“When coach tells him to stop the other team’s best player we don’t have a problem with that,” point guard Darren Collison said before the game. “We know Arron is going to get the job done.”

Afflalo was more modest about his accomplishments.

“It wasn’t me individually. It was the whole mind-set of the entire team,” he said.

Afflalo and the Bruins struggled early, and Rush blocked two of Afflalo’s early shots as the Jayhawks ran to a 29-23 lead in a game that seemed to be being played at Kansas’ tempo. But Afflalo scored four points in the last 4:30 of the half as UCLA took a 35-31 halftime lead.

Afflalo then scored the first five points of the second half as UCLA continued on a 23-6 run and never looked back.

Rush was subdued after the loss and didn’t speculate on his future. But he nearly went pro without even going to college, and there wouldn’t seem to be much point in going back for his junior season when the NBA awaits.

“I haven’t thought about it,” he said. “I’m going to go back to school and start working out with the team again. So I’m not going to think about it right now.”

Agents, though, will be lurking, and friends are sure to urge him to cash in. He’s grown to like school, but why study Economics 101 when you can practice it with your own money.

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“If he projects out to be a high pick then I think there’s a great chance that he may want to test it,” Self said. “If he doesn’t, I think there’s a great chance he’d be back.”

The questions about Afflalo’s future will come later, but not much later. He declared for the draft last year, only to back out before hiring an agent, and there’s little incentive for him to return for a senior year.

Unlike Rush, though, he’s got a chance to turn pro with a shiny new ring on his finger.

And that would make a fat new paycheck even sweeter.