College Basketball Power Rankings: Houston leaps UConn, Purdue for No. 1 after Huskies, Boilermakers fall

CBS Sports Graphic

When Houston dropped consecutive road games against Iowa State and TCU by a combined five points early in Big 12 play, it was tempting to view the skid as indicative of the struggles the Cougars would face amid their transition from the AAC to the Big 12. But the last 10 games have proven that idea to be nonsense.

It’s the Big 12 that wasn’t ready for Houston, not the other way around. The Cougars have won nine of their last 10 after handling Iowa State 73-65 in a top-10 showdown on Monday night. With five games left, UH is in sole possession of first place in the conference and comfortably projected as a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament in CBS Sports expert Jerry Palm’s Bracketology. projections 

Now, Houston is also No. 1 in the CBS Sports power rankings. The Cougars’ rise comes after losses from UConn and Purdue over the past few weeks, but it’s not exclusively a product of those outcomes. The Cougars are a deserving No. 1 who were never far off the pace set by the Huskies and Boilermakers.

With point guard Jamal Shead looking like an All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year candidate, Houston’s first season in college basketball’s best league is serving as impressive validation for the program built by 10th-year coach Kelvin Sampson.

With that, here are the latest CBS Sports college basketball power rankings.

College basketball power rankings

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/college-basketball-power-rankings-houston-leaps-uconn-purdue-for-no-1-after-huskies-boilermakers-fall/

Author : David Cobb

Publish date : 2024-02-22 17:18:19

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