spot to second with 21 No. 1 votes following a four-win week th

As the Australian Boomers step into the international departure terminal on Wednesday ahead of the long trip to Brazil, the coach of the American Pac-12 All Stars has poured cold water on their dream of a groundbreaking gold medal at Rio.Since converging in Australia for a pre-Olympics training camp and then two matches against the All-Stars, the Boomers have been united in their belief they can claim a podium finish and even perhaps shock the world by winning gold.The Aussies have never won a medal at the Olympics, their best results fourth-placed finishes in 1988, 1996 and 2000.Speaking in Melbourne ahead of the two exhibition matches, star point guard Patty Mills said the entire squad believed a gold medal was within reach.Our goal is gold - weve dreamt about it from when we were little kids, laying in bed dreaming about it, getting that gold medal put around our necks on the podium. To put that into reality [would be amazing], he said. Were going to the Olympics not to just participate, but to try to win a gold medal. We all believe in it.It was a view shared by fellow NBA star Matthew Dellavedova, and Australian coach Andrej Lemanis, who said: Its something weve spoken about as a team and we believe we have enough talent and enough chemistry to go to Rio and be successful. I dont think its any secret that as a team weve set our sights on the gold medal.However, Pac-12 coach Mike Montgomery said while he respected a lot about the Boomers, he didnt see them taking home the ultimate prize at Rio.Its going to be difficult for them, realistically, he said. I dont know whos playing for all the various countries ... but its going to be difficult.They [the Boomers] do play very well together, they understand their strengths and weaknesses. If they continue to move the ball well, and be physical, theyll have a chance. But the U.S team is awfully strong; theyre a little bit weakened after some guys elected not to play but theyre still awfully good.[But], why would you go into any tournament not thinking youre going to win it? That certainly has to be your goal. Itll be fun to watch them.Montgomerys squad, made up of some of the best college talent in the U.S, pushed the Boomers hard in their first clash before the Boomers lifted several gears to secure a dominant 30-point win in the second game.Montgomery said Australias physicality, team spirit and high-pressure defence would give them the best chances against the premier teams in the world, adding the availability of hobbled big man Andrew Bogut could prove crucial.Theyre not as athletic as they need to be, I think they know that. We were able to create some opportunities with our kids and our quickness and they have to work so hard in team defence to disrupt things, the former NBA and Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame coach said.[But] theyre strong, theyre physical. The thing about the Australians that I really like is they are very, very proud to represent their country. Its a very close-knit group; they love being from here, theyre very proud to be Australian and have done well as a result of that.I doubt Bogut will play, maybe he will, and he gives them such great inside presence, and they shoot the ball well and execute well. Theyre going to have to play very very hard to have a chance with the level of competition at the Olympics but I think they will do that. Ondrej Kase Jersey . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. Giovanni Fiore Jersey . Their experience showed Tuesday as the No. 10 Badgers blunted a Saint Louis surge to win 63-57 and advance to face West Virginia in Wednesdays finals of the Cancun Challenge. http://www.authenticduckspro.com/Korbinian-holzer-ducks-jersey/ . 8 Iowa State on Saturday, sending the Cyclones to their third consecutive loss. The Longhorns (14-4, 3-2) got their biggest win of the season with their third in the row in the Big 12. Hampus Lindholm Jersey .S. Open champion Justin Rose birdied the first hole with a blind shot he hit to a foot of the pin, and he stayed in front Tuesday until he completed a 4-under 67 for a two-shot lead over Jason Dufner in PGA Grand Slam of Golf. Teemu Selanne Jersey . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. Kentucky moves into the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press college basketball poll, replacing Duke, which dropped to sixth following its final-seconds loss to Kansas in the Champions Classic.The Wildcats (4-0), who also beat then-No. 13 Michigan State in the Champions Classic, received 42 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel in the poll released Monday . Kentucky was ranked No. 1 for two weeks last season.Defending national champion Villanova (5-0) moved up one spot to second with 21 No. 1 votes following a four-win week that included one at then-No. 15 Purdue.Indiana (3-0), which moved up three places to third, received the other two first-place votes. This is the Hoosiers highest ranking since they were third in the next-to-last poll of 2012-13.North Carolina moved up one place to fourth and was followed by Kansas, Duke, Virginia, Arizona, Xavier and Louiisville.ddddddddddddGonzaga jumped three spots to 11th and was followed by Creighton and Oregon, which fell from No. 4 to 13th after losing to Baylor.UCLA was No. 14 followed by Saint Marys, Wisconsin, Purdue, Syracuse, West Virginia and newcomer Baylor.The last six are Iowa State, Texas, Rhode Island, Michigan State, Michigan and Florida State. Michigan and Florida State, the weeks other newcomers, tied for 25th.Baylor (3-0), Michigan (4-0) and Florida State (4-0) replace Cincinnati and California, which were 24th and 25th last week. Cincinnati and California were both ranked for one week.The Atlantic Coast Conference leads with six ranked teams while the Big Ten and Big 12 have five each.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org ' ' '