Sports briefs
WVU advances
Sean McNeil scored 21 points, Malik Curry added 17 points and No. 9 seed West Virginia beat eighth-seeded Kansas State 73-67 on Wednesday night in the opener of the Big 12 Conference tournament.
West Virginia (16-16) advances to play top-seeded Kansas on Thursday. The Mountaineers lost at Kansas 85-59 in January and again at home 71-58 about a month later.
Neither team led by more than nine points in this one.
McNeil scored four points during a 10-2 run that gave West Virginia a 69-60 lead with 3:29 left. Curry and Taz Sherman made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions during the run.
In the NFL
Baltimore Ravens tackle Alejandro Villanueva is retiring.
The team announced his decision Wednesday. The Ravens also announced that they have re-signed defensive tackle Aaron Crawford and released cornerback Tavon Young.
Villanueva played six years with Pittsburgh before joining the Ravens last season. The two-time Pro Bowler started every game after his rookie year.
Villanueva, a West Point graduate, was an active member of the U.S. Army before his NFL career. He was 26 when he made his NFL debut in 2015.
The Ravens are hoping tackle Ronnie Stanley can return healthier after he played only one game last season. He’s dealt with ankle problems since the last few weeks of 2020. A healthy Stanley would give Baltimore a replacement for Villanueva.
In college basketball
Syracuse star Buddy Boeheim was suspended for the Orange’s Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament game against Duke after he punched a Florida State player in the stomach Wednesday during a second-round victory.