It wasn't the best performance Houston has produced this season - evidence being that the Cougars finished with more turnovers than assists and missed 14 of the 17 3-pointers they attempted. Call it the opposite of beautiful. Still, Houston did improve to 25-2 on Sunday afternoon with a 72-64 victory over shorthanded Memphis to remain No. 1 in Monday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.
Kelvin Sampson will take it.
"The makeup of this team is winners," Sampson said. "These kids know how to win. ... Do they look great every night? I never thought it was a beauty contest. Last time I checked, you don't put an asterisk beside anything. Just go win the game."
Literally no college basketball team has been better at going and winning the game this season than Houston, which has the best winning percentage (92.6%) in the sport. Yes, some of that is (probably) tied to the fact that the Cougars play in the American Athletic Conference as opposed to, say, the Big 12 or Big Ten - but any smart person knows the Cougars could win any conference this season. They have a future Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame coach in Sampson, at least two future NBA players (Jarace Walker/Marcus Sasser) at the top of the roster, and enough talented and experienced pieces around them to win six games in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
It's why Houston is the favorite in the betting markets (at +700) to be 2023 national champion -- not to mention No. 1 in the NET, at KenPom.com, at BartTorvik.com and at EvanMiya.com. The Cougars will take a seven-game winning streak into Wednesday night's game against Tulane inside the Feritta Center, where a victory will secure at least a share of a fourth AAC regular-season championship in a five-year span.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Marcus Sasser finished with 20 points and one assist in Sunday's 72-64 win over Memphis. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Tulane. | -- | 32-5 |
| 2 |  | Brandon Miller finished with 21 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 108-58 win over Georgia. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday at South Carolina. | -- | 25-12 |
| 3 |  | Jalen Wilson finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 87-71 win over Baylor. The Jayhawks' next game is Monday at TCU. | -- | 23-11 |
| 4 |  | Zach Edey finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds in Sunday's 82-55 win over Ohio State. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Indiana. | -- | 34-5 |
| 5 |  | Jaime Jaquez Jr. finished with 20 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 78-43 win over Cal. The Bruins' next game is Thursday at Utah. | -- | 16-17 |
| 6 |  | Sir'Jabari Rice finished with 24 points and two assists in Saturday's 85-83 overtime win over Oklahoma. The Longhorns' next game is Tuesday against Iowa State. | -- | 21-13 |
| 7 |  | Baylor was outscored 55-26 in the second half of Saturday's 87-71 loss at Kansas. The Bears' next game is Tuesday at Kansas State. | -- | 24-11 |
| 8 |  | Kihei Clark finished with 15 points and four assists in Saturday's 57-55 win over Notre Dame. The Cavaliers' next game is Wednesday at Boston College. | -- | 23-11 |
| 9 |  | Oumar Ballo finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds in Saturday's 78-68 win over Colorado. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Arizona State. | -- | 27-9 |
| 10 |  | Drew Timme finished with 34 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 97-88 win at Pepperdine. The Zags' next game is Thursday against San Diego. | -- | 27-8 |
| 11 |  | Stevie Mitchell finished with 17 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 69-68 win over Xavier. The Golden Eagles' next game is Tuesday at Creighton. | -- | 27-10 |
| 12 |  | Jack Nunge finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 82-68 win over DePaul. The Musketeers' next game is Tuesday against Villanova. | -- | 16-18 |
| 13 |  | Isaiah Wong finished with 27 points and three assists in Saturday's 96-87 win over Wake Forest. The Hurricanes' next game is Tuesday at Virginia Tech. | -- | 15-17 |
| 14 |  | Markquis Nowell finished with 20 points and five assists in Saturday's 61-55 win over Iowa State. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against Baylor. | -- | 19-15 |
| 15 |  | Jaren Holmes missed 14 of the 16 shots he attempted in Saturday's 61-55 loss at Kansas State. The Cyclones' next game is Tuesday at Texas. | -- | 29-8 |
| 16 |  | Tennessee missed 10 of the 14 free throws it attempted in Saturday's 66-54 loss at Kentucky. The Vols' next game is Tuesday at Texas A&M. | -- | 27-9 |
| 17 |  | Logan Johnson finished with 27 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 71-65 win over BYU. The Gaels' next game is Thursday against Pacific. | -- | 26-8 |
| 18 |  | Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 71-68 win over Illinois. The Hoosiers' next game is Tuesday at Michigan State. | -- | 19-14 |
| 19 |  | Matt Bradley finished with 10 points and three assists in Wednesday's 45-43 win at Fresno State. The Aztecs' next game is Tuesday against Colorado State. | -- | 26-11 |
| 20 |  | Boo Buie finished with 23 points and eight assists in Sunday's 80-60 win over Iowa. The Wildcats' next game is Thursday at Illinois. | -- | 22-12 |
| 21 |  | Jordan Hawkins finished with 20 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 64-55 win over Seton Hall. The Huskies' next game is Wednesday against Providence. | -- | 37-3 |
| 22 |  | Ryan Nembhard finished with 16 points and five assists in Saturday's 77-67 win at St. John's. The Bluejays' next game is Tuesday against Marquette. | -- | 25-10 |
| 23 |  | Ed Croswell finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 85-72 win over Villanova. The Friars' next game is Wednesday at UConn. | 1 | 21-14 |
| 24 |  | Emanuel Miller finished with 18 points and five assists in Saturday's 100-75 win over Oklahoma State. The Horned Frogs' next game is Monday against Kansas. | 1 | 21-13 |
| 25 |  | Jarod Lucas was held to just eight points in Saturday's 75-66 loss at Utah State. The Wolf Pack's next game is Tuesday against San Jose State. | 1 | 26-8 |
| 26 |  | Jarkel Joiner finished with 29 points and one assist in Sunday's 77-69 win over North Carolina. The Wolf Pack's next game is Wednesday against Wake Forest. | NR | 26-15 |
