UALR BECOMES THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE OVC
The University of Arkansas Board of Trustees approved Little Rock’s transition to the Ohio Valley Conference yesterday. The Trojans will begin competition in the OVC next July 1. A press conference officially announcing UALR’s addition to the Ohio Valley Conference will be held this afternoon. The Trojans do not field teams for football, women’s tennis, men’s tennis, or softball. At this time, Little Rock would give the OVC 9 teams for next season, provided no additional teams leave the league. Multiple reports have Murray State possibly moving to the Missouri Valley Conference. If that happens, an invitation would likely come before Christmas, BUT the Racer football program would still need a home or need to receive approval for associate membership in the OVC in that sport.
MEN’S REGIONAL COLLEGE BASKETBALL RESULTS
SEMO 75, Evansville 73
Western Carolina 74, Tennessee Tech 69 (OT)
SIUE 80, IPFW 59
Buffalo 77, WKU 67
NKU 75, Canisius 62
Miami 76, Lipscomb 59
Missouri State 81, UALR 55
Drake 78, Omaha 70
WOMEN’S REGIONAL COLLEGE BASKETBALL RESULTS
Loyola Chicago 58, Eastern Illinois 48
TIGERS VISIT UHA
In high school basketball tonight, the Murray High boys will play at University Heights in a 7:30 game. That game will air online at WHOPAM.com.
MEMPHIS LOSES TO DALLAS; MORANT ENTERS COVID PROTOCOL
The Grizzlies lost to the Dallas Mavericks 104-96 last night in Memphis. Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 26 points and Dillon Brooks scored 15 points. The Grizzlies host the Lakers tonight. Also yesterday, the Grizzlies announced that Ja Morant has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols. ESPN is reporting that Morant is fully vaccinated and has gotten his booster shot. Morant has missed Memphis’ last five games with a left knee sprain.
AREA HOCKEY ROUNDUP
The Predators’ road trip continues tonight when Nashville plays the Islanders at UBS Arena. The Preds enter the game at 14-10-1 and sit at fourth place in the Central division….The Blues are back on their home ice tonight to face the Detroit Red Wings. The Blues sit at 13-8-4 on the year.
NATIONAL SPORTS BRIEFS
More countries are joining the United States in a boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom said Wednesday they are all taking part in the diplomatic boycott. Activists have been calling for a boycott for months over human rights abuses by the Chinese government. Beijing was accused by the US and other nations of imprisoning more than a million Muslim-majority Uyghurs [[ WEE-goorz ]] in detention centers, where they say they were tortured and abused.
The Bears rookie quarterback is returning. Chicago head coach Matt Nagy announced that Justin Fields was cleared to return and will start Sunday’s road game against the Packers. Fields had missed two straight games due to fractured ribs. Andy Dalton started in his place, but suffered an injury to his non-throwing hand last week against the Cardinals. Fields will make his ninth start, though the Bears are 2-and-6 with him starting under center.
The Arizona Coyotes are in danger of losing access to Gila River Arena later this month. The city of Glendale says that they will lock the team out of its arena if it doesn’t pay upwards of one-point-three million dollars in unpaid state and city taxes by December 20th. In August, Glendale had already opted out of its lease with the team for the end of this season.
Caeleb Dressel and Suni Lee are Sports Illustrated’s Athletes of the Year. Dressel and Lee both won Olympic gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Sports Illustrated Woman Athlete of the Year Suni Lee was the first Asian American woman to win a gold medal in the all-around gymnastics competition. Caeleb Dressel won five gold medals in different swimming competitions and was named Sports Illustrated Male Athlete of the Year.
The Virginia Cavaliers appear to be staying in the ACC for their next head football coach. ESPN is reporting that Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott has emerged as the top choice to be the next football coach for Virginia. ESPN also reported that Elliott met with Cavaliers athletic director Carla Williams on Wednesday in Charlottesville. Virginia is looking for a replacement for Bronco Mendenhall, who said he was going to step down as head coach after Virginia’s bowl game.
Serena Williams is confirming that she will not be participating in next month’s Australian Open. Williams said that she’s following the advice from her medical team as the reason for not competing. Williams admitted to not being where she needs to be physically to compete and will miss seeing the fans in Melbourne.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is investigating the mysterious death of a former New Orleans Saints football player. Glenn Foster died while in police custody in Pickens County, west of Tuscaloosa. Foster, who played college football at Illinois, was arrested Sunday and charged with assault and third degree robbery. Authorities say he died on Monday after being taken to a medical facility. A cause of death has not been released.
WEDNESDAY’S SCOREBOARD
NBA
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Philadelphia 76ers 110, Charlotte Hornets 106
Cleveland Cavaliers 115, Chicago Bulls 92
Washington Wizards 119, Detroit Pistons 116 (OT)
Indiana Pacers 122, New York Knicks 102
Miami Heat 113, Milwaukee Bucks 104
Oklahoma City Thunder 110, Toronto Raptors 109
Houston Rockets 114, Brooklyn Nets 104
Dallas Mavericks 104, Memphis Grizzlies 96
Utah Jazz 136, Minnesota Timberwolves 104
Denver Nuggets 120, New Orleans Pelicans 114 (OT)
Golden State Warriors 104, Portland Trail Blazers 94
Sacramento Kings 142, Orlando Magic 130
LA Clippers 114, Boston Celtics 111
NHL
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New Jersey Devils 3, Philadelphia Flyers 0
Colorado Avalanche 7, New York Rangers 3
Vancouver Canucks 2, Boston Bruins 1 (SO)
Vegas Golden Knights 5, Dallas Stars 4
NCAA Men’s Basketball (Top-25 Coaches Poll)
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#8 Arizona Wildcats 94, Wyoming Cowboys 65
#16 Florida Gators 85, North Florida Ospreys 55
#17 Wisconsin Badgers 64, Indiana Hoosiers 59
West Virginia Mountaineers 56, #18 UConn Huskies 53
#20 Michigan State Spartans 75, Minnesota Golden Gophers 67
#22 Ohio State Buckeyes 85, Towson Tigers 74
#23 BYU Cougars 82, Utah State Aggies 71
THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE (All times are Eastern)
NFL
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8:20 p.m. – Pittsburgh Steelers at Minnesota Vikings
NBA
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7:00 p.m. – Utah Jazz at Philadelphia 76ers
8:00 p.m. – Los Angeles Lakers at Memphis Grizzlies
8:30 p.m. – Denver Nuggets at San Antonio Spurs
NHL
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7:00 p.m. – Tampa Bay Lightning at Toronto Maple Leafs
7:00 p.m. – Chicago Blackhawks at Montreal Canadiens
7:00 p.m. – Anaheim Ducks at Columbus Blue Jackets
7:30 p.m. – Nashville Predators at New York Islanders
8:00 p.m. – Detroit Red Wings at St. Louis Blues
9:00 p.m. – Carolina Hurricanes at Calgary Flames
9:00 p.m. – Boston Bruins at Edmonton Oilers
10:00 p.m. – Winnipeg Jets at Seattle Kraken
10:30 p.m. – Dallas Stars at Los Angeles Kings
10:30 p.m. – Minnesota Wild at San Jose Sharks
NCAA Men’s Basketball (Top-25 Coaches Poll)
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7:00 p.m. – #1 Purdue Boilermakers at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
9:00 p.m. – #5 Gonzaga Bulldogs host Merrimack Warriors
6:30 p.m. – #11 Texas Longhorns at #25 Seton Hall Pirates
9:00 p.m. – #19 Iowa State Cyclones host Iowa Hawkeyes
PGA
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QBE Shootout (at Naples, FL)
