Kansas basketball voted No. 1 team in the nation in final AP Poll
In a special final AP Poll, Kansas basketball was ranked as the No. 1 team in the country by voters, further legitimizing the Jayhawks as the best team in 2020.
We’ll never know for sure how March Madness would have ended in 2020, but there’s one thing we know for sure: Kansas basketball was the best team in the country. Their analytical metrics were far better than every other team, and their resume speaks for itself.
The Jayhawks’ big wins include a victory on the road against Baylor, a win on a neutral court against Dayton, going 17-1 in a major conference and losing only three games the entire season (all to ranked teams).
To pull all of that off, Kansas had elite talent too. Both Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike were named First-Team All-Americans by ESPN, and Marcus Garrett earned Defensive Player of the Year.
The AP voters also knew just how good the Jayhawks were. In the AP Poll that released after the regular season had ended, Kansas was ranked as the No. 1 team in the country, unanimously.
In the AP Poll that released this morning, March 18, Kansas basketball was once again ranked as the top team in the country by voters. The Jayhawks received 1,623 points, a near-unanimous selection.
The big question now revolves around how Kansas should recognize the 2020 team. Technically, they didn’t win the NCAA Tournament, and it’s unlikely the NCAA will name them the national champion. However, being ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll is quite the accomplishment, and the Poll was used by college football to recognize a national champion before the bowl system.
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It’s important to note that Kansas claims and hangs banners from their Helms national titles, so a national title to recognize an AP champion in a year with no NCAA Tournament doesn’t seem crazy.