Print edition: 
LAWRENCE — Thomas Robinson has always been a tall bundle of determination on the court. He fights through double teams and comes away with rebounds in a crowd.
The difference now is Robinson is doing those things with a purpose, and he’s become one of the nation’s best players in the process.
Robinson said he “couldn’t put into words” how much he’s improved, but teammates and Kansas coach Bill Self don’t search hard to describe Robinson’s effectiveness.
It began with a choice.
“He’s tried to become a student of the game,” Self said.
Robinson and the Jayhawks will need to be at their grade-A games today when Baylor arrives. The fourth-ranked Bears are one of three undefeated teams, and on Saturday they handed Oklahoma State a 41-point defeat, the second largest in the history of that proud program.
Against one of the nation’s best front lines, Robinson’s savvy will be required. He’s going to find himself double-teamed, trapped, in a crowd.
His reaction to such moments is where the improvement has been most noticeable.
“I’m more patient,” Robinson said. “I know more about the game, and it’s just about getting more experience on the floor.”
Yes and no. More minutes don’t always guarantee improvement. It has with Robinson because Self, assistant coach Danny Manning — who works the Jayhawks’ post players — and others got through.
“I struggled with him early in the season,” Self said. “Not in a bad standpoint, but I didn’t think he understood how he should play to give us the best chance.
“It seems like to me that since Christmas the light has come on. He’s more poised, he’s not trying to score out of doubles. He just makes the game so much easier for himself.”
The numbers tell some of the story. Robinson averages 17.2 points and a Big 12-leading 12.2 rebounds per game.
But here’s another number that measures his progress. Through the team’s first 11 games, Robinson was shooting 50 percent from the floor. Not a shameful number, but for a powerful 6-foot-9 junior post player who has a nice touch, the number reflected poor shot decisions more than off shooting nights.
Since then, Robinson has been a 61-percent shooter, and the most recent efforts included the program’s first 30-point/20-rebound performance by a Kansas player since 1961.
It’s gotten to the point where Robinson can turn in a game such as Saturday — 11 points and 14 rebounds in an 82-73 victory over Iowa State — and have to defend the numbers.
“I know our team is going to play well when I’m not performing at my highest level,” Robinson said.
More typical of Robinson’s recent dominance was the second half at Texas Tech, when he scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 10 minutes.
Robinson posted some nice numbers last season, when he averaged 7.6 points and 6.4 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game. He grabbed 14 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament victory over Richmond and turned in four double-double games.
But those were carefree days.
“I could go into a game and hack somebody, and nobody cared,” Robinson said.
Not with Marcus and Markeiff Morris ready to check back in. Or two years ago, with Cole Aldrich in the post.
It took Robinson a few weeks of this season to fully understand his value to the Jayhawks, and now that Robinson does, Self is working with that concept in fresh ways.
At Lubbock, Robinson picked up his second foul with 11½ minutes remaining in the first half. He came out of the game but was reinserted about 5 minutes later with the idea of learning how to play with foul trouble.
“How to move my feet, not be out of position,” Robinson said.
Fouls were not the issue against Iowa State. The Cyclones’ big men stepped outside and drained three-pointers early, forcing Kansas to make some matchup adjustments. Baylor also stretched the floor Saturday against the Cowboys with frontliners Perry Jones III, Quincy Acy and Quincy Miller combing to go five of eight from beyond the three-point arc.
Robinson and the Jayhawks will confront a zone, which has been a Baylor staple under Baylor coach Scott Drew, and man-to-man defense. Either way, perhaps the biggest task of the season for Robinson may come down to survival of the fittest.
“It’s a challenge, definitely with their length,” Robinson said. “But, I mean, they bleed just like we bleed.”
