</a>.Ohtani announced his intention on Instagram, with LA Strong in white lettering against a black background.“We’ll be donating $500,000 to help those firefighters and those forced to live in shelter to help animals in need,” he wrote.The Dodgers and other Los Angeles sports teams are partnering in selling an “LA Strong” collection of T-shirts and sweatshirts, with all proceeds benefiting the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation and American Red Cross.

Ohtani is donating $500,000 to help firefighters, animals affected by fire

It was a competitive home opener Thursday as the Great Bend High School bowling teams welcomed Dodge City to town. The Lady Panthers took all 13 Western Athletic Conference points but the boys were split by just 64 pins on the day, 2,946-2,882. Dodge City took eight of the 13 WAC points.

The Lady Panthers dominated individual standings with the top-five series. Zoey Mayberry opened with a 190 game and was the lone bowler to break 500 with a high-series of 518. Layne Soukup opened with games of 177 and 147 to finish with 444 pins. She and Brooklynn Mayberry were tied after a game and Mayberry finished third with a 436 series. Abigail Alvarez overcame a slow start to roll a 410, and Emery Meza was consistent with a 378 series. Kyla Calvert rolled a 329 series for the varsity squad. Dodge City's Shannon Bitler led her team with a 343 series. Kacie Schroeder rolled a 402 series in JV action for Great Bend.

The Lady Panthers outpaced the Demons 1,850-1,326 in Baker action, cruising in all four games.

The Panther boys had three of the top-five series. Dodge City's Ethan Pogue just missed a perfect game for a 297 middle game. He was hot all day with games of 224 and 214 to finish with a 735 series.&nbsp;

Anyone could have led for the Panther boys. Quinten Miller took that honor with a pair of 193 games for a 555 series. Just behind him, Kanyen Parr opened with a 203 for a 553 series. Xander Orth rolled games of 188 and 186 for a 537 series. Josh Manning finished three pins behind him at 534 with games of 180 and 191. Deagan Miller also surpassed 500 with a 510 series including a 193 game. Tyler Pelster rolled a 201 middle game for a 524 series in JV action.

Great Bend took the first three Baker games but faltered in game four to lose the total battle to the Demons.&nbsp;

Great Bend Post SportsIt was a competitive home opener Thursday as the Great Bend High School bowling teams welcomed Dodge City to town. The Lady Panthers took all 13 Western Athletic Conference points but the boys were split by just 64 pins on the day, 2,946-2,882. Dodge City took eight of the 13 WAC points.The Lady Panthers dominated individual standings with the top-five series. Zoey Mayberry opened with a 190 game and was the lone bowler to break 500 with a high-series of 518. Layne Soukup opened with games of 177 and 147 to finish with 444 pins. She and Brooklynn Mayberry were tied after a game and Mayberry finished third with a 436 series. Abigail Alvarez overcame a slow start to roll a 410, and Emery Meza was consistent with a 378 series. Kyla Calvert rolled a 329 series for the varsity squad. Dodge City's Shannon Bitler led her team with a 343 series. Kacie Schroeder rolled a 402 series in JV action for Great Bend.The Lady Panthers outpaced the Demons 1,850-1,326 in Baker action, cruising in all four games.The Panther boys had three of the top-five series. Dodge City's Ethan Pogue just missed a perfect game for a 297 middle game. He was hot all day with games of 224 and 214 to finish with a 735 series.&nbsp;Anyone could have led for the Panther boys. Quinten Miller took that honor with a pair of 193 games for a 555 series. Just behind him, Kanyen Parr opened with a 203 for a 553 series. Xander Orth rolled games of 188 and 186 for a 537 series. Josh Manning finished three pins behind him at 534 with games of 180 and 191. Deagan Miller also surpassed 500 with a 510 series including a 193 game. Tyler Pelster rolled a 201 middle game for a 524 series in JV action.Great Bend took the first three Baker games but faltered in game four to lose the total battle to the Demons.&nbsp;

Lady Panther bowlers beat Dodge City at home; boys just miss

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is donating $500,000 to help firefighters and animals forced to flee the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-wildfires-southern-california-15199a02942f11f6a1b7aac340f7e9a1">deadly wildfires around the region</a>. Ohtani announced his intention on Instagram, with LA Strong in white lettering against a black background. “We’ll be donating $500,000 to help those firefighters and those forced to live in shelter to help animals in need,” he wrote. The Dodgers and other Los Angeles sports teams are partnering in selling an “LA Strong” collection of T-shirts and sweatshirts, with all proceeds benefiting the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation and American Red Cross. “I hope you all will consider this,” Ohtani wrote.

The Miami Dolphins will be one of the teams to play in Madrid next season at Bernabéu Stadium, the NFL announced Friday. The Dolphins will be the designated “home” team for what will be the first-ever regular-season game in Spain. “We are thrilled to play the NFL’s inaugural game in Spain, a country of rich history, tradition and passion and home to a vibrant Dolphins fanbase,” said Tom Garfinkel, the Dolphins’ vice chairman, president and CEO. The newly renovated Bernabéu is home to Real Madrid and features a retractable field for American football. The date of the game and Miami’s opponent will be announced this spring.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made a loud statement in an MVP-worthy season with another 40-point performance Thursday night. He was more excited about the one his Oklahoma City Thunder made with a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/thunder-cavaliers-score-29ec79465a31e06b36cf92f170ac159b">nationally televised blowout of the Cleveland Cavaliers</a>&nbsp;in a matchup of the NBA’s best. “There’s obviously myself as the leading scorer of the team. I’m going to get most of the praise. But the world is seeing all of the -- we call them cockroaches in our locker room. Cockroaches and hyenas,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Those are the guys who do the little work, the guys that don’t get the most praise. They don’t average 30, but their part into our winning and our season is just as big, and I’m glad the world gets to see that.” The 6-foot-6 Gilgeous-Alexander had 40 points and eight assists in three quarters as the Western Conference-leading Thunder rolled past the East-leading Cavaliers 134-114. He made 17 of 26 shots, often breaking the Cavaliers down off the dribble and getting to the rim or hitting mid-range jumpers. The runner-up for the NBA MVP award last season is averaging 31.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists for a Thunder team that tied Cleveland for the league’s best record at 34-6. He’s already been named Western Conference player of the month twice.

DALLAS (AP) — Lexi Donarski had 15 points, Alyssa Ustby scored 12 and matched her career-high with 18 rebounds and No. 14 North Carolina rolled to a 64-33 victory over SMU on Thursday night. Donarski did her damage from 3-point range, sinking 5 of 6 attempts for the Tar Heels (16-3, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). Ustby collected her seventh double-double of the season with five of them coming in the last six games. Indya Nivar had 11 points and Maria Gakdeng totaled 10 points and seven rebounds for North Carolina, which has won three in a row and 6 of 7. Kaysia Woods scored 12 to lead the Mustangs (10-8, 2-4). Nivar had nine points in the first half as North Carolina turned a 13-6 first-quarter lead into a 31-14 advantage at halftime. The Tar Heels shot just 39.4% from the floor before the break, but that looked red-hot compared to SMU, which shot 13.8% overall (4 for 29).

THURSDAY SCORES NCAA WOMEN TOP 25 No. 2 South Carolina 76, No. 19 Alabama 58

No. 3 Notre Dame 81, No. 17 Georgia Tech 66

No. 15 Tennessee 86, Mississippi State 73

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1707734642080.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is donating $500,000 to help firefighters and animals forced to flee the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-wildfires-southern-california-15199a02942f11f6a1b7aac340f7e9a1">deadly wildfires around the region</a>. Ohtani announced his intention on Instagram, with LA Strong in white lettering against a black background. “We’ll be donating $500,000 to help those firefighters and those forced to live in shelter to help animals in need,” he wrote. The Dodgers and other Los Angeles sports teams are partnering in selling an “LA Strong” collection of T-shirts and sweatshirts, with all proceeds benefiting the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation and American Red Cross. “I hope you all will consider this,” Ohtani wrote.The Miami Dolphins will be one of the teams to play in Madrid next season at Bernabéu Stadium, the NFL announced Friday. The Dolphins will be the designated “home” team for what will be the first-ever regular-season game in Spain. “We are thrilled to play the NFL’s inaugural game in Spain, a country of rich history, tradition and passion and home to a vibrant Dolphins fanbase,” said Tom Garfinkel, the Dolphins’ vice chairman, president and CEO. The newly renovated Bernabéu is home to Real Madrid and features a retractable field for American football. The date of the game and Miami’s opponent will be announced this spring.OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made a loud statement in an MVP-worthy season with another 40-point performance Thursday night. He was more excited about the one his Oklahoma City Thunder made with a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/thunder-cavaliers-score-29ec79465a31e06b36cf92f170ac159b">nationally televised blowout of the Cleveland Cavaliers</a>&nbsp;in a matchup of the NBA’s best. “There’s obviously myself as the leading scorer of the team. I’m going to get most of the praise. But the world is seeing all of the -- we call them cockroaches in our locker room. Cockroaches and hyenas,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Those are the guys who do the little work, the guys that don’t get the most praise. They don’t average 30, but their part into our winning and our season is just as big, and I’m glad the world gets to see that.” The 6-foot-6 Gilgeous-Alexander had 40 points and eight assists in three quarters as the Western Conference-leading Thunder rolled past the East-leading Cavaliers 134-114. He made 17 of 26 shots, often breaking the Cavaliers down off the dribble and getting to the rim or hitting mid-range jumpers. The runner-up for the NBA MVP award last season is averaging 31.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists for a Thunder team that tied Cleveland for the league’s best record at 34-6. He’s already been named Western Conference player of the month twice.DALLAS (AP) — Lexi Donarski had 15 points, Alyssa Ustby scored 12 and matched her career-high with 18 rebounds and No. 14 North Carolina rolled to a 64-33 victory over SMU on Thursday night. Donarski did her damage from 3-point range, sinking 5 of 6 attempts for the Tar Heels (16-3, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). Ustby collected her seventh double-double of the season with five of them coming in the last six games. Indya Nivar had 11 points and Maria Gakdeng totaled 10 points and seven rebounds for North Carolina, which has won three in a row and 6 of 7. Kaysia Woods scored 12 to lead the Mustangs (10-8, 2-4). Nivar had nine points in the first half as North Carolina turned a 13-6 first-quarter lead into a 31-14 advantage at halftime. The Tar Heels shot just 39.4% from the floor before the break, but that looked red-hot compared to SMU, which shot 13.8% overall (4 for 29).THURSDAY SCORES NCAA WOMEN TOP 25 No. 2 South Carolina 76, No. 19 Alabama 58No. 3 Notre Dame 81, No. 17 Georgia Tech 66No. 7 Texas 74, Auburn 57No. 9 Ohio State 80, Wisconsin 69No. 11 Kansas State 62, Arizona 47No. 13 Oklahoma 80, Missouri 63No. 14 North Carolina 64, SMU 33No. 15 Tennessee 86, Mississippi State 73No. 16 Duke 72, No. 18 California 38No. 21 NC State 83, Pittsburgh 67

Friday's Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

Western Athletic Conference Friday Great Bend @ Hutchinson Hays @ Garden City Liberal @ Dodge City Central Kansas League Friday Hoisington @ Pratt Nickerson @ Smoky Valley Hillsboro @ Hesston Andale @ Haven Central Prairie League Ellinwood @ Macksville Central Plains @ Victoria Kiowa County @ Kinsley Ness City @ Chase Other Area Games Thursday Ellis @ TMP Friday Central Christian @ Stafford Pawnee Heights @ Ingalls Hodgeman County @ Spearville Republic Co. @ Lyons Skyline @ Fairfield Little River @ Rural Vista

Western Athletic Conference Friday Great Bend @ Hutchinson Hays @ Garden City Liberal @ Dodge City Central Kansas League Friday Hoisington @ Pratt Nickerson @ Smoky Valley Hillsboro @ Hesston Andale @ Haven Central Prairie League Ellinwood @ Macksville Central Plains @ Victoria Kiowa County @ Kinsley Ness City @ Chase Other Area Games Thursday Ellis @ TMP Friday Central Christian @ Stafford Pawnee Heights @ Ingalls Hodgeman County @ Spearville Republic Co. @ Lyons Skyline @ Fairfield Little River @ Rural Vista

Friday Area High School Basketball Schedule

Halstead Boys 61 Larned 53; Halstead Girls 47 Larned 31

Larned Sports on Hits 106.9 brought to you in part by USD #495, Beckwith Mortuary, Equity Bank, Smith Dental, Eakin Concrete, Santa Fe Liquor Mart, Farmer's Bank &amp; Trust in Larned, Farm Bureau Financial Services Leigh Anne Seeman, Clock Realty &amp; Insurance, Pawnee Plaza, Innovative Livestock Services, Titan Building Systems, Pawnee County COOP, Progressive Therapy &amp; Sports Medicine, Frick Veterinary, Services, H&amp;H Roofing, Rosenberg Family Dentistry, Fusion Bank, Doerr's Ace Hardware, Pawnee Valley Community Hospital, Larned Veterinary Clinic, Heart of Kansas Family Health, Barton Community College, and Off Broadway Boutique.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695238768373.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Halstead Boys 61 Larned 53; Halstead Girls 47 Larned 31<div><iframe width="100%" height="265" src="https://clyp.it/s25unor0/widget" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>Larned Sports on Hits 106.9 brought to you in part by USD #495, Beckwith Mortuary, Equity Bank, Smith Dental, Eakin Concrete, Santa Fe Liquor Mart, Farmer's Bank &amp; Trust in Larned, Farm Bureau Financial Services Leigh Anne Seeman, Clock Realty &amp; Insurance, Pawnee Plaza, Innovative Livestock Services, Titan Building Systems, Pawnee County COOP, Progressive Therapy &amp; Sports Medicine, Frick Veterinary, Services, H&amp;H Roofing, Rosenberg Family Dentistry, Fusion Bank, Doerr's Ace Hardware, Pawnee Valley Community Hospital, Larned Veterinary Clinic, Heart of Kansas Family Health, Barton Community College, and Off Broadway Boutique.

The Western Athletic Conference features not only two of the best wrestling teams in the state&nbsp; but also the nation. Wednesday and Thursday, Garden City, ranked behind Dodge City in the 6A polls, dominated the fourth Tournament of Champions in Newton with 283.5 points. Manhattan, ranked No. 8 in Class 6A finished second with 189.5 points, and Tonganoxie, ranked No. 2 in Class 4A, placed third with 158 points. Great Bend, which just climbed into the Class 5A ranks at No. 10, finished fourth with 131 points to edge Emporia by just 1.5 points.

Freshman Micah Ellegood advanced to the finals at 125 pounds. She tech-falled her Olathe South opponent and pinned her Salina Central opponent to reach the semifinals where she won an 8-6 decision after returning state qualifier Brynn Lowe of Blue Valley. Top-ranked Crystal Loera of Garden City (6A) was able to pin Ellegood late in the first period to take the title.&nbsp;

Second-ranked Camdyn Post placed third at 105 pounds. The sophomore pinned her first three opponents each in 44 seconds or fewer. She lost a 16-10 battle against third-ranked Kaira Acosta in the semifinals. Post rebounded with pins in 31 and 26 seconds in the consolation bracket to secure third place.

Freshman Sophia Bauer climbed into the rankings at No. 6 at 100 pounds. She battled her way to a fourth-place finish Friday. After a bye, she won a major over Olathe South and pinned her Hutchinson opponent to reach the semifinals. There, she was pinned by third-ranked Eva Lucios of Manhattan (6A). Bauer won an 8-7 decision on the back side but was tech-falled by Douglass in the consolation finals.

Third-ranked Kirra Stevens pulled out a fifth-place finish at 170 pounds. After an 87-second win, Stevens lost a 10-5 decision to fifth-ranked Chloe Spears of Derby (6A) in the quarters. Stevens answered by pinning her next to opponents before losing 8-1 to Blue Valley's fourth-place finisher in the consolation semis. Stevens again rebounded, this time by pinning Eureka's (3-2-1A) sixth-ranked Harlie Owings.

Brooklynn Kelly rebounded from an early loss to place fifth at 130 pounds. She opened the tough bracket with a 44-second win before losing a 10-0 major to two-loss Karoline Kendall of Blue Valley. Kelly won a 3-0 decision early in the consolation bracket, pinned her Salina South opponent, then advanced again by injury default. After beating Derby 3-2, Kelly was pinned by Kendall in the consolation semifinals. Kelly pinned her Manhattan opponent in the fifth-place match.

Keira Leyva advanced to the quarterfinals at 110 pounds. She pinned her Olathe South opponent before getting pinned by McPherson's Lexi Patterson. Leyva won by tech-fall on the back side of the bracket but lost her next match to the sixth-place finisher from Manhattan.

Kayla Baldwin also came up a win shy of the fifth-place match at 115 pounds. She pinned her first opponent before getting pinned by top-ranked Stella Bradley of Tonganoxie in the quarters. Baldwin had a 15-second pin on the back side before losing a 5-3 decision to the fourth-place finisher from Douglass.

Lea Nokes was another quarterfinalist at 155 pounds. After a bye, she pinned her De Soto opponent to run into second-ranked Veronica Madrid of Derby. Madrid pinned two other opponents in 48 seconds or less but needed 99 seconds to get the job done against Nokes. Nokes picked up a pin on the back side before losing a 6-0 decision to sixth-ranked McKinzie Ross of Blue Valley (6A), who placed third.

Riata Stryker lost both of her contested matches at 140 pounds, as did Shatarah Newton at 145 pounds.

Great Bend Post SportsThe Western Athletic Conference features not only two of the best wrestling teams in the state&nbsp; but also the nation. Wednesday and Thursday, Garden City, ranked behind Dodge City in the 6A polls, dominated the fourth Tournament of Champions in Newton with 283.5 points. Manhattan, ranked No. 8 in Class 6A finished second with 189.5 points, and Tonganoxie, ranked No. 2 in Class 4A, placed third with 158 points. Great Bend, which just climbed into the Class 5A ranks at No. 10, finished fourth with 131 points to edge Emporia by just 1.5 points.Freshman Micah Ellegood advanced to the finals at 125 pounds. She tech-falled her Olathe South opponent and pinned her Salina Central opponent to reach the semifinals where she won an 8-6 decision after returning state qualifier Brynn Lowe of Blue Valley. Top-ranked Crystal Loera of Garden City (6A) was able to pin Ellegood late in the first period to take the title.&nbsp;Second-ranked Camdyn Post placed third at 105 pounds. The sophomore pinned her first three opponents each in 44 seconds or fewer. She lost a 16-10 battle against third-ranked Kaira Acosta in the semifinals. Post rebounded with pins in 31 and 26 seconds in the consolation bracket to secure third place.Freshman Sophia Bauer climbed into the rankings at No. 6 at 100 pounds. She battled her way to a fourth-place finish Friday. After a bye, she won a major over Olathe South and pinned her Hutchinson opponent to reach the semifinals. There, she was pinned by third-ranked Eva Lucios of Manhattan (6A). Bauer won an 8-7 decision on the back side but was tech-falled by Douglass in the consolation finals.Third-ranked Kirra Stevens pulled out a fifth-place finish at 170 pounds. After an 87-second win, Stevens lost a 10-5 decision to fifth-ranked Chloe Spears of Derby (6A) in the quarters. Stevens answered by pinning her next to opponents before losing 8-1 to Blue Valley's fourth-place finisher in the consolation semis. Stevens again rebounded, this time by pinning Eureka's (3-2-1A) sixth-ranked Harlie Owings.Brooklynn Kelly rebounded from an early loss to place fifth at 130 pounds. She opened the tough bracket with a 44-second win before losing a 10-0 major to two-loss Karoline Kendall of Blue Valley. Kelly won a 3-0 decision early in the consolation bracket, pinned her Salina South opponent, then advanced again by injury default. After beating Derby 3-2, Kelly was pinned by Kendall in the consolation semifinals. Kelly pinned her Manhattan opponent in the fifth-place match.Keira Leyva advanced to the quarterfinals at 110 pounds. She pinned her Olathe South opponent before getting pinned by McPherson's Lexi Patterson. Leyva won by tech-fall on the back side of the bracket but lost her next match to the sixth-place finisher from Manhattan.Kayla Baldwin also came up a win shy of the fifth-place match at 115 pounds. She pinned her first opponent before getting pinned by top-ranked Stella Bradley of Tonganoxie in the quarters. Baldwin had a 15-second pin on the back side before losing a 5-3 decision to the fourth-place finisher from Douglass.Lea Nokes was another quarterfinalist at 155 pounds. After a bye, she pinned her De Soto opponent to run into second-ranked Veronica Madrid of Derby. Madrid pinned two other opponents in 48 seconds or less but needed 99 seconds to get the job done against Nokes. Nokes picked up a pin on the back side before losing a 6-0 decision to sixth-ranked McKinzie Ross of Blue Valley (6A), who placed third.Riata Stryker lost both of her contested matches at 140 pounds, as did Shatarah Newton at 145 pounds.

No. 10 Lady Panther wrestlers finish fourth in tough 2-day Newton tournament

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball">Women’s basketball teams</a>&nbsp;finally will be paid for playing games in the NCAA Tournament each March just like the men have for years under a plan approved Wednesday at the NCAA convention.

The unanimous vote by NCAA membership was met by a round of applause both inside the ballroom and around the sport. This was the final step toward a pay structure for women playing in March Madness after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ncaa-march-madness-womens-basketball-12fad7a1a15089ea81b80f9e5a293e31">Division I Board of Governors voted unanimously for the proposal</a>&nbsp;in August.

NCAA President Charlie Baker joined others in giving credit for the creation of a performance fund to those who came before and helped build women’s basketball.

Now comes more work and continued investment to grow women’s basketball even more.

“That’s the part I hope, that someday down the road, we all will have someone say about us that they sit on the shoulders of the work that we did,” Baker said.

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, whose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-score-iowa-clark-south-carolina-80c556d6a9130a301d0f59e6eb997a4d">Gamecocks went undefeated</a>&nbsp;winning last year’s national championship and her third overall, said her first thought hearing of the vote was a simple “YES!”

“This continues our fight to lift women’s basketball to historic levels,” Staley said. “I appreciate the decision by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-college-sports-basketball-college-basketball-womens-college-basketball-64de02a3a7d3445ed73465c7c668317d">Kaplan Hecker and Fink</a>&nbsp;law firm to include the lack of units in their report as a key issue holding women’s basketball back from capitalizing on the historic viewership and quality of the product on the court.”

So-called performance units, which represent revenue, will be given to women’s teams playing in the tournament starting this year, the event’s 43rd edition. A team that reaches the Final Four could bring its conference roughly $1.26 million over the next three years in financial performance rewards.

In the first year, $15 million will be awarded to teams out of the fund, which is 26% of the women’s basketball media revenue deal. That will grow to $25 million, or 41% of the revenue, by 2028. The 26% is on par with what men’s basketball teams received the first year the performance units program was established.

Teams making this March’s NCAA Tournament won’t actually be paid until the organization has a full tournament of data available.

Still, North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart, also is president of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, called postseason units a reward for the investment by athletic departments in women’s basketball.

“The long awaited, hard fought for and well-earned day is here,” Banghart said. “I am so grateful for the effort of so many to bring this reality to our sport. Women’s basketball is more popular than ever before, seats are filled, arenas are sold out, and games are on national TV almost every night.”

UConn guard Paige Bueckers agreed that this is a huge step toward helping this sport grow.

“Just for women to capitalize on what we brought to the sport and what we do for just sports in general and entertainment and just to be able to be a part of that, we’re extremely grateful,” Bueckers said.

The proposal was broken into two votes on Wednesday, with the first on the payments being earned starting with the next NCAA Tournament. That received one “no” vote, though the vote to establish the women’s fund itself got a “yes” from all 292 members voting.

The women’s March Madness plan is similar to the men’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/753584516cd449b18c47512fb50cedb2">basketball unit program.</a>&nbsp;Each of 32 conferences with an automatic bid receive a unit, and additional units will be rewarded for teams receiving at-large bids to the 68-team field.

The longer a school’s tournament run lasts, the more units the school’s conference receives. Conferences decide the distribution of unit revenue to each of its members. Each unit was worth about $2 million for the 2024 men’s tournament.

Men’s basketball teams now receive 24% of the media rights deal, which is $8.8 billion over eight years, starting this year. Women’s basketball is valued at $65 million per tournament in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-units-ncaa-68b7cdb9a1f52cc14381536d97ab6f32">NCAA’s new media rights deal with ESPN</a>&nbsp;— roughly 10 times more than in the contract that ends this year.

The women have a higher percentage of the media revenue deal to bolster the value of each performance unit.

The NCAA sharing March Madness revenue with its member schools has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-college-sports-basketball-dylan-windler-north-america-d9c991f546bd4621a65a80832c97a14a">long been a feature of the men’s tournament.</a>&nbsp;The 2018 tournament, for example,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ncaa.org/about/where-does-money-go" target="_blank">brought in $844.3 million</a>&nbsp;in television and marketing rights, the vast majority from a contract with CBS and Turner Sports to televise the games.

Most of the money flows through the NCAA to conferences and then back to member schools, more than 300 of which field Division I basketball teams eligible to play in the tournament. The schools mostly reinvest in athletics, from scholarships for athletes in all sports to coaching salaries, training facilities, stadiums, ballparks and arenas.

Julie Roe Lach, commissioner of the Horizon League and a member of the Division I women’s basketball oversight committee, called the creation of the fund a “huge step” not just for women’s basketball but women’s sports in general toward the goal of gender equity. Lach said they can’t simply celebrate this moment, not with women’s college basketball “skyrocketing in popularity.”

“The women’s basketball funds are unrestricted, meaning conferences and institutions can choose how we want to invest these extra dollars,” said Lach, who noted the Horizon League has policies ready to reward programs for strong schedules, performance and postseason success.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma, with his 11 national titles, said Wednesday night this capitalizes on the money coming from broadcast rights and other corporate investments. The Big East had been investing and sharing revenue since the league had 16 teams, knowing that NCAA money for men’s teams meant big chunks of revenue for small athletic departments. Auriemma said this gives women’s teams the chance to earn money for their schools now as well.

“I don’t think you could ever say you can be totally self supportive,” Auriemma said. “I don’t think anybody thinks that, but it’s a statement that they made today about where women’s basketball fits into the big picture of college athletics.”

The women’s tournament is coming off its most successful year ever, which included a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-iowa-south-carolina-ratings-fe3c29aabbea557d83a911afb4ebf637">record audience of 18.7 million</a>&nbsp;for the title game won by South Carolina over Iowa and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-female-athlete-of-year-clark-7e5aa066120ee2b1f85b6ab1098b7a8d">Caitlin Clark</a>, the highest for a basketball broadcast of any kind in five years.

It outdrew the men’s championship game —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-ncaa-championship-uconn-purdue-score-525f5f96f6b007034a2cb928dc8a4dbc">UConn winning its second consecutive title</a>&nbsp;with a victory over Purdue — by nearly 3 million viewers. The women’s tournament also had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-caitlin-staley-e319ccd78930442d1d83582b930dcae7">record attendance</a>.

In another milestone, the Division I approved a championship for women’s wrestling. Divisions II and III will vote on adding it in the coming days. ... SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said any changes to the College Football Playoff would need unanimous approval. The change most likely to be considered right away would be a shift in the seeding. The top four seeds in this year’s tournament all received byes and all lost their first games. ... Discussions about new rules that would give athletes five years to complete five years of eligibility continue. DI council chair Josh Whitman, the AD at Illinois, said “one of the attractive elements of, whether it’s a 5-for-5, or whatever it may end up being, is maybe we can create something that’s simpler, it’s cleaner, it’s easier to understand.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball">Women’s basketball teams</a>&nbsp;finally will be paid for playing games in the NCAA Tournament each March just like the men have for years under a plan approved Wednesday at the NCAA convention.The unanimous vote by NCAA membership was met by a round of applause both inside the ballroom and around the sport. This was the final step toward a pay structure for women playing in March Madness after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ncaa-march-madness-womens-basketball-12fad7a1a15089ea81b80f9e5a293e31">Division I Board of Governors voted unanimously for the proposal</a>&nbsp;in August.NCAA President Charlie Baker joined others in giving credit for the creation of a performance fund to those who came before and helped build women’s basketball.Now comes more work and continued investment to grow women’s basketball even more.“That’s the part I hope, that someday down the road, we all will have someone say about us that they sit on the shoulders of the work that we did,” Baker said.South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, whose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-score-iowa-clark-south-carolina-80c556d6a9130a301d0f59e6eb997a4d">Gamecocks went undefeated</a>&nbsp;winning last year’s national championship and her third overall, said her first thought hearing of the vote was a simple “YES!”“This continues our fight to lift women’s basketball to historic levels,” Staley said. “I appreciate the decision by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-college-sports-basketball-college-basketball-womens-college-basketball-64de02a3a7d3445ed73465c7c668317d">Kaplan Hecker and Fink</a>&nbsp;law firm to include the lack of units in their report as a key issue holding women’s basketball back from capitalizing on the historic viewership and quality of the product on the court.”So-called performance units, which represent revenue, will be given to women’s teams playing in the tournament starting this year, the event’s 43rd edition. A team that reaches the Final Four could bring its conference roughly $1.26 million over the next three years in financial performance rewards.In the first year, $15 million will be awarded to teams out of the fund, which is 26% of the women’s basketball media revenue deal. That will grow to $25 million, or 41% of the revenue, by 2028. The 26% is on par with what men’s basketball teams received the first year the performance units program was established.Teams making this March’s NCAA Tournament won’t actually be paid until the organization has a full tournament of data available.Still, North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart, also is president of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, called postseason units a reward for the investment by athletic departments in women’s basketball.“The long awaited, hard fought for and well-earned day is here,” Banghart said. “I am so grateful for the effort of so many to bring this reality to our sport. Women’s basketball is more popular than ever before, seats are filled, arenas are sold out, and games are on national TV almost every night.”UConn guard Paige Bueckers agreed that this is a huge step toward helping this sport grow.“Just for women to capitalize on what we brought to the sport and what we do for just sports in general and entertainment and just to be able to be a part of that, we’re extremely grateful,” Bueckers said.The proposal was broken into two votes on Wednesday, with the first on the payments being earned starting with the next NCAA Tournament. That received one “no” vote, though the vote to establish the women’s fund itself got a “yes” from all 292 members voting.The women’s March Madness plan is similar to the men’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/753584516cd449b18c47512fb50cedb2">basketball unit program.</a>&nbsp;Each of 32 conferences with an automatic bid receive a unit, and additional units will be rewarded for teams receiving at-large bids to the 68-team field.The longer a school’s tournament run lasts, the more units the school’s conference receives. Conferences decide the distribution of unit revenue to each of its members. Each unit was worth about $2 million for the 2024 men’s tournament.Men’s basketball teams now receive 24% of the media rights deal, which is $8.8 billion over eight years, starting this year. Women’s basketball is valued at $65 million per tournament in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-units-ncaa-68b7cdb9a1f52cc14381536d97ab6f32">NCAA’s new media rights deal with ESPN</a>&nbsp;— roughly 10 times more than in the contract that ends this year.The women have a higher percentage of the media revenue deal to bolster the value of each performance unit.The NCAA sharing March Madness revenue with its member schools has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-college-sports-basketball-dylan-windler-north-america-d9c991f546bd4621a65a80832c97a14a">long been a feature of the men’s tournament.</a>&nbsp;The 2018 tournament, for example,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ncaa.org/about/where-does-money-go" target="_blank">brought in $844.3 million</a>&nbsp;in television and marketing rights, the vast majority from a contract with CBS and Turner Sports to televise the games.Most of the money flows through the NCAA to conferences and then back to member schools, more than 300 of which field Division I basketball teams eligible to play in the tournament. The schools mostly reinvest in athletics, from scholarships for athletes in all sports to coaching salaries, training facilities, stadiums, ballparks and arenas.Julie Roe Lach, commissioner of the Horizon League and a member of the Division I women’s basketball oversight committee, called the creation of the fund a “huge step” not just for women’s basketball but women’s sports in general toward the goal of gender equity. Lach said they can’t simply celebrate this moment, not with women’s college basketball “skyrocketing in popularity.”“The women’s basketball funds are unrestricted, meaning conferences and institutions can choose how we want to invest these extra dollars,” said Lach, who noted the Horizon League has policies ready to reward programs for strong schedules, performance and postseason success.UConn coach Geno Auriemma, with his 11 national titles, said Wednesday night this capitalizes on the money coming from broadcast rights and other corporate investments. The Big East had been investing and sharing revenue since the league had 16 teams, knowing that NCAA money for men’s teams meant big chunks of revenue for small athletic departments. Auriemma said this gives women’s teams the chance to earn money for their schools now as well.“I don’t think you could ever say you can be totally self supportive,” Auriemma said. “I don’t think anybody thinks that, but it’s a statement that they made today about where women’s basketball fits into the big picture of college athletics.”The women’s tournament is coming off its most successful year ever, which included a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-iowa-south-carolina-ratings-fe3c29aabbea557d83a911afb4ebf637">record audience of 18.7 million</a>&nbsp;for the title game won by South Carolina over Iowa and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-female-athlete-of-year-clark-7e5aa066120ee2b1f85b6ab1098b7a8d">Caitlin Clark</a>, the highest for a basketball broadcast of any kind in five years.It outdrew the men’s championship game —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-ncaa-championship-uconn-purdue-score-525f5f96f6b007034a2cb928dc8a4dbc">UConn winning its second consecutive title</a>&nbsp;with a victory over Purdue — by nearly 3 million viewers. The women’s tournament also had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-caitlin-staley-e319ccd78930442d1d83582b930dcae7">record attendance</a>.<h2>NCAA notes</h2>In another milestone, the Division I approved a championship for women’s wrestling. Divisions II and III will vote on adding it in the coming days. ... SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said any changes to the College Football Playoff would need unanimous approval. The change most likely to be considered right away would be a shift in the seeding. The top four seeds in this year’s tournament all received byes and all lost their first games. ... Discussions about new rules that would give athletes five years to complete five years of eligibility continue. DI council chair Josh Whitman, the AD at Illinois, said “one of the attractive elements of, whether it’s a 5-for-5, or whatever it may end up being, is maybe we can create something that’s simpler, it’s cleaner, it’s easier to understand.”

March Madness will pay women’s teams under a new structure approved by NCAA

- Great Bend Panther basketball coach Kyle Kreigh previews Friday nights showdown in Hutchinson against the 4-1 Salt Hawks. He'll also talk about next week's Salina Invitational Tournament that begins on Thursday with the Panthers taking on Wichita South.

- Mike Courson goes "On the Prowl" for Panther Sports with Great Bend Panther wrestling coach Lars&nbsp;Lueders.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1693997740304.jpeg" alt="Thursday show lineup with Steve Webster and Mike Courson" />
 <figcaption>Thursday show lineup with Steve Webster and Mike Courson</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uXZQ6Bjt1r0?si=L6RPjPh0d2qOI5qW" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>- Great Bend Panther basketball coach Kyle Kreigh previews Friday nights showdown in Hutchinson against the 4-1 Salt Hawks. He'll also talk about next week's Salina Invitational Tournament that begins on Thursday with the Panthers taking on Wichita South.- Mike Courson goes "On the Prowl" for Panther Sports with Great Bend Panther wrestling coach Lars&nbsp;Lueders.- Thursday Sports Headlines- Sounds of the past 24-hours

Thursday on Sports Day(Watch)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bob Uecker, the voice of his hometown Milwaukee Brewers who after a short playing career earned the moniker "Mr. Baseball" and honors from the Hall of Fame, has died. He was 90.

The team announced Uecker died Thursday morning, calling it "one of the most difficult days in Milwaukee Brewers history." In a statement released by the club, Uecker’s family said he had battled small cell lung cancer since early 2023.

“Even in the face of this challenge, his enthusiasm for life was always present, never allowing his spirit to falter,” the family said.

Uecker was best known as a colorful comedian and broadcaster who earned his nickname during one of his numerous appearances on Johnny Carson’s late night show.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Uecker signed his first professional contract with the Milwaukee Braves in 1956 and reached the majors in 1962. He’d last six seasons in the big leagues as a backup catcher, finishing with a .200 average and 14 homers.

He won a World Series ring with St. Louis in 1964 and also played for Atlanta and Philadelphia.

“Career highlights? I had two,” he often joked. “I got an intentional walk from Sandy Koufax and I got out of a rundown against the Mets.”

Uecker also befriended former Brewers owner and MLB commissioner Bud Selig, who initially hired him as a scout. Selig liked to joke about how Uecker’s initial scouting report was stained with mashed potatoes and gravy.

Selig eventually brought Uecker to the broadcast booth. Uecker became the voice of the Brewers in 1971, in the second year after the team moved from Seattle.

Uecker remained with the club from that point on and became one of the Brewers’ most indelible figures. Brewers manager Craig Counsell grew up in the Milwaukee area and remembered spending summer days throwing a baseball against the roof and catching it while listening to Uecker’s broadcasts.

“There’s no single person in this franchise’s history who has been as iconic and as important as Bob Uecker,” said Jeff Levering, a member of the Brewers’ broadcast team since 2015.

Even as his celebrity status grew nationwide, Uecker savored the opportunity to continue calling games to fans in his hometown.

“To be able to do a game each and every day throughout the summer and talk to people every day at 6:30 for a night game, you become part of people’s families,” Uecker once said. “I know that because I get mail from people that tell me that. That’s part of the reward for being here, just to be recognized by the way you talk, the way you describe a game, whatever.”

Uecker was honored by the Hall of Fame with the Ford C. Frick award in 2003 and spent nearly 20 minutes keeping the Cooperstown, New York, crowd of about 18,000 in stitches.

“I still — and this is not sour grapes by any means — still think I should have gone in as a player,” he quipped.

“Ueck” got his big break off the field after opening for Don Rickles at Al Hirt’s nightclub in Atlanta in 1969. That performance caught Hirt’s attention, and the musician set him up to appear on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson. He became one of Carson’s favorite guests, making more than 100 appearances.

Carson was the one who dubbed Uecker “Mr. Baseball.” And the name stuck.

But Uecker’s comedy was just a part of his abilities. His warm storytelling and delivery made Uecker a natural to become one of the first color commentators on network TV broadcasts in the 1970s with ABC. In the ’90s, he teamed up with Bob Costas and Joe Morgan for the World Series.

From there, Uecker reached most households as one of the Miller Lite All-Stars in popular commercials for the beer brand based out of Milwaukee and Uecker later launched his TV acting career in 1985 on the ABC sitcom, “Mr. Belvedere.”

Uecker played George Owens during the successful 122-episode run of the series that lasted six years, as the head of the family and sports writer in a home that brings in a butler who struggles to adapt to an American household.

In a bit of casting that kept things pretty close to home, Uecker also played a prominent role in the movies Major League (1989) and Major League II (1994) as crass announcer Harry Doyle for a down-and-out Cleveland Indians franchise that finds a way to become playoff contenders.

“I’m part of American folklore, I guess,” Uecker told The Associated Press in 2003. “But I’m not a Hollywood guy. Baseball and broadcasting are in my blood.”

His wry description of a badly wayward pitch — “Juuuust a bit outside!” — in the movie is still often-repeated by announcers and fans at ballparks all over.

Uecker’s acting left some to believe he was more about being funny than a serious baseball announcer, but his tenure and observations with the Brewers were spot on, especially when games were tight. Equally enjoyable were games that weren’t, when Uecker would tell stories about other major leaguers, his own career and his hobbies as an avid fisherman and golfer.

“I don’t think anyone wants to hear somebody screwing around when you got a good game going,” Uecker said. “I think people see ‘Major League’ and they think Harry Doyle and figure that’s what Bob Uecker does. I do that sometimes, I do. But when we’ve got a good game going, I don’t mess around.”

In his later years, he took a serious approach to his health, swimming daily leading up to heart surgery in April 2010. Very soon after the procedures, doctors said Uecker returned to walking several miles and was ahead in recovery.

Uecker pushed to return to the booth and began calling games again in July, saying he bribed the doctors by allowing them to throw out the first pitch.

“You talk about all the things Bob has done, he never wanted to leave Milwaukee,” Selig said. “Above all, he made himself into a great play-by-play announcer. That’s what he did. He’s everything to this franchise and loves every minute of it.”

Uecker’s own career provided him most of his material. His former teammates said Uecker would do impressions of other broadcasters on the bus, but Uecker turned the spotlight on himself after his playing career was over.

“I signed with the Milwaukee Braves for $3,000. That bothered my dad at the time because he didn’t have that kind of dough,” he said “But he eventually scraped it up.”

Another classic: “When I came up to bat with three men on and two outs in the ninth, I looked in the other team’s dugout and they were already in street clothes.”

Uecker also presided over the stirring ceremony that closed Milwaukee County Stadium in 2000. When the Brewers’ new stadium opened as Miller Park in 2001, the team began selling “Uecker Seats” high in the upper deck and obstructed for a $1.

The stadium, now known as American Family Field, has two statues in Uecker’s honor. There’s a statue outside the stadium and another one in the back of Section 422, a nod to the Miller Lite commercial in which he famously said “I must be in the front row!” while getting taken to one of the worst seats in the ballpark.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737045767767.png" alt="FILE - Milwaukee Brewers radio announcer Bob Uecker tips his cap before a baseball game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Miami Marlins,, July 28, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - Milwaukee Brewers radio announcer Bob Uecker tips his cap before a baseball game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Miami Marlins,, July 28, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)</figcaption>
 </figure>MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bob Uecker, the voice of his hometown Milwaukee Brewers who after a short playing career earned the moniker "Mr. Baseball" and honors from the Hall of Fame, has died. He was 90.The team announced Uecker died Thursday morning, calling it "one of the most difficult days in Milwaukee Brewers history." In a statement released by the club, Uecker’s family said he had battled small cell lung cancer since early 2023.“Even in the face of this challenge, his enthusiasm for life was always present, never allowing his spirit to falter,” the family said.Uecker was best known as a colorful comedian and broadcaster who earned his nickname during one of his numerous appearances on Johnny Carson’s late night show.Born and raised in Milwaukee, Uecker signed his first professional contract with the Milwaukee Braves in 1956 and reached the majors in 1962. He’d last six seasons in the big leagues as a backup catcher, finishing with a .200 average and 14 homers.He won a World Series ring with St. Louis in 1964 and also played for Atlanta and Philadelphia.“Career highlights? I had two,” he often joked. “I got an intentional walk from Sandy Koufax and I got out of a rundown against the Mets.”Uecker also befriended former Brewers owner and MLB commissioner Bud Selig, who initially hired him as a scout. Selig liked to joke about how Uecker’s initial scouting report was stained with mashed potatoes and gravy.Selig eventually brought Uecker to the broadcast booth. Uecker became the voice of the Brewers in 1971, in the second year after the team moved from Seattle.Uecker remained with the club from that point on and became one of the Brewers’ most indelible figures. Brewers manager Craig Counsell grew up in the Milwaukee area and remembered spending summer days throwing a baseball against the roof and catching it while listening to Uecker’s broadcasts.“There’s no single person in this franchise’s history who has been as iconic and as important as Bob Uecker,” said Jeff Levering, a member of the Brewers’ broadcast team since 2015.Even as his celebrity status grew nationwide, Uecker savored the opportunity to continue calling games to fans in his hometown.“To be able to do a game each and every day throughout the summer and talk to people every day at 6:30 for a night game, you become part of people’s families,” Uecker once said. “I know that because I get mail from people that tell me that. That’s part of the reward for being here, just to be recognized by the way you talk, the way you describe a game, whatever.”Uecker was honored by the Hall of Fame with the Ford C. Frick award in 2003 and spent nearly 20 minutes keeping the Cooperstown, New York, crowd of about 18,000 in stitches.“I still — and this is not sour grapes by any means — still think I should have gone in as a player,” he quipped.“Ueck” got his big break off the field after opening for Don Rickles at Al Hirt’s nightclub in Atlanta in 1969. That performance caught Hirt’s attention, and the musician set him up to appear on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson. He became one of Carson’s favorite guests, making more than 100 appearances.Carson was the one who dubbed Uecker “Mr. Baseball.” And the name stuck.But Uecker’s comedy was just a part of his abilities. His warm storytelling and delivery made Uecker a natural to become one of the first color commentators on network TV broadcasts in the 1970s with ABC. In the ’90s, he teamed up with Bob Costas and Joe Morgan for the World Series.From there, Uecker reached most households as one of the Miller Lite All-Stars in popular commercials for the beer brand based out of Milwaukee and Uecker later launched his TV acting career in 1985 on the ABC sitcom, “Mr. Belvedere.”Uecker played George Owens during the successful 122-episode run of the series that lasted six years, as the head of the family and sports writer in a home that brings in a butler who struggles to adapt to an American household.In a bit of casting that kept things pretty close to home, Uecker also played a prominent role in the movies Major League (1989) and Major League II (1994) as crass announcer Harry Doyle for a down-and-out Cleveland Indians franchise that finds a way to become playoff contenders.“I’m part of American folklore, I guess,” Uecker told The Associated Press in 2003. “But I’m not a Hollywood guy. Baseball and broadcasting are in my blood.”His wry description of a badly wayward pitch — “Juuuust a bit outside!” — in the movie is still often-repeated by announcers and fans at ballparks all over.Uecker’s acting left some to believe he was more about being funny than a serious baseball announcer, but his tenure and observations with the Brewers were spot on, especially when games were tight. Equally enjoyable were games that weren’t, when Uecker would tell stories about other major leaguers, his own career and his hobbies as an avid fisherman and golfer.“I don’t think anyone wants to hear somebody screwing around when you got a good game going,” Uecker said. “I think people see ‘Major League’ and they think Harry Doyle and figure that’s what Bob Uecker does. I do that sometimes, I do. But when we’ve got a good game going, I don’t mess around.”In his later years, he took a serious approach to his health, swimming daily leading up to heart surgery in April 2010. Very soon after the procedures, doctors said Uecker returned to walking several miles and was ahead in recovery.Uecker pushed to return to the booth and began calling games again in July, saying he bribed the doctors by allowing them to throw out the first pitch.“You talk about all the things Bob has done, he never wanted to leave Milwaukee,” Selig said. “Above all, he made himself into a great play-by-play announcer. That’s what he did. He’s everything to this franchise and loves every minute of it.”Uecker’s own career provided him most of his material. His former teammates said Uecker would do impressions of other broadcasters on the bus, but Uecker turned the spotlight on himself after his playing career was over.“I signed with the Milwaukee Braves for $3,000. That bothered my dad at the time because he didn’t have that kind of dough,” he said “But he eventually scraped it up.”Another classic: “When I came up to bat with three men on and two outs in the ninth, I looked in the other team’s dugout and they were already in street clothes.”Uecker also presided over the stirring ceremony that closed Milwaukee County Stadium in 2000. When the Brewers’ new stadium opened as Miller Park in 2001, the team began selling “Uecker Seats” high in the upper deck and obstructed for a $1.The stadium, now known as American Family Field, has two statues in Uecker’s honor. There’s a statue outside the stadium and another one in the back of Section 422, a nod to the Miller Lite commercial in which he famously said “I must be in the front row!” while getting taken to one of the worst seats in the ballpark.

‘Mr. Baseball’ Bob Uecker, Brewers announcer, dies at 90

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas junior quarterback&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-ohio-state-ewers-playoff-deda7a46d458a0ee5e336e5defabcde9">Quinn Ewers</a>&nbsp;declared for the NFL draft on Wednesday, ending a Longhorns career in which he led the program to a Big 12 championship and twice to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-football">College Football Playoff</a>&nbsp;but was not always embraced by a fan base eagerly waiting for Arch Manning to take over.

Ewers passed for 9,128 yards and 68 touchdowns in a career that few Texas quarterbacks can match. He had hinted before the season ended that it would be his last in college.

“These past three years have been some of the best years I could have imagined,” Ewers said in&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/QuinnEwers/status/1879566077887455646" target="_blank">social media post</a>&nbsp;announcing his decision. “The relationships I’ve built between coaches and teammates will last forever.”

His 27 career wins rank fourth as a starting quarterback at Texas, and he led the Longhorns to their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/big-12-championship-football-score-texas-oklahoma-state-b3dc2af3ee756ecf4e0c4b5d6e5d2d0f">first Big 12 title in 14 years in 2023</a>&nbsp;before the program moved to the Southeastern Conference. In their first season in the SEC, the Longhorns rose to their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-25-50179e2ca80290fc81919aadbab2a593">first No. 1 ranking since 2008</a>&nbsp;and played in the league championship game.

Ewers’ biggest legacy will be leading the program to the playoff semifinals in consecutive years, though it fell short of the championship game. He had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cotton-bowl-score-cfp-texas-ohio-state-ef309657810ba2ce114dde1204f05f9c">a fumble</a>&nbsp;on a sack that led to a game-clinching touchdown for Ohio State on Jan. 10 in the Cotton Bowl.

Ewers, who grew up in the Dallas suburbs, was the top-rated high school quarterback in the country when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-ohio-state-ewers-playoff-deda7a46d458a0ee5e336e5defabcde9">signed with Ohio State</a>&nbsp;and left school early to the join the Buckeyes for the 2021 season. But after one season spent deep on the Ohio State depth chart, Ewers transferred to Texas, which had just finished 5-7 in coach Steve Sarkisian’s first season.

He was the starter by the season opener in 2022 and led the team through seasons of 8-5, 12-2 and 13-3 records. But he was dogged by various shoulder, abdomen and ankle injuries and missed at least two games each season. An abdomen strain this season allowed Manning to start twice and earn the program’s first SEC win, which came against Mississippi State.

Ewers’ departure sets the stage for Manning to take over in 2025.

The son of Cooper Manning, the grandson of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and the nephew of Super Bowl-winning QBs Peyton and Eli Manning passed for 939 yards and nine touchdowns and ran for four TDs this season but has seen only limited playing time since September.

Texas fans have been eagerly awaiting his chance to be the full-time starter. Manning will get it with a rebuilt offense.

Top receivers Matthew Golden and Isaiah Bond have declared for the draft and senior tight end Gunnar Helm completed his eligibility. Running back Jaydon Blue, who scored a team-high 14 touchdowns including four in the playoffs, and starting tackles Kelvin Banks Jr. and Cam Williams also left for the NFL.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas junior quarterback&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-ohio-state-ewers-playoff-deda7a46d458a0ee5e336e5defabcde9">Quinn Ewers</a>&nbsp;declared for the NFL draft on Wednesday, ending a Longhorns career in which he led the program to a Big 12 championship and twice to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-football">College Football Playoff</a>&nbsp;but was not always embraced by a fan base eagerly waiting for Arch Manning to take over.Ewers passed for 9,128 yards and 68 touchdowns in a career that few Texas quarterbacks can match. He had hinted before the season ended that it would be his last in college.“These past three years have been some of the best years I could have imagined,” Ewers said in&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/QuinnEwers/status/1879566077887455646" target="_blank">social media post</a>&nbsp;announcing his decision. “The relationships I’ve built between coaches and teammates will last forever.”His 27 career wins rank fourth as a starting quarterback at Texas, and he led the Longhorns to their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/big-12-championship-football-score-texas-oklahoma-state-b3dc2af3ee756ecf4e0c4b5d6e5d2d0f">first Big 12 title in 14 years in 2023</a>&nbsp;before the program moved to the Southeastern Conference. In their first season in the SEC, the Longhorns rose to their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-25-50179e2ca80290fc81919aadbab2a593">first No. 1 ranking since 2008</a>&nbsp;and played in the league championship game.Ewers’ biggest legacy will be leading the program to the playoff semifinals in consecutive years, though it fell short of the championship game. He had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cotton-bowl-score-cfp-texas-ohio-state-ef309657810ba2ce114dde1204f05f9c">a fumble</a>&nbsp;on a sack that led to a game-clinching touchdown for Ohio State on Jan. 10 in the Cotton Bowl.<h2>Ewers’ career</h2>Ewers, who grew up in the Dallas suburbs, was the top-rated high school quarterback in the country when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-ohio-state-ewers-playoff-deda7a46d458a0ee5e336e5defabcde9">signed with Ohio State</a>&nbsp;and left school early to the join the Buckeyes for the 2021 season. But after one season spent deep on the Ohio State depth chart, Ewers transferred to Texas, which had just finished 5-7 in coach Steve Sarkisian’s first season.He was the starter by the season opener in 2022 and led the team through seasons of 8-5, 12-2 and 13-3 records. But he was dogged by various shoulder, abdomen and ankle injuries and missed at least two games each season. An abdomen strain this season allowed Manning to start twice and earn the program’s first SEC win, which came against Mississippi State.<h2>Make way for Manning</h2>Ewers’ departure sets the stage for Manning to take over in 2025.The son of Cooper Manning, the grandson of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and the nephew of Super Bowl-winning QBs Peyton and Eli Manning passed for 939 yards and nine touchdowns and ran for four TDs this season but has seen only limited playing time since September.Texas fans have been eagerly awaiting his chance to be the full-time starter. Manning will get it with a rebuilt offense.Top receivers Matthew Golden and Isaiah Bond have declared for the draft and senior tight end Gunnar Helm completed his eligibility. Running back Jaydon Blue, who scored a team-high 14 touchdowns including four in the playoffs, and starting tackles Kelvin Banks Jr. and Cam Williams also left for the NFL.

Texas QB Quinn Ewers declares for NFL draft as program ushers in Arch Manning era

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bob Uecker, the voice of his hometown Milwaukee Brewers who after a short playing career earned the moniker "Mr. Baseball" and honors from the Hall of Fame, has died. He was 90.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We are heartbroken to announce that Brewers icon &amp; Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Uecker passed away today at the age of 90 <a href="https://t.co/EJRBC8Cjj4">pic.twitter.com/EJRBC8Cjj4</a>&mdash; Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Brewers/status/1879918076206231672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The team announced Uecker died Thursday morning, calling it "one of the most difficult days in Milwaukee Brewers history." In a statement released by the club, Uecker’s family said he had battled small cell lung cancer since early 2023.“Even in the face of this challenge, his enthusiasm for life was always present, never allowing his spirit to falter,” the family said.Uecker was best known as a colorful comedian and broadcaster who earned his nickname during one of his numerous appearances on Johnny Carson’s late night show.Born and raised in Milwaukee, Uecker signed his first professional contract with the Milwaukee Braves in 1956 and reached the majors in 1962. He’d last six seasons in the big leagues as a backup catcher, finishing with a .200 average and 14 homers.He won a World Series ring with St. Louis in 1964 and also played for Atlanta and Philadelphia.“Career highlights? I had two,” he often joked. “I got an intentional walk from Sandy Koufax and I got out of a rundown against the Mets.”Uecker also befriended former Brewers owner and MLB commissioner Bud Selig, who initially hired him as a scout. Selig liked to joke about how Uecker’s initial scouting report was stained with mashed potatoes and gravy.Selig eventually brought Uecker to the broadcast booth. Uecker became the voice of the Brewers in 1971, in the second year after the team moved from Seattle.Uecker remained with the club from that point on and became one of the Brewers’ most indelible figures. Brewers manager Craig Counsell grew up in the Milwaukee area and remembered spending summer days throwing a baseball against the roof and catching it while listening to Uecker’s broadcasts.“There’s no single person in this franchise’s history who has been as iconic and as important as Bob Uecker,” said Jeff Levering, a member of the Brewers’ broadcast team since 2015.Even as his celebrity status grew nationwide, Uecker savored the opportunity to continue calling games to fans in his hometown.“To be able to do a game each and every day throughout the summer and talk to people every day at 6:30 for a night game, you become part of people’s families,” Uecker once said. “I know that because I get mail from people that tell me that. That’s part of the reward for being here, just to be recognized by the way you talk, the way you describe a game, whatever.”Uecker was honored by the Hall of Fame with the Ford C. Frick award in 2003 and spent nearly 20 minutes keeping the Cooperstown, New York, crowd of about 18,000 in stitches.“I still — and this is not sour grapes by any means — still think I should have gone in as a player,” he quipped.“Ueck” got his big break off the field after opening for Don Rickles at Al Hirt’s nightclub in Atlanta in 1969. That performance caught Hirt’s attention, and the musician set him up to appear on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson. He became one of Carson’s favorite guests, making more than 100 appearances.Carson was the one who dubbed Uecker “Mr. Baseball.” And the name stuck.But Uecker’s comedy was just a part of his abilities. His warm storytelling and delivery made Uecker a natural to become one of the first color commentators on network TV broadcasts in the 1970s with ABC. In the ’90s, he teamed up with Bob Costas and Joe Morgan for the World Series.From there, Uecker reached most households as one of the Miller Lite All-Stars in popular commercials for the beer brand based out of Milwaukee and Uecker later launched his TV acting career in 1985 on the ABC sitcom, “Mr. Belvedere.”Uecker played George Owens during the successful 122-episode run of the series that lasted six years, as the head of the family and sports writer in a home that brings in a butler who struggles to adapt to an American household.In a bit of casting that kept things pretty close to home, Uecker also played a prominent role in the movies Major League (1989) and Major League II (1994) as crass announcer Harry Doyle for a down-and-out Cleveland Indians franchise that finds a way to become playoff contenders.“I’m part of American folklore, I guess,” Uecker told The Associated Press in 2003. “But I’m not a Hollywood guy. Baseball and broadcasting are in my blood.”His wry description of a badly wayward pitch — “Juuuust a bit outside!” — in the movie is still often-repeated by announcers and fans at ballparks all over.Uecker’s acting left some to believe he was more about being funny than a serious baseball announcer, but his tenure and observations with the Brewers were spot on, especially when games were tight. Equally enjoyable were games that weren’t, when Uecker would tell stories about other major leaguers, his own career and his hobbies as an avid fisherman and golfer.“I don’t think anyone wants to hear somebody screwing around when you got a good game going,” Uecker said. “I think people see ‘Major League’ and they think Harry Doyle and figure that’s what Bob Uecker does. I do that sometimes, I do. But when we’ve got a good game going, I don’t mess around.”In his later years, he took a serious approach to his health, swimming daily leading up to heart surgery in April 2010. Very soon after the procedures, doctors said Uecker returned to walking several miles and was ahead in recovery.Uecker pushed to return to the booth and began calling games again in July, saying he bribed the doctors by allowing them to throw out the first pitch.“You talk about all the things Bob has done, he never wanted to leave Milwaukee,” Selig said. “Above all, he made himself into a great play-by-play announcer. That’s what he did. He’s everything to this franchise and loves every minute of it.”Uecker’s own career provided him most of his material. His former teammates said Uecker would do impressions of other broadcasters on the bus, but Uecker turned the spotlight on himself after his playing career was over.“I signed with the Milwaukee Braves for $3,000. That bothered my dad at the time because he didn’t have that kind of dough,” he said “But he eventually scraped it up.”Another classic: “When I came up to bat with three men on and two outs in the ninth, I looked in the other team’s dugout and they were already in street clothes.”Uecker also presided over the stirring ceremony that closed Milwaukee County Stadium in 2000. When the Brewers’ new stadium opened as Miller Park in 2001, the team began selling “Uecker Seats” high in the upper deck and obstructed for a $1.The stadium, now known as American Family Field, has two statues in Uecker’s honor. There’s a statue outside the stadium and another one in the back of Section 422, a nod to the Miller Lite commercial in which he famously said “I must be in the front row!” while getting taken to one of the worst seats in the ballpark.

'Mr. Baseball' Bob Uecker, beloved broadcaster for his hometown Brewers, has died

By TODD MOORE Barton Sports Info

The Barton Community College women's basketball team picked up its third straight win out of the holiday break Wednesday night at the Barton Gym by rolling past Independence Community College 94-49.

The Cougars strung five stretches of nine or more points in growing its twenty-eight point halftime lead to as much as fifty in cruising to its seventh straight win of the series.

Barton improves to 4-7 in league play and 8-9 overall with Independence remaining winless in conference play at 0-10 and 1-15 on the season.

The Cougars conclude their two-game homestand Saturday with a 2:00 p.m. tip hosting Coffeyville Community College, a Red Raven squad receiving votes in the latest poll and fresh off its Wednesday victory knocking off 4th ranked Dodge City.

Reigning KJCCC and NJCAA Player of the Week&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2024-25/bios/onugha_vivian_7u24">Vivian Onugha</a>&nbsp;continued here onslaught of opponents in recording her 14th double-double of the season on a game high 23 points and 11 rebounds in just 24 minutes of court time.

Multiple career bests and collegiate firsts occurred in the runaway victory,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2024-25/bios/hall_keyona_qz08">Keyona Hall</a>&nbsp;highlighting the efforts by pouring in 20 points with 4 assists in 21 minutes and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2024-25/bios/donanu_regina_yoh6">Regina Donanu</a>&nbsp;dishing out a best 7 assists, to go along with, 13 points and 3 steals.

Independence also had three reach double-figures led by the 13 points from Jassie Manning with 10 each coming from Allison Reese and Lauryn Gentle.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737034918703.jpeg" alt="Keyona Hall" />
 <figcaption>Keyona Hall</figcaption>
 </figure>By TODD MOORE Barton Sports InfoThe Barton Community College women's basketball team picked up its third straight win out of the holiday break Wednesday night at the Barton Gym by rolling past Independence Community College 94-49.The Cougars strung five stretches of nine or more points in growing its twenty-eight point halftime lead to as much as fifty in cruising to its seventh straight win of the series.Barton improves to 4-7 in league play and 8-9 overall with Independence remaining winless in conference play at 0-10 and 1-15 on the season.The Cougars conclude their two-game homestand Saturday with a 2:00 p.m. tip hosting Coffeyville Community College, a Red Raven squad receiving votes in the latest poll and fresh off its Wednesday victory knocking off 4th ranked Dodge City.Reigning KJCCC and NJCAA Player of the Week&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2024-25/bios/onugha_vivian_7u24">Vivian Onugha</a>&nbsp;continued here onslaught of opponents in recording her 14th double-double of the season on a game high 23 points and 11 rebounds in just 24 minutes of court time.Multiple career bests and collegiate firsts occurred in the runaway victory,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2024-25/bios/hall_keyona_qz08">Keyona Hall</a>&nbsp;highlighting the efforts by pouring in 20 points with 4 assists in 21 minutes and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2024-25/bios/donanu_regina_yoh6">Regina Donanu</a>&nbsp;dishing out a best 7 assists, to go along with, 13 points and 3 steals.Independence also had three reach double-figures led by the 13 points from Jassie Manning with 10 each coming from Allison Reese and Lauryn Gentle.Other Barton collegiate highs were:<ul>
 <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2024-25/bios/mapiye_gertrude_xtyg">Getrude Mapiye</a>&nbsp;with 12 rebounds and 7 points in twelve minutes, dishing out her first assist of the year setting up Donanu's jumper with 8:22 left in the game for Barton's largest lead coming at 80-30</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2024-25/bios/enenuvwedia_ejiroghene_b5r6">Ejiroghene "EJ" Enenuvwedia</a>&nbsp;with 6 points, 5 rebounds, and dishing out 2 assists.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2024-25/bios/biribebe_joy_2ntr">Joy Biribebe</a>&nbsp;grabbing 4 rebounds and a best tying 2 points while also dishing out her first collegiate assist with 3:08 left in the third quarter.</li>
 </ul>

Barton women roll to third straight victory in 94-49 victory over Independence

The 13th ranked Barton Community College men's basketball team squandered a thirty-point advantage to eventually fall in overtime 112-111 hosting Independence Community College.

In a tale of two halves, Barton built a thirty-point late first half lead producing a season high 57 points in a frame but in the final twenty minutes surrendered a season most 63 points including Independence's sinking a trio of free throws with two seconds remaining sending the game to overtime.

Independence carried the momentum into the extra frame, gaining their first lead of the contest coming 39 seconds into overtime on two of their 38-made free throws in the game. Barton would tie it up on the next possession, but the Pirates would hold four, five-point leads until a pair of charity tosses pushed the margin to six with 19 seconds remaining.

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2024-25/bios/kindell_keandre_xyju">Keandre Kindell</a>'s three-pointer cut the gap in half with ten ticks left but the Cougars' were called for a delay of game resulting in a technical foul shot making it a two-possession ball game.

Barton forced two turnovers on the inbounds in the final seven seconds,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2024-25/bios/parlow-_jr._james_9gp2">James Parlow, Jr.</a>'s steal resulting in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2024-25/bios/williams_fontaine_k5rg">Fontaine Williams</a>' arc buster with Williams stealing the next inbounds pass finding Kindell at the top of the arc as the potential game winner rimmed out as time expired on the rebound.

Barton falls to 7-4 in KJCCC play and 13-4 overall while Independence improves to 4-6 in league and 8-8 on the season in snapping the Cougars' six-game win streak of the series.

The Cougars conclude their two-game homestand on Saturday hosting No. 12 Coffeyville Community College in a 4:00 p.m. tip-off to conclude the first half of the rugged 26-game Jayhawk Conference schedule.

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2024-25/bios/moss_brent_th5a">Brent Moss</a>' monster effort went for naught as the reigning KJCCC Player of the Week put up program top ten, single game performances of 40 points with 20 rebounds to post his 7th double-double of the season.

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2024-25/bios/rodriguez_aris_jaun">Aris Rodriguez</a>&nbsp;scored six of his 19 points in overtime as Kindell finished with 16 points and 8 assists. Knocking down 4-of-6 beyond the arc, Williams concluded with 15 points in rounding out the Cougars' double-digit scorers.

Five Pirates reached double-digits led by Trashaun Combs-Pierce's 30 points, sinking 13-of-16 from the free throw line, and grabbing seven of his 14 rebounds on the offensive glass completing the double-double effort.

Flirting with a triple-double, Chiante Tramble sank 15-of-17 from the stripe towards a 28-point outing, dishing out 11 assists with 9 rebounds while adding 4 steals for game high honors.

David Wilson chipped in 15 points off the bench with Cedric Dixon and Jahmari Hamilton-Brown contributing 10 points each.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737034817126.jpeg" alt="Keandre Kindell" />
 <figcaption>Keandre Kindell</figcaption>
 </figure>By TODD MOORE Barton Sports InfoThe 13th ranked Barton Community College men's basketball team squandered a thirty-point advantage to eventually fall in overtime 112-111 hosting Independence Community College.In a tale of two halves, Barton built a thirty-point late first half lead producing a season high 57 points in a frame but in the final twenty minutes surrendered a season most 63 points including Independence's sinking a trio of free throws with two seconds remaining sending the game to overtime.Independence carried the momentum into the extra frame, gaining their first lead of the contest coming 39 seconds into overtime on two of their 38-made free throws in the game. Barton would tie it up on the next possession, but the Pirates would hold four, five-point leads until a pair of charity tosses pushed the margin to six with 19 seconds remaining.<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2024-25/bios/kindell_keandre_xyju">Keandre Kindell</a>'s three-pointer cut the gap in half with ten ticks left but the Cougars' were called for a delay of game resulting in a technical foul shot making it a two-possession ball game.Barton forced two turnovers on the inbounds in the final seven seconds,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2024-25/bios/parlow-_jr._james_9gp2">James Parlow, Jr.</a>'s steal resulting in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2024-25/bios/williams_fontaine_k5rg">Fontaine Williams</a>' arc buster with Williams stealing the next inbounds pass finding Kindell at the top of the arc as the potential game winner rimmed out as time expired on the rebound.Barton falls to 7-4 in KJCCC play and 13-4 overall while Independence improves to 4-6 in league and 8-8 on the season in snapping the Cougars' six-game win streak of the series.The Cougars conclude their two-game homestand on Saturday hosting No. 12 Coffeyville Community College in a 4:00 p.m. tip-off to conclude the first half of the rugged 26-game Jayhawk Conference schedule.<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2024-25/bios/moss_brent_th5a">Brent Moss</a>' monster effort went for naught as the reigning KJCCC Player of the Week put up program top ten, single game performances of 40 points with 20 rebounds to post his 7th double-double of the season.<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mbkb/2024-25/bios/rodriguez_aris_jaun">Aris Rodriguez</a>&nbsp;scored six of his 19 points in overtime as Kindell finished with 16 points and 8 assists. Knocking down 4-of-6 beyond the arc, Williams concluded with 15 points in rounding out the Cougars' double-digit scorers.Five Pirates reached double-digits led by Trashaun Combs-Pierce's 30 points, sinking 13-of-16 from the free throw line, and grabbing seven of his 14 rebounds on the offensive glass completing the double-double effort.Flirting with a triple-double, Chiante Tramble sank 15-of-17 from the stripe towards a 28-point outing, dishing out 11 assists with 9 rebounds while adding 4 steals for game high honors.David Wilson chipped in 15 points off the bench with Cedric Dixon and Jahmari Hamilton-Brown contributing 10 points each.

Second half collapse sends No. 13 Barton men to overtime loss to Independence

Urban Meyer will join Nick Saban in the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame class, and Michael Vick and Michael Strahan are among the former players who will be inducted. The National Football Foundation announced Saban’s selection last week and the rest of the 18-player, four-coach class on Wednesday.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-nick-saban-retires-crimson-tide-ebb46230ca171dd6f310ff76e403fd23">Saban retired last year</a>&nbsp;as the NCAA’s active leader in wins with 292-71-1 over 28 seasons at Toledo, Michigan State, LSU and Alabama. His seven national championships — one at LSU, six at Alabama — are most by a Football Bowl Subdivision coach. Meyer was 187-32 with three national championships over 17 seasons at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State. He won 22 of 24 games at Utah before taking over at Florida, where he won national titles in 2006 and 2008. He moved to Ohio State in 2012, won his third national championship in 2014 and went&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/9aada5dfe4b4414c937581962c7c898c">83-9 over seven seasons.</a>

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lindsey-vonn-titanium-knee-5ccb075d8e64783d18e0a694f4310f20">Lindsey Vonn</a>&nbsp;fell toward the end of a World Cup downhill training run on Thursday and appeared slightly banged up. Vonn got back up and skied to the finish area on the Olympia delle Tofane course but then went inside a medical tent for treatment. She did not break any bones, her team said. The 40-year-old Vonn recently returned to ski racing after nearly six years of retirement, with a titanium knee replacement. Last Sunday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ski-world-cup-superg-vonn-macuga-71226cbad243bac097475169fa9c7f19">she finished fourth in a super-G</a>&nbsp;in St. Anton, Austria. Vonn holds the record of 12 wins in Cortina, the stage for next year’s Milan-Cortina Olympics.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Jim Harbaugh is eager to begin plotting the Los Angeles Chargers offseason strategy with general manager Joe Hortiz. Those offseason plans, though, will take a slight pause when Harbaugh undergoes two medical procedures. Harbaugh said during his end-of-season remarks on Wednesday that he will “soon” have an ablation to treat an irregular heart rhythm as well as hip replacement surgery. Harbaugh experienced an irregular heartbeat during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/broncos-chargers-score-e3ac8992926f5a5f399c406d7f4d9a9d">the first half of a 23-16 win at Denver on Oct. 13</a>. During the first quarter, Harbaugh briefly entered the medical tent before heading to the locker room. While in the locker room, Harbaugh had his pulse and an EKG taken and received an IV and magnesium.&nbsp;Harbaugh returned to the sideline after the EKG showed his heart had returned to normal rhythm.

Viewer audiences for the first weekend of the NFL playoffs were down 9.3% from last year, a bigger decline than what the league experienced during the regular season. According to the league and Nielsen, the six wild-card round games averaged 28.3 million viewers on television and digital platforms, compared to 31.2 million last year. The two Saturday games held steady, while the Sunday and Monday matchups saw declines. The biggest takeaway from the weekend is that audiences have acclimated to one of the games being on a streaming service. Baltimore’s 28-14 victory over Pittsburgh averaged 22.07 million on Amazon Prime Video. It is a record for the most-watched game on Prime, surpassing the 17.29 million for the Detroit Lions-Green Bay Packers game on Dec. 5.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1714991701059.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Urban Meyer will join Nick Saban in the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame class, and Michael Vick and Michael Strahan are among the former players who will be inducted. The National Football Foundation announced Saban’s selection last week and the rest of the 18-player, four-coach class on Wednesday.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-nick-saban-retires-crimson-tide-ebb46230ca171dd6f310ff76e403fd23">Saban retired last year</a>&nbsp;as the NCAA’s active leader in wins with 292-71-1 over 28 seasons at Toledo, Michigan State, LSU and Alabama. His seven national championships — one at LSU, six at Alabama — are most by a Football Bowl Subdivision coach. Meyer was 187-32 with three national championships over 17 seasons at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State. He won 22 of 24 games at Utah before taking over at Florida, where he won national titles in 2006 and 2008. He moved to Ohio State in 2012, won his third national championship in 2014 and went&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/9aada5dfe4b4414c937581962c7c898c">83-9 over seven seasons.</a>CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lindsey-vonn-titanium-knee-5ccb075d8e64783d18e0a694f4310f20">Lindsey Vonn</a>&nbsp;fell toward the end of a World Cup downhill training run on Thursday and appeared slightly banged up. Vonn got back up and skied to the finish area on the Olympia delle Tofane course but then went inside a medical tent for treatment. She did not break any bones, her team said. The 40-year-old Vonn recently returned to ski racing after nearly six years of retirement, with a titanium knee replacement. Last Sunday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ski-world-cup-superg-vonn-macuga-71226cbad243bac097475169fa9c7f19">she finished fourth in a super-G</a>&nbsp;in St. Anton, Austria. Vonn holds the record of 12 wins in Cortina, the stage for next year’s Milan-Cortina Olympics.EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Jim Harbaugh is eager to begin plotting the Los Angeles Chargers offseason strategy with general manager Joe Hortiz. Those offseason plans, though, will take a slight pause when Harbaugh undergoes two medical procedures. Harbaugh said during his end-of-season remarks on Wednesday that he will “soon” have an ablation to treat an irregular heart rhythm as well as hip replacement surgery. Harbaugh experienced an irregular heartbeat during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/broncos-chargers-score-e3ac8992926f5a5f399c406d7f4d9a9d">the first half of a 23-16 win at Denver on Oct. 13</a>. During the first quarter, Harbaugh briefly entered the medical tent before heading to the locker room. While in the locker room, Harbaugh had his pulse and an EKG taken and received an IV and magnesium.&nbsp;Harbaugh returned to the sideline after the EKG showed his heart had returned to normal rhythm.Viewer audiences for the first weekend of the NFL playoffs were down 9.3% from last year, a bigger decline than what the league experienced during the regular season. According to the league and Nielsen, the six wild-card round games averaged 28.3 million viewers on television and digital platforms, compared to 31.2 million last year. The two Saturday games held steady, while the Sunday and Monday matchups saw declines. The biggest takeaway from the weekend is that audiences have acclimated to one of the games being on a streaming service. Baltimore’s 28-14 victory over Pittsburgh averaged 22.07 million on Amazon Prime Video. It is a record for the most-watched game on Prime, surpassing the 17.29 million for the Detroit Lions-Green Bay Packers game on Dec. 5.WEDNESDAY SCORES NCAA MEN TOP 25 No. 2 Iowa State 74, No. 9 Kansas 57No. 6 Tennessee 74, No. 23 Georgia 56No. 10 Houston 70, West Virginia 54No. 12 Michigan State 12, Penn State 85No. 17 Purdue 69, Washington 58UNLV 65, No. 22 Utah State 62