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UCLA up to fifth in rankings

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From Times Staff and Wire Reports

A road sweep of the fading Oregon schools helped boost UCLA to fifth Monday in the Associated Press media and USA Today/ESPN coaches’ polls.

The Bruins, 18-2 overall and 6-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference, were ranked eighth in the media poll and seventh in the coaches’ poll before defeating Oregon, 80-75, and Oregon State, 85-62.

Memphis, Kansas and Duke retained the top three spots in the coaches’ poll, with the Blue Devils also moving up to No. 3 in the media poll after previously third-ranked Tennessee lost to unranked Kentucky, 72-66, on Jan. 22. The Volunteers dropped to No. 7 in the media poll and No. 8 in the coaches’ poll.

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Washington State (17-2, 5-2) fell three spots in both polls, to No. 9, after losing to Arizona and then defeating Arizona State on the road. Stanford (16-3, 5-2) rose six spots to No. 14 in the AP poll and seven spots to No. 14 in the coaches’ poll following its victory at California.

Arizona State (14-5, 4-3) dropped out of the media poll and remained unranked in the coaches’ poll after being swept at home by the Washington schools.

The Sun Devils, losers of three consecutive games, play UCLA on Thursday at Pauley Pavilion.

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Arizona and USC, which might be the two hottest teams in the Pac-10, remained unranked but received votes in both polls. The Wildcats (14-6, 4-3), winners of three consecutive games, play USC (13-6, 4-3) on Thursday at the Galen Center.

The Trojans have won four consecutive games and have a three-game winning streak in their series with Arizona.

-- Ben Bolch

Connecticut guards Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins were ticketed by campus police last week for having alcohol, a day before their suspension from the basketball team.

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The 20-year-old sophomores were discovered Thursday night by police in a car in a campus parking lot with a bottle of vodka and a bottle of cognac, police said in a statement.

Both were cited for possession of alcohol by a minor. Wiggins also was charged with operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license. He is due in court on Monday to face that charge.

Coach Jim Calhoun suspended both players indefinitely Friday. They missed Saturday’s 68-63 upset win at then-No. 7 Indiana and remained suspended for Monday’s home game against Louisville.

Dyson is the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging 14.3 points. Wiggins has come off the bench in 18 games, averaging 6.6 points.

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Missouri senior guard Stefhon Hannah was released from the hospital, a day after his jaw was broken in a brawl outside a Columbia nightclub.

The Tigers’ leading scorer is expected to sit out at least four weeks and could be out for the rest of the season.

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Hannah was injured outside the Athena nightclub early Sunday, hours after the Tigers returned from a 66-62 victory at Colorado.

Hannah told police that he was struck on the head by an unknown object by at least one person whom he could not identify, according to a preliminary police report obtained by the Associated Press.

Hannah leads the Tigers (12-8, 2-3) in scoring (14.7 points) and assists (5.1). A junior college transfer, he also led Missouri in scoring and assists last season.

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