Some losses, even the unhealthy ones, generally develop extra palatable over time. The one suffered in Berkeley on New 12 months’s Eve by the Colorado males’s basketball crew isn’t one in every of them.
In a season riddled with disappointing defeats, none stand out greater than the Buffaloes’ 80-76 loss on a wet Saturday at California. In some methods the Buffs have by no means recovered. A house sweep in opposition to the Oregon faculties the next week was negated by the Buffs’ 0-2 journey by means of Oregon final weekend, giving CU losses in 5 of the previous six video games going right into a Thursday evening rematch in opposition to the Golden Bears on the Occasions Heart.
At 4-8 within the Pac-12, CU has matched its worst 12-game begin in convention play since becoming a member of the league in 2011-12. (The Buffs additionally began 4-8 in 2016-17). No matter fleeting hopes stay for the Buffs to piece collectively a February run all however requires a win in opposition to Cal within the rematch.
“I’ve needed to watch the Cal recreation thrice now, which has been actually painful,” CU head coach Tad Boyle stated. “I needed to watch it stay. I needed to watch it after we performed. And I needed to watch it once more earlier than we play them a second time. Every time, we worsen and worse and worse.
“We had been a foul basketball crew in Berkeley the evening we performed them. Unhealthy offensively. Unhealthy defensively. I didn’t even acknowledge our crew. Probably the most poorly-coached, poorly-executing crew I’ve seen in an extended, very long time.”
The Bears owned a 1-13 mark once they hosted a Buffs crew coming off a street win at Stanford that gave them a five-game profitable streak. That momentum dissolved in a rush, because the Bears posted what on the time was their prime scoring mark of the season in addition to their prime subject objective proportion (.580). Oddly, Cal topped each marks of their subsequent recreation, scoring 92 factors whereas taking pictures .593 in a house win in opposition to Stanford, however the Bears have misplaced 5 consecutive video games since.
The .580 mark recorded by Cal in Berkeley stays the highest taking pictures proportion by a CU opponent this season. The Bears additionally posted the highest 3-point proportion by a Buffs foe this season (.538, 7-for-13).
The ultimate rating was respectable solely as a result of a wild KJ Simpson-led rally chewed up a lot of the 21-point lead Cal held with lower than 5 minutes remaining. One of many weaker rebounding groups within the Pac-12 — Cal enters Thursday’s recreation ranked ninth in league video games with a mean rebound margin of minus-3.2 — the Bears posted a 36-23 rebounding benefit that may’t be solely defined by Cal’s lack of misses offensively. Cal had 21 missed subject targets and nonetheless recorded 10 offensive rebounds.
The Buffs hit the rematch attempting to shake off one other low level, coming off a 60-52 loss at Oregon State. Colorado usually has performed effectively at house, although the current slide features a house loss in opposition to Washington, and the Buffs have gained their previous 5 house video games in opposition to the Bears. Nonetheless, the loss at Cal that gave CU the cruelest of New 12 months’s hangovers serves as a stark reminder the Buffs aren’t almost polished sufficient to imagine victory in opposition to anybody with out bringing their A-game.
“I believe all of us have somewhat edge to us proper now,” CU ahead J’Vonne Hadley stated. “We’ve been working towards as arduous as we’ve practiced since I’ve been right here. We’re simply going to go on the market and hopefully it interprets to the sport. However I’ve no query that we’re going to be hungry.”
California Golden Bears at CU Buffs males’s basketball
TIPOFF: Thursday, 8 p.m., CU Occasions Heart.
TV/RADIO: TV — Pac-12 Community. Radio — KOA 850 AM and 94.1 FM.
RECORDS: Cal 3-18, 2-8 Pac-12; Colorado 12-11, 4-8.
COACHES: Cal — Mark Fox, 4th season (38-76, 324-252 general). Colorado — Tad Boyle, thirteenth season (266-166, 322-232 general).
KEY PLAYERS: Cal — G Devin Askew, 6-3, Jr. (15.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.0 apg); C Lars Thiemann, 7-1, Sr., (10.5, 6.0 rpg, .515 subject objective proportion); G DeJuan Clayton, 6-2, Gr. (9.6 ppg, .400 3-point proportion); F Kuany Kuany, 6-9, Sr. (9.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg). Colorado — G KJ Simpson, 6-2, So. (16.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.7 apg); F Tristan da Silva, 6-9, Jr. (16.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, .520 subject objective proportion); F J’Vonne Hadley, 6-6, Jr. (8.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, .525 subject objective proportion); G Nique Clifford, 6-6, Jr. (6.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg).
NOTES: CU reserve guard Javon Ruffin might be nearer to a return after lacking the previous 4 video games attributable to a knee harm. “He’s practiced two days now. He was higher (Wednesday) than he was (Tuesday),” Boyle stated following Wednesday’s apply. “He’s getting somewhat higher, so we’ll see.”…The Buffs went 7-for-26 on 3-pointers throughout the Dec. 31 loss in Berkeley. Simpson and Ruffin had been a mixed 6-for-15, however the remainder of the crew went 1-for-11…Cal performed with out Askew when it beat the Buffs at house, and the guard has missed six of the previous seven video games. Askew returned two video games in the past in opposition to Oregon State however was sidelined once more for final week’s loss at Stanford…Hadley scored a season-high 17 factors in CU’s loss at Cal, going 8-for-11 from the sector with 4 rebounds…In convention video games, Cal (.703) and CU (.682) have posted the 2 lowest free throw percentages within the Pac-12…CU’s house sequence continues on Sunday in opposition to Stanford (5 p.m., FS1).