Update on the latest sports
APCOLLEGE BASKETBALL-BIG 12 TOURNAMENT
Longhorns finally get B12 title
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Texas finally has a Big 12 title in men’s basketball.
Matt Coleman scored a career-high 30 points and Jericho Simms added a career-best 21 as the 13th-ranked Longhorns held off No. 12 Oklahoma, 91-86.
No. 13 Texas was poised at the foul line down the stretch in beating No. 12 Oklahoma State 91-86 on Saturday night to give the Longhorns their first Big 12 Tournament title.
Kai Jones and Andrew Jones added 13 points apiece for third-seeded Texas, which had gone 0-6 in its previous Big 12 title game appearances.
Cade Cunningham’s 29-point performance included a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute, the last getting OSU within 89-86.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
Ohio State, Illinois to play for B10 title
UNDATED (AP) — It will be third-ranked Illinois against No. 9 Ohio State for the Big Ten tournament title on Sunday.
Kofi Cockburn scored 18 of his 26 points in the first half before the Illini finished off an 82-71 win against No. 5 Iowa. Ayo Dosunmu contributed 18 points for Illinois, and reserve guard Andre Curbelo finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in Illinois’ sixth straight win.
Luka Garza had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Hawkeyes.
Duane Washington Jr. scored 24 points and E.J. Liddell added 18 for the Buckeyes in a 68-67 win over fourth-ranked Michigan. Ohio State started pulling away when Washington made two 3s and Liddell and C.J. Walker each completed three-point plays during a crucial 14-2 run that made it 56-45 with 8:17 left.
Freshman center Hunter Dickinson had 21 points and eight rebounds for the Wolverines, who managed to cut a 13-point deficit to one in the final 4 1/2 minutes.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-SEC TOURNAMENT
Tigers surprise Razorbacks to earn meeting with Alabama
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — LSU and Alabama will try to end lengthy SEC tournament title droughts on Sunday.
LSU has reached the conference title game for the first time in 28 years by upsetting eighth-ranked Arkansas, 78-71. Cameron Thomas dropped in 21 points and the Tigers went on a 12-0 run after the Razorbacks tied the game at 52. Marcus Moody had 28 points for Arkansas, which had won 12 straight SEC games.
In the opener of the semifinals, Herb Jones delivered 21 points and sixth-ranked Alabama stormed back from a 15-point deficit to beat Tennessee, 73-68. Jahvon Quinerly added 19 points, including two free throws with 15.5 seconds left, keeping the Crimson Tide in line for their first SEC title since 1991.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-TOURNAMENT
UNDATED (AP) — The Big 12, ACC and Big East weren’t the only conferences to settle their automatic bids into the NCAA tournament.
Matt Mitchell scored 14 points to lead No. 19 San Diego State to a 68-57 victory over Utah State in the Mountain West Tournament championship game.
The Aztecs also won the regular-season championship but had lost six of their previous seven title game appearances, the last two to the Aggies.
With the league’s automatic bid, the Aztecs return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018.
Asante Gist scored 18 points and coach Rick Pitino took his record-tying fifth school to the NCAA Tournament with Iona’s 60-51 victory over Fairfield in the MAAC (mak) championship.
Austin Williams scored 20 points with eight rebounds and three steals, and Hartford earned an automatic bid to its first NCAA Tournament by downing UMass Lowell 64-50 in the America East championship.
Joe Bryant scored 17 points and Kashaun Hicks added 14, including a pair of clinching dunks, as Norfolk State defeated Morgan State 71-63 in the MEAC (MEE’-ak) championship game.
Karl Nicholas scored 16 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as Texas Southern upset top-seeded Prairie View A&M 80-61 in the Southwest Athletic Conference championship game.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Knicks cruise past Thunder 119-97 after shaky start
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The New York Knicks have righted themselves following Thursday’s 33-point loss in Milwaukee.
RJ Barrett poured in 32 points and the Knicks shook off a slow start to clobber the Thunder, 119-97. Julius Randle had 26 points for the Knicks, who trailed by nine thru one quarter after Oklahoma City shot 71% from the floor. The Thunder shot 42% the rest of the way.
New York forced 18 turnovers and grabbed seven more offensive rebounds than the Thunder.
OKC actually led early in the third quarter before Barrett knocked down a three to put the Knicks ahead to stay.
Al Horford had 16 points to lead seven Oklahoma City players in double figures.
NBA-76ERS-EMBIID INJURED
AP source: Embiid sidelined with bone bruise in left knee
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid (joh-EHL’ ehm-BEED’) has a bone bruise on his left knee and could miss at least two weeks, according to a person with knowledge of the injury.
The person says Embiid apparently did not suffer structural damage to his knee and will be evaluated again in two weeks. Embiid was injured in the Sixers’ win Friday over Washington.
Embiid is averaging 29.9 points and 11.5 rebounds in 31 games.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Rangers beat Bruins 4-0 in Panarin’s first game back
UNDATED (AP) — The New York Rangers and Boston Bruins wound up trading 4-0 victories during their two-game series in Beantown.
The Rangers came out on top Saturday as Keith Kincaid stopped 18 shots in his first NHL shutout since 2018. Chris Kreider scored his team-high 14th goal to help the Blueshirts halt a three-game skid, two days after Boston blanked New York.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— Zach Werenski scored with 4.5 seconds showing on the clock in overtime to give the Blue Jackets their first victory in four games, 4-3 versus Dallas. Werenski’s first goal since Jan. 23 made a winner out of Elvis Merzlikins, who turned back 28 shots. Max Domi added a goal and an assist in the victory.
NHL-SABRES-EICHEL
Eichel out for `foreseeable future’
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres will be without captain Jack Eichel (EYE’-kul) for what coach Ralph Krueger called “the foreseeable future,” delivering another blow to a team in the midst of a nine-game skid.
Eichel traveled to see a specialist over the past two days to further determine the severity of his upper-body injury. Under the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol rules, Eichel is required to spend seven days in quarantine as a result of the trip, meaning he will miss at least Buffalo’s next four games.
MLB-ROCKIES-OBERG
Oberg progressing after blood clot sidelined reliever in ’20
UNDATED (AP) — Colorado Rockies right-handed reliever Scott Oberg is steadily making his way back to the mound after sitting out last season due to a blood clot in his pitching arm. It was the third time over his career a clot has surfaced.
Oberg underwent thoracic outlet surgery in September. He anticipates being on the opening day roster when the Rockies start the season on April 1 against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt got hit with quite a double-whammy that derailed his offseason. First, in January, he contracted the coronavirus. Then, he immediately became ill again with mononucleosis. Belt says he isn’t sure he will be ready for opening day which he had hoped to do after working back from surgery on his right heel in October to remove a bone spur.
NFL-NEWS
Normalcy inches back to NFL with draft room gatherings OK’d
UNDATED (AP) — The NFL has informed teams they can gather in person for the draft, unlike last year when they had to connect via videoconference from their homes because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Every team must submit their draft plan by March 26 for review and approval by the NFL’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills.
Clubs also will be permitted to use off-site facilities for their draft rooms if they choose.
In other NFL news:
— Casey Hayward Jr. was released by the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday which gives the team a salary cap savings of $9.5 million. The cornerback, who was a team captain, spent five seasons with the franchise after signing as a free agent in 2016.
BOXING-HAGLER OBIT
Boxing great Hagler dies
UNDATED (AP) — Marvin Hagler, the middleweight boxing great whose title reign and career ended with a split-decision loss to “Sugar” Ray Leonard in 1987, died Saturday. He was 66.
Wife Kay G. Hagler confirmed the death on Facebook on the verified Marvelous Marvin Hagler Fan Club page.
Hagler was 62-3-2 with 52 knockouts from 1973 to 1987. He was the undisputed middleweight champion from 1980 until his loss to Leonard on April 6, 1987.
The fierce left-hander had two of his biggest victories at Caesars Palace, unanimously outpointing Roberto Duran in 1983 and knocking out Thomas Hearns in the third round in 1985.
PGA-PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Westwood-DeChambeau II on tap
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Lee Westwood gets another shot at winning The Players Championship, and another crack at Bryson DeChambeau.
Westwood made a 25-foot birdie putt on the island-green 17th hole, and he closed out a 4-under 68 with a 5-footer for par to extend his bogey-free streak at the TPC Sawgrass to 44 holes.
It also gave him a two-shot lead over DeChambeau and set up a rematch from last week in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
They were in the final group at Bay Hill, where Westwood took a one-shot lead into the final round only for DeChambeau to make a 5-foot par on the final hole to beat him by one.
