BYU and Houston climb in first regular-season AP poll

The Cougars from BYU rose two places from their preseason ranking to No. 23 in the poll released on November 9. Houston also gained two spots, reaching No. 8 after an 86-68 win over California lifted its record to 2-0.

Five Big 12 teams made the poll: Houston, Arizona at No. 12, Kansas at No. 15, Texas Tech at No. 16 and BYU. Iowa State, Baylor and TCU received votes, as did Utah State, which got one. Arizona dropped from No. 5 after losing to UCLA, while Iowa State fell out of the rankings after a home loss to Memphis.

BYU is No. 19 in KenPom’s rankings, with an offensive rating of 123.6, fourth-best nationally. It is scheduled to play Queens on Tuesday and Montana State on Thursday at the Marriott Center. Its next major nonconference matchup against a power-conference opponent is in the Maui Invitational, beginning November 23.

Houston’s ranking extends its run of appearances in the AP poll to 128 consecutive weeks, the longest active streak in the country. The team’s next major test is expected to come at the Player’s Era Tournament. Last season, Houston finished 30-7 and lost to Illinois in the Sweet 16.