Where Kansas Basketball Landed in The Athletic's Preseason Big 12 Rankings

The college basketball season is just a little over a month from tipping off, meaning national analysts are beginning to put together their final thoughts on schools across the country.

The Kansas Jayhawks are coming off multiple disappointing seasons, but retooled their roster with the addition of superstar freshman Darryn Peterson this offseason, giving KU a new identity.

Bill Self's group won't be ranked No. 1 in the preseason as it was the past two years, but it will still likely command a respectable spot in the top 25. The Athletic analyst CJ Moore recently released his preseason Big 12 rankings (subscription required), and Kansas landed at No. 5.

Kansas Finishes at No. 5 in The Athletic Preseason Big 12 Rankings

This falls in line with where many other analysts have KU. Most aren't willing to place the Jayhawks as high as in recent years, largely due to underperforming squads led by transfers that never panned out.

"Kansas was preseason No. 1 in each of the last two years, despite a flawed roster," Moore wrote. "It was the media betting on Self’s track record, falling for Dickinson as a star who could carry a title contender and overlooking the spacing issues that came with playing three non-shooters a majority of the minutes. Is it possible KU is now going too far in the other direction?"

This year, KU once again boasts a new-look roster, but it is hoping for a different outcome.

Behind Peterson, returning center Flory Bidunga will anchor the defense with his length and shot-blocking ability, while St. Bonaventure transfer Melvin Council Jr. and Illinois transfer Tre White are expected to provide defense and athleticism as complementary pieces to Peterson.

Loyola Chicago transfer Jayden Dawson and incoming freshman Kohl Rosario also bring an array of skills, most notably 3-point shooting, an area KU teams have lacked in recent years. Moore talked about these factors in his article as well.

"How good KU can be will likely depend on Bidunga’s improvement and 3-point shooting," he added. "Bidunga looks bigger and his semi-nervous freshman energy has been replaced with 'I’m a bad boy' energy. The Peterson-Bidunga pick-and-roll should be elite, especially if the spacing is there."

MORE: Bill Self Compares Kansas Freshman Kohl Rosario to Jayhawks Legend

Moore placed the Jayhawks in the "deep top tier" along with Houston, Arizona, Texas Tech, and BYU, respectively. He concluded with this statement:

"And to repeat: Peterson is that good. He plays with the poise of a senior and has all the tools to be one of the best guards in college basketball. The top five teams in the Big 12 could finish in any order. It should be an awesome race to the finish."

The season unofficially begins on Oct. 24 with an exhibition matchup against Louisville.