For the first time in a long time, the Kansas University men’s basketball team will start the season unranked in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll.
Voting was released Friday. The Jayhawks, who were tapped No. 1 in the country last preseason, did not crack the Top 25 for the first time since the 1990-91 campaign.
KU checked in at No. 29 behind Big 12 Conference brethren Texas (No. 3), Oklahoma (No. 6) and Iowa State (23).
“It doesn’t come as a surprise to me. Certainly, we anticipated that,” KU coach Bill Self said. “I don’t think we should be (ranked). I think we’ve got to prove ourselves. So many times the preseason rankings are based on what you did the previous year, how you finished. Well, we don’t have many returning players from the year before.”
KU returns one starter off last year’s 23-7 team, which lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
“I kind of like it, to be honest with you. I think it’ll be refreshing to these guys,” Self said of the young Jayhawks not being ranked. “They don’t feel they have to try to prove to everybody they deserve to be there, instead prove that people were wrong. I think sometimes it’s easier to prove people wrong than prove people right.”
Duke was ranked No. 1, receiving 28 of a possible 31 first-place votes. Connecticut was ranked second despite not receiving a first-place vote, followed by Texas, which received two first-place votes, and Villanova, which earned one first-place vote. Michigan State is ranked fifth and OU sixth, with Gonzaga, Louisville, Arizona and Kentucky rounding out the top ten.
ESPN/USA Today coaches’ top five
1. Duke
2. UConn
3. Texas
4. Villanova
5. Michigan State
“I would think that Duke would have to be the preseason number one, although there are four or five up there you could make a strong case for,” Self said of a Blue Devil team that welcomes back four senior starters from a squad that won 27 games.
“Congratulations to them,” KU senior Jeff Hawkins said, asked what he thought of the Devils being ranked No. 1 and Texas No. 3. “We are not worried about that. It’s just people putting their views on what they think we should be since we lost four good seniors and have a young team.
“If we’re not ranked all the way up to the (NCAA) Tournament, it doesn’t bother me. We’re still going to go out and play hard regardless. Eventually, we’ll get in there.”
Hawkins said the public, not players, focused on rankings.
“Maybe girls will think we’re that much prettier if we’re ranked number one,” he said with a grin.
KU will be a big underdog in its opener at the EA Sports Maui Invitational against No. 9 Arizona.
“We anticipated that,” Self said. “I don’t know where Arkansas is rated (unranked), but Arizona being top 10 and Connecticut 2 makes for great first and second-round matchups.”
KU will play either Arkansas or UConn in the second round in Maui. Other ranked teams on KU’s nonconference slate include Kentucky (10) and Nevada (25).
“It shows you how funny polls are. Iowa State is preseason sixth in our league and third highest ranked team (in conference) in the country. You never know about that stuff,” Self said.
Last year’s national champion, North Carolina, also didn’t dent the top 25, checking in at 36 of the 51 teams who received votes.
¢ Collins honored: Future KU point guard Sherron Collins has been named first-team all-Public League wide receiver by Chicago’s Sun-Times. The 5-foot-11 Collins has hauled in 15 TD receptions and has 771 receiving yards. His Crane High team placed first in the Illini Heartland Conference.
¢ Arthur visiting Baylor: Darrell Arthur, a 6-9 senior forward from Dallas’ South Oak Cliff High, is on a recruiting trip this weekend to Baylor. He’s also considering KU, Indiana, SMU and Texas. Arthur averaged 18 points for a South Oak Cliff team that last season won the Class 4A state championship.
