Brannen Greene hit all five of his 3-point attempts and had 18 points, and No. 4 Kansas pounded Northern Colorado 109-72 on Friday night.
Perry Ellis added 16 points and Wayne Selden Jr. scored 13 for the Jayhawks, who return most of the nucleus from the team that won its 11th consecutive Big 12 championship last season. Devonte Graham had 13 points and eight assists, and Frank Mason had 11 points and nine assists.
Kansas easily rolled to its 25th straight win at Allen Fieldhouse despite playing without five-star recruit Cheick Diallo, who still has not been cleared by the NCAA to play in games.
Diallo, a 6-foot-9 forward from Mali, spent the game in warmups while the NCAA looks into his academic record from a private school in New York. The NCAA has given no timetable for rendering a decision, much to the chagrin of Kansas fans who chanted "Free Diallo" all night.
The Jayhawks could use him the next time they step on the floor. After a pedestrian opener, they head to Chicago on Tuesday night to face No. 13 Michigan State in the Champions Classic.
Cameron Michael had 27 points and Anthony Johnson finished with 17 for Northern Colorado, which struggled with foul trouble as much as the Jayhawks' length. The Bears had three foul out.
After a 3-pointer by Jordan Wilson with 6:50 left in the first half trimmed the Jayhawks' lead to 29-23, the reigning Big 12 champs ripped off a 21-6 run. Much of the offence came from the foul line, where the Jayhawks went 12 of 15 in the first half alone.
Northern Colorado had two players with three fouls apiece, and six more with two, heading into the break. All told, the Bears had more fouls (18) than rebounds (14) or field goals (12).
Ellis and Co. put the game out of reach early in the second half, leaving the only question whether Kansas would reach 100 points for the 107th time in school history.
The Jayhawks soared past it on Greene's fifth 3-pointer with 4:14 left.
TIP-INS
Kansas: The Jayhawks hit 15 3-pointers, tied for the second-most in school history. They hit 16 at Baylor on Jan. 5, 2005. ... Kansas finished with 27 assists. ... The Jayhawks' reserves scored 46 points. ... Touted freshman Carlton Bragg Jr. had seven points and three boards.
Northern Colorado: The Bears return just two starters from last year's 15-15 team. They have no seniors on the roster. ... Northern Colorado finished with 35 fouls.
UP NEXT
Kansas plays the Spartans in the Champions Classic on Tuesday night.
Northern Colorado plays its home opener against Colorado Christian on Tuesday night.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.