Kentucky’s Briscoe fourth to opt for NBA

Kentucky guard Isaiah Briscoe says he will enter the NBA draft and hire an agent, the fourth Wildcat to announce their intentions this week.

Briscoe said Thursday in a statement through the school he’s “ready for the next step and can’t wait to begin the next journey.”

Last year, Briscoe entered the draft but wasn’t invited to the NBA combine or projected as a selection. He returned to Lexington for his sophomore season and improved his scoring from 9.6 points per game to 12.1.

Duke: Guard Luke Kennard is entering the NBA draft after a breakout sophomore season. Kennard says he plans to hire an agent, which means he won’t have the option to return for his junior year. Kennard averaged 19.5 points and shot nearly 49 percent, earning a spot on the Associated Press All-America second team. The 6-foot-6 guard is projected to be a mid- to latefirst-round pick.

Kansas: Former five-star prospect Carlton Bragg Jr. announced he intends to transfer, though the sophomore forward from Cleveland did not say where he will go. He made the decision after a season that included two suspensions, several off-thecourt issues and a gradual decrease in playing time.

Frozen Four: Alex Iafallo tipped in Willie Raskob’s shot with 26.6 seconds remaining to lift Minnesota Duluth to a 2-1 victory over Harvard in the men’s hockey Frozen Four semifinals. Minnesota Duluth (28-6-7) hung on when Harvard’s Luke Esposito hit the crossbar with four seconds remaining. The Bulldogs face the Denver-Notre Dame winner Saturday.

NCAA diversity: A study finds racial and gender hiring in college sports in 2016 has declined from the previous year and still lag behind those in professional sports. The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport’s Richard Lapchick, the primary author of the report, calls it “disheartening.”