LAWRENCE — Start with the dunk. Just make sure you look past it.

The dunk represented most of what Kansas freshman guard Kelly Oubre Jr. has dealt with in his first semester as a Jayhawk, but not all of it.

Midway through the first half, Oubre broke past his defenders at half court and was all alone heading to the basket. That’s when he eased up, gathered himself and rose with the ball gradually cocking back behind his head. And when it seemed like Oubre was moving in slow motion he let it all go, unloading a quick one-handed slam with force born of frustration.

Saturday was all about Oubre as No. 10 Kansas defeated Lafayette, 96-69. The dunk was just one part of it.

"I look at it as part of the process," Oubre said of his 23-point, 10-rebound performance — both career-highs. "A lot of people say, ‘Enjoy the process,’ and that’s what I’m doing."

That process took one full semester to see any results. After arriving at KU as a top 10 recruit, Oubre struggled to find minutes and produce. Sure, it’s normal for a freshman to need time to adjust, but it seemed like all around college basketball top recruits were breaking out early while Oubre stalled.

Kansas coach Bill Self said it’s been a gradual process for the freshman. There hadn’t been a moment where Oubre clicked in Kansas’ system, only a few flashes of athleticism and many nights of frustration that beget hours in the gym.

Which is why the dunk on Saturday felt so important — it was Oubre on a stage all by himself and finally showing off.

"I don’t want him patient," Self said of Oubre. "He’s kept a good attitude and practiced hard. He was good against Georgetown, he was better against Utah and had a great week of practice. This doesn’t surprise me that he played well today."

Yet against Georgetown and Utah, Oubre’s game relied more on his ability to get to the line than attack all across the floor. With an opportunity to start on Saturday, he proved he could do the latter, going 4 for 7 from 3-point range and cleaning up the offensive boards for easy layups.

Oubre said the game had slowed down for him, allowing him to catch up. His calm demeanor in a career-high 25 minutes showed as much as Oubre glided to his spots on the floor, constantly placing himself in positions to make plays.

"We’re better on our defensive end as a team," teammate Frank Mason said of Oubre’s ability. "He’s long and gets in the passing lanes."

Which is exactly what led to the dunk.

Oubre caught Lafayette in a hand off and broke through two Leopards on the left wing to coast in all alone and give himself as much time as he needed to set up.

"I know all the hype around Kelly Oubre," Lafayette coach Fran O’Hanlon said, "and I know he hasn’t been playing a lot, but looking at him today he looked like their best player."

Normally that role belongs to junior forward Perry Ellis (four points) or sophomore guard Wayne Selden Jr. (12 points, six assists). Instead, Saturday belonged to the freshmen as Oubre, guard Svi Mykhailiuk and forward Cliff Alexander combined for 44 points and 17 rebounds.

But to see Alexander and Mykhailiuk play efficiently is nothing new. Oubre was the one who needed to establish himself.

A dunk in the first half helped him do that. Just make sure you look beyond it.

"It was a confidence booster," Oubre said. "It’s something to get me started."