Kansas basketball: How the past ten Preseason No. 1 teams have fared

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The AP Poll has rated Kansas basketball as the top team in the nation. We went back in time to see how the seasons of the past ten preseason No. 1 schools played out.

The Kansas Jayhawks have been named the top team in the 2023-24 preseason polls. With the additions of Hunter Dickinson, Johnny Furphy, and Nick Timberlake to an already solid roster, this is a year of high expectations in Lawrence.

I went back and looked at every No. 1 team of the past decade, and it looks like that history is on KU’s side. Here is how every one of those teams fared.

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 08: Armando Bacot #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after being called for a foul against the Boston College Eagles during the second half of their game in the second round of the ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 08, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

2022 Preseason No. 1: North Carolina

Final Record: 20-13
NCAA Tournament Result: N/A

Okay, let’s be honest. How much was the 2022 North Carolina hype affected by the run to the previous year’s National Championship game? Looking back, probably quite a bit. Yes, they returned four starters from the year before, but that team went on a magical run to the title game. They were an eight seed in that tournament.

Well, the hype train quickly derailed for the 2022 Tar Heels, as they became the fastest team to drop from the top spot in the rankings to unranked (doing so in just two weeks).

They made a solid effort at the end of the season to try and sneak into the tournament, but it wasn’t enough. This isn’t a good start for making my case about the preseason top team being a good omen. Don’t worry, this is the only team on this list that didn’t make the NCAA Tournament (barring a special exception, which I’ll get to shortly).

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