BOULDER — Colorado men’s basketball coach Jeff Bzdelik says he never will savor moral victories, only real ones. But Saturday’s 72-59 loss to No. 2 Kansas didn’t sting like some others.
The score was tied 30-30 at halftime. The jumping Jayhawks needed an 11-2 run to pull away with six minutes to go.
“We played hard, we competed, we just came up short,” Bzdelik said. “Kansas (21-1, 6-1 Big 12) isn’t the No. 2 team in the country for nothing. They’re talented. They’re deep. They wore us down.”
Bzdelik, tightly wound but trying to focus on the future, said he wasn’t fazed by all those fans wearing KU blue. A season-best crowd of 10,347 at the Coors Events Center included at least 4,000 Jayhawk faithful, none of whom sat on their hands.
“I applaud the Kansas fans,” Bzdelik said, “but I thought our fans were great, too. It was a great environment.”
Bzdelik looks forward to the time when Colorado (9-12, 1-6) can fill the home arena with its fans and hang with the Jayhawks. The first-year Buffaloes coach may need a couple of more recruiting classes, but this bunch did lead Kansas by seven points twice in the first half.
The Buffs made the game competitive despite the absence of one of their top offensive threats. Sophomore guard Xavier Silas, a usual starter who ranks third on the team in scoring (10.2), dressed for the game but remained on the bench. Bzdelik called it a “coach’s decision” and would not elaborate.
Bzdelik said there is a possibility Silas will play in CU’s next game, Wednesday night at Oklahoma State.
“We knew we were going to be a little short-handed,” said CU senior guard Richard Roby, who finished with a season-best 22 points and outplayed All-America candidate Brandon Rush (15), who drew the defensive assignment against Roby for much of the game. “But I think guys stepped up and did their part. We did a great job moving the ball around.”
Colorado suffered its fifth straight loss and seventh in the past eight games. But Bzdelik, trying to teach a passing offense, was encouraged by his team’s 14 assists. CU managed just five assists earlier in the week at Iowa State.
Kansas flexed its size advantage and pounded the ball inside to overcome an early deficit. Then the Jayhawks turned up their defensive pressure. Kansas opened the second half with an 8-0 spurt, getting two fast breaks off steals in the open court.
Led by 18 points from 6-foot-8 senior Darnell Jackson, Kansas shot 53.3 percent and owned the boards. The Jayhawks, in an angry mood coming off their only loss of the season Wednesday night at Kansas State, now have won 37 of the past 38 meetings with Colorado. But unlike some recent matchups, the Jayhawks had to work for this one.
“(The Buffs) are going to continue to get better and better,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “They’d have two or three more wins in the league if the ball bounced differently.”
KANSAS (21-1, 6-1 Big 12)
Arthur 4-8 1-1 9, Jackson 4-7 10-10 18, Robinson 0-2 1-2 1, Chalmers 3-7 2-3 8, Rush 5-12 3-4 15, Collins 4-4 0-0 9, Stewart 0-0 0-0 0, Case 0-0 0-0 0, Kaun 4-5 4-5 12, Aldrich 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-45 21-25 72.
COLORADO (9-12, 1-6)
King-Stockton 0-0 3-5 3, Hall 5-9 0-0 13, Higgins 5-10 0-0 11, Thorne II 2-6 1-3 6, Roby 8-15 2-2 22, Coney 0-2 0-0 0, Patterson 0-0 0-0 0, Knutson 0-6 0-0 0, Jackson-Wilson 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 22-50 6-10 59.
Halftime — Tied 30-30. 3-point goals — KU 3-9 (Rush 2-6, Collins 1-1, Robinson 0-1, Chalmers 0-1), CU 9-23 (Roby 4-6, Hall 3-6, Higgins 1-2, Thorne II 1-2, Coney 0-2, Knutson 0-5). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — KU 34 (Rush 6), CU 21 (Roby 6). Assists — KU 14 (Chalmers 6), CU 14 (Hall 5). Total fouls — KU 18, CU 20. A — 10,347.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
