Omaha, Neb. ? On the one hand, the game tipped off at 11:25 a.m., a time Brandon Rush would prefer to be sleeping. On the other hand, the calendar said late March, the time of year Rush likes best.

Rush made nine of 11 three-point shots in last year’s four-game NCAA Tournament run. He got off to a hot start again Thursday, in an 85-61 first-round victory against a woefully overmatched Portland State team.

The lopsided nature of the game made a strong case for not expanding the tournament, which already is diluted enough. Still, the sparring session revealed more strong signs for the Jayhawks (32-3), top seeds in the Midwest.

For one, the early starting time didn’t throw them off. For another, first-game jitters were nowhere to be found. Then there was the matter of Brandon Rush’s shot. It was on. He had the confidence to look for it. And he knows when enough is enough. He’s not of a mind to think that the best way for Kansas to keep advancing is for him to look for his three-pointers at the expense of the team’s greatest strength.

“We’re going to feed the post regardless,” Rush said. “Our guards get open that way because we feed the post and somebody dives down and we get open shots.”

Rush led Kansas with 18 points and had six rebounds. Darrell Arthur contributed 17 points and seven rebounds, and those weren’t his best numbers. He committed two personal fouls, giving him just three in 63 minutes the past two games.

“He’s been doing that pretty good,” Rush said. “That helps out a lot because he’s such a good low-post scorer. Nobody can stop him one-on-one. Without him on the court, it’s kind of hard. We kind of struggle down low because Darnell’s not that tall, and Shady (Arthur) can create his own shot.”

It’s no longer a struggle for Kansas to figure out how to mesh so much talent. Rush, projected as a first-round draft choice before undergoing knee surgery, is joined by four McDonald’s All-Americans and three seniors in Bill Self’s eight-man rotation.

“Even though we’re a well balanced team, and we’re still going to have a different leading scorer every other game, we understand our roles,” Rush said. “Shady and Mario (Chalmers) put the ball in the hole. I’m going to shoot the three. Sherron (Collins) is going to break down people, get to the lane, make plays for other people. We all know our roles.”

Portland State didn’t have the talent to force Rush or anyone else to adjust those roles, but the junior closing out his KU career in style did have to adjust his sleep schedule. Rush said someone “knocked on the door real hard” at 7:15.

“It was kind of tough, but I went to sleep kind of early last night, about 11, 11:30, 12,” Rush said. “… I usually get up about 11, 12 sometimes. If I don’t have class that day, I just sleep in all day until practice.”

Rush is up for the tournament and has no plans to vanish.

“It’s time to step up,” said Rush, named most outstanding player at the Big 12 tournament. “Time to make the plays and stay aggressive to help the team out. … I’m starting to get back to 100 percent, and everything’s going my way with the shot.”