Kansas City, Mo. ? As the final seconds ticked away, the fans in blue waved the wheat and chanted the chant. A moment later, the announcement came that this was the 2,000th victory in program history.

That’s nice and all, but anyone who didn’t find the way Kansas University played in defeating Texas Tech, 80-68, in Thursday’s Big 12 quarterfinal game in the Sprint Center at least a little disturbing must be in denial.

Kansas came out of the chute seemingly convinced playing the game was a mere formality, the outcome predetermined. As it turned out, that ho-hum approach to the pre-noon tipoff sufficed, but the possibility exists with this team that it will take the same approach and get stung in the NCAA Tournament.

That won’t happen in the opening round because the No. 1 seed never loses to the No. 16. It’s the second round that looms as a danger zone. The school’s most recent experience with second-round NCAA games suggests that the opponent is an easy one to dominate. Kansas crushed UNLV by 19 two seasons ago and dominated Dayton by 17 a year ago.

Manufacturing enough adrenaline to play in a way that frustrates the spirit right out of the heavy underdog doesn’t seem to be a trait Kansas has mastered. Should KU reach the Sweet 16, advancing that far alone will get the juices flowing. That’s why the second-round game, almost surely in Oklahoma City, has scary potential for a team that if on its game throughout could win a second national title in three years.

Whichever team Kansas faces in the second round of the big dance will have more talent than Texas Tech. Still, KU, often lacking zip running in both directions in transition, had trouble shaking the Red Raiders. Those who choose to believe Kansas can get to the Final Four as a reflex will point out that it’s typical for a team playing its first game of a postseason conference tourney to play shaky and appear a step slower than the one playing its second day. Plus, the 11:30 a.m. start lent itself to foggy play.

Decent points, but there is no disputing this Kansas team, efficient at both ends of the court, needs to do a better job of playing with a sense of urgency in back-to-back halves.

“We came out a little flat,” super sub Markieff Morris acknowledged. “Same thing with last year (in a quarterfinal loss to Baylor). We didn’t have any energy. I guess we needed Texas Tech to give us a scare to get some energy, and that’s what happened.”

Kansas coach Bill Self could have done something to boost the energy level, such as putting on a full-court press early in the game, but why waste that bullet in a game against such an overmatched opponent?

Self banked on his leaders, senior guard Sherron Collins and junior center Cole Aldrich, to snap the team out of the funk. They did so in time to avert embarrassment.

“Coached warned us,” Collins said afterward. “He said, ‘We’ve got to be ready to play. We’ve got to be ready to play.’ We thought we had energy in the locker room, but we didn’t come out with it. We just weren’t ready to play.”

Save for the first round of the NCAA Tourney, Kansas won’t be able to survive failing to answer the bell again.