Kansas freshman forward Billy Preston drives toward the paint during a camp scrimmage at Horejsi Family Athletics Center on Wednesday, June 14, 2017, as sophomore Sam Cunliffe defends.

For the past week, Kansas guard Sam Cunliffe has been viewed as a bit of a Twitter savior in the eyes of Kansas basketball fans.

But the Arizona State transfer who sits on the brink of playing his first game as a Jayhawk at 7 p.m. Saturday in Lincoln, Nebraska, has not seen any of it.

A short while before KU’s recent game against his old team, Cunliffe deleted the Twitter app from his phone and, therefore, has not seen much of the hype surrounding his return to eligibility after a year away from live action.

Cunliffe said Thursday that his mom mentioned a few of the funnier posts to him and others have told him about the buzz around his much-anticipated debut. But Cunliffe, who started his career and made 10 starts at Arizona State during the first semester of last season, has been far more concerned about being ready to help Kansas and less concerned about people’s hopes, hype and expectations for him.

The reason for his move was two-fold and had as much to do with eliminating the distractions from former Arizona State friends and fans as it did quieting the noise from KU fans about his debut.

“I actually deleted my Twitter app for a little bit because I was getting a lot of stuff from my previous school and from here,” Cunliffe said Thursday. “Positive mainly, from here, but I just kind of wanted to block all that out. But I’ve heard a lot. I think it’s cool. I think I have the fans behind me and it’s always good when you have that.”

Cunliffe said Thursday that even though he has experience playing Power 5 college basketball, the year away from competition cut into most of what he learned during the short time he played for the Sun Devils.

“I kind of feel like I’m still a freshman as far as playing goes,” said Cunliffe, admitting that his first couple of games at ASU left him wondering if he could cut it. “(But I learned) definitely just not getting too high, not getting too low. I just want to make sure I do keep my head level and always give my best.”

If he can do that, his chances to help the 13th-ranked Jayhawks go up considerably.

KU coach Bill Self on Thursday said Cunliffe still had a ways to go in several areas, particularly on defense, and added that he only expected the 6-foot-6 guard to play a few minutes each half.

“If he can give us 5-10 (minutes), that would be a bonus,” Self said. “If he’s playing well, maybe more than that. But just to get Svi and Lagerald and Devonte’s minutes down may bode well for us.”

Regardless of when his name is called that first time or how he does when he actually gets out there, Cunliffe seems to be approaching his opportunity with a terrific mindset.

His goal is to come in and help the team in whatever ways he can, not to hit the floor and be the show.

“I think we have a great team already,” he said. “I think I’m just going to add a lot to it. And I think we’re going to start getting it going in the right direction.”

Beyond simply finally being able to play again, Cunliffe is most excited about the opportunity to see how much he has grown as a player, mentally and physically, and how much he has matured during the past year.

“I don’t know, actually,” he admitted when asked how he thought he’d react at game time. “But I know I am super excited. Normally when we have a game, I’m like, ‘All right, I’m just going to sit there and chill.’ But when you play, you get this adrenaline rush. It adds a different level. So I actually don’t know what I’m like in a game.

“I haven’t played a game for a year. So I don’t know what my body’s going to be like, how much more athletic, springy and ready I’m going to be. I’ve done a lot of work in the weight room with (Andrea) Hudy, and just off-the-court stuff, making sure my body’s right. So I’m excited to see a lot about myself and how I react when I get on the court. No necessarily mental, but just how my body feels and how much more alert I am.”