UNDATED (AP) — Auburn is No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the third straight week. Coach Bruce Pearl’s Tigers earned 48 of 61 first-place votes. Gonzaga earned the other 13 votes and has been ranked No. 2 throughout Auburn’s first stay at the top. Purdue, Arizona and Kentucky rounded out the top five. Texas Tech rose five spots to No. 9 under first-year coach Mark Adams. No. 22 Saint Mary’s and No. 23 Murray State entered the poll. Murray State’s poll appearance is its first since March 2015. Iowa State and LSU fell out from last week.
UNDATED (AP) — Florida has jumped into The Associated Press women’s basketball poll at No. 19. The Gators have beaten four ranked teams in their past five games, losing only to top-ranked South Carolina. Florida is ranked for the first time since 2016. South Carolina remains the No. 1 team in the poll this week and was a unanimous choice from the 30-member national media panel. The Gamecocks are followed by Stanford, Louisville, Michigan and North Carolina State. Michigan’s No. 4 ranking is the best in school history.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Empty seats are outnumbering occupied ones at Nebraska men’s basketball home games as the team grinds through one of the worst seasons in program history under coach Fred Hoiberg. According to figures provided to The Associated Press, the average number of tickets scanned is just under 7,200. That’s less than half of Pinnacle Bank Arena’s capacity. Three consecutive January games drew fewer than 5,800 fans. Athletic director Trev Alberts acknowledged some fans are staying away because of the mask mandate. But he said the team’s poor performance is the biggest factor and a major concern.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Taylor Mikesell made six 3-pointers and scored 26 points to help No. 21 Ohio State beat Rutgers 61-57 for coach Kevin McGuff’s 100th Big Ten victory. Mikesell made two free throws with 24.2 seconds left for a 59-56 lead. Rutgers missed a long 3-pointer but Tyia Singleton grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled at 3.3. She made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second but it didn’t hit the rim, and Jacy Sheldon sealed it with two free throws at 1.9. Sheldon had nine points, eight rebounds and five assists for Ohio State. Sayawni Lassiter, averaging 3 points per game, set career highs with five 3-pointers and 15 points for Rutgers, which lost its 10th straight game.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — E.J. Liddell had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 16 Ohio State beat Maryland 82-67. Ohio State led by as much as 22 points in the second half of its fourth victory in five games. It shot 51% from the field, including an 11-for-26 performance from 3-point range. Justin Ahrens and Zed Key scored 14 points apiece for the Buckeyes. Donta Scott scored 25 points for Maryland, which dropped its third straight game. Fatts Russell had 12 points, and Qudus Wahab finished with 10.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Naz Hillmon scored 26 points and had 10 rebounds, and No. 6 Michigan beat No. 21 Iowa 98-90, despite the Hawkeyes getting 46 points from Caitlin Clark. Laila Phelia added 24 points, four rebounds and three assists for the Wolverines, and Maddie Nolan contributed 17 points. Clark was the lone bright spot for the Hawkeyes. She and Sydney Affolter each grabbed six rebounds. The Wolverines took the lead a minute and a half into the first quarter and then controlled the game, leading by as much as 25.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Keegan Murray had 24 points and 15 rebounds, Patrick McCaffery added 18 points and seven boards and Iowa used a big second-half run to beat Minnesota 71-59. Murray and McCaffery combined to shoot 17 of 32 from the field while the rest of the team shot just 36% (12 of 33). Iowa (14-7, 4-6 Big Ten), which went into the game No. 3 nationally in fewest turnovers per game at 8.9, committed six. The Hawkeyes scored 21 points — including 17 in the second half — off 12 Minnesota turnovers. Minnesota (11-9, 2-9) has lost four in a row and eight of its last nine. Luke Loewe scored 19 points and Payton Willis added 16 for the Gophers.
