The Kansas Jayhawks were ranked as the No. 1 team in the country in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll for the 2019-20 men's college basketball season, which was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic.
KU was joined by the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Dayton Flyers, Florida State Seminoles and Baylor Bears in the top five to cap a wild campaign highlighted by numerous high-profile upsets.
Here's a look at the complete list:
1. Kansas
2. Gonzaga
3. Dayton
4. Florida State
5. Baylor
6. San Diego State
7. Creighton
8. Kentucky
9. Michigan State
10. Villanova
11. Duke
12. Maryland
13. Oregon
14. Louisville
15. Seton Hall
16. Virginia
17. Wisconsin
18. BYU
19. Ohio State
20. Auburn
21. Illinois
22. Houston
23. Butler
24. West Virginia
25. Iowa
NCAA announced Thursday the 2020 NCAA tournament wouldn't be played:
"Today, NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors canceled the Division I men's and women's 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships. This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities."
Although March Madness won't take place on the floor, computer simulations still had their say.
ESPN's Basketball Power Index projected the Jayhawks were the most likely team to win the national championship at 17.9 percent. Only two other teams owned a double-digit percentage: the Duke Blue Devils (15.7) and Gonzaga (15.2).
Kansas was also the choice of TeamRankings at 19 percent. Gonzaga (13 percent), Duke (13 percent) and the Michigan State Spartans (10 percent) were the next in terms of probability of cutting down the nets.
KU earned the Big 12 regular-season title with a 17-1 mark in conference play, which brought its overall record to 28-3.
Jayhawks head coach Bill Self said Monday he'd "be in favor" of naming the national champion based on the polls—his team also took the top spot in the final USA Today Coaches Poll—but he understands that would come with a "huge asterisk."
Self told reporters:
"I'm very proud of how my team for the most part all season long but specifically the last two months of the season we were terrific. They operated under pressure. I would think from our standpoint, that would be great (to be awarded a national title). But even if that occurred, which I don't think it will, but there would be a huge asterisk on both sides of it."
Kansas has won three NCAA tournament championships, the most recent one coming in 2008.
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