No debate about No. 1

Houston's back atop the polls. Get used to it. Plus, New Mexico ends a 2-game skid, there's a showdown in the MWC and a series of charts to help understand the season.

Author

Mike Miller
January 10, 2023

Welcome to all the college football fans looking to get caught up on college hoops. Last night was quiet, but hit that subscribe button below, and you'll get the daily scoop on what mattered in the sport where the national title game won't be a 58-point laugher.

Let's get to the news.

1. Get used to Houston at No. 1

In a season full of surprises, Houston's return to the top of the AP poll will serve as the anchor point for the rest of the year.

After all, the Cougars (16-1) were No. 3 in the preseason and ascended to the top spot for a week before a home loss to Alabama. But now, they've wrapped up their non-conference slate and are handling AAC foes with ease, meaning we probably won't see a different No. 1 team this season. Not when Houston will be a double-digit favorite in all but two of its remaining 14 games.

This isn't just lazy voters, either. The Cougars are No. 1 in KenPom, Bart Torvik, EvanMiya, Sagarin and Haslametrics. (Team Rankings has Tennessee No. 1.) Also sounds like they're intent on keeping that ranking.

There's a high likelihood they own it the rest of the season, though. If the Cougars run the table (like Gonzaga in previous seasons), they'll spend the rest of January and all of February at No. 1, and we'll find something else to write about on Mondays. But with a loss, we'll see a rotation at the top.

Which team will be ranked No. 1 when the NCAA Tournament begins?

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Also of note in the latest AP Poll:

2. Who needs football, anyway?

In a nice piece of counter-programming to the CFP National Championship game blowout, New Mexico held off Oral Roberts, 82-75, on Monday night.

The Lobos (15-2) trailed by 1 midway through the first half, but a 10-0 spurt over a three-minute span gave them a lead they'd never relinquish. Plays like this tend to spark runs.

It stretched to 15 points midway through the second half before the Eagles made a run and cut it to five with a minute left. But that was as close as they'd get. Jamal Mashburn Jr scored 24 points, while Morris Udeze added 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Lobos snapped the Golden Eagles' 10-game win streak that stretched back to November. Max Abmas led Oral Roberts (13-4) with 26 points.

The Lobos added Oral Roberts a few weeks ago as a replacement for their canceled game against New Mexico State, which is why some fans weren't even aware of it until yesterday. But it proved a good addition for fans — and New Mexico, which now adds a Quad 2 win to its resume.

As for Oral Roberts, it still boasts one of the nation's most efficient offenses and figures to continue its run through the Summit League. If not for this game, there was a good chance it could've entered the conference tournament on a 24-game win streak.

Other results to note:

Norfolk State 78, Delaware State 65The Spartans (12-5, 2-0 in MEAC) stayed unbeaten and atop the league standings behind 20 points from Joe Bryant Jr. and 19 from George Beale. Wins Saturday (at Coppin State) and Monday (at Morgan State) would go a long way to their third straight conference crown.

Colgate 77, Army 75Keegan Records hit the game-winning layup with six seconds left as the Raiders (10-7, 4-0 in Patriot) kept pace with American atop the Patriot League. Records had a team-high 17 points, while Army's Jalen Rucker led all scorers with 22.

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3. A showdown out West

Kudos to everyone who had Jan. 10 circled as the must-see matchup in the Mountain West. Nevada — 14-3 overall and atop the conference at 4-0 — travels to San Diego State (12-3, 3-0), the other MWC team that has yet to lose a conference game.

The No. 23 Aztecs entered the season as the non-power conference team to watch, slotted in the Top 20 because of their returning experience, balance and impact transfers. But this is the first time they've been ranked since Dec. 11, when they were 7-3 and coming off a loss to St. Mary's.

While the offense is better than a year ago, the defense hasn't been as stringent. SDSU is coming off an 80-75 win at Wyoming in which it allowed 1.19 points per possession, something no other team's done against the Aztecs (not even Arizona).

Chalk some of that up to travel issues, but most of it was due to Wyoming's spacing around guard Hunter Maldonado. Similar to last season, he played bully ball, backing down defenders for either a short shot or a kick to an open shooter.

Could the Wolf Pack (off to their best start under Steve Alford, now in Year 4 after taking over for Eric Musselman) employ a similar method with senior Kenan Blackshear, who's got comparable size to Maldonado? After all, Nevada hasn't beaten SDSU in San Diego since 1998. But they have something Wyoming doesn't — a size threat down low in 7-foot junior Will Baker. With Baker inside, that should create more natural spacing for Jarod Lucas, Nevada's leading scorer (17.0 ppg) and best shooter (37 percent from deep).

If Nevada can avoid foul trouble (only a handful of teams play their starters more minutes), it'll have the pieces to give SDSU a run. And if not, the return trip to Reno is on Jan. 31. Go ahead and circle that date as well.

4. Chart du jour

Here's a different look at the Top 25 teams on KenPom (the Y axis is efficiency margin) and their rise and fall through the first two months of the season.

If you'd like a closer look, click here. Even cooler? There are 10 more that showcase the top 10 conferences and how the teams have ebbed and flowed this season. The WCC is kinda wild.

5. Cattoor's return 'not the cure-all' ... but it sure would help Hokies

Virginia Tech's promising 11-1 start soured the last few weeks with consecutive losses to Boston College, Wake Forest, Clemson and N.C. State. A team expected to challenge for the ACC title is now fighting for any hope of salvaging a season.

That could get a boost on Wednesday if senior sharpshooter Hunter Cattoor returns for a trip to Syracuse. He's their best perimeter defender and shooter (40.3 percent from beyond the arc) and was coming off a game where he hit four 3-pointers before bruising his elbow in the second half of the loss to BC.

Coach Mike Young thinks the 6-3 guard could play Wednesday but is also cautioning his team that even if Cattoor does play, he's unlikely to be what he was right away.

"That [injury] was painful for him at one point and he would walk around with his hand in his left pocket so his elbow didn't vibrate," Young told The Roanoke Times.

"The biggest problem that he's had is catching the ball. … That slight vibration has been painful. Much, much more comfortable Thursday and Friday. He took [Saturday] off, which was prescribed by Hisham Ziyout, our terrific athletic trainer. [Sunday] will be a big day for him, and then we expect him to practice full on Monday in preparation for the Orange."

The Hokies (11-5, 1-4 in ACC) should know Wednesday morning if Cattoor will be ready. If not, they'll have another week before a trip to Charlottesville.

Tell him what he's won, Johnny!

This made the rounds on Monday, but it's too good not to include. Guess it could be trivia later on: What former college basketball star won Big Ten POY, reached a Final Four and won a car on The Price is Right?

Enjoy this one, George

Oklahoma at Kansas (9 pm ET, ESPN2) might not stand out as the biggest game of the night, especially when you peek at the rest of the compelling slate listed below. (Someone air those A-10 and MAC games!) But allow me a moment to highlight why the Sooners (10-5, 1-2 in the Big 12) against the Jayhawks (14-1, 3-0) matters, at least to me.

I'm a Kansas grad. My friend, George, was born and raised a Sooner. His mom might've been a bigger fan, but it was always fun to trade messages with him for the regular KU-OU matchups. It was far easier when we worked together at msnbc.com and later NBCSports.com because we sat next to each other. I'd grouse during college football season, while George had a fatalist attitude about the Sooners during the winter months (except for when Buddy Hield was around). Been that way for more than 20 years. Tonight will be the first time I can't trade messages with George, who died from cancer on Monday. He was 52. Simply put, he was the best. That kind of phrase gets thrown around a lot when someone dies, but I assure you, it wasn't hyperbole with George. I'll be thinking about him a lot during the game tonight. And will miss him forever.

More games to watch (All times ET)

  • Dayton (11-5, 3-0 in A-10) at Fordham (13-3, 1-2), 7 pm

  • Oklahoma State (9-6, 1-2 in Big 12) at Kansas State (14-1, 3-0), 7 pm (ESPNU)

  • Michigan State (11-4, 3-1 in Big Ten) at Wisconsin (11-3, 3-1), 7 pm (ESPN)

  • Toledo (10-5, 1-1 in MAC) at Kent State (12-3, 2-0), 7 pm

  • North Carolina (11-5, 3-2 in ACC) at Virginia (11-3, 3-2), 9 pm (ESPN)

  • Nevada (14-3, 4-0 in MWC) at San Diego State (12-3, 3-0), 11 pm (CBS Sports Network)

The engine behind Dayton's streak

When Dayton heads to Fordham tonight, the Flyers will try for their seventh straight win. And if sophomore big man Daron Holmes continues his recent play, they'll get it.

Holmes has six straight games of 20-plus points (including four double-doubles) and joined the A-10 insider with Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster to discuss Dayton's rough start, what's gone better lately and what's ahead.

Subscribe to The Field of 68 on YouTube here and subscribe here to the A-10 Insider podcast.

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