In this shot from Nick Krug from underneath the basket, you can see the aftermath of Wayne Selden's challenge of 7-foot-6 center Mamadou Ndiaye during the first half of Tuesday night's 78-53 KU victory over UC-Irvine.

In this shot from Nick Krug from underneath the basket, you can see the aftermath of Wayne Selden's challenge of 7-foot-6 center Mamadou Ndiaye during the first half of Tuesday night's 78-53 KU victory over UC-Irvine.

It was a subtle play that, to my knowledge, did not show up on any of the highlights, but it also was one that told you a lot about one of second-ranked Kansas’ most important players.

Less than two minutes into Tuesday’s 78-53 victory over a good Cal-Irvine team, KU junior Wayne Selden found himself with the ball on the right wing and nothing between him and the hoop but 7-foot-6 mountain of a man, Mamadou Ndiaye, the starting center for UC-Irvine.

Although the Jayhawks, as a whole, lacked aggression and looked out of sorts offensively in the first half, on this particular play, they did not. Check that; Selden did not.

Instead of backing it out, waiting for reinforcements and moving the ball around to get a better and easier shot, Selden, while dribbling, took a quick glance up ahead at Ndiaye, shortened his steps to announce he was actually going to go for it and then exploded with all he had right into the body of Ndiaye, who sat back and waited for Selden to attack while protecting the rim.

I had a great angle of the play and, at the time, I actually thought Selden was going to try to dunk OVER Ndiaye. That would’ve been a huge mistake and could’ve ended in injury. It also is exactly the play Selden might have tried to make a year or two ago. But this time around, he made the smart play. There was no machismo involved in the decision. It was not a look-at-me moment. Instead, it was the right play and it was Selden’s attempt at setting the tone for his team and drawing a foul on one of Irvine’s most important players.

As Selden flew through the air and closed in on contact with Ndiaye, he briefly closed his eyes, perhaps bracing for the contact that was sure to come. It did, at least a little bit, but neither Selden nor Ndiaye created the kind of force that could have led to a violent collision.

Instead, Selden merely bounced off of Ndiaye’s chest, maintained his path to the basket and finished the lay-up to give KU a 4-0 lead.

Let’s be honest, the photo below could easily have been the result of Selden’s decision, so he deserves credit for showing the bravery to attack.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Landen Lucas (33) is sent to the floor after a block by UC Irvine center Mamadou Ndiaye (34) during the second half, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015 at Allen Fieldhouse.

The Jayhawks did not really follow Selden’s lead in attacking the big man, especially in the first half. But for a guy who has struggled to finish at the rim in the past, it was a heck of a play and one that showed just how far he has come.

We all saw his huge summer in Korea and the steps forward that he has taken in the past month or so, but this, at least to me, was as big of a sign of any that Selden is full of confidence and playing for the right reason — to help his team win.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Wayne Selden Jr. (1) and forward Hunter Mickelson (42) knock the ball loose from the grip of UC Irvine center Mamadou Ndiaye (34) during the first half, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015 at Allen Fieldhouse.