By JANE MCMANUS
The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News

Syracuse's Carmelo Anthony listens to head coach Jim Boeheim as he responds to a question during a news conference Sunday. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

NEW ORLEANS - Scrap the Superdome. Thank CBS for its time and roll out the trucks. Move the NCAA final Monday night to the local Y, one of the old ones with an overhead track, sweep the dust into the corners and start the clock.

When Kansas guard Keith Langford checks Syracuse supernova Carmelo Anthony, the 6-foot-4 sophomore will be playing for pride alone.

"It's just like if we were playing in a gym that nobody was at, just Syracuse and Kansas playing in a gym with no bleachers," Langford said. "I still have to play hard. It's kind of like almost a kind of thing where you want to test yourself and test yourself against players that are already established and players that are probably on a different level talent-wise. So this is like a challenge. This is an individual challenge (for) myself."

Anthony is the matchup problem, as Texas found out Saturday night as the 6-8 freshman had 33 points and 14 rebounds. As he successfully did with Texas player Royal Ivey, Anthony will try to take Langford inside and pass off the double team.

"He probably should have been player of the year, but as a freshman a lot of people won't vote for him," said Kansas senior Nick Collison.

The Jayhawks have a healthy dose of respect for him, it would be impossible to ignore his contribution to the 29-5 Orangemen this season, but Langford wants to draw him out in transition and get him in foul trouble.

"I don't care about all the attention he has been getting," Langford said. "The attention he's getting is not going to dictate what's going to happen on the court."

Langford had a sweet game himself - a game-high 23 points and four assists - as the Jayhawk's treated Marquette like a sixteen seed. He averages 15.8 points per game, third behind Collison and Kirk Hinrich.

"He's a confident kid and he doesn't get rattled," Collison said of his teammate. "He has that mindset that he's going to rise to the challenge and hopefully he will.

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Anthony still talks to Manhattan freshman Kenny Minor every day.

"I don't think he'll ever forgive me for beating him in the first round of the tournament," said Anthony, who owns a few of the "Real Men Stay For Two Years" T-shirts showing up on the Syracuse campus.

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Williams heard this week that a U.S. general had compared the U.S. strategy in Iraq to Kansas' defeat of Arizona in the NCAA tournament.

"I was stunned, I was very flattered," Williams said. "It was even more flattering when you realize he was a Kansas State graduate."

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Nick Collison attended Jim Boeheim's summer basketball camp for three summers, but that doesn't mean the Kansas forward owes the Syracuse coach any favors.

"He is a good guy, but I'm still going to try and kick his tail," Collison said.

Boeheim commented, "He played three years for me. It's amazing he turned out to be a great player with that handicap."

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Syracuse vs. Kansas

Tipoff: 9:22 p.m. today

Where: Superdome, New Orleans

TV: Chs. 12,7

Radio: WLW-AM (700) and WCKY-AM (1360)

Syracuse's road to the final: Beat Manhattan, Oklahoma St., Auburn, Oklahoma and Texas

Kansas' road to the final: Beat Utah St., Arizona St., Duke, Arizona and Marquette.