No. 1 Indiana adds to CFP dominance with crushing 56-22 Peach Bowl semifinal win over No. 5 Oregon
ATLANTA (AP) — Undefeated Indiana’s already impressive march through the College Football Playoff gained momentum as its dominant defense created three first-half touchdowns with turnovers, Fernando Mendoza threw five scoring passes and the Hoosiers overwhelmed No. 5 Oregon 56-22 in the Peach Bowl semifinal. No. 1 Indiana will face No. 10 Miami on January 19 in the national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Miami beat Mississippi in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal on Thursday night. Led by Mendoza and the defense, Indiana is making a case to be considered among the top teams in history.
National championship game will be a homecoming for Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza
ATLANTA (AP) — Indiana is headed to its first national championship game after beating Oregon 56-22 in the Peach Bowl. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza has been a key player in a historic season for Indiana. The team is set to face Miami at Hard Rock Stadium. The game will be a homecoming for Mendoza, who grew up in Miami and attended high school 30 minutes south of the stadium.
Dante Moore and the Oregon Ducks self-destruct in 56-22 Peach Bowl loss to No. 1 Indiana
ATLANTA (AP) — The very first snap of the Peach Bowl pretty much summed up what kind of night it would be for Oregon. A pick-6 put Dante Moore and the Ducks in an immediate hole. That was only the beginning of their misery. No. 1 Indiana romped into the national championship game with a 56-22 blowout of fifth-seeded Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinal in Atlanta. This was a one-sided affair that was essentially over by the time the Ducks dragged themselves to the locker room at the half, trailing 35-7 after turning the ball over three times. All three led to Indiana touchdowns.
Kevin Durant passes Wilt Chamberlain for 7th on the NBA's career scoring list
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Kevin Durant passed Wilt Chamberlain for seventh on the NBA's career scoring list when he hit a 3-pointer in the third quarter of the Houston Rockets’ game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Durant needed 15 points going into the game to eclipse Chamberlain, who scored 31,419 points. Durant’s jumper with 7:57 left in the third gave him 31,422. Dirk Nowitzki is sixth on the career list with 31,560 points.
Mavs' oft-injured Anthony Davis to miss time with ligament damage in hand
Anthony Davis has ligament damage in his left hand, and the Dallas Mavericks’ oft-injured big man could be facing an extended absence. Davis was injured late in a 116-114 loss at the Utah Jazz on Thursday night. The team says an MRI revealed the ligament damage and that Davis is seeking multiple opinions. The 10-time All-Star was in obvious pain on the bench before going to the locker room. Davis has already missed 18 of 38 games this season with calf and groin injuries. He came to Dallas from the Los Angeles Lakers in the widely criticized trade for Luka Doncic last season.
Amber Glenn wins third straight US Figure Skating title, topping Alysa Liu with brilliant free skate
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Amber Glenn wins her third consecutive U.S. Figure Skating title with a stunning free skate performance. She finishes with 233.55 points, ahead of Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito. The official team for the Milan Cortina Olympics will be announced Sunday. Alisha Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov defend their pairs title despite some mistakes. Efimova's citizenship status could affect their Olympic eligibility. The Skating Club of Boston is working to expedite her citizenship process. The Americans have three women’s spots and two pairs spots for the Olympics. The pressure is on to finalize the team by Sunday.
The NCAA has denied Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss' eligibility waiver. Rebels plan to appeal
The NCAA has denied Mississippi’s request to extend the eligibility of Trinidad Chambliss. The Rebels star quarterback finished his fifth year of college football in a 31-27 loss to Miami in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Thursday night. He had planned to return to Ole Miss for one more year. Ole Miss will appeal the decision. Chambliss took a redshirt his first season at Ferris State in 2021-22 and was held out his second season for medical reasons. He played two more seasons at the Division II school, and then transferred to Ole Miss. The Rebels filed the waiver request with the NCAA in November.
Brooks Koepka is out of LIV Golf. Now he has applied for PGA Tour membership again
Brooks Koepka is taking the first step toward possibly rejoining the PGA Tour. The AP has confirmed Koepka has applied for reinstatement. This comes just two weeks after LIV Golf announced the five-time major champion was leaving the Saudi-funded league with one year remaining on his contract. The next step belongs to the PGA Tour. The tour and Koepka's manager have declined to comment. Among the unknowns is what kind of discipline Koepka would face for defecting from the PGA Tour in June 2022. The tour typically does not disclose disciplinary matter. The one-year ban has applied only to nonmembers.
Free agent outfielder Max Kepler suspended 80 games by MLB following positive drug test
NEW YORK (AP) — Free agent outfielder Max Kepler has been suspended for 80 games following a positive test for a banned performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball’s drug program. Kepler tested positive for Epitrenbolone, a substance that led to a suspension in 2018 for boxer Manuel Charr. An 11-year major league veteran, Kepler spent last season with the Philadelphia Phillies. He played his first 10 seasons with the Minnesota Twins. Kepler accepted the suspension without contesting the discipline in a grievance, a person familiar with the process told The Associated Press.
WNBA and players' union fail to reach new CBA, negotiations continue without extension
NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA and its players’ union weren’t able to agree to a new collective bargaining agreement by the Friday night deadline, and now the league enters a “status-quo” period with no new extension reached. Negotiations will continue with the current CBA in effect. The league and the players had two previous extensions, with the most recent expiring Friday night. The sides have met several times this week, but are still far apart on many key issues, including salary structure and revenue-sharing.
