Before stepping into the center ring of James Naismith Court for Saturday afternoon’s tipoff, Cole Aldrich smiled to the crowd. The sophomore center, who played without a mask for the first time since he absorbed Ryan Anderson’s elbow on Jan. 28 at Nebraska, was showing off his new grin.

It featured a gaping hole where his left front tooth used to be.

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Kansas Basketball vs. Nebraska

The Jayhawks beat Nebraska, 70-53 in Allen Fieldhouse.

Aldrich chipped the tooth at Kansas State and then lost it completely at practice on Friday. Aldrich said it’s the third time he’s lost that tooth.

It didn’t seem to matter to him on the court, where he slipped in a mouth guard and recorded his 15th double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Aldrich also dished out two assists and blocked two shots, the second of which was his 100th block at Kansas.

Anticipation for tonight’s game against Oklahoma has been building since the game at Kansas State and Aldrich said he was impressed that Kansas stayed focused for both games in between.

“Everybody’s biggest fear was just looking over the games,” Aldrich said. “We didn’t really do that.”

Aldrich went through shoot-around without the mask before the Iowa State game Wednesday night, but decided he wasn’t quite ready. On Saturday, he opted to leave it off.

“I felt that it was just the time to try it without,” Aldrich said. “It’s been three and a half weeks now, and I felt fine.”

Aldrich proved there was no pain by twisting his nose around for reporters. Last week doctors said the decision to wear it was up to him, and Aldrich finally felt comfortable enough without it.

The decision pleased coach Bill Self, who has said he felt the mask hindered Aldrich’s sight.

In the last three games (two with the mask and one without) Aldrich averaged 20.3 points and 10 rebounds per game. Still, his sans-mask performance was the most efficient of the three as Aldrich needed just 11 shots and 26 minutes to dominate a team that held him to zero points and zero rebounds in the first half of their last meeting.

After Saturday’s game, Aldrich said he was looking forward to the Oklahoma game and a matchup with Player of the Year candidate Blake Griffin.

“I’ve known Blake for awhile, and he’s a beast,” Aldrich said. “He tries to dunk everything around the rim and grab every board.”

Last year against Oklahoma, Aldrich played 13 minutes off the bench while Griffin played only five minutes because of a knee injury. Self said he doesn’t mind seeing the opposing team’s best player on the bench, except when it’s because of an injury.

“I had somebody text me the other day, saying, ‘You guys should have absolutely no problem with OU if you guys just go play . . . that’s of course if Blake doesn’t play,’” Self said.

That Saturday afternoon joke turned into a possible reality Saturday night, when Griffin suffered a concussion against Texas. He looked punch drunk for the entire second half and is questionable to play tonight.

The stage was set for an epic post-battle. If Griffin doesn’t play then Aldrich, removable tooth and all, could be the new face of the Big 12, at least for a night.

— — Edited by Sam Speer