Matt Doherty has learned that life as a TV analyst is a lot less stressful than life as a major-college basketball coach.

“My biggest concern now is where I’m going to get some dinner after the game,” said Doherty, who last year at this time was in the homestretch of his third and final season as North Carolina’s coach.

Today the former Kansas assistant is working the KU-Iowa State game as a commentator for ESPN Regional.

“I do like it. It’s fun,” Doherty said of TV work. “It’s fun to watch practices, see coaches and talk basketball.”

Friday, Doherty watched KU’s two-hour practice and talked hoops with first-year KU coach Bill Self.

“I think they are good,” said Doherty, who worked on Roy Williams’ KU staff from 1992 to ’99 before heading to Notre Dame for one year as head coach before returning to his alma mater, UNC, for three seasons. He was canned last spring and replaced by Williams.

“They certainly miss Nick (Collison) and Kirk (Hinrich), their energy, talent and leadership, but they’ve got good players. Everyone’s got good players. There’s so much parity now in college basketball.”

Doherty, who has worked 15 ACC and Big 12 games this year, said there is no dominant team in basketball.

“There’s so much parity in the game, it depends who clicks in March,” the 41-year-old Doherty said. “If you click in March you have a chance to win a national championship. That goes for the top-25 teams because there’s no great team. I don’t care who you are talking about. (Undefeated) St. Joe’s and Stanford, they are very good teams. If Kansas gets it clicking in March, they have as good a chance as anybody.”

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Doherty is a fan of Self.

“Bill beat my tail last year when I was at North Carolina running this high-low system he runs,” Doherty said. “It was one of the hardest offenses I’ve ever had to guard.”

Doherty, who is living in Charlotte, N.C., with his wife and two children, wants to coach.

“It has to be the right situation. I don’t want to take a job just to take a job. It doesn’t have to be the ACC or Big 12 but I’d like to be in a situation to have a reasonable chance to be successful and a community my family will enjoy living in.”

He said he had not been contacted by St. John’s about its coaching vacancy, though pundits have said it would be a great fit for Doherty.

“I feel I’ve got a little work left, something to prove. I think I’ll be a better coach given the experiences I’ve had the last four years,” Doherty said.

• Collison in town. too: Collison will attend today’s game. Collison, who had his jersey retired earlier this season, had right shoulder surgery on Feb. 13. He had left shoulder surgery last summer and is expected to return to action with Seattle’s SuperSonics next season.