UNDATED (AP) — UConn's Sarah Strong and USC's JuJu Watkins headline the preseason AP All-America women’s college basketball team. The team, released Thursday, also includes Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes, Texas forward Madison Booker, and Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo. Strong, the reigning AP Player of the Year, earned 30 votes from the 31-member national media panel. Hidalgo and Booker each received 28 votes, Blakes had 27, and Watkins 26. Watkins is returning after an ACL tear in 2025. Strong averaged 18.4 points and 7.7 rebounds last season. Booker and Hidalgo have been honored as preseason picks for three consecutive years.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — No. 10 Utah has suspended reserve defensive tackle Jamal Wallace after his arrest earlier this month tied to an alleged domestic violence incident. According to KSL in Salt Lake City, Wallace was arrested after a woman he had been dating said he raped her and shared videos of the alleged incident with others via social media. Wallace was charged with five counts of distribution of an intimate image. He has appeared in one game for the Utes, who play No. 14 Houston this weekend.
UNDATED (AP) — No. 10 Utah is one of three 6-0 teams in the Big 12. The Utes also have the nation’s longest active FBS winning streak at 12 games going into Saturday's home game against No. 14 Houston. The Cougars have a four-game winning streak. They are playing back-to-back regular-season games as a ranked team against another ranked team for the first time since 1977. No. 2 BYU and No. 8 Texas Tech, the two teams that played in the Big 12 title game last season, are the other 6-0 teams. The Cougars play Saturday at UCF, and the defending champion Red Raiders are home against West Virginia.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — BYU visits UCF on Saturday coming off a 28-24 win over Notre Dame that vaulted the Cougars to No. 2 in the AP Poll, their highest since 1984. Coach Kalani Sitake emphasized staying humble despite the buzz. They will be the highest-ranked team to play at the Acrisure Bounce House. UCF coach Scott Frost sees it as a big opportunity. UCF is dealing with injuries, including quarterback Alonza Barnett III. BYU's offense has struggled but relies on strong defense. Even amid their new status as potential conference favorites, Sitake says the Cougars are not looking past UCF.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Undefeated Utah still has plenty to prove when the Utes battle Houston on Saturday night. The No. 10 Utes (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) are off to their best start since 2015 but have piled up wins against a weak schedule. None of Utah’s first six opponents have a record above .500 at the season’s midway point. Playing the No. 14 Cougars should offer a more accurate measure of where the Utes stack up against other Big 12 title contenders. Houston (6-1, 3-1) comes into Salt Lake City more battle-tested after earning victories over then-No. 18 Oklahoma State, Kansas State, and Oregon State.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Texas Tech and Cincinnati are meeting Saturday for the first time since quarterback Brendan Sorsby's transfer fell through amid gambling allegations. Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire says his team is focused on pursuing a College Football Playoff spot. Sorsby, who played for the Bearcats, was declared ineligible by the NCAA for betting. Texas Tech quarterback Will Hammond has passed for over 1,300 yards this season. Cincinnati's JC French IV set career highs last week. The Bearcats have lost two straight games. Texas Tech aims to extend its road winning streak and remain undefeated.
UNDATED (AP) — Florida's Thomas Haugh and Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. highlight the preseason AP All-America team. Fears received 57 votes from a 58-person media panel and Haugh earned 56. Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner received 43 votes, Illinois forward David Mirkovic had 24 and Arizona big man Motiejus Krivas 17 to round out the team.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Oklahoma State women's basketball team is gearing up for a season of high expectations, thanks in part to the arrival of high-profile transfers Liv McGill from Florida and Audi Crooks from Iowa State. The Cowgirls are the pick to win the Big 12 Conference by the league's coaches. Oklahoma State coach Jacie Hoyt says this is her most talented roster yet. The Cowgirls haven't won a conference championship since 1991, but Hoyt has turned things around with back-to-back successful seasons. McGill was the only player in the nation to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and six assists last season, and Crooks is a two-time All-American.
