The Rock Chalkboard

Dajuan Harris' tough layup in final seconds leads No. 9 Kansas past No. 15 Iowa State | KUsports.com
Sophomore guard Dajuan Harris Jr. hit an off-balance, driving layup inside of 10 seconds to play and the Jayhawks survived a 3-point attempt at the buzzer by ISU senior Gabe Kalscheur.

Notebook: Former Kansas basketball coach Roy Williams calls return to Allen Fieldhouse 'pretty dang nice' | KUsports.com
“It’s a thrill,” Williams said of his first game at Allen Fieldhouse since he left Kansas for North Carolina in 2003, a 62-61 KU victory over No. 15 Iowa State. “I’m sitting there tonight and they do the Rock Chalk chant and that’s the first time I’d ever seen it because all the years I coached here I was always busy during that time.”

Trey Songz Accused of Rape By Basketball Player Dylan Gonzalez | Complex
Trey Songz is being accused of rape by former UNLV basketball player Dylan Gonzalez, who claims the singer committed the assault against her at a Las Vegas hotel. (ed note - former KU bball player as well)

Bits o Chalk

Jon Lester announces retirement after 16 seasons, three World Series titles
Lester, 38, told ESPN that his body just isn't up for the rigors of a major league season anymore. He made 30 or more starts 12 times during his career and 28 during his final season split between the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals.

No. 1 Baylor, last unbeaten team in Division I men's basketball, falls to Texas Tech
Baylor's 21-game winning streak, which started last season, was snapped in a 65-62 loss to No. 19 Texas Tech in Waco, Texas. That result came shortly after USC fell at Stanford, 75-69.

Nikola Jokic 'is one of the more disrespected reigning MVPs,' Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone says
"I think he is one of the more disrespected reigning MVPs that I can think of in terms of the attention," Malone said before the Nuggets' 87-85 loss to the LA Clippers on Tuesday.

Eraser Dust

Roger Marshall called moron by Fauci but has COVID strategy | The Kansas City Star
Did Tony Fauci know his microphone was still live at a Senate Health Committee meeting Tuesday afternoon? The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases reacted with exasperation to a series of confused but combative questions from Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall. “What a moron,” Fauci muttered. “Jesus Christ.”

Biden administration will provide K-12 schools with additional 10 million Covid-19 tests per month - CNNPolitics
The announcement comes as the number of US patients hospitalized with Covid-19 reaches record highs, with many parents wondering about their children's safety. Public health experts have repeatedly stressed the need for expanded Covid-19 testing in schools, but it's unclear what impact the administration's latest effort will have given the volume of students back in the classroom. About 53 million students attended K-12 public schools in 2019, according to the US Census Bureau.

Trump Rage-Quits NPR Interview After He’s Grilled on Election-Fraud Lies
The transcript ends with Inskeep trying but failing to keep Trump on the line to ask him about his alleged incitement of the Capitol riot, saying: “Woah, woah, woah, I have one more question. I want to ask about a court hearing yesterday on Jan. 6. Judge Amit Mehta. He’s gone. OK.”

COVID-19 forces closure of Kalispell school
Komenda said seven of the 12 staff members were not able to attend classes due directly to COVID-19 quarantine. Komenda said the 12 staff members missing is more than a third of the total staff at Smith Valley School.

Kalispell City Council's planning board approves development of hotel into apartments | KECI
“I grew up going to the Outlaw. It was always a fun place to go for a birthday party, so it's nice to see that someone will take it and make something better out of it,” said council member Chad Graham.

Wordle creator overwhelmed by global success of hit puzzle | Puzzle games | The Guardian
As its popularity has snowballed on social media, Wardle, a software engineer based in Brooklyn who is originally from Wales, has begun to feel overwhelmed by the response. “It going viral doesn’t feel great to be honest. I feel a sense of responsibility for the players. I feel I really owe it to them to keep things running and make sure everything’s working correctly.”