FOOTBALL

Brian Schottenheimer says he’s “ready” to be coach of the Dallas Cowboys after a long career as an NFL assistant. The son of late NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer says he has had previous opportunities to pursue head coaching jobs but didn’t think he was ready.

The younger Schottenheimer’s chance with the Cowboys comes after 25 years in the league with a handful of college seasons as well. The 51-year-old is the 10th coach in the history of the storied franchise. He’s the seventh hired by owner Jerry Jones since the last time the Cowboys reached an NFC championship game 29 years ago.

BASKETBALL

The University of Florida has cleared men’s basketball coach Todd Golden following a four-month Title IX investigation into allegations of sexual exploitation, sexual harassment and stalking. The school released a statement saying no evidence was found and ended its investigation amid No. 5 Florida’s best season in a decade, with the Gators having won 18 of their first 20 games.

The complaint against Golden accused him of sending photos and videos of his genitalia, making unwanted sexual advances on Instagram and requesting sexual favors. The Independent Florida Alligator first reported the allegations in early November.

Auburn is the unanimous No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for the second consecutive week. The top five was unchanged with Duke at No. 2, followed by Iowa State, Alabama and Florida.

Texas Tech and Vanderbilt are in the Top 25 for the first time this season at the expense of Michigan and West Virginia. UConn fell to No. 25 but managed to extend its poll streak to 52 consecutive weeks. Oregon (16-4) dropped one spot to No. 16 after losing at Minnesota on Saturday.

Vanderbilt is back in The Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 for the first time since 2014, ranked No. 23 this week. The Commodores topped then-No. 19 Alabama as the Crimson Tide were one of a dozen ranked teams to lose last week.

The top four teams remained the same as UCLA, South Carolina, Notre Dame and USC all avoided upsets last week. The Bruins received 31 first-place ballots and South Carolina got one. Texas returned to the top five and Ohio State and Duke both jumped back into the top 10.

San Antonio Spurs Hall of Famer Tony Parker says Victor Wembanyama can be the best player in the NBA. Wembanyama is putting up stats this season like nobody else in the history of basketball. Unprecedented numbers. And he’s still learning.

He came into the league as the most highly touted prospect since LeBron James and has exceeded probably even the loftiest expectations. He’ll almost certainly be picked as an All-Star for the first time later this week. He’s this season’s Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner and he’ll get MVP votes.

TRACK & FIELD

An errant weight thrown by a competitor struck and killed a spectator at a youth track and field meet in Colorado, according to officials at the university where the competition was held. The hammer in the hammer throw event cleared certified barriers before striking the man Sunday morning at the University of Colorado’s Colorado Springs campus.

Firefighters pronounced the man dead at the scene. He apparently had tried to shield his wife and son from the ball, KRDO-TV reported. The so-called hammer in the hammer throw event is actually a heavy ball on a chain.