KU notebook: Perry Ellis starts against Baylor, is fine after leg gets bumped

It sounded counter-intuitive in a way, but Kansas coach Bill Self was hopeful that junior forward Perry Ellis would get his right knee knocked around on Friday.

Ellis was playing his first game in 10 days after suffering a right knee sprain against West Virginia on March 12. He returned to the starting lineup and finished with 11 points and six rebounds in 26 minutes in a 62-52 victory over Baylor. But in Self’s mind, the most crucial moment came with 7:50 left in the second half, when Ellis took a shot to the right thigh in a collision in front of the Baylor bench.

Ellis walked gingerly back to the Kansas bench, but in the end, his knee was fine.

“I wanted him to go out there and get hit,” Self said. “I know it sounds bad. I wanted him to maybe cringe a little bit and realize he was fine, which was good. He knew that was going to happen, too.”

For Ellis, Friday’s victory marked the end of a nine-day rehab to get back on the floor. On March 3 at Allen Fieldhouse, he fell to the floor and clutched his knee after teammate Landen Lucas had rolled onto his leg. It was just a sprain. But Ellis said it was still the most serious injury he’s ever suffered.

“I didn’t know what was going on or what was happening,” Ellis said. “That was probably my first major-type injury. Well, it was minor, but it was probably the worst thing that’s happened to me.”

Ellis was nearly ready to play Thursday against TCU. But after taking an extra day off, he was eager to get back on the floor.

“It was great,” Ellis said. “I felt comfortable. And it’s going to get better from here.”

▪ The Jayhawks, who will face No. 2 seed Iowa State at 5 p.m. on Saturday in the Big 12 Tournament championship, are 1-1 against the Cyclones this season. They fell 86-81 at Hilton Coliseum on Jan. 17 before avenging that loss with an 89-76 victory at Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 2.

▪ Kansas coach Bill Self is 7-1 in postseason championship games at Kansas. He is 6-0 in Big 12 tournament finals and 1-1 in NCAA championship games.

First half

▪ Key play: Kansas’ Perry Ellis, who returned from a knee sprain, finished at the rim in the final minute of the first half, helping the Jayhawks build a 26-18 lead.

▪ Key stat: Baylor was one of 10 from three.

Second half

▪ Key play: Kansas’ Wayne Selden forced a turnover that turned into a transition layup on the other end. When Selden finished the bucket, the Jayhawks led 45-36.

▪ Key stat: KU outrebounded Baylor 39-35.

This story was originally published March 13, 2015 at 3:10 PM with the headline "KU notebook: Perry Ellis starts against Baylor, is fine after leg gets bumped."