College Basketball

Clemson men’s basketball dropped five spots in the latest Associated Press top 25.  The Tigers (16-4, 8-1) fell to No. 24 after they split their first games as a ranked team last week, falling for the first time this season in ACC action at Wake Forest (87-77) and taking a late lead for the win over Virginia Tech (51-50). No. 1 South Carolina (20-0), which has 26 consecutive victories dating to its run to the NCAA championship last season. The Gamecocks, who were again a unanimous choice from the 28-member national media panel, have been ranked atop the poll for 31 consecutive weeks — the fourth-longest streak ever. Only UConn (51 and 34 weeks) and Louisiana Tech (36) have had longer runs at No. 1.