LAWRENCE, Kan. - Kansas may be coming together under its new coach even quicker than Bill Self expected.

Roy Williams' successor figured it would be at least a couple of months before the Jayhawks began to gel. Instead, he saw a poised and hard-nosed team outfight and outhustle No. 3 Michigan State 81-74 on Tuesday night in the first marquee matchup of the college season.

''Both teams will get a lot better fast,'' said Self, now 2-0 with the No. 6 Jayhawks. ''I saw some things out there tonight that I have seen only a few times in practice.''

If Wayne Simien can stay healthy all year, the Jayhawks may well live up to their billing as preseason Big 12 favorites. The 6-foot-9 junior had a career-high 28 points, including 9-for-9 from the foul line.

''I don't think this was necessarily a statement game. But it was a good win for us,'' said Simien, who missed 22 games last season with a separated shoulder. ''We're not where we want to be yet.''

In other Top 25 games, it was: No. 8 Florida 112, Montana State 73; No. 13 Saint Joseph's 71, Boston University 56; No. 14 Oklahoma 81, Tulsa 73; No. 15 Wisconsin 81, Eastern Illinois 47; No. 20 Stanford 72, UC Irvine 59; and No. 25 North Carolina State 71, Howard 51.

The Jayhawks, who were often accused of being soft during the Williams Era, spent the night diving after loose balls and mixing it up inside.

''We were all over the place tonight,'' Simien said. ''We had three and four guys diving after loose balls. If we continue to play like that, maybe we can make toughness our team's identity this season.''

Kansas hit its first six shots of the second half and quickly took a 54-39 lead as Allen Fieldhouse rocked, but then Shannon Brown hit three straight shots and ignited a 12-2 run for the Spartans (1-1).

''The first half, Simien had his way,'' Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. ''He is good.''

Paul Davis, Michigan State's 6-foot-11 sophomore, sliced the lead to 76-72 at the 2:22 mark.

But on Kansas' next possession, J.R. Giddens rebounded Michael Lee's miss and dunked the ball, bringing the crowd of 16,300 to its feet and putting Kansas on top 78-72.

Lee then rebounded a miss by Davis and Aaron Miles hit a pair of free throws with 26 seconds left to seal the win.

''We had it to four and then they got the board,'' Izzo said. ''We just didn't get a body on him.''

Miles had 17 points and six assists while Keith Langford had 13 points - all in the second half.

Maurice Ager had 17 points and Alan Anderson 16 for the Spartans, whose only lead was 4-2.

The Spartans did not get one blocked shot and committed 24 turnovers while the Jayhawks had seven blocks and only 18 turnovers.

''Turnovers,'' Izzo said. ''It is almost criminal. You have to give Kansas credit for a few of them, but not 24.''

No. 8 Florida 112, Montana State 73

Sophomore Christian Drejer had 19 points and 11 assists for the Gators (1-0), who got a team-high 20 points from David Lee. Matt Walsh added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Drejer, the star from Denmark who struggled with injuries last season, was the headliner in a game in which almost all the Gators looked good at home against the overmatched Bobcats (2-1). No. 13 Saint Joseph's 71, Boston University 56

Delonte West scored 20 points and Jameer Nelson added 13 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Hawks won on the road.

Saint Joseph's (2-0) shot 12-of-29 from 3-point range, including 8-for-16 in the first half. Ryan Butt led the Terriers (0-2) with 20 points.

No. 14 Oklahoma 81, Tulsa 73

Jaison Williams scored 16 points and Lawrence McKenzie added 13 as the Sooners improved to 3-0 with the home victory.

Oklahoma outscored Tulsa 12-6 in the final 2:17 to seal the win, helped by freshman Drew Lavender's layup that started the run and Williams' putback after stealing an in-bounds pass. OU has won 34 of its last 35 home games.

Jason Parker led Tulsa with 20 points.

No 15 Wisconsin 81, Eastern Illinois 47

Freddie Owens scored a career-high 24 points and Devin Harris added 15 for the Badgers (2-0), who extended their home winning streak to 14 games.

Jason Wright scored 11 points for Eastern Illinois (0-2), which had 23 turnovers. Wisconsin hit 34-of-41 free throws.

No. 20 Stanford 72, UC Irvine 59

At Irvine, Calif., Chris Hernandez was 6-of-7 from 3-point range and finished with 22 points to lead the Cardinal (2-0) over the Anteaters (2-2).

Stanford made nine of its first 13 shots to build a 24-5 lead with 11:51 left in the first half. Hernandez led the spree with 10 points.

Adam Parada led the Anteaters with 12 points and nine rebounds.

No. 25 North Carolina State 71, Howard 51

Scooter Sherrill scored 17 points and Julius Hodge added 15 to lift the Wolfpack (2-0).

Ilian Evtimov, who missed last season with a knee injury, added 11 points and six rebounds. N.C. State improved to 59-6 at home against nonconference opponents under coach Herb Sendek.

Louis Ford scored 13 points to lead the Bison (1-2).