Kansas basketball fans have much to be proud of, including their behavior at tourney time.

Give Kansas University basketball friends and followers a lot of credit for the dignified and classy way they celebrated the Jayhawks’ recent journey to the NCAA Final Four. At the same time, hand university and Lawrence officials a fair share of the plaudits for some prudent planning.

Contrast what happened in and around Lawrence with what occurred in places such as Maryland and Indiana.

After Maryland University defeated KU in the national semifinal game Saturday night in Atlanta, there were various forms of rioting in the College Park community where the school is located. Some say it was a delayed reaction to a year ago when Maryland was dumped from the tournament by Duke. Whatever the case, the two nights of violence and vandalism were unacceptable.

Then after Maryland won over Indiana in the title game on Monday, there was more trouble in Terrapin Town. Police on horseback had to be used to push thousands of revelers off the streets. Some 15 people many of them rowdy teen-age non-students were arrested on charges ranging from aggravated assault to disorderly conduct. Damage was heavy in some areas.

This should be considered news? Officials said this year’s damage in Maryland did not appear to be as bad as after last year’s Final Four loss to Duke. In 2001, one bonfire caused an estimated $500,000 in damage and disrupted cable service when it burned through a fiber optic cable line. Oh, those silly college kids!

All this, of course, is terrible, but then there was the outburst of disappointment in Indiana after the Hoosiers lost in the title game. About 40 people in Bloomington were treated for injuries including burns, cuts and abuse of drugs, mainly alcohol. Flying debris caused head cuts for two state troopers, and there were minor injuries to 21 Bloomington officers.

Police shut down intersections in downtown Bloomington about 11:15 p.m. Monday before fans spilled out of bars, houses and dorms to “express their disappointment.” Minutes later, vandalism reports began pouring in, starting with a trash fire near an apartment complex and students setting fire to couches, trash bins and other items.

Kansas University did not win the national title, but there is every evidence that if it had, things would have gone much better around here.

First, Kansas fans made an effort to convince each other to respond to whatever happened in a sensible and reasonable way. Just as important, officials at KU and elsewhere had been working all week to remind people to behave with common sense and class. A Saturday night watch party was organized in Memorial Stadium, and KU coach Roy Williams urged a “jubilant but sane” approach to fan celebrations. There was a pleasant “welcome home” rally for the Jayhawk crew Tuesday. An honor parade is set for Monday. It all reeks of class compared with what happened elsewhere.

Local people can take great pride in their 2002 KU basketball team and in the way they reacted to what happened in the Final Four. A lot of good citizens and some sound planning surely helped.