New No. 1 Louisville defeats Connecticut
Russ Smith scored 23 points and Gorgui Dieng had 16 rebounds as Louisville, playing just hours after it moved to No. 1, used a strong second half to beat host Connecticut, 73-58, last night.
The Cardinals (16-1, 4-0 Big East) won their 11th straight game and like the others, they relied on their star backcourt and pressure defense.
"They deserve the No. 1 ranking," Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie said. "They have talent. They play together. They play hard."
Omar Calhoun led the Huskies (12-4, 2-2) with 20 points and Shabazz Napier had 12.
The Cardinals are the third team to hold the No. 1 spot this season along with Indiana and Duke. In a poll with five teams receiving first-place votes, Louisville was No. 1 on 36 ballots from the 65-member national media panel.
Indiana, which jumped from fifth to No. 2, drew 13 first-place votes. Duke, which dropped two spots to third, had 14. No. 4 Kansas and No. 5 Michigan each got one first-place vote. Oregon, VCU, UCLA and Marquette joined the poll this week.
Kansas 61, Baylor 44: Ben McLemore scored 17 points before leaving in the final minutes with a right ankle injury, and No. 4 host Kansas rolled. The injury was just about the only thing that didn't go right for Kansas (15-1), which won its 14th straight game to match the fourth-longest streak in the Bill Self era. Isaiah Austin had 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Bears (11-5).
Baylor women stay No. 1
Baylor remains the top choice in the AP women's poll while Michigan earned its first appearance in the top 25 in a decade. The Bears received 34 first-place votes after cruising to easy wins over Iowa State and Kansas and now own the longest active conference winning streak, winning 32 straight Big 12 games. Former St. John's coach Kim Barnes Arico has taken the Wolverines to new heights. Michigan enters the poll at No. 25. Notre Dame, UConn, Duke and Kentucky round out the first five.
USC axes O'Neill
Kevin O'Neill was fired as Southern California basketball coach after 31/2 years. O'Neill had a 48-65 record. Assistant Bob Cantu will serve as interim coach.
-- AP
