After meeting with star players, Bill Self watches No. 3 Kansas rally past Texas 76-67

On Friday afternoon, nearly 24 hours before Kansas scored a 76-67 victory over Texas inside Allen Fieldhouse, coach Bill Self summoned his four best players for a meeting inside the KU basketball office at the Wagnon-Parrott Athletic Center. They sat as a group — Self, senior forward Perry Ellis, junior guards Frank Mason and Wayne Selden and sophomore guard Devonte’ Graham. Self desired honesty.

Three days earlier, the Jayhawks had suffered their second loss in three games, a 19-point loss at Oklahoma State, and a prolonged swoon had gripped the program. On Wednesday, Self had met with his team for some extended soul-searching, but as his core of standouts sat before him, his mission was more direct.

“It was ownership on ‘What do you think is best?’ ”

What is best for this Kansas team? On Saturday evening, after the Jayhawks had survived a rugged start and improved to 16-3 overall and 5-2 in the Big 12, Self did not want to delve into the specifics of the meeting. But the contents of that conversation appeared to have a direct impact on Saturday’s victory and performance.

On Thursday, Self told reporters that freshman forward Cheick Diallo would “probably” make his second straight start against Texas. Instead, junior big man Landen Lucas started in his place, finishing with zero points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes. Senior forward Jamari Traylor played 15 minutes off the bench, and Diallo didn’t play, spending the entire game in his warmups. The Jayhawks’ second frontcourt spot has been a season-long enigma, an ever-changing picture. But still, this was curious.

“Landen gave us a better chance to win,” Self said, explaining the change. “Visiting with the guys, and who trusts who … we just wanted to win the game.”

The meeting with the four veterans served another purpose, of course. Self sensed that Saturday’s game against Texas, 12-7, could be the most important game of the Jayhawks’ season. After an epic triple-overtime triumph over Oklahoma on Jan. 4, the Jayhawks had experienced a four-game lull that prompted some concern in Lawrence and sparked questions about Kansas’ long-term potential.

On Saturday, as Self improved his record to 200-9 inside Allen Fieldhouse, the veterans heeded the message and carried the load. Ellis finished with a game-high 26 points on nine-of-15 shooting. Selden had 19 points while hitting four of eight from three-point range. Graham drilled three three-pointers in the second half as Kansas erased an early 12-point deficit and scored a technical knockout with a 24-6 run in the second half. All four players played more than 35 minutes.

“The thing was,” Ellis said, “we all have the most say on the team, and we just see everything — what’s going on on the court …

“He wanted us to speak on how we felt (and) things we could do better.”

In the short term, the Jayhawks moved into a four-way tie atop the Big 12 standing, joining Oklahoma, Baylor and West Virginia at 5-2. As Kansas prepared to play at Iowa State on Monday night, the Jayhawks could feel better about themselves.

“I just feel like we had to go out there and make a statement,” Traylor said.

The first half was a slog, of course. The Jayhawks went ice-cold from the field, and the Longhorns opened up 17-5 lead in the opening seven minutes. Ellis had nine points in the first half, but the Kansas guards were silent for much of the half. Mason and Selden combined for just five-of-15 shooting in the opening 20 minutes.

But then came the final 20 minutes, which may have been Kansas’ best half of basketball since its victory over Oklahoma. The Jayhawks shot the ball well, hitting 10 of 25 from three-point range for the game; they defended better in the second half, outscoring the Longhorns 46-32 after trailing 35-30 at halftime.

“This was a good game for us, even though the start wasn’t great,” Lucas said, before adding: “Some people got some confidence back today.”

The structure of this victory will lead to some questions. Just days after it seemed like Self was ready to rely more on his young big men, Diallo and Carlton Bragg combined to play just five minutes. For whatever physical gifts they possess, and whatever potential resides in their athletic frames, Self appears more enamored by the trust factor he has in Lucas and Traylor.

He also seems pleased with how Lucas and Traylor complement his core of four, who could continue to see their minutes load increase as the Jayhawks enter the heart of the Big 12 race.

“This isn’t a popularity contest or ‘Everybody feel good and have cookies and milk after the game,’ ” Self said. “The most important thing is to win, and whoever gives us the best chance to win, this is what these guys want to do.”

This was the theme the previous day, too, when Self met with his veterans. Self wanted his stars to take ownership, to take control of the team. On Saturday, that control manifested itself in multiple ways.

“The headlines are never gonna read ‘Freshmen played bad, Kansas loses,’ ” Self said. “It’s going to be, ‘Self this, or Selden that, or Ellis or Graham or Mason,’ and that’s the way it should be. And so, I just wanted them to be on the same page. They need to take ownership and tell me how they really feel about certain things — and they did.”

No. 3 KANSAS 76, TEXAS 67

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Percentages: FG .482, FT .538. Three-Point Goals: 6-16, .375 (Lammert 5-7, Davis Jr. 1-2, Taylor 0-1, Yancy 0-1, Felix 0-2, Mack 0-3). Blocked Shots: 8 (Ibeh 7, Mack). Turnovers: 8 (Ibeh 3, Mack, Taylor, Felix, Lammert). Steals: 5 (Felix 2, Taylor, Davis Jr., Ibeh). Technical Fouls: None.

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Percentages: FG .403, FT .889. Three-Point Goals: 10-25, .400 (Selden Jr. 4-8, Graham 3-6, Ellis 2-4, Mason III 1-5, Greene 0-2). Blocked Shots: 2 (Bragg Jr., Ellis). Turnovers: 8 (Selden Jr. 3, Ellis 2, Graham 2, Mason III). Steals: 1 (Mason III). Technical Fouls: None.

Half: Texas 35-30. Attendance: 16,300. Officials: Tom Eades, Steve Olson, Darron George.

AP-WF-01-23-16 2132GMT

This story was originally published January 23, 2016 at 2:07 PM with the headline "After meeting with star players, Bill Self watches No. 3 Kansas rally past Texas 76-67."