Boston ? There was no real pushing or shoving and certainly no fisticuffs exchanged.

But plenty of words were traded between Kansas University’s Mario Chalmers and Boston College’s Rakim Sanders with 9:55 left in KU’s 85-60 pasting of Boston College on Saturday in Conte Forum.

“I slipped, and he helped me up. After that, we were talking back and forth,” Chalmers said. “No. 15 (Sanders) … he’s a good player. I was trying to lock him up (on defense) today. It was no big deal.”

Yet the scuffle, which included KU’s Darrell Arthur and Sherron Collins yapping with some of the Eagles, appeared to inspire the Jayhawks, who immediately went on an 8-0 run, expanding a 14-point lead to 22.

“Anytime players have a conversation, it will fire teams up,” Chalmers said.

KU’s Brandon Rush agreed.

“It sparked us big-time. We love stuff like that, especially in somebody else’s house,” Rush said, adding, “Mario got in somebody’s face, and everybody stood up for him.”

Rush was not in the game at the time.

“I couldn’t leave the bench. You do that and you draw a suspension,” Rush said.

Chalmers grinned when asked about one of the refs jumping between the players and offering some words of his own.

“I can’t say what he said,” Chalmers said. “I think he was nervous seeing two players (arguing). There were a couple of cuss words (from the ref), a couple of other things. It didn’t bother me.”

KU coach Bill Self doesn’t condone players fighting, of course, but as a former player, he knows words get exchanged on occasion in the heat of battle.

“Typical stuff,” Self said of the exchange. “Sanders was good. He’s a good player (21 points). We heard last night from a close source he was really talented. He played to his talent level today.

“I think Mario got a little excited. They exchanged some words. That happens all the time. I don’t like seeing that, but it doesn’t bother me at all. It kind of got us fired up.”