Houston reaches No. 1 in AP Prime 25 for first time since 1983

Make some room, Phi Slama Jama. One other Houston workforce has reached the highest of males’s faculty basketball.

Practically 4 many years after Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon took the Cougars to No. 1, the newest bunch led by Marcus Sasser and star freshman Jarace Walker took excessive spot within the AP Prime 25 on Monday. They acquired 45 of 63 first-place votes from the nationwide media panel, simply outdistancing second-place Texas and third-place Virginia.

“It isn’t like we went on-line and utilized for it and waited for a response again. We have been working for this,” stated Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, whose workforce is coming off a Closing 4 and Elite Eight journey the previous two seasons. “However keep in mind, it is a rental. You do not personal it. You are simply renting it as a result of sometime any individual else goes to be No. 1.”

North Carolina had been No. 1 all season, however the Tar Heels misplaced to Iowa State and in a four-overtime thriller to Alabama on the Phil Knight Invitational to cede the highest spot to Houston, which beat Kent State in its solely recreation final week.

The final time the Cougars ascended to No. 1 was the ultimate ballot of the 1982-83 season, when “The Glide” and “The Dream” together with coach Man Lewis have been the favorites to win all of it. They rolled via the NCAA match earlier than falling to Jim Valvano and North Carolina State in an iconic championship recreation in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“I’ve by no means been ranked No. 1,” stated Sampson, now in his thirty fourth season as a school basketball coach. “We have been ranked all 12 years at Oklahoma. I am certain we have been ranked at Indiana. Then we have been ranked 5 – 6 straight years. We’re used to having a excessive degree of success.”

Texas acquired eight first-place votes and Virginia acquired two. Arizona climbed from 14th to fourth after rising from a stacked area to win the Maui Invitational. Purdue jumped from twenty fourth all the way in which to fifth and scooped up eight first-place votes after beating West Virginia, Gonzaga and Duke on the Phil Knight Legacy tourney.

“Our guys are aggressive. They’re enjoyable to teach. They get alongside. They’re on the market taking part in with goal and that is what you need to have,” stated Boilermakers coach Matt Painter, whose workforce was briefly No. 1 about this time final season.

“Early within the season, only a few groups play with the aim collectively,” he stated. “I believed our guys performed with a goal.”

Baylor was sixth, Creighton seventh and UConn climbed from twentieth to eighth after beating Oregon, Alabama and Iowa State to win the Phil Knight Invitational. Kansas fell from third to ninth after dropping to Tennessee within the championship recreation of the Battle 4 Atlantis, whereas Indiana rounded out the highest 10.

There was a tie for eleventh between SEC rivals Alabama and Arkansas with the Volunteers, one other convention foe, proper behind them. Gonzaga dropped from sixth to 14th, its first time exterior the highest 10 since Feb. 5, 2018, and Auburn was fifteenth.

Illinois was subsequent adopted by Duke and North Carolina in a troublesome week for Tobacco Street. The Blue Devils fell from eighth after their 75-56 loss to the Boilermakers.

Kentucky and Michigan State joined UCLA, Maryland, Iowa State, San Diego State and Ohio State in rounding out the ballot.

RISING AND FALLING

Purdue made a uncommon 19-spot leap because the ballot underwent an enormous shake-up. UConn climbed 12 spots, Arizona moved up 10, Tennessee climbed 9 and Alabama seven. On the flip facet, the Tar Heels tumbled 17 spots, Duke dropped 9, Gonzaga fell eight and San Diego State fell seven.

IN AND OUT

Regardless of all of the motion, Iowa State was the one newcomer this week, checking in at No. 23 after beating Villanova and North Carolina earlier than falling to UConn. The Cyclones changed Iowa, which dropped out after a one-week keep following its loss to TCU within the title recreation of the Emerald Coast Traditional.

CONFERENCE WATCH

There are six distinction conferences represented within the first seven groups within the ballot. The Massive Ten leads the way in which with six within the Prime 25 whereas the SEC has 5 and the Massive 12 has 4, although three of them are within the high 10.