Although the losses continue to mount, progress made by the Colorado men’s basketball program has caught the attention of rival coaches in the Big 12 Conference.
“No one at this point wants to play those guys,” Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said of the Buffaloes during Monday’s Big 12 coaches teleconference. “Over the last five or six games, they may be playing as good as anybody in the league. They’re going to start winning some games pretty quick.”
Colorado (9-13, 1-7 Big 12) is getting closer. All but two of CU’s seven conference losses have been by 10 points or less. In its past five games, CU has defeated Iowa State, lost by two points to Kansas State and Nebraska, and took games to the final minute at two of the toughest places to play in the Big 12 – losing 66-61 at Kansas and 77-72 at Oklahoma.
The Buffaloes play at Iowa State (12-11, 1-7) on Wednesday night.
“Besides Colorado’s game at Missouri (107-62 blowout win by host Tigers) to start the conference, they’ve been in every one of their games,” Iowa State coach Greg McDermott said of the Buffs.
“They impose their will on you with what they do offensively. They’re going to do what they do, and you have to figure out a way to stop it.”
Kansas State needed overtime to win in Boulder on Jan. 24 and has since defeated the likes of Missouri, Texas and Texas A&M.
“The thing that nobody ever gives any credit to is experience,” said Kansas State coach Frank Martin, when asked about Colorado. “Lacking experience is a big problem when you compete in the Big 12. It’s too good a conference, has too many good coaches, has too many good players for a team lacking experience to find immediate success. It’s just not going to happen.
“The (Colorado) guys, I’m sure, did not play up to what Jeff Bzdelik wanted them to play. But they’ve continued to fight, which you can see on tape when you prepare to play them. They’re playing better. They’ve got guys that can score off the dribble. They’ve got five guys on the floor that can shoot the basketball. As they continue to get older and more understanding of the game and more mature, they’re guarding better.
“You can tell they have that desire. You’ve got to have a desire to have a chance. They play that way.”
Bzdelik said he sees improvement each day.
“We’re close, yeah. But close doesn’t mean anything,” he said during the teleconference. “We need to continue to improve. We need to continue to get stronger. We need to continue to take care of the basketball and do a better job on the boards so we can turn some of these close situations into a couple of wins.
“Our guys’ attitude is great. They’re energy is great. They’re willingness to learn is great. We just need to continue to get better. I’ve said many times, gaining experience and wisdom comes at a high cost. That high cost right now is losing games.
“But there is no other way to get wisdom and no other way to get experience than to be scarred by going out there and learning on the job. But it’s the best way to learn because these young players are learning what this league is all about.”
Team morale has not been a problem, Bzdelik said.
“Losing can beat you up, there’s no question about that,” he said. “But this is what I tell them on a daily basis: ‘It is an absolute privilege to play college basketball, especially in the Big 12. If you can’t get excited about going out there and play on TV in front of big crowds against great teams and great coaches, then you’re in the wrong league.’ ”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
