Duke and Michigan remained the top two teams in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll while Syracuse dropped from third to ninth after its first loss.
Duke still No. 1 in AP poll;
Pitt, K-State move in
Duke and Michigan remained the top two teams in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll while Syracuse dropped from third to ninth after its first loss.
The Blue Devils received all but two of the first-place votes Monday from the 65-member national media panel. Michigan got the others.
Arizona, Louisville and Indiana all moved up one place to third through fifth. Kansas, which won at Ohio State, moved from ninth to sixth. Missouri, which beat Illinois, jumped from 12th to seventh. Cincinnati advanced from 11th to eighth. Syracuse, which lost to Temple, and Ohio State complete the top 10.
Pittsburgh and Kansas State are the newcomers to the poll at 24th and 25th. They replace New Mexico and North Carolina, which dropped out from 16th and 23rd after losses to South Dakota State and Texas.
Stanford still No. 1
in AP women’s basketball poll
Stanford remained No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll for the sixth straight week, matching the team’s longest run in the top spot.
The Cardinal had 24 first-place votes Monday, while Connecticut received 14. Baylor got the other two.
UConn will visit Stanford on Saturday, trying to snap the Cardinal’s 82-game home winning streak. Stanford, which beat South Carolina and Tennessee on the road last week, was No. 1 for six weeks in 1996.
Duke and Notre Dame round out the first five.
The Irish are followed by Georgia, Kentucky, California and Maryland, as the top nine teams remain unchanged.
Tennessee fell three spots from No. 10 after losing to Baylor and Stanford. UCLA had the biggest drop, falling five spots to 17th after losing to Cal State Northridge.
Arkansas entered the poll at No. 25 as West Virginia fell out.
Raiders won’t have
Palmer for finale
ALAMEDA, Calif. — Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer suffered cracked ribs and a bruised lung after a hard hit by Carolina linebacker Greg Hardy and will not play in the team’s final game.
Palmer was hit in the back by Hardy late in the first quarter while rolling out to throw. Hardy appeared to lead with his helmet and drew an unnecessary roughness penalty on the play.
Palmer was later taken to a hospital in Carolina and underwent a CT scan before rejoining his teammates for the flight home. Upon arrival in Oakland, the quarterback was again taken to a local hospital, where he remained overnight for observation.
Raiders coach Dennis Allen said he is undecided whether to start Matt Leinart or Terrelle Pryor in place of Palmer.
Champion U-M rower, Olympic hopeful, dies in Okla.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Authorities say an ex-member of three national champion University of Michigan rowing teams with aspirations to compete in the Olympics was fatally shot by his girlfriend’s estranged-husband in Oklahoma City in a murder-suicide.
AnnArbor.com and the Detroit Free Press say 25-year-old Bloomfield Hills native William Schnittman died Friday. He rowed for Michigan’s national championship squads in 2008-10, moving to Oklahoma City after graduation to train with the National High Performance Center.
Police Capt. Dexter Nelson says that 36-year-old Darrell K. Wilson shot Schnittman, then took Wilson’s estranged wife hostage. Nelson says Wilson fled police and fatally shot himself after a car chase.
KWTV says that Schnittman and his girlfriend both sought protective orders against Wilson. In a statement, USRowing chief executive Glenn Merry expresses “shock and sadness” at Schnittman’s death.
Vikings warn fans
of counterfeit tickets
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings are warning fans to be wary of counterfeit tickets to Sunday’s regular-season finale against the rival Green Bay Packers.
The Vikings say because of the team’s ticket-scanning process, a fan who buys a counterfeit ticket might not be able to enter the Metrodome and could be subject to investigation.
Fans caught in the stadium with a counterfeit ticket will be ejected and could be arrested.
The Vikings say counterfeit tickets are sold over the Internet and by ticket-sellers near the stadium on game day. The Vikings remind fans that the only authorized outlets for Vikings football tickets are the Vikings Ticket Office, Ticketmaster and the NFL TicketExchange.
Minnesota would clinch a postseason berth with a win over the NFC North champion Packers.
Sacramento Kings
reinstate C DeMarcus Cousins
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings have reinstated center DeMarcus Cousins after a one-game suspension for “unprofessional behavior and conduct detrimental to the team.”
Cousins practiced with the Kings on Monday. Cousins and Kings coach Keith Smart exchanged words in the locker room during halftime of Sacramento’s loss at the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. Smart benched Cousins for the entire second half and ordered him to remain in the locker room.
The 22-year-old Cousins has been suspended two other times by the NBA this season because of his conduct.
He was not with Sacramento during the team’s 108-96 home win against Portland on Sunday night. Cousins is averaging a team-high 16.6 points and 9.5 rebounds.
Washington RB coach
added to Razorbacks staff
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said Washington running backs coach Joel Thomas will join the Razorbacks in the same position.
Thomas spent the past four seasons at Washington and previously coached running backs at Purdue, Louisville and Idaho.
Bielema said Thomas’ background in recruiting — particularly in Texas — was a strong draw for the Razorbacks. Thomas also worked under new Arkansas offensive coordinator Jim Chaney.
La Tech names Juluke
assistant football coach
RUSTON, La. — Louisiana Tech football coach Skip Holtz added Jabbar Juluke to his staff as an assistant.
Juluke comes to Tech after serving as head coach at Edna Karr High School in New Orleans the last nine years. While there, he compiled an 80-39 record capped off with a 14-0 mark and a Louisiana state championship in 2012. Juluke also served as the defensive coordinator for four years at Frederick Douglas High School and as a wide receivers coach at Brother Martin.
By wire sources