Three high-profile losses help shake up hoops poll

Last week's three big-time matchups caused plenty of movement in the

Associated Press'

college basketball poll, except at the top.

For the fourth straight week, North Carolina, Memphis and Kansas were the top three teams. Then came the changes, courtesy of the high-profile games that handed three teams their first loss of the season.

Pittsburgh's 65-64 victory over Duke in overtime last Thursday was the first of the marquee matchups with Memphis' 85-71 win over Georgetown and Michigan State's 78-72 victory over Texas, both on Saturday, capping the early-season treats in a month usually reserved for mismatches.

Washington State moved up three spots to No. 4, the highest ranking in school history, while Mississippi and Rhode Island both cracked the Top 25 for the first time this season.

Washington State (11-0) was fourth followed by UCLA, Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Georgetown, Texas and Duke. Washington State's previous highest ranking was sixth, earlier this season.

Tennessee was 11th followed by Marquette, Indiana, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Butler, Arizona, Villanova, Miami and BYU.

The last five ranked teams were Clemson, Mississippi, West Virginia, Southern California and Rhode Island.

In the women's poll, Connecticut is back at No. 1 after nearly a 4-year absence. Tennessee fell to No. 3 after losing to Stanford, which moved up to No. 2. North Carolina was fourth, followed by Maryland, Rutgers, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma and Baylor.

In other college basketball news:

* Injured Louisville center David Padgett (fractured knee) has been cleared to work out and could be back when the Cardinals face West Virginia next month.

* Dale Baird, the winningest thoroughbred trainer, with more than 9,400 victories, died Sunday in a crash along an icy highway in Indiana when he lost control of his pickup truck while hauling a livestock trailer. He was 72.

* Former Yugoslavia defender Miroslav Djukic was hired as coach of Serbia's national soccer team. *