Kansas ascends to No. 2 in latest AP men’s basketball poll
On the night of Nov. 17, the Kansas Jayhawks left the United Center in Chicago shaken and disappointed after a 79-73 loss to Michigan State at the Champions Classic. Nearly three weeks later, that loss looks a little different.
Kansas on Monday moved up to No. 2 in the latest Associated Press men’s basketball poll, its highest ranking of the season. The Jayhawks, who have won five straight since their lone loss, trail only No. 1 Michigan State, which has backed up its victory over Kansas with a 9-0 record.
The Jayhawks’ latest performance — a 75-69 victory over Harvard on Saturday — was far from flawless. But in a college basketball landscape that is wide open at the top, Kansas’ 6-1 record, its Maui Invitational title, and a quality loss has vaulted the Jayhawks into the top two.
The Jayhawks led five Big 12 teams in the top 25, including three teams among the top seven. Iowa State, 6-0, is No. 4, while Oklahoma, 5-0, is No. 7. West Virginia is No. 14, while Baylor is slotted in at No. 16 after a marquee victory over Vanderbilt on Sunday night.
No. 3 North Carolina and No. 5 Kentucky, which lost to UCLA last week, round out the top five. Maryland is No. 6, while Duke, Villanova and Virginia round out the top 10, respectively.
AP Top 25
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Dec. 6, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking:
Record | Pts | Prv | |
1. Michigan State (62) | 9-0 | 1,617 | 3 |
2. Kansas (1) | 6-1 | 1,442 | 4 |
3. North Carolina (2) | 7-1 | 1,425 | 9 |
4. Iowa State | 6-0 | 1,347 | 5 |
5. Kentucky | 7-1 | 1,325 | 1 |
6. Maryland | 7-1 | 1,299 | 2 |
7. Oklahoma | 5-0 | 1,283 | 6 |
8. Duke | 8-1 | 1,243 | 7 |
9. Villanova | 7-0 | 1,230 | 8 |
10. Virginia | 7-1 | 1,003 | 10 |
11. Purdue | 8-0 | 997 | 11 |
12. Xavier | 8-0 | 930 | 12 |
13. Arizona | 7-1 | 811 | 19 |
14. West Virginia | 7-0 | 615 | 20 |
15. Providence | 8-1 | 548 | 23 |
16. Baylor | 6-1 | 488 | 25 |
17. Miami, Fla. | 7-1 | 469 | 21 |
18. Butler | 6-1 | 416 | — |
19. SMU | 6-0 | 413 | 22 |
20. Gonzaga | 5-2 | 399 | 13 |
21. Vanderbilt | 6-2 | 377 | 16 |
22. Louisville | 6-1 | 373 | 24 |
23. Cincinnati | 8-1 | 331 | 17 |
24. Oregon | 6-1 | 241 | 15 |
25. Utah | 7-1 | 108 | — |
Others receiving votes: Connecticut 82, Syracuse 78, Texas A&M 69, George Washington 60, UNLV 40, UCLA 19, South Carolina 15, Dayton 7, Arkansas-Little Rock 5, Florida 4, Georgetown 4, Iowa 3, Pittsburgh 3, Indiana 2, Northwestern 2, Navy 1, Notre Dame 1.
Tod Palmer’s ballot: 1. Michigan State, 2. Villanova, 3. Iowa State, 4. Oklahoma, 5. Kansas, 6. North Carolina, 7. Maryland, 8. Kentucky, 9. Duke, 10. Virginia, 11. Purdue, 12. Providence, 13. Arizona, 14. Xavier, 15. SMU, 16. Louisville, 17. Gonzaga, 18. Oregon, 19. Baylor, 20. Vanderbilt, 21. Miami, Fla., 22. Butler, 23. Cincinnati, 24. Connecticut, 25. West Virginia.
Women’s AP Top 25
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ women’s college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Dec. 6, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking:
Record | Pts | Prv | |
1. Connecticut (32) | 6-0 | 800 | 1 |
2. South Carolina | 8-0 | 764 | 2 |
3. Notre Dame | 7-1 | 717 | 3 |
4. Baylor | 9-0 | 715 | 4 |
5. Maryland | 8-0 | 656 | 5 |
5. Texas | 7-0 | 656 | 6 |
7. Oregon State | 6-0 | 598 | 7 |
8. Kentucky | 7-0 | 533 | 11 |
9. Mississippi State | 6-1 | 523 | 9 |
10. Ohio State | 5-3 | 503 | 10 |
11. Florida State | 7-1 | 480 | 13 |
12. Northwestern | 8-0 | 418 | 15 |
13. Duke | 7-2 | 386 | 14 |
14. Stanford | 6-1 | 362 | 16 |
15. Texas A&M | 6-2 | 356 | 12 |
16. Tennessee | 6-2 | 354 | 8 |
17. Oklahoma | 7-1 | 264 | 21 |
18. DePaul | 6-2 | 189 | 23 |
19. Syracuse | 5-2 | 130 | 20 |
20. UCLA | 4-2 | 121 | 24 |
21. South Florida | 5-2 | 115 | 24 |
22. California | 6-2 | 106 | 18 |
23. Iowa | 8-1 | 97 | — |
24. Arizona State | 4-3 | 95 | 17 |
25. Michigan State | 5-2 | 87 | 19 |
Others receiving votes: Miami, Fla., 78, St. John’s 58, Seton Hall 46, Missouri 40, Georgia 37, Virginia Tech 34, Southern California 26, Princeton 19, Oklahoma State 12, Nebraska 6, VCU 6, Florida 4, Purdue 4, BYU 2, Idaho 1, Louisville 1, Oregon 1.
Rustin Dodd: 816-234-4937, @rustindodd
This story was originally published December 7, 2015 at 1:17 PM with the headline "Kansas ascends to No. 2 in latest AP men’s basketball poll."