For the fourth time in poll history, Kansas men’s basketball enters the season ranked No. 1 by the Associated Press (AP), as the AP released its preseason poll Monday. Kansas received 46 of a possible 65 first-place votes from the AP panel. Duke is ranked second and had 11 first-place votes, while Purdue, Michigan State and Marquette round out the top five of the AP preseason poll.
“With our returning starters and the players’ we’ve added, I can see the writers putting us high in the rankings,” KU head coach Bill Self said. “We welcome being preseason No. 1, but the goal is to be playing to that rank when it counts the most, at the end of the season.”
All four times KU has been No. 1 in the preseason have been in the Bill Self era. Besides 2023-24, the Jayhawks were No. 1 entering the 2004-05, 2009-10 and 2018-19 seasons. Kansas was also No. 1 in the first poll of the 1956-57 season, but preseason polls did not begin in 1961-62. This marks the 56th time Kansas has been ranked No. 1 and the last time KU was No. 1 in the AP poll was March 18, 2020, the final poll of the COVID-19 shortened season.
With the No. 1 ranking, Kansas has been ranked in each of the last 39 AP Top 10 polls dating back to Oct. 18, 2021, the preseason poll of the 2021-22 season, which is the longest active streak in NCAA Division I. New Big 12 foe Houston is second at 19.
For the 12th-consecutive year, Kansas men’s basketball enters the 2023-24 season ranked seventh or higher. This is also the 14th time in the last 15 seasons that the Jayhawks have entered the season No. 7 or higher by the AP, including 11 times in the top five and six in the top three. KU was No. 1 in 2009-10, No. 3 in 2016-17, No. 1 in 2018-19, No. 3 in 2019-20, No. 3 in 2021-22 and No. 1 in 2023-24.
Last season, Kansas entered the preseason ranked tied for fifth in the Associated Press poll and finished the year at No. 4. The final AP poll of the season is released prior to the NCAA Tournament.
Under 21st-year and Hall of Fame head coach Bill Self, this is the 18th time that Kansas enters the season ranked seventh or higher in the Associated Press preseason poll. Historically, the No. 1 ranking marks the 26th time since the 1992-93 season that Kansas will enter the season seventh or higher.
Kansas could possibly play 10 games against teams ranked in the preseason Associated Press Top 25. KU will play against No. 6 UConn, No. 7 Houston, No. 16 Kentucky, No. 18 Texas and No. 20 Baylor (twice). KU could also play No. 3 Purdue, No. 5 Marquette, and No. 11 Gonzaga in the Maui Invitational, Nov. 20-22, in Honolulu.
Kansas returns three starters – KJ Adams Jr., Dajuan Harris Jr. and Kevin McCullar Jr. – and eight letterwinners from last season’s 28-8 team which won the Big 12 regular-season title with a 13-5 league mark. KU welcomes nine newcomers, including the 2023-24 coaches’ Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year and the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year Hunter Dickinson who was named Oct. 12. Dickinson, Harris and McCullar were on the All-Big 12 Preseason team as well.
2023-24 Associated Press Preseason Poll (Oct. 16, 2023)
Rank. School (first place votes) – points
- KANSAS (46) – 1,548
- Duke (11) – 1,466
- Purdue (3) – 1,436
- Michigan State (1) – 1,346
- Marquette – 1,283
- UConn (2) – 1,243
- Houston – 1,117
- Creighton – 1,099
- Tennessee – 1,032
- Florida Atlantic – 1,011
- Gonzaga – 830
- Arizona – 776
- Miami (Fla.) – 750
- Arkansas – 685
- Texas A&M – 597
- Kentucky – 530
- San Diego State – 529
- Texas – 493
- North Carolina – 474
- Baylor – 431
- USC – 427
- Villanova – 395
- Saint Mary’s – 335
- Alabama – 163
- Illinois – 104
Also receiving votes: Wisconsin 53, Colorado, 49, UCLA 47, St. John’s 47, Maryland 34, Virginia 27, Auburn 27, TCU, 24, Mississippi State 20, Kansas State 13, Xavier 8, Memphis 7, Missouri 6, Boise State 4, Indiana 3, Florida 2, Charleston 2, New Mexico 1, Drake 1
