Kansas is officially back in the Top 25 And 1! Tre White, the well-traveled guard and last season’s second-leading scorer for the Jayhawks, just got cleared to play his fifth year in college after a judge granted a preliminary injunction in Indiana. This massive court ruling, made on September 28, 2026, instantly bumps KU up to No. 18 in Version 28 of the 2026-27 CBS Sports preseason college basketball rankings.
White’s Return Changes Everything for Kansas
Listen, getting White back is a game-changer for Bill Self and the Jayhawks. They were hit hard by early departures to both the NBA Draft and the transfer portal, so Self and his staff had some serious work to do to keep this program at the top. And man, they delivered! White recommitted to Kansas just two days after that critical court ruling. His return bolsters a roster that already includes Tyran Stokes, the sport’s top-rated incoming freshman, and Taylen Kinney, another heralded piece on the perimeter. This isn’t the best KU roster ever, no question, but it’s definitely a squad ready to make some noise.
Jayhawks Rebuild and Big 12 Battle
With White now eligible again, combined with Stokes and Kinney, Kansas is shaping up! They might not be the preseason favorite in the Big 12, but this addition changes their outlook big time. The Big 12 is absolutely stacked, with five schools in this new Top 25 And 1. You’ve got No. 6 Arizona, No. 11 Iowa State, No. 14 Houston, and No. 24 BYU all duking it out. Plus, with Stokes rocking the Jayhawk uniform, the Big 12 is eyeing another potential No. 1 NBA Draft pick in 2027. BYU’s AJ Dybantsa went No. 1 in 2026, and Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham went first overall in 2021. Stokes, who is a 6-foot-8 multi-positional player, is currently projected to go No. 1 in 2027, which would make him the third Jayhawk to earn that top spot, joining Danny Manning (1985) and Andrew Wiggins (2014).
Florida still holds strong at No. 1 in the rankings, and for good reason. They’re projected to return six of their top seven scorers, including Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, Boogie Fland, Reuben Chinyelu, Urban Klavsar, and Isaiah Brown, from a squad that went 27-8, won the SEC by three games, and secured a No. 1 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, though they bowed out in the second round. Kansas pushing in means North Carolina got bumped out, making them the defacto No. 27 team.
The 2026-27 college basketball season is just getting started, and with Tre White back in the fold, Kansas is officially a team to watch. Get ready for some serious action when the Jayhawks tip off, because they’re coming for it all.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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