Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — This was supposed to be the first opening day for the Royals under new owner John Sherman. The fulfillment of a lifelong ambition. Instead, Kauffman Stadium sat empty under sunny skies and amid continued uncertainty whether baseball will be played at all this year. The outbreak of the new coronavirus has brought the sports world to a halt. That includes baseball, which is hard at work planning for an abbreviated season that executives hope will begin later this year.

UNDATED (AP) — A panel of Associated Press sports writers has come up with the top 10 men’s basketball games in the history of the NCAA Tournament. The sixth game on the list is Kansas’ 75-68 victory against Memphis in the 2008 national championship game. Mario Chalmers tied the game with a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left in regulation and the Jayhawks pulled away in overtime to win their first title in 20 years. The late heroics nullified an explosive second half for the Tigers’ Derrick Rose, who finished with 18 points.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to one-year deals with defensive tackle Mike Pennel and fullback Anthony Sherman, continuing their trend of keeping low-cost valuable contributors to their Super Bowl run on the roster. The cash-strapped Chiefs have been relatively quiet in free agency, though they have retained several of their own. That includes franchising defensive tackle Chris Jones and signing backup quarterback Chad Henne on a two-year deal.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State guard Cariter Diarra is leaving the basketball program with the intention of turning professional. Diarra is leaving open the option of transferring to another school for his senior season. Wildcats coach Bruce Weber says in a statement Thursday that his leading primary ball-handler and second-leading scorer will graduate this spring. That would allow Diarra to play elsewhere next season without having to redshirt. Diarra was often seen at odds with Weber during a difficult season in Manhattan though both brushed off their verbal spats as simply heat-of-the-moment situations.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Athletics Inc. contends in a newly unsealed court filing that it has evidence former football coach David Beaty “allowed and encouraged NCAA violations” while at the University of Kansas. The memo was filed by the university’s lawyers in January and unsealed this past week. It says those alleged violations has “resulted in several hundred thousand” dollars in legal fees for Kansas Athletics. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the filing includes transcripts of interviews with players and members of the football staff that that the university says suggest that NCAA rule violations occurred under Beaty.