Kansas Basketball Jumps in AP Poll Despite One-Loss Week

On Monday, a new edition of the AP Top 25 came out for the men's college basketball poll.

The Kansas Jayhawks, who finished the week with a 1-1 record, jumped up two spots from No. 21 to No. 19 in the poll despite a defeat earlier in the week.

This Week's College Basketball AP Poll

1. Arizona
2. Michigan
3. Duke
4. Iowa State
5. UConn
6. Purdue
7. Houston
8. Gonzaga
9. Michigan State
10. BYU
11. Louisville
12. Alabama
13. Illinois
14. North Carolina
15. Vanderbilt
16. Texas Tech
17. Arkansas
18. Florida
19. Kansas
20. Tennesee
21. Auburn
22. St. John's
23. Nebraska
24. Virginia
25. UCLA

Kansas opened the fifth week of the season with a loss to UConn in Allen Fieldhouse. It was certainly disheartening for the Jayhawks, who dropped to 6-3 and were unable to come out victorious in a rowdy home environment.

However, Bill Self's group bounced back this weekend in the highly anticipated return game for Darryn Peterson, who had missed seven contests in a row due to a hamstring injury. KU defeated its cross-state rival, the Missouri Tigers, by a score of 80-60 on a neutral site to put the Jayhawks back in the win column.

Dec 7, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga (40) fights for a rebound against the Missouri Tigers during the second half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

It is a bit surprising that KU jumped a few spots after losing a game at home. Voters weren't necessarily taking into account the absence of Peterson, but several other schools in the Jayhawks' range also lost games.

With Peterson back for the foreseeable future, the rankings should more accurately reflect where KU stands right now.

The Jayhawks now sit at 7-3 with wins over schools like Tennessee, Syracuse, and Mizzou. They have also lost three games, tied for the most of any team in the poll.

Of all Big 12 teams, KU is sixth overall, sitting behind Arizona (No. 1), Iowa State (No. 4), Houston (No. 7), BYU (No. 10), and Texas Tech (No. 16). That goes to show how deep the conference is, as six of the 19 top-ranked schools are in the Big 12.

Once conference play comes rolling around, the schedule will be no cakewalk either, so the Jayhawks cannot afford to stack more losses before league play.

They will round out the next few weeks with a road game at NC State on Saturday and ensuing home games against Towson and Davidson before heading to Orlando to face UCF. The Jayhawks only play three games in the next 26 days, so they will have to stay mentally prepared during this long stretch of rest.