The Daily Mauling: 8.11.2023

The Rock Chalkboard

Kansas basketball: Could new-look Big 12 entice Bill Self to coach longer?
Self would be the last one to tell you that he’s accomplished all that he wanted to. That’s part of what makes him a great coach. He’s never satisfied, never complacent, and always seeking excellence year after year – which is also part of the job when you coach at a school like Kansas. Expectations are always sky high.

How close is Gonzaga to joining the Big 12? - Gonzaga Nation
On the latest episode of the Gonzaga Nation podcast, former Zags' All-American Dan Dickau talks about the latest conference realignment rumors, the best fit for Gonzaga and much more.

Kansas football enters 2023 with the deepest offensive line room of the Leipold era
From an outside perspective, the line wasn’t in great shape when Fuchs arrived in the late spring of 2021. The unit was coming off of what was frankly an atrocious season the year prior. In 2020, KU allowed a Big 12-high 47 sacks in just nine games (almost 5.5 sacks per game). It was the most sacks allowed by any Big 12 team since 2013, which is as far back as the “Sacks Allowed” data goes on the Big 12 website.

Lance Leipold weighs in on the Big 12's new additions, impact it will have on recruiting
The Big 12’s long term outlook has fluctuated over the last two years, as the conference saw Texas and Oklahoma agree to leave for the SEC before it pivoted to adding UCF, BYU, Houston and Cincinnati. And over the last few weeks, that outlook has changed even more to the positive side of the spectrum, as the Big 12 poached three Pac 12 schools in Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah.

Bill Self weighs in on the addition of Johnny Furphy
"He's got great bounce. I mean like scary good bounce off of one [foot] and he's a good jumper off of two [feet]. He's got to get stronger physically and a lot of that'll just be with age but also in the weight room. Ramsey, I'm sure, will make him one of his pet projects because if he gets a little stronger, I'm telling you he's kind of a cross between Svi and Christian [Braun]. He's good. He's good and he can shoot it and he's got bounce. Few people play to their athletic ability like. But Johnny, he's one of those aggressive guys that plays to his athletic ability which is fun to watch. I'm really excited about him.”

Eraser Dust

As Star Wars Stagnates, Star Trek Is Flourishing
Some annoying fans have complained that Disney has “ruined” Star Wars, but adding more women, making Luke a hermit, or changing up how some Force powers work isn’t ruining the franchise. What is hurting it, however, is that Disney and Lucasfilm seem unable to move the universe forward. They seem unwilling to take silly swings and try something new. And it doesn’t help that Lucasfilm seems utterly uninterested in moving the series forward.

Ecuador says six suspects arrested for Fernando Villavicencio assassination are Colombian nationals | CNN
Six suspects arrested in connection with the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio are Colombian nationals and gang members, authorities have confirmed, as a former vice president demanded action over spiraling levels of violence in the South American country.

National chain Tractor Supply opening Kalispell location | Daily Inter Lake
National retail chain Tractor Supply Co. plans to open a store here in the former Kmart building.

Biden world sees more swing states at play in 2024 than in 2020 - POLITICO
Biden’s aides also are moving to expand the map. Above all else, they believe North Carolina, where a 12-week abortion ban has gone into effect, is a legitimate pick-up opportunity and no longer Democratic fool’s gold. A senior Biden campaign official, who was granted anonymity to speak frankly, said it would be “crazy” to not put North Carolina on the map since the president only lost it by 1 percentage point in 2020.

Noel Gallagher wants to join a supergroup with surviving Beatles
“Imagine being in a band with Ringo and Macca. Who’s singing? Everyone. I’d fucking pay to be in it. Get me [promoter] Harvey ­Goldsmith.”

Polson commissioners annex land for new CSKT casino
POLSON - The Polson City Commission has approved the annexation of 79 acres of Tribal land for a new casino on the west side of Polson along U.S. Highway 93.

IRS unable to locate millions of tax records, watchdog says - POLITICO
The IRS lost track of millions of sensitive individual and business tax records that should have been transferred from a closed agency facility in California and is also unable to locate thousands of records that were stored at a facility in Utah, according to a new watchdog report.

Burger King's menu surprisingly adds a completely new sandwich - TheStreet
That's exactly what Burger King is doing with its new take on its BK Royal Crispy Chicken Sandwich. The chain plans to offer the Honey Mustard BY Royal Crispy Chicken Sandwich on menus nationwide, according to Chew Boom.

Purdue Pharma: Supreme Court blocks $6 billion opioid settlement that would have given the Sackler family immunity | CNN Politics
The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked Purdue Pharma from going forward with bankruptcy proceedings, which the Biden administration has called an “unprecedented” arrangement that would ultimately offer the Sackler family broad protection from opioid-related civil claims.

7 Fast Food Chicken Sandwiches That Aren't Made Using 100% Chicken
Before you order your next chicken sandwich, read this list of fast food sandwiches that aren't made using 100 percent chicken.