Fans and media pointed to pace of play as one problem in Kansas University’s 69-64 loss to Texas Tech on Saturday in Lubbock, Texas.

The Jayhawks’ running game was slowed on a day the Red Raiders dropped back several players after attempted shots.

“Everybody says play faster, faster, faster, faster, faster,” KU coach Bill Self said Monday at his weekly news conference. “We’re playing too fast. We’re trying to score early when it’s not there. That’s the stuff we need to eliminate.”

“A lot of times it (the running game) is not going to be there if you send four guys back or three guys back. It happens time to time.”

The Jayhawks did pick up the tempo during a frantic 13-1 run late in the game – a run that featured a full-court press.

“Our whole deal going in is we were pressing on every made free throw,” Self said. “We made a free throw with 19 minutes left in the first half and didn’t make another one. Later we picked up and pressed kind of out of desperation.

“It’s a little misleading,” Self added of KU’s success pressing the Red Raiders in crunch time. “A. We had four guards in the game. B. Texas Tech wasn’t trying to score. You (the KU players) could see a light at the end of the tunnel on how hard you’ve got to go. We could not have done that from a conditioning standpoint the entire game, no way.

“They (the Red Raiders) quit attacking the basket. When a team quits attacking the basket it’s easier to press. You can gamble and miss and it will not cost you as often. It was good, though. We got our hands on a couple balls late that just didn’t go our way that may have made the game more interesting.”

KU guard Russell Robinson was asked about pressing Saturday.

“It’s kind of hard on the road, just because the energy is not the same as home,” Robinson said. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t mind if we got out there a little bit more. I think it would be good for a lot of guys. The rotation might get a little deeper.”