The Rock Chalkboard

Bold predictions for every Big 12 team for 2021
The Big 12 is, at its heart, a bold league. The conference was ahead of the curve from an offensive standpoint, leading to exploding scoreboards at a time when other leagues had yet to embrace the revolution.

Kansas guard Bryce Thompson to transfer
"I just want to say thank you to the Kansas coaching staff, the team doctors, all the staff and the fans for supporting me since I got to Lawrence," Thompson told 247Sports. "I appreciate everybody supporting me from day one but after careful consideration with my family I feel that it is in my best interest to enter the transfer portal."

New additions: Meet KU basketball's 2021 signing class
The current offseason for KU basketball has been about as wild as any in recent memory. As the signing period opens, the Jayhawks are set to bring in six new names — with two scholarships still available assuming none of the players testing the NBA Draft waters as early entrants choose to stay in the event.

4-star Eudora TE Jaden Hamm talks position versatility, Kansas offer
"I just love being out on the field, being there with my teammates," Hamm said. "Being able to play both sides of the ball is a great privilege and helps with a lot of things, being able to fight through adversity no matter if we're on offense or defense, which I see as one of my strengths. I'm able to talk to people ... and get people motivated."

Kansas football announces date, time, TV info for spring game
The game, which will be shown on ESPN+, will kick off at 6 p.m. CT. The offense will face the defense in a "traditional game setting" per the release. In past years, KU has used adapted formats of the spring game, though this year sounds like more of a return to normalcy.

Bill Self comments on Bryce Thompson's decision to transfer
“After talking to his family, Bryce let us that he was going to enter the transfer portal,” Self said. “I know Bryce had a tough freshman season with injuries but I enjoyed coaching him this year through the ups and downs. We wish nothing but the best for the entire Thompson family moving forward.”

Bits o Chalk

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says NBA's play-in tournament plan is 'an enormous mistake'
"I get why the NBA is doing it," Cuban said in a series of messages to ESPN. "But if we are going to be creative because of COVID, we should go straight up 1-20 and let the bottom 4 play in. This is the year particularly to do it since the 10 games cut [from the normal 82-game schedule] were in conference.

Black high school football player told to sit near banana peels says he wants to be treated 'as a human first, not a victim'
A Black football player at an Illinois high school who was seen on video sitting in a locker littered with banana peels after a teammate threatened to break his knees if he didn't comply, says he is "fine" and wants people to "stop talking about the incident."

TikTok star Justine Paradise says YouTube star-turned-boxer Jake Paul forced her into sex act
A star on the social media platform TikTok said that YouTube-star-turned-boxer Jake Paul forced her into a sex act without consent in the summer of 2019.

Andre Drummond on offensive struggles with Los Angeles Lakers -- 'Still trying to figure it out here'
"Offensively, this is probably the worst I've played in my career," Drummond said after Tuesday's game at Spectrum Center in Charlotte. "I'm still trying to figure it out here. I'm not allowing it to take me out of my game. I know why I'm here, which is to help this team defensively. Offensively, it will come for me."

Eraser Dust

All US states ranked from best to worst, according to Americans | YouGov
There are endless rankings of the US states: whether they are the best places to live, the best places to do business, how much fun they are. Such judgements are made by economists, companies, and journalists – but what do Americans themselves think?

We asked people to choose the better of two states in a series of head-to-head matchups. States are rated based on their “win percentage”, that is: how often that state won the head-to-head matchup when it was one of the two states shown.

Afghanistan: Biden to announce withdrawal of US troops September 11 - CNNPolitics
President Joe Biden, having concluded there is no military solution to the security and political problems plaguing Afghanistan and determined to focus on more pressing national security challenges, will formally announce Wednesday that US troops will withdraw from the country before the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks, a senior administration official said.

America's Largest Fast-Food Chain Is on a Downward Spiral, Reports Say
Subway is America's largest fast-food chain by the number of locations, so it's hard to imagine we'll ever see a world without it. But the chain closed more locations than any other rival last year and rumors of a troubled operation and an impending sale are swirling.

Frontier Airlines adds service to Kalispell | Daily Inter Lake
Discount carrier Frontier Airlines will launch a new direct flight this summer connecting Kalispell with Denver.

Under The Big Sky Returns - Flathead Beacon
When Jason Isbell, whom The New York Times calls one of the best songwriters in the country and whom other critics simply call the best, takes the stage on Big Mountain Ranch in Whitefish on July 17 or 18, it will be nearly 600 days since he was first announced as a headliner for Under The Big Sky.