Sports
No. 13 Kansas State opens Big 12 slate at fellow unbeaten BYU
Sep 13, 2024; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson (2) warms up before the start of a game against the Arizona Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images No. 13 Kansas State and host BYU both look to remain unbeaten when the unfamiliar 3-0 squads clash on Saturday night in their Big 12 Conference opener in Provo, Utah.
These two schools have never met as conference opponents, splitting their eight previous meetings. The last time they squared off was in the 1997 Cotton Bowl, which BYU won with a game-saving interception. The last time K-State played in Provo was a 39-0 loss in 1977.
Kansas State coach Chris Klieman is anxious to see how his team handles the new surroundings and a new rivalry.
“It’s going to be a tough environment,” he said. “A lot of respect for (BYU coach) Kalani (Sitake) and BYU. It’s going to be a heck of an atmosphere and a great test for us.
“Two weeks ago, we were talking about humidity and heat (before K-State’s game at Tulane) and now we’re talking about being cool and elevated (altitude). What a crazy league we’re in.”
BYU trounced Wyoming 34-14 on the road last weekend.
K-State showed newcomer Arizona what life in the Big 12 might be like, scoring the final 31 points in a 31-7 win over the then-No. 20 Wildcats.
While Arizona is now in the Big 12, it was a nonconference game since it was scheduled before Arizona joined the conference.
The Wildcats and Cougars rank near the middle of the Big 12 in scoring offense at seventh and ninth, respectively. They’re in the top half defensively, ranking fourth and fifth, respectively. But how they’ve gotten there is different.
The BYU offense is doing it through the air, averaging 289.3 passing yards per game, fifth in the conference. K-State, meanwhile, is second in the league with 244.3 rushing yards per game. BYU is ranked fourth in rushing defense, allowing just 105.7 yards per game.
Sitake knows the competition is going to get tougher, now that the conference season is starting. He believes that his team is ready for the challenge.
“It didn’t go perfectly, but there were some really good things to work on, some really good things to get better at,” he said following BYU’s victory over Wyoming. “I feel like we got better from last week to this week, and I am looking forward to making an improvement from this week to next.”
BYU’s Jake Retzlaff completed 22 of 36 passes for 291 yards with three touchdowns and one pick. He was also BYU’s leading rusher against the Cowboys with six carries for 62 yards.
K-State’s Avery Johnson rushed for 110 yards and was 14-of-23 passing for 156 yards with two touchdowns against Arizona. Johnson passed the credit around.
“It starts with Coach Riles (offensive coordinator Conor Riley),” Johnson said. “He came out firing. And credit Coach Klieman. We could have opened with a three-and-out but he said, ‘Go for it’ in our own end and we ended up with a 15-play drive.
“But it all starts with Coach Riles.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Alex de Minaur notches victory at ‘s-Hertogenbosch
Mar 2, 2026; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Alex de Minaur (AUS) during a practice session for the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Second-seeded Alex de Minaur of Australia recorded 27 winners against 17 unforced errors while notching a 7-6 (8), 7-5 victory over Martin Damm in the second round of the Libema Open at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
With a 7-6 advantage in aces, de Minaur also had just one double fault compared to four for his opponent. Damm committed 44 unforced errors to go with 28 winners and stayed in the match by saving 11 of 14 break points.
No. 6 Tallon Griekspoor notched a 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4 victory over Botic van de Zandschulp in an all-Dutch affair that that was suspended Tuesday and finished Wednesday. Australia qualifier James McCabe knocked off No. 8 Zizou Bergs of Belgium 6-7 (2), 6-2, 7-6 (4).
Others winners were Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics, Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak and Thijs Boogaard of Netherlands.
BOSS Open
Third-seeded Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan had a 22-17 edge in aces while outlasting Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-2 in the second round at Stuttgart.
Bublik had 38 winners and 22 unforced errors in a rematch of a first-round French Open match in which Struff prevailed in four sets. Struff had 37 winners and 29 unforced errors in the rematch.
In other matches, Italy’s Mattia Bellucci recorded a 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-2 victory over Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann, and France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard sailed to a 7-6 (1), 6-2 victory over Gauthier Onclin of Belgium.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Texas Tech AD: School supports Brendan Sorsby, not out to 'engineer his eligibility'
Texas Tech director of athletics Kirby Hocutt looks on during the team trophy celebration after the Big 12 Conference championship football game, Saturday, Nov. 6, 2025, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt said he understands the concerns of his colleagues regarding the case of Brendan Sorsby but backed the school’s commitment to seeing the quarterback through treatment for a gambling addiction.
Hocutt made his extensive comments in a statement issued Wednesday.
Sorsby, who transferred to Texas Tech in the offseason for a reported $5 million payday, was ruled permanently ineligible by the NCAA after it was discovered he placed $90,000 in bets on sports — including on his own Indiana team in 2022. On Monday, a Lubbock County district court judge granted a temporary injunction that allows him to play in the 2026 season.
The NCAA issued an immediate appeal over the decision, which outraged athletic directors and coaches from programs across the country.
“I’ve watched the reaction to Monday’s court ruling with great respect for my colleagues across college athletics,” Hocutt began his statement. “Many of them are people I admire. But I also owe it to Texas Tech, and frankly to the truth, to offer a few facts that seem to be getting lost in the noise.”
Sorsby filed a suit seeking the injunction to allow him to play, with a trial set for next year — after the conclusion of the season. But if the NCAA’s appeal is unsuccessful, he will play for the Red Raiders.
Hocutt said the university is not a party to the lawsuit and is not funding it.
“A young man in treatment for a clinically diagnosed addiction exercised his legal right to seek a remedy in court, and a judge agreed with him. Our role has been to support his recovery, not to engineer his eligibility,” Hocutt said.
“I’ve heard the word ‘integrity’ used a great deal in the last 48 hours. As someone who has dedicated his career to college sports, I, too, believe integrity is central to our industry’s success. I also think integrity applies on more than one front. The integrity of sports matters. So does the integrity of how we treat a 22-year-old who sought help, entered residential treatment, and is working every day toward recovery. Those two things don’t have to be in conflict.”
Still, NCAA member institutions – including the Big 12, Texas Tech’s conference – are trying to figure out their next steps.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark led a call with conference athletic directors on Tuesday and has scheduled calls with the league’s executive committee and campus presidents in the coming days.
“We will continue to have open and honest dialogue amongst the group and until there is something to report, these conversations will remain within the conference,” Yormark said in a statement.
The Big 12 and the College Football Playoff, which is independent from the NCAA, also must consider what legal options are open to them should Sorsby ultimately be allowed to play by the courts.
The Athletic reported that coaches in all sports have been told by officials at Nebraska and Georgia not to schedule competitions against the Red Raiders. The Big Ten is expected to take up the issue on Wednesday with its member universities, per the report.
Hocutt said Texas Tech has a duty to assist Sorsby.
“Let me be direct about what Texas Tech’s position actually is: we are glad Brendan is still part of our community, because that is where we can extend him the best possible support in his ongoing recovery,” Hocutt said. “Clinical care, device monitoring, financial oversight, outpatient therapy – that infrastructure exists because we take our responsibility to this young man seriously.”
Sorsby spent his past two seasons at Cincinnati before leaving for Texas Tech. He also played at Indiana for two seasons (2022-23).
–Field Level Media
Sports
NBA Finals ticket prices continue to plunge ahead of Game 4
Madison Square Garden before Game 3 of the NBA Finals on June 8, 2026. Ticket prices for NBA Finals games continue to plummet with the get-in price ahead of Game 4 between the Knicks and San Antpnio Spurs dropping to $3,898 hours before the Wednesday night contest at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The get-in cost for the Knicks’ second home game of the series had skyrocketed to nearly $13,500 before New York’s loss in Game 3 on Monday. But the defeat means the Knicks can no longer sweep the series, which will extend to at least Game 5 in San Antonio.
That led to a drop in Game 4 get-in prices to $4,025 by Tuesday. The trend continued on Wednesday with the three-day average for the game now down 66% to $3,898, according to ticket tracking service TicketData.
And for the first time in the series, the three-day average for all remaining potential games have seen a decline — and now all are in double-digit decreases.
NBA FINALS GET-IN PRICES*
Game 4 — New York: $3,898 (down 66% past three days)
Game 5 — San Antonio: $1,414 (down 24%)
Game 6 — New York: $9,262 (down 19%)
Game 7 — San Antonio: $3,549 (down 18%)
*Source: TicketData
The soonest the Knicks could clinch their first NBA title in more than a half century is Game 5, which has the lowest get-in price among the remaining potential games. Should the series return to New York for Game 6, the get-in price has dropped below $10,000 for the first time since New York won Game 1 in San Antonio, but still remains by far the most expensive at $9,262.
For comparison, the past two Super Bowls had day-of-game get-in prices of $2,002 in 2025 and $3,251 this year. The average Super Bowl get-in price since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic has been $3,914, according to TicketData.
Outside of the World Cup and the Stanley Cup Final, the next-most expensive sporting event through the end of the year currently is UFC 329. The card featuring the return of Conor McGregor against Max Holloway currently has a get-in price of $1,369 and is set for July 11 in Las Vegas.
The Knicks opened the series as significant underdogs, but flipped to -140 favorites at BetMGM following their Game 1 victory. Now ahead 2-1 with up to two more games at home, New York is still the -185 favorite compared to San Antonio at +155.
–Field Level Media
