MANHATTAN, Kansas (AP) – K-State used a stellar defensive effort to split the season series with Kansas in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown with a 63-45 win on Wednesday night in Bramlage Coliseum. K-State has now won 38 of the last 48 meetings in the series. K-State (16-12, 5-10 Big 12) held Kansas (16-10, 6-9) to its lowest offensive output of the season with 45 points and a field goal percentage of 31.4 percent. The Wildcats were led on Wednesday night by sophomore guard Serena Sundell with a game-high 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting and 8-of-9 from the foul line. Over the last eight games, Sundell has scored 20 or more points four times.
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Anna Gret Asi capped Oklahoma State’s best 3-point shooting night of the season with a clutch, tightly contested shot in the final minute and the Cowgirls topped No. 20 Iowa State 73-68 in a showdown for third place in the Big 12 Conference. Asi made the score 71-66 as the shot clock expired with 49 seconds to play, making Oklahoma State 8 of 12 behind the line. The Cyclones had a chance to tie the game but air-balled a 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds to play and then had to foul three times before sending the Cowgirls to the line. Lexy Keys wrapped it up with .4 to go. Terryn Milton scored 15 points to lead OSU, which has won six straight. Ashley Joens scored 20 points for the Cyclones to move into 18th place on the NCAA scoring list with 2,880 points
UNDATED (AP) — Rodney Terry had minimal notice at Texas, but hasn't missed a beat. Informed only hours before Texas played Rice that he was the Longhorns interim coach, he's guided them to a No. 8 ranking. And he's not the only coach excelling in his first year at a new program. From Kevin Willard at Maryland and Jerome Tang at Kansas Sate, new coaches are turning programs around quickly. Add Sean Miller at Xavier, Chris Jans at Mississippi State and Dennis Gates at Missouri, and the first-year coach of the year contest is intense.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Alabama standout freshman Brandon Miller was in the starting lineup and scored a career-high 41 points in a win over South Carolina on Wednesday night, hours after the university said he’d remain an “active member” of the No. 2-ranked Crimson Tide and is not considered a suspect in a fatal shooting that took place near campus in mid-January. Alabama’s support for the Miller, one of college basketball’s top players, made little difference to Gamecock fans at Colonial Life Arena, who focused on the 6-foot-9 forward even before the Southeastern Conference game started. The crowd booed each time Miller touched the ball. Members of the student section chanted, “Lock him up,” and “Guilty!” several times as Miller played.
PHOENIX (AP) — One of MLB’s most visible rule changes for 2023 is a sizable curtailing of infield shifts. The practice had grown exponentially over the past several years and has been partially blamed for a steady league-wide decline in batting average. The new rule states that all four infielders must have both feet within the outer boundary of the infield — and two infielders must be on each side of second base — when the pitch is delivered. MLB has also mandated that the infield dirt cutout have uniform dimensions in all 30 ballparks. The outfield edge of the dirt must be 95 feet from the front of the pitching rubber.
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — Carlos Beltrán refused to discuss his role in the Houston Astros cheating scandal, preferring to concentrate on his new role with the New York Mets. Beltrán was hired by the Mets in November 2019 to replace Mickey Callaway as manager. But the team announced Beltrán’s departure the following January without him managing a game. Beltrán’s departure was announced three days after he was the only Astros player mentioned by name in Major League Baseball’s report that concluded that Houston broke rules by using electronics to steal signs en route to the 2017 World Series title.
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Someone will be getting a big check this week at the Honda Classic. And then someone will be writing a big check to take over the Honda Classic. It’s expected that there will be a tournament at PGA National in 2024 and beyond, but this weekend will mark the last time someone wins the Honda. The automaker’s 42-year sponsorship ends with this PGA Tour event. Potential successors will be in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, to decide if they want to buy the naming rights. Only three of the game's top 20-ranked players are in the field this week.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, and Marcus Mariota will be part of a Netflix documentary series debuting this summer. “Quarterback” is the first partnership between the league and the streaming service. NFL Films, Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions and Mahomes’ 2PM Productions will produce the series. The series followed Mahomes, Cousins, and Mariota throughout the past season. It also marked the first time the NFL allowed quarterbacks to be mic’d up for every game. Wednesday’s announcement is part of a busy start to the year for Netflix with sports docuseries. The fifth season of the popular “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” franchise launches on Friday.
WEDNESDAY SCORES
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (1)Houston 89 Tulane 59
Final (2)Alabama 78 South Carolina 76
Final Boston College 63 (6)Virginia 48
Final (18)UConn 87 (20)Providence 69
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final N-Y Islanders 2 Winnipeg 1
Final Calgary 6 Arizona 3
Final Chicago 4 Dallas 3