Houston tops AP poll for 1st time since 1983

Make some room, Phi Slama Jama. Another Houston team has reached the top of men’s college basketball.

Nearly four decades after Clyde Drexler and Akeem Olajuwon took the Cougars to No. 1 in 1983, the latest bunch led by Marcus Sasser and star freshman Jarace Walker took over the top spot in the AP Top 25 on Monday. They received 45 of 63 first-place votes from the national media panel, easily outdistancing second-place Texas and third-place Virginia.

Houston is coming off a Final Four and Elite Eight trip the last two seasons.

North Carolina had been No. 1 all season, but the Tar Heels lost to Iowa State and in a four-overtime thriller to Alabama at the Phil Knight Invitational to cede the top spot to Houston, which beat Kent State in its only game last week.

Baseball: The World Series champion Astros and former AL MVP José Abreu agreed to a threeyear contract, according to reports. Financial details weren’t available. Abreu, who turns 36 in January, has played all nine of his big league seasons after defecting from Cuba.

College football: Michigan QB Cade McNamara entered the transfer portal as a graduate student. Last season, McNamara led the Wolverines to their first Big Ten title under Jim Harbaugh and a berth in the College Football Playoff. He lost the starting job after the opening game this season.

NBA: The Mavericks were close to signing four-time All-Star G Kemba Walker. The career of the 32-yearold Walker has been on hold because of knee issues. He was limited 37 games last season, the only one for his hometown Knicks.

NFL: The Chiefs signed two-time Pro Bowl RB Melvin Gordon, recently released by the Broncos after a rash of fumbles, to their practice squad. Gordon, 29, has 318 rushing yards and 25 catches in 10 games this season.