Houston makes move in latest college basketball polls

The Cougars got back on track with an impressive win over Butler
Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson.
Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Cougars are climbing back up the men's college basketball rankings.

After losing three heartbreaking games in the first month of the season — including last-minute losses to No. 2 Auburn and No. 7 Alabama — the Cougars rebounded with an impressive 79-51 win over Butler on Saturday.

Houston (5-3) looked like a Final Four contender against the Bulldogs, holding them to 28.3% shooting and outrebounding them 41-22. National player of the year candidate LJ Cryer poured in 20 points, and fellow starting guard Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan added 16 and 13, respectively.

The Cougars moved up to No. 15 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll and No. 13 in latest Coaches poll, released Monday.

After starting the season with five teams in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 Poll, the Big 12 now has just two - No. 3 Iowa State and No. 10 Kansas. The Jayhawks lost twice last week, including a stunning 76-67 loss to Missouri on Sunday.

The SEC has dominated the Big 12 so far this season, going 12-2 and taking over the top of the polls. Tennessee is the new No. 1, followed by No. 2 Auburn, No. 5 Kentucky, No. 7 Alabama and No. 9 Florida.

Houston only has one game this week, a Tuesday night home matchup vs. Troy.

College Basketball AP Top 25 Poll

Dec. 9, 2024

1. Tennessee
2. Auburn
3. Iowa State
4. Duke
5. Kentucky
6. Marquette
7. Alabama
8. Gonzaga
9. Florida
10. Kansas
11. Purdue
12. Oregon
13. Oklahoma
14. Michigan
15. Houston
16. Clemson
17. Texas A&M
18. UConn
19. Ole Miss
20. Wisconsin
21. Michigan State
22. Cincinnati
23. San Diego State
24. UCLA
25. Mississippi State

Others receiving votesBaylor 150, Arizona State143, Memphis 123, Missouri 119, Penn State 90, Arkansas 89, Drake 67, Pittsburgh 62, Utah State 57, Illinois 47, St. John's 43, Maryland 39, Dayton 38, Creighton 32, Indiana 30, West Virginia 30, North Carolina 24, Georgia 21, Saint Mary's 20, Texas 8, Rhode Island 3, Loyola Chicago 1. 


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Ben Sherman
BEN SHERMAN

Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.