Wildcats retain top spot in poll
G-MAC conference gains D-II status
INDIANAPOLIS — The Great Midwest Athletic Conference — which includes charter members Cedarville, Central State and Urbana universities — has been approved as a member conference of NCAA Division II.
The NCAA Division II Membership Committee notified the G-MAC of its D-II status on Monday.
As a member conference, the G-MAC now enters an educational assessment program for the 2012-13 academic year with the goal of becoming the 24th active NCAA Division II member conference. The G-MAC will compete in D-II starting with the 2013-14 season.
Cornerback picks Chiefs over Bengals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs agreed to terms on a $19.6 million, threeyear deal with cornerback Stanford Routt, which should help Kansas City absorb the potential loss of Brandon Carr.
Routt is still owed $5 million next month from the Raiders, who released him after the first year of a $54.4 million, five-year deal.
Routt spent several days in Kansas City before choosing the Chiefs over competing offers from Buffalo, Cincinnati, Houston, New Orleans, Minnesota and Tennessee.
Kentucky and Syracuse are 1-2 in The Associated Press Top 25 for a fourth straight week.
The Wildcats, who have been No. 1 for five consecutive weeks and seven overall, were again a runaway choice with 63 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel. Syracuse, which spent six weeks at No. 1, got the other firstplace votes.
No. 6 Michigan State and No. 8 Ohio State led the Big Ten. No. 22 Temple is in the rankings for the first time this season.
• Alabama coach Anthony Grant suspended junior forward Tony Mitchell for the rest of the season, and cleared senior Jamychal Green to return to practice.
He hasn’t said what the two players did wrong.
Mitchell and Green are the team’s top scorers and rebounders. Green is averaging 14.1 points and 7.2 rebounds while Mitchell averaged 13.1 points and 7.0 rebounds for the Tide (17-9, 6-6 Southeastern Conference).
• Dayton’s Andrea Hoover earned her fourth Atlantic 10 rookie of the week award after averaging 18 points and five rebounds, while also shooting 70 percent from the field.
The freshman from Bellbrook tied a career high with 22 points as the Flyers overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to beat La Salle 58-49 on Wednesday.
Mayfield facing more charges
CATAWBA, N.C. — Former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield is facing new criminal charges.
Indictments by a Catawba County grand jury released Monday charge Mayfield with three counts of possessing property stolen from businesses, and a fourth charge of obtaining property by false pretense.
The indictment alleges the offenses took place around the time law officers raided his Catawba home in November.
Predators reward GM with extension
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Nashville Predators extended the contract of David Poile, who has served as the franchise’s only general manager since its inception 14 years ago.
Predators chairman Tom Cigarran announced Monday that Poile’s contract now runs through the 2014-15 season.
The Predators have won 40 or more games in each of the previous six seasons and are one of six teams to qualify for the playoffs in six of the last seven. Poile’s 1,049 wins are third all-time among general managers
Two Qatar women going to Olympics
Olympics: Qatar said it will send two women athletes to the Olympics for the first time at the London Games — swimmer Nada Arkaji and sprinter Noor alMalki. Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Brunei have never sent women athletes to an Olympics.
Soccer: Major League Soccer MVP Dwayne De Rosario agreed to a new contract with D.C. United.