Currently ranked No. 2 in the nation in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls, an argument could be made that Kansas is the best team in the country — no offense, No. 1-ranked Villanova.
During Wednesday night’s ESPN broadcast of Duke-UNC, analyst Jay Bilas said he fought the Jayhawks deserved the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament if you compare teams’ résumés at this point of the season, with less than two weeks left in February.
To Bilas’ point, KU (22-4 overall, 10-3 Big 12) has rattled off six straight wins since losing at Iowa State on Jan. 25, with victories over Kentucky, West Virginia and Oklahoma headlining that stretch.
The Jayhawks’ play hasn’t been lost on Sports Illustrated’s Luke Winn, either. In his latest College Hoops power rankings, Winn awarded Kansas the No. 1 spot.
Power Rankings:
1 @KUHoops
2 @NovaMBB
3 @UVAMensHoops
4 @MSU_Basketball
5 @TerrapinHoopshttps://t.co/bsvbNL77S1 pic.twitter.com/y0LF3Qbh5A— SI College Hoops (@si_ncaabb) February 18, 2016
Devonté Graham’s impressive afternoon at Oklahoma this past weekend propelled KU to the top, and Winn provides some statistical data on just how well Graham and the Jayhawks defended Buddy Hield in the road rematch.
*- Check out Winn’s complete rankings here: [Kansas rises to No. 1][1] -*
Villanova, No. 2 in the power rankings and No. 1 in the polls, has a home game against Butler and a road trip to No. 8 Xavier on the horizon in the coming week.
The Jayhawks play at rival Kansas State — where they have lost two straight — on Saturday, then play at No. 25 Baylor on Tuesday.
[1]: http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2016/02/18/power-rankings-kansas-villanova-virginia-michigan-state