Kelvin Sampson
Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson watches during an NCAA college basketball game against Kent State, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Back to you, Kelvin Sampson.

For most of this season, Danny Hurley and UConn, Matt Painter and Purdue and Sampson with Houston have juggled the top spot in men's Associated Press Top 25 poll.

UConn got court-stormed at Creighton last week.

You're on the clock, Cougars.

  1. Houston (24-3): The Cougars' only remaining road games are Oklahoma and UCF. Sampson and friends should be able to hold the top ranking for another week — or more. It's Cincinnati at home and a trip to OU this week.
  2. UConn (25-3): That ugly loss at Creighton might refocus the Huskies for the stretch run.
  3. Tennessee (21-6): If the Vols are going to win the Southeastern Conference title, they'll have to earn it. Their final four games are Auburn, at Alabama, at South Carolina, Kentucky.
  4. Purdue (25-3): Nobody is going to catch Matt Painter's team in the Big Ten.
  5. Arizona (21-6): The Wildcats' string of puzzling losses make them a tough team to evaluate.
  6. Iowa State (21-6): No points taken off for losing at Houston.
  7. Marquette (21-6): The Golden Eagles have won 10 of their last 11 but visit Creighton next weekend.
  8. North Carolina (21-6): The Tar Heels have three winnable home games before finishing the regular season at Duke.
  9. Kansas (21-6): The Jayhawks still have to make trips to Baylor and Houston.
  10. Duke (21-6): Will the Blue Devils have Kyle Filipowski available against Louisville Wednesday — or will Jon Scheyer hold him out until Virginia visits Saturday?
  11. Creighton (20-8): The inevitable letdown at St. John's after the surprising beatdown of UConn.
  12. Auburn (21-6): After visiting Tennessee Wednesday, the Tigers should cruise over Mississippi State, Missouri and Georgia.
  13. South Carolina (22-5): The Gamecocks rallied from back-to-back losses with a solid win at Ole Miss.
  14. Baylor (19-8): The Bears have lost three games in overtime, one by two points and another by three.
  15. Saint Mary's (23-6): Only home games against Pepperdine and Gonzaga stand between the Gaels and an unbeaten conference season.
  16. Illinois (20-7): The less I say about the Illini the better.
  17. Kentucky (19-8): If the Wildcats can handle Auburn and Alabama, they should be able to take down Mississippi State Tuesday, right?
  18. Alabama (19-8): Nate Oats is correct: The Crimson Tide are awful on defense, 97th in efficiency at Ken Pomeroy.
  19. Dayton (21-5): The Flyers are looking up at Richmond and Loyola (Chicago) in the Atlantic 10.
  20. Florida (19-8): Only an overtime loss at Alabama is keeping the Gators from a 5-game winning streak.
  21. Washington State (21-7): Winning at Arizona and then losing at Arizona State? What's up with that, Cougars?
  22. Wake Forest (18-9): Steve Forbes does a solid job coaching — and working the transfer portal.
  23. TCU (19-8): TCU or Texas Tech? Flip a coin.
  24. Nebraska (20-8): It's taken him five seasons but Fred Hoiberg has it going in Lincoln.
  25. South Florida (21-5): The Bulls, not media darling Florida Atlantic, are going to win the American Athletic Conference regular season title.

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