The Rock Chalkboard

Les Miles had LSU ties to new KU strength coach Ben Iannacchione
"I knew that if I ever left to go anywhere I was going to hire him,” Miles said. “This is not a reflection of anybody that was here before but I knew that I was going to hire him because, first of all, he's a demanding, excellent weight-strength guy. When you walk in [the weight room], you're expecting to get after it. Plus, he's a gentleman. And he just fits.”

KU football notebook: Spring game date announced, new analyst
Last year, Miles & co. changed the football event to an evening affair and even brought in rapper Rick Ross to play the event. The Jayhawks played host to dozens of prospects with a crowd that athletic director Jeff Long later referred to as holding 7,000-8,000 fans, an improvement upon past years.

WATCH: Joel Embiid, Marcus Morris get into late-game scrap
Tensions flared for Joel Embiid and Marcus Morris near the end of Tuesday's game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers. With fewer than three minutes left in the fourth quarter and the 76ers up seven points over the Clippers, Ben Simmons stood at the top of the key and lobbed a mid-post pass to Embiid against Morris.

NCAA president: Consistent name, image and likeness laws crucial
Ever since California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill last September allowing college athletes to profit off name, image and likeness, serious questions have arisen about the NCAA’s future. The idea conflicts with the NCAA’s fundamental concept of amateurism, and the governing body now faces the reality that the college sports landscape could be about to change.

Preview: Two-big lineups may return as KU faces West Virginia
Wednesday's game between KU basketball and West Virginia should feature quite the environment. In fact, the Mountaineers have already announced a sellout for the game, which will tip at 6 p.m. CT on Wed., Feb. 12.

A Mario Chalmers story that explains Marcus Garrett's mindset
Long before Mario Chalmers hit the 3-point shot that helped secure his KU legacy and bring a national championship to Lawrence (after an overtime period against Memphis, of course), he was taking part in yet another KU basketball blowout win, only this game carried a special distinction.

Bits o Chalk

Dwyane Wade supports daughter's gender identity
Retired NBA All-Star Dwyane Wade recently opened up about supporting his daughter Zaya, who identifies as a transgender girl.

Ohio State's Amir Riep and Jahsen Wint face rape and kidnapping charges
Riep and Wint were booked into jail early Wednesday after warrants had been issued for them. They were charged with first-degree felonies Tuesday in Franklin County (Ohio) Municipal Court.

Source - Colorado's Mel Tucker expected to become Michigan State head coach
Tucker, one of several candidates to seemingly turn down Michigan State's initial overtures, became the focus of the school's search late Sunday and throughout Monday, sources said. On Saturday, he tweeted that he remained committed to Colorado after speaking with MSU about its coaching vacancy.

Blues say Jay Bouwmeester alert after heart episode on bench; game postponed
St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester was taken to the hospital after he suffered a cardiac episode on the bench during Tuesday's game against the Anaheim Ducks. He is conscious and alert, the team said.

Chinese Grand Prix postponed due to coronavirus
As reported by ESPN, the Shanghai event -- set to be the fourth of a record-breaking 22 races on the F1 schedule this year -- will not go ahead as planned on April 19. The race promoter, Juss Sports Group, requested the race to be postponed, which was accepted by F1.

Eraser Dust

How Amy Klobuchar Pulled Off the Big Surprise of the New Hampshire Primary - The New York Times
With roughly eight million people watching, Ms. Klobuchar challenged rivals like Pete Buttigieg (“a cool newcomer”) and drew contrasts with her more progressive rivals. As the marathon debate came to a close, her voice steady yet infused with the strained exhaustion of a Democrat in the Trump era, Ms. Klobuchar promised to bring compassion to the White House.

Barr takes control of legal matters of interest to Trump, including Stone sentencing
The U.S. attorney who had presided over an inconclusive criminal investigation into former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe was abruptly removed from the job last month in one of several recent moves by Attorney General William Barr to take control of legal matters of personal interest to President Donald Trump, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.

Angela Hewitt's rare Fazioli piano dropped by movers - CNN
An extremely rare, $194,000 grand piano was smashed when movers dropped it while taking it out of a recording studio, Canadian virtuoso Angela Hewitt has revealed.

Mysterious radio signal from space is repeating every 16 days - CNN
Mysterious radio signals from space have been known to repeat, but for the first time, researchers have noticed a pattern in a series of bursts coming from a single source half a billion light-years from Earth.