IRVING, Texas (AP) Kansas has been tabbed as the favorite to win the Big 12 men's basketball title, the season after the end of the Jayhawks' NCAA record run of winning the conference 14 years in a row.

League coaches picked Kansas to finish ahead of Baylor and Texas Tech, which last year made it to the NCAA championship game before losing to Virginia in overtime. Texas was picked fourth in the poll released Thursday, followed by West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Kansas State and TCU.

Kansas coach Bill Self returns three starters, including senior center Udoka Azubuike, who was picked as the Big 12 preseason player of the year.

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NEW YORK (AP) This season's college basketball schedule at Madison Square Garden tips off next month with a marquee doubleheader featuring four powerhouse programs: Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan State.

The NCAA Tournament also comes to "The World's Most Famous Arena" again with the East Regional semifinals March 27 and final March 29. It will be the third appearance at MSG for the sport's showcase event since returning in 2014 for the first time in decades.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) An ordinary scrimmage for Minnesota last week took a discouraging turn as Eric Curry's right knee jerked, popped and buckled when the lanky junior tried to make a move on defense.

Though he walked off the court without pain, the instability in the joint instantly told him a ligament was torn. That's the kind of physiological wisdom nobody wants, of course, because it comes from experience.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) When asked if anything about his new job has surprised him, Michigan coach Juwan Howard mentioned recruiting.

"I knew you have to recruit, but all the work that comes behind the recruiting. Like I haven't talked on the phone in years. What we all do now is just text, right? Or email," Howard said. "I've been on the phone sometimes with recruits for like 30 minutes. ... You've got to do a really good job with your text game, too. A lot of kids like to text."

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) Kentucky is once again the favorite to win the Southeastern Conference men's basketball title and Florida forward Kerry Blackshear is the preseason pick as player of the year.

It's the ninth consecutive year the Wildcats are picked to win the league and 15th time since the 1998-99 season. The predictions announced Tuesday were made in voting by SEC and national media members.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Louisville coach Chris Mack says forward Quinn Slazinski has been hospitalized with appendicitis that might require surgery.

Asked after the team's annual tipoff luncheon Wednesday whether he'd redshirt the 6-foot-8, 215-pound freshman, Mack said Slazinski was in a hospital with the illness and receiving antibiotics.

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) Tom Izzo's 25th team at Michigan State might be one of his best.

All-America guard Cassius Winston is one of four returning starters from last season's team that won the Big Ten title and advanced to the Final Four.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) The Latest on Southeastern Conference men's basketball media day (all times local):

11:30 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) The Latest on Southeastern Conference men's basketball Media Day (all times local):

11 a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Graduation rates among college athletes continue to hit record highs.

The NCAA's most recent statistics, released Wednesday, show 89% of all athletes who enrolled in college in 2012 earned degrees, an increase of 1 percentage point over last year's all-time high. That's nearly 10 percentage points above the 80% goal the late NCAA President Myles Brand established when the governing body first started calculating this measure in 2002.