WACO, Texas (AP) — Jared Butler scored 22 points and No. 3 Baylor beat No. 17 Oklahoma State 81-70 to end the Cowboys’ five-game winning streak. The win at home for the 20-1 Bears came two days after they clinched their first Big 12 title. Matthew Mayer and MaCio Teague both added 19 points for the Bears, and Davion Mitchell had 12. Mayer had two baskets in a 9-0 run midway through the first half that put them ahead to stay. Freshman standout and Big 12 leading scorer Cade Cunningham had 24 points and Kalib Boone 10 for 17-7 Oklahoma State.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Jericho Sims matched season highs with 16 points and 12 rebounds to help No. 15 Texas beat No. 16 Oklahoma 69-65. Andrew Jones added 16 points for the Longhorns, who have won three of four. Austin Reaves scored 16 points and Alondes Williams and Brady Manek each added 13 for the Sooners. Oklahoma has lost four straight games by a combined 17 points. Oklahoma won the first meeting 80-79 in Austin, Texas, on Jan. 26, but the Longhorns were short-handed. Coach Shaka Smart announced he was out with COVID-19, and starters Sims and Courtney Ramey were unavailable that day.
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Mac McClung scored 20 points and No. 18 Texas Tech beat Iowa State 81-54 for its third consecutive victory following a three-game losing streak. The Red Raiders wrapped up their home schedule with a fifth consecutive victory over the Cyclones. Texas Tech now gets another crack at No. 3 Baylor in the regular-season finale. Jalen Coleman-Lands and Tyler Harris each scored 15 points for Iowa State. The Cyclones are 0-17 in the Big 12, the most conference losses since TCU went 0-18 in 2013-14.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Redshirt freshman Jalen Bridges set season highs with 22 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 6 West Virginia to a 76-67 victory over TCU. The Mountaineers bounced back from an overtime loss to No. 3 Baylor on Tuesday, sweeping the regular-season series from TCU. Derek Culver added 17 points and Sean McNeil scored 14 for West Virginia. Jaedon LeDee scored 18 points for the Horned Frogs, and Kevin Samuel and Mike Miles added 12 points apiece. Leading scorer RJ Nembhard fouled out with five points, ending his streak of 20 straight games in double figures.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Marcus Garrett scored on a driving layup with 22.4 seconds to go and Dajuan Harris added a pair of clinching free throws as No. 13 Kansas overcame a 15-point second-half deficit and beat UTEP 67-62. David McCormack scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half, and Ochai Agbaji had 19 points as the Jayhawks avoided a rare second loss in Allen Fieldhouse this season in what was supposed to be a Big 12 tourney tune-up. Bryson Williams led UTEP with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Souley Boum finished with 16 points and six boards.
UNDATED (AP) — Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder will step down after 16 years. During his tenure, significant upgrades to T. Boone Pickens Stadium were completed and Oklahoma State became a perennial Top 25 football program under coach Mike Gundy. His retirement from the job will take effect July 1. He will be replaced by deputy athletic director Chad Weiberg.
UNDATED (AP) — The seedings for the Big 12 Tournament are at stake heading into the final weekend of regular-season play. Baylor already has secured its first conference title since 1950 and the No. 1 seed, but everything is a jumble after the Bears. That also means there is no clear-cut game of the week, rather a whole slew of games that will determine who will earn the crucial No. 2 seed when the tournament begins next week in Kansas City, Missouri.
UNDATED (AP) — The wealthiest conferences hoarding valuable at-large bids to the NCAA men's basketball tournament has been a trend since the early 2010s. A costly one for the other conferences that don’t have billion-dollar television deals. This pandemic-altered season seems to have marginalized the so-called mid-majors even more — and at a time when they can really use the cash. Take Drake from the Missouri Valley Conference. The school has had to slash its basketball budget by 25% this season. Earning a bid the tournament won't pull the program out if its financial hole, but every little bit helps. Still, despite a 24-3 record the Bulldogs are no better than a bubble team heading into conference tournament play.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Arrowhead Stadium has a new name. The Kansas City Chiefs announced the stadium will be known as GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The team reached a naming rights agreement with Government Employees Health Association, which is the Chiefs' exclusive partner for health, dental and vision plans. GEHA and Chiefs officials said they are committed to ensuring Arrowhead Stadium remains the identity of the venue. It is the first time in Chiefs history that the organization has sold naming rights for Arrowhead. The stadium opened in 1972 and is one of the NFL's most recognizable venues.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is staying with the Pittsburgh Steelers after accepting a pay cut. The team and the two-time Super Bowl winner say they have agreed on a new contract that assures the 39-year-old will be back for his 18th season with the team. NFL Network, citing anonymous sources, said Roethlisberger’s new deal will essentially pay him $14 million this season and adds four voidable years to spread out the dead money. Roethlisberger passed for 3,803 yards with 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 15 games in 2020 after missing almost all of 2019 with a right elbow injury.
THURSDAY SCORES
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (2)Michigan 69 Michigan St. 50
Final (3)Baylor 81 (17)Oklahoma St. 70
Final (5)Iowa 102 Nebraska 64
Final (6)West Virginia 76 TCU 67
Final (13)Kansas 67 UTEP 62
Final (15)Texas 69 (16)Oklahoma 65
Final (18)Texas Tech 81 Iowa St. 54
Final (24)Colorado 75 Arizona St. 61
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Boston 132 Toronto 125
Final Washington 119 L.A. Clippers 117
Final New York 114 Detroit 104
Final Denver 113 Indiana 103
Final Milwaukee 112 Memphis 111
Final Miami 103 New Orleans 93
Final Oklahoma City 107 San Antonio 102
Final Phoenix 120 Golden State 98
Final Portland 123 Sacramento 119