St. Louis ? Blame it on the belly of the beast.

Kansas University basketball coach Roy Williams has used some odd methods to fire up his team during 13 trips to the NCAA Tournament, from spitting in rivers to beating up on defenseless stuffed animals.

On Thursday in St. Louis, the Jayhawks journeyed to Saint Louis University to rub the belly of a Billiken statue. According to local lore, stroking the statue is good luck.

“I thought it was bad luck, rubbing another school’s statue and doing their traditions,” said KU freshman Wayne Simien, after the Jayhawks squeaked past Holy Cross, 70-59, in the first round of the Midwest Regional at Edward Jones Dome.

Spitting in the Mississippi River helped Williams’ Jayhawks reach the Final Four in 1993. Williams used a stuffed simian as a motivational tool last year when KU got the monkey off its back and made it to the Sweet 16 for the first time in four years.

The Billiken shouldn’t expect a second visit from the Jayhawks before Saturday’s second-round game.

“I believe he’s going to have to get his thrills some other way,” Williams said.

So will the Jayhawks lean on their glorious past and spit in the river as they did in their 1993 visit to this city?

“I’m not superstitious,” senior reserve guard Brett Ballard said. “We have to show up and play.”

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Play of the game: With 5:52 left, KU junior forward Drew Gooden drew a double-team in the paint and dished to Simien, who finished with a violent dunk that sparked a 14-4, game-ending run.

On KU’s next possession, senior guard Jeff Boschee drove the lane and passed to Gooden for another dunk.

“That’s something we definitely didn’t do in the first half,” Simien said of the teamwork. “We were trying to do too much on our own.”

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Worst play of the game: With a chance to pull his team within three points, Holy Cross guard Ryan Serravalle had a one-on-one break against KU freshman Keith Langford, who rejected the Crusaders’ senior captain with 1:46 to play. Holy Cross missed eight of nine shots during one stretch late in the game.

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Foul play: Foul trouble contributed to the Crusaders’ demise. Guard Brian Wilson fouled out, and Serravalle and reserve Patrick Whearty both finished with four fouls. KU shot 19-of-23 from the foul line, including 10-of-12 after halftime.

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They said it: “To say we feel fortunate would be an understatement. We didn’t play as well as we wanted, to say the least,” Williams, after his team rallied from a five-point, second-half deficit.

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Good seats still available: There were plenty of empty seats in the Edward Jones Dome, which seats 39,063 fans for basketball. There are still tickets available for Saturday night’s game as well.

KU officials estimated there were between 3,000 and 4,000 Jayhawk fans in attendance Friday.

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Fun never stops: KU, hours from opening the NCAA Tournament and one day from spring break, stuck to its regular road schedule and had an hour of study hall Thursday.

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He’s a gamer: Kansas supporter Harlan Altman of Wellington took a fall on a step in the lobby of the Hyatt Union Station, the Jayhawks’ team hotel.

KU’s team doctor, Larry Magee, did what he could for the fan.

“The team doctor couldn’t stitch him up because he’s not licensed to practice in Missouri, so he got the bleeding stopped and put him in a cab to the hospital,” said KU associate athletic director Richard Konzem.

Altman still was expected to attend the game.

For the record, Magee can treat any official member of KU’s traveling party, regardless of state.

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Meet me in St. Louis: Williams could be back in St. Louis before the year is over. Williams is an admirer of St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz, who has a high-scoring juggernaut of his own, and hopes to attend an NFL practice.

“I’d really enjoy that,” Williams said. “I enjoy watching the Rams. I enjoy watching them going up and down the field the way they do. I like the way Mike Martz approaches things.”

Williams has a foot in the door. St. Louis assistant coach John Matsko is an old friend from North Carolina. His son, John Matsko Jr., is a KU graduate student and an intern in the office of KU athletic director Al Bohl.