COLLEGES
Duke back on top in men’s AP Top 25 poll
Duke moved to No. 1 after blowing out Kentucky in its season opener, only to lose the top spot two weeks later with a loss to Gonzaga in Hawaii.
Well, the Blue Devils are back at No. 1.
Buoyed by a win over No. 12 Texas Tech and Kansas’ loss at No. 18 Arizona State, Duke moved atop The Associated Press Top 25 released Monday, receiving 35 of 64 first-place votes.
No. 2 Michigan received nine first-place votes, No. 3 Tennessee got 12, and No. 4 Virginia and No. 5 Kansas received four each.
No. 6 Nevada, Gonzaga, Michigan State, Florida State and Virginia Tech rounded out the top 10.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: After a week off for exams, UConn faced two stiff tests on the court and passed both of them.
The top-ranked Huskies rallied to beat Oklahoma and topped No. 14 California to remain unbeaten this season. UConn won both games by less than 10 points – the first time the team has back-to-back victories by less than 10 in 10 years.
UConn was followed in the AP Top 25 by Notre Dame, Louisville, Maryland and Oregon. Stanford, Baylor, Mississippi State, N.C. State and Tennessee round out the first 10. The Bulldogs dropped four spots after suffering their loss to the Ducks.
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
UFC: A rematch this weekend between Alex Gustafsson and former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is being moved from Las Vegas to southern California.
UFC 232, which had been set for Saturday at T-Mobile Arena, will be held at The Forum in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood.
Nevada fight regulators allowed Jones to withdraw his application for a Nevada fight license after the State Athletic Commission sought to postpone the fight until after a January hearing about Jones’ recent doping tests.
Jones (22-1) beat Gustafsson (18-4) in a tough bout in 2013. Jones hasn’t fought since July 2017, when his victory over Daniel Cormier for the light heavyweight title was overturned. Jones received a 15-month suspension for testing positive for steroid use.
BASEBALL
MLB: Free-agent right-hander Mike Fiers has agreed to a two-year contract to stay with the Oakland Athletics, who were determined to find an experienced starter this offseason to help lead a young rotation.
And Oakland would like to add another starter, too, realizing it must provide depth given all the injuries last season. Ace Sean Manaea is recovering from shoulder surgery and not expected back until at least the All-Star break.
The A’s acquired Fiers in August from Detroit, and he helped the club reach the playoffs for the first time since 2014. The 33-year-old Fiers went 5-2 with a 3.74 ERA in 10 outings with nine starts after joining Oakland, which lost the AL wild-card game at New York.
– Staff and news services
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