For much of Saturday’s dismal and almost boring 86-62 victory over Jackson State, something was missing. The Jayhawks weren’t making shots, they weren’t grabbing rebounds and they committed nine first-half turnovers. It was the Jayhawks’ worst first-half performance of the season, but just what was missing and why were the Jayhawks so flat against the 1-8 Tigers?

Sherron Collins knew exactly what it was — toughness. Collins, the team’s leader both on and off the court, knows that this young team has a long way to go if they want to smell the success of last year’s magical season.

“We’re not tough yet,” Collins said. “Last year’s team, we had issues with being tough early in the season as well but it’s a whole different team and a whole different group of players. We just have to go out and be tougher.”

Toughness can be many different things in basketball. It could be stepping into the lane to take a charge, or diving on the floor for a loose ball.

Whatever it is, toughness can be the difference between winning and losing.

“If there’s a 50-50 ball between two competitive guys, who gets it?” coach Bill Self said. “That’s what toughness is in my book, and we’re not getting near enough of those.”

Self has been on the Jayhawks for the past two weeks about their toughness. He doesn’t question the Jayhawks physical toughness, but he does question their toughness on the court. He hasn’t been pleased with their ability to get loose balls both on the floor and on rebounds, and he knows they won’t be a good team until they can do that.

“The key to being a good team is am I going to get 70 percent of the 50-50 balls or am I going to get 30 percent of them,” Self said. “Those extra possessions win or lose you games. We’re a team that gets 30 percent of those 50-50 balls right now.”

Just where did coach Self learn about being tough?

“I grew up in the rough streets of Edmund, Oklahoma,” Self joked.

But to Self, the Jayhawks’ toughness is no laughing matter. Doing the little things can often win a game. Having five freshman playing significant time certainly doesn’t help. It’s a learning experience, and Tyrel Reed says it needs to start on the defensive end.

“We’ve been really soft defensively,” Reed said. “Not going after the ball with two hands, just being really weak.”

The Jayhawks will certainly get tougher as the season goes on as they did last year en route to the National Championship. But with such a young team, it’s imperative for the Jayhawks to grow up quickly and gain that toughness soon — especially with tough non-conference games approaching at Arizona, at Michigan State and at home against Tennessee.

“We have to get a swagger to ourselves that we’re tough,” Collins said. “And we have to believe it.”

— — Edited by Ramsey Cox