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 night, 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 a blue-blood program still guided by a Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame coach, and still 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, whatever troubling questions are already hovering around the program will likely get more intense, and also more reasonable.
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. | -- | 16-0 |
| 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. | -- | 16-0 |
| 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. | -- | 16-0 |
| 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. | -- | 16-0 |
| 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. | -- | 16-1 |
| 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. | -- | 15-1 |
| 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. | -- | 15-1 |
| 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. | -- | 14-1 |
| 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. | -- | 17-1 |
| 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. | -- | 15-1 |
| 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. | -- | 14-2 |
| 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. | -- | 15-1 |
| 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. | -- | 13-3 |
| 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. | -- | 12-4 |
| 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. | -- | 14-2 |
| 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. | -- | 11-5 |
| 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. | -- | 12-4 |
| 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. | -- | 12-4 |
| 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. | -- | 14-2 |
| 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. | -- | 11-5 |
| 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. | -- | 11-5 |
| 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. | -- | 14-3 |
| 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. | -- | 12-4 |
| 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. | -- | 11-5 |
| 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. | -- | 12-4 |
| 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. | -- | 15-1 |
