Kansas Leads Final Coaches Poll of Season After National Championship

Kansas spent the entire season in the top 10 of the men’s college basketball rankings, but never claimed the top spot. After beating North Carolina in a historic comeback during Monday’s national title game, that has finally changed.

The Jayhawks topped the final addition of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll on Tuesday after clinching the program’s fourth national championship. Kansas trailed by 15 at halftime before quickly erasing the deficit, eventually hanging on for a thrilling 72–69 victory.

Despite Monday marking the program’s first national championship since 2008, it’s the second time in three seasons that Kansas has topped the final poll. The Jayhawks were the No. 1 team in the country before the 2020 NCAA tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic after posting a 28–3 record during the regular season, winning the Big 12 championship in the process.

The three other Final Four participants rounded out the top four, with North Carolina at No. 2 and Duke coming in at No. 3. Check out the rest of the Top 25 below:

Final Top 25 poll:

1. Kansas
2. North Carolina
3. Duke
4. Villanova
5. Gonzaga
6. Arizona
7. Houston
8. Arkansas
9. Baylor
10. Purdue
11. UCLA
12. Texas Tech
13. Providence
14. Auburn
15. Tennessee
16. Miami
17. Kentucky
18. Wisconsin
19. Illinois
20. Saint Mary’s
21. Iowa
22. Murray State
23. Iowa State
24. Saint Peter’s
25. Michigan

Others receiving votes: Texas 104, UConn 59, USC 45, Michigan State 35, Virginia Tech 24, Ohio State 23, Creighton 22, Notre Dame 20, TCU 19, Memphis 15, Xavier 9, Boise State 9, San Francisco 4, Colorado State 4, Seton Hall 3, Rutgers 2, LSU 2, Texas A&M 1

• Daily Cover: From Controversies to Comebacks, Kansas Completes the Perfectly Imperfect Title Run