Houston Cougars Take Massive Leap in Week 14 AP Poll
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Following a ranked 77-66 win over BYU at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah to bring their winning streak to four games, paired with a shakeup in losses from college basketball blue bloods over the weekend, the Houston Cougars took quite a leap in the Week 14 men's basketball AP Top 25 poll.
35 combined points from Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr. and a late surge on the offensive glass helped Houston win a freshman showcase over forward AJ Dybantsa and his 28-point outing, but the Cougars' fourth ranked win and sixth Quad 1 win allowed for a five-spot jump to No. 3 in the latest poll, in square-up position with undefeated Arizona in the Big 12.
.@isiah_harwell1 & @UHouston rise to #️⃣3️⃣ in latest @usatodaysports Coaches Top 25 poll@usatodaysports – https://t.co/MfkgwpafiR#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/lWVWHsdHSg
— Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) February 9, 2026
It's the highest Houston has been ranked in the poll since Week 4 before its loss to Tennessee in the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas on Nov. 24, and it promptly sparks conversations about the Cougars landing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight season.
Following the win over BYU, who dropped to No. 23 in the poll after suffering its fourth straight loss at the hands of Houston, the Cougars made a jump to fifth overall in KenPom ratings with its offensive rating now two spots past Arizona.
It leaves for what could be a mostly balanced offensive matchup on Feb. 21 at Fertitta Center, when the Cougars host the Wildcats with conference title implications.
But Houston's new ranking in the poll bolsters the argument the Cougars can go toe-to-toe with college basketball's blue-blooded best, and it became possible thanks to multiple blue blood losses this past week.
Duke, UConn, Illinois, Gonzaga fuel Houston's top-3 stance
Among the previous top-10 in the poll, four teams suffered shocking losses that allowed for Houston's surprising five-spot leap to being one of the top talking points in the game.
The Cougars effectively took UConn's spot at No. 3 after the Huskies dropped their third straight head-to-head matchup against St. John's at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 6, and their first Big East contest of 2025-26 after a 12-0 start in league play.
Staying put behind the Cougars at No. 4 was Duke it fell to rival North Carolina on a last-second triple from senior guard Seth Trimble, marking the first of two meetings in the historic series and handing the Blue Devils their first ACC loss of the season after a 10-0 start.
Illinois fell three spots to Houston's previous stance in Week 13 with its 85-82 overtime loss to Michigan State at Breslin Center in East Lansing on Saturday for its second Big Ten loss.
But the most shocking loss of the week lied in Gonzaga's 87-80 defeat on the road at Portland, a Quad 3 loss for the Bulldogs that might be in danger of falling to Quad 4. The loss dropped them a staggering six spots to No. 12.
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.