Kansas basketball: Houston jumps KU in AP Poll despite weak strength of schedule

The AP Poll voters didn't take kindly to this past weekend's Kansas basketball game, so much so that the Jayhawks dropped from No. 2 to No. 3 despite coming out victorious against TCU.

College basketball fans around the country erupted after a questionable flagrant foul in the final minute propelled KU to a win. But regardless of how they got there, Bill Self and Co. beat TCU 83-81 and moved to 13-1 on the season thanks to a 30-point double-double by Hunter Dickinson.

On the other side of the Big 12, Houston steamrolled West Virginia 89-55 with a convincing triumph in the university's first-ever league game in the conference. They have the top-ranked defense in the sport and one of the most talented rosters to go along with an undefeated record. As a result, the committee had the Cougars leap Kansas while also garnering seven first-place votes.

While the Cougars have dominated their competition, they also haven't faced off against the most formidable opponents. Houston's notable victories have come against Texas A&M, Utah, Xavier, and Dayton, nothing compared to the caliber of schools Kansas basketball faced in its nonconference slate.

With marquee victories over UConn, Kentucky, and Tennessee, it's hard to justify putting Houston over Kansas at this point in the season. The Cougars' 106th-ranked strength of schedule should leave something to be desired among the voters, yet they gave them the nod without much of a compelling argument.

Although it is true that the Jayhawks have looked unimpressive at times this year, there is no reason they should drop in the rankings until Houston proves it can keep up with the best teams in the country. Time will tell, but we should learn more about the Cougars when they travel to Ames to face Iowa State tomorrow — Kelvin Sampson's toughest test yet.