Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
NFL star Chris Spielman's wife loses cancer battle
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
Poor machine maintenance blamed for fire at Akron business
College student mistaken for deer, shot to death
Indians add 7 players to 40-man roster
Man allegedly paid teens to spit in his face
Body with gunshot wounds found in Canton Township creek
Blogs:
Pets:
Sick Pets Get High-tech Health Care
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
The proposed new LeBron mural doesn't do it for me
Akron Zips:
Two blowouts, one night
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Hey, somebody's gotta stick up for the Browns
Kent State Sports:
Singletary update
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Indiana Pacers
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Bowling season starts today
All Da King's Men:
Attention Haters, Palin And Hannity Together
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Muslim McCarthyism & Death Prayers
Akron Law Café:
Federal Judge Declares DOMA Unconstitutional
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Norma asks if Barkitecture is still at Stan Hywet.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Jayhawks get 55 first-place votes
Published on Friday, Oct 30, 2009
From Beacon Journal wire services
For the second time in its storied basketball history, Kansas is No. 1 in the Associated Press' preseason Top 25.
The Jayhawks were a runaway choice Thursday, receiving 55 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel to easily outdistance Michigan State, which was No. 1 on five ballots.
There was little suspense as to which team would top the preseason poll. Kansas has all five starters and the top nine scorers back from last season's team that went 27-8 and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks also feature a recruiting class considered among the nation's best.
The Jayhawks received great news when guard Sherron Collins and center Cole Aldrich, last season's leading scorers, decided to return to school rather than test the NBA draft. Then brothers Xavier and C.J. Henry decided to enroll in Lawrence, making the Jayhawks the early national favorite as well as the choice to win a sixth straight Big 12 title.
Michigan State has seven of the top nine scorers back from the team that lost to North Carolina in the national championship game.
Texas, Kentucky and Villanova rounded out the top five, while North Carolina, a unanimous preseason No. 1 last season, was sixth. Kentucky received three first-place votes and Texas and North Carolina got one each. Purdue, West Virginia, Duke and Tennessee completed the top 10.
Butler was 11th in the poll followed by Connecticut, California, Washington, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Louisville and Georgetown. The last five ranked teams were Dayton, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Clemson and Minnesota.
Tennis: Williams sisters advance
• Serena Williams became the first player to clinch a spot in the semifinals of the WTA Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Qatar, defeating Elena Dementieva 6-2, 6-4 for her third straight win in the tournament's round-robin group phase. Her sister Venus, the defending champion, stayed alive by beating Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-4 for her first win in three matches. Caroline Wozniacki overcame severe leg cramps and a tenacious Vera Zvonareva to win 6-0, 6-7 (3), 6-4.
• Russian players Mikhail Youzhny and Igor Andreev retired because of injury in second-round matches at the St. Petersburg Open in Russia.
• Top-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga led five Frenchmen into the Lyon Grand Prix quarterfinals in France by beating Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-3, 6-2.
Golf: Three share Senior PGA lead
• Darrell Kestner, Chris Starkjohann and Mickey Yokoi shot 6-under 66s to share the first-round lead in the Senior PGA Professional National Championship in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
• Phil Blackmar and Jeff Sluman shot 6-under 66s in breezy conditions to share the first-round lead in the Champions Tour's season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Sonoma, Calif.
• Han Ren of China opened with a 7-under 65 in the inaugural round of the Asian Amateur Championship for a 1-shot lead in the 116-man field at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China.
• The first round of the PGA Tour's Viking Classic was suspended because of impending rain and wet conditions at Annandale Golf Club in Madison, Miss., pushing the tournament into a Monday finish and leaving officials hoping for better weather today.
Hockey: Malkin out with injury
• NHL scoring champion Evgeni Malkin will be lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins for two to three weeks because of a strained shoulder.
• The Phoenix Coyotes reassigned rookie defenseman Sean Sullivan to their AHL affiliate in San Antonio.
• Sabres rookie Tyler Myers is staying in Buffalo after an impressive nine-game stint.
Autos: Allmendinger on probation
• NASCAR placed driver AJ Allmendinger on probation following his arrest early in the morning on a charge of drunk driving. Mooresville, N.C., police said Allmendinger failed a field sobriety test.
• Nico Rosberg has confirmed that this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in the United Arab Emirates will be his last with the Williams team in Formula One. Rosberg would not say which team he would join in 2010.
• Bruno Senna has signed a deal to drive next year for new Formula One team Campos.
Other: Orioles decline option
• The Orioles have declined their $8 million option on Melvin Mora, allowing Baltimore's longest-tenured player to become eligible for free agency.
• D.C. United president Kevin Payne was fined $5,000 by Major League Soccer, then apologized for criticizing the league and three of its teams.
From Beacon Journal wire services
For the second time in its storied basketball history, Kansas is No. 1 in the Associated Press' preseason Top 25.
The Jayhawks were a runaway choice Thursday, receiving 55 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel to easily outdistance Michigan State, which was No. 1 on five ballots.
There was little suspense as to which team would top the preseason poll. Kansas has all five starters and the top nine scorers back from last season's team that went 27-8 and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks also feature a recruiting class considered among the nation's best.
The Jayhawks received great news when guard Sherron Collins and center Cole Aldrich, last season's leading scorers, decided to return to school rather than test the NBA draft. Then brothers Xavier and C.J. Henry decided to enroll in Lawrence, making the Jayhawks the early national favorite as well as the choice to win a sixth straight Big 12 title.
Michigan State has seven of the top nine scorers back from the team that lost to North Carolina in the national championship game.
Texas, Kentucky and Villanova rounded out the top five, while North Carolina, a unanimous preseason No. 1 last season, was sixth. Kentucky received three first-place votes and Texas and North Carolina got one each. Purdue, West Virginia, Duke and Tennessee completed the top 10.
Butler was 11th in the poll followed by Connecticut, California, Washington, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Louisville and Georgetown. The last five ranked teams were Dayton, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Clemson and Minnesota.
Tennis: Williams sisters advance
• Serena Williams became the first player to clinch a spot in the semifinals of the WTA Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Qatar, defeating Elena Dementieva 6-2, 6-4 for her third straight win in the tournament's round-robin group phase. Her sister Venus, the defending champion, stayed alive by beating Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-4 for her first win in three matches. Caroline Wozniacki overcame severe leg cramps and a tenacious Vera Zvonareva to win 6-0, 6-7 (3), 6-4.
• Russian players Mikhail Youzhny and Igor Andreev retired because of injury in second-round matches at the St. Petersburg Open in Russia.
• Top-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga led five Frenchmen into the Lyon Grand Prix quarterfinals in France by beating Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-3, 6-2.
Golf: Three share Senior PGA lead
• Darrell Kestner, Chris Starkjohann and Mickey Yokoi shot 6-under 66s to share the first-round lead in the Senior PGA Professional National Championship in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
• Phil Blackmar and Jeff Sluman shot 6-under 66s in breezy conditions to share the first-round lead in the Champions Tour's season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Sonoma, Calif.
• Han Ren of China opened with a 7-under 65 in the inaugural round of the Asian Amateur Championship for a 1-shot lead in the 116-man field at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China.
• The first round of the PGA Tour's Viking Classic was suspended because of impending rain and wet conditions at Annandale Golf Club in Madison, Miss., pushing the tournament into a Monday finish and leaving officials hoping for better weather today.
Hockey: Malkin out with injury
• NHL scoring champion Evgeni Malkin will be lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins for two to three weeks because of a strained shoulder.
• The Phoenix Coyotes reassigned rookie defenseman Sean Sullivan to their AHL affiliate in San Antonio.
• Sabres rookie Tyler Myers is staying in Buffalo after an impressive nine-game stint.
Autos: Allmendinger on probation
• NASCAR placed driver AJ Allmendinger on probation following his arrest early in the morning on a charge of drunk driving. Mooresville, N.C., police said Allmendinger failed a field sobriety test.
• Nico Rosberg has confirmed that this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in the United Arab Emirates will be his last with the Williams team in Formula One. Rosberg would not say which team he would join in 2010.
• Bruno Senna has signed a deal to drive next year for new Formula One team Campos.
Other: Orioles decline option
• The Orioles have declined their $8 million option on Melvin Mora, allowing Baltimore's longest-tenured player to become eligible for free agency.
• D.C. United president Kevin Payne was fined $5,000 by Major League Soccer, then apologized for criticizing the league and three of its teams.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
