After win No. 20, Houston rises to 13th in Associated Press poll

The discussion around the Houston Cougars basketball program no longer involves whether the team will play in the NCAA Tournament.

Rather, the speculation about coach Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars mostly centers on the tournament seeding process and how high the seed might be.

It’s a reflection of how fast Sampson’s program has improved in the past few years.

On Sunday, the once-beaten Cougars became the first team in the nation to 20 victories with a 77-65 victory at Tulsa. On Monday, they moved up four spots in the AP Top 25 to 13th in the nation.

Houston continues to play elite-level basketball, winning five in a row since a 73-69 loss at Temple on Jan. 9.

When the Cougars play the Owls in the rematch Thursday in Houston, they’ll do so ranked sixth in the nation in scoring defense (60.2) and second in field goal percentage defense (36.4).

Such consistency bodes well for the Cougars in their quest to win the American Athletic Conference title and make another strong showing in the NCAAs.

Last year, the Cougars made the tournament for the first time under Sampson’s leadership.

They won a Round of 64 game and were stunned in the R32 when Jordan Poole drained a buzzer-beating three to lift the Michigan Wolverines to a 64-63 victory in Wichita.

This year, the Cougars look more potent than ever.

Not only is it difficult to score on Houston, it’s also a pain in the neck to guard them, with Armoni Brooks and Corey Davis both averaging 14 points.

A lot can happen between now and tournament selection day, but forecasters are projecting the Cougars to land an NCAA seed as high as third.

All of which means the Cougars could be riding high again in March.

AP Top 25

1. Tennessee 18-1 SEC
2. Duke 17-2 ACC
3. Virginia 18-1 ACC
4. Gonzaga 19-2 West Coast
5. Michigan 19-1 Big Ten
6. Michigan State 18-3 Big Ten
7. Kentucky 16-3 SEC
8. Nevada 19-1 Mountain West
9. North Carolina 15-4 ACC
10. Marquette 18-3 Big East
11. Kansas 16-4 Big 12
12. Virginia Tech 16-3 ACC
13. Houston 20-1 American
14. Villanova 16-4 Big East
15. Louisville 15-5 ACC
16. Texas Tech 16-4 Big 12
17. Purdue 14-6 Big Ten
18. Buffalo 18-2 Mid American
19. LSU 16-3 SEC
20. Iowa State 15-5 Big 12
21. Maryland 16-5 Big Ten
22. Mississippi State 15-4 SEC
23. North Carolina State 16-4 ACC
24. Wisconsin 14-6 Big Ten
25. Florida State 15-5 ACC

Top-ranked Duke hosts Syracuse and No. 4 Virginia this week

There hasn’t been much change at the top of the Associated Press Top 25 poll recently, but the rankings among the elite could be in for a shakeup as marquee games loom in the coming days.

The top-ranked Duke Blue Devils, for instance, will host unranked Syracuse tonight and then will brace for a visit from undefeated and No. 4 Virginia on Saturday.

Virginia hosts ninth-ranked Virginia Tech on Tuesday before making the trek to Durham to face Duke this weekend.

For the fourth straight week, the top four in the rankings remained the same — Duke, Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia — as the new poll came out Monday.

For the second week in a row, the top 10 stayed in the same order.

AP Top 25

1. Duke 14-1 ACC
2. Michigan 17-0 Big Ten
3. Tennessee 14-1 SEC
4. Virginia 15-0 ACC
5. Gonzaga 16-2 West Coast
6. Michigan State 15-2 Big Ten
7. Kansas 14-2 Big 12
8. Texas Tech 15-1 Big 12
9. Virginia Tech 14-1 ACC
10. Nevada 16-1 Mountain West
11. Florida State 13-3 ACC
12. Kentucky 12-3 SEC
13. North Carolina 12-4 ACC
14. Auburn 12-3 SEC
15. Marquette 14-3 Big East
16. Buffalo 15-1 Mid-American
17. North Carolina State 14-2 ACC
18. Ole Miss 13-2 SEC
19. Maryland 14-3 Big Ten
20. Oklahoma 13-3 Big 12
21. Houston 16-1 American
22. Villanova 13-4 Big East
23. Iowa 14-3 Big Ten
24. Mississippi State 12-3 SEC
25. Indiana 12-4 Big Ten

Duke atop AP Top 25 poll; Texas Tech remains 11th


Fourth-ranked Virginia defeated Marshall 100-64 Monday night. Marshall, the Conference USA tournament champion last season, will open C-USA play Thursday night at Old Dominion.

AP Top 25
1. Duke 11-1 ACC
2. Michigan 13-0 Big Ten
3. Tennessee 11-1 SEC
4. Virginia 12-0 ACC
5. Kansas 11-1 Big 12
6. Nevada 13-0 Mountain West
7. Gonzaga 13-2 West Coast
8. Michigan State 11-2 Big Ten
9. Florida State 11-1 ACC
10. Virginia Tech 11-1 ACC
11. Texas Tech 11-1 Big 12
12. Auburn 11-2 SEC
13. Kentucky 10-2 SEC
14. Ohio State 12-1 Big Ten
15. North Carolina 9-3 ACC
16. Marquette 11-2 Big Eeast
17. Mississippi State 12-1 SEC
18. NC State 12-1 ACC
19. Houston 13-0 American
20. Buffalo 12-1 Mid-American
21. Indiana 11-2 Big Ten
22. Wisconsin 10-3 Big Ten
23. Oklahoma 11-1 Big 12
24. Nebraska 11-2 Big Ten
15. Iowa 11-2 Big Ten