LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The most physically dominant player in college basketball could have a hard time making it as a pro. Then again, Kansas forward Udoka Azubuike has been proving people wrong for a long time. The 7-foot senior from Nigeria has developed his game. He is now a key part of the nation's top-ranked team as March Madness draws near.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Houston's Alex Bregman was hit on the back by a breaking ball from St. Louis reliever Ramon Santos, the seventh Astros player plunked in five spring training games. Some opposing players have called for retaliation against the Astros following Major League Baseball's finding that Houston broke rules against electronic sign-stealing en route to its 2017 World Series title and again in 2018. Dustin Garneau was hit Sunday against Washington, and José Altuve was grazed Monday against Detroit, when Osvaldo Duarte and Alex De Goti also were hit. Aledmys DÃaz and Jake Meyers were hit Tuesday by Miami.
JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — South Korean star Kwang Hyun Kim is proving problematic for major league hitters so far. The 31-year-old left-hander retired all six Miami batters he faced in his first Grapefruit League start for the St. Louis Cardinals. It came after he threw one shutout inning of relief against the New York Mets on Saturday. Kim struggled with control of his off-speed pitches in the first inning, but he found his rhythm in the second. He kept batters off balance mixing a fastball that touched 95 mph with his curve. The Marlins didn't get a ball out of the infield against Kim.
National Headlines
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Justin Verlander's spring training debut will be postponed at least a few more days while the Houston Astros ace deals with tightness in his groin. Verlander had been scheduled to start Thursday against Washington. Instead, he will throw a simulated game at the Astros' complex prior to that exhibition. Houston manager Dusty Baker said the tightness first appeared a couple of days ago. Baker says he isn't worried about the injury lingering. Verlander won his second Cy Young Award last season by going 21-6 with a 2.52 ERA.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Former TCU and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Trevone Boykin has been sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to charges from the 2018 beating of his girlfriend. Boykin and prosecutors agreed to the sentence in return for his guilty plea Wednesday to aggravated assault and witness tampering charges. Boykin's attorney says his client will be eligible for parole in less than a year. Shabrika Bailey alleged that Boykin broke her jaw in two places in the March 2018 beating. The Seahawks cut Boykin in the wake of the allegation.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Former Penn coach Jerome Allen was hit a 15-year show-cause penalty after he accepted $300,000 in bribes to get a wealthy Florida businessman's son into the University of Pennsylvania. The Quakers also were slapped by the NCAA with two years of probation, fined $5,000 and suffered recruiting punishments. Allen went 66-104 with the Quakers. He was hired by the Boston Celtics in 2015 and remains on the coaching staff. Allen's show-cause penalty is meant to limit a coach's ability to work in college sports after breaking NCAA rules.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The commissioners of the Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences have formally announced the establishment of the LA Bowl. The annual matchup between the Mountain West's top team and the Pac-12's No. 5 choice will be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, south of downtown LA. The under-construction stadium is on schedule to open in July. The new bowl game will be played for at least the next six years. Both commissioners are eager to entice their conference's fans to check out the cutting-edge new home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers.
Wednesday Scores
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (9)Maryland 74 Minnesota 73
Final (12)Villanova 71 St. John's 60
Final (16)Penn St. 65 Rutgers 64
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Cleveland 108 Philadelphia 94
Final Charlotte 107 New York 101
Final Washington 110 Brooklyn 106
Final Orlando 130 Atlanta 120
Final Minnesota 129 Miami 126
Final Houston 140 Memphis 112
Final Dallas 109 San Antonio 103
Final L.A. Clippers 102 Phoenix 92
Final Boston 114 Utah 103