Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Mike Miles Jr. had 19 points and six assists as TCU solidified its once-shaky NCAA Tournament resume by beating sixth-ranked Kansas 74-64. It was the Horned Frogs' second consecutive win over a top-10 team. TCU secured the game in a stretch when Miles made a strong move around KJ Adams Jr. for a layup, and then made a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 59-49 with 7:44 left. Kansas has consecutive losses for the first time this season. The Jayhawks went from a half-game lead to a half-game behind No. 3 Baylor in the Big 12 standings.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Bryce McGowens scored 26 points, Alonzo Verge Jr. had 13 points and 11 assists, and Nebraska beat No. 23 Ohio State 78-70. The Cornhuskers bested a ranked opponent for the first time under third-year coach Fred Hoiberg. He came in 0-23 against teams in the AP Top 25, and Nebraska was 0-24 overall since beating a ranked Maryland squad during the 2019 Big Ten Tournament. C.J. Wilcher added 15 points for the Huskers, who overcame a seven-point deficit in the first half and won their second straight game. E.J. Liddell had 27 points and 14 rebounds for Ohio State, and Malaki Branham scored 16 points.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Coach Dawn Staley and her top-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks have taken care of one goal by winning their sixth Southeastern Conference women's basketball regular season title. Now they're preparing for the next step. South Carolina comes to Music City looking for the Gamecocks' seventh SEC Tournament championship in eight seasons. It's an NCAA Tournament tune-up for a program trying to get back to the Final Four for a second straight year and a fifth overall appearance. No. 6 LSU is the biggest threat with coach Kim Mulkey having guided the Tigers to the largest turnaround in SEC history by a first-year coach. The tournament begins Wednesday.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Maryland controlled the road to the women's Big Ten Tournament title for seven straight seasons. The Terrapins won five titles and lost twice in the championship game. This week, they face a threat to their dominance. Five teams enter this week's tourney with Top 15 rankings, hopes of hosting NCAA Tournament games and the possibility of winning the most wide-open tourney in years.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — South Carolina's Aliyah Boston is the Southeastern Conference women's basketball player of the year. She has also been named the league's defensive player of the year for the third straight season. The top-ranked Gamecocks' star headlined the honors that were released Tuesday and voted on by the league's coaches. Her coach, Dawn Staley, won her fifth SEC coach of the year honor. Arkansas's Samara Spencer was named freshman of the year and Mississippi's Angel Baker was picked as sixth woman of the year. Georgia's Mikayla Coombs was named the top scholar-athlete. The first-team All-SEC list included Boston and South Carolina teammate Destanni Henderson.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Freshman Devin Carter had 17 points and eight rebounds, Jermaine Couisnard also scored 17 points with seven assists and South Carolina beat Missouri 73-69. South Carolina was ahead 51-40 with 9:56 left but only made two of its next 10 shots as Missouri got within 58-55 at 2:22. Carter ended South Carolina's three minute field-goal drought with a three-point play with 1:20 left for a 63-59 lead. Missouri turned it over late in the shot clock on its next possession and Couisnard sank two free throws at 38.6 for a six-point lead. Kobe Brown completed a three-point play with 16 seconds left to pull Missouri within 69-66, but Erik Stevenson sealed it with two free throws at the other end.
UNDATED (AP) — A new global supercross series has received backing from an Abu Dhabi-based wealth fund that should have SX Global up and running next year. Mubadala Capital announced a $50 million investment in Australia-based SX Global. The series plans five events next season between September and November of 2022. SX Global in 2023 expects to begin its season in June and complement the Monster Energy Supercross series. The U.S. indoor series runs through May, although most top American riders then shift to the AMA National Outdoor season. That means there will likely be conflicts for top riders, who are typically American.
Update on the latest sports
MLB-TALKS
Players reject 'best and final' offer, Opening day is canceled
JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — The upcoming Major League Baseball season just got a little shorter.
Commissioner Rob Manfred says the sport will lose regular-season games over a labor dispute for the first time in 27 years after acrimonious lockout talks collapsed in the hours before management's deadline.
Manfred said he is canceling the first two series of a season that was set to begin March 31, dropping the schedule from 162 games to likely 156 games at most.
Manfred said the league and union have not made plans for future negotiations with the lockout in its 90th day.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Celtics make it 10 wins in 12 games
UNDATED (AP) — The Boston Celtics have stayed hot by winning for the 10th time in 12 games.
Jayson Tatum had 33 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as the Celtics dumped the Hawks, 107-98. Derrick White and Grant Williams each added 18 points off the bench, while Marcus Smart finished with 16 points and four assists for Boston.
Atlanta led by as many as 17 points in the first half before that cushion evaporated in a 14-0 run by the Celtics to open the third quarter. The Celts outscored the Hawks 31-13 in the period to take a 82-78 edge in the fourth.
Checking out Tuesday's other NBA action:
— Karl-Anthony Towns had 39 points and nine rebounds as the Timberwolves coasted to a 129-114 victory over the sputtering Warriors in a potential playoff series preview. D'Angelo Russell pitched in 22 points and Malik Beasley added 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting from 3-point range for Minnesota. Steph Curry led Golden State with 34 points, but the league's all-time leading 3-point shooter went just 5 for 16 from long range.
— Luka Doncic (DAHN'-chihch) scored seven of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and Jalen Brunson added 22 points in the Mavericks' 109-104 downing of the Lakers. Dorian Finney-Smith had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Mavericks, who hung on for their eighth win in 10 games after blowing a huge early lead on the struggling Lakers.
— Scottie Barnes had 18 points and 10 rebounds as the Raptors beat the Nets for the second straight day, 109-108. Gary Trent Jr. scored 24 points for the Raptors, who were coming off a 133-97 blowout in Brooklyn.
— Ivica Zubac (ih-VEET'-sah ZOO'-bahts) had 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers in a 113-100 win over the Rockets. Los Angeles used a 40-point third quarter to take a 14-point lead entering the fourth. Marcus Morris added 18 points and Reggie Jackson had 17 to help the Clippers win their fourth consecutive game.
— Kyle Kuzma (KOOZ'-mah) scored 21 points and Thomas Bryant added 16 as the Wizards won their 14th straight home meeting with Detroit, 116-113. The Pistons erased a 12-point, fourth-quarter deficit before Washington scored the next six points, beginning with Kuzma's two free throws.
NBA-NEWS
Hornets get guard help
UNDATED (AP) — The sputtering Los Angeles Lakers have waived center DeAndre Jordan and signed veteran point guard D.J. Augustin and forward Wenyen Gabriel.
The Lakers also waived Sekou Doumbouya before Tuesday's home game against Dallas.
Jordan was a flop in his only season with the Lakers, who signed the 14-year veteran in September.
Elsewhere around the NBA:
— A person familiar with the situation says the Hornets have agreed to a 10-day contract with two-time former All-Star and veteran point guard Isaiah Thomas. The Hornets have been thin at point guard since trading Ish Smith to the Washington Wizards for forward/center Montrezl (MAHN'-trehz) Harrell.
— James Harden is set to make his home debut with the 76ers. Harden will be in the starting lineup when the 76ers play the Knicks on Wednesday night. Harden was the last Sixer off the court after practice Tuesday after his lengthy recovery from a left hamstring issue.
T25 MEN'S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE
Villanova wins Big East battle
UNDATED (AP) — Eleventh-ranked Villanova has won a potential matchup of the Big East title game.
The Wildcats completed a season sweep of No. 9 Providence by downing the Friars, 76-74. Caleb Daniels had a game-high 20 points for the Wildcats, who blew most of a 14-point lead before holding on at the foul line. Eric Dixon dropped in 15 points and Collin Gillespie 14 for Villanova.
Justin Minaya buried a 3-pointer with 32 seconds left that pulled Providence within 69-68. Jared Bynum had a team-high 19 points for the Big East regular-season champs.
Also on Tuesday's top-25 men's basketball schedule:
— Second-ranked Arizona clinched the Pac-12 regular-season title by building a 51-27 halftime lead in a 91-71 thrashing of No. 16 Southern Cal. Bennedict Mathurin (MATH'-uh-rihn) delivered 19 points and Kerr Kriisa (KREE'-sah) had 18 for the Wildcats.
— Mike Krzyzewski's (shuh-SHEHF'-skeez) final true road game with Duke is an 86-56 rout of Pittsburgh. Freshman guard Trevor Keels scored a career-high 27 points, Paolo Banchero added 21 and the fourth-ranked Blue Devils clinched at least a share of its 13th Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title under Krzyzewski.
— Mike Miles Jr. had 19 points and six assists as TCU earned its second consecutive win over a top-10 team, 74-64 over sixth-ranked Kansas. Miles hit a layup and a 3-pointer to put the 19-9 Horned Frogs ahead, 59-49 with 7:44 remaining. The Jayhawks have dropped consecutive games for the first time this season to fall a half-game behind Baylor in the Big 12 standings.
— Oscar Tshiebwe (SHEEB'-way) had a double-double and seventh-ranked Kentucky shot 60% in an 83-72 win over Mississippi. Tshiebwe had 18 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Sahvir Wheeler chipped in 16 points and TyTy Washington added 14 off the bench.
— Chucky Hepburn banked in a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left to give 10th-ranked Wisconsin a 70-67 victory over No. 8 Purdue, clinching a share of the Big Ten regular-season title for the Badgers. The freshman guard finished the night with a career-high 17 points.
— Josiah-Jordan James scored a career-high 23 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers that gave No. 13 Tennessee the lead for good in the second half of a 75-68 decision over Georgia. Kennedy Chandler had 16 points for the Vols, who 64-49 lead before allowing the Bulldogs to pull within four.
— Fabian White Jr. had a career-high 28 points plus 10 rebounds as 14th-ranked Houston clobbered Cincinnati, 71-53. Josh Carlton had 15 points and nine rebounds in the Cougars' fifth consecutive win.
— Bryce McGowens scored 26 points and Alonzo Verge Jr. added 13 points with 11 assists as Nebraska beat a ranked team for the first time in 25 tries, 78-70 against No. 23 Ohio State. C.J. Wilcher added 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting for the Huskers, who overcame a seven-point deficit in the first half and won their second straight game.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Bolts beat Sens, pass Panthers
UNDATED (AP) — The Tampa Bay Lightning are the new leaders in the NHL's Atlantic Division, sliding ahead of the Florida Panthers.
Brayden Point had a goal and three assists while the Lightning were scoring the last five goals in a 5-2 comeback over the Senators. Point has five goals and 11 points during a seven-game point streak, and has a goal in three straight games.
Steven Stamkos extended his goal streak to five games, his longest since 2019. Nikita Kucherov (KOO'-cheh-rahv), Corey Perry and Mikhail Sergachev (SUR'-gah-SHEHV') also scored for Tampa Bay.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— Andre Burakovsky (bur-ah-KAHV'-skee) scored the tiebreaking goal and had an assist as the Avalanche held off the Islanders, 5-3. Burakovsky's goal came 59 seconds after the Islanders had a go-ahead goal disallowed. Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog (LAN'-dehs-kahg) and Devon Toews (tayvz) also had goals for the Avalanche, and Darcy Kuemper (KEHM'-pur) made 28 saves.
— The Red Wings pulled out a 4-3 win over the Hurricanes on Lucas Raymond's power-play goal with eight seconds left on the clock in overtime. Michael Rasmussen and Dylan Larkin scored in regulation and Alex Nedeljkovic (neh-DEHL'-koh-vihch) made 27 saves in Detroit's first win in three games.
— Trevor Zegras (ZEE'-grahs) scored a power-play goal with 21.6 seconds remaining to give the Ducks a 4-3 win over the Bruins. Rickard Rakell (ra-KEHL'), Isac Lundestrom and Adam Henrique (hehn-REEK') tallied in the first period, and John Gibson made 31 saves for Anaheim.
— Matthew Tkachuk (kah-CHUHK') scored 72 seconds into the game and the streaking Flames beat Minnesota, 5-1. Andrew Mangiapane (MAHN'-jah-PAH'-nee), Elias Lindholm, Tyler Toffoli (tah-FOH'-lee) and Mikael Backlund also scored for the Flames, who have won 12 of 13.
— Reilly Smith scored twice and the Golden Knights stayed six points behind the Pacific Division-leading Flames by winning at San Jose, 3-1. The victory snapped a two-game skid for the Golden Knights and gave coach Peter DeBoer (deh-BOHR') his 500th career win.
— Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid combined for five points and and Mikko Koskinen (KAHS'-kih-nehn) made 39 saves to lead the Oilers to a 3-0 win over the Flyers. Draisaitl had a goal and two assists, and McDavid added a goal and a helper, leaving them tied for the league lead with 77 points.
— Boone Jenner and Patrik Laine (LY'-nay) both scored and had an assist as the Blue Jackets nipped the Devils, 4-3 to end a two-game skid. Jake Christiansen notched his first career goal and Elvis Merzlikins (murz-LEE'-kihns) stopped 30 shots in his 19th win.
— The Jets mowed down the Canadiens, 8-4 as Mark Scheifele scored twice and had an assist. Pierre-Luc Dubois also had a goal and two assists to help Winnipeg overcome Josh Anderson's hat trick.
NHL-BLACKHAWKS-GM
Davidson loses 'interim' GM tag
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks have hired Kyle Davidson as general manager, dropping his interim tag instead of going outside the floundering franchise for new leadership. The 33-year-old from Sudbury, Ontario, joined the Blackhawks in 2010 as an intern and also has worked as a video analyst, hockey operations manager and assistant GM.
Davidson was elevated to the interim job after Stan Bowman resigned in October in the wake of a report by an outside law firm that found the organization mishandled allegations that an assistant coach sexually assaulted a player in 2010.
NFL-COWBOYS-PRESCOTT SURGERY
Cowboys QB Prescott has surgery on non-throwing shoulder
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has undergone surgery on his non-throwing shoulder.
Coach Mike McCarthy says the postseason procedure was a clean up for an issue that isn't a concern. The coach says he expects Prescott to be available for offseason work. McCarthy says he didn't think the left shoulder bothered Prescott during the season.
It's the third surgery in 18 months for Prescott. The first two were to repair the compound fracture and dislocation of Prescott's right ankle in Week 5 of the 2020 season.
In other NFL news:
— The Bills are lobbying the NFL's competition committee to change the overtime rules for playoff games, a notion that is supported by Colts head coach Frank Reich (ryk). Bills general manager Brandon Beane says there are multiple proposals being discussed at this week's meetings and believes some changes could be coming though he declined to offer specifics. No decision is expected to be made at this week's annual scouting combine in Indianapolis.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-SPORTS
Russia excluded from skating, skiing in sporting sanctions
GENEVA (AP) — More and more sports are following the appeal of the International Olympic Committee and banning Russian athletes from competing in the wake of the country's invasion of Ukraine.
Russia was barred from competing in international ice skating, skiing, track, basketball and some tennis events a day after being kicked out of soccer competitions and hockey. The decisions follow the IOC's request to international sports federations to keep Russian athletes out of events they organize. The International Skating Union says no athletes from Russia or Belarus "shall be invited or allowed to participate" in events until further notice.
HORSE RACING-CHURCHILL DOWNS-BAFFERT LAWSUIT
Trainer Baffert sues over ban
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Bob Baffert has sued Churchill Downs and track leadership in federal court, seeking to overturn the Hall of Fame trainer's two-year suspension on grounds it violated his due process rights.
The historic track suspended Baffert last spring through 2023 and cited a recent spate of failed drug tests by his horses, including now-deceased colt Medina Spirit after he won the Kentucky Derby.
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