LOS ANGELES (AP) — No. 10 Illinois routed Southern California 101-65 to stay close in the Big Ten title chase. Illinois led all the way while rolling to its 14th win in 16 games. Andrej Stojakovic scored 22 points to lead seven Fighting Illini players in double figures. Fans in blue and orange packed Galen Center for the Illini’s first visit to USC since 1975. Illinois overwhelmed the Trojans with a 21-10 run to open the second half amid five 3-pointers. USC was led by Ezra Ausar with 15 points and Jacob Cofie with 14. USC was missing second-leading scorer Chad Baker-Mazara because of a strained knee.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sophie Hart had 18 points and 10 rebounds to help No. 23 Minnesota overpower No. 10 Ohio State 74-61 in the ninth straight win for the Gophers. Mara Braun had 18 points and nine rebounds with two key jumpers in the closing minutes as Minnesota moved past Ohio State into fourth place in the Big Ten. The Gophers entered the AP Top 25 this week for the first time this season and are on their longest winning streak in conference play in 22 years. The Gophers outrebounded the Buckeyes 47-32 and had a 32-16 advantage in points in the paint.
UNDATED (AP) — Frustrated coaches in men's and women's college basketball haven't been holding back in publicly criticizing their teams in recent weeks. That notably includes Vic Schaefer of the fourth-ranked Texas women and now-fired Kansas State men's coach Jerome Tang. Schaefer had said his team had “no heart” after a recent loss at No. 5 Vanderbilt. But he praised the team's response in a win against Tennessee days later. It’s a delicate dance for coaches in finding the balance between tough-love motivation and a softer-touch inspiration. Florida State men's coach Luke Loucks said coaches have to “find ways to squeeze the orange."
UNDATED (AP) — The Iowa athletic department apologized for a security breach that allowed an individual to interfere in the coaches’ and players’ handshake line and approach Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg after the Hawkeyes win over the ninth-ranked Cornhuskers on Tuesday. Videos posted online show the individual coming out of the stands as fans rush the court. The person appears to heckle and point his camera phone at Hoiberg, who made a swiping motion at the phone with his right hand. Nebraska and Hoiberg had no comment. The Big Ten said no disciplinary action would be taken.
SEATTLE (AP) — The Washington Huskies will operate with a new offensive coordinator next season after parting ways with Jimmie Dougherty. Dougherty, who last season added the offensive coordinator title after serving as the Huskies’ passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2024, said it was an “honor” to represent the University of Washington Tuesday night on social media. Dougherty began working alongside Washington head coach Jedd Fisch in 2021 when both of them were at Arizona.
UNDATED (AP) — Louisville freshman Mikel Brown Jr. is The Associated Press men's college basketball national player of the week. That comes after the 6-foot-5, 190-pound guard had two huge scoring performances in wins against N.C. State and Baylor. Brown went for an ACC single-game freshman-record 45 points with 10 3-pointers in a rout of the Wolfpack. He followed with 29 points in a win against Baylor. He also had eight steals in the two games. Wisconsin's Nick Boyd was runner-up after two big performances in back-to-back wins against top-10 teams Illinois and Michigan State.
UNDATED (AP) — The Associated Press national player of the week in women’s basketball for Week 15 is TCU's Olivia Miles. The graduate guard led No. 12 TCU to a pair of wins over top-20 teams last week, with victories over Baylor and West Virginia. Olivia Olson of No. 6 Michigan was the runner-up. The sophomore guard averaged 22 points, eight rebounds and 5.5 assists in a pair of wins while shooting 55% from the field and 92% from the free-throw line. Olivia Olson of No. 6 Michigan was the runner-up.
