Houston is No. 1 in the CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college college basketball rankings - and also No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, the Coaches Poll, the NET rankings, KenPom.com, BartTorvik.com, EvanMiya.com, basically everywhere. In other words, humans and computers both agree, Kelvin Sampson's Cougars are awesome. But it is also true that among the four highest-rated undefeated teams - i.e. Houston, Purdue, Virginia and UConn - the Cougars are the only one that doesn't already have multiple Quadrant-1 wins or a victory over a school also ranked in the Top 25 And 1.
Such could change this weekend, though.
That's because Houston is playing in Saturday's most interesting game - a showdown between the top-ranked Cougars and an Alabama team that's ranked eighth in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. The two schools are entering this matchup with a combined record of 16-1. Both have projected one-and-done lottery picks in the 2023 NBA Draft - namely Jarace Walker (Houston) and Brandon Miller (Alabama).
"This is a big game nationally," said Houston coach Kelvin Sampson. "There's a lot of attention on this game."
Absolutely, there is.
But Alabama-Houston is far from the only worth-your-time game on Saturday's schedule. Indiana and Arizona, the teams ranked 10th and 15th in the Top 25 And 1, are playing in Las Vegas at 7:30 pm ET. Kansas, ranked 17th in the Top 25 And 1, is renewing its rivalry (on the road) with undefeated Missouri at 5:15 pm ET. Auburn, undefeated and ranked 20th in the Top 25 And 1, is trying to get its first Quadrant-1 win when it plays Memphis in Atlanta at 5 pm ET. And Creighton, ranked 22nd in the Top 25 And 1, is attempting to snap a three-game losing streak when it plays BYU in the Jack Jones Hoopfest in Las Vegas at 10 pm ET.
Bottom line, the first Saturday without major college football - except for Army vs. Navy, which you should definitely watch at 3 pm ET on CBS - should be great. There's a decent chance Sunday morning's Top 25 And 1 will look different after Saturday's games are finished.
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Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Javier Francis finished with 14 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 76-42 win over North Florida. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Alabama. | -- | 33-4 |
| 2 |  | Zach Edey finished with 23 points and 18 rebounds in Wednesday's 85-66 win over Hofstra. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday at Nebraska. | -- | 29-6 |
| 3 |  | Jayden Gardner finished with 14 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 55-50 win over James Madison. The Cavaliers' next game is Dec. 17 against Houston. | -- | 25-8 |
| 4 |  | Adama Sanogo finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's 75-54 win over Florida. The Huskies' next game is Saturday against LIU. | -- | 31-8 |
| 5 |  | Matthew Mayer finished with 21 points and three blocks in Tuesday's 85-78 overtime win over Texas. The Illini's next game is Saturday against Penn State. | -- | 20-13 |
| 6 |  | Texas missed 15 of the 22 3-pointers it attempted in Tuesday's 85-78 loss to Illinois. The Longhorns' next game is Saturday against Arkansas Pine Bluff. | -- | 29-9 |
| 7 |  | Nick Smith Jr. finished with 22 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 65-58 win over UNC Greensboro. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma. | -- | 22-14 |
| 8 |  | Noah Clowney finished with 22 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 78-65 win over South Dakota State. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday at Houston. | -- | 31-6 |
| 9 |  | Tolu Smith finished with 24 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 82-52 win over Mississippi Valley State. The Bulldogs' next game is Sunday at Minnesota. | -- | 21-13 |
| 10 |  | Trey Galloway finished with 20 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 81-65 win over Nebraska. The Hoosiers' next game is Saturday against Arizona. | -- | 23-12 |
| 11 |  | Keyonte George finished with 22 points and six assists in Tuesday's 80-57 win over Tarleton State. The Bears' next game is Sunday against Washington State. | -- | 23-11 |
| 12 |  | Drew Timme finished with 22 points and seven rebounds in Friday's 77-60 win over Washington. The Zags' next game is Monday against Northern Illinois. | -- | 31-6 |
| 13 |  | Maryland finished with 14 turnovers and nine assists in Tuesday's 64-59 loss at Wisconsin. The Terrapins' next game is Sunday against Tennessee. | -- | 22-13 |
| 14 |  | Cason Wallace finished with 14 points and eight rebounds in Sunday's 73-69 win over Michigan. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Yale. | -- | 22-12 |
| 15 |  | Azuolas Tubelis finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds in Sunday's 81-68 win over California. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Indiana. | -- | 28-7 |
| 16 |  | Tyreke Key finished with 17 points and three rebounds in Wednesday's 84-49 win over Eastern Kentucky. The Vols' next game is Sunday against Maryland. | -- | 25-11 |
| 17 |  | Kevin McCullar finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday's 91-65 win over Seton Hall. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday at Missouri. | -- | 28-8 |
| 18 |  | Mark Mitchell finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 74-62 win over Iowa. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Maryland Eastern Shore. | -- | 27-9 |
| 19 |  | Amari Bailey finished with 14 points and five rebounds in Sunday's 65-56 win over Oregon. The Bruins' next game is Saturday against Denver. | -- | 31-6 |
| 20 |  | Johni Broome finished with 13 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 93-66 win over Colgate. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Memphis. | -- | 21-13 |
| 21 |  | Darrion Trammell finished with 14 points and four assists in Monday's 60-55 win over Troy. The Aztecs' next game is Saturday against Saint Mary's. | -- | 32-7 |
| 22 |  | Arthur Kaluma and Ryan Nembhard combined to go 0-of-12 from 3-point range in Sunday's 63-53 loss to Nebraska. The Bluejays' next game is Saturday against BYU. | -- | 24-13 |
| 23 |  | Olivier-Maxence Prosper finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 90-78 win over North Carolina Central. The Golden Eagles' next game is Sunday at Notre Dame. | -- | 29-7 |
| 24 |  | Zed Key finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds in Thursday's 67-66 win over Rutgers. The Buckeyes' next game is Dec. 17 against North Carolina. | -- | 16-19 |
| 25 |  | Pop Isaacs finished with 24 points and three assists in Wednesday's 78-71 win over Nicholls. The Red Raiders' next game is Tuesday against Eastern Washington. | -- | 16-16 |
| 26 |  | Chucky Hepburn finished with 13 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 64-59 win over Maryland. The Badgers' next game is Sunday at Iowa. | -- | 20-15 |
