The brace on Kansas University guard Angel Goodrich’s right knee wasn’t much of a physical hindrance.

But the bulky contraption served as a lingering reminder of the sophomore guard’s second anterior cruciate ligament tear. Goodrich constantly had to stop and tinker with it, which, at the very least, left the impression she was still less than healthy.

The brace is gone now, and Goodrich’s play has taken off — and of late, so have the Jayhawks.

“Without it, I feel light, I feel a little quicker,” Goodrich said. “Having it off is a breeze. I feel great. Knowing that the pain that was there before isn’t anymore feels amazing.”

KU (18-9 overall, 5-8 Big 12) will play host to Nebraska — for the final time as a member of the Big 12 — at 7 tonight at Allen Fieldhouse.

The Huskers’ record (13-14, 3-10) doesn’t do much to impress, but coach Bonnie Henrickson noted that they’re coming off of a 76-34 thumping of Missouri.

Earlier this year, the Jayhawks fell, 75-61 in overtime, to the Huskers in Lincoln after a flat start and finish, but now aim to keep their two-game winning streak rolling and, ideally, lock down a bid for the NCAA Tournament.

“We do look at the big picture,” Goodrich said. “But then again, we can’t look too far ahead, because we have to look at the game we’re about to play. We have to look at Nebraska and get ready.”

The door was all but slammed shut on aspirations of the NCAA Tournament after KU’s 1-6 start to conference play. But with a 4-2 record in February and with three winnable games (Nebraska, at Iowa State, Kansas State) left on the Jayhawks’ schedule, it’s no longer out of the question.

“I said, ‘If your determination outweighs your disappointment, we’re going to be okay,'” Henrickson said. “Because we’re going to have an opportunity to make a run.”

Along with the steady inside presence of Carolyn Davis (18.7 ppg.), much of that can be attributed to Goodrich’s play at the point, which has steadily improved since she sat out seven games after getting her right knee scoped. Over the past six games, Goodrich is averaging 10 points and 9.5 assists and is shooting 41 percent from three, all big reasons why KU is second in the Big 12 with a 47 percent field-goal percentage.

“Her passing decisions, her playmaking ability,” Henrickson said. “She’s playing at a really high level right now, and she’s elevating everybody around her, I think.”

“Angel’s our motor,” Henrickson added.

Her court vision and soft-passing touch from the point always have been strengths, but Goodrich is advancing her offensive repertoire: deciding when to push the tempo, when to slow up and run a play, and, now, when to look for her own shot.

“Early in her career, she would pass and get caught watching,” Henrickson said. “(Now) she’s moving without the ball, and as we’ve had better ball movement, it ends up back in her hands, and she’s been aggressive.”

Goodrich hasn’t been the recipient of set plays, either. And Henrickson is quick to point out Goodrich hasn’t just been making layups. Goodrich instead has been picking and choosing when to spot up or pull up for a jumper, the improvement of which she attributes to an increased focus on footwork and hand placement on the ball.

“Just how she’s able to score now is much more impressive,” Henrickson said.