No basketball coach can avoid the clunker, and that includes Kansas University’s Bonnie Henrickson.

Throughout her coaching career, Henrickson has suffered through her share of poor overall team performances, notably the Jayhawks’ shabby outing a few weeks ago at Colorado.

“That one ranks right up there,” Henrickson said of the 59-41 defeat in Boulder, Colo. “It was so agonizing.”

Atonement time has arrived. The rematch will be at 7 tonight in Allen Fieldhouse. Sunflower Broadband channel 6 will carry a live telecast.

In the earlier meeting with the Buffaloes, Kansas stormed to an 18-8 lead, then collapsed in a heap.

“We had that 10-point lead, then they made a run, and we withered,” Henrickson said. “They got the lead, and we looked and played like we were down by 70. Our body language was bad. Everything was bad.”

Since then, the Jayhawks have played four games. They lost three of them, but they’ve been competitive, as evidenced by Saturday’s 64-58 loss at No. 18-ranked Kansas State.

Meanwhile, Colorado has been in a tailspin. That victory over the Jayhawks is, in fact, the Buffs’ lone win in their last nine outings. Colorado has surrendered 80 or more points in each of its last three games.

Colorado’s toothless defense may be just what the doctor ordered for the low-scoring Jayhawks, who have broken the 60-point scoring barrier just once in their nine Big 12 Conference games – a 66-point effort against cellar-dweller Missouri.

Kansas has relied heavily the last couple of games on 6-foot-5 freshman center Krysten Boogaard, who has posted back-to-back double-doubles against Iowa State and Kansas State. In the first meeting with Colorado, Boogaard was in early foul trouble and played only 11 minutes, collecting just two points.

After Boogaard, the most impressive player in the K-State game was sophomore LaChelda Jacobs, who logged 22 impressive minutes off the bench, continually penetrating to the basket and finishing with 12 points.

“I admire her confidence,” Henrickson said of Jacobs, “If she doesn’t play like that, we’re not in the game.”

Nevertheless, Henrickson does not admire Jacobs’ propensity to turn the ball over.

“I like her aggressiveness,” the KU coach said, “but her discipline needs to be on the radar screen of her confidence.”

Kansas will be back in Allen Fieldhouse at 2 p.m. Sunday to entertain Nebraska. In that game, the Jayhawks will don pink uniforms to heighten awareness of breast cancer research.

Notes: Colorado’s Brittany (not Britney) Spears leads all Big 12 freshmen in scoring (13.8) and rebounding (7.0). She’s from Pasadena, Calif. : CU senior Jackie McFarland, a native of Derby, will be playing her last collegiate game in her native state. She’s scoring at an 18.1-point clip, second best in the league. : KU ranks No. 33 in the latest RPI rankings.