Brannen Greene (14) scores two of his 17 points against Rider Monday in an 87-60 win at Allen Fieldhouse.

Kissimmee, Fla. ? The stage is set for one Kansas University basketball player, more than any other, to have a breakthrough weekend and transform himself into a permanent rotation player.

Hint: Starting today, his favorite smell, that of popcorn popping, will fill the air in HP Fieldhouse, site of the eight-team Orlando Classic.

Brannen Greene loves the smell of popcorn, provided he’s not smelling it for long stretches from the bench.

“Brannen was active and he did some good things,” Kansas coach Bill Self said of Greene’s performance in a blowout victory against Rider. “He scored 17 points in 19 minutes, which is really good. “I’d like to see him tighten it, be able to guard his man a little bit better, but I think he did some good things that hopefully will give him some confidence to play some major minutes in Orlando.”

Greene’s more than a great three-point shooter. He’s a natural scorer. But he reached double figures in scoring just once last season, when he scored 10 points in an overtime loss to Kansas State in 15 minutes, one of two games he logged that much playing time.

He looked more comfortable than ever against Rider. For the first time, he looked like a player fully understanding that if he and teammates run the offense, shots will present themselves. He knocked down 5 of 7 from the field vs. Rider, including 2 of 4 from three. He also made all five free throws.

“I was just playing within the system, taking good open shots,” Greene said. “That was pretty much it. Simple.”

Greene, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward from Juliette, Georgia, doesn’t need to be reminded of how poorly the team played in the Bahamas last year at this time. The benefits of the Jayhawks’ humiliation at the hands of Kentucky hasn’t worn off. One victory against Rider, even a well-played one, doesn’t erase the reality of how much better Kansas has to play for a typical season from the perennial powerhouse.

“It will be important to focus in on what we do in the games and also in practice,” Greene said. “We won’t have as much practice time, but when we get into practice, just continue to get better, keep doing what we have to do. We know what we have to do. We know where we need to make improvements from (the Rider game). And we do have improvements we need to make from tonight, so we’ll just keep working.”

The harder Greene works, the more he plays. The more he plays within the system, the more Kansas scores. He’s a big key to the season.