Kansas’ Simien Has Thumb Surgery

Kansas power forward Wayne Simien will be out four to six weeks after undergoing surgery on his left thumb Monday.

The preseason All-American was injured Saturday in the No. 2-ranked Jayhawks’ 64-60 victory over South Carolina. X-rays revealed the thumb on his non-shooting hand was severely sprained. More testing showed there was ligament damage.

The 6-foot-9 senior has sat out 28 games for various injuries over his first three seasons. Keeping his key player physically sound was a priority for Coach Bill Self going into the season. He had even cut back Simien’s practice time in hopes of easing him through an injury-free year.

“We all feel for Wayne, but after visiting with Wayne, his family and all the doctors who have seen him, I strongly encouraged Wayne to go through the procedure,” Self said Monday night in a statement.

In selected men’s games:

No. 7 Syracuse 82, Cornell 69 -- A pressing defense made 11 steals and forced 17 second-half turnovers to lift the Orangemen (10-1) over the Big Red (3-6) at Syracuse, N.Y. Hakim Warrick’s 19 points and 10 rebounds led Syracuse, which hasn’t lost to Cornell since Dec. 4, 1968.

No. 21 Mississippi State 104, Florida A&M; 80 -- Lawrence Roberts’ 25 points, mainly from the inside, and Winsome Frazier’s 14 points, primarily from the perimeter, carried the Bulldogs (10-2) over the Rattlers (2-6) at Starkville, Miss.

No. 22 Cincinnati 95, Jackson State 43 -- Freshman reserve Roy Bright had 17 points as the Bearcats improved to 8-0 for the fifth time in 10 seasons. Antonio Williams-Parker’s 12 points led the Tigers (3-8).

Arizona State 90, Northwestern 55 -- The Sun Devils improved to 8-1 with the win at Tempe, Ariz., their best start since the 1990-91 season. It was also Arizona State’s sixth consecutive victory, the first time that has happened since 1998-99. Ike Diogu scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half, when the Sun Devils outscored the Wildcats, 55-23. T.J. Parker’s 14 points led Northwestern.

UC Riverside 82, Cal State Sacramento 74 -- Vili Morton’s 29 points led the Highlanders (4-3) over the Hornets (1-8) at Riverside.

In a top 25 women’s game:

Long Beach State 54, No. 22 Houston 52 -- Led by Crystal McCutcheon’s 20 points, the 49ers (4-3) took an eight-point halftime lead and held off the Cougars (9-2) at Long Beach. Joann Overstreet’s 15 points led Houston. The 49ers beat a ranked opponent for the first time since 1992.