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By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAWRENCE (AP) -- The palms were sweaty, the throats dry, a full-team jitter causing botched layups and clanked jumpers.

The weight of defending a national championship with an overhauled roster isn't easy to overcome. At least Kansas came away with a win in this one.

Sherron Collins scored 16 points, freshman Markieff Morris had 15 rebounds and the 24th-ranked Jayhawks pulled away after a shaky first half Sunday night to open their national title defense with a 71-56 victory over Missouri-Kansas City.

"First game of the season, a lot of people had jitters, especially freshmen, with sweaty hands, scared a little bit," Collins said. "Things didn't fall our way, but I think we did a good job of running through it and getting a win."

Kansas coach Bill Self rotated 11 players into the game, hoping to find a combination that meshed. He finally got it in the second half as the Jayhawks tightened up defensively and picked up the tempo offensively after struggling most of the first half.

Kansas shot 15 of 23 in the second half to overcome a 1-for-13 night from 3-point range and outscored UMKC 16-0 on the break to win its 36th straight home opener. Cole Aldrich had 13 points and Tyrel Reed added 12 for Kansas, which won its 24th consecutive game overall at Allen Fieldhouse.

UMKC (1-1) is known for its 3-point shooting and came out firing, launching 31 from beyond the arc. The Kangaroos made enough in the first half to lead by as much as seven, but couldn't keep up with the bigger, faster Jayhawks in the second.

Dane Brumagin hit four 3-pointers to finish with 14 points and Reggie Hamilton added 13 for UMKC, which was 9 for 31 from 3-point range and shot 29 percent overall.

Kansas State 88, Southeast Missouri State 68

MANHATTAN (AP) -- Darren Kent had 15 points and 12 rebounds Sunday to help Kansas State beat the undermanned and overmatched Southeast Missouri State 88-68 at Bramlage.

Kent came alive early in the second half, scoring nine of his 15 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Fred Brown led the Wildcats with 21 points, and Jamar Samuels had 16.

The Wildcats (2-0) took an early 11-0 lead during the first five minutes. Israel Kirk made a layup with 14:53 to play in the first half to give the Redhawks (0-2) their first score.

Midway through the first half, the Wildcats went on a 12-0 run to take a 31-6 lead. Jamar Samuels, who scored six points during the stretch, highlighted the run with a pair of two-handed dunks.

The Redhawks' Kenard Moore prevented the Wildcats from extending their lead to much greater than 20, scoring 26 of his 31 points in the second half. His 31 led all scorers.

Wichita State 77, Florida A&M 53

WICHITA (AP) -- Wichita State dominated in rebounding and pulled away to beat Florida A&M 77-53 Sunday at Koch Arena.

The Shockers (1-0) had four players score in double figures, led by Clevin Hannah's 13 points. Ramon Clemente and Graham Hatch added 11 each for Wichita State.

Florida A&M (0-2) was led by Lamar Twitty's 13 points.

Florida A&M hung with the Shockers for a half. Dunnell Webb and Twitty each had eight points before halftime, and Wichita State led 36-32 at the break.