By JOHN MARSHALL
AP Basketball Writer

Kansas is back where it started the season.

The preseason No. 1, the Jayhawks are again the top-ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 despite struggling to get past New Mexico State at home. Kansas received 57 first-place votes from a 65-person media panel in the poll released Monday, sliding into the top spot after previous No. 1 Gonzaga lost to Tennessee.

No. 2 Duke moved up a spot and received four first-place votes. No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Gonzaga, No. 5 Michigan and No. 6 Virginia received the other first-place votes.

No. 7 Nevada, Auburn, Michigan State and Florida State rounded out the top 10.

The Jayhawks were the preseason No. 1, but dropped a spot after Duke decimated then-No. 2 Kentucky to open the season.

Gonzaga moved to No. 1 after beating Duke in the Maui Invitational title game, lasting two weeks before losing 76-73 to the Vols Sunday in Phoenix.

Kansas (8-0) kept winning, though needed a big game from Dedric Lawson to beat New Mexico State in Kansas City on Saturday. Lawson, a preseason All-American, had 20 points, including the final 14 for Kansas, and 10 rebounds in the tighter than expected 63-60 victory.

Kansas played without center Udoka Azubuike, but coach Bill Self was not buying any excuses for the struggles.

“We were fortunate tonight,” he said. “How in the world we’ve won these games … it’s one thing to not play well, it’s another thing to not play well and not be intellectually into the game and that was certainly the case tonight.”

It was good enough to get the Jayhawks past the Aggies — and move to No. 1.

VOLS RISING
Tennessee picked up its biggest win in four seasons under coach Rick Barnes by knocking off Gonzaga in the Colangelo Classic.

The Vols (7-1) kept their poise and made the biggest plays down the stretch, holding off the Zags 76-73 after Admiral Schofield scored 25 of his 30 points in the second half and hit two key 3-pointers.

The victory was Tennessee’s first over a No. 1 team since beating Kansas in 2010 and Barnes’ first in 31 years as a head coach.

The Vols have their highest AP ranking since hitting No. 1 in 2007-08.

FURMAN HOLDS STEADY
Furman moved into the poll for the first time last week, thanks to a resume that includes wins over 2018 Final Four teams Villanova and Loyola-Chicago.

The Paladins (10-0) moved up two spots in this week’s poll to No. 23 after beating Elon and South Carolina Upstate.

Furman plays Charleston Southern on Tuesday and UNC Wilmington Saturday.

TOP 27
This week’s poll had a rarity: Three teams tied for the final spot.

Syracuse, Indiana and Kansas State all came in at No. 25 after receiving 118 points. It’s the first three-way tie in the AP Top 25 since three teams shared No. 13 in 1991.

The Hoosiers are ranked for the first time since climbing to No. 3 in 2016-17. The Orange moved back into the Top 25 after beating Northeastern and Georgetown.

The Wildcats dropped nine spots from No. 16 after losing to Tulsa.

RISING
Tennessee matched the biggest climb of the week, moving up four spots from No. 7. No. 15 Ohio State, No. 17 Villanova and No. 18 Mississippi also moved up four.

FALLING
No. 19 Kentucky had the largest drop this week, losing 10 spots to No. 19 after losing to Seton Hall in overtime. Kansas State was next at nine.

MOVING IN
In addition to Syracuse and Indiana, No. 21 Marquette and No. 24 Houston each moved into the poll this week.

The Cougars are ranked for the first time since hitting No. 21 last season and the Golden Eagles are back in the poll after dropping out in Week 3.

BALLOT BOYCOTT
One AP voter opted to leave five teams off his ballot because none have played a true road game.

Graham Couch of the Lansing State Journal did not include Kansas, Duke, Tennessee, Auburn, Texas Tech, Kentucky, Villanova or Texas.

His rationale is here.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Kyle Shanahan pulled aside his star tight end and apologized to George Kittle for not getting him more opportunities in the second half to set an NFL record.

The coach even said sorry a second time.

Quarterback Nick Mullens placed the blame on himself after Kittle fell 4 yards short of Shannon Sharpe’s NFL record by a tight end of 214 yards receiving.

Kittle still had a brilliant Sunday afternoon, making an 85-yard touchdown reception on the way to 210 yards receiving and becoming the 49ers’ first tight end to reach the 1,000-yard milestone to lead San Francisco past the sluggish, injury-plagued Denver Broncos 20-14.

“Four yards, ahhh, it’s all right,” Kittle shrugged nonchalantly, unfazed by a near miss. “Next time. Just talk to Nick and Coach Shanahan, they’ll figure it out.”

Kittle’s long TD reception on a pass from Mullens early in the second quarter put the Niners up 13-0 — “George flashed in my eyes,” his QB said — and Denver (6-7) never found a groove in seeing its three-game winning streak snapped.

Kittle had all of his yards and seven receptions in the first half and was targeted just once after halftime. Again, no big deal.

“We won. That’s about all that matters,” Kittle said.

Broncos quarterback Case Keenum struggled to find any rhythm after the Broncos lost top wideout Emmanuel Sanders to a torn Achilles tendon in practice during the week.

Dante Pettis added a 1-yard touchdown reception just before halftime for the Niners (3-10).

But this was Kittle’s sparkling afternoon from the very start. He has provided a major lift for an offense that dealt with the blow of losing starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in Week 3 at Kansas City.

“We had one blown coverage, and a couple where we just didn’t cover him,” Broncos coach Vance Joseph said.

Mullens connected on eight of his first 12 throws for 124 yards and wound up 20 of 33 for 332 yards and a 102.1 rating.

“George had one heck of a day, 4 yards short of the record. You can blame that on me, I guess,” Mullens said.

Denver (6-7), which sought its first four-game winning streak since starting the 2016 season 4-0, fell behind 20-0 at halftime then managed two second-half touchdowns to make things interesting.

Phillip Lindsay ran for a 3-yard score in the third then Case Keenum hit DaeSean Hamilton on a 1-yard TD toss with 3:53 remaining. Keenum went 24 of 42 for 186 yards.

San Francisco ended a three-game skid. The 49ers had lost their previous two games by 18 and 27 points, including a 43-16 defeat at rival Seattle last week.

SACK TIME

Denver’s Von Miller sacked Mullens for a 9-yard loss late in the second quarter. Including the postseason, Miller’s 103½ sacks matched the franchise record held by Simon Fletcher.

Meanwhile, linebacker Bradley Chubb had two more sacks for 12 on the season to break Miller’s franchise rookie record of 11½ set in 2011.

KITTLE’S CATCHES

The previous time any 49ers player had 1,000 yards was in 2014, when Anquan Boldin had 1,062 yards receiving and Frank Gore 1,106 yards rushing.

In addition, Kittle’s 52-yard catch and run to end the first quarter moved him past Vernon Davis for the 49ers franchise record for yards receiving by a tight end in a season.

Kittle came in needing 73 yards to top Davis’ mark of 965 yards set in 2009.

“It’s an honor. … He set the standard,” Kittle said.

On San Francisco’s nine-play opening scoring drive — capped by Robbie Gould’s 40-yard field goal — Kittle made receptions of 31 and 5 yards.

Gould made a 29-yarder early in the second.

ANOTHER RECEPTION

Niners left tackle Joe Staley celebrated a rare catch, the third of his 12-year career, late in the first half when he got his hands on a tipped pass by a defender for a 5-yard loss.

He will be fined for it, Shanahan insisted. Because of the chance of injury on such plays, trying for the ball isn’t advised. Staley called it a “dumb decision,” but explained it like this: “It’s like telling me ‘Hey, there’s pizza here, don’t have slice.’ I’m going to have a slice.”

“Joe refuses to believe he’s an O-lineman,” Shanahan said. “… It was not a smart play.”

INJURIES

Broncos: Cornerback Isaac Yiadom suffered a shoulder injury. Wideout Courtland Sutton nursed a thigh injury.

49ers: Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon was able to return after landing hard on his left ankle late in the game when he went down defending a pass on the sideline.

UP NEXT

Broncos: Host Cleveland on Saturday.

49ers: Host Seattle on Sunday.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Harrison Butker atoned for a 43-yard miss as time expired with a 36-yard field goal in overtime, and the Kansas City Chiefs stopped the Baltimore Ravens on fourth down to clinch a playoff spot with a 27-24 victory Sunday.

The Chiefs (10-2) twice converted on fourth down before Patrick Mahomes threw a tying touchdown pass to Damien Williams with 53 seconds left. Moments later, Justin Houston strip-sacked Lamar Jackson to give Butker a chance to win the game for Kansas City in regulation.

He missed that one. He didn’t miss his second chance.

The Ravens (7-6) marched across midfield as they tried to answer in overtime, but Ronnie Stanley’s holding penalty put them in a bind. Jackson was sacked by Houston and Dee Ford — and wound up leaving the game — and Robert Griffin III threw two incompletions to end it.

Mahomes threw for 377 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Tyreek Hill caught eight passes for 139 yards, including three in overtime to set up the eventual winning field goal.

Jackson threw for 147 yards and two touchdowns for the Ravens, who had never lost in three trips to Arrowhead Stadium. Jackson also had 71 yards rushing in his fourth start in place of Joe Flacco .

Both teams looked as if they had the game won in regulation.

The Ravens took the lead with 4:04 to go when a long punt return gave them prime field position, and Jackson threw a third-down touchdown pass to John Brown. But the NFL’s top-ranked defense twice allowed the league’s highest-scoring offense to convert on fourth down .

The first came on fourth-and-9 at the Chiefs 40, when Mahomes scrambled to his right and threw an audacious cross-body heave to a hobbled Hill for a 40-yard gain. The second came on fourth-and-3 at the Ravens 5, when Mahomes threw his dump-off to Williams for the tying touchdown.

As the Ravens tried to get into range for kicker Justin Tucker, Houston strip-sacked Jackson to give KC the ball. Butker proceeded to miss his second field goal of the game to force overtime.

The Chiefs at times had no problem slicing up the Ravens’ staunch defense, putting together a pair of long TD drives to take a 17-10 lead into the break. Williams capped the first with his short plunge and Travis Kelce finished the other with a nice over-the-shoulder catch.

At other times, the Ravens got enough pressure on Mahomes to make him look like a rookie.

The Chiefs, whose own defense ranks near the bottom of the league, held their own much of the game. They allowed a 75-yard drive entirely on the ground in the first half, which Kenneth Dixon finished with a 3-yard run, but otherwise kept Jackson and Co. from making big plays.

The Chiefs still led in the third quarter when Mahomes’ throw into triple coverage was predictably intercepted. Baltimore marched to the Chiefs 10 before facing fourth-and-2. Coach John Harbaugh came up aces when he gambled by having Jackson throw to the end zone. Third-string tight end Maxx Williams caught the TD pass to knot the game 17-17.

It wasn’t the last time the game would be tied.

TWEET TROUBLE

In a statement before the game, the Ravens condemned racist and homophobic tweets made by FB-DL Patrick Ricard six years ago as “totally unacceptable.” Ricard, who was a healthy scratch, has appeared in 10 games with four tackles on defense and 90 snaps on offense.

INJURIES

Ravens: Flacco (hip) and SS Tony Jefferson (ankle) were inactive for the game.

Chiefs: RB Spencer Ware left late in the first half after FS Eric Weddle forced him out of bounds and he landed hard on his right shoulder. He returned after halftime. … Hill (heel) also left late in the half before returning. … WR Sammy Watkins (foot) and SS Eric Berry (heel) were inactive.

UP NEXT

Ravens: Return home to face the Buccaneers next Sunday.

Chiefs: Play the Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Dedric Lawson had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 2 Kansas got past New Mexico State 63-60 in the Jayhawk Shootout on Saturday night.

The Jayhawks’ offense stalled after a hot start in their first game without injured center Udoka Azubuike, going scoreless for over five minutes in the first half. But they put it together late, as Lawson’s layup with just under four minutes left gave them their first lead since the first half.

Kansas (8-0) wouldn’t surrender that lead, allowing some ties but ultimately keeping New Mexico State at arm’s length. The Aggies (7-2) had a chance to tie it on a 3-pointer with 6 seconds to go, but JoJo Zamora’s attempt bounced off the rim and they didn’t get another look.

Zamora scored 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Ivan Aurrecoechea added 14 points and six assists, and Johnny McCants had 12 points and six rebounds.

Marcus Garrett was the only other Jayhawk in double figures, with 10 points.

The turnover battle was 16-13 in Kansas’ favor, and the Jayhawks did more with those slip-ups, outscoring the Aggies 29-16 off turnovers.

Kansas shot 33 percent from 3-point range to 27 percent for New Mexico State.

The Jayhawks improved to 4-0 all-time against the Aggies.

BIG PICTURE

New Mexico State hung with the No. 2 team in the country and perhaps lived up to its billing as the preseason pick to win the Western Athletic Conference.

With the 7-foot Azubuike on the bench with a sprained ankle, Kansas once again struggled before pulling out a win.

UP NEXT

New Mexico State has a nine-day break before returning home to face Northern Colorado.

Kansas heads back to Allen Fieldhouse for its clash with No. 21 Villanova next Saturday.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Martins Igbanu made a big play, and then partied with some of his classmates.

Igbanu connected for a go-ahead jump hook with 1:51 remaining, and Tulsa edged No. 16 Kansas State 47-46 on Saturday.

Curran Scott scored 14 points for Tulsa (7-3), and Igbanu had nine points and six rebounds. The Hurricane got their second straight victory against the Big 12, also topping Oklahoma State 74-71 on Wednesday.

Kansas State had one last chance in the final seconds, but Barry Brown Jr. rimmed out a floater on a drive into the lane. Several tips misfired and the Tulsa students stormed the court to celebrate.

“To see the students come storming the court was very exciting,” Igbanu said. “I’ve watched that happen for a lot of other teams on television and always wanted to be a part of something like that. They gave us great energy tonight.”

Xavier Sneed had 13 points and 10 rebounds, but the Wildcats (6-2) shot 30.5 percent (18 for 59) from the field. They also committed 16 turnovers.

“I can’t even put into words how proud I am of the effort and intensity we played with,” Tulsa coach Frank Haith said. “We fought our butts off and executed so well. It was at a high, high level and I’m really proud of how we did it.”

Kansas State star Dean Wade finished with two points on 1-for-6 shooting. Brown and Kamau Stokes combined to shoot 4 for 24.

The Wildcats also struggled with Tulsa’s matchup zone last season, shooting 31.6 percent (18 for 57) in a 61-54 loss.

“Tulsa is so good at rotating and keeping you contained,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “You have to make some shots and I thought we had some open ones tonight. But every time you think you have something going, you’re just not able to get in any comfort zone and rhythm.”

The Hurricane also struggled offensively, shooting 38 percent (19 for 50) and committing 15 turnovers. They were outrebounded 42-34 by the Wildcats.

Tulsa opened a 45-40 lead on a long 3-pointer by Jeriah Horne with 4:19 left. But Kansas State came right back.

Sneed made two 3-pointers to help the Wildcats to a 46-45 lead with 2:24 left, setting the stage for Igbanu’s big play.

“They have one of the top defenses in the nation,” Haith said. “You had to work hard for everything and finish through contact. Fortunately we made one more play than they did.”

LOOKING BACK

It was Tulsa’s first win against a ranked team since an 82-77 victory against No. 16 Southern Methodist in Dallas on Feb. 10, 2016. It was its first victory over a ranked team at home since a 77-67 win against No. 9 Wichita State on Nov. 17, 2015.

MORE POWER

Weber was not pleased with the performance of the 6-foot-10 Wade.

“He wasn’t aggressive enough,” he said. “He’s the biggest guy out there and he didn’t use his strength or length to finish around the hoop. But he’s a good player and he’ll battle through this.”

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State: The Wildcats made 4 of 32 3-pointers in the 2017 loss and were slightly better against the zone this time at 5 of 19. Kansas State played physical defense without fouling in the second half, committing just one team foul.

Tulsa: The Hurricane is proving to be one tough team at home, having won 13 consecutive games at the Reynolds Center and 22 of 24 overall.

UP NEXT

Kansas State has a week off before opening a four-game nonconference homestand against Georgia State on Dec. 15.

Tulsa concludes its 2018 home nonconference slate against New Orleans on Thursday.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s defense suffocated Wichita State in an 80-48 win on Saturday at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

The Sooners held the Shockers to 6-for-30 shooting in the second half. Overall, Wichita State shot just 24.2 percent — the fourth-lowest field goal percentage by an Oklahoma opponent during the Lon Kruger coaching era started in 2011.

“Guys just have an understanding of their roles, what they need to do to help the team to be effective defensively,” Kruger said. “It has become contagious. Guys have a lot of pride on that end of the floor.”

The Sooners have held three of their past four opponents under 60 points, fueling a four-game win streak.

“I think that just has a lot to do with us enjoying playing defense,” Oklahoma guard Miles Reynolds said. “We know when we’re locked in defensively. When we’re playing as a unit, not too many teams are going to get very good looks against us. That’s going to allow us to get out in transition.”

The offense was working, too. Christian James had 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, Reynolds scored 14 points, Matt Freeman scored 11 and Aaron Calixte added 10 for the Sooners (8-1).

James, the Big 12’s leading scorer with nearly 20 points per game, made 3 of 6 3-pointers.

Markis McDuffie scored 19 points for Wichita State, but he made just 6 of 17 shots. No one else scored in double figures for the Shockers (4-4).

“We weren’t executing,” McDuffie said. “So I guess guys were feeling we had to force up shots. We weren’t poised.”

The Sooners led 25-22 in the first half before a 3-pointer by James started a 7-0 run that pushed Oklahoma’s lead to 32-22. Oklahoma led 32-27 at halftime behind 12 points and 10 rebounds from James.

A 3-pointer by freshman Jamal Bieniemy early in the second half pushed Oklahoma’s lead back up to 10. A 3-pointer by Calixte increased the lead to 51-34, and the Sooners controlled the rest of the game.

“It was a good win against a club that’s going to win a lot of ball games this year,” Kruger said. “I thought the first half we looked careless with the ball. I was really impressed with the way the guys regrouped and really came out and played awfully well in the second half.”

BIG PICTURE

Wichita State: The Shockers, who beat Big 12 Conference member Baylor last Saturday, had been competitive in their other losses this season. The Shockers had been averaging 74.7 points per game before getting shut down on Saturday.

Oklahoma: The Sooners improved a strong nonconference resume that already included wins over Florida and Notre Dame. Oklahoma outrebounded the Shockers 52-33 and posted its largest victory margin of the season.

STAT LINES

Wichita State’s McDuffie became the 47th player in school history to score at least 1,000 points in his career. It happened in his 100th career game with the Shockers. The senior forward entered the day as the leading scorer in the American Athletic Conference with 19.6 points per game.

INJURY UPDATE

Starting center Jamuni McNeace sat out with a right ankle injury from last Sunday’s practice. The team’s No. 2 scorer and rebounder also missed Oklahoma’s win over Notre Dame. Kruger said he expects McNeace to return for the Sooners next game against Southern California.

HE SAID IT

McDuffie: “Oklahoma just took off and started playing as a team. They started knocking down shots, gaining a lot of confidence. We were still stuck in our ways, trying to figure out how we’re going to turn the game up. We just couldn’t do that today.”

UP NEXT

Wichita State hosts Jacksonville State on Wednesday.

Oklahoma plays Southern California next Saturday in Tulsa.

Listen as the ‘Voice of the Chiefs’ Mitch Holthus recaps last week’s win in Oakland and previews Sunday’s game against the Ravens and their top-rated defense.

The Holthus Hotline airs Saturday mornings on your home for Chiefs football, KFIX (96.9-FM), at 8 a.m. during the Chiefs season.