LAWRENCE, Kan. _ Kansas on Monday ascended to the top spot in the Associated Press men's basketball poll for the second time this season.
The Jayhawks, who were ranked No. 3 last week, defeated then-No. 1 Baylor, 64-61, on Saturday in Waco, Texas. The win vaulted KU past not only Baylor in Monday's latest rankings, but also previous No. 2 Gonzaga, which lost to BYU on Saturday. No. 4 San Diego State also lost Saturday _ to UNLV _ meaning KU was the only winner among the top four teams in the land.
KU was No. 1 with 1,598 points and 62 of the 64 first-place votes, followed by No. 2 Baylor (1,532 points, 2 first-place votes). Gonzaga was third, followed by Dayton, San Diego State, Florida State, Duke, Kentucky, Maryland, Creighton, Louisville, Villanova, Seton Hall, Oregon, Auburn, Penn State, BYU, Iowa, Michigan, West Virginia, Colorado, Texas Tech, Ohio State, Michigan State and Houston.
The Jayhawks were last voted No. 1 with a 9-1 record on Dec. 16. KU immediately lost to Villanova and fell to No. 5 the following week.
KU (24-3, 13-1 Big 12) will put its No. 1 ranking on the line Monday night against Oklahoma State (14-13, 4-10).
KU was No. 1 for the 71st week in school history. KU has been the country's top team in the AP poll 31 weeks of the Bill Self era. The Jayhawks have been ranked in the Top 25 for 216 consecutive weeks, longest active streak of any team.
Also Monday, KU senior Udoka Azubuike was chosen Big 12 player of the week and March Madness player of the week, which goes to the national player of the week. Azubuike had 23 points and a career-best nine rebounds against Baylor. He had 13 points and seven boards in a home win over Iowa State.
