UNDATED (AP) — Kansas center Udoka Azubuike is The Associated Press Big 12 player of the year. The 7-footer is the only player in the conference averaging a double-double. Azubuike and his Jayhawks teammate Devon Dotson are the only unanimous picks for the AP All-Big 12 first team released Tuesday. Baylor sophomore guard Jared Butler, TCU senior guard Desmond Bane and Oklahoma senior forward Kristian Doolittle are the other first-team selections. Scott Drew was picked as coach of the year after No. 5 Baylor set a Big 12 record winning 23 games in a row.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Top-ranked Kansas and fifth-ranked Baylor headline the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City this week. Both schools earned a first-round bye and won't get started until Thursday. The tournament begins with a doubleheader Wednesday night featuring TCU against Kansas State and Oklahoma State against Iowa State. The Cyclones have won four of the past six tournaments, though they have a big challenge this year. Texas Tech is back trying to break through at the Big 12 tourney, where the Red Raiders have struggled despite plenty of NCAA Tournament success the past two years.
UNDATED (AP) — Conference tournaments are likely to carry significant implications when it comes to seeding for the NCAA Tournament. Top-ranked Kansas could stamp itself as the heavy favorite to be the NCAA's No. 1 overall seed if it wins the Big 12 Tournament. Fourth-ranked Florida State is trying to follow its first Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title with a second tournament championship. The Big Ten Tournament features six ranked teams. The Big Ten, Southeastern, American Athletic and Atlantic-10 conferences run through Selection Sunday before crowning a champion.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma will unveil a statue of 2017 Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield during its spring game April 18. Coach Lincoln Riley says the statue will be unveiled inside Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium before being placed in the Heisman Park outside the stadium. Mayfield was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft and now is the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. During his Heisman season, he passed for 4,627 yards and 43 touchdowns with just six interceptions. He led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff.
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (AP) — Central Connecticut State's baseball team has declined to travel to Omaha, Nebraska, to play Creighton this weekend because of concerns about the coronavirus. The three-game series was supposed to be played Friday through Sunday. Central Connecticut State's athletic department says team schedules are being adjusted. Connecticut had several confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday.
National Headlines
NEW YORK (AP) — A person familiar with the deliberations told The Associated Press that if MLB can't play in front of fans at a team's home ballpark because of the outbreak, the sport's first preference likely would be to switch games to the visiting team's stadium if possible. The Mariners are scheduled to host the Rangers when MLB opens the season on March 26, but the Seattle area has been hit hard by the virus. MLB anticipates government officials will decide whether it is safe to play in front of fans in each city.
UNDATED (AP) — The deadline for applying franchise and transition tags to NFL free agents has been moved from tomorrow to Monday by the league and the players' union. The decision comes because the NFL Players Association's members are still voting on a proposed labor agreement the owners already have approved. That deadline was extended by two days to just before midnight on Saturday.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — The Ivy League is canceling its men's and women's basketball tournaments because of concerns about the spread of coronavirus. The four-team tournaments were scheduled to be played Friday through Sunday in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Ivy League says it will award its automatic NCAA Tournament bids to regular-season champions Princeton women and Yale men.
UNDATED (AP) — The Sharks and the NHL are still determining how to proceed with three scheduled home games in San Jose this month. Santa Clara County health officials have banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people in response to the spread of the coronavirus. The games could be moved to a neutral site, be postponed or played without fans in the arena.
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers and coach J.B. Bickerstaff have agreed to terms on a multi-year contract. Bickerstaff had been serving as an associate head coach under the 67-year-old John Beilein, who cited personal health issues as one of his reasons for stepping down after 54 games in his first NBA season. The Cavs are 5-6 under Bickerstaff.
Tuesday Scores
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (2)Gonzaga 84 Saint Mary's (Cal) 66
Atlantic Coast Conference
First Round
Pittsburgh 81, Wake Forest 72
North Carolina 78, Virginia Tech 56
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Boston 114 Indiana 111
Final Washington 122 New York 115
Final Houston 117 Minnesota 111
Final Chicago 108 Cleveland 103
Final San Antonio 119 Dallas 109
Final Orlando 120 Memphis 115
Final Portland 121 Phoenix 105
Final L.A. Clippers 131 Golden State 107
Final Brooklyn 104 L.A. Lakers 102