How KU fares in these polls: Who’ll win the Big 12? What’s the best college hoops job?
Bill Self’s Kansas Jayhawks are picked to finish second in the Big 12 men’s basketball standings this season, behind Baylor, according to Jon Rothstein of collegehoopstoday.com.
Rothstein has Baylor No. 1 and KU No. 2, followed by Texas, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Iowa State and Kansas State.
Baylor’s Jared Butler is Rothstein’s player of the year. Other preseason first-team picks: KU’s Marcus Garrett, Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham, Texas’ Courtney Ramey and West Virginia’s Oscar Tshiebwe.
Rothstein addressed the question of whether the Big 12 will be the best league in the country in 2020-21.
“It’s definitely going to be right in the conversation. The depth of the Big Ten — even if it has four more teams than the Big 12 — cannot be denied, but the Big 12’s star power is also formidable,” Rothstein wrote. “Seven teams from this league are currently ranked in the Top 42 of the Rothstein 45, including five — Baylor, Kansas, Texas, West Virginia, and Texas Tech — in the Top 25. Expect no less than six teams from this conference to reach the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Self’s job ranked No. 2 in college hoops
KU coach Self has the second-best head coaching job in college basketball according to Rivals.com.
The best job? That’s occupied by Kentucky’s John Calipari, the website states. North Carolina is cited as the third best job, followed by Duke, Arizona, Louisville, Indiana, Florida, Villanova and Gonzaga.
“Every coach wins at Kansas. The last three head coaches, Larry Brown, Roy Williams and Bill Self, the current coach, have combined for over 1,000 wins since 1983 and all three are in the Hall of Fame. All three are terrific coaches, but it’s no coincidence why that’s the case. Kansas is by far the best job in the Big 12,” wrote Dan McDonald of Rivals.com. “There is a super-passionate fan base and all the support you could ask for from the school and athletic department. They have a homecourt advantage that rivals any in the country,” McDonald added.
KU 8th in NCAA.com poll
KU will enter the 2020-21 season as the No. 8 ranked team in the country. So says NCAA.com’s Andy Katz, who has issued his Power 36 rankings following last week’s announcement that the season will begin on Nov. 25 instead of Nov. 10.
Gonzaga opens at No. 1, followed by Baylor, Villanova, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Virginia, KU, Kentucky and Tennessee.
“The Jayhawks get back the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year in Marcus Garrett. David McCormack should be able to replace Udoka Azubuike. The Jayhawks won’t be picked as the favorite in the Big 12, but when have they ever disappointed?” Katz wrote last week.
Texas Tech is ranked No. 15, Texas No. 20 and West Virginia No. 23, while Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are listed as teams “under consideration.”
The teams in the league that did not garner Top 36 mention: Kansas State, Iowa State and TCU.
This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 1:10 PM with the headline "How KU fares in these polls: Who’ll win the Big 12? What’s the best college hoops job?."
