Hamilton Leads Connecticut

For Richard Hamilton, playing in a physical basketball game couldn’t have come soon enough.

“It felt good going to the basket again and that was the most physical game I’ve been in in a while,” Hamilton said after scoring 25 points in No. 4-ranked Connecticut’s 72-65 victory at Providence (15-12, 8-9 in the Big East) on Monday night.

The Huskies (24-2, 15-2), who lost to Miami on Saturday, can win the Big East outright for the fifth time in six seasons by winning at Syracuse on Sunday.

Kansas 67, Oklahoma State 66--Ryan Robertson made a free throw with no time left in overtime, lifting the Jayhawks (19-8, 11-4 in the Big 12) to victory over the Cowboys (18-9, 9-6) at Lawrence, Kan.

*

Purdue replaced Tennessee as the No. 1 team in the Associated Press women’s basketball poll for the second time after the Lady Volunteers lost at LSU last week. Purdue received 38 of 41 first-place votes and 1,021 points. Tennessee is second with 973 points.

In the men’s poll, Duke remained at No. 1, and Auburn and Michigan State moved up one place to second and third, respectively. Connecticut dropped from second to fourth, its lowest ranking this season.