Allen Fieldhouse

University of Kansas junior center Markieff Morris will undergo hernia surgery today. Morris’ surgery is expected to keep him out of practice for a week to 10 days, according to Jayhawk head coach Bill Self. “Markieff is having the most minor of surgeries (today),” said Self. “You never want guys to miss any time, but we’re probably talking about missing seven days of practice. He should be able to run and shoot within days, be full-speed within seven to 10 days.

Basketball has a long and rich tradition in the state of Kansas and it again will be on the national radar in 2011, as ESPN announced on Wednesday that the Kansas State-Kansas men's basketball game will serve as the host for the popular College Gameday Driven by State Farm show on Saturday, Jan. 29 at Allen Fieldhouse. The Dillons Sunflower Showdown will mark a special anniversary for all Kansans, as it will serve to honor the 150th anniversary of statehood with the 271st meeting between the state's two flagship universities.

NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and Emporia native Clint Bowyer took a small vacation from his schedule to visit Lawrence and the University of Kansas, Tuesday. Bowyer visited with football coach Turner Gill and exchanged helmets with the rookie coach, followed by a look around the football field and Allen Fieldhouse. "Everybody knows I'm a big KU fan and to be able to come here and meet Turner and see the football side of it and the basketball side of it is a lot of fun," Bowyer said, who is 12th in the standings for the Chase Cup, NASCAR's version of the playoffs.

Kansas coach Bill Self announced Tuesday that Chase Buford and C.J. Henry have left the KU men’s basketball program. Self said Buford will remain a student at KU pursuing his degree, while Henry plans to pursue his basketball career elsewhere. Buford was a three-year letterwinner for the Jayhawks; he was a member of the 2008 NCAA National Championship team, won three Big 12 regular-season titles and two Big 12 Tournament championships. The 6-3 guard from San Antonio, Texas, appeared in 36 games and averaged 1.7 minutes, 0.3 points and 0.5 rebounds per contest while donning the Crimson and Blue.

For the fifth-straight year, the Kansas men’s basketball team will make four appearances on ESPN’s Big Monday, as announced by the Big 12 Conference Monday. KU will be featured on ESPN’s Big Monday on Jan. 17 at Baylor, Feb. 7 versus Missouri, Feb. 14 at Kansas State and Feb. 21 versus Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks have played the Tigers in a Big Monday contest in each of the past eight seasons, and have faced Oklahoma State four times, Kansas State twice and Baylor once during the Big 12 era. Since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996-97, Kansas is 38-14 all-time on ESPN’s Big Monday (21-1 at home, 17-13 on the road)

From KU Website: LAWRENCE, Kan. - All 31 Kansas men's basketball games will be televised nationally during the 2008-09 regular season, Kansas Athletics announced Thursday. The highlights include three games on CBS (at Michigan State and home vs. Texas and Missouri), and 21 games on the ESPN family of networks, which includes three games on ABC and four Big Monday appearances. KU's ESPN Big Monday contests will be Jan. 19 against Texas A&M, Feb. 2 at Baylor, Feb. 9 at Missouri and Feb. 23 at Oklahoma.

The game is over but the celebration continues. An estimated 100,000 people were in Lawrence Sunday for a parade honoring the national champion Kansas Jayhawks.  Fans lined the streets hours before the parade hoping to get a good spot. The parade was led by the spirit squad and band. Coach Bill Self and members of the basketball team followed. Fans say they'll never get tired of celebrating the big win. "I was here in '88 also and it was incredible," says KU fan Marty Kennedy.

Okay, so most Jayhawk fans show their devotion by buying a shirt or maybe a hat.  But one Wichita woman is hooked on her Hawks.  And if you happened to catch Coach Bill Self's Pre-Game Speech Monday night, you may have seen her devotion on the locker room floor. "I'm pretty crimson and blue," said Mary Easton-White.  And maybe for some, Easton-White is just a Jayhawk with a crafty side.  But for the Jayhawk men's basketball team, she is their un-official floor decorator. If you saw Bill Self's speech in the team's locker room before the championship game, you may have noticed the Jayhawk on the floor.