BOULDER — As with any competition between old pals, Colorado coach Tad Boyle and Texas A&M’s Mark Turgeon were prepared Wednesday night for a dogfight, perhaps an excruciating one.
But did it have to go an extra five minutes?
Needing a 3-pointer from Aggies senior guard B.J. Holmes from the top of the key with 1.9 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime, Turgeon’s 22nd-ranked Aggies controlled the additional five-minute period and ultimately prevailed 73-70 at the Coors Events Center to send most of the 7,517 home disappointed.
Colorado’s sixth loss in its past seven games severely damaged the Buffaloes’ hopes for a postseason tournament. Colorado (15-10, 4-6 Big 12) began the league schedule 3-0 but can’t seem to stop its current tailspin.
Holding a three-point lead, CU intended to foul with four seconds left in regulation. But Texas A&M made quick passes, and then miscommunication resulted in Buffs junior forward Austin Dufault failing to make a switch off an Aggies screen, leaving nobody to pick up Holmes and at least get a hand in his face. He was wide open.
“This is a tough one,” said Boyle, who played in the backcourt with Turgeon at Kansas for Larry Brown in the 1980s and coached under Turgeon at Jacksonville (Ala.) State and Wichita State. “I owe everything to Mark Turgeon, but this one stings no matter who you’re playing.
“I won’t sleep a wink tonight. This one was on my shoulders. I didn’t have the team as prepared as we should be at the end (of regulation). This one will be with me for a long, long, long time.”
Turgeon wasn’t about to let his former assistant dictate the tempo Wednesday night and allow the Buffaloes to incite the Coors Events Center crowd by running the score into the 80s. Colorado led for much of regulation but had to work for every shot against Texas A&M’s overplaying man-to-man defense and failed to gain enough separation. The Buffs lost for the second time at home. The first was to Kansas.
“We’d gain a little and then fall back,” said CU sophomore guard Alec Burks, who topped all scorers with 24 points and became the 27th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points.
Snapping a three-game losing streak, Texas A&M (18-5, 5-4 Big 12) controlled the paint in the five-minute overtime and never trailed after an opening basket by 6-foot-8 forward David Loubeau. He finished with nine rebounds and helped the Aggies dominate the boards with a 40-29 rebounding advantage.
Still, Colorado had a chance to extend the game into a second extra period, but Levi Knutson’s 3-pointer from the right elbow just before the buzzer was contested by an Aggies defender. It bounced off the rim.
“This one definitely hurts,” Knutson said. “But we know we have a game against Kansas State on Saturday. We have to move forward.”
Colorado appeared to have victory within its grasp when Burks converted two free throws with 10.6 seconds remaining in regulation. But after a Texas A&M timeout, Holmes worked loose at the top of the key for his game-tying trey.
“It was great . . . but I hated this (game),” Turgeon said when asked about his relationship with Boyle and two CU assistants who also worked for him at Wichita State. “This was a must win for us. But it was no fun playing against Tad.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
