The Kentucky Wildcats kicked off their college basketball season Tuesday night with a 79-71 loss to Duke in the Champions Classic. Oscar Tshiebewe led Kentucky with 17 points and 19 rebounds. The Wildcats will be back in action Friday night at 6 against Robert Morris, with pre-game coverage to begin at 4:30 on Lite Rock 98.7 and online at lite987whop.com.
Meanwhile, Western Kentucky got four points and eight rebounds from Hopkinsville native Jamarion Sharp as the Hilltoppers beat Alabama State 79-74.
Austin Peay State University is 1-0 on the new season, defeating UT Southern 86-79 in the Dunn Center. The Govs had four score in double figures led by redshirt senior Tariq Silver with 20 points.
Murray State got 32 points from KJ Williams in defeating Cumberland Phoenix 109-77.
Hopkinsville native Tray Hollowell scored seven points for Morehead State in the Eagles’ 77-54 loss at Auburn.
No. 18 Tennessee beat UT Martin 90-62 in Knoxville and Louisville defeated Southern 72-60.
Meanwhile, in the top 25:
NCAA Men’s Basketball (Top-25 Coaches Poll)
#1 Gonzaga Bulldogs 97, Dixie State Trailblazers 63
#2 UCLA Bruins 95, CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners 58
#3 Kansas Jayhawks 87, Michigan State Spartans 74
#4 Villanova Wildcats 91, Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers 51
#5 Texas Longhorns 92, Houston Baptist Huskies 48
#7 Purdue Boilermakers 96, Bellarmine Knights 67
#9 Duke Blue Devils 79, #11 Kentucky Wildcats 71
#10 Illinois Fighting Illini 71, Jackson State Tigers 47
#12 Oregon Ducks 83, Texas Southern Tigers 66
#13 Alabama Crimson Tide 93, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 64
#14 Houston Cougars 83, Hofstra Pride 75 (OT)
#15 Arkansas Razorbacks 74, Mercer Bears 61
#16 Memphis Tigers 89, Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 65
#17 Ohio State Buckeyes 67, Akron Zips 66
#17 Tennessee Volunteers 90, UT Martin Skyhawks 62
#20 North Carolina Tar Heels 83, Loyola (MD) Greyhounds 67
#21 Maryland Terrapins 83, Quinnipiac Bobcats 69
#22 Auburn Tigers 77, Morehead State Eagles 54
#23 UConn Huskies 99, Central Connecticut Blue Devils 48
#24 St. Bonaventure Bonnies 75, Siena Saints 47
Navy Midshipmen 66, #25 Virginia Cavaliers 58
NBA
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Milwaukee Bucks 118, Philadelphia 76ers 109
Utah Jazz 110, Atlanta Hawks 98
LA Clippers 117, Portland Trail Blazers 109
College Football:
The latest College Football Playoff Rankings are out. Georgia remains in the top spot after decimating Missouri. Alabama is second while Oregon moves up to the third spot following Michigan State’s loss. Ohio State is now fourth. The Spartans fall to seventh in the rankings. Cincinnati moves up to the number five spot. Michigan is sixth, while MSU, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma State round out the top 10.
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A Pac-12 football game is being postponed to due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Cal will not be able to play USC on Saturday after multiple positive COVID-19 tests within the program. Cal reported that the team had a 99-percent vaccination rate among players, but had additional positive cases after Saturday’s game. The Golden Bears had just over 40 players available last weekend against Arizona. The game has been rescheduled for December 4th, a day after the Pac-12 championship game.
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NFL
The Packers are being fined for violation of the NFL and NFL Players Association’s COVID-19 Protocols. According to ESPN, the team has been fined 300-thousand-dollars for its violations. Star quarterback Aaron Rodgers along with wide receiver Allen Lazard were each fined over 14-thousand dollars. Rodgers missed this past week’s game against Kansas City due to being in COVID protocols.
Odell Beckham Jr. is becoming a free agent for the first time in his career. The 29-year-old receiver cleared waivers Tuesday and is available to be signed by any NFL team. ESPN is reporting that Beckham wants to spend the rest of this season with a playoff contender. The Cleveland Browns officially released Beckham Monday after his relationship with the team deteriorated. He totaled only 17 catches for 232 yards in six games this season.
NHL
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Boston Bruins 3, Ottawa Senators 2
Los Angeles Kings 3, Montreal Canadiens 2 (OT)
Carolina Hurricanes 2, Tampa Bay Lightning 1 (OT)
New Jersey Devils 7, Florida Panthers 3
Detroit Red Wings 4, Edmonton Oilers 2
St. Louis Blues 3, Winnipeg Jets 2 (SO)
Chicago Blackhawks 3, Pittsburgh Penguins 2 (SO)
San Jose Sharks 4, Calgary Flames 1
Anaheim Ducks 3, Vancouver Canucks 2 (OT)
Vegas Golden Knights 4, Seattle Kraken 2