The University of Houston jumped two spots to No. 8 in the first Associated Press Top 25 men’s basketball poll of the regular season, with Florida holding steady at No. 1. It’s early, but the Cougars are already making some serious noise in college hoops, showing everyone they mean business from day one.
The New Top Tier and Emerging Threats
Florida stayed locked in at No. 1 after beating No. 14 Miami, and get this: their next major test could be against Houston in Las Vegas. Talk about a potential statement game already! Duke, still holding strong at No. 2, is not messing around with their schedule, with top-10 matchups coming against Michigan State, Illinois, UConn, and Florida all by December 1. Illinois, at No. 3, is straight up dropping buckets, averaging a crazy 116 points a game even with David Mirković out for an extended period. But their schedule is about to get way tougher, with Duke and UConn on the way. UConn, at No. 4, just beat Michigan in a rematch of last season’s national championship game, and Braylon Mullins is absolutely hooping, averaging 21.5 points through two games. Then there’s our guys, Houston, now at No. 8 in the official AP poll, up from No. 10 last week. They’re living in a different world after scoring 94 points in the paint across wins over La Salle and Cal. You absolutely need to keep your eyes on Dedan Thomas Jr., who’s already looking like Kelvin Sampson’s next great point guard. This kid is for real.
Shakes, Surprises, and Duarte’s Take
UCLA delivered the biggest win of opening week, hands down, knocking off previously fifth-ranked Arizona and vaulting up a massive seven spots to No. 9 in the official AP poll, after being No. 22 just last week. Virginia, now at No. 6 (up from No. 9), is off to a scorching 3-0 start, with Sam Lewis and Thijs De Ridder each averaging 20 points. Texas, still at No. 7, has their seven-footer Matas Vokietaitis going off, shooting an insane 15-of-17 from the field through two games. St. John’s also made a huge jump, up seven spots to No. 13. On the flip side, Arizona, Arkansas, and Michigan all took big hits, dropping five spots each. Arizona fell to No. 12, Arkansas to No. 19, and Michigan to No. 20. Joseph Duarte, over at the Houston Chronicle, had Houston a bit lower in his individual ballot at No. 12 last week, but clearly he’s seeing the same dominant play now. He highlighted that Louisville, at No. 10, gets a week off before facing a surprising Memphis team. Other teams like Nebraska, Memphis, Iowa, LSU, and North Carolina are all on the radar after receiving votes in this latest poll, showing just how deep the talent is this season.
As the season gets going, that potential matchup between Florida and Houston in Las Vegas is gonna be a must-watch, pitting the top squad against one of the fastest risers in the country. It’s clear some teams are here to make a statement early, and we’re just getting started.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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