Kansas Jayhawks jump to No. 1 in latest Associated Press poll

By Matt Tait     Feb 24, 2020

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Kansas guard Devon Dotson, right, shoots over Baylor guard Mark Vital, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Ray Carlin)

Fresh off of a three-point win in Waco, Texas, on Saturday over then-No. 1 Baylor, the Kansas Jayhawks have moved into the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

Kansas, which sits at 24-3 overall and 13-1 in Big 12 play, jumped two spots in the latest poll that was released Monday morning. The Jayhawks received 62 of the 64 first-place votes handed out this week. Baylor received the other two.

Although one of its top two teams wound up on the losing end of the recent showdown, Saturday’s KU victory turned out to be a win-win for the Big 12 Conference. Despite the loss — its first in its last 24 games — Baylor fell just one spot to No. 2 and the Big 12 now owns the top two positions in the current AP poll.

Gonzaga, like Baylor, which lost over the weekend, dropped a spot to No. 3, and Dayton (up one) and San Diego State (down one) round out the new Top 5.

The Jayhawks’ jump to No. 1 in the latest AP poll was hardly a surprise. Not only did KU knock off the No. 1 team on its home floor last weekend, but the Jayhawks also are ranked No. 1 by KenPom.com, No. 1 in the NCAA Tournament Evaluation Tool rankings (NET), No. 1 by KPI and Sagarin and also have the most Quadrant 1 wins of any team in the country and the most Quadrant 1 and 2 wins of any team in the country.

KU’s strength of schedule also ranks No. 1 per KenPom.com, giving Bill Self’s Jayhawks the most complete and well-rounded resume of any team in the country and in Kansas team in a long time.

Having said that, the Bears were just a possession or two away from sweeping the Jayhawks, making their soft landing at No. 2 more than justified, according to KU point guard Devon Dotson, who praised the Bears after Saturday’s victory.

“Just great teams battling against each other,” Dotson characterized Saturday’s showdown.

“Both teams really defend,” he added. “They make it tough each and every possession on you and there’s just that respect (between us). Just many different pieces, a lot of versatility out there on the floor, a couple great teams collectively that can execute game plans. Just two great teams going at it.”

KU now has been ranked in 217 consecutive AP polls, bringing the Jayhawks closer to eclipsing UCLA’s all-time record of 221 consecutive weeks in the AP Top 25.

**Here’s a complete look at the rest of this week’s poll:**

1 – Kansas, 24-3, 1,598 (62)

2 – Baylor, 24-2, 1,532 (2)

3 – Gonzaga, 27-2, 1,442

4 – Dayton, 25-2, 1,413

5 – San Diego State, 26-1, 1,287

6 – Florida State, 23-4, 1,247

7 – Duke, 23-4, 1,186

8 – Kentucky, 22-5, 1,130

9 – Maryland, 22-5, 1,124

10 – Creighton, 22-6, 986

11 – Louisville, 23-5, 966

12 – Villanova, 21-6, 928

13 – Seton Hall, 20-7, 842

14 – Oregon, 21-7, 653

15 – Auburn, 23-4, 643

16 – Penn State, 20-7, 618

17 – BYU, 23-7, 598

18 – Iowa, 19-8, 489

19 – Michigan, 18-9, 329

20 – West Viginia, 19-8, 313

21 – Colorado, 21-7, 291

22 – Texas Tech, 18-9, 226

23 – Ohio State, 18-9, 210

24 – Michigan State, 18-9, 160

25 – Houston, 21-7, 102

**Others receiving votes:** Arizona State 95, Illinois 82, Arizona 71, Butler 51, Virginia 50, Marquette 41, Stephen F. Austin 29, LSU 24, East Tennessee State 13, Utah State 9, Florida 8, Wisconsin 7, New Mexico State 2, Liberty 2, Northern Iowa 2, UCLA 1.

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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.