photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Frank Mason claps his hands as he gets back on defense against UC Santa Barbara during the second half on Friday, Nov. 14, 2014 at Allen Fieldhouse.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Frank Mason claps his hands as he gets back on defense against UC Santa Barbara during the second half on Friday, Nov. 14, 2014 at Allen Fieldhouse.

The Kansas University men’s basketball team got a little bit from both factions of its roster during Friday’s 69-59 season-opening victory over UC Santa Barbara at Allen Fieldhouse.

Veterans like Perry Ellis (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Jamari Traylor (10 rebounds, praise from KU coach Bill Self) chipped in to do their part and freshmen such as point guard Devonte’ Graham (game-high 14 points) and Cliff Alexander (9 points in 12 minutes) chipped in to do theirs.

Not everybody on the roster played as solidly as those four, but KU didn’t need them to, as the Jayhawks played 11 guys — 9 who got 12 minutes or more — and did just enough to hold off a tough UCSB squad in what proved to be a great test for an opening game.

The Kentucky Wildcats will be much tougher at all five positions than the Gauchos were, but it was good for the Jayhawks to have to grind one out early because the only way they’ll beat Kentucky on Tuesday is by grinding.

Quick takeaway:

It’s easy to look at all of that talent and all of those options and say to yourself, “Damn, they’ve got another loaded team.” And the Jayhawks do. But games like the one we saw Friday night remind you that, even with all that talent and depth, it’s still going to take some time for this team to be clicking on all cylinders. The Jayhawks were good at times during Friday’s opener, but careless and sloppy at others and slow and sluggish some, as well. Particularly on offense. If there’s one thing that Friday showed you it’s that this team really might be a team that hangs its hat on defense. If it is, I’m guessing that would be just fine with Bill Self.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Perry Ellis pulls away a rebound from UC Santa Barbara player Alan Williams during the first half on Friday, Nov. 14, 2014 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Three reasons to smile:

1 – Perry Ellis did some serious work on the glass. Ellis was nearly invisible in the rebounding department during KU’s exhibition games, but that changed in a hurry Friday. He finished with 10 boards — six of them offensive — and got his hands on at least two or three other loose balls just by being active. Ellis was aggressive and played with urgency and that showed up big time on the stat sheet.

2 – After hearing all week how good the Gauchos were, it was good to see that KU actually took the warning seriously. Never did it appear that the Jayhawks were disinterested or thinking more about Kentucky on Tuesday. They locked in from the opening tip and competed to the final horn. Again, I think that’s a product of having all of that depth. Guys know that when they’re out there they better go hard because they can be pulled off the court just as quickly as they were thrown out there.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Cliff Alexander delivers a jam against UC Santa Barbara players Gabe Vincent (2) and Alan Williams during the second half on Friday, Nov. 14, 2014 at Allen Fieldhouse.

3 – It was just one game and I have been the guy saying not to read too much into what Cliff Alexander has done thus far, but I’m over that. He’s a beast. And more importantly, he may very well be developing into this team’s go-to scorer. Alexander looks more hungry than any player on this roster when he’s on the offensive end and his ability to punish the rim from point-blank range or step out and stroke the 15-foot jumper makes him such a weapon. During that stretch in the second half when KU pushed the lead to double digits, Alexander demanded the ball and almost everything ran through him. That should only grow from here, even if the opponents do get better. The guy’s a big-time player who shines brightest under the lights.

Three reasons to sigh:

1 – I thought Wayne Selden disappeared too often, at least compared to what I was expecting from him. Yeah, the sophomore guard finished with 10 points and played a team-high 32 minutes, but he only made 2-of-8 shots, scored six of his points from the free throw line and tallied just one rebound, two assists, two turnovers, a block and a steal. Maybe it’s a good thing that he’s letting some of these young guys assert themselves, especially early, but for a talented veteran who was on the floor that long to have that kind of line made me shrug my shoulders a little bit.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Wayne Selden gets to the bucket between UC Santa Barbara defenders John Green (31) and Alan Williams (15) during the first half on Friday, Nov. 14, 2014 at Allen Fieldhouse.

2 – There were still far too many times where the Jayhawks gave up a layup or dunk because a post player had to rotate over to stop the drive and left his man all alone for the easy dish and score. Defensive rotation takes time to perfect and even when you’re darn good at it, good players can break you down. So I’m not saying this is complete cause for panic, but we saw it a ton last year and on the few occasions I noticed it happened on Friday, I saw Perry Ellis roll his eyes after leaving his man to go help only to see the guy he left score.

3 – Popped into the starting lineup to see what he could do, Brannen Greene left a little to be desired. With a good game on Friday, Greene could have made it tough for Self to take him out of the starting lineup any time soon, but I don’t think that’ll be a problem on Tuesday night. Greene finished with just three points on 1-of-3 shooting, two rebounds, one assist and one turnover in 17 minutes. There were spurts when he looked pretty good, but he was nowhere near as active and aggressive as he was in the exhibition finale and that has to leave you scratching your head. Just a guess here, but I’d say Graham will take Greene’s starting spot on Tuesday.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Devonte Graham pulls up for a jumper past UC Santa Barbara guard Eric Childress during the first half on Friday, Nov. 14, 2014 at Allen Fieldhouse.

One for the road:

The Jayhawks’ 10-point, season-opening victory on Friday…

·         Gave them their 42nd-consecutive Allen Fieldhouse season-opening victory dating back to the 1973-74 season.

·         Marked KU’s 13th-straight season-opening victory dating back to 2001-02.

·         Gave the Jayhawks an all-time record of 714-109 in Allen Fieldhouse.

·         Increased KU’s record against UC Santa Barbara to 2-0 all-time.

·         Improved head coach Bill Self to a 12-0 record in season opening games at Kansas. While also increasing his coaching record at Kansas to 326-99 and 533-174 overall.

·         Improved KU’s all-time record to 2,127-822.

Here’s a quick look at the updated all-time wins list:

• UK 2,141
• KU 2,127
• UNC 2,115
• Duke 2,028
• Syracuse 1,903

Next up:

It’s a heavy weight showdown in Indy on Tuesday night, when KU takes on Kentucky in the Champions Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m., central time.

By the numbers: Kansas vs. UC Santa Barbara, Nov. 14, 2014