Los Angeles ? It was Selection Sunday in college football, but it certainly wasn’t Shot Selection Sunday in college basketball, at least not inside the Galen Center.

Both teams – blessed with long-armed, quick afoot athletes – played intense defense. That can cause players to panic into taking shots they normally wouldn’t take. That can cause a final scoreboard to read: Kansas 59, USC 55.

Defense didn’t look to be the only factor in play.

In part, youth could be to blame for USC’s O.J. Mayo playing as if on a mission to set the freshman record for field goals attempted. He made six of 21 shots. Mayo either will do a better job of trusting teammates and sharing the ball or USC will fade away to NIT land.

As for the shot selection from the visitors, a snapshot of Jayhawks coach Bill Self best told the story. The coach pressed his right hand against his right temple, his left hand against his left temple. This he did to keep his head from exploding. This he did right after the 6-foot-9 Darrell Arthur, with USC’s Davon Jefferson guarding him, launched a 3-point shot from the top of the key.

Self’s not one to publicly blast his players. Twenty years from now, nobody will be reading the sort of naked truth quotes from Self about his players shortcomings such as we’re reading 20 years later from Larry Brown about the players on his national championship team.

“I think what happens is he sometimes takes harder shots to begin a game,” Self said of Arthur. “Therefore, he doesn’t have confidence. I wish he’d attack the rim in that situation.”

It would be one thing if Arthur’s 3-point shot, hoisted with nobody in position to rebound, represented a momentary lapse. Not the case. He took a few jumpers in the first half and was 1-for-5 from the field six minutes into the game. Later in the half, he scored two buckets down low.

Who knows what motivates Arthur to shoot from the outside when he has the necessary skills to dominate inside. It’s worth wondering whether Arthur took the opportunity to audition as a small forward for the 26 NBA scouts in attendance. With each missed shot from the perimeter, those scouts scribbled notes about his poor shot selection and questionable touch. When he posted up and scored, they scribbled about his sure hands, efficient footwork, explosive jumping ability and quick release. In shorthand: Inside: good. Outside: why?

Once Sherron Collins returns, that automatically juices KU’s offense. The team will play faster in transition. In the halfcourt, when Collins uses a ball screen to get to the paint, the defenses will collapse, and he’ll either score, hit an open teammate for a 3-pointer or dump it to an unguarded big man for a dunk. But for Kansas to be as good as it can be, Arthur, by then, already will have established himself as a reliable post-up scorer. Then, and only then, Kansas can be as strong an offensive team as it is on the other end.

Arthur’s a terrific talent. If he continues to fancy himself a small forward, the bad news is Kansas won’t stand much of a chance of reaching the Final Four. The only consolation would be that he would have to return for his junior season to impress those 26 scouts scribbling notes.