Sometimes the best thing you can do after a week off filled with a little extra turkey and egg nog is go out and take on a team that you can beat on talent alone. That's what the Jayhawks did on Wednesday night and that's about all they probably could have handled through the first 25 minutes.
In a game that saw an all new starting lineup, a choppy rotation and sluggish defense, the Jayhawks managed to hit a bit of a stride through stretches of the final 15 minutes allowing Kansas to pull away and get a victory over a Maverick basketball team that quite frankly isn't very good.
At this point in the season one might start expecting the Jayhawks to put things together in a little more effortless fashion. Problem is the inconsistencies are still showing up on a nightly basis and they're just as frustrating as ever. But things still need to be kept in perspective and this is a basketball team that leads the nation in almost every efficiency measurement out there. In short, this is a good team and the ups and downs are sometimes just part of basketball.
The challenge for coach Self now becomes ironing out those wrinkles, finding his rotation and getting the rhythm and momentum of this team moving in the right direction by the time conference play kicks off in two weeks.
Kansas has the pieces and they've put it together at times, but against a better opponent tonight's game might not end up as easy. Final score in this one Kansas 82 UT-Arlington 57.
Winners on the night for Kansas; Thomas Robinson owning the paint and doing his best to rip the basket down, Elijah Johnson making the most of an opportunity and Travis Releford for quietly putting together another solid performance off the bench.
Losers; Defensive intensity, Josh Selby's shooting touch and the team putting "it" together for 40 minutes.
Kansas has a short turnaround ahead with a game against Miami of Ohio on Sunday as they get set for the fast and furious pace that comes with January, February and March college basketball.