HOUSTON — The 2022-23 college basketball AP poll continues to cycle through teams at the top after the Purdue Boilermakers lost to Northwestern on Sunday.
That opened the door for someone else to take over as the top ranked team in the country, and the AP voters ultimately put the Alabama Crimson Tide in that spot after they secured 38 out of 62 first place votes.
It came down to a vote between Alabama and the Houston Cougars, who received 22 first place votes and finished in second place, while Purdue (two first place votes) came in third.
This split isn’t too surprising, in fact Locked on College Basketball hosts Isaac Schade and Andy Patton also had differing opinions on who should be No. 1.
“After a really strong performance at Auburn on Saturday, [Alabama] moves up to number one for me,” Schade said. “Slot Houston in at number two and then Purdue slides in at number three.”
The Crimson Tide went on the road against rival Auburn and defeated the Tigers, 77-69, despite a poor shooting night from beyond the arc.
Bama is now 22-3 on the season with their only losses coming against UConn, Gonzaga, and on the road against Oklahoma. They’ll face a major test on the road against Tennessee on Wednesday, a game which will help determine whether they should remain in the top spot going forward.
Meanwhile Houston is 23-2 and on a five-game winning streak, with their only losses to Alabama and Temple.
Patton had Houston over Alabama last week and his mind hasn’t changed despite the Crimson Tide’s win over Auburn.
“I still have Houston above Bama which means I now have the Coogs as the number one team in the country,” Patton said. “You look at where they are in KenPom, the only team in the top ten in offense and defense. Yes their schedule is different, but I think this is the best team in the country.”
For more leading up the March and the NCAA Tournament, check out the Locked on College Basketball podcast.