One takeaway from the Buffs' heartbreaking loss to Oregon State

BOULDER — It is only fitting that following such a historic win on Thursday, Colorado failed to take advantage of their homecourt against Oregon State.

The hangover was real Sunday evening as the Beavers overcame a double-digit deficit to take down the Buffaloes late in the game, as their adjustment to a zone defense was seemingly impossible for Colorado to overcome.

From this game, it is clear the 2020 Colorado Buffaloes have one major opponent standing in their way for the remainder of this season: themselves.

The Buffs’ have had several major deficiencies this season that we have addressed thoroughly, but can be summed up by the phrase ‘shooting themselves in the foot.’ The turnovers and missed free throws have killed these Buffaloes all year, but tonight, we saw one more problem within this team that could be the most killer.

Allow me to set the scene:

Colorado had been controlling the pace for the majority of the game and was building a comfortable lead into the second half. Facing a strong shooting evening from their opponent and a double-digit deficit, Oregon State head coach Wayne Tinkle switched his defense from man to a 1-3-1 zone in a last-ditch effort to spark his team.

Colorado has struggled against zone defenses in the past, and tonight was no different. In his post-game presser, Tad Boyle detailed how the team spent time yesterday going over their offensive attack for a 1-3-1, but how tonight nothing worked.

“We imploded.”

Implosion is a generous term for being outscored 27-10 in the final 9:30 of the game, including an almost-impressive nine turnovers during that stretch. The moment Oregon State made the switch to the zone, Colorado’s offense was totally neutralized and nothing changed the rest of the way.

Beating a 1-3-1 zone requires a slightly different offensive focus. You press the gaps to pull a double-team, then move the ball to whoever is left unguarded. It’s simple, or as Boyle put it, it’s “Basketball 101.”

It’s also easy to offensive rebound against the 1-3-1, since the defense pulls defenders away from the hoop. Colorado couldn’t take advantage.

“In order offensive rebound, you have to get shots, and we couldn’t,” Boyle said. “We couldn’t get shots because we turned the thing over multiple times, successive times.”

It must be frustrating for Boyle to watch his team falter against a defense that you schemed for the day before, but there’s plenty of blame to go around. His team looked lost on the court in the final minutes, as their own personal frustration and confusion boiled into far too many empty possessions. Some fo their confusion lies at Boyle’s feet.

Colorado didn’t call a timeout right after Oregon State made the switch to zone, instead waiting until the game was tight and the momentum was firmly in the Beavers’ favor.

There were still some bright spots in this brutal loss, primarily the play of McKinley Wright IV and Tyler Bey. Wright—who put up 14 points, 5 rebounds and 11 assists—played tremendous team basketball, including nine first-half assists that had the team rolling. Unfortunately, his inability to control the team against the zone sorely hurt.

On the other hand, Tyler Bey was truly phenomenal, playing an almost perfect game that included 20 points and nine rebounds on 8-12 from the floor. Bey showed a variety of offensive moves, including shots from the elbow, driving layups, and strong dunks.

It’s frustrating to see a talented team lose such an important game, as a victory tonight may have pushed Colorado north of No. 20 in Monday morning’s AP Poll.

The one thing to hang your hats on, Buffs’ fans? It is only Jan. 5.; the season is still young and these Buffaloes should come back hungry.

Looking ahead

The Buffs only face one team this week, as they host Utah on Sunday, Jan. 12. Colorado will be honoring their past Big Eight champions during the game and will be using a special throwback alternate uniform for the occasion.

Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. on ESPNU or at the CU Events Center.