While Gonzaga and Baylor solidified themselves at the top of the Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, Shaka Smart and fourth-ranked Texas are starting to prove themselves noteworthy.
Last week, the Longhorns demolished No.3 Kansas 84-59, moving to 8-1(2-0 Big 12). The 25-point win over the Jayhawks was the Texas program’s second-largest road win over an AP top five-ranked opponent across its decorated team history.
“I’m just happy for our guys. They put so much energy and time and effort into everything,” said head coach Shaka Smart. “These last several months and having guys canceled and guys having things up in the air, having a couple guys unavailable, but the guys just hung in there and controlled what they could control.”
Junior guard Courtney Ramey led the way, scoring 18 points along with four rebounds and two assists. It was a team effort, however, with five players in double-figures that night. Matt Coleman dropped 13 and Andrew Jones contributed 14.
![Video: No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks vs. No. 8 Texas Longhorns [HIGHLIGHTS] | ESPN College Basketball](/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/video-no-3-kansas-jayhawks-vs-no-8-texas-longhorns-highlights-espn-college-basketball-768x432.jpg.webp)
No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks vs. No. 8 Texas Longhorns [HIGHLIGHTS] | ESPN College Basketball
The Longhorns looked comfortable all night, relying on their experience and toughness to knock down shots and put pressure onto the Jayhawks. They were able to force tough shots, with Kansas shooting just 13 percent beyond the arc.
“The message is pretty obvious: This doesn’t happen in the Fieldhouse,” said Jalen Wilson, who led the Jayhawks with 20 points. “This is very embarrassing. We’re a good team and today we didn’t show what we’re capable of.”
Kansas has fallen three spots to No. 6 and will face Oklahoma on Saturday. They’ll also come face to face with No. 2 Baylor later this month.
Several other teams have taken a tumble, including four other top-10 teams. Surprisingly, 36 percent of the top 25 in college basketball took losses in the past week.
No. 25 Florida State had the week’s biggest tumble, falling seven spots after losing at Clemson.
Houston and No. 23 Michigan State each fell six spots.
No. 18 Texas Tech joined West Virginia in sliding five spots.
No. 19 Clemson was back in the poll for the second time this season after moving onto 8-1 on Saturday.
No. 23 Saint Louis Billikens make their first AP Top 25 appearance since the 2013-14 season.
No. 19 Northwestern fell out of the poll after a blowout loss to ranked Michigan.
No. 25 Ohio State fell out of the poll after a tough 17-point defeat to Minnesota.
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