Keith Langford’s ears were burning as he headed into the locker room at halftime of Wednesday’s Kansas-Baylor men’s basketball game at Allen Fieldhouse.

“You hear random comments when you walk in. A couple of guys were like, ‘That was ugly,”’ Langford said his teammates’ chatter about a first-half in which KU led the pesky, deliberate Bears, 33-28.

“I said, ‘Forget ugly. Let’s win the game. It’s too late trying to be fancy, pretty on the court. We’ve got to get the W. It doesn’t matter if you’re pretty like SportsCenter. What you want to do is get the win.”’

Thanks in large part to Langford, who had 19 points, the Jayhawks pulled away for a 74-54 victory.

“We got aggressive the second half and decided we’d play some defense,” Langford said. “We got some rebounds, and when you do that, you’re able to run.”

KU’s upperclassmen were big factors in the victory. Wayne Simien had 24 points, while Aaron Miles had eight assists against one turnovers.

Also, Jeff Graves returned from his one-game hiatus, entering with 1:05 left in the first half — after reserves Christian Moody, Bryant Nash and Moulaye Niang had a shot. He finished with six points and seven rebounds in 17 minutes.

“There was no strategy,” KU coach Bill Self said. “It was pretty evident Christian, Bryant and Moulaye all had chances to play before Jeff. They weren’t as effective as they could have been with production, so we decided to go with Jeff. I will not say he played great. I will not make it more than it is. He was effective because he got on the glass.”

Langford was happy to see Graves back in action. Graves had missed the last game as penalty for having a week of poor practices.

Kansas University's Keith Langford, who had 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists, drives against Baylor's Carl Marshall, left. Langford helped the Jayhawks snap a two-game losing streak with a 74-54 victory Wednesday at Allen Fieldhouse.

“It was great to see him in the locker room, joking around, playing music, that kind of stuff,” Langford said. “Off the court he’s my friend. Anytime he’s on the floor, he does intangible things, little bumps here and there that help.”

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Hill applauded: Long-time public-address announcer Howard Hill was honored during the first timeout and received a standing ovation. Hill recently decided to give up his announcing duties after two decades. Lawrence native Hank Booth worked his first game as Hill’s replacement.

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Simien, Langford honored: The National Association of Basketball Coaches named Simien a first-team all-district pick Wednesday. Langford was named second team.

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Big 12 tickets available: KU’s ticket office has a limited number of all-session tickets available for the Big 12 tournament in Dallas. Tickets, which are in the upper deck of American Airlines Center, cost $210. For tickets call 1-800-34-Hawks.

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No All-Americans: The McDonald’s All-America team rosters will be announced today. KU signees Alexander Kaun, Russell Robinson and Darnell Jackson did not make the team.

Jayhawks better off red Woodling: Giddens fuels win for KU Langford riled by ‘ugly’ half Bears appreciate fans’ reaction 6Sports video: Jayhawks back on track Hear Bill: KU-Baylor postgame comments See the photos: KU-OSU Get the stats: KU-Baylor box score

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Red unis: Self made the call on wearing red uniforms Wednesday. KU’s players apparently were the first to put out the idea, however.

“I asked him before we got on the bus to go to Nebraska, could we wear red for a change of venue, lighten things up a bit,” Langford said. “We’ve got ’em, why not use ’em?”

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Self likes his Wheaties: Self was happy to hear the KU band play the Wheaties jingle after Carl Marshall fouled out. The song had been missing for several games because of an NCAA rule that prohibits the band from playing any time besides timeouts or intermission.

KU officials decided playing the song was not unsportsmanlike and went ahead with it.

“I did notice it, and whoever did it I think deserves a raise,” Self said. “It’s not a big deal to a coach, but obviously the fans got excited about it. I think that’s good.”

Retired public-address announcer Howard Hill, left, waves to the crowd as KU athletic director Lew Perkins and the Kansas crowd applaud during a ceremony in which Hill was honored for his years of service behind the microphone.