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Houston will enter the NCAA tournament with the No. 1 ranking in the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll, despite its loss in the American Athletic Conference championship game just prior to the unveiling of the brackets.
The Cougars, who were playing without leading scorer Marcus Sasser in the loss to Memphis, retained 21 of 32 No. 1 votes to stave off second-ranked Alabama. The Crimson Tide received eight firsts after winning the SEC title in impressive fashion on Sunday.
Purdue checks in at No. 3 after barely holding on to win the Big Ten title. The Boilermakers claimed two No. 1 votes. Big East champ Marquette climbs to No. 4. Defending national champ Kansas is 5th, picking up the final first-place nod despite falling in the Big 12 final to No. 7 Texas.
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No. 6 UCLA slips to No. 6 after losing late to No. 8 Arizona in the Pac-12 finale. Gonzaga and Virginia round out the top 10.
Duke makes a six-spot jump to No. 15 after winning the ACC title. Missouri and Florida Atlantic join the poll in the last two spots, replacing Kentucky and Northwestern.
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