photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Marcus Morris defends a shot by Colorado guard Alec Burks during the first half on Friday, March 11, 2011 at the Sprint Center.

Note: Here is a listing of definitions for some terms used in this blog. Also, feel free to ask questions in the comments section below if something doesn’t make sense.

Colorado will finish this season 0-3 against Kansas after Friday’s 90-83 loss, but it won’t be because a lack of offensive production.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Marcus Morris defends a shot by Colorado guard Alec Burks during the first half on Friday, March 11, 2011 at the Sprint Center.

The Buffaloes, following Friday’s 1.19 point-per-possession performance, now have posted two of the top four offensive games against KU this year. CU also posted 1.20 PPP against KU at home on Jan. 25 in an 82-78 loss.

If only the Buffs could find some way to slow down KU, even just a little.

After posting 1.26 and 1.24 PPP in their first two games against CU, the Jayhawks did one better Friday and notched 1.29 PPP against the Buffs.

It was the most points per possession scored against CU all season.

KU now has three of the top five PPP games against the Buffs.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Thomas Robinson dunks on Colorado during the first half on Friday, March 11, 2011 at the Sprint Center.

CU coach Tad Boyle (nice guy, by the way) told me afterwards that KU simply was a bad matchup for his team because of his squad’s lack of size. He went on to say that teams like Kansas State and Iowa State, with fewer true (and big) post players, were much better matchups for his team than teams like Nebraska and KU, who can repeatedly throw big bodies at the Buffs.

After 120 minutes playing against the Jayhawks, the Buffs didn’t appear to be any closer to finding a way to stop KU than the first minute of the first game.

Still, with the right matchup in the NCAA Tournament, I could see the Buffs winning a couple games, especially if they are matched up against smaller teams that don’t create matchup nightmares inside.

M.O.J. (Most Outstanding Jayhawk)

Marcus Morris showed great leadership for KU on Friday, but for the second straight day, Markieff Morris earns the M.O.J.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Markieff Morris goes up for a bucket over Colorado forward Austin Dufault during the first half on Friday, March 11, 2011 at the Sprint Center.

Though both brothers scored 20 points, Markieff was more efficient. He posted 1.43 points per possession used (compared to 1.11 for Marcus) while ending a well-above average 25.1 percent of KU’s possessions. When Markieff ended a possession, KU scored at least one point 80.5 percent of the time — a team-high.

Markieff also scored 10 straight points for KU during a crucial stretch of the first half, helping turn a 24-17 deficit into a 27-26 lead.

The 6-foot-10 center also was KU’s best offensive rebounder, grabbing 26.6 percent of the Jayhawks’ misses while he was in. He made 6 of 10 field goals and 7 of 8 free throws while turning it over just once.

His final line of 20 points, eight rebounds and two blocks once again was made more impressive considering he did it in just 25 minutes.

Room for Improvement

KU’s defensive performance ranked as one of its worst of the year.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Elijah Johnson delivers a hard foul to Colorado guard Alec Burks during the second half on Friday, March 11, 2011 at the Sprint Center.

Colorado scored at least one point on 57.5 percent of its possessions — the second-highest percentage against KU all season (Kansas State’s 57.8 percent on Feb. 14 was the worst).

CU also shot the ball well, as its eFG% of 57.1 was the third-best against KU all season.

Though Alec Burks played well and scored 23 points, guards Nate Tomlinson and Levi Knutson that were the reason that CU was so efficient.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas head coach Bill Self directs his defense against Colorado during the first half on Friday, March 11, 2011 at the Sprint Center.

The two combined to make 8 of their 11 three-pointers (72.7 percent), as KU did a poor job of getting out to spot shooters after Burks (six assists) drove the lane.

Tough-Luck Line

Not many good candidates for this, as most of the Jayhawks played well offensively, but we’ll give the tough-luck, “Tough-Luck Line” to Josh Selby.

The freshman posted just 0.81 points per possession used while using a monstrous 31.1 percent of KU’s possessions during his 11 minutes. When he ended a possession, KU scored at least one point just 41.0 percent of the time.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Josh Selby comes away with his own rebound before Colorado forward Andre Roberson during the second half on Friday, March 11, 2011 at the Sprint Center.

Selby made 2 of 6 shots and 1 of 3 three-pointers while posting no assists and two turnovers.

His one positive was rebounding, as he pulled down 24.2 percent of the available offensive rebounds and 19.6 percent of the available defensive rebounds.

He’s oftentimes still a liability for KU with his carelessness, and he’s running out of time this season to prove he should get additional minutes in the NCAA Tournament. During Selby’s 11 minutes Friday, KU was outscored, 30-23 — one of the factors KU coach Bill Self uses to determine playing time for bench players.

Bottom Line

KU won Friday by outscoring Colorado, and it wasn’t only because of good shooting; the Jayhawks also thrived by getting to the free-throw line often and dominating the offensive glass.

photo by: Nick Krug

Things get physical down low between Kansas players Thomas Robinson (0) and Markieff Morris (21) and Colorado defenders Austin Dufault (33) and Andre Roberson (21) during the first half on Friday, March 11, 2011 at the Sprint Center.

KU’s free-throw rate (FTs attempted*100/FGs attempted) was 60.0, the third-highest mark of the season. It didn’t hurt that the Jayhawks made 87.9 percent of their free throws (29 of 33); their 29 free throws made were a season-high.

The Jayhawks also grabbed 50 percent of the available offensive rebounds against the Buffs — the highest percentage allowed by CU all season. KU turned its 15 offensive rebounds into 16 second-chance points.

In three games against KU this season, CU proved to be more than capable of putting up points.

The Buffs still finished 0-3 simply because they couldn’t stop the Jayhawks: not even for a game, not even for a half.