Kansas
How to Watch & Listen to West Virginia at No. 7 Kansas
The West Virginia Mountaineers (9-2) are on the road for their Big 12 Conference opener against the No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks (9-2) for the 29th meeting between the two programs.
West Virginia vs. Kansas Series History
Kansas leads 21-7
Last meeting: WVU 91, No. 3 Kansas 85 (Jan. 20, 2024 in Morgantown)
When: Tuesday, December 31
Location: Lawrence, KS, Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Tip-off: 2:00 p.m. EST
Stream: ESPN+
Announcers: Mark Neely and Kevin Lehman
Radio: Tony Caridi (PBP), Brad Howe (analyst) Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College (Radio affiliates)
Sirius XM: 390
WVU Game Notes
– WVU is 6-6 all-time in Big 12 openers. This will be the 10th time in 13 years that WVU has opened league play on the road.
– WVU guard Joseph Yesufu played the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons at Kansas.
– Darian DeVries, who led Drake to six consecutive 20-win seasons and has a career .737 winning percentage as a head coach, was named the 23rd head men’s basketball coach at West Virginia University on March 24, 2024.
– DeVries has a record of 159-57 (.737) in seven seasons as a head coach, including a 64-17 (.790) mark in the last two-plus seasons.
– West Virginia is currently ranked No. 33 in the latest NCAA NET rankings.
– Javon Small was named co-Big 12 Player of the Week and Tucker DeVries was tabbed as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 2. Both were named to the Battle 4 Atlantis All-Tournament Team.
– Small was named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week on Dec. 3.
– Small has scored 20 or more points in fi ve of WVU’s last eight games.
– Small leads the Big 12 Conference in scoring at 19.7 points per game.
– With a win over No. 3 Gonzaga, WVU defeated a Top 5 AP team for the second consecutive season. Last season, the Mountaineers downed No. 3 Kansas in Morgantown, 91-85.
– Darian DeVries is 4-5 against ranked teams during his head coaching career. He is 2-0 at WVU with wins over No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 24 Arizona.
– WVU is 101-114 in Big 12 regular season games since joining the league in 2012-13.
– West Virginia played three consecutive overtime games for the first time in school history.
– West Virginia is the only team in the country that has two players on the same team who averaged more than 20 points per game from last season — Tucker DeVries (21.6 ppg) and Jayden Stone (20.8 ppg).
– West Virginia returned just 2.8 percent of its scoring from last season’s team (Ofri Naveh).
– The Mountaineers are led by a pair of transfers in Tucker DeVries (Drake) and Javon Small (Oklahoma State). Last season, DeVries was named an Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention selection, while Small earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors.
– In addition, Eduardo Andre (Fresno State), Joseph Yesufu (Washington State), Sencire Harris (Illinois), Amani Hansberry (Illinois) and Jayden Stone (Detroit Mercy) were added from the transfer portal.
– WVU has a wealth of experience on its roster who have college basketball experience. Entering this season, they have combined to play 806 games, made 442 starts, scored 7,606 points, grabbed 3,304 rebounds and dished out 1,248 assists.
– Tucker DeVries was named to the 20-member Julius Erving Preseason Watch List, giving annually to the nation’s top small forward.
– Tucker DeVries was named to the preseason Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year Watch List. Tucker DeVries was named to the John R. Wooden Award Top 50 Preseason Watch List.
– Tucker DeVries has scored the most points (1,867) of any senior (four-year players only) entering this season. He ranks eighth overall for career scoring by returning players (including fifth-year) and third in the Big 12 Conference.
Entering this season, Tucker DeVries has scored the fi fth-most points in college basketball since 2021-22. He’s one of 12 players who have scored 1,800 or more points since 2021-22.
– Tucker DeVries has recorded 99 games in double fi gures.
– Tucker DeVries is 14 points shy of reaching 2,000 for his career.
– Toby Okani scored his 1,000th career point against Georgetown on Dec. 6.
– Javon Small scored his 1,00th career point against Mercyhurst on Dec. 22.
– Darian DeVries is 73-2 when scoring 80 or more points in a game and 139-17 when scoring 70 or more.
– Darian DeVries is 114-21 when holding opponents to 69 points or less and 54-6 when holding opponents to 59 points or less.
– West Virginia was predicted 13th in the Preseason Big 12 Poll by the league’s head coaches.
– West Virginia has made at least one 3-point fi eld goal in 875 consecutive games.
– The Mountaineers have won 151 of their last 169 games when holding opponents to 69 points or less.
– WVU has won 162 of its last 183 and 218 of its last 246 games when holding opponents to less than 69 points.
– West Virginia is 6-3 all-time in games played on December 31.
Kansas
Star lineup unveiled for FIFA Fan Festival in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With less than two months until the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in cities across the country, KC2026 announced the lineup of artists expected to perform at the Kansas City FIFA Fan Festival.
From the Chainsmokers to Flo Rida to Kansas City legend Tech N9ne, fans can expect to see dozens of performances from top acts over the course of the 18-day event.
Here are some headline dates scheduled during the “world’s biggest football party,” according to KC2026:
- The Chainsmokers — June 13
- Flo Rida — June 19
- Cimafunk — June 20
- Gabby Barret — July 3
- The All-American Rejects — July 11
- Tech N9ne — June 12 and July 11
Several other performers will take to the stage outside of the National World War I Museum and Memorial. The list of artists can be found in the poster image provided below:
According to KC2026, all acts and dates are subject to change, and tickets to the event are already available on the KC2026 Fan Fest website.
General admission is free and open to the public; however, the organization is offering other packages to upgrade the experience. Here’s everything you need to know:
- General Admission — Free
- On a first-come, first-served basis
- Premium Garden Pass — $55
- Includes all the benefits of general admission, access to expedited entry lanes, exclusive standing-room viewing in the Premium Viewing Area, premium restrooms, a dedicated bar area and access to premium food options.
- Legacy Lounge Pass — $225
- The Legacy Lounge Pass includes all the benefits of the Premium Garden Pass with access to an air-conditioned lounge, a two-tiered viewing structure, all-inclusive food options, a premium beverage package, climate-controlled restrooms, unique photo opportunities with iconic Kansas City sports memorabilia and access into the Premium Viewing Area.
The FIFA Fan Festival will serve a maximum of 25,000 people daily and include KC match days, USMNT match days and the Fourth of July.
Fans can expect the stage at the event to be twice the size of Chappell Roan’s massive October 2025 concert, when she performed two sold-out shows on the lawn of the World War I Museum and Memorial to approximately 30,000 fans each night.
Over the course of the tournament, the festival will have themed days to get fans in the World Cup spirit. For a list of those themed events, click here.
For more information about the tournament, tune into Kansas City’s World Cup headquarters, FOX4 News, for the latest announcements before and during the historic summer event.
Kansas
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly urging lawmakers to be ‘honest’ about property tax relief ahead of 2026 election
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is sending a strong message to lawmakers, who she believes are making unrealistic promises to voters about property tax relief.
As the election season approaches, all 125 members of the Kansas House of Representatives are up for re-election. Property taxes continue to be a major issue for home and business owners in the state, and it’s an issue that many Kansas lawmakers focus their campaign on. This year, Kelly is warning lawmakers against this.
“Legislators are out there promising the moon to people when it comes to property taxes,” Kelly said. “The fact of the matter is that the state has very little control over property taxes.”
Currently, the state levies 20 mills of property tax to help support Kansas schools. All other property tax in the state is being imposed and collected by local governments. Kelly is hoping that lawmakers make that clear to voters while they run their campaigns.
“I hope on this campaign trail that candidates are honest about what they can really do, which is work with their local elected officials to come up with a resolution,” Kelly said.
Lawmakers attempted to pass legislation during the 2026 legislative session. The Kansas Senate favored a plan that would’ve placed a 3% cap on annual property value increases. The House of Representatives proposed a “rolling averages” plan, which would calculate a home’s taxable value based on the average of its market value over a set number of years.
Ultimately, neither of those plans went through. However, lawmakers did manage to pass HB 2043, a protest petition bill. It allows voters to push back on property tax increases if they go above 3%.
It now sits on Kelly’s desk waiting for her decision. She can either sign the bill or veto it. Kelly did not comment on where she stands on the bill today.
For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here.
Kansas
Man arrested in Riley County for fatal southwest Kansas crash
RILEY COUNTY—A man involved in a fatal southwest Kansas crash was arrested Tuesday in Riley County.
According to the Riley County Police Department activity reported, just before 5p.m. Tuesday 21-year-old Nicholas Ellis Biddle of Wichita, was arrested in the 1000 block of S. Seth Child Road on a Seward County District Court warrant for involuntary manslaughter, reckless driving, maximum speed limits and failure to yield at a stop or yield sign.
In June of 2024,the Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2023 Chevy Silverado driven by Biddle was southbound on Road T at U.S. 160 in Seward County.
The driver failed to yield and struck a westbound 2017 Nissan Rogue driven by Jamee E. Perez, 42, Hugoton. After impact both vehicles rolled an unknown number of times before coming and came to rest in the ditch.
EMS transported Biddle and Perez to Southwest Medical in Liberal where Perez was pronounced deceased. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.
According to the Riley County Police Department, Biddle met the requirement of a $50,000 bond and is no longer confined in the Riley County Jail.
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