The impostor who had been wearing Keith Langford’s No. 5 jersey didn’t show up for Saturday’s Kansas University-Pacific men’s basketball game at Allen Fieldhouse.

“That looked like Keith,” KU coach Bill Self exclaimed after Langford, Kansas’ 6-foot-4 senior guard, busted an early season funk by scoring a team-leading 21 points with a career-high seven assists and six rebounds in a hard-earned 81-70 victory over the Tigers.

Langford, who had averaged 9.3 points off 9-of-24 shooting in second-ranked KU’s first three games, on Saturday looked just like the guy who averaged 15.5 points and 5.0 boards a year ago and earned 2004-05 Preseason All-Big 12 mention.

The lefty Saturday was running, jumping and slashing to the goal with ease.

“We saw glimpses of the old Keith today,” KU senior Wayne Simien, KU’s preseason All-America power forward, said after grabbing 15 rebounds and scoring 12 points despite the Tigers’ obvious strategy of trying to stop him.

“I could see it coming. He’s been kind of a dormant volcano, kind of building up. I could tell this week in practice he was probably going to explode this game. I think coach knew it, too. He’s been riding him pretty hard.”

Second-year KU coach Self has had some heart-to-heart talks with Langford, who steadily has been battling back from right knee surgery in April.

“We’ve had several talks about how we think he should play,” Self said. “I think this is a lot more along the line the way he has to play for us to be any good. It’s not anything he’s done intentionally wrong. He’s got to get his confidence and swagger back. He looked like he had that today.”

Langford said physically he was fine — “We had some time off,” he said, “so I was really working with the trainer getting a chance to rest and relax” — and mentally inspired, too.

Kansas University's Keith Langford (5) drives against Pacific's David Doubley in the first half of the Jayhawks' 81-70 victory. Langford broke out of his early season slump with a team-high 21 points and a career-high seven assists in KU's win Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse.

“Tonight, I feel my performance and Aaron’s were very necessary to beat this team. Something had to be done. I couldn’t stand by and watch,” Langford said in applauding Miles’ effort of 19 points, eight assists and six steals. “They were keyed on trying to stop Wayne and stop the inside game. We had to loosen them up a little with penetration.”

The Tigers sagged in the lane, not even bothering to guard KU’s other power forwards — Christian Moody (seven points), Darnell Jackson (six), Sasha Kaun (no points) or C.J. Giles (two in three minutes) — on the perimeter.

“All game I had one guy behind me, one on my lap. I don’t remember getting one easy shot all night,” Simien said after hitting six of 12 shots. “No trips to the line, no calls. It is what it is. Other guys stepped up. I tried to maintain poise and contribute in other ways.”

Langford scored 13 points and Miles 10 the first half as the Jayhawks carried a 35-34 lead into halftime. Miles scored three points and Langford two in an 11-0 run that turned a 42-40 deficit into a 51-42 lead with 12 minutes left.

“The first couple of games, Keith hadn’t been as explosive getting to the rack and scoring like he usually does,” Simien said. “He’s getting his confidence back, and hopefully it’ll be there the rest of the season.”

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Langford was effective slashing to the goal. He hit just one of four threes.

“The funky way they defended us gave us gaps from time to time,” Langford said.

Forward Christian Maraker scored 22 points for the Tigers, who stayed in the game by scoring on six straight possessions down the stretch after bricking seven straight shots in KU’s 11-0 run.

“He’s a great player. I think they’ve got a better team than last year,” KU forward Moody said of the team that gave KU a similarly tough game, falling 78-63 in last year’s second-round NCAA Tournament game in Kemper Arena.

“They’re better than they were last year,” Langford said, “and that’s saying a lot because they lost the player of the year in their conference. Their big guys are tough. That Maraker could be all-Big 12.”

So could Langford, who doesn’t necessarily agree with those who thought he was in a slump entering the game.

“It’s hard to be in a slump when you’re only three games into a season. My team was winning. I’d call it a slump if I was playing like that and we were losing,” Langford said.

Self hopes the funk or slump — whatever one wants to call it — is a thing of the past for Langford.

“I thought Keith was aggressive. He had more confidence in his legs. He looked like he was in better condition,” Self said. “I was really pleased with Keith today. It’s not that he made some shots. It’s that he was in attack mode. When the other team backs off, that’s tough to do. They had three guys in the lane every time he caught the ball. For him to do what he did today, that’s pretty good.”

KU will next meet TCU in an 8 p.m. tipoff Thursday at Allen Fieldhouse.