Big men to battle

KU’s Sasha Kaun realizes it will be a tough test trying to slow 7-foot Bradley sophomore center Patrick O’Bryant. Kaun roomed with O’Bryant at last summer’s Pete Newell Big Man camp in Las Vegas.

“I did not see him play much. We were in different sections most of the time,” Kaun said, “but from what I saw he’s a pretty athletic, tall, lengthy kid, big inside.

“I heard he is really good. He’s an all-conference player, so he’s got to be good.”

O’Bryant, a 260-pounder from Blaine, Minn., averages 13.2 points and 8.0 boards per game.

“We got along well. We had a great time together, walking around Las Vegas,” Kaun said. “I don’t know what happened, but we haven’t talked afterward. It will be good to see him and talk to him a little bit.”

Kaun said the Jayhawk big men are used to challenges, holding LaMarcus Aldridge to five points in a victory Sunday over Texas.

“I would say yes, our big men will be important, but I think big men are important every game,” Kaun said. “Every game we’ve got to block out, get rebounds, especially when the other team has good bigs, like Bradley does.”

Of KU’s mindset entering Friday night’s game, Kaun said: “We’re in the postseason. It’s the NCAA Tournament, everybody is pumped. It’s a great time of year. We are pretty focused, trying to do all the little things coach wants us to do.”

Bumps

KU coach Bill Self said the team was in relatively good physical condition for this time of year. “We’re nicked up like all teams, nothing bad,” Self said. “C.J. (Giles, groin pull) is doing a lot better.”

Rally on Friday

A pep rally will be held at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the team hotel. The band and cheerleaders will be on hand, but there is nothing planned involving KU’s players or coaches. There’s the possibility the players may walk past the fans on the way to the team bus, but no formal activities are on tap. The hotel is at 2300 Featherstone Road in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Chalmers player of week

KU freshman guard Mario Chalmers on Wednesday was named rivals.com’s national freshman of the week. He was so honored after winning MVP of the Big 12 tournament.

“Mario played great. He was, in my opinion, the best player down there and probably did as much to help his team advance and win as anybody,” Self said. “The thing about Mario – he makes big plays at big times. He’s got a penchant for doing that. I think he played very, very well, but I thought our whole team played well. It was a pretty balanced deal.”

Long layoff

Self on the fact Bradley hadn’t played since its March 5 loss to Southern Illinois at the Missouri Valley Conference tournament: “I don’t know. They played really well in their tournament, and I’m sure they were sitting on the edge of their seats all week, but they deserved to get in, and they could have been a better seed (than 13) in my opinion, based on how they finished the season. I don’t know if the layoff helps or hurts. I bet there’s a lot of energy in Peoria (Ill.) right now. Unless you’ve been in central Peoria and know that area, it’s really hard to project how a community embraces ball the way Peoria does. Those players are on cloud nine and everybody’s very, very excited for them.”

Arthur update

The Arizona Daily Star reports that the University of Arizona has entered the Darrell Arthur recruiting sweepstakes. UA coach Lute Olson watched Arthur work out Tuesday in Dallas. Rivals.com indicates it’s likely too late for Arizona to sway the 6-foot-9 Dallas native, who is considering KU, Baylor, Texas and SMU.