Lawrence’s weather Tuesday morning was about as unexpectedly cold and raw as Roy Williams’ icy blast at a CBS reporter Monday night.

And by the time Kansas University’s men’s basketball team returns from New Orleans to a reception Tuesday afternoon in Lawrence, chilly conditions will still prevail, says a local weather forecaster.

KU will host a welcome-home celebration at 5:30 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse for the Jayhawks, who finished their season with a nail-biting 81-78 loss to Syracuse in the national championship game Monday night in the Louisiana Superdome.

The event is free and open to the public. The doors open at 4:30 p.m.

“I think certainly a heroes’ welcome is due,” Todd Cohen, assistant director of university relations, said Tuesday morning. “They went certainly farther than anyone thought they would.”

Cohen didn’t want to comment on the uncharacteristically frosty response KU’s coach gave to a CBS reporter who asked him about taking the open coaching job at the University of North Carolina.

Williams said, “I could give a shit about North Carolina right now. . . .” (Listen to the audio), a response that shocked some because it was on live TV.

¢ 6Sports video: Welcome home ceremony¢WIBW video: Jayhawks return to Topeka’s Forbes Field¢Williams dejected, makes raw comments¢Game story¢Williams’ post-game comments

Cohen indicated the welcome back party will help improve the mood of the coach and his team.

“It’s certainly an opportunity for fans to let the coach know how they feel about him and the great year he had,” Cohen said. ” . . . Our view is that Roy Williams is our coach and he did a fantastic job.”

Although the Jayhawks arrived shortly before 2 p.m. by charter jet in Forbes Field at Topeka (See WIBW video), the local public event will be a couple of hours after the team actually arrives at the fieldhouse.

“We moved it to 5:30 p.m. so it would conflict with fewer classes and so more people could get to the program,” Cohen said.

The fieldhouse program will be emceed by longtime Jayhawk radio announcers Max Falkenstien and Bob Davis.

Speakers will include KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway, Williams and several team members. The alma mater will be sung by T-12, an a capella group of 12 men from the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at KU.

All parking is free in surface lots surrounding the fieldhouse. Parking garage gates will be open.

The team “will most likely be landing through some clouds. But by the time they arrive at Allen Fieldhouse, we could have some clearing skies,” said Matt Makens, 6News meteorologist.

Makens said those headed out to the fieldhouse will find temperatures in the 40s, with wind chills right about freezing.

Temperatures are expected to hit a record low of 23 overnight, breaking the old record low of 25 set back in 1997, he said.

But the weather will warm up starting Wednesday, with the high climbing to 56 under sunny skies. Thursday’s morning low will be 30 follow with temperatures rising to 70 by Thursday afternoon.

The warming trend will continue through Sunday, with lows in the 40s and highs in the low 70s.