Thursday Links: Kansas prepares for Utah State

The Jayhawks get ready for the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Featured stories from around the 'Net.

Press Conference | Utah State notes

Kansas players got their first taste of the Ford Center during a 6 p.m. shootaround which was open to both the public and to the media. As the Jayhawks made their way through the tunnel and onto the court, several hundred KU fans welcomed the team to OKC with loud cheers.

The team ate an 8:30 p.m. dinner at Red Rock Canyon Grill before returning to the hotel for the evening. Players were given a midnite curfew on the eve of their first round game against Utah State.

Daily Journal (KU Athletics)

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Tonight, Kansas will play its cupcake, if you can call a 24-8 Utah State team from a decent Big West Conference a cupcake. But compared to KU's potential future matchups in the NCAA Tournament, most of them as tough as a $2 rib-eye, Utah State is definitely a cupcake

KU needs machete to get through West jungle (Wichita Eagle)

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Michael Lee figures he owes something to Kansas seniors Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich. Both players have given him invaluable gifts, he said, even though they probably didn't know it.

Hawks vow full effort for seniors (Hawk Zone)

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If mind-set alone were enough, Kansas can punch its ticket for another trip to the Final Four. "This is mentally a tough a team as I've been on," guard Kirk Hinrich said.

Can KU keep it together? (Wichita Eagle)

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The last few weeks, while listening to various basketball prognosticators and pundits, Kansas guard Keith Langford couldn't help but notice one thing. "I haven't heard one person pick Kansas to advance to a Final Four," Langford said. "People are sleeping on us."

Jayhawks out to prove themselves (KC Star)

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Kansas University's men's basketball team wants an encore after sampling the Final Four last season, and the No. 2-seeded Jayhawks' eyes are firmly focused on the April 7 national title game in New Orleans. "This is a national-championship team, in my opinion," said KU sophomore guard Keith Langford

Bring on the Madness (KU Sports)