Kansas forward Cheick Diallo gives a playful shove to teammate Wayne Selden Jr. before tipoff on Monday, Nov. 23 at Lahaina Civic Center in Lahaina, Hawaii. Diallo will see his first game action tonight after being declared eligible by the NCAA last week.

Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self envisions an epic Allen Fieldhouse roar when Cheick Diallo enters tonight’s KU-Loyola game.

It’s time for the long-awaited collegiate debut of the 6-foot-9 Mali freshman, who missed two exhibitions and the first five regular-season contests as he awaited clearance by the NCAA Eligibility Center.

“I think our crowd is going to go nuts whenever he’s first checking in the game,” Self said of the MVP of last spring’s McDonald’s All-America and Jordan Brand Classic high school all-star games.

“He won’t start,” Self added, noting he’ll open with Perry Ellis, Jamari Traylor, Wayne Selden Jr., Devonté Graham and Frank Mason III.

“It would be great to have him get ample minutes and have a chance to play through some mistakes like everybody else has had a chance to. He’s going to have to earn it (minutes) like everybody else is going to have to earn it. But he does give us an element that I think by January or February could be pretty important down the stretch,” Self added.

Diallo admits his emotions will be riding high for the 7 p.m. tip, especially when he receives a super-loud ovation upon coming off the bench.

“Tomorrow it’s going crazy because a lot of people are coming to support me,” Diallo said. “Even a lot of people tweet me, ‘Oh Cheick we can’t wait.’ A lot of people text me, ‘We can’t wait for tomorrow.’ I’m so excited.”

He’s been in especially great spirits since learning last week at the Maui Invitational that the NCAA cleared him for the Loyola game.

“I was just so excited. I cannot even sleep,” Diallo said. “I was up all night (in Maui). I am thinking, ‘Wow I’m going to play this year.’ It’s kind of like I’m dreaming.

“This is my first game in college. I have to be so excited. I’ve got to bring everything I’ve got. I want to bring everything to make my team win tomorrow,” Diallo added.

Asked what he brings to the table, Diallo, whose favorite player is Blake Griffin said: “Right now, rebound, block shots, run the floor, dunking on people. Before I used to do a lot of forced moves (inside). Now I’m improving my jump shot. I’m improving my free throws.

“I just have to make my team good. It’s not ‘Cheick make 40 points or 20 points.’ Now I’m not going to do that. I want to do whatever makes my team look good and win every single game.”

Diallo wants to please his teammates and coaches more than anything else. That’s why he texts Self often.

“I text him every time. I just want to prove … I ask him what he wants me to do. ‘Do you want me to get a rebound like that? Do you want me to score like that?’ I keep asking him because I want to get better.

“I want to learn from my mistakes. I want to keep asking, ‘Do you want to give me some details what I’m supposed to do to improve my game?”’

Self doesn’t mind the correspondence.

“I have players that text me, but no, Cheick’s the only one,” Self said of players constantly seeking feedback via their phones. “It’s a little different. Cheick — he has buddies on the team — but for the most part he doesn’t have somebody else to go talk to. He doesn’t have a girlfriend, at least that I know of, and he doesn’t have buddies to hang out in fraternity houses he can go hang with. He’s got his boys on his team and he got his coaches. So, naturally, we get a little more discussion with him than probably what we would if it was one of the other players that’s been here two or three years.”

Self predicts big things for Diallo, who told Self he wasn’t nervous during Sunday’s practice, but suddenly did become jittery thinking about his first game during Monday’s practice.

“He’s not Jo (Embiid), now, he’s not Joel, from an offensive standpoint at all. He’s not nearly as big. And certainly Joel had gifts that, you know, there’s only been a few people that have gifts like Jo. If he’s healthy. He’s going be an NBA All-Star. I mean, he’s that good.

“I think that we should temper expectations a little bit,” Self said, “because he’s going to be terrific, but he’s very, very raw, and he’s just starting to figure it out, but he’ll do fine. He’ll be active and energetic and somewhat confused, maybe, from time to time, because he’ll be so excited.”

Team getting over long trip: The Jayhawks flew back from Maui last Thursday night, arriving in Lawrence late Friday morning.

“Our team’s been really tired, and yesterday is the first day that we’ve shown any signs of life at all from a competitive spirit standpoint and that kind of stuff. That trip is a hard trip,” Self said. “We’ll worry about Loyola, don’t get me wrong. But I’m excited to see our guys getting back to playing the way we need to be playing, because we haven’t yet since we’ve been back.”

Bragging on Bragg: Self on his Hawk Talk radio show said Perry Ellis suffered “a bone hip bruise, not bad, but it kind of bothered him (in second half of UCLA game). Against Vandy (in final) he could not get untracked. Their length bothered him. Carlton (Bragg) as much as anybody was our best big in that game. The 10 minutes he was in there, primarily the second half, is when we won the game.”

This, that: KU junior Wayne Selden, Jr., and Iowa State’s Monté Morris on Monday were named Big 12 players of the week. Selden averaged 19.3 ppg at last week’s Maui Invitational. Texas’ Eric Davis was newcomer of the week. … Brannen Greene tonight serves the fourth game of his six-game disciplinary suspension. “He’s practicing. He won’t play but he’s definitely practicing,” Self said. … Located in Baltimore, with an enrollment of 4,084, Loyola Maryland is 1-5 after its 90-82 OT loss at Siena on Nov. 28. … Loyola is coached by G.G. Smith who is in his third season with a 23-43 record. Loyola averages 73.7 points while allowing 79. Forward Jarred Jones and guard Tyler Hubbard average 16.8 and 16.5 ppg. … KU won the only previous meeting, 90-60, on Jan. 8, 2008, in Allen.

Loyola (Md.) vs. Kansas

Probable Starters

LOYOLA MARYLAND (1-5)

F — Franz Rassman (6-10, Sr.)

F — Jarred Jones (6-7, Jr.)

F — Chancellor Barnard (6-4, Soph.)

G — Andre Walker (6-0, Soph.)

G — Tyler Hubbard (6-2, Sr.)

KANSAS (4-1)

F — Perry Ellis (6-8, Sr.)

F — Jamari Traylor (6-8, Sr.)

G — Frank Mason III (5-11, Jr.)

G — Wayne Selden Jr. (6-5, Jr.)

G — Devonté Graham (6-2, Soph.)

Tipoff: 7 tonight, Allen Fieldhouse.

TV: Time-Warner Cable Sports Channel (WOW! channels 37, 226).

Rosters

LOYOLA MARYLAND

1 — Nick Gorski, 6-9, 242, Jr., F, Richmond, Virginia.

2 — Andre Walker, 6-0, 170, Soph., G, Westbury, N.Y.

4 — Nevell Provo, 6-0, 186, North Preston, Nova Scotia.

5 — Eric Laster, 6-6, 200, Sr., G, Smyrna, Delaware.

11 — Sean Tuohy, Jr., 6-0, 177, Jr., G, Memphis.

13 — Franz Rassman, 6-10, 230, Sr., F, Washington, D.C.

14 — Sam Norton, 6-2, 180, Fr., G, Collegeville, Pennsylvania.

20 — Matt Staubi, 5-8, 152, Soph., G, Rye, New York.

21 — Jarred Jones, 6-7, 192, Jr., F, Havre de Grace, Maryland.

22 — Cam Gregory, 6-8, 214, Soph., F, Waldorf, Maryland.

23 — Tyler Hubbard, 6-2, 178, Sr., G, Washington, D.C.

25 — James Fives, 6-6, 196, Fr., G, Scranton, Pennsylvania.

35 — Chancellor Barnard, 6-4, 192, Soph., F, Columbia, Maryland.

42 — Josh Forney, 6-9, 262, Jr., F, Baltimore, Maryland.

Head coach: G.G. Smith. Assistants: Keith Booth, Josh Loeffler, Trevor Quinn.

KANSAS

0 — Frank Mason III, 5-11, 185, Jr., G, Petersburg, Virginia.

1 — Wayne Selden, Jr., 6-5, 230, Jr., G, Roxbury, Massachusetts.

2 — Lagerald Vick, 6-5, 175, Fr., G, Memphis.

4 — Devonté Graham, 6-2, 175, Soph., G, Raleigh, North Carolina.

5 — Evan Manning, 6-3, 170, Sr., G, Lawrence.

10 — Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, 6-8, 195, Soph., G, Cherkasy, Ukraine.

11 — Tyler Self, 6-2, 165, Jr., G, Lawrence.

13 — Cheick Diallo, 6-9, 220, Fr., F, Kayes, Mali, Africa.

14 — Brannen Greene, 6-7, 215, Jr., G, Juliette, Georgia.

15 — Carlton Bragg, Jr., 6-9, 220, Fr., F, Cleveland.

21 — Clay Young, 6-5, 205, Soph., F, Lansing.

22 — Dwight Coleby, 6-9, 240, Jr., F, Nassau, Bahamas.

31 — Jamari Traylor, 6-8, 220, Sr., F, Chicago.

33 — Landen Lucas, 6-10, 240, Jr., F, Portland, Oregon.

34 — Perry Ellis, 6-8, 225, Sr., F, Wichita.

42 — Hunter Mickelson, 6-10, 245, Sr., F, Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Head coach: Bill Self. Assistants: Kurtis Townsend, Norm Roberts, Jerrance Howard.