Kansas Basketball Underrated in Preseason AP Poll and KenPom Rankings

The preseason polls are starting to roll through now that the 2025-26 college basketball season is quickly upon us, and the Kansas Jayhawks find themselves in new territory with these early rankings.

After back-t0-back seasons of being ranked preseason No. 1 in the country, KU is ranked No. 19 in the preseason Associated Press (AP) Top 25 college basketball poll and No. 21 in KenPom’s preseason rankings.

The preseason AP ranking is KU’s second lowest under head coach Bill Self in his 23 years as the man in charge in Lawrence. The lowest ranking came in 2008-09 when the Jayhawks were ranked preseason No. 24 following the mass exodus of players to the NBA after KU won the 2008 NCAA championship.

The No. 21 ranking on KenPom is KU’s third lowest after being ranked preseason No. 24 ahead of the 2008-09 and 2024-25 seasons.

Why KU is underrated

The Kansas Jayhawks are wildly underrated in these preseason rankings in large part due to the presence of freshman star Darryn Peterson.

By all accounts, Peterson is everything Self and the Kansas coaching staff could have hoped for and more. Self has already labeled him as the best player they’ve ever recruited to Kansas, and he’s one of the favorites to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Bill Self firmly believes that Darryn Peterson is the best freshman that he's ever recruited.

🎧 https://t.co/c9JLel2QnF (Apple)
🎧 https://t.co/EsZxIkca32 (Spotify) pic.twitter.com/lyIaSDfEzz
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 31, 2025

Peterson is exactly the type of player who can lead a team to not only a conference championship, but a national championship as well. He’s that good.

And it’s not like he’s surrounded by a bunch of scrubs either.

Sophomore big man Flory Bidunga showed flashes of greatness during his freshman year, and he will benefit greatly from someone like Peterson running the show at guard and not having any other competition in his way for playing time.

He’s expected to take a big leap this year and create one of the best one-two-punches KU has had since perhaps Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson – who led the Jayhawks to the 2012 national championship game.

The Jayhawks are also deep at guard this year with Elmarko Jackson back from injury and a host of transfers who should make a big impact.

Melvin Council Jr. was a star at St. Bonaventure last year averaging 14.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Tre White started 31 games at Illinois last year and averaged 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting over 50% from the field and 32.9% from three.

Jayden Dawson (Loyola Chicago) and Nginyu Ngala (Alliance Montreal) shot even better from deep, shooting 36.3% and 39.2% respectively a season ago. That will be a huge asset for KU this year when defenses focus in on Peterson and he’s able to dish out for open looks.

Council, White, Dawson, and Ngala are all seniors and were all starters at their former schools, and that experience is going to be a big advantage for KU as well – especially when March rolls around.

KU also has several talented freshmen (in addition to Peterson) who were part of a top-10 ranked 2025 recruiting class who can make an impact his year – particularly Kohl Rosario who already looks the part of a college basketball player and whom Self has compared to 2022 national champion Christian Braun.

Despite KU being overlooked in the preseason rankings, this team should have the talent to compete with anybody in the country this year and they’ll soon have the chance to prove it.

Fans can catch a glimpse of this year’s roster starting this Friday when the team steps on the floor for a scrimmage during Late Night in the Phog.