The Colorado Buffaloes lost to the Maryland Terrapins 78-71 tonight and it was a game they should have won. The Buffaloes have potential to be good; but, they are not going to be good if they cannot stop making careless mistakes. Unnecessary fouls, bad shot selection, and not boxing out kill the Buffaloes every game. Colorado really does not have a true big man and hopefully when Cain comes back he can provide that. Andre Roberson led the way with 19 points and 13 rebounds while Carlon Brown added 16 points. The Buffaloes need a lot more production out of Dinwiddie; I really was expecting him to contribute more and he has failed to do that.
Things the Buffaloes did well: Carlon Brown had another great game with 16 points. Askia Booker, who has been an impact newcomer just like Brown, had a great first half and had 8 points; but, he committed some bad fouls, which led to Colorado's second half breakdown. Overall, in the first half, Colorado played very well and looked like it had control of the game. Unfortunately, Brown will be gone next year; but, Booker is going to be fun to watch for the next couple years. If the Buffaloes can get solid play out of Brown, Roberson, and Booker throughout the entire game, they will win a lot more games.
Things the Buffaloes struggled with: They continually were abused by Terrell Stoglin in the latter part of the second half as he had a career high 32 points on the night. The Terrapins would run a high pick and roll and Stoglin would come off and just nail an open shot. Colorado does not seem like they have a consistent way to defend pick and rolls. I'm sure Boyle has a set way, but the players don't always follow it. Sometimes they hedge, sometimes they switch. Not executing a definite way to defend the pick and roll kills teams defensive efficiency. Nate Tomlinson again had some questionable shots and so did Spencer Dinwiddie. Tomlinson went 2-9 and Dinwiddie went 1-5. Another thing with the Buffaloes defense is that they come out way past the three point line when defending. I didn't see it so much against Wichita State, but they did it a lot tonight. When defenders come out so far past the three point line, it kills a team's help defense, which leads to a lot of one on one. One on one is a lot easier than one on 5. There are still a lot of holes on the team, but they have shown flashes of good play. I think the team cannot fully be judged until Jeremy Adams and Damiene Cain get into the rotation.
Up Next: The Buffaloes play Western Michigan at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. The game will be online on ESPN3. If they don't win Sunday, this is going to be a long season. Boyle will have them ready to play and should get some momentum with a win. A big game from Roberson or Booker and Brown's usual scoring should get the Buffaloes the win.