AP Sports SummaryBrief at 5:31 a.m. EST

Source: Man United does 'due diligence' on Pochettino becoming its next coach MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United is working on a potential deal to have U.S. men’s team coach Mauricio Pochettino to replace Michael Carrick, who is under pressure after a dismal start to the season. United is in 18th place in the Premier League standings after 10 rounds, the club’s worst start in the modern era. A source told The Associated Press that preparations to appoint Pochettino have been carried out as a matter of “due diligence.” Pochettino, who has coached in the Premier League before, is under contract with the U.S. team through the 2030 World Cup. Kirk Cousins returns to Minnesota, while Jonathan Taylor stays in Indianapolis Kirk Cousins is returning to Minnesota. Keenan Allen is heading to San Francisco. Josh Downs is going to Kansas City. Jonathan Taylor is staying in Indianapolis. The Colts’ decision to keep the three-time Pro Bowl running back was the biggest surprise Tuesday when several teams filled needs ahead of the trade deadline. Buffalo added safety Amani Hooker, Denver got linebacker Daiyan Henley, and Baltimore and Atlanta swapped offensive linemen. The Vikings turned to a familiar quarterback to try to rescue a woeful offense, acquiring Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders in a move that bolsters their chances in a competitive NFC North. Georgia nabs top spot in CFP rankings, while Notre Dame jumps ahead of Miami after beating 'Canes Georgia moved into the top spot in Tuesday night’s College Football Playoff rankings, while Notre Dame moved up six notches to No. 5 to leapfrog two spots ahead of Miami on the strength of its win over the Hurricanes last weekend. The second of the CFP’s six rankings reveals had its usual share of head-scratchers, starting with Indiana dropping five spots to No. 9 despite not playing last weekend. The rest of the 12-team bracket would include No. 2 Utah, No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 UCLA. Then, it was Texas at No. 6, Tennessee at 8, BYU at 10 and Kentucky at 11. No. 24 Boise State would get the last spot as the best team among the Group of Six. Skubal to meet with 6 teams, including Mets, Dodgers and Padres, with December lockout looming LAS VEGAS (AP) — With a lockout looming and team executives vowing to take a business-as-usual approach to the offseason, the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are among six teams set to meet with top free-agent pitcher Tarik Skubal. Skubal’s planned meetings were disclosed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because those details had not been announced. Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement is scheduled to expire at 11:59 p.m. EST on Dec. 1, and management is expected to immediately initiate the sport’s 10th work stoppage since 1972. Milwaukee's Pat Murphy first to win 3 straight Manager of Year awards. Will Venable takes AL honor Pat Murphy from first-time World Series champion Milwaukee is the NL Manager of the Year. He is the first skipper from either league to win the award three years in a row. The Brewers led the majors with a franchise-record 103 wins during the regular season, then in the playoffs swept the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series and beat Tampa Bay in a five-game World Series. Murphy, who turns 68 on Nov. 28, is hospitalized recovering from hip replacement surgery. Will Venable won AL Manager of the Year after his Chicago White Sox became the first major league team to reach the playoffs following consecutive 100-loss seasons. Vikings bring back QB Kirk Cousins in a trade with the Raiders to lift a struggling offense MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have reacquired quarterback Kirk Cousins to try to revive their sputtering offense. They beat the NFL trade deadline by sending their 2027 third-round draft pick to the Las Vegas Raiders. The deal created an opening for rookie Fernando Mendoza to take over with the Raiders and a spark for a Vikings team that started 6-0 but has been stuck in a quarterback quandary. The 38-year-old Cousins helped the Vikings win 13 games in 2022. His last game with the team came in October 2023, when he tore his Achilles tendon at Green Bay. Jaylen Brown gives Jayson Tatum the cold shoulder. Tatum gets hot hand in Celtics' win over 76ers PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum kept their distance during pregame warmups ahead of their game between the Celtics and the Sixers. This was their first meeting since Brown's surprising trade to Philadelphia over the summer. The former teammates, who won an NBA championship together in Boston, have a frosty personal relationship. Brown said Sunday in Chicago that there's nothing to talk about. Both players are focused on winning. Boston chose to keep Tatum, and Brown was traded to the Sixers for Paul George and draft picks. Sixers coach Nick Nurse said it would be interesting to see how the game plays out. Fears stars as No. 5 Michigan State knocks off No. 2 Duke 79-73 in Champions Classic CHICAGO (AP) — Jeremy Fears Jr. had 18 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds as No. 5 Michigan State shut down No. 2 Duke for a rugged 79-73 win. Playing coach Tom Izzo’s usual swarming, physical defense, Michigan State held Duke to 33.3% shooting from the field and forced 13 turnovers. Jordan Scott had six of the Spartans’ eight blocked shots and two of the team’s seven steals. Cam Ward added 14 points as Michigan State earned its first win against Duke since a 75-69 victory on Dec. 1, 2020. John Blackwell scored 17 points for Duke, and Patrick Ngongba II finished with 11. Kansas freshman Tyran Stokes calls matchup with Kentucky 'personal' CHICAGO (AP) — It came down to Kansas and Kentucky, and Tyran Stokes decided to join the Jayhawks. Then he showed the Wildcats exactly what they were missing. Stokes looked quite comfortable in the first big test of his freshman season, helping No. 15 Kansas to an 89-69 victory over No. 24 Kentucky. The 6-foot-8 guard had 23 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Hellebuyck says incidents 'more than online death threats' led him to ask the Jets to trade him WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Incidents that were “more than online death threats” cemented Connor Hellebuyck’s decision to ask for a trade from the Winnipeg Jets, he said Tuesday. Speaking to reporters there for the first time since being dealt to New Jersey on Oct. 23, the goaltender said his family experienced “a few moments that I don’t want to see happen again.” He added he wanted to keep the details of the incidents private. Hellebuyck said he still has fondness for Winnipeg, and he doesn’t want what happened to reflect on the city as a whole.