New York ? If a tree crashes to the ground in the forest and no one hears it, did it make a sound?

In the same vein, if Kansas UniversityâÂÂs menâÂÂs basketball team plays a game and it isnâÂÂt on television, did it really happen?

Philosophers will debate the first question forever, but not the second. The Jayhawks were not on television Friday night Ãi¿½” almost certainly for the only time this season Ãi¿½” and they really did play âÂÂ: if for only the last 15 minutes or so.

Why did KU wait 25 minutes before performing with the buzz-sawing, free-wheeling cocksure bravado everyone is so accustomed to seeing?

ThatâÂÂs easy. Kansas lost its confidence in WednesdayâÂÂs surprising 67-56 loss to North Carolina, and the Jayhawks didnâÂÂt regain it until Florida started turning the ball over and tossing bricks after bolting to a 19-point lead 31âÂÂ2 minutes into the second half.

In simpler terms, Kansas played one decent half during the Big Apple portion of the Preseason NIT. ThatâÂÂs all. The Jayhawks were dreadful in the other three halves, and the worst 20 minutes of all may have been the first half against the Gators. KU made just 8 of 32 shots and only 10 of 20 free throws. Brutal.

âÂÂWe missed so many free throws and so many opportunities,â KU coach Roy Williams said, âÂÂI think our kids were shook.âÂÂ

A Kansas menâÂÂs basketball team shook? Well, everybodyâÂÂs human, and this team had clearly lost its swagger in its own Madison Square Garden of Horrors.

Still, when push came to shove and everything had been sorted out, Florida won, 83-73, for one reason Ãi¿½” the Gators have more three-point shooters than crocodiles have teeth, and Kansas has as many three-point shooters as a Jayhawk has beaks.

Kansasâ lone three-point threat is Kirk Hinrich, but not even Hinrich, a preseason All-American, can perform at a peak level when heâÂÂs in pain. Hinrich played all but nine minutes in Friday nightâÂÂs consolation game and scored only five points.

No way does Hinrich put up such a low point number if heâÂÂs pain-free. Only those who have suffered from back pain know how bad it must have been for the gutsy senior guard.

That Hinrich logged 31 minutes only magnified the Jayhawksâ glaring lack of depth. All five KU starters, in fact, logged at least 31 minutes Ãi¿½” perhaps a first for the Williams Era. Williams prefers his starters to go for 25 to 28 minutes Ãi¿½” 30 at the most.

Williams was loathe to go to the bench in the second half because the Jayhawks were able to work the ball inside and go to the free-throw line, and Williams couldnâÂÂt have wanted his reserves at the stripe Ãi¿½” not with their dismal charity shooting.

Bryant Nash missed all three of his free-throw attempts, Moulaye Niang missed three of four and Jeff Graves missed one of two Ãi¿½” thatâÂÂs 2-of-9 free-throw shooting from the bench. Ugly.

Lack of three-point shooting and lack of a bench are serious weaknesses, and Florida wasnâÂÂt the first Ãi¿½” North Carolina earns that accolade Ãi¿½” and wonâÂÂt be the last team to exploit them.

Based on its shaky Thanksgiving showing in the Big Apple, Kansas will no doubt make a free fall in the national polls, perhaps falling all the way from No. 2 to somewhere in the teens. Heck, Florida, which blew an eight-point lead against unranked Stanford on Wednesday night, will also likely fall from its current No. 7 perch.

Not that it matters. This is just late November. Time was when the NCAA didnâÂÂt allow the season to start until Dec. 1.

âÂÂI think,â Florida coach Billy Donovan said, âÂÂeverybody is trying to find their way right now.âÂÂ

That definitely includes Kansas.