By Karissa Niehoff, Executive Director of the National Federation of State High School Associations and Bill Faflick, Executive Director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association.
Many people would agree that their years in high school were some of the best years of their lives—particularly those individuals who were members of a sports team or participated in other activities such as the marching band or debate team.
In many cases, team members become lifelong friends. Reunion parties are held from time to time as teammates return to remember the fun—more so than the outcome of games or events—they had participating in high school activities. Quite often, reunions for sports teams are staged during the highlight of each sports season—the state playoffs.
And as the calendar turns to November, there is nothing like the excitement of high school football playoffs in cities across Kansas and throughout the nation every Friday night.
While each team will be trying to advance to the state championship, the outcome of the games is only a part of the experience for those individuals in attendance.
Why? Because the people in the stands at high school football playoffs are moms and dads, grandparents, aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers, neighbors down the street, fellow students, and longtime residents of the community. People in the stands know the players on the field. Win or lose, their support and love is always there.
There is no tradition in sports with the history of high school football. There are 30 rivalry games (60 high schools) that started before 1900 and continue today, the longest of which is Connecticut’s New London High School and Norwich Free Academy, which have been playing annually since 1875.
In Michigan, Battle Creek Central and Kalamazoo Central have been playing since 1896. In Massachusetts, the Wellesley-Needham Heights rivalry dates to 1882. And in Colorado, Pueblo Central and Pueblo Centennial have been matched since 1892.
Although there are more options for entertainment on a Friday night than ever before, there is still nothing to match high school football playoffs in the fall. With all the people attending games of the 14,247 high schools that play football, expect more than 10 million fans each Friday night—easily the #1 fan base in the country.
As you attend high school football playoff games this year in Kansas, remember that the players, coaches and game officials deserve your utmost support, encouragement and respect. While advancing in the playoffs is the desire of each team, the ultimate objective of high school sports and activities is to have fun and enjoy these special years.
We urge you to continue to support the high school teams in your community!
NEW YORK, Ny (AP) -The nation’s top teams don’t have to wait long to find out how they measure up against some of the best competition.
Answers will come quickly for No. 1 Michigan State, No. 2 Kentucky, No. 3 Kansas and No. 4 Duke in the Champions Classic, the marquee event in college basketball’s opening week.
The Jayhawks and Blue Devils meet Tuesday night in New York’s Madison Square Garden, followed by the Spartans and Wildcats in the 42nd meeting of the Top 25 poll’s top teams.
“I’m anxious to see where we are right now,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said.
Still, it’s nothing more than a starting point for teams that hope to be the last one standing after the Final Four in Atlanta come April.
“It’s great because if you think you’re better than you are, you usually get it knocked out of you,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said Monday.
Look no further than last year for an example.
Kentucky was No. 2 but fell to Duke in the Wildcats’ most lopsided loss under Calipari. Kansas beat Michigan State in the other game. Yet the Wildcats went as deep into the NCAA Tournament (regional final) as the Blue Devils, the Jayhawks fell in the opening weekend and the Spartans reached the Final Four by taking down Duke.
Now the Spartans are No. 1 in the preseason for the first time in program history behind preseason Associated Press All-American Cassius Winston.
Like Calipari, Kansas coach Bill Self said he would typically prefer to play a game or two before playing in this event.
“I like playing the game,” Self said. “I don’t think it’s the best situation to play this game because you don’t have a chance to scout or get a chance to play to strengths and weaknesses, or try to get matchups and things like that because you really don’t know yet what they do well and don’t do well.”
The game certainly has the attention of the NBA. Champions Classic media coordinator Charley Green estimated 60-70 NBA personnel will attend to watch the nation’s top four teams under one roof.
“That’s how it should be,” Duke sophomore point guard Tre Jones said. “That’s what the fans want.”
Some other things to know heading into the opening week of college basketball:
EARLY START
While Duke faces Kansas, the rest of the Atlantic Coast Conference is opening in unusual fashion: with a league game.
Fourteen teams open the ACC’s first 20-game schedule with a league matchup, ready-made programming for the first season with the ACC Network TV channel. Previously, two ACC teams last met in a season-opening conference matchup in December 1967, according to the league.
Fifth-ranked Louisville opens Tuesday at Miami, followed by ninth-ranked North Carolina hosting Notre Dame the next night.
Reigning national champion and 11th-ranked Virginia visits Syracuse on Wednesday. This will mark the first time a national champion opened on the road since Kansas played in the now-defunct Great Alaska Shootout against host Alaska-Anchorage in November 1988, according to Sportradar.
THE NEW KIDS
The nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class debuts this week for No. 14 Memphis.
Penny Hardaway’s Tigers host South Carolina State on Tuesday in the program’s first game as an AP Top 25 team since March 2014. It will be the first look at 7-foot-1 preseason AP All-American James Wiseman, assuming he’s recovered from an ankle injury that sidelined him for Memphis’ exhibition wins.
DETOURS
No. 16 Baylor and No. 20 St. Mary’s open in unusual neutral-site locations.
The Gaels meet Wisconsin in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Tuesday in their first meeting since December 1976.
It’s been an even longer gap for the Bears and Washington, who travel to Alaska for Friday’s Armed Forces Classic in Anchorage. Those teams haven’t met since December 1955.
WATCH LIST
Washington, last year’s Pac-12 regular-season champion, is the top vote-getter among unranked teams and could enter next week’s AP Top 25 by beating Baylor.
Colorado, also just outside the poll, plays in the annual Pac-12 China Game against fellow league member Arizona State in Shanghai on Friday night in U.S. time. The Pac-12 said the game, which won’t count in the league standings, is the only regular-season contest by any U.S. professional or collegiate league held in China.
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AP Basketball Writers Doug Feinberg in New York and Dave Skretta in Lawrence, Kansas; and AP Sports Writers Gary B. Graves in Lexington, Kentucky; Larry Lage in East Lansing, Michigan; and Joedy McCreary in Durham; contributed to this report.
LAWRENCE, Kan. – No. 3 Kansas will open its 122nd season of men’s basketball when it meets No. 4 Duke in the ninth annual State Farm Champions Classic on Tuesday, Nov. 5, at 6 p.m. (CT) at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN with Dan Shulman (play-by-play), Jay Bilas (analyst) and Holly Rowe (reporter) calling the action.
Kansas enters the season ranked No. 3 in both the preseason Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches’ top-25 polls. The Jayhawks have been ranked fifth or higher in each of the last seven preseason AP polls and the last six coaches’ polls.
KU has been ranked in each of the last 201 AP polls dating back to 2008-09. The 201-consecutive weeks in the polls is the longest active streak in the nation. KU holds the same streak in the coaches’ poll at 210.
Kansas is the preseason favorite by the conference coaches to win the 2019-20 Big 12 title. The Jayhawks have been the pick of the conference 19 times in the 24-year history of the league.
This year’s Champions Classic features the top four teams in the nation with No. 1 Michigan State, No. 2 Kentucky, No. 3 Kansas and No. 4 Duke. This is the first time in the nine-year history of the event the four teams have ranked in the top-four preseason spots.
In facing No. 4 Duke, Kansas is 17-5 against teams ranked in the Associated Press top five in the Bill Self era. In that span, KU is 14-5 when ranked lower than its opponent and 3-0 when ranked higher.
Kansas ranks No. 2 in all-time NCAA Division I victories at 2,274. Duke is fourth at 2,176.
Senior Udoka Azubuike was named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year by the league’s coaches. He is the ninth Jayhawk to claim preseason Big 12 honors as the top player and the seventh in the Bill Self era.
Sophomore Devon Dotson joined Azubuike on the league’s preseason All-Big 12 team. Dotson was the league’s top-scoring freshman and was an All-Big 12 Third Team selection last season.
Both Azubuike and Dotson received votes for the Associated Press preseason All-America team. Kansas was the only school with two players picked on the 21-man list.
NOTES:
CHAMPIONS CLASSIC HISTORY
Beginning in 2011, the State Farm Champions Classic is a neutral site doubleheader series featuring men’s basketball powers Kansas, Duke, Kentucky and Michigan State. The inaugural Champions Classic was held at Madison Square Garden in 2011.
Kansas and Kentucky are 4-4 in the Champions Classic, while Duke is 5-3 and Michigan State 3-5. In 2011, Kansas and Kentucky’s Champions Classic meeting also became the matchup for the 2012 NCAA National Championship title game in New Orleans.
Kansas has won each of its last three Champions Classic contests. Last year, the Jayhawks defeated Michigan State 92-87 in Indianapolis. In 2017, KU defeated Kentucky, 65-61, in Chicago and in 2016 Kansas beat Duke, 77-75, in New York City. KU will face Kentucky in 2020 in Chicago, Michigan State in 2021 in New York City and Duke in 2022 in Indianapolis.
TOP-10 TRIUMPHS
The Jayhawks have been stellar when taking on a top-10 team in the regular-season during the Bill Self era. The Jayhawks have lost only two regular-season contests against top-10 teams in its last 22 tries. One of those losses came at then-No. 8 Kentucky last season, a game result which ended an astounding 13-game regular-season winning streak against top-10 foes.
Kansas is an incredible 20-2 in its last 22 regular-season contests against top-10 ranked squads. Since Bill Self took the reins of the Jayhawks in 2003, KU is 40-20 against top-10 teams, a number which includes postseason play.
EXHIBITION LEFTOVERS
Kansas posted two exhibition victories against Fort Hays State, 86-56, on Oct. 24 and versus Pittsburg State, 102-42 on Oct. 31.
Kansas is now 90-9 all-time in exhibition games.
KU extended its home exhibition winning streak to 52 games dating back to the 1994 season.
Kansas has won 31st-consecutive exhibition contests.
Sophomore guard Ochai Agbaji led KU in exhibition scoring averaging 20.0 points per game and with four steals.
Other double-figure scoring average Jayhawks in exhibition play included sophomore guard Devon Dotson (12.0, one game), junior forward Silvio De Sousa (10.0) and junior guard Marcus Garrett (10.0).
Senior center Udoka Azubuike led KU in exhibition rebound average at 10.0, while De Sousa averaged 8.5 boards.
THE KU-DUKE SERIES
Although it only started in 1985, Kansas and Duke have shared a high-stakes series. Duke leads, 7-5, but Kansas has won the last three and four of the last five meetings. The most recent battle was an 85-81 overtime KU win in the 2018 Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament that propelled KU to its 15th Final Four.
Ten of the 12 match-ups have been on neutral floors while seven of the games have been NCAA Tournament battles, including three Final Fours and one NCAA title game.
The first meeting came in the 1985 Preseason NIT championship game in Madison Square Garden, which Duke won 92-86. The same two teams met in Dallas in the Final Four semifinal later that season, a game which was the first-ever game between two 30- win teams. Duke won that contest, 71-67. In 1988, the teams met again, this time in the Final Four semifinal, with Kansas defeating Duke, 66-59, at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. The national title was on the line in the 1991 meeting, a Duke 72-65 win in Indianapolis. The Blue Devils ended the Jayhawks’ season in the second round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament in Winston Salem, N.C., while KU returned the favor in the 2003 Sweet 16 in Anaheim, Calif., en route to its Final Four run.
North Dakota State
G: #0 Vinnie Shahid
G: #11 Jared Samuelson
G: #24 Tyson Ward
F: #5 Sam Griesel
F: #34 Rocky Kreuser
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 4-0
Current Streak: K-State, 4
In Manhattan: K-State leads 4-0
At Bramlage Coliseum: K-State leads 2-0
Last Meeting: W, 83-81 [12/9/2006 in Fargo, N.D.]
Weber vs. Richman: First meeting
OPENING TIP
Kansas State (0-0) will officially open its 116th season on Tuesday night, as the Wildcats play host to preseason Summit League favorite and 2019 NCAA Tournament participant North Dakota State (0-0) at 7 p.m., CT at Bramlage Coliseum. It will mark the earliest season opener in school history, eclipsing the previous mark of Nov. 8, 2014 against Northern Colorado, and the second time that the Wildcats have opened a season against the Bison, a 70-61 victory on Nov. 19, 2004.
K-State will open a season against an NCAA Tournament opponent (from the previous season) for the first time in nearly 20 seasons since an 88-69 loss at Arizona on Nov. 16, 1999. It will be the first time that the Wildcats have opened a season at home against an NCAA Tournament opponent since hosting Purdue in the first-ever game at Bramlage Coliseum on Nov. 26, 1988. Current head coach Bruce Weber was an assistant coach on that Boilermaker staff for K-State alum Gene Keady.
K-State is 90-25 (.783) all-time in season openers dating back to the first season in 1903, including a 78-9 (.897) mark at home. The Wildcats have a 25-2 (.926) record in season openers played at Bramlage Coliseum, which includes a 16-game winning streak from 1995 to 2012. The two losses in that span have come to Southern Miss (74-60 on Nov. 27, 1993) and Northern Colorado (60-58 on Nov. 8, 2013). Overall, the team is 27-4 (.871) at Bramlage Coliseum in home openers.
The Wildcats have won 29 consecutive games against non-conference opponents at Bramlage Coliseum since the start of the 2015-16 season. Overall, the school has an 102-6 (.944) record at home in non-conference play since 2006-07, including 100-5 (.952) in the regular season, and has won 91 of its last 96 non-conference home games. The team went 10-3 in non-conference action in 2018-19, including 7-0 at home venues. The last non-conference home loss came to Tulsa, 61-54, on Dec. 9, 2017 in Wichita, while the last at Bramlage came to Georgia, 50-46, on Dec. 31, 2014.
K-State, which has won 15 of its last 16 home openers, earned a 56-41 win over Kennesaw State in last season’s opener on Nov. 9, 2018, seniors Barry Brown, Jr., and Dean Wade scored a game-high 15 points. The Wildcats held the Owls to 32.7 percent shooting (17-of-52), including just 21.4 percent (6-of-28) in the second half, while also forcing 21 turnovers. The 41 points were the fewest allowed in a season opener at Bramlage Coliseum and the fewest allowed in a home opener since holding Northern Iowa to 38 points on Dec. 1, 1979.
Head coach Bruce Weber is 19-2 (.905) in his 21-year head coaching career in season openers (Southern Illinois, Illinois and K-State), including a 19-1 (.950) mark in home openers. He is 6-1 (.857) in season openers at K-State.
K-State went 2-0 in exhibition play, knocking off Emporia State, 86-49, on Oct. 25 before a 66-56 win over Washburn on Oct. 30. The Wildcats have now won 26 consecutive exhibition games at Bramlage Coliseum since 2003, including 16 straight under Weber. Xavier Sneed (14.0 ppg.) was one of 4 Wildcats to average double figures in exhibition play, along with Antonio Gordon (11.0), Montavious Murphy (10.5) and Makol Mawien (10.0).
NOTES ON NORTH DAKOTA STATE
North Dakota State returns 10 lettermen, including all five starters (Vinnie Shahid, Tyson Ward, Rocky Kreuser, Jared Samuelson and Sam Griesel), from a squad that posted a 19-16 overall record en route to winning the Summit League Tournament Championship, defeating North Carolina Central (78-74) in the First Four and advancing to the first round of the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to top-seed Duke, 85-62.
North Dakota State was picked to win the nine-team Summit League in the preseason by the media, earning 23 of 34 first-place votes and 526 points over second-place South Dakota. It marked the first time since the 2013-14 season that the Bison were picked to win the league. Reigning Summit League Newcomer of the Year and senior Vinnie Shahid (13.1 ppg., 2.6 apg.) was selected to the preseason All-Summit League First Team, while senior Tyson Ward (12.4 ppg., 6.2 rpg.) was named to the second team.
North Dakota State played one exhibition game, overwhelming NAIA foe Dickinson State, 104-63, on the strength of 62.3 percent (38-of-61) shooting on Oct. 31 at home. Six different Bison (including all five starters) scored in double figures, including 20 points from Shahid in just 21 minutes, while junior Rocky Kreuser had a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in just 20 minutes of action. NDSU connected 50 percent (14-of-28) from 3-point range and 73.7 percent (14-of-19) from the line.
A season ago, the Bison averaged 73 points per game on 45.4 percent shooting, including 36.5 percent from 3-point range, with 31.5 rebounds, 11.5 assists, 4.6 steals and 2.5 blocks per game, while allowing opponents to average 72.6 points on 46.1 percent shooting, including 36.2 percent from long range. The team connected on 77.7 percent from the free throw line.
Shahid is one of two returners who averaged double figures in 2018-19, as he led the Bison at 13.1 points per game on 44 percent shooting, including 36.6 percent from 3-point range, with 3.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 29.5 minutes per game. He was named the Summit League Newcomer of the Year and the MVP of the Summit League Tournament. He also led in 3-point fielg goals (64) and assists (91). Ward also averaged double figures at 12.4 points on 48.8 percent shooting to go with a team-best 6.2 rebounds per game. Five others (Rocky Kreuser, Jared Samuelson, Cameron Hunter, Tyree Eady and Sam Griesel) averaged 6 or more points per game last season.
Head coach David Richman enters his sixth season as a head coach with a 96-67 (.589) overall record, as he has led the Bison to four seasons of 19 or more wins and two NCAA Tournament appearances (2015, 2019). He was promoted to the position on April 8, 2014 by then athletic director (and current K-State AD) Gene Taylor after serving 11 years as an assistant to head coaches Tim Miles and Saul Phillips from 2005-14. Richman has been a part of nearly 300 wins and all four NCAA Tournament appearances at NDSU.
SERIES HISTORY
K-State and North Dakota State will meet for the fifth time on Tuesday night in a series that dates to 1967. The Wildcats are 4-0 in those previous meetings, including a 79-52 win at home on Dec. 19, 1967, a 70-61 win at home on Nov. 19, 2004, a 82-56 win at home on Jan. 2, 2006 and an 83-81 nail-biter in Fargo on Dec. 9, 2006.
This will be first matchup for head coach Bruce Weber against NDSU, while David Richman was on the coaching staff for its last three meetings (2004, 2006 twice) but this will be his first as the Bison head coach.
K-State is 33-2 all-time against teams from the Summit League, including a 32-0 mark at home. The Wildcats have played at least one Summit League foe (two in 2013-14) in each of Weber’s seven seasons, posting an 8-0 mark in those matchups. Weber’s first win at K-State came against Summit League opponent, North Dakota, 85-52, on Nov. 9, 2012.
LAST TIME OUT: K-STATE 66, WASHBURN 56
Seniors Makol Mawien and Xavier Sneed combined for 26 points and 18 rebounds, as K-State overcame a 3-point barrage by Washburn, 66-56, in the team’s final exhibition game on Oct. 30 at Bramlage Coliseum.
With the win, K-State extends its winning streak in exhibition play at Bramlage Coliseum to 26 games, which dates to the second exhibition game of the 2003-04 season on November 15, 2003. The Wildcats are now a perfect 16-0 at home in exhibition play under head coach Bruce Weber.
Mawien led the Wildcats with team-high 16 points on 6-of-11 field goals and a perfect 4-for-4 effort from the free throw line, while Sneed collected a solid stat line with 10 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals in nearly 36 minutes. Freshman Montavious Murphy also notched double figures with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting to go with 5 rebounds in 22 minutes.
The streak stood a solid challenge from a Washburn team that has won 20 or more games in back-to-back seasons, including 24 wins and a trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament a season ago. The Ichabods tied an opponent exhibition high with 14 made 3-point field goals, matching the previous highs of the NBC Thunder on Nov. 11, 1999 and the EA Sports All-Stars on Nov. 7, 2002. The team’s 45 attempts were the most-ever by an opponent in an exhibition, surpassing the 40 by the NBC Thunder in 1999.
With the score knotted at 39-all with 13:46 to play, the Wildcats put together a key 9-0 run over a more than 3-minute span to take control of the contest, which they built into a game-high 15-point lead (64-49) with 3:38 to play. The Ichabods could get no closer than 8 points the rest of the way.
K-State connected on 45.1 percent (23-of-51) from the field, but just 15.4 percent (2-of-13) from 3-point range, and made just 18 of 30 attempts (60 percent) from the free throw line. In addition, the squad turned it over 21 times, which Washburn converted into 23 points. Despite the hot shooting, the Ichabods were just 29.4 percent (20-of-68) from the field, including 31.1 percent (14-of-45) from 3-point range.
K-State is now 69-20 all-time in exhibition play, including 54-9 in home exhibition games dating back to 1964. The Wildcats are 48-9 in exhibition games at Bramlage Coliseum with 26 consecutive wins dating back to 2003. Overall, the team has won 9 straight exhibitions since 2016.
HISTORY IN SEASON OPENERS
K-State is 90-25 (.783) all-time in season openers dating back to the first season in 1903. The Wildcats have a 78-9 (.897) record in season openers played at home, including 25-2 (.926) at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State will open the season at home for the 17th consecutive season on Tuesday with the Wildcats holding a 15-1 (.938) record in that span. The lone loss in that span came in a 60-58 loss to Northern Colorado on Nov. 8, 2013, which snapped the school’s 16-game winning streak in home openers. The last time K-State opened the season away from home came in 2002-03 when the squad played in the Paradise Jam, Nov. 23-25, 2002.
K-State won 16 consecutive home openers from 1995 to 2012, which spanned the only two season-opening losses at Bramlage Coliseum history. The Wildcats lost a 74-60 decision to Southern Miss on Nov. 27, 1993 to start the 1993-94 campaign before the Northern Colorado loss in 2013.
Overall, K-State is 27-4 (.871) in openers at Bramlage Coliseum. Aside from the Southern Miss (1993) and Northern Colorado (2013) defeats, the Wildcats lost to Fresno State, 60-58, on Dec. 2, 1989 and to Northwestern, 59-55, on Nov. 30, 2002, but each of those were not in a season opener.
Since the 2013 loss, K-State has won its last five home openers (Southern Utah, UMES, Western Illinois, American and Kennesaw State) by an average of 27.4 points per game, while averaging 79.8 points per game.
Head coach Bruce Weber is 19-2 (.904) in season openers in his 21-year head coaching career (Southern Illinois, Illinois and K-State), which includes an 19-1 (.950) mark in home openers. His two losses have come at Murray State, 65-62, on Nov. 14, 1998 while at Southern Illinois and at home to Northern Colorado in 2013 at K-State. He is 6-1 (.857) in season openers at K-State, including five consecutive wins.
NON-CONFERENCE HISTORY
K-State has a 105-6 (.946) record at home venues (includes home games played at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita and the Sprint Center in Kansas City) in non-conference play dating back to the 2006-07 season, including a 96-5 (.951) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
The Wildcats have won 92 of their last 96 non-conference home games, including a 29-game winning streak at Bramlage Coliseum. The last home non-conference loss came against Georgia, 50-46, on Dec. 31, 2014.
K-State has posted a 140-36 (.796) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season, which includes a 10-3 (.769) mark in 2018-19. The team has posted double-digit non-conference wins in 12 of the last 13 years.
Since going 7-6 in non-conference in 2014-15, which included back-to-back losses to Texas Southern and Georgia, the Wildcats has won double-digit non-conference games each of the past three seasons and is 43-9 (.827) in non-conference play since the start of 2015-16 season.
A LOOK AT THE 29 STRAIGHT NON-CONFERENCE WINS AT BRAMLAGE COLISEUM
A closer look at K-State’s current 29-game non-conference winning streak at Bramlage Coliseum, which dates to the start of the 2015-16 season. The Wildcats have won by an average of more than 17 points per game.
11/13/15 — Maryland-Eastern Shore, 80-53
11/16/15 — Columbia, 81-71
11/20/15 — South Dakota, 93-72
11/29/15 — South Carolina State, 68-66
12/9/15 — Coppin State, 83-58
12/22/16 — North Dakota, 63-49
12/29/16 — Saint Louis, 75-47
1/30/16 — Ole Miss, 69-64 (Big 12/SEC Challenge)
11/11/16 — Western Illinois, 82-55
11/15/16 — Omaha, 81-68
11/20/16 — Hampton, 89-67
11/22/16 — Robert Morris, 61-40
11/30/16 — Green Bay, 80-61
12/6/16 — Prairie View A&M, 74-55
12/21/16 — Gardner-Webb, 67-54
11/10/17 — American, 83-45
11/14/17 — UMKC, 72-51
11/17/17 — UC Irvine, 71-49
11/20/17 — Northern Arizona, 80-58
11/29/17 — Oral Roberts, 77-68
12/5/17 — USC Upstate, 86-49
12/16/17 — SE Missouri State, 89-71
1/27/18 — Georgia, 56-51 (Big 12/SEC Challenge)
11/9/18 — Kennesaw State, 56-41
11/12/18 — Denver, 64-56
11/24/18 — Lehigh, 77-58
12/15/18 — Georgia State, 71-59
12/19/18 — Southern Miss, 55-51
12/29/18 — George Mason, 59-58
HISTORY AT BRAMLAGE COLISEUM
K-State has posted a 378-118 (.762) all-time record at Bramlage Coliseum since its opening during the 1988-89 season. The 378 wins tie for the most at a home venue for the Wildcats, matching the 378 wins at Ahearn Field House (1950-88). It is the school’s third home venue.
K-State has registered a 178-38 (.824) record at home over the past 13 seasons, including a 79-33 (.705) mark in Big 12 play. The 178 wins rank fourth among all Big 12 schools in that span, while the 79 league victories at home are only surpassed by Kansas and Texas. In all, the program has earned double-digit victories in 26 of its 31 seasons in the arena, including a current streak of 18 straight seasons.
K-State has a 238-61 (.796) record at home, including a 138-10 (.932) mark in non-conference action, since the 2001-02 season for an average of just over 13 home wins (13.3) per season in that span.
Head coach Bruce Weber has tallied a 94-22 (.810) record at Bramlage Coliseum since taking over at K-State in 2012-13 with non-conference home losses to Northern Colorado (2013), Texas Southern (2014) and Georgia (2014). The 22 losses (19 of which have come in Big 12 play) have come by a grand total of 174 points or just 7.9 points per game.
A QUICK LOOK AT K-STATE
The Wildcats return nine lettermen, including four players (Xavier Sneed, Makol Mawien, Cartier Diarra and Mike McGuirl) who registered starts, in 2019-20 from a squad that posted a 25-9 overall record a year ago and earned a share of the Big 12 regular-season championship for the second time under head coach Bruce Weber. The 25-win season was the seventh in school history, including the first time in consecutive seasons. K-State is one of just 24 schools — 15 in power conferences — and 3 in the Big 12 (Kansas and Texas Tech) — with 25 wins in each of the last 2 seasons.
All-Big 12 honorable mention Xavier Sneed (10.6 ppg., 5.5 rpg.), fellow senior Makol Mawien (7.0 ppg., 4.9 rpg.) and key reserve and junior Cartier Diarra (6.8 ppg., 3.3 rpg.) form the core of a group returning for the Wildcats, who must replace their top three scorers in Barry Brown, Jr. (14.6 ppg.), Dean Wade (12.9 ppg.) and Kamau Stokes (11.0 ppg.). All three have played pivotal roles with the consecutive 25-win seasons, including 71 and 70 starts, respectively, by Mawien and Sneed and major minutes by Diarra.
Sneed is the team’s top returner in nearly every stat category, including scoring (349), rebounding (182), assists (64), steals (45) and minutes (1014). He enters his senior season ranking 29th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,008 points having seen action in 105 career games with starts in 70 of the last 71 games. Mawien, who has started every game of his K-State career, has the fifth-highest career field goal percentage (56.1; 204-of-364) in school history after posting the sixth-highest (59.8; 104-of-174) field goal percentage in a single season as a junior in 2017-18. Diarra scored in double figures in four consecutive games, including three in Big 12 play, before missing eight games due to a broken finger. He did come back to play in the last three games with Wade out for the season, including a 15-point effort against Iowa State in the semifinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship and a 9-point effort in the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats also return rising senior Pierson McAtee (0.5 ppg., 0.5 rpg.), juniors Mike McGuirl (3.6 ppg., 1.5 rpg.), Levi Stockard III (1.8 ppg., 1.5 rpg.) and James Love III (0.3 ppg., 0.4 rpg.), sophomores Nigel Shadd (0.2 ppg., 0.4 rpg.) and Shaun Williams [was Neal-Williams] (1.4 ppg., 1.1 rpg.).
Sloan was regarded as one of the top community colleges players in the country (and a Top 150 player out of high school) in 2018-19 after helping John A. Logan College to a 27-5 overall record as a sophomore. The NJCAA All-American twice led the NJCAA ranks in both total assists and assists per game, including 10.2 assists per game a year ago.
The freshmen were all consensus Top 200 prospects, as the recruiting class was a consensus Top 40 class nationally by a number of recruiting services, ranking No. 39 by Rivals.com and No. 40 by 247Sports.com. DaJuan Gordon was a consensus Top 150 player by both recruiting services.
Antonio Gordon scored nearly 1,600 points in his high school career at Eisenhower High School in Lawton, Okla., and averaged 26.3 points and 10.1 rebounds as a senior in 2018-19. DaJuan Gordon was the Chicago Sun-Times City Player of the Year after averaging 17.6 points in leading Curie to the school’s first city title. Murphy was one of the best players in Houston and a finalist for the Guy V. Lewis Award, averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds as a senior at Concordia Lutheran.
‘CATS PICKED NINTH IN BIG 12 POLL; SNEED NAMED HONORABLE MENTION ALL-BIG 12
K-State was picked to finish ninth by the league coaches in the annual Big 12 Preseason poll released on Oct. 17, as the Wildcats received 23 points. Kansas was selected first for the ninth consecutive season, while Baylor, Texas Tech, Texas and West Virginia rounded out the Top 5.
The ninth-place selection tied for the lowest by a K-State team in the history of the 10-team poll, joining the 2016-17 team which was also picked to finish ninth by the league coaches. The team has been picked to finish eighth or worse 13 times in the history of the 24-year poll, including eighth in 2001-02, 2003-04, 2008-09, 2015-16 and 2017-18, ninth in 1996-97, 2004-05, 10th in 1999-2000, 11th in 2002-03 and 2005-06 and 12th in 1997-98 and 2000-01.
Senior Xavier Sneed was one of eight players to be selected to the honorable mention All-Big 12 preseason team, along with Oklahoma’s Kristian Doolittle, Oklahoma State’s Yor Anei, Texas’ Matt Coleman, Texas Tech’s Chris Clarke, Davide Moretti and Jahmi’us Ramey and West Virginia’s Derek Culver.
Kansas’ Udoka Azubuike and Devon Dotson, along with Baylor’s Tristan Clark, Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton and TCU’s Desmond Bane were named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team. Azubuike was the Preseason Player of the Year, while Chris Clarke was the Preseason Newcomer of the Year and West Virginia’s Oscar Tshiebwe was the Preseason Freshman of the Year.
SNEED NAMED CANDIDATE FOR JULIUS ERVING AWARD
Senior Xavier Sneed was named one of 20 watch list members for the 2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, as announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Oct. 16.
Sneed was one of two Big 12 players named to the watch list, including Texas Tech transfer Chris Clarke. Other candidates include Arizona’s Josh Green, Duke’s Matthew Hurt, Florida’s Scottie Lewis, Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert, Harvard’s Seth Towns, Kentucky’s Kahlil Whitney, Louisville’s Jordan Nwora, Memphis’ Precious Achiuwa, Oregon State’s Tres Tinkle, Providence’s Alpha Diallo, Purdue’s Nojel Eastern, St. John’s L.J. Figueroa, Syracuse’s Elijah Hughes, Vermont’s Anthony Lamb, Villanova’s Saddiq Bey, Washington’s Jaden McDaniels, Washington State’s C.J. Elleby and Xavier’s Naji Marshall.
Wade is the first K-State player to be a preseason candidate for the Wooden Award since Rodney McGruder in 2012. Jacob Pullen, who was a preseason candidate in 2010, was the last Wildcat to earn recognition to the Wooden All-American team, while Michael Beasley (2008) was the last finalist.
The 20-member watch list for the Erving Award will be narrowed to just 10 by mid-February. In March, five finalists will be presented to Julius Erving and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s on April 10, 2020.
NEXT UP: AT UNLV
K-State will hit the road this weekend to take on UNLV on Saturday at 3 p.m., CT at the Thomas & Mack Center. It will be the earliest road game in school history and the first at UNLV since 2009. The game will air on ESPN+.
WICHITA, Kan. – The Wichita State Shockers tip off their 114th men’s basketball season at 7 p.m. Tonight night against the Omaha Mavericks at Charles Koch Arena. Tickets are still available for this game, as well as for Saturday afternoon’s home matchup with Texas Southern, at 316-978-FANS or goshockers.com/MBBTickets.
FOLLOW THE SHOCKERS:
The game will air statewide on YurView Kansas, available to Cox subscribers on HD 2022 and to fans in all 50 states on YurView.com/Kansas. Shane Dennis and Bob Hull have the call. Division I basketball’s most-tenured tandem, Mike Kennedy and Dave Dahl, now in their 39th season together on radio (Online at goshockers.com/listen). Track the Shockers throughout the season on social media. Follow @GoShockersMBB and @GoShockers on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and be sure to use the hashtag #WATCHUS.
THE GREGG MARSHALL SHOW:
Join host Mike Kennedy and Coach Gregg Marshall LIVE from 6-7 p.m. on Mondays throughout the season at A.J.’s Sports Grill at The Alley, or listen on KFH (97.5 FM / 1240 AM). The Gregg Marshall Show is rebroadcast in a television format Mondays at 9 p.m. on YurView Kansas (Cox 2022).
OPENING TIPS:
This is the first meeting with Omaha in 25 years. The Shockers lead the all-time series 2-0 with both wins coming in Wichita.
It’s the first of two matchups against the Summit League during the month of November. Oral Roberts visits on Nov. 23.
WSU/Omaha is one of 148 games taking place on college basketball’s opening day. Nov. 5 is the earliest start date in Shocker history, topping last year’s Nov. 6 opener.
WSU has opened at home in each of the 16 seasons since Charles Koch Arena’s 2003 renovation and grand re-opening. They’re 15-1 in those games.
The Shockers are 24-2 in season openers, dating back to 1992. Last year’s loss to LA Tech snapped what had been a 16-game winning streak.
Since 2009, WSU is 28-1 in November home games.
Going back to the 2011-12 season, the Shockers are 78-20 (.796) in regular season non-conference games. They’ve posted a winning non-conference record in each of the last 21 years.
EX ECHENIQUE:
Gregg Marshall announced on Oct. 28 that senior center Jaime Echenique will miss at least four weeks with a fractured left hand, suffered prior to the team’s Oct. 26 closed door scrimmage with Nebraska. No surgery is required.
Echenique (9.1 ppg) made 34 starts last year and was WSU’s leading rebounder (6.0) and shot blocker (51 total).
MATCHUP MASHUP:
Matt Pile was a two-time first team all-state selection for Goddard Eisenhower High School. He and Shocker walk-on Brycen Bush were in the same graduating class, and the pair helped lead Eisenhower to 23-2 record as seniors along with a third-place finish at the 2017 Class 5A state tournament.
Omaha’s Director of Basketball Operations is Jake Koch, who was a 1,000-point scorer and frequent Shocker tormenter during his four-year career at Northern Iowa (2009-13).
Former WSU walk-on Brett Barney transferred to Omaha prior to last year. He appeared in 31 games for the Mavericks off the bench and averaged 2.7 points, 1.8 rebounds in 10.8 minutes-per-game.
WSU sophomore Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler was an all-state performer at Omaha Central High School and helped lead the team to the Class A state quarterfinals as a senior (Nebraska’s largest classification).
SCOUTING OMAHA:
For the sixth-straight year WSU opens against an opponent coming off of a winning season.
Omaha finished 21-13 in 2018-19 and was runner-up in both the Summit League regular season and conference tournament.
Coach Derrin Hansen was the 2019 Summit League Coach of the Year.
Omaha is picked fourth out of nine teams in the Summit League preseason poll.
The Mavericks have a veteran squad back in 2019-20 with three double-figure scorers returning to the lineup. Two members of the that trio, JT Gibson (12.9 ppg) and Matt Pile (11.2 ppg), were preseason second team all-league picks.
Senior point guard K.J. Robinson ranked eighth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.06).
Omaha is ranked No. 170 (out of 353 teams) in KenPom’s preseason ratings.
Ball security and pinpoint shooting helped key the 2018-19 Mavericks. They averaged almost as many triples (8.8) as turnovers (9.8) last year. Only Virginia, Michigan and St. Joseph’s average fewer giveaways, and the Mavericks ranked 10th nationally in three-point accuracy (.392).
THE SERIES: WSU leads 2-0
This is the first meeting with Omaha in 25 years. The Shockers lead the all-time series 2-0 with both wins coming in Wichita.
Dec. 3, 1994: Larry Callis (11 pts, 16 reb) and Jamie Arnold (24 pts, 10 reb) finished with double-doubles, and L.D. Swanson narrowly missed out on a triple-double with nine points, eight rebounds and nine assists in an 89-66 triumph.
Dec. 14, 1984: Senior All-American Xavier McDaniel – who would go on to lead the nation in both scoring and rebounding — finished with 22 points, 13 boards and six steals in a 70-43 Shocker victory.
ABOUT THE SHOCKERS:
Wichita State was picked fourth out of 12 teams in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll behind co-favorites Memphis (No. 15 in the AP poll) and Houston (receiving votes) and third-place Cincinnati (also receiving votes).
The Shockers (22-15, 10-8 AAC) return three starters and seven of the top-nine scorers from last year’s roster, which ranked as one of the youngest in college basketball. After a rough start, the team pulled together to win 14 of their last 18 games and reached the NIT semifinals.
Last year’s NIT run marked the program’s 11th straight postseason appearance. WSU scored road wins at Furman, Clemson and Indiana, becoming the first team in NIT history to knock off the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 seeds in its region on the way to Madison Square Garden.
WSU has won at least 22 games in each of the last 10 seasons.
Roles must be redefined. Markis McDuffie (a stretch-four who earned second team all-conference honors) and lightning-quick shooting guard Samajae Haynes-Jones (11.9 pts, 2.7 ast) started every game last year and took most of the big shots. It’s unlikely that any one player will match McDuffie’s 18.3 points-per-game, but with added depth that won’t likely be necessary.
WSU is still young; 10 of its 13 scholarship players are underclassmen and only junior center Asbjorn Midtgaard has spent more than one year in the program.
Sophomore guard Dexter Dennis (8.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg) was named to last year’s AAC All-Freshman Team. His streak of 17-straight games with a three-pointer is currently the fifth-longest in school history.
Sophomore guard Jamarius Burton set a WSU freshman record last year with 126 assists and was twice named AAC Freshman of the Week.
Senior center Jaime Echenique (9.2 ppg) led the team in rebounds last year (6.0) and ranked third on the AAC leaderboard in blocked shots (51).
On paper, WSU’s recruiting class is Marshall’s best.. Freshmen guards Tyson Etienne (No. 115) and Grant Sherfield (No. 116) both made the Rivals150 list, and forward Trey Wade was listed as one of the nation’s 25-best JUCO transfers.
WSU newcomers made a strong first impression, combining for 52 points in a 92-57 exhibition victory.
The Shockers won their 26th-straight preseason exhibition game and improved to 15-0 under Gregg Marshall .
Freshman Grant Sherfield celebrated his 20th birthday with a game-high 18 points (14 before halftime).
Junior college transfer Trey Wade narrowly missed a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds.
Freshman guard Tyson Etienne put up 12 points on 4-of-8 three-point shooting.
Jamarius Burton tacked on 14 points and dished out a game-high six assists without a turnover.
Up 27-23 near the 7:00-mark of the first half WSU used a 10-0 run to create separation. Runs of 13-0 and 12-0 in the second half helped push the margin to as many as 41 points late.
The Shockers committed just one second-half turnover (and only eight total).
WSU outrebounded NSU 45-33 and finished +7 in turnovers while committing only 11 team fouls.
The Shockers posted a 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
All 13 players that dressed saw at least three minutes of action. None played more than 22.
A STEP FORWARD FROM A STEP BACK:
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee and the Playing Rules Oversight Panel incorporated a series of rule changes for the 2019-20 season, designed to enhance the pace and flow of the game. The most-talked about change involved the three-point line, which is now 22-feet-1 ¾ inches at the Division I level (back from 20’9″). The committee hopes to open up the lane for dribble/drive plays from the perimeter, curb the growing prevalence of three-point shooting, assist in offensive spacing and increase the use of mid-range jump shots.
WSU played four NIT games last year under those experimental rules. Notably, the Shockers were slightly more accurate from the longer distance (29-of-93, .312) than they had been during the regular season (.310).
The Shockers set a school record last year for total three-point attempts – both total (890) and per-game (24.1) yet shot their worst percentage since the 2007-08 season.
Notably, the last time the NCAA’s last adjustment to the three-point shooting distance came after that dismal 2007-08 season (from 19’9″ to 20’9″), but the 2008-09 Shockers actually improved their accuracy (from .308 to .322) on roughly the same number of attempts.
BETTER WITH AGE:
Last year, Wichita State survived a nightmare scenario after the departure of six seniors, two transfers and sophomore Landry Shamet’s early entry to the NBA Draft. On paper, the Shockers had one of the nation’s least-experienced rosters with only 11% of minutes returning.
Shocker freshmen accounted for over 45% of minutes played during the 2018-19 season, and Marshall had at least one freshman on the floor for every minute of every game. The Shockers averaged 33 minutes-per-game with at least two rookies on the court and 14 minutes with three-or-more.
In his first 11 seasons at WSU, Marshall had just one true freshman average more than 20 minutes-per-game (Toure’ Murry in 2008-09). Last year he has three of them: Erik Stevenson (21.8), Dexter Dennis (26.0) and Jamarius Burton (24.1). All three started double-digit games — something that had happened just two other times in the Marshall Era.
The roster eventually gelled. After an 8-11 start (1-6 in conference), the youthful Shockers won 14 of their last 18 games.
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD….
… make them 1-0 for the 17th time in 18 years.
… make them 3-0 all-time against Omaha.
… give them five-straight regular season victories going back to Feb. 28, 2019.
… be Marshall’s 503rd career victories and move him to No. 97 on the all-time Division I wins list.
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD…
… give WSU consecutive 0-1 starts for just the second time since World War II (the other came in 1989 and 1990 with losses to Houston and Georgia).
… be just their ninth loss in 65 home openers at the Roundhouse (1955-pr.).
… mark the first time ever that WSU has lost its home opener in consecutive years.
… make WSU 2-1 all-time against Omaha.
… be less good than a win.
UP NEXT: Saturday vs. Texas Southern
WSU continues a five-game homestand to begin the 2019-20 season when it plays host to Texas Southern on Saturday afternoon. The 7 p.m. CT tip will air statewide on YurView Kansas (Cox HD 2022) and streams in all 50 states on YurView.com/Kansas and ESPN3.
The Shockers are 3-0 against Texas Southern (2-0 under Marshall). All three games took place in Wichita. The sides last met in November, 2010.
TSU piled up three postseason wins last year, advancing to the semifinal round of the CIT. It was the school’s longest run since winning the 1977 NAIA championship.
The Tigers (24-14, runner-up in the SWAC regular season) came up a win short of the NCAA Tournament, losing to Prairie View A&M in the conference tournament final.
TSU played 24 true road games in 2018-19 and banked non-conference wins at Baylor, Oregon and Texas A&M.
UNDATED (AP) — The college basketball season tips off with the top ranked teams squaring off. The Champions Classic features No. 1 Michigan State against No. 2 Kentucky followed by No. 3 Kansas taking on No. 4 Duke Tuesday night. The Jayhawks and Blue Devils meet in the first game in New York, with the Spartans and Wildcats next. The week also includes No. 5 Louisville, No. 9 North Carolina and No. 11 Virginia opening the season with Atlantic Coast Conference games to start the ACC’s first 20-game schedule.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs got far more than a couple of players back from injury and a desperately needed victory over the Minnesota Vikings to snap a three-game home losing streak. They also got their confidence back.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — When schools run afoul of the NCAA, they no longer blindly accept whatever punishment is meted out. They close ranks and hunker down, hire outside counsel and vow to fight the penalties, no matter how big or small. It’s a marked change from even 30 years ago, when schools would often accept whatever sanctions were handed down by the governing body. The biggest reason for the change? The increased stakes in big-time college sports.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — If recent history is an indicator, Oklahoma is about to go on a run. The Sooners have won 17 consecutive November games dating back to 2014. The annual late-season surges have fueled four consecutive Big 12 titles and three College Football Playoff berths. The ninth-ranked Sooners hope to keep it going Saturday against Iowa State.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas coach Shaka Smart says guard Andrew Jones is ready for “significant” playing time after missing most of the last two seasons because of cancer treatments. Jones was Texas’ leading scorer when he was diagnosed with leukemia in early January 2018 and missed the rest of that season. He practiced with the team last year but played only a few minutes in two games. Smart says Jones is medically cleared to play and will play a lot. Texas opens the season Tuesday night against Northern Colorado
National Headlines
Dak Prescott shook off an interception on his first pass and threw for three touchdowns, and the Cowboys turned three Daniel Jones turnovers into 13 points on their way to a 37-18 win over the Giants in the Monday night game. Ezekiel Elliott ran for a season-high 139 yards as Dallas (5-3) beat New York (2-7) for the sixth straight time. DeMarcus Lawrence had one of the Cowboys’ five sacks.
UNDATED (AP) — The first College Football Playoff rankings of the season will be released Tuesday night. LSU, Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Penn State and more will be watching closely to see where they are slotted. Over the last five years, 11 of the 20 teams to appear in the top four in these initial rankings went on to reach the four-team playoff. There are four weeks left before championship weekend, when the playoff berths are awarded.
NEW YORK (AP) — Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, Houston third baseman Alex Bregman and Oakland shortstop Marcus Semien are finalists for the AL MVP award, and Washington third baseman Anthony Rendon, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger and Milwaukee outfielder Christian Yelich are the top three for the NL honor. Trout is seeking his third MVP after winning in 2014 and ’16. He finished second in 2012, ’13, ’15 and ’18. Yelich won last year’s NL award with 29 of 30 first-place votes.
BOSTON (AP) _ Boston Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez has decided to keep his contract with the Red Sox instead of becoming a free agent again. Martinez signed a five-year, $110 million deal after teams had started reporting to spring training in 2018. The 32-year-old slugger has averaged just short of 40 homers and 118 RBIs in his two seasons with the Bosox, along with a .317 average and .985 OPS.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) _ Elvis Andrus is staying with the Rangers after the shortstop passed up on a second chance to opt out of his contract and become a free agent. Andrus has $43 million and three years left on his contract in Texas. The 31-year-old shortstop hit .275 with 12 home runs, 72 RBIs and 31 stolen bases in 147 games last season, his 11th with the Rangers. Andrus is the team’s longest-tenured player, and the only player remaining from their only two World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011.
NEW YORK (AP) _ The New York Yankees have declined to make a $17.8 million qualifying offer to shortstop Didi Gregorius, which means they won’t receive draft-pick compensation if he signs with another team. Gregorius came back from Tommy John surgery in early June and hit .238 with 16 homers and 61 RBIs in 82 games. If New York doesn’t re-sign Gregorius, it could move Gleyber Torres from second to shortstop and make DJ LeMahieu the regular second baseman.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Madison Bumgarner has received a $17.8 million qualifying offer from the San Francisco Giants, a move that likely will decrease demand for him in the free-agent market. The Giants would receive at least one draft pick from any team that signs Bumgarner before next year’s draft, a compensation rule that caused pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel to wait until after the draft to sign 2019 contracts. The 30-year-old went 9-9 with a 3.90 ERA over 34 starts this year after two injury-shortened seasons.
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) _ Dwight Evans, Thurman Munson and Lou Whitaker have been added to the ballot for the baseball Hall of Fame’s modern era committee to consider next month. Former players’ association head Marvin Miller will be on a Hall of Fame ballot for the eighth time when the modern era committee meets Dec. 8 ahead of the winter meetings in San Diego. Other holdovers on the 10-man ballot are Steve Garvey, Tommy John, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker and Ted Simmons, but Luis Tiant has been dropped.
Monday Scores
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final Dallas 37 N-Y Giants 18
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Washington 115 Detroit 99
Final Brooklyn 135 New Orleans 125
Final Houston 107 Memphis 100
Final Milwaukee 134 Minnesota 106
Final Phoenix 114 Philadelphia 109
Final Golden State 127 Portland 118
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Colorado third baseman Nolan Arenado won his seventh straight Gold Glove and pitcher Zack Greinke earned his sixth in a row, getting the National League honor for the fourth months he spent with Arizona before he was traded to Houston.
Kansas City left fielder Alex Gordon, who became a free agent this weekend, won his seventh overall and third in a row.
Other multiple winners in the AL announced Sunday included Boston right fielder Mookie Betts (four), Tampa Bay center fielder Kevin Kiermaier (three), Oakland first baseman Matt Olson and third baseman Matt Chapman, and Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor (two apiece).
Seattle pitcher Mike Leake, Cleveland catcher Roberto Pérez and Chicago White Sox second baseman Yolmer Sánchez were first time winners in the AL.
Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo won his third Gold Glove and second in a row, and Arizona shortstop Nick Ahmed won his second straight.
There were five first-time winners in the NL: Philadelphia catcher J.T. Realmuto, St. Louis second baseman Kolten Wong, Arizona left fielder David Peralta, Milwaukee center fielder Lorenzo Cain and Los Angeles right fielder Cody Bellinger.
Managers and up to six coaches per team vote for the awards in their league and cannot choose their own players. For the first time, the defensive index from the Society for American Baseball Research was used, and it comprised about 25% of the vote, with the managers and coaches ballots the rest.
INDIANAPOLIS, In. – Roger Penske was a car-loving, 14-year-old who regularly listened to the Indianapolis 500 on the radio when his father landed tickets to the 1951 race. They made the trek from Cleveland, and Penske fell in love when he saw the cars zipping around Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Now he owns the iconic speedway, its hallowed grounds, “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” the IndyCar Series and all its properties in a stunning deal announced Monday. By early next year, Penske Entertainment Corp. will take over all those entities owned by the Hulman family for 74 years in one of the biggest transactions in the history of motorsports.
“The bug of motor racing got in my blood,” Penske recalled about that day with his father, Jay. “I hope my dad is looking down at me and this group and saying ‘Son, you did a good job.’”
The sprawling, 110-year-old speedway and its famed, 2 1/2 -mile oval track is one of the most famous venues in sports, and crowds for its showcase race every May, the first one dating to 1911, used to swell to more than 400,000 people. The speedway with its famous pagoda tower, Gasoline Alley garage area and massive grandstands was a dilapidated mess in 1945 when Tony Hulman bought it and brought racing back to the corner of 16th Street and Georgetown Avenue after a four-year absence following World War II.
The speedway itself spun off multiple subsidiaries, including the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway Productions, which also are being acquired by Penske Entertainment, a subsidiary of Penske Corp.
Experts were unsure how to value the deal and Penske quipped to AP: “I haven’t paid anything yet.” But the sale was a bombshell in an industry that has struggled with declining attendance and interest over the past decade.
“IndyCar has had a good few years but motorsports still has this challenge going forward,” said Andrew Baker, director of motorsports studies at IUPUI in Indianapolis, whose campus is just a few miles from the speedway. “What people don’t realize is how much it is on the business to business side. That’s where Roger can help, is essential to the sport. It can spill over into things like hospitality and then they can use that to schmooze people and businesses and bring more sponsors into the sport.”
The deal was done in roughly six weeks. It began when Tony George, grandson of Tony Hulman, approached Penske before the season-ending race in California in September. George wished Penske luck in the championship battle, then asked “The Captain” if they could have a conversation about the speedway.
“We as a family agreed we all needed to have a conversation with Roger Penske,” George said.
“I simply said I’d like to meet with him and talk about stewardship and he got a very serious look on his face,” said George, who several times choked back tears discussing his family’s legacy. “It’s obviously emotionally difficult. We all love it and we all care deeply. We all realize that as a family and organization we had probably taken it as far as we can. Roger Penske’s resources will only take this to another level.”
Tony George, along with his sisters and the Hulman & Co. board of directors, have most recently been in charge of Hulman properties. Mari Hulman George, Hulman’s daughter and matriarch of the family interests, died last November and the family businesses have slowly been divested. Hulman & Co. sold its other primary business, the baking company Clabber Girl, to B&G Foods for $80 million in May.
The family has now turned its racing properties over to Penske in an announcement made one day after the one-year anniversary of Hulman George’s death. The family has an opportunity to remain involved with both the series and the speedway, and Tony George said he will take Penske up on the offer. He is also co-owner of Ed Carpenter Racing, the team run by his stepson.
Penske said he will step down as race strategist for his IndyCar team — he most recently called races for veteran driver Will Power — and focus on turning IMS into “the entertainment capital of Indiana.” He said the heavy lifting begins Tuesday when Penske plans to walk the IMS property — it includes the track, a golf course, a museum and in 1987 was designated a National Historic Landmark — then meet with the existing executive team.
Penske, who is also a giant in the NASCAR stock car series, said he plans to make no management changes at this time. He was eager to address any potential conflict of interest that could arise from the most powerful man in motorsports owning a three-car race team, the series and one of the most important races in the world.
“I understand the integrity. To me, I know what my job is,” Penske said. “Hopefully I have enough credibility to ensure that there is not a lot of conflict. I’ve got a lot of guys watching me.”
Penske, who turned 82 in February, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump last month. He is the winningest car owner in Indy 500 history with 18 victories, including Simon Pagenaud’s win in May, as well as 15 IndyCar championships following Josef Newgarden’s title in September.
The deal should close in January. Penske said because both Penske Corp. and Hulman & Co. are private companies they are not legally required to disclose the transaction price.
IMS earlier Monday sent a document to IndyCar teams, a copy of which was obtained by the AP, outlining the basics of the deal.
“We have found the ideal steward of the company and its iconic assets,” the document said. “Penske Corporation — with its 64,000-plus employees and more than $32 billion in consolidated revenue — will bring tremendous energy, leadership and resources to IMS, IndyCar and IMSP.”
Support from rival team owners was immediate. Chip Ganassi said Penske called him early Monday before the sale was announced to inform him, adding “the place is going to be run like a business now.”
Michael Andretti called it “positive news” for the speedway and the series while Bobby Rahal called Penske the “perfect custodian.”
Penske has missed only six Indianapolis 500s since that first race with his father, and five of them came when the IndyCar Series was formed by Tony George and split from CART. Penske teams remained in CART, and CART teams were not welcome at the 500. CART was once the most popular form of motorsports in the U.S., but NASCAR swallowed open-wheel racing during the tumultuous times after Tony George created the Indy Racing League. The split fractured open-wheel racing in North America and it has never fully recovered even after CART conceded and merged into what is now known as IndyCar.
Penske has mixed track ownership and team ownership before, and the Detroit resident purchased Michigan International Speedway in 1973. He later owned California Speedway and currently runs the Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader IndyCar weekend.
Penske said he is eager to add events to IMS and explore opportunities for the speedway and the series. He has been open to new ideas, including guaranteeing spots in the Indianapolis 500 field to full-time IndyCar teams. Fans are vehemently against the idea and argue the show is enhanced by the trials of a driver trying to qualify for the event.
Penske said it was too soon to comment on guaranteeing Indy 500 spots, but he wants to discuss bigger and bolder visions.
“We’ve got to break some glass on some of these things,” said Penske, who mentioned 24-hour races, a return of Formula One and an increased relationship with NASCAR, which has raced at the speedway since 1994, as items he wants to study.
“We’ve got to try some things. I am prepared to take a risk. No risk, no reward.”
Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid. Photo courtesy Chiefs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid met with the media on Monday. Following are his comments.
OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright, don’t have anything injury-wise to give you. I will tell you though that it was a good game. From a fan standpoint, I’m sure it was a great game. I appreciate our fans and our stadium people for cranking it up. They (Minnesota) had a few folks there and our people kind of squashed them when it needed squashed. That was very good. Harrison Butker, my hat goes out to him for the day that he had – four field goals. That one at the end, that was a big one. They did a pretty nice job. You could see the little technique that they used. They jumped over our guys and actually tipped the ball slightly. It was a nice job. He drilled that thing. He put a lot into it and was able to get it over, even with the hand that hit it. Good team win all the way around. I thought our defense just really played well. (Defensive Coordinator) Steve (Spagnuolo) and his staff had a great game plan. The guys trusted and believed in it. They executed it. You saw it during the week in how they practiced. They practiced fast and aggressive. That’s the way they played. It just carried right over to the field. Offensively, again, my hat goes off to Matt (Moore) for being thrown into a thing like this. He goes from coaching high school to having an opportunity to play back in the NFL. But you could see his experience. All of those years that he’s been in the league, you can see that in how he just kind of calmed the storm at the end and ended up making a couple of huge throws. Tyreek (Hill) had a big day. And none of this happens without the offensive line doing their thing, too. I thought EB (Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy) was persistent and aggressive with the guys during the week. I thought that paid off all of the way around. Our guys played aggressive football and I thought that was a result of the way that EB handled them during the week. Anyways, Tyreek had the big day with 140 yards, or whatever it was, receiving. Then Damien (Williams) had the big run there. The right side of the line really collapsed everything down. The guy that really helped out, too, was Tyreek, just by shielding their secondary player there. Damien had a good day. He had over 100 yards. He played well. Defensively, Damien Wilson, with the seven tackles, that was a big day. That D-line, I mean it starts there. How they played, the aggressiveness that I thought they played with, I thought was tremendous. It’s important that we are continuing to improve. When your defensive line plays aggressive and is able to pressure a quarterback like that, where it just throws him off balance enough to where it alters his throws, it helps everybody out. It helps the secondary out. It helps the linebackers out. All while still being able to latch down on the run. It was good on both sides with the bigs, and normally with that the end result is good. Anyway, we have plenty of room to improve. We’re still minus a few guys, but we’ll see how this week goes. I don’t have an answer for you on anybody really right now. But we’ll just see how it goes with the players and see how they heal up. With that, time’s yours.”
Q: You’ve been around Tyreek Hill for quite a while now. Does he still continue to amaze you with some of the things that he does on a weekly basis?
REID: “You know what? He loves to play the game. I think the thing that amazes me the most is that he is fast and quick, but it’s his endurance while being fast and quick. Normally, you don’t see that. I tell him that he has this “cheetah” nickname, but he is really not a cheetah because they’re normally a burst and then they go rest for about eight hours (laughter). That’s not this guy. He can keep going, over and over again. It’s pretty amazing.”
Q: What is it about Tyreek’s ability to go get those deep balls?
REID: “He would’ve been a great center fielder.”
Q: How often do you see that in a speed guy?
REID: “He’s got a unique combination. He does. Then, he’s smart on top of all of that. He can handle all of the stuff that we do with him and all of the positions we put him in. He is able to handle that.”
Q: Has it gotten to the point where when the offense is driving down the field, you can just throw it up to Tyreek and he’ll come down with it?
REID: “Yeah, you think he has a pretty good shot at it. Listen, he’ll tell you that he still has room to improve. He is still young in this thing. He’ll keep getting better with time here.”
Q: Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Dave Toub hasn’t been shy about saying how much he would like to use Tyreek on special teams whenever possible. Is the way that you guys used him yesterday late in the game the perfect example of the way to utilize him?
REID: “Yeah, and Mecole (Hardman) is getting better. He has had a couple of balls on the ground, but that’s not him. That’s not who he is. That hasn’t been his M.O. coming out of college. That’s not what you saw. He’ll get all of that straightened out. He, likewise, is a heck of a weapon back there. We have a lot of confidence in him. He’ll continue to grow. That’s a lonely position back there. You have some pretty vicious guys coming to take care of business there, so that’s a unique spot to be in. He’ll keep getting better, too.”
Q: There were a couple of touchdowns that Minnesota scored in the second half that kind of seemed like mistake plays. Do you leave a game like that, overall, more optimistic because those errors are correctable things?
REID: “Yeah, exactly. That was a good observation. That’s the communication part, playing together, knowing a funky offensive formation or motion. Sometimes it’s just sight adjustment on those. You don’t have enough time to communicate everything verbally. So, it might be a point, or whatever it is, but it has to get done quickly. In those situations, that’s like playing together; the more that you do it, the better you’ll get at it.”
Q: Are you at all surprised at how many big plays you’re still getting in the passing game with Matt Moore at quarterback?
REID: “I’m not because of the way that he handles himself. We still have Chad (Henne) sitting back there, too. Chad is another one that can do those things. I think Brett’s (Veach) done a good job of kind of getting the right guys in for what we do. Maybe they don’t have the same arm that Patrick does, but they’ve got good vision and they’re athletic enough to do what you need to do. And listen, they’re throwing to some pretty good people, too. I’m not surprised by it. I’d like to do more and get more.”
Q: Do you think it can be part of your weaponry moving forward, being able to use Chris Jones as a flex position rather than just being in one spot?
REID: “We did that last year with him a tad. We did more of it yesterday, just increasing that role. I think that’s something you can do, and it gives you that flexibility. He’s a big kid and can handle the load outside that a tight end and a tackle put on you. I think he has the athletic ability to do that, yeah. He does good inside too. He’s not a speed rusher, that’s not what we’re talking about here, but he has a lot of power and he can do that.”
Q: Damien Williams had a big game yesterday. What goes into the decision to use one running back over another?
REID: “We’re lucky that we have some guys and they all played. And we’ll keep that up. We’re going to need all of them. That’s a tough position and I thought he did good in there. We kept giving it to him and that’s how it rolls. You saw on the long touchdown, there was LeSean (McCoy) congratulating him. They all get along and are pretty unselfish that way.”
Q: Do you feel like Damien Williams has been healthy?
REID: “Yeah. I think he has gotten more healthy as he has gone along here. I think he feels pretty good right now.”
Q: Are you seeing some benefits from those guys knowing there’s more competition in that position?
REID: “No, but I’ll always say that I believe competition brings out the best in you. On one hand I don’t know where that comes into effect, but I know they’re close, but I also know they’re competitive, however, that works out. You can read into it from there, but we’re always trying to bring in competition at all spots. It makes us better as a football team. We really don’t care if everybody plays in a game, so we encourage that. Be ready and we’ll use you anywhere type deal.”
Q: You mentioned EB (Eric Bieniemy) was aggressive with the offense last week, how have you seen him progress and grow as an offensive coordinator?
REID: “I mean you saw him there at the end, he kept everything intact, and there was a lot happening there at the end that could have gotten away. He was able to calm everything down and still get the play into the quarterback and the quarterback did a good job of calming everything down at times when it was a rat race out there, which happens at the end of games under two minutes. I thought he handled everything well, and at times, it was two plays at a time. He’s getting a play and then trying to coach a guy up on the next play so we can keep rolling on. He’s good with all that and not a lot fazes him. He’s pretty in-tune.”
Q: Just to clarify, you mentioned Patrick Mahomes is getting close. Can you explain where he’s at in the rehab and how he’s getting closer to where he needs to be?
REID: “It looks like he’s moving around better. That’s all I can tell you. I don’t know all the medical terms for it, I just thought he looked better this week than he did last week. Is he ready? I can’t tell you that. I’m not sure we’ll know that until we get there. Who knows? We’ll see how it all goes here. I’ll let the doctors handle all that stuff.”
Q: The way you see him in practice or pre-game routine, do your own eyes suggest he’s ready?
REID: “I didn’t go out for all the pre-practice stuff. I didn’t watch him do all that. I can tell you during the week I watch him, and he just looked better than he had the week before. He wasn’t quite there. I don’t know that injury well enough to stand here and predict something and it’s not the most common injury in this league.”
Q: How important will it be for him to put in a full practice to show that he is getting closer?
REID: “He knows our stuff. I’m comfortable with that and that’s how I felt going into last week. If something were to happen and he could go, then he knows the stuff and it’s not a problem there. He knows our receivers; he spends so much time with those guys. I’m not that worried about it. I don’t know a time for you. We’ll just see. I’m going to play it by ear and just go off of that.”
Q: How has Mike Pennel helped in his short time of being here?
REID: “He’s a big guy that brings good energy. Again, I don’t know him that well, he’s only been here a short period of time. I know that what I see, I like. He’s not a selfish guy. He’s all in. Those are all positive things and he’s been contributing the last couple of weeks, which has been good.”
Q: A follow up to what you said earlier about Tyreek, that you don’t think he’s a cheetah. Is there a more accurate animal that he is?
By Karissa Niehoff, Executive Director of the National Federation of State High School Associations and Bill Faflick, Executive Director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association.
UNDATED (AP) — The college basketball season tips off with the top ranked teams squaring off. The Champions Classic features No. 1 Michigan State against No. 2 Kentucky followed by No. 3 Kansas taking on No. 4 Duke Tuesday night. The Jayhawks and Blue Devils meet in the first game in New York, with the Spartans and Wildcats next. The week also includes No. 5 Louisville, No. 9 North Carolina and No. 11 Virginia opening the season with Atlantic Coast Conference games to start the ACC’s first 20-game schedule.
