Houston still has a strong hold on the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25.
The Cougars received 52 first-place votes from a 62-person media panel in the men's poll released Monday to take first place for the second straight week.
UConn moved up one spot to No. 2 and earned six first-place votes to edge out No. 3 Purdue, which earned four first-place votes. Tennessee and Arizona rounded out the top five.
Houston moved up to No. 1 for the first time this season a week ago and won both of its games last week: 67-59 at home over Cincinnati and, thanks to Jamal Shead's last-second shot, 87-85 at Oklahoma.
Houston continues to lead the country in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency despite giving up 85 points to the Sooners. The victory allowed coach Kelvin Sampson to triumphantly return to Norman, where he coached from 1994 to 2006.
UConn made a nice comeback after being knocked out of the No. 1 spot following a six-week skid, defeating Seton Hall 91-61 at home for its first outright Big East title in 25 years. The Huskies, the reigning national champions, had not won even a share of the Big East regular-season title in 18 years.
“The hardest thing is to be great over the course of three or four months in a tough, brutal league,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said.
Purdue missed out on a spot despite an 80-74 victory over Michigan State that clinched a share of a second straight Big Ten title. The Boilermakers have a two-game lead with two games remaining.
JAYHAWKS FADING
Kansas spent the first three weeks at No. 1 and was in the top 10 for three years.
Back-to-back losses last week ended the Jayhawks' streak.
Kansas fell seven spots to No. 14 in this week's poll, its worst ranking since reaching No. 15 midway through the 2020-21 season. The Jayhawks were in the top 10 for 55 consecutive weeks, which had been the longest active streak. Houston now has the longest active streak in the top 10 at 36 consecutive weeks.
Losses to No. 20 BYU and No. 11 Baylor ensured Kansas couldn't win the Big 12 regular-season title. The Jayhawks have seven conference losses for the first time in 21 years under coach Bill Self.
RISE AND FALL
No. 15 Baylor and No. 19 Gonzaga had the biggest rises among teams in this week's poll, each moving up four spots. No. 23 Saint Mary's had the biggest drop, losing six spots after Gonzaga ended the Gaels' 16-game winning streak.
IN AND OUT
BYU reappeared in the poll after dropping out last week, ranking 20th after wins over Kansas and TCU. Florida dropped out of No. 24 after losing to No. 17 South Carolina.
CONFERENCE MONITORING
The Southeastern Conference and Big 12 each have five ranked teams after BYU re-entered the poll and Florida dropped out.
The Big East has three, followed by the Big Ten, Atlantic Coast, Pac-12, Mountain West and West Coast conferences with two. The Atlantic 10 and the AAC each have one.
