Kansas Jayhawks hold same spot in AP men’s basketball poll entering Big 12 Tournament
Kansas, which went 2-1 last week and wrapped up a share of the 2021-22 Big 12 regular-season conference title, remains No. 6 this week in the Associated Press men’s college basketball poll.
The Jayhawks (25-6, 14-4), lost to TCU 74-64 last Tuesday in Fort Worth, Texas then beat the Horned Frogs 72-68 on Thursday at Allen Fieldhouse. KU concluded the regular season by defeating Texas 70-63 in overtime on Saturday at home to assure itself a tie with Baylor for the league title.
KU opens the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday as the No. 1 seed and will play either Kansas State or West Virginia in a 2 p.m. quarterfinal at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
Gonzaga (24-3) remained No. 1 in the poll followed by Arizona (28-3), Baylor (26-5), Auburn (27-4), Kentucky (25-6), KU (25-6), Duke (26-5), Villanova (23-7), Purdue (25-6) and Tennessee (23-7, tie), Providence (24-4), Wisconsin (24-6), UCLA (23-6), Texas Tech (23-8), Arkansas (24-7), Illinois (22-8), Saint Mary’s (24-6), Houston (26-5), Murray State (30-2), UConn (22-8), USC (25-6), Texas (21-10), Colorado State (24-4), Iowa (22-9) and North Carolina (23-8).
Others receiving votes: Boise State, South Dakota State, Memphis, San Diego State, LSU, Loyola Chicago, Ohio State, Seton Hall, San Francisco, Rutgers, Alabama, Notre Dame, Vermont, Davidson and Longwood.
Gonzaga claimed 52 of 61 first-place votes to keep the No. 1 ranking for the fourth consecutive week. Arizona, which received six first-place votes, stayed at No. 2 for the third straight week. Baylor received three first-place votes.
North Carolina (No. 25) returned to the poll for the first time since early in the season after beating Duke on Saturday in Durham, North Carolina.
The Tar Heels prevailed in Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
This story was originally published March 7, 2022 at 11:24 AM with the headline "Kansas Jayhawks hold same spot in AP men’s basketball poll entering Big 12 Tournament."
