Houston No. 1 in AP poll for first time since 1983

Make immoderate room, Phi Slama Jama. Another Houston squad has reached the apical of men's assemblage basketball.

Nearly 4 decades aft Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon took the Cougars to No. 1, the latest group, led by Marcus Sasser and prima freshman Jarace Walker, took implicit the apical spot successful the AP Top 25 connected Monday. They received 45 of 63 first-place votes from the nationalist media panel, easy outdistancing second-place Texas and third-place Virginia.

"It's not similar we went online and applied for it and waited for a effect back. We've been moving for this," said Houston manager Kelvin Sampson, whose squad is coming disconnected a Final Four and Elite Eight travel the past 2 seasons. "But remember, it's a rental. You don't ain it. You're conscionable renting it due to the fact that someday idiosyncratic other is going to beryllium No. 1."

North Carolina had been No. 1 each season, but the Tar Heels mislaid to Iowa State and in a four-overtime thriller to Alabama astatine the Phil Knight Invitational to cede the apical spot to Houston, which bushed Kent State successful its lone crippled past week.

The past clip the Cougars ascended to No. 1 was the last canvass of the 1982-83 season, erstwhile "The Glide" and "The Dream" on with manager Guy Lewis were the favorites to triumph it all. They rolled done the NCAA tourney earlier falling to Jim Valvano and North Carolina State successful an iconic title crippled successful Albuquerque, New Mexico.

"I've ne'er been ranked No. 1," said Sampson, present successful his 34th play arsenic a assemblage hoops coach. "We were ranked each 12 years astatine Oklahoma. I'm definite we were ranked astatine Indiana. Then we've been ranked 5 oregon six consecutive years. We're utilized to having a precocious level of success."

Texas received 8 first-place votes and Virginia received two. Arizona climbed from 14th to 4th aft emerging from a stacked tract to triumph the Maui Invitational. Purdue jumped from 24th each the mode to 5th and scooped up 8 first-place votes aft beating West Virginia, Gonzaga and Duke astatine the Phil Knight Legacy tourney.

"Our guys are competitive. They're amusive to coach. They get along. They're retired determination playing with intent and that's what you person to have," said Boilermakers manager Matt Painter, whose squad was concisely No. 1 astir this clip past season.

"Early successful the season, precise fewer teams play with the intent collectively," helium said. "I thought our guys played with a purpose."

Baylor was sixth, Creighton seventh and UConn climbed from 20th to eighth aft beating Oregon, Alabama and Iowa State to triumph the Phil Knight Invitational. Kansas fell from 3rd to ninth aft losing to Tennessee successful the title crippled of the Battle 4 Atlantis, portion Indiana rounded retired the apical 10.

There was a necktie for 11th betwixt SEC rivals Alabama and Arkansas with the Volunteers, different league foe, close down them. Gonzaga dropped from sixth to 14th, its archetypal clip extracurricular the apical 10 since Feb. 5, 2018, and Auburn was 15th.

Illinois was adjacent followed by Duke and North Carolina successful a pugnacious week for Tobacco Road. The Blue Devils fell from eighth aft their 75-56 nonaccomplishment to the Boilermakers.

Kentucky and Michigan State joined UCLA, Maryland, Iowa State, San Diego State and Ohio State successful rounding retired the poll.

RISING AND FALLING

Purdue made a uncommon 19-spot leap arsenic the canvass underwent a monolithic shake-up. UConn climbed 12 spots, Arizona moved up 10, Tennessee climbed 9 and Alabama seven. On the flip side, the Tar Heels tumbled 17 spots, Duke dropped nine, Gonzaga fell 8 and San Diego State fell seven.

IN AND OUT

Despite each the movement, Iowa State was the lone newcomer this week, checking successful astatine No. 23 aft beating Villanova and North Carolina earlier falling to UConn. The Cyclones replaced Iowa, which dropped retired aft a one-week enactment pursuing its nonaccomplishment to TCU successful the rubric crippled of the Emerald Coast Classic.

CONFERENCE WATCH

There are six quality conferences represented successful the archetypal 7 teams successful the poll. The Big Ten leads the mode with six successful the Top 25 portion the SEC has 5 and the Big 12 has four, though 3 of them are successful the apical 10.