Notebook: Kansas Mauls Heading to West Virginia

Hardline Republicans dig in against McCarthy's House speaker bid | Reuters
WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Hardline Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives rejected Kevin McCarthy's speakership bid for an 11th time on Thursday, while his supporters worked behind closed doors in hopes of cementing a deal that could bring success.

South Carolina Supreme Court strikes down state abortion ban | AP News
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a ban on abortion after six weeks, ruling the restriction enacted by the Deep South state violates a state constitutional right to privacy.

Idaho murders: Suspect in student killings was seen multiple times wearing gloves, also placing garbage bags outside Pennsylvania home, source says | CNN
The man accused of murdering four University of Idaho students in November had thoroughly cleaned the interior and exterior of his car and was also seen wearing surgical gloves multiple times before being apprehended, a law enforcement source tells CNN.

Prince Harry book gets critical mauling in UK
Prince Harry's memoir "Spare" was on Friday mauled by British media and commentators who called it "vengeful" and "calculated", as Buckingham Palace kept silent on the widely leaked contents.

Prosecutors: Alleged Kalispell shooter claimed self defense | Daily Inter Lake
Jacob Richard Norris, 40, faces a single felony count of assault with a weapon in Flathead County District Court following the Dec. 30 confrontation. His arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 19 before Judge Amy Eddy.

Tesla's shares are sinking. Elon Musk's Twitter deal isn't helping : NPR
The electric-carmaker's stock lost 65% of its value in 2022. And the company kicked off the new year with yet another plunge, dropping 12% in a single day after disappointing sales figures were announced.

Texas deserves credit for handling Chris Beard's firing correctly
But ultimately the university took the only path it could — the correct path — and fired men’s basketball coach Chris Beard on Thursday for tarnishing the Longhorns' brand with his Dec. 12 arrest on a family violence charge.

NFL rules Bills-Bengals a 'no contest' and AFC title game may be at neutral site as owners prepare to vote on 'inequities'
The NFL announced Thursday night that it has canceled the remainder of the Monday Night Football game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals and will designate the game as a “no contest,” leaving the two franchises with only 16 games in the 2022 schedule.

2023 NBA Mock Draft: Full 2-Round Projections at the New Year | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors | Bleacher Report
Meanwhile, the top two projected picks appear as strong as ever, giving the 2023 draft similar vibes to the one that had Zion Williamson and Ja Morant go No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.

Kansas defensive end Lonnie Phelps declares for 2023 NFL Draft
Kansas defensive end Lonnie Phelps has declared for the 2023 NFL Draft, he announced on social media. The announcement comes after Phelps put together a productive season in his first and only season as a Jayhawk. The NFL Combine will be held in Indianapolis, starting Feb. 26 and the NFL Draft is slated to begin on April 27.

WATCH: Bill Self, Jalen Wilson discuss loaded Big 12, West Virginia game and more
Kansas basketball will look to keep its seven-game winning streak alive on Saturday as The Jayhawks travel east to take on West Virginia in Morgantown. KU will also be looking to start Big 12 3-0 and continue building its title challenge in the conference. In this game last year, KU dominated on its way to a 71-58 win.

Big 12 basketball power rankings: League favorites take multiple losses early
Three Big 12 schools picked up at least one first-place vote in the preseason poll, with Baylor landing the most first-place votes with five. And with each Big 12 team playing just two league games so far this year, two of those league favorites have already taken losses, including Baylor losing both of its first two Big 12 contests.

Podcast: Looking back at the 2022 Kansas football season and previewing the offseason
Kansas' 2022 season came to a close last week with a loss in the Liberty Bowl. It was an eventful bowl game to mark the end of an eventful season that saw KU win six games for the first time in over a decade. Kevin Flaherty joins the show as we break down all aspects of the season and where KU goes from here. You can listen to The Phog: A Kansas basketball and football podcast by clicking the link below. The podcast is also available on the 247Sports website, iTunes, Spotify and other platforms.