Houston ranked No. 1 once again in AP poll

For the fifth week this season, the Houston Cougars are the No. 1 team in the Associated Press college basketball top 25 rankings.

Houston initially ranked No. 1 in the country for two weeks beginning on Nov. 28 and then again for another two-week stint starting on Jan. 9.

The Cougars are the only team in men's college basketball to rank in the top five of every AP poll this season.

Purdue (seven) has the most weeks at No. 1 in the AP poll this year, followed by North Carolina (three) and Alabama (one).

The Boilermakers are led by leading National Player of the Year candidate Zach Edey while the Crimson Tide are as much of a threat for a men's basketball title as they usually are for a football championship.

North Carolina, meanwhile, is threatening to make history as the first preseason No. 1 team to fail to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

Per Oddschecker, Houston (+700) is the favorite to win the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The Cougars have the best defense in men's basketball, allowing the fewest points per game (55.7) of any team in the nation.

Per ESPN's Bracketology, Houston is expected to make it to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed in the Midwest region. On Saturday, the selection committee released a first look at the top 16 teams in the men's basketball tournament and ranked the Cougars as the second overall seed, behind Alabama.