Lincoln, Neb. ? The Devaney Center crowd was into it, filling the arena with red sweaters. The Nebraska game plan – keep turnovers and in turn transition buckets the other way to a minimum – was sound and well executed.

And the Cornhuskers didn’t stand a chance.

It takes more than a smart, feisty basketball team to stay with Kansas University the way the Jayhawks are playing these days. It takes a seriously talented one, and Nebraska doesn’t qualify.

The Cornhuskers have more athletic ability than last season, when Kansas dominated them with two blowout victories in Big 12 play. Perimeter players Cookie Miller and Ade Dagunduro often are cited as the two additions who have done the most to upgrade the team’s quickness. Their talent didn’t translate Saturday night against the long, strong athletes from Kansas.

The two newcomers, who entered the game shooting a combined 49 percent from the field, combined to make one of 12 field-goal attempts and score five points in a game won by Kansas, 79-58.

A 6-foot-5 junior-college transfer from Inglewood, Calif., Dagunduro took a scoring average of 11.4 points into Big 12 play. He played 20 minutes and didn’t score a point Saturday.

Killing almost before it started the quest to find out what Dagunduro could have done better offensively to help the Cornhuskers (11-3) stay in the game, second-year Nebraska coach Doc Sadler pinpointed the main factor.

“Fact of the matter is Brandon Rush is pretty good, and he’s defending him,” Sadler said.

Rush’s response (19 points) to coach Bill Self’s urging him to play more aggressively offensively Saturday was the main story line of the game, but his steady improvement defensively since coming back from knee surgery is every bit as meaningful to the team’s success.

Sophomore guard Sherron Collins addressed Rush’s defensive improvement after a recent practice.

“We didn’t think he was sliding that good until we watched him on tape,” Collins said. “He’s sliding. He’s back to himself. He’s sliding. That’s a good thing for us.”

Thus far, it has been all good news for Kansas (16-0, ranked third in the nation). The Jayhawks aren’t wearing the burden of a No. 1 ranking, just the stress of maintaining an undefeated record.

Stress, what stress? They’re experienced enough to handle it. Most of the minutes go to seven players: three seniors, two juniors and two sophomores. That’s somewhat unusual for a program that recruits elite high school players.

“How relaxed they were,” Nebraska sophomore Ryan Anderson answered, asked what most impressed him about the Jayhawks. “They didn’t show pressure. When you’re the No. 3 team in the nation, you have to perform at this level consistently. They just came out composed, doing what they were doing. We were kind of a step ahead of them, and they knew we knew what they were doing, but they still just kept pounding it, kept working and working.”

They go back to work today at practice to prepare for a Big Monday game against Oklahoma in Allen Fieldhouse. Wise enough to know better, the Jayhawks won’t pause to admire themselves in mirrors.