Oct. 17, 2012

Kansas men’s basketball enters the 2012-13 season at No. 7 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll released Wednesday, marking the 21st time in the 24-year history of the coaches’ poll the Jayhawks have been ranked.

The ranking is the seventh time in the Bill Self era that the Jayhawks enter the season slotted seventh or higher. Self, the 2012 Naismith National Coach of the Year, is entering his 10th season at KU where he has a 269-53 (83.5 percent) record.

Kansas is the eight-time defending Big 12 men’s basketball champion has won or tied for 12 of the 16 Big 12 regular-season titles and eight postseason titles. KU returns three starters and eight letterwinners from last season’s 32-7 team, which went 16-2 in conference play, won the Big 12 regular-season title, advanced to the school’s 14th Final Four and its ninth NCAA title game.

Last season, KU entered the year No. 13 nationally in the coaches’ poll and ended up No. 2. The Jayhawks were ranked in the top 10 in each of the final 11 coaches’ polls of 2011-12.

Kansas is scheduled to play six games against teams ranked in the 2012-13 preseason coaches’ poll: No. 4 Ohio State; No. 14 Michigan State; No. 18 Baylor (twice); and No. 24 Texas (twice).

ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll (preseason)

Rank - Team (first place votes) - points

1. Indiana (21) - 761

2. Louisville (5) - 738

3. Kentucky (5) - 718

4. Ohio State - 617

5. Michigan - 605

6. North Carolina State - 581

7. KANSAS - 563

8. Duke - 516

9. Syracuse - 502

10. Florida - 422

11. Arizona - 411

12. North Carolina - 401

13. UCLA - 396

14. Michigan State - 391

15. Creighton - 325

16. Memphis - 307

17. Missouri - 289

18. Baylor - 266

20. San Diego State - 196

21. Wisconsin - 191

22. Gonzaga - 166

23. Notre Dame - 122

24. Florida State - 61

24. Texas - 61

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