College basketball rankings: Kansas tries to stay in contention of Big 12 race when it faces No. 2 Iowa State
The Jayhawks have struggled recently, but can make a statement with a win vs. the Cyclones
By
Gary Parrish
•
2 min read
Bill Self, in his first 20 years at Kansas, won 16 Big 12 regular-season championships and never finished lower than third in the league. Fourteen of those conference titles were collected in consecutive years, which is something I assume will never again be duplicated at the power-conference level. Combine that theory with two national championships, and not only is Self a deserving member of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, he also belongs very high on any list of all-time great college basketball coaches.
But things have slipped.
That's not an opinion. It's a fact. And the best way to illustrate it is to, again, highlight that, in Self's first 20 years at KU, he won 16 Big 12 regular-season championships and never finished lower than third in the league. But the past three seasons have unfolded differently, specifically this way:
- Year 21 at KU for Self: 10-8 in the Big 12, tied for fifth in the league standings.
- Year 22 at KU for Self: 11-9 in the Big 12, alone in sixth in the league standings.
- Year 23 at KU for Self: 1-2 in the Big 12, alone in ninth in the league standings.
Like I noted on Sunday's episode of the Eye On College Basketball Podcast, the Jayhawks are now projected to finish 9-9 in the Big 12, according to KenPom.com. If they do, they will have gone 30-26 in league games over a three-year span with three consecutive finishes outside of the top four in the conference standings. That is something that literally never happened in Self's first two decades guiding this blue-blood program -- but it could happen for a third straight year this season unless Kansas outperforms current expectations.
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Which is why Tuesday night's game with Iowa State, inside Allen Fieldhouse, is a massive contest for Self and his program. There was a time, not too long ago, when you'd never pick against the Jayhawks at home, regardless of their opponent or their opponent's ranking or record. But, on this Tuesday, Kansas is actually a 3.5-point underdog to an Iowa State team that's 16-0 and second in Tuesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Arizona remains No. 1.
Is KU still KU?
Tuesday is a statement game, in that regard, one way or another. If the Jayhawks upset the Cyclones, it'll serve as a reminder that they're still an elite program guided by a Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame coach and led by the likely No. 1 overall pick (Darryn Peterson) in the 2026 NBA Draft. That would be ideal for Kansas. But if the Jayhawks lose and fall to 1-3 in the Big 12, whatever troubling questions are already hovering around the program will likely get more intense, and also more reasonable to ask.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Koa Peat finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 86-73 win at TCU. The Wildcats' next game is Wednesday against Arizona State. | -- | 23-1 |
| 2 |  | Joshua Jefferson finished with 19 points and five assists in Saturday's 83-71 win over Oklahoma State. The Cyclones' next game is Tuesday at Kansas. | -- | 21-3 |
| 3 |  | Tyler Nickel finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 84-73 win over LSU. The Commodores' next game is Wednesday at Texas. | -- | 20-4 |
| 4 |  | Jamarques Lawrence finished with 27 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 83-77 win at Indiana. The Cornhuskers' next game is Tuesday against Oregon. | -- | 21-3 |
| 5 |  | Braylon Mullins finished with 16 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 72-60 win over DePaul. The Huskies' next game is Tuesday at Seton Hall. | -- | 23-2 |
| 6 |  | Richie Saunders finished with 24 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday's 89-84 win at Utah. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against TCU. | -- | 18-6 |
| 7 |  | Braden Smith finished with 26 points and 14 assists in Saturday's 93-85 win over Penn State. The Boilermakers' next game is Wednesday against Iowa. | -- | 20-4 |
| 8 |  | Trey McKenney missed six of the eight shots he attempted in Saturday's 91-88 loss to Wisconsin. The Wolverines' next game is Wednesday at Washington. | -- | 23-1 |
| 9 |  | Graham Ike finished with 34 points and 11 rebounds in Thursday's 89-77 win over Santa Clara. The Zags' next game is Thursday at Washington State. | -- | 24-2 |
| 10 |  | Isaiah Evans finished with 21 points and two rebounds in Saturday's 82-75 over SMU. The Blue Devils' next game is Wednesday at Cal. | -- | 22-2 |
| 11 |  | Carson Cooper finished with 18 points and nine rebounds in Thursday's 76-66 win over Northwestern. The Spartans' next game is Tuesday against Indiana. | -- | 20-4 |
| 12 |  | Emanuel Sharp finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 77-55 win at Baylor. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday against West Virginia. | -- | 22-2 |
| 13 |  | Keaton Wagler finished with 19 points and five rebounds in Sunday's 75-69 win at Iowa. The Illini' next game is Wednesday at Northwestern. | -- | 20-5 |
| 14 |  | Donovan Atwell finished with 17 points and four assists in Saturday's 73-71 win at Colorado. The Red Raiders' next game is Wednesday against Utah. | -- | 18-6 |
| 15 |  | Henri Veesaar finished with 25 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 87-84 win over Wake Forest. The Tar Heels' next game is Wednesday at Stanford. | -- | 19-5 |
| 16 |  | Boogie Fland finished with 23 points and five assists in Saturday's 91-67 win over Tennessee. The Gators' next game is Tuesday at Oklahoma. | -- | 18-6 |
| 17 |  | Darius Acuff Jr. missed nine of the 16 shots he attempted in Saturday's 95-73 loss at Auburn. The Razorbacks' next game is Wednesday against South Carolina. | -- | 18-6 |
| 18 |  | Sananda Fru finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 75-62 win over Boston College. The Cardinals' next game is Tuesday against Virginia. | -- | 18-6 |
| 19 |  | Thijs De Ridder finished with 22 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 70-55 win over Stanford. The Cavaliers' next game is Tuesday at Louisville. | -- | 21-3 |
| 20 |  | Aden Holloway missed seven of the 11 shots he attempted in Saturday's 92-88 loss to Texas. The Crimson Tide's next game is Tuesday at Mississippi State. | -- | 17-7 |
| 21 |  | Darryn Peterson missed 11 of the 17 shots he attempted in Saturday's 86-75 loss at West Virginia. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday against Iowa State. | -- | 19-5 |
| 22 |  | Jestin Porter finished with 26 points and five steals in Saturday's 76-61 win over Notre Dame. The Tigers' next game is Tuesday against Boston College. | -- | 20-5 |
| 23 |  | Bennett Stirtz missed 12 of the 17 shots he attempted in Sunday's 75-69 loss to Illinois. The Hawkeyes' next game is Wednesday at Purdue. | -- | 18-6 |
| 24 |  | Ja'Kobi Gillespie missed seven of the 10 shots he attempted in Saturday's 91-67 loss at Florida. The Vols' next game is Tuesday against Texas A&M. | -- | 17-7 |
| 25 |  | Jaron Pierre Jr. missed eight of the 13 shots he attempted in Saturday's 82-75 loss at Duke. The Mustangs' next game is Wednesday against Virginia Tech. | -- | 17-7 |
| 26 |  | Robbie Avila finished with 18 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 84-72 win at La Salle. The Billikens' next game is Wednesday against Fordham. | -- | 23-1 |
