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In the previous two games, Kansas played 18 minutes into the first half before hitting the opposition with a huge run that decided the outcome of the game. Saturday they did it after only four minutes. In what may prove to be his coming out party, Freshman Brandon Rush had 24 points and 12 rebounds (both career highs) as the Jayhawks took an early lead that expanded to as much as 32 in the second half en route to a 73-46 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats Saturday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse. The 27-point loss was Tubby Smith’s worst as Kentucky’s head coach, topping the 26-point loss to Indiana in December. The first four minutes the game appeared it was going to be a grind-it-out affair, with neither team able to establish anything offensively. Defense looked to be the rule of the day as KU led 6-4 at the first TV timeout. The rest of the game belonged to KU. The Jayhawks played with much more enthusiasm and energy than at any other point in the season, using a huge defensive effort to keep Kentucky off the scoreboard while getting the ball inside time and again to build a big lead. KU also found many opportunities to run; big guys C.J. Giles and Sasha Kaun were rewarded for the efforts by getting several lay-ups and easy dunks. "I never would have dreamed we would hold Kentucky to 46 points," KU coach Bill Self said. "That was the key we got off to a big lead. Our defense was real good in the first half. The first 25 minutes we got out and ran great, the last 15 minutes we were icing it. I'm really proud of our players." There was a brief spurt from the Wildcats in the first half. With KU leading 13-4 at 12:48 of the half, Kentucky star Rajon Rondo converted a steal into an easy lay-up, then stole in in-bounds pass. As Rondo drove back to the basket, KU’s defense converged, and in spite of three shots at the basket from the paint, Kentucky was unable to convert the opportunity. The Wildcats weren’t heard from again. Kentucky helped the Jayhawk cause by missing their first 13 three-point attempts. Their first three-pointer came off their first assist when Rondo found an open Ravi Moss, who converted with 14:20 left in the game, cutting into what was by then a 30-point KU lead. The Wildcats finished 3-25 from TreyLand for the game and only five assists. Lost in the thrill of victory was KU’s miserable three-point shooting. While Rush hit two of four, the rest of the team went 2-13, and one of those was from Micah Downs in mop-up duty. The Jayhawks had 14 assists against 12 turnovers; nine of the turnovers came after halftime when the game was well in hand. Meanwhile Kansas forced eight of Kentucky’s 10 turnovers in the decisive opening stanza. But the day belongs to Rush, who has been encouraged by the coaching staff to take more shots and assume a larger, more dominant role on the team. In his last two games Rush had hit only five of 17 field goal attempts, but went nine for 15 Saturday. "Brandon, as everyone knows, is very talented but he has yet to put a game together where he has excelled in all areas," Self said. "Today he was great. He was totally dominant on both ends." The Jayhawks supported Rush with solid guard play from Mario Chalmers, Russell Robinson and Jeff Hawkins who turned the ball over but three times between them while getting six assists and three steals against a quality player in Rondo. Robinson outscored Rondo 12-9. The Wildcats haven’t played well of late, winning closer than they should have been games against Ohio and Central Florida in the week preceding the KU game. It’s pretty hard to believe Kentucky has now lost two games this season by 25-plus points, even to storied basketball programs such as Indiana and Kansas. Nevertheless, it is with great joy and relief Kansas players and its fans welcome the return of basketball the way Jayhawks everywhere want it to be. The victory gives Kansas players, coaches and fans needed confidence heading into conference play, and maybe take away some trepidation regarding the conference season. This team seems to have finally found its identity and, while it’s just one game, all is right in Jayhawk Nation tonight. Mark Howe is a freelance writer currently residing in Milford, IN. He is a former ticket taker, usher and security worker at Allen Fieldhouse, and can be reached at mhowe (at) rockchalk (dot) com.