LAWRENCE, Kan. — Sherron Collins had 16 points, freshman Markieff Morris grabbed 15 rebounds and No. 24 Kansas pulled away after a shaky first half to open its national title defense with a 71-56 victory over Missouri-Kansas City tonight.

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.

Cole Aldrich had 13 points and Tyrel Reed added 12 to help Kansas win its 36th straight home opener and 24th straight 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 won last season's title with a deep and experienced team, setting a school record with 37 wins, beating Memphis in overtime in the title game after a 3-pointer from Mario Chalmers at the end of regulation.

This season's bunch looks more like that team did three years ago: talented but unproven.

Chalmers, Brandon Rush, Darrell Arthur, Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun — the key components to the championship team — are all gone. In their place are seven newcomers and a group of players who mostly saw mop-up time last season.

That puts more pressure on Collins and Aldrich, the only two returning players who saw significant minutes last season.

Collins was 6-for-11 from the field, though got frustrated a few times after missing open shots. Aldrich played just three minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, scoring all of his points in the second.

Clearly, it's still a work in progress.

Kansas had to work hard just to get shots in its half-court offense in the first half and pressed at times, getting four offensive fouls. The Jayhawks had trouble making the shots they got, too, the post players unable to finish inside, the guards missing open looks from the outside.

Kansas shot 8-for-25 from the floor — 1-for-11 from 3-point range — finally pulling even at 32-all at the buzzer on a layup by Brady Morningstar.

The Jayhawks were much more cohesive offensively in the second half with Aldrich back, using a 14-2 run to go up 46-37. The defense was better, too, with Aldrich altering shots, the guards forcing turnovers that led to transition baskets, pushing the lead to 69-52 with about 2 minutes left.