North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough dunks against Louisville in the East Regional final.

San Antonio ? North Carolina and UCLA arguably boast the best big men in the Final Four in Tyler Hansbrough and Kevin Love.

No team taking the Alamodome court this weekend, however, has the inside depth of Kansas University’s Jayhawks, who boast a strong pivot presence in starters Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson and reserves Sasha Kaun and Cole Aldrich.

“I know UCLA and North Carolina have some great big men. There are proteges at K-State and big men all over the country. I think as a core, our guys have got it,” said KU junior walk-on Matt Kleinmann, a 6-foot-10, 250-pounder who knows all about KU’s inside presence after battling his tall, talented teammates daily at practice.

“We’ve got experience. We’ve got depth. Three of them are in the prime of their careers this spring. ‘Shady’ (Arthur), Darnell and Sasha all have the want-to. Cole gets better every day. His future is so bright,” Kleinmann added.

Kleinmann – a brilliant student who is majoring in architecture and hoping to specialize in designing sports stadiums – says all of KU’s big men present problems when trying to combat them in the paint.

At some point in time, he’s guarded all of them.

The toughest man to move?

It’d be Kaun, a 6-11, 250-pound senior from Tomsk, Russia.

“You give him enough resistance, but keep your head away from him so when he turns he doesn’t knock your lights out with his elbows,” Kleinmann said. “He is a physical presence.

“He plays with the ball high all the time, does everything fundamentally sound,” Kleinmann added of Kaun, who helped save the day in the Elite Eight against Davidson with 13 points off 6-of-6 shooting and six rebounds.

“People think he lost his starting spot (this year to Jackson), that his game is not as good as it once was. I think that’s more about chemistry and other things than ability. His free-throw shooting was not good early in the year. He improved that at midseason. He went out and worked on that every day. He has that type of dedication.”

Overland Park native Kleinmann is not surprised the 6-foot-8, 250-pound Jackson emerged as a force his senior season.

“I remember coach (Bill) Self asked me years ago in front of some guys on the team, ‘Who do you think the best big man is between C.J. (Giles), Sasha and Darnell?’ I said Darnell back at that time,” Kleinmann said. “The way he’s turned it on, he can impact every single possession.

“Darnell’s not as tall as Sasha, so there’s a better chance to contest his shot,” Kleinmann noted. “He’s not as explosive as ‘Shady’ just because ‘Shady’ is a freak athlete. But Darnell every time he gets the ball has the opportunity to go to the basket and get around you.”

As far as ‘Shady,’ the 6-9, 225-pound sophomore really enjoys playing outside, maybe even more than in.

“When ‘Shady’ guards me I try to pump-fake him and hope he goes for a shot fake,” Kleinmann said of Arthur. “He is so explosive and quick it’s a joke. He’s almost like a guard out there. Sometimes he’ll step back and hit shots, sometimes he’ll go hard and try to dunk it on your head.”

Kleinmann says KU fans will love what 6-11, 240-pound freshman Aldrich will have in store next year as his minutes increase.

“He catches the ball, makes a quick turn and hits a right-handed or left-handed hook shot 10 feet from the basket. You see that, and you say there’s no way this kid can be stopped when he puts it all together,” Kleinmann said.

“I do like guarding Cole the most of all the guys just because there’s little tricks of the trade you can learn to give yourself an advantage. Cole has not been around enough to know those.

“He’s a smart player, and he’s a tough player. People don’t realize he’s had to go through a lot of adversity. As a heralded freshman coming out here, playing against some upperclassmen he’s persevered and he’s playing quality minutes now,” Kleinmann said.

As far as Kleinmann, KU coach Self hopes his contributions don’t go ignored.

“He means a lot to this program,” Self said of the former Blue Valley West standout. “He hasn’t played much, but he has contributed. He helps our bigs get better on a daily basis.

“You talk about dedication. One night we got back from a road trip. It was 3 a.m. and the windchill was minus-10. Cindy (wife), Lauren (daughter), Tyler (son) and I are driving up the hill and we see somebody walking past us. I say, ‘Matt, get in the car.’ He said, ‘I’ve got to go study.’ We drive him where he’s studying. He told us he’s got to go ’til 10, 11 in the morning. That put it in perspective for me. He’s pulling an all-nighter as soon as we get back from a trip. He gets out of the car, Tyler turned to me. I said, ‘What do you think of that?’ He said, ‘Stud.'”

¢ Notes: KU’s players practiced on Thursday at the San Antonio Spurs’ practice facility.The Jayhawks attended the Final Four Salute Presentation on Thursday night, when players and coaches of all four teams gathered at the Marriott Hotel. Announcers Jim Nance and Billy Packer interviewed the coaches, who talked about their respective roads to the Final Four. Today, KU will hold a shootaround from 1 to 1:50 p.m. at the Alamodome. It is open to the public.