Game 13 GEORGIA (7-3, 0-0 SEC) at KANSAS STATE (7-5, 0-0 Big 12) Wednesday, December 31, 2014 >> Bramlage Coliseum (12,528)  >> 3 p.m. CT COACHES Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78) Overall: 367-181 (17th year) at K-State: 54-26 (3rd year) vs. Georgia: 2-1   Georgia: Mark Fox (E. New Mexico ‘91) Overall: 215-123 (11th year) at Georgia: 92-80 (6th year) vs. K-State: 0-0   PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP Kansas State (7-5) G – #1 Jevon Thomas (7.1 ppg., 3.9 apg.) G – #2 Marcus Foster (15.0 ppg., 2.2 rpg.) G – #14 Justin Edwards (6.2 ppg., 3.3 rpg.) F – #11 Nino Williams (13.0 ppg., 4.8 rpg.) F – #42 Thomas Gipson (11.3 ppg., 4.2 rpg.)   Georgia (7-3) G – #3 Juwan Parker (6.7 ppg., 1.3 apg.) G – #4 Charles Mann (12.5 ppg., 3.8 apg.) G – #12 Kenny Gaines (11.8 ppg., 3.2 rpg.) F – #2 Marcus Thornton (14.9 ppg., 7.5 rpg.) F – #42 Nemanja Djurisic (11.5 ppg., 6.0 rpg.)   INSIDE THE SERIES Overall: K-State leads 1-0 vs. SEC: K-State leads 159-146 (84-48 at home venues) In Manhattan: First meeting Current Streak: K-State, 1 Last Meeting: K-State won 82-79 [OT] in Salt Lake City (3/12/1987) Weber vs. Georgia: Weber leads 2-1 Weber vs. Fox: Fox leads 2-1   GAME 13 – QUICK HITTERS ·         K-State (7-5) wraps up non-conference play on New Year’s Eve, as the Wildcats play host to SEC foe Georgia (7-3) at Bramlage Coliseum at 3 p.m. CT. The game will air nationally on ESPNU with Mitch Holthus (play-by-play) and Rich Zvosec (analyst) on the call. ·         Wednesday’s tilt will be the first game of a home-and-home series inked between the schools in May 2014. The Wildcats will make a return trip to Athens, Ga., on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015 at Stegeman Coliseum. ·         The contest will serve as a homecoming for Georgia head coach Mark Fox, who is a native of Garden City, Kan., and a former assistant coach at K-State under Tom Asbury from 1994-2000. Fox’s wife, Cindy, also spent time in the K-State Athletic Department, serving five years as Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing and Senior Woman Admininstrator. ·         This will be just the 2nd meeting between the schools on the hardwood and the 1st since K-State defeated Georgia, 82-79, in overtime in the NCAA West Regional First Round in Salt Lake City on March 12, 1987. ·         Georgia will be K-State’s 3rd SEC opponent this year with all 3 coming in the last 6 games. The Wildcats are 1-1 in those match-up, losing 65-64 at Tennessee on Dec. 6 before defeating Texas A&M, 71-64, on Dec. 20 at Kansas City’s Sprint Center. The school is 159-146 all-time vs. the SEC. ·         K-State saw its 38-game homecourt winning streak in December at Bramlage Coliseum come to an end on Sunday, as Texas Southern’s Jason Carter connected on a jumper with 0.9 seconds to stun the Wildcats, 58-56. The Tigers scored the game’s final 6 points to complete the comeback. ·         It was the Wildcats’ 1st December loss at Bramlage Coliseum in exactly a decade since a 76-66 setback to Rutgers on Dec. 28, 2004. ·         K-State has not lost back-to-back home games since February 13 & 25, 2012 (Kansas and Iowa State) and consecutive non-conference home games since December 8 & 17, 1987 (Missouri State and Southern Miss) in the final season of Ahearn Field House. THE OPPONENT: GEORGIA (7-3) ·         Georgia enters Wednesday’s game with a 7-3 record after surviving a three-overtime affair with Mercer, 86-77, on Saturday at home… The Bulldogs have won a season-high 4 in a row, including a road win at Chattanooga (86-55) and home victories over Colorado (64-57), Seton Hall (65-47) and Mercer… The team is 1-1 in true road games this season. ·         The Bulldogs are averaging 74.8 points on 46.6 percent shooting, including 30.2 percent from 3-point range, on the season with 40.9 rebounds, 13.9 assists, 7.0 steals and 5.9 blocks per game… They are allowing opponent 66.1 points per game on 38 percent shooting, including 29.8 percent from beyond the arc… The team is shooting 65.6 percent from the free throw line.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Royals outfielder Alex Gordon has had surgery on his right wrist, and the four-time Gold Glove winner should be ready for the season opener against the White Sox on April 6.

The surgery, an extensor retinaculum repair, was performed by Dr. Bruce Toby at the University of Kansas Hospital on Tuesday. It is not yet clear when Gordon will be able to start in spring training.

Royals trainer Nick Kenney says in a statement that Gordon reached out to the team about some wrist discomfort last week. Gordon traveled to Kansas City and underwent testing, and the surgery was scheduled immediately so that he would be ready for the upcoming season.

Gordon dealt with pain in the same wrist midway through last season but did not miss significant playing time. He aggravated the injury during his winter training sessions.

The Kansas Jayhawks and Wichita State Shockers both fell in the
newest Associated Press rankings after losses last week.

The Jayhawks, 9-2,  are now ranked 13th, while the Shockers, 10-2, are ranked 16th.

Kentucky is ranked first.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Texas A&M student assistant Michael Richardson wasn’t on the sideline for the
second half of the Liberty Bowl after videos showed him hitting West Virginia players out of bounds.

Videos appearing on Twitter late in the first half showed Richardson using his elbow to strike one West Virginia player in the back of the head and shoving another Mountaineer in a separate incident Monday afternoon.

Texas A&M athletic department spokesman Brad Marquardt issued a statement saying that “when Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin was made aware of student assistant Michael Richardson’s actions on the sideline, he was told to remain in the locker room for the remainder of the game.”

The Aggies won the ballgame against West Virginia 45-37.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Royals have announced the signing of right-hander Edinson Volquez to a $20 million, two-year contract that includes a mutual option for the 2017 season.

Volquez will make $7.5 million in 2015 and $9.5 million in 2016 under the deal announced Monday. His option year is worth $10 million with a $3 million buyout.

Volquez fills the last big hole by taking James Shields’ spot in the rotation. Shields became a free agent and it was unlikely the Royals would be able to keep him.

The Royals have already signed designated hitter Kendrys Morales and outfielder Alex Rios to fill two of their other pressing needs. They also signed pitcher Kris Medlen, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and could help contribute midway through the season.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) – Jason Carter hit a jumper as time expired to give Texas Southern a 58-56 win over Kansas State on Sunday.

A three-point play by Thomas Gipson and a layup by Marcus Foster gave Kansas State (8-4) a 54-48 lead with 1:45 remaining.

Chris Thomas made a layup to pull Texas Southern (3-9) within four. After Gipson made a free throw, a layup by Madarious Gibbs made it 55-52 with 16 seconds left.

A free throw by Nino Williams pushed the Kansas State lead back to four. Tonnie Collier made the first two of three free throws and Thomas putback the third to tie the game at 56 with .9 seconds to play.

After Jevon Thomas threw the inbounds pass away, Texas Southern got the ball out of bounds, setting up Carter’s winner.

Kansas State made 2 of 8 free throws in the final 69 seconds.

Thomas and Gibbs scored 15 apiece for Texas Southern.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Kansas City Chiefs beat San Diego 19-7 on Sunday to eliminate theChargers from playoff contention, moments before they were eliminated themselves by games happening elsewhere.

The Chiefs needed Cleveland to beat Baltimore and Jacksonville to beat Houston, and neither of those outcomes transpired. The Ravens wound up with the AFC’s final playoff spot.

San Diego (9-7) needed merely to beat Kansas City (9-7) to reach the postseason.

Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston piled up four sacks to finish with 22 on the season, breaking Derrick Thomas’s franchise record, and Cairo Santos had four field goals.

The Chargers’ Philip Rivers threw for 291 yards, but was picked off twice. Branden Oliver ran for 71 yards and a touchdown.

Mike Dibbini, a former standout player and successful coach at Kansas Weslayan who has most recently rebuilt Cal Poly Pomona into an NCAA Division II championship contender, has been named Kansas State’s first intercollegiate women’s soccer coach, Athletics Director John Currie announced Friday.

Dibbini is a 12-time conference coach of the year who led Kansas Wesleyan and Cal Poly Pomona to 13 postseason tournament appearances and an overall winning percentage of .750 as a collegiate head coach ( 265-78-25 ).

Dibbini coached eight years at KWU leading both the men’s and women’s programs before moving to Pomona in 2013.

Prior to coaching at Kansas Wesleyan, Dibbini was the boys and girls soccer coach at Salina Central High School from 1999 – 2006, and helped develop the Salina Soccer Academy youth program.

Dibben graduated Cum Laude from Kansas Wesleyan University in 1999 with a degree in Elementary Education, and continued on to earn a Master of Business Administration degree in 2002.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith will miss Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers because of a lacerated spleen.

Team trainer Rick Burkholder said Friday that Smith was hurt on a hit during the third quarter of last weekend’s loss to the Steelers, but the injury was not initially obvious.

Smith will not need surgery.

If the Chargers beat Kansas City on Sunday, they make the playoffs. The Chiefs would need to win and have Baltimore and Houston lose to earn a postseason berth.

The National Football League announced on Tuesday that four members of the Kansas City Chiefs have been selected to participate in the 2015 NFL Pro Bowl, presented by McDonald’s. The below players have earned a spot on the NFL’s Pro Bowl Roster:

Jamaal Charles (Running Back) – 4th Nomination

Tamba Hali (Linebacker) – 4th Nomination

Justin Houston (Linebacker) – 3rd Nomination

Dontari Poe (Defensive Tackle) – 2nd Nomination

The Pro Bowl will be played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015. This year’s all-star game features the new format adopted in 2014. The familiar AFC vs. NFC match-up that existed from 1971-2013 will no longer be in place. Instead, players were selected without regard to conference in voting by fans, coaches and players. Players will be assigned to teams during the 2015 Pro Bowl Draft on NFL Network on Wednesday, January 21 at 7 p.m. CT.