7. Kansas Jayhawks - 9-2
In the first few weeks of the season, Kansas was the clear No. 1 team in the country. They beat UNC in what was then a top-10 matchup in the opening week, followed by beating Michigan State in the Champions Classic. The big win for them was over Duke during Feast Week.
However, the Jayhawks had a rough opening to December once they went on the road. They were soundly defeated by Creighton and Missouri, giving up 76 points in both games. They won the next two games, beating NC State and Brown.
Big man Hunter Dickerson (15.5 ppg and 10.3 rpg) is putting up big stats as expected, with Dajuan Harris (10.3 ppg and 5.6 apg) running the offense. Of the transfer guards who joined the team, South Dakota State transfer Zeke Mayo (13.5 ppg and 3.3 apg) has had the biggest impact, with AJ Storr, David Coit, and Rylan Griffen all contributing as well.
The Jayhawks now enter Big 12 play as still one of the favorites but by no means the prohibitive one. Their first opponent is West Virginia at home, followed by games versus UCF and Arizona State. As the Big 12 goes, it’s a very doable opening slate to get off to a good start.