During the shootaround several hours before the opening tip, Kansas University coach Bill Self rattled off the names of the five starters for Wednesday night’s tuneup against Yale University.

When Self got to the name Mario Chalmers, he stunned at least one player: Chalmers.

The freshman guard from Anchorage didn’t ask Self to repeat it. Did he think he might have been joking?

“I knew he was serious,” Chalmers said. “Coach wouldn’t kid around with stuff like that.”

Self doesn’t kid around with letting freshmen have playing time, either. It’s do it his way or watch others do it his way. That means bring the defensive intensity.

Would Chalmers have been playing the sort of defense he played in the 87-46 blowout of Yale at Allen Fieldhouse in the 12th game of his collegiate career if he had been given a starting position from the beginning of the season, instead of being made to earn it?

Chalmers thought about the question before answering it.

“I don’t think so,” Chalmers said. “I really worked on it so I could earn a starting position.”

Not that he thinks he’s all the way there as a defensive player.

“I think I played a pretty decent game,” Chalmers said. “I think I can get more sound on defense at the end and cut back on my turnovers. I had a couple of turnovers.”

Chalmers made five of eight field-goal attempts, including one of three from three-point range and had 13 points, two assists, three turnovers and a steal.

“Coach has been working real hard with me on sliding my feet and getting me to use my quickness,” Chalmers said of his defensive improvement. “And that’s what I’ve been trying to do in practice and carry it into the game.”

Chalmers said he had received positive feedback from Self regarding his defense of late in practice.

“He said I’m a great anticipator and to just keep sliding my feet to get into the passing lanes,” Chalmers said.

He added that playing defense has become even more enjoyable than playing at the other end.

“Right now I think it is,” he said. “When I first got here, I thought offense was more important, but like the old saying goes, offense wins games, but defense wins championships. It leads to easy baskets, and what team doesn’t like getting easy baskets to get scores to set up their press?”