photo by: Nick Krug

The Kansas student section explodes prior to tipoff against Washburn as Jayhawk basketball season begins on Monday, Nov. 3, 2014 at Allen Fieldhouse.

photo by: Nick Krug

The Kansas student section explodes prior to tipoff against Washburn as Jayhawk basketball season begins on Monday, Nov. 3, 2014 at Allen Fieldhouse.

No Andrew Wiggins, no Joel Embiid, no Naadir Tharpe? No problem.

Monday night, the new-look Kansas University men’s basketball team unofficially got its season off to a strong start with an 85-53 victory over Washburn in its exhibition season opener.

Fifteen different Jayhawks played, 11 of them received minutes in the first half and several of the new guys KU fans were looking forward to seeing made impressive debuts.

For those keeping track at home, Frank Mason, Devonte’ Graham, Wayne Selden, Perry Ellis and Jamari Traylor made up KU’s starting lineup, but freshmen Cliff Alexander, Kelly Oubre and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk played plenty of minutes and made impressive debuts.

It’s unwise to try to take too much away from a game like this, but it was good to see a few of the new guys actually play in a game setting and enough happened — both good and bad — to get at least a small feel for where this team is heading into the 2014-15 season.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Kelly Oubre pulls back on a breakaway dunk against Washburn during the second half on Monday, Nov. 3, 2014 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Quick takeaway

Yes, it was just an exhibition game against an overmatched opponent, but it still was hard not to marvel at all of that quality depth this KU team has. Whether you go position by position, unit by unit or first five and second five, KU coach Bill Self has some incredible options and flexibility that not only should help ensure that the Jayhawks can put guys on the floor each night who are locked in, but also should create some serious competition for playing time and improvement throughout the season.

Three reasons to smile

1 – Cliff Alexander came out and played with a ton of confidence and effectiveness. He was almost always the biggest dude on the floor when he was out there, so that helped, but it wasn’t so much his numbers — 14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks in 17 minutes — that impressed as the way he got them. He was efficient, he played with passion, he showed great work ethic and some skills other than the power everyone already expected to see, most notably good hands and an ability to run the floor. If he brings that kind of effort every night — which will be tougher against better opponents — it’s hard to see him starting many games on the bench.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Cliff Alexander pins a shot by Washburn forward Jeremy Licktieg against the glass during the second half on Monday, Nov. 3, 2014 at Allen Fieldhouse. Alexander was called for a foul on the play.

2 – One year after having pretty limited options for much of the season, KU’s depth appears to be back at the level the Jayhawks are used to. And that’s without Conner Frankamp on the roster any longer. Self has so many options and so many lineups he can use and I can only imagine how much he enjoys that. What’s more, though, that kind of depth helps keep Kansas in a position where fresh bodies are on the floor at all times. Washburn coach Bob Chipman talked about that after the game, specifically with regard to KU’s defense. He said having the luxury of such incredible and talented depth really allows the guys on the floor to get after it defensively, without worrying about foul trouble or fatigue. Think of this Kansas team as a hockey squad, where short shifts and line changes are the norm and the guys go 100 percent at all times when they’re out there.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Perry Ellis heads to the bucket between Washburn defenders Alex North, left, and Stephon Drane during the second half on Monday, Nov. 3, 2014 at Allen Fieldhouse.

3 – It looks like Perry Ellis may be a legitimate three-point threat. Ellis took three shots from downtown in this one, and made just one, but it was the way the shots came and not his success rate that was most impressive. Each time Ellis pulled the trigger, he did so without hesitation. The shots were there, he was side open and he stepped up and shot. If this is a more regular part of the junior big man’s arsenal this year, it’s only going to make the rest of his game that much more dangerous, regardless of the rate at which his three-point attempts are going in.

Three reasons to sigh

1 – KU shot just 50 percent from the free throw line in this one, knocking in 16 of 32 attempts. It wasn’t a catastrophe because the score was so lopsided throughout the night that the Jayhawks did not need to have great success at the line to hold off the Ichabods. But it’s still not the kind of performance anyone wants to see. Maybe the fact that the lead was so large had something to do with it and kept the Jayhawks from locking in on their free throw attempts. And maybe, as Self seemed inclined to believe, it was just first-game rust. Either way, it’s worth keeping an eye on as the season gets started.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Cliff Alexander tosses up a shot between Washburn defenders Kevin House and Alex North during the first half on Monday, Nov. 3, 2014 at Allen Fieldhouse. At left is KU forward Perry Ellis.

2 – Self said after the game that he was unimpressed by the way his big guys rebounded in this one. Considering Alexander had nine boards and Landen Lucas had six, I can only assume he was talking to Perry Ellis and Jamari Traylor here, who combined for five boards, with Ellis grabbing just one. It hardly merits all-out concern, especially when you consider that two of Traylor’s four rebounds were on the offensive glass and led to five Kansas points, but it probably wasn’t as much the specific outing as the overall tone that Self was addressing with his comments. Look for Ellis to emphasize the glass next time out.

3 – You never want to see guys get injured, but especially not in games like these. Kansas was not so lucky on Monday night, as sophomore Brannen Greene suffered a concussion after getting crushed by a screen. The extent of the concussion is not yet known, but Self said he could not imagine Greene practicing for at least the next couple of days. Talk about a bad break. Just as Greene had put himself in position to be the first perimeter player off the bench, he now has to sit for a few days, which, on a team with this much depth and talent, could have a big impact on his future minutes.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Brannen Greene grimaces after taking some contact from a Washburn player during the second half on Monday, Nov. 3, 2014 at Allen Fieldhouse.

One for the road

The Jayhawks’ exhibition victory over Washburn on Monday night…

• Made Kansas 64-9 in exhibition games.

• Extended KU’s home exhibition winning streak to 41 games, dating back to the 1994 season.

• Upped Kansas’ all-time record against Washburn to 37-3 in favor of the Jayhawks, including 6-0 in exhibition games.

• Improved head coach Bill Self to a 32-2 record in exhibition games at Kansas, including 23-0 in home exhibition contests.

• Made KU 55-4 in exhibition games inside Allen Fieldhouse.

Next up

The Jayhawks will close out the exhibition portion of their schedule on Tuesday, Nov. 11, with a home match-up with Emporia State. After that, KU will kick things off for real with a Nov. 14 home game against UC-Santa Barbara. Both games tip at 7 p.m.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas head coach Bill Self and guard Kelly Oubre have a chat on the sideline during the first half on Monday, Nov. 3, 2014 at Allen Fieldhouse.