College Basketball
No. 1 Kentucky gives KU an AP Top 25 tumble
Top-ranked Kentucky certainly made a believer of Kansas head coach Bill Self last week; the Wildcats made a lot of believers among The Associated Press Top 25 voters, too.
After running roughshod over the Jayhawks in the Champions Classic, the Wildcats routed Boston University and Montana State to cap a perfect week. The impressive performances allowed Kentucky to consolidate its spot atop the AP poll Monday, earning all but three votes from the 65-member media panel.
Those three went to Wisconsin, which was ranked second ahead of Arizona. Duke and North Carolina rounded out the top five. Louisville, Texas, Virginia, Wichita State and Gonzaga are the rest of the top 10.
Gamecocks’ No. 1 ranking is first in women’s history
Dawn Staley and her South Carolina Gamecocks finally have ascended to the top of the poll.
South Carolina took over as the new No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Monday. It’s the first time in school history that the Gamecocks reached the top spot in the poll. Staley is no stranger herself to being ranked No. 1.
As a player, she helped Virginia reach No. 1. Staley is only the second person in women’s basketball to play and coach a top-ranked team, joining Baylor’s Kim Mulkey.
The Gamecocks received 21 first-place votes Monday, edging Notre Dame for the top spot. South Carolina headed to the Bahamas to play in the Junkanoo Jam over Thanksgiving where it will face Wisconsin in its first game as No. 1 on Thursday.
The Irish garnered 12 first-place ballots and moved up to second. UConn, which held the top spot for 22 consecutive weeks, drops to third after losing in overtime at Stanford last Monday. Tennessee and the Cardinal rounded out the first five.
Texas made one of the biggest leaps, moving up four spots to No. 6 after knocking off Stanford and UCLA last week. Texas A&M, Duke, Kentucky and Maryland, respectively, finished off the top 10. The Wildcats moved up four places after beating then-No. 8 Baylor last Monday. The Lady Bears dropped to 13th.
No. 25 Mississippi State entered the poll for the first time since Nov. 23, 2009, after beating West Virginia and winning the preseason WNIT.
Gonzaga fell out.
MLB
Kung Fu Panda migrates from the Bay to Boston
SAN FRANCISCO – Kung Fu Panda is moving to Boston.
Free agent third baseman Pablo Sandoval and the Boston Red Sox agreed to a multiyear contract, and the switch-hitting slugger informed the San Francisco Giants he’s leaving.
Sandoval, the 2012 World Series MVP, pondered an offer from the Giants worth close to $100 million over five years, a person with knowledge of that proposal said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no deal had been announced by the Red Sox.
The burly switch-hitter was beloved in the Bay Area.
After winning his third World Series title in five years with San Francisco, Sandoval, 28, hit .279 with 16 homers and 73 runs batted in in 157 regular-season games for the Giants and .366 in the postseason with seven doubles and five RBIs, four during the World Series against Kansas City.
NFL
Saints’ owner donates $11M to Hall of Fame
CLEVELAND – New Orleans Saints’ owner Tom Benson has given back to “the birthplace of our game.”
Benson pledged $11 million in donations to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. One of the gifts will be earmarked to renovate adjacent Fawcett Stadium, which will be renamed after the Saints’ long-time owner.
Associated Press
