LINCOLN, Neb. – Bill Self stressed on Thursday that his words about Brandon Rush’s lack of aggression meant nothing. He told the media it blew his speech out of proportion, that he was simply making an obvious comment.

But the message had to have meant something, right?

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Kansas Basketball vs. Nebraska

Photo gallery of Kansas men's basketball conference opener against Nebraska.

Well, it sure appears that way. Kansas (16-0, 1-0) won 79-58 at Nebraska Saturday night behind Rush’s hot hand. Rush, a junior guard, scored 19 points as the Jayhawks won their Big 12 opener with relative ease. And although Self downplayed the speech, Rush took it to heart.

“I was dying to get out there,” he said.

It showed. Rush made it apparent from the beginning that he was ready to be a focal point of the offense. He made two three-pointers in the first three minutes then added two free throws to give his team an early 14-5 lead. His halftime stat-line read like this: 16 points on four of six field goals and four of four free throws. Self was pleased.

“He was aggressive,” Self said. “I thought he looked like the old Brandon, to be honest with you.”

Self’s speech to Rush on Tuesday, which came after a win against Loyola College where Rush attempted just seven field goals, came on the heels of a month of sub-par offensive performances. Sure, Rush is still recovering from ACL surgery, but he played even more tentatively on offense than he did in his first two years. After scoring 17 points in back-to-back November games, Rush had scored 10 or less in the four games before Nebraska. He hadn’t shot the ball more than nine times since mid-December.

All that changed Saturday because Rush did a better job of putting himself in position to score, said Self. Rush consistently found open spots along the three-point line and attacked when necessary, evidenced by his four free throw attempts. He also spent his time in the lane dishing to his teammates, finishing with four assists.

“Anytime Brandon has that many assists,” Self said, “it’s a good thing.”

Consider everything Rush did last night good, and necessary against the much-improved Huskers.

This game wasn’t supposed to be as easy as past tilts with Nebraska, a team that the Jayhawks tortured not just once, but twice, last season. In Lincoln, Kansas used a 27-0 first-half run to put the Huskers away early and followed that game with a 56-17 second half in their second meeting. Nebraska has made large strides this season under second-year coach Doc Sadler, going 11-2 in nonconference play and beating Arizona State and Oregon. And the improvement was visible – for a while, at least.

The Cornhuskers didn’t fold Saturday after falling behind 7-0 or when it was 23-13 in favor the Jayhawks with about 10 minutes left in the first half. A key to Nebraska’s solid early play was center Aleks Maric. He’s led the Huskers all season and scored 19 points in just 26 minutes. Senior center Sasha Kaun, who scored 10 points and impressed Self, had the unenviable job of keeping up with Maric while he was in the game.

“He is big, and he always does a great job of getting angles,” Kaun said. “And with his players always looking for him, it’s hard.”

But even with Maric scoring and rebounding, the Huskers did fold, finally. Kansas unleashed a 16-4 run to make it 39-24 with 1:56 to go before halftime. The Jayhawks never torched the Huskers in the second half but kept a comfortable lead the entire time. Free throw shooting, 81 percent, and three-point shooting, 46 percent, prevented Nebraska from cutting into the margin.

Rush only scored three points, but he continued to shoot in the second half, attempting five more field goals.

Self’s speech worked – for one game. Will Rush remembers his words down the road? He’s never been as aggressive as Kansas would like throughout his 2 ½ year career, but he said Self would never have to lecture him like he did earlier this week again. That doesn’t mean Rush will average 19 points for the rest of the season; he said the team is too balanced for that too happen. It means he’s going find good spots on offense and contribute consistently.

“That’s going to be the last time he ever says something to me,” Rush said… “I think I’m back.”