Kansas ends record run, drops out of AP Top 25
Kansas dropped out of The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the first time in 12 years on Monday, ending the Jayhawks’ record streak of 231 consecutive weeks ranked in the Top 25.
Gonzaga and Baylor held down the top two spots, just as they have all season, with the Bulldogs getting 55 of 63 first-place votes and the Bears getting the other eight. Michigan took advantage of Villanova’s loss at St. John’s to jump into the top three, rival Ohio State climbed three spots to No. 4 and the Wildcats rounded out the top 5.
Illinois gave the Big Ten three teams in the top six after beating Indiana in overtime and pounding No. 21 Wisconsin last weekend. The Illini were followed by Texas Tech, Houston, Virginia and Missouri, which beat Kentucky and No. 11 Alabama to reach the top 10 for the first time since Dec. 24, 2012.
The Jayhawks began their Top 25 streak on Feb. 2, 2009, when freshman guard Bryce Thompson was 6 years old. Their decade-plus of dominance, which began the season after winning the national championship, included 10 consecutive Big 12 regular-season titles, five conference tournament titles, two more Final Four trips and a runner-up finish in 2012.
Their game against No. 23 Oklahoma State on Monday night was the Jayhawks’ first unranked in 434 games.
The Jayhawks started 8-1 and climbed to No. 3 by Dec. 28, with their lone loss to Gonzaga and victories over then-ranked teams Kentucky, West Virginia, Creighton and Texas Tech on the road. But they have scuffled since the start of Big 12 play, losing Thompson to an injury and failing to get enough production from an otherwise veteran team.
“We have plenty of games to go win and I know this team can do it,” Kansas guard Christian Braun said. “Everyone’s head is in a good spot, but we just have to do it on the court. We have to stop talking about it and actually be about it.”
BAYLOR POSTPONES THREE MORE GAMES>> Second-ranked Baylor has
postponed three more games because of COVID-19 issues and won’t play again until at least Feb. 20. The Bears didn’t play Saturday’s scheduled home game against TCU and had already postponed Wednesday’s game at No. 12 Oklahoma before the latest changes announced Monday.
Now postponed are next Saturday’s home game against No. 7 Texas Tech, then two games next week at No. 14 West Virginia.
Baylor’s next scheduled game is Feb. 20 at home against No. 23 OklahomaState.
SANTA CLARA ON PAUSE >> This week’s games for Santa Clara men’s basketball have been postponed. The Broncos were scheduled to play Gonzaga on Thursday and Portland on Saturday, both at home, but additional positive COVID-19 cases in the program, along with quarantine periods and the return to play to protocols, has delayed the team’s return to practice.
ACC POSTPONES MIAMI-UNC >> The Miami-North Carolina game was postponed Monday hours before tipoff, reportedly over concerns harbored by the Hurricanes after a video purportedly showing a pair of Tar Heels players partying without masks. Officially, the ACC says it was a mutual decision between the schools.
Reports that a video showing North Carolina’s Armando Bacot and Day’Ron Sharpe partying Saturday night surfaced after the Tar Heels defeated Duke. Miami wasn’t comfortable playing, per the report.
Women’s basketball
BUECKERS LEADS NO. 2 UCONN OVER NO. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA >> Paige Bueckers scored 31 points, including her team’s final 13, to lead No. 2 UConn (14-1) to a 63-59 overtime victory over top-ranked South Carolina (15-2) in a nonconference game in Storrs, Connecticut.
The freshman scored all of the Huskies’ nine points in overtime.
Soccer
MLS PLAYERS RATIFY AMENDED CBA >> Major League Soccer players have ratified an amended collective bargaining agreement after the league and the union avoided a lockout by striking a deal that runs through the 2027 season.
The MLS Board of Governors also approved the agreement Monday. The agreement reached Friday night gives the players their full salaries this season and extends the current CBA for two seasons. The union had proposed a one-year extension through 2026.
Starting in 2026, eligible free agents must be at least 24 years old with a minimum of four years of experience in the league, one year less than in the prior CBA. The amount that free agents can earn will also increase in the final two years of the agreement.
The new CBA also includes overall raises for players in each of the two added years to the deal.