The Houston Cougars have risen to the No. 1 spot in AP’s Division 1 men’s basketball rankings in the publication’s Week 16 poll. They received 53 of 62 first-place votes.
UH was widely expected to occupy the spot after statement wins last week against then-No. 6 Iowa State and then-No. 11 Baylor. Connecticut, the No. 1-ranked program in the country for the previous six weeks, lost to then-No. 15 Creighton by nearly 20 points early last week to further set up Houston’s ascent.
While the top spot is new to this year’s Houston squad, the Cougars grew familiar with the title of the best team in the country last season. The 2022-23 Houston Cougars occupied the No. 1 rank for seven of the AP poll’s 18 weeks, with its November 28, 2022 appearance in the spot marking a first for UH in nearly 40 years.
Houston will aim to defend its ranking over the next two weeks as the squad plays its final four regular season games before traveling to Kansas City, Missouri to compete for the Big 12 Conference throne.
