The No. 1 Houston Cougars dropped their first game of the 2022-23 season in a top-10 matchup against the No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide.
The top-ranked home team fell with a 71-65 final score in Houston. Heading into this afternoon’s contest, the Cougars had a flawless 9-0 record.
This is the second time in the last three games that Alabama has taken down the No. 1 team in the country. On Nov. 27, the SEC squad beat then-No. 1 North Carolina in a thrilling four-overtime contest.
NO. 8 ALABAMA KNOCKS OFF NO. 1 HOUSTON 😱
The Crimson Tide storm back in the second half to hand the Cougars their first loss of the season 💪 pic.twitter.com/eB8EVWj7EX
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) December 10, 2022
NOAH FOR THE LEAD!
📺: https://t.co/HG8bKRxZMi#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/zHqqlH8ZFP
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) December 10, 2022
This is the second year in a row the Crimson Tide have claimed victory in the series. Last year, No. 9 Alabama took care of business against No. 14 Houston in Tuscaloosa.
With this massive win, the Crimson Tide should be catapulted into the top five in next week’s rankings. Nate Oats and his team have a tough stretch of games on the horizon, taking on Memphis and No. 18 Gonzaga next week.
Houston will look to bounce back in their next matchup against North Carolina A&T before a marquee contest against No. 3 Virginia.