Kansas players Frank Mason III, left, LaGerald Vick and Mitch Lightfoot are pictured on a catamaran on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016 at Waikiki Beach in Honolulu. The team was given some free time after practice to enjoy the beach.

HONOLULU ? Perhaps Kansas coach Bill Self was looking ahead to his team’s regular-season opener against No. 11 Indiana when he dreamed up the idea to experiment with more four-guard lineups this season.

If not, he probably should have been.

When the third-ranked Jayhawks take on the Hoosiers at 8:30 p.m. tonight at the University of Hawaii’s Stan Sheriff Center, Self’s bunch will get one heck of a read on exactly where their four-guard approach stands entering the season.

Used for decent chunks of time during last week’s exhibition victories over Washburn and Emporia State, the four-guard look figures to be a major factor in the outcome of the nightcap at this year’s Armed Forces Classic.

“They play four guards, which, I don’t know if that’s unique but in some ways it is,” Self said. “They drive it downhill and (use) a lot of dribble-drive type stuff and they’ll run some motion stuff, too. For the most part, they want to play four shooters around one big. It’d be a hard match-up to play two bigs some of the time. We’ll have to be smart based on personnel, but, yeah, they’re very comfortable playing small.”

Indiana’s foundation seems to match KU’s strength, where guards Frank Mason III and Devonte’ Graham lead a Jayhawk backcourt that is one of the most talented and experienced units in the country. Their knowledge of the game and valuable experience playing together and leading the Jayhawks could prove advantageous in the early-season meeting with an Indiana team adjusting to a few new faces in new places.

“The thing where Kansas has got, I think, a major advantage is with the experience of their guards,” said ESPN anlayst Jay Bilas. “I’m not sure who’s got more experienced guards, two point guards, in the backcourt and Josh Jackson’s a star.”

The Hoosiers will try to combat the strength of KU’s backcourt with athleticism throughout the lineup and a true low post presence in sophomore Thomas Bryant. Bryant nearly left Indiana for the NBA Draft after his freshman season but elected to return to IU for his sophomore season.

Asked if he thought KU — a 5.5-point favorite against IU — could throw multiple bigs at Bryant and the Hoosiers in an attempt to exploit their lack of depth up front, Self sounded more like a man willing to try to keep up with IU’s pace.

“You gotta understand, their four man (OG Anunoby) is gonna be the best athlete in the country, maybe,” Self said. “So it’s not like going small hurts them…. I really don’t think that we can exploit them going big as much as they could exploit us playing big with certain lineups. So we’re gonna have to be cautious of that.”

Bragg will start

Despite his rough exhibition stretch, Self said sophomore forward Carlton Bragg will start against the Hoosiers.

“We’re gonna start Carlton, but we’ll go small quick depending on how things go,” Self said following his team’s Thursday practice at the Stan Sheriff Center. “Offensively, we’ll be better playing big. Defensively, we may be better playing small.”

Asked how Bragg had looked during his past few practices on the heels of his sub-par outings against Washburn and Emporia State, Self said the sophomore from Cleveland had been trying hard.

“He’s had some good moments and he’s had some that (are) not so good,” Self said. “When you go through a tough deal, sometimes getting out of ’em isn’t an daily thing or in one practice you’re automatically cured. He’s gonna have to grind a little bit. But that’s good for him. He needs to learn how to do that.”

Lucas just fine

Senior forward Landen Lucas, who had worn a protective boot on his right foot during most of the Jayhawks’ activities at Pearl Harbor on Wednesday, was a full-participant in the Jayhawks’ final preseason practice and moved around well, showing no ill effects of the sore foot.

“His foot’s a little tender, but it’s certainly not an injury yet, just a little sore,” Self said Thursday. “We’re not gonna limit him in any way during the game and hopefully he’ll feel fine after.”