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College basketball: Gonzaga makes top mark on AP poll

Published: Tuesday, Mar. 5, 2013 - 12:00 am | Page 5C
Last Modified: Tuesday, Mar. 5, 2013 - 8:20 pm

SPOKANE, Wash. – The to-do list for the Gonzaga basketball team got shorter Monday: For the first time, the Zags were ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

Sweet, but it may get bumpier from there. Next: Avoiding the potholes that have stopped every other No. 1 this season, then finding a way to the Final Four.

"We don't believe there is any jinx," assistant coach Tommy Lloyd said, subbing for coach Mark Few, who was said to be fly fishing and unavailable for comment. "Obviously, it's a dream for us, the ultimate accomplishment."

Staying No. 1 has been tough this season, with Gonzaga the fifth school to hold the spot after replacing Indiana this week. The others were Duke, Louisville and Michigan.

Gonzaga, a small Jesuit school in Spokane, is where crooner Bing Crosby went and where John Stockton threaded pinpoint passes. It has the best record in Division I at 29-2 following weekend wins against BYU and Portland. The Hoosiers, beaten by Minnesota last week, dropped to No. 2.

"We're not necessarily in pursuit of a ranking," Lloyd said. "We're trying to get to the NCAA Tournament. When that's over, as coaches we can look back and realize what an accomplishment it is and how difficult it is."

The Zags are the 57th school to be ranked No. 1 since the AP poll began in January 1949.

No. 4 Kansas 79, Texas Tech 42 in Lawrence, Kan. – Jeff Withey scored 22 points, and every senior had a big night at their last home game, leading the Jayhawks (26-4, 14-3 Big 12 Conference) past the Red Raiders (10-18, 3-14).

No. 8 Louisville 67, Cin- cinnati 51 in Louisville, Ky. – Russ Smith scored 18 points, and Louisville (25-5, 13-4 Big East Conference) gave Rick Pitino his 300th victory with the Cardinals by beating the Bearcats (20-10, 8-9).

Women

No. 1 Baylor 90, Kansas State 68 in Waco, Texas – Brittney Griner scored a Big 12 single-game record 50 points in her final regular-season game at Baylor – including her first dunk at home since she was a freshman – to lead the Lady Bears (29-1, 18-0 Big 12) over the Wildcats (14-16, 5-13).

Griner made 21 of 28 field goals and 8 of 10 free throws, but her 50 points didn't set a Baylor single-game record. Mary Lowry had a 54-point game for the Lady Bears in 1994, before the formation of the Big 12.

With her 3,123 career points, Griner moved into second place on the NCAA career scoring list behind Jackie Stiles, who had 3,393 points for Missouri State from 1997 to 2001.

No. 2 Notre Dame 96, No. 3 Connecticut 87 (3 OT) in South Bend, Ind. – Skylar Diggins scored 29 points and sparked a decisive run in the third overtime as the Fighting Irish (28-1, 16-0) beat the Huskies (27-3, 14-2) to win the Big East regular-season title outright for the second straight year.

Pac-12 awards – Stanford junior Chiney Ogwumike was named the Pacific-12 Conference Player of the Year, and Cal's Lindsay Gottlieb was selected as the Coach of the Year in a vote by journalists, the league announced.

Ogwumike's sister, Nneka, was the Player of the Year the previous two seasons for Stanford. Chiney Ogwumike also was named the Defensive Player of the Year while leading fourth-ranked Stanford to a share of its 13th consecutive Pac-12 title.

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