Kansas basketball notebook

Practices have been mediocre to sub-par at Kansas University this season, and Bill Self knows why.

“A lot is leadership. There’s a void of leadership,” Self, Kansas University’s coach, said after the Jayhawks’ 72-62 victory over USC on Monday. “Until we step up and have one guy take charge, it’ll be hit and miss. I can’t do it. Our staff can’t do it.”

There is an obvious candidate for team leader: Russell Robinson.

“It’s got to be Russell. He is the only candidate now,” Self said, indicating Julian Wright also was “trying.”

“Russell has the internal toughness he needs to do it. He hasn’t done it. Tonight it was like he was on an island trying to survive. He’s the best candidate,” Self said.

Self said Robinson, who had five points, eight assists and five turnovers, “is not a quarterback yet, barking out instructions, making sure everybody is matched up after substitutions. Our guys are yearning for it, wanting it. To me Russell is Mr. Intangible.”

Robinson admits leading is difficult.

“Every team I’ve been on the main focus is everybody holding their own, doing what they need to do,” Robinson said. “I’ve got to figure it out. Hopefully I will soon.”

He said he planned to meet with Self.

“I’ve got to talk to him and see exactly what he wants me to do,” Robinson said. “I’m trying.”

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Turnover trouble: USC’s Taj Gibson had 11 turnovers. “That’s imposs…,” Brandon Rush said, stopping himself from saying the word impossible. “If I had 10, I’d say don’t pass me the ball any more.”

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Twin talk: Rodrick Stewart, the brother of USC’s leading scorer in the game, Lodrick, had an assist in three minutes, all in the first half. Lodrick had 23 points in 31 minutes.

“I thought Lod played great,” Self said. “I thought Rod played good when he was in there. I wish he would have played : I should have played Rodrick more.”

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Twin talk II: Rush was asked if he could tell the difference between the Stewart twins.

“He has a fatter face,” Rush said of Lodrick. “His cheeks are fatter.”

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Bull session: Bull Stewart, the father of the Stewart twins, sat in the front row behind the Trojans’ bench wearing a white sweatshirt with USC’s logo on the left side of his shirt, KU’s logo on the right.

He was joined by the Stewarts’ high school coach, Mike Bethea of Rainier Beach High, as well as 14 other friends and family members.

“I just wanted to see a good game, and it’s a good game,” Bull Stewart, a former U.S. powerlifting champ who owns his own gym in Seattle, said at halftime.

“I’m proud of both of them. Lodrick had a good half (12 points). Rodrick came in and looked relaxed, confident out there. I wish he’d have played more, but that’s cool.”

“My twin sons, Hikeem and Kadeem, keep texting me. They’ve been texting me the whole game, saying how excited they are,” Bull said of his second set of twin sons, who are in the eighth grade back in Seattle and will attend Rainier Beach High next year.

Has Self offered the up-and-coming twins a scholarship?

“I’d probably need to play Rod a little more to do that,” Self cracked.

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Rankings: Ranked 10th in the country, Wichita State is ahead of No. 12 KU in the AP poll for the first time since Dec. 6, 1983. At that time, the Shockers were ranked No. 14; KU was unranked. Monday marked the first time since March 27, 1988, that an in state-school was ahead of KU in the poll. K-State took a No. 20 ranking into an NCAA regional final contest against the unranked Jayhawks in Detroit.

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Pruitt to be back soon: USC will receive a boost when one of its top players, 6-4 junior guard Gabe Pruitt, becomes academically eligible. Pruitt was first-team all-Pac 10 a year ago.

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Mayo to face KU next year: KU will return the game to Los Angeles next year and compete against blue-chip prep guard O.J. Mayo, who signed with coach Tim Floyd’s Trojans program in November. Mayo is a shooting guard from Cincinnati.