They don’t do this and they don’t do that on cue; truth is, their only crime is they’re not perfect. But they just might prove to be perfect enough.

The guys who make up this 2002 Kansas basketball squad are doggone good, good enough to reach the NCAA Final Four and beat everybody to bring home the trophy. KU has all the weapons, tools and leadership if it keeps its focus and nobody gets hurt. It’s hard to believe this versatile team won’t keep getting better down the stretch.

First thing’s first. The Jayhawks, particularly the seniors, want something not one guy has a Big 12 undisputed championship ring. Can they run the table to a 16-0 record? Quite possibly. The main goal now is to get everyone else in the league with at least four losses. As it is, KU has a lock with three more victories.

Talk about a bittersweet scenario. What if KU could wrap up the Big 12 championship and cut down the nets here Feb. 27 against Kansas State? What a kick in the head to travel to Missouri and get upset. That’s far from a remote prospect, considering how the Tigers can get on a roll in Columbia.

Then there is that all-winning league record at stake. Talented but disjointed Missouri would be fighting fiercely to remain the last conference club to finish unbeaten, 14-0 in 1994. Kansas wants to go through the league all-victorious for the first time since 1971 (also 14-0).

Drew Gooden of the Jayhawks can cut loose and break opposing hearts mercilessly. In some respects, he’s still the cow that gives a full bucket of milk, then kicks it and spills a little. Gooden has a penchant for forcing the ball into traffic instead of giving it up; and even though the thought is there, please, Roy Williams, don’t drop an anvil on his arm for those ill-advised three-point shots. Drew does tend to compensate.

Speculation continues that the agile 6-foot-10 junior will turn pro, even though there is evidence his ball-handling skills could keep him in big NBA trouble. I’d like to see him finish a four-year tenure on Mount Oread, have more fun and leave with a flourish. But when you have millions of bucks dangled before your eyes, realize you could get hurt and know you can be a nifty pro sometime, can you go nostalgic?

I’m one of the dummies who didn’t think Paul Pierce was ready to leave after his junior season. Gooden could make us selfish traditionalists look even worse.

Nick Collison also frustrates people with his turnovers and his erratic free-throwing. But this 6-9 junior quietly gets many vital things done, like the other night against Texas in the clutch. How many were really aware the guy was nailing 12 rebounds along with getting key blocks, steals and such? He’s hellishly efficient in the paint and although his fine shooting touch deserts him occasionally, like Gooden, Nick can uncork a batch of buckets and other pivotal plays in a hurry.

Sure freshman Wayne Simien had been struggling for a while, looking sluggish and uncertain But he sure didn’t in that double-double against Texas a victory that could go a long way toward conditioning KU for tournament activity. When a team has three frontliners capable of scoring-rebounding doubles in the same game, foes are in trouble.

Senior Jeff Boschee has arrived, the way senior starters are supposed to. He’s really caught the fever and is unveiling numerous capers beyond his three-point deadliness to make good things happen. Roy’s always loved Boschee’s contributions and has to be even more enamored with the way Jeff is helping drive this onrushing team.

Kirk Hinrich, the willowy heart and soul of the team, is willing to clean lockers and haul trash if that’s needed to bring victory. It’s impossible to count the number of times he’s put the team on his back and made the play that had to be made at a crucial moment. He’s all-league in my book, but then how do you leave off Gooden, Collison and Boschee considering the way they’re going?

Aaron Miles came here touted for his speed, versatility, headiness and such, and the kid can run, jump, shoot, distribute (13 assists against Texas) and quarterback. He’ll drive to the hoop, too, the way Boschee has started doing more often.

As for KU’s frontline double-double potential, how about Hinrich-Miles prospects for points-assists doubles? And how long before Hinrich becomes the first Jayhawk ever to register an official triple-double?

We haven’t begun to see all that freshman southpaw Keith Langford can add, and frosh Michael Lee could still be heard from. Senior Jeff Carey provides another big body and periodically surprises with a key play. Heck, even walk-on senior Brett Ballard lends a helping hand often enough that nobody can let him run loose.

Everyone wishes they’d overcome this flaw or that, and free-throw better, and show sharper shot and pass selection. But these Jayhawks blend their alleged imperfections beautifully, with one or two picking up slack when someone else hits a flat spot. They seem to like each other immensely and appear to be having fun, particularly enjoying it when substitutes get a chance and accomplish something of note.

This is an excellent basketball team, certainly one capable of beating Duke, Maryland or anyone else on the chart. Barring some catastrophe, like a key injury, KU’s only going to get better and better.

As the late Charles Wininger used to declare on the old Showboat radio show, “This is only the beginning, folks, only the beginning!” With continued improvement and a break here and there, I like Al Jolson’s promise: “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”

These guys can flat out play the game.