Update on the latest sports
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-SCHEDULE
Playoff bound: Bama rolls No. 1 Georgia for SEC title; No. 3 Cincinnati claims AAC crown
UNDATED (AP) — Bryce Young stunningly carved up the nation's best defense, giving Nick Saban and Alabama a shot at another national championship.
Young threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide (No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings) rolled over No. 1 Georgia 41-24 in the Southeastern Conference championship game.
The result likely sends both powerhouse programs to the four-team College Football Playoff, which will be announced Sunday. Georgia cruised through the regular season with a 12-0 record, barely challenged and a unanimous choice as the nation's No. 1 team for the past two months. But the Bulldogs were blown away by Young's wizardry.
In other top 25 college football action:
— No. 2 Michigan captured its first Big Ten title in 17 years and a probable playoff berth with a 42-3 rout over No. 15 Iowa. Hassan Haskins broke open the game with a 4-yard TD run midway through the third quarter then sealed the victory by becoming the first Michigan running back to score 20 TDs in a single season on a 1-yard run early in the fourth. In the first quarter, quarterback Cade McNamara lateraled to running back Donavan Edwards and the freshman threw a perfect pass to a wide open Roman Wilson for a 75-yard score and a 14-0 lead.
— Cincinnati stands as the only remaining undefeated team in the AP top 25, after rolling past No. 16 Houston 35-20 to win the American Athletic Conference championship game. Jerome Ford rushed for 187 yards and two touchdowns and Desmond Ridder threw three touchdown passes as the No. 3 (CFP No. 4) Bearcats broke open a close game in the third quarter. Cincinnati firmed up their position as they hope to become the first non-Power 5 team to qualify for the College Football Playoff.
— Baylor has proven to be the killer of hope for fellow Big-12 teams with College Football playoff aspirations. The Bears defense held as Oklahoma State's Dezmon Jackson came up inches short on a desperate, fourth-down dive with 24 seconds remaining, as No. 9 Baylor beat the fifth-ranked Cowboys, 21-16, to win the Big 12 championship. Quarterback Blake Shapen threw three TDs, starting again for injured Gerry Bohanon.
— The No. 17 Panthers beat No. 18 Wake Forest 45-21 in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. Kenny Pickett accounted for three touchdowns and Erick Hallett II returned one of Pittsburgh's four interceptions for a touchdown.
— Utah State won its first Mountain West Conference title with a 46-13 rout of No. 19 San Diego State. Brandon Bowling caught two touchdown passes from Logan Bonner during the decisive third quarter as the Aggies improved to 10-3.
— No. 20 Louisiana-Lafayette capped off soon-to-be Florida coach Billy Napier's time with the Ragin' Cajuns by defeating Appalachian State 24-16 in the Sun Belt Conference championship game. Levi Lewis scored on a career-high 56-yard run and passed for another touchdown.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-PLAYOFF EXPANSION
Big 12's Bowlsby: CFP expansion for 2024 'in some jeopardy'
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby says expanding the College Football Playoff as soon as the 2024 season is "in some jeopardy" if an agreement on a new format cannot be reached soon.
Speaking to reporters before the Big 12 championship game, Bowlsby said expansion talks have slowed to the point where hope of implementing a new format before the current agreement ends after the 2025 season is waning.
In other college football news:
— Akron hired Oregon offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead as head coach, bringing back a former assistant for the Zips to take over a struggling program. Moorhead has been directing the Ducks' offense the last two seasons.
TOP 25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
No. 16 Alabama takes down No. 3 Gonzaga 91-82
UNDATED (AP) — No. 16 Alabama held off Gonzaga's big second-half rally for a 91-82 win over the third-ranked Bulldogs.
The Crimson Tide made 10 of their 13 3-pointers in the first half, led by Jaden Shackelford's sharp shooting from deep. Alabama led by 16 at halftime and withstood every charge the Bulldogs made in the second half to hand Gonzaga its second loss in three games.
In other top 25 college basketball action:
— LJ Cryer led five players in double figures with his 20 points, and fourth-ranked Baylor beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 99-54 on Saturday night. The Bears (8-0) led by 10 after a Kendall Brown layup with 14:14 left in the first half. The Golden Lions never got the margin back to single digits.
— Collin Gillespie scored 23 points to lead number-six Villanova to an 81-52 victory over Saint Joseph's. Justin Moore added 16 points and Eric Dixon had 12 for the 6-2 Wildcats. They won their 10th straight in a series dating to 1921 between Big Five rivals that are separated by just seven miles.
— Au'Diese Toney scored 18 points and JD Notae had 15 to lift No. 10 Arkansas past Little Rock 93-78. Arkansas had three other players score in double figures: Devo Davis with 16, Chris Lykes with 14 and Stanley Umude added 12.
— No. 12 BYU pulled away in the final 90 seconds to defeat Missouri State 74-68. Alex Barcello finished with 21 points, hitting a jumper and two free throws in a 10-2 surge at the end.
— Freshman Kennedy Chandler scored 16 of his season-high 28 points in the first half and No. 13 Tennessee pulled away from Colorado 69-54. Tennessee overcame a slow start to win its third straight.
— R.J. Cole scored 18 points to help No. 17 UConn rout Grambling State 88-59. The Huskies were playing without two injured starters.
— Jarkel Joyner scored 20 points and Mississippi converted 10 of 11 free throws in the final four minutes to defeat number-18 Memphis 67-63. The Rebels built a 62-51 lead on a jumper by Luis Rodriguez with 2:10 remaining.
— No. 19 Iowa State stayed unbeaten with a grinding 64-58 victory over Creighton. Caleb Grill scored a season-high 16 points, Izaiah Brockington had all 12 of his points in the second half.
— Chevez Goodwin sank a layup and the free throw with 16 seconds left to lift undefeated Southern California to a 63-61 victory over Washington State. Goodwin led No. 20 USC with 14 points and added five rebounds.
— K.D. Johnson scored 19 points, Jabari Smith added 17 points and seven rebounds and No. 21 Auburn blew past Yale 86-64. Johnson overcame an injury scare in the first half to lead the Tigers in scoring. I
— No. 22 Michigan State built a big lead early and defeated Toledo 81-68. Max Christie had 14 points, Gabe Brown scored 12 and Tyson Walker added 11 points and six assists for the Spartans, who are 7-2.
— Johnny Davis scored 25 points to lead four Wisconsin players in double figures as the number-23 Badgers downed in-state rival Marquette 89-76.
— Hunter Dickinson had 23 points and 14 rebounds, freshman Caleb Houstan scored a season-high 17 points and No. 24 Michigan beat San Diego State 72-58.
— Number-25 Seton Hall had a trio come off the bench and combine for 66 points and lead the Pirates to a 113-67 victory over Nyack.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Bulls beat Nets in Brooklyn
UNDATED (AP) — Zach LaVine scored 31 points, DeMar DeRozan had 29 and the Chicago Bulls beat the Brooklyn Nets 111-107.
The Bulls trailed by as many as 11 in the third quarter, but opened the fourth on a 13-4 run and took their biggest lead at 92-86 on DeRozan's short jumper with 7 minutes remaining. LaMarcus Aldridge's layup brought the Nets within 101-100, but they never got closer.
In other NBA action:
— Pat Connaughton made seven 3-pointers and scored 23 points, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Miami Heat 124-102 despite playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee led by as many as 31 points in the second half against a depleted Heat that was missing Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo due to injuries.
— The San Antonio Spurs held off a furious rally to beat the Golden State Warriors 112-107. Derrick White scored 25 points and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:43 left in the game to give the Spurs a 107-106 lead.
— The Boston Celtics rode a sizzling start to a 145-117 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Jayson Tatum and Dennis Schroder scored 31 points apiece and Enes Freedom grabbed 15 rebounds off the bench for the Celtics.
— Nikola Jokic scored 32 points and had 11 rebounds in just 27 minutes, leading the Denver Nuggets over the New York Knicks 113-99. Denver never trailed in winning for only the third time in 10 games.
— The Memphis Grizzlies beat the Dallas Mavericks 97-90. Desmond Bane scored a career-high 29 points, and Tyus Jones had 16 points and seven assists for the Grizzlies. They haven't trailed at all while going 4-0 since star guard and leading scorer Ja Morant was sidelined with a left knee sprain.
— Terrence Davis scored 23 of his 28 points in the second half and the Sacramento Kings beat the Los Angeles Clippers for the second time in four nights with a 104-99 victory.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Ovechkin nets 750th goal, Capitals top Columbus
UNDATED (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored his 20th goal of the season and the 750th of his NHL career to help the Washington Capitals beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1.
Ovechkin became the second-fastest player to reach the 750-goal mark and the fourth to score 20 or more in each of his first 17 seasons.
Ovechkin is now 16 goals behind Jaromir Jagr for third place on the career list.
In other NHL action:
— Sam Reinhart and Anton Lundell scored in the shootout, and the Florida Panthers continued their string of comebacks by rallying from three one-goal deficits to beat the St. Louis Blues 4-3. Maxim Mamin scored two goals and Reinhart added a goal in regulation for Florida, while Ville Husso made a 48 saves for the Blues.
— Kirill Kaprizov scored in the third round of a shootout and the Minnesota Wild beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 for their sixth straight win. Central Division-leading Minnesota has outscored its opponents 28-12 during the streak.
— The Tampa Bay Lighting bounced back after blowing a two-goal lead to beat the Boston Bruins 3-2. Boston outshot the Lightning 39-25, but Steven Stamkos scored the winner at 1:31 of overtime.
— The Carolina Hurricanes rode an early burst of offense to beat the Buffalo Sabres 6-2. Teuvo Teravainen scored two goals and Martin Necas, Ian Cole, Vincent Trocheck and Nino Niederreiter also scored as the Hurricanes snapped a season-worst three-game losing streak.
— The Islanders struggles continue as they fell to Detroit Red Wings, 4-3, for their 10th straight loss. Moritz Seider scored 3:33 into overtime for Detroit.
— Brady Tkachuk scored his second goal 51 seconds into overtime, giving the Ottawa Senators a 6-5 win over the Colorado Avalanche. The Senators won consecutive games for the first time this season.
— Filip Forsberg scored with 11.1 seconds remaining in overtime, giving the Nashville Predators a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Juuse Saros made 20 saves for Nashville, which has won two of its last three.
— The New York Rangers beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 for their sixth straight win. Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome each had a goal and two assists, and Adam Fox added a goal and an assist, while Alexandar Georgiev made 25 saves for New York.
— Jake Guentzel had a second period hat trick and added an assist as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-1. Guentzel scored two power-play goals after the Canucks had three players sent to the penalty box in quick succession.
NFL-STEELERS-WATT
Steelers LB T.J. Watt off COVID-19 list, eligible vs. Ravens
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have activated star linebacker T.J. Watt off the COVID-19 list, giving their beleaguered defense a boost before a visit by AFC North-leading Baltimore.
Watt's 12 1/2 sacks rank second in the league.
Elsewhere around the NFL:
— The New York Jets have released kicker Matt Ammendola and signed Alex Kessman from the practice squad. Ammendola was just 13 of 19 on field goal attempts this season, missing three of his last six.
NFL-OBIT-HUMPHREY
Football Hall of Famer Claude Humphrey dies as age 77
ATLANTA (AP) — Pro Football Hall of Famer Claude Humphrey has died at the age of 77.
Humphrey was one of the NFL's most fearsome pass rushers during the 1970s with the Atlanta Falcons, earning six Pro Bowl appearances. He also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, helping the 1980 team reach the Super Bowl.
GOLF-WORLD CHALLENGE
Morikawa pulls away in Bahamas, takes big step toward No. 1
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Collin Morikawa is one round away from reaching No. 1 in the world.
The British Open champion was relentless in the Hero World Challenge and posted the only bogey-free round of the week. His 64 staked him to a five-shot lead in the holiday exhibition in the Bahamas.
Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Hassan Haskins ran for two second-half touchdowns and broke a school record as No. 2 Michigan captured its first Big Ten title in 17 years and a probable playoff berth with a 42-3 rout over No. 15 Iowa. If the Wolverines make the four-team playoff it would be the first time a team was selected after being unranked in the preseason poll. Iowa lost in the championship game for the second time but it was never really close. The Wolverines also paid tribute to the victims of Tuesday's school shooting in Oxford, Michigan, by wearing a special patch.
WACO, Texas (AP) — NaLyssa Smith had her eighth consecutive double-double with 25 points and 17 rebounds, and fifth-ranked Baylor handed Missouri its first loss of the season. The Bears won 70-68 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday night. Missouri took its only lead on Haley Troup's 3-pointer with 7:11 left. The Tigers then went scoreless for nearly five minutes and Baylor scored 12 points in a row, including Smith's go-ahead three-point play. Aijha Blackwell had 20 points and 16 rebounds for Missouri before fouling out and Troup finished with 16 points. Both teams are 8-1.
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Sam Reinhart and Anton Lundell scored in a shootout, and the Florida Panthers continued their string of comebacks by rallying from three one-goal deficits to beat the St. Louis Blues 4-3. Maxim Mamin scored two goals, including a game-tying one with 2:34 left in regulation, and Reinhart added a goal for Florida. Lucas Carlsson and Anton Lundell each had two assists and Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves for the Panthers. Ville Husso made a career-best 48 saves for the Blues, who got goals from Brandon Saad, Logan Brown and Jake Walman. Ryan O'Reilly had two assists for St. Louis.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Caleb Grill scored a season-high 16 points, Izaiah Brockington had all 12 of his points in the second half and No. 19 Iowa State stayed unbeaten with a grinding 64-58 victory over Creighton. The Cyclones are 8-0 under first-year coach T.J. Otzelberger and an overhauled roster after going 2-22 last season. Ryan Hawkins scored a season-high 25 points to lead Creighton and Ryan Nembhard had 10. But the Bluejays (7-2) lost for the first time in 24 nonconference home games after committing 21 turnovers.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs have won 11 straight games against the Denver Broncos who are their onetime AFC West nemesis. And Kansas City coach Andy Reid's teams have won 19 of the 22 times they have played following a week off. But that doesn't mean the Broncos are going to go down without a fight Sunday night. They're in a logjam with the Chargers and Raiders a game back of the Chiefs in the division race and their primetime showdown at Arrowhead Stadium could suddenly thrust Denver into surprisingly solid playoff position. The Chiefs have won four straight while the Broncos have won three of four.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Trayce Jackson-Davis scored 14 points and Tamar Bates came off the bench to score a career-high 13, hitting a trio of 3-pointers as Indiana defeated Nebraska 68-55 to open the Big Ten season. Jackson-Davis scored 10 points in the second half when Indiana took control, adding seven rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals. Race Thompson scored 11 points with 11 rebounds, his third double-double this season and second in a row. Alonzo Verge, Jr. led Nebraska with 15 points, five rebounds and a season-low three assists. Bryce McGowens was held to eight points on 3-for-14 shooting, the first time he hasn't reached double figures in five games.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Alex Barcello scored 21 points, Te'Jon Lucas added 17 and No. 12 BYU pulled away in the final 90 seconds to defeat Missouri State 74-68. Trailing by 14 early in the second half the Bears clawed back and trailed 63-62 on a Gaige Prim layup with 1:38 to play. Barcello quickly responded with a jumper and had two free throws in a 7-0 burst and added another free throw as the surge became 10-2 and a 73-64 lead with 14 seconds left. Reserve Jaylen Minnett scored 19 for the Bears.
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP) — Eric Reed Jr. scored 26 points and Manny Patterson scored 14 with nine rebounds and Southeast Missouri State needed the second half to create safe space in a 76-64 win against Division III-level Webster. Reed's 3-pointer with 5:13 left gave the Redhawks their first double-digit lead at 66-54. Wynne Brown Jr. scored 26 points for Webster, Mark Moore added 12 and Karl Moore Jr. grabbed 12 rebounds.
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