Kansas Makes Highest AP Poll Appearance of the 2025-26 Season

In the Dec. 15 AP Top 25, the Kansas Jayhawks received their highest ranking of the season thus far.

Nov 24, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Bryson Tiller (15) and guard Jamari McDowell (11) box out Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Garrett Sundra (12) during the second half in a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Kansas basketball team has bounced around the AP Poll through the first few weeks of the season.

Bill Self's Jayhawks opened the year at No. 19 before falling outside the top 25, marking the first time Kansas had been unranked during the season's first month in 20 years. Since then, the Jayhawks have gone on a strong stretch and now sit at 8-3 with several quality wins.

On Monday, the AP voting committee released its latest rankings, placing KU in its highest spot of the season. The Jayhawks checked in at No. 17 nationally, a two-spot jump from the previous week.

College Basketball AP Top 25 (Dec. 15)

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

In the poll, Kansas is the fifth-highest-ranked team in the Big 12 and currently owns one win over a ranked opponent (No. 20 Tennessee). However, the Jayhawks have added several other quality wins to their resume, including victories over Missouri (No. 52 in KenPom), Notre Dame (No. 58), Syracuse (No. 72), and others.

The primary reason for KU's jump in the poll was its thrilling overtime victory over NC State this weekend at Lenovo Center. Despite playing without Peterson during the latter stages of the second half and needing a historic performance from point guard Melvin Council Jr., the Jayhawks pulled out one of their grittiest and most improbable wins of the season.

The victory gave Kansas its second Quad 1 win and positioned the team well to finish nonconference play with double-digit victories.

Dec 7, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts during the first half against the Missouri Tigers at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Kansas On SI's Take

The win over NC State, while not against the most formidable opponent, was probably the best performance the Jayhawks have put together all season.

Coach Self and Co. went into a hostile road environment and pulled out their biggest road win in years. That result, combined with the fact that Darryn Peterson was able to play a season-high 31 minutes, should make voters less skeptical about Kansas moving forward.

While there are still concerns surrounding Peterson's late exit due to quad tightness, the Jayhawks proved that other contributors are capable of stepping up against quality opponents. Even if the Peterson situation needs to be addressed sooner rather than later, KU could find itself inside the top 10 at some point if it strings together quality wins in Big 12 play.