|
|
|
Wednesday, December 13, 2000
Alabama, Charlotte also enter Top 25
SportsTicker
|
The bottom five teams in the ESPN/USA Today men's college basketball coaches poll lost Saturday, clearing the
way for four schools to enter the poll Sunday for the first time
this season.
Among the newcomers is 25th-ranked Iowa (7-0), which received 28
points from Luke Recker on Saturday and posted an impressive
80-68 victory over Iowa State. The Hawkeyes are ranked for the
first time under Steve Alford and off to their best start since
opening the 1992-93 campaign with 11 wins.
Other newcomers joining Iowa among the nation's elite is
No. 22 Alabama (6-0), No. 23 Georgetown (7-0) and No. 24 Charlotte (6-1).
Alabama's most impressive victory this season was a 100-71
pounding of Louisville on Nov. 30, while the Hoyas posted a
70-63 win over the Cardinals on Tuesday.
Charlotte has knocked off North Carolina State, Miami and South
Carolina this season.
Falling from the rankings were Utah, Temple, St. John's and
Texas.
Duke (9-0) remained No. 1, receiving 30 of 31
first-place votes and 774 points from a nationwide panel of
coaches. The Blue Devils hold a 35-point lead on No. 2 Michigan
State (7-0).
Third-ranked Stanford (6-0) received the final first-place vote
and is joined in the top five by Tennessee (8-0) and Illinois
(7-2), which rose two places following Saturday's overtime win
against No. 10 Seton Hall (5-1).
The week's biggest drop was taken by Notre Dame (4-2), which
fell 10 places to 20th following losses to Indiana and Miami of
Ohio.
Preseason No. 1 Arizona (5-2) is sixth and is followed by Wake
Forest (7-0), Kansas (7-1) and Florida (5-1). Wake Forest moved
up from 11th.
The second 10 begins with Big East schools
Connecticut (7-1) and Syracuse (8-0). After Southern California
(6-0) is Atlantic Coast Conference members Virignia (6-0) and
North Carolina (5-2).
Rounding out the poll are 16th-ranked Oklahoma (6-1), No. 17 Wisconsin
(5-1), No. 18 Cincinnati (3-1) and No. 19 Maryland (5-3).
|
|
ALSO SEE
ESPN/USA Today Top 25 poll
AP poll: Duke, Spartans strengthen hold on 1-2; Stanford up to No. 3
ESPN.com's Sweet 16
AthletesDirect: Mike Krzyzewski's official Web site
|
|
