After defeating Oklahoma State on the road, Houston is ranked No. 22 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 24 in the Associated Press Poll.
Houston entered the rankings last season for the first time since 2005, but that did not happen until late in the season.
The Cougars’ reputation from last year, paired with its 8-0 record this season, has earned the team a ranking ahead of its showdown versus LSU on Wednesday.
Houston is also ranked No. 14 in the NET rankings, a metric system used by the NCAA to rank a team’s wins, losses and strength of schedule. They are also No. 36 on the KenPom rankings, a system created by Ken Pomeroy that is respected by basketball fans and news sites.
Houston plays LSU at 8 p.m. Wednesday and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2. Student tickets are gone, but general tickets are available for purchase at the UH Athletics website.