Bill Self’s message to the players after Wednesday’s loss to K-State was short and simple.

“He just told us to keep our heads up,” junior guard Brandon Rush said, “and not make it two.”

Self probably won’t have to worry about that. For one, Kansas’ next game, Saturday at 2:30 p.m., is against Colorado. The Buffaloes, at 1-5 in conference play, aren’t exactly the team to beat in the Big 12. But that’s not the only reason. Losses have usually brought out the best in the Jayhawks since Self has been coach.

Look no further than this year’s 20-game winning streak to start the season. It came after a crushing loss to UCLA in the Elite Eight last year. That loss to UCLA? It was the first one since Kansas lost to Texas A&M nearly two months earlier. During that time, the Jayhawks won 14 straight games and clinched a Big 12 regular season and tournament championship.

During the 2005-2006 season, Kansas also put together a remarkable streak. The Jayhawks started Big 12 play 1-2 and lost consecutive games to their rivals that year. They responded by winning 10 straight and 15 of 16 games.

Could this loss to a rival cause a similar spark?

Maybe, but Kansas needs to learn from its mistakes. The Jayhawks looked like the inferior team for the entire 40 minutes against the Wildcats. They got outhustled, outrebounded and overall outplayed.

“We weren’t as physical as we should’ve been,” sophomore guard Sherron Collins said. “We didn’t do a good job of cleaning up and going after loose rebounds. We didn’t block out enough.”

Kansas State made its fair share of important shots, but Kansas made plenty of mistakes, too. The Jayhawks had 16 turnovers and only stole the ball from the Wildcats three times. Fouls were also a problem. Senior center Sasha Kaun and sophomore forward Darrell Arthur had to sit out for a major portion of the first half because of foul trouble. Their absence forced Kansas to play small and gave the Kansas State a decisive edge on the offensive glass.

“It’s like a wake up,” Collins said. “It’s something we needed. We needed a game like this. I don’t think this loss will hurt. We just have to stay positive and go on another good run here.”

A “good run” is far from a guarantee, though. Although losses have sparked winning streaks lately, that hasn’t always been the case. In 2005, a Wayne Simien-led Kansas team suffered a crushing loss to Texas Tech on the road and was never the same afterwards. The Jayhawks followed that game by losing two more, to Iowa State and Oklahoma. As fans will likely remember forever, Kansas ended the season with a loss to Bucknell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

That team was laden with veterans, just like this year’s. Those upperclassmen faded after their struggles. Will it happen again?

The remaining schedule is tough. The Jayhawks play Baylor at home Feb.9, at Texas on Feb. 11, at home against Kansas State on March 1 and at Texas A&M on March 8.

While a late season letdown is certainly possible, it’s unlikely, given Kansas’ previous Big 12 dominance. Before K-State, the Jayhawks were beating teams by more than 20 points per game in conference play.

Those statistics show that Collins could be right about another quality stretch of play coming up for the Jayhawks. And if they do finish strong, a Big 12 Championship and a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament are strong possibilities.

That’s good enough for Arthur. He won’t care about a January loss to a rival if the Jayhawks can still compete for bigger prizes.

“We weren’t trying to go undefeated,” Arthur said. “We’re trying to win championships. We can go get back in the gym and start back from scratch.”

— Edited by Patrick De Oliveira