LAS VEGAS (AP) — Tre White had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Flory Bidunga added 13 points and 14 boards, and Kansas beat Syracuse 71-60 on Tuesday at the Players Era tournament. Syracuse was within 52-50 before Kansas scored 11 straight on layups and free throws to pull away. White completed a three-point play with 4:49 remaining in the second half and he added three free throws on Kansas’ next possession for a 60-50 lead. Melvin Council Jr. drove into the lane and made a contested shot in the lane to cap the run. Council chipped in with 14 points and Bryson Tiller had 11 points and eight rebounds to help Kansas (5-2) outrebound the Orange 49-29. The Jayhawks turned it over 15 times, but Syracuse only scored nine points off them.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Reed Bailey scored 21 points and No. 25 Indiana limited the nation’s leading scorer, P.J. Haggerty, to 12 below his average in an 86-69 home win over Kansas State. The senior Bailey did most of his work at the line, where he hit 13 of 15 free throws. Haggerty, who averaged 28 per game, finished 7 of 17 from the field for 16 points and had six turnovers. Tayton Conerway added 19 for the Hoosiers.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Ja'Kobi Gillespie scored 22 points, including six free throws in the final 35 seconds, to lead No. 17 Tennessee to a 76-73 victory over No. 3 Houston in the Players Era Championship. Jaylen Carey added 13 points and Bishop Boswell scored 10, including two late free throws. Kingston Flemings paced Houston with 25 points. Milos Uzan, playing in his hometown, missed a halfcourt shot at the buzzer that would have forced overtime. Houston struggled in the second half, missing 11 straight shots. Tennessee capitalized on free throws to secure the win.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Houston coach Kelvin Sampson highlighted the free-throw disparity after the third-ranked Cougars lost 76-73 to No. 17 Tennessee. The Volunteers took 29 foul shots, making 23, while Houston was 8 of 11. Sampson frequently returned to the topic during the postgame news conference. He said both teams played aggressive defense and he questioned the difference in opportunities at the foul line. It was the Cougars’ first loss this season after opening 6-0. Sampson never directly criticized the officiating but made clear he wasn't pleased with some calls. He emphasized the free-throw line was the difference in the game.
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — Jaden Henley made 7 of 8 from the free-throw line and scored 15 points to help Utah beat Grand Canyon 68-58 at the Acrisure Classic. Freshman Efe Demirel scored a season-high 12 on 5-of-10 shooting and Brian Moore Jr. added 11 points for Grand Canyon (3-2). Nana Owusu-Anane had nine points and nine rebounds. The Lopes went 0 for 10 from 3-point range, but outscored Utah 22-12 from the free-throw line. Don McHenry led Utah (5-2) with 16 points. Keanu Dawes finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Terrence Brown, who went into the game averaging 25.2 points per game (No. 2 nationally), finished with nine points on 3-of-11 shooting.
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Maurice Odum scored 26 points and Arizona State overcame Washington State 100-94 in a Maui Invitational semifinal Tuesday despite 40 points from freshman Ace Glass. Odom made five 3-pointers and all nine of his free throws. He scored 19 points in the second half when the Sun Devils rallied from 12 points down. Glass was 9-of-14 shooting with six 3-pointers and made 16 of 18 free throws to set a WSU freshman scoring record and score the most points in this event since Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison had a tournament-record 43 in 2005.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Freshman Killyan Toure scored a career-high 20 points and No. 15 Iowa State beat Creighton 78-60 in the second round of the Players Era Championship. Despite missing co-leading scorer Tamin Lipsey, who injured his groin in Monday’s 83-82 win over St. John’s, the Cyclones kept Creighton at arm’s length for most of the game. Joshua Jefferson had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Blake Buchanan has 12 points and nine rebounds, and Milan Momcilovic finished with 10 points for the Cyclones.
UNDATED (AP) — A sleepy week filled with nonconference blowouts locked the College Football Playoff rankings into a virtual standstill, with Ohio State ranked first again and Oregon’s flip-flop with Ole Miss at Nos. 6 and 7 one of the few significant changes in the newest top 25. Oregon’s impressive victory over Southern California accounted for its move up one spot over Mississippi, which didn’t play last week. The other meaningful change was Miami’s move to No. 12, in a switch with Utah after the Utes gave up 472 yards rushing in a tight win over Kansas State.
UNDATED (AP) — Oklahoma State is hiring Eric Morris from North Texas as its new football coach. Morris has led North Texas since 2023, turning a 5-7 team into a 10-1 contender for a conference championship. The hire is pending board approval. Morris replaces Mike Gundy, who was fired in September during his 21st season. Interim coach Doug Meacham is 0-8, with Oklahoma State at 1-10. North Texas leads the nation in scoring and total offense. Morris will finish the season with North Texas before transitioning to Oklahoma State.
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The Territorial Cup will be brimming with juice this year. A rivalry dating to the McKinley presidency will take a massive uptick in intensity on Friday night, when Arizona faces Arizona State in the Territorial Cup. Both teams are on the upswing, both still have plenty to play for and they still don’t like each other. Arizona State is coming off its first College Football Playoff and is still in the mix for another despite a litany of injuries this season. Arizona is on an upward trajectory in its second season under coach Brent Brennan, riding a four-game winning streak after winning four games all last season.
TUESDAY SCORES
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (17)Tennessee 76 (3)Houston 73
Final (7)Michigan 102 (21)Auburn 72
Final (11)Michigan State 89 East Carolina 56
Final (12)Gonzaga 100 Maryland 61
Final (14)St. John's 96 Baylor 81
Final (15)Iowa State 78 Creighton 60
Final (16)North Carolina 85 St. Bonaventure 70
Final California 80 (18)UCLA 72
Final (23)North Carolina State 81 Boise State 70
Final (25)Indiana 86 Kansas State 69
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Washington 132 Atlanta 113
Final Orlando 144 Philadelphia 103
Final L.A. Lakers 135 L.A. Clippers 118
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Dallas 8 Edmonton 3