Kansas will open the 2026-27 season at No. 17 in the Associated Press preseason Top 25, a ranking released Monday that still puts the Jayhawks in the national mix but leaves plenty of room for Bill Self’s team to climb.
The spot comes with some built-in history, too. Kansas Athletics said the Jayhawks have now appeared in the AP preseason poll for 35 straight seasons, stretching back to 1990-91. That run remains one of the steadiest streaks in college basketball.
At the top of the poll, Florida grabbed No. 1, with Duke at No. 2 and Illinois at No. 3.
UConn checked in at No. 4 and Arizona at No. 5.
Kansas landed at No. 17, just behind Michigan and one spot ahead of Big 12 rival Iowa State at No. 18.
The ranking doesn’t exactly scream ceiling, especially when you look at the roster Kansas has put together. Freshman Tyran Stokes, the nation’s top recruit, leads the way, with fellow freshman Taylen Kinney also in the mix. The Jayhawks also brought in transfer help, including former Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, while Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White are back.
There’s a strong case that Kansas could outplay this preseason slot, but there are still moving parts to sort through. The biggest question is how fast the newcomers settle in and how smoothly they adapt to Self’s system.
The Big 12 should give Kansas no shortage of chances to make noise. Six league teams showed up in the poll: Arizona at No.
5, Houston at No. 10, Kansas at No.
17, Iowa State at No. 18, Texas Tech at No. 19 and BYU at No.
The schedule outside the conference is no soft landing either. Kansas will face Kentucky in the Champions Classic and travel to UConn in December, two matchups that should provide a clear read on where the Jayhawks stand against top-tier competition.
For now, No. 17 is just the starting point. The ingredients are there for Kansas to push well beyond that number, but it will have to turn talent and depth into steady production before the ranking starts to move.
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