(Kim Klement – USA Today Sports)
The Buffaloes were stunned, confused and numb when the game was over. They did not see this coming. They came to Orlando with the intention of beating Pittsburgh in their opening game of the NCAA tournament yesterday. They were thinking about preparing for the top-seeded Gators for tomorrow.
Instead, they are going home with couple of questions they have to answer this offseason. They can ask themselves what went wrong after the ninth-seeded Panthers gave them a nice old-fashioned beating in their 77-48 victory. They can also ask what they have to do to take the next step of being a national championship contender.
Not only the eighth-seeded Buffaloes played badly, but they were outcoached and outworked. This game was over for all intents and purposes when halftime started.
It was one thing for the Buffaloes to overcome a 13-0 deficit, but it was another thing to overcome a 21-5 start that they put themselves in. In that poor start, they have five turnovers and two field goals. There was cause for concern about how bad it was going to be for them after a hideous start.
It did not get any better after they trailed 33-9 under six minutes to go in the first half. By then, it was a lost cause. There was not going to be a run. Not when they never made a run at any point of the first half. They trailed 46-18 at the end of the first half.
Basically, Pittsburgh was waiting for regulation to expire in the second half, and Colorado was too stunned at what happened to show some spunk in getting back in the game.
Maybe the Buffaloes were not good enough to beat the Panthers, but they should have been good enough to avoid being blown out.
The Buffaloes enter the season now with more questions than answers heading to the season. They have work to do before they can take the next step of winning games in the NCAA tournament.
They need to be tougher and meaner. They need to be physical when they go up against defensive teams. That’s why fourth-year Buffaloes head coach Tad Boyle talked about guys needing to hit the gym room this offseason after a loss like this.
They need to know how to play smarter. They can’t be hoisting up ill-advised shots when they are behind. They need to trust their teammates and keep passing until the guy is open. They need the offense to be run properly.
They have to know how to respond to deficits. They can’t go belly up when the going gets tough. This has been too common under this program.
They need to know how to play better defensively.
There’s no question the Buffaloes have made strides as a program, but there’s still work to be done before they can be considered a national championship contender. It’s a process Boyle’s players have to deal with.
This loss is sobering more than anything. It’s not something the players can shrug off. It’s something they should think about during the offseason when they ask themselves about what they can do to be better as players.
The Buffaloes can’t be taken seriously by other teams after an effort like yesterday. They showed they are not ready to be with the elites at all. They played like they did not belong in the tourney.
No one had any answers to what happened yesterday. It’s hard to come up with one after a blowout loss.
Everyone has to take the blame, and that includes Boyle and his staff for not having them prepared for a tough Pittsburgh team.
This loss does not ruin what was a good season, which they made the tournament without their best player in Spencer Dinwiddie. This postseason loss should not symbolize their season. They overachieved and showed their mettle by winning without their star. That should count for something, and it would not be fair to hold yesterday’s loss against them.
At the end of the day, yesterday’s loss was nothing more than part of the process of the Buffaloes learning how to be a powerhouse team.
This team is still a work in progress, and that’s the perspective fans have to keep in mind.
The players know they have work to do.
Yesterday’s blowout loss gave them a good reminder of what they need to do this offseason.
Contact or follow Leslie Monteiro at @LightRodWriter.
Leslie Monteiro
Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.
