Houston remained atop the AP Top 25 males’s faculty basketball ballot for the third consecutive week Monday whereas a few the sport’s conventional bluebloods made huge jumps as they peak simply in time for postseason play.
The Cougars acquired 52 of 62 first-place votes from a nationwide media panel after per week by which they beat UCF and routed then-No. 14 Kansas to clinch the Big 12 common-season title of their first 12 months within the league. The three straight weeks Houston has spent at No. 1 matches the varsity’s longest run because the 1967-68 season.
“It’s gratifying. I’m happy for everybody,” mentioned Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson, whose staff would be the high seed within the Big 12 tourney and open play on Thursday. “There’s so many people that have an inferiority complex about, ‘We’re the University of Houston.’ This is a damn good school. We live in a damn good city, and we’re a damn good basketball program.”
Defending nationwide champion UConn, the highest seed within the Big East tourney, was second within the ballot after selecting up six first-place votes, and Purdue — the highest seed within the Big Ten tourney — remained at No. 3 after getting 4 first-place votes.
The huge motion got here in the remainder of the highest 10, the place North Carolina jumped three spots to No. 4 after beating then-No. 9 Duke and Kentucky vaulted six spots to No. 9 after its win over then-No. 4 Tennessee.
The Tar Heels revamped their roster after final season’s flop from preseason No. 1 to lacking the NCAA Tournament, and the adjustments had been evident in opposition to the Blue Devils. Stanford switch Harrison Ingram dominated the groups’ first assembly and Notre Dame switch Cormac Ryan went for 31 factors within the Tar Heels’ 84-79 victory on Saturday.
The win secured UNC’s first outright Atlantic Coast Conference common-season title since 2017.
“I think all year, you look at certain games where different guys step up in different situations,” North Carolina huge man Armando Bacot mentioned. “We’ve got so many good guys that it’s a luxury.”
The Wildcats, the No. 2 seed behind the Vols within the Southeastern Conference Tournament, showcased their depth in a pair of wins final week. Reed Sheppard got here off the bench to hit seven 3s and rating 27 factors within the 85-81 win at Tennessee.
“I’ve said it before, they’re the most explosive offensive team in the country,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes mentioned.
Arizona, the highest seed within the Pac-12 tourney, fell one spot to sixth this week and was adopted by Iowa State and Creighton, which moved up two spots. Marquette dropped two spots and rounded out the highest 10.
Duke fell to No. 11 and was adopted by Auburn, Illinois, Baylor and South Carolina. Kansas continued its late-season slide, falling two spots after per week by which it blew out Kansas State however misplaced by 30 on the highway to Houston.
The Jayhawks additionally misplaced huge man Hunter Dickinson to a dislocated shoulder and fellow All-America candidate Kevin McCullar Jr. to extra knee issues. It’s unclear whether or not both participant will probably be obtainable when Kansas, which plummeted to the No. 6 seed for the Big 12 tourney, performs its second-spherical sport Wednesday.
Gonzaga continued its late-season climb to No. 17 within the ballot and was adopted by Utah State, Alabama and BYU. The last 5 consisted of Saint Mary’s, Washington State, Nevada, Dayton and Texas Tech.
Kentucky made the most important transfer, climbing six positions, whereas Utah State climbed 4 spots after wins over San Jose State and New Mexico. Washington State took the most important fall, dropping 4 spots after its loss to Washington.
Nevada is ranked for the primary time because the last ballot of the 2018-19 season, checking in at No. 23 after wins over Boise State and UNLV, whereas Texas Tech returned to the ballot after wins over Oklahoma State and then-No. 11 Baylor. Nevada and Texas Tech entered the Top 25 on the expense of San Diego State and South Florida.
The Big 12 leads the way in which with six groups within the Top 25 and the SEC follows carefully with 5. The Big East has three within the ballot and all of them — UConn, Creighton and Marquette — are within the high 10. The Big Ten, ACC, Pac-12, West Coast and Mountain West conferences have two ranked groups apiece.
Get ballot alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball all through the season. Sign up right here. AP faculty basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
