Boulder – As if the 75-46 home loss to ninth-ranked Kansas on Wednesday night wasn’t ugly enough, postgame interviews left questions about whether the Colorado men’s basketball team has cashed in the season.
CU’s lame-duck coach, Ricardo Patton, wondered if his players have quit on him.
“Yes, it certainly resembles that to me,” Patton said.
Saying that some players had displayed a poor attitude, Patton kept three regulars – junior guard Richard Roby and freshman guards Xavier Silas and Kal Bay – out of the starting lineup. Roby had scored 30 points in a 97-74 loss to the Jayhawks on Jan. 27 in Lawrence, Kan.
The trio played substantial minutes Wednesday after coming off the bench but never got into a rhythm. Roby finished with seven points on 3-for-9 shooting. Silas was the only CU player in double figures (11) but went 3-for-13 from the field. Bay had three points in 18 minutes.
It was only the second time in three seasons that Roby was not in the starting lineup. He did not start the home finale last spring when Patton opened with an all-senior lineup to honor them.
“I’m going to teach the right lessons,” Patton said. “And maybe they’ll be ready to play for the next guy. … Just because I won’t be here next year is no reason for our players to quit.”
Demoting three starters is not the way to beat Kansas (22-4, 9-2 Big 12). The Buffaloes (6-15, 2-9) shot 27.3 percent, committed 18 turnovers and were outrebounded 48-39.
While acknowledging that some younger players may be more focused on who might replace Patton than the tasks at hand, Roby said the team has not given up.
“I just think guys are frustrated (with losing) more than anything else,” Roby said.
“I know I haven’t quit,” Silas added.
Unless the teams meet in the Big 12 Tournament, Patton will have finished 1-25 against Kansas.
The Buffs finished with their fewest point total against Kansas since 1993.
Just 11 days earlier, Colorado upset then-No. 12 Oklahoma State 89-77. But Wednesday, the Buffs had trouble just getting into their half-court offense against the quick-handed Jayhawks.
After trailing 38-22 at halftime, Colorado showed some life when it pulled to within 43-31 on a 3-pointer by Silas with 16:08 to go. But Kansas answered with a 16-2 run.
KANSAS (22-4, 9-2 BIG 12)
Wright 3-6 2-2 8, Kaun 4-6 2-3 10, Robinson 6-9 0-0 14, Chalmers 3-6 1-2 8, Rush 3-10 0-0 7, Arthur 5-11 1-3 11, Collins 2-5 3-3 7, Stewart 1-1 0-0 3, Case 0-2 0-0 0, Morningstar 1-1 0-0 3, Jackson 2-6 0-5 4, Kleinmann 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-63 9-18 75.
COLORADO (6-15, 2-9)
Williams 2-6 3-3 7, Jackson-Wilson 3-8 0-1 6, King-Stockton 0-5 2-4 2, Coleman 2-5 3-5 7, Thorne 1-5 1-2 3, Silas 3-13 3-4 11, Roby 3-9 1-3 7, Kowal 0-0 0-0 0, Bay 1-4 0-1 3. Totals 15-55 13-23 46.
Halftime – Kansas 38-22. 3-point goals – Kansas 6-17 (Robinson 2-4, Stewart 1-1, Morningstar 1-1, Chalmers 1-2, Rush 1-4, Arthur 0-1, Case 0-2, Collins 0-2), Colorado 3-16 (Silas 2-6, Bay 1-3, Roby 0-1, Coleman 0-1, Williams 0-2, Thorne 0-3). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – Kansas 48 (Jackson 11), Colorado 39 (King-Stockton 8). Assists – Kansas 22 (Robinson 6), Colorado 10 (Coleman 3). Total fouls – Kansas 22, Colorado 19. A – 6,608.
Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
