Kansas, the preseason No. 1, will finish the season outside the AP Top 25 after going 20-11 and 11-9 in the conference.
For head coach Bill Self, the finish marks the end of an era. For the first time since 1998-1999, his second season at Tulsa, his team will finish outside the Top 25.
Kansas’ Regular Season Unranked Finish Ends a Streak for Bill Self
Kansas will finish the regular season unranked for the first time since 2000. In the Self era, the Jayhawks have won two championships, made the Final Four four times, and added five Elite Eight finishes and two Sweet 16 finishes.
With the regular season complete, the Jayhawks look forward to the Big 12 Tournament. The Jayhawks, the No. 6 seed in the Big 12, hold a first-round bye and will await the winner of Tuesday’s No. 11 Utah vs. No. 14 UCF matchup. Their second-round matchup will take place on Wednesday, March 12.
Kansas will finish the regular season unranked for the first time since 2000.
This is the first time Bill Self has finished a season unranked since he coached at Tulsa 😳 pic.twitter.com/mfdYMwQxiT
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) March 10, 2025
For Kansas, the Big 12 Tournament is one last chance to get things back on track after a 7-0 regular season start turned into a 13-11 record down the stretch, including four losses in the last seven games.
But the Jayhawks’ skid is not without a lack of competition on the other end. The Big 12 has proven itself to be stacked once again, with four ranked teams (No. 2 Houston, No. 9 Texas Tech, No. 12 Iowa State and No. 17 BYU) combining for five wins over the Jayhawks.
Kansas, meanwhile, has managed to stack up quite a few solid wins on their resume, including wins against No. 1 Duke and No. 7 Michigan State early in the season. The Jayhawks also managed to get by then-No. 24 Arizona in their final game of the regular season.
Self’s team will now look toward the Big 12 Tournament and beyond. The Jayhawks are currently slated as a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament, according to ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, and a solid run this week could bump them up to the five or six line.
KEEP READING: NCAA Men’s Final Four Odds: Which Teams Are Favored to Reach the Semifinals?
For Self, eyes are on a different prize. Kansas has been shut out of the second weekend of the NCAA tournament two years in a row; as a talented lower-ranked team, they’ll look to change that.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in football, basketball, and more!
