Tar Heels top AP men’s poll
It took until the second week of the season for a team to break into the men’s Top 25. North Carolina (3-0), Connecticut (4-0) and Louisville (2-0) held the top three spots in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll Monday, while Xavier moved in at No. 16 after winning the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
Pittsburgh (4-0) moved from sixth to fourth, leaping Michigan State (2-0), which remained No. 5. Texas (2-0) moved up one place to sixth, while Duke (6-0), which beat Michigan for the 2K Sports Classic title, jumped from 10th to No. 7.
Notre Dame (2-0) and Gonzaga (2-0) remained eighth and ninth, while Purdue (4-0) moved up one place to close out the Top Ten.
UCLA (3-1), which lost to Michigan in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic, dropped from fourth to No. 13.
UConn women still No. 1
Connecticut stayed No. 1 in women’s basketball while a week full of upsets reshuffled the rest of the Top 25. The Huskies enjoyed two blowout victories but were no longer a unanimous choice in the rankings by The Associated Press.
North Carolina picked up a first-place vote, moving into the second spot after edging Oklahoma 80-79 Sunday in the championship game of the Preseason WNIT.
California climbed four spots to No. 3 for its highest ranking and the Sooners fell two places to fourth. Stanford moved into fifth.
Tennessee fell four spots to No. 9 — its lowest ranking since Jan. 3, 2005 when the Lady Vols were 10th.
UCLA’s Aboya should play
An MRI on UCLA center Alfred Aboya’s left wrist was negative, and he was listed as probable for the 13th-ranked Bruins’ game against Florida International on Saturday at Pauley Pavilion. The senior center had a career-high 22 points and eight rebounds in UCLA’s 77-60 victory over Southern Illinois on Friday night in the consolation game of the 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden, but landed hard after taking a charge late in the game.
Salukis’ Evans out weeks
Southern Illinois center Nick Evans will be out four to six weeks after breaking his left wrist during a loss to UCLA.
The 6-foot-11 freshman, averaging six points and three rebounds, was injured Friday.
The Salukis (2-2) next play at Western Kentucky on Wednesday.
La.-Monroe suspends two
Louisiana-Monroe has suspended two men’s basketball players for breaking team rules. Coach Orlando Early announced the indefinite suspensions of David Garrison and Tony Hooper, both seniors. He did not provide details about the violations.
Hooper, a preseason All-Sun Belt selection for the Warhawks (1-2), is the team’s second-leading scorer this season, averaging 10.3 points per game.
Garrison, a 6-foot-7 forward, has appeared in one game, playing just three minutes.
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