Colorado was on the verge Monday night of recreating that historic 2013 win against Kansas, but closing out games still poses a challenge for the Buffs as they ultimately fell to the Jayhawks, 71-64.
This matchup had all the makings of that 2013 buzzer-beater win with a packed CU Events Center, the Buffs putting the Jayhawks' backs against the wall and a battle that was decided in the final minutes. However, this ending was a reflection of how CU’s season has been so far as the Buffs once again fumbled the fundamentals which turned a winnable game into CU’s 15th Big 12 loss.
Colorado was down 62-60 following Julian Hammond’s second 3-pointer of the second half with a little more than 4 minutes remaining, but the Buffs couldn't make the stops needed over the final minutes, struggled with fouls and couldn't knock down key shots. Kansas, meanwhile, hit on a layup, a free throw and a dunk to push that lead to 67-60 and start to pull away for the win.
“You got to make [Kansas] earn every shot and we gave them a lot of easy ones,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. “We didn't execute our defensive game plan well enough. So you learn every time you step on the floor, whether it's in practice, whether it's in the game, whether you win, whether you lose. It's not like you learn more from losses than you do wins. It's just more frustrating and we've had a lot of frustration this year.”
Unlike Colorado’s last meeting against Kansas, a 71-59 loss in Lawrence, Kansas, on Feb. 11, the Buffs (!1-17, 2-15 Big 12) stayed close throughout this entire game against a reeling Jayhawks team (19-9, 10-7) that had just fallen out of the AP rankings for the first time since 2021.
An important key heading into the evening was generating a solid first half and CU did just that trailing by only 5 points at the break. In addition to a productive start, rebounding was at the top of Boyle’s agenda and CU was able to outrebound Kansas 46-31. The momentum and the energy from the crowd provided Colorado with that extra boost even while Hunter Dickinson was putting up a career-high 32 points (with 13 rebounds) for Kansas.
“You got to be a grown man to play post defense and Hunter Dickinson, you got to do it with your brain and your feet,” Boyle said.
Nonetheless, Hammond immediately provided a spark to start the second half as he was quick to get to his spots and shoot. He tied the game at 37-37 early in the half on a layup and free throw and soon gave the Buffs their first lead at 39-38. He scored all 11 of his points after halftime.
Bangot Dak held his own dunk contest on Monday with four spectacular dunks, but his best of the evening was his putback in the second half.
“I actually thought [Dak’s dunks] were very impressive,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “That last one was big-timeT… that last one was a big-time play.”
Dak had a solid evening as CU’s leading scorer with 16 points, but he made a crucial error as he picked up his fourth foul on Rylan Griffen beyond the arc with 4:45 to play. Griffen hit all three free throws to push the Jayhawks' lead to 67-52 at the time.
Colorado shot just 38.2 percent from the field (26 of 68) and Kansas hit 49.1 percent of its shots (26 of 53). Neither squad really hit from beyond the arc as the Jayhawks made three 3-pointers and Colorado drained only five 3s. This was a battle that ultimately Dickinson won, but Colorado's grit didn’t waiver.
The regular season is coming to an end as the Buffs will head to Manhattan, Kansas, to take on Kansas State on Sunday. Despite Colorado’s struggles this season, Boyle and his team plan to continue their fight to the end.
“We are emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually, ready to go and try to get a road win that we've not been able to get this year,” Boyle said. "So we got two opportunities. First one Sunday in Manhattan.”
