Two takeaways from the Buffs' 72-64 loss to Stanford

D’Shawn Schwartz caught a pass in the right corner and began a dribble-drive towards the hoop. The defender crashed to the ground, drawing a charge. As Schwartz hit the deck, Colorado’s remaining lineup jogged to the other end, hanging their heads.

No one went to pick up their fallen teammate; no one even tried to fight the call or rally Schwartz.

This is the scene for a team that has dropped its last three games, including Sunday evening with a tough 72-64 loss to the Stanford Cardinal.

The Buffaloes, a team that prides itself on its defensive integrity, allowed over 50 points in the paint to Stanford. Their inability to adjust, both with coaching and player adaptability, resulted in a dominant performance inside from Oscar da Silva and Bryce Wills.

This is the first time Colorado has lost three in a row, and the Buffs are limping toward their regular-season finale.

Here’s what we learned after Saturday’s action:

If the Buffs want to be underdogs again, they are on the right track

If it’s any consolation, this was the first time Colorado was swept on the road in conference play all season.

Colorado will most certainly drop out of the AP Top 25 this week and may see its NCAA Tournament projections drop to a six or seven seed.

There is something to be said for going into a fight as the underdog.

Maybe it was the pressure of leading the conference or climbing in the national polls that have caused this Buffaloes team to crack, but as the losses pile up, the cracks have turned into a near-implosion.

With an extended break coming this week as they have only one game in Utah, Colorado can get a chance to regroup and rest as they try and get their minds right. They will have only this one game before the conference tournament starting on March 11.

CU still sits in fourth place in the conference as they hold the tie-breaker with ASU. If they can rally for a win in Salt Lake City, the Buffaloes may have a first-round bye in the tournament, setting them up nicely for an additional win or two for their resume.

Colorado needs faster in-game adjustments

It became excruciatingly clear in the first half that Stanford intended to move the ball inside and dare Colorado to try to defend. And yet, as their points in the paint continued to climb, the Buffs continued to roll out the same defensive strategy.

It is strictly conjecture to assume a change in defensive formation would have changed the outcome of the game, but some kind of adaptability would have been a sight for sore eyes as Colorado was torched inside possession after possession.

Stanford scored in two main forms on Sunday afternoon: driving layups and post-up shots from inside.

In fact, they hit just seven free throws and were 21% from deep with just three makes; the Cardinal were not hiding their plan of attack.

Whether it was Bryce Wills making a reverse layup or Oscar da Silva grabbing an offensive rebound and dropping in a quick bucket, Stanford clearly out-hustled Colorado.

It would have been interesting to see CU switch to a zone defense and force the Cardinal to take more jump shots, as a 2-3 zone would have given them an advantage on the boards while also slowing down the pace of Stanford’s attack.

The team is becoming too reliant on their own firepower to keep them in games, and coach Tad Boyle will most likely take this into account as the season winds down. Boyle has always been a defensive-minded coach, which will be pivotal if the Buffs want to stop the bleeding and make a run come tournament time.

Looking ahead

Colorado will look to stop the bleeding in their final regular-season game next weekend. While Utah has won five of its last six, it is no longer a game for the Buffs to feel comfortable with. Although CU routed the Utes in early January 91-52, Colorado needs to be laser-focused heading to Salt Lake City if they want a bye in the conference tournament.

Tip-off is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. MST on Saturday.