College basketball rankings: Houston shows no sign of slowing down, has right stuff to win NCAA Tournament
CBS Sports' Gary Parrish is picking the 17-1 Cougars to cut down the nets in Indianapolis
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
Houston improved to 17-1 on Sunday with a 103-73 win over Arizona State that extended the Cougars' winning streak to 11 games and allowed them to remain No. 9 in Monday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. But it should be noted that since Dec. 1 Kelvin Sampson's program is 10-0 and rating as the best team in the country, according to BartTorvik.com. That suggests Houston is trending in the right direction, per usual.
"We're just doing what we do every year," said Houston coach Kelvin Sampson. "We just get better."
Which is scary for the rest of the Big 12.
College basketball's three undefeated teams win Saturday, but we predict two more fall before January ends
Kyle Boone
Yes, Arizona is No. 1 in the Top 25 And 1 for the ninth consecutive day -- but, as I said on Inside College Basketball earlier this month, if I had to pick a national champion right now, I'd go with Houston. The Cougars have an all-time great coach still operating at an elite level at the age of 70 years old, roster-continuity from year-to-year and multiple five-star freshmen who double as projected top-20 picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. In other words, Houston has good roster-balance and everything else a team typically needs to march through that 68-team bracket.
Last season, they won five games in it. This season, my prediction is that they'll ultimately win six games in it, cut nets and solidify Sampson's place in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Jaden Bradley finished with 23 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 84-77 win at UCF. The Wildcats' next game is Wednesday against Cincinnati. | -- | 23-1 |
| 2 |  | Pryce Sandfort finished with 22 points and two rebounds in Saturday's 77-58 win at Northwestern. The Cornhuskers' next game is Wednesday against Washington. | -- | 21-3 |
| 3 |  | Tarris Reed Jr. finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 64-62 win at Georgetown. The Huskies' next game is Saturday against Villanova. | -- | 22-2 |
| 4 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 30 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday's 80-50 win at Stanford. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Wake Forest. | -- | 22-2 |
| 5 |  | Braden Smith finished with 22 points and five assists in Saturday's 69-64 win at USC. The Boilermakers' next game is Tuesday at UCLA. | -- | 20-4 |
| 6 |  | Elliot Cadeau finished with 17 points and five assists in Saturday's 81-71 win at Oregon. The Wolverines' next game is Tuesday against Indiana. | -- | 22-1 |
| 7 |  | Mario Saint-Supery finished with 20 points and four assists in Saturday's 71-50 win at Seattle. The Zags' next game is Wednesday against Pepperdine. | -- | 24-2 |
| 8 |  | Jeremy Fears finished with 19 points and five assists in Saturday's 80-63 win at Washington. The Spartans' next game is Tuesday at Oregon. | -- | 20-4 |
| 9 |  | Kingston Flemings finished with 20 points and eight assists in Sunday's 103-73 win over Arizona State. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Texas Tech. | -- | 22-2 |
| 10 |  | Richie Saunders missed eight of the 15 shots he attempted in Saturday's 84-71 loss at Texas Tech. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Utah. | -- | 18-6 |
| 11 |  | Joshua Jefferson missed eight of the 12 shots he attempted in Saturday's 79-70 loss at Cincinnati. The Cyclones' next game is Tuesday against UCF. | -- | 21-3 |
| 12 |  | Zvonimir Ivisic finished with 18 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 77-67 win over Minnesota. The Illini's next game is Wednesday against Maryland. | -- | 20-5 |
| 13 |  | JT Toppin finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 84-71 win over BYU. The Red Raiders' next game is Tuesday at Baylor. | -- | 17-6 |
| 14 |  | Rueben Chinyelu finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 98-94 win at Vanderbilt. The Gators' next game is Tuesday against LSU. | -- | 17-6 |
| 15 |  | Duke Miles missed 10 of the 15 shots he attempted in Saturday's 98-84 loss to Florida. The Commodores' next game is Tuesday at Arkansas. | -- | 20-4 |
| 16 |  | Malik Thomas finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 72-68 win at SMU. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday against North Carolina. | -- | 21-3 |
| 17 |  | Carter Welling finished with 18 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 69-59 win over Clemson. The Tigers' next game is Tuesday against NC State. | -- | 20-4 |
| 18 |  | Darryn Peterson finished with 26 points and three assists in Friday's 80-62 win over Baylor. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday at Colorado. | -- | 19-5 |
| 19 |  | Labaron Philon Jr. finished with 23 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 83-81 win at Oklahoma. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against Tennessee. | -- | 16-7 |
| 20 |  | Maleek Thomas missed 13 of the 17 shots he attempted in Saturday's 90-76 loss at Georgia. The Razorbacks' next game is Tuesday against Vanderbilt. | -- | 18-6 |
| 21 |  | Ryan Conwell finished with 24 points and six assists in Saturday's 100-59 win at Pitt. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday against Virginia Tech. | -- | 18-6 |
| 22 |  | Kellen Thames finished with 16 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 88-63 win over Richmond. The Billikens' next game is Tuesday at Duquesne. | -- | 23-1 |
| 23 |  | Bryce Hopkins finished with 20 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 86-79 win at Villanova. The Red Storm's next game is Tuesday against Seton Hall. | -- | 19-5 |
| 24 |  | Samet Yigitoglu missed eight of the 11 shots he attempted in Saturday's 72-68 loss to Virginia. The Mustangs' next game is Tuesday at Wake Forest. | -- | 17-7 |
| 25 |  | Kellen Thames finished with 16 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 88-63 win over Richmond. The Billikens' next game is Tuesday at Duquesne. | -- | 17-6 |
| 26 |  | Derek Dixon missed six of the 11 shots he attempted in Saturday's 84-78 loss at Cal. The Tar Heels' next game is Wednesday against Notre Dame. | -- | 19-5 |
