Waco, Texas ? Darnell Jackson chased down a loose ball, clutched it with two hands and screamed, ‘Gotcha!’ before firing it to a wide-open teammate on the fast break.

“I was just having fun. It felt good to be out there, the team playing so well,”’ Jackson, KU’s junior power forward, said after the Jayhawks’ 82-56 victory Wednesday over Baylor at Ferrell Center.

Jackson had seven rebounds and a block in nine minutes.

Most importantly, his stint was pain-free.

He has been suffering from back pain since the Iowa State game Jan. 13.

“I don’t know how I did it,” Jackson said. “After the Iowa State game, I couldn’t stand straight up. It’s good it’s coming along. It’s taking a while to heal.”

Jackson, a carefree guy who often jokes with reporters – like the time he kidded about banging his head in a bathroom fall instead of at practice where he actually took a tumble – said his back was “fractured.”

Fractured?

“A little bit bruised. It’s a back bruise,” he said, correcting himself. “It’s sore, but I can play with it. Yes, I can play with it.”

Jackson, who had six boards on the defensive end, drew the ire of Baylor 7-footer Mamadou Diene in the second half.

Diene, who didn’t like banging with the 6-foot-8, 250-pound Jackson, pushed the KU bruiser near the free-throw line.

Jackson just smiled and didn’t retaliate.

Coach Scott Drew removed Diene from the game so he could cool off.

“I’m not trying to pick a fight with anyone. He was frustrated I was holding his arm,” Jackson said.

The two hugged in the handshake line after the game.

“That’s how it was in the beginning,” Jackson said of hostilities. “It was different at the end.”

Also on the injury front, Julian Wright rolled his left ankle with 7:17 left in the first half. He was able to return to the game after a short stay on the bench. He finished with 16 points and six boards in 25 minutes.

“It’s not bad. I rolled it. I was able to play on it. I’ll be able to go,” Wright said.

Another injury was to Baylor coach Scott Drew. He had an appendectomy Tuesday afternoon and coached Wednesday night.

“I asked our doctor about that,” KU coach Bill Self said. “He said he’s probably not feeling too well right now. I’m sure it meant a lot to his team to be out there.”