WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Jarace Walker had 15 points, including the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 4:27 left, and No. 3 Houston rallied to beat Wichita State 70-61. Marcus Sasser also scored 15 for the Cougars, who trailed by six midway through the second half. Jamal Shead added 13 points and seven assists. Five players scored in double digits to help Houston win its third straight since a one-point loss to Temple. Jaykwon Walton equaled his career high with 24 points for the Shockers.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes strolled through Arrowhead Stadium without any issues with his injured right ankle on Thursday, and the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback expects to practice fully in the next 10 days leading up to the Super Bowl. The injury news was not quite as clear-cut for other Chiefs leading up to the game against the Eagles. Wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kadarius Toney did not practice Thursday, while Mecole Hardman is likely out for the Super Bowl with his pelvis injury. L'Jarius Sneed also did not work out while he remains in the concussion protocol.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is ready for a big matchup in the Super Bowl. The Eagles can win their second Super Bowl in franchise history with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Hurts and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes are both Texas natives. They are both NFL MVP finalists. And they will be the first Black QBs to face off in a Super Bowl. The Chiefs beat the Eagles in October 2021 when Hurts threw for 387 yards and two touchdowns. Mahomes threw for five.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tom Brady’s future figures to be busy. The seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback’s retirement announcement ended speculation about if and where Brady might want to play next season, opening the door for numerous off-the-field endeavors that could occupy his time. The 45-year-old future Hall of Famer, who said Wednesday that he’s retiring for good, already has numerous commercial endorsements and an extensive business portfolio that includes the TB12 health and fitness company. Whatever Brady chooses to do one thing is certain, he has no shortage of career options after hanging up his football cleats.
UNDATED (AP) — The first Wednesday of February used to be the biggest day on the calendar for college football recruiting. Now it’s an afterthought. Whether that’s a good thing remains up for debate. There’s a movement afoot to alter the recruiting calendar and change the December signing period. The emergence of the transfer portal has made December a busier period than ever before for college programs. Nearly all prospects now finalize their college plans in December rather than waiting until the February signing period.
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — NFL prospects are facing the standard barrage of questions designed to probe their personality and attitude. They're less likely to get the outlier questions that players might find demeaning or embarrassing. It's a nod to the greater attention being paid to mental health concerns among athletes. The NFL warned teams in a memo last January that they could be forced to forfeit a draft pick between the first and fourth round and be fined a minimum of $150,000 for out-of-bounds questions, and individual club employees could also face fines or suspensions.
UNDATED (AP) — Southeastern Conference schools continue to rule over the recruiting trail, almost as thoroughly as they dominate on the field. Alabama put together the best 2023 class in the country, according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports. The SEC has eight of the top 17 classes, including Georgia at No. 2, LSU at No. 6 and Tennessee at No. 9. An SEC school has topped the team recruiting rankings every year since 2010, the first year for which the 247Sports Composite has data.
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Hank Lebioda knows as well as anyone about change, and not just the Pebble Beach weather. He's the leader after the opening round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Lebioda had an 8-under 63 at Monterey Peninsula. Because he played multiple-course rotations the last two weeks, this was his sixth different course in six rounds. But the real change was the weather. The cold and wind arrived without warning. The wind was bending flagsticks. Will Gordon was tied for the lead at Pebble Beach until he finished bogey-bogey-triple bogey in the wind. Lebioda leads by one over three players.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon has been charged in a warrant with pointing a gun at a woman and threatening her. Mixon faces a misdemeanor charge of aggravated menacing, according to documents filed Thursday in Hamilton County Municipal Court and obtained by The Associated Press. No attorney is listed for him in court records. According to the warrant, Mixon pointed the gun at the woman and told her, “You should be popped in the face. I should shoot you, the police (can’t) get me.” The incident occurred on Jan. 21, the day before the Bengals beat the Buffalo Bills in a divisional-round playoff game.
THURSDAY SCORES
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (3)Houston 70 Wichita St. 61
Final (5)Arizona 91 Oregon 76
Final (9)UCLA 70 Washington 61
Final (12)Gonzaga 88 Santa Clara 70
Final (18)Saint Mary's (Cal.) 68 San Francisco 59
Final UAB 86 (19)FAU 77
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final L.A. Lakers 112 Indiana 111
Final New York 106 Miami 104
Final Cleveland 128 Memphis 113
Final Chicago 114 Charlotte 98
Final Dallas 111 New Orleans 106
Final Denver 134 Golden State 117
Final Milwaukee 106 L.A. Clippers 105