Boulder – Baylor sophomore guard Aaron Bruce received some mention on preseason all-Big 12 Conference teams, while Colorado’s sophomore sharpshooter, Richard Roby, drew almost no consideration.
Somebody should demand a recount.
Roby, the reigning Big 12 player of the week, continued his hot streak with 21 points Wednesday night to lead Colorado to an easy 81-48 victory over Baylor. The visiting Bears (0-3, 0-3) shot 25 percent from the field and got just nine points from Bruce, who topped the nation’s freshmen in scoring (18.2) last season.
“I don’t think it’s a rivalry, but (Bruce) is definitely a good player,” Roby said.
A Coors Events Center crowd of 3,440 watched Colorado (12-3) even its conference record at 2-2, with a tough road date looming Saturday at Oklahoma State. Roby, driving the lane when he wasn’t hitting 3-pointers, is averaging 21 points in his past four games. Bruce, meanwhile, failed to score in the first half.
If the 6-foot-3 Australian appears rusty, nobody could blame him. NCAA sanctions stemming from violations that occurred three years ago under former head coach Dave Bliss prevented Baylor from playing a nonconference schedule. Bruce hit 3-for-10 from the field.
“(Bruce) was a little frustrated,” Roby said. “But he knows his team has played only three games. He didn’t try to force it.”
Getting 17 points from 6-8 senior Chris Copeland and 11 rebounds from reserve center Marcus King-Stockton, Colorado wore down the visitors and defeated a team that it should. That hasn’t always been the case for this program. Last year Baylor’s only Big 12 win came against the Buffs.
BU has lost 17 straight since.
Using three freshmen and a sophomore among its top six players, Baylor can look optimistically toward the future. In the short term, however, the Bears probably won’t be competitive without a big game from Bruce.
CU ran a different defender at him every few minutes.
“Our strategy was, we wanted to not lose (Bruce) and not leave him,” CU coach Ricardo Patton said.
Stymied early by Baylor’s 2-3 zone, CU scored only seven points in the first 8 1/2 minutes. The Buffs finally figured out the best way to get to the basket was to beat the Bears down the court, before the visitors could set up their defense.
“Then we never looked back,” Patton said.
Footnotes
CU athletic director Mike Bohn said Wednesday before the game that he has not discussed a contract extension with Patton. Bohn said he does not have a timetable. Patton’s contract will expire after next season.
“Right now the emphasis is on the team,” Bohn said.
BAYLOR (0-3, 0-3 Big 12)
Bush 1-5 1-2 3, Swanson 1-3 0-0 2, Diene 2-7 1-4 5, Jerrells 2-11 3-4 7, Bruce 3-10 0-0 9, Dugat 4-8 0-0 10, Fields 0-4, 1-2 1, Shipman 1-4 0-0 3, Hurd 0-3 0-3 0, Rogers 2-8 4-4 8, Shepherd 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 16-64 10-19 48.
COLORADO (12-3)
Freeman 1-4 0-0 2, Copeland 5-8 3-4 17, Ashby 0-3 0-0 0, Roby 8-17, 3-4 21, McGee 1-1 0-0 2, Eddy 0-1 0-0 0, Boidock 0-1 0-0 0, Osborn 4-8 0-0 12, Obazuaye 2-3 1-3 5, Senger 0-0 0-0 0, Coleman 2-6 1-2 5, Hall 3-9 0-0 7, Arrington 1-2 0-0 2, King-Stockton 3-4 2-5 8, Perkowski 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-67 10-18 81.
Halftime – Colorado 36-18. 3-point goals – Baylor 6-27 (Bush 0-1, Swanson 0-1, Diene 0-1, Jerrells 0-6, Bruce 3-7, Dugat 2-3, Fields 0-3, Shipman 1-3, Hurd 0-2), Colorado 11-25 (Freeman 0-1, Copeland 4-5, Roby 2-5, Eddy 0-1, Boidock 0-1, Osborn 4-7, Coleman 0-1, Hall 1-4). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – Baylor 39 (Diene 10), Colorado 56 (King-Stockton 11). Assists – Baylor 7 (Jerrells, Dugat 3), Colorado 17 (Coleman 7). Total fouls – Baylor 17, Colorado 14. A – 3,440.
Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-820-5456 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
