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sports Friday 5 January 2024

The AP Top 25 remains a college basketball mainstay after 75

years of evolution

By DAVE SKRETTA command center at his
AP Basketball Writer disposal. "If I'm putting in a
When he first moved from long day in the studio," he
coaching into broadcast- said, "I'll be able to keep
ing in the early 1980s, Dick an eye on probably two
Vitale would keep track dozen games. I have ac-
of what was happening cess to reams of research
across the college basket- material, and very capable
ball landscape by picking researchers who are in my
up the newspaper every ear, passing along stat nug-
morning. gets and important info. I'd
Just about every score actually argue it's more im-
would be listed there. Im- portant to know what hap-
portant games might have pened than watch games,
box scores, giving Vitale a although I try to do both."
little more information. And Voters know that fans are
the biggest games of the watching, too. They hear
day might have full stories, about their ballots on so-
providing a more rounded cial media, or in emails and
picture of what had trans- direct messages. There are
pired. entire websites that are
"People stayed up late to devoted to tracking what
publish that stuff for the teams they are voting for
next morning," Vitale re- each week.
called. That's something else that
These days, just about ev- voters never had to worry
ery Division I men's college UCLA coach John Wooden is flanked by Sidney Wicks, right, and Lew Alcindor, draped with bas- about in the early days of
basketball game is avail- ket ropes, after the UCLA team beat Purdue 92-72 to win the NCAA basketball title for the third the AP Top 25.
able to watch somewhere, consecutive year, in Louisville, Ky., March 24, 1969. Associated Press "I love the way technology
whether broadcast on tele- has progressed," said Vi-
vision or streamed on an at No. 1, but it would not be the nation every Monday. to know people and other tale, a longtime ESPN color
app. Highlights rip across long before Kentucky took But the biggest evolution writers covering teams, analyst who remains one
social media the minute over the top spot, the first might be in the way those and there was conversa- of the 63 media members
they happen, and forums of 125 weeks it has spent voters formulate their opin- tion on who was good and that submit ballots each
provide fans a chance to there over the years. ions. that sort of things. And now week. "It's great for the
not only rehash what hap- And much like the way "In the early years, the eye we see many more games. sport to see all the games
pened but discuss the fin- college basketball has test was more of a factor," "It's amazing to me," added on TV, from small mid-ma-
er points of their favorite evolved, so has the poll. said Jerry Tipton, who spent Tipton, who retired as a full- jors to the classic top-10
teams. What began with 20 teams more than four decades time beat writer in 2022, "to matchups. I like being able
All of which makes voting and contracted to 10 in covering the Wildcats see how many games are to watch as many games
for the AP men's college the 1960s expanded to its for the Lexington Herald- on TV, and I tried to watch as I can. It makes me a bet-
basketball poll easier. And now-familiar Top 25 for the Leader, and who was a as many as I could, just to ter analyst.
at times harder. 1989-90 season. The panel regular AP voter. "I hate to have a sense of what was "The AP voters take it se-
The Top 25 is celebrating its of voters has become more say that because there's going on." riously," he added, "and
75th anniversary this year. inclusive, adding more many more games now. That's fairly easy for AP vot- they try to make sure the
The initial poll sent in Janu- women and minorities to But as time went on, it was ers such as Seth Davis of most deserving teams are
ary 1939 installed Saint Louis help rank the best teams in more word-of-mouth. I got CBS, who has an entire ranked."q

The U.S. Tennis Association is reviewing its

safeguarding policies and procedures

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. staff and volunteers and The subject line of the email
Tennis Association has enlist- obtained by The Associated is "Reviewing Policies to En-
ed two lawyers at a Wash- Press. sure Safety."
ington-based firm to look As part of efforts "to pre- The announcement of the
into its safeguarding policies vent harm to athletes and review comes nearly two
and procedures to protect respond to reports of inap- years after a tennis player
players from sexual miscon- propriate conduct ... the sued the USTA in federal
duct and other abuse. USTA has retained David court in Florida alleging
Lew Sherr, the CEO and ex- O'Neil and Mary Beth Hogan that the governing body The U.S. Open logo is shown on the Arthur Ashe Stadium at the
ecutive director of the or- of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP failed to protect her from a USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center during the Western &
ganization that runs the U.S. to review our policies and coach who she says sexually Southern Open tennis tournament at the Billie Jean King National
Open and oversees the sport procedures for preventing, abused her at one of its train- Tennis Center, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, in New York
in the United States, wrote reporting, and responding ing centers when she was 19. Associated Press
about the review in an email to reports of abuse, includ- Kylie McKenzie accused ly. The AP generally doesn't agreed to let her identity be
sent Thursday to the USTA ing sexual misconduct," Sherr coach Anibal Aranda of name alleged sexual as- known in news coverage
Board of Directors, various wrote. touching her inappropriate- sault victims, but McKenzie about her lawsuit.q