Jayhawks claims top spot

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Michigan State, Kentucky, Duke and Louisville have each spent time at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll only to lose quickly. The challenge now falls on Kansas to avoid the same fate.

The Jayhawks reached No. 1 in Monday’s poll, marking the first time the AP poll has had five different No. 1s before New Year’s Day. They play once this week with their new ranking, visiting No. 18 Villanova on Saturday.

None of the previous four teams to hold the No. 1 ranking this season have won more than twice before stumbling, illustrating that this is a year with no dominant team in college basketball.

Kansas (9-1), which earned 47 of 65 first-place votes, hasn’t lost since falling to Duke in the Champions Classic to open the season. That run has included winning the Maui Invitational and beating a then-ranked Colorado team, with all but the overtime win against Dayton for the Maui title coming by double-digit margins.

“We’ve done what we’re supposed to do,” Kansas coach Bill Self said last week of potentially rising to No. 1. “We’ve played pretty well since the Duke game.”

The Jayhawks committed 28 turnovers in that game but have done a better job taking care of the basketball since; they had 21 turnovers against the Buffaloes but have had 15 or fewer in every other game. They entered the week alongside No. 3 Louisville and No. 5 Ohio State as the only teams in the top 12 of KenPom’s adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency rankings.

After Saturday’s win against UMKC, Self said the team would have to work around exam schedules as it prepared for Villanova.

“We are going to give Villanova three intense days of practice even though they will be an hour-and-a-half long, probably each one of them, not long, because of finals,” Self said.

The Jayhawks will find out if that’s enough to pass their first test at No. 1.

 

THE BIG MATCHUP

Fifth-ranked Ohio State and sixth-ranked Kentucky have the week’s headlining matchup in Saturday’s CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas.

For the Buckeyes, it will be a chance to add to an already impressive nonconference resume that could position them for a top NCAA Tournament seed come Selection Sunday.

Ohio State (9-1) already has 25-point wins against both Villanova and then-ranked North Carolina. Chris Holtmann’s team lost at Minnesota in Big Ten play Sunday but returns to action Tuesday against Southeast Missouri State at home before playing John Calipari’s Wildcats.

Kentucky (8-1) is playing a doubleheader this week in Las Vegas, first against Utah on Wednesday.

 

BEEN A WHILE

No. 23 Penn State (9-2) is in the AP poll for the first time since the final poll of the 1995-96 season. The Nittany Lions play their first game with that ranking Friday against Central Connecticut State.

 

RANKED TO UNRANKED

No. 2 Gonzaga, No. 7 Maryland and No. 13 Dayton all have matchups with formerly ranked teams.

The Bulldogs (11-1), who claimed 15 first-place votes to jump four spots in the latest poll, host North Carolina on Wednesday night. It comes with the Tar Heels (6-4) sliding from No. 5 in November to unranked for the first time since February 2014 while facing questions about the health of star freshman point guard Cole Anthony along with fellow starter Leaky Black.

The Terrapins (10-1) on Thursday visit Seton Hall, which was ranked 12th in the preseason but fell out of the poll after losses to Iowa State and Rutgers. The Pirates are banged up, too, with preseason AP All-American Myles Powell leaving the Rutgers loss with a concussion a game after starter Sandro Mamukelashvili went down with a broken wrist at Iowa State.

The Flyers (8-1) face a Colorado team that spent five weeks in the poll before exiting Monday.

 

WATCH LIST

While UNC and Xavier are the leading vote-getters among unranked teams, keep an eye on Iowa (8-3), which will aim to build on wins against Minnesota and Iowa State when it faces Cincinnati in Chicago on Saturday.

Additionally, Liberty (12-0) is off to the best start in school history. The Flames earned their first win at a Southeastern Conference venue over the weekend against Vanderbilt and play Towson on Friday in the DC Holiday Hoops Fest Tournament.

Man arrested in SEK shooting

INDEPENDENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Coffeyville man has been arrested and jailed after a woman died in a drive-by shooting in Independence, The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said Monday.

Benjamin Mason, 18, was arrested at his home Sunday on a possible charge of first-degree murder.

Kimberly Meeks, 19, was shot to death as she walked with a man in Independence Saturday evening. Witnesses said someone fired shots from a passing car, The KBI said. Meeks died at the scene. The man ran from the scene.

Kelce continues to set records for tight ends

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Travis Kelce has never cared much about individual statistics, even though the Kansas City Chiefs tight end has been putting up some eye-popping numbers ever since he arrived in the NFL seven years ago.

He’s the consummate team-first player. The only number that matters to him is the number of wins.

Well, all those catches and yards and touchdowns that Kelce keeps piling up happen to be a big factor in the number of victories the Chiefs have accumulated over the years. Kelce caught another 11 passes for 142 yards in leading them to a 23-3 rout of the Denver Broncos on Sunday, allowing them to keep pace in the race for a first-round playoff bye in the AFC.

“Right now it’s just a bunch of numbers. Honestly, I’m focused on winning games,” said Kelce, who became the first tight end in NFL history with four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. “It being a team sport, the individual accolades, you know, I like to kind of push them aside and try to focus on how I can get better for my teammates.”

Get better? Maintaining his level of excellence is probably good enough.

Kelce has 1,131 yards receiving, which means he’s closing in on another season that would rank among the top 10 in Chiefs history. The four seasons of 1,000 yards are matched only by tight ends Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten and Rob Gronkowski — though none of them did it consecutively. And with 6,367 yards through his first seven seasons, Kelce has already shattered the NFL record for a tight end at this point in his career.

Making that last mark even more impressive is the fact that Kelce played one game and didn’t catch a pass as a rookie. He underwent microfracture surgery on his knee and that delayed the start of his career. So really, he has more than 6,000 yards receiving in less than six full seasons, which puts him on pace with some of the league’s best wide receivers.

“I mean, just how consistent he is on a game-to-game basis is truly special,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “He’s trying to win each game. He’s a competitor. He doesn’t look at the stats. He doesn’t look at all that stuff. He’s a competitor trying to win a football game. He’s a guy you want on your team.”

Especially this time of the year. Some of Kelce’s best games have come late in the season and in the playoffs, and the Chiefs (10-4) could use a few more of them. They need to win their last two games against the Bears and Chargers and hope for the Patriots to lose to get a first-round playoff bye.

“Travis is unbelievable,” Chiefs offensive lineman Austin Reiter said. “I love that guy.”

 

WHAT’S WORKING

The massive offseason overhaul that Kansas City undertook on defense is finally paying off. The Chiefs have limited their past four opponents to 20 points or fewer, and two of the past three have failed to score 10 points. The Broncos didn’t surpass 200 yards until late in the game Sunday.

 

WHAT NEEDS HELP

The Chiefs are still searching for some offensive balance. They ran 25 times for just 92 yards against Denver, and their longest run went for just 12 yards. That meager total is offset in part by screen passes, and the Chiefs should be a bit more potent once Damien Williams returns from his rib injury. But the Chiefs need to have more success on the ground.

 

STOCK UP

Tyrann Mathieu and Juan Thornhill give the Chiefs perhaps the best set of safeties in the AFC. They were two of their three leading tacklers against Denver, Mathieu had a sack and nearly picked off several passes, and Thornhill made an interception in the end zone. They duo also combined to have three passes defensed.

 

STOCK DOWN

Every time LeSean McCoy seems poised to have a breakout game, the veteran running back gets bottled up. He managed just 16 yards on six carries against the Broncos in the snowy conditions Sunday.

 

KEY NUMBER

79.4: That was Mahomes’ completion rate against Denver, the second best of his career. And he did it despite constant snowfall that made gripping the ball difficult for both him and his receivers.

 

INJURIES

Defensive end Alex Okafor hurt his chest after sacking the Broncos’ Drew Lock in the first half. Offensive lineman Andrew Wylie left with a left ankle injury late in the game.

 

NEXT STEPS

The Chiefs play their regular-season road finale in Chicago next Sunday night. If the Chiefs lose, expect them to rest their starters against the Chargers in Week 17 ahead of the playoffs. If they win, they will almost certainly play Mahomes and Co. against Los Angeles with the hope of leaping the Patriots for the No. 2 seed in the AFC.

9 die in weather-related crashes

BONNE TERRE, Mo. (AP) — At least nine people have died in weather-related crashes across the Midwest amid a storm that dumped nearly a foot of snow in places, forced schools to close and snarled traffic.

The wintry weather was expected to extend into the Northeast through today.

In Kansas, the storm brought up to 11 inches of snow. The Kansas Department of Transportation said multiple roads are partially or completely snow covered. The storm closed the University of Missouri and Emporia State University in Kansas.

NBA roundup: Dallas ends Bucks’ 18-game winning streak in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks’ 18-game winning streak ended Monday night when Seth Curry and Kristaps Porzingis each scored 26 points to help the Dallas Mavericks hang on for a 120-116 victory even without star guard Luka Doncic.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 48 points and 14 rebounds, but got little support as Milwaukee lost for the first time since a 103-100 setback at Utah on Nov 8.

The winning streak was their longest since a franchise-record 20 consecutive victories by the 1970-71 championship team that featured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor, and Oscar Robertson.

Doncic sat out with a sprained right ankle, while the Bucks were missing injured point guard Eric Bledsoe.

 

ROCKETS 109, SPURS 107

HOUSTON (AP) — Russell Westbrook scored 31 points, James Harden had 28 and Houston set a franchise record by overcoming a 25-point deficit to beat San Antonio.

The comeback eclipsed the 23-point deficit Houston faced in a 110-107 victory against Portland on Jan. 22, 1977.

Houston fell behind early as Harden shot 4 of 17 in the first half. He finished 10 for 29.

The Spurs managed just 35 points in the second half after setting a season high for first-half scoring and leading 72-53 at the break. LaMarcus Aldridge led San Antonio with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

 

THUNDER 109, 

BULLS 106

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Chris Paul hit five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and Oklahoma City erased a 26-point second-quarter deficit to rally past Chicago.

Paul took over in the fourth, going 5 for 5 from deep and scoring 19 of his 30 points. His fourth 3 of the period put Oklahoma City ahead 101-100, its first lead since the opening seconds. Paul also had nine rebounds and 10 assists.

The Bulls tied it at 106 before Steven Adams put the Thunder ahead with a free throw and Paul added two more in the final five seconds.

Zach LaVine finished with 39 points for the Bulls.

 

GRIZZLIES 118,

 HEAT 111

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Rookie guard Ja Morant had 20 points and 10 assists to lead Memphis over Miami.

Jonas Valanciunas finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Grizzlies won for the fourth time in five games.

Miami had won four of five, including three overtime victories. Jimmy Butler had 25 points and eight assists, and Tyler Herro scored 22.

Memphis scored 11 straight points to take a 115-107 lead with 2:31 left.

 

RAPTORS 133, 

CAVALIERS 113

TORONTO (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored 33 points, Kyle Lowry had 20 points and 11 assists, and Toronto topped the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers.

Norman Powell scored 26 points, Serge Ibaka had 14 and OG Anunoby added 12 as the Raptors won for the 11th time in 14 home games. The defending NBA champions have won back-to-back at home after losing three straight on their own court.

Collin Sexton scored 25 points, Darius Garland had 20 and Tristan Thompson 18 as the Cavaliers lost for the 16th time in 18 games.

Powell has scored 20 or more points in three straight games for the first time in his career. He scored 20 or more four times in 60 games last season.

 

WIZARDS 133, 

PISTONS 119

DETROIT (AP) — Bradley Beal scored 15 of his 35 points in the first quarter, and Washington took control with some torrid shooting before holding off Detroit.

The Pistons played without injured stars Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond, and Washington shot 81% (17 of 21) from the field in the first quarter. The Wizards also made all three of their 3-point attempts and all six of their free throws in the opening period, building a 43-31 lead.

Isaiah Thomas returned from a calf injury and scored 23 points for Washington. Davis Bertans added 17 as the Wizards snapped a four-game losing streak.

Derrick Rose and Markieff Morris each scored 22 for Detroit.

The Wizards shot 78% (14 of 18) in the final quarter.

 

TRAIL BLAZERS 111, SUNS 110

PHOENIX (AP) — Damian Lillard scored 27 points, including a crucial three-point play with 26 seconds left, and Portland bounced back from a 16-point deficit in the first half to beat Phoenix.

With the Blazers trailing 110-108, Lillard drove straight through the lane and made a layup while crashing into Aron Baynes, who was called for a blocking foul. Lillard hit the free throw to make it 111-110, and Phoenix couldn’t score on its final possession as Ricky Rubio’s 3-point attempt bounced off the rim with two seconds left.

CJ McCollum led the Trail Blazers with 30 points.

Portland led for most of the fourth quarter but Phoenix pulled ahead 110-108 with 32 seconds left when Kelly Oubre Jr. converted a four-point play. Oubre scored 24 points for the Suns, who played a second straight game without star guard Devin Booker because of his right forearm injury.

Portland has won 11 straight against the Suns.

Heisman inspires giving

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Joe Burrow’s Heisman Trophy acceptance speech has inspired more than $150,000 in donations to a food pantry in his Ohio hometown.

The effort started on Facebook on Sunday, with nearly $156,000 pledged to the Athens County Food Pantry. Many donations have come from Louisiana.

When the LSU quarterback accepted the award as college football’s best player on Saturday, he talked about growing up in Athens. His father, Jimmy, was the defensive coordinator at Ohio University from 2005-18.

“Coming from southeast Ohio it’s a very impoverished area and the poverty rate is almost two times the national average,” Joe Burrow said Saturday night. “There’s so many people there that don’t have a lot and I’m up here for all those kids in Athens and Athens County that go home to not a lot of food on the table, hungry after school. You guys can be up here, too.”

Athens High School and Ohio graduate Will Drabold said he started the effort at about 11 a.m. Sunday. with a goal of $1,000. It quickly caught fire on social media and took off when donations started coming from Louisiana. The average donation has been $33.

At least two other efforts were started, one by his former teammates at Athens High School, and Burrow retweeted the links to his more than 137,000 followers. The money is to serve the Athens County Food Bank, which serves 5,000 families in the country every year and served 9,000 meals every month.

“I started this because like everyone else from Athens, I cried during Joey’s speech and felt like there had to be a way to harness that,” Dabold wrote in a Facebook post.

Burrow graduated from Ohio State in three years. In 2018, with Dwayne Haskins Jr., the apparent starter in the fall, Burrow took his final two years of eligibility to LSU.

After finishing strong for the Tigers in 2018, he broke out this season. He set a Southeastern Conference record with 48 touchdown passes and leading top-ranked LSU (13-0) to its first College Football Playoff appearance.

He won the Heisman in a record-breaking landslide, becoming the first LSU player to win the trophy in 60 years.

“That was as cool a night and moment as I’ve ever been around,” said Ohio State coach Ryan Day, who was there with his Heisman finalists, Justin Fields and Chase Young. ”Joe, although he thought that out, that was just him being himself. … Talk about class. There’s not a classier guy out there. I was humbled to be in the room and just be a part of the journey.”

A look back in time

HUMBOLDT — Mr. and Mrs. Ed Sherwood of Humboldt are ready for customers in their D and E Discount Store which opened yesterday. The store is located in the new business building on the northeast corner of the Humboldt Square. 

*****

Iolans were glad to see a Southern Kansas Greyhound Bus pull up at the Kelley Hotel Bus Stop yesterday afternoon. It was the first Kansas City-Tulsa bus that had been through Iola since the SKG drivers went on strike Aug. 29. Fred Hoye, owner of the Kelley Hotel and manager of the bus stop, told the Register that eight Southern Kansas Greyhound buses per day will serve Iola now that the lengthy strike is over.

*****

Iola got a taste of big city night club life last night as the Allen County Country Club brought Kay Dennis and a trio of musicians from Kansas City to present a four-hour program. Miss Dennis is a talented and imaginative singer who has a more or less permanent booking at the Hilton in Kansas City. The foursome are leaving next month for Holland, where they are scheduled for television shows.

Norma “Mimi” Collins

Norma Louise Collins (Mimi), of West Des Moines, Iowa, loving wife and mother passed away, at the age of 75, on Friday, Dec.13, 2019, at Methodist Hospital in Des Moines.

Norma was born Jan. 4, 1944, in Winfield, to James and Minnie (Jackson) May. She met her husband, Harry, in Iola, and after they were married in March of 1959, they moved to Kansas City, Mo., where they were blessed to have four children. Together they lived in Arkansas, Kentucky, and Iowa where they made many special friends. Norma worked for JC Penney in the office and as a sales associate until she retired. Norma’s passion was always for her family. She loved spending time with family and friends. Norma enjoyed reading, playing cards, board games, word puzzles, golfing, and playing Mahjong. She is lovingly referred to as Mimi and was known for her smile, and her kind and compassionate spirit.

Norma is survived by her husband of 60 years, Harry; her children, Terry (Gloria) Collins, Amanda (Bill) Switzer, Melissa (Greg) Wray and Rebecca (Ronald) Gray; grandchildren Adam (Ashley) Collins, Ryan (Jenni) Collins, Alex Ulfe, Cassie Ulfe, Brett Collins and Jonathon Gray; great-grandchildren, Braiden Seuferer and Harrison Collins; siblings, Marti Reida, Judy Sloan, and Larry May; and many more beloved family. Norma was preceded in death by her parents, infant daughter, Christina, and siblings, Bob, Betty, Beverly, Carol, David, Marion and Jimmy, and son-in-law, Bill.

Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at McLaren’s Funeral Chapel in Des Moines. A Celebration of Life will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral chapel. An inurnment will follow at Resthaven Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be directed to The Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. For expressions of sympathy please visit www.mclarensresthavenchapel.com for the Collins family.

Unity Club learns about Christmas carol history

Mary Joseph hosted 15 Unity Club members Dec. 9 at the Iola Public Library.

Judy Arbeiter gave the program on the history of seven Christmas carols, ranging from the 15th through 19th centuries, such as “O Come Emmanuel,” “Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus,” “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” and “Silent Night.”

After the history of each carol was shared, members sang two verses from the song.

Doris Stranghoner will host Unity Club’s next meeting Jan. 13. Jeanne Myers will give the program.

Police report

Arrest reported

Tori Higgins, 31, Iola, was arrested Sunday by Iola police officers for suspicion of domestic battery following an incident in the 10 block of North Third Street.

 

Vehicle struck

Michael T. Woods, 24, was westbound on U.S. 54 Thursday, when he struck a vehicle driven by Angela L. Slaven, 45, who was stopped at a stoplight at the intersection with Kentucky Street.

Neither was injured.

 

Theft reported

Garrett Tomlinson told Iola police officers Friday somebody removed items from his residence without permission in the 600 block of East Lincoln Street.