The Rock Chalkboard

Kansas women's basketball falls to No. 14 Baylor in final minute | KUsports.com
After playing with the lead for much of the final eight minutes, the Jayhawks took a 4-point lead into the final 30 seconds.

KU sophomore Jalen Wilson 'back to where he needs to be' during recent stint in Jayhawks' starting lineup | KUsports.com
After coming off the bench in his first eight games of the season, Kansas forward Jalen Wilson’s numbers have taken off during his recent stretch of four starts in five games with senior guard Remy Martin out with an injury.

Kansas football lands commitments from 2 potential impact transfers | KUsports.com
“They have been almost perfect when it comes to using the (transfer) portal to this point,” Kirby wrote of the KU coaching staff. “They used every spot they had available and filled them with players that were high on their list. Filling out (the class) with the final two commitments today would push their grade to an A in my early evaluations.”

Notebook: Kansas basketball coach Bill Self provides passionate update on the status of senior guard Remy Martin | KUsports.com
As he has said throughout the past couple of weeks, Self again said on Saturday that Martin’s status was “day to day,” and that he would return from what Self called “a bone bruise” in his right knee when he feels good enough to play again.

Party time at Allen Fieldhouse: No. 9 Kansas rolls over West Virginia, 85-59 behind career days by McCormack, Wilson | KUsports.com
After scrapping to a 33-31 halftime lead, the Jayhawks (14-2 overall, 3-1 Big 12) outscored the Mountaineers (13-3, 2-2) 52-28 in the second half, using a fast-paced approach, high-flying dunks and consistent sharing as the main catalysts in the clobbering. KU's 23 assists tied a season-high.

Bits o Chalk

Dallas Cowboys' Mike McCarthy defends QB draw play - 'Shouldn't have had problem getting ball spotted'
ARLINGTON, Texas -- A once promising season for the Dallas Cowboys ended in chaotic fashion Sunday after a 23-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC wild-card game at AT&T Stadium.

Novak Djokovic could be barred from French Open as France passes new vaccine law
World No. 1 Djokovic arrived in his native Serbia on Monday after being deported from Australia on Sunday because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has accused the Australian government of "harassing'' the top-ranked tennis star, who lost a legal battle to overturn the decision to revoke his visa.

Coach Zac Taylor delivers game ball from 'first of many playoff games we win' to frenzied Cincinnati Bengals fans at bar
CINCINNATI -- Bengals coach Zac Taylor wanted to give a game ball to the city of Cincinnati after the franchise won its first playoff game in 31 years.

NFL playoff officiating decisions - What happened on controversial calls - right and wrong - and what came next
That's the longer-term context as you watch this year's postseason games. It would be a surprise if we saw many penalty-filled games, and with any luck we'll spend the next four weeks talking about the performance of players and coaches, not about the fouls that were called (or uncalled) against them.

Eraser Dust

Texas synagogue siege: Teens held in UK as Briton named as hostage-taker - BBC News
British citizen Malik Faisal Akram, 44, from Blackburn, was shot dead after a standoff with police in Colleyville.

Tonga volcano: What to know about the eruption and tsunami - CNN
Saturday's eruption was likely the biggest recorded anywhere on the planet in more than 30 years, according to experts. Dramatic images from space captured the eruption in real time, as a huge plume of ash, gas and steam was spewed up to 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) into the atmosphere -- and tsunami waves were sent crashing across the Pacific

John Mellencamp Admits He ‘Always Detested’ ‘Jack and Diane’
“I always detested that song until the last couple, three years,” the singer admitted during a recent conversation with Forbes. Mellencamp further explained that he's still shocked to see the song connecting with people 40 years after it was released. “I watched a football game this past weekend, and 80,000 people were singing that song at half time. Can you imagine? I thought, ‘Shit.’ I said, ‘How do all these fucking people know this song?’"

Kalispell man convicted of homicide in death of wife in 2020 | KECI
KALISPELL, Mont. — A 35-year-old Kalispell man has been convicted of deliberate homicide in the December 2020 death of his wife.

Kalispell Schools Struggle with Staffing Shortages, Continue In-Person Learning - Flathead Beacon
In the interview, and speaking at Tuesday’s school board meeting, Hill said the district is struggling with staff shortages due to seasonal illnesses, COVID-19 and other factors, and the strategy discussions about temporary closures are necessary when buildings cannot fill enough vacancies to effectively operate.

We Finally Know The True Extent of Space Destroying Astronauts' Red Blood Cells
Since our species first started to spend extended periods of time beyond our planet, researchers have noticed a curious and consistent loss of red blood cells among astronauts.

Earth's Insides Are Cooling Faster Than We Thought, And It Will Mess Things Up
Because Earth's interior is still cooling, and will continue to do so, this means that eventually the interior will solidify, and the geological activity will cease, possibly turning Earth into a barren rock, akin to Mars or Mercury. New research has revealed that may happen sooner than previously thought.