AP Sports

Giants beat the Colts but lost the coveted No. 1 draft pick

The New York Giants lost by winning. A rare victory — 45-33 over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday — knocked the Giants out of control for the coveted No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft. So much for Shedeur Sanders’ Giants-themed cleats unless New York trades up to get the Colorado quarterback. The Giants dropped from first to fourth in the draft order, with the Patriots moving up to No. 1. Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward won’t be around if New York has to settle for the fourth pick. That’s why Giants fans were angry after witnessing the team’s first win at MetLife Stadium this season.

NFC’s No. 1 seed comes down to Vikings-Lions showdown at Detroit in Week 18

The NFC’s No. 1 seed will come down to the final game of the regular season when the Detroit Lions host the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday night. The winner takes the NFC North and gets a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl. The loser becomes the No. 5 seed and must play on the road in the wild-card round. The Lions hold the tiebreaker if the teams enter with identical records and play to a tie. The Vikings held on for a 27-25 victory over the Green Bay Packers to set up the high-stakes showdown in Week 18.

LeBron James at 40: A milestone birthday arrives Monday for the NBA’s all-time scoring leader

When LeBron James broke another NBA record earlier this month, the one for most regular-season minutes played in a career, his Los Angeles Lakers teammates handled the moment in typical locker room fashion. They made fun of him. Dubbed The Kid from Akron, with a limitless future, James is now the 40-year-old from Los Angeles with wisps of gray in his beard, his milestone birthday coming Monday, one that will make him the first player in NBA history to play in his teens, 20s, 30s and 40s. He has stood and excelled in the spotlight his entire career.

Six former Florida State players suing coach Leonard Hamilton over failed NIL payments

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Six former Florida State basketball players are suing Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton and alleging he failed to make good on a promise to get each of them $250,000 in name, image and likeness compensation. Darin Green Jr., De’Ante Green, Cam’Ron Fletcher, Josh Nickelberry, Primo Spears and Jalen Warley filed suit in Leon County circuit court. The former players allege Hamilton promised them the money from his “business partners.” The lawsuit says they walked out of a practice last season over the missed payments and intended to boycott a game against Duke. The suit says they ended up playing amid a guarantee they would be paid but never were.

Tennessee remains No. 1 following quiet week in AP Top 25, No. 15 UCLA climbs 7 spots

Tennessee remains at No. 1 after a quiet holiday week in the AP Top 25. The Volunteers received 41 first-place votes from a 61-person media panel in the Associated Press men’s college poll. No. 2 Auburn had 20 first-place votes, with Iowa State, Duke and Alabama rounding out the top five. The Tigers gained ground on Tennessee’s No. 1 spot last week and did it again this week despite not playing, picking up eight additional first-place votes. The top 13 teams remained unchanged following a week in which 12 ranked teams didn’t play. No. 15 UCLA had the biggest jump, moving up seven places after outlasting No. 19 Gonzaga. Memphis was the only team to move into this week’s poll after beating Mississippi. San Diego State dropped out.

Auriemma ties VanDerveer for most appearances at one school in women’s AP Top 25; UCLA remains No. 1

UConn coach Geno Auriemma has moved into a tie with Tara VanDerveer for the most appearances with a single team in the women’s AP Top 25. Auriemma has now led UConn to 627 appearances in the poll in his 40 years at the school, matching VanDerveer’s mark at Stanford before her retirement. UCLA, South Carolina and Notre Dame remain the top three teams in the poll this week.

All smiles as Djokovic and Kyrgios treat crowd to flashy shots in doubles win

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Exchanging smiles, laughs and flashy shots, Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios have teamed up in doubles as they both returned to the court in preparation for the Australian Open. The two former Wimbledon final opponents reached the second round of the Brisbane International with a 6-4, 6-7 (4), 10-8 win against Alexander Erler and Andreas Mies. It was Kyrgios’ first match in 18 months due to wrist and knee injuries, while Djokovic missed the season-ending ATP Finals last month with an unspecified injury. They had the crowd on their feet several times at Pat Rafter Arena, including when Djokovic flicked an around-the-net backhand winner during the first set.

Riley Leonard’s passing game improvement key for Notre Dame in CFP quarterfinal against Georgia

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Riley Leonard’s improvement in the passing game will be a key part of seventh-seeded Notre Dame’s game plan against second-seeded Georgia in the College Football Playoffs. The Fighting Irish will play the Bulldogs on Wednesday in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Leonard has a 106.2 quarterback rating over his last four games compared to a 70.7 QB rating over his first four games. Leonard said building chemistry, trust and confidence with his receivers has been essential to his rising success. Leonard says “I think my relationship with those guys off the field is kind of the thing I’m most proud about.”

Chip Kelly returns to the Rose Bowl, this time as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator

The Rose Bowl between eighth-seeded Ohio State and top-seeded Oregon in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal has many subplots for Chip Kelly. The game in the venerable stadium is a homecoming for Kelly, who resigned from UCLA in February after six seasons to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator. With Kelly calling the plays, Ohio State is 11th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 36 points per game, and 32nd in total offense at 427.3 yards per game. Kelly also was Oregon’s head coach for four seasons and had a 46-7 record before leaving for the NFL in 2013. Kelly is winless in six games against the Ducks, including a 32-31 loss in Eugene in prime time Oct. 12.

Rising Sun Devils: Arizona State looks to pull off another big surprise at the Peach Bowl

ATLANTA (AP) — As they prepare for Arizona State’s biggest game in nearly three decades, the guys who made it happen aren’t the least bit surprised to be rated a nearly two-touchdown underdog in the College Football Playoff. That’s a familiar position for the Sun Devils. They’ve been an underdog most of the season. Of the eight teams still vying for a national championship, there’s no bigger surprise than 11-2 Arizona State. The Sun Devils went 3-9 a year ago and were picked to finish dead last in their first season in the Big 12 Conference. Now, they’re getting ready to face Texas in the Peach Bowl quarterfinal game on New Year’s Day.