Is Kansas Basketball Destined to Dominate the Next Quarter Century? CBS Sports Thinks So.

Kansas basketball is gearing up for a comeback in the 2025-26 season, eager to shake off last year’s early tournament exits that left fans wanting more. With a revamped roster featuring the promising freshman guard Darryn Peterson and seasoned leaders like Jayden Dawson, Melvin Council Jr., and Tre White, the Jayhawks are ready to tackle a demanding schedule head-on. But beyond just this season’s immediate challenges, a bigger question looms: What does the future hold for this storied program once Bill Self steps down? According to CBS Sports, the Jayhawks are projected to remain the pinnacle of college basketball success for the next quarter-century — a testament to their enduring legacy and the deep roots of greatness embedded within the program. This isn’t just hype; it’s a nod to decades of excellence and the financial muscle to attract elite coaching talent that can carry the torch forward. Kansas isn’t just playing for today — they’re building dynasty-level momentum that rivals the sport’s greats. LEARN MORE

LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball has spent its offseason preparing for a bounce-back season, with the 2025-26 campaign.

Although last season brought disappointment, with second-straight early exits from the Big 12 Conference and NCAA tournaments, the Jayhawks have a remade roster and a new look to their coaching staff, too. Freshman guard Darryn Peterson has impressed, and is poised to lead KU through a challenging schedule. There are veterans around him, like senior guards Jayden Dawson, Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White, who can help him navigate the college ranks.

But looking past this season, in fact looking ahead well past it, where will the program stand? Whenever Kansas basketball coach Bill Self decides to retire, will anyone who replaces him be able to sustain the momentum that’s in place holistically? According to CBS Sports, in the next 25 years, KU is projected to be the No. 1 team set for the most long-term success.

“No program has been kissed by the basketball gods more gently than Kansas. It has been led by a Hall of Fame coach for more than 40 years now — from Larry Brown to Roy Williams and now Bill Self — and I suspect that trend will continue for decades more,” CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone wrote.

Boone continued: “While Self may be in the twilight of his career, KU has the history and the financial backing to pluck any coach from their post. This is a top-three program in college basketball and it will continue to recruit at a high level and win at a clip commensurate with its ranking.”

Kansas has won a pair of national championships with Self at the helm, during a tenure that’s lasted a little more than two decades at this point. There have been numerous Big 12 Conference titles as well. That’s a level it’ll take a lot for anyone to live up to, or even come close to.

The rest of the top five in this CBS Sports projection, in order, is Duke, Louisville, Alabama and Indiana. The rest of the top 10 follows with North Carolina, Michigan, UConn, Kentucky and Houston. Kansas and Houston certainly seem poised to battle in the Big 12 for years to come.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.