Kansas Jayhawks basketball plummets in AP Poll entering final week of regular season

After a tumultuous week with a home loss to BYU and a road loss to Baylor, the Kansas basketball program has found itself in unfamiliar territory. For the first time since the 2020-21 season, KU dipped below the top 10 in the AP Top 25.

The team doubled its ranking from No. 7 to No. 14 in the most recent edition of the poll. While KU had been ranked in the top 10 for 55 consecutive weeks, they are now 14th and could drop lower with a looming game in Fertitta Center against Houston.

The Jayhawks had their struggles in conference play before their consecutive losses, dropping games to Big 12 bottom feeders such as West Virginia and UCF. However, last week marked the first time they lost consecutive games in league play. Now, they sit tied for the fifth spot along with BYU, which would give them an additional game in the Big 12 Tournament.

With a 9-7 conference record, Kansas has already clinched its worst conference record since 1988-89. Not only will it mark the fourth time since Bill Self became the head coach in 2003 that the team will not claim at least a share of the regular season title, but it is arguably the worst season in his tenure.

In the updated rankings, Houston is ranked first, UConn is ranked second, and Tennessee is ranked fourth. Those are all schools that Kansas defeated during the season. However, some of their losses outweigh the strength of good wins.

If Kansas stays put near the 15th spot come Selection Sunday, Bill Self and Co. would likely be selected as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The last time the Jayhawks entered the preseason as the No. 1 team five years ago, they also finished as a four-seed in March Madness.