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The Oklahoma State’s men’s basketball team is ranked for the first time since 2014.
POLL ALERT: Kansas out of AP Top 25 for 1st time in 12 years; Gonzaga, Baylor still 1-2; Michigan jumps to No. 3, then Ohio State.
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) February 8, 2021
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The Pokes enter at No. 23 after being the first team out of the rankings last week. OSU was upset by TCU in Fort Worth last Tuesday before upsetting then No. 6 Texas at home on Saturday. The 1-1 week was enough for the Pokes to rise three spots into the top 25.
Oklahoma State will have a good opportunity to build on its No. 23 ranking as it travels to Lawrence, Kansas, to take on the Jayhawks tonight before returning home to play Kansas State this Saturday. Kansas held the No. 23 spot last week but fell out of the AP top 25 for the first time in 12 years after a 91-79 loss at West Virginia on Saturday.
Mike Boynton’s squad is the lowest-ranked of six Big 12 teams making an appearance in the top 25. Baylor retained its spot at No. 2 followed by Texas Tech at No. 7 and Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia in order at Nos. 12, 13 and 14.
Mike Boynton will look to complete the home-and-home sweep of Kansas for the second time in his four years as head coach. No other coach has swept Kansas in a home-and-home series since Bill Self took over the program in 2003. Tip-off is at 8 pm on ESPN.