Kansas center Cole Aldrich drives past Michigan forward Deshawn Sims during the second half, Saturday, Dec. 18, 2009 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas University’s basketball team produced its usual assortment of highlight-reel plays during Saturday’s 75-64 victory over Michigan in Allen Fieldhouse.

It’s just that most all of them came in the first 161?2 minutes — before Michigan went to its unconventional yet highly effective 1-3-1 zone defense.

“It was an all right zone. It was all right,” said proud KU freshman Xavier Henry, not about to heap too much praise on a Michigan team (5-5) that the Jayhawks (10-0) did defeat by double figures.

While obviously bothering the Jayhawks and their unusually silent fans — KU scored 41 points the first 161?2 minutes and just 34 versus the zone the rest of the way — the zone actually might prove beneficial to the growth of the country’s No. 1-ranked team.

“We need things like that, to work the shot clock and not get quick shots every time and throw it into Cole (Aldrich) and get a basket,” KU senior point guard Sherron Collins said. “This will be good for us to go against a zone, the way they played … it was so wide.”

Coach Bill Self had the Jayhawks work against the 1-3-1 zone all week during practice. Still, some of the players KU was counting on to shoot Michigan out of the zone struggled. Henry was 6-for-15 overall, 2-for-8 on three-pointers, while Sherron Collins was 7-for-10 overall, 1-for-4 on threes.

“They are bigger, and they are longer. The biggest difference was it was different guys practicing it,” Self said. “We didn’t make shots (six of 19 threes).

“Brady (Morningstar) was by far the best penetrator against it, getting in the gaps trying to make a play. Xavier didn’t shoot it great. Sherron didn’t shoot it great.

“We didn’t have a low-post presence, at least offensively,” he added after a game in which Cole Aldrich went 0-for-3 shooting. “That was the biggest thing. We didn’t move the ball against it very well. The ball stuck. They gapped it. We just lobbed it back and forth We had some good possessions. We just didn’t finish like we should.”

Morningstar, who was playing his first game of the season following a first-semester suspension, explained the headaches caused by the zone.

“It was tough,” he said, “because sometimes you didn’t know if they’d trap in the corner or lay off you and let you pass the ball, so it was kind of tough getting shots.

“As long as you penetrate and get in the middle, things open up. That’s what I tried to do. Coach is a little upset at the way we played. We had a chance to crack the game but didn’t. Teams of our stature, if you are up 20, you need to push it to 25 by halftime (not have lead cut to 11).”

Morningstar, by the way, said physically he felt “great” in playing 22 minutes in his first game.

“I’m not really tired,” he said. “I feel pretty good, actually. My body feels good. I was excited to get out there and get this first game out of the way. I feel I’m back. I’m ready to help out my team.”

KU next will meet California of the Pac-10 Conference at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Allen Fieldhouse.

All of (6-3) Cal’s losses have been to Top-25 teams: Syracuse (95-73), Ohio State (76-70) and New Mexico (86-78). The Bears have beaten Murray State (75-70), Detroit (95-61), Jacksonville (79-47), Princeton (81-60), Iowa State (82-63) and Pacific (79-54).

The Bears are at full strength following the return of 6-foot-6 senior forward Theo Robertson from a right foot injury.

“Right now, we’ve got to work on ourselves, get our chemistry down,” Robertson told the Oakland Tribune, referring to the 13 days between the Bears’ last game and the KU game. “I’m sure we’ll be real excited for Kansas. The main thing is to continue to improve. The Pac-10 is right around the corner.”

Robertson missed six games. Cal went 3-3 without him.

“It’s doing fine — there’s no pain,” Robertson told the Tribune. “It’s all good, and it’s definitely getting better.”

For the year, the forward from De La Salle High in Concord, Calif., averages 14.7 points and 3.7 rebounds a game.

Cal is led by 5-10 senior Jerome Randle and 6-5 senior Patrick Christopher, who average 19.6 ppg and 15.6 ppg respectively.