The Gophers men’s basketball team jumped to a No. 16 ranking in Monday’s AP Poll. Minnesota (5-0) won the San Juan Shootout championship Sunday in Caguas, Puerto Rico, when it defeated Clemson 75-65.
Minnesota was 24th in last week’s rankings. The Tigers were No. 10, but fell two spots after Sunday’s loss.
The Gophers also earned their first ranking of the season in the USA Today-CNN coaches poll when they entered it at No. 20.
Two Big Ten teams rank higher than Minnesota. Michigan (2-0) is seventh in both the AP and USA Today-CNN polls. Indiana (5-0) ranks eighth in the AP and sixth in the USA Today-CNN.
The Gophers play Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Thursday night.

— Todd Zolecki
Gophers swimming
Both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams appear to be on pace for banner years, as the most recent national rankings attest.
The men’s team moved up three places to eighth in the Speedo America Top 25 college swimming poll, equalling the program’s highest national ranking in it’s 76-year history. During the 1993-94 season, the Gophers also attained a No. 8 national rating.
Minnesota’s women’s squad actually fell one place in the national rankings. Despite winning the Minnesota Invitational a week and a half ago and running their season record to 5-0 on the season, the Gophers fell from 10th to 11th.
“It doesn’t make sense to me,” Coach Jean Freeman said. “I guess our sports info. didn’t send (Minnesota’s most recent meet results) to them. I just thought, `give me a break.’ I think we’re a better team than when we were ranked 10th.”
The men’s and women’s teams compete next at Miami on Dec. 20 as part of a winter break training trip to Florida on Dec. 16-24.

— Ryan Schuster