Date: 01/20/2015 05:00 AM
AP-NW–1st SportsMinute/269
Here is the latest Washington, Oregon and Alaska sports news from The Associated Press
SEATTLE (AP) – The 12th man flag that flew on top of the Seattle Space Needle for the Seahawks NFC championship game was battered by high winds over the weekend. The edges are visibly tattered Monday. A spokesman for the Space Needle says the flag that was raised by Walter Jones on Friday was to be taken down Monday evening and held in a place of honor, yet to be determined. A new 12th man flag will be raised for the Super Bowl.
NEW YORK (AP) – The number of college players granted special eligibility for the NFL draft has dropped from a record 98 last season to 74 this year. An additional 10 players, including Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota of Oregon, became eligible for the draft after notifying the league that they have graduated.
The nation’s two unbeatens retain their spots atop the AP Top 25. For the second straight week, Kentucky was No. 1 in 63 of 65 votes cast Monday, while Virginia stayed at No. 2. The Wildcats (17-0) have been No. 1 in every poll and were the unanimous choice for five straight weeks before two voters switched to the Cavaliers (17-0) last week. Gonzaga remained in third.
South Carolina remains the top team in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll. The Gamecocks garnered 27 first-place votes and have been the nation’s No. 1 squad for the past nine weeks. They visit Florida on Monday night. UConn, Baylor, Louisville and Tennessee round out the first five. The Irish are followed by Maryland, Texas, Oregon State and Texas A&M.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.
