UPDATE 10:15 a.m. Saturday: The Washington Commanders make it official:

Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy is reported to be leaving for the Washington Commanders.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Friday that Bieniemy is finalizing a deal to be the new offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders. The deal is expected to be official by Saturday, Rapoport noted. 

UPDATE 10:15 a.m. Saturday: The Washington Commanders make it official:<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Welcome, Eric! Two-time Super Bowl winning coordinator Eric Bieniemy is our new assistant head coach/OC 📰<a href="https://t.co/CSFjuISHxb">https://t.co/CSFjuISHxb</a> <a href="https://t.co/HK4gZezYHr">pic.twitter.com/HK4gZezYHr</a>&mdash; Washington Commanders (@Commanders) <a href="https://twitter.com/Commanders/status/1626974926874767360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>By SALINA POSTKansas City Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy is reported to be leaving for the Washington Commanders.NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Friday that Bieniemy is finalizing a deal to be the new offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders. The deal is expected to be official by Saturday, Rapoport noted.

UPDATE: Washington Commanders make Bieniemy hire official

LAWRENCE - No. 5 Kansas (21-5, 9-4) returns home to host No. 9 Baylor (20-6, 9-4) on Saturday. The game from Allen Fieldhouse will begin at 3 p.m. (CT) and be televised on ESPN with Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, and Holly Rowe on the call.&nbsp; &nbsp; TIPOFF

●Honoring Black History Month, KU will honor former great Walt Wesley during the Baylor contest. Wesley was a two-time All-American at KU who played under Ted Owens from 1964-66 and was an integral part in the segregation of college athletics.

●ESPN College GameDay (CGD) will originate from Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 18, from 9-11 a.m. This marks the 11th time the show has been in Lawrence for basketball, 12th time if one adds last fall when KU host CGD in October.

●Kansas has won three straight after its 87-76 victory at Oklahoma State on Feb. 14. The Jayhawks have won five of their last six games, with two of those wins against top 10 teams. Baylor has won four-straight games after its 79-67 win against West Virginia on Feb. 13. Kansas, Baylor and Texas are tied for first in the Big 12 race with 9-4 league records.

●Last season, Kansas became the all-time winningest program in NCAA Division I, currently at 2,378 victories.

●Kansas leads the overall series with Baylor, 34-9, including a 17-1 mark in games played in Allen Fieldhouse.

●Kansas is No. 7 in the NET Rankings through games played on Feb. 15. Kansas is No. 1 in NET Strength of Schedule and its 12 Quadrant 1 wins are the most in NCAA Division I. Baylor, Texas and Purdue are next with nine.

●Kansas has appeared in the Associated Press top 10 in each of the last 34 polls dating back to the 2021-22 preseason poll. The 34 consecutive is the longest active streak in men’s college basketball.

●An All-America and national player of the year candidate, redshirt-junior Jalen Wilson leads the Big 12 in scoring at 20.3 ppg, which is 19th nationally, and double-doubles with eight. Wilson is second in the league with an 8.2 rebounds per game average.

●Redshirt-junior Dajuan Harris Jr. is second in the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.94 (12th nationally) and in assists per game at 6.1, which is seventh nationally.

●Redshirt-senior Kevin McCullar Jr. is second in the Big 12 in steals (2.3), which is 15th nationally.

●Freshman Gradey Dick is a two-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week who leads KU with 61 threes made. Dick leads KU with a 42.5 shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

●Kansas is celebrating 125 years of men’s basketball in 2022-23.&nbsp;

&nbsp; UP NEXT Kansas hits the road and plays at TCU on Monday. The ESPN Big Monday contest from Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena will begin at 8 p.m. (Central).&nbsp; &nbsp; Kansas leads the overall series with TCU, 24-4, including a 9-2 record in Fort Worth and 7-2 mark in Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Earlier this season, then-No. 14 TCU defeated then-No. 2 Kansas, 83-60, on Jan. 21, 2023, in Allen Fieldhouse.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676669637473.jpeg" alt="ESPN College Gameday will lead into the Jayhawks game against Baylor on Saturday. Photo courtesy <a href="http://kuathletics.com">kuathletics.com</a>" />
 <figcaption>ESPN College Gameday will lead into the Jayhawks game against Baylor on Saturday. Photo courtesy <a href="http://kuathletics.com">kuathletics.com</a></figcaption>
 </figure>KU AthleticsLAWRENCE - No. 5 Kansas (21-5, 9-4) returns home to host No. 9 Baylor (20-6, 9-4) on Saturday. The game from Allen Fieldhouse will begin at 3 p.m. (CT) and be televised on ESPN with Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, and Holly Rowe on the call.&nbsp; &nbsp; TIPOFF●Honoring Black History Month, KU will honor former great Walt Wesley during the Baylor contest. Wesley was a two-time All-American at KU who played under Ted Owens from 1964-66 and was an integral part in the segregation of college athletics.●ESPN College GameDay (CGD) will originate from Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 18, from 9-11 a.m. This marks the 11th time the show has been in Lawrence for basketball, 12th time if one adds last fall when KU host CGD in October.●Kansas has won three straight after its 87-76 victory at Oklahoma State on Feb. 14. The Jayhawks have won five of their last six games, with two of those wins against top 10 teams. Baylor has won four-straight games after its 79-67 win against West Virginia on Feb. 13. Kansas, Baylor and Texas are tied for first in the Big 12 race with 9-4 league records.●Last season, Kansas became the all-time winningest program in NCAA Division I, currently at 2,378 victories.●Kansas leads the overall series with Baylor, 34-9, including a 17-1 mark in games played in Allen Fieldhouse.●Kansas is No. 7 in the NET Rankings through games played on Feb. 15. Kansas is No. 1 in NET Strength of Schedule and its 12 Quadrant 1 wins are the most in NCAA Division I. Baylor, Texas and Purdue are next with nine.●Kansas has appeared in the Associated Press top 10 in each of the last 34 polls dating back to the 2021-22 preseason poll. The 34 consecutive is the longest active streak in men’s college basketball.●An All-America and national player of the year candidate, redshirt-junior Jalen Wilson leads the Big 12 in scoring at 20.3 ppg, which is 19th nationally, and double-doubles with eight. Wilson is second in the league with an 8.2 rebounds per game average.●Redshirt-junior Dajuan Harris Jr. is second in the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.94 (12th nationally) and in assists per game at 6.1, which is seventh nationally.●Redshirt-senior Kevin McCullar Jr. is second in the Big 12 in steals (2.3), which is 15th nationally.●Freshman Gradey Dick is a two-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week who leads KU with 61 threes made. Dick leads KU with a 42.5 shooting percentage from beyond the arc.●Kansas is celebrating 125 years of men’s basketball in 2022-23.&nbsp;&nbsp; UP NEXT Kansas hits the road and plays at TCU on Monday. The ESPN Big Monday contest from Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena will begin at 8 p.m. (Central).&nbsp; &nbsp; Kansas leads the overall series with TCU, 24-4, including a 9-2 record in Fort Worth and 7-2 mark in Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Earlier this season, then-No. 14 TCU defeated then-No. 2 Kansas, 83-60, on Jan. 21, 2023, in Allen Fieldhouse.&nbsp;

No. 5 Kansas to host No. 9 Baylor, ESPN College Gameday Saturday

MANHATTAN&nbsp;– First-year head coach&nbsp;Jerome Tang&nbsp;has been selected to the Late Season Watch List for the 2023 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Friday.

Tang was one of 15 candidates on the Watch List, which also included fellow Big 12 head coaches&nbsp;T.J. Otzelberger&nbsp;of Iowa State and&nbsp;Rodney Terry&nbsp;of Texas. The other coaches on the list included Saint Mary’s&nbsp;Randy Bennett, Pittsburgh’s&nbsp;Jeff Capel, Northwestern’s&nbsp;Chris Collins, UCLA’s&nbsp;Mick Cronin, Missouri’s&nbsp;Dennis Gates, Charleston’s&nbsp;Pat Kelsey, Florida Atlantic’s&nbsp;Dusty May, Xavier’s&nbsp;Sean Miller, Alabama’s&nbsp;Nate Oats, Purdue’s&nbsp;Matt Painter, Houston’s&nbsp;Kelvin Sampson&nbsp;and Marquette’s&nbsp;Shaka Smart.

The 10-member semifinalist list for the award will be announced on Thursday, March 9 then whittled to four finalists on Monday, March 20. The winner will be named on Sunday, April 2 at the Naismith Awards Brunch at the Final Four in Houston. The final round includes an opportunity for fans to participate through the Naismith Award Fan Vote presented by Jersey’s Mike’s and accounts for 5 percent of the total vote and runs from March 21-28.

Tang has helped No. 12/14 Kansas State (19-7, 7-6 Big 12) to one of the best starts in the last 50 seasons, as the Wildcats’ current 19-7 record ties two other teams for the seventh-best in that time span and the best since 2018-19. Only the 1972-73, 1976-77, 1981-82, 2009-10, 2012-13 and 2018-19 teams have a better record in that stretch.

Tang’s current record ranks among the very best by all first-year coaches in Division I, tying fellow Watch List candidates, Missouri’s&nbsp;Dennis Gates&nbsp;(19-7) and Xavier’s&nbsp;Sean Miller&nbsp;(19-7) for the best mark.

Among Tang’s 19 victories this season are five against AP Top 25 opponents, which ties for the second-most in school history and the most since the 2014-15 team tied the school-record with six such victories. His seven Big 12 victories are the most by the school since winning the Big 12 title in 2018-19.

Tang also guided K-State to a 12-1 record in non-conference play, which was the most victories in non-conference play since winning a program-best 13 in 2009-10. He helped the Wildcats win the Cayman Islands Classic in November, which was the school’s first in-season tournament title since 2017.

Tang was selected as the 25th head men’s basketball coach at K-State on March 21, 2022, after serving as the one of the chief architects in helping build Baylor into a national powerhouse in his 19 seasons as an assistant and associate head coach from 2003 to 2022.

No. 12/14 K-State returns home on Saturday afternoon when the Wildcats play host to No. 19/18 Iowa State (17-8, 8-5 Big 12) at 1 p.m., CT on ESPN. The game is already a sellout.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676668598664.jpeg" alt="K-State men's basketball Head Coach Jerome Tang. Photo by Lathe Cobb courtesy K-State Sports" />
 <figcaption>K-State men's basketball Head Coach Jerome Tang. Photo by Lathe Cobb courtesy K-State Sports</figcaption>
 </figure>K-State SportsMANHATTAN&nbsp;– First-year head coach&nbsp;Jerome Tang&nbsp;has been selected to the Late Season Watch List for the 2023 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Friday.Tang was one of 15 candidates on the Watch List, which also included fellow Big 12 head coaches&nbsp;T.J. Otzelberger&nbsp;of Iowa State and&nbsp;Rodney Terry&nbsp;of Texas. The other coaches on the list included Saint Mary’s&nbsp;Randy Bennett, Pittsburgh’s&nbsp;Jeff Capel, Northwestern’s&nbsp;Chris Collins, UCLA’s&nbsp;Mick Cronin, Missouri’s&nbsp;Dennis Gates, Charleston’s&nbsp;Pat Kelsey, Florida Atlantic’s&nbsp;Dusty May, Xavier’s&nbsp;Sean Miller, Alabama’s&nbsp;Nate Oats, Purdue’s&nbsp;Matt Painter, Houston’s&nbsp;Kelvin Sampson&nbsp;and Marquette’s&nbsp;Shaka Smart.The 10-member semifinalist list for the award will be announced on Thursday, March 9 then whittled to four finalists on Monday, March 20. The winner will be named on Sunday, April 2 at the Naismith Awards Brunch at the Final Four in Houston. The final round includes an opportunity for fans to participate through the Naismith Award Fan Vote presented by Jersey’s Mike’s and accounts for 5 percent of the total vote and runs from March 21-28.Tang has helped No. 12/14 Kansas State (19-7, 7-6 Big 12) to one of the best starts in the last 50 seasons, as the Wildcats’ current 19-7 record ties two other teams for the seventh-best in that time span and the best since 2018-19. Only the 1972-73, 1976-77, 1981-82, 2009-10, 2012-13 and 2018-19 teams have a better record in that stretch.Tang’s current record ranks among the very best by all first-year coaches in Division I, tying fellow Watch List candidates, Missouri’s&nbsp;Dennis Gates&nbsp;(19-7) and Xavier’s&nbsp;Sean Miller&nbsp;(19-7) for the best mark.Among Tang’s 19 victories this season are five against AP Top 25 opponents, which ties for the second-most in school history and the most since the 2014-15 team tied the school-record with six such victories. His seven Big 12 victories are the most by the school since winning the Big 12 title in 2018-19.Tang also guided K-State to a 12-1 record in non-conference play, which was the most victories in non-conference play since winning a program-best 13 in 2009-10. He helped the Wildcats win the Cayman Islands Classic in November, which was the school’s first in-season tournament title since 2017.Tang was selected as the 25th head men’s basketball coach at K-State on March 21, 2022, after serving as the one of the chief architects in helping build Baylor into a national powerhouse in his 19 seasons as an assistant and associate head coach from 2003 to 2022.No. 12/14 K-State returns home on Saturday afternoon when the Wildcats play host to No. 19/18 Iowa State (17-8, 8-5 Big 12) at 1 p.m., CT on ESPN. The game is already a sellout.

Tang named to Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of Year watch list

No. 12/14 K-State (19-7, 7-6 Big 12) returns home to Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday for the start of back-to-back Top 25 matchups, as the Wildcats play host to No. 19/18 Iowa State (17-8, 8-5 Big 12) for a 1 p.m., CT tip on ESPN. The Cyclones won the first meeting, 80-76, at home on Jan. 24 in a highly competitive game in which both teams shot better than 50 percent. They have split the last 8 meetings at Bramlage Coliseum, including 74-73 victory last season.

Date&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Rank&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Result&nbsp;&nbsp; Score&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Location

1/12/2019&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; —/20&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; W&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 58-57&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ames

2/16/2019&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 18/23&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; L&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 64-78&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Manhattan

3/15/2019&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 15/—&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; L&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 59-63&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Kansas City

2/8/2020&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; —/—&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; L&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 63-73&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ames

3/7/2020&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; —/—&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; W&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 79-63&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Manhattan

12/15/2020&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; —/—&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; W&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 74-65&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ames

3/6/2021&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; —/—&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; W&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 61-56&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Manhattan

2/12/2022&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; —/—&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; W&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 75-69 [OT]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ames

2/26/2022&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; —/—&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; L&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 73-74&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Manhattan

1/24/2023&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 5/12&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; L&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 76-80&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ames

12/13 IOWA STATE 80, 5/5 K-STATE 76

IOWA STATE 74, K-STATE 73 [Feb. 26, 2022]

LAST TIME OUT: OKLAHOMA 79, 12/14 K-STATE 65

UP NEXT: 9/9 BAYLOR (20-7, 9-4 Big 12)&nbsp;

🏀 MBB: K-State to host Iowa State

By NATE KING Salina Post

Season tickets for Salina's only indoor professional football league team, <a href="https://www.salinaliberty.com/">Salina Liberty</a>, are now on sale. Season and single game tickets are on sale through the Tony's Pizza Events Center Box Office,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.tonyspizzaeventscenter.com/">www.tonyspizzaeventscenter.com</a>, (785) 826-7200.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Salina Liberty's head coach is Heron O'Neil. This season is his sixth season with the Salina Liberty. O'Neil led Salina Liberty to the 2022 championship. He is the second winningest coach in the Champions Indoor Football league.&nbsp;

Spectators who haven't witnessed indoor football, should prepare for an action packed thrill ride said Salina Liberty team owner, Dan Mendicina.

"Indoor football is exhilarating, and definitely more fast paced than outdoor football," Mendicina said. "When you attend one of the Salina Liberty games you will feel like you're on the field itself, it is that action packed and fun to watch."&nbsp;

Located at the crossroads of Interstate 7o and Interstate 135, Salina serves as a regional hub for central Kansas. No matter where you are visiting from, Salina has what you and your family need to make your visit memorable and comfortable. Salina Liberty welcomes fans from all across Kansas and beyond. 

For more information&nbsp; about Salina's hotel accommodations, restaurants, and more check out the VisitSalina brochure <a href="https://issuu.com/salinaareachamberofcommerce/docs/2022visitsalinaguide_jan?fr=sMTY2ZjQ1ODk0Mjg">here</a>.

$60 for blue level – save $12 over single ticket prices

$90 for red level – save $12 over single ticket prices

$150 for yellow level – save $30 over single ticket prices (this level is very limited)

-first right to keep seats for any playoff games

-first right to keep seats for the next season

To learn more about indoor football and the Salina Liberty team, check out their website <a href="https://www.salinaliberty.com/">here</a>.

By NATE KING Salina PostSeason tickets for Salina's only indoor professional football league team, <a href="https://www.salinaliberty.com/">Salina Liberty</a>, are now on sale. Season and single game tickets are on sale through the Tony's Pizza Events Center Box Office,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.tonyspizzaeventscenter.com/">www.tonyspizzaeventscenter.com</a>, (785) 826-7200.&nbsp; &nbsp;Salina Liberty's head coach is Heron O'Neil. This season is his sixth season with the Salina Liberty. O'Neil led Salina Liberty to the 2022 championship. He is the second winningest coach in the Champions Indoor Football league.&nbsp;Spectators who haven't witnessed indoor football, should prepare for an action packed thrill ride said Salina Liberty team owner, Dan Mendicina."Indoor football is exhilarating, and definitely more fast paced than outdoor football," Mendicina said. "When you attend one of the Salina Liberty games you will feel like you're on the field itself, it is that action packed and fun to watch."&nbsp;Located at the crossroads of Interstate 7o and Interstate 135, Salina serves as a regional hub for central Kansas. No matter where you are visiting from, Salina has what you and your family need to make your visit memorable and comfortable. Salina Liberty welcomes fans from all across Kansas and beyond. For more information&nbsp; about Salina's hotel accommodations, restaurants, and more check out the VisitSalina brochure <a href="https://issuu.com/salinaareachamberofcommerce/docs/2022visitsalinaguide_jan?fr=sMTY2ZjQ1ODk0Mjg">here</a>.<h2>Salina Liberty home game schedule</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676575510983.png" alt="Salina Liberty's 2023 home game schedule. Photo courtesy Salina Liberty" />
 <figcaption>Salina Liberty's 2023 home game schedule. Photo courtesy Salina Liberty</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Salina Liberty season ticket pricing</h2>$60 for blue level – save $12 over single ticket prices$90 for red level – save $12 over single ticket prices$150 for yellow level – save $30 over single ticket prices (this level is very limited)<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676565614669.jpeg" alt="Seating map for Salina Liberty&nbsp; indoor football at Tony's Event Center. Individual ticket pricing- $30 per yellow level ticket, $17 per red level ticket and&nbsp; $12 per blue level ticket.&nbsp;&nbsp;Photo courtesy Tony's Event Center&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Seating map for Salina Liberty&nbsp; indoor football at Tony's Event Center. Individual ticket pricing- $30 per yellow level ticket, $17 per red level ticket and&nbsp; $12 per blue level ticket.&nbsp;&nbsp;Photo courtesy Tony's Event Center&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>Benefits of purchasing season tickets-save money over single ticket prices-you get the same seat all season long-first right to keep seats for any playoff games-first right to keep seats for the next seasonTo learn more about indoor football and the Salina Liberty team, check out their website <a href="https://www.salinaliberty.com/">here</a>.

🏈 Season tickets for Salina Liberty indoor football on sale now!

NEW YORK — Live, from New York, it's...Travis Kelce? Apparently so...

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1580356184731.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK — Live, from New York, it's...Travis Kelce? Apparently so...<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/tkelce?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tkelce</a> announces that he will be hosting <a href="https://twitter.com/nbcsnl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nbcsnl</a> with musical guest <a href="https://twitter.com/KelseaBallerini?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KelseaBallerini</a> on March 4th! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FallonTonight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FallonTonight</a> <a href="https://t.co/PeeEMc7ASw">pic.twitter.com/PeeEMc7ASw</a>&mdash; The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) <a href="https://twitter.com/FallonTonight/status/1626403759981985793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🏈 CHIEFS: Kelce to host SNL in March

LAWRENCE –&nbsp;After breaking her high jump school record for the second time this season, Kansas senior Rylee Anderson has been named the Big 12 Conference Athlete of the Week for her performance at the Tyson Invitational on Feb. 11. Anderson, of Longmont, Colorado, improved her school record to 1.90m (6-2.75 ft.) after previously breaking the record at the Bob Timmons Challenge on Dec. 3, 2022. Anderson now owns the four best jumps in school history, as MaryBeth Labosky previously held the record of 1.86m (6-1.25 ft.) set in 1993. The Big 12 Athlete of the Week honor is Anderson’s third of her career, after being named Big 12 Athlete of the week on Jan. 27, 2023, and Jan. 19, 2022.&nbsp; Anderson’s jump of 1.90m (6-2.75 ft.) went on to win the Tyson Invitational high jump competition, while she improves to No. 2 in the country and No. 1 in the Big 12 this season. The Jayhawks will return to Fayetteville, Ark., this weekend with a select group competing at the Arkansas Qualifier on Friday. The Jayhawks will then get into postseason competition with the Big 12 Indoor Championships in Lubbock, Texas, Feb. 24-25 and the NCAA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., March 10-11.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676600072614.jpeg" alt="Image courtesy <a href="http://kuathletics.com">kuathletics.com</a>" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy <a href="http://kuathletics.com">kuathletics.com</a></figcaption>
 </figure>KU AthleticsLAWRENCE –&nbsp;After breaking her high jump school record for the second time this season, Kansas senior Rylee Anderson has been named the Big 12 Conference Athlete of the Week for her performance at the Tyson Invitational on Feb. 11. Anderson, of Longmont, Colorado, improved her school record to 1.90m (6-2.75 ft.) after previously breaking the record at the Bob Timmons Challenge on Dec. 3, 2022. Anderson now owns the four best jumps in school history, as MaryBeth Labosky previously held the record of 1.86m (6-1.25 ft.) set in 1993. The Big 12 Athlete of the Week honor is Anderson’s third of her career, after being named Big 12 Athlete of the week on Jan. 27, 2023, and Jan. 19, 2022.&nbsp; Anderson’s jump of 1.90m (6-2.75 ft.) went on to win the Tyson Invitational high jump competition, while she improves to No. 2 in the country and No. 1 in the Big 12 this season. The Jayhawks will return to Fayetteville, Ark., this weekend with a select group competing at the Arkansas Qualifier on Friday. The Jayhawks will then get into postseason competition with the Big 12 Indoor Championships in Lubbock, Texas, Feb. 24-25 and the NCAA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., March 10-11.&nbsp;&nbsp;

School record performance earns Anderson Big 12 honor

By HILLEL ITALIE Associated Press

NEW YORK — Tim McCarver, the All-Star catcher and Hall of Fame 
broadcaster who during 60 years in baseball won two World Series titles 
with the St. Louis Cardinals and had a long run as the one of the 
country's most recognized, incisive and talkative television 
commentators, died Thursday. He was 81.

McCarver's death was 
announced by baseball's Hall of Fame, which said he died Thursday 
morning due to heart failure in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was with 
his family.

Among the few players to appear in major league games 
during four decades, McCarver was a two-time All Star who worked closely
 with two future Hall of Fame pitchers: The tempestuous Bob Gibson, whom
 McCarver caught for St. Louis in the 1960s, and the introverted Steve 
Carlton, McCarver's fellow Cardinal in the '60s and a Philadelphia 
Phillies teammate in the 1970s.

He switched to television soon 
after retiring in 1980 and called 24 World Series for ABC, CBS and Fox, a
 record for a baseball analyst on television.

“I think there is a 
natural bridge from being a catcher to talking about the view of the 
game and the view of the other players,” McCarver told the Hall in 2012,
 the year he and Joe Buck were given the Ford C. Frick Award for 
excellence in broadcasting. “It is translating that for the viewers. One
 of the hard things about television is staying contemporary and keeping
 it simple for the viewers.”

McCarver became best known to 
national audiences for his 18-year partnership on Fox with play-by-play 
man Buck. McCarver moved to Fox in 1996 when it began televising 
baseball and called his final World Series in 2013.

“I learned 
really fast that if you were in his inner circle, he would be a fierce 
defender of you and for you,” Buck said Thursday. "He taught me how to 
deal with criticism because he had been criticized, his whole broadcast 
career. And sometimes it was because he was a teacher of the game. If 
some player or manager didn’t manage or play the way he thought the game
 should be played, he let a national audience know it. He was always the
 first one in the clubhouse the next day. If that person had something 
to say back to him, he would engage and stood his ground, but it was 
fair.

“He taught me a lot about the game, but he taught me as much or more about how to broadcast on a on a national level.”

Commissioner
 Rob Manfred said in a statement that McCarver was “a respected teammate
 and one of the most influential voices our game has known.”

Six 
feet tall and solidly built, McCarver was a policeman’s son from 
Memphis, who got into more than a few fights while growing up but was 
otherwise playing baseball and football and imitating popular 
broadcasters, notably the Cardinals’ Harry Caray. He was signed while 
still in high school by the Cardinals for $75,000, a generous offer for 
that time; just 17 when he debuted for them in 1959 and in his early 20s
 when he became the starting catcher.

McCarver attended segregated
 schools in Memphis and often spoke of the education he received as a 
newcomer in St. Louis. His teammates included Gibson and outfielder Curt
 Flood, Black players who did not hesitate to confront or tease 
McCarver. When McCarver used racist language against a Black child 
trying to jump a fence during spring training, Gibson would remember 
“getting right up in McCarver’s face.” McCarver liked to tell the story 
about drinking an orange soda during a hot day in spring training and 
Gibson asking him for some, then laughing when McCarver flinched.

“It
 was probably Gibby more than any other Black man who helped me to 
overcome whatever latent prejudices I may have had,” McCarver wrote in 
his 1987 memoir “Oh, Baby, I Love It!”

Few catchers were strong 
hitters during the ’60s, but McCarver batted .270 or higher for five 
consecutive seasons and was fast enough to become the first in his 
position to lead the league in triples. He had his best year in 1967 
when he hit .295 with 14 home runs, finishing second for NL Most 
Valuable Player behind teammate Orlando Cepeda as the Cardinals won 
their second World Series in four years.

McCarver met Carlton when
 the left-hander was a rookie in 1965 “with an independent streak wider 
than the Grand Canyon,” McCarver later wrote. The two initially clashed,
 even arguing on the mound during games, but became close and were 
reunited in the 1970s after both were traded to Philadelphia. McCarver 
became Carlton’s designated catcher even though he admittedly had a 
below average throwing arm and overall didn’t compare defensively to the
 Phillies’ regular catcher, Gold Glover Bob Boone.

“Behind every 
successful pitcher, there has to be a very smart catcher, and Tim 
McCarver is that man,” Carlton said during his Hall of Fame induction 
speech in 1994. “Timmy forced me pitch inside. Early in my career I was 
reluctant to pitch inside. Timmy had a way to remedy this. He used to 
set up behind the hitter. There was just the umpire there; I couldn’t 
see him (McCarver), so I was forced to pitch inside.”

McCarver 
liked to joke that he and Carlton were so in synch in the field that 
when both were dead they would be buried 60 feet, 6 inches apart, the 
distance between the rubber on the pitching mound and home plate.

During
 a 21-year career, when he also played briefly for the Montreal Expos 
and Boston Red Sox, McCarver batted .271 and only twice struck out more 
than 40 times in a season. In the postseason, he averaged .273 and had 
his best outing in the 1964 World Series, when the Cardinals defeated 
the New York Yankees in seven games. McCarver finished 11 for 23, with 
five walks, and his 3-run homer at Yankee Stadium in the 10th inning of 
Game 5 gave his team a 5-2 victory.

Younger baseball fans first 
knew him from his work in the broadcast booth, whether local games for 
the New York Mets, Yankees, Philadelphia and San Francisco, as Jack 
Buck’s partner on CBS (1990-91) or with son Joe Buck for Fox from 
1996-2013. McCarver won six Emmys and became enough of a brand name to 
be a punchline on “Family Guy”; write a handful of books, make cameos in
 “Naked Gun,” “Love Hurts” and other movies and even record an album, 
“Tim McCarver Sings Songs from the Great American Songbook.”

Knowledge
 was his trademark. In his spare time, he visited art museums, read 
books and could recite poetry from memory. At work, he was like a 
one-man scouting team, versed in the most granular details, and spent 
hours preparing before each game. At times, he seemed to have psychic 
powers. In Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, the score was tied at 2 
between the Yankees and Arizona, and New York drew in its infield with 
the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth. Mariano Rivera 
was facing Luis Rodriquez.

“Rivera throws inside to left-handers,”
 McCarver observed. “Left-handers get a lot of broken-bat hits into 
shallow outfield, the shallow part of the outfield. That’s the danger of
 bringing the infield in with a guy like Rivera on the mound.”

Moments later, Gonzalez’s bloop to short center field drove in the winning run.

“When
 you the consider the pressure of the moment,” ESPN’s Keith Olbermann 
told The New York Times in 2002, “the time he had to say it and the 
accuracy, his call was the sports-announcing equivalent of Bill 
Mazeroski’s home run in the seventh inning to defeat the Yankees in 
1960.”

Many found McCarver informative and entertaining. Others 
thought him infuriating. McCarver did not cut himself short whether 
explaining baseball strategy or taking on someone’s performance on the 
field. “When you ask him the time, (he) will tell you how a watch 
works,” Sports Illustrated’s Norm Chad wrote of him in 1992. The same 
year his criticism of Deion Sanders for playing two sports on the same 
day led to Atlanta outfielder/Falcons defensive back’s dumping a bucket 
of water on his head. In 1999, McCarver was fired by the Mets after 16 
seasons on the air.

The Mets said in a statement that McCarver 
gave Mets an insightful, humorous and knowledgeable behind the scenes 
look into the game.

“Some broadcasters think that their 
responsibility is to the team and the team only,” McCarver told the 
Times soon after the Mets let him go. “I have never thought that. My No.
 1 obligation is to the people who are watching the game. And I’ve 
always felt that praise without objective criticism ceases to be praise.
 To me, any intelligent person can figure that out.”

After 
retiring from Fox's national broadcasts, McCarver announced part-time 
for Fox Sports Midwest and worked the occasional Cardinals game before 
sitting out the 2020 season because of concerns about COVID-19. Besides 
the Frick award, he was inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame, in 
2017.

“By the time I was 26 I had played in three World Series and
 I thought, ’Man this is great, almost a World Series every year,” he 
said during his acceptance speech. “Uh-uh. The game has a way of keeping
 you honest. I never played in another World Series.”

McCarver is survived by his daughters Kathy and Kelley, and grandchildren Leigh and Beau.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676581001538.jpeg" alt="Baseball announcer Tim McCarver poses in the press box before the start of Game 2 of the American League Division Series on Oct. 2, 2003 in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)" />
 <figcaption>Baseball announcer Tim McCarver poses in the press box before the start of Game 2 of the American League Division Series on Oct. 2, 2003 in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>By HILLEL ITALIE Associated PressNEW YORK — Tim McCarver, the All-Star catcher and Hall of Fame 
broadcaster who during 60 years in baseball won two World Series titles 
with the St. Louis Cardinals and had a long run as the one of the 
country's most recognized, incisive and talkative television 
commentators, died Thursday. He was 81.McCarver's death was 
announced by baseball's Hall of Fame, which said he died Thursday 
morning due to heart failure in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was with 
his family.Among the few players to appear in major league games 
during four decades, McCarver was a two-time All Star who worked closely
 with two future Hall of Fame pitchers: The tempestuous Bob Gibson, whom
 McCarver caught for St. Louis in the 1960s, and the introverted Steve 
Carlton, McCarver's fellow Cardinal in the '60s and a Philadelphia 
Phillies teammate in the 1970s.He switched to television soon 
after retiring in 1980 and called 24 World Series for ABC, CBS and Fox, a
 record for a baseball analyst on television.“I think there is a 
natural bridge from being a catcher to talking about the view of the 
game and the view of the other players,” McCarver told the Hall in 2012,
 the year he and Joe Buck were given the Ford C. Frick Award for 
excellence in broadcasting. “It is translating that for the viewers. One
 of the hard things about television is staying contemporary and keeping
 it simple for the viewers.”McCarver became best known to 
national audiences for his 18-year partnership on Fox with play-by-play 
man Buck. McCarver moved to Fox in 1996 when it began televising 
baseball and called his final World Series in 2013.“I learned 
really fast that if you were in his inner circle, he would be a fierce 
defender of you and for you,” Buck said Thursday. "He taught me how to 
deal with criticism because he had been criticized, his whole broadcast 
career. And sometimes it was because he was a teacher of the game. If 
some player or manager didn’t manage or play the way he thought the game
 should be played, he let a national audience know it. He was always the
 first one in the clubhouse the next day. If that person had something 
to say back to him, he would engage and stood his ground, but it was 
fair.“He taught me a lot about the game, but he taught me as much or more about how to broadcast on a on a national level.”Commissioner
 Rob Manfred said in a statement that McCarver was “a respected teammate
 and one of the most influential voices our game has known.”Six 
feet tall and solidly built, McCarver was a policeman’s son from 
Memphis, who got into more than a few fights while growing up but was 
otherwise playing baseball and football and imitating popular 
broadcasters, notably the Cardinals’ Harry Caray. He was signed while 
still in high school by the Cardinals for $75,000, a generous offer for 
that time; just 17 when he debuted for them in 1959 and in his early 20s
 when he became the starting catcher.McCarver attended segregated
 schools in Memphis and often spoke of the education he received as a 
newcomer in St. Louis. His teammates included Gibson and outfielder Curt
 Flood, Black players who did not hesitate to confront or tease 
McCarver. When McCarver used racist language against a Black child 
trying to jump a fence during spring training, Gibson would remember 
“getting right up in McCarver’s face.” McCarver liked to tell the story 
about drinking an orange soda during a hot day in spring training and 
Gibson asking him for some, then laughing when McCarver flinched.“It
 was probably Gibby more than any other Black man who helped me to 
overcome whatever latent prejudices I may have had,” McCarver wrote in 
his 1987 memoir “Oh, Baby, I Love It!”Few catchers were strong 
hitters during the ’60s, but McCarver batted .270 or higher for five 
consecutive seasons and was fast enough to become the first in his 
position to lead the league in triples. He had his best year in 1967 
when he hit .295 with 14 home runs, finishing second for NL Most 
Valuable Player behind teammate Orlando Cepeda as the Cardinals won 
their second World Series in four years.McCarver met Carlton when
 the left-hander was a rookie in 1965 “with an independent streak wider 
than the Grand Canyon,” McCarver later wrote. The two initially clashed,
 even arguing on the mound during games, but became close and were 
reunited in the 1970s after both were traded to Philadelphia. McCarver 
became Carlton’s designated catcher even though he admittedly had a 
below average throwing arm and overall didn’t compare defensively to the
 Phillies’ regular catcher, Gold Glover Bob Boone.“Behind every 
successful pitcher, there has to be a very smart catcher, and Tim 
McCarver is that man,” Carlton said during his Hall of Fame induction 
speech in 1994. “Timmy forced me pitch inside. Early in my career I was 
reluctant to pitch inside. Timmy had a way to remedy this. He used to 
set up behind the hitter. There was just the umpire there; I couldn’t 
see him (McCarver), so I was forced to pitch inside.”McCarver 
liked to joke that he and Carlton were so in synch in the field that 
when both were dead they would be buried 60 feet, 6 inches apart, the 
distance between the rubber on the pitching mound and home plate.During
 a 21-year career, when he also played briefly for the Montreal Expos 
and Boston Red Sox, McCarver batted .271 and only twice struck out more 
than 40 times in a season. In the postseason, he averaged .273 and had 
his best outing in the 1964 World Series, when the Cardinals defeated 
the New York Yankees in seven games. McCarver finished 11 for 23, with 
five walks, and his 3-run homer at Yankee Stadium in the 10th inning of 
Game 5 gave his team a 5-2 victory.Younger baseball fans first 
knew him from his work in the broadcast booth, whether local games for 
the New York Mets, Yankees, Philadelphia and San Francisco, as Jack 
Buck’s partner on CBS (1990-91) or with son Joe Buck for Fox from 
1996-2013. McCarver won six Emmys and became enough of a brand name to 
be a punchline on “Family Guy”; write a handful of books, make cameos in
 “Naked Gun,” “Love Hurts” and other movies and even record an album, 
“Tim McCarver Sings Songs from the Great American Songbook.”Knowledge
 was his trademark. In his spare time, he visited art museums, read 
books and could recite poetry from memory. At work, he was like a 
one-man scouting team, versed in the most granular details, and spent 
hours preparing before each game. At times, he seemed to have psychic 
powers. In Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, the score was tied at 2 
between the Yankees and Arizona, and New York drew in its infield with 
the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth. Mariano Rivera 
was facing Luis Rodriquez.“Rivera throws inside to left-handers,”
 McCarver observed. “Left-handers get a lot of broken-bat hits into 
shallow outfield, the shallow part of the outfield. That’s the danger of
 bringing the infield in with a guy like Rivera on the mound.”Moments later, Gonzalez’s bloop to short center field drove in the winning run.“When
 you the consider the pressure of the moment,” ESPN’s Keith Olbermann 
told The New York Times in 2002, “the time he had to say it and the 
accuracy, his call was the sports-announcing equivalent of Bill 
Mazeroski’s home run in the seventh inning to defeat the Yankees in 
1960.”Many found McCarver informative and entertaining. Others 
thought him infuriating. McCarver did not cut himself short whether 
explaining baseball strategy or taking on someone’s performance on the 
field. “When you ask him the time, (he) will tell you how a watch 
works,” Sports Illustrated’s Norm Chad wrote of him in 1992. The same 
year his criticism of Deion Sanders for playing two sports on the same 
day led to Atlanta outfielder/Falcons defensive back’s dumping a bucket 
of water on his head. In 1999, McCarver was fired by the Mets after 16 
seasons on the air.The Mets said in a statement that McCarver 
gave Mets an insightful, humorous and knowledgeable behind the scenes 
look into the game.“Some broadcasters think that their 
responsibility is to the team and the team only,” McCarver told the 
Times soon after the Mets let him go. “I have never thought that. My No.
 1 obligation is to the people who are watching the game. And I’ve 
always felt that praise without objective criticism ceases to be praise.
 To me, any intelligent person can figure that out.”After 
retiring from Fox's national broadcasts, McCarver announced part-time 
for Fox Sports Midwest and worked the occasional Cardinals game before 
sitting out the 2020 season because of concerns about COVID-19. Besides 
the Frick award, he was inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame, in 
2017.“By the time I was 26 I had played in three World Series and
 I thought, ’Man this is great, almost a World Series every year,” he 
said during his acceptance speech. “Uh-uh. The game has a way of keeping
 you honest. I never played in another World Series.”McCarver is survived by his daughters Kathy and Kelley, and grandchildren Leigh and Beau.

⚾Tim McCarver, big league catcher and broadcaster, dies at 81

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals have announced that former manager&nbsp;Ned Yost&nbsp;has been voted into the Royals Hall of Fame. 

He will become the elite group’s 27th inductee during on-field ceremonies prior to the Royals Sept. 2, 2023 game at Kauffman Stadium vs. the Boston Red Sox.

Yost was elected in his first ballot appearance in a vote of living Royals Hall of Fame Members, and members of the Royals Hall of Fame Executive Board, select members of the Kansas City Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America, Kansas City media representatives, current Royals front office staff with 15 years of service or more, and Royals fans via an on-line vote. To be eligible for the ballot, Royals Alumni must have been active with the ballclub for at least three (3) seasons and accumulated a minimum of 1,500 plate appearances or 300 innings pitched or managed the equivalent of three full seasons. Eligible alumni shall have ceased to be an active on-field member of the Royals (or for any other Major League organization) in the role for which they are being considered for at least three (3) calendar years preceding the election. Eligible alumni must be named on at least seventy-five percent (75%) of all ballots cast to be elected. Yost received (88.2%) support.

The 16th full-time manager in team history, Yost was named to the post on May 13, 2010, and five years later became the winningest skipper in franchise history by defeating the only other club he managed, the Milwaukee Brewers, 3-2 on June 18, 2015, for his 411th win, surpassing the mark previously held by fellow Royals Hall of Famer&nbsp;Whitey Herzog.

Yost, 68, led the Royals to a 22-9 postseason record for a .710 winning percentage, which set an MLB mark for managers who have managed at least 20 postseason games. His 2014 club was the first in Major League history to begin the postseason with eight consecutive victories, winning the Wild Card Game at home over Oakland, followed by sweeps of the Los Angeles Angels (3-0) in the Division Series and the Baltimore Orioles (4-0) in the Championship Series.

The following season, he managed the Royals to their second World Series title, defeating Houston in the Division Series (3-2) and Toronto (4-2) in the Championship Series, followed by a 4-1 series win over the New York Mets to bring Kansas City its second World Series Championship and first since 1985.

Yost is the Royals all-time leader in managerial wins (746) and was the first skipper to lead the Royals to consecutive World Series appearances. He finished his career 32nd all-time in games managed in MLB history, with 2,544, three more than National Baseball Hall of Fame manager&nbsp;Earl Weaver. Yost also finished 45th all-time in MLB history with 1,203 managerial wins.

Previous Royals Hall of Fame inductees include:

1986: Pitcher Steve Busby and Outfielder Amos Otis

1987: Manager Dick Howser, Second Baseman Cookie Rojas and Pitcher Paul Splittorff

1989: Pitcher Dennis Leonard and Designated Hitter Hal McRae

1992: Club President Joe Burke, Pitcher Larry Gura and Shortstop Fred Patek

1996: Royals First Lady Muriel Kauffman and first baseman John Mayberry

2000: Manager Whitey Herzog and outfielder Willie Wilson&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676568078774.jpeg" alt="Image courtesy <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Royals">Kansas City Royals Facebook page</a>" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Royals">Kansas City Royals Facebook page</a></figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas City RoyalsKANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals have announced that former manager&nbsp;Ned Yost&nbsp;has been voted into the Royals Hall of Fame. He will become the elite group’s 27th inductee during on-field ceremonies prior to the Royals Sept. 2, 2023 game at Kauffman Stadium vs. the Boston Red Sox.Yost was elected in his first ballot appearance in a vote of living Royals Hall of Fame Members, and members of the Royals Hall of Fame Executive Board, select members of the Kansas City Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America, Kansas City media representatives, current Royals front office staff with 15 years of service or more, and Royals fans via an on-line vote. To be eligible for the ballot, Royals Alumni must have been active with the ballclub for at least three (3) seasons and accumulated a minimum of 1,500 plate appearances or 300 innings pitched or managed the equivalent of three full seasons. Eligible alumni shall have ceased to be an active on-field member of the Royals (or for any other Major League organization) in the role for which they are being considered for at least three (3) calendar years preceding the election. Eligible alumni must be named on at least seventy-five percent (75%) of all ballots cast to be elected. Yost received (88.2%) support.The 16th full-time manager in team history, Yost was named to the post on May 13, 2010, and five years later became the winningest skipper in franchise history by defeating the only other club he managed, the Milwaukee Brewers, 3-2 on June 18, 2015, for his 411th win, surpassing the mark previously held by fellow Royals Hall of Famer&nbsp;Whitey Herzog.Yost, 68, led the Royals to a 22-9 postseason record for a .710 winning percentage, which set an MLB mark for managers who have managed at least 20 postseason games. His 2014 club was the first in Major League history to begin the postseason with eight consecutive victories, winning the Wild Card Game at home over Oakland, followed by sweeps of the Los Angeles Angels (3-0) in the Division Series and the Baltimore Orioles (4-0) in the Championship Series.The following season, he managed the Royals to their second World Series title, defeating Houston in the Division Series (3-2) and Toronto (4-2) in the Championship Series, followed by a 4-1 series win over the New York Mets to bring Kansas City its second World Series Championship and first since 1985.Yost is the Royals all-time leader in managerial wins (746) and was the first skipper to lead the Royals to consecutive World Series appearances. He finished his career 32nd all-time in games managed in MLB history, with 2,544, three more than National Baseball Hall of Fame manager&nbsp;Earl Weaver. Yost also finished 45th all-time in MLB history with 1,203 managerial wins.Previous Royals Hall of Fame inductees include:1986: Pitcher Steve Busby and Outfielder Amos Otis1987: Manager Dick Howser, Second Baseman Cookie Rojas and Pitcher Paul Splittorff1989: Pitcher Dennis Leonard and Designated Hitter Hal McRae1992: Club President Joe Burke, Pitcher Larry Gura and Shortstop Fred Patek1993: Owner Ewing Kauffman1994: Third Baseman George Brett1995: Second Baseman Frank White1996: Royals First Lady Muriel Kauffman and first baseman John Mayberry1998: Relief pitcher Dan Quisenberry2000: Manager Whitey Herzog and outfielder Willie Wilson&nbsp;2003: Pitcher Jeff Montgomery2004: Radio Announcer Denny Matthews2005: Pitcher Bret Saberhagen2006: Pitcher Mark Gubicza2008: Scout Art Stewart2011: Pitcher Kevin Appier2012: Groundskeeper George Toma2015: First Baseman/DH Mike Sweeney

Ned Yost voted into Royals Hall of Fame

<a href="https://kuathletics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/24-West-Virginia.pdf">BOXSCORE</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/22-23-WBB-Stats-combo-2.15.pdf">SEASON STATS</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Big-12-13-WVU.pdf">POSTGAME NOTES</a>

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. –&nbsp;A late rally by Kansas fell just short as a Taiyanna Jackson lay-in attempt in the closing seconds fell off the rim, allowing West Virginia to claim a 62-60 victory over the Jayhawks on Wednesday evening at WVU Coliseum.

Trailing 60-51 with 4:19 to play, Kansas held WVU to just two points the rest of the way, while rallying to within two, 62-60, following a steal and layup by Wyvette Mayberry with nine seconds remaining. After KU fouled three times, WVU missed a pair of free throws, giving the Jayhawks possession in the front court with a chance to tie or win the game. Zakiyah Franklin got the ball in to Jackson, who’s attempt sat on the rim and bounced off as time expired.

The loss drops Kansas to 16-8 on the year and 6-7 in Big 12 play, while the Mountaineers move to 16-8 (7-6 Big 12) this season.

Jackson was nearly perfect on the night as she led the Jayhawks with 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting and finished one rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards. She added four blocked shots and one steal in the game. Franklin matched her career-high with four made three-pointers and totaled 16 points and five assists, while Mayberry also reached double figures with 13 points and six assists.

Kansas had a 32-to-20 advantage in points in the paint and shot 42.5% from the field, compared to 38.3% for WVU. The Mountaineers made up the difference by turning 15 KU turnovers into 22 points and hitting six more three-pointers than the Jayhawks.

Kansas rushed out to an early 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the game and led early in the early going until West Virginia used an 11-0 run to take its first lead of the game. Jackson hit a pair of free throws late in the quarter to stop the run and get KU back within three, 17-14, at the end of the first.

The Jayhawks shot the ball well in the second quarter, hitting 5-of-8 attempts from the field, but five KU turnovers allowed WVU to lead throughout. The Mountaineers used a 7-0 run in the middle of the quarter to build their largest lead of the half at 30-20, but the Jayhawks got back within four on a Franklin basket with just over a minute to play in the half. West Virginia pushed its lead back to seven on a three-pointer in the closing second of the half and led 36-29 at the break.

Jackson had eight of KU’s 14 points in the third quarter as the Jayhawks tried to cut into the WVU lead. Her second of back-to-back baskets late in the quarter had KU within three at 45-42, but another late three-pointer by West Virginia pushed the lead back to seven 50-43 as the third quarter proved to be a stalemate on the scoreboard.

The fourth quarter saw WVU lead by as many as nine, the final time at 60-51 before KU’s run 9-2 run to close out the game.

Up Next The Jayhawks are back home on Sunday, Feb. 19 to conclude the season series against No. 15 Oklahoma. Tipoff at Allen Fieldhouse is set for 2 p.m. CT on Big 12 NOW.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676545935423.png" alt="KU vs WVU WBB" />
 <figcaption>KU vs WVU WBB</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://kuathletics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/24-West-Virginia.pdf">BOXSCORE</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/22-23-WBB-Stats-combo-2.15.pdf">SEASON STATS</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Big-12-13-WVU.pdf">POSTGAME NOTES</a>MORGANTOWN, W. Va. –&nbsp;A late rally by Kansas fell just short as a Taiyanna Jackson lay-in attempt in the closing seconds fell off the rim, allowing West Virginia to claim a 62-60 victory over the Jayhawks on Wednesday evening at WVU Coliseum.Trailing 60-51 with 4:19 to play, Kansas held WVU to just two points the rest of the way, while rallying to within two, 62-60, following a steal and layup by Wyvette Mayberry with nine seconds remaining. After KU fouled three times, WVU missed a pair of free throws, giving the Jayhawks possession in the front court with a chance to tie or win the game. Zakiyah Franklin got the ball in to Jackson, who’s attempt sat on the rim and bounced off as time expired.The loss drops Kansas to 16-8 on the year and 6-7 in Big 12 play, while the Mountaineers move to 16-8 (7-6 Big 12) this season.Jackson was nearly perfect on the night as she led the Jayhawks with 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting and finished one rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards. She added four blocked shots and one steal in the game. Franklin matched her career-high with four made three-pointers and totaled 16 points and five assists, while Mayberry also reached double figures with 13 points and six assists.Kansas had a 32-to-20 advantage in points in the paint and shot 42.5% from the field, compared to 38.3% for WVU. The Mountaineers made up the difference by turning 15 KU turnovers into 22 points and hitting six more three-pointers than the Jayhawks.Kansas rushed out to an early 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the game and led early in the early going until West Virginia used an 11-0 run to take its first lead of the game. Jackson hit a pair of free throws late in the quarter to stop the run and get KU back within three, 17-14, at the end of the first.The Jayhawks shot the ball well in the second quarter, hitting 5-of-8 attempts from the field, but five KU turnovers allowed WVU to lead throughout. The Mountaineers used a 7-0 run in the middle of the quarter to build their largest lead of the half at 30-20, but the Jayhawks got back within four on a Franklin basket with just over a minute to play in the half. West Virginia pushed its lead back to seven on a three-pointer in the closing second of the half and led 36-29 at the break.Jackson had eight of KU’s 14 points in the third quarter as the Jayhawks tried to cut into the WVU lead. Her second of back-to-back baskets late in the quarter had KU within three at 45-42, but another late three-pointer by West Virginia pushed the lead back to seven 50-43 as the third quarter proved to be a stalemate on the scoreboard.The fourth quarter saw WVU lead by as many as nine, the final time at 60-51 before KU’s run 9-2 run to close out the game.Up Next The Jayhawks are back home on Sunday, Feb. 19 to conclude the season series against No. 15 Oklahoma. Tipoff at Allen Fieldhouse is set for 2 p.m. CT on Big 12 NOW.

🏀 WBB: Kansas clipped by West Virginia, 62-60

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Two-time All-Star Corbin Burnes and Brady Singer lost in salary arbitration on Wednesday.

Burnes will receive $10.01 million from the Milwaukee Brewers rather than his $10.75 million request, Melinda Gordon, Jules Bloch and Keith Greenberg ruled one day after hearing arguments.

Singer will get $2.95 million rather than $3,325,000 from the Kansas City Royals, according to the decision by Howard Edelman, Walt De Treux and Brian Keller.

Three players went to hearings on Wednesday: Los Angeles Angels infielder Gio Urshela ($10 million vs. $8.4 million), St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley ($3 million vs. $2.15 million) and Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Josh Rojas ($2.9 million vs. $2,575,000).

Five other players await pending decisions and four more have possible hearings.

Burnes, a 28-year-old right-hander, was 12-8 with a 2.94 ERA last year and made a career-best 33 starts, which tied for most in the major leagues. He led the National League with 243 strikeouts, second in the big leagues behind New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole at 257. Burnes earned $6.55 million.

He won the 2021 NL Cy Young Award after leading the majors with a 2.43 ERA. He went 11-5 for the Brewers that year.

A five-year veteran, Burnes is 35-19 with a 3.21 ERA. He is eligible for free agency after the 2024 World Series.

Singer, a 26-year-old right-hander, was 10-5 with a 3.23 ERA in 24 starts and three relief appearances last year, when he had a salary of $726,250. He was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on April 28 and recalled on May 17.

Singer was eligible for arbitration for the first time.

All-Star pitcher Max Fried ($13.5 million) lost to Atlanta earlier, outfielder Kyle Tucker ($5 million) was beaten by Houston and reliever Diego Castillo ($2.95 million) was defeated by Seattle.

Left-hander Jesús Luzardo ($2.45 million) and AL batting champion Luis Arraez ($6.1 million) both beat Miami, and reliever Jason Adam ($1,775,000) defeated Tampa Bay.

The 31-year-old Urshela hit .285 with 13 homers and 64 RBIs last season for Minnesota, which traded him to the Angels on Nov. 18 for minor league right-hander Alejandro Hidalgo. Urshela earned $6.55 million.

His case was heard by Fredric Horowitz, Jeanne Charles and Stephen Raymond.

Urshela is primarily a third baseman. He has a .275 batting average with 62 homers and 256 RBIs in parts of seven seasons with Cleveland (2015, '17), Toronto (2018), the Yankees (2019-21) and the Twins. He is eligible for free agency after this year's World Series.

Helsley, a 28-year-old right-hander, was 9-1 with a 1.25 ERA and 19 saves in 23 chances over 54 relief appearances, earning $722,450 . He struck out 94 and walked 20 in 64 2/3 innings. His case was heard by Bloch, Jeanne Vonhof and John Woods.

Rojas, also 28, set career bests with a .269 average and 56 RBIs while hitting nine home runs. He earned $730,900. Rojas' case was heard by Keller, Mark Burstein and Scott Buchheit.

Angels outfielder Hunter Renfroe and infielder Luis Rengifo await decisions along with Rays pitchers Colin Poche and Ryan Thompson, and Tampa Bay outfielder Harold Ramírez.

Seattle outfielder Teoscar Hernández, Pittsburgh first baseman Ji-Man Choi, Cardinals left-hander Génesis Cabrera and Philadelphia reliever Seranthony Domínguez have possible hearings this week.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676519551093.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brady Singer delivers against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning of a baseball game in Cleveland Sept. 30. (AP Photo/Phil Long, file)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brady Singer delivers against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning of a baseball game in Cleveland Sept. 30. (AP Photo/Phil Long, file)</figcaption>
 </figure>ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Two-time All-Star Corbin Burnes and Brady Singer lost in salary arbitration on Wednesday.Burnes will receive $10.01 million from the Milwaukee Brewers rather than his $10.75 million request, Melinda Gordon, Jules Bloch and Keith Greenberg ruled one day after hearing arguments.Singer will get $2.95 million rather than $3,325,000 from the Kansas City Royals, according to the decision by Howard Edelman, Walt De Treux and Brian Keller.Teams have a 5-3 lead in decisions.Three players went to hearings on Wednesday: Los Angeles Angels infielder Gio Urshela ($10 million vs. $8.4 million), St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley ($3 million vs. $2.15 million) and Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Josh Rojas ($2.9 million vs. $2,575,000).Five other players await pending decisions and four more have possible hearings.Burnes, a 28-year-old right-hander, was 12-8 with a 2.94 ERA last year and made a career-best 33 starts, which tied for most in the major leagues. He led the National League with 243 strikeouts, second in the big leagues behind New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole at 257. Burnes earned $6.55 million.He won the 2021 NL Cy Young Award after leading the majors with a 2.43 ERA. He went 11-5 for the Brewers that year.A five-year veteran, Burnes is 35-19 with a 3.21 ERA. He is eligible for free agency after the 2024 World Series.Singer, a 26-year-old right-hander, was 10-5 with a 3.23 ERA in 24 starts and three relief appearances last year, when he had a salary of $726,250. He was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on April 28 and recalled on May 17.Singer was eligible for arbitration for the first time.All-Star pitcher Max Fried ($13.5 million) lost to Atlanta earlier, outfielder Kyle Tucker ($5 million) was beaten by Houston and reliever Diego Castillo ($2.95 million) was defeated by Seattle.Left-hander Jesús Luzardo ($2.45 million) and AL batting champion Luis Arraez ($6.1 million) both beat Miami, and reliever Jason Adam ($1,775,000) defeated Tampa Bay.The 31-year-old Urshela hit .285 with 13 homers and 64 RBIs last season for Minnesota, which traded him to the Angels on Nov. 18 for minor league right-hander Alejandro Hidalgo. Urshela earned $6.55 million.His case was heard by Fredric Horowitz, Jeanne Charles and Stephen Raymond.Urshela is primarily a third baseman. He has a .275 batting average with 62 homers and 256 RBIs in parts of seven seasons with Cleveland (2015, '17), Toronto (2018), the Yankees (2019-21) and the Twins. He is eligible for free agency after this year's World Series.Helsley, a 28-year-old right-hander, was 9-1 with a 1.25 ERA and 19 saves in 23 chances over 54 relief appearances, earning $722,450 . He struck out 94 and walked 20 in 64 2/3 innings. His case was heard by Bloch, Jeanne Vonhof and John Woods.Rojas, also 28, set career bests with a .269 average and 56 RBIs while hitting nine home runs. He earned $730,900. Rojas' case was heard by Keller, Mark Burstein and Scott Buchheit.Angels outfielder Hunter Renfroe and infielder Luis Rengifo await decisions along with Rays pitchers Colin Poche and Ryan Thompson, and Tampa Bay outfielder Harold Ramírez.Seattle outfielder Teoscar Hernández, Pittsburgh first baseman Ji-Man Choi, Cardinals left-hander Génesis Cabrera and Philadelphia reliever Seranthony Domínguez have possible hearings this week.

Corbin Burnes, Brady Singer lose in salary arbitration

MANHATTAN –&nbsp;Despite cold temperatures and an impending winter storm outside, K-State was on fire inside Bramlage Coliseum on Wednesday night as the Wildcats secured a season split for the second straight season against Baylor with an 87-68 win.

K-State (15-11, 4-9 Big 12) shot a season-high 60.4 percent (29-of-48) from the field which included a 71.4 percent (20-of-28) performance on two-point field goals and 45.0 percent (9-of-20) from three-point range.

K-State’s 60.4 percent effort from the field was its highest field goal percentage since carding a 64.9 percent performance against Incarnate Word on Dec. 3, 2019. It was the highest K-State field goal percentage in a Big 12 game since Feb. 11, 2015, against TCU, when the Wildcats shot 63.5 percent.

The 87 points by the Wildcats were the second-most points K-State has scored against Baylor (16-9, 7-6) in the history of the series, trailing the highwater mark of 89 on Jan. 5, 2002.

The Wildcats featured four players in double figures and were led by 2022-23 Drysdale Award candidate Gabby Gregory with her second double-double of the season with 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting and 7-of-8 from the foul line and 10 rebounds. Gregory, recently named a candidate for the Staley Award, completed her stat line with three assists, a steal and a block.

Joining Gregory in double digits was the sophomore trio of Serena Sundell, Brylee Glenn and Jaelyn Glenn. Sundell carded 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting, six assists and five steals.

Brylee Glenn tallied 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, five rebounds and three assists, while Jaelyn Glenn finished with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, six rebounds, four steals and three assists.

K-State SportsMANHATTAN –&nbsp;Despite cold temperatures and an impending winter storm outside, K-State was on fire inside Bramlage Coliseum on Wednesday night as the Wildcats secured a season split for the second straight season against Baylor with an 87-68 win.K-State (15-11, 4-9 Big 12) shot a season-high 60.4 percent (29-of-48) from the field which included a 71.4 percent (20-of-28) performance on two-point field goals and 45.0 percent (9-of-20) from three-point range.K-State’s 60.4 percent effort from the field was its highest field goal percentage since carding a 64.9 percent performance against Incarnate Word on Dec. 3, 2019. It was the highest K-State field goal percentage in a Big 12 game since Feb. 11, 2015, against TCU, when the Wildcats shot 63.5 percent.The 87 points by the Wildcats were the second-most points K-State has scored against Baylor (16-9, 7-6) in the history of the series, trailing the highwater mark of 89 on Jan. 5, 2002.The Wildcats featured four players in double figures and were led by 2022-23 Drysdale Award candidate Gabby Gregory with her second double-double of the season with 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting and 7-of-8 from the foul line and 10 rebounds. Gregory, recently named a candidate for the Staley Award, completed her stat line with three assists, a steal and a block.Joining Gregory in double digits was the sophomore trio of Serena Sundell, Brylee Glenn and Jaelyn Glenn. Sundell carded 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting, six assists and five steals.Brylee Glenn tallied 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, five rebounds and three assists, while Jaelyn Glenn finished with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, six rebounds, four steals and three assists.

K-State women race past Baylor on Wednesday night

By CLIFF BRUNT AP Sports Writer

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Kansas guard Gradey Dick was the main target of jeers from Oklahoma State's noisy fans Tuesday night.

His outside shooting quieted the crowd. The freshman scored 17 of his season-high 26 points in the second half and the fifth-ranked Jayhawks rolled to an 87-76 victory over the Cowboys.

Dick said Oklahoma State's fans gave him energy.

“I love it,” he said. “I love it. I kind of like being, you know, the hated one going into (visiting arenas). And they were doing their little chants. But it definitely fuels the fire, for sure."

Dick made 10 of 17 field goal attempts, shooting 4 of 9 on 3-pointers. And his performance allowed Kansas to get away with a bit of an off night from the Big 12's leading scorer. Jalen Wilson had 14 points — nearly seven below his average coming in.

Wilson said Dick's production was exceptional, especially for a freshman.

“He did great,” Wilson said. “You guys have seen all year, he has no conscience when it comes to shooting the ball and that’s what makes a great shooter. Every time he shoots the ball, we think it’s going in just like he thinks it’s going in.”

Kansas shot 66% from the field in the second half to pull away from the Cowboys. Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense, but the Cowboys couldn't figure out the Jayhawks.

“We’ve got to defend better,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton said. “We’re a better defensive team than we showed. We just didn’t have our fastball tonight and our curveball wasn’t good enough.”

Kansas (21-5, 9-4 Big 12) has won three straight. The Jayhawks are tied with Texas and Baylor atop the conference standings.

Kalib Boone scored a career-high 27 points, John-Michael Wright had 18 and Bryce Thompson added 17 for Oklahoma State (16-10, 7-6).

Oklahoma State had won five straight, including victories over ranked opponents TCU and Iowa State. The Cowboys were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-iowa-state-cyclones-top-25-college-basketball-today-bryce-thompson-caleb-asberry-7a7ca5a4d4c362e3f6a2391afda0ecc5">coming off a 64-56 win at then-No. 11 Iowa State</a>.

But the Cowboys were again without senior guard Avery Anderson III, who remained out after having surgery on his left wrist.

Thompson lit up the Jayhawks early. The guard, who played at Kansas for a year before transferring to Oklahoma State, scored 14 points in the first 11 minutes to help the Cowboys take a 23-18 lead.

Kansas hung tough, and Dick's 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer gave the Jayhawks a 39-37 lead at the break.

“Obviously, it was a big play, kind of a breakdown in communication for us," Boynton said. "I think we had a mix-up in our defensive calls there and that should never happen. A guy who shoots that well is obviously pretty close to the top of the scouting report.”

Dick scored eight points in the first two minutes of the second half to help Kansas take a 52-44 lead, and the Jayhawks led by at least five the rest of the way.

Now, Oklahoma State will try to regain its footing.

“You can’t get too far down," Boynton said. "There’s still a lot of games left, a lot to play for with solid position. We’ve just got to get back to work.”

Kansas: The Jayhawks completed back-to-back road wins in Oklahoma against teams that have some big victories on their home courts. The Jayhawks beat Oklahoma on Saturday.

Oklahoma State: While this loss won't hurt perception of the Cowboys, they have three more regular-season games against ranked opponents, so every opportunity is critical.

Boone shot 10 of 15 and grabbed nine rebounds. He scored 25 points three games ago against TCU, then dropped to nine against Texas Tech and eight against Iowa State before Tuesday’s big performance.

Boynton on his team's effort: “I didn’t think as a team we necessarily met the moment collectively in a way that we gave ourselves the best chance to win."

Oklahoma State: Visits No. 22 TCU on Saturday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676460227979.png" alt="Kansas's Gradey Dick celebrates in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla., Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. (Kansas Athletics photo)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas's Gradey Dick celebrates in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla., Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. (Kansas Athletics photo)</figcaption>
 </figure>By CLIFF BRUNT AP Sports WriterSTILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Kansas guard Gradey Dick was the main target of jeers from Oklahoma State's noisy fans Tuesday night.His outside shooting quieted the crowd. The freshman scored 17 of his season-high 26 points in the second half and the fifth-ranked Jayhawks rolled to an 87-76 victory over the Cowboys.Dick said Oklahoma State's fans gave him energy.“I love it,” he said. “I love it. I kind of like being, you know, the hated one going into (visiting arenas). And they were doing their little chants. But it definitely fuels the fire, for sure."Dick made 10 of 17 field goal attempts, shooting 4 of 9 on 3-pointers. And his performance allowed Kansas to get away with a bit of an off night from the Big 12's leading scorer. Jalen Wilson had 14 points — nearly seven below his average coming in.Wilson said Dick's production was exceptional, especially for a freshman.“He did great,” Wilson said. “You guys have seen all year, he has no conscience when it comes to shooting the ball and that’s what makes a great shooter. Every time he shoots the ball, we think it’s going in just like he thinks it’s going in.”Kansas shot 66% from the field in the second half to pull away from the Cowboys. Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense, but the Cowboys couldn't figure out the Jayhawks.“We’ve got to defend better,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton said. “We’re a better defensive team than we showed. We just didn’t have our fastball tonight and our curveball wasn’t good enough.”Kansas (21-5, 9-4 Big 12) has won three straight. The Jayhawks are tied with Texas and Baylor atop the conference standings.Kalib Boone scored a career-high 27 points, John-Michael Wright had 18 and Bryce Thompson added 17 for Oklahoma State (16-10, 7-6).Oklahoma State had won five straight, including victories over ranked opponents TCU and Iowa State. The Cowboys were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-iowa-state-cyclones-top-25-college-basketball-today-bryce-thompson-caleb-asberry-7a7ca5a4d4c362e3f6a2391afda0ecc5">coming off a 64-56 win at then-No. 11 Iowa State</a>.But the Cowboys were again without senior guard Avery Anderson III, who remained out after having surgery on his left wrist.Thompson lit up the Jayhawks early. The guard, who played at Kansas for a year before transferring to Oklahoma State, scored 14 points in the first 11 minutes to help the Cowboys take a 23-18 lead.Kansas hung tough, and Dick's 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer gave the Jayhawks a 39-37 lead at the break.“Obviously, it was a big play, kind of a breakdown in communication for us," Boynton said. "I think we had a mix-up in our defensive calls there and that should never happen. A guy who shoots that well is obviously pretty close to the top of the scouting report.”Dick scored eight points in the first two minutes of the second half to help Kansas take a 52-44 lead, and the Jayhawks led by at least five the rest of the way.Now, Oklahoma State will try to regain its footing.“You can’t get too far down," Boynton said. "There’s still a lot of games left, a lot to play for with solid position. We’ve just got to get back to work.”BIG PICTUREKansas: The Jayhawks completed back-to-back road wins in Oklahoma against teams that have some big victories on their home courts. The Jayhawks beat Oklahoma on Saturday.Oklahoma State: While this loss won't hurt perception of the Cowboys, they have three more regular-season games against ranked opponents, so every opportunity is critical.STAT LINESBoone shot 10 of 15 and grabbed nine rebounds. He scored 25 points three games ago against TCU, then dropped to nine against Texas Tech and eight against Iowa State before Tuesday’s big performance.QUOTABLEBoynton on his team's effort: “I didn’t think as a team we necessarily met the moment collectively in a way that we gave ourselves the best chance to win."UP NEXTKansas: Hosts No. 9 Baylor on Saturday.Oklahoma State: Visits No. 22 TCU on Saturday.

🏀 Dick scores 26 as No. 5 Kansas beats Oklahoma State

By TONY SELLARS Associated Press

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Grant Sherfield scored 22 points and Oklahoma went on a 12-0 run early in the second half on their way to a 79-65 win over No. 12 Kansas State on Tuesday night.

The win snapped a seven-game Big 12 conference losing streak for the Sooners (13-13, 3-10 Big 12) and prevented the Wildcats (19-7, 7-6) and first-year coach Jerome Tang from earning their 20th win of the year.

Sherfield leads Oklahoma in scoring and assists on the season, but coach Porter Moser felt he took them to a different level in this game.

“I thought Grant had his best floor game since he’s worn a Sooner uniform,” said Moser. “The ball went where it needed to go. He had six assists and had a bunch of other (passes) that led to fouls. He was just so locked in. He had eight rebounds. Best overall communication game that he’s had.”

Tanner Groves scored 16 while freshman Milos Uzan added 13 for Oklahoma. Nae’quan Tomlin had 17 points — 13 of them in the first half — and 10 rebounds to pace Kansas State.

Sherfield’s 3-pointer in the final 10 seconds of the opening half sent the teams into intermission tied at 36.

The Wildcats got the first basket of the second half, and then the Sooners scored 12 straight to move to a 48-38 lead early in the second half, spurred by threes from Sherfield, Groves and Uzan. Oklahoma shot 11-for-23 (47.8%) and went on to lead by as many as 16. Kansas State got no closer than eight the rest of the way.

It was the Wildcats second straight conference loss and both were to teams at the bottom of the Big 12 standings. Coach Tang hopes this is a wake up call for his team, who he says is less than a lock for NCAA tournament play.

”(Oklahoma) kicked our butts and they deserve all the credit in the world for that. We did not play hard enough to deserve to win tonight,” said Tang. “We have to win at least two more games to get to the NCAA tournament. That was my message to them that we gotta figure this thing out.”

It was Oklahoma’s first conference win in a month, since a one-point win at home over West Virginia. With the loss, Kansas State fell into a fifth place tie with Oklahoma State in the Big 12 race.

Kansas State - Tang was trying to become just the fourth Wildcats coach to win 20 games in his first season, joining Lon Krueger, Bob Huggins and Frank Martin. He is currently still tied for the winningest first year head coach this season with Sean Miller of Xavier and Dennis Gates of Missouri.

Oklahoma - The Sooners shot 14% better from three than their season average. The Sooners avoided their eighth straight conference loss, which last occurred in the 2011-12 season.

Kansas State - Host No. 19 Iowa State on Saturday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676459316138.jpeg" alt="Kansas State forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin (35) shoots over dunks over Oklahoma guard Jalen Hill, right, in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, in Norman, Okla. (Kansas State Athletics photo)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas State forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin (35) shoots over dunks over Oklahoma guard Jalen Hill, right, in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, in Norman, Okla. (Kansas State Athletics photo)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TONY SELLARS Associated PressNORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Grant Sherfield scored 22 points and Oklahoma went on a 12-0 run early in the second half on their way to a 79-65 win over No. 12 Kansas State on Tuesday night.The win snapped a seven-game Big 12 conference losing streak for the Sooners (13-13, 3-10 Big 12) and prevented the Wildcats (19-7, 7-6) and first-year coach Jerome Tang from earning their 20th win of the year.Sherfield leads Oklahoma in scoring and assists on the season, but coach Porter Moser felt he took them to a different level in this game.“I thought Grant had his best floor game since he’s worn a Sooner uniform,” said Moser. “The ball went where it needed to go. He had six assists and had a bunch of other (passes) that led to fouls. He was just so locked in. He had eight rebounds. Best overall communication game that he’s had.”Tanner Groves scored 16 while freshman Milos Uzan added 13 for Oklahoma. Nae’quan Tomlin had 17 points — 13 of them in the first half — and 10 rebounds to pace Kansas State.Sherfield’s 3-pointer in the final 10 seconds of the opening half sent the teams into intermission tied at 36.The Wildcats got the first basket of the second half, and then the Sooners scored 12 straight to move to a 48-38 lead early in the second half, spurred by threes from Sherfield, Groves and Uzan. Oklahoma shot 11-for-23 (47.8%) and went on to lead by as many as 16. Kansas State got no closer than eight the rest of the way.It was the Wildcats second straight conference loss and both were to teams at the bottom of the Big 12 standings. Coach Tang hopes this is a wake up call for his team, who he says is less than a lock for NCAA tournament play.”(Oklahoma) kicked our butts and they deserve all the credit in the world for that. We did not play hard enough to deserve to win tonight,” said Tang. “We have to win at least two more games to get to the NCAA tournament. That was my message to them that we gotta figure this thing out.”It was Oklahoma’s first conference win in a month, since a one-point win at home over West Virginia. With the loss, Kansas State fell into a fifth place tie with Oklahoma State in the Big 12 race.TIP-INSKansas State - Tang was trying to become just the fourth Wildcats coach to win 20 games in his first season, joining Lon Krueger, Bob Huggins and Frank Martin. He is currently still tied for the winningest first year head coach this season with Sean Miller of Xavier and Dennis Gates of Missouri.Oklahoma - The Sooners shot 14% better from three than their season average. The Sooners avoided their eighth straight conference loss, which last occurred in the 2011-12 season.UP NEXT:Kansas State - Host No. 19 Iowa State on Saturday.Oklahoma - Visits No. 6 Texas on Saturday.