KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Simas Lukosius hit seven 3-pointers and scored 31 points, Day Day Thomas also had seven 3s and 29 points, and No. 11 seed Cincinnati rallied to beat No. 14 seed West Virginia 90-85 in the Big 12 Tournament on Tuesday. The Mountaineers committed three technical fouls in the second half as the Bearcats dug out from a 16-point hole. Jesse Edwards had 17 points, Quinn Slazinski scored 15 and RaeQuan Battle had 14 for the Mountaineers, who finished 9-23 to set a school record for losses and end up with its fewest wins since the 2001-02 team went 8-20 in Gale Catlett’s final season.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ibrahima Diallo had 17 points and 11 rebounds to help No. 12 seed UCF to a 77-62 victory over No. 13 Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Tournament opener Tuesday. The Knights used an 18-1 run to start the second half and cruise into a second-round game Wednesday against No. 20 BYU, the No. 4 seed in the tourney. C.J. Walker added 12 points and Darius Johnson 11 for the Knights, who joined the Big 12 from the American Athletic Conference this season. Javon Small hit five 3s and scored 21 points for the Cowboys, who finished the season on a six-game losing streak.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Madison Booker scored 26 points, Aaliyah Moore added 14 and No. 6 Texas beat Iowa State 70-53 on Tuesday night for its second Big 12 Tournament title in three years. The SEC-bound Longhorns avenged their loss to the Cyclones in last year's finale and won for the 12th time in 13 games, giving their hopes of landing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tourney a big boost. Second-seeded Texas led by 20 in the first half before answering every Iowa State run in the second half. Audi Crooks scored 25 points for No. 4 seed Iowa State, but she had very little help. Emily Ryan had seven points and eight assists but also nine turnovers, while second-leading scorer Addy Brown was held to two points on 1-for-5 shooting.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will remain at T-Mobile Center through 2031, commissioner Brett Yormark said. He made the announcement shortly before Texas and Iowa State played for the women’s championship there for the first time Tuesday night. The women had long played down the street at smaller, antiquated Municipal Auditorium. Yormark also said that the women's Big 12 soccer championship would be played at CPKC Stadium. The home of National Women's Soccer League club Kansas City Current is scheduled to open Saturday with a game against Portland.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Aidan Mahaney scored 23 points, Mitchell Saxen had 19 points and 15 rebounds and No. 21 Saint Mary’s led nearly the entire way beat No. 17 Gonzaga 69-60 on Tuesday night and interrupt the Bulldogs’ stranglehold on the West Coast Conference Tournament title. Gonzaga had won four WCC championships in a row and 10 of 11. Saint Mary’s in 2019 was the one year the Bulldogs didn’t claim the trophy over that span. Also for Saint Mary’s, WCC player of the year Augustas Marciulionis scored 13 points. Anton Watson led the Zags with 18 points,
UNDATED (AP) — Conference tournaments across men's college basketball begin in earnest Tuesday and there are plenty of teams riding the NCAA tourney bubble. That makes all those quarterfinal games between teams that might not necessarily be ranked in the Top 25 must-see television as the drama of March Madness begins to unfold. Teams such as Kansas State in the Big 12, Syracuse in the ACC, St. John's in the Big East, Iowa in the Big Ten, Utah in the Pac-12 and Texas A&M in the SEC could need a win or two this week to feel a whole lot better about Selection Sunday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Senator Ted Cruz says there's a 50-50 chance of Congress passing legislation regulating college athletics by the end of the year. Cruz lowed his estimate of a bill getting through by the end of this session and said he and his counterparts are running out of time. The senator from Texas believes something will get done to standardize name, image and likeness and other financial aspects of college sports in the country. His comments came after Cruz oversaw a roundtable discussion on the topic with former Alabama football coach Nick Saban, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips and others.
UNDATED (AP) — With most of the major conferences having their tournaments finished, there are a few anxious teams waiting to see if their names will be called for the NCAA Tournament on Sunday when the field is announced. The selection committee has a tough job ahead of it in determining those final few teams that have a slim margin separating them. Many of the bubble teams will be paying close attention to a few of the mid-major tournaments that could snatch bids away from them. The Ivy, Horizon and MAAC could end up being bubble busters.
UNDATED (AP) — A person with knowledge of the negotiations says the Cleveland Browns have agreed to sign quarterback Jameis Winston as a backup for Deshaun Watson. The person says Winston is getting a one-year deal worth up to $8.7 million. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the move can’t become official until the new league year begins Wednesday. And Joe Flacco's agent, Joe Linta, tells the AP that his client didn't receive an offer from the Browns to stay in Cleveland. Flacco went 4-1 last season in place of an injured Watson to help the Browns reach the playoffs.
UNDATED (AP) — Derrick Henry is leaving the Tennessee Titans to team up with MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens with a two-year deal worth up to $20 million, a person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press. Henry's deal follows several others for running backs during the NFL's two-day legal tampering period. The position has been devalued in recent years, but this year's run shows teams will go after running backs at the right price. At least a dozen running backs are switching teams along with at least 10 quarterbacks, including Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan isn't offering any details on negotiations with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf. But he expresses confidence the tour can strike a deal with the Public Investment Fund and that golf's fractured landscape can be repaired. He also sounded a confident tone that he's the best person to lead the way. Monahan held a news conference Tuesday for the first time in nearly seven months. Since then, the tour got a minority investor pumping up to $3 billion into golf. And LIV persuaded Masters champion Jon Rahm to join. Monahan did not set a timetable for an outcome.
TUESDAY SCORES
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (21)Saint Mary's (Cal.) 69 (17)Gonzaga 60
INTERLEAGUE
Final St. Louis 8 Boston 6
Final Houston 9 Miami 1
Final Colorado 4 Kansas City 2
Final Chicago White Sox 14 Cincinnati 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Detroit 1 Minnesota 0
Final Baltimore 12 Tampa Bay 8
Final Toronto 8 N.Y. Yankees 1
Final Cleveland 3 Texas 0
Final Oakland 4 Seattle 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Pittsburgh 5 Atlanta 1
Final L.A. Dodgers 6 San Francisco 4
Final Washington 4 N.Y. Mets 1
Final Chicago Cubs 6 Milwaukee 5
Final Arizona 2 San Diego 2
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final New York 106 Philadelphia 79
Final Indiana 121 Oklahoma City 111
Final Memphis 109 Washington 97
Final Houston 103 San Antonio 101
Final Boston 123 Utah 107
Final Minnesota 118 L.A. Clippers 100
Final Sacramento 129 Milwaukee 94
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final N-Y Rangers 1 Carolina 0
Final Montreal 3 Columbus 0
Final Buffalo 7 Detroit 3
Final OT Ottawa 2 Pittsburgh 1
Final Philadelphia 3 San Jose 2
Final Minnesota 4 Arizona 1
Final Florida 4 Dallas 3
Final Chicago 7 Anaheim 2
Final Colorado 6 Calgary 2