Life 2 Sports | College basketball rankings: Kansas makes big jump after landing star Arizona State transfer Remy Martin

Basketball

College basketball rankings: Kansas makes big jump after landing star Arizona State transfer Remy Martin

May. 18, 2021

There have been more than 1,500 Division I college basketball players in the transfer portal this offseason. The overwhelming majority of them are irrelevant to the sport. But there are some who project as real difference-makers, and there's an argument to be made that none deserve that label more than reigning Pac-12 scoring champ Remy Martin.

He's now a Kansas Jayhawk.

The 6-foot point guard, who is coming off of back-to-back seasons in which he averaged 19.1 points per game for Arizona State, committed to Bill Self's program on Monday night. So as long as he eventually withdraws from the NBA Draft, which is the operating assumption, he's now set to join a blueblood program that's expected to return four of the top five scorers from a team that beat Baylor, the eventual national champion, and finished second in the Big 12. As a result, I've moved Kansas up to No. 3 in Version 11.0 of the 2021-22 CBS Sports Preseason Top 25 And 1.

Gonzaga remains No. 1.

The Zags have won at least 31 games in five consecutive seasons, played in two of the past four national title games, and finished first or second at KenPom in four of the past five years -- and it's possible the best is yet to come considering the roster Mark Few has in place. The WCC power should bring back Andrew Nembhard and Drew Timme, the latter of whom will likely be the Preseason National Player of the Year. That experienced core will be joined by the top-ranked prospect in the Class of 2021 (Chet Holmgren) and two other consensus top-30 freshmen (Hunter Sallis, Nolan Hickman), meaning this should be the most-talented roster in program history -- one good enough to win Gonzaga's first national championship.

Coach: Mark Few | 2020-21 record: 31-1

Coach: Mick Cronin | 2020-21 record: 22-10

Coach: Bill Self | 2020-21 record: 21-9

Coach: Jay Wright | 2020-21 record: 18-7

Coach: Nate Oats | 2020-21 record: 26-7

Coach: Chris Holtmann | 2020-21 record: 21-10

Coach: Juwan Howard | 2020-21 record: 23-5

Coach: Mike Krzyzewski | 2020-21 record: 13-11

Coach: Scott Drew | 2020-21 record: 28-2

Coach: Eric Musselman | 2020-21 record: 25-7

Coach: Matt Painter | 2020-21 record: 18-10

Coach: Kelvin Sampson | 2020-21 record: 28-4