Notebook

¢ Kansas University coach Bill Self was elated the Jayhawks were able to improve to 4-4 four days after Tuesday’s loss against Saint Joseph’s in New York.

“We needed to win a game pretty bad. Those guys early in the game … there’s probably a reason why they were missing shots early. They are probably not used to shooting the ball with a 15-pound flak jacket on their back. There was some weight on the back,” Self quipped of the Jayhawks. “We needed this. We haven’t played great, but not as bad as our record. Five good teams we played. All five have a legitimate shot to make the tournament.”

¢ Kaun sick: Flu-ridden KU sophomore Sasha Kaun did not score and had two boards in nine minutes after scoring two points in 17 minutes Tuesday against St. Joe’s.

“Sasha has been our best performer until the last two games. He didn’t go from being a good player to not a good player in two games,” Self said. “He’s going through a little funk and has the flu, too. He looked lethargic. He didn’t go after balls today like he could.”

¢ Wright on fire: Freshman Julian Wright scored 11 points off 5-of-8 shooting with a career-high six boards in 17 minutes.

“I try to run the court and provide some energy. Coach is very proud we played with energy,” the Chicagoan said. “Coach knows we’ll have ups and downs in games, but he wants us to be confident and play hard.”

¢ Light moment with Omar: KU senior Jeff Hawkins dribbled out the clock while guarded by former teammate, Omar Wilkes. The two laughed as the seconds wound down near midcourt.

“I told him he better not try to steal the ball,” Hawkins said with a smile.

Self shook Wilkes’ hand and chatted with him in line after a game in which Wilkes scored 13 points off 4-of-9 shooting, including an athletic dunk to close the first half.

“I think Omar played real well. He’s a great kid and will do really well there. I like him,” Self said. “There’s no ill feeling to Omar. He made the decision to go closer to home, which may turn out to be a great decision for him. He and his brother (Jordan, injured, didn’t play Saturday) get to play together; the family gets to travel and see one team.”

¢ Lee on hand: Former Jayhawk guard Michael Lee, who graduated last spring, attended. Lee, whose agent is trying to land the guard a spot on a team in Serbia or Switzerland, practiced Friday with the Jayhawks.

“I’m not good luck. Those guys are talented. They’re just young,” Lee said.

¢ Inconsistent: Brandon Rush had no points the first half, 12 the second.

“He has got a little bit of Keith in him as far as first half, second half. The only thing is we don’t change shoes,” Self said with a grin, referring to ex-Jayhawk Keith Langford, who often changed shoes after an ordinary first half, then erupted the second. “Keith had some games where he was not as effective the first half and was great the second. Brandon unfortunately has kind of fallen into that, with the exception of the St. Joe’s game.”

¢ Defense: Cal sophomore power forward Leon Powe scored the Bears’ first four points and finished with 16 off 7-of-14 shooting with 11 boards.

“C.J. (Giles) did a real good job the last 35 minutes on Powe. The first five minutes he was a little nervous because he’s a good player. He probably didn’t challenge him as hard (early),” Self said.

¢ Stats, facts: A crowd of 16,180 attended; Kemper seats 17,818. … KU is 14-3 all-time against Cal, with eight victories in a row in the series. … Stephen Vinson’s career-high marks were in points (six), assists (six), minutes (25), rebounds (three), free throws (four) and free-throw attempts (four). He tied a career high with three field-goal attempts. … Christian Moody had a season-high 22 minutes. He scored two points and had two boards.