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Kansas is preseason basketball pick
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Published: October 30, 2009
Updated: 10/30/2009 12:45 am
For the second time in its storied basketball history, Kansas is No. 1 in The Associated Press' preseason Top 25.
The Jayhawks were a runaway choice yesterday, receiving 55 first-place votes from the 65-member media panel to easily outdistance Michigan State, which was No. 1 on five ballots.
There was little suspense as to which team would top the poll. Kansas has all five starters and the top nine scorers back from a team that went 27-8 and reached the third round of last season's NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks also have a recruiting class considered among the nation's best.
"I'm not surprised," said Bill Self, who was also the coach the other time Kansas was the preseason No. 1, in 2004-05. "But I know this -- we aren't practicing like a team that's preseason No. 1 in the country. It has been a very few good days of practice but we do have good players.... There's a lot of excitement surrounding these guys."
The Jayhawks received great news when guard Sherron Collins and center Cole Aldrich, last season's leading scorers, decided not to test NBA Draft, and got more good news when brothers Xavier and C.J. Henry enrolled.
Michigan State has seven of the top nine scorers back from the team that lost to North Carolina in the national-championship game.
Texas, Kentucky and Villanova rounded out the top five, and North Carolina, a unanimous preseason No. 1 last season, was No. 6. Purdue, West Virginia, Duke and Tennessee completed the top 10, and Georgia Tech (No. 22) and Clemson (No. 24) also were ranked.
Kansas also was No. 1 in the USA Today/ESPN poll, ahead of Michigan State, Texas, North Carolina and Kentucky. Also, Duke was No. 8, Georgia Tech was No. 20, and Clemson was No. 24.
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