BOULDER — In looking over Colorado’s schedule, CU men’s basketball coach Jeff Bzdelik must have had an inkling his team would play its best Big 12 game of the season against Oklahoma. Or else Bzdelik’s timing was incredibly lucky.
Starting a tradition he hopes will become an annual, inspirational event, Bzdelik set Saturday’s game as CU’s basketball homecoming. Seventy-five former players returned to campus and were saluted at halftime. The alumni included a handful who laced up their high-tops during the 1940s and 1950s.
Might as well put on a show for the old Buffaloes, right?
Never trailing, Colorado (10-13, 2-7 Big 12) responded with a 72-58 victory that snapped a six-game losing streak.
For once, CU did not blow a lead.
“I am very happy for our guys and for our fans,” Bzdelik said. “We have been competitive in most of our games this year. Today we completed one.”
Oklahoma (15-8, 3-5) got 25 points from 6-foot-10 freshman Blake Griffin. But the Sooners couldn’t give Griffin enough help.
Playing without its usual starting center, Longar Longar (leg stress fracture), Oklahoma pulled even only once, at 10-10, prompting second-year Sooners coach Jeff Capel to lament afterward: “This is the most embarrassing thing I’ve been a part of.”
Meanwhile, Colorado finally executed some of those Princeton-offense plays Bzdelik drew up in October. The Coors Events Center crowd of 5,206 roared when senior guard Marcus Hall broke loose with a backdoor cut and took a crisp bounce pass from junior forward Jermyl Jackson-Wilson for an easy layup.
That made it 53-44 with 7:13 to go and started a spurt that put Colorado back in control after a 14-point Buffs lead had been cut in half. Finally, CU players didn’t panic.
“We’d been in this position before,” said Buffs senior guard Richard Roby, who tied Hall for team-high honors with 19 points. “We didn’t even say anything. We knew what we had to do.”
It was pointed out to Bzdelik that Colorado shot 60 percent from the field.
“If we want to get technical, it’s 61 percent (60.6),” Bzdelik replied, savoring the success.
Colorado wore black uniforms at home for the first time in its history, according to the school’s sports information department. The intent was to acknowledge the “black out” promotion that asked CU fans to wear black.
Fortunately, the final score meant there would be no gloom and doom references at the alumni party.
“We had Cliff Meely speak to the team before the game, and he was great,” Bzdelik said, referring to the 1971 All-American. “This will be a tradition that’s important for people to feel pride in the program.”
OKLAHOMA (15-8, 3-5 BIG 12)
B. Griffin 11-17 3-6 25, T. Griffin 4-8 0-1 8, Crocker 3-10 0-0 9, Godbold 4-10 0-0 8, Johnson 1-7 1-2 4, Leary 0-3 0-0 0, Davis 1-5 2-2 4, Gerber 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-60 6-11 58.
COLORADO (10-13, 2-7)
King-Stockton 0-0 0-0 0, Hall 7-9 3-4 19, Higgins 2-5 4-4 9, Thorne II 1-2 4-4 7, Roby 5-6 8-11 19, Silas 1-5 4-4 6, Knutson 3-4 0-0 8, Jackson-Wilson 1-2 2-2 4, Beckley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-33 25-29 72.
Halftime — CU 33-27. 3-point goals — OU 4-26 (Crocker 3-9, Johnson 1-5, B. Griffin 0-1, Leary 0-3, Davis 0-4, Godbold 0-4); CU 7-11 (Knutson 2-3, Hall 2-3, Higgins 1-1, Roby 1-2, Thorne II 1-2). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — OU 28 (T. Griffin 6), CU 26 (Higgins 7). Assists — OU 15 (B. Griffin 5), CU 14 (Higgins 4). Total fouls — OU 23, CU 17. Technical fouls — B. Griffin, Roby, Silas. A — 5,206.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
