Cougars are known to be solitary and secretive animals, rarely seen in the wild. They’re known for their strength, agility, and ability to jump. Cougar attacks on humans are extremely rare.

Everett Hayes kicked a 55-yard field goal with 20 seconds left and Oregon State snapped a five-game losing streak with a 41-38 victory over No. 25 Washington State in what was essentially this season’s Pac-12 championship.

Cam Skattebo ran for 147 yards and three touchdowns, Sam Leavitt threw for 247 yards and a score, and No. 21 Arizona State beat No. 14 BYU 28-23.

Oregon remains the unanimous No. 1 team in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll after its close call at Wisconsin.

Jalon Daniels threw for 169 yards, Dylan Neal ran for two touchdowns and Kansas upset No. 7 BYU 17-13 on Saturday night to hand the Cougars their first loss of the season.

Utah athletic director Mark Harlan blasted the Big 12 officiating crew following BYU’s 22-21 win over the Utes for controversial calls on the Cougars’ winning drive.

Coach Deion Sanders and 21st-ranked Colorado play their first November game tied for second place in the Big 12 conference.

Jake Retzlaff threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Darius Lassiter with 10 seconds left and No. 13 BYU remained undefeated, outlasting Oklahoma State 38-35 on Friday night.

Longtime Associated Press Top 25 voter Kirk Bohls of the Houston Chronicle said this week's ballot was the most difficult he's had to fill out.

BYU basketball coach Mark Pope is negotiating with Kentucky to succeed John Calipari, according to multiple reports.

Houston coach Kelvin Sampson is the Associated Press coach of the year for men's college basketball.

Washington State has hired David Riley as its basketball coach, nabbing the two-time Big Sky Conference coach of the year at a time of uncertainty for the Cougars.

Houston point guard Jamal Shead exited the Cougars' Sweet 16 loss to Duke with 6 1/2 minutes left in the first half after his right foot turned awkwardly on a move to the basket.

Dae Dae Grant scored 19 points to help No. 11 seed Duquesne keep retiring coach Keith Dambrot working a little bit longer with a 71-67 victory against sixth-seeded BYU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

BYU forward Aly Khalifa will play against Duquesne on Thursday without having any food or drink after sunrise as he observes Ramadan during the NCAA Tournament.

Bill Self feels pretty good about Hunter Dickinson’s availability for the NCAA Tournament.

Houston claimed a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, but will have to navigate the likes of Duke, Kentucky and Marquette in the South Region if the Cougars are able to make their first Final Four since 2021.

Milan Momcilovic had 18 points and Keshon Gilbert scored 16 as No. 7 Iowa State used a big second-half to rout No. 1 Houston 69-41 in the Big 12 Tournament final.

L.

Houston remains atop the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for the third consecutive week.

Jamal Shead had 13 points, six rebounds and eight assists, Damian Dunn added 12 points and No. 1 Houston claimed the Big 12 regular-season title in its first season in the conference, dominating No. 14 Kansas 76-46 on Saturday.

Jamal Shead hit a short follow shot with 0.4 seconds left and No. 1 Houston beat Oklahoma 87-85 on Saturday night, giving coach Kelvin Sampson a victory over one of his former schools.

Dallin Hall and Jaxson Robinson scored 18 points apiece as BYU rallied from a 12-point deficit to beat seventh-ranked Kansas 76-68, ending the Jayhawks’ 19-game home winning streak in their first matchup as Big 12 foes.

Now it’s Houston’s turn at the top of The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll.

Aly Khalifa had 14 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds to lead No. 25 BYU to a 78-71 victory over No. 11 Baylor on Tuesday night.

Bella Murekatete scored 20 points, Eleonora Villa added 18 and Washington State held on for a 85-82 victory over No. 2 UCLA despite All-Pac-12 guard Charlisse Leger-Walker suffering a knee injury during the second half.

Emanuel Miller’s layup with six seconds left gave TCU a 68-67 victory over No. 2 Houston on Saturday, the Cougars’ second straight loss.

Isaac Jones had 24 points and 13 rebounds and Washington State upset No. 8 Arizona 73-70 on Saturday.

Purdue is still atop the AP Top 25 but Houston has jumped Kansas into second place as the last unbeaten team in Division I men’s college basketball.

Ollie Gordon II ran for his fifth touchdown of the game in the second overtime, and No. 21 Oklahoma State rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat BYU 40-34, securing a spot in the Big 12 Championship game.

Noah Fifita threw for 342 yards, Jonah Coleman had 168 yards and three rushing touchdowns and Arizona forced three turnovers in a 44-6 victory over No. 19 Washington State on Saturday night.

Josh Kelly had three touchdown receptions, Cameron Ward passed for 404 yards and accounted for five scores, and No. 21 Washington State withstood a late rally to upend No. 14 Oregon State 38-35 in the Pac-12 Conference opener for both teams.

Cougars are known to be solitary and secretive animals, rarely seen in the wild. They’re known for their strength, agility, and ability to jump. Cougar attacks on humans are extremely rare.

Houston was the lone No. 1 seed left in the tournament for about 30 minutes on Friday night, until its own run ended with an 89-75 loss to Miami in the Sweet 16.

Underdogs have blown up every bracket in the country in what may be the maddest March ever.

The Washington State Cougars have adopted Shania Twain's “Man, I Feel Like A Woman” song as their official anthem on the way to March Madness.

Alabama rolls in as the top overall seed in an NCAA Tournament that feels both familiar and foreign this season.

Picking the NCAA Tournament bracket comes with plenty of potential pitfalls.

Kendric Davis scored 31 points and Memphis held on to beat No. 1 Houston 75-65 in the American Athletic Conference tournament championship game.

The NCAA Tournament has reached Sweet 16 weekend in the battle for the national championship in men’s basketball.

Houston returned to No. 1 in the AP men’s college basketball poll for the third time this season while Northwestern and Texas A&M barged into the rankings after each had a pair of impressive wins last week.

Purdue is back at No. 1 in the AP Top 25.

Ben Burnham scored 15 points to lead No. 18 Charleston to its 20th win in a row, an 87-61 victory over Northeastern.

Houston and Kansas remain firmly atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll after a record weekend of Top 25 losses.

Houston and Texas remain firmly entrenched atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll.

There may be no reason to put second-ranked Alabama and No. 17 Baylor on upset alert even though both are playing Sun Belt Conference teams in Week 3.

Cougars are now listed as an endangered species in Michigan and have been spotted on 76 occasions since 2008.

Jermaine Samuels had 16 points and 10 rebounds as Villanova advanced to its third Final Four in the last six NCAA Tournaments with a 50-44 victory over Houston in the South Region final.

Dylan Hopkins broke the Independence Bowl record for completion percentage in wind and driving rain, connecting on 19 of 23 passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns in UAB’s 31-28 victory over No. 12 BYU on Saturday.

Clayton Tune threw for 264 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score as No. 17 Houston extended its winning streak to 10 games with a 31-13 victory over Memphis.

The Michigan DNR has confirmed 10 cougar sightings in 2021, all in the Upper Peninsula, continuing an upward trend in sightings over the last few years.

Abram Smith ran for 188 yards with three touchdowns and Baylor beat future Big 12 foe and 19th-ranked BYU 38-24.

Hank Bachmeier threw for 172 yards and Boise State forced four turnovers in a 26-17 upset victory over No. 10 BYU on Saturday.

Tyler Allgeier ran for a career-high 218 yards and three touchdowns to help No. 13 BYU beat Utah State 34-20 on Friday night.

A deal BYU has made available to its football players could test how much allowing athletes to be compensated by outside companies for name, image and likeness can be used as a competitive advantage.

Yes, Houston is going back to the Final Four for the first time since the famed “Phi Slama Jama” era after Monday night's 67-61 win against Oregon State. And Houston knocked down enough free throws late while holding Oregon State without a basket during a critical 3 1/2 minutes. Fittingly, it was DeJon Jarreau — the American Athletic Conference's defensive player of the year who led the effort that stymied Oregon State star Ethan Thompson — who was named the most outstanding player of the Midwest Region. “It was right there within our grasp with the effort we showed in the second half,” Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said. They held the Beavers to 35% shooting in the first half before Oregon State found some openings.

Now it's taken coach Kelvin Sampson's team somewhere new: the program's deepest NCAA Tournament run since the days of Olajuwon, Drexler and the famed “Phi Slama Jama." That sent the second-seeded Cougars through to their first regional final in 37 years, earning a matchup with No. Houston (27-3) came in holding opponents to a national-low 37.3% shooting, and then harassed Syracuse (18-10) into just 28% (14 for 50). “It’s the best defense that that we’ve seen this year and they deserved to win,” coach Jim Boeheim said. Syracuse had shot at least 52% each time while making 29 3-pointers — but there would be no repeat of that unexpected 2016 Final Four run thanks to Houston's defense.

The Cougars play No. By the time the first half ended, and the Scarlet Knights had forged a 30-27 lead, Rutgers and Houston each had two regulars mired in foul trouble. AdChaney took a seat with his fourth with 15:45 left and the Scarlet Knights went on the attack. And by the time there was 10 minutes to go, the Scarlet Knights had meticulously built a 50-40 lead. UP NEXTThe Cougars play the Orange next weekend for a spot in the Elite Eight.

UCLA basketball players celebrate their win over BYU after a first-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021. 11 seed Bruins rally past Michigan State in the First Four, Juzang poured in 27 points against sixth-seeded BYU on Saturday night, carrying his team to a 73-62 victory and the second round of the East Region. This is the height of college basketball,” Juzang said, “and playing for the Bruins — I'm from Los Angeles. He's scouting Abilene Christian and he told me they would win,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. There's a number of things we can take from this game to get better,” BYU coach Mark Pope said.

7 Houston beat Cincinnati 91-54 on Sunday in the third consecutive American Athletic Conference tournament championship game between the two teams. AdThe Bearcats had won the previous two AAC title game matchups before last year’s tournaments were canceled because of COVID-19 after Houston had won its second consecutive AAC regular-season title. This was the most lopsided AAC tournament final game, surpassing SMU's 15-point win over Cincinnati in 2017. The Bearcats got to their fourth consecutive AAC tournament title game with a 60-59 win over the top-seeded Shockers in their semifinal game Saturday. AdHouston: The Cougars are going to their third consecutive NCAA Tournament.

Washington State guard Charlisse Leger-Walker (5) shoots next to UCLA guard Chantel Horvat (0) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Pullman, Wash., Friday, Feb. 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)PULLMAN, Wash. – Freshman star Charlisse Leger-Walker helped Washington State knock off its highest-ranked opponent ever. “My shot felt good the whole game,” Leger-Walker said. She called Charlisse Leger-Walker mature beyond her years. AdThe Bruins led 22-16 after the first quarter despite 11 points from Charlisse Leger-Walker.

9 Alabama on Saturday, the Sooners became just the second team in 25 years to beat three straight top-10 opponents. The Sooners got off to shaky Big 12 start, opening 2-3 after losses to Baylor and Kansas. Oklahoma (11-4, 6-3 Big 12) has been on quite a run since then, taking down then-No. 17 West Virginia earlier this month, knocked off the Crimson Tide despite playing without Austin Reaves and starting guard Alondes Williams due to COVID-19 protocols. The Bears (16-0, 8-0 Big 12) received the other three first-place votes following wins over Kansas State and Auburn.

11 Houston used a dominant first half to cruise to a 75-58 win over UCF on Sunday. Houston (11-1, 6-1 American Athletic Conference) won its fourth straight game since its loss to Tulsa. “It was a great game for us,” Houston guard DeJon Jarreau said. “They made a lot of shots to start the first half off and kind of knocked us back,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said. Sampson passed former Houston coach Tom Penders.

Washington State has earned its first ranking ever in The Associated Press womens college basketball poll, entering at No. (AP Photo/Collin Andrew, File)Kamie Ethridge was surprised to hear that Washington State had never been ranked before. How exciting it is to be on the way up.”The ranking comes a day after Washington State beat then-No. Washington State (7-1) has won five of its first six Pac-12 games for the first time since the 2013-14 season. We’ll celebrate and acknowledge and enjoy the feeling.”While Washington State was enjoying its first ranking, Stanford tightened its grip on the No.

17 Michigan State — sets the stage for what could be an epic start to the new year in the improbably deep Big Ten. 15 Illinois and Michigan State visits the Cornhuskers. The weekend wraps up Sunday with Wisconsin visiting Penn State, Northwestern heading to Michigan and Ohio State traveling to Minnesota in a pair of matchups involving ranked teams. The Hokies already have wins over teams that were ranked in Villanova and Clemson. BIG 12 BATTLESThe Big Ten has the most teams in the Top 25 but the Big 12 may have the best — the league has five teams ranked in the top 13.

(AP Photo/George Frey, Pool)Preparing for the Boca Raton Bowl proved a bit of a slippery slope for the Central Florida Knights. All part of Heupel’s plan to bring a dose of fun to the bowl game with some of the customary pageantry halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “A really good football team,” Heupel said. “Kind of reminds me of why you don’t play football in Provo in December,” Sitake joked. They're 0-3 in Florida bowl games, including losses in the 1976 Tangerine Bowl, 1985 Florida Citrus Bowl and 2014 Miami Beach Bowl.

BYU forward Matt Haarms (3) celebrates after BYU defeated San Diego State in an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, in San Diego. 18 San Diego State 72-62 on Friday despite Matt Mitchell’s career-high 35 points. But BYU (7-2) regained control and handed San Diego State (5-1) its first loss. San Diego State: The Aztecs couldn’t handle BYU’s size early. San Diego State: Faces Saint Mary’s at Cal Poly SLO on Tuesday.

The Cougars defense, which had allowed less than 90 yards rushing a game coming in, was pounded by Coastal Carolina for 281 yards. But Coastal Carolina linebackers Gunter and Teddy Gallagher kept blocking and hitting Wilson after the interception. Coastal Carolina: The Chanticleers pulled off the latest milestone in a season full of them. POLL IMPLICATIONSCount on Coastal Carolina moving up if there's any room in the rankings. Coastal Carolina travels to Troy next Saturday to make up a game postponed in November.

Coastal Carolina needed a Plan B — as in BYU. BYU is currently 13th in the College Football Playoff rankings. Coastal Carolina is No. That kind of scheduling flexibility is unheard of in college football, where nonconference games are usually set years in advance. "Everybody's just kind of been riding the wave and trying to prepare the most they can.”___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/tag/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

21 Boise State 51-17 on Friday night. Boise State (2-1) suffered its worst loss since a 64-19 rout by rival Idaho in 1996, the Broncos first year as an FBS program. Wilson, who originally committed to Boise State before signing with BYU, completed 21-of-27 passes and threw TDs of 5 and 20 yards. “They came out and they put on a show,” Boise State receiver Khalil Shakir said. Boise State: The Broncos have another short week before returning to conference play, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Down 12, Wilson found Milne for a 2-yard touchdown pass with 53 seconds remaining in the third. Wilson gave BYU the lead back with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Masen Wake with 10:35 left to make it 29-26 following a 2-point conversion pass from Wilson to Tyler Allgeier. Wilson threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Milne with three minutes remaining before Allgeier iced it with a 14-yard touchdown run with 1:40 left. Clayton Tune finished 21 of 31 for 310 yards and two touchdowns to lead Houston (1-1). Trailing by 11 to start the second quarter, Houston scored 23 straight points to take a 26-14 lead with three minutes left in the third.

Alabama won 63-48. 2 Alabama in a game that could very well be first of three meetings between the SEC superpowers. A conference title rematch in Atlanta would surprise no one and another meeting in the College Football Playoff would hardly be shocking. UCF (minus 3 1/2) at Memphis — @alanwooten19Knights have won 13 straight against the Tigers; average score in the last three: 50-42 ... UCF 45-44. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

15 BYU past UTSA 27-20 on Saturday. Allgeier posted his second 100-yard game of his career to help rescue an inconsistent BYU offense. Lowell Narcisse threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns – all after halftime – on 17-of-20 passing to lead the Roadrunners. BYU trailed for the first time this season when UTSA took a 3-0 lead on a 39-yard field goal from Hunter Duplessis in the first quarter. The Roadrunners forced a punt, but BYU was able to run out the clock following a roughing the punter penalty with 15 seconds left.

The Michigan DNR has confirmed six cougar sightings in 2020, all in the Upper Peninsula. Since 2008, the DNR has confirmed 55 cougar sightings, with only one of those coming in the Lower Peninsula, in 2017. Though originally native to Michigan, cougars were driven from the states landscape due to several factors, including habitat loss, around the early 1900s. In 2019, at least 11 cougar sightings were confirmed in the state. There have been periodic reports of cougar sightings since that time from various locations in Michigan.

HOUSTON Memphis needed a bye week to exhale after showcasing its lethal offense during a huge win on national television, and looks to continue its quest for a spot in the American Athletic Conference championship game Saturday afternoon at Houston. LINE: Memphis -10.5Weve played in a lot of big games this season, Memphis coach Mike Norvell told reporters at his weekly press conference. Its pretty taxing when youre competitive, when youre handcuffed and limited, but youre competitive and you just come up short against ranked opponents. Houston junior S Grant Stuard leads the team with 73 tackles, but managed a season-low three in the last game against UCF. PREDICTION: Memphis 48, Houston 28

PULLMAN, Wash. Two of the more disappointing teams in the Pac-12 look to remain bowl eligible Saturday when Washington State meets visiting Stanford. LINE: Washington State -10.5After putting up 41 points in a win over Arizona, the Cardinal struggled offensively in last weeks 16-13 loss to Colorado and will need an improved effort against the high-powered Cougars. ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (4-5, 1-5)Quarterback Anthony Gordon threw for 407 yards in last weeks 33-20 loss to California and leads the country in passing yards (3,794), passing yards per game (421.6) and passing touchdowns (34). Stanford holds a 40-28-1 lead in the all-time series, but Washington State has won the last three meetings. PREDICTION: Washington State 34, Stanford 24

Wide receiver Octavius Evans #1 of the Boise State Broncos leads the team on to the field prior to the first half against the Marshall Thundering Herd on September 6, 2019 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. 13 Boise State visits BYU in Saturday's nonconference game in Provo, Utah. LINE: Boise State -6.5. Boise State holds a 7-2 series edge with both of BYU's wins coming at LaVell Edwards Stadium (2013, 2015). PREDICTION: Boise State 45, BYU 23More college football scoresCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

DENTON, Texas - Houston heads north minus two of its better playmakers for Saturday's non-conference game at North Texas. Tune has yet to attempt a pass this season but appeared in five games last season, including a pair of starts, and had eight touchdown passes and two interceptions. ABOUT NORTH TEXAS (2-2)Fine owns nearly every career record for a quarterback at North Texas, including touchdown passes (73) and total offense (10,491 yards), but there is still one that he is chasing. Houston has come up with at least one takeaway in 21 straight games, the longest active streak in the FBS. PREDICTION: Houston 34, North Texas 31More college football scoresCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

Hunter Bryant #1 of the Washington Huskies looks on against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in the fourth quarter during their game at Husky Stadium on September 14, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)PROVO, Utah - Washington bounced back from a rare home loss to thrash Hawaii this past weekend. Now the 21st-ranked Huskies close out non-conference play with their first road test of the season in Saturday afternoon's game at BYU. BYU was held to 194 yards of total offense in the contest and didn't score until the game's final 41 seconds. PREDICTION: Washington 30, BYU 23More college football scoresCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

LINE: Tulane -4.5"We're looking at it as a must-win (game)," King, who threw for 36 touchdowns and ran for 14 last year, told reporters. "It was good that we could get off of our feet early and rest because they played (Friday), so they're a day ahead of us," Tulane senior wide receiver Darnell Mooney told reporters. Freshman Tyjae Spears had 89 yards rushing and an 88-yard TD reception in last week's win with McMillan telling reporters: "It's what I see from him every day. Houston, which received 139 rushing yards from current senior RB Patrick Carr against Tulane last season, is 17-6 all-time in the series. PREDICTION: Tulane 38, Houston 31More college football scoresCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.