For the fifth time in program history, the Kansas Jayhawks have been ranked as the Associated Press (AP) No. 1 team in the country.
The first AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll of the season was released Monday with the Jayhawks receiving 30 first place votes as the best team in the country – more than double the amount received by No. 2 Alabama (14 votes).
Kansas is one of six Big 12 teams projected in the top 25, five of which are listed in the top 10.
All five preseason No. 1 rankings that KU has received in school history have been under head coach Bill Self. It’s also the 13th consecutive year in which the Jayhawks have been ranked No. 7 or higher in the preseason AP poll.
When looking at this year’s roster, it’s easy to see why there are big expectations of this KU team.
The Jayhawks return Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year Hunter Dickinson who was a First Team All-Big 12 and Big 12 Newcomer of the Year selection a season ago. Senior Dajuan Harris Jr. returns with as much experience as anyone you’ll find in college basketball. KJ Adams Jr., the 2023 Big 12 Most Improved Player, is also back for one final season.
On top of that, the team brought in arguably the best transfer class in the country featuring high-scoring guard Zeke Mayo (averaged 18.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season at South Dakota State), former Wisconsin guard AJ Storr (averaged 16.8 points and 3.9 rebounds last year at Wisconsin), Rylan Griffen (averaged 11. 2 points while shooting nearly 40% from three last season at Alabama), and others.
This team has all the makings of a true national championship contender: talent, depth, experience, and coaching. But as Self said following Monday’s announcement, it doesn’t matter where you start – it matters where you end.
"We welcome being preseason No. 1, especially with our returning players like Hunter (Dickinson), Dajuan (Harris) and KJ (Adams), and then you add the players we brought in," Self said. "The goal is to be No. 1 at the end of the season, and though we welcome this, it is not the end goal."