Lincoln, Neb. – Colorado’s team hotel, The Cornhusker, was the backdrop Wednesday as eight workers from a nearby meatpacking plant claimed the $365 million Powerball, the biggest lottery jackpot in U.S. history.
The Buffaloes couldn’t bring any of that good fortune to the Devaney Center.
In addition to getting buried 93-77 by Nebraska, the Buffs must have looked almost inept at times to a member of the NCAA Tournament selection committee, Horizon League commissioner Jon LeCrone. Sitting in the press area, LeCrone watched the Buffs set a standard for their worst half of basketball.
Colorado fell behind 25-7 in the first 13 minutes, hit only three of its first 20 shots and continued a late-season slide. The Buffs (17-7, 7-6 Big 12) have lost four of their past six games, each of those losses on the road.
CU players were unaware until after the game that a selection committee member was amid the announced crowd of 10,016. That wasn’t what the team wanted to hear.
“That’s just our luck, just our luck,” CU junior guard Marcus Hall said. “We can’t duck now.
“There’s no room for error. When I say that, it means (winning) all three of these remaining games and a couple of games in the Big 12 Tournament.”
Who knows how many victories will be needed for Colorado to gain its first NCAA Tournament invitation since 2003. But if CU doesn’t turn things around in a hurry, the Buffs just might sleepwalk their way out of even bubble consideration.
Their performance Wednesday night, or lack thereof, couldn’t have impressed LeCrone, who jotted notes during halftime. In the first half, CU shot 24.1 percent from the field (7-of-29) and went 1-for-10 on 3-pointers.
Three CU starters – Julius Ashby, Chris Copeland and all-Big 12 candidate Richard Roby – failed to score during the first 20 minutes. The Buffs went scoreless for stretches of 5:05 and 7:02. Jump shots clanged off the front of the rim, and even point-blank layups misfired.
Fortunately for Colorado, LeCrone said the NCAA Tournament selection committee considers an “entire body of work” when evaluating at-large candidates.
“This was just one half of basketball in a long season,” LeCrone said. “We don’t want to make any conclusions about a team based on one game.”
He added, “When I staff a game, it helps me get a better sense of a team’s style of play and personnel.”
Uh-oh.
“It was a tough night,” Roby said. “Our backs are against the wall now.”
Don’t look now, but Nebraska (17-9, 7-6) pulled even with CU in the Big 12 standings, sharing fourth place along with Texas A&M. It would be a surprise if more than four Big 12 teams receive NCAA Tournament bids, so the Buffs find themselves in a game of musical chairs, hoping to not get left out.
COLORADO (17-7, 7-6 Big 12)
Copeland 5-15 2-2 15, Ashby 1-4 0-0 2, Obazuaye 4-5 1-4 10, Hall 3-11 0-0 8, Roby 2-11 3-4 7, Eddy 0-2 5-7 5, Osborn 5-10 0-0 14, Coleman 1-7 1-2 3, Freeman 5-8 0-0 11, Arrington 0-0 2-2 2, King-Stockton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-73 14-21 77.
NEBRASKA (17-9, 7-6)
Wilkinson 5-8 5-5 17, Maric 5-11 3-8 13, Dourisseau 4-7 5-6 13, Richardson Jr. 3-4 4-4 12, White 5-11 4-6 17, B. Walker 0-1 2-2 2, Perry 2-5 0-0 6, M. Walker 3-4 1-2 9, Schliep 0-1 0-0 0, Velander 0-0 0-0 0, Ledsome 0-0 0-0 0, Wilbrand 0-0 0-0 0, Marks 1-1 2-2 4.Totals 28-53 26-35 93.
Halftime – Nebraska 43-23. 3-point goals – Colorado 11-34 (Osborn 4-9, Copeland 3-9, Hall 2-6, Obazuaye 1-1, Freeman 1-1, Eddy 0-1, Coleman 0-1, Roby 0-6), Nebraska 11-22 (White 3-5, Richardson Jr. 2-3, M. Walker 2-3, Wilkinson 2-5, Perry 2-5, Dourisseau 0-1). Fouled out – Ashby. Rebounds – Colorado 30 (Hall 6), Nebraska 51 (Maric, Wilkinson 13). Assists – Colorado 18 (Hall 5), Nebraska 17 (Dourisseau, Richardson Jr. 4). Total fouls – Colorado 27, Nebraska 20. A – 10,016.
Staff writer Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-820-5456 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
