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EMMITSBURG, Md. (AP) — Jedy Cordilia's 21 points helped Mount St. Mary's defeat Fairfield 101-94 on Sunday. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * EMMITSBURG, Md. (AP) — Jedy Cordilia's 21 points helped Mount St. Mary's defeat Fairfield 101-94 on Sunday. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? EMMITSBURG, Md. (AP) — Jedy Cordilia’s 21 points helped Mount St. Mary’s defeat Fairfield 101-94 on Sunday. Cordilia also had seven rebounds for the Mountaineers (6-3, 1-1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference). Dola Adebayo scored 15 points while shooting 5 of 7 from the field and 4 for 4 from the free-throw line and added nine rebounds, five assists, and four blocks. Dallas Hobbs shot 4 of 9 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 4 from the foul line to finish with 14 points. Prophet Johnson led the Stags (5-5, 1-1) in scoring, finishing with 22 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals. Braden Sparks added 16 points and four assists for Fairfield. Jamie Bergens had 15 points and four assists. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. AdvertisementAP News Summary at 6:44 p.m. ESTDecember is Prematurity Awareness Month
Jamie Coggins told a court he played FIFA, went to see a girl and planned to go to a "little bistro for some food" following the shooting A murder suspect “got rid” of his phone the day after the fatal shooting because he had fears about drug sale messages, a court heard. Jamie Coggins, 28, is one of four men accused of the murder of Nyle Corrigan, who was fatally shot on Boode Croft in Stockbridge Village on November 12 2020. Three other men - Martin Wilson, 37, Connor Smith, 26, and Anthony Llewellyn, 25 - have gone on trial at Liverpool Crown Court alongside Coggins after being charged with his murder . The four men are also accused of conspiracy to possess a 9mm Glock self-loading pistol with intent to supply, while Smith’s parents - Melanie Smith, 47, and Mark Sharpe, 49 - are accused of assisting an offender. The crown’s case against the four men is that Wilson and Connor Smith were the gunmen who carried out the shooting but were supported by Coggins and Llewellyn “who were both fully signed up to the plan”. Lead prosecution counsel Richard Wright KC previously told the court: “Together, we say, those four men are all responsible for his murder.” Coggins was the first defendant to appear on the witness stand this morning, Friday, November 22 and answered questions from his legal counsel Nick Johnson KC. Coggins told the court that at the time of the shooting he was in Burger Town in Walton with co-defendant Llewellyn. Mr Johnson asked Coggins about his movements in the hours after the shooting. Asking him first why he was at Reliance House - a Liverpool city centre flat owned by alleged gunman Smith - at 7.36pm, Coggins claimed he was looking for Smith. When asked how he got into the flats without a key fob, Coggins said: “I was friendly with the concierge, he let me in. I walked up and knocked on Connor’s door to see if he was in.” The court heard he made phone calls to two men around 10 minutes later - Paul Birch and Neil Cook. When asked why he made the calls, Coggins said: “Well Mr Birch I don’t remember what that was about but Mr Cook I can remember. We were looking for Connor. He wasn’t answering his phone. He sometimes went drinking with Neil. I got his number off Anthony and phoned him.” The court heard later the same night Coggins dropped associate Joshua Donnelly at home before continuing on with Llewellyn. Mr Johnson asked where he went, with Coggins responding: “There’s only a few places I go,” before listing the houses of his mum, aunt and Llewellyn. Later the same night both Coggins and Llewellyn were back at Reliance House at around 11pm, the court heard. However, this time it was claimed they were in possession of a key fob which the latter used to let them in. Mr Johnson asked Coggins: "Did you or Mr Llewellyn get your hands on the fob?" Coggins, wearing jeans, a grey quarter zip top and sporting reddish hair on the witness stand , responded: “Anthony got his hands on the fob. Me and Anthony were in my aunt’s...when we went to go we saw a car and thought that was Connor’s pulled next to a grass verge.” He added: “The fob and the key were just there. “Sometime later Anthony has asked me to go to Connor’s flat to get his shoes and jacket...Anthony sometimes stays there and has a pair of shoes and a jacket. While we were there we played a game of FIFA and I had a few cigarettes.” During the opening of the case, the prosecution showed the jury CCTV footage of the two men outside Reliance House, with Llewellyn not wearing any footwear . The prosecution said: “A sensible inference we suggest would be that he had lent them to Smith who had discarded his own footwear after the shooting.” Coggins claims they stayed there for around 40 minutes before he dropped Llewellyn home. He then told the court he went “to get a weed from someone in Corner Brook”, before he made two phone calls to Delta Taxis. When asked where he was going, Coggins said: “I was phoning a taxi to go and see a girl I was seeing at the time.” And when Mr Johnson asked why he did not drive, Coggins said: “I had been smoking weed...I didn’t fancy the chances of getting pulled.” The court heard he took a taxi to Elizabeth Road in Huyton to the house of his second cousin, where the girl he was seeing was. Coggins told the court he then took a return taxi back to Barons Hey in the morning because “my car was there from the night before”. When asked what he was doing later that day, he said: “I think I was going to a little bistro to have some food.” The court heard at 1.33pm he called Llewellyn which was the last outgoing call on his phone. Mr Johnson asked if he got rid of his phone, to which Coggins responded: “I did yeah, because Anthony had phoned Nyle at 1.30pm (the previous day) and then he had been killed. “I’m thinking police might want to question Anthony and seize his phone. If they seize my phone I don’t want to incriminate myself as I don’t know what I sold. I’m just going to get rid of it in case it happens.” Mr Johnson asked “anything in your phone about Nyle,” with Coggins responding no. He added: “I have sold drugs in the past. I don’t know what I have sold, I have just got rid of it.” Earlier in proceedings, Coggins told the court that while he was friends with Llewellyn and Smith, he had only met Wilson “a couple of times in passing”. He added he had known the victim Mr Corrigan “for most of my life” and considered him a friend. When asked by Mr Johnson what he would do in his spare time, Coggins told the court: “Well I would phone my mates, Anthony and Connor, and go for food and then go to a friend’s or my house and have a beer.” He said they would spend time playing and talking about video games, adding he played “about eight to 12 hours a day” and had particular expertise at “FIFA and World of Warcraft”. On the day of the shooting there were calls between Coggins, Smith and Llewellyn, which Coggins said were social calls and could have “possibly been about video games” as the new FIFA game had recently come out. During the prosecution’s opening, Mr Wright told the jury that “the origins of the dispute lie with a man called Liam Cohen” . Mr Wright said Mr Cohen also lived on Little Moss Hey with his partner Kayleigh Donnelly and had previously been on good terms with Mr Corrigan but the relationship “had soured” because of an unpaid debt. The court heard the dispute culminated on November 9 when Mr Corrigan sent Ms Donnelly a message calling her a “cheeky c***”. Mr Wright said the “minor debt” escalated and an “irritated” Mr Cohen had “brought in” distant relative Wilson. The prosecution said a team of men later gathered around Wilson and went to Mr Corrigan’s house demanding to know where he was. Mr Wright told the court that the group said “Nyle was dead”, and when Ms Corrigan left to go to her granddad’s house they followed her in the car and shouted her brother “should not start something if he wasn’t going to finish it”. The court heard the following day two gunmen armed with a 9mm Glock handgun waited for Mr Corriga n, riding his electric bike, before they shot him once in the back. Mr Wright previously said: "Whilst two men carried out the physical act of stalking and shooting of Nyle Corrigan, we suggest that the shooters were part of a wider team, a team that was in place to assist them to both carry out the shooting, and then to try to get away with it.” Coggins, of The Spinney, Stockbridge Village; Llewellyn, formerly of Olivette Way, St Helens ; Smith of Midway Road in Huyton ; Wilson, of no fixed address, and Melanie Smith and Mark Sharpe, both also of Midway Road, deny the charges before them. The trial before Mr Justice Goose continues.A thin layer of smog enveloped Mumbai and the air quality in the metropolitan city was recorded in the 'moderate' category on Monday morning. According to the Central Pollution Control Board , the city recorded an AQI of 112, as of 9.00 am this morning. AN AQI under the "moderate" category generally means the air quality is acceptable, but there may be a slight health concern for a very small number of sensitive individuals. For most people, air quality at this level doesn't pose significant risks, but those with respiratory issues, such as asthma or allergies, may experience mild symptoms. The city which was shrouded by smog and mist, cleared up after sunrise. Web Development A Comprehensive ASP.NET Core MVC 6 Project Guide for 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Office Productivity Mastering Google Sheets: Unleash the Power of Excel and Advance Analysis By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance A2Z Of Money By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) ChatGPT Mastery from Zero to Hero: The Complete AI Course By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Django & PostgreSQL Mastery: Build Professional Web Applications By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Pam Moore By - Pam Moore, Digital Transformation and Social Media Expert View Program Entrepreneurship Validating Your Startup Idea: Steps to Ensure Market Fit By - Dr. Anu Khanchandani, Startup Coach with more than 25 years of experience View Program Marketing Performance Marketing for eCommerce Brands By - Zafer Mukeri, Founder- Inara Marketers View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI for Everyone: Understanding and Applying the Basics on Artificial Intelligence By - Ritesh Vajariya, Generative AI Expert View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Tabnine AI Masterclass: Optimize Your Coding Efficiency By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI and Analytics based Business Strategy By - Tanusree De, Managing Director- Accenture Technology Lead, Trustworthy AI Center of Excellence: ATCI View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Generative AI for Dynamic Java Web Applications with ChatGPT By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Entrepreneurship Marketing & Sales Strategies for Startups: From Concept to Conversion By - Dr. Anu Khanchandani, Startup Coach with more than 25 years of experience View Program Web Development Intermediate Java Mastery: Method, Collections, and Beyond By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Mastering C++ Fundamentals with Generative AI: A Hands-On By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Basics of Generative AI: Unveiling Tomorrow's Innovations By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development C++ Fundamentals for Absolute Beginners By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Crypto & NFT Mastery: From Basics to Advanced By - CA Raj K Agrawal, Chartered Accountant View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Java Programming with ChatGPT: Learn using Generative AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Data Science MySQL for Beginners: Learn Data Science and Analytics Skills By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Entrepreneurship From Idea to Product: A Startup Development Guide By - Dr. Anu Khanchandani, Startup Coach with more than 25 years of experience View Program Finance Financial Literacy for Non-Finance Executives By - CA Raja, Chartered Accountant | Financial Management Educator | Former AVP - Credit, SBI View Program Visuals from Bandra Reclamation show the beautiful sun rise improve visibility from the fog and misty weather. Meanwhile, the air quality in the national capital remained in the 'poor' catgory, with thin layer of smog covering parts of the metropolitan city and and limiting visibility. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI in Delhi was recorded 231 as of 8.00 am on Monday morning. As per IMD, the city recorded a minimum temperature of 8°C today with mist in the air. Night shelters have been setup in several areas of the national capital including AIIMS, Lodhi road and Nizamuddin flyover. The IMD has predicted a cold wave in West Rajasthan from December 9 to December 14, while Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh, and West Uttar Pradesh will start experiencing similar conditions from December 11. In Uttar Pradesh, people sat around the fire to warm themselves in Kanpur this winter morning as the minimum temperature dipped to 8°C as per the IMD. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
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In a dramatic turn of events last week, South Korea plunged into political chaos after President Yoon Suk-yeol’s ill-fated attempt to impose martial law sparked a six-hour standoff, shocking the world and rattling one of Asia’s leading democracies. The move, which many viewed as a severe overreach, has left Yoon politically isolated and facing calls for impeachment. Although he later apologized for his ill-fated attempt and has avoided an impeachment so far, political unrest is expected to continue.
By CLIFF BRUNT The College Football Playoff committee took SMU’s wins over Alabama’s strength of schedule, picking the Mustangs for the final at-large spot Dec.8 after a furious public debate and days of lobbying and arguing over which teams should make the 12-team field. SMU (11-2) showed it could compete against a traditional power, losing to Clemson 34-31 on a 56-yard field goal on the final play of the ACC championship game. The late-game rally probably did the trick. “I just think America saw SMU belongs,” Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee told ESPN after his team got in. “We’re a team that has a chance to compete for this championship. And to some degree, I think we’re a little bit America’s team after last night.” The Mustangs, seeded 11th, will visit No. 6 seed Penn State in the first round. The bracket was expanded from four teams this season, but that didn’t help Alabama or save the committee from controversy that began over the past two weeks as the CFP rankings — and “data points” — were parsed and criticized. The squabbling wasn’t limited to who should be in the field but also who should get consideration for first-round byes. The Crimson Tide (9-3) had quality wins against Georgia and South Carolina in their first season under coach Kalen DeBoer. Losses at Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma proved costly. The 24-3 loss to Oklahoma was too much to overcome. The Sooners, who finished 6-6, rushed for 250 yards against the Crimson Tide and dominated despite having several key injuries. Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said the committee’s decision was not good for college football. “Disappointed with the outcome and felt we were one of the 12 best teams in the country,” Byrne said in a social media post. “We had an extremely challenging schedule and recognize there were two games in particular that we did not perform as well as we should have.” All of Alabama’s losses came in conference play. Still, Byrne said he now will reconsider how his program schedules nonconference games. For now, the Crimson Tide will settle for playing Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Dec. 31. Several teams with strong seasons were left out besides the Crimson Tide, including Miami (two losses), South Carolina and Mississippi (three losses each). Committee chairman Warde Manuel explained that strength of schedule was valued — a comment that didn’t sit well with Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin. “Is this fake news??? he didn’t actually really say that ....” Kiffin wrote on a social media post, tagging both the Alabama and SMU football accounts. SMU actually increased its strength of schedule from the previous season by switching from the American Athletic Conference to the ACC. The Mustangs’ only regular-season loss this year was a nonconference game at home to 10-win BYU in the third game of the season. The Mustangs won nine straight before the loss to Clemson. That didn’t make the waiting easier on Sunday. SMU was the last qualifier announced. “Until we saw SMU up there, you know, you’re just hanging, hanging on the edge,” Lashlee said. There was more controversy. Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said he didn’t believe any Group of Five team should get the bye over a Power Four champion, citing strength of schedule. Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez pushed back hours ahead of the bracket announcement. “Participation in the College Football Playoff isn’t about entitlement,” she wrote on social media. “It should not be contingent upon a conference patch or the logo on the helmet. ... Boise State’s body of work this season, including an 11-game win streak, has earned it one of the top four seeds ahead of the Big 12 champion.” In the end, Boise State of the Mountain West got the No. 3 seed ahead of Big 12 champion Arizona State, which was seeded fourth. But both got first-round byes.
France’s Macron announces fourth government of the yearSouth Sudan's President Salva Kiir held an urgent meeting of top security brass on Friday after a shootout at the home of powerful former spy chief Akol Koor, who was sacked almost two months ago amid rumours of a coup plot. Gunfire erupted on Thursday evening in the capital Juba, sparking concerns about the stability of the world's youngest country that is already plagued by power struggles, ethnic infighting and a deep economic malaise. The shooting around the home of Koor, who was fired by Kiir in early October and placed under house arrest, caused panic among local residents before it was contained after about an hour. Following the meeting, South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF) spokesman Lul Ruai Koang said the incident took place after a "misunderstanding" between security forces attempting to relocate the ex-head of the National Security Services. Koang said Koor had now agreed to the relocation "with his dear wife, one bodyguard, and a cook" elsewhere in the city. He would be provided with additional army protection at his new residence, but Koang emphasised he was not under "their (army) detention." He said four people, two civilians and two soldiers, had been killed during the confrontation. The meeting convened by Kiir included the heads of defence, police, national security and military intelligence. A source in the presidency press unit said Koor was also present. The Sudans Post newspaper quoted a security official as saying the meeting had "resolved all outstanding tensions" and that the spy chief and his family "have been assured of their safety". In an alert to its staff on the ground on Thursday, the United Nations in South Sudan had said the shooting was linked to the arrest of the former spymaster and advised people to take cover. Koang told AFP that Koor "remains at his house", and denied claims circulating on social media that he had fled to the UN compound in Juba. There was a heavy deployment of military forces around his home in the Thongpiny district, an AFP correspondent said, but traffic has resumed and people were going about their daily business. Police spokesman John Kassara said the situation was now calm but that Thongpiny remained sealed off and residents "should remain vigilant". Koor became head of the feared National Security Services (NSS) after South Sudan's independence in 2011 but was sacked in October leading to widespread speculation he had been planning to overthrow Kiir. After his dismissal from the NSS, Koor was appointed governor of Warrap State, Kiir's home state, but this was abruptly revoked by the president before he took the oath of office. Koang said there had been a "misunderstanding" between two security services forces present at Koor's residence when a third unit arrived for the relocation. "That was the start of the armed confrontation that you heard," he said. Four people, two servicemen and two civilians, were killed in the incident, he said, and two civilians were wounded. Koor's sacking came just two weeks after Kiir again postponed by two years, to December 2026, the first elections in the nation's history. The delay has exasperated the international community, which has been pressing the country's leaders to complete a transitional process, including unifying rival armed forces and drawing up a constitution. The NSS was at the centre of controversy in July when parliament approved amendments to legislation allowing the agency to continue to arrest -- without a warrant -- anyone accused of offences against the state, raising alarm among rights groups and South Sudan's international partners. The country has struggled to recover from a brutal civil war between forces loyal to Kiir and his now deputy Riek Machar from 2013 to 2018 that killed about 400,000 people and drove millions from their homes. It remains one of the poorest and most corrupt countries on the planet and continues to be plagued by chronic instability and climate disasters. str-txw-rbu/giv
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In one form or another, College Football Playoff controversy touched the SEC, Big 12, ACC and Mountain West — all the relevant conferences except one. The Big Ten was essentially unscathed during the selection process for the inaugural 12-team event. Oregon, the undefeated conference champion, landed the No. 1 overall seed. Penn State, the runner up, received the No. 6 seed, followed by No. 8 Ohio State and No. 10 Indiana. The Hoosiers were closest to the fire but never seemed in danger of losing their spot — even after Clemson won the ACC championship and stole a bid. It was always Alabama vs. SMU for the seventh and final at-large berth. Why did Indiana stay above the fray? For that matter, why did Penn State, which had one victory over a ranked team (Illinois), receive the No. 6 seed? And why did Ohio State warrant the No. 8 spot ahead of Tennessee, giving the Buckeyes home-field advantage in their opening-round date with the Volunteers. “Ultimately as a committee and as we voted these teams, Ohio State was one ahead of Tennessee,” said Warde Manuel, the committee chair and Michigan’s athletic director. “But we didn’t look at it — as well, if we put Ohio State 6 and Tennessee 7, one is going to host and one is not. We never, I can assure you and everybody ... never even talked about it until after the Top 25 was ranked.” In each instance (Penn State, Ohio State and Indiana), there’s a case to be made for the placement of the Big Ten team. What strikes us is the conference seemed to get the benefit of the doubt in every case despite underlying data that reflect weakness: — The Big Ten is No. 3 in the Sagarin computer ratings, far behind the SEC and even behind the Big 12. — The Big Ten was 1-3 head-to-head against the SEC. Add two losses to Notre Dame, and the conference was 1-5 against its true peer group. — The Big Ten’s overall non-conference performance was largely forgettable, with only two wins over teams that finished in the CFP rankings released Sunday: Oregon over No. 9 Boise State and Nebraska over No. 23 Colorado. — Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State and Indiana all played substantially weaker schedules than two of the SEC teams, Alabama and South Carolina, that were left out of the CFP field, according to the Sagarin ratings. For all the focus on Alabama and SMU for the final at-large berth, we’d argue the Crimson Tide has a substantially stronger resume than Indiana (more quality wins, tougher schedule) except for the number of losses, which mattered dearly to the committee. (The Hoosiers played one game against a team in the final CFP rankings, Ohio State, and lost.) Exactly why the Big Ten received the benefit of the doubt time and time again — in our view, at least — we might never know. But the conference was, indisputably, one of the biggest winners Sunday. Our breakdown of the sport’s decisive day ... Winner: Texas. As a reward for losing the SEC title game, the Longhorns received what is arguably the most coveted seed in the event: No. 5. They will open at home against three-loss Clemson, then advance to Atlanta to face Arizona State. Meanwhile, top-seeded Oregon doesn’t play a home game and will face the Ohio State-Tennessee winner. The format needs to change to provide greater rewards for the conference champions. Loser: Notre Dame. The Irish should have been seeded higher than No. 7. But in that position, they are bracketed with No. 2 Georgia in the quarterfinals. The committee was clearly reluctant to drop the losers of conference title games (Penn State and Texas) below a team that doesn’t have a conference. Winner: Boise State. Never before has one loss provided as much rocket fuel as Boise State’s 37-34 defeat at Oregon in Week 2. That performance, along with a perfect run through the rest of their schedule, propelled the Broncos all the way to the No. 3 seed and a spot in the Fiesta Bowl. What a victory for the Group of Five, the Mountain West and the rebuilt Pac-12, which will be Boise State’s home in 2026. Loser: The SEC. Alabama lost the resume showdown with SMU for the final at-large berth and South Carolina watched the team it defeated last week, Clemson, roll into the playoff thanks to the ACC’s automatic bid. It could not have gone much worse for the kingpin, which is bad news for everyone else . Winner: SMU. The Mustangs agreed to join the ACC without any media revenue distributions, filled the hole in their budget (thanks to deep-pocketed donors) and reached the CFP in their first season in a power conference. Loser: The Big 12. The conference was poorly ranked for five weeks and stood zero chance of receiving an at-large berth, then watched as its champion, Arizona State, was seeded behind Boise State. All in all, the committee showed the Big 12 little respect. It’s an issue the conference must address . Winner: Cold-weather games. The CFP’s opening round will feature December 20-21 kickoffs in Columbus, South Bend and State College. The Hotline is rooting for a snowstorm that weekend at the 40th parallel. Loser: Brigham Young. The Hotline has hammered on this point in recent weeks and will reiterate for anyone who missed it: The Cougars should have been smack in the middle of the at-large conversation. They had a better strength-of-schedule than SMU and won the head-to-head matchup in Dallas . Somehow, the Cougars were seven spots below the Mustangs. Winner: Arizona State. There isn’t much left to say about the Sun Devils’ rise from nowhere to the CFP in three remarkable months. And even better for ASU fans: Arizona imploded. Loser: The CFP selection committee. Some years aren’t as bad as others. This one was terrible — not the end result so much as the month-long process, the flip-flops and contradictions, the missteps and poor communication of intent and priorities. Give the committee a C- for its performance. Winner: ABC. The network should generate blockbuster ratings with the marquee matchup of the opening round, Tennessee at Ohio State, which is slotted for 5 p.m. (Pacific) on Saturday, Dec. 21. The other two games that day face competition from the NFL. But the Buckeyes and Vols will be unopposed. Loser: Washington. We aren’t knocking UW’s qualifications for the postseason or commenting on the Huskies performance over the past three month. This is more about the assignment itself: The Sun Bowl against Louisville is just, well, blah. Winner: The Rose Bowl. The Granddaddy is one victory away from an Oregon-Ohio State collision in the quarterfinals — the most Pac-12 vs. Big Ten matchup it could have reasonably asked for. The more things change ... Loser: Time to breathe. The extra week in the NCAA’s competition calendar pushed CFP selection day back to Dec. 8 and left us with less than one week until the first bowl games (Dec. 14). To be clear: We aren’t complaining, not for one second. Winner: Oregon. We think the Ducks would have been better off as the No. 5 seed, with a home game and matchups against the No. 4 and No. 12 seeds. But the extra rest will be helpful — as long as it doesn’t bring rust — and the undefeated regular season and Big Ten title should be cherished. Loser: USC. The season ends where it began, in Las Vegas against an SEC opponent. It’s just that when the Trojans left Sin City on Sept. 1, after beating LSU, they never expected to be back in December with a .500 record to face Texas A&M. Winner: Alamo Bowl. With the first pick of the Pac-12 legacy schools, the Alamo matched Colorado against Brigham Young. Two ranked teams plus one Deion Sanders should equate to loads of interest and first-rate TV ratings. Loser: Cal. Any postseason berth is a victory for the Bears, but they drew a daunting opponent in the LA Bowl. We have watched both teams play numerous times, and the Rebels are better. That said, their coach, Barry Odom, just accepted the Purdue job, which could tip the balance to Cal. So let’s view the Bears as both winner and loser. Winner: Washington State. Sure, the three-game losing streak was a massive disappointment given the state of play in early November. But had you told the Cougars prior to the season that their journey would end in the Holiday Bowl (against Syracuse), they assuredly would have jumped at the offer. *** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to wilnerhotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716 *** Follow me on the social media platform X: @ WilnerHotlineBennett scores 23 as Quinnipiac defeats Sacred Heart 83-73
NoneThe College Football Playoff committee took SMU’s wins over Alabama’s strength of schedule, picking the Mustangs for the final at-large spot Sunday after a furious public debate and days of lobbying and arguing over which teams should make the 12-team field. SMU (11-2) showed it could compete against a traditional power, losing to Clemson, 34-31, on a 56-yard field goal on the final play of the ACC championship game. The late-game rally probably did the trick. “I just think America saw SMU belongs,” Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee told ESPN on Sunday after his team got in. “We’re a team that has a chance to compete for this championship. And to some degree, I think we’re a little bit America’s team after last night.” The Mustangs, seeded 11th, will visit No. 6 seed Penn State in the first round. The bracket was expanded from four teams this season, but that didn’t help Alabama or save the committee from controversy that began over the past two weeks as the CFP rankings — and “data points” — were parsed and criticized. The squabbling wasn’t limited to who should be in the field but also who should get consideration for first-round byes. The Crimson Tide (9-3) had quality wins against Georgia and South Carolina in their first season under coach Kalen DeBoer. Losses at Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma proved costly. The 24-3 loss to Oklahoma was too much to overcome. The Sooners, who finished 6-6, rushed for 250 yards against the Crimson Tide and dominated despite having several key injuries. Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said the committee’s decision was not good for college football. “Disappointed with the outcome and felt we were one of the 12 best teams in the country,” Byrne said in a social media post. “We had an extremely challenging schedule and recognize there were two games in particular that we did not perform as well as we should have.” All of Alabama’s losses came in conference play. Still, Byrne said he now will reconsider how his program schedules nonconference games. For now, the Crimson Tide will settle for playing Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Dec. 31. Several teams with strong seasons were left out besides the Crimson Tide, including Miami (two losses), South Carolina and Mississippi (three losses each). Committee chairman Warde Manuel explained that strength of schedule was valued — a comment that didn’t sit well with Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin. “Is this fake news??? he didn’t actually really say that ....” Kiffin wrote on a social media post, tagging both the Alabama and SMU football accounts. SMU actually increased its strength of schedule from the previous season by switching from the American Athletic Conference to the ACC. The Mustangs’ only regular-season loss this year was a nonconference game at home to 10-win BYU in the third game of the season. The Mustangs won nine straight before the loss to Clemson. That didn’t make the waiting easier Sunday. SMU was the last qualifier announced. “Until we saw SMU up there, you know, you’re just hanging, hanging on the edge,” Lashlee said. There was more controversy. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said he didn’t believe any Group of Five team should get the bye over a Power Four champion, citing strength of schedule. Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez pushed back hours ahead of the bracket announcement. “Participation in the College Football Playoff isn’t about entitlement,” she wrote on social media. “It should not be contingent upon a conference patch or the logo on the helmet. ... Boise State’s body of work this season, including an 11-game win streak, has earned it one of the top four seeds ahead of the Big 12 champion.” In the end, Boise State of the Mountain West got the No. 3 seed ahead of Big 12 champion Arizona State, which was seeded fourth. But both got first-round byes.In a country where monkeys are revered as symbols of Hanuman Ji , a beautiful occurrence has captured hearts worldwide. A heartwarming video, which has gone viral on social media not just in India but around the globe, shows an elderly man calmly sharing his food with a monkey. This simple act of kindness has stirred powerful emotions, leaving viewers reflecting on the beauty of compassion and the unexpected connections we can make with the natural world. The video, which was recorded in what looks like a temple, showcases a man sitting on the floor, enjoying a traditional pooja meal served to him and other people. While he was peacefully eating, a monkey came by and approached the man’s plate. Instead of reacting with fear, astonishment, or trying to shoo away the animal, the man watches calmly and lets the monkey reach into his plate. What more surprising was that the monkey, without any hesitation, began to pick at the food in the man’s meal. The animal gently picks up Kheer from the plate and starts eating. What makes this interaction stand out is not just the fact that the monkey is eating from the man’s plate, but the man’s beautiful and welcoming response. Rather than shooing the animal away or showing signs of discomfort, the man remains calm and seems almost amused by the situation, allowing the monkey to continue eating. View this post on Instagram A post shared by shalu Sharma (@shalu_weightlifter) The video has been widely shared and praised for the man's gentle behaviour towards the monkey. His polite attitude toward the monkey’s presence and his willingness to share his meal have touched the hearts of uncountable people. In the comment sections across social media platforms, many users have expressed admiration for the man's behaviour, calling it a beautiful example of humility and kindness . Some have even suggested that the monkey might represent Hanuman Ji himself, symbolizing the man’s immense devotion. This connection has added spiritual significance for some viewers, enhancing the emotional impact of the video. The video went viral in a matter of seconds, and it is truly easy to see why. People from different cultures and backgrounds have commented on the man's rare demonstration of patience and compassion. Adorable comments like ‘Respect for the uncle’ and ‘This is so pure’ are flooding the post, with viewers expressing how deeply they were moved by the situation. The video has sparked ultimate positivity, with many saying that witnessing such an act of kindness brought them a sense of peace and joy. Image credit: Instagram/@shalu_weightlifter
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Brayden Point scored twice and added two assists, and the Tampa Bay Lightning edged the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 on Sunday. Nikita Kucherov had a goal and two helpers for the Lightning, while Jake Guentzel scored on a power play late in the third period. Captain Quinn Hughes and Kiefer Sherwood found the back of the net for the Canucks. Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 22 of the 24 shots he faced and Kevin Lankinen made 28 saves for Vancouver. Takeaways Lightning: Kucherov, who returned to the lineup Sunday after missing two games with a lower-body injury, added another potent piece to Tampa’s red-hot power play. The Lightning were 2 for 4 with the man advantage and scored a power-play goal for the sixth straight game. Canucks: Hughes took a stick to the face 55 seconds into the game, missed more than 11 minutes, then returned to open the scoring 16:08 into the first period. It was the 50th goal of the defenseman’s career and extended his points streak to seven games with three goals and 10 assists across the stretch. Key moment Tampa took the lead 6:29 into the second when Kucherov sliced a pass to Point at the bottom of the faceoff circle and the Lightning winger blasted it in past Lankinen for his 17th of the season. Kucherov put the visitors on the board just a minute and 49 seconds earlier. RELATED COVERAGE Bjorkstrand scores twice as Kraken rally past Rangers for a 7-5 win Blackhawks place goaltender Petr Mrazek on IR with a left groin injury McDavid has goal and assist as Oilers beat Blues 4-2 Key stat Point scored his league-leading 10th power-play goal of the season. He’s one away from becoming the third player to score 100 power-play goals for the Lightning. Up next The Canucks continue a six-game homestand Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues. The Lightning visit the Oilers on Tuesday. ___ AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHLGovt wants to keep cyberspace safe for all: ShafiqulMan arraigned on murder charges in NYC subway death fanned flames with a shirt, prosecutors say