“I don’t know who No. 1 is. I saw Louisville practice and have watched game tapes, but if Kansas is a 1 right now, they’re a ‘John Kerry 1,”’ deadpanned Majerus, beginning his first season as an analyst for ESPN.

“Could they become 1 at the end of the year? Everything will be based on integrating the five freshman. Kansas is in the most perplexing spot of all. They will have to play all five freshmen.”

Majerus says freshman big man Sasha Kaun appears to have the best grasp of Self’s system of the newcomer big-man group that also features C.J. Giles and Darnell Jackson. The other rookies are guards Russell Robinson and Alex Galindo.

“Those kids are really struggling with the offensive flow,” Majerus said before KU’s 115-70 drubbing of Emporia State, a massacre Majerus predicted before donning his ESPN headphones.

“Kaun seems to be picking it up the best now. Giles has the most problems. He’s too thin and light. He will get bounced around.

“A guy like Vroman (Jackson, Iowa State), who is not playing in college now, a guy like that, would have a field day with him. Galindo will play because he has to stretch the defense. Robinson, the kid from New York, has had no problems adjusting (to Midwest) at all.”

Not afraid to speak his mind, Majerus offered his opinions on veterans Keith Langford, Aaron Miles and Christian Moody.

“You can tell Langford is tenuous, as he should be, apprehensive about being on his (surgically repaired right) leg,” Majerus said.

“Miles looks like he’s gotten bigger. Moody, if he can get some confidence, can help ’em. He can give them a boost.

“(The problem is) Moody doesn’t see himself as anything but a walk-on. He’s athletic. He should be able to give them a lift.”

Majerus loves the ability of Wayne Simien and J.R. Giddens, who hit for 17 and 22 points against Emporia State.

“Simien is unselfish. I don’t see any selfishness on the team,” Majerus said. “Giddens is a shooter. He could have come out (for the NBA draft) last year. I know a couple of GMs who would have taken him in the first round. I think he’ll come out for sure this year.

“There’s what you don’t know, the great unknown in psychology. How will Giddens be affected by the eventuality of people telling him he can come out? That’s in a kid’s mind.”

6Sports video: Jayhawks perform as expected in exhibition Hear Self, players: Emporia State post-game Get the stats: KU vs. Emporia State box score Photo Gallery: KU vs. Emporia State Scorecard: Grade KU’s performance against ESU KU opens with a bang Giddens feeds off fans Majerus shoots from hip, says KU unselfish Technically, yell costly Fans’ spirits as high as team’s top ranking

Majerus said he loved Miles’ ability to lead the fast break.

“It’s where he gets most of his assists,” he said, adding, “if I were Miles, I’d watch Eric Snow films. I’d develop a shot fake and one-dribble jump shot. I recognize this from (coaching) Andre Miller.”

Judging from his no-holds-barred comments, Majerus will shoot from the hip as an analyst much as he did as one of the media’s favorites as a coach.

“I’m a coach. I’m not a TV guy and am not a reporter. I see all the negatives,” he said. “I’d go to practice every day, watching all the ways we could lose. I always saw that glass as half-empty.”

So one shouldn’t take his comments as downgrading the Jayhawks.

“Would I like to have their team? Yeah,” he said. “What you have is size, you have athletic ability, you have unselfishness.”

And in Lawrence the past couple of days, he’s seen something else.

“The people here are so friendly,” Majerus said. “I’m serious. They are all like Auntie Em from Oz. The big story tonight is the tickets, the new seating. Everybody has been worried about where their friends are sitting, not worried about themselves and their seats. If you’ve been here a while you might not know how special a place this is. It’s really special.”