Kansas was, just three weeks ago, 5-3 in the Big 12 and on a three-game losing streak heading into a SEC/Big 12 Challenge game against Kentucky inside Rupp Arena. Suddenly, Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame coach Bill Self was on the verge of possibly suffering the first four-game losing streak in his 20 years at KU, and the likelihood of winning at least a share of a 17th Big 12 regular-season title seemed more in jeopardy than it's normally been.
But now look.
The Jayhawks A) beat John Calipari's Wildcats on the road to snap their three-game losing streak three Saturdays ago, B) are 5-1 since losing 75-69 at Baylor last month and, C) are sitting atop the league standings -- in a first-place tie with Texas and Baylor. That's among the reasons Saturday's rematch between the Jayhawks and Bears — i.e, the sport's past two national champions — is arguably the weekend's top game, because only the winner inside Allen Fieldhouse will remain in first with just four regular-season contests remaining.
"The season has been flying by," said Kansas star Jalen Wilson. "It feels like [just] yesterday, we lost three in a row. But we've been pulling out some good games … and now we're back right in the position we want to be in."
Kansas is No. 3 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings -- behind only No. 1 Houston and No. 2 Alabama. Baylor is No. 6. The Jayhawks and Bears are two of the five Big 12 schools in the top 16 of the Top 25 And 1. The others are No. 7 Texas, No. 15 Iowa State and No. 16 Kansas State.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Marcus Sasser finished with 20 points and four assists in Thursday's 80-65 win at SMU. The Cougars' next game is Sunday against Memphis. | -- | 33-4 |
| 2 |  | Noah Clowney missed seven of the nine shots he attempted in Wednesday's 68-59 loss at Tennessee.The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against Georgia. | -- | 31-6 |
| 3 |  | Gradey Dick finished with 26 points and three assists in Tuesday's 87-76 win at Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Baylor. | -- | 28-8 |
| 4 |  | Purdue shot just 15.4% from 3-point range in Thursday's 68-54 loss at Maryland. The Boilermakers' next game is Sunday against Ohio State. | -- | 29-6 |
| 5 |  | Jaime Jaquez Jr. finished with 26 points and nine rebounds in Thursday's 73-64 win over Stanford. The Bruins' next game is Saturday against Cal. | -- | 31-6 |
| 6 |  | LJ Cryer finished with 26 points and one rebound in Monday's 79-67 win over West Virginia. The Bears' next game is Saturday at Kansas. | -- | 23-11 |
| 7 |  | Timmy Allen was held to just two points in Monday's 74-67 loss at Texas Tech. The Longhorns' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma. | -- | 29-9 |
| 8 |  | Kihei Clark finished with 14 points and six assists in Wednesday's 61-58 win at Louisville. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday against Notre Dame. | -- | 25-8 |
| 9 |  | Kerr Kriisa finished with 17 points and six assists in Thursday's 88-62 win over Utah. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Colorado. | -- | 28-7 |
| 10 |  | Julian Strawther finished with 30 points and three rebounds in Thursday's 108-65 win at Loyola Marymount. The Zags' next game is Saturday at Pepperdine. | -- | 31-6 |
| 11 |  | Stevie Mitchell finished with 17 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 69-68 win over Xavier. The Golden Eagles' next game is Tuesday at Creighton. | -- | 29-7 |
| 12 |  | Adam Kunkel missed eight of the 11 shots he attempted in Wednesday's 69-68 loss at Marquette. The Musketeers' next game is Saturday against DePaul. | -- | 27-10 |
| 13 |  | Nijel Pack finished with 23 points and two steals in Monday's 80-72 win at North Carolina. The Hurricanes' next game is Saturday against Wake Forest. | -- | 29-8 |
| 14 |  | Santiago Vescovi finished with 15 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday's 68-59 win over Alabama. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Kentucky. | -- | 25-11 |
| 15 |  | Aljaz Kunc finished with 22 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 70-59 win over TCU. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday at Kansas State. | -- | 19-14 |
| 16 |  | Markquis Nowell finished with 14 points and six assists in Tuesday's 79-65 loss at Oklahoma. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Iowa State. | -- | 26-10 |
| 17 |  | Mitchell Saxen finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday's 62-59 win at San Diego. The Gaels' next game is Saturday against BYU. | -- | 27-8 |
| 18 |  | Matt Bradley finished with 10 points and three assists in Wednesday's 45-43 win at Fresno State. The Aztecs' next game is Tuesday against Colorado State. | -- | 32-7 |
| 19 |  | Boo Buie finished with 21 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's 64-62 win over Indiana. The Wildcats' next game is Sunday against Iowa. | -- | 22-12 |
| 20 |  | Miller Kopp finished 1 of 6 from the field in Wednesday's 64-62 loss at Northwestern. The Hoosiers' next game is Saturday against Illinois. | -- | 23-12 |
| 21 |  | Adama Sanogo missed 10 of the 17 shots he attempted in Saturday's 56-53 loss at Creighton. The Huskies' next game is Saturday against Seton Hall. | -- | 31-8 |
| 22 |  | Will Baker finished with 19 points and five rebounds in Friday's 77-66 win over Fresno State. The Wolf Pack's next game is Saturday at Utah State. | -- | 22-11 |
| 23 |  | Devin Carter finished with 25 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 94-86 double-overtime win over Creighton. The Friars' next game is Saturday against Villanova. | -- | 21-12 |
| 24 |  | Baylor Scheierman missed 10 of the 12 3-pointers he attempted in Tuesday's 94-86 double-overtime loss at Providence. The Bluejays' next game is Saturday at St. John's. | -- | 24-13 |
| 25 |  | Jahmir Young finished with 20 points and four assists in Thursday's 68-54 win over Purdue. The Terrapins' next game is Sunday at Nebraska. | -- | 22-13 |
| 26 |  | Blake Hinson finished with 21 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 77-58 victory over Boston College. The Panthers' next game is Saturday at Virginia Tech. | -- | 24-12 |
