Kansas forward Perry Ellis (34) catches a pass in the paint before Connecticut forward Shonn Miller (32) during the first half on Saturday, March 19, 2016 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

His expression seldom changes, so Perry Ellis rarely is the one photographed for either jubilation or dejection shots. His jumper doesn’t have that textbook release that makes for pretty pictures. His body moves so efficiently without limbs going in million different directions the way Julian Wright’s did, so he doesn’t make for unusual images, even when rising up high to slam home a dunk.

His answers during interviews are quite predictable, so Ellis isn’t quoted as often as most college basketball players whose names appear on a blue-blood school’s top-10 career scoring lists.

Ellis draws so little attention to himself that he even can blend into the background on the court in the eyes of those who respect him the most.

“He’s the key to the team,” sophomore guard Devonté Graham said of Ellis. “You know, sometimes we forget about him. He can’t believe that, but sometimes we start jacking up threes and stuff like that, and then we get a false sense of (what is good offense), that’s what coach tells us. When we are making shots, we forget about Perry. So we always have to play through ‘P’ on any given day.”

Ellis isn’t the top scorer in college basketball, just the most consistent. He has scored at least 20 points in six of his past seven games. Here’s the really amazing thing, though: During that stretch, he never has scored more than 22 points, never fewer than 17. Just one other Sweet 16 player has reached 20 points in six of his past seven games, Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield. During his seven-game stretch, Hield scored as many as 39 points in a game, as few as six, and those totals came in back-to-back games. Hield has had 11 30-point games this season, Ellis none. Ellis’ season-high of 27 came in the triple-overtime victory against Oklahoma.

Ellis totaled 21 points and eight rebounds Saturday night in the 12-point victory against UConn and moved into ninth place on KU’s all-time scoring list, one point behind Paul Pierce.

“Perry was great,” Lucas said after Ellis made nine of 12 field goals and two of three three-pointers. “We know he’s going to score. That’s what he does. The eight rebounds is definitely something we could use because we can outrebound teams when he runs them down like that.”

UConn coach Kevin Ollie spoke to the challenges of preparing to try to contain the senior forward from Wichita, known for his many good deeds that benefit youth in his home town.

“Ellis is just so versatile,” Ollie said. “They do a lot of pick-and-pops with him … If you give him any angle, he’s like a guard rippin’ through. His first step is very quick, very explosive. He gets to the lane. He gets to the free-throw line. I mean, he can pick and pop and shoot the three. He can roll a smaller defender on a slow roll in the post. He’s very comfortable in that spot, too. So every area of the basketball court, he’s dangerous.”

Points will be much tougher to come by in the paint than usual Thursday in Louisville, where Kansas faces the tallest and widest remaining team in the tournament, No. 5 seed Maryland. Ellis’ versatility will come in handy if the Terps make it tough to score on the block.

“Every three levels he can score at,” Ollie said. “And he’s coached very, very well, and the coach knows his strengths and really puts him in his strength areas.”

Even when opponents know his spin move is coming, Ellis executes it with such quickness and precision that it’s tough to stop. He’s back in the Sweet 16 after back-to-back disappointments in the Round of 32.

Ellis’ only other trip to the Sweet 16 came during his freshman season, when Michigan defeated Kansas, 87-85 in overtime. Ellis contributed eight points and five rebounds in reserve in that one.

Staying four years in college has given Ellis his best shot at hooking on with an NBA team.

“These four years definitely helped me so much,” Ellis said. “I’ve grown so much each year, and it’s definitely benefited me, and I’m glad I did this, I chose to do this.”

Graham has been around for half of Ellis’ career and articulated the growth he has witnessed.

“I think one of the biggest things that I’ve seen from him is just how more aggressive he’s gotten,” Graham said. “It might seem like he’s always been aggressive scoring, but a lot of times the coach tells him, ‘You’ve got to be more aggressive, don’t be so hesitant.’ And especially lately, he hasn’t been hesitating with his jump shot or attacking the basket or attacking bigs off the bounce, so I think he’s grown in the aggressive category a lot more.”

Kansas will need Ellis to come up big again against the big Terps.