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Midwest Sports Headlines: 1/14/2020

Sports

January 14th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

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

UNDATED (AP) — Baylor climbed to No. 2 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll after resounding road wins over Texas Tech and Kansas last week. Gonzaga maintained the top spot after breezing to a pair of victories while Duke dropped to third and unbeaten Auburn rose to fourth. Butler rounded out the first five, followed by the Jayhawks and another unbeaten in San Diego State. Oregon, Florida State and Kentucky rounded out the top 10.

UNDATED (AP) — Even if they don’t meet again on the field, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields will be two of the stories that will define the 2020 college football season. The quarterbacks will compete for the Heisman Trophy and maybe to be the first overall NFL draft pick. Everyone will be watching to see whether LSU has turned its matchup with Alabama back into rivalry or was the Tigers’ victory this season was a one-off led by a generational quarterback. And several coaches with lots to prove in 2020 will be sitting on various degrees of the hot seat.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs exacted a bit of revenge on the Houston Texans for a regular-season loss by beating them in the playoffs. Now, they can do the same thing to the Tennessee Titans on the way to their first Super Bowl appearance in 50 years. The Texans had knocked off Kansas City in Week 6 but were routed 51-31 in the divisional round Sunday, when the Chiefs rallied from a 24-0 deficit. The Titans beat the Chiefs 35-32 in Week 10. That was also the last time Kansas City has lost a game this season.

UNDATED (AP) — The top two NFC teams took care of business to set up a Green Bay-San Francisco conference championship. The bye week proved hazardous over in the AFC where the top two seeds fell into huge holes. The Chiefs overcame their 24-point deficit to the Houston Texans with an historic comeback to reach their second straight AFC title game at Arrowhead Stadium. The top-seeded Baltimore Ravens weren’t able to climb out of their 22-point hole against the surging Tennessee Titans. So the Titans are in the conference championship for the first time in two decades.

UNDATED (AP) — So goes a wild weekend of historic offensive performances by Derrick Henry and nearly every Kansas City Chief. It was spiced by some timely defense from all the winners. They gave us the answers to the makeup of the NFL’s Final Four. Which brings along a whole lot of questions. The NFC, following a wild-card weekend in which both wild cards won, settled down to top-seeded San Francisco and No. 2 Green Bay reaching the championship game. It’s a classic rivalry that will resume next Sunday when the Niners host the Packers.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Alexander Steen scored the first goal and Brayden Schenn added two assists, leading the St. Louis Blues to a 4-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. The Blues won their ninth straight home game, tying the franchise record for one season set in 1991. The run marks the longest home winning streak in the NHL this season. Tyler Bozak, Jaden Schwartz and Ivan Barbashev also scored for the Blues, who have won four in a row after a three-game skid. The defending Stanley Cup champions are 12-2-1 in their past 15 games. Max Comtois had the lone goal for Anaheim, which has lost four straight. The Ducks are 3-9-1 in their past 13 games.

UNDATED (AP) — The NHL is adding a three-on-three women’s game to its all-star festivities in St. Louis later this month. Three people tell The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that the game will feature women’s national team players from the United States and Canada. The move comes with women’s hockey in flux. The Canadian Women’s Hockey League folded in March and the National Women’s Hockey League is still going. But many top players are not on the ice for the NWHL as they seek a different home with what they say should be a sustainable economic model.