10 College Basketball programs with the longest active AP Poll appearance streaks, featuring Houston
The Houston Cougars might not jump to mind as the top program in college basketball.
While the Cougars have reached six Final Fours, with the last coming in 2021, they have never won an NCAA Tournament. But college hoops giants like UCLA, Kentucky, North Carolina and even Kansas can't touch Houston's 75 week streak in the AP top 25 (although Kansas is Houston's nearest competition).
Who else has a lengthy streak in the nation's top college basketball ranking? Here are the 10 college basketball programs with the longest AP poll top 25 streaks.
Read More: The Week 12 AP Poll Top 25
Longest AP Poll 25 streaks in college basketball
#10 FAU Owls (12 weeks)
The Florida Atlantic Owls have only been to the NCAA Tournament twice. But the Owls reached the 2023 Final Four and have taken their forward momentum into this season.
Coach Dusty May's Owls have hung in the top 25, and have made Boca Raton, Florida, a site to know on the college basketball landscape.
#9 Duke Blue Devils (13 weeks)
Coach Jon Scheyer has big shoes to fill in Durham, but Duke's dynasty keeps chugging on.
While Scheyer might not equal Coach K's five NCAA titles, the seventh-ranked Blue Devils will work around big sophomore Kyle Filipowski and look to write a new chapter in their college hoops dominance.
#8 Baylor Bears (20 weeks)
Scott Drew and the Bears broke through in 2021, winning the school's first NCAA title.
He has only kept up the pace, as his Bears rank ninth in the nation and are one of the country's premier 3-point shooting teams (40.4%, third best in the nation). Baylor might climb this ranking in a hurry.
#7 Marquette Golden Eagles (21 weeks)
Shaka Smart has Marquette humming along and threatening to break back into the sport's elite squads.
Junior guard Kameron Jones is tough, and Marquette forces a ton of turnovers-- over 16 per game, among the national leaders. If the Golden Eagles can navigate a Big East schedule, they may rise above their current No. 17 AP ranking.
#6 Purdue Boilermakers (28 weeks)
Matt Painter's Boilermakers have struggled in March but remain a dangerous foe this year. Not many teams can match up with seven-foot-four center Zach Edey, and No. 2 ranked Purdue could well be on pace for their first FInal Four since 1980.
#5 UConn Huskies (29 weeks)
Apologies to the sport's traditional blue bloods, but UConn might have just snuck into their ranks.
Dan Hurley's defending NCAA champs pack plenty of punch, which is why they remain stop the AP poll. UConn is averaging a 17-point margin over opponents for the year.
#4 Arizona Wildcats (47 weeks)
It's been over two decades since Arizona reached a Final Four (2001), but don't tell third-year coach Tommy Lloyd. Senior guard Caleb Love is an elite scorer, and the No. 12 Wildcats should stick in the poll for the remainder of the season.
#3 Tennessee Volunteers (49 weeks)
Now, this is a surprise. Granted, Rick Barnes has done an excellent job in Knoxville, but UT remains a program with fewer Final Four appearances than Florida Atlantic, George Mason or Western Kentucky, among others.
Transfer Dalton Knecht leads a guard-ladden team that just might change UT's traditional fortunes.
#2 Kansas Jayhawks (54 weeks)
Bill Self's squad was all but certain to be in these rankings. Self is probably contemplating a third NCAA title for his personal trophy case, which would be Kansas' fifth.
Given the inside outside combo of Kevin McCullar and Hunter Dickinson, he has got a good shot.
#1 Houston Cougars (75 weeks)
Kelvin Sampson's Cougars give the Big 12 a second powerhouse squad. Sampson's team does business the old-fashioned way, holding opponents to an NCAA low 35.3% shooting and 51.5 points per game.
Can that get Houston over its NCAA title-less skid? Perhaps, but it should certainly keep the fifth-ranked Cougars in the AP Top 25.