EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Pete Nance scored 20 points and Northwestern pulled away in the second half to beat Nebraska 77-65. Northwestern (13-13, 6-11 Big Ten) ended a three-game losing skid while Nebraska (7-20, 1-15) has lost three straight. Boo Buie and Chase Audige added 15 points apiece for Northwestern, which opened the second half on a 26-14 run for an 18-point lead with about 10 minutes left and stretched it to 68-47 with 7:27 remaining. Alonzo Verge Jr. and Bryce McGowens had 15 points apiece for the Cornhuskers, who pulled to 72-63 but didn’t get closer.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Luke Loewe has found his stride in his first and only season with Minnesota. The initiation into Big Ten play brought his share of struggles. The 3-pointer has become Loewe’s friend again. The 6-foot-4 guard went 6 for 10 from long range for the Gophers in their most recent game. They host 13th-ranked Wisconsin on Wednesday. The Badgers are Loewe’s home-state team. The transfer from William & Mary grew up with a love of fishing and has aspirations of professional angling. He won a junior national bass fishing championship as a teenager.
UNDATED (AP) — Gonzaga has made two trips to the national championship game, annually beats the nation’s top programs in nonconference games and wins more consistently than any other program. Even with all their success, there’s still a corner of college basketball fans who insist the Zags are overrated, a product of Mark Few’s system and a weak conference. Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd is proving that system works just fine at a major-conference program. Leaning on the playbook he helped Few create in Spokane, Lloyd has molded Arizona into a dominating team his first season in the desert. Arizona is dominating the Pac-12 Conference and moved up to No. 2 in this week’s AP Top 25 — right behind Few’s Zags.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin has hired Bill Sheridan to coach inside linebackers as one of three changes to Paul Chryst’s staff. Chryst also announced Tuesday that Bob Bostad is switching from inside linebackers coach to offensive line coach and Mickey Turner is moving from tight ends coach to an off-field role in which he will lead Wisconsin’s recruiting efforts. Sheridan was Air Force’s defensive line coach for the last two seasons. Bostad has worked on offense for most of his coaching career. That included stints as Wisconsin’s offensive line coach from 2008-11 and tight ends coach from 2006-07.
UNDATED (AP) — Gonzaga is the unanimous No. 1 in the latest Associated Press men’s basketball poll. The Zags aren’t likely to budge the way they’re dominating the West Coast Conference. Gonzaga remained at No. 1 for the second straight week, receiving all 61 votes from a media panel. Arizona moved up a spot to No. 2 for its highest ranking in four years, with Auburn, Purdue and Kansas rounding out the top five. Gonzaga is winning its WCC games by an average of 27 points. Saint Mary’s gave the WCC two ranked teams and No. 25 Iowa moved into the poll for the first time this season.
UNDATED (AP) — LSU has moved into the top 10 of The Associated Press women’s basketball poll for the first time in 13 years. Coach Kim Mulkey’s Tigers climbed three places to No. 8. LSU has 23 victories, its most since the 2011-12 season. Mulkey won three national titles in 21 years as Baylor’s coach and this is her first season with LSU. South Carolina remained the unanimous No. 1 team in the poll. The Gamecocks were followed by Stanford, North Carolina State, Louisville and Baylor. Michigan, Connecticut, Iowa State and Indiana round out the top 10. The Hoosiers fell five spots after losing twice.
