NCAA Basketball: North Carolina, Kentucky, Auburn rise in latest top 25 power rankings

1. Houston (28-3)

Joining a new conference can be difficult, especially a tougher one with established elite basketball programs. This has clearly not been an issue for Houston, who have slide into the Big 12 and continued to look like juggernauts, claiming the regular season title in their first season in the league. Houston has spent the last few months answering all of our questions, with their only losses coming away from home in league play.

They weren’t about to stumble this week, winning 67-59 at UCF back on Wednesday night. LJ Cryer had another fine performance with 25 points while Jamal Shead had 16 points and 8 assists. Saturday was far sweeter, as the Cougars got revenge over Kansas, blasting the Jayhawks 76-46 in their final home game of the year. Shead had 13 points and 8 assists while Houston outworked Kansas in every aspect in a true team win.

This Cougars squad is an absolute menace and has absolutely defending their spot at the top of these rankings. This team is unquestionably a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens in the Big 12 Tournament next week. Frankly, it would be quite a surprise if the Cougars don’t get the job done, especially with the way they’ve played over the last month.

At long last we’ve gotten through each of the Top 25 teams from this week, looking closely at where they stand and what’s to come. Do you agree with the rankings or have we left someone off that deserved better placement?