UNDATED (AP) — No. 1 Duke, No. 2 Arizona and No. 3 Michigan each have a challenging test against a top-15 opponent coming up, headlining this week's AP Top 25 schedule. The Blue Devils host No. 11 Virginia. The Wildcats host No. 14 Kansas. The Wolverines visit No. 10 Illinois. The committee that will select the men's NCAA Tournament field released its preliminary top 16 seeds Saturday. Committee chairman Keith Gill said the Blue Devils, Wildcats and Wolverines represent a clear top tier. The week's schedule also includes Round 2 between No. 6 UConn and No. 15 St. John's in the Big East.
UNDATED (AP) — It’s been a month to forget for Tennessee as the Lady Vols are in the midst of the worst stretch in program history. Tennessee has dropped four straight games and six of eight in February, including the worst loss in team history — a 43-point rout by South Carolina — to fall out of the AP Top 25 on Monday. The Lady Vols had appeared in 31 straight polls. It doesn’t get any easier, with games against No. 6 LSU and fifth-ranked Vanderbilt remaining on the regular-season schedule.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Basketball center Charles Bediako is asking the Alabama Supreme Court to let him play the rest of the season for the Crimson Tide. The recent NBA G-League player is appealing a judge's decision that ended his temporary playing status with the University of Alabama. His lawyers also asked a judge Monday to grant interim relief while the appeal is pending and order the NCAA to reinstate Bediako as a student-athlete. Bediako filed a lawsuit against the NCAA after it denied Alabama’s request to reinstate him and allow him to return to collegiate competition.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Dani Carnegie had 17 points, Rylie Theuerkauf and Mia Woolfolk both scored 16 and No. 23 Georgia rolled to a 74-52 victory over Auburn. Carnegie added four rebounds and four steals for the Lady Bulldogs (21-7, 7-7 Southeastern Conference). Theuerkauf shot 4 for 7 from 3-point range and Woolfolk made 5 of 8 shots and 6 of 7 free throws. Khady Leye had 16 points for the Tigers (14-14, 3-11). Ja’Mia Harris scored 13 and Kaitlyn Duhon added 11.
UNDATED (AP) — Duke's win against Michigan has pushed the Blue Devils to No. 1 in The Associated Press men's college basketball poll. Monday's poll marked a record 148th time at No. 1 for Duke. Duke claimed 56 of 61 first-place votes to supplant the Wolverines. Arizona moved up two spots to No. 2. Michigan, Iowa State and Houston rounded out the top five. No. 7 Florida and No. 17 Alabama had the week's biggest leaps. No. 14 Kansas and No. 25 Vanderbilt each fell six spots for the biggest falls. Tennessee returned to the poll at No. 22 while Wisconsin fell out.
UNDATED (AP) — Geno Auriemma broke a tie with Tara VanDerveer for most appearances by a coach in The Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 on Monday when UConn was again a unanimous No. 1. Auriemma has the Huskies ranked for the 655th time. UConn was atop all 31 ballots from the national media panel. The Huskies are the last unbeaten team in Division I basketball and have won 45 consecutive games dating to last season. The top five teams remained unchanged in the rankings this week with UCLA, South Carolina, Texas and Vanderbilt following the Huskies.
UNDATED (AP) — UCLA is on an early season power surge. The top-ranked Bruins have hit 17 home runs through their first seven games. They ranked fourth in the nation in homers. Roch Cholowsky and Will Gasparino have hit six apiece and share the national lead with Mississippi’s Judd Utermark. Coach John Savage downplayed the numbers. But they are notable because UCLA traditionally is known for its pitching and defense. Since 2015, the Bruins have had double-digit homers through seven games just one other season, and they’ve had two or less at this point in three seasons.
UNDATED (AP) — Michigan is the No. 1 overall seed in the preliminary rankings by the committee that will select the 68-team men's field for the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines were joined by Duke, Arizona and Iowa State as the 1-seeds in Saturday's reveal show on CBS. The Cyclones got the last No. 1 seed ahead of UConn and Houston. Saturday’s reveal is a snapshot of where things stand with less than a month left until Selection Sunday. Generally the teams listed above the cutline for a top-four regional seed stay there. Selection Sunday is March 15. The Final Four is in Indianapolis.
