houston-usatsi.jpg
USATSI

Houston is back at No. 1 in the latest AP Top 25 poll released on Monday, moving up one spot and supplanting Purdue for the top spot. The Cougars (16-1) ascended to No. 1 at the end of November and held on for just two weeks before a home loss to Alabama dropped it all the way down to No. 5. They moved up to No. 3 for two weeks then to No. 2 last week before rising back to the top on Monday.

Purdue grabbed the No. 1 spot in the Dec. 12 poll the same week Houston lost and the Boilermakers clung to the ranking for four weeks before falling on Monday down to No. 3. The two-spot drop came after they fell at home 65-64 to Rutgers last Monday — despite reeling off bounce-back Big Ten wins over Ohio State and Penn State on Thursday and Sunday. It marked the longest stay at No. 1 in program history.

Three different teams earned first-place votes this week with Houston grabbing 34 of the 60 cast in the poll. Kansas, which moved up one spot to No. 2 this week, earned 22 while Purdue picked up four. It was the first time since Week 5 that UConn did not pick up at least one first-place vote as the Huskies dropped to No. 6 — their lowest since the Nov. 28 poll — following a loss last week on the road to Providence.

AP Top 25

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sunday, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week's ranking:

Rank Team Record Points Prev.
1 Houston (34) 16-1 1,457 2
2 Kansas (22) 14-1 1,440 3
3 Purdue (4) 15-1 1,386 1
4 Alabama 13-2 1,288 7
5 Tennessee 13-2 1,231 8
6 UConn 15-2 1,206 4
7 UCLA 14-2 1,108 10
8 Gonzaga 14-3 1,070 9
9 Arizona 14-2 1,049 5
10 Texas 13-2 940 6
11 Kansas State 14-1 818 NR
12 Xavier 13-3 793 18
13 Virginia 11-3 712 11
14 Iowa State 12-2 697 25
15 Arkansas 12-3 613 13
16 Miami 13-2 604 12
17 TCU 13-2 553 17
18 Wisconsin 11-3 448 14
19 Providence 14-3 358 NR
20 Missouri 13-2 317 20
21 Auburn 12-3 256 22
22 Charleston 16-1 246 23
23 San Diego State 12-3 222 NR
24 Duke 12-4 221 16
25 Marquette 13-4 131 NR

Also receiving votes: Baylor 93, Clemson 43, FAU 33, Indiana 30, Michigan State 24, Saint Mary's 24, Northwestern 21, Rutgers 13, Mississippi State 13, Illinois 13, Ohio State 9, NC State 4, North Carolina 4, Creighton 4, LSU 3, Pittsburgh 2, New Mexico 2, Nevada 1.