There’s plenty of motivation for Kansas University’s basketball players tonight in their final nonconference game of the 2007-08 season.

“This is basically our championship game for the preseason, so we’re going to treat it like a championship game,” KU senior Russell Robinson said, referring to a 7 p.m. home battle versus Loyola (Md.) College.

The championship he refers to would be an undefeated nonconference campaign. KU enters 14-0; Loyola 6-8.

“We want to finish the preseason off right and get ready for our second season, the Big 12,” Robinson said.

Loyola, which is located in Baltimore and plays in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, has defeated Penn, American, Vermont, Howard and Manhattan and has split games with Iona, and also lost to Towson, Seton Hall, Drexel, Mt. St. Mary’s, Dayton, Illinois and Fairfield.

“This game is big, then it’s the start of the Big 12 Conference,” junior Brandon Rush said of Saturday’s 8 p.m. league opener at Nebraska.

“Loyola has won some games. They’ve already played four league games,” KU coach Bill Self said of coach Jimmy Patsos’ Greyhounds, who are 2-2 in the MAAC. “Our motivation should be trying to get better and respect everyone we go against.”

Loyola is led by Gerald Brown, a 6-4 senior who averages 19.1 points a game. He’s made 27 of 81 threes.

¢ Players of week: KU’s Darnell Jackson and Texas’ D.J. Augustin on Monday were named co-Big 12 players of the week. Augustin averaged 25.0 points in victories over TCU and St. Mary’s. Jackson had 25 versus Boston College.

“Somebody else must have had a pretty good week if he didn’t get player of the week,” Self said of Jackson. “Our guys very rarely put up numbers to win individual awards (because of team balance). This is one of the few exceptions. His teammates are really happy for him.”

“I guess it’s another achievement I can look at and smile about,” Jackson said. “I still haven’t done anything yet. I have a long way to go.”

¢ Two cut on same day: Ex-Jayhawks Billy Thomas (New Jersey) and Keith Langford (San Antonio) were cut by NBA teams on Monday. It’s likely the two will return to the NBA Developmental League. Thomas played for Colorado and Langford for Austin, Texas, before getting called up recently.

“That could happen because Ginobili (Manu, Spurs) came back,” Self said, asked specifically about Langford. “Keith needs to keep plugging. He’ll get called back.”

¢ More on knee brace: Brandon Rush, who told ESPN on Saturday his right knee brace was bothering him, explained his comment Monday.

“It slips now and then. I get tired of adjusting it. It’s not hurting me,” he said. He may discard the brace in February.

¢ Long time between games: Mercedes Sayler of Topeka tonight will attend her first KU basketball game in Allen Fieldhouse since the days of Wilt Chamberlain.

Sayler, who turned 91 on Jan. 2, last visited Allen in 1957, when former KU great Wilt Chamberlain was a junior.

Sayler will attend tonight’s game with her daughter and son-in-law, her son and her granddaughter, who gave her the tickets.