College basketball bubble watch: Week 6

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 14: Head coach Chris Mullin of St. John's in action against Central Connecticut State during an NCAA basketball game at Carnesecca Arena on November 16, 2017 in the Jamaica neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /

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LYNCHBURG, VA – NOVEMBER 17: Rob Gray #32 of the Houston Cougars celebrates a basket during the quarterfinals of the Paradise Jam college basketball tournament against the Drexel Dragons at The Vines Center on November 17, 2017 in Lynchburg, Virginia. The Dragons won 84-80. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

1. Houston Cougars

The AAC desperately needs some depth to emerge if its to be respected as a power conference, with Houston standing out as a possible surprise at-large contender that could boost its metrics by the end of the season.

Embattled head coach Kelvin Sampson has resurrected his career over four seasons with the Cougars, who currently boast a record of 8-1. A loss to Drexel back on Nov. 17 is damaging, but Houston owns a big win over soon to be ranked Arkansas and topped a Wake Forest team that is rapidly improving since its miserable start.

As the Cougars might not be able to pick up many big wins in AAC play, closing out its nonconferene slate with just one loss could provide a huge boost. Houston faces a tough schedule over the next three weeks, starting with Wednesday’s trip to LSU followed by a neutral court contest next week against Providence.

Senior Rob Gray is one of the most effective scorers in college basketball with an average of 21.6 points per game on 51.4 percent shooting from the field. The Cougars rank 19th overall nationally in 3-point percentage, as Wes VanBeck and Corey Davis Jr. can also fill it up from beyond the arc.

LSU can provide a top 100 win even if it doesn’t make the NCAA Tournament, while a victory over fellow bubble team Providence could put the Cougars on the right side of the cut line.