This one had to to hurt a little more.Winnable matchup, on the road no less. Iowa State on the ropes, staggered, CU up 15 points, punching away, confidence flowing.
And the wheels came off.
No brakes. No answers.
Another loss.
55-53, Cyclones over Colorado.
More pain for a young team swimming in it.
Chasing that carrot that keeps moving.
The Buffs played without injured swingman Xavier Silas, out with a bad left ankle, but all that did was let the deferential Richard Roby (pictured) demand the ball more and put it to good use by scoring a game-high 23 points. Pro scouts don't know what to make of the talented guard who continues to have an inconsistent season. Talented, capable, explosive, often uninspiring, yet tonight, and many times during his career, all the looks of a pro.
Dominique Coleman was the only other CU player in double figures, finishing with 11. Most everyone else was a wallflower. Marcus King-Stockton had but five points but did contribute in an important way with nine rebounds and four blocks.
Corey McIntosh led three ISU players in double digits by scoring 13 points, not bad for a guy getting no love, averaging but 3.7 points-per-contest. Nice of the Buffs to allow him to come out of the closet, so to speak, and show off.
CU hit the boards hard, outrebounding the Cyclones 42-28, but eight assists, at any level of basketball is just not, well, basketball. Who doesn't practice passing the first time they sign up for the sport? I know all Buffs' players have arms and the muscles to get it to others. They are college men so thinking -- they aren't stupid either. The opponent was not quite a defensive juggernaut so what do you think the reason might be for the lack of effective ball movement and flow?
Your term papers are due Friday, double-spaced, typed, original thought, please don't be late.
BGT: Did forward Jeremy Williams transfer? Wasn't he a player on the rise, showing real promise? After a three-game run in January in which he averaged 14.7 points and 6.7 rebounds, the man has been an afterthought. Think coach Ricardo Patton decided to garage Williams to keep his miles down.
Some thoughts coming your way, late-night induced: Athletic director Mike Bohn's new professor of basketball has to be able to teach offense 101, the fundamentals.
While Bohn is at it he should consider hiring a psychologist for the emotional instability this team has endured this season.
And I wonder if CU could lure noted big-man teacher Pete Newell to Boulder to show the Buffs' trees that offense good, assertiveness good, zeroes bad.
Or maybe hire a former Buff for that duty, say a Shaun Vandiver, now an assistant at Wyoming, no matter his frequent snubbing of this publication or how about Scott Wilke, who has expressed an interest in helping his school. Neither one of those players were scrubs. They could ball and the record books are their scoreboard.
Trippin' the Big 12
Eighth-ranked Texas A & M continued the slide of suddenly clueless Oklahoma State, 66-46, and did it in the Cowboys' back yard, Stillwater.
If Eddie Sutton were still coaching OSU there would be people screaming he has gone senile. That his son, Sean, is now courtside, in his first full season, makes things easier. No one wants to risk upsetting the elder Sutton quite yet. And just wait until Pat Knight takes over for his dad in Lubbock. That should be a lot of fun.
The Aggies got 19 points from Acie Law in the victory Wednesday and held the Pokes to 31 percent shooting. Ah, defense, how about CU becoming more defiant on that end of the court itself.
BGT: A & M, Kansas and Texas make for three solid representatives for the Big 12 come postseason. All have flaws but all are dangerous and capable of making a run in March.
In a game not seen on ESPN or any major network, Baylor beat Nebraska, 63-59, in Waco. Three Bears finished in double figures and Alexs Maric almost had a triple-double for the Huskers with 11 points, 12 rebounds and seven turnovers. O.K., so maybe not a traditional definition of that accomplishment.
BGT: Watch Baylor next season -- they are young, loaded with talent, have some offense and are learning to play with one another. If Darrell Arthur had picked the Bears over Kansas, as he was mulling over, to pair up with forward Kevin Rogers in the frontcourt, Baylor would really be something. Nebraska, meanwhile, has some intriguing pieces but needs a significant addition or a couple more solid guys to make any noise.
Sneak preview
It's like the birthday that just won't get here for some -- the start of football. So, to that end, a little taste of birthday cake for now, courtesy of Olin Buchanan of Rivals.com, in an article printed on Yahoo! Sports.
Will warn you, the prognosis is not good.
Word is CU coach Dan Hawkins will be again renting the basement, not the penthouse suite, for his team.
Seems Colorado is picked to finish dead last in the North division of the Big 12.
Seems that little improvement is expected from the Buffs.
Seems like their talent level is not seen as even adequate.
Not picking CU to win the division here, and maybe they won't even earn a bowl berth, which these days is saying something, but the Black and Gold Truth surely sees signs of growth on the horizon. It says here that Hawkins is too smart a coach not to have learned from last season, while adding some new resources and has the track record of success to get the Buffs out of first gear for the first time since he was hired.
A winning record, while not guaranteed, is possible.
Hey, it's a start.
In 2008, the expectations, whether Hawkins and CU are ready for them are not, will be much higher -- demanding even.
Part of the problem in Buchanan's mind is that only three Buffs are viewed as amongst the best in the Big 12 -- linebacker Jordon Dizon, defensive back Terrence Wheatley and punter Matt DiLallo.
No offensive linemen, no skill players, no defensive linemen.
Other schools who might be dissatisfied with Buchanan's assessment might be Oklahoma (picked behind Texas in the South), Oklahoma State (behind Texas A & M) and Texas Tech (picked fifth in the South).
BGT: CU still needs a heavy dose of talent added to this roster but there are names of intriguing possibilities. What the coaching staff has to do is teach, encourage, and push those players into being talents since it can't grab a handful of four-and-five star guys each season. They need to "create" surprises, help make their own magic. Do that and competing becomes easier, the wins more frequent.
Stevens dies
Former Iowa State-standout and Denver Nuggets'-draftee Barry Stevens, the second-leading scorer in Cyclones history, died Wednesday while exercising in Gary, Ind., at the age of 43, according to an Associated Press report.
The cause of death was not immediately known.
Stevens played for the school from 1982-85 and scored 2,190 points, twice averaging over 20 points-per-game.
Stevens was married and a father to three children.
BGT: Stevens, a second-round pick of the Nuggets in the 1985 NBA draft, was an explosive talent who ran all day, scored all day and left a mark, athletically. Only Jeff Grayer scored more in an ISU uniform. The those two talents played together and were joined by longtime pro Jeff Hornacek. Condolences to the Stevens' family, their friends and Iowa State.
Tomorrow: CU recruiting notes, comments and breakdown on the 2007 class.
Next Page: For some Denver Nuggets and NBA trade talk, hit the streets here with NuggetsNoise.
No comments:
Post a Comment