Jayhawks picked 3rd in ESPN’s preseason hoops rankings

By Matt Tait     Oct 6, 2016

Nick Krug
Kansas guard Devonte' Graham (4) flashes a smile during a run by the Jayhawks.

ESPN.com released its preseason men’s college basketball rankings on Thursday morning, and there were some awfully familiar names sitting at the top.

Blue bloods Duke, Kentucky and Kansas held down the Top 3 spots, while defending national champion Villanova came in at No. 4.

Landing in ESPN’s top three marks yet another preseason honor for Bill Self’s Jayhawks, who also have been dubbed a top-10 team by The Sporting News (3), SB Nation (4), Athlon (5), Lindy’s (6), NBC Sports (3) and others.

Here’s Eamonn Brennan’s blurb on the third-ranked Jayhawks:

Having spent 12 years transforming the Big 12 into his personal John Wooden cosplay shoot, Kansas coach Bill Self has little conceptual room left in which to improve. This team might just explore that space. Freshman Josh Jackson, a No. 1 overall candidate in next June’s NBA draft, is a chief reason why, but dual point guards Frank Mason and Devonte’ Grahamaren’t far behind — to say nothing of the terrifying perimeter defense those three could unleash together. Throw in senior center Landen Lucas and a potential breakout year from sophomore forward Carlton Bragg, and it’s no wonder Self seems so excited.

ESPN.com’s Top 25 preseason poll features five teams on Kansas’ 2016-17 schedule — No. 1 Duke, No. 2 Kentucky, No. 12 Indiana, No. 19 West Virginia and No. 23 Iowa State — and two others (Texas and Oklahoma) garnering honorable mention nods.

After exhibitions with Washburn and Emporia State in early November, the Jayhawks will open the regular season against two of those Top 25 foes, when they face No. 12 Indiana in Honolulu at the Armed Forces Classic and No. 1 Duke in New York City at the Champions Classic.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.