Sports
Purdue reclaims No. 1; Louisville, Illini into top 10
Purdue moved back to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll Monday ahead of Houston, which spent a single week there after leapfrogging the Boilermakers.
It’s hardly a two-team race for the top, though. UConn, Arizona and Duke also got No. 1 votes from the 61-member media panel in a poll that also saw No. 6 Louisville and No. 8 Illinois jump into the top 10.
The Boilermakers got 44 first-place votes after an impressive week that included a road win over then-No. 8 Alabama and a victory over Akron. Houston lost six of its No. 1 votes but still had 12 after beating Oakland and edging No. 22 Auburn in a matchup of Final Four teams from last season.
“We have a great group of guys,” said Purdue coach Matt Painter, who also picked up his 500th career win last weekend, “and just trying to go from one game to the other I think is really hard after you have such an emotional, big win on the road like we had.”
UConn remained No. 3 with three first-place votes after beating then-No. 7 BYU 86-84 on Saturday. That started a tough road for the Huskies that includes games against No. 4 Arizona on Wednesday and Illinois and No. 24 Kansas down the road.
The Wildcats swapped spots with Duke this week, moving up with two first-place votes thanks in part to a win over then-No. 15 UCLA. The Blue Devils received the remaining No. 1 vote ahead of their game against the Jayhawks on Tuesday night.
Louisville tied for the biggest climb in the Top 25, moving up six spots after beating then-No. 9 Kentucky 96-88 last week. Michigan fell one spot to seventh while Big Ten rival Illinois also moved up six spots. BYU dropped two spots after its loss to the Huskies, while defending national champion Florida rounded out the top 10.
The losses by Alabama and Kentucky cost each three spots in this week’s poll, pushing them into the second 10. Gonzaga was next, followed by St. John’s and Texas Tech, which dropped four spots following its loss to Illinois.
Speaking of the Illini, they have climbed nine spots from No. 17 in the preseason poll, the highest they’ve been since they were No. 6 in the final poll two seasons ago. Staying there will be a test. Illinois plays the Crimson Tide on Wednesday night, UConn in a couple of weeks, No. 20 Tennessee the first week of December, and then Ohio State, Nebraska and Missouri — all of them unbeaten so far this season — before Christmas rolls around.
“It’s the way you practice, the mental focus you have — not reading all your guy’s stuff, and the fans and everything else,” Illini coach Brad Underwood said when asked about how to keep early success in perspective. “I call it drinking the poison. And you can’t. You have to stay with what is vital and what is important.”
The Illini joined Louisville and Gonzaga in making six-spot climbs this week, while the biggest falls came from Texas Tech as well as UCLA, which dropped four spots after a close loss to Arizona. NC State moved into the poll at No. 25 at the expense of Creighton.
CONFERENCE WATCH
The Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC led the way with six teams apiece in the Top 25, though the Big Ten and Big 12 also had three each in the top 10. The ACC was next with four ranked teams, the Big East had two and the West Coast Conference one.
WATCH LIST
San Diego State was the top team outside the Top 25, followed by Indiana, which appeared on 18 ballots. Keep an eye on Georgetown, which appeared on six ballots and entered the week 4-0; the Hoyas have not been ranked since the final poll of the 2014-15 season.
Sports
Transfer rumors, news: Pulisic will wait until signing new Milan contract
AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic is waiting to see how the club fare this season before signing a new contract, while Barcelona are looking for reinforcements at left back, right back and on the wing. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.
Transfers home page | Men’s grades | Women’s grades
TOP STORIES
– Source: Rodman’s Spirit future in doubt amid talks with NWSL
– Paquetá: Tried to leave West Ham for Flamengo
– Aubameyang: Joining Arsenal rivals Chelsea a ‘big mistake’
TRENDING RUMORS
– AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic has yet to sign a new contract and is keen to wait until the club have sealed qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League before he commits, according to Calciomercato. Pulisic, 27, has a deal which expires in 2027 (with an option to extend by a year) and the United States international has been linked with a return to the Premier League (after his spell with Chelsea) at either Manchester United or Aston Villa.
– Barcelona are considering signing Bayer Leverkusen‘s Alejandro Grimaldo in the summer as they look to strengthen at left back, reports Mundo Deportivo. Barcelona academy star Alejandro Balde, 22, has impressed, but Gerard Martín and Jofre Torrents haven’t made the leap required to challenge him for a starting spot. The Blaugrana could also look at a right back, with Internazionale‘s Denzel Dumfries, Al Hilal‘s João Cancelo and Crystal Palace‘s Daniel Muñoz all linked. Meanwhile, Sport claims that FC Cologne winger Said El Mala is on their radar at around €30 million after he recorded four goals and two assists in 10 Bundesliga appearances this season.
– Eintracht Frankfurt left back Nathaniel Brown is on Manchester City‘s shortlist, says Bild. Brown, 22, made his senior debut for the Germany national team in October and has impressed in the Bundesliga this season after joining the club from FC Nürnberg in 2024. City are looking for competition for Nico O’Reilly and Rayan Aït-Nouri on the left side of defense.
– Roma want to sign Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee on loan, but the Red Devils want to include a clause to make the deal permanent for €30 million, reports Corriere dello Sport. AC Milan would also be interested in a deal for the 24-year-old Netherlands international and if they get involved then Roma could turn their attention to Nottingham Forest‘s Arnaud Kalimuendo, Colgone’s Said El Mala, or could activate the €7m release clause for Racing Santander’s Jeremy Arevalo.
– Juventus have joined Manchester City and Real Madrid in the race to sign Elche midfielder Rodrigo Mendoza, as reported by Tuttosport, which describes him as “the emerging midfielder of Spanish football.” Mendoza, 29, has been scouted by City and Madrid for some time, with a possible alternative for Juve coming in the form of Lille‘s Ayyoub Bouaddi, 18, especially as the two clubs have a positive relationship.
EXPERT TAKE
ESPN’s Barcelona correspondent Sam Marsden on their transfer plans.
It is no secret within the club that Barcelona sporting director Deco has been monitoring the full back market for some time. On the right, Jules Koundé and Eric García have both been converted from center backs to play there, while on the left the options are mostly in-house products in Baldé, Martín and Torrents (Martín signed from local club Cornellà in 2023).
There have been times when Koundé and Baldé have both been best in class, but as Barça have toiled defensively this season, neither has excelled. That has once again forced Deco to consider Barça’s options, with sources explaining to ESPN that the club do not necessarily want to replace either player, but feel there is at the very least the need to create some internal competition.
On the left, Grimaldo is an obvious candidate given his links to Barça in the past. The Spain international will move into the final year of his contract with Bayer Leverkusen next summer, which should make him an affordable option — which is always an important factor when assessing Barça’s potential targets. That said, it will still depend on where the club prioritise spending next year as they also eye improvements in the middle of the back four and in attack.
And with no natural right back at the club — although Koundé is pretty established there now — it would not be a surprise if Barça move for two full backs next year, if the right options are available. In addition to the aforementioned Dumfries, Cancelo and Muñoz, ESPN has also previously revealed that Deco is a long-term fan of Monaco’s Vanderson, although he is currently injured.
OTHER RUMORS
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Laurens: Losing Gabriel Magalhães is the last thing Arsenal want
Julien Laurens gives an update on Gabriel Magalhães’ fitness as the Arsenal defender was taken off during Brazil’s game vs. Senegal.
– Liverpool could move for Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo to help replace Mohamed Salah while he is at the Africa Cup of Nations for Egypt in December and January. (Liverpool Echo)
– Juventus’ contract talks with Kenan Yildiz have stalled amid interest from Real Madrid, Arsenal and Chelsea. (Ekrem Konur)
– Lazio are considering Torino’s Ivan Ilic, Tromso’s Jens Hjerto-Dahl and a loan for Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo as they aim to bring in a midfielder in January. (Corriere dello Sport)
– Tottenham Hotspur could miss out on Ademola Lookman with Atalanta keen to keep the forward now that Ivan Juric has departed. (TEAMtalk)
– David Alaba has received offers from the Middle East but maintains hope that Real Madrid will opt to renew his contract for another year. (AS)
– Leeds United are showing an interest in AZ Alkmaar striker Troy Parrott, 22, who scored a hat trick against Hungary in the 96th minute to take the Republic of Ireland to the World Cup playoff. (TEAMtalk)
– Juventus are monitoring 20-year-old AS Monaco center back Christian Mawissa. (Nicolo Schira)
– Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest have joined Newcastle United in trying to sign midfielder James Garner, whose contract with Everton expires in the summer. (Football Insider)
– Aston Villa are looking at Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford ahead of January and feel that he could replace Emiliano Martinez. (Football Insider)
– Manchester United are working on a potential January move for Tyrell Malacia, who has interest from Saudi Arabia, Spain and Italy. (Rudy Galetti)
– Eintracht Frankfurt have a concrete interest in 18-year-old Werder Bremen center back Karim Coulibaly, who has also been the topic of enquiries from “all major German clubs.” (Florian Plettenberg)
– West Ham United striker Niklas Fullkrug isn’t interested in joining another Premier League club with Fulham having been linked. Wolfsburg and Hamburg are leading options but there is also interest from Italy. (TEAMtalk)
– Brentford have shown an interest in 20-year-old Lecce center back Tiago Gabriel. (Nicolo Schira)
– Manchester City are considering terminating Claudio Echeverri’s loan with Bayer Leverkusen. (Kicker)
– Juventus are considering letting goalkeeper Mattia Perin leave without replacing him, with Genoa thinking about making a move. (Tuttosport)
– Giuliano Simeone is one step away from renewing his Atletico Madrid contract until 2030. (Nicolo Schira)
– Sporting CP want Al Nassr winger Wesley and the Saudi Arabian club are open to a deal worth between €10 million-€15 million. (Ekrem Konur)
Sports
Caps start strong and then hold on tight to dethrone the Kings
Matt Roy scored early, Alex Ovechkin added his 903rd goal, and goalie Charlie Lindgren did the rest as Washington notched a 2-1 win at Capital One Arena.
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Sports
James Franklin is off to Virginia Tech. His $49 million payout shrank before that.
Penn State and Franklin negotiated his payout down to $9 million before he agreed to a deal with the Hokies, who plan to invest more in the football program.
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