AP Sports Digest

Posted

The highlights of the AP Sports report. An up-to-the minute listing of all stories planned, including games and events, is available in Coverage Plan on AP Newsroom, https://newsroom.ap.org/coverageplan. You can also find a link to Coverage Plan on the left navigation of the Newsroom home page, https://newsroom.ap.org. Sports content can be found at http://newsroom.ap.org/page/APSports.

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ADVISORIES:

The Associated Press is introducing a new game recap format for NBA, NHL and college basketball games. Details can be found here.

The AP is retiring the BBA and BBN slugs for baseball coverage beginning with the 2024-25 offseason. Details can be found here.

All times EST

TOP STORIES

FBN-BILLS-ALLEN-STEINFELD ENGAGEMENT

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and actor Hailee Steinfeld are engaged. The couple posted a photo to their Instagram followers on Friday of Allen on one knee proposing marriage. Allen and Steinfeld were first linked in the spring of 2023. They kept their romance relatively quiet for a while, but Steinfeld has since begun attending Bills home games, and the couple hosted a Halloween party this fall. John Wawrow. SENT: 380 words, photos.

FBN--BEARS-EBERFLUS FIRED

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears have fired coach Matt Eberflus 12 games into his third underwhelming season and a day after an inexplicable blunder late in a loss to the Detroit Lions. By Andrew Seligman. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

FBN—VIKINGS JONES

EAGAN, Minn. — The quarterback revitalization program the Minnesota Vikings have unofficially launched under coach Kevin O’Connell has a new participant in Daniel Jones. The sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft requested his release by the New York Giants last week. He was signed to Minnesota’s practice squad after deciding to join a 9-2 team. By AP Pro Football Writer Dave Campbell. SENT: 530 words, photos.

CAR-F1-QATAR-GP-PREVIEW

LUSAIL, Qatar — Max Verstappen won big in Las Vegas with his fourth world title but the fight for Formula 1’s biggest cash prize is hotting up this week in Qatar. The lucrative constructors’ championship is still wide open as Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari battle for the title. The contest for teams is typically worth around $140 million to the winner although the precise payout depends on variables. By James Ellingworth. SENT: 620 words, photos.

WITH:

— CAR-F1-AUDI-QATAR. The sovereign wealth fund of Qatar is acquiring a “significant minority stake” in what will become Audi’s works Formula 1 team from 2026. SENT: 230 words, photos.

SOC--STATUE PITFALLS

LONDON -- Sculptors weigh in on the “do’s” and “don’t’s” of getting facial features correct in statues. Sculptures of star players like Ronaldo and Mo Salah have drawn criticism in the past. A new Harry Kane one has gotten mixed reviews — at best. Not just soccer, either. By Ken Maguire. UPCOMING: 800 words; photos by 1200 GMT (7 a.m. EST)

VOL-MOUNTAIN WEST TOURNAMENT

LAS VEGAS — Colorado State coach Emily Kohan said her team will take the floor against San Jose State in the Mountain West volleyball championship on Saturday rather than become the latest team to forfeit to the Spartans. The top-seeded Rams advanced to the tournament final on Friday by beating San Diego State 20-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23. An automatic bid to the 64-team NCAA Tournament is on the line in Saturday’s final. Several schools have forfeited to San Jose State this season. By Mark Anderson. SENT: 500 words, photos.

NOTABLE

BBO-DODGERS-EDMAN

LOS ANGELES — Tommy Edman and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed Friday to a $74 million, five-year contract. His new deal contains a team option for 2030 and includes $25 million deferred over 10 years. SENT: 160 words, photos.

BBO--DRUG REPORT

NEW YORK — Major League Baseball had just two positive tests for performance-enhancing drugs that resulted in discipline during the year ending with the World Series and exemptions for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder remained at a low. SENT: 250 words, photo.

GLF--AUSTRALIA OPEN

MELBOURNE, Australia — Lucas Herbert surrendered his outright lead of the Australian Open and will go into the final round tied with American Ryggs Johnston while South Korea’s Jiyai Shin took the outright lead in the Women’s Australian Open being played concurrently at two courses on the famed Melbourne sand belt. Johnston shot a 4-under 68 on Saturday to pull level with Herbert. SENT: 450 words.

RGU--IRELAND-AUSTRALIA

DUBLIN - Australia wraps up its end-of-year European tour with a test match against Ireland, which pits Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt against the team he used to lead. UPCOMING: 400 words, photos by 1700 GMT (noon EST).

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Saturday's EST Time Schedule

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

Atlanta at Charlotte, 6 p.m.

Philadelphia at Detroit, 7 p.m.

Washington at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.

Golden State at Phoenix, 9 p.m.

Dallas at Utah, 9:30 p.m.

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

Montreal at N.Y. Rangers, 1 p.m.

Carolina at Florida, 4 p.m.

Calgary at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

Ottawa at Los Angeles, 7 p.m.

Philadelphia at St. Louis, 7 p.m.

Toronto at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.

Washington at New Jersey, 7 p.m.

Buffalo at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m.

Nashville at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Edmonton at Colorado, 10 p.m.

San Jose at Seattle, 10 p.m.

Utah at Vegas, 10 p.m.

TOP 25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL

No. 1 Oregon vs. Washington, 7:30 p.m.

No. 2 Ohio St. vs. Michigan, Noon

No. 3 Texas at No. 20 Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m.

No. 4 Penn St. vs. Maryland, 3:30 p.m.

No. 5 Notre Dame at Southern Cal, 3:30 p.m.

No. 7 Tennessee at Vanderbilt, Noon

No. 8 Miami at Syracuse, 3:30 p.m.

No. 9 SMU vs. California, 3:30 p.m.

No. 10 Indiana vs. Purdue, 7 p.m.

No. 12 Clemson vs. No. 16 South Carolina, Noon

No. 13 Alabama vs. Auburn, 3:30 p.m.

No. 14 Arizona St. at Arizona, 3:30 p.m.

No. 17 Iowa St. vs. Kansas St., 7:30 p.m.

No. 19 BYU vs. Houston, 10:15 p.m.

No. 21 UNLV vs. Nevada, 8 p.m.

No. 22 Illinois at Northwestern, Noon

No. 24 Missouri vs. Arkansas, 3:30 p.m.

No. 25 Army vs. UTSA, Noon

TOP 25 MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

No. 1 Kansas vs. Furman, 6 p.m.

No. 2 UConn vs. Md.-Eastern Shore, 7 p.m.

No. 6 Houston vs. San Diego St. at Las Vegas, 7 p.m.

No. 9 Alabama vs. Oregon at Las Vegas, 9:30 p.m.

No. 10 Marquette vs. Western Carolina, 2 p.m.

No. 15 Wisconsin vs. Chicago St., 1 p.m.

No. 20 Texas A&M vs. Rutgers at Las Vegas, 3:30 p.m.

No. 21 Creighton vs. Notre Dame at Las Vegas, 1 p.m.

TOP 25 WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

No. 1 UCLA vs. Fresno St. at Honolulu, 5 p.m.

No. 3 Notre Dame vs. Utah at George Town, Cayman Islands, 5 p.m.

No. 4 South Carolina vs. Purdue at Fort Myers, Fla., 11 a.m.

No. 5 Texas vs. Butler at Fort Myers, Fla., 7:30 p.m.

No. 10 Maryland vs. George Mason at Annapolis, Md., 3:30 p.m.

No. 12 West Virginia vs. Boise St. ant Estero, Fla., 5 p.m.

No. 15 Iowa St. vs. MTSU at Fort Myers, Fla., 1:30 p.m.

No. 17 TCU vs. South Florida at George Town, Cayman Islands, 7:30 p.m.

No. 18 Mississippi vs. Alabama St., 3 p.m.

No. 24 Louisville at Colorado, 3 p.m.

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER CUP - Conference Finals

Eastern Conference

New York at Orlando, 7:30 p.m.

Western Conference

Seattle at L.A., 10 p.m.

PROFESSIONAL WOMEN'S HOCKEY LEAGUE

Boston at Toronto, 2 p.m.

Ottawa at Montreal, 5 p.m.

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