Kansas
Kansas basketball returns to Allen Fieldhouse, earns 74-69 win against Cincinnati
LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball’s 2023-24 season continued Monday as the Jayhawks picked up a 74-69 win in Big 12 Conference play against the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Here are a few takeaways from No. 8 Kansas (16-3, 4-2 in Big 12) topping Cincinnati (13-6, 2-4 in Big 12):
Kansas continues to protect home court
Kansas has had its issues in road games this season during Big 12 play. Both of the Jayhawks’ conference losses leading into the game Monday came away from home. But with this latest win, Kansas remained undefeated at home — 10-0 overall inside Allen Fieldhouse, and 3-0 against Big 12 foes.
The Jayhawks’ upcoming schedule will continue to feature its share of challenges, at home and on the road. It’ll be no easy task for them to continue to come out on the right side of these games as they did Monday. But as long as they can continue to protect home court, they’ll put themselves in position to be in the Big 12 regular season title race.
Kansas’ lack of scoring from its bench is putting more pressure on its starters
With players like graduate senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. and senior center Hunter Dickinson, it’s not a surprise that Kansas’ starting lineup is going to likely finish most games with many more points than its bench. Considering how much they spearhead the Jayhawks’ offense, and how many opportunities are going to go to the other starters before the opportunities arise for someone on the bench, that’s not much of a surprise. But a game like Monday’s, where the bench finished with only two points, shows how much pressure there is on the starters to deliver in that regard.
Freshman guard Elmarko Jackson and graduate senior guard Nicolas Timberlake are two players who come off of the bench who have the potential to score the ball. There are going to be games where Kansas needs Timberlake’s 3-point shooting ability. But games where those two have actually done that at a considerable rate have been few and far between.
“I think there’s some concern,” Kansas coach Bill Self said about the lack of bench scoring against Cincinnati. “The two bench points came with 13 seconds left on free throws. So, yeah, so they basically out-scored us 32-0 from the bench. So, yeah, I don’t know if that’s ever been heard of and a team wins.”
Self alluded to the way Cincinnati plays being a style that allows for more bench scoring opportunities.
Johnny Furphy sets new career high for points
Freshman guard Johnny Furphy has been excellent as a starter in recent weeks for Kansas, and that held true Monday against Cincinnati. Furphy set a new career high of 23 points while shooting 7-for-8 from the field, 3-for-4 from behind the arc and 6-for-9 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed 11 rebounds as he collected his first career double-double.
With stars like McCullar and Dickinson, who both finished in double figures scoring Monday, the Jayhawks were always going to be a team that could contend for a Big 12 title. Furphy’s emergence makes Kansas’ path a lot easier. It also allows Jackson to develop more without the pressure of having to deliver starter minutes.
“He’s settled into the role and he’s gotten us off to a good start all three games,” Self said about Furphy’s recent play. “I mean, that’s him. I don’t know anybody else that’s gotten us off to a good start. And, yeah, he played great. I mean, offensively he was terrific and he was great in transition, he can really run.”
Self also praised Furphy’s rebounding, while alluding to a need for some of Furphy’s teammates to be better in that area.
Kansas basketball vs. Cincinnati live score updates: Jayhawks welcome Bearcats to Lawrence
Kansas incurred $10 million in legal fees defending NCAA men’s basketball infractions case
How to watch Kansas basketball play its Big 12 Conference home game against Cincinnati
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
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.
-
Ohio3 days ago‘Little Rascals’ star Bug Hall arrested in Ohio
-
Georgia1 week agoGeorgia House Special Runoff Election 2026 Live Results
-
Arkansas7 days agoArkansas TV meteorologist Melinda Mayo retires after nearly four decades on air
-
Austin, TX1 week agoABC Kite Fest Returns to Austin for Annual Celebration – Austin Today
-
Politics2 days agoDem fundraising giant in the hot seat as GOP lawmakers demand answers over dodged subpoena
-
Health1 week agoWoman discovers missing nose ring traveled to her lungs, causing month-long cough
-
Politics6 days agoTrump blasts Spanberger ahead of Virginia meetings, says state faces tax base exodus like New York, California
-
San Francisco, CA5 days agoPresident Trump terminates Presidio Trust