Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Houston holds on to the No. 1 position

- DAVE SKRETTA AP BASKETBALL WRITER

Houston remained atop the AP men’s college basketball poll for the third consecutiv­e week Monday while a couple of the game’s traditiona­l bluebloods made big jumps as they peak just in time for postseason play.

The Cougars received 52 of 62 first-place votes from a national media panel after a week in which they beat Central Florida and routed thenNo. 14 Kansas to clinch the Big 12 regular-season title in their first year in the league. The three straight weeks Houston has spent at No. 1 matches the school’s longest run since the 1967-68 season.

“It’s gratifying. I’m happy for everybody,” said Cougars Coach Kelvin Sampson, whose team will be the top seed in the Big 12 Tournament and open play Thursday. “There’s so many people that have an inferiorit­y complex about, ‘We’re the University of Houston.’ This is a damn good school. We live in a damn good city, and we’re a damn good basketball program.”

Defending national champion UConn, the top seed in the Big East Tournament, was second in the poll after picking up six first-place votes, and Purdue — the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament — remained at No. 3 after getting four firstplace votes.

The big movement came in the rest of the top 10, where North Carolina jumped three spots to No. 4 after beating then-No. 9 Duke and Kentucky vaulted six spots to No. 9 after its win over then-No. 4 Tennessee.

The Tar Heels revamped their roster after last season’s flop from preseason No. 1 to missing the NCAA Tournament, and the changes were evident against the Blue Devils. Stanford transfer Harrison Ingram dominated the teams’ first meeting and Notre Dame transfer Cormac Ryan had31 points in the Tar Heels’ 84-79 victory on Saturday.

The win secured UNC’s first outright Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title since 2017.

“I think all year, you look at certain games where different guys step up in different situations,” North Carolina big man Armando Bacot said. “We’ve got so many good guys that it’s a luxury.”

The Wildcats, the No. 2 seed behind the Vols in the SEC Tournament, showcased their depth in a pair of wins last week. Reed Sheppard came off the bench to hit seven threes and score 27 points in the 85-81 win at Tennessee.

“I’ve said it before, they’re the most explosive offensive team in the country,” Tennessee Coach Rick Barnes said.

Arizona, the top seed in the Pac-12 Tournament, fell one spot to sixth this week and was followed by Iowa State and Creighton, which moved up two spots. Marquette dropped two spots and rounded out the top 10.

Duke fell to No. 11 and was followed by Auburn, Illinois, Baylor and South Carolina. Kansas continued its late-season slide, falling two spots after a week in which it blew out Kansas State but lost by 30 on the road to Houston.

The Jayhawks also lost big man Hunter Dickinson to a dislocated shoulder and fellow All-America candidate Kevin McCullar Jr. to more knee problems. It’s unclear whether either player will be available when Kansas, which plummeted to the No. 6 seed for the Big 12 Tournament, plays its second-round game Wednesday.

Gonzaga continued its late-season climb to No. 17 in the poll and was followed by Utah State, Alabama and BYU. The final five consisted of Saint Mary’s, Washington State, Nevada, Dayton and Texas Tech.

RISING AND FALLING

Kentucky made the biggest move, climbing six positions, while Utah State climbed four spots after wins over San Jose State and New Mexico. Washington State took the biggest fall, dropping four spots after its loss to Washington.

IN AND OUT

Nevada is ranked for the first time since the final poll of the 2018-19 season, checking in at No. 23 after wins over Boise State and UNLV. Texas Tech returned to the poll after wins over Oklahoma State and then-No. 11 Baylor. San Diego State and South Florida fell out of the poll.

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