Releford sprained his left ankle during the first half of KU’s 67-60 overtime victory over Michigan on Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich.

“I don’t think he’ll play … his swelling is going down,” KU coach Bill Self said Tuesday. “I think he’ll be out a couple more days.”

Little’s role undetermined: Senior Mario Little, who was suspended for six games, is eligible to play tonight.

“Just because he’s back in uniform doesn’t mean he’s going to play a lot,” Self said. “Now it’s up to me. He could be a bad matchup four (power forward) or a big wing. He’s talented enough to help our team, no question about it.”

The Jayhawk players believe Little will be of great value to the team.

“He can bring his scoring ability,” junior Marcus Morris said. “He’s one of the best scorers we have that a lot of people don’t know about. It’s the best time for him to come back. It’s conference. We are really going to use him and we’ll need him.”

Junior Tyshawn Taylor added: “He brings a leadership role to us, a guy we want on the court. He’s another scoring threat who can do a lot of things for us.”

Senior Tyrel Reed added: “He went through some tough times (since arrest on Dec. 16). Being teammates, we are there to support him through everything. I think he is raring to go. He’s been practicing hard. That’s Mario, typical Mario. He always wants to get better and compete.”

Daniels update: DeAndre Daniels, a 6-foot-8 senior forward from IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla., as of Tuesday had not yet chosen between finalists KU and Texas. A Kentucky recruiting writer indicated the Wildcats dropped Daniels as a recruit late last week.

Jerry Meyer of Rivals.com writes that, “Daniels will likely enroll at Kansas for the second semester but will not suit up for the team until next year. Sources close to his recruitment have indicated that Daniels will visit Kansas again late this week.”

If he does “visit” KU, one would expect him to not leave town anytime soon. He’s already made his official recruiting trip to KU. Various recruiting analysts have said he wants to attend KU if he can receive a Pell Grant or academic scholarship. KU has no scholarships available second semester.

Meanwhile, Zagsblog.net quotes IMG basketball director Andy Borman as saying Daniels, “is still training with us and he has an open invitation to stay at IMG should he decide to wait for the spring.

“It is my opinion that the delay in his decision is due to the fact that DeAndre and his dad are being extremely thorough with their decision-making process,” Borman added to Zagsblog.

Engleman ill: KU basketball All-American Howard Engleman, who has been ill since Christmas, is currently in The Hospice of Salina. Family members have asked KU fans to put Howard in their thoughts and prayers.

KU, ISU facts: KU has won 19 straight conference openers dating to the 1991-92 season with 12 of those wins on the road. … KU has won six straight and 10 of 14 Big 12 regular-season titles. KU has won an NCAA best 53 conference titles. … KU leads the all-time series, 168-58, dating to 1908, and has won the last 10 meetings. … KU is 21-18 in Hilton Coliseum. The Jayhawks have won six in a row in Ames.