Dec 5, 2021 3 min read

Manning loses debut

Chase Audige and Pete Nance sparked a breakaway run in the final four minutes as Northwestern held off cold-shooting Maryland 67-61 in what was both the Big Ten opener for each team and Danny Manning’s debut as the Terrapins interim head coach Sunday.

In the wake of Mark Turgeon’s abrupt departure after 10 seasons on Friday, Manning was named as his replacement.

“Maryland basketball has been my passion and focus for the last 10 seasons, and I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished,” Turgeon said in a statement. He had a 226-116 record at Maryland and gone to the NCAA Tournament five of the last six seasons.

Nance led Northwestern with 17 points and 10 rebounds – nine on defense. Boo Buie added 16 points with four assists and Audige scored 14. The Wildcats (6-2, 1-0) shot 43%, sinking 10 more field goals than Maryland despite being outshot six 3-pointers to 10 by the Terps.

Hakim Hart scored 18 points to lead the Terrapins on 7-for-10 shooting, The rest of the team was 10-for-49. Fatts Russell added 11 points with five assists and Eric Ayala 10 points.

OU after Clemson coach

Oklahoma is targeting Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables to be its new head coach, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Sunday.

Oklahoma was “going hard after” Venables and an agreement could be reached later Sunday, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was not done.

Venables would replace Lincoln Riley, who left last week to take over at USC.

Venables was on Oklahoma’s staff under Bob Stoops as co-defensive coordinator from 1999 to 2003 and defensive coordinator from 2004 to 2011. He was co-defensive coordinator when the Sooners won the 2000 national title. He left Oklahoma for Clemson in 2012 and won the Broyles Award in 2016 as the nation’s top assistant coach.

Venables’ Clemson defense led the nation in scoring defense in 2018, and his 2020 unit tied for the nation’s lead in sacks. This season, Clemson ranks second nationally in scoring defense, ninth in total defense, eighth in rushing defense and sixth in pass efficiency defense.

Report: Florida hires head coach

Billy Napier more than tripled his salary while moving from the Sun Belt to the Southeastern Conference.

A person familiar with negotiations says Florida’s newest football coach agreed to a seven-year, $51.8 million contract that makes him the fifth-highest-paid coach in the powerhouse SEC. He could get bumped to sixth depending on Lane Kiffin’s new deal at Mississippi.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday night because neither Florida nor Napier has publicly released contract details.

Napier will make $7.1 million in his first season and will get a $100,000 raise annually before each of the remaining six years, the person said. Only Alabama’s Nick Saban ($9.75 million), Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher ($9 million), new LSU coach Brian Kelly ($8.6 million) and Georgia’s Kirby Smart ($7.13 million) are due to make more in the SEC next season.

In college basketball

Payton Willis hit a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left to retake the lead and added two free throws as Minnesota remained undefeated with an 81-76 win over Mississippi State on Sunday afternoon.

Mississippi State never led and trailed by 14 midway through the second half but battled back to tie the game, 76-76, with 43 seconds left on a three-point play by Iverson Molinar.