HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes is a different quarterback than he was four years ago, when the Kansas City Chiefs played the San Francisco 49ers in his first Super Bowl. He’s a different man, for that matter, a dad of two with different priorities in his life. One thing Mahomes has learned that has helped with both jobs is patience. That was especially true on the football field this season, when his wide receivers dropped more passes than any other team, and the rest of the Kansas City offense committed more penalties than any team but one. Yet here is Mahomes, back in the Super Bowl, and playing San Francisco again on Sunday.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas is about to throw its biggest party yet. Doors open Sunday at Allegiant Stadium for the city's first Super Bowl. Las Vegas is primed for an estimated 330,000 visitors this week leading up to the San Francisco 49ers taking on the Kansas City Chiefs. Even the Las Vegas Strip looks different, with Roman numeral installations springing up and a towering Vince Lombardi Trophy outside the Bellagio. One county official says the city's transformation for the big game proves Las Vegas has arrived as a sports entertainment hub.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The underdog Kansas City Chiefs are playing for history against the San Francisco 49ers. No team has been the underdog in consecutive Super Bowls and won both games. The two previous defending champions to return as an underdog both lost. But the Chiefs have been defying the odds throughout the postseason. They were underdogs in victories at Buffalo and Baltimore. Now, they’ve got to do it again to become the first repeat champions in 19 years. The 49ers are 2 1/2-point favorites on Sunday, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. They’re quite familiar with that role having been favored to win each game this season.
DENVER (AP) — A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press that Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes are closing in on adding Cincinnati Bengals secondary coach Robert Livingston as the defensive coordinator. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team has not finalized the hiring. Livingston would take over for Charles Kelly, who’s now in a similar role at Auburn. Livingston is set to inherit a Colorado defense that surrendered 34.8 points and 453.3 yards per game in Sanders’ first season in charge.
UNDATED (AP) — College football’s busy recruiting calendar created a particularly hectic first few weeks on the job for all the head coaches who switched schools over the last month. Nick Saban's retirement last month set off a chain reaction that resulted in head coaching changes at Arizona, Washington and San Jose State as well as Alabama. That doesn’t even factor in Jim Harbaugh leaving Michigan for the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers. New coaches had to re-recruit prospects who had signed to play for a different staff and now were free to look elsewhere.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Led by Colby Rogers' 18 points, the Wichita State Shockers defeated the UTSA Roadrunners 84-64 on Wednesday night. The Shockers improved to 10-13 with the win and the Roadrunners fell to 8-15.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Geno Auriemma becomes third Division I coach to win 1,200 games. Auriemma joined former Duke men’s coach Mike Krzyzewski and Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer, who received widespread acclaim last month when she became the winningest coach in college basketball history. But Auriemma will reach the win plateau in his 39th season. Krzyzewski coached for 47 years and VanDerveer is in her 45th season as a head coach.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tiger Woods has been pointing to Riviera for his 2024 debut. He made it official with a statement on X saying he looks forward to being a playing host next week at the Genesis Invitational. The tournament he hosts is another $20 million signature event. Woods will be playing on a sponsor exemption. Riviera is among the best courses on tour, but it has confounded Woods. He has played it 12 times as a pro without winning, the most of any course on the PGA Tour. Woods hasn't played a PGA Tour event since the Masters because of ankle surgery.
UNDATED (AP) — Nick Saban is joining ESPN’s “College GameDay," the long-running Saturday pregame road show he appeared on as a guest so frequently during his 17 seasons as Alabama coach. The network announced Saban will be an on-set analyst for “GameDay,” joining host Rece Davis and regulars Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee. The 72-year-old Saban retired last month after 28 years as a college head coach. He won seven national championships, including six with Alabama and one with LSU.
PARIS (AP) — When they make history at the Paris Games, Olympic medalists will take a bit of France and its history home, too. A hexagonal, polished piece of iron taken from the Eiffel Tower is being embedded in the gold, silver and bronze medals that will be hung around athletes’ necks at this year’s Summer Games and Paralympics. Games organizers revealed the design on Thursday. The pieces of the Eiffel Tower each weigh 18 grams. They were cut from girders and other bits that were swapped out during renovations of the tower and stored for safekeeping. Paris jewelry house Chaumet designed the medals and the Paris Mint is manufacturing 5,084 of them.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid’s timeline to return to the Philadelphia 76ers is still unclear following knee surgery. His availability this summer for the U.S. Olympic team is just as murky. Embiid told USA Basketball in October that, after more than a year of deliberating, he has picked the Americans over France as his team for the Paris Olympics. USA Basketball does not plan to name its team until the spring of 2024, but if healthy, Embiid seemed to have a lock on one of the 12 spots on the squad that will be coached by Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr. Embiid became a U.S. citizen last year and could have also chosen to play for France.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics has recommended that Divisions I, II and III sponsor legislation to add a women’s wrestling championship. It's a key step to a potential jump from emerging sport status to an official NCAA championship sport. If sponsored, the NCAA members in the divisions are expected to vote on adding the sport during the NCAA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, next January. The committee hopes wrestling makes its NCAA championship debut in winter 2026. The latest sports sponsorship and participation data shows that more than 70 schools plan to sponsor the sport for the 2023-24 academic year.
BOSTON (AP) — At 6-foot-11, Scot Pollard’s size helped him play more than a decade in the NBA and earn him a championship ring with the 2008 Boston Celtics. Now it may be killing him. Pollard needs a heart transplant and the already dire predicament is made more difficult by the fact so few donors can provide him with a pump big and strong enough to supply blood to his body. He was admitted to intensive care at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and will wait there until a donor surfaces who was big enough to be a match. Pollard said in text messages to The Associated Press doctors hope it will be a matter of weeks, not months.
WEDNESDAY SCORES
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (6)Tennessee 88 LSU 68
Final (9)Duke 71 Notre Dame 53
Final Michigan 72 (11)Wisconsin 68
Final (12)Auburn 99 (16)Alabama 81
Final Providence 91 (19)Creighton 87
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Toronto 123 Charlotte 117
Final Cleveland 114 Washington 106
Final Boston 125 Atlanta 117
Final Miami 116 San Antonio 104
Final Golden State 127 Philadelphia 104
Final Detroit 133 Sacramento 120
Final New Orleans 117 L.A. Clippers 106
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final N-Y Rangers 3 Tampa Bay 1
Final Toronto 5 Dallas 4