Kansas’ record Top 25 run over; Michigan jumps to No. 3

Kansas dropped out of The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the first time in 12 years on Monday.

LAWRENCE, KAN. » Kansas dropped out of The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the first time in 12 years on Monday, ending the Jayhawks’ record streak of 231 consecutive weeks ranked in the Top 25.

Gonzaga and Baylor held down the top two spots, just as they have all season, with the Bulldogs getting 55 of 63 first-place votes and the Bears getting the other eight. Michigan took advantage of Villanova’s loss at St. John’s to jump into the top three, rival Ohio State climbed three spots to No. 4 and the Wildcats rounded out the top 5.

Illinois gave the Big Ten three teams in the top six after beating Indiana in overtime and pounding No. 21 Wisconsin over the weekend. The Illini were followed by Texas Tech, Houston, Virginia and Missouri, which beat Kentucky and No. 11 Alabama to reach the top 10 for the first time since Dec. 24, 2012.

The real drama came not at the top of the poll, though, but at the bottom of it.

The Jayhawks began their Top 25 streak on Feb. 2, 2009, when

freshman guard Bryce Thompson was 6 years old. Their decade-plus of dominance, which began the season after winning the national championship, included 10 consecutive Big 12 regular-season titles, five conference tournament titles, two more Final Four trips and a runner-up finish in 2012.

Their game against No. 23 Oklahoma State on Monday night was to be the Jayhawks’ first unranked in 434 games.

“It’s basketball and we have another game to focus on,” Jayhawks guard Jalen Wilson said after a 91-79 loss at No. 14 West Virginia on Saturday, their sixth in the last 10 games. “In basketball you sometimes have to focus on what’s in front of you and not think about the past and what you couldn’t done. Another day, another game we just have to focus on.”

The Jayhawks started 8-1 and climbed to No. 3 by Dec. 28, with their lone loss to Gonzaga and victories over then-ranked teams Kentucky, West Virginia, Creighton and Texas Tech on the road. But they have scuffled since the start of Big 12 play, losing Thompson to an injury and failing to get enough production from an otherwise veteran team.

“We have plenty of games to go win and I know this team can do it,” Kansas guard Christian Braun said. “Everyone’s head is in a good spot, but we just have to do it on the court. We have to stop talking about it and actually be about it.”

KATHY BATTEN - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Kansas coach Bill Self meets with players during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against West Virginia, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021, in Morgantown, W.VA.