Having a couple of freshmen on the Associated Press’ All-America team is nothing new. This year, however, they are from the same school.

Kentucky’s John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins were on the All-America team announced Monday. Joining them were Ohio State junior Evan Turner, who received all but one first-team vote, Syracuse junior Wes Johnson and Villanova senior Scottie Reynolds.

In the age of one-and-done players, the All-America team has become a home for freshmen.

Kevin Durant of Texas and Greg Oden of Ohio State were on the 2007 team, while Michael Beasley of Kansas State and Kevin Love of UCLA were on it the next year.

After a year without any freshmen being honored, Wall and Cousins moved in as the ninth set of teammates to be selected and the first since Duke’s J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams in 2006.

“This means a lot to both of us. I’m surprised and glad we both made it,” said the 6-foot-4 Wall, who averaged 16.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists after arriving as one of the most highly touted high school recruits. “We had to learn a lot as freshmen and we were able to help our teammates along the way. This means a lot to both of us.”

The 6-11 Cousins became one of the country’s top big men and was the only player selected to the team who averaged a double-double with 15.3 points and 10.1 rebounds.

Turner, the 6-7 point guard considered one of the best all-around players in recent years, received all but one first-team vote from the 65-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25.

Wall received 62 votes, while Johnson had 45, Reynolds 32 and Cousins 26 in voting conducted before the NCAA tournament.

Johnson burst onto the national scene in his first season with the Orange after transferring from Iowa State. The 6-7 forward averaged 16.0 points and 8.4 rebounds in leading Syracuse to its first No. 1 ranking since 1990.

The 6-2 Reynolds averaged 18.5 points and shot 40 percent from three-point range in becoming the Wildcats’ go-to player with several spectacular second-half efforts.

James Anderson of Oklahoma State was sixth in the balloting with 27 votes and was joined on the second team by Sherron Collins of Kansas, Greivis Vasquez of Maryland, Jon Scheyer of Duke and Da’Sean Butler of West Virginia.

The third team was Greg Monroe of Georgetown, Cole Aldrich of Kansas, Damion James of Texas, Luke Harangody of Notre Dame and Darington Hobson of New Mexico.

College Basketball

Duke favorite in Vegas

Las Vegas — Duke is the favorite among the Final Four to win the NCAA title, while Michigan State is a longshot despite its trip to the finals last year, oddsmakers in Las Vegas said Monday.

Las Vegas Sports Consultants made Duke a 7-5 favorite to win the title and a 2.5-point favorite to beat West Virginia in the semifinals on Saturday night, oddsmaker Kenny White said.

Izzo happy at MSU

East Lansing, Mich. — Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said Monday he is happy with his current job, responding to a report that Oregon wants to make him the richest coach in the nation.

KEZI-TV in Eugene, Ore., citing anonymous sources, reported the school plans to offer Izzo college basketball’s largest contract with help from Nike Inc. co-founder Phil Knight.

“I have not been contacted,” Izzo told the Associated Press on Monday. “I’m happy here and I’m focused on trying to win another national championship.”

Kentucky gave John Calipari a $31.65 million, eight-year contract last year, the largest known deal for a college basketball coach. Private schools, such as Duke, aren’t required by law to reveal what it pays coaches.

Iowa introduces McCaffery

Iowa City, Iowa — As the coach who helped lift three basketball programs from obscurity to the national spotlight, Fran McCaffery has earned a reputation for fixing troubled teams.

McCaffery may have just landed his toughest task yet.

Iowa introduced the 50-year-old McCaffery as its new coach Monday, ending a 13-day search to replace the fired Todd Lickliter after one of the most disastrous seasons in the history of the once-proud program.

Seton Hall taps Willard

South Orange, N.J. — In becoming the basketball coach at Seton Hall, Kevin Willard has taken on two jobs.

The first is to guide the Pirates to the next level in the Big East and land an NCAA Tournament berth.

The second might be even more important: Willard must restore peace to the program after a number of controversies led to the firing of Bobby Gonzalez.

The 34-year-old Willard was officially announced as Seton Hall’s new basketball coach Monday, a little less than two weeks after Gonzalez was dismissed.

The university also confirmed on Monday that Anne Donovan would be leaving the New York Liberty of the WNBA after this season to take over the Pirates’ women’s basketball program. She will replace Phyllis Mangina, who resigned after 25 years.

Women’s basketball

CU fires McConnell-Miller

Boulder, Colo. — The University of Colorado has fired women’s basketball coach Kathy McConnell-Miller.

Athletic director Mike Bohn announced the decision Monday and said the university would start looking for a replacement immediately. The CU women’s basketball team was 65-88 during five seasons under McConnell-Miller, whose current contract ran through 2012-13. She was earning about $360,000 a year.

Auto racing

Hamlin wins at Martinsville

Martinsville, Va. — Denny Hamlin surged to the front after a blunder and won the rain-delayed NASCAR race at Martinsville Speedway in a wild finish.

The victory was Hamlin’s second straight here on the shortest, oldest track in the Sprint Cup Series.

Hamlin gave up the lead with less than 10 laps left Monday when he headed to pit road for tires. He then rallied from ninth place to the lead in a span of just four laps.

He plowed his way into fourth place before teammate Kyle Busch spun out, bringing out a caution.

The finish was an overtime two-lap sprint on which Hamlin started fourth, pushed Ryan Newman out of the way, then slipped inside Matt Kenseth and leader Jeff Gordon for the victory.

Power 2-for-2 in IRL

St. Petersburg, Fla. — Barely seven months after breaking his back in a scary crash, Will Power continued crafting a stirring comeback tale on Monday by winning the rain-delayed Honda Grand Prix for his second victory in two IndyCar events this year.

Golf

Els hangs on to win Bay Hill

Orlando, Fla. — Ernie Els made two clutch par putts, escaped trouble from a buried lie in the bunker and wound up wearing a blue blazer Monday for winning the rain-delayed Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Suddenly, it’s easy to picture him in a different color jacket two weeks from now.

Els overcame a few nervous moments with four solid pars to wrap up a 1-under 71 and win by two shots at Bay Hill, giving him back-to-back victories for the first time in seven years and setting himself up as a favorite at Augusta National.

“I’d like to put this jacket in some dye,” Els said at the trophy presentation. “Some green dye.”