December 8, 2020 3:54 am
UNDATED (AP) – Gonzaga and Baylor remain atop the AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll after their hotly anticipated game in Indianapolis was called off about 90 minutes before tipoff last week because of positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing within the Bulldogs program. Gonzaga received 54 of 61 first-place votes from a national media panel while the Bears had the other seven.
Iowa, Michigan State and Kansas round out the top five.
December 8, 2020 3:49 am
Dick Allen, a fearsome hitter who was a seven-time All-Star and the 1972 American League MVP, has died. He was 78. Allen’s No. 15 was retired by the Philadelphia Phillies in September, an honor that was considered long overdue by many for one of the franchise’s greatest players who fought against racism during a tumultuous period with the team in the 1960s. Phillies managing partner John Middleton broke from the team’s longstanding “unwritten” policy of only retiring the number of players who are in the Hall of Fame to honor Allen.
December 7, 2020 3:50 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The unbeaten Pittsburgh Steelers will try to become the 10th team to start a season 12-0 when they host Washington. The Steelers are coming off an uneven 19-14 victory over Baltimore in a game that was rescheduled three times because of a COVID-19 outbreak among the Ravens. Pittsburgh guard David DeCastro says the daily concerns of trying to play the season amid a pandemic have outweighed any hype surrounding his team’s torrid start. Washington has won two straight to get back in the race in the underachieving NFC East.
December 7, 2020 3:52 am
UNDATED (AP) – Patrick Mahomes threw for 318 yards and a touchdown, Harrison Butker was perfect on five field goals, and the Kansas City Chiefs overcame some red-zone woes and major mistakes that cost them two more scores to hold off the Denver Broncos 22-16. Travis Kelce had eight receptions for 136 yards and the go-ahead TD grab late in the third quarter, and Tyrann Mathieu twice picked off Broncos quarterback Drew Lock – the second with 24 seconds left to seal the win. The Chiefs clinched a playoff berth by improving to 11-1 for the second time in franchise history.
December 7, 2020 3:55 am
UNDATED (AP) – Alabama is No. 1 for the fifth week in a row and has extended its streak of consecutive poll appearances to 210, the third longest in the history of The Associated Press college football poll. The Crimson Tide are the unanimous No. 1 for the third straight week and the top seven teams are unchanged for a fifth consecutive poll. Notre Dame, Ohio State, Clemson and Texas A&M round out the top five. No. 6 Florida and No. 7 Cincinnati also held their spots. No. 24 Buffalo is ranked for the first time in school history.
December 6, 2020 7:29 am
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — After the worst start in school history, Penn State is starting to play like the Nittany Lions of old. Sean Clifford threw a 29-yard touchdown and Penn State’s defense set up three scores with stops or takeaways on Saturday in a 23-7 victory over Rutgers that gave the program its 900th win. Penn State (2-5, 2-5 Big Ten) dominated both sides of the ball, outgained Rutgers 381-204 and held the Scarlet Knights to a season-low for points. The win was the second straight for the Nittany Lions and their 14th in a row over the Scarlet Knights (2-5, 2-5). Clifford opened the scoring with a 29-yard touchdown pass to true freshman Parker Washington with 3:32 left in the first quarter. It came after the Nittany Lions stuffed Johnny Langan on a fourth-and-1 from the Rutgers 45 on the Scarlet Knights’ opening possession. A second stop on a fourth-and-1 from the Rutgers 45 in the second quarter led to a 7-yard touchdown run by Devyn Ford for a 17-0 halftime lead. Coach James Franklin has seen improvement the past two weeks, especially from his defense, particularly in short yard situations.
December 6, 2020 7:30 am
AMES, Iowa — Moments after No. 12 Iowa State finished a 42-6 rout of West Virginia on Saturday, Cyclones coach Matt Campbell said he walked into a subdued locker room. The Cyclones (8-2, 8-1, No. 9 in the CFP) will make their first appearance in the Big 12 championship game Dec. 19 after finishing the regular season alone in first place. They’ll play No. 13 Oklahoma, which secured its spot with a 27-14 win over Baylor. Brock Purdy completed 20 of 23 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns and was the catalyst for an Iowa State offense that finished with 483 total yards against the Big 12’s top defense. The Cyclones scored touchdowns on their first three possessions. West Virginia (5-4, 4-4) didn’t score until Tyler Sumpter made a 32-yard field goal with 12 minutes left. Big 12 rushing leader Breece Hall outplayed No. 2 rusher Leddie Brown. Hall scored twice, ran for 97 yards on 22 carries and caught three passes for 56. Brown had just 48 yards on 14 carries and caught four balls for 18.
December 6, 2020 7:27 am
PITTSBURGH — Justin Champagnie had 22 points and 10 rebounds at Pittsburgh hit a season-high 14 3-pointers in the Panthers’ 89-59 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday night. Ithiel Horton, Xavier Johnson and Au’Diese Toney each scored 15 points for Pitt (2-1). Horton — who made nine 3s in a game for Delaware as a freshman — hit a season-high five 3-pointers, Champagnie added four 3s, and Johnson had seven assists. Champagnie sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around five points by Johnson in an 11-0 run that gave Pitt an 18-point lead with 39 seconds left in the first half. The Panthers, who made a combined 11 of 43 (25.6%) from behind the arc in their first two games, hit 9-of-20 3s before the break. Trendon Hankerson hit four 3s and finished with career-high tying 18 points for Northern Illinois (0-3). Darius Beane added 11 points. Horton hit three 3s in a span of 2 minutes, 38 seconds seconds. Hugley then made a jumper to make it 60-34 with 13:09 to play and an 11-0 run — including a put-back dunk by Champagnie — gave the Panthers their biggest lead at 77-41 with 6:34. The Panthers tied their season high with nine steals and scored 31 points off 17 NIU turnovers.
December 5, 2020 3:52 am
(AP) – Justin Lewis scored 18 points and converted a putback off a missed free throw at the buzzer as Marquette knocked off No. 4 Wisconsin 67-65 on Friday night. Marquette’s D.J. Carton was just inside the 3-point arc when he drew a foul with nine-tenths of a second left. Carton made the first free throw and his second attempt bounced off the rim. Lewis got into the paint and tapped the ball with his right hand. The freshman’s shot hit the front of the rim and went off the backboard before falling through the basket as his teammates mobbed him.Marquette earned its first victory over a top-5 team since beating No. 1 Villanova 74-72 on Jan. 24, 2017. The Golden Eagles also snapped Wisconsin’s 11-game winning streak, which began late last season.
December 5, 2020 3:50 am
(AP) – The NFL is further limiting player access to team facilities as it attempts to enhance safety measures during the pandemic. In a memo sent to the 32 clubs and obtained by The Associated Press, teams are told that they must close their facilities for two days after games, with some exceptions. Beginning Monday, all teams playing on a Sunday must close those facilities the next two days. Only players needing medical attention for injuries or in rehab programs may enter the team complex. Coaches can access the facility, but must work in their own offices and can’t conduct meetings except virtually. The league had its second major outbreak in the last two weeks, with the Baltimore Ravens having at least two dozen people testing positive.
