Upsets help propel Gonzaga to No. 3 in men’s basketball polls

Gonzaga’s 2-0 week, coupled with upsets in the top five, helped the Zags reach No. 3 in the men’s college basketball polls.

The Zags (16-1, 5-0 WCC), who visit Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount this week, jumped up from No. 6 in the AP rankings and No. 7 in USA Today. They moved past former No. 2 Duke, No. 4 Wisconsin and No. 5 Louisville.

Unbeatens Kentucky and Virginia occupy the top two spots. Gonzaga is 14 points in front of No. 4 Duke in AP and 15 points ahead of the Blue Devils in the coaches poll.

South Carolina is No. 1 in the Associated Press women’s poll for the eighth straight week.

Few, Kent in coaches challenge

GU’s Mark Few and WSU’s Ernie Kent are among 48 NCAA coaches competing in the Infiniti Coaches Charity Challenge.

Few’s designated charity is the Community Cancer Fund, which devotes resources to cancer screening, prevention, treatment and research in the Inland Northwest. Kent is raising money for Team Gleason, a charity started by former Cougars football standout Steve Gleason that helps patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

There are several rounds to the challenge with the first round concluding Jan. 25. The winning coach raises $100,000 for their charity. Votes can be cast daily at www.espn.com/infiniti.