College basketball rankings: Kansas jumps over Houston for No. 4 in updated Coaches Poll

Kansas got a boost in the updated Coaches Poll released Monday after knocking off Houston at home. The Jayhawks jumped five spots to No. 4 after securing their fifth Quad 1 victory of the season.

After falling behind in the opening minute of the game, Kansas used a dominant effort during the 78-65 win. Houston dropped a single spot to No. 5 following the loss.

The Jayhawks dropped in last week’s poll after falling to Iowa State on the road before firing off wins over Oklahoma State and Houston to jump back to the top of the Big 12 standings. Kansas sits in a first-place tie with Houston heading into the final month of the regular season.

Kansas was one of four teams in last week’s top 10 (UConn, Purdue and Marquette) to not lose last week. North Carolina, Houston, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Duke and Kentucky all lost at least once.

One of the biggest fallers in the poll was Kentucky. The Wildcats dropped seven spots all the way to No. 15 following losses to Florida and Tennessee.  

South Carolina entered the rankings for the first time in nearly seven years. The Gamecocks checked in at No. 20 after recording wins over Tennessee and Georgia. South Carolina was last ranked in the Coaches Poll of the 2016-17 season.

Coaches Poll

1. UConn
2. Purdue
3. North Carolina
4. Kansas
5. Houston
6. Tennessee
7. Marquette
8. Arizona
9. Wisconsin
10. Duke
11. Auburn
12. Illinois
13. Baylor
14. Iowa State
15. Kentucky
16. Alabama
17. Dayton
18. Creighton
19. BYU
20. South Carolina
21. Utah State
22. FAU
23. Texas Tech
24. San Diego State
25. New Mexico

Others receiving votes: Saint Mary’s 57; Indiana State 45; TCU 36; Colorado State 32; Virginia 17; Oklahoma 12; Grand Canyon 12; Northwestern 8; Boise State 7; Gonzaga 6; Texas 5; Michigan State 4; Ole Miss 2; App State 2;