SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Justin Verlander and the San Francisco Giants have agreed to a $15 million, one-year contract, according to a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the deal was pending a physical. It’s the latest big move by new Giants President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey since he was hired in September to replace Farhan Zaidi. San Francisco also signed free agent shortstop Willy Adames to a $182 million, seven-year contract in December. This will be the 20th major league season for Verlander, a three-time AL Cy Young Award winner who turns 42 next month. He would join a Giants rotation led by All-Star righty Logan Webb.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Tennessee coach Rick Barnes walked into the locker room and delivered a brief message to his downtrodden team: “This is good for us.” At least in the long run. The top-ranked Volunteers became the last Division I team to lose this season, getting thumped 73-43 at No. 8 Florida on Tuesday night. This one was over shortly after it tipped. Tennessee (14-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) missed its first nine shots, trailed by double digits a few minutes later and never recovered. The Volunteers got bullied in the paint, outmuscled on the boards and beaten up and down the court. The result was the most lopsided victory against a No. 1 team since UCLA and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor, beat Houston 101-69 in the 1968 Final Four.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Coach Steve Kerr criticized his Golden State Warriors for being down and lacking “a competitive spirit” in their latest embarrassing loss. “If you don’t have that you’ve got nothing, so we’ve got to find a way to build that back up,” Kerr said after a 114-98 loss to the Miami Heat on Tuesday night. That followed a 30-point pounding from the Sacramento Kings two nights earlier. Draymond Green is calling for the Warriors to rediscover their soul. Stephen Curry is making it clear he can hardly do it all himself. At one moment in the second half on Tuesday the two-time MVP looked up at the scoreboard almost as if in disbelief about how it was going. The Warriors are missing shots and missing defensive assignments when it matters most. “Back-to-back no-shows pretty much,” Curry said. “... Nobody’s giving up hope. You’ve got to have a sense of urgency, though.”
DALLAS (AP) — Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick said members of his family were among those in Southern California forced to evacuate their homes on Tuesday due to a wildfire that was being whipped by strong winds around Los Angeles. The fire swept through a Los Angeles hillside where Redick lives alongside other celebrities, burning homes in Pacific Palisades and prompting evacuation orders for tens of thousands. Before the Lakers took on the Mavericks in Dallas, Redick acknowledged the gravity of the situation affecting his family and neighbors. “I just want to acknowledge and send thoughts and prayers to everyone in the Palisades right now,” Redick said prior to the Lakers’ 118-97 loss to the Mavericks. “That’s where I live. “Our family, my wife’s family, my wife’s twin sister, they’ve evacuated. I know a lot of people are freaking out right now, including my family. From the sound of things, with the winds coming (Tuesday night), I know a lot of people are scared. So I just want to acknowledge that. Thoughts and prayers for sure, and hope everybody stays safe.”
WEDNESDAY SCORES
NCAA MEN TOP 25
No. 8 Florida 73, No. 1 Tennessee 43
No. 2 Auburn 87, Texas 82
No. 3 Iowa State 82, Utah 59
No. 4 Duke 76, Pittsburgh 47
Georgia 82, No. 6 Kentucky 69
No. 7 Marquette 74, Georgetown 66
No. 14 Mississippi State 76, Vanderbilt 64
Arizona 75, No. 21 West Virginia 56
No. 24 Michigan 94, No. 22 UCLA 75
No. 25 Utah State 85, San Jose State 78