Kansas news: Move to No. 5 in AP Poll, defeat Oklahoma State

Kansas News

After dropping as far as they have been in the AP Poll all season last week (No. 9), Kansas moved back up four spots to claim the No. 5 ranking in the country. They passed the Texas Longhorns, who they defeated the previous week.

KU had a very impressive start to the week. They went out to Stillwater, Oklahoma, and handled business in what could have been a trap game for the Jayhawks. Their 87-76 win was highlighted by a 26-point offensive clinic from Gradey Dick.

https://twitter.com/KUHoops/status/1625709556042203140

Oklahoma State had been a very hot team as of late, so it was refreshing to see a pair of road games that did not come down to the wire. This won’t be the case for their remaining road meetings, which happen to come against TCU and Texas.

In other Big 12 news, Texas Tech upset yet another conference powerhouse. After taking down the No. 12 Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday, they marched back and fought off the No. 6 Texas Longhorns two days later. The Longhorns loss puts them, Kansas, and Baylor in a three-way tie atop the conference.

It is safe to say that the Jayhawks short “slump” is out of the way. They’ve won five of their last six, including three victories away from Allen Fieldhouse.

Now that they are back to playing great basketball, KU can focus on this upcoming weekend’s College Gameday contest versus Baylor. It is a pivotal matchup for the Jayhawks, who could potentially overtake the No. 1 spot in the Big 12 outright depending on the Texas game.

KU could not overcome the Bears in their first meeting in January. 47 combined points from Jalen Wilson and Gradey Dick were not enough. On the big stage, Bill Self’s squad will certainly be more ready this time around.

Just five games are left in the Jayhawks regular season, and there are less than four weeks remaining until Selection Sunday. Kansas continues to plead a case to the committee to be a No. 1 seed, and that seems to be in striking distance.