Liverpool might need to recreate the so-called "Miracle of Istanbul" if they are to qualify for next season's Champions League, but as bad as Jurgen Klopp's team have been in the Premier League in recent weeks, the flame of European glory continues to flicker this season after a 4-0 aggregate victory over RB Leipzig secured a place in the quarterfinals.

Second-half goals from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, four minutes apart, in Budapest's Ferenc Puskas Arena were enough to win Liverpool's "home" leg of this round of 16 tie, which has seen all 180 minutes played in the Hungarian capital due to COVID-19 travel restrictions forcing the two games to be staged outside of England and Germany.

- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- Champions League: When is the quarter and semifinal draw?

Despite a dismal run of domestic form that has led to Liverpool dropping to eighth in the Premier League, seven points adrift of the Champions League spots on the back of six successive league defeats at Anfield, Europe has once again been a sanctuary for the six-time Champions League winners.

But it now needs to offer Liverpool more than a welcome distraction from the embarrassing defence of their Premier League title. Realistically, winning the Champions League again is their best hope of playing in the competition again next season.

Back in 2005, Rafael Benitez's Liverpool finished fifth, outside the Champions League qualification positions, but famously went on to win the European Cup against AC Milan in Istanbul -- winning on penalties after trailing 3-0 at half-time -- to claim a place in the following season's tournament.

Although that Liverpool team possessed outstanding players such as Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Jamie Carragher, it was certainly not one of the greatest teams in the club's illustrious history. But it overcame the odds, and Juventus and Chelsea in the quarters and semis, to achieve one of the most memorable victories in Champions League history.

That this season's final is also in Istanbul, a year after the pandemic forced it to be moved for the Turkish city, will undoubtedly have many Liverpudlians believing that the omens are on their side. Liverpool also eliminated a German club -- Bayer Leverkusen -- at the round of 16 stage in 2005, so maybe the stars are beginning to align again.

But if we take away the romance and search for comparisons between now and 2005, is it legitimate to believe this Liverpool team can go all the way and win the Champions League for a seventh time this season?

Having reached the final in 2018 and 2019, winning it in 2019, Klopp's team certainly knows how to navigate the knockout stages. Klopp also took Liverpool to the 2016 Europa League final, so this group of players has pedigree in European competition.

But the injuries that have de-railed the defence of their Premier League title threaten to also compromise their Champions League bid.

Injuries have ravaged Klopp's squad and the loss of Virgil van Dijk to a season-ending knee injury has been the most damaging. Jordan Henderson's recent addition to the casualty list following groin surgery that will keep the midfielder and captain out until mid-April has been another huge blow.

Defensively, Liverpool have become a soft touch in the Premier League, but against Leipzig, they kept clean-sheets in both legs.

Whether they can manage that against one of Europe's more fearsome attacking sides remains to be seen, though.

Ozan Kabak and Nat Phillips kept Leipzig quiet in Budapest, but both players lack the experience and quality to do the same against Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain or Manchester City.

In midfield, at least, the return of Fabinho made Liverpool stronger against Leipzig. The Brazilian has been outstanding as a makeshift centre-half this season, but his energy and tenacity has been missed in midfield. If Klopp is able to keep Fabinho in his best position, then Liverpool may just be able to keep the best teams at bay.

If they can do that, Salah and Mane have shown they can score against any opposition in Europe, so Liverpool can still cling to the hope that they can go all way in the competition.

If they get a favourable tie in next week's quarterfinal draw, a route to Istanbul could open up, but the absence of fans inside Anfield will deny Liverpool one of their biggest assets on a European night.

And there is also the question mark over whether Klopp's depleted squad can stubbornly defend a lead, or keep it tight enough for 180 minutes, to overcome a stronger side. Benitez expertly marshalled his team to do just that, but there is the suspicion that Klopp's team is simply not built to contain and frustrate.

But despite all of their shortcomings and problems, Liverpool are still standing in the Champions League. They are into the last eight and can focus solely on getting to Istanbul because it is now the only way to save their season.

Liverpool may lack the depth to go all the way, but that didn't stop them in 2005. Maybe Istanbul is calling after all.

There will be no complaints from Eoin Morgan, irrespective of the conditions England encounter during the T20I series in India.

Morgan, England's limited-overs captain, accepts the tour is likely to prove "a challenge" for his players but, with a T20 World Cup to be played in India towards the end of the year, he knows it presents an excellent opportunity to gain experience in such conditions.

In particular, he is relishing the chance for his team to get to grips with playing on turning surfaces. All five matches in this series will be played on the Ahmedabad square which proved so helpful for spinners during the two Tests at the venue, so Morgan is anticipating - and welcoming - the prospect of low-scoring matches.

"We've been in great form in T20 cricket," Morgan said of his No.1-ranked side. "We've had some confidence along the way and picked up some serious wins over the last two years, which is great.

"But also we need to develop our game and go into a World Cup with as few weaknesses as possible. I think having the strongest squad available to us, which doesn't really happen that often, allows us to play around with any plans we might foresee using in the World Cup as well.

"I wouldn't say we're hoping for similar pitches to the Test series. I'd say [we're hoping for] turning pitches."

Morgan recalled England's experiences at the last World T20 in India in 2016, where his side progressed to the final in spite of an array of challenging surfaces along the way - not least in a close-fought contest at Delhi, where they survived a trial by Afghanistan's spinners to progress by 15 runs.

"Going back to the 2016 [T20] World Cup, we didn't necessarily play on big turners. There were some really, really low-scoring games - New Zealand turned over India and India and Afghanistan turned over West Indies on really dry surfaces - so depending on fixtures for the World Cup we want to go through that ourselves.

"We know when we play on a really flat surface, our batting department is equipped, our bowling department is still learning and it's more challenging the better the wicket we play on. But in low-scoring T20 games we do need to get better, so we're looking forward to the challenge.

"Day four or fay five [Test] pitches aren't going to be ideal playing a T20 game on, but a turning pitch like we witnessed in 2016 - where 120 plays 90; very low-scoring games in this day and age - it's an area we need more experience in because we've not played in a lot of games like that.

"Would we welcome the learning experience that extreme conditions could bring? Yes. It's not the sole purpose for being here, but we are going to use it that way.

"I think this tour is going to be a challenge for everybody - batting, bowling and fielding - but one that we're really looking forward to."

While Morgan is among those in the England squad to have suffered with sickness in recent days, he is hopeful of having a full squad from which to select ahead of the first game on Friday. That includes Jofra Archer, who had emerged as an injury worry with a recurrence of elbow pain in recent days.

"I wouldn't say I'm 100%, but I'm way better than I was five days ago," Morgan said. "And I am hopeful Jofra will be fit for the whole series. If the game was tomorrow he'd be fit. We obviously have two days of training to come through, but hopefully he's good.

"Obviously we're playing five games on the same ground. We don't know yet if we're playing on the same surfaces twice or a number of times. But I imagine our team selection will evolve as we see it.

"Game on game, if we think of anything that might arise down the line that we think is worth running through or simulating here, we'll do it. Everybody's available for selection."

Morgan also expressed his confidence in the bio-bubble put in place for the series in India, comparing it favourably with what he had witnessed in South Africa before Christmas when England abandoned their tour having lost faith in the integrity of the safety protocols.

"I think one thing we did learn [from the tour to South Africa] is probably that level of expectation, in terms of what was said would be achieved and the protocols adhered to, weren't necessarily monitored the whole time," he said. "So having a constant assessment of what is going on within the bubble and not taking for granted that things are being done [is important].

"Here and in Sri Lanka, from the feedback, everything is being done within everybody's power to try and restrict the number of cases. There's always been an instance where if there is a positive case, there is a way of dealing with it, where you can limit your exposure by being very diligent and disciplined.

"South Africa was a unique case. From the very first day the bubble was broken. They had a positive test and the guy had been integrating in their team and in our team. What followed, in terms of positive tests, there was a sense of inevitability about it."

Result summary

The Dolphins lost to the Lions in the domestic T20 competition final ten days ago but got their own back by ensuring the Lions are out of the running for the first-class trophy. The Dolphins registered an 86-run win at the Wanderers and stand a strong chance of qualifying for the competition's final. They lie second in Pool A, 1.16 points behind the Knights. The top team from the group will feature in a five-day end-of-season finale against the top team from Pool B.

Matters were evenly poised after the first innings before Keshav Maharaj turned things in the Dolphins favour, with bat and ball. The Dolphins posted 375 in their first innings, thanks to Eathan Bosch's 104 and 40s from Keegan Petersen, Marques Ackerman and Khaya Zondo, but the Lions matched them almost toe-to-toe with 362 in reply. Opener Ryan Rickelton scored the bulk of the Lions runs with 194 and Reeza Hendricks was the only other batsmen to score a half-century. Maharaj took 6 for 126 to rip through the Lions middle and lower order.

Then, Maharaj scored a 62-ball 89 to help the Dolphins recover from 96 for 5, thanks to incisive new ball bowling from Beuran Hendricks and Lutho Sipamla, and set the Lions a target of 249, with most of the final day to get it. Maharaj was in action again and studded the Lions second innings with wickets, taking 7 for 48, to finish the match with 13 wickets and give the Dolphins a convincing win. The Lions' innings featured three ducks, while two more batsmen failed to get into the double figures.

The other matches in this round were drawn; the game between the Cape Cobras and the Warriors in Cape Town was affected by rain, while the Titans and Knights involved in a high-scoring contest in Centurion.

Only 15 wickets fell in total at Newlands as the Cobras piled on 513 for 6, thanks to a career-best 216 not out from Kyle Verreynne and 107 from George Linde, who recorded his fourth first-class ton. Anrich Nortje, Glenton Stuurman and Tshepo Ntuli took two wickets each as the Warriors used nine bowlers in an effort to dismiss more Cobras' batsmen. In response, the Warriors were 259 for 9 with lower-order half-centuries from Ayabulela Gqamane and Marco Jansen saving their blushes. Had weather permitted, the Cobras may have been able to push for an innings win, but as things stand, they have not recorded a victory in their last 15 first-class games.

At SuperSport Park, the Knights took advantage when they bowled the Titans out for 263 on the first day. Neil Brand's 107 was the best resistance against rampant Migael Pretorius and Mbulelo Budaza, who shared seven wickets between them. Former Titan Farhaan Behardien then stuck it to his old team-mates with 142, and helped by half-centuries from Raynard van Tonder and Shaun von Berg, got the Knights 151 runs ahead. They declared on 414 for 9. But then, new Test captain Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram set the tone with an opening stand of 213. Elgar was dismissed for 90 but Markram went on to score a career-best 204 not out and hands were shaken soon after he reached the milestone.

The Titans are on top of Pool B and play the Lions in their final fixture. The Warriors lie 13.98 points and the Cobras 24.48 points behind, which leaves the possibility of any of these three teams reaching the final.

On the national radar

Runs for Markram and Elgar bode well for South Africa's opening stand although the Test team does not have any confirmed fixtures in the near future to take advantage of that form. If anything, Markram's solidifying of his spot at the top of the run-charts likely means that Pieter Malan and Sarel Erwee may not get much of a look in at Test level, especially as Raynard van Tonder continues to push for a call-up. van Tonder is second on the batsmen's list, 125 runs behind Markram, and has added a second fifty to the two hundreds he has already scored this season.

Verreynne's knock has also come at a crucial time. Faf du Plessis' retirement has left a hole in South Africa's middle order and Verreynne is one of the top contenders to fill it. His presence as a back-up wicketkeeper could come in handy, but as things stand, he is making a case to be picked as a batsman alone.

Few would have taken Maharaj's designs on the national captaincy seriously but he has proved his worth to South Africa's senior core with the way he has performed domestically. After leading the Dolphins to the T20 final, he has almost single-handedly kept them in the running for the first-class title. Maharaj's 26 wickets are two behind the leader von Berg but Maharaj has played two fewer games and his economy of 2.63 illustrates how miserly he has been.

Pretorius, who was part of South Africa's Test squad that played Sri Lanka, is the top seamer in the competition, with 24 wickets followed by Jansen, who went wicketless in this round. South Africa's bowling stocks appear healthy with all of Sipamla, Hendricks and Wiaan Mulder taking five wickets each in the Lions' match against the Dolphins and Sisanda Magala bowling 27 overs in the game is further proof of his commitment to full fitness.

Top Performers

Rickelton and Behardien's innings headlined this round for different reasons. Rickelton collected just 49 runs in seven innings in the T20 competition and appeared out of sorts but found form again with a big hundred on his home ground. Behardien, who is 37, made an important statement about the value of experience in the domestic game. South Africa are about to restructure the system and eliminate the franchise tier, a move that will see 75 cricketers lose their jobs, and the fear is that some of those will be players reaching the end of their careers. Behardien has proved why it would be unwise as not only do the stalwarts continue to churn out performances of quality but they set an example for younger players, which South African cricket needs.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore have signed uncapped New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Finn Allen as a like-for-like replacement for Josh Philippe who will miss the entire IPL 2021 for personal reasons.

Allen, who had initially found no takers in the auction last month, had listed his base price at INR 20 lakh - identical to that of Philippe who was snapped up by the Royal Challengers at the IPL 2020 auction. Like Philippe, Allen can open the batting and keep wickets if needed.

"The RCB management is disappointed to lose a player of Josh's calibre for this IPL season, but at the same time we fully understand, respect and support his decision of excluding himself from the tournament," the franchise said in a statement. "We had to select the next best option from the list of players registered for the IPL auction, at the same base price as Josh (20 lakh). We spent a great amount of time working through that potential list and have selected Finn Allen as a top-order batting replacement."

Allen, the 21-year-old Auckland batsman who had moved to Wellington ahead of this domestic season, had a bumper Super Smash 2020-21, his chart-topping 512 runs at a strike rate of almost 194 powering the Firebirds to the title. All up, Allen clattered 25 sixes in the tournament - the most by any player - and pulled off a variety of trick shots, including an outrageous switch-hit off New Zealand and Northern Knights' premier spinner Mitchell Santner.

A day out of the Super Smash final, Allen had no expectations of an IPL call-up although he conceded that featuring in the league would be a bit of a dream come true.

"For me, there are no expectations," Allen had told ESPNcricinfo. "It has kind of always been that way for me - I'm just going out there and enjoying what I am doing. Just trying to win the title for Wellington, and if more than that comes out of it, it would be awesome. Obviously going to the IPL would be pretty amazing - that's almost my dream for a long time now, so yeah hopefully get lucky and get picked up. But, obviously no expectations, and if it doesn't happen, there's always the future."

A day after lifting the Super Smash trophy, Allen made it to the New Zealand T20I squad although only as cover for senior opener Martin Guptill. After Guptill cleared his fitness test, Allen linked up with Wellington again and continued his stellar form with a maiden List A hundred. During his knock of 128 off 59 balls, he drew level with Peter Fulton for the fastest hundred (50 balls) by a New Zealander in the format as Wellington posted 427 for 8 - another New Zealand List A record.

RCB director of cricket Mike Hesson, who had closely followed the New Zealand domestic season, was impressed with Allen's ball-striking in the Super Smash.

"From a New Zealand point of view, once again I'm not so sure about Colin Munro right now," Hesson had told Ian Smith on Sky Sports NZ in February. "I think he has played a lot of cricket and once again you what he can do. You can bring him in if you need to. Finn Allen is the exciting one, isn't he? It's a matter of whether you can fit him in there…often players need to have a breakout season like that just to get their first opportunity before you find out that they're actually really good.

"And New Zealand has done that with (Devon) Conway - obviously he's been knocking on the door for a long time - and Will Young is another fine player who has had to bide his time. But, if we think back to when Martin Guptill made his debut - he was young and on the back of some really, really good domestic performances to the point where he needed that opportunity. And Finn Allen, for me, there's no better time to do it. He's been exceptional at the top of the order and once it's about who you going to leave out."

At RCB, Allen will now unite with Hesson and Kyle Jamieson, who was signed for INR 15 crore at the auction.

Allen's maiden IPL deal means he could potentially be unavailable for New Zealand's three-match T20I series at home against Bangladesh, starting on March 28. IPL 2021 is due to begin on April 9, with RCB scheduled to play their league fixtures in Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. The franchise's pre-season camp is already underway in Bengaluru.

All a team needs to play in this year's NCAA Tournament is five healthy players. How about a coach? The NCAA will get back to you on that.

The fluid nature of a March Madness played amid the coronavirus pandemic was spelled out Wednesday, hours before the NCAA selection committee began meeting to hash out a 68-team bracket that could remain in flux up until the games tip off next week.

In explaining a number of contingencies that could come into play if teams are exposed to COVID-19, NCAA senior VP of basketball Dan Gavitt said that as long as a team has five healthy players, it's good to go. And if that team's coaching staff gets decimated by the coronavirus?

"Honestly, it's probably something we should talk about as a committee," he said.

For months, the NCAA has been laying out protocols to ensure the tournament will go off in somewhat normal-looking fashion. The biggest change is that all 68 teams will descend on Indianapolis next week, and all games over 19 days will be played in and around the city.

Players will have their own rooms and teams will have their own floors at designated hotels throughout their stay in Indiana. Players and coaches will be subject to frequent virus testing and contact tracing. To augment that effort, when they're at practice and in games, players will wear devices that track their location and can keep track of people they've been in close proximity with _ helpful if one of those close contacts tests positive.

Two weeks ago, the NCAA released its policy about how and when teams that make the tournament might be replaced if they're struck by the virus. The bracket comes out during the usual reveal, on Sunday evening. After 6 p.m. Tuesday, teams that make the field cannot be replaced if they get sick, and their scheduled opponents would simply move on in the bracket.

But Gavitt acknowledged that as long as a team has five players, it can stick around for as long as it keeps winning.

"We decided if they had five players eligible and healthy," they could play, he said. "We wrestled with contingencies, and thought it was fairest for a team that earned its way, that even if it was compromised, they should have the opportunity to play rather than be replaced."

The task of constructing the bracket also has been greatly altered by the pandemic. Committee chairman Mitch Barnhart, the athletic director at Kentucky, said he was encouraged by the fact that all but six of the top 100 ranked teams had played at least 20 games this season. But he also acknowledged that very few teams' seasons have been "normal."

Just one example: Michigan heads into the Big Ten Tournament as the regular-season champion despite having fewer wins than an Illinois team that played more games. Michigan didn't play over a 22-day stretch in January and February.

"We're looking at player availability," Barnhart said. "We're looking at who's played games and missed games. We put another component on our monitoring sheet to take into account this unique circumstance."

Even with all the uncertainty, undefeated Gonzaga all but assured itself of the overall top seed with its come-from-behind victory over BYU in the West Coast Conference final Tuesday night.

Michigan, Baylor and Illinois appear to have the inside track on the other No. 1 seeds, while Duke and Kentucky head a longer-than-usual list of blueblood programs that struggled this season and need to win their conference tournaments this week to make March Madness.

ASHBURN, VA. -- When Washington Football Team coach Ron Rivera had a chance to talk with quarterback Alex Smith, who questioned the team's desire in August to have him around, Rivera used one phrase in particular: You were right.

He didn't say Smith was right about everything, but Rivera admitted that he was scared to play Smith and that he wasn't sure whether Smith would be able to play -- issues that led Smith to tell GQ Magazine that he wasn't in Washington's plans upon reporting for training camp.

Smith was released shortly after his conversation with Rivera last week, but Rivera agreed with his sentiment in the article.

"It was always in the back of my head, what if he gets hurt again? What if he hurts that leg again? I'll be the guy that put him back on the field to get him hurt again," Rivera said during a video conference call with reporters Wednesday, his first since Smith's release. "I struggled with that every day. That was tough."

Smith's release had been expected and wasn't impacted by his comments to GQ, according to multiple sources. In the article, Smith said he believed Washington didn't want him around. It was a new staff that was embarking on a rebuild, and a 36-year-old quarterback coming off 17 surgeries didn't fit their plan.

"They didn't see it, didn't want me there, didn't want me to be a part of it, didn't want me to be on the team, the roster, didn't want to give me a chance," Smith told the magazine. "Mind you, it was a whole new regime, they came in; I'm like the leftovers and I'm hurt and I'm this liability.

"Heck no, they didn't want me there. At that point, as you can imagine, everything I'd been through, I couldn't have cared less about all that. Whether you like it or not, I'm giving this a go at this point."

Eventually Smith persuaded the coaches to give him a chance in late August to show what he could do in a full-speed 11-on-11 session. He also had multiple talks with Rivera before final cuts about not placing him on injured reserve because he was no longer hurt.

"I felt like I still hadn't had my fair shake at that point," Smith told GQ. "I wanted to see if I could play quarterback and play football, and I feel like I hadn't been given that opportunity yet to find that out. It's like getting this close to the end line of a marathon and they're telling you that you can't finish the race. It's like, f--- that. I'm finishing this thing. At least I'm going to see if I can. So, I'm thankful we worked through all that stuff but no, it wasn't like open arms coming back after two years."

Rivera and Smith met for breakfast last week before Smith's release, and Rivera reacted publicly for the first time to those comments Wednesday.

"It was very positive," Rivera said of their meeting. "We both had a chance to see the other side and perspective. I don't disagree with a lot of things he said. They were fair. The biggest thing we talked about, there was no road map to get us to where we were. I told him exactly how I felt and how hard it was for us."

Rivera also said that on the day he was hired, Smith visited him at owner Dan Snyder's house. He was the first player to meet with Rivera. After talking to Smith, Rivera told Snyder that he reminded him of Thomas Davis Sr., the only pro athlete to return after tearing the same ACL three times.

"[Snyder] said, 'If he plays, I'm betting on the old guy,'" Rivera said. "Knowing Alex, he'll get an opportunity to play again. He'll do a great job with it."

Just days after Kansas parted ways with football coach Les Miles amid allegations of inappropriate behavior toward female students while he was the head coach at LSU, the university announced Wednesday that Jeff Long was stepping down as athletic director.

Long hired Miles as KU's coach in 2018. The two have a longstanding relationship going back to their days together at Michigan in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

In a statement, Long said he and Kansas chancellor Dr. Douglas Girod met on Tuesday night and agreed that it was in the best interest of the KU student-athletes and the program that Long step down as athletic director. Long said he leaves KU with "profound confidence that I have always acted in the best interests of Kansas Athletics."

Long added in his statement that the KU student-athletes have always been the priority and "this decision today is based on that very premise. ... It is clear that my continued service as the Director of Athletics would only serve as a distraction to the nearly 500 incredible young men and women in our athletics department, as well as to the outstanding coaches and staff who support them."

Girod, who praised Long for his service to the university, announced that longtime KU donor Kurt Watson would serve as interim athletic director. Girod said he would lead the process of finding a new athletic director with the assistance of a search firm and four alumni advisors, each of whom have experience in collegiate athletics: Linda Ellis Sims, Ray Evans, John Ballard and Wayne Simien.

Once the new AD is hired, Girod said that individual would then spearhead the search for the head football coach.

"I know the past week has been challenging for those of us who love Kansas Athletics, but I am heartened by the passion of our university community," Girod said in his statement. "Since becoming chancellor, I have spent countless hours with Jayhawks to hear their perspectives on KU. A common theme in these conversations is that we must strive for excellence in all areas, including athletics. As I have said many times, a successful athletics department is inextricably linked to our mission as a flagship research university. That perspective will serve us well as we identify our next leader of Kansas Athletics."

Kansas announced late Monday night that it had "mutually agreed to part ways" with Miles. Long said Tuesday that the university was unaware of any wrongdoing in Miles' past before hiring him as head coach in 2018. Miles was initially placed on administrative leave last Friday prior to Monday's announcement. He will be paid $1.99 million, according to Kansas, and had three years and about $8 million remaining on a five-year contract he signed in 2018.

Long said during his virtual news conference on Tuesday that he asked Miles directly during the interview process in 2018 if there was anything in the past that could potentially embarrass the university or the KU program.

"And he said no," Long said. "We also did our due diligence by talking to individuals within the LSU athletics department to see if there was anything we should be aware of regarding Coach Miles' tenure at LSU and received no indications of any issues."

Long said that in early February, Miles' camp made Kansas aware of a legal dispute in Louisiana but couldn't share information on it. Long said that he asked Miles if there was anything they should be concerned about from the reports, and Miles told him no.

"At that point we requested copies of all reports related to Les Miles while he was at LSU," Long said. "We were given a variety of reasons from Miles' legal counsel why they would not be provided to us. On Feb. 24 we learned some details of the allegations when The Advocate published its initial article followed by the USA Today article later that same day, that there had been a secret settlement and a sexual harassment investigation in 2013."

Last Thursday, a report released on behalf of LSU showed that a 2013 internal investigation at the school accused Miles of inappropriate behavior toward female students, including allegations he contacted some via Facebook and text, met them off campus alone and kissed at least one of them.

The report did not find he had sexual relationships with any of the women, and Miles strongly denied kissing the student, saying he didn't do anything wrong and that he was mentoring young women at the university.

The 67-year-old Miles was 3-18 in two seasons at Kansas, including an 0-9 record in 2020. The Jayhawks' only Big 12 win during Miles' two seasons in Lawrence came over Texas Tech in 2019. Kansas hasn't won more than three games in a season since 2009.

Miles guided LSU to a national title in 2007, and the Tigers played for a national championship on his watch in 2011.

Long was named Kansas' athletic director in 2018 after serving in that same capacity at Arkansas from 2008-17. One of Long's first big decisions at Kansas was firing David Beaty as head football coach and replacing him with Miles, who had been out of coaching for parts of three seasons. He was fired at LSU four games into the 2016 season after the Tigers started out 2-2.

Long, whose first stint as an AD was at Pittsburgh from 2003-07, served as the first chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee when he was appointed in 2013.

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart says he should be good to go when the Celtics begin the second half of their season in Brooklyn against the Nets on Thursday night.

"I feel great," said Smart, who has been out since suffering a calf strain against the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 30. "Today was the first day to really get out there and play 5-on-5 and get contact and really press it to the limit to see. It felt really good. It was hard to really do stuff over the break, 5-on-5, stuff like that. So today was the first time, and it felt great.

"So they cleared me and said if today went well, I'm most likely going to play tomorrow unless something changed. But as of right now, I will be playing in the game tomorrow," Smart said Wednesday.

A short time later, Celtics coach Brad Stevens did his best to walk back Smart's declaration somewhat, saying he still needs to talk to the training staff, as well as Smart, before he'll know whether one of the league's best perimeter defenders will be back to face former Celtic Kyrie Irving, former MVP James Harden and the rest of the Nets.

Assuming Smart does play against the Nets -- who should have Blake Griffin in uniform for the first time -- Stevens said he'd be held to a pretty strict minutes limit as he begins to work his way back into the lineup.

"He'll be low for a while," Stevens said, referring to Smart's minutes total. "I mean, I don't know what 'a while' means, but at least for a couple of games. I haven't talked to the training staff. I know Marcus just said he's playing, and I assumed he might, but I haven't talked to the training staff about any of that, or him. So we'll talk about that tonight and come up with a game plan."

Boston went 9-9 without Smart - although that record looks much better after the Celtics won their final four games heading into the All-Star break. And, while he was on the sidelines, Smart -- the team's emotional leader -- said that Boston was missing some of his trademark intensity, something he plans to fix right away.

"I think many factors went into our downfall, especially on the defensive end," Smart said. "Fatigue, for one. Not having all the players. I think for us, our starting group of me, Kemba [Walker], Jayson [Tatum] and Jaylen [Brown] only played, I think, 28 minutes together total over the course of the season. This season took a lot of bumps and bruises. Jayson was out with COVID. JB was out with the protocol. Kemba was injured. Romeo Langford is still out with his wrist and just not coming back.

"There's a lot of factors into it, but there's no excuse for you to go out there and not give the effort. I think these guys know it. I think they feel it, they understand it. Like I said, there are a lot of factors that go into it. At least we have the second half of the season to make up for it."

Speaking of Langford, who has yet to play this season after undergoing wrist surgery last year, Stevens said he would've been ready to make his season debut Thursday in Brooklyn, only to be held out of practice because of the NBA's health and safety protocols.

Stevens said that Langford was the only player who was in them after the break and that it was "unlikely" he would go to Brooklyn. There was no indication of how long Langford would be out beyond Thursday's game.

Had he been able to play, it would've marked the first time this season the Celtics would've had their full complement of players available.

There's a new MVP favorite as the NBA regular season prepares to resume.

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid overtook Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James last week and is now the consensus favorite to win the regular-season MVP award at sportsbooks around the nation. Embiid is listed at +200 to win MVP at Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill, followed by James at +225.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is next at +350, followed by Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (+1300), Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (+1400) and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (+1600).

Embiid opened at 40-1 to win MVP at Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill, but his odds steadily improved throughout the season as he put up big numbers. Embiid is averaging 30.2 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. He is on pace to join Curry as the only players to average 30 points on 50% shooting and 40% on 3-pointers in a season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He's also looking to become the first center to win MVP since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000.

Embiid has attracted nearly 20% of all MVP bets placed with FanDuel's sportsbook, while James has garnered the most money wagered.

James, a four-time regular-season MVP, emerged as the favorite to win his fifth award in late January. James saw his odds get as short as +160 entering March before being surpassed by Embiid.

The 76ers are in first place in the Eastern Conference but are expected to be without Embiid and Ben Simmons for Thursday's game against the Chicago Bulls due to league COVID-19 contact-tracing protocols.