Buffs fall apart in second half in loss to Arizona State

BOULDER–It may be early, but these are the kind of games that can sink seasons.

For a team that came in with three losses already in the non-conference, it was vital that the CU Buffs got off to a good start in Pac-12 play.

They did, at least for a half. 

“Probably a top five disappointing loss in my 13 years at Colorado,” said head coach Tad Boyle postgame. “I don’t have them ranked, but I can’t think of four that sting more than this one.

In the end, it was Arizona State senior guard Desmond Chambers Jr., left all alone on the wing, a blown assignment that was the last in a comedy of errors by the Buffs in the second half, with the game in his hands.

Swish.

The night got off to a good start for the Buffs, who came out of the gates flying around on defense and scorching the nets from distance, hitting five of their first seven threes. 

The Buffs also dominated the boards in the first half, taking a 29 to 17 rebound advantage into the break. They held the Sun Devils to just 29% from the field, and Arizona State missed all 13 of their three point attempts in the first half.

All of these factors allowed the Buffs to take a comfortable 38-23 lead into the half against a Sun Devil squad that was missing two of its top three scorers. Marcus Bagley missed the game due to a suspension, and Michigan transfer Frankie Collins was a late scratch due to an illness. 

The Buffs likely could have put the game away in the first few minutes of the second half, but came out sloppy and with no sense of urgency, and while the lead didn’t disintegrate right away, Arizona State continued to just hang around. 

In the last ten minutes or so, the Sun Devils began to ramp up the pressure, and the Buffs could not handle it. Turnover after turnover, missed shot after missed shot, the Buffs continued to come away with empty trips on offense. Eventually, their luck ran out on the other end.

“Two of their top players are out, and they come into this building in this environment and we let them do that? We wilted tonight,” said Boyle. “We wilted to their pressure. As a coach, that’s really really hard to deal with. I’ve gotta do a better job. I have to do a better job.”

The Buffs continued to hold onto their lead until the final minutes, when Cambridge Jr. and his brother, Devan Cambridge hit back-to-back threes to give the Sun Devils their first lead since the opening minutes.

Three Jalen Gabbidon free throws and a few scrappy defensive possessions helped the Buffs limp to the final ten seconds with a 59-57 lead, where the young, teetering Buffs finally came crashing down to earth.

KJ Simpson missed the front end of a one-and-one. On the other end, Arizona State guard DJ Horne drove down the left baseline and went up for a tying layup. Four Buffaloes collapsed on him, but Horne was able to quickly kick it out to Cambridge Jr. on the left wing as the clock ticked inside five.

Ballgame.

Simpson, who scored a team-high 13 points on the night, but committed five turnovers and missed two key free throws down the stretch, ended his press conference with an unprompted, Tim Tebow-esque statement.

“I just want to say my fault, Buff Nation,” said Simpson. “We’re gonna get better for sure. We’re gonna get better. We’re going to work hard, we’re going to watch film and we’re going to get better. We had this one. Personally, I blame it on myself as a leader, but we’re going to get better. I’ll make sure we get better and I get better.”

The 60-59 loss drops CU to 4-4 on the season, and while their current resume includes impressive wins, it also now includes four bad losses that will certainly hurt come March, when the team is hopefully in the discussion for an NCAA Tournament bid.

While the loss stings on paper in that regard, it may be even uglier when it comes to why it happened the way it did. The Buffs turned the ball over 12 times in the second half, bringing their total to 20 for the game. They made just nine of 17 free throw attempts, leaving easy points on the board left and right, especially on the front end of one-and-ones.

And they failed to take advantage of an undermanned team that made just two of its first 21 three point attempts, letting them stay just within arms reach until they were able to heat up.

All in all, performances like these just won’t cut it, even for a young team, if they want a shot to make noise at the end of the season. It just isn’t good enough

CU gets another bite at the apple Sunday, when they head to Seattle to take on Washington. Tip-off will be at 1 p.m.