The last week has been a nightmare for both Dan Hurley’s UConn Huskies and Bill Self’s Jayhawks. The two-time defending national champion Huskies couldn’t find a way back into the AP Top 25 ranking after a punishing loss top St. John’s. Meanwhile the Jayhawks — who are a perennial powerhouse — finds themselves in an even more embarrassing place.

The Huskies’ drop from the AP Top 25 has reflected their up-and-down this season. Once the No. 2 team in the country, UConn has battled injuries and other roster issues as it seeks consistency. Their most recent disappointment — a 68-62 defeat by St. John’s after squandering a 14-point advantage — made it inevitable that they would tumble into the polls. Also for the first time this season, UConn has reached a new low: The two-time defending national champions are no longer receiving a single vote in the AP Top 25 poll.

This season has been a humbling one for coach Dan Hurley, who turned down an NBA job last summer to remain at UConn. Even Hurley has acknowledged that his group has had issues with “hard coaching”. Which is the complete opposite of the toughness of his title teams.

UConn’s struggles have been concerning, but Kansas’ collapse has been truly seismic. For the first time since February 8, 2021, Bill Self’s Jayhawks are no longer ranked in the AP poll. After 1,477 consecutive days in the rankings, their streak has ended, breaking the second-longest active streak in college basketball. The 80-game streak, only behind Houston’s, came to a halt following back-to-back disastrous losses to Utah and BYU. The latter was especially humiliating—a 91-57 thrashing that tied for the worst margin of defeat in Self’s tenure at Kansas.

In the latest poll Auburn remained No. 1 for the seventh straight week following another dominating stretch. They are followed by Duke (No. 2), Florida (No. 3) and Houston (No. 4). Houston keeps its incredible streak alive. As the team that has been ranked the longest, as the Cougars check in at 102 total weeks in the ranking. Tennessee completes the top five.

Among the notable risers were St. John’s at No. 7 after a sweep of UConn, and Michigan State at No. 8 after back-to-back ranked wins. BYU made its first appearance since 2018, entering the poll at No. 25 following its upset victory over Kansas.

As you’d expect, fans have had their say about this week’s rankings — and they’re not pulling any punches.

Kansas fans outburst after Bill Self’s misery

One Kansas devotee spoke out about their team’s descent. “Ranked #1 to nothing… crazy season for Kansas”. A second was more critical: “Should’ve been unranked four weeks ago”. The Jayhawks’ exclusion has ignited heated arguments about whether their fall was overdue, or unjust.

Meanwhile, BYU fans congratulated their team for climbing into the rankings with comments like “BYU getting the respect” Others focused on Purdue (No. 20), asking why they’re even ranked given their recent woes: “Matt Painter must be sucking some good d-c-s to keep his team in the top 20 after losing four straight.”

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Nevertheless, not everybody was prepared to completely dismiss Kansas: “Kansas disrespect will not be tolerated,” one loyalist demanded.

But with March Madness approaching, pressure is building for both UConn and Kansas to save their seasons. For now, however, they are vivid examples of how swiftly fortunes can change in college basketball. It is a reality that fans are witnessing in real-time with equal parts of fascination and frustration.