STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Bryce Thompson scored 14 of his career-high 25 points in the second half and Oklahoma State beat UCF 104-95 despite 34 points from Keyshawn Hall on Wednesday night. Thompson made 10 of 15 shots in leading the Cowboys (13-13, 5-10 Big 12). Abou Ousmane added 17 points despite sitting out much of the second half before fouling out. Arturo Dean scored 16 points, Khalil Brantley 15 and Marchelus Avery 10. Hall made 9 of 20 shots and was 14 of 17 from the line. Darius Johnson added 23 points — 19 in the second half — and Mikey Williams 14 for the Knights (13-13, 4-11), who lost their seventh straight.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Amani Hansberry scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and West Virginia pulled out a 62-59 win over Cincinnati on Wednesday night after nearly blowing a nine-point lead in the final seconds. Trailing by six midway through the second half, the Mountaineers went on a 21-6 run to lead 62-53 with 7.9 seconds left. But Dan Skillings Jr. hit two 3-pointers and a turnover gave the Bearkats a chance at a tie but a final shot missed. Jizzle James and Day Day Thomas each scored 13 points for Cincinnati.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Johni Broome had 16 points and 13 rebounds and No. 1 Auburn overcame a rough offensive performance to beat Arkansas 67-60 on Wednesday night. After winning at Alabama on Saturday in a game between the top teams in the poll, Auburn (24-2, 12-1 Southeastern Conference) avoided its second straight home loss. Chad Baker-Mazara added 15 points for the Tigers, and Chaney Johnson had 14. Adou Thiero led Arkansas (15-11, 4-9) with 16. Johnell Davis had 14. The teams combined to hit seven of 43 3-point attempts.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — After Missouri basketball fans stormed the court following a victory over then-No. 1 Kansas on Dec. 8, Tigers coach Dennis Gates made sure there wouldn’t be an encore after No. 15 Missouri beat No. 4 Alabama 110-98 on Wednesday night. Gates called a timeout with 1.5 seconds remaining, and grabbed the public address microphone to emphatically tell the capacity crowd of 15,061 to stay off the court. “Please, do not rush the court! Please, do not rush the court!” Gates said to the fans. Missouri was fined $250,000 after the Kansas game, and faces a $500,000 fine for a second offense. In Southeastern Conference play, the fine is paid to the opposing school.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Big Ten and Southeastern Conference will push for changes in the way College Football Playoff teams are seeded next season to coincide more with how teams are ranked by the CFP selection committee. Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey say both leagues support such a change. Their comments came following joint meetings on Wednesday in New Orleans involving all athletic directors from both leagues. Last college football season was the first under the expanded 12-team CFP format. A decision to give byes to the four highest-ranked major conference champions drew scrutiny after all four of those teams lost in the quarterfinals.
NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL salary cap will be between $277.5 million and $281.5 million for the 2025 season, rising as much as $26 million from last year. The bump is great news for Cincinnati, which is hoping to sign receiver Tee Higgins to a long-term contract. It also means more money for Minnesota to re-sign quarterback Sam Darnold or Kansas City to bring back guard Trey Smith or Super Bowl champion Philadelphia to keep linebacker Zack Baun. It’s also significant for teams projected to be over the cap when the new league year begins in March.
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki threw 27 pitches over two innings of live batting practice at Camelback Ranch in front of hundreds of fans and several teammates. It also seemed like the entire Los Angeles Dodgers organization was watching behind home plate. Sasaki wasn’t particularly fazed by the attention Wednesday and looked much more comfortable than last week, when he was a little wild during a bullpen session in chilly weather. He recorded two strikeouts, including one on back-to-back splitters to Eddie Rosario.
WEDNESDAY SCORES
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Charlotte 100 L.A. Lakers 97
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (1)Auburn 67 Arkansas 60
Final (15)Missouri 110 (4)Alabama 98
Final (10)St. John's 82 DePaul 58