Houston surges up Andy Katz’s latest men’s basketball Power 36

Houston and Kentucky made major gains in this week’s men’s basketball Power 36 after the Cougars took out Texas and the Wildcats beat Auburn.

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Here’s a look at Katz’s entire rankings after a loaded weekend of men’s basketball: 

1. UConn (1): The Huskies destroyed Marquette and made it known they are the best team in the country. 
2. Houston (7): The Cougars will try to get to the top of the Big 12 against Iowa State on Monday. 
3. Arizona (3): The Wildcats are a No. 1 seed but need to beat Wazzu this week to hold onto first in the Pac-12. 
4. Purdue (2): The Boilermakers dipped Sunday after losing to the Jake Diebler-interim-coached Ohio State Buckeyes. 
5. Alabama (9): The Tide is now 10-2 in the SEC and Nate Oats is doing a fantastic job. 
6. Iowa State (16): Time to give the Cyclones their just attention and ranking. TJ Otzelberger is doing a sensational job. 
7. Marquette (4): The Golden Eagles have to drop but let’s see if the loss at UConn was more of an anomaly. 
8. Kansas (6): The Jayhawks got a much-needed road win at Oklahoma. 
9. Baylor (15): The Bears are primed for a big week to stay in the Big 12 chase. 
10. Tennessee (10): The Vols are keeping pace with Alabama in the SEC. 
11. North Carolina (5): The Tar Heels continue to stumble a bit, losing at Syracuse. 
12. Duke (11): The Blue Devils have quietly climbed into a tie in the ACC.
13. Kentucky (NR): A season-changing week for Kentucky with the home win over Ole Miss and the road win at Auburn. 
14. Illinois (14): The Illini got the road win at Maryland and continue to surge. 
15. Creighton (21): The Bluejays will learn where they stand this week by hosting UConn. 
16. Saint Mary’s (13): The Gaels remain unblemished in the WCC.
17. Washington State (23): The Cougars have won seven in a row and are poised for a showdown with Arizona and a chance to be in first in the Pac-12. 
18. San Diego State (NR): Welcome back to the Aztecs who looked the part of MWC champs in the win over New Mexico.
19. South Florida (31): The Bulls have won 11 in a row, beat FAU and are now the team to beat in the American.  
20. Florida (NR): The Gators have won three in a row, including beating Auburn. 
21. Michigan State (27): The Spartans have won three in a row, including beating Illinois and the last two games on the road. 
22. Gonzaga (29): The Zags are creeping back toward the field as they play their best basketball at the right time. 
23. Dayton (30): The Flyers have reset themselves again and are still the team to beat in the A-10. 
24. TCU (NR): The Horned Frogs are back in the upper half of the standings of the Big 12 after winning two in a row. 
25. South Carolina (8): The Gamecocks are starting to slip a bit after losing two in a row. 
26. Auburn (18): The Tigers were stunned by Kentucky at home and are facing a tough two-game trip to Georgia and Tennessee. 
27. Colorado State (34): The Rams got crushed by San Diego State and then beat Utah State by 20. 
28. Pitt (NR): The Panthers beat Virginia and have won five in a row to sneak back into bid contention.
29. Virginia (12): The Cavaliers lost by 11 at home to Pitt but then beat Wake Forest in a 49-47 outing. 
30. Clemson (25): Clemson’s momentum was stopped by NC State at home. 
31. Northwestern (26): The Wildcats won a gritty road game at Indiana with a depleted roster. 
32. Nebraska (NR): The Huskers have won two in a row and are still trending toward a bid. 
33. Texas Tech (NR): The Red Raiders got the win over Kansas at home but then lost to the hottest team in the Big 12 not named Houston — Iowa State. 
34. Utah State (20): The Aggies lost at Colorado State by 20 but can get right when they host San Diego State. 
35. Loyola-Chicago (NR): The Ramblers have emerged as Dayton’s toughest challenger with a six-game win streak and an identical 11-2 league record as the Flyers.
36. Grand Canyon (NR): Time to recognize the Lopes again with a 24-2 record, 14-1 in the WAC and a seven-game win streak.
 
Dropped out: Indiana State (17), BYU (19), Butler (22), FAU (24), Texas A&M (28), Yale (32), Oklahoma (33), Nevada (35), Wake Forest (36).

Top 10 Games to Watch week of Feb. 19
 
1. Iowa State at Houston, Monday: First place in the Big 12 is on the line in this showdown. The Cyclones got the Cougars in the first meeting by four earlier this season. 
2. UConn at Creighton, Tuesday: The Huskies are the best team in the country, let alone the Big East. But Creighton now has a shot to get into second place and possibly position itself for the second seed in the Big East tournament. 
3. Alabama at Kentucky, Saturday: The Tide could be rolling into Kentucky still alone in first place if they beat Florida. The Wildcats will be coming off a road trip to LSU. Rupp should be rocking regardless.  
4. Houston at Baylor, Saturday: Depending on what happens with Houston hosting Iowa State and Baylor at BYU there is a chance this game could give the Bears a chance to be in a tie for first in the Big 12. 
5. North Carolina at Virginia, Saturday: The Cavaliers are a game behind the Tar Heels and Duke. Beat Virginia Tech earlier in the week on the road and Virginia could be in position to get a piece of first place in the ACC. 
6. Washington State at Arizona, Thursday: The Cougars are just a game back of the Wildcats in the loss column. They already beat Arizona once and a season sweep would give Wazzu the edge for the top seed in the Pac-12 tournament. 
7. San Diego State at Utah State, Tuesday: The Aztecs knocked off New Mexico and are tied with the Aggies atop the Mountain West standings. But the Aztecs have only two MWC road wins — at San Jose State and at Air Force. 
8. Florida at Alabama, Wednesday: This is the first of two games between these schools. The Gators are two games back and have won three in a row. 
9. Colorado State at New Mexico, Wednesday: The Rams and Lobos are both 8-5 in the MWC. The Lobos are trying to get the split in the season series. This should be one of the best backcourt matchups in the conference. 
10. Yale at Cornell, Friday: The Bulldogs and Big Red are tied for first in the Ivy. Yale already beat Cornell once. A sweep should get the Bulldogs the title. 

March Madness National Team of the Week

Kentucky: The Wildcats had their best week of the season after snapping a three-game home losing streak by beating Ole Miss and then dominating Auburn with a 70-59 win on the road. The Wildcats desperately needed a win like the Tigers’ W. Kentucky showed its true potential with a strong defensive effort and getting positive offensive vibes, led by Antonio Reeves’ 22 points. Kentucky is two games behind Alabama and in a log jam for third in the SEC. But that won’t matter much as long as Kentucky has the momentum heading into March Madness. 

March Madness National Player of the Week

Jared McCain, Duke: McCain had himself a performance for the season. The freshman guard lit up Florida State with 35 points on 8 of 11 3-pointers, 12 of 20 overall from the field. McCain had four boards and three steals too. Earlier in the week, McCain dropped 17 and 10 in a win over Wake Forest. If McCain can continue to deliver like this on the perimeter then the Blue Devils will have the balance needed to make a deep run. 

Stock Up:

1. UConn
2. Kentucky
3. South Florida
4. Loyola Chicago
5. Florida
6. Rutgers
7. Illinois
8. Drake
9. San Diego State
10. UCLA

Stock Down:

1. Memphis
2. Butler
3. Indiana State
4. Utah
5. Texas A&M