Update on the latest sports
APCOLLEGE BASKETBALL-POLLS
Gonzaga, Baylor remain atop AP Top 25 in quiet week
UNDATED (AP) — Gonzaga and Baylor remain atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll in a week of little change.
The top five from a week ago remained the same in the poll and no teams dropped out of the AP Top 25.
Gonzaga received 60 first-place votes from a media panel and Baylor had the other four, with the Bulldogs picking up one vote from the Bears. Michigan, Ohio State and Illinois rounded out the top five.
The Buckeyes held their spot despite losing 92-87 to the Wolverines on Sunday. No. 12 Houston dropped six spots and No. 15 Virginia lost eight while No. 9 Iowa and No. 10 West Virginia moved back into the top 10.
In the women’s poll, UConn remains No. 1 after blowing out its two opponents last week. North Carolina State returned to No. 2 and Texas A&M climbed to third, followed by Stanford and South Carolina.
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
Two ranked teams on the courts
UNDATED (AP) — It’s a light night for top-25 college basketball.
Oklahoma State hosts Texas Tech tonight in a Big-12 matchup. The Red Raiders had been ranked No. 15 heading into the weekend, but, after losing 67-61 decision to Kansas Saturday, dropped to 18. Kansas moved up to No. 17.
And in the Pac-12, Oregon visits No. 19 Southern California. At one point the Ducks had six of seven games postponed by COVID-19, and that streak ended with an ugly loss to Washington State. But they followed with five straight wins, including one over fellow bubble-dweller Colorado, heading into tonight’s game.
NBA SCHEDULE West’s top two in action
UNDATED (AP) — With 24 wins against only 6 losses, there’s no arguing the Utah Jazz are good. Winning 80 percent of their games has the Jazz atop the Western Conference standings. Still, Saturday’s 116-112 loss to the Clippers snapped Utah’s 9-game win streak. They’ll look to start a new streak tonight when they host the Charlotte Hornets.
Behind Utah in the conference, but leading the Pacific Division, the Lakers get a visit from the Washington Wizards. The defending NBA champions have lost their last two game while missing starters Anthony Davis and Dennis Schröder.
Elsewhere in the NBA, Chicago is at Houston, Dallas is scheduled to host Memphis, there’s Thunder and Heat clashing in Oklahoma City, while the Trail Blazers are down in Phoenix to play the Suns.
San Antonio had been scheduled to play the Pacers in Indiana, this evening. That game has been postponed as the Spurs deal with a coronavirus outbreak.
NBA NEWS
Timberwolves fire Ryan Saunders, hire Chris Finch as coach
UNDATED (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves fired coach Ryan Saunders hours after the team with the NBA’s worst record this season lost for the eighth time in the last nine games. The Timberwolves announced the hiring of Toronto assistant Chris Finch as their new coach today.
At 7-24, Minnesota has the league’s worst record this season and already is 7 1/2 games out of what would be the final play-in spot for the Western Conference postseason.
NHL NEWS
Panarin denies Russian report, takes time away from Rangers
UNDATED (AP) — New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin is taking a leave of absence after a Russian tabloid printed allegations from a former coach that he attacked an 18-year-old woman in Latvia in 2011.
Ex-NHL enforcer Andrei Nazarov is the source for the report after coaching Panarin in the Kontinental Hockey League. Nazarov says he was motivated to speak about it because he disagreed with Panarin’s criticism of the Russian government.
Panarin denied the allegations in a statement released by the Rangers. The team said it backed its star player and called the allegations “an intimidation tactic.”
NHL SCHEDULE
Eight-game schedule for the NHL
UNDATED (AP) — After playing outdoors in sunny Lake Tahoe, the Avalanche and Golden Knights may be relieved to be back on solid ice when they meet in Denver tonight. Saturday’s setting was spectacular, though the brilliant sunshine destroyed the ice, forcing an eight-hour delay after the first period. Returning after dark when the ice was firmer, Colorado emerged the winner, beating Vegas 3-2.
The rest of the NHL schedule has the Buffalo Sabres on Long Island to play the Islanders, Calgary is at Toronto, the Stars visit the Panthers, Carolina hosts Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Kings are in St. Louis to play the Blues. Anaheim visits Arizona, and the Minnesota Wild are at San Jose in the late game.
In other NHL news:
The Chicago Blackhawks have activated defenseman Connor Murphy off injured reserve. The 27-year-old Murphy had been sidelined by a right hip injury. He has two goals and three assists in 13 games, last playing in a 2-1 victory at Dallas on Feb. 7. The Blackhawks also announced forward Dylan Strome is in the concussion protocol. Chicago’s next game is Tuesday night at Columbus.
MLB NEWS
Reliever Jeffress agrees to minor league deal with Nationals
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Right-handed reliever Jeremy Jeffress has agreed to terms with the Washington Nationals on a minor league contract. The deal is pending the successful completion of a physical exam. The 33-year-old Jeffress was taken by Milwaukee in the first round pick of the 2006 amateur draft and has pitched for five teams over 11 years in the majors. He was an NL All-Star in 2018 for the Brewers. Jeffress went 4-1 with a 1.54 ERA and eight saves in 10 chances for the Chicago Cubs in 2020.
In other baseball news:
— The San Diego Padres have finalized Fernando Tatis Jr.’s $340 million, 14-year contract, the longest deal in baseball history. The 22-year-old had been eligible for salary arbitration after this season and for free agency after the 2024 season. The length of his contract exceeded the $325 million, 13-year agreement between Miami and Giancarlo Stanton and the $330 million, 13-year contract between Bruce Harper and Philadelphia. Baseball’s biggest deal by dollars remains Mike Trout’s $426.5 million, 12-year contract signed with the Angels in March 2019.
— Right-hander Trevor Rosenthal finalized an $11 million, one-year contract with the Oakland Athletics, providing manager Bob Melvin with a new reliable ninth-inning option after former closer Liam Hendriks’ departure in free agency. The 30-year-old Rosenthal went 1-0 with a 1.90 ERA with 11 saves over 23 2/3 innings for the Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres last season.
NFL NEWS
Kansas City quarterback Mahomes, fiancee welcome baby girl
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his fiancee, Brittany Matthews, are parents to a girl. Matthews announced the Sunday birth of Sterling Skye Mahomes in a tweet. The birth came two weeks after Mahomes and Kansas City lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl. The Kansas City Star reported that Mahomes and Matthews had announced their engagement in September. The next month, the couple used their dogs as part of a gender reveal, and Mahomes tweeted that he was going to be a #GirlDad. In celebration of the birth, Union Station in Kansas City was lit up with pink and white lights Sunday night.
TENNIS RANKINGS
Osaka back to No. 2; Medvedev No. 3
UNDATED (AP) — UNDATED (AP) — Naomi Osaka’s Australian Open championship has allowed her to move up to No. 2 in the WTA rankings.
Ash Barty remains No. 1, while women’s runner-up Jennifer Brady cracked the Top 20 for the first time jumping to No. 13. Serena Williams climbed four spots from No. 11 to No. 7 to get back into the Top 10 after making it to the semifinals
Men’s finalist Daniil Medvedev rose to a career-best No. 3 behind winner Novak Djokovic on the ATP list. Djokovic remains at No. 1, while Rafael Nadal stayed at No. 2 after losing in the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park.
Aslan Karatsev’s historic run from qualifying to the final four before losing to nine-time Australian Open champion Djokovic allowed him to vault 72 places from 114th to 42nd. He is the first man in the professional era to reach the semifinals in his debut in the main draw of a major tournament.
