Hawaii
Men's basketball AP poll: UConn appears to be back after Hawaii skid, Tennessee holds at No. 1
The top of the sport didn’t shift much this past week, but Dan Hurley and UConn look to be back in business entering conference play.
Here’s everything you missed in Week 6 of the college basketball season, and the latest Associated Press men’s basketball poll.
UConn bounces back
UConn completely fell apart in Hawaii last month. The Huskies lost three straight games to unranked opponents at the Maui Invitational over Thanksgiving, which threw head coach Dan Hurley into a bit of a fit. He even threatened to never play in that type of event ever again after their struggles.
Now, that seems like it’s completely behind them.
The Huskies have won four straight, including a huge 77-71 win over Gonzaga at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Freshman Liam McNeeley dropped 26 points and had eight rebounds in that game, which was by far the best of his career.
That came after wins over Baylor and Texas, too, and pushed them back to 8-3 as Big East play starts this week. As a result, UConn — which nearly fell out of the rankings completely after its Hawaii skid — jumped up seven spots to No. 11 in this week’s poll. Gonzaga, now with three losses, dropped to No. 13.
The top of the poll didn’t change much this week. Tennessee held on to the top spot after Jordan Gainey lifted them past Illinois on Saturday with a wild buzzer-beater on the road. That improved the Volunteers to 10-0 for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. Auburn rolled over both Richmond and Ohio State to stay at No. 2, and Iowa State handled Iowa on Thursday before rolling over Omaha on Sunday to get to 9-1 and stay at No. 3.
Duke and Cooper Flagg picked up a pair of double-digit wins last week, but they dropped a spot to No. 5. Kentucky fought through a tough rivalry battle with Louisville to grab its third straight win. The Wildcats swapped with Duke to round out the top five. The first major movement came with Marquette, which fell to unranked Dayton on the road on Saturday. It marked the Golden Eagles’ second loss in three games, and dropped them three spots to No. 9. The Flyers entered the poll this week at No. 22.
The toughest part of Hurley’s schedule is now behind him. The Huskies will begin Big East play on Wednesday when they host Xavier before traveling to Butler this weekend. Though conference play won’t be easy by any means, especially with Creighton and Marquette hanging around, this feels like a chance for the Huskies to settle back in. They won’t see either of those programs for at least a month, too, which should help significantly.
Even though it looked like it could be over, UConn’s quest for a third straight national championship is far from buried.
“Maybe the people with the shovels and the dirt, maybe they were too quick to grab the shovel and throw the dirt on us,” Hurley said after beating Texas, via NJ.com. “Maybe, we’ll see.”
Games to watch this week
*Neutral Site Game
Tuesday, Dec. 17
No. 25 Clemson at South Carolina | 7 p.m. ET | SEC Network
Wednesday, Dec. 18
No. 14 Oklahoma at No. 24 Michigan | 9 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Friday, Dec. 20
rNo. 19 Cincinnati at No. 22 Dayton* | 8:30 p.m. ET | ESPNU
Saturday, Dec. 21
No. 16 Purdue at No. 2 Auburn | 4:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
AP Top 25
The full Associated Press men’s basketball poll from Dec. 16, 2024.
1. Tennessee (10-0)
2. Auburn (8-1)
3. Iowa State (9-1)
4. Kentucky (10-1)
5. Duke (8-2)
6. Alabama (8-2)
7. Florida (10-0)
8. Kansas (8-2)
9. Marquette (9-2)
10. Oregon (10-1)
11. UConn (8-3)
12. Texas A&M (9-2)
13. Gonzaga (7-3)
14. Oklahoma (10-0)
15. Houston (6-3)
16. Purdue (8-3)
17. Ole Miss (9-1)
18. UCLA (9-1)
19. Cincinnati (8-1)
20. Michigan State (8-2)
21. Memphis (8-2)
22. Dayton (9-2)
23. SDSU (7-2)
24. Michigan (8-2)
25. Clemson (9-2)
Others receiving votes: Mississippi State 158, Arkansas 151, Missouri 120, Baylor 115, Illinois 70, Drake 52, St. John’s 50, Utah State 48, Pittsburgh 28, Maryland 24, West Virginia 19, Wisconsin 18, Georgia 18, Oklahoma State 16, Arizona State 14, Creighton 12, North Carolina 9, Penn State 8, Indiana 7, Texas 3, St. Bonaventure 2
Hawaii
Community memorial service for Kazuo Todd today in Hilo – West Hawaii Today
The funeral procession for deceased Fire Chief Kazuo Todd with pass-in-review for Hawaii Fire Department firefighters took place Saturday morning at HFD Administration in the County Building on Aupuni Street in Hilo.
Hawaii
What’s Cooking: Celebrating Lunar New Year with Hawaii Dim Sum & Seafood
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A family-run Chinese restaurant in Honolulu’s Chinatown is gearing up for Lunar New Year festivities.
Hawaii Dim Sum & Seafood Restaurant owner Karen Tam and her son Kirave Liang joined HNN’s Sunrise to showcase their dim sum and Chinese specialties.
Lunar New Year specials include a special jai with 18 vegetarian ingredients and the sweet, sticky, steamed rice cake gau in brown sugar and coconut flavors, which symbolize good fortune and prosperity.
”We eat food with a lucky meaning to start the great year,” Tam said. “We have jin dui (sesame balls) every day.“
Feb. 17 marks the start of the year of the Fire Horse, when families gather to celebrate with big meals and auspicious dishes. Hawaii Dim Sum & Seafood will offer set party menus and special orders for foods not commonly found in Honolulu, such as whole stuffed duck, braised abalone in oyster sauce, and basin meal.
“It’s the biggest fest of the year. We celebrate Chinese New Year by eating with family in a round table,“ Tam said.
Hawaii Dim Sum & Seafood also has private rooms with karaoke systems and a banquet hall to accommodate small family gatherings to large parties.
Hawaii Dim Sum & Seafood is located on 111 N. King St. and is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, There is street parking and paid parking behind the restaurant on Nimitz and Maunakea.
For more information, visit hawaiidimsumseafood.com or follow on Instagram @hawaiidimsumseafood.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
Hawaii
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