NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Indiana, Marquette quietly rising

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 08: Joey Hauser #22 and Sam Hauser #10 of the Marquette Golden Eagles celebrate after beating the Wisconsin Badgers 74-69 in overtime at the Fiserv Forum on December 08, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

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WICHITA, KS – MARCH 17: Davis Jr. #5 of the Houston Cougars reacts. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

18. Houston Cougars

Last Week: No. 23

Houston has not played the most rigorous schedule in the nation to this point (336th) but they have been extremely impressive en route to their undefeated 8-0 record. The Cougars already have two true road wins (BYU and Oklahoma State) and their average margin of victory is 17.6 points. Houston’s defense, which was among the nation’s best a year ago, is once again consistently forcing teams into difficult shots. This has led to opponents scoring just 57.8 points per game (8th nationally) on the Cougars.

Offensively, Houston can rely on the two-headed backcourt monster of Armoni Brooks and Corey Davis Jr. The two guards are both averaging 16.5 points per game so far this season and are the steady forces leading the way for head coach Kelvin Sampson. Considering Houston is a defensively-oriented team that plays at one of the slowest paces in the nation, having these two guards to lean on can go a long way.

Even though Houston is now the favorite to win the AAC, they have a few opportunities left in non-conference play to seriously rise up these top-25 rankings. Home matchups against LSU, Saint Louis, and Utah State all have the potential to add big wins to Houston’s resume. If the Cougars handle their business in all of those games (they will be favored in each), we might see the team surprisingly land in the top-10 soon.

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