No. 4 KU thumps Northern Colorado 109-72 in season opener at Allen Fieldhouse

The sequence took less than four seconds to play out on the floor of Allen Fieldhouse, and when it was done, this Kansas basketball team had offered a worthwhile snapshot of what it might become over these next five months.

The preview included a steal from the All-Big 12 point guard, an outlet pass to the breakout candidate on the wing, and an alley-oop from the All-American possibility at power forward. Frank Mason … to Wayne Selden … to Perry Ellis, two points playing out in simple harmony.

The moment came in the opening minutes of the second half Friday, an early haymaker in No. 4 Kansas’ 109-72 destruction of Northern Colorado on this season’s opening night. As the Phog christened the return of college basketball, the Kansas offense lit the celebratory fireworks, shooting better than 55 percent from the floor and surpassing 100 points with nearly four minutes left on the clock. It was the most points Kansas has scored since putting up 109 against Texas Tech in 2008.

“The key to tonight,” junior Brannen Greene sad, “was just playing fast.”

“Scheduling that game,” Northern Colorado coach B.J. Hill added, “seemed like a good idea about a year ago.”

As the Jayhawks bloodied Northern Colorado with a flurry of blows, the triumvirate of Mason, Selden and Ellis did much of the damage. Mason, the Jayhawks’ lead guard, shook off early foul trouble and finished with 11 points, nine assists and four rebounds. Selden added 15 points in 23 minutes in his first attempt to wash away a rocky sophomore campaign. And Ellis was his usual quiet, metronomic self, putting up 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, traversing from the perimeter to the paint.

In five months, the Final Four will tip off in Houston, and this veteran-laden Kansas team has designs on making the trip, soothing the heartache of the last three NCAA Tournaments. If the goal turns into reality — if the Jayhawks can translate their regular-season success to March — it will likely be because of what Mason, Selden and Ellis can become during this 2015-16 season.

Friday was just a glimpse, of course. The 13th home opener of Bill Self’s Kansas tenure concluded in the same manner as the 42 KU openers that came before it. Four days before an early-season test against Michigan State at the Champions Classic in Chicago, the Jayhawks debuted as a well-oiled machine, dominating an overmatched opponent.

“Attack, attack,” sophomore guard Devonte’ Graham said, echoing his coach’s directive. “Get the ball and push it.”

The Jayhawks heeded the message and rolled from start to finish, with a deep bench displayed its potency. Once again, the Jayhawks played without freshman forward Cheick Diallo, who is still awaiting clearance from the NCAA Eligibility Center. But his absence did not matter. Five Jayhawks scored in double figures, including one off the bench. Greene, a junior guard, drilled his first five attempts from three and also sliced through the lane for a rare dunk.

“What I do is shoot,” Greene said. “And I was ready.”

Just months after returning from offseason surgery on his hip, Greene showed no ill effects from his rehab, or from missing the final exhibition game against Fort Hays State. He finished with 18 points while going a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor.

“He was on fire,” Self said. “Everybody played well, but he was on fire.”

With Greene heating up, the Jayhawks hit 15 of 26 from behind the three-point line, another early signal. In 12 seasons at Kansas, Self has had teams capable of filling it up from the outside. But after six different Jayhawks hit threes on Friday, Self conceded that this could be the best group of long-range bombers he’s assembled.

“I think that this is, by far, one of the better shooting teams that we’ve had,” Self said. “It doesn’t mean we’re always going to make shots. But it means that we can score points in a hurry and run bad offense and come away with points.”

Self pointed to the final exhibition against Fort Hays State, where sophomore Svi Mykahiliuk hit five three-pointers off the bench. Then he pointed to Greene’s performance on Friday.

“You’ve had two different players make five threes off the bench,” Self said. “You’re not going to see that very often. And in limited minutes.”

If there was anything to learn from this game, it was perhaps that life is much easier with Mason on the floor. After the Jayhawks raced out to a quick lead, Mason picked up his second foul of the first half at the 11:14mark of the first half. The Jayhawks had secured an 18-11 advantage, but Mason, the Jayhawks’ floor leader, was forced to the bench. Self let Mason sit on the bench for more than four minutes before sending him back to the scorer’s table with the Jayhawks leading 29-23. When he returned to the floor, the advantage was 31-23, and Mason locked in.

He found freshman forward Carlton Bragg on a pick-and-pop, and one possession later, Mykhailiuk buried a three-pointer from the right wing. In his collegiate debut, Bragg finished with seven points. And in a little more than 60 seconds, the Jayhawks had turned a six-point lead into a 13-point cushion. When Mason buried a three-pointer from the left wing with less than three minutes left, the lead was 45-27.

The offensive display was just beginning. By the final minutes, the benches would empty, and senior walk-on Evan Manning would bury a three-pointer, turning Allen Fieldhouse into a wall of sound. Nearly 30 minutes later, inside the media room, Self wanted to exercise caution. This, he reminded, was just one game. And Michigan State awaits on Tuesday.

“Guys, let’s not get too excited,” Self said. “Let’s talk about it after Tuesday, when we’re playing a team that’s obviously capable of winning the Big Ten.”

As far as first impressions go, those there was little wrong with this one. Now the Jayhawks will head for Chicago, the next step in the path toward March, a veteran team hoping the hot start continues.

“Let’s see how we do,” Self said, “when it’s a tight game that comes down to the last couple of possessions.”

This story was originally published November 13, 2015 at 8:20 PM with the headline "No. 4 KU thumps Northern Colorado 109-72 in season opener at Allen Fieldhouse."