It’s not one issue that has hamstrung the Colorado men’s basketball team through the futility of the start of its return season in the Big 12.
Some nights, the Buffs are lagging on the glass. On most, they’ve come up short defensively. Turnovers have been a consistent shortcoming. Lately, a team expected to be solid from long range has been laying bricks.
Buff fans get the point. CU has developed nothing to hang its collective hat on, and the combination of inexperience and the lack of a go-to player at crunch time have only compounded the team’s myriad shortcomings.
It’s a glut of frustrations the Buffs are desperate to reverse as a losing streak continues to inch toward historic proportions. Colorado takes another shot at its elusive first win in Big 12 play at home against BYU on Tuesday night.
“I thought we’d be a better shooting team for sure. I thought we’d shoot the ball better from the perimeter than we’re shooting,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said. “I thought we’d be better defensively. I thought we’d be better rebounding. I thought we’d be better at taking care of the ball. The only identity this team has is we’re a good free throw shooting team. That’s the only thing right now that we’re doing well relatively consistently.”
The Buffs hit a new low with their loss on Saturday at Oklahoma State, a setback that dropped them to 0-6 in the league. CU surrendered 83 points against a Cowboys squad that averaged just 61.5 in its previous five Big 12 games. The Buffs went 5 for 22 on 3-pointers, dropping their 3-point percentage in league games to 27.4%, which ranks 14th in the 16-team league. OSU entered the game shooting 36.2% in Big 12 games, the bottom mark in the conference, but shot 46% against the Buffs.
For a team floundering on defense, a visit from high-scoring BYU presents another tough challenge. The Cougars are coming off a gut-wrenching one-point overtime loss at rival Utah, and BYU’s balanced and fast-paced offense will test a CU team that committed 29 fouls at OSU — the Buffs’ highest total in nearly nine years. BYU freshman Egor Demin has brought a Magic Johnson vibe to the Big 12 as a 6-foot-9 point guard who began the week ranked third in the Big 12 at 5.7 assists per game.
Offensively, the Buffs should have opportunities against a BYU defense that started the week ranked 10th in league games in defensive field goal percentage (43.2) and 12th in defensive 3-point percentage (34.6). Yet the Buffs’ recent cold snap, combined with a Big 12-most 16.7 turnovers per game in conference play, continues to put pressure on a CU defense that so far hasn’t been up to the task in the Big 12.
“I think, one through nine, they’re the most talented team we’ve played offensively,” Boyle said. “They run good stuff, they’ve got really good players, they’ve got an elite passing, 6-foot-9 point guard. They’re really good, talent-wise. They can shoot the ball from a lot of different positions. BYU is a hell of a lot better than they’re 2-4 league record, I can tell you that. Watching them on the tape, outside of Iowa State they’re the best team we’ve played in the Big 12. On tape. I haven’t seen them in person. They could easily be 4-2, not 2-4. Very talented team.”
BYU Cougars at CU Buffs men’s basketball
TIPOFF: Tuesday, 9 p.m., CU Events Center.
TV/RADIO: ESPNU/KOA 850 AM and 94.1 FM.
RECORDS: BYU 11-6, 2-4 Big 12; Colorado 9-8, 0-6.
COACHES: BYU — Kevin Young, 1st season (11-6 at BYU and overall). Colorado — Tad Boyle, 15th season (307-191, 363-257 overall).
KEY PLAYERS: BYU — G Richie Saunders, 6-5, Jr. (13.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, .425 FG%); G Egor Demin, 6-9, Fr. (10.9 ppg, 5.7 apg, 4.4 rpg); F Fousseyni Traore, 6-6, Sr. (10.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.1 apg, .618 FG%); G Trevin Knell, 6-5, Gr. (9.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, .425 3%); C Keba Keita, 6-8, Jr. (6.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg, .605 FG%); F Kanon Catchings, 6-9, Fr. (8.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg). Colorado — G Julian Hammond III, 6-2, Sr. (13.5 ppg, 3.2 apg, 2.7 rpg, .387 3%); F Andrej Jakimovski, 6-8, Gr. (10.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg); C Elijah Malone, 6-10, Gr. (10.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, .612 FG%); F Trevor Baskin, 6-9, Gr. (9.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, .515 FG%); F Bangot Dak, 6-11, So. (7.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, .516 FG%); G RJ Smith, 6-3, R-So. (6.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.2 apg, .471 3%); F Assane Diop, 6-8, So. (4.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg).
NOTES: The Buffs and BYU are league rivals for the first time since 1946-47, when a 10-year run as rivals in the Mountain States Conference ended with CU joining the Big Seven, the early incarnation of what eventually turned into the Big 12. The teams met four times in the 1950s — twice in December 1954 and twice again the following year — but since then have met just twice, with the home teams winning each time in 2015-16 and 2016-17. … Already 0-3 at home in Big 12 play, CU looks to avoid suffering a fourth consecutive home loss for the first time in 15 seasons under Boyle. The Buffs haven’t lost four consecutive home games since losing the last five home games of the 2008-09 season. The Buffs lost only five home games combined the past two seasons — one last year and four in 2022-23. … Young is in his first season as BYU’s coach after eight seasons in the NBA, serving the past four years as an assistant with the Phoenix Suns. … CU has attempted at least 21 free throws in each of the past four games and owns the Big 12’s second-best free throw mark at .770. … BYU’s Saunders owns the top 3-point mark in conference games at .457 (16-for-35). … CU hits the road again with a Saturday date at Arizona (1 p.m. MT, ESPN+).
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