Out at the base of the Flatirons, in the scenic foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the inmate still is running the asylum that is Colorado University men’s basketball.

His name is David Harrison, a 7-foot, 270-pound mountain of a man who continues to act like a child who needs to be taken to the woodshed.

Harrison’s petulance was on disgusting display Sunday in Allen Fieldhouse.

After picking up his third and fourth fouls within 14 seconds early in the second half of Kansas University’s 78-57 victory, Harrison hollered at official Scott Thornley and did a slow walk to the CU bench as the KU fans — mostly the students — chanted “Harrison, Harrison, Harrison.”

Then when he reached the bench, Harrison started jawing with a KU fan — or fans — a few rows in back of the bench. Momentarily, Terry Dunn, one of head coach Ricardo Patton’s aides, walked a few steps toward Harrison, who turned around and sat down quietly.

Where was Patton? Sitting in his chair seemingly unaware of the hubbub.

Anyway, the situation seemed to have been defused.

About three minutes later on the game clock, Patton reinserted Harrison, who quickly horsed in a basket, shot a couple of free throws, then was whistled for his fifth foul by Ed Hightower with 10:33 remaining.

This time Harrison had to be restrained by teammate Blair Wilson as he hollered at Hightower. Harrison was clearly incensed because he and KU freshman David Padgett had been exchanging non-love pats under the basket, and Harrison thought he only had been retaliating to a Padgett blow.

Colorado's David Harrison heads to the bench after he fouled out midway through the second half.

Then again, moments earlier the KU crowd had hollered when Harrison had whipped one of his beefy arms across Padgett’s head and none of the officials saw it.

Anyway, Harrison had fouled out, and the pro-KU crowd loved it. Moments later, Harrison became perhaps the first player in the history of Allen Fieldhouse to leave a game without being injured or ejected.

Harrison was removed, Patton said, “because the fans were really taunting him badly. He didn’t need to sit out there and sit through all that.”

I beg to differ. That’s exactly what Harrison needed. He needed to sit there and wallow in the mess he had made and keep his mouth shut. Harrison needed to learn to take it like a man, to learn to quit blaming others for his problems and to learn that the third rock from the sun doesn’t revolve around him.

Harrison couldn’t leave the floor, of course, without getting into another jawing match with a fan who taunted him as he walked out the southwest tunnel accompanied by Dunn. I don’t condone what the KU fan did, but at the same time Harrison made his bed, and he should have had to sleep in it.

How many head coaches around the country would put up with Harrison’s childish antics? Very few. Yet Patton continues to handle Harrison with kid gloves when what Harrison clearly needs is a tongue-lashing, the threat of a one-game benching every time he pulls one of his woe-is-me stunts and, most important, anger-management counseling from a professional.

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Any coach who lets a player act like Harrison is a coach who cannot possibly command the respect of his other players. Without respect, there is a chaos.

Patton has some talented players on his roster. The Buffaloes are not a one-man team. Granted, they have a huge hole at point guard and have had for the last two seasons, but you have to wonder how good CU would be if Patton kept a tighter rein on Harrison.

Chances are the Buffaloes’ baby behemoth has played for the last time in Allen Fieldhouse. Harrison is expected to turn pro after this season. Physically, he’s a lottery pick. Emotionally, he’s a second-round after-thought.

Somebody needs to take Harrison by the shoulders and shake some sense into him. College is supposed to be a time to mature, to grow up and prepare yourself for the real world.

College isn’t working for Harrison. Maybe what he really needed out of high school was to join the Marines. His act wouldn’t last long at Camp Pendleton.