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Kansas may go from preseason No. 1 team to unranked after another disappointing loss

Kansas v Utah
Kansas v Utah | Chris Gardner/GettyImages

Entering the 2024-25 season, there was a debate as to who would be the No. 1 team in College Basketball. It essentially came down to Kansas and Alabama, with Coach Bill Self and the Jayhawks getting the nod. This past Saturday, both played games that showed how their overall seasons have gone.

The Crimson Tide played Auburn in a battle of No. 1 vs No. 2 teams. Although the Crimson Tide came up short, they still got one of the four No. 1 seeds in the early top-16 seed bracket reveal. Kansas, on the other hand, did not get one of those spots. They were 17-7 and 8-5 in Big 12 play, already effectively eliminated from the regular season title race. But they were at least ranked No. 17 in the latest AP poll.

Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, that ranking itself may even be in danger. In one of the last games of the night, they fell at Utah, a team with no postseason hopes and one of the conference's bottom teams. They didn’t look that way against Kansas, leading the game to win 74-67. Zeke Mayo led the team with 15 points, while Dajuan Harris Jr. had 14 points and four assists. But they got out-rebounded by 12 and gave up 11 three-pointers in the defeat.

This is the third loss in the last five games for the Jayhawks. It also includes a road loss last weekend at Kansas State, another team that’s not making the NCAA Tournament. With a loss to the Utes and just a win over last-place Colorado, there’s a real chance that they could be unranked when the next AP poll comes out on Monday.

It’s not the same situation as the UNC Tar Heels a couple of years ago, as they became the first team ever to go from preseason No. 1 to missing the Big Dance altogether. The Jayhawks will be in the dance but at this rate, it’ll come with a worse seed than anyone expected.