Roundup: Jason Collins retires

Former Stanford basketball player and NBA veteran big man Jason Collins retired Wednesday, explaining his decision in that Sports Illustrated link and this article on The Players Tribune as well. Collins became the first openly gay athlete to play in an NBA, NFL, MLB or NHL game when he suited up for the Brooklyn Nets last season.

USC cornerback Josh Show practiced Wednesday, but it is still uncertain whether or not he will play for the Trojans against UCLA.

As David Lombardi tells us, Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre thinks the Pac-12 South is tougher than the SEC West (don’t tell Finebaum!).

Ted Miller says UCLA can still have a great season … or it could still have a bad season. A lot is riding on these last two regular-season games.

In case you didn’t know, Oregon State running back Terron Ward has a torn meniscus, and he was “pretty shocked” about it.

More from the "ugh" department – Utah linebacker Gionni Paul is out for the season following foot surgery. Paul was leading the team with four interceptions.

Having trouble with shotgun snaps, Washington might be re-shuffling its offensive line to put Mike Criste at center and move Colin Tanigawa to guard.

Former Arizona Wildcat Solomon Hill hit a buzzer-beating layup to give the Indiana Pacers an 88-86 win over the Charlotte Hornets last night. With Paul George out, Hill has been a regular starter for the Pacers and is averaging double digits.

Yeah, Big Game is this Saturday, but you should know that the Cal and Stanford basketball teams will be tested in New York. Cal will face Syracuse Thursday and potentially Texas in the 2K Classic, while Stanford will face UNLV Friday and potentially Duke in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

Wazzu beat writer Jacob Thorpe tells us that former Washington State defensive back Jordan Simone is playing well for Arizona State.

Oregon AD Rob Mullens announced Wednesday that Ducks softball will remain on campus when it gets a new venue. According to the release on GoDucks.com, Howe Field will be dismantled after the 2015 season and the new Jane Sanders Stadium will be built in its spot in time for the 2016 season.

Doug Haller says that Arizona State is hoping to get better punt returns. The Arizona Republic reporter notes that ASU is last among Power 5 conference teams in punt-return yardage.