South-Carolina
Ta’Lon Cooper’s 20 leads South Carolina over No. 6 Kentucky 79-62
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Ta’Lon Cooper scored 20 points and Jacobi Wright had 14 with four 3-pointers as South Carolina pulled away in the second half and beat No. 6 Kentucky 79-62 on Tuesday night.
The Gamecocks (16-3, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) beat their highest-ranked opponent at home since taking down No. 1 Kentucky 68-62 14 years ago.
It’s the third straight loss at South Carolina for the Wildcats (14-4, 4-2) and fourth in their last seven meetings in the series.
Rob Dillingham led Kentucky with 16 points and Antonio Reeves added 15.
NO. 2 PURDUE 99, MICHIGAN 67
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Lance Jones scored a season-high 24 points and Zach Edey added 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead Purdue to a rout of Michigan.
Jones, a fifth-year transfer from Southern Illinois, sank 5-of-9 3-point shots for the Boilermakers (18-2, 7-2 Big Ten), who won their fourth straight game. Purdue’s Braden Smith contributed 11 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
Jaelin Llewellyn led Michigan (7-12, 2-6) with 16 points. Terrance Williams II and George Washington III each scored 10 points. The Wolverines connected on just 34% of its shots.
NO. 4 HOUSTON 75, NO. 21 BYU 68
PROVO, Utah (AP) — L.J. Cryer scored 23 points to lead Houston over BYU.
Jamal Shead chipped in 16 points and Damian Dunn added 10 for Houston (17-2, 4-2 Big 12), which scored 17 points off 13 BYU turnovers and finished with a 15-7 advantage in second-chance points.
Noah Waterman led BYU with 17 points while Jaxson Robinson added 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting. BYU (14-5, 2-4) outscored Houston 28-22 in the paint and 13-7 in fastbreak points but only shot 29% from 3-point range.
TEXAS 75, NO. 11 OKLAHOMA 60
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Max Abmas scored 22 points to help Texas roll past Oklahoma.
Dylan Disu had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Dillon Mitchell added eight points and 13 boards for the Longhorns (14-5, 3-3 Big 12), who shot 50% from the floor to win their sixth straight in the series.
Abmas went 4 of 8 on 3-pointers and shot 8 of 14 from the field overall.
Jalon Moore scored 15 points and Otega Oweh added 10 for the Sooners (15-4, 3-3), who had won two straight.
NO. 12 DUKE 83, LOUISVILLE 69
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Tyrese Proctor scored a career-high 24 points, including 13 after halftime with several clutch baskets, Mark Mitchell returned from injury to add 20 with 12 rebounds and Duke outlasted Louisville.
Seeking a rebound from an 80-76 home loss to Pitt, the Blue Devils (14-4, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) got a big lift with the returns of Mitchell and Jeremy Roach from knee injuries to lead 45-34 at halftime.
Proctor made 4 of 10 from deep and 9 of 16 overall. Kyle Filipowski had 17 points and 15 rebounds.
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield had 20 points for the Cardinals (6-13, 1-7), who dropped their fourth consecutive game.
NO. 13 WISCONSIN 61, MINNESOTA 59
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Tyler Wahl had 16 points and hit two free throws with 5 seconds left to help Wisconsin beat rival Minnesota.
A.J. Storr had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Big Ten-leading Badgers (15-4, 7-1), who beat the Gophers (12-7, 3-5) for the seventh straight time. Max Klesmit scored 11 points.
Elijah Hawkins, who missed Minnesota’s last game with a sprained ankle, had 16 points, nine assists, five rebounds and two steals.
NO. 16 DAYTON 66, LA SALLE 54
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Daron Holmes II scored 22 points and Javon Bennett and Nate Santos each scored 13 to lead Dayton over La Salle for its 13th straight win.
The Flyers (16-2, 6-0 Atlantic 10) made the biggest upward move this week in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, gaining six places after wins over Saint Louis and Rhode Island.
Andres Marrero led La Salle (10-9, 1-5) with 13 points. The Explorers have lost four straight games.
NO. 17 CREIGHTON 85, XAVIER 78
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Trey Alexander scored a season-high 27 points and Baylor Scheierman had 15 of his 20 in the second half, leading Creighton past Xavier.
Scheierman made four of his five 3-pointers after halftime, with two of them thwarting Xavier comeback bids. Ryan Kalkbrenner added 16 points for the Bluejays (15-5, 6-3 Big East).
Desmond Claude and Dayvion McKnight had 20 points apiece for the Musketeers (10-9, 4-4), who had won a season-best three in a row. McKnight scored 17 in the second half while matching his career high, and he also made a career-best four 3s.
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South-Carolina
Missouri beats South Carolina in game two
Columbia, Mo. — The South Carolina softball team (25-21, 4-13) dropped the second game of its series at Missouri (24-23, 7-10) 5-0 Saturday night (Apr. 18).
Kai Byars led the Gamecocks with a pair of doubles on the night. It was her second multi-hit game of the season and her first game with multiple extra base hits.
The Tigers scored a run in the third inning without the aid of a hit. They would extend the lead and add four more in the fourth.
Carolina’s best opportunity for a run came in third. Byars doubled to lead off the inning and Shae Anderson followed with a bunt single. A double play on a potential sacrifice fly ended the rally.
Emma Friedel (8-4) took the loss, allowing one run on no hits in 3 1-3 innings. She struck out six and walked three.
The rubber game of the series will be tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.
South-Carolina
Former Texas guard Jordan Lee transfers to SEC rival South Carolina
Audi Crooks on being in the transfer portal
USAT’s Sam Cardona-Norberg catches up with college basketball star Audi Crooks, who is still looking for her next team.
Sports Seriously
Jordan Lee entered the transfer portal after a breakout season at Texas and the junior guard isn’t going too far. She’s staying in the Southeastern Conference.
Lee announced on Instagram Friday that she’s transferring to South Carolina to play for Dawn Staley after spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Texas under Vic Schaefer. Lee captioned her Instagram post, which featured a video montage of her visit to Columbia, South Carolina, “Feeling cocky.”
Lee was one of four players from Texas to enter the transfer portal after the Longhorns’ second consecutive trip to the Final Four ended in a devastating loss to UCLA. She was named to the All-Region team in the Fort Worth 3 bracket in this year’s NCAA Tournament following her Sweet 16 and Elite Eight performance, where she recorded 22 points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals while also providing strong defense.
After being limited to five starts her freshman year, Lee slid into the starting lineup last season and started a career-high 38 games. She also averaged career highs in points (13.2), assists (2.5), rebounds (2.5), steals (1.5), field-goal percentage (42%) and free-throw percentage (75%), while shooting 34% from 3-point range.
Texas’ Aaliyah Crump, Justice Carlton and Aaliyah Moore also entered the transfer portal. On Friday, Crump announced she’s transferring to Duke, citing her connection with head coach Kara Lawson.
“For me, choosing Duke University goes far beyond one sentence. The moment I connected with Kara Lawson and her coaching staff, I knew I was exactly where I belonged,” said Crump, who averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game her freshman season at Texas.
Crump continued: “Their dedication and vision for the program is truly special, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of it. The connection Coach Lawson and I have built is one of a kind, and I fully trust in her plan for the success of this program. I can’t wait to be coached by genuine people who support my growth not only as a basketball player, but as a person as well.”
Three-time All-American Madison Booker and junior starting forward Breya Cunningham are expected to return to Texas.
Contributing: Mitchell Northam
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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South-Carolina
South Carolina DB Jalon Kilgore has private workout with Saints
Each offseason, the NFL shakes up the landscape with free agency, as some of the top names at each position move around the league to new teams. The New Orleans Saints have fallen victim to this in 2026 so far, with Demario Davis and Alontae Taylor both moving on, and Cameron Jordan not having re-signed as of yet. Cornerback was a position that could already use a talent influx alongside Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley; now, it is even more of an issue.
Adding a new defensive back to fill the STAR role for the defense is certainly going to be a focus this spring, and that has been clear from the Saints’ pre-draft meetings. Recently, they added another name to the growing list; this time, it was South Carolina prospect Jalon Kilgore.
There is a lot to like about Kilgore, especially in that nickel or STAR role long term. He is enormously athletic and absolutely rapid both in straight-line testing and on the field. He got a decent chunk of his collegiate snaps at slot corner, 1,382 to be exact, but also had 541 in the box, 238 at free safety, 53 along the defensive line, and 24 as an outside corner.
His coverage metrics in 2025 were very solid, as on 65 targets, he allowed 34 receptions (52.3%) for 390 yards and 2 touchdowns. He picked up 2 interceptions, 10 pass deflections, 54 total tackles, and 2 fumble recoveries in 694 total snaps this season. Throughout the combine, he ended up performing well in pretty much every drill, which bodes well for his ability to translate to the NFL. If the Saints are looking to add someone with slot experience already, Kilgore may be one of the best options available.
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