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T25 MEN’S BASKETBALL-WISCONSIN/OHIO STATE
Badgers upset Buckeyes in Wisconsin
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State has become the second top-5 men’s basketball team in as many days to lose.
The fifth-ranked Buckeyes absorbed a 61-57 loss to Wisconsin at Columbus, one day after No. 4 was beaten at Colorado. Nate Reuvers scored 17 points, including a jumper that put the Badgers ahead, 52-51 with 1:54 remaining. Reuvers and D’Mitrik Trice hit late free throws to seal Wisconsin’s fourth straight victory.
The Buckeyes dropped their second in a row despite Kaleb Wesson, who had 22 points and 13 rebounds.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-NEWS
Surgery for UNC’s Harris
UNDATED (AP) — North Carolina freshman Anthony Harris will have surgery next week for a torn ACL in his right knee suffered in Monday’s win against Yale. The injury comes a little more than a year after he tore his left ACL, causing him to miss the rest of his senior season of high school along with his first eight games at UNC in a long recovery. Harris had appeared in five games with the Tar Heels, averaging 7.5 points in the last four.
In other college basketball news:
— Michigan coach Juwan Howard says he’s not sure forward Isaiah Livers will play Sunday against Michigan State because of a left groin injury that caused him to miss the Wolverines’ last game. Livers has been at practice, but Howard referred to the player’s status as day to day and didn't elaborate much on what the sharp-shooting junior has been able to do. Livers is averaging 13.6 points per game and shooting 50% from 3-point range.
— Villanova's Jay Wright has been named The Associated Press men’s basketball coach of the decade after leading the Wildcats to two national titles in the 2010s. Wright also helped shape the way college basketball is played with the advent of position-less basketball. Wright received 16 of 24 votes from a panel of AP poll voters. Duke's Mike Krzyzewski (shuh-SHEF'-skee) was second with five votes
NBA-SCHEDULE
Celtics rally past Hawks
UNDATED (AP) — The Boston Celtics are 14-2 at home after posting a comeback win over the struggling Atlanta Hawks.
The Celtics stormed back from an 18-point, first-quarter deficit to beat the Hawks, 109-106. Jaylen Brown had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the NBA’s Atlantic Division leaders, who are 24-8 overall and 2 ½ games ahead of the second-place Raptors.
Marcus Smart started in place of the flu-ridden Kemba Walker and delivered 15 points, nine assists and a 3-pointer that gave Boston a four-point lead with 43 seconds left. Gordon Hayward finished with 18 points for the Celts.
Trae Young scored 28 points with 10 assists for the Hawks, who beat Orlando on Monday to snap a 10-game losing streak.
Checking out Friday’s other NBA action:
— Terrence Ross scored 25 points and the Magic outscored the Heat 21-6 in the fourth quarter of a 105-85 thumping of Miami. Nikola Vucevic added 20 points and 11 rebounds to help Orlando improve to 11-7 at home. Jimmy Butler had 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who shot just 3-for-19 in the final period.
— Damian Lillard poured in 35 points and CJ McCollum added 24 as the Trail Blazers hammered the Wizards, 122-103. Hassan Whiteside contributed 23 points, 21 rebounds and five blocks in Portland’s first victory in six games. Jordan McRae scored a season-high 35 points for the Wizards, who were short-handed even before losing Isaiah Thomas to a first-quarter ejection.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-NEWS
Chase Young opts to enter draft
UNDATED (AP) — The best defensive lineman in college football this season will be available in the upcoming NFL draft
Ohio State sack specialist Chase Young says he's leaving school one year early to enter the April draft. The Heisman Trophy finalist led the nation in sacks with a school-record 16.5, reaching that number despite being benched for two games because he violated NCAA rules by accepting a personal loan.
Young was a unanimous All-American selection and a rare defensive player to be selected a Heisman finalist.
In other college football news:
— Georgia running back DÁndre Swift is leaving school a year early to enter the upcoming NFL draft after leading the Bulldogs in rushing the last two seasons. The decision was expected after he led the Bulldogs with 1,218 yards rushing this season. It was his second straight season with more than 1,000 yards. He is expected to be one of the top running backs in the draft despite a left shoulder injury that limited him in the postseason.
— Washington running back Salvon Ahmed is leaving school and entering the NFL draft following a junior season during which he led the Huskies with 1,020 yards rushing while scoring 11 touchdowns. Ahmed played in 39 games overall and finished with 2,016 yards on the ground and 21 touchdowns.
— Michigan center Cesar Ruiz says he's forgoing his senior season and entering the NFL draft. Ruiz was named to the watch list for the 2019 Rimington Trophy and Outland Trophy.
— Mississippi State has fired football coach Joe Moorhead after just two seasons and a 14-12 record. Moorhead was hired after the 2017 season when Dan Mullen left Mississippi State for Florida. The Bulldogs finished a disappointing 8-5 in 2018 and come off a 6-7 campaign.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-POTATO BOWL
Ohio wins Potato Bowl
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Ohio had capped its season with a bowl victory.
Nathan Rourke accounted for 241 yards of offense and ran for a touchdown to help Ohio beat Nevada 30-21 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
De’Montre Tuggle rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown to spark a ground attack that finished with 285 yards on 50 carries spread among five players. Tuggle received the bulk of the workload after the Bobcats lost leading rusher O’Shaan Allison late in the first quarter with an undisclosed injury.
The 7-6 Bobcats rebounded from a 1-3 start for its fifth straight winning season under coach Frank Solich. The 75-year-old former Nebraska coach received a two-year contract extension this week.
NFL-NEWS
Vikings to be short-handed in secondary
UNDATED (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings will be short-handed in the secondary for Sunday's playoff game at New Orleans against the Saints and their potent passing attack.
Cornerback Mackensie Alexander was ruled out with a knee injury, and cornerback Mike Hughes was placed on injured reserve with a neck injury. Alexander has served as the slot man in the nickel defense. Hughes has taken turns at the outside spots for starters Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes down the stretch. He's also been the primary punt returner.
In other NFL news:
— The Seahawks will have both safety Quandre Diggs and defensive end Jadeveon (jah-DAY’-vee-ehn) Clowney available for Sunday’s NFL playoff game against the Eagles in Philadelphia. Diggs had been expected to return after missing the final two games of the regular season with a high-ankle sprain. Clowney played about two-thirds of the Seahawks’ defensive plays against San Francisco, but his impact was limited by a core muscle injury suffered in Week 10 versus the 49ers.
— The Bears have made Eddie Jackson the NFL's highest-paid safety, agreeing to a $58.4 million contract extension that his agent says guarantees $33 million. Jackson made an immediate impact after being taken in the fourth round of the 2017 draft, becoming an All-Pro the following season, He has 10 interceptions and three touchdowns in his career.
— Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey has made The Associated Press NFL All-Pro Team at two positions. McCaffrey rushed for 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns while catching a phenomenal 116 passes for 1,005 yards and four TDs. He became the third player in NFL history to finish with 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season, making him an All-Pro in the flex category.
— First Team All-Pro quarterback Lamar Jackson is back at 100 percent after battling the flu during the Ravens' bye week. The second-year pro ran for more than 1,200 yards, threw 36 touchdown passes and led the Ravens to the best record in the NFL. That performance earned him a place on The Associated Press All-Pro Team.
— Former Saints player Steve Gleason, who became a leading advocate for people struggling with Lou Gehrig's disease after he was diagnosed with the paralyzing condition, will be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony on Jan. 15. The medal is the highest civilian honor awarded by Congress.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Caps hold off Canes
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Washington Capitals have ended a two-game losing streak by knocking while padding their lead in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division.
Evgeni Kuznetsov (kooz-NEHT’-sahv) and Lars Eller each had a goal and an assist while the Caps were building a 4-1 lead in a 4-3 win at Carolina. Eller and Jakub Vrana (vuh-RAH’-nah) scored 2:22 apart early in the third period to give Washington a three-goal cushion. The Hurricanes closed the gap with power-play goals by Teuvo Teravainen (TOO’-voh the-ah-VY’-nehn) and Ryan Dzingel (duh-ZIHN’-gul) before Ilya Samsonov (sam-SOH’-nahv) blanked Carolina over the final 7:25.
The Capitals lead their division by eight points over the Penguins and Islanders, with the Hurricanes 11 points back. Washington is the first NHL team to crack 60 points this season.
NHL-NEWS
Stars’ Perry, Kings MacDermid suspended
UNDATED (AP) — Dallas Stars forward Corey Perry has received a five-game suspension without pay from the NHL for elbowing Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis during the first period of the Winter Classic.
Perry received a major penalty and game misconduct on the play, allowing the Predators to score two power-play goals before the Stars rallied to earn a 4-2 win at the Cotton Bowl on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old Perry has three goals and 10 assists in 34 games this season.
The league also punished Kings defenseman Kurtis MacDermid by giving him a two-game ban without pay for an illegal check to the head during Tuesday’s game against the Flyers. The NHL ruled his hit on Philadelphia defenseman Ivan Provorov was avoidable.
Also around the NHL:
— The Canadiens have signed free-agent forward Ilya Kovalchuk to a one-year contract to offset several injuries. The 36-year-old Kovalchuk had three goals and nine points in 17 games for the Kings this season before being placed on waivers last month. The first player taken in the 2001 NHL draft has scored 436 goals and 859 points in 897 NHL games, but he hasn’t produced more than 34 points in a season since 2011-12.
— Former Stars coach Jim Montgomery calls his dismissal by the NHL club "appropriate" and says he is entering alcohol rehab. The 50-year-old says the firing was “a wake-up call.” Montgomery was in his second season with the Stars.
MLB-NEWS
Harris leads Astros for Nats
UNDATED (AP) — Relief pitcher Will Harris is joining the Washington Nationals after they beat him in Game 7 of the World Series against the Houston Astros.
Harris gets a three-year, $24 million contract after recording a 1.50 ERA in 68 games for the Astros during the 2019 regular season. He was outstanding in the postseason before surrendering Howie Kendrick’s go-ahead home run in the final game of the Fall Classic.
Also around the majors:
— Veteran right-hander Tyson Ross has accepted a minor league contract with the Giants and an invitation to big league camp at spring training. Ross went 1-5 with a 6.11 ERA over seven starts last season for Detroit. He didn't pitch after May 10 because of a season-ending elbow injury.
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