No. 1, No. 2 or No. 22, Kansas University's ranking in the Associated Press basketball poll doesn't matter to KU coach Roy Williams.
"I really do not pay any attention to it whatsoever," Williams said after learning the Jayhawks had climbed past Duke on Monday to take over the No. 1 rung in the Top 25.
Kansas junior Drew Gooden hangs on the rim after a dunk in KU's 97-85 victory over Colorado on Saturday. The Jayhawks have been rewarded for their 12-game winning streak by being ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll.
"It really makes no difference to me. Perhaps if you are building a program and you become ranked for the first time, or if you've been building a program and you've gotten in the top 10 or maybe even No. 1 for the first time there might be more to it. I think it adds even more pressure and we do not need even more pressure."
The Jayhawks have been ranked No. 1 for 26 weeks in Williams' 14 years at KU and for 35 weeks in the school's history. However, it's the first time KU has been No. 1 since the final regular-season poll of the 1996-97 season.
"If I were voting, I'd still vote Duke No. 1," Williams said of the Blue Devils, who fell to No. 2 after losing to Florida State, 77-76, on Sunday night.
KU received 34 first-place votes to Duke's 26, while No. 3-ranked Florida notched 11.
"Duke lost on a last-second shot on the opposing court of a conference team," Williams added. "I don't have a vote, so I don't worry about it. We still have to play in college basketball. There's no BCS or anything like that you have to worry about."
Williams said it'll be business as usual now that the Jayhawks are No. 1.
"I don't think we would have any problems with that," Williams said of a change in the team's mindset. "We may have problems with Nebraska or problems with UCLA, but I don't think we'll have any problems with the polls.
"There are so many different things going on nowadays. There's so much attention on college basketball. You know, 10, 15, 20 years ago the polls were about somebody waiting to get up to see where they were ranked. Now there's so much out there with the Internet and SportsCenter and Fox Sports, the kids and everybody keeps up with what everybody else is doing any more."
The Jayhawks will play host to the Huskers at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday in Allen Fieldhouse before traveling to Los Angeles for Saturday's 2 p.m. tip with the Bruins.
The players view the top ranking as a reward for building a 12-1 record.
"It's kind of neat," KU junior Nick Collison said. "It's good to be playing well and get recognized for it. Everybody knows it doesn't really matter at this stage of the season. It's something the media has polls and people have polls to hype the games. It won't change how we do anything."
Except maybe walking around on campus or in airports with more pride.
"I don't know why, but being No. 2 and No. 1 it's a big difference," junior guard Kirk Hinrich said. "It's always that way. It is a big deal. We want to stay there, obviously. It's an accomplishment but doesn't mean too much. We've been playing well. I think we deserve it as much as anybody else."
Added Drew Gooden, "We lost our first game of the season. I think winning 12 games after that in a row is a big-time thing. We deserve to be No. 1. I haven't been No. 1 since I've been here and Kansas is a program that can always sneak up there and be No. 1."
Gooden does not think the Jayhawks will feel any added pressure.
"The only thing is other teams will look at us and say they (Jayhawks) are the No. 1 team in the country and we want to beat 'em, give them a defeat," Gooden said. "We still wear the jersey of Kansas. Even if we are ranked 25th, teams are going to play at their best level. I don't think it's going to change that much."
Hinrich noted, "We used to have a big target on our chest. We're going to have a bigger one now."
Williams briefly addressed the No. 1 ranking with his team before Monday's practice.
"Coach said we'll probably be No. 1 and it doesn't change one thing we do," Collison said. "We still go out there and practice and play. It won't change one thing we do."
Notes: This is the ninth season in which Kansas has been ranked No. 1 and all but two 1951-52 and 1956-57 have been under Williams. KU was No. 1 for 15 polls during the 1996-97 season. Maryland moved up four places to fourth, while Oklahoma made the week's biggest jump, moving from No. 10 to fifth.
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