Buffs look for chance to redeem worst loss
BOULDER» The first time around, pretty much anything that could go wrong indeed did so for the Colorado men’s basketball team.
It was Jan. 5, the second Pac-12 game of the season at Arizona State. Two days earlier, the Buffaloes put together a decent start at Arizona, jumping ahead 11-6 before ultimately falling apart. Against Arizona State, it quickly became apparent there would be no reversal of momentum in Tempe, as the Sun Devils raced to a 13-2 lead while quickly burying the Buffs 83-61.
By the end of the seasonworst loss, CU had posted totals that remain season lows in field-goal percentage (.328), defensive fieldgoal percentage (.571), and rebounding margin (minus14). Yet lately the Buffs have finally altered the momentum of their season, and they will have a chance to make up for that lackadaisical performance Wednesday (8:30 p.m., FS1) when the Sun Devils visit the CU Events Center for the rematch.
“They manhandled us back in early January,” CU coach Tad Boyle said. “They had 50 points in the paint. Transition defense was not good. They’re a very good team in transition. Second shots were huge. They’re a very good offensive rebounding team. So there’s a lot of things we have to do well. I think the big thing with Arizona State is you have to match their intensity, because they play extremely hard. They’re very physical on the glass. We have to match that physicality.”
This time, the Buffs will take a three-game winning streak into their battle against the Sun Devils, a streak that includes two wins in Los Angeles last week that saw the Buffs outperform the opposition at crunch time. With Arizona visiting Sunday, this weekend’s home series represents a huge opportunity for CU to gain ground in its quest to at least finish in the top half of the conference.
Arizona State enters the contest as one of three teams tied for second (three games behind league-leading Washington) with a 7-4 mark. Two teams enter the weekend at 6-5, both of whom already have lost to the Buffs (USC, Oregon). CU, along with Arizona, is among a quartet of squads huddled together at 5-6, meaning the Buffs’ ability to continue their recent surge could go a long way toward gaining better traction in a pack likely to remain crowded through the final weekend of the regular season.
“I’m very confident,” CU point guard McKinley Wright said. “We come back to play in front of our fans after winning three (in a row), two of them on the road. We’re very confident. We believe in each other. Coach believes in us.”
The Sun Devils have been prone to inconsistency, losing last week at home to a Washington State club that entered the game 1-8 in the Pac-12 before turning around to hand the Huskies their first league loss.