17. Kansas (8-3)
The Jayhawks have wasted chances this season but no season is ever decided based on a few slip ups in November. Kansas lost by double-digits to Duke and North Carolina before winning three games and third place at the Players Era Festival, including a notable victory over Tennessee. While reality set back in with a tough loss to UConn, the Jayhawks spent the last seven days proving they can still be a top team after all that time without star freshman Darryn Peterson.
Kansas dispatched of rival Missouri in Kansas City back on Sunday, getting an 80-60 win over the Tigers. Tre White starred with 20 points and 13 rebounds while Flory Bidunga added 10 points and 11 rebounds. Their Saturday game at NC State became a thriller, ending as a 77-76 overtime win against the Wolfpack thanks largely to Melvin Council Jr. A career night out of Council included 36 points and 7 rebounds while Peterson added 17 points in one of his best efforts.
No matter how you slice it, Kansas got two important wins this past week, knocking out a rival from the SEC and getting a big road win over a talented NC State squad. Neither of those victories may jump off the page but this was an important step for a Jayhawks team that can still make serious noise on the national stage, especially with Peterson back in the fold. It’s just Towson in the days ahead as Kansas’s attention mostly turns towards Big 12 play.