As Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh reiterated his intention Thursday to remain with the Wolverines in 2023, the NCAA is investigating the program for alleged violations during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period, sources told ESPN.

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Texas head men’s basketball coach Chris Beard was fired Thursday, less than one month after the school suspended him without pay following his arrest on a domestic family violence charge.

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Three days after arriving in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Bills safety Damar Hamlin is on the road to a “remarkable” recovery, doctors announced Thursday. Hamlin, 24, suffered cardiac arrest after a tackle in Monday’s game against the Bengals, requiring CPR and resuscitation before being taken by ambulance to the hospital’s intensive care unit. Now, though still “critically ill,” Hamlin is awake, moving his hands and legs, and communicating with medical personnel.

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The NFL has canceled the Bills-Bengals game that was previously postponed on Monday night. The league has also planned a vote Friday with two adjustments for the AFC playoffs on the table.

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As the NFL community awaits more updates on Damar Hamlin and prays for a speedy recovery, the league is also actively working on what to do with the remainder of the regular season and ensuing postseason.

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Chase Audige had 21 points and four steals and Northwestern won for the sixth time in seven games, defeating Illinois 73-60 on Wednesday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Missouri basketball program had never beaten three straight nationally ranked opponents before coming to Arkansas this week — and still hasn’t. The No. 20 Tigers’ quest to vanquish three consecutive ranked foes collapsed Wednesday under a smothering red wave at Bud Walton Arena, where No. 13 Arkansas erased a 17-point first-half deficit in a 74-68 victory.

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CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois men’s basketball overcame a 13-point first-half deficit to defeat Missouri Valley Conference preseason favorite Drake, 53-49, Wednesday night inside Banterra Center.
The Salukis (12-4, 4-1 MVC) held Drake to just 19 points over the final 20 minutes while holding preseason All-MVC forward Tucker DeVries to 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting and Bulldog guard Roman Penn to 1-for-15 from the floor.

“It wasn’t pretty – two really good teams playing hard,” head coach Bryan Mullins said postgame. “We didn’t get off to a good start but for the last 30 minutes, I thought we really competed at a high level. We didn’t shoot the ball well and had some turnovers but in terms of effort, that was some high-level effort.”

SIU forward Marcus Domask was every bit of his preseason accolades for the Salukis. The Waupun, Wisconsin native scored a game-high 21 points, including the final 15 points for the Salukis as SIU closed out the game on a 19-6 run.

Domask gave SIU its first lead of the game with a jumper at the 3:17 mark before extending the lead to three points moments later. Drake (11-5, 2-3 MVC) was able to reel off back-to-back scores to regain the lead with just 50 seconds left at 49-48.

After being denied the lane once, Domask was able to get the ball back on the wing and drain his first 3-pointer of the night to give the Salukis a 51-49 advantage with just over 30 seconds left to play.

“I’m happy for Marcus. He just made a play,” Mullins said. “He drove, he got cut off, and then he got the ball back and made a play. That’s what talented, winning players do.”

Domask missed the front end of a 1-and-1 situation giving the Bulldogs a chance to tie or win the game, but the Saluki defense did not let up as Penn missed a floater, and DeVries’ putback did not go. Domask iced the game with a pair of free throws to help the Salukis to their seventh-straight victory.

To go along with his 21 points, Domask also pulled down eight rebounds and dished out three assists in the win – his 14th multiple-assist game of the season.

Mullins continued: “To hold that team (Drake) to 19 points in the second half – that’s not easy to do with the players that they have.”

Center JD Muila controlled the defense for nearly 30 minutes of game action for the Salukis, finishing with a team-high 10 rebounds to go along with six points and a blocked shot. The Ottowa native corralled three rebounds on the offensive end and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field.

“JD (Muila) came back from break really motivated – wanting to play his best basketball moving forward and he’s put a lot of extra work in,” Mullins added. “I’m happy for him that the results are paying off. He does a great job for us defensively but he’s also doing a great job for us on the offensive end.”

Both SIU and Drake shot an identical 33.3 percent from the floor, but the difference came at the charity stripe as Southern went to the rim and cashed in 15-of-19 from the line.

Lance Jones dominated on the defensive end and added eight points and three steals in the win. Xavier Johnson scored eight while grabbing three rebounds.
The Salukis converted 13 of Drake’s turnovers into 13 points while also outscoring the Bulldogs in the paint 20-16.

DJ Wilkins led the Bulldogs with 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting while DeVries added 11.

UP NEXT
The Salukis will hit the road for their next two games starting on Saturday with Northern Iowa. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. from Cedar Falls with the game also airing on ESPN3.

FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Basketball, on Instagram at @SIU_Basketball, and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiAthletics. Fans can also download the “Salukis” Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has talked with Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper about the Panthers’ vacant head coach position, according to ESPN, though the conversation was not characterized as a formal interview. NFL Network previously reported that the Panthers as well as the Denver Broncos were interested in speaking to Harbaugh for their openings.

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The Chicago White Sox held Andrew Benintendi in high regard stretching back to his college days at Arkansas.

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