Fair is fair.In the shining moment of the season, Ricardo Patton's Colorado Buffaloes stunned twelveth-ranked Oklahoma State, 89-77, in Boulder. Patton's team did it with defense (38 percent shooting by the Cowboys), aggressiveness (38 free-throw attempts), excellent long-range shooting (1o-of-25 marksmanship on 3-pointers) and balanced scoring (three players in double figures). It all proved to be a winning formula.
While OSU stars Mario Boggan and JamesOn Curry were good with 37 combined points they weren't dominant. Byron Eaton did get a career-best 19 points but wasn't enough with the CU bust-out offensive performance that included freshman point guard Kal Bay's five 3-pointers and career-high tying 21 points, 21 more from Dominique Coleman (pictured), tying his season-high, and 20 additional points from Richard Roby. Coleman also outworked everyone for a career-high 15 rebounds on what was a day for personal bests.
Three other players finished just shy of double figures, adding to the overall effort, as Xavier Silas had nine and Jermyl Jackson-Wilson and Jeremy Williams had eight each.
Black and Gold Truth: Not too big here to apologize to the coaching staff for not believing it possible for them to find a way to slow down the Cowboys' offense while making it all seem so easy for CU to scored the ball. Boggan and Curry are dynamic talents yet were held in check. Third-scoring option Terrel Harris was neutralized. Eaton got off but when OSU didn't play the defense the school has been renowned for, you get beat.
Coleman and Roby played to their talent and Bay, while limited athletically, showed just how valuable a piece he can be with his shooting and leadership when some faith is shown in him and he's left out on the floor to work through and learn from his mistakes.
Jackson-Wilson was the grinder he needed to be, Silas struggled through an off-day shooting and Williams -- well, since the Buffs won there won't be much said but for future reference he needs to become more a part of the game plan. Wear him out. There is an expiration date on him. Four years. Why let his talent go to waste?
Outstanding effort, some encouraging signs and victory cigars all through the locker room.
Is that Red Auerbach over there or Patton?
Oh, guess Auerbach has passed away so must be...
Around the Big 12
Tenth-ranked Texas A & M showed no. 6 Kansas that the Aggies are the real deal, topping the Jayhawks for the first time ever, and doing it in Lawrence, 69-66.
Guard Acie Law showed no intimidation and drained a game-high 23 points and three other players finished in double figures for Billy Gillispie's team, which is the operative word. KU has superior talent but the Aggies are so tight as a group, staunch on defense and unslefish on offense.
Freshman guard Sherron Collins went for 18 for the Jayhawks.
BGT: Written here before, let's do it again -- KU plays beneath itself often, even in victory. Against the Aggies, it caught up to them. Bill Self's boys are in a race no one expected them to be in because they don't play together well, consistently. This has all the look of another early departure from the NCAA tournament. Gillispie, as also written here before, is like Kevin Durant of Texas, soon to leave for richer lands.
Kansas State and Bob Huggins got an eye-catching win in Austin over no. 22 Texas, inching the Wildcats closer to an NCAA-tournament berth in Huggins' first season on campus. Cartier Martin, who was clueless early in the season is now the undisputed leader of that team and he showed up large against the Longhorns with 27 points. Lance Harris gave Kansas State the needed 1-2 punch with Martin by adding 19 more. Some guy for Texas named Kevin Durant had 32 points, I hear. The Cats did it by passing the ball (19 assists), not turning it over (6 turnovers) and hitting what free throws they had on the day (5-of-6). They also made UT work for its' offense (45 percent). Fundamentals do amazing things, don't they?
BGT: Huggins has been the architecht of an impressive turnaround in Manhattan in his first season. Yes, he's of questionable leadership and character but I don't think he's been in Manhattan long enough to be the rogue he was at Cincinnati. He is winning with his great talent as a head coach. Impressive any way you look at it and it also should be a flashing red light to CU that the right man and the right staff can make the Buffs a winner soon. Trust me, Mike Bohn notices.
Oklahoma keeps rollin' along, beating Texas Tech, 75-61 in Norman as star forward Nate Carter scored 24 points. He got some help down low as Longar Longar piled up 19 points and 14 rebounds and on the wing with Michael Neal, who knocked down shots for 18 points.
BGT: Jeff Capel is doing one of the best and most unexpected top jobs in the country. OU is a tough out. They are tough, physical and have sufficient offensive pop for most teams. They might end up being the surprise team in the Big 12 at season's end when you consider K-State's Huggins' was expected to win. Jarrius Jackson and Martin Zeno combined for a whopping 51 points but something tells the BGT that coach Bob Knight is going to treat those numbers as insignificant. The Red Raiders have gone flat lately and are dropping like a rock in the conference standings.
Nebraska pulls the upset at Missouri, 66-61, as the Tigers' offense went in the tank at home, shooting but 37 percent from the floor. Guard Marcus Perry led the Cornhuskers with 15 points while freshman guard Keon Lawrence finished with a game-high 18 for Missouri.
BGT: Missouri is way down in talent but losing at home to an average Nebraska team is a surprise and a disappointment.
Iowa State tops Baylor, 71-58, getting 21 points from Mike Taylor, 19 points and nine rebounds from Jiri Hubalek and 14 points and 10 rebounds from freshman forward Wesley Johnson.
BGT: The Bears looked like a power against CU but was exposed by the Cyclones, which abused them inside with Hubalek and Johnson. Say "achilles' heal" with me.
Note: Check tomorrow for the picks on the Super Bowl from the neighborhood as well as other entrees.
Note II: For you Denver Nuggets fans', check it out.
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