BEARS

Baylor erased a 35-7 third-quarter deficit, scoring 29 unanswered points and taking the lead on a 25-yard field goal Isaiah Hankins with 1:21 left to play to beat Big 12 newcomer UCF 36-35 in the the Knights’ first conference home game.

A sheriff says Florida needs to find solutions as encounters between bears and humans are increasing.

Law enforcement responded after a bear was been reported in Altamonte Springs, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission offers some tips on what to do if you encounter a bear.

LSU coach Kim Mulkey is returning to Texas for another Final Four.

No lead seemed safe on Saturday in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

There will be no Big 12 regular-season title for the Baylor women for the first time in 13 seasons.

Gonzaga has already faced a brutal schedule this season with wins over No. 19 Kentucky and No. 20 Michigan State and losses to second-ranked Texas and fifth-ranked Purdue.

There were 17.3 million brackets filled out in ESPN's Tournament Challenge this year, and the quest for a perfect one was done before the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

Baylor kept its firm hold on No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll with few changes at the top and no new teams entering the latest rankings.

Defending national champion Baylor has maintained its top spot in The Associated Press men's college basketball poll, though not without ceding a No. 1 vote to Arizona, while the six remaining unbeatens continued their rise.

James Akinjo had 16 points with seven rebounds and second-ranked Baylor defensively dominated No. 6 Villanova 57-36.

A Florida man is accused of fatally shooting a black bear and a bear cub.

Baylor coach Scott Drew knew his sixth-ranked Bears might need time to blend a changed roster after losing four starters from a national-championship run.

Rescuers believe the bear likely had the plastic container on its head for weeks.

Officials at two central Florida schools ordered students to "hold in place" when a black bear was spotted near the campuses.

The Big 12 is moving quickly on an expansion plan that could have the conference at 12 schools after Texas and Oklahoma leave, with BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston as the “most intriguing” candidates.

Astronaut will join Satellite Friday, becoming the second Brevard County high school to announce a preseason football game cancellation due to COVID quarantines.

A married couple has pleaded guilty to using doughnuts and pastries to lure black bears in rural Florida.

Davion Mitchell, a 46% shooter from 3 this season, went 0 for 3 from long range on a 14-point day. Jared Butler scored nine points on 1-for-9 shooting from 3, and MaCio Teague had five points without a 3. The guards did a great job of not settling and probing more.”Because of that, Baylor shot 53% in the second half, even though it made only one 3. Constantly harassing Villanova shooters who'd carved out space in the first half, Baylor held Villanova to 37.5% shooting in the second and 0 for 9 from 3. Forward Brandon Slater left the game about midway through the second half after landing awkwardly during a fight for a rebound.

– Confidence has never been a problem for Oklahoma State freshman Cade Cunningham. 12 Cowboys trying to rally from a second-half hole against second-ranked Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament, Cunningham calmly responded with back-to-back 3-pointers to give his team the lead. Ad“You have to give Oklahoma State a lot of credit," Drew said. The Bears did get off to a quick start, but Oklahoma State answered and gradually pulled ahead. Oklahoma State split the season series with the Longhorns, losing a 77-74 nail-biter in December before winning a 75-67 double-overtime thriller early last month.

FILE - The Baeren (Bears) awards are lined up during the award ceremony for the 2020 Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, on Feb. 29, 2020. Organizers say the annual Berlin International Film Festival is being put off this year due to the coronavirus pandemic and split into two parts later in 2021. And her palette of performing qualities allowed us to feel, laugh and ask questions," the jury said in a statement. It is the first time that the Berlin Film Festival has awarded a single award for best acting regardless of gender. AdDenes Nagy of Hungary received the award for best director for his debut ‘Natural Light,’ following a Hungarian unit hunting partisans in the Soviet Union during World War II.

Baylor guard Adam Flagler (10) drives the ball against Iowa State guard Tre Jackson (3) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Waco, Texas. They finally overcame some of the rust and Iowa State for a 77-72 victory Tuesday night that made them 18-0 for the first time in school history. Iowa State (2-17, 0-14) jumped out to a 15-4 lead in less than 6 1/2 minutes on a jumper by Tre Jackson. Teague and Butler combined for the last nine Baylor points. They have been close and led in some of them, including in the second half at home against Baylor in a 76-65 home loss on Jan. 2.

Michigan took advantage of Villanova's loss at St. John's to jump into the top three, Ohio State climbed three spots to No. The Jayhawks began their Top 25 streak on Feb. 2, 2009, when freshman guard Bryce Thompson was 6 years old. “We have plenty of games to go win and I know this team can do it,” Kansas guard Christian Braun said. 15, followed by Tennessee, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Creighton and Southern California. The Bruins dropped out, along with Kansas, Florida and Drake, whose 18-0 start was spoiled in a 74-57 loss to Valparaiso.

Baylor coach Scott Drew, right, argues a call during the second half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Texas, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, in Austin, Texas. 2 Baylor has had its season interrupted again because of COVID-19 protocols, with the Big 12 Conference postponing the Bears' next two scheduled games. Their next scheduled game is now at home Feb. 13 against No. AdCoach Scott Drew missed the first two games of Baylor's reshuffled scheduled after testing positive for COVID-19 in November. The Big 12 said it would work with Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma to reschedule the remaining postponed games.

(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)WACO, Texas – This Baylor win was for Davion Mitchell, and the junior guard did his part against his former team. Mitchell swished a 3-pointer after losing a shoe and finished with 13 points and seven assists, helping the Bears stay undefeated with an 84-72 win over Auburn in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday. “And that’s OK, because Butler, and Teague and Davion Mitchell and Flagler are all really good,” Pearl said. "That conversation down the court, that was pretty cool.”AHEAD TO STAYButler made two free throws with 4:50 left in the first half for a 23-22 Baylor lead. Baylor: Baylor is 7-1 in Big 12/SEC Challenge games, the best record by any team in either league in the annual showdown.

(AP Photo/Steve Dykes)Gonzaga and Baylor were the top two teams in The Associated Press preseason men’s college basketball poll. Villanova, Texas and Iowa rounded out a top 5 that remained the same from last week. Gonzaga and Baylor split most of the first-place votes in the preseason AP Top 25, but the Zags have become the clear-cut No. Gonzaga, which had five games canceled due to COVID-19 issues last month, has won 16 straight dating to last season. The Huskies won the national championship in 2014 but went to the NCAA Tournament only one more time before Hurley was lured from Rhode Island.

The first tripleheader of NFL wild-card games saw Tom Brady extend his postseason record for victories to 31 with a 31-23 win for Tampa Bay at Washington on Saturday. After a quarter-century, the Bills got one of those triumphs that Brady collects — and they even figured out how to stop a Hail Mary. The previous playoff win was over Miami on Dec. 30, 1995. And it came in the Bills’ first home playoff game in 24 years, with a limited number of fans in attendance (6,700) for the first time this season. The Ravens averaged an NFL-best 191.9 yards rushing per game and their 3,071 yards rushing were third highest in NFL history.

FILE - The Baeren (Bears) awards are lined up during the award ceremony for the 2020 Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, on Feb. 29, 2020. Organizers say the annual Berlin International Film Festival is being put off this year due to the coronavirus pandemic and split into two parts later in 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)BERLIN – The annual Berlin International Film Festival is being put off this year due to the coronavirus pandemic and split into two parts later in 2021, organizers said Friday. Then in June, organizers are scheduling a summer event with numerous film screenings for the public in theaters and the open air. “The division makes it possible to maintain the two supporting pillars: film market and festival,” organizers said.

Gonzaga was scheduled to play Baylor but the game was cancelled due to COVID. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS – Coaches Mark Few of Gonzaga and Scott Drew of Baylor scheduled Saturday's game for all the right seasons. "They (the Bears) are good, really, really good. Just really, really good." And whenever they do play, Drew knows one thing — people will be watching.

JUNEAU, Alaska – A larger than normal number of young bears and dwindling natural food supply for them are forcing the animals to head for Juneau's garbage with unusual frequency, a wildlife official said. A poor berry crop and lackluster salmon runs this year mean more bears are looking for food among the city's trash, KTOO Public Media in Juneau reported. Conditions have made bears desperate to fatten themselves before they hibernate for the winter, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said. Abby McAllister, a wildlife education and outreach specialist with the agency, said more bears are competing for the smaller amount of available food. Those young bears have recently been kicked out by their mothers and need to fend for themselves, but are still inexperienced, McAllister said.