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Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings: Kansas holds strong at the top

By Jason Kinander

LAWRENCE, KANSAS - DECEMBER 01: Lagerald Vick #24 of the Kansas Jayhawks celebrates after making a three-pointer during the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Allen Fieldhouse on December 01, 2018 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
LAWRENCE, KANSAS - DECEMBER 01: Lagerald Vick #24 of the Kansas Jayhawks celebrates after making a three-pointer during the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Allen Fieldhouse on December 01, 2018 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 23: Lagerald Vick #24 and teammate Dedric Lawson #1 of the Kansas Jayhawks smile after receiving awards after Kansas’ 87-81 win over Tennessee Volunteers at the NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament at Barclays Center on November 23, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 23: Lagerald Vick #24 and teammate Dedric Lawson #1 of the Kansas Jayhawks smile after receiving awards after Kansas’ 87-81 win over Tennessee Volunteers at the NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament at Barclays Center on November 23, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

1. Kansas Jayhawks (9-0)

Previous Ranking: No. 1

Kansas had started to slip in most rankings due to their inability to distance themselves from easy competition, but after a win against Villanova on Saturday, it’s safe to say that Kansas is the real deal. The Jayhawks’ balanced attack has served them well so far in 2018, despite the fact that Udoka Azubuike has been hurt, Silvio De Souza has been held out, and LaGerald Vick is the only upperclassman starting for the Jayhawks.

While Vick has been pretty good, transfer forward Dedric Lawson has been even better, as he leads Kansas in scoring, assisting, and rebounding. Lawson, a transfer from Memphis, has emerged as one of the top players in the country. Kansas would not be undefeated without the contributions of Lawson, who is a potential Big 12 Player of the Year candidate.

Kansas will head to Arizona State for a showdown against the 20th-ranked Sun Devils before hosting Eastern Michigan to finish off non-conference play. Kansas has a great chance to be 12-0 heading into conference play, something that seems to be a common occurrence in Lawrence.

Bill Self’s squad is starting to come together after a serious of rough games, but now, Kansas is finally looking like the contender that everyone knew they were. Vick and Lawson are both dominant forces while freshmen Devon Dotson and Quentin Grimes are likely future NBA players. What was originally an inexperienced Jayhawk team is looking much more like one of Bill Self’s most talented teams.

Next. Bracketology winners of the week. dark

The Big 12 is always one of the most competitive conferences, and 2018 is no different. There are a few big games before conference play tips off in January, and it’ll be a big storyline to watch if those big games will shift the balance of power in the Big 12 in the next two weeks.

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