Kansas men’s basketball landed at No. 17 in Monday’s AP preseason Top 25, a number that sets up an opening stretch loaded with ranked opponents at Allen Fieldhouse.
The Jayhawks will get that early test right away with two exhibitions this week. First comes No.
11 Louisville at 6 p.m. Wednesday, followed by No.
2 Duke at noon Sunday.
Kansas’ preseason spot came before former Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn was added to the roster. His arrival happened after AP voting had already been completed, so he was not part of the ranking process.
This is nothing new for Kansas. The program has been included in every AP preseason poll since the 1990-91 season, and Monday’s No. 17 ranking marked its 49th preseason appearance overall.
That total is fifth in NCAA Division I history, behind Kentucky’s 59, North Carolina’s 56, and Duke and UCLA, which are tied at 51 apiece. The AP preseason poll started in 1962.
The Big 12 showed up in force again, with six teams in the Top 25 and the league tying its record for a third straight season. Along with Kansas, the conference placed Arizona at No.
2, Houston at No. 10, Iowa State at No.
18, Texas Tech at No. 19 and BYU at No. 25.
It’s the sixth time in the last eight years that at least five Big 12 teams have opened the season ranked.
Florida earned the No. 1 spot, pulling in 47 of 59 first-place votes. Duke came in second with 10 first-place votes.
The full Top 25: 1. Florida, 2.
Duke, 3. Illinois, 4.
UConn, 5. Arizona, 6.
Michigan State, 7. Texas, 8.
Tennessee, 9. Virginia, 10.
Houston, 11. Louisville, 12.
Arkansas, 13. St.
John’s, 14. Miami, 15.
Gonzaga, 16. Michigan, 17.
Kansas, 18. Iowa State, 19.
Texas Tech, 20. Alabama, 21.
USC, 22. UCLA, 23.
Kentucky, 24. Vanderbilt, 25.
BYU.
Missouri was the leader among the others receiving votes.
Two independent metrics that came out before Kaufman-Renn joined the roster placed Kansas higher than the AP poll did. KenPom.com has the Jayhawks at No. 8, while EvanMiya.com slots them at No. 5.
And the schedule doesn’t ease up after the exhibitions. Kansas is set to face 10 teams ranked in the preseason Top 25, including matchups with No.
4 UConn, No. 5 Arizona, No.
10 Houston, No. 18 Iowa State, No.
19 Texas Tech, No. 23 Kentucky and No.
25 BYU.
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What stands out now is how much of that roster exists under court-ordered eligibility, with Trey Kaufman-Renn joining Tre White and Melvin Council Jr. in that category. Each case carries its own legal wrinkle, and together they underscore how Kansas is operating in a reality that would have seemed hard to imagine even a few seasons ago. The talent is there, but so is the uncertainty, and the Jayhawks are finding themselves deeper into that mix as the season begins. [Read more 🡒]