Alabama hoops No. 1 in AP Top 25 for first time in 20 years

Alabama is the new No. 1, rising to the top spot in The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for the first time in 20 years.

Purdue’s loss to Northwestern last week caused a jumble at the top of the AP Top 25 and that helped the Crimson Tide.

Alabama received 38 first-place votes from a 62-person media panel Monday, moving up two spots to leapfrog No. 2 Houston. The Cougars had 22 first-place votes to remain at No. 2 and Purdue, down to No. 3, still had two first-place votes.

UCLA and Kansas rounded out the top five.

Alabama has made a name for itself as more than just a football school since coach Nate Oats arrived from Buffalo in in 2019. The Crimson Tide reached the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight two years ago and Oats pulled in one of the nation’s best recruiting classes last year. FORMER MICHIGAN STATE STAR PLEADS GUILTY IN 2021 MURDER CASE >> A former

Michigan State University basketball star pleaded guilty Monday to seconddegree murder and a firearm charge in the fatal 2021 shooting of a Detroit man.

Keith Damon Appling, 31, pleaded guilty in Wayne County Circuit Court to one count each of second-degree murder and felony firearm in the killing of Clyde Edmonds, 66, Prosecutor Kym Worthy said.

Appling pleaded guilty to the charges on the same day his trial in Edmonds’ death was set to begin.

Women’s basketball

UNLV RANKED FOR FIRST TIME IN 29 YEARS >> UNLV coach Lindy La Rocque was 4 years old the last time the Lady Rebels were ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll.

Now the Las Vegas native has the team back in the Top 25 for the first time since 1994: UNLV entered the poll at No. 23 on Monday.

“Obviously it means a lot. When I took the job I had a vision of what this place could be and what it once was,” La Rocque said. “That’s what I remember and I’m trying to put the pieces together to make that come to fruition. This is one of the small milestones that gives you a little bit of joy and you know that you’re doing some things right.”

NFL

AP SOURCE: DEREK CARR TURNS DOWN TRADE OFFER TO SAINTS >>

Quarterback Derek Carr turned down a trade offer from the Las Vegas Raiders to the New Orleans Saints, a person with knowledge of the decision said Sunday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to comment publicly.

That person said Carr wouldn’t accept a pay cut to help finalize the deal, and the Saints were the only team interested in making a trade with the Raiders. Carr has a no-trade clause in his contract.

NBA

WARRIORS GUARD PAYTON II TO BE SIDELINED AT LEAST A MONTH >>

Newly acquired Golden State guard Gary Payton II will be out for at least a month as he fully recovers from offseason surgery for a core muscle injury, and Warriors general manager Bob Myers is awaiting a decision from the NBA on whether the Trail Blazers withheld anything on Payton’s health before trading him.

“What do I want? Whatever the NBA says is fair, just whatever that is,” Myers said Monday of receiving any potential compensation from Portland. “I just want a fair result. I don’t know, whatever it takes it takes, I don’t know how long.”

Soccer

CZECH SOCCER PLAYER JAKUB JANKTO COMES OUT AS GAY >>

Czech Republic midfielder Jakub Jankto posted a video on social media on Monday saying he is gay, making him one of the most high-profile male soccer players to come out.

Jankto posted a video on Twitter saying: “I’m homosexual. And I no longer want to hide myself.”

The 27-year-old Jankto is playing for Sparta Prague this season on loan from Spanish club Getafe. He has previously played for Italian clubs Sampdoria and Udinese

and has made 45 appearances for the Czech national team, scoring four goals and setting up 13 more.

UEFA BLAMED FOR NEARDISASTER AT CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL >> UEFA-appointed investigators have held European soccer’s ruling body mostly responsible for chaotic security failures at the 2022 Champions League final in Paris that put the lives of Liverpool and Real Madrid fans at risk.

“It is remarkable that no one lost their life,” the investigation panel wrote in a 220-page document published Monday into a near “mass fatality catastrophe” at the biggest club game in world soccer.

“The panel has concluded that UEFA, as event owner, bears primary responsibility for failures which almost led to disaster,” the report said.

Baseball

DARVISH GETS $30M THIS YEAR IN SALARY, SIGNING BONUS >>

Yu Darvish will receive $30 million this year in salary and signing bonus as part of a new $108 million, six-year contract with the San Diego Padres.

The agreement, announced Thursday, replaced the final season of a $126 million, six-year contract that was due to pay the 36-year-old righthander $18 million this season.

‘GHOST RUNNER IN EXTRA INNINGS MADE PERMANENT BY MLB >> Starting extra innings with a runner on second base during the regular season was made a permanent rules change by Major League Baseball on Monday after three seasons of use during the coronavirus pandemic.

Known by some as the “Ghost Runner” and by others as the “Manfred Man” after baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, the rule was unanimously adopted by the sport’s 11-person competition committee. YANKEES’ CORTES TO MISS WBC WITH HAMSTRING INJURY >> New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes will miss next month’s World Baseball Classic due to a strained right hamstring but hasn’t ruled out being ready for the start of the regular season.