KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals announced today they acquired outfielder&nbsp;Kameron Misner&nbsp;(MYZE-ner) from the Tampa Bay Rays for a Player to be Named Later or cash considerations. Misner was designated for assignment by the Rays last week.

Misner, 27, played in 71 games with Tampa Bay in 2025 and hit .213 (42-for-197) with 15 extra-base hits and 8 stolen bases in 217 plate appearances. He made 57 starts, including 42 in center field, 12 in right field and 3 in left field.

Misner made the Rays Opening Day roster this season for the first time in his career. On Opening Day, he entered in the 8th inning on defense and hit a walk-off home run in the 9th, becoming the first player in Major League history to hit his 1st career home run in walk-off fashion on Opening Day.

Misner made his Major League debut in 2024, when he appeared in 8 games with the Rays.

He was originally selected by Kansas City in the 33rd round of the 2016 Draft out of Poplar Bluff High School (Mo.), but elected to attend the University of Missouri. Three years later, he was selected by Miami in the 1st round (35th overall) of the 2019 Draft. Following the 2021 season, Misner was acquired by Tampa Bay for infielder&nbsp;Joey Wendle.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals announced today they acquired outfielder&nbsp;Kameron Misner&nbsp;(MYZE-ner) from the Tampa Bay Rays for a Player to be Named Later or cash considerations. Misner was designated for assignment by the Rays last week.Misner, 27, played in 71 games with Tampa Bay in 2025 and hit .213 (42-for-197) with 15 extra-base hits and 8 stolen bases in 217 plate appearances. He made 57 starts, including 42 in center field, 12 in right field and 3 in left field.Misner made the Rays Opening Day roster this season for the first time in his career. On Opening Day, he entered in the 8th inning on defense and hit a walk-off home run in the 9th, becoming the first player in Major League history to hit his 1st career home run in walk-off fashion on Opening Day.Misner made his Major League debut in 2024, when he appeared in 8 games with the Rays.He was originally selected by Kansas City in the 33rd round of the 2016 Draft out of Poplar Bluff High School (Mo.), but elected to attend the University of Missouri. Three years later, he was selected by Miami in the 1st round (35th overall) of the 2019 Draft. Following the 2021 season, Misner was acquired by Tampa Bay for infielder&nbsp;Joey Wendle.

Royals Acquire Outfielder Kameron Misner From Rays

MANHATTAN, Kansas&nbsp;–&nbsp;(rv/25) K-State used a late second quarter run to distance themselves from Lamar before halftime and never looked back on the way to an 89-61 win on Monday night at Bramlage Coliseum.

K-State (3-0) was led by junior guard Taryn Sides with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go with five assists and four steals.

Joining Sides in double figures was sophomore guard Izela Arenas with 18 points off the bench on 7-of-11 shooting.

In her first career start, freshman guard Jordan Speiser carded her first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Brandie Harrod added 10 points and three rebounds.

- K-State broke open a two-point lead, 31-29, with a 21-3 run to span the first and second halves. Sides started the run with a three-pointer with 3:29 remaining in the second quarter. Sides connected on her second 3-pointer with 2:28 to play in and Arenas followed with a putback layup on K-State’s next possession.

- Freshman guard Gina Garcia added a layup with 1:17 left. Sides would beat the halftime buzzer with a driving layup to stake the Wildcats to a 48-32 halftime lead.

- Sides would make the first basket of the third quarter and Arenas added a driving layup with 8:53 to play in the third quarter and force a Lamar (0-2) timeout with the Wildcats leading 52-32.

- K-State would hold a 20-point lead entering the fourth frame, 66-46.

- The Cardinals would narrow the margin to 17, 70-53, with 8:10 to play in the final stanza, but the Wildcats answered with a 15-2 run to bring the margin up to 30, 85-55, with 3:10 left. Sides and Arenas each registered five points during the run to seal the win.

- K-State shot 51.6 percent (33-of-64) from the field including 32.0 percent (8-of-25) from long distance. The Wildcats tallied 48 points in the paint, the second time this season K-State has scored at least 48 points in the lane.

- K-State leads the series with Lamar, 6-0. The Wildcats are 12-1 (.923) against current members of the Southland Conference.

- K-State head coach Jeff Mittie owns a career record of 675-378 (.641), including a mark of 221-143 (.607).

- K-State is 415-157 (.726) in its 38th-season inside Bramlage Coliseum, including a 145-49 (.747) record under Mittie. The Wildcats are 240-30 (.889) in non-conference games in Bramlage including an 86-9 (.905) mark during Mittie’s time with at K-State. The Wildcats have won 11 straight home games against non-conference foes.

- The Wildcats are 169-55 (.754) in games played in the month of November, including wins in 57 of its last 69 games in the month. Under head coach Jeff Mittie, K-State is 55-12 (.821) in games during the 11th&nbsp;month.

- K-State's starting five consisted of guards Gina Garcia, Brandie Harrod, Tess Heal, Taryn Sides, and Jordan Speiser. This was the first time this lineup has started together this season. This was the 77th&nbsp;career start for Heal and her third at K-State. This was the third career starts for Harrod and Sides. This was the first career start for Garcia and Speiser.

- The Wildcats held a 48-32 lead at halftime on Monday. Under Mittie, K-State is 178-21 (.894) when leading at halftime.

- The Wildcats registered three quarters with 20 or more points on Monday. Since the start of the quarter system in 2015-16, K-State is 162-65 (.714) when scoring 20 or more points in any quarter in a game. K-State has six quarters this season with 20 or more points scored.

- K-State had the edge on the glass, 36-28. Over the last four seasons, K-State is 67-7 (.905) when having the rebounding advantage.

- Sides reached double figures in points for the 20th&nbsp;time in her career. This was her third career game with 20 or more points.

- Sides tallied her 17th&nbsp;career game and her second this season with five or more assists. She improved her career assist total to 208.

- Sides made two or more 3-point field goals in a game for the 33rd&nbsp;time in her career.

- Sides pocketed four steals on Monday. This was her fourth career game with four or more steals. Sides collected her 14th&nbsp;career game with two or more steals.

- Arenas surpassed double figures in scoring for the seventh time in her career and the second time this season.

- Speiser tallied her first career game with 10 or more points.

- Speiser hauled in five or more rebounds for the first time in her career.

- Harrod carded her first career game with double figures in scoring.

- Sophomore center Ramiya White pulled in five rebounds. This was her second career game with five or more rebounds and her first this season.

On the focus of controlling the ball and minimizing turnovers…

“I mean, anytime you turn the ball over that few times, I think it's good. I thought our guards played really well tonight. I thought Gina (Garcia), (Izela) Arenas, and Taryn (Sides) really played well tonight, so that sets the tone for it. And, I think Lamar is a scrappy, tough team, and so for us to be able to control the ball like that's pretty good.”

“I mean, we're coming off of a 46-point game, so there wasn't a whole lot I liked offensively a couple days ago. I think we're a long ways away offensively in the half court. Today, we rebounded well enough. You saw the parts of the game that gave us trouble were when we fouled them and put them to the free throw line. The game got bogged down. Got in a half court game. But that's to be expected. We've got a lot of new pieces in there, so the chemistry of working together, everybody connecting is just going to take some time. So we're seeing better things every game but, it’s not going to be a straight line of improvement. I was telling a couple players, like everybody always thinks you just start here, and you just get better and better and better. And that’s not how it works, you get a little bit better, and then you take a couple steps back, and then you get a little bit better. And you hope that's how it goes, right? So, I think there were stretches of this game where it looked really bad, and there were stretches of this game where you saw it look really good.”

On Jordan Speiser’s play tonight…

“I thought (Jordan) Speiser rebounded really well. I thought she did some really nice things off the bounce. I just think she's taken some hard threes. She comes in with a reputation as a shooter, so they're aware of her shot and so, it's going to require a little bit of patience on her part. I like the attitude that she has about being certainly ready to shoot it. But I think as we progress, she's going to get better and better looks. But I like the fact she did a lot of things tonight better. I told her yesterday, I think her defense continues to get better. You saw tonight, the rebounding, so she's doing more things.”

On the inside presence offensively by the team in the first three games…

“I think we've gotten there differently. I think Arenas has been able to get there more. We've seen Brandie Harrod get there. You saw Speiser get there tonight. Certainly in our pick and roll game it's an area that we're improving. We got a long ways to go, but it's not going to be the way it was a year ago. We did see Ramiya White get some looks down there. Ramiya continues to work hard, and I think she's going to continue to improve, so we're just gonna have to get there differently.”

On what the process is of having four games in eight days…

“I think anytime you play a lot of games, particularly with a young team, you try to find a balance of working on you and working on the scout. I don't want to get too far away from working on us because we have so many fundamental things that we need to just continue to build on. I thought coming out of the SMU game was the best defensive game we had played. Going back on film, I was really proud of our group, how connected they were defensively, and I thought our habits looked really good. I thought tonight was a very average defensive game. So, that's the balance with playing games. You start to see some slippage of your habits. So, it's going to be a concerted effort not to overload them with scouts. We've got to continue to improve. We've got to keep the focus on us getting better together in practice. When you have a veteran team, they have better habits, the slippage is less. We'll get back to us. We've got tomorrow off. The other part of that is balancing rest with work. We'll get tomorrow off. We'll come back Wednesday, but Wednesday's practice will be 90% us, because I want to make sure we continue to build those good habits.”

On how they broke away from Lamar…

“I think the main thing was we stopped fouling as much as we did in the first quarter. I think Coach (Jeff) Mittie said they went to the line 12 or 14 times in the first quarter, and it's hard to get going when you have to stop every other possession. So I think we just locked in better defensively, and we were able to push in transition and offense got into a little bit of a flow.”

“I think Coach Mittie has mixed up the lineup so that we've been able to work with different people and I mean, it's a continued process of meshing together and learning from each other even more. I think that's how this year will be for the first half of it. I’m just trying to get better and learn from each game. We're a young group, so I just have to take it and make it better.”

On Jordan Speiser shooting the three…

“[Jordan Speiser] is through the roof. She can really shoot that thing. I know she probably hasn't shot as well as she's wanted to, but I know it's coming. She shoots it really well in practice, and I know that will translate to the game and she's continued to grow in other areas as well. Today, she got to the basket better. I think her defense has gotten better throughout these past three games. I think I'm excited to see where she can get to.”

K-State Freshman Guard Jordan Speiser

On getting her first career double-double…

“It just came from rebounding. My shots [are] not falling right now, but they'll start falling. I understood that, and still shot eight threes, but I understood that I needed to get to the basket and needed to impact the game in other ways, and felt like I hustled hard and got that done.”

On if it's hard to keep the misses out of her mind…

“It's extremely hard, but I have coaches instilling confidence in me and just telling me to keep shooting. They're going to fall, so I'm not worried about it.”

On when she found out she would be making her first career start…

“I learned that right before we ran out for our last warm up– and the feeling, it was great. That's every player's goal. I was just really happy and really excited. So that was great.”

K-State continues its four-game homestand on Thursday, as the Wildcats host South Dakota at 4 p.m. Thursday is a women’s/men’s doubleheader, as the K-State men will host California at 8 p.m. Tickets for Thursday’s games are available by calling (800) 221-CATS, online at&nbsp;<a href="http://kstatesports.com/tickets" target="_blank">kstatesports.com/tickets</a>&nbsp;and on gameday at the Bramlage Coliseum ticket windows.

Thursday’s game is a Pre-Game Fan Favorites night. Stop by the concession stands prior to select weekday women’s basketball games to receive $1 off water, fountain drinks, hot dogs, and nachos from the time doors open until the playing of the National Anthem (while supplies last).

MANHATTAN, Kansas&nbsp;–&nbsp;(rv/25) K-State used a late second quarter run to distance themselves from Lamar before halftime and never looked back on the way to an 89-61 win on Monday night at Bramlage Coliseum.K-State (3-0) was led by junior guard Taryn Sides with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go with five assists and four steals.Joining Sides in double figures was sophomore guard Izela Arenas with 18 points off the bench on 7-of-11 shooting.In her first career start, freshman guard Jordan Speiser carded her first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Brandie Harrod added 10 points and three rebounds.HOW IT HAPPENED- K-State broke open a two-point lead, 31-29, with a 21-3 run to span the first and second halves. Sides started the run with a three-pointer with 3:29 remaining in the second quarter. Sides connected on her second 3-pointer with 2:28 to play in and Arenas followed with a putback layup on K-State’s next possession.- Freshman guard Gina Garcia added a layup with 1:17 left. Sides would beat the halftime buzzer with a driving layup to stake the Wildcats to a 48-32 halftime lead.- Sides would make the first basket of the third quarter and Arenas added a driving layup with 8:53 to play in the third quarter and force a Lamar (0-2) timeout with the Wildcats leading 52-32.- K-State would hold a 20-point lead entering the fourth frame, 66-46.- The Cardinals would narrow the margin to 17, 70-53, with 8:10 to play in the final stanza, but the Wildcats answered with a 15-2 run to bring the margin up to 30, 85-55, with 3:10 left. Sides and Arenas each registered five points during the run to seal the win.- K-State shot 51.6 percent (33-of-64) from the field including 32.0 percent (8-of-25) from long distance. The Wildcats tallied 48 points in the paint, the second time this season K-State has scored at least 48 points in the lane.QUICK FACTS- K-State leads the series with Lamar, 6-0. The Wildcats are 12-1 (.923) against current members of the Southland Conference.- K-State head coach Jeff Mittie owns a career record of 675-378 (.641), including a mark of 221-143 (.607).- K-State is 415-157 (.726) in its 38th-season inside Bramlage Coliseum, including a 145-49 (.747) record under Mittie. The Wildcats are 240-30 (.889) in non-conference games in Bramlage including an 86-9 (.905) mark during Mittie’s time with at K-State. The Wildcats have won 11 straight home games against non-conference foes.- The Wildcats are 169-55 (.754) in games played in the month of November, including wins in 57 of its last 69 games in the month. Under head coach Jeff Mittie, K-State is 55-12 (.821) in games during the 11th&nbsp;month.TEAM NOTES- K-State's starting five consisted of guards Gina Garcia, Brandie Harrod, Tess Heal, Taryn Sides, and Jordan Speiser. This was the first time this lineup has started together this season. This was the 77th&nbsp;career start for Heal and her third at K-State. This was the third career starts for Harrod and Sides. This was the first career start for Garcia and Speiser.- The Wildcats held a 48-32 lead at halftime on Monday. Under Mittie, K-State is 178-21 (.894) when leading at halftime.- The Wildcats registered three quarters with 20 or more points on Monday. Since the start of the quarter system in 2015-16, K-State is 162-65 (.714) when scoring 20 or more points in any quarter in a game. K-State has six quarters this season with 20 or more points scored.- K-State had the edge on the glass, 36-28. Over the last four seasons, K-State is 67-7 (.905) when having the rebounding advantage.PLAYER NOTES- Sides reached double figures in points for the 20th&nbsp;time in her career. This was her third career game with 20 or more points.- Sides tallied her 17th&nbsp;career game and her second this season with five or more assists. She improved her career assist total to 208.- Sides made two or more 3-point field goals in a game for the 33rd&nbsp;time in her career.- Sides pocketed four steals on Monday. This was her fourth career game with four or more steals. Sides collected her 14th&nbsp;career game with two or more steals.- Arenas surpassed double figures in scoring for the seventh time in her career and the second time this season.- Speiser tallied her first career game with 10 or more points.- Speiser hauled in five or more rebounds for the first time in her career.- Harrod carded her first career game with double figures in scoring.- Sophomore center Ramiya White pulled in five rebounds. This was her second career game with five or more rebounds and her first this season.FROM THE HEAD COACHK-State Head Coach Jeff MittieOn the focus of controlling the ball and minimizing turnovers…“I mean, anytime you turn the ball over that few times, I think it's good. I thought our guards played really well tonight. I thought Gina (Garcia), (Izela) Arenas, and Taryn (Sides) really played well tonight, so that sets the tone for it. And, I think Lamar is a scrappy, tough team, and so for us to be able to control the ball like that's pretty good.”On half court offense…“I mean, we're coming off of a 46-point game, so there wasn't a whole lot I liked offensively a couple days ago. I think we're a long ways away offensively in the half court. Today, we rebounded well enough. You saw the parts of the game that gave us trouble were when we fouled them and put them to the free throw line. The game got bogged down. Got in a half court game. But that's to be expected. We've got a lot of new pieces in there, so the chemistry of working together, everybody connecting is just going to take some time. So we're seeing better things every game but, it’s not going to be a straight line of improvement. I was telling a couple players, like everybody always thinks you just start here, and you just get better and better and better. And that’s not how it works, you get a little bit better, and then you take a couple steps back, and then you get a little bit better. And you hope that's how it goes, right? So, I think there were stretches of this game where it looked really bad, and there were stretches of this game where you saw it look really good.”On Jordan Speiser’s play tonight…“I thought (Jordan) Speiser rebounded really well. I thought she did some really nice things off the bounce. I just think she's taken some hard threes. She comes in with a reputation as a shooter, so they're aware of her shot and so, it's going to require a little bit of patience on her part. I like the attitude that she has about being certainly ready to shoot it. But I think as we progress, she's going to get better and better looks. But I like the fact she did a lot of things tonight better. I told her yesterday, I think her defense continues to get better. You saw tonight, the rebounding, so she's doing more things.”On the inside presence offensively by the team in the first three games…“I think we've gotten there differently. I think Arenas has been able to get there more. We've seen Brandie Harrod get there. You saw Speiser get there tonight. Certainly in our pick and roll game it's an area that we're improving. We got a long ways to go, but it's not going to be the way it was a year ago. We did see Ramiya White get some looks down there. Ramiya continues to work hard, and I think she's going to continue to improve, so we're just gonna have to get there differently.”On what the process is of having four games in eight days…“I think anytime you play a lot of games, particularly with a young team, you try to find a balance of working on you and working on the scout. I don't want to get too far away from working on us because we have so many fundamental things that we need to just continue to build on. I thought coming out of the SMU game was the best defensive game we had played. Going back on film, I was really proud of our group, how connected they were defensively, and I thought our habits looked really good. I thought tonight was a very average defensive game. So, that's the balance with playing games. You start to see some slippage of your habits. So, it's going to be a concerted effort not to overload them with scouts. We've got to continue to improve. We've got to keep the focus on us getting better together in practice. When you have a veteran team, they have better habits, the slippage is less. We'll get back to us. We've got tomorrow off. The other part of that is balancing rest with work. We'll get tomorrow off. We'll come back Wednesday, but Wednesday's practice will be 90% us, because I want to make sure we continue to build those good habits.”FROM THE FLOORK-State Junior Guard Taryn SidesOn how they broke away from Lamar…“I think the main thing was we stopped fouling as much as we did in the first quarter. I think Coach (Jeff) Mittie said they went to the line 12 or 14 times in the first quarter, and it's hard to get going when you have to stop every other possession. So I think we just locked in better defensively, and we were able to push in transition and offense got into a little bit of a flow.”On rotating the lineup…“I think Coach Mittie has mixed up the lineup so that we've been able to work with different people and I mean, it's a continued process of meshing together and learning from each other even more. I think that's how this year will be for the first half of it. I’m just trying to get better and learn from each game. We're a young group, so I just have to take it and make it better.”On Jordan Speiser shooting the three…“[Jordan Speiser] is through the roof. She can really shoot that thing. I know she probably hasn't shot as well as she's wanted to, but I know it's coming. She shoots it really well in practice, and I know that will translate to the game and she's continued to grow in other areas as well. Today, she got to the basket better. I think her defense has gotten better throughout these past three games. I think I'm excited to see where she can get to.”K-State Freshman Guard Jordan SpeiserOn getting her first career double-double…“It just came from rebounding. My shots [are] not falling right now, but they'll start falling. I understood that, and still shot eight threes, but I understood that I needed to get to the basket and needed to impact the game in other ways, and felt like I hustled hard and got that done.”On if it's hard to keep the misses out of her mind…“It's extremely hard, but I have coaches instilling confidence in me and just telling me to keep shooting. They're going to fall, so I'm not worried about it.”On when she found out she would be making her first career start…“I learned that right before we ran out for our last warm up– and the feeling, it was great. That's every player's goal. I was just really happy and really excited. So that was great.”UP NEXTK-State continues its four-game homestand on Thursday, as the Wildcats host South Dakota at 4 p.m. Thursday is a women’s/men’s doubleheader, as the K-State men will host California at 8 p.m. Tickets for Thursday’s games are available by calling (800) 221-CATS, online at&nbsp;<a href="http://kstatesports.com/tickets" target="_blank">kstatesports.com/tickets</a>&nbsp;and on gameday at the Bramlage Coliseum ticket windows.Thursday’s game is a Pre-Game Fan Favorites night. Stop by the concession stands prior to select weekday women’s basketball games to receive $1 off water, fountain drinks, hot dogs, and nachos from the time doors open until the playing of the National Anthem (while supplies last).

🏀 K-State WBB Wins Third Straight by Downing Lamar

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals announced today they have hired&nbsp;Marcus Thames&nbsp;(TEMS)&nbsp;to serve as a Hitting Coach on the Major League staff. He will work closely with&nbsp;Alec Zumwalt, Kansas City’s Sr. Director of Hitting Performance and Hitting Coach and&nbsp;Connor Dawson, who was hired as Hitting Coach last week.

Thames, 48, has been a Hitting Coach in the Majors for the last 10 seasons, including from 2016-21 with the New York Yankees, 2022 with the Miami Marlins, 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels and 2024-25 with the Chicago White Sox. His coaching career began with three seasons in the Yankees organization as a Hitting Coach across various levels from 2013-15.

During his tenure on the Yankees Major League staff from 2016-21, New York led the Majors with 1,313 home runs. In 2020, he worked with the Major League batting champion&nbsp;DJ LeMahieu&nbsp;(.364) and Major League home run leader&nbsp;Luke Voit&nbsp;(22).

In 2023, the Angels offense under his guidance ranked among the American League leaders in home runs (3rd, 231), slugging percentage (5th, .426) and OPS (7th, .743). During that season,&nbsp;Shohei Ohtani&nbsp;led the American League in HR (44), on-base percentage (.412), slugging percentage (.654) and OPS (1.066) and won his second Most Valuable Player Award.

After the All-Star break in 2025, the White Sox offense ranked 5th in the American League in runs per game (4.85), home runs (89) and batting average (.250).

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals announced today they have hired&nbsp;Marcus Thames&nbsp;(TEMS)&nbsp;to serve as a Hitting Coach on the Major League staff. He will work closely with&nbsp;Alec Zumwalt, Kansas City’s Sr. Director of Hitting Performance and Hitting Coach and&nbsp;Connor Dawson, who was hired as Hitting Coach last week.Thames, 48, has been a Hitting Coach in the Majors for the last 10 seasons, including from 2016-21 with the New York Yankees, 2022 with the Miami Marlins, 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels and 2024-25 with the Chicago White Sox. His coaching career began with three seasons in the Yankees organization as a Hitting Coach across various levels from 2013-15.During his tenure on the Yankees Major League staff from 2016-21, New York led the Majors with 1,313 home runs. In 2020, he worked with the Major League batting champion&nbsp;DJ LeMahieu&nbsp;(.364) and Major League home run leader&nbsp;Luke Voit&nbsp;(22).In 2023, the Angels offense under his guidance ranked among the American League leaders in home runs (3rd, 231), slugging percentage (5th, .426) and OPS (7th, .743). During that season,&nbsp;Shohei Ohtani&nbsp;led the American League in HR (44), on-base percentage (.412), slugging percentage (.654) and OPS (1.066) and won his second Most Valuable Player Award.After the All-Star break in 2025, the White Sox offense ranked 5th in the American League in runs per game (4.85), home runs (89) and batting average (.250).

Royals Hire Marcus Thames as Hitting Coach

OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Alright, so the coaches are just coming back today from a few days off and we’re getting back into the swing of things right now. Players aren’t back until tomorrow, so I don’t have a lot of information for you there. We’re expecting everybody back, Josh (Simmons), included, if you’re going that direction that’s the information I have for you. I presume they got some workouts in their off time and will come back ready to go. With that, the time is yours.”

Q: What is the reintegration plan for Josh Simmons?

REID:&nbsp;“I think Pete (Sweeney) what we’ll do is see where we’re at here. We know we’ve got a good player (Jaylon Moore) in there now (and) we know what Josh (Simmons) is capable of and all of that. So we’ll just see where we’re at when they get back.”

Q:&nbsp;Do you expect Isiah Pacheco to practice this week and are there any updates on Jawaan Taylor?

REID:&nbsp;“We’ll have to see on (Isiah) Pacheco and (Jawaan) Taylor was feeling pretty good by the time he got back here and left. We’ll probably be okay there.”

Q: What was the decision to elevate Clyde Edwards-Helaire versus Elijah Mitchell?

REID:&nbsp;“We really like Elijah (Mitchell) obviously, or he wouldn’t be here. I think that makes a big statement there. Clyde (Edwards-Helaire) is – he knows all the protections, he knows all that. Not only does he know it, he’s done it. So, we’ve seen him do it so there’s a comfort there. Not that Elijah doesn’t - he’s a very sharp kid, but we’ve seen our guy do it. That was the only reason why.”

Q: How do you feel the team has handled Josh Simmons’ departure and now his return?

REID:&nbsp;“Players are always concerned about other players’ wellbeing that’s first of all. But on the other hand, they also move forward, and they don’t necessarily look back. They giddy up and go on what’s there today and let’s go and they go 100 miles an hour with that. I think it’s a blend of things, that they’re not dwelling on that, but they want to make sure he’s okay as a human being.”

Q: Was there anything different that you did for welcoming Josh Simmons back last week?

REID:&nbsp;“Not necessarily, no.”

Q:&nbsp;Did Josh Simmons get some workouts in last week?

REID: “Yeah, Sam (McDowell) I’m not going to – no, I’m not going to get into all of that. I’m not telling you yes or no that he (Josh Simmons) did. I know he has been working out for sure.”

Q: What is your evaluation of Jaylon Moore this season so far?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah Sam (McDowell), Jaylon’s (Moore) done a nice job for us. Just asking him to jump in after the season has been going for a couple of months here, that’s a tough ask, especially against the d-lines we’re playing. He’s done a respectable job.”

Q: On the current playoff picture.

REID:&nbsp;“Well yeah, Soren (Petro) you know in this league every game is important. You got to stay focused on that and it doesn’t matter what you project or what has happened before you learn from your past and take care of what’s going on today. We’ll get the players back tomorrow and then we’re all in on (the) Denver (Broncos), so that’s kind of where we’re at. Is there an urgency? There should be an urgency every week. That’s how this league is, there’s too much parity in this league not to have urgency every week.”

Q: Does the team need to have more sense of urgency despite all the recent success?

REID:&nbsp;“That’s not how I feel. I feel like the guys have got good energy. We just need to clean a couple things up and we’ll be ok there.”

Q: Would you like to involve Xavier Worthy in the offense more?

REID:&nbsp;“Well we try to get them all involved the best we can. Some games you’re just going to have that where they’re taking somebody away and that’s how it goes. That’s how the coverage goes, that’s how the play call goes (and) so on. We’re not down on Xavier Worthy, we know he’s a good player and we like to get the ball in the good players’ hands the best way we can. It just hasn’t rolled that way.”

Q: Does Chris Jones need to take it up another level in the second half of the season?

REID:&nbsp;“I think we all need to do better, I would say that. Chris (Jones) is always striving to do better every day. That’s what has made him (Chris Jones) such a good player. Again, he’s the guy that they’re going to focus on and if you’re getting a double team, that’s who’s getting doubled. He’ll get his as we go forward, it’s just important that he stays consistent and keeps working hard.”

Q: What were the biggest takeaways from watching film through the first half of the season?

HEAD COACH ANDY REIDOPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Alright, so the coaches are just coming back today from a few days off and we’re getting back into the swing of things right now. Players aren’t back until tomorrow, so I don’t have a lot of information for you there. We’re expecting everybody back, Josh (Simmons), included, if you’re going that direction that’s the information I have for you. I presume they got some workouts in their off time and will come back ready to go. With that, the time is yours.”Q: What is the reintegration plan for Josh Simmons?REID:&nbsp;“I think Pete (Sweeney) what we’ll do is see where we’re at here. We know we’ve got a good player (Jaylon Moore) in there now (and) we know what Josh (Simmons) is capable of and all of that. So we’ll just see where we’re at when they get back.”Q:&nbsp;Do you expect Isiah Pacheco to practice this week and are there any updates on Jawaan Taylor?REID:&nbsp;“We’ll have to see on (Isiah) Pacheco and (Jawaan) Taylor was feeling pretty good by the time he got back here and left. We’ll probably be okay there.”Q: What was the decision to elevate Clyde Edwards-Helaire versus Elijah Mitchell?REID:&nbsp;“We really like Elijah (Mitchell) obviously, or he wouldn’t be here. I think that makes a big statement there. Clyde (Edwards-Helaire) is – he knows all the protections, he knows all that. Not only does he know it, he’s done it. So, we’ve seen him do it so there’s a comfort there. Not that Elijah doesn’t - he’s a very sharp kid, but we’ve seen our guy do it. That was the only reason why.”Q: How do you feel the team has handled Josh Simmons’ departure and now his return?REID:&nbsp;“Players are always concerned about other players’ wellbeing that’s first of all. But on the other hand, they also move forward, and they don’t necessarily look back. They giddy up and go on what’s there today and let’s go and they go 100 miles an hour with that. I think it’s a blend of things, that they’re not dwelling on that, but they want to make sure he’s okay as a human being.”Q: Was there anything different that you did for welcoming Josh Simmons back last week?REID:&nbsp;“Not necessarily, no.”Q:&nbsp;Did Josh Simmons get some workouts in last week?REID: “Yeah, Sam (McDowell) I’m not going to – no, I’m not going to get into all of that. I’m not telling you yes or no that he (Josh Simmons) did. I know he has been working out for sure.”Q: What is your evaluation of Jaylon Moore this season so far?REID:&nbsp;“Yeah Sam (McDowell), Jaylon’s (Moore) done a nice job for us. Just asking him to jump in after the season has been going for a couple of months here, that’s a tough ask, especially against the d-lines we’re playing. He’s done a respectable job.”Q: On the current playoff picture.REID:&nbsp;“Well yeah, Soren (Petro) you know in this league every game is important. You got to stay focused on that and it doesn’t matter what you project or what has happened before you learn from your past and take care of what’s going on today. We’ll get the players back tomorrow and then we’re all in on (the) Denver (Broncos), so that’s kind of where we’re at. Is there an urgency? There should be an urgency every week. That’s how this league is, there’s too much parity in this league not to have urgency every week.”Q: Does the team need to have more sense of urgency despite all the recent success?REID:&nbsp;“That’s not how I feel. I feel like the guys have got good energy. We just need to clean a couple things up and we’ll be ok there.”Q: Would you like to involve Xavier Worthy in the offense more?REID:&nbsp;“Well we try to get them all involved the best we can. Some games you’re just going to have that where they’re taking somebody away and that’s how it goes. That’s how the coverage goes, that’s how the play call goes (and) so on. We’re not down on Xavier Worthy, we know he’s a good player and we like to get the ball in the good players’ hands the best way we can. It just hasn’t rolled that way.”Q: Does Chris Jones need to take it up another level in the second half of the season?REID:&nbsp;“I think we all need to do better, I would say that. Chris (Jones) is always striving to do better every day. That’s what has made him (Chris Jones) such a good player. Again, he’s the guy that they’re going to focus on and if you’re getting a double team, that’s who’s getting doubled. He’ll get his as we go forward, it’s just important that he stays consistent and keeps working hard.”Q: What were the biggest takeaways from watching film through the first half of the season?

Chiefs Quotes: 11-10-25

Date:&nbsp;Saturday, November 15, 2025

Stadium:&nbsp;Boone Pickens Stadium (52,168)

Series:&nbsp;Oklahoma State Leads, 43-28

TV:&nbsp;ESPNU (<a href="https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/718b8f9d-0c6d-4827-99f4-292c480458ec" target="_blank">watch</a>)

K-State Radio:&nbsp;K-State Sports Network;&nbsp;<a href="http://k-statesports.com/" target="_blank">k-statesports.com</a>&nbsp;(<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/" target="_blank">Listen</a>)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Wyatt Thompson (Play-by-Play)&nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Stan Weber (Analyst)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Matt Walters (Sidelines)

SiriusXM Satellite Radio Ch. 382, and on the SiriusXM App

<a href="https://tunein.com/radio/Big-12-Radio-s329464/" target="_blank">Big 12 Radio on TuneIn</a>

X Updates:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.x.com/kstatefb" target="_blank">@KStateFB</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.x.com/kstatestatsinfo" target="_blank">@KStateStatsInfo</a>

THE TOP 51)&nbsp;Following its third and final bye of the 2025 season, Kansas State begins the final stretch of the regular season looking for bowl eligibility beginning with the first of two-straight road games at Oklahoma State on Saturday inside Boone Pickens Stadium. The game kicks off at 11 a.m., and will be shown on ESPNU with Richard Cross (play-by-play), Charles Arbuckle (analyst) on the call.

2)&nbsp;After starting the season with four-straight one possession games and going 1-3 in those contests, the Wildcats have gone 3-2 in their last five games with all three victories coming by multiple scores. The Wildcats have averaged 34.2 points per game over their last five games, as K-State is ranked 10th in scoring among Power 4 teams since September 27.

3)&nbsp;Quarterback Avery Johnson is set to make his 24th-career start under center having thrown for 1,991 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, while he has rushed for seven touchdowns. He is one of only four Power 4 quarterbacks with 16 passing touchdowns and seven rushing scores this season. Johnson has thrown scoring strikes to six different players, with Garrett Oakley (5) and Jayce Brown (4) leading the way.

4)&nbsp;Austin Romaine leads the team with 66 tackles followed by 50 from Des Purnell, who over the last three games has 18 tackles, 5.0 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, two picks, five passes defended and a forced fumble. Cornerback Zashon Rich is tied for second in the Big 12 and 11th nationally with nine pass breakups, and the Cats rank seventh in the country in turnovers gained (19) and third in fumble recoveries (10).

5)&nbsp;Kicker Luis Rodriguez is 10-for-11 on field goals, ranking 15th in the country with a 90.9% conversion rate as his only miss was a blocked 56-yard attempt at the end of the Baylor game. Punter Simon McClannan ranks sixth in the Big 12 with a 41.7-yard average. The Cats rank ninth nationally with a 26.9-yard kickoff return average, led by Bryce Noernberg, who ranks third in the country with a 29.9-yard average.

STATISTICAL SPOTLIGHTS60&nbsp;– Big 12 road victories by K-State since the conference’s inception in 1996, the most among active programs.

33.3&nbsp;– Points per game by the Wildcats in conference play since 2022, the sixth-highest average among Power 4 teams.

19&nbsp;– Number of turnovers the Wildcats have forced this season, which ranks seventh in the nation.

16&nbsp;– Games with multiple touchdown passes over the last two seasons by Avery Johnson, the third most in the nation.

5&nbsp;– Receiving touchdowns this season by Garrett Oakley, tied for the third most in the nation among tight ends.

• Kansas State enters the home stretch of the season following its third and final bye week of the season. This is the first time K-State has had three byes in a season since the COVID season of 2020, while the time before that was 2014.

• Last time out, K-State suffered a 43-20 loss to No. 13 Texas Tech, a game that got away from the Wildcats after they had the ball down nine points (29-20) with seven minutes remaining in the game.

• Prior to that game, Kansas State earned a dominating 42-17 win at Kansas, its 17th straight wins over the Jayhawks.

• Avery Johnson was 11-of-17 for 231 yards and accounted for four touchdowns against the Jayhawks, while Jayce Brown caught four passes for 160 yards, including a 78-yard score.

• Defensively, the Wildcats forced four total turnovers and pressured quarterback Jalon Daniels most of the day. Kansas averaged just 3.2 yards per snap in the contest.

• The win at KU came on the heels of a 41-28 victory over TCU, a game that featured defensive touchdowns by safety Wesley Fair (15-yard fumble return) and linebacker Des Purnell (25-yard interception return).

• Purnell’s pick-6 came on the very next play after he had a sack and was part of a two-interception game with four total passes defended en route to Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.

• Johnson threw three touchdown passes against the Horned Frogs, including two to tight end Garrett Oakley, which gave him 11 in his career to set the school record by a tight end.

LOOKING FOR THE RARE WIN IN STILLWATER

• Kansas State is just 9-24 all-time against Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Its last win at Boone Pickens Stadium was a 45-40 upset over the 10th-ranked Cowboys in 2017.

• In that contest, Byron Pringle had three receiving touchdowns in addition to an 89-yard kickoff return score.

• The victory in 2017 was the Wildcats’ first in Stillwater since 1999 as the Wildcats have only won once at Oklahoma State in the last 26 years.

• Of Kansas State’s last 22 games dating back to Week 2 of the 2024 season, 11 have been decided by just one score.

• Last year, the Wildcats went 4-2 in one-possession games. All four of the victories were fourth-quarter comebacks, which ranked second in the nation to Illinois’ five.

• This season, K-State has played five one-possession games but has only come out on the winning side one time. In four of those games, the Wildcats had the ball with a chance to either tie or take the lead late in the fourth quarter.

• K-State’s five one-score games this year are tied for the sixth most among Power 4 teams (Iowa State – 7, Arizona State, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Virginia – 6; Arkansas, Auburn, Mississippi State, Penn State, Texas, Virginia, UCLA – 5).

• K-State is one of only 10 Power 4 schools that have won at least nine games in each of the last three seasons, joining Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State and Tennessee.

• Among those teams, only Kansas State, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Oregon have accomplished that feat in addition to winning a conference championship during that time frame.

• The Wildcats are tied for second among current Big 12 teams and 19th among Power 4 teams with 32 total wins since the beginning of 2022.

• K-State has a total of 235 victories since 1996, which ranks 22nd nationally.

• Among active Big 12 teams, the Wildcats rank fourth behind BYU (247), TCU (244) and Utah (240).

• Kansas State has totaled 147 Big 12 victories since the conference’s formation in 1996, which stands as the most among active Big 12 programs.

• The Cats are also rank first among active Big 12 members in winning percentage since non-divisional play began in 2011. They sit at 59.1% (78-54), just ahead of Oklahoma State (58.3%; 77-55).

• During that stretch, the Wildcats are 44-22 (66.7%) at home in Big 12 play and 34-32 (51.5%) on the road/neutral.

• A proven winner with a championship history, Chris Klieman holds a 124-46 career record, as his 72.9% career winning percentage ranks fourth among current FBS coaches that have completed at least 10 seasons. He is also one of just 15 current Power 4 full-time head coaches with at least 100 career victories.

• Klieman, who is 52-33 since arriving at K-State, has led the Cats to five victories over teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP Top 25, the most of any active Big 12 program since 2019.

• K-State enters this week’s game at Oklahoma State ranked second nationally in fewest penalties per game (3.22) and seventh in fewest penalty yards per game (31.56).

• Since 2022, the Wildcats have averaged 41.78 penalty yards per game (49 games) to rank sixth among Power 4 teams, while their 4.84 penalties per game rank seventh.

• K-State is the nation’s best in non-offensive touchdowns over the last 25-plus seasons as it has 139 since 1999, 11 more than the next closest team (Alabama – 128) and 20 more than the next Big 12 program (Utah – 119).

• K-State recorded four non-offensive scores during the 2024 season – its most since also recording four in 2020 – and has equaled that mark in 2025.

• The first non-offensive score of the year was Bryce Noernberg’s 99-yard kickoff return against Army.

• Against TCU, Wesley Fair had a 15-yard fumble return touchdown in the second quarter before Des Purnell recorded a 25-yard interception return. It was the first time since the 2023 Baylor game that the Wildcats had two defensive touchdowns in one contest.

• Ralph Ortiz scooped up an errant snap on a punt and returned it 20 yards for a score at Kansas.

OFFENSIVE NOTESHIGH POINT TOTAL vs. BIG 12• Kansas State has averaged 33.3 points per game in conference play since the beginning of 2022, ranking 13th in the nation, sixth among Power 4 teams and tops in the Big 12.

• The Cats have hit the 30-point mark in 22 of their 33 Big 12 games since the start of 2022, including four times this season with a highwater mark of 42 points at Kansas.

• K-State had a four-game streak scoring at least 30 points against UCF (34), Baylor (34), TCU (41) and Kansas, its longest streak overall since doing so in six-straight games during the 2003 season.TOTAL OFFENSE• K-State has totaled at least 375 yards of offense in 36 of the last 49 games dating back to the beginning of the 2022 season.

• The 36 games with at least 375 yards are tied for 10th in the Power 4 and rank second among Big 12 schools (TCU – 40).

• Georgia and USC lead the way with 42, followed by Ole Miss with 41, TCU with 40, Oregon and Tennessee with 39, Washington Texas with 38 and Ohio State with 37.

• During that stretch, K-State holds a 28-8 record when totaling at least 375 yards, while the Wildcats are 4-9 when going under that mark. Two of their wins when going under 375 yards of offense have come this season.RED ZONE SUCCESS• Kansas State enters the week ranked 12th nationally and third in the Big 12 by converting on 92.6% (25-of-27) of its red zone opportunities.

• That included a streak of 22-straight red-zone scores, which was the second-longest active streak in the Big 12 until taking a knee at the end of the Kansas game to run out the clock.

• Since Chris Klieman’s first season at K-State in 2019, the Wildcats have been the best in the Big 12 in terms of converting red-zone opportunities into points.

• The Wildcats rank first in the Big 12 with a 92.2% (294-of-326) success rate in the red zone since 2019, just ahead of Texas Tech (88.0%), Colorado (86.8%) and Oklahoma State (86.8%).

• K-State also ranks first in the league in touchdown success rate at 67.2% (219-of-326), ahead of Kansas (66.2%) and Utah (65.9%).LIMITED SACKS PER GAME• K-State has been one of the nation’s best in terms of limiting sacks since head coach Chris Klieman’s first season of 2019.

• The Wildcats rank fifth among Power 4 teams and second in the Big 12 by allowing only 1.44 sacks per game over the last six-plus seasons, a span of 85 games.

• K-State entered the week ranked eighth in the nation by allowing 0.89 sacks per game this season.MULTIPLE SCORING STRIKES• Quarterback Avery Johnson has produced 16 games with multiple passing touchdowns since 2024, which is the third most in the nation among active players.

• When adding in his two scoring strikes in the 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl, Johnson’s 17 multi-touchdown games are the most ever by a K-State quarterback, one more than Will Howard. Jake Waters is next on the list with 15 games, followed by Josh Freeman (13), Michael Bishop (12) and Skylar Thompson (11).

ON THE BRINK• Avery Johnson ranks second in school history with 46 career touchdown passes, just two shy of tying the record held by Will Howard (2020-23).

• His 16 passing touchdowns this season are tied for third in school history by a junior – four shy of the record – and two shy of entering the school’s top-10 list among all passers.5,000/1,000• During the Texas Tech game, Avery Johnson eclipsed the 5,000-yard passing mark to become just the third quarterback in program history to pass for 5,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a career.

• A native of Wichita, Kansas, Johnson joined Ell Roberson (2000-03) and Skylar Thompson (2017-21) on the list, but Johnson was the fastest of the three to reach those numbers. He hit the marks in his 30th career game, while it took Thompson 36 games and Roberson 41 games to reach the milestone.VERY EFFICIENT• Avery Johnson tallied a career-best pass efficiency rating of 217.7 at Kansas. It was the 10th-best mark by a K-State quarterback 1996 (minimum 15 attempts), the best since Jesse Ertz had a 319.8 rating against Central Arkansas in 2017 and the best in a Big 12 game since Jake Waters had a 218.1 mark against Kansas in 2014.

• Johnson’s mark against Kansas was the third best by a Big 12 quarterback in a conference game this season (min. 15 attempts).AVERY ON THE RUN• Avery Johnson ranks fifth in school history among quarterbacks with 1,244 career rushing yards, while his 5.06-yard career average on 246 carries ranks eighth in school history among all players and second among quarterbacks (Jesse Ertz, 2014-17 – 5.46).

• When taking away sack yardage, Johnson has rushed for 1,418 yards on 224 true rushing attempts, good for a 6.33-yard clip.

BROWN DELIVERS• Wide receiver Jayce Brown leads the Wildcats this season with 38 receptions for 630 yards and four touchdowns.

• He had his best game as a Wildcat at Kansas, catching four passes for 160 yards, including a 78-yard touchdown. It was the most receiving yards by a Wildcat since Byron Pringle had 166 yards at Oklahoma State in 2017.

• Brown’s 40.0-yard average was the fourth-highest average nationally in a game this season (minimum four catches) and the third-highest average by a Big 12 player since 2018.

• A native of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Brown has a career receiving average of 16.88 yards to rank eighth in school history and fourth in the nation among active players.

CAREER RECORD FOR OAKLEY• Tight end Garrett Oakley has tallied 12 career receiving touchdowns, which is the most ever by a K-State tight end and tied for 10th in school history overall.

• The previous record of 10 was shared by current Washington Commander Ben Sinnott (2021-23) and Henry Childs (1971-73).

• Oakley, a product of Columbus, Nebraska, has five receiving touchdowns this season, which is tied for third in the nation among tight ends and second in school history at the position. Each of his five scores have come since September 27, which is tied for the most in the nation at the position.

• Two of Oakley’s touchdowns came against TCU as he is one of two Big 12 tight ends with a multi-touchdown game in conference play this season.

• Oakley also ranks fifth in school history among tight ends in career catches (63) and yards (723). He has 30 catches this year, just three shy of entering the top-five list in school history at the position.

TOUGH RUNNING BY JACKSON• Running back Joe Jackson tallied the first 100-yard rushing game of his career against TCU, going for 110 yards on a career-high 27 attempts. It shattered his previous bests of 61 yards on 13 carries the week prior at Baylor.

• Most of Jackson’s damage against the Horned Frogs came in the second half when he tallied 88 yards on 21 carries.

• He backed that up with another solid outing at Kansas, rushing for 69 yards on 20 carries, including 35 yards on 13 attempts in the second half to help run out the clock.

DEFENSIVE NOTESOPENING DRIVE DEFENSE• Kansas State has allowed points only three times on opponents’ first drive of the game or second half, which was a field goal to open the game at Baylor, a short-field touchdown by Kansas following a fumble on the opening kickoff and a score by Texas Tech to start the second half.

• Of the 18 total drives to start a half, the K-State defense has forced 12 punts – including seven 3-and-outs – an interception, a missed field goal and a turnover on downs.

🏈 Cats Begin Season's Final Stretch at Oklahoma State

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/doug-feinberg">DOUG FEINBERG</a>

The NCAA revoked the eligibility of six men’s college basketball players&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ncaa-basketball-sports-betting-a30eaa5f0ec65c4638a8cd01a10842b2">for allegations of sports betting</a>&nbsp;on Friday in three separate cases at New Orleans, Mississippi Valley and Arizona State.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions released findings from an investigation that concluded Cedquavious Hunter, Dyquavian Short, Jamond Vincent, Donovan Sanders, Alvin Stredic and Chatton “BJ” Freeman either manipulated their performances to lose games, not cover bet lines or ensure certain prop bets were reached, or provided information that enabled others to do so during the 2024-25 regular season.

The development comes as the sporting world contends with mounting scrutiny over betting. Nearly three dozen people were arrested last month,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-betting-arrests-rozier-billups-6e39ab0b6b82c3c872e17c3b9cfbc604">including an NBA player and coach</a>, for what federal law enforcement officials described as their involvement in various illicit gambling activities. Just this week, UFC President and CEO Dana White said he was in touch with the FBI regarding a match that involved unusual betting patterns.

For its part, the NCAA said last month it was investigating at least 30 current or former players for gambling allegations. The NCAA also banned&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gambling-ncaa-fresno-state-san-jose-state-79cb4a2a1f9f23a2cb22902a9694aca1">three college basketball players</a>&nbsp;in September for betting on their own games at Fresno State and San Jose State.

The violations at New Orleans against Hunter, Short and Vincent came to light after the NCAA received a tip about game manipulation. The NCAA said a student-athlete overheard the three players discuss a third party placing a bet on their game against McNeese State on Dec. 28, 2024. New Orleans lost 86-61.

That same student-athlete reported that during a timeout near the end of the game, Short instructed him not to score any more points. New Orleans suspended all three student-athletes for the remainder of the season while it investigated the allegations.

The NCAA investigation showed that the three players manipulated their performances in seven games from December through January to lose by more points than the spread for that game.

The violations against Freeman were uncovered when the NCAA reviewed text messages involving Mykell Robinson, who played at Fresno State. Records on Robinson’s phone indicated that on four separate occasions between November and December 2024, Freeman knowingly provided information to Robinson, who was betting on Freeman through daily fantasy sports accounts.

Freeman also knowingly provided information on at least two occasions to his then-girlfriend, who was also betting on Freeman.

The NCAA reached out to an integrity monitoring service to review Mississippi Valley games after a related, but separate NBA&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-betting-prop-terry-rozier-bf290e76f66d4ff2c2aaf653ecb76b1e">gambling ring</a>&nbsp;that was uncovered earlier this year showed potential ties to college basketball, including the school.

The service indicated betting trends for the Mississippi Valley games on Jan. 6 against Alabama A&amp;M were suspicious. Mississippi Valley lost 79-67.

During an interview with the NCAA, a men’s basketball student-athlete said that before the team’s Dec. 21, 2024, game, he overhead Sanders on the phone with an unknown third party talking about “throwing the game.”

Sanders asked the student-athlete to participate in the call because the third party had told Sanders the individual intended to bet on the game and wanted to know that another of Sanders’ teammates would participate in the scheme.

The student-athlete denied altering his performance or receiving money from Sanders or any other individuals. Sanders texted the same student-athlete after that game and told him to delete their messages.

During a second interview, Sanders could not explain the student-athlete’s account of the events or the text messages. He did say, however, that he and Stredic were offered money to throw the team’s Jan. 6 game by another anonymous caller, who instructed them to perform poorly in the first half.

The enforcement staff demonstrated that Sanders knowingly provided information to a third party for the purposes of sports betting for two games and Stredic did the same for one game.

This all comes in the wake of the NCAA potentially allowing student athletes and staff to bet on professional sports. It was originally approved by all three Divisions and was set to go into effect on Nov. 1, but late last month the Division I Board voted to delay the start date until Nov. 22.

A rarely used rule allows 30 days for each Division I school to vote to rescind a proposal if it is adopted by less than 75% of the Division I cabinet. Even if the rule passes, no college sports are allowed to be bet on by players.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587379293613.jpeg" alt="Photo Associated Press" />
 <figcaption>Photo Associated Press</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/doug-feinberg">DOUG FEINBERG</a>The NCAA revoked the eligibility of six men’s college basketball players&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ncaa-basketball-sports-betting-a30eaa5f0ec65c4638a8cd01a10842b2">for allegations of sports betting</a>&nbsp;on Friday in three separate cases at New Orleans, Mississippi Valley and Arizona State.The NCAA Committee on Infractions released findings from an investigation that concluded Cedquavious Hunter, Dyquavian Short, Jamond Vincent, Donovan Sanders, Alvin Stredic and Chatton “BJ” Freeman either manipulated their performances to lose games, not cover bet lines or ensure certain prop bets were reached, or provided information that enabled others to do so during the 2024-25 regular season.The development comes as the sporting world contends with mounting scrutiny over betting. Nearly three dozen people were arrested last month,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-betting-arrests-rozier-billups-6e39ab0b6b82c3c872e17c3b9cfbc604">including an NBA player and coach</a>, for what federal law enforcement officials described as their involvement in various illicit gambling activities. Just this week, UFC President and CEO Dana White said he was in touch with the FBI regarding a match that involved unusual betting patterns.For its part, the NCAA said last month it was investigating at least 30 current or former players for gambling allegations. The NCAA also banned&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gambling-ncaa-fresno-state-san-jose-state-79cb4a2a1f9f23a2cb22902a9694aca1">three college basketball players</a>&nbsp;in September for betting on their own games at Fresno State and San Jose State.The violations at New Orleans against Hunter, Short and Vincent came to light after the NCAA received a tip about game manipulation. The NCAA said a student-athlete overheard the three players discuss a third party placing a bet on their game against McNeese State on Dec. 28, 2024. New Orleans lost 86-61.That same student-athlete reported that during a timeout near the end of the game, Short instructed him not to score any more points. New Orleans suspended all three student-athletes for the remainder of the season while it investigated the allegations.The NCAA investigation showed that the three players manipulated their performances in seven games from December through January to lose by more points than the spread for that game.The violations against Freeman were uncovered when the NCAA reviewed text messages involving Mykell Robinson, who played at Fresno State. Records on Robinson’s phone indicated that on four separate occasions between November and December 2024, Freeman knowingly provided information to Robinson, who was betting on Freeman through daily fantasy sports accounts.Freeman also knowingly provided information on at least two occasions to his then-girlfriend, who was also betting on Freeman.The NCAA reached out to an integrity monitoring service to review Mississippi Valley games after a related, but separate NBA&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-betting-prop-terry-rozier-bf290e76f66d4ff2c2aaf653ecb76b1e">gambling ring</a>&nbsp;that was uncovered earlier this year showed potential ties to college basketball, including the school.The service indicated betting trends for the Mississippi Valley games on Jan. 6 against Alabama A&amp;M were suspicious. Mississippi Valley lost 79-67.During an interview with the NCAA, a men’s basketball student-athlete said that before the team’s Dec. 21, 2024, game, he overhead Sanders on the phone with an unknown third party talking about “throwing the game.”Sanders asked the student-athlete to participate in the call because the third party had told Sanders the individual intended to bet on the game and wanted to know that another of Sanders’ teammates would participate in the scheme.The student-athlete denied altering his performance or receiving money from Sanders or any other individuals. Sanders texted the same student-athlete after that game and told him to delete their messages.During a second interview, Sanders could not explain the student-athlete’s account of the events or the text messages. He did say, however, that he and Stredic were offered money to throw the team’s Jan. 6 game by another anonymous caller, who instructed them to perform poorly in the first half.The enforcement staff demonstrated that Sanders knowingly provided information to a third party for the purposes of sports betting for two games and Stredic did the same for one game.This all comes in the wake of the NCAA potentially allowing student athletes and staff to bet on professional sports. It was originally approved by all three Divisions and was set to go into effect on Nov. 1, but late last month the Division I Board voted to delay the start date until Nov. 22.A rarely used rule allows 30 days for each Division I school to vote to rescind a proposal if it is adopted by less than 75% of the Division I cabinet. Even if the rule passes, no college sports are allowed to be bet on by players.___

NCAA revokes eligibility of more players as it continues sports betting probe

The Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes hosted "KCAC Game Day Live" on Saturday morning ahead of the Coyotes' match-up with No. 18 ranked McPherson College Bulldogs.

The Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes hosted "KCAC Game Day Live" on Saturday morning ahead of the Coyotes' match-up with No. 18 ranked McPherson College Bulldogs.When it was time for the expert picks of the day, show hosts all said the Coyotes had a chance to play spoiler.The Coyotes did just that. Wesleyan used a 12-play, 93 yard drive scoring with 57 seconds left to stun the Bulldogs 20-17 at Gene Bissell Field at JRI Hospitality Stadium at the Graves Family Sports Complex.The Coyotes took over with 4:56 left in the game at their own 7 after a McPherson punt was downed there.KWU leading rusher <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/b703ad8a-b398-4c7f-a929-6ca10906ef2b?elinkdata=32719">D'Heaven Domena</a> started the drive with a 10-yard run and the Coyotes marched down the field getting a 21-yard pass on a screen to Domena to have a first down at the 38. The Coyotes continued their march, and the drive almost stalled at the McPherson 11 with a minute left. Faced with fourth down, quarterback <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/7f7978c6-9514-4e24-9c9f-c391b7b64d76?elinkdata=32719">Henry Austad</a> four Domena for 11 yards and the go-ahead touchdown. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/a069d51f-d184-4c3e-958c-d39f0ab7163a?elinkdata=32719">Talon Cope's</a> PAT was good.McPherson then took over but started pinned at their own 8 after a holding penalty on the kick return negated a good return for the Bulldogs.The Bulldogs used the arm of Ryan Markarian to move down the field getting a key 28 yard play to be near midfield. Another play got the Bulldogs in KWU territory at the 40. After spiking it to stop the clock, it appeared Markarian had hit a receiver with a deep pass inside the KWU 10, but a holding penalty would negate the big gain and push McPherson back to midfield. McPherson had one last try with two seconds left but couldn't get the play going to try to win the game.Neither team scored on their first drives of the game, and the Coyotes turned the ball over on their next drive as <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/a77ddbee-0203-4c05-a724-9f2e7ea1f5dd?elinkdata=32719">Rhadarious Lomax-Spivey</a> fumbled on a pass reception and McPherson would recover, and scored four plays later to take a 7-0 lead.After KWU had it again and stalled, McPherson took over again. The Coyote defense appeared to setup up again as <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/817852fb-585f-40ee-892f-6b57d31b0a1a?elinkdata=32719">Isaiah Dickerson</a> stripped Edgar Bell on a pass catch, but then Dickerson would fumble on the same play and McPherson would recover to maintain possession.Wesleyan's defense would step up and force McPherson to a 32 yard field goal.In the second quarter the Coyotes got on the board. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/a786fdc4-2b30-46c4-a468-2634e59f9e21?elinkdata=32719">Dejaylon Beal</a> would force a fumble after a pass catch by Jamai Rutherford that was recovered by <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/d1954efa-14a9-4592-9656-00247f6ed0f9?elinkdata=32719">Taylor Collins</a> for the Coyotes and Collins would return the ball for a touchdown. McPherson would challenge the call, but it was upheld, getting the Coyotes within three at 10-7.<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/001c39a9-0b46-4f42-9346-1c8445e224f5?elinkdata=32719">Talon Cope</a> would hit a 39-yard field goal on the next drive for the Coyotes to tie things up at 10-10 with 6:21 left before the half.McPherson would score on the ensuing drive to take a 17-10 lead with 4:35 left.The Coyotes drove down and got another Cope field goal from 32 as time expired in the half to make it 17-13 at the break.Neither team scored in the third quarter as both squads missed field goals.McPherson drove to the KWU 43 on their next to last drive of the game but stalled there as <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/33d49c12-581f-4bf7-a28a-b5bd1c5c0ce8?elinkdata=32719">Stephen Wilson</a> made a huge sack of Markarian to end the drive, but Jack Finder's punt would roll dead at the 7, setting up KWU's go ahead drive.Domena was again dominant for the Coyotes carrying 32 times for 147 yards on the day. He also added two receptions for 32 yards, including the game winning catch. Lomax-Spivey had six catches for 45 yards.The Coyotes outgained McPherson 296-287 in the game.Wesleyan's defense was again huge, pitching a second-half shutout of the Bulldogs. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/6bbe0097-24e7-40a9-b464-806268550aa5?elinkdata=32719">Jamison Price</a> led the Coyotes with nine tackles. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/f1d71a21-77df-4b68-9002-7ab404b1ef7b?elinkdata=32719">Myles Elam</a> had eight, including a sack. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/37ba8190-c66a-403f-8658-ce33e0332d66?elinkdata=32719">Callum Armstrong</a> had two sacks.