OKLAHOMA CITY ? Gene Morgan isn’t scared. But he sure as heck isn’t happy.

The 89-year-old certified public accountant understands why an army of security personnel is deployed throughout the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, where Kansas University plays its first NCAA Basketball Tournament game tonight.

But — war with Iraq or not — don’t ask the dyed-in-the-crimson-and-blue Jayhawks fan to approve of standing in the lobby with his arms outstretched, his pockets emptied and his time awasting as he awaits the team’s open-to-the-public practice Wednesday evening.

“I’m not going to fight anything,” said Morgan, who sports a 1988 National Championship ring and once worked as an instructor at KU for Dr. James Naismith, the school’s first coach and founder of basketball. “I don’t agree with the way some of these things are administered, but I’m not the judge or the jury. I’m just doing what I’m told to do.”

On the eve of the tournament’s first round, Morgan and hundreds of other KU fans stepped through the initial wave of security that has been lined up to protect spectators, teams and officials at the 19,000-seat arena in downtown Oklahoma City.

Dozens of private security personnel are working the tournament, waving metal-detector wands over each and every person entering the 8-month-old arena. The center is located just a few blocks from the Murrah Federal Building, which until 9-11 was the site of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

Up to 40 Oklahoma City police officers are working the tournament, doing everything from standing courtside as teams practice to running bomb-sniffing dogs through concourses and sweeping team buses for explosives.

Officer Chris DePalma is among those who are happy to be on duty for the city’s biggest sporting event in years.

“It’s a scary deal,” said DePalma, who has worked on escort details for Britney Spears, Paul McCartney and Toby Keith for concerts in town. “You never know what they can do.”

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Tournament officials are busy preparing to control things they can’t control, part of a security plan set up a year ago, said Tim Allen, the NCAA’s on-site tournament manager and associate commissioner for the Big 12 Conference.

Fans are being asked to avoid bringing large bags or containers to the game. All containers will be searched, and the bigger the job the longer it takes.

“Diaper bags and purses are fine,” he said.

Noise makers, flags and large signs also are to be avoided, he said, because their use can distract security personnel from their job: Focusing on potential problems that could be a threat to student-athletes, officials and fans.

Allen won’t let much slide. During KU’s practice, Allen even instructed Richard Konzem, associate KU athletics director, to have KU reserve Bryant Nash take off his blue T-shirt.

Gene Morgan, Lawrence, goes through a security check at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. Morgan was among the Kansas University fans who watched the Jayhawks practice on Wednesday.

NCAA rule: Every player participating in a practice must wear a jersey with a number.

“Boy,” Allen said, “isn’t that a picky one?”

Allen said any decision to cancel games in Oklahoma City, or any other site, would come from NCAA officials.

David Moss, a KU fan, didn’t mind all the security checks as he entered the arena for Wednesday’s practice. Such is the price of security: a few minutes of inconvenience for a little more peace of mind.

“I don’t worry about it,” he said, relaxing in the stands near center court. “That doesn’t mean I’m not concerned, but I’m not worried about it.”