New Orleans ? Kansas University’s basketball players beg to differ with pundits who have proclaimed the Jayhawks the runaway favorites at this year’s NCAA Final Four.

“I’d like to know when we became the favorites,” KU senior guard Kirk Hinrich said Friday at the Superdome, site of today’s 5:07 p.m. national semifinal between Kansas (29-7) and Marquette (27-5).

Somehow, after last weekend’s regional championship games, the Jayhawks, the No. 2 seed in the West Regional, became the popular pick to beat Marquette, the No. 3 seed in the Midwest, as well as the winner of tonight’s Texas-Syracuse semifinal in Monday’s national final.

KU is the choice to clip the nets despite the fact Texas is the No. 1 seed out of the South Regional. Syracuse, like Marquette, is another No. 3 seed — out of the East.

“Nobody counted us as the favorite during the regular season. Anybody who has us as national champion now is just jumping on the bandwagon late,” KU sophomore guard Keith Langford said.

The Jayhawks were roundly discounted after opening the season 3-3 and losing to Missouri in the semifinals of the Big 12 Conference tournament.

“I don’t think anybody can pick a favorite,” senior forward Nick Collison said. “They tried to pick a favorite to win the championship (Arizona) and that didn’t work. Now they have to pick a favorite to win here.

“I don’t see how Marquette isn’t the favorite,” Collison said. “They beat Kentucky, a No. 1 seed, and Pitt, a team that could have easily been a No. 1 seed.”

Indeed, the Golden Eagles of Conference USA beat No. 2-seeded Pitt, 77-74, before pounding top-seed Kentucky, 83-69, in last week’s Midwest Regional in Minneapolis.

“They are as good a team as any we’ve played,” Collison said. “They can run. They can defend. They have slashers. They have shooters. They have big bruisers. They have everything.”

The Golden Eagles have a first-team All-American in Dwyane Wade, a 6-foot-5 junior shooting guard from Robbins, Ill., who averages 21.6 points off 50.2 percent shooting. He grabs 6.3 rebounds a game.

Kansas University junior Jeff Graves, right, has his ring size checked by an NCAA official in the KU locker room before practice. The Jayhawks were in the Superdome Friday in New Orleans preparing for tonight's NCAA national semifinal against Marquette. Tipoff is 5:07 p.m. For a related story on the ring-sizing, see page 8A.

Friday, KU coach Roy Williams compared Wade to, gulp, Michael Jordan.

“If you watch the Kentucky game,” Williams said of the contest in which Wade had a triple double, “I’m not trying to say this — because you shouldn’t compare anybody to Michael — but it was scary all the things he could do. I looked a couple of times to make sure it was still No. 3 I was watching and not No. 23. Even when he’s bad, he’s still really good.”

The 6-3 Hinrich will open defensively on Wade.

“It’s definitely a challenge. He’s so versatile,” Hinrich said. “He can do it all. You try to contain him the best you can.”

KU sophomore Michael Lee likely will spend time on Wade, too.

Point guard Aaron Miles won’t be giving an inch when guarding fellow 6-1 point guard Travis Diener, a sophomore who has hit 68 of 185 three-pointers (36.8 percent). Diener scored 29 points against Holy Cross and 26 against Missouri on 10-of-17 three-point shooting combined in first- and second-round NCAA Tournament wins. He settled for four points against Pitt and six against Kentucky off 1-of-8 three-point shooting.

“Wade is their best player,” Miles said, “but Diener may be the heart and soul of the team.”

Langford will give up three inches in guarding 6-7 soph Todd Townsend, who averages six points a game. Langford also figures to guard 6-10 Steve Novak — yes, 6-10 Novak — when the big guy with perimeter skills enters. Novak, who averages 6.8 points, has hit 55 of 104 threes (52.9 percent).

“Keith may guard a taller guy, but a taller guy has to guard Keith, too,” Miles said of the quick Langford, who has averaged 15.6 points a contest.

Meanwhile, KU’s Collison figures to be assigned to 6-10 junior Scott Merritt (10 ppg, 6.5 rpg), while Jeff Graves has the tough task of hounding 6-10, 260-pound senior Robert Jackson, who is good for 15.4 points and 7.5 boards a game.

“He likes to bang. So do I,” the 6-9, 250-pound Graves said of Jackson, who was fired up for the Kentucky game when one of the Wildcats said he’d never heard of Jackson.

“I’ve heard of him,” Graves said. “Even if I hadn’t heard of him, I’d treat him as a tough opponent.”

Added Collison, “We know who he is. He’s a big guy inside, real strong. Their whole defense is aimed at being physical and beating you up inside. He does it as well as anyone.”

Williams has spent countless hours thinking of ways to slow Marquette, a team that has been on a roll in the NCAAs, since committing 30 turnovers in an 83-76 Conference USA tournament quarterfinal loss to Alabama-Birmingham.

“Tommy has done a great job with this team,” Williams said of his coaching counterpart, Marquette coach Tom Crean. “This is a team that beat two teams playing better than anybody the last month of the season in Pittsburgh and Kentucky. I think Marquette will be very confident. I think all four teams will be extremely confident.

“You have to be confident winning your region, no matter what region it is.”

Confident even if one isn’t deemed the favorite.

“It’s the same mind-set as all year,” Lee said. “It’s come out extremely focused, play as hard as we can and leave it all on the floor.”