Kansas University's Nick Collison (4) gets up to block a shot by Duke's Daniel Ewing. Collison finished with 33 points, 19 rebounds and three blocked shots in the Jayhawks' 69-65 victory over the Blue Devils Thursday in Anaheim, Calif.

Anaheim, Calif. ? Mere mortal basketball players do not turn in performances like Nick Collison’s Thursday night against Duke.

“He’s Superman II,” Kansas University basketball coach Roy Williams gushed after Collison, KU’s 6-foot-9, 255-pound senior, scored a career-high 33 points and grabbed 19 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes in the Jayhawks’ 69-65 NCAA Tournament West Regional semifinal victory over Duke at Arrowhead Pond.

“The kids called Kirk Hinrich Superman earlier in the year,” Williams added with a grin. “So he’s Superman II.”

Collison’s monster performance — he scored 12 straight points for KU in turning a 54-53 deficit into a 65-59 lead with 3:11 left — made up for his buddy’s off night.

Hinrich, who played sticky defense in holding Duke shooting guard J.J. Redick to a horrific 2-for-16 shooting night, managed just one basket in nine tries. He missed five threes and finished with two points in 33 minutes, his lowest point total since his freshman year.

“He put us on his back and carried us,” said Hinrich, who suffered a right wrist injury after using the hand to break his fall just six minutes into the game. He said the wrist was fine — “not a big deal” — and would not keep him from playing in Saturday’s 6:05 p.m. Elite Eight battle against Arizona.

KU team medical officials were to examine the wrist after the game, then determine whether an X-ray was needed.

But back to Collison …

“Thirty three and 19 — damn those are K.G. numbers,” KU point guard Aaron Miles said, referring to NBA star Kevin Garnett. “It was a helluva performance. He did everything.”

The humble Collison, who took advantage of Duke’s four-guard lineup, admits this performance even topped his 24-point, 23-rebound effort against Texas earlier this season.

And why not? It was reminiscent of two of the great performances in NCAA Tournament history by Jayhawks — Danny Manning’s 31-point, 18-rebound effort against Oklahoma in 1988, and Clyde Lovellette’s 33-point, 17-rebound outing against St. John’s in 1952.

“Yeah, it was definitely up there,” Collison said of it being his best game. “I played pretty good against Texas, but tonight with everything on the line, lose and you’re done, I’ll be proud of this one for quite a while.”

Collison scored 12 points the first half off 5-of-10 shooting — he finished with 14 baskets in 22 tries — as the teams played to a 35-all halftime deadlock. He and Michael Lee had four points apiece in a big 12-4 run that turned a 27-20 deficit to a 32-31 lead late in the half.

“The best thing I did was just kept moving and eventually some things opened up,” Collison said. “I got some easy looks all night, and I just stayed aggressive. There was some room in there tonight. Their guys just aren’t as big and strong.”

That’s because Duke went with a small lineup that hit for 10 of 26 threes total, but just three of 14 the second half. Hounded by Hinrich, Redick made one of 11 threes and scored five points.

“I thought Kirk Hinrich did the best job I’ve seen with his defense tonight,” sophomore Keith Langford gushed after scoring 13 points off 5-of-17 shooting.

Williams said his Jayhawks bought into the plan of working the ball into Collison, who was not about to come out of the game.

“He was sensational, like he’s been a lot of times,” Williams said. “Today he got a chance to show his skills. I mean, fellas, 33 points, 19 rebounds, three blocks. I can’t say enough about Nick and how the kids recognized what he was doing and fed off Nick.

“He is tired right now. I played him 40 minutes. I didn’t want to take him out of the game.”

No. 3 seeded Duke actually led KU, 44-36 early in the second half. However, Collison scored five in a 9-0 run and KU led, 45-44, with 15:46 left.

Duke led 57-56 when Hinrich picked up his fourth foul with 7:47 left.

Collison kept the ship afloat, helping KU bag its 65-59 lead at 3:11.

Duke cut it to four points, but Aaron Miles scored off a Casey Sanders goaltending call, and KU led, 67-61, at :52.7. Lee hit a free throw at :34, but Duke came back, Jones hitting a basket and Duke forcing a turnover and again scoring at :21, cutting the gap to 68-65.

KU wouldn’t let it slip away, inbounding the ball and Miles hitting one of two free throws at :16.8 to wrap up the scoring.

The Jayhawks won despite trailing by as many as nine the first half and eight the second.

Now it’s a rematch against Arizona, a team that beat KU, 91-74, Jan. 25 at Allen Fieldhouse. In that game, KU led 52-39 at halftime.

“They have a good team, and we do, too,” Hinrich said. “I think we can play a lot better than we did tonight. I think we can play a lot better.”