Houston still No. 1, Kansas up to third in USA TODAY Sports men's basketball poll after wild weekend
There were plenty of wild finishes and buzzer beaters over the weekend in men’s college basketball, but those results produced few changes at the top of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
Houston retains the No. 1 position, strengthening its grip on the top spot with 27 of 32 first-place votes. Alabama holds at No. 2 with a pair of No. 1 nods. The remaining three firsts go to Kansas, which edged ahead of UCLA for the No. 3 spot by a single poll point. Purdue hangs on at No. 5 despite a home loss to archrival Indiana, which checks in at No. 13 after completing the season sweep of the Boilermakers.
Big East leader Marquette climbs three slots to No. 6, followed by No. 7 Texas and No. 8 Baylor. Arizona slips two places to No. 9 after being victimized by Arizona State’s half-court heave. Gonzaga is back in the top 10 after evening the season series with No. 16 Saint Mary’s.
TOP 25 POLL: Complete USA TODAY Sports men's basketball ranking
WILD SATURDAY: Crazy comebacks, buzzer-beaters lead winners and losers
Kansas State and Connecticut make the biggest jumps of the week, each gaining five positions to No. 11 and 18 respectively. Virginia tumbles six spots to No. 12 after a pair of losses.
Pittsburgh joins the poll for the first time this season at No. 25. It is the first ranking for the Panthers since January of 2016. TCU also moves back in at No. 22, and No. 24 Maryland replaces Northwestern in the top 25 after Sunday’s win against the Wildcats. Iowa State and North Carolina State are the week’s other dropouts.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Houston leads men's college basketball pool with Kansas now third
