Boulder – Previous Colorado men’s teams might have panicked.
Buffaloes jump shooters started out so cold Wednesday night they couldn’t have hit the broad side of a snowplow. CU misfired on its first 10 attempts against Utah, including a pair of free throws.
In other years, bad beginnings resulted in ugly losses. But it takes every finger on two hands to count the number of seniors on this Buffs roster. The veteran crew maintained its wits, played with poise and continued to work hard at the defensive end.
Ultimately, it paid off. Composure, confidence and a dozen 3-pointers enabled Colorado (5-1) to cruise to a 76-52 victory over a Utes squad expected to contend for the Mountain West Conference title despite missing 7-footer Andrew Bogut, the first pick in last summer’s NBA draft.
“This team is more advanced as far as maturity than we used to be,” said CU’s Chris Copeland, a 6-foot-8 senior forward who contributed everywhere on the floor with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots.
“Being older, we’ve been down in games before. It was a matter of staying focused. And playing defense.”
Colorado may have played its best 20 minutes of defense this season in the first half, taking a 33-16 advantage into the break after limiting Utah to 33 percent shooting. Utah (4-2) jumped to a quick 10-3 lead but CU stayed strong on the defensive end.
Frustrated early trying to find seams in Utah’s 2-3 zone, the Buffs had a little pep talk among themselves during a timeout and began making extra passes around the perimeter. That led to open looks from outside the arc.
CU’s first 15 points came on 3-pointers, including a pair of rainbows by sophomore guard Richard Roby.
“Our guys knew this was a big game, and they came out a little tight,” CU coach Ricardo Patton said. “With (Utah) coming out in a zone, maybe they didn’t respect our shooters. I don’t know why they wouldn’t.”
Roby finished with a game- high 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
CU’s 18 offensive rebounds prevented Utah from sustaining a second-half rally.
“It’s embarrassing; we’re soft,” Utah coach Ray Giacoletti said.
UTAH (4-2)
Markson 4-10 5-5 13, Green 1-6 0-0 3, Jackson 6-9 0-4 12, Bryant 2-8 0-0 5, Drisdom 0-2 0-1 0, Borha 3-5 1-2 7, Iverson 0-0 0-0 0, Johns 1-2 0-1 2, Nevill 3-5 1-1 7, Langvad 1-3 1-2 3. Totals 21-50 8-16 52.
COLORADO (5-1)
Osborn 3-7 0-0 7, Copeland 5-15 3-3 16, Obazuaye 1-6 0-2 2, Hall 3-8 0-0 8, Roby 7-17 1-2 19, Eddy 2-2 1-1 6, Boidock 1-1 0-0 3, Senger 0-0 0-0 0, Coleman 1-3 0-1 2, Freeman 4-8 1-2 9, Arrington 0-1 0-0 0, King-Stockton 2-2 0-0 4, McGee 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-70 6-11 76.
Halftime – Colorado 33-16. 3-point goals – Utah 2-14 (Bryant 1-3, Green 1-4, Jackson 0-1, Drisdom 0-1, Johns 0-1, Borha 0-1, Langvad 0-1, Markson 0-2), Colorado 12-37 (Roby 4-11, Copeland 3-9, Hall 2-5, Boidock 1-1, Eddy 1-1, Osborn 1-5, Coleman 0-2, Freeman 0-3). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – Utah 35 (Jackson 7), Colorado 41 (Roby 10). Assists – Utah 7 (Borha 3), Colorado 18 (Copeland 4). Total fouls – Utah 15, Colorado 17. A – 2,472.
Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-820-5456 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
