Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas has withdrawn from the Big 12 Tournament after a positive COVID-19 test within the men's basketball program. The decision sends No. 13 Texas into the championship game against No. 12 Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks learned earlier this week they would be without center David McCormack and backup forward Tristan Enaruna due to COVID-19 protocols. They were due to play the Longhorns in the semifinal round. Kansas had gone the entire season without an outbreak that caused it to cancel or postpone a game.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Luka Garza scored 24 points, Joe Wieskamp made two key baskets late and No. 5 Iowa fended off Wisconsin 62-57 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. The third-seeded Hawkeyes rallied from a six-point halftime deficit behind Garza. Their all-time leading scorer dominated inside, making 10 of 15 field goals and 4 of 5 free throws. Iowa advanced to face third-ranked Illinois in Saturday's semifinals. D'Mitrik Trice led Wisconsin with 19 points. The Badgers came into the tournament having lost five of six.
NEW YORK (AP) — Marcus Zegarowski made two key baskets in a decisive nine-point run late in the second half and No. 17 Creighton held Connecticut without a field goal over the final six minutes to beat the Huskies 59-56 in the Big East Tournament semifinals. The second-seeded Bluejays will play eighth-seeded Georgetown in the championship game Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. Down three in the final 20 seconds, UConn had three shots on its final possession. James Bouknight missed a 3 off the dribble, but UConn chased down the rebound. Bouknight then drove to the basket, but his scoop came up short. The Huskies batted out another rebound and Tyler Polley missed a wide-open 3 to tie with 5 seconds left.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Cade Cunningham scored 25 points, Avery Anderson III added 20 and No. 12 Oklahoma State was nearly perfect from the foul line down the stretch in beating second-ranked Baylor 83-74 in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals. Rondel Walker also had 11 points for the fifth-seeded Cowboys, who will play No. 13 Texas for the title Saturday night. The third-seeded Longhorns advanced earlier Friday when their semifinal against No. 11 Kansas was canceled because of a positive COVID-19 test that forced the Jayhawks to withdraw from the tournament. MaCio Teague scored 17 points for the Bears.
UNDATED (AP) — The precarious situation on the NCAA Tournament bubble could be what decides whether the deep Big Ten or the brutal Big 12 get the most teams into the 68-team field come Selection Sunday. Both of the leagues have seven teams that are assured a spot in the field, and that means Big Ten bubble teams Michigan State and Maryland could be the tiebreakers. Both need to hope bid-stealers such as Georgetown and Cincinnati lose this weekend.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Reilly Smith's overtime goal lifted Vegas to a 5-4 victory over the St. Louis Blues that snapped a two-game losing streak for the Golden Knights. Smith's power-play goal with 2:22 left in the extra period came off a one-timer from Jonathan Marchessault's pass. Mark Stone, Tomas Nosek, Alec Martinez and Marchessault also scored for Vegas. Marc-Andre Fleury made 19 saves after being removed from COVID-19 protocol due to a false positive. Vladimir Tarasenko and Zach Sanford each had a goal and an assist and Ryan O'Reilly also scored for the Blues. Jordan Binnington made 35 saves as St. Louis lost its third straight game in overtime.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Reserve JD Notae scored a season-high 27 points and No. 8 Arkansas overcame a 10-point deficit to beat Missouri 70-64 on Friday night to advance to the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals. The Razorbacks won their 12th straight SEC game. The second-seeded Razorbacks will play LSU in the semifinals Saturday, their fourth such berth since 2015. Justin Smith scored 16 points before fouling out for Arkansas, and Davonte Davis added 11. Xavier Pinson led Missouri with 14 points.
UNDATED (AP) — Nebraska has acknowledged it explored the possibility of backing out of its game at old rival Oklahoma this fall. The Huskers ultimately decided to go ahead with the game on Sept. 18 in Norman, Oklahoma. The game will mark the 50th anniversary of the Huskers' 35-31 win over the Sooners in the 1971 Game of the Century. Cornhuskers fans were upset after reports surfaced that Nebraska might drop the game. The two teams battled for decades in the Big Six and Big Eight conferences.
Update on the latest sports
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Positive COVID-19 tests derail Kansas, Virginia tourney runs
UNDATED (AP) — A pair of ranked men's basketball teams has pulled out of their conference tournaments due to COVID-19 concerns.
Eleventh-ranked Kansas had to drop out of Friday's Big 12 semifinal game against No. 13 Texas, and 16th-rated Virginia was forced out of its ACC semifinal contest with Georgia Tech. It comes one day after Duke said its season was over due to COVID-19 issues, knocking the Blue Devils out of the ACC quarterfinals.
The Jayhawks cite a positive test within the program, while the Cavaliers say a positive test, quarantining and contact tracing led to the cancellation of their game.
Both teams hope to be able to participate in the NCAA Tournament, which begins late next week.
The cancellations allowed Georgia Tech and 15th-ranked Texas to advance to their conference title games. The Yellow Jackets will face either 15th-ranked Florida State or North Carolina on Saturday. The Longhorns will play the winner of tonight's Oklahoma St.-Baylor game.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-BIG 12 TOURNAMENT
Cowboys oust Bears to reach B12 final
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It will be 12th-ranked Oklahoma State against No. 13 Texas in the Big 12 championship game.
The Cowboys have advanced by handing second-ranked Baylor its second loss of the season, 83-74. Cade Cunningham delivered 25 points and eight rebounds for OSU, while Avery Anderson added 20 points.
The Bears led 65-60 with about six minutes left until Cunningham hit back-to-back 3-pointers. Anderson made a free throw that put the Cowboys ahead to stay.
The Longhorns advanced when 11th-ranked Kansas had to pull out of the tournament due to COVID-19 concerns.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
Illini, Wolverines, Buckeyes advance
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Big Ten boasts of four teams ranked in the top-10 in The Associated Press poll, and all four have advanced to the conference tournament semifinals.
Third-ranked Illini had no trouble with Rutgers as Ayo Dosunmu scored 23 points in a 90-68 blowout. Dosunmu sank eight of 11 field-goal attempts, hit seven of nine at the line, had six assists and grabbed five rebounds.
Mike Smith scored 18 points and set a Big Ten Tournament record with 15 assists as fourth-ranked Michigan downed Maryland, 79-66. Tempers flared when Wolverines coach Juwan Howard got into a verbal confrontation with Terrapins coach Mark Turgeon. Howard had to be restrained and was ejected after receiving two quick technical fouls.
Fifth-ranked Iowa also advanced as Luka Garza scored 24 points and Joe Wieskamp made two key baskets late in a 62-57 win versus Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes rallied from a six-point halftime deficit behind, who made 10 of 15 field goals and 4 of 5 free throws.
Seth Towns scored six of his season-high 12 points in overtime, helping No. 9 Ohio State beat No. 21 Purdue 87-78. Duane Washington Jr. scored 20 points and EJ Liddell added 17 for Ohio State, which led by 18 at halftime.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-SEC TOURNAMENT
SEC semis set
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — It will be sixth-ranked Alabama taking on Tennessee and Arkansas versus LSU in the SEC semifinals.
The Crimson Tide blew out Mississippi State, 85-48 as Jahvon Quinerly scored 14 points off the bench and Jaden Shackelford added 13 points. The Tide followed a couple of small early runs with a 17-0 surge over five minutes for a 43-13 cushion just before halftime.
Tennessee advanced with a 78-66 decision over Florida as Santiago Vescovi scored 14 points to lead five Volunteers in double figures. Yves Pons nearly had a triple-double with 11 points, eight rebounds and nine blocked shots that tied the SEC tournament single-game record.
Reserve JD Notae scored a season-high 27 points and the Razorbacks overcame an early 10-point deficit to beat Missouri 70-64. Justin Smith scored 16 points before fouling out for Arkansas, and Davonte Davis added 11.
Trendon Watford scored 24 points, including a key tip with 23 seconds remaining as LSU escaped with a 76-73 triumph over Mississippi. Cameron Thomas added two late free throws for 18 points.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-ACC TOURNAMENT
Seminoles reach title game
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Florida State made sure that no ACC team appears in the tournament title game for only the second time in conference history.
Anthony Polite hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:06 left as the 15th-ranked Seminoles held off North Carolina 69-66 to advance to the final against Georgia Tech.
Balsa Koprivica had a career highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead FSU, which blew a 13-point lead, then rallied from five down midway through the second half to grind out a tough win that came down to the final seconds.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-BIG EAST TOURNAMENT
Ew better believe Georgetown is in the tourney final
NEW YORK (AP) — Patrick Ewing led the Knicks to two NBA Finals in Madison Square Garden as a player. He's just coached his alma mater to the Big East title game in the same venue.
Jamorko Pickett scored 19 points and Chudier Bile made big plays on both ends down the stretch to lead Georgetown to its first conference title game in 11 years, 66-58 over Seton Hall. Dante Harris added 15 points for the eighth-seeded Hoyas, who are making a surprising March run with three straight wins at the Garden after going 9-12 during the regular season.
Next up for Georgetown is No. 13 Creighton, which UConn without a field goal over the final six minutes of a 59-56 victory. Marcus Zegarowski had 14 points, including two big buckets down the stretch. Damien Jefferson led Creighton with 14 points and 12 rebound for the Bluejays, who trailed 53-48 with 5:44 left.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Embiid makes brief return
UNDATED (AP) — Joel Embiid returned to the Philadelphia 76ers' lineup, but he lasted about 2 ½ quarters before the tema completed a 127-101 romp over the Wizards.
Embiid scored 23 points and seven rebounds in his first game since being sidelined by contact tracing last weekend. However, he sustained a left knee injury and limped off the court. Sixers coach Doc Rivers says his center will undergo an MRI on Saturday.
Shake Milton scored 18 points off the bench for the Sixers, who led by 17 in the first quarter and cruised to their eighth win in 10 games.
Checking out Friday's other NBA action:
— Donovan Mitchell had 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Jazz dealt the Rockets their 15th consecutive loss, 114-99. Mike Conley added 20 points and Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 13 rebounds as the Jazz got back on track after dropping their final two games of the first half. The Rockets' slump is their longest since losing 15 straight in 2001.
— Kyle Kuzma scored 15 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, LeBron James added 18 points and 10 assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied late for a 105-100 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Montrezl Harrell had 17 points and Kuzma added 13 rebounds as the defending NBA champions returned from the All-Star break with just their fourth win in 11 games. Los Angeles trailed by 12 points early in the fourth quarter before Kuzma led a ferocious rally to keep the Pacers winless against the Lakers at Staples Center since November 2015.
— Nikola Jokic scored the Nuggets' final five points to help them close out a 103-102 victory over the Grizzlies. Jokic finished with 28 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists. Will Barton chipped in 21 points, including a 3-pointer than snapped a 95-all tie and put Denver ahead for good. Michael Porter Jr. also provided 21 points to help the Nuggets overcome a poor shooting night by Jamal Murray, who scored a season-high three points on 1 of 14 from the field.
— Jimmy Butler scored 28 points against his former team and Goran Dragic added 20 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter as the Heat won for the ninth time in 10 games, 101-90 versus the Bulls. Butler added eight assists and Dragic finished one point shy of his season high thanks to a huge surge down the stretch. The Heat improved to 20-18 after moving above .500 for the first time this season by beating Orlando on Thursday.
— Rudy Gay had 19 points, Dejounte Murray and Derrick White each added 17 and the San Antonio Spurs overcame a sluggish start to rip the short-handed Orlando Magic 104-77. The Spurs opened the AT&T Center to the public for the first time since beating Dallas on March 10, 2020. San Antonio held an opponent under 80 points for the first time since beating Golden State 89-75 on March 19, 2018. Nikola Vucevic had 26 points and nine rebounds for the Magic in their seventh straight loss.
— Brandon Ingram scored 28 points, Zion Williamson added 23 and the New Orleans Pelicans bounced back from a lopsided loss with a 116-82 rout of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Ingram played just 25 minutes and Williamson 18 because of the huge lead. Steven Adams had 10 points and 17 rebounds in his 21 minutes on the court.
NBA-CAVALIERS-INJURIES
Love, Nance back with Cavs
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Cleveland Cavaliers center Kevin Love and power forward Larry Nance Jr. were activated for Friday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Love played in just two games early this season and has missed 33 straight since injuring his right calf in late December. Nance has been out since breaking his left hand on Feb. 6, missing Cleveland's previous 12 games.
NBA-ROCKETS-TUCKER
Rockets say they're trying to trade P.J. Tucker
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Houston Rockets say they are attempting to trade disgruntled forward P.J. Tucker.
Tucker traveled with the Rockets to Sacramento for Thursday's game with the Kings but did not play and was on his way back to Houston before the game ended. The 35-year-old is in the final year of a $31.8 million, four-year deal. The veteran forward has been pushing for a trade for the past few weeks and had grown increasingly frustrated by the organization's apparent lack of attempts to make a deal happen.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Knights outlast Blues in OT
UNDATED (AP) — The Vegas Golden Knights needed overtime to halt a two-game skid.
Reilly Smith's goal at 2:22 of OT lifted Vegas to a 5-4 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Mark Stone, Tomas Nosek, Alec Martinez and Marchessault also scored for Vegas. Marc-Andre Fleury made 19 saves in his first game since being removed from COVID-19 protocol due to a false positive.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— Devan Dubnyk made 34 saves for his 33rd career shutout, Tomas Hertl had a goal and an assist in his return to San Jose's lineup and the Sharks dominated the Anaheim Ducks 6-0. The Sharks had 10 players with a goal or an assist as they won by six or more goals for the first time since an 8-2 thumping of Philadelphia in October 2018. Kevin Labanc had a goal and two assists in the win.
— Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist, Philipp Grubauer stopped 18 shots for his fourth shutout of the season and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Los Angeles Kings 2-0. Nathan MacKinnon also scored for the Avalanche, who held to recent form by continuing to pile up shots without getting many goals. Colorado had a 45-18 edge in shots.
— Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists and the Edmonton Oilers beat Ottawa 6-2 to sweep the three-game series and improve to 7-0 against the Senators this season. McDavid needed just 10 seconds after the opening faceoff to score his 17th of the season. McDavid pushed his NHL-leading points total to 51 in 29 games.
— Rookie Kirill Kaprizov recorded his first NHL hat trick and Cam Talbot made 25 saves for his first shutout of the season as the Minnesota Wild beat the Arizona Coyotes 4-0. Kaprizov snapped the scoreless tie 5:47 into the third period and added his second goal just over two minutes later for his first multi-goal game. The 23-year-old leads all NHL rookies in scoring this season and has helped Minnesota go 10-2-1 since Feb. 18, leading the NHL in wins, points and goals in that span.
NFL-NEWS
Brady signs extension, frees salary cap space for Buccaneers
UNDATED (AP) — Tom Brady has agreed to a contract extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that provides the Super Bowl champions with much-needed salary cap relief and will help the seven-time NFL champion reach a goal of playing until he's at least 45.
Brady posted a picture of himself on Twitter signing the extension Friday. The extension, confirmed by the team, frees about $19 million in salary cap space, a move that improves Tampa Bay's chances of returning as much of its championship roster as possible for 2021. Seven starters from the Super Bowl were among two dozen Buccaneers eligible to become free agents next week. Brady's extension adds an extra season on the two-year, $50 million contract he signed in free agency last March following a 20-year run with the New England Patriots.
In other NFL news:
—The San Francisco 49ers have locked up one of their key cornerbacks before the start of free agency by agreeing to a two-year contract with Emmanuel Moseley before he became a restricted free agent. A person familiar with the deal said on condition of anonymity that Moseley will earn up to $10.1 million under the contract.
—The Green Bay Packers have released tight end John Lovett. Lovett played eight games last season while making contributions on offense and special teams. He went on injured reserve Nov. 13 after hurting his knee in practice. He rushed for 6 yards on three carries and made four tackles on special teams. The Packers had claimed Lovett off waivers from the Kansas City Chiefs on Aug. 5.
— The Chicago Bears and punter Pat O'Donnell agreed Friday to a one-year contract extension for next season. A sixth-round draft pick by Chicago in 2014, O'Donnell holds franchise records for punting average and net average. His 181 punts inside the 20 rank second in team history to Brad Maynard's 284 and 12th among active NFL punters.
— The New England Patriots are completing an agreement to re-sign free-agent quarterback Cam Newton, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. The person tells The Associated Press that the one-year deal is worth close to $14 million. Newton signed with Patriots last June following his release from the Carolina Panthers after nine seasons. He had an up-and-down 2020 season in which he missed time after contracting COVID-19. The Patriots finished 7-9.
— The Jacksonville Jaguars have re-signed cornerback Tre Herndon, who would have become a restricted free agent at the start of the new league year Wednesday. An undrafted rookie from Vanderbilt, Herndon started 26 games over the past two seasons. Henderson has 144 tackles, 18 pass breakups and three interceptions in three seasons.
— B.J. Finney is back with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers signed him to a one-year contract a week after he was released by the Cincinnati Bengals. Finney spent his first five seasons in the NFL in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are in the midst of a significant reset along the offensive line. Nine-time Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey retired in February.
— The Buffalo Bills have agreed to sign offensive lineman Daryl Williams to a three-year contract, days before the starter was eligible to become a free agent. Williams started all 16 games during his first season in Buffalo. He signed a one-year deal with the Bills a year ago after spending his first five seasons with the Carolina Panthers.
— Right guard Trai Turner has been released by the Los Angeles Chargers, less than a year after he was acquired from Carolina in a trade. Turner was a five-time Pro Bowl selection with the Panthers but didn't have the same success with the Chargers, missing seven games last season because of injuries.
— Punter Michael Palardy has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. Palardy has a career average of 45.3 yards in six seasons, all with Carolina.
NCAA FOOTBALL RULES
NCAA rules panel recommends change to shorten overtime games
UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA Football Rules Committee is recommending a slight change to overtime rules.
It would require a team to try a two-point conversion after a touchdown when a game reaches the second overtime instead of the third. The committee also addressed the problem of teams faking injuries to slow the opponent's momentum and blocking below the waist. Changes must be approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel next month. The overtime recommendation was based on player safety and intended to reduce the number of plays it takes to win a game.
MLB-NEWS
Markakis ends big league career
UNDATED (AP) — Outfielder Nick Markakis has retired after 15 major league seasons.
Markakis told The Athletic in a story published Friday that he was done playing after accumulating 2,388 hits, earning his lone All-Star selection in 2018 and closing out his career in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series.
Markakis spent his first nine years with the Baltimore Orioles before moving to his hometown Atlanta Braves for his final six seasons.
The 37-year-old outfielder helped the Braves through a difficult rebuilding process that paid off with three straight NL East titles.
In other baseball news:
— The Atlanta Braves are planning to open Truist Park to about 13,500 fans to start the new season. The three-time reigning NL East champions will allow 33% capacity at their 41,084-seat stadium beginning with opening day against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 9.
— The Minnesota Twins have received approval for fans to return to their games this season. They can play at Target Field for now in front of a capacity of up to 10,000 people.
— The Baltimore Orioles will begin the season by hosting approximately 11,000 fans per game, or 25% of capacity of Camden Yards.