Here is the latest Big 12 Conference sports news from The Associated Press
HONOLULU (AP) — Hunter Dickinson scored 17 points and grabbed 20 rebounds and No. 1 Kansas pulled away for a 69-60 victory over No. 7 Tennessee. The Jayhawks bounced back from a 14-point loss a day earlier to take third place in the Maui Invitational. Kevin McCullar Jr. had 14 points and KJ Adams Jr. added 13 for Kansas, which led by as many as 11 in the closing minutes. Tennessee's Santiago Vescovi hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to tie it at 49 with 12:44 to play, but Kansas answered with back-to-back buckets from Dickinson to pull ahead for good. Vescovi made five 3-pointers and finished with 21 points for the Vols, who have dropped their last two games.
NEW YORK (AP) — Ja'Kobe Walter scored 24 points and fellow freshman Yves Missi posted his first career double-double as No. 13 Baylor beat Oregon State 88-72 in the opening game of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Barclays Center. Baylor led the entire way and will face Florida in the championship game Friday evening, after the Gators topped Pittsburgh 86-71. The 7-foot Missi had 14 points and 14 rebounds. Jalen Bridges added 14 points for the Bears. Dexter Akanno scored 16 for the Beavers, and Jordan Pope had 13.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Arthur Kaluma scored 20 points, David N'Guessan added a double-double, and Kansas State routed Central Arkansas 100-55. K-State led 10-1 in the early going and 26-5 eight minutes into the game on the way to a 49-22 halftime lead. The Wildcats outshot the Bears 51%-18% in the first half. A 10-0 run by K-State put the game completely out of reach midway through the second half and the lead reached 45 on a layup by Macaleab Rich with about a minute remaining. N'Guessan had 11 points and 11 rebounds, Rich had 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench, and Dai Dai Ames scored 14, also off the bench for the Wildcats.
UNDATED (AP) — If this was next year and the College Football Playoff had already expanded from four teams to 12, games involving No. 13 Oklahoma, No. 12 Mississippi, No. 11 Penn State and No. 10 Missouri would be a lot more interesting. All four enter this rivalry weekend with a chance to earn an invite to a New Year's Six bowl, which is nice. But in 2024 they'd be jockeying for a playoff spot. For now, the stakes are more confined on rivalry weekend. Though the big games such as No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Michigan are undeniably bigger than they will be in a 12-team CFP.
UNDATED (AP) — It's rivalry week in college football. No game is bigger than No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Michigan for the Big Ten East title. The winner will be a heavy favorite against Iowa next week in the Big Ten championship game and in prime position for a College Football Playoff spot. No. 6 Oregon needs a win over No. 15 Oregon State to lock up a matchup with Washington in the Pac-12 championship game. No. 7 Texas will make the Big 12 title game and keep its playoff hopes alive if it beats Texas Tech.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Viktor Lakhin scored 15 points and John Newman III scored 12 points and Cincinnati routed Georgia Tech 89-54. Georgia Tech's Baye Ndongo made 1 of 2 foul shots with 2:43 left before halftime to bring the Yellow Jackets within 32-27. Cincinnati countered when Simas Lukosius made a 3-pointer 14 seconds later, and from there the Bearcats outscored Georgia Tech 23-8 over the next 7:30. Koawacie Reeves scored 14 points and Miles Kelly 12 for Georgia Tech.
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Eric Dixon scored 19 points, Justin Moore added 18 and Villanova beat Texas Tech 85-69 on Wednesday at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Villanova will take on No. 14 North Carolina in a semifinal Thursday while the Red Raiders will face Northern Iowa in the consolation bracket. Pop Isaacs scored 16 points, Joe Toussaint 15 and Devan Cambridge 11 for Texas Tech. Villanova took the lead for good a little over halfway through the first half, led by eight at halftime then fended off the Red Raiders, who were within single digits with seven minutes remaining. That's when Moore hit a long 3-pointer and the Wildcats went on to extend their lead to 17 with 2:11 remaining.
AP Sports Summary for November 23rd, 2023.
Edey's 28 points, 15 boards power No. 2 Purdue past No. 4 Marquette for Maui Invitational title
HONOLULU (AP) — Zach Edey had 28 points and 15 rebounds to carry No. 2 Purdue to a 78-75 win over No. 4 Marquette in the championship game of the Maui Invitational. The early-season matchup of undefeated teams did not disappoint in a tournament stacked with five programs ranked among the top 11 nationally. Edey, the reigning national Player of the Year, shot 11 of 19 from the field and led the Boilermakers to their first Maui Invitational title. His tip-in gave Purdue a 78-75 lead with 18 seconds remaining. Marquette had two chances to tie it, but 3-point attempts by Tyler Kolek and Kam Jones in the closing seconds failed to drop. Kolek had 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Jones added 17 points and five assists.
NFL disability program leaves retired Saints tight end hurting and angry
Former Saints tight end Boo Williams needs surgery, medicine and doctors to make the pain in his injured neck subside. But he can't afford any of it. The 44-year-old was recently awarded $5,000 a month by the NFL's disability benefit plan. But Williams tells The Associated Press the plan and the league have repeatedly mishandled his claims and should really have paid him $500,000 or more over the past 14 years. His story is not unlike those of dozens of retired players in similar positions, who spend their days picking through a web of lawyers, paperwork and bureaucracy in a fight against the NFL and a disability plan they argue is unfair and broken.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich chastises home fans for booing Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich grabbed the microphone and chastised the crowd at the Frost Bank Center, telling fans to stop booing former Spurs All-Star Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers. Leonard has been jeered by Spurs fans since he demanded a trade and was dealt from San Antonio to the Toronto Raptors on July 18, 2018. Fans booed as Leonard stood at the free throw line following a foul by Spurs forward Keldon Johnson with 3:08 remaining in the first half Wednesday. Popovich then walked over and grabbed the public address microphone. After an initial stunned silence, the crowd began booing even louder in response.
Tatum shakes off illness, helps Celtics slow Giannis and beat fellow East power Bucks 119-116
BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum shook off an illness to have 23 points and 11 rebounds, carrying the Boston Celtics over the Milwaukee Bucks 119-116 on Wednesday night in an early showdown of top Eastern Conference teams. Jaylen Brown had 26 points and eight assists for Boston, which improved the NBA's best record to 12-3. Kristaps Porzingis added 21 points and Derrick White scored 13. Brook Lopez led Milwaukee (10-5) with 28 points. Damian Lillard had 27 points, five rebounds and five assists, but Giannis Antetokounmpo was limited to 21 points after scoring at least 40 in his last two games.
Chris Paul ejected in return to Phoenix, adds to long-running feud with referee Scott Foster
PHOENIX (AP) — Chris Paul's return to Phoenix ended in the second quarter on Wednesday night after the 12-time All-Star was ejected by his old nemesis: referee Scott Foster. The Golden State Warriors guard and Foster have a long, acrimonious history, with the point guard complaining about Foster's officiating for years. Paul was ejected with 23.2 seconds left in the second quarter after earning quick back-to-back technicals for arguing with Foster.
Typical NFL also-rans surge toward playoff position in topsy-turvy season
The way this NFL season is going so far, there's a decent chance there could be a first-time Super Bowl participant for the first time since the 2008 season when Arizona became the 28th franchise to reach the big game. That left four franchises without a Super Bowl berth and all of them currently have winning records and are off to some of their best starts in years. Detroit, Cleveland, Jacksonville and Houston are currently in playoff position with a chance to end their droughts.
College Football Picks: What if there was a 12-team playoff this season? Triple the contenders
If this was next year and the College Football Playoff had already expanded from four teams to 12, games involving No. 13 Oklahoma, No. 12 Mississippi, No. 11 Penn State and No. 10 Missouri would be a lot more interesting. All four enter this rivalry weekend with a chance to earn an invite to a New Year's Six bowl, which is nice. But in 2024 they'd be jockeying for a playoff spot. For now, the stakes are more confined on rivalry weekend. Though the big games such as No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Michigan are undeniably bigger than they will be in a 12-team CFP.
Pro Picks: 3 favorites should have a feast in division matchups on Thanksgiving Day
These aren't the same old Detroit Lions everyone is used to watching on Thanksgiving. The Lions enter Thursday's game against the Green Bay Packers with their best record through 10 games since 1962. A turnaround that started with a 7-2 finish after a 1-6 start in 2022 carried over into this season and the Lions hold a 2 1/2 game lead over Minnesota in the NFC North. The Packers-Lions kick off a holiday football feast that features three divisional matchups. Dallas hosts Washington in the late afternoon game and San Francisco visits Seattle in the nightcap.
D-backs acquire 3B Eugenio Suárez from Mariners in exchange for two players
PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired slugger Eugenio Suárez on Wednesday from the Seattle Mariners in a trade for reliever Carlos Vargas and catcher Seby Zavala. The 32-year-old Suárez was a 2018 All-Star for the Cincinnati Reds. He has been a consistent power hitter for the past decade, slugging 246 homers since 2012. He fills a need for the D-backs at third base, which was manned mostly by Evan Longoria and Emmanuel Rivera last season.
UConn guard Azzi Fudd will miss the remainder of the season with a right knee injury
STORRS, Conn. (AP) — UConn guard Azzi Fudd will miss the remainder of the season with a noncontact knee injury she sustained last week during practice. The school announced Wednesday that Fudd tore the medial meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee. Coach Geno Auriemma said earlier that the injury happened when she came down after a jump shot on Nov. 14 in practice. The junior has had an injury-plagued career. She averaged 11 points in the two games she played this season for the No. 6 Huskies, a win over Dayton and a loss to No. 14 North Carolina State. The school said Wednesday that Fudd will have surgery at UConn Health at a "later date."
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Charlotte 117 Washington 114
Final Orlando 124 Denver 119
Final Miami 129 Cleveland 96
Final Boston 119 Milwaukee 116
Final Toronto 132 Indiana 131
Final OT Atlanta 147 Brooklyn 145
Final Minnesota 112 Philadelphia 99
Final Oklahoma City 116 Chicago 102
Final L.A. Clippers 109 San Antonio 102
Final New Orleans 117 Sacramento 112
Final Portland 121 Utah 105
Final Dallas 104 L.A. Lakers 101
Final Phoenix 123 Golden State 115
Final Houston 111 Memphis 91
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Detroit 4 New Jersey 0
Final Columbus 7 Chicago 3
Final Boston 3 Florida 1
Final OT Washington 4 Buffalo 3
Final OT Winnipeg 3 Tampa Bay 2
Final N-Y Rangers 1 Pittsburgh 0
Final Carolina 6 Edmonton 3
Final N-Y Islanders 3 Philadelphia 2
Final St. Louis 6 Arizona 5
Final Nashville 4 Calgary 2
Final OT Vegas 2 Dallas 1
Final Seattle 7 San Jose 1
Final Montreal 4 Anaheim 3
Final Colorado 5 Vancouver 2
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (1)Kansas 69 (7)Tennessee 60
Final (2)Purdue 78 (4)Marquette 75
Final (8)Creighton 88 Loyola Chicago 65
Final (13)Baylor 88 Oregon St. 72
Final (14)North Carolina 91 N. Iowa 69
Final (20)Arkansas 77 Stanford 74
Final (22)James Madison 95 Fresno St. 64
Final (24)Virginia 56 West Virginia 54
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Green Bay at Detroit 12:30 p.m.
Washington at Dallas 4:30 p.m.
San Francisco at Seattle 8:20 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
(12)Mississippi at Mississippi St. 7:30 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(21)Michigan St. at (3)Arizona 4 p.m.
Colorado St. at (8)Creighton 4 p.m.
Penn St. at (12)Texas A&M 12 p.m.
(14)North Carolina at Villanova 2:30 p.m.
(19)FAU at Butler 2:30 p.m.
Memphis at (20)Arkansas 5 p.m.
Seton Hall at (23)Southern Cal 5:30 p.m.
Final (11)Gonzaga 69 UCLA 65