Northern Iowa makes first appearance in poll

Northern Iowa is ranked in the Associated Press men’s Top 25 poll for the first time. Michigan is back in for the first time in almost a decade.

The Panthers and Wolverines were among four teams new to the poll Monday, but their waits were a lot longer than Iowa and LSU, which were both ranked earlier this season.

The top of the poll stayed the same with Connecticut, Duke and Memphis in the first three spots, but then came a number of changes after a week that saw 12 ranked teams lose at least once. “I’m excited for our players. This is the first time our school has ever been ranked and for this particular group to be one that cracks the Top 25 is very special,” Northern Iowa coach Greg McDermott said. “I’m sure in a lot of our fans’ minds they think something like this has never been possible. I want them to enjoy it while it lasts and we’ll do what we can to stay there, but we’re in a very tough league.”

Northern Iowa, ranked 25th this week, has been in the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons. Last year the Panthers were one of three teams from the Missouri Valley Conference to make it, along with Creighton and Southern Illinois. The MVC is the sixth-ranked conference in the most recent public RPIs.

Michigan moved in at No. 21, the Wolverines’ first appearance in the Top 25 since the final poll of the 1997-98 season, also the last time they were in the NCAA Tournament.

Villanova, Gonzaga and Illinois each jumped two spots to fourth through sixth, respectively, followed by Texas, Florida, Pittsburgh and George Washington.

On a day the Kentucky men’s basketball team squeaked out a victory over Arkansas, the loudest roars at Rupp Arena came when the women’s team was paraded onto the court during a timeout.

Those Wildcats, who cracked the Top 25 for the first time since 1993, have been the talk of the town since their stunning victory Thursday over then-No. 1 Tennessee.

At a university accustomed to checking the polls every Monday, this is the first time since January 1990 the women, now No. 21, are ranked and the men are not.

Florida guard Lee Humphrey could miss the next three weeks after separating his left shoulder in a bicycle accident Sunday.

Olympics

Security tightened

Italian police tightened security at Turin’s Olympic venues and said preparations were going smoothly, though some residents complained they were not receiving the same protection given the Games.

With the opening ceremony set for Feb. 10, hundreds of police, paramilitary Carabinieri, soldiers and volunteers already were guarding entrances to the Olympic village, the Oval speedskating venue, the main media center and the nearby Lingotto complex, a former factory of automaker Fiat turned into a cultural and commercial hub.

London 2012 officials have made changes to the Olympic Park, making the site more secure and preventing the removal of 95 businesses.

The International Olympic Committee will conduct doping tests at the Turin Olympics after the Italian government decided not to press its demand to carry them out.

Miscellany

NATO to patrol skies

NATO will have AWACS surveillance planes patrolling the sky over Germany during the World Cup, German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung said. The planes primarily are used to detect suspicious aircraft and can spot low-flying planes at a range of more than 250 miles.

Bobcats linebacker coach Rob Christoff has been selected to replaced Pete Kwiatkowski as Montana State’s defensive coordinator.

Czech forward Jan Koller, whose nine goals were second in European World Cup qualifying, hopes to recover from knee surgery in time to play in the Czech’s World Cup opener against the United States on June 12.

Los Angeles’ Chivas USA acquired forward Ante Razov, the fourth-leading goal scorer in MLS history, from the MetroStars for forward Thiago Martin.