USATSI
The year was 1966. Elvin Hayes, Melvin Bell and Don Chaney were the stars on a Houston team that opened its season at home against New Mexico. This was back when College Basketball seasons didn’t start until December and the AP poll was 10 teams, not 25. The Cougars were ranked No. 7 to start that season. They welcomed in the Lobos, who were ranked No. 6. Houston’s Delmar Field House was the site of the game, which ended in a 96-84 Cougars win.
It was, as it turns out, historic. Because the famed “Game of the Century” in 1968 between No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 Houston was not at Houston’s home venue, but instead at the Astrodome.
Making that 1966-67 season opener the only time Houston has hosted a top-10 matchup.
Until this Saturday, that is. The Cougars welcome in Alabama for a return game in their home-and-home series. Alabama won controversially last season (in a top-15 affair) 83-82 after possible goaltending on Houston’s final shot near the rim was deemed a no-call. It should be a terrific tilt, and this is yet another moment for reflection on the outrageously impressive job Kelvin Sampson has done getting UH back to national prominence.
Both teams are in my top 10. Let’s get to the rankings.
Illinois a top-five team? How do we grade Duke? The latest episode of Eye on College Basketball.
Hey Nineteen Power Rankings
Reminder: My rankings are not solely about whom I think is “best.” The Hey Nineteen is a weekly encapsulation of the 19 hottest, most successful and/or most interesting teams in college basketball, combining team quality with win quality but also having no shame for recency bias and rewarding significant winning streaks. Courteous feedback is always encouraged: @MattNorlander.
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