Kansas Edges UConn for No. 1 Team in Men’s Basketball

Kansas forward Jalen Wilson (10) drives around Duke guard Tyrese Proctor (C), during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Indianapolis on Nov. 15, 2022. Darron Cummings/AP Photo

Connecticut might be the two-time defending national champions but Kansas is the No. 1 team in the Associated Press men’s basketball preseason poll.

The Jayhawks received 30 first-place votes, followed by second-ranked Alabama (14), UConn (11), Houston (4), and Iowa State (no first-place votes). Rounding out the top 10 are Gonzaga, Duke, Baylor, North Carolina, and Arizona.

The Jayhawks return several key players from last year’s team which went 23–11 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 33rd time in the past 34 years.

Kansas is led by Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year Hunter Dickinson, a 2024 consensus second-team All-American and All-Big 12 First-Team selection. Dickinson averaged 17.9 points and 10.9 rebounds per game last year and was the only player in the Big 12 to average a double-double.

Three-year starter Dajuan Harris Jr. anchors the backcourt and was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year last season. The Jayhawks also have high expectations for KJ Adams, Jr., who was named the 2023 Big 12 Most Improved Player.

Kansas also has nine new players on the roster with six upperclassmen transfers.

It is the 60th time Kansas has been ranked No. 1 since the reason poll was first released before the 1961–1962 season.

“We welcome being preseason No. 1, especially with our returning players like Hunter, Dajuan, and KJ, and then you add the players we brought in,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said after the poll was released. “The goal is to be No. 1 at the end of the season, and though we welcome this, it is not the end goal.”

Alabama is also expected to challenge for a national title after reaching the Final Four where the Crimson Tide lost to UConn 86–72.

Alabama is led by guard Mark Sears, who was named the SEC’s Preseason Player of the Year. Sears averaged 21.5 points per game and was a second-team All-American last season.

Forward Grant Nelson is also back in the lineup for Alabama after averaging 11.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game last season. Nelson is a second-team All-SEC preseason selection.

UConn is looking to become the first men’s college basketball team to win three consecutive national titles since UCLA, led by Hall-of-Fame coach John Wooden, won seven straight titles from 1967 through 1973.

The Huskies are led by forward Alex Karaban, a potential NBA lottery pick. Karaban started 39 games and averaged 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game last season. He also shot 49.5 percent from the floor, 37.9 percent from 3-point range, and 88.5 percent from the free throw line.

Freshman Liam McNeeley is also expected to make an impact. He played for Team USA and won a gold medal with the Under-16 team at the 2021 FIBA Americas Championship.

Houston is also a dark horse to compete for the national championship with four returning starters from a team that finished with a 32–5 overall record and won the Big 12 Conference regular season.

The Cougars are led by graduate forward J'Wan Roberts, who is entering the season as the third-winningest player in school history with 117 victories. Guard LJ Cryer is also back in the lineup after starting 37 games and averaging a team-high 15.5 points per game last season.

Iowa State is expected to finish third in the Big 12 behind Kansas and Houston but has the potential to go deeper than those teams in the NCAA Tournament.

The Cyclones are led by guard Tamin Lipsey, who started 36 games and averaged 12.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game last season. Fellow guard Keshon Gilbert is also back in the lineup after leading the team with 13.7 points, in addition to grabbing 4.4 rebounds and dishing 4.2 assists per game.