Houston Cougars Drop in Week 7 AP Poll Despite Perfect Homestand
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Despite a 2-0 homestand at the Fertitta Center from commanding wins over Jackson State and New Orleans, the Houston Cougars, now at 10-1 in the 2025-26 campaign, dropped to No. 8 in the Week 7 release of the AP Poll Top 25 on Monday.
.@K1ngFlemings, @chriscenacjr & @UHouston at #️⃣8️⃣ in both national polls this week@AP_Top25 – https://t.co/1cQUVKnr5e@usatodaysports – https://t.co/MfkgwpafiR#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/rHj8l3X78d
— Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) December 15, 2025
For the third straight week, Houston has not received first place votes despite appearing like a much-improved team in the latter portion of non-conference play as two games remain in it. The return from the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas showed more complete possessions, signaled throughout the homestand, and significantly limited turnovers, best displayed in the Cougars' 99-57 win over New Orleans on Saturday.
Why the drop?
The one factor in particular that may have contributed to Houston's drop was Michigan State's 76-72 win over Penn State in a Big Ten road contest Saturday, even with a week-long break in its action.
NEW: College Basketball AP Poll🏀https://t.co/xfVCNH78Tk pic.twitter.com/vU7ZnJH9O3
— On3 (@On3sports) December 15, 2025
It might just leave the Cougars asking if conference play can arrive any sooner en route to becoming the "new animal" that has always bettered them for the big dance. While blue blood programs like Arizona and Michigan sit atop the AP Poll undefeated with multiple dominant marquee non-conference wins, league play typically is the slate for a program to either better itself or expose hidden weaknesses from early in the season.
However, Houston may be just one step ahead of everybody to where it could be back in No. 1 seed contention just in time for March.
Through the first seven games, the Cougars committed an average of 9.7 turnovers per game as a team, in which it was evident based on the jitters from the incorporation of young but proven freshman talent.
Over the last four games, Houston brought that team average down to 8.8, with just a season-low five committed in its Players Era consolation game win over Notre Dame on Nov. 26, and just six against New Orleans on Saturday, which fueled the Cougars' best scoring display of the season and featured 48 points from their bench.
The average turnover margin in that stretch is now a commanding 8.5, with the Cougars' season total margin now at +62 with two non-conference games remaining.
The final marquee non-league opportunity
One final marquee opportunity remains for Houston in non-conference play, and it comes in the style of old Southwest Conference pageantry dating back to the Phi Slama Jama era.
The Cougars will travel to Newark, N.J. to face the No. 14 Arkansas Razorbacks at the Prudential Center on Saturday, Dec. 20, for a highly anticipated rematch of coaches between Kelvin Sampson and John Calipari, dating back to the 2019 Sweet 16 matchup between Houston and Kentucky that saw the Wildcats winning 62-58 in Calipari's 10th season there.
Compared to Houston being 1-1 in Quad 1 opportunities in 2025-26, Arkansas sits at 2-2 on the mark with a statement 93-86 win most recently over Texas Tech at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Saturday.
Though this matchup isn't going to tell the full story of if Houston's full potential can be reached or exceeded, it's still a true test nonetheless. But it seems like only paints a big picture for the Cougars if they were able to complete the task.
Michael Carrara is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He attends the University of Houston, where he is a journalism major and a marketing minor. He is also a sports writer and reporter for the Daily Cougar, having covered baseball as an NCBWA member. You can find Michael on all major social media channels, including X on @michaelcoalec.