New start for Marcus

A trip to the barber shop is on Marcus Morris’ to-do list this week.

“I’m trying to get a new start, probably cut my hair, cut my facial hair off, something like that,” Morris, KU’s freshman forward from Philadelphia, said Thursday.

He’s still stinging from the embarrassment of being whistled for a technical foul for inadvertently bumping into ref Scott Thornley in Monday’s loss at Missouri.

“(I want to) look like a young man and not like somebody that likes to argue and have a bad attitude, because everybody is looking at me now like I’ve got a bad attitude because I got a technical foul and argued with the ref,” Morris said.

“I’m going to try to avoid all situations like that and walk away from everything and always smile at the ref and smack ’em on the butt and say, ‘Good call,”’ he added of his future demeanor in games.

Morris wasn’t ejected after bumping Thornley, but coach Bill Self sat him the rest of the game when Thornley told Self the bump was intentional.

“Coach was upset about it. He told me I could have avoided it,” Morris said. “Going over the tape, he said he thinks he should have played me and not sat me out (because tape showed it was unintentional).

“It was all my fault,” Morris added. “I didn’t intentionally do anything. I should have apologized (to ref). But I was thinking about the call and just going to the bench.”

Arthur’s grandma dies

KU coach Self, assistant Kurtis Townsend and graduate student manager Jeremy Case attended the funeral of former Jayhawk Darrell Arthur’s grandmother, Ruby, on Wednesday in Dallas. Arthur, a rookie with the Memphis Grizzlies who helped KU claim the 2008 national title, was extremely close to his grandmom.

He has her name inscribed on his wrist.

School days

KU junior Mario Little, who has an effective turnaround jumper in his repertoire, was asked Thursday if his game was “old school.”

“I don’t like saying, ‘old school.’ I think of old guys with bad knees or something like that,” Little said.

So what should his game be called: “New school?”

“No, you can’t call it new-school. Just call it ‘Mario-game,”’ he cracked.

Jayhawks in the house?

There’s the possibility NBA rookies Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush and Darnell Jackson will attend Saturday’s KU-Kansas State game (2:30 p.m., Bramlage Coliseum) and sit behind KU’s bench. Former KU players yearly tend to gravitate to Lawrence during all-star break. There are reports former K-State standout Michael Beasley of the Miami Heat — and a teammate of Chalmers — also will be at the game.

Rivals on road

It is believed this 2008-09 season marks the seventh season in KU history the Jayhawks have played consecutive road games against conference rivals Kansas State and Missouri. The Jayhawks are 5-8 in those games, getting swept just once — during the 1981-82 season. KU last played consecutive road games against MU and KSU during the 1989-90 season. KU beat KSU and lost to MU in those games.

Stopping Sherron

K-State coach Frank Martin was asked Thursday how to stop Sherron Collins.

“We’re going to infect him with the flu bug, get him a little sick, get his body temperature to 103, so he’s not in trouble but he’s not healthy enough to play,” Martin joked. “Guarding Sherron … he sees purple and he just loves it. His eyes open up. He’s had great games against us.”

Stephenson to visit

Lance Stephenson, a 6-foot-5 senior guard from Lincoln High in Brooklyn, N.Y., will visit KU for the KU-Nebraska game a week from Saturday, Zagsblog.net reports. Stephenson is Rivals.com’s No. 9-rated player considering KU, St. John’s, Memphis, Southern Cal, UCLA and others.

Barnes update

Harrison Barnes, a 6-6 junior guard from Ames (Iowa) Senior High, sat behind the Duke bench during Wednesday’s loss to rival North Carolina in Durham, N.C.. Barnes, Rivals.com’s No. 4-rated prospect in the Class of 2010, is considering KU, Duke, UNC, Kentucky, Iowa, Iowa State and others.

“Harrison Barnes, come to Duke,” the Duke student section chanted at Barnes an hour before the game.