LJWorld.com

The question, put to University of Toledo basketball coach Stan Joplin, seemed a bit out of place after Kansas University's lethargic 68-58 victory over the Rockets on Saturday at Kemper Arena.

"Do you think Kansas is the No. 1 team in the country?" the coach of the 2-5 Mid-American Conference team was asked by a media member, the tone implying the Jayhawks, who struggled in scoring 24 points the final half, just might be tops in the land.

"I've not seen a lot of teams in the country," Joplin said diplomatically. "On a neutral floor, anybody can beat anybody."

The Jayhawks (8-2) are actually ranked 12th in the country heading into a 10-day break in the schedule.

Coach Bill Self, who lamented his team's uninspired play after the game, grew animated when asked if KU could win the Big 12 title playing as it did against Toledo.

"No. No. We have a long ways to go before we can win the league," Self said, cringing as if he'd just taken a drink of sour milk.

"I've seen multiple teams in our league performing better than us to this juncture. It doesn't mean we won't win the league. I'm saying right now, today. Fortunately, we don't start league play for a month."

Oklahoma State is off to an 11-0 start, followed by Missouri (9-1), KU (8-2), Texas A&M (7-2), Baylor (6-2), Texas (6-2), Nebraska (5-2), Texas Tech (8-3), Iowa State (6-3), Kansas State (6-3), Oklahoma (5-3) and Colorado (3-6).

The Jayhawks open league play at home Jan. 10 versus Oklahoma State. KU still has nonconference games remaining against Winston-Salem State, Boston College, Detroit, Rhode Island and South Carolina.

"The next two weeks are really important," Self said of a period in which the Jayhawks will have plenty of practice time. "We are not a team yet. Last year we became a team over Christmas break and after we had two bad losses to Kansas State and Missouri.

"They really pulled together and did some good things after that. I don't think we need bad things to happen to us from a won-loss standpoint. We are not a team that has an identity yet. A lot is confidence."

He's perplexed the Jayhawks looked tentative in a loss at DePaul following victories over Florida and Dartmouth.

"I don't know how that occurs, but it was certainly the impression," he said. "We came back home and played good against USC (in 72-62 win two days after DePaul loss). We missed all our shots, still won by 10. Nothing negative with that, and then we came out there and played unconfident offensively (against Toledo). Hopefully, over break we'll find ourselves and become a team."

The Jayhawks expect rugged practices, including some two-a-days prior to the Winston-Salem State game (7 p.m., Dec. 19).

"These next 10 days will be pretty rough on us. I can tell just the way coach acted and the way we played today," sophomore Brandon Rush said. "The way we played today, I wish we had another game coming up soon. I'm going to get in the gym the next couple of days to work on free throws, shooting and ballhandling."

"Ten days without a game will be good for us," junior center Sasha Kaun noted. "We will practice hard and get better."

¢ Bosom buddies: Sherron Collins said he had a "good time" playing against fellow Chicago Crane High grads Florentino Valencia (11 points, six rebounds) and Tyrone Kent (two points, four rebounds) of Toledo.

"We didn't talk a lot on the court. We said a few words to each other," Collins said after scoring five points with four assists and six turnovers. "It was a good memory."

"It was good to see one of my old teammates and play against each other," Kent noted. "I think we all did a good job today. It was fun seeing us all on the court at the same time."

¢ KU's sharks: Toledo coach Joplin on the Jayhawks: "Kansas spreads the floor and never slows its attack on offense. Defensively, if the other team makes a few turnovers, then they really intensify the pressure. They're like sharks smelling blood."

¢ Former KU coach not to quit soon: North Carolina's Roy Williams, who won his 500th game Saturday at the age of 56, told the Winston-Salem Journal he had no timetable regarding retirement.

"Coach Smith used to tell me, 'Don't quit too soon,''' Williams said of his mentor, Dean Smith. "I want to coach a long time. With me it's easy. When I walk out there and I'm not excited on game night or when I walk out there and start looking at my watch and wondering how much longer we're having practice, that will be when I say, 'That's it.' I'm hoping that doesn't happen for a long time because I really do enjoy what I'm doing.

"Sometimes you don't enjoy the rental cars and the airplanes, but I really enjoy the kids. I can get on them, I can praise them, I can hug them, I can scream at them, and they know the bottom line is I want them to be the best players they can possibly be and our team to be the best team."