MADISON, WIS. ? Chad Meyers of Lawrence won’t be shaving anytime soon.

The Kansas Jayhawks lost to the Oklahoma Sooners the last time he trimmed his beard.

And there’s no way he’s going to wear anything but THE outfit today for KU’s game against the Oregon Ducks at Kohl Center.

Rest assured, when the Jayhawks take the floor this afternoon, Meyers will be there in his three lucky shirts  a blue long-sleeved shirt, a red KU T-shirt given him by his dad, John, and a Drew Gooden jersey.

“I’ll have on these green pants and I’ll have a blue handkerchief in my right pocket,” he said. “I’ve done it all year, even when watching on TV.”

In the mystical world of NCAA Tournament basketball, everybody from Chad Meyers to Roy Williams is looking for that little something extra to gain an edge.

Williams pats the tombstones of coaching legends James Naismith and Phog Allen, spits in the Mississippi River and most recently picked up an abandoned good-luck penny on the steps of the Wisconsin State Capitol. He lost the 1-cent coin and “about panicked” before two waiters helped him recover it.

“You’ve got to find a lot of nonsense, things like that, to make you feel like you’re coaching and doing something,” Williams said.

Indeed, even players have superstitions. With a place in the Final Four at stake, they’ll be pulling out all the stops, too.

Nick Collison makes a wish every time he sees 11:11 on a clock. It’s true, said Collison’s younger brother, 11-year-old Michael.

Does it work?

“No,” Michael said, “but what do I know?”

Jeff Boschee tapes his wrist for all games. After a bad performance, Keith Langford always switches shoes. Wayne Simien puts his jersey on in a certain way. Bryant Nash is superstitious about absolutes, including a vow to never say never.

Folks might want to keep an eye on Jeff Carey during pre-game warm-ups. It’s his belief that he won’t shoot well in a game if he makes all his shots in the pre-game.

Jayhawk fans appear to have just as big an arsenal of peculiar tendencies tied to basketball.

Rachel Davis of Washington, D.C., will have on her lucky shoes today. They’re the same pair she wore when KU won the NCAA title in 1988.

“They have holes, but I need to wear them during the important games,” she said. “They have a Jayhawk on each side.”

Tom and Mary Gallup, a Milwaukee couple who sat in the KU student section of Kohl Center on Friday, put their own twist on the superstition thing.

Mary believes that even days on the calendar bode well for the Jayhawks.

“I’m feeling good about a game on the 24th for a trip to the Final Four,” she said.

Tom believes Mary’s nontraditional calendar stuff is nuts. The luck of the Irish has historical significance, he said.

“An authentic good-luck charm is a four-leaf clover,” he said. “Everybody knows that. I’ve got one devoted exclusively to KU. I’ll have it in my hand the entire game.”