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Here is the latest Big Ten Conference sports news from The Associated Press

By WJBD Staff Dec 6, 2022 | 6:57 AM

UNDATED (AP) — Quarterbacks Stetson Bennett of Georgia, Max Duggan of TCU, C.J. Stroud of Ohio State and Caleb Williams of Southern California are the finalists for the Heisman Trophy. The award given to the outstanding player in college football is determined by a vote of more than 900 sports journalists and past winners. It will be presented Saturday night at the Lincoln Center in New York. Williams and Stroud also are finalists for the Maxwell Award as the top performer in the college game. Williams, Stroud and Duggan also are up for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba will not play in the College Football Playoff semifinal game while he continues to rehabilitate a leg injury and prepare for the 2023 NFL draft. The AP Preseason All-American was hurt in the Buckeyes’ opener against Notre Dame and played in just two other games. The junior from Rockwall, Texas, set school records in 2021 for receptions (95) and receiving yards (1,606). His yardage total broke a 20-year-old Big Ten Conference record. The Buckeyes play top-ranked Georgia in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 31.

UNDATED (AP) — Patrick McCaffery says Iowa’s meeting with No. 15 Duke at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday is more than just another game to him. The game opens the Jimmy V Classic doubleheader. The event raises funds for cancer research through the V Foundation. McCaffery overcame thyroid cancer as a teenager to play college basketball at the highest level. He is Iowa’s second-leading scorer and has started 38 of the last 39 games. The second game of the Jimmy V Classic pits No. 2 Texas against No. 17 Illinois.

LONDON (AP) — Kentucky and Michigan finally played their London game, but organizers aren’t exactly running a fast break to get back to the British capital. The Basketball Hall of Fame London Showcase was delayed because of the coronavirus, and then Sunday’s game tipped off an hour before England played Senegal in the World Cup. Basketball Hall of Fame president and CEO John Doleva says “we’ve certainly had our hurdles.” The Wildcats beat Michigan 73-69 in the marquee game at O2 Arena before 8,242 fans as part of a doubleheader that featured Marist against Maine earlier. That’s less than half the sold-out crowds of the regular-season NBA games held at the O2 between 2011 and 2019.

UNDATED (AP) — Houston and Texas remain firmly entrenched atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll. The Cougars earned 37 first-place votes to stay at No. 1 for the second straight week. This is the program’s first stint at the top since the “Phi Slama Jama” days of the 1980s. Connecticut has climbed to No. 5 while Tennessee and Alabama cracked the top 10 for the first time. Preseason No. 1 North Carolina has dropped out entirely after losing four straight games.

UNDATED (AP) — Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer stands atop The Associated Press women’s basketball poll with the most appearances all-time, breaking a tie with the late Pat Summitt. VanDerveer’s Cardinal remains No. 2 behind South Carolina. She has spent 592 weeks ranked with Stanford ater 27 weeks in the poll while leading Ohio State. Ohio State, Indiana and Notre Dame round out the top five. Louisville has fallen out of the Top 25 for the first time since 2016.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Dayton, Purdue and Texas A&M women’s basketball teams have withdrawn from a Las Vegas tournament. Their departures are part of the continuing fallout from a similar event at a Strip resort over Thanksgiving weekend where safety concerns were raised. Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic operations manager Bret Seymour said the three schools had agreed to be additions to his tournament in coordination with officials from Destination Basketball. Destination Basketball ran the Las Vegas Invitational last month at The Mirage that experienced multiple issues, including not having medical personnel on site. Auburn freshman Kharyssa Richardson lay on the court for 50 minutes after falling hard and appearing to hit her head before EMTs arrived.