Kansas smothers TCU, 75-56

Whatever message Bill Self delivered before No. 7/6 Kansas (19-4; 7-3) and TCU (10-13; 1-9) tipped off from Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, was well received. Behind 23 points and 10 rebounds from Perry Ellis, KU crushed the Horned Frogs, 75-56, on Saturday afternoon.

"Perry was so efficient and solid today," KU head coach Bill Self said after the game. "I thought he went after the ball today and played with great urgency."

For Kansas, life on the road in the Big 12 has been anything but friendly this season. Back on January 9, Kansas defeated Texas Tech, 69-59, in Lubbock, Texas, after opening up conference with back-to-back home games.

Following its win in Lubbock, the Jayhawks lost at West Virginia (74-63), at Oklahoma State (86-67) and at Iowa State (85-72). Having struggled in Fort Worth the past two years, including a stunning loss two years ago, Kansas simply couldn't afford to suffer another loss in Forth Worth this season.

With a home game against West Virginia up next (Tuesday) and a trip to Norman looming (Saturday), the Jayhawks needed to take care of business against the Horned Frogs on Saturday. Kansas, playing in front of quite a few fans of their own, dominated Saturdays contest from start to finish.

"I thought we played hard together as a team," Bill Self said after the game. "Jamari Traylor was the best player of the game. He extended plays and gave us confidence that made us really, really good on the glass."

In defeating TCU, 75-56, Perry Ellis scored a game high 23 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Devonte' Graham chipped in 15 points, while Frank Mason finished with 12 points. Ellis, against TCU, hit 11-of-14 field goals, was perfect (1-of-1) from the free throw line and dished out three assists.

Graham, who came up big for Kansas all game, was 6-of-10 from the field and 3-of-6 from behind the arc. Off the bench, Kansas received a huge spark from senior Jamari Traylor. While he scored just six points, Traylor pulled down seven rebounds, with five coming on offense.

Offensively, Kansas shot 50.0 percent (29-of-58) from the field, 27.3 percent (6-of-22) from the behind the arc and 84.6 percent (11-of-13) from the free throw line. However, it was KU's intensity on the defensive side of the ball that set the tone against the Horned Frogs.

TCU, for the game, shot just 28.6 percent (14-of-49) from the field just and 27.8 percent (5-of-18) from behind the arc. Kansas dominated the glass, 46-25, dished out 18 assists, blocked five shots and finished with three steals.

Playing in front of half filled arena, Kansas jumped on TCU early and never looked back. The Jayhawks led by 18 points,38-20 at halftime and outscored the Horned Frogs, 37-36, after intermission.

TCU never threatened Kansas in the second half and the Jayhawks rolled to their seventh Big 12 win of conference play.

Up next:

Kansas returns home to face West Virginia on Tuesday night (6 p.m., ESPN2) in Allen Fieldhouse. The second matchup between the Jayhawks and Mountaineers will prove to be pivotal in the Big 12 regular season title race as KU enters Tuesday in a tie for second place in the Big 12 standings, while WVU began Saturday in a tie for first place.