KANSAS CITY, Mo. — What would the addition of a frontcourt enforcer who can rebound and block shots do for the Colorado men’s basketball team next season? Let coach Jeff Bzdelik dream and count the ways.
Bzdelik hopes to bring in as many as two big men during the spring signing period.
“You can’t have the (poor) rebounding margin we had all season and have success because shooting is a variable,” Bzdelik said Wednesday after an 82-67 loss to Texas Tech bounced the Buffs from the Big 12 Tournament in the first round and ended their season.
“Also not having a big guy who can block shots puts a lot of pressure on us defensively. Teams put their heads down and drive on us . . . and there’s nobody under the rim to protect it.”
Ideally, Bzdelik would like at least one of the “bigs” to be a junior college player with maturity and experience. The other could be a younger player with a big upside.
If the recruiting dominoes fall the Buffs’ way, the former could be 7-foot, 245-pound Aziz Ndiaye, a junior college sophomore at Southern Idaho who is sitting out this season to heal a knee injury. The latter could be 6-10 Rob Loe of New Zealand, who would be a freshman. Other recruiting targets are sure to be on CU’s radar.
“It would be huge to get guys like that,” said CU junior guard Cory Higgins, who scored 18 points Wednesday. “It’s no secret that we’ve been killed on the boards all season.”
The eighth-seeded Buffaloes (15-16) needed a first-round victory to be assured of finishing with a .500 record, a requirement for the National Invitation Tournament. CU is not expected to seek a spot in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI), which requires a $60,000 guarantee from its participants.
Colorado jumped to an 18-8 lead, but ninth-seeded Texas Tech (17-14) retaliated with a decisive 24-6 run. The Red Raiders are one of the Big 12’s shortest teams, but they outrebounded CU 39-29.
Bzdelik will welcome another addition next season who could be as important as a 7-footer. Freshman point guard Shannon Sharpe had to redshirt after undergoing knee surgery.
Strong and sturdy at 6-1 and 200 pounds, Sharpe is regarded as a defensive stopper on the perimeter.
“He can keep people in front of him,” Bzdelik said.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
