BOULDER — KU night is the night the politically blue city of Boulder becomes literally blue inside the Coors Events Center. CU’s efforts to reduce KU fans’ presence changed some of that. Rarely has it been less blue here.
But this is what never really changes — KU wins. And wins. And wins.
On Wednesday, the Buffs displayed hope for the future, but the No. 1 Jayhawks put a 72-66 overtime statement on the present.
“We keep knocking on the door,” guard Cory Higgins said. “We’ve got to break through.”
Kansas has beaten Colorado 14 straight times, 41 of the last 42 overall and seven straight at the Coors Events Center. But not every Big 12 victory is an easy one, and the newly crowned top-ranked team found Colorado was not willing to let those numbers grow without a substantial fight.
The Buffs pushed Kansas to the brink and to overtime, but the good times stopped there. Kansas scored the first seven points of the extra frame, finally playing the kind of basketball expected of the best team in the nation, and put an end to CU’s upset bid.
It would have been the signature win of the Jeff Bzdelik era.
Instead it was CU’s 11th loss this season. A heartbreaker, given the circumstances, yet a definite sign the men’s basketball program may actually be on the mend. No one, however, was willing to take anything other than a real win.
“We’re not into moral victories,” Bzdelik said. “We have to learn how to close out games. It’s about winning.”
Colorado was hurt by the absence of Alec Burks, the freshman phenom who is second on the team in scoring and tops in rebounds. But he could have played. Burks, who has a left knee sprain, was cleared by doctors. Bzdelik chose not to play him.
“I want the risk, when he steps on the court, to be as minimal as possible,” Bzdelik said.
So Burks watched.
“It was very tough not to be able to play with your teammates,” Burks said. “It was tough to watch. It was close. I feel like I could have helped them out. We could have maybe gotten the ‘W.’ They fought hard. I was proud of my teammates. They keep working hard even though some people are down.”
Two quick 3-pointers gave CU an early 6-4 lead, but things fell apart swiftly. Cole Aldrich blocked shots on one end and the Jayhawks turned them into points on the other. By the time Colorado could gather itself, Kansas had gone on a 20-2 run to turn that deficit into a 24-8 lead.
But a composed CU started to find the range.
The Buffs used a deadly stroke from behind the arc to spark an 18-6 run to climb within four at 30-26 with 3:18 left in the first half. All of this without a big contribution from the Buffs’ leading scorer, Cory Higgins, who finished the first half a frigid 1-of-7 from the field for two points.
In the second half, the Buffs battled. When Marcus Relphorde made a layup at 2:45, they were down just one at 59-58. Two Relphorde free throws with 57 seconds left gave CU a 60-59 lead. Sherron Collins hit one of two free throws with 37 seconds left that eventually sent the game to overtime.
Colorado was outscored 12-6 in the extra period. Relphorde led CU with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
“Our guys care,” Bzdelik said. “They really, truly care. I believe in them. I hurt for them. We’re just going to have to keep banging away.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
