Kansas handles first road game at San Diego State like a champ

Kansas coach Bill Self got exactly what he needed Tuesday out of the Jayhawks’ first true road game of the season at San Diego State. 

The nation’s No. 2 team was tested. No, it wasn’t the kind of test most expected back in October when college basketball fans could only look at the schedule and dream. It certainly wasn’t the kind of test the Aztecs are known for giving opponents who visit Viejas Arena. But Self and the Jayhawks won’t go into Big 12 Conference play unfamiliar with what it looks, sounds and feels like to have an opponent playing hard with a roaring crowd at its back.

[UConn loses starting center Amida Brimah to a broken finger]

The Jayhawks handled a second-half run by SDSU with the poise and maturity of a team capable of winning the national championship and doused the Aztecs’ fire winning 70-57. The victory ended an impressive SDSU run of 94 games without back-to-back home losses. The Aztecs lost to Grand Canyon, a team in its third year in Division I, on Saturday.

It looked like Kansas wouldn’t be pushed at all during the first half in which Kansas scored 39 points, committed ust two turnovers and pretty much did what it wanted to offensively.

San Diego State came alive in the second half and had the building rocking for about 10 minutes. The Aztecs cut the lead to four points and could have trimmed it to two but missed a layup and a follow dunk attempt. SDSU simply doesn’t have the offensive balance and outside shooting to keep it in games when it isn’t getting offense from its defense.

[Oregon hasn’t let a flurry of early injuries derail its season]

The Jayhawks never panicked. They methodically pushed the advantage back to double digits and cruised to a victory that was impressive but might not be seen completely in that light because of the Aztecs surprising fall.

Frank Mason, Wayne Selden Jr. and Devonte Graham each scored in double figures but Perry Ellis bested them all with 20 points. The Jayhawks came to the coast ranked third in the nation in 3-point shooting and made eight of 19 attempts.

Meanwhile, there are real concerns about what is happening with the Aztecs and where their season might go once they regroup after Christmas. There are no real opportunities for marquee wins in a mediocre year in the Mountain West Conference. It might be already that the Aztecs will have to win the conference tournament to get back to the NCAA Tournament in March.

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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo