LAWRENCE, Kan. – For the seventh-consecutive season, Kansas men’s basketball enters the preseason ranked fifth or higher as KU is No. 3 in the 2019-20 preseason Associated Press poll released Monday. Kansas has been ranked in the Associated Press polls for 201-consecutive weeks, which is the longest active streak in the nation.

Kansas received three first-place votes among the 65-member voting panel and trails Michigan State and Kentucky, respectively, in the 2019-20 preseason AP poll. Duke is No. 4 and Louisville fifth to round out the AP’s top five.

Last season, Kansas entered the preseason ranked No. 1 nationally in the Associated Press poll for the third time in school history and ended at No. 17. The Jayhawks were ranked in the AP Top 10 for 12 weeks in 2018-19.  In KU’s 2018 Final Four run, the Jayhawks were preseason No. 4 by AP. Kansas was No. 3 in 2016-17, No. 4 in 2015-16 and No. 5 in 2014-15 and 2013-14. It is also the 10th time in the last 11 seasons that the Jayhawks have entered the season No. 7 or higher by the AP.

Under 17th-year and Hall of Fame head coach Bill Self, this is the 14th time that Kansas enters the season ranked seventh or higher in the Associated Press preseason poll and historically, the No. 3 ranking marks the 22nd time since the 1992-93 season that Kansas will enter the season seventh or higher.

Kansas will potentially play seven regular-season games against teams ranked in the AP preseason poll, including two in the top 10: No. 1 Michigan State (potential Maui Invitational), No. 4 Duke, No. 10 Villanova, No. 11 Texas Tech (twice), and No. 16 Baylor (twice).

Kansas returns three starters and eight letterwinners from last season’s 26-10 team which opened the season No. 1 in the national polls, won the NIT Season Tip Off, finished 12-6 in the Big 12, reached the Big 12 Tournament title game and advanced to its NCAA record 30th-consecutive NCAA Tournament. Senior center Udoka Azubuike was named the 2019-20 Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year by the conference coaches and was joined on the preseason all-league team by sophomore guard Devon Dotson.

2019-20 Associated Press Preseason Poll (Oct. 21, 2019)
Rank. School (first place votes) – points
1. Michigan State (60) – 1619
2. Kentucky (2) – 1497
3. KANSAS (3) – 1457
4. Duke – 1399
5. Louisville – 1386
6. Florida – 1313
7. Maryland – 1134
8. Gonzaga – 1096
9. North Carolina – 1060
10. Villanova – 1048
11. Virginia – 1007
12. Seton Hall – 863
13. Texas Tech – 837
14. Memphis – 773
15. Oregon – 742
16. Baylor – 523
17. Utah State – 491
18. Ohio State – 407
19. Xavier – 356
20. St. Mary’s – 330
21. Arizona – 265
22. LSU – 234
23. Purdue – 230
24. Auburn – 210
25. VCU – 193