Four of the games have been home and eight on the road, with two additional Big Monday games slated for enemy gyms (at Kansas State and Oklahoma) the rest of the season.

“I think so, no question that is part of it,” Self said, asked by a reporter if KU was sent on the road as a consequence of being a traditional powerhouse.

“Certainly I understand why that is the case. I think it’s tougher to play on the road with one day preparation than multiple days, but it also is great preparation to make your team more prepared and tougher for the postseason. In the NCAA Tournament you go Thursday-Saturday or Friday-Sunday with just the one day in between.”

KU, which beat Colorado, 97-74, on Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse, traditionally has been sent packing on Big Monday ostensibly because ESPN figures chances of a close game are greater with the Jayhawks out of their home gym.

“They tend to make the favored teams the away team. (The theory is) it makes for a better game,” said KU senior associate AD Larry Keating. “Another way to look at it is we get a lot of Saturday home games.”

Teams that play on the road on Big Monday, according to Big 12 rules, never play away from home on Saturday.

“We’re happy to be on Big Monday. We like it,” Self said of the exposure it gives the program. His team is 6-5 on Big Monday in his years at KU. “Sunday is a short day for us. We practice and travel, whereas Nebraska has a longer day. Still there’s not much difference.”

The Jayhawks practiced Sunday afternoon then rode a charter bus three hours to Lincoln.

¢Foul discrepancy: First-year Nebraska basketball coach Doc Sadler was animated during Saturday’s 61-45 loss at Kansas State.

The Lincoln Journal-Star reports Sadler “spent much of the game parading between the baseline and scorer’s table, throwing his arms in the air to protest calls and screaming at officials.”

His team hit five of 12 free throws to KSU’s 26 of 32. NU was tooted for 28 fouls to KSU’s 15.

“I guess we just played a lot tougher and harder than they did,” Sadler said.

¢Splits: Nebraska (12-7, 1-4) is 9-1 at home, 0-5 in true road games and 3-1 on neutral courts. KU is 12-1 at home, 3-2 in true road games 3-0 on neutral courts.

¢Lots of walk-ons: Following a rash of injuries, NU’s coaches held open tryouts for students on Oct. 12. The coaching staff selected six players who are working out with the team on a limited basis.

Forwards Ben Nelson (6-foot-7, Atwater, Minn.) and Choul Laam (6-5, Lincoln, Neb.) were the only walk-ons to play in the exhibition games. Laam, Nelson and Nick Krenk (6-0, Nebraska City) have dressed and played during the regular season.

Krenk, the son of former Chicago Bear and NU football player Mitch Krenk, joined the team as a manager a month before the season opener. Andrew Wicklund (6-5, Colorado Springs) and Chase Goldenstein ( 6-3 Lincoln, Neb.) have dressed at least once in the regular season.

¢Still out: Former KU forward Wayne Simien of the Miami Heat, who has been out since early December because of a salmonella infection, has been cleared to return to physical activity but still isn’t playing in games. He’s played in five games all season.

“I don’t really know exactly where he is,” Heat coach Ron Rothstein told the Miami Herald. “I’m really happy for him and the fact that he can do something. He’s gone through an extremely, extremely tough time. This poor kid, for the longest period of time, didn’t know what was wrong with him. They couldn’t really pinpoint him. They’ve pretty much identified exactly what it is, and the treatment seems to be working.”