Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
UNDATED (AP) — The Big 12's best team this season meets the league's best — and the nation's best, for that matter — from last season when No. 5 Kansas heads to No. 10 Baylor on Saturday night. The Jayhawks can essentially put away the Bears in the race for the regular-season title with a season sweep of the defending national champions. Texas Tech is also trying to stay alive in the race for the No. 1 seed when it plays TCU on Saturday night.
UNDATED (AP) — The game of the weekend in the Big Ten matches No. 13 Wisconsin against Rutgers in Piscataway, New Jersey, on Saturday. The Badgers hope to avenge their Feb. 12 loss to the Scarlet Knights to set up a Tuesday home game against No. 4 Purdue that could decide the top seed in the conference tournament. Rutgers could use a win to help its NCAA Tournament hopes. The featured women's game has No. 6 Michigan visiting No. 21 Iowa on Sunday. Iowa star Caitlin Clark scored a career-high 46 points in a 98-90 loss at Ann Arbor on Feb. 6.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg will return for a fourth season but has agreed to a pay cut and a reduced buyout if he's fired after next season. Athletic Director Trev Alberts made the announcement on Thursday night. Hoiberg is 21-65 overall and 6-49 in the Big Ten entering a home game against No. 25 Iowa on Friday. The Huskers are 7-20 this season, with just one win in Big Ten play. Hoiberg's salary will be reduced to $3.25 million from $3.50 million, and he will forfeit a $500,000 retention bonus. His contract buyout was reduced from $18.5 million to $11 million.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Caitlin Clark scored 16 of her 32 points in the fourth quarter and No. 21 Iowa held off Rutgers 87-78. The Hawkeyes had a 15-point lead late in the second quarter and took a 62-54 lead into the fourth quarter. Shug Dickson's second-straight jumper with a minute left made it 81-78. Clark found McKenna Warnock inside to make it 83-78 with 37.4 seconds to play. Rutgers then missed three shots on its next possession. Clark made two free throws with 10.4 to go, stole the ball and made two more from the line. Czinano finished with 23 points on 10-of-11 shooting and Warnock hit five 3-pointers and scored 19 points for the Hawkeyes. Dickson had 19 points for Rutgers.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Creighton freshman Ryan Nembhard will miss the rest of the season after injuring his right wrist. Nembhard was hurt when he collided with St. John's Posh Alexander during the Bluejays' 81-78 win Wednesday night. Nembhard will require surgery. He started all 27 games for the Bluejays and averaged more than 11 points and four assists.
Update on the latest sports
NBA-SCHEDULE
Suns win again
UNDATED (AP) — The Phoenix Suns have extended their latest winning streak.
Devin Booker had 25 points, 12 assists and a career-high six steals to help the NBA leaders beat the Thunder 124-104. Booker played point guard with All-Star Chris Paul out with a fractured right thumb. Booker finished with a season-high assist total.
Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges each added 21 points for the Suns, who have won eight straight and 19 of 20 to improve to 49-10.
Checking out Thursday's other NBA games:
— The Warriors clobbered the Trail Blazers, 132-95 as Stephen Curry had 18 points and 14 assists. Klay Thompson also had 18 points for Golden State, which dropped four of five just before the All-Star break. The Warriors led by 37 points in the second half and rested their starters in the fourth quarter.
— Nikola Jokic (nih-KOH'-lah YOH'-kihch) had 25 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists for the Nuggets in a 128-110 victory against the Kings. Jokic had eight points in the fourth quarter and fed Monte Morris for a layup that extended Denver's lead to 116-100. Will Barton dropped in 31 points in the Nuggets' fourth win in a row.
— DeMar DeRozan scored 37 points and the Eastern Conference-leading Bulls squeezed by the Hawks, 112-108. DeRozan pushed his league-record of scoring at least 35 points while shooting 50% or better to eight consecutive games. The five-time All-Star made 15 of 21 shots and had five points in the final minute, helping the Bulls pull out their sixth straight victory.
— D'Angelo Russell had 23 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, including a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:23 left in the Timberwolves' 119-114 victory against the Grizzlies. Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 11 rebounds and Malik Beasley had 17 points on 5-for-7 shooting from 3-point range for Minnesota. Memphis All-Star Ja (jah) Morant was not at full strength after getting hurt in the third quarter, finishing with 20 points despite shooting 7 for 25.
— Cade Cunningham hit four free throws in the final 46 seconds to lead the Pistons to a 106-103 victory over the Cavaliers. Lauri Markkanen split two free throws to put the Cavaliers up 103-102 with 1:01 to play before Cunningham made a pair to put Detroit back in front. Hamidou Diallo led Detroit with 21 points and Cunningham added 17.
— Jayson Tatum dropped in 30 points and the Celtics routed the Nets for the second time this month, 129-106. Jaylen Brown added 18 points and Marcus Smart had 15 in Boston's 10th win in 11 games. Seth Curry scored 22 points and Bruce Brown had 15 as Brooklyn lost for the 13th time in 15 games.
T25 MEN'S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE
Zags beat Dons again to stretch win streak
UNDATED (AP) — Top-ranked Gonzaga has run its winning streak to 17 games.
Chet Holmgren had 21 points and 15 rebounds as the Bulldogs beat San Francisco, 89-73. Drew Timme (TIH'-mee) just missed a triple-double with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Julian Strawther added 15 points for the 24-2 Zags which is 13-0 in the West Coast Conference after beating the Dons for the 23rd straight time.
Also in top-25 men's basketball:
— Azuolas Tubelis had 23 points as second-ranked Arizona won its ninth consecutive game, a 97-77 romp over Utah. Kerr Kriisa (KREE'-sah) just missed a triple-double, finishing with 21 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for the Wildcats.
— De'Vion Harmon had 17 points and six rebounds as Oregon edged 12th-ranked UCLA, 68-63. Jacob Young had 14 points and six assists as the Ducks solidified their hold on an NCAA berth by improving to 18-10.
— Freshman Malaki Branham poured 31 points to lift 22nd-rated Ohio State to an 86-83 win over No. 15 Illinois. Buckeyes forward E.J. Liddell delivered 21 points and six boards after being listed as questionable with the flu before the game.
— Forward KJ Williams had 30 points on 12-for-19 shooting as No. 19 Murray State stifled Belmont, 76-43 to claimed the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title. Tevin Brown added 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists to the Racers' 17th consecutive win.
— Logan Johnson scored 14 points and Kyle Bowen chipped in 12 as No. 23 Saint Mary's beat San Diego, 60-46 to clinch the second seed in the West Coast Conference tourney. Matthias Tass had 10 points and nine rebounds for Saint Mary's, and Tommy Kuhse added 10 points.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Rangers beat Caps, pass Pens in standings
UNDATED (AP) — The New York Rangers have moved into second place in the NHL's Metropolitan Division, three points behind idle Carolina.
Alexis Lafrenière (lah-frehn-YEHR') and Mika Zibanejad (MEE'-kah zih-BAN'-eh-jad) each had a goal and an assist in the Rangers' fifth win in six games, 4-1 against the Capitals. Chris Kreider and Barclay Goodrow also scored and Igor Shesterkin stopped 36 shots to help New York improve to 9-1-2 in its last 12 at home. Alex Ovechkin scored and Ilya Samsonov (sam-SOH'-nahv) had 17 saves for Washington.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— Cole Sillinger and Justin Danforth scored 10 seconds apart in the third period as the Blue Jackets doubled up the Panthers, 6-3. Oliver Bjorkstrand, Gabriel Carlsson, Boone Jenner and Patrik Laine (LY'-nay) also scored to help Columbus beat Florida for the first time in nine games and extend their winning streak to a season-best four games. Jakub Voracek had two assists and J-F Berube stopped 39 shots.
— Jesper Bratt (YEHS'-pur braht), Nico Hischier (HEE'-shur) and Jack Hughes each had three points as the Devils ripped the Penguins, 6-1 in Pittsburgh. Bratt led the way with two goals and an assist in New Jersey's third win in 12 games. Hischier had a goal and two assists, while Hughes set up three tallies.
— Auston Matthews took over the NHL goal-scoring lead by netting his 35th and 36th in the Maple Leafs' first win in four games, 3-1 versus the Wild. Matthews broke a tie midway through the third period, putting him one goal ahead of Edmonton's Connor McDavid. Alex Kerfoot added an empty-netter and Petr Mrazek (muh-RA'-zehk) made 29 saves for Toronto.
— The Bruins were 3-2 winners over the Kraken on Jake DeBrusk's goal 33 seconds into overtime. David Pastrnak (PAHS'-tur-nahk) scored his 28th of the season and 20th in the last 23 games early in the second period to give Boston a 2-1 lead. The B's began a lengthy road trip with their third straight win and welcomed Brad Marchand back from a six-game suspension.
— Mikael Granlund scored the lone goal of a four-round shootout, helping the Predators topple the Stars by a 2-1 margin. Philip Tomasino scored in regulation for Nashville in its second straight win. Jason Robertson tallied for Dallas, which is trying to climb into playoff contention.
— The Flames' 10-game winning streak is over after J.T. Miller scored on a penalty shot and finished with two goals and two assists in the Canucks' 7-1 dismantling of Calgary. Elias Pettersson had two goals and an assist, Bo Horvat scored twice and Conor Garland added a goal for Vancouver. The lopsided loss comes after the Flames outscored their opponents, 43-14 during the streak.
— Logan Couture (koo-TOOR') was the only scorer in the shootout and James Reimer made 44 saves as the Sharks beat the Islanders, 4-3 to end a seven-game losing streak. Couture also scored in regulation as San Jose let two leads slip away in regulation but managed to win for the first time since Jan. 26. Alexander Barabanov and rookie Jasper Weatherby also scored for the Sharks.
NHL-NEWS
Hurricanes lose DeAngelo to injury
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said defenseman Tony DeAngelo could miss a month due to an injury that he described as "something in his midsection."
DeAngelo left the Hurricanes' victory Monday night in Philadelphia early. He has nine goals and 40 points this season to lead Carolina's defensemen.
MLB-NEWS
Labor talks resume with MLB deadline looming
JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — The two sides in the major league lockout met for the fourth straight day at Roger Dean Stadium, the idle spring training home of the Miami Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals.
The union made proposals in two small areas, narrowing the number of young players who could earn additional major league service for accomplishments and loosening the union's proposed restrictions on high amateur draft picks in consecutive years. The latter would be an attempt to assist lower revenue teams.
They scheduled another day of talks on Friday.
MLB told the union that it will cancel regular-season games if a contract is not agreed to by the end of Monday, a deadline the union has not accepted.
NFL OBIT-BURROUGH
Ken Burrough dies
HOUSTON (AP) — Former Houston Oilers receiver Ken Burrough has died at 73.
Burrough was the 10th overall pick in 1970 by New Orleans, but played just one season for the Saints before being traded to the Oilers. He spent the next 11 seasons in Houston, where he was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1975 and 1977.
Burrough led the NFL in receiving yards in 1975 with a career-high 1,063. He piled up 6,906 yards receiving and 47 touchdowns with the Oilers.
Burrough was the last NFL player to wear No. 00 as the league restricted the use of Nos. 0 and 00 in 1973. The league allowed players who already had those numbers to retain them until retirement.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-NEBRASKA-HOIBERG
Hoiberg to stay with cut in pay
LINCOLN, NEB. (AP) — Nebraska basketball coach Fred Hoiberg will return for a fourth season but has agreed to a pay cut and a reduced buyout if he's fired after next season,
Hoiberg is 21-65 overall and 6-49 in the Big Ten. The Huskers have had three straight 20-loss seasons.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-CONFERENCE USA-DEPARTURES
Marshall granted restraining order in C-USA arbitration bid
CHARLESTON, W.Va (AP) — A judge has granted Marshall University a temporary restraining order against Conference USA after the league filed a request for arbitration in the school's bid to expedite an early move to the Sun Belt. The order prohibits Conference USA from proceeding with arbitration. A judge set another hearing for March 16.
Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Mississippi accepted invitations to the Sun Belt during the fall. Each announced earlier this month they planned to terminate memberships in C-USA on June 30 to join their new conference. C-USA has said the three schools are contractually obligated to stay put for another year.
TENNIS-NEWS
Djokovic to be replaced at No 1 by Medvedev after Dubai loss
UNDATED (AP) — Novak Djokovic will fall from No. 1 in the ATP rankings and be replaced by Daniil Medvedev after losing 6-4, 7-6 to Czech qualifier Jiri Vesely in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Championships. It was Djokovic's first tournament since being deported from Australia last month for not being vaccinated against the coronavirus. That prevented him from being able to defend his Australian Open title.
Djokovic's total of 361 weeks in the top spot are the most for any man since the tour's computerized rankings began in 1973.
Medvedev on Monday will move up from No. 2 for the first time and become the 27th man to reach No. 1.
In other tennis news:
— Tennis pro Nick Kyrgios (KEER'-ee-ohs) says he had "suicidal thoughts" and dealt with depression and abuse of drugs and alcohol in the past. He is the latest in a series of high-profile athletes to speak publicly and frankly about their mental health. Kyrgios wrote in a message posted on Instagram he now has a different outlook.
UKRAINE TENSIONS-SPORTS
AP Source: UEFA to move Champions League final out of Russia
UNDATED (AP) — Russia has been stripped of hosting the Champions League final by UEFA with St. Petersburg replaced by Paris after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The men's final will still be held on May 28 but now at the 80,000-seat Stade de France after the decision by UEFA's executive committee. The meeting also decided that Russian and Ukrainian clubs and national teams in UEFA competitions will have to play at neutral venues until further notice. The Stade de France last hosted the Champions League final 16 years ago, when Barcelona beat Arsenal in the 2006 final.
In another development:
Formula One says it is "impossible" to hold a race in Russia later this year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. F1 had scheduled a race in Sochi on Sept. 25. F1, governing body FIA and the teams agreed not to race there. F1 says in a statement Friday that "it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances."
Meanwhile, Brazilian soccer players from Ukraine's two biggest clubs have issued an appeal to the Brazilian government, saying they are trapped by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A group of players from Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv posted a video together with their families from a hotel where they called for support from the Brazilian authorities. The Ukrainian league was suspended indefinitely Thursday after martial law was declared in Ukraine.
— Four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel says he won't race in the Russian Grand Prix in September.
— The logo of Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom is being removed from the jerseys of German soccer team Schalke.
— The men's professional tennis tour announced that the ATP Challenger tournament that was supposed to be played in Moscow next week "will not take place as scheduled."
NFL-AIKMAN-EPSN
Aikman heading to ESPN
UNDATED (AP) — Troy Aikman is expected to become the lead analyst on ESPN's "Monday Night Football" after 22 years with Fox.
The New York Post reported that Aikman will sign a five-year deal that would rival the $17.5 million per year Tony Romo is making at CBS.
ESPN and Fox had no comment on Aikman's future.
PGA-HONDA CLASSIC
Kitiyama surprise leader at PGA National
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Kurt Kitiyama was nearly flawless in th eopening round of the Honda Classic at PGA National.
Kitiyama fired a 6-under 64 to take a one-shot lead over Daniel Berger, Chris Kirk and Rory Sabbatini. It was Kitayama's best score in 69 rounds on the PGA Tour, fueled by a career-best run of four consecutive birdies on his second nine.
PGA-SAUDI LEAGUE
Norman accuses PGA commissioner of bullying, intimidating players
UNDATED (AP) — Greg Norman has fired back at the PGA for threatening to exclude players interested in competing in the upstart Saudi golf circuit.
Norman accused PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan of "bullying and intimidating" players into staying on the tour and spurning the proposed super league Norman has been working on with the Saudis.
Norman runs LIV Golf Investments, the group financed mainly by the Saudi Arabia sovereign wealth fund chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Monahan said this week that players who sign up for a Saudi golf league will lose their PGA Tour membership and should not expect to get it back.
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