Houston back at No. 1 in men’s hoops poll
Houston returned to No. 1 in the AP men’s college basketball poll on Monday for the third time this season, while Northwestern and Texas A&M barged into the rankings after each had a pair of impressive wins last week.
The Cougars, riding a seven-game winning streak, jumped over Alabama and back into the top spot, where they spent two weeks in November and December and had another two-week stint last month. They picked up 48 first-place votes from the 62-member national media panel to lay claim to No. 1 with just two weeks left in the regular season.
“This is my fourth year coaching these guys,” said Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, referring to his veteran leaders that went to a Final Four two years ago and the Elite Eight last season. “We’ve developed a really good program here. But the emphasis is ‘we have.’ One person doesn’t do it. I’m proud of our program. I’m proud of everyone in it.”
The Crimson Tide dropped only one spot after losing to Tennessee and routing Georgia in its lone week at No. 1. Alabama held onto seven first-place votes, while Kansas also earned seven to climb two spots to No. 3.
UCLA remained at No. 4 while Purdue slid two spots to round out of the top five.
Virginia was at No. 6 after beating Louisville and Notre Dame last week. Arizona was seventh while Texas fell two spots to eighth after losing to Texas Tech and needing overtime to beat Oklahoma. The Bears held their spot while Marquette moved into the top 10 for the first time since Feb. 25, 2019.
The Volunteers dropped to No. 11 after following their win over Alabama with a loss to Kentucky. Gonzaga, Miami and Kansas State were next, with Saint Mary’s giving the West Coast Conference two teams in the top 15.
Xavier held steady at No. 16 this week while Indiana, UConn, Creighton and Providence rounded out the top 20.
Northwestern entered the poll for the first time in more than two years at No. 21 after following its upset of Purdue two weeks ago with wins over Indiana and Iowa. San Diego State, Iowa State and TCU were next, with Texas A&M making it back into the poll after spending one week at No. 24 in November.
Women’s basketball
SOUTH CAROLINA’S EXTENDS
NO. 1 RUN >> South Carolina survived one of its stiffest tests of the season to remain No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll released Monday.
The Gamecocks (27-0) topped Mississippi in overtime on Sunday to win their 33rd consecutive game and secure the top spot in the poll for a 35th consecutive week. That is the thirdlongest run atop the poll, with UConn (51 weeks) and Louisiana Tech (36) having had longer streaks. The Gamecocks broke a tie with UConn for third place.
South Carolina received 27 of the 28 first-place votes from the national media panel. It was the first time this season that the team wasn’t a unanimous choice at No. 1.
Indiana got the other first-place vote and stayed second in the poll.
Stanford, UConn and LSU round out the top five teams.
Iowa, which hosts Indiana on Sunday, was No. 6. The Hawkeyes were followed by Maryland, Utah, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame. The Utes dropped four places after falling to then-No. 18 Arizona. The Wildcats moved up four spots to 14th.
Olympics
NATIONS: NO CLARITY ON NEUTRALITY, RUSSIA >> The governments of 34 nations released a statement Monday calling on the IOC to clarify the definition of “neutrality” as it seeks a way to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes back into international sports and, ultimately, next year’s Paris Olympics.
“As long as these fundamental issues and the substantial lack of clarity and concrete detail on a workable ‘neutrality’ model are not addressed, we do not agree that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed back into competition,” read the statement.
Among those signing the statement were officials from the United States, Britain, France, Canada and Germany. Those five countries brought nearly one-fifth of all athletes to the Tokyo Games in 2021. Other countries that had suggested an Olympic boycott was possible if the war continues — such as Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Denmark — also signed the statement, which did not go so far as to mention a boycott.
The statement was the product of a Feb. 10 summit in London between government leaders, who heard from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy said Russia athletes had no place at the Paris Games as long as the country’s invasion of Ukraine continues.
The International Olympic Committee is trying to find a way to allow Russians into the Olympics, citing the opinion of United Nations human rights experts who believe Russians and Belarusians should not face discrimination simply for the passports they hold. The IOC wants competitors who have not supported the war from those countries to be able to compete as neutral athletes, with no symbols of their countries allowed.
An IOC spokesman said the committee already has begun a process to outline the circumstances under which Russians could compete in international competition if, in fact, it decides to continue down the current path.
It’s a decision that needs clarity long before next summer’s Olympics because 2023 marks the start of the Olympic qualifying period. Russia and Belarus, traditionally considered part of Europe in the international sports system, have instead been invited to compete in some Asian qualifiers later this year. The next IOC executive board meeting is set for March 28-30.
Baseball
METS’ COHEN: SPENDING DOESN’T MEAN TITLE >> Mets owner Steve Cohen cautions the team’s record spending won’t necessarily lead to a World Series title this year.
“You know how hard it is to get to get into the World Series — as we saw last year, right?” Cohen said Monday. “So the only thing you can do is put yourself in position where good things can happen. Got to make the playoffs. The team’s got to be healthy. It’s got to be rested. It’s got to be raring to go. And then you let the chips fall where they may. And if you keep putting yourself there, one day we’ll get there. Obviously, I’d love it sooner than later. But, you know, I can’t control that.”
The Mets won 101 games last year, second-most in franchise history but were unable to hold off Atlanta in the NL East after sitting atop the division for all but six days. The Mets were eliminated by San Diego in a three-game Wild Card Series.
New York raised its payroll to a projected $370 million and is set to shatter the record, set by the 2015 Los Angeles Dodgers at $291 million.