Women’s NCAA tourney to be played at one site, eyes on Texas
UConn coach Geno Auriemma wasn’t surprised that the NCA A women’s basketball tournament will be played in one geographical area. It just makes the most sense.
The NCAA announced Monday that San Antonio is the likely host site for the 64-team tournament next March. The move was made to help mitigate the risks of COVID-19 and matches that of the men’s tournament, which the NCAA said last month will also be played in a single area — most likely Indianapolis.
“If you’re in one place there’s one set of protocols for the entire state. That’s one positive to it,” said Auriemma, whose team has been to every Final Four since 2008. “Trying to get 64 teams from all over the countr y to f ly to all those places and deal with all the protocols involved everywhere, it made more sense I’m sure to bring in everyone to Texas.” STANFORD STAYS NO. 1 IN AP POLL >> Stanford remained at op T he A s s o c i at e d Press women’s basketball poll released Monday and picked up first-place votes, too.
It was the second consecutive week that the Cardinal were the top team in the poll. Stanford received 26 of the 30 firstplace votes from a national media panel. Louisville, UConn, N.C. State and South Carolina followed Stanford as the first five remained unchanged in their position.
Men’s college basketball
GONZAGA, BAYLOR, IOWA REMAIN ATOP AP TOP 25; DUKE TUMBLES >> Gonzaga and Baylor headlined an unchanged top tier of The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, even as both have been sidelined by recent coronavirus issues.
The top five teams remained in place in Monday’s latest Top 25, with Mark Few’s Bulldogs receiving 54 of 62 first-place votes to remain firmly in place at No. 1. The second-ranked Bears had seven first-place votes to remain 1-2 with Gonzaga in each of the season’s four polls so far.
Yet the Zags haven’t played since beating West Virginia on Dec. 2 due to COVID-19 protocols, with five straight games canceled or postponed.
Illinois and Duke had the two most notable slides. The No. 13 Illini dropped seven spots to fall out of the top 10 after losing to Missouri, while the No. 21 Blue Devils took the week’s longest tumble by falling 11 spots after losing at home to Illinois.
FLORIDA’S JOHNSON
‘ FOL
LOWINGSIMPLECOMMANDS’ AFTER COLLAPSE >> Florida forward Keyontae Johnson was “following simple commands” Monday after being transferred from Tallahassee Memorial to UF Health in Gainesville, the school said.
Officials added that Johnson is undergoing further tests and remains in critical but stable condition two days after he collapsed on the court during a game at Florida State. Johnson was moved to Gainesville with his mother by his side
via helicopter.
NBA
HARDEN STILL WANTS OUT OF HOUSTON >> The Houston Rockets tried to convince James Harden to stay by importing John Wall from the Washington Wizards. Unfortunately for the Rockets, the maneuver doesn’t seem to have worked.
Harden, the three-time defending NBA scoring leader and a former league MVP, has continued to ask for a trade out of Houston, according to ESPN.
According to Monday’s report, after Harden arrived late to Rockets training camp last week he “expressed to Rockets ownership and management his intention to be professional and engaged upon joining the team.”
But he still wants a “fresh start” elsewhere, the report said.