College basketball: UCLA women advance to NIT title game

UCLA reached the championship game of the women’s NIT with a 69-65 victory over host Michigan on Wednesday night at Ann Arbor, Mich.

Kari Korver scored 19 points for the Bruins (18-18), who will play at West Virginia in the title game Saturday at noon PDT.

The Mountaineers (23-14) beat visiting Temple, 66-58, in overtime.

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Devon Turk had 14 points and Loyola of Chicago rallied to win the College Basketball Invitational title, 63-62 over Louisiana Monroe.

Loyola was down four points with five minutes left, when Turk buried a 3-pointer from the wing to make a one-point game.

Milton Doyle then hit a jumper and Jeff White’s steal led to two Doyle free throws to give the Ramblers a 61-58 lead with about three minutes left.

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Texas Athletic Director Steve Patterson is scheduled to travel Thursday to meet with Virginia Commonwealth Coach Shaka Smart to make an offer to coach the Longhorns, a person with knowledge of the trip told the Associated Press.

Texas hopes to introduce Smart as its new coach as early as Friday, according to the person who requested anonymity because the talks with Smart are considered private. Smart’s teams have won at least 26 games each of the past six seasons.

Patterson has zeroed in on Smart since firing Rick Barnes last weekend after 17 seasons. Smart, 37, has been among the hot candidates for several high-profile jobs since leading VCU to the 2011 Final Four.

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Eastern Washington guard Tyler Harvey, the nation’s leading scorer this season, will skip his senior year and make himself available for the NBA draft.

Harvey, who is projected to be a second-round selection, made the announcement in Cheney, Wash.

The 6-foot-4, 185-pound redshirt junior from Bishop Montgomery, averaged 23.1 points a game and led the nation in three-point shots made while helping the Eagles to a 26-9 record and the school’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2004.

The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Harvey is projected for the second round of the NBA draft.

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Kansas swingman Kelly Oubre Jr. announced he is leaving for the NBA draft, skipping his final three seasons of eligibility after an up-and-down freshman year.

The 6-foot-7 Oubre started 27 games this last season, helping the Jayhawks win their 11th consecutive Big 12 title. He averaged 9.3 points and five rebounds, and showcased his potential when he poured in 25 points in a victory over TCU in the Big 12 Tournament.

His decision to leave for the NBA is based more on potential than productivity. He scored three points on one-for-three shooting in a loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 title game, then had nine points in a loss to Wichita State in the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament.

Associated Press contributed to this report.