Colorado Buffaloes Embarrassed By Stanford, Lose 74-50

The Buffaloes were outplayed and outworked in just about every aspect of the game tonight as they fell to the Stanford Cardinal 74-50. They came out the same way they did against Arizona State and Utah and consequently, got manhandled. With this loss, Colorado assured itself of no chance of making the NCAA Tournament; however, Colorado needs to put this loss behind them. Askia Booker led the way for the Buffaloes with 12 points and Andre Roberson added 9 points and 11 rebounds. Ultimately, a bad loss for the Buffaloes, but the worst thing Colorado can do is come out the same way against California and lose back-to-back home games.

Things the Buffaloes did well: Hard to point out what the Buffaloes did well. They got blown out at home by a team with a worse record in the Pac-12. Although, a positive note to add is that the Buffaloes are still very young and these games happen to young teams.

Things the Buffaloes struggled with: In the first half, Colorado shot 6-29 from the field and 5-12 from the free throw line. They let Stanford basically shoot uncontested threes the entire half and decided that help defense wasn't really necessary. It didn't get any better for the Buffaloes in the second half. For the game, Colorado shot 14-29 from the line (46%) and 16-54 (29%) from the field. All game they let Stanford get multiple second chances on the glass and were just outworked. Shot selection for the Buffaloes was ill-advised and although I mentioned it above the missed free throws needs to be reiterated. When your team isn't scoring, making free throws is a great way to get some easy points and break out of a funk. Colorado missed consecutive one and ones down the stretch in the first half. Overall, a very surprising loss for the Buffaloes; not one player played well.

Up Next: What would have been the biggest game of the year for the Buffaloes is now a game that Colorado needs to win to secure a first-round bye for the Pac-12 tournament. The Buffaloes need to come out with a completely different attitude for this game. Hopefully they get the win, but I just don't see it after this lethargic performance tonight.