WSU rises to No. 4 in AP poll

Published 7:41 pm Monday, December 24, 2007

The Washington State Cougars moved up three spots to No. 4 in this week’s Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, the highest ranking in school history.

The Cougars’ previous best was sixth early this season. WSU (11-0) returns to action Friday at home against North Carolina A&T.

Meanwhile, Gonzaga, ranked 18th last week, fell out of the rankings for the first time this season. The Zags lost at Oklahoma on Saturday.

For the fourth straight week, North Carolina, Memphis and Kansas were the top three teams in the poll. Then came the changes courtesy of the high-profile games that saw three teams lose their first games of the season.

Pittsburgh’s 65-64 victory over Duke in overtime last Thursday was the first of the marquee matchups, with Memphis’ 85-71 win over Georgetown and Michigan State’s 78-72 victory over Texas, both on Saturday, capping the early-season treats in a month usually reserved for mismatches.

That opened the door for WSU to move up. Rounding out the Top 10 were UCLA, Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Georgetown, Texas and Duke.

For the complete poll, see the Scoreboard on Page C5.

UConn tops women’s poll: After a nearly four-year absence, Connecticut is back at No. 1.

The Huskies received 49 of the 50 first-place votes Monday in The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll after being ranked second all season. Tennessee had been No. 1 since the preseason poll, but lost to Stanford 73-69 in overtime Saturday night.

The Lady Vols fell to No. 3, while Stanford received the other first-place vote and moved up to No. 2.

It’s the first time Connecticut has held the top spot since Feb. 23, 2004.

“This is going to be fun for our team because it is the first time for this group,” Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma said. “I’m really proud of them and I’m anxious to see how we respond.”

The Huskies (9-0) have been dominant this season, winning by an average of 40 points. Connecticut’s closest game was a 12-point victory over Stanford, which saw the Cardinal rally late with the game already out of reach.

For the complete poll, see the Scoreboard on Page C5.

N.C. State’s Degand out for the year: North Carolina State point guard Farnold Degand is out for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe said Monday that the sophomore tore the ligament in his left knee during N.C. State’s win Sunday over Cincinnati. Lowe said the injury will require surgery.

Degand has started all 10 games for the Wolfpack this season and is averaging 6.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 28.6 minutes per game.