Mandatory Credit: Photo by Chris Szagola/AP/Shutterstock (13761125d) Houston’s Jamal Shead, left, talks with J’Wan Roberts, right, during an NCAA college basketball game against Temple, in Philadelphia. Houston won 81-65 Houston Temple Basketball, Philadelphia, United States – 05 Feb 2023

Houston Cougars basketball passed up again for top spots in national polls, this time by Alabama

Clovis Shropshire
February 13, 2023
0
4 minutes read

For the second week in a row, the Houston Cougars basketball team stayed at No. 2 in both The Associated Press and USA Today coaches polls.

In the AP Poll, Alabama took the reins as the new No. 1 team in the country. The Crimson Tide, who beat the Cougars (23-2, 11-1 American Athletic) in December, has a 22-3 overall record and are a perfect 12-0 against Southeastern Conference opponents.

Houston tallied up 1,503 total points in Monday’s AP Poll. The Cougars received 22 first-place votes. Alabama garnered 1,523 total points and got 38 first-place votes. Purdue fell to third in this week’s poll following its 64-58 loss to Northwestern. The Boilermakers received two first-place votes.

UCLA rose to No. 4, and Kansas took over as the new No. 5 team in the AP Poll to round out the top five. Around other college basketball teams in the state, Texas fell to No. 6, Baylor rose to No. 9, and TCU fell to No. 22 in Monday’s poll.

In the coaches poll, Alabama and Houston were separated by just seven total points. The Crimson Tide racked up 782 points and 15 first-place votes in Monday’s poll. Houston got 775 total points, and it also had 15 first-place votes. Purdue, who is also third in the coaches poll, got one first-place vote.

UCLA is also fourth in the coaches poll while Texas is fifth. Baylor at No. 9, TCU at No. 24, and Texas A&M at No. 25 were the other teams in the state ranked in the top 25 of the coaches poll.

In the NCAA Evaluation Tool, or NET, rankings, the Cougars are still the No. 1 team in the country through games played on Feb. 12. The NET rankings factor in the schedules of every team, where games are played, and how many quality wins a team has.

The Houston Cougars basketball team will retake the hardwood on Thursday evening in Dallas when it faces SMU for the second time this season. UH will end the week on Sunday when it hosts the Memphis Tigers. It will be the first of two meetings between the two programs.