Kansas center Cole Aldrich adjusts his protective mask in the first half Monday, Feb. 2, 2009 at the Ferrell Center in Waco.

Cole Aldrich’s clear face mask with the bulky white straps has protected his broken nose effectively during Kansas University’s last two basketball games.

It also has limited him a little bit.

“The face mask doesn’t bother me. The fact he can’t see as well bothers me more than the mask,” KU coach Bill Self said Tuesday on his weekly Hawk Talk radio show.

“Cole has done a fabulous job of playing as well as he has played so far (with mask). He’s had a hard time reading balls off the backboard because there are blind spots.

“I jumped him last night a couple times when he did not get a long rebound straight over his head (in 75-65 win at Baylor),” Self added of the 6-foot-11 sophomore center.

“He is one of those guys who never, ever makes excuses. He takes it (criticism) and moves on. After the game, I asked him, ‘What happened out there?’ He said, ‘Coach I never saw the ball.’ His effectiveness is limited a bit because he’s wearing that.”

Aldrich has averaged 12.0 points and 10.5 rebounds a game while wearing a face mask in wins over Colorado and Baylor. In 20 games without the mask, he has averaged 15.0 points and 9.8 boards.

“I don’t think he’ll have to wear it much longer,” Self said. “He’ll have to wear it a limited amount of time. I don’t think he’ll have to wear it the rest of the season unless something else happens.”

• Collins’ sleeve to stay as well: KU junior guard Sherron Collins has worn a sleeve on his left arm the past two games to protect his bruised non-shooting elbow. Collins fell hard on his elbow in the same game Aldrich busted his nose — a Jan. 28 victory at Nebraska.

“Sherron’s elbow is very tender by touch,” Self said. “We don’t think anything major is going on with it. There’s quite a bit of swelling there.”

Self said Collins likely will wear the sleeve another week or so.

“He reaggravated it against Baylor on the best play of the year — the scrum play,” Self said of a play in which Collins and several other Jayhawks hit the floor in keeping a possession alive — one capped by a Mario Little inside shot that gave KU a 66-55 lead with 3:41 left.

“The doctors said it’d be best he continue to wear it. If it gets hit in a game it’ll get sore and maybe force him to come out. That sleeve has a built-in pad made just for the elbow.”

• True road games: The Jayhawks have won at Baylor, Colorado, Iowa State and Nebraska and lost at Michigan State and Arizona this season.

“It was the best huddle/locker room we’ve had all year last night,” Self said of team unity at Baylor. “Our guys were focused. They were having a great time and pulling for their teammates regardless of the situation. They were acting more mature, to be honest, than we’ve been acting (in road games) this year.”