KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After a wild week of college men’s basketball, the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll has been released.
Kansas entered last week at No. 9 with a 15-point loss to then-No. 13 ranked Iowa State in Hilton Coliseum, their fourth loss in six games.
But the Jayhawks bounced back this week with back-to-back wins. Their first was an eight-point win against then-No. 5 ranked Texas at Allen Fieldhouse and their second by 23 points versus Oklahoma on the road.
Their victory against the Sooners propelled them to another 20-win season, continuing a streak that started in the 1989-90 season. Kansas is now No. 5, sandwiched between No. 4 UCLA and Big 12 foe No. 6 Texas.
The Jayhawks now look forward to a Valentine’s Day matchup against Oklahoma State, who is riding a five-game win streak, in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Kansas will then head back home to face No. 9 Baylor, who handed the Jayhawks their third-straight loss back in late January in Waco, Texas.
Both Kansas and Baylor are currently tied for second in the Big 12 standings and one game back of Texas.
Heading about 85 miles west of Lawrence, Kansas State blew out then-No. 17 ranked TCU by 21 points, then lost by eight points to Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas, to stay at No. 12. The Wildcats visit Oklahoma Tuesday before a top-20 showdown against No. 19 Iowa State in Bramlage Coliseum Saturday.
Kansas and K-State are two of six ranked teams in the Big 12, the most by a conference in the poll.
Missouri went undefeated last week, beating South Carolina by 11 points in Mizzou Arena and then stunning then-No. 6 ranked Tennessee with a 3-point heave to end the game and send the Tigers home with a win.
However, those wins were not enough to push Missouri back into the AP Top 25 poll, as the Tigers finished the week just three votes behind No. 25 Florida Atlantic.
Missouri will have two chances to become ranked again, first against Auburn Tuesday in Auburn Arena before traveling back to Mizzou Arena to play Texas A&M Saturday.
Auburn has lost three straight and is tied with Missouri for fourth in the SEC standings. Meanwhile, Texas A&M is two games behind SEC-leading No. 1 Alabama and has won three consecutive games and five of their last six.
The Tigers will also have a chance to reach 20 wins for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
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