With just a week left to play in the regular season, Kansas has ascended to the No. 1 spot in the country.
Following losses this past week by previously undefeated Gonzaga and a Villanova team that so often this year has been ranked just ahead of KU, the Jayhawks jumped from No. 3 to the top of the Associated Press college basketball poll, released Monday.
Of the 65 first-place votes, KU received 58. Villanova, which remained at No. 2, got two first-place nods. Three more went to No. 3 UCLA, while two other ballots stuck with Gonzaga, which dropped to No. 4, at the top.
Although coach Bill Self’s Kansas team, led by senior Frank Mason III, junior Devonte’ Graham and freshman Josh Jackson, have received first-place votes in five other weeks this season, it marks the first time for this group of Jayhawks to earn an AP No. 1 ranking.
Kansas is the sixth school to be No. 1 this season. The Jayhawks were on top last season for five weeks, including the final three polls of the season.
KU, the preseason No. 3 team in the country, spent three weeks at No. 2 in January, and was No. 3 in 10 of the previous 16 rankings.
Kansas fell to No. 7 — its lowest rank of the season — following a Nov. 11 overtime loss to Indiana, in Honolulu, but defeated Duke In New York the following week and hasn’t dropped out of the top five since. This marks the 13th consecutive week in the top three for the Jayhawks (26-3 overall, 14-2 Big 12).
With the latest move to No. 1, Kansas has been ranked first by the AP 64 times in program history — and 25 times in head coach Self’s 14 seasons in Lawrence. This is KU’s 109th week within the top five during the Self era.
The Jayhawks will play their first game this season as the No. 1 team in the nation in their home finale, versus Oklahoma (10-18, 4-12), at 8 p.m. Monday (ESPN).
No. 1. Kansas
No. 2. Villanova
No. 3. UCLA
No. 4. Gonzaga
No. 5. North Carolina
No. 6. Oregon
No. 7. Arizona
No. 8. Louisville
No. 9. Kentucky
No. 10. West Virginia
No. 11. Baylor
No. 12. Florida
No. 13. Butler
No. 14. SMU
No. 15. Florida State
No. 16. Purdue
No. 17. Duke
No. 18. Cincinnati
No. 19. Notre Dame
No. 20. Saint Mary’s
No. 21. Wichita State
No. 22. Wisconsin
No. 23. Virginia
No. 24. Iowa State
No. 25. Miami (Fla.)