(ap/ku/ksu) The Kansas Jayhawks are ranked number 1 in the AP mens basketball preseason poll. Kentucky is ranked number 2 followed by Gonzaga, Duke and Virginia in the top 5. Kansas State is ranked 12th and West Virginia 13th. TCU is ranked 20th.
The Jayhawks return veteran starters in junior 7-footer Udoka Azubuike and senior Lagerald Vick from a team that reached its first Final Four since 2012. They’re also adding transfer help from Memphis twins Dedric and K.J. Lawson as well as California’s Charlie Moore — all double-digit scorers on their previous teams.
The Jayhawks will host Emporia State in an exhibition game Thursday.
K-State returns 10 lettermen, including six players who combined to start all 37 games a season ago, for a squad that won 25 games for just the sixth time in school history and advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in eight years.
