LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball split its two games this past week, and as a result, has dropped to No. 12 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
The Jayhawks (19-6, 9-3 in Big 12) were ranked No. 9 last week. From there, they’d beaten now-No. 4 Arizona at home and lost on the road against now-No. 6 Iowa State. This week, KU has games against Oklahoma State on the road on Wednesday and Cincinnati at home on Saturday.
The Big 12 also features No. 2 Houston, No. 13 Texas Tech and No. 22 BYU. Among the top 25 teams in the league, later this season, Kansas has an upcoming matchup at home against Houston and on the road against Arizona. Continue to win this week, and regain some momentum from there, and the Jayhawks can remain in contention for a Big 12 title.
Kansas has yet to lose a Big 12 game at home this season, but has at times struggled on the road. It’ll need to continue to develop chemistry with freshman Darryn Peterson available on the court. Seniors Tre White and Melvin Council Jr., along with freshman Bryson Tiller and sophomore Flory Bidunga, remain key contributors.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: How far did Kansas basketball fall in USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll?