Jeff Graves has taken some hard knocks from Kansas University basketball fans and even some of his teammates this season.

Any criticism of the 6-foot-9, 250-pounder ought to cease and desist soon, says Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton, who applauded the play of Graves, a Lee’s Summit, Mo., junior power forward, in the Jayhawks’ 79-61 victory over the Cowboys Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.

“I thought he played real well,” Sutton said after Graves grabbed 10 rebounds — eight in the first half — while scoring five points and committing four turnovers.

“He’s never going to score a lot, except on putbacks, but he’s certainly a pretty good defender, and he’s a very good rebounder,” Sutton added after Graves’ 1-of-6 shooting effort. “The fans better start applauding him because they don’t have anybody else. They better start building him up like he’s King Kong.”

Graves is taking over for Wayne Simien, who will miss the rest of the season because of a shoulder injury. The easygoing Graves says criticism doesn’t bother him.

“At the beginning of the year it was frustrating. Now it’s all been good,” Graves said. “Lately it’s been cool. Since Wayne is out, I’m just trying to step up my game and play to the potential I have.”

Graves took one for the team Saturday, planting himself in front of Oklahoma State’s Tony Allen, who crashed into Graves on a second-half layup try.

Graves suffered a bloody nose on the play and was called for a foul for his effort.

“He hit my nose with his whole body, it seemed,” grinned Graves, who said his nose wasn’t broken. “It’s hurting right now. I’ll have to recoup for Texas Tech.”

The Jayhawks will travel to Lubbock, Texas, today for Monday’s 8 p.m. tipoff against Tech.

“Defensively, Jeff was really good,” KU coach Roy Williams said. “Even the play he got hit on the nose, I think it should have been called a charge. He was the only guy on the team that saw the drive.”