NCAA Basketball: Alabama, Duke, Marquette rise in latest top 25 power rankings

6. Houston (3-1)

We aren’t refusing to believe what our eyes have seen, but even after that tough loss against Auburn it’s clear that Houston will be a top team again this season. Last year’s Big 12 champions have looked downright dominant in their other games this season and that trend certainly continued this week for Kelvin Sampson’s squad. Even if they’ve been playing much weaker foes, the Cougars have left zero shred of doubt.

After more than a week off, the Cougars were back on the court on Friday, delivering an 80-44 win over Hofstra in their third home game of the season. Once again, the long-range shooting was great and the defense was smothering. Joseph Tugler actually was the leading scorer with 17 points off the bench while Emanuel Sharp made five 3-pointers in a 16-point performance.

We cannot ignore the disappointment against Auburn, but the Cougars’ offense is lethal and that trend hasn’t stopped regardless of the opponent. For years now, Houston has done all the little things right and they another dynamic backcourt presence in LJ Cryer this season. Hoping to completely eradicate the bad tastes from the Auburn loss, the Cougars head to the Players Era Festival and have a massive showdown with Alabama waiting for them on Tuesday.