Xavier Henry

1. Washington: John Wall, G, Kentucky 2. Sixers: Evan Turner, G, Ohio State 3. New Jersey: Derrick Favors, F, Georgia Tech 4. Minnesota: Wesley Johnson, F, Syracuse 5. Sacramento: DeMarcus Cousins, C, Kentucky 6. Golden State: Greg Monroe, C, Georgetown 7. Detroit: Ekpe Udoh, F, Baylor 8. L.A. Clippers: Al-Faroud Aminu, F, Wake Forest 9. Utah: Luke Babbit, F, Nevada 10. Indiana: Ed Davis, F, North Carolina...

The 76ers traded center Marreese Speights to the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday in exchange for a pair of second-round draft choices. The pick from the Grizzlies comes in the 2012 draft. The third team involved, the New Orleans Hornets, whom the Sixers play Wednesday night, will send a second-round pick in 2013. The Sixers will also get a $2.72 million trade exception - the equivalent to Speights' 2011-12 salary. "We wish Marreese all the best as he stars a new chapter in his career with Memphis," Sixers president of basketball operations Rod Thorn said.

Xavier Henry scored 12 points, including several free throws down the stretch, to help top-ranked Kansas escape with a 59-54 win at No. 24 Texas A & M last night. It's the 11th consecutive victory for Kansas (25-1, 11-0 Big 12) and breaks a 16-game home winning streak for Texas A & M (18-7, 7-4). Kansas trailed for much of the second half and was behind by four before going on a 7-2 run, capped by a free throw by Henry, to take a 55-54 lead with 3 1/2 minutes remaining. The Jayhawks pushed the lead to 57-54 moments later when Bryan Davis was called for goaltending on a shot by Cole Aldrich.

Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson put off a jump to the NBA last season so they could improve their draft standing and make another run at a national championship. Now with that title in hand, the juniors figure it's the perfect time to give pro ball another try. They announced yesterday that they would enter the draft again, ending their college careers a few weeks after leading North Carolina to its fifth NCAA championship. Both players declared last year so they could work out at the predraft camp and for teams before deciding to return to school, a "testing-the-waters" option they can use only once.

After collecting almost every national player of the year honor, Ohio State's Evan Turner is skipping his senior season to test himself in the NBA. The 6-7 point guard is expected to be a top-three pick in the June 24 draft. He averaged 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and six assists last season. Among other players to declare for the draft yesterday were five from Kentucky including Freshmen John Wall, a guard, and DeMarcus Cousins, a forward, who are expected to be among the first players selected.

Kemba Walker scored 21 points and Jerome Dyson added 17 as Connecticut (17-11, 7-8 Big East) took a 73-62 win over No. 8 West Virginia (21-6, 10-5) last night in Hartford, Conn., the Huskies' third win this season over a top 10 team. Stanley Robinson had 15 points and 13 rebounds for UConn, which has won three straight to keep its NCAA tournament hopes alive. The Huskies are 3-1 since coach Jim Calhoun returned from a medical leave of absence. Connecticut was 3-4 during the 23 days he was gone.

Prep Charter product Markieff Morris scored a career-high 19 points and No. 1 Kansas pulled away in the second half to beat UCLA, 73-61, in Los Angeles yesterday, sending the Bruins to their fourth consecutive loss. Xavier Henry added 16 points and Sherron Collins had 14 for the Jayhawks (7-0), who led the entire game but allowed UCLA to get within four early in the second half. Michael Roll scored 16 points and Nikola Dragovic added 14 for the Bruins (2-5), who haven't lost four in a row since 2003-04.

A few days ago, La Salle basketball coach John Giannini watched video of No. 1-ranked Kansas and said he saw no weaknesses. His opinion did not change much after KU's 90-65 victory over the Explorers yesterday at the Sprint Center. "I think they're really good," Giannini said. "We played two Final Four teams last year. We've played Villanova already this year. "I think they're the best team we've played in a long time. " Though the Explorers hung around for a half, KU's depth and athleticism were too much to overcome.

Markief Morris scored a career-high 19 points and No. 1 Kansas pulled away in the second half to beat UCLA 73-61 yesterday, sending the Bruins to their fourth consecutive loss. Xavier Henry added 16 points and Sherron Collins had 14 for the Jayhawks (7-0), who led the entire game but allowed UCLA to get within four early in the second half. Michael Roll scored 16 points for the Bruins (2-5), who hadn't lost four in a row since 2003-04. Kansas led by 13 points in the first half, when the Bruins committed 11 turnovers and shot 33 percen.

NEW ORLEANS - The question has been dressed in different ways, asked by countless people in every situation imaginable: Is this the best coaching job of Kansas coach Bill Self's career? The second-seeded Jayhawks have played a who's who of major-college basketball: Duke and Kentucky, Missouri and Baylor. In the regular season they beat Ohio State, the team they'll play in the Final Four on Saturday night, and won their record eighth straight Big 12 title. And they've done it with an all-American forward (Thomas Robinson)

NEW ORLEANS - It certainly wasn't the blockbuster trade 76ers fans may be longing for, but it was a significant move, nonetheless. Fourth-year forward Marreese Speights, drafted with the 16th overall pick out of Florida in 2008, was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a three-team deal that also involved the New Orleans Hornets. The Sixers will receive the Hornets' second-round pick in 2013 and a protected second-rounder from the Grizzlies in 2012. The only way the Sixers will not get the Memphis pick is if the Grizzlies finish in one of the top four draft spots.

NEW ORLEANS - Coach Doug Collins said early in 76ers training camp that not getting the most out of Marreese Speights last season was probably his biggest disappointment from the 2010-11 season. Now that Speights is gone - moved Wednesday in a three-team trade that fetched the Sixers second-round picks from the Memphis Grizzlies (2012) and the New Orleans Hornets (2013) - Collins has turned his attention to getting the most out of the players remaining on the roster. The Speights trade, in which the Grizzlies also acquired Xavier Henry from New Orleans, gives Collins a chance to figure out exactly where, say, Tony Battie fits in. "We are hoping that maybe Tony can get his legs up and maybe get some of the minutes that might have gone to Mo," Collins said.

1. Washington: John Wall, G, Kentucky 2. Sixers: Evan Turner, G, Ohio State 3. New Jersey: Derrick Favors, F, Georgia Tech 4. Minnesota: Wesley Johnson, F, Syracuse 5. Sacramento: DeMarcus Cousins, C, Kentucky 6. Golden State: Greg Monroe, C, Georgetown 7. Detroit: Ekpe Udoh, F, Baylor 8. L.A. Clippers: Al-Faroud Aminu, F, Wake Forest 9. Utah: Luke Babbit, F, Nevada 10. Indiana: Ed Davis, F, North Carolina...

After collecting almost every national player of the year honor, Ohio State's Evan Turner is skipping his senior season to test himself in the NBA. The 6-7 point guard is expected to be a top-three pick in the June 24 draft. He averaged 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and six assists last season. Among other players to declare for the draft yesterday were five from Kentucky including Freshmen John Wall, a guard, and DeMarcus Cousins, a forward, who are expected to be among the first players selected.

Evan Turner drained a 37-footer at the buzzer to give No. 5 Ohio State a 69-68 win over Michigan yesterday in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals in Indianapolis, Ind. Turner took the inbounds pass, dribbled upcourt and pulled up barely past half-court. The Big Ten player of the year left his arm in the air after the release, confident the long shot would fall. His attempt was so close to the buzzer that the play was reviewed. When officials signaled the shot was good, the red-clad section of the crowd erupted.

Sherron Collins had 17 points in his final game at Allen Fieldhouse as No. 2 Kansas beat No. 5 Kansas State, 82-65, last night in Lawrence to clinch its sixth straight Big Twelve regular-season title outright. Xavier Henry scored 15 of his 19 points in a tight first half and Kansas (28-2, 14-1) wore down Kansas State in a foul-filled game to extend the nation's longest home winning streak to 59 games. Prep Charter graduate Markieff Morris added 10 points and nine rebounds.

Kemba Walker scored 21 points and Jerome Dyson added 17 as Connecticut (17-11, 7-8 Big East) took a 73-62 win over No. 8 West Virginia (21-6, 10-5) last night in Hartford, Conn., the Huskies' third win this season over a top 10 team. Stanley Robinson had 15 points and 13 rebounds for UConn, which has won three straight to keep its NCAA tournament hopes alive. The Huskies are 3-1 since coach Jim Calhoun returned from a medical leave of absence. Connecticut was 3-4 during the 23 days he was gone.

John Wall sank a pair of free throws with 20 seconds left and had a key block to send No. 2 Kentucky (26-1, 11-1 Southeastern Conference) to a 58-56 victory over No. 17 Vanderbilt (20-6, 9-3) in Nashville last night. Wall's free throws gave the Wildcats a 57-53 lead, but John Jenkins answered with a three-pointer to pull the Commodores within a point. Kentucky's Eric Bledsoe missed a pair of free throws, but Wall responded by blocking a three-point attempt by Jenkins on the other end and grabbing the ball.