Sports

By AP COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Tamar Bates scored 16 points, Mark Mitchell added 14 and Missouri closes its nonconference schedule with an 82-65 win over Alabama State on Monday. Trent Pierce and Tony Perkins added 12 points apiece as 10 players played at least 10 minutes in the Tigers’ last warmup before Southeastern Conference

By DAVID BRANDT – AP Sports Writer PHOENIX (AP) — Four-time All-Star pitcher Corbin Burnes and the Arizona Diamondbacks have finalized their $210 million, six-year contract. The team made the announcement on Monday night, two days after news broke that the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner had agreed to terms, pending a successful physical.

By AP NEW YORK (AP) — First baseman Paul Goldschmidt and the New York Yankees finalized their $12.5 million, one-year contract on Monday. Goldschmidt’s deal had been agreed to on Dec. 21 subject to a successful physical. He became the Yankees’ fourth significant addition since Juan Soto’s departure for the New York Mets, after left-hander

By RICH DUBROFF – Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Josh Hart had 23 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his third triple-double of the season, Karl-Anthony Towns had 32 points and 13 rebounds, and the New York Knicks beat the Washington Wizards 126-106 on Monday night for their eighth straight victory. It was the

By AP COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Collin Murray-Boyles scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half and South Carolina rallied to beat Presbyterian 69-59 on Monday night. Murray-Boyles made 6 of 10 shots from the floor and 10 of 14 free throws, adding nine rebounds for the Gamecocks (10-3), who upped their win

By AP IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Payton Sandfort had 15 points to lead six Iowa players in double figures and the Hawkeyes never trailed Monday night in their 112-70 win over New Hampshire, the final nonconference game of the season for both teams. Sandfort hit a jumper to open the scoring 57 seconds into

By DAVE SKRETTA – AP Basketball Writer MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Coleman Hawkins had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Dug McDaniel added 17 points and Kansas State led No. 16 Cincinnati nearly wire-to-wire in a 70-67 victory Monday night to open the 20-game Big 12 conference grind. David N’Guessan also had 13 points, and C.J.

By RONALD BLUM – AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Prized Japanese free agent Roki Sasaki may visit one or two teams before deciding which club he wants to sign with. Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, said Monday that 20 Major League Baseball clubs submitted information to the 23-year-old right-hander, who listened this month to

By JAY COHEN – AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) — Connor Bedard practiced with the Chicago Blackhawks right in the middle of Wrigley Field. He skated with his parents and his sister. The moment was not lost on the 19-year-old center. “It’s one of the coolest experiences of my life so far,” Bedard said, “and

By JUSTIN FERGUSON – Associated Press AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Johni Broome had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Dylan Cardwell had 12 points and 11 rebounds and No. 2 Auburn overcame a slow start to beat Monmouth 87-58 on Monday night. After an eight-day break between games, Auburn (12-1) struggled early and trailed Monmouth (2-11)

By GREG BEACHAM – AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oregon and Ohio State are two of the most daunting teams left in the College Football Playoff in no small part because they’ve both got starting quarterbacks who had already seen — and beaten — just about everything they’re ever going to face at

By FRED GOODALL – AP Sports Writer TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Todd Bowles didn’t bother staying up late to find out whether the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got some much-needed help to make the NFL playoffs. The Bucs (9-7) have been in playoff mode for more than a month, winning five of the past six games

By AP MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ja Morant has a sprained right shoulder and will be considered week to week, the Memphis Grizzlies said Monday. Morant was hurt Friday when he crashed into a hard, but legal, screen set by Daniel Theis during the third quarter of the Grizzlies’ 132-124 victory in New Orleans. He

By AP NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA’s five-game Christmas Day slate averaged about 5.25 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN and its platforms, in final ratings released by the league and Nielsen on Monday. All of the Yuletide games — San Antonio at New York in Victor Wembanyama’s holiday debut, Minnesota at Dallas,

By JIMMY GOLEN – AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox, who struggled to come up with five dependable starting pitchers last season, are considering a six-man rotation in 2025. “We have had some conversations,” Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow said Monday in his first comments since trading for starter Garrett Crochet

By JOHN MARSHALL – AP Basketball Writer Tennessee remains No. 1 after a quiet holiday week in the AP Top 25. The Volunteers received 41 first-place votes from a 61-person media panel in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll released Monday. No. 2 Auburn had 20 first-place votes, with Iowa State, Duke and Alabama

By AP OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Maxim Strbak scored 2:55 into overtime to lead Slovakia to a 5-4 win over Kazakhstan on Monday at the world junior hockey championship. Slovakia hled a 4-2 lead with less than five minutes remaining in regulation and Kazakh forward Asanali Sarkenov was assessed a 5-minute major and a game

By JOE REEDY – AP Sports Writer EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Chargers could have their AFC playoff seeding locked in before going to bed Saturday night in Las Vegas. When it comes to Jim Harbaugh’s plans for playing or resting his starters, he is keeping things close to the vest as

By TERESA M. WALKER – AP Sports Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Blake Craig kicked two field goals in the fourth quarter, his second a 56-yarder with 4:36 left as No. 23 Missouri rallied to beat Iowa 27-24 on Monday in the Music City Bowl. Missouri trailed 24-14 when the Tigers started the comeback, scoring

By AP AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the Auckland tennis classic, saying a back injury she has been nursing in recent weeks had not improved as much as she hoped. The 22-year-old British player was seeded sixth for the tournament and was due to play her

By AP PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Ace Bailey scored 24 points, fellow freshman Dylan Harper recorded the first triple-double for Rutgers since 1983 and the Scarlet Knights beat Columbia 91-64 on Monday night. Harper grabbed his 10th rebound with 5:05 remaining in the second half and he found Bailey for a layup at the other

By The Associated Press The National Football League Inactive Report. DETROIT LIONS at SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS — DETROIT: RB David Montgomery, QB Teddy Bridgewater, OL Giovanni Manu, OL Kayode Awosika, OL Colby Sorsdal, DL Jonah Williams, DL Brodric Martin. SAN FRANCISCO: QB Brandon Allen, DL Khalil Davis, LB Dre Greenlaw, OL Spencer Burford, DL Robert

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. – AP Pro Football Writer Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets have one more game left before bidding farewell to what has been a miserable season. An offseason of uncertainty will follow for the quarterback and the franchise, but the four-time MVP will start the finale at home Sunday against

By GREG BEACHAM – AP Sports Writer EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James celebrated his 40th birthday on Monday with gratitude for his basketball longevity and optimism about his future with the Los Angeles Lakers. And when James was asked how he’ll know when it’s finally time to retire, the top scorer in NBA

By AP NEW YORK (AP) — The Dallas Stars were fined $100,000 by the National Hockey League on Monday for an optional practice session during the mandatory Christmas break that was attended by several young players. That session the day after Christmas was in violation of the collective bargaining agreement. Any sort of on-ice activity

By SCHUYLER DIXON – AP Sports Writer Micah Parsons had never seen anything close to a losing record with the Dallas Cowboys, or at Penn State, and didn’t have any reason to believe his fourth NFL season would be different. Even after a stunning and gutting blowout loss to Green Bay at home in a

By DAVE CAMPBELL – AP Pro Football Writer EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings had just retaken possession with a precarious two-point lead on Green Bay right before the two-minute warning, badly needing to drain the clock and stem the momentum the Packers seized down the stretch. Convention calls for running the ball. Coach

By FRED GOODALL – AP Sports Writer TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The stakes aren’t as high as they were when No. 11 Alabama and Michigan last met in the postseason, however the Crimson Tide and Wolverines say they’re excited about their New Years Eve matchup in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Tuesday’s game at Raymond James Stadium

By AP ROME (AP) — Benjamín Domínguez scored a brace for Bologna but a red card for Tommaso Pobega and a late own-goal by Santiago Castro sent the host team crashing to a 3-2 defeat against Verona in Serie A on Monday. Domínguez scored in the 20th and 58th minutes, either side of a Verona

By JOE REEDY – AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ask anyone on Ohio State’s offense what the biggest difference is for Oregon on defense going into Wednesday’s Rose Bowl, and the near unanimous answer is Jordan Burch. The senior defensive end did not play in the first meeting on Oct. 12 after he