Kansas City, Mo. ? Texas could make it all the way to the Alamodome, play as well as it did Sunday afternoon in the Sprint Center and win the national title with a performance of that caliber.

And the Longhorns lost by 10 points in the Big 12 title game. That’s how well Kansas performed in winning its third consecutive conference tournament title, 84-74, in a game that featured as entertaining a first half of basketball the Jayhawks were a part of since playing Oklahoma to a 50-50 tie in the first half of the 1988 national title game.

D.J. Augustin, Justin Mason and Damion James were on fire from long distance to lead Texas to a 46-45 halftime lead against a Kansas team that was fueled by Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush catching fire from the outside.

“It was like we were out there playing horse,” KU’s Darnell Jackson said. “D.J. makes a three. Mario makes a three. James makes a three. Brandon makes a three. Back and forth and back and forth. It was a lot of fun. Everybody was making shots, and it was just a lot of fun to be out there watching guys making shots.”

Rush and Chalmers combined to make nine of 13 three-pointers in the first half. For Texas, Augustin, James and Justin Mason combined to bury eight of nine threes.

It’s no coincidence that now that Sherron Collins is back to full speed – pushing the action so aggressively in transition and forcing defenses to collapse on him in the halfcourt – Rush and Chalmers have become monsters.

Rush scored 47 points in the final two games to earn tourney outstanding-player honors. Chalmers is gunning at a .564 accuracy rate in KU’s past nine games.

“He made plays for himself and for us by dishing out for open threes,” Rush said of Collins. “I think he was our unsung hero.”

Any doubts about KU’s ability to close games vanished with great stretch play against Texas A&M and Texas.

“We desperately needed this tournament because we really haven’t played that many close games in the league,” KU coach Bill Self said. “We won one game in the league that wasn’t double figures, so we needed this. The Nebraska game was perfect for us. They whipped us the first half and made us play from behind. A&M took us to the last minute, obviously, two-point game with a minute left, and we had to play great to win. And then tonight, that’s as good a team as we can play.”

The road to the Final Four will be every bit as bumpy as the one Kansas negotiated in Kansas City.

If Kansas advances to the Elite Eight and faces No. 2 seed Georgetown in Detroit, it will meet a team that will try to force a slower pace of play, the way Nebraska did, yet Georgetown’s talent level is more on a par with that of Texas.

Three games need to be won to get that far, but for those backing the Jayhawks, Georgetown will be the team on which to keep an eye, against which to root, the giant-filled roster pitching a tent in the backs of the minds of those dreaming about celebrating the 20-year anniversary of a national title with another one.