Loyola’s Games Are Postponed

A major winter storm in the Pacific Northwest forced the postponement of Thursday’s men’s and women’s West Coast Conference basketball games between Portland and Loyola Marymount.

The two games were rescheduled for Monday night. Snow and freezing rain created an impenetrable sheet of ice on the runaways of Portland (Ore.) International Airport, forcing the closing of the facility Wednesday and Thursday.

Portland originally was to fly into Los Angeles on Wednesday night for its WCC opener against the Lions. The Pilots are scheduled to fly out of Portland this morning for Saturday’s game against Pepperdine.

The Loyola women’s team could not fly into Portland and was unable to make other travel plans to arrive in time for the game. The Lions are expected to play Saturday at Gonzaga.

All tickets sold for Thursday’s games will be honored Monday night.

-- Eric Stephens

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Freshman point guard Brandon Cotton is off Michigan State’s basketball team and might transfer.

“I don’t plan on him being back as a player,” Spartan Coach Tom Izzo said, adding that the decision to part ways was mutual.

Cotton, a McDonald’s All-American and a Mr. Basketball runner-up in Michigan last year, sat out six games because of a foot injury and two other games because of family issues, including the shooting death of an uncle.

Cotton left the team last week and told Izzo he didn’t have the patience to wait for playing time.

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The NCAA says Auburn representatives provided a car for the mother of a high school basketball player and arranged wire payments to another prospect in hopes of signing them.

The NCAA’s Notice of Allegations, dated Sept. 2 and released to Associated Press, details allegations involving the recruitment of the prep athletes, previously identified as Chadd Moore of Huntsville, Ala., and Jackie Butler of McComb, Miss. Both signed with other schools.