Sports Illustrated’s Seth Davis, who watched Kansas University’s basketball team work out twice last week, is convinced of one thing: The Jayhawks are tops in the land.

“This team is loaded with thoroughbreds. My neck is still sore from watching them press and run non-stop,” Davis reports on SI.com.

“Making predictions isn’t just about assessing talent. It’s about forecasting where that talent will be in five months. I like where Kansas is, but I like where they are going even more. Until further notice, you can consider KU my pick to win the 2007 national championship.”

Meanwhile, college basketball writer Gary Parrish of cbssportsline.com, who caught up with KU coach Bill Self and players Russell Robinson and Sasha Kaun at last week’s Big 12 Media Day, taps the Jayhawks second nationally behind Florida.

Street and Smith also has Florida ranked No. 1 and KU 2, followed by North Carolina. Athlon has KU, Alabama, Florida and North Carolina reaching the Final Four, with the Tar Heels winning it all for the second time in three years.

“Most coaches would be panicking if they just had to remove a player like C.J. Giles from their team,” Parrish writes. “But from a basketball standpoint, Bill Self doesn’t seem terribly concerned. That, quite simply, is the effect of recruiting so much talent in a short period of time, led by standouts Brandon Rush, Julian Wright, Russell Robinson, Mario Chalmers, Sherron Collins, Sasha Kaun and Darrell Arthur. Even without Giles, does any roster in America look better than that?”

Well, maybe one roster: Florida’s. The defending national champs return five starters from last year’s title team.

While acknowledging the Jayhawks look good on paper, Self isn’t getting carried away. He was asked how this current KU team matches up with the 1996-97 Jayhawk squad that went 34-2, falling to eventual national champ Arizona in the Sweet 16.

“We don’t on paper,” Self said. “If I’m not mistaken, (Paul) Pierce was arguably the best player in the country. Raef (LaFrentz) was third or fourth pick (third in NBA draft). Jacque (Vaughn) was a first-round pick, and Scot (Pollard) a first-round pick. The same team had Billy Thomas, an NBA player, and Ryan Robertson, an NBA player. To say our talent level is there would be misleading as of today.

“To think where certain guys could be when they finish their careers : we have multiple guys who have an opportunity to make money at this game. To have all of them together on that one team close to being ready (for NBA), I don’t think it’d be the case with this team.”

Self’s Jayhawks practiced hard Friday through Sunday. They’ll go again today and Tuesday before an off day Wednesday. Absent all three days was junior forward Giles, with no change in his status.

“We did OK. It’s meat-and-potato stuff we’re getting in,” Self said. “We’re moving up and down the court pretty well. We need to tighten up some things, just the normal practice routine this time of year.”