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Dan Skillings Jr. scores 25, Cincinnati beats short-handed No. 16 Kansas 72-52 in Big 12 Tournament

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Dan Skillings Jr. scores 25, Cincinnati beats short-handed No. 16 Kansas 72-52 in Big 12 Tournament


KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Cincinnati coach Wes Miller admitted he was up late preparing to face No. 16 Kansas in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament, and a big reason why was he didn’t know how the Jayhawks would play without Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr.

The conference’s two leading scorers were out with injuries Wednesday night.

“It was hard. You take out two guys who have done so much all year, both ends of the floor, you don’t know how they’re going to adjust. That part is difficult,” Miller said. “I thought our guys did a nice job with the game plan.”

So nice, in fact, the Bearcats were able to empty their bench in the final minute.

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Dan Skillings Jr. poured in 25 points, John Newman III added 12 and the No. 11 seed Bearcats rolled to a 72-52 victory, picking up another important win for their resume as they try to elbow their way into the NCAA Tournament.

Up next for Cincinnati (20-14) is No. 14 Baylor — the third seed in the league tourney — in the quarterfinals Thursday.

“We didn’t start the year to say, ‘Hey, the goal is to get to 20 wins.’ We’re not popping champagne or anything like that,” Miller said. “You do recognize things that have value, and getting 20 wins is something.”

Dickinson missed the game after dislocating his shoulder in a 30-point loss to Houston last weekend, while McCullar has been dealing with a knee injury. Coach Bill Self expects both to practice Monday ahead of the NCAA Tournament, but that didn’t help the 12-time Big 12 Tournament champions when they stepped on the floor against the Bearcats.

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In fact, the situation grew more dire for the Jayhawks when, trailing 43-38 with just over 10 minutes left, they watched Elmarko Jackson come up hobbling, then saw KJ Adams Jr. crash to the floor defending a fast break and briefly leave the game.

Adams returned to lead No. 6 seed Kansas (22-10) with 22 points. Jackson also was able to finish and scored five.

“Obviously we were bad offensively and didn’t make shots — didn’t make any shots,” Self said, “and today was a night that things had to go a lot better for us shooting the basketball to have a chance.”

The fact that the Jayhawks were close at all in the second half was noteworthy.

Day Day Thomas, who hit seven 3s and scored 29 points in Cincinnati’s opening win over West Virginia, remained hot from behind the arc in the first half. Simas Lukosius, who also had seven 3s and scored 31 a day earlier, did some damage at the rim. And by the time the Jayhawks came up empty on a final possession of the first half, they were facing a 38-25 hole.

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Kansas dug out by holding the Bearcats to a 1-for-13 start from the field in the second half, and they were helped by a heavily pro-Jayhawks crowd inside T-Mobile Center that roared when their team closed within 40-38 with 13:30 to go.

But Kansas kept missing open looks, and that gave the Bearcats an opportunity to rebuild their lead.

“That start of the second half, we just got really stagnant. We had some good looks early, they didn’t go, and we got a little tight and stopped playing aggressively,” Miller said. “I thought our guys looked around and said, ‘We’re going to go do it,’ and we got aggressive again, and then we had some good things happen.”

SILVER LINING

Self was back on the sideline after missing last year’s Big 12 tourney when he was hospitalized with a heart issue. Kansas went to the finals without him, losing there to Texas, before playing without the Hall of Fame coach in the NCAA Tournament.

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“Yeah, a year ago today I was messed up,” Self said. “So yeah, from that standpoint, I feel a heck of a lot better than a year ago, and today I’m not exactly happy or feeling great.”

UP NEXT

Cincinnati lost 62-59 at Baylor on Jan. 13 when Lukosius missed two 3s in the closing seconds. The rematch will be even tougher with the Bears rested and the Bearcats playing for the third time in three days.

Kansas was once considered a potential No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament. Now, it could be looking at the No. 4 or 5 line on Selection Sunday. The big question is how much the selection committee will weigh the Jayhawks’ injuries.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball



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Kansas City Chiefs Recap and UDFA Tracker

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Kansas City Chiefs Recap and UDFA Tracker


The Kansas City Chiefs entered the 2024 NFL Draft with a pair of pressing needs. After addressing those spots in the first two rounds, general manager Brett Veach rounded out the roster with plenty of talent for the upcoming season.

In navigating the board on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Kansas City landed on a good handful of players for this year. As the franchise chases a championship three-peat, some of these first-year players will play critical roles down the stretch. Not everyone will factor into the club’s 2024 plans, but everyone has a chance to fit into the long-term roster math.

With the draft in the rearview mirror, Arrowhead Report on SI.com is recapping the Chiefs’ 2024 draft haul below and keeping track of the undrafted free agent market. Prospects who didn’t get picked are free to latch on with NFL clubs as early as Saturday, and UDFA news will be rolling in.

This story will be continually updated.

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Kansas City Chiefs UDFA Tracker

Saturday UDFA news

Recapping the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2024 NFL Draft picks

Round 1: Xavier Worthy (WR, Texas)

By adding Worthy into the fold, Kansas City gets much faster and more explosive. The Texas product will play a role on offense and special teams as a rookie, helping give Patrick Mahomes another option and providing Dave Toub with a standout returner. The four-spot trade up the board was deemed worth it, as the pick was met with rave reviews.

Round 2: Kingsley Suamataia (OT, BYU)

This selection somehow received even more praise than the Worthy one. Suamataia was a multi-year starter at BYU and has experience on both sides of the offensive line. His blend of youth, athleticism and upside makes him a possible long-term solution at left tackle. At the very least, this is a player who should push Wanya Morris in the spring and summer. Many would’ve been happy with Suamataia at the end of round one.

Round 4: Jared Wiley (TE, TCU)

With Travis Kelce aging and there not being a can’t-miss piece behind him, adding a high-level athlete on Day 3 made great sense. Wiley is a smooth mover at the tight end position and has considerable upside despite being on the older side. He could very well make the roster and get on the field as a rookie, even while having three players ahead of him on the depth chart.

Round 4: Jaden Hicks (S, Washington State)

Let’s get this out of the way: Kansas City didn’t have a pressing need at the safety position. With that said, Hicks very well may have been the best player left on the board when he was picked. That, combined with his chess-piece style and high IQ, makes it a perfectly fine pick. The Washington State product will factor into the secondary rotation as a rookie if all pans out well.

Round 5: Hunter Nourzad (iOL, Penn State)

The Chiefs were expected to entertain adding an interior offensive lineman this year, which is exactly what they did on Day 3. Nourzad is a well-versed lineman with experience at just about every position. That’ll come in handy during his professional tenure as he looks to latch on with the champs. Nourzad is just as much of a guard as he is a center prospect.

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Round 6: Kamal Hadden (CB, Tennessee)

The second of Kansas City’s secondary picks on Saturday, Hadden has the requisite linear athleticism, size and pedigree to be a Veach special. The former Tennessee cornerback has been held back by injuries recently but said on Saturday afternoon that his shoulder has progressed well. If he can participate in OTAs and training camp, don’t be surprised to hear the competitive corner’s name in the mix later on.

Round 7: C.J. Hanson (OG, Holy Cross)

Veach and Co. capped off their 2024 haul by bringing in an older, experienced interior offensive line prospect. Hanson is a very nice athlete with good open-field movement skills and fluidity. With Trey Smith’s soon due for a contract extension, this could be a forward-thinking move taking place on Day 3 of the draft.

Read More: Chiefs Tried to Trade Higher Than 28th for Xavier Worthy



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Kansas Senate rejects attempt to dislodge medical marijuana bill stuck in a committee • Kansas Reflector

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Kansas Senate rejects attempt to dislodge medical marijuana bill stuck in a committee • Kansas Reflector


TOPEKA — Republican members of the Kansas Senate crushed with a boot heel Friday an attempt to breathe life into legislation creating the state regulatory framework for cultivation, distribution and use of medical cannabis.

The Senate has been the stumbling block since the Kansas House approved a medical marijuana bill in 2021 that wasn’t allowed to come to a vote by Senate leadership.

In 2023, a bill was introduced in the Senate to make cannabis products available for medical use. Senate Bill 135 received two days of hearings in the 2023 session, but was idled by Senate Republicans.

Sen. Rob Olson, R-Olathe, offered a written motion calling for that bill to be withdrawn from the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee and transferred to the full Senate for possible debate and votes.

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“Someday this is going to be law in this state,” Olson said. “I would like to put it into law with good boundaries, and this bill does that.”

The vote on pulling that bill forward was 12-25 failure. It was well short of 24 necessary to force a bill to the Senate floor. A separate vote would have been necessary to determine whether the Senate bypassed leadership’s opposition to formal debate on the medical marijuana bill left to collect dust for more than a year.

Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park, said it was frustrating GOP lawmakers again stood in the way of legislation that would enable Kansas veterans and people with serious health conditions from attempting to benefit from legal consumption of marijuana products. The fate of Olson’s attempt to compel action on a medical marijuana bill confirmed political challenges confronting marijuana advocates, she said.

“Over the past three weeks, scores of Kansans have reached out to their senators voicing support for medical cannabis as they have done for nearly the past decade,” Holscher said. “Sadly, supporters have faced many hurdles on this important measure.”

In March, separate legislation was introduced in the Kansas Legislature that would allow medical marijuana sales through a multiyear pilot program. There was a Senate committee hearing on that bill, which was opposed by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies. The Kansas Cannabis Chamber of Commerce also criticized the pilot program concept.

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Senators on that committee decided to table the measure, which effectively killed it. With days left in the 2024 session, the failed motion by Olson put an explanation point on another year of consternation for cannabis advocates.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has endorsed the concept of making medicinal sales legal in Kansas. She’s also said the state wasn’t ready for recreational sales. Kansas is bracketed by Colorado and Missouri — border states offering legal medicinal and recreational marijuana to consumers.



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OSU Softball: Cowgirls Beat Kansas Twice to Get Kenny Gajewski 100th Conference Win

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OSU Softball: Cowgirls Beat Kansas Twice to Get Kenny Gajewski 100th Conference Win


Oklahoma State softball coach Kenny Gajewski got both Big 12 wins Nos. 99 and 100 on Friday night at Cowgirl Stadium.

With inclement weather in the forecast for Saturday forcing a doubleheader Friday, the Cowgirls started their series against Kansas with two comeback wins in one evening. OSU won the first game 5-2 before beating the Jayhawks 6-5 to get Gajewski to the century mark in conference victories as a head coach. The pair of dubs also extended the Cowgirls’ winning streak to seven after sweeping Texas Tech last weekend.

The first victory came the easiest as Lexi Kilfoyl gave up only one earned run while pitching a complete game and striking out seven. KU scored an unearned run in the first before Kilfoyl allowed her only earned run the next inning. The Cowgirls responded with three runs in the bottom of the second, though, to take a lead they wouldn’t lose. All of OSU’s third-inning runs came from Lexi McDonald’s double down the right-field line with bases loaded.

The Cowgirls only scored again in the fifth. Micaela Wark singled in Karli Godwin first before McDonald tallied another RBI with a single that brought in Claire Timm. McDonald finished Game 1 2-for-3 with four RBIs.

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OSU had to mount a more monumental comeback in Game 2 after KU shut down the Cowgirls before scoring five in the third to take a 5-0 lead. OSU didn’t plate a run until the fourth, where the Cowgirls scored three to spark the turnaround. Rosie Davis put OSU on the board with a single that scored Jilyen Poullard. Timm’s double down the left-field line then brought in Davis and Caroline Wang.

An inning later, the Cowgirls completed the comeback and took the lead after another three-run inning in the fifth. It took just one swing of the bat, though, as Godwin doubled with bases loaded to plate a trio of Cowgirls.

Kyra Aycock got the win in the circle after entering in that third inning where the Jayhawks scored five runs. Ivy Rosenberry gave up three runs but only one earned before Aycock came in with runners on first and second. Aycock then allowed a pair of runs in the inning before shutting down KU the rest of the way while striking out four.

Riding that seven-game winning streak, the Cowgirls could notch back-to-back Big 12 sweeps with a victory at 1 p.m. Sunday in Cowgirl Stadium.

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