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Kansas basketball has a serious case to be #1 in the next AP Poll

By Dylan Morrell

LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 26: Udoka Azubuike #35 of the Kansas Jayhawks ad Dalton Nixon #33 of the BYU Cougars battle for position under the basket during the second half at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 26, 2019 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 26: Udoka Azubuike #35 of the Kansas Jayhawks ad Dalton Nixon #33 of the BYU Cougars battle for position under the basket during the second half at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 26, 2019 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /
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Kansas basketball was ranked second in the most recent AP Poll, but that could change after this weekend’s battle with #20 Colorado.

In the most recent AP Top 25, Kansas basketball received 1,497 points and three first-place votes, while #1 Louisville was given 1,599 points and 48 first-place votes. While the margin between the two teams wasn’t particularly small, Louisville didn’t look too impressive at home recently against #4 Michigan.

When the Wolverines took on Louisville last Tuesday, fans were expecting a top-five battle, and what they got instead was a brick-fest.

Neither team could shoot the ball, as Louisville shot 37% compared to Michigan’s 26% from the field. Things weren’t better from the free throw line, with neither team shooting over 67% on the night. It was an ugly game that ended in a 58-43 win for Louisville, but the stats certainly indicate that neither team really deserved to win.

That’s why Kansas basketball has a chance to jump Louisville in next week’s poll if they beat #20 Colorado this Saturday. The Buffaloes are undefeated so far this season, and they have a legitimate chance to compete with Oregon and Arizona for the Pac-12 title this year.

If the Jayhawks get the win over Colorado, the voters must consider the number of quality wins on Kansas’ resume. The Jayhawks have wins over now #19 Dayton and BYU on a neutral court, as well as a two-point neutral-court loss to Duke.

While Louisville is undefeated thus far, their only win over a ranked team was Michigan, and their only other quality win came against Miami on the road to kick off the season. Louisville’s non-conference schedule is extremely weak compared to Kansas according to kenpom,com, who ranks the Jayhawks’ non-con schedule strength at number 20 and Louisville’s at number 304.

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With no clear frontrunner this season, this could finally be the year for Kansas basketball. While rankings don’t really matter at this point in the season, holding onto that #1 spot for the majority of the season would be a nice bonus for the Jayhawks on selection Sunday.

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