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New York, NY (SportsNetwork. Pat McAfee Colts Jersey .com) - Florida has ascended to the top spot in the mens college basketball rankings, ending Syracuses three-week reign at the top of the Associated Press poll. The Orange lost twice last week after starting the season 25-0, falling at home in overtime against a weak Boston College team before a controversial finish at Duke on Saturday. Florida, riding a 19-game winning streak, received 47 first-place votes and a total of 1,606 points from a nationwide media panel to move up from second, earning the No. 1 ranking for the first time since repeating as national champions in 2007. Wichita State, the only unbeaten team in Division I mens basketball, earned 14 first-place votes to move up to second, while Arizona picked up four top tallies and rose one place to third. Syracuse, the first No. 1 team to lose twice in the same week since Texas in 2010, dropped to fourth and is followed by Kansas, Duke, Louisville, Villanova, Creighton and Saint Louis. The second 10 consists of Cincinnati, Virginia, San Diego State, Wisconsin, Iowa State, Michigan, Kentucky, Michigan State, North Carolina and Iowa. San Diego State had the biggest fall this week, dropping seven spots from sixth after a loss to New Mexico on Saturday. Memphis, Ohio State, SMU, Texas and New Mexico are the last five teams ranked this week. North Carolina, SMU and New Mexico are the newcomers, although each had been ranked earlier this season The Tar Heels began the season ranked 12th and had been unranked since early January, but have won nine straight to vault back into the poll. SMU was ranked two weeks ago, earning a spot in the poll for the first time since the 1984-85 season, but fell out last week after a loss to Temple. New Mexico, tied for first in the Mountain West Conference with San Diego State, began the season ranked 23rd and reached 19th before falling out of the rankings in late November. Connecticut, UCLA and Gonzaga dropped out. Gonzaga was 25th and lost twice last week. This weeks two ranked matchups wont take place until Saturday as Louisville visits Memphis and Virginia hosts Syracuse.Coby Fleener Womens Jersey . </br></br> Apparently this took place at a soccer stadium for a club match in Brazil. Ricky Jean-Francois Colts Jersey.J. -- The New York Giants are not only back in the playoff hunt with a four-game winning streak, theyre calling the plays that get them those wins.ZURICH, Switzerland -- It will be Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Zlatan Ibrahimovic for a place at the World Cup. Portugal and Sweden were the first two teams drawn by FIFA on Monday for the European playoffs, though the pairing was talked about as a clash of superstar forwards in a two-leg series scheduled for Nov. 15 and 19. "World-class players like Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic, they do something extra to change the game," Sweden coach Erik Hamren said. "I am pleased we have one, too. But we need our team to be really good." Also, France will play Ukraine, with the return game in Paris; Greece was paired with Romania; and Iceland, the lowest ranked of the eight teams at No. 46 in the world, will host the first leg against Croatia, which fired its coach last week. The four winners will complete Europes 13 entries in the 32-team World Cup draw on Dec. 6 in Salvador, Brazil. Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic were consigned to the playoffs after their teams finished second in their qualifying groups behind Russia and Germany, respectively. "They will be evenly balanced and very competitive games," Portugal coach Paulo Bento said. "Ibrahimovic is an imposing figure, but the Swedes are more than that, they are good collectively." Portugal also had to advance to the 2010 World Cup through a playoff, after twice drawing 0-0 with Sweden in the group. France, the 2006 World Cup runner-up, also makes its second straight trip to the playoffs after defending champion Spain won its group. Four years ago, a notorious handball by Thierry Henry helped France beat Ireland in extra time. "(Ukraine) dont concede many goals and it will be a long away trip for us," France coach Didiier Deschamps said. Vontae Davis Womens Jersey. "But to have the return leg at home is a good thing." France and Ukraine last met in a 2012 European Championship match which was delayed several minutes after kick off by a torrential rain storm in Donetsk. France eventually won 2-0. Iceland, which has a population of about 315,000, is looking to become the smallest country ever to play at the World Cup. That record is held by 2006 qualifier Trinidad and Tobago, which had about 1.2 million. Though Iceland lacks the recent pedigree of Croatia, the 1998 semifinalist, the pairing pits a veteran coach against a novice. Iceland coach Lars Lagerback will be trying to reach his fourth straight World Cup with a third different team. He coached his native Sweden at the 2002 and 2006 tournaments, and Nigeria in 2010. Croatias playoff matches mark the coaching debut of 42-year-old Niko Kovac, who stepped up from the under-21 team to replace Igor Stimac, who was fired after poor results. "I met Niko a little when he took his (coaching) license," Lagerback said. "He looks like a clever guy." Kovac said he "did not expect this situation" and will work alongside his brother, Robert, another former World Cup stalwart for Croatia. "With him I am never afraid," said Kovac, who will be focusing on teamwork. "There was no team on the pitch. We have some good players but everyone working for himself." Greece coach Fernando Santos said he would have preferred to play the first match in Romania. "My message to the fans is that they should believe in the national team, go to the stadium, fill it, and put pressure on our opponents," Santos said. cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
