Sports
KU deals Vols 1st loss, finds momentum in Vegas
LAS VEGAS — Kansas arrived at the Players Era Championship with a 3-2 record and a long list of question marks. Bill Self’s team was without potential No. 1 pick Darryn Peterson, and became even more shorthanded when senior Jayden Dawson hurt his wrist during warmups before Monday’s game.
The Jayhawks also arrived as an unranked team, the first time in 20 years they’ve been out of the AP Top 25 in the month of November.
After Wednesday’s 81-76 comeback win over No. 17 Tennessee, Kansas leaves the desert with three straight wins and renewed optimism about its potential — especially with Peterson’s return likely not too far away.
“I think that we came here doubting how good we could be,” Self said. “Today, I actually thought we played sound. I actually thought we followed what we’re trying to do. I actually thought we screened somebody. I actually thought the shots we gave up were the shots we were supposed to give up. So that’s encouraging.”
Tennessee looked to be in command for most of the first 25 minutes, getting out to a 12-point lead and making life difficult for Kansas on the offensive end. Those struggles were magnified when Tre White, who was the Jayhawks’ best player in the first half, picked up his fourth foul with 16:52 left and then fouled out with more than eight minutes remaining.
But as has been the case all week, Kansas received a jolt of production from a surprise source. Sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson and senior wing Melvin Council Jr. scored a combined 23 points over the next nine minutes to give Kansas the lead.
Jackson finished with a career-high 17 points; he hadn’t scored in double figures since January 2024 and hadn’t scored more than six points all season. Council, meanwhile, hit double figures for the fourth straight game after averaging 7.0 points in his first four games following his transfer from St. Bonaventure.
That’s in addition to White and Flory Bidunga, who have stepped up in Peterson’s absence to become reliable contributors and focal points of the offense. It’s in addition to Bryson Tiller, who moved into the starting lineup five games ago and averaged 11.3 points and 8.3 rebounds during three Players Era games.
Suddenly, a team that looked bereft of offensive weapons even when Peterson was healthy has more balance in its attack — and will benefit when its star guard returns.
“We’re not offensively fluid enough to win games like we did there and expect guys to just come off the bench and get 17 or whatever,” Self said. “But what it should do is give us confidence when we are whole, if we can learn to play together, that we can defend and rebound well enough to actually be pretty good.”
Self said earlier this week that Peterson, who has missed the past six games with a hamstring injury, has been working out in Las Vegas and that he’s “hopeful” Peterson will return soon. Self told CBS Sports after Wednesday’s game that Peterson will be reevaluated Friday to see if he can suit up against UConn next Tuesday.
While Peterson objectively makes Kansas a better team, this week in Las Vegas showed that the Jayhawks can be competitive at a high level without their star man. They ran out of steam against Duke last week in the Champions Classic, but another week of development and cohesion appears to have changed the mentality and momentum of this year’s team.
“It was very important,” Jackson said after the game. “I feel like having these games without some key players that we have is good for our team development, and I feel like as a team this is really no surprise. I feel like as basketball players, especially as a team, you’re supposed to be delusional about how you guys are, and it feels good to know that we’re good about the delusion that we have about this team. I feel like we fight hard, and I feel like we can go toe-to-toe with any team in the NCAA.”
Kansas’ streak as an unranked team in November is likely to end after just one week, and with Peterson nearing a return, the Jayhawks’ upcoming stretch against UConn, Missouri and NC State looks more manageable.
“I’m going into Thanksgiving very optimistic,” Self said.
Trump arrives at 2025 Army-Navy game
President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and others arrive at the Army-Navy game just outside of Washington, D.C., and salute during the national anthem.
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President Donald Trump said Saturday that he plans to sign an executive order protecting the broadcast slot for the Army-Navy football game.
Trump’s announcement on Truth Social comes amid a push to expand the NCAA College Football Playoff, which could potentially affect the Army-Navy game’s traditional time slot.
“The Army-Navy Game is one of our Greatest American Traditions — Unmatched Patriotism, Courage, and Honor!” Trump wrote. “This incredible Tradition is now at risk of being pushed aside by more College Playoff Games, and Big TV Money. NOT ANYMORE!”
PROTESTS ERUPT OUTSIDE ARMY-NAVY GAME AMID TRUMP’S ATTENDANCE
President Donald Trump walks onto the field with Lt. Gen. Steven Gilland, Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, left, and Lt. Gen. Michael Borgschulte, Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, right, unseen, before the start of the 126th Army-Navy NCAA college football game on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Baltimore. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
The president said his executive order will secure an exclusive four-hour broadcast window in December for the event that cannot be challenged by another postseason football game.
“Under my Administration, the second Saturday in December belongs to Army-Navy, and ONLY Army-Navy!” Trump said. “I will soon sign a Historic Executive Order securing an EXCLUSIVE 4 hour Broadcast window, so this National Event stands above Commercial Postseason Games. No other Game or Team can violate this Time Slot!!!”
President Donald Trump (C) greets players after the coin toss and before the start of the 126th Army-Navy Game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen at M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 13, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Trump praised the rivalry, adding that “on the battlefield they are America’s unstoppable Patriots, defending our Country with tremendous Strength and Heart.”
“We must protect the Tradition, and the Players, who protect us,” he added. “Please let this serve as Notice to ALL Television Networks, Stations, and Outlets.”
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President Donald Trump walks onto the field for the 126th Army-Navy Game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen on Dec. 13, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Trump attended the 126th installment of the rivalry game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Dec. 13, his seventh appearance at the game. The Navy Midshipmen captured the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy with a 17-16 victory over Army.
The president said he will also attend the College Football Playoff championship Monday in Miami, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers are keeping Matt LaFleur as head coach, sources told ESPN on Saturday.
He has signed a multiyear contract extension that a source said is “not a prove-it deal but a real commitment.”
The two sides met early in the week to discuss the future direction of the organization. They were joined by general manager Brian Gutekunst and vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball, and the first order of business was to make sure they had the right threesome in place.
Once they all agreed to move forward, LaFleur’s contract was the first order of business. It didn’t take long, and the deal was agreed to on Friday evening and signed on Saturday. Deals for Gutekunst and Ball are also in the works, sources said.
It was the first major decision by new team president Ed Policy, who took over in July for Mark Murphy. It was Murphy who hired LaFleur in 2019 to replace Super Bowl-winning coach Mike McCarthy.
The Packers are keeping their organizational structure in place even with the new extensions, sources said, as Gutekunst and LaFleur will continue to report to Policy.
The Packers lost in the wild-card round of the playoffs for the second straight season, but this time it was in a devastating fashion. Not only did they blow an 18-point halftime lead and give up 25 points in the fourth quarter, but they did it against the rival Chicago Bears.
LaFleur and Policy spoke briefly on the plane ride home from Chicago after the loss and then again after they returned to Green Bay to discuss the coach’s future.
LaFleur had one year left on the contract extension he signed in 2022. He would not say whether he would be willing to coach the 2026 season without a contract extension, but he reiterated that he would prefer to remain as the Packers’ coach even though he would likely be a top candidate for other NFL head coaching jobs.
“This is one-of-one,” LaFleur said Sunday when he met reporters the day after the season ended. “I love this place. I love the people. … I love our players, the locker room, everybody in our organization. I mean, this is a unique place. The community has been outstanding.
“I’ve lived in other places, so I think this is a unique place, and it’s a special place. My kids love it here; my family loves it here.”
Policy said last summer that he would prefer not to have a coach or general manager work into the final year of their contract, but at that time also said he was not ready to offer any extensions.
“I’m generally opposed — I’d never say never — [but] I’m generally opposed to a coach or GM going into the last year of their contract,” Policy said last June, shortly before he officially took over as president. “That creates a lot of issues. I think normally you have a pretty good idea of where that relationship is going when you have two years left — not always, but normally.
“So I think generally speaking I would avoid lame-duck status. It’s oftentimes difficult on everybody involved. But there are certain situations that probably call for it, so I would not say never.”
That ramped up the pressure on the 2025 season, which ended with five straight losses.
LaFleur has a 76-40-1 regular-season record as the Packers’ coach, the fourth-highest winning percentage (.654) among all active NFL head coaches, and his 76 wins tied for second most in NFL history by a coach in their first seven seasons.
LaFleur received a strong vote of confidence from quarterback Jordan Love after Saturday’s loss.
“I definitely think Matt should be the head coach,” Love said. “I’ve got a lot of love for Matt, and I think he does a good job. And that’s it.”
The Packers have made the playoffs in all but one of LaFleur’s seven seasons. However, after posting three straight 13-win seasons and going to two NFC Championship Games, LaFleur is 37-30-1 over the past four seasons with only one playoff win — a wild-card game in the 2023 season.
LaFleur was hired in 2019 in part to get Aaron Rodgers back to an MVP level, and that’s exactly what happened. Rodgers won the award twice (2020 and 2021) under LaFleur. He also was charged with developing Love, who three seasons into his starting career appears to be Green Bay’s franchise quarterback.
LaFleur came to the Packers after one season as playcaller with the Tennessee Titans. Before that, he was part of the Kyle Shanahan-Sean McVay coaching family.
Perhaps the biggest issue during LaFleur’s tenure was his hiring of coordinators. He fired four coordinators in his first five seasons. He retained defensive coordinator Mike Pettine from previous coach Mike McCarthy’s staff but moved on after two seasons. Pettine’s replacement, Joe Barry, lasted three seasons before LaFleur hired Jeff Hafley in 2024. LaFleur also had three different special teams coordinators. Rich Bisaccia has been in that position since 2022 after LaFleur fired Shawn Mennenga after two seasons and Mo Drayton after one.
LaFleur said he expects to lose Hafley to a head coaching job but would not say whether he planned to make any other coaching changes.
Liverpool have completed the signing of North Carolina Courage captain and Republic of Ireland international Denise O’Sullivan, the clubs announced Saturday.
The 31-year-old midfielder departs as the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) club’s all-time appearance leader after playing in 186 games during her nine seasons in North Carolina.
O’Sullivan now joins a Liverpool team that sits bottom of the Women’s Super League (WSL), without a win in 12 matches.
“It means a lot. It’s a very proud moment for myself and also for my family, who are now only a 40-minute flight away,” O Sullivan told Liverpool’s website.
“Liverpool is a massive club and I think when you join a club as big as Liverpool it comes with massive responsibility and I can’t wait to get to work and to give 100 per cent every day.”
After joining North Carolina in its inaugural NWSL season, O’Sullivan played a part in winning seven league trophies — three Shields, two Championships and two Challenge Cups.
She had been named captain ahead of the 2023 season.
“It’s hard to put into words what this club has truly meant to me,” O’Sullivan said in a statement from the Courage. “North Carolina will always be my home, and I’m forever grateful to the Club, my teammates, and the incredible fans who supported and believed in me every step of the way,”
“I’m on to a new challenge now, but I’ll always be a part of Courage Country. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything.”
The arrival of O’Sullivan, who has won 128 caps with Ireland, comes a day after Liverpool announced the loan signing of Martha Thomas from Tottenham.
The Scotland international, who joined Spurs from Manchester United in 2023, has agreed to move to Liverpool for the remainder of the season.
PA contributed to this report.
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