The Buffaloes have lost their identity

Sunday afternoon’s game was ugly.

The No. 21 Colorado Buffaloes entered Maples Pavillion to take on the Stanford Cardinal with a chip on their shoulder.

At least, we thought they did.

As it turned out, Colorado’s two-game losing streak and two weeks-plus of streaky play didn’t light a fire under the Buffaloes. Instead, they were as complacent as ever.

The passes were soft and loose. There was no interest in fighting with Stanford’s bigs on the glass. The trips up and down the court looked more like happy walks in the California sun than actual attempts to stop a fast break.

Nobody was interested in playing defense. The perimeter defenders may as well have been runway marshalls waving those orange, tube-y cone things toward the open driving lanes. The rim protectors probably should have gotten down on a knee in case a Stanford guard wanted a boost up to the rim since his legs were probably worn out from driving unencumbered to the rim over, and over, and over again.

Colorado was not mean. Colorado was not scary.

A month or two ago, Colorado was one of the scariest teams in the country.

Remember when Washington marched into the CU Events Center with a complex zone system that starred freak freshman Isaiah Stewart as the rim protector, but then the Buffs locked the Huskies down with a simple man-to-man scheme and took their lunch money, sending a message to the entire conference?

Those were the days.

And the Buffs seem content with memories in their back pockets.

They’ve proven to the world that they’re an exceptional basketball team capable of taking down any giant on their schedule, and maybe that’s enough.

Maybe we shouldn’t have been screeching about a Pac-12 title, or Vegas positioning, or tournament seeding, or how much fun a Cinderella run in March could be.

Maybe the point of basketball should be accumulating and developing talent and not even playing the games because you can just look at Colorado and see that they’re good at basketball and that’s enough. Taking scissors to a crisp, white net is wasteful anyway, right? Don’t even get me started on the scuff marks that a ladder can leave on a gym floor.

Maybe the team motto should be “Who cares about results? We know we’re good and that’s what matters. We beat Oregon that one time, and that’s good enough for us.”

I wouldn’t vote for it, but it looks like six or seven guys in the locker room already have.

Maybe more.

It’s impossible to find an exact count since the only way to ask them would be to wake the Buffs up from their sleep-walking and it’s pretty obvious that’s not going to happen. If Tad Boyle can’t do it, I don’t think anybody can.

Nobody is scared of the Buffaloes anymore and that’s a shame.

It’s a shame because Tyler Bey is the best basketball player in the Pac-12.

It’s a shame because  McKinley Wright IV is the best point guard in the Pac-12.

It’s a shame because Lucas Siewert is the best sixth man in the Pac-12.

It’s a shame because Shane Gatling would win a Pac-12 dunk contest hands down.

It’s a shame because D’Shawn Schwartz is the best open jump-shooter in the Pac-12.

It’s a shame because Evan Battey has the biggest heart in the Pac-12.

But none of that matters because the Buffs aren’t willing to defend for more than 10 minutes per game.

When the Buffs are playing defense, who has the redder faces: The actual players on the court or the CU fans screaming at the TV while watching them?

Just like that, Colorado has fallen from the big brother of the conference to some minor player off to the side in weeks.

Just one month ago, the story of the 2019-20 Pac-12 season was “Who can challenge Colorado?”

Now, it’s “Would you rather have to play Arizona, UCLA, Oregon or Arizona State?”

Colorado’s chance at a Pac-12 title is dead. Maybe the Buffs will flip the switch for the conference tournament. Maybe they’ll flip the switch for the NCAA tournament.

I wouldn’t hold your breath.