The Hilltoppers cheer as they are announced during the NCAA Selection Sunday watch party at Diddle Arena. (Nathan Morgan/Daily News)

Western Kentucky will face No. 1 seed Kansas on Friday in the NCAA Tournament in Kansas City. Reaction from Jamal Crook and Ray Harper.

Ray Harper

   The draw: “About what we anticipated. It’s close enough we will be able to have some fans travel. Now it’s about getting some tape together. Obviously it’s a team we’ve seen play a bunch this season, now it’s trying to get prepared for Friday night.”

    KU: “Withey obviously one of the top big guys in the country. McLemore one of the premier freshman players in the country. Their point guard, I remember the game in particular at Iowa State, where he went for about 40. He’s more of a combo.

“Great program, great team. Bill Self does a good of a job as anyone in the country. Big challenge, but like I said earlier, I know our guys will go compete.”

    McLemore: “What he is is a big-time athlete. He’s 6-5, he’s extremely athletic.

“They’re just a very talented team, I think they try and play about seven or eight guys, but we know what kind of challenge it’ll be. There’s never been a 16 to beat a 1, so let’s go play.”

    16 to beat a 1: “They’re the No. 1 seed for a reason. It’s one of those deals where you’re extremely excited that you’re still playing and we’ll go play, we’ll see what happens.”

    Extra days to prep: “This time of year, what are you gonna change, really? Bottom line, you’re going to have to be very efficient. We know that, we’re going to have to be efficient on the offensive end and on the defensive end.

“If you look at their defensive personnel, they’ve got two for sure first-round draft picks and a lottery pick in McLemore. Perry Ellis was one of the top five players in the country coming out of high school and he doesn’t start. It’s an extremely talented group and a group capable of winning the national championship.

“It’s what you play for, it’s what you work for and to enjoy the whole process.”

 Bill Self: “He’s one of the best coaches in America. When I was the coach at Oklahoma City we dealt with each other a lot. Actually had one of his kids that worked out with us in the summer, his grandmother had been sick.

“We let him stay in Oklahoma City for the summer and we worked him out and he was projected to be a backup and he ended up as their starting center and they won the national championship and he ended up being a first-round draft pick.

“We’ve had some interaction, but we know what they’re going to do. It’s not a secret. What they try to do, is do it at a high level.”

 Schedule: “Classes start back Monday, a normal day, then practice (Monday) and Tuesday and Wednesday and head to Kansas City on Wednesday afternoon.”

    Team attitude this year: “Last year it wasn’t unexpected for us. We approached it like the same way we did last year.

“If you’re going to be successful, you approach it one way, it’s prepare as hard as you possibly can and believe in what you’re doing. I know these guys do. Even when we went through those tough times we knew that if we got some guys back that we had a chance.

“If we had this entire group for the entire season, we would have had five or six more wins. We didn’t, so it is what it is. I think we’re playing our best basketball right now and this is the time of year you want to be playing your best basketball.”

Jamal Crook

    The draw: “I was ready to get this on. Our number got called, saw Kansas, that’s who we play, so we just got to get ready and I’m pretty sure we will be ready.”

    Disappointed in a 16: “Nah, it doesn’t matter to me.”

 Experience: “Just knowing, ‘Never give up.’ That experience obviously helps out a lot. Just knowing we got the fight in us, it doesn’t matter who you put in front of us, we’re gonna give ‘em our all.”

    No play-in game: “To me, it really doesn’t matter.”

    Kansas roster: “Elijah Johnson the point guard, when I lived out in Vegas my senior year, I got a chance to play against him and I played AAU with him a little bit.

“I owe him. I played him my first game I played in, my debut, and they beat us. I’ll remember that game in the back of my head as we do go down there and take this ride.”

    Practice: “Business before pleasure. We got a job to do, we got to focus on the task at hand and that’s Kansas. We got to continue to get better and be efficient, like coach said throughout practice and just get better.”