A.M. Briefing / College basketball: Kansas No. 1, Washington No. 14 in AP preseason poll

College basketball

Kansas first, UW 14th in AP preseason poll: For the second time in its storied history, Kansas is No. 1 in The Associated Press' preseason Top 25.

The Jayhawks were a runaway choice Thursday, receiving 55 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel to easily outdistance Michigan State, which was No. 1 on five ballots.

Michigan State, Texas, Kentucky and Villanova rounded out the top five, while North Carolina, a unanimous preseason No. 1 last season, was sixth. Kentucky received three first-place votes, and Texas and North Carolina got one each. Purdue, West Virginia, Duke and Tennessee completed the top 10.

Washington was No. 14 in the poll. The only Pac-10 school ranked higher was California at No. 13.

NCAA approves new recruiting rules: The NCAA approved a new set of recruiting restrictions intended to stop men's coaches from attempting to gain access to prospects for a price.

The reform package is the latest step by the NCAA to keep pace with individuals who look for loopholes in recruiting rules and to address the growing number of ways in which money is funneled to individuals associated with prospects. NCAA officials promise to hold coaches accountable by suspending violators from postseason or even regular-season play.

Golf

First round of Viking Classic postponed by rain: Thursday's first round of the Viking Classic in Madison, Miss., was suspended because of rain at Annandale Golf Club, pushing the tournament into a Monday finish and leaving officials hoping for better weather today.

The Viking Classic is the second-to-last PGA Tour stop this season. The final tournament is scheduled for Nov. 12. With no tournament next week, the tournament could go beyond Monday.

Casey loses twice at World Match Play Championship: Paul Casey lost twice and won't advance in the group stage of the World Match Play Championship in Casares, Spain. Casey, the highest ranked player in the tournament at No. 4, lost by a hole to Scott Strange of Australia and 3 and 2 to American Ryder Cup player Anthony Kim.

Blackmar, Sluman share lead: Phil Blackmar and Jeff Sluman shot 6-under 66s in breezy conditions to share the first-round lead in the Champions Tour's season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Sonoma, Calif.

Eduardo Romero was a stroke back at 67, and John Cook and Brad Bryant opened with 68s.

Poulter takes lead at Singapore Open: Ian Poulter shot a 5-under 66 for a one-shot lead over Ernie Els at the Singapore Open.

Tennis

Serena reaches semifinals: Serena Williams became the first player to clinch a spot in the semifinals of the WTA Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Qatar, defeating Elena Dementieva 6-2, 6-4 for her third straight win in the tournament's round-robin group phase.

Her sister, Venus, the defending champion, stayed alive by beating Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4 for her first win in three matches.

Navratilova reacts to Agassi's drug use: Martina Navratilova compares Andre Agassi to Roger Clemens, saying she's shocked the eight-time Grand Slam champion lied about his drug use. "He's up there with Roger Clemens, as far as I'm concerned," she said.

NHL

Canucks win shootout against Kings: Mikael Samuelsson scored in the first period and again in the third round of the shootout, leading the visiting Vancouver Canucks to a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Andrew Raycroft made 30 saves in his first start of the season for the Canucks, who have won four of five.

Penguins' Malkin sidelined with shoulder injury: NHL scoring champion Evgeni Malkin will be lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins for two to three weeks because of a strained right shoulder.

Blues' Brewer makes surprise return to lineup: St. Louis captain Eric Brewer made a surprise return to the Blues' lineup against the Phoenix Coyotes. The defenseman had not played since Dec. 11 after having back surgery twice.

WNBA

Taurasi pleads guilty to DUI, serves day in jail: Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi pleaded guilty to a drunken-driving charge stemming from her July arrest after a game against the Storm. Taurasi, an All-Star guard on the WNBA champions, spent a day in jail after a judge suspended nine days of her sentence.

Auto racing

Allmendinger placed on probation after DUI arrest: NASCAR placed driver AJ Allmendinger on probation after his arrest early in the morning on a charge of drunken driving.

Allmendinger, who drives the No. 44 for Richard Petty Motorsports, said he had drinks with dinner and made a mistake by driving afterward.

Soccer

DC United president fined for critical comments: D.C. United president Kevin Payne was fined $5,000 by Major League Soccer, then apologized for criticizing the league and three of its teams. Payne was critical of the conservative playing style of Colorado, New England and Real Salt Lake. Payne said the tactics create "a lot of games in our league that I can't watch."

In another matter, D.C. United goalie Josh Wicks is expected to be sidelined for four to six months after having surgery on his left shoulder.

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