SPORTS HEADLINES

Bills fire coach Sean McDermott after 9 seasons of falling short of reaching the Super Bowl

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills have fired coach Sean McDermott after the team again failed to reach the Super Bowl in his nine seasons. The move came two days after the Bills were eliminated in a heart-wrenching 33-30 overtime loss at Denver in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Bills went 12-5 in the regular season and had their five-year run atop the AFC East end. McDermott transformed the franchise into a perennial winner, but was knocked for failing to make a Super Bowl appearance. Buffalo became the NFL’s first team to win a playoff round in six consecutive years but not reach the Super Bowl.

Stidham set to join Staubach, Reich and 4 other QBs to make first start of season in playoffs

Bo Nix’s broken ankle has placed Jarrett Stidham into most unusual territory. After throwing no passes and taking four offensive snaps all season, Stidham will now take over as starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos in the AFC title game against New England on Sunday. According to Sportradar, Stidham will be the seventh quarterback since starts began being tracked in 1950 to start a playoff game in a season when he didn’t start in the regular season.

Świątek overcomes rust to advance in Australian Open. Djokovic racks up more records

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Iga Świątek acknowledges she has room for improvement in her quest for an Australian Open title to complete a career Grand Slam. She needed more than two hours to beat Chinese qualifier Yuan Yue on Monday night. Novak Djokovic had no such trouble in the following match on Rod Laver Arena, closing Day 2 with his 100th win at Melbourne Park. He beat Pedro Martinez in straight sets in a match that marked the start of a record 21st Australian Open and 81st Grand Slam. A combined crowd of 101,696 fans flocked to Melbourne Park on Monday, surpassing the tournament record of 100,763 set a day earlier.

Miami and Indiana turned college football final into one of the toughest tickets in memory

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Take a long downtrodden team that happens to have the world’s largest alumni base and another playing a home game while in search of its first national title in 25 years and the math is simple. This is the toughest ticket in town. And, in fact, Monday night’s title game between Indiana and Miami will be among the most expensive tickets in college football history, with a get-in price topping $3,600. Indiana is trying to wrap up an undefeated season with the program’s first national title. Miami, playing in its home stadium, is looking to bring the first title back to “The U” since 2001.

NBA announces All-Star Game starters, with 1st version of U.S. vs. The World format now on its way

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, New York’s Jalen Brunson, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey, Boston’s Jaylen Brown and San San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama were announced as NBA All-Star starters Monday. The game is Feb. 15 in Inglewood, California. LeBron James wasn’t picked as a starter and his record streak of All-Star selections is now in some question. This is the first year the NBA will use a U.S. vs. The World mini-tournament format for the game.

Real Madrid, Chelsea return to Champions League with rookie coaches in season of firings

Real Madrid and Chelsea resume in the Champions League this week after the winter break with new coaches working in the competition for the first time. Job losses are a strong theme in a season where patience has run thin in the board room and 11 of the 36 Champions League clubs changed coach. Nine of the 11 were fired. Madrid hosts Monaco and Chelsea is at home to Pafos, with all four clubs having changed coach this season. There is more stability at Arsenal and Inter Milan which meet in a first versus sixth clash at San Siro.

Transfer QBs Mendoza, Beck headline college football’s biggest game and signify broader trend

MIAMI (AP) — The biggest game in college football is set to be decided by transfer quarterbacks for the second year in a row. Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Miami’s Carson Beck both joined their teams after successful stints elsewhere. This trend of transfer quarterbacks leading teams to championships is growing. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti emphasizes the need for immediate success, saying there’s no time to wait for development. Transfer quarterbacks like Joe Burrow and Stetson Bennett have previously found success. Cignetti has already lined up another transfer, Josh Hoover, to compete for the starting role next season.

Arizona a unanimous No. 1 for first time, Saint Louis and Miami of Ohio join AP Top 25

Arizona is the unanimous No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for the first time. The Wildcats received all 61 votes from a media panel in Monday’s poll. Arizona (18-0) won both of its games last week to remain among the three undefeated Division I teams. Iowa State dropped seven spots to No. 9 after their undefeated season ended. Nebraska moved up a spot to No. 7, its highest ranking ever. Saint Louis and Miami (Ohio) joined the poll, while Tennessee and Utah State dropped out. Kansas returned, giving the Big 12 Conference six ranked teams.

Iowa cracks top 10 in AP women’s basketball poll for first time in 2 years; UConn-South Carolina 1-2

Iowa moved into the top 10 for the first time in two years and UConn remained the unanimous No. 1 choice in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll. The Hawkeyes last were ranked this high in the final poll of Caitlin Clark’s senior year. They had been as high as 11th a few times this season and finally were able to crack the first 10. UConn received all 30 first-place ballots from a national media panel as the top six teams in the poll were unchanged from a week earlier. The Huskies have won 34 consecutive games dating back to last season. South Carolina and UCLA were next. Texas remained fourth despite falling at South Carolina 68-65 on Thursday. Vanderbilt and LSU followed the Longhorns.

Djokovic equals two all-time records and wins his 100th match at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic has equaled two all-time tennis records by starting his 21st Australian Open. He added another milestone Monday night with his 100th win at Melbourne Park. The 38-year-old Djokovic is now 100-10 at the Australian Open, where he’s won 10 titles. He also has won 102 matches at Wimbledon and 101 at Roland Garros. By starting his 21st Australian Open campaign, he equaled the tournament record held by Roger Federer. By starting his 81st Grand Slam tournament, he equaled another record that Federer shared with Feliciano Lopez. Djokovic showed signs of vintage form, with a running crosscourt forehand winner in the first set taking the adoring crowd at Rod Laver Arena back to his prime.