The NCAA basketball rankings vary but only by a little. The Kansas Jayhawks hold the top spot in the Associated Press poll followed by the Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns in the top three. In the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll, KU basketball is again in the top spot but Texas is No. 2 followed by Ohio State at No. 3.
Kansas and Ohio State hold identical 24-1 records while the Longhorns are 22-3. KU and OSU obviously have better records but it's hard to argue that Texas has been the hottest team since early January. They've undefeated in that stretch beating previously unbeaten Kansas.
In the AP poll, Missouri is ranked No. 20 followed by Texas A&M at No. 21. In the Coaches' poll, the Tigers are No. 21 and Texas A&M is No. 17. Missouri lost last week to Kansas which is the reason for their drop in both polls. They play Texas Tech on Tuesday so they'll have a chance to boost their resume.
Kansas becomes No. 1 for the fifth time in Bill Self's eight years at Kansas. Looking at their schedule, they should be able to keep their top spot in tact for a few weeks -- assuming they get past Kansas State on Monday night. Kansas won't have another big test until the first week of March when they play Texas A&M and take a road trip to Missouri.
So Kansas has swept the NCAA basketball rankings with top billing in both polls. Texas and Ohio State will have the rest of the season to sort themselves out in the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll.
Curious to know what the fans are saying about the new No. 1? Check out SB Nation's Rock Chalk Talk, Burnt Orange Nation and Along The Olentangy.