Senior Day was everything Kansas University’s Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich dreamed it would be.

“It was a neat experience, almost surreal knowing it’s your last time in this building,” Collison said after he and Hinrich combined for 43 points in the No. 7 Jayhawks’ emotional 79-61 victory over No. 16 Oklahoma State at Allen Fieldhouse.

“I could have shot better from the line,” Collison said. “I could have not left some people out of my speech, but other than that it was a great day.”

Collison, a 6-foot-9, 255-pound Iowa Falls, Iowa, native, missed seven of 11 free throws.

But he sank nine of 17 field goals, made two pivotal three-pointers, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked seven shots — one shy of the school record — in his fieldhouse finale.

Hinrich, meanwhile, made just five of 18 field goals, but canned three three-pointers and six free throws in six tries with five assists and six boards in 36 minutes.

“I wish I could have shot better,” said Hinrich, KU’s 6-foot-3 native of Sioux City, Iowa. “But other than that, I couldn’t have asked for a better day. We got a big win in the conference race and stepped up and won on a day we didn’t shoot real well.”

The Jayhawks improved to 22-6 overall and 12-2 in the Big 12 Conference despite hitting just 39.3 percent of their shots to OSU’s 36.5 percent.

But Saturday, comparing statistics wasn’t as important as watching the seniors’ every move.

Collison and Hinrich received hugs from Jayhawk coach Roy Williams when they exited with 55 seconds left.

Then, to the seniors’ surprise, OSU coach Eddie Sutton raced to the Jayhawk bench to dispense embraces of his own — a classy gesture, considering the Cowboys (20-7, 9-5) were losing by a double-digit margin.

Kansas University's Kirk Hinrich, left, and Nick Collison salute the crowd during a flower-showering ceremony prior to KU's 79-61 victory over Oklahoma State. KU's victory Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse was the final home game for the Jayhawk seniors.

“I was messing around with Jess,” Collison said of senior manager Jessica Johansen, who also was honored in pregame ceremonies. “She always says I sweat a lot and my jersey is all sweaty, so I went to hug her and soak her. All of a sudden, coach Sutton was there. He said it’s been a lot of fun coaching against me. It was a classy move.”

Collison hugged Sutton, moistening the veteran coach’s suit, “a little, but not as much (as Johansen),” Collison said.

“It meant a lot. He’s just a classy guy,” Hinrich said of his hug from Sutton.

Sutton risked a technical foul for leaving the coach’s box, but game officials weren’t about to call one.

“I wish they’d called it. It would have been cute. I would have sent somebody out there to shoot it backward,” Williams said of the ensuing free throws.

“It says a lot about coach Sutton that he’d do that,” Williams said, “and it says a lot about the respect people have for Kirk and Nick around the league. I told Eddie it’s the longest sprint he’s had in a long time.”

About 20 minutes earlier, Collison and Hinrich each stung Sutton and the Cowboys by sinking big threes.

Collison’s trey right before halftime boosted a 37-33 lead to a more comfy seven points at the break.

“I think that sort of deflated them at the time,” said sophomore Keith Langford, who had 12 points and eight boards.

Hinrich opened the second half with a three, accounting for a six-point swing and 43-33 lead 11 seconds into the second half.

Collison’s second three came five minutes into the second half, right after he canned a left-handed hook shot. Those five points turned a 10-point KU lead into a 55-40 edge.

Collison’s signature play of the day, however, came with 3:29 left, when he dove for the basketball, preventing an OSU layup. He gave up his body despite the fact the Jayhawks led at the time, 71-53.

“If they (refs) wouldn’t have called it, I’d have run out there and hugged him,” Williams said.

Williams did hug his seniors after their postgame speeches to the crowd.

Both players broke down and cried when discussing their families.

“Every time the national anthem plays, I think of Grandpa,” Collison said, looking up into the stands at his grandmother and weeping.

Nick was referring to Arden Collison, a tailgunner in World War II whose plane was shot down. Arden was the only one on the plane who survived. He died last year.

“He came back from the war and basically lost his face from all the burns he had. He worked for a janitor for 20 years to support his family. I kind of lost it at the end there talking about him,” said Collison, who attended the funeral of his other grandmother Friday.

Hinrich, like buddy Collison, kept his composure in thanking teammates, coaches and KU academic support personnel, but broke down when trying to talk about his family.

“I love you guys. I love you guys,” he said, pointing to his family before breaking down and concluding his speech.

“I don’t know how I would have gotten up here and given this speech if we would have lost this game,” Hinrich told the crowd of 16,300.

Against OSU, Jeff Graves stepped in for the injured Wayne Simien by grabbing 10 boards and scoring five points in 24 minutes. Reserve Bryant Nash tied a career high with eight points in 17 minutes, and Michael Lee had five boards in 27 minutes.

Thus, the Jayhawks maintained their one-game lead in the Big 12 over Oklahoma and Texas heading into Monday’s 8 p.m. contest at Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas. Williams promised not to think about the Red Raiders until today, electing to savor some lingering memories of Senior Day.

“Nick and Kirk,” he said, “are as tough of competitors as I’ve ever coached, and in reality as good of kids as I’ve ever coached.”