Jayhawks Vick is out on leave
Leaves Kansas for personal matters
Kansas guard Lagerald Vick is taking a leave of absence from the basketball program, leaving the No. 13 Jayhawks even more shorthanded as they face an uphill climb to a 15th consecutive Big 12 title.
Jayhawks coach Bill Self said Thursday night that Vick has “some personal matters that require his immediate attention.” Self said there is no timetable for his return.
The Jayhawks are 17-6 and 6-4 in the Big 12, leaving them 1½ games behind their in-state rival Kansas State.
“He has some things going on that [aren’t] public things,” Self said during his weekly radio show Thursday night, “so I think that he hasn’t been his best because of those things.”
Louisville
Asia Durr scored 15 points to help No. 2 Louisville beat 15th-ranked Syracuse, 76-51, Thursday night. Wearing white-and-black uniforms honoring native son Muhammad Ali, the Cardinals (22-1, 9-1 ACC) paid a fitting tribute by landing an early knockout punch on the Orange (17-5, 6-3). Durr scored the team’s first 10 points as Louisville jumped out to an 18-4 lead less than six minutes into the game. After Durr’s quick start, it was a balanced effort for the rest of the first half as six other players scored at least six points in the half.
Florida State
Nausia Woolfolk scored 22 points, including a careerhigh tying five 3-pointers, and No. 24 Florida State scored 10 consecutive points late in the fourth quarter to knock off No. 9 N.C. State, 7570 on Thursday night. Nicki Ekhomu added 20 points as the Seminoles (20-3, 8-2 ACC) shot 55.2 percent from the floor in the second half. NC State (21-2, 8-2) was the last unbeaten Division I team until a loss on Sunday to North Carolina.
Cincinnati
Jarron Cumberland scored 17 points and keyed a late rally as No. 25 Cincinnati (20-3, 9-1 American Athletic) overcame a poor shooting to beat the Memphis Tigers (13-10, 5-5), 69-64.
LSU
A 20-year-old Louisiana man accused of fatally shooting LSU basketball player Wayde Sims last fall has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder. Dyteon Simpson, of Baker, is accused of shooting Sims, also 20, in the head when Sims intervened in a fight to defend a friend outside a fraternity party just off Southern University’s campus.