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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Like the preseason Associated Press poll, Kansas men’s basketball has been voted No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, released Oct. 23.
Kansas received 15 of a possible 32 first-place votes by the coaches and amassed 743 poll votes. Alabama received six first-place votes and was second with 718 points. UConn also had six first-place votes and is third. Houston, with four first-place votes, was fourth with No. 5 Duke, No. 6 Iowa State, No. 7 Gonzaga, No. 8 Baylor, No. 9 Arizona and No. 10 North Carolina rounding out the top 10.
This is the second-straight season and the fifth time in the coaches’ poll that Kansas is No. 1 in the preseason poll with four in the Self era – 1996-97, 2004-05, 2009-10, 2018-19, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
The No. 1 ranking marked the 11th-straight year Kansas has entered the season No. 5 or higher in the coaches’ poll dating back to 2014-15. Additionally, it is the 19th time in the Self era the Jayhawks have been preseason seventh or higher, including each of the last 13 seasons.
Kansas will play 10 games against teams ranked in the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll Top 25. KU will play against No. 4 Houston (twice), No. 5 Duke, No. 6 Iowa State (twice), No. 8 Baylor, No. 9 Arizona, No. 10 North Carolina, No. 14 Creighton and No. 20 Cincinnati.
2024-25 USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll (Preseason, Oct. 23, 2024)
Rank. School (first place votes) – points
1. KANSAS (15) – 743
2. Alabama (6) – 718
3. UConn (6) – 717
4. Houston (4) – 698
5. Duke – 625
6. Iowa State – 591
7. Gonzaga (1) – 575
8. Baylor – 545
9. Arizona –510
10. North Carolina – 498
11. Auburn – 465
12. Tennessee – 437
13. Purdue – 390
14. Creighton – 342
15. Texas A&M – 332
16. Arkansas – 272
17. Marquette – 268
18. Indiana – 208
19. Texas – 166
20. Cincinnati – 163
21. Florida – 130
22. UCLA – 123
23. Kentucky – 95
24. Illinois – 87
25. Ole Miss – 66
Other receiving votes: Texas Tech 60; Rutgers 57; St. John’s 42; Xavier 26; Michigan State 25; Oregon 16; BYU 16; Kansas State 11; Saint Mary’s 9; Boise State 9; Clemson 8; Ohio State 7; Dayton 7; Maryland 4; Grand Canyon 3; Wake Forest 2; Virginia 2; San Diego State 2; Princeton 2; Mississippi State 2; Wisconsin 1