Basketball roundup: Roberts pushes Dayton back into Top 25

1/1/2008
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dayton's 25-point rout of previously unbeaten Pittsburgh over the weekend moved the Flyers into the Associated Press' Top 25 for the first time in four years.

The 80-55 win over then-No. 6 Pittsburgh on Saturday was the 10th straight for the Flyers (11-1) since a 67-56 loss at George Mason. They joined the poll at No. 20, their first ranking since a three-week run in December, 2003.

North Carolina remained No. 1, the spot it has held since the preseason poll. Memphis and Kansas stayed second and third for the fifth straight week.

Stanford and Wisconsin joined Dayton as newcomers this week, replacing Miami, BYU and West Virginia.

Brian Roberts (St. John's Jesuit graduate) had 31 points for Dayton in the win over Pittsburgh. The senior guard is in the top five in seven statistical categories in the Atlantic 10.

"I've been saying all along that he is one of the most efficient guards in the country, averaging 19 points on just 11 shots a game while having a great assist-to-turnover ratio," Dayton coach Brian Gregory said. "But with what he's done this year that's not good enough. He is one of the best all-around guards in the country. He has run our offense but knows when he has to take over and he has carried us in stretches."

The Tar Heels (13-0), who beat Nevada and Valparaiso this week, received 45 first-place votes and 1,772 points from the 72-member national media panel.

Memphis (11-0), which beat Arizona 76-63 on Saturday, was No. 1 on 26 ballots and had 1,744 points, Kansas (13-0), which beat Yale in its only game last week, received the only other first-place vote.

Washington State and UCLA held fourth and fifth. Michigan State and Georgetown both moved up one place from last week to sixth and seventh, while Tennessee, Duke and Marquette rounded out the top 10.

WOMEN'S POLL: Connecticut held the top spot for the second straight week. The Huskies received 49 of the 50 first-place votes. Stanford, which received the other first-place vote, held the No. 2 position. Ohio State fell four spots to No. 21 after losing to Michigan State.

No. 8 Georgetown 82,

Fordham 55

WASHINGTON - Jonathan Wallace scored 19 points and DaJuan Summers had 15 points and nine rebounds as Georgetown closed out its nonconference schedule.

Austin Freeman had 12 points and Jessie Sapp and Roy Hibbert added 11 each for the Hoyas (10-1). Georgetown limited Fordham to 27 percent shooting (18-for-66).

Marcus Stout led Fordham (6-6) with 27 points while Bryant Dunston added 20 points and 16 rebounds.

No. 12 Texas A&M 68, Rice 41

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Josh Carter and DeAndre Jordan scored 16 points apiece, and Texas A&M beat Rice for its sixth straight win. Jordan, a 7-foot freshman, also had 12 rebounds and four blocks.

Lawrence Ghoram had 16 points and six rebounds for Rice (3-8).

No. 15 Vanderbilt 97, Iona 73

NASHVILLE - Vanderbilt got out to the best start in school history, beating Iona behind A.J. Ogilvy's 20 points and nine rebounds.

Shan Foster added 20 points, and Alan Metcalfe scored 14 for Vanderbilt (13-0).