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Coach Brad Underwood’s Illinois team is ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press preseason men’s basketball poll. | Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ohio State, Rutgers and Michigan also made the Top 25.
Just about the only thing Gonzaga has left to accomplish under Mark Few is win a national championship.
The ‘Zags scratched another first off the list Monday: They will open the season at No. 1.
Despite losing West Coast Conference player of the year Filip Petrusev, the Bulldogs received 28 first-place votes and 1,541 points from a 64-member national media panel. That was just enough to edge Baylor (24 first-place vote) by a single point for the top spot in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 heading toward the delayed Nov. 25 start of the season.
“It’s a great honor to be selected No. 1,” Few said. “We understand that it is more a reflection of what our program has accomplished over the years and hope to play up to that standard as we start our season.”
Villanova received 11 first-place votes and was third, followed by Virginia with the remaining first-place vote. Iowa was picked fifth behind national player of the year front-runner Luka Garza, its highest preseason ranking in school history.
Then came a wave of bluebloods with Kansas, Wisconsin, Illinois, Duke and Kentucky completing the top 10.
The Bulldogs spent four weeks at No. 1 last season before finishing second to the Jayhawks in the final poll, which was taken when the NCAA Tournament was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Petrusev’s choice to play professionally in Serbia and then enter the draft was a blow, but the Bulldogs still have the pieces to win it all. Corey Kispert and Joel Ayayi provide scoring punch and the arrival of potential one-and-done guard Jalen Suggs should steady their backcourt.
The ‘Zags certainly scheduled like title contenders. They open Oct. 26 against Kansas at the Fort Myers Tip-Off, where they also will play Auburn, and face Baylor in Indianapolis and Iowa in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The Bears, who also have their highest preseason ranking, spent five weeks at No. 1 last season and only lost one starter in big man Freddie Gillespie. But coach Scott Drew could have the nation’s best backcourt in Jared Butler, Davion Mitchell and MaCio Teague, the best defender in Mark Vital and depth behind top-100 recruit L.J. Cryer and transfer Adam Flagler.
The Bears also built a brutal schedule, playing Illinois and potentially Villanova in the Empire Classic along with Gonzaga.
“I think it starts with experience,” Drew said. “Whenever you return a lot of players that were successful, in a season that got moved back and a short summer, you’re definitely benefited from having guys that have college experience.”
The Wildcats, who matched their highest preseason ranking at No. 3 in 1995-96, harbored hope that Saddiq Bey would return for another season. But despite losing the versatile forward to the NBA, coach Jay Wright still has standout guard Collin Gillespie, double-double machine Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and solid starter Jermaine Samuels.
After back-to-back 30-win seasons and a national title, Virginia took a slight step back last season, going 23-7 before the season was called off. But coach Tony Bennett’s team should again be an ACC favorite behind Marquette transfer Sam Hauser, top-100 prospects Reece Beekman and Jabri Abdur-Rahim, and the Cavs’ lockdown defense.
Garza was second to Dayton’s Obi Toppin for national player of the year last season, and the Iowa big man flirted with the NBA before returning to the Hawkeyes. But he’s hardly a one-man show: Joe Wieskamp averaged 14.0 points, C.J. Fredrick and Connor McCaffery are experienced, and Jordan Bohannon is healthy after missing all but 10 games last season.
“Having seven players with starting experience provides us with incredible versatility,” Hawkeyes coach Fran McCaffery said. “In a year where you may have a player out for a couple weeks (due to COVID-19), depth will be important.”
The Jayhawks lost Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike from a team that was the likely No. 1 overall seed had the NCAA Tournament been played, but they return enough firepower to give Baylor a challenge in the Big 12.
Wisconsin and Illinois join the Hawkeyes in giving the Big Ten some fresh flavor atop the poll. Young and rebuilding Duke and Kentucky could take some lumps early in the season but could be championship contenders by March.
Creighton lost Ty-Shon Alexander to the NBA and Davion Mintz to Kentucky but still landed the highest preseason ranking in school history at No. 11, followed by Tennessee, Michigan State, Texas Tech and West Virginia.
North Carolina was next with Houston at No. 17, its highest preseason ranking since the final Phi Slama Jama team of Hakeem Olajuwon began the 1983-84 season at No. 3. Arizona State, Texas and Oregon finish the first 20 with Florida State, UCLA, Ohio State, Rutgers and Michigan rounding out the Top 25.
LSU was the first team outside the rankings, followed by Memphis, Florida, Alabama and Indiana. San Diego State got six votes after finishing No. 6 in the final poll last season but losing Mountain West player of the year Malachi Flynn and two other elite producers. Louisville and Seton Hall also are unranked after finishing in the top 15 last season.
————
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ preseason 2020-21 college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses.
1. Gonzaga (28)
2. Baylor (24)
3. Villanova (11)
4. Virginia (1)
5. Iowa
6. Kansas
7. Wisconsin
8. Illinois
9. Duke
10. Kentucky
11. Creighton
12. Tennessee
13. Michigan St.
14. Texas Tech
15. West Virginia
16. North Carolina
17. Houston
18. Arizona St.
19. Texas
20. Oregon
21. Florida St.
22. UCLA
23. Ohio St.
24. Rutgers
25. Michigan
Others receiving votes: LSU 146, Memphis 69, Florida 69, Alabama 50, Indiana 48, Louisville 41, Richmond 40, Stanford 14, Providence 9, Saint Louis 8, Auburn 8, San Diego St. 6, UConn 6, BYU 4, Loyola of Chicago 3, Seton Hall 2, UNC Greensboro 1, N Iowa 1.
Fans storm the field after Notre Dame defeated the Clemson 47-40 in two overtimes in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in South Bend, Ind. | Matt Cashore/AP
Thousands of students rushed the field after football team upset No. 1 Clemson in double overtime Saturday.
INDIANAPOLIS — The University of Notre Dame has implemented mandatory coronavirus testing for students and strict penalties for those who don’t comply after students rushed the school’s football field to celebrate a double-overtime upset over Clemson and held numerous weekend parties.
The mass of students, players and coaches crammed close together on the field in the minutes following the Fighting Irish’s 47-40 win Saturday night in South Bend over then-No. 1 Clemson. Many of the thousands who stormed the field were not wearing masks or had their masks pulled down.
Now, all Notre Dame students are required to undergo coronavirus testing before they leave South Bend for the extended winter break, Notre Dame President the Rev. John Jenkins told students Sunday night. The email announcement didn’t specifically reference the storming of the field, but rather “many gatherings” over the weekend.
Letter Sunday night to @NotreDame students. pic.twitter.com/Do29pW1mEN
— Terry McFadden (@TMcFaddenWNDU) November 9, 2020
If a student is exposed or tests positive, they’ll be required to quarantine on campus for two weeks. If students don’t complete the mandatory coronavirus test — or if they leave the campus area before they receive the results of their exit test — they will be prevented from registering for classes, university officials said.
The campus has also put in a place a zero-tolerance for gatherings that do not follow safety guidelines. Any student hosting a large gathering will face “severe sanctions.”
“As exciting as last night’s victory against Clemson was, it was very disappointing to see evidence of widespread disregard of our health protocols at many gatherings over the weekend,” Jenkins said in his letter Sunday. In addition the game, numerous parties were also held around the campus over the weekend.
Following the win, Notre Dame moved up two spots to No. 2 in the The Associated Press college football poll, while Clemson dropped to No. 4.
The celebration came just two days after Jenkins released a video warning students about spikes in COVID-19 cases around the campus and implored them to redouble their efforts to follow safety measures. Notre Dame reported 24 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, with 220 active cases overall. The university has reported 1,355 positive cases since the start of the fall semester.
Jenkins himself has come under criticism in recent weeks after he failed to wear a mask at a White House Rose Garden ceremony where President Donald Trump introduced Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court. Jenkins, who tested positive for COVID-19 days after attending, shook hands and sat shoulder-to-shoulder with others at the event.
Jenkins later apologized for his actions, saying in a statement that, “I failed to lead by example, at a time when I’ve asked everyone else in the Notre Dame community to do so.”
Notre Dame’s Faculty Senate formally expressed disappointment in the school president’s actions with a resolution passed Thursday.
Mark Esper | AP
It is the first time in the modern era that a president seeking reelection has removed his Pentagon chief after Election Day.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper, a stunning and unprecedented move at a time of national uncertainty about the outcome of Trump’s bid for a second term. The move could be seen as unsettling for the Pentagon and a source of concern for international allies and partners.
It is the first time in the modern era that a president seeking reelection has removed his Pentagon chief after Election Day. Presidents who win reelection often replace Cabinet members, including the secretary of defense, but losing presidents have kept their Pentagon chiefs in place until Inauguration Day to preserve stability in the name of national security.
Esper’s strained relationship with Trump came close to collapse last summer during civil unrest that triggered a debate within the administration over the proper role of the military in combatting domestic unrest. Esper’s opposition to using active duty troops to help quell protests in Washington, D.C., infuriated Trump, and led to wide speculation that the defense chief was prepared to quit if faced with such an issue again.
