The Rock Chalkboard

KU’s defensive play was a promising sign in road win over Oklahoma - KU Sports
“I think (our defense) has to be (a strength) for us to be good because we’re not good enough offensively to carry the load when other teams are playing well,” Self said. “The key for us — and that’s the key for a lot of teams — is we need to be at least average (or) better offensively. But we need the other team to play poor.”

Udeh’s Big Day: Freshman forward helps lead Kansas to blowout road win at Oklahoma - KU Sports
“He was great,” KU coach Bill Self said after watching the freshman big man score eight points on 4-of-4 shooting — all lobs — in the runaway road victory. “Ball screens are great. But to be effective in a ball screen, you need to be able to at least challenge the rim sometimes. That was big that (we got) a rim runner.”

BLOG: Young KU big man Ernest Udeh Jr.’s next step in development leads to top spot in KUsports Ratings - KU Sports
1 – Ernest Udeh Jr. – Plenty was made about Udeh’s big day in our game coverage, and the big question now is whether that kind of outing and effort can be sustained. It sure seems like the answer is yes. Udeh won’t be perfect every game, but he was close to it in this one, a 78-55 rout of the Sooners by 9th-ranked Kansas. He played a season-high 17 minutes, scored eight points (on four lobs) and grabbed 4 rebounds, as well. The biggest reason why he enjoyed such a solid game was his emphasis on playing hard. He seems to understand that as long as the effort’s up, good things will happen. It takes confidence to consistently play with good effort and high energy, and Udeh seems to have a ton of that right now. If he can stay within himself and not let that confidence carry over into him trying to do too much because he’s feeling himself, he could provide a huge lift for this team down the stretch and change a lot about the outlook for what this team is capable of, both night in and night out and in the big picture.

Taiyanna Jackson’s double-double leads KU women to road win at Texas Tech - KU Sports
Texas Tech senior forward Bryn Gerlich nearly matched Jackson’s production with seven points of her own and managed to keep the Lady Raiders within four points at the end of the quarter. Kansas led 18-14 after shooting nearly 50% from the floor.

Bits o Chalk

Patrick Mahomes enters historic territory after second Super Bowl title in burgeoning career | CNN
Despite a serious ankle injury and facing arguably the league’s best defense, Mahomes was able to add to his ever-growing list of extraordinary displays in the Kansas City Chiefs’ 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

And at 27 years old, he is entering rarefied territory.

Super Bowl 2023: Late holding penalty lets Chiefs run out clock, prompts outrage from Eagles fans, LeBron James
Was that the right call? Did Bradberry impede Smith-Schuster enough to warrant a penalty at the most important juncture of the NFL season. Should the weight of the moment matter as officials make their call?

Some folks didn't think so, all-time NBA scoring champ and noted NFL fan LeBron James included.

Jason Kelce (Rudely) Congratulates Travis Kelce After Super Bowl Loss
“(Expletive) you, congratulations,” Jason Kelce told Travis Kelce postgame, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Super Bowl 2023: Travis Kelce breaks Rob Gronkowski's playoff TD record for a tight end
The Kansas City Chiefs veteran caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes in the first quarter of Super Bowl LVII — the 16th of his career. That passed former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski for the all-time playoff record. The only difference: Kelce did it in four fewer games than Gronkowski and for only one team.

Football fans are betting on the Gatorade shower color. What color was it? | Mashable
Despite the camera crew messing up, this year's winner was purple at +1600 odds. The announcement of the winner and the frantic search by fans on social media to find it was a treat to see for those who have no investment (emotionally or financially) in what color the Gatorade is.

Eagles fans march on city as they scale lampposts, chant 'f*** the Chiefs' and face off with cops | Daily Mail Online
Police scanner audio after 10:30pm suggested police had made multiple arrests, as citizens were seen scaling lampposts, chanting 'f*** the Chiefs', and hurling glass bottles throughout the city's Downtown neighborhood.

Eraser Dust

US fighter jet shoots down airborne object over Lake Huron on Sunday | CNN Politics
“In light of the People’s Republic of China balloon that we took down last Saturday, we have been more closely scrutinizing our airspace at these altitudes, including enhancing our radar, which may at least partly explain the increase in objects that we detected over the past week,” Dalton said, referring to a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon taken down by F-22s off the coast of South Carolina last weekend.

China says U.S. flew high-altitude balloons over its airspace | Reuters
BEIJING/WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - China said on Monday that U.S. high altitude balloons had flown over its airspace without permission more than 10 times since the beginning of 2022, drawing a swift denial from Washington.

Joe Biden: Pressure mounts for US president to break silence on multiple objects shot down from the sky | CNN Politics
The Biden White House heads into the new week facing a slew of questions about the objects shot down by US fighter jets in as the last few days: on Sunday, over Lake Huron; on Saturday, over northern Canada, and on Friday, over Alaska. Those three incidents came just days after the US military shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina.

Rihanna debuts second pregnancy during Super Bowl halftime performance, her rep says | CNN
Online speculation about the pregnancy began as Rihanna opened her performance in Glendale, Arizona, on a floating stage wearing an all-red ensemble that appeared to show off a baby bump.

Somers Beach alternative calls for 'unobtrusive' camping | Daily Inter Lake
“We heard pretty loud and clear from the community that they didn’t want to have a big campground,” said Tony Powell, a park ranger with the wildlife agency, during the meeting. “So the overnight stuff that we did put in alternative C is pretty low impact.”

Bill Restricting Drag Shows Faces Questions Over Legality, Discrimination During Judiciary Committee Hearing - Flathead Beacon
The Montana House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 9 heard testimony on House Bill 359, legislation introduced by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, that would prohibit minors in the state of Montana from attending drag shows. During more than two hours of testimony, LGBTQ activists, civil rights groups, educators, library representatives and drag performers opposed what they called an ambiguous, discriminatory and unconstitutional bill, which was backed by conservative Montana parents and lobbyists.

Marijuana Advertising Bill Hearing Highlights Confusion Over Existing Law - Flathead Beacon
On Wednesday morning, the House Business and Labor Committee met to consider House Bill 351, which would effectively ban most marijuana advertising in Montana. In its current form, the bill would prohibit a marijuana business from utilizing outdoor signage and billboards and any use of a dispensary’s brand name or logo in print, TV, radio, or sponsorship. In keeping with current law, HB 351 allows for one exception: listings in online directories.