There’s a new No. 1 at the top of the men’s college basketball rankings on Monday as Houston took over the top spot from North Carolina after a major shakeup in the latest poll, marking the first time in 39 years the Cougars are at the top of the AP Top 25.
Houston improved to 6-0 after a 49-44 win over Kent State while last week’s No. 1, No. 3, No. 6 and No. 8-ranked teams all took at least one loss. It earned 45 first-place votes. The last time the Cougars were No. 1 was the final poll of the 1982-83 season before the Cougars lost to NC State in the NCAA Tournament final.
The Tar Heels, who lost to Iowa State and Alabama, fell to No. 18 in this week’s poll.
Chaos in college hoops benefited another team in the great state of Texas beyond Houston as Texas also got a boost in the rankings, moving from No. 4 to No. 2 after a week in which it handled business to improve to 5-0. Its No. 2 ranking is the highest for the program since the 2009 season.
Elsewhere in the poll, Virginia scooted up two spots to No. 3 while both Arizona and Purdue made huge jumps from outside the top 10 to No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. Rounding out the top 10 is Baylor, Creighton, UConn, Kansas and Indian
AP Top 25
1. Houston (45)
2. Texas (8)
3. Virginia (2)
4. Arizona
5, Purdue (8)
6. Baylor
7. Creighton
8. UConn
9. Kansas
10. Indiana
11. Alabama
11. Arkansas
13. Tennessee
14. Gonzaga
15. Auburn
16. Illinois
17. Duke
18. North Carolina
19. Kentucky
20. Michigan State
21. UCLA
22. Maryland
23. Iowa State
24. San Diego State
25. Ohio State
Others receiving votes: TCU 45, Iowa 31, Charleston 20, West Virginia 14, Mississippi State 12, Texas Tech 11, Michigan 8, Wisconsin 6, Arizona State 6, UNLV 6, Miami (FL) 5, Missouri 2, Oklahoma 2, St. John’s 1, Virginia Tech 1, New Mexico 1, Kansas State 1
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