"It was an overview of the court, and you could see all the stands," the Wildcats' leading scorer said yesterday. "Then you saw this little wooden thing, about a thumbnail small. We were looking for the court. Then we saw it in the middle. It was amazing to see."

Reynolds and his teammates got their first live look yesterday during a 50-minute workout in preparing for tonight's matchup with top-seeded Kansas, and it probably looked even more incredible.

The court at Ford Field, the home of the Detroit Lions and the venue for the 2009 Final Four, is in the middle of the stadium, with the midcourt line around the 50-yard line. It is unlike the configuration the NCAA has used in many domes, with the court laid out across the stadium floor tucked near an end zone.

With all the seating - Ford Field's capacity is 72,818 for games tonight and Sunday - and the vast expanses behind each basket, the shooting background is not like anything players from either team have seen.

"I thought it would be similar to playing at Syracuse," forward Dwayne Anderson said, referring to the Carrier Dome. "But when I walked out there, it was amazing . . . so many stands. It was an experience when we walked out on the court. But once the ball goes up, none of that matters."

The background "was a little tough at the beginning," freshman Corey Stokes said. "We've got to get adjusted to it, but I think we'll all do that quickly."

A tournament spokesman said yesterday afternoon that more than 56,000 tickets had been sold for tonight's doubleheader, which starts with third-seeded Wisconsin taking on No. 10 seed Davidson.

Another peculiarity about the setup is that the court is raised about three feet above floor level, but the team benches are on the floor. This means players will look up at the game and at Wright, who will stand on the court while play goes on.

"He won't be on top of us yelling when something's not going right," Anderson said with a smile.

Wright called the setup "impressive" and thought the seats were more closed-in than in any domed arena he had seen.

"I turn around and talk to the players a lot, but they'll be happy I'm separated from them a little bit," he said.

The raised court is extended at either end line, good for a player hustling to save a ball from going out of bounds. But there's not much court beyond the sidelines before a player could tumble down into the bench, the scorer's table or media seats.

"Scottie said he was a little worried about falling off the edge," forward Dante Cunningham said. "I think that would be the best part, to see someone go off the edge of the court."

Players from both teams, however, agreed with the assessment of Kansas guard Russell Robinson.

"The court elevation, I don't think that's going to be a problem," Robinson said. "I can play on a roof if that's where we have to play at."

The 12th-seeded Wildcats will have to adjust quickly to the unusual design to apply their undivided attention to stopping Kansas' versatile and balanced attack. The Jayhawks, seeking their third Elite Eight berth in five years, cruised through their first two tournament games by margins of 24 and 19 points.

A big concern will be Kansas' inside men, starters Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson and reserve Sasha Kaun, who will try to establish themselves in the paint and get Cunningham and fellow forward Antonio Peña in foul trouble.

With the season-ending ankle injury to center Casiem Drummond, Wright said he might play little-used 6-foot-8 junior Frank Tchuisi and use 6-7 forward Shane Clark more on the inside.

"I'm always concerned about that," Wright said of foul trouble. "But we'll use Frank if we have to, and we can use Shane, who guarded [6-9 Clemson center] James Mays last week. We'll have to play scrappier and tougher."

Conversely, the Jayhawks are worried in particular about one Villanova guard - Reynolds, who scored 46 points in two games last weekend.

"He takes great pride in having the ball in his hands as much as possible," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "He wants to make the pass to finish the play. He wants to make the pass to start the play. He wants to shoot the ball to finish the play. And you can't underestimate how tough he is."