KC Replay: Rough night for Mizzou, COVID uncertainty for Chiefs, remade soccer rosters
Only a win by the Mizzou women’s hoops team staved off an oh-for-three shutout for the Tigers’ sports teams on Wednesday. And talk about COVID turmoil — which we will, in a moment.
But first up in this week’s recap of recent sports headlines in and around Kansas City is a frustrating evening for Missouri.
Yep, it’s time for another KC Replay. You no doubt want to get back to playing with the awesome goodies you received for Christmas, so let’s get down to business.
Two blows for Tigers
Dubbing a game “Braggin’ Rights” implies that it carries not conference implications, but prestige and recruiting clout across the Show Me State, especially in St. Louis. Those stakes are just a couple of the reasons this annual showdown between MU and neighboring Illinois is the most important game on Mizzou’s men’s basketball schedule.
So losing 88-63 after trailing the Illini by as much as 37 in the second half is (and should be) beyond frustrating for the Tigers and their fanbase. One needed only scroll through Wednesday evening tweets for confirmation. League play has yet to begin, but it’s hard to imagine MU making the Big Dance after showings like this one or the Border War at Kansas.
The other hump-day gut punch for Mizzou faithful was dealt by Army. The service academy team that hadn’t beaten a Power Five opponent since 2017 did just that in Fort Worth, stunning MU 24-22 in the Armed Forces Bowl on a last-second field goal.
The team that somewhat redeemed this woebegone Wednesday? The MU women, who beat their Illinois counterparts 84-65 in Champaign. Aijha Blackwell scored 18 as Robin Pingeton’s Tigers finished the nonconference portion of their schedule 11-2.
COVID blows for Chiefs
What a week at 1 Arrowhead Drive. As many as 13 active-roster Chiefs were on the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 list as of Tuesday night.
A couple came off the list and returned to practice Wednesday, but doubt remains about the status of more than a few of these footballers headed into Sunday’s home matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. At the moment, the Chiefs have sole control of the AFC’s race for the No. 1 seed and accompanying first-round playoff bye. But that could change on Sunday.
After this weekend, the Chiefs will have just two regular-season games remaining. Win Sunday and they’d cement another AFC West title.
A wasted trip
So Bill Self’s Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team journeyed to Boulder, Colorado on Tuesday to play the Buffs. Didn’t happen: CU had COVID issues, so the game was canceled.
Self’s pragmatic assessment: “This is not an important game in the big scheme of things. I actually agree totally with the decision that was made. It was their doctors, our doctors, everybody.”
COVID played Grinch with K-State, too: A game that had been set for this Wednesday was yanked because the Wildcats’ opponent, Morgan State, was dealing with its own crush of COVID cases. As of late last week, KSU was searching for a stand-in foe for what was to be its final nonconference tuneup before Big 12 competition begins in the new year.
Soccer rosters reshuffled
Sporting KC’s offseason roster redo continued with a pair of notable moves: the signing of veteran left back Ben Sweat and return of Spanish midfielder Uri Rosell.
Sweat most recently played with fellow MLS club Austin, while Rosell, who helped Sporting win the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and 2013 MLS Cup championships, had been with Orlando most recently after spending a few years overseas.
The KC Current made their share of franchise-altering moves in the past week or so, too, drafting forward Elyse Bennett (first round, seventh overall selection), midfielder Chardonnay Curran (17th overall), KC native/defender Jenna Winebrenner (41st) and defender Izzy Rodriguez (43rd).
The city’s new women’s pro-soccer club also re-signed forward Kristen Hamilton and midfielder Lo LaBonta to contract extensions, sent midfielder Gaby Vincent to the Washington Spirit in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft, and bid farewell to three players: Mariana Larroquette (intends to retire), Katie Bowen (placed on waivers) and Michelle Maemone (placed on waivers).
