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My 2023 Heisman Trophy ballot: Michael Penix Jr., Jayden Daniels or Bo Nix? Stats matter, but so does winning

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:28 GMT

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels won the most prestigious award in college football on Saturday evening after producing a statistically superb season.He did not receive my first-place vote.I submitted following Heisman Trophy ballot earlier this week:1. Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.2. LSU QB Jayden Daniels3. Oregon QB Bo NixWhy Penix and not Daniels, or Nix?First, a brief acknowledgment: The best player in the country is not on my ballot.The best player, regardless of position, is Georgia tight end Brock Bowers. However, Bowers was injured during the middle of the season, missed several games and simply did not make the requisite impact.Another acknowledgment; Penix was not sensational each week. In fact, the Huskies struggled against substandard competition, with narrow wins over Arizona State and Stanford atop that list.In contrast, Daniels, the former Arizona State quarterback, was brilliant on a weekly basis for LSU and produced the best statistical season in the country.He led ...

Pressure rising on U.S. after vetoing U.N. call for a cease-fire in Gaza

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:28 GMT

The United States, diplomatically isolated after casting the sole vote against a United Nations resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, came under growing criticism Saturday by a number of governments, human rights groups and aid organizations that warned of catastrophic consequences for civilians in the war-torn territory.Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, which Washington and others have floated as a potential governing body for postwar Gaza, said the veto Friday was “a mark of shame that will follow the United States for many years.” He called the United States “aggressive and unethical.”Nicolas de Rivière, the French ambassador to the United Nations, called for a “new immediate and lasting humanitarian truce,” and without naming its ally, the United States, lamented that the Security Council had “failed once again.”“We do not see any contradiction between the fight against terrorism and the protection of civilians,” he said.The diplomatic t...

Hischier scores twice, Devils beat Flames 4-2 for 3rd straight victory and 6th in 7 games

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:28 GMT

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Nico Hischier scored twice and the New Jersey Devils beat the Calgary Flames 4-2 on Saturday for their third straight victory and sixth in seven games.Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist, Timo Meier also scored and Vitek Vanecek made 23 saves to help the Devils improve to 14-10-1. They are 9-4-0 on the road.“It’s not rocket science. You’ve got to go to the net hard and good things happen,” Hischier said. “You have to simplify your game. That’s what we’ve done the last couple games. We’ve got some lucky bounces but if you’re not going there, you’re not getting them.”Former Devils forward Yegor Sharangovich and Nazem Kadri scored for Calgary. The Flames finished a six-game homestand 3-3-0, leaving them 11-13-3.”In the second, I thought we got away from it. Still a tight game, but I thought we made it hard on ourselves,” Flames captain Mikael Backlund said. “We weren’t playing as fast and we weren’t as efficient getting in on the forecheck.”Rookie Dustin Wolf,...

As inaugural In-Season Tournament draws to a close, Adam Silver looks ahead to possible tweaks

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:28 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver seemed more than satisfied by the way the inaugural In-Season Tournament went this season, though noted that it’s only natural to expect some tweaks to the format before next year.Silver, speaking Saturday before the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers met in the event’s first championship game, said new elements like the brightly painted courts and cash incentives for team success were generally a hit. “I want to thank all the players in the league, the coaches and of course the teams for embracing this new concept,” said Silver, who pushed for years to have such an event — similar to what’s done in many soccer leagues around the world — added to the NBA calendar. “I know it doesn’t come without challenges. There’s no doubt there’s some things that we’re learning this time through. Overall, we’re thrilled with the interest we’ve seen so far this season.”There’s nothing that is certain to change befo...

Mavs star Kyrie Irving will miss game in Memphis with right heel injury

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:28 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — Mavericks star Kyrie Irving will miss a game in Memphis after returning to Dallas to have a right heel injury evaluated.Irving bruised the heel in Dallas’ 125-112 victory at Portland on Friday night. The Mavs visit the Grizzlies on Monday night before finishing a back-to-back at home on Tuesday against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.With just under four minutes left in the second quarter against the Trail Blazers, Irving was fouled under the basket by center Duop Reath. The guard fell to the floor, where teammate Dwight Powell inadvertently stepped on his foot, causing Irving to stay down for several minutes.Irving has been dealing with a left foot injury that contributed to him missing four games, although two of those were the second night of back-to-backs.Irving is second behind fellow All-Star Luka Doncic in scoring for the Mavericks. The 31-year-old is averaging 23 points. Doncic is second in the NBA at 31.9 points per game and has scored at least 3...

Leach scores 15 as Fairfield defeats Sacred Heart 67-57

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:28 GMT

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) — Jalen Leach scored 15 points as Fairfield beat cross-town rival Sacred Heart 67-57 on Saturday night.Leach was 4 of 10 shooting, including 3 for 6 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 4 from the line for the Stags (4-6). Jasper Floyd scored 10 points while shooting 2 of 5 from the field and 5 for 6 from the line, and added seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Brycen Goodine had 10 points and was 3 of 6 shooting (2 for 4 from 3-point range).The Pioneers (4-7) were led in scoring by Raymond Espinal-Guzman, who finished with 11 points. Nico Galette added 10 points, seven rebounds and two steals for Sacred Heart. In addition, Alex Sobel finished with 10 points and two steals.NEXT UPUp next for Fairfield is a matchup Sunday with Wagner at home. Sacred Heart visits Providence on Saturday.___The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.Source

Red Wings’ Larkin face-down, motionless on ice for about a minute after cross-check from behind

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:28 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was face-down and motionless on the ice for about a minute after being cross-checked in the back of the head and neck by Ottawa’s Mathieu Joseph on Saturday night.Larkin was eventually able to stand up, but was hunched over as he was assisted to the locker room. There was no immediate report on the injury.Standing near the Ottawa goal during a first-period power play, Larkin took the hit from Joseph and was pushed into the Senators’ Parker Kelly, who also hit Larkin as the Detroit player fell.Joseph and Kelly were assessed roughing penalties on the play with 6:10 left in the period. Detroit’s David Perron was given a match penalty for intent to injure for cross-checking Artem Zub as the Ottawa defenseman stood next to the prone Larkin.___AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhlSource

Democrat John Whitmire elected Houston mayor, defeating congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:28 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston elected Democratic state Sen. John Whitmire as its next mayor on Saturday night, elevating a Texas lawmaker who has represented the city for 50 years by giving him a victory over U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in a runoff.Whitmire, 74, who is one of Texas’ most powerful Democratic legislators, will now be at the helm of America’s fourth-largest city. His campaign focused on reducing crime, improving streets and bringing people together. He heavily outspent Jackson Lee, who was running to become Houston’s first Black female mayor. The congresswoman’s campaign also had to deal with fallout from the release in October of an unverified audio recording that purported to capture her profanely berating staff. Whitmire built an insurmountable lead among early voters, winning among those voters by 30 percentage points.Whitmire and Jackson Lee had made it to Saturday’s runoff after emerging from a crowded field of nearly 20 candidates in the Nov. 7 general election. Both ...

Dickinson scores 13 points, has 16 rebounds, helps lead No. 2 Kansas over rival Missouri 73-64

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:28 GMT

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Hunter Dickinson had 13 points and 16 rebounds, Kevin McCullar Jr. and KJ Adams had 17 points each and No. 2 Kansas beat rival Missouri 73-64 on Saturday.The Jayhawks closed out the first half on a 14-0 run started by a Elmarko Jackson’s 3-pointer to turn a 2-point deficit into a 41-29 halftime lead.“They were better than us to start the game, but that run was the difference in the game,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “We made a lot of good basketball plays in the last six minutes of the first half.”McCullar Jr. had 14 points and six rebounds in the first half.Sean East II led Missouri with 21 points and Nick Honor scored 17, but the Tigers were without one of their guards, Caleb Grill. Grill injured his non-shooting wrist last Sunday and is expected to miss 5-7 weeks. He averages 8.4 points and nearly six rebounds per game.“We were creating for one another and we just wanted to use the ball screens effectively and I thought we did that well,” ...

Hinson’s 26 allows Pitt to pull away late, hold off Canisius, 82-71

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:49:28 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Blake Hinson scored 26 points and Pittsburgh pulled away late to post an 82-71 victory over Canisius on Saturday. Hinson, who came into the game leading the NCAA with 39 3-pointers made through his first 10 games, knocked down 3 of 4 from distance. Canisius led at the break, 41-40 and Siem Uijtendaal’s three-point play with 13:15 left gave Canisius a 54-47 lead, but Carlton Carrington, Jorge Diaz Graham and Hinson each hit from behind the arc to put Pitt in front, 56-54. Frank Mitchell’s layup with 8:11 left put the Golden Griffins back in front, 61-60, but Ishmael Leggett sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a layup by Federiko Federiko put Pitt in front, 68-61. Hinson scored six of the Panthers’ final nine points to close out the win. Hinson hit 8 of 13 from the floor and went 7-for-7 shooting from the line to lead Pitt (7-3). Carrington added 16 points and dished five assists and Leggett hit 3 of 5 from distance to add another 13 points. Uijt...