AP Thursday Sports Roundup

AP source: McAdoo to replace Coughlin

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants are staying within the organization for the successor to coach Tom Coughlin.

A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press the Giants are hiring offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo as their next head coach.

The 38-year-old McAdoo had the backing of veteran Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who voiced support for the coach after the season. This would be McAdoo's first head coaching job.

It is uncertain whether defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who also interviewed for the top job, will stay.

NFL-BROWNS

Browns pick Jackson as coach

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Browns have hired Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson as their new coach. The 50-year old replaces the fired Mike Pettine, who was let go after two losing seasons.

Jackson becomes the eighth coach for the team since it re-entered the NFL as an expansion club in 1999.

Jackson was previously Oakland's head coach, and has a strong record of working with quarterbacks.

NFL-PLAYOFFS

Pats' Jones has medical problem

UNDATED (AP) — New England Patriots Pro Bowl defensive lineman Chandler Jones missed the team's media availability Wednesday after being taken to a hospital with an unspecified medical emergency Sunday.

Jones was admitted to a local hospital and released later the same day. The matter also involved the Foxborough police.

Jones was not available during the 45 minutes that the Patriots locker room was open to reporters before practice on Wednesday. He was seen on the field during the stretching portion of practice. The team said in a statement that he has not missed practice or any team meetings.

In other NFL news:

— Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sat out practice but is still hopeful he can play in Sunday's division round game at Denver. Backup Landry Jones took most of the snaps with the starters while Roethlisberger underwent treatment on his sprained right shoulder.

T25-SCHEDULE

SMU now 16-0...Duke falls...So does South Carolina

UNDATED (AP) — Being ranked in The Associated Press' Top-10 for the first time in 31 years hardly bothered the Southern Methodist University basketball team. Tenth-ranked SMU smacked East Carolina 79-55 to run the Mustangs' record to 16-0. Ben Moore led SMU with 17 points.

SMU placed five players in double figures for the fourth time this season. SMU is the only undefeated Division I men's team.

In other AP Top-25 hoops:

— Buddy Hield scored 26 points to help No. 2 Oklahoma hold off a spirited Oklahoma State squad 74-72. Hield made 10 of 17 shots for the 14-1 Sooners.

— Sixth-ranked Villanova won its 36th straight game at the Pavilion by beating Marquette 83-68. Kris Jenkins scored 20 for the 15-2 Wildcats.

— Clemson upset ninth-ranked Duke 68-63 behind Jaron Blossomgame's 17 points. Coupled with Sunday's win over then No. 16 Louisville, it's the first time the Tigers have beaten consecutive ranked opponents since 1989.

— No. 17 South Carolina suffered its first loss of the season, 73-50 at Alabama. Riley Norris hit his first seven 3-point attempts and scored a career-high 27 points to lead Alabama.

— No. 22 Baylor routed TCU 82-54. Terry Maston scored a career-high 17 points for the 13-3 Bears.

— No. 24 Purdue routed Penn State 74-57. Vince Edwards scored 19 points, Isaac Haas had 14 and Caleb Swanigan added 13 for the Boilermakers.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL-MISSOURI

Mizzou vacates all wins from 2013-14 season

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP)— The University of Missouri admitted NCAA violations in its men's basketball program dating to 2011 and banned itself from the postseason this year and vacated all 23 wins from the 2013-14 season.

The NCAA is still investigating and Missouri said it was working with the organization in hopes of limiting the punishment to its self-imposed sanctions, which includes the SEC tournament.

Missouri was 23-12 in 2013-14, Frank Haith's final season. Haith left for Tulsa not long after the school received a verbal notice of inquiry from the NCAA in April 2014.

The Tigers won just nine games last season under new coach Kim Anderson and are 8-8 this season.

NBA-SCHEDULE

Warriors streak ends in Denver...10 straight for the Clippers

UNDATED (AP) — The Denver Nuggets ended Golden State's seven-game winning streak, 112-110. Danilo Gallinari led the Nuggets with 28. Will Barton scored 21 for the Nuggets, who snapped a four-game losing streak to the Warriors.

Stephen Curry led all scorers with 38 for the Warriors, who are 36-3.

In other NBA:

__ Backup center Cole Aldrich had 19 points and seven rebounds in place of ailing DeAndre Jordan, and the L.A. Clippers beat the Miami Heat 104-90 for their 10th straight victory. Jordan was sidelined because of pneumonia, ending the NBA's longest active consecutive games played streak at 360. Chris Paul had 15 points and 12 assists for Los Angeles.

— James Harden had 27 points and 11 assists and the Houston Rockets got their season-high fifth straight win, 107-104 over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

__ Isaiah Thomas scored 28 points, Jae Crowder matched his career high with 25 and the Boston Celtics snapped a four-game losing streak with a 103-94 win over the Indiana Pacers.

--Kevin Durant had 29 points and 10 rebounds and the Oklahoma City Thunder, helped when Dallas sat out its usual starters, beat the Mavericks 108-89. The Mavs had suffered an overtime loss in Cleveland Tuesday night and coach Rick Carlisle chose to sit out his regulars in this one.

— Kemba Walker scored 23 points and the Charlotte Hornets pulled away in the second half to beat the Atlanta Hawks 107-84. That ends the Hornets' seven-game losing streak.

— Brook Lopez scored 20 points, Thaddeus Young had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and the Brooklyn Nets ended their 10-game home losing streak with a 110-104 victory over the New York Knicks.

— Eric Gordon made six 3s and scored 24 points and the New Orleans Pelicans snapped a four-game skid by beating the Sacramento Kings 109-97. Anthony Davis also had 24 for the Pelicans.

— Damian Lillard had 21 points and 10 assists, and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Utah Jazz 99-85.

__ Washington topped Milwaukee 106-101. John Wall led the way with 19 points and eight assists.

NHL-SCHEDULE

Flyers streaking...Blue Jackets end 4-game slide

UNDATED (AP)— — Mark Streit and Wayne Simmonds scored third-period goals to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-2 comeback victory over the Boston Bruins for their fourth straight win overall. That was the Flyers' sixth straight home win.

In other NHL:

—Columbus rookie Joonas Korpisalo made 41 saves and the last-place Blue Jackets snapped a four-game skid with a 3-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

— Shea Theodore put Anaheim ahead late in the third period with his first NHL goal, Frederik Andersen made 24 saves and the Ducks beat the Ottawa Senators 4-1.

— Rookie Sam Bennett had a first-period hat trick and four goals total as the Calgary Flames blanked the Florida Panthers 6-0. That is Florida's first regulation loss in 14 games.

COLLLEGE FOOTBALL-CLEMSON-DRAFT

Defections from Clemson's defense

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — National championship runner-up Clemson's highly regarded defense is losing cornerback Mackensie Alexander, safeties Jayron Kearse and T.J. Green and defensive end Kevin Dodd who have declared for the NFL draft.

The four starters join All-American defensive end Shaq Lawson in forgoing the remainder of their college eligibility for the pros.

Alexander is considered one of the college game's top cornerbacks and like Lawson, is a possible first-round NFL draft pick.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL-SWINNEY

Clemson coach wins Bear Bryant Award

HOUSTON (AP) — Clemson's Dabo Swinney has won the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year award.

Swinney is the first ACC coach to be honored with the trophy named for the late Alabama coach.

Clemson was undefeated until losing to Alabama 45-40 Monday night in the national championship game. The Tigers finished 14-1.

MLB-NEWS

Transactions from around the game

MIAMI (AP) — Free agent pitcher Edwin Jackson has signed a one-year contract with the Miami Marlins. The right-hander made 47 relief appearances for the Cubs and Braves last season. He really fits the term journeyman as the Marlins are his 10th franchise, after past stints with the Dodgers, Rays, Tigers, Nationals, Diamondbacks, White Sox and Cardinals along with the Cubs and Braves last year.

He's made 340 career appearances, 262 of them starts, with an 88-107 record and 4.58 ERA.

In other baseball:

__ A person familiar with the negotiations says reigning NL batting champion Dee Gordon has agreed to terms on a $50 million, five-year contract extension with the Miami Marlins, avoiding salary arbitration. Gordon led the majors last season with 205 hits and 58 stolen bases, and he batted .333.

— The Nationals have avoided salary arbitration with catcher Wilson Ramos by agreeing to a contract. The 28-year-old hit .229 last season in a career-high 475 at-bats, with 15 homers, 68 RBIs and 101 strikeouts.

__ First baseman Yonder Alonso and the Oakland Athletics have agreed on a $2.65 million, one-year contract, avoiding salary arbitration.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN-SEEDS

Djokovic, Serena top seeds

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Defending champions and No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams top the Australian Open seedings lists, which follow rankings ahead of the first Grand Slam tournament of 2016.

Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka moved back into the top 16 with her victory at the Brisbane International last week, her first title since 2013.

TRACK AND FIELD

Report: Putin may have consulted on doping

DENVER (AP) — The leader of the track's governing body told a lawyer he'd need to cut a deal with Russian president Vladimir Putin to ensure nine Russian athletes accused of doping wouldn't compete at the 2013 world championships in Moscow. That's according to a new report on the scandal that reached the top of the sport and country.

Details of the 89-page investigation, to be released by the World Anti-Doping Agency on Thursday, were provided to The Associated Press early by a person who had reviewed it.

OBIT-LAWRENCE PHILLIPS

Former Cornhuskers star found dead

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Former Nebraska star running back Lawrence Phillips has been found dead in his California prison cell and officials say they suspect suicide.

Guards at Kern Valley State Prison found the 40-year old unresponsive in his cell.

He had been housed alone in a segregation cell since April 2015 after he was suspected of killing his cellmate.

Phillips was a former No. 1 draft pick of the before his NFL career was cut short by disciplinary problems.

Phillips went to prison in 2008 to serve a sentence of more than 31 years after he was convicted of twice choking his girlfriend in 2005 and of driving his car into three teens later that year.

OBIT-LUIS ARROYO

Former All-Star reliever dies at 88

NEW YORK (AP) — Former All-Star pitcher Luis Arroyo has died. He was 88.

The New York Yankees say Arroyo's daughter, Milagros, told the team Wednesday night that he had died earlier in the day in Puerto Rico. She said he had been diagnosed last month with cancer.

Arroyo helped pitch the Yankees to the 1961 World Series championship. The 5-foot-8 lefty was 15-5 with a major league-leading 29 saves that season, then earned another victory in the Series against Cincinnati.