Gonzaga takes top spot in poll
Gonzaga is the latest No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll that has had no stability on the top line.
The Bulldogs moved up a spot to take over for Kansas, which lasted only a week at No. 1 before losing at now-No. 10 Villanova. At the time, that had marked the first time the AP poll has had five different No. 1s before New Year’s Day.
And now it’s six, with the Zags (13-1) earning 54 of 65 first-place votes to outdistance Ohio State in a year with no dominant team.
Gonzaga’s only loss was to No. 11 Michigan in the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas on Nov. 29. The Zags have won five straight since, including victories at No. 21 Washington and No. 24 Arizona as well as a home win against North Carolina.
“I don’t think they should be doing polls this year until March,?” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said after Saturday’s win against Eastern Washington. “I’m serious, I mean, it’s just an effort in futility at this point.”
This is the eighth season to have as many as six different teams reach No. 1, though it has happened now three times in the Last five years. The record for an entire season is seven, set in 1982-83 when names like Michael Jordan and Ralph Sampson were still in the college ranks.
Michigan State, Kentucky, Duke and Louisville were the first four teams to hit No. 1. Throw in Kansas, and none has won more than twice before suffering a loss.
The Zags won’t stumble this week, at least; they don’t play again until hosting Detroit Mercy next Monday evening after another poll is released.
Ohio State (11-1) earned nine first-place votes and jumped three spots to No. 2 after lopsided wins against Villanova and at then-ranked UNC, and a six-point victory over then-No. 6 Kentucky in Las Vegas.
Louisville remained at No. 3 ahead of its state rivalry game against the 19th-ranked Wildcats this weekend, followed by Duke and Kansas, which fell four spots to No. 5.
Oregon, Baylor, still-unbeaten Auburn, Memphis and Villanova rounded out the top 10.
Villanova made the week’s biggest jump, climbing eight spots after taking down the Jayhawks.
Iowa was the lone new addition to Top 25, grabbing the last spot at No. 25 after beating Minnesota, Iowa State and Cincinnati.
The Big Ten leads the nation with six top-25 teams, including Michigan (11) Michigan State (14) and Penn State (20).
Pitino, Adidas settle: Former Louisville coach Rick Pitino reached a settlement with Adidas, the Hall of Fame coach and the global sportswear company said in a joint statement Monday.
Pitino had contended in a lawsuit that Adidas “outrageously conspired” to funnel money to the family of a Louisville recruit without his knowledge and made it appear he was aware of its practices.
Settlement terms weren’t released but the statement said all issues were resolved.
“Over 16 years working with Adidas, Coach Pitino demonstrated his passion for basketball and his commitment to excellence both on and off the court,” the statement read. “We wish Coach Pitino the best in his new role as head coach of Panathinaikos, the Greek national team and any future endeavors.”
Pitino said he had “nothing to add” when reached by text message by the Courier Journal. Adidas replied with an automated response saying its press office was closed for the holidays.
Pitino sued Adidas in October 2017 in U.S. District Court for breach of contract, alleging that the Oregon company deliberately ruined his reputation. Adidas had terminated its personal services contract with Pitino hours after Louisville’s Athletic Association fired him for cause following the school’s acknowledgement of its involvement in a federal bribery investigation of college basketball. Pitino wasn’t named in the federal complaint.
A federal judge dismissed Pitino’s lawsuit against Adidas last year, agreeing with the sportswear maker that his claim required arbitration and should be heard out of court.