I write about a college basketball team every morning — usually Purdue, UConn or Houston, it feels like. Those are the sport's three best teams. And they deserve all of the attention they're getting considering one of them has been No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for 10 straight weeks -- and it'll soon be 11 because, later Monday, one of them will again be No. 1 in the AP poll.
But which one?
Based on nothing more than AP voters' habits, it'll likely be Houston because A) Houston was No. 2 in the AP poll last week, B) No. 1 UConn lost 85-66 last Tuesday at Creighton, and C) AP voters, broadly speaking, tend to just move up who they had at No. 2 any time No. 1 loses provided No. 2 did not fall.
Houston did not fall.
Rather, the Cougars added two Quadrant 1 victories over the past week by beating Iowa State at home and Baylor on the road. So Houston will probably be the new No. 1 in the AP poll later Monday -- and that's fine. The Cougars are already No. 1 in the NET and most other computers. So it's easy to justify. But, as I've noted many times in recent weeks, I firmly believe the No. 1 team in any human ranking this deep in the season should simply be the team with the best body of work. And, from my perspective, that team remains Purdue.
The Boilermakers improved to 25-3 on Sunday with an 84-76 win at Michigan. So they're now 16-3 in the first two quadrants with nine Q1 wins and zero losses outside of Q1. That represents a better record than UConn has in the first two quadrants by two wins and a better record than Houston has in the first two quadrants by three. Also worth noting: Purdue has seven victories over schools ranked in the top 25 of the NET. UConn and Houston both still only have four.
That's among the reasons why Purdue remains No. 1 in Monday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. UConn is No. 2. Houston is No. 3. From a body of work perspective, those three schools have separated from the rest of the sport, and it's becoming harder and harder to envision anybody catching any of them between now and Selection Sunday.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Zach Edey finished with 35 points and 15 rebounds in Sunday's 84-76 win at Michigan. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Michigan State. | -- | 34-5 |
| 2 |  | Cam Spencer finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 78-054 win over Villanova. The Huskies' next game is March 3 against Seton Hall. | -- | 37-3 |
| 3 |  | Jamal Shead finished with 12 points and 10 assists in Saturday's 82-76 win at Baylor. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday against Cincinnati. | -- | 32-5 |
| 4 |  | Dalton Knecht finished with 24 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 86-51 win over Texas A&M. The Vols' next game is Wednesday against Auburn. | -- | 27-9 |
| 5 |  | Tamin Lipsey finished with 14 points and six assists in Saturday's 71-64 win over West Virginia. The Cyclones' next game is Wednesday against Oklahoma. | -- | 29-8 |
| 6 |  | Kam Jones finished with 34 points and two steals in Sunday's 88-64 win over Xavier. The Golden Eagles' next game is Wednesday against Providence. | -- | 27-10 |
| 7 |  | Cormac Ryan finished with 18 points and one block in Saturday's 54-44 win at Virginia. The Tar Heels' next game is Monday against Miami. | -- | 29-8 |
| 8 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 86-67 win over Texas. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday against BYU. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 9 |  | Caleb Love finished with 30 points and five assists in Saturday's 91-75 win over Washington. The Wildcats' next game is Wednesday at Arizona State. | 1 | 27-9 |
| 10 |  | Baylor Scheierman was 4 of 16 from the field in Sunday's 80-66 loss to St. John's. The Bluejays' next game is Wednesday against Seton Hall. | 2 | 25-10 |
| 11 |  | Yves Missi was 1 of 5 from the field in Saturday's 82-76 loss to Houston. The Bears' next game is Monday at TCU. | -- | 24-11 |
| 12 |  | Chad Baker-Mazara finished with 25 points and four assists in Saturday's 97-76 win at Georgia. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday at Tennessee. | -- | 27-8 |
| 13 |  | Kobe Elvis was 2 of 11 from the field in Wednesday's 71-67 loss at George Mason. The Flyers' next game is Tuesday against Davidson. | -- | 25-8 |
| 14 |  | Great Osobor finished with 17 points and seven assists in Tuesday's 68-63 victory over San Diego State. The Aggies' next game is Tuesday at Fresno State. | -- | 28-7 |
| 15 |  | Duke allowed the Demon Deacons to shoot 60.4% from the field in Saturday's 83-79 loss at Wake Forest. The Blue Devils' next game is Wednesday against Louisville. | -- | 27-9 |
| 16 |  | Jaedon LeDee finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 73-41 win over Fresno State. The Aztecs' next game is Tuesday against San Jose State. | -- | 26-11 |
| 17 |  | Coleman Hawkins finished with 30 points and five steals in Saturday's 95-85 win over Iowa. The Illini's next game is Wednesday against Minnesota. | -- | 29-9 |
| 18 |  | Alabama allowed the Wildcats to shoot 63.1% from the field in Saturday's 117-95 loss at Kentucky. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday at Ole Miss. | -- | 25-12 |
| 19 |  | Jaylen Wells was 3 of 12 from the field in Saturday's 73-61 loss at Arizona State. The Cougars' next game is Thursday against USC. | -- | 25-10 |
| 20 |  | B.J. Mack finished with 17 points and two assists in Saturday's 72-59 win at Ole Miss. The Gamecocks' next game is Wednesday at Texas A&M. | -- | 26-8 |
| 21 |  | Justin Edwards finished with 25 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 117-95 win over Alabama. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday at Mississippi State. | -- | 23-10 |
| 22 |  | WIll Richard finished with 21 points and three assists in Saturday's 77-64 win over Vanderbilt. The Gators' next game is Wednesday against Missouri. | -- | 24-12 |
| 23 |  | Mitchell Saxen finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 88-62 win over San Diego. The Gaels' next game is Thursday at Pepperdine. | -- | 26-8 |
| 24 |  | Tyler Wahl finished with 18 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 74-70 win over Maryland. The Badgers' next game is Tuesday at Indiana. | -- | 22-14 |
| 25 |  | Rivaldo Soares finished with 20 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 84-82 win at Oklahoma State. The Sooners' next game is Wednesday at Iowa State. | -- | 20-12 |
| 26 |  | Emanuel Miller finished with 18 points and six assists in Saturday's 75-57 win over Cincinnati. The Horned Frogs' next game is Monday against Baylor. | -- | 21-13 |
