**5:53 p.m.**: Just got done with three rounds of interviews with the second session teams (Southern Cal, Wisconsin, Kansas State). Some notes and sweet nothings…**SOUTHERN CAL** -One of the ugliest games we witnessed on the road all year was without question the [59-55 KU win][1] on Dec. 2 in Los Angeles over the Trojans. (Until Sunday in Kansas City, it was also KU’s only win to date over a ranked team in 2007-08)I just remember leaving the Galen Center feeling dirtier for having watched that USC team. I think it was because I felt so guilty for buying into all the [O.J. Mayo][2] hype. Leaving that day, there just simply wasn’t much to be impressed with. (He had 19 points on 6-of-21 shooting)Now, the Trojans are 21-11 overall, went 11-7 in the nation’s best league and even beat UCLA along the way.So, what’s the difference over three-plus months? We asked freshman [Davon Jefferson][3].”I think we move the ball a lot better,” he said. “We’re not as selfish as we were in the beginning of the season, because we know the key is to win. Once we win, everybody eats. (It stems from) Probably our first (Pac-10) win. We went 0-3 in league, got our first victory, had a lot of assists and everybody ate off it. Since then, we’ve just carried along with that, just passed the ball more.”A novel concept. That 66-51 win at home over Washington featured 10 Trojans dimes to 12 turnovers. In fact, as USC won six of seven games starting there, in only two of those games did the Trojans have more assists than turnovers. The ball movement did improve, yes, but that stat isn’t the proof.The concrete evidence is in the Trojans’ defense. In that seven-game run, which included the UCLA win, they forced 13.4 turnovers per game.Also, in that loss to KU, the Jayhawks had 22 turnovers to just six assists.-On a sidenote, the Southern Cal locker room was easily the most relaxed atmosphere I thought there was all day in any of the dressing areas. That probably is a product of the SC locker room being open after every game, making the players comfortable in these types of situations. Not to say that teams like KU and Wisconsin weren’t comfortable, it’s just that you’d figure a team like USC is less likely to be caught off-guard by the NCAA Tournament media hoopla.**WISCONSIN**Favorite person I met today in uniform who I had not yet been exposed to: **Wiscy senior [Greg Stiemsma][4]**. What a friendly guy, completely engaging and brings to the table the northern accent you’ll only hear from Cole Aldrich in the KU locker room.Anyways, one thing stands out at you in the Badgers’ locker room – the hair. All of these guys keep their hair short. Most of them have it buzzed. Had to ask.”Not really a rule, just kinda happened one summer night,” Steimsma said. “I think it was two summers ago already, a bunch of us had a little bit longer hair, getting shaggy, it was hot that week, so just ‘all right, lets shave our heads.”I think it’s just so easy to do, so easy to maintain…I actually just shaved Joe (Krabbenhoft)’s head today before we came over. It might not look the greatest all the time, kinda simple, but we’re not too worried about that.”Symbolic of the Badgers’ style of play, right?”I think kind of the simple things, basic things, we try to focus on the fundamentals,” he added. “Just the little things. That seems to be a pretty good theme for us. Been carrying us this far, so I think if we can stick with the short haircuts, we can stick to the rules on the court, too.”It’s true in the sense that it’s worked. Wisconsin might not make the SportsCenter Top Plays all that often, but it’s easy to forget that Bo Ryan’s club was 26-4 this year, won the Big Ten Tournament and is as solid a defensive team as you’ll find in the field of now-64. They allow 53.8 ppg, hold opponents to 38 percent shooting and force – get this – 15.2 turnovers a game.That could be a dark horse in the Midwest region.**KANSAS STATE**With Mike Beasley and Bill Walker fielding the questions about O.J. Mayo, why not find the other guys…and ask about the matchup with Mayo?”I figured (we’d draw) somebody like USC or North Carolina or somebody close (to that) because they want to see freshmen matchup like Mike and O.J., Bill and O.J. have a history,” said K-State frosh [Jake Pullen][5]. “I just figured we’d have something to do like that. Even if it wasn’t USC first round, they’d probably put us next to North Carolina so if we won, Mike and Hansbrough could match up.”Couldn’t agree more, Jake.And his initial impressions of Southern Cal match up with the defensive talk a few ‘graphs earlier in the blog.”Overall, they’re one of the top defensive teams, period,” he said. “They play a lot of trick defenses, so we wouldn’t be surprised if they box-and-one or triangle-and-two Mike and Bill, even put a triangle-and-two on ([Clent Stewart][6]). I figured that they like to do it on a lot of guards, maybe even me. You never know with Tim Floyd and his defenses.”One thing that helped a young K-State team less than a week ago was losing in a tournament setting, according to junior [Andre Gilbert][7].”I think that was a learning experience, because while we went through that experience, we got a taste of the Big 12 Tournament and then we had to go home,” he said. “I feel like the whole team doesn’t want to have to go into the NCAA Tournament and then turn around and go right back home. It’s not a good feeling at all. Especially losing.”**So there you go**, the notebook is pretty much unloaded. Look forward to actual games tomorrow. I’m sure you are, too. And for those of you at work during KU’s 1 v. 16 encounter with Portland State, KUSports.com is the place to be. I’ll do my best to give you every detail possible…should I wake up in time.**2:25 p.m.**: So much to get into after the KU locker room session today, so here goes (and surprisingly the locker room wasn’t much bigger than Portland State’s)…**-First, had a chance to catch up with Jeremy Case**, who last night came over to the Qwest Center from the Jayhawks’ team hotel about a mile down the road to watch friend and former teammate [Nick Bahe][8] play in Creighton’s opening-round NIT win over Rhode Island. Bahe scored five points and had two rebounds in the win.Case said the two guys he keeps up from that freshman class of 2003-04 still are Bahe and **Omar Wilkes**, who passed up his final year of eligibility at Cal this season to pursue a career in acting.”He’s not playing basketball anymore, but that doesn’t really surprise me,” Case said. “He never really took it real serious like other guys did, but had fun with it.”As for Case, he’s preparing for his fifth and final NCAA run as a player. Even though he probably won’t see the floor much (averaging just 5.1 mpg), he has some wisdom to pass down to the team’s younger fellas.”I think this being my last year, I’m gonna make sure the guys are ready, say the things I didn’t say the past few times we’ve been here,” Case said. “Make sure everyone stays focused, understand that this is our year. I fee like this is our year and our team is really good…Paying attention to scouting report more, teams we’re playing, what they do. Like this 16-seed, some guys tend to look past them, and I want to make sure we don’t look past them like we have in the past.”**-The NCAA Tournament this time of year makes everyone and expert**, and gives you the power to do so by simply filling out and defending your bracket.One guy who confirmed he did no such thing this year? **Russell Robinson**.”I think it takes away from the focus of the game,” said the senior, who admitted to doing so before his first tournament appearance (a loss to Bucknell), saying it made him more nervous that year. “For a lot of reasons, I think it forces guys to look ahead, not live in the moment and that type of thing. I was telling all of my teammates yesterday, I had a lot more fun in high school with the NCAA Tournament because I filled out brackets, watched every game. Now it’s a lot more stressful, not as fun.”**Brandon Rush**, however, offered some opinion on quite possibly the tournament’s most intriguing first round matchup, pitting K-State vs. Southern Cal Thursday evening here in Omaha. In short, Rush thinks K-State by far has better freshmen ([Beasley][9], [Walker][10], [Pullen][5], etc. vs. [Mayo][2] and [Jefferson][3]), but thinks USC pulls it out.**-Finally, upon exiting the locker room, spent some time with Mike Lee**, KU’s graduate assistant, former guard and Portland native, talking about tomorrow night’s game.He’s relatively familiar with some of the Portland pieces. When he and **Aaron Miles** were at Jefferson High, they actually played against PSU senior **J.R. Moore** in high school when he was at Benson Tech.Even more important, though, is his knowledge of having seen **Jeremiah Dominguez** play first-hand.”To be honest, Jeremiah has a high skill set,” said Lee, in a tone which makes you truly believe he’ll do well in this coaching biz. “He’s learned how to play, being so small. Obviously, he’s always had to play against bigger people, so I think he’s figured out how to be efficient. He’s not overly fast, but he’s efficient. He’s a smart player, but he can really dribble the ball, really shoot the ball. He knows when to pass, how to pass, Jeremiah can play. Everybody back in Portland knows that. There were some days in pickup where he gave people some trouble on the court.”If you don’t know Jeremiah and you see him, you’re like ‘This little 5-6 dude?’ Once you start playing, you know – Jeremiah can play, that’s all I can say.”OK, Mike, so who ya got? Aaron or J.D.?”You can’t make me answer that, because honestly we know each other so well, it’s such a tight circle. I’ll just put it this way – any time you ask me, I’m taking Aaron. I’m taking Aaron over anybody.”And for those of you curious about the recent whereabouts of former Jayhawk **Keith Langford**, who up and left the Austin Toros as the team’s leading scorer last month, Lee said he’s now playing in Italy.When we had a chance to catch up with K-Freeze in Austin on Feb. 11 at the KU-Texas game, he said that if another NBA call-up wasn’t coming, heading back overseas was his plan. Best of luck to him.**-As for practice**, it was pretty light, with the Jayhawks only using up roughly 32 of their allotted 40 minutes on the Qwest Center floor. No spectacular impromptu dunk contest, which was a bit disappointing, but they didn’t do it last year, either.Come back for more a bit later.—————–**12:08 p.m.**: Just got done with the Portland State podium/locker room session…some notes to start off…**-You never know who’s telling the truth and who’s not in terms of players’ height listings** in media guides and on rosters. But in the case of PSU junior guard [Jeremiah Dominguez][11] – the Big Sky Player of the Year – you’d better believe he’s every millimeter of the 5-foot-6 he’s marked down at. He averaged 14.3 points, 4.1 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game this year, and comes across as a guy who has all the confidence a league POY should, no matter how big. If there’s one guy on the PSU roster who you can say ‘he’ll get his numbers no matter what,’ my money’s on it being the little dude.**-Most of the Kansas media in the locker room went straight to** the two guys on the Vikings’ roster from Wichita – senior guards [Dupree Lucas][12] (5.6 ppg) and [Brian Curtis][13] (2.2 ppg).It gave several of their teammates a chance to sit back, relax (despite being up ‘so early’ as one player put it) and take in the scene. Plenty were snapping photos of teammates being interviewed and toting video cameras.You could say they’re in awe, but ask the players themselves and they’ll deny it, claiming they learned their lessons in earlier season losses at UCLA (69-48), Washington State (72-60) and Washington (84-65).”(We need to) just go out there calm and know that it’s just a basketball game,” Lucas said. “Don’t look at the crowd and get overwhelmed by anything. Just take the game as what it is. It’s a game. You’ve been playing it ever since you were five, six years old.”**-And what would a 16-seed interview session be without** someone giving the wacky just-shy-of-predicting-an-upset quote.Last year, it was Niagara’s Clif Brown, when asked what was the first word that came to mind when he heard ‘Kansas.’ His response?”Upset. That’s for sure. Upset, that’s the first word that comes to mind.”This year, Curtis gave the best one I heard:”Honestly, a 16 is gonna beat a one (seed) some day, so it might as well be us. The (New England) Patriots lost this year. They’re probably the most dominant team in sports history. If they lose, why can’t the Jayhawks be beaten?”I’ll have more after KU’s interviews/practice, all of that beginning at 12:50 p.m.—————–**10:45 a.m.**: Good morning from ‘…somewhere in middle America…’. Can anyone tag that reference? It shouldn’t be too tough if you’re a fellow child of the 90s.Anyhow, just sat down in the media workroom at the Qwest Center, and so far I can’t say our trip here has been anything short of a pleasant experience. Ryan Wood and I arrived up here around 6 p.m. yesterday, leaving Lawrence promptly after our 2-and-a-half hour marathon of a fantasy baseball draft (yes, this is the summer of [Carl Crawford][14] – write it down).Today’s a full schedule of stuff, and I’ll be here several times to update you all on the things going on. It all starts at 11:20 a.m. with Portland State’s players and coaches speaking on the podium and in the locker room, followed by Kent State from 12:05-12:20.KU takes the stand at 12:50, going until about 1:30.As for practices, Portland State runs from 12:45-1:25, then Kansas from 1:30-2:10. Those practices traditionally for KU are more like impromptu dunk contests than anything, but I’ll still get you some updates.Talk to you momentarily…[NCAA Home Page][15] [1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2007/dec/03/mario_steals_spotlight/?mens_basketball [2]: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/players/72671 [3]: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/players/72669 [4]: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/players/37798 [5]: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/players/73347 [6]: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/players/38022 [7]: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/players/39147 [8]: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/players/33773 [9]: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/players/73345 [10]: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/players/63762 [11]: http://www.goviks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=92460&SPID=11202&temp_site=NO&DB_OEM_ID=19300&ATCLID=1286576&Q_SEASON=2007 [12]: http://www.goviks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=92460&SPID=11202&temp_site=NO&DB_OEM_ID=19300&ATCLID=1286569&Q_SEASON=2007 [13]: http://www.goviks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=92460&SPID=11202&temp_site=NO&DB_OEM_ID=19300&ATCLID=1286559&Q_SEASON=2007 [14]: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6870 [15]: http://www.ncaa.com/home/
