Kansas is looking a lot more like Maryland every day -- which is precisely why the Jayhawks enter the Final Four as the favorite.

	Kirk Hinrich and Kansas avenged their regular-season loss to Arizona.

Whether they like it or not -- and they probably don't -- the Jayhawks have emerged out of this balanced pack as the team to beat in New Orleans. Kansas meets Marquette at 6:07 p.m. ET Saturday, with the Texas-Syracuse matchup following that in the Superdome. Saturday's winners meet Monday night for the title.

The reason why Kansas should be favored? Seniors. Sure, the veterans at Arizona, Pittsburgh, Kentucky, Oklahoma and even Maryland weren't able to get to the Final Four this year. But only the latter two had the experience of being there just a season ago.

Kansas' veteran pair of Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich got to the national semifinals a year ago before losing to Maryland.

Kansas found a way to win the Big 12 regular season title -- edging out Texas and Oklahoma in the process -- despite having sophomore forward Wayne Simien (14.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg) for only 16 games because of a separated shoulder. Granted, the Jayhawks did benefit from an easier Big 12 schedule (two games against the likes of Iowa State, Kansas State and Nebraska) and they got Texas at home. And, yes, they did lose at Oklahoma.

But Kansas still won the regular season by leaning heavily on Collison and Hinrich, the two senior starters who have willed this team back to the Final Four with regional wins over Duke and Arizona last weekend in Anaheim.

Collison was sensational in the win over Duke last Thursday with 33 points and 19 rebounds. It was one of the best single performances in recent Sweet 16 history. Hinrich took over against Arizona with 28 points, including six 3s -- the most one player had against the Wildcats all season.

And the Jayhawks finally got sustained contributions from their much-maligned bench. Bryant Nash and Michael Lee put in spirited efforts, giving a breather to the foul-prone Collison and Aaron Miles, respectively.

Then there is Roy Williams. He enters the Final Four as one of the best coaches to never win the title, along with Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, Purdue's Gene Keady and Temple's John Chaney. But this could be Williams' turn. He has done a masterful job with this team, starting with how he dealt with the uncertainty of whether Simien would play for most of the Big 12 season. He had to work tirelessly with Graves to beef up his confidence while at the same time demanding he get in shape and be a contributor.

He also wasn't afraid to lean hard on Collison and Hinrich, two of the best seniors to don Kansas uniforms under Williams (and that's saying something).

Kansas isn't infallible. This is the same team that lost two straight games in New York (to North Carolina and Florida) in the Preseason NIT. The same team that lost to Oregon in Portland when they looked like they couldn't keep up with the then-runnin' Ducks. This is the same team that looked lethargic in a one-point loss at Colorado and then blew a 20-point lead at home to Arizona.

And, yes, the same Kansas team that lost at Oklahoma by seven, and were a bit out of it in a five-point loss to Missouri in the Big 12 tournament semifinals.

It all adds up to seven losses, but each at least seemed legitimate at the time. None of them were to teams that it shouldn't have lost to, either at home or on the road. But the seven losses, the supposed lack of depth and no Simien to take pressure off of Collison were real concerns as the Jayhawks entered the NCAA Tournament.

"We wondered if this would happen because of our lack of depth and Wayne being hurt and our slow start (3-3 in December)," Collison said. "We found a way to do it. (The Arizona game Saturday) was like our whole season. We stuck together and got it done and hit enough baskets to win this game.

"No one was talking about us coming out of the West bracket. We had our ups and downs this year. Last year, we had one of the most talented teams (with Drew Gooden) here but didn't win it. This year, getting to the Final Four is more satisfying.''

And last year's semifinal loss -- as disheartening as it was back in Atlanta a year ago -- gives the Jayhawks more of a chance of winning the title this year.

Just look at that Maryland squad that beat Kansas last season: the Terps were in the Final Four for a second consecutive season after losing to Duke the year before in the semifinals. They returned with seniors Juan Dixon and Lonny Baxter determined to give their coach -- not to mention school -- his first national title. And in the end, Maryland used that motivation to win the title.

Hinrich, Collison, Kansas and a coach named Williams are following the exact same script. Whether it ends the same way is still yet to be played out, but the Jayhawks are back a position to win the title.

That's not to say Marquette's Dwyane Wade and Travis Diener can't beat Kansas in a one-game situation Saturday. Clearly, we've seen in this tournament that the most talented teams, or even best players, don't always win. And this isn't to dismiss Syracuse's chances with their stifling zone and Carmelo Anthony, or even Boeheim's drive to get his first title. And we're not about to push aside Texas and T.J. Ford, a team that nearly beat Kansas in Lawrence in one of the five best games of the regular season.

But if you're looking for a favorite, the team is Kansas. Collison and Hinrich are old-school players who simply love the game and don't want to stop playing. They returned to college instead of pursuing the NBA a year early for this simple reason: to win the national title. That has been their drive through every game.

Williams was supposed to challenge for it last season and came up a game short. He wasn't given a chance to return once Simien went down. But everything has fallen into place -- especially with the absence of Kentucky and Oklahoma.

Past Jayhawks haven't fared well in the Final Four when expected to win the national title. But this Kansas club is different. Talk about being the favorite is realatively new. The pressure of being the team to beat from the beginning of the season hasn't worn the Jayhawks down. Remember, two weeks ago they weren't the favorites to even get out of the West Region.

But now, as they arrive at the Final Four, they are the most experienced team remaining -- armed with two players and a coach who have as much drive and passion to win the national title as any who have graced this event, including Dixon and Gary Williams a year ago.

Kansas felt it should have been a No. 1 seed by virtue of winning the Big 12 regular season title. Adding insult to Kansas was the fact that Texas got a No. 1 seed, despite the facts the Jayhawks finished higher in the Big 12 standings and beat the Longhorns in the teams' one meeting. But, instead of sulking, the Jayhawks went out and beat No. 3 seed Duke and No. 1 seed Arizona. So, forget about the seeding differential if you're looking for a favorite.

Marquette is the only other team that had to beat two top 10 teams (Pittsburgh and Kentucky) to get to the Final Four. But the Eagles, as a group, simply aren't as experienced as Kansas' two seniors -- especially in a Final Four setting. So Kansas gets the favorite's label -- the Jayhawks have earned it, over Marquette on their side of the bracket, and over Syracuse and even No. 1 seed Texas on the other.

Hinrich and Collison, and the experience of being in the Final Four a year ago. Combine these tangible facts with Williams' hunger to win his first title mean the Jayhawks are the Bristol Common Sense Index team to beat in New Orleans.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.