MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Ayoka Lee continued her red-hot shooting pace and scored 20 points to lead No. 12 Kansas State to an 84-52 victory over Southern. Lee made 8 of 10 shots, including 1 for 1 from 3-point distance, and made all three of her free throws. She has made 46 of 59 shots over the past four games and has scored 108 points in that stretch. Serena Sundell had 11 points with seven assists and five rebounds for the Wildcats. Taryn Sides had 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists. The Wildcats shot 56.7% and scored 40 points in the paint.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — RJ Davis scored 23 points, Armando Bacot added 14 points and eight rebounds and No. 11 North Carolina handed seventh-ranked Oklahoma its first loss of the season 81-69 on Wednesday night at the Spectrum Center. Cormac Ryan had 13 points and Harrison Ingram added 11 for the Tar Heels. Otega Oweh had 23 points and Javian McCollum had 14 for Oklahoma. The Sooners’ loss leaves No. 3 Houston, No. 20 James Madison and No. 25 Ole Miss as the only unbeaten teams in Division I basketball. It was the seventh straight game Davis has led the Tar Heels in scoring.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jared McCain scored 21 points and reserve forward Ryan Young was right in the middle of the decisive surge down the stretch as No. 21 Duke beat No. 10 Baylor 78-70 at Madison Square Garden. Jeremy Roach added 18 points and Kyle Filipowski had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Devils in a matchup between two of the past eight national champions. RayJ Dennis had 17 points and Ja’Kobe Walter scored 15 for the Bears, who lost for the second time in five days following a 9-0 start.
UNDATED (AP) — Texas and Oklahoma will head to the Southeastern Conference next season with national top-10 recruiting classes that are by far the highest-ranked among current teams in the Big 12. The Longhorns and Sooners are Nos. 5 and 7 in the 247Sports composite rankings. One or the other has been Nos. 1 or 2 in the Big 12 every year since the composite rankings started in 2010. Texas Tech was the big winner of teams that will remain in the Big 12. The Red Raiders are ranked No. 22 nationally. Receiver Micah Hudson is the first five-star to sign with Tech.
UNDATED (AP) — The early signing period in college football opened with just a little five-star drama. Georgia likely locked up a recruiting crown by flipping an in-state blue-chipper away from Florida State. The consensus No. 1 recruit in the country had Ohio State coach Ryan Day literally sighing with relief. And a five-star defensive lineman committed to Florida decided to delay making his decision official. That was the least of the bad news for the Gators.
UNDATED (AP) — Oregon put together the kind of class that should help the Ducks compete in their new home as they move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten. The Ducks are on track to produce their second straight top-10 class. A composite ranking of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports had Oregon with the nation’s No. 5 class as of late Wednesday. Oregon’s class is ranked behind only Ohio State among its new Big Ten counterparts.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The heartache won’t go away for Florida State. The Seminoles returned to practice this week still reeling from the selection committee's decision to leave the undefeated Atlantic Coast Conference champions out of the College Football Playoff. They settled for their first league title since 2014. Defensive back Jarrian Jones says “nobody can take that from us.” The CFP's decision leaves Florida State regrouping as it deals with roster changes while preparing to play one-loss Georgia in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.
HOUSTON (AP) — C.J. Stroud remains in the concussion protocol and could miss a second straight game Sunday when Houston hosts Cleveland. Coach DeMeco Ryans said Wednesday that Stroud was doing better, but that he didn’t know when he’d be cleared to play. Stroud was injured Dec. 10 in a 30-6 loss to the Jets when his head bounced off the turf after taking a hit with about 6½ minutes left in the fourth quarter.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The NCAA sent Michigan a notice of allegations related to impermissible on- and off-campus recruiting during the COVID-19 dead period and coaching activities, potential violations that led to the school’s self-imposed three-game suspension of Jim Harbaugh to start the season. School spokesman Kurt Svoboda confirmed Wednesday that the notice was received this week. The Big Ten suspended Harbaugh for the final three games of the regular season for an unrelated matter, stemming from a sign-stealing scheme, that is still under investigation. Harbaugh will lead the Wolverines against Alabama in the semifinals of the College Football Playoffs on Jan. 1.
UNDATED (AP) — Oregon State and Washington State are working on a deal to become affiliate members of the West Coast Conference for basketball and other Olympic sports for two years. Sources tell The Associated Press a deal could be done as soon as this week. Oregon State and Washington State recently reached a football-scheduling agreement with the Mountain West for next season. Both are trying to plan their future after the collapse of the Pac-12, which will lose 10 schools to other leagues next summer.
WEDNESDAY SCORES
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (4)Arizona 87 Alabama 74
Final Seton Hall 75 (5)UConn 60
Final (11)North Carolina 81 (7)Oklahoma 69
Final (21)Duke 78 (10)Baylor 70
Final Villanova 68 (12)Creighton 66
Final (15)Gonzaga 100 Jackson St. 76
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Cleveland 124 Utah 116
Final Indiana 144 Charlotte 113
Final Miami 115 Orlando 106
Final Philadelphia 127 Minnesota 113
Final Denver 113 Toronto 104
Final New York 121 Brooklyn 102
Final Chicago 124 L.A. Lakers 108
Final Atlanta 134 Houston 127
Final L.A. Clippers 120 Dallas 111
Final Boston 144 Sacramento 119
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final OT Washington 3 N-Y Islanders 2
Final Winnipeg 5 Detroit 2
Final Seattle 2 Los Angeles 1