The Kansas Jayhawks and Kansas State Wildcats will meet at Bramlage Coliseum on Monday night and it has the potential to be a very big night for Kansas. The Jayhawks are up for consideration for the top spot in the NCAA basketball rankings which are set to be released on Monday before the game.
Kansas, who was No. 2 last week, could move up to No. 1 on the heels of Ohio State's loss over the weekend. Even if they do, KU basketball head coach Bill Self says beating Kansas State is what matters right now. Here's Self via KUSports.com:
"What I care more about is winning tonight. If you don't win tonight, it's a moot point anyway. Whatever happens, I hope it's a driving motivational force for our team. Whether we are 2 or 1 or whatever, it can be a good motivational factor for you."
If Kansas can make it to No. 1, it'll be the fifth time in Self's eight-year tenure at Kansas that they've made it to the top spot. While it would be cool to see that happen, Self knows KU's goal is a larger one -- top spot in the NCAA tournament and a national championship. The possibility of being ranked No. 1 this week doesn't accomplish either of those goals so it's not part of the big picture at the moment.
That said, Self did recognize that it "would be nice" to get the top spot.