BERKELEY, Calif. — There have been loads of ugly performances for the Colorado males’s basketball group at Cal’s Haas Pavilion.
None of them have been uglier, or extra deflating, than the trouble that unfolded on Saturday. In an up-and-down first half of the season, the Buffaloes bid farewell to 2022 with their largest dud but, dropping an 80-76 choice towards a woeful Golden Bears squad that entered the sport with one win and ranked final within the Pac-12 Convention in a number of important classes.
Cal actually didn’t look half towards the Buffs, because the Bears handed CU a outcome that would finally show crippling to any designs on reaching the NCAA Event. The Buffs noticed their five-game successful streak come to an finish whereas falling to 2-8 at Haas Pavilion since becoming a member of the Pac-12.
“It was essentially the most pathetic and disappointing defensive effort that I’ve been part of that I can bear in mind,” CU head coach Tad Boyle stated. “There’s no satisfaction. Our guards can’t get by ball screens. We had no one on our group who might even take into consideration guarding Joel Brown. He took us off the bounce every time he wished.
“I’m dumbfounded as a coach. I haven’t generated sufficient habits with this group. They don’t really feel my sense of the significance of protection and rebounding that I do. That’s a disconnect that I’ve to attach.”
Cal doubled its win complete regardless of taking part in with out main scorer Devin Askew, who has battled a foot harm in current weeks, however his absence wasn’t observed. The Bears entered the sport ranked final within the Pac-12 in subject objective proportion and 3-point proportion however proceeded to torch the Buffs’ lackadaisical protection, ending .580 general and 7-for-13 on 3-pointers. Brown went 9-for-14 and scored 14 of his career-high 21 factors within the second half.
CU led solely briefly early, however the Bears constructed a 39-27 lead at halftime and saved extending the margin all through the second half, pushing it to 21 factors with 6 minutes, 41 seconds remaining. The Buffs completed simply 7-for-26 on 3-pointers — a dismal determine that also was bolstered by a late flurry — and have been outrebounded 36-23 by a Cal group ranked final within the Pac-12 in common rebounding margin.
Individually, level guard KJ Simpson once more was a standout, shaking off an ankle harm he suffered late within the first half to complete with 25 factors, 5 assists and three rebounds. J’Vonne Hadley was strong, going 8-for-11 with a season-high 17 factors. However the remainder of the group went simply 12-for-35 (.343).
“Whenever you get off to a gradual begin, and also you are available performing like the sport is simply going to be handed to you, it’s exhausting,” Simpson stated. “We simply didn’t guard. There’s no particular factor that occurred that affected us on our finish. We simply didn’t guard the ball. We didn’t take satisfaction in our protection. We obtained caught up within the refs. We obtained in not making photographs and we didn’t satisfaction ourselves on protection. Which is what we’re speculated to do.”
CU managed to make the Bears sweat out the end, utilizing an all Simpson-and-Hadley 12-0 run to get inside six. A pair of Simpson 3-pointers left Cal needing to make a free throw with 6.3 seconds left, in any other case the Buffs would have had a possibility at a game-tying 3-pointer. However Brown ended the drama by making the free throw.
Finally it was far too little, too late.
“Whenever you don’t play protection and also you don’t rebound, you depend on making threes. You depend on making photographs,” Boyle stated. “We’re not ok shot makers, we’re not ok free throw shooters, to depend on that night time in and night time out. So we’d higher be capable to depend on our protection and rebounding, which I discuss on a regular basis, however this group hasn’t accepted that and put it of their DNA. That’s on me. I’m undecided I’ve been a part of a extra disappointing loss from a protection and rebounding standpoint.”
Snapshot: CU Buffs at Cal
Turning level: Cal reeled off a 12-0 run within the early phases and by no means seemed again, main the competition the remainder of the best way.
Buff of the sport: KJ Simpson. Regardless of turning his proper ankle late within the first half, Simpson completed with 25 factors, 5 assists, three rebounds and a pair of steals.
What’s subsequent?: The Buffs will try to regroup forward of a Thursday night time residence recreation towards Oregon (7 p.m., ESPN2/U).
California 80, Colorado 76
COLORADO (9-6, 1-3 Pac-12)
da Silva 2-8 4-6 8, Lovering 1-2 1-2 3, Clifford 1-3 0-0 2, Hadley 8-11 1-2 17, Simpson 10-20 2-3 25, Hammond 3-9 0-0 6, O’Brien 1-3 1-1 3, Ruffin 3-9 0-0 9, Wright 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 30-66 9-14 76.
CALIFORNIA (2-13, 1-3)
Kuany 3-6 3-5 11, Newell 5-6 2-2 13, Thiemann 4-7 4-4 12, Brown 9-14 2-5 21, Clayton 3-12 2-2 10, Alajiki 1-1 2-2 4, Bowser 1-1 0-0 3, Okafor 3-3 0-0 6, Anyanwu 0-0 0-0 0, Roberson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-50 15-20 80.
Halftime — California 39-27. 3-point objectives — Colorado 7-26 (Ruffin 3-7, Simpson 3-8, Wright 1-1, Clifford 0-1, O’Brien 0-1, da Silva 0-3, Hammond 0-5), California 7-13 (Kuany 2-3, Clayton 2-5, Bowser 1-1, Newell 1-1, Brown 1-3). Rebounds — Colorado 23 (da Silva, Hadley, Hammond 4), California 36 (Newell 12). Assists — Colorado 14 (Simpson 5), California 10 (Clayton, Okafor 3). Whole Fouls — Colorado 16, California 15. A — 1,253.