LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Top-ranked Kentucky is 13-0 after Tyler Ulis scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half of a 58-50 win over No. 4 Louisville. Fellow freshmen Karl-Anthony Towns and Devin Booker also contributed to help stake Kentucky to a 50-38 lead with 4:43 left. Towns had 10 points and nine rebounds, while Booker added nine points.

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — No. 15 Arizona State was a 36-31 winner over Duke in the Sun Bowl as Kalen Ballage returned a kickoff 95 yards to set up Demario Richard’s fourth touchdown of the game with under five minutes to go. Ballage’s big return came after 9-4 Duke took a 31-30 lead on receiver Jamison Crowder’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Blakeney with 5:03 left. Richard tied a Sun Bowl record with 24 points for the 10-3 Sun Devils.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Southern California earned a bowl victory despite blowing a 45-27 lead. The Trojans won the Holiday Bowl as Cody Kessler threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-42 triumph over 25th-rated Nebraska. Kessler tossed a 71-yard TD pass to Adoree’ Jackson, who also scored on a 98-yard kickoff return.

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon will miss Sunday’s season finale against Baltimore after being suspended by the team for a violation of team rules. The troubled receiver missed the first 10 games of the season after being suspended by the NFL for repeated drug violations.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The New Jersey Devils lost their first game since announcing Saturday that Adam Oates, Scott Stevens and GM Lou Lamoriello will serve as co-coaches the rest of the season. Oates ran the club and Lamoriello assisted as the Devils were beaten 3-1 by the Rangers. Lamoriello fired Peter DeBoer on Friday.

With Ric Hanson.

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – In 2014, Iowa State rose to heights it hadn’t seen in over a decade.
Coach Fred Hoiberg and the Cyclones might go even further in 2015. Iowa State won the Big 12 tournament for the first time since 2000 in March, a thrilling three-day run through Kansas State, Kansas and Baylor. The Cyclones reached the Sweet 16 after a last-second win over North Carolina before falling to eventual national champion Connecticut.

Iowa State started this season at 9-1, including a 90-75 blowout of rival Iowa in Iowa City, and were ranked 12th as on Monday. The Cyclones kick off Big 12 play on Jan. 6 against Oklahoma State. While the league is arguably the nation’s toughest, Iowa State is a legitimate threat to win its first Big 12 regular season title in 14 years.

Here were some of the other moments that defined Iowa sports in 2014….

HAWKEYES RISE…AND FALL: Iowa reached the top 10 in late January last season and appeared poised to fulfill its promise under fourth-year coach Fran McCaffery. But the Hawkeyes dropped six of their final seven Big Ten games and stumbled into the First Four matchup in the NCAA tournament, where it lost to Tennessee in overtime. The collapse on the court was overshadowed by the cancer diagnosis given to McCaffery’s 14-year-old son Pat in early March. Thankfully, doctors declared Pat cancer-free in June. Iowa got off to a disappointing start to 2014-15 as well. It will enter Big Ten season at 9-4 and in need of a major revival to return to the NCAA tournament.

WEST HOPES DASHED: A host of returning starters and a seemingly favorable schedule had many pegging Iowa among the favorites to win the inaugural Big Ten West title. But the Hawkeyes dropped close games against Wisconsin and Nebraska and finished the regular season at 7-5. Much like its basketball team, Iowa will face Tennessee in an unexpectedly underwhelming postseason game, the Taxslayer Bowl on Jan. 2.

FIELD HOCKEY FIRING: Iowa field hockey coach Tracey Griesbaum was fired in August over allegations of player mistreatment, setting off protests from supporters who demanded that Griesbaum be reinstated. Griesbaum is planning legal action against the university, contending that athletic director Gary Barta discriminated against her and other gay female coaches. Barta has rejected discrimination claims. The Hawkeyes finished 11-7 under interim coach Lisa Cellucci.

CYCLONES STUMBLE AGAIN: Iowa State’s football team followed up a 3-9 season with a 2-10 one this fall, putting coach Paul Rhoads on the hot seat for 2015. The Cyclones allowed 38.8 points a game, and their offense struggled under first-year coordinator Mark Mangino. Iowa State will bring back a lot of starters next fall, along with a handful of highly touted junior college transfers who are expected to plug gaps. But unless the Cyclones improve drastically, they could be looking for a new head coach next December.

SPEEDWAY SUCCESS: NASCAR’s first year running the Iowa Speedway was a smooth one. Sprint Cup star Brad Keselowski and Sam Hornish Jr. won Nationwide races in Newton, and Ryan Hunter-Reay passed half the field in his final 10 laps to win the IndyCar event. The track will again host two races in the newly-branded NASCAR XFINITY series, along with IndyCar and trucks races, in 2015.

PARKER’S PASSING: Longtime Iowa coordinator Norm Parker, whose defenses were the cornerstone of the program’s success under head coach Kirk Ferentz, died in January at age 72. Parker spent 13 seasons under Ferentz, and his defenses routinely ranked among the nation’s best. Iowa State defensive assistant Curtis Bray died at the age of 43 just two days after Parker’s passing.

UNI REVIVAL: Northern Iowa appears set to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time in five years. The Panthers got off to a 10-1 start, highlighted by a 56-44 win over the Hawkeyes in Des Moines on Dec. 20, and could threaten Wichita State for the Missouri Valley title.

I-CUBS ON THE RISE: The Triple-A Iowa Cubs didn’t even make the International League playoffs. But the list of players who went through Des Moines might look staggering in a few years. Third baseman Kris Bryant finished his remarkable season in Iowa, hitting 43 home runs with a .325 batting average overall. Middle infielders Javier Baez and Arismendy Alcantara also stopped by Des Moines before ending up in Chicago – and even Manny Ramirez spent a few months there as a hitting coach, mentor and part-time player.

DES MOINES LANDS THE NCAAs: Des Moines was selected to host the NCAA men’s basketball tournament for the first time, a further sign of the capital city’s rise in last 15 years. Wells Fargo Arena will host first and second-round games in 2016.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith will miss Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers because of a lacerated spleen. Team trainer Rick Burkholder said Friday that Smith was hurt on a hit during the third quarter of last weekend’s loss to the Steelers, but the injury was not initially obvious. Smith will not need surgery.

If the Chargers beat Kansas City on Sunday, they make the playoffs. The Chiefs would need to win and have Baltimore and Houston lose to earn a postseason berth.

The 7:18-a.m. Sportscast, with Ric Hanson.

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MIAMI (AP) — The Heat spoiled LeBron James’ return to South Beach as Dwyane (dwayn) Wade scored 24 of his 31 points in the first half of Miami’s 101-91 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Luol Deng finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Heat, who blew a 17-point lead and trailed early in the fourth quarter before handing the Cavaliers their fourth loss in 16 games since a 5-7 start. James scored a game-high 30 in his first game at Miami since he left the Heat to return to the Cavaliers.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Warriors have their second two-game skid of the season after Jamal Crawford hit four 3-pointers and finished with 24 points and seven rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Clippers past Golden State 100-86. Blake Griffin finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds, while Deandre Jordan had 14 points and 12 boards for the Clippers. Klay Thompson led the Warriors with just 15 points on 6 of 18 shooting.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka led the Oklahoma City Thunder to their sixth consecutive regular-season win over the Spurs, a 114-106 triumph against the defending NBA champs at San Antonio. Westbrook had a game-high 34 points and a team-best 11 assists, while Ibaka delivered 21 points and nine rebounds. Steven Adams added 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Thunder, who played their fourth straight game without Kevin Durant because of a sprained right ankle.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Washington Wizards handed the New York Knicks their 16th loss in 17 games as John Wall’s 24 points and 11 assists led a 102-91 triumph at Madison Square Garden. Bradley Beal chipped in 17 points to help the Wizards end a two-game skid and improve to 20-8. The Knicks fell to 5-26 despite Carmelo Anthony’s game-high 34 points.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls cruised to a 113-93 win over the Los Angeles Lakers as Pau Gasol had 23 points and 13 rebounds against his old team. Jimmy Butler finished with 21 points and Derrick Rose added 20 points in the Bulls’ fifth consecutive win. The Lakers played their second straight game without Kobe Bryant, who says his knees, Achilles tendons, feet and back are all sore.

The 7:20-a.m. sportscast w/Chris Parks.

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The 7:20-a.m. Sports report, with KJAN’s Chris Parks.

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