Wednesday Sports Update – McCarthy Wants OC Kellen Moore To Stay With Cowboys

(Frisco, TX) — Several outlets report new Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy wants to keep offensive coordinator Kellen Moore on his staff. The 31-year-old guided the Cowboys to a NFL-best 431.5 yards per game in his first season as the OC. He also has an offer to return to his home state to become the Washington offensive coordinator under Huskies new coach Jimmy Lake.

Texans Will Meet Chiefs Sunday

(Houston, TX) — The Texans will return to the practice field today to prepare to meet the Chiefs Sunday in Kansas City in the NFL post-season Divisional Round. Houston advanced with a 22-19 overtime victory Saturday over Buffalo. The Texans have never advanced beyond the Divisional Round in franchise history. The Texans beat the Chiefs 31-24 on October 13th in Kansas City. The AFC South champion Texans are 11-and-6 after their wild-card victory.

Rhule Leaving Baylor For Carolina Panthers

(Waco, TX) — Baylor is in the market for a new head football coach. Matt Rhule is leaving after agreeing to a seven-year, 62-million dollar contract with the Carolina Panthers. Rhule orchestrated the Bears to an 11-3 record and a Sugar Bowl invite last season. He also had success at Temple, including back-to-back 10-win seasons. Among the early names surfacing as potential candidates to replace Rhule include Baylor associate head coach Joey McGuire, Arkansas State head coach Blake Anderson, Tulane head coach Willie Fritz and Louisiana Lafayette head coach Billy Napier, who is a former Clemson and Alabama assistant.

Thunder Knocks Off Nets In OT

(Brooklyn, NY) — Chris Paul scored 28 points as the Thunder clipped the Nets 111-103 in overtime in Brooklyn. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contributed 22 points to the win, and Steven Adams added 10 points and a game-high 18 rebounds. Oklahoma City is 6-and-1 in its last seven games to improve to 21-and-16 overall. Taurean Prince had 21 points and reserve Caris LeVert 20 to lead Brooklyn. The Nets have lost seven straight to slip to 16-and-20.

NBA
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Portland Trail Blazers 101, Toronto Raptors 99
Detroit Pistons 115, Cleveland Cavaliers 113
Memphis Grizzlies 119, Minnesota Timberwolves 112
Sacramento Kings 114, Phoenix Suns 103
Los Angeles Lakers 117, New York Knicks 87

Mavs Home Tonight Against Nuggets

(Dallas, TX) — The Mavs will host the Denver Nuggets tonight in the fourth contest of a six-game homestand. The Mavs are 2-and-1 to start the homestand, including a 118-110 win Monday over the Bulls behind Luka Doncic’s triple double — 38 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. The Mavs remain home Friday against the Lakers and Saturday against the Sixers.

Rockets Play Tonight Sans Westbrook

(Atlanta, GE) — The Rockets will play tonight in Atlanta, but guard Russell Westbrook will rest. Houston has consistently held out Westbrook in one of back-to-back games all season. He will return tomorrow to face his former team in Oklahoma City. Eric Gordon will likely replace Westbrook in the lineup against the Hawks. Houston has won two straight and three of four for a Southwest Division-leading 24-and-11 record.

NHL
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Arizona Coyotes 5, Florida Panthers 2
Carolina Hurricanes 5, Philadelphia Flyers 4 (OT)
Washington Capitals 6, Ottawa Senators 1
New York Islanders 4, New Jersey Devils 3 (OT)
Tampa Bay Lightning 9, Vancouver Canucks 2
Detroit Red Wings 4, Montreal Canadiens 3
New York Rangers 5, Colorado Avalanche 3
Boston Bruins 6, Nashville Predators 2
St. Louis Blues 3, San Jose Sharks 2
Calgary Flames 2, Chicago Blackhawks 1
Columbus Blue Jackets 4, Anaheim Ducks 3
Pittsburgh Penguins 4, Vegas Golden Knights 3

Stars Will Return To Ice Tonight

(Los Angeles, CA) — The Stars will try to stretch their winning streak to five games when they open a four-game trip tonight at the Los Angeles Kings. They will play the Ducks tomorrow in Anaheim. Dallas defenseman John Klingberg remains sidelined with a lower-body injury and has not practiced this week after missing the Friday game against Detroit. Joel Hanley and Joel Kiviranita have been recalled.

MLB Expected To Announce Astros’ Punishment Soon

(Undated) — Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports Major League Baseball is wrapping up its investigation of the Astros using technology to steal signs and relaying information to hitters in the batter’s box. Passan reports commissioner Rob Manfred is expected to announce the discipline within the next two weeks before players report to spring training. The punishment could include suspensions, hefty fines and loss of draft picks.

Trump Reportedly Planning To Attend College Football Championship Game

(Washington, DC) — President Trump is reportedly planning to attend the college football championship game in New Orleans next week. Clemson and LSU will compete for the coveted national title Monday night. The Clemson Tigers are the defending champs. Trump is a big college football fan and will likely get a warm reception in Louisiana, a state he won handily in the 2016 presidential election.

Top-25 Men’s Basketball (Coaches’ Poll)
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#4 Baylor Bears 57, #21 Texas Tech Red Raiders 52
#11 Louisville Cardinals 74, Miami (FL) Hurricanes 58
#14 Maryland Terrapins 67, #12 Ohio State Buckeyes 55
#13 Kentucky Wildcats 78, Georgia Bulldogs 69
#16 Villanova Wildcats 64, Creighton Bluejays 59
Boston College Eagles 60, #18 Virginia Cavaliers 53
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 72, #20 Penn State Nittany Lions 61

#4 Baylor Defeats #21 Texas Tech

(Lubbock, TX) — Fourth-ranked Baylor knocked off number-21 Texas Tech 57-52 in Lubbock. Davion Mitchell led the Bears with 14 points. The 12-and-1 Bears will play Saturday at number-three Kansas in a Big 12 showdown. Baylor head coach Scott Drew is 0-and-12 at Allen Fieldhouse.

College Basketball Roundup

(Undated) — In other area college basketball, TCU held off Kansas State 59-57 for a Big 12 road win. Desmond Bane led the Frogs with 16 points, while Kevin Samuel had 15 rebounds and 10 points. Texas A&M rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat Ole Miss 57-47 in College Station. Tonight, SMU will host UCF and Oklahoma will play at Texas. Tomorrow, The West Texas A&M Buffs and Lady Buffs will be in Odessa to take on UT Permian Basin.