Colorado’s Slump Continues in Loss to ASU

Author(s):

Yusef Washington

After a 9-2 start to the season, including a signature win against UConn in the Maui Invitational who was ranked number two in the country at the time, the Colorado Buffaloes have lost their stride and dropped nine games in a row with their last victory over a month ago. In Tuesday’s heartbreaking loss to Arizona State at home, the Buffaloes saw bright spots in Trevor Baskin and Bangot Dak. Baskin finished with a game-high 19 points and 4 steals off the bench, making an immediate impact in a variety of ways to help trim down his team’s early deficit in the first half. He showcased his defensive playmaking ability finishing with 4 steals and multiple deflections which led to turnovers. The former D2 All-American created advantages away from the ball offensively with his timing on cuts and took advantage of his increased touches in the low post during the second half, drawing fouls on smaller defenders. Baskin, who found success in the previous matchup against Arizona State scoring 23 points, voiced his frustrations in the postgame interview but insisted that team morale is not down.

 

On the other hand, CU head coach Tad Boyle took the blame for the team’s lack of improvement from the beginning of the season to now. When asked about an overall reflection of this season, Boyle responded, “Our team hasn’t gotten better…we were better in Maui even though we got slapped by Michigan State and crushed by Iowa State, we were a better team in November than we are at the end of January. That’s on me.” With how this season is shaping up and the Buffaloes being in last place in the Big 12 (0-9), Boyle insisted to his guys that there is no pressure. He stated, “There’s no pressure on us. Nobody expects anything from you. We’re 0-8, we should be playing free and easy. Just play…this team needs a pat on the back, but they also need a kick in the a**.”

 

After recent years of success in the PAC 12, including 2 runner-up finishes in the conference tournament in the last 4 years, there are several reasons to attest why Colorado is in a slump and on pace for their first sub .500 season in 10 years. The transfer portal is flooded every year with high-level hoopers from all around the country but with new NIL opportunities and certain rule changes, the overall landscape makes it the most difficult it has ever been to keep and attract players. The roster turnover from year to year can change at any moment, so maintaining and developing players, especially one and dones, can be tough to be consistent. The loss of multiple first-round guys in last year’s draft like Tristan Da Silva (16.0 PPG) and Cody Williams (11.9 PPG) hit hard. Another huge blow was KJ Simpson, who led the team in scoring (19.7 PPG) and was second in the conference in PPG. In addition, Luke O’Brien, J’Vonne Hadley, and Eddie Lampkin Jr. entered the transfer portal after last season’s success and are all currently playing in the ACC. Having your entire rotation gutted and moving into a dominant conference like the Big 12 set the Buffs back, but the emergence of returners like Bangot Dak and Julian Hammond III has allowed them to stay competitive in a lot of these conference matchups.

 

The month of February won’t get any easier for them either. The Buffs go on the road 4 different times and match up against a ranked opponent 4 games as well (Kansas twice). For the third time this season, they will face off against red-hot Iowa State who has risen to third in the country in the most recent AP polls. Offensively, the Buffs looked tense and indecisive at times, which Boyle noted. At this point in the season, he seems to have simplified the game to ease the pressure on his guys and emphasize just playing free. Boyle told his players, “I’m gonna take you out for two reasons. A bad shot or not boxing out. Other than that, I’m not gonna take you out.” Moving forward, Boyle wants his guys to focus more on the defensive side of the ball and be more worried about that rather than being concerned solely on missing shots. The Buff’s next opportunity to get back in the winning column comes on the road against Utah this Wednesday.